it proceded that God did send the Prophete NathaÌ„ to Dauid the offender that by the fiction of an other person he letteth him se the horror of his sinne that he did first terrifie and beate downe his conscience and after most tenderly did erect and lift it vp from the pitt of desperation All these graces say we proceded frome gods immutable loue which did remaine coÌ„stant both towardes the one and towardes the other euen in the tyme of their greatest vnthank fulnes And that because they nether were beloued nor elected in them selues but in Christ Iesus their head who nether did transgresse nor offend in any iote against the wil of his heauenlie father But Adam and Dauid transgressing and horribly falling from God were so hated in them selues and for their sinnes that first behoued the innocent Sonne of God by his death to make a satisfaction â–ª for their sinnes â–ª as also for the sinnes of all gods children And secondarely we say preache write and maintein that the sinne was so odious before God that his iustice could do none other but inflict vpon Adam and his posteritieâ— The penaltie of death corporall the punishemeÌ„tes and plagues which daily we do se apprehend gods children that vpon Dauid he did execute his iust iudgement which in these wordes he pronounced Now therefor y e sworde shall neuer departe from thyne house because thow hast despysed me and taken the wife of vriah the Hittite to be thy wife Thus saieth the lord behold I wil raise vp euill against the oute of thyne own house and I shall take thy wiues before thyne eyes and giue them vnto thy neighbour and he shall lye with thy wyues in the sight of sunne for y u didest it secretely but I shall do this thing before all Israel and before y â— sunne This sentence I say most iustly pronounced was after most sharply and yet most iustly for sinne commited put in â–ª execution And so do we affirm that none of gods children be they neuer so deare shall escaip punishement if contempteously they transgresse I suppose y t this our confession nothing doth offend you except in this one thing y t we affirme that God still loued AdaÌ„ and Dauid after their sinne before y t his holie Sprit wroght in their heartes any true repentance And yet I wonder why this should offend you seing y t we assigne the cause not to be them selues nether any vertue with in them selues but Christ Iesus in whom they were elected and chosen The signes of gods loue we haue euideÌ„tly proued and y â— end and issue did witnes y t gods loue was not mutable If you require scriptures for the probatioÌ„ of y e same Behold they are redie if wheÌ„ we were enemies we were recoÌ„ciled vnto God by the death of his sone much more we being recoÌ„ciled shal be saued by his life And a little before in the same chapter WheÌ„ we were sinners Christ died for vs c. And y e Apostle Iohn herein appereth the loue of God towardes vs y â— his onelie begotten sonne hath he sent in to the world that we may liue by hym herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs. And hath sent his Sonne in the mercieseat â–ª for our sinnes These are verey plaine and we think that no reasonable man wil denie to Adam and to Dauid that which the holie Gost maketh common to all gods elect children to witt to be beloued of God â–ª euen when they were ennemies dead in sinne drowned in idolatrie and polluted with all filthines as witnesseth the Apostle in these wordes And you when ye were dead by sinne in the which ye somtymes walked according to this worlde accordiÌ„g to y â— prince to whom power is the ayre which is the spirit now working in the rebellious children amongest whom we all had somtymes conuersation in the lustâ—s of our flesh doing those thinges which pleased the fleshe and the mynd and were of nature the sonnes of wrathe like as others But God who is riche in mercie for his own great loue by the which he loued vs euen when we were dead by sinnes marke and if ye be offended complein vpon the holie Gost hath qwickened vs togither with Christ by grace ye are saued and hath raised vs vp togither with him and to gither with him hath caused vs to sit amongest y â— heauenlie by Christ Iesus to shew in y e ages to com his most rich grace in his liberalitie by Christ Iesus God open your eyes that you may se the light and mollifie your heartes that ye may magnifie with gods children his superaboundant loue and mercie bestowed euen vpon the most vnworthie If ye think y t this loue hath onelie place before that man offend you se the holie Gost plainely repugneth to your senteÌ„ce for he speaketh to them that had bene polluted defiled with all sinnes If yet ye replie but that was during the tyme of their ignoraÌ„ce and not after they were illuminated by grace ye haue said nothiÌ„g against our confession for we affirme that God loueth sinners being wrapped in death and damnatioÌ„ by sinne and y t we haue plainely proued But yet for your satisfactioÌ„ and instructioÌ„ for I take to record the Lord Iesus y â— I wold bestow my own life to ioyne you fully to Christ Iesue I will procede a litle further with you â–ª Do ye think that the sinne of Dauid touching the nature and qualitie of y e sinne it self was more horrible and odious be fore God then were all the sinnes committed