Cerberus wresteth top his purpose against me and my brethren shall by Gods helpe be defended in the place where it is produced against vs. Cerberus The seconde errour which Austen rehearseth is that Adams sinne did onely hurt himselfe and not the whole generation of man This is an other vile and detestable errour which Pelagius helde that the sinne of Adam brought not miserie and death vpon all his posteritie contrarye to the open Scripture which sayth that by the sinne of one condemnation came vpon all men And the holy man Esdras sayth O Adam what hast thou done for though it was thou that sinned yet thou arte not fallen alone but all we that come of thee The thirde depending also vpon the seconde is this That Infantes being newe borne are in that state that Adam was in before his transgression which errour semeth onely or chiefly to extende to the innocencie of children For if his minde were that in all pointes infantes were in Adames estate then shoulde it be ouer brutishe For who seeth not that babes newe borne suffer of tentimes payne and griefe which Adam did not before his transgression But to affirme that Infants are not borne and conceiued in sinne is to denie Originall sinne which is an olde and a diuelish errour and vtterly against the Scripture which sayth plainely Beholde I was borne in wickednesse and in sinne hath my mother conceyued mee Crowley In these two Articles can Cerberus finde nothing to burden vs withall For we teache that by their first byrth all Infants are enheritours of that possession that our common father Adam purchased by his first transgression or sinne That is of bodily trauaile and miserie in this lyfe and euerlasting death after this lyfe And that euen as the children of bonde slaues can enioy none other thing by birth than that bondage which their parents are in so the children of Adam can by nature enioy none other thing but that which belonged to their first father who by his first transgression made bath himselfe and all his posteritie bonde slaues to death hell the diuell and damnation Well therefore we shall not be Pelagians in this point But if I woulde deale as straightly with Cerberus as he doth with Samuell I coulde charge him with breaking of Priscians heade in the seconde Article where he writeth leseret for leserit Which though it be but a small fault yet is it as great a fault as that which Cerberus maketh so much of in Samuels rymes And the printers were to blame for both I am sure And therfore I woulde not y ◠eyther Samuell or Cerberus should beare any blame with them Who so Iusteth to conferre the copie of this aunswere which was first cast about in the streates of Londō with this y ◠is written in this Apologie shall easely sée that I haue amended many such faultes without noting of them to any mans reproche Cerberus The fourth errour is that neither by the death transgressiō of Adā all the generation of mā dyeth nor that by the Resurrection of Christ all the generation of man doth rise againe I doe not vnderstande that Pelagius did here speake of the last Refurrection at the day of iudgement as though he had after the maner of the Saduceis denied the Resurrection of our soules and bodies in the last daye for then were all them disputation in vaine of the maner how we shoulde be saued whether by the grace of God or by the deseruing of man if saluation or Rosurrection had on either parte bene denied altogither Neither doth the Scripture attribute the last Resurrection vnto Christ as though the soules and bodies of men shoulde haue died lyke beastes and not haue risen againe vnto iudgement if Christ had not come Yea no doubt all men shoulde haue risen againe and that to the iudgement of euerlasting damnation if Christ had not come But I vnderstande that Pelagius in this Article denied the generalitie of Redemption by the death of Christ by which we doe as it were arise from death bycause of the state of lyfe and saluation wherevnto we are bought in Christ by Redemption lyke as we were in the state of death and damnation in Adam by sinne Not that any man is purged from the corruption of sinne vnto the innocencie of Adam but bycause the sinne is couered in Christ and pardoned for his sake And further here is to be noted that the first parte of this errour is manifestly the very same which is in the seconde and thirde errour before rehersed and by the same Scriptures plainly condemned But to make the latter part of this errour more aparant it was necessarie and thought good of Augustine to rehearse the first againe that by the comparison of condemnation in Adam and Redemptiō in Christ it might the more plainely be perceiued that Christ was not inferiour to Adam nor grace inferiour to sinne And that as all the generation of man is condemned in Adam euen so is all the generation of man Redemed in Christ And as generall a Sauiour is Christ by redemption as Adam is a condemner by transgression Which comparison is taken out of S. Paule his Epistle to the Romanes where he saith Likewise then as by the sinne of one condemnation came vpon all men euen so by the iustifying of one commeth the righteousnesse that bringeth lyfe vpon all men Yet shall not all men be cōdemned by Adam eternally for there is ordained of God againe away vnto lyfe which way is Christ Neyther shall all be eternallye saued by Christ for there is of God declared a waye againe vnto death which waye is sinne and the wilfull contempt of Gods mercy in Christ But this appeareth to be one of Pelagius damnable errours That Christ was not a generall Sauiour that Christ offered not vp the sacrifice of redemtiō for al the whole world contrarye to the manifest Scripture which sayeth He it is that obtayned grace for our sinnes and not for our sinnes onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world The same is also manifestly declared in these Scriptures folowing and many other Iohn 1. a. 6. f. 12. g. Ro. 5. d. 14. c. 1. Cor. 8. d. 2. Cor. 5. c. Hebr. 2. c. 2. d. 2. Pet. 2. a. And here it is worthy to be noted againe how iustly this errour of Pelagius reboundeth into the bosome of those which so falsely accuse other to be giltie in the Pelagians errours Be indifferent dearely beloued in the Lorde I beseche thee and way the matter as it is I desire no more Crowley When Cerberus hath framed this fourth Article of Pelagius to his purpose and persuaded himselfe that it reboundeth into the bosomes of those that accuse him his sort to be giltie of Pelagius errours he concludeth that he desireth no more but that his dearely beloued whose letter he aunswereth woulde be indifferent and woulde waighe the matter as it is Surely
sheading righteousnesse euerlasting lyfe by his resurrectiō According to y e saying of Paul Traditus est propter delicta nostra resurrexit propter iustificationē nostrā He was deliuered vnto death for our sinnes and he rose againe for our iustification But Cerberus and his fellowes do vrge the vniuersall signe Omnes All. Sicut per vnius delictum in omnes homines in condemnationem sic per vnius iustitiam in omnes homines in iustificationem vitae That is Euen as by one mans fault sinne entred into all men to condemnation so by the righteousenesse of one man is righteousenesse entred into all men to the iustification of lyfe This vniuersall signe muste néedes streatche it selfe to all Adams posteritie and therfore all muste be made righteouse by Christ These men will not see how suche vniuersall signes are vsed in the Scriptures They can not perceiue how this vniuersall signe shoulde in the first sentence streatche it selfe to all the generation of the firste Adam that sinned and in the seconde sentence to all the generation of the seconde Adam which is Christ The generation of y e first are all that haue or shall be borne of fleshe and bloud and the generation of the seconde are al they that be borne of God If we shoulde in all places of Scripture streatche this vniuersall signe all so farre as Cerberus doth streatche it here we should make as good a piece of worke as y e Nonne did which reade in s Paule Omnia probate proue all things And therefore