creatures / it is al one Al procedeth from him / and therefore he is only to be glorified The voice was like the sound of a trompe / whereby is signified that it was no fainte thinge / but mightie in worcking / and able to take awaie al feare / and to persuade thoroughly COMME vp hither The nature of erth is / to fal to the erth / and not to rise vpwarde We shuld neuer rise froÌ„ the erth / onles God did cal vs / and raise vs vp But if we wil considre god / and his worckes / we must ascende / we must flie vp far aboue the erth / far aboue our flesh / and our awne reason to That Bullinger saieth that we must purge our selues from erthie affections / if we wil beholde heauenlie thinges / it is a verie good sense also AND j wil shew the what shal be don here after That god vouchsafeth to make men priuie to his doiÌ„ges / it is a goodnes neuer thought vpoÌ„ neuer commeÌ„ded enough Which thinge he shal sone perceue / that considereth what god is / and what we ar / his exceding great maiestie / our exceding great vilenes Which matter I wil not now enlarge / but leaue to your consideration This wold be wel noted that he saieth / that he wil shew him thinges that must be don afterward For some expoune the thinges that are spoken hereafter / partly of thinges doÌ„ vndre the old testament / and partly of thinges don vndre the new Which must nedes be an error / and lead meÌ„ in to wronge opinions / makinge them beginne at a wronge ende / sith he saieth plainly / that he wil shew thinges to be don / after the tyme that he spake with him / and not thinges don before AND streight waie I was in the spirite I was so occupied and deteined altogether in the spirite / as if I had / had no bodie / as though I had forgotten al bodilie / and erthlie thinges Or the spirite of god came vpoÌ„ me / and possessed me / or as Bullinger writeth I was in a spiritual contemplation / and rapte in spirite That he saieth streight waie / he sheweth the might / and efficacie of the voice / that spake vnto him AND beholde a throne was sette in heaueÌ„ Goddes throne is often spoken of / and described in the scripture For Esaie saieth in the .6 cha that he saw god sittinge vpon a throne high / and aduanced / and his traine filled the temple c. In the first cha of his prophetie Ezechiel saieth / that he saw in heaueÌ„ / as it were a saphir / and the likenes of a throne And he repeteth the same in the .10 cha Daniel in the .7 cha sheweth that he saw goddes throne glisteringe like fier / and the wheles of it sent forth fierie flammes But goddes throne is no where described so fully / so liuely / and with so conninge and pleasant wordes / as in this place What this throne signifieth / we maie easely gather out of the wordes of kinge Dauid / for thus he singeth in the .9 psal God shal remaine for euer / he hath made readie his throne to iudgement And he shal iudge the world in righteousnes / and decide the peoples matters with equite So than we vnderstand by the throne goddes imperial gouernment / and his iudiciarie administration This throne is not in erth / but in heauen For god â—uleth not after anie erthlie maner / but after an heauenlie maner Nether is his iudgement and gouernment corruptible / and subiecte to an ende / but as Dauid saieth / he remaineth a iudge / a ruler / and gouerner for euer For in the hebrue touÌ„ge / to iudge signifieth to ordre / to rule / and gouerne AND vpon the sâ—at there was one sitting You know that it is god / his son / that sitteth vpon this throne .j. administreth / ruleth / and gouerneth al thinges AND he that sate was in sight like a iaspis / and a sardine stone By the colors of two precious stones the nature of God is some wise shadowed to saint Io. and to vs. Plinie writeth that a iaspis is a grene stone / which is a fresh / and a pleasant color / and the color of manie thinges that ar lustie / and liuelie And therefore writers vnderstand thereby goddes perpetual continuance / his incorruptible / and immortal nature / as Dauid saieth / thy yeres shal not be ended And not only that he is the euer liuinge God / and coÌ„tinueth euer in life him selfe / but also that he giueth life to al other liuinge creatures / and preserueth them in grene / and lustie freshnes A sardine hath a fierie color / and maie expresse vnto vs goddes sore iudgement / and vengeance vpon vnrepentant sinners And a raine bow was aboute the throne like in sight to an emrode It is meruailous coÌ„fortable to vs / that goddes throne is compassed aboute with the raine bow For the raine bow is a sacrameÌ„t of goddes perpetual mercie / and of his most gratious couenâ—Ì„t made with vs. Who might abide the