referred to the subsequentes your malicious myndes compell me often to repete one thing Your reasoning of the preterit and future tence is so foolishe that it nedeth no confutation For we confesse that God spake not those wordes to Rebecca but that the Prophete as is declared spake them after by the which he sendeth them to the ancient loue of God which begaÌ„ before that euer their father could know or serue God In which is to be noted that he maketh neither meÌ„tioÌ„ of Aâ—raham nor of Isaak but of Iacob and of Iacob in his mothers wombe to pull doune this pryde which ye with the Pelagians and Papistes haue conceaued of your workes going before and foresene by God to folow in you But the Prophete of God did so dauÌ„ton the stowt heartes of that his people were they in other thinges neuer so wicked that they did not alledge that any cause was either in their father or in them why that they or he should be preferred to other nations and specially to the Edomites who discended from Esau in all thinges like to Iacob gods onely grace excepted I praise God that so far ye will confes of gods eternall trueth that it was not for their righteousnes that Israel receaued the inheritance but onely becaus God frely loued their fathers But why so sodanly ye slyde frome the principall purpose leauing Esau and his posteritie aâ—d do enter to speak why y e Cananites were cast furth â— se no iust cause for neither doeth Moses in the first oracle of God neither the Prophete Malachie in explaning the same neither yet our Apostle in applying boeth those places to the spirituall benediction lay the sede of Iacob against the Cananires but Iacob is set against Esau and the people discending frome the one against the people that discended from the other The question there might iustly haue bene demanded what prerogatiue hath Iacob aboue Esau Moises the Prophete and the Apostle do answer assuredly none except onely grace which made difrence betwext them whom nature in all thinges had made equall for bothe were come of Abraham bothe of one father both of one mother both conceaued at once both fostered vnder one climate region influence of sterres and yet it was said The elder shall serue the yonger We know that the Cananites came of a cursed father whom if Paule should haue compared with the Israelites they should haue complained of iniurie done vnto themâ— And his reasons had bene easely dissolued for if he had said y e electioÌ„ of God is fre aÌ„d hath respect to no workes and had broght in the sede of Abraham elected and the sede of Cham reiected and accursed for probation of the same they sodanly should and iustly might haue replied C ham mocked his father and therefor was he and his posteritie accursed and so had God respect to workes But the Apostle loketh more circumspectly to so graue a mater and therefor did choose such an example as wherin the witt nor reason of man can find no cause of inequalitie Of this I thoght good to put you and the readers in mind lest perchance ye should imagin that as greate cause of reprobation was found in Esau before he was born as Moses laieth to the charge of the Cananites And so I perceaue in a part ye do for in the end and after ye haue affirmed that the cananites were cast owt of the land by reason of their wickednes ye return to Esau repenting your selues I trust that so imprudentlie ye had slipped froÌ„ one linage to an other And these wordes ye affirme That Esau is hated it commeth of his own euill deseruing conforme to the saying of the Lord Thy destruction â— Israell is of thy self and thy health cometh of me In which affirmation and pretensed probation of the same I fynd no les negligence in you then before I haue sheweÌ„ aÌ„d proueÌ„ for as most impudeÌ„tly before ye coÌ„founded y e sede of Abraham who by gods own mowth was blessed with the sede of Cham who in expressed wordes was accursed so here ye confound Israel elected of God to be his people in Iacob with Edom reiected from that honor in their father Esau before that either the one did good or the other did euill The wordes of the Prophete which ye bring to proue that Esau was hated for his euill deseruing were neither spoken to him nor to his posteritie but they were spoken to that people whom God had preferred to all nations of the earthe to whom he had shewen his manifold graces and to whom he had bene saluation and help euen in their most desperate calamitie But then fore their defection from him and for their Idolatrie committed were become most afflicted and miserable dailie teÌ„ding to further destructioÌ„ To these I say aÌ„d not to Esau nor yet to his posteritie did God say ô Israell thow hast destroied thy self or ô Israell it hath destroyed the for so is the hebrew text for in me is thy health In w c wordes he repressed the grudgeing aÌ„d y e murmuriÌ„g of the people who in their miserie did rather accuse God of crueltie theÌ„ repeÌ„t or acknowledge their sinnes and Idolatrie to be the cause of their ruyne as in Ezechiel well may be sene to such God saieth Israel thow art in moste extreme miserie thy honor is decayed and the glorie of thy former aige is now turned to ignominie and shame What is the cause it lieth not in me for as I am eternall and immutable so is not my hand shortned this day neither yet my power diminished more then when I did deliuer the frome the bondage of Egipt In me is thy health now as it was then yf that thy sinnes did not make seperation betwext the and me Plaine it is first that here no mention is made of Esau nor Edom but of Israel onely and secondarely that God speaketh nothiâ—g in this place why he did first elect Iacob and reiect Esau but why it was that Israel which some tymes was honorable aÌ„d feared of all nations was then becom most miserable and afflicted on all sides Except that you be able to proue that Esau committed as manifest Idolatrie before he was borne and before that Iacob was preferred vnto him as Israel did before they came to destruction yâ— haue proued nothiÌ„g of your affirmation further I say that if Esau was hated for his euill deseruing then must it nedes follow that Iacob was loued for his well deseruing by the argument folowing of the nature of the contraries But that directly repugneth to the wordes of Moises to the interpretation of all the Prophetes and to the mind and strong reasons of the Apostle who plainely denie workes by past or to cum to be any cause of gods fre election Trew it is we be elected in Christ Iesus to be holie and to walk in good workes which God hath prepared But euerie reasonable man knoweth what difference there is betwext the cause and
aduertisement of those coÌ„gregations no les then that which is conteined in these words by you rehearsed Then let vs heare what is writen and spoken by him in this mater I sawe saith he foure Angelles standing vpon the foure corners of the earth holding the foure windes of the earth that the windes shoulde not blow vpon the earth c. And I saw an other angell ascending from the vprising of the sonne c. And he cryed with a loude voice to the foure Angelles to whom power was giuen to hurt the earth the sea saying hurt not the earth nether the sea nether yet the trees vntil we haue sealled the seruantes of our God in their foreheades I pray you why were these who were to be marked in the foreheades more called the seruantes of God by the voice of the Angell then others I knowe you will answer because of their good workes and godlie intentions But from whence I praie you did it procede that y e workes and intention of the one sort were good and of the other wicked If you say from their own fre wil and power the holie Gost doth proue you liers as before I haue declared and our Apostle assigneth also an other cause saing And power was giuen to the beast vpon all tribes tongues and natioÌ„s and all those that dwelt vpon the earth did worship him whose names are not writen in the book of life of the lambe who was killed from the beginning of the worlde Here it is plaine that our Apostle against your affirmation teacheth that some do worship the beast and so do finally perish and other do not worship him and attein to life â–ª that because the names of the one are written in the booke of life and the names of the others are not written and that more plainely he speaketh in these wordes Then I loked and lo a lambe standing on the mount Zion w t him a hundreth fortie foure thousand hauing his fathers name written in their foreheades c. and they sang as it were a newe songe before y e throne and before the foure beastes the elders none coulde learne the song except those hundreth fortie and foure thousand which were boght from the earth c. and aftre in the 17 chapt is mencioned of these inhabitantes of the earth who shall wonder vpon the beastwhose names are not written in the book of life from y e creation of the worlde if in these places I say y e Apostle maketh no differeÌ„ce betwext one sort of men an other let y e reader iudge if there be differeÌ„ce betwext boght not boght writteÌ„ in y e book of life not writteÌ„ to learn y e newe â—og not to learne y e same theÌ„ no dowt o r Apostle putteth as plaine a differeÌ„ce as we do yea y e hole scope of his reuelatioÌ„ is to declare y t there is a noÌ„bre of y â— elect called y e spouse of y e laÌ„be whoÌ„ it behoueth to be coÌ„plete before y â— coÌ„sumatioÌ„ of all thiÌ„gs com before y t y e iÌ„noceÌ„t blood that hath bene shed be reueÌ„ged vpoÌ„ those y t dwell vpon the earth and therefore aduise with your selues how ye be able to proue that S. Iohn taught no such doctrine as we teach But admitting that he had neuer spoken nether yet of any nombre chosen that can not fall vtterly from their election nether yet of any nombre reprobate who must nedes be apprehended with the beast and with him be cast into the lake of fyre Is it therefore a good argument that all those that teach such maner of doctryne be fals teachers or that no such doctryne is conteined in the holie Scriptures I wil make the like reason Nether Moises nether Iohn the Baptist in any expressed wordes haue left to vs written â–ª that Christ Iesus shoulde be born of a virgin that he shoulde suffer in Ierusalem â–ª that his disciples should all be sclaÌ„dered and flee from him that he shoulde rise againe and ascending into the heauen shoulde send the holie Gost visibly vpon his Apostles nether Moises I say nether yet Iohn who were excellent teachers haue taught in expressed wordes any such doctrine Ergo the teachers of it be fals teachers it is not written in gods scriptures your argument is no better admitting that the Apostle had neuer made meÌ„tion of any sort elected But now shortly to answer to all which without purpose ye heape to gether in this place I say first ye oght to haue made a difference betwext those seuen congregations where Christ Iesus had bene preached and receaued and the rest of the worlde w c theÌ„ remained or after was to remaine in blindenes error for to those y t haue by publicke profession receaued Christ Iesus be they elect or be they reprobate do appertein exhortations threatning y e doctrine of repeÌ„taÌ„ce consolatioÌ„ propheciiÌ„g reuelatioÌ„ of thiÌ„gs to com but to those y t yet remaine manifest enemies of the trueth apperteine onelie y e coÌ„mon calling to eÌ„brace the trueth with the threatniÌ„g of destructioÌ„ if they contiune vnfaithfull And therefore becaus these former coÌ„gregatioÌ„s as said is had professed them selues to be of gods housholde they were intreated as his domestical seruantes If any aske the cause why are som so amiably and others so strangely intreated I answer no other cause can be assigned but that it pleased gods infinit wisdome and goodnes to make that plaine and euident difference betwext those that once be receaued in his houshold be it by externall profession onely and those that remaine in blindenes that the one he commonly doth visit but the other he doth as it were neglect and destroy for what other cause can we assigne that God so louingly did often call to repentaÌ„ce the people of Israel so often offending from the daies of Moises vnto y e comming of Christ Iesus that he sent vnto them Prophetes to exhort to rebuke and to declare the estate of things to come and in this mean ceason the space of two thousand yeres permitted the Gentiles to walke in their own waies And now after the reiection of the Iewes what cause can we assigne that among vs Gentiles God vseth to stirre vp now one countrie now an other to receaue the trueth to detest and abhorre our former superstition Idolatrie and wickednes and of so long coÌ„tinuaÌ„ce hath left bothe y e Iewes turkes drowned still in their blindnes damnable errors we shall find none other cause I suppose then did the Apostle se when that he said to God are knowen all his workes euen froÌ„ the beginning and that he will reuele his secretes to such as please him ye do not heare in all this reuelation of Iohn that Babilon is exhorted to repeÌ„tance y t the blasphemous beast is rebuked ether of his tyranny ether of his blasphemie with any promes made to
to repentance offereth light of saluatioÌ„ to all so that God refuseth none except such as vtterly refuse light or such as haue bene partakers of gods grace and do forsaik the couenant of the Lord. for besides the euident testimonies of the scriptures the common experience froÌ„ the begiÌ„ning doeth witnes that God in that maner hath not illuminated euery man for how many do perish in their mothers bellies how many sodenly die before their reason can iudge of good and euill how many are depriued of natural reason vnderstanding Yea how many remaine wylde brutishe liuiÌ„g like beastes and eating one another how many do continewe all their life without any other knowledge of God theÌ„ the visible creatures of God do teach them which I think ye will not affirme to be sufficieÌ„t illuminatioÌ„ to prouoke them to repentance or to atteine to life I pray you what light had Esau refused when God pronounced this sentence the elder shal serue the yonger vpoÌ„ the which the Apostle as before we haue declared doeth conclude that yer the children had donne either good or badde the one was loued the other was hated That God doeth nothing without a iust cause most willingly we coÌ„fesse But that there is no iustice in God to the groud whereof your blind reason doeth not pearse we constantly deny And therfor we must nedes affirme that to seke an other cause of gods workes then his holy will is more theÌ„ impietie for the causes be knowen to his wisedom alone why some he hath chosen to life euerlasting in Christe Iesus his SoÌ„ne and why that others are left in perdition the cause may be secrete as Augustine speaketh but vniust can it not be because it procedeth from gods will which is the perfecte rule of al iustice and equitie If that ye crye till that the mountaines resound againe the obstinat iniquitie of the reprobate will not be reformed and â—hat is he cause of their induration in fewe and sobre wordes we aÌ„swere That in maÌ„ there is no wickednes which God may not reforme if so be his godlie wil and good pleasure Albeit of these your wordes God may haue mercie when he will on whome he will and that besides his couenante some suspition may arise that greatly you do not esteme that inestimable benefite granted vnto vs in Christe Iesus his onely SoÌ„ne yet will I so fauorably interprete your wordes as I can If ye vnderstand that such as this day be ignorant of God ennemies to his trueth persecuters of his saintes may sodenly or after this be called to the trew knowledge of y t communioÌ„ which is betwext God and man by Christ Iesus I do fully agre with you for so was Abraham so was Paule and so were the Gentiles who long did liue without trew knowledge of God and without as touching their owne apprehension the assurance of his couenant and league But if you vnderstaÌ„d that God can or will receaue to mercie at any time such as he hath not elected to life euerlasting in Christ Iesus his Sonne before all times we vtterly abhorre that error as a pestilence most perniciouse Now to that which foloweth ADVERSARIE That place of the booke of â—he kinges The Lord commandeth Semei to curse Dauid I vnderstaÌ„d so forasmuch as God is the author of all goodnes â–ª aÌ„d of no euill he gaue not a wicked mynd to Semei But willing to exercisâ— his seruant Dauid vnder the crâ—sse and finâ—ing Semei a naughtie and euill mynded man specially towards Dauid he gaue him the bridell which being left of God he by the intisement of the deuill which was alredie in his heart did curse Dauid â–ª and Dauid being gouerned by the spirite of God did paciciently suffer the wicked to curse him hâ—ping that God wolde turne his cursing into blessing â–ª for this did Dauid knowe that without the permission and suffering of God Semei coulde no more curse him then Balaam might curse the Israelites it foloweth not therfor that God did effectually mâ—ue Semei to do the wicked dede but onely sâ—ffered 〈◊〉 yet if ye will seke to the litterall sense of this place and aâ—â—â—rm that Gâ—d did effectually command Semei to curse Dauid then I must go this way to work with you all that the Lord commandeth is iust if 〈◊〉 be iust to â—â—mmand to curse It is iust to obey to curse for the righâ—â—ousnes of the dede is knowen by the righteousnes of the commandemeÌ„t as it is uniust to obey an vniust coÌ„mandemeÌ„t so is it iust to obey a iust coÌ„mandemeÌ„t wherefor Semei obeing the coÌ„mandement of God which is iust did iustly you wil say thaâ— Semei did not obedienâ—ly thaâ— is to obey God but of an euill mynd cursed Dauid I answer you after your ownâ— saying that this was also the wâ—ll of God that Semei should haue an euill mynd and not to please God cursed Dauid â–ª for you say that God gaue him an euill mynd to curse Dauid wherfor in thaâ— he of a disobedient mynd cursed Dauid he was obedient to God and aâ— we haue said to obey God it is iust I pray you then why commandeth Dauid his sone Salomon to punishe Semei for this iust acte they which feare â—hey hore frost saieâ—h Iob the snowe shall fall vpon them likwies so long as you stick to your error when you think to auoyd one danger you shall fall into a greater ANSWER You do euer decline from the principall scope and so mak ye a fals conclusion for we do not deny but God finding in Semei at that time a wicked mynd towardes Dauid did lowse the bridle to his corrupted affections but in two things do you and we differre The first is that whether he found any wickednes in him which his godly power might not haue remoued if so he had determined to haue donne from the beginning And secondarily if so he gaue him the bridle that he might not haue impeded the sâ—me if such had bene his godly will and therefore where you affirme that God did effectually moue Semei to that wicked dede if you vnderstand that in so farre as the dede was wicked the Spirit of God I meane the holy Gost did not moue him therunto I subscribe with you for so outrageously to curse Dauid in the day of his great calamitie he was moued by that venime which loÌ„g had lurked in his breast and by the instigatioÌ„ of the deuill But if thereupon you conclude as that you seme to do by your manifest wordes that God did nothiÌ„g elles but onely suffer him Because I say that such ydle permissioÌ„ can neither agre with gods power nor with his iustice we must nedes affirme that when God giueth ouer the wicked into a lewd aÌ„d reprobate mynde that theÌ„ as iustly he punisheth sinne by sinne so doeth he more theÌ„ onely suffer There is more required that a fact be iust aÌ„d iustly and obediently
and an other I will pray to God to open his Eies that he if gods good pleasure be may se the light that so brightly shyneth Other places for this present I omitte For of these precedents I suppose it be euident that in the eternall counsel of God there was a difference of mankynd euen before the creation which by his own voice is most plainely declared to vs in tyme. Now to that obiection which Pighius that pestilent and peruers Papist and you all after him doth make To witt that God did predestinate according to the workes and faith which he foresawe to be in man I might obiecte to the contrary that if Predestination procedeth from gods purpose and will as the Apoâ—â—le affirmeth it doth that theÌ„ the purpose and will of God being eternall can not be moued by our workes or faith which be temporall And that if the purpose of God be stable and sure that then can not our workes being vnsure be the cause thereof But to auoid prolixitie and tediousnes I will by plaine scriptures proue that of fre grace did God electe that of mere mercie doeth he call and of his onelie goodnes without all respect had to our dignitie as to be any cause first mouing him doeth he perfourme the worke of our saluatioÌ„ And for the proofe of the same let vs take Abraham and his posteritie for example Plaine it is that he and his sede were preferred to all the nations of the earth the benediction was established to spring frome them the promes of the land of Canaan was made vnto them and so were they extolled to the honour aÌ„d dignitie of gods peculiar people But let vs consider what either faith or obedience God found in them which might haue moued him thus to preferre them to other naâ—ions Let vs heare Moises The Lord they God saieth he hath chosen the that thow shoul dest be a peculiare people to him aboue all the peoples which are vpon the face of the earth God hath not so vehemently loued you and chosen you because you are mo in nombre then other nations seing ye are fewar then all other people but because he hath loued you and wold kepe the othe which he made to your fathers And after it foloweth Say not in thy heart my power my streÌ„gth aÌ„d my hand haue prepared this aboundance to me and think not in thy heart it is for my iustice that the Lord hath broght me into this land Of these places it is plaine that Moises leaueth no cause neither of gods election neither yet of perfourmance of his promes in maÌ„ but establisheth it altogether vpon gods fre loue and good pleasure The same did Iosua in that his last and most vehement exhortation to his people a litle before his death in which plainely he affirmeth that Abraham and his father were idolaters before they were called by God w c place Ezechiel the Prophete most euidently declareth rebuking the vnthaÌ„kfull defection of the Iewes from God who of mercy had giueÌ„ theÌ„ life honour and dignitie they of all others being the most vnworthy For the saieth Thus saieth the Lord God to IerusaleÌ„ Thy habitatioÌ„ aÌ„d they kiÌ„red is of CanaaÌ„ thy father was an amorrhean and thy mother an Hittite and in thy natiuitie wheÌ„ thow wast born thy nauill was not cutt thow was noâ— washed wiâ—h water to soften the thow was not salted with salt neither yet was thow swadled in clowtes By the which the Prophete signifieth that all was imperfect all was filthie all was corrupt and stinking as touching their nature he procedeth none â—ie pitied the to do any of these vnto the for to haue compassioÌ„ vpon the but thou wast cast oute in the open field to the contempt of thy person in the day that thow wast borne And when I passed by the I saw the polluted in thine own blood aÌ„d I said vnto y e wheÌ„ thou wast in thy blood y t is in thy filthie sinnes y u shalt liue And this he repeteth to the eÌ„d y t he may beat it more deply in their myndes I saieth the Lord said vnto the beiÌ„g in thy bloode thou shalt liue and so he procedeth declaring how that God did multiply them did giue vnto them beautie streÌ„gth honour and dignitie These thre places do plainely witnes what perfection God did find in this people whom thus he did preferre to all others And what obedience did they render vnto him after the vocation of Abraham the hole Histories do witnes for perfection and obedience was not found in Abraham him self yea neither in Moises nor in Aaron but contrarie wise the inobedience of all we find noted to the same end y t Moises hath before spokeÌ„ to witt that none shall boast that either iustice proceding or folowing was the cause why God did choose and elect that people For how shall God choose for that which the holie Gost plainely denieth to be in any man discending of the corrupt sede of Adam For Isaiah plainely doeth affirme that all our iustice is as a clothe most polluted and spotted If our iustice be polluted as the Prophete affirmeth it to be and God did predestinate vs for our iustice what foloweth but that God did predestinate vs for that which was filthy and imperfecte But God forbid y t such cogitations shoulde take place in our heartes God did choose vs in his eternall purpose for his owne glorie to be manifested in vs aÌ„d that he did in Christ Iesus in whoÌ„ onely is oure full perfection as before we haue said But let vs yet heare som testimonies of the new testament sainct Paul to his disciple Timothie saieth Be not ashamed of the testimonie of our Lord neither be thow ashamed of me who am his prisoner but be thow partaker of the afflictions of the EuaÌ„gile according to the power of God who hath made vs safe and hath called vs with an holie vocation not according to our workes but according to his purpose and fre grace which was giuen to vs by Christe Iesus before all tymes but now is made patent by the appering of our Sauiour Iesus Christe Here plaine it is that neither are we called neither yet saued by workes much les can we be predestinate for them or in respect of them Trew it is that God hath prepared good workes thaâ— we should walk in them but like trew it is that first must the tree be good before it bring furth good fruite and good can neuer the tree be except that the hand of the gardiner haue planted it To vse herein the plaine wordes of saint Paule he witnesseth that we are elected in Christ to the end that we should be holie aÌ„d without blemishe Now seing that good workes spring furth of election how can any man be so foolish as to affirme that they are the cause of the same Can the streame of water flowing from the fountaine be the cause of the
