Authour of the euill and sinne that is in the thing Cerberus saw many wayes whereby the subtiltie of our Riddle myght be aunswered but he would vse only the definition of sinne whiche he found written in the same English booke that our Enigma is written in Oh what a valiant champion is this he will vse none of his owne weapons he wil be able to wound vs yea vtterly to beate vs downe and conquer vs with our owne weapons Uerie trulie hath that English writer sayd sayth Cerberus that the nature of sinne is defined by y ◠authoritie of Scripture to be a thought word or déede contrarie to the will of God And bicause he will not séeme to take too much vauntage he passeth ouer the thoughts words and taketh only the déedes done against the will of God And with them he wil beate vs down flat to the ground The reason that he vseth is this If God be the Authour of that déede that is sinne and contrarie to the will of God how can he say that God is the Authour of the fact and not of the fault Here is a substantiall answere Bicause Cerberus can not tel how it should be so therfore it is not so neyther may any man say it is so And yet I haue proued it to be so both by the example of Sinacharibs death and other As Cerberus may sée if he will in the former part of this Apologie Cerberus And all thys their trauell is to proue that the ordinaunce and predestination of God doth so carrie men euen headlong vnto all actions though they be neuer so mischieuous that of necessity they must needes and can not choose but commit the same As though Gods predestination were like a tempest of winde so blowing in the sayles of a mans heart that by it he is caried headlong to all things whatsoeuer he doth according to the saying of the Poet Iam magis atque magis praeceps agit omnia Fatum Nowe more and more destinie hurleth al things headlong But surely this Stoicall necessitie maketh such a confusion of all things that let them colour vp the matter with as much cunning as they can and qualifie it with as fayre wordes as may be yet shall there neuer the state of a common wealth in England stand if thys persuasion may once take roote amōg the people beside that it is vtterly repugnant to the holie Scripture and against all the auncient wryters as shalbe hereafter briefly proued Crowley Nowe Cerberus is bolde to affirme that all that we do is nothing else but to proue that Gods ordinance and predestination doth carrie headlong all men into all actions be they neuer so mischieuous as a tempest carrieth all afore it c. Surely Cerberus is too bolde herein and doeth much mistake the purpose of our trauaile If he would he might sée except y e smoke of Hell haue marred his sight that our purpose i◠to proue that God in wisdome doth knowe foresée and order all things And that nothing can be done by any creature otherwise than as by his instruments which he doeth vse in wisedome mercie and iustice and that so all actions are his as the chiefe worker in all things And that the same actions as they are wrought by him are excéeding good although in the creatures that God vseth for his instruments some of them be excéeding euill But Cerberus sayth we doe maintaine Stoicall Fatum or destinie And that if thys persuasion may once take place in the people there shall neuer state of a Commonwelth stand in England Besides that it is contrarie to the holie Scripture and against all the auncient writers as he will briefly proue Well good Reader Marke I praye thee how Cerberus shall proue that he promiseth to proue and how he shall be aunswered againe And then doubt not but thou shalt sée how well that blind Curre standeth in his owne conceyte and thinketh himselfe to haue a cleare sight Cerberus And where they denie this doctrine of theirs to be the Stoicall opiniō bicause the Stoikes say they fayned that nature wyth such order of cause as she hath tyed together doth bring all things to passe by necessitie But they affirme that God by his eternall predestination foreordinance and prouidence bringeth all things to passe by like necessitie Thus doe the best learned of them make the difference But a playne dilusion it is to blinde the eyes of men withall For as Priscianus sayth Fatum which we call destinie is deriued of the particple Fatus whych is as much to say as spoken Bicause it is nothing else saith he but that which is spokē or appointed of God As if a mā should say it must nedes be so for God hath spoken the worde Eusebius also citing the definitiō of Chrisippus sayth that Fatum is nothing else but a certain decree ordināce or determination of God Which thyng to make no more rehearsall of many mens sayings Augustine plainely declared in his booke De Ciuitate Dei Lib. 5. Cap. 1. Thus sayth he is it proued that they dyd call the will of the high God Fatum Gods wyll sayeth Austen they called Fatum or destinie It is manifest therefore that the Stoikes did not imagine that nature by an order of causes brought all things to passe by necessitie But rather that God foreordeining and appointing in order all causes in nature or otherwyse brought all thyngs to passe by necessitie Whych thyng together wyth the order of causes Tullie speaketh of plainly saying Fati necessitas c. The necessitie of destinie sayth Tullie is that which of God is ordeyned and appointed that it come to passe by an euerlasting order of causes Crowley The Stoikes we as Cerberus sayth do differ only in this That they affirme al things to come to passe by y e necessitie of destinie we by y e necessitio of Gods eternal predestination foreordinance prouidence And this is the difference that the best learned amongst vs do make Who these best learned be Cerberus doeth not tell vs. But this I am sure that none amongst vs that is learned wyll say that there is none other difference betwene the Stoicall opinion and ours thā that which Cerberus hath set downe For the Stoikes helde that the willes of men are not vnder the necessitie of their Fatum or destinie bicause they could not sée how it should so be and yet be frée also as it may well appeare by that that S. Austē writeth in the .x. Chapter of his fift booke De Ciuitate Dei where his words are these Vnde nec illa necessitas formidandaest quam fermidando Stoici laborauerunt causas rerum ita distinguere vt quasdam subtraberent necessitati quasdam subderent atque in his quaes esse sub necessitate noluerunt posuerunt etiā nostras voluntates nè videlicet nòn essent liberae si subderentur necessitati c. That is to say Wherefore that necessitie is
words are these Viuo ego dicit Dominus Nolo mortem impij sed vt conuertatur impius à via sua viuat Conuertimini conuertimini à vijs vestris pessimis quarè moriemini domus Israel That is to say As truely as I liue saith the Lord I desire not the death of the vngodly but that the vngodly be conuerted froÌ„ hys owne way and liue Be conuerted be conuerted froÌ„ your most wicked wayes why will ye die O you house of Israel Saint Hierome expounding this place beginneth at these wordes in the same Chapter Tu ergo fili hominis dic ad domum Israel sic locuti estis dicentes Iniquitates nostrae peccata nostra super nos c. Therefore thou sonne of man speake thou to the house of Israell and say thus haue ye spoken saying Our iniquities sinnes are vpon vs. c. By occasion of which wordes S. Hierome sayeth thus Sinegligenter legamus videtur nobis eadem prophetia esse quae supra in qua dicitur Nunquid volens cupio mortem iniqui dicit dominus nisi conuerti eum à via sua mala viuere Et in fine eiusdem prophetiâ—e Conuertimini redite ab vniuersis impietatibus vestris non erunt vobis in tormentum iniquitates Ibi enim ad eos sermo fit qui volunt agere poenitentiam iustitia peccata delere vt cum fiducia conuertantur pleno animo agant poeniteÌ„tiam Hic autèm ad eos loquitur qui magnitudine peccatorum imo impietatum suarum desperant salutem dicunt Iniquitates nostrae peccata nostra super nos sunt in ipsis tabescimus quomodo ergo viuere poterinites Et est sensus Cum semel nobis mors proposita sit vulneribus nostris nulla medicina possitrestituere sanitatem quid necesse est laborare frustra consumi praesentem vitam nòn cum desperatione transigere vt saltèm hac fruamur quia futuram perdidimus Quibus respondet Deus nòn velle se mortem impij sed vt reuertatur viuat Et Apostropham sacit ad impios desperaÌ„tes coÌ„uertimini à vijs vestris pessimis Atque vt sciamus qui sint impij ad quos loquitur sequeÌ„s sermo demoÌ„strat Quarè moriemini domus Israel Vita autem mors in hoc loco nòn haec significatur qua omnes communi cum bestijs lege naturae vel viuimus vel morte dissoluimur sed illa de qua scriptum est Placebo Domino in regione viuentium That is to saye If we reade this negligently it séemeth to be the same prophecie that is before wherin it is said do I willingly desire the death of the vngodly sayth the Lorde or but that he be conuerted from his owne euill waye and liue And in the ende of the same Prophecie Be ye conuerted and come backe againe from all your vngodlinesses and your iniquities shall not turne you to tormentes For in that place he speaketh vnto those which are willing to repent and by righteous life to blot out their sinnes that they might with sure confidence returne vnto God and with full mindes repent But in this place he speaketh vnto theÌ„ that throughe the greatnesse of their owne sinnes yea their owne impieties do dispayre of saluatioÌ„ and say Our iniquities and our sinnes are vppon vs and in them doe we consume away how can we therefore liue And this is their meaning Seing that death is once set before vs and no medicine is able to heale our wouÌ„ds what nede we labour and be consumed and not passe ouer thys life with desperatioÌ„ so that at the least way we may enioy this life For the life to come we haue already lost Unto whome God maketh aunswere that he willeth not the death of the vngodly but that he be conuerted liue And he turneth his speach to the desperate vngodlye ones saying turne you from your owne wayes whiche are most wycked And that we might knowe who those wicked ones were to whome he spake the wordes that follow do declare O ye house of Israell why wyll ye dye And that life and that death wherby we do by the order of nature with the brute beastes eyther liue or die is not in this place signified but that life whereof it is written I will please the Lorde in the land of the liuing By these wordes of S. Hierome it appeareth that he vnderstoode not the wordes of Ezechiell in such sorte as Cerberus would haue vs to vnderstande them that is that by them is taught a doctrine contrarie to that which we teache and so consequently the places that we builde vpon proued to make nothing for our purpose For Hierome saith that in the .xviii. Chapter of his Prophecie Ezechiell speaketh to them that be penitent and woulde by righteous life blot out their sinnes past These doth he there encourage with bolde courage and assured hope of forgiuenesse at Gods hand to go forward with their repentance begon saying Be ye conuerted and returne againe from all your vngodlinesses and your iniquities shall not turne you to torment But in this place in the 33. of his Prophecie sayth S. Hierom the Prophete speaketh to the desperate people of y â— Iewes which said Our iniquities and sinnes are vpon vs. c. Giuing them selues to continue in wickednesse as those that dispayred of forgiuenesse of that which was paste although they should froÌ„ thenceforth endeuour amendment To these sayth the Prophet speaketh God saying Turne from your owne moste wicked wayes Why wil ye die O ye house of Israell The greatnesse of our sinnes can be no cause why we should dispaire of Gods mercy Wherefore we teache with Ezechiel Ieremie Esaie and the rest of the holye Prophetes that God is ready to receiue to mercy as many as by repentance and amendmeÌ„t of life turne to him beleuing the promise that he hath made in the death and bloudshedding of his only sonne Iesus Christ I conclude therefore that this place maketh for our purpose and not against vs. And least I shoulde trouble the Reader ouer much with such places as this I 〈◊〉 referre all such places to the aunswere I haue here made not doubting but the diligent Reader who seketh nothing but the simple trueth shalbe therewithall satisfied Nowe as touching the places of S. Austen whyche Cerberus citeth out of his boke De esseÌ„tia Diuinitatis And De libero arbitrio gratia I will first rehearse all the wordes that S. Austen wryteth in those places concerning this matter and then weigh them that we may sée how they may serue for Cerberus purpose The wordes are these Indurare dicitur Deus quorundam malorum corda sicùt de Pharaone Rege Egypti scriptuÌ„ est nòn 〈◊〉 omnipotens Deus ppotentiaÌ„ suaÌ„ corda corum induret quod est impiuÌ„ ità credere sed exegeÌ„tibus coruÌ„ culpis quam duritiaÌ„ cordis quaÌ„ ipsi sibi mala
in Cerberus Syllogisme may be brought into the forme of a Syllogisme in the first fygure and the thirde moode called Darij After this maner Whosoeuer doth predestinate any thing is the Author thereof But God doth predestinate sinne Ergo he is the Author thereof Thus farre I haue holpen Cerberus to frame his Argument But least Cerberus should thinke that I haue framed against my selfe such an Argument as I am not able to salute I wyll shewe the fallace of it First in the maior the word Authour is doubtfull For it may be vnderstanded eyther of him that predestinateth or foreappointeth a thing to be done or of him that is the doer of the same thing And therfore in reasoning it must be explaned and made voide of all amphibologie and doubt For this is a rule in Logicke that the termes which are vsed in reasoning must be plaine and voyd of all doubtfulnesse If we will therfore make a good maior in this Argument we must say that whosoeuer doth predestinate or foreappoint a thing to de done is so the Authour of it that the acte or déede done must be ascribed to him in as much as it is a déede or an act done And then may we adde this minor but God hath predestinated and foreappointed the acte or déede that is done by the sinner Ergo so farre forth as it is an acte or a déede God is the Authour of it Here is not God charged with the sinne that man committeth for that springeth of mās choyse which being corrupted and made bonde to sinne by the sinne that the first man first committed can not of it selfe choose to do any thing in such sort that the same shall not be sinne For mans wisdome and choyse which S. Paule calleth the wisdome of the flesh neyther is nor can be subiect to the lawe of God And so all that man thinketh speaketh or doth in his owne wisdome choyse is against the law commaundement of God so sinne by the cōmon desinition of sinne as is mentioned before And to make this matter more plaine let vs take one example or two whereof in the holie Histories bookes of the Prophetes we haue many and let vs sée how God is the Author of the acte or déede and not of the sinne that is in the acte First in the .xix. Chapter of the fourth booke of y e Kings we read that when Sinacharib had blasphemed God and Ezechias the King had made his complaint and praiers to God the Prophet Esay was commaunded to say thus vnto the King Be not afraid of the wordes wherewith ye haue heard the King of the Assirians seruants blaspheming me Beholde I will chaunge his minde and he shall heare a tidings and shall returne into his owne country I will ouerthrow him with the sword in his owne land And in the end of y t same Chapter the Historie sayth thus And when he was worshipping in the Temple of Nesroch his God Adramelech Saraser his owne sonnes slew him with the sword Here it is manifest that God according to his promise made to Ezechias hath killed Sinacharib but yet by y t sword of his own sonnes The acte in this murder is Gods and so it is exceeding good for it is the performance of Gods promise and the execution of iust iudgement vpon the wicked blasphemer But the sinne of the acte was theyrs whose handes were instruments to murder their father For they minded nothing lesse than to fulfill Gods promise or to execute his iudgement vpon the blasphemer The same example we read in the .x. chapter of Esay the Prophet set forth yet more plainely after this sort Come Assur thou rodde of my furie and the staffe of my wrath amongst these men c. And a little after But he will not think so and his heart will not be so persuaded but his purpose will be to destroy and to bring many Nations to naught c. Here we see how God vsed Sinacharib as his rod in chastising the Nations and yet did he sinne in those actions that God wrought by him And we sée also how God vsed his sonnes in destroying him and yet they sinned in murdering their Father So is God the Authour of the acte which was good in him and they Authours of the sinne of the acte which was euill in them Another example we haue written in the .xii. chapter of the second booke of the Kings where the Prophet Nathan sayth thus to King Dauid Thus sayth the Lord. Beholde I will stirre vp euill against thée in thine own house and I will take from thée thy wiues euen before thy face and will giue them to thy neighbour he shall lie with them in the open sunnelight Thou haste done this déede in secrete but I will doe this that I haue spoken of euen in the sight of all Israell and in the open sunnelight The fulfilling of this is written in the .xvj. Chapter of the same booke The acte whereof wrought by Absolome was in God who vsed Absolome as his instrument the iust punishment that Dauids sinne in abusing Uries wife had deserued But the same in Absolome was abhominable and incestuous whoredome whereby Absolome minded to make all Israell thynke that he abhorred his father and that he would vtterly roote him out Let this suffice for the making plaine of that whych I haue said concerning that which I haue said touching the acte in God and sinne of the wicked acte in man Thus much for the matter of Cerberus Argument reduced into forme Nowe let vs sée what may be sayd to that one place that in stede of so many Cerberus citeth out of S. Austen Which doth not onely resolue clearely this matter betwene foresight and predestination but also moste plainely teach all that is to be said of Predestination And first let vs set downe al the words of S. Austen euen as they stande in the place whereout Prosper doth cite them They are writtē in the eleauenth of those Articles which are falsly imposed vpon S. Austen The wordes of the Article are these Quòd quando paires incestant silias matres silij vel quando serui Dominos occidūt ideò fiat quia Deus praedestinauit vt ita sicret That when the fathers do abuse theyr owne daughters and sonnes theyr owne mothers and seruantes murder theyr owne maisters the same is done bicause God hath predestinated that it should be so done To this Article doth S. Austen aunswere thus Si Diabolo obijceretur quòd talium facinorum ipse Autor ipse esset inuentor puto quòd aliqua ratione hac se posset exo 〈…〉 rare inuidia talium scelerum patratorem de ipsorū voluntate vinceret quia etsi delectatus sit surore peccantium proharet tamèn se nòn intulisse vim criminum Qua ergo insipientia quaue dementia desinitur ad Dei referrendum esse consiliū quod nec Diabolo in