in Ephesus by those to whom the Apostle writeth yea then the â—innes which were done amongest y e hole GeÌ„tiles I trust ye will not think it and we clerely see that God loued y â— elect in Ephesus and amongest the Gentiles when they were drouned in all kynd of iniquitie If still ye replie Dauid was vnthankfull who after so many benefites receaued so traterously declined frome God followiÌ„g his own appetites and of purposed couÌ„sell murthering his innocent seruant and y â— with great ignominie of God This nether do nether yet euer did we denie but yet as y â— question is other so is not our coÌ„feâ—â—ion proued fals Albeit Dauid was vnthankfull yea and after AdaÌ„ most vnthankfull of any of gods children to his daies for herein standeth the doubt whether y â— the vnthankfulnes of gods childreÌ„ after they haue once receaued mercie grace and large benefites from gods hands doth so alienat the mynd of God from them that he beareth to them no maner of loue till they turn to him by repentance The contrarie hereof we hold and affirme not fearing to auowe that repentance as it is ioyned with faith which is the fre gift of God so is it the effect of gods coÌ„stant loue toward them and no cause of the same And for the more ample declaration
your selues I say how much ye haue increased in Christ by his doctrine what perfection it hath wroght in you how much Christ is facioned in you by it If you wil forsake this error embrase the trueth where by ye are taughâ— that God will all men to be saued ye shall God willing perceaue more increase in godlynes that shortly then euer ye could or durst loke for continuing in your error ANSWER Whether y t you or we peruert the meaning of y e holie Gost speaking in hisholie scriptures we chiefly remitte iudgement to him who shall iudge the worlde with equitie not refusing also in the mean season the iudgement of indifferent readers To your vniust accusatioÌ„s cauillations and malitious reportes I will answer no thing till the ende of this worke And then I purpose to lay before your eyes suche thinges as ye can not denie to the end that the simple may iudge which of vs do worship the Idoll of our own fantasies and haue forsaken y e mynd of the trueth Albeit that ye and your capteyn Castalio beginne now to dispyse learning yet be ye neuer able to proue that we haue dispised godlines in the most simple of our brethren howbeit we can not conceale the trueth affirming that he who hath faithfully traualed in the tongues and in the writings of godlie men is more able to auoid error and also more apt to teach the trueth and to confute the aduersarie then he which is altogither ignorant except in his naturall tongue for we know that miracles and the visible giftes of the holie Gost giuen in the dayes of the Apostles are now ceassed Therefor I say we are not so proude that we dispyse learning nether yet so malicious that we contemne the meanest gift that God hath giuen to any of our brethren If any be that boast or bragge of their knowledge in the tongues or of y e multitude of y e bookes w c they write I will coÌ„fesse them worthie of most sharpe rebuke But as for suche as be principal instrumeÌ„tes of Christ Iesus how much they haue profited the Church of God and how litle praise or coÌ„mendation they haue soght or do seke of man the day when the secretes of all heartes shal be reueled will declare and men who be most familiarly acquainted with them partly can witnes As we do not enuie y e perfect knowledge in tongues of such as you praise so do we vnfeinedly desire God so to gouerne their heartes if his good pleasure be that rather they studie to edifie Christes afflicted Churche theÌ„ to accuse sclander and traduce suche as in the vineyard of the Lord haue labored and daily do labor much more then they do That ye will vs to turn from that w e ye call our error promising vs if so we will do more perfection shortly then euer we durst haue loked for we must be first taught that our doctryne is erroneous and after for the assurance of our hope we must haue more then the promes of men Thus ye procede THE ADVERSARIE To proue that they whiche be once elect can neuer fall they alledge this saying of Christ There shall arrise fals Christes fals prophetes and shall shew great miracles woÌ„ders in so much that if it were possible the verie elect should be deceaued â–ª of this they gather that it is not possible that the elect should be deceaued this coÌ„ditionall if it were possible c. affirmeth nothing But admitting iâ— be so we must vnderstand that the thing which is verie hard difficile to be done is called vnpâ—ssible in the scripture as in that place it is easier for acamele to go throughe the eye of an â—edâ—e then for the riche to enter in to the kingdoÌ„ of God This is called impossible â–ª because it is verie hard difficile to be dâ—ne yet be there rich meÌ„ which inherite the kingdom of heauen how can you beleue saieth Christ which receaue honor one of an other â–ª this semeth vnpossible by Christes wordes yet many such were conuerted to Christ. And the same spirit of vaine glorie was amongâ—st the elect Apostles of Christ after they had continued a long time with him â–ª for they contended who should be superior among them selues can a woman