declared the holy Scripture doth tell plainly Forasmuch as by that ark which was of so wonderfull wydenesse y t it receiued al kindes of beastes so much as belōged to the store of encrease the Church was figured which was to bee gathered together out of all nacions of men vnto it selfe when by a tree and by water the redemption on the Crosse and the wasshyng of regeneration is opened when in them that were saued frō that destruction of the worlde the fulnesse of all the Gentilles is blessed when the blessynge of the encrease of mankynde is renewed and libertie encreased to eate what men list strangled and bloud only forbodden And the securitie and sauftie of our saluacion was consecrated in the testimonie of the bowe of manye colours that is in the sygnes of manyfolde grace The whiche Sacramentes and misteryes verely dyd not onely enstruct those fewe men of one housholde that were then but also in them all theyr pasterities and ofspring to the entent that the thyng that was geuen to the reformation of the parentes might profite towardes the instruction of the Children And nowe when in processe of tyme the posterities and generatiōs of men were increased the great number of mortal mē were waxē proude of theyr multipliynges and according to the height of theyr pryde went about to builde them a tower of an vnmeasurable buyldynge that it shuld reach vp vnto heauen How meruailous was the censure of gods iustice in repressing of that theyr arrogant presumption which did confound that one onely speache of those people that was so consonante and agreeable with significations that were knowen to euery man amonge themselues in to the diuersitie of .lx. and .xii. tougnes that the agreement of the workmen perishing in disagreable voyces the purpose of theyr mad enterpryse myght be brokē and that he myght cause them to inhabite vppon all the whole face of the earth thorow the necessarye scatterynge abrode of an euill gathering together And the myracles of the Christian grace were foreordayned in that woorke of Goddes prouydence whiche should afterward call together all them that were so dyspersed into the couplement of that buyldyng wherein euery knee boweth to GOD and euery tongue confesseth that Iesus Christ is in the glory of the father This same largenesse of grace dyd the promyse of Godde that was made to Abraham declare to be opened nowe in the fulnesse of the times appointed by more euident tokens what tyme as his double succession that is to wete the children of the flesshe and the chyldren of promesse was compared to the multitude of grauell stones of starres And the olde man beyng farre from the hope of hauyng anye issue throughe the aged barreynnesse of his wyfe beleued in a cōmendable faith through the issue of one sonne that he should be y e father of the whole worlde foreseeyng or rather beholding him in his sede that sayde Abraham sawe my day and reioysed By the which fayth whē Abraham was iustified he had not yet receyued the commaundement of circumcision but his faith was counted to hym for righteousnes when he was yet in his naturall prepution or vncircumcision And that same fayth receyued the seale of circumcisiō in that same member wherby the seede of procreation might come vnto that fleshe wherein without all carnall seede God the sonne of GOD the worde might become fleshe and bee borne of Abrahams daughter euen the Virgin Mary takinge all men into the felowshippe of this his natiuitie and byrth which beynge borne agayne in Christ by the holie ghost shoulde beleue the thynge that Abraham beleued ¶ The .v. Chapiter ANd this faith was holdē within one stocke of people before that seede came of whom it was said to Abraham In thy seede shal all nations of the earth bee blessed the hope of our redemption beyng alyue amonge the true Israelites For although there were some of the straunge nations whom it vouchsafed the veritie to lyghten in the tyme of the lawe yet were they so feawe that it coulde scarce be knowen whether there were any or no. Neyther for all thys were the nations to bee holden excused which beyng enstraunged from the conuersation of Israell hauynge no hope and beynge without GOD in this world peryshed in the darkenesse of ignoraunce For thys aboundaunce of grace that now wattereth all the worlde dyd not flowe aforetime with like plenteousnesse for there was euermore a certayne measure of the heauenly doctryne geuen vnto all men whiche notwithstandynge it was of a more scarce and secrete grace yet was it sufficient as the Lorde iudged it vnto some menne for a remedye and vnto all menne for a testimonie that it myghte appeare not doubtfullye but euydently that except where sinne was aboundaunte there grace had beene more aboundaunt the lyke wickednesse hadde also blynded all mankynde nowe in these daies Whether peraduenture are there better wyttes in these oure dayes as some men bable then were of olde time haue the latter tymes brought forth myndes y t were more apt to receyue Goddes gyftes The whiche thinge if it were so yet ought it to bee ascribed to the goodnes of the authour which made suche myndes as were not afore that the people might be called vnto eternall life But there is nothinge innouated or new chaunged in the carnal generation neither is y e ofspringe of the successours growen more genteller then theyr auncestours But rather in the men of that tyme wherein the redemer of the worlde came Looke howe muche more duller that progeny and ofspringe was become so much the stronger was iniquitie founde in them The vngodly fury of the Iewes proued thys right well And howe apte that generation was to the Gospell of Chryst not onely the hartes of the common people but also the heartes of the Scribes Princes and Priestes haue declared To whō it was but a trifle to waxe woode in crueltie and tirannye agaynst the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the worlde by sedicion contumelies and reproches spittinges buffettes and blowes stoninges scourginges and at the last by crucifiyng him on the Crosse contrary to the testimonie of the law contrarye to the oracles of the Prophetes contrary to y e practising of godly vertues But also thei persecuted the witnesses of hys resurrectiō with the like fury madnes The whiche the Apostles when thei were scourged of y e high Priestes shewing the same out of Dauids psalm sayde Lorde thou art he that haste made heauen earth the sea al that are in them which in the holy ghost by the mouth of thy seruaunt Dauid our father hast sayd Why do the heathen rage the people imagine vayne thynges The kynges of the earth doe stande vp and the rulers haue assembled together agaynst the Lorde and hys annoynted for of a suretie both Herode and Ponce Pilate with the gentiles and people of Israell haue assembled together in
because y e foreknowledge of God is not vncertaine nor his counsaile mutable neither his wil without effect nor yet his promise false all they of whom these words are spoken be saued without exception of any man For he maketh them to vnderstande hys lawes and wryteth them in theyr heartes with hys owne fynger that they maye receaue the knowledge of God not by the worke of humayne doctryne but by the enformation of the hyghest teacher For he that planteth and he that watereth are nothinge but god that geueth the encrease All they from the least to the moste knowe God for they haue heard and learned of the father that they might cōe to Christe all they beynge drawen out of errour are instructed in the waye of lyfe It is geuen to al them to vnderstand the thynges that are ryght and to wyll ryghte thynges theyr heartes beynge chaunged The feare of GOD is graffed in all them that they myghte be learned in Gods commaundementes There is a way made in their desert their dry lande is watred with fluds so y t they which afore dyd not open theyr mouthes to praise God and became wylde as the dombe and vnreasonable beastes beynge clensed in the foūtaines of gods woorde they blesse and prayse God declarynge the power and maruayles of his mercy which hath elected them and adopted them into hys sonnes made them the enheritoures of the newe testament And yf as the Apostle saith no man despiseth or altereth the testament of a man whē it is once confirmed howe can it then come to passe that the promyse of God maye in any parte bee resolued The promyse of God made vnto Abraham without conditiō and gaue without the lawe remayneth stedfast and is daily fulfilled For notwithstandinge that some to whom these thynges bee preached beleue not yet their vnbeleife hath not made frustrate the truth of God For God is true but euery man is a lyer And they whiche haue hearde the Gospell and woulde not beleue are more without excuse thē if thei had not heard any preaching of the truth but sure it is that in the presence of God they were not the children of Abraham nor nombred amonge the companye of them of whom it is sayd all nations of the earth shalbe blessed in thi seede For he promised that thei