denie the predestination of God and seeke a iustification by free will and by deseruing of workes which matter you do both vnderstande and haue also founde good proufe as you suppose that we are giltie in the same laying the whole foundation of your proufe vpon this saying set forth in print Although there be but fewe on earth that rightly thee deserue Yet thou O Lorde for their good lyfe the residue preserue With which filthy saying to burden me and other whome ye name I maruell greatly that you coulde be so much abused not considering by whom it was written and set forth in print for by the titling you see it was printed beyonde the seas in Queene Maries time for that it is entitled A prayer to God for his afflicted Church in Englande and as it there appeareth manifest it is the worke of W. Samuell which is a mā vnto me of very small acquaintance but a Preacher he is And as for his saying that a man may deserue God c. Which you desire me to proue if I can it is a doctrine so abhominable and blasphemous as I am sure neither Papist nor Pelagian nor any other Heretike eyther olde or newe hath written or maintained a more filthy and execrable saying For it is the flatte and manifest deniall both of God the Father of his Sonne Christ Iesu neither doth it require any confutation to him that doth but confesse that there is a God and as for my selfe I assure you I doe not loue my lyfe so dearely as I hate this vile saying deadlye But wonder it is that such a sentence conteyning the very filthy dregs of all Pelagius errours coulde so long stande printed and neither be forbidden nor by any man written against Crowley I lyke very well the Prayer that Cerberus beginneth his Oration withall but his purpose in praying which appeareth to be to deceiue the simple I doe lyke nothing at all The foundation of his friendes proufe of that he chargeth him with as he sayth is but slender for it is but a fault in the print as euery mā may sée that will reade but two verses going before in y e same prayer and sixe immediately following And that the indifferent reader may be satisfyed I will write downe those verses bicause it will be harde for men to finde the bookes wherein the Prayer is printed Of all the Sonnes that thou hast had but one thou doest regarde And for his sake thou art content that we shall be preserude So though there be but fewe on earth that rightly thee deserue Yet thou O Lorde for their good lyfe the residue preserue If ten in Sodome had bene founde the Citie still had stande And had remained without fall as did the other lande And let not now thy mercies slacke but be thou alwayes one And haue respect vnto all those that trust to thee alone Those whome thou hast in prison layde for breaking of thy lawe Deliuer them and giue them grace to liue in better awe If any of Cerberus friendes had bene Auctour of thys Prayer he woulde sone haue espied the printers fault and would haue read those two verses thus So though there be but fewe on earth that rightly thee doe serue Yet thou O Lorde for their goodlyfe the residue preserue And so should the saying haue bene no more filthy than was the saying of Abraham to the Aungell when he entreated for the Citie of Sodome and sayde What if there lacke fiue of fiftie wilt thou destroy the whole Citie for lack of siue Or the saying of the Aungell when aunswering Abraham he sayde If I finde but ten iust men in the Citie I will spare it for their sakes But Cerberus was so bent to barke at the Preachers of prevestination that he coulde not haue leysure to reade more than y e title and those two verses which being corrupted in printing semed to serue his purpose And surely I doe not yet beleue that any man coulde be so madde as to charge him with those verses But this I beleue that he hath written them otherwise than they were printed For the first verse beginning thus So though c. he hath written it thus Although c. which argueth that either he neuer sawe the booke that Samuell made or else he supposed that none shoulde come to the sight of it but such as doe fauour his faction And in very deede some of them haue made verye straunge to shewe that booke But how so euer y e matter go otherwise he hath shamefully deceiued himselfe in triumphing ouer poore Samuell as ouer him whome he compareth with the moste wicked Heretiques that euer were Cerberus And although I denie not but some other there are which maintaining the power of mans freewil the meritorious worthinesse of mans deseruing doe denie the free gift of Gods grace in Christ Iesu and for his only sake comprehended in the eternall predestination and foreordinaunce of God and declared vnto vs in his moste holy Worde yet bycause I see there are many in these dayes wrongfully and falsely accused to be enimies of that blessed Predestination to be Pelagians iustifiers of themselues and such lyke And with those bitter termes are in open Auditories defaced and brought into contempt emong the multitude who being deceiued with giuing ouerhastie credite vnto such men not throughly vnderstanding the matter doe vse to giue sentence before the cause be hearde I haue thought it good therfore most dearely beloued not to them which take more delight in the defamation of other than in knowing the truth themselues but to thee which art willing to vnderstande the matter before thou iustifie or condemne either partie in as fewe wordes as I possible can to shewe what shamefull doctrine vnder the name and colour of Gods Predestination is now adayes set forth and taught of many which both I and many other mislike and haue diuers times with some of them in priuate and friendely talke persuaded to leaue both by cause we iudge the doctrine to be false and also the distruction of all vertue to followe therevpon For which cause as the maner is of them that feare not so much the shipwrack of a good conscience as they doe the losse of worldly estimation least any such diffauorers of their fantasie shoulde hap to haue some credit among the people with boystrous breath they blowe abroade that the mislikers of this their doctrine are enimies to Gods holy Predestination But right well knowe they that those whome they nowe so specially accuse to be such haters of Gods Predestination are in dede most intire louers of the same And many of those whom they accuse to be popishe Pelagians and Iustifiers of themselues haue bestowed both their goodes and lyues against that filthy and detestable sect And as for those errours which Pelagius that olde heretike with Celestinus and Iulianus his adherentes did hold and also reuoked the same in the Iudiciall counsell of
if I maye doe any thing with the same partie my hartie request to him shall be that he wyll graunt Cerberus his request And further I will be an humble suiter to all that shall reade this Apologie that they setting all affection a side will weighe both his aunswere and this Apologie euen as they are and none otherwise then haue I ynough also The Article is that all the generation of man doth neyther die by the sinne and transgression of Adam neither rise againe by the Resurrection of Christ That is that neither Adam was by his sinne a generall condemner of himselfe and all his posteritie neither Christ by his Resurrection a generall restorer of all mankinde For so doth Cerberus interprete Pelagius meaning I will not dispute about Pelagius meaning For I know it coulde not be good sith he denyeth a truth plainely affirmed by S. Paule and Esdras both as Cerberus hath truely affirmed vpon the seconde Article But that S. Paule ment in that place as Cerberus doth vnderstand him I doe slatly venie And will by Gods helpe proue both by the Scriptures iudgemēt of auncient writers And that the matter I go about may be the more playne to the reader I will first set downe in plaine wordes what meaning Cerberus gathereth of those wordes of Paule He gathereth that Paule shoulde minde to teach by those wordes that Christ restored as many as Adam loste Which gathering is very false and that may be