forget the childe of her wombe and not pitiâ— the same whom she hath born whiche thogh it seme vnpossible for as much as it is contrarie to nature yet do women destroy and deuore their own birthes â–ª May a maÌ„ of Inde change his skinne and the cate of the mouÌ„tane her spottes no more may ye that be exercised in euill do good suche we be of our selues notwithstanding by the power of God we be regenerat we leaue of from our euill exercises and do that which is good Thus we se it is called impossâ—ble in the scriptures which is contrarie to nature which excedeth our strenght therefor is difficile and hard to be done â—ueÌ„ so it is impossible That it is a very hard thing that the elect which follow the laÌ„â—â— whether so euer he gâ—eth should be deceaued yet not withstaÌ„ding it may come to passe as Eua was the elect of God and not withstanding the Apostle wâ—â—â—esseth that she was begyled and deceaued by the Serpent Therefor warneâ— Christ the elect Apostles saing take hede that no man deceaue you If Christ had bene of your opinion that the elect could not be deceaued to what purpose should he bid his chosen take hede lest any man should deceaue them Let no man deceaue you saieth Paule to the Thessaloniens to whom he bare witnes that they were worthy of the kingdom of heauen yet was he carefull left they should be deceaued and mouâ—d from their good mynd ether by spirit or by wordes or by letter which should some to come from him And to the Ephesians Let no man deceaue you with vain wordes for because of suche thinges commeth the wrath of God vpon the châ—ldren of desobedience And likewise â–ª warneth he the Romanes to marke and auoide such as with sweâ—e and flattering wordes decaued the heartes of the innocent As the old prophete which dwelled in Bethel deceaued the man of God whiche came from Iuda and propehâ—â—ed against the alter which Ieroboam buylded I am a prophete said he also as well as thow and an angell spake vnto me in the name of the Lord saing bring him againe with the into thyne own house that he may eate breade and drink water and he lied and deceaued the man of God Such lying prophetes be now a daies wihch say they be sent from God and call the people to their congregations without which they say there is no saluation for they condemne all others which be not of their sect And when they haue allured the people with fals errâ—neous doctryne they prouoke them to a careles libertyne lief apt
that deny that to be any parte of his mynd but say he reproueth mannes malicious blasphemy and manifest impietie The argument which ye gather of the nynthe chapter of the same book and wold seme to confirm by the wordes of Christe spoken in the seuenth of Mathew hath no greater force then the former for the writer defineth not what God had determined in his secrete and eternall counsell but what he hath expressedly coÌ„mitted to mannes charge by his law and by his holie Spirit speaking in his Prophetes and that him self doeth plainly witnesse For after that he hath asked wisdom righteously to iudge the people committed to his charge he thus speaketh what man is he that knoweth the counsell of God or that can comprehend in his mynd what God wold The cogitations of mortall men are fearefull and our opinions deceauable c. scarsly by coÌ„iecture can we attein to the thiÌ„gs that be in earth and w t trauale fynd we those things w t be amoÌ„gest our haÌ„des But who shal searche oute those thiÌ„gs y t be in the heaueÌ„s and who knoweth they couÌ„sell except that thow shall giue wisdom and from the hiest places shall send thy holie Spirit for so the wayes of those that dwell vpon earth haue bene directed and they haue learned those things that haue pleased the. Cry now as pleaseth you that because man was made lord ouer creatures in earth for that is the veritie of the text to reule the world in holynes That therefor there was no man reprobated and he writer will answer for him self and will affirme that he searcheth not what God hath determined in his eternall counsell and what shall become of euerie man for that confesseth he to be incomprehensible but he declareth what God commandeth in his law and what he hath expressed by his holie Prophetes To the which if man be found inobedient resteth no excusation seing that gods will is manifestly declared as Moises saieth in these wordes The secretes appertein to the Eternall our God but those things that be reueled appertein to vs and to our children for euer that we may do all the wordes of this law Your argumentes which ye think most strong gathered of these wordes in the 7. aÌ„d 12. of Mathew are most weak and vaine For as we do not denie that man was created iust so do we coÌ„stantly affirme that in iustice he stood not but became altogether vniust and therefor God did not condemne man before he was giltie as you falsly gather of our doctrine Wonder it is that ye se not degrees and iust causes which com betwext the purpose of reprobation and the iust condemnation of man This is your argument God purposed to reiect man before he was created Ergò he did damne him before he was criminall or glitie Your consequent is fals far no part of gods iudgements was put in execution before man did sinne for grace was offered to