hauing a minde to sir Iohn the Chaplen of the house she proued what it was to lye with a man And being with childe the matter came to the knowledge of the Abbas she excused hir selfe by Saint Paule who biddeth vs proue all things If a théefe that taketh another mans goodes shoulde excuse himselfe with Omnia mihi licent I may doe all things or Omnia vestra sunt All things are yours It would not be founde that these vniuersall signes should either make it léeful for him to take another mans goods or to haue right to that that is not hys by some iust title I woulde wishe Cerberus and his fellowes therfore to weigh this matter better before they triumph ouer vs in such sort as he doth in this his aunswere And I woulde wishe him to consider well whether saint Austen in the Epistle where these Articles of Pelagius be written do not write cleane contrary to this iudgement of his For in the very place that he citeth to make for his purpose S. Austen sayth thus Infantes nuper nati non sunt in illo statu in quo Adam fuit ante praeuaricationem vt ad ipsos pertineat quod breuiter ait Apostolus Per vnum hominem mors per vnum hominem resurrectio mortuorum Sicut enim in Adam omnes moriuntur it a in Christo omnes viuisicabuntur Vnde sit quod Infantes nō baptizati non solum regnum coelorum verum etiam vitam aeternam habere non possint That is Infantes that be lately borne are not in that state that Adam was before he sinned that that thing which the Apostle doth in fewe wordes affirme might partaine vnto them By one man came death and by one man came the resurrection of the deade For euen as in Adam all dye so in Christ shall all be made alyne Wherby it commeth to passe that Insants which are not baptised are not onely vnable to enioye the Kingdome of Heauen but also lyfe euerlasting These wordes me think are very plaine against that which Cerberus would maintaine by Paule and Austen For if Infants vnbaptised can not haue the kingdome of God nor euerlasting lyfe how doth this saying In christo omnes viuificabuntur All shalbe quickned in Christ pertayne to all the posteritie of Adam vnlesse he will say that Infantes that dye before baptisme be not of Adams posteritie Better matter can I not wishe for against Cerberus than that which hangeth to the foundation that he himselfe buildeth vpon It were for my purpose to aduaūce the auctoritie of this Epistle bicause it helpeth me very much against this Hel Dogge Cerberus but bicause I woulde not haue the Reader to conceyue such an opinion of S. Austen as to thinke that he shoulde be of such minde as the Auctour of thys Epistle doth shewe himselfe to be in certaine pointes I will cite the iudgement of Erasmus concerning thys Epistle all other of this title That is Ad Bonifacium To Boniface Speaking of y e Booke of Epistles wher in this Epistle 106. is written he saith Nonnullae simplicitor confictae quod genus sunt illae Bonefacij ad Augustinum Augustini ad Bonifacium Some of those Epistles saith he are altogether fayned As are those of Bonifacius to Augustine and of Austen to Boniface Now iudge gentle Reader what this Cerberus meaneth that leauing the good and sounde workes of Austen where he writeth very well of this matter setteth his foundation vpon such rotten patches as some such as he is haue put forth in Austens name No maruell though Cerberus be ashamed to set his name to his booke This might suffise for our defence against Cerberus his assaulte in thys point But I will adde one Scripture or two and so the iudgement of some learned writers that he take not occasion of a new calumniatiō because I promised more than I haue yet performed Saint Paule writing to Timothe in his seconde Epistle and seconde chapter sayth thus Sed firmum fundamentum Dei stat habens signaculu hoc Cognouit Dominus qui sunt sui The foundation of God standeth firme and sure hauing this sure seale The Lorde knoweth who be his By which wordes it is manifest that S. Paule vnderstoode not that all mankinde were elected in Christ and so restored by Christ but a certaine number which though they be vnknowne vnto men yet doth the Lorde whose they be knowe them well and will not suffer them no nor any of them to perishe Wherfore he exhorteth all such as call vpon the name of the Lorde that is all Christians to depart from iniquitie For in a great house saith he there be not only vesselles of Golde and Siluer but also of Timber and Earth some to serue for honorable vses and some for vile vses I knowe how some doe wrest these latter wordes of S. Paule to proue that it is in mans power to depart from iniquitie bicause Saint Paule doth will Christians so to doe And especially those wordes which followe which are these Si quis ergo emund iuerit se ab istis erit vas in honorem sanctificatum vtile domino ad omne opus bonum paratum If any man therfore shall clense himselfe from these men he shall be a vessell sanctified vnto honour and profitable for the Lord being prepared and made readie for euery good worke These wordes do manifestly declare
Palaestine I think it good to rehearse them first in Latine after in Englishe as they are gathered togither by Augustine And theÌ„ to shewe according to your request what parte of their doctrine which they teache vnder the name of Predestination my selfe and other doe mislyke To the ende that you and other may the better iudge who are in deede worthy to be called Pelagians and whether some parte of their doctrine be not for iust cause misliked Crowley Here Cerberus vseth all his Retorique at once to persuade his dearely beloued friend whose letter he sayth he aunswereth that he and other of his minde be falsely and wrongfully accused to be enimies of Gods holy predestinatioÌ„ c. And to this ende he will in as fewe words as possibly he can set forth what shamefull doctrine is now taught c. But first he will set forth both in Latine and in Englishe those errours which the olde Heritike Pelagius with other did holde and also reuoke c. That men may the better iudge who are in deede worthy the name of Pelagians for he thinketh that he hath proued that we against whom he writeth are those that should be called Pelagians and whether some parte of oure doctrine be not for iuste cause misliked Now let vs sée how he noteth Pelagius errours out of Augustine first in Latine and then in Englishe Which when we haue weighed we shall sée who are moste lyke Pelagius he his or I and mine For this is his purpose I am sure for that he toucheth me first by name and setteth himself and such as he is against al such as I am affirming that whereas we accuse them as enimies of Gods Predestination they are in déede y e most intire louers and we the enimies therof My chief labor therfore in this Apologie shall be to make the truth hereof to appeare playnely to all the indifferent hearers Cerberus The wordes of Austen are these Episto 106. tomo 2. Obiectum est enim eum dicere Quia Adam siue peccaret siue non peccaret moriturus esset 2. Et quod peccatum eius ipsum solum laeserit non genus humanum 3. Et quod infantes in illo statu sunt quo Adam suit ante praeuaricationem 4. Et quod neque per mortem vel praeuaricationem â—de omne genus humanum moriatur neque per resurrectionem Christi omne genus humanum resurgat 5. Et diuites baptizatos nisi omnibus abrenuntient si quid boni visi fuerint facere non reputari illis nec eos habere posse regnum Dei 6. Et gratiam Dei atque adiutorium non ad singulos actus dari sed in libero arbitrio esse vel in lege atque in doctrina 7. Et dei gratiam secundum merit a nostra dari 8. Et silios Dei non posse vocari nisi omnino absque peccato fuerint effecti 9. Et non esse liberum arbitrium si Dei indiget auxilio quoniam in propria voluntate habet vnusquisque facere aliquid vel non facere 10. Et victoriam nostram non ex Dei adiutorio esse sed ex libero arbitrio 11. Et quod poenitentibus veni a noÌ„ detur secuÌ„dum gratiam misericordiam Dei sed secundum moritum laborem eorum qui per poenitentiam digni suerint misericordia Haec omnia Pelagius anathematizauit The first of Pelagius errours which Augustine here citeth is that Adam shoulde haue died