called flesh The wicked are called fleh after the maner of speakyng of Paul in many places of hys Epistles For the wicked with al their cogitations affections and workes are nothyng elles but fleshe because they want and lacke the holy spirit Yea the very spirit of manne is fleshe bycause it cannot beholde the spirit of God but al carnal thynges therto beyng geuen and addicte This sens and meanynge of this texte which I haue declared is not true sayth he bycause this texte of Genesis doth not pertayne to al men as he sayth but to those meÌ„ only which liued in the time of Noe. What thyng can be more aslycke spoken and sayd than this Were not those men also fleshe which lyued after the floud as well as thei which were before the floud Verely so was Cam the sonne of Noe whiche did mocke scorne his father as was Cain and Iudas the traiters as Lamech which did slei Cain Peraduenture this manne doth thynke and coniecture in his mynd that ther was an other maner of spirit of fornication in manne before the floud then was after or elles he fantasieth in his brayne that God hath altered and chaunged the nature of man other wyse then it was from the begynnyng makynge an other nature differente from that which he hath made with his most mightie and strong hand in them which do beleue on hym The nature of man of it selfe hath ben alwaye lyke We do reade and fynde that the yeres and tymes hath bene chaunged and altered but we fynd not that the nature of man was euer altered I do graunt that those wordes were spoken at that tyme of those which lyued in the tyme of Noe. But not onely of them but also of them which came after the floud For al men of them selfes are flesh all fleshe haye and the glory of it as the floure of the fielde Esay xi Al the children of AdaÌ„ of their selfe ar of an heuy and sad hert thei do loue vanitie thei do seeke after lyes and vntruth Psal iiii Omnes declinauerunt simulâ—â—utiles facti sunt Non est qui faciat bonum non est vsque ad vnum All men without exceptioÌ„ haue gone out of the rightwaye and are become vnprofitable There is none that can do any good no not one in the world Ps xii If he wyl not he satisfyed with this answer but wyll contende that this text of the iudgement spoken and written in Geneses pertaineth to the time of Noe. I wil demaÌ„de this question of hym For what cause were those men of Noes tyme rather called flesh then thei which folowed after Noe and lyued after hym Syns now a dayes ar mor greuous and detestable theÌ„ were in the tyme of Noe. Truely of muche more greuous vices and offeÌ„ces haue we read of many other men yea and with oure eyes haue sene in our tyme then was written of those men in those dayes of whom the wordes were first written and spoken Of them we do read in Genesis the .vi. these words The sonnes of God did see perceiue the daughters of men that thei were fayre and bewtiful CoÌ„pare oure smale fautes and dayly vsed vices with this offence of the sonnes of God it shal be no vice but a singuler vertue For they dyd take the Maydens to their wyues in Matrimony and not to make theÌ„ harlotes in whordome and they toke to theÌ„ wyues from amoÌ„g them those which thei had chosen Thei did not seke after those daughters whiche were good but for those which were goodly and fayre the children of whom became myghtie men and of greate renowme The Lorde sayd then that the malice of man was great in the earth and all the imaginations and thoughtes of his hert were euyl euery daye The which wordes are to be vnderstande not onely of that age and tyme but of al meÌ„ in al tymes of ages as in the .viii. Chapi in the same booke apereth The imaginacions of mans hert are euil from his youth Therfore it is vngodly done to wrieth and wrest those wordes to the tyme of Noe onely Yet thei doe go further saiynge and reasoning on this maner The propens and redy inclinatioÌ„ and towardnes to euyl whiche is in many men as though it were not in al men doth not take away al together the lybertie and fredome of maÌ„s wil yea though the said naughtie inclination cannot be ouer come and cleane subdued without the helpe as thei confesse of the grace of God Is it not a great bondage and captiuitie not to be able to ouercome and subdue that thynge which we would fame haue furth of vs By these premisses it dooth folowe that we are seruauntes to that coÌ„cupiscence and naughtie inclination to euyl tyl the tyme that we be deliuered and made fre in dede by Christ The .iii. profe by the scripture It is said in the Prouerbes xvi The Lord doth al thynges for his owne sake yea wheÌ„ he reserueth the vngodlye for the