and willingly without compulsion that he did nether did Adam sinne thorough want of free wil natural strength If anie did affirme / that god compelled Adam to sinne than complaint might be made that Adam wanted free wil. And a reason might be framed against vs vpō Adams free wil. But if god ordained that Adam shuld sinne without compulsion / thorough his awne faute and abuse of his free wil than this reason hath no maner of force / and the complainte is made without cause But you wil saie that there was no fault in Adam / if that were necessarely to be don that he did I denie the consequence For if he did willyngly breake goddes commaundment as it is euident without compulsion / there was a fault great enough in him The diuel doeth those thinges necessarely that he doeth / and can not choose but do them yet bycause he doeth them willingly without compulsion / thorough the rage of his nawghtie wil he is iustly to be damned So though Adam did that must nedes be don yet bycause he did it without compulsion thorough a manifest fault of his awne he deserued damnation For it is not al one to do a thinge of necessite and to do a thinge of constraint For god doeth good necessarely and can not do otherwise and yet he doth not good constrainedly The diuel / as I shewed you doth euil necessarely and can do none other and yet he doeth not the same cōstrainedly but most willingly And thus nether man nor diuel can excuse their faulte by goddes ordinance and by necessitee For goddes ordinances cōpelleth nether man nor diuel to do il and so leaueth a place to their awne faute For thei do that thei most desire and wold do none otherwise to choose If men wil see this thei must put of the old spectacles of fleshlie bleared eyes and desire of god a new sight and to be made aegleeyed of him Heare now the seconde argument Sinne and death / cāme in to the world by the enuie of the diuel and the nawghtie concupiscence of Adam in transgressing goddes commaundment but the enuie of the diuel and the nawghtie concupiscence of Adam were contrarie to goddes wil / ergo it was not goddes wil / that Adam shuld sinne I graūt that Adams nawhhtie concupiscence and the diuels enuie ar contrarie to goddes wil if you meane by goddes wil that god neuer alowed ether the diuels enuie or Adams nawghtie concupiscence But wil you saie this / death camme into the world by the enuie of the diuel ergo it was not ordained by god Who than ordained death whether god wold or no Did god / as Esaie teacheth ordaine gehenna from yester daie that is to saie from eternitee and not death As death than came not in to the world besides goddes ordinance and yet god delighteth not in death as it is only death but as it is the iust punishment of sinners so sinne camme not in to the world besides goddes ordinance / and yet god delighteth not in sinne as it is sinne / but in that that he wil turne sinne vnto You haue heard the reasons that thei thincke maie be made against me heare now how thei dissolue my reasons made against them In which matter thei feately discharge them selues of ouer much labor For thei medel but with one of myn thother that thei saie is myn camme out of their awne shoppes and was neuer made by me To shew that Adams sinne cāme not to passe besides goddes ordinance I alleged this sentence of S. Augustine Euen in this that thei did against goddes wil goddes wil was fulfilled vpon them These wordes saie thei make against your assertion For Augustine saieth that the angels apostates Adam did that that god wold not But I praie you what saie thei to this that S. Augustine saieth that by the same their acte goddes wil was fulfilled vpon them Here thei giue them selues and vs leaue / and space enough to breathe Thei cutte the band in sondre where the knotte is not as for the knotte it selfe thei neuer touche yet wold haue men to weene that thei haue verie wel loosed it The argument which thei forge them selues faine to be myne is this Nothinge can be dō in the world besides the wil of god sinne is a thinge ergo it is not don beside the wil of god In this argument thei denie the minor saie that sinne is nothing If I shuld haue made a syllogisme I wold haue framed it after this sorte Nothinge in the world is dō besides goddes wil and ordinance that Adam sinned was a thinge don in the world ergo it was don by goddes wil and ordinance In the minor whan I saie that Adam sinned I meane Adams sinful action and dede and not the qualitee only of Adams minde but in their minor / sinne signifieth only a qualitee / not an action Howbeit I maie also saie truly of Adams sinne meaninge the qualitee or what soeuer you wil cal it that it was not in him besides goddes wil and ordinance though god caused it not than frame the syllogisme after this sorte Al that was in Adam was in him by godddes goddes wil ordinance but sinne was in Adam ergo it was in him by