impudent bawdrye as when they call her Lenocinaus Bruta and Impudens Vnto fortune they ascribed scornefull pride and vaine glory calling her Imperiosa Procax and Superba Vnto fortune they ascribed beastly blindnesse rude ignoraunce calling her Coeca and Exoculata To conclude vnto fortune the Ethnickes ascribed all peruerse and pestilent wickednesse and all abhomination detestable calling her Nefaria Abhominanda Improba Yet saye these professors of destiny whatsoeuer the Ethnickes ascribed vnto fortune that same ought we to attribute to the prouidēce of God yea and God is the very auctor the principal cause and the only cause therof Crowley Cerberus supposeth nowe that he hath pulled from vs y ◠foūdation of our faith For he saith that those scriptures that we would ground our opinion vpon appertaine nothing to that purpose when they be weighed with the rest of the scriptures For the triall of this matter it shalbe mete for me at this time plainly to set down in writing what the opinion is that I and other of my minde in this matter of Predestination doe holde And then what those Scriptures be that Cerberus meaneth of conferring the same with as manye other places of scripture as haue any shewe of a contrarye meaning so shall it appeare what Cerberus hath wonne by that he citeth out of Austen and Melancthon First we hold that what soeuer hath bene from the beginning is nowe or shal be to the ende and for euer was in Gods purpose without beginning and predestinated or foreappointed to be in the time and order that it hath ben is or shal be so that nothing hath doth or shal come to passe otherwise than he hath withoute beginning purposed and foreappointed the same The reasons that we stay vppon are these Gods power is absolute so that what he will do hé is able to do and what he will haue done can not be letted by any cōtrary power what he wil not haue done can not by anye power be done But his power coulde not be absolute c. if ought might be done otherwise thā he hath purposed appointed Therfore all things come to passe euen as he hath without beginning purposed appointed the same Another reason is thus Gods wisedome is most perfect so that whatsoeuer he doeth is so done that the doing thereof cannot be repented But if ought that he doth might fal out otherwise thā he ment it should whē he did it it should folow that his wisdome were not most perfect for it is not y ◠point of a wise man to saye I thought not that it woulde haue so happened Therfore nothing hath doeth or shall happen otherwyse than he ment it should when he did first ordeine it The third reason is that his foreknowledge can not be deceiued but euen as he did foresée and know before hande that things should come to passe so they haue be and shal be brought to passe But this coulde not be if things should be done otherwise thā by his appointmēt Therfore al things haue are and shal be done by his appointment These be the chief reasons that we stay vpon The scriptures that we do most stay vpō are these Conuenerunt enim in ciuitate ista aduersus sanctum filium tuū Iesum quem vnxisti Herodes Pontius Pilatus cū gentibus populis Israel ad faciendum quaecunque manus tua consilium tuum prius decreuer unt fieri There gathered together euen in this Citie against thy holy childe Iesus whome thou haste annointed both Herode and Pontius Pilate with y ◠Gentiles and peoples of Israell to doe whatsoeuer thyngs thy power and coūsel had before decreed to be done Actes the iiij Chapter Againe in the .vij. of Exod. it is thus written Dixitque Dominus ad Mosen Ecce constitui te Deum Pharaonis Aaron frater tuus erit Propheta tuus Tu loquêris ei omnia quae mando tibi ille loquêtur ad Phamonē vt dimittat filios Israel deterra sita Se dego indurabo cor eius et multiplicabo signa ostenta mea in terra Egypti non audiet vos And y ◠Lord said vnto Moses Behold I haue appointed thée to be Pharaos God Aaron thy brother shalbe thy Prophet Thou shalt speak vnto him all those things that I shall commaunde thée and he shall speake vnto Pharao that he let the children of Israell depart out of his land But I will harden his heart and will multiply my wonders and signes in the land of Egypt and he shall not hearken vnto you Moreouer in the .xix. Chapter of the .iiij. booke of the Kings we reade thus Venerunt ergo serui Regis Ezechiae ad Isaam Dixitque eis Isaas Haec dicetis domino vestro Haec dicit Dominus Noli timere à facie sermonū quos audistis quibus blasphemanerunt pueri Regis Assyriorum me Ecce ego immittam ei ▪ spiritum audiet nuntium reuertetur in terram suam et deijciam eum gladio in terra sua And in the ende of the same Chapter it is written thus Cumque adoraret in templo Nesroch Deum suum Adramelech Saraser filij eius percusserunt eum gladio c. The seruauntes of King Ezechia came vnto Esay And Esay said vnto them Thus shal ye say vnto your Lord. Thus sayth the Lorde Be not thou afraide of the wordes that ye haue hearde wherewith the seruauntes of the King of the Assirians haue blasphemed me Behold I wil put a spirit into him and he shal heare a tidings and he shal returne into his owne country and in his owne countrye will I ouerthrowe him with the sworde And in the end of the same Chapter it is written thus And when he was in the Temple worshipping Nesroch his owne God Adramelech and Saraser hys owne sonnes slewe him with the sworde c. Furthermore in the .xlv. of Genesis we reade thus Praemisitque me Deus vt reseruemini super terram escas ad viuēdum habere possitis Non vestro consilio sed Dei voluntate missus sum qui fecit me quasi patrem Pharaonis Dominum vniuersae domus eius c. God sent me before that you might be reserued vpon the earth and haue foode to lyue by It was not by your aduise or counsel that I was sent hither but by the will of God who hath made me to be as a Father vnto Pharao and Lorde of all his house c. To conclude in the last chapter of the same booke we reade the matter repeated after this sort Nolite timere num Dei possumus resistere voluntati Vos cogitastis de me malum sed Deus vertit illud in bonum c. Feare not are we able to resist Gods will you did deuise euill for me but God did turne it to good By these Scriptures it appeareth plainelye that all those thinges that Herode Pilate and the Iewes did to