daye of wrath This place is manifest and open declaryng to vs that the Lorde hath alredye iudged the reprobate and outcast persones from the begynnyng to eternal punishmeÌ„t Ther be many which contrary to all ryghteousnes do inquire busely search to know those thinges which do partain to the onely maiestie of God in this place and such other lyke A ful wicked question puttyng furth this question Wherfore did the Lorde make the wicked man sâ—eâ—h he hath decreed from the begynnyng that the wicked shal peryshe Wherfore did not the Lorde reuoke and plucke hym from hys impietie and wickednes after â—hat he had made hym Wherfore hath he not geuen to al men of his spirit With these scrupulous and curious questions more then nedeth The great in conuenience and foule absurditie whiche foloweth these questioÌ„s thei are blynded and deceiued beynge at the last by such reasonyng brought to that poynt that they do make the Lorde not to be a merciful Lorde but a cruel Lorde and as it were a tiraunt I wyl desire and exhort all men that wyth al reuerence they haue in fear and sted fastly beleue the iudgementes of the highest that he is in all his workes iust faythfull true and that we be of oure selues myserable false vniust and synnefull The Lorde then hath made the wicked man for the euil day beyng hymselfe iust and ful of clemencie The wicked man of himselfe tan do nothyng that is pleasaunt and exceptable to God O the profound depnes of the iudgementes of the Lorde howe vnsearcheable how incomprehensible are his wayes For of hym by hym and in hym are all thynges To him therfore be only glory and empire for euer and euer Amen The .iiii. profe by the scriptures IT is written in the Prouer. The kynges herte is in the handes of the lorde xxi Lyke as the riuers of the waters euen so the herte of a kyng is in the hand of
the winges of fornication as it is written Where is become oure libertie For that one thou canste not do wythoute the spirite of God the seconde can not chuse but be done after the spirite of euil whiche leadeth the. We do good or euel as the spirit doth drawe It is vnpossible that thou of thy self canste ouercome the spirite of fornication in the whiche he draweth the whither it pleaseth that spirite bi the whyche you maye perceyue that our wyl is farre from al libertie and fre workynge beynge drawen on boeth sydes eyther by the spirite of God or els by the sens of the flesh As towchyng to the ministers of the church if they preparynge them selues to preach do studie and ponder before what they shal say they do wel in so doyng All oure studies and labours must be referred to Christe so that they do not put theyr trust and confidēce to theyr owne studye and laboure but to the goodnes and promise of the Lord. Where as we alleged the texte of the .vi. Chap. of Iohn that is No man can c. some do thynke that that drawynge wherewyth the father draweth is no violente drawinge whyche importeth anye necessitie Whether the drawinge of the father do importe any uiolence or necessitie in it yea or maye that thou maiste not chuse but go whereto thou arte drawen but that a man maye as they saye haue the wyll to do or to leue vndone as it pleaseth him Which opinion of theyrs they do proue by an exemple saying Likewise as a chylde when a man doeth shewe to hym an apple doeth runne to the man for the apple And as a shepe doth folowe the man which hath a grene wilowe bow in his hande euen so saye they doeth the Lorde moue and styrre our mindes with this or that leauyng to our choise whether we wyll come or not I do thynke this exposition to be erroniouse peruerse heretical the solution wherof must be made as I haue to you before sufciētly declared For this entēt haue I shewed to you other writynge of the scriptures that you maye se howe they do striue and struggle agaynste the veritie of the Lorde Suche maner of drawynge is thys that a man can not chuse but folowe him that draweth For euery man that is drawen of the father and taught by hym cometh to Christe as Iohn the .vi. Chap. When the Lorde doeth drawe the and in the time of hys drawing the wicked spirite of fornicatiō is bound faste within the by the spirite of Christe that he cā not styrre Wher the spirite of god is in place the spirit of the fleshe is made subiect of force that he can do nothinge in the to lette the frō that wherto the spirite of God which is in the doth draw the so long as the spirite of God reigneth in the so long the spirit of fornication can do the no maner scathe nor beare anye rule in the. It geueth place agaynste hys wyll to hys better and superioure Therfore the