whether he had sinned or not sinned This is as you heare one of Pelagius wicked errours that sinne is not the cause of Reprobation or casting away death sprong out of Gods ordinance or some other way came not of mans sinne saith he whether man had sinned or not sinned yet should he haue dyed contrary to the manifest Scripture which sayeth that by one man sinne entred into the worlde death by the meanes of sinne Roma 5. b. And the wyse man sayth that God created maÌ„ to be vndestroyed And againe he saith God hath not made death neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the liuing he created al things that they might haue their being yea all the people of the earth hath he made that they shoulde haue health that there should be no destruction in them and that the Kingdome of Hell should not be vpon earth for righteousnesse is euerlasting and immortall but vnrighteousenesse bringeth death Wicked and abhominable therfore was this errour of Pelagius which affirmeth that whether man had sinned or not sinned he shoulde haue dyed And here in the very beginning of Pelagius errours I reporte me to themselues euen to themselues I saye that blowe the trumpet of defamation against other with the termes of pestilent Pelagians whether those whome they so accuse nowe to be Pelagians holde this errour or whether they themselues which woulde take some mote of errour out of other mens eyes haue not this Pelagius beame sticking fast in their owne let they themselues be iudges or let their owne doctrine iudge both in print and preaching whereof some parte shall be hereafter rehearsed Yea let all the worlde iudge which haue hearde the doctrine of both parties who they are that in this point ought worthily to be called Pelagians Crowley After Cerberus hath set downe in Latine certaine of Pelagius errors to y e number of .xi. he repeteth y e first in Englishe that is that Adam should haue dyed though he had not sinned And bycause his purpose is to proue that we are those that holde this Pelagian heresie he vnderstandeth Pelagius meaning to be that sinne was not the cause of Reprobation or casting away but that heath sprong out of Gods ordinaunce And so at the last he concludeth that Pelagius and we are all one in thys point for we teache the same doctrine What moued Pelagius to teache that doctrine I knowe not neyther did I at any time so much as once thinke to holde or desende it And I thinke I may be bolde to say in the name of all that haue written or preached the doctrine that Cerberus misliketh that not one eyther hath or will teache it Although Cerberus doe boast that hereafter some parte of our doctrine shall be shewed whereby all men may be able to iudge that we are al one with Pelagius in this point For mine owne parte I will put all men out of doubt that I beleue and haue doe and will if God permit wache that if Adam had not sinned he had neuer dyed And that God did create man to be vndestroyed And that God made not death as the wise man writeth But by one man sinne entred into the the worlde and by sinne death And I can not sée that any of my breathren haue or doe teache any otherwise either in writing or preaching Wherefore Cerberus doth vs open wrong to ioyne vs with Pelagius in thys errour As for the doctrine that I haue written and
if I maye doe any thing with the same partie my hartie request to him shall be that he wyll graunt Cerberus his request And further I will be an humble suiter to all that shall reade this Apologie that they setting all affection a side will weighe both his aunswere and this Apologie euen as they are and none otherwise then haue I ynough also The Article is that all the generation of man doth neyther die by the sinne and transgression of Adam neither rise againe by the Resurrection of Christ That is that neither Adam was by his sinne a generall condemner of himselfe and all his posteritie neither Christ by his Resurrection a generall restorer of all mankinde For so doth Cerberus interprete Pelagius meaning I will not dispute about Pelagius meaning For I know it coulde not be good sith he denyeth a truth plainely affirmed by S. Paule and Esdras both as Cerberus hath truely affirmed vpon the seconde Article But that S. Paule ment in that place as Cerberus doth vnderstand him I doe slatly venie And will by Gods helpe proue both by the Scriptures iudgemēt of auncient writers And that the matter I go about may be the more playne to the reader I will first set downe in plaine wordes what meaning Cerberus gathereth of those wordes of Paule He gathereth that Paule shoulde minde to teach by those wordes that Christ restored as many as Adam loste Which gathering is very false and that may be proued by the verye circumstaunce of the place it selfe First Paules purpose is by comparing Christ with Adam to shewe that as Adam was able by disobedience to make himselfe and all his posteritie bonds slaues to Satan so was Christ able by obedience to deliuer the same from that bondage and to make them the free children of God Now for the maner of speache that he vseth in comparing these two togither we muste beware that we vnderstande it not so that we make Christ Adam lyke in all pointes For then shall we be enforced to graunt many inconueniences whereof thys is one That as Adam lost himselfe by disobedience so Christ restored himselfe by obedience Wherof shoulde followe that filthy errour of them that affirme that Christ dyed for his owne sinnes as well as for the sinnes of the people contrary to the whole course of the Scriptures which teache that he was without spotte of sinne and therfore was able to satisfie to God y e Father for sinne Another incōuenience is y t there shoulde be repugnācie betwéene this place of Scripture other wherin both S. Paule our Sauiour Christ doe teache that not all mankinde that is not euery particular person of mankinde but a certaine elected and chosen number are by Christ restored into y e fauour of God which thing may not be graūted For in the Scripture there is no repugnaunce at all And the thirde inconuenience shoulde be that only originall sinne that is y e sinne that we haue of our parents euen in our conception is put awaye by the bloud of Christ and not our actuall sinne So that we must eyther satisfie for that our selues or else perishe notwithstanding Christes death and sufferance Which is such an inconuenience as cutteth of from Christ as many as dye not in Infancie before they commit any actuall sinne These inconueniences considered we must séeke to finde another meaning in S. Paules wordes when he compareth Christ with Adam than that which the bare wordes seeme to giue His meaning is not to make Christ lyke vnto Adam but to preferre Christ before Adam to shewe that grace is more abundant in Christ than sinne was in Adam Which thing appeareth in Paules very wordes in the same chapter where he saith Sed non sicut delictum ita donū Si enim vnius delicto multi mortui sunt multo magis gratia Dei donum in gratia vnius hominis Iesu Christi in plures abundauit That is to saye But the gifte was not lyke vnto the sinne for if many dyed by y e sinne of one much more hath the mercy gifte of God in the grace of one man Iesus Christ abounded vnto many If these words of Paule should be vnderstād of the number that were loste by Adam and restored by Christ then muste we graunt y e more were restored by Christ than lost by Adam For he saith that the grace or mercy hath abounded vnto moe Which wordes being vnderstand of y e number restored must be spoken in comparison of the many that were lost by Adam so must it follow that moe were restored by Christ than were lost by Adam Which can not be vnlesse we will saye that Christ restored moe than all For Adam loste all The meaning of Paule is therefore that as y e sinne of Adam being but one man was a sufficient condemnation to himselfe and all his posteritie which are many euen so yea and much more was the grace or frée mercy and gift of God in Christ being but one a sufficient restitution of all the chosen Children of God although y e same were neuer so many And that this is the