without the workes of the lawe that he mente by the workes of the lawe but cyrcumcysyon and the other ceremonies nowe abrogated and not the lawe of the commaundementes Then let him heare Paule expownynge hym selfe of what lawe he mente aunswerynge to suche obiections By the lawe sayth he cometh the knowledge of synne and I hadde not knowen concupyscence to haue ben synne hadde not the lawe sayde Thou shalt not haue any concupiscens or lust And then when he wrote his pysâ—les circumcision and the rytes and ceremonyes were abrogated amonge the christen Iewes and the Gentyles neuer were bounde to them as was Abraham iustyfyed by fayth onelye ere the lawe was wrytten and before he was cyrcumcysed And Peter sayd that this same lawe whyche Paule excludethe from iustificacion and Wynch calleth his condicioÌ„ is a yoke importable whiche proueth it not to be circumcysion nor anye of their ceremonyes of Moses lawe for these were lyght enoughe to beare lyghter and easyer then to not luste or desyre any thynge agaynst goddes wyll or for a ryche man to forsake all and gyue it to the pore or for Wynchester to caste of his pride his bisshopryke with all his vaynglorye and to become the humble poore pure persecuted preacher of goddes worde It is redde that therewas one man that by suffring doynge and fulfyllynge the lawe of the commaundementes came to heuen euen christe onelye In Math. we reade of a nother yonge man that wolde go to heuen by doynge some good workes askynge Chryste Good Mayster what dedes shall I do to haue lyfe eternall whose mynde Chryste seynge dydde set hym but certayne of the easyeste commaundementes to fulfyll them And he sayde as for these I haue done them alredye wel then sayd chryst or rather so thought If ye wyll nedes go to heauen by doyng I shall set you to do such dedes as I knowe well ye wyll neuer do yea they be impossible for you to do theÌ„ euen to sell his substance and to geue it to the poore and so to folow hym now goyng forth to Ierusalem to suffer death What dydde this man I praye you howe farre went he with Christ thinke you went he not his waye heuyly from christ And yet wyll Wynchester go to heauen by doynge and fulfyllynge his harde condicion I dare saye he wolde skratche his head twise as dydde this ryche man ere he solde his bysshoprike and hadde gyuen it to the poore And therefore christe pronounced that it is impossible for such riche men to come to heauen God therfore trusted vs so litle with the fulfyllynge of the lawe and so by this condicion to come to heauen that he toke it out of our handes layd it vppon his sonne christes backe to be fulfilled For yf he had left our saluacion in our owne handes to be deserued by our workes we had ben al dampned VvintonÌ„ Your haÌ„deling of this my conclusion declareth plain that ye vnderstaÌ„d not what ye say nor of what thing ye affirme and that I leaue to the iudgement of the reader with remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of that I haue before written For ye fondely improue a conclusion which myght stand be true with your fonde paradox of only fayth iustifieth onlesse in teaching ye wyl so handel the matter as Barnes did that a maÌ„ is iustified before he beleueth For and if beleue go before iustification as a cause doth theffecte then seing in scripture belefe is called a dede and proceding from the gift of god must nedes be a good dede it foloweth necessarily Ergo I may by gods gift do a good deede before I am iustified But I moued Barnes of a deede before belefe that is that lerning to beleue by hearing sermons or reading wherin the grace of god prepareth mans wyll as scripture sayth So truly do you saye wheÌ„ ye cal me pelagian I asked Barnes of that deede whether it were good or no and proued it good And then bicause it is done before iustification I brought the conclusion aforesayde wherof ye take occasion to be ioyful in the mery moneth of May. All which your iestinges I can so wel digest as I am not ashamed to cause theÌ„ to be rehersed in this boke bicause the buddes of your fruteful lerning may appeare to considre what frute we may loke for of theÌ„ As for the matter of iustificatioÌ„ by faith and workes was not ment betwene Barnes and me to be spoken of in this conclusion and so therin ye striue not with me but with your self beat your owne shadow in stead of an aduersary Where ye thinke I am not so ignorauÌ„t in my graÌ„mer as to englyshe the text of saynt Paule Fides que per dilectionem operatur Fayth which is wrought by charitie and make operatur a uerbe passiue ye thynke not amisse if I shulde englysshe it worde for worde But as for the sense because scripture doth attribute life to charite withoute which fayth remayneth dead I se no suche cause of absurdite as ye fynde to saye fayth is set a worke by charite The enterprise of thesâ— sâ—eres is worldly anâ— they set it furthe witâ— prophecies other worldly vanities and the good lerned men of the Greke churche expounde saynte Iames after that sorte And as for suche vanitie in prophecies if ye do regarde them in the peruerting of iustification you and Barnes with your secte were that company who haue so confusely handled that matter as ye make iustificatioÌ„ before al faith in hym that is onely moued to beleue Considre with your self whether this turnynge vpsidowne in consideratioÌ„ of the doctrine in iustificatioÌ„ .xl. yeres past may be verified on you or me I affirme the same iustificatioÌ„ that was theÌ„ taught you be the turners Ioyes prâ—phecy noteâ— him self anâ— he seeth it not so by your owne prophecy be noted for Antechrist I gyue no credite to suche prophecies but because you do I allege youre owne prophecie for your owne confusion Blynde men â—ee nothinge and as ye can not se goddes truth whiche ye beleue not so ye can not se the true sense of your owne prophane prophecie whiche ye beleue And yf ye wyll nowe go backe from youre backewarde iustificacion after your accustomed maner then must you place the studyouse worke of learnyng our belefe and likewise the worke of baptisme the worke of beleuing and the worke of loue to be before iustification and some of them in the thefe hangynge on the crosse God iustifieth no man without the gyftes of fayth and loue this ye graunt whiche when man receyueth he receiueth by theÌ„ iustification wherin I call mans deserte and merite onely the vsing of the benefites offred of faith and loue And other deserte and merite man can not haue For what hath any man good that he hath not receyued And therefore the commaundemente of loue with oure hole hartes c. is not so extreme as ye make it to a christen man whose faythe speakethe to