perpetrando nutriūt nòn ausert quasi ipse cos induret quià iusto iudicio indurari sinit That is to say It is said that God doth hardē the heartes of certaine euill men as it is written of Pharao King of Egypt not that the Almightye God doeth by his almightie power harden their hearts which thing to beleue is an vngodly thing but when theyr faultes requiring the same doeth not take from them that hardnesse which in committing euilles they themselues doe nourishe to themselues he doth as it were himselfe harden them bicause he doth by his iust iudgemēt suffer thē to be hardened If Cerberus woulde haue weighed these words wel he woulde neuer haue applyed them against vs. For we teach not that the almighty God doth by his almightie power harden mens hearts for we know that it were an vngodly thing so to teach or beleue but we teache as S. Austen doth that theyr sinnes requiring the same he leaueth them in the hardnesse of their hearts which by committing of euilles they do nourish vnto themselues For by the sinne of the first man al mens hearts are hardned and of them selues they can do nought else but nouryshe that hardnesse and Gods hardning of their hearts is nothing else but the withholding of the deawe of his grace from them without which they can not be softned And this he doth in iust iudgement for the sinne of oure first Father hath deserued no lesse in vs all But here I must let the Reader vnderstande what places Cerberus pycketh for his purpose Erasmus supposeth that rather Hugo Victorinus than S. Austen should be y ◠Autor of this booke Well I will not striue wyth him for the matter But let him consider it better before he applie it against vs againe The woordes of the other place that Cerberus citeth out of the .xxj. chapter of S. Austens booke De gratia libero arbitrio are as faithfully handled as y ◠other Cerberus feared to set downe to many of Austens wordes least the Reader shoulde see that they make with vs against Cerberus and his fellowes I will therfore set downe so many of hys wordes as may make his meaning knowen to the diligent Reader Firste in the beginning of the same Chapter he sayth thus Quis nòn ista iudicia diuina contremiscat quibus agit Deus in cordibus etià m malorum hominum quicquid vult reddens eis tamèn secundum merita eorum Roboam filius Salomonis respuit consiliū salubre Seniorum quod ei dederant c. Who would not saith Austen tremble at these iudgementes of God wherby he doth in the heartes euen of wicked men worke what he lusteth and yet rendring vnto them according to their deseruings Roboam the sonne of Salomon refused the holesome counsell of the Elders which they gaue him which was that he should not deale roughly with the people and he hearkened rather to the wordes of them that were of his owne age giuing a rough aunswere to them whom he should haue aunswered gentlye And so forth citing many examples out of the Scriptures to proue that God is he that worketh in the hearts of euill men those things wherby his purpose is performed in punishing of sinne And towards the end of the Chapter he saith Hijs talibus testimonijs diuinorum eloquiorum quae omnia comemorare 〈…〉 s longum est satis quantum existimo manifestatur operari Deum in cordibus hominum ad inclinandas corum volūtates quo ▪ cunque voluerit siuè ad bona pro sua misericordia siuè ad mala pro meritis corum iudicio vtique suo aliquando aperto aliquādò occulto sempèr autèm iusto Fixum enim debet esse immobile in corde vestro quia nō est iniquitas apud Deum Ac per hoc quādò legitis in litteris veritatis à Deo seduci homines aùt obtudi vel obdurari corda corum nolite dubitare praecessisse mala merita corum vt iustè ista paterentur ne incurratis in illud Prouerbium Salomonis Insipientia viri violat vias eius Deum autèm causatur in corde suo That is to say By these and suche like testimonies of holy Scriptures wherof it were too long to make a whole recitall it is as I suppose sufficientlye shewed that God doeth woorke in the heartes of men to encline their willes whither it pleaseth him whether it be to good things according to his mercie eyther to euill things according to their merits and according to his own iudgement which is sometime open and sometime secrete but alwayes iuste For this persuasion ought to be fired and vnmoueable in your hearts that there is none iniquitie with God And hereby when ye reade in the writings of the truth that God doth leade mē out of the way or that he doth dull or harden their heartes do ye not doubt but that their euill deseruing went before that they might iustly suffer these things least ye should runne into that Prouerbe of Salomon which sayth The foolishnesse of a man doth defile his wayes but in his heart he layeth the blame in God If Cerberus would haue set downe all these wordes of S. Austen I shoulde not haue neded to write any aūswere to that whiche