And in what estate did I leaue you Trie and examin your selues in what estate ye do yet stand you can not be vnsensible you can not be so ignorant but ye must know whether that Christ dwelleth in you or no. If you will acknowledge and coÌ„â—es that Christ dwelleth in you then must ye nedes confes that I am an Apostle For by my labors and preaching did you receaue Christ Iesus And if to deface my labors and to defraud me of that honor which God of his mercie hath giueÌ„ vnto me ye list deny that ether ye receaued Christ Iesus ether yet that he remaineth in you then do ye confes your selues reprobates Paule doth not absolutely define that they were reprobates but putteth in to their choise whether they wold confes that Christ Iesus did remaine in them by faith which they had receaued by the preaching of Paule and so wold admitt him to be an Apostle or to grante that they had nothing to do with Christ and so to confes them selues reprobates Now let the indifferent reader iudge whether that ether faithfully ye cyte the text ether that righteously ye conclude vpon the same The Apostle saieth not except that Christ dwell in you yow are reprobates but saieth as before I haue alledged do ye not know your selues that Christ Iesus is in you except that in som what ye be reprobates And albeit that the wordes were such as ye recite how can you therof conclude Dauid and Adam were reprobates when they sinned seing that Paule in that place maketh mencion of no other sinne except of the denial of Christ to remain in them of their ingratitude towardes him whom God had appointed preacher vnto them and of giuing eare credite to fals Apostles sclaÌ„derers of Christes true messingers â–ª how iustly I might turn Paules wordes vpoÌ„ your heades you easely may espie but all such reasoning I do from my heart abhorre If ye can be able to proue that Adam refused the grace offered or that Dauid did storme against Nathan ether affirming or suspecting him to be a fals prophete then had your argument som probabilitie for onely of such and to suche speaketh the Apostle in that place Thus doth â—ther your ignorance or malice wresting the scriptures against their natiue sense compell me to trouble the reader muche more then I wold if any sinceritie were found in you We do constantly affirme that by the sinne of one man did death enter in to the world for Adam did not onely lose him self but also did with him self wrap all his posteritie in sin death and damnation so that Adam and all his sonnes were in him lost But thereof it doth not follow as ye affirme that therefor they were out of the election from the transgression vnto the promes for as before we haue plainely proued they were elected in Christ Iesus before the foundacioÌ„s of y â— world were laied in whom they did stand elected and beloued euen wheÌ„ they fell in AdaÌ„ at which time y e electioÌ„ which from all eternitie was kept in the counsell of God began to be notified and manifested to mannes knowledge The fall and sinne of man was the way and meanes by the which gods election did appere but was not the cause why that it was destroied And so if with reuereÌ„ce ye coulde consider the mysterie of our redemption in Christ Iesus ye shoulde plainely se that it behoued all to die in Adam that the elect might receaue life in Christ Iesus alone The wordes of Christ Iesus our master rehearsed by the Euangelist S. Iohn ye do shamefully abuse for in that place he intreateth not whether a sinner duriÌ„g the time of his blindnes and sinne is appointed to damnation or not nether yet whether such as before haue had knowledge as Adam and Dauid had be altogether void of faith by reason of sinne after committed None of these two poiâ—tes I say doth our Master in that place intreat But vnto Nichodemus he plainely declareth that the cause of life is faith and the cause of condemnation is incredulitie and vnbe leif Not that Christ Iesus affirmeth that euerie man that is vnfaithfull at any tyme is or shal be condemned for God hath wrapped all vnder vnbelief y t he may haue mercie vpoÌ„ all as S. Paul confesseth him self to haue bene a persecuter and vnfaithfull But the true meaning of Christ is y t such as dispyse y e light offered remaine invnbelief to y e eÌ„d haue their condemnation alredie appointed as contrary wise who so euer with full obedience do steadfastly beleue the same shall haue the life euerlasting not withstanding the manifest tran sgressions of the law The rest of this part is be fore answered and thereforâ— I will not with repeticion trouble the reader for ye be neuer able to proue that Adame and Dauid were so out of the loue of God that he did not loue them in Christ his Sonne in whom they were elected Dauid was no suche mankiller as was Cayn of whom Saint Iohn speaketh who delited in blood to the end Nether did NathaÌ„ shew nor Dauid pronounce any suche iudgemeÌ„t against him self as ye imagin but being conuicted in in his own conscience how horribly he had offended he did heare not withstanding that ioyfull sentence The Lord hath taken a way thy sinne thow shalt not die c. Which sentence no doubt proceded frome that immutable loue w c was reserued to him in Christ Iesus euen when he was fardest declined from God It will be hard for you to proue by euident scriptures that Dauid was altogither void of faith but granting that he as concerning his own sense and feling was vtterly dead yet doth it not thereof follow that so he displeased God that he fell from the loue and fauor of God as touching his electioÌ„ for the Apostle vpon whose wordes ye seme to grounde your reason meaneth not that the lack of faith in all persons at all tymes and in all respectes doth so displease God that he hateth them and reiecteth them to death euerlasting For childreÌ„ for a tyme lacke faith and yet Crist pronounceth that their Angelles do se the face of his father and that the kingdoÌ„ of heauen apperteineth to such Thomas was vnfaithfull euen after Christes resurrectioÌ„ And yet did he not so displease his maister as before we heaue touched but that he did sekeâ— him and did remoue his incredulitie And Christ Iesus did rebuke the vnbelief of his disciples and the hardnes of their heartes but yet did he not vtterly dispyse them But now to the rest ADVERSARIE But if the scripures will not satisâ—ie you then must you be beaten with your own râ—d for if I grante you that all men did not fall out of gods holie election unto coÌ„dennation by Adams traÌ„sgressâ—on it followeth therupon that the coÌ„ming of Christ his procious death and passioâ— is superfluous vaine and of none effecte So by your
eternall connsell of God That first he wold create the heauen the earth the masse being rude hauing darknes vpon the great depthe thereafter that he wold make light putting diuision betwene the light the darknes and so forth as Moises hath declared the ordre obserued in the creatiō And as those things were somtime secret but now are manifest reueled and knowen so likewies was the falle of mā and the redemption which commeth by Christ Iesus somtime secrete in the eternall counsell of God but nowe is most manifestly preached and declared by Christ Iesus and by his holie Apostles for nowe we know that God so loued the world that his onelie beloued Sonne hath he giuen that so many as do beleue in him shall haue the life euerlasting Which life was euen before all times in Christ Iesus euen as we were elected in him before the foundations of the world were laid And therefor I doubt not to affirme but that the fall of mā and the remedie for y e same was not onelie forsene but also before determined and the frute which of the same should ensue cōcluded and appointed in gods eternall counsell before that euer Adam was created the reason and probation hereof we haue before declared to be the issue of all things as we are taugh by gods manifest word yea by most euident experience for who nedeth nowe to doubt that it was gods eternall counsell that man should fall from that perfecte image in which he was created and so become subiect to the death to the end that the faithfull might receaue perfection iustice and life in Christ Iesus alone seing that scripture so manifestly affirmeth that we were elected in Christ Iesus before the foundations of the worlde were laid that God hath wrapped all nations in disobediēce that he might haue mercie vpon all vpon all I say which refuse not the remedie frō all begining prepared which is Christe Iesus as y e Apostle witnesseth saying in him by him areal things created he is before al things al things consist or abide by him and he is the head of the bodie of the Churche who is the beginning the first begotten of the dead that in all things he may hold the preeminēce for it hath pleased the father that all fulnes should dwell in him ▪ and to reconcile by him al things to him self This counsell I say was not temporal as taken and deuised after the fall of man but it was eternall as the same Apostle witnesseth in these words God hath called vs by an holie vocation not according to our works but according to his purpose and grace which was giuen to vs by Iesus Christ before eternall times but is nowe made manifest by the appering of our sauiour Iesus Christ. But mark well that the Apostle saieth that grace was giuen to the faithfull by Christ Iesus from the eternitie of times which thus to Titus he doth confirme saying Paule the seruant of God and an Apostl◠of Iesus Christ according to the faith of gods electe and the knowledge of the veritie which is according to godlines in the hope of eternall life which he hath promised which is God that cā not lie before the world began and hath opened his worde at y e tyme appointed through preaching c. And the same saieth Peter speaking of our redemption by Christes pretious blood who certeinly was preordinate sayeth he before that y e world was made but was manifested in the last times Hauing these I say most euidēt scriptures to assure our conscience that redemption remission of our sinnes grace and recōciliation were appointed for vs yea and were giuen vnto vs before all times what nede we to doubt what was the counsell of God in mans creation or what was his secret will in giuing to him the commādement of not eating the frute and therefor you do not onely folishly but also iniuriously in thus raling vpon vs what strange and monsterous doctrine is this to say things be secrete and vnsecret knowen and vnknowene reueled and vnreueled as man should say hearing is not hearing and light is not light No such absurditie cā iustly be gathered vpō our doctrine for simply we say y t thīgs somtimes kepte secrete in y e counsell of God and vnknowen to the sonnes of mē were after disclosed and made manifest to the world in so much that light expelled darcknes from the heartes of the sonnes of light and knowledge remoued ignorance from those that were appointed to life If these things do not satisfie you yet my good hope is that y e godlie reader shall perceaue that most vniustly you accuse vs as if in our doctrine were plaine contradiction And yet as touching the secrete will of God we moreouer affirme that our eternal election in Christ Iesus our temporall falling in Adam our restitution to life by the promes made are not secret but manifestly reueled But why that so it pleased his infinite wisdome and goodnes to dispose and before ordeine the mysterie of our saluation that first we should beare the image of the earthlie and carnall Adam before that we should beare the image of the heauenlie and spirituall that first we shuld be all wrapped in sinne and by reason thereof in miserie death before that we should be perfecte iust and come to felicitie and life euerlasting ād finally why y t it pleased his Maiestie to choose some ād of this same masse to reiecte others we say is not reueled neither yet shal be reueled before y t Christ Iesus appere in his glorie whē the bookes shal be opened and all secretes shal be disclosed To speake the mater so simply as I can that ye haue no occasion to complein of obscuritie I say that gods will in these subsequētes and in many others his wōderous workes is secret first why did not God more sodēly creat y e world why gaue he to Adam no greater strenght why did he permitt him to falle why he did not prouide mannes redemption by some other meanes thē by the cruell and ignominious death of his owne sonne why did he choose the sede of Abraham to be his people refusing and reiecting as it were the rest of the world And finally why that God wold that his dear sonne should die in Ierusalem called his owne Citie by reason of the temple and sacrifices appointed why I say that God by the figures of the law and by his Prophetes had before spoken that the Messias should suffer in that citie ād that the builders who then onely in earthe were reputed knowen to be the Church of God should reiect and refuse the chief corner stone Christ Iesus In these and others the wonderous workes of God which so far excede the reach of our vnderstanding that more able they are to quenche and swallow vp all light which remaineth in vs then is y e great depth of the sea to deuoure
same And will also touche the rest of these your argumentes so briefly as I can Where ye reason that we were all created in one mā that is in Adam So were we all created in one estate c. If ye vnderstād that we were all created in one estate that is in that estate which shortly was to change becaus that God had so determined in his eternal counsell that by the fall of one his infinite mercie towardes his chosen ād seuere iudgement towardes the vessels of wraith should euidently appere in the tyme appointed by his wisdom If this I say you vnderstand that we were all created in one estate I will not contend with you Albeit in verey dede in that self same masse there were at once vessels of mercy ād vessels of wraith But because ye open yo ◠minde in the cōtrarie part saing That we were created in Adam after the image of God to lief I am compelled vtterly to dissent from you and fear not to affirme that becaus none did stand to the end in that image but all fell euē to death in Adam that therefor neither in Adam neither yet in that image as Adam had it was any created vnto lief but in Christ Iesus were all the chosen predestinate to lief euerlasting euen before that euer Adam was created as the Apostle plainely doeth witnes Where ye go about to proue by our opinion the ordinance of God in his election before the world not to be conforme to his ordinance in the creation and so consequently God to be a transgressor and inconstant ye declare your self not onely ignorāt vaine and foolishe but also irreuerent and blasphemous against gods maiestie for ye so far as in you lieth spoile him of his Godhead making him to chāge his counsell purpose and ordinance euen so oft as the creatures do chāge where we by the cōtrarie labour to explane ād not to escaip any violēce of your dartes by a bare solution as ye alledge but by the plaine scriptures openly we do affirme that as our God is eternall incomprehensible and immutable so are his counsels constant subiect to no immutabilitie nor change cōstant I say in God him self how so euer thinges change to our apprehensiō And therefor we say that neither in his election before the world neither in his creation of man to his own image and similitude was it his eternall coūsell purpose nor ordināce that all the posteritie of Adam should be saued And so can ye not proue that God destroyed any thing which he had builded Albeit to note one thing by the way Paule wold not haue bene so bold as to haue made him self check mate with God he did not I say accuse God of inconstancie neither did he appoint him to be a transgressor althogh he builded the ceremonies vnder the Law and destroied them againe But to our purpose 〈◊〉 I say destroied nothing which he had builded True it is that man destroied that image which God had builded but that building of God was but temporall and for a tyme onely but the perfect building of his churche was in Christe Iesus builded before the foundations of the world were laid which building God neuer destroied nor shall destroy but shall cōsummate the work to the praise of his holie name To him be glory In your hole reasoning of the wordes of the Apostle you do erre in this point as before I haue noted that ye make cōmon to