proued by the verye circumstaunce of the place it selfe First Paules purpose is by comparing Christ with Adam to shewe that as Adam was able by disobedience to make himselfe and all his posteritie bonds slaues to Satan so was Christ able by obedience to deliuer the same from that bondage and to make them the free children of God Now for the maner of speache that he vseth in comparing these two togither we muste beware that we vnderstande it not so that we make Christ Adam lyke in all pointes For then shall we be enforced to graunt many inconueniences whereof thys is one That as Adam lost himselfe by disobedience so Christ restored himselfe by obedience Wherof shoulde followe that filthy errour of them that affirme that Christ dyed for his owne sinnes as well as for the sinnes of the people contrary to the whole course of the Scriptures which teache that he was without spotte of sinne and therfore was able to satisfie to God y e Father for sinne Another incōuenience is y t there shoulde be repugnācie betwéene this place of Scripture other wherin both S. Paule our Sauiour Christ doe teache that not all mankinde that is not euery particular person of mankinde but a certaine elected and chosen number are by Christ restored into y e fauour of God which thing may not be graūted For in the Scripture there is no repugnaunce at all And the thirde inconuenience shoulde be that only originall sinne that is y e sinne that we haue of our parents euen in our conception is put awaye by the bloud of Christ and not our actuall sinne So that we must eyther satisfie for that our selues or else perishe notwithstanding Christes death and sufferance Which is such an inconuenience as cutteth of from Christ as many as dye not in Infancie before they commit any actuall sinne These inconueniences considered we must séeke to finde another meaning in S. Paules wordes when he compareth Christ with Adam than that which the bare wordes seeme to giue His meaning is not to make Christ lyke vnto Adam but to preferre Christ before Adam to shewe that grace is more abundant in Christ than sinne was in Adam Which thing appeareth in Paules very wordes in the same chapter where he saith Sed non sicut delictum ita donū Si enim vnius delicto multi mortui sunt multo magis gratia Dei donum in gratia vnius hominis Iesu Christi in plures abundauit That is to saye But the gifte was not lyke vnto the sinne for if many dyed by y e sinne of one much more hath the mercy gifte of God in the grace of one man Iesus Christ abounded vnto many If these words of Paule should be vnderstād of the number that were loste by Adam and restored by Christ then muste we graunt y e more were restored by Christ than lost by Adam For he saith that the grace or mercy hath abounded vnto moe Which wordes being vnderstand of y e number restored must be spoken in comparison of the many that were lost by Adam so must it follow that moe were restored by Christ than were lost by Adam Which can not be vnlesse we will saye that Christ restored moe than all For Adam loste all The meaning of Paule is therefore that as y e sinne of Adam being but one man was a sufficient condemnation to himselfe and all his posteritie which are many euen so yea and much more was the grace or frée mercy and gift of God in Christ being but one a sufficient restitution of all the chosen Children of God although y e same were neuer so many And that this is the meaning of Paule doth well appeare by his wordes that follow in the same chapter where he sayth Et non sicut per vnum qui peccauit ita donum Nam condemnatio quidem ex vno in condemnationem gratia autem ex mult is delictis in iustificationem Si enim vnius delicto mors regnauit per vnum multo magis abundantiam gratiae donationis iustitiae accipientes in vita regnabunt per vnum Iesum Christum That is to saye And the gift is not so as is that which entred in by one that sinned For the condemnation came by one sinne into condemnation but grace or frée mercye was of many sinnes into righteousenesse For if by the sinne of one man death haue raigned by the meanes of one man much more shall they which haue receiued abundance of frée mercye or grace and of the gifte and righteousenesse raigne in lyfe thorow one which is Iesus Christ Here doth Paule plainely expresse his meaning Which is that they which haue receiued abundaunce of grace and of the gyft and righteousnesse are those many that are restored by Christ Iesu in whome through the same Christ lyse shall raigne Those are not the whole posteritie of Adam For the same Paule sayth in the .xj. chapter of this Epistle Quod quaerebat Israell non est consecutus electio autē consecuta est Israell hath not obtayned y e thing that he sought for but the election hath obtained Meaning that the carnall Israelites obtained not righteousenesse much lesse did y e whole offspring of Adā obtaine it But the election that is the elected and chosen children of God whether they be of the stock of Israel or no haue obtayned righteousenesse through Christ which is forgiuenesse of al their sinnes by his bloud
Austens name But bycause I promised before to proue mine affirmation as well by the iudgement of Auncient writers as by Scripture I will adde the iudgement of one or two moe whose autoritie and antiquitie is not to be dispised Of the which Ambrose shall be one Writing vpon the Epistle to the Romans he sayth Sicut per vnius delictum in omnes homines in condemnationem sic per vnius iustitiam in omnes homines in iustificationem vitae Hoc est sicut per vnius delictum omnes condemnationem meruerunt similiter peccantes ita in iustitia vnius omnes iustificabuntur credentes Si qui autem condemnationem hanc generalem esse putant simili modo iustificationem generalem accipient Sed non est verum quia non omnes credunt Sicut enim per inobedientiam vnius hominis peccatores constituti sunt plurimi ita et per vnius obedientiam iusti constituentur multi Quos supra omnes dixit hic plures multos significat Plures enim delictum Adae secuti sunt praeuaricando non omnes multi iusti constituentur non omnes Non ergo in eos regnauit mors qui non peccauerunt in similitudine preuaricationis Adae That is to say Euen as by one mans sinne giltinesse came vpon all men to condemnation so did iustification of lyfe come vpon all mē through the righteousenesse of one man That is euen as by the sinne of one man all men that doe sinne as he dyd haue deserued condemnation euen so all that do beleue shall be iustified in the righteousenesse of one man And if any doe think that this condemnation is general let them in lyke maner take the iustification to be generall But that is not true bycause all men doe not beleue For euen as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so by the obedience of one man many shall be made righteous The Apostle doth here call those same many that he did before call all For many haue in sinning folowed the sinne of Adam but not all and many shall be made righteous but not all Death therefore hath not raigned ouer them which haue not sinned in lyke sort as Adam did These be the wordes of Ambrose Which though at the first sight they séeme to incline to the errour of Pelagius yet when they be well weighed they giue a good and sounde meaning That is that sinne neuer raigned in any of Gods elect For although the elect of God in as much as they be the childrē of Adam be partakers of Adams sinne and in Adam condemned yet are they by Christe deliuered from that condemnation so that sinne hath in them no dominion at all Which thing appeareth in them by the fayth in Christ which when they come to knowledge they doe both by wordes and workes declare That this is the meaning of Ambros doth very plainely appeare by that he sayth that all the beleuers shall be iustified For what nedeth iustification where no condemnatiō was Thus much I thought good to write concerning y ◠simple meaning of this auncient Father least any mā of simplicity mistaking his meaning might think y t he should denie y e Elect to be conceyued