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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69227	A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, the sixt of February. 1596 In which are discussed these three conclusions. 1 It is not the will of God that all men should be saued. 2 The absolute will of God, and his secret decree from all eternitie is the cause why some are predestined to saluation, others to destruction, and not any foresight of faith, or good workes in the one, or infidelitie, neglect, or contempt in the other. 3 Christ died not effectually for all. By Iohn Doue, Doctor of Diuinitie.	Dove, John, 1560 or 61-1618.	1597 (1597)	STC 7087; ESTC S111946	36,520	88

ex praeuisis operibus for the good workes which God foresawe in him as also of Huberus and other Lutherans of our times the brochers of straunge opinions which holde that some are predestinated to bee vessels of honour but expreuisa fide because of theyr fayth which God did foresee to bee in them others of dishonour but ex mero contemptu aut neglectu non ex Dei decreto not by anie decree of God but because hee had in them a foresight eyther of neglect or contempt as if the causes of theyr predestination were in themselues and not in God whereas in deede these wordes Not by workes but by him that calleth do ende all controuersie shewing that the whole causes of election and reprobation are in himselfe and not in vs and therefore not long of any fayth or workes of ours And as Saint Augustine sayth Si futura opera quae Deus vtique praesciebat vellet intelligi nequaquam diceret non ex operibus sed ex futuris operibus eoque modo istam solueret quaestionem immo nullam quam solui opus esset faceret quaestionem If the Apostle did vnderstād any good works foreseene in Iacob to be the cause why God did loue him he would not say as he doth Not of workes but he would rather say God loued him because of his workes which hee foresaw in him and so he would not onely ende this controuersie but make it so plaine that it should be indeed without all controuersie Againe the Apostle doth explaine his owne meaning that he loued Iacob and hated Esau without respect of any thing in them worthy of loue or hatred by the obiection following where he sayth What shall wee say then Is there iniquitie with God God forbid Because it seemeth to flesh and blood not to stand with the iustice of God to condemne men before they are borne but to be crueltie in him to hate thē which neuer did euill therefore the apostle preuenteth that obiection and purgeth God of that suspition which men might cōceiue against him which he should not need to do if God did loue or hate vpon anie foresight of faith or good works in the one or neglect and contempt in the other for that were in the iudgement of men a sufficient cause of loue and hatred without all shewe of iniustice Thirdly he maketh it yet more plaine by the wordes which follow vers 18. where he saith Hee will haue mercie on whom he will haue mercie and whom he will he hardeneth He maketh two causes of saluation and damnation and both subordinate to an higher and more principall cause the subordinate cause of saluation beeing mercye because none is saued but by mercie of damnation hardening or obdurating for they which be damned are hardened in their sinnes that they cannot repent and both those inferior causes are subordinate to his will as the highest cause and onely in himselfe and these inferiour causes doe both proceed from his will And finally when he sayth It is not meaning election in him that willeth that is in the indeuors of man nor in him that runneth that is in the workes of men but in God onely that sheweth mercy hee teacheth that the onely rule of predestination and reprobation whereby God is directed and the only law which he tieth himself to obserue therin is his will so that no part of our electiō is ascribed to our selues or any thing which may be in vs. Secondly to answere this obiection Is there iniquitie with God God forbid He cleareth that two maner of waies First God is not vniust by being partiall in sauing hee dooth not erre in his choyse by preferring Iacob before Esau when the case of them both was one both vnborne neither of them had done good why hee should bee chosen or euill why hee should be refused For God will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy Non potest peccare in dolectu cuius voluntas est iusticiae regula Hee cannot erre in his choyse when that is iust whatso-soeuer is his will When two theeues haue committed murther and both deserued death may not the King without suspition of iniustice shewe mercie in pardoning the one and doe iudgement in executing the