for euer retained Let the same man also be weighed loco de Redemp where he saith Wee know that all men are not made partakers of this redemption Againe saith he Men reprobate and desperatly wicked receiue not redemption The contrary hereof Huber with full mouth auoucheth that all by Christ are made partakers of redemption that all receiue it but that the reprobates hauing once receiued it doe lose it againe Neuerthelesse Three reasons of Musculus why redemption is vniuersall according to the reasons assigned of Musculus this redemption is rightly termed vniuersall 1. Because it commeth not to passe by the defect of grace that many doe perish but by the defect of faith seeing grace is prepared for all to wit that do not refuse it Matth. 22. as all things were readie for the marriage 2. Because all are called vnto it 3. Because so it is appointed for all that no man without it is of can be redeemed Where now he doth vnderstand this appointing otherwise than before yet rightly because albeit many are not redeemed nor iustified yet all by Christ are redeemed and iustified because no man is redeemed but by him Of all which things it plainly appeareth that Musculus as well as others is against the aduersarie and nothing at all on his side That which he citeth out of Hemingius his Syntagma The 9. testimonie Hemingius or Treatise hath some colour to wit that Christ came not for to redeeme onely certaine selected out of mankinde but that that grace is vniuersall as touching the fatherly will of God But albeit Hemingius hath thus written because he otherwise vnderstandeth the doctrine of Predestination yet he greatly dissenteth from the deuise of the aduersaries that all beleeuers and vnbeleeuers without doubt properly and in verie deede by receiuing remission of sinnes are receiued into the bosome of grace iustified and saued by the death of Christ Contrariwise Hemingius Thes 28. testifieth which These Huber craftily hid when he alleadged the 27. that as touching the euent the grace of redemption belongeth to a few onely because few beleeue and bring forth the fruites of repentance For hee acknowledgeth and often times repeateth that albeit the Gospell offer the benefits of Christ to all men of what nation and condition soeuer they be De promiss reparat yet they are receiued by faith alone and so iustification and saluation are freely giuen to him that beleeueth De Euangelio And cleerely he saith That the condition of faith is required that the benefit may be applied that is remission of sinnes and the condition of perseuerance that it may be retayned being receiued For which thing these men say that all haue once receiued the benefit that the beleeuers abide in the same being receiued and the vnbeleeuers doe lose it againe The 10. testimonie Catackis palatin I come vnto that which is obiected out of the Catechisme of our Churches quest 37. where the words of the Catechisme haue that Christ sustained in bodie and soule the wrath of God against the sinnes of all mankinde But the exposition is all one with the place of Athanasius before where was the like speech Certainely the effect of the death of Christ is not in all beleeuers and vnbeleeuers indifferently but as our Catechisme out of the word of God teacheth quest 30. They that imbrace by a true faith Iesus to be a perfect sauiour doe possesse all things which are requisite to saluation Againe quest 20. to the demaunde Whether then saluation be giuen by Christ to all men who perished in Adam It is plainely answered Not to all men but to them onely who are ingrafted into him by a true faith and imbrace his benefits If thou canst Huber reconcile this with thy opinion which is full of error to wit that all who perished in Adam are receiued into grace by Christ iustified quickened and restored to saluation See also in the Catechisme quest 53.55.60.66 c. in all which places no other participation of Christ and his benefits is set downe than by a true faith hypocrites and vnbeleeuers being excluded But of these things enough Let the aduersarie now goe and maintaine his error by the testimonies of olde and new writers whereby he is most manifestly confuted CHAP. XIII Vnto the fourth accusation Huber pa. 20 â—7 312. THe fourth absurditie obiected vnto vs followeth That men are driuen to desperation and that no man can haue any certaintie of his saluation This malitious and false crime he tosseth too and fro The summe and effect tendeth to this that all the assurance and comfort of saluation according to our opinion leaneth vpon meere particulars whereof nothing followeth after this sorte Some men are in fauour with God and shall be saued I am a man Therefore I am in fauour with God and shall be saued As though we were