wil which onely is the most perfect rule of all iustice and equitie did bring all these thinges to passe by such meanes as he had appointed and by his Prophetes fore spoken But here you storme crying in your accustomed furie What is this els but stoicall necessitie to make Gods wil the only cause of all thyngs be they good or bad How dull and ignorant you are if ye can not make differeÌ„ce betwext Gods will and that necessitie which the Stoikes mainteaned I haue before touched and how maliciously ye impute vnto vs wordes and sentences whereof ye be neuer able to conuict vs shall shortly God willing be declared But by this I perceaue where the shoe doeth wring you If Gods wil his counsel his prouidence and decre beare rule in the actions of maÌ„nes lief then foresee you and feare that your free will shall be broght into bondage and so can ye not com first to the perfection of Angels and in processe of tyme to the iustice of Christe by the meanes of your free will Whether I wrongously suspect you and so haue erred in my iudgement your own wordes shall after witnes For seing that we haue planely proued v t most vniustly and moste maliciously ye accuse and traduce vs of the vane opinion of the Stoikes I will procede to that which ye call our first error after that I haue for the better instructioÌ„ of the simple reader declared what we vnderstand by Prescience Prouidence and praedestination which termes do so offend you that ye can not heare them named When we attribute prescience to God we vnderstaÌ„d that all things haue euer bene and perpetually abyde present before his eyes so that to his eternall knowledge nothing is bypast nothing to com but all thinges are present and so are they present that they are not as conceaued imaginations or formes and figures whereof other innumerable thinges procede as Plato teacheth that of the form and exemple of one man many thousandes of men are fashioned But we say that all things be so present before God that he doeth contemplat and beholde them in their veritie and perfection And therefor it is that the Prophetes often tymes speak of things being yet after to com with such certentie as that they were alreadie done And this praescience of God do we affirm to be extended to the vniuersall compasse and circuite of the world yea and vnto euery particuler creature of the same Gods prouidence we call that souerane empire and supreme dominioÌ„ which God alwayes kepeth in the gouernement of all thinges in heauen and earth conteiâ—ed And these two that is Prescience and prouidence we so attribute to God that with the Apostle we fear not to affirme that in him we haue our being â—â—uing and lief We feare not to affirme that the way of man is not in his owne power but that his foot steppes ar directed by the eternall That the sortes and lottes which appere most subiect to fortune go so furth by his prouidence That a Sparro falleth not vpon the ground without our heauenlie father And this we giue not to God only praescience by an ydle sight and a prouidence by a general mouing of his creatures As not only som Philosophers but also mo then is to be wished in our daies do but we attribute vnto him such a knowledge and prouidence as is extended to euery one of his creatures In which he so worketh that willingly they tend and incline to the end to which they are appointed by his What comforte do the sonnes of God receaue in earnest meditations hereof this tyme will not suffer to intreate But at one word to finish alas to what miserie were we exponed if we should be persuaded that sathan and the wicked might or could do any thing otherwiese then God hath appointed Let the godlye consider Predestination whereof now this question is we call the eternall and immutable decre of God by the which he hath once determined with him self what he will haue to be done with euerie man For he hath not created all as after shal be proued to be of one condition Or if we will haue the definition of Predestination more large we say that it is the most wise and most iust purpose of God by the which before all tyme he constantly hath decreed to cal those whom he hath loued in Christ to the knowledge of him self and of his sonne Christ Iesus that they may be assured of their adoption by the iustification of faith which working in them by charitie maketh their workes to shyne before men to the glorie of their father so that they made conforme to the image of the sonne of God may finally receaue that glorie which is prepared for the vessels of mercie These latter partes to wit of vocation iustification of faith â–ª and of the effect of the same haue I added for such as thiÌ„k that we imagin it sufficient that we be predestinate how wickedly so euer we liue We constantly affirme the plane contrarie To wit that none liuing wickedly can haue the assurance that he is predestinate to lief euerlasting Yea althogh man and Angell wolde beare record with him yet will his own conscience condemne him vnto such tyme as vnfeanedly he turne from his wicked conuersation These termes I thoght good in the beginning to explane to the end that the reader may the better vnderstand our meaning in the same and that we be not after often coÌ„pelled to repete theÌ„ againe Now to that W c ye call the first error THE ADVERSARIE God hathe not created all men to be saued by any manner of meannes but before the foundation of the world he hath chosen a certen to saluation which is but a small flocke and the rest which be innumerable he hath reprobate and ordeined to condemnation Because so it pleaseth him ANSWER They are not onely reputed liers aÌ„d called fals witnesses that boldly and planelie affirme a lie in plane and expresse wordes but such also as in reciting the myndes of other men change their meaning by altering their wordes by adding more then they spake or by dyminishing that which might explane the thinges that remained obscure or more fully might expres the minde of the speakers And in all these thre vices are you criminall in this your first accusation or witnessing laid against vs. For our wordes ye haue altogether altered to them ye haue added and from the ye haue diminished that which ye think may aggrauate and make odious our cause And therefore I say ye are detestable liers and malicious accusers For probation hereof I appele to our writings be they in latyn freÌ„che ItaliaÌ„ or english in so many toÌ„gues this mater is writteÌ„ if that any of you be able to briÌ„g furth our propositioÌ„s in any of theÌ„ in this your forme aÌ„d coÌ„teining your whole wordes I offer to make satisfactioÌ„ vnto you
e same aÌ„d vpoÌ„ y e other yo r ignoraÌ„ce orels malice in corruptiÌ„g y e scriptures THE ADERARIE To proue this similitude good and to shew how much his loue towardes his children excedeth the loue of all creatures towardes their birtâ—es he saieth Can a woman forget the childe of her wombe aÌ„d not pitie the same whom she hath borne And thogh she do forget it yet I will not forget the. Here he speaketh not onely to the elect as some say but also to them which did for sake and dispyse him as there Alas for these disobedient children saieth the Lord that they will take counsell without me Here he calleth the wicked which heape sinne vpon sinne â–ª and were disobedient his chiidren Christ saieth If ye when ye are euill caÌ„ giue your children good giftes how mmch more your heauenlie father After the same manner may I reason with you carelesse by necessitie if none of you thogh y e be euill wold beget a child to miserie how much les wold God which is all good beget and creat man his own image to perpetual paynes Here we may se how much this noghtie opinion is coÌ„trarie to nature and to reason and that it is coÌ„trarie to the worde God willing I will proue If God hath ordeyned the most part of the world to be damned then were his wrath greater theÌ„ his mercie But the scripture witnesseth that his mercie is ouer all his workes and that God is slow vnto wrath and redie vnto mercie so that his wrath is extended onely to the third and fourth generation but his mercie to the thousand generatioÌ„ wherefor thus saieth he A litle whil I haue forsaken thee but with greate mercifulnes shall I take thee vp vnto me Whâ—n I was angrie I hid my face from the for a litle ceason but throughe euerlasting mercie haue I pardoned thee And Dauid saieth his wrath indureth but the twinkling of an eie and his pleasure is in life heuines may well endure for a night But ioy cometh in the morning And so Moises called him a mercifull and gracious God long suffring and keping mercie in store for thousandes By these scriptures and many mo it is euident that gods mercie is greater then his wrath contrarie to their sainges ANSWER How blasphemous be your similitudes your selue may consider if malice haue not vtterly blinded you for I haue all redie proued that God is not bound to the lawes and boundes of nature and how shamefully ye do abuse the scriptures which ye alledge fewe wordes shall declare Ye deny that God doeth speake here to his elect in the place of isaiah the Prophete but to all meÌ„ in generall and euen to those that had forsaken him as ye wold seme to proue by the wordes of the same Prophete spoken â—efore in his thirtie chapiter First I say that those two places do no more agree then do those wordes of Christ spoken after his resurrection Go to my brethren and tell them I passe vp to my father and vnto your father and vnto my God and vnto your God and those which he spake before his death against Capernaum Bethsaida and Corosaim or vnto Ierusalem against whom he pronounced woo and malediction becaus they did not know the tyme of their visitatioÌ„ For in the former place God speaketh to Syon which long had bene waist and to his people which long had bene oppressed And to the end that the reader may better vnderstand how deceitfully ye withdraw and steall the wordes which explain the hole mater I will bring furth the wordes of the Prophete Reioise saieth he â— heauens and reioce thow earth â— you mountanes brest you furth in gladnes for the eternall hath conforted his people and shall haue mercie vpon his poore ones Syon hath said the Lord hath left me and my Lord hath forgotten me May a woman forgett her child that she shall not haue compassion vpon the sonne of hir bosome but let it be that they forget neuertheles I shall not forget the for lo in these my two handes haue I engrafted the and thy walles are for euer before me If these coÌ„fortable wordes were spoken in generall to all men as ye affirme let indifferent men iudge If all men were Sion that long had lyen desolate if all were his people that loÌ„g had bene oppressed in the captiuitie of Babylon If all did so complaine that they thoght God to haue forgotten his league and promes which of mercie he made with them And finally if all haue this promise that their deliueraÌ„ce is ioined with gods infinite power theÌ„ is your application to be approued but if God did make a plaine difference betwext Israel and all nations in the earth if he had chosen his habitation in Syon and if he will kepe promes with the afflicted for his own names sake be they neuer so vnworthie then are ye to bolde to giue the honor and prerogatiue of the children and heires to straÌ„gers aÌ„d bastardes The wordes which ye alledge of the thirtie chapter make nothiÌ„g for your purpose for albeit he speaketh to those that were inobedieÌ„t yea that were treasonable traitours yet had they the name the title yea the honour aÌ„d dignitie of gods people and among them were som of gods chosen children for whose comfort after long affliction susteined in Babylon were those other wordes spoken And so except that ye be able to proue that the people of Israel and the citie of Ierusalem had no greater prerogatiue euen in the time of their greatest blindnes and vnthankfulnes before the comming of Christ Iesus in the fleshe then had other nations ye conclude nothing But yet wonder it is that ye can make no difference betwext the tymes in which the one wordes and the other were spoken The wo was pronouÌ„ced you say alas which the text hath not against them what tyme they had declined from God when they toke counsel of them selues when they could not abide the admonitions of the Prophetes but the comfortable promes of delyueraÌ„ce was made after that vengeance was powred furth vpon the proude contemners and after that the hole bodie was sore tormeÌ„ted by great oppression and long impresonement Do ye not thinke that their might be great alteratioÌ„ in that people within the space of an hundreth yeres for so long was it betwext the daies of the Prophete and the daies of their last captiuitie vnder Nabucadnezer after which tyme also did this former promes of gods remembrance of theÌ„ onely take place Might not the one â—e spoken of those which should be punished yea let it be that they were the reprobate and the other to the people of God to whom by his own holines he had promised deliuerance Do ye thinke that because the same Prophet speaketh bothâ— the sentences that therefor they do appertein to one estate aÌ„d condition of people I haue proued the contrary by Christes plain wordes