shoulde beleue that sayde And euery one shall not teache hys neighbour and euery man hys brother saying know the lord for all shal knowe me from the least of them to the greatest He promysed that they shoulde bee reconciled which sayde I wyll haue merci on theyr iniquities ▪ and wyll not remember theyr synnes He promysed that they shoulde obey whiche sayde I wyll geue them another waye and another heart that they maye feare me all theyr dayes He promysed that they shoulde perseuer and continue whiche sayde I will put my feare into theyr heartes least they should depart from me I wyll visite thē to make them good Also he promised y t they shall al folowe hym without exception which sayd I sweare bi my self except ryghteousnes shal go out of my mouth my wordes shal not be refused for euery knee shal bow vnto me and euery tounge shal praise God Here if we say that that thinge is not done which God sware shoulde be done we ascribe falshed vnto God the whiche thynge God fordid and a leasing to the truth But if so be that the woordes of God do not faile nor be without effect as both godlynes fayth doth teache vs and also that surely done that he appoynted to bee done howe shall the stedfastnes of the sure promyse appeare vnto vs when yet many thousandes of men serue Deuylles and bowe their knees to ymages Except we knowe y t those wordes speakinges of god be spoken set forth accordyng to the immutable knowledge of god wherin with hym y e generalitie of men is now deuyded whether he speake of the good men or of the euyl men he doth on such wise make mention on y e one part as though he omytted no man For when the Apostle sayth olde thinges are past beholde all thynges are made newe doth it not seeme that he sayde all men were renewed Or when he sayeth for it was his pleasure that in him should all fulnes dwell and by hym to reconcile al thinges to himself doth he not so speake as though he would no man to bee without reconsiliation Or when he sayeth In these laste dayes he hath spoken to vs in his sonne whom he hath made heire of al thynges doeth the forme of the sentēce sound any other thing then that all men are transcribed of the father into the herytage of Chryste accordinge to the prophecie of Dauid saying Desyre of me and I wyll geue thee the heathen vnto thine herytage and the endes of the earth for thy possession For the Lorde sayeth yf I shall be exalted from the earth I wyl draw al thinges vnto me Doeth not the conuersion of all men seme here to be promised Or when it is prophesied of the Churche and sayde Euery valley shalbe fylled and euery mountayne and hyll shalbe brought lowe crooked thynges shalbe made strayght rough places made playne Semeth any man here to be omitted which is not signified to become subiecte vnto Christ What when it is sayde And all fleshe shall come in my syght or before me that they maye worshyp in Iherusalem saith the Lorde Or this And it shall come to passe in the latter dayes that I wyl poure out of my spirite vpon al fleshe Or this The Lorde lyfteth vp all those that fall and healeth all them that are hurte Is it not so spoken as thoughe no man were secluded from that gyfte The people of GOD therefore hath his fulnesse And though the most part of men do eyther repell or neglecte the grace of saluacion yet in the electe and foreknowen men and amonge them whiche are deuided from the generalitie of all is there a certayne vniuersalitie numbred So that out of all the worlde all the worlde may appeare to be deliuered and out of all men all men to be receiued Lyke as also when he speketh of the vngodly the diuine style so frameth the speach that those thinges which are spoken of a certeyne part seeme to apperteyne to all men as is this which Iohn Baptist saieth He that cōmeth downe from heauen is aboue all men he testifieth that that he hath seene hearde and no man receiueth his testimonie Or this saying of the Apostle All men seeke theyr owne not the thynges y t are Iesus Christes Or y t that Dauids psalme singeth The Lorde loked downe from heauen vppon the children of men to see if there were any that did vnderstande or seeke after God but they are all gone out of the way they are altogether becom vnprofitable there is not one
sacrifice to GOD when the Apostles and they which were of one mynde with them being full of the holy ghost spake in the tongues of all nacions A greate multitude of men of dyuers Nacions beynge moued with the miracle came together that in theÌ„ that were present al the whole world might heare the Gospell of Christe For there came together as it is wrytten the Parthians and Medyans the Elamytes and they that dwell in Mesopotamia men of Iurye of Cappadocia Pontus and Asia Phrigia and Pamphilia of Egipte and the parties of Libia which is about Ciren and straungers of Rome Iewes also and Procelites Creteans and Arabians hearyng the great workes of god to be preached of in their owne tongues Whose testimonie also myght ren foorth both in length breadth vnto those nacions whiche were farther beyonde them To theffect and woorkyng whereof we beleue that the Romaine kyngedome was enlarged through goddes prouidence that the Nacions whiche shoulde be called to the vnitie of the bodye of Chryste myght firste be associated together vnder one vngodly power Howebeit the grace of Chryste hath not bene contented to haue those same limittes that the Romaine kingdome hadde For it hath subdued at this tyme with the scepter of the Crosse of Christe manye nacions of people whom the other ouercame not with feates of armes Who also is made more amplye by the gouernaunce of the Apostolicall priestehood in the tower of Religion then by the seate of power For peraduenture lyke as we knowe certeyne Nacions to be nowe adopted into the felowshyp of the chyldren of GOD whiche thynge they once desired not Euen so now there are certeine Nacions in the vttermost partes of the worlde on whom the grace of our Sauiour hath not yet shone And we doubte not also concernynge them but that in the secrete iudgemente of GOD the tyme of theyr vocation and callynge is appoynted wherein they maye may heare and receiue the Gospell the whiche they haue not yet seene To whom yet that measure of the generall helpe which from aboue is alway geuen to all men is not denyed Though mans nature be wouÌ„ded with so greuous a wound that voluntary contemplacion and beholding is not able fully to enstructe anye man in the knowledge of God excepte the true lyght do first driue awaye the darkenesse of the harte the which knowledge the iuste and good God of his vnsearcheable iudgement hath not so plenteouslye spread abrode in tymes paste lyke as he hath done in these last dayes Wherof the Apostle Paule wrytynge to the Collossians calleth it the misterye whiche was hydde from worldes and generations but nowe is declared vnto his saintes to whom God would make knowen the richesse of this glorious secrete among the gentyles which is Christ in vs. ¶ The .vii. Chapter WAs this misterie also vnknowen vnto the Prophetes And did not thei by whoÌ„ the holye ghoste did speake know those thinges wherof they spake I thynke playnely it maye not so be vnderstand but that that mistery was hydde from the Gentyles which the Lord reuealed when he wold and to whom he wold For of the callyng of the Gentyles the whiche were not the people of God and on whom aforetyme he had not mercy it is thus sayde in the Deuteronomie And the Lorde sawe it and he waxed zelous and he was wroth ouer his sonnes doughters and he sayd I wyl tourne away my face from theÌ„ and I wyll shewe them what theyr ende shalbe For it is a frowarde generation chyldren in whoÌ„ there is no fayth They haue angred me with that whiche is no God and prouoked me with theyr vanities And I also wyll prouoke them with those which are no people with a foolyshe nacion wyll I anger them And Dauid foretelleth these thinges that all nacions shall worship God saying All the Nacions whom thou haste made shall come and worshippe before thee oh Lorde and shall glorifie thy name And agayne he saith All the kynges of the earth shall worshippe hym and all nacions shal serue him And agayne In hym shall all the linredes of the earth be blessed and all nacions shall magnifie him Esayas also sheweth the lyke thynges saying And it shall come to passe in the laste dayes that the hyll of the Lord shalbe manifest and the house of God vppon the toppe of the mountaynes and it shalbe exalted aboue al lytle hylles and all nacions shall come vnto it And agayne he sayth And the Lorde of Sabaoth shall bryng to passe saith he that all Nacions shall dryncke wyne vppon this hyll with gladdenesse reioysing In this hyll shall they be annoynted with oyntment he shall geue al these thinges to the gentyls for this is his deuise vppon all the gentyles And againe he saith And the Lorde shall shewe his holye arme in the syght of al the gentyles and al the Nacions of the earth shall see the saluacion which is of the Lorde And agayne Beholde