he did set downe For S. Austens wordes are sufficient for aunswere when he sayth that God worketh in the hearts of mē to encline their willes whether it be to good things according to his mercy or to euill things according to their deseruings that which way he him self is willing to encline them Now let Cerberus finde contradiction in S. Austens words if he can As forme I can sée none But if Cerberus can finde none then hath he applied S. Austens wordes against vs contrary to S. Austens meaning Nowe let vs sée what Cerberus hath founde in Melancthons common places Melancthon speaketh verye plainly saith Cerberus and sayth Nec figur◠illae verborum offendunt c. Neither saith he doe these figuratiue speaches offend As I wil hardē the heart of Pharao and such like for it is certain that in the Hebrew phrase they signifie a permission or suffering not an effectuall will of God As leade vs not into temptation y ◠is to saye suffer vs not to be lead into temptatiō These are Melancthons wordes sayth Cerberus and marke sayth he what he sayeth of the Hebrew phrase for all men know him to be a man learned Here Cerberus beginneth to triumphe and semeth to himselfe to haue wonne the stelde Melancthon hath said it therfore it must nedes be so I reuerence Melancthon and do acknowledge that he was learned but let vs sée whether in this point Melācthon haue not shewed him selfe to loth to offende such as Cerberus is and therfore séemed to haue giuen them vaūtage against himselfe In the same booke of common places in the first title which is De Deo he describeth God after this sorte Deut est essentia
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
was not elected to the blessednesse whereof Christ spake before when he sayd ye shall be happie if ye doe those things He speaketh not this of all for he knoweth whome he hath chosen to the fellowship of this blessednesse This fellow which did so eate Christes bread that he did lyft vp his héele against him is none of that fellowship c. Againe the same Sainct Austen in the. 62. treatise vpon Iohn sayth thus Nisi ergo se traderet Christus nemo traderet Christum Quid habet Iudas nisi peccatum Neque enim in tradendo Christo salutem nostram cogitauit propter quam traditus est Christus sed cogitauit pecuniae lucrum inuenit animae detrimentum Accepit mercedem quam voluit sed nolenti est data quam neluit Tradidit Iudas Christum tradidit Christus scipsum Ille agebat negotium suae venditionis iste nostrae redēptionis Quod facis facito citius nòn quia tu potes sed quia hoc vult qui omnia potest That is say Except therefore Christ would deliuer vp himselfe no man coulde betraie him What was there in Iudas more than sinne For in betraying Christ he minded not to work our saluation for which Christ was betrayed but his minde was vpon the gaine of monie and he founde the losse of his owne soule He receyued the reward that he desired but that reward which he was not willing to haue was giuen vnto him being vnwilling to haue it Iudas did betraie Christ and Christ did deliuer vp himselfe The one applied his marchandize the other our redemption That thou doest doe quickly sayd Christ not bicause thou art able to do it but bicause he that is able to do all things is willing it should be so Againe in the hundreth and .vij. treatise vpon Iohn he sayth thus Quos dedisti mihi custodiui nemo ex hijs perijt nisi filius perditionis vt Scriptura impleatur Filius perditionis dictus est proditor Christi perditioni praedestinatus secundum Scripturam quae de illo in Psalmo Centesimo octauo maximè prophetatur That is to say I haue kept those that thou hast giuen vnto me and none of them is perished saue only the childe of perdition that the Scripture might be fulfilled He that betrayed Christ is called the childe of perdition bicause he was predestinated to destructiō according to the Scripture which in the Psalme 108. chieflye is prophecied of him Assaine in his questions vpon Exodus and the. 18. question S. Austen sayth thus Assiduè Deus dicit Indurabo cor Pharaonis velut causam insert cur hoc faciat implebo signa mea portenta mea in Aegypto tanquà m necessaria suerit obduratio Pharaonis vt signa Dei multiplicarentur vel implerētur in Aegypto Vtitur ergo Deus benè cordibus malis ad id quod vult ostendere bonis vel quod facturus est bonis That is to say God doth oftentimes say I wil harden Pharaos heart and he doth as it were bring in a cause why he would doe it saying And I will fulfill my signes and wonders in Egypt as though the hardening of Pharao should be necessarie to the multiplying and fulfilling of Gods wonders in Egypt God therfore doth vse well those hearts that be euill for the fulfilling of that thing that he is willing to showe to them that are good or of that which he mindeth to do for them If Cerberus had had eyes to sée he might as well haue séen these places of Austen as that one place which he thinketh so sufficient for the declaration of the whole matter And there is not one of these places that is not of equall authoritie with that one place of his Yea and the first of these places is of greater authoritie as may appeare to them that will reade the bookes of S. Austens Retractations In these places S. Austē saith that Christ chose to be his disciples such men as were born of poore parentage not called to honour and vnlearned that he migh the and do in them whatsoeuer they should be or do The actions therefore that were done by them were his actions and were in him exceeding good although the same were in some of thē excéeding euill This thing is made