Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
From Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God
https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Concerning_the_Eternal_Predestination_of/Cpf6sWdobC0C?hl=en&gbpv=1
X.10 God moves in the hearts of the ungodly
Sorry, youtube doesn't give me enough space to paste this chapter.
See the link above to read for yourself.
X.11 No mere permission in God
From this it is easy to conclude how foolish and frail is the support of divine justice afforded by the suggestion that evils come to be, not by His will, but merely by His permission. Of course, as far as they are evils, which men perpetrate with their evil mind, as I shall show in greater detail shortly, I admit that they are not pleasing to God. But it is a quite frivolous refuge to say that God otiosely permits them, when Scripture shows Him not only willing but the author of them. Augustine conceded this to the accustomed and accepted forms of speech, for the time being; but when he proceeds farther to examine the thing more closely, he quite prohibits permission from taking the place of action. I shall not refer to all that he says about this matter in Book 5 of the Contra Iulianum. This will be enough: These things He does in marvellous and ineffable ways, who knows how to execute His just judgements not only upon men's bodies but in their hearts; who does not make wills evil but uses them as He wills, while being Himself unable to will evil. Elsewhere in the same sense: If diligently searched, Scripture shows not only the good wills of men, which He Himself made out of evil wills and are made good by Him, to be directed to good actions and to eternal life; even those which conserve the creatureliness of this world are so within the power of God, that He inclines them when He wills and as He wills, either to the enjoyment of benefits in the case of some, or to the imposition of penalties in the case of others. He adds: Who does not tremble at these judgements with which God works in the hearts of even the wicked whatever He will, rewarding them none the less according to desert? Again it is quite clear from the evidence of Scripture that God works in the hearts of men to incline their wills just as He will, whether to good for His mercy's sake or to evil according to their merits, His judgement being sometimes open and sometimes concealed, but always just. For it ought to be fixed in your hearts that there is no iniquity with God. The reason recorded for God's judgement being sometimes concealed is to be sought in another passage. Here he frequently declares that sins are penalties which God justly returns upon those who had first sinned; and then he rises to that higher and greater hidden secret. God finds the material cause for exercising His wrath in all except those whom He gratuitously elected. For, he says, the rest of mortal men, who are not of that number, are born of the same human race from which those come and are made vessels of wrath for their benefit. For God creates none of them rashly or fortuitously or because He did not know what good He might work by them. For He effects this good, that in them He creates a human nature and out of them He effects order in the world.
The reason why He should sometimes fill the heart with anxiety and fear and sometimes confirm it with courage, why He should take away the spirit from princes and infatuate the counsels of the wise, why He should bestow on some the spirit of temperance and supply others with the spirit of wild fury – the reason for all this He will one day make clear and conspicuous. But it will equally appear that His hidden judgement is paramount, as He converts wills as seems good to Him. For nature is common to all men, but not grace. So in another place speaks the holy man.
If you missed it - go back and read the first sentences of X.11.
If like Frank White ("JiL", "rebukeandreprove"), you want to question what Calvin means by "author", go read the whole thing again. Or listen to the stream. It's not just permission. It's not just that He is Creator.
"how foolish and frail is the support of divine justice afforded by the suggestion that evils come to be, not by His will, but merely by His permission. Of course, as far as they are evils, which men perpetrate with their evil mind, as I shall show in greater detail shortly, I admit that they are not pleasing to God. But it is a quite frivolous refuge to say that God otiosely permits them, when Scripture shows Him not only willing but the author of them."
And notice the constant contradiction about whether evils are pleasing to God or not!
I use StreamYard to create my livestreams. If you would like to upgrade to StreamYard, please use the following link: streamyard.com/pal/d/5288181195079680
From Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God
https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Concerning_the_Eternal_Predestination_of/Cpf6sWdobC0C?hl=en&gbpv=1
X.10 God moves in the hearts of the ungodly
Sorry, youtube doesn't give me enough space to paste this chapter.
See the link above to read for yourself.
X.11 No mere permission in God
From this it is easy to conclude how foolish and frail is the support of divine justice afforded by the suggestion that evils come to be, not by His will, but merely by His permission. Of course, as far as they are evils, which men perpetrate with their evil mind, as I shall show in greater detail shortly, I admit that they are not pleasing to God. But it is a quite frivolous refuge to say that God otiosely permits them, when Scripture shows Him not only willing but the author of them. Augustine conceded this to the accustomed and accepted forms of speech, for the time being; but when he proceeds farther to examine the thing more closely, he quite prohibits permission from taking the place of action. I shall not refer to all that he says about this matter in Book 5 of the Contra Iulianum. This will be enough: These things He does in marvellous and ineffable ways, who knows how to execute His just judgements not only upon men's bodies but in their hearts; who does not make wills evil but uses them as He wills, while being Himself unable to will evil. Elsewhere in the same sense: If diligently searched, Scripture shows not only the good wills of men, which He Himself made out of evil wills and are made good by Him, to be directed to good actions and to eternal life; even those which conserve the creatureliness of this world are so within the power of God, that He inclines them when He wills and as He wills, either to the enjoyment of benefits in the case of some, or to the imposition of penalties in the case of others. He adds: Who does not tremble at these judgements with which God works in the hearts of even the wicked whatever He will, rewarding them none the less according to desert? Again it is quite clear from the evidence of Scripture that God works in the hearts of men to incline their wills just as He will, whether to good for His mercy's sake or to evil according to their merits, His judgement being sometimes open and sometimes concealed, but always just. For it ought to be fixed in your hearts that there is no iniquity with God. The reason recorded for God's judgement being sometimes concealed is to be sought in another passage. Here he frequently declares that sins are penalties which God justly returns upon those who had first sinned; and then he rises to that higher and greater hidden secret. God finds the material cause for exercising His wrath in all except those whom He gratuitously elected. For, he says, the rest of mortal men, who are not of that number, are born of the same human race from which those come and are made vessels of wrath for their benefit. For God creates none of them rashly or fortuitously or because He did not know what good He might work by them. For He effects this good, that in them He creates a human nature and out of them He effects order in the world.
The reason why He should sometimes fill the heart with anxiety and fear and sometimes confirm it with courage, why He should take away the spirit from princes and infatuate the counsels of the wise, why He should bestow on some the spirit of temperance and supply others with the spirit of wild fury – the reason for all this He will one day make clear and conspicuous. But it will equally appear that His hidden judgement is paramount, as He converts wills as seems good to Him. For nature is common to all men, but not grace. So in another place speaks the holy man.
If you missed it - go back and read the first sentences of X.11.
If like Frank White ("JiL", "rebukeandreprove"), you want to question what Calvin means by "author", go read the whole thing again. Or listen to the stream. It's not just permission. It's not just that He is Creator.
"how foolish and frail is the support of divine justice afforded by the suggestion that evils come to be, not by His will, but merely by His permission. Of course, as far as they are evils, which men perpetrate with their evil mind, as I shall show in greater detail shortly, I admit that they are not pleasing to God. But it is a quite frivolous refuge to say that God otiosely permits them, when Scripture shows Him not only willing but the author of them."
And notice the constant contradiction about whether evils are pleasing to God or not!
I use StreamYard to create my livestreams. If you would like to upgrade to StreamYard, please use the following link: streamyard.com/pal/d/5288181195079680