all that which y e holie Gost maketh peculiare to gods elect for ye must first proue all to be saintes by vocation all to be blessed with spirituall benediction and to haue obeyed and all to be builded vpon the foundatiō of the Prophetes ād Apostles before y t ye be able to proue that all were elected and predestinate in Christ Iesus before all tymes That we are created in Christe Iesus vnto good workes is not to be referred as ye think to the common creation of all men in Adam but to the new and spirituall regeneration which gods children haue in Christ Iesus for the which Dauid did pray saying a cleā heart creat in me ô God which is no lesse called the creation of God then was the first creation of man for as man in his creation neither wroght neither yet could deserue to be created so honorable as he was but did suffer the power of God to worke euen as it pleased his wisdom to perfourm the work So in our new creation vnto good workes the onely grace and power of God worketh not onely the beginning but also bringeth to perfection so that what so euer be good holie or iust in vs is gods creation and not our worke God open your eies that ye may se that neither in Adam neither yet in our selues were we created to good workes but in Christe Iesus alone And then I think ye will not so much boast of your fre will Your last as after ye do reason is a plain Paralogisme that is a Sophisticall and fals argument for it stādeth on foure termes against the vse of all good and solide reasoning For thus ye procede Saing we be elect and created in Christe Iesus and seing there is no condemnation to them that be in Christe Iesus then is there no damnation neither in the election nor creation Here be plainely foure termes for in your Maior that is in the first part of your argument ye say not we were elected and created in our election and in our creation but we were elected ād created in Christ Iesus The secōd propositiō is most trew to witt that there is no condēnation to them that be in Christe Iesus to such as walk not after the fleshe but what can ye conclude hereof that no damnation say you is in election nor in creation I say your conclusion is fals and vaine for you chāge your termes putting in the last part these two wordes Election and creation where ye oght to haue rehearesed these wordes Christ Iesus for thus you may well procede we be elected ād created to good workes in Christ Iesus but to them saieth the Apostle that be in Christ Iesus there is no cōdemnation Ergo to such as be elected and newly created in Christe Iesus there is no damnation This argument is formall and true but omitting your foolishnes which oftener I am compelled to shew then gladly I wold I go forward with your wordes THE ADVERSARIE If God reprobated man afore the foundation of the world then God reprobated man before he offended And if God reprobated and damned man afore be offended then is death the reward of gods ordināce afore the world ād not the reward of sinne But the Apostle teacheth vs that by sinne death entred into the world and also that death is the reward of sinne I pray you doeth either gods lawe or mannes law condemne any man afore he hath offended I am certen ye are not able to
saith not I will the death of no creature but saith â–ª I will not the death of a sinner Ye are not ignorantâ— suppose what difference there is betwext an vniuer saâ—â— negatiue an indefinite or particulare Where ye saye God willeth the death of no creature ye speake generally and vniuersally excepting none But so doth not the Prophet for he saith not I will the death of no creature nether yet I will the death of no sinner but simply saith I will not the death of a sinner I wonder that ye consider not that as there is difference betwext creatures and creature so that also there is difference betweâ—â— sinners and sinner Some creatures are appointed 〈◊〉 death for the vse and sustentation of maÌ„ And dare yoâ— say that this is done against gods will we be taught the contrarie by his owne mouth If you correcting your generalitie shall say that you meane onely that God will the death of no man And I feare not yet to ioyne with you and against you to affirme that God hath willed doth will and shall will the death of some men The holy Gost speaking of the sonnes of Heli the high Priest saith But they did not heare the voice of their Father because the Lord wold kil them And Moises saith Sihon king of Hesbon wold not suffer vs to passe through his cuntrie for the Lord thy God did harden his minde and strengthen his heart y t he shoule giue him into thy handes How often doth Moses Iosua declare vnto the people that God wolde kill roote oute and destroye those wicked nations from besore the face of his people And were all those kinges whom Iosua did kill killed against gods will The holy Gost affirmeth the contrarie For it is written the Lord did trouble them before Israel and he did strike them with a great slaughter And while that they did flee before the Israelites and were in the descense of Bethoron the Lord cast downe vpon them from heauen greate stones and many more perished by the haile stones theÌ„ were slaine with the swerd of the children of Israel If the destruction slaughter death of these wicked men and of the greate host of Senacherib was not the will of God I can not tell how man shal be assured of his will For the plaine word did before promise that the Lord should destroye them and the fact doth witnes the constaÌ„cie and perfourmance of his will and the same thing doth God this day shall do to the ende of the world when he shall adiudge the reprobate as before is said to the death perpetuall and that not against his will but willingly for the manifestation of his iust iudgementes and declaration of his owne glorie And therefore I say that your prosition saying God willeth the death of no creature is manifestly fals as it that repugneth to gods iustice and to his euideÌ„t scriptures The minde of the Prophetes was to stirre such as had declined from God to returne vnto him by true repentance And because their iniquities were so many offenses so greate that iustly they might haue despaired of remission mercie and grace therefor doth the Prophet for the better assurance of those that should repent affirme that God deliteth not nether willeth the death of the wicked But of which wicked of him no doubâ—e that truely shoulde repent in his death did not nor neuer shal God delyte But he deliteth to be knoweÌ„ a God that sheweth mercye grace and fauor to such as vnfeinedly call for the same how greuous so euer their former offenses haue bene But such as continue obstinate in their impietie haue no portion of these promises For them will God kill them will he destroye and them will he thrust by y e power of his word in to the firewhich neuer shal be quenched The Apostle in these wordes God willeth all meÌ„ to be saued to come to the knowledge of the trueth speaketh not of euery man and of euery particulare persone But of all men in generall that is to say of men of all estates all conditions all realmes and all ages For as in Christe Iesus there is nether Iew nor Gentile nether man nor woman free manâ— nor seruant but all are one in him so can no estate no condition of man no realme nor no age be proued so wicked and so corrupt but out of the like hath God called some to the participation of his light and to saluation and life by Christe Iesus and that this is the very naturall meaning of the holy Gost the texâ—e it selfe doth witnes For the Apostle immediatly before willeth praiers and supplications to be made for all men for Kinges and for all that were placed in authoritie And because that the Church was chiefely oppressed by such this doubte might haue risen Are we then bound to pray for those that are expresse and coniured ennemies against God You are saith the Apostle for that is good and acceptable before God our Sauior who will all men to be saued That is God willeth you to pray for your persecuters that their eyes may be opened and they conuerted to the liuing God who no doubt will saue some of all estates of all conditioÌ„s and vocatioÌ„s of men For the natioÌ„s are giuen to Christe Iesus by inheritance Kinges shal be the feders of the Church Quenes shal be nurses And in his holy temple shall all sing praise If this interpretation which we doubt not to be the verie meaning of the holy Gost caÌ„ not satisfie you Then will I aske of you If God will men otherwise to be saued then by Christe Iesus or as the Apostle speaketh by comming to the knowledge of the veritie Plaine it is that by the wordes of the Apostle ye caÌ„ conclude none otherwise For as he saith God will all men to be saued so doth he adde and willeth all men to come to the knowledge of the veritie Which word willeth albeit it be not expressedly repeted in the second meÌ„bre yet of necessitie it must be vnderstand as those that be but meanly sene in the greke or latine tongue do euidently see Then if I shall sufficiently proue that God willeth not all men to come to the knowledge of the veritie in such sort as the Apostle meaneth shall it not infallablye folow that God will not all men to be saued in such sense as you vnderstand That God willeth not all men to come to the knowledge of that veritie by the which man is verely made free from the boÌ„dage of sathan is euideÌ„t not onely by those whom we do see walke in darknes and ignorance but also by the manifest srriptures of God who called Abraham making to him and to his sede the promes of saluation saying I will be thy God and the God of thy sede after thee which promes he kept secrete many ages from the rest of the world WheÌ„ he did notifie his law vnto Israel
AN ANSWER TO A GREAT NOMBER of blasphemous cauillations written by an Anabaptist and aduersarie to Gods eternal Predestination AND CONFVTED By Iohn Knox minister of Gods worde in Scotland Wherein the Author so discouereth the craft and falshode of that sect that the godly knowing that error may be confirmed in the trueth by the euident Worde of God PROV XXX ¶ There is a generatioÌ„ that are pure in their owne coÌ„ceit and yet are not washed from their filthines Printed by Iohn Crespin M.D.LX. To the Reader FOr the vnderstanding of the nombres the readers shall obserue that as the writer in his pestilent booke hath deuided the hole into certeÌ„ argumeÌ„tes so lykewise haue I deuided myne answers into certen Sections And because that many things in his railing reasons are either vnworthie of any answere or els not necessarie to be answered so oft as he repeteth the same I thoght good to signe those thinges in euerie seuerall section which I thoght in the same moste necessarie to be answered And this I haue done as well in his reasoÌ„s as in myne answers so that the figure of 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. which be marked in the mergeÌ„t of his reasons are answered where the lyke nombre is fouÌ„d in myne answers This I thoght good to admonish the reader The Preface AMongest the manifold blessinges where with God hath blessed his chosen childreÌ„ whom before all begining of times he hath predestinate to life in Christ Iesus it is not the least most deare brethreÌ„ that he hath giuen vnto vs plaine aduertisment how diuerse vnto dyuerse persons shal be the effect and operation of his word so oft as it is offered vnto the worlde To wit that as he him self was appointed by his heauenlie Father aÌ„d forespokeÌ„ by the Prophetes to be the Stone of offeÌ„se the stombling block and a snare to the two houses of Israel and yet that he shoulde be to others the Sanctuarie of honor the Rocke of refuge author of libertie so should his word I say truely preached be to some foolishnes and the sauor of death and yet vnto others that it shoulde be the swete odore of life the wisedo me and power of God and that to saluation to all those that beleue I purpose not at this present to intreat nor to reason how and why it is that gods eternall worde which in it self is alwayes one worketh so diuersly in the heartes of those to whoÌ„ it is offered but my onelie purpose is in few wordes to admonish vs to whom it hath pleased God of his owne fre mercy more playnely to reuele the mysteries of our redeÌ„ptioÌ„ theÌ„ he hath done to many ages be fore vs not to esteme this a small and common blessing of God that we haue not onely his trueth but also the effect and operation of the same coÌ„firmed to vs by experience of all ages Great infinite is that benefit of God and rightly can it neuer be weighed when so euer he doth offer his trueth vnto the world But such is either the dulnes of man orels his extreme ingratitude that he will not acknowledge the face of theveritie shyne it neuer so bryght The ingratitude of the Iewes is hereof vnto vs a sufficieÌ„t witnes For albeit that loÌ„g they did looke for the Messias and Sauior promised yet neuertheles when he came with wonderous signes workes super naturall they did not onely not know him but also refusing and vtterly denying him they did hang him bewext two theues vpoÌ„ a crosse The cause hereof in some parte we know to be the carnal libertie which coÌ„tinually they did thirst after and their preconceaued opinioÌ„ of worldlie glorie which because Christe Iesus appeared not to satisfie according to their fantasie and expectation therfore did they conteÌ„pteously refuse him aÌ„d with him all gods mercies offered vnto them Which fearfull example deare brethereÌ„ is to be obserued of vs. For by nature it is euident that we be no better then they were And as touching the league societie with God which prerogatiue long made theÌ„ blessed we be farre inferior vnto theÌ„ For in coÌ„parisoÌ„ of that league made with AbrahaÌ„ the tyme is shorte that the GeÌ„tiles haue bene auowed for gods people beloued spouse of Christe Iesus â–ª yea Paule feareth not to call theÌ„ the very natural braÌ„ches and vs the braÌ„ches of a wilde oliue And therfore if their coÌ„teÌ„pt was so punished that blindnes yet remaineth vpoÌ„ theÌ„ what oght we to feare They not considering the office of Christe the cause of his coÌ„ming were offended with his presence and doctrine And doeth any maÌ„ thiÌ„ck that we be free froÌ„ the same dangers Few shal be found that in mouth praise not veriâ—ie euery maÌ„ appereth to delyte in libertie but such coÌ„panyons do follow boâ—â— the one and the other in this life so that both are despised and called in doubt wheÌ„ they be of fered moste plainly to the world To speake this mater somewhat more planely it is a thiÌ„g as I suppose by many coÌ„fessed that after darknes light hath appeared but alas the vices that haue abounded in all estates and conditioÌ„s of persons the terrible crueltie which hath bene vsed against the saintes of God and the horrible blasphemies which haue bene daily are vomited furth against Christe Iesus and his eternall veritie hath giuen and iustly may giue occasion to the imprudent beholder of such confusion to preferre the darcknes of superstition which be fore did reigne to the light of saluation which God of his greate mercie hath now of late yeres offered againe to the vnthankfull world For what naturall man can think that the iustice of faith planelye and truely preached should be the occasion of sinne That grace and mercie offered shoulde inflaÌ„be the heartes of meÌ„ with rage and crueltie And that gods glorie declared shoulde cause meÌ„ impudeÌ„tly to spew furth their vennom and blasphemies against him who hath created theÌ„ The naturall man I say can not perceaue how these incoÌ„ueniences shoulde follow gods worde therfor do many disdein it a greaâ—e noÌ„ber deny it and few as it becoÌ„meth with reuereÌ„ce do imbrace it But such as with graue iudgemeÌ„t shal consider what was the common trade of liuing when Christe Iesus him self did by preaching and working call men to repentaÌ„ce what was the intreatement of his dearest seruaÌ„ts whoÌ„ he sent furth to preach the glad tydinges of his death and resurrectioÌ„ and what horrible sectes followed and daily did spriÌ„g after the publication of that ioyfull attonement made betwene God and man by Christe Iesu by his death resurrectioÌ„ and asceÌ„sioÌ„ such I say as diligeÌ„tly do obserue these former pointes shall not onely haue mater sufficient to glorifie God for his graces offered be the liues of meÌ„ neuer so corrupted and the confusion that thereof insueth neuer so fearful but also they shall haue iust occasion more