strangers shal by me come vnto thee and shall flie vnto thee And afterward The nacions whiche haue not knowen thee shall call vpon the and the people which were ignoraunt of thee shall flie vnto thee Oseas also prophecieth the lyke thynges saying And it shal come to passe that in the place wherin it was sayd vnto them Ye are not my people there shal they be called the chil dren of the lyuynge God And the chyldren of Iudah and the chyldren of Israell shall be gathered togéther into one And agayne I wyll haue mercy on her that was not beloued and I wyl say to them that are not my people Thou arte my people and they shall saye Thou art my God And in the Apopostles times when they which were of the circumcision beleued in Christ dyd thinke that they which were Gentyles and were called Preputians or fore skynned coulde not be parttakers of the iustyfyÃng of grace The blessed Apostle Peter teacheth howe inseperable bothe those people are with God yf both of theÌ„ come together into the vnitie of fayth Assone as I began to speake saith he the holy ghost fel vpon them as he dyd vpon vs in the beginnyng And I remembred the worde of the Lorde howe he sayde Iohn verelye baptized you with water but ye shalbe baptized with the holy ghost Therfore if God haue geuen them lyke grace as he hath done vnto vs whiche haue beleued in the Lorde Iesus Christ who was I that I shoulde haue withstande God When they heard these thinges they helde theyr peace and glorified God saying Then hath God geuen vnto the Gentyles also repentaunce vnto lyfe Iames the Apostle also of this callyng of the Gentyles saith Ye men brethren harken vnto me Simon hath she wed you how God at the begynning did visite the Gentyles receiued of theÌ„ a people vnto his name And vnto this agreeth the wordes of the Prophetes as it is wrytten After these thynges wyll I retourne
also mens wittes although they do not filthilye serue the lustes of theyr bodies but frame their desires accordyng to the lawes of Iustice honestie yet obteyne they nothing aboue the reward of a tēporall praise And though they decently garnyshe this presente lyfe yet haue they not the reward of eternall blisse for they referre not their good deedes good studies to the prayse honour of him of whom they receiued that they were able in y t reasonable discretion to come to more profounde vnderstanding and to appeare more excellenter then other men For although some mē haue bent the entent of their vnderstādinges not onelye to the learnyng of most profitable artes and doctrines of liberall sciences but also to the knowlege of y e moste hygh God and haue beholden the inuisible thinges of god by the knowledge of those thinges which he hath made yet forasmuch as thei gaue not thankes to God nor confessed him to be the aucthour of that knowlege and facultie but sayd that they them selues were wyse that is they gloried not in GOD but in them selues as though they had attayned to the knowledge of the truth by their owne connynge and reason they haue come to nought in their cogitations And that whiche they had founde out by the grace of God whiche gaue them lyght they lost through pride whiche made them blynde fallyng againe from the heauenly light vnto their owne darknesse that is to wete from the immutable and eternal God vnto mutable and corruptible nature Wherfore when such fal backe again into the loue of them selues in suche wyse do please them selues that all thyng that they iudge commendable in them selues they referre it not to the gyftes of god but do chalenge it vnto themselues and ascribe it to the studies of theyr owne wylles they are banished farre from the spirituall wyl haue nothyng in them selues whereby they maye be promoted to euerlastyng lyfe begynnyng in them selues to corrupte also those temporall gyftes of god to translate themselues from theyr good vse into the custome of innumerable vices For though it be wrytten that when the hygheste deuided the Nacions lyke as he dispearsed the childrē of Adam he appointed the nacions their limittes accordyng to the numbre of the Angels of God and his people of Iacob became the portion of the Lorde and Israell the lotte of his inheritaūce And though it be written that the Lord said vnto Israell ye shalbe holy vnto me for I the Lord your god am holy which haue chosē you for my selfe out of all Nacions And though it be writtē in the boke of Hester by Mardocheus saying O Lorde we geue thee thākes for thou hast done new signes wonders such as haue not ben done among y e Heathen deuiding al the world into two partes hast chosen thy selfe one part of thy people leauing the part to y e gentiles And though Paule and Barnabas saye we are mortall men like vnto you admonishyng you to conuert to the liuing God who made heauen and earth and the sea and all thynges that are in them which in times past suffred all nacions to walke in theyr own wayes Although therfore that the Scripture of veritie doeth pronounce these and many like sayinges yet we beleue most humbly confesse accordynge to the same Scriptures that the care of Gods prouidence neuer fayled the vniuersal nombre of men who though he directed vnto Godlinesse by speciall institucions and lawes a certeine people excepted to him selfe yet hath he not withdrawen the giftes of his goodnes from any naciō of men That thei might be conuinced that thei haue receiued the voyces of the Prophetes and the preceptes of the lawe in the obsequies and testimonies of the Elementes Wherfore also thei became with out excuse because they made the gyftes of God their Gods and they did reuerence and worshippe those thynges that were created for theyr vse Into the which vngodlynesse also euen the same nacion that the Lorde had segregated to hym selfe out of all nacions had wholly turned thē selues had not the purpose of his mercye pretended to staye the backslydynges of his elected For the bookes of the olde Testament are full of relacions of the fallynge awaye of the people of Israell that it maye playnly appeare that the grace of GOD was euer the cause whye all that people departed not wholly frō the lord On this wyse the nature of mā being defyled in the transgression of the first man is euer redy and bent to the worse wyll yea euen in the middes of the benfites of the preceptes and aydinges of god Vnto the which wyll to be committed is nothing els then to be geuen ouer or let runne astraye This wyll therefore is waueryng vncertaine vnstable vnexperte weake to brynge anye thyng to passe readye to darre take any thyng in hande blind in desires hye mynded in honour doubtefull in cares vnquiete in suspicions more desirous of prayse then of vertue more diligēt to get a fame then a good conscience and by all experience of it selfe more miserable in hauynge the thynges that it desyreth or lusteth for then in beyng without them It hath nothynge in it owne power but onlye a redynesse to runne in daunger For the mutable will that is not ruled and gouerned by the immutable wyll doeth so much the sooner approche to iniquitie as it is more earnestly bent to anye action Wherfore so long as those thinges do please a man whiche do displease God his wyll is carnall For though he vse good maners yet liueth he euyl if he liue not to the glory of god For this is a thing that is proper the chiefe thynge of them that are godly that they glorye reioyce in the Lorde do not loue thē selues but in God For they loue them selues wel y t loue the workes of God in them selues For God also loueth the thyng in vs that he hath made and hateth that which he hath not made Therfore yf we loue the work of God in our selues then loue we rightly a good wyll in vs the which if it were not the worke of Godde doubtlesse it ought not to be loued And what man is it except he be of an euyll wyll that loueth not a good wyll in him selfe which is the first planting of the heauenly husbandman For the veritie hym selfe saith Euerye plant that my heauenly father hath not planted shalbe plucked vppe by the rootes What thyng soeuer is not to be plucked vp by the roote it is manifest that the same is planted of the father And a good wyll is the fyrste budde of all vertues who leaninge vppon her originall beginninge restith in the eternall and immutable wil to the ende it maye be made verye spirituall For he that cleaueth to god is one spirite with hym whyle through the Communion of the geuer of lyght and him that is lightened the iustifier and hym that is iustified