this consequence So far as I am able to iudge we may graunt him all that he hath said and yet affirme still that if God haue appointed the ende he hath also appointed the causes that leade to the same end But I will vnderstand Cerberus as I suppose he meaneth that is that God doth neither appoint the end nor causes that leade therevnto If this be not his meaning then hath he ment nothing but to make simple men suppose that he is able to saye much And sée gentle Reader how well he agréeth wyth S. Austen whose authoritie he woulde faine vse both in steade of a sword and buckler In the eyght chapter of his fift booke De Ciuitate Dei S. Austen sayth thus Qui verè nòn astrorum constitutionem sicut est eum quidque concipitur vel nascitur vel incoatur sed omnium connexionem seriemque causarū qua fit omne quod fit Fati nomine appellant nòn multum cum cis de verbi controuersia laborandum atque certandum est quandoquidem ipsum causarum ordinem quandam connexionem Dei summi tribuunt voluntati potestati Qui optimè veracissimè creditur cuncta scire antequam siant nihil inordinatum relinquere à quo sunt omnes potestates quamuis ab illo nòn sint omniū voluntates That is to say As for those men which do call by the name of destinie not the constitutiō or order of the celestial signes as y ◠same is at the conception birth or beginning of any thing but the knitting together order of all causes whereby euerie thing that is done is brought to passe we néede not much to labour and contende with them about the controuersie of that word bicause they do attribute to y ◠wil power of God that order and certain knitting together of causes which is verie well and truely thought to knowe all things before they come to passe and to leaue nothing vnordered of whom al powers haue their being although all mens willes doe not spring of him Here mayst thou sée gentle Reader howe Cerberus falleth out with him whose authoritie he woulde séeme chiesly to leaue to Austen sayth that whatsoeuer is done commeth to passe by that knitting together and continuall order of causes which the Stoikes call destinie But Cerberus will haue al set at six and seauen and that nothing should come to passe by any such order Austē sayth that it is verie well and truely thought that God doeth knowe all things before they come to passe and that he doth leaue nothing vnordered But Cerberus will none of that For then must Marten Swarth his men Syr Richard Simon Priest and his scholler Lambert the Irish men Lady Margret the Earle of Lincolne the Lorde Louell with the rest that rebelled in King Edwarde the fourthes time be appoynted and ordeyned of God to doe as they did But rather than it should be so Cerberus wyll say with Cotta that there is no God at all For so doth S. Austen conclude vpō Ciceroes disputation that he hath agaynst the Stoikes His wordes be these Quomodo igitur ordo causarum qui praescienti certus est Deo id efficit vt nihil sit in nostra voluntate cū in ipso causarum ordine magnū habeant locum nostrae voluntates Contendit ergo Cicero cum cis qui hūc causarum ordinem dicunt esse fatalem vel potiùs ipsum fati nomine appellant quodnos abhorremus praecipuè propter vocabulū quod nòn in re vera consueuit intelligi Quod vero negat ordinem omnium causarum esse certissimum Dei praescientiae notissimum plus eum quam Stoici detestamur Aut enim deum esse negat quod quidem inducta alterius persona in librii de Deorum natura facere molitus est Aut si esse consitetur Deum quē negat praescium futurorum etiam sic dicit nihil aliud quà m quod ille dixit insipiens in corde sur non est Deus Qui enim non est praescius omnium futurorum non est vtique Deus That is to say How doth the order of causes then which is certayne to God that knoweth them before bring to passe that there should be nothing in our will seing 〈…〉 wils to beare a great sway euen in the order of causes it selfe Let Cicero therefore striue with them that say that this order of causes is fatall or rather that do giue it y ◠name of destinie which thing we do abhorre chiefly for the name which is not accustomed to be vnderstanded in the thing it selse But where as he doth denie that the order of all causes is most certaine and knowen to the prescience of God we do detest him more than the Stoikes did For either he doth denie that there is a God which thing in his bookes concerning the nature of the Gods he doth vnder an other mans person endeuour to do or else if he do confesse that there is a God whom he denieth to know of things before they come to passe euen so saying he doth none other thing than did that foolish mā which said in his heart there is no God For he that doth not knowe afore hand all things that are to come doubtlesse the same is not God If Cerberus had had so much leysure as to read ouer this ninth Chapter of S. Austens fift booke out of the which he would faine finde matter against vs no doubt he would not haue bragged so much of S. Austens authoritie But by like he trusted some other mens notes gathered out of S. Austen and neuer saw the bookes of S. Austen himselfe I speake this in his fauor But sée gentle Reader how well Cicero serueth for the purpose that Cerberus doth alleage him for And as thou findest him in this point so trust him in the rest Cicero doth not only reason against them that say there is a destinie called in Latine Fatum but also against all that say there is a God that hath knowledge of things to come And so consequently he affirmeth that there is no God at all Spoyling God of his foreknowledge as S. Austen sayth rather than he would suffer man to be spoyled of his frée will But y ◠religious minde sayeth S. Austen doeth choose both doeth confesse both and with the faith of godlinesse doth cōfirme both That is to say the foreknowledge of God and the libertie of mans will So that whatsoeuer man doth we say and beleue that he doth it with the consent of his will Cerberus Alas who seeth not the destruction of England to follow this doctrine who seeth not the confusion of all common weales to depend herevpon What Prince may sit safely in the seat of his kingdome What subiect may liue quietly possessing hys owne What man shall be ruled by right of a lawe if thys opinion may be perfectly placed in the heartes of the people But to be short
thou seest here by example the same which Tullie calleth Series causarum the continuall order of causes appointed of God And our men euen in like maner call it the causes appointed of God to leade vnto the same end which he hath ordeyned Whereof followeth the force of cannot chuse which is called Fati necessitas Fatall necessitie or the necessitie of Gods ordinaunce for as you haue heard Fatum is nothing else but a decree or ordinance of God Which necessitie is set forth of some men vnder the name of Gods predestination now oftentimes the same thing is set forth also by thys word prouidence Which name of prouidence likewise the Heathen Stoikes vsed for the same purpose as Cicero sayth Pronoca anus fatidica Stoicorum quam Latinè licet prouidentiā dicere Pronoca in Greke saith he the olde wyse of the Stoikes that setteth forth theyr destinie which in Latine was called Prouidētia the prouidence of God But let them cal it prouidence predestination preordinance or what they will this is no doubt the very Stoikes opiniō that God hath so appoynted and preordeyned all thyngs that of meere necessitie they come to passe And whatsoeuer men do whether it be good or euill they can not chose but do it Which necessitie Seneca also manifestly declareth in these wordes Necessitates omnium rerum quas nulla vis rumpat fatum existimo The necessitie of all thinges sayth he which no force or violence can breake that same I holde to be destinie Crowley Nowe Cerberus can no longer kéepe it in He must néedes breake out in an exclamation against the doctrine of prouidence predestination preordinance For sayth he it is none other thing than the very opinion of y t Stoikes call it what we will Who séeth not the destruction of England c. If God doe by his prouidence gouerne all things If God haue predestinated or preordeyned all things so that they shall come to passe in such time and order as God by his prouidence predestination and preordinance hath appoynted that they shall then must no man be so blinde as not to sée that Englande must be destroyed Then must all Commonweales come to confusion Then shal no King sit safely in his kingdome nor any subiect in his possession Yea no man shall be ruled by the right of a law but if God do leaue the matter to mans discretion to vse the matter as he shall sée cause and doe but put to his helping hand when he séeth that man goeth about to bring things to good effect but in any case determine vpon nothing tyll the same shall be by mans wysedome deuised and enterprised then shall England and all other Commonweales slourish styll then shall all Princes safely sit in their Kinglie seates then shall all subiectes quietly enioy their possessions and euery man be ruled by the right of a lawe Thus much followeth vpon the pityfull complaynt that Cerberus maketh vpon the doctrine of Gods prouidence his predestination or preordinance but I would gladly know what Cerberus thinketh to be the cause that in King Edwarde the fourthes dayes Marten Swarth Syr Richard Simon and the rest made such a styrre in England Was it for that they were persuaded in this doctrine that Cerberus seemeth to make the cause of all such doings Surely I suppose there was not one of them that did once dreame of any prouidence of God For those that take such matters in hand are cōmonly as great enimies to Gods prouidēce as is Cerberus himselfe And shall Cerberus wordes make vs afrayde to say that God in his prouidence had predestinated preordinated all those things to be done yea that it could not otherwise be but that those things must then be done Surely I can sée no cause why we should feare so to say Let Cerberus and his fellowes conclude what they wil. For I am sure S. Austen in the x. Chapter of his fift boke De Ciuitate Dei will take our parte herein His wordes are these Si autem illa definitur esse necessitas secundum quam dicimus necesse esse vt sit aliquid velità fiat nescio cùr eam timeamus ne nobis libertatem auserat voluntatis That is to say If we call that thing necessity whereby we say of anie thing that it must needes be or that it must néedes be so done then do not I see why we should feare least that should take from vs the libertie of our will When we say therefore that of necessitie Marten Swarth and the rest must make such a styrre as they did in King Edward the fourthes dayes do we take frō them the libertie of their wil No sayth S. Austen For they did whatsoeuer they did with the frée cōsent of their willes and felt no constraynt at all But Cerberus is not so satysfied he wyll be inquisitiue to knowe what shoulde be the cause why God woulde in his prouidence predestinate these men to doe these things I wil answer with S. Austen I can not tell God doth know a cause but he hath not made Cerberus and me priuie to it Occulta causa esse potest iniusta nòn potest That is The cause may be secrete but it can not be vniust Is there any iniquitie with God God forbyd What Seneca thought of destinie we passe not But with S. Austen we saye Omnia verò fato fieri nòn dicimus imò nulla fieri fato dicimus quoniam fati nomen vbi solet à loquentibus poni id est in constitutione syderum qua quisque conceptus aut natus est quoniam res ipsa inaniter asseritur nihil valere monstramus Ordinem autem causarum vbi voluntas Dei plurimum potest neque negamus neque fati vocabulo nuncupamus nisi fortè vt fatum à fando dictum intelligamus id est a loquendo Nòn enim abnuere possumus esse scriptum in litteris sanctis semel locutus est Deus duo haec audiui quoniam potestas est Dei tibi Domine misericordia quia tu reddes vnicuique secundum opera eius Quod enim dictum est semel locutus est intelligitur immobilitèr hoc est incommutabilitèr est locutus sicut nouit incōmutabilitèr omnia quae futura sūt quae ipse facturus est Hac itaque ratione possumus à fando fatū appellare nisi hoc nomē iam in aliare soleret intelligi quo corda hominū nolumus inclinari That is to say We say not that al things do come to passe by destinie yea we say that nothing is done by destinie For we do plainely shew that the name destinie is of no value in the place where men vse to place it in speaking that is in the constitution of the heauenlie signes wherein euerie man is conceyued and borne bicause the thing it selfe is vainely affirmed As for the order of causes wherein the will of God is of great force and power
to liue without lawes and so decay and come to naught But Cerberus doth maliciously conster my wordes as though my meaning were driuen to be vnder lawes as shepe are driuen from the pasture to the folde But I spake of men and not of brute beasts We vse to say that men are driuen some by feare some by frendship some by affection some by infirmitie and some by pouertie and néede and yet in all these cases we meane not that man hath not a will which consenteth to the thing that he doeth but that the will of man is by these meanes induced to choose that which it consenteth vnto and to leaue the other which it refuseth to do Againe in answering the inconuenience that Cerberus such as he is do say wil ensue vpon the doctrine of y e necessitie of Gods predestination I sayd If God were an inserious to any superiour power or if we were of another creation and not of his making then might we charge him with tyrannie bicause he condemneth vs and appointeth vs to be punished for the things we do by compulsion Not meaning as Cerberus doth maliciously affirme that I do meane that man is cōpelled by force without the consent of his will to do those actions which God doth condemne him for and appoint him to be punished for For that were to denie God to be God and man to be man For God is not God vnlesse he be both iust and mercifull But there shoulde appeare in him neyther mercie nor iustice if he should vse such compulsion as Cerberus would haue me seeme to teach And if man should be so spoyled of the libertie of his will that he shoulde be compelled to do actions without all consent of will then were man spoyled of his principall part which is his reasonable soule without which he is not neyther can be thought to be man I am not so beastly therefore as to speake of such a compulsion But I speake of the same that Knoxe spake of in the place that Cerberus citeth I now for I dare not assirm vpon his word neither haue I séene the booke my selfe But the matter that Cerberus sayeth Knoxe hath cited out of S. Austen I haue séene in S. Austē not in the. 3. booke and 5. chapter against Iulian but in the. 5. booke and. 3. chapter against the same Bylike Cerberus had little leysure and lesse lust to reade S. Austēs words therefore not finding them at the first chop he thought it should be enough for hym to say that he must thinke that we haue forged a lie in S. Austens name But to put thée out of doubt gentle Reader that Cerberus hys thought is a lying thought I wil set downe S. Austens wordes in writing and request thée to reade the rest of that Chapter wherein I haue founde them writtē And then I doubt not but thou wilt consent to that compulsion that I haue spoken of The wordes of S. Austen are these Quid est autem quod dicis cum desiderijs suis traditi dicuntur relictiper patientiam intelligēdi sunt nòn per potentiam in peccata compulsi quasi nòn simul posuerit haec duo idem Apostolus patientiam potentiam vbi ait Sic autem volens Deus ostendere iram demonstrare potentiam suam attulit in multa patientia vasairae quae perfecta sunt in perditionem Quid horum tamen dicis esse quod scriptum est Et Propheta si errauerit locutus fuerit ego Dominus seduxi Prophetam illum extendam manum meam super eum exterminabo eum in medio populi mei Israel Patientia est an potentia Quodlibet eligas vel vtrumque fatearis vio des tamen falsa Prophetantis peccatum esse poenamque peccati An hic dicturus es quod ait Ego Dominus seduxi Prophetam illū intelligendum esse deserui vt pro eius meritis seductus erraret Age vt vis Tamèn eo modo punitus est propeccato vt falsum prophetando peccaret That is to say What is the meaning of thy wordes when thou sayest that those men that are said to be giuen ouer to their owne lustes must be vnderstande to be left by patience or sufferance and not cōpelled or thrust into sinne by power as though that same Apostle did not set downe both these two both sufferance and power when he sayeth And so God being willing to shew forth his wrath and to set forth his power hath in much patience brought hyther the vessels of wrath which were made méete for destruction And yet whether of these things doest thou say that that is which is written And if a Prophet do erre and speake lies I the Lord haue seduced that Prophet and I will strotch out mine hand vpon him and I wil vtterly roote him out from amongst my people of Israell Is this sufferance or power Which soeuer thou doest choose or if thou graūt both yet doest thou sée that the false prophecie is sinne and the punishment of sinne also Wilt thou here also say that where he sayth I the Lord haue seduced that Prophet it must be vnderstand I haue left him that being seduced according to his owne deseruings he he might erre do as thou wilt Yet is he in this sort punished for his sinne that by prophecying a lie he might sinne Nowe I trow Cerberus will not say that Knoxe hath forged a lye in S. Austens name supposing thereby to giue authoritie to falsehod And if Cerberus woulde take the paines to reade the whole Chapter wherin these words of Austen are written I doubt not but he should vnderstand how God may by power cōpel men to sinne and yet punish them iustly for their sinne which they cōmit by such compulsiō For they are not compelled without the consent yea the frée consent of their owne will But least Cerberus should thinke that not being able to aunswere that which he concludeth vpon my wordes I haue slily slipped it ouer I must say some thing to that wherewith he chargeth me That is the charging of all Magistrates with tyrannie for that they not being Creators do punysh men for those offences that they cōmit by compulsion He frameth an Argumēt against me the maior proposition whereof is not affirmed by me as Cerberus sayth it is for I haue not in any place writtē that theues murderers c. doe commit theyr offences by the compulsion of predestination but by compulsion thorow the necessitie of predestination meaning that cōpulsion and necessitie that S. Austen speaketh of in the places that I haue before cited out of his workes which is not without the frée consent of the will The minor which is that it is tyrannie for one that is an inferior power and not their Creator to punish them that do commit crymes by such compulsion I do not in any part of my writings affirme Wherefore Cerberus doth me open wrong to
An Apologie or Defence of those Englishe Writers Preachers which Cerberus the three headed Dog of Hell chargeth wyth false doctrine vnder the name of Predestination Written by Robert Crowley Clerke and Uicare of Sainct Giles without Creplegate in London Imprinted at London in Paternoster Rowe at the signe of the blacke boy by Henry Binneman Anno. 1566. Octobris 14. ¶ To the Reader BEing openlye defamed in writing set abroade by one that hath no name I suffered y ◠same long time to delite himself in his own blindnesse and to boast himselfe among hys secreto maintayners being in y ◠meane while better occupied thā in wrestling with suche a one as is ashamed to set his name to the booke he writeth and causeth to be imprinted I thought that the writings of such one coulde not haue bene hurtfull to the estimation that I and others of my calling should of right haue among the true professors of Gods Gospell bicause such haue inough alredie in print and in the English tong to aunswere all such blind barking dogs as this is But perceiuing that some men which professe the Gospell will rather credit such a Rayler than take the paynes to reade that wherin they might haue wherewith to be able to answere for vs that are rayled vpon bycause the same was written before thys Hell Dogge began to barke I haue now written a short Apologie or defence of my selfe and others of my calling whom this Hell hound doth so egerly barke at willing the Christian reader to reade it with indifferent iudgement neyther inclining to the one nor the other till he haue read both And bicause none shall haue cause to complaine I haue set downe in writing all that this Dogge hath written and then defēded that which he findeth fault withall so that euerie matter hath it manifest defence ioyned vnto it that the Christian Reader may haue wherewithall to bring himselfe out of doubt And least any shoulde be offended for that I terme mine aduersarie by y e name of Cerberus or Hell dogge I wold all men should consider the cause He hath takē vpon him to reprehend the teachers of the truth and those which are or should be the light of the worlde and yet as one that would not be called to an accompt of his doings he hideth his name Wherefore I haue giuen him suche a name as is méete for him tyll he put hys name to that he writeth in the reproche and discredite of such as feare not openly to teach the truth and when they write it to subscribe their names to the same When this Hel hound therefore shall set his name to his booke I will vse none other name but that which by his owne writing shal appeare to be his In the meane while let him his friends be contented that he beare such a name as hys doings do deserue Cerberus as y e Poets do faine is a Dogge with thrée heades which watcheth Hell gates whose barking is horrible for he barketh with chrée mouthes and his haires are snakes His name by interpretation doth signifie a deuourer of bodies Wherefore it is not a name vile inough for this Hel dogge whose propertie is to deuour soules and the good names of such as he is not able to accuse of any crime And wyth his barking he goeth not about to trouble the Kingdome of Hel as Cerberus did but the Kingdome of Heauen which is the Church of Christ which by faith in Christ is assured of hir eternall Predestination to euerlasting glorie after this life and in this life to deliueraunce from all euill Of which comfort this Cerberus laboureth by his barking to spoile hir as shall more plainely appeare in the Apologie of those whom he seketh by his barking to dash out of coūtenance But least I should trouble thée Christiā Reader with ouer manie wordes before the matter I ceasse to write any more Farewel in Christ Iesus And pray to God for the presence of his holie spirite to leade thée in the reading of this Apologie Amen Finished the first of March Anno. 1565. Roman 8. Those whom God knew before them hath he predestinated to be made like vnto the Image of his sonne that he might be the eldest among many brethren An Apologie of Crowley and others Cerberus THE Copie of an Aunswere made vnto a certaine letter wherein the Aunswerer purgeth himselfe and other from Pelagius errours and frō the errour of free will or iustification of workes wherewithall he semeth to be charged by the sayde letter And further he sheweth wherin he differeth in iudgement from certaine Englishe writers and Preachers whome he chargeth with the teaching of false doctrine vnder the name of Predestination Crowley IT had bene very well done of Cerberus to haue set downe in writing the copie of the letter that he sayth he Aunswereth and the name of him that wrote it so might those that he nameth in hys aunswere haue had some waye to haue founde out the Auctour of the Aunswere that this matter being debated priuatelye betwéene them a meane might haue bene founde for the ending of the controuersie and the satisfying of suche as by this aunswere are not onely brought into doubt of the truth of Gods euerlasting Predestination but also haue conceyued an euill opinion of such as be the teachers therof But if I shall speake that I thinke I muste néedes saye that I thinke there was no such letter written But Cerberus hath sayued this as a grounde to set his foundation vpō For otherwise it shoulde haue semed too too maliciously done vpon none occasion to write and set abrode in print to the disfamation of publique Preachers and writers such matter as in this aunswere he chargeth them withall But graunt there were such a letter written yet was not that a iuste occasion for Cerberus to charge by name mée or anye other which knewe not of the writing of it Well he purgeth himselfe and other he sayth of diuers errours wherewith he semeth to be charged in that letter It had bene well he had not in purging himselfe charged other that muste fall to purging too But that was to shewe what spirite he is of Not of that spirite which in loue séeketh the reformation of other mens errours but of that spirite that in malice seketh to maintaine his owne errours by the defacing of other which neuerthelesse will in the ende be the defacing of himselfe For such as vse to digge pittes for others to fall into doe commonly fall into the same themselues fyrst of all Cerberus I desire of God by his grace and mercy to settle strength and stablishe you in the truth of his holye Worde for euer Dearely beloued where you write vnto me that you haue often hearde that I and other shoulde holde the errours of Pelagius whose errours you say are almost vnknowen vnto you what they are And where further it is reported of vs as you saye that we shoulde