iustice / and seueritee of goddes throne / if it were not compassed with mercie For as Dauid saieth / if god wold obserue iniquites / accordinge to his righteousnes / who shuld stand But he hath set his raine bow / and sacrament of mercie so round aboute his throne / that his eyes caÌ„ neuer be of from it He caÌ„ turne his sight no waie / but he must see it And therefore now it is not to vs a terrible / and dradful throne / but as S. Paule calleth it / a throne of grace / whereuÌ„to we maie approche with boldnes / and find readie helpe The color of this raine bow was like the color of an emrode / which is the most fresch / pleasant color / that anie stone hath For in dede there is nothinge so delectable / and pleasant to vs / as goddes couenant of grace / and mercie And this couenant is euer grene / and endureth euer to the behofe of the chosen AND aboute the throne were .24 thrones That the .24 elders sat vpon thrones / foâ— the greke worde is al one here / and whan mention is made of goddes throne / and that thei were crouned / I thincke in dede that by them we must vndrestand with Bullinger / the companie of goddes sainctes departed out of this world / now raigninge and triumphinge with the lord Iesus in heauen And I thincke that an allusion is made / and a regarde had to the kinges of this world which haue their counsellers / and noble men sittinge aboute them For the scripture describeth heauenlie matters to vs / by such thinges as ar in â—re amoÌ„ge vs. Bullinger noteth that .24 is made of .12 And that the .12 Patriarches signifie at Israel / and the old church before the incarnation of Christ And the christiane church was planted by
.12 Apostles / so that the nombre of 12. coÌ„preheÌ„deth the hole coÌ„gregatioÌ„ of the new people And after this sorte .24 signifie the hole triumphant church consistinge of Iues and geÌ„tiles These .24 ar apparelled with white garmeÌ„tes For Christ hath purged them / made them faire / and clothed them with his awne puritee / and righteousnes They ar crouned / for they ouercame Satan / and his hellisch armie / while they liued in this world And now they raigne as kinges with Christ the lord in euerlasting glorie That they sitte / Bullinger saieth it is not ment / that they be iudges / but thei ar said to sitte / bicause thei rest from theyr labors / and now haue quiete affections / and be far from troblesome passions of mind Howbeit I see not why mentioÌ„ shuld be made of thrones if we shal not vndrestand that they sit as iudges Not that we meane that they iudge in stede of Christ but we meane that thei iudge with him that is to saie alow his iudgementes thinckinge the same thinge in euerie matter that he doeth and reioising in his doiÌ„ges For the lord hath aduanced them to this dignitee as to sitte with him in iudgement For he hath made al his thinges commune to his sainctes His iudgementes he hath made theyr iudgementes his kingdom their kingdoÌ„ his raigninge their raigninge and so forth Now by this description of the thrones goldeÌ„ crounes goodlie garmentes of the sainctes departed out of this life we maie vndrestand the greate glorie and felicitee that thei liue in Which thiÌ„ge shuld coÌ„forte vs in these our afflictions and miseries that we faint not or be discouraged knowiÌ„ge that goddes saictes passed by the same now triuÌ„phe in perpetual ioie The old heathen meÌ„ of great wittes taught the youthe of their tyme that vertue dwelleth vpon the toppe of an high hille and that the waie to the hil toppe is verie rough laborsom tedious but whan a man is once comme to the toppe he shal find a goodlie plaine goodlie grene medowes and al maner of pleasures We know taught by a more certaine scole master that the waie to heauen is verie straite and that thorough manie afflictions we must entre in to goddes kingdom But whan we be once coÌ„me thither it can nether be spoken nor thought what ioie what pleasure what felicitee we shal finde there Wherefore sith the ende of those thinges whereunto we ar called bringeth so great glorie and so great a sea of al pleasures ioies we ought not to be dismaide bycause of the difficulties ircksome tediousnes that we finde by the waie For we shal sone passe thorough them We can not longe sticke in them For what is longe in this life Let vs therefore gird vp the loines of our minde as S. Petre speaketh and presse forward to the price of the supernal callinge of god in Christ Iesu Let vs with patience runne out the race that we ar set in fasteniÌ„ge our eyes vpon the autor finissher of our faith who for the ioie that was set before him sustained and despised the shame of the crosse and now is