As to what you say, that ‘a window is opened to impiety by these doctrines’ — What if the disorders resulting from them are referred to that leprosy of tolerable evil, which I have already hinted at? Still, by the same dogmas, a door is opened at the same time for the elect and godly, to righteousness, and an entrance into heaven, and a way to God.
Now if, according to your advice, we were to abstain from these dogmas, and hide this word of God from men, so that each one, beguiled by a false persuasion of his safety, did not learn to fear God and be humbled, and through wholesome fear at length come to grace and love, then we would have nobly closed your window of impiety. But in its place, we would open folding doors — no, pits and gulfs — not only to impiety, but even to the belly of hell, for ourselves and for all men. Thus, we would neither enter heaven ourselves, nor allow others who were entering, to go in.
‘What is the use or necessity, then, of publishing such things to the world, when so many evils seem to spring from them?’
I answer; it would be enough to say,
‘God would have these things published. And as to the principles of the divine will, we have no right to ask them; we should simply adore that will, giving glory to God because He, the only just and wise one, injures no man, and cannot possibly do anything foolishly or rashly — even if it appears far otherwise to us.’
Godly men are content with this answer. But, to be lavish with our abundance,148 let it be replied that ‘two things require the preaching of these truths.’ The first is the humbling of our pride, and a thorough knowledge of the grace of God. The second is the very nature of Christian faith.
For the first, God has promised his grace, with certainty, to the humbled — that is, to those who bewail themselves in self-despair. But a man cannot be thoroughly humbled till he knows that his salvation lies altogether beyond and out of the reach of his own strength, counsels, desires, will, and works: till he depends absolutely upon the counsel, will, and work of another — that is, of God only. For as long as he is persuaded that he can do the least thing possible for his own salvation, he continues in self-confidence, and does not absolutely despair of himself. Therefore, he is not humbled before God, but goes about anticipating for himself, or hoping, or at least wishing to obtain a time, place, and some performance of his own, by which He may at length arrive at salvation. 149 On the other hand, he who does not have the shadow of a doubt that he is wholly and solely dependent on the will of God, this man is complete in his self-despair; this man chooses nothing, 150 but waits for God to work. This man is next neighbour to that grace of God which makes him whole. Thus, these things are published for the elect’s sake, that by these means they may be humbled and brought to know their own nothingness, and so they may be saved. The rest resist this sort of humiliation; indeed, they condemn the teaching of this self-despair; they would have some modicum of power left to themselves. These persons secretly remain proud, and are adversaries to the grace of God. This, I say, is one reason why these truths should be preached: that the godly, being humbled, may come to a real knowledge 151 of the promise of grace, that they may call upon the name of the Lord, and may receive its fulfilment.
The second reason for this preaching is that for faith to be conversant about things which are not apparent — to have a place for faith — all the things believed must be hidden things. Now, things are never hidden further from us, than when their contrary is set before us by sense and experience. Thus, when God makes us alive, He does it by killing us; when He justifies us, He does it by making us guilty; and when He lifts us up to heaven, He does it by plunging us into hell. As the Scripture says, “The Lord kills and makes alive; he brings down to the grave, and brings up.” (1Sam 2.6) This is not the place to discourse about this at large. Those who have seen our books, are hackneyed 152 in these topics. Thus, God hides his eternal mercy and pity under eternal wrath, and his righteousness under iniquity.
This is the highest degree of faith: to believe that He is merciful, who saves so few, and condemns so many; to believe that He is just, who of his own will, makes us necessary objects of damnation. 153 Thus, according to Erasmus’ account, God seems to be delighted with the torments of the wretched, and to deserve our hatred, rather than our love. If then, I could by any means comprehend how this God is pitiful and just, who shows such great wrath and injustice, there would be no need for faith. But now, since this cannot be comprehended, and while these things are preached and published, space is given for the exercise of faith — even as the faith of life is exercised in death,154 while God is in the very act of killing us. Enough for the present, in a preface.
Those who assert and defend these paradoxes, do, in fact, better provide against the impiety of the multitude, than you do by your counsel of silence and abstinence — which, after all, avail nothing. For if you either believe, or suspect, that these paradoxes are true (being, as they are, of no small moment), it is through that insatiable desire which men have for scrutinizing secret things. But then, most of all (when most of all we wish to conceal them), you will cause men to have a much greater desire to learn whether these paradoxes are true, by publishing this caution of yours. You will no doubt set them on fire by your eagerness. Thus, it will be found that none of us has yet given such occasion for the promulgation of these things, as you have done by this devout and vehement admonition against it. If you meant to obtain your wish, then you would have acted more prudently in holding your tongue about shunning these paradoxes.
All is over now. Since you do not absolutely deny that they are true, they cannot hereafter be concealed. Rather, by the suspicion that they are true, you will draw everybody to investigate them. 155 Therefore, either deny that they are true, or first keep silent yourself, if you mean for others to be silent.
SECT. 24. The paradox that ‘all human works are necessary,’ explained and defended.
With respect to the other paradox, that ‘whatever we do is done by mere necessity, and not by Freewill,’ let us look a little into it here, so that we may forbid its being called most pernicious. What I say at present is this: when it has been shown that our salvation is placed beyond the reach of our own power and wisdom, and depends on the work of God alone (which I hope to fully prove hereafter, in the body of my discourse), will it not clearly follow that, while God is not present as a worker in us, everything is evil which we do? And will it not appear that we necessarily do those things which are of no profit to our own salvation? For, if it is not we, but only God, that works salvation in us, then before he works in us, we do nothing that is profitable to our salvation, whether we will it or not. When I say necessarily, I do not mean by compulsion — but as it is said, by a necessity of immutability, not of compulsion. That is, when a man is destitute of the Spirit of God, he does not work evil against his will, as if it was forced upon him; as if someone seized him by the throat and twisted him around; just as a thief or highwayman is carried to the gallows against his will. Rather, he works it of his own accord, and with a willing will. But then he cannot, by his own strength, lay aside, restrain, or change his good pleasure or his will to act; but he goes on, willing and liking. And even if he were to be compelled from without, to do something else by force, still his will remains averse within him, and he is angry with the person who compels or resists him.
Now, he would not be angry if his mind were changed, and he were following the force which acts upon him willingly. This is what at present I call ‘a necessity of immutability’ — that is, the will cannot change itself and turn another way. Rather, by being resisted, the will is provoked all the more to will, as proved by its indignation. This would not be, if the will were free, or if it possessed Freewill. Appeal to experience. How impracticable those persons are who cling to anything with affection. If these persons cease to cling, they cease through force, or the greater
