¶ A BRIEFE Treatice of Election and Reprobation with certen Ansvvers to the Obiections of the Aduersaries of thys doctrine Written by Anthonie Gylbie Rom. 9. I vvill shevve mercy vpon vvhom I vvill shevv mercy and I vvill haue compassion vpon vvhom I vvill haue compassion ⸪ ¶ A briefe Treatise with certayne Ansvvers to the Obiections of the Aduersaries of this doctrine vvritten by Anthonie Gylbie VVHereas three yeeres ago dearely beloued I did write of this matter of Election Reprobation which is called Predestination in a certayn Commentarie vpon the Prophet Malachie by the occasion of this texte I haue loued Iacob and I haue hated Esau The which Treatise by the rage of persecution partly perished and parte dyd come of late to my hands accompting this doctrine so necessarie that vpon all occasions it ought with reuerence to be vttred to the glory of God which so wonderfully appeareth in this his riche mercie towards vs whom he chooseth from the filthe of sinne to serue him in righteousnesse and to the beating down of our corrupt nature which without this eyther moūteth by pride vnto presumptiō or falleth by infidelitie to desperation Bicause that without some taste of this diuine prouidence in Predestination there can be no fayth but eyther a doubtfull wauering leading to dispayre which we haue felte in the Papistrie whyles we looked to our owne weaknesse and infirmitie not able to endure one houre in the way of righteousnesse or else a vayne presumption of fayned holynesse whyles we beholde our owne beléefe and good works or the perfection that we doo imagine in our owne selues as doo the Anabaptistes Therefore I thought it good according to my simple Talent to testifie this truthe agayne vnto the worlde at the Printing of this worthy Table of the great lerned man Master Beza which is set foorth in French Latin and Italian and now into Englishe translated by our brother VV. VVhittingham wherein is most euidētly set foorth before our eyes the chiefe ground of this doctrine and the principall poyntes thereof are so déepely opened that there séemed to wante nothing that was possible in so few lines to be vttered yet for the shortnesse therein all things can not be conteyned but that some brief lessons for the vnlearned who hath not their sences fully exercised with suche déepe sentences may well be adioyned as euery man hereafter shall héerevnto be moued by the spirit of God working in their hearts that many bearing witnesse to the truthe of this most profitable doctrine nowe reuealed the mercies of God in choosing his chyldren may more and more day by day be disclosed and by the witnesse of diuers consenting togither in one God the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ may be glorified For héerein chiefly standeth his prayse honor and glory that these his wonderfull mercies towarde his Electe may be praysed Nowe there is no meane more apte nor doctrine more conuenient to establish the fayth of the Saincts than to certifie by the Scriptures that God hathe chosen them before the beginning of the worlde to be holy to him selfe and so written their names in the booke of lyfe in the heauens that all their saluation resteth wholly vpon his hands and holy counsell that can by no meanes be altred or chaūged so that neyther death diuell nor hell dare nowe accuse them that are by adoption grafted in Christ who are called of the eternall purpose bicause it is God that iustifieth and who dare condemne them It is Christ that is giuen for them and howe shall not all things be giuen also to them For them that he knewe before them he ordeyned before that they should be like fashioned to the image of his sonne and whome he appoynted before those also he called and whome he called those also he iustified and whom he iustified those also he glorified that this eternall purpose and counsell of God béeing once reuealed to his Saincts by the effectuall vocation and calling whiche is the iustification of fayth wrought in their heartes by the holy spirite they can no longer doubt neyther of Election Predestination saluation or glorification Neither can any thing more beate downe mans nature and the pride of his vayne heart than to behold the maiestie of God making them by grace so farre vnlyke one to the other who were both one altogither by nature the children of wrath of vengeance damnation as the wonderfull example of Iacob and Esau of whom the Lorde pronounceth that he loueth the one and hateth the other before they were borne and the terrible sentēce agaynst Pharao whome the Scripture affyrmeth that God raysed vp to shewe vpon him his power and hardened hys hart to make his name knowne suche like which euerywhere are set before our eyes to cause man fall downe before God and to feare his iudgements doth declare But our Aduersaries obiect agaynst vs that this doctrine is an offence to many and that some abuse it to carnall libertie I doo answere that Christe is a stumbling stone to many and all the doctrine of the Gospell is likewise slaundered by the euill conuersation of others