and borne in originall sinne from which neuer any that was borne Christ only excepted coulde be frée But this is his meaning that in the Elect and chosen Children of God this sinne hath no dominion as it doth appeare by their obedience that they shewe in beleuing the Gospell but in the Reprobates it beareth rule still For Christ hath not killed it in them And to make an ende of this matter Saint Paule sayth thus in his eyght chapter to the Romans Who shall laye any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that doth iustifie who is it that shall condemne If all mankinde then be elected in Christ as Cerberus sayth then shall no sinne be layde to any mans charge For who dare accuse Gods chosen children And so shall Cerberus doctrine be the destruction of all vertue as he hath afore affirmed of the doctrine we teache of Predestination As for that which Cerberus citeth out of the seconde chapter of S. Iohns first Epistle the other places that he sendeth the Reader vnto I doe nowe passe ouer as sufficiently aunswered by that I haue written concerning S. Paules meaning in the fift to the Romans Cerberus The fift of Pelagius errours was that riche men being baptized except they did vtterly renounce and forsake their riches though they seeme to doe some good yet is it not accepted neither can they haue the Kingdome of God A filthy and an abhominable errour directly repugnant both to the state of the common wealth and also to the worde of God which sayth Charge them that be riche in this world that they be not exceding wyse c. And that they doe good and be riche in good workes c. The sixt errour is that the grace of God and the helpe of God is not giuē to euery one of our works but that it is in free choyse in the lawe and in doctrine This errour is exceding wicked and execrable that mā by the law by doctrine and by free choise is able to doe any maner of good worke whatsoeuer it be without the grace and helpe of God For as S. Paule sayeth we are not sufficient of our selues to think any thing as of our selues but our ablenesse cōmeth of God And againe It is God that worketh in vs both the will and the dede euen of good will The seuenth errour is that the grace of God is giuen according to our deseruing Vile and abhominable is this errour also and contrary to the manifest minde and words of the Apostle which sayth If it be of workes then is it no more grace for then were deseruing no more deseruing The eyght errour is that none can be called the children of God except they be all together made without sinne This errour is lyke wicked with the rest directly repugnant to the open Scripture where it is written If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. For as S. Iames saith of himselfe and of all other In many things we sinne all Crowley In these foure errours Cerberus can finde nothing to charge vs with all and therfore he goeth about to get himselfe credite among the simple Christians by calling these errours filthy and abhominable exceding wicked and execrable vile and abhominable and lyke wycked with the reste But if a man might come to reason with Cerberus I thinke it woulde fall out in the ende that he is not so cleare of the sixt errour as he would séeme to be when he calleth it exceeding wicked and execrable For if he were asked why feared he to translate Saint Paules words according to his meaning when he saide to the Philippians Deus est qui operatur
in vobis velle perswere pro bona voluntate That is It is God that worketh in you both the will and the performance therof according to his good will or pleasure Cerberus can not away with Gods good will And therefore he translateth S. Paules wordes euen of good will He feareth by like that some man woulde conclude y t it is Gods good will that by such malicious doings as his is in strowing of his staunderous writings some of them that be slaundered therby shoulde take occasion to open hys subtiltie both in the detesting of these errours and also in the cyting of Scriptures to the contrary of that which is affyrmed in them Which is nothing else but to blinde the eyes of the simple But such as haue had to doe with such as he is do knowe that as he saith here that man is not sufficient of himselfe to thinke any thing so he thinketh and wyl say if he be vrged that man hath power of himselfe to withstande the good motions of Gods holy spirit so that God can not drawe such as he will but only such as he findeth willing to be drawne And to auoide the errour of giuing of grace according to merites or deseruing he sayth that it is giuen to all mankinde indifferently Let all men thersore beware of his subtiltie for he mindeth to disceiue Cerberus The ninth errour is that there is no free choyse if a man haue neede of Gods helpe seing it is in a mans owne will to doe a thing or not to doe it This was also the wicked opinion of Pelagius that if it be graunted that a mā hath neede of Gods helpe then muste it needes followe saith Pelagius that he hath no choise in doing of things but whatsouer a man doth that must he nedes and cannot choose but do This is the Deuils only way aboue all other to leade men to distruction not to suffer them to walke in the playne path of the Lorde but to turne them to some extremitie either on the left hande or else on the right either into the blinde path of crooked superstition or into the wyde way of leude libertie either to seeke iustification by deseruing of workes or by an only fayth not mightie in loue by operation Such lyke extremitie doth the Deuill vse in this point of Doctrine either driuing men into the doubting dreames of destenie or into the absolute freewill of Papistrie Either affyrming all things so to be ordeyned of God that whatsoeuer a mā doth be it good or euill he muste needes and can not choose but of meere necessitie by the ordinaunce of God commit the same Or else affirming that man by freewill or naturall strength can do the wil of God and walke in his lawe without the continuall helpe and grace of God Which two extremities Austen doth very plainly condemne in these words folowing Liberum sic consitcmur arbitrium vt dicamus nos semper Dei indigere auxilio tam illos errare qui cum Manichaeo dicunt hominem peccatum vitare non posse quam illos qui cum Io 〈…〉 iano asserunt hominem non posse peccare Augustinus de verbis Apostoli scrmone 192. We doe sayth he so confesse free choise that we saye a man hath alwaye neede of the helpe of God And that as well they erre which saye with Manicheus that a man can not eschewe sinne as also they which saye with Iouinian that a man can not commit sinne Thus sayth Augustine To conclude therefore this is numbred among the wicked errours of Pelagius that if a man haue free choise then hath he no neede of the grace or helpe of God contrarye to the manifest and open Scripture which sayth by the mouth of S. Paule I can doe all things through the helpe of Christ which strengthneth mee And Esdras saith They that haue abhorred my lawe whilst they had yet freedome and open roume of amendement and conuersion and vnderstoode not but dispised it the same must knowe it after death in paine And here yet once againe I desire thee to marke who they are which with Pelagius fall into this extremitie to affirme that if a man haue choise then hath he no nede of Gods helpe or if he haue nede of Gods helpe then hath he no choise at all And who they are which on the other side with Austē against Pelagius do affirme and cōfesse that man so hath fredom or choise that neuerthelesse he hath cōtinually nede of the helpe grace of God Who they are I say which in this point also ought worthily to be called Pelagians let all men iudge The case is so clere that no lack of knowledge but onely wilfull blindenesse may helpe to cloke the matter I will therfore passe forwarde Crowley Nowe Cerberus thinketh he hath wonne the fielde This case is so plaine sayth he that no lacke of knowledge may helpe to cloke it but wilfull blindenesse And what is the case Forsoth that he and