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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	author_n	sin_n	will_n	1,685	5	6.8791	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17121	An historicall narration of the iudgement of some most learned and godly English bishops, holy martyrs, and others (whereof III; viz. Archbishop Cranmer, B. Latimer, and Bishop Hooper, suffred martyrdome, in the dayes of Q. Mary, for the truth and Gospell of Christ Iesus) concerning Gods election, and the merit of Christ his death, &c.	J. A., of Ailward.; Ailward, John, attributed name. aut; Andrewes, John, fl. 1615, attributed name. aut	1631 (1631)	STC 4; ESTC S100399	62,871	120

18. B. Esa 5. A. 3. D. 55. B. 65. A. Lament Ier. 3. Cap. Ezek. 18. c. D. 24. b. 33. c. Ioel. 2. A. 4. Esdr 1. c. 2. a. 7. c. 8. c. Math. 23. E. Act. 17. G. 1. Tim. 2. A. 4. c. 2. Pet. 3. B. The same saith St. Augustine also plainely in these words Non ergo Casu● Ruentium ne● Malignitatem iniquorum neque Cupiditates Peccantium Predestinatio Dei aut EXCITAVIT aut SV ASIT aut IMPVLIT sed planè pradestinavit IV DICIV M suum quo unicuique retributurus est prout gessit sive Bonum sive Malum Quod IV DICIV M futurum Non esset Si Homines Dei VO LVNT ATE peccarent Neither the Falls of them that Fall nor the wickednesse of them that are wicked Nor the Lusts of them that offend hath the predestination of God either PROVOKED MOOVED or COMPELLED but without doubt He hath Fore-Ordain●d his IV DGMENT whereby He will recompense every man according as He hath done whether it bee Good or evill The which should bee no Iudgement if Men did sinne by the WILL of God And although There bee some places of Scripture whereupon They would ground this Opinion That Men should sinne By the WILL of GOD or that GOD should predestinate or ordaine men to sinne as where it is said That God hardened the Heart of Pharaoh and such like yet pertayneth it Nothing to that purpose if it bee weighed with the Rest of the Scripture For as St. Augustine saith Ipse quasi eos indurat quia Iusto Iudicio indurari sinit He doth saith St. Austin as it were Harden Them because that with his Iust Iudgment he suffereth them to be hardned And in his Booke De lib. arbitr gra C. 21. He saith Where at any time we reade in the Scripture That Men bee SEDVCED or Their Hearts HARDNED of GOD There may we not doubt but that Their wicked DESERVINGS went BEFORE Lest ye run saith he into the saying of Salomon Insipientia viri violat vias eius Deum autem causatur in corde suo The Foolishnesse of a Man Defileth his wayes but hee saith in his heart GOD is the CAVSE Of this HARDNING of Heart Melancthon in his Common-places speaketh very plainely saying Nee Figurae illae verborum offendunt c. Neyther saith he do these figurative speeches offend as I will HARDEN the Heart of Pharao and such like For it is Certaine that in the HEBREW Phrase they signifie a PERMISSION or Suffering and not an Effectuall WILL of GOD. As Leade us not into Temptation That is to say SVFFER us not to bee lead into Temptation These are Melancthons words And Marke what Hee sayth of the HEBREW Phrase For All Men know Him to be a Man Learned But to bee short It is surely to bee marvailed at that although They doe thus accuse Gods predestination to be the onely Cause of of ADAMS FALL which is indeed Not onely Sinne but also the very Well-spring of All wickednesse And the Filthy-Fountaine of all our Vncleannesse That yet THEY dare affirme THEMSELVES to bee the ONELY Friends and Lovers of Gods Predestination and All Others to be the Enemies of GODS Holy Predestination who doe not subscribe unto This their fantasticall Imagination Moreover if it should be said That They make GOD the Author of Sinne They would cry Nay and say They were slandered But whether GOD be not the Author of That whereof He is the onely Cause Let the un-corrupted Heart Iudge Also to say the Truth when They see their Time and Place They are Bould-enough yea even to use the Terme Author in that same manifest sense as in a Booke set forth by Iohn Knoxe Against an Adversarie of Gods Predestination as He calleth Him Wherein Hee Page 158. sayth thus viz. Therefore whatsoever the Ethnicks and Ignorant did attribute unto Fortune WEE assigne to the PROVIDENCE of GOD. And straight w●y he saith Wee shall Iudge nothing to come of Fortune but that All commeth by the Determination of His Counsell And further It Displeaseth him when we esteeme Any thing to proceed from Any other So that wee doe Not behold and know him Not-onely the Principall Cause of All Things but Also The AVTHOR appointing All things to the One-part Or to the Other by his Counsell Marke well his wordes and the very Sense thereof All commeth from God saith Hee GOD is the principall Cause and God is the Author of it whatsoever it be God appointeth All things both to the One part and to the Other both to the wicked and to the Godly All THINGS Nothing is excepted As well DAMNATION as Salvation as well Sinne as Vertue as well Wickednesse as Holinesse yea if