God did onely suffer Elimas to be blynded then shall the holie Gost speaking in sainct Paule conuict you for he saieth behold the hand of the Lord is vpon the and thou shalt be blynd and shall not see the Sunne for a tyme. And thus shall you haue God man and the deuill to rebuke your vanitie Be ashamed repent and giue glory vnto God who feareth not to confesse that all instrumentes in heauen earth or in hell be his roddes his sword and his hand by the which he correcteth he punisheth he triethe deliuereth and saueth according to his eternal counsell and purpose To proue absurdities and inconueniences as ye terme them to folow our doctrine thus you reason If I should grant that it was gods will that he should refuse to let the people goo then did he submit him self to the will of the Lord. then should God and he haue bene both of one mynd and the will of God is alwayes good and iust then Pharao refusing to let the people go did well and iustly forasmuch as it was gods will that he should so do wherfore Pharao oght not to haue bene punished for this good and iust dede And thus in conclusion ye affirme that these inconueniences we can not eskape I haue before sufficiently declared howe that no wicked man committing iniquitie hath any respecte or mynd to obey gods holie will ether secrete ether yet reueled but folowing their owne rage and inordinate lustes doth make as it were plaine resisâ—ance to God and therefore how so euer they be compelled to to serue gods eternall purpose yet do they neuer obey him in their owne heartes but obstinatly they do rebell against his blessed will reueled And therefor as there is no conformitie nor aggremeÌ„t betwext the holy will of God their peruers malicious will so are they subiect to iust damnatioÌ„ for their rebellion and disobedieÌ„ce And thus taking from you the ground foundation wher vpon you think your selues moste assuredly to stand I might suffer your vain building to fall into confusion But partly for the instruction of the simple reader and partly to woÌ„ne some of you if so please God froÌ„ these horrible blasphemies I purpose in this place to declare the difference betwext the holie will of God and the wicked will of men and why it is that the worke of God is moste iust and the worke of the instrumentes vniust and euill reseruing the rest to better opportunitie The will of God must not be restreined to those thinges which externally we see donne or hear to haue bene doÌ„ne But gods will must be extended to to those endes for the which God worketh and causeth to be wroght all thinges from the beginning to witt for the manifestacion of his owne glory for the profit and saluation of his electe children and for the execution of his iust iudgemeÌ„tes ether for a tyme to correct his chosen orels for euer to punishe the stubborne and disobedieÌ„t of the reprohate sorte Becaus y t I suspect no man so foolish as that he will deny the will of God working to these endes to be most iust most holy and most perfecte in it self I wil labor for no probation of that parte But because the instrumentes by whome God worketh be diuers we must first inquire and knowe what instrumentes they be that obey gods will and therefor by him are reputed iust workers and what they are that obey not his will and so what so euer they do are reputed inobediente Onely those instrumentes do obey gods will who hauing his will clearly reueled vnto them do studie and indeuer them selues to obey accomplish and fulfill the same and that of very loue fre mynd and zeale to obey his godlie Maiestie the frutes and workes of these instrumentes howe soeuer man doth iudge of them doth God approue yea euen albeit they appere to repugne to mercy or to his lawe written for the Israelites were deliuered frome theft by gods will reueled albeit they spoyled and robbed vnder the cloke of borowing the Egyptiens of their substance The maryners and the shipmasters being with Ionas in that soden storme and tempest raised by God were fre from murther and sheding of innocent bloode by gods will plainely reueled by y e mouth of the Prophet Iehu was not onely iustified from all the suspition of treason which men might haue gathered of his facte but also from crueltie in killing those idolaters who manifestly declared them selues friendes to Baal by that that God did first reuele his will vnto him sending his Prophet to anoynte him and after approued his zeale which he rewarded w t temporall promise of the kingdom to continue in his posteritie to the fourth of his sede Thus I say doth God iustifie the workes of these instrumentes which obey his will reueled And so I say y t they onely obey God that knowing his will do studie to obey the same But contrary wyes who soeuer doth any thing ignorant of gods will not knowing the will of God reueled repugneth or doth coÌ„trary to the same howsoeuer he serueth gods eternall purpose doth nether obey God nether caÌ„ he be excusable before gods iustice And that because in his work fact he looketh nothing to gods will nether yet to the end and purpose which God respecteth And hereof springeth and artiseth the differeÌ„ce betwext the workes of God the workes of maÌ„ yea betwext the workes of the godlie and the workes of the vngodlie God worketh all his workes to manifest his glorie his wisedome his power his mercie goodnes iustice The godlie moued by the holie Spirit worke their workes to giue obedieÌ„ce vnto God to support their brethereÌ„ in their necessities at his coÌ„mandemeÌ„t and to punish vice according to his lawe But the vngodly caried hedlonges by their own lustes and by the fury of sathan to whose power they are committed work all their workes to reuenge them selues to destroye such as they hate and to promote their own entreprises without any respect had to God to his will ordinance or counsell One or two examples shall make this mater more sensible The will purpose and couÌ„sell of God in punishing Iob was to trye his patience and of the same to leaue an example to all them that truely feare God to the end And who dare deny this to be most reasonable and most iust that God examining sharply one of his childreÌ„ shall make him a scolmaster to all the rest But what was y e will and purpose of sathan and of the CaldeaÌ„s by whome Iob was punished The will and purpose of sathan is plainely reueled to haue bene that by those afflictions he fully purposed to withdrawe Iob from gods feare and to cause him curse God to his face The will of the Chaldeans is euident ynough by the manifest malice of all such oppressers who look to nothiÌ„g but to satisfie their own couetous myndes by the possessioÌ„s of
sufficient to proue what so euer we haue affirmed that is that gods couÌ„sell loue and goodnes towardes his churche is immutable For the example and the similitude which he bringeth in are most plane and euident The waters haue neuer vniuersally ouer floweÌ„ the earth synce the dayes of Noah to whoÌ„ he made his couenant to the contrarie and yet no les iniquitie yea greter hath reigned in all aeges synce then did before What is the the cause that the like or greater vengeance is not taken The certentie no doubt of his promes which he hath made to his churche in Christe Iesus his onelie welbeloued The montanes we se in all teÌ„pestes and stormes do kepe their place they do not flitte neither yet are they shaken with the vâ—hemencie of windes But if they should saieth the eternall my goodnes shall not leaue thee ô mercie without measure neither shall the couenant of my peace shake nor wauer Thus I suppose that the godlie reader doth perceaue aÌ„d se that we lack not scripture as ye affirme to proue that gods loue and counsell towardes his elect is stable and that because it is grounded vpon him self and not vpon vs as to your coÌ„demnation if by tymes ye repent not ye falsly imagin But yet lest that ye shall complain that these scriptures be not plane yhough I will bring in yet one and so end this parte Heare me ô house of Iacob and all you residue of the house of Israel who are borne of me frome the wombe and borne of me from the birth and euen to the aege I am he the same God and euen to the whyte heares I shal bear I haue done aÌ„d I shall bear yea I shall bear and deliuer What wordes can be more vehement and more plaine to proue that the loue of God can neuer change from his elect For that is his conclusion which he collected vpon the former partes Saing I shall bear and I shall dâ—lyuer And why because I haue born you Is this a good reason that God shall delyuer because that he hath once born How so euer it seme to the Anabaptist it semeth good to the holie Gost. And Dauid and Iob did with the like remembrance comforte them selues in their greatest tribulations The one saying Thow art he that hast drawen me furth of my mothers wombe In thee haue I trusted hanging vpon my mothers breastes vpon the was I cast from the birth frome my mothers wombe thow art my God In these wordes Dauid did arme him selfe against the horrible tentations which did assault him in those moste greuous persecutioÌ„s which vnder Saul he susteined For so must not that Psalme be interpreted of Christe and his passion that Dauid had no portioÌ„ of it by the which when to his own iudgement and to the iudgement of all men also he appered to haue ben oppressed he gathered new strength and comfort by y e benefits of God which before he had receaued And so he concludeth here Thow that art the author of my life thow that didst norish and preserue me euen in the midest of darknes wilâ— continue my God still and so shalt thow deliuer me What is the reason of this conclusion Dauid him self doth expres it saying O Lord thy mercie is euerlasting thow shalt not leaue the workes of thyne haÌ„des In which wordes Dauid frome the midest of troubles is lift vp to the contemplation of gods nature who as he chuseth of fre mercie and bestoweth his giftes vpon his children before that either they can deserue theÌ„ or yet know them so doth he continue the same moste constantly to the end vnto the membres of Christes bodie and vpon this same ground alone stayed the faith of Iob in his most extreme anguishe for in these wordes he doeth as it were complayne to God Thy handes haue made me and facioned me wholy round aboute and wilt thow destroy me Remember I pray the that how hast fashioned me as the Potter doth his clay and wilt thou bring me into dust againe Hast thou not poured me oute as milk and turned me to cruddes like chese Thou hast clothed me with skinne aÌ„d flesh and ioyned me together with bones and synewes Thou hast giuen me life and grace and thy visitatioÌ„ hath preserued my spirite Thogh thou hast hid these things in thyne heart I know thaâ—â—t is so with the â–ª Here it is plain that Iob fighteth against desperation which vehemently did assauâ—t him by reason of his paines intollerable And in his battell he appreheÌ„deth this holde God hath begon to shew mercie vnto me which in many things I haue felt and I still depend and hang vpon the same therefor my God may not dispyse the workes of his handes And so farre procedeth he in this disputation till that he maketh this coÌ„clusion which God after did approue I know saieth Iob that my reuenger liueth whom I shall se yea my nâ—cis shal se him and none other Vpon what ground I say did this faith of Iob stand No doubt vpon this that gods counsell is stable and that his loue is immutable towardes such as once he had taken in to his sauegarde And if ye doubt that this is rather our collection then the plaine sentence of the holie Gost conferre oure proposition with the former wordes of Isaiah and let it be iudged by them And if that yet ye crye that we haue broght furth no plaine scripture affirming that the counsell of God is immutable then heare what the same Prophete saieth It is I saieth he that frome the beginning shew the things that be last and from the beginning those thinges that be not done It is I that do speak and my counsell is stable and what so euer I will that I do Consider and beholde that the Prophet affirmeth the counsell of God to be stable yea to be so immutable that neither could the tyranny of the ennemies neither yet the former sinnes of the people neither yet their present vnthankfulnes stoppe God from shewing his mercie Becaus that his infinite goodnes founde awaye euen in the midest of death to manifest his own glorie Such as by malice be not altogither blinded hauing any exercise in the scripptures of God may easely perceaue that I haue wrested no parte of the Prophetes mynde For continually one thing doth he beat in their eares to witt that God will shew mercie will deliuer and will be Sauiour vnto them for his Names sake for his promes made to Abraham and for the glorie of him self But now shortly let vs heare two or three places of the new testament spoken to the same purpose and so let vs put end to this part Our master Christ Iesus plainely affirmeth that all which the father gaue him shoulde come vnto him pronouncing that who soeuer cometh he â—old not cast him furth but will rayse him vp and giue him life For this saieth he is the will of the Father