hys fellowes be cleared of Pelagian heresie and I and my fellowes proued to be of one minde with Pelagius who sayde that if a man haue choyse he needeth not Gods helpe or if he néede it he hath no choise at all And where hath Cerberus founde that Pelagius sayde so Not in the ninth Article written in the 106. Epistle for there he sayth but thus If our will or choise haue néede of the help of God it is not free for by frée choyse euery man hath in hys owne will either to doe any thing or to leaue it vndone but he findeth it in the. 191. Sermon De tempore that is of the time Not as the wordes or opinion of Pelagius but as the wordes of Manichaeus Here is pretie packing To make blinde men beleue that there is no difference betwixte Pelagius opinion in his ninth Article and vs that now write and preache of the eternall predestinatiō of God Cerberus bringeth out one of the opinions of Manichaeus and saith that forasmuch as we agrée with him in that point and he and his fellowes doe not therfore we be Pelagians and he and his companie are enimies to Pelagius and vs to But as Cerberus hath requested his friende whome he aunswereth euen so must I desire thée gentle Reader yet once againe to marke how Cerberus handleth his matter that he may séeme to purge himselfe and to charge mée and other with Pelagian heresie I will not deale with Cerberus as he hath done with Samuel for if I would I might say that he had shamefully belyed S. Austen when he citeth his wordes out of his 192. Sermon De verbis Apostoli y ◠is vpon the words of the Apostle whereas saint Austen writeth but. 35. sermons of that 〈…〉 e. Neyther are the workes that he citeth found in the. 19◠sermon De tempore that is of the time but in the. 19◠But as I haue promysed before I will ascribe all such things to the
for then shoulde the lyke haue bene wrought in the Iewes that came to take Christ for when he sayde I am they al fel to the ground but it was wrought within by the power of the spirite Saint Augustine therefore sayth very well Qui fecit te sine te non te iustificat sine te Ergo fecit nescientem iustificat volentem He that made thee without thee doth not iustifie thée without thée therefore he made thée when thou knewest not but he doth iustifie thée being willing To this doe the wordes of Sainct Paule agrée when he sayeth Deus est qui operatur in vobis velle operari It is God that worketh in you both the will and the worke that is according to the will But first the will So that before we follow the drawer we are by the same drawer made willing to follow Thus doth S. Austen and so doe we that Cerberus barketh so at vnderstand the will of man to be frée To conclude this matter and to see what mans freewil is able to doe sée what S. Austen sayeth Creatus est primus homo in natura sine culpa in naturae sine vitio creatus est rectus nō se fecit rectū Quid se autem ipse fecerit notum est Cadens è manu Figuli fructus est Regebat enim cum ipse qui fecerat voluit deserere à quo factus erat permisit Deus tanquā dicens Deserat me inueniat se miseria sua probet quia nihil potest sine me Hoc modo ergo ostēdere voluit Deus homini quid valeat liberum arbitrium sine Deo The first man was created in nature without blame in nature without fault he was created vpright he did not make himselfe vpright It is knowne what he made himselfe Falling out of the hande of the Potter he was broken For he y ◠made him did gouerne him but he was willing to forsake him that had made him And God suffered him so to doe as it were saying thus Let him forsake me that he maye finde himselfe and that he maye by his miserie proue that without me he can doe nothing By this meane therfore would God shewe vnto man what frée will is able to doe without God This maye suffise to as many as will be satisfied But I feare me that Cerberus and his felowes are none of them By this it appeareth that we runne not into the extremities as Cerberus sayth we doe For we neyther teache fatall destinie nor popishe will libertie but we affirme that man hath a choyse and that in some meaning the same is frée and yet notwithstanding Gods forknowledge predessination and election to be infallible As shall more playnely appeare when I shall come to the place wherein I am by Cerberus charged with the setting forth of such a doctrine as is worthily mysseliked of many In the meane while I must say something of y ◠wherin I with others be charged and playnely affirmed to be Pelagiās And that it may appeare whether we be so or no it shall be néedefull that we set downe the opinion of Pelagius as we finde it written by S. Austen in a booke of more authoritie than is that Epistle that Cerberus buildeth vpon Saint Austen being requested by one named Quod vult Deus to write a Cataloge of heresies he satysfieth hys request And thus he writeth of Pelagius heresie Pelagianorum est heresis hoc tempore omniū recentissima à Pelagio Monacho exorta c. At this time sayth he there is the heresie of the Pelagians which is the newest of all and sprang out of one Pelagius a Monke Which maister one Celestius did in such sorte followe that their followers are also called Celestines These men are such enimies to the grace of God whereby we are predestinated to be adopted or chosen to be his children through Iesus Christ and whereby we are deliuered from the power of darkenesse that we may beleue in him and be translated into his kingdome for which cause he sayd No man cōmeth vnto me except it be giuen vnto him of my Father and wherby Charitie is poured out in our hearts that fayth may worke by loue that they beleue that man is able without it to do all the cōmaundements of God whereas if that were true it might séeme that the Lord had in vaine sayde Sine me nihil potestis sacere Without me you can do nothing Whether we be of this mind with Pelagius or no let all the world that séeth our writings or heareth our doctrine iudge Or whether Cerberus and his fellowes be like to be of this minde which finde fault with our doctrine bycause we teach that there is an elected and chosen number to whome God hath giuen fayth and hath poured out loue in their hearts so that they maye come vnto Christ and by their works of obediēce to Gods wil shew forth the liuely fayth in Christ that in their election they haue receyued freely at Gods hand Let all the worlde I say iudge betwixte vs. We say that there is a certayne chosen number which in mercy are chosen to be the children of God images of the sonne of God Iesus Christ and inheritoures of his kingdome And that none can be of this number but those onely to whome it is giuen fréely without any maner deseruing eyther past present or to come And that they being thus chosen predestinated must alwayes acknowledge that it is God that worketh in them and that of them selues they are not able so much as to think a good thought And yet assure them selues that Hell gates can not preuayle agaynst them that is that the power of the Diuell shall not be able to hurte them And that though they be still sore assaulted and sometimes sore woūded yet they shal neuer be ouercome but shal ouercome in Christ and triumph with him in immortalitie for euer But Cerberus and his company say that al mankind is elected and that there is no reprobation at all and cōsequently no election For if there be none resused then is there none election but a generall acceptation And this their election they say is so vncertayne that no man can thereby be certaine of his saluation but al men must still remayne in doubte of damnation by sinne whereas S. Paule hath sayde that there is no damnation to them that be grassed into Christ And Christ himself saith that it is not possible that the elected sorte shoulde be seduced They say also that the power of mans Frée will is to receiue or refuse the grace of God which is indifferently offred vnto al. Which if it be true then must he be able also of himselfe to do that God commaundeth which is the playne errour of Pelagius Well I leaue these two opinions to the iudgement of the reader to consider which of them is most like to be that which Pelagius helde