other Iacob and Esau were both as we all are by nature the children of wrath could not God iustly haue compassion on Iacob and let Esau die in his sinnes That anie are saued it is his mercie and hee may haue mercie on whom hee will It is worthie of obseruation that the Apostle dooth say when they had done neither good nor euill But hee dooth not say when they were neither good nor euill For true it is that they had done neither good nor euill because they were vnborne and therefore coulde not commit anie actuall sinne but they were both of them euill for both were infected with originall sinne in their mothers wombe which they drewe by inheritance from Isaac theyr father and Rebecca their mother and therefore sayeth Augustine Ambo gemini natura filijirae nascebantur nullis quidem operibus proprijs sed originaliter in Adam vinculo damnationis obstricti Iacobum igitur dilexit per miscricordiam gratuitam Esaum odit per iudicium debitum quod quum deberetur ambobus in altero tantum alter agnouit non de suis meritis sibi gloriandum sed de diuinae misericordiae largitate quia non est volentis neque currentis sed Dei miserentis Cap. 94. Remanentibus reprobis in aeterna poena sancti scient planius quid illis contulerit gratia tum vebus ipsis apparebit quod Psal 100. scriptum est misericordiam iudicium tibi cantabo domine quia nisi per indebitam misericordiam nemo saluatur nisi per debitum iudicium nemo dānatur Cap. 95. Ex duobus paruulis alter assumiter per dei misericordiam alter relinquitur per Dei iudicium in quo is qui assumitur agnoscit quid sibi per iudicium debebatur nisi misericordia subueniret Cur iste assumitur magis quam ille cum vna causa esset ambobus eadē est causa cur apud quosdam nō sunt factae virtutes nempe in Tiro Sidone Mat. 11. Quae si factae fuissent poenitentiam egissent sed in Corazin Bethsaida factae sunt qui non erant credituri Cap. 99. Quum Dei misericordiam commendasset dicens non est volentis neque currentis c. deinde iudiciū commendat quoniam in quo non fit misericordia non fit iniquitas sed iudicium They were both by nature the children of wrath not by reason of any offence which thēselues had cōmitted but for y ● first offēce of Adam they were in state of damnation as all the rest of Adams posteritie wherefore that God loued Iacob it was free mercy and vndeserued grace that hee hated Esau it was no wrong but iustice a punishment due vnto his sinnes which punishment being due vnto them

vpon thē for crucifying of Christ that their city should bee sacked they dispersed by the Roman Emperor And seeing the soundest interpretatiō of the scriptures is by other places of scripture y t these blessings cursings loue hatred which in the old testament are historicall are in y e new testamēt mistical as in this promise made to Abrahā Isaac Iacob and their posteritie it is made manifest by the apostle saying By faith Abraham abode in the land of promise as in a strange land as one that dwelt in tents with Isaac and Iacob heires with him of the same promise for he looked for a foundation whose builder and maker is god But I come to the 2. obiectiō Rom. 9. 17. 18. The Apostle writeth in this maner For the scripture saith vnto Pharao for this purpose I haue stirred thee vp that I might shew my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all earth Therfore he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardneth What then if God hardned the heart of Pharao and caused him to sin is not God the author of sin Nothing lesse forasmuch as God is goodnesse it selfe his very essence is good and nothing can proceed from him but that which is exceeding good True it is as the Prophet sayth Non est malum in vrbe quod non fecit Dominus There is no euill in the citie but the Lord did it The lord doth not onely suffer the wicked to do euill but himselfe is a doer and principall agent therein I knowe there bee some of greater modestie then iudgement in diuinity which for reuerence to the person of God do affirme that all the actions of sathan and the wicked are not done by the will but onely by the permission sufferance of God by which opinion of theirs they fall into two absurdities the one is they deny his prouidence which doth so moderat dispose of al things that nothing can come to passe otherwise thē he hath apointed and decreed before The other is they derogate much detract from his omnipotencie as if he should suffer any thing to be don against his wil. I know some haue trāslated the lords praier in this maner suffer vs not to be led into tentatiō but the Greeke text hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Lead vs not into temptation so that if we be tempted he is the leader And likewise