spirite of God doeth vse the at hys libertie wythoute anye stoppe or let and kepeth the commaundementes in the of the high Lord. Thou maiste not chuse but runne whē he draweth the after him in those thynges wherto the spirite wyll haue the to folow him For he hath put a bridle a strōg bit into the month of the spirite of fornicatiō whyche before was all thy hinderaunce and let that thou myghteste not be appliant and agreable to the wyll of the Lorde Therefore we are drawē of God It is an euydent knoweledge that we are not drawen when we are not folowers Who is the drawer and are forced to run after hym whyche goeth before drawynge vs as his owne wyll pleaseth If there be anye man whyche thynketh that he is drawē and yet runneth not he is fowle deceyued for he is not drawen Christe which suffered death for vs doeth drawe al men after hym Which al mē be the childrē of Israel that is to saye the elected for whom onelye he was sent To them pertayneth the heritage of the worlde thorow Christe as appeareth Paule the .xiiii. Chap. to the Rom. For when the elected be drawen they do hye theym as faste as they can after Christe bycause they can not chuse the spirite of Christe bearyng rule in thē It is a great token of election if thou doest fele in thy selfe the hatred of sin To the elect their sinne is not imputed Although the elected do offende and sinne sometime by weakenes and infirmitie the cōcupiscence beyng not altogither quenched in them yet they do lyue by the vertue of God by the whyche vertue they do hate sinne that same vertue beyng the cause wherfore theyr synne is not imputed to them For the fleshe hath hyr concupiscence against the spirite yea in them whych be elected but she doeth not preuaile or beare any great swing in them beynge made subiecte to the spirite In the elect is some carnalitie whyche is of higher dignitie and power kepinge the spirite of the fleshe vnder and short frome ragynge to farre For the spirite of god hathe the spirite of the fleshe fast bounde As the hattred of synne is token of election so the reioysynge of synne is tokē of induration causeing that the sinne of them in whome some sparkle of the fleshe remayneth is odyouse and detestable to thē selues They whyche be elected doe hatte ther owne naughti dedes with al ther herts the whych hatred doth come of the spirite of god Therfore the man which is lede by the spirite of god can not syn the whiche is lede by the concupiscence of the fleshe must nedes worke synne and wickednes The doienges of Christe and the dedes or worckes of man are contrary Marke this well and examyn thy self after this lesson and feare not That spirite in the which thou haste thy delyghte wherto thou art addicted and geuen in thyne herte that same doeth reygne in the. Thou art geuen addicted to one when thou doest beleue and workest by faith after the worde of the lorde Thou art seruante to that other when thou arte vnfaythefull and bringest forth deadly frutes of thy infidelitie that is to saye workes agaynst the worde of god which be not of fayth The electe hathe the pryckynge of the fleshe in them durynge ther lyfe The fleshe is not all togethere subdued quelled in the electe as longe as they be on lyue And yet it is dayly crucifyed in them if is mortified by the prescence of the heauenly spirit wherin the fleshe is bounde brydeled made subiecte The spirite of the lorde if it please hym maye drawe the quyckelye altogyther and whole after hym quenchyng in the power strength heat of the fleshe Wherfore doth not the lorde take a way cleane the pryckyng of the fleshe in his elect But it pleaseth hym not so for to do bycause he knoweth it to be better
enemy in the and to subdue them in the. Then hath the Lord put a new his spirit into the which before he dyd plucke frō the leauyng the to thyne owne stynckynge affections and carnal cōcupiscences What caused the proud heady and obstinate Pharises that thei would not beleue in Christe for al the myracles that he wrought Thei beleued not in him saith Christ in Ihon .xii. that the saiyng of Esay the prophet mighte be fulfilled whych he spake Lord who shal beleue our saiyng and to whō is the arme of the Lorde declared Therfore coulde not they beleue because Esay sayth agayne he hath blynded their eyes and hardened their hertes that they shuld not se with their eies and least they shuld vnderstand with their hertes et c. So because they were blynded the could not se What thing can moue and styrre vs to the loue of God what thynge can setfurth the glory of God and his honour more thā the perfit knowledge of this article whiche maketh