sit doune vpon the glorious throne of God and wil leade vs the same waie to like honor glorie and dignite Vnto god therefore who hath sanctified our trauailes our crosse and our miseries and made the issue / end so happie and blisful be al glorie and honor for euer Amen The nexte sondrie after this lecture one of the companie semed by circumstances to improue some parte thereof But whan we hâ—d coÌ„ferred together we fully agreed Where vpon I vttered this declaration folowing ¶ The seconde readinge It is verie certaine that not oÌ„ly vnbridled wanton wittes of vngodlie wild fanatical arrogaÌ„t and proud spirites sporte them selues in mockinge of goddes prouidiÌ„ce but also that the weake vnlerned vnexercised mindes of some gâ—dlie folke ar trobled with this that where as thei heare be taught by the holie scripture that god is the ruler and gouerner / of the hole world / yet thei see that the despicers and contemners of god godlines whoÌ„ god hateth and abhorreth prosper in the world they see that the godlie whom god loueth ar oppressed vily entreated thei see that lies falshod violence tyrannie false and fraÌ„tike opinions idolatrie and superstitioÌ„ raigne euerie where and truth righteousnes vertue al honestie is troden vndre fote and lieth wounded maimed mangled in the mire of the stretes Yea not only the weake ar offended here with but also some farther growen and more exercised and endued with greater knowlege beginne to slagger and to doubte whether the world be gouerned by goddes prouideÌ„ce or whether al thinges be tombled and tossed by chauÌ„ce whan they see in how great welt hand felicite the vngodlie liue and how the godlie wrastle tugge continually with al maner of miseries and calamities For Asaph confesseth that his fete were al most ouerturned and his steppes slidden whan he saw the peace .i. the prosperitee of the vngodlie He was so nigh a fal that he was al most comme to this to saie I haue plainly clensed my herte in vaine vntil he entred in to goddes holie places considered more depely his prouidence and so perced farther vndrestâ—de the ende of the vngodlie how God had sett them in a slipperie place to giue them a more shameful fal And therefore that is to be noted he confesseth that before god had admitted him in to a farther vndrestanding of his prouidence while he folowed his awne witie in coÌ„sideringe the affaires happes of the world he was a verie beaste before god Ieremie also though he acknowlege that the world is gouerned by goddes prouidence yet he can not coÌ„prehende by his witte but that thinges might be don better For thus he saieth Thou art iust lord if I shuld contende with the. By these wordes it appeareth that he acknowlegeth goddes prouidence in gouerninge the world For why shuld he coÌ„plaine to god aboute those thinges where with god shuld haue no thinge to do if the world were not gouerned by him Or why shuld he acknowlege god to be iust in those thinges wherein he is offended and trobled if thei were not ordred by him For these wordes thou art iust lord / if I shuld contende with the signifie asmuche as if he shuld saie I know lord that al thinges ar gouerned by the and coÌ„me to passe by thy prouidence that thou hast a iust reason in al thy doinges but I can not see it in manie thinges and namely in the prosperite of the vngodlie For it foloweth yet I wil speake iudgementes with the that is yet me thiÌ„keth some thinges go not right Why is the waie of the vngodlie prosperous why be they happye and liue in al welth ioilitie that traÌ„sgresse transgression that is which be extreme and exceding great transgressors of thy lawes This is the thinge that trobleth the
same predicament / that those thinges be in whereunto thei ar coÌ„traries As for exemple darcknes is contrarie to light / and light is a qualitee therefore darcknes shal be referred to the same house 〈◊〉 sinne is coÌ„trarie to righteousnes / righteousnes is a qualitee therefore we shal putte sinâ—e 〈◊〉 the same predicament / and row that râ—ghteâ—snes is in / saie that sinne is a qualitee whereby mannes nature is corrupte / 〈◊〉 and sâ—â—â—de worthie to be cast awaie / and condemned of god But now these good 〈…〉 their reasâ—ning giue vs good couÌ„sel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bid vs be warie and forbeare to 〈◊〉 sucâ— thinges as the wicked maye turne 〈…〉 But so we shal cease to preache 〈◊〉 mercies of god For wicked men turne that to euil For the papistes saie that by preachinge of goddes mercies / we encourage men to sinne And some wicked men perchaunce take occasion thereby in dede to sinne the more boldly But thei plaie the sophisters and