But to giue a little more light to the Reader I wyll note one sentence more out of that that S. Austen wryteth concerning the heresie of Pelagius Illam vero gratiam Dei sine qua nihil boni possumus facere non esse dicunt nisi in libero arbitrio quod nullis suis praecedentibus meritis ab illo accepit nostranatura ad hoc tantum ipso adiuuante per suam legem atque doctrinam vt discamus quae facere quae sperare debeamus Nos autem ad hoc per donum spiritus sancti vt quae didiscerimus esse facienda faciamus That is They say sayth Austen that the grace of God without which we are able to do no good thing is not otherwise than in Frewil which our nature hath receyued of him not by any deseruings that was in the same before he only helping vs herevnto by his law and doctrine that we may learne what we ought to do and what to hope for But we say to this that through the gift of the holy Ghost we may do those things that we haue learned to be méete to be done Here it is playne that Pelagius maketh the grace of God nothing else but an helpe to the Frée wil of man Whether Cerberus and his fellowes do so too or not let thē iudge that reade his words that are written in his aunswere to this letter and do weygh them with indifferent mindes Now as touching that place that Cerberus citeth out of the sermon De tempore that is of the time 191. Although I knowe what Austen himselfe writeth of all his Epistles and his sermons saying that he had not perused or retracted thē when he set forth his two bookes of Retractations neither doeth it appeare in any of his writings that euer he did retract them Yet I will not reiecte it as none of Austens wordes for the doctrine is sound if it be rightly vnderstande It is possible for man by the power of God to be preserued from Actuall sinne although he can neuer be without the sinne of concupiscence so long as he liueth in mortall flesh So is it possible also yea it can not be chosen but vnlesse God doe by his grace staye man he shall commit Actuall sinne after his regeneration and of him self man is not able to stay him self from it But what make Austens wordes against vs We confesse with Austen that man hath alwayes néede of Gods helpe and we say with the same Austen that they do erre which say that man can not auoyde sinne but yet as I haue sayd before being stayed by the power of God For otherwise these wordes of Austen should be contrary to his owne wordes in his 13. sermon De verbis Apostoli Of the wordes of the Apostle Where he sayeth thus In hoc agone cum constigimus Deum habemus spectatorem in hoc agone cum laboramus Deum poscimus adiuterem Si enim nos ipse non adiuuat non dico vincere sed nec pugnare poterimus That is When we sight in this battayle we haue God to beholde and loke vpon vs when we are in daunger in this battayle we do pray vnto God to helpe vs. But if he do not helpe vs I say not that we shall not ouercome but that we shall not be able so much as to fight We wil not therefore set Austen against him self but take that meaning of his wordes in one place that may agrée with his wordes in another place And so are we with Austen and not against him as Cerberus layeth to our charge Neyther do we holde with Pelagius in any vntruth but if he do in any poynt confesse truth then do we agrée with him although S. Austen shoulde say to the contrary Loke better vpon your conclusion therefore good master Cerberus and learne to apply Scriptures better than you haue applied the words of S. Paul to the Phillippians else men will say ye vnderstand not S. Paule for S. Paule doth not there goe about to ascribe any thing to the power of his owne Frée will but altogether to set forth the exceeding great mercy of God towards him who did stay him from falling both in aduersitie and in wealth As it may well appeare to al that will with iudgement reade the place Your sentence also cyted out of Esoras you shoulde knowe it not to be of such authoritie that it might serue in the triall of such a cause as this is But graunt it were of the greatest authoritie What can it make against vs which deny not that man hath a choise which in some sort is free as I haue declared but do cōfesse that man which despiseth the warnings and long sufferings of God in this life shall after this life in paynes learne to vnderstand what they did then But procéede as you sayde you would Cerberus There followeth the tenth and the eleauenth errours which are these That our victorie commeth not of Gods helpe but of free choyse and that remission of sinnes is not giuen to thē that repent according to the grace and mercy of God but according to the deseruing and labor of them whych by repentaunce are worthy of Gods mercy O blasphemie intollerable O filthy puddle and sincke moste execrable full of stinking errours full of damnable presumption like to the pride of Lucifer moste abhominable the detestable vilenesse whereof is such that rather by exclamation I haue thought it good to renoūce it than with Scripture or reason to confute it All reason and all Scripture gyueth all glory vnto God And this blasphemous errour taketh awaye all the glorye of al goodnesse from the father of all mercy and God of al consolation and gyueth it vnto vile and wretched man which hath of him selfe nothing that is good but doeth altogether receiue it from the mercy and goodnesse of God Here concludeth Austen wyth the errours of Pelagius and sayth that all these errours he reuoked or renounced in the generall Counsell of Palestine Crowley I haue not sworne to finde faulte with all that Cerberus writeth in this his aunswere as it may seme that he hath to reproue and depraue all that I and other that haue or do write or speake of Gods predestination do or haue affirmed I will therefore ioyne with Cerberus in this detesting and renoūcing of these Pelagian errours as one that doth abhorre them no lesse than he doth And bicause man can sée no further than these things that be outward I do with all mine heart wish that he would make it knowen vnto men by such meanes as maye be most to his glorye whether we or Cerberus and his felowes do in y ◠heart detest and abhorre these errors most I will not enter into iudgement but there is cause to suspect that Cerberus and his sorte be not so cleare as by these wordess they would seme to be But let God be Iudge Cerberus Thus haue I set forth in Englyshe
my writing I acknowledge also that Cerberus hath cited the wordes truely euen as I wrate them But that I ment by them as Cerberus doth conclude vpon them I vtterly deny For he concludeth that I haue affirmed that Gods predestination is the onely cause of all euill Whiche I neuer ment to teache neither do my wordes duely considered giue any occasion of such conclusion I graunt my words might haue bene more explaned and my meaning set forth more at large and all occasions of suche calumniations cut off if I had sene that before I wrate that booke whiche I thanke my Lord God I haue sene since Wherfore I minde by the help of God to do that now y e I was not so well able to do then that the Reader may perceiue that I haue with Austen profited in writing My words that Cerberus citeth are these Adam therefore being so perfect a creature that there was in him no lust to sinne and yet so weak that of him selfe he was not able to withstande the assault of the subtile serpent no remedie the only cause of his fall must nedes be the predestination of God Cerberus findeth no fault with any of these wordes till he commeth to no remedy And then no remedy I must be condemned as one that affirmeth Gods Predestination to be the onelye cause of Adams sinne and so consequentlye of all sinne But I haue not saide that Gods predestination was the onelye cause or anye cause of Adams sinne My wordes be that Gods Predestination is the onelye cause of Adams fall Nowe Cerberus can not sée howe Adams fall may be good and therefore he sayeth that it is the fountaine of all sinne and that