sheading righteousnesse euerlasting lyfe by his resurrectiō According to y e saying of Paul Traditus est propter delicta nostra resurrexit propter iustificationē nostrā He was deliuered vnto death for our sinnes and he rose againe for our iustification But Cerberus and his fellowes do vrge the vniuersall signe Omnes All. Sicut per vnius delictum in omnes homines in condemnationem sic per vnius iustitiam in omnes homines in iustificationem vitae That is Euen as by one mans fault sinne entred into all men to condemnation so by the righteousenesse of one man is righteousenesse entred into all men to the iustification of lyfe This vniuersall signe muste néedes streatche it selfe to all Adams posteritie and therfore all muste be made righteouse by Christ These men will not see how suche vniuersall signes are vsed in the Scriptures They can not perceiue how this vniuersall signe shoulde in the first sentence streatche it selfe to all the generation of the firste Adam that sinned and in the seconde sentence to all the generation of the seconde Adam which is Christ The generation of y e first are all that haue or shall be borne of fleshe and bloud and the generation of the seconde are al they that be borne of God If we shoulde in all places of Scripture streatche this vniuersall signe all so farre as Cerberus doth streatche it here we should make as good a piece of worke as y e Nonne did which reade in s Paule Omnia probate proue all things And therefore hauing a minde to sir Iohn the Chaplen of the house she proued what it was to lye with a man And being with childe the matter came to the knowledge of the Abbas she excused hir selfe by Saint Paule who biddeth vs proue all things If a théefe that taketh another mans goodes shoulde excuse himselfe with Omnia mihi licent I may doe all things or Omnia vestra sunt All things are yours It would not be founde that these vniuersall signes should either make it léeful for him to take another mans goods or to haue right to that that is not hys by some iust title I woulde wishe Cerberus and his fellowes therfore to weigh this matter better before they triumph ouer vs in such sort as he doth in this his aunswere And I woulde wishe him to consider well whether saint Austen in the Epistle where these Articles of Pelagius be written do not write cleane contrary to this iudgement of his For in the very place that he citeth to make for his purpose S. Austen sayth thus Infantes nuper nati non sunt in illo statu in quo Adam fuit ante praeuaricationem vt ad ipsos pertineat quod breuiter ait Apostolus Per vnum hominem mors per vnum hominem resurrectio mortuorum Sicut enim in Adam omnes moriuntur it a in Christo omnes viuisicabuntur Vnde sit quod Infantes nō baptizati non solum regnum coelorum verum etiam vitam aeternam habere non possint That is Infantes that be lately borne are not in that state that Adam was before he sinned that that thing which the Apostle doth in fewe wordes affirme might partaine vnto them By one man came death and by one man came the resurrection of the deade For euen as in Adam all dye so in Christ shall all be made alyne Wherby it commeth to passe that Insants which are not baptised are not onely vnable to enioye the Kingdome of Heauen but also lyfe euerlasting These wordes me think are very plaine against that which Cerberus would maintaine by Paule and Austen For if Infants vnbaptised can not haue the kingdome of God nor euerlasting lyfe how doth this saying In christo omnes viuificabuntur All shalbe quickned in Christ pertayne to all the posteritie of Adam vnlesse he will say that Infantes that dye before baptisme be not of Adams posteritie Better matter can I not wishe for against Cerberus than that which hangeth to the foundation that he himselfe buildeth vpon It were for my purpose to aduaūce the auctoritie of this Epistle bicause it helpeth me very much against this Hel Dogge Cerberus but bicause I woulde not haue the Reader to conceyue such an opinion of S. Austen as to thinke that he shoulde be of such minde as the Auctour of thys Epistle doth shewe himselfe to be in certaine pointes I will cite the iudgement of Erasmus concerning thys Epistle all other of this title That is Ad Bonifacium To Boniface Speaking of y e Booke of Epistles wher in this Epistle 106. is written he saith Nonnullae simplicitor confictae quod genus sunt illae Bonefacij ad Augustinum Augustini ad Bonifacium Some of those Epistles saith he are altogether fayned As are those of Bonifacius to Augustine and of Austen to Boniface Now iudge gentle Reader what this Cerberus meaneth that leauing the good and sounde workes of Austen where he writeth very well of this matter setteth his foundation vpon such rotten patches as some such as he is haue put forth in Austens name No maruell though Cerberus be ashamed to set his name to his booke This might suffise for our defence against Cerberus his assaulte in thys point But I will adde one Scripture or two and so the iudgement of some learned writers that he take not occasion of a new calumniatiō because I promised more than I haue yet performed Saint Paule writing to Timothe in his seconde Epistle and seconde chapter sayth thus Sed firmum fundamentum Dei stat habens signaculu hoc Cognouit Dominus qui sunt sui The foundation of God standeth firme and sure hauing this sure seale The Lorde knoweth who be his By which wordes it is manifest that S. Paule vnderstoode not that all mankinde were elected in Christ and so restored by Christ but a certaine number which though they be vnknowne vnto men yet doth the Lorde whose they be knowe them well and will not suffer them no nor any of them to perishe Wherfore he exhorteth all such as call vpon the name of the Lorde that is all Christians to depart from iniquitie For in a great house saith he there be not only vesselles of Golde and Siluer but also of Timber and Earth some to serue for honorable vses and some for vile vses I knowe how some doe wrest these latter wordes of S. Paule to proue that it is in mans power to depart from iniquitie bicause Saint Paule doth will Christians so to doe And especially those wordes which followe which are these Si quis ergo emund iuerit se ab istis erit vas in honorem sanctificatum vtile domino ad omne opus bonum paratum If any man therfore shall clense himselfe from these men he shall be a vessell sanctified vnto honour and profitable for the Lord being prepared and made readie for euery good worke These wordes do manifestly declare
say they that it is in mannes power to clense himselfe and to make himselfe a vessel méete for the Lordes vse and seruice These men will not vnderstande that commaundements admonitions exhortations and councelles be to any purpose except those to whome they be giuen be able to do the things that they be commaunded admonished exhorted or councelled to doe And so shall the commaundements of God be to no purpose For who hath bene is or shall be able to doe that God commaundeth when he sayth Thou shalte loue the Lorde thy God with all thine heart with al thy soule and with all thy minde And thy neighbour as thy selfe Doth not S. Paule say that we are not able of our selues so much as to think a good thought And is not this according to y t which Christ himselfe teacheth when he saith to his Disciples without me ye can do nothing But these men will not vnderstande that the vse of these things is to cause the chosen children of God to acknowledge their owne inhabilitie and humblye to begge at Gods hande his helpe that therby they may doe y t which is commaunded or taught and that the reprobateâ— may be without excuse yea or pretence of excuse Saint Austen whome Cerberus woulde faine haue to take hys parte doth vnderstande this place of Paule cleane contrary to Cerberus his purpose As appereth in moe places then one of his best writings Namely in the. viz. chapter of the .xx. booke De Ciuitate Dei that is of the Citie of God which is the Church of Christ where speaking of that Church called from among all the nations of the worlde he saith thus Has enim elegit Deus ante mundi constitutionem eruere depotestate tenebrarum transferre in regnuÌ„ silij claritatis suae sicut Apostolus ait Nam seducere illum gentes etiam nunc secum trabere in aeternam poâ—nam sed non praedestinatas in aeternam vitam quis sidelis ignorat Nec moueat quod soepe Diabolus seducit etiaÌ„ illos quiiaÌ„ regenerati in Christo vias ingrediuntur Dei. Nouit enim Dominus qui sunt eius ex hijs in aeternam damnationem neminem ille seducit Sic enim nouit eos Dominus vt Deus quem nihil latet etiam futurorum non vt homo qui hommem ad praesens videt sic tamen videt cuius cor non videt qualis autem postea sit futurus nec seipsum videt Ad hoc ergo ligatus est Diabolus inclusus in abysso vt iam non seducat gentes ex quibus constat Ecclesia quas antea seductas tenebat antequam essit Ecclesia Nec enim dictum est vt non seduceret aliquem sed vt non seduceret inquit iam gentes in quibus Ecclesiam proculdubio voluit intelligi That is to say God did before the beginning of the Worlde choose these nations that he might deliuer them out of y e power of darknesse and translate them into the kingdome of the sonne of his owne brightnesse as the Apostle sayth For what faythfull man knoweth not that the Deuill doth euen now seduce nations and draw them with himselfe into euerlasting paine but not those nations which are predestinated into euerlasting lyfe Neither let it trouble anye man that the Deuill doth oftentimes seduce euen those that being alredy regenerated in Christ do walke in the wayes of God For the Lorde knoweth who be hys of them doth the Deuill seduce none to euerlasting damnation For the Lorde doth knowe them as God knoweth from whom nothing is hidde no not of the things to come Not as a man knoweth who doth for the present time see a man but yet so as whose heart he séeth not yea he séeth not himselfe so that he can tell what maner a man he himselfe shalbe hereafter To this purpose therfore is the Deuill bounde and shut vp in darknesse that he doe not now seduce the nations of whome the Churche doth consist Which nations he did before holde still in errour before the Church was For it is not sayde that he shoulde not seduce any man but that he should not now seduce sayth he y e nations in which nations no doubt he woulde haue the Church to be vnderstande This Booke was Austens owne without all doubt and therefore we maye be bolde to affirmo that this is Austens minde not only vpon this place of Scripture but also vpon this matter that is that not all mankind but a certaine chosen sort are restored againe by Christ And that none of those that are so restored can perishe although God doe sometime suffer them to fall Againe the same Austen writing against the Donatists in his fift booke De Baptismo that is of Baptisme saith thus in the .xxvij. chapter of the same Booke Numerus ergo ille iustorum qui secundum propositum vocati sunt de quibus dictum est Nouit dominus qui sunt eius ipse est ortus conclusus fons signatus puteus aquae viuae paradisus cum fructu pomorum Ex hoc numero quidam spiritualiter viuunt supereminentem viam charitatis ingrediunter Et quum praeoccupatum hominem in aliquo delicto instruunt in spiritis lenitatis intendunt ne ipsi tententur Et cum fortè ipsi praeoccupantur reprimitur in eis aliquantulum noÌ„ autem extinguitur charitatis affectus rursusque resurgens inardeseens pristino cursuirestituitur Norunt enim dicere Dormitauit anima mea praetaedio confirma me in verbis tuis That is That number therfore of the righteous which are called according to Gods purpose concerning which it is sayde that the Lord knoweth who they be that be his is the same that is the fensed garden the sealed fountaine the pyt of springing water and the paradisefull of the fruite of Apples Of this number there be some that lyue spiritually walke in the excellent waye of charitie And when they doe in the spirite of leuitie instruct a man that is ouertaken w t any fault they doe take good héede least they themselues be tempted also And when it happeneth y e any of them be ouertaken the affection of loue is something repressed in them but it is not vtterly quenched And when it riseth againe and waxeth feruent it is restored againe to his olde course or rase For these men can saye My soule did â—â—omber for very wearinesse do thou make mee strong in thy wordes And againe in the same chapter Saint Austen saith thus Sunt etiam quidam ex eo numero qui adhuc nequiter viuant aut etiam in haeresibus vel in gentilium superstitionibus iaceant tamen etiam illic nouit dominus qui sunt eius Namque in illi ineffabili praescientia Dei multi qui foris videntur intus sunt multi qui intus videntur fores sunt Ex illis ergo omnibus qui vt ita dicam intrinsecus in
occulto intus sunt constat ille hortus coÌ„clusus fons signatus puteus aquae viuae paradisus cum fructu pomorum That is There be also some of that number which doe yet liue wickedly either doe lye in Heresies or in y e superstitioÌ„s of the Heathen and yet the Lorde doth euen there knowe who be his For in that vnspeakeable foreknowledge of God many that séeme to be without are within many that seme to be within are without That inclosed garden therefore that sealed fountaine that pyt of springing water and that paradise of the fruite of Apples doth consist of all those that be inwardely secretely within if I may so speake And againe the same Austen saith in the .xlv. treatise vpon Iohn Et oues vocem eius audiunt proprias oues vocat nominatim Habet enim nomina eorum scripta in libro vitae Proprias oues vocat nominatim hinc dicit Apostolus Nouit Dominus qui sunt eius That is And his shéepe heare his voice and he calleth his owne shéepe by name For he hath their names written in the Booke of Lyfe He calleth his owne sheepe by name Hereof commeth it that the Apostle sayth The Lorde knoweeh who they be that he hys What shoulde I cite any moe places of this Auctour for this purpose If these will not satisfie Cerberus let him barke still tyll his throte be horse I knowe these may satisfie all that be not wilfully blinde For in three seuerall places S. Austen hath cited these wordes of S. Paule The Lorde knoweth who be his euen in the same sence that I haue done One other Scripture I will cite also which is written in the .xvij. of S. Iohns Gospell The wordes were spoken by our Sauiour Christ himselfe in that Prayer that he made to his Father the night before he suffered and they are these Non pro mundorogo sed probus quos dedâ—sti mihi quia tui sunt I doe not praye for the worlde sayth Christ but for those that thou hast giuen vnto mée bicause they be thine And that Cerberus may know what is ment here by the worde Worlde he shall sée what S. Austen writeth in his 107. treatise vpon Iohn concerning this text Mundum vidt modo intelligi qui viuunt secundum concupiscontiam mundi non sunt in ea sorte gratiae vt ab illo eligantur ex mundo non vtique pro mundo sed pro hijs quos ci pater dedit rogare se dicit Per hoc enim quod cos illi pater iam dedit factum est vt non pertineant ad cum mundum pro quo nore orat Deindâ— subiungit Quia tui sunt That is He would now haue vs vnderstande that those men be the worlde which doe liue according to concupiscence or luste of the worlde and are not in that state of grace that they might be by him chosen out of the worlde He doth not therfore say that he doth pray for the world but for them that his father gaue vnto him For by that that his father hath already giuen them vnto him it commeth to passe that they pertaine not vnto that worlde that he prayeth not for And after this he addeth Bicause they be thine If Cerberus were not to obstinately blinde he coulde not but see and confesse that S. Austen is full against him For what other cause doth s Austen alleadge why those that Christ prayde for were not of the worlde but onely that the Father had giuen them vnto him And what cause doth he alleadge why Christ might not choose them out of the worlde that he prayed not for but onely that they were not in that state of grace or mercye that they might be chosen out of the worlde And the text it selfe might persuade any man but Cerberus and his felowes that there is a number that be not restored by Christ For woulde Christ denie to praye for any of them y â— are restored by him I trowe not But to bring Cerberus from Hell gate if it will be I will cyte yet one place of S. Austen wherein he speaketh as plainely as any man can deuise to speake concerning this matter In his first booke that he writeth of the deseruings and forgiuenesse of sinnes and of y â— baptisme of Infants we reade thus in the .xv. chapter Ob hoc etiam dictum est omnes omnes neque enim qui generantur per AdaÌ„ ijdem ipsi omnes per ChristuÌ„ regenerantur sed hoc recte dictum est quia sicut nullius carnalis generatio nisi pâ—r Adam sic spiritales nullius nisi per Christum Nam si aliqui possent carne generari non per. Adam aliqui regenerari s 〈…〉 tu non per Christum non liquide omnes siue hic s 〈…〉 ibi dicer tur Eosdem autem omnes posteannultos dicit Possunt quippâ— in aliquare omnes esse qui p 〈…〉 ci sunt Sed multo 〈…〉 â—bet generatio carnalis multos spiritalis 〈…〉 multos haec spiritalis quam illa carnalis Verunt 〈◊〉 quem 〈…〉 dum illa omnes habet 〈…〉 s sic ista omnes iustoâ— homines Quia sicut nemopraeter illaÌ„ homo sic nemopraeter istaÌ„ iustus homo in vtrá 〈…〉 multi After S. Austen had sayde that it is not the only imitation of Christ that can make a man righteous but the frée mercy which doth regenerate by the spirite so is it not the imitation of Adam only that maketh vs sinners but the punishement which engendreth by the fleshe he addeth the wordes aboue in Latine which are in Englishe thus For this cause also is it said all and all for not the same all y â— are begotten by Adam are by Christ regenerated But this is well sayde that euen as the carnall generation of no man is otherwise than by AdaÌ„ so is the spirituall generation of no man otherwise than by Christ For if there might be some men begotten in the fleshe and not by Adam and some men regenerated in the spirite not by Christ we might not say plainely all either in the one place or in the other And afterwarde he doth saye that the same all are many for 〈◊〉 some certaine thing those which are but fewe may be all But the carnall generation hath many and the spirituall hath many also although this spiritual haue not so many as hath that carnall But yet for all that euen as that hath all men so hath this all iuste men For as without that no man is a man euen so without this no man is a 〈…〉 st man and in eche of these are many Now let Cerberus and his fellowes bark at Austen For he hath made the same interpretation of S. Paules wordes that I haue made before Whereby it is manifest that that Epistle that Cerberus buildeth vpon is not Austens owne but fained by some such as Cerberus is and put forth in