it hap to bee MVRTHER it selfe For THAT a little before by Name Hee rehearseth Whatsoever it be it Proceedeth from None other saith Hee but from GOD. GOD so hath appointed it God is the Principall cause of it Yea not onely the principall Cause but also the Author of it Here thou seest those Plaine-termes which sometime for a little nice lisping they Cannot or will not Speake Sc. That God is the Author of all MV●THER and Mischiefe As for Fortune I know it to bee an Heathenish-Fable But where He saith that God is not onely the Principall Cause but Also the Author of all things without any exception and that whatsoever the Ethnicks attributed to Fortune That same wee ought to ascribe unto the Providence of God It is such a Wide WANDRING and Large BLASPHEMY as hath not beene lightly heard For who knoweth not that unto FORTVNE the Ethnickes ascribed Treason and crafty Conspiracie As where they call Her Insidiosa perfida Malefida Vnto Fortune they ascribed cruell Murder and tyrannicall Mischiefe As when they call Her Aspera Dura Sava Truculenta Vnto Fortune they ascribed filthy Lust and impudent Bawdry as when they call her Lenocinans Bruta and Impudens Vnto Fortune they ascribed scornefull Pride and Vaine-glory calling her Imperiosa Procax and Superba Vnto Fortune they ascribed beastly Blindnesse and rude Ignorance calling her Caeca and Exoculata To conclude unto Fortune the Ethnickes ascribed All perverse and Pestilent wickednesse and all abhomination Detestable calling her Nefaria Abominanda and Improba Yet say these Professours of Destinie whatsoever the Ethnickes ascribed unto Fortune That same ought wee to attribute to the Providence of GOD. Yea and GOD is the very Author the Principall cause and the Onely cause thereof But now to returne againe to Mr. CROVVLY After that hee hath written that GODS Predestination is the Onely cause of Adams Fall Then goeth hee forth in the same Booke and the same Article unto the NEXT execrable Wickednesse committed in the world saying Now what say wee of CAINE Was Hee not Predestinate to slay his Brother No say the Free-will men Here thou seest Dearely Beloved Who they are that so Odiously are noted with the Name of Free-will-men

that he Fore-seeth Wherefore the old Writers in Confutation of the Manichaeans laboured in nothing somuch as to prove that although God did fore-see all things Both good and evill yet did hee onely-Fore-see and Not Predestinate those things which are evill As by an Infinite Number of places out of the ancient Writers if shortnesse would suffer I could easily prove But one place of St. Augustine I will rehearse which doth not onely resolve clearly this matter Betweene Fore-sight and Fore-ordinance or betweene the Praescience and Predestination but also most plainely teacheth all that is to be said of Predestination Prosper rehearsing the words and defending the Opinion of Augustine where he prooveth that the Divell can scarce be called the Author of Sinne because it came of Mans owne Will and asketh by what Madnesse and Frensie Men doe attribute that unto God which canot be altogether ascribed to the Divell at the last hee concludeth with these words of AVGVSTINE Nihil ergo Talium Negotiorum Deus praedestinavit ut fieret Nec illam animam nequiter turpiterque victuram ad hoc ut taliter viveret praeparavit Sed Talem futur am non ignoravit de Tali Se Iustè Iudicaturum esse praescrvit Atque ita ad praedestinationem eius nihil aliud referri potest nisi quod aut ad debitam Iusticia Retributionem aut ad indebitam pertinet gratiae largitatem Therefore saith he God hath predestinate no Part of any such Doings neyther the Soule which afterwards lived wickedly and filthily hath he prepared to that end that it should so live but Hee was not ignorant that such a One it would bee and of such Hee foreknew that he himselfe would ●ustly iudge And so Nothing may bee referred to the Predestination of GOD but onely that which pertaineth to the due recompense of his Righteousnesse or to the undeserved guift of his Grace These are the words of S. Augustine which surely are marvailous full of pyth containing the whole Summe of that which may bee said in this matter of Gods predestination and are therefore most worthy to be noted yea and to bee committed to memorie For being thorowly weighed They doe plainely set forth the full resolution of all this Question But to returne againe unto Those that Contrary to the Scripture and all ancient Writers doe teach that GOD doth not onely Fore-see but also Predestinate both Good and evill as well the Murder of Cain as the Holinesse of Abel and thereby make God plainely the Author of Sinne when they perceive the outragious Blasphemy to be over-much Apparant and manifest Then doe they Sometime closly rowle it vp in a Riddle again which for the Darke speach thereof may serve at the least to Blinde the eyes of some As where among many other wayes they plainely make God the Author of Sinne Saying that God is not onely the Principall Cause but also the Author of All Things without