whereas it is written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He gaue them vp to their hearts lusts vnto vncleannesse and to a reprobate sense hee gaue them vp vnto vile affections some translated it Permisit eos libidinibus and he suffred them to follow their owne lusts These things as they proceed frō God are good but in respect of the men which doo them they are euill Saint Augustine saith Deus bene vtitur malis tanquam summè bonus ad eorum damnationem quos iuste praedestinauit ad poenam illorum salutem quos digne praedestinauit ad gratiam Vult peccata nō vt probet sed vt iudicium suum exequatur sic malis instrumentis bene vtitur Vsus est Iudae proditione pontificum crudelitate ad illorum perniciem sed ad nostram salutem Pharaonem indurauit ad suam ipsius gloriam ad eius poenam sed aliud fuit illius aliud Dei institutum God which is infinitely good doth vse the ministerie and seruice of them which are euill to their damnation whome hee hath iustly predestinated to death and to their saluation whom he hath predestinated to glory He will haue offences to be committed not as if hee did allowe and approue them but that by them hee might execute his iudgement and so he doth make vse of the euill as his instruments himselfe being good He vsed the treason of Iudas and the crueltie of the Iewes to their destruction but to our saluation he hardened Pharao to his owne glorie but for Pharaos punishment But the intent and purpose of Pharao was not the same which God intended though the action which God and Pharao did were the same yet in God it was good in Pharao it was euill because the intent of them both was not the same Sometime God causeth men to sinne for their punishment because oftentimes hee punisheth one sinne with an other when man hath sinned grieuously God causeth him to commit a more grieuous sinne or a punishment of his former sinne and so one sinne is heaped vpon an other that at the day of iudgement their damnatiō may be the greater if they do not repent As Saint Augustine obserueth As for example Rom. 1. The Israelites did serue the creature for the Creator which is blessed for euer Amen There is guilt of sinne but the Lord did punish this sinne of theirs by causing them to commit an other sinne for he gaue them ouer into a repobat sense to do those abhominations which were not conuenient as it is particularly specified in the text and so they receiued the reward of their errour So likewise speaking of them which were to bee seduced by Antichrist They loued not the truth that they might be saued that was a grieuous sin the Lord punished it with another sin therefore God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeue lies Micheas saw the Lord sitting vpon a throne the host of heauen stood on his right hand on his left the Lord said Who will seduce Achab that he may go and fall at Ramoth Gilead Then there came forth a spirit and stoode before the Lord and said I will seduce him I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets then the Lord saide thou shalt seduce him and thou shalt preuaile Now therefore behold the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of al those thy prophets and the Lord hath appointed euill against thee Therfore in a word I answer according as it is a doctrine receiued in the schooles Deus est author mali sed mali poenae non mali culpa quatenus est in hominibus culpa est quatenus proficiscitur à Deo paena est culpa non est iustae vindictae deus author est Satan minister God is the authour of euill but of what euill our schoole learning teacheth vs to distinguish of euils one is a sinne the other a punishment God is the cause wee do euill but as wee doo it it is sinne as hee doth cause it it is no sin but a punishment for our sinnes And so as it is a punishment or reuenge God is the authour Sathan is the executor of the same Thomas Aquinas sheweth that in sinne two things must bee considered which are Actio ac actionis vitium res qualitas rei actio quatenus res opus est bona est à Deo proficiscitur quatenus vitiosa est non à