for then shoulde the lyke haue bene wrought in the Iewes that came to take Christ for when he sayde I am they al fel to the ground but it was wrought within by the power of the spirite Saint Augustine therefore sayth very well Qui fecit te sine te non te iustificat sine te Ergo fecit nescientem iustificat volentem He that made thee without thee doth not iustifie thée without thée therefore he made thée when thou knewest not but he doth iustifie thée being willing To this doe the wordes of Sainct Paule agrée when he sayeth Deus est qui operatur in vobis velle operari It is God that worketh in you both the will and the worke that is according to the will But first the will So that before we follow the drawer we are by the same drawer made willing to follow Thus doth S. Austen and so doe we that Cerberus barketh so at vnderstand the will of man to be frée To conclude this matter and to see what mans freewil is able to doe sée what S. Austen sayeth Creatus est primus homo in natura sine culpa in naturae sine vitio creatus est rectus nō se fecit rectū Quid se autem ipse fecerit notum est Cadens è manu Figuli fructus est Regebat enim cum ipse qui fecerat voluit deserere à quo factus erat permisit Deus tanquā dicens Deserat me inueniat se miseria sua probet quia nihil potest sine me Hoc modo ergo ostēdere voluit Deus homini quid valeat liberum arbitrium sine Deo The first man was created in nature without blame in nature without fault he was created vpright he did not make himselfe vpright It is knowne what he made himselfe Falling out of the hande of the Potter he was broken For he y ◠made him did gouerne him but he was willing to forsake him that had made him And God suffered him so to doe as it were saying thus Let him forsake me that he maye finde himselfe and that he maye by his miserie proue that without me he can doe nothing By this meane therfore would God shewe vnto man what frée will is able to doe without God This maye suffise to as many as will be satisfied But I feare me that Cerberus and his felowes are none of them By this it appeareth that we runne not into the extremities as Cerberus sayth we doe For we neyther teache fatall destinie nor popishe will libertie but we affirme that man hath a choyse and that in some meaning the same is frée and yet notwithstanding Gods forknowledge predessination and election to be infallible As shall more playnely appeare when I shall come to the place wherein I am by Cerberus charged with the setting forth of such a doctrine as is worthily mysseliked of many In the meane while I must say something of y ◠wherin I with others be charged and playnely affirmed to be Pelagiās And that it may appeare whether we be so or no it shall be néedefull that we set downe the opinion of Pelagius as we finde it written by S. Austen in a booke of more authoritie than is that Epistle that Cerberus buildeth vpon Saint Austen being requested by one named Quod vult Deus to write a Cataloge of heresies he satysfieth hys request And thus he writeth of Pelagius heresie Pelagianorum est heresis hoc tempore omniū recentissima à Pelagio Monacho exorta c. At this time sayth he there is the heresie of the Pelagians which is the newest of all and sprang out of one Pelagius a Monke Which maister one Celestius did in such sorte followe that their followers are also called Celestines These men are such enimies to the grace of God whereby we are predestinated to be adopted or chosen to be his children through Iesus Christ and whereby we are deliuered from the power of darkenesse that we may beleue in him and be translated into his kingdome for which cause he sayd No man cōmeth vnto me except it be giuen vnto him of my Father and wherby Charitie is poured out in our hearts that fayth may worke by loue that they beleue that man is able without it to do all the cōmaundements of God whereas if that were true it might séeme that the Lord had in vaine sayde Sine me nihil potestis sacere Without me you can do nothing Whether we be of this mind with Pelagius or no let all the world that séeth our writings or heareth our doctrine iudge Or whether Cerberus and his fellowes be like to be of this minde which finde fault with our doctrine bycause we teach that there is an elected and chosen number to whome God hath giuen fayth and hath poured out loue in their hearts so that they maye come vnto Christ and by their works of obediēce to Gods wil shew forth the liuely fayth in Christ that in their election they haue receyued freely at Gods hand Let all the worlde I say iudge betwixte vs. We say that there is a certayne chosen number which in mercy are chosen to be the children of God images of the sonne of God Iesus Christ and inheritoures of his kingdome And that none can be of this number but those onely to whome it is giuen fréely without any maner deseruing eyther past present or to come And that they being thus chosen predestinated must alwayes acknowledge that it is God that worketh in them and that of them selues they are not able so much as to think a good thought And yet assure them selues that Hell gates can not preuayle agaynst them that is that the power of the Diuell shall not be able to hurte them And that though they be still sore assaulted and sometimes sore woūded yet they shal neuer be ouercome but shal ouercome in Christ and triumph with him in immortalitie for euer But Cerberus and his company say that al mankind is elected and that there is no reprobation at all and cōsequently no election For if there be none resused then is there none election but a generall acceptation And this their election they say is so vncertayne that no man can thereby be certaine of his saluation but al men must still remayne in doubte of damnation by sinne whereas S. Paule hath sayde that there is no damnation to them that be grassed into Christ And Christ himself saith that it is not possible that the elected sorte shoulde be seduced They say also that the power of mans Frée will is to receiue or refuse the grace of God which is indifferently offred vnto al. Which if it be true then must he be able also of himselfe to do that God commaundeth which is the playne errour of Pelagius Well I leaue these two opinions to the iudgement of the reader to consider which of them is most like to be that which Pelagius helde
name of Austen odious to the Christian reader as it semeth that Cerberus would make the names of both those men of God Marke therfore gentle reader what might cause Austen some thing to swarue from the truth in thys article He had to do with suche a one as denied Infantes to be spotted with Adams sinne and that therfore they neded no regeneration and so consequently no sacrament of regeneration The abhomination of this errour caused Austen to flye so far on the other side that he had not such a consideration of the promise of God as he shoulde haue had And so affirmed more than once that al that die with out baptisme must nedes be damned Let vs be contented that God hath by this errour shewed Saint Austen to bée a man And let vs giue him thankes for the abundaunce of good doctrine that this man hath lefte in writing not doubting but that that mercifull Lorde whom he serued woulde not suffer him to ende his life in that errour no more than he dyd in the Manicheis heresie which he did sometime stoutly defende althoughe it haue not pleased him to suffer it to appeare in writing that euer he did acknowledge it to be an errour As touching the opinion that Caluin and we Gospellers do holde concerning Infantes that die withoute baptisme it differeth something from Austen but more from Pelagius Yea we doe as muche abhorre the errour of Pelagius as Austen did For we affirme and are able by the Scriptures to proue that al Adams natural children are deade throughe Adams sinne and that none of them can be quickened and reuiued againe otherwise than by Christ And that so many as are not giuen vnto Christ do stil remain in that sinne and cannot be saued So far off are we from this Pelagian heresie Nowe that it maye appeare howe wée differ from S. Austen I will cite some matter out of the woorkes of maister Iohn Caluin Not as Cerberus doth to set him directly against Austen but to shewe how God hath reuealed vnto hys seruant Iohn Caluin that secret that he had not reuealed vnto his seruant Austen so fully so far forth as we can finde written in his bookes First we reade in the booke of maister Iohn Caluins Institutions in the title of Pedobaptisme or baptising of Chyldren these words folowing Sed omissis cauillis tenenda simplex est interpretatio quam attuli neminem donec renouatus fucrit aqua viua hoc est spiritu posse ingredi in Regnum Dei Iam est ex eo explodendum esse eorum commentum palam est qui omnes non baptizatos aeternae morti adiudicant That is But all subtilties set a side the simple interpretacioÌ„ that I haue made must be holden that is that none can enter into the kingdome of God til he be renewed by liuelye water that is the holy ghost Now therfore euen hereof it is manifest that the false opinion or fantasie of them that condemne to eternall death all that be not baptised is to be dryuen out with hissing and clapping of handes Againe the same Caluin sayth in his Comment vpon the sift Chapter to the Romaines Vt misera peccato haereditate potiaris satis est esse hominem residet enim in carne sanguine Vt Christi iustitia fruaris sidelem esse necessarium est quia side acquiritur eius consortium Infantibus peculiari ratione communicatur Habent enim in soedere ius adoptionis quo in Chrissti communionem coâ—ptantur De piorum liberis loquor ad quos promissio gratiae dirigitur Nam alij à communi sorte nequaquam eximuntur That is To enioy the miserable enheritaunce of sinne it is enough to be a man for if dwelleth in flesh and bloud But to enioy the righteousnesse of Christ it is required of necessitie that a man be faithfull for the company or felowship of Christ is obtained by saith To Infants it is after a certaine peculiar maner coÌ„municated For they haue in the couenaunt the right of adoption wherby they are adopted into the communion of Christ I speake of the children of the godly vnto whom the promise of mercye is directed For others are not deliuered from that lot that is common to all men By these wordes of Caluin it appeareth how we differ from Augustine for we are of one minde with Caluin who denieth not that the children of the vnfaithfull that dye without baptisme do remaine in the same state that the sinne of the firste man brought all mankinde vnto We differ therfore only in that we affirme that the children of the godlye doe appertaine to the couenant of God and therefore do not perishe though they be preuented by death Whether Austen continued to the ende in that minde that he sheweth him selfe in certaine of hys writings concerning this matter it is vncertaine for in his Retractations there is no mention therof But if he did this onely is the difference betwixt him vs that we ascribe that to the couenaÌ„t promise and election of God that he ascribeth to y e sacraments And as it appeareth in his 3. booke of questions vpon the olde Testament he him selfe teacheth the same doctrine that we doe His wordes be these in the. 84. Question Proinde colligitur inuisibilem sanctificatimem quibusdam adfuisse atque profuisse sine visibilibus sacramentis quae pro temporum diuersitate mutata sunt vt alia tunc fuerint alia medo sint Visibilem vero sanctificationem quae fieret per visibilia sacramenta sine ista iuuisibili posse adesse non posse prodesse Nec tamen ideo sacramentum contemnendum est nam contemptor eius inuisibiliter sanctificari nullo modo potest Hinc est quod Cornelius c. That is to say We do therfore gather that certaine men haue had the inuisible sanctification and haue bene benefited therby without the visible Sacramentes which are according to the diuersitie of the tune chaunged so that then they were of one sort and nowe of another And that the visible sanctification which should be wrought by the visible sacramentes maye be present without this that is inuisible but can not be profitable wythout it And yet is not the sacrament therfore to be contemned for he that contemneth it can by no meanes be made holy inuisibly Hereof it came that Cornelius and those that were wyth him when they were perceyued to be inuisiblye sanctified by the holye Ghost that was poured into them were notwithstanding baptised c. These words of S. Austen do plainly declare of what minde he was when he wrate these questions And thys booke of questions with the reast he hath retracted and perused againe allowing this sentence of his therin as it appeareth in the. 55. chapter of his second boke of Retractations Cerberus had no cause therfore to set Iohn Caluin against Austen for we take that to be vndoubtedlye the doctrine of Austen which we finde in his
Retractations and not reuoked But Cerberus purpose was craftily to cause all that would harken vnto him to estéeme both Caluin vs as most arrogant heretikes that wyll not sticke to compare one of our time with that auncient Father and to accept his iudgement without either reason or learning directly against the iudgement of him whom al the Church of Christ hath these many hundred yeres worthily reuerenced For who séeth not that Cerberus can not be one of those Gospellers that do accompt Caluin to be fully sufficient in auctoritie to encounter with Austen sith he writeth so bitterly against all thē that eyther write or preach that that Caluin hath in writing most euidently proued and defended Yea he alleageth Austen against Caluins doctrine and woulde seme thereby to triumphe ouer him and all that be of his minde As for the place that he cyteth out of Caluin I leaue for Cerberus to seke out at his leysure and when he hath founde it to note where it may be sound◠But I beleue it will be harde for him to find in Caluines workes that sentence in those wordes Cerberus There remaineth then as before I promised briefly to note those thyngs which I thinke worthye to be reproued about the doctrine of Predestination as it is now a dayes taught of many Wherin least I should seme to speake without assured grounde and bicause wordes in preaching in talke or disputation wherof I haue heard great abundance in thys matter may rashly passe with small aduisement and eyther easely be denied or soone forgotten I am determined to touch nothyng but their very wordes whych are set forth in Print And bicause the taking and aunsweryng of their whole bookes were a matter long and tedious being commonlye stuffed on the one side wyth an heape of opprobrious and outragious wordes against such priuate persons as they take in hand to write agaynst and on the other side filled rather wyth obscure subtelties than wyth plaine affirmations I haue thought it best therfore to take certayne sentences whych contayne manifest affirmatiōs out of diuers late printed Englyshe bookes wherein the summe and effect of this doctrine which manye doe for iust cause mislike is fully plainelye and simplye declared Crowley Nowe Cerberus beginneth to growe to the performance of his promise in noting those things in the doctrine of predestinatiō now preached as seme to him mete to be reproued And by the way he will not taunt vs but thus he sayth that in preaching talking and reasoning wordes may passe vs rashly and with small aduisement and be either easely denied or sone forgotten Wherfore he will touche nothing but that which we haue written and set forth in Print Well contented but yet I would Cerberus should knowe that we neither preache talke nor dispute with such rashnesse or small aduisement but that we are able and will by Gods helpe stande to all that we haue spoken therein and he is able to charge vs withall As for the outragious wordes that we vse towardes them that we write against shalbe found modest inough when they shalbe compared with the words that in this hys aunswere he vseth towards vs. Let him therfore procede in noting those things that he misliketh Cerberus I reade in an Englyshe booke set forth by Robert Crowley and entituled the confutation of .xiii. Articles c. these wordes Adam therfore beyng so perfect a creature that there was in him no lust to sinne and yet so weake that of himselfe he was not able to withstand the assault of the subtile serpent no remedye the onely cause of his fall must nedes be the predestination of God Thou seest dearly beloued in the conclusion of this sentence one point declared wherin the controuersie doth consist For where he plainlye affirmeth that Gods predestination is the only cause of Adams fall which is the sountayne of all sinne other hauing a much more reuerend opinion of God and of hys holye predestination do set their fote or rather their heart and soule agaynst their sayd conclusion Estemyng it far better to be torne in manye thousande pieces than to thynke or say that Gods fore-ordinance or predestination is the cause of any sinne or euil I besech thee let not thine eies be blinded or thy minde musfled wyth malice eyther agaynst the one partie or the other but in the ballāce of vpright iudgement waye the difference The one sayth as in this conclusion manifestlye appeareth and as afterwarde yet more plainly he affirmeth that the predestination of God is the onelye cause of Adams sinne and so consequently of all euill The other affirmeth directly contrary That God or his predestination is the cause of no sinne or euyll but the only cause of all goodnesse and vertue And herewyth agreeth the holye and diuine Apostle Sainct Iohn in hys Epistle saying All that is in the worlde as the concupiscence of the fleshe the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father Al good things that are in the worlde are no doubt of God our heauenly Father but whatsoeuer in the worlde is concupiscence lust sinne euill or wickednesse the same is not of God our heauenlye Father S. Iohn doeth piainly and precisely affirme The lyke playnenesse vseth also the holye man Iesus the sonne of Sirach in these wordes Say not thou it is the Lordes fault that I am gone by for thou shalt not doe the thing that God hateth saye not thou he hath caused me to go wrong for he hath no neede of the vngodlye The verye same thing is plainely declared in these Scriptures folowyng and in other places almost innumerable Psal 5. Pro. 19. Ieremie 7. 19. Oseae 13. Iob. 34. 36. Rom. 7. 1. Corin. 14. Iacob 1. Exod. 34. Deut. 5. 2. Reg. 14. Psal 81. 144. Prou. 1. Sap. 1. 2 11. 12. 15. Eccles 2. 18. Esay 5. 30. 55. 65. Lament Iere. 3 Ezech. 18. 24. 33. Ioel. 2. 4. Esdr 1. 2. 7. 8. Math. 23. Act. 17. 1. Timoth. 2. 4. 2. Pet. 3. The same sayth Austen also plainely in these wordes Non ergo casus ruentium nee malignitatem iniquorū neque cupiditates peccantium praedestinatio Dei aut exitauit aut suasit aut impulit sed plane praedestinauit iudicium suuin quo vnicuique retributurus est pro vt gessit siue bonum siue malum quod Iudicium futurum non esset si homines Dei voluntate peccarent Neither the falles of them that fall nor the wickednesse of them that be wicked nor the luste of them that offende hath the predestination of God eyther prouoked moued or compelled but without doubt he hathe forcordeyned his iudgement wherby he will recompence euerye man according as he hath done whether it be good or euyll the whiche shoulde be no iudgement if men did sinne by the will of God Crowley I do acknowledge that this English booke that Cerberus saith he hath read was of