that hath sent me that I shall lose nothing of all those which the Father hath giuen to me but that I might rayse them vp in the last day for this is the will of him that hath sent me that all that seeth the Sonne and beleueth in him may haue life euerlasting Of those wordes of our master it is euident first that the Father hath geuen some to thâ— Sonne Christe Iesus yea and also that some be that are not giuen But of that after And secâ—ndarely that it behoueth the same to come vnto him for so he affirmeth sayiÌ„g All that my father gaue vnto me shall come vnto me He leaueth it not in doubt but planely affirmeth they shall come Thirdly the end aÌ„d fruicte of the commiÌ„g is expressed to witt y â— they obteine life euerlasting Which to them that of the father are giuen and of the Sonne receaued is so sure that Christe Iesus him self pronouÌ„ceth y t oute of his handes is none able to plucke them awaye Plaine it is that the counsell of God is stable and his loue immutable towardes his elect becaus al other conditions set aparte Christe affirmeth that the life euerlasting perteineth to theÌ„ that are giuen by God and receaued by him in protection and sauegarde But more planely doth he speake in that his solemne praier for after that by diuers meanes he had coÌ„forted the sorowfull heartes of his disciples he giueth comfort to the whole churche Affirming that he did not pray onely for those that there were present with him but also for all those that should after beleue by their preaching in him These wordes he added for our singuler comforte I haue giueÌ„ vnto them the glorie which thow hast geuen to me that they may be one as we are one I in them aÌ„d thow in me that they may be made perfecte in one aÌ„d that the world may know y t thow hast sent me aÌ„d y t thou hast loued theÌ„ as thow hast loued me O that oure heartes coulde witâ—â—out contradictioÌ„ embrase these wordes for theÌ„ w t humilitie shoulde we prostrate oure selues before oure God aÌ„d with vnfeined teares giue thanks for his mercie Three things in these wordes are to be obserued first that the same glorie which God the Father hath giueÌ„ to his Sonne the same hath he giuen to such as beleue in him not that either Christ Iesus had then the full glorie as he was man for as yet he had not ouercome the death neither y â— his elect at any tyme in this life can atteine to the fruition of the same but that the one was as assured in gods immutable counsell as was the other For as the head shoulde ouercome the bitter death and so triumphe ouer sathan the authour thereof so should his membres in the tyme appoiÌ„ted as he doth further expresse sayinge I wil Father that where that I am there also be those which thou hast giuen vnto me that they may se my glorie The second is that so streâ—t and â—ere is the coniunction and vnion betweixt Christ Iesus and his membres that they must be one and neuer can be seperated For so did Christe pray Saing That they all may be one as we are one I in them aÌ„d thow in me that they may be made perfecte in one Let the coniunction be diligently marked for much it serueth to our comâ—ort As the Godhead is inseparably ioined with the humanitie in Christ Iesus our Lord so the one that is the God head neither could nor can leaue the humanitie at any tyme. how bitter that euer the stormes appeared so caÌ„ not Christ Iesus leaue his dear spouse the Church neither yet any trew membre of the same For that he includeth vnder the generall word all for any accideÌ„t how horrible that euer it be that came to passe in their life And albeit that this appere straÌ„ge and also a doctrine that may seme to giue libertie to sinne yet may not the children of God be defrauded of their fode becaus that dogges will abuse the same But of this we shall God willing after speak The third thing to be noted is that the loue of God towardes his elect giuen to Christe is immutable For Christ putteth it in equall ballance with the loue by the which his Father loued him Not that I wold any man should so vnderstand me as that I placed any man in equall dignitie and glorie with Christe Iesus touchiÌ„g his office No that must be reserued wholly and onely to him self that he is the â—lie beloued in whom all the rest are beloued that he is the head that onely geueth life to the bodie and that he is the souerane prince before whom all knee shall bowe But I meane that as the loue of God the Father was euer constant towardes his deare Sonne so is it also towardes the membres of his bodie yea euen when they are ignorant and enemies vnto him as the apostle witnesseth SaiÌ„g God specially commendeth his loue towardes vs that when we were yet sinners Christ died for vs much more being iustified now by his blood we shall be saued by him from wrath For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more we being reconciled shall be saued by his life To some these wordes maye appere coÌ„trary to oure purpose for they make meÌ„tion of a reconciliation which is not made but where there is enemitie and dissention But if they be righteously considered they shall most euideÌ„tly proue that which we affirme which is that God loued the membres of Christes bodie euen when they are ignorant when they by them selues are vnworthie and ennemies For this is his first proposition that we being iustified by faith haue peace with God by our Lord Iesus Christ. Where he maketh mention of peace he putteth vs in mynde of the dissension and warre which was betwext gods iustice and oure sinnes This enemitie saieth he is taken away and we haue obteined peace And leâ—t that this comforte shouldâ— sodenly euanish or els that men shoulde not depely wey it he bringeth vs to the eternall loue of God affirming that God loued vs when we were weake Where we must obserue that the apostle speaketh not vniuersally of all men but of such as were and shoulde be iustified by faith â–ª and had the loue of God poured in to their heartes by the holie Gost which was giuen vnto them To such saieth he if God did loue vs when we were weake and his ennemies muche more must he loue vs when we are reconciled and begin in faith to call him father The Apostle affirmeth that oure reconciliation proceded from gods loue which thing sainct Iohan more planely doeth witnes in these wordes In this appereth the loue of God towardes vs that God hath sent furth his onely Sonne into the world that we should liue by him In this I say is loue not that we loued God but that
e same aÌ„d vpoÌ„ y e other yo r ignoraÌ„ce orels malice in corruptiÌ„g y e scriptures THE ADERARIE To proue this similitude good and to shew how much his loue towardes his children excedeth the loue of all creatures towardes their birtâ—es he saieth Can a woman forget the childe of her wombe aÌ„d not pitie the same whom she hath borne And thogh she do forget it yet I will not forget the. Here he speaketh not onely to the elect as some say but also to them which did for sake and dispyse him as there Alas for these disobedient children saieth the Lord that they will take counsell without me Here he calleth the wicked which heape sinne vpon sinne â–ª and were disobedient his chiidren Christ saieth If ye when ye are euill caÌ„ giue your children good giftes how mmch more your heauenlie father After the same manner may I reason with you carelesse by necessitie if none of you thogh y e be euill wold beget a child to miserie how much les wold God which is all good beget and creat man his own image to perpetual paynes Here we may se how much this noghtie opinion is coÌ„trarie to nature and to reason and that it is coÌ„trarie to the worde God willing I will proue If God hath ordeyned the most part of the world to be damned then were his wrath greater theÌ„ his mercie But the scripture witnesseth that his mercie is ouer all his workes and that God is slow vnto wrath and redie vnto mercie so that his wrath is extended onely to the third and fourth generation but his mercie to the thousand generatioÌ„ wherefor thus saieth he A litle whil I haue forsaken thee but with greate mercifulnes shall I take thee vp vnto me Whâ—n I was angrie I hid my face from the for a litle ceason but throughe euerlasting mercie haue I pardoned thee And Dauid saieth his wrath indureth but the twinkling of an eie and his pleasure is in life heuines may well endure for a night But ioy cometh in the morning And so Moises called him a mercifull and gracious God long suffring and keping mercie in store for thousandes By these scriptures and many mo it is euident that gods mercie is greater then his wrath contrarie to their sainges ANSWER How blasphemous be your similitudes your selue may consider if malice haue not vtterly blinded you for I haue all redie proued that God is not bound to the lawes and boundes of nature and how shamefully ye do abuse the scriptures which ye alledge fewe wordes shall declare Ye deny that God doeth speake here to his elect in the place of isaiah the Prophete but to all meÌ„ in generall and euen to those that had forsaken him as ye wold seme to proue by the wordes of the same Prophete spoken â—efore in his thirtie chapiter First I say that those two places do no more agree then do those wordes of Christ spoken after his resurrection Go to my brethren and tell them I passe vp to my father and vnto your father and vnto my God and vnto your God and those which he spake before his death against Capernaum Bethsaida and Corosaim or vnto Ierusalem against whom he pronounced woo and malediction becaus they did not know the tyme of their visitatioÌ„ For in the former place God speaketh to Syon which long had bene waist and to his people which long had bene oppressed And to the end that the reader may better vnderstand how deceitfully ye withdraw and steall the wordes which explain the hole mater I will bring furth the wordes of the Prophete Reioise saieth he â— heauens and reioce thow earth â— you mountanes brest you furth in gladnes for the eternall hath conforted his people and shall haue mercie vpon his poore ones Syon hath said the Lord hath left me and my Lord hath forgotten me May a woman forgett her child that she shall not haue compassion vpon the sonne of hir bosome but let it be that they forget neuertheles I shall not forget the for lo in these my two handes haue I engrafted the and thy walles are for euer before me If these coÌ„fortable wordes were spoken in generall to all men as ye affirme let indifferent men iudge If all men were Sion that long had lyen desolate if all were his people that loÌ„g had bene oppressed in the captiuitie of Babylon If all did so complaine that they thoght God to haue forgotten his league and promes which of mercie he made with them And finally if all haue this promise that their deliueraÌ„ce is ioined with gods infinite power theÌ„ is your application to be approued but if God did make a plaine difference betwext Israel and all nations in the earth if he had chosen his habitation in Syon and if he will kepe promes with the afflicted for his own names sake be they neuer so vnworthie then are ye to bolde to giue the honor and prerogatiue of the children and heires to straÌ„gers aÌ„d bastardes The wordes which ye alledge of the thirtie chapter make nothiÌ„g for your purpose for albeit he speaketh to those that were inobedieÌ„t yea that were treasonable traitours yet had they the name the title yea the honour aÌ„d dignitie of gods people and among them were som of gods chosen children for whose comfort after long affliction susteined in Babylon were those other wordes spoken And so except that ye be able to proue that the people of Israel and the citie of Ierusalem had no greater prerogatiue euen in the time of their greatest blindnes and vnthankfulnes before the comming of Christ Iesus in the fleshe then had other nations ye conclude nothing But yet wonder it is that ye can make no difference betwext the tymes in which the one wordes and the other were spoken The wo was pronouÌ„ced you say alas which the text hath not against them what tyme they had declined from God when they toke counsel of them selues when they could not abide the admonitions of the Prophetes but the comfortable promes of delyueraÌ„ce was made after that vengeance was powred furth vpon the proude contemners and after that the hole bodie was sore tormeÌ„ted by great oppression and long impresonement Do ye not thinke that their might be great alteratioÌ„ in that people within the space of an hundreth yeres for so long was it betwext the daies of the Prophete and the daies of their last captiuitie vnder Nabucadnezer after which tyme also did this former promes of gods remembrance of theÌ„ onely take place Might not the one â—e spoken of those which should be punished yea let it be that they were the reprobate and the other to the people of God to whom by his own holines he had promised deliuerance Do ye thinke that because the same Prophet speaketh bothâ— the sentences that therefor they do appertein to one estate aÌ„d condition of people I haue proued the contrary by Christes plain wordes
shal be illuminated and you shall se first that becaus the creator is infinitly good that therefor it behoueth the creatures in their original creation to be good And so I doute not was the deuil created good but in the veritie he stood not And secoÌ„darely that because the iust iudgemeÌ„ts of God were no les to shyne in the damnation of the reprobat then his infinite mercie was to be praised in the vessels of honor it behoued the one and the other to be innocent and good in their creation For if the original had bene euill God iustly could not haue after daÌ„ned that which he had made no better but so we must confesse that it was good that yet willingly corrupting the self maÌ„ made away to the most iust executioÌ„ of gods eternal couÌ„sell And last that the eternall purpose of God might in tyme be notified vnto maÌ„ w c was that God wold bestow greater liberalitie shew greater loue aÌ„d mercie in the redeÌ„ption of maÌ„ iustly damned then that he did in his creation Of nothing he did creat him for his corporall substaÌ„ce was made of the dust which somtymes was not to his own image and similitude to him he gaue the dominion of all creatures these were documents of a true loue But if they be compared with that loue which in Christ Iesus we receiue and that of fre grace they are no thing For what is the dominion of earthlie creatures in respect that we shall reigne with Christ Iesus for euer what were the pleasures and fruites of Paradise in comparison of those heaueÌ„lie ioyes which sainct Paul affirmeth can not enter in to the heart of man If man had stand perpetually in Adam neither had the loue of God so wonderously bene notified vnto vs neither yet had place ben graÌ„ted to his fre grace aÌ„d mercie w c we receiue in Christ Iesus For mercy properly hath respect to miserie But y e cheif comfort of gods children is that as they fell in Adam so are they new transferred in an other that is in Christ Iesus to whom they are giuen and who as before we haue proued hath so receaued them from the hand of his Father that he shall giue lief euerlasting to so many as the Father hath giuen him If ye I say can not admitt these reasons why it behoued maÌ„ to be created good and yet after to fall in to sin and merserie accuse your selues storm not against God for he will not be subiect to your reason iudgements your horrible blasphemies against God and your dispitefull raling against vs at this tyme I will omitt and how impudently ye leap from the purpose of gods reprobation to the execution of his iudgement shal be spoken in weying this your reason which thus foloweth THE ADVERSARIE The scripture witnesseth that we did fall in Adam for damnation came of one sinne vnto condemnation then did we all stand afore in Adam for none falleth but he that standeth If we did all stand then were we all predestinate to lief for as our fall here is to damnation and death so is our standing vnto saluation and lief And to confirme this we haue many testimonies in the word which proue vs to be elected chosen and predestinat to lief afore the fall but none that proue any man to be abiected cast away damned and reprobate afore sinne by which death entred into the world Paul to the Ephesians saieth God did choose vs in Christe before the foundations of the world were laid and ordeined vs before through him to be heires vnto him self and were tâ—erunto predestinat I pray you shew me any testimonie of the scripture which so manifestly proueth that God hath reprobate any before the foundations of the world God hath no respect of persons For he calleth the world from the rising vp of the son vnto the going downe of the same he made bothe small and great and careth for bothe a like for they be all the work of his handes And Esdras saieth it was not gods will that man should com to nought but he prepared lief for them The holie Gost saieth that God hath not made death neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the liuing for he created all things that they might haue their being yea all the people of the earth hath he made that they should haue helthe and their should be no destruction in them and that the kingdom of hell should not be vpon earth what can be more plainely and more directly spoken against this error In an other place saieth the holie Gost God created man to be vndestroyed and agane God ordeined man that he should order the world according to equitie and righteousnes and execute iudgement with a true hearte doeth God ordein man to rule the world according to righteousnes whom he reprobated Do men gather grapes as Christ saieth of thornes and figges of thistles euen so euerie good tree bringeth furthe good fruites But a corrupt tree bringeth furth euill fruite a good tree can not bring furth badd fruit neither can a badd tre bring furth good fruite Matth. 