goddes wil and ordinance For it is not al one / to saie that sinne was in Adam by goddes wil and ordinance and to saie / that sinne was in Adam by goddes propre worckinge The first saiyng is verie true and ascribeth no faulte to god The seconde is verie false for it ascribeth the faulte of Adams fal to god From which affirmation I most ernestly abhorre And I wold to God I might be once halfe so far from other faultes as I am far from that frantike imagination and droncken dreame of diuellish men Where thei saie that sinne is nothinge you shal vndrestand that in scoles this word nothing is taken two waies for nothing negatiuely and for nothinge priuatiuely To saie that sinne is nothinge negatiuely is open blasphemie For so men shuld be damned for nothinge at al. But thei take this word nothinge for nothinge priuatiuely and teache that sinne is a priuation and absence of righteousnes / which is a destruction of nature for which god abhorreth the creature that is defiled therewith I graunt thei meane so and teach so and so meaneth S. Augustine to / but seinge the vnlerned can not make a difference and distinction of nothinge negatiuely and nothinge priuatiuely nor can wel vndrestande what priuatiō is though thei be taught that darcknes is the priuation of light death of life our aristarches shuld leaue those termes to scoles and teach the people as the truth is and as thei maie easely vndrestand that sinne is a qualitee repugnant and contrarie to goddes lawes For thei ar better acquainted with this word qualitee than with this worde priuation And logicians permitte that priuations shal be referred to the
god pleased not god ergo he did not his wil. I praie you good frendes shuld Adam please god in doinge goddes wil and ordinance with a faulte of his awne Senacherth did goddes wil and ordinance in afflicting the people of Ierusalem but bycause he did it with a fame of his awne god plaged him for doing that that he testifieth he had appointed him to do If you can not perceaue how men maie do Goddes decreed wil / with a fault of their awne / impute it to your ignorance / and want of vndrestanding / thincke it not by and by to be false that your measured witte can not comprehende The nexte argument is like the for ner / God rewarded not Adam with benifices / ergo he did not that goddes wil was to be don I wil make the like reason God rewarded not the Iues with benefites for crucifâ—inge of Christ ergo it was not goddes wil / and ordinance / that the Iues shuld crucifie Christ But yet the holie gost saieth that thei did that goddes hand and purpose had foreordained to be don Pigghiuâ— the papist frameth the argumeâ—t thus Adam in siâ—ninge and the Iues in procuring Christes death did that god wold and had ordained before to be don / ergo thei were not to be punished For right vndrestanding hereof / ye shal know that god / and wickâ—d men / wil some times one thinge but not after one maner Adams wil was to sinne and goddes wil was that he shuld sinne But Adams wil was to sinne bycause he wold be â—qual to god / iâ— knowinge of good bad And goddes wil was that Adam thorough his awne faute shuld sinne / to turne Adams sinne to good / and to bringe good out of euil The Iues wil was to put Christ to death / and goddes wil was / that his sonne shuld die But the Iues wil was / that he shuld die bycause thei wold satisfie their malice and crueltie vpon him and godddes wil was / that he shuld die to raunsome his chosen and so to declare h s â—â—â—stiâ—â—able goodnes Sainct Augustine sheweth verie handsomely how god willeth the same thinge / with a good wil / that men wil which a nawghtie wil. An vnthriftie child â—â—â—â—â—h the death of his father / whoÌ„ god wil haue to die Thei both wil one thiÌ„g namely the death of the man but they wil it not after one sorte For the enthriftie sonne willeth it to emote his father goodes God willeth it / to conuete him out of miserie if he be one of the chosen / or duly to punish him / if he be a reprobate Is this vnthrifte than worthie to be rewarded with benifites bicause he wold the same thinge that god wold Naie surely For he willed it vniustly to an euil purpose and god willed it iustly to a good porpose Boies in scoles to practise then sophistrie make the argument as handsomely after this sorte That wil that agreeth with goddes wil is good / the Iues wil agreed with goddes wil for thei wold that Christ shuld die and god also wold / that he shuld die ergo their wil was good To this wise men aunswer that the Iues wil agreed not with goddes wil in al causes and in al pointes and therefore it was not good but extremely euil The argument the refore is nawght For it is deducted ex causa non sufficiente .i. of a cause not sufficient But let vs peruse more of our aduersaries reasons God made man to immortalitie ergo it was not his wil that he shuld sinne and die I aunswer