of God do I not make god auctoure of fayth wher by is assured knowledge of gods wyll and pleasure conteynynge the condicion of oure estate required to enioy theffecte of christes passion whiche is the summe of that I said hitherto Nowe when ye reherse for mine article as foloweth This faith is a good gyft it is good and profitable to me It is good and profitable to me to do well and exercyse this fayth Ye note me to haue spoken a sorte of good wordes but suche as I spake not in dede be in dede nothynge to the purpose And it had ben a coold speache to say fayth is a good gifte it is good and profitable it is profitable to me to do well I that had called faith the gyfte of god necessaryly before all requyred for knowledge it had ben worship fully spoken afterwarde to saye fayth is a good gyfte by laken as though any gyfte of god coulde be otherwyse then good Barnes wyt was more fresh â—râ—de that exâ—ed grace â—rred al in â—arnes and many mo our matter more lyuely quycke theÌ„ to make these articles as ye note them And they serue nothyng to the coÌ„clusyon that ye reherse afterward ergo by the gyft of god I may do well before I am iustified And that was in dede the mater proponed betwene vs. whether a maÌ„ myght haue grace to do well before he were iustified For maister Barns had affirmed that albeit god saith we must forgyue our neyghbour to obteyne forgyuenes of god yet he said that god must forgyue vs first before we forgiue our neighbour For elles to forgyue oure neyghbour were synne by the texte that ye brynge in All that is not of fayth is synne A true sayeng but brought in to subuerte truth as the deuyll dyd scripture And in this dreame was Barnes that folowyng the newe scoole of extremites he denyed al degrees of grace as you do said A man could do nothyng good or acceptable before the grace of iustificatioÌ„ For coÌ„futation wherof I agreed fyrst with hym and he with me of the former proposicions and came to this that we must haue fayth firste of all to knowe what we shulde beleue After this I asked him if a gentile felte him self moued to go heare a preachynge or rede some parte of scripture whether wolde he cal it wel done of him to go to the sermoÌ„ rede the scripture or were it synne because it was before faith He said it was good And then I said it must nedes be so for it was of God profitable to hym And thereupon folowed the conclusion that ye laughe at ergo a man may do good before his iustification Barnes was not contente in dede with the conclusion And wheÌ„ he sawe that he coulde improue none of the partes wherof it folowed Then began he to saye that suche a gentyle so moued to go to the sermon or to rede scripture was then iustified of god in that mocion And then I replied Ergo men be iustified before fayth and so were it by Barnes false that onely faith iustifieth for this man was iustified without faith For howe shulde he haue faith before he hadde harde when faith is of hearinge as saint Paule sayth But to defend and maintaine his first fonde saieng that a man can do no good thinge before he be iustified he was faine to maynteyne that a man is iustified before he heareth and before he beleueth and so confounded he the degrees of gods workynge in time in vs. Fyrst to call vs and then to iustifie vs as saint Paule declareth it Those he hath knowen he hath predestinate and those he hath predestinate he hath called and those he hath called he hath iustified and those he hath iustified he hath glorified So as callynge whiche god doth by many meanes is before iustification at the lest in ordre or els if we considre no prioritie in gods workinge in time in vs we must aswell say god hath glorified vs when he doth iustifie vs as that he hath iustified vs â—erard that â—ffred with â—arnes had preached at the callynge of vs. And in dede one of Barnes companions had preached that God had iustified vs before the beginninge of the worlde puttynge no difference betwene iustificatioÌ„ in time and predestination and election that God worketh aboue tyme and such a coÌ„fusion ariseth where men will take vpon them to affirme that they vnderstande not And because they neyther done mind to do anye good dedes they wold perswade to the world the we caÌ„ do no maner of good dedes tyll we haue no nede of them for our saluacion that is to say til we be iustified and clerely in goddes perfyt fauour and assured by our owne belefe of lyfe euerlastynge I speake coÌ„fuselye of workes of iustice and workes of penaunce together whiche they do not distincte as appereth by Ioye in the laste article but for doctrine I saye with saynte Austine that bona opera iusticie sequuntur iustificationem and opera penitencie precedunt and as though we shulde saye to god Giue me my wages aforehande and make me sure that I shal haue heauen and then I professe I wil forgeue my neighbour Then I wil fast the true fast from synne Then I wil pray Then I wyll do almose Then I wil loue mine enemy For then I can do it And before the al our