meaning of Paule doth well appeare by his wordes that follow in the same chapter where he sayth Et non sicut per vnum qui peccauit ita donum Nam condemnatio quidem ex vno in condemnationem gratia autem ex mult is delictis in iustificationem Si enim vnius delicto mors regnauit per vnum multo magis abundantiam gratiae donationis iustitiae accipientes in vita regnabunt per vnum Iesum Christum That is to saye And the gift is not so as is that which entred in by one that sinned For the condemnation came by one sinne into condemnation but grace or frée mercye was of many sinnes into righteousenesse For if by the sinne of one man death haue raigned by the meanes of one man much more shall they which haue receiued abundance of frée mercye or grace and of the gifte and righteousenesse raigne in lyfe thorow one which is Iesus Christ Here doth Paule plainely expresse his meaning Which is that they which haue receiued abundaunce of grace and of the gyft and righteousnesse are those many that are restored by Christ Iesu in whome through the same Christ lyse shall raigne Those are not the whole posteritie of Adam For the same Paule sayth in the .xj. chapter of this Epistle Quod quaerebat Israell non est consecutus electio autē consecuta est Israell hath not obtayned y e thing that he sought for but the election hath obtained Meaning that the carnall Israelites obtained not righteousenesse much lesse did y e whole offspring of Adā obtaine it But the election that is the elected and chosen children of God whether they be of the stock of Israel or no haue obtayned righteousenesse through Christ which is forgiuenesse of al their sinnes by his bloud
Austens name But bycause I promised before to proue mine affirmation as well by the iudgement of Auncient writers as by Scripture I will adde the iudgement of one or two moe whose autoritie and antiquitie is not to be dispised Of the which Ambrose shall be one Writing vpon the Epistle to the Romans he sayth Sicut per vnius delictum in omnes homines in condemnationem sic per vnius iustitiam in omnes homines in iustificationem vitae Hoc est sicut per vnius delictum omnes condemnationem meruerunt similiter peccantes ita in iustitia vnius omnes iustificabuntur credentes Si qui autem condemnationem hanc generalem esse putant simili modo iustificationem generalem accipient Sed non est verum quia non omnes credunt Sicut enim per inobedientiam vnius hominis peccatores constituti sunt plurimi ita et per vnius obedientiam iusti constituentur multi Quos supra omnes dixit hic plures multos significat Plures enim delictum Adae secuti sunt praeuaricando non omnes multi iusti constituentur non omnes Non ergo in eos regnauit mors qui non peccauerunt in similitudine preuaricationis Adae That is to say Euen as by one mans sinne giltinesse came vpon all men to condemnation so did iustification of lyfe come vpon all mē through the righteousenesse of one man That is euen as by the sinne of one man all men that doe sinne as he dyd haue deserued condemnation euen so all that do beleue shall be iustified in the righteousenesse of one man And if any doe think that this condemnation is general let them in lyke maner take the iustification to be generall But that is not true bycause all men doe not beleue For euen as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so by the obedience of one man many shall be made righteous The Apostle doth here call those same many that he did before call all For many haue in sinning folowed the sinne of Adam but not all and many shall be made righteous but not all Death therefore hath not raigned ouer them which haue not sinned in lyke sort as Adam did These be the wordes of Ambrose Which though at the first sight they séeme to incline to the errour of Pelagius yet when they be well weighed they giue a good and sounde meaning That is that sinne neuer raigned in any of Gods elect For although the elect of God in as much as they be the childrē of Adam be partakers of Adams sinne and in Adam condemned yet are they by Christe deliuered from that condemnation so that sinne hath in them no dominion at all Which thing appeareth in them by the fayth in Christ which when they come to knowledge they doe both by wordes and workes declare That this is the meaning of Ambros doth very plainely appeare by that he sayth that all the beleuers shall be iustified For what nedeth iustification where no condemnatiō was Thus much I thought good to write concerning y ◠simple meaning of this auncient Father least any mā of simplicity mistaking his meaning might think y t he should denie y e Elect to be conceyued and borne in originall sinne from which neuer any that was borne Christ only excepted coulde be frée But this is his meaning that in the Elect and chosen Children of God this sinne hath no dominion as it doth appeare by their obedience that they shewe in beleuing the Gospell but in the Reprobates it beareth rule still For Christ hath not killed it in them And to make an ende of this matter Saint Paule sayth thus in his eyght chapter to the Romans Who shall laye any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that doth iustifie who is it that shall condemne If all mankinde then be elected in Christ as Cerberus sayth then shall no sinne be layde to any mans charge For who dare accuse Gods chosen children And so shall Cerberus doctrine be the destruction of all vertue as he hath afore affirmed of the doctrine we teache of Predestination As for that which Cerberus citeth out of the seconde chapter of S. Iohns first Epistle the other places that he sendeth the Reader vnto I doe nowe passe ouer as sufficiently aunswered by that I haue written concerning S. Paules meaning in the fift to the Romans Cerberus The fift of Pelagius errours was that riche men being baptized except they did vtterly renounce and forsake their riches though they seeme to doe some good yet is it not accepted neither can they haue the Kingdome of God A filthy and an abhominable errour directly repugnant both to the state of the common wealth and also to the worde of God which sayth Charge them that be riche in this world that they be not exceding wyse c. And that they doe good and be riche in good workes c. The sixt errour is that the grace of God and the helpe of God is not giuē to euery one of our works but that it is in free choyse in the lawe and in doctrine This errour is exceding wicked and execrable that mā by the law by doctrine and by free choise is able to doe any maner of good worke whatsoeuer it be without the grace and helpe of God For as S. Paule sayeth we are not sufficient of our selues to think any thing as of our selues but our ablenesse cōmeth of God And againe It is God that worketh in vs both the will and the dede euen of good will The seuenth errour is that the grace of God is giuen according to our deseruing Vile and abhominable is this errour also and contrary to the manifest minde and words of the Apostle which sayth If it be of workes then is it no more grace for then were deseruing no more deseruing The eyght errour is that none can be called the children of God except they be all together made without sinne This errour is lyke wicked with the rest directly repugnant to the open Scripture where it is written If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. For as S. Iames saith of himselfe and of all other In many things we sinne all Crowley In these foure errours Cerberus can finde nothing to charge vs with all and therfore he goeth about to get himselfe credite among the simple Christians by calling these errours filthy and abhominable exceding wicked and execrable vile and abhominable and lyke wycked with the reste But if a man might come to reason with Cerberus I thinke it woulde fall out in the ende that he is not so cleare of the sixt errour as he would séeme to be when he calleth it exceeding wicked and execrable For if he were asked why feared he to translate Saint Paules words according to his meaning when he saide to the Philippians Deus est qui operatur