yet may we not prohibite the swéete floures from the Bées bicause Spiders sucke thence their poyson no more than wée maye stoppe the sunne to shyne bycause it hurteth sore eyes But that it may be the glad tydings of saluation to the assurance of the faith of the one and a cleare testimonie of cōdemnation of the other to the beating downe of the pride of man thys glorious coūsel of the mightie God ought vnto all in this cleare reuelation of the Gospel to be offered opened and published Wherefore by the good wyll of God we entende to speake of this greate matter none other wayes neyther in any other sorte then the open Scriptures shall approue our sayings Therfore we say with the holy Apostle Sayncte Paule Blessed be God the Father of our Lorde Iesus Christe whiche hath blessed vs with all spiritual blessings in heauenly things vnto Christe lyke as he hath elected and chosen vs in hym before the foundations of the worlde were layde that we should be holy and blamelesse before him by loue who hath predestinate vs that hée mighte fréely choose vs to bée hys chyldren by Iesus Christe Ephe. j. And thoughe there come some wicked men whiche were long before appoynted to this iudgement whiche doo turne the grace of oure God to lasciuiousnesse and wantonnesse as holy Iude saythe yet knowe we that we are chosen by Iesus Christe that the glory of his grace hys fauoure and mercy towardes vs mighte be praysed For wée are the electe and chosen kynred and hys people by purchase that wée shoulde shewe the vertue of hym whyche hathe called vs foorth of darknesse into this maruellous lighte This people ordeyned to saluation onely beléeueth Act. 13. For thys Electe people onely was Chryste sent into this worlde To them onely is the worde of saluation sente as
broken and brought full lowe where and when it shall like the Lorde of all fleshe by these his weake vessels And lisence must you aske as did your father the diuel executing his tyrannie vpon the good mā Iob as we reade in the first chapter of that Hystorie before you can lay hands eyther of body or goods of his chosen and therein shall you be limitted and appoynted as there appeareth how farre you shall be able to extend your violence For God holdeth your hearts in his hand be you neuer so great tyrants can soone cause you to faynt and fayle from your furie turning your hearts rounde about as him liketh best And bicause you thus blaspheme God bothe in words déedes following your father Lucifer abusing Gods creatures and despising his benefytes his tollerance and his long sufferance whiche might moue you to repentance as holy Paule warneth you treasure vp for your selues euen wrath and vengeance agaynst the day of vengeance I doo feare nothing at all to offende you with my writing neither doo you passe any thing at all what is written or spoken though you vse to sweare stampe stare for a little space in a furious rage when you heare and féele things contrarie to your poyson But the scriptures of God all good writings all truthe vnto suche dogs and hogs are vttered to this purpose that they may be a testimonie of condemnation of the light of Gods truth reiected and despised Therfore for the elect of God that they may vnderstande the course of Gods working in al his creatures reuerence his maiestie and magnisie and renoume his holy name is this written Yet doubtlesse doo I know amongst the chiefe vessels chosen children of God there be many whiche haue not attayned to this poynt of doctrine of Electiō Reprobatiō whom I am very loth to offend and therfore I desire thē for the loue of God to suffer me quietly without their grief to vtter vnto other the comforte of my conscience which I haus hereby vndoubtedly receyued like as I haue many times harkened vnto them in the cōtrarie First praying thus bothe of vs togither vnto our heauenly father knowledging our owne infirmitie and weaknesse O father in the heauens whatsoeuer we are whatsoeuer we haue whatsoeuer we knowe it is onely by thy free grace for we were by nature the children of wrath and we are not borne a newe of fleshe and bloud eyther of the séede of man or of the wyll of man fleshe and bloud can not reueale the mysteries of thy heauenly kingdome vnto vs But by thy blessed will are we that we are and by the same knowe we that we knowe therefore O father doo we commit into thy hands onely our saluation If our knowledge be small yet we doubt nothing but that we are the children of thy euerlasting kingdome and therefore by thy mightie power we shall growe when it shall be thy pleasure to a more full riper knowledge of a more perfite age wherein our fayth shall be fully able to comprehend perceyue the bredth depth height largenesse of thy great mercyes and gratious promyses But séeing this power of full knowledge and perfect reuelation passeth all power naturall and remayneth onely in thy power and the light of thy spirite O Lord Doo thou what shall please thée to opē to vs thy seruaunts children depending of thy hands so muche of the lyght of thy countenance and at such tymes as shall