dedes al our thoughtes be synne Ne man can haue grace to do any of these before iustification And so if belefe be requyred before iustification there aryseth then a maruelouse perplexytye howe I shuld worke well the worke of beleefe before I am iustified But as we say my synnes be forgiuen because I beleue so bycause my synnes were forgyuen I dydde beleue And for defence hereof they enter into a darker matter of goddes priuie counsayl of predestinacion and make predestination the next and immediate cause to our saluacion Predestinacion And then as all the worlde hath almost lefte doynge so they shulde leaue talkynge of workes yea and faith also and saye that men be saued by predestination For god hath so appoynted whose wyll in them that be predestinate shal be fulfylled and in them that be reprobate can not be withstanded Voluntati enim eius quis resistit And so when men haue so longe stryuen to atteyne knoweledge of the truth and babled of faith and workes without atteynynge eyther of both then as men do that be wery of all together they resort to the ydle reasonynge as the Grekes cal it That shal be shal be And as god hath appointed so must it be and god knoweth who be his and he wyll lose none of them And al beleued that were preordinate to euerlastynge lyfe and they that be indurate can not heare or se for god hath blynded them finally all thinges come to passe by an absolute necessite and so mannes lyfe death manours behauour state condicion and
moste certeynlye beleue it A busy wittâ— must be confounded and so tamed like a yonge coltâ— in a newe falowed lande broughte to knowe his imbecillite â–ª But saint Paule doth rather go about to confounde mans iudgement more and more that wolde enterprise to discerne gods secrete iudgementes to that purpose bringeth in the aunswere of god to Moises when he prayed god to pardonne the synne of Idolatrye committed by them that worshypped the golden calf which auÌ„swer of god was that god wold haue compassion of theÌ„ that he thought good to pardon and shewe mercy to suche as it pleased him wherby appeared that amonge a multitude that offended a lyke to mans iudgement god in ministracion of mercy vsed the pleasure of his wil makynge a difference in distribucion of his mercy where mannes reason coulde perceiue no difference in the offence So as neyther mans wyllynge or runnyng atteyneth the effecte but by the mercye of God And after thys saynt Paule bringeth in the scripture of Pharao whome God stirred vp to shew his vertue in him and to shewe forth gods name in the hole earth in which Pharao the withdrawynge of gods mercy which he obstinatelye withstode notwithstandyng so many myracles wrought by goddes powre to call him to mercye the saide Pharaos induracion grewe and folowed in such sorte as mans reason wyll thereof gather and conclude whom so euer god wyll haue mercy on he ministreth it vnto hym and whose hart god wil harden he hardeneth And then it foloweth that if this be so god hath no cause to complayne of man as the murmerer sayth who is fashioned and placed after gods wyll which no man can resiste Preyde by boldnes encresith and stayeth not til it come to the highest Wherein saynte Paule learneth vs to what issue the presumptuouse searchynge of goddes secrete iudgementes commethe vnto whereby manne studyeth to impute hys faulte to goddes ordenaunce to arrecte all the blame to God and excuse our self And further saynt Paule teacheth vs howe to represse suche mennes arrogante temeritie to encountre with god and pertely to aske hym why he complayneth of that he hath hym selfe ordeyned for as he hathe wylled all thynge is such a rebuke as foloweth is verye mete and conuenient as what man art thou that canst vse suche language to god Shall the worke that is made aske the craftes man whye madest me thus may not the potter of one lumpe of claye make one vessell A presumptuous boldnes must be put to sylence to an honeste vse and a nother to a vyle vse In this wyse and wyth suche sort of aunswere shoulde the mouth of eche proude presumtuouse arrogante wytte be stopped that wolde attempt so to dispute goddes workes as in conclusion he myght deryue the verye cause of mannes iniquitie to be attribute to goddes ordenaunce as directed by his onelye wyl Howe vnsemely is it that the worke shulde stryue with the craftes man we shoulde be all in the hand of god as the claye is in the hande of the potter folowyng obedient styll quyet without reasonyng or murmuringe at goddes ordenaunce Note thiâ— vnderstandynge of saint Paulâ— in this placâ— And here saynte Chrisostome notethe that this simylytude of the potter is not broughte in by saynte Paule to declare that God hathe created men in the worlde as the potter makethe pottes specyallye appoyntynge thys man or that man to be dampned as the potter makethe certayne vyle pottes for then we shoulde affyrme a mere necessitie But this similitude of the craftes man and potter is broughte to declare oure parte towardes God not to reason with god of our state and controll his doynges but to honoure him obeye hym with contentemente of our selfe in our estate without all irreuerent encountryng with our craftes man god no more the other workes of men do with their craftes man Manes free choyse hath â—en a perpetuall true doctrine in christes churche So as in this passe of saynt Paule saynt Chrisostome is very diligent to note and conferme vnto vs that saint Paule myndeth not to empayre the true doctryne of mannes free choyce gyuen of God to be the cause of his owne dampnacion by refusynge goddes gyfte of grace whereby he myghte be saued and that the induracion of Pharao grew of his owne malyce only by goddes sufferaunce and permission and this doctrine hath euer ben in Christes churche from the begynnyng Symon Magus the fyrste auctor of mere necessite