that this is not an absolute speech god made maÌ„ to immortalitie but a coÌ„ditional God made man to immortalite if he wold haue persisted and continued in the state that god made him in Whan Ionas saieth / yet .40 daies and Niniue shal be destroied this speech declareth not goddes secrete determinatioÌ„ but what shuld folow if thei did not repente God saieth to Abimelech hauing taken to him Abrahams wife Lo thou shalt die for the woman whom thou hast taken This semeth an absolute speech but in dede it hath a secrete condition which the scripture afterwarde expresseth in these wordes Restore hir now to hyr husband if thou restore hir not see the conditioÌ„ expressed know that thou shalt surely die Yet there remaineth another reason that wold make anie man to quake if he had nether wit / nor sparcke of a mannes mind If you grauÌ„t not coÌ„tingentiam saie thei than ye affirme that al thinges coÌ„me to passe by fatal destinee Here first I must tel you what coÌ„tingens is CoÌ„tingens is that which though it be doÌ„ after some certaine sorte yet hath of it selfe and of his awne nature that it might haue ben otherwise doÌ„ As for exemple / Iulius Cesar ouercame PoÌ„peie There is nothinge in the nature hereof but that PoÌ„peie might haue ouercoÌ„me Iulius Cesar The legges of the lord Iesus of theyr awne nature might haue ben broken Than we saie that manie thinges of them selues and of their awne nature be coÌ„tingent but touching goddes wil and ordinance there is nothing coÌ„tingent in the world that is to saie nothinge in the world coÌ„meth to passe other wise than he hath determined and ordained And so we saie that Iulius Cesar must nedes ouercoÌ„me PoÌ„peie and that the legges of the lord Iesus cold not be broken by reasoÌ„ of goddes ordinance But so we agree with the stoikes that saie that al thinges coÌ„me to passe by fatal destinie Naie surely For those foÌ„de philosophers taught that al thinges comme to passe by the copulatioÌ„ of causes wrapped one in another And they made god subiect to this ordre / and row of causes depending one vpoÌ„ another after such sorte as Homere deuised his chaine whereuÌ„to he tieth Iuppiter also But we saie not that al thinges coÌ„me to passe for that the causes ar so licked to gether that one thinge necessarely draweth another but bicause god hath thorough his secrete wil and purpose ordained al thinges so to be doÌ„ as ther be doÌ„ And we make not god subiecte to â—â—ained and lincked causes but we make al causes and al thinges subiecte to god This than that our aduersaries wold fraie vs withal was nothing but lightninge out of a basin After that I had gon this far two other reasoÌ„s of theirs were brought vnto me wh ch though thei maie be confuted by that that I haue al readie said yet I wil examine them bycause I heare / that they acknowlege most strength to be in them The first is this If it had ben goddes wil that Adam shuld sinne than Adam shuld haue wanted free wil / but god gaue him free wil / to kepe his commaund mâ—t if he wold ergo it was not goddes wil / that he shuld sinne This reason shineth to them as it were gold but in dede it is but gilted latin For goddes wil / and ordinance letted not but that Adam shuld do frely
same predicament / that those thinges be in whereunto thei ar coÌ„traries As for exemple darcknes is contrarie to light / and light is a qualitee therefore darcknes shal be referred to the same house 〈◊〉 sinne is coÌ„trarie to righteousnes / righteousnes is a qualitee therefore we shal putte sinâ—e 〈◊〉 the same predicament / and row that râ—ghteâ—snes is in / saie that sinne is a qualitee whereby mannes nature is corrupte / 〈◊〉 and sâ—â—â—de worthie to be cast awaie / and condemned of god But now these good 〈…〉 their reasâ—ning giue vs good couÌ„sel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bid vs be warie and forbeare to 〈◊〉 sucâ— thinges as the wicked maye turne 〈…〉 But so we shal cease to preache 〈◊〉 mercies of god For wicked men turne that to euil For the papistes saie that by preachinge of goddes mercies / we encourage men to sinne And some wicked men perchaunce take occasion thereby in dede to sinne the more boldly But thei plaie the sophisters and take non causam pro causa For the verie cause in dede of mennes corrupte behauior is their inwarde boiling sinful lust and not our preachiÌ„g Wherefore we maie not forbeare to speake the truth bicause euil men can wringe thinges to euil purposes But now lette vs comme to the lesson that these good scolemasters haue giueÌ„ you whereby ye ar taught to ouerthrow shortely and whithout sweate whatsoeuer we can allege / for the maintenance of our sentence For whan it is said that it was goddes wil that AdaÌ„ shuld sinne you must saie that god suffred Adam to sinne and so forth But these sufferers / that turne al goddes doinges in to suffringes / preately suffre them selues to be