In a forward to Chapter 16 of his autobiography, “A Defense of Calvinism,” Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach today, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox’s gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again.”
Although this is the “ante-Puritan” page, and Charles Spurgeon is definitely from the post-Puritan era, his quote on this blog would seem to me most appropriate as Mr. Spurgeon mentions four ministers who lived prior to the 17th century: John Calvin, Augustine, the apostle Paul, and John Knox.
In answering objections to the doctrine of man’s conversion through the free and sovereign grace of God alone (monergism), John Calvin (1509-1564) presents arguments from Scripture, as well as the “free-will” view of John Chrysostom (347-407), archbishop of Constantinople, and the opposing free grace view of Aurelius Augustinus, aka Augustine (354-430), bishop of Hippo.
The following excerpt is taken from John Calvin’s The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book II, chapter 3, paragraph 10; translated by Henry Beveridge, Esq., in 1845 for the Calvin Translation Society….
This movement of the will is not of that description which was for many ages taught and believed, viz., a movement which thereafter leaves us the choice to obey or resist it, but one which affects us efficaciously. We must, therefore, repudiate the oft-repeated sentiment of Chrysostom, “Whom he draws, he draws willingly;” insinuating that the Lord only stretches out his hand, and waits to see whether we will be pleased to take his aid. We grant that, as man was originally constituted, he could incline to either side, but since he has taught us by his example how miserable a thing free will is if God works not in us to will and to do, of what use to us were grace imparted in such scanty measure? Nay, by our own ingratitude, we obscure and impair divine grace. The Apostle’s doctrine is not, that the grace of a good will is offered to us if we will accept of it, but that God himself is pleased so to work in us as to guide, turn, and govern our heart by his Spirit, and reign in it as his own possession. Ezekiel promises that a new spirit will be given to the elect, not merely that they may be able to walk in his precepts, but that they may really walk in them (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:27). And the only meaning which can be given to our Saviour’s words, “Every man, therefore, that has heard and learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (John 6:45), is that the grace of God is effectual in itself. This Augustine maintains in his book De Praedestinatione Sancta. This grace is not bestowed on all promiscuously, according to the common brocard[i] (of Occam,[ii] if I mistake not) that it is not denied to any one who does what in him lies. Men are indeed to be taught that the favour of God is offered, without exception, to all who ask it; but since those only begin to ask whom heaven by grace inspires, even this minute portion of praise must not be withheld from him. It is the privilege of the elect to be regenerated by the Spirit of God, and then placed under his guidance and government. Wherefore Augustine justly derides some who arrogate to themselves a certain power of willing, as well as censures others who imagine that that which is a special evidence of gratuitous election is given to all (August. de Verbis Apost. Serm. 21). He says, “Nature is common to all, but not grace;” and he calls it a showy acuteness “which shines by mere vanity, when that which God bestows, on whom he will is attributed generally to all.” Elsewhere he says, “How came you? By believing. Fear, lest by arrogating to yourself the merit of finding the right way, you perish from the right way. I came, you say, by free choice, came by my own will. Why do you boast? Would you know that even this was given you? Hear Christ exclaiming, ‘No man comets unto me, except the Father which has sent me draw him.’”[iii] And from the words of John (6:44) he infers it to be an incontrovertible fact, that the hearts of believers are so effectually governed from above, that they follow with undeviating affection. “Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him” (1 John 3:9). That intermediate movement, which the sophists[iv] imagine, a movement, which every one is free to obey orto reject, is obviously excluded by the doctrine of effectual perseverance.
[i] An elementary principle or maxim; a short proverbial rule.
[ii] Probably, William of Occam (c.1280-c.1349), also spelled William of Ockham, an English philosopher, and although born after the death of Roman Catholic theologian, Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274), was an outspoken critic and opponent of Aquinas’ views and teachings.
[iii] “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44, KJV).
[iv] A study of the sophists of the 16th century is a tremendously huge topic all on its own; however, to keep it as simple as possible, the sophists of John Calvin’s day were philosophers who engaged in debate through vague, ambiguous language and misleading rhetoric in order to support, promote or defend their fallacious reasoning. Interestingly, much of 16th century sophist thinking exists today with the current attack of liberalism against the absolute truth and sufficiency of Scripture.
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