AdaÌ„ after his fall Cayn was admonished aÌ„d rebuked of his crueltie his posterities aÌ„d sede had raged in their furie and finally all flesh had corrupted their waies befor that gods vengeance and most iust iudgement were poured furth and put in execution against the rebellious and vnthankfull world If you be able to proue that the sentence of death was executed vpon Adam before he offended or that Cayn was accursed by gods mouth before he had murthered then hath your argumeÌ„t som apperance but if the iust causes of condemnation be found in man and so founde in man that God in vowies can thereof be accused then oght you to be ashamed to burden vs with that which ye your selues most folishly collecte And further ye shall vnderstand that as the Apostle putteth certen degrees and causes which are sensible vnto vs betwext the eternall election of gods childreÌ„ aÌ„d their glorification euen so put we the contrarie degrees and causes betwext the reprobation and the iust condemnation of the wicked for as those whom God hath chosen before all tymes in time he calleth aÌ„d that of purpose to Christe Iesus his soÌ„ne aÌ„d whoÌ„ thus he calleth he iustifieth and that more and more vntill that flesh and the corrupt affectioÌ„s thereof being mortified they attein to their glorie So by the contrarie be the reprobate either left all together in blindnes neuer called to the light and knowledge of gods fre mercie or if they be called they either do condeÌ„ne it orels sodanly fall from the same and so abiding in their corruption do still heap sinne vpon sinne till at the last their measure being full God executeth this most iust iudgements against their continuall rebellion Inferre now as many absurdities as please you vpon our doctrine you procede THE ADVERSARIE You say that God reprobated and ordeined man to damnation the most parte of the world afore the foundatioÌ„s of the world were laid and yet in the creation God made all meÌ„ after his own image good and righteous as the scripture witnesseth for as we were all created in one man that is Adam So were we all created in one estate that is after the image of God to lief then if your opinion be true the ordinaÌ„ce of God in his election afore the world is not coÌ„forme to his ordinance in the creation And the hâ—lie Gost saieth If I buyld vp agane that which I haue cast doune before I declare my self to be a transgressor if God created man to his own image vnto lief whom before the creatioÌ„ he had reprobat aÌ„d cast away declareth he not thereby him self to be inconstant and a traÌ„sgressour Ye can not escaip here with your bare solutioÌ„ where ye say afore the world God hath not ordeined all but som vnto damnation for in our creation all were ordeined vnto lief for so much as we were all created after the image of God of the ordinance of God in our electioÌ„ afore the world The Apostle writeth thus we be blessed saieth he with al maner of spirituall blessinges in heauenlie thinges by Christe according as he hath chosen vs in him before the foundations of the world were laid that we should walk in theÌ„ Here do we learn that gods ordinance in his electioÌ„ afore the world and also his ordinance in the creation is alwaies one For as we are chosen in Christe Iesu so we are created in Christe Iesu and as we are chosen to be holie and without blame so are we created vnto good workes Wherefor gods ordinaÌ„ce in his holie electioÌ„ and his mightie creatioÌ„ is one aÌ„d of like streÌ„gth and surenes further seing we be as the Apostle saieth bothe elect and created in Christe Iesu. and forasmuche as there is no damnation to them that are in Christe Iesu then is there no damnation either in the election or creation ANSWERE Because that aswell your forged lies as the vanitie of your reasons haue ben declared I will not trooble the reader with repetition of the
iudgementes against the inobedient and do consider how prone and redie they them selues be of nature to rebellioÌ„ against God except they were coÌ„ducted by his spirit they com to a more liuelie feling of gods fre mercie grace by the which onely they are exempte frome the rank and societie of the reprobate Albeit that these endes causes of gods long suffering of the vesselles of wrath do not satisfie you yet I doubt not but gods afflicted childreÌ„ wil and do take comfort of the same you thus procede in your sophisticall Sorites If he be sorie say you then hath he no pleasure in their destruction And that where in he hath no pleasure he willeth it not and that which he willeth not he doth not ordein it wherefor seing God suffereth them to fall with greate pacience he hath not ordeined them to fall Your foundation being fals your hole building falleth by y e own weight Before ye procede any further ye must proue y t God did suffer in the vesselles of wrath that which he nether could nor might remedie and therefor that he fell in greif and sorow that his power was no greater and his wisdom no perfiter Wo be to your blasphemies for they coÌ„pell me to write that which I gladly wold not I haue before said that God nether hath pleasure in destructioÌ„ nether yet that he will the death of the sinner absolutely y t is hauing none other respect but to their torment and pain onely But