to be the cause of that fall is to be the cause of all sinne But suche as haue eyes to sée do sée that as Gods predestination is the cause of Adams fall so Adams fall is good For it is the meane whereby God hath shut vp all vnder vnbeliefe that he might haue mercye on all And the meane whereby the Scripture shutteth vp all vnder sinne that the promise which is of the faith of Iesus Christ might be giuen to the faithfull I write therefore now as I wrate before in my Consutation of Shaxtons Articles that for asmuch as there was in Adam nothing to moue him to sinne for lust to do contrarie to Gods wil was not yet entred into him Sathan the enimy had no power then neither hath anye power yet ouer anye creature of God further than God doth limit and appoint him it must nedes followe that the only cause that Adam was assaulted ouerthrowen by Satan was the predestination of God which is euer all one with his vnsearcheable will counsel The fall of Adam thus considered neyther is nor can be counted sinne for it is the performance of Gods purpose whiche is euer good although vnsearchable by mans feble vnderstanding And yet I do not denie Adams fall to be sinno in Adam himself for it was Factum cōtramandatum Dei A dede done contrary to the commasidentent of God And so it had a cause in Adam himselfe which was the power of his wil whereby he consented to y e enticement of Satan who vsed the woman as his instrument therin Of thys will and the power therof Sainct Austen writeth thus De libero arbitrio lib. 3. Cap. 18. Cum autem de libera voluntate rectè faciendi loqui 〈…〉 de illa silicet in qua homo factus est loquimur When we speak of the will that is frée to do wel we speake of that will wherein man was made And againe in his booke De natura gratia Cepite 43. speaking of man he saith Quis enim eum nescit sanum inculpabilem factum libero arbitrio atque ad iustè viuendum libera potestate constitutum Who knoweth not that man was made found vnblameable and that he was ordeined with frée choyse and frée power or libertie to liue righteously And againe in his boke De Correptione gratia Cap. 11. Istam gratiam non habuit homo primus qua nunquam vellet esse malus sed sanè habuit in qua si permanere vellet nunquam malus esset sine qua etià m cum libero arbitrio bonus esse non posset sed eam tamenper liberum arbitrium deserere posset Nec ipsum ergo Deus esse voluit sine sua gratia quē reliquit in suo libero arbitrio quoniam liberum arbitrium ad malum sufficit ad bonum autem nihil est nisi adiuuetur ab omnipotenti bono quod adiutorium si homo ille per liberum non deseruisset arbitrium semperesset bonus sed deseruit desertus est Tale quippe erat adiutorium quod desereret cum vellet in quo permancret si vellet non quo sieret vt vellet The firste man had not thys grace whereby he shoulde neuer be willing to be euill but yet he had that grace whereby he might haue bene alwayes preserued from euill if he would haue continued therin and without which also he coulde not by frée will be good but yet he was able by frée wil to forsake it God therfore would not haue him to be without his grace whō he had left in his owne fréewill For fréewil is able inough to do euil but to do good it hath no power at al except it be holyē by the almightie goodnesse which helpe if that man had not by fréewill forsaken he shoulde haue bene good for euer but he did forsake and was forsaken For the helpe was such that he might forsake it when he woulde and suche wherin he might remaine if he woulde not such whereby it might come to passe that he should be willing By these places of S. Austen we maye see of what minde he was concerning the frée will of man before his fall It was suche that hée mighte consent to what hée woulde But the grace to be willing to consent to nothing but that which was good was not giuen vnto mā that man might haue experience of the power of his own will and so for euer after ascribe al the glory to him that worketh all in all The cause of Adams fall therfore euen by the iudgement of S. Austen of whome Cerberus maketh suche boast was not in himself For God had fore appoynted that by that meanes man should haue experience of hymselfe and so learne to trust in one stronger than hymself But the cause that made his fall sinne was in himselfe For he did willinglye consent to the perswasion of his wife who also had in like maner consented to the persuasion of the Serpent If Cerberus could consider the fall of the first man after this sort he would neuer conclude that I teaching that the Predestination of God was the onelye cause of mans fall shoulde withall conclude that it is the onlye cause of all sinne and euill For I do
And why maye I not meane as S. Austen doth in the eleauenth chapter of his booke De correptione gratia where he sayeth as I haue cited before Nec ipsum ergo Deus esse voluit sine sua gratia quem reliquit in su◠libero arbitrio quoniam liberum arbitrium ad malum sufficit ad bonum autem nihil est nisi adiuuctur ab omnipotēti bono quod adiutoriū si homo ille per liberum non deseruissaet arbitrium semper esset bonus sed deseruit desertus est Tale quippe erat adiutoriū quod desereret cum vellet in quopermaneret sivellet non quo fieret vt vellet God therfore sayth Austen would not suffer him to be without his grace whom he had left in hys owne frée choise for free will is able inough to do euill but to do good it hath no power at all except it be holpen of the almighty goodnesse which help if that man had not by his frée wil forsaken he should haue bene good for euer but he did forsake was forsaken For the help was such that he might forsake it when he woulde and suche wherein he might remaine if he woulde not such whereby it might come to passe that he should be willing Doth not S. Austen affirme here that the help of God which Adam had was not suche that by it he might be willing neuer to forsake it And what other cause of this can you find thā the Predestination of God which is according to his euerlasting will vnto the whiche all things are and must be subiect If Cerberus will not be satisfied with thys let him remember the saying of S. Paule which S. Austen doth so often vse to stop the mouthes of the vnaunswereable enimies of Gods frée grace and predestination O altitudo diuitiarum sapientiae scientiae Dei. Quám incomprehensibilia sunt iudicia cius inuestigabiles viae cius O the depenesse of the richesse of the wisedome and knowledge of God Nowe incomprehensible are hys iudgementes and hys wayes past finding out Stay here maister Cerberus go no further I charge you lest ye be thrust headlong into hell for your proube presumption Cerberus And although there be some places of Scripture whervpon they would ground this opiniō that men should sinne by the wyll of God or that God should predestinate or ordeyne men to sinne as where it is sayde that God hardened the heart of Pharao and such like yet partayneth it nothing to that purpose if it be wayed with the rest of the Scriptures For as Austen saith Ipse quasi cos indurat quia iusto iudicio indurari sinit Lib. de essentia Diuinitatis He doth saith Austen as it were harden them bicause that with his iust iudgemēt he suffreth them to be hardened And in his booke De libero arbitrio gratia Cap. 21. he sayeth Where at any time we reade in the scripture that mē be seduced or their hearts hardened of God there may we not doubt but that their wicked deseruings went before lest ye runne sayth he into the saying of Salomon Insipientia viri violat vias cius Deum autem causatur in corde suo The foolishnesse of a man defileth his wayes but he sayeth in his heart God is the cause of this hardening of heart Melancthon in his common places speaketh very plainely saying Nec figure illae verborum offendunt c. Neither sayth he do these figuratiue speaches offēd As I wil harden the heart of Pharao such like For it is certaine that in the Hebrew phrase they signify a permission or suffring and not an effectuall wyl of God as Lead vs not into temptation that is to say