thy self and thy health cometh of me ANSWER Your colde and vnsauerie exposition whichâ— ye folowing the prophane subtilitie of Castalio make vpon the wordes of the Apostle written in the nynth chapter to the Rom. is neither able to iustifie your error neither yet to improue the doctrine which vpoâ— the same we collect and gather which is this That as God by his fre benediction seperated the people of Israel from all nations of the earth so did his fre election make difference betwext the men of the same people of whom he did frely choose som to saluation and did appoint others to eternal condemnation Secondarely that of this his fre Election there is none other cause nor foundation but his mere goodnes as also his mercie which after the fall of Adame doeth without all respect had to their workes receaue and embrasse whom it pleaseth him Thirdly that God in this his fre election is bound to no necessitie to offer the same to all indifferently but contrarie wies he passed by such as it pleaseth him and whoÌ„ it pleaseth him he receaueth These propositions I say are so euident in Paules wordes that they neuer can be moued by your malicious and ignorant wresting of the text for in euerie one of Paules sentences he striueth directly against your error for where he saieth Rebecca conceaued of one that is of our father Isaak he secludeth al cause that might haue bene by accidentes which come in tyme either in the father or in the mother and in these wordes when the chidlren were not yet born and had neither done good nor euill he secludeth al respects that caÌ„ be alledged to haue bene in the children But where he saieth that the purpose of God might abide according to election not of workes but of the caller c is plainely denied merites dignitie or workes to com to be any caus of gods fre election For if he wold haue persuaded men to haue beleued that God had elected som in respect of their good workes to com and had reiected others for their euill workes onely which he foresaw that they should do Paul had not so veheâ—eÌ„tly vrged these termes and sentences That the purpose of God might abyde according to election not of workes c. but he should simply haue said God hath chosen som in respect of their good workes which he foresaw they should do which therefor he wold reward first with his election and after with his kingdome But the plaine contrarie way to this we se the Apostle vseth pulling man altogither from contemplation of him self to God to his fre mercie to his fre grace and eternall purpose and also to his most depe and profounde iudgements Imagin what shift so euer ye can ye shall neuer be able to auoid this plaine simplicitie of the Apostle With what face can ye denie that these wordes the elder shall serue the yonger are not spoken of Iacob and Esau seing that the Apostle in plaine wordes doeth affirm that they were spoken and ment of the two children before they were born He saieth not before the two natioÌ„s were born but before the childreÌ„ were born Your reason is becaus as concerning the fleshe Esau did neuer serue Iacob I answer neither yet did God say the elder shall serue the yonget in the fleshe but simply did pronounce The elder shall serue the yonger But well do ye declare what is your vnderstaÌ„ding of dominion and seruitude be it in fleshe or be it in spirit Was it no kinde of seruitude I pray you yea euen in the flâ—she that Esau was compelled to begge poâ—age at Iacob and for the same to sell all title of his birthright was it no thraldome that with crying owling aÌ„d furious rores he was compelled to begge the benediction which Iacob had gotten and yet could not obtein it Did not his heart fele subiection when he seeth his father so constant in preferring Iacob to him that by no meanes he wold retreat or call back one worde We do not denie but the diuersitie was also established betwext the two nations but that the heades should be secluded that are ye neuer able to proue But rather the battell which did beginne in the mothers wombe was established and confirmed by the oracle of God to continue betwext the posterities of those two heades Did Rebecca and Isaak after he did se gods prouidence and will to be contrarie to that which he had purposed which was to giue the benediction to Esau did they I say vnderstand that Iacob had no parte in that promes touching his own person The wordes of Isaak do witnes the contrarie for he saieth I haue established him lord ouer the c. By the same reason which ye make I may proue that these wordes were not spoken of their posterities for during longer time then either did Iacob or Esau liue the Edomites did not serue the Israelites in the fleshe which did onely beginne in the latter dayes of Dauid and did continue to the daies of Ioram son of losaphat when they departed from that obedience neither yet were they euer after that broght into subiection againe but be thereforeâ— the oracles and promises of God vaine Yea had they not their effect bothe in the one people aÌ„d in the other euen when the one was in moste miserable bondage first in Egypt and after in Babylon and wheÌ„ the other was in greatest felicitie to mannes apperance yet before God was that sentence true The elder shall serue the yonger For he had further respect then the present estate as the Apostle doeth declare that all the faithfull Patriarkes had Iacob wold not haue interchanged the comfort which he receaued in his first iourney fâ—oÌ„ his fathers house for all the worldlie ioy Y â— Esau possessed for in seâ—g that scale or ladder God fitting vpon the head of it the foote of it touching the earthe vpon the which did Angelles asceÌ„d and come downe aÌ„d in hearing that most ioy full and comfortable voice I am the God of Abraham thy father of Isaak the laÌ„d whereupoÌ„ thow slepest I will giue to the and to thy sede c. and lo I am with the and will kepe the whether so ener thow goest aÌ„d will bring the againe into this land In seing and hearing these thinges I say did Iacob vnderstand that the benediction of God extended further then to temporall thinges yea that rather it did extend to that vnion coniunction which was betwext God and man in that blessed sede promised then to the possession of the land of Canaan for the one did neither Abraham Isaak nor Iacob possesse in their liues neither yet their posteritie many yeares after but the ioy of the other did all the elect fele and see and did reioyce as Christ Iesus doeth witnes of our father Abraham That these wordes Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated are not written in Genesis neither
the effect Election in which I include the fre grace and fauor of God is the fountaine frome which springeth faith and faith is the mother of all good workes But what foolishnes were it therefor to reason My workes are the cause of my faith and my faith is the cause of my election Thus gently I put you in mynd with greater reuereÌ„ce and circuÌ„spection to interpret aÌ„d applie the sacred word of God Thus ye procede THE ADVERSARIE Their fourth argument Hath not the potter power ouer the clay euen of the same lompe to make one vessel vnto honor aÌ„d an other vnto diâ—honor of this they inferre that God hath ordeined and made som to saluation and som to destruction and damnation But for the more perfect vnderstanding of this place afore thow go any further reade the xviii chapter of leremie and thowsâ—alt perceaue this to be the meaniÌ„g As the Potter hath the clay in his hand so hath God all men in his power and as the potter breaketh the vessell wherin is found an incurable faulte so God destroieth the man in whom there is found obstinate wickednes which can not be amended It is not the meaning of this place that God without any iust cause doeth make any man to destruction for as the Potter maketh no vessel to breake yet not withstanding he may but he will not lose both his clay and his labor but onely breaketh such as will not frame to be good notwithstaÌ„ding he made them to be good As euerie good artificer wold his work were good so God created no man to lose him but onely loseth them which will not be good whom he created to be good as the Lord saieth I planted the a noble vyne aÌ„â— a good roote whose sede is all faithfull how art thow then turned into bitter vnfrutefull and strange grapes God wold all men were good and that all men should be saued forasmuch as he is good himself and all that he maketh is good But as the Potter maketh of the same clay som vessels to serue at the table som in the kitchen or in the priuey so God hath som men to be in the bodie of Christ as eies eares and hands as Princes Prophetes Apostles som to be as fete and other secrete partes as laborers and other of the inferior sorte for whom he hath not besâ—towed so many and so excellent gyftes yet musâ—t thow vnderstand that it is not all one thing to be made to be broken and to be made to vnhonestvses Euerie vessel which is eâ—ill is broken whether it be made to honest or dishonest vses yea thogh it were made of gold And as it appereth plainely in Ieremie where the Lord saieth so thogh Conias the son of Ioacim King of Iâ—da were the signet of my right hand yet will I pluk him of aÌ„d therafter this maÌ„ Conias â—halbe lyke an image robbed and torne in peces hath a maÌ„ any thiâ—g appointed for a more honest vse theâ— his signet yet seest thow that if it becom noght it shall be broken distroied Againe euerie good vessell whether it be made to honest or diâ—honest vses it is kept and not broken Asâ—e the Potter and he shall answer the ihat he will be lothe to break any vessell but if any chance to be naught he sheweth his power in breaking of it Ask the husbond man and he shall answere the that he planted no frute tre to be barren but if it chance to be barren he cutteth it doune and plaÌ„teth an other in stede of it Ask the Magistrate aÌ„d be shall answer the that it is not his will to kill any of his subiectes for he wold that they were all good but if any becom a theif and murtherer he sheweth his power eueÌ„ ouer him in killing him Euen so saieth God I will not the death of the sinner but rather that he conuerte and liue I will not that any man be euill and therefor I forbyd all euil but if any man contrarie to my commandement and will of his own fre chose and mynd refufe the good which he might haue accepted and doeth the euill which he might haue left vndone then do I shewe my power ouer him in that I caâ—t him away like the shardes of a naughtie Pott which serueâ—h to no good vse ANSWER Why for the more perfect vnderstanding of Paules mynd any man should rather read the wordes of Ieremie writreÌ„ in the xviii chapter of his prophecie then the wordes written in xlviii chapter of the Prophete Isaiah I se no iust cause for plaine it is that the Prophete Ieremiâ— in that place hath no respect to gods eternall Election he disputeth not why God hath appointed in his eternall couÌ„sell â—om to lief and some to death but reteineth him self within the limites and boundes of the mater which theâ— he intreated Which was to assure the Iewes that God wold eieâ—â— them from that same land which to Abraham he had promised and had giuen to his posteritie and yet wold he preserue theâ— to be a people such as he thoght good This doctrin was strange and to many incredible for it appereth to repugne to gods promes who had pronouÌ„ced that to Abrahaâ— aÌ„d his sede he wold giue y t laÌ„d for euer Much trooble ad coÌ„tradiction as may be sene did y e Prophet suffer for the teaching and affirming this former doctrine And therefor it pleased the mercie and wisdom of God by dyuers meanes to strengthen and confirme him in the same AmoÌ„gest w c this was one V t coÌ„manding hiÌ„ to go downe to a potters house he promised to speak w t him there That is to giue vnto hiÌ„ further knowledge and reuelatioÌ„ of his will who when he cam found the potter as is writeÌ„ making a clay pott vpon his roteâ— and turning whele which Pot in his presence did break but the Potter immediatly gathering vp the Pot sherdes did fashion and for me it a new and made it a nother vessell euen as best pleased him And theÌ„ came the worde of y e Lord vpoÌ„ y e Prophete saing may I not do vnto you ô house of Israel euen as this Potter doeth Behold ye are in my hand ô house of Israelâ— euen â—as the clay â—is in the hand of the Potter By which fact sene and wordes after heard was the Prophet more confirmed in that which before he had taught To witt that God for iust causes wold destroy ad break downe the estate and policie of that common welthe and yet neuertheles wold repair and build it vp againe to such an estate as best pleased his wisdome as the sequele did declare for that great multitude corrupt with sin he hrak downe dispersing and scattering them amongest diuerse nations and yet after he did collect gather them togither and so made them a people of whome the head of all iustice Christ Iesus did spring But what hath
his vessell plaÌ„te a tre to be barren or kil any of his subiects we send you as befor to ask couÌ„sel at the plaine scriptures whether â—in God there is not a greater knowledge greater power aÌ„d a iustice more perfect althogh it be incoÌ„preheÌ„sible to o r dulseÌ„ses theÌ„ y t their is in y e potter husboÌ„d maÌ„ or Magistrate How that God wil not the death of the sinner but rather that he may conuerte and liue we shall shortlie God wiliÌ„g after speak And therefor omitting that which indigestly you heape togither I procede to that which foloweth THE ADVERSARIE Where ye replie w t that it lieth not in maÌ„nes will or ronning but in the mercie of God I answer by the same senteÌ„ce y t we may both will aÌ„d roÌ„ne which is coÌ„trarie to your hole purpose aÌ„d doctrine aÌ„d yet saieth the Apostle our saluatioÌ„ depeÌ„deth of the mercie of God for it is his fre gift The GeÌ„tiles w c for their wickednes wer reiect of God in vaine should they either wil or ronne w tout God exteÌ„ded his mercie towardes theÌ„ as he doeth now preseÌ„tly Lyke as on the other side the Iewes which for their sinnes be now abiect in vaine should they either wil or roÌ„ne without it pleased God to extend his mercie ouer theÌ„ as he shal do after that the fulnes of the GeÌ„tiles become in as witnesseth Paul â–ª for there we must vnder staÌ„d that wheÌ„ it pleased God to offer vs his mercie yet without we both will and ronne we shall not obtein the reward notwithstanding neither for our willing or ronning are we worthie to receaue saluation for it is the fre gift of God which he giueth to vs onely for his own mercies saik God offered saluation to Ierusalem not for the deseruing but of his mâ—rcie yet obteined they not saluation because they wold neither will nor ronne As Christ saieth how often wold I haue gathered thy children as the hendoeth her chekens and thow woldest not so the scribes and the Phariseis made the counsell of God towardes them of none effect for they dispised it Gods will was to saue them but they wold neither will nor ronne but kepe still their old passeâ— so they perished Wherefor vnto our saluation is required chiefly the mercie of God as the onely sufficient and the efficient cause thereof wherby we being vnworthie and his ennemies be reconciled and receaued vnto the feloship of the saintes Secondly is required that we both will and ronne not as the cause but rather as the effect anâ— frute of our reconciliaâ—ion declaring our selues to be thankfull for the benefits which we haue frely without our merits receaued otherwies the kingdoâ— shal be â—aken from vs againe and geuen to such as shall boâ—h will and ronne bringing furth the fruts thereof ANSWER Your ancient father Pelagius coniured ennemie to the fre grace of God did bragge and boast as you do that in man there was a will and a ronning But the probation of bothe is one that is to say your affirmation must suffice for auctoritie You boldly write that of those wordes of the Apostle neither it is of him that willeth neithâ—r yet of him that ronneth but of God hauing mercie it is plaine that we bothe will and ronne But how is this proued your long discourse in which it semeth that ye haue forgotten your self proueth no part of your purpose for the question is not what either the Iew or y e geÌ„till doeth ImeaÌ„ after they haue receaued the grace of God For theÌ„ we confesse that they haue yet not of theÌ„ selues a will aÌ„d studie to walk in godlines but the question is whether this wil aÌ„d studie which now by grace they haue receaued was anie cause of their election the contrarie whereof we haue before proued We do not imagine the faithfull meÌ„bres of Christes bodie to be stockes or stones insensible without will or studie of godlines â–ª but we affirme that it is God that worketh in vs the good will and the good thoght for of our selues we are not sufficient to think one good thoght We further affirme that except with all humilitie the fre grace offered with thankes giuing be receaued that they serue nothing to the saluation of the coÌ„temners But therewith we adde that it is God onely who taketh away the stonie and stubborne heart and giueth to vs a fleshie heart In which he by the power of his holie Spirit writeth his law maketh vs to walk in his wayes draweth vs to his Sonne Christ Iesus giueth vs into his protection I mean as faith assureth vs in our conscience aÌ„d so we acknowledge God alone by Christ Iesus his sonne to be the beginning the middes and the end of our sanctification godlie lief and saluation I for my part do yet againe praise God that his veritie is of that strength that somtymes it will compell the verie ennemies to bear testimonie to it And I pray God to retein you in that mynd that vnfeanedly you may beleue aÌ„d coÌ„fes that what vertues or good motions that euer be in you be the onely effects or fruites as ye call them of your reconciliation and neither cause of your election nor yet of your iustification That Ierusalem and the scribes refused grace and therefor iustly were condemned we consent with you but that euer it was the eternall couÌ„sell aÌ„d will of God to giue them life euerlasting that we constantly deny Our reasons we haue before alledged and after will haue occasion to repete som againe And therefor we procede Thus ye write THE ADVERSARIE Here with great vehemencie ye alledge these wordes of Paule who hath ben able to resist his wil of which saying ye inferre that God without any cause knowen to vs hath reprobated and damned many against which wil no man can resist These wordes did Paule write because he did foresee that of his former sainges som deuelish disposed persons wold take occasion to burden God with vnrighteousnes as ye do making him the author of euill for ye say that God hath a secrete will whereby he willeth the most parte of the world to be condemned which will because it can not be resisted therefor of mere necessitie by the immutable decre of God so many do perish further ye this affirming God to be the cause of damnation onely because it so hath pleased him ye cause many other to burst owt and say Sithe his will and pleasure no man is able to resist let him lay it on him self and not to vs if any sinne be committed and surely for my parte were it not I abhorre your horrible doctrine wherwith ye cruelly affirme gods ordinaÌ„ce to be the cause of damnation I wold not medle further in this mater but with reuereÌ„ce behold the workes of God forasmuch as I se thankes be to God no work of God wheriÌ„ his mercie doeth not clerely shyne But if your saying were true
Iohn Caluin concludeth if euer I had said that it came to passe by the instruction or motion of the spirit of God that the first man did alienat him self frome God and not that rather I haue in al places defended that man was pricked thereto by instigation of the deuill and by the motion of his own heart theÌ„ meritably might Pighius and his coÌ„plices haue railed agaiÌ„st me But seing that I remouing froÌ„ God the verey cause of the actioÌ„ do also remoue from him all crime so that man onely is subiect aswell to the crime as to the punishment wickedly and maliciously is this laid to my charge that I should say that mannes defection and fall is one of gods workes But yet lest y t one thing should appere to lacke of our full doctrine I will recite his wordes which he writeth against the libertines in the 14 chapter of that worke we do not deny saieth he but that all thinges are done by the will of God In so much that wheÌ„ we declare wherefor he is called omnipotent we geue to him an effectuall power in all his creatures and we teach that as once he created the vniuersall world so also that he gouerneth the same And that his haÌ„d is alwaies at the work that he might kepe all thinges in their estate and dispose them after his will And to the end that I may expreâ—â—e the same more easely I say that God is to be considered thre maner of waies to work in the administration or his creature first there is an vniuersall operation by the which he directeth all creatures according to the conditioÌ„ and proprietie which he gaue to euerie one when he formed them and this gouernemeÌ„t is nothing els but that which we call the order of nature for albeit the vnfaithfull know nothing in the disposition of the world but that which they se with their eies And therefor they make nature as she were a goddesse to haue impire and dominion ouer all yet is this praise to be giuen to the will of Godâ— that it onely doeth moderat aÌ„d gouern all thinges Wherefor when we se the son the moon and the sterres fulfill their course Let vs vnderstand that they obey God that they execuâ—e his commandement yea and that they are guided by the hand of God And also when we se the course of earthlie thiÌ„ges all thinges are to be ascribed to God The creatures are to be estemed but as instruments in his haÌ„d which he applieth to the work euen as pleaseth him The scripture doeth often make mention of this vniuersall prouidence that we may learn in all his workes to giue glorie vnto God But chiefly in vs doeth God commeÌ„d this his power that we shall know it in our selues to the end that we may be purged of arrogancie which sodanly vseth to arise in vs how son we forgett our selues to be in his haÌ„des Hereunto apperteineth that which Paul said to those of Athenes It is he in whom we liue are moued and haue our being By the which he wold admonish vs that except God vp hold vs by his hand that vnable it is for vs to stand the least moment of time for euen as the soule dispersing her streÌ„gthe throughe the hole bodie moueth the meÌ„bres so are we qwickened of God form whome onely we obtein what so euer strength or power we haue But this vniuersall operation of God impedeth not but that euery â—reature in heauen and in earth retein their own nature and qualitie and also do folow their own inclination The second maner by the which God worketh in his creatures is that he appointeth them in obedience of his goodnes iustice and iudgement somtymes to help his seruantes somtymes to punishe the wicked and somtimes to examin the pacience of his seruantes or to correct and chasten them with a fatherly affectâ—on as when he will giue vs aboundance of frutes he giueth rain in his time he sendeth heat by the son and bright and clear daies as also he vseth all other naturall meanes as instruments of his liberalitie But when he pulleth back his hand the heauen is made like brasse the eaâ—th is yron and so it is he that sendeth thonder frost hale and also it is he that is the cause of sterilitie and barennes Therefor what so euer the Ethnicks and ignorant did attribute to fortune we assigne to the prouideÌ„ce of God Not onely to that vniuersall operation of the which we haue before spoken but to his especiall ordinance by the which he gouerneth all as he knoweth it to be most expedieÌ„t and profitable and this he teacheth when by his Ptophetes he saieth that he created darknes aÌ„d light that he sendeth death and lief that neither good nor euill can chaÌ„ce but froÌ„ his haÌ„d In so much that he saieth that he doeth gouern aÌ„d direct the lottes Yea if that any maÌ„ by chaÌ„ce and not of set purpose be slain he auoweth him self to be the cause of his death and that so he had appointed that we shall iudge nothing to com of fortune but that all cometh by the determination of his counsell And further it displeaseth him wheÌ„ we esteme any thing to procede from any other so that we do not behold him and know him not onely the principall cause of all thinges but also as the author appointing all thinges to the one part or the other by his counsell Thus let vs then conclude that prosperitie and aduersitie rayn wyndes hale frost fare wether aboundance hunger warre or peace to be the workes of God and that the creatures which be the inferior causes are onelie instrumeâ—tes which he hath in redines to execute his will which he so vseth at his pleasure that he leadeth and moueth them to bring to passe what so euer he hath appointed Moreouer it is to be noted that not onlie he thus vseth his insensible creatures that by them he worketh his will but also men them selues yea and also deuilles insomuch that sathan and wicked men are executers of gods will as he vsed the Egypâ—ians to punishe his people and a litle after he raised vp the Assyrians and other such to reuenge the sinnes of his people we se that he vsed the deuil in tormenting Saul and in deceauing Achab. which thinges when the libertines doheare rashely and without iudgement beholding no further they conclude That now the creatures do no more work and so horribly do they confound all things nether do they onelie mingle and mixt the heauens with the earth but also they ioyn God with the deuil aÌ„d that chanceth vnto them becaus they do not obserue two most necessarie exceptions The former is that Sathan and the wicked are not so the instrumentes of God but that they also do theire own partes Nether must we imagin that God so worketh by wicked men as by a stock or a stone but as by a creature participant of reason c. When we say