albeit pryde and malice will not suffer you to grante that God hath created all thinges for his own glorie yet will not he be suppliante vnto you that ye shall suffer him to vse his creatures at his own good pleasure Where vpon these wordes of the Apostle doest thow dispyse the riches of gods goodnes not knowing that the kyndnes of God leadeth the to repentance ye inferre that the cause why God suffereth with long pacience is that we should repent and amend If you vnderstand that God suffered his elect euen in the tyme of their blyndnes yea and after their horrible falles and offenses with great lenitie and gentlenes to the end that afterward they may repent I do aggre with you for so he did with Dauid Manasses Paule and many others who after their conuersion did not dispyse gods lenitie but did magnifie and praise the same as in all their confessions may be red But if you vnderstand Paules wordes so that God hath none other end in that his long suffering but that the reprobate shal repent and amend their wickednes because the holie Gost assigneth other causes as before we haue declared I must preferre his iudgement and sentence to yours To your vnreuerent bolde and furious question in which ye aâ—k to what purpose did God suffer them with loÌ„g pacience whom before he knew shoulde neuer repent nor amend I can answer none other wies then I haue done before except that this I adde that if ye be not conteÌ„t that gods iust wrath and greate power shall aswell be manifested both in this world and in the life to com vpon the vesselles of wrath as that his mercie the riches of his glorie shall be praised and extolled in the vesselles of mercie that experience which the common prouerbe calleth maistres to fooles shall teach you that it nothing profited the Gyantes of whom the poetes do speak to heap vp mountane vpon mouÌ„tane of purpose to besiege Iupiter in the heauens To vse the wordes of scripture if be tymes ye cease not so vnreuerently to questioÌ„ with God you shall fele for euer what torment is prepared for such as with humilitie can not be subiect to his iudgementes incoÌ„preheÌ„sible for if ye shall constrein his Maiestie to giue you a reason which ye may vnderstand and apprehend what do you elles theÌ„ go aboute to spoile him of his Godhead We stick none other wies to the literall sense of these former wordes of the Apostle then the rest of scriptures permitt and do teach vs. But how proper be your phrase and common maner of speaking by the which ye labor to obscure the plaine wordes of y e Apostle we briefly shall examin Ordeined to damnation say you after the common maner of speach doth signifie no more but whose end is damnation To grant you som what I wold know of you who hath ordeined damnation to be the eÌ„d of the reprobat I perceaue by your exemple that ye dare not say God for thus ye say we vse to say of a man that is cast to be hanged this maÌ„ was born to be hanged notwithstanding that was not his mothers mynd to bear him to be hanged Besides the foolishe rudenes of this exemple I wonder at your madnes that you can neuer make difference betwext God and earthly creatures Dare you say that God hath no greater power nor foreknowledge in directing and appointing his creatures to their endes then the mother hath to direct forse and appoint the end of her child after that she hath born him she knoweth not what shal be his naturall inclination althogh she instruct and correct him yet can she not bow aÌ„d expell his crooked nature when he is absent from her presence she seeth not his conuersation If he be deprehended in theft or murther and so cast to be hanged she can not althogh she wold delyuer him from the handes of the iudge But is there any of these imperfections in God Consider yet and let reason at length put silence vnto your foolishenes Where of the wordes of Moises of Hoseas Ieremie and Paul aÌ„d of the fact of Ieroboam ye go about to proue that phrase in that sense w c ye adduce to be common in scriptures I am in dowt whether that first I shall lameÌ„t yo r blynd ignoraÌ„ce or abhorre detest yo t abhominable lies horrible prophanatioÌ„ of gods most holie worde It is impossible â— t ignoraÌ„ce hath so blynded you all y t none of you caÌ„ se y e diuersitie betwext tho semaner of speaches God hath suffered y e vesselles of wrath ordeined to destruction these Pharao shall not heare you y t many woÌ„ders may be wroght c. Giue not of thy sede to be offered to Moloch c. I will set my face agaiÌ„st such aÌ„ maÌ„ I will rout him out from the midest of his people because that he hath giuen of his sede to Moloch that he might defyle my Sanctuarie prophain my holie Name And so furth of all the rest for onelie the place of the Apostle after the english phrase and speach may be rightly translated to condemnation I appeall to thy conscience thow manifest corruptor of gods scriptures if in all the places by the alledged there be not this particle Vt which is a causal and not the preposition In which is in the wordes of S. Paul And hath malice so bereft the of knowledge that thow canst make