hym a whole God which setteth hym in his owne seat a highe which declareth him to be authoure worker of al goodnes he that doth both begyn and maketh an ende Whych article I saye setteth mā in his owne place here in erth naturally geuen to the earth to al curruption both bodely and gostly disposed to doo nothyng of himself that is good What thing to man is more necessary thē that doctryne whych teacheth hym howe he shall knowe when he is the sōne of God and of the chosen sort that he may pray the Lorde to preserue his spirit in him wherbi he shal know which way he is the sonne of the deuil of out cast furth of the fauour of God Ther is nothing more necessary thā this I wold wysh and desyre wyth all my hert that all men would reade this boke with a godlye desyre and entente not to contention and mayntenaunce of their lewde lyfe whose dampnation is iust ▪ but to know God how strong he is howe myghtie a prynce he is howe good and mercyfull he is on whose mercy all thyng dependeth and to knowe mā howe weake and how myserable he is that he can do nothynge of hymselfe that he is the instrument of God to al goodnes and the instrument of the deuyll in al vyce and synne The euyl and most iustly condempned personnes come to this boke to fetche a lycense of synne to make their lyfe more lycentious more dissolute to make them selfe more bolde in all kynde of vyce most like to the spider venemous worme which from the swete flowers doo drawe and sucke furthe venym and poyson The vertuous and godlye disposed meane no thyng lesse they do gather hence all goodnes Here fynde they a brydle to plucke in their vicious affections Here fynd they the swete libertie of God and bondage of the deuel Here do they learne their owne condemnation and theyr saluation by Christ The flesh taketh al thyng fleshly and lyke itself But therfore the faythful may not be depriued of theyr foode and sustenaūce Let vs therfore pray the Lorde to put in vs hys spirit that it may be our guyde to al godlines and vertue that we be none occation of slaūder to his worde but that al our actes dedes and alwrytinges teachyng reading and communicatiōs maye bee to edifie to the settyng furth of his glory to whom be honour and praise for euer and euer wythout ende So be it IN the declaration and exposition of the holy scriptures both the olde and new ther be many places whych can not be wel perceyued what they do meane except the article of the wyll of man whyche troubleth mens myndes very much be made playne and open that is to say whether a man can of him selfe perfourme and do any thynge which pertaineth to eternal felicitie and life euerlastyng yea or nay Proposicion As the kepyng and obseruyng of the Lordes commaundementes The whiche thynge to be declared and made playn that it myght be perceyued of all men that al men may know the truthe therof manye places of the scripture but a mōg al other these places and texes of this Prophet do moost ernestly requyre and in specially this verse followyng of the sayde Prophet that is to saye The spirite hathe bounde hym in hys wynges Osee .iiij. For by these wordes it is euydent as appereth by that which is written before in the sayd chapiter That by this spirit is mēt a reprobat mind and the vnderstandyng or knoledge of the flesh which is the spirit of fornication Fyrst of al therfore before that I do take on me to interprete and declare my mynde in this matter I desyre the gentle readers that they would not thynke and coniecture that in the declaration hereof I do folowe the mynde and iudgement of many and diuers writers But only the very mynd and sence of the scripture as nygh as I myghte and as it pleased Christ to geue me knowledge and vnderstanding therin not mynishyng therby nor improuyng the iudgemētes of other christian writers and doctours those principally which do cleaue and stike fast to the true and pure word of God whō we also do couet for to immitate and folow And after whose godly myndes and iudgementes we can geue and ascribe nothynge to the wyl of man of hymselfe as we shall hereafter plentifully God willyng declare and shewe Furthermore in discussyng of thys matter I would be loth that men shuld thynke that I do runne hedlong into a thing which is depe and far from all mens knowledge as they say and therfore not necessarye to be knowne Which thyng I do for none other cause but to search furth the truth and also to satisfie the myndes of those whych are desireous of the knowledge therof For truely I can by no meanes alow nay I cānot but much disalow and discommend the manifolde contentions and reasonynges in darcke