so foolish and vnwise that we haue not learned better out of the word of God to comfort our selues and others For as there is of those which shall be damned so there is of such as shall be for euer saued a certaine vniuersalitie in the Scriptures neither can any man that is in his right wits denie that some shall be receiued others refused some shall be saued others shall perish in the last day Math. 24.25 the former reioycing for euer in the fathers kingdome prepared for them before the foundations of the world and these contrariwise suffering eternall torments in vnquencheable fire prepared for the diuell and his angels And albeit God knoweth them that be ordained by him to eternall life or else not ordained and all things that I may vse the words of Luther are set down in Predestination Prefat ad Rom. who shall be saued who damned yet we must not goe vnto election without the word and speculatiuely In Gen. 26. as he speaketh least we fall headlong into desperation or contempt but we must iudge of election a posteritie that is by that which followeth it as they say that is by faith The vniuersalitie of the promise of grace and by other fruites of election arising vnto the very cause it selfe Hence come those most sweete promises made vnto the beleeuers vniuersall surely Come vnto me all ye that labour I will refresh you Matth. 11. Ioh. 3. Ioh. 6. Whosoeuer beleeueth in the sonne shall not perish This is the will of the father that all that beleeue in the sonne should haue eternall life Hereunto beare all the prophets witnesse that all that beleeue in him receiue remission of sinnes through his name Acts 10. 13 19. By him whosoeuer beleeueth is iustified The righteousnes of God by the faith of Iesu Christ in all and vpon all that beleeue Rom. 3. 9. Whosoeuer beleeeueth in him shall not be confounded For there is one Lord of all rich towards all that call vpon him for whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued
is apparant vnto the first proposition of the argument by a distinction By what thing election is made sure to wit in respect of God that thing is the cause of election But by our good workes election is made sure not in respect of God but of vs as by the effect and the signe as it is sayd So faith so iustificatiō so the inheritance of eternal life are made sure vnto vs by the ready and vnfained study of good works Neither yet are good workes therefore the cause of faith and iustification but the effects of them and a signe of eternal life freely to be giuen by and for Christ And generally whatsoeuer confirmeth another thing ought not foorthwith to bee counted the cause of it obie ∣ on The 4. We are expresly said to bee elected according to the foreknowledge of God the father 1. Peter 1. Answere Well but not according to the foreknowledge of our faith or of workes or of any thing inherent in vs. But God who knoweth all things from euerlasting Acts 15. when as yet wee were not chose vs according to his foreknowledge whereby hee knoweth all his future workes and hath disposed them from eternitie ob ∣ iection The fift We are elected in Christ saith the Apostle Eph. 1. Therfore we are not elected by any absolute decree or mercie of God but limited and described in Christ Answere I answere there is deceite in the worde absolute The decree of election how farre absolute or not The decree and mercie of God according to which hee chuseth some out of mankind that shal certainely be deliuered may be called absolute as touching the cause as farre foorth as nothing inherent in the elect themselues can be the cause of either the decree or mercie against which the opinion of the Pelagians and Semipelagians did set the foreseeing of workes or of faith also or vnbeliefe but in the respect of the meanes whereby he appointed to saue the elect in mercie that mercie is wholly limited in Christ the Mediator by whom God decreed to saue whosoeuer are saued To be chosen in Christ what it is Therefore the meaning is He hath chosen vs in Christ not as being in him or would be afterward as of ourselues but that we might be in him and by him might be saued And so Paul himselfe expoundeth He hath predestinated vs that he might adopt vs for sonnes thorow Christ Iesu and that according to the good pleasure of his will And this very thing is also in force concerning reprobation that God neither destroyeth nor hath purposed to destroy the reprobates by absolute iustice to wit without their desart but whom he destroyeth he destroyeth and hath purposed from euerlasting to destroy for sinnes The sixt obiection That which is the cause of iustification the same is of Election and that which is the cause of damnation is of reprobation But the cause of iustification is