a liuelie faith do good workes spring in w c the elect continuing and going forward not onely make they their own election sure as S. Peter doeth teache but also giue a testimonie of it to others before whom their good workes do shyne And so by y e cōtrarie signes and effectes we affirme that the reprobate do manifest and vtter them selues And so I saie that wonder it is that ye burthen vs as that we shoulde affirme that no man can be knowen ether to be in the election or out of the election during this life But more wōder it is that ye affirme vs to adduce these wordes of S. Paul The deuil doeth transforme him selfe in to an angel of light for probatiō of our purpose for I for my owne part do protest before y e Lord Iesus that I neuer did so vnderstand that place of y e Apostle nether yet thinke I that any of you be able to shewe in any of our writings those wordes adduced for probation of that purpose Trewe it is that I haue long vnderstand and to this houre do vnderstand that by those wordes wolde the Apostle admonish the Corinthiās and all others that sodēly they should not receaue and beleue euerie person doctrine that offereth it selfe vnder y e cloke of iustice and of trueth but that diligently we shoulde trie the spirites from whence they are whether they come frō God or not for if the deuil the great angel of darkenes enemie to mankind and father to all fals prophetes can yet so transforme him self that for a time his purpose and intent are not sene but that vnder the cloke of amitie and loue he seketh o r destruction as in tempting the woman doeth plainly appere how much more can his seruāts and soldiors being deceitful workers transforme them in to y e Apostles of Christ pretending at the first entre nothing but loue and iustice nothing but gods glorie nothing but mortification of the flesh and such like most beautiful pretences although that yet these thīgs be most farre frome their heartes Thus I say do I and with me I am assured who so euer depely do wey the purpose of the Apostle in that place vnderstand that sentēce and do not as ye falsly write alledge it to proue that no man can be knowen to be ether in the election or out of the election during this life It may be that we haue saied and writen as the trueth is that no man coulde haue knowē by the good workes of that happie thief hanged with Christ that he had bene gods elect before that in that anguissie so instātly he began to defend Christes innocencie so sharpely to rebuke y e other being a blasphemer and humbly to submit himself and praie that Christ wolde remembre him when that he came in to his kingdome And contrarie wise that none coulde haue defined by the euil workes of Iudas before his tresonable defection from Christ Iesus which was but fewe daies before his death that he had bene y e reprobate And what serueth this for your purpose howe can ye hereby proue that we are the sonnes of darkenes that we take the most shameful men by the hand flattering them so that they can not returne from their wickednes and so by our doctrine giue occasion of sinne to y e people declaring our selues thereby not to besent of God c. Are ye able to proue that we teache the people not to conuert from their sinnes and wicked imaginations to to y e last houre of their departure do we promise to all theues and murtherers the same grace and fauor y t Dauid Peter and this thief founde I trust thy own cōscience knoweth the contrarie Permit or suffer we be they neuer so hie manifest offenders to liue amōgest vs after their owne appetites And yet ashamest thou not impudently thus to writ But such lippes such letouse such disciples such masters for your chief Appollos be persecuters on whom the blood of Seruetus crieth a vengeance So doeth the blood of others mo whome I could name But for asmuch as God hath partely alredie reuenged their blood and serued some of their persecuters with the same measure where with they measured to others I wil make no mēcion of them at this time Blessed be God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ who so reueleth the things that lie in secret that hypocrites at length how soeuer they dissemble for a time are compelled to notifie bewray them selues Before to some it might haue appeared that the zeale of gods glorie the loue of vertue the hatered of vice and the saluation of the people whom by vs ye iudged to be blinded and deceiued had caried you hedlonges into such vehemēcie as ye be mē zelous feruent y t no kynd of accusation was thoght by you sufficēit to make vs odious vnto y e people lies against vs imagined were not onely tolerable but also laudable holie scriptures ▪ by you willingly and wittingly corrupted did serue to defend gods iustice and his glorie w t we by our doctrine oppugne improue But these your last wordes do bewrey the mater that in what soeuer faces you lift trāsforme your selues your grief wil appere to procede from another fountaine then from any of these which ye pretende and I before haue rehearsed O the death of Seruetus your deare brother for whose deliuerāce your chāpion Castalio solēnely did praie with whom if once ye coulde haue spoken that kingdome which ye hope for had begonne to be enlarged his blood I saie with the blood of others I thinke ye meane of your prophetesse Ione of kent do crie a vengeance in your eares heartes that none other cause do you se of y e shedding of y e blood of those most cōstāt martyres of