were with we be burdened to wit that God is the author of sinne ether that he deliteth or willeth iniquitie ether that sathan or men doing wickedly do obey God ether in so far as they do euil that they do the thing that God will and therefor are blameles Let such blasphemies be far not onely from our mowâ—hes but also from our cogitations aÌ„d thoghtes That none of these blaspemies necessarely may be concluded of ouredoctryn may thus be proued God putâ—eth in execution the counselles of his will by second causes and mid instrumentes not as bouÌ„d vnto them as the Stoâ—kes did affirme but frely and poteÌ„tly making mouing and directing them as it pleaseth his wisdom Of those instrumeÌ„tes there are two principall kindes The one hath lief and mouing the other be without lief which raâ—her be moued by the force of others then moue theÌ„ selues There be two sortes of those that haue lief the one be iâ—dued with reason and iudgement the other be without reason and are onely caried by the blynd force of nature Those that be without lief and those also that haue lief but lack reason can nether be said to do well nor euil but those that vse them as instrumentes may be said ether to do well or euil Those that haue lief endued with reason are ether Angelles or meÌ„ The angelles be of two sortes som good som bad but as for men all by nature are euil But by grace they are so seperated that som are vtterly euil som partly good to witt in so far as the Spirit of God hath sanctified them Such as in any action are moued by their own inward motion iustly may be said to work and therefor in that kynd of instrumentes falleth the differeÌ„ce of good and of euill workes nether yet properly in that respect may they be called instrumentes but the causes efficieÌ„t An euill action I call that which hath not the reueled will of God for the assurance and eÌ„d and by the coÌ„trarie the work is good when the worker looketh to obey gods expresse commandement These same althogh they be causes in so far as they work by their own proper motioÌ„ yet are they in an other respect called instrumentes in so far as they are moued by an other As when the hangman by the commandement of the magistrate killeth a man or when by instigation of the deuil meÌ„ hurt others or wheÌ„ at the commandement of any we do ether good or euill to any maÌ„ In this kynd of actions it is euident that one work is attributed to two to the one as to him that worketh by an instrument and to the other as to the worker by motion or commandement such workers are instrumentes not simply as the haÌ„mer or axe is in the hand of the smithe or hewer but they are such instrumentes as also moue by their own inward motion And for this double respect a double worke appereth som tymes to be done In somuch that the one may be lawdable and the other wicked As if the magistrate shall committ an offender worthie of death to the executor of iustice This worke is praise worthie of all good men But if the lictor inflaÌ„bed rather with enuie auarice or any other wicked affection then looking to the commandemeÌ„t of the iudge shall kill the same offender most certen it is that before God he can not auoid the cryme of murther Now let us applie these thiÌ„ges to God whose efficacie before we haue proued to worke in all thinges without exceptioÌ„ aÌ„d so that by those thiÌ„ges which he hath made as by instrumenâ—es he executeth in tyme what so euer he hath decreed frome eternitie What so euer God worketh is good seing from him who is infinitlie good no euil thing can procede but he worketh aâ—l thinges therefor all thinges be good inso far as they ar done by God And that difference of good and euil hath onely place in the instrumentes aÌ„d in those of whom we haue spoken in the 14. proposition For if those instrumentes be good and if their actions look to the reueled will of God they do well and God also doth well by theÌ„ wherefor that work is alwaies good as when the good angelles execute that which God coÌ„mandeth and holie men do follow God calling them Euil instrumentes euill I say not by creation but by corruption in so far as they work alwais they do euill and therefor iustly do they incurre the wrath of God But in so far as God worketh by theÌ„ they ether by ignorance orels against their purposes serue to the good work of God But God him self by what so euer instrumentes he worketh worketh at all tymes well And so he worketh by those instrumeÌ„tes that not onely he permitteth and suffereth them to work nether doth he onely moderate the eueÌ„t or chance but also he raiseth them vp he moueth he directeth and that which is most of all he also createth to the end that by them he shall work that which he hath appointed Which thinges God doth righteously and without any iniustice For wheÌ„ the wicked man sinneth ether against him self ether against any wicked person God without any sinne doth aÌ„d bringeth to passe that the wicked man shall take vengeance vpon him self or that euill men shall take veÌ„geance vpon other wicked men who haue deserued punishement And this one and other work of God is most iust and by such exemples of his iudgementes God erecteth and comforteth his afflicted How oft that euill men hurt good men the wicked meÌ„ sinne aÌ„d in the end they suffer iust punishement and yet by them neuertheles doth God chasten instruct and confirme his own and by the manifest ennemies of his Church doth God make glorious his Church Yet can it not be said that those euill instrumentes do obey God For albeit that God worketh his work by them yet they so far as in them lieth and as coÌ„cerning their own counsell and will do not the work of God but their own work for the which meritably they are punished Albeit what so euer God worketh by the wicked is good yet what so euer the wicked men work is euel Nether is the consequent good God worketh all thinges Ergo he worketh sinne for the name of sinne is not but in the vicious aÌ„d faultie qualitie which is altogither in the instrument that worketh By reason of this corrupted qualitie the work which in the self is one som maner of way is double and may be diuided Insomuth that the one that is the iust work of God derectly fighteth and repugneth against the vniust work of man God neuertheles far other waies worketh by his good instrumeÌ„tes theÌ„ he doth by his euil instrumeÌ„tes for besides that by his good instrumeÌ„tes he worketh his work the good instrumentes also do their work by that strength and efficacie which the Lord ministereth vnto them And God also worketh his work by them and in them he worketh to will and
iudgementes against the inobedient and do consider how prone and redie they them selues be of nature to rebellioÌ„ against God except they were coÌ„ducted by his spirit they com to a more liuelie feling of gods fre mercie grace by the which onely they are exempte frome the rank and societie of the reprobate Albeit that these endes causes of gods long suffering of the vesselles of wrath do not satisfie you yet I doubt not but gods afflicted childreÌ„ wil and do take comfort of the same you thus procede in your sophisticall Sorites If he be sorie say you then hath he no pleasure in their destruction And that where in he hath no pleasure he willeth it not and that which he willeth not he doth not ordein it wherefor seing God suffereth them to fall with greate pacience he hath not ordeined them to fall Your foundation being fals your hole building falleth by y e own weight Before ye procede any further ye must proue y t God did suffer in the vesselles of wrath that which he nether could nor might remedie and therefor that he fell in greif and sorow that his power was no greater and his wisdom no perfiter Wo be to your blasphemies for they coÌ„pell me to write that which I gladly wold not I haue before said that God nether hath pleasure in destructioÌ„ nether yet that he will the death of the sinner absolutely y t is hauing none other respect but to their torment and pain onely But albeit pryde and malice will not suffer you to grante that God hath created all thinges for his own glorie yet will not he be suppliante vnto you that ye shall suffer him to vse his creatures at his own good pleasure Where vpon these wordes of the Apostle doest thow dispyse the riches of gods goodnes not knowing that the kyndnes of God leadeth the to repentance ye inferre that the cause why God suffereth with long pacience is that we should repent and amend If you vnderstand that God suffered his elect euen in the tyme of their blyndnes yea and after their horrible falles and offenses with great lenitie and gentlenes to the end that afterward they may repent I do aggre with you for so he did with Dauid Manasses Paule and many others who after their conuersion did not dispyse gods lenitie but did magnifie and praise the same as in all their confessions may be red But if you vnderstand Paules wordes so that God hath none other end in that his long suffering but that the reprobate shal repent and amend their wickednes because the holie Gost assigneth other causes as before we haue declared I must preferre his iudgement and sentence to yours To your vnreuerent bolde and furious question in which ye aâ—k to what purpose did God suffer them with loÌ„g pacience whom before he knew shoulde neuer repent nor amend I can answer none other wies then I haue done before except that this I adde that if ye be not conteÌ„t that gods iust wrath and greate power shall aswell be manifested both in this world and in the life to com vpon the vesselles of wrath as that his mercie the riches of his glorie shall be praised and extolled in the vesselles of mercie that experience which the common prouerbe calleth maistres to fooles shall teach you that it nothing profited the Gyantes of whom the poetes do speak to heap vp mountane vpon mouÌ„tane of purpose to besiege Iupiter in the heauens To vse the wordes of scripture if be tymes ye cease not so vnreuerently to questioÌ„ with God you shall fele for euer what torment is prepared for such as with humilitie can not be subiect to his iudgementes incoÌ„preheÌ„sible for if ye shall constrein his Maiestie to giue you a reason which ye may vnderstand and apprehend what do you elles theÌ„ go aboute to spoile him of his Godhead We stick none other wies to the literall sense of these former wordes of the Apostle then the rest of scriptures permitt and do teach vs. But how proper be your phrase and common maner of speaking by the which ye labor to obscure the plaine wordes of y e Apostle we briefly shall examin Ordeined to damnation say you after the common maner of speach doth signifie no more but whose end is damnation To grant you som what I wold know of you who hath ordeined damnation to be the eÌ„d of the reprobat I perceaue by your exemple that ye dare not say God for thus ye say we vse to say of a man that is cast to be hanged this maÌ„ was born to be hanged notwithstanding that was not his mothers mynd to bear him to be hanged Besides the foolishe rudenes of this exemple I wonder at your madnes that you can neuer make difference betwext God and earthly creatures Dare you say that God hath no greater power nor foreknowledge in directing and appointing his creatures to their endes then the mother hath to direct forse and appoint the end of her child after that she hath born him she knoweth not what shal be his naturall inclination althogh she instruct and correct him yet can she not bow aÌ„d expell his crooked nature when he is absent from her presence she seeth not his conuersation If he be deprehended in theft or murther and so cast to be hanged she can not althogh she wold delyuer him from the handes of the iudge But is there any of these imperfections in God Consider yet and let reason at length put silence vnto your foolishenes Where of the wordes of Moises of Hoseas Ieremie and Paul aÌ„d of the fact of Ieroboam ye go about to proue that phrase in that sense w c ye adduce to be common in scriptures I am in dowt whether that first I shall lameÌ„t yo r blynd ignoraÌ„ce or abhorre detest yo t abhominable lies horrible prophanatioÌ„ of gods most holie worde It is impossible â— t ignoraÌ„ce hath so blynded you all y t none of you caÌ„ se y e diuersitie betwext tho semaner of speaches God hath suffered y e vesselles of wrath ordeined to destruction these Pharao shall not heare you y t many woÌ„ders may be wroght c. Giue not of thy sede to be offered to Moloch c. I will set my face agaiÌ„st such aÌ„ maÌ„ I will rout him out from the midest of his people because that he hath giuen of his sede to Moloch that he might defyle my Sanctuarie prophain my holie Name And so furth of all the rest for onelie the place of the Apostle after the english phrase and speach may be rightly translated to condemnation I appeall to thy conscience thow manifest corruptor of gods scriptures if in all the places by the alledged there be not this particle Vt which is a causal and not the preposition In which is in the wordes of S. Paul And hath malice so bereft the of knowledge that thow canst make
steadfastly to cleaue and stick to the trueth whose force effect they se alwaies to haue bene one frome the begīning The giuers of these offēses shall no doubt sustein the wo pronounced against them by Christe Iesus But yet must the childrē of God vnderstand that of necessitie it is that such offēses come that the elect may first be tryed and after be partakers of that blessing pronoūced by our master in those wor des Blessed is he that is not offended in me The cause of these my former wordes is that as Satā euer frome the beginnīg hath declared him self ennemie to the fre grace and vndeserued loue of God so hath he now in these last and moste corrupted daies most furiously raged agaīst that doctrine which attributeth all praise and glorie of oure redemption to the eternall loue and vndeserued grace of God alone By what meanes sathā first drew mākynd frome the obediēce of God the scripture doeth witnesse To wit by powring into their hartes that poison that God did not loue thē and by affirming that by transgressiō of gods cōmandemēt they might attein to felicitie and ioy so that he caused them to seke life where God had prounced death to be This same practise hath sathan euer frome the beginning vsed to infect the Church with al kynd of heresie as the writings of Moises of the Prophetes of the Apostles of the godlie in the primatiue Church do playnelie witnes But alas to such blasphemie did neuer the deuil draw mākynd as now of late daies in the which no small nōbre are become so bolde so impudent and so irreuerent that opēly they feare not to affirme God to be vniust if that he in his eternal coūsel hath elected more one sort of mē thē an other to life euerlasting in Christe Iesus our Lord which thing of late daies is more planely come to oure knowledge thē before we could haue suspected and that by the sight of a book moste detestable blasphemous cōteinyng as it is intiteled The cōfutation of the errors of the careles by necessitie with that odious name do they burden all those that either do teach ether yet beleue the doctrine of gods eternall predestination ▪ which booke writtē in the english tōgue doeth cōtein as well the lies and the blasphemies imagined by Sebastian Castalio and laid to the charge of that moste faithfull seruāt of God Iohn Caluine as also the vane reasōs of Pighius Sadoletus Georgius Siculus pestilēt Papistes expressed ennemies of gods free mercies The dispitefull railīg of w t booke the manifest blasphemies in the same cōteined togither with the earnest req̄sts of som godlie brethren moued me to prepare an answere to the same others I dowbt not might haue done it with greater dexteritie but with reuerēce feare do I lay the talēt cōmitted to my charge vpō y e table of the Lord to brīg to his church such aduātage as his godli wisdō hath appointed But lest that some shoulde thīk that my labors might better haue bene bestowed in some other exercise I thoght expediēt to admonish all brethrē charitably to requyre of thē not to esteme the mater to be of small weight importāce ▪ for seing that gods fre grace is opēly impugned disdainfully refused I iudge it the duetie of euerie man that loketh for life euerlasting to giue his confession to Christe Iesus whose glorie is by these blasphemers to y e vttermoste of their power suppressed Some do thinke that because the reason of man can not atteine to the vnderstanding how God shall be iust making in his counsel this diuersitie of mankīd that therefore better it were to kepe silēce in al such mysteries then to trouble the braynes and myndes of men with curious disputatiōs I willingly confesse that al curiositie oght to be auoided and that with great sobrietie we oght to contemplate beholde that incomprehensible mysterie of our redēption But yet I say that the doctrine of gods eternal predestinatiō is so necessarie to the Church of God that without the same can faith neither be truely taught nether surely established mā cā neuer be broght to true humilitie knowledge of him self nether yet cā he be rauished in admiration of gods eternal goodnes and so moued to praise him as apperteineth And therefor we feare not to affirme that so necessarie as it is that true faith be established in o r har tes y t we be broght to vnfined humilitie y t we be moued to praise hī for his fre graces receaued so necessary also is y e doctrin of gods eternall predestination For first there is no way more proper to buyld and establish faith thē whē we heare and vndoubtedly do beleue that our election which the Spirit of God doth seale in our hartes cōsisteth not in our selues but in the eternal and immutable good pleasure of God And that in such firmitie that it cā not be ouerthrowen nether by the raging stormes of the world nor by the assaultes of sathan nether yet by the wauering and weaknes of our own fleshe Then onely is our saluation in assurance whē we fynd the cause of the same in the bosom and counsell of God For so do we by faith apprehend life and peace manifested in Christe Iesus that by the directiō and guyding of the same faith we looke farther to wit out of what fountaine life doth procede In Christe Iesus now presētly do we fynd libertie ād life he is made vnto vs of God wisdome righteousnes and sanctification and redēption and in the promes of his Gospel is foūded the stabilitie of our saluation But yet we haue a ioy which far surmounteth this For albeit that we should heare that the mercies the graces of God were offered vnto all men and albeit also that we should fele that our heartes were somwhat moued to beleue yet onles the very cause of our faith be knowen oure ioye and comfort cā not be full For if we shall think that we beleue ād haue embrased Christe Iesus preached because our wittes be better then the wittes of others and because that we haue a better inclination and are of nature more tractable then be the cōmon sorte of men sathan I say can easely ouer throw all comfort buylded vpon so weak a ground for as the heart of man is vain and inscrutable so may it be that those that this day be tractable and obedient hauing also som zeale toward godlines yea and also bothe sense and feling of gods mercie such I say may shortly here after become stubborn in some cases disobedient in maters of greate importance tempted with lustes and finally they may be left so barren that rather they shal tremble at the sight of gods iudgemētes thē that they can reioyse in the free adoptiō of his children And therefor I say that except our comfort be