and an other I will pray to God to open his Eies that he if gods good pleasure be may se the light that so brightly shyneth Other places for this present I omitte For of these precedents I suppose it be euident that in the eternall counsel of God there was a difference of mankynd euen before the creation which by his own voice is most plainely declared to vs in tyme. Now to that obiection which Pighius that pestilent and peruers Papist and you all after him doth make To witt that God did predestinate according to the workes and faith which he foresawe to be in man I might obiecte to the contrary that if Predestination procedeth from gods purpose and will as the Apoâ—â—le affirmeth it doth that theÌ„ the purpose and will of God being eternall can not be moued by our workes or faith which be temporall And that if the purpose of God be stable and sure that then can not our workes being vnsure be the cause thereof But to auoid prolixitie and tediousnes I will by plaine scriptures proue that of fre grace did God electe that of mere mercie doeth he call and of his onelie goodnes without all respect had to our dignitie as to be any cause first mouing him doeth he perfourme the worke of our saluatioÌ„ And for the proofe of the same let vs take Abraham and his posteritie for example Plaine it is that he and his sede were preferred to all the nations of the earth the benediction was established to spring frome them the promes of the land of Canaan was made vnto them and so were they extolled to the honour aÌ„d dignitie of gods peculiar people But let vs consider what either faith or obedience God found in them which might haue moued him thus to preferre them to other naâ—ions Let vs heare Moises The Lord they God saieth he hath chosen the that thow shoul dest be a peculiare people to him aboue all the peoples which are vpon the face of the earth God hath not so vehemently loued you and chosen you because you are mo in nombre then other nations seing ye are fewar then all other people but because he hath loued you and wold kepe the othe which he made to your fathers And after it foloweth Say not in thy heart my power my streÌ„gth aÌ„d my hand haue prepared this aboundance to me and think not in thy heart it is for my iustice that the Lord hath broght me into this land Of these places it is plaine that Moises leaueth no cause neither of gods election neither yet of perfourmance of his promes in maÌ„ but establisheth it altogether vpon gods fre loue and good pleasure The same did Iosua in that his last and most vehement exhortation to his people a litle before his death in which plainely he affirmeth that Abraham and his father were idolaters before they were called by God w c place Ezechiel the Prophete most euidently declareth rebuking the vnthaÌ„kfull defection of the Iewes from God who of mercy had giueÌ„ theÌ„ life honour and dignitie they of all others being the most vnworthy For the saieth Thus saieth the Lord God to IerusaleÌ„ Thy habitatioÌ„ aÌ„d they kiÌ„red is of CanaaÌ„ thy father was an amorrhean and thy mother an Hittite and in thy natiuitie wheÌ„ thow wast born thy nauill was not cutt thow was noâ— washed wiâ—h water to soften the thow was not salted with salt neither yet was thow swadled in clowtes By the which the Prophete signifieth that all was imperfect all was filthie all was corrupt and stinking as touching their nature he procedeth none â—ie pitied the to do any of these vnto the for to haue compassioÌ„ vpon the but thou wast cast oute in the open field to the contempt of thy person in the day that thow wast borne And when I passed by the I saw the polluted in thine own blood aÌ„d I said vnto y e wheÌ„ thou wast in thy blood y t is in thy filthie sinnes y u shalt liue And this he repeteth to the eÌ„d y t he may beat it more deply in their myndes I saieth the Lord said vnto the beiÌ„g in thy bloode thou shalt liue and so he procedeth declaring how that God did multiply them did giue vnto them beautie streÌ„gth honour and dignitie These thre places do plainely witnes what perfection God did find in this people whom thus he did preferre to all others And what obedience did they render vnto him after the vocation of Abraham the hole Histories do witnes for perfection and obedience was not found in Abraham him self yea neither in Moises nor in Aaron but contrarie wise the inobedience of all we find noted to the same end y t Moises hath before spokeÌ„ to witt that none shall boast that either iustice proceding or folowing was the cause why God did choose and elect that people For how shall God choose for that which the holie Gost plainely denieth to be in any man discending of the corrupt sede of Adam For Isaiah plainely doeth affirme that all our iustice is as a clothe most polluted and spotted If our iustice be polluted as the Prophete affirmeth it to be and God did predestinate vs for our iustice what foloweth but that God did predestinate vs for that which was filthy and imperfecte But God forbid y t such cogitations shoulde take place in our heartes God did choose vs in his eternall purpose for his owne glorie to be manifested in vs aÌ„d that he did in Christ Iesus in whoÌ„ onely is oure full perfection as before we haue said But let vs yet heare som testimonies of the new testament sainct Paul to his disciple Timothie saieth Be not ashamed of the testimonie of our Lord neither be thow ashamed of me who am his prisoner but be thow partaker of the afflictions of the EuaÌ„gile according to the power of God who hath made vs safe and hath called vs with an holie vocation not according to our workes but according to his purpose and fre grace which was giuen to vs by Christe Iesus before all tymes but now is made patent by the appering of our Sauiour Iesus Christe Here plaine it is that neither are we called neither yet saued by workes much les can we be predestinate for them or in respect of them Trew it is that God hath prepared good workes thaâ— we should walk in them but like trew it is that first must the tree be good before it bring furth good fruite and good can neuer the tree be except that the hand of the gardiner haue planted it To vse herein the plaine wordes of saint Paule he witnesseth that we are elected in Christ to the end that we should be holie aÌ„d without blemishe Now seing that good workes spring furth of election how can any man be so foolish as to affirme that they are the cause of the same Can the streame of water flowing from the fountaine be the cause of the
originall spring I think no man will so holde nor affirme euen so it is in this mater for faith and a godlie life that ensueth our vocation are the fruites proceding from oure election but are not to the causes of the same And therefor the Apostle to beat downe all pryde asketh what hast thow ◠mā which thow hast not receaued And if thou hast receiued it why gloriest thow as thogh thow hadst not receaued it The Apostle in that place speaketh not of one or two graces but what so euer is necessarie to saluation that he affirmeth to be receaued and that of fre grace as he yet more plainely doeth witnes sayeng Of grace are ye saued by faith and that not of your selues it is y e gift of God ād not of works lest any should glorie Now if man hath nothing but that which he receaueth of grace of fre gift of fauour and mercie what odious pryde and horrible vnthankfulnes is this that man shall imagine that for his faith and for his workes God did electe and predestinate him to that dignitie euen as if two or thre beggers chosen from the nomber of many were of the liberall mercie of a Prince promoted to honour should after brag and boast that their good seruice was the cause that the Prīce did choose them Shuld not euerie wise man mocke their vanitie yea might not the Prince iustly depriue them for their arrogant vnthankfulnes Might not the Prince haue left them in their wretched estate And what then shoulde haue become of their seruice Is it not euē so with mā lost in Adam whose fall in gods prescience and purpose was before his creation of which masse or lompe God of his owne fre grace did choose ād predestinate vessels of his mercie prepared vnto glorie that they should be holie as before is said shall these thē that finde mercie to worke good wordes boast as thogh workes were the cause thereof God forbyd For if the posteritie of Abraham did not obteine the inheritāce of the land of Canaan for any iustice that was in them yea if God did not choose them neither to the temporall nor eternal felicitie but of loue and fre grace onely as Moises doth witnes how shall we thinke that the Eternall inheritāce or gods election to the ioy and life euerlasting dependeth vpon any qualite within vs. Wonder it is that the Apostle sainct Paul intreating this mater of gods fre election was ignorant of this cause if it be sufficient For by that meanes in few wordes he might haue put silence to many dogges which then as men do now barked against this doctrine For if he had said God hath chosen afore all tymes to the participatiō of life a certein nomber because he foresaw that they should be faithfull obedient to his commandemēts and holie in cōuersation and vpon the other parte he hath reiected and reprobate others because he foresaw that they should be vnfaithfull disobediēt and vnclean of life this I say if those causes had been sufficient had ben a sensible maner of doctrine But the Apostle alledgeth no such reason but first beateth doune the pryde of man as before we haue touched and there after brusteth furth in this exclamation O the hieght of the riches of the wisdō and knowledge of God how incōprehensible are his iudgements and how vnsear cheable are his wayes This exclamatiō I say had bene vaine if either workes or faith foresene had bene the cause of gods electiō S. Augustin doeth mock the sharpe sight of mē that in his daies begā to se more depely then did y e holie Gost speaking in y e Apostle And we fear not to affirme that the men w c this day do attribute electiō or predestination to any vertue or qualitie within man do holde defend to their greate dāger that which none inducd with the Spirite of God hath left to vs written within the holie scriptures either yet that any of the chosē shal cōfes in their greatest gloric Let the hole Scriptures be red and diligently marcked and no sentence rightly vnderstand shal be founde that affirmeth God to haue chosen vs in respect of our workes or because he fore sawe that we should be faithfull holie and just But to the contrarie many places shall we finde yea euē so many as intreat of that mater that plainely affirme that we that we are frely chosen accordīg to the purpose of his good will ād that in Christ Iesus And what shall be the confession of the hole bodie assembled when they shall receaue the promissed glorie is expressed in these wordes of the 24 elders who casting their crownes before him that sitteth vpon the throne do say Worthy art thow o Lord ād our God to take honour and glorie and power For thow hast created all things and by thy will they are and were created And after they fall before the lambe ād sing a new song saying Worthie art thow to take the book and to open the seales thereof for thow wast killed and hast redemed vs to God by thy bloode and hast made vs to our God kings ād priestes ād we shall reigne vpon the earth No mention is here made of any worthines of man the creation is geuē to God and that all thinges are in that perfecte state which thē the chosen shall possesse is attributed to his will The death of the lambe is assigned to be the cause of the redemption yea of that great dignitie to which they are promoted I am fully persuaded that if any cause of gods electiō and of the fruite proceding of the same were or could be in mā that the holie Gost who is authour of all iustice wold not haue defrauded man of any thing which of right did appertein vnto him But seing that in no place the holie Gost doeth attribute any parte of mannes saluation to his owne merites or worthines I fear not to affirme that this pestilēt opinion is the instigation of sathan laboring by all meanes to obscure the glorie of Christ Iesus and to retein man in bōdage whom he infected with that first venom which he made hī to drink Saing ye shal be as gods Thus far with such plain simplicite as it pleased God to minister vnto me for the tyme haue proued y t gods electiō is Eternal y t it is stable y t he hath made a difference betwext one sort of mē and an other w c differēce althogh it came to know ledge of mā in time yet was it in gods purpose ād counsel before all tyme no les thē his creatiō was And last y t gods electiō depēdeth neither vpō o r workes nor vpō our faith but procedeth frō his Eternal wisdō mercie ād goodnes ād therefor is it īmutable ād cōstāt Now shortly will I go throughe if God permi me y e reasons of yo r booke Nothing vpō y e one parte y e imperfectiōs of y