7. Either make the tre good and the fruite good orels the tre euill and his fruite euill Either grant man at his creation to be righteous and good and then I think ye will abhorre to say that God afore the foundations of the world did reprobate his good and righteous creature orels grant him at his creation to be an euill and vnrighteous creature Could then righteous iudgement com of such an vnrighteous tree further if man at his creation was an euill things then was he not the creature of God For God sawe al that he had made and they were verie good if man at his creation or afore was reprobate and ordeined vnto death then was man giltie afore the transgressioÌ„ for God damned none but such as be gyltie If he was giltie afore his transgression then was he a sinner being yet innocent and iust afore he euer consenteth or committed sinne And so consequently of this error I may inferre many no such absurdities as should offend any faithfull mannes eares ANSWER As no man of hole iudgement did euer denie that in Adam we did fall so I think you aÌ„d your sect set a part there hath ben none that euer did affirme that in Adam we were predestinat to lief euerlasting True it is y t we stood in Adam created in his loynes but I suppose that ye will not hold that the children had greater priuiledge then had the father Adam did not so stand but that he was subiect to the law the transgression where of made him dettour to death To speake the mater more plainely Adam did so stand that he might and did fall as the euent declared aÌ„d were his children so elect in him that they could not fall so ye appere to conclude For thus ye reason if we did all stand then were we
all predestinate to lief for as our fall here is to damnation and death so is our staÌ„ding vnto saluatioÌ„ and lief Assuredly these reasons appear meruelous straÌ„ge to me and principally that which ye bring furth of falling and standing for it hath in the self plain contradiction for if we fell in Adam to death how can we stand in him now vnto lief If you had said as that our fall was to damnation and death so should our standing haue ben to saluatioÌ„ and lief ye might haue had som probabilitie For your error had onely stand in this that ye do not conâ—ider that Adam was not created to stand for euer in him self â–ª and much les his posteritie in him But when ye say as our fall is to death so is o r standing vnto lief you plainely speak what so euer ye think that yet either in AdaÌ„ either in our selues we both fall and stand But this do we vtterly abhorre for we fear not plainely to confesse that we haue no assurance either of standing either yet of lief but in Christ Iesus alone in whoÌ„ we be ingrafted and with out whoÌ„ we caÌ„ do nothing In few wordes to repete the answer of your former obiectioÌ„ In AdaÌ„ did no maÌ„ stand otherwise theÌ„ he did But he did staÌ„d w t coÌ„dition to fall and y t eueÌ„ to death Therefor in AdaÌ„ did none staÌ„d to lief The commoÌ„ sense of maÌ„ will approue y e first part of this my argumeÌ„t for who caÌ„ think that any disceÌ„ding of Adam by his meanes could haue greater libertie theÌ„ he hiÌ„ self had And the eueÌ„t aÌ„d that which folowed declareth the veritie of the second part For not onelie vpon Adam saieth the Apostle cam death But eueÌ„ from him descended death vnto all How then could any stand in him to lief Let reasonable men consider To proue that all were predestinat and chosen in AdaÌ„ before the fouÌ„datioÌ„s of the world were laid ye briÌ„g furth the testimony of Paul written in the first chap. to the Ephesians which we before haue entreated and therefor here I onely will open your falshed Wonder it is that shame should be so far past you that where the holie Gost plainely affirmeth that we were elected and chosen in Christe Iesus before the foundations of the world were laid that this election ye should affirm to be made in Adam If you obiect that you specifie not AdaÌ„ I answer that is all a like for of your former argumentes it easely may be espied whom ye vnderstand For when thus ye reason we did all stand in Adam ergâ— we were all predestinat to lief what is he that clearly may not perceaue that your meaning is that we were all predestinat to lief in Adam For els you had said nothing to proue your own purpose For we affirm that we were elected before the foundatioÌ„ of the world was laid But the controuersie standeth in whom We affirme and most coÌ„stantly beleue that in Christe Iesus the eternall Sonne of the eternall Father were we elected before all tymes This ye can not abyde and therefor ye seke all meanes to obscure the glorie of him to whoÌ„ the Father hath geuen all power in heauen and in earth somtymes ye say as now I haue declared that this election was made in Adame But whill that this will not serue you ye run to an other shift alledging that the Apostle speaketh here of a generall election of the hole world and a not of any certen election which should abyd for euer and so in shifting from one danger ye fall into another as after in examining of that your vain reason more euidently shall appere Ye instantly require that we will shew any testimonie of the scripture that hath reprobate any before the fouÌ„dations of the world If it be the pleasure of God to giue vnto you the spirite of wisdom and of reuelation by the knowledge of hiÌ„ self that the eies of your mynd may be illuminated that ye may know what is the hope to the which he hath called you and how rich is the glorie of that inheritance which he hath prepared for his saintes ye shall require no place more plaine nor more euident then the same which most ignorantly orels most maliciously ye do abuse for if there be any differeÌ„ce betwext the saintes the faithfull that be blessed with all spirituall benedictioÌ„ betwext those I say y t were elected in Christe Iesus before all tymes that in tyme be called and by the power of the holie spirite do giue obedieÌ„ce to the caller and so are made citizens with the saintes and houshold of God as they that are builded vpon the foundation of the Prophetes aÌ„d Apostles if any differeÌ„ce I say be betwext these former and these in whom the prince of this world doeth worke all filthynes and rebellioÌ„ whom he holdeth captiue at his pleasure who can not repent their detestable liues and therefor are reputed strangears from the common welth of Israel And further if ye will beleue Christ Iesus affirming and reioising that it pleased his Father to hyde the secretes of his kingdome from the prudent and wife and to reuele the same to litle ones aÌ„d that becaus it was his pleasure I trust ye shall confesse that those scriptures be plaine ynough to proue that as some were elected before the fouÌ„datioÌ„ of the world was laid so likewies were there others reprobated as the finall end of bothe doeth witnes But how ye wrestle against this argumeÌ„t we shall after heare aÌ„d how plainely I haue proued soÌ„ to be elected and others to be reprobated reade before aÌ„d iudge with indiffereÌ„cie If ye will coÌ„clude that God hath no certen election neither yet that he hath reprobated any becaus that he hath no respect of persones and becaus he calleth the world from the rising vp of the son to the going doune of the same becaus he made both small and great and careth as ye falsly alledge for bothe a like your affirmatioÌ„ may well be bolde but I think that your probation shal be sclender But first I must except against you as against fals witnes for you alledge more vpon Elihu theÌ„ in the book of Iob he affirmeth For he saieth not that God careth for all a like But saieth that his eies are vpon the waies of man and that he doeth se all his goinges And that neither you neither any other shall haue occasion to complain of me that vniustly I accuse you of falsifying the plain text I will recite bothe the purpose and the wordes Iob in vehemeÌ„cie of disputation against his thre frendes who constantly did affirm that God prouoked by his sinnes had powred furth those sodane and strange plagues vpon him Iob I say in refelling this their accusation and in confuting their reasons did enter into the secretes of gods inscrutable iudgementes further theÌ„ it became any creature to do and did seme to
the cause of gods election but are the effect and fruit which of the same procede and spring as the Apostle doeth witnes saing God hath chosen vs that we should be holie aÌ„d without blame And Christ Iesus saieth you haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you and haue appointed you to go and to bring furth fruite This I am compelled oft to repete becaus in it most shamefully ye erre arrogating to your seluses that which is proper to gods onely mercie and fre grace If you vnderstand this former place of scripture which affirmeth that God hath no respect of persons as your book doeth witnes to witt that God careth a like for all that he no more loueth the one theÌ„ the other except that it be for their obedience the hole scripture of God doeth witnes against you Was the loue of God no greater to Abraham and to his posteritie then it was to the rest of the nations Moises and Dauid do witnesse the contrarie Saying he hath not done so to any nation and his iudgemeÌ„ts he hath not shewed to them onely the hath he chosen of all nations and people that be vpon the face of the earth that thow shouldest be vnto him a peculiar people And what was the cause of this their dignitie and prerogatiue before we haue declared to witt no vertue no obedience no good qualitie that was in them but onely his fre loue fre grace and vndeserued mercie as he hiÌ„ self doeth plainely affirme I will haue mercie vpon whom I will haue mercie and saint Paule it is neither of the willer neither yet of the runner but of God that sheweth mercie to such as pleaseth him And thus I say you can not iustly nor rihtly conclude that God hath neither chosen nor reprobated any man becaus he hath no respect of persons for as before I haue said his eternall election dependeth neither vpon man neither yet vpon any thing that is within maÌ„ but is purposed in him self and established in Christ Iesus in whom we are elected becaus that in our selues there neither was neither yet could be any worthines which could merite or deserue such honour and dignitie And so God respecteth not the persons of men their vertues nor qualities in their election but finding them all equall in creation and corruption maketh difference betwext them according to his eternall purpose respecting Christ Iesus and not their merites How that euer the prowde and vngodlie storme at this I nothing doute but the children of God do thereof receaue moste singular consolation as that it is the chefest cause why that without all trembling and feare they stoupe before his Maiestie and giuing thankes for these inestimable benefits do craue of his mercie such a puretie of lief as becometh his children To your scriptures which ye alledge from the book of wisdom and frome Esdras his fourth booke I will shortly answere That albeit ye will ten thousand tymes deck aÌ„d decore them with the title of the holie Gost I wil not the more creditt them Not that I deny but that in them there be thinges conteined profitable to edification but if that therefore ye will vpon any place written within them conclude a doctrine contrarie to the rest of the canonicall scriptures I will answer with the ancient writers that they were not written that vpon them should our faith be established Lett theÌ„ serue if so please you to exhortation but for confirmation of any doctrine shall they neuer serue vnto me Neither yet this do I say that I do think any of these places rightly vnderstand to make any thing for your purpose but that I will by gods grace giue euer that reuerence vnto the veritie of God that the voices of men shall not with me be coÌ„parable vnto it It may be greatlie suspected what som men now a daies do meaÌ„ to ascribe that to y â— holie Gost which the authors them selues did onely ascribe to their own diligence and trauelle and were also compelled to ask perdon of the readers that they could not atteine no not euen to the proprietie of the toÌ„gue in the which they did write Vseth the holie Gost I pray you whose power lowseth the tongues of the dombe in that maner to be suppliaÌ„t vnto meÌ„ and for his imperfection to begge pardon at their handes Consider and impute nothing vpon the holie Gost which becometh not the Maiestie of God but lest that ye should complain that yet your scriptures are not resolued I will giue you a generall answer to all which is this That neither the booke of wisdom neither yet Ecclesiasticus neither yet Esdras in these places that be alledged do intreat any thing of election or reprobation but the writers in all those places which ye alledge do studie to amend the corrupt maners of their aeges and to impose sileÌ„ce to the wicked tongues of many of whom som accused God as author of sinne which entred in by malice of the deuill who did corrupt the good creature of God created to his own image to reule in equitie and iustice who doeth not se but that this writer who so euer he was reteineth him self within the reache of mannes vnderstanding laboring to conuict their coÌ„science which maliciously imputed vnto God that which he did not worke in them But that they of their own fre will did follow aÌ„d obey iniquitie and that therefor they should suffer their iust condemnation And that this my interpretation of their myndes is true let their own wordes witnes for thus it is writeÌ„ They haue said with them selues not righteously iudgeiÌ„g our lief is troblesom aÌ„d short neither is there any remedie against the death of maÌ„ neither hath he bene knoweÌ„ that hath returned from the helles we were bâ—rn without purpose and we shal be as we neuer had ben â—or the spirit is but a smoke in our nosethrels c. in proâ—es of tyme our name shall com to obliuion neither yet shal any man remember our workes Therefor let vs vse the present prosperitie Let vs oppresse the poore man being iust let vs not spare the widowe neither yet lett vs reâ—erence the loÌ„g aeged aÌ„d white heares of the ancient but let the strength of our power be the law of iustice and so far furth he accuseth their open tyranny and then concludeth these thinges they thoght and did erre for they were blinded by their own malice neither haue they knoweÌ„ the mysteries of God I wonder that ye marked not this place neither haue they hoped for the reward of holynes for God created maÌ„ to immortâ—litie here I note your falshode for ye write God created man to be vndestroyed and made him to his own similitude Now let the indifferent reader iudge whether you or I do nerer attein to the mynd of the wryter you I say that do affirme that he denieth that God hath either elected or reprobated any man or I