séeme good to thy wisdome and fatherly mercie In the meane tyme thus restyng wholy vpon thée neither can we dispaire neither will we be too muche careful although we can not attayn to the knowledge of many of thy works neither to the vnderstandyng of many places of the scriptures but we wil confesse vnto thee the weaknesse of our faith wayting alwayes for further reuelatiō of thy glorious light to be vttered vnto vs when thou shalt thinke of thy Fatherly beneuolence and goodnesse méete and conuenient knowing moste surely that thou wilt pitie our childishe infansy and cause the same to serue for thy glory and oure great commoditie séeing that we do erre and are childish as sonnes before suche a Father whiche can not put off hys Fatherly pitie but rather as thou haste broughte vs vnto thee to be the heyres of thy kingdome by the bloode of thy naturall sonne so we be moste sure that thou wilte lighten vs in the ende with the full fruition of the brighte lighte of thy contenaunce that we may see thée and knowe thée as thys thy sonne oure Redéemer knoweth thee yea see thee oure Father face to face and knowe as we be knowen Thus reste we onely of thy hande to encreace oure knowledge at thy good pleasure O mighty Lorde and moste mercifull father So be it If you can thus submitte your selues good brethren too the wisedome of God working in vs weakelinges what him lyketh All the stomblyng stockes whiche myghte offende you may easelie be remoued There bée two thynges especially whyche doo séeme too stande agaynste thys doctrine of Election and Reprobation or of God hys gouernaunce and prouidence for all is one in effect the one toucheth God the other man The fyrste and principall is leaste that the wicked do make God the aucthor of synne in the Reprobate the which doubt we may remone foure maner of wayes First by the authoritie of scriptures Secondly by the testimonie of their owne consciēces which be the Reprobate Thirdly by the nature of sinne Fourthly by the maiestie of God whiche is bounde to none of his creatures to make hym this or that vessell For the firste Sainct Iames saith Let no man say when he is tempted that he is tempted of God for God as he can not be tempted with euill so neither dothe hée tempte anie man But euerie manne is tempted drawen awaye and entysed of his owne luste and concupiscence Then the luste when it hath conceyued bryngeth foorth synne Iames. 1. And euen thus it appeared in the fyrste fall of mankinde First though the Lorde oure God had warned and commaunded the contrarie oure olde enimie styrreth the concupiscēce and lust of the woman with the goodnes pleasantnesse and beautie of the apple thē hir lust cōceiuing this bringeth foorth sinne entising also hir husbande to the breaking of God hys commaundementes Gene. 3. But contrariwise sayth Iames in the same place Ia. 1. least you should erre and conceiue any euill opinion of God euery good gyfte and euerie persite gyfte is from aboue discending from the Father of light with whom is no vareablenesse nether change into darkensse that hée shoulde gyue nowe good things nowe euill nowe light nowe darkenesse No saithe the Apostle Paule let God be true and al men lyars Can God be vniuste How shall he then iudge the worlde Rom. 3. Agayne God saith by hys prophet Ezechiell I will not the death of a sinner but I wil rather that the sinner conuert
Peter sayth To the Elect by the foreknowledge of God the father 1. Pet. 1. Then to know what this Election of God is and what in the Scriptures it dothe signifye Wée describe and defyne Election to bée the frée choyce of the good wyll of the Almyghtie GOD appoynting and prescrybyng in the Booke of lyfe before the beginning of the world whom he will haue to be saued and compted amongest the iust Whom he will haue holy and without faulte before hym to bée his children by adoption to set foorth his glory This choyse this choosing this aforeappoynted purpose and ordinaunce of God is aboundauntlye set foorthe in the firste chapter to the Ephesians That this commeth of the frée wyll of God and hys onely grace freely without our deseruing contrary to the vayne opinion of the Papists and Anabaptists the same chapter and the nexte chapter folowing dothe plainely testifie Epe 1. 2. And most euidently the Lord in his maiestie speaking to his seruant Moyses Exod. 33. declared all this to stande of his mercy saying I will haue mercie vpon whom it liketh me and I will shew mercie where it shall be my pleasure for so is the meaning of those wordes I will haue mercy vpon whom I will haue mercy Paul also declaring in this place the woorke of God béetwixte these two children Iacob and Esau Romaynes 9. saythe thus of this frée Election wheÌ„ Rebecca was with child with one and the same father Isaac before the children were borne when they had neyther done good nor bad that the purpose of God whiche is by Election mighte stande it was sayde to her not for the cause of workes but by the grace of the caller the elder shall serue the younger As it is written saythe hée Iacob I loued but