From his ‘Compendium Religionis Christianae; ([Zürich] : Wolphius, 1598)’
The Reverend and most learned Heinrich Bullinger, born at Bremgarten in Helvetian Aargau on 18 July 1504, was providentially drawn from Rome’s schoolmen to the evangelical truth, being converted through diligent search of the Fathers and Luther’s writings, whereupon he cast off monastic vows and embraced the pure doctrine of grace. After the martyr-fall of Huldrych Zwingli, the city of Zürich chose Bullinger, then scarce twenty-seven, to be antistes and preacher in the Grossmünster; for nearly forty-five years he thundered Christ from that pulpit and governed the churches with equal parts charity and discipline. A tireless penman, he issued the Decades—fifty homiletical common-places that became a household theology in England, the Low Countries, and beyond—and poured forth some 12,000 letters to succour scattered saints. Standing Athanasius-like for the truth, he co-framed the First and Second Helvetic Confessions, forged with Calvin the Consensus Tigurinus, and expounded the covenant of grace, uniting Swiss and Genevan brethren in a spiritual presence of Christ at the Supper. Having preached, by sober reckoning, almost twenty-eight thousand sermons, he surrendered his spirit on 17 September 1575, leaving to the Reformed churches a treasury of doctrine, a pattern of pastoral constancy, and an enduring testimony that “the Word of our God shall stand for ever.”
It concerneth all and every one of the faithful in Christ to understand that the books of sacred Scripture were written chiefly touching God and His divine majesty, power, and goodness; and thereafter touching the duties and blessedness of men. Of God, they deliver unto us these truths to be believed: that He is one in substance, three in persons, a spirit incomprehensible, infinite, omnipotent, eternal, true, supremely wise, just, kind, and merciful, and, in brief, the fountain of all good. From Him, heaven and earth, and all things contained within the compass of this universe, were made and established; and by His providence, they are perpetually ruled and governed. Man, they teach, was created good and just by God, both in soul and body, and was appointed as lord and ruler over all things created. Yet, by his own fault, albeit at the prompting of the evil demon, he fell; nevertheless, he was restored anew by God and received into grace. Moreover, they declare that the race of man is bound unto God by a covenant, obliged to the perpetual worship of God and the salvation of men; and that this ordinance was received from God, whereby through Christ true felicity is to be attained. Furthermore, God, the Creator and Governor of the whole universe, is to be called upon and worshipped, not with bodily observances, but (since He Himself is a spirit) with the spirit, that is, with faith, hope, charity, and other virtues of like kind. And all these things, verily, the ancient faithful fathers, ministers of God, performed, and therefore they were friends and confederates of God. That all these things be true and steadfast, we shall prove in the chapters following by the testimonies of the Scriptures.
Table of Contents:
The sacred Scriptures possess their scope, which they behold, and an end, not vain, whither they guide their godly readers. The scope, indeed, which they regard and whither they set their course, is God, and likewise man. But the end unto which they tend and lead is the knowledge of God Himself, which redoundeth to the honor of God and the salvation of man. Wherefore, the sacred Scriptures teach and expound both what God is, of what nature He is, and what His power and majesty be, whereby He manifesteth Himself in things created; and also that He is true and just in all His words and deeds, and how faithful, kind, and merciful He is unto the race of men. Furthermore, within the same Scriptures, the condition and nature of man are taught: what manner of man was first created, and into what state he then fell; what he is by his own nature, and what by divine grace; and by what means, finally, God hath bound men unto Himself and tied them, what He Himself hath promised to perform, and what, in turn, He requireth of man. Unto this matter pertain the gracious promises of God concerning Christ; the most just and renowned laws of God; likewise, both the terrors and, contrariwise, the consolations and admonitions, from all which it may be known what man ought to think and hope concerning God, to wit, that He is to be loved and feared; what, moreover, is to be done, what avoided, and what also is to be endured; and by what things, in fine, we may please God and worship Him. Unto all these are annexed, first, the most elegant descriptions of the divine kindness toward the godly, but of wrath and vengeance toward the ungodly; then, many and diverse examples both of the faithful and of the unfaithful; and the end of all these is that men, moved in manifold ways by these things unto religion and piety, may attain salvation. For the prophet also beareth witness in Psalm 77 that God commanded the fathers to make known His power and the wonders wrought by Him unto their children, and that they should proclaim the praises of God unto their posterity, that they might place their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments, and be blessed, etc. And Saint Paul, in the Epistle to the Romans, chapter 15, doth not scruple to refer the whole Scripture unto this one end.