more plaine in the other places cited oute of S. Austen First he sayth Christ know him that should betraie him and he chose him so much the rather as one necessary for his businesse And againe he sayth speaking of Iudas was not he also elected to some thing wherevnto he was necessarie And againe Except Christ would haue deliuered vp himselfe no man could haue betrayed him What was there in Iudas but sinne As who should say the acte was Christes but the sinne in the acte was Iudasses Yea he saith furder That which thou doest do quickly Not bicause thou art able to do it but bicause he that is able to do all things will haue it so done And last of all he sayth of Iudas that he was called the child of perdition bicause he was predestinated to destruction I suppose if Cerberus had séene and well weyghed these places of Austen he would not haue triumphed so greatly in that one place of his Neyther would he haue derided the iudgement of those that ascribing the acte vnto God do iustly ascribe the sinne of the same acte vnto sinfull man from whose frée choyse consenting vnto euyll the sinne of the acte doth spring and not from God from whom nothing can come that is not excéeding good as it commeth from him But let vs now sée how this hell hound playeth with his owne tayle Cerberus But to returne againe vnto those that contrarie to the Scripture and all auncient writers doe teach that God doeth not onely foresee but also predestinate both good and euill as well the murder of Caine as the holinesse of Abell and thereby make God plainly the Authour of sinne Whē they perceyue the outragious blasphemie to be ouermuch apparant and manifest then doe they sometimes closely rolle it vp in a riddle agayne Which yet for the darke speach thereof may serue at the least to blind the eyes of some As where among many other wayes they plainly make God the Author of sinne is saying that God is not only the principal cause but also the Authour of al things without exception both on the one side and on the other If they be then vrged with the consequence that God is the Authour of sinne they will aunswere that in all abhomination God is the Authour of the fact but not of the crime as of the fact deede or worke of adulterie Sodometrie murder and Idolatrie God is the Author say they but not of the fault or crime This Enigma haue I heard some men vse and it is also written in a booke entitled a briefe treatise of election and reprobation lately set forth and printed in the English tong where he saith thus
cite the wordes that are written in the. 33. of Exodie Miserebor cuius misercor misericordiam praestabo cuius miserebor That is I will haue compassion vpon him on whome I haue compassion And I will shewe mercy to whome I will shewe mercy It lyeth not in the willer nor in y â— runner saith S. Paul but in God who taketh mercy For the Scripture sayth vnto Pharao Quia in hoc ipsum exitaui tâ— vt ostendum in tâ— potentiam meam vt annuntietur nomen meu 〈…〉 â—n vniuersd terra That is For this cause haue I styrred thée vp that I might shewe my power vpon thée and that my name might be declared through the whole earth And then S. Paule concludeth thus Ergo cuius vult mi 〈…〉 quem vult indurat That is On whome it pleaseth him he taketh mercy whome he lusteth he maketh harde hearted I knowe the common aunswere to this Which is God doth not hearden the hearts of any but he doth suffer them to harden their owne hearts But it 〈◊〉 good for them that stande vpon this common aunswere to coÌ„sider what S. Austen writeth concerning Gods suffering of things to be done Nec dubitaÌ„dum est Deum facere benè etiam 〈◊〉 fieri quaeâ—uÌ„â— fiunt 〈◊〉 Non enim hoc nisi iusto iudicio sinit Et profecto bonum est omne quod iustum est Quamuis ergo ea quâ—â— mala sunt â–ª in quantum mala sunt non sint bona tamen vt non solam bona sed etiam sint mala bonum est Num nisi esset hoc honum vt essent mala nullo modo esse sinerentur ab omnipotentâ— bono 〈◊〉 proculdubiò quam facile est quod vult facere tum facile est quod non vult esse non sinere Hoc nisi credamus periclitatun ipsum nostrae fidei confessionis initium qua nos in Deum patrem omnipotentem credere consitemur Nequè enim venicitèr ob aliud vocatur omnipotens nisi quia quicquid vult potest nec voluntate cuiuspiaÌ„ creaturae voluntatis omnipotentis impeditur effectus That is to saye It is not to be doubted that God doth well yea when he suffreth to be done whatsoeuer things are euill done For he doth not suffer this otherwise than by iust iudgement And surely all that is iust is good Although therfore those things that be euill in as much as they be euill be not good yet is it good y â— there should be things not onely that are good but also that are euill For excep 〈…〉 t were good y â— there should be things that are euill the almightie goodnesse would by no meanes suffer them to be To whome no doubt it is as easie a thing not to suffer that thing to be which he would not should be as it is to doe that which he is willingâ— to doe Except wée beleue this â–ª she very beginning of the confession of our sayth wherein we confesse y â— we beleue in God y â— Father Almightie is in daunger like to be fosid vntrue For he is not truely called Almightie for any other cause but for that he is able to do what he will the effect of his wyll being Almightie is not by the wil of any creature letted By these wordes of Austen it is playne that God being Almightie can not be sayd to suffer ought to be done which he is not willing should be done The hardening of hearts therfore and that wickednesse that