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BVt to speake of other things, this also commeth to be con∣sidered, for what cause the Sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ tooke vpon him the redemption of man? But the que∣stion now is not of the finall cause, whereof wee will speake something in the next chapter, but of the impulsiue cause, as
they call it, that is to say: what moued him, that he being the workman and Lord, would for his works sake,* 1.1 taking vpon him the nature of it, humble himselfe vnto the most base and shamefull death of the crosse for vs and our saluation? The answere is readie and plaine, that it was done of our Sauiour to shew his loue towards vs, and his willing obedience to∣wards his father.
Of the loue of the Sonne towards vs in the whole worke of his humiliation, Paul speaketh both elsewhere,* 1.2 and also to the Phil. 2. where he exhorteth to the loue of our neighbour, that no man should seeke his owne, but the things of others, and confirmeth his exhortation by the example of Christ, commanding, that the same affection be in vs, which was in Christ Iesu, who when hee was in the forme of God, abased himselfe for our sake, of his meere loue towards vs, as the A∣postle there exhorteth vs to follow him.* 1.3 And of his obedi∣ence towards his father, Christ himselfe witnesseth, Ioh. 5. I seeke not my will, but his that sent me, euen the fathers. And more cleerely, chap. 6. I came downe from heauen, to doe not my will, but the fathers will who sent me, that whatsoeuer hee hath giuen me, I should lose none, but should raise it vp at the last day.
And that it pleased the father to saue vs by the offering vp of his Sonne, it commeth wholly from his diuine fauour,* 1.4 loue and goodnesse towards mankinde, as the Lord witnesseth, Ioh. 3. So God loued the world, that he gaue his Sonne. Where∣vpon Paul also saith, Rom. 5. God setteth out his loue towards vs, that when we were sinners, Christ died for vs. And Ephes. 2. God who is rich in mercie, of his great loue, wherewith he loued vs, euen when wee were dead in sinnes, quickened vs through Christ. And most cleerely of all to Titus chap. 3. The goodnes and loue of God our Sauiour towards men appeared, and saued vs, not by the righteous workes which wee had done, but by his mercie. The sayings of the Prophets consent hereto:* 1.5 In a mo∣ment of my wrath I haue hid for a while my face from thee: in euerlasting mercie I haue compassion on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. I, euen I am he,* 1.6 who doth blot out thine offences
for mine owne sake, and I will not remember thy sins. He saith, for mine owne sake: that is, not for your sake, but for my holie name, as it is expounded Ezech. 36. Neither doth that tend to any other end, which Esay. chap. 9. prophesying of the in∣carnation of the Sunne, and of the redemption of the Church by him from the yoke of sinne and death, concludeth the whole matter with this notable sentence in the ende: The zeale of the Lord of hostes shall bring this thing to passe: as if he should say; I foretell of great things, but they be true, and the almightie father enflamed with eternall loue, and min∣ding to saue them, to whom he hath promised the kingdome of heauen,* 1.7 will bring this thing to passe. See also what Mo∣ses Deuter. 7. speaketh of the cause of the redemption of the people of Israel from Egypt, which was a type of this eter∣nall deliuerance.
* 1.8Further, the vse of this consideration is, that wee should humble our selues vnfainedly before God, and that hee that reioyceth, should reioyce in the Lord, and not in his workes or own worthines. For the opposition of the mercie of God, and of the righteousnes of workes, is to be obserued and vr∣ged alway in the matter or cause of saluation: as Paul did oppose these things:* 1.9 Not by the workes of righteousnes which we had done, but by his mercie he saued vs. And the same An∣tithesis is repeated, 2. Tim. 1. vers. 9. and Dan. 9. vers. 18.
* 1.10The second vse is, that wee also pondring in our minde the deeper sea (as Damascene speaketh) of Gods loue towards vs,* 1.11 should loue God againe, and that not in word nor tongue onely, but in deede and trueth, as he hath loued vs, and giuen his life for vs, 1. Ioh. 3. And chap. 4. ioyning both vses together in excellent words, thus he writeth: Hereby the loue of God is made manifest vnto vs, that he sent his owne Sonne into the world, that wee might liue thorow him. In this is loue, not that we loued him, but that he loued vs, and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for our sinnes. And straightway addeth: Beloued, if God so loued vs, wee ought also to loue one another. And a little before the end: We loue him, because he loued vs first. If any man shall say, I loue God, & hateth his brother, he is a lyar.