which Symon Magus dyd fyrste impugne and was the fyrste auctour of the heresie of mere necessitie whyche heresie hath ben in sundry ages renued as it hath ben of late by luther other and not yet extinct But let vs returne again to saynt Paule who after he hath stopped the vnshamefast mouth of the murmuringe Iewe that wolde unpute the reiection of the Iues to gods ordenaunce Saynt Paule entendynge to declare where the cause of the Iewes fall is to be sought and founde after certayne textes broughte oute of the prophetes Osee and Isaye sygnyfyenge before suche a reiection to be of the Iewes Saynte Paule asketh what shall we saye then yf if be not to be attributed to goddes faulte or iniquytye whyche is ouer greate blasphemye that the Iewes were caste oute and the ientyles receyued Quid dicemus what shall we saye where shall we fynde the cause of theyr reiection Wherunto it is aunswered and a cause declared as foloweth that the ientyles not folowynge the iustyee of workes embraced the very iustice by faith And the Israelites folowinge the lawe of iustice atteyned it not because they wente about to obteine it by workes and not by faith So as finallye this lesson we muste learne wherof saynt Paule spake in the begynnynge of the epistle Deus uerax est omnis homo mendax And we muste worshyp gods truth and accuse our owne iniquitie The cause â—f maÌ„s damâ—ation in â—ym selfe We must sâ—ke the cause of our dampnacion in our owne malice not in gods ordenaunce Perditio tua ex te Israel We must acknowledge the inscrutable wisedome of god that so disposeth all thinge swetely as all men haue cause to magnifie his mercy and no man by goddes ordre tempted to murmur of his iustice Those that be dampned muste lamente their owne miserie Those that be saued muste glorye in god who hath predestinate them called theÌ„ iustified them and glorified them And therfore death is a due sould for synne and lyfe euerlastynge due by the grace of god What shall I saye nowe haue I lerned you what is predestinatioÌ„ throughly nay for sothe Nor I haue taken that vpon me But thus much I know that predestination doth not impugne the free choyse of man ne restrayneth the goodnes of god with acception of persons or diminissheth that sentence of saynt Paule Deus uult omnes homines saluos fieri ad agnitioneÌ„ ueritatis uenire God wylleth all men to be saued and come
discerninge one man from an other withoute acception of persons and yet leauynge therewith to all men fre choyse and election to vse goddes gyftes or reiecte them We that be thus curiouse shal be eiected and cast out by the aungel of god and thrust into the darknes and blyndnes of our sensuall reasonyng and so confound oure selfes with doubte vppon doubte as we can not tell what to saye Here some wyll percase replye that I haue spoken a meany of good wordes whyche serue rather to wynde vp the matter agayne then to declare it For that I haue said hetherto of predestination â—re myght â—n ende if 〈◊〉 wâ—re â—ent is the sense of a fewe wordes of the wise man saieng Seke not for thynges that be aboue thy capacitie and let gods secrecies alone And after this sorte saynte Paule handled this matter to the Romayns in the .ix. chapiter and continueth in that matter to the xii concluding there with an exclamacion of the height of the wisdome of god and of his counsailes and iudgementes not able to be comprehended by mans vnderstandynge but the proces of that matter well digested shuld muche satisfye all men in consideration of this highe mysterye For when saynt Paule for declaration of his aboundaunce of charitie towardes his nacion of the Iewes with a zeale of the settyng forth of goddes glorye as he wisshed him selfe abiecte from goddes fauour so all the Iewes myght be saued to whome God hadde shewed so manye prerogatyues He aunswered then as it were to the obiectyon of a murmurynge Iewe that wolde impute the falle of the Iewes to the chaunge of goddes pleasure meaninge as it were blasphemouslye that God hadde fayled of his worde and promysse And fyrst saynt Paule sayth The wordâ— of god fayleth not buâ— is sometym noâ— well vnderstanded The worde of god hath not fayled for the promysse was not made of God to all the Iewes but only to the very true Israelites And al the sede of Abraham be not the sonnes of Abraham of whome God mente but onelye in Isaac Abrahams seede shal be estemed And not they that by carnall generation onelye came of Abraham shoulde be the sonnes of God but they alone that were the chyldren of the promysse By openyng whereof saynte Paule mynded to put suche a Iewe to silence with declaracioÌ„ of the Iewes ignoraunce that he vnderstode not the promysse of god as it was made but vnderstode it carnally as though it had ben made to a carnall generatioÌ„ And then saint Paule to declare further to them that wolde fynde out the cause of the Iewes reiection on gods behalfe â—ods iudgeâ—eÌ„tes excede 〈◊〉 capacite how farre gods iudgementes and choyses excede our capacite sheweth howe god without al difference to be atteyned by mans iudgement dyd chose Iacob and reproue Esau hauynge both one father one mother in one tyme begotten neyther of theÌ„ yet borne neither hauyng done any worke why to be preferred the other not onlye hereby hidinge from vs the cause of suche election and preferment of the yonger to the elder but also takynge away all coniecture of causes to the intente all suche wayes of searche and diuinacion of goddes secrete doinges shuld be taken away from the curiosite of mans wyt And where any thinge altereth otherwise theÌ„ man loketh for there for to confesse that god is all truth and all wisedome and we without gods gyftes be all foly and faultie Gods wyl is cause of all causes but not cause immediate of al thynge so as we ought to worshyppe gods wyll as cause of all causes