Though we be compelled to say that God is the Authour of the fact yet we must answere but not of the crime Areade areade what is that God is the Author of the very fact deede of adulterie theft murder and treason and yet he is not the Authour of sinne And why The subtilitie of the Riddle is this That sinne is nothing The theefe is not hanged for the deede that he hath cōmitted for God is the Author therof but he is hanged for the sinne and that is for nothing For whē they say God is the Author of all things then nothing is excepted But sin is nothing therfore he is not the Author of sinne The theefe is hanged for nothing The murderer is put to death for nothing The traitor loseth his head for nothing The wicked are punished in euerlasting fire for nothing A maruellous sophistication A straūge Paradox cautelous riddle But to be short though many ways this subtiltie might be answered I wil take onely the definition of sinne as I finde it written in the same booke where he sayth verie truly The nature of sinne is defined by the authoritie of Scripture to be a thought word or deede contrary to the wyll of God Now bicause they say that God is the Author of all euil deedes though not of the crimes let vs pase ouer the euill thought and euill words and speake onely of the deede it selfe whych he hymselfe desineth to be sinne and contrary to Gods wyll If God then be Authour of the fact or deede which deede is sinne and cōtrarie to Gods wyll how can he then say that God is the Authour of the fact but not of the fault soyng he hymself setteth forth not only a thought or a word but also a deede to be sinne And if God be the Authour of that same deede whych deede is sinne is it not a thing most plain that God is the Authour of sinne Crowley Marke gentle Reader I pray thée how this Puppie playeth with his owne tayle He imagineth that all euē as many as do hold that God doth not only foresée but also predestinate al things both good and euill do therin holde that God is the Authour of all sinne and abhominable wickednesse The contrarie whereof is in the former part of this Apologie sufficiently proued But he hath heard he sayth yea and séene in an English booke an Enigma a maruellous sophistication a straunge Paradox and a cautelous Riddle which is this Though we be compelled to saye that God is the Authour of the fact yet we must aunswere but not of the crime Areade areade what is that sayth Cerberus The Curre can not smell how the acte may be Gods and the sinne that is in the acte his that is the instrument in the working of the acte But the subtiltie of this Riddle saith he is this That sinne is nothing And then the theefe is hanged for nothing the murderer is put to death for nothing the traytour loseth his head for nothing and the wicked are punished in euerlasting fire for nothing But this is some thing That Cerberus sayth that there is some thing wherof God is not the Authour And so it followeth vpon his wordes that eyther there is another being besides God whereof those things that God is not the Authour of haue their being or else that those things haue theyr being of themselues and are therein equall with God whose greatest honour is in that he is and hath his being of himselfe But Cerberus must be borne withall whatsoeuer be sayth For if he be contraried all hell shall ring of his bauling We may not conclude vpō his wordes as he doeth vpon ours But for this once I will be bolde to say that if God be not the principall cause and Authour of al things wythout exception then there be some things whereof God is not the principall cause and Authour And so must it needes follow whether Cerberus will or no that the words in the beginning of S. Iohns Gospell are not true Omnia per ipsum facta sunt sine ipso factū est nihil quod factum est By him were all things made and nothing that was made was made without him But we knowe this saying to be true Wherefore we are bolde to conclude contrarie to the iudgement of Cerberus that God is not onely the principall cause but also the Authour and maker of all things And bicause Cerberus sayth that we holde a Paradox contrarie to al the auncient writers let him read that which S. Austen writeth in the. 26. Chapter of hys first booke of Retractations His wordes be these Viri 〈…〉 Deus Autor mali nòn sic vbi videndum est nè maè intelligatur quod dixi Mali Autor nòn est quia omnium qua sunt Autor est quia in quantum sunt in tantum bona sunt Et nè hine putetur nòn abillo esse poenam malorum quae vtique malum est ijs qui puniuntur Sed hoc ita dixi quemadmedū dictum est Deus mortem nòn fecit Cum alibi scriptum sit Mors vita à Domino Deo est Malorum ergo poena quae à Deo est mala est quidem malis sed in bonis Dei operibus est quoniam iustum est vt mali puniantur vtique bonum est omne quòd iustū est That is to say Whether God be not the Authour of the thing that is euill where men must take héede that they do not miscōster that which I haue sayd that is That God is not y ◠Authour of that which is euill for he is Authour of all those things that haue any being for in asmuch as they be they be good Also men must take héede that hereby they take not occasion to thinke that the punishment of the wicked cōmeth not of God which punishment is also euill vnto them that be punished But I spake this euen as it is sayd that God made not death Whereas in another place it is written Death and life are of the Lord God The punishment therefore of the wicked which commeth of God is euill vnto them that be euil But yet it is among the good workes of God For it is right that the wicked be punished and euery thing that is right is good I suppose that when Cerberus hath reade and well weighed these wordes of S. Austen he will not say that we hold a Paradox vnlesse he minde to match S. Austē with vs. Which if he shall do he shall shake his owne building verie sore For it standeth well most altogether vpon S. Austens groūd although without Sainct Austens consent But Cerberus will looke that some thing should be sayd to the aunswere that he maketh to our subtile sophisticatiō For he séemeth to himselfe to haue sayd so much that will we nill we it must be cōfessed that God being the Authour of the thing that is euill he is also the
lawes and doctrine For therfore that I may vse agayne the wordes of Austen thyngs are forbidden to be done bicause they might be done but ought not to be done And thys necessitie groweth vpon former causes graunted or wrought As it is of necessitie or needes must be that sectes and heresies shall growe in the Church bicause the wycked seeke their owne glorie and Sathan stirreth theyr heartes to imagine set forth abhominable errors wherin they serue the Diuell wyth all the diligence of their power Wherefore it must follow that sects and heresies shall grow Neyther doth this necessitie proue that they could not choose but commit such euilles but seeing they do refuse the light and embrace the darkenesse thys must necessarily follow thys must needes be the end that heresie much mischief shal spring Or as when a man presently beholdeth with his eyes murder theft druÌ„kennesse or any other wickednesse it must nedes be true that such things are committed according to that whych a man doth see plainly before hys eyes Yet doeth it not follow that those wicked doers coulde not choose but commit those outragious crimes But seeyng that they do commit such thyngs it must needes be true by the necessitie of consequence that such things are committed of them These two kindes of necessitie doeth Austen notably declare how after what sort they spring out of Gods predestination Lib. De Praedest Dei Cap. 2. First of all sayth Austen it is horrible iniquitie to say that God doeth predestinate anie thing sauing only that whych is good But of predestinations some be of bynding or of bondage and other be of condition These are of iustice and those of power And that it may be the more manifest it shal be declared sayth he by example which are of binding and power and whych are of condition and iustice God created heauen and earth sunne and moone Furder he did foreordeyne or predestinate that the heauen should euer be turned and the vnmoueable