the ruler and the subiect al the action is referred vnto one and that that is referred vnto one is of both For that cannot beer alyenated or put awaye from God which he hath geuen nor that from man whiche he hath receyued A goodly and vvittie handlynge of thys question that is when a man beginneth to be of a god wil whether the same wyll be amended whiche he had in him before or els another will geuē to him which he had not before and the which might repugne the fyrst wyl Also how that wheras in the holy Scripture saluation is generally promysed to al men al men are named for y e part ¶ The thirde Chapiter HEre it seemeth good to entreate whether when a man begynneth to bee of a good will that same wyll whiche was in hym before bee corrected and amended or elles another will which he had not be geuen vnto him whiche also is contrary to the former wyll The whiche thynge shall not greue me more depely to search out to thende it may the more euidently appeare All men in the fyrst man are made without fault and al we haue loste the integritie and health of our nature through the transgression of y e first man ▪ from thence commeth mortalitie from thence commeth manyfolde corruption both of body and soule from thence commeth ignoraunce and difficultie vnprofitable cares vnlawefull desyres sacrilegious errours vayne feare noysome loue false ioyes repentful counsailes or deuises no lesse miserye then multitude of synnes These therefore and other lyke euils falling into the nature of man faith beyng lost hope forsaken vnderstanding darkned the wil led captiue no mā hath founde ought at al in hymself wherby he myght be repayred For although there hath beene some whiche haue gone about to striue against sinne by natural reason yet hath he garnished bareinly the life of this time onely but hath not profited to true vertue and eternall blisse For without the seruyce of the true God euen that thinge also that semeth to be vertue is verie sinne neyther can any man please God without God And he that pleaseth not god whom doth he please but hymself and the deuil By whom what time man was spoyled he was not robbed of his wil but of the integritie and soundnesse of hys wyl for he could not haue bene put from the state of hys innocencie onles he had first sinned in wil ▪ That wil therfore which was good by nature became euyll in qualitie and that motion of the mynde that can neuer be without some loue that is to say without some wil lost not the appetite but chaunged the desyre and affection receyuinge that by desyre whiche it ought to refuse by iudgement Therfore whan man retourneth to godlynes of whom it is for that cause spokē The spirite goeth and retourneth not againe for except God dyd conuert him he shuld not returne there is not a new worke made and a newe creature nor another substaunce created in him but the same that was decayed is repaired neither is there anithinge taken from him but the fault whiche nature had not For nature in Adam was without fault who through disobedience of wyll drewe vnto hym many euilles and powred forth the same vpon hys posterities to be multiplyed and increased more more The which euils nothing can ouercome bryng to nothing but the onely grace of the Sauiour who repaireth his worke with his worke As the Apostle saint Iohn sayeth For thys cause appeared the sonne of God that he might destroy the workes of the deuyll And lyke as he breaketh the bondes of the captiue so doeth he cloth the nakednesse of hym that is spoyled so healeth he also the woundes of hym that is wounded that what soeuer he doth in him maye also be done by hym To whom it is not expedient to haue conflict or kepe battayle agaynste hys enemye without a defender For he must fyght with hym of whom he was somtime ouercome wherfore let hym not truste to hys owne powers who when they were euen perfect stode not sted fastly but let him seeke victory in him which only is not ouercome and hath gotten the vyctorie in all thynges And yf he seeke lette hym not doubt but that he hath receaued the desire to seke of him whom he seketh Neither let him thinke because it is done by the spirite of God that therefore he hath not free wyll whiche he dyd not then loose when in wyll he gaue himselfe to the deuyl of whom the iudgment of the wyll was depraued or corrupted not takē away Wherfore that which was not slayne by the wounder is not taken awaye by the healer The wounde is healed but nature is not put awaye But that that peryshed in nature is not restored but by the aucthour of nature The Lorde sayeth I wyll geue vnto the house of Israell and vnto the house of Iuda a newe Testamente not lyke vnto the Testament that I gaue vnto their fathers in the day when I toke thē by the hand to leade them out of the lande of Egipt for they contynued not in my testament and I regarded them not sayth the lorde but thys is the testament that I wyll geue to y e house of Israel after those dayes sayth the Lorde I wyll make them to vnderstande my lawes and I wyll wryte them in their heartes and I wyll be theyr God and they shall be my people and no man shal teache hys neighbour nor euery man hys brother saying knowe the lorde for al men shal know me from the least to the most for I wil haue mercy on their iniquities will not remember their sinnes And I wyll geue them another meaning and another heart that they maye feare me all the dayes of theyr lyfe to do them good and their chyldren after them And I wyll geue the man euerlasting testament whiche I wyll not take from them And I wyll put my feare into their hartes lest thei shuld go from me and I wyll vysite them that I maye make them good The lorde also by the prophete Esayas foresheweth the same thynges of hys grace by the whiche he maketh of all men a newe creature saying beholde I wyll make newe thynges whiche nowe shall ryse vp and ye shal knowe them and I wyl make a way in the desert and ryuers in the drye lande The beastes of the fielde shall blesse me the maremaides y e schrich owles byrdes because I haue geuen water in the desert and ryuers in the drye grounde to geue drinke to myne elect generation mi people which I haue purchased to my selfe that they maye declare my power And agayne I sweare by my selfe that there shal righteousnes go out of my mouth my wordes shall not bee tourned backe for euerye knee shall bowe to me and euerye tounge shall prayse God Therfore yf it be impossible for these things not to come to passe for
the commaundement and faith should take no place whiche beleueth that all sinnes are forgeuen throughe baptisme yf it were taught that grace were not geuen vnto the euyll wicked men but vnto good and righteous men Therfore the beginning of true lyfe and ryghteousnes consisteth in the Sacrament of regeneration that where a man is renued there also the veritie of these vertues shoulde springe and they beginne to profyte by fayth vnto perpetuall glorye who coulde scarse come to the temporall rewarde of vayne prayse For whether he be a Iewe that swelleth throughe the knowledge of the lawe or a Greeke puffed vp throughe the studie of naturall wisdome before he be iustified by the faith of Christ he is shutte vp vnder sinne And yf he continue in his infidelitie y e wrath of God abideth vppon him euen that same which he had drawē vnto himselfe in the transgression of Adam wherof the Apostle speaketh saying And ye when ye were dead in your trespasses synnes wherein ye walked in times past according to y e tyme or course of this worlde after y e prince of the power of this ayre the spirite which worketh now in the chyldren of vnbeliefe among whō we also had our conuersation in tyme paste in the lustes of our fleshe fulfylled the wyll of the fleshe and of the mind and were by nature the chyldren of wrath like as other were And agayne ye were at that tyme without Chryst aliens from the common wealth of Israell and strangers from the Testamentes hauynge no hope of the promesse and were without God in this worlde And agayne ye were somtime darkenesse but nowe are lyght in the Lorde And againe geuing thankes to y e father whiche hath made vs worthy to be partakers of the inheritaunce of saintes in light which hath deliuered vs from the power of darknes hath trāslated vs in to y e kingdom of his welbeloued sonne And againe for we also wer somtime folish vnfaithful goyng astraye seruing diuers lustes plesures liuing in malice enuie hateful hating one another But whē y e benignitie gentlenes of our Sauiour apeered not for y e workes of righteousnes which we haue done but acording to his mercy hath he saued vs through the lauer of regeneraciō of the holy ghost whom he hath powred foorth aboundantly vpon vs through Iesus Christ our sauiour that we being iustified by his grace shulde be heires of eternall lyfe by hope VVhat the nature of man is vvithout grace ¶ The .vi. Chapter AND that it maye briefly apeere what the nature of man is without grace lette Iude the Apostle tel what eyther the ignoraunce of the vnlearned or the doctrine of the wyse can doe But they saith he what thinges soeuer they knowe not that do they blaspheme and what soeuer thinges they knowe naturally as brute beastes do therin corrupt they them selues Let also the Euangelist Luke vnder the wordes of zacharie tel in what a nyght mankynde doth wander before the illuminacion of grace and out of what a darknesse of ignoraunce the people of God is deliuered And thou childe saith he shalt be called the prophete of the hyghest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes To geue