Schaff - History of the Christian Church Vol. 8 - Media Sabda Org

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ft148 He missed in it both the style and the genius of St. John.”Non sapit os
et ingenium Joannis.” Zwingli and Luther were both wrong in their
unfavorable judgment of the Revelation of “the Son of Thunder.”
ft149 Ad illustrissimum Cattorum Principem Philippum Sermonis de
Providentia Dei anamnema. In Opera, vol. IV. 79-144. Leo Judae
published a German translation in 1531.
ft150 P. 114: “Nos cum Paulo in hac sententia sumus, ut praedestinatio
libera sit, citra omnem respectum bene aut male factorum.” He refers
especially to what Paul says about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart, and
hating Esau and loving Jacob before they were born. But this has
reference to their position in history, and not to their eternal salvation
or perdition.
ft151 De Providentia Dei (p. 113): “Impulit Deus [latronem] ut occideret;
sed aeque impellit judicem, ut percussorem justitiae mactet. Et qui
impellit, agit sine omni criminis suspicione; non enim est sub lege.
Qui vero impellitur, tam abest ut sit alienus a crimine, ut nullam fere
rem gerat sine aliqua labis aspergine, quia sub lege est.” Zwingli
defends this view by the illustration of the magistracy taking a man’s
life. So a soldier may kill an enemy in battle, without committing
murder. Melanchthon traced (1521) the adultery and murder of David
and the treason of Judas to the Divine impulse; but he abandoned
afterwards (1535) this “Stoic figment of fatalism.”
ft152 P. 121: “Fides iis datur, qui ad vitam eternam electi et ordinati sunt;
sic tamen ut electio antecedat, et fides velut symbolum electionem
sequatur. Sic enim habet Paulus, Rom. 8:29.”
ft153 He reasons thus: Nothing separates us from God but sin; children have
not committed actual sin; Christ has expiated for original sin;
consequently children of Christian parents, about whom we have an
express promise, are certainly among the elect if they are taken away in
infancy. “Defungi in illis electionis signum est perinde ac fides in
adultis. Et qui reprobi sunt et a Deo repudiati, in hoc statu
innocentiae non moriuntur, sed divina providentia servantur ut
repudiatio illorum criminosa vita notetur.” (P. 127.)
ft154 He describes original sin in Latin as defectus naturalis and conditio
misera, in German as a Brest orGebrechen, i.e. disease. He compares it
to the misfortune of one born in slavery. He explains his view more