Exception both on the One Side and on the Other if they be then urged with the Consequence That God is the Author of sinne They will Answere That in All Abomination God is the Author of the Fact but Not of the Crime As of the Fact Deede or worke of Adulterie Sodomitry Murther and Idolatry God is the Author Say They but not of the Fault or Crime This Aenigma have I heard some men use and it is also written in a Booke intitled A Briefe Treatise of Election and Reprobation lately set forth and printed in the English Tongue where He saith thus Though we be Compelled to say that God is the Author of the Fact yet wee must answere but Not of the Crime Areade Areade what is that God is the Author of the very Fact and Deede of Adultery Theft Murther Treason and yet he is not the Author of Sinne. And why The subtilty of the Riddle is This viz. Tha● Sinne is No-thing The theife is not hanged for the Deed which he hath committed For GOD is the author thereof but he is hanged for the sinne and that is For No-thing For when they say God is the author of all things Then Nothing is excepted but sinne is Nothing And therefore he is not the Author of sinne The thiefe is hanged for nothing The Murtherer is put to death for nothing The traytour looseth his Head for nothing The wicked are punished in everlasting fire for nothing A Marvelous Sophistication a strange Paradox and cautelous Riddle But to be short though many wayes this subtilty might be answered I will take only the Definition of Sin as I find it written in the same booke where he saith very Truely The Nature of Sinne is Defined by the authority of Scripture to bee a Thought Word or DEEDE Contrary to the will of GOD. Now because They say that God is the Authoof all evill DEEDES though not of the CRIMES Let us passe over the evill Thoughts and evill WORDS and speake onely of the Deede it selfe which He himselfe Defineth to be Sinne and contrary to Gods will If God then be the Author of that FACT or DEEDE which Deede is Sinne and contrary to Gods will How can Hee then say that GOD is the Author of the FACT but not of the FAVLT Seeing hee himselfe setteth forth not onely a Thought or a Word but also a DEEDE to be Sinne. And if God be the Author of that SAME DEEDE which DEEDE is Sinne Is it not a thing most plaine that God is the Author of Sinne And All this their Travell is to prove That the Ordinance and Predestination of GOD doe so carry men even Headlong unto all actions bee they never so Mischievous That of Necessity they must Needs and Cannot Choose but commit the same As though Gods Predestination were like a Tempest of winde ●o blowing in the Sayles of Mans heart That by It He is carried Headlong to all things whatsoever he doth According to the saying of the Poet Iam magis atque magis Pr●ceps agit Omnia FATVM Now more and more DESTINY hurleth all things headlong But surely This STOICALL Necessity maketh such a Confusion of all things That let them colour up the matter with as much cunning as they can and Qualifie it with as Faire words as may bee yet shall there never the State of a Common wealth in England stand if this pers●●asion may once take Perfect Roote among the PEOPLE besides that it is vtterly repugnant to the Holy Scripture and against all ANCIENT Writers a● shall bee hereafter briefely prooved And whereas They deny this Doctrine of Theirs to be the Stoicall Opinion because the STOICKS say they fained that Nature with such Order of Causes as she hath Tyed together doth bring all things to passe By Necessity But They affirme that GOD by his Fore-ordinance aternall Predestination and Providence bringeth all things to passe By a like Necessity Thus the Best-learned of them make the Difference But a plaine Delusion it is to blinde the

his pleasure is Let them say therefore what they can or will This meere Necessitie which our Men doe ●each is the very Same which the Stoickes did hold Which opinion because it destroyed the State of a Common-wealth It was banished out of Rome as St. Augustine declareth Lib. Quast vet Nov. Testam Where Hee notably refelleth that Opinion in these few words saying Quâ ratione Nati dicuntur c. By what reason saith Augustine were they borne which banished MATHEMATICOS the setters forth of Destinie out of Rome 〈◊〉 Which law was kept and they were but Heathen How were these Things done by Destinie which make against Destinie But surely if there bee a Destinie it doth nothing against It selfe saith St. Augustine For so were Destinie no Destinie Of at the least Destinie fighting against it selfe Or to speake the Same in those words which Our Men by abuse taken out of Scripture to maintaine the very same Matter If it bee GODS Predestination that men should write and speake against his Predestination as they say some doe Then is GODS Predestination a Kingdome not onely divided but also fiercely Fighting against it selfe O miserable Absurdity which any Child may perceive must needs follow If All thinges come to passe with absolute Necessitie by GODS Predestination as They