whether ye will be worde or writiÌ„g y â— I haue hieghly offended in calliÌ„g you detestable liers But if ye be neuer able to shew any such wordes vsed by vs as plane it is ye be not theÌ„ yo r master Castalio aÌ„d you bothe are far from y t perfectioÌ„ to speake no more bitterly w t ye preteÌ„d For ye are manifest liers aÌ„d whose soÌ„nes they are called you can not be ignoraÌ„t accusing meÌ„ of that they neuer meÌ„t For thus formeth Castalio his first fals accusacion against Master Caluin God hath created to perdition the most part of the world by the naked bare and pure pleasure of his own wil. And this same ye affirme in mo wordes more impudently patched â–ª so bothe you and he do adde to our wordes of your own malicious mynd These sentences God hath created the most parte of the world which is an innumerable multitude to perdicion onely becaus it so pleased him you steall from our wordes and suppresse that which euer we ioyne wheÌ„ we make mention of gods predestination to witt that he hath created all thiÌ„ges for his own glorie That albeit the cause of gods will be incoÌ„prehensible secret and hid froÌ„ vs wheÌ„ of y â— same masse he ordeyned som vesselles to honor aÌ„d soÌ„ to destructioÌ„ yet it is moste iust most holie aÌ„d most to be reuerenced Now to y â— further declaratioÌ„ aswel of o r mynd as of your shameles malice I shall recite som sÌ„eteÌ„ces of master CaluiÌ„ as doth that godlie and learned maÌ„ Theodorus Beze against the craftie surmyse of your master Castalio I say faieth Iohn Caluin with Augustin that of God they were created whom without doute he fore knew to go to perdition and that was so done becaus so he wold Why he wold it apperteineth not to vs to inquire who caÌ„ not comprehend it neither yet is it conuenient that the will of God shall discend and come downe to be decided by vs. Of the which so oft as mention is made vnder the name of it is the supreme and most hie rule of iustice nominated And further we affirme that which the scripture clearly sheweth to wit that God did once by his eternall and immutable counsel appoint whom somty me he should take to saluation and also whom he should condemne to destruction We affirm those whom he iudgeth worthie of participation of saluation to be adoptate and chosen of his free mercie for no respect of their own dignitie but whom he giueth to condemnation to the same he shuteth vp the entres to life by his incomprehensible iudgement But yet by that iudgemeÌ„t that neither can not may be reproued And in another worke If we be not ashamed saieth he of the Gospell it behoueth vs to confes that which therin is manifestly taught that is that God of his aeternall good pleasure whose cause dependeth vpon none other hath destinate to saluation whom it pleased him the rest being reiected And whom he hath honored with his free adoption those he illuminateth by his Spirit that they may receaue the life offered in Christ Others by their own will so remaning vnfaithfull that being destitute of the light of faith they continue in darknes Also that which sainct Augustine writeth So is the will of God the hieghest rule of iustice that what so euer he will in so far as he willeth it it is to be holden iust Therefor when the questioÌ„ is why did God so It is to be answered Because so he wold But if thow procede asking why he wold thow sekest a thiÌ„g greater and more hie then Gods wil which can not be founde And after saieth he We must euer returne to the pleasure of his will the cause whereof is hidde within him self But to make this mater more euident I will adduce one or two places mo and so put end to this your forged accusacion for this tyme. In his book which he wriâ—â—th of the eternal predestination of God thus he saieth Albeit that God before the derection of Adam had determined for causes hid to vs what he was to do yet in scriptures we read nothing to be condemned or him except sinne And so it resteth that he had iust causes but hid from vs in reiecting a part of men for he hateth nor damneth nothing in man but that which is contrarie to his iustice Also writing vpon Isaie the 23. chap. vpon these wordes The Lord of hoostes hath decreed to prophane the pryde of all the noble ones c â–ª he saieth let vs learn of this place that the prouidence of God is to be considered of vs that to him we may giue the glorie and praise of his omnipotecie for the wisdom and the iustice of God are to be ioyned with his power Therefore as the scriptures teach vs that God by his wisdom doth this or that so do they teach vs a certen end why he doth this or that for the imagination of the absolute power of God which the scholemen haue inuented is an execrable blasphemie for it is as much as they should say that God were a tyrant that appointed things to be done not according to equitie but according to his inordinat appetite With such blasphemies be the scholes replenished neither yet differ they from the Ethnicks who did affirme that God iested or did sporte in the maters of men But we are taught in the schole of Christe that the iustice of God shyneth in his workes what so euer they be y t the mouthes of all men may be stopped and glorie may be geuen to him alone And therefor the Prophet rehearseth iust causes of this destruction meaning of the destruction of Tyrus that we shall not thinke that God doth any thing without reason Those of Tyre were ambitious proude auaricious lecherous dissolute What is he so simple which may not now consider and vnderstand what was your malice and deuiâ—ish intenion â–ª in patching vp this your first accusation not the zeale of gods glorie as you falsly pretend but the hatred which ye haue conceaued against them who haue soght your saluation For if ye had ment any thing simply ye should not haue added that which ye be neuer able to shew in our writinges neither yet can ye laufully proue that we haue spoken the same in reasoning with any of you We so taught by the scriptures with reuereÌ„ce do affirme that God for iust causes albeit vnknoweÌ„ aÌ„d hid to vs hath reiected a parte of men But you making no mention of any cause affirme that we holde that he hath created the most part of the world which is innumerable to no other end but to perdiction in which shameles lie your malice paâ—â—eth measure For neither do we rashly define the nomber of the one nor of the other howbeit the scripture in dyuers places affirmeth Christes â—â—ocke to be the little flocke the nomber to be few that findeth the way that leadeth to life
â–ª this notwihstanding I say we vse not boldly to pronounce whether of the nobres shal be the greater but w t all sobrietie we exhorte the people coÌ„mitted to our charge not to folowe y â— multitude to iniquitie For if they do there is no multitude that can preuale against God And so to vs in this behalf ye are greatly iniurious But yet in y e secoÌ„d parte your malice is more manifest for ye burdeÌ„ vs that we should affirme that the end of the creation of the reprobate was none other but their eternall perditioÌ„ From which calumnie master Caluin clearly purgeth vs in these wordes All oght to know saieth he that which Salomon saieth y t God hath created all for him self aÌ„d the wicked also to the euill day CoÌ„sider aÌ„d mark that we instructed by the holie Gost do first affirme that the cause and end why the reprobate were created neither was nor is not their onlie perdition as ye burden vs but that the glorie of God must nedes appere and shyne in all his workes And secondarely we teach that their perdition doeth so depend vpon gods predestinatioÌ„ that the iust cause and mater of their perditioÌ„ is found within them selues and that albeit the decre and couÌ„sel of God be incomprehensible to mens vnderstaÌ„ding yet neuertheles it is most iust and most holie And thus haue I so plainely and in so few wordes as conueniently I could expound in what pointes ye are malicious liers what ye haue added of hatred to our wordes and what ye suppresse that the equitie of our cause should not appere to men God grant you if his good pleasure be with greater modestie to write and with more humilitie to reason in those hieghe mysteries which far surmount the reatch of mannes capacitie But now I procede to the preface of your confutation which thus beginneth THE ADVERSARIE The confutation of the first error To proue this true they can bring furth no plane testimonie of the worde For there is no such saieÌ„g in the holie scripture that God hath reprobate man afore the world But the senteÌ„ces which they alledge be far set and forged coÌ„trarie to the meaning of the holie Gost as God willing it shal planely appere And where scripture will not serue they patch their tale with vnreasonable reasons for theire hole intention is contrarie to true reason ANSWER In verie dede if all were true w c ye haue heaped vp in your vniust accusation I for my parte wold not ashame to confesse that more were affirmed then plane scriptures do teach but your additioÌ„s which before we haue touched being remoued and that added which of malice ye haue omitted I hope that our propositioÌ„ shal be so plane and simple that the reasonable man if he be godlie shall neither lacke good reason nor plane scriptures to confirm the same Albeit that ye are bold to affirme that we haue neither scripture nor good reason and that our whole inteÌ„tion is contrarie to true reason But now let vs forme our own propositioÌ„s God in his eternall and immutable counsels hath once appointed and decreed whom he wold take to saluatioÌ„ aÌ„d whoÌ„ also he wold leaue in ruyne aÌ„d perditioÌ„ Those whome he elected to saluation he receaueth of fre mercie without all respect had to their own merites or dignitie but of vndeserued loue gaue theÌ„ to his onelie son to be his inheritaÌ„ce aÌ„d theÌ„ in tyme he calleth of purpose who as his shepe obey his voice aÌ„d so do they attein to y â— ioy of that kingdom which was prepared for them before the foundations of the world wer laide But to those whom he hath decreed to leaue in perdition is so shut vp the entrie of life that either they are left continually corrupted in their blindnes orels if grace be offered by them it is oppugned and obstinatly refused or if it seme to be receaued that abideth but for a tyme onely aÌ„d so they returne to their blindnes aÌ„d croked nature aÌ„d infidelitie agane in which finally they iustly perishe Becaus the hole coÌ„trouersie standeth in this whether God hath chose any to lief euerlastiÌ„g before the begiÌ„niÌ„g of al tymes leuiÌ„g others in their iust perditioÌ„ or not my purpose is first by plane scriptures to proue the affirmatiue and after in weying the same aÌ„d other scriptures that by Gods grace shal be adduced so planely as I caÌ„ to shew vnto you what horrible absurditie ineuitably foloweth vpon your error in which ye affirme that God hath chosen no man more one then an other â–ª that either your blindnes remoued ye may turne with all humilitie to the eternall soÌ„ne of the eternall God against whom you arm your selues orels that your damnation may be the more so dayne and iust for your refusall of the plaine light offered That God hath chosen before the foundation of the world witnesseth the Apostle saing Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christe who hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessing in heauenlie things by Christe as he hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world was laid that we should be holie and without blame before him by loue Here the Apostle in expresse wordes affirmeth that God hath chosen a certeiÌ„ nombre for he speaketh not to the hole world as you either ignorantly orels maliciously do after alledge but to his beloued congregation of Ephesus who with all obedience had receaued the word of lief offered and with great pacience had continewed in the same euen after the departure of their Apostle from them yea after his boÌ„des and impresonnement Such I say doeth the Apostle affirme that God hath chosen and that before the foundatioÌ„s of the world were laid So that we haue Gods election before all beginning planely proued Here might I bring furth many places but I hauing respect to breuitie stand content with this one place That this he hath done once in his eternall and immutable couÌ„sell without respect to be had to our merites or workes which you alledge to be causes of Gods election witnesseth the same Apostle proceding as foloweth who haeth prâ—destinat vs that he should adoptat vs in children by Iesus Christe according to the good pleasure of his will that the glorie of his grace by the which he hath made vs deare by that beloued may be praised In whom we haue redemption and by his blood remission of sinne according to his aboundant grace of the which he hath plentifully poured vpon vs all wisdom and prudence opening to vs the secrete of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him self to the dispeÌ„sation of the fulnes of tymes summarely to restore all things by Christe bothe those that be in the heauens and those that be in the earth by whom we are chosen in a portion or lott predestinate according to the purpose of him by whose power are all thinges made according to the
euidently declared in Isaakes two sonnes being yet in their mothers boson â–ª before they had done either good or bad as the Apostle affirmeth It was said by the voice of God the elder shall serue the younger By which voice of God reueled did Isaak aÌ„d Rebecca plainely vnderstand what was the cause of the battell which the mother felt in her bosom aÌ„d wombe to witt that because from her wombe were two peoples and nations to procede which could not be of equall honour and dignitie For the one had he determined in his eternall counsell to elect for his peculiar people the other to reiect and to leaue them in the common corruption as the other nations as the sequel in processe of tyme did euidently declare For the Edomites discending of Esau were cut of from the bodie of the church and became manifest enemies to the posteritie of Iacob becaus that their father was subiect to Iacob and pronounced to be his seruant Such as vnderstand this place of corporall seruice and worldlie riches or dignitie onely do nothing els but shew their own ignoraÌ„ce corrupting the meaning of the holie Gost. For sainct Paul in the 9. chapter to the Romains after that he hath affirmed that the promes and â—lection of God were sure albeit that many of the carnall sede had refused Christe preached he bringeth in this former sentence to remoue all sclaÌ„der Saing All are not sonnes because they are the sede of Abraham that is those that be y e soÌ„nes of the fleshe are not therefor the soÌ„nes of God but those that be the sonnes of promes are accompted for sede And so to proue that which before he had affirmed to witt hat all were not Israelites that came of Israel he added these wordes Not onely this but also wheÌ„ Rebecca had coÌ„ceiued of one our father Isaak while the children were not borne while they had neither done good nor cuill that the purpose of God shoulde by de according to electioÌ„ not of workes but of the caller it was said to her The elder shall serue the younger Such as be not more then blind may easely perceiue that the Apole looketh to an other end then to worldlie dignitie For his purpose was not in that place to dispute and reason who should be riche in this world and who should be poore who should be lordes temporall and who shoulâ— be seruants but his purpose and mâ—nd was to declare tâ— whom did that benediction promised vnto Abraham appertein and to whom it did not apperteine So that the holie Gost speaking by sainct Paule is a commentarie of the wordes spokeÌ„ to Rebecca And I doubt not but so she did vnderstaÌ„d them To witt that y t promes which appered to haue ben common with all the sede of Isaak of whom it was spoken In Isaak shall thy sede be called was now restreined and made proper to one head and to the people discending of him that is to Iacob who after obteined the name of Israel So that bothe the peoples neither were reputed neither yet in very dede were the Church aÌ„d chosen people of God but the one was chosen and the other was refused The one by grace and of the caller was honored with the name and priuiledge of his churche The other was cast owt as strangers vpon the one remained the benediction of the which the other was depriued In this maner I say did bothe Isaak Rebecca yea Iacob and Esau in proces of tyme vnderstand this oracle of God But yet becaus this former place of the Apostle is by many euill vnderstand and by som maliciously wrested from the simple meaning of the holie Gost in as few and plain wordes as I can I purpose to declare how aptly and properly the Apostle vseth the testimonie and wordes of Moises Christ beiÌ„g preached to the iewes who were reputed the chosen people of God to whom and for whose comfort and deliuerance the Messiah was especially promised The most part of the iewes remained vnfaithfull refused the Sauiour who was sent blasphemed him and cruelly did persecute him and his meÌ„bres This could not be withoute a greate offeÌ„se aÌ„d sclaÌ„der to many thousandes bothe of the Iewes and gentiles The Iewes puffed vp with pride because they were the peculiare people because to them were giuen the law promesses aÌ„d oracles did brag and boast that God could not reiect theÌ„ except â—hat he should be found a lier For to Abraham and to his sede had he made a promes And the geÌ„tiles might be troubled with the like cogitations for they might think if God shall refuse his own people which so many yeares he tenderly had norished what stabilitie can we loke for thogh we should receyue this Christ preached Against bothe these sortes of men most valiaÌ„tâ—y fighteth the Apostle and most aptly alledgeth the scriptures to the confutatipn of the one and comfort of the other First against the Iew he reasoneth that albeit they be Israelites after the flesh yet it may be y t they be not the verey israelites of God neither yet is God endebâ—ed vnto theÌ„ thogh they be discended of Abraham The reason is that God made no promes to the hole sede of Abraham but to a parte of it to Isaak And if they should say but we are of Isaak he granting that doeth neuertheles proue that God doeth not choose y e hole sede of Isaak but in the mothers woÌ„be as said is by his own decre he made the differeÌ„ce And if further they should replie ô but we are of Iacob he then commeth to the proof of his first proposition affirming that albeit they were of Iacob yet did it not thereof folow that they were all the elect people of God for what prerogatiue wold he say can Iacob haue aboue his father Isaak or what can Isaak haue aboue Abraham Abraham who many yeres faithfully obeyed God could not obtein that all his posteritie no not Ismael for whom he prayed should be reconed to be his sede Neither could Isaak obtein the same but God appointed and did chose whom it pleased him And shall Iacob haue greater prerogatiue theÌ„ had they bothe shall he that of grace was preferred to his brother when neither the one had done good neither the other had done euill giue that priuiledge to all his posteritie that without exception they shal be the chosen people of God No will the Apostle conclude but God noâ— after the reuelation of his dear Sonne Christ Iesus doeth make the same difference in the posteritie of â—acob that somtymes he made in the sede of Abraham aÌ„d Isaak That is he chooseth whom it pleaseth him aÌ„d reiecteth also such as in whom he hath no pleasure aÌ„d that not onely amongest the Iewes but also amongest the gentiles and that to make the riches of his glorie knoweÌ„ towardes y e vessels of mercie which he had prepared vnto glorie whoÌ„ he hath called euen
vs not onely of the Iewes but also of the gentiles as the Prophet Osee saieth aÌ„d so to the eÌ„d of y e chapter he establisheth the faith of the gentiles and coÌ„forteth them affirming that their vocation and election was fore spoken by Moises and the Prophetes and therefore that it was not a thing that came by chaÌ„ce but was appoiÌ„ted in the eternall couÌ„sel of God and therefor in his coÌ„clusion he assureth them that such as beleue in Christ Iesus shall neuer be confounded This simply but truelie I doute not haue I explaned the mynde of the Apostie in the former place which is That gods election dependeth not vpon man vpon his will purpose pleasure or â—â—gnitie but as it is fre proceding from grace so is it stable in godâ— immutable counsel and is reueled to gods elect at such tyme as he knoweth most expedient But because that of this we must after speak more now we recurne to our former purpose From the beginning we heare that God maketh a differeÌ„ce first by that generall diuision seperating and setting aparte the sede of the woman from the serpents sede After calling Abraham neglecting as it were the rest of the whole world in Abrahames sede he maketh plaine difference secluding Ismael that he should not be heir with Isaak But most especially in the wombe of Rebecca making the difference betwext the two children and their posteriâ—ie Which difference did continue euen to the dayes of Christe Iesus in such â—irmitie and stablenes that neither could the sinnes of the Paâ—riarches the subtill cruelâ—ie of Pharao the inobedieÌ„ce and grudgeing of the people their apostasie and defection from God by manifest idolatrie nor finally their long bondage and captiuitie alter or change this immutable counsell of God that the elder should serue the yonger that the Messiah should coÌ„ of the tribe of Iuda that of the loynes of Dauid should spring furth one to fit vpon his seat for euer And this difference which God by his own voice did stablish before the coÌ„ming of his dear SoÌ„ne Christ Iesus did the same Christ Iesus oure master appering in flesh ratifie and confirme For he plainely affirmeth that he was not sent but to the lost snepe of Israel and that it was not good to take the bread of the children and giue it to dogges By which two sentences he maketh an expresse difference betâ—ext the shepe and â—he goates and betwext the children and the dogges He feareth not to say to the faces of those that boasted them selues to be the sonnes of Abraham ye are not of God for if ye were of God ye should loue me but ye are of your father the deuill aÌ„d his desires ye will obey As this senteÌ„ce is fearfull so may it appere verey bold For they might haue obcted as they did are we not his creatures created to his own image are we not the sede of Abraham Do we not beare the figure of circoncision are we not collected in Hierusalem and do we not frequeÌ„t the temple yes verely but none of all these thinges made them to be of God in such sorte as Christ denied them to be of him For all these thinges may the reprobat haue commoÌ„ with the electe But Christ denied them to be of God that is to be the sonnes and wessels of his mercie elected in his eternall counsel borne of him by the spirit of regeneration by the which their stubborn blindnes being remoued aÌ„d they made obedient durst be bolde to call him Father In this sense Christ denieth them to be of God If any think that their wickednes and willfull refusall of grace offered was the cause that they were not of God as I neither excuse their manifest rebellion neither yet deny it to be a most iust cause of their condemnation so vtterly deny I that their perseâ— sinnes were the onely or the chefe caus of their reprobation For Christ him self feareth not to assigne an other cause Saing Therefor ye do not heare because ye are not of God If they had heard that is receaued aÌ„d beleued Christ Iesus aÌ„d his doctrine their sinnes had ben purged and their blindnes remoued But him could they not receaue And why because they are not of God But to the obiectioÌ„ that the fore knowledge of good workes or of rebellion to come should be the cause why God doth electe or reiecte we shalâ— God willing afâ—er ansâ—ere Now onely I mynde to folow that which I haue purposed which is that Christ Iesus him self maketh a plaine and manifest difference betwext one sorte of men and an other How often doth he affirme that his shepe do heare his voice that he knoweth â—hem and that they know him y t it hath pleased the Father to giue the kingdome to the litle flock That many are called aÌ„d few chosen That som there be whom Christ Iesus neuer knew no not enen when they wroght greatest miracles In all these and many places mo it is euideÌ„t that Christ maketh difference betwext one and an other but one place most notable all others I will shortly touche and put end to this mater Christ Iesus in that his most solemne and most coÌ„fortable praier after other things saâ—eth I haue manifested they name to the men whom thow hast geuen to me of the world They were thyne and thou hast giueÌ„ them vnto me and they haue kept thy worde And shortly after I pray for them I pray not for the world but for them whom thoâ— hast giuen vnto me Because they are thyne If in the hole scriptures there were no mo places to proue that in the Eternall counsel of God there is a difference of one sorte of meÌ„ from an other this onely one were sufficient For first he maketh mention of men giuen vnto him by the Father who were as he before affirmed chosen owt of the world and why were they giueÌ„ vnto Christe he answereth because they were the fathers And how they apperteined to God more then others is before said He further declareth what he had done vuto them what they also had done And what he did and wold do to the end for them he had opened vnto them the name that is the mercie goodnes constant trueth and perfect iustice of his heauenlie father which doctrine they had receaued and kept as they that were the grounde appointed to bring furrh fruiâ— in aboundance He did pray for theÌ„ that they should be sanctified and confirmed in the veritie The vertue of w c praier is perpetuall and at al tymes obteineth mercie in the presence of his fathers throne for his electe And lest that any doubte shoulde remaine as that these graces were common to all the worlde in plain and expresse wordes he affirmeth that he prayed not for the world but for those saieth he whom thow hast geuen vnto me If any deny a plane difference here to be made betwext one sorte of meÌ„