not teache that it is the cause of any euill or sinne at all In vaine therfore doeth Cerberus make his Antitesis or comparison of contraryes when he sayth The one affirmeth that the Predestination of God is the onelye cause of Adams sinne and so consequentlye of all euill And the other affirmeth directly contrary that God or his Predestination is the cause of no sinne or euil And much more vaine is it that he citeth so manye testimonies of Scripture to that purpose For I affirme that which he woulde make men beleue I denye and denye that which he would haue men to thinke I do affirme But one thing I woulde gladly learne of Cerberus That is where he findeth eyther in Scripture or in auncient writer that Adams fall is the fountayne of all euill We may manifestly proue by Scripture that sinne was before Adam fell otherwise there coulde haue bene no tempter to entice him to sinne For God tempteth no man to euill And man had in himselfe no concupiscence or lust to sinne therfore euill was before Adam fell And consequently Adams sal was not the fountain of al euil Sainct Austen in the .ix. Chapter of his firste booke of Retractations sayth that when he with others had diligently searched from whence euill might spring it was agréed vpon amongst them that it had none other fountaine than the frée choyse of the will Mans fall can not then be the fountaine of all euill for there was euill in Aungels before man was made and that sprang out of the frée choyse of the will that was in the Aungelles But graunt that the fall of man had bene the fountayne of all euill might not Gods predestination be the cause of mans fal but it must straight waye follow consequentlye that the same is the cause of all the euill that springeth therof Then tell me maister Cerberus how it may be that Gods predestination is not the cause of all the euill that springeth of the frée choyse of will For this ye wil not deny I am sure that God hath predestinated both men and Aungels to haue the frée choise of wil. And his will alone according to which he hath predestinated all things is the cause why men and Aungels haue the frée choyse of wil. Shal we say therefore that consequently it is the cause of all euill bicause it is the cause of that whereout all euilles do spring No thou hell hound not so God is altogether good and the fountaine of all goodnesse and from him can spring nothing that is not good All those things therfore that spring out of the frée choise of the will are exceding good as God or his predestination is the cause of them and the euill that is in them commeth of the instrument whereby God doth worke those things I pray you therfore loke better vpon your consequently c. As for the sentence that Cerberus citeth oute of S. Austen Non ergo casus ruentium c. I thynke if a man should vpon a Moneth warning require to sée the place where S. Austen writeth those wordes it would be hard for Cerberus to shewe it him And therfore I blame him not though he haue not quoted the place But to do him a pleasure I haue sought it in S. Austens workes and founde it In decimo articulo falso Augustino imposito In the x. of those articles that were falslye ascribed to S. Austen Of what auctoritie that booke of S Austen is may easely appeare to them that will reade his Retractations for it is not mentioned among the bookes that he retracted and reformed in suche pointes as he himselfe misseliked But lest maister Cerberus should saye as the Papistes vse to say of the Protestantes and as some Frée wil men haue said of vs that teache the doctrine of predestination that this is the common shift of all heretikes and obstinate defenders of vntruthes to diminish the auctoritie of Scriptures and sayings of Doctours that are alleaged against them by saying that the same are not autentike or that they maye be suspected not to be the writings of them in whose name they be set abrode I will admit this saying of S. Austen as his owne and that therein he ment as he wrote and that his meaning is true Let vs weigh the wordes of S. Austen therfore and see how his meaning may be true yet agrée wyth the doctrine that we teache The predestination of God sayth he hath neither stirred vp counselled nor enforced the falles of thē that do rush downe headlong nor the malignitie of them that be wicked nor the desiers of them that do sinne but doubtlesse he hath predestinated his iudgement whereby he will rewarde euerye man according to his doings whether the same be good or euill Whiche iudgement should not be if it were the will of God that men shoulde sinne I haue translated these wordes somewhat otherwise than Cerberus doth But whether of vs both better expresse the meaning of S. Austen let the learned iudge And whether I haue not translated theym so that they may serue better for Cerberus purpose than as they are translated by himselfe Let vs therefore loke to the meaning and howe they make with vs or against vs. Sainct Austen teacheth that Gods predestinatiō doth not stir vp entice or enforce any man to sal to be wicked or to haue a desire to sinne And which of vs doth teach y e cōtrary Euen you sir saith Cerberus when ye say that y e Predestination of God must nedes be the only cause of Adams fall To this I haue sufficiently aunswered before if any aunswere wil satisfie Cerberus But yet for further aunswere I saye nowe that I haue not at anye time saide or written that Gods predestination did stirre vp entice or driue Adam to fall Wherfore I haue not taught contrary to S. Austen in thys pointe But Cerberus will saye that our meaning is not alone with S. Austens Let vs therefore examine S. Austens meaning I vnderstand his meaning to be that when man doeth fall is wicked or desireth to sinne his will is not by Gods Predestination stirred vp enticed or compelled thervnto but doth fréely consent therevnto being stirred vp prouoked and driuen forwarde by the tempter and by none other meane if we speake of the first man for in him was not before his fall that concupiscence that is nowe in vs was in him after his fall Whether thys be y e true meaning of S. Austen or no let the learned iudge And why may not the same meaning be gathered of my wordes when I saye that Adam being so perfect a creature that there was in him no lust to sinne and yet so weake that of himselfe he was not able to withstand the assault of the subtile serpent no remedie the onlye cause of his fall must nedes be the Predestination of God I say not that Gods Predestination did stir prouoke or dryue him forward to fall
And why maye I not meane as S. Austen doth in the eleauenth chapter of his booke De correptione gratia where he sayeth as I haue cited before Nec ipsum ergo Deus esse voluit sine sua gratia quem reliquit in su◠libero arbitrio quoniam liberum arbitrium ad malum sufficit ad bonum autem nihil est nisi adiuuctur ab omnipotēti bono quod adiutoriū si homo ille per liberum non deseruissaet arbitrium semper esset bonus sed deseruit desertus est Tale quippe erat adiutoriū quod desereret cum vellet in quopermaneret sivellet non quo fieret vt vellet God therfore sayth Austen would not suffer him to be without his grace whom he had left in hys owne frée choise for free will is able inough to do euill but to do good it hath no power at all except it be holpen of the almighty goodnesse which help if that man had not by his frée wil forsaken he should haue bene good for euer but he did forsake was forsaken For the help was such that he might forsake it when he woulde and suche wherein he might remaine if he woulde not such whereby it might come to passe that he should be willing Doth not S. Austen affirme here that the help of God which Adam had was not suche that by it he might be willing neuer to forsake it And what other cause of this can you find thā the Predestination of God which is according to his euerlasting will vnto the whiche all things are and must be subiect If Cerberus will not be satisfied with thys let him remember the saying of S. Paule which S. Austen doth so often vse to stop the mouthes of the vnaunswereable enimies of Gods frée grace and predestination O altitudo diuitiarum sapientiae scientiae Dei. Quám incomprehensibilia sunt iudicia cius inuestigabiles viae cius O the depenesse of the richesse of the wisedome and knowledge of God Nowe incomprehensible are hys iudgementes and hys wayes past finding out Stay here maister Cerberus go no further I charge you lest ye be thrust headlong into hell for your proube presumption Cerberus And although there be some places of Scripture whervpon they would ground this opiniō that men should sinne by the wyll of God or that God should predestinate or ordeyne men to sinne as where it is sayde that God hardened the heart of Pharao and such like yet partayneth it nothing to that purpose if it be wayed with the rest of the Scriptures For as Austen saith Ipse quasi cos indurat quia iusto iudicio indurari sinit Lib. de essentia Diuinitatis He doth saith Austen as it were harden them bicause that with his iust iudgemēt he suffreth them to be hardened And in his booke De libero arbitrio gratia Cap. 21. he sayeth Where at any time we reade in the scripture that mē be seduced or their hearts hardened of God there may we not doubt but that their wicked deseruings went before lest ye runne sayth he into the saying of Salomon Insipientia viri violat vias cius Deum autem causatur in corde suo The foolishnesse of a man defileth his wayes but he sayeth in his heart God is the cause of this hardening of heart Melancthon in his common places speaketh very plainely saying Nec figure illae verborum offendunt c. Neither sayth he do these figuratiue speaches offēd As I wil harden the heart of Pharao such like For it is certaine that in the Hebrew phrase they signify a permission or suffring and not an effectuall wyl of God as Lead vs not into temptation that is to say Suffer vs not to be led into temptation These are Melancthons woordes And marke what he sayth of the Hebrew phrase for al men know him to be a man learned But to be short it is surely to be maruelled at that although they do thus accuse Gods Predestination to be the only cause of Adams fal which is in dede not onely sinne but also the very welspring of al wickednesse and the filthy foūtaine of all our vncleānesse yet they dare affirme themselues to be the only friendes and louers of Gods Predestination al others to be the enimies of Gods holy Predestination which doe not subscribe to this their fantasticall imagination Moreouer if it should be said that they make God the Autor of sinne they would crie naye and saye they were slaundered But whether God be not the autor of that whereof he is the onelye cause let the vncorrupted heart iudge Also to saye the truth when they see their time and place they are bolde inoughe yea euen to vse the terme Autor in that same manifest sense as in a boke set forth by Iohn Knox against an aduersarie of Gods Predestination as he calleth hym where in the. 158. pagine he sayth thus Therfore whatsoeuer the Ethnickes and ignorant did attribute vnto Fortune wee assigne to the prouidence of God And straight way he sayth We shall iudge nothing to come of fortune but that all cōmeth by the determination of hys counsell And furder it displeaseth him when we esteme any thing to procede from any other so that we do not behold hym and know him not only the principall cause of al things but also the auctour appointing al things to the one part or to the other by his counsell Marke well his wordes and the very sense therof All commeth of God sayth he God is the principal cause and God is the auctour of it whatsoeuer it be God appointeth al things both to the one part and to the other both to the wicked and to the godly all things nothing is excepted aswell damnation as saluation as well sinne as vertue as well wickednesse as holynesse yea if it happen to be murder it selfe for that a little before he rehearseth Whatsoeuer it be it procedeth from none other saith he but frō God God so hath appointed it God is the principal cause of it Yea and not onely the principall cause but also the auctor of it Here seest thou those playne termes which sometime for a little nice lispyng they can not or will not speake that God is the auctour of all murder and mischiefe As for fortune I knowe it to be an Heathenish fable but where he saith that God is not onelye the principall cause but also the auctour of all things without any exception and that whatsoeuer the Ethnickes attributed vnto fortune that same we ought to ascribe to the prouidēce of God it is suche a wide wandring and large blasphemye as hath not bene lightlye heard For who knoweth not that vnto fortune the Ethnickes ascribed treason and craftie conspiracie As where they call her Insidiosa Persida Malesida Vnto fortune they ascribe cruell murder and tyrannicall mischiefe As when they call her Aspera Dura Saeua Truculenta Vnto fortune they ascribed filthy lust and
impudent bawdrye as when they call her Lenocinaus Bruta and Impudens Vnto fortune they ascribed scornefull pride and vaine glory calling her Imperiosa Procax and Superba Vnto fortune they ascribed beastly blindnesse rude ignoraunce calling her Coeca and Exoculata To conclude vnto fortune the Ethnickes ascribed all peruerse and pestilent wickednesse and all abhomination detestable calling her Nefaria Abhominanda Improba Yet saye these professors of destiny whatsoeuer the Ethnickes ascribed vnto fortune that same ought we to attribute to the prouidēce of God yea and God is the very auctor the principal cause and the only cause therof Crowley Cerberus supposeth nowe that he hath pulled from vs y ◠foūdation of our faith For he saith that those scriptures that we would ground our opinion vpon appertaine nothing to that purpose when they be weighed with the rest of the scriptures For the triall of this matter it shalbe mete for me at this time plainly to set down in writing what the opinion is that I and other of my minde in this matter of Predestination doe holde And then what those Scriptures be that Cerberus meaneth of conferring the same with as manye other places of scripture as haue any shewe of a contrarye meaning so shall it appeare what Cerberus hath wonne by that he citeth out of Austen and Melancthon First we hold that what soeuer hath bene from the beginning is nowe or shal be to the ende and for euer was in Gods purpose without beginning and predestinated or foreappointed to be in the time and order that it hath ben is or shal be so that nothing hath doth or shal come to passe otherwise than he hath withoute beginning purposed and foreappointed the same The reasons that we stay vppon are these Gods power is absolute so that what he will do hé is able to do and what he will haue done can not be letted by any cōtrary power what he wil not haue done can not by anye power be done But his power coulde not be absolute c. if ought might be done otherwise thā he hath purposed appointed Therfore all things come to passe euen as he hath without beginning purposed appointed the same Another reason is thus Gods wisedome is most perfect so that whatsoeuer he doeth is so done that the doing thereof cannot be repented But if ought that he doth might fal out otherwise thā he ment it should whē he did it it should folow that his wisdome were not most perfect for it is not y ◠point of a wise man to saye I thought not that it woulde haue so happened Therfore nothing hath doeth or shall happen otherwyse than he ment it should when he did first ordeine it The third reason is that his foreknowledge can not be deceiued but euen as he did foresée and know before hande that things should come to passe so they haue be and shal be brought to passe But this coulde not be if things should be done otherwise thā by his appointmēt Therfore al things haue are and shal be done by his appointment These be the chief reasons that we stay vpon The scriptures that we do most stay vpō are these Conuenerunt enim in ciuitate ista aduersus sanctum filium tuū Iesum quem vnxisti Herodes Pontius Pilatus cū gentibus populis Israel ad faciendum quaecunque manus tua consilium tuum prius decreuer unt fieri There gathered together euen in this Citie against thy holy childe Iesus whome thou haste annointed both Herode and Pontius Pilate with y ◠Gentiles and peoples of Israell to doe whatsoeuer thyngs thy power and coūsel had before decreed to be done Actes the iiij Chapter Againe in the .vij. of Exod. it is thus written Dixitque Dominus ad Mosen Ecce constitui te Deum Pharaonis Aaron frater tuus erit Propheta tuus Tu loquêris ei omnia quae mando tibi ille loquêtur ad Phamonē vt dimittat filios Israel deterra sita Se dego indurabo cor eius et multiplicabo signa ostenta mea in terra Egypti non audiet vos And y ◠Lord said vnto Moses Behold I haue appointed thée to be Pharaos God Aaron thy brother shalbe thy Prophet Thou shalt speak vnto him all those things that I shall commaunde thée and he shall speake vnto Pharao that he let the children of Israell depart out of his land But I will harden his heart and will multiply my wonders and signes in the land of Egypt and he shall not hearken vnto you Moreouer in the .xix. Chapter of the .iiij. booke of the Kings we reade thus Venerunt ergo serui Regis Ezechiae ad Isaam Dixitque eis Isaas Haec dicetis domino vestro Haec dicit Dominus Noli timere à facie sermonū quos audistis quibus blasphemanerunt pueri Regis Assyriorum me Ecce ego immittam ei ▪ spiritum audiet nuntium reuertetur in terram suam et deijciam eum gladio in terra sua And in the ende of the same Chapter it is written thus Cumque adoraret in templo Nesroch Deum suum Adramelech Saraser filij eius percusserunt eum gladio c. The seruauntes of King Ezechia came vnto Esay And Esay said vnto them Thus shal ye say vnto your Lord. Thus sayth the Lorde Be not thou afraide of the wordes that ye haue hearde wherewith the seruauntes of the King of the Assirians haue blasphemed me Behold I wil put a spirit into him and he shal heare a tidings and he shal returne into his owne country and in his owne countrye will I ouerthrowe him with the sworde And in the end of the same Chapter it is written thus And when he was in the Temple worshipping Nesroch his owne God Adramelech and Saraser hys owne sonnes slewe him with the sworde c. Furthermore in the .xlv. of Genesis we reade thus Praemisitque me Deus vt reseruemini super terram escas ad viuēdum habere possitis Non vestro consilio sed Dei voluntate missus sum qui fecit me quasi patrem Pharaonis Dominum vniuersae domus eius c. God sent me before that you might be reserued vpon the earth and haue foode to lyue by It was not by your aduise or counsel that I was sent hither but by the will of God who hath made me to be as a Father vnto Pharao and Lorde of all his house c. To conclude in the last chapter of the same booke we reade the matter repeated after this sort Nolite timere num Dei possumus resistere voluntati Vos cogitastis de me malum sed Deus vertit illud in bonum c. Feare not are we able to resist Gods will you did deuise euill for me but God did turne it to good By these Scriptures it appeareth plainelye that all those thinges that Herode Pilate and the Iewes did to