knowledge of saluacion to his people for the remission of theyr sinnes Through the tender mercye of our God whereby the daye spryng from an hyghe hath visited vs. To geue light to them that sitte in darkenesse in the shadowe of death to guide our feete into the way of peace And this tender mercy hath the lord shewed not to the redemption of one people onely but vnto the saluacion of all Nacions as the Euangeliste saith For Iesus must dye for the people and not for the people onely but also that he myght gather together the children of god which were dispersed And that thing doth the voyce of the Lorde whiche throughe the trumpe of godlynes soundynge throughout all the worlde doth both call and gather together al mē For whē he had said I thank thee oh father lord of heauen and earth because thou haste hydde these thinges frō the wise prudent haste reueled thē vnto babes Euen so O father for so was it thy good pleasure he added All thinges are geuen to me of my father no man hath knowen the sonne but y e father neyther hath any man knowen the father but the sonne he to whō the sonne wyll reuele him And thē he added Come vnto me all ye y e labour are laden and I wyl refresh you Take my yoke vpon you learne of me for I am meke and humble of harte and ye shal finde rest vnto your soules for my yoke is sweete my burden is light Iohn Baptist also in the Gospel of Iohn protesteth in y e spirit of prophesie saying He y t came frō heauē is aboue al mē he doth testify that y e he hath sene hard and no man receiueth his witnesse howbeit he y t receiueth his witnes hath set his seale that God is true Therfore in somuch as perteineth to y e blindnes of mākind gotten with y e long night of ignorance pride the creator of y e world came into this world the world knew him not the lyght shyned in the darknesse but the darkenesse comprehended it not He that is aboue all testified that that he had seene and hard and no man receaued his testimonie But because the sonne of God came not in vain into the worlde but gaue hym selfe for all men he dyed not onely for the people but also that he myght gather into one the children of God which were dispersed And he said vnto all men Come vnto me all ye that labour and are laden I shall refreshe you And he maketh him selfe and his father knowen to whom he wyll reuele it reseruing vnto him selfe the libertie of the election vnable to be knowen All the chyldren of lyght the chyldren of promesse the sonnes of Abraham the sonnes of God the electe generation the kyngly priesthood the true Israelites foreknowen and fore ordeyned to the kingdome of god who hath called them not onely out of the Iewes but also out of the gentiles do receyue the testimonie of hym that came downe from heauen and sette theyr seales that God is true that is to say they declare in that thei are saued that GOD is true that he kepeth touch and perfourmeth that that he promysed vnto Abraham the father of all nations Who when God promysed him that he should be the heyre of the worlde doubted not by mistrust But beinge comforted in faith gaue glory vnto God knowing moste certainely that he was able to perfourme the thynge that he had promysed And who is so enstraūged from the fayth of Abraham who is so farre growen out of kynde from the father of all nations that he will say eyther that the promyse
of our Lorde Iesus Chryst And afterwarde the god of hope fyll you with all ioye and peace in beleuinge that ye may bee ryche in hope through the power of the holy ghost By the whiche testimony not onely fayth but also ioy and peace and aboundance of hope are taught not to bee had but by the power and vertue of the holy ghost And the Apostle writing to the Ephesians of the richesse of grace the which grace geueth good thynges for euyll of fayth which is not hadde of our selfe but of the gyft of god speaketh these wordes But god which is riche in mercye for hys great loues sake wherewith he loued vs when we were dead by synne hath quickened vs together in Chryste by whose grace we are saued and hath raysed vs vp and hath made vs sit together in heauenly thynges through Chryste Iesus for by grace are ye made safe through faith and that not of your selues for it is the gyft of God commeth not of workes least any man should boaste himselfe For we are hys handy worke created in Chryst Iesu vnto good workes vnto the whiche God hath ordeyned vs before that we should walke in them Therefore the newe creature hath thys propertie through grace that they that are of Gods fasshioning which are made in Christ bi a heauēly natiuitie be not ydle sluggardes nor geuen to sloth but encrease from vertue to vertue goe from strength to strength walking in y e way of good workes For this is to bee made in fashion Thys is to bee made a newe creature of an olde This is to be reformed frō the image of the earthy man into y e image of the heauenly man All the which things he beginneth he augmenteth or encreaseth he perfourmeth finisheth eyther openly by the cooperatours or ioynt workers of grace or elles priuily by y e secrete ministring of the spirit whose husbandry whose buyldynge and whose workemanship we are Hovve that all the giftes of vertue are geuen and ordered of the lord god and that al things are in his hand and that God is the aucthour of all goodnes ¶ The .ix. Chapiter BY these testimonies as farre as I can perceaue it is sufficiently declared although other Documentes myght be gathered that fayth wherby the vngodly man is iustified is not had but by the gift of god and that the same is geuen for no merites goynge before but is geuen to thend that it might bee the beginninge of merites and where as it is geuen vnasked it is geuen that other good thinges myght bee obtayned by her askinges Concerning the which thing I wil gather certaine testimonies out of many which shewe forth the aboundaunce of grace by the diuersitie of the giftes thereof That it is of god therfore that a man choseth the way of god and riseth vppe when he is fallen the psalme of Dauid singeth saying The Lorde ordereth a mans goynges that he may will his way when he falleth he shall take no hurt for the Lorde putteth vnder hys hande Also the same Dauid teacheth that men come to god by the leadinge of god saying Sende forth thy lyght and thy trueth they haue led me and brought me vnto thy holy hyll and vnto thy Tabernacle or place of thy dwelling Also that the strength of man is in the lorde and that the wil of God doth preuent the deliueraunce of man My strength will I ascribe vnto thee sayth he for god euen my god is my deliuerer hys will shal preuent me In the prouerbes also we reade of wysedome and vnderstandinge for the Lorde geueth wysedome and from hys face commeth knowledge and vnderstandinge Also in the same boke speakinge of the distribucion of the wisedome of GOD without the which nothing is wel done It is thus said counsell is mine defence is myne I am wisdome it selfe and power is myne owne By me kynges raygne and tyrauntes by me obtaine the earth Also in another place that no man can go the right way but by the ordering of god The steppes of man are ordered of the Lorde For how doth a mortal man vnderstande his owne waies Also in another place Euery mā thinketh himselfe to be iust but the lorde ordereth the heartes And afterward the will is prepared of the lord Agayne in the same booke he speaketh of thought and deuise on this wise Many thoughtes are in the heart of man but the deuise of the lorde preuayleth It is sayde also in Ecclesi that both to haue thinges necessarye and to vse them wel is the gift of God There is nothyng good to man but that that he eateth drinketh and sheweth hys soule good of hys labour and truely I haue sene these things For it is in y e hand of God for who hath eaten or shall eate without him Also it is red in the same bohe that the hartes and workes of the righteous men are in the hande of God and that thei so much profyte and goe forwarde in theyr studies and desyres as he shall geue What paine soeuer a man take to gette hym he shall not fynde hym and whatsoeuer a wise man shal say to him to enstruct hym that he myght haue knowledge he shall not finde it out For I haue laid vp al these thinges in my hart my harte hath sene al this that both the iust men the wyse men also their workes are in the handes of god And it is spokē in y e boke of wisedome of the same worke of grace on this wise For he is both the captayne of wisdome and the amender of the wise In his hande are both we and our wordes the knowledge of all wisdom and works discipline Of Continencie also that it is had of Gods gift the same scripture speaketh on this wise After that I knewe that I coulde none otherwyse be chast except God gaue it me and this was also a poynte of wysedome to knowe whose gyft it is Vnto the which sentēce the doctrine of the Apostle Saint Paule agreeth wrytyng on this wyse in the first Epistle to the Corinthians I would all men were as I am my self but euery one hath his proper gyfte of God one after this sorte another after that Also the Lorde in the Gospell of Mathewe declareth the very same of chastitie For when his Disciples sayde If the cause of man and wyfe bee such it is not expedient to mary Iesus saith vnto them All men are not able to attayne vnto that ye speake of but they to whō it is geuen of my father It is read in Ecclesiasticus on the same wyse of the feare of God and of wisdom The feare of the Lorde is the crowne of wysdom and both are the gift of God Also in the same The feare of the Lorde hath sette it selfe aboue all thynges blessed is the man to whō it is graūted to haue the feare