originall spring I think no man will so holde nor affirme euen so it is in this mater for faith and a godlie life that ensueth our vocation are the fruites proceding from oure election but are not to the causes of the same And therefor the Apostle to beat downe all pryde asketh what hast thow ◠mā which thow hast not receaued And if thou hast receiued it why gloriest thow as thogh thow hadst not receaued it The Apostle in that place speaketh not of one or two graces but what so euer is necessarie to saluation that he affirmeth to be receaued and that of fre grace as he yet more plainely doeth witnes sayeng Of grace are ye saued by faith and that not of your selues it is y e gift of God ād not of works lest any should glorie Now if man hath nothing but that which he receaueth of grace of fre gift of fauour and mercie what odious pryde and horrible vnthankfulnes is this that man shall imagine that for his faith and for his workes God did electe and predestinate him to that dignitie euen as if two or thre beggers chosen from the nomber of many were of the liberall mercie of a Prince promoted to honour should after brag and boast that their good seruice was the cause that the Prīce did choose them Shuld not euerie wise man mocke their vanitie yea might not the Prince iustly depriue them for their arrogant vnthankfulnes Might not the Prince haue left them in their wretched estate And what then shoulde haue become of their seruice Is it not euē so with mā lost in Adam whose fall in gods prescience and purpose was before his creation of which masse or lompe God of his owne fre grace did choose ād predestinate vessels of his mercie prepared vnto glorie that they should be holie as before is said shall these thē that finde mercie to worke good wordes boast as thogh workes were the cause thereof God forbyd For if the posteritie of Abraham did not obteine the inheritāce of the land of Canaan for any iustice that was in them yea if God did not choose them neither to the temporall nor eternal felicitie but of loue and fre grace onely as Moises doth witnes how shall we thinke that the Eternall inheritāce or gods election to the ioy and life euerlasting dependeth vpon any qualite within vs. Wonder it is that the Apostle sainct Paul intreating this mater of gods fre election was ignorant of this cause if it be sufficient For by that meanes in few wordes he might haue put silence to many dogges which then as men do now barked against this doctrine For if he had said God hath chosen afore all tymes to the participatiō of life a certein nomber because he foresaw that they should be faithfull obedient to his commandemēts and holie in cōuersation and vpon the other parte he hath reiected and reprobate others because he foresaw that they should be vnfaithfull disobediēt and vnclean of life this I say if those causes had been sufficient had ben a sensible maner of doctrine But the Apostle alledgeth no such reason but first beateth doune the pryde of man as before we haue touched and there after brusteth furth in this exclamation O the hieght of the riches of the wisdō and knowledge of God how incōprehensible are his iudgements and how vnsear cheable are his wayes This exclamatiō I say had bene vaine if either workes or faith foresene had bene the cause of gods electiō S. Augustin doeth mock the sharpe sight of mē that in his daies begā to se more depely then did y e holie Gost speaking in y e Apostle And we fear not to affirme that the men w c this day do attribute electiō or predestination to any vertue or qualitie within man do holde defend to their greate dāger that which none inducd with the Spirite of God hath left to vs written within the holie scriptures either yet that any of the chosē shal cōfes in their greatest gloric Let the hole Scriptures be red and diligently marcked and no sentence rightly vnderstand shal be founde that affirmeth God to haue chosen vs in respect of our workes or because he fore sawe that we should be faithfull holie and just But to the contrarie many places shall we finde yea euē so many as intreat of that mater that plainely affirme that we that we are frely chosen accordīg to the purpose of his good will ād that in Christ Iesus And what shall be the confession of the hole bodie assembled when they shall receaue the promissed glorie is expressed in these wordes of the 24 elders who casting their crownes before him that sitteth vpon the throne do say Worthy art thow o Lord ād our God to take honour and glorie and power For thow hast created all things and by thy will they are and were created And after they fall before the lambe ād sing a new song saying Worthie art thow to take the book and to open the seales thereof for thow wast killed and hast redemed vs to God by thy bloode and hast made vs to our God kings ād priestes ād we shall reigne vpon the earth No mention is here made of any worthines of man the creation is geuē to God and that all thinges are in that perfecte state which thē the chosen shall possesse is attributed to his will The death of the lambe is assigned to be the cause of the redemption yea of that great dignitie to which they are promoted I am fully persuaded that if any cause of gods electiō and of the fruite proceding of the same were or could be in mā that the holie Gost who is authour of all iustice wold not haue defrauded man of any thing which of right did appertein vnto him But seing that in no place the holie Gost doeth attribute any parte of mannes saluation to his owne merites or worthines I fear not to affirme that this pestilēt opinion is the instigation of sathan laboring by all meanes to obscure the glorie of Christ Iesus and to retein man in bōdage whom he infected with that first venom which he made hī to drink Saing ye shal be as gods Thus far with such plain simplicite as it pleased God to minister vnto me for the tyme haue proued y t gods electiō is Eternal y t it is stable y t he hath made a difference betwext one sort of mē and an other w c differēce althogh it came to know ledge of mā in time yet was it in gods purpose ād counsel before all tyme no les thē his creatiō was And last y t gods electiō depēdeth neither vpō o r workes nor vpō our faith but procedeth frō his Eternal wisdō mercie ād goodnes ād therefor is it īmutable ād cōstāt Now shortly will I go throughe if God permi me y e reasons of yo r booke Nothing vpō y e one parte y e imperfectiōs of y
Now what greater crueltie tyrannie and oppressioÌ„ can be then to creat the most parte of the world to euerlasting damnation so that by no maner of mean they can escaip and auoid the cruell decre and sentence against theÌ„ Seing the Philosopher Plato iudged them vnworthie to liue and to be suffered in any commoÌ„ welth which spake euill of God what oght our iudgements to be of such men which haue so wicked and opinion of God what so euer our iudgement be of them and what so euer their deseruing be let vs labore rather to win them then to lose them But forasmuch as he which toucheth pitche is in danger to be defiled there with Therefor oght we to walk warely with such men that we be not defyled and infected of them Specially seing that now a daies this horrible doctrine doeth freate euen as the disease of a cankar which infecte from one membre to an other vntill it hath occupied the hole bodie without it be cut away euen so this error hath alredie infected from one to an other a greate nombre The lord grante them the true meaning and vnderstanding of his worde whereby they may be healed and the sicknes cut of the membre being saued ANSWER Becaus that in all this your long discourse ye more shew your malice which vniustly against vs ye haue conceaued then y t either ye oppugne our beleif either yet promote your fals opinion I will not spend the tyme to recompence your dispite Onely this I will offer in the name of all may brethren that if you be able in presence of a lawfull iudge and magistrate euidently to coÌ„uict vs y t either we speak euill of God either yet y t by our writinges preaching or reasoning it iustly can be proued that our opinion is euill of his eternall maiestie power wisdom and goodnes that then we refuse not to suffer the same punishment which you by the auctoritie of Plato iudge vs worthy of Yea we further offer our selues willingly to vnderlie the verey death which God by his law hath appointed to all blasphemers prouided that you refuse not to vnderlie the same penaltie if falsly ye accuse vs. What is your studies to win vs and whether our doctrine be horrible error or not I do not now dispute Thus you reason THE ADVERSARIE God created man a verey good thing and dare you say that God ordeined a verey good thing to destruction Then God deliteth in the destruction of that which is verie good Man at his creation was a iust and innocent creature â–ª for afore the transgreâ—sion there was no euill neither in Adam nor in vs and think you that God ordeined his iust and innocent creatures to condemnation what greater tyrannie and vnrighteousnes can the most wicked man in the world yea the deuil him self do then to condemne the innocent and iust person Hereby may we se that these careles man by more abominable then the Athei which beleue there is no God But these affirme God to be as bad as the deuil yea and worse for asmuch as the deuil can onely tempt a man to death but he can compell none to fall vnto coÌ„demnation but God may not onely tempt but also compell â—y his eternall decre the most part of the world to damnation And hath so done as they say â–ª so that of necessitie and onely because it was his pleasure and will then must God be worse then the deuil For the deuil onely tempted men to fall but God compelleth them to fall by his immutable decre Oh horrible blasphemie ANSVVER Becaus that before plainely and simply I haue declared our iudgement of gods eternall election and most iust reprobation in all these your dispitefull arguments I will onely shew your malice ignorance and proude vanitie This is your argument God created man a verie good thing therefor he did not ordein him to destructioÌ„ your reason is for that is contrarie to his iustice to ordein a good thing to destructioÌ„ I answere if ye be able to proue that man stoode in the same goodnes perfectioÌ„ and innoceÌ„tie he aÌ„d his posteritie whome so hieghly ye praise in the which he was first created then will I confesse your argument to be good But if man albeit he was created good did yet willingly make him self euill how can it be contrarie to the iustice of God to appoint punishmeÌ„t for transgression which he did not onely fore se by an idle speculation or yet suffre and permitt against his omnipotent will but in his eternall counsell for the manifestatioÌ„ of his own glory had decreed the same Against which albeit ye cry horrible blasphemie till your braines drop out yet haue we Moises Exod. 9. Isaiah 6. Salomon and Paul to absolue vs from your cruell senteÌ„ce For they do affirme that God hath created all thinges for his own glorie and the wicked to the day of destruction that he raised vp Pharao that his power might be shewen furth in him that he blindeth the eis and hardeneth the heartes of some so that they can neither heare nor se that they may conuert That God hath prepared bothe vessels of mercie and vessels of wraith which places albit som of them seme not to appertein to the creation yet if they be iustly weyed it shall euidently appere that the hardnes of mennes heartes their blindnes and stubborn malice are not onely punishments of sinne but also are the effects of reprobation like as faith obedience and other vertues be the fre giftes of God geuen in Christ Iesus to those whom he hath elected in him But yet to your argument which thus ye amplifie do ye think that God ordeined his iust and innocent creatures to damnation what greater tyrannie and vnrighteousnes can the most wicked man in the earth yea the deuil him self do then to coÌ„demne a iust aÌ„d an innocent person I answer as before that your argument is nought worthe For you conclude more then ye be able to proue of your two former propositioÌ„s which be those God created man a verie good thing Trew it is and God reprobated maÌ„ and shall also condeÌ„ne him whoÌ„ he created good I grant also Therefor he damned the good thing which he created or that thing which is verie good I deny the conclusion For before demnation there cometh a change in man so that he of verie good became extreme euill and so gods iust iudgements found nothing but that which is euill to condemne You forme your reason as that God had so created maÌ„ good that he by no meanes after could be made euill which last part is fals and so you are deceaued If ye caÌ„not se iust causes why God should make that thing verie good which after should becom exttreme euill accuse your own blindnes and desire of God to repres in you that presumption and pryde which against the eternall Sonne of God you haue conceaued and so your eyes
burdē God with iniustice in defending his own innocētie At which reasons Elihu offended after that the other three were put to silēce takīg vpō him to reproue Iob affirmeth that the wisdom the power the iustice and the iudgementes of God were incomprehensible that God could do nothing vniustly how that euer it appered to mannes iudgement and amongest other thinges he saieth wilt thou say vnto a king thou art wicked or vnto princes ye are vngodlie How muche les to him that accepteth not the persons of Princes and regardeth not the riche more then the poore For they be all the worke of his handes They shall dye sodenly and the people shal be trobled at midnight and they shall passe furth and take away the mightie withoute hand for his eies are vpon the wayes of man and he seeth al his goings Thus haue I noted partly y t none shall think that these wordes may seme to fauor your error and partly that your vntruethe in wrasting such places may more manifestly appere Ignorance of the tongues may be some caus in you but in some of you I can manifestly proue that malice blindeth knowledge and compelleth you to speake and write against your vnderstanding God touche your heartes with true repentance and giue you his holie spirit with greater reuerence to intreat his scriptures But now to the scriptures that ye alledge God say you hath no respect of persōs Ergo wil ye cōclude he hath no election Your conclusion is fals and my reason is becaus that gods fre election depēdeth not vpon the persones of men but vpon his own promes and good will ▪ But to make this mater more sensible I wil make an argumēt directly against yours God respecteth not the persons of men But yet amongest men is found great diuersitie bothe in vertue ād in vice Therefor there must be som cause from whence this diuersitie procedeth Of the first part I know ye doute not and the secōd parte is confirmed by common experience and by euidēt scriptures for how diuerse be the inclinatiōs of mē none cā be ignorāt except such as do not obserue the same Such as attribute the caus of such diuersitie to the sterres and to the influence of the Planetes are more then vaine education and vp bringing doeth somwhat bow nature in that case but neither of bothe is the cause of such diuersitie for how many haue bene norished in vertue togither and yet haue after fallen to moste horrible vices and in the same perished And contrarie wies how many haue bene wickedly broght vp and yet by grace atteined to an holie conuersation If the cause of this diuersitie I say shal be inquired and soght it shall not be found in nature for thereby were and are we all borne the sonnes of wraith if in education and vp bringing we se how oftē that faileth The cause thereof thē must be of necessitie without man To make the mater yet more plaine by an exēple Paule preached Christ Iesus to be the onely Sauior of the world both amongest the Iewes and gentiles to som his preaching was the sauour of lief and to others it was the sauour of death from whence commeth this diuersitie from the obedience will and faith of the one say you and frome the stubborne inobedience and infidelitie of the other you say somewhat but not all for true it is that faith and an obedient will is that which we call Causam propinquam that is the next cause to our apprehension but what is the cause that the will of one is obedient and the will of the other stubborne that the one doeth beleue and the other doeth blaspheme How so euerye do shift the holie Gost in many places plainely affirmeth the cause not to be in nature nor yet to procede of man nor of his fre will but to be the fre grace of the caller as Christ Iesus doeth witnes None can com vnto me excepte my Father draw him No mā can se the kingdom of God except he be borne againe and that neither of blood neither of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God who toucheth and openeth the heartes of so many as he hath ordeined to lief to aduerte and beleue the thinges that be truely preached As those that be the shepe of Christe Iesus who heare his voice and know the same These and many places mo do most plainely declare what is the cause that some beleue and others beleue not to witt that som are born of God and som are left in nature som are shepe som are goates the heartes of som are touched and opened by the finger and Spirit of God as it was said to Peter flesh and bloode hath not reueled this vnto the but my Father which is in the heauen and the heartes of others left in their own blindnes and hardnes If ye demand how is it then that God respecteth not the person of man I answer if ye did vnderstād a right what is mēt by acceptation of persons or what it is to respect persons ye should not doute in this behalf Acceptatiō of persons is when an vnworthie person is preferred to a worthie either by corrupt affection of those that do preferre him either yet for some qualitie or externall beautie that appereth in man As if to the office of a king or of a bushope should one be elected that neither hath godlynes knowledge wisdom nor yet the spirit of gouernement because he is riche noble of bloode fare and lustie and the persons hauing giftes much more excellent should be contemned this is called acceptation of persons As Samuel seing Eliab and considering his beautie and stature doeth boldly pronounce in his own heart assuredly before the Lord this is his anoīted Such acceptation of persons is not with God for neither looketh he to blood riches nobilitie vertue strength nor beautie temporall in his eternall election but onely to his own good will and eternall purpose by the which he hath elected vs in Christe Iesus If ye shall consider the same place depely ye shall find that none within the hole scriptures of God more confuteth your error then it doeth For as God respecteth not the person of mā so respecteth he nothing that is or can be within man as the chief cause of his election For what can God forese consider or know to be in man that good is which floweth not from his fre mercie and goodnes as it is written we are not sufficient of our selues to think any thing that good is but all our sufficiencie is of God who worketh in vs bothe to will and performe Then if all vertue what so euer be in vs be the work of God can the work folowing be the cause of gods eternall purpose If the cause and the effectes proceding of the same be things diuerse then are our vertues and fruites not
passions God hath in him self as ye do For so appereth in this your question Wil ye say that God werieth him self suffering and sorowing for them whom he had reprobated before the world Surlie I think that thogh ye hitherto haue vnaduisedly said so ye will from hence furth say so no more And so ye end this portion with a prayer To the which we answere in few wordes that albeit we will not take vpon vs to define what after this shal your cogitations be yet will we not cease to pray to God that your heartes beiÌ„g humbled with greater reuerence ye may not onely think but also speak of gods hie Maiestie of his iudgements most holie most iust and vtterlie in this life in comprehensible to our dull senses But now we go forward to that which foloweth THE ADVERSARIE Now must we declare the saing of S. Luke so many as were ordeined vnto life did beleue where we must vnderstand that as they that will not obey the trueth are called in the scriptures ordeined to damnation as is sufficiently proued before so they which willingly receaue the trueth and coople the word with faith working by charitie are called ordeined to life Where ye do replie so predestination is without any condition I grant predestination to lief is the verie fre gift of God without any condition Notwithstanding we can not com to life but by the way which leadeth vnto life As he which receaued the one talent of his master receaued it of a fre gifte without his deseruing but because he did not walk in the way appointed by his master his talent was taken from him againe And as afore by the fre benefitt of his master he was chosen vnto life so now because he did not walk in the way which leadeth vnto life he is ordeined to â—damnation The prodigall sonne is receaued of his father not for â—his deseruing but of the fre goodnes and beneuolence of his father â—et is it required of him that he walk hereafter as an obedient sonne which if he did not the latter fall should be worse then the first Predestination therefor is the mere gifte of God afore the foundation of the world at the which time nothing could be commanded vnto vs yea afore we either haue faith orâ—ls by hearing of the worde we may haue faith no spiritual comandemeÌ„t is giueÌ„ vs but wheÌ„ by hearing we may receiue faith theÌ„ is the way of saluatioÌ„ opened vnto vs in w c we must walk if we wil be saued And yet foloweth it not we must walk in the way which leadeth vnto saluation Ergo for walking the way of saluation we are chosen and accepted for S. Paul saieth I am giltie to my selfe in nothing but therefor I am not iustified If a learned Phisician seing one in danger of death whom he can and may helpe offereth Phisick to the pacient able to restore him to his healthe and therwith prescribed the pacient a diet now that the phisicion giueth phisick to the pacient it cometh onely of his owne goodnes But if the pacient do not order him self according to the prescript of the Phisition the phisick shall not help him And thoghe he obserue good diet yet oght he not to repute the receauing of his healthe to him self but to the Phisicion for thogh it lieth in the pacientes power to hinder his healthe yet it is not in his power to giue him selfe healthe So Christ our Phisition offereth healthfull phisick to vs all and there with prescribeth our diet which if we do not obserue the Phisick shall not auale vs. And thoghe we obserue it yet oght we not to attribute our healthe to our selues but to the liberalitie of our Phisition Christ which of his mere mercie hath made vs hole wherefor to return to our argument they are ordeined vnto life so many as will gladly walk in the way which leadeth vnto life that is true obedience and they do beleue as S. Luke saieth ANSWER The place of saint Luke which ye studie to corrupt is written in the 13. chapter of the Actes of the Apostles The light whereof is so clere that you be neuer able to obscure the same And therefor I will not spend much tyme in coÌ„futation of your vanitie for the simple trueth of the historie shall disclose the same Paule comming to Antioche in Pisidia did vpoÌ„ the Sabboth eÌ„ter in to the Sinagoge of the Iewes aÌ„d therein preached a sermoÌ„ most profound â–ª most effectuall and most comfortable In the which by plaine scriptures he proued that the same Iesus which was crucified at Ierusalem was the Messias promised and the onely Sauior of the world At which doctrine many of the Iewes being offended and yet som embrasing the same Paule the next Sabboth preached to the hole multitude of the Iewes and Gentiles assembled together But when plaine contradiction was made by the Iewes who did blaspheme Christ Iesus Paule and Barnabas taking boldnes said to the Iewes first it behoued to speake to you the word of God but becaus ye reiect it and iudge your selues vnworthie of the life euerlastiÌ„g behold we are turned vnto the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded vs. At which wordes the Gentiles reioysed and glorified the word of the Lord and did beleue saieth the text so many as were ordeined to the life euerlastiÌ„g Who is be so blynd that doeth not se that in these wordes the holie Gost assigneth the plaine cause why some do beleue and others do blaspheme and remaine vnfaithfull The cause why som beleue is becaus they are ordeined to the life euerlasting as they that are the shepe of Christ Iesus therefor they heare and beleue his voice the others as they are left in the power of the deuiÌ„ll as they that are neuer giuen to Christ to the eÌ„d that they may receaue life remaine in blyndnes and so by contradiction and blasphemies declare them selues whose chilren and generation they are None of vs do nor yet euer did deny but that the elect of God do willingly receaue and obey the trueth and that the spirit of God so worketh in their heartes that not onely they beleue but that also they are made frutefull yea and that frome iustice they procede to iustice But as the hole praise of this we giue to God arrogatiÌ„g no part of it to our selues so we constantly affirme that nether faith neither workes neither yet any qualitie that is or that God forsaw to be in vs is the caus of our predestination or electioÌ„ to life euerlasting as before we haue sufficiently proued Ye are so inconstaÌ„t now granting predestination to be the fre and mere gift of God without any condition of our workes and immediatly after ascribing it to our obedience and walking in the way that leadeth to life In this your inconstancie say I can not tell how to handle you One thing I se to my great comfort that the glorie of