take non causam pro causa For the verie cause in dede of mennes corrupte behauior is their inwarde boiling sinful lust and not our preachiÌ„g Wherefore we maie not forbeare to speake the truth bicause euil men can wringe thinges to euil purposes But now lette vs comme to the lesson that these good scolemasters haue giueÌ„ you whereby ye ar taught to ouerthrow shortely and whithout sweate whatsoeuer we can allege / for the maintenance of our sentence For whan it is said that it was goddes wil that AdaÌ„ shuld sinne you must saie that god suffred Adam to sinne and so forth But these sufferers / that turne al goddes doinges in to suffringes / preately suffre them selues to be begiled if thei weene that manie wil streight waie beleue them For shal we saie that god suffred the Iues to conspire Christes death / whan the holie gost saieth his hand foreordained it Whan Micha saieth to Ahab Lo the lord hath giuen the spirite of liyng in to the mouth of al thy prophetes / is that nothinge els but god hath suffred thy prophetes to lie WhaÌ„ god biddeth the liyng spirite to go and to deceaue Ahab / I trow / he doeth more / than suffre him to go I saie not this as though this word suffringe might nowaie be ascribed to god but I saie that thei ar euil scolemasters / that teach you to turne al goddes doinges in to suffringes and yet teache you not in what sense you shal take the word suffringe For suffringe is taken sondrie waies We maie suffre a thinge with our wil and we maie suffre a thinge against our wil. He suffreth also a thiÌ„g to be don that meddleth not at al with the matter And he suffreth a thinge to be don that is contente and agreeth that it shal be don If thei saie / that god sufferd Adam to sinne as one that wold not medle with the matter / that is plaine sacrilege and robbeth god of his honor If thei wolde signifie in saiyng / that god suffred Adam to sinne that he was not the propre worcker and autor of his sinne / but ordained Adam to sinne by Satans propre worckinge and his awne faulte than thei meane as we meane And than their meruailous high lesson is vanished in to smoke Now to make at ende thus I trust you see that I stand vnwounded and vnhurte against these sore blodie blowes If anie man thincke that I haue ben to quicke against them / that be aduersaries in wordes and not in meaning lette him considre that I haue not had respecte to them only but also to the papistes which ernestly vse the same weapons against vs. And further bycause I trauail to mainteyne the glorie of my god which shineth to the dasellyng of wicked mennes yes in the hole gouernmeÌ„t of the world I thought good to vse some quicknes / and liuelines of wordes / to awake the dulnes of my hearers God our most merciful lord and father encrease the knowlege of his prouidence in vs al arme vs with patience in these miseries and confirme in vs the hope of a better state Amen amen ¶ An exposition of these wordes Leade vs not in to tentation made by Bar. Traheron loÌ„ge before these former lectures now added hereto that you maie know that he neuer saide nor thought that god is the autor of sinne as some most falsly and vngodly wold haue men to weene LEade vs not God tempteth and trieth men sondrie waies and to sondrie endes First to beginne with his awne whom he chose in Christ Iesus and prepared to euerbastinge life before the fundations of the world were laied he tempteth and trieth them to sondrie endes namely ether to make theyr vertues which he him selfe hath wrought in them to shine forth more clearely or to open their shame and nawghtie corrupte nature / that so afterwarde thei maie liue iÌ„ greater warines and feare of god / and more ernestly desire his helpe knowinge better their awne wickednes To the ende whereof we spake first he tempted Abraham Iob to bringe I meane their vertues to light and to make them more certainly knowen To thother ende he tempted kinge Dauid and. S. Petre and manie other not vtterly to destroie them but to humble them / to teach them to know and abhorre their awne wickednes and to fele more certainly his great goodnes and mercie And though god use this temptation to the profite of his chosen yet thei ought to praie that thei maie not fal in to it For though it be so that god of his great goodnes maketh our nawghtines to turne to his glorie / and our welth yet the godlie ought to abhorre to committe anie thinge / whereby their god is iustly offended But you wil saie / if he be offended with those our dedes / why bringeth he vs in to them With our dedes he is surely offended but he is delighted with that that he bringeth to passe by them namely with our humilitee