condemne but with reuerence we do referre iudgemēt to him who is the vniuersall creator whose goodnes and wisdom is such that he can do nothing but wisely and whose iustice is so perfect that his workes are exēpted frō the iudgement of all creatures But the second part affirmyng that if God condemne mo then he shall saue that then his wraith is greater then his mercie is so irreuerēt so bold and blasphemous y t scarsly coulde I haue thoght y t y e deuill him self could haue imagined a more manifest blasphemie Who hath giuen the balance into thy hādes I speak to the most blasphemous writer to pōder ād wey gods mercie and wraith after thy corrupt iudgement if thow claimest the helpe of these former scriptures they proue no more that which thow pretendest then if thow shouldest affirm that God shall saue the deuill because his mercie is aboue all his creatures We do not deny but y t y e most wicked men are participant of gods mercie in temporall felicitie yea and y t farre aboue his chosen childrē that he maketh his son to shyne vpō the good ād bad that with long suffering he calleth them to repentance and delaieth their most iust cōdemnation But what wilt thow hereof cōclude that God hath ordeined mo to saluatiō thē to perdition orels is his wraith greater thē his mercie Blasphemous mouth who hath taught the to appoint a law to God The day shall come if spedelie thow repent not y t thow shalt fele what punishmēt is due to such as go aboute to bring the eternal God and his incōprehensible iudgemēts vnder y e thraldō of their corrupt reason But leauing thee I return to those whō gladly I wold īstruct ād to thē I say that the wordes of Dauid and of Isaiah do speake of that rich and inestimable mercie which God laieth vp in store for his chosen children to whom althogh God somtymes shew him self seuere and angry yet indureth that but for a short space but his mercie is euerlastīg ād his goodnes infinit by the which he marieth his chosen children to him self for euer and whether that these wordes be onely spoken to the elect orels that they be generally spoken to all let the holie Gost decyde the controuersie After that Dauid hath affirmed that God is liberall mercifull patiēt and of great gentilnes and also that he is good to all and that his mercie is ouer all his workes that the eies of all creatures look vpon him and that he is iust in all his workes by which sentences he praiseth the goodnes the mercie and the prouidence of God in the regiment gouernement of his vniuersall creation which goodnes ād mercie do so abounde that the innumerable iniquities of mākind and his detestable ingratitude cā not vtterly hinder the same from the creatures After these cōmon mercies I say whereof the reprobate are oftē partakers he openeth the treasure of his riche mercies which are kept in Christ Iesus for his elect Saing the Lord is nigh to all that vpon him to all that call vpon him in veritie he doeth the will of those that fear him and he heareth their crie and saueth thē The Lord kepeth all those that loue hī but he destroieth all the wicked such as willingly delite not in blīdnes may clerely se that the holie Gost maketh a plaine differēce betwext the graces and mercies which be cōmō to all and that soueraign mercie which is immutably reserued to the chosen children and further that the Lord himself shall destroy the wicked albeit his mercie be ouer all his workes And so that mercie by the which God pronoūceth to gather his Church is euerlastīg ād is not cōdmō to y e reprobate but is onely proper to y e flocke of Christ Iesus The wordes of God spoken vnto Moises do no more serue your purpose then do the other For God in his law expressedly doeth witnes to whom it is that he will shew mercie to thousandes to witt to those that loue him and kepe his commandements and vpon whom will he prosecute the iniquitie vnto the third and fourth generatiō vpō those saieth he y t hate me If here of ye cōclude y t his mercie towardes all is greater then his wraith ye conclude amis For ye confound those whom God hath separated and deuided he promiseth mercie to the thousand generation of those that loue him and threatneth to punishe the iniquitie of the fathers to the third and fourthe generation vpon those that hate him Hereof iustly ye can no further cōclude but that the mercie of God is greater towardes those that loue him thē his wraith against those that hate him And so far will we confes with you but if you abide in your error concluding as you plainely do in this your booke that the wrathe of God must be greater then his mercie except that he saue mo then shall be cōdemned as som of your sectes hath lately affirmed we fear not to affirme that your blasphemie is intollerable Or if you think as some alledge vpon Origene that becaus gods mercie is infinit and extendeth vnto all his workes that therefor the reprobate can not but once obtein mercie The plain scripture cōuicteth you For it affirmeth that the wraith of God abydeth vpō the vnfaithfull that their fyre shall not be quenched and that their worme shall not die If ye shall vnderstand that the elect hath nothing which they receaue not of mercie and that the punishment of the reprobate is most iustly deserued you shall not mesure gods mercie and his wraith by the multitude nor by the nombre but ye oght to consider that where none is worthie of gods mercies by their own merits yet hath it continued from the beginning and shal cōtinue vnto the end euer extending the self to gods children being in miserie and so this mercie must far surmount all wraith and iudgement for where the wraith of God once kindled against sinne oght to haue consumed and deuoured all mercie preualeth and delyuereth those that iustly might haue bene condemned And in this sense say we that gods mercie far surmounteth his iudgementes which interpretation if you admit not we will send you to reason with God and to impugne the same if you be able by manifest scriptures Now to the rest THE ADVERSARIE Of all sortes and Sectes of men I haue iudged them to be most abhorred which are called Athei that is to say such as denie that there is any God But now me think these carelesse men are much more to be abhorred my reason is because they be more iniurious to God then the Athey for he is les iniurious to a man that beleueth that he is not then they he which calleth him a cruel mā a tyrant and an vniust person so are they les iniurious to God which beleue that he is not then they which say he is vnmercifull cruell and an oppressor
proue it to be sothen oght you to be ashamed to burden God with such vnrighteous iudgement Doeth not God rather forgiue the offence alredie committed Let him be your God which condemneth the innocent afore he offend But he shall be my God which perdoneth and forgiueth the offence alreadie committed which in his verie wraithe doeth think vpon mercie And so with Iob will I conclude The great God casteth away no man ANSWER How ignorantly and how impudently ye confounde the eternall purpose of gods reprobation with the iust execution of his iudgementes I haue before declared and therefor here onely resteth to admonishe the reader that most vniustly ye accuse vs in that ye say that we hold and teache that God damned man before he offended This you be neuer able to shew in any of our workes for constantly in worde and writing we affirme that man willingly fell from God and made him self slaue to sathan before that death was inflicted vpon him and so neither make we death the reward of gods ordinance neither do we burden him with vnrighteous iudgement But say with the Apostle that death is the reward of sinne and that our God is righteous in all his workes and therefor be ashamed and repēt your manifest lie That God forgiueth the sin committed and doeth remēber mercie euen when he appereth in his hote displeasure to punishe his Churche with thankes giuing and ioy we acknowledge But that thereof ye cōclud ▪ as ye say w t Iob that the great God casteth away no man we can not cease to admonishe bothe you and the readers that either ignorantly orels maliciously ye corrupt and depraue the minde of the speaker in that place Elihu saieth not as ye alledge The great God casteth away no mā but saieth Behold the mightie God casteth away none that is mightie and valiant of courage He main teneth not the wicked but he giueth iudgemēt to the afflicted And in this behalf your master Castalio who notwithstanding that he vseth to take large libertie in translation where any thing may seme to serue his purpose is more circumspect and more faithfull then you be for thus he translateth that place Althogh that God be excellent yea excellent and strong of courage yet is he not so dissolute y t either he will kepe y e wicked or denie iudgemēt to the poore Althogh I say y t here is a greater libertie thē I wold wish a faithfull translater to vse yet hath he not so corrupted y e sense as ye haue done Elihu reasonīg against Iob affirmeth that albeit y e power of God be infinit yet cā not his workes be vniust but that they are wroght in all perfectiō of iustice how beit that often as we be dull and blinde we do not vnderstand nor se at the first the causes of the same yet God giueth daily declaration of his iustice in that the preserueth and somtyme exalteth the verteouse that before were afflicted and deiecteth from honors the wicked and the cruell oppressors Be iudge your self what this serueth for your purpose THE ADVERSARIE Some other be that grant that sinne was à cause why man is reprobate and there with they hold that gods absolute ordinance is also the caus this saing conteineth cōtradiction in it self for if it be gods absolut ordinance then is it not in respect of any other thing but as they say because it hath so pleased him if they ment that gods ordinance is the cause why sinners suffer death or that God ordeined that sinners for their sinne should suffer death I could agre with them but that were contrary to that which they haue said that God absolutly ordeined any man afore he was yea afore the world to death because so it pleased him for if death be the reward of sinne and for offence and sinne we do die then cometh not death by gods absolute ordinance And if I do grant that both gods absolute ordinance and also sinne are the causes of damnation after your meanyng marke well what inconuenience foloweth thereof first ye must grant me that gods ordinance is the principall and chefest cause for it can not be inferior to any other cause secōdly ye will grant that the first or principale cause called Causa Causae is the cause of the secōd ād inferior cause called cause causate so to cōclude gods ordināce which is Causa causae shal be the cause of sinne which is Causa causata As for a familiar exemple the heate of the son and the dew cause the grounde to be frutefull and God also is the cause thereof for he maketh the barren ground frutefull but forasmuch as God is the principall and first cause he must be also the cause of the same which is but the second cause Thus it is clerely proued that if gods ordināce were the cause of reprobation then gods ordinance should also be the cause of sinne and God should be autor of euill contrarie to the hole scripture contrarie to the opinion of all godlie men and contrarie to our faith But forasmuch as God willing I intend to answer at length to this wicked opinion in the confutation of the third error I will speak no more hereof in this place ANSWER No further answer nedeth to be giuen to these your most vniust accusatiōs then those which we before haue giuen for neither do we so vnreuerētly speake nor write neither yet do we vnderstād nor affirme that gods absolute ordinance is the principall cause of reprobation of sinne and of damnation but simplie we do teache that God in his etternall counsell for the manifestation of his own glorie hath of one maste chosen vessels of honor whom before all tymes he hath geuē vnto Christe Iesus that they in him should receiue lief And of the same masse he hath left others in that corruption in the which they were to fall and so were they prepared to destruction The cause why the one were elected we confesse and knowledge not to be in mā but to be the fre grace and the fre mercie shewed and frely giuen to vs in Christe Iesus who onely is appoīted head to giue life to the bodie Why the others were reiected we affirme the cause to be most iust but yet secrete ād hid frome vs reserued in his eternall wisdome to be reueled at the glorious comming of the Lord Iesus This one thing do we compelled by your blasphemous accusations repete oftener then we wold to the end that indifferent men may se what doctrine it is which you so maliciously impugne How so euer ye ioyn gods absolute ordinance and sinne togither we make so far diuision betwext the purpose and eternall counsell of God for absolute ordinance we vse not in that mater and the sinne of mā that we plainely affirme that mā when he sinned did neither looke to gods will gods counsell nor eternall purpose but did altogither consent to the will of