directinge all thinge in equitte and iustice numbre and measure the perticuler discussion whereof Man can nether comprehende god nâ— his workes no mans wyt can perticulerly comprehende For as no man hath sene god as he is so no man can se througly al the secrecie of gods workemanshyp but only so much as is opened vnto vs. Wherefore saynt Paule as he dyd in the first declaration of Abrahams seede and posteritie laye before the murmuringe Iewe his ignoraunce in the vnderstandynge of goddes promysse So doth he in openynge of gods election of Iacob and Esau God hideth his secretes from vs teache by this occasion all the worlde howe goddes determinacions be hydden frome vs and euery wyndowe shyt vp where we myghte pere into them And yet man can not let this matter alone And the more secret it is the more busye we be to knowe And therefore saynte Paule in the personne of a murmurer deuiseth this encountrynge with god What shall we saye Is iniquitie with god mary god forbid And yet I se that god preferreth the yonger to thelder And I can not fysshe out any cause or coÌ„iecture to call the dede equitie in mans reason but rather because the yonger is preferred there appereth to mans reason a cause of iniquitie Wherfore we be lerned by saynte Paule that we must in such wise subdue our vnderstandynge to fayth that beleuyng vndoubtedlye god is all iustice we may not esteme any thinge certainly affirmed to be done by him to be vniuste For as saynte Chrisostome sayeth God seeth with other eyes then we do And as the carpenter choseth a peece of timbre we can not atteyne the reason of goddes woâ—kes to serue his purpose the reason wherof a man vnskylled can not discerne So god to buyld his church choseth after his knowledge wherevnto we can not attaine And therfore we must submytte and humble tharrogancie of oure vnderstandynge to goddes wisedome we must beleue fortrutâ— that we caâ— not deuyse how it shuld be truth beleue that whiche God teacheth and byddeth to be all true although the matter in consideracioÌ„ of our iudgement be impossible to be sette together For so dydde Abraham beleue god in his promysse of the multiplication of his seede by Isaac and beleued god also when he badde him go offre vp Isaac in sacrifice and yet if Abraham vpon the coÌ„maundement of the offrynge of his sonne had debated with him selfe howe the former promysse and the last commaundement myght haue agreed together he should not haue fouÌ„d howe to haue ioyned them in one truth Whiche Abraham dyd not but without stay as the scripture reaporteth the storye went about that he was commaunded to do and leauyng the curiositie of reasonyng beleued in hope agaynste hope And therefore lykewyse where scripture signifieth to me gods prouidence predestinatioÌ„ whiche shoulde seeme to take awaye and be repugnaunt to the free choice of man forasmuche as the scriptures be neuerthelesse in that matter of fre choyce also euident I muste beleue both to be true as Abraham dyd although I can not set them together But lette vs returne to saynte Paule who reiectyng such blasphemy of god as to say that god hath iniquitie doth not go about to proue that god hath no iniquitie for we maye not require the profe therof but as it is most true so must we
to the knowledge of the truth And christ bad preach the gospell to all creatures And god speaketh by Ezechiell that if a synner to whome god had sayde he shulde dye lefte his wickednes and turned to him he shal be saued And when soeuer a synner wayleth his synnes he shall lyue Now these defendours of mere necessitie whyche they do mysvnderstandynge predestinacion they handell all these general places of scrypture as though the speache of God were lyke the common prouerbe when the skye fall we shall haue larkes Vnderstandynge all suche condycyons as impossyble So as when he that is necessitate to be dampned turneth to God he shal be saued But suche one shall neuer turne as the skye shall not fall And so the textes I haue broughte in suche as speake generallye be in theyr iudgementes to no purpose And in deade they them selfes be ouerturned in their owne iudgement For and their opinion were true there neded no preachynge The inconuenience of mere necessitie prayer ministracion of sacramentes or any memory or remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of christ but as the Turkes do ones in a weke tell the people out of the stepyll ye that are predestinate shal be of necessitie saued ye that are not predestinate shal be of necessitie dampned And so an ende of al other serche in that matter whiche hath no alteracion after theyr fansy that dreame of necessitie Here agayne I am lyke to here somwhat that I speake thus lyghtely of predestination I am sorye I haue cause to note mens lyghtnes in such an high mistery â–ª I haue harde one saye vnto me that he knewe him selfe predestinate A maruelouse matter howe they talke of predestinacion beynge a worke of god without vs of vs to be honoured in silence as a great misterie the circumstance wherof our capacities can not comprehende And yet men haue reuerently traueled in the consideracion of it Saynt Augustine hath written a treatice de predestinatione sanctorum And howe so euer men wold wrest him to conferme their opinion of necessitie Necessitie â—xtincteth alâ—owe he him selfe is plaine in the condempnation of necessitie for it doth clearly extinct all vertue and vice and lykewyse heauen and hel when it is throughly thought on with the true opinion of God also and finallye the ordre of the world if it be wel considered You mayster Ioye percace waxe wery of my bablynge as ye wyll terme it wyll aske me what I meane and interrogate me homely what I wold say of predestination and I coulde speake Surely to this tendeth that I haue spokeÌ„ that I wolde predestinacion were honored