is wrought by the hard hearted is not done without his wil. And although those things be euill in asmuch as they are done by those euill persons yet in as much as the same are done by the will of God it is good that they be done By thys it is plaine that when God doth ordeyne decrée and will that man shoulde sinne he doth not contrarie to Scripture which doth witnesse by the testimonie of S. Austen that it is good that man should do euil in such sense as S. Austen hath declared the same Moreouer Salomon in his Prouerbes sayth thus Vniuersa propter semetipsum operatus est Dominus impiuÌ„ quoque ad diem malum That is The Lord hath made all things for himselfâ—â— the vngodlie man also against the euyl day Esay the Prophet sayth Nunquid gloriabitur Securis coÌ„tra cum qui secat in ea Aut exaltabitur Serâ— contra eum à quo trahitur Quomodo si elevetur Virga contra eleuantem se exe altetur baculus qui vtique lignum est That is to say Shall the Are boast it selfe against him that heweth with it Or shal the Saw set by it selfe against him that draweth it That were as much as if the Rod should be lifted vp against him that lifteth it and as if the staffe that is but timber should be aduaunted The vngodlie man sayth Salomon hath the Lorde made for himselfe euen against the euill day that is against the day of vengeance wherein the vngodly shall haue theyr iust reward at Gods hand By this not onely the vngodlie is iustly punished for his vngodlinesse but the godlie is also occasioned to acknowledge that it is mercie alone that doeth preserue him froÌ„ the like punishment For he seeth in himselfe no cause why he should not suffer the same condemnation Thus by the wicked both the iustice and mercy of God are made manifest vnto man But the purpose of the vngodlie is nothing lesse than that Gods iustice and mercie should be set forth by him therfore he is iustly punished for his wickednesse And Esaie the Prophet comparing Nabuchodonosor to an Axe a Sawe and a Rodde doth plainly teach that it was God that wrought all the plagues and destructions that were by that wicked instrument brought not onely vpon the people of the Iewes but vpon other Nations also And that that bloudie and ambitious tyrant was but as an Axe Saw or Rod in the Lords haÌ„d And therfore when he began to boast of his owne power and policie as though he had by his own wisdom and strength ouercome kingdomes and set himselfe aboue them the Lord to let his people know that it was not Nabuchodonosors power that could haue done or that should doe those things to them which the Prophetes did tell them should come vpon by the Kings of Babilon doeth tell them by the mouth of the same Prophets that the worke was his and that the Kings of Babilon were but hys fooles or instrumentes to worke withall But this can not Cerberus abide God must be but a looker on and no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any of these things For if God should be a worker he must needes be the Authour of the sinne that is in the deede For the old Curre hath his eyes so blinded with the filthie â—â—dder of Hell fire that he can not sée how God may be the Authour of the fact and not of the sinne that is in it But when he
Christ that Pharao did in the hardnesse of his heart that the sonnes of Sinacharib did to their Father and that Iosephes brethren did vnto him were all done by the determinate purpose and Predestination of God Whervpon it semeth to me that we may conclude that all other actions are done according to the same purpose and predestination Otherwise we must nedes confesse that God is either disapointed of his purpose oftentimes or else that he createth many things not knowing before what shall become of them Which obsurdities may in no case be graunted Now what those Scriptures be wherewith Cerberus would haue these and such like scriptures to be weyghed we must gesse for Cerberus citeth not so muche as one I will therefore gesse as nere as I can ▪ what scriptures those be that he meaneth of One as I suppose is written by Sainct Paule to Timothe The woordes are these Deus vult omnes homines saluos fieri ad agnitionem veritatis venire God would haue al men saued come to the acknowledging of the truth Let vs first weigh this place with the other afore cited and see how this maye make the other to serue nothing to y ◠purpose that we alleage them for God would haue all men saued and to come to the acknowledging of the truth But if he did foreappoynt Herode Pilate and the Iewes to accuse and condemne his sonne Christ and did harden Pharaos heart kyll Sinacharib with the sword of his sonnes and sende Ioseph into Egypt by the trecherye of his brethren he would not haue all men saued for the rewarde of these workes is damnation therfore God neuer appointed anye of these things to be done I am sure Cerberus can not applye this place better to his purpose than it is in this argument applied Now let vs sée what may be said to the contrarye without eyther denying or wresting of S. Paules wordes First S. Austen doth interprete these wordes of S. Paule after this sort Libro de voluntate Dei Cap. 2. Occurrit enim cùr pereant ex hijs aliqui quum omnipotens Deus omnes homines saluos fieri velit in agnitionem veritatis venire Deinde cur rursùs induret alios misertus aliorū aùt quomodò omnes saluos fieri velit homines quum ipse nonnullos nè saluentur induret Hoc quantum ad humanam iustitiam videtur iniustum sed quis ità desipiat vel potiùs quis ità blasphemet vt dicat de iustitia Dei lege humanae iustitiae disputandum Quae profecto si iustitiae