of the Lorde Esay the prophet speaketh likewyse of the spirituall rychesse whereof God is the aucthour Our saluacion commeth with treasures as for wisdome and godlynesse and nourture they come from the Lorde these are the treasures of ryghteousnes Also he speaketh these wordes of the depth of the riches of the wisdome knowledge of God whose goodnesse is preuented with the merite of no manne whiche hath measured the water with his hande the heauen with his spanne and the whole earth with thre fingers which hath wayed the mountaines in the skaoles and the rockes in the balaunce who hath knowen the minde of the Lorde or who hath bene hys counseller who canne instruct hym or of whom hath he asked counsayl and he hath taught hym Or who hath shewed hym iudgement or who hath shewed hym the waye of wisedome or who hath fyrst geuen to him that he may recompence him whereof also in the booke of Iob the words of the lord are red in the same sence sayinge who hath geuen to me fyrst that I should recompence him All thynges that are vnder heauē are mine Ieremias also sayeth on thys wise that a mā hath right wisdome from god O lord I know that it is not in mans power to order his owne way neyther is it in man to rule his own iourney Also the Lorde protesteth by the same Prophete that the conuersion of the hart to God is of God and he sayeth I will restore them vnto thys lande and I will newe buylde them and will not destroye them I wyll plant them and not pulle them vp I wyll geue them an heart that thei may knowe me for I am the Lorde and they shalbe my people and I wyl be theyr God for they shalbe conuerted vnto me with theyr hole heart Also the same Prophete she wynge that it cōmeth of god that we knowe god sayth And they shal knowe that I am the Lorde theyr God and I wyll geue them an hearte to knowe me and eares to heare me The Apostle in the firste Epistle to the Corinthians teacheth that euery good word and euery holy worke is the secrete working if the holy spirit without whō nothing is well done saying Therfore I do you to vnderstād that no man speakynge in the sprite of god defieth Iesus And no man can saye that Iesus is the Lord but in the holy ghost For ther be diuersities of giftes or graces and yet but one spirite and there be differences of administracions and yet but one Lorde and there be diuers maner of operacions and yet but one God which worketh al in all The gyftes of the spirite are geuen to euery man to edifie withall For to one is geuen the vtteraunce of wysdome by the spirite To another is geuen the vtteraūce of knowlege by the same spirite to another is geuen faith by the same spirite to another the gyft of healynge by the same spirite to another prophesie to another iudgement to discerne spirites to another diuers tongues to another the interpretacion of tongues and al these worketh one and the same spirite deuidyng vnto euery man euen as he wyll The same Apostle vnto the Ephesians saith that euery man hath so much grace as the Lord hath geuē him One body one spirite saith he as ye are called in one hope of your callynge One Lorde one faith one baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue al men and ouer all thynges and in vs all For to euery one of vs is geuen grace according to the measure of the gifte of Christe For the which cause he saith He ascended vp on hyghe and hath led captiuitie captiue and geuen gyftes to men Also the same Apostle in the second Corinthes saith that we are not able to thynke that that is spirituall but by the grace of God Such truste haue we towardes God throughe Chryste not that we are sufficiente of our selues to thynke anye thynge as of our selues but our sufficiencie is of God whiche hath made vs meete ministers of the new Testament not in the letter but in the spirite for the letter killeth but the spirite geueth lyfe Agayne in the same Epistle teachynge that the desyre and the sufficiencie or ablenesse vnto good woorkes are ministred of God he saith God is able to make all grace to abounde in you that ye all hauyng sufficient of all thynges maye be ryche in euerye good woorke as it is wrytten He hath dispearsed abrode and geuen to the poore his ryghteousnes abydeth for euer For he that ministreth seede to the sower shall geue you foode to eate and shall encrease the fruites of your ryghteousnes that ye beynge made ryche to the vttermoste may haue plentie vnto all singlenesse And the Apostle wryting to the Ephesians teacheth that all good thynges where with God is pleased are the gyftes of GOD and that it behoueth them to be asked of God that he may geue thē to those which haue them not For this cause saith he do I bowe my knees vnto the father of our Lord Iesus Christe of whom is named all fatherhod both in heauen and in earth that he woulde geue you power accordynge to the richesse of his glory that ye might be strengthed by his spirite in the inner manne that Chryste myght dwell in your hartes by faith that ye beyng rooted and grounded in loue myght be able to comprehende with all Saintes what is that breadth and length depth and heyghte and to knowe what the loue of Christe is whiche loue passeth knowledge that ye might be fylled with all maner of fulnesse that cōmeth of God And vnto hym that is able to do to worke all thinges more aboundauntlye in vs then we can either aske or thinke accordyng to that power wherwith he now worketh in vs. To him he prayse and glory in the congregation by Iesus Chryste throughout al worldes Amen And Iames the Apostle telleth in lyke maner that God is the aucthour of euery good thyng whose giftes are neither vncertaine nor mutable but proceadyng of the eternall wyll saying Do not ye erre my deare brethren Euery good gyft and euery perfecte gyfte discendeth from aboue from the father of lyght with whom there is no variablenesse neyther is he chaunged vnto darkenesse Of his owne good wyll begate he vs with the woorde of trueth that we myght bee the firste fruites of his creatures Vnto whom the Prophete zacharias agreeth saying In that daye the Lorde shall saue his people as sheepe for holye stones shall be rolled vppon his lande For yf any thyng be good it is his yf anye thynge be precious it commeth of hym And in the Gospell of Saint Mathe we it is tolde lykewyse that knowledge and vnderstandynge are the gyftes of God whiche he geueth to whom he wyll Then his Disciples came vnto hym and sayde Why doeste thou speake vnto them in parables But he aunswered and
beleuers whyle thei which are to become Christians are agaynst the Christian faith For many shall loue that they haue hated and shall preache that that they do not nowe alowe And among these thynges who shall make it knowē vnto these murmuters or curious searchers whye the Sunne of ryghteousnes shyneth not yet to some Nacions and why also the veritie which is to bee reuealed hereafter withholdeth at this tyme her bright beames from the hartes that are so ful of darknes why thei which are to be refourmed afterwardes are suffred so long to go astray and why that that is geuen to olde men in the end of theyr lyfe is not geuen them by so long a time before Whye the chyldren beleue nowe in Christ and the parentes do not yet beleue And agayne why an euyll childe differeth vtterly from his godlye and religious parentes And yet notwithstanding prayers are dayly made to god which is both the geuer of the begynnyng of faith also of then crease therof according to his cōmaundement so that both yf he mercifully do heare the grace of his mercy maye be knowen and also yf he do not fauourably heare the trueth of his iudgement maye be vnderstanden And also in times past euen the same grace whiche after the resurrectiō of our Lorde Iesus Christ was spred abrode euery where and of the which it is wrytten Thy illuminacions hath shone abrode to all the worlde was not lacking in the worlde For though it can not be denyed but that the people of Israell were elected by a speciall regarde and mercye of God and all other Nacions were suffred to walke in theyr owne wayes that is to saye were suffred to liue after theyr owne wyll yet notwithstanding the euerlastyng goodnesse of the Creatoure dydde not so tourne away it selfe from those menne that he dyd not admonysshe them by some significasignifications both to knowe hym and also to feare hym For heauen and earth the sea and euery creature