with our better knowlege of our awne weaknes with our more warie walking afterwarde in due feare of him This tentation in to which God bringeth his electe / endureth but a time But he bringeth some in to a perpetual tentation / vtterly giuinge them vp to Satan hardening them in wickednes for euer The godlie do not praie / that thei maie not be led in to this temptatioÌ„ For thei haue a sure confideÌ„ce that thei ar goddes children For otherwise thei might not cal him father And if thei thincke that thei be goddes children thei must thincke / that thei be goddes chosen And bycause thei be goddes chosen / thei must thinke that thei can be no more damned / than god can cease to be god For whoÌ„ he hath oÌ„ce choseÌ„ theÌ„ he hath chosen for euer Nether caÌ„ he repeÌ„te him of the thinge that he hath once purposed / nor chaunge his purpose For that shuld argue some imperfection in him / which can not be in
my hammer / and weapoÌ„s of warre / I haue by the beaten doune natioÌ„s / and destroied kindoÌ„mes I haue by the beaten doune the horse / and his rider c. Seinge than that men ar subiecte to goddes throne / and do not what they list / but be his instrumentes scourges / hatchettes / and hammers / we ought patiently to sustaine our present affliction and the great miserie of our countree And we maie wel conceaue hope of conforte and of better state consideringe / that god hath also an hoke in the nostrelles a snaffle in in the mouthes euen of the vnmerciful oppressors of his seruauntes in England / whereby he wil draw them another waye / and restraine theyr rage whan he hath duly plaged the reprobate sufficieÌ„tly chastised his chosen Only lette vs remoue the causes of these our miseries namely lothinge of goddes holie worde boilinge lustes idle wantonnes and greedie desires of wordlie thinges we shal see shortly Pharao and his furious armie drouned in the red sea And we that haue longe sounge morneful songes shal chaunge our tunes and singe another while ioifully with Moses and Mâ—riam The lord is our strength and our praise he his our saluation this is our god and we wil magnifie him our fathers god and we wil aduance him For this lette vs praie to this lette vs saie Amen amen ¶ After this lecture it pleased the partie spoken of before to make certayne argumentes against mine assertioÌ„ whereunto here foloweth the auÌ„swer ¶ The third reading My conscience beareth me witnes that thorough goddes grace and goodnes I haue taught you the truth in this place and that I haue spoken reuerently of god and his worckes I am charged in dede with vnreuerent speech But alas what shuld moue me to speake vnreuereÌ„tly of hiÌ„ who made me whan I was nothing who saued me whan I was lost who restored me to life whan I was ded who quited me whan I was to be damned who raised me vp to heauen whâ— I was to be cast in to hel / who hath fed mâ— from my cradle and than most plentiously whâ— I was an orphane who also I am certaine hatâ— deliuered me out of manie daungers thauoidance whereof to procure I had nether counsel nor purpose nor thought in whom noâ— being chased out of my countree and banished from mine acquaintaunce knowen frendes I finde swete comforte and great plentie of ioies / euen in the middest of teares But the maner of my speaking foundeth vnreuerently / though in my mind / I maie thincke reuerently If this be an vnreuerent speech to saie that it was goddes wil and ordinance that Adam shuld sinne than this is an vnreuerent speech / to saie that it was goddes wil and ordinance / that the Iues shuld crucifie Christ and that Iosephes brethern shuld sel him in to Aegypte But the holie gost saieth / by the mouth of his holie Apostles / and primitiue church that the Iues and the geÌ„tiles came together to do what soeuer goddes hand purpose had ordained to be don And the same holie gost saieth by the mouth of the right vertuous and holie man Ioseph you sent me not hither but god Howbeit you must know that whan we saie that it was goddes wil and ordinance that Adam shuld sinne the meaninge is not that god delighted in Adams sinne or that god alowed Adams sinne or that god was the propre cause or propre worcker of Adams sinne / but the meaning is that it was goddes wil that Adam shuld sinne thorough Satans enuie / and Adams awne faulte not for the sinnes sake / or in respecte of the sinne but for the end that he wold turne the sinne vnto And that the hole matter that I haue taught you herein is true I haue a sure ground For the scripture teacheth plainly that al the thinges that ar don in the world ar gouerned by goddes wil. The testimonie of Salomon is plaine that God hâ—th