faith concurring with the mercie of God and apprehending it and the cause of damnation is vnbeliefe despising the grace of God offered in Christ and other sinnes Therefore c. Answere I answere there is a fault in the Maior They that be iustified be elected surely so that wee may in iudging by that which is later determine that doubtlesse they are elected who by faith lay hold vpon the mercie promised for Christes sake and doe not cast away that confidence vnto the end But it neither ought nor can be granted that the next cause of iustification and election is one and the same such as faith is in the matter of iustification For iustification is the effect of election as euen saith it selfe whereby wee are iustified according to the saying Whom he hath predestinated them hee hath called Rom. 8. Acts 13. whom hee hath called them also hee iustified Againe As many as were foreordained to eternall life beleeued And now it is manifest that the cause of the cause that is election is also the cause of the effect or the thing caused as they doe say to wit of iustification but not contrariwise because one the same thing should be the cause of it selfe Wherefore the very effects of election may be so ordered that one is the cause of another as faith of iustification iustification of glorification but no effect of election can be considered as the cause thereof and by consequent faith seeing it is the effect of election cannot be thought to be the cause of it as well as of iustification The effect of Reprobation is Gods forsaking after which follow vnbeliefe and other sinnes The 7. obiection The same wee may iudge of vnbeliefe and other sinnes which albeit properly they are not to be called the effects of reprobation yet the effect thereof is Gods forsaking after which vnbeliefe and other sinnes doe follow This whole answere is confirmed by those things which before in the 11. chapter are recited out of Luther concerning the Iewes that were through vnbeliefe cut from the Oliue tree and the Gentiles grafted in the same by faith The seuenth obiection is like vnto this We must iudge of Predestinatiō neither by reason nor by the law but by the Gospel But the Gospel witnesseth that the beleeuers are receiued in to grace saued and thereby are elect on the contrary that vnbeleeuers and such as continue in sinnes are damned and thereby reprobates Election therefore and reprobation depend on faith or vnbeliefe of men Answere But there is more in the conclusion For the Minor affirmeth nothing of the cause of predestination but sheweth only this that by the marke of faith or finall vnbeliefe the elect or reprobates are discerned Whereupon this only followeth that we must iudge also according to this testimonie of the Gospel who bee elected who reiected In the meane while the Gospel doeth not denie but manifestly affirmeth that faith obedience perseuerance are the free giftes of God and are giuen or not giuen of him to whom it pleaseth God according to his good pleasure Mat. 11. vers 25 and 13.11 Iohn 6. vers 44.45 and 65. and 10 vers 26. Ephe. 1.8.15 and the rest 2. Tim. 1.9 Heb. 8.10 Ier. 31. c. Hence in iudging according to the Gospel A Syllogisme prouing by the Gospel that God hath decreed to saue some and forsake others onely of his good pleasure and will we shall gather as the Gospell teacheth a man to bee saued or not saued so God hath appointed from euerlasting to saue or not to saue him But the Gospel not onely teacheth that a man is saued by faith and doeth perish through vnbeliefe but also teacheth that euen faith and other benefites by which as by meanes man commeth to saluation are giuen to some and not giuen to others of God euen as pleaseth him Therefore euen faith and such kinde of benefites vnto saluation God hath decreed from euerlasting to giue to some men and not to giue to others euen as it pleased
let vs also consider the words that follow for Peter addeth 2. Pet. 2.20 21 22. If they who haue escaped the filthines of the world through the knowledge of the Lord Sauiour Iesu Christ be afterwards againe intangled therein and bee ouercome their last condition is worse then the former and it were better for them not to haue knowne the way of righteousnes then after the knowledge of it to goe backe as the dogge to his vomite Out of these words the aduersarie indeuoureth to collect that many indued with true faith and conuersion and therefore by his death and blood washed and iustified doe perish for euer I answer as afore that here properly the question is not whether some indued with true faith and conuersion doe so fall backe that they perish but this the aduersarie was to proue that the reprobates vniuersally no lesse then the elect and all vnbeleeuers no lesse