Christ Iesus Thomas Crammer Nicholas Redley Hugh latimer Iohn Hooper Iohn Rogers Iohn Bradfurth and of others mo But that God hathe partly reuenged their blood y t is of your great prophet and prophetesse vpon their persecuters and hath serued thē with the same measure with the which they serued others I appeale to the iudgement of all those that fear God what is thy iudgement and the iudgement of thy faction of that glorious Gospel of Christ Iesus which of late hath bene suppressed in Englod what is thy iudgement of those most valiāt soldiars and most happie martyres of Christ Iesus vpon whom ô blasphemous mouth thou saiest God hathe taken vengeance which is an horrible blasphemie in the eares of all the godlie I wil not now somuch labor to confute by thy pen as that my ful purpose is to lay the same to thy charge if I shal apprehend the in any comon welth where iustice against blesphemers may be ministred as gods word requireth And hereof I giue the warning lest that after thou shalt complein that vnder the cloke of friendship I haue deceiued the. Thy manifest defection
same the godlie may be ware For this present I say first that Seruetus whom you iustifie did maintein and by worde and writing dispersed abrode wicked and most deuilishe opinions of God which might not onely make his Godhead to be dispised but also called in doubt and question He iudged those things nothing necessarie to saluation w c Christ hathe commanded and ordeined And last that impugning the true religioÌ„ he did most obstinatly maintein his diabolical erros did resist the plaine trueth to y e death His erroneous opinioÌ„s of God of his eternal Godhead were these Whosoeuer beleueth any trinitiâ— in the essence of God hath not y e perfect God but goddes imagined and elusion of deuils That Christ is the Sonne of God onely in so far as he is be gotten of God in the wombe of the virgin and that not onely by the power of the holy Spirit but because that God begat him of his owne substance That y e worde of God descending from the heauen is now the flesh of Christ so y t the flesh of Christ is from the heauen â–ª further that y â— bodie of Christ is the bodie of the Godhead the flesh of God godlie and heauenlie as it that is begotten of the substance of God That the soule of Christ is God and that the flesh of Christ is God and that aswel the flesh as the soule were in the verie substance of the Godhead from all eternitie That God is the father of the holie Gost. That Christ hauing the participation of the Godhead or of God and participacion of man may not be called a creature but one that doth participat with creatures As the worde descended into the flesh of Christ so did the holie Gost descend in to the soules of the Apostles That Christ so long as he was conuersant in the flesh receaued not the new spirit which he was to receaue after his resurrection That in all men from the beginning is ingrafted the spirit of the Godhead euen by the breath of God yet may the spirit by the which we be illuminated That the substanciall Godhead is in all creatures That the soule of man althogh it be not God it is made God by the spirit which is God him self That the soule is made mortall by sinne euen as the flesh is mortal not that the soule returneth to nothiÌ„g as nether doth the flesh but that it dyeth wheÌ„ that it is depriued of liuelie actions And that it is holden in hel languishing as that it should neuer after liue but these that be regenerated haue another soule then that they had before because of the substance which is renewed for the godhead which is ioyned That a like it is to baptise an infant as to baptise aâ— asse or a stone That there is no mortale sinne committed before the age of twentie yeares These I haue thoght sufficient to produce at this present to let the reader vnderstand that it is not without cause that I say that Seruetus whom ye iustifie is a blasphemer I haue omitted things more horrible grieuous to auoid the offence of godlie readers which sodaÌ„ly I am not minded to manifest except y t I shal vnderstaÌ„d that your vennemous tongues be not stayed by these I appeale to the coÌ„scieÌ„ce of Castalio him self if in euerie one of these former propositions which concerne y e Godhead there be not conteined horrible blasphemie For what is more blasphemous then to affirme that such as beleue in the Godhead three distinct persons haue no true God but the illusion of the deuilles That Christ Iesus is not the eternal son of the eternal father that there is no distinction betwext the father and the Sonne but in imagination onely That Christ hath no participation of mans nature but that his flesh is from heauen yea that it is the flesh of the Godhead That in Stockes stones and all creatures is the substantiall Godhead If these I saâ—e be not blasphemies worthie of ten thousand deathes especially being obstinatly mainteined against all holsom admonition let all those that feare God iudge yea euen you your selues how furious that euer ye be iudge in the mater eueÌ„ as ye wil answer before the throne of y e Lord Iesus That coÌ„tempteously he spake of baptising of the childreÌ„ of y e publyke preaching of the Euangill and of the administration of the Lordes supper that haue you common w t him