proue it to be sothen oght you to be ashamed to burden God with such vnrighteous iudgement Doeth not God rather forgiue the offence alredie committed Let him be your God which condemneth the innocent afore he offend But he shall be my God which perdoneth and forgiueth the offence alreadie committed which in his verie wraithe doeth think vpon mercie And so with Iob will I conclude The great God casteth away no man ANSWER How ignorantly and how impudently ye confounde the eternall purpose of gods reprobation with the iust execution of his iudgementes I haue before declared and therefor here onely resteth to admonishe the reader that most vniustly ye accuse vs in that ye say that we hold and teache that God damned man before he offended This you be neuer able to shew in any of our workes for constantly in worde and writing we affirme that man willingly fell from God and made him self slaue to sathan before that death was inflicted vpon him and so neither make we death the reward of gods ordinance neither do we burden him with vnrighteous iudgement But say with the Apostle that death is the reward of sinne and that our God is righteous in all his workes and therefor be ashamed and repēt your manifest lie That God forgiueth the sin committed and doeth remēber mercie euen when he appereth in his hote displeasure to punishe his Churche with thankes giuing and ioy we acknowledge But that thereof ye cōclud ▪ as ye say w t Iob that the great God casteth away no man we can not cease to admonishe bothe you and the readers that either ignorantly orels maliciously ye corrupt and depraue the minde of the speaker in that place Elihu saieth not as ye alledge The great God casteth away no mā but saieth Behold the mightie God casteth away none that is mightie and valiant of courage He main teneth not the wicked but he giueth iudgemēt to the afflicted And in this behalf your master Castalio who notwithstanding that he vseth to take large libertie in translation where any thing may seme to serue his purpose is more circumspect and more faithfull then you be for thus he translateth that place Althogh that God be excellent yea excellent and strong of courage yet is he not so dissolute y t either he will kepe y e wicked or denie iudgemēt to the poore Althogh I say y t here is a greater libertie thē I wold wish a faithfull translater to vse yet hath he not so corrupted y e sense as ye haue done Elihu reasonīg against Iob affirmeth that albeit y e power of God be infinit yet cā not his workes be vniust but that they are wroght in all perfectiō of iustice how beit that often as we be dull and blinde we do not vnderstand nor se at the first the causes of the same yet God giueth daily declaration of his iustice in that the preserueth and somtyme exalteth the verteouse that before were afflicted and deiecteth from honors the wicked and the cruell oppressors Be iudge your self what this serueth for your purpose THE ADVERSARIE Some other be that grant that sinne was à cause why man is reprobate and there with they hold that gods absolute ordinance is also the caus this saing conteineth cōtradiction in it self for if it be gods absolut ordinance then is it not in respect of any other thing but as they say because it hath so pleased him if they ment that gods ordinance is the cause why sinners suffer death or that God ordeined that sinners for their sinne should suffer death I could agre with them but that were contrary to that which they haue said that God absolutly ordeined any man afore he was yea afore the world to death because so it pleased him for if death be the reward of sinne and for offence and sinne we do die then cometh not death by gods absolute ordinance And if I do grant that both gods absolute ordinance and also sinne are the causes of damnation after your meanyng marke well what inconuenience foloweth thereof first ye must grant me that gods ordinance is the principall and chefest cause for it can not be inferior to any other cause secōdly ye will grant that the first or principale cause called Causa Causae is the cause of the secōd ād inferior cause called cause causate so to cōclude gods ordināce which is Causa causae shal be the cause of sinne which is Causa causata As for a familiar exemple the heate of the son and the dew cause the grounde to be frutefull and God also is the cause thereof for he maketh the barren ground frutefull but forasmuch as God is the principall and first cause he must be also the cause of the same which is but the second cause Thus it is clerely proued that if gods ordināce were the cause of reprobation then gods ordinance should also be the cause of sinne and God should be autor of euill contrarie to the hole scripture contrarie to the opinion of all godlie men and contrarie to our faith But forasmuch as God willing I intend to answer at length to this wicked opinion in the confutation of the third error I will speak no more hereof in this place ANSWER No further answer nedeth to be giuen to these your most vniust accusatiōs then those which we before haue giuen for neither do we so vnreuerētly speake nor write neither yet do we vnderstād nor affirme that gods absolute ordinance is the principall cause of reprobation of sinne and of damnation but simplie we do teache that God in his etternall counsell for the manifestation of his own glorie hath of one maste chosen vessels of honor whom before all tymes he hath geuē vnto Christe Iesus that they in him should receiue lief And of the same masse he hath left others in that corruption in the which they were to fall and so were they prepared to destruction The cause why the one were elected we confesse and knowledge not to be in mā but to be the fre grace and the fre mercie shewed and frely giuen to vs in Christe Iesus who onely is appoīted head to giue life to the bodie Why the others were reiected we affirme the cause to be most iust but yet secrete ād hid frome vs reserued in his eternall wisdome to be reueled at the glorious comming of the Lord Iesus This one thing do we compelled by your blasphemous accusations repete oftener then we wold to the end that indifferent men may se what doctrine it is which you so maliciously impugne How so euer ye ioyn gods absolute ordinance and sinne togither we make so far diuision betwext the purpose and eternall counsell of God for absolute ordinance we vse not in that mater and the sinne of mā that we plainely affirme that mā when he sinned did neither looke to gods will gods counsell nor eternall purpose but did altogither consent to the will of
what difference there is betwext the cause and 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
a liuelie faith do good workes spring in w c the elect continuing and going forward not onely make they their own election sure as S. Peter doeth teache but also giue a testimonie of it to others before whom their good workes do shyne And so by y e cōtrarie signes and effectes we affirme that the reprobate do manifest and vtter them selues And so I saie that wonder it is that ye burthen vs as that we shoulde affirme that no man can be knowen ether to be in the election or out of the election during this life But more wōder it is that ye affirme vs to adduce these wordes of S. Paul The deuil doeth transforme him selfe in to an angel of light for probatiō of our purpose for I for my owne part do protest before y e Lord Iesus that I neuer did so vnderstand that place of y e Apostle nether yet thinke I that any of you be able to shewe in any of our writings those wordes adduced for probation of that purpose Trewe it is that I haue long vnderstand and to this houre do vnderstand that by those wordes wolde the Apostle admonish the Corinthiās and all others that sodēly they should not receaue and beleue euerie person doctrine that offereth it selfe vnder y e cloke of iustice and of trueth but that diligently we shoulde trie the spirites from whence they are whether they come frō God or not for if the deuil the great angel of darkenes enemie to mankind and father to all fals prophetes can yet so transforme him self that for a time his purpose and intent are not sene but that vnder the cloke of amitie and loue he seketh o r destruction as in tempting the woman doeth plainly appere how much more can his seruāts and soldiors being deceitful workers transforme them in to y e Apostles of Christ pretending at the first entre nothing but loue and iustice nothing but gods glorie nothing but mortification of the flesh and such like most beautiful pretences although that yet these thīgs be most farre frome their heartes Thus I say do I and with me I am assured who so euer depely do wey the purpose of the Apostle in that place vnderstand that sentēce and do not as ye falsly write alledge it to proue that no man can be knowen to be ether in the election or out of the election during this life It may be that we haue saied and writen as the trueth is that no man coulde haue knowē by the good workes of that happie thief hanged with Christ that he had bene gods elect before that in that anguissie so instātly he began to defend Christes innocencie so sharpely to rebuke y e other being a blasphemer and humbly to submit himself and praie that Christ wolde remembre him when that he came in to his kingdome And contrarie wise that none coulde haue defined by the euil workes of Iudas before his tresonable defection from Christ Iesus which was but fewe daies before his death that he had bene y e reprobate And what serueth this for your purpose howe can ye hereby proue that we are the sonnes of darkenes that we take the most shameful men by the hand flattering them so that they can not returne from their wickednes and so by our doctrine giue occasion of sinne to y e people declaring our selues thereby not to besent of God c. Are ye able to proue that we teache the people not to conuert from their sinnes and wicked imaginations to to y e last houre of their departure do we promise to all theues and murtherers the same grace and fauor y t Dauid Peter and this thief founde I trust thy own cōscience knoweth the contrarie Permit or suffer we be they neuer so hie manifest offenders to liue amōgest vs after their owne appetites And yet ashamest thou not impudently thus to writ But such lippes such letouse such disciples such masters for your chief Appollos be persecuters on whom the blood of Seruetus crieth a vengeance So doeth the blood of others mo whome I could name But for asmuch as God hath partely alredie reuenged their blood and serued some of their persecuters with the same measure where with they measured to others I wil make no mēcion of them at this time Blessed be God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ who so reueleth the things that lie in secret that hypocrites at length how soeuer they dissemble for a time are compelled to notifie bewray them selues Before to some it might haue appeared that the zeale of gods glorie the loue of vertue the hatered of vice and the saluation of the people whom by vs ye iudged to be blinded and deceiued had caried you hedlonges into such vehemēcie as ye be mē zelous feruent y t no kynd of accusation was thoght by you sufficēit to make vs odious vnto y e people lies against vs imagined were not onely tolerable but also laudable holie scriptures ▪ by you willingly and wittingly corrupted did serue to defend gods iustice and his glorie w t we by our doctrine oppugne improue But these your last wordes do bewrey the mater that in what soeuer faces you lift trāsforme your selues your grief wil appere to procede from another fountaine then from any of these which ye pretende and I before haue rehearsed O the death of Seruetus your deare brother for whose deliuerāce your chāpion Castalio solēnely did praie with whom if once ye coulde haue spoken that kingdome which ye hope for had begonne to be enlarged his blood I saie with the blood of others I thinke ye meane of your prophetesse Ione of kent do crie a vengeance in your eares heartes that none other cause do you se of y e shedding of y e blood of those most cōstāt martyres of Christ Iesus Thomas Crammer Nicholas Redley Hugh latimer Iohn Hooper Iohn Rogers Iohn Bradfurth and of others mo But that God hathe partly reuenged their blood y t is of your great prophet and prophetesse vpon their persecuters and hath serued thē with the same measure with the which they serued others I appeale to the iudgement of all those that fear God what is thy iudgement and the iudgement of thy faction of that glorious Gospel of Christ Iesus which of late hath bene suppressed in Englod what is thy iudgement of those most valiāt soldiars and most happie martyres of Christ Iesus vpon whom ô blasphemous mouth thou saiest God hathe taken vengeance which is an horrible blasphemie in the eares of all the godlie I wil not now somuch labor to confute by thy pen as that my ful purpose is to lay the same to thy charge if I shal apprehend the in any comon welth where iustice against blesphemers may be ministred as gods word requireth And hereof I giue the warning lest that after thou shalt complein that vnder the cloke of friendship I haue deceiued the. Thy manifest defection
from God and this thy open blasphemie spoken against his eternall trueth and against such as most constantly did suffer for testimonie of the same haue so broken and desolued all familiaritie which hathe bene betwext vs that althogh thou were my natural brother I durst not conceale thy iniquitie in this case But now to the mater I haue before proued you malicious and vennemous liers therefor vnworthie to bear testimonie against vs. Now resteth to be proued that ye are blasphemers of God and persones defamed â–ª Salomon affirmeth that he that iustifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the innocent are alike abomible before God Which sentence is not to be vnderstaÌ„d of iudges onelie but is to be referred to euerie man for of euerie one doth God require that he hate and in his heart and mouth condemne that which God him self hath coÌ„demned and also that he allow and iustifie that which God pronouÌ„ceth iust lawfull and holie And if the contrarie be founde euen in a multitude God doth not onelie punishe the chief offenders but also vpon their fauorers mainteiners and iustifiers doth he comonly powre the same plagues and vengeance And hereof is that rare and fearefull punishment taken vpon Dathan and Abiram sufficient proofe for they ioyned with Corah were the authors of the conspiracie raised against Moises and Aaron But did they alone sustein the veÌ„geance No but their housholds children wyues tentes and substance in the same conteined did the earth in a moment deuore and swallow vp And why because they did iustifie the cause of those wicked and in so far in as in them lay did maintein the same No man I trust will deny but that he who killeth an innoceÌ„t maÌ„ is a murtherer althogh it be vnder the cloke of iustice But that he who hauing lawfull auctoritie to kill and yet suffereth the murtherer to liue is a murtherer in this perchance som men may doubt But if the law of God be diligently searched this doubt shall easely be resolued For it will witnes that no les oght the murtherer the blasphemer and such other to suffer the death then that the meke and the fearer of God should be defended And also that such as maintein and defend the one are no les criminal before God then those that oppresse the others One example I will adduce for all God gaue in to the handes of Achab Benhadad king of Syria who was great enemie to Israel whom he vpon certen coÌ„ditions of amitie sent home to his countrie But what sentence was prononunced aginst Achab Thus saieth y â— eternall becaus thow hast let go oute of thy handes a man whom I appointed to die thy soule that is thy lief shal be in the place of his life and thy people in y â— place of his people Now to you iustifiers of Seruetus Seruetus was an abominable blasphemer against God and you are iustifiers of Seruetus Therefor ye are blasphemers before God like abominable as he was The maior I intend shortly to proue so far as shal be sufficieÌ„t at this tyme. The minor ye do not denie for some by appologies som by bookes and all by your toÌ„gues do iustifie his cause and the conclusion is infallibly gathered of the former wordes of the holie Gost. Ye will not easely