serue the Lord what profit haue we for keping his commandements â–ª Therefore may weâ— say that the proude are happie aâ—d that they which deale with vngodlines are set vp Such a spâ—rit haue ye carâ—les libertins as your doctrine wel declareth did not God threaten Adam that in what daye so euer he shoulde eat of the frute he shoulde dye the death not onely corporall but also eternall They which forsake the commandements of God forsake God him self as the Prophetes saye th they are not the Lords for they haue vnfaithfully forsaken him Wherefore Adam when he forsoke God was not the Lords but the seruant of death and sinne to whom soeuer ye commit your selues as seruants to obeye saieth Paul his seruants ye are to whom ye obey whether it be of sinne vnto death or obedience vnto righteousnes And againe if any man haue not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his and nâ—ther AdaÌ„ nor Dauid were led by the spirit of Christ when they sinned for the spirit of Christ dwelleth not insuch as forsake him obey the deuil except Christ saith the Apostel dwel in you ye are cast away then AdaÌ„ Dauid were cast à waies that is reprobates wheÌ„ they sinned for nether were they in Christ nor Christ in theÌ„ in whoÌ„ the electioÌ„ of God was is but to what purpose shoulde I thus conteÌ„d with you that AdaÌ„ did fâ—lle out of the electioÌ„ seing in this ye agre not your selues for your coÌ„gregatioÌ„ which is aâ— Genâ—ua in the confession of their faith say that of the lost sonnes of AdaÌ„ God elected som to life and the rest he refused Eâ—her improue their beâ—efe or els confâ—sse with them that all the children of Adam were lost by traÌ„sgression If they were lost â–ª then were they out of the eleâ—tion with their father â–ª Adam from thâ— transgression vnto the promâ—s was made Therefore saieth Paul damnatioâ— came of one sinne vnto condemnatioÌ„ in an other place like as by Adam all dye euen so by Christ â–ª shal all be made aliue Here doeth the Apostles witnes plaâ—nely â–ª that we all by Adam do dye S. Iohn saieth hâ— that beleueth not is alredie condemnedand the wrath of God abideth on him Then were Adam and Dauid and all such workers of iâ—â—quitie for that tym that they siâ—â—ed alredie condemned being void of faith And coulde they be in the â—â—ate of condâ—mnation election both together â–ª Harken what followeth and â–ª the wrath of God abideth on 〈◊〉 as Adam from the traâ—sgression vâ—to thâ— promes felt the force of the wrath of God Thus we 〈◊〉 thaâ— Adam and Dauid and all other 〈◊〉 they sinned â—hey be out of the louâ— and fauâ—r and election of God vnto they repenâ— and be bâ—rnâ— a nâ—w for otherwisâ— can they neuer enter intâ— the kingdome of heauen Again S Iohn saith ye knowe that no manslâ—yâ— are hath etâ—rnâ—l lieâ— abiding in him Dauid was a man killâ—r wherefore he had not eterâ—al lief abiding in him Buâ— during the timâ— of his wickedâ—es he was the childe of death as the Prophet Nathan shewâ—d him Dauid gâ—uing iudgement against him self â–ª without faith it can not bâ— that any man shouldâ— please God Adam and Dauid when they sinned they were without faith then pleasâ—d they not God If they pleased him not they displeased him so that they were fallen from the loue and fâ—uor of God ANSWER Albeit that I perceaue y t ether ignoraÌ„ce doeth so impede you orels that malice doeth so blynd you y t nether ye wil nor can vnderstand y t which in y e self is most sensible plaine I wil neuer theles yet once againe repete that w c before I haue said to the eÌ„d that we may giue testimonie aswâ—ll to those y t now liue as vnto y e posteritie to com what doctrine it is w c ye so furiously impugne If ignorance be the cause why thus ye rage against vs ye may be taught if ye list to bestowe your eares to heare your eyes to read heartes to vnderstand for o â— doctrine is not as som of you do complein darke nor obscure except y t it be to those to whom y e Apostle affirmed y t his EuaÌ„gill was hid But if that malice w c ye haue coÌ„ceaued agaiÌ„st the eternal trueth of God doth so blynd you that ye wil not se y e bright son in y e midday there resteth no more to vs but to desire of God ether to remoue this your deuelish malice I write as knoweth God euen froÌ„ y e grief of heart orels so to stay brydle it y â— it trooble not his afflicted Church Ye accuse vs as y t we made no differeÌ„ce betwext vice vertue sinne and iustice nether yet betwext AdaÌ„ and Dauid as they were elected in Christ Iesus before y e fouÌ„dacions of the worlde were laid and betwext Adam transgressing and Dauid committing adulterie and murtheâ— Ye further seme to charge vs as we should affirme that God hated not sinne nether yet that he respected vice If our short plaine and vnfeined coÌ„fessioÌ„ be able to satisfie you in these thre dowtes I haue good hope y t after this ye shall haue no occasion to suspect vs in such causes first before God before his holie Angelles in heaueÌ„ before his coÌ„gregatioÌ„ in earthe we protest acknowledge y t sinne vice and all kind of iniquitiâ— is and euer hath bene so odious in y e presence of God y t he neuer suffered y e same vnpunished in any of his elect childreÌ„ That for y e same not onelie death but also coÌ„moÌ„ calamities hath appreheÌ„ded all man kynd eueÌ„ sitheÌ„ce the first trasgression That vertue iustice and ciuil honestie besydes the iustice of the regenerat children hath so pleased God â–ª that for loue of the same he hath mainteined and to this day doth maintein coÌ„mon welthes albeit that many grieuous crymes be commited in the same As God we say and affirme loueth equitie iustice chastitie trueth mercie and teÌ„peraÌ„ce so doth he in som sort hieghly reward the same and hateth vnrighteousnes filthie life deceat excesse crueltie and riaâ—ous liuing which often he punisheth euen in manneâ— eyes And this difference we say God maketh euen amongest those that be not regenerate nether were euer called to y e true knowledge of saluation And this much briefly for the first secoÌ„d and 3. This difference we make betwext Adam and Dauid elected in Christ Iesus and Adam and Dauid transgressing gods holie commaÌ„demeÌ„t and wil reueled â–ª Adam and Dauâ—d elected in Christ Iesus before the foundations of the worlde were laid were so loued in the same Lord Iesus their head that when they had most horribly fallen and offended yet did God seke Adam call vpon him gently reason with him and at length conuicting his conscience of his offence did make vnto him that most ioyfull promes of recoÌ„ciliation of the same loue we say
our frayle bodies do we hold the secrete will of God for a ruele of all equitie perfection and sufficiencie teaching and affirming that if any man of vaine curiositie or of deuelish pride presume to define or determine vpon these or others his inscrutable secretes the causes whereof other then his secret but most iust will is not neither shal be reueled till the full glory of the sonnes of God be manyfested when the wisdome goodnes iustice and mercie of God shall so euidently appere to the full contentation of his electe to the most iust conuicting of the conscieÌ„ces of the very reprobate to whome shall be left no place of excuse but in their owne consciences they shall receaue the iust sentence of their most iust condemnation and so shall they in tormentes glorifie the most iust most seuere iudgement of God and his vnspeakable hatered against sinne conceaued We teach and affirme I say that if any man in this life trauale to searche out other causes of these foresaid works of God then his secrete will that the same man hedlongs casteth him selfe in to horrible coÌ„fusion which he can not eskape without spedie repentance And against such men are al the scriptures by you alledged spoken and written and not against vs who as we affirme nothing which gods worde doeth not plainely teache vs so do we cease curiously to inquire any cause of his workes other theÌ„ it hath pleased his godlie wisedome and mercie to reuele vnto vs by his holie spirit plainely speaking in his holie scriptures And therefor to you it shal be most profitable to trye and examine this mater with greater indiffereÌ„cie then hitherto you haue done and to ponder and wey whether it be ye or we that be wise in our owne conceate sight or opinion or that go about to finde out the almightie that is to subiecte his Maiestie and wisdome to the iudgemeÌ„t of our corrupt reason You I say who vpon his words plainely spoken by the holie Gost and vpoÌ„ his works which he neither fearerh nor eshameth to attribute and clame to him selfe dare make these blasphemous conclusioÌ„s Then is he more cruel then a wolf then is he a dissembler then beareth he hoÌ„ny in his mouthe gaule in his breast then is he author of sinne him self theÌ„ is he vniust coÌ„trarious to him self or we y t coÌ„miÌ„g but onely to the sight of gods incoÌ„prehensible iudgements with all treÌ„bliÌ„g reuereÌ„ce fall done before his Maiestie w t the Apostle do crye Oh y e depnes of y e riches wisdome and knowledge of God howe inscrutable are his iudgementes and vnsearcheable are his waies who hath knowen y e minde of the Lord or who hath bene of his counsell or who hath giuen vnto him first that he should recompence him for of him and by him and in him are all things to him be glorie for euer Amen Be you your selues iudges I say whether you or we do search out thinges that be aboue the reache of our capacities and by that meanes studie to bring God as it were in boÌ„dage to our reasons but now that which foloweth in these wordes ADVERSARIE Thy worde sayeth Dauid is a lanterne to my fete and a light vnto my steppes when thy worde goeth forth it giueth light and vnderstanding euen Vnto babes all the wordes of the Lord are pure and cleane it is a shilde to them that put their trust in it And the Prophet Esaya if any maÌ„ lacke light â—et him looke vpon the lawe and the testimonie we must not leaue the word and seke to establish our phantasies ether by reason or gods secret will for we are commanded that we turne not from the word nether to the right hand nor to the left that thou maiest sayeâ—h thâ— holye Gost haue vnderstanding in all that thou takest in hand This is sufficient for vs and this we oght for to do But we knowe say you euen by the worde that God hath a secret will whereby he worketh all that pleaseth him verie well and can you proue thereby that God hath two willes God hath reueled so much of his will as is profitable for vs to vs to knowe the rest which is nether necessarie nor mete for vs to know he hath not reueled Is it therefore an other will or is that which is not reueled contrarie to that which is reueled then shal there be contrarietiâ— in God which is fals if God in respect of his reueled will wold not that Adam shoulde fall but in respect of his secret will he wold Adam should fall then did God will two contraries which is impossible was there euer any such monsterous doctrine taught God abhorreth a double heart which speaketh one thing and thinketh and other and yet abhorre you not to charge God with that which he cannot abide in his creatures that is that he should speak one thing as that Adam should not haue fallen and think and will the contrarâ—e that Adam should haue fallen ANSWER The wil of God plainely reueled in his holie scriptures we do not onely followe as a bright lanterne shining before vs for the directing of our pathes walking in the darknes of this mortalitie but also we affirme it to be of such sufficiencie that if an Angell froÌ„ the heauen with wonders signes and miracles wolde declare to vs a will repugning to that which is alredie reueled persuading vs vpon that to ground our faith or by that to rule the actions of our liues we wold hold him accursed and in no wise to be heard and therefore yet once againe I caÌ„ not cease to exhort you if by late reuelations ye I mean some of your faction hath receaued any newe knowledge of gods will by the which you persuade others that man in this life shal be pure and clean with out sinne that God shall expell it not onely in the resurrection but euen while we walk compassed with this corruptible flesh euen as the bright sunne chaseth away the darck cloudes that the children of God shal so beare dominion ouer the wicked in this earth that all the proud tyrannes and oppressors shall be come slaues to the godlie and that shal be their hell and punishment as the earthlie reigning of the others shal be their heauen and ioye promised Examin I say your selues if that any of you be infected with these and others mo grosse and foolish fantasies which by gods reueled will you be neuer able to proue But as for vs we haue proued and offer to proue at all times by the reueled will of God what so euer we teach affirme or beleue of gods eternal electioÌ„ or of his most iust reprobatioÌ„ for we coÌ„fesse euen the self same thing which you alledge vs to say which is that by the word of God we knowe that God hath a secret will whereby he worketh all that pleaseth him in heauen and in
earth and that also he hath reueled vnto vs so much as is profitable for vs to knowe ether yet necessarie for our saluacion for the which we praise his eternal goodnes and infinit wisdom do affirme further as before we haue said that such as staÌ„d not content with that which is reueled but arrogaÌ„tly list to mouÌ„t vp to search the secretes of gods counsel shal be beateÌ„ downe againe by the brightnes of his glorie to eternal confusion in a iust recompence of their presumpteous boldnes And thus much with you we wil willingly coÌ„fesse but where vpon certen questions you make such conclusions as pleaseth you we cannot but accuse in yon that vnreuerent yea deuelish boldenes and pride which in all men we condemne But let vs heare your own wordes Can you proue thereby that God hath two willes or is that which is not reueled contrarie to that which is reueled then shoulde there be coÌ„trarietie in God which is false if God in respect of his reueled will wold not that Adam should fall but in respect of his secret will he wolde Adam shoulde fall Then did God will two contraries which is impossible These be your wordes and seuerall reasons most blasphemously spoken not against vs but against gods eternall wisdome against vs I say ye cannot speak them for no such doctrine haue we euer taught for we most constantly affirme that the secret wil of God and his will reueled is alwaies one which is the manifestation and declaratioÌ„ of his own glorie althogh it seme diuers in y e instrumentes as before I haue most manifestly decâ—ared and thus most iustly might I send you to debate your cause with him whose iustice wisdom cannot be subiect to the vanitie of your reason But yet because no small part of this coÌ„trouersie betwext you vs consisteth in this that you can admit no will in God the reason and cause whereof ye cannot see perceaue nor vnderstand and affirming the contrarie say that of gods secret will can nether man nor Angell perceaue assigne or vnderstand any other reason or cause but his holie will onelie and therefore with all reuerence do they stoupe and couering their eyes crie iust and righteous art thou oh Lord in all thy workes holie holie holie Lord God of armies The vniuersall earth is replenished with the glorie of his Maiestie Because I say a great part of our controuersie standeth in this point I wil go through your questions and seuerally answer to euerie one first you aske if God haue two willes by reason that he hath a secret will and a reueled wil. I answere that as God in his eternal God head is simple and one so is his will in respecte of him selfe from all beginning simple and one which is the declaration of his owne glorie But because the instrumentes in which gods glorie is and must be for euer manifested and knowen be diuers therefor hath gods will w c in him selfe is one diuers considerations effectes endes in respect of the diuers instrumentes for example God will the vessels of his mercies to be extolled to the glorie of the kingdome with Christ Iesus but he will the vesselles of wrath to be adiudged to the fire inquenchable prepared for the deuill all his Angelles Who doth not see but in respecte of these diuers instrumeÌ„ts the will of God hath diuers respectes and diuers endes and iustly may be called two willes or a dooble will for it is one will to saue and an other will to condemne as touching the instrumentes creatures saued or condemned But in respecte of God the wil is one and simple which is as before is said the manifestation of his glorie which no lesse shyneth in the iust punishmeÌ„t of the one sort then in the mercifull deliuerance of the other And this much for the first SecoÌ„dly ye ask if y t w c is not reueled be coÌ„trary to that w c is reueled To the w c I answere as before that in respecte of God there is no coÌ„trarietie betwext y e will reueled and the will vnreueled But yet may the creatures to whome God doeth notifie his will by commandement rebuke or exhortation apprehend vnderstand one thing and yet it may be that God in his eternall counsell hath determined the expresse contrarie if this to you at the first sight seme strange yet my good hope is that examples in the scriptures proposed shall make the mater sensible ynough to the godlie and sobre reader What do we think that Dauid did apprehend of that most sharp and vehement rebuke giuen vnto him by Nathan theÌ„ Prophete in the name of God No dowt that he was the sonne of death that God wold break the league and couenant with him as he had done to Saule his predicessor But was it therfor the eternall purpose of God that so it should be The end and issue declareth the contrarie Ezechias receaued the very sentence of present death from the mouthe of the Prophet Isaiah who no doute came not with message at all aduenture but at the expresse commandement of God for so he affirmeth sayinge Thus saieth the lord put ordre to thy house for thou shalt die and shalt not liue But was not therefor the coÌ„trarie to witt that he should afterward liue fiftene yeres determined in the immutable couÌ„sell of God The same might I declare by many other exhortations commandementes but with one I wil staÌ„d contented which shall adde light to the former Abraham was commanded by God to take his sonne Isaak whome he loued his onelie sonne in whome the promes stode and to go to the mounteine which God wold appoint there to offer him in sacrifice What will of God did Abraham apprehend in this commandement during the iourney of thre dayes God him selfe beareth recorde that Abraham did so vnderstand gods will that his owne haÌ„d was stretched out to kill his sonne yea that in his heart he had killed him for so saith the Angell because thou hast donne this and hast not spared thy onelie sonne I shall blesse the. but whether had God in his eternall counsell deâ—ermined that AbrahaÌ„ should kill his sonne as Abraham did vnderstand by his will reueled who so euer dare so affirme maketh God subiecte to mutabilitie and denieth him to be God whose wisdome knowledge purpose and couÌ„selles be stable and appointed from all eternitie if with reuereÌ„ce the causes hereof be searched inquired y e holie Gost will answer y t good it was to Dauid thus to be humbled that profitable it was not onely to Ezechias but also to the hole Church of God after him to coÌ„me to the knowledge of his infirmitie and of the agonye battel which he susteined fighting as it were agaiÌ„st gods iudge meÌ„tes That by Abrahams great obedieÌ„ce be we all instructed to obey God in all things which he coÌ„maÌ„deth and to subiecte not onely our lustes and