wrought al thinges for him selfe eueÌ„ the vngodlie to an euil daie And. S. Paule speaking of goddes bliâ—ding and reiecting of the Iues and receauing of the gentiles to mercie pronounceth that al thinges ar of him / by him and into him Ieremie repeouing the furious madnes of them that denied goddes prouidence in his tyme maketh this demaÌ„de with a stomake Who is he that saieth a thing is don and god commaunded it not that is to saie ordained it not The same Ieremie whan the king of BabiloÌ„ purposed to inuade the Moabites and being now in his iornaie chaunged his purpose and came against Ierusalem crieth out I know lord that maÌ„nes way is not his awne nether is it of man / to gouerne and to directe his awne steppes And therefore Salomon saieth also that mannes steppes ar guided of god And to teaâ—h vs certainly that nothinge commeth to passe by chaunce and to remoue al matter of doubtinge in this question the same Salomon teacheth / that those thinges wherein hap semeth most to haue place procede out of the iudgdmeÌ„t of god Lottes saieth he ar cast in to the lappe but the hole iudgement is from Iehoua How eloquently and how diligently is this matter beaten in to mennes heades in the propheties of Esaie Where god after that he hath shewed that he wold raise vp king Cyrus from the east to beate dounne Babilon and to conquere manie nations to the confusion of al Epicures babling bande asketh this question Who hath wrought and don these thinges And aunswereth thereto himselfe I Iehoua the fâ—rst and with the last ani hu I am he And in the 45. cha I the lorde and there is no more framing light and causing darcknes / making peâ—ce and causing euil that is waâ—re I Iehoua do al these thinges Breifely al the places of the scripture that teach that god is the iudge and gouernor of the world / teach that al thinges comme to passe by his wil and ordinance But this truth hath had aduersaries in al ages For to goe no higher S. Hierome though he haue some sentences that some to make with vs yet he hath one sentence that putteth me out of doubte that he halted and went to much a wrie in this matter For writinge vpon one of the prophetes he saieth in mockage that some ar so straite mainteiners of goddes prouidence that they affirme / that god knoweth how maneflies gnattes there be in the world which he thincketh to be to base a matter for god to be occupied in But how vntrue this is you know that haue heard the lord Iesus / who is in goddes bosome and knoweth al his secretes affirme that the heares of our heades ar nombred and that there falleth not a litle sparow vpon the erth beside the wil and ordinance of our heauenlie father Nether maie you thincke that god knoweth flies and gnattes and litle sparowes with ircksom tediousnes which is found in man bicause of his weacknes And therefore
god pleased not god ergo he did not his wil. I praie you good frendes shuld Adam please god in doinge goddes wil and ordinance with a faulte of his awne Senacherth did goddes wil and ordinance in afflicting the people of Ierusalem but bycause he did it with a fame of his awne god plaged him for doing that that he testifieth he had appointed him to do If you can not perceaue how men maie do Goddes decreed wil / with a fault of their awne / impute it to your ignorance / and want of vndrestanding / thincke it not by and by to be false that your measured witte can not comprehende The nexte argument is like the for ner / God rewarded not Adam with benifices / ergo he did not that goddes wil was to be don I wil make the like reason God rewarded not the Iues with benefites for crucifâ—inge of Christ ergo it was not goddes wil / and ordinance / that the Iues shuld crucifie Christ But yet the holie gost saieth that thei did that goddes hand and purpose had foreordained to be don Pigghiuâ— the papist frameth the argumeâ—t thus Adam in siâ—ninge and the Iues in procuring Christes death did that god wold and had ordained before to be don / ergo thei were not to be punished For right vndrestanding hereof / ye shal know that god / and wickâ—d men / wil some times one thinge but not after one maner Adams wil was to sinne and goddes wil was that he shuld sinne But Adams wil was to sinne bycause he wold be â—qual to god / iâ— knowinge of good bad And goddes wil was that Adam thorough his awne faute shuld sinne / to turne Adams sinne to good / and to bringe good out of euil The Iues wil was to put Christ to death / and goddes wil was / that his sonne shuld die But the Iues wil was / that he shuld die bycause thei wold satisfie their malice and crueltie vpon him and godddes wil was / that he shuld die to raunsome