and hyd matters whyche are more mete as some men do wryght for the excellencie and profound depenes thereof to be had in a godly reuerence and to be committed to God rather than with contentious and brablyng reasonyng of euery man to be discussed But as for this matter it is no such thyng How necessary the knowledge of thys article is for all men the knowledge wherof that is whither the wyll of man be free or bonde doth geue vs to vnderstand and know how weake we bee of our owne selfes howe we can dooe nothynge our selues and contrary wise how meruelous how myghtie and howe stronge the Lorde is whiche is not a voyde or an vnprofitable matter to be declared and set open to al mē For this thing being opened we do learne to perceiue and se howe glorious and triumphant a Lord the Lord is in vs and howe brickel miserable we be on euery syde on our owne selfe The obiectiō of the papistes against the opening of this article Notwithstanding al this ther
the lord The Lord may turne his hert which way soeuer it shal please him In this place first thou dost see that the riuars and the diuision of waters are the worckes of God and all other thynges which can be named in heauen or in earth or in the waters The text is so playn that it neadeth no long declaration The herte the will is all on in scripture by the which we dooe perceyue that the herte or wyll of a Kynge for in the scriptures the hert and wyl is taken for one thing is not free and at his libertie and pleasure but captiue and bond to the pleasure wyl of the Lord causynge it to encline and leane to whych part it pleaseth hym to godlines and to the fulfyllynge of hys wyll or contrarye Yet for all that good Reader be ware you do not mistake wronge vnderstande me bycause I saye that God doeth turne incline the herte What is signyfied by these wordes god turnethe god makethe to inclyne as though he shold in so doynge worcke vngodlines For this worde and vocable to incline or to turne is asmuch to say after the speaking of the scripture as to indurate or harden or to let a mā runne into a reprobate mind holding away his hand frō him whyche is asmuch to saye to make it more playne as the Lorde doeth relinquish and leaue hym to hys owne mere naturall frailenes To harden thy hart is to leaue the to thyn owne weaknes as in many places specially in that boke whyche I dyd write intituled the causes of our blyndnes I haue declared That lesson which you do reade here of the hert or wyl of a king take it as wel to be vnderstande of all other men for if that one be true that the kynges herte and wyll is subiecte to the wyll of God muche more all other mennes cogitations thoughtes wylles and dedes They saye and obiecte agayne that the inclination and mouynge of the hand of the Lorde doeth not cause or worcke bondage or necessitie in the will of man When dothe the lorde moue to godlynes wherein they be foule deceyued not geuynge glory to the Lorde as they oughte to do For the Lorde doeth moue and stirre a manne to Godlines as often as he doeth poure into hym hys spirite and true fayeth Then canne not that man sinne by the vertue and strenght which he hath receyued of the Lorde Faythe cannot do euell wherby he is moued For fayeth can not worcke euyll Agayne although the fleshe in the fayethful men do synne yet the spirite of God whereby the fayethful do lyue canne not sinne The rightwyse man lyuethe by faythe Peter by the strength of the flesh synned being offended and displeased at the wordes of his maister Christe sayinge that he shoulde suffer Whiche Peter dyd saye before to hys maister by the power and strength of the spirite The faythfull synneth not Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Math. vi Chapter To be short in al thinges wher the spirite of God doth moue and stirre vs is conteined a necessitie bondage of the spirite beinge so decreed and ordeyned from the begynnynge Lykewise also of all those thynges whyche a man doeth worcke inclined to vngodlynes that is to saye geuen to a reprobate minde beyng left to the spirite of fornication to hym selfe to hys owne natural fragilitie and weakenes For the wicked cā not chose but do wickedly for as muche as he is fleshe The prescience and for knoledge of the lorde is vnfallible and therfore all hys worckes synne It is also vnpossible but that wyckednes muste be committed at that tyme whyche the Lorde by hys prescience and fore knoweledge dyd knowe frome the begynnynge woulde be done Hereby we do reason and gather that all these thinges whereto they do moue and styrre vs or otherwyse doeth harden leauynge vs to our owne selfe are done