worlde but that through him the worlde might bee saued And notwithstanding the enmitie betweene God and vs continued no longer then vntill wee were reconciled vnto him through his sonne yet vnlesse hee had of his free mercie loued vs from the beginning hee had neuer sent his sonne to reconcile vs. For so writeth Augustine Incomprehensibilis immutabilis est Dei dilectio non enim ex quo ei reconciliati sumus per saenguinem filij eius cepit nos diligere sed ante mundi constitutionem dilexit nos vt cum eius vnigenito nos filij eius essemus antequàm omnino aliquid essemus Incomprehensible and immutable is the loue of God for his loue towardes vs did not then first begin whē we were reconciled to him by the death of his son but his loue was frō the beginning for he ordeined vs when as yet we wer not sons to be heires with his only son Ita deus dilexit mundū c. So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten son for vs that whosoeuer beleeued in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting In which wordes of our sauiour Christ I note six things which al do sauour of the infinit mercy of god shewed to sinful men The first is that god is the only author and efficient cause of y t saluation of sinners The 2. is what moued God to saue sinners his great loue towards them the 3. how far this loue of god is extended euen to all sinners for he so loued the world the 4. the means how he wrought the saluation of sinners by which saluation he made his loue knowē vnto thē by giuing his son y t highest degree of cōpassion hee gaue the innocent for the nocēt the righteous for the vnrighteous that not a stranger but a kinsman not a kinsman but a son not a son onely but an onely son The 5. what sinners take hold of this his mercy not simply al sinners but all beleening sinners the 6. is the end of his compassion vpō sinners that they should not perish in their sins but haue life euerlasting These things being so that we haue so many argumēts of his mercy shewed to sinners that he is the only author of their saluation and that it proceedeth from his loue and for the working of it he spared not his onelie sonne and that it extended not to a fewe but to all for as much as hee loued the world And which is a more euident proofe of his mercie seeing he woulde haue none to perish but all to come to repentance seeing he would haue all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth for as much as there is one God and one Mediator betweene God and man the man Iesus Christ which gaue himselfe a raunsome for all men to be a testimonie in due time seeing euery one which calleth on the name of the Lord shall be saued And our Sauiour Christ inuiteth them saying Come to mee all that bee laden and I will refresh you if Gods mercie be greater then all his workes if he bee more ready to saue then to destroy to absolue then to condemne as it appeareth in that immediately vpon the sinne by Adam committed in Paradice he pronounced the sentence of saluation before the doome of cōdemnation promising the Messias the blessed seed before he threatned him with misery death that he might raise him vp to a liuely hope and not throw him downe into the pitte of desperation And as saint Augustine sayeth Quando peccauit homo miserabiliter condonauit Deus misericorditer When man sinned most miserably God forgaue him most mercifully Et licet ô Deus in cunctis tuis operibus mirabilis es tamen mirabilior esse crederis in operibus pietatis Though he be wonderfull in all his workes yet hee is more to bee wondered at for his workes of pittie In so great a clowde of witnesses of Gods mercie which is extended to all and that hee delighteth not in the death of any sinner how can it be that many are called and few are chosen that great is the way that leadeth to perdition and many there bee that finde it and narrowe is the gate which leadeth to saluation and fewe there bee that enter therein That when Esau and Iacob had done neither good nor euill that the purpose of God might remaine according to election not by workes but by him that calleth before they were borne God loued Iacob and hated Esau chose one and refused the other that he will haue mercie on whom he will haue mercie and shew compassion on whom he wil shew compassion That it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie That he hath mercy on whom hee will and whō he will he hardeneth though the children of Israel were in number as the sandes of the sea but a remnant shall be saued I haue thought good to handle this poynt at large and for the better discussing therof to collect and gather out these three conclusions The first that it is not the will of God that all men should be saued The second that the absolute wil of God his secret decree from all eternitye is the cause why some are predestinated to saluation others to death and destruction and not any foresight of faith or good workes in the one or of infidelitie neglect or contempt in the other The third that Christ died not effectually for all Of the first S. Augustine disputeth in this maner That God will not haue all men to be saued it is manifest forasmuch as our Sauiour wrought many works in the vnthankfull cities Corazin Bethsaida Capernaum which he knew would not repent but he refrained from shewing any such examples in Tire and