earth should be in place of a center vnto the turning heauen The Sunne and Moone should rule the day and night The day night should succede one another in certain times appoynted These predestinations are of power and of bynding For euerie one of those thyngs aforesayd is so bounde vnto hys worke by the predestination of God that it can not be moued from the same But God created man and did predestinate him that if he were obedient and did absteyn from the tast of the forbidden apple he should liue but if he were disobedient he should abide the sentence of death Thys predestination is of condition and of iustice For God before the fall of man dyd not by the power of binding so predestinate him to die that of necessitie he must nedes die but vnder that coÌ„dition if he sinned Bicause therfore maÌ„ did sin it was a righteous thing that he should die If he sinned not he should not be bouÌ„d to death by any chayn of Gods predestinatioÌ„ All these are the wordes of Austen And thys diuision is often repeated and commended by the best learned of the Protestantes Crowley Now Cerberus will shortly come to an ende For he will conclude with one note in this matter of can not choose or necessitie c. And this note is of the two sortes of necessitie one absolute and the other of consequence Or méere necessitie and necessitie vpon condition c. And to make men beleue that all that we doe is to persuade meÌ„ that al things do come to passe of méere necessitie he putteth for example the damnation of the Diuell the immortalitie of mans soule and the mortalitie of the brute beastes As though the thoughts words and déedes of men were like vnto these And therfore it should as little auaile to vsexeason law counsell doctrine faire promises or threatnings to pull men from euil thought words or déedes and so from damnation which doth necessarily follow vpoÌ„ those doings as it were by the same meanes to goe about to make the Diuell a saued spirite mans soule mortal the life of a brute beast euerlasting But we speake not of that necessitie which is méere or absolute but we speake of the other which is of consequence or condition And therefore his Austens wordes are cited out of place I saye his Austens wordes bicause they are the words of the same Austen that I haue noted before not to be the Bishop of Hippoe for these wordes of this Austen are spoken of the thoughtes wordes and déedes of men which though they do come to passe by a certaine necessitie as God dyd without beginning foresee that they should yet doth man vse the libertie of his wil therein For he doth neyther thinke speake nor doe anie thing without the consent of his will And there is no impossibilitie in man but that his thoughtes wordes and déedes may be contrarie to that they are As for example There was no impossibilitie in Cerberus but that he might haue refrayned both y â— weiting and publishing and casting abroade of this aunswere to his friendes letter Neyther was it impossible for me to refraine from writing this Apologie And Cerberus and I both haue herein vsed the libertie of our will And yet did God foresée predestinate both his doings herein and mine And as he did foresée that we should choose to do as we haue done so did he also predestinate oure doings herein So that choosing to doe as God did foresée and predestinate that we should choose to doe we haue done it by that necessitie that all learned Authours do call the necessitie of consequence or condition And God doeth foresee whether this Apologie shall persuade Cerberus to be of one minde with vs or not And if it shall be so then hath God predestinated my labours so that end If not then shall my labours serue to some other purpose that God knew before And yet do I herein vse the libertie of my wiâ—â— and so shall Cerberus vse his For neyther of vs is or shalbe enforced to do that which our will would not haue vs do This is all the matter that the wordes of Cerberus his Austen do conteine when they be truly weighed As for the sentence of Pelancthon it maketh nothing against vs for we speake of the same necessitie that he speaketh of and we affirme with him that it taketh not away the libertie of mans will The same Melancthon writing De necessario in hys booke which he doth entitle Erotematum dialectices sayeth that there be foure sortes of necessities One absolute As that God is true liberall iust c. Another of desinitions or demonstrations as a thrée cornered stone must of necessitie haue thrée corners and vertue must néedes be a thing that agréeth with the rule of Gods will The third is natural in things which are so ordered in nature that they can not otherwise be in and by that order But this necessitie may be
is the cause of Gods hate or eternal death and put the same into the one side of the ballaunce then take and put into the other side this saying of S. Paul to the Romanes was that then that was good made death vnto me God forbid but sinne was made death vnto me Then wey both these sayings together with the hand of good aduisemēt in the indifferent ballāce of vpright iudgement and put not in aboue three graynes of wilful partialitie thus shalt thou plainly see that the Apostle agreeth farre better with the Maiestie of God and hath a much more reuerent opinion of hys iudgements than these men haue yea thou shalt easily perceyue whatsoeuer they say that neyther Gods pleasure nor Gods ordinance or predestinatiō nor none other thing that is good is made death or the cause of Gods hatred agaynst any man but sinne is the very grounded cause why God hateth taketh vengeaunce and punisheth man by death and destruction according to that which the same Apostle sayth Death is the reward of sinne And the wordes of O see are also manifest plaine where he saith O Israell thou doest destroy thy selfe but in me onely is thy helpe In which words of the holie ghost thou seest how manifestly God doth as it were purge him selfe from being the cause or worker of mans destruction so that the perdition and destruction of man is altogether to be attributed vnto hym selfe And God being cleare neyther accessarie nor partaker thereof as the chiefe and hygh Iudge of heauen and earth vnspotted and wythout blame gyueth the sentence of euerlasting death vpon man for his own wicked deseruing and offence But on the other side sayth God vnto man in me only is thy helpe In God onely onely in God is our helpe and saluation in him onely and of him altogether and not of our selues commeth our saluation and all whatsoeuer belongeth therevnto The same is also set forth by all those Scriptures whych are before rehearsed to proue that sinne and euill commeth not of Gods predestination for vpon that conclusion dependeth also thys proposition that sinne is not the cause of Reprobation or of Gods hatred towards man Crowley Yet once againe hath Cerberus a snatch at Knoxe Whether he do report his words truly or not I knowe not for I haue not seene that booke of his neither haue I cause to thinke y t al is Gospel that Cerberus saith Much more adoe than néedeth doth Cerberus make to proue that an Argument à contrarijs simile and dissimile doth not alwayes conclude necessarilie For as he sayth who séeth not that they do not holde in all pointes This therfore that Cerberus hath here written is but dalliaunce and as it were dauncing about the bushe The questiō is whether the sequele be good in the matter that Knoxe doth vse it in or not We must therfore consider the matter and how Knoxe doth applie this maner of reasoning to this matter The matter therfore is a question moued concerning the cause why Esau shoulde be hated of God and Iacob beloued before any of them had done eyther good or euill yea and before they were borne and therfore before there could be in them any deseruing at all Now Knoxe sayth that if Esau were hated for his euill deseruing then must it néedes follow by an Argument following of the nature of contraries that Iacob was beloued for his well deseruing Nowe I must thinke well of Knoxe for I knowe hym to be not only learned but also godlie and therefore not like to ouershoote himselfe