teach This same Doctrine also That all 〈◊〉 springeth out of GOD● ordinance Or that Gods Predestination was the Cause of 〈◊〉 fall and of All wickednesse is plainly maintained in an English Booke la●ely set forth and 〈…〉 led Against a Pr●vie Papist c. Where among many Open and plaine Sentences upon this matter I finde an Argument made in these wordes Major Whatsoever 〈◊〉 in Adam was in Him by Gods will and Ordinance Minor But Sinne was in Adam Conclusio Ergo Sinne was in Him by Gods will and Ordinance The Maior of which Argument being understood of Adam after his ●all is manifestly false and therefore the Conclusion also is false For if it may be said of Ad 〈…〉 〈…〉 fter his Fall as by the Minor you well perceive that he so understands it Then may it also bee sayd ●ow of any Man That what execrable wickednesse soever is in Any man that same is in him by GODS Will and Ordinance Hee goeth about also to proove the same by another Argument which hee maketh speaking of the lying Spirit saying Major God commanded him to Sinne Minor But God commanded nothing which hee ordayned not Conclusio Ergo So hee ordayned him to Sinne. Which argument it is 〈…〉 vayle that Any man could be so Blinde is not to see how it might with much more Strength and Force and much more manifest Trueth be Turned against Himselfe in This sort speaking of Adam yea and of all men saying Major God commanded Adam and doth command all men to Absteyne from Sinne. Minor But He commandeth Nothing which Hee ordaineth not Conclusio Ergo God Ordained Adam and all men to absteyne from Sinne. If GOD then Ordained ADAM and all men to absteyne from Sinne Then did He not Ordeyne Adam or any man to commit Sin So was not Sinne in Adam or in any man by Gods will and Ordinance Not GODS Ordinance the Cause of Adams Fall or of any Mans Sinne. And Therefore Their Opinion is vtterly False Also if GOD in his SECRET COVNSELL doe predestinate appoint and ordaine man to Sinne and yet give unto Him a strict law and commandement Not to sinne is not then His SECRET WILL contrary to his Open WORD And his Eternall Ordinance repugnant to his WRITTEN LAW All Their Faire words and Fine framed fetches cannot avoide it Yet would I further aske them a Question Seeing it is the Decree Ordinance and Will of GOD expressed in his word That man should not sinne How crept they into That SECRET COVNSELL where God Ordained Decreed and Willed the Contrarie That is to say That man should Sinne But I heare their Answere already published in Print standing in the Third leafe and second page of the First Blast of that Traiterous Trumpet set forth against the REGIMENT of weomen Where fol. 2. pag. 2. he briefely and covertly toucheth this Close and Privie Counsell of God in these words The SECRET COVNSELL of God excepted But in fol. 3. pag. 2. he saith I am assured than God hath Reveiled to some in this our Age that it is More than a Monster in Nature That a WOMAN shall Reigne and have Empire above Man This may be the Apocalyps of some men in Our Age But sure I am it is not in the Revelation of St. Iohn the Evangelist nor of Any Other old Apostle or Prophet THESE NEW REVELATIONS which are reveyled to Men of our Age out of a SECRET COVNSELL Decree and Ordinance of God CONTRARY to the OPEN word and commandement of God are meete for Those which delight in Damnable Dreames of some doating Destinie and may well bee called the Inspirations of old Arians Revelations of blind Anabaptists or un-written Verities of Superstitious Papists rather than the secret Counsell of GOD revealed to Men of our Age. But to conclude That Angell or Spirit which contrary to the manifest WORD of GOD hath revealed unto Men of our age that a WOMAN being Right Inheritour to the Crowne of a Realme ought not to bee Ruler thereof That same Spirit and Angell of Darknesse hath Revealed unto Men of our Age that Caine was Predestinate to Murther his Brother Abel and that the most wicked Traytors Murtherers and Theeves that live are Ordayned of GOD in his SECRET Counsell contrary to his Open Word to bee wicked even as they are and to commit such Murther Theft and Treason even as they doe The same Conclusion and New Revelation is also plainly set foorth in the other late-printed English Booke before Named translated out of French into English Where anon after the Beginning speaking of GODS Will he saith By vertue whereof All thinges are Made yea even those Thinges which are Evill and Execrable Yet when hee hath plainly affirmed that by vertue of GODS Will evill and execrable Thinges are made lest the Horrible face of Sathan should be perceived in the Burning flame of Those terrible Wordes The matter is afterwards trimly covered with a cloake of unsavorie Subtiltie For hee declareth his mind to be That those evill and execrable Thinges which are wrought by the vertue of GODS will are not Evill and Execrable Sc. In That they are wrought by his Divine Counsell As if hee should say Though they bee indeed Evill and execrable thinges which the Counsell of GOD worketh yet are they not Evill in that respect or Therefore evill because GOD worketh Them But for as much saith hee as They proceed from the Prince of the Ayre c. Or to speake it in more usuall termes because the Divell or wicked Men doe worke It which neverthelesse as they plainly hold and affirme are but the Instruments of GOD appointed thereunto and in doing the