or committed of necessitie ineuitable Take hede once agayne gentyll reader and beware thou doeste not reason to farre in thys matter least thou doeste fall into inconuenience and wronge iudgement or opinion of the Lorde to thyne owne destruction and death Reuerence thou alway hys most blessed iudgemente to the profound deapnes whereof no man at anye tyme is able to attayne ⧠The .v. profe and authoritie Hieremy x HIeremye sayeth the .x. Chapt. I do knowe very wel good Lorde that the wyl of man is not in hys own hande nor yet in hys owne power to rule and gouerne his owne steppes and goinges which wordes are not to be meant and vnderstande of sadde or pleasaunt thinges as some mē do interpretate but of euerye thought wyll and dede of man As appeareth by that whiche foloweth Chasten vs O Lorde but wyth fauour not wyth thy wrath But if thys can not satisfy their mindes nor perswade them suffitientlye that it is spoken of all the wayes of man boeth of hys thoughte wyll and dede let theym answere me by theyr own experience Let euery man aske him selfe this question in that uicious affection wherto he is most inclyned whyther theyr owne wayes be in theyr owne power yea or naye to do or to forsake all that shall please them to wyll or nyl that them lusteth If he be an aduonterouse person an hunter of whores a couetuouse man a man full of Enuye and suche lyke can he hym selfe as he woulde of hys own strength roote oute and put awaye cleane all these lewde affections forth of hys herte that nothynge therof shall remayne behynde If he find that he cānot do it of hym selfe howe can he saye that the waye of man is in hys owne hande and power Verely no man hath the rule of hys own wayes as he woulde Therfore let vs pray wyth holy Dauid Lorde do thou directe and make straight my waies before thy syght Dauid sayeth in thy syghte that is as muche to saye that it maye please the as though he woulde saye suffer not my wayes to be inclined and turned against the. Such like saying of him is in the Psa cxviii Turne my eyes good Lord that they se no vanitie quyckē and make me liuelye in thy wayes Also Turne and incline my hert to thy testimonies not to Auarice ⧠The .vi. profe and authoritie Esay lxiii THe electe and chosen people do cōfesse and graunt openlye that oure wyll is captiue and bonde as Esai lxiii Thou Lorde our father oure redemer thy name is and alwaye hath bene Wherfore hast thou made vs to erre and to declyne frō thy wayes Wherfore hast thou hardened our hertes that we should not fear the the whyche place Paule doeth alleadge for that same purpose in the .ix. Chapter to the Romaynes ⧠The .vii. profe and authoritie Pharao hardened THys veritie is confirmed in Pharao whose herte the Lord dyd harden as Exodi ix Chapter and to the Romaynes .ix. Chap. ⧠The .viii.
vnderstand not aryght beynge not able to attaine to thē wherein manye thynges do lie hyd passinge all mens vnderstandynge and power to aryse vp to the knowledge therof It is good therfore in thys casse to staye and search no further But rather with all humilitie to reuerence those thynges whyche the Lorde kepeth for his owne knoweledge An other obiection of oure aduersaries is thys If they wyll saye they that the similitude of the potter whyche Paull speakethe of muste be vnderstande and taken simplye and playnlye as it lyeth whye shoulde we not saie they vnderstand that place of Paule as it lyeth in the letter saying If a manne do pourge hym c. Wherto I saye that we do take it none otherewyse then as it doeth lye so that they do take it and vnderstande it after that maner as all such places of the scriptures are vsed to be taken For thys poynte you muste marke well that to kepe the commaundementes which we are commaunded to kepe it is vnpossible for manne wythoute he haue the spirite of the Lorde the whyche no sophisticall cauillation can denye By the commaundemēts we do know what is sinne our owne weakenes Naye they graunte theyr selues that it is vnpossible that anye man can kepe the commaundementes of the Lorde after the mynde intente and wyl of the Lorde whyche doth cōmaund them wythout his spirite It foloweth that what so euer the Lorde cōmaundeth vs to do is to vs vnpossible Yet the Lorde willeth vs to kepe and obserue hys cōmaundemētes Wherby both we haue the knowledge of synne The lawe is spirituall and therfore it must be spiritually obserued or els you worcke in hypocricie we knowe also how weake feble and of no strength we be of our selues For the lawe is spirituall whych can not be kepte wythout the spirite of God And therfore he hathe geuen hys spirite to the electes