so farre that he woulde stretch an Argument taken out of the place of contraries further than the nature thereof will suffer I must thinke therfore that he meant that if God do in choosing and refusing in louing and hating respect nothing but the well deseruing of one sort and the euill deseruing of y e other as the common opinion of the Papistes is then it must néedes follow by an Argument of the nature of contraries that if he hated Esau for his euill deseruing he must needes loue Iacob for his well deseruing If Cerberus be not satisfied with this let him looke for furder aunswere at Knoxes owne hand for he is yet liuing and able to aunswere for himselfe As for the similitude of a King or Prince that Cerberus vseth to deface Knoxes Argument withall may serue him among such as know not that God is frée frō al mens affections and that he can not be moued to loue vs the better for the giftes that we bestow vpon him nor the worsse for that we take from him and spoyle him of any treasure that he ought to haue The nature of God is not to hate but to loue For S. Iohn sayth God is loue And as the wise man sayth he loueth all things that be and he hateth none of the thinges that he hath made Neyther hath he ordeined or made any thing hating the same that he ordeyned or made For in that he made or ordeyned them they are all excéeding good Wherefore when we say or when it is sayd in the Scriptures that God doth hate any of his creatures as it is said that he hated Esau it is meāt that he loued not Esau or those other creatures whome he is sayde to hate so well as he loued the others of whome it is sayd that he loued them It can not be denied but must néedes be confessed that God loued al his creatures in that he would make them some thing where as before they were nothing and in that he would giue them some part of that which is proper to himselfe For to be is proper to God And whatsoeuer hath any being it hath the same of God When God giueth a being to his creatures he sheweth that he loueth them but when he giueth them an euerlasting and blessed being then he loueth them so that the other loue in comparison of that seemeth but an hatred And therfore it is sayd that he hateth them whom he appointeth not to that euerlasting blessed being but leaueth thē to themselues that in them he may haue occasion to exercise his iustice and by them to gyue occasion to hys dearlie beloued to sée and consider the excéeding greatnesse of his loue and mercie towardes them But Cerberus séemeth to haue the whole Scripture on his side For he sayth that all the Scripture teacheth vs that God neuer hateth and punisheth vs without our owne deseruing Which saying I graunt to be true but not in that sense that Cerberus would haue vs to vnderstande it For Cerberus woulde haue vs to thinke that God could not be compted iust if he shoulde refuse any man in whome there were not sinne that might moue God to refuse him and to that ende he citeth the wordes of the wise man For this is his opinion as it appeareth before that in Christ all mankinde is elected and so consequently that Esau was elected in Christ But
by sinne he made himself a reprobate and was not refused before he sinned But let vs sée how this place of the wise man maketh for his purpose The words are these as Cerberus citeth them Et cum qui nullam poenam commeritus sit condemnasse a tua potentia iudicas alienum And thou Lorde estemest it a thing contrarie to thy power to haue condemned him that hath not deserued punishment All the Scripture is nowe by Cerberus brought into a short summe For it is knit vp in lesse than two lines written in the .xij. Chapter of the booke of wisdome Of what authoritie that booke hath awayes bene thought to be I thinke Cerberus is not ignorant And how diuers readings there be of that place which he cyteth I suppose he knoweth The Tygurine Bible is it that Cerberus followeth Other translations there be that differ from that and from the olde also The olde translation hath it thus Cum ergo sis iustus iustè omnia disponis ipsum quoque qui nòn debet puniri condemnas exterum aestimas à tua virtute That is Forasmuch as thou thy selfe art iust thou doest dispose all things iustly him also that ought not to be punished thou doest condemne and doest esteeme him as one exiled from thy power or dominion Bylike when Cerberus cited this place he supposed that no mā should sée his booke but such as were not able to discerne Chalk from Chéese What place can make more manifestly against him and for vs than this place doeth For by these wordes it is plaine that though God do condemne him that hath not by any déedes deserued to be condemned yet is God neuer the latter iust and doth dispose all things iustly Yea and the circumstance of the Text doth shew that this translation is more nigh the meaning of the writer thā is that which Cerberus followeth For the sentence going immediatly before is thus Neque Rex neque tyrannus in conspectu tuo inquirent de hijs quos perdidisti That is Neyther King nor tyrant will in thy presence make inquisition for them that thou hast destroyed And the sētence that doth immediatly follow is thus Virtus enim tua iustitiae initium est ab hoc quod omnium Dominus es omnibus te parcere facis That is For thy power is the beginning of iustice and bycause thou art Lord of all thou doest make thy selfe to spare all But bicause there is such diuersitie of translations in the Latine and peraduenture Cerberus wyll saye he hath loked in the Gréeke and findeth that the Tygurine translation which he followeth is most agréeable to the Gréeke Text out of which all our Latine translations are taken It shall not be amisse therfore to set downe the Gréeke Text that suche as haue any skill therein may iudge betwixt vs. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say so far as I am able to vnderstād it Thou being iust doest dispose all things iustly cōmaunding to condemne straunge from the land of thy power him y t is not to be iudged ignominious If any cā sée any other meaning in this Gréeke text I wil not contende for I sée that many men of great learning haue varied in opinion about the translation therof But graunt that Cerberus haue cited that translation that is according to the true meaning of the Text what hath he wonne thereby Shall all the Scripture be on his side bicause it is written in y e booke of wisdom that God estemeth it a thing contrarie to hys power or more truly after the Latine Text that Cerberus citeth a thing straunge from his power to condemne him that hath not deserued punishment I thinke not For the booke of wisedome is of that sort of bookes that must be made to agrée with y e Canonical bookes the Canonicall bookes must not be enforced to agree with it For it is Apokryphe that is a booke permitted to be read priuatly but not of such authoritie that we may builde our fayth vpon euerie sentence in it But graunt that this booke were of as great authoritie as any other booke of Scripture is should we thinke that God might not iustly refuse such of his creatures as it pleaseth him not to choose vnlesse the same creatures had first by sinne made them selues vnworthie to be chosen We must not restraine God of his libertie to doe wyth his creatures what he himselfe will Neyther must we say or thinke that any thing that he doth is or can be other than iust albeit that we can not vnderstand howe the same shoulde be iust We must therefore wyth reuerend seare seeke another meaning of thys place than Cerberus doth teach vs let vs thinke therefore that God speaketh here of therecution of his iudgement and not of election And it shalbe good for vs to say always wyth S. Austen that the cause of Gods doings may be secrete so that we can not know them but vniust they can not be But Cerberus séemeth to himselfe to haue gotten a great aduauntage by the example of the Cananites and Israelites The Cananites were driuen out for theyr sinnes and this was iustice but the Israelites were put in their place without deseruing and that was mercie Wherefore in refusing God worketh by iustice and in choosing he worketh