Suffer vs not to be led into temptation These are Melancthons woordes And marke what he sayth of the Hebrew phrase for al men know him to be a man learned But to be short it is surely to be maruelled at that although they do thus accuse Gods Predestination to be the only cause of Adams fal which is in dede not onely sinne but also the very welspring of al wickednesse and the filthy foūtaine of all our vncleānesse yet they dare affirme themselues to be the only friendes and louers of Gods Predestination al others to be the enimies of Gods holy Predestination which doe not subscribe to this their fantasticall imagination Moreouer if it should be said that they make God the Autor of sinne they would crie naye and saye they were slaundered But whether God be not the autor of that whereof he is the onelye cause let the vncorrupted heart iudge Also to saye the truth when they see their time and place they are bolde inoughe yea euen to vse the terme Autor in that same manifest sense as in a boke set forth by Iohn Knox against an aduersarie of Gods Predestination as he calleth hym where in the. 158. pagine he sayth thus Therfore whatsoeuer the Ethnickes and ignorant did attribute vnto Fortune wee assigne to the prouidence of God And straight way he sayth We shall iudge nothing to come of fortune but that all cōmeth by the determination of hys counsell And furder it displeaseth him when we esteme any thing to procede from any other so that we do not behold hym and know him not only the principall cause of al things but also the auctour appointing al things to the one part or to the other by his counsell Marke well his wordes and the very sense therof All commeth of God sayth he God is the principal cause and God is the auctour of it whatsoeuer it be God appointeth al things both to the one part and to the other both to the wicked and to the godly all things nothing is excepted aswell damnation as saluation as well sinne as vertue as well wickednesse as holynesse yea if it happen to be murder it selfe for that a little before he rehearseth Whatsoeuer it be it procedeth from none other saith he but frō God God so hath appointed it God is the principal cause of it Yea and not onely the principall cause but also the auctor of it Here seest thou those playne termes which sometime for a little nice lispyng they can not or will not speake that God is the auctour of all murder and mischiefe As for fortune I knowe it to be an Heathenish fable but where he saith that God is not onelye the principall cause but also the auctour of all things without any exception and that whatsoeuer the Ethnickes attributed vnto fortune that same we ought to ascribe to the prouidēce of God it is suche a wide wandring and large blasphemye as hath not bene lightlye heard For who knoweth not that vnto fortune the Ethnickes ascribed treason and craftie conspiracie As where they call her Insidiosa Persida Malesida Vnto fortune they ascribe cruell murder and tyrannicall mischiefe As when they call her Aspera Dura Saeua Truculenta Vnto fortune they ascribed filthy lust and
heareth that saying he crieth 〈◊〉 Areade Areade what is this In Cerberus his iudgement eyther Iob must be a liar or else God must be a théefe For when word came to Iob that the Sabeis had slaine his seruauntes and driuen away his cattle he sayd the Lord hath taken theÌ„ away But to take away Iobs cattle was felonie Ergo eyther God was a Felon or Iob a liar if Cerberus his opinion beleue But how God doth worke in the heartes of euill and wicked men and vse them as his instruments and yet is not partaker of their sinne is sufficiently declared afore out of S. Austen De gratia libero arbitrio Nowe Cerberus will looke that I shoulde say some thing to the words of Prosper Otherwise he wil make reckning that he hath the victorie For a little occasion maketh him to brag The obiection that the Frenchmen made against the sentence of S. Austen in the place that Cerberus speaketh of is this Quòd liberum arbitrium in homine nihil sit sed siue ad bonum siue ad malum praedestinatio 〈◊〉 in hominibus â—perctur That is to say That S. Austen should holde that frée will in man is nothing but that Gods predestination doth worke in men whether it be to good or to euill The answere to this obiection is thus Liberum arbitrium nihil esse vel non esse perperam dicitur sed ante illuminationem fidei in tenebris illud in vmbra mortis ac gere nòn rectè nogâ—tur Quoniam priusquam à dominatione Diaboli per Dei gratiam liberetur in illo profundo iacet in quod se sua libertate demersit Amas ergo langores suos profanitate habet quòd agrotare se nescit donec prima haec medela conferatiâ— aegroto vt incipiat nosse quòd langueat possit opem medici desiderare qua surgat Iustificatus itaque homo idest ex impio pius factus nullo praecedente bono merito accipit donum quo medio adquirat meritum vt quod in illo inchoatum est per gratiam Christi etiam per industriam liberi augeatur arbitrij nunquam remoto adiutorio Dei sine quo nec prosicere nec permanere in bono quisquam potest Praedestinationem autem Dei siue ad bonum siue ad malum in hominibus operari ineptissimè dicitur vt ad vtrumque homines quaedam necessitas videatur impellere cum in bonis voluntas sit intelligenda degratia in malis autem intelligenda sine gratia That is To say that frée will is nothing or that there is no frée will at all is euil sayd but that the same doth wander in darknesse and in the shadow of death before it is illumined by faith is not well denied For before it is by the grace of God deliuered from the domination of the Diuell it lyeth in that déepe dongion into which by it owne libertie it did cast it selfe It doth therfore loue it owne sore sicknesses and doth compt it helth not to knowe that it is sicke vntyll this first medicine be ministred to it being sicke that it may begin to know that it is sick and be able to desire the helpe of the Phisition whereby it may aryse When man therefore is iustified that is to say made godlie of vngodlie without any good deseruing going before he receyueth a gift by which meane he maye also get merit or deseruing that that thing which is by the grace of Christ begonne in him may also by the industrie of frée will be encreased neuer without the helpe of God without which no man can eyther go forward or stay in that which is good But it is most foolishly said that the predestinatioÌ„ of God doth so worke in men eyther to good or to euill that a certain necessitie may séeme to force men forward vnto both seeing that in good the will is to be vnderstanded to come of grace in euill the will is to be vnderstanded without grace Now gentle Reader thou seest what it was that the French men obiected against S. Austen Thou séest also what Prosper doth answere in S. Austeus defence CoÌ„sider nowe what occasion Cerberus hath to conclude against vs as he doth The French men obiect that S. Austen should hold that fréewill in man is nothing but that Gods predestination doth worke in men whether it 〈…〉 to good or euyl Prosper aunswereth that it is an euil saying to affirme that fréewill is nothing or that there is no fréewill at al. And that it is most foolishly sayd that the predestination of God doth so worke in the heartes of men either to good or euill that a certaine necessitie may séeme to force men forward vnto both But we do neyther say that fréewill is nothing or that there is none at all neither that predestination doth so worke in men that a certaine necessitie may seme to force them forward both to good and euil No we do not affirme that predestination doeth worke in men any thing at all Ergo Prosper hath written nothing against vs. Cerberus And further Crowley in the sayd booke of confutation before named and the same article vsing the very same terme of driuing he sayeth that Gods predestination hath driuen them to it And yet not therwith content anone after he sayeth We are coÌ„pelled by the necessitie of Gods predestination to do those things for the which we are damned but to repeate