affections to his will reueled but also our reason appeare it neuer so probable With the which if we stand not satisfied but quarreling with God will or dare in a blynd fury ask to what purpose commandeth and speaketh he one thing meaneth the contrary That deuelishe presumption shall fall down from the clouds and break downe for euer the frantick heads of such vile slaues of proud lucifer And therefor be ye warned for vengeance is prepared for all such vnreuerent reasoners in gods perfect but yet profound iudgementes as ye declare your selues to be in this which foleweth If God say you in respect of his reueled will wold not that Adam should falle but in respecte of his secrete will he wold Adam should fallâ— then did God will two contraries which is impossible Answere Impossible we confesse it to be that contrarietie should be in that will which in it self is simple and one But how shall you be able to proue that God in reueling his will to Adam had none other purpose nor will but onely that Adam should not falle because say you he said thou shalt not eate I answer so said he to AbrahaÌ„ thou shalt take aÌ„d offer thy sonne in sacrifice And yet we knowe that the contrarie had he determined O crye you God abhorreth a double heart which speaketh one thing and thinketh an other and yet ye abhorre nes to charge God with that which he can not abide in his creatures that is that he should speak one thing as that AdaÌ„ should not offeÌ„d will the cotrarie as that AdaÌ„ should offend Answer God if his good pleasure be towch your heartes with such vnfeined repeÌ„tance that you may vnderstand howe horrible be these blasphemies which thus in your furious blindnes you spew forth against gods supreme Maiestie for before I haue said they are not spoken against vs. for no such doctrine do we teach nor affirme as that of which you gather these blasphemies aÌ„d albeit we did yet it were as easie for vs to dissolue aÌ„d vnlouse such deuelish knottes as by instructioÌ„ of your father you knit to trippe y e soules of the simple as it is for y e fote of the valiant strong maÌ„ to burst a sondre the spiders webbes which y e venemous spider maketh to catch the impoteÌ„t flies and feble gnattes And now left y â— you should glorie as thogh yo r reasons yet stoode sure Let vs trie aÌ„d examine euery membre aparte God abhorreth say you a dooble heart which speaketh one thing and thinketh an other I answer That as God is a spirit and hath neither heart nor bodie like as man hath so must not his words cogitations and thoghtes be compared to ours for as we be corrupte liers and vaine so where we do speak one thing and think an other we do meane deceate fraud and destruction to our brother to whome we promise trueth fidelitie conseruation to our power But God according to the puritie and perfection of his godlie nature in speaking to his creatures and in creating of them must not absolutely haue respect to theÌ„ but also to his owne glory for what reason is it that God of nothiÌ„g shall make that câ—eature by whome his glory shall not be manyfested and therefor in speaking to Adam and in giuing a lawe to him God had respecte to his eternall counsell purpose as before we haue spoken and hereafter shall rehears But still crye you that yet we burden God w t that which he caÌ„not abyde in his creatures that is that he should speak one thiÌ„g as that Adam should not haue fallen and that he ment the contrarie for answer I ask of you if ye will binde God to that lawe which he hath imposed to his creatures And if ye will leaue none other libertie to God his soueraigne maiestie then his lawe hath permitted to men subiecte to the same and if ye dare promise to your selues that authoritie ouer God girde your loines and play the stroÌ„g champions prepare your seates appoint your iudges cite and adiourne him to appeare at a fixed day to rendre a reason a make an accoÌ„pte before you of his vniuersall regiment in which no doubt ye shall finde many things more repugnant to your reason then this You think I mock you in that I wil you to cite and call God to an accoÌ„pt in very dede I do for as your blasphemie pride is vtterlie to be abhorred so is your vanitie more worthie to be mocked then your simplicitie in that case to be instructed for what was he euer yet amongest the most ignorant ethnicks so foolishe or so presumpteous but that he did confesse that the workes and wonders of the supreme God were exempted from all lawe and censure of mans iudgement But in your presence God shall haue no libertie to command or forbid any thing to any of his creatures but that he must nedes absolutely will the same and for no cause or respecte may he will the contrarie but that he shall haue a dooble heart he shal be a disseÌ„bler cursed be your blasphemie that causeth me thus to write and in him there shal be coÌ„trarietie this is the reuerence which ye beare to gods infinite wisdome in all his workes to the ground whereof ye can not atteine by your corrupt reason that you burst forth in scoffing mocking and blasphemie But yet to come more nye to the mater I denie that iustly you can conclude any contrarietie to be in God albeit that to Adam he said thou shall not eate and yet in his eternall counsell he had determined that Adam shoulde eate neither yet I say caÌ„ you be able to proue that he spoke one thing willed the contrarie because he pronounced this sentence in what so euer day thow shalt eate of this tree thou shalt dye the death but rather we maye most assuredly conclude that both the precept the penaltie threatned to ensue the violation of it was a plaine and manifest declaration what before was concluded in gods eternall counsell as also that they were the meanes by the which the secret will and good purpose of God toke effecte amongest men was notified vnto the world for if God had not before appointed the falle and the remedie for the same he had not imposed vpon him a lawe the transgression whereof should bring death but should haue suffered him to liue without such feare and bondage as we shall do when victorie shal be giuen ouer death which is the sting of sinne ouer sinne also which had his power by the lawe And therefor I say that gods commandement forbidding Adam to eate and the punishment of death denounced if he did eate were nothing contrary to his secret will but were the very wayes appointed by his infinite wisdome by the which he had determined that his secrete will concerning the mysterie of maÌ„s redemption should be notified put in execution
Lord hath taken which is not to be vndersâ—aÌ„d that the Lord did take his goods but oâ—ely suffereâ— the deuil to take them So the Lord punished his people not that he touched them but I will hide my face from them will see what their end shal be saieth the Lord. After the same maner oght that place God hardened the heart of Pharao 〈◊〉 be vnderstand that it God suffered the heart of Pharaâ— to be hardened or left him in the hardnes of his heart which appereth to be so of that whâ—ch is wriâ—ten Exoâ—â—â—e 10. chapter how long refusest thou to submit thy self vnto me to let my people goe by this we see that the will of God was that Pharao should let the people gâ—o Secondly that Pharao â—id not subrnit himself to God that his â—ind was not conforme to gods mynd Thirdly â–ª in that he refused to let the people go it was his owne dede and actâ— not gods for if I should graâ—t that it was gods will that he should râ—fuse to let the people goo then did hâ— subrâ—yt him selfe to â—he will of the Lord which is coÌ„trarie to the word theÌ„ should God aÌ„d he haue bene both of one mynd And the will of God is all wayes good and iust â–ª whâ—ch you can not deny then Pharaâ— refusing to let the people go did well â—ustly forasmuch â–ª as it was gods will he should so doâ— wherfor Pharao oght not tâ— be punished for this good iust dede These such like 〈…〉 â—skape affirming Pharaos heart to haue been actually indured of God ANSWER How meane that euer our reasons be yet great cause we haue to giue thanks vnto God that ye in laboring w t all your wittes to oppugne obscure them are yet compelled by the inuincible grace of gods mercie to iustifie and illustrate the same which shall plainely appere by this your first answere which you make concerning the omnipotencie of God forasmuch say you as God is goodnes it self his wil is alawayes good yet maÌ„ is apte to do and may do euill contrary to gods will notwithstanding God remaineth omnipotent suffering man to do euill whome he might destroy afore he did euill if so pleased him and so ye bring forth y e example of Pharao I will not take in all points that aduaÌ„tage of you w c I think you wold take of vs most gladly if you had vs in such a streit as you haue here coÌ„cluded your selues for if maÌ„ may do euil contrary to gods will so that God for no respect for no end nor purpose wold that such wickednes should be donne for thus you must applie your words orels ye say nothiÌ„g against vs and yet that it pleaseth God not to destroy the wicked doer but to suffer him to do euill whome he might haue destroied before the iniquitie coÌ„mitted What shall I pray you ensue but that either there shal be in God two contrary willes one that willeth no wickednes in no wyes to be donne and an other that suffereth wickednes yea and that is pleased to suffre not to destroye the wicked maÌ„â— orels that there is a power aboue gods wil which compelleth him to suffer that which he wold not one of these two can you not auoyd But I wil dealle more fauorably with you Ye grant that God suffereth the euill and that he might destroy the wicked maÌ„ before iniquitie be committed if so pleased his godlie maiestie and wisdome Do ye not coÌ„sider that in this your confession is no les â—onteined then any of vs hath either written or spoken in this mater for if gods omnipotencie remaineth as no doubt it doth so perfecte and hole that he may not impede onely wicked men of their interprises but also y t he may destroy eueÌ„ SathaÌ„ him self if so pleased his eternal wisedoÌ„ what can be coÌ„cluded but y t God willingly for causes knoweÌ„ to his wisedome alone permitteth suffereth things to be doÌ„ne w c aâ—ter he will most iustly punish And thus I say doth you own answer confessioÌ„ iustifie o r doctrine for we do not teach y t wickednes pleaseth God in so farre as it is wickednes neither yet that God will sinfull actes to be donne in so farre as they are sinfull without any other further respecte But we say that as the actioÌ„s cogitatioÌ„s of the godly please God in Christ Iesus because they are wroght aÌ„d inspired by y e power of his holie spirit so y t the good workes as patieÌ„ce iustice chastitie suche lik God will to be doÌ„ne eueÌ„ because the works be good agreable to his owne nature so say we that God will yea and hath determined the works that be most wicked to be donne for y â— purposes causes coÌ„cluded in his eternal couÌ„sel Which thing if we be able to proue by the euideÌ„t scriptures of God theÌ„ oght you not to be offended althogh we preferre God to maÌ„ and his plaine trueth to your sophisticall euasioÌ„s colde interpretations of such places for the auoiding the prolixitie of many I will choose but two at y â— most plaine and most euident Is it not a great horrible sinne that a fals prophete shall come and deceause the people Yea is it not likwyes sin to deceaue y e Prophet and yet God feareth not to attribâ—t to him self bothe the one and the other for no fals prophete dothe arrise whoÌ„ God for one of two purposes doth not stirre vp to witt ether to trie and examin the coÌ„stancie fidelitie of his seruaÌ„tes orels to execute aÌ„d blind those who delite not in the veritie For Moises witnesseth in these words if in the middest of the there arrise a Prophet and he shal giue vnto the a signe and yet should say let vs go and serue straÌ„ge goddes heare him not for y e Lord your God tempteth you whether that ye wil loue your Lord your God with all your heart in all your fowle if it be the propre office of God to trye tempt and examin y e heartes of his people of his chosen children as the holie Gost affirmeth it to be Then must you confes that the fals prophetes be gods instrumentes appointed for that purpose And that God deceaueth the fals Prophet Ezechiel in plaine wordes doeth witnes saying aÌ„d if the Prophet deceaued speak the word I the Lord haue deceaued that Prophet and I will extend my hand against him and I will roote him out from the midest of my people Israel And the same doeth yet God hiÌ„ self more plainly vendicate to him self in that solemned proclamatioÌ„ made in the eares of the prophet Micheas aÌ„d boldly by him pronounced in audience of two kings Achas Iosaphat as foloweth who shall deceaue Achas to vs or who shall persuade him that he may passe vp and fall in Ramath galaad and there passed out a certen spirit standing before y e lorde he said I
And in an other place the beastes of the field shall preach my glorye the dragons and the birdes of eastriches and Achan also was coÌ„maÌ„ded to giue glory vnto God The earth shal be compelled saieth Habacuc to knowledge the glory of God Zacharie also the Prophet saieth for his glory hath he sent vnto the nations which haue spoyled you finally shall not sathan and the reprobate in their iust condemnation giue glory vnto God and do ye think that all these creatures iudge God to be worthie of glory in such sort as they acknowledge his power his wisedome his iustice froÌ„ their hole heart submitte them selues to his holy will I trust you do not for we knowe that sathan is a spirit confirmed in malice and rebellious against God yet is he coÌ„pelled euen in tormentes to giue glory vnto God in so farre as in his iust daÌ„nation he declareth gods power and iust iudgementes And therefor I say that you restreine the glory of God with in to streit narrowe limites when y t you will that it shall extend no forther then to suche as from their heart iudge God worthie of glory y e w c perteineth to his chosen children onely and can neuer be giueÌ„ by the reprobate for such glory must procede froÌ„ faith w c is not coÌ„mone vnto all but is the speciall gift giueÌ„ to gods elect yet neuertheles by other meanes God declareth his glory euen in the vesselles of his wrath as is before declared Of the example of Nabuchadnezer ye can make but a particular coÌ„clusion in this for me Nabuchadnezer after he had felt the iust punishement of his pride and arrogaÌ„cie gaue glory vnto God Ergo some man after punishmeÌ„t giueth glory vnto God If you make your coÌ„clusion extend any further it is fals for if you say that all men after punishment giue glory vnto God w t the same confession that he gaue many examples may be showen to the coÌ„tary if you saye that none other giueth glory vnto God except such as so be punished that will be proued likewies fals And if you say y t gods glory doth shine in none except in those that acknowledge confesse God to be mercifull and iust that is most vaine of all and thus I say your conclusion must be but particulare The reasons the coÌ„clusion which you make vpon these wordes of Dauid Praise God all you natioÌ„s are so foolish on the one parre and so filthie and execrablevpon the other that amongest all nations ye oght not onely to he mocked but also to be had in horror and detestation first you say If God must be praised amongest all nations then must gods workes be such as all nations may knowe them and praisâ— them I answer euen so they are and such amongest all natioÌ„s as haue y e eyes of their myndes illuminated by gods holie spiriâ— do see iust caus why y t they oght to praise gods wisedome euen in all his workes But you procede saying there is no nation which at any tyme shall acknowledge God to be iust for that be punisheâ—â— maâ— for that whervnto he him self did prouoke him and so after the example of the priestes of the Philistines ye ask this questioÌ„ If God should punishe man because he hath a beard should any glory redound 〈◊〉 God there of seing he hath giuen vs beardes his self And so you skoffe iest at vs saying y t we be very religiouse because we say that none oght to speak so vnreuerently of gods workes God is witnes that I write notwithouâ— some grief of heart nether yet y t I affirme this which I am to speak for priuie hatered w c I bear against the persone of any man But in gods presence I say that rather then such horrible blasphemies should haue bene fostered in my heart deuised in my braine written by my pen and pronounced by my mouth and tongue that rather I wold my carcasse should haue suffered most cruell and vile death yea and further I say that better it had bene for you neuer to haue bene borne then thus blasphemously to expose gods great Maiestie to opprobrie aÌ„d mockage for I appele to the iudgement of the heauen and the earth and of all creatures in the same conteined if euer that Iulian the appostate spake more disdainfully of God then here you write But for the instruction of the simple reader to answere you more reasonably theÌ„ your vnreuerent skoffing deserueth I say first that the mynde of Dauid was not to teach vs what euerie nation and euery particulare man amongest the Gentiles shall do but what was the duetie of euerie nation euery people and euerie man to do when gods mercies should be offered vnto them And therfor if you conclude all natioÌ„s do praise God in such sorte as Dauid meaneth because that the holie Gost by his mouth commaÌ„deth all nations to praife God you make no better an argument then if ye should affirme that euery man loueth God with all his heart with all his mynd with all his strength because that God so commandeth This is one portion of your ignorance The second foloweth gods workes say you must be such as all nations may knowe them and praise them I answer if you vnderstand that al that praise God vnfeinedly from their heartes must haue some knowledge of his mercies goodnes iust iudgemeÌ„tes and woÌ„derous workes we distent not from you But if you say as by your proces is euident that you do that except all nations perceaue and vnderstand the very grounde of gods iustice that God amongest them shall haue no glory then as we lament your foolishnes so we detest your error â–ª for albeit that the â—aturall man can neuer atteine to the knowledge of those things which God purposeth yet shal not God be defrauded of his golry no not in the most carnal and wretched man Christe Iesus was sent into the world and came to that people which was called his own and his glory did so shine to the eyes of some that they did acknowledge it to be the glory of the onely SoÌ„ne of God â–ª But did the princes of the priestes and the hole nation of the Iewes see the same glory and so confesse him as did the electe SaiÌ„t Paul witnesseth the coÌ„trarie saying if they had knowen they had not crucified the king of glory Paul was appointed a preacher to the Gentiles amongest whome he most faithfully and moste boldely did open the treasures of gods great mercies and of the glory of his Sonne Christ Iesus but did euery citie realme nation or man to whome these treasures were opened so receaue vnderstand and imbrace them that for the same they glorified God the contrarie is euident But was God therfore defrauded of his glory euen in y e midest of a wicked generatioÌ„ God forbid for as the eyes of some were lightned and so did glorifie the word of the Lord so
preferred or coÌ„pared vnto them And therfor they grudge they murmurre aÌ„d they enuie the liberalitie of their father his mercy shewed to the sonne y t before appered lâ—st To whom this might be applied besides the Iewes and the Gentiles ye are not ignorant The other similitude doth teach vs that many in mouth say Lord Lord I go I go whose heart did neuer fele what is the reuerence and true obedience due to gods Maiestie We coÌ„fesse no les then Ieremie doth write for we say that God nether coÌ„manded such abhominations as his people coÌ„mitted nether yet y t euer they did enter in to his heart that is they did neuer delyte nor please him nether yet did he euer will them for the actions them selues But when you shal be able to proue that it did not apperteine to his iust iudgementes to punishe those idolaters with such blindnes that they became more cruel then brute beastes then shall ye be more able to proue that in no wise did God will that crueltie God willed not those abhominations for the murther committed and blood that was shedde for that he hated did punish But he willed y t a testimonie should be left to the world in what blindnes man falleth when he declineth from God and from his true honor of which fearfull example you and your sect oght to take hede The Israelites in killing their childreÌ„ no doubte did euen agre with gods will and were of one mynde with his iust iudgementes as you declare your selues to be in spewing forth these horrible blasphemies agaiÌ„st his supreme Maiestie For as they leauing the plaine will of God declared in his law concerning their oblations and making of sacrifice in a blinde zeale to honor God as they pretended with sacrifices more precious and acceptable because their children to them were more deare theÌ„ oxen or bullockes as they I say in so doing leaue to vs a fearefull example of gods iudgementes So do you by these your horrible blasphemies w c in furie iesting skoffing ye vomit furth against God his eternall trueth against the true professors of the same and thus farre I coÌ„fesse was gods most iust will fulfilled in theÌ„ as also it is here after shal be fulfilled in you That because they in y e vanitie of their imaginatioÌ„s dâ—clined froÌ„ gods will reueled God of his iustice wolde make theÌ„ spectacles to all ages folowing what were hisâ—iudgementes as I haue said against idolaters EueÌ„ so ye neither content y t God shal vse his creatures as best serueth for his glory nether yet that any iustice be in his eternall God head to the which your reason can not atteine are giuen ouer by gods will into reprobate myndes thus horribly to blaspheme his Maiestie to admonish the generation present and to come that with greater sobrietie more feare and reuereÌ„ce they speake aÌ„d thinke of those mysteries that be incoÌ„prehensible vnto maÌ„ I haue before declared that no man leauing the will of God reueled in his worde doth ether obey him ether yet please him and so can he neuer be of one mynd w t God that committeth thinges forbiden by his word But why that God forbiddeth iniquitie to all which also in all men he hateth and yet that betwext his vessels of mercie and the vessels of wrath he maketh such difference that to the one he giueth medicine and purgation against the natural venom so effectually that it worketh their saluation in the ende and to the other he denieth that grace he will not make you nor any of your faction further of counsell then he hath expressed in these wordes He hath mercie on whom he will haue mecie and whom he will him he maketh hard hearted That sathan hath so enraged you that vpon that doctrine which the holy Gost most euidently doth teach ye dare gather this abhominable absurditie that God and whicked idolaters are both of one mynde that they both inwardly and owtwardly do obey him ye haue iust cause not onely to be ashamed but also to quake tremble and feare for that horrible blindnes wherinto you are fallen and for those iust veÌ„geances which your pride doth craue of gods iustice Iust art thou o â— Lord in all thy workes To your question asking by what meanes should the Lord stirre vp the mynde of the king of the Medes to destroy Babylon who had before a desyre ready bent to do the same but by suffering and permitting him To this question I say doth â—sai the Propheâ— answer saying Thus saith the Lord vnto Cyrus his anointed whose right hand I haue holden to subdue nations before him therefor will I weaken the loynes of kings and open the doores before him the gates shall not be shut I will go before thee and make the crooked streight I will breake the brasen doores and burst y e yâ—one barres And I will giue y e treasures of darknes and the thinges hidde in secrete places c. If there be in you ether modestie or aptnes to learn this is sufficient to instruct you how God raysed vp his spirite which before was redy bent to destroy Babylon to witte in giuing vnto him so prosperous succes that no impedimeÌ„t was able to resist or withstaÌ„d him which thing God did not by and ydle permission or sufferance as ye imagine but by his power which did effectually worke in all that his iourney as the Prophet here in many other places doth witnes Which thing doth Cyrus him selfe also confesse in these wordes The Lord God of heauen hath giueÌ„ me all the kingdomes of the earth he hath commanded me to build him an house in Ierusalem which is in Iudah And the holy Gost affirmeth that y e Lord did stirre vp y e spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to cause this proclamation to be made Dare you say that to giue all the kindomes of y e earth to one man is nothing els but to suffre him to ryue and posses them at his appetites Daniel affirmeth the coÌ„trary saying The name of God be praised for euer and â—uer for wisedome and strength are his And he changeth the tymes and seasons he taketh away kings he setteth vp kinges he giueth wisedome to the wise and vnderstanding to those that vnderstand c. And Dauid also saith he that raiseth the nedie oute of the dust and lifteth vp y e poore out of the dung that he may sette him with the princes euen with the princes of his people And therefore because the holy Gost giueth to gods prudence and working power that which you most wickedly attribute to his permission or ydle sufferance I feare not to say that as God stirred vp Cyrus spirite effectualy mouing it to giue libertie and commandement to his people to returne to Ierusalem and to restore the temple so did he also stirre vp his spirit in enterprising his first iourney against Babylon in taking froÌ„