then the faithful are made partakers of redemption in Christ Which thing cannot bee concluded out of the Apostles words seeing he speaketh not but of them who through the knowledge of Christ had escaped the pollutions of the world which Huber himselfe will haue to bee referred to their faith and conuersion Secondly as touching those who falling rise not againe I denie that such were truly washed in the death and blood of Christ and iustified or were indued with a true and liuely faith in Christ For the contrary hath been aboue shewed out of the doctrine of Peter and other seruants of Christ Neither saith Peter here Peters words expounded It had bin better for them neuer to haue had true faith or els to haue obtained righteousnes then afterward to fall backe from true faith and righteousnes but hee onely saith It had been better not to haue knowne the way of righteousnes then after the knowledge of it to goe backe from the holy doctrine taught them Marke this touching back-sliders And we denie not that many who had cast away corrupt opinions of God and of matters belonging to religion and had imbraced the trueth doe afterward fall away from true doctrine to old or els new errors and by this meanes slide backe from faith that is from the doctrine of faith De fide operib ca. 25. See also in Psal 48 We confesse also that many who as Augustine weigheth this place either by fained promises or externall reformation of maners had forsaken the filthines of the world to wit adulterie fornication vncleannes wantonnes idolatrie witchcraft drunkennes bankettings and the like doe inthrall themselues againe vnto the same liue in all filthines and so runne into a more grieuous iudgement then if they had neuer knowne the way of righteousnes But they who doe after some sort or other auoide the filthines of the world are not straightwaies to bee accounted washed in the blood of Christ and iustified before God For so as many as among the Heathens haue liued honestly or forsaking the filthines of their former life haue begun to be sober shuld be also accounted for men washed and iustified in the blood of Christ Neither be the things which Huber inferreth of any force they had escaped filthines through the knowledge of Christ and are said to haue knowne the way of righteousnes and the holie commandement that is the holy doctrine of the Gospell is said to haue been deliuered vnto them Therefore they had true faith in Christ giuen them As though the faith of Christians were nothing els than the bare knowledge of Christ or of the way of righteousnes and of the holy commandement Obiection Surely the very deuils haue a knowledge of Christ and that greater then men But they are insnared againe therefore they were once set feee and at libertie Answere I graunt in part they were escaped from their former errors and their outward wicked conuersation wherein while they are againe intangled they be polluted a fresh and like dogges eate againe their vomite which they had alreadie cast vp after that sort doubtles as hath been spoken to wit either by fained promise or els truly as Peter saith while laying aside their wonted errors and maners they bee honest for a time 2. Pet. 2.18 not walking any longer in wantonnes lusts drunkennes surfettings bankettings and abominable idolatries or running any longer with prodigall persons vnto the same excesse of riot as Peter saith 1 Pet. 4. But not all in whom there is seene some reformation of maners haue purified mindes through the spirit and faith vnfained with loue voide of dissimulation from a good conscience and a pure heart There be cited also the words of Peter The 6. place 2. Pet. 1. 2. Pet. 1. where he speaketh of him who professeth faith but hath not workes that he is blinde and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sinnes Therefore false christians and hypocrites who perish at the length were sometime clensed and iustified from their sinnes no lesse then they whose faith by good workes is effectuall and abideth The answere hereunto is the same that was before It must bee vnderstood according to the vsage of the Scriptures The â— expositâ—ons of Peters words 〈…〉 is said to haue been clensed from his olde sinnes Acts 2â— â—6 Augustine which call them Saints iustified and clensed from sinnes as many as are baptized into Christ and ingrafted into his Church Because the Church ought to take them for such according to the iudgement of charitie albeit before God oftentimes they bee not such Further the sense may bee this that such haue forgotten their baptisme which is a certaine visible sanctification and purgation from sins according to that saying be baptized and wash away thy sins But as Augustine very well maketh difference