affirme that gods election in Christ Iesus is so certen ād his eternall purpose to saue his churche is so cōstant that against the faith of gods elect shall not the Portes and gates of hell preuale in the end that neither can lief nor death thinges present nor to com seperat and disseuer vs from the loue of God which is in Christe Iesus That this foundation is stable the Lord knoweth his own and therefor shall euerie one that incalleth the name of the Lord depart from iniquirie for we are not called to vncleannes but vnto sanctification and holynes by the power of that Spirit who raysed from death Iesus the great Pastor of our soules which holie spirit frely by faith which also is the gift of God doeth so reule and reign in our heartes that albeit the flesh lusteth against the spirit yet are we assured of victorie by the onely power of him who hath ouercom the world This is our doctrine faith and professiō But you affirme as after plainely ye write that none is so elected in Christ to lief euerlasting but that he may fall becom a reprobate and finally be condemned and cōtrary waies y t none is so reprobate in gods eternall purpose but that he may becom elect ād so be saued That in God there is neither election nor reprobation but according to mannes disposition so that when men haue good motiōs and be godly disposed God doeth elect thē and write their names in the book of lief but when they chāge and turne to iniquitie he doeth reprobate them and blotteth out their names out of the book of lief Let now all creatures iudge betwext vs and you whether of the two play fast and loose and surmounte iuglers in cūning Frome the third kind of election which ye call most especiall how you be able to proue that the seuentie disciples did so depart from Christe that there was no difference betwext them and the trudging of Iudas as ye terme his horrible treason be iudges your self In the sixt of Iohn we read that many of his disciples left him and fallīg frō him did go with him no more But whether these were the hole seuentie whom he sent to preach or others who for a time did folow him it is not expressed neither yet doeth the text say that all his disciples fell from him but many departed further it appereth to me verie rashe iudgemēt to pronoūce that none that departed from Christe at any tyme in his lief before his death vpon the crosse did at any tyme after return vnto hī but that all such did remain in damnation with Iudas For I fynd that all his Apostles did flie and leaue him and yet we know they were called againe And so also do we fynd were two of the disciples to whom Christ appering betwext Ierusalem and Emaus did first instruct them and after reueled him self vnto thē This I note to giue you occasion to be more circunspect in so weghtie maters Towardes the end of this parte thus ye write of those whome you say haue subiected them selues altogither to the gouernement of their Lord and capteyn they daily obtein such victorie of their ennemies that their war fare is now becom easie and in the hope they haue to subdue by the aid and counsell of their Lord all their ennemies there ioy and comfort is so greate that they esteme all earthlie pleasure which should draw thē back but vaine These wordes augment in me that suspition which before I noted to witt that ye haue a further fetch in this mater then your rude scholers vnderstand at the first to witt that euerie one of you shall becom Christes so perfect ād cleā that in you euen in this lief shall rest no ennemie to be ouercome except death onely and that this is the opiniō of your greatest Angelles I am able to proue by sufficient testimonie I mean by their own hand writinges But how far S. Paul was from that perfection yea euen when he was redie to be offerred in sacrifice for the testimonie of Christe Iesus he eshamed not to confesse thus writing to the Philippians after that he had affirmed that all iustice which before he looked for in the law was becom to him as domage and doung to the end that he might winne Christ and be found in him not hauing his own iustice which was of the law but that which was by the faith of Christ Iesus he addeth Not as thogh I had already atteined to the mark vnderstanding to that iustice which he hoped for either that I am alredy perfect but I folowe if I may comprehend that for whoe 's sake I am comprehended of Christe Iesus Brethren I think not with my self to haue atteined to the mark but one thing I do forgetting that that is behind I endeuore my self to that which is before here the Apostle who had foghten somwhat lōger thē some who now can bragge of an easie battell confessed he was not yet perfect neither yet that he had atteined to that estate that is to the resurrectiō of the dead to the which he daily did contend The other poyson which in these your former wordes I espie and therefor of conscience must admonish my brethren is That ye be proud contemners of the fre graces of God offered to man in Christe Iesus for with the Pelagians and Papistes ye are become teachers of fre will and defenders of your own iustice for how coldly ye speak of Christ Iesus and his power these your wordes may witnes They are in hope say you to subdue their ennemies by the aid counsell of their Lord are you becom so strong and your warfare so easie that the coūsell of your captein is sufficient for you to conquire your ennemies you sodenly did repent that ye had confessed that the aid of your Lord was necessarie for you and therefor to mitigate and extenuate that immediatly ye adde by the coūsell of their Lord. Is this I pray you vnfeanedly to cōfesse that without Christ ye may do nothing that of your selues ye be not able to think one good thoght That it is he that beginneth and to the end performeth the work of our saluation God of his greate mercie and for Christe Iesus his sonnes saik preserue his Church from your pestilent vēnom What ye mean by the historie of Gedeō in the which say you well and duelly vnderstanded be your thre kindes of Election plainelie set furth because ye your self do not expresse I will not deuyne The copie which came to my handes was in that place imperfecte for after the former wordes it had onely written Confyr to the world And because I will not take vpon me to alter any thing in your wordes I leaue them to be corrected by your selues ād your mynd further to be explaned in that point if so it shall seme good vnto you Ye procede saying THE ADVERSARIE
thy self and thy health cometh of me ANSWER Your colde and vnsauerie exposition whichâ— ye folowing the prophane subtilitie of Castalio make vpon the wordes of the Apostle written in the nynth chapter to the Rom. is neither able to iustifie your error neither yet to improue the doctrine which vpoâ— the same we collect and gather which is this That as God by his fre benediction seperated the people of Israel from all nations of the earth so did his fre election make difference betwext the men of the same people of whom he did frely choose som to saluation and did appoint others to eternal condemnation Secondarely that of this his fre Election there is none other cause nor foundation but his mere goodnes as also his mercie which after the fall of Adame doeth without all respect had to their workes receaue and embrasse whom it pleaseth him Thirdly that God in this his fre election is bound to no necessitie to offer the same to all indifferently but contrarie wies he passed by such as it pleaseth him and whoÌ„ it pleaseth him he receaueth These propositions I say are so euident in Paules wordes that they neuer can be moued by your malicious and ignorant wresting of the text for in euerie one of Paules sentences he striueth directly against your error for where he saieth Rebecca conceaued of one that is of our father Isaak he secludeth al cause that might haue bene by accidentes which come in tyme either in the father or in the mother and in these wordes when the chidlren were not yet born and had neither done good nor euill he secludeth al respects that caÌ„ be alledged to haue bene in the children But where he saieth that the purpose of God might abide according to election not of workes but of the caller c is plainely denied merites dignitie or workes to com to be any caus of gods fre election For if he wold haue persuaded men to haue beleued that God had elected som in respect of their good workes to com and had reiected others for their euill workes onely which he foresaw that they should do Paul had not so veheâ—eÌ„tly vrged these termes and sentences That the purpose of God might abyde according to election not of workes c. but he should simply haue said God hath chosen som in respect of their good workes which he foresaw they should do which therefor he wold reward first with his election and after with his kingdome But the plaine contrarie way to this we se the Apostle vseth pulling man altogither from contemplation of him self to God to his fre mercie to his fre grace and eternall purpose and also to his most depe and profounde iudgements Imagin what shift so euer ye can ye shall neuer be able to auoid this plaine simplicitie of the Apostle With what face can ye denie that these wordes the elder shall serue the yonger are not spoken of Iacob and Esau seing that the Apostle in plaine wordes doeth affirm that they were spoken and ment of the two children before they were born He saieth not before the two natioÌ„s were born but before the childreÌ„ were born Your reason is becaus as concerning the fleshe Esau did neuer serue Iacob I answer neither yet did God say the elder shall serue the yonget in the fleshe but simply did pronounce The elder shall serue the yonger But well do ye declare what is your vnderstaÌ„ding of dominion and seruitude be it in fleshe or be it in spirit Was it no kinde of seruitude I pray you yea euen in the flâ—she that Esau was compelled to begge poâ—age at Iacob and for the same to sell all title of his birthright was it no thraldome that with crying owling aÌ„d furious rores he was compelled to begge the benediction which Iacob had gotten and yet could not obtein it Did not his heart fele subiection when he seeth his father so constant in preferring Iacob to him that by no meanes he wold retreat or call back one worde We do not denie but the diuersitie was also established betwext the two nations but that the heades should be secluded that are ye neuer able to proue But rather the battell which did beginne in the mothers wombe was established and confirmed by the oracle of God to continue betwext the posterities of those two heades Did Rebecca and Isaak after he did se gods prouidence and will to be contrarie to that which he had purposed which was to giue the benediction to Esau did they I say vnderstand that Iacob had no parte in that promes touching his own person The wordes of Isaak do witnes the contrarie for he saieth I haue established him lord ouer the c. By the same reason which ye make I may proue that these wordes were not spoken of their posterities for during longer time then either did Iacob or Esau liue the Edomites did not serue the Israelites in the fleshe which did onely beginne in the latter dayes of Dauid and did continue to the daies of Ioram son of losaphat when they departed from that obedience neither yet were they euer after that broght into subiection againe but be thereforeâ— the oracles and promises of God vaine Yea had they not their effect bothe in the one people aÌ„d in the other euen when the one was in moste miserable bondage first in Egypt and after in Babylon and wheÌ„ the other was in greatest felicitie to mannes apperance yet before God was that sentence true The elder shall serue the yonger For he had further respect then the present estate as the Apostle doeth declare that all the faithfull Patriarkes had Iacob wold not haue interchanged the comfort which he receaued in his first iourney fâ—oÌ„ his fathers house for all the worldlie ioy Y â— Esau possessed for in seâ—g that scale or ladder God fitting vpon the head of it the foote of it touching the earthe vpon the which did Angelles asceÌ„d and come downe aÌ„d in hearing that most ioy full and comfortable voice I am the God of Abraham thy father of Isaak the laÌ„d whereupoÌ„ thow slepest I will giue to the and to thy sede c. and lo I am with the and will kepe the whether so ener thow goest aÌ„d will bring the againe into this land In seing and hearing these thinges I say did Iacob vnderstand that the benediction of God extended further then to temporall thinges yea that rather it did extend to that vnion coniunction which was betwext God and man in that blessed sede promised then to the possession of the land of Canaan for the one did neither Abraham Isaak nor Iacob possesse in their liues neither yet their posteritie many yeares after but the ioy of the other did all the elect fele and see and did reioyce as Christ Iesus doeth witnes of our father Abraham That these wordes Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated are not written in Genesis neither