admitt that Seruetus be conuicted of blasphemie for if so be ye must be coÌ„pelled to confesse except that ye will refuse God that the sentence of death executed against him was not crueltie nether yet that the iudges who iustly pronounced that sentence were murtherers nor persecuters but that this death was thâ— execution of gods iudgement and they the true and faithfull seruantes of God who when no other remedie was fouÌ„de did take away iniquitie from amongest them That God hath appointed death by his law without mercie to be executed vpon the blasphemers is euident by that which is written Leuiticus 24. But what blasphemie is may some perchance dout If righteously we shal consider wey the scriptures we shal fynd y t to speak basphemie or to blaspheme God is not onely to denie that there is a God but that also it is lightly to esteme the power of the eternal God to haue or to sparse abrode of his maiestie such opinions as may make his God head to be douted of To depart froÌ„ y e true honoring religion of God to the imagination of mans inuentions Obstinatly to maintein and defend doctrine diabolicall opinions plainely repugning to Gods trueth To iudge those thinges which God iudgeth necessarie for our saluation not to be necessarie And finaly to persecute the trueth of God and the membres of Christes bodie Of the first and second sort both was Sennacherib and proud Rabsases who comparing God with the Idoles of the Gentiles did not onely lightly esteme his godly power but also so far as in theÌ„ was studied to take out of the heartes of the Israelites all right and perfect opinion of God At whom the Prophet in the person of God demandeth this questioÌ„ whom hast y u blasphemed Of the third sort were bothe Israél and Iuda declining to idolatrie against Gods expresse commandmeÌ„t whom the Prophetes so often do affirme to blaspheme the holy one of Israel Because saieth Isaiah they haue repudiated the Lawe of the Lord of hostes and the worde of the holie one of Israel contumeliously haue they blasphemed And Ezechiel after that he hath most sharply rebuked the Israelites for their idolatrie he addeth yet in this your fathers haue blasphemed me thogh they had before grieuously transgressed against me for when I had broght them into the land for the which â— lifted vp my haÌ„d to giue it theÌ„ they sawe euery hie hill and all the thicke trees and they offered there their sacrifices and there they presented their offering c. Of the fourth sort were Hymeneus and Alexander whom Paul gaue to the deuil that they shoulde learne not to blaspheme Of the â—ift sort were the multitude of the Iewes who iudged and to this day do iudge the death of Christ Iesus his blessed ordinance the publike preaching of his Euangil and the administration of his Sacrements to be nothing necessarie to our saluation And of the last doeth not Paul denie him self to haue bene a blasphemer and a persecuter before his coÌ„uersion Now if I shal plainely proue the most parte yea all these except ye will say he shed no mans blood to haue bene in your great prophete Seruet â— yea yet to be in you all of the Anabaptisticall sort haue I not sufficiently proued both him and you blasphemers Albeit I be more nere of his and your counsel theÌ„ any of you doeth knowe or suspect yet wil I not vtter at this present all that I can but wil abide till such oportunitie as God shal offer vnto me to notifie his and your poison to the Church of God that of the
him that if he will conuert he shall be receaued to mercie and fauor No the sentence irreuocable is pronounced by the Angel that he shall come to destruction But Ephesus Smyrna Theatira and the rest of the congregations which before had professed Christ Iesus â–ª and yet were become not manifest ennemies but were falleÌ„ som in decay of life some in corruption of manners and som in heresies were exhorted to returne to repent and to be feruent to continue with sharp threatning if they did the coÌ„trarie And why this because that God before had planted among them his trueth which yet vtterly they had not refused and therefore doth he honor them as his domesticall seruantes but in vaine say you for if they be of the elect they cannot perish if they be of the reprobate sorte they can not be saued This is of you vnreuerently reasoned wil ye not suffer God to order his houshold as best pleaseth his wisdom This order hath he appointed that the trompet of his worde to exhort to rebuke to encourage to offer mercie to the penitent and to threaten death to such as do declyne shall clerely sound in his Church so long as he doth acknowledge it to be his Not that by the word preached he that was reprobate in gods eternall counsel may be the elect and so changed but that the worde preached and often repeted maketh a difference betwext the elect and the reprobate euen before man Albeit to you it appere superfluous that God shall fede his children by his own word which because the reprobate do refuse therefore do they beare a testimonie of their own iust condemnation in their owne conscience Albeit I say this appeare superfluous yet God hath commanded and established the same as a thing most necessarie and expedient for the establishing of his children and for the manifestation of his owne glorie I woÌ„der that ye wil not affirme that superfluous it is for a man to till and manure the ground to prepare for victuales to eat and drinke to do such other things as be necessarie for the conseruation of the life corporall seing that God hath appointed the daies of man which he cannot excede and also that our heauenlie father wil prouide for his childreÌ„ seing he prouideth far the birdes of the ayre Assuredly the one ye may coÌ„clude aswel as the other But herein I saie appereth your foolish blyndnes first that ye make no difference betwext the houshold seruantes those that be without and secondarely that ye vnderstand not the vse the profit and the effect of gods word preached Is not y e kingdom of heauen compared to a nett casten into the sea gathering together all sortes of fishes whereof albeit that the seperation can not perfectly be made till the nett be drawen to the drie laÌ„d vpon the last day yet daily by the worde by exhortacion by rebuking threatning do many things com to light which before lay hid how many do followe Christ for a time and fall back from him albeit that to the end he cryeth that they shoulde continue S. Paul affirmeth that he did write his sharpe epistle to the Corinthians for a trial of them if they wolde in all things be obedient if they as true shepe wolde heare the voice of their true pastor acknowledge follow it which he witnesseth that they did And there for he saith now do I reioyce not that ye did sorow but that ye did sorowe to repentance By the which was not onely the Apostle comforted as he him self doth confes but also were they newly confirmed that the Spirit of God was not vtterly extinguished before And so albeit ye can se no frute nor necessitie of gods worde preached except that the nature of the reprobate be changed yet do gods children fele in experience how comfortable it is to haue their dull spirites stirred vp by frequent exhortacions yea how necessarie it is that their dulnes and vnthankfulnes be sharply rebuked The third thing in which I perceaue you horribly to erre in all this youre long discourse of the seuen Churches is that where so euer there is precept or commandement giuen to repent and to continue in faith or to liue a godlie life or where so euer mention is made that space and time is granted to repent there streight waies ye conclude then may men kepe the commandementes then may they repent and so be saued althogh before they were reprobate For this ye affirme of Iesabel she might say you haue repented and haue bene saued and likwise vnto them that committed fornication with her is repentance granted But how vaine is this conclusion God commandeth that which is righteous Ergo man may do all that is commanded God giueth place of repentance to all men Ergo all men do or may repent How vaine I say be these conclusions such as be not infected with the pestilent opinion of their own power fre will and iustice may easely espie when ye haue proued that God commandeth nothing which man may not do by his own power fre will and strength and that repentance so procedeth from man that in him self it lieth ether to repent or not to repent then may ye sing this song which so oâ—t ye repete God commandeth God giueth space of repentance God offereth mercie to all Ergo of their own power they may repent But and if we be not sufficient of our own selues to think one good thoght if repentance be the fre gift of God and if to receaue mercie procedeth of his own fre gift also then harp so long as ye list vpon that one string I will answer that except ye make it better aggre with gods scriptures I must nedes say that he is worthie to be mocked that continually harpeth vpon a discording string As we do not contemne your exhortacion if we coulde be persuaded that it did procede from the spirit of lenitie so can we not acknowledge our selues to be infected with the poysoned error of mere necessitiâ— and Stoicall destinie nether yet that we teache a careles and libertine life nether that we giue occasion of sinne to the people finally that we can not confes that we teache and mainteine idolatrie as most vniustly ye accuse vs without any further probation for that any such crymes reigne and are permitted amongest vs without punishement ye be neuer able to proue We do not denie but that among vs haue bene men infected with all crimes which ye lay to our charge for som of you were once of our nombre so far as man coulde iudge but as you haue made your selues manifest so haue others also But yet it semeth far repugnant to equitie and charitie that the treason of Iudas should be laid to the charge of the faithfull Apostles If I list to take my pleasure in examining your liues and applying the offences of those churches to your faction I doubt not
any ask to what purpose was Saul then elected king I answer because so it pleased gods wisdom to tempt his people to tempt the tribe of Iudah yea and all the faithfull that then were a liue to tempt them I say whether they wolde still depend vpon gods promes look for their felicitie euen by the same meanes that God had foresopken how so euer thinges appered to the contrarie for a ceason The hole people no doubt yea and Samuel him self were partlie criminall in that point that they looked for saluation and for delyuerance from all their ennemies by the hādes of any other then by one of the tribe of Iuda considering that the former prophecie was so plaine But y t error he did first correct in his prophet shewing vnto him iust causes why Saul was vnworthie of that great honor and after he did correct the same in the people mouing their hartes to elect Dauid whom the prophet had before anointed And so did God retein y ◠firmitie of his counsel and did perfourme the same when all things appered Plainelie to repugne to his promes yea when men had receaued an other to be their king then God by his former promes had appointed We nether denie the supernaturall wisdom and manifold graces giuen to Salomon nether yet his most horrible fall to be a document and a memoriall for euer of his abominable idolatries and most vnthankfull defection from God which onelie one example we affirme oght to admonish euery man most carefully to examin him felf with what simplicitie he walketh before gods Maiestie But whether that Salomon so became the sonne of y e deuil that after he did neuer returne to God but y t finally he did perish we dare not be bolde to pronoūce sentēce And y t because to vs it appereth y t God did make vnto him a promes of mercie his greuous offence not withstanding for this did God speak by Nathan of him when thy daies shal be fulfilled thou shalt slepe with thy fathers and I will sett vp thy sede after the which shal procede out of thy body and wil stablish his kingdome he shall buyld an house for my name I wil stablish the throne of his kingdome for euer I will be his father and he shal be my sonne and if he sinne I wil chasten him with the rodde of men and with the plagues of the children of men But my mercy shal not departe away from him as I toke it frō Saul whome I haue put away before thee c. howsoeuer ye list to vnderstand this fre mercy promised to abide after in iquitie committed you cānot denie but that a plaine difference is made betwext Salomō Saul And if ye think that nothing spoken in that place did appertein to Salomō who was born before that Dauid had finished his daies did slepe with his fathers but that all is performed in Christ who many yeares after did spring of him ye do not rightly mark the wordes of God nether yet y e mynd of the holie Gost he saith not that the childe who shoulde builde a house to the name of God and whose kingdome he wolde establish shoulde be borne after his death but that God shoulde raise one who shoulde sprīg of his own loynes whom he wolde so honor after his death that he wolde become his father whom he wolde so intreate that albeit he shoulde offend yet shoulde he not be reiected frō regiment in Israel as Saul was and so was the kingdome established not onelie to Dauid but also to his posteritie after him The perfection no doubt was reserued to Christ Iesus but so was the veritie in him that the figure passed before in Salomō Moreouer somwhat is spokē in this promes which in no wise can be referred to Christ Iesus for how shal any be able to proue that y e iust sede of Dauid in whose mouth was no deceat founde did in any sort wickedly in his owne person so that he had nede of mercy to be corrected with the rodde of the children This I note to giue you occasion to take hede what sentence ye pronounce in things so farre remoued frō the reache of your vnderstanding In the historie of Ieroboam ye do not obserue that whatsoeuer is promised vnto him except the first 〈◊〉 of the tenne tribes is cōdicionall for thus saith the Prophet vnto him And if thou harken vnto al that I command thee and wilt walk in my waies do right in my sight as did Dauid my seruant then wil I be with thee and build thee asure house as I buylt vnto Dauid wil giue Israel vnto thee c. I pray you what can ye hereof conclude That Ieroboam say you not withstanding gods election and fre ordinance did fall from the fauor of God But how be you able to proue that he was elected and before ordeined to stand in gods fauor for euer These saings if thou walke before me in righteousnes if thou kepe my preceptes and such others will not proue it I can euidently proue that Ieroboam and all the kings in Israel after him were giuen to the people in gods anger and were taken away in his hote displeasure for so doth the Prophet Oseas witnes Now if you can proue that such reulers as be giuen in gods wrath and taken awaie in his iust furie were elected and before ordeined to stand in his fauor for euer aduise w t your counsellers and produce your witnes against the next time That Iudas was neuer elected to life euerlasting I haue before declared and therfore at this present I onely say that no more did Christ mean of Iudas that he shoulde be the salt of the earth the light of the worlde nether that he shoulde sit vpō any seat to iudge any tribe in Israel then that he ment of Peter y t he was the deuil that he shoulde betraie him or that better it it had bene for him neuer to haue bene borne for as Christ in pronoūcing y e wordes you twelue haue I chosē but one of you is the deuil one of you shal betraie me in expresse wordes he did nether appoint y e person of Iudas to that fact nether yet did exempt and make fre any of the rest from suspition of that cryme in expres wordes I say So like wise in saing ye are the salt of y e earth and you shall sitt vpon twelue seates c. he nether ment of the hole nomber of the twelue nether yet of thē onely for as for Iudas I doubte not to affirme but y t according as it was written in the book of Psalmes That his habitacion shoulde be desolate that an other should receaue y e honor of his bushoprike y t so euē in y e tyme whē he stood in the ministerie most sure to mānes iudgemēt that yet in gods eternall coūsel he was appointed to that treason and