the whole sentence To this must we answere sayth he in thys wyse If God were an inferiour to anie superior power to the which he ought to render an accompt of his doings or if anie of vs were not his creatures but of another creation besides his workmanship then might we charge him with tyrannie bicause he condemneth vs and appoynted vs to be punished for the things we doe by compulsion through the necessitie of his predestination Marke here by the way how al rulers be charged wyth tyrannie for punishing of male factors first grauÌ„t thys proposition which he affirmeth That al offenders as murderers theues and traytours coÌ„mit their offences by the compulsion of predestination Secondly this assumpted minor which he also affirmeth that it is tyranny for one whych is an inferior power and not theyr creator to punish them which do commit crimes by such compulsion Then must it needes follow that al rulers are tyrants which punish malefactors and are no creators but inferior powers bicause all malefactors could not chose but commit such wicked offeÌ„ces being driuen therevnto by compulsion through the necessitie of predestination Wo worth the sinful generatioÌ„ of our age which hath bred and brought forth such a noisome noueltie and straunge Paradox to whom the handes of Gods mercie are stretched out all the day long and yet they are euer defying him to the face as the Prophete sayth Esay 65. Consider I desire thee not the persons of them that speake be they neuer so high neuer
conclude that I charge al rulers with tyrannie The rulers are commaunded of God who is theyr ruler and to whom they shal render an accompt of their doings that they shall punishe the breakers of Gods cōmaundements and to that ende hath God giuen them a sword Woe vnto them therefore if they do not punysh such and defend the innocent And when they do punish the offenders and defend the innocent then do they their dutie So far of do I thinke them to be from the fault of tyrannie But Cerberus woulde fayne haue the Rulers angrie with vs and especially with Crowley And therefore he laboureth to make thē beleue that Crowley saith that which he neuer thought The words that Cerberus hath cited out of my booke against Shaxton when they be indifferently weyghed shall be found none other in effect than are those wordes that Esaie wrate in the. 45. Chapter of his Prophecies where he sayeth thus Vae contendenti cum sictore suo Testa cum testis terrae contendat An dicet lutum sictori suo quid facis opus tuum manibus destituitur That is to say Wo be to him that doth contende with his maker Let the earthen vessell contende with the earthen vesselles Shall the claye saye vnto him that made it what duest thou make and thy worke is not made with handes What other thing can Esaie meane by these words but that as it is a thing farre vnséemely for a piece of clay to stand vp and reason with him that tempereth it with his fingers and to say vnto him why doest thou fashion me after this sort so is it vnséemely that man should reason with God concerning his purpose in making him after this fashion or that or to this vse or that vse But if man wil reason this matter let him reason it with him y ◠is a man as he is so were there some reason in his doings For although one man haue by Gods ordinance authoritie ouer other men yet may not that man do with the rest what he lusteth as God maye doe with his creatures Wherfore I conclude that Cerberus his exclamation with woe worth the sinfull generation of our age c. is not worth the weighing neyther would Cerberus if he had séene thus much before haue thought it worth the writing as I suppose Cerberus Against which errour crieth out the word of God in a multitude of places manifestly prouing that through the grace helpe of God mē may choose and are neyther driuen by absolute necessitie nor compelled by Gods Predestination to commit murder theft treason or any such flagitious offence nor any maner of sinne or euill whatsoeuer it be As for example Moyses sayth Therefore choose life Deut. 30. And Iosua sayeth choose whome you will serue And after when the people promised to serue the Lord only he sayth vnto them you are witnesses vnto your selues that ye haue chosen the Lord to serue him Iosua 24. But afterward when the people forsoke the Lord agayne and chose other Gods the Lord sayth vnto them Goe crie vnto the Gods which ye haue chosen Iud. 10. Christ sayeth Marie hath chosen hir that good part which shall not be taken from hir Luc. 10. Dauid sayth I haue chosen the way of truth and againe in the same Psalme I haue chosen thy commaundements Psalm 119. But the Lord saith by his Prophet Esay They did wickednesse before mine eyes and chose the thyng that pleased me not Esay 65. and in the next chapter he sayth Et elegerunt quae ego nolui And they haue chosen those things whych I would not Esay 66. Thus it is playne that as choose and can not choose agree together so doth their opinion agree wyth the Scripture for such direct contrarietie is betwene choise and meere necessitie betwene violēt compulsion and christian libertie that blacke and white may wyth more possibilitie be coupled in a subiect But it is maruell to see how scrupulous some mē are in these wordes of choyse I doubt whether they dare read these many such like places of scripture which so plainly speake of choyse But perhap they alway skip ouer that word or reade some other in steade therof as the Iewes do Adonai in steade of Iehouah for surely manie are so afrayde of freewill that they fall as the Prouerbe sayth out of the lime Kell into the cole pit from high presumption into depe desperation fiercelie following that olde spirite of wicked Pelagi as before it is touched in the .ix. of his diuelish errors where he affirmeth that if a mā haue neede of Gods helpe then hath he no freedome or choyse at all Thus do they breake theyr shippe vpon the perillous rocke seeking to escape the daungerous Hurlepole For an horrible presumption it was of Pelagius to thinke that a man by nature had such power to choose good and refuse euill that he needed not the grace and helpe of God and a desperate opinion is this of other to say that the predestination of God worketh all things in man whether it be good or euill and that a man can not choose but do whatsoeuer he doth For no doubt thys opinion maketh a verie disordered Chaos and an vtter cōfusion of al thyngs as it were mixing thrusting together both heauen earth and hell Making one confused lumpe of God the Diuell and the world Of sinne grace and nature turning all doings into dreames all trueth into traunces all veritie into sables all prayer and meditation into vaine imagination For if Gods predestination be the onlie cause of Adams fall and filthie sinne and consequently the onely cause and worker of all euill yea euen wyth compulsion sorce as they shamefully and plainly affirme then will no man denie that on the other side Gods predestination worketh as violently in all thyngs that are good So then if Gods predestination work all without all exception both in euill and good then all other things whatsoeuer they be although they appeare to worke and doe some thing yet doe they in dede vtterly nothyng So that the Diuell doth nothyng man doth nothing lawes do nothing doctrine doth nothing prayer doth nothyng but Gods predestination doth altogether is the efficient cause yea and the only cause of all thyngs Agaynst thys opinion the worde of God is exceding playne and manifest not only in the places before rehearsed but also in these folowing here briefly noted yea and abundantly throughout the whole Scripture Gene. 4. a. Reg. 24. b. 1. Para. 21. b. Pro. 3. d. Eccle. 15. c. 4. Esd 7. b. d. g. e. 9. a. Luk. 10. d. f. Ioā 1. b. Act. 5. a. 1. Cor. 7. g. 9. a. 10. c. 14 f. 2. Cor. 13. c. Phil. 4. c. Heb. 11. Against this euill opinion also doe all the auncient Doctors wyth one cōsent vehemently write as they by themselues cannot denie except only Augustine whych bicause of his exceeding obscuritie and