his vessell plaÌ„te a tre to be barren or kil any of his subiects we send you as befor to ask couÌ„sel at the plaine scriptures whether â—in God there is not a greater knowledge greater power aÌ„d a iustice more perfect althogh it be incoÌ„preheÌ„sible to o r dulseÌ„ses theÌ„ y t their is in y e potter husboÌ„d maÌ„ or Magistrate How that God wil not the death of the sinner but rather that he may conuerte and liue we shall shortlie God wiliÌ„g after speak And therefor omitting that which indigestly you heape togither I procede to that which foloweth THE ADVERSARIE Where ye replie w t that it lieth not in maÌ„nes will or ronning but in the mercie of God I answer by the same senteÌ„ce y t we may both will aÌ„d roÌ„ne which is coÌ„trarie to your hole purpose aÌ„d doctrine aÌ„d yet saieth the Apostle our saluatioÌ„ depeÌ„deth of the mercie of God for it is his fre gift The GeÌ„tiles w c for their wickednes wer reiect of God in vaine should they either wil or ronne w tout God exteÌ„ded his mercie towardes theÌ„ as he doeth now preseÌ„tly Lyke as on the other side the Iewes which for their sinnes be now abiect in vaine should they either wil or roÌ„ne without it pleased God to extend his mercie ouer theÌ„ as he shal do after that the fulnes of the GeÌ„tiles become in as witnesseth Paul â–ª for there we must vnder staÌ„d that wheÌ„ it pleased God to offer vs his mercie yet without we both will and ronne we shall not obtein the reward notwithstanding neither for our willing or ronning are we worthie to receaue saluation for it is the fre gift of God which he giueth to vs onely for his own mercies saik God offered saluation to Ierusalem not for the deseruing but of his mâ—rcie yet obteined they not saluation because they wold neither will nor ronne As Christ saieth how often wold I haue gathered thy children as the hendoeth her chekens and thow woldest not so the scribes and the Phariseis made the counsell of God towardes them of none effect for they dispised it Gods will was to saue them but they wold neither will nor ronne but kepe still their old passeâ— so they perished Wherefor vnto our saluation is required chiefly the mercie of God as the onely sufficient and the efficient cause thereof wherby we being vnworthie and his ennemies be reconciled and receaued vnto the feloship of the saintes Secondly is required that we both will and ronne not as the cause but rather as the effect anâ— frute of our reconciliaâ—ion declaring our selues to be thankfull for the benefits which we haue frely without our merits receaued otherwies the kingdoâ— shal be â—aken from vs againe and geuen to such as shall boâ—h will and ronne bringing furth the fruts thereof ANSWER Your ancient father Pelagius coniured ennemie to the fre grace of God did bragge and boast as you do that in man there was a will and a ronning But the probation of bothe is one that is to say your affirmation must suffice for auctoritie You boldly write that of those wordes of the Apostle neither it is of him that willeth neithâ—r yet of him that ronneth but of God hauing mercie it is plaine that we bothe will and ronne But how is this proued your long discourse in which it semeth that ye haue forgotten your self proueth no part of your purpose for the question is not what either the Iew or y e geÌ„till doeth ImeaÌ„ after they haue receaued the grace of God For theÌ„ we confesse that they haue yet not of theÌ„ selues a will aÌ„d studie to walk in godlines but the question is whether this wil aÌ„d studie which now by grace they haue receaued was anie cause of their election the contrarie whereof we haue before proued We do not imagine the faithfull meÌ„bres of Christes bodie to be stockes or stones insensible without will or studie of godlines â–ª but we affirme that it is God that worketh in vs the good will and the good thoght for of our selues we are not sufficient to think one good thoght We further affirme that except with all humilitie the fre grace offered with thankes giuing be receaued that they serue nothing to the saluation of the coÌ„temners But therewith we adde that it is God onely who taketh away the stonie and stubborne heart and giueth to vs a fleshie heart In which he by the power of his holie Spirit writeth his law maketh vs to walk in his wayes draweth vs to his Sonne Christ Iesus giueth vs into his protection I mean as faith assureth vs in our conscience aÌ„d so we acknowledge God alone by Christ Iesus his sonne to be the beginning the middes and the end of our sanctification godlie lief and saluation I for my part do yet againe praise God that his veritie is of that strength that somtymes it will compell the verie ennemies to bear testimonie to it And I pray God to retein you in that mynd that vnfeanedly you may beleue aÌ„d coÌ„fes that what vertues or good motions that euer be in you be the onely effects or fruites as ye call them of your reconciliation and neither cause of your election nor yet of your iustification That Ierusalem and the scribes refused grace and therefor iustly were condemned we consent with you but that euer it was the eternall couÌ„sell aÌ„d will of God to giue them life euerlasting that we constantly deny Our reasons we haue before alledged and after will haue occasion to repete som againe And therefor we procede Thus ye write THE ADVERSARIE Here with great vehemencie ye alledge these wordes of Paule who hath ben able to resist his wil of which saying ye inferre that God without any cause knowen to vs hath reprobated and damned many against which wil no man can resist These wordes did Paule write because he did foresee that of his former sainges som deuelish disposed persons wold take occasion to burden God with vnrighteousnes as ye do making him the author of euill for ye say that God hath a secrete will whereby he willeth the most parte of the world to be condemned which will because it can not be resisted therefor of mere necessitie by the immutable decre of God so many do perish further ye this affirming God to be the cause of damnation onely because it so hath pleased him ye cause many other to burst owt and say Sithe his will and pleasure no man is able to resist let him lay it on him self and not to vs if any sinne be committed and surely for my parte were it not I abhorre your horrible doctrine wherwith ye cruelly affirme gods ordinaÌ„ce to be the cause of damnation I wold not medle further in this mater but with reuereÌ„ce behold the workes of God forasmuch as I se thankes be to God no work of God wheriÌ„ his mercie doeth not clerely shyne But if your saying were true
our frayle bodies do we hold the secrete will of God for a ruele of all equitie perfection and sufficiencie teaching and affirming that if any man of vaine curiositie or of deuelish pride presume to define or determine vpon these or others his inscrutable secretes the causes whereof other then his secret but most iust will is not neither shal be reueled till the full glory of the sonnes of God be manyfested when the wisdome goodnes iustice and mercie of God shall so euidently appere to the full contentation of his electe to the most iust conuicting of the conscieÌ„ces of the very reprobate to whome shall be left no place of excuse but in their owne consciences they shall receaue the iust sentence of their most iust condemnation and so shall they in tormentes glorifie the most iust most seuere iudgement of God and his vnspeakable hatered against sinne conceaued We teach and affirme I say that if any man in this life trauale to searche out other causes of these foresaid works of God then his secrete will that the same man hedlongs casteth him selfe in to horrible coÌ„fusion which he can not eskape without spedie repentance And against such men are al the scriptures by you alledged spoken and written and not against vs who as we affirme nothing which gods worde doeth not plainely teache vs so do we cease curiously to inquire any cause of his workes other theÌ„ it hath pleased his godlie wisedome and mercie to reuele vnto vs by his holie spirit plainely speaking in his holie scriptures And therefor to you it shal be most profitable to trye and examine this mater with greater indiffereÌ„cie then hitherto you haue done and to ponder and wey whether it be ye or we that be wise in our owne conceate sight or opinion or that go about to finde out the almightie that is to subiecte his Maiestie and wisdome to the iudgemeÌ„t of our corrupt reason You I say who vpon his words plainely spoken by the holie Gost and vpoÌ„ his works which he neither fearerh nor eshameth to attribute and clame to him selfe dare make these blasphemous conclusioÌ„s Then is he more cruel then a wolf then is he a dissembler then beareth he hoÌ„ny in his mouthe gaule in his breast then is he author of sinne him self theÌ„ is he vniust coÌ„trarious to him self or we y t coÌ„miÌ„g but onely to the sight of gods incoÌ„prehensible iudgements with all treÌ„bliÌ„g reuereÌ„ce fall done before his Maiestie w t the Apostle do crye Oh y e depnes of y e riches wisdome and knowledge of God howe inscrutable are his iudgementes and vnsearcheable are his waies who hath knowen y e minde of the Lord or who hath bene of his counsell or who hath giuen vnto him first that he should recompence him for of him and by him and in him are all things to him be glorie for euer Amen Be you your selues iudges I say whether you or we do search out thinges that be aboue the reache of our capacities and by that meanes studie to bring God as it were in boÌ„dage to our reasons but now that which foloweth in these wordes ADVERSARIE Thy worde sayeth Dauid is a lanterne to my fete and a light vnto my steppes when thy worde goeth forth it giueth light and vnderstanding euen Vnto babes all the wordes of the Lord are pure and cleane it is a shilde to them that put their trust in it And the Prophet Esaya if any maÌ„ lacke light â—et him looke vpon the lawe and the testimonie we must not leaue the word and seke to establish our phantasies ether by reason or gods secret will for we are commanded that we turne not from the word nether to the right hand nor to the left that thou maiest sayeâ—h thâ— holye Gost haue vnderstanding in all that thou takest in hand This is sufficient for vs and this we oght for to do But we knowe say you euen by the worde that God hath a secret will whereby he worketh all that pleaseth him verie well and can you proue thereby that God hath two willes God hath reueled so much of his will as is profitable for vs to vs to knowe the rest which is nether necessarie nor mete for vs to know he hath not reueled Is it therefore an other will or is that which is not reueled contrarie to that which is reueled then shal there be contrarietiâ— in God which is fals if God in respect of his reueled will wold not that Adam shoulde fall but in respect of his secret will he wold Adam should fall then did God will two contraries which is impossible was there euer any such monsterous doctrine taught God abhorreth a double heart which speaketh one thing and thinketh and other and yet abhorre you not to charge God with that which he cannot abide in his creatures that is that he should speak one thing as that Adam should not haue fallen and think and will the contrarâ—e that Adam should haue fallen ANSWER The wil of God plainely reueled in his holie scriptures we do not onely followe as a bright lanterne shining before vs for the directing of our pathes walking in the darknes of this mortalitie but also we affirme it to be of such sufficiencie that if an Angell froÌ„ the heauen with wonders signes and miracles wolde declare to vs a will repugning to that which is alredie reueled persuading vs vpon that to ground our faith or by that to rule the actions of our liues we wold hold him accursed and in no wise to be heard and therefore yet once againe I caÌ„ not cease to exhort you if by late reuelations ye I mean some of your faction hath receaued any newe knowledge of gods will by the which you persuade others that man in this life shal be pure and clean with out sinne that God shall expell it not onely in the resurrection but euen while we walk compassed with this corruptible flesh euen as the bright sunne chaseth away the darck cloudes that the children of God shal so beare dominion ouer the wicked in this earth that all the proud tyrannes and oppressors shall be come slaues to the godlie and that shal be their hell and punishment as the earthlie reigning of the others shal be their heauen and ioye promised Examin I say your selues if that any of you be infected with these and others mo grosse and foolish fantasies which by gods reueled will you be neuer able to proue But as for vs we haue proued and offer to proue at all times by the reueled will of God what so euer we teach affirme or beleue of gods eternal electioÌ„ or of his most iust reprobatioÌ„ for we coÌ„fesse euen the self same thing which you alledge vs to say which is that by the word of God we knowe that God hath a secret will whereby he worketh all that pleaseth him in heauen and in