It fareth many times with us that we goe long to schoole in divinity and yet never good divines as it fareth in the schoole of rethorike whereas if at the beginning the scholler profit not as Aristotle saith he shall never be good orator Therefore Moses saith God gaue you not a heart to understand eyes to see nor eares to heare untill this present day Here doth Moses speake ironice and seemeth to deny the thing he would affirme As Aristotle or Cicero might say when they haue applyed all their labour and done the best they can to make their schollers learned yet profit nothing then depart out of the schoole say unto their audience I never opened unto you the science that I taught you Not that the fault was in him but in the auditors that neglected their diligence and Doctrine So doth Moses now speake of God not that the fault was in him that those unkind people understood not the doctrine hee taught but in themselues as it appeareth in the text for he useth now the rod of persecution punisheth them beateth them yea and killeth them because they would not learne the thing he taught them yea further he sheweth that his pleasure was they should choose the good and leave the ill to be in wealth and avoid the woe This argument he proveth of his owne nature which is amiable loving and holy inclined to doe well unto man and to be at peace with him But because man of his owne malice contemneth the word and doctrine of God he is not onely rigorous and severe against man but also hee waxeth so angry for sinne as he that chafeth and moveth himselfe that all men may perceive by his countenance he is offended therefore saith the text the fury of God shall smoake against the sinner Our gospellers be better learned than the Holy ghost for they wickedly attribute the cause of punishment and adversity to Gods providence which is the cause of no ill as he himselfe can do no ill and of every mischiefe that is done they say it was Gods will The Holy ghost putteth another cause that is to say Sinne in man and contempt of his holy word Further the paine is not inflicted by predestination to lose man but both predestination and the affliction extend to call man from damnation The blinde southsayers that writ of things to come are more to bee esteemed than these curious and high climing wits for they attribute the cause of ill to the ill aspects and sinister coniunctions of the planets Refuse not therefore the grace offered not once received banish it not with ill conversation If wee fall let us heare almighty God that calleth us to repentance with his word and returne let us not continue in sinne nor heape one sinne vpon another lest at last wee come to a contempt of God and his word for remission is promised to as many as repent as Moses sheweth and likewise all the scripture and examples thereof But remember what the text saith that thou must convert unto God and that by the meanes and mediation of Christ and that with all thy heart and then thou maist finde remedy Convert not to superstition and buy not a masse for thy sinnes nor loke for helpe of any Saint but onely of God as his word teacheth for he that strooke thee for sinne can heale thee againe say not in aduersity as Cicero did Except God or some good hap doe save vs wee cannot escape For there is nothing in Heaven nor Earth that saveth but God alone CHAP. 19. 6. Ignorance THe sixt let or impediment wherewith men excuse themselues from the obedience of the law of GOD is the pretence of ignorance the which they doe thinke shall excuse them Thus they say the Scripture hath so many mysteries in it selfe and is too hard for our capacity Sometime the letter sometime the spirit and sometime both must be understood Further they say the Doctors braule and chide between themselves and how should the unlearned understand it aright Who can tell saith another whether this be the true law or not If it were the true law of God then should it containe all verities haue no need of mans lawes Now the greatest part of such as have the name of Christianity say Gods lawes save no man instruct no man aright no it is not wholesome for man except it be held and ayded by the law of the Bishops This the world owes to the Bishops decrees that have called the authority of the holy Testament that containeth all trueth whose sufficiency and verity is scaled with the precious bloud of Christ into doubt and not into doubt onely but cleane abrogated it and preferred their owne lawes Conferre their preachings and ministration of the Sacramints with the holy word and law of God and see Other say I have no wit to understand the Word of GOD and if I had yet have I no leasure to learne it Against this obiection