A golden chaine: or The description of theologie containing the order of the causes of saluation and damnation, according to Gods word. A view whereof is to be seene in the table annexed. Hereunto is adioyned the order which M. Theodore Beza vsed in comforting afflicted consciences.

The Confutation.

The very name of Election doth fully confute this: for none can be said to be elected, if so be that God would haue all men elected in Christ. For he that electeth, or maketh choice, cannot be said to take all: neither can he that ac∣cepteth of all, be said to make choice onely of some.

Obiect. Election is nothing els but dilection, or loue: but this we know, that God loueth all his creatures; therefore he electeth all his creatures.

Answer. I. I denie that to elect is to loue, but to ordaine and appoint to loue. Rom. 9.13. II. God doth loue all his creatures, yet not all equally, but euery one in their place.

Furthermore, this position doth flatly repugne the most plaine places of holy Scripture. Tit. 2.14. Who gaue himselfe for vs, that he might redeeme vs from all i••iquitie, and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe. Ioh. 10. I giue my life for my sheepe. Exception. All men are the sheepe of Christ. Answer. Iohn addeth, And my sheepe heare my voice, and I knowe them, and they followe me, and I giue vnto them eternall life, neither shall they perish. Eph. 5.23. Christ is the head of the Church, and the same is the Sauiour of his body. vers. 25. Christ loued the Church, and gaue himselfe for it. Redemption and remission of sins, is the inheritance of the Saints, and of such as are made heires of the kingdome of Christ. Coloss. 1.13.

Againe, looke for whom Christ is an Aduocate, and to them onely is he a Redeemer; for redemption and intercession, which are parts of Christs priest∣hood, the one is as generall and large as the other, and are so surely vnited and fastened togither, as that one cannot be without the other. But Christ is only an Aduocate of the faithfull. Ioh. 17. in that his solemne praier, he first praieth for his own, namely his disciples elected not only to the Apostleship but also to eternall life: and then vers. 20. he praieth likewise for them that should be∣leeue in him by their worde. Nowe against these, he opposeth the worlde, for which he praieth not that it may attaine eternall life. And Rom. 8. Who shall accuse Gods elect? Christ sitteth at the right hand of the father, and maketh interces∣s••on for vs. Furthermore, the members of Christs Church, are called the Re∣deemed of the Lord, Psalme 87. Therefore this priuiledge is not giuen to all a∣like.

Exception. This vniuersall reconciliation is not in respect of man, but God himselfe, who, both made it for all, and offereth it to all. Ans. If Christ became once before God a reconciliation for all mens sinnes, yea and also satisfied for 〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

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them all, it must needes followe that before God al those sinnes must be quite blotted out of his remembrance. For the actuall blotting out of sinnes, doth inseparably depend vpon reconciliation for sinnes: and satisfaction doth infer by God, and that necessarily, the very reall and generall abolishment of the guilt and punishment of sinne.

Obiect. I. Christ tooke vpon him mans nature: therefore he redeemed mans nature generally. Answer. I. It followeth not, except we would say that Christ redeemed his owne humanitie, which cannot be any waies possible. II. Euery woman doth partake the humane nature of euery man, yet is not e∣uery man each womans husband, but hers alone, with whome by the coue∣nant in matrimorie, he is made one flesh: and in like sort Christ did by his in∣carnation (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) take also vpon him mans nature, and that common to all Adams progenie, yet is he the husband of his Church alone, by another more peculiar coniunction, namely, the bond of the spirit and of faith. And by it the Church is become flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone. Eph. 5.20. And therefore shee alone may iustly claime title to the death of Christ and al his merits.