as it shulde be lesse talked of Predestinacion to be honoured and better vnderstanded so much therof as it hath pleased god to reuele to his churche And for my selfe I note that saynt Augustine expoundyng the sayenge of christ Nemo uenit ad me nisi pater meus traxerit eum in thexposicion thereof saieth Si non traheris ora ut traharis Quem trahat et quem non trahat noli querere si non uis errare No man commeth to me sayeth Christe onles my father draweth hym In the exposition whereof saynt Augustine saith If thou beest not drawen praye that thou mayest be drawen but whome god draweth and whome he draweth not aske not yf thou wylte not erre An argumeÌ„t of mans reason in predestinacion Nowe thus wyll mans reason tumble in this matter If god hath decreed alreadye whom he wyll drawe and whome he wyl not drawe then it is to late to praye to be drawen or not nedefull for god wil drawe as he hath determined and none otherwyse And this reason extendeth to all maner of exhortacions eyther to be not effectuall as to late after predestination or not nedefull as I haue already said Out of this combre I rydde my self easely with suche discussion as I haue redde and learned of men exercised in scriptures whiche is that when we speake of God with distinction of tyme of anye worke done by god out of time we speake improperlye Of that god worketh in time we maye conuenientlye distinct the time we may saye God hath sent his sonne into the world to redeme man for it was in tyme as scripture saieth when the fulnes of tyme was But when we saye god hath predestinate and chosen vs before the begynnynge of the worlde the speache is not hable to expresse the matter and semeth to signifie a tyme paste where in deede there is none past For there is no tyme paste where was no tyme so as we muste acknowledge thimperfitnes of our speache wherin the hollye goost speaketh to imperfitte men And therefore the pretertens rather declareth a perfection in thacte then the passing ouer of the time in the acte Like as in hath glorified and hath iustified in them that be not yet borne we vnderstand not iustificacion glorificacion as an acte past because it is written in the pretertense for then both in iustifieng and glorifieng we must say all is done before the begynnynge of the worlde for the verbes expressynge the actes of iustificacion and gloryfycatyon be put in the pretertense that predestinacioÌ„ is written in And so it we shoulde deduce oure argumentes from the tyme we muste saye that god hath iustified and glorified them at ones with predestinacion whiche were a playne absurdite And yet our imperfitte speache so soundeth as thoughe glorificacion were done with predestinacion And albeit the pretertence signifieth in scripture the tyme to comme as appereth in many places yet in this place quos iustificauit glorificauit the futurtence can not fully expresse that is signified for it is done vs to vnderstande that God whose workes be hydden in secrete and who worketh continually hath from the begynnynge fauoured man and accordyng to his knowledge hath before all tyme elected and predestinate that is to say before the begynnynge of the world and in tyme hath called doth cal and shall call hath iustified doth iustifie and shal iustify hath glorified doth glorify and shall glorifie his electe and predestinate in suche measure as his pleasure hath appoynted I do not here go about good reader blasphemouslye to depraue the scripture The phrase of scripture conceyued by the holy gost and to fynde fault at that whiche can not be better spoken beinge the penne as we truely and certenlye beleue directed by the holy goost but to note vnto the howe the holye goost hath expressed the workynge of god in our saluacion in suche a part of speache as mighte signifie in the same speache a thing moost assured whiche is the pretertence for to our vnderstaÌ„ding that is moost assured to be that is past and yet with god that shal be is in like assurednes as that is alredy done And therefore when we go aboute to descant in scripture tyme whych was not by that scripture sygnyfyed vnto vs we then fall streighte in errour As when we rede wrytten of god the father
be infallible yet it is not the cause of all that is knowen for in knowledge god onely seeth moost perfitly the workes of al natures as they be and mannes reason that wolde fynde faulte can not considre goddes knowledge to be in prioritie to goddes decre to create man wherby that knowledge as it folowed and was no cause of it so it coulde be no cause whye to alter it and then carnall reason muste be aunswered as in the lyke a carnall man wold iudge A carpenter that determineth to make a house and therein a doore yf he hadde therewith the gyfte of prophecie to knowe thynges to come and so to se that theues shoulde after go in at that dore and robbe the house wolde ye call in mans reason the carpenter the cause of the robbery because he made the house with a dore at whiche dore he sawe the theues shulde entre If the carpenter were charged in reason therewith and with his knowledge before he wolde for him self say I made a house whiche of conuenience to be a house required a doore and therefore I made the doore not for the theues thabuse it which I sawe wold folowe but for the owner to well vse it and then if the carpenter did therewith before bydde the owner take hede of the daunger lyke to folowe what canne be sayde further to the carpenter who myghte reasonablye alledge yf he shoulde haue made no dore at al he shulde not haue made a coÌ„uenient house for withoute a doore it hadde not ben perfitelye a house Can anye man further replye to this carpenter onlesse a man wolde saye that the carpenter was also after the thefe hym selfe as men wyll not feare to saye of god blasphemouslye that he is the auctoure of euyll Nowe if