Moses answereth and saith this law is sufficient is simple and plaint easie to be understood a perfit doctrine and required of all men Thus he proueth it the Commandement that I prescribe unto thee to day is not farr above thee nor put farre from thee reade the last halfe of the chapter By the which words it appeareth that GOD hath made his will and pleasure simply and plainely open unto his people with apt sentences and open words and also put the same to us that we should not seeke it with great danger of our life to saile into the Indies for it or looke it in Heaven above as those that receive all things by revelation or apparitions of Angels or other such meanes But Moses saith it is no need of any such ambassadors and so saith Abraham For man may learne out of the Scripture what is to be done and what not to bee done what is the condition of the good and of the bad No need to seeke the knowledge thereof in Aegypt Athens or Rome But the word is present and at hand with thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou shouldest doe it By these words we see that in the greatest sinner that is is a certaine rule and knowledge to live well thereby if he did follow it So confounded St. Paul the Gentiles of sinne because they knew the evill they did was condemned by the testimony of their owne conscience For the law of God to doe well by is naturally written in the heart of every man Hee that will diligently search himselfe shall soone find the same and in case man should behold his owne Image both in body and in soule although there were no law written nor Heavens over our heads to testifie the goodnesse and the iustice of God and the equity of an honest life mans conscience would tell him when he doth well and when evill Further the iudgement and discourse of

not onely the Papist against whom Hee pretendeth there to write but Namely all Those that say GOD Hath not predestinate any Manto commit Murther or such-like wicked Abhomination These They call FREE-Will-Men These They call Pelagians Indeed Such as So maintaine Free-will That a Man by Free-will without the Grace and Helpe of GOD may absteine from Evill or doe Good As the blind Papists doe and as before is proved that Pelagius did hold or as before rehearsed William Samuel saith That men may Deserve God Those I say might worthily bee called Pelagians because They hold eyther All or Some part of His Errours But Those which Teach that all Murth● and Mischiefe springeth out of GODS Fredestination or That Any Man-slayer is predestinate of GOD to kill his Neighbour or any Adulterer to lye with his Neighbours wife or any Traitor predestinate of God to Conspire against his Prince or any Rebell to Rise against his Soveraigne as These men most plainely affirme They hold in this poynt the Error of the Manicheans Which was as yee heard before by the words of Saint Augustine Hominem peccatum vitare non posse That a Man cannot eschew Evill or cannot choose but commit sinne These Men I say which affirme That Cain was predestinate to murther his Innocent Brother Abel and as in the same Booke and same Article also he saith that The most wicked Persons that have beene were of GOD Appointed to be Wicked even as They were They hold the Errour both of the Stoicks and also of the Mani●heans That is to say as AVGVSTIN● declareth That evill hath his Originall of Gods Ordinance and not of mans Free-will For if Murtherers Adulterers Theeves Traytors and Rebels be of GOD Predestinate and Appointed to be Wicked even as they are and cannot choose but of meere Necessity by the Ordinance of GOD commit all such wickednesse even as they doe Then what is our life but a meere Destiny All our Doings Gods Ordinances and All our Imaginations Branches of Gods Predestination And I doubt not but the Stoicks and Manichaeans would also Temper the matter with great Discretion of words as These men will say that wee must speake more Reverently of the Matter But seeing they plainely hold these Principles and when they see their Time speake plainely thereof Themselves as you may well perceive by that which hath beene already and shall yet more at large be rehearsed I see no cause why it should not of All men be plainly declared Againe if it be a Truth why should it not bee plainely spoken If it bee a Truth that Traytors are predestinate of GOD to Conspire the Destruction of their Princes and Rebels predestinate of God to make insurrection against their Soveraignes If I say it bee a Truth that GOD hath so Predestinate them and that They must of Necessitie and cannot choose but commit such wickednesse why should it not bee plainely spoken Except a man should bee ashamed to speake the Truth But in what Scripture is That written Or is it not rather written For thy life shame not to say the Truth And surely to say as it is I see not well How any man can speake more plainely in this matter than they themselves doe For what can bee more plainely spoken than that Gods Predestination is the onely cause of Adams Fall And That Cain was