perpetrando nutriūt nòn ausert quasi ipse cos induret quià iusto iudicio indurari sinit That is to say It is said that God doth hardē the heartes of certaine euill men as it is written of Pharao King of Egypt not that the Almightye God doeth by his almightie power harden their hearts which thing to beleue is an vngodly thing but when theyr faultes requiring the same doeth not take from them that hardnesse which in committing euilles they themselues doe nourishe to themselues he doth as it were himselfe harden them bicause he doth by his iust iudgemēt suffer thē to be hardened If Cerberus woulde haue weighed these words wel he woulde neuer haue applyed them against vs. For we teach not that the almighty God doth by his almightie power harden mens hearts for we know that it were an vngodly thing so to teach or beleue but we teache as S. Austen doth that theyr sinnes requiring the same he leaueth them in the hardnesse of their hearts which by committing of euilles they do nourish vnto themselues For by the sinne of the first man al mens hearts are hardned and of them selues they can do nought else but nouryshe that hardnesse and Gods hardning of their hearts is nothing else but the withholding of the deawe of his grace from them without which they can not be softned And this he doth in iust iudgement for the sinne of oure first Father hath deserued no lesse in vs all But here I must let the Reader vnderstande what places Cerberus pycketh for his purpose Erasmus supposeth that rather Hugo Victorinus than S. Austen should be y ◠Autor of this booke Well I will not striue wyth him for the matter But let him consider it better before he applie it against vs againe The woordes of the other place that Cerberus citeth out of the .xxj. chapter of S. Austens booke De gratia libero arbitrio are as faithfully handled as y ◠other Cerberus feared to set downe to many of Austens wordes least the Reader shoulde see that they make with vs against Cerberus and his fellowes I will therfore set downe so many of hys wordes as may make his meaning knowen to the diligent Reader Firste in the beginning of the same Chapter he sayth thus Quis nòn ista iudicia diuina contremiscat quibus agit Deus in cordibus etià m malorum hominum quicquid vult reddens eis tamèn secundum merita eorum Roboam filius Salomonis respuit consiliū salubre Seniorum quod ei dederant c. Who would not saith Austen tremble at these iudgementes of God wherby he doth in the heartes euen of wicked men worke what he lusteth and yet rendring vnto them according to their deseruings Roboam the sonne of Salomon refused the holesome counsell of the Elders which they gaue him which was that he should not deale roughly with the people and he hearkened rather to the wordes of them that were of his owne age giuing a rough aunswere to them whom he should haue aunswered gentlye And so forth citing many examples out of the Scriptures to proue that God is he that worketh in the hearts of euill men those things wherby his purpose is performed in punishing of sinne And towards the end of the Chapter he saith Hijs talibus testimonijs diuinorum eloquiorum quae omnia comemorare 〈…〉 s longum est satis quantum existimo manifestatur operari Deum in cordibus hominum ad inclinandas corum volūtates quo ▪ cunque voluerit siuè ad bona pro sua misericordia siuè ad mala pro meritis corum iudicio vtique suo aliquando aperto aliquādò occulto sempèr autèm iusto Fixum enim debet esse immobile in corde vestro quia nō est iniquitas apud Deum Ac per hoc quādò legitis in litteris veritatis à Deo seduci homines aùt obtudi vel obdurari corda corum nolite dubitare praecessisse mala merita corum vt iustè ista paterentur ne incurratis in illud Prouerbium Salomonis Insipientia viri violat vias eius Deum autèm causatur in corde suo That is to say By these and suche like testimonies of holy Scriptures wherof it were too long to make a whole recitall it is as I suppose sufficientlye shewed that God doeth woorke in the heartes of men to encline their willes whither it pleaseth him whether it be to good things according to his mercie eyther to euill things according to their merits and according to his own iudgement which is sometime open and sometime secrete but alwayes iuste For this persuasion ought to be fired and vnmoueable in your hearts that there is none iniquitie with God And hereby when ye reade in the writings of the truth that God doth leade mē out of the way or that he doth dull or harden their heartes do ye not doubt but that their euill deseruing went before that they might iustly suffer these things least ye should runne into that Prouerbe of Salomon which sayth The foolishnesse of a man doth defile his wayes but in his heart he layeth the blame in God If Cerberus would haue set downe all these wordes of S. Austen I shoulde not haue neded to write any aūswere to that whiche he did set downe For S. Austens wordes are sufficient for aunswere when he sayth that God worketh in the hearts of mē to encline their willes whether it be to good things according to his mercy or to euill things according to their deseruings that which way he him self is willing to encline them Now let Cerberus finde contradiction in S. Austens words if he can As forme I can sée none But if Cerberus can finde none then hath he applied S. Austens wordes against vs contrary to S. Austens meaning Nowe let vs sée what Cerberus hath founde in Melancthons common places Melancthon speaketh verye plainly saith Cerberus and sayth Nec figur◠illae verborum offendunt c. Neither saith he doe these figuratiue speaches offend As I wil hardē the heart of Pharao and such like for it is certain that in the Hebrew phrase they signifie a permission or suffering not an effectuall will of God As leade vs not into temptation y ◠is to saye suffer vs not to be lead into temptatiō These are Melancthons wordes sayth Cerberus and marke sayth he what he sayeth of the Hebrew phrase for all men know him to be a man learned Here Cerberus beginneth to triumphe and semeth to himselfe to haue wonne the stelde Melancthon hath said it therfore it must nedes be so I reuerence Melancthon and do acknowledge that he was learned but let vs sée whether in this point Melācthon haue not shewed him selfe to loth to offende such as Cerberus is and therfore séemed to haue giuen them vaūtage against himselfe In the same booke of common places in the first title which is De Deo he describeth God after this sorte Deut est essentia
the freewill men Here thou seest dearly beloued who they are that so odiouslie are noted with the name of freewyll men Not only the Papistes against whom he pretendeth there to wryte but namely all those that saye God hath not predestinate any man to cōmit murder or such like wycked abhomination These call they free-will men these cal they Pelagians In dede such as so maintayn freewil that a mā by freewyl wythout the grace and helpe of God may abstayne from euill or do good as the blinde Papistes doe and as before it is proued that Pelagius did holde or as before is rehenrsed that Willyam Samuell sayth that man maye deserue God those I saye might worthily be called Pelagians bicause they hold eyther al or some part of hys errours But those which teach that all murder and mischiese spryngeth out of Gods predestination or that any mansleaer is predestinate of God to kyll hys neighboure or any adulterer to lye with his neyghboures wyfe or any traytour predestinate of God to conspire against hys Prince or any rebell to ryse against his Soueraigne as these men most plainly assyrme they holde in thys poynt the errour of the Manicheans whych was as ye hearde before by the wordes of Austen Hominem peccatum vitare nòn posse That a man can not eschewe euill or can not choose but commit sinne These men I say whych affirme that Caine was predestinate to murder hys innocent brother Abell And as in the same boke and the same Article also he sayth that the most wicked persons that haue bene were of God appointed to bee wycked euen as they were They hold the errour both of the Stoikes and also of the Manicheans That is to say as Austen declareth in the ninth .xvi. chapter of the first boke of his Retractations that euil hath his original of Gods ordinance not of mans freewil For if murderers theues adulterers traitours Rebelles be of God predestinated and appoynted to be wicked euē as they are and can not choose but of mere necessitie by the ordinance of God commit al such wickednesse euen as they do then what is our lyfe but a mere destinie all our doyngs Gods ordynaunces and all oure imaginations braunches of Gods predestinatiō And I doubt not but the Stoikes and Manicheans would also temper the matter wyth a great discretion of wordes as these men wyll saye that we must speake more reuerentlie of the matter But seyng they plainely holde these principles and when they see theyr tyme speake plainely thereof them selues as you maye well perceyue by that whych hath alredy and shal yet be more largely rehearsed I see no cause why it should not of al mē be plainely declared Agayne if it be a trueth why should it not be plainly spoken if it be a truth that traitours be predestinate of God to conspire the destructiō of their Princes and Rebels predestinate of God to make insurrectiō against their soueraines If I say it be a trueth that God hath so predestinated thē that they must of necessity can not choose but commit such wyckednesse why shoulde it not be plainly spoken except a man should be ashamed to speake the trueth But in what Scripture is that written Or is it not rather written For thy lyfe shame not to say the trueth And surelye to say as it is I see not well howe any man can speake more plainely in thys matter than they them selues doe For what can more plainly be spokē thā that Gods predestination is the cause of Adams fall And that Caine was predestinate to slea his brother And that God is both the principal cause and also the author of all thyngs both on the one side and on the other appoynting al things to al men And whatsoeuer the Ethnickes ascribed vnto fortune that same we ought to attribute vnto the prouidence of God And that the most wycked persons that haue bene were of God appointed to be wicked euen as they were Crowley Here it appeareth that the chiese quarrell that Cerberus had when he wrate this aunswere to his friendes letter was against Crowley If the spirit of loue had led him he might haue had conference w t Crowley for belike he knoweth him well ynough not thus maliciously by setting out his answere in print haue gone about asmuch as lieth in him not only to discredit the doctrine y t Crowley preacheth but also to bring him in displeasure with his Prince as one y e teacheth theues murderers traitors rebells al other naughty persons to defend their wickednesse by Gods predestination ordinance But Crowley shal by Gods helpe be able to cleare him selfe of all this to make the malice of Cerberus so knowne to al men that he shal from henceforth haue little credit amōg such as doe not fauour the errour of our new Pelagians For answere to al y ◠Cerberus hath in this his returne to Crowley written I might referre the Reader to that whiche I haue already written But least Cerberus should thinke that that were but a shift I will aunswere to his Taùtologie or repeticion of the same wordes and matter that is before written and answered and chiesly bicause he doth here inferre more playnely that which before he meaneth to conclude I haue saide that Gods predestination was the onely cause of Adams fall that Caine was predestinate to slea his brother Abell and that the most wicked persons that haue bene were of God appointed to be wicked euē as they were For the first I referre the Reader to that which I haue alreadie written thereof For the seconde I say that as God predestinated Abell to be a figure of Christ and his Churche in suffering so he predestinated Caine to be a figure of the cruell persecuting Iewes other that haue do shall persecute Christ his Church And as Caine in sleaing his brother Abell was a figure of the cruell persecutours so was not the murder euill but as it was the execution of Caines wicked will it was abhominable sinne and deserued no lesse punishment at Gods hand than it had in deede And as concerning the power of Caines will whereby he consented to do this deede it was altogether bound to the will of Sathan by the sinne that his Father Adam had first committed was not deliuered from that bondage bicause he was none of them whome Iesus Christ the sonne of God had deliuered and made frée as doeth well appeare by that he sayeth My sinne is greater than that it can be forgiuen He had not receyued the spirite of Adoption whereby he might cry Abba Father Wherefore it is manifest that whatsoeuer he did was abhominable in Gods sight for he lacked fayth whereby mennes workes are made acceptable before God For without it it is impossible to please God As it is written Sine fide impossibile est placere Deo Without fayth it is not possible to please
Though we be compelled to say that God is the Authour of the fact yet we must answere but not of the crime Areade areade what is that God is the Author of the very fact deede of adulterie theft murder and treason and yet he is not the Authour of sinne And why The subtilitie of the Riddle is this That sinne is nothing The theefe is not hanged for the deede that he hath cōmitted for God is the Author therof but he is hanged for the sinne and that is for nothing For whē they say God is the Author of all things then nothing is excepted But sin is nothing therfore he is not the Author of sinne The theefe is hanged for nothing The murderer is put to death for nothing The traitor loseth his head for nothing The wicked are punished in euerlasting fire for nothing A maruellous sophistication A straūge Paradox cautelous riddle But to be short though many ways this subtiltie might be answered I wil take onely the definition of sinne as I finde it written in the same booke where he sayth verie truly The nature of sinne is defined by the authoritie of Scripture to be a thought word or deede contrary to the wyll of God Now bicause they say that God is the Author of all euil deedes though not of the crimes let vs pase ouer the euill thought and euill words and speake onely of the deede it selfe whych he hymselfe desineth to be sinne and contrary to Gods wyll If God then be Authour of the fact or deede which deede is sinne and cōtrarie to Gods wyll how can he then say that God is the Authour of the fact but not of the fault soyng he hymself setteth forth not only a thought or a word but also a deede to be sinne And if God be the Authour of that same deede whych deede is sinne is it not a thing most plain that God is the Authour of sinne Crowley Marke gentle Reader I pray thée how this Puppie playeth with his owne tayle He imagineth that all euē as many as do hold that God doth not only foresée but also predestinate al things both good and euill do therin holde that God is the Authour of all sinne and abhominable wickednesse The contrarie whereof is in the former part of this Apologie sufficiently proued But he hath heard he sayth yea and séene in an English booke an Enigma a maruellous sophistication a straunge Paradox and a cautelous Riddle which is this Though we be compelled to saye that God is the Authour of the fact yet we must aunswere but not of the crime Areade areade what is that sayth Cerberus The Curre can not smell how the acte may be Gods and the sinne that is in the acte his that is the instrument in the working of the acte But the subtiltie of this Riddle saith he is this That sinne is nothing And then the theefe is hanged for nothing the murderer is put to death for nothing the traytour loseth his head for nothing and the wicked are punished in euerlasting fire for nothing But this is some thing That Cerberus sayth that there is some thing wherof God is not the Authour And so it followeth vpon his wordes that eyther there is another being besides God whereof those things that God is not the Authour of haue their being or else that those things haue theyr being of themselues and are therein equall with God whose greatest honour is in that he is and hath his being of himselfe But Cerberus must be borne withall whatsoeuer be sayth For if he be contraried all hell shall ring of his bauling We may not conclude vpō his wordes as he doeth vpon ours But for this once I will be bolde to say that if God be not the principall cause and Authour of al things wythout exception then there be some things whereof God is not the principall cause and Authour And so must it needes follow whether Cerberus will or no that the words in the beginning of S. Iohns Gospell are not true Omnia per ipsum facta sunt sine ipso factū est nihil quod factum est By him were all things made and nothing that was made was made without him But we knowe this saying to be true Wherefore we are bolde to conclude contrarie to the iudgement of Cerberus that God is not onely the principall cause but also the Authour and maker of all things And bicause Cerberus sayth that we holde a Paradox contrarie to al the auncient writers let him read that which S. Austen writeth in the. 26. Chapter of hys first booke of Retractations His wordes be these Viri 〈…〉 Deus Autor mali nòn sic vbi videndum est nè maè intelligatur quod dixi Mali Autor nòn est quia omnium qua sunt Autor est quia in quantum sunt in tantum bona sunt Et nè hine putetur nòn abillo esse poenam malorum quae vtique malum est ijs qui puniuntur Sed hoc ita dixi quemadmedū dictum est Deus mortem nòn fecit Cum alibi scriptum sit Mors vita à Domino Deo est Malorum ergo poena quae à Deo est mala est quidem malis sed in bonis Dei operibus est quoniam iustum est vt mali puniantur vtique bonum est omne quòd iustū est That is to say Whether God be not the Authour of the thing that is euill where men must take héede that they do not miscōster that which I haue sayd that is That God is not y ◠Authour of that which is euill for he is Authour of all those things that haue any being for in asmuch as they be they be good Also men must take héede that hereby they take not occasion to thinke that the punishment of the wicked cōmeth not of God which punishment is also euill vnto them that be punished But I spake this euen as it is sayd that God made not death Whereas in another place it is written Death and life are of the Lord God The punishment therefore of the wicked which commeth of God is euill vnto them that be euil But yet it is among the good workes of God For it is right that the wicked be punished and euery thing that is right is good I suppose that when Cerberus hath reade and well weighed these wordes of S. Austen he will not say that we hold a Paradox vnlesse he minde to match S. Austē with vs. Which if he shall do he shall shake his owne building verie sore For it standeth well most altogether vpon S. Austens groūd although without Sainct Austens consent But Cerberus will looke that some thing should be sayd to the aunswere that he maketh to our subtile sophisticatiō For he séemeth to himselfe to haue sayd so much that will we nill we it must be cōfessed that God being the Authour of the thing that is euill he is also the
not to be feared the feare whereof caused the Stoikes so to deuide the causes of things that they pulled away some things from necessitie and thrust some things vnder it and amongst those things that they would not suffer to be vnder necessitie they haue placed our willes lest they should not be frée if they should be subiect to necessity c. But we hold that al things our willes altogether are subiect to Gods prouideÌ„ce Ergo there is more difference betwéene the Stoikes and vs than Cerberus sayth that there is And it is no dilusion at all that we vse in y t we refuse to cal it Fatum or destinie although we know that Priscianê° Tullie Eusebius Chrisippus other do in their sorts speake of Fatum after such sort that to the negligent Reader there may séeme smal difference betwene them and vs in the matter of Gods eternal and euerlasting prouidence and predestination For we follow herein S. Austen whose sentence Cerberus would faine frame against vs. But I pray thée gentle Reader marke well the wordes of S. Austen euen in the same booke out of which Cerberus citeth matter against vs. Yea and in the selfe same Chapter which is the first of the fift booke where the wordes that he fathereth vpon S. Austen are not found But these wordes are found there Prorsus diuina prouidentia regna constituuntur humana Quaesi propterea quisquam fato tribuit quia ipsam Dei voluntatem vel potestatem sati nomine appellat sententiam teneat linguaÌ„ corrigat Cur enim nòn hoc primum decit quod postea dicturus est cum ab illo quisquaÌ„ quaesierit quid dixerit Fatum Nam id homines quando audiunt vsitata loquendi consuetudine nòn intelligunt nisi vim positionis syderum qualis est quandò quis nascitur siue concipitur quod aliqui alienant à Dei voluntate aliqui ex illa etiam hoc pendere confirmant That is to saye The Kingdomes of this worlde are altogether ordeyned by the prouidence of God Which if any man haue giuen vnto destinie bicause he doeth call the will or power of God it selfe by the name of destinie let the same continue in his opinion but let him reforme his tong For why doth he not at the first say that which afterward he will say when any man shal aske him what he doth call destinie For when men do heare that thing they do not by the common maner of speach vnderstande any other thing than the force of the position of the starres as the same is when any is borne or conceyued which some men do seperate from the will of God and some do proue that the one doth hang vpon the other In these wordes S. Austen doth plainly affirme that euen Kingdomes of this world are appointed by Gods prouidence and yet he denieth that the same should be said to be appointed by destinie Wherefore in affirming the one and denying the other we doe but as S. Austen doeth How aptly Tullie is cited for the purpose of Cerberus shal plainly appeare in mine answere to that which here followeth Cerberus The same order of causes also is not forgotten of our meÌ„ that in al points their doctrine might agree wyth the Stoicall doctrine As in an English booke translated out of French lately set forth in print entitled a briefe declaration of the table of predestination where he sayth Seyng God hath appointed the end it is necessarie also that he should appoint the causes which leade vnto the same ende As if he should saye Like as God hath appointed some man to be hanged so hath he appointed him also to steale as a cause leading vnto the same end whervnto he hath appointed him Or else it was his destinie to be hanged Ergo it was his destinie to steale Or thus which is all one he was appointed by Gods predestination to be hanged Ergo he was appointed by Gods predestinatioÌ„ to steale For seyng God hath appoynted the ende sayth he it is necessarie also that he should appoint the causes that leade vnto the same ende As for ensaple If thys be true which they say that God doth predestinate all things or that God doth both appoint the end of all things and also the causes which leade vnto the same end then doth it follow may truly be sayd that Marten Swarth wyth hys men was appointed and predestinate of God to be slaine at the battel of Stoke And furder it foloweth as God appoynted Marte his fellowes to this end so was sir Richard SymoÌ„ the Priest appointed predestinate of God to poure in the pestilent poyson of priuie conspiracie traiterous mischiefe of vayne glorie into the heart of LaÌ„bert his scholer as a cause leading to the same ende Item that the sayd Lambert was appointed predestinate of God to consent and agree vnto the pestiferous persuasion of his master Sir Richard in the pride of Lucifer to aspire vnto the high type of honor in deposing if it possible were the ryght and most noble heire of England and eleuating hymself lyke a trayterous villaine into the royall throne of the same and that thus he was appointed of God to doe as another cause leading vnto the same ende which God ordeyned Item that the Irysh men were appointed of God to be Rebellious traytours against their Soueraigne Lord the King of England and to maintayne the false and filthy quarrell of the said Lambert as another cause leading to the same end Item that the Ladie Margret sister vnto King Edward the fourth was appoynted and predestinated of God to be a traytouresse to Englande and to employ all hir wyt sorce and power to the vtter destruction of hir naturall countrie as another cause leading vnto the same end Item that the sayd Ladie Margret was appoynted of God to conduct and hire Marten Swarth and hys men to inuade the Realme of England as another cause leading to the same end Item that the sayd Marten Swarth the Earle of Lincolne the Lord Louell the Lorde Gerarde and diuers other Captaines of the Rebels were appointed or predestinated of God to be of such valiant courage in maintayning the false quarrell of trayterous Lambert that they were slaine on the other side many a true English mans bloud at the battell of Stoke which was the ende of this wofull Tragedie and by this theyr manifest forme of doctrine was altogether and euery part appointed and ordeined of God both the end and also the causes aboue rehearsed and other innumerable whych did leade vnto the same ende Crowley Here are many words and little matter Great Items and small summes A great deale of descant and no good plaine song Seing God hath predestinated the ende it is necessarie also that he should appoint the causes which leade vnto the same end sayth an English booke entitled a declaration of the table of Predestination And what hath Cerberus said here to disproue