betweene visible and inuisible sanctification Visible and invisible sanctifications Man by visible Sacraments through his ministerie doth sanctifie but the Lord by inuisible grace through the holy Ghost wherein lieth the whole fruite of the visible Sacraments and some men haue inuisible sanctification and it doth them good without visible Sacraments but visible sanctification which happeneth by visible Sacraments a man may haue without the inuisible but it can doe him no good For visible baptisme without inuisible sanctification did nothing profit Simon Magus These things Augustine super Leuit. lib. 3. quaest 84. whereunto Luther also consenteth vpon the second Psalme But it is too absurd and foolish that the aduersarie laboureth to wrest to his purpose also that notable description of the grace of God towards the faithfull in the beginning of the chapter in Peter Peter saith hee testifieth that they may be damned who haue alreadie obtained faith and saluation and all things belonging to godlines But what if this be denied him how will he proue it Because saith he he obiecteth vnto them blindnes The true method and sense of Peters words 2. Pet. â— 3 to verse 12. But good sir it is
draweth thee to repentance But this is the question whether faith and repentance bee not the gifts of God which he giueth to some and not to others and that according to the vnsearchable counsell of his owne will This certainly is more cleere than that it can be denied of any one that is not a Pelagian How God willeth all to repent Therefore it is well said That God willeth all men to repent that is he calleth and inuiteth all to repentance but he effecteth it not in all neither doth he will it surely because he hath mercie on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth Luth. de ser arb Cap. 109. A distinction of Gods will After this sort Luther also distinguisheth He will not the death of a sinner to wit in his word for in the word of saluation he commeth to all but he willeth it in his vnsearchable will And at large there sheweth the difference between the secret and published will of God not that properly there is a diuerse will in God but the speech of his will is diuerse because this name is diuersly taken The published or reuealed will of God is whatsoeuer from the beginning of the world either by God himselfe immediatly or by his ministers hath been offered to men by precepts exhortations menacings and benefits But his hidden will is that secret will in God concerning the euent of things that is whom and what men endued with faith by speciall grace he will haue to be partakers of mercie when it is preached and offered Brentius Brentius also followed this same distinction in 1. Sam. 2. discussing the place of the sonnes of Eli and expli Catechis vpon the petition Thy will be done This let the indifferent reader obserue against the outcries of some who though they would be heard as the right issue of Luther and Brentius yet by cauils and sophistications they labour to make odious this distinction receiued and grounded in the word of God For as it is written 2. Tim. 2. 2. Pet. 3. 1. Thess 5. Matth. 23. that he wil that all men be saued and that he is patient toward vs being vnwilling that any should perish but to come to repentance and that our sanctification is the will of God Also how often would I gather thy children and thou wouldest not Esay 46.10 Psalm 115.3 Rom 9.18 19. So wee haue heard and read in the diuine Scriptures My counsell shall stand saith the Lord and I will fulfill my will Whatsoeuer the Lord would that he did He hath mercie on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth Also Who shall resist his will In which places and the like there will be great contrarietie vnlesse a distinction be vsed according to which Marke this distinction we may vnderstand that something is done against the will of God that is against his commandement and prohibition which yet is not done beside and contrary to that will which is he himselfe For great are the workes of the Lord and his will is perfect towards all so that it is not done beside his will that yet is done contrary to his will because it could not be done if he would not suffer it and truly he doth not suffer it against his will but willingly neither being good himselfe would he suffer euill to be done vnles being almightie he were able out of euill to make that which is good as August saith ad Laur. ca. 100. See also lib. 1. Sentent dist 45. and in the other that follow Voluntas beneplaciti signi where the Master largely speaketh of the double will of God his good pleasure and reuealed will as the Schoolemen call them If any thinke good let him also peruse Chrysostome Hom. 18. ad Heb. Secondly