predestinate to slay his Brother And That God is both the principall Cause and also the Author of All things both on the One side and on the Other appointing all things to All men And whatsoever Ethnicks ascribed to Fortune that same wee ought to attribute unto the Providence of GOD And That that the most wicked persons that have beene were of GOD appointed to bee wicked even as they were And further in the same Booke and same Article hee sayth Yea I am sure that you will grant that if God doe Predestinate a man to doe things rashly and without any deliberation He shall not Deliberate at all but runne headlong upon it bee it Good or Evill that hee doth He makes also an argument after this sort saying Maior What soever God foreseeth and predestinateth must Necessarily come to passe for his Prescience and Predestination are infallible Minor But He Fore-seeth and Predestinateth all Things Conclusio Ergo. All things must come to passe of Necessitie The Minor of which Argument is apparantly false For Though GOD fore-seeth all Things yet doth hee not predestinate all things For His Fore-sight doth extend Both to Good and Evill But His Predestination is ONELY of things that bee Good As the Scriptures and all ancient Writers prove And here againe it is to bee noted also how plainely they make GOD the Author of Sinne. For if this Maior be True viz. That GOD doth not onely fore-see but also predestinate all things yea even Sinne and Evill As the fall of Adam the Murther of Cain and the wickednesse of all them that have beene most wicked Then may this Minor be truely annexed viz. That GOD is the Author of all that he predestinateth And so must this Conclusion needes follow viz. That GOD is the Author of all Sinne and Evill The First Part viz. That GDD predestinateth all Things Or all that hee Fore-seeth is a Proposition of their owne Assertion without any Ambiguity or doubtfull meaning The Second Part viz. That GOD is the Author of all that he predestinateth is My affirmation which is so True and Manifest that they have scarce any manner of Colour to Deny it For what is it to predestinate any thing But First to Purpose Decree Appoint and Ordaine it to bee done Now Hee which First Purposeth Decreeth Appointeth Ordaineth or Inventeth a Thing to be done is not Hee The Author of the same Or is not Hee rightly called Causa Origo Fons Radix Principium Author The Cause Originall Fountaine Roote Beginning or Author of the same He which first Purposeth Decreeth Appointeth and Ordaineth an Insurrection or Rebellion to be made against his Prince is not he to be Apprehended as the very Author of all the Sedition And worthily or Rightly so to be judged and called What man can bee so Ignorant as not to perceive it For all the world knoweth that for None other Cause One is sayd to bee the Author of any thing but onely for that eyther Hee is the first Inventor or else the first Purposer Appointer and Ordainer of the same And also whosoever is the first Inventor or else the first Ordainer of any Thing most properly Hee is said to bee the Author of the same Maior Now marke againe the Argument and see how the Conclusion followeth God Predestinateth All things yea even Sinne and Evill Minor And God is the Author of all that he predestinateth as hath beene plainely prooved Ergo. Conclusio He is the Author of Sinne. This must needs follow if the first Proposition be granted viz. That GOD predestinateth or ordaineth all things or All

shall be damned Howbeit wee know by the Scripture that notwithstanding this imperfection of Faith many shall be saved And likewise notwithstanding that Gods promise be generall unto all people of the World yet many shall be damned These two Points therefore must be diligently discussed First how this faith being unperfect is accepted of GOD. Then how we be excluded from the promise of Grace that extendeth to all men I will not rehearse now the mindes of other but as briefly and as simply as I can declare the minde of the Scripture in this matter Saint Paul calleth this servitude of Sinne naturally remaining in our Nature corrupted some times Apeitheian then Amartian at another time Asthenian The first word signifieth an Impersuability diffidence incredulity contumacy or inobedience The second signifieth Errour sinne or deceit The third betokeneth Weaknesse imbecility or imperfection So writeth Paul Mans body to be first borne in imbecility Also that God concludeth all men under infidelity In another place That the Scripture doth conclude All men under Sinne. In those three places thou mayest see the three wordes that I rehearsed before By which PAVL describes the infirmities of Man which infirmities are translated into CHRIST Not so that wee should be delivered from them as though they were dead in our nature or our nature changed or should not provoke vs any more to ill but that they should not damne us because Christ satisfied for them in his Body And Paul sayth That Christ dyed for Sinners that were infirme and calleth those sinners the Enemies of God