Since God is the Creator and Governor of all things created, and the chief good of man, the sacred Scriptures instruct us, above all, to seek with utmost study and diligence the knowledge of Him, what He is, of what sort He is, and what His will is—which knowledge, notwithstanding, we can attain from no other source but the sacred Scriptures. For as no man knoweth what is in man, save the spirit of man which is in him (2 Corinthians 2), so also none can declare what God is, save God by His word. But whosoever devise other opinions, and strive to attain the knowledge of God by divers reasonings, these deceive themselves and worship the idols of their own heart. Wherefore, all opinions conceived in the mind concerning God without His word are to be cast away, and we must rest solely in the divine word. For the sacred Scriptures teach with plain words that the divine majesty far exceedeth the frailty of our mind. Therefore, the divine majesty, in this present life, can neither be expressed by words nor seen with eyes by us. But with that knowledge which is given unto us by God in Christ through His servants, we ought to be satisfied, and not to search further. Thus, that word of truth and purity teacheth that God is one in substance, yet three in persons. For Moses saith, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord,” etc. And God Himself, through the prophets, affirmeth that He alone is God, beside whom there is none, and that there shall be no strange gods. The same is confirmed both by the Lord Christ Himself, in Mark 12 and elsewhere in the Gospel, and also by the Apostles of Christ, as in 1 Corinthians 8, 1 Timothy 2, Ephesians 4.
Yet in this unity of the Godhead, three distinct persons are set forth in the sacred Scriptures, albeit the divine unity itself is not sundered into three Gods. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are declared, each of whom hath His distinct subsistence and property, separated from the others, yet so that these three persons are one God. For the Father is not the Son, but the Father of the Son, who sent the Son into this world; but the Son is not the Father, but the Son of the Father, who was sent into this world by the Father; He Himself, not the Father, took upon Him human nature, and died on the cross, saying unto the Father, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” But the Holy Spirit proceedeth from the Father and the Son, and sanctifieth the believers, and is called the Spirit of the Father and of the Son. And as the sun, being one, compriseth three distinct things, each differing among themselves—globe, light, and heat—and though each of these severally retaineth its own property, yet there is one sun, nor is it divided into three suns: so also in the Godhead, the unity of essence is not abolished by the distinction of persons, and yet there is no confusion of persons, nor is any changed into another.
Now the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is delivered indeed everywhere in the prophets, but more expressly in the Evangelical and Apostolic writings. For the angel Gabriel addresseth Mary, the mother of the Lord, with these words: “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Here we have, to wit, the Father who is the Highest, the Son of God who is born of the virgin, the Holy Spirit who overshadoweth the virgin. Moreover, at the time when Christ the Lord was baptized by John, whom we call the Baptist, in the river Jordan, John saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and coming upon Him, and a voice was heard from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Furthermore, Christ the Lord oft and in many ways taught that there is a Holy Trinity, in John 5, 8, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17, and finally, He commandeth all who believe in Him to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Wherefore, since in the sacred Scriptures the unity of the Godhead in Trinity is simply and clearly taught, it is meet that we also simply acquiesce therein, and not curiously pry, nor desire more knowledge in this life than that which God hath revealed. Rightly, therefore, did the Christian emperors, a thousand years past, ordain the penalty of death against those who should spread new doctrine concerning this dogma, and teach diverse things contumeliously against God. For God would not be seen by Moses, but in Christ He is seen, Exodus 33, 34; 2 Corinthians 4. And moreover, the Lord hath decreed by law that every one who shall sacrifice unto gods, save unto God alone, shall be put to death, that the blasphemer against God may be removed from the midst, Leviticus 24.
But that God, whom we have said is one, is a spirit, Christ the Lord testifieth in John 4. He is also infinite or immense and incomprehensible, bounded by no limits or ends, but present everywhere, He seeth and knoweth all things, heareth the prayers of His own, and can bring them aid, for He is omnipotent and can do all things, save what He willeth not. And this the sacred Scriptures testify and confirm with many proofs, as in Psalm 138, Isaiah 40, 66, Jeremiah 22, Romans 4. But with this His power, since He is most wise, He abuseth not, but doeth all things according to just reason and measure. That God is eternal, John witnesseth, when he saith that He was in the beginning, yea, that He is the beginning and the end. Elsewhere also, He is said to be without time, or beyond all time, that is, eternal. The justice and truth of God, since they shine forth in all His words and deeds, but especially in the Psalms, are celebrated by this name. But among all things which are ascribed unto God, the chief are His kindness, faithfulness, and mercy. For He is our Father, and verily the Father of mercies, because His mercy endureth forever. Therefore, He is the fountain of all good, kindly and bountifully watering all created things with all good things, as David in Psalms 103, 105, Jeremiah 2, but most of all the Apostles everywhere testify. And such knowledge of God the sacred Scriptures deliver unto us, that we may trust in Him alone, love Him, and prefer Him even before all most excellent things, and that we may willingly, from the heart, serve Him alone, and faithfully, and commit ourselves and all our things from the heart unto Him alone in all things.