it is obiected The 2. Obiection that the promise of grace is vniuersall and therefore that none is reiected from grace or reprobated in respect of God Answere I answere The first way how the promises of grace be vniuersall the promise of grace is vniuersall in respect of the beleeuers as farre forth doubtles as no man of what nation or condition soeuer is excluded from saluation so that he beleeue truly in Christ Contrariwise vnbeleeuers of what nation or condition soeuer are expressely shut out from the fruite of the promises according to the sayings Mark 16. He that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued c. Euery one that beleeueth in the sonne Ioh. 3. Ioh 6. Acts 13. Rom. 3. shall not perish This is the will of the father that whosoeuer beleeueth in the sonne should haue eternall life In him whosoeuer beleeueth is iustified The righteousnes of God in all and vpon all that beleeue for there is no difference And oftentimes after this sort is repeated the promise of life and saluation made to euery beleeuer the vnbeleeuers on the contrary being excluded For the promise requireth faith which because it belongeth not to all but to the elect as Paul witnesseth therfore the efficacie of the promises remaineth doubtles with the elect as the Apostle also teacheth to the Romanes Rom. 9. That the promises of God pertaine to the true Israelites to the spirituall seede that is elected of God not of workes but through the grace of the caller Yet here we are to bee admonished Note this well that albeit the promise bee proper to the beleeuers and the elect as touching efficacie yet it must be preached indifferently in the eares of all faithfull and Infidels elect and reprobates The 2. way And in this sense also we grant that the promises are vniuersall to wit in respect of externall preaching because the minister of the word cannot or ought not to discerne the elect from reprobates Rom. 11. In the meane while not all attaine vnto the grace that is preached and offered to all but the elect obtaine it and the rest doe not and so to vse Luthers words all things depend vpon predestination c. The third obiection The third obiection Whosoeuer appertain to the Church are called elect But to the Church pertaine as well the bad as the good Hub. thes 751. 752. Ergo the bad as well as the good are elected none at all omitted Answere But this obiection is faultie in two points First it is the vse of the Scriptures to call them elect whosoeuer belong to the account of the Church but not all therefore are elected of God to eternal life according to his purpose For many are elect to vs in the iudgement of charitie and are not to God and contrariwise according to the diuerse signification of the word set downe before Secondly there is more in the conclusion than in the premisses For the consequence is of no force within the compasse of the Church and of the elect there be as well euill as good in the sense aforesaid Therefore all men are elected This is all one as if
eternall fire which is prepared for the deuill and his angels And chap. 10. of Matth. Chap. 10. Feare not them that kill the bodie but cannot kill the soule but rather feare him who is able to destroy the bodie and soule in hell 2. Pet. 2. 2. Pet. 2. The Lord knoweth to deliuer the godly out of temptation and to reserue the vniust vnto the day of iudgement to be punished If therefore the damnation of hell be the worke of God he hath also foreknowne that is predestinated from euerlasting them Fulgent lib. 1. 2. ad Moâ—â—â— vpon whom he will inflict the same For his predestination is the preparation of his workes which in his eternall decree he did foreknow that he would either in mercie or iustice bring to passe Apoc. 20. Apoc. 20. The bookes were opened and iudgement was giuen of euery one according to their workes and he that was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire What that the reprobates are called vessels of wrath and prepared for destruction For to bee a vessell of wrath as Augustine expoundeth is Epist 10â— for a man to be appointed to be punished for sinnes What a vessell of wrath is who was created for the benefit of nature And Fulgentius saith Hereunto God formed the vessels of wrath whereunto he predestinated them that is not to sinne but to destruction for sinne Therefore the destruction of them that perish is the worke of God reprobating them and therefore it is the effect of reprobation Obiection 1 But thou wilt say Perdition is to bee ascribed to themselues that perish as Hos 13. saith Thy perdition is of thy self O Israel but onely in me is thy helpe Answere That is true speaking of the fault and not of the punishment For they that are damned haue in themselues the fault deseruing damnation but it is his part to punish that iudgeth the world who can tell how to condemne iniquitie but not to doe it And this is the meaning of the Prophet that God doth not punish but for sins which men haue of themselues as for deliuerance from sinne it commeth from him freely Obiection 2 and not for any workes As Paul also saith The reward of sin is death but the gift of God is eternall life through Iesu Christ our Lord. Those sayings also are wont to bee obiected God made not death Wisd 1. 