others w c tyrannously and vniustly they by violeÌ„ce spoyle And thus doth y e diuersitie of the myndes of the workers make y e plaine differeÌ„ce betwext their vorkes An other God in expelling Dauid from his kingdom in giuing his wiues with great ignominie to be defiled by his own sonne Absalom and in commanding Semei to curse him had respecte to his owne iustice which can not suffer sinne vnpunished euen in his derest children thereby leauing exaÌ„ple to all ages folowing y t such as willingly wold not suffre gods greuous plagues shall auoid manifest contempt of his holy commandementes And this I think will all men confesse to be a work in so farre as it is wroght by God most iust and most equall for as God doth honor theÌ„ who do honor him so must they be contemned who coÌ„temne him But what was the mynd of Achitophell counseller of Absalom the incestuous adulterer and of Semei the blasphemous curser The one studied to make such hatred betwext the father and the sonne as after should neuer be reconciled The vnnaturall monsterous sonne declaring him self mortall ennemie to his father according to the wicked counsell thoght to bind vnto him the heartes of the people And Semei willing to make Dauid odious to all meÌ„ and to haue broght him if possible had bene to vttermost desperation powred forth y e vennym which before lurked in his hidde corrupte stinking stomock The same might I shewe in the precious death of the innocent Sonne of God in which the great and vnsearcheable loue of God towardes vs doeth shyne so that Christes death in so farre as it was the work of God proceded from loue from mercie iustice but touching the instrumentes whome God vsed in execution of the same as in an other place I haue said they looked nothiÌ„g to gods counsell but were altogether caried to iniquitie some by auarice some by pride and by ambition some by malice hatered and enuie so that amoÌ„gest them all none was found that studied to obey God nor his holy will reueled And thus it is euident â–ª why the work of God in such cases is iust aÌ„d good as it that is wroght in wisedom mercie and iustice and that for most iust cauâ—es purpose ende And why the workes of wicked men supposing y t God in some respect will theÌ„ are yet vniust and repugning to his will neuer doÌ„ne to obey him aÌ„d therefore are they and their workers subiecte to malediction veÌ„geance damnation pronounced by God in his lawe against the workers of iniquitie Nowe let vs examine your reasons If it was gods will say you that pharaâ— should refuse to let the people go then did he submit him self to the word of the lord I deny y e coÌ„sequent for neither did Pharao knowe y e holiewil of God neither did he submit him self to y t w c was coÌ„manded reueled vnto him The will of God was in y t people to giue an exaÌ„ple testimonie to y e world y t y e onely benedictioÌ„ of God was sufficieÌ„t to giue multiplication encrease to his Church euen against the determined fury of sathan and of all wicked that he wold giue vnto his Church being afflicted most ioyful and most wonderous deliuerance and finally that no obstinate enemie of gods people how so euer they seme to rage and triumphe shal in the end escaâ—p iudgement and vengeance iustly deserued Do you think that Pharao either knew this will of God either yet that he reteined y e people in bondage for any of these endes I think not then did he not submitt him self to gods will â–ª but obstinatly did resist so farre of gods will as was reueled vnto him And therfor I say that God and Pharao were of most contrary willes and most contrary mindes God williÌ„g his Name his power aÌ„d his wisedome to be preached and praised to the eÌ„d for the deliuerance of his afflicted people But Pharao willing to reteine in perpetuall boÌ„dage the people whom God commanded him to set at fredome libertie to serue him as he should commaÌ„d And therefor albeit that wicked Pharao was an instrument by whom those things were broght to passe yet were his workes neither well nor iustly donne but tyrannously and most obstinatly did he fight against God And therefor in the end most iustly was he punished Behold your spyder webbes with les labor dissolued burst then I am assured you and your great captaine Castalio did spinne knit veaue the same to your great shame perpetuall condemnation except that spedely you repent Now to the rest which foloweth in these words ADVERSARIE As for the senteÌ„ce which ye alledge God maketh hard hearted whom he will and of whom he will he hath mercie this place hath bene very vnresonably wrested of some of you so that therby you haue burdened God to be the cause of condemnation who at his pleasure receaueth or resiseth such as haue either of paine or pleasure deserued nothing at all God forbid that any man should conceaue such a phantasie of God but we must first learne how God lightened all men that cam into this world which light who so refuseth him the Lord by long sufferance with bountifull benefites and fatherly corrections doeth call to repentance But if we louing darknes better then light will vtterly refuse light or after we haue bene by the goodnes of God partakers of gods grace do forsaik the couenant of the Lord then hath he mercie on whom he will and that for his own saik and others he maketh hard hearted that is he giueth them ouer to their own hearts lustes So that the cause of their induration is not the will and pleasure of God which doeth nothing without a iust cause but their obstinate wickednes which will not be reformed These suffer iustly and the other receaue grace by the mercy fo God which may when he will haue mercie on whom he will and that besides his couenant ANSWER Because that nothing resteth to the end of this y o r book your blasphemies and raling excepted which is not sufficiently before answered I inteÌ„d onely to touch those things which you vniustly lay to our charges and fraÌ„kly coÌ„fesse in what pointes you and we do manifestly dissent in opinion and doctrine and first I say that most vniustly you accuse vs laying to our charge that we burden God to be the cause of coÌ„demnation the which we all with one coÌ„sent impute to maÌ„ to sinne and to y e deuil the first soliciter to sinne And therfor except that ye can note and euidently conuict some one or mo of vs that so hath written or affirmed of God ye can not be purged from the horrible crime of vniust accusatioÌ„ aÌ„d detestable sclaÌ„der We vtterly dissent from you that God lighteneth euery man that commeth into this world in such sort as you affirme that is hat he calleth all
And in an other place the beastes of the field shall preach my glorye the dragons and the birdes of eastriches and Achan also was coÌ„maÌ„ded to giue glory vnto God The earth shal be compelled saieth Habacuc to knowledge the glory of God Zacharie also the Prophet saieth for his glory hath he sent vnto the nations which haue spoyled you finally shall not sathan and the reprobate in their iust condemnation giue glory vnto God and do ye think that all these creatures iudge God to be worthie of glory in such sort as they acknowledge his power his wisedome his iustice froÌ„ their hole heart submitte them selues to his holy will I trust you do not for we knowe that sathan is a spirit confirmed in malice and rebellious against God yet is he coÌ„pelled euen in tormentes to giue glory vnto God in so farre as in his iust daÌ„nation he declareth gods power and iust iudgementes And therefor I say that you restreine the glory of God with in to streit narrowe limites when y t you will that it shall extend no forther then to suche as from their heart iudge God worthie of glory y e w c perteineth to his chosen children onely and can neuer be giueÌ„ by the reprobate for such glory must procede froÌ„ faith w c is not coÌ„mone vnto all but is the speciall gift giueÌ„ to gods elect yet neuertheles by other meanes God declareth his glory euen in the vesselles of his wrath as is before declared Of the example of Nabuchadnezer ye can make but a particular coÌ„clusion in this for me Nabuchadnezer after he had felt the iust punishement of his pride and arrogaÌ„cie gaue glory vnto God Ergo some man after punishmeÌ„t giueth glory vnto God If you make your coÌ„clusion extend any further it is fals for if you say that all men after punishment giue glory vnto God w t the same confession that he gaue many examples may be showen to the coÌ„tary if you saye that none other giueth glory vnto God except such as so be punished that will be proued likewies fals And if you say y t gods glory doth shine in none except in those that acknowledge confesse God to be mercifull and iust that is most vaine of all and thus I say your conclusion must be but particulare The reasons the coÌ„clusion which you make vpon these wordes of Dauid Praise God all you natioÌ„s are so foolish on the one parre and so filthie and execrablevpon the other that amongest all nations ye oght not onely to he mocked but also to be had in horror and detestation first you say If God must be praised amongest all nations then must gods workes be such as all nations may knowe them and praisâ— them I answer euen so they are and such amongest all natioÌ„s as haue y e eyes of their myndes illuminated by gods holie spiriâ— do see iust caus why y t they oght to praise gods wisedome euen in all his workes But you procede saying there is no nation which at any tyme shall acknowledge God to be iust for that be punisheâ—â— maâ— for that whervnto he him self did prouoke him and so after the example of the priestes of the Philistines ye ask this questioÌ„ If God should punishe man because he hath a beard should any glory redound 〈◊〉 God there of seing he hath giuen vs beardes his self And so you skoffe iest at vs saying y t we be very religiouse because we say that none oght to speak so vnreuerently of gods workes God is witnes that I write notwithouâ— some grief of heart nether yet y t I affirme this which I am to speak for priuie hatered w c I bear against the persone of any man But in gods presence I say that rather then such horrible blasphemies should haue bene fostered in my heart deuised in my braine written by my pen and pronounced by my mouth and tongue that rather I wold my carcasse should haue suffered most cruell and vile death yea and further I say that better it had bene for you neuer to haue bene borne then thus blasphemously to expose gods great Maiestie to opprobrie aÌ„d mockage for I appele to the iudgement of the heauen and the earth and of all creatures in the same conteined if euer that Iulian the appostate spake more disdainfully of God then here you write But for the instruction of the simple reader to answere you more reasonably theÌ„ your vnreuerent skoffing deserueth I say first that the mynde of Dauid was not to teach vs what euerie nation and euery particulare man amongest the Gentiles shall do but what was the duetie of euerie nation euery people and euerie man to do when gods mercies should be offered vnto them And therfor if you conclude all natioÌ„s do praise God in such sorte as Dauid meaneth because that the holie Gost by his mouth commaÌ„deth all nations to praife God you make no better an argument then if ye should affirme that euery man loueth God with all his heart with all his mynd with all his strength because that God so commandeth This is one portion of your ignorance The second foloweth gods workes say you must be such as all nations may knowe them and praise them I answer if you vnderstand that al that praise God vnfeinedly from their heartes must haue some knowledge of his mercies goodnes iust iudgemeÌ„tes and woÌ„derous workes we distent not from you But if you say as by your proces is euident that you do that except all nations perceaue and vnderstand the very grounde of gods iustice that God amongest them shall haue no glory then as we lament your foolishnes so we detest your error â–ª for albeit that the â—aturall man can neuer atteine to the knowledge of those things which God purposeth yet shal not God be defrauded of his golry no not in the most carnal and wretched man Christe Iesus was sent into the world and came to that people which was called his own and his glory did so shine to the eyes of some that they did acknowledge it to be the glory of the onely SoÌ„ne of God â–ª But did the princes of the priestes and the hole nation of the Iewes see the same glory and so confesse him as did the electe SaiÌ„t Paul witnesseth the coÌ„trarie saying if they had knowen they had not crucified the king of glory Paul was appointed a preacher to the Gentiles amongest whome he most faithfully and moste boldely did open the treasures of gods great mercies and of the glory of his Sonne Christ Iesus but did euery citie realme nation or man to whome these treasures were opened so receaue vnderstand and imbrace them that for the same they glorified God the contrarie is euident But was God therfore defrauded of his glory euen in y e midest of a wicked generatioÌ„ God forbid for as the eyes of some were lightned and so did glorifie the word of the Lord so