carnall reason muste nedes admytte this in the carpenter whye shoulde the same reason spurne agaynste God to make hym the cause because when he sawe howe man wolde abuse free wyll which he gaue hym that yet god gaue it hym where the deuyll entred as at the doore and robbed him God gaue man that excellente gyfte of free wyll for an ornamente and a conuenient vse and admonysshed man to beware of the misusynge of it to disobedience gyuynge a lawe to be obserued as matter wherin to exercyse his free wyll If God hadde made man withoute free wyl and immutable he hadde not ben then properly man hauynge mutabilitie to good and euyll as a difference from god a body corporall to differre from aungels and free wyll and free choyce to differre from other beastes vnreasonable And is not he a ioylye workeman that wolde deuyse to haue God doone otherwyse then he hathe or elles because malyce haue wrought in maÌ„ malyce wold take god for immediate cause of all the is done which were abhominable blasphemouse abhominatioÌ„ withoute all reason and agaynste all lerninge God is the superior cause without which nothinge worketh â—ynne is of â—an and the â—uyl and caÌ„â—t be of god â—ho is all â—odnes as lerned men haue discussed it in actu substracto but mans free choyce and the deuyll adde the myschief to euerye acte where any is and be the immediate causes thereof who although they haue god author of their beynge yet he is not author of their noughtines whiche is caused by their corruption engendred in them by their fall from god And thus thou seest good reader that yf reason shulde contende with reason in discussion of goddes workes necessite shuld be excluded and not implyed in goddes prouydence election or predestinacion For god Quos presciuit predestinauit of whiche worde presciuit the holly fathers learned men and deuoutlye learned as afore haue noted goddes election to be accordynge to his knowledge of them who shuld receyue and reteyne with perseueraunce gods giftes Saynte Aâ—gustine in â—sideration â— goddes eleâ—on agreeâ— not througâ—ly with othâ— Mary sainte Austen troubled with the pelagians who for confirmation of their error searched out places of scripture and writhed them violently as heretiques alwaies do to their purpose so extollinge mans endeuor as they dyd iniury to the speciall grace and gyftes of god for auoydynge thencombre of these subtyll heretiques thoughte not necessarie to folow the rest in that poynte whereby to note the cause of goddes election to be any wyse referred to thendeuor of man but only to be in gods wyll whych is most iust and wherein is no acception of persons And yet s Austen doth not so dissent from the other fathers for auoyding the pelagians as he doth any thinge fauour thopinion of them â—aynte Auâ—yne abhorâ—th necessite who nowe a daies by vnderstandynge of those actes of election and predestinacion in god wolde establysh mere necessitie And as for my selfe myndynge to speake of this matter Forasmuche as I haue sene saynt Austen in this poynt dissent from other not with contencion but rather thereby to exclude the matter of argument that myghte serue the Pelagians I haue not made foundacioÌ„ to discusse thelection predestinacion of god after those deuout mens consideration but by declaringe what blyndnes men haue in goddes workyng to put men in remembraunce to worshyp that truth and confesse oure ignoraunce â—ccasion taâ—en of a disaâ—ement in â—mine part â— contemne â—l But somewhat wyll here be gathered by the waye that men dissente from men doctours from doctours fathers froÌ„ fathers and why shulde we then saith your sect regarde men doctours or fathers but all resort to the very fountayne of gods word and thence fetche pure syncere clene vndefiled water and not to resorte to mens puddelles that bâ— myerie troubled and not clene If saynt Austen dare disagre froÌ„ the rest whye may not I disagre from him ê™ you and from the rest also and cleaue onely to goddes worde Gods worde is the lyfe whether shulde we go but thither and there is playnes God sayth he is omnipotent and he sayeth truely He saith he knoweth all and he sayth trulye He sayeth he worketh all in all and he sayeth trulye He sayth I haue made the wycked to the euyl day he sayth truly He sayth there is none euyll in the citie but he hath made and he sayth trulye God sayth he hath indurate the harte of pharao And he sayth trulye And alwaye god sayeth truelye And all men be lyers as Dauyd sayth Filij hominuÌ„ vsquequo diligitis uanitatem queritis mendacium Ye chyldren of men ye loue continually vanitie and searche out lyes Hereunto I wyll say somwhat â—n aunswer that of God here be rehersed manye truthes as they be spoken trulye And yf they were also truely vnderstanded then al were well and playne And they say men be lyers therein they saye also trulye â—en â—e all â—ned to lie â—ut do not in â—ll thynges â—e saynt Peâ—er lyed not â—onfessynge 〈…〉 But yf the scripture affirming men to be lyers shulde be also perpetually verefied in them whom god endueth