But seeing by the death of Christ we are reconciled vnto God, as saith the Apostle, Ephes. 2.* 1.12 He hath reconciled vs to God thorow his crosse, slaying enemitie by it:* 1.13 it seemeth to dis∣agree with that we haue said: that through the loue of God he was deliuered to death for vs. For if we were before loued of God, to what end is reconciliation? If any say, reconcilia∣tion was needfull in respect of vs, that we might cease to bee at enemitie with God, and among our selues, the Iewes with the Gentiles, and Gentiles with Iewes:* 1.14 he neither saith no∣thing, nor speaketh all, by the witnesse of Paul. For first of all, it was the part of the reconciler to pacifie the wrath of God against vs for sinnes, and to make him fauourable and gra∣tious vnto vs. How then can it stand, that God preuented this reconciliation of his free fauour and loue, in giuing his sonne vnto vs? The reason is thus made:
- The same thing is not the cause and the effect.
- But the loue of God is the effect of reconciliation.
- Therefore it is not the cause of it.
[Answere.] But the maior is true in respect of one and the same thing. But the loue of God is the effect of reconciliation, not sim∣ply, as though then at the length he began to loue vs, but re∣spectiuely, as farre forth as reconciliation by the blood of his sonne remoueth sinne, whereby wee were made enemies of God and children of his wrath: according to that saying, Sap. 14. The wicked and his wickednesse are alike hated of God. And Psal. 5. Thou hast hated all that worke iniquitie. And Esay crieth:* 1.15 Our iniquities haue made a separation betweene our God and vs, and our sinnes are the cause that he hideth away his face from vs, and heareth vs not. This whole matter Au∣gustine notably expoundeth in his 110. treatise vpon Iohn: After a wonderfull and diuine maner (saith he) God loued vs,* 1.16 when he did hate vs. For he hated vs, as we were such as he had not made vs, that is for sinnes: And because (saith he) our ini∣quitie had not altogether destroyed his worke, he knew in euery one of vs, both to hate what we had done, and also to loue what he himselfe had made: and this may be vnderstood in all men according to the saying:* 1.17 Thou hast hated nothing that thou
hast made. For in that which he hateth, there is somewhat also that he loueth. For he hateth and misliketh the fault, which swarueth from the patterne as it were of his workma••ship, yet he loueth that which is his owne, euen in such as are corrupted.
Furthermore, seeing hee hateth nothing of those things which he hath made, peculiarly (as Augustine there teacheth) he loueth the members of his onely sonne.* 1.18 For how (saith he) should he not loue the members of his sonne, who loueth his sonne? for there is no other cause of louing his members, but because he loueth him. Therefore he loueth vs because we are his mēbers whom he loueth: and that we might be this thing, for this cause he loued vs, before wee were. For he began not to loue vs, since we were reconciled to him by the blood of his son: but before the world was made he loued vs, that with his onely begotten we might also be his sonnes, before we were any thing at all. Therefore that we are reconciled to God by the death of his son, let it not so be receiued, nor so be vnderstood, as though therefore the sonne hath reconciled vs, that now he might be∣gin to loue whom hee had hated, as one enemie is reconciled to another: but wee are reconciled to him that already loueth vs, with whom for sinnes wee were at enemitie: and yet it is most truly said vnto him, Thou hast hated all that worke ini∣quitie.* 1.19 Hitherto Augustine. The summe of all is, that see∣ing GOD hath loued vs as his worke, but especiallie as the members of his Sonne before the foundations of the world were laid, he of his meere and free loue being moued, gaue vs his Sonne, that being redeemed by his grace from sinne, (whereby wee were put away from the presence and fruition of God) we might bee made heires of eternall life. Bernard, Serm. 20. of the 9. verse of the Psalme, He that dwel∣leth, &c. very well saith: Christ according to the time died for the wicked: but in respect of predestination he died for his brethren and friends.
Two causes moued Christ to redeeme vs:
Of the first.
Of the second.
Nothing mo∣ued the father to send his son to saue vs, but his meere loue and mercie to mankinde.
Esay. 54.7.
Esay. 43.12.
A double vse of the loue of God & Christ towards vs.
The first vse.
Tit. 3.5.
The second.
Damas. lib. 3. cap. 1. orth. fid.
An obiection.
How God did both loue man and hate him.
Ephes. 2. Colos. 1.
Esay 59.
Augustines answere. God hateth sin in vs, but lo∣ueth his work.
Sap. 11.
But specially he loueth vs as we are members of his sonne.
Marke this.