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
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
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
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
these errours of Pelagius together that thou which art willing to knowe the truth and vnderstande the matter euen as it is mayest be able to iudge who they are that holde of any of these errours and not to credit the malice of certaine whych to cloke their owne false opinions accuse other to be Pelagians who in dede from their verie heart and soule abhoral these wicked opinions and haue bene manye yeares willyng to bestow their lyues against all these abhominable errours Yet is there one thing whervnto Pelagius was compelled to subscribe whiche I haue not rehearsed among the errours afore sayde bicause the deniall therof is of all our Gospellers as I suppose receyued for no errour The Article is this Quod Infantes non baptizati non solum regnum coelorum verum etiam vitam aternam habere non passint Herevnto did Pelagius subscribe That infantes whiche are not baptised can not haue the Kingdome of God nor eternall lyfe Which cruel opinion that all vnbaptised children are damned Austen in manye places of hys workes doth boldly and vehemently mayntayne But Caluin sayth Explodendam esse illorum glossam palam est qui oes non baptizatos aternae morti adiudicant It is cleare sayth he that theyr glose is worthye wyth hissing or clappyng of handes to be driuen out of the dores which condemne vnto euerlasting death all those whych are not baptised bicause Caluin is with so many of vs whych are Gospellers in auctoritie fully sufficient to encounter with Austen I thynke it good for shortnesse in this article to say no further Crowley Cerberus minding to enter into that which he promised before that is to shewe what part of our doctrine he missliketh doeth conclude with his friende to whome he séemeth to write this aunswere as thoughe he beyng willing to know the truth and vnderstande the matter coulde no more gyue credit to anye that writeth or speaketh contrary to that which he hath here written Whose doyngs therein it pleaseth him to terme malice and the accusing of such as are of sound beliefe that thereby they may cloke their owne false opinions But if it shall please that friend of his if any such be or Cerberus himselfe to reade this my simple Apologie with indifferent mindes it maye be that they will be of another minde then Cerberus doth in thys aunswere shewe himselfe to be vnderstanding that oure doyngs are neither malicious nor yet the clokings of anye false opinions but the true trauaile of them that seke the glory of God and the saluation of his people by the setting forth of the truth of his eternall and euerlasting Predestination Let God gyue the increase at hys good wyll and pleasure Yet one thing he woulde not seme to haue forgotten but rather of purpose to haue deferred to thys place that he might not seme to agrée with Pelagius in any point that might seme to be erronious For he hath said before Here concludeth Austen with the errours of Pelagius Subtillye handled of Cerberus For thoughe he consent to that which Pelagius hath by his subscription cōfirmed yet he agréeth not with Pelagius in his errour for he was inforced thus to subscribe did afterwardes returne to his olde errours againe as S. Austen affirmeth in his Cataloge of heresies And if he denye it yet consenteth he not to Pelagius errour but to Iohn Caluin and vs Gospellers and to make vs beleue that he is one of vs in this point he calleth that a cruel opinion that Pelagius was constrained to subscribe vnto that is that Infantes which are not baptised can not haue the kingdome of God nor eternall lyfe And to knit vp the knot withall he setteth Iohn Caluin against S. Austen affirming that for as muche as in the opinion of verye many of vs Gospellers for now Cerberus is one of vs Iohn Caluin is in authoritie fully able to encoūter with S. Austen he will for shortnesse sake say no further of this article I woulde I had none occasion here to thinke y ◠Cerberus vseth a figure which learned men cal Ironîa For what a frumpe is this That Caluin is in authoritie fully sufficient to encounter with Austen Surelye Cerberus may be a Gospeller as he tearmeth him selfe but no Papist could deuise to giue a more kindely mocke to Caluin vs Gospellers than this is For who knoweth not that the authoritie of wryters is iudged to stande chiefely in the auncientnesse of their writings and then there is no comparison to be made betwixt Caluin and S. Augustine who liued .x. hundreth yere more before this day And Caluins modestie was neuer so little as to compare him selfe with Austen but in all his writings he doth reuerence the iudgement of that learned Father and doeth alledge his auctoritie in confirming of truthes so far forth as the same doth not dissent from truth And Austen neuer desired to haue hys iudgement in matters to be otherwise receiued than the same should be found to be sound according to the Scriptures As appeareth in his 7. Epistle and in the Proeme of his thirde booke De Trinitate Of the Trinitie Whose woordes concerning this matter being many it shall suffise to note this short sentence Noli meis litteris quasi Scripturis canonicis instruire sed in illis quod non credebas cum inueneris incunctanter crede in istis autem quod certum non habebas nisi certum intellexeris noli firmiter retinere That is Be not bounde vnto my writings as vnto the Canonical Scriptures but when thou shalt finde in the Scriptures that whiche thou didst not beleue beleue it without any delay or doubting but when thou findest that in my writings which thou didst not know certainlye before except thou shalt certainlye vnderstand it do not stisfely affirme it I am sure that Iohn Caluin did always obserue this rule in reading S. Austens workes And if he were nowe liuing woulde giue Cerberus the hire of a mocking Parasite thus to set him against S. Austen Yea it might haue becommed Cerberus very well either to haue bene shorter and haue written no worde of this matter or else to haue vttered his iudgemēt of this article in suche sorte that the reader might haue vnderstand thereby the truth of the article and howe Caluin we that be Gospellers do hold this article not setting our selues against S. Austen but for good cause dissenting in Iudgement both from Pelagius and Austen And yet hauing a reuerend opinion of the one do detest and abhorre the errour of the other Well I maye not be so shorte in this matter as Cerberus is but I thinke it my dutie hauing this occasion to do what shall lie in me to let the reader vnderstande that S. Austen is not so much to be blamed for this cruell opinion as Cerberus woulde haue men to thinke that Iohn Caluin doth recken him to be Neither doth y e worthy instrument of God mind to make the