Dei aduersatur iniusta est Ab illo enim qui summè iustus est omne quod qualitercunque iustum est manare manifestum est Quis ergo crit qui incommutabiliter manentem omnia quae sunt condentem regentem atque seruantem Dei sapientiam pendit humanae sapientiae arbitrio De qua idem Apostolus dicit Quia sapientia carnis inimicae est Deo Et alibi Sapientia huius mundi stulititia est apud Deum Non est ergo de illa maiestate diuinae sapientiae humanae vanitatis arbitrio disputandū That is to say For this is obiected Why should any of these perishe seing that God that is almightye is willing that all men should be saued come to the acknowledging of the truth Moreouer why doth he on the contrary part harden some taking mercy on other some or howe is he willing that all men shoulde be saued when he himselfe doth harden some least they should be saued As touching humaine iustice this thing séemeth vniust But who would be so foolishe or rather who woulde so blaspheme as to say that we should reason of y ◠iustice of God by the order of y ◠iustice of man which no doubt if it be against the iustice of God it is vniust For it is manifest that whatsoeuer hath in it anye iustice at all doeth spring from him that is iust in the highest degrée Who shall it be therfore that will weigh by the arbitriment of mans wisdome the wisedome of God which remaineth immutable and hath made doeth gouerne and preserue al things that be Of which wisdome the same Apostle saith That the wisdome of the fleshe is enimie vnto God And in another place The wisedome of the world is foolishnesse with God We maye not therfore by the arbitriment of mans vanitie dispute of that ma 〈…〉 y of the wisedome of God Againe in his booke De spiritu litera Capite 32. the same Austen sayth Si credemus vt impetremus hanc gratiam 〈◊〉 vtique voluntate credimus De hac quaeritur vnde sit voluntas Si natura quare non omnibus cum sit idem Deus omniū creator Si dono Dei etiam hoc quare non omnibus cum omnes homines velit saluos sieri ad agnitionem veritatis venire Prius igitur illud dicamus videamus vtrū huic satis faciat quaestioni quod liberum arbitrium naturaliter attributum à creatore animae rationali illa media vis est quae vel intendi ad fidem vel inclinari ad insidelitatem potest Et ideò nec istam voluntatem qua credit Deo dici potest homo habere quam nòn acceperit Quandoquidem vocante Deo surgit de libero arbitrio quod naturaliter cum crearetur accepit Vult enim Deus ōnes homines saluos fieri in agnitionem veritatis venire Nòn sic tamen vt eis adimat liberū arbitrium quo vel benè vel malè vterites iustissime iudicentur Quod cum fit infideles quidem contra voluntatem Dei faciunt cum eius Euangelio nòn credunt nec ideò tamen eam vincunt verùm scipsos fraudant magno summo bono malisque poenalibus implicant experturi in supplicijs potestatem eius cuius in donis misericordiam contempserunt Ita voluntas Dei semper inuicta est Vinceretur autèm si nòn inueniret quod de contemptoribus faceret aut vllo modo possent euadere quod de talibus ille constituit That is If we do beleue to the end that we may obtaine this grace and do also by the consent of our will beleue hereof a question is moued whence we haue this wil. If it be of nature why is it not in al mē seing one God is the creator of all men If we haue it by the gift of God why is it not giuen to all men seing he is willing that all men should be saued and come to the acknowledging of the truth Let vs therfore affirme the first and sée whether it may satisfie this question bicause fréewill whiche the Creator hath naturally giuē to the reasonable soule is that indifferent power which may eyther be bowed to faith or inclined to infidelitie And therfore it can not be said that man hath not receyued this wil whereby he beleueth in God bicause whē God calleth it riseth of fréewill which he
their doctrine whych thyngs if you diligently weye and consider readyng the same wythout partiallitie then haue I my desire Crowley I am glad that Cerberus is nowe come to an ende Much adoe he had to let slip so manie things as offered themselues to be spoken off But now he hath coÌ„cluded concenting him selfe wyth fewe wordes in purging him selfe of those things that his friende charged him with and setting forth the Pelagians errours c. Yet euen in the winding vp of y e matter he hath found one part of doctrine hanging vpon the Article of Gods eternal predestinatioÌ„ which is to be misliked of al meÌ„ if Cerberus be not deceyued and that is That as the only will purpose of God is the chiefe cause of Election and Reprobation so his free mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause of saluatioÌ„ c. Here Cerberus doth of purpose leaue out the ende of that glose shutting vp the matter wyth his c. I will therefore set downe the words that follow which are these and the hardening of the heart an inferiour cause of damnation Now this glose is some thing more plaine than it was before as Cerberus hath cited it with his c. He thought belike that the Bible wherin he findeth this glose is not in euerie mans hande and therefore his c. should cause men to thinke that the rest of the glose must be as good stuffe as he thinketh the first part to be That is worthy to be misliked of all men importing a sophisticall search of bottomlesse secretes and drawing from Christ Such shifts doth Cerberus vse to make meÌ„ mislike with that which he himselfe liketh not But to proue this part of doctrine to be such as Cerberus assirmeth it to be he vseth two reasons One is that the eternall purpose of God springeth out of