De Moor IX:27: The Irreparable State of Evil Angels

From what has already been said it immediately arises, that the State of the Evil Angels is Irreparable, on account of the eternal Punishment determined for them; since to them the Mediator has also been denied, Hebrews 2:16.  If we ask the reason, why God took pity on many Fallen Men, but not on Fallen Angels?  This is not to be sought, α.  with the Thomists from a certain Inflexibility of Nature; see THOMAS AQUINAS, Summæ, part I, question LXIV, article II, page 120a.  No created nature is able to be imagined so very inflexible, that it is not able to be turned by divine Wisdom and Power.  Nor, β.  from the Ineptitude of Angelic Nature for Personal Assumption, as others maintain, even of Our Own Men, for example, MARESIUS, Systemate Theologico, common place VI, § 20, especially in note c, and also in Tetradecade Assertionum theologicarum, § 13, in Sylloge Disputationum, part II, pages 242, 243.  For it is not impossible, that a certain individual of the same Angelic Nature with the other Angels could have been created, but without personality, with which the Divine Person might have united Himself hypostatically, being about to discharge the office of Mediation in the place of Angels.  Which sort of individual, if it were of the same nature with the rest of the Angels, was not able to be said to have no kinship with the Fallen Angels.  Nor, γ.  arises the Irreparability of the State of the Fallen Angels from the kind of Sin committed against the Holy Spirit, as ZANCHI thinks, opera, tome 3, part I, book IV, chapter II, columns 172, 173; which Holy Scripture teaches to be irremissible to men alone, but which at the same time occurs to us as having as its object the truth of the Gospel, which reveals the only way of salvation for fallen man, which, with it impudently rejected, he seeks another means of salvation in vain.  But whence is it evident that the Gospel was revealed to Angels before the Fall?  And, if the Gospel had been revealed to them, but was rejected by them; by that they had rejected the way of salvation for men only, not to be opened to Angels:  compare above on § 23 near the end.  δ.  On better grounds do we here have recourse to the altogether Free Good Pleasure of God, concerning the demonstration of His severity in all Fallen Angels, while He willed to take pity on many Men;[1] the reason for which is able to be hidden, but is not able to be unjust.  VOETIUS, Disputationum theologicarum, page 920:  Even some of our men appear to have attributed too much to the Fathers and Scholastics, in assigning reasons why grace was given to Fallen Men, but not to Devils.  But we ourselves think that no demonstrative and compelling reason is able to be alleged here, except the free Good Pleasure of God, Matthew 11:27; Romans 9:15; 11:35; Ephesians 1:11, which has to be kept from the remaining reasons, lest to the faithful we offer chaff in the place of the teaching of the Scriptures, and to our adversaries our conjectures in the place of solid answers; and lest we should appear to open the way to some analogical Congruous Merit, because of which deliverance fell to men, more than to demons.  Nevertheless, even to us is it permitted to apprehend in some measure the Justice and Wisdom of this Free divine Good Pleasure, if we consider, 1.  the more exalted position, wherein these Angels were first placed, and the more excellent gifts with which they were furnished; which made their sin so much more grievous.  2.  That the Angels defected from God by sheer impudence and willful apostasy, without any one instigating them; but man was seduced by the Devil.  3.  That not all Angels sinned, and so not all are going to perish:  while in sinning Adam all mankind fell; and so divine Mercy is able to be said to have been exhibited to certain Fallen men, lest all mankind perish:  compare AUGUSTINE, Enchiridio ad Laurentium, chapter XXIX; SALDENUS’ Otia Theologica, book III, Exercitation VIII, § 14, pages 553, 554.

Neither do the Evil Angels have anything to complain about, since after they once defected from God, they proceed continually in sinning, 1 John 3:8, ἁμαρτάνει, he sinneth, in the present tense, that is, continually, indefinitely; but, while they multiply sins continuously without Repentance, how, I ask, are they to be delivered from punishment?  It is indeed reported of the Lollards,[2] that they esteemed it unjust that the Devils suffered so grievous a punishment; see SALDENUS, Otiis Theologicis, book III, Exercitation VIII, § 13, page 552:  but I doubt whether this is related by witnesses sufficiently trustworthy.

At the same time, this Counsel of God concerning Fallen Angels furnishes for us an occasion to celebrate with a thankful heart the φιλανθρωπίαν/philanthropy of God, that He, with the Angels, far more excellent than us with respect to nature, passed over, chose by His Mercy to come to our aid, although likewise lying in sin, and to reveal to us the way of salvation.

[1] See Romans 11:22.

[2] The Lollards were a proto-Protestant Christian reform movement, starting in fourteenth century England, under the influence and leadership of John Wycliffe (c. 1328–1384), Oxford theologian and reformer.  The Biblical preaching and teaching of the Lollards helped to ignite the Hussite reform movement in Bohemia.