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
the Authour of the same Nowe marke againe the Argument and see how the conclusion followeth God predestinateth all things yea euen sinne and euyll And God is the Author of all that he predestinateth as hath bene plainely proued Ergo he is the Authour of sinne This must needes follow if the first proposition be graunted That God predestinateth or ordeineth al things or al that he foreseeth Wherfore the olde writers in confutation of the Manicheans laboured in nothing so much as to proue that although God did foresee all things both good and euyll yet dyd he onely foresee and not predestinate those things which are euill As by an infinite number of places out of the auncient writers if shortenesse woulde suffer I coulde easely proue But one place of Austen I wil rehearse which doth not onely resolue clearely this matter betwene foresight and for cordinaunce or betwene the prescience and predestination but also most plainely teacheth al that is to be sayde of predestination Prosper Ad obiectio Vince Rehearsing the words and defending the opinion of Austen where he proueth that the Diuell can scarcely be called the Authour of sinne by cause it came of mans owne will and asketh by what madnesse and frensle men doe attribute that vnto God which can not be altogether ascribed vnto the Deuill And at the last he concludeth with these words of Austen Nihil ergo talium negotiorum Deus praedestinauit vt suret nec illam animā nequitèr turpiterque victinam ad hoc vt taliter viueret praeparauit sed talem futuram nòn ignorauit de tali iustè se iudicaturum esse praesciuit atque ita ad praedestinationem eius nihil aliudreserri poiest nisi quod aut ad debitam iustitiae retributionem aut ad indebitam pertinet gratiae largitatem Therefore sayth he God hath predestinated no part of any such doings neither the soule which afterwarde liued wickedly and filthily hath he prepared to that ende that it should so liue but he was not ignorant that such a one it woulde be And so nothing may be referred to the praedestination of God but onely that which pertayneth vnto the due recompēce of his righteousnesse or to the vndeserued gift of his grace These are the wordes of Austen which surely are maruellous ful of pith conteyning the whole summe of that which may be sayde in this matter of Gods predestinatiō and are therfore most worthie to be noted yea and to be committed to heart or kept in perpetual memorie For being thorowely weyghed they do plainely set forth the full resolution of all this question Crowley Cerberus is so maliciously bente agaynst Crowley that he can kepe no order in charging him with that that he hath written agaynst Shaxton For this yea I am sure wherwith he chargeth me here standeth in my boke more than eyghte whole leaues after the Argument that he findeth such fault with Yea it is parte of that which I doe inferre vpon the confession of Shaxton himselfe in his Article that I confute after I had by many Scriptures proued the minor proposition of that Argument But who can hope that Cerberus can with his thrée mouthes kepe order in his barking Let me if I can aunswere him in order vnto that wherewith he doth so vnorderly charge me First he saith that I say that I am sure that Shaxton will graunt that if God doe predestinate a man to doe things rashly and without any deliberation he shall not deliberate at al but runne headlong vpon it be it good or euyll that he doth Nowe let vs see what Cerberus hath sayde to this He séemeth to make a great matter of it For he beginneth thus And furder As though y e wherewith he wyll nowe charge Crowley is more to be detested than the rest that is already spoken of And yet when he hath made rehearsall of the wordes he séemeth by silence to allowe them Wherefore I will be bolde to say to Cerberus as I dyd to Shaxton I am sure that you will graunt c. But as one that vnaduisedly had gone about to finde fault with words that he was not able iustly to disproue Cerberus leaueth these wordes and returneth to an Argument that I wrate well most nyne leaues before and saith He maketh also an Argumēt after this sort saying Whatsoeuer God foreséeth and predestinateth must necessarily come to passe for his presciēce and predestination are infallible but he foreséeth predestinateth al things Ergo all thinges muste come to passe of necessitie Here Cerberus hath found matter to brabble about The maior proposition of this Argument he findeth no fault withal Wherefore I wyll suppose that he thinketh it to be true that whatsoeuer God foreséeth and predestinateth must necessarily come to passe But by Cerberus owne confession God foreséeth predestinateth all good things Ergo all good thinges come to passe of necessitie Thus much haue we gotten of Cerberus So that if it be a Stoicall opinion to say that al things come to passe of necessitie yet Cerberus shall not be so cleare from it as he woulde séeme to be But my minor proposition must be apparantly false For though God do foresée al things yet doth he predestinate only those things which are good as the scriptures auncient writers doe proue So that nowe there remayneth no more to be proued by me but that God predestinateth those things that be euyll Which thing if I can proue Cerberus and I are agréed Well If Cerberus would be entreated to beléeue all that I haue written in the former part of this Apologie then should the controuersie betwixt vs sone be ended For I haue sayde that euen those things that are worst in mans doings are good in Gods purpose As the consenting to the persuasion of the Serpent in the first man the murder of Abel in Caine those wyckednesses that others haue wrought were in Gods purpose good although in those that did those things they were excéeding euyll For then hath Cerberus graunted that God doth predestinate them and so consequently he hath graunted that they come to passe of necessitie as those things that God predestinateth must néedes doe But whether Cerberus wyll beléeue that which I haue written or no I will by Gods help proue that those actions which in man are most wicked were predestinated by God to be done And then I trowe mine Argument shal conclude aright notwithstanding ought that Cerberus shalbe able to say to the contrarie And least we shoulde varie aboute predestination as not agreing vpon the definition what it is I am contēted to take that description which Cerberus hym selfe hath made of it He sayth that to predestinate any thing is first to purpose decree apoynt or ordeyne it to be done But God hath first decreed to be done all the euil things as euer were done by men Ergo he hath predestinated euils The minor in this argument is proued by that that is written in
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
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