doth the Euangelist attribute to the Prophet not onely that he declared their blindnes but that God by him did in verydede iustly blind their eyes and harden their heartes But this shall more plainly appere in examining the reasons and scriptures which ye alledge for proofe of your interpretation First say you their heartes â—ere alredy hardened which their wickednes did plainely declare yet hath he commanded the Prophet to do his office not to make their heartes hard for that belâ—ngeth onely to God who giuing them ouer to their heartes lustes he alredy hardened them And so ye conclude that the Prophet did onely declare vnto them the hardenes of their heartes We do not deny but that their heartes were hardened before and that iustly for their iniquities sake they were giuen ouer to their heartes lustes But whether they were so hardened before the preaching of the Prophet that after they could be not harder I greately doubte Yea I nothing doubte to affirme but that euen as the claye by the heate of the Sunne becometh more hard and more hard or as the branch cutte of the natural stock doth more more wither vntill that no kinde of sappe nor moisture doth remaine euen so I say do the reprobate from time to time become more obstinate more blinde more hard and more cruell and that by the word w c doth plainely rebuke their iniquitie and euidenly declare whose children their are ExaÌ„ples in scripture hereof are manifest Some lenitie and geÌ„tlenes appered in Pharao toward the people of Israel before that Moses at gods commandement required their libertie But that will and word of God commanding him to let his people go and serue God in the wildernes did so quicklye worke in the heart of that reprobate that the greater hardnes of his heart was sodenlye felt by the Israelites to their greate grief and grudging disconfort In the people of Israel in their elders Priestes and counsell appered some face of iustice when Stephan was accused before that he pronounced these wordes ye stiffenecked and vncircumcised in heart and eares you haue euer resisted the holy Gost eueÌ„ as your fathers haue resisted so do you whom of the Prophetes haue not your fathers persecuted and they haue slayn them whiche shewed before of the coÌ„ming of y t iust whom ye haue now betraied murthered Before this sentence I say there appered some face of iustice but what ensued the holy Gost doth witnes saying wheÌ„ they heard these thinges their heartes brast for anger and they gnashed at him with their tethe And after also that he gaue a more plaine confession of Christe Iesus of his exaltation glory power and Maiestie they cried out w t a great voyce they stopped their eares they as wolues enraged russhed vpon him w t one consent and so without all ordre of iustice did stone him to death If ye coÌ„fesse not y t the word of God proceding froÌ„ the mouth of Stephen did not more harden them who no doubte were hardened before you deny a trueth that is more then euideÌ„t Diuers places more I might adduce for the same purpose but hauing respect to breuitie I stand content with thâ—se two which I doubte nothing are sufficient to proue that men that be alredy hardened yet by the comming of the plaine word which rebuketh their iniquitie they become more hard As the owle being blind euen when she appereth to see best in the night season but yet in y e day time she is more blinded bacause that the weaknes of her eyes can not abide the bright beames of the sunne And eueÌ„ so it is w t the reprobate they are alwaies blind and hard heared but wheÌ„ the light of God doth most plainely shine before theÌ„ or when they are called froÌ„ iniquititie to vertue then becometh the word of glad tidinges to theÌ„ a verie sauor of death by the w c they are both more blinded and more hardened And so in your first reason we dissent froÌ„ you in y t that you seme to affirme that because y e reprobate are once hardened therefore they caÌ„ be no more hardened Your second reason is that because it beloÌ„geth to God onely to make hard their heartes thâ—t therefor there resteth nothing to the Prophetes but to shew vnto them the hardnes of their hartes I am glad that once ye will coÌ„fesse y t it is nothing repugning to gods good nature for iust causes to harden the heart and to make blind y e eyes of the reprobate But y t therfore nothing resteth to y e Prophetes or Apostles but onely to declare vnto meÌ„ their hardnes I caÌ„ not admitte For we do find y t God doth so coÌ„municate his power w t his true messingers and embassadours that what soeuer they lowse in earth he doth lowse in y e heaueÌ„ what soeuer they bynd in earth he bindeth in heaueÌ„ whose sinnes they remitte they are remitted whose sinnes they reteine they are reteined The Lord him selfe saith vnto Ieremie Behold I haue put my wordes in thy mouth and I haue ordeined thee aboue nations and kindomes that thou maiest roote out destroy scatter and that y u maist also build vp and plant And vnto Paul it was said And now I shall deliuer the from the natioÌ„s to y e which I send thee that thou maist open the eyes of those that be blind that they may conuert from darknes vnto light and from the power of fathan vnto God These wordes do witnes that the effectuall power of God doth work with the word which he putteth in the mouthes of his true messingers in so much that ether it doth edifie lighten or mollifie to saluation or els it doth destroy darken and hardeÌ„ For the word of God is of y e nature of Christe Iesus he is not onely come to illuminate and to raise vp but also to make blind and to beate downe as he him selfe doth witnes saying I am come to iudgement into this world y t those that see not shall see that those that see shal be blind And Simeon saith Behold this is he y t is put in resurrection in ruine of many in Israel In so much that vpon whoÌ„ that stone of offense falleth it shall burste him to powder And therefore we can not admitte that the ministerie of his blessed word preached or published by his faithfull messingers be nothing els but a simple declaration what men be No we know that it is the power of God to saluatioÌ„ of all those y â— beleue that the message of reconciliation is put in their mouthes that the word w c they preach hath such efficacie strength that it deuideth asunder y â— ioyntes sinewes y e bones froÌ„ the marye that y e weapons of their warrefare are not carnall but are power in God to the beating downe of all stroÌ„g holdes by the which the true messingers beat down all counselles
but how litle this knowledge serued for their saluation the Apostle doth witnes And therfore I say that your Master is more then impudeÌ„t v t dare preferre nature and reason to gods scriptures And further his venom in so saing is more daÌ„gerous then if plainely he had affirmed that nature reasone alone had bene sufficient to haue instructed man in al thinges apperteining to saluation For so declaring him self the simple should haue auoyded that error as a pestileÌ„ce most pernicious But now in ioining together those thinges which God hath so manifestly deuided as he hath deuided light from darcknes he doth nothing els but as a traiterous murtherer mixe and mingle poison with swete lyquore For in ioining nature and reason with gods scriptures in the manifestatioÌ„ of God to mans saluation he doth plainely witnes that the naturall man may boldly pronounce that those workes be none of gods wherof reason can not see a iust cause why so they should be wroght For the fall of Adam say you and the induration of Pharao the deceauing of Achab and such others were none of gods workes But they came by his permission and why so Because the naturall man can not see how such workes can agree with gods goodnes and iustice And thus ye deny him to be the true God who doth not laye before the blindnes of yo r reason all his workes that they by her iudgement may be iustified or condemned O blasphemous mouthes dare ye denie him to be the true God of whom Moses Iob Dauid and Paule affirme that his secretes do apperteine to him self that he will not make accompte to man of all his workes That his counsels are incomprehensible his iudgementes a greate depth and his wayes vnsearchable Thus much for that which ye omitte of yo r masters wordes in his description which I now admonish lest after ye should trouble the simple with these your vanities which from time to time ye foster and spred abrode Now to the second which I will but onely touch to put you in minde that in doctrine ye are not constant for before ye haue affirmed that we did all staÌ„d in Adam before that we did fall For none say you falleth but he that standeth If we did all stand then were we all predestinate to life And after As we were all created in one man that is in Adam so were we all created in one estate that is after the image of God Of which places it is plaine that ye vnderstand that in Adam we were created to gods image in Adam we were elected and in Adam we were placed in paradise which you call the blessed life But here you change your tune and say He hath made man like to his owne image in Christe Iesu in whom is no damnation What should be the cause of this your sodein recantation and alteration of your senteÌ„ce I can not well coniecture except it be this That because experience doth conuict you that by Adam we are all wounded to death that therfor you wolde al should receaue life by Christe Iesus And that doth your master affirme in bold and euident wordes saing This God will all men to be saued and that none shall perish and therfor hath he sent his SoÌ„ne into the earth whose iustice should superabound where so euer sinne hath abounded This doth your master boldly affirme because he wrote to his practised souldiours y t which ye do in darcke wordes persuade But how vaine be both your persuasions shall shortly appere by examining the scriptures by you both alledged He groundeth his error vpon the wordes of Paule plainely falsified and of Iohn the Euangelist whom he applieth not rightly If you thinke me bolde that thus do accuse your master great angell of falsifying gods scriptures heare my profe and then iudge He saith whersoeuer sinne hath abounded there hath grace super abounded Which wordes the Apostle doth not speake but saith where sinne hath abounded there hath grace more abounded which proposition is most true as it is most comfortable For in Adam Dauid Peter and in all other gods elect children did and doth sinne abound as the Apostle proueth all to haue sinned and to haue nede of gods glorie But in them did grace more abound by the which they were deliuered from the multitude of sinnes But as your proposition is not expressed by the Apostle so it is most fals which is most easie to be proued For in Cain Pharao Iudas Pilate Annas Caiphas Herode and many other did sinne abound but in them did grace neuer so abound that they were absolued from that damnation which is pronounced against all vnfaithfull in these wordes Who so euer shall not beleue shal be condemned And therfor I say that your masters vniuersall proposition is most fals and he not onely a falsisier of the plaine scriptures but also a mainteiner of all impietie of all idolatrie and wicked religion For if it shal be admitted that where so euer sinne hath abounded there shall grace more abound then shall there be no differeÌ„ce betwene the condition of those that beleue in Christe and those that be despisers of his Euangile offered Let the indiffereÌ„t reader iudge whether that you or we do now more smel of a careles and a libertines life But this after The wordes of the Euangelist are plainely wrested For he affirmeth not that euery man is illuminated to saluation nether yet that Christe is offered as ye wold shift to euery man But speaking of the excelleÌ„cie of Christ Iesus in whom was life and by whom all thinges were created he saith this was the true light which doth illuminate all men that come into this world In which wordes he speaketh nothing of mannes redemption nether yet of any light which man receaueth necessarie for the same But onely of that light which was giâ—eÌ„ to man in his creatioÌ„ a part whereof how small so euer it be doth yet remaine in man â–ª and that not by his own power but by the free gift of God in whom we liue are moued and haue our being And that the Euange list speaketh nothing of the light of our redemption is euident by his owne wordes For before and after he doth witnes that the light did shine in darckenes but darckenes did not appreheÌ„d it that is receaue aknowledge it That he came amongest his owne but his owne did not receaue him that such as did receaue him were nether borne of blood of the will of the flesh nether yet of the will of man but of God By which wordes it is manifest that the Euangelist most euidently declareth that the light of saluation is not coÌ„mon vnto all but y t it is propre to those onely y t are borne of God He doth further teach that all reason and naturall vnderstanding which man hath by his first birth is so choked so blinded and extinguished that man must nedes be borne againe
it shall please God to assist my weakenes I will not spare labors to communicate with my brethern what pestilence lurketh in your enuenomed doctrine to the end that all the faithful may auoyde the same You fearing to forget any thing of your master Castalios â—currilitie do thus conclude THE ADVERSARIE And as for you Careles mâ—n you oght to take it in good worth what so euer I haue said â–ª first because it is trueth Secondly because ye holde that all things â—e doâ—e of mere necessiâ—ie then haue I written this of necessitie ANSWER To the which I answere that if the deuill were not a lier and the father not of lyes onely but also of all deceatful lyers it were not possible that you who in so manie thinges haue declared your selues horrible lyers should vainly bragge that ye haue writteÌ„ the trueth For besides those odious crimes which most impudently and most falsely you lay to our charge amongest al the scriptures by you alledged their are not three which ye do not abuse yea and in some ye do so openly belye the holy Gost that you conclude contrarie to his expressed wordes But when I coÌ„sider that your Master father Satan him self eshamed not in the presence of Christe Iesus to boast and to bragge that all the power and glorie of the earth was giuen vnto him and that he gaue it to such as best pleased him wheÌ„ yet in very dede he had no power to giue to his felow angelles and companions of darkenes licence to enter into the bellies of swine till that he aÌ„d they were faine to begge that pleasant palace of him to whom all power is giuen in heauen and in earth When this I saye I do considre I do more lament your miserable blindnes then that I can stomake against your vanitie except in so farre as to the ende I must saye that such as obstinatelye denie the plaine trewth of God are lyers and the sonnes of that lier who first deceaued man and powred into his hart the same venome and error which this day ye teach and mainteine For he was bold to affirme that wisdom and lyfe was to be found by other meanes then God had determined yea where God had pronounced death and damnation he promised saluatioÌ„ and life and so do you For God hath apointed life to none of his elect but in Christe Iesus onely aÌ„d that by such meanes as in his holy word expressed which are trew faith continuall repentance abnegation of our selues of owr owne iustice and wisdom aÌ„d finally by receauing of free grace in Christe Iesus whatsoeuer we haue lost in Adam But ye ashame not to affirme that the iustice of Christe sufficeth vs not except that we haue a personall iustice of our owne How coldely ye speake or write of his death of his resurrection of his mediation and perpetuall intercession is euident Your bragging and prowd boasting of your owne iustice and of your greate perfectioÌ„ are euident tokens how you do agree with Christe Iesus the trueth and veritie it self who commandeth vs to saye not for the fashioÌ„ but from vnfeined heartes we are vnprofitable seruantes But some of you in your iesting eshame not to saye â–ª that ye are not two thousand passes distant from the fulnes of perfection But this your vanitie your blasphemies excepted doth not greately offend vs. For a small pricke of of a pinne or of a nelde shal be sufficieÌ„t to declare that bladders be they neuer so streitly blowen conteine in them selues nothing but wind That by necessitie you haue written your railing blasphemies and most impudent lies we easily confesse For seing that ye are the sede of the serpent I meane such as in your error shall continue to the end what thing can you els do but of necessitie spew forthe veÌ„nom wheÌ„ the weight of gods eternall veritie beginneth a litle to presse downe your head for so doeth the serpent whensoeuer she is touched But why do ye not considre seing ye be reasonable serpentes that like as prowdly ye lift your selues against the glorie of the eternall Sonne of God and as ye cease not maliciousely to slander suche instrumeÌ„tes as in his Church be most profitable and most wort hie of prayse in the eyes of all godly that likewise of necessitie it is that ye come to ruine that your pride be repressed and your blasphemous tongues be coÌ„founded for euer seing that God who hatch all iniquitie must nedes resist the proude destroy the lying lippes and remoue from his societie suche as declare them selues enemies to his eternall veritie the knowledge wherof we confesse with Iob commeth onely by inspiration of the holy Gost and doth not procede from flesh or blood from studie care or wordly wisdome but is the free gift of God reueled to the lytle ones and comonly hid from the wisest of the world Which sentence wold God that depely ye could wey for then I doubt not but y â— ye should clearely se that to come to Christe Iesus is nether of the runner â–ª nether yet of the 〈◊〉 but of God who sheweth mercie to such as pleasâ—â—â— him whose counselles eternal and iudgementes mâ—st profound can no creature apprehend and compasse and therâ—fore oght all the true seruantes of God with reuerence and with trembling saye O how incomprehensible are thy iudgementes ô Lord and how vnsearchable are thy wayes for of thee by thee and for thee are all things To thee be glorie for euer and euer So be it Isaiah 54. EVERIE TONGVE THAT SHAL CONTEND WITH THEE IN IVDGEMENT THE SAME SHALT THOV MOST RIGHTLY CONDEMNE Fautes escaped in the printing In the 24. page the 19. line not for nor In the 33. page the 4. line Curthe for Church In the 95. page the 17. line displease for displeasure In the 117. page in the margent gode for gods In the 153. page the 21. line through for thoght In the 193. page the 32. line maciously for maliciously In the 165. page the 6. line yea for yet In y e 204. page the 3. line thy penne for my penne In the 263. page line 3. A scaoth for Asteroth In the same page the 16. line yet the became for yet he became In the 199. page the 24. line and affirming for and we affirming In the 312. page the 34. line 24. for 23. In the 321 page the last line defacedâ— for defaced to his vttermost In the 322. page the 18. line good reasonly for goodly reason In the 435. page the 18 line cheir for their Ephes. 1. 3 2. Cor. 2. 1â— Esaie 8. 14 2. Cor. 2. 16 1. Cor. 1. 28 Iohn 1. 5 Matt. 27. 38. Act. 2. 23 Companions of the trueth Matt 1. 7 1. Cor. 11 19 Luke 7. 13 Sathan hath euerraged against the fre mercies of God Ephes. 2. 8 How Satan drew maÌ„first from God The cause of the writing of this worke The necessitie of the doctrine of gods eternall predestination The
stabilitie of faith Rom. 5. 1. Iohn 14. 6 1. Cor. 1. 30 Ro 1. 26 The vnmouable ground of faith Rom. 8. 29 Ephes. 1. 14 2. Thes. 2. 13 2. Pet. 1. 2. 20 Rom. 11. 29 Rome 8 Ham. Ishmael Esau Abshalom Achitophel Iudas The Niniuites Manasses Paul Magdelene The thiefe What humilitie is Ephes. 2. 8 1. Cor. 1. 30 1. Iohn 4. 10 Ephes. 1. 22 The first section Cap. 14. SectioÌ„ 40 Libr. ad bonifa 2. Cap. 6. 40. Retract lib. 1. cap. 2. Stoiâ—â—â— necessitie Cap. 1. 2 â–ª 3. 4. 5. 〈…〉 Why the Anabap. mystlyketh the doctryn of predestination PrescieÌ„ce Prouidence Ioan. 10. Prouerb 20. Prouâ—r 16. Matth. 10 â–ª 29. PredestinatioÌ„ The second sectioÌ„ Liers are the deuilles sonnes Institut Cap. 14. Sect. 5. De aeterna Dei praedestinatioÌ„ Inâ—titu Cap. 14. Sect. 14. Caluin vpon Isaiah The schoeles of Papistes full of blasphemies Inst. cap. 14. sect 17. The third section Two chiefe propositioÌ„s Ephes. 1. Isâ—i 44. Isaiah 55. Isaiah 54 The constancie of Gods promâ—s Isaia 46. Psal. 2â— Isal. 138. Iob. 10. Isaia 46. Iohn 6. Ioan. 17. Rom. 6. 1. Ioan. 4. The fourth section Zach. 3. Act. 17. Isaiah 45 The sayeng of a blaspphemous mouthe Iob. 39. What the aduersary will saye Isaia 66. The workes of God can not be subiect to our reason The reasoÌ„ of Anabaptistes Answer The aduersarie falsly and vnreuereÌ„tly alledgeth this word birth Answer Malac. 2. What we haue in Adam Error of Anabaptistes The affirmations of the trew ChristiaÌ„s Gen. 3. Question Answer The churche of Christe and the serpenteâ—i sede De bono perseueraÌ„t Reply of the aduersary Question Gods purpose was from the beginning to make a difference in mankinde The seâ—â—â—â—de diffâ—â—eÌ„ce This is the cause why all the prophetes almost do de clare gods wrath against Esan and Edome Psea 137 Esaie 34. Ier. 49. Obad. 1. Rom. 9. How S. Paul applieth the wordes of Moises Gene. 25. Promes inade to Isaak Vessels of mercie prepared vnto glorie Gods election dependeth not vpon man Iohn 8. Why the Iewes beleued not in Christe Christe maketh a diffâ—reÌ„rence of one sort from an other Iohn 17. What Christ did for his Christe praied not for the world An answere to the papistical and pestilent obiection of Pighius aÌ„d others his like Deut. 7. Deut. 9. Iosue 24. Ezec. 16 God did not for our workes predestinate vs. 2. Ti. 1. Question 1. Cor. 4. Apoca. 4. 5. A brief rehearsal what is before sufficiently proued The fyft section Isaia 45. Isaia 30. Matt. 7. Psal. 144 Esaia 54 Psal. 29. Isaiah 49 Isaiah 30 Isâ—ia 49 Matt. 7. Luc. 11. The blasphemy of Anabaptistes 〈◊〉 3. Psal. 145 Note the plain difference Exod. 20. Howgods mercy is greater then his wrath The six te sectioÌ„ To the 1. To the 2. 3. 4. 5. Deut. 19. To the 6. The seuenth section To the 1. â— 3. Blindnes and hardnes of hart are effectes reprobation Why God treated maÌ„ good whoÌ„ he ordeyned neuertheles to fall The eight section Ephes. 1. Psal. 49. Iob. 34. 4. Esdr. 8 Sapient 2 Sapien. 9 Matth. 12 The ground of the Anabaptistes error An argument 〈◊〉 prouâ—th that in Adam we could not stand Answer to the scriptures shamefully abused by the aduersaries Matt. 11. The aduersarie wrasteth the scripture in Iob. Iob. 34. Act. 10. An argument directly against the aduersaries argument Influence of the sterres EducatioÌ„ The cause is not in nature of our faethfull obedieÌ„ce What is the cause that some beleue and some remayn vnfaithfull How God respecteth not persoÌ„s 1. Sa. 16. That God hath not respect of persons most euidently coÌ„futeth the error of the aduersaries of gods predestination The cause and effect are diuerse Dâ—ut 7. Rm. 9. Neither was nor is in vs any thing whereby we should deserue to be elected The bookes called Apocryphes Reuâ—reÌ„ce vnto gods holie worde Reade the prologue of Ecclesiasticus and the end of the last chap. of the second booke of Machab. Sap. 2. Deut. 2. Lyke as there be degrees betwext election and glorification euen so there be degrees betwext reprobatioÌ„ and coÌ„demnation The nynte section Galat. 2. Ephes. 1. Ephes. 1. To the. 2. All be not Saintes nor blessed with spiritual benediction Oure regeneration to good workes is by the grace of God The teÌ„th section To 〈…〉 Iob. 36. Castalio is translation The eleueÌ„th section To the 1. To the 2. The iust causes of reprobatioÌ„ are hid in gods eternall counsel but the causes of death and damnatioÌ„ are euideÌ„t in the scriptures The iudgementes of God are a deuoring depth The twelth section The thirteÌ„th section Esaia 50 Esaia 48 To the 1. Ephe. 1. To the 2. Iohn 1. To the 3. Rom. 1. To the 4. Isaiah 55. Iohn 6. To the 5. An argument against the aduersaries forged diuision of gods election To the 6. Matth. 16 Rom. 8. To the 7. Iohn 6. The fre wil meÌ„ iudge rashly To the 8. The perfecdtioÌ„ that the aduersaries pretend in this lyfe Philip. 3. How stroÌ„g the aduersaries wolde seme to be To the 9. The fourteÌ„th section Isaia 48 Esdr. 9. Iâ—rem 2. Esaia 42. 43. The scriptures affirme that there be many fals Christes fals Prophetes But Iesus Christe is our onely Sauior without whome there is no saluation To the 1. Institu 2. Cap. â—ec 78. De eterna Dei proedestinatione To the. 2. Rom. 〈◊〉 To the 3. To the 4. Luk. 16 To the 5. The fiftenth section The 2. argument Rom. 8. Reade the scriptures better be ashamed of your argument Rom. 9. The difference of gode fore knowledge Matth. 7. The six tenthe section Ezech. 18 Reade the first sectioÌ„ The 17. Section O prowde lucifer that darest compare thy knowledledge to the prescieÌ„ce of God To the 1. Galat. 1. 1 Tim. 1 God worketh both in his elect and in the reprobate but in diuâ—rse maner To the â— Read the praier of the Apostles Act. 4. What power Ananias had of his land Act. 5. The eightene section 1. Re. 23. Whence haue ye your assurance To the 1. 2. 3. Matt. 26. Iohn 13. The nynteÌ„th section To the 1. Difference betwext the libertie of Chriâ—tes will and the fredoÌ„ of Adams will Gods prescience is not to be seperated from his will Rom. 9. Prouer. 16. When violence is doÌ„ to the will of a creature The grud geing of the reprobat Rom. 9. Why creatures offeÌ„d wheâ— they most serue gods couÌ„sâ—l Luk. 22. Gods will is fre althogh it chaÌ„ge not as occasion is offered by mens doings The 20 Section Rom. 9. Malach. â— To the 1. Themynd of the Apostle in the 9. câ—apit to the Romains concerning Iacob and Esaw To the â— Esaw som maner of way serued Iacob in the fleshe Gen. 27. 2. Reg. 8. Gen. 28. The place of the Prophete Malachie Why the Apostle maketh neither meâ—tion of Abraham nor of Isaak but of Iacob and of Iacob being in his mothers wombe The grace of