Sidon and Gomorrha and Sodom which if he had done there Tire and Sydon had repented in sackcloth ashes Sodom had remained vntill this day Moreouer saith he I giue thee thanks ô father lord of heauē earth because thou hast hid these things meaning the misteries of saluation frō the wise vnderstāding hast opened them to babes it is so ô father because thy good wil was such But how then saith he shall we answer the obiectiō of S. Paul Quo modo dicit apostolus deus vult omnes homines saluari quum plurimi non fiant salui If God will haue all men to be saued as the apostle writeth how is it that the greatest part are dāned Deus multa potest quae non vult sed nihil vult quod non potest his power is greater thē his will and his will extendeth not it selfe so far as his power his will is not to do all that he can but he can do whatsoeuer is his will as the prophet speaketh Our god is in heauen

both was in iustice inflicted vpon one and in mercie but vpon the one that as one was an example of his iustice so the other might bee a vessell of mercie that none may boast of his owne merits because it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie When the wicked shall be tormented in hell fire then shal Gods saints clearly perceiue howe much his grace and mercie did auaile them then shall they find it true by their owne experience as a thing verified in themselues which Dauid speaketh in his hundred Psalme My song shall be of mercie and iudgement For that they are saued it is free mercie that the other are damned it is iust iudgement When of two infants one is chosen through mercie the other refused in iustice he which is chosen cannot but confesse what in iustice was due vnto himselfe had not mercy beene shewed vnto him So then where mercye is not shewed there is not iniquity but iust iudgment inflicted I remember Saint Augustine speaketh very fitly to this purpose in an other place though vpon an other occasion for in his 157. Epistle to Optatus he proposeth this question why God hath ordained so few to be saued and foreseeing that so many millions of men are to bee damned for their sinnes why he doth creaate them Why so mercifull a God should be glorified more by the damnation then saluation of his owne creatures For if his glorie did consist in sauing rather then in destroying it should seeme without doubt that the greatest number shoulde bee saued and that hee would not create those whom he doth foreknowe to be but reprobate Hee maketh this answere Meritò iniustum videretur quòd fiunt vasa ad perditionem nisi esset vniuersa ex Adam massa damnata Indeede it might seeme verie iniurious that anie shoulde be ordayned to bee vessels of wrath if it were not that the whole lumpe of which the vessels of wrath are framed had beene damned before in Adam but nowe Quod fiunt nascendo vasa irae pertinet ad debitam paenam quod fiunt renascendo vasa misericordiae pertinet ad indebitam gratiam That manie are borne vesselles of wrath it is but a iust punishment due to theyr originall sinne that a fewe by their regeneration are made vessels of mercie it is vndeserued fauour But if all which are borne of Adam shoulde bee regenerate and borne anew and none should bee damned then Lateret beneficium quod donatur indignis Then Gods mercie which is extended to them that are saued which indeede are all vnworthy of their saluation would not bee so apparent as nowe it is when but a fewe are saued Plures Deus fecit damnandos quam saluandos incomparabili multitudine vt reiectorum multitudine ostenderetur quàm nulli momenti sit apud Deum iustum quan● talibet numerositas iustissimè damnatorum atque vt hinc quoque intelligant qui ex ipsa damnatione redimuntur hoc fuisse massae illi vniuersae debitum quod tam magnae eius parti redditum cernerent But therefore GOD hath ordayned without all comparison more to bee damned then to bee saued for these two causes First that it myght appeare by the great multitudes of them which are damned howe little GOD which is most iust regardeth the outcryes of whole multitudes of sinners which are iustlye punished Secondlye that they which are redeemed from that damnation may by their owne redemption confesse when they see the greater part damned that that damnation was due to the whole lumpe and therefore to their owne selues which was adiudged to the greater part Secondly he is not vniust by any parciality in punishing because first hee may because it is his will and pleasure iustly condemne some as it appeareth by Pharao secondly as in election so in reprobation between his decree and the execution of his decree there bee subordinate causes for although his will be the first principall cause that he decreeth