which may be seene knowen was chiefly ordeyned for this profyte and vtilitie of mankynde to the entent that the reasonable nature through the beholdyng of so manye kyndes of thynges throughe the experience of so many good thynges throughe the receipte of so many gyftes might be instructed to the worship and loue of his maker the spirite of God replenyshyng all thynges in whom we lyue moue and haue our beynge And though that health be farr from sinners yet is there nothing voyde of the presence and power of his saluacion Therfore as the Prophete saith The earth is full of the mercy of the Lorde that neuer fayled anye tyme or any generacion And he dyd euer bestowe that same prouidence by the whiche he doth geue and preserue al thinges to the gouernaunce succouryng of nature hauyng ordinarilie prepared and appointed by the immutabilitie of his eternall councell vnto whom and what he hym selfe woulde distribute in theyr seasons and also the vnsercheable and inuestigable measures of his manyfolde grace wherby he wold diuersly geue distribute his giftes and diuine misteries For like as the liberalitie and large nesse of this grace which last of all had her influence vppon all Nacions doeth not euacuate that which fell vpon one Israell vnder the lawe nor the rychesse presente do not abolysshe the faith of the former penurye and scarsenesse Euen so lykewyse we muste not imagine of that care and regarde of God whiche properly gouerned the chyldren of the Patriarches that the mercifull gouernaunces of God were withdrawen from the residue of men who surely in comparison of the electe seeme to be but abiectes but they neuer were repelled from both manifest and secrete benefites For we reade in the Actes of the Apostles that Paule and Barnabas the Apostles sayde to the Lycaonians Ye men why do ye these thynges We also are mortall men lyke vnto you preachyng vnto you that ye shulde be conuerted frō these vaine things vnto the liuing god who made both heauen earth the sea al things in thē conteined who in times past suffred al nacions to wander theyr owne wayes And yet lefte he not hym selfe without witnes in that he sēt vs his benefites in geuyng vs rayne frō heauen fruitfull seasons fylling our hartes with foode and gladnesse And what witnes is this which euer serued y e Lord neuer kept silēce of his goodnes power but that same vnspekable bewtie of the whole world the rych orderly liberalitie of his vnspekable benefites by y e which certein tables of y e eternall law were written in the heartes of men that the cōmon and publike doctrine of gods institucion myght be read in the bookes of the elementes The heauens therefore and all the heauenlye bodyes the sea the lande and all that euer is in them dyd preache the glorye of GOD with the consonant hermony of theyr kinde and ordinacion and by that perpetuall preachyng they vttered the maiestie of theyr maker And yet notwithstandyng the greatest nombre of men which were suffred to walke the wayes of theyr owne wyll dyd neyther vnderstande nor folowe that lawe And the sauoure of lyfe whiche smelled vnto lyfe became vnto them the sauour of death vnto death so that also euen in those visible testimonies it myght be learned that the letter kylleth but the spirite geueth lyfe The .ii. Chapter THat thyng therfore whiche was done in Israell throughe the ordinaunce of the law and the doctrine of the Prophetes that same the testimonies of all creatures the marueylous workes of God dyd continuallye among all nacions But forasmuche as among that people Nacion to whom bothe those kyndes of erudicion was geuē no manne was iustified but by grace throughe the spirite of fayth who doubteth but that they which were able to please God of what Nacion so euer they were or in what tyme soeuer they were were discouered by the spirite of gods grace The which grace though afore tyme it was both more scarse and more priuie and secrete yet did it neuer denie it selfe at any tyme in one power in dyuers quantitie in immutable counsell in manyfolde operation For euen in these dayes wherein the ryuers of vnspeakable giftes do water y e whole world one maner is not geuen to all men nor yet one measure For thoughe all one and the same veritie be preached to all men by the ministers of the woorde and of the grace of God and al one and the same exhortacion geuen yet is it the husbandry of God and the buyldynge of God whose vertue woorketh inuisiblye that that whiche is buylt may go forwarde and that that which is tylled maye growe and encrease as the Apostle Paul witnesseth saying What is Apollo and what is Paule his ministers are they whom ye haue beleued euen as the Lord hath geuen to euerye man I haue planted Apollo hath watered but GOD gaue the encrease So then neither is he that
equall in al thinges vpon al generations or vpon all men For after one maner hath he holpen those men whom he taught to know hym by the testimonyes of the heauen and the earth and after another maner those for whom he had prouyded to bee holpen not onely by the seruyce of the Elementes but also by the doctrine of the lawe by the oracles of the Prophetes by myracles and signes by the helpe and succour of aungelles And he much more otherwyse declared his mercy to all men when the sonne of god became the sonne of man y t he myght be found of thē that sought not after him and might apeare to them that asked not for hym And that he might haue y e preeminence not only in one people of y e stocke of Israel but that the multiplied sede of Abraham might springe in euery nation which is vnder heauen Into the which succession of heritage not the Chyldren of the fleshe but the Chyldren of promyse shoulde enter And that there should be nowe as great a scarsenesse of grace among y e pleople of the Iewes as was in tymes paste amonge other nations Neuerthelesse it is promysed that when the fulnesse of the gentiles is come in then their drynesse shal be watred also Who now cā tel what the causes should be of these diuersities vnliknesses being al vnder one and the same grace Or what the reason of it is seynge the scriptures doe not tell it And forasmuch as the knowledge of thapostle Paul in these thinges passeth from disputacion vnto wonder who dare presume so far as to thinke y t these cā be opened by disputing and are not rather to be merueyled at with silence Let this secrete therfore be pacientli gentelly vnknowen that is set so far frō mans vnderstandynge Yet because things y t are close shut vp cannot be knowen the intraūce to things that are opened may not bee ouerpassed and let slip For manye aucthorities of the holy scriptures haue manyfestly declared and the continuall experimentes of all ages haue taught that the iuste mercye of God and hys mercifull iustice hath not ceased at any tyme to norishe the bodyes of men nor to teache them nor yet to helpe their vnderstandings mindes For it hath euer rayned on the good and bad he hath made his sonne euer to aryse vppon both the iuste and vniuste he hath euer geuen the breath of life he hath euer geuen the continuall courses of the day the nyght he hath euer geuen fruitfulnes to the grounde encrease to the seedes and fecunditie or multiplyinge to the generation of men And if he haue at ani time diminished any of these things he hath chastened with gentle correction the backtourninges and slouth of those that abused them to the intente that they shoulde seeke his mercy in theyr aduersitie whose iustice they feared not in theyr prosperitie Furthermore yf we haue recourse to the very beginning of the worlde we shall fynde that the spirite of God was the gouernour of all the saintes that were before the fludde for the whiche cause they were named the sonnes of God For as thapostle sayth whosoeuer are ruled or led by the spirite of God thei are the sonnes of God And when they hadde neglected the obseruations of theyr fathers by mynglynge them selues in the vnlawfull mariages of the reprobates and for that wicked societie and mingling were iudged worthye of destruction the lorde sayde My spirite shal not abide in these men for they are flesh Wherby it appeareth that the same people whose generation are sette in a diuerse order with the number of their yeres was afore that spirituall euen in the same wyl which the holy ghost doth gouerne bestowinge the temperauncye of hys regyment and gouernaunce in such sort that he toke not away the power to declyne to synne the which power if this people had not hadde they coulde neyther haue forsaken God nor yet bee forsaken of God It shoulde bee that same of whom it is spokē Happye is he that was able to offende and hath not offended Duryng the tyme therfore that thys people abode in God they remayned in that wyl that god inspyred and gouerned For the wyll as it is wrytten is prepared of the Lord. But of this preparation there is not alwaye one successe nor yet one measure for the workes and gyftes of grace are disceuered in dyuerse wise and by innumerable differences and in euerye kinde