2. Eze. 18. Through the enuie of the deuill death came into the world Againe I will not the death of him that dieth c. But here with a deafe eare wee must not forget what elsewhere wee reade Eccles 11. Wisd 16. Deut. 32. that death and life good and euill come of God Which shew of contrarietie to take away we must vnderstand that death as well as life may bee vnderstood not two only but also three maner of waies For in the first man God created both the soule and flesh also immortall But while man sinned Three deaths of the soule bodie and hel the soule dyed and that death of the soule to wit sinne is the beginning and cause of another double death corporall and infernall The sacred Scriptures call it the first and second death Therfore God made not the death of the soule because he made not sinne but the deuill is the author of it by suggesting of sinne and by consequence he is the author also of the other kindes of death which arise from sinne to wit in respect of the vehement stirring vp of it and not that he hath power to punish as God hath Augustine distinctly saith Cont. Iulian. lib. 7. cap. 7. The deuill the deceiuer of man is the cause of death which God inflicted not as the first author but as the punisher of sinne Some vnderstand the place of the Prophet Ezechiel of that death of the soule as Fulgentius I will not the death of a sinner others referre it to the punishment of sinne vsing the distinction of the will of God hidden and reuealed So Luther de ser arbit cap. 109. He will not the death of a sinner to wit by his word while by the word of saluation he commeth to all and so he will haue all men to bee saued But he willeth the same by his vnsearchable will Which will saith he in the same booke chap. 107. is not to be searched into but with reuerence to be aâ—ored as the highest secret of Gods maiestie Againe He will not the death of him that dieth simply and as it bringeth destruction but as it is a punishment for the Lord delighteth not in the perdition of the liuing Wisâ— 1.13 as it is written But he is the punisher of sinners Now as touching the matter of forsaking blinding Of forsaking hardening and blinding Rom. 9. 11. and hardening I will produce a few testimonies of many Wee reade in the sacred Scriptures He hath mercie on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth The elect haue obtained it but the rest were hardened as it is written God hath giuen them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see cares that they should not heare See the prophesie of Esay 29. vers 10. and chap. 6. Goe and say to the children of Israel In hearing ye shall heare and shall not vnderstand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceiue harden the hearts of this people and make their heires heauie and smeere ouer their eyes least they should see with their eyes and heare with their eares and vnderstand with their hearts and so bee conuerted and I should heale them Which prophesie S. Iohn alleadging affirmeth Ioh. 12. that the Iewes beleeued not in the Lord albeit they had seene many signes neither that they could beleeue because he had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts To the same vnbeleeuing Iewes the Lord said Ioh 10. Ye doe not beleeue for ye are not of my sheepe My sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and they follow me Againe to his disciples Matth. 13. To you saith he it is giuen to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen but to others it is not giuen therefore in parables I speake vnto them Neither came it to passe without cause that in so many hundred yeares before the comming of Christ Acts 14. no light of sauing doctrine was reuealed to the Gentiles but as Paul witnesseth the liuing God that made heauen and earth passing ouer the former ages suffered all nations to walke in their owne waies vntill the comming of the time of grace he was found of them that sought him not And in Israel that was fulfilled that the Prophet saith Esay 65. All the day long I haue stretched out my hands vnto a rebellious and gainsaying people By these things it is euident that they that were not ordained to life are also reiected from the grace of faith and conuersion and are