The summe of Christian religion: deliuered by Zacharias Vrsinus in his lectures vpon the Catechism autorised by the noble Prince Frederick, throughout his dominions: wherein are debated and resolued the questions of whatsoeuer points of moment, which haue beene or are controuersed in diuinitie. Translated into English by Henrie Parrie, out of the last & best Latin editions, together with some supplie of wa[n]ts out of his discourses of diuinitie, and with correction of sundrie faults & imperfections, which ar [sic] as yet remaining in the best corrected Latine.

Of euil spirits or Angels.

THEY which now are euill spirites or Angels, although they also were at their creation good, and adorned by God with the same holinesse, and righteousnes, and blessednesse, wherewith the rest were: yet notwithstanding by their own will, & that free, & therefore by their owne fault, they auerted themselues from GOD, and reuoulted from his loue and from obedience due vnto him, so that they left the habitation of God, and no longer con∣tinued their conformitie with God, but euer burne with a horrible hatred of GOD and men, and, that they maie despite GOD, force men to sinne, and by force and sleightes attempt to cast all downe head-long into de∣struction. 2. Pet. 2.4. God spared not the Angels that had sinned, but cast them downe into hell, and deliuered them into chaines of darkenesse, to bee kept vnto damnation. And Iude. The Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their owne habitation, hee hath reserued in euerlasting chaines vnder darkenesse vnto the iudgement of the great daie. Ioh 8.44. Yee are of your father the Diuel, and the lustes of your father yee will doe. He was a mur∣therer from the beginning, and abode not in the trueth. When he speaketh a lie, then speaketh hee of his owne: for hee is a lyar, and the father thereof. 1. Iohn 3.8. Hee that commit∣teth sinne, is of the Diuell: for the Diuell sinneth from the beginning. Iohn 13. Satan entered into Iudas. Actes 5. Satan filled Ananias heart, that hee shoulde lie vnto the holie Ghost, and keepe awaie part of the price of the possession. Ephes. 2. Ac∣cording to the course of this woorlde, and after the Prince that ruleth in the aire, the spirite, that nowe woorketh in the children of disobedience. 2. Thessal. 2. it is saide of Antichrist: Whose comming is by the woorcking of Satan with all power and signes, and lying woonders, and in all deceiueablenesse of vnrighteous∣nesse among them that perishe, because they receiued not the loue of the trueth, that they might bee saued. And therefore hee is called the wicked, 1. Iohn 3.12. Caine, which was of the wicked. Ephes. 6.16. That yee maie quench al the fierie dartes of the wicked. And euerie where in the Scripture hee is cal∣led Satanas, that is, the aduersarie of god and men. 1. Chro∣nic. 21.1. And Satan stoode vp against Israel, and prouoked Da∣uid to nomber Israel. And he is in like maner called, Diabolus,

Diuel) because hee depraueth the woorde of God, and is a slanderer of men, as in Paradise, & Iob. 1. & 2. And the Dra∣gon or old Serpent. Reuel. 12. & 20. because speaking by a Ser∣pent in Paradise he seduced mankind through his subtilty, neither ceaseth he to seduce them stil: Gen. 3.2. Cor. 11. Apoc. 12. The great Dragon, that olde Serpent, called the diuell and sa∣tan, was cast out, which deceiueth all the world. Again, The accu∣ser of our brethren which accused them before our GOD day and night. And Cap. 9. he is called Abaddon and Apollyon, that is, destroieng. He is also called the God of this woorld, blinding the eies of vnbeleeuers. 2. Cor. 4. and the Prince of the woorlde. Iohn 12.14.16. both for his power and forcible woorking, which hee sheweth on the wicked, and for that tyrrannie which he exerciseth against the godly also by gods permis∣sion; as withal for that obsequie, homage and obedience, which is done him by the wicked, euen those who professe the woorshippe of the true God. Ephes. 6. 1. Pet. 5. 1. King 22. 1. Cor. 10. Ioh. 8.

* 1.1By these places is made manifest the impiety of the Manichees, who fained two causes, or two Gods coeternall, the one good, whom they called the light and minde; the other euill, whom they termed the darknesse and matter, the former whereof had created good natures, the latter bad: abusing those testimonies of Scripture, where the Diuel is called the god and prince of the world, the father of the wicked, autor of sinne and death, the power of darkenesse. And standing most of al on this argument, that a good God should not make the cause of euill. For neither hath the Diuell any more power either ouer the godly or ouer the wicked, or ouer other creatures, for which he is called the prince & god of the world, than is gran∣ted him of God, as appeareth by the first and second chap∣ter of the story of Iob, and by the inuasion of the swine, Mat. 8. Neither is the creation of the wicked, but the corrupting and enforcing of them to euill, attributed to the Diuell. Neither is there any neede, least God should be made au∣tor of sinne, to make another God of the Diuell, seeing the Scripture teacheth of Diuels and men, that both were created good and holy by God; but the Diuel reuoulting from god and seducing men, corrupted both himselfe and men.

And although of their owne proper and free will they rush and bend themselues against God:* 1.2 yet by the iust iudegement of God they are so for saken and abiected of him, that they are with∣out all chaunge, or alteration vnrecalabite euill, and subiect to euerlasting tormentes. Wherefore Iude saith, that they are reserued by GOD in euerlasting chaines vnder darekenesse. And Christ, Matth. 25. Goe yee cursed from mee into euerla∣sting fire, which is prepared for the Diuell and his Angels. For though doubtlesse these euil spirits, were euen from their fall dispoiled of the celestiall habitation and blessednesse: yet notwithstanding both they and reprobate men shall bee at the last iudgement adiudged to more greeuous punishment: as contrariwise the felicity and glory of the Godlie shall then at length, after the resurrection of their bodies, bee in all respectes consummated and made perfect. Therefore 2. Pet. 2. and in Iude, these spirites are saide to bee reserued vnto damnation and the iudgement of the great day. And Mat. 8. They complain that Christ came to trouble them before their time.

Furthermore GOD permitted them to fall into this wickednesse,* 1.3 not onelie thereby to shew his wrath against sinne in their euerlasting paines: but also to punish by them in this life the wicked, and also to chastice or trie and exercise with temptations the elect. For fire is saide to bee prepared for them from euerlasting. Matth. 25. And 1. Sam. 16. vers. 18. The euill spirite of GOD came vpon Saul, and vexed him. Psalm. 78.49. Hee cast vpon the Aegyptians the fiercenesse of his anger, in∣dignation and wrath, and vexation by the sending out of euill Angels. But Iob, cap. 1. vers. 2. is deliuered to bee afflicted of Satan, for the trial of his constancie. Luc. 22.31. Satan hath desired you to winnowe you as wheat. 1. Thessal. 2. Wee woulde haue come vnto you, but Satan hindered vs. 2. Corint. 12.7. Least I shoulde bee exalted aboue measure thorough the aboundaunce of reuelations, there was giuen vnto mee a pricke in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet mee, because I should not bee exalted out of measure. 1. Thessal. 3. Least the tempter hadde tempted you in anie sort, and that our labour had beene in vaine. And Matth. 4. Christ himselfe is tempted of Satan: and therefore verily is hee called the tempter, for that hee solliciteth and inicteth men to sinne and to reuoult

from God, both by offering outwarde occasions of sinnes, as also by stirring vp the cogitations and inward motions of the wil and hart.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The refutation of the Mani∣chees, who held two first causes.
• * 1.2

  The euill spirits are vnchange∣ablely euil and damned.
• * 1.3

  The causes why God permitted them to fall.