if ye affirme y t God nether teÌ„pteth y e obeidieÌ„ce of his seruaÌ„tes nether yet sendeth false prophetes to tempt his people his plaine scriptures will rebuke your vanitie for God tempted Abraham he tempted his people fortie yeres in the wildernes he tempteth also by sending fals prophetes as Moises doth witnes And therefor ye must be compelled to grant that this word tempting or to tempt is diuersly taken in the scriptures somtimes to trye and examyn somtimes to bring to light and knowledge thinges that be secret in mans heart sometymes to seke by experience a certentie of thinges spokeÌ„ pronounced or affirmed and somtymes moue or to prouoke to iniquitie in this last signification we confesse that God tempteh no man for as the mater of all iniquitie lieth within man so is he prouoked moued and stirred therunto by his owne lustes and instigation of the deuill onely And thus albeit we grant that to moue euill thoghtes is to tempt yet we denye y e coÌ„uersion which is this Ergo to teÌ„pt is to moue euill thoghtes But let vs heare forther of your profound vanitie all is good say you that commeth from the father of light God grant that in your heartes ye were assuredly so persuaded if euill thoghtes come from him they must be good and so you conclude that then was Iosephes wordes fals and that God may be called the father of darknes O execrable is your blasphemie because from him come euill thoghtes which are darknes Answer If any of vs haue so written or spokeÌ„ let vs be stoned to death as execrable blasphemers And if that ye in your blind fury do therewith vniustly burden vs althogh ye may eskape the handes of man yet shall you not esskape gods seuere and soden vengeance It is malice that will not suffer you to vnderstand howe that these euilles whiche men willingly comitt in so farre as they com from God are iust profitable and good for we most constantly affirme that the damnation of the deuill the induration of Pharao the deceauing of Achab and other such in so farre as they proceded from God are his iust and good workes because they are the punishment of sinne the excecution of his iust iudgementes and a declaration of his iustice which iustely is armed against the obstinate rebellion of Angelles and men but thereof to conclude ergo their euill thoghtes their malicious myndes their hatered and crueltie came immediatly from God is more then a blasphemie for all these be and are found within the offenders which God doth vse not by an ydle permission for that is a thing most contrarious to his iustice but effectually as his wisedome best knoweth they shall serue to his glory y t for vtilitie of his chosen children I say it is a thing most contrarious to gods iustice power ydly to suffer iniquititie to be done if he had no further respect then to the facte as it is committed for as a man can not be excused who may impede murther and doth it not so can not gods iustice be excused by your ydle permission if he had no further respect but to thinges as they be doÌ„ne by man And so is gods iustice rather accused then mainteined by the foolishness of your curious braynes saying God permitteth many thinges which he wold not what vanitie is this Is it not a thing confessed amongest all that gods power is omnipotent who then caÌ„ compelle him to suffer that which he wold not And why doth he willingly suffer thinges which in his law he hath forbidden I answer for the manifestation of his own glory which is more precious then the heauen and y e earth and all the creatures in y e same conteined And thus doth vanitie cause you to fear that gods iustice shall fall into decay except it be vndersett vpholdeÌ„ w t your foolishe distinctioÌ„ betwext his will his permission but we feare not to affirme y t he permitteth nothing which in some respect he will not for as he is omnipoteÌ„t a most louing father so should he suffer no calamitie to come nor crueltie to be vsed against his children â–ª except he did before see yea and before determyn their cofort his glory to arrise of the same And will you say y t gods glory the coÌ„fort and y â— preseruation of his Church is an euill work because that wicked men are instrumentes by whome gods eternal counsell is broght to passe Was the exaltatioÌ„ of Iosephe to honor the preseruation of Egypte and of other nations from famine yea and the feding of Iacob and his familie an euill work because that Iosephes brethren of malice and enuie did sell him to the Ismaelites and they for lucre did seli him againe to Putiphare whose wyfe of malice did moste vniustly accuse him so being in prison at length he was broght to the knowledge of Phirao and so was promoted for his reuelation and wisedome to honor and dignitie O say you it is not this that we do lay to your charge but you affirme that God was author of the malice and of the wicked thoghtes of Iosephes brethren You do belie vs most maliciously for we constantly denye that God ether powred in them any malice oâ— did moue by his holie Spirit any wicked thoght into them for those we say they had of nature in so farre as it is corruâ—ted But we say that God vsed their wicked thoghtes and malice to his glory and to the full comfort of him whose destruction they soght and that he did not ydly permitting them but effectually working by such instrumentes and meanes as his wisedome had before appoiÌ„ted Rage now as you list for albeit to you this saing is vaine y t God worketh all thinges for his owne glory yet will not God haue his glory measured by y e vanitie of your braine We glâ—rifie God say you when we iudge him wâ—rthie to be gloriâ—ied Answer if you vnderstaÌ„d that then onely and at none other time elles do meÌ„ glorify God but when they confesse him worthie of glory you are ignorant foolishe and manifest liers for your argument is no better then if I should say man slepeth in the night season therfor no man may or can slepe at any other time If your master Castalio had considered that an argument made a specie ad genus negatiue is vaine and foolishe he had not heaped to gether so many sophisticall reasons by the which you and others are abused To make this mater some what more plaine If y e glorie of God coÌ„sist in the manifestation of his mercie of his trueth of his power of his wisedome and of his moste iust iudgementes then do all creatures glorifie God whether they iudge him worthie or vnworthie of the same for Dauid affirmeth that the heauens declare the glory of God and yet haue they nether iudgement nor vnderstaÌ„ding the heauen and the earth saieth Isaiah are replenished with his glorye
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
all height which is raysed vp against the knowledge of God by the which also they lead into bondage all cogitatioÌ„s to obey Christe we know further that they haue veÌ„geaÌ„ce in readynes against all inobedience That fire passeth forth of their mouthes which deuoureth their enemies that they haue power to shutte the heauen that rayne descend not in the daies of their prophecie That gods power both in the one sort and in the other is coÌ„teined with his word euen preached pronounced and fore spoken by his messingers do all exaÌ„ples in gods scriptures witnes At the praier and prophecie of Elias was the heeauen both shut and opened fire descended froÌ„ heauen coÌ„sumed those vngodly souldiours w t their captaines At the curse of Eliseus did beares deuoure 〈◊〉 childreÌ„ that mocked him The wordes of Isai Ieremy and Ezechiel albeit for the time that they spake they were contemned yet had they such force and effect y t no streÌ„gth was able to gainestaÌ„d that which they had pronounced At Peters word Ananias and Saphira did sodainlye dye Paule by his senteÌ„ce made Elimas the sorcerer blinde and so forth the exaÌ„ples be almost without noÌ„bre that declare y t gods power is ioyned w t his worde not onely in sauing w c I thinck you will admitte but also in punishing destroying If you thinke it fearefull y t gods holy word shall haue this power and effect to kill to blind and to harden Remembre first the seuere iudgemeÌ„tes of God against sinne and often call to minde that the fault nor chiefe cause is not in the word but in the subiect and person in whom it falleth The word falling in to y e heart of the elect doth mollifie illuminate as before is said but falling in to the heart of the reprobate it doth harden more excecate the same by reason of the qualitie and incurable corruption of the persone And thus in your second reason we do vtterly dissent from youâ— feare not to affirme y t gods true Prophetes messingets do not onely declare what meÌ„ beâ— but y t by the word which is coÌ„mitted to their charge effectually they worke ether lyght or darknes life or death yea saluation or damnation The text of Leuiticus serueth you nothing and y e text of Ieremie is expressely against you For the hiegh Priest is not commaded to go to a maÌ„ in whom no leprosie appered and to pronounce what after shall become of him but the man in whom there is apperant signes of leproâ—ie is coÌ„manded to be ledde to the Priestes who are commaÌ„ded to pronounce according to the signes w c they see CoÌ„sidre I besech you the difference betwene the office of the one the office of y â— otherâ— the sentence of the one and the senteÌ„ce of the other the one y t is the Priestes go not nether are they sent to seke those y t haue apperance or suspicion of leprosie But the Prophet is sent by God to theÌ„ that then was called the people of God in whoÌ„ no man could haue suspected such blindnes such hardnes of heart such rebellion as the Prophet is coÌ„maÌ„ded to threateÌ„ The Priestes did not nor might not pronouÌ„ce senteÌ„ce against a maÌ„ in whom manifest signes of leprosie appered not yea triall must be taken whether it be leprosie or not But the Prophet is coÌ„manded to go to that people who held them selues cleane and before all triall to pronounce that sharp sentence you shall heare w t your eares and shall not vnderstand you shall plainely see and yet shall not perceaue the heart of this people is hardened Was there anysuch coÌ„mandemeÌ„t or charge giuen to y e priestes Might any of them haue said to any man y t appered to be cleane c whole thou shalt be leprous I pronounce the sentence which thou shalt not escape I trust not Then for the diuersitie as well of their offices as of the senteÌ„ces which they pronounced the phrases must be diuers Where ye affirme that y e Prophet could not touch their heartes but by declaring theÌ„ to be hard hearted ye seme not to vnderstand what is the vertue and power of gods word pronounced eueÌ„ by the mouth of man w c as before we haue declared pearceth to y e depest secret that lieth within the heart Yea and worketh that thing w c the Pro phete pronounceth and speaketh how vnapperaÌ„t that euer it be to mans reason or how stowtly and stubburnly that euer the wicked resist Did not the wordes of Elias spoken vnto Achab aftre y e murtheriÌ„g of Naboth touch his heart yes the very hypocrite him selfe had some sense and feling of gods iust wrath And both he and his posteritie for all his princely pompe did after fele the veritie of them To witte dogges did licke his blood the flesh of Iesabell was eaten by dogges his children and hole posteritie were rooted out of Israell And thus did the wordes of the Prophete touch his heart in the time when they were spokeÌ„ with a certeine feare stupiditie and trembling which wordes were after of such power strength and veritie that no male children were left aliue to Achab in Israel And the same is true of Ieremies wordesâ— sentence spoken against diuers natioÌ„s whose faces albeit he neuer saw yet did he so potently touch their heartes that how soeuer they despised his threateninges yet was no word vainely spoken but in effect was euery thing complete as he pronounced And wonder it is that ye are ignorant in this vertue of gods word seing that ye confesse that Ieremie toke the cuppe from the Lordes hand which he was commanded to giue to all nations y t they might drinke the cuppe of the Lordes wrath saing vnto them Drincke be drucken and spew and fall and rise no more becaus of the swerd w c I will send among you Was this I praye you a simple declarationâ— or was it not rather a sentence decree so effectuall that albeit nether Babylon nether any other proud and whicked nation wold for that time beleue it yet came it most effectually to passe And I say y t these wordes of Ieremie do manifestly repugne to your interpretation do sufficieÌ„tly proue y t those wordes spoken to Isai are otherwise to be vnderstaÌ„d then y t he was commanded onely to declare what the people were For as the wordes of Ieremie had this effect y t according as he spake so came y e destruction vpon those proud natioÌ„s so lykewise had the wordes of God spoken to Isai the same effect which he pronounced To the one he said thou shalt giue vnto them the cuppe of my wrath that they may drinke it The Prophet without feare did obey his commandement and God did faithfully performe what so euer his messinger had pronounced Euen so did God command Isai to blind and harden that stubborn and rebellious generation of the Iewes by the
you wold affirme y t gods good wil pleasure may change and y t is to deny his Godhead But I will burden you no further then ye shall plainely confesse I onely put you in minde that y e holy Gost vseth no such phrase You procede saing Nether is it his pleasure aÌ„d will that ether pharaâ— Semei or any other should sinne and come to destruction Before we haue confessed y t iniquitie and sinne is so odious before God y t in it can his goodnes neuer delyte nether yet can he haue pleasure in the destruction of any creature hauing respect to y e punishment onely But seing y t gods glorie must nedes shyne in all his creatures yea euen in y e perpetuall damnation of sathan torment of the reprobate why shal not he wil and take pleasure y t so it come to passe Albeit your phrenetique braines can not comprehend y e brightnes therof yet wil he one day declare y t al his workes are wroght in iustice wisedom and equitie I thinke you will not deny but that pharao Semei Iudas and others came to destruction like as in the end shall all reprobate do Then do I aske if God at no time for no purpose respect nor end did so will how then came their destruction to passe By sinne say you that we denie not but yet the questioÌ„ is not answered For continually we demand if in God there was not power ether to haue impeded their sinne or yet after their sinne to haue called them to repentance if it had so pleased his eternal wisedom and goodnes Consider your foly and giue glorie to God who doth what so euer he will in heauen and in earth But now to that which foloweth For he will the death of no creature but will all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the trueth How violeÌ„tly you wrest the wordes of the Prophet and of the Apostle shall shortly appere after I haue reasoned a litle with you how these your propositions do agree with that which goeth before Ye haue affirmed that God is ready to mercie and slow to wrath in which wordes you â—hew and cofesse that in the God head there is readines to â—hew mercy and also that there is a iustice w c must execute wrath vpoÌ„ the disobedient And so in the nature of y e God head ye cofesse mercy ad iustice But here you say that God will the death of no creature but that he will all men to be saued which last wordes being vnderstand as ye do vrge them must destroy the former nature of God take awaye his iustice For if he absolutely will the death of no creature then will he no punishment to folowe sinne And if he will no punishmeÌ„t then willeth he his iustice to cease and so coÌ„sequently must one of the properties of his godlie nature cease Studie for an answere to make your former wordes and latter wordes better agree orels ye wil be compelled to coÌ„fesse that God for som respect willeth both death and damnation to come vpon some creatures Further if God willeth all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the trueth and yet many do perâ—sh in ignoraÌ„ce and shal be condemned as Christ Iesus doth pronounce then must it ether folow that gods will is mutable and so he vnconstant and not at all times like to him self or els that he is not omnipotent For if God at the first creation of man wold all men to be saued as ye alledge then wold I know when this will was changed After