hys frée mercie in Christ wherefore that frée mercie cannot be inferiour to Gods eternall purpose more than the fountaine from which streames of water do slowe can be inferiour to the streames that flow from it The other is of the mediation of Christ For if God did in his eternall will and purpose elect vs before Christ had appeased his wrath by his mediation then was it but a vaine thing for Christ to be a Mediatour neyther had we any neede of his mediation Although I would gladly content my self to haue defended mine own writings and other mens wherewith Cerberus findeth fault euen with as fewe wordes as he vseth in purging himselfe and other of that which his friend layeth to his charge yet may I not so shortly slip ouer this matter wherewith Cerberus hath shut vp his aunswere For if Cerberus would haue sought how to haue set forth to be séene his owne wilfull ignorance and errour in the chiefe pointes of our Religion he could not haue found a better meane thaÌ„ he hath vsed in these two reasons that he maketh against the doctrine conteyned in the glose wherewith he misliketh For what greater errour can there be than to holde that with God there is time past and time to come and that any of the essentiall properties of God do spring out of other in time as though there had bene or could haue bene a time wherein God lacked those properties Or that the sonne of God the seconde person in Trinitie should in his diuine nature in time make mediation to God the Father that thereby he might purpose to saue man whom he was before purposed to destroy For striuing against him that hath sayde that the only will and purpose of God is the chiefe cause of Election and Reprobation and that his frée mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause of saluation c. He sayth that the purpose or will of God to saue vs must néedes spring out of the frée mercie of God and that therefore the will or purpose of God in sauing must of force be inferiour to his mercie euen as streames that issue from fountaines are inferiour to the fountaines that they come from And to proue this he citeth the words of Ecclesiasticus the. 2. Chapter Secundum enim magnitudinem ipsius sic misericordia illius cum ipso est That is Euen according to his owne greatnesse so is his mercie with hym He citeth also the saying of S. Iames. Cap. 2. of his Epistle where he sayth Iudicium enim sine miscricordia illi qui nòn sacit miscricordiam Gloriatur autem miscricordia aduersus iudicium That is He that sheweth no mercie shall haue iudgemeÌ„t without mercie But mercie reioyseth against iudgement And againe he citeth the words of Dauid in the Psalm 145. Miscricordia eius super omnia opera eius That is His mercie is vpon all his workes All this ado he maketh to proue that Gods will and purpose are inferiours to his mercie But how well that is by these Scriptures proued I referre to the iudgement of the indifferent Reader Sirach sayth that those which feare the Lorde will prepare their heartes and humble their soules before the Lord. Let vs fall into the handes of God and not into the hands of men For euen as his greatnesse is so is his mercy Sirach his purpose is to set forth the effect of y e feare of God which worketh in y e hartes of meÌ„ a true turning to God with an assured hope of forgiuenesse at his hande bicause they be persuaded that he is no lesse readie to forgiue penitent sinners than he is able to punish the impenitent S. Iames sayth that the merciful shall finde mercie minding to persuade all men to shew mercie one to another Assuring themselues that vnlesse they do so they can finde no mercie with God and on the contrarie if they do shew mercie they shall not néede to feare iudâ—ement for mercie shall preuaile against iudgement And Dauid the Prophet hath said that Gods mercie is vpon all his workes although it please Cerberus to cite his wordes otherwise for his purpose For he sayth that Dauid hath said that the Lordes mercie is aboue all his workes Which words though they be true yet hath not Dauid so sayd neyther maye I suffer Cerberus to cause the Prophet Dauid to speake as he woulde haue him that his fantasie might be maintained by the Prophetes words Dauids meaning is to teach that the Lord God sheweth mercie vpon all his works so that there is not one of the works of God that hath not cause to praise him for his louing kindnesse and mercie Both y e Hebrue and Gréeke Text and al the translations in Latine and English too so many as I haue seene do giue thys sense of the Prophetes wordes How can Cerberus proue then by these Scriptures that the mercie of God is the fountaine of his wil purpose All that he doeth therefore is nothing else but a setting forth of his owne wilfull ignoraunce whereby he is fallen into the filthy errour of them that imagine of God as of a man and