who shall be saued and who shall bee damned yet between his decree to saue and saluation it selfe there is mercie for none is saued but by mercie and betweene his decree to condemne and the damnation there is hardening that men can not repent but continue in their sinnes So that albeit the cause why he decreed that men shoulde bee damned is only in himself because his owne wil is the cause of that decree there is found cause of damnation inherent in themselues which is infidelitie and hardnesse of heart so that none are condemned but first there is found in them matter enough worthy of condemnation as the Prophet speaketh Perditio tua ex te salus ex me Israel Thy saluation ô Israel commeth onely from me but thy damnation from thy selfe And as the apostle speaketh These which as bruit beasts lead with sensualities speake euill of the things they knowe not shall perish through their owne corruption Lastly where it is written Thou wilt say vnto me why doth hee yet complaine for who hath resisted his will Hee graunteth two antecedents that God hardeneth whō he will And that no man hath power to resist his will And yet the argument is denied as a weake consequent that therfore Gods wrath is vniustly kindled against them whō he thus hardeneth and constraineth to do his will shewing that man may not thus expostulate which hee proueth by two reasons First an argument called in Logicke à comparatis where he saith Nunquid deo non licebit quod figulo licet The potter may of his owne clay make vessels for the bedde as well as for the boord and may not God much more of the same lumpe make vessels of wrath The second is Ab optimo fine diuini concilij drawn from the end which God doth propose where he saith What if God woulde to shewe his wrath and to make his power knowen suffer with long patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction And that he might declare the riches of his glorie vppon the vessels of mercie whom he hath prepared to glorie who can accuse him of vniustice Then he sheweth that neither the saluation of the elect nor the damnation of the wicked is the last ende of his eternall decree and purpose but that he proposeth a further and better end which is his owne glorie that he may shewe his wrath and make his power knowne as also he may declare the riches of his glorie A poynt of so deepe diuinitie woulde require both a learned and large discourse especially before so honourable frequent and iudicious an auditorie but two houres are too short a scantling I am cōstrained to be briefer then I woulde But that you may bee fully satisfied concerning this poynt I will with as great breuitie as I can aunswere three obiections which doe seeme to make agaynst this doctrine of predestination which I haue deliuered vnto you The first is of

which commō places he inferreth this conclusion They once beleeued they were lightned they receiued y ● knowledge of the truth they were made partakers of the holy Ghost tasted of the heauenly gift were washed sanctified made the temples of God the members of Christ the Lord bought them Therefore they were redeemed and Christ dyed effectually for them and that they are not saued it is not any decree of God from euerlasting but the free will which was in themselues that being redeemed they renounced the benefite of their redemption when it was in their power to haue receiued it To these places I answere That indeed in outward appearance they were washed sanctified redeemed made the members of Christ and Temples of the holy Ghost but not in truth and in veritie for as much as they which are indeed the children of God can neuer reuolt and start backe from the faith and their state of saluation Our Sauiour saith My sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and they follow me and I giue them eternall life and they shall neuer perish neyther shall any plucke them out of mine hande my father which gaue mee them is greater then all and none is able to take them out of my Fathers hande And the Apostle sayeth of the false prophets they went from vs but they were not of vs for if they had beene of vs they woulde haue continued with vs but this commeth to passe that it might appeare that they were not all of vs. And concerning free will which hee affirmeth to be the cause of their apostacie the time will not permit mee to say much onely this in a worde The will of man is neither as the Eagle which alwayes with stedfast eyes beholdeth the brightnesse of the Sunne neither as a stone which alwayes falleth downe from the top to the bottome for neyther doth it alwayes soare vp aloft nor decline to the centre but sometime it is in diuine contēplation some times againe it