Howbeit he calleth not them Theostygas in the Scriptures to wit Contemners of GOD. Every man is called in the Scripture Wicked and the enemy of God for the privation and lacke of Faith and love that hee oweth to GOD. Et impij vocantur qui non omninò sunt pij That is they are called wicked that in all thinges honour not GOD beleeve not in God and observe not his Commandements as they should doe which wee cannot doe by reason of this naturall infirmity or hatred of the Flesh as Paul calleth it against God In this sence taketh Paul this word Wicked when he saith that Christ dyed for the wicked So must we interpret St. Paul and take his wordes or else no man should bee damned Now we know that Paul himselfe Saint Iohn and Christ damneth the Contemners of GOD or such as willingly continue in sinne and will not Repent Those the Scripture excludeth from the generall promise of Grace Thou seest by the places afore rehearsed that though we cannot beleeve in God as undoubtedly as is required by reason of this our naturall sicknesse and disease yet for Christs sake in the iudgement of God we are accounted as faithfull beleevers for whose sake this naturall disease and sicknesse is pardoned by what name soever St. Paul calleth the Naturall infirmity or originall sinne in Man And this imperfection or naturall sicknesse taken of Adam excludeth not the person from the promise of God in Christ except we transgresse the limits and bounds of this Originall sinne by our owne folly and malice and eyther of a contempt or hate of Gods word we fall into sinne transforme our selves into the Image of the Divel Then ●ee exclude by this meanes our selves from the promises and merites of Christ who onely received our infirmities and originall disease and not the contempt of him and his Law Further the Promises appertaine to such as Repent Therefore Esay sayd without exception That the infirmities of all Men were cast upon his blessed shoulders It is our office therefore to see wee exclude not our selves from the generall Grace promised to all men It is not a Christian mans part to attribute his salvation to his owne free-will with the Pelagian extenuate originall Sin Nor to make God the author of ill and our damnatiō w th the Manichee Nor yet to say God hath written fatall Lawes as the Stoicke and with necessity of Destiny violently pulleth one by the haire into Heaven and thrusteth the other headlong into Hell But assertaine thy selfe by the Scripture what be the causes of Reprobation and what of Election The cause of Reiection or damnation is Sinne in Man which will not heare neyther receive the Promise of the Gospell or else after he hath received it by accustomed doing of ill falleth eyther into a contempt of the Gospell and will not study to live thereafter or else hateth the Gospell because it condemneth his ungodly life and would there were neyther God nor Gospell to punish him for doing of ill This sentence is true howsoever Man judge of Predestination God is not the cause of Sinne nor would not have Man to sinne Thou art not the GOD that willeth sinne And it is sayd Thy perdition O Israel is of thy selfe and thy succour onely of me The cause of our Election is the Mercy of God in Christ. Howbeit he that will be partaker of this Election must receive the Promise in Christ by faith for therefore wee be elected because afterward we are made the members of Christ. Therefore as in the justification or remission of Sinne there is a cause though no dignity at all in the receiver of his justification and so we judge him by the Scripture to bee Iustified and hath remission of his sinne because he received the Grace promised in CHRIST So wee iudge of Election by the event or successe that hapneth in the life of Man those onely to be elected that by Faith apprehend the mercy promised in Christ otherwise wee should not judge of Election For Paul sayth plainly That they that beleeve by the spirit of God are the Children of God and that the spirit of God doth testifie with our spirits that wee are the children of God being admonished therefore by Scripture wee must leave sinne and doe the workes commanded of God or else it is a carnall opinion that we have blinded our selves withall of fatall Destinie and yet will not save us And in case there follow not in our knowledge of Christ amendment of life it is not lively Faith that wee have but rather a vaine knowledge and meere presumption Iohn sayth No man commeth to me except my Father draw him Many men understand these wordes in a wrong sence as though God required in a reasonable man no more than in a dead poast and marketh not the wordes that follow Every man that heareth and learneth of my Father commeth to me GOD draweth with his Word and the Holy Ghost but Mans duty is to heare learne That is to say Receive the grace offered consent to the Promise and not repugne the God that calleth GOD doth promise the Holy Ghost unto them that aske him and not to them that contemne him We have the Scripture daily in our hands reade it and heare