of the said gyftes there are vnlyke degrees and vneuen quantities For lyke as in the comming vp of earbes trees that the earth bringeth forth there is not al one beauti or likenes nor one kynd of thē al but euery one of them cōmeth forth in y e forme of his owne seede in the quantitie of his own kynd neither do thei receiue ful beautie incontinent assone as they come foorth but come forward by certayne orderly encreasing vntyll they come to the perfyte quantitie of theyr state that happened vnto thē by the same increasinge or growinge Euen so the sedes of the gyftes of the holy ghoste and the plantes of vertues do not growe in euery fielde of mans heart hollye the same and attonce that thei shal bee afterwardes And it is an harde thinge to fynde ripenesse in the beginning and perfection in the first entraunce Yet many tymes the mightie and mercyfull God doth poure forth these meruaylous effectes of his workinge and whatsoeuer he wyl geue that same conueyeth he into certaine mindes altogether and at once the tariynge for encrease not wayted for Leui is sanctified in the loynes of Abraham and with hym is also the house of Aaron and priestly order blessed In Isaac conceiued by promise and borne contrarye to the hope of the olde barreyne parentes is the callyng of all the Gentyles and the fourme of Chryst layde vp and hyd Iacob beyng beloued without any helpe of merite is elected before he is born To Iheremye it was sayde Before I fashioned thee in the wombe I knewe thee and or euer thou were borne I sanctified thee Iohn reioyseth being filled with the holy ghost in his mother Elizabethes wombe And that there maye be none greater among the chyldren of women he feeleth the begynnynges of grace before the begynnynges of nature But although there wante not other examples of the lyke doctrine the whiche I ouerpasse because I woulde be briefe yet is that sort of men thicker and more in nombre vnto whom what soeuer the heauenlye liberalitie particulerly geueth doth grow by lyttle and lyttle to thintent that the causes of the gyftes which are to be geuen maye be brought forth of y e giftes which are already geuen Some there be which after they haue receiued faith are not without diffidencie mistrust which doubtlesse he knewe to be in himself whiche sayde Lorde I beleue helpe mine vnbeliefe And the which they perceiued not to be quite out
and wyll buylde agayne the Tabernacle of Dauio whiche was fallen downe and that that was fallen in decaye thereof wyll I buylde agayne and wyll set it vp that the residue of menne myght seeke after the Lorde also all the Gentyles vppon whō my name is named saith the Lorde that doeth these thinges knowen vnto the lord is his owne woorke from the beginnyng of the worlde Simeon also euen he whiche had receiued an aunswere of the holye ghoste that he shoulde not taste of death vntyll he had seene the Lordes Christ spake these woordes of the saluacion of all Nacions whiche saluaciō was reueled in Christ Nowe Lorde let thy seruaunte departe in peace accordyng to thy worde For mine eyes haue seene thy saluaciō which thou hast prepared before the face of all people A lyght to lyghten the gentyles and to be the glorye of thy people Israell In these other lyke testimonies of the holy Scriptures it is vndoubtedlye declared that this most ryche most myghtye and most benigne grace wherby all nacions in the laste ende of the worlde are called into the kingdome of Christ was hyd in the secrete counsell of GOD in the former ages And why it was not made knowen in time past by the same manifestacion that it is nowe made knowen to all naciōs can no knowledge comhende nor no vnderstandynge perceiue Yet notwithstanding that which moste godly is beleued of the goodnesse of GOD howe that he wylleth all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the truth ought to be iudged to be perpetuall euerlastyng accordyng to the measures whereby God knoweth howe to heape his speciall vppon generall gyftes That both they which haue bē without grace might be reproued of their wickednes and also that they which haue shyned in his lyght myght glory and reioyce not in theyr owne merite but in the Lord. And in this streite but yet the right path of vnderstandyng the consideracion of yonge Infantes doth set forth vnto vs no small difficultie which Infantes haue not the iudgement of reason whereby they feelynge the benefite of theyr maker might come to the knowledge of the trueth Neyther doth it seme that they can be iustly reproued for that they haue neglected the grace that shoulde haue holpen them seing that they were naturallye brought foorth in that ignoraunce which no doubte receiueth no knowledge nor perceiueth any doctrine ¶ The .viii. Chapter WHerfore forasmuch as God wylleth all menne to be saued what is the matter that so greate a multitude of Infantes are alienated from euerlastynge saluation and so many thousandes of menne in these dayes are left without eternall lyfe as though he had made them for that purpose onlye which created no man of euyl wyll so that because they came into this worlde with the fleshe of sinne they should fall into the bandes of vnlooseable trespasse without the gyltinesse of theyr owne acte What can be more deeper then this what can be more marueylous then this And lawfull is it not to beleue that they whiche haue not obteyned the Sacrament of regeneration do perteyne vnto anye felowwyppe of the blessed And it is more to bee wondered and more to to be maruayled at that where the act offendeth not where the wyll resisteth not where there is all one miserie lyke weakenesse the cause common and al one that the iudge is not all one in so great a lykenesse and such as repulsiō refuseth euen suche doth the election adopte and take Howbeit our hartes shal not be troubled about this depth of gods seperation if we beleue with a firme and stedfast fayth that all gods iudgement is iust do not desyre to know that thyng that he would haue secrete So that when a man can not fynde out whye he so iudgeth it maye suffice hym to knowe who it is that iudgeth Albeit this question is not so farre past knowlege that there shoulde be no instruction at all that can be learned concerning it yf the quiete looke of a sober harte be applyed to beholde the thyng that maye be seene For when we do consider amonge the Pagans among the Iewes among the Heretickes and among them that are Catholike Christians howe great a number of Infantes doeth peryshe who so farre foorth as perteyneth to theyr proper wylles we are sure haue done neither good nor badde We learne that the same sentence abydeth vppon them which mankind receiued for the transgression of our first parent the rigour of whiche sentence whyle it is not resolued toward such it is declared howe great that sinne was And it shoulde be iudged that euery man were borne innocent excepte it should be hurtefull to suche not to be borne againe And as touching the vntimelinesse of death there is no reason why to complaine of it seyng that death mortalitie being once entred into our nature through sin hath brought in bondage to it euē euery day of our lyfe For it shuld come to passe that after a certeyne maner a man myght be called immortall yf there were a tyme within the which he could not dye But corruptiō is neuer on such wyse partaker of incorruption that it shuld not alway be bounde vnto the defection that is due to the fall or transgression The begynnyng of this life is the begynnyng to dye and our age begynneth not to bee increased before it begin to be diminished Wherunto yf anye temporarie space be added it is not added to thend it should endure but it passeth away to the end it shuld peryshe be gone Therfore that which is mortal frō the beginning what day so euer it dye it dyeth not cōtrary to the lawe of mortalitie Neither haue they at any tyme power to liue any nyer then they haue power to die And though the mortalitie of al mē is come of one cause yet corruptible nature is drawē not into one only but into manyfold imbecilities not only the yeres monthes or dayes of mās tyme but also al houres momentes are subiect either to diseases debilities or hurts nether is ther ani kind of death or any way to die but it chaūceth into som portiō of the generalitie of mortal mē For there remayneth an heauy yoke vppon all the chyldren of Adam from the daye that they come foorth of theyr mothers wombe vntyll the day of theyr buryall agayne into the earth which is the mother of al thinges But the weyght of this moste sharpe yoke hath not in such wyse fallen vpon the chyldren of Adam that the Iustice of God myght not worke anye part of his moderation therin The whiche hath so subdued thinges transitory and fayling vnto the lawes of defectiō that he wold not take away frō thē the power of his moderacions Or els all euyls shoulde fall vppon all men because that by common condicion all menne shoulde be subiecte to them all But that the general necessitie being variated and made dyuers the Lorde myght