Esau I hated Of the booke of life Moyses speaketh Exod. 32. And Christ himselfe Luk. 10. Saying to his Apostles Ioy you and be glad for your names are written in the boke of life in the heauens And in the 69. Psalme it is spoken against the wicked Let them not be written amongst the Iust and put them foorth of the booke of life And agaynst the false Prophet Ezechiel 13. He shall not be in the counsaile of my people nor written in the booke of the house of Israell There be two finall causes also of this eternal purpose of the election the which Paule rehearseth in the first chapter to the Ephesians the one toucheth God the other perteineth to man He hath Elected vs béefore the foundations of the worlde sayth the Apostle that wée mighte be holy and without blame And thys answereth the wicked which would abuse the mercies of God to their lust Againe it followeth He hath Predestinate vs that he might choose vs to be hys chyldren that hys name may bée praysed And this stoppeth the mouthes of al our Aduersaries that say that thys doctrine is not to the prayse of God so that they must cease to slaunder this doctrine vnlesse they wil hinder the glory of God and denie the open Scriptures Nowe it is to be noted and marked dyligently that thys woorde Election is taken after two sortes in the Scripture some tymes as it signifieth absolutely the frée choyse will and appointment of God without the respecte of the reuelation of the woorde and message of saluatyon And thus speaketh the holy Apostle Saincte Paule of Election saying of the carnal Iacob They were enimies concernyng the Gospel for your cause but concernyng the Election they are beloued for their parents For the gyftes of God and hys callyng are suche that hée can not repente Euen as you once were mysbeléeuers from God but nowe haue attayned mercie by theyr mysbeléefe that they should attayne mercie also Thys Election expresseth absolutely the secret purpose of God without the respect oâ—â—â—uelation of the woorde or any of our workes followyng Vnder thys first kynde of Election were those hundreth and twenty thousande whiche God dyd choose and kéepe vnto hymselfe in Niniue amongst the Idolaters and the seuen thousande which God dyd leaue for hymselfe in Israel in the thirde booke of kings the. 19. chap. Yea those that yet are not are thus elect chosen and amongst al nations both Iewes in thys long blindnes banishment from their countrey amongst the Turkes in theyr Idolatrous wickednesse yea amongst the Edomites the Sabees the Indians and Ethiopians And in the late blyndnesse of the Popishe church wherein we togither wyth our fathers were altogether Idolatrous all Hypocrites and counterfaite Christians thys absolute Election whereby the mercyfull Lorde God did reserue and kéepe hys chosen vnto him in all places all ages all countreys without respect of persons dyd most euidently appeare Howbeit this secresie of election muste onely bée lefte to the Maiestie of God where when how and whom he thereby saueth and sheweth his mercy For to the blynde iudgemente of man all these people rehearsed and suche like séemeth reiect reprobate and caste away as appeareth by Ionas condemning the Niniuites by Elias coÌ„demning the Israelites and a long while vntil God had by miracle from Heauen deliuered hym from that errour vnto the chiefe Apostle Peter iudgeing all the Gentiles to bée a polluted people farre from the fauour of God. The seconde kynde of Election is set forth and knowen euident and open by the spirit of God working in the harts of the elect and chosen by fayth and trust in God his promises through Christ teaching vs that we are the children of God chosen to him selfe by Iesus Christe from the beginning and therfore preparing vs to an holy and blamelesse lyfe to the laude prayse of the grace of god The which Election besides the dayly experience of our consciences may bée approued by the testimonies of these Scriptures compared togither Esay 59. Rom. 8. Ephe. 1. Coloss 3. and a very briefe and perfecte description of thys Election 2. thess. 2. in these wordes We ought to thanke God that he hath chosen you from the beginning by the sanctifying of the spirite and the beléefe of the truth to the which he hath called you by our Gospell to attayne the glory of our Lorde Iesus Christe By this gratious election was Iacob dearely beloued in his mothers wombe and Ieremy knowne vnto God before he was fashioned in his mothers wombe Ieremie 1. And to be short all other the eleect of God are thus chosen sanctified and beloued from the beginning from before the foundations of the world froÌ„ euerlasting to euerlasting For there is no change of tyme with God séeyng that all thinges are present in his sighte For vnto him a thousande yeares are but one day but the course change of times are in vs our déedes our knowledge in mans chaungeable wisedome This Election must of necesitie driue downe the pryde we haue of our owne strength our owne power our owne nature our owne frée wil our owne merits our owne iustification of our owne workes and bryng vs