preaching of his Law and by rebuking of their manifest impietie And so he did God working all to his glory according to his eternall purpose And this because your interpretation is not sufficieÌ„tly confirmed by any phrase of the scripture which ye haue alledged aÌ„d also because it repugneth to the scriptures which before I haue adduced we can not admitte it Against your complexion or Epilogue which is nothing but a superfluous repetition of those thinges which sufficiently ye haue not proued althogh you so bragge we say that as God by his eternal word and power infinite hath created al thinges so hath he by his wisedom incomprehensible so disposed all thingesâ— y t as nothing was created for the self so was nothing the appointer of the self to serue God as his glory required But he in his eternal counsel appointed the end to euery creature to the which they shal once atteine by such meanes as he most iustly hath appointed And therfor seing his glorie doth no lesse require his iust iudgemeÌ„tes then his superabouÌ„dant mercie to be knowen he hath in his eternal counsel elected some and reiected others eueÌ„ before y e foundatioÌ„s of y e world And albeit he created man after his own image yet did God neuer determine y t mankind should staÌ„d in Adam but his iust couÌ„sell and purpose was that all men should fall in Adam that the elect might know the price of their saluation Christe Iesus in whoÌ„ they were elected before y t in Adam actualy they did fall or were created And so God willing to make his glorie to shine in al hath prepared some vessels of mercie and some of wrath to y e one he hath frely giueÌ„ life euerlastiÌ„g in Christ Iesus his sonne The other he hath for iust causes so reiected that albeit with long pacience he suffereth their manifest rebellion yet in the finall iudgement he shall commaÌ„d them to go to the fire that neuer shal be quenched And this will and counsel of God is neither secret nor hidde from his Church but is in his word most manifestly reueled aÌ„d therfor of it we feare not to affirme that euen in the first promise and euer since hath God made a plaine distinction betwext the elect and the reprobate so that the purpose and counsell which before was hidde in God was in time manifested vnto man Which will and counsell of God becaus it is constant and immutable like as God him selfe is must of necessitie take effect and therfor I boldly affirme that neither can any whom God in his eternal purpose hath reprobated become the elect and so be saued neither yet can any of Christes elect nombre to life euerlasting be reprobated and so come to finall perdition We further saye that albeit gods will in the selfe be one to witte the manifestation of his own glorie yet as touching his creatures it hath diuers respectes for God will the saluation of some and he also will the iust â—ondemnation of others And the contrarie of this doth God neuer declare in his word but rather doth most plainely reuele it And therfore this his godlie will is not called secrete as that it is not expressed in his word but because that in his word there is no cause assigned gods good will onely excepted why he hath chosen some and reiected others And this knowledge is so necessarie to a Christian that without the same ca the heart of man neuer be sufficieÌ„tly subiected vnto God nether can he rendre vnto him due praise and honor except that he acknowledge and confesse y t God him selfe hath made differeÌ„ce betwext him others To your odious termes dispitefull railing I briefely say at this time THE LORD shall iudge To my knowledge there resteth no notable scripture which ye haue alledged or rather abused for confirmatioÌ„ of your error which is not sufficieÌ„tly answered two places excepted The one is of Ezechiel affirmig that God will not the death of a sinner the other conteineth the wordes of Paul saying God will all men to be saued which places because you recite them here in the description of him whom you call the true God I thoght it expedient to delay til this opportunitie to y e end that hâ—uing to fight as it were face to face with the deuil him self I might haue some coÌ„fort of my God in entreating some place of his holie scriptures Thus you procede with a mouth most execrable and blasphemous THE ADVERSARIE The properties of the God of the careles by necessitie Their gods wrath excedâ—th all his workes for he hath reprobate the most part of the world afore the foundation of the world be is slowe vnto mercy and ready to wrâ—the for he will not be intreated to saue any of them whom he bath reprobate afore but of necessitie do what they can they must be damned neâ—ther is he omnipâ—tont which may do and leaue vndone â–ª what pleaseth him for he is bound â—y â—is â—wn absolut ordinance and infallible foresight to do onely all things as they be donne and becaus 〈◊〉 so pleased him to she we his power strength he styrred up Pharao many mo to do wickedly â—e giueth wicked commandement and euill thoghtes to Semei and many other And therafter plagued them for their labor onely because they were wicked instruments to work his will for he made them naughtie vesselles 〈◊〉 commit all abomination neither could they choose but work wickedly being â—is vesseles of wrath he hathe two willes â—ne contrary to an other for he saieth one thing and thinkeâ—h another he is worse theâ— the deuill for not onely tempteth â—e to do euill but compelletâ— by immutable fore ordinance and secret wil without which no thing can be doâ—â—e he is the prince of darknes for frome him comâ— euill thoghtes which are darknes ANSWER Because that now I haue to do not onely with a blasphemer but eueÌ„ as it were with a deuill incarnate my first and chief defence is to say the Lord putte sileÌ„ce to the â— Sathan The Lord confound thy dispiteful counselles by the which thou studiest to peruert the righteous way of the eternall God But now of thee ô blasphemous mouth I aske if thou be able to forge to the and to thy pestilent factiâ— an other God then that God who most iustly did drowne and destroy by water all liuing creatures in earth except so many as were preserued in the arke with Noah who also did destroye by fire from heauen Sodom and Gomorra with the cities â—diacent and the hole inhabitantes of the same Lot and his two daughters onely reseruedâ— who further by the space of four thousand yeres did suffre all nations to walk in their owne wayes reueling onely his good will and the light of his word to the sede of Abraham to those that descended of Iacob I meane Canst thow I say forge to thy self another God then this eternall maiestie of our
God whom we do reuerence in whom we trust and most stedfastly beleue whose Sonne Christ Iesus we preach to be the onely sauiour of his Church and whose eternall veritie we mainteine not onely against Iewe Turke and Papist but also against you enraged anabaptistes who can admitte in God no iustice which is not subiect to the reach of your reason Darest thou and thy conspiracie stand vp and accuse God of crueltie because that in these his workes thou canst not deny but that mo were punished then were preserued mo were left in darknes then were called to the true light Shall not his mercie excede all his workes except that he saue the Deuill aÌ„d those that iustely be reprobated as he is Stoupe Sathan vnder the empire of our Soueraigne God whose will is so free that nothing is able to constreigne or binde it For that is onely libertie that is not subiect to mutabilitie to the inconstancie or appetites of others as most blasphemously you wold imagin God to be in his election and most iust reprobation by the which in despite of SathaÌ„ of thee his slaue and sonne and of all thy sect he will declare his glorie as well in punishing with tormentes for euer such blasphemers as you be as in shewing the riches of his glorie to the members of his deare Sonne who onely depend vpon Christe Iesus and vpon his iustice To purge my God from that iniustice or from those absurdities which thou woldest impute vpon his eternall maiestie I will â—ot labor lest that ether I should seme to doubte of our owne cause ether yet to be sollicite for the defense of our eternall God And therfor seing that ye declare your selues not men ignorant willing to Iearne but deuilles enraged against God against his eternall and infinite iustice as I began so do I finish The Lord confound thee Sathan The Lord confound you enraged dogges which so impudently dare barcke against the most iust iudgementes of God And thus leauing you to the handes of him who sodanely shall reuenge his iustice from your blasphemies For the cause of the Simple I say First that most maliciously ye accuse vs as that we should affirme God to be slow to mercy and readie to wrath which blasphemy we protest before God before his holy Angelles in heauen and before his Church here in earth did neuer enter into our heart For the contrarie thereof we daily see and perceaue not onely in our selues to whom most mercifully he remitteth the multitude of our sinnes but also in the most cruell ennemies of his Church We do not define what nombre God hath elected to life nether yet what nombre presently God hath reprobated Onely we stand content with that which the holy Gost hath reueled openly to witte that their be both elect and reprobate That the elect can not finally perish nether yet that the reprobate can euer be saued we constantly affirme But we adde the causes to wit that because the one sort is giuen to Christ Iesus by y e free gift of God his father before all times therfor in time they come vnto hiÌ„ by power of whose spirit they are regenerate their darkenes is expelled and from vertue they procede to vertue till finally they attein to the glory promised As y e other sorte is left in their own corruption so can they do nothiâ—g but obey their father y e deuil in whose boÌ„dage they iustely are left And so where ye burden vs that we say let the reprobate do what they can yet they must be daÌ„ned ye do most shamefully belie vs. For we saye and teach that who so euer declineth from euill and constantly to the end doth good shall most certenly be saued But our doctrine is thiâ— that because the reprobate haue not the spirite of regeneration therfor they can not do those workes that be acceptable before God How God is almightie and omnipoteÌ„t we haue before confessed to witt that as he in his eternall wisedom foreseeth and appointeth all thinges so doth his power put all thinges in execution how and when it best pleaseth him Neither can his wisedom will nor counsels be subiect to any mutabilitie vnstablenes or chaÌ„ge For if it so were then his godly wil and counsels did not depend vpon him self but vpon his creatures which is more then absurd Nether to Pharao neither to Semei neither yet to any other reprobate did or doth God giue either wicked commandement or euill thoght But those wicked thoghtes and euill motions which be in them of their euill nature and are stirred vp by the instigation of the deuill as he doeth not purge them so doth his wisedom vse them well to his owne glorie to the exercise of his children and to the comfort of his Church In so much that the verie tyranny of Pharao the cursing of Semei and the incest of Absalom in so farre as they were gods workes they were iust and holy because they were iust punishmentes of their sinnes an exercise for his children and some part also of his fatherly correction for their offenses To the rest of your vanitie I will not answere not because I feare your sophisticall subtilitie but because I will not except that yet I be further prouoked nether by tongue nether yet by penne once name or expresse your horrible blasphe mies Which manifestly do witnes and declare that you as dogges enraged without all reuerence do barke against God because his workes do surmount your capacitie The Lord speadely call you to repeÌ„tance or els so bridle your venemous tongues that they be not able further to infect Now to the rest THE ADVERSARIE The properties of the true God God his mercie exceadeth all his workes he hath made man like to hâ—â— own image in Christe Iesus in whom is no damâ—ation he is slâ—we vnto wrathe and readie to foregiue he wil be intreated of all so that â—e biddeth all men euerie where to repâ—nt and â—ffereth faith to all men he is omnipotent and may do and leaue vndone what so euer shal be his good pleasure â—ether is it his pleasure wil tâ—at eiher Pharaâ— Semei or any other do sinne and come to destruction for he willeth the deathe of no creature but willeth all men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the trueth he hath but one will which is euer onely good reueled in his word to them that feare him and kepe his commandementes nether hath he any secret will contray to this but will performe what so euer goeth outâ— of his mouthâ— he tempteâ—th no man to sinne he is the fuâ—her of ligâ—t and cometh to destroye the workes of the careles libertynes God for be abhorreth all wickednes aÌ„d al wicked dâ—â—â—s ANSWERE In this description of your God whom you do terme the true God I do woÌ„der of three thinges First that in this your description ye dissent from your greate angel Castalio Secondely how