to kepe hys wyll whyche they were not able els for to do Iames hathe suche an other sayinge as they do rehearse forth of Paules sayinge Clense your hertes you wauering of mynde The whyche thynge they cā not do without the hertes be purified and made cleane by fayth in Iesu Christ Thus ought these wordes purifie your hertes to be takē and vnderstanded that is Beleue you in Christe that by hys spirite you maye be purified But no man can beleue but he which is drawen of the father as witnesseth Iohn the syxte Chapter Whiche we muste nedes graunte Let vs desyre and praye that God wyll kepe in vs his cōmaundemētes whiche of our selues We can not call on the lord wythout the spirit of the lorde in our selfe we are not able to do Let vs aske cal and crye after that with greate diligence and fayeth and it shall be graunted to vs. But se how captyue bond our wyll is that for to desyre and aske anye thing of the lord we ar not able of ourselues They wil answer to me againe saying that the sayinges which are spokē of the saintes godlye faithful people Man worketh good or euell as the spirite drawethe are fales not true that is Thei haue purged made clene ther hertes they haue sanctified thē selfes They loued the Lorde they prayed wel they dyd good workes and so fourth suche other lyke sayenges The whyche wordes are not false but true so that you do presuppose these thinges to be done by them thorowe the spirite of god fayth so that we must confesse all thinges well done to be the dedes of the spirite of god of whom they be wrought Ther is none of vs whyche denye the that man worketh but we do denye that he workethe at his owne frewyl For either he workethe that whiche is euell being drawen bye the spirite of fornication or els he doth worke that thinge which is good by the spirit of the lord allmightie A similitud by a knyfe Marke this similitude which folowethe whiche makethe not small for this purpose A man takethe a knyfe and cutteth bread wyth it The knyfe also doth cutte but not wyth out the hand of hym which holdeth the knyfe This knyfe cutteth well or yll not of hym selfe but by the cutter For the knife is not fre of him selfe either to cut or not to cut Yet for all that whē a man doeth cut any thynge wyth a knyfe he sayth this knyfe cutteth well or yl althoughe of hym selfe he doeth cut nothynge at all but by the power and force of the cuttar So wee can do nothyng of our selfe that is good and ryghe except the spirite of god worketh it in vs we do no euyll excepte we be bound with the spirite of fornication and of thē fleshe To the which spirite the lorde by his most rightwyse iustyce dothe leaue vs by his iudgment I saye whych we knowe not And so he suffereth vs to be hardened In this place muste the fayeth full be taught to take heade and be ware of that pestilent opinion which sayethe that euery man is made the vessel of honour or reproche by our own merytes goynge before What thynge is or euer was before the eternal decre and ordinaunce of the lorde If thou wylt saye that god hath decreed and ordeined these thynges whyche is euerlastynge bycause of those thynges whych he knew bye his forsyght and knowledge that euery man woulde do in tymes we answer seynge that-no thyng whych is done in tyme and is temporall can be the cause of a thynge whiche is eternal before all tyme. We shold do greate wronge and iniury to the lorde to saye that he was cōpelled to ordayne and decre any thing in hys euerlastyng beynge The electes for those thynges sake whyche are done wythe in the lymyt of tyme By the onely worthynes and grace of God the elect are predestinated to be in tyme vessels to glory and honoure The reprobates by whose moste iust iudgemēt to vs vnknowen the reprobates are made in tyme the vessels of ignominie to dishonour shame The Lorde is marueylouse in al hys iudgmētes ⧠The .x. profe THe captiuitie and bondage of oure wyl is proued by Esay the .x. chap. Shall the ax boste it selfe agaynste hym whiche doeth hewe wyth it Esai x. Example by an ax and by a sawe or shall the saw make any braggynge againste hym that ruleth it That were euen lyke as if the rodde whyche a man doth beare wold exalte hym felfe and rise vp against the bearer An euel kyng is called an axe a rode a sawe or as though the stafe would magnifye it selfe whyche is made but of wod and tre Behold the Lorde doeth call a wycked king an axe a saw a staffe a rodde whych thyng men do vse to occupie to one thynge or an other to declare that the Lorde doeth make al men to be hys instrumentes Man kynde is the lorde his instrumēt by the whyche he doth fulfil accōplyshe hys