In articulating a systematic doctrine of Common Grace, Kuyper does not see himself as proposing a novelty, but gathering under one correct heading a hitherto scattered body of Christian dogmatics. A sampling of the writings of a few Puritan / post-Reformation theologians gives a us sense the doctrine’s provenance:
- Firstly from Robert Harris, one of the Westminster Divines called by parliament to conclude the English Reformation and deliver the Westminster Standards. In answering a hypothetical objection of someone drawing attention to the overall goodness of their life as an outright proof of their salvation, he says: “There are graces of two sorts. First, common graces, which even reprobates may have. Secondly, peculiar, such as accompany salvation, as the Apostle [Paul] has it, proper to God’s own children only. The matter is not whether we have the first sort of graces, for those do not seal up God’s special love to a man’s soul, but it must be saving grace alone that can do this for us” (Harris : 1654, 241) n.b. this work is available on Google Books; here is a scan of the quoted passage.
- Secondly, John Knox the leader of the Reformation in Scotland, writing in C16th says “After these common mercies, I say, whereof the reprobate are often partakers, he openeth the treasure of his rich mercies, which are kept in Christ Jesus for his Elect. Such as willingly delight not in blindness may clearly see that the Holy Ghost maketh a plain difference betwixt the graces and mercies which are common to all, and that sovereign mercy which is immutably reserved to the chosen children” (Knox : 1856, 87)
- Thirdly, the Swiss reformer and Zwingli’s successor, Heinrich Bullinger says “For there is in God a certain (as it were) general grace, whereby he created all mortal men, and by which he sends rain upon the just and unjust: but this grace doth not justify; for if it did, then should the wicked and unjust be justified. Again, there is that singular grace, whereby he doth, for his only-begotten Christ his sake, adopt us to be his sons: he doth not, I mean, adopt all, but the believers only, whose sins he reckons not, but doth impute to them the righteousness of his only-begotten Son our Saviour. This is that grace which doth alone justify us in very deed” (Bullinger: 1850, 329-330)
REFERENCES
Bullinger, Henry. 1850. ‘Decades’ – the third decade, ed. Rev Thomas Harding. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Harris, R. 1654. The works of Robert Harris … revised, corrected, and now collected into one volume: With an addition of sundry sermons: Some, not printed in the former edition; others, never before extant …J. Flesher. (Google Books)
Knox, John. 1856. The works of John Knox, on predestination, ed. David Laing. Vol. 5. Edinburgh: Wodrow Society.