Obiection. II. Christs redemption is as generall, as Adams fall was: and ther∣fore it appertaineth to all Adams posteritie. Answer. Adam was a type of Christ, and Christ a counter-type correspondent to Adam. Adam was the roote of all his successors, or all that should come of him, from the which first Adam, was sinne and death deriued: againe, Christ he is also a roote, but of the elect onely, and such as beleeue, to whome, from him, proceede righteousnes, and life eternall. He cannot be said to bee the roote of all, and euery singular man, because that all doe not drinke and receiue this his righteousnesse, and life neither are they actually by him made righteous. Romans 12.17.19. Ob∣iect. The benefit of Christs death redounded to all. Answer. It did, to all that beleeue. For as Adam destroyed all those that were borne of him: so Christ doth iustifie and saue all those that are borne anewe by him, and none other. Obiect. If tha•• Adams sinne destroyed all, and Christs merit doth not saue all: then is Adams sinne more forcible to condemne, then Christs mercie is to saue. Answer. We must not esteeme of the mercie of Christ by the number of men which receiue mercie (for so indeede I grant, that as Adams fall made all vniust, so the mercie of Christ and his redemption should actually iustifie all) but we mu••t rather measure it by the efficacie and dignitie thereof, then by the number on whom it is bestowed. For it was a more easie thing to destroy all by sinne, then by grace to saue but one. Man, being but meere man, could de∣stroy all: but to saue euen one, none could doe it, but such an one as was both God and man.

Obiect. III. Many places of Scripture there are which affirme this, that the benefit of Christs death doth appertaine vnto all. Rom. ••1. God hath shutte vp all vnder sinne, that he might haue mercie vpon all. 1. Tim. 2.4. God would haue all men to bee saued. 2. Pet. ••.9. God would not haue any to perish, but all come to repentance. Answer. I. You must vnderstand all that beleeue, as it is Math. 11.28. All that are wearie and heauie laden. Ioh. 3.6. All that beleeue. Gal. 3.23. The Scripture hath concluded all vnder sinne, that the promise by the faith of Ie∣sus

Christ, should be giuen to them which beleeue. Act. 10.43. All which beleeue. And surely there is as well a generalitie of them that beleeue, as of the whole world. II. We may vnderstand by [all] of all sorts some, not euery singular person of all sorts. So, Reuel. 5.9. Christ is said to haue redeemed some out of e∣uery kinred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And Gal. 3.28. There is neither Iew nor Grecian, neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Iesus. Matth. 4. Christ is said to haue healed euery disease, that is, euery kind of disease. And Augustine to this purpose hath a fit rule. All is of∣ten vsed for many, as Rom. 5.18,19. Augustine in his Manuel to Laur. chap. 103. It is thus saide (saith Augustine) God would haue all to be saued, not because there was no man which he would haue damned, who therefore would not doe mira∣cles amongst them, which would as he saith, haue repented, if he had done miracles, but that by all men we should vnderstand all sorts of men, howsoeuer distinguished, whether Kings, priuate persons, &c. And in his booke de Corrept. & gratia, chap. 14. It is saide, he would haue all to be saued, so as we must vnderstand all such as are predestinate to be saued, because amongst them there are all sorts of men, as he said to the Pharises, You tythe euery hearb. III. These two, to be willing to saue man, and that he should come to the sauing knowledge of the truth, are inseparably vnited together. 1. Tim. 2.4. But the second we see doth not agree to all and euery singular person: therefore the first cannot.

Obiect. IV. In many places of Scripture Christ is said to redeeme the world, as 1. Ioh. 2.2. He is a propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world. Ans. This word world, signifieth, I. the frame of heauen and earth. II. All men both good and bad together. III. The companie of vnbeleeuers, and malignant haters of Christ. IV. The congregation of the Elect, dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth, and to be gathered out of the same. In this fourth signification we must vnderstand such places as are aboue mentioned. Abraham is called the heire of the world, Rom. 4.13. that is, of many nations. Gen. 17.45.

Obiect. V. God will not the death of a sinner, but rather that he repent and liue, Ezech. 18.23. Answer. Augustine in his 1. booke to Simplicius, 2. quest. an∣swereth this question. You must, saith he, distinguish betwixt man, as he is borne man, and man, as he is a sinner. For God is not delighted with the destruction of man, as he is mā, but as he is a sinner: neither wil he simply the death of any as he is a sinner, or as it is the ruine and destruction of his creature: but in that, by the detestation and reuenge of sinne with eternall death, his glorie is exceedingly aduanced. God there∣fore will the death of a sinner, but as it is a punishment, that is, as it is a meanes to declare and set out his diuine iustice: and therfore it is an vntruth for a man to say that God would haue none condemned. For whereas men are once condemned, it must be either with Gods will, or without it: if without it, then the will of God must needes suffer violence, the which to affirme is great im∣pietie: if with his will, God must needes change his sentence before set downe, but we must not presume to say so.