we doe neither denie nor call it by the name of destinie except it be so as we may vnderstand Fatum to be deriued of the word For faris that is of speaking For we can not denie but it is wrytten in the holie Scriptures God spake once these two sayings I my selfe hearde it that power belongeth vnto God and vnto thée O Lord belongeth mercie for thou wilt giue vnto euerie man according to his workes And where as it is said he spake once we vnderstand that he spake vnmoueably that is vnchaungeably euen as he did vnchaungeably know al things that are to come and that he himselfe will do After this sort therfore we may say that Fatum or destinie is deriued à fando or speaking if this name had not now bene accustomed to be vnderstāded of another matter wherevnto we are not willing that mens hearts should be enclined Now if Cerberus haue ought to say against this let him make S. Austen one of vs. For we are in this point all one with him Cerberus And as for that which the Heathen did attribute to the starres or planets they meant none other but that God ordeined the planets in nature to worke such things as he before had decreed appointed Euen as we also iudge that God vseth the operatiō of the planets in sending such rayne tempest faire weather or soule as his pleasure is let them say therfore what they cā or wil. This meere necessitie which our men do teach is the verie same which the Stoikes did hold which opinion bicause it destroied the state of a common wealth it was banished out of Rome as Augustine declareth Lib. Quest vet no. Test Where he notably refelleth that opinion in these few words saying Qua ratione nati dicuntur c. By what reason sayth Augustine were they borne which banished Mathematicos the setters forth of destinie out of Rome which law was kept and they were but Heathen howe were those things done by destinie which make agaynst destinie But surely if there be a destinie it doth nothing against it selfe saith Aug. For so were destinie no destinie or at the least destinie fighting agaynst it selfe Or to speake the same in those wordes which our men by abuse take out of the Scripture to maintain the very same matter If it be Gods predestination that men should write and speake agaynst hys predestination as they saye some men do then is Gods predestination a Kingdome not only deuided but also fearcely fighting agaynst it selfe O miserable absurditie which any child may perceyue must needes follow if all things come to passe with absolute necessitie by Gods predestination as they teach Thys same doctrine also that all euill springeth out of Gods ordinance or that Gods predestination was the cause of Adams fall and of all wickednesse is plainly maintained in an English boke lately set forth and entitled agaynst a priuie Papist c. where among many open and plaine sentences vpō this matter I find an argument made in these words Whatsoeuer was in Adam was in him by Gods wil ordināce sinne was in Adam Frgo sinne c. was in him by Gods will ordināce The maior of which argument being vnderstand of Adam after his fall is manifestly false therefore the cōclusion also is false for if it may be sayd of Adam after his fal as by the minor you wel perceyue that he so doth vnderstand it then may it also be sayd now of any man that what execrable wickednesse so euer is in any mā that same is in him by Gods wil ordināce He goth about also to proue the same by another argumēt which he maketh speaking of the lying spirit saying God cōmaūded him to sinne but God commaūded nothing which he ordeineth not so he ordeined him to sinne Which argument it was maruel that any man could be so blind as not to see how it might with more strength and force and much more manifest truth be turned against him in this sort speaking of Adam yea and of all men saying God commaunded Adam and doth commaunde all men to absteine from sinne but he commaundeth nothing which he ordeineth not Ergo God ordeined Adam and all men to absteine from sinne If God then ordeyned Adam and all men to absteine from sinne than did he not ordeyne Adam or any man to commit sinne so was not sinne in Adam or in any man by Gods will and ordinance nor Gods ordynance the cause of Adams fall or of any mans sinne And therefore their opinion is vtterly false also if God in hys secret counsell do predestinate appoint and ordeine man to sinne and yet gyue vnto him a straight law and commaundement not to sinne is not then his secret wyll contrary to his open word and hys eternal ordinance repugnant to his written law All theyr sayre wordes and sine framed fetches can not auoide it Crowley Let vs say what we can or wyll sayth Cerberus the méere necessitie that we teach shall be all one wyth that which the Stoikes helde affirming their Fatum or destinie To this I haue sufficiētly answered before shewing plainly by S. Austens words that we teach none other doctrine herein than did S. Austen in the same booke De Ciuitate Dei out of which Cerberus citeth matter against vs. But nowe Cerberus hath founde another authoritie of saint Austen agaynst vs in his booke as Cerberus sayth which he wrate and entitled Questiones ex vtroque Testamento In the question 115. he sayth thus Qua autem ratione nati dicentur qui Mathematicos vrbe Roma prohibuerūt quod ius seruatum non ignoratur Et certè Pagani fuerunt Quomodo fato fiunt quae contra fatum sunt Sed si est fatum non facit contra se c. That is to say By what order shall it be sayd that those men were borne which did forbydde the Mathematicks that is to say y e tellers of mens fortunes or destinies to come within the Citie of Rome And it is wel knowen that that lawe was kept And doubtlesse these men were Heathen men Howe are those thinges done by destinie which are against destinie But if there be a destinie it worketh agaynst it selfe c. sayth Austen But stay there Master Cerberus and proue that Austen was Authour of that booke So may it be of some authoritie with vs. But Erasmus hath alreadie proued by sūdrie good reasons that S. Austen did neuer write it As may appeare to as many as wyll reade his iudgement set forth before the beginning of this booke Where wryting of this parte of that booke out of which Cerberus hath cyted the wordes aboue wrytten he sayth Disputat contra Mathematicos quoque altius ingreditur opus hoc licentius ineptit That is to say He disputeth agaynst the Mathematicks and the déeper he doth enter into the worke the more outragiously doth he play the parte of a foole But Cerberus wyll not
conclude that I charge al rulers with tyrannie The rulers are commaunded of God who is theyr ruler and to whom they shal render an accompt of their doings that they shall punishe the breakers of Gods cōmaundements and to that ende hath God giuen them a sword Woe vnto them therefore if they do not punysh such and defend the innocent And when they do punish the offenders and defend the innocent then do they their dutie So far of do I thinke them to be from the fault of tyrannie But Cerberus woulde fayne haue the Rulers angrie with vs and especially with Crowley And therefore he laboureth to make thē beleue that Crowley saith that which he neuer thought The words that Cerberus hath cited out of my booke against Shaxton when they be indifferently weyghed shall be found none other in effect than are those wordes that Esaie wrate in the. 45. Chapter of his Prophecies where he sayeth thus Vae contendenti cum sictore suo Testa cum testis terrae contendat An dicet lutum sictori suo quid facis opus tuum manibus destituitur That is to say Wo be to him that doth contende with his maker Let the earthen vessell contende with the earthen vesselles Shall the claye saye vnto him that made it what duest thou make and thy worke is not made with handes What other thing can Esaie meane by these words but that as it is a thing farre vnséemely for a piece of clay to stand vp and reason with him that tempereth it with his fingers and to say vnto him why doest thou fashion me after this sort so is it vnséemely that man should reason with God concerning his purpose in making him after this fashion or that or to this vse or that vse But if man wil reason this matter let him reason it with him y ◠is a man as he is so were there some reason in his doings For although one man haue by Gods ordinance authoritie ouer other men yet may not that man do with the rest what he lusteth as God maye doe with his creatures Wherfore I conclude that Cerberus his exclamation with woe worth the sinfull generation of our age c. is not worth the weighing neyther would Cerberus if he had séene thus much before haue thought it worth the writing as I suppose Cerberus Against which errour crieth out the word of God in a multitude of places manifestly prouing that through the grace helpe of God mē may choose and are neyther driuen by absolute necessitie nor compelled by Gods Predestination to commit murder theft treason or any such flagitious offence nor any maner of sinne or euill whatsoeuer it be As for example Moyses sayth Therefore choose life Deut. 30. And Iosua sayeth choose whome you will serue And after when the people promised to serue the Lord only he sayth vnto them you are witnesses vnto your selues that ye haue chosen the Lord to serue him Iosua 24. But afterward when the people forsoke the Lord agayne and chose other Gods the Lord sayth vnto them Goe crie vnto the Gods which ye haue chosen Iud. 10. Christ sayeth Marie hath chosen hir that good part which shall not be taken from hir Luc. 10. Dauid sayth I haue chosen the way of truth and againe in the same Psalme I haue chosen thy commaundements Psalm 119. But the Lord saith by his Prophet Esay They did wickednesse before mine eyes and chose the thyng that pleased me not Esay 65. and in the next chapter he sayth Et elegerunt quae ego nolui And they haue chosen those things whych I would not Esay 66. Thus it is playne that as choose and can not choose agree together so doth their opinion agree wyth the Scripture for such direct contrarietie is betwene choise and meere necessitie betwene violēt compulsion and christian libertie that blacke and white may wyth more possibilitie be coupled in a subiect But it is maruell to see how scrupulous some mē are in these wordes of choyse I doubt whether they dare read these many such like places of scripture which so plainly speake of choyse But perhap they alway skip ouer that word or reade some other in steade therof as the Iewes do Adonai in steade of Iehouah for surely manie are so afrayde of freewill that they fall as the Prouerbe sayth out of the lime Kell into the cole pit from high presumption into depe desperation fiercelie following that olde spirite of wicked Pelagi as before it is touched in the .ix. of his diuelish errors where he affirmeth that if a mā haue neede of Gods helpe then hath he no freedome or choyse at all Thus do they breake theyr shippe vpon the perillous rocke seeking to escape the daungerous Hurlepole For an horrible presumption it was of Pelagius to thinke that a man by nature had such power to choose good and refuse euill that he needed not the grace and helpe of God and a desperate opinion is this of other to say that the predestination of God worketh all things in man whether it be good or euill and that a man can not choose but do whatsoeuer he doth For no doubt thys opinion maketh a verie disordered Chaos and an vtter cōfusion of al thyngs as it were mixing thrusting together both heauen earth and hell Making one confused lumpe of God the Diuell and the world Of sinne grace and nature turning all doings into dreames all trueth into traunces all veritie into sables all prayer and meditation into vaine imagination For if Gods predestination be the onlie cause of Adams fall and filthie sinne and consequently the onely cause and worker of all euill yea euen wyth compulsion sorce as they shamefully and plainly affirme then will no man denie that on the other side Gods predestination worketh as violently in all thyngs that are good So then if Gods predestination work all without all exception both in euill and good then all other things whatsoeuer they be although they appeare to worke and doe some thing yet doe they in dede vtterly nothyng So that the Diuell doth nothyng man doth nothing lawes do nothing doctrine doth nothing prayer doth nothyng but Gods predestination doth altogether is the efficient cause yea and the only cause of all thyngs Agaynst thys opinion the worde of God is exceding playne and manifest not only in the places before rehearsed but also in these folowing here briefly noted yea and abundantly throughout the whole Scripture Gene. 4. a. Reg. 24. b. 1. Para. 21. b. Pro. 3. d. Eccle. 15. c. 4. Esd 7. b. d. g. e. 9. a. Luk. 10. d. f. Ioā 1. b. Act. 5. a. 1. Cor. 7. g. 9. a. 10. c. 14 f. 2. Cor. 13. c. Phil. 4. c. Heb. 11. Against this euill opinion also doe all the auncient Doctors wyth one cōsent vehemently write as they by themselues cannot denie except only Augustine whych bicause of his exceeding obscuritie and
darkenesse in diuers places he is often alleaged of both partes Also against this opinion writeth earnestly Philip Melancthon the chiefest and best learned of all the Germaines In like maner doth Bullenger the chiefest and most excellent of all the Switcers The same doth also Erasmus Cercerius and manie other of the best learned Protestantes whose sayings were profitable here to rehearse but that theyr iudgemēt in thys matter is well knowen to all the learned and my determination is at this present rather briefly and simplie to declare what part of doctrine I and many other mislike than wyth long discourse and manie authorities to disproue the same Crowley In a multitude of places sayth Cerberus the worde of God cryeth oute against the doctrine of the necessitie of Gods Predestination manifestly prouing that through the grace and helpe of God men may choose and are neyther driuen by absolute necessitie nor compelled by Gods Predestination to commit murder thefte c. As for example Moyses sayth Deut. 30. Choose lyfe c. Haue I sayde that man is driuen by absolute necessitie Or that he is compelled by the compulsion of Gods Predestinatiō to commit murder theft c I am sure Cerberus is not able to shewe it in any of my writings And I think he hath not séene it in anye of the writings of them that he writeth against But this is his maner when we speake of such a kind of necessitie as followeth vpon the prescience of GOD which can not be deceiued then will he make y ◠worlde beleue that we affirme an absolute necessitie wherein the will wresteling and striuing to the contrarie is enforced to giue place and violently driuen to doe that it woulde not And when we speake of that compulsion that God vseth in deliuering the wicked and obstinate sinners into a reprobate sense to commit things that are vnséemely that by sinning their former sinne might be punished then Cerberus woulde haue men to beleue y ◠we meane of a violent compulsion which man striueth against but is not able to resist the force violence of it Wel I doubt not but the indifferent Readers of this Apologie will haue a better opinion of vs than so For it doth plainely appeare by the words hereof that we teach no such necessitie violent driuing nor compulsion But we saye with the Scripture and auncient and all sounde Fathers that Gods prescience prouidence Predestination can not be disapointed but muste néedes come to passe as he hath foreseene and in prouidence predestinated that it shoulde and yet not without the consent of the wyll in those whome God did knowe before woulde consent and in foreknowledge did appoint to consent and to choose the things which he knewe before that they woulde choose The Scriptures therfore that Cerberus citeth out of Moises Iosua Iudges Dauid and Esaie are nothing against vs for we confesse as much as is taught by them We confesse also that man may by the grace and helpe of God choose to refuse murder theft c. What is it then that Cerberus hath sayde against vs He woulde faine haue men think that we teach that God is not able with his grace and helpe to make men able to refuse y ◠which is euill and to choose to do that which is good As though we should think no better of our God than the heathen Poets did of their Iupiter Whome they bring in lamenting that he was by the destinies letted so that he coulde not doe that good for his deare children y ◠he would gladly haue done for them But we knowe that our God is able to doe what he will doe and that he is present in all places and doth in all places al that he is willing to doe Yea we doe confesse with S. Paule that by his helpe that doth comfort strengthen vs we are able to doe all things So farre are we from thinking that man is not or may not be able by Gods helpe to refuse to commit murder c. But Cerberus sayth it is playne that as choose and can not choose doe agrée togither so doth our opinion agrée with the Scripture And then he setteth méere necessitie and violent compulsion against Christian libertie That doctrine may be his owne We refuse it as none of ours But if Cerberus would come to talke a man might aske him in what pointes the Christian libertie doth consist Whether he meane that it consisteth in an absolute power to do what we will bicause he maketh mere necessitie and violent compulsion the contraries to it If he meane so then doth he not meane as S. Paule doth meane in his Epistle to y ◠Galathiās where he exhorteth them to stande in that libertie wherewith Christ hath made vs free As may well appeare to as many as will reade the Text. Well I will leaue thys matter tyll I may knowe Cerberus and talke with him mouth to mouth As for those that be so scrupulous in the wordes of choyse let them if there be any such aunswere for themselues For my parte I can be well contented to reade them and heare them too but to apply them as Cerberus doth I think no man can be to scrupulous that will not agrée with Cotta who woulde rather that God shoulde not know of things before they came to passe than that man should not haue frée choyse to doe what he will And yet do I not follow the spirit of Pelagius as I haue shewed before vpon that ninth Article that Cerberus speaketh of neyther haue I in séeking to escape the daungerous Hurlepoole dashed my shippe against the perillous Rocke as Cerberus woulde haue men to thinke that I and such other haue But if Gods predestination be the cause c. Then saith Cerberus c. This if is alreadie aunswered I wil not therfore trouble the Reader with it any more But if Gods predestination worke all then the Diuell man lawes doctrine and prayer do nothing Thys is the very reason that Cotta and Cicero made as S. Austen declareth in his syft booke De Ciuitate Dei Cap. 9. And in the tenth Chapter of the same booke he doth aunswere this obiection declaring to what vse lawes doctrine and prayers do serue His wordes are these Malè autem viuitur si de Deo nòn benè creditur Vnde absit à nobis eius negare praescientiam vt liberi esse velimus quo adiuuante sumus liberi vel crimus Proinde nòn frustra sunt leges obiurgationes exhortationes laudes vituperationes quia ipsas futuras praesciuit valent plurimum quantum illas valeturas praesciuit praeces valent ad ea impetranda quae se praecantibus concessurū esse praesciuit iusta premia bonis factis peccatis supplicia constituta sunt Neque enim ideo peccat home quia Deus illum peccaturum praesciuit imò ideo nòn dubitatur ipsum peccare cùm peccat quia