that he is moued with affectiōs as men be Whereas in God His vnderstanding his vnmeasurable power his vnsearcheable wisedome his mercifull goodnesse his truth and iustice his chastenesse and fréedome in all poyntes to wyll what he lusteth to do what it pleaseth him and to purpose appoynt what liketh him are essentiall properties without which he neyther is nor can be God To imagine therefore that there was a time wherein God was purposed to destroy man and that his mercie in Christ hath chaunged that purpose and caused him now to purpose and will to saue man is to imagine y t there was a time wherin God was not so mercifull as he is now so not so perfectly God as he is now And that by experiēce he hath learned some what more wisedome than he had at the first and therefore may be wiser hereafter than he is now How great absurdities these are I leaue to the iudgement of the indifferent Readers But Cerberus will saye that though I haue sayde some thing against him yet I haue sayd nothing for him whose wordes I haue taken in hande to defende but in my wordes I séeme to fight against them both I aunswere I haue not taken vpon me to defend eyther mine owne or other mens wordes sucder than in conscience I thinke them to be true And if I did thinke that the wryter of that glose did meane as grossely as I perceyue by his open wordes that Cerberus doth I would not spare him more than I haue spared Cerberus but for as much as his wordes séeme not to me to haue any such meaning as to teach that there was a time wherein God was mercilesse towards mā that his mercy first sprang out of his will and purpose as Cerberus doth plainely teach that his wil and purpose sprang out of his mercie I must not refuse to take that good meaning of his wordes which may séeme to me to be according to the truth of Christian religion The wordes of Paule whervpon this note is made are these I will haue mercie on him to whō I wil shew mercie Upon this it is noted in the margine that as the onlie will and purpose of God is the chiefe cause of Election and Reprobation so his frée mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause of saluation and the hardening of the heart an inferiour cause of damnation I vnderstand the meaning of these words to be that as the only wil purpose of God is the chiefe cause that there was an Election and choise of some and a refusall of other some so the shewing forth of his mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause that is an instrumentall cause whereby saluation is wrought in the elected according to Gods will and purpose and the hardening of the hearts of the reprobates an instrumentall cause of damnation in the reprobates according to the same eternal wil and purpose He therefore that sayth we must ascende to an higher cause of Election than that which appeareth in the execution of Gods mercie in Christ doth not teach to set vp the essentiall properties one aboue another as thoughe one were fountaine of another and that God lacked the one till it sprang out of the other but he teacheth that the same mercie that we sée executed in Christ in time was decreed in the eternall will and purpose of God before all time and so was the refusall of thē whose heartes we see hardened in time If any man do sée cause to iudge otherwise of this glose I am well pleased that the same vse his owne iudgement in enterpreting the meaning therof And if I may perceyue any mans iudgement herein to be sounder than mine I trust I shalbe ready to condescend to that And least any man should thinke that herein I doe followe mine owne fantacie without example of any thing that I sée in the auncient Fathers I will sette downe the wordes of S. Austen that haue bene a meane to confirme me herein In his 14. booke De Ciuitate Dei 〈◊〉 11. Chapter S. Austen writeth thus Sed quia Deus cūcta presciuit ideo hominē quoque peccaturum ignorare nòn potuit secundum id quod praesciuit itque disposuit ciuitatem Dei debemus asserere nòn secundum illud quod in nostram cognitionem peruenire nòn potuit quia in Dei dispositione nòn fuit Nec enim homo peccato suo diuinum potuit perturbare consilium quasi Deum quod statuerat mutare compulerit cum Deus praesciendo vtrūque preuenerit id est homo quem bonum ipse creauit quam malus esset futurus quid boni etiam sic de illo esset ipse facturus Deus enim etsi dicitur statuta mutare Vnde tropica locutione in Scripturis sanctis etiam poenituisse legitur deum iuxta id dicitur quod homo spera 〈…〉 rat vel naturalium causarum ordo gestabat nòn iuxta id quod se omnipotens facturum esse praesci 〈…〉 rat That is to saye But bycause God did know all things before hand and therfore could not be ignorant that man should sinne we must teach that the holie Citie is such a thing as he did foresée and appoint that it should be not such as we could not come to the knowledge of bicause it was not in that disposition or order that God made Neyther was man by his sinne able to disorder the purpose of God as though he shoulde haue constreyned God to chaunge the thyng that he had once decréed séeing that God by his foresight did preuent both that is to say both how the euill man should become whom he had created good and also what thing he woulde make of him euen when he shoulde in such wise become euill For although it be sayd that God doth chaunge his purposes whereof it commeth that by a figuratiue speach it is reade in the holie Scriptures that God did repent the same is spoken according to that which man hoped for or that which the order of naturall causes did import not according to that which the almightie did know before hand that he himself would do Againe the same Austen in his booke De diuersis questionibus 83. and the. 15. 16. 17. questions sayth thus Deus omnium quae sunt causa est Quod autem omnium rerum causa est etiam sapientiae suae causa est Nec vnquà m Deus sine sapientia sua Igitur sempiternae sapientiae suae causa est sempiterna nec tempore prior est quam sua sapientia Deinde si patrem sempiternum esse inest deo nec suit aliquandò non pater nunquam sine filio fuit Omne praeteritum iam nòn est Omne futurum nòn dùm est Omne igitur praeteritum futur 〈…〉 non deest Apud d 〈…〉 m autem nihil deest Nec praeteritum igitur nec futurum sed omne praesens est apud deum That is to saye God is the cause of