that man had offended say you Then yet haue I obteined that in gods will there was mutabilitie For after sinne he wold and by his sentence pronounced that Adam and his posteritie should suffer the corporall death yea and that the sede of the serpent should haue the head broken downe by the which is ment the spirituall death which nether of both as you affirme did God will before If you reply gods will towardes the saluation of all mankind did remaine the same after sinne which was before for a generall promes of deliuerance was made by the womans sede that was promised I haue before plainely proued that difference most manifest betwext y â— two sedes was made in that promes But admitting that the promes had bene generall so that the will of God this day remaineth the same which ye alledge it to be to witt that he willeth y e death of no sinner but that he willeth al men to be saued Can you deny but that a separation and diuision of the shepe from the goates of the elect from the reprobate shal be made at the glorious commiÌ„g of y e Lord Iesus Shall not these most ioyfull wordes be said vnto theÌ„ y t shall stand vpon the right hand Come ye the blessed of my father possesse the kingdome which was prepared for you from the beginning And shall not this most fearefull sentence be pronounced and executed against the other Depart ye cursed go to the fire prepared for the deuill and for his angels Shall the Sonne of God in pronouncing senteÌ„ce do any thing that day repugning to the will of his heauenly Father I think you will not so affirme Then if gods will in the day of iudgement shal be that many shal be adiudged to tormeÌ„t perpetual and his will in the creation of man was and this day yet remaineth that all men shal be saued then of necessitie it doth folow that gods will shall change If you say that death and damnation cometh not by gods will but by the sinne and vnbelief of man you haue releued your self nothing for if death be one thing and life be an other damnation one thing and saluation an other TheÌ„ if God this day will all men to be saued and so to haue life and yet that day he shall will many to be damned to torment perpetuall what causes so euer you alledge I shall obteine one of two to witte that ether gods will is and may be mutable orels that there is a power superior to his maiestie and godly will For if willingly he shall damne those whom before he wold and had determined to saue then is his will and determination changed And if he shall damne those vnwillingly whoÌ„ willingly he wold haue saued then is he not omnipotent Consider now vpon whom falleth the snowe and who do cast them selues in greatest absurdities Now it resteth to declare how violently ye wrest the wordes of the Prophet of the Apostle The Prophete speaking in the personne of God saith I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he conuert and liue And the Apostle affirmeth that God will all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the trueth Hereupon ye conclude God will the death of no creature this is your first violence which you do to the text For the Prophet
all traitours they are all I say traitours euery brother deceaueth another All men contemne me all men hold me in execration If these and other lyke places shal be vnderstand so vniuersaly as they appere to be spoken then must we be compelled to say that no true fearer of God remayned in Ierusalem when the Prophetes did preach but that all were blood thirstie all auaricious all idolaters and all dumme dogges the contrarie wherof is euidently declared For Isai had the children whom the Lord had giuen vnto him who albeit they were holden as monsters amonge men yet did they patientlye abide the Lord. Ieremie had Baruch his faithfull scribe not withstaÌ„ding his weakenes and infirmitie Abedmelech feared the Lord was fauourable to the Prophete and therefore saued he his soule for a praye and was deliuered from that day of vengeance And therefore these vniuersall sentences must also be restreyned and kept within their own boundes like as these All haue left me all seke the thinges that apperteine vnto them selues and not those thinges that be of God Which senteÌ„ces except they be restreined we shall condemne the dearest children of God who in Paules daies did valiaÌ„tly fight against the prince of this world These examples of the one sorte of the other I haue adduced to lette the simple vnderstand that such generall sentences of necessitie must be so restreined that difference may be kept betwext the elect and the reprobate For els we shall do nothing in explaning scriptures but confound light with darcknes For if the wordes of our Master Christe Iesus saying All shal be taught of God shal be so generally vnderstaÌ„d that no exception be admitted then of necessitie it is that all men and euery persone shall come to the true knowledge of Christe Iesus â–ª for of that knowledge doth he speake in that place But the contrarie thereof is moste euident euen by Christe Iesus his owne wordes who putteth a plaine difference betwext them that be giuen to him by his father and betwext them that be not giuen But now let vs briefly consider what sinners they are whose death God will not but rather hat they conuert lyue Sainct Ihon in his Epistle saith If we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues the veritie is not in vs. If we coÌ„fesse our sinnes he is faithfull iust to remitte to vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes c. And after Who soeuer commiteth sinne transgresseth also y â— law for sinne is the transgression of the law And ye know y t he is reueled to take away our sinnes and in him is no sinne As many as byde in him y t is in Chriiste Iesus sin not who soeuer sinneth hath not sene him nether hath knoweÌ„ him c. He y t coÌ„mitteth sinne is of the deuill for the deuil sinneth froÌ„ y e beginning c. who soeuer is borne of God committeh not sinne for his sede abideth in him nether can he sinne because he is borne of God Of w c wordes it is euideÌ„t y t there be two sortes of sinners the one be they who mourne lameÌ„t and bewaile their owne wretchednes and miserie vnfainedly before God coÌ„fessing not onely that their hole nature is sinfull and corrupt but also y t dailie they so offend y e Maiestie of their God y t most iustly they deserue the tormentes of hell if Christes iustice Christes mediation w c by faith they embrase should not deliuer them from the wrath to come To these is not sinne imputed for y e blood of Christe purgeth them from all sinne his aduocation and intercession maketh to theÌ„ an enterance to the throne of their fathers grace To theÌ„ is giuen the spirit of sanctification w c from time to time as it reueleth their sinnes so doth it mortifie purge the same Not that euer in this life gods elect hath bene are or shal be so cleane purged from sinne y t the flesh lusteth not against the spirit as some times affirmed the Pellagians those that then were called Cathari that is cleane purged and now also do the Anabaptistes renew the same most pestilent error by the which Christ Iesus his iustice his office and perpetuall mediation is vtterly destroyed in such sort I saye are not gods childreÌ„ purged in this life that nether they fele sinne nether yet the motioÌ„s entisemeÌ„tes of the same But they are so purged y â— sinne raigneth not in their mortall bodies for the sede of God which is the vertue power efficacie and operation of his holie spirite suffereth them not to delyte in sinne but as they are first called from darcknes to light froÌ„ the bondage of sathan to the libertie of gods children so when they sinne as there is none that sinneth not they are called againe by true repentance to their former societie and felowship with Christe Iesus The death of such sinners did God neuer will nether yet can he will for from all eternitie they were his elect childreÌ„ whom he gaue to his deare Sonne to be his enheritaÌ„ce whom the Sonne receaued into his protection and sauegard to whome he hath manifested and to the ende shall manifest him selfe and the louing kindes of his heauenlie father In whose heartes he writeth the law of God and maketh them to walke in his commandementes â—uer thirsting to a further and more perfect iustice then they find within them selues by reason of their corruption The death I say of those sinners God will not but he will that they repent and liue The Apostle saint Peter saith The Lord that hath promised is not slow but he is long suffering toward vs while that he will none to perish but will receaue all to repentaÌ„ce The Apostle here meaneth not y t al without exception shal be receaued to life by true repentance but y t the cause why God so long deferreth as it were y e extreme iudgement is y â— the electnomber of gods children may be complete as answere was giuen to those y â— cried vnder the aulter to be reuenged vpon the tyrannes that dwell on the earth of these his elect children God will none to perish as before is said But there is an nother sort of sinners farre different from these For nether are they displeased w t theÌ„ selues nether yet hate they iniquitie but against gods expresse coÌ„mandementes furiously they runne w t Cain to murther the innocent with Pharao to oppresse the people of God with Iudas to betray the knowen and professed veritie and finally so delyte they in all filthines impietie that they can not repent The eyes of such be blinded their heartes are hardened they are giuen ouer in to a reprobate minde And for theÌ„ doth not Christe Iesus pray and therefore they can do nothing but headlonges runne from euill to worse as the deuill to whose tyranny they are committed doth driue them till finally they come
to perdition which ende was appointed vnto them not against gods will but by his will â—mmutable in his eternall counsell For no lesse will he that the seueritie of his iudgementes be sene in the vessels of wrath theÌ„ that the riches of his grace be praised in the vessels of mercie Storme and rage spew furth your venom and blaspheme till ye prouoke gods vengeance at once to be powred forth vpon your owne heades this sentence will he neuer retracte He will haue mercie vpon whom he will haue mercy and whom he will he maketh hard hearted That God in him selfe hath but one will which is holy iust and permanent that in him there is no contraritie that he is faithfull and doth perfourme what soeuer he doth promise What we vnderstand by gods secrete will and how he tempteh no man I haue before sufficiently declared And therefore I will not truble the reader with the repetitioÌ„ of the same Now let vs heare what is your iudgement of vs and how ye extolle your selues THE ADVERSARIE As these goddes be of contrarie nature so do they begette children of a contrarie nature the fals God begetteh vnmercifull proud ambicrouse and enuifull children bloody persecutors of others for their conscience saik euill speakers â—mpacient contenciouse and seditious children And they be like vnto their father in that they speake one thing with their mouth and think an other with their heart They can neuer be without filthy thâ—ghtes wicked 〈◊〉 for such poyson do they receaue of their father The trew God begetteth mercifull humble lowlye and louing children abhorring from blood persecuting no man good speakers patient detesting all 〈◊〉 chiding and brawling and they be like vnto their father in that what soeuer they speak with their mâ—uth they think with their heart they be alwaies moued with good thoghtes and gâ—dly reuelations for such grace receaue they 〈…〉 of their father ANSWER It may seme by the description of these your two goddes for nether of both as ye describe them is the true liuing eternall God that ye studie to renew the daÌ„nable error of the Manichies who imagined two beginners the one of all goodnes and of all good creatures the other of all iniquitie and of wicked creatures affirming further that the good and the mercifull God was ouercome for a time by him that was wicked and euill And because that the plaine scriptures did confute these blasphemâ—es therefor did they denie the authoritie of Moises and the certentie of all other scriptures that made any thing against their error If manifestly ye did take vpon you the defense of those your fathers as that ye do of Pellagius of Donatus and of the Papistes for of all these adulterous fathers ye be adulterous children then wolde I from Augustine whom God stirred vp no doubte in the daies of darckenes most learnedly and most plainely by infallible scriptures to cofute those heresies from him I say I might take artilerie all ready prepared able inough to ouerthrow your buildinges and munitions appere they neuer so strong But because as before I haue said my purpose is not to burden you further then you do confesse I onely admonish the reader to be ware of such pestilences as beginne to call the trueth of God reueled in his holy word in doubt and do persuade men to credite dreames and reuelations how soeuer they appere to repugne to that which is reueled in the word Of such men I say â–ª oght Christes flock to take hede as also of those who make of eguall authoritie such bookes as yet the holy Gost hath neuer coÌ„mended to the Church of Christe with these that are written by Moises the Prophetes the Euangelistes and Apostles and that by inspiration of the holy Gost. That some of you be infected with this most pestilent poison I am able to proue by mo argumentes then one Being at London the the winter before the death of king Edward one â–ª of your faction required secrete communication of me in which after that earnestly he had required of me closenes and fidelitie because that the maters that he had to communicate with me were so weightie and of such importance as sythence the daies of the Apostles the like was neuer opened vnto man In the ende after many wordes which I nether gladly heard nether yet will now write he gaue me a boke written as he said by God euen as well as was any of the EuaÌ„gelistes This his booke he adiured me as it were to reade and required to haue my iudgement of it My answer was that at his request I wold reade it so that he wold be coÌ„tent to reason with me of the chiefe pointes in the same conteined but to pronounce sentence or iudgement that could I not vsurpe being but one man farre inferior to many of my brethern y e preachers of gods word in that realme Alwaies he vrged me to reade his booke And I woÌ„dering what mysteries it should coÌ„teine called to me a faithfull brother who then as pleased God was present with me named HeÌ„ry Farrour marchaÌ„t to whom I opened the mater by whose counsell and in whose presence I beganne to reade his boke The first proposition wherof was God made not the world nether yet the wicked creatures in the same conteined but they had their beginning from a nother that is from the deuill who is called the Prince of the world which proposition plainly repugning to gods word I did impugne and begaÌ„ne to declare vnto him for what cause Sathan had that title to be called the Prince of y e world But he vtterly denying ether to reasoÌ„ and dispute ether yet to be reformed in any point that there was written commaÌ„nded me to reade forward to beleue howbeit I did not vnderstand To whom when I had gentilly said Can any reasonable man will me to beleue thinges directly fighting against gods veritie and plaine word reueled Tusch said he for your written word we haue as good and as sure a word and veritie that teacheth vs this doctrine as ye haue for you and your opinioÌ„ And theÌ„ I did more sharpely answere saing ye deserue the death as a blasphemous person and denier of God if ye preferre any word to that which the holy Gost hath vttered in his plaine scriptures At which wordes he toke pepper in nose and snatching his boke furth of my hand departed after he had thus spoken I will goo to the ende of the world but I will haue my boke confirmed and subscribed with better learned men then you be In me I coÌ„fesse there was greate negligeÌ„ce that nether did reteine his boke nether yet did present him to the Magistrate But yet this argument I haue that your faction is not altogether cleane from the heresie of the Manichies I could name and point forth others who labour in the same disease but so long as their venom doth remaine secrete within them selues I am