meditateth vpon vanity It is not dead yet it liueth not it is not blind and yet it seeth not as the seede sowne in the ground is not consumed and yet it springeth not vp without the warmth and comfort of the Sunne as the eye in darkenesse is not blinde and yet it neither liueth nor seeth without the especiall grace of God There are three sorts of agents the one is ex Placito and that is God the other is ex necessitate and that is nature then there must needes bee a third which consisteth in a mediocritie betweene them both for Positis extremis ponuntur Media No man is good agaynst his will so no man hath power to will any thing that is good vnlesse God giue him the will For as the Prophet speaketh The way of man is not in himselfe neither is it in man to walke and direct his steppes We are not of our selues sufficient to thinke a good thought as of our selues but all our sufficiencie is of God No man commeth to Christ vnlesse his father drawe him What good I woulde do that do I not the euill which I would not do that do I sayth the Apostle But there is a schoole distinction betweene compulsion and necessitie For Qui necessariò peccat nihilominus voluntariò peccat Though man cannot choose but offend yet hee is willing to offend but that is no libertie or freedome of his will In the third he doth not so much dispute against the questiō as blaspheme against the maiestie of God As if all mankind be not redeemed by Christ neither was by his decree ordained to life that he may be iustly accused of notorious crueltie an iniustice his wordes are Immensae iniusticiae doli crudelitatis omnium flagitiorū quae saeuissimo competunt tyranno 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hee is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They be such reprochfull wordes that you may blush to heare them and I when I do but thinke of them I may say with Iob Feare commeth vpon me and dread which causeth all my bones to tremble I am ashamed to repeate them in English because I would not defile your religious eares He doth sayth hee moreouer condemne men their cause being not heard or if it be heard himself doth inforce them to offend and leadeth them into snares to be intrapped he doth punish them for the contempt of that benefite of their redemption to whom he neuer ment that it should appertaine he is like an housholder which chasteneth his familie for refusing their dinner for whome no dinner was ordayned like the maister of a feast which inuiteth guestes to his Table but entertayned a verie fewe of them and intreateth the most of them hardly when they come thither hee did when he wept ouer Ierusalem Fundere lachrymas Crocodili that he was not verus but mendax and periurus To these vngodly and irreligious speaches derogatorie to the highnesse and maiestie of the Sonne of God I say with Saint Paule Euill wordes corrupt good maners and with Michael the Archangel when hee disputed with the diuell about the bodie of Moses the Lorde rebuke thee But to come to the reasons which he alledgeth setting aside his blasphemous wordes hee argueth in this manner To holde with Caluin that Christ dyed not to saue all but onelie those which in his will bee had predestinated were plaine Mahometisme Paganisme Sarasanisme For first that were to take away all comfort which is deriued vnto vs by the passion of Christ to annihilate the vertue of his death to ouerthrowe the foundation of fayth for fayth cannot stand being grounded vpon particulars the vniuersalitie of the redemption of mankind being denied because then euerie man in particular may doubt of himselfe whether Christ bee his Redeemer or no when it is helde that he hath redeemed but a fewe Secondly it were to abolish the ministerie of the Gospel for as much as the duetie of the Minister of Gods worde is to preach repentaunce and to pronounce remission of sinnes through Christ vnto all to minister the Sacraments to all and not to a few To these absurde conclusions I may say with Ierome Sententias vestras prodidisse refutasse est The verie recitall is a sufficient confutation of theyr absurdities For what man but meanely instructed in the rudiments of Christian Religion can bee ignoraunt that fayth is grounded vppon the trueth of Gods promise in his sonne Iesus Christ but the application thereof must not be made to all in generall but to euerye one in particular by his owne selfe For a true liuelye and iustifying fayth of a Christian man is thus defined To bee a sure and certaine knowledge of the loue of God towards himselfe which beeing grounded vpon the truth of Gods promise in Christ is reuealed and sealed by the holy Ghost And that is it which the Prophet speaketh Iustus sua fide