his chosen and so to declare h s â—â—â—stiâ—â—able goodnes Sainct Augustine sheweth verie handsomely how god willeth the same thinge / with a good wil / that men wil which a nawghtie wil. An vnthriftie child â—â—â—â—â—h the death of his father / whoÌ„ god wil haue to die Thei both wil one thiÌ„g namely the death of the man but they wil it not after one sorte For the enthriftie sonne willeth it to emote his father goodes God willeth it / to conuete him out of miserie if he be one of the chosen / or duly to punish him / if he be a reprobate Is this vnthrifte than worthie to be rewarded with benifites bicause he wold the same thinge that god wold Naie surely For he willed it vniustly to an euil purpose and god willed it iustly to a good porpose Boies in scoles to practise then sophistrie make the argument as handsomely after this sorte That wil that agreeth with goddes wil is good / the Iues wil agreed with goddes wil for thei wold that Christ shuld die and god also wold / that he shuld die ergo their wil was good To this wise men aunswer that the Iues wil agreed not with goddes wil in al causes and in al pointes and therefore it was not good but extremely euil The argument the refore is nawght For it is deducted ex causa non sufficiente .i. of a cause not sufficient But let vs peruse more of our aduersaries reasons God made man to immortalitie ergo it was not his wil that he shuld sinne and die I aunswer that this is not an absolute speech god made maÌ„ to immortalitie but a coÌ„ditional God made man to immortalite if he wold haue persisted and continued in the state that god made him in Whan Ionas saieth / yet .40 daies and Niniue shal be destroied this speech declareth not goddes secrete determinatioÌ„ but what shuld folow if thei did not repente God saieth to Abimelech hauing taken to him Abrahams wife Lo thou shalt die for the woman whom thou hast taken This semeth an absolute speech but in dede it hath a secrete condition which the scripture afterwarde expresseth in these wordes Restore hir now to hyr husband if thou restore hir not see the conditioÌ„ expressed know that thou shalt surely die Yet there remaineth another reason that wold make anie man to quake if he had nether wit / nor sparcke of a mannes mind If you grauÌ„t not coÌ„tingentiam saie thei than ye affirme that al thinges coÌ„me to passe by fatal destinee Here first I must tel you what coÌ„tingens is CoÌ„tingens is that which though it be doÌ„ after some certaine sorte yet hath of it selfe and of his awne nature that it might haue ben otherwise doÌ„ As for exemple / Iulius Cesar ouercame PoÌ„peie There is nothinge in the nature hereof but that PoÌ„peie might haue ouercoÌ„me Iulius Cesar The legges of the lord Iesus of theyr awne nature might haue ben broken Than we saie that manie thinges of them selues and of their awne nature be coÌ„tingent but touching goddes wil and ordinance there is nothing coÌ„tingent in the world that is to saie nothinge in the world coÌ„meth to passe other wise than he hath determined and ordained And so we saie that Iulius Cesar must nedes ouercoÌ„me PoÌ„peie and that the legges of the lord Iesus cold not be broken by reasoÌ„ of goddes ordinance But so we agree with the stoikes that saie that al thinges coÌ„me to passe by fatal destinie Naie surely For those foÌ„de philosophers taught that al thinges comme to passe by the copulatioÌ„ of causes wrapped one in another And they made god subiect to this ordre / and row of causes depending one vpoÌ„ another after such sorte as Homere deuised his chaine whereuÌ„to he tieth Iuppiter also But we saie not that al thinges coÌ„me to passe for that the causes ar so licked to gether that one thinge necessarely draweth another but bicause god hath thorough his secrete wil and purpose ordained al thinges so to be doÌ„ as ther be doÌ„ And we make not god subiecte to â—â—ained and lincked causes but we make al causes and al thinges subiecte to god This than that our aduersaries wold fraie vs withal was nothing but lightninge out of a basin After that I had gon this far two other reasoÌ„s of theirs were brought vnto me wh ch though thei maie be confuted by that that I haue al readie said yet I wil examine them bycause I heare / that they acknowlege most strength to be in them The first is this If it had ben goddes wil that Adam shuld sinne than Adam shuld haue wanted free wil / but god gaue him free wil / to kepe his commaund mâ—t if he wold ergo it was not goddes wil / that he shuld sinne This reason shineth to them as it were gold but in dede it is but gilted latin For goddes wil / and ordinance letted not but that Adam shuld do frely