by sinne he made himself a reprobate and was not refused before he sinned But let vs sée how this place of the wise man maketh for his purpose The words are these as Cerberus citeth them Et cum qui nullam poenam commeritus sit condemnasse a tua potentia iudicas alienum And thou Lorde estemest it a thing contrarie to thy power to haue condemned him that hath not deserued punishment All the Scripture is nowe by Cerberus brought into a short summe For it is knit vp in lesse than two lines written in the .xij. Chapter of the booke of wisdome Of what authoritie that booke hath awayes bene thought to be I thinke Cerberus is not ignorant And how diuers readings there be of that place which he cyteth I suppose he knoweth The Tygurine Bible is it that Cerberus followeth Other translations there be that differ from that and from the olde also The olde translation hath it thus Cum ergo sis iustus iustè omnia disponis ipsum quoque qui nòn debet puniri condemnas exterum aestimas à tua virtute That is Forasmuch as thou thy selfe art iust thou doest dispose all things iustly him also that ought not to be punished thou doest condemne and doest esteeme him as one exiled from thy power or dominion Bylike when Cerberus cited this place he supposed that no mā should sée his booke but such as were not able to discerne Chalk from Chéese What place can make more manifestly against him and for vs than this place doeth For by these wordes it is plaine that though God do condemne him that hath not by any déedes deserued to be condemned yet is God neuer the latter iust and doth dispose all things iustly Yea and the circumstance of the Text doth shew that this translation is more nigh the meaning of the writer thā is that which Cerberus followeth For the sentence going immediatly before is thus Neque Rex neque tyrannus in conspectu tuo inquirent de hijs quos perdidisti That is Neyther King nor tyrant will in thy presence make inquisition for them that thou hast destroyed And the sētence that doth immediatly follow is thus Virtus enim tua iustitiae initium est ab hoc quod omnium Dominus es omnibus te parcere facis That is For thy power is the beginning of iustice and bycause thou art Lord of all thou doest make thy selfe to spare all But bicause there is such diuersitie of translations in the Latine and peraduenture Cerberus wyll saye he hath loked in the Gréeke and findeth that the Tygurine translation which he followeth is most agréeable to the Gréeke Text out of which all our Latine translations are taken It shall not be amisse therfore to set downe the Gréeke Text that suche as haue any skill therein may iudge betwixt vs. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say so far as I am able to vnderstād it Thou being iust doest dispose all things iustly cōmaunding to condemne straunge from the land of thy power him y t is not to be iudged ignominious If any cā sée any other meaning in this Gréeke text I wil not contende for I sée that many men of great learning haue varied in opinion about the translation therof But graunt that Cerberus haue cited that translation that is according to the true meaning of the Text what hath he wonne thereby Shall all the Scripture be on his side bicause it is written in y e booke of wisdom that God estemeth it a thing contrarie to hys power or more truly after the Latine Text that Cerberus citeth a thing straunge from his power to condemne him that hath not deserued punishment I thinke not For the booke of wisedome is of that sort of bookes that must be made to agrée with y e Canonical bookes the Canonicall bookes must not be enforced to agree with it For it is Apokryphe that is a booke permitted to be read priuatly but not of such authoritie that we may builde our fayth vpon euerie sentence in it But graunt that this booke were of as great authoritie as any other booke of Scripture is should we thinke that God might not iustly refuse such of his creatures as it pleaseth him not to choose vnlesse the same creatures had first by sinne made them selues vnworthie to be chosen We must not restraine God of his libertie to doe wyth his creatures what he himselfe will Neyther must we say or thinke that any thing that he doth is or can be other than iust albeit that we can not vnderstand howe the same shoulde be iust We must therefore wyth reuerend seare seeke another meaning of thys place than Cerberus doth teach vs let vs thinke therefore that God speaketh here of therecution of his iudgement and not of election And it shalbe good for vs to say always wyth S. Austen that the cause of Gods doings may be secrete so that we can not know them but vniust they can not be But Cerberus séemeth to himselfe to haue gotten a great aduauntage by the example of the Cananites and Israelites The Cananites were driuen out for theyr sinnes and this was iustice but the Israelites were put in their place without deseruing and that was mercie Wherefore in refusing God worketh by iustice and in choosing he worketh by mercie As though there were no difference betwene choosing and refusing of creatures and the vsing of them when they be chosen or refused God chooseth and refuseth without respect of good or euill deseruings but he maketh not his refusal knowen vnto men till the refused haue by theyr sinnes shewed them selues worthie to be refused And though the chosen sort neyther do nor can shewe themselues worthie for theyr good workes to be chosen yet before they receyue the great blessing promised they shewe themselues by theyr workes lesse worthie to be refused than the other And to this do the Scriptures that Cerberus hath cited out of Moses Paule O sée and the rest full well agrée But it followeth not hereof that therefore God had not refused the wicked sort before they sinned It is true that death is the rewarde of sinne but it is not true that euerie one that sinneth receyueth that reward for Christ came to saue sinners and the frée gift of euerlasting life is bestowed vpon such sinners as were elected in Christ before the beginning of the world It is true also that man destroyeth himselfe by the frée consent of his will to do contrarie to the commaundement of God that his helpe and succour commeth of God alone yet doth it not therfore follow that no man is refused of God before he haue cōmitted sinne whereby he destroyeth himself For when the elect were chosen in Christ then were the rest refused For otherwise it could not be an election but a generall acceptation As for the saying that Cerberus sayth is ours and would haue his friend to lay it in the one side of
that he is moued with affectiōs as men be Whereas in God His vnderstanding his vnmeasurable power his vnsearcheable wisedome his mercifull goodnesse his truth and iustice his chastenesse and fréedome in all poyntes to wyll what he lusteth to do what it pleaseth him and to purpose appoynt what liketh him are essentiall properties without which he neyther is nor can be God To imagine therefore that there was a time wherein God was purposed to destroy man and that his mercie in Christ hath chaunged that purpose and caused him now to purpose and will to saue man is to imagine y t there was a time wherin God was not so mercifull as he is now so not so perfectly God as he is now And that by experiēce he hath learned some what more wisedome than he had at the first and therefore may be wiser hereafter than he is now How great absurdities these are I leaue to the iudgement of the indifferent Readers But Cerberus will saye that though I haue sayde some thing against him yet I haue sayd nothing for him whose wordes I haue taken in hande to defende but in my wordes I séeme to fight against them both I aunswere I haue not taken vpon me to defend eyther mine owne or other mens wordes sucder than in conscience I thinke them to be true And if I did thinke that the wryter of that glose did meane as grossely as I perceyue by his open wordes that Cerberus doth I would not spare him more than I haue spared Cerberus but for as much as his wordes séeme not to me to haue any such meaning as to teach that there was a time wherein God was mercilesse towards mā that his mercy first sprang out of his will and purpose as Cerberus doth plainely teach that his wil and purpose sprang out of his mercie I must not refuse to take that good meaning of his wordes which may séeme to me to be according to the truth of Christian religion The wordes of Paule whervpon this note is made are these I will haue mercie on him to whō I wil shew mercie Upon this it is noted in the margine that as the onlie will and purpose of God is the chiefe cause of Election and Reprobation so his frée mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause of saluation and the hardening of the heart an inferiour cause of damnation I vnderstand the meaning of these words to be that as the only wil purpose of God is the chiefe cause that there was an Election and choise of some and a refusall of other some so the shewing forth of his mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause that is an instrumentall cause whereby saluation is wrought in the elected according to Gods will and purpose and the hardening of the hearts of the reprobates an instrumentall cause of damnation in the reprobates according to the same eternal wil and purpose He therefore that sayth we must ascende to an higher cause of Election than that which appeareth in the execution of Gods mercie in Christ doth not teach to set vp the essentiall properties one aboue another as thoughe one were fountaine of another and that God lacked the one till it sprang out of the other but he teacheth that the same mercie that we sée executed in Christ in time was decreed in the eternall will and purpose of God before all time and so was the refusall of thē whose heartes we see hardened in time If any man do sée cause to iudge otherwise of this glose I am well pleased that the same vse his owne iudgement in enterpreting the meaning therof And if I may perceyue any mans iudgement herein to be sounder than mine I trust I shalbe ready to condescend to that And least any man should thinke that herein I doe followe mine owne fantacie without example of any thing that I sée in the auncient Fathers I will sette downe the wordes of S. Austen that haue bene a meane to confirme me herein In his 14. booke De Ciuitate Dei 〈◊〉 11. Chapter S. Austen writeth thus Sed quia Deus cūcta presciuit ideo hominē quoque peccaturum ignorare nòn potuit secundum id quod praesciuit itque disposuit ciuitatem Dei debemus asserere nòn secundum illud quod in nostram cognitionem peruenire nòn potuit quia in Dei dispositione nòn fuit Nec enim homo peccato suo diuinum potuit perturbare consilium quasi Deum quod statuerat mutare compulerit cum Deus praesciendo vtrūque preuenerit id est homo quem bonum ipse creauit quam malus esset futurus quid boni etiam sic de illo esset ipse facturus Deus enim etsi dicitur statuta mutare Vnde tropica locutione in Scripturis sanctis etiam poenituisse legitur deum iuxta id dicitur quod homo spera 〈…〉 rat vel naturalium causarum ordo gestabat nòn iuxta id quod se omnipotens facturum esse praesci 〈…〉 rat That is to saye But bycause God did know all things before hand and therfore could not be ignorant that man should sinne we must teach that the holie Citie is such a thing as he did foresée and appoint that it should be not such as we could not come to the knowledge of bicause it was not in that disposition or order that God made Neyther was man by his sinne able to disorder the purpose of God as though he shoulde haue constreyned God to chaunge the thyng that he had once decréed séeing that God by his foresight did preuent both that is to say both how the euill man should become whom he had created good and also what thing he woulde make of him euen when he shoulde in such wise become euill For although it be sayd that God doth chaunge his purposes whereof it commeth that by a figuratiue speach it is reade in the holie Scriptures that God did repent the same is spoken according to that which man hoped for or that which the order of naturall causes did import not according to that which the almightie did know before hand that he himself would do Againe the same Austen in his booke De diuersis questionibus 83. and the. 15. 16. 17. questions sayth thus Deus omnium quae sunt causa est Quod autem omnium rerum causa est etiam sapientiae suae causa est Nec vnquà m Deus sine sapientia sua Igitur sempiternae sapientiae suae causa est sempiterna nec tempore prior est quam sua sapientia Deinde si patrem sempiternum esse inest deo nec suit aliquandò non pater nunquam sine filio fuit Omne praeteritum iam nòn est Omne futurum nòn dùm est Omne igitur praeteritum futur 〈…〉 non deest Apud d 〈…〉 m autem nihil deest Nec praeteritum igitur nec futurum sed omne praesens est apud deum That is to saye God is the cause of
my writing I acknowledge also that Cerberus hath cited the wordes truely euen as I wrate them But that I ment by them as Cerberus doth conclude vpon them I vtterly deny For he concludeth that I haue affirmed that Gods predestination is the onely cause of all euill Whiche I neuer ment to teache neither do my wordes duely considered giue any occasion of such conclusion I graunt my words might haue bene more explaned and my meaning set forth more at large and all occasions of suche calumniations cut off if I had sene that before I wrate that booke whiche I thanke my Lord God I haue sene since Wherfore I minde by the help of God to do that now y e I was not so well able to do then that the Reader may perceiue that I haue with Austen profited in writing My words that Cerberus citeth are these Adam therefore being so perfect a creature that there was in him no lust to sinne and yet so weak that of him selfe he was not able to withstande the assault of the subtile serpent no remedie the only cause of his fall must nedes be the predestination of God Cerberus findeth no fault with any of these wordes till he commeth to no remedy And then no remedy I must be condemned as one that affirmeth Gods Predestination to be the onelye cause of Adams sinne and so consequentlye of all sinne But I haue not saide that Gods predestination was the onelye cause or anye cause of Adams sinne My wordes be that Gods Predestination is the onelye cause of Adams fall Nowe Cerberus can not sée howe Adams fall may be good and therefore he sayeth that it is the fountaine of all sinne and that to be the cause of that fall is to be the cause of all sinne But suche as haue eyes to sée do sée that as Gods predestination is the cause of Adams fall so Adams fall is good For it is the meane whereby God hath shut vp all vnder vnbeliefe that he might haue mercye on all And the meane whereby the Scripture shutteth vp all vnder sinne that the promise which is of the faith of Iesus Christ might be giuen to the faithfull I write therefore now as I wrate before in my Consutation of Shaxtons Articles that for asmuch as there was in Adam nothing to moue him to sinne for lust to do contrarie to Gods wil was not yet entred into him Sathan the enimy had no power then neither hath anye power yet ouer anye creature of God further than God doth limit and appoint him it must nedes followe that the only cause that Adam was assaulted ouerthrowen by Satan was the predestination of God which is euer all one with his vnsearcheable will counsel The fall of Adam thus considered neyther is nor can be counted sinne for it is the performance of Gods purpose whiche is euer good although vnsearchable by mans feble vnderstanding And yet I do not denie Adams fall to be sinno in Adam himself for it was Factum cōtramandatum Dei A dede done contrary to the commasidentent of God And so it had a cause in Adam himselfe which was the power of his wil whereby he consented to y e enticement of Satan who vsed the woman as his instrument therin Of thys will and the power therof Sainct Austen writeth thus De libero arbitrio lib. 3. Cap. 18. Cum autem de libera voluntate rectè faciendi loqui 〈…〉 de illa silicet in qua homo factus est loquimur When we speak of the will that is frée to do wel we speake of that will wherein man was made And againe in his booke De natura gratia Cepite 43. speaking of man he saith Quis enim eum nescit sanum inculpabilem factum libero arbitrio atque ad iustè viuendum libera potestate constitutum Who knoweth not that man was made found vnblameable and that he was ordeined with frée choyse and frée power or libertie to liue righteously And againe in his boke De Correptione gratia Cap. 11. Istam gratiam non habuit homo primus qua nunquam vellet esse malus sed sanè habuit in qua si permanere vellet nunquam malus esset sine qua etià m cum libero arbitrio bonus esse non posset sed eam tamenper liberum arbitrium deserere posset Nec ipsum ergo Deus esse voluit sine sua gratia quē reliquit in suo libero arbitrio quoniam liberum arbitrium ad malum sufficit ad bonum autem nihil est nisi adiuuetur ab omnipotenti bono quod adiutorium si homo ille per liberum non deseruisset arbitrium semperesset bonus sed deseruit desertus est Tale quippe erat adiutorium quod desereret cum vellet in quo permancret si vellet non quo sieret vt vellet The firste man had not thys grace whereby he shoulde neuer be willing to be euill but yet he had that grace whereby he might haue bene alwayes preserued from euill if he would haue continued therin and without which also he coulde not by frée will be good but yet he was able by frée wil to forsake it God therfore would not haue him to be without his grace whō he had left in his owne fréewill For fréewil is able inough to do euil but to do good it hath no power at al except it be holyē by the almightie goodnesse which helpe if that man had not by fréewill forsaken he shoulde haue bene good for euer but he did forsake and was forsaken For the helpe was such that he might forsake it when he woulde and suche wherin he might remaine if he woulde not such whereby it might come to passe that he should be willing By these places of S. Austen we maye see of what minde he was concerning the frée will of man before his fall It was suche that hée mighte consent to what hée woulde But the grace to be willing to consent to nothing but that which was good was not giuen vnto mā that man might haue experience of the power of his own will and so for euer after ascribe al the glory to him that worketh all in all The cause of Adams fall therfore euen by the iudgement of S. Austen of whome Cerberus maketh suche boast was not in himself For God had fore appoynted that by that meanes man should haue experience of hymselfe and so learne to trust in one stronger than hymself But the cause that made his fall sinne was in himselfe For he did willinglye consent to the perswasion of his wife who also had in like maner consented to the persuasion of the Serpent If Cerberus could consider the fall of the first man after this sort he would neuer conclude that I teaching that the Predestination of God was the onelye cause of mans fall shoulde withall conclude that it is the onlye cause of all sinne and euill For I do