begiled if thei weene that manie wil streight waie beleue them For shal we saie that god suffred the Iues to conspire Christes death / whan the holie gost saieth his hand foreordained it Whan Micha saieth to Ahab Lo the lord hath giuen the spirite of liyng in to the mouth of al thy prophetes / is that nothinge els but god hath suffred thy prophetes to lie WhaÌ„ god biddeth the liyng spirite to go and to deceaue Ahab / I trow / he doeth more / than suffre him to go I saie not this as though this word suffringe might nowaie be ascribed to god but I saie that thei ar euil scolemasters / that teach you to turne al goddes doinges in to suffringes and yet teache you not in what sense you shal take the word suffringe For suffringe is taken sondrie waies We maie suffre a thinge with our wil and we maie suffre a thinge against our wil. He suffreth also a thiÌ„g to be don that meddleth not at al with the matter And he suffreth a thinge to be don that is contente and agreeth that it shal be don If thei saie / that god sufferd Adam to sinne as one that wold not medle with the matter / that is plaine sacrilege and robbeth god of his honor If thei wolde signifie in saiyng / that god suffred Adam to sinne that he was not the propre worcker and autor of his sinne / but ordained Adam to sinne by Satans propre worckinge and his awne faulte than thei meane as we meane And than their meruailous high lesson is vanished in to smoke Now to make at ende thus I trust you see that I stand vnwounded and vnhurte against these sore blodie blowes If anie man thincke that I haue ben to quicke against them / that be aduersaries in wordes and not in meaning lette him considre that I haue not had respecte to them only but also to the papistes which ernestly vse the same weapons against vs. And further bycause I trauail to mainteyne the glorie of my god which shineth to the dasellyng of wicked mennes yes in the hole gouernmeÌ„t of the world I thought good to vse some quicknes / and liuelines of wordes / to awake the dulnes of my hearers God our most merciful lord and father encrease the knowlege of his prouidence in vs al arme vs with patience in these miseries and confirme in vs the hope of a better state Amen amen ¶ An exposition of these wordes Leade vs not in to tentation made by Bar. Traheron loÌ„ge before these former lectures now added hereto that you maie know that he neuer saide nor thought that god is the autor of sinne as some most falsly and vngodly wold haue men to weene LEade vs not God tempteth and trieth men sondrie waies and to sondrie endes First to beginne with his awne whom he chose in Christ Iesus and prepared to euerbastinge life before the fundations of the world were laied he tempteth and trieth them to sondrie endes namely ether to make theyr vertues which he him selfe hath wrought in them to shine forth more clearely or to open their shame and nawghtie corrupte nature / that so afterwarde thei maie liue iÌ„ greater warines and feare of god / and more ernestly desire his helpe knowinge better their awne wickednes To the ende whereof we spake first he tempted Abraham Iob to bringe I meane their vertues to light and to make them more certainly knowen To thother ende he tempted kinge Dauid and. S. Petre and manie other not vtterly to destroie them but to humble them / to teach them to know and abhorre their awne wickednes and to fele more certainly his great goodnes and mercie And though god use this temptation to the profite of his chosen yet thei ought to praie that thei maie not fal in to it For though it be so that god of his great goodnes maketh our nawghtines to turne to his glorie / and our welth yet the godlie ought to abhorre to committe anie thinge / whereby their god is iustly offended But you wil saie / if he be offended with those our dedes / why bringeth he vs in to them With our dedes he is surely offended but he is delighted with that that he bringeth to passe by them namely with our humilitee with our better knowlege of our awne weaknes with our more warie walking afterwarde in due feare of him This tentation in to which God bringeth his electe / endureth but a time But he bringeth some in to a perpetual tentation / vtterly giuinge them vp to Satan hardening them in wickednes for euer The godlie do not praie / that thei maie not be led in to this temptatioÌ„ For thei haue a sure confideÌ„ce that thei ar goddes children For otherwise thei might not cal him father And if thei thincke that thei be goddes children thei must thincke / that thei be goddes chosen And bycause thei be goddes chosen / thei must thinke that thei can be no more damned / than god can cease to be god For whoÌ„ he hath oÌ„ce choseÌ„ theÌ„ he hath chosen for euer Nether caÌ„ he repeÌ„te him of the thinge that he hath once purposed / nor chaunge his purpose For that shuld argue some imperfection in him / which can not be in