gyftes receaued and other more So as the sense of the prayer that we may be made worthy is that we may be conformable to the fulfillynge of goddes wyll And it is to be noted that we praye that we maye be made worthy for we can not make oure selfe worthye but must receaue all of god of whome is all worthynes and of our selfe vnworthynes and yet in the atteining of worthines we be workers with god by his grace as before is declared And thus much I speake hereof how this praier which many wold depraue is agreable with the sense of scripture bicause it is necessary we be put in remeÌ„brauÌ„ce that the promises of god require the condition of worthines on our behalfe wherein is required oure endeuour Ye bringe in at the last a text of saint Paule lyke a keye to cleue a logge For saint Paules speakynge in that place nothinge perteyneth to the iustification we speake of as ye know wel ynough but only vse it because ye delite in copy Then foloweth that ye call my .viii. article Vvin. viii â—rticle Euerye thinge is to be called freely done whereof the beginninge is free and at libertye without anye cause of prouocacion Ioye So is there nothinge frelye done For man hauyng his humane natural affectes as loue hatred feare ioye heuines gladnes concupiscence honger thirste c. Besides these also hauing any celestial gyftes as faith hope c must nedes be prouoked of them to do or to suffer al thinges But the libertie of the spirite coÌ„ceiued by faith wherof christ Paul speke affirming by faith him selfe to be fre by loue to be bondman to al men is of an higher diuinite then this popissh lawer or cowrtly ruffler caÌ„ attayn vnto VvintonÌ„ YE reherce mine article right tyl ye come to the latter word where in steade of the worde compulsion ye put in the worde prouocation I wolde neuer haue gyuen Barnes and his scolefelow such a cause of prouocatioÌ„ to haue iested of me Howe Ioye here prouoketh me to call hym by his name as to say as ye reherse For not onely vice besides the instigation of the deuyl hath a material cause of prouocatioÌ„ to vice but also vertue besydes the callynge of God hathe a materyal cause of prouocation to vertue In prouocation of vertue and vice this differethe that a man maye playe the deuylles parte and tempte hym selfe and so exercyse the materiall cause of vice but man can not playe goddes parte and of hym selfe put in worke the materiall cause of vertue vertuously for al goodnes coÌ„meth froÌ„ aboue But with Barnes it came in by the way to speake of maÌ„s fre working either in sinne or vertue or any other action indiffereÌ„t This maxime I tolde him that euery thinge is to be estemed of the begynnyng For if the begynnyng hath no compulsion the acte is to be called free yf the begynnynge hath force and compulsion al that foloweth hath the nature of necessitie We discussed this in many specialties and amongeste other in the state of preistes whether they that lyued vnmaryed suche as wold nowe marrye I meane suche as those be whether they maye complayne of wante of fredome to vse the world at libertye as god hath permitted And herein bicause the beginninge of that state of preisthode hath no cause of compulsioÌ„ for no man is compelled to be a preiste and yet there be many causes of prouocation so as eche man hath ones in his lyfe lybertie and choice whether he wyll entre the state of preisthode or no. After anye man hath entred that state yf he lyketh it not he maye well lament his owne folye in the choyse of it but he hath no cause to complayne of the state wherevnto he was neuer compelled but myght haue chosen whether he wolde haue entred it or no. And therefore to euerye man that murmurethe at the presente condition of his lyfe it is obiected in common reason thus Ye might haue chosen Wherevnto yf any man could truelye replye and saye I coulde not choose euerye man lamenteth the state of hym that sayeth and declareth he coulde not choose and condempneth the complaynte of hym that myght haue chosen So as these two commeÌ„ speaches I could not chose and might haue chosen be worthelye allowed amonge vs whereby to excuse or blame all oure doynges To our frende that is offended with oure doinge we say I praye you blame me not for in good fayth I coulde not chose If you coulde not chose sayeth the frende I am not so fonde to fall out with you I wyll neuer blame a man saieth he for that he coulde not chose Nowe on the other parte he that leueth his occupation to be a seruynge man or selleth his lande bicause he lyketh better redy mony or marieth for his lust without godly consideration if that man can alledge nothynge that shulde haue enforced his so doing yet wyl grudge at his fortune accomptynge hym selfe miserable he is put to silence with these fewe wordes Ye might haue chosen It shal be saide to me percase that here is a longe talke withoute scripture of I myghte chose and I coulde not chose And some shall call it wylye wyt and some ianglynge sophistrie some haly water reasons The deuil deuiseth to depraue euerye thinge with prety termes for with suche pretie wordes the deuyll chereth his gestes whome he feesteth with talkynge and ianglynge abrode in the worlde wherewith to ouerwhelme the verye truth To the matter I say thus that this peace of truth of mans free choyse to do good or euyll confirmed in the scriptures because it hathe ben truely planted and roted in oure common speache I haue thought good to stirre vp the remeÌ„braunce of it by discussinge the commen speche to the intent when it appereth to agre with scripture it may be more regarded not bicause it is a commen speche but bycause it is the truth of scripture wherby the better to resist suche peruerse doctrine as some wold persuade to be in scripture of mere necessitie vpoÌ„ their wronge coÌ„sideratioÌ„ of gods prouidence election and predestination Goddes secret iudgementes I leaue vntouched and god worketh after the purpose of his will Whiche is moost iust He calleth some in the morning some latter and at diuerse houres of the day as the parable sheweth But to vs whom he calleth at the tyme of workinge whiles it is daye and hath endued vs with the giftes of reason vnderstanding If a synner myght saye to god for defence of his actuall synne I coulde not chose but do as I dyd whiche no such man can do it were an excuse for his synne But bycause god may truely saye to the synner Thou mightest haue chosen therein is the confusion in euery synners conscience This speach shal percase offende many And some wil say may not the infant that perissheth in the mothers wombe vnchristened say to god I coulde not choose May not the