That all things which are contained within the compass of heaven and earth were created by God is abundantly described by Moses in the first chapter of his book, which thence is also called the Book of Genesis. Ofttimes also in the Psalms and Prophets, mention is made of creation, and the praises thereof are extant. For herein God exercised His wisdom, power, and goodness. For from the immense and most excellent works of God, which draw all men into admiration of them, we can in some measure judge how admirable is the wisdom, power, and kindness of this Maker. From this God, moreover, all genii or angels were created, whom Saint Paul calleth ministering spirits, who are sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. But they love most greatly the men unto whose ministry they are divinely appointed, yet they will not be worshipped or venerated by them. But the evil angels, whom we call demons and devils (who, though they were good at creation, stood not in the integrity of their nature, as Christ the Lord testifieth in John 8), seek divine honors, and are enemies both of God and men, incite to every vice, seek the unhappiness of men, tempt them, and sometimes also, by the permission of God, grievously afflict them. But they are conquered by Christ for the sake of the faithful, and condemned to eternal punishments, John 2, 12, 14, 16; 2 Peter 2. All things that the circuit of this world comprehendeth, whether visible or invisible, all, in fine, are created by God for the use of men, as David in Psalms 8, 23, and other Psalms, Paul in 2 Timothy 4, testify. Wherefore, it is meet that men be thankful unto God, and retain the creation in firm memory, and never call this into doubt. For which cause also the Sabbath was divinely instituted, that the memory of this benefit might be preserved, against all adversaries of God, by whom creation is denied and contemned, Genesis 2, Exodus 20.
God not only created this world and all things that are contained therein, but also preserveth the same, and even now, in preserving it, the divine power worketh. Whence Christ the Lord saith, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” But it were foolish to confess that the world was created by God, but to deny that it is cared for and administered by the same. Therefore, all things that are or are moved anywhere are and are moved by the divine providence: the elements, the celestial motions, tempests and the varieties of times, fruits, and other things that the earth bringeth forth, the perpetuities of fountains, the certain courses of rivers, sea monsters; add hereto the rise, progress, and changes of empires, and those things which are the punishments of men: wars, pestilences, famines; all these and whatsoever other things can be numbered are administered by the providence and counsel of God. But that these are administered most beautifully and best, not only do the sacred Scriptures teach, but also daily experience, and all the saints in heaven confess, Revelation 4 and 5. Of old among the Gentiles were the Epicureans, who had no regard either for God or for a future life (of whom, alas, we have many like in our time), who thought that God neither careth for us at all, nor observeth what we do, and that there is no providence of God at all. Others think that all things are ruled either by nature or by fortune, and so that all things come to pass either by chance or fortuitously, or by the constellations, that is, by the power and efficacy of the stars, or by the counsel and reason of men. But those who hold these opinions never look unto God nor commit their affairs unto God. Rightly, therefore, such men are reproved by Saint James, who saith: “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and if we live, we will do this or that.” For Christ the Lord also commanded us not to be solicitous for the future, but to do those things which are commanded by God, and finally to cast all our care upon Him, since by our care we cannot make one hair white or black, but unto God all the hairs of our head are numbered, without whose will not even the least birds fall to the ground, Matthew 10. And Saint Paul: “God (saith he) giveth unto all life, and breath, and all things: for in him we live, and move, and have our being.” And David: “The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing; but if thou closest it, all things fail and perish,” Psalm 147. And Daniel: “God is wisdom and strength, who changeth times and seasons, who removeth kings and setteth up kings,” etc., Daniel 2. Many more testimonies of this kind, if any desire to know, let him read Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28, Job 38, 39, Isaiah 40, Jeremiah 10, Psalms 104, 107, 139, 147, and Saint Augustine’s commentary on Psalm 148. But this true and solid knowledge of the divine providence, by which all things are administered, maketh men patient in adversities, modest and cautious in prosperities, but in all affairs, it preserveth in us the reverence and memory of God, and stirreth us up to praise and invoke God.