by mercie As though there were no difference betwene choosing and refusing of creatures and the vsing of them when they be chosen or refused God chooseth and refuseth without respect of good or euill deseruings but he maketh not his refusal knowen vnto men till the refused haue by theyr sinnes shewed them selues worthie to be refused And though the chosen sort neyther do nor can shewe themselues worthie for theyr good workes to be chosen yet before they receyue the great blessing promised they shewe themselues by theyr workes lesse worthie to be refused than the other And to this do the Scriptures that Cerberus hath cited out of Moses Paule O sée and the rest full well agrée But it followeth not hereof that therefore God had not refused the wicked sort before they sinned It is true that death is the rewarde of sinne but it is not true that euerie one that sinneth receyueth that reward for Christ came to saue sinners and the frée gift of euerlasting life is bestowed vpon such sinners as were elected in Christ before the beginning of the world It is true also that man destroyeth himselfe by the frée consent of his will to do contrarie to the commaundement of God that his helpe and succour commeth of God alone yet doth it not therfore follow that no man is refused of God before he haue cōmitted sinne whereby he destroyeth himself For when the elect were chosen in Christ then were the rest refused For otherwise it could not be an election but a generall acceptation As for the saying that Cerberus sayth is ours and would haue his friend to lay it in the one side of
the ballaunce against S. Paules wordes to the Romaines I leaue to himselfe to be weyed wyth the hand of good aduisement c. And let him put in as many graines of wilfull partialitie as he will for the saying is none of ours For we teach that sinne is the cause of eternall death in those that be not Gods elect and were it not that Christ hath washed his chosen slocke in his owne heart bloud sinne would be theyr destruction too It is but for his owne pleasure therfore that Cerberus doth thus turne round after his owne tayle Cerberus And vpon the same Article dependeth also an other part of doctrine which they teach worthy to be misliked of all men as wel for that it importeth a sophisticall search of bottomlesse secretes in the verie essence and nature of God as also for that it clearely withdraweth vs from Christ the only staie and comfort of our weake conscience deliuered vnto vs in the word of God for that they might be sure to holde fast the former principle that all things come of Gods predestination as running streames out of a deepe fountaine They affirme that the free mercie of God in Christ is but an inferiour cause of Election and that we are taught to ascende vnto a higher cause as vnto the eternall purpose and predestination of God which he determined onely in himselfe So sayth the printed booke before named translated out of French into English That same thing we reade also lately set forth in English print in the glose of the last trāslated Bible Rom. cap. 9. wyth these wordes As the only wyl and purpose of God is the chiefe cause of Election and Reprobation so his free mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause of saluation c. But for my part I trust in minde neuer to ascēd vnto that high cause of Election and in heart neuer to taste of that eternall purpose or predestination which God hath determined only in himselfe without or aboue his free mercie which is in Christ For surelie that eternall purpose whych cometh not of Gods free mercie in Christ is to destroy and not to saue Agayne if that eternall purpose spring out of Gods free mercie then is that free mercie of God the chiefe cause and not an inferiour cause why he purposeth to saue vs for a great dishonor it were to the mercie of God to be put to an inferiour place touching election and saluation of man For if euer Gods mercie be aboue all it is in the sauing of miserable man and mercie there is not in God towarde man but onely in Christ Therefore S. Paule Ephes 3. b. calleth it the eternall purpose which he purposed in Christ Iesus our Lord In Christ therefore was this eternall purpose and for hys onely sake God the Father eternally purposed to elect and saue vs. Consider and marke it well whence commeth thys purpose or wyll of God to saue vs but of his free mercie If hys purpose to saue vs spring out of his free mercie why is then his mercie inferior to his purpose or how is the fountaine inferior to the springs that come therof Also what may be sayd in God at any time or in any respect to be higher or greater than his mercie seeing it is written that his mercie is as great as him selfe Ecclesiast 2. d. Yea and most specially it is so to be sayd that his mercie passeth all when we speak of this matter For of thys it is written that mercie reioyceth agaynst iudgement and why all the iudgementes of God in thys behalfe are not to be compared vnto hys mercie for though it were not true whych Dauid sayeth that his mercie is aboue all his workes yet were it cleare that in Election and Redemption and saluation of man Gods mercie in Christ hath euer the highest place and those which in the saluation of our soules make the free mercie of God an inferiour cause how base a roume will they assigne vnto hys free mercie in nourishing and preseruing our bodies Let them reach as hygh as they can I trust to go no furder but to hold me fast by the euerlasting mercie of God and by the hemme of Christes garment for the Scripture describeth God vnto me wythout Christ as a wrathfull and moste terrible Iudge but in Christ and for hys sake as a father whose wrath is pacified and he well pleased reconciled agreed and at one and to speak of a hygher cause or purpose to elect and saue only in God beside or without this free mercie in Christ or that Christ and Gods free mercie in hym is not the chiefest cause which worked and obteyneth the decree and purpose of God to elect and saue it is plainely nothing else but to deny the mercy of God in election reconciliation redemption and saluation by Christ in Christ and for Christ As easily it may be perceyued if a man do but weigh and consider what eternall purpose an Election and a reconciliation is seing Christ is our Aduocate Mediator Peace Reconciliation Atonement as in these Scriptures following and many other it doth plainly appeare Psal 84. a. Math. 1. a. Ephe. 1. a. 2. b. Rom 5. a. b. Coloss 1. c. 2. Corin. 5 d. 1. Ioā 2. a. Heb. 5. b. c. and. 7. a. b. c. d. e. 2. Timoth. 1. c. And although it be true according to the Scriptures that God so loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begottē sonne c. yet did he neither loue the world nor gyue hys sonne wythout the intercession mediatiō of his sonne for if God loued the world without the reconciliation and mediatiō or before he was reconciled intreated and pacified by Christ then is Christ in vaine come to late to be our mediatour seing God the Father is without him alredy reconciled But horrible false is thys opinion For like as the sonne of a King might entreat his Father for the seruant whom for hys offences the King in hys displeasure were ready to cast not onely out of hys seruice but also into perpetuall prison euen so Christ our onely Sauiour and Gods only sonne did offer vp himselfe as a raunsome vnto his Father for vs whereby he pacified the wrath of hys Father and adioyned vs with himselfe to be sonne and heyres of hys Fathers glorie And this hath Christ done not only now in tyme but also euerlastingly in the most hygh and eternall purpose of God before the foundation of the world was layde Thus I end thinking it sufficient for this presēt that I haue in these few wordes pourged my selfe of those thīgs which you lay to my charge set forth vnto your iudgement the errors of Pelagius that you may the better diseerne who they are whych are worthie to be called after that sect and also plainly declared in what pointes my conscience differeth from certayne teachers of our time and vpon what groūd I am moued so to misslike some part of