Obiect. VI. God is the Father of all, Malach. 2.10. Ans. This place is meant of Gods Church, out of which, all men, standing in that corrupt estate by Adā, are the children of wrath, and of the deuill. Eph. 2.2. Ioh. 8.44.

Obiect. VII. If God did elect some, and reiect others, he must needes

be [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] a respecter of persons. Ans. I. One is said then to accept, or haue respect of persons, when as he by some circumstances inherent in the person, is mooued to doe this or that. Now, as for God, he did vpon his meere pleasure elect some, and reiect others eternally, not mooued or vrged thereun∣to by any thing whatsoeuer, out of himselfe. II. He is debter to none, but may by good right doe with his creatures what seemeth good vnto him in his owne eyes. III. It is one thing with God to accept of persons, and another to make choice of men. This if we should not graunt, it would follow that God must be deemed blame-worthie, because he made not all his creatures most glorious Angels.

Obiect. VIII. If God decreed to reiect certaine men, then did he hate his creature. Answ. God decreed to reiect his creature and workmanship, not be∣cause he hated it, but because he appointed it to hatred. And it is one thing to hate, and another to appoint to hatred. And indeede God doth not actually hate any thing, but for sinne. That saying of Augustine to Simplicius is fitte for this purpose. When God maketh the wicked, whome he doth not iustifie, vessells of wrath, he doth it not to hate that which he made: for in that he made them ves∣sels, they haue their vse, namely, that by their paines to which they were ordained, the vessels of honour might reape profit. God therefore doth not hate them, in that they are men, or vessels, neither any thing that he made in them by creation, or ordination. For God hateth nothing which he hath made. But in as much as he made them vessels of destruction, he did it to instruct others. As for their impietie, which he neuer made, that he hateth vtterly. As therfore a iudge hateth theft in a mā, but he doth not hate his punishment that he is sent to worke in the mines. For the theefe doth the first, the iudge the latter: so God, whereas of the companie of them which perish, he maketh vessels of perdition, he doth not therefore hate that which he doth, that is, the cōdem∣nation of those which perish in their due punishment for sinne.

Obiect. IX. The reprobates are said in many places of Scripture to be re∣deemed by Christ, as 2. Pet. 2.1. Ans. First, we must not vnderstand such pla∣ces meant of all reprobates, but of such as are for a time in the Church. II. They are saide to be redeemed, iustified, and sanctified, both in their owne iudgements, and the Churches also, in as much as they make an externall pro∣fession of the faith. But this is a iudgement of charitie, not of certentie.

Obiect. X. God might be thought cruell, if that he had ordained the grea∣test part of the world to destruction. Answer. God could well enough haue decreed, that euen all men should vtterly haue beene reiected, and yet he should haue beene neuer a whit either cruell or vniust. Reasons. I. He ad∣iudged all and euery one of those soule and wicked spirits which fell from him, to eternall torments. II. He decreed also, as is apparant by the euent, that men should liue by the slaughter of beasts; and yet God is not therefore cruell against them: and surely God is no more bounden vnto man, then vnto the very bruit beasts.

Exception. God appointed all to be saued, with this caueat and condition, If they beleeue. Answer. This is absurd to affirme: for, I. by this meanes the decree of God should depende vpon the will of man•• when as contrarily Gods decree doth limit and order all inferiour causes. II. It quite taketh a∣way

the certaintie of Gods decree, because a conditionall proposition doth set downe nothing as beeing, or, it doth not certainly affirme any thing.

Obiect. If the merit of Christ did not extend it selfe as farre as the fall of A∣dam, then is not the head of the Serpent broken, nor Satans kingdome aboli∣shed by Christ. Ans. This brusing of the Serpents head, is seene in them onely which are at enimitie with the Serpent, namely in such as truly beleeue. Gen. 3.15. compared with Rom. 16.20.

To conclude, that is not true which they say, namely, that this opinion of an vniuersall and effectuall redemption of euery singular man, is a notable re∣medie to comfort afflicted consciences. For I appeale to the iudgement of all men, whether there is in this manner of consolation, any great comfort to the conscience afflicted.

Christ died for all men:

Thou art a man:

Therefore Christ died for thee.