for this is your glorie and persuasion to all your scolers that these things be nothing necessarie to saluation yea most streitly ye inhibit all of your sect to frequent any coÌ„gregatioÌ„ but your own And whether this be blasphemie of your parte or not to affirme those thiÌ„gs nothiÌ„g necessarie which Christ Iesus hath established and commanded to be vsed in remembrance of him to his againe comming I am content that iudgement be referred euen to those that be most indifferent betwext vs and you To supersede the rest of your blasphemies I return to your booke because that after I purpose to speake of your holie conuersation and of the great perfection y t is founde in you Ye accuse vs that we haue written bookes in a perpetuall memorie of our crueltie affirming it to be lawful to put to death such as dissent from vs in religion Notwith standing that some of vs were of an other mynd before they came to auctoritie â–ª and further that we haue giuen the sworde in to the haÌ„des of bloodie tyrannes Trew it is that bookes are written bothe by you by vs. for your master Bellius affirmeth that lawfull it is not to the ciuil magistrat to vse the sworde against heretikes To whome that godlie learned maÌ„ Theodorus Beza hath answered In which if you or your master thinke not your selues fully answered ye may put pen to the paper when you list looking to receaue answer with conuenient expidicion Iohn Caluin hath besides committed to writing the examination of Seruetus and the cause of his miserable death which bookes albeit to you they be a perpetual memorie of crueltie yet I haue good hope that to our posteritie they shal be profitable as now to vs be the godlie labors of those that before vs haue foghten the same battel against the obstinate heretikes And further seing bothe you and we must abyde the sentence of one iudge we can not greatlye feare the preiudice of your faction Where ye aske if these be y e shepe which Christ sent furth in the middes of wolues And if the shepe can per secute the wolues and I demand for answer whether Moses was a shepe or a wolf wether that fearefull slaughter executed vpon idolaters without respect of persons was not as great a persecution as the burning of Seruetus and Ioan of kent To me it appereth greater for to them was granted no place of repentance no admonition was giuen vnto them but with out further delay or
him that if he will conuert he shall be receaued to mercie and fauor No the sentence irreuocable is pronounced by the Angel that he shall come to destruction But Ephesus Smyrna Theatira and the rest of the congregations which before had professed Christ Iesus â–ª and yet were become not manifest ennemies but were falleÌ„ som in decay of life some in corruption of manners and som in heresies were exhorted to returne to repent and to be feruent to continue with sharp threatning if they did the coÌ„trarie And why this because that God before had planted among them his trueth which yet vtterly they had not refused and therefore doth he honor them as his domesticall seruantes but in vaine say you for if they be of the elect they cannot perish if they be of the reprobate sorte they can not be saued This is of you vnreuerently reasoned wil ye not suffer God to order his houshold as best pleaseth his wisdom This order hath he appointed that the trompet of his worde to exhort to rebuke to encourage to offer mercie to the penitent and to threaten death to such as do declyne shall clerely sound in his Church so long as he doth acknowledge it to be his Not that by the word preached he that was reprobate in gods eternall counsel may be the elect and so changed but that the worde preached and often repeted maketh a difference betwext the elect and the reprobate euen before man Albeit to you it appere superfluous that God shall fede his children by his own word which because the reprobate do refuse therefore do they beare a testimonie of their own iust condemnation in their owne conscience Albeit I say this appeare superfluous yet God hath commanded and established the same as a thing most necessarie and expedient for the establishing of his children and for the manifestation of his owne glorie I woÌ„der that ye wil not affirme that superfluous it is for a man to till and manure the ground to prepare for victuales to eat and drinke to do such other things as be necessarie for the conseruation of the life corporall seing that God hath appointed the daies of man which he cannot excede and also that our heauenlie father wil prouide for his childreÌ„ seing he prouideth far the birdes of the ayre Assuredly the one ye may coÌ„clude aswel as the other But herein I saie appereth your foolish blyndnes first that ye make no difference betwext the houshold seruantes those that be without and secondarely that ye vnderstand not the vse the profit and the effect of gods word preached Is not y e kingdom of heauen compared to a nett casten into the sea gathering together all sortes of fishes whereof albeit that the seperation can not perfectly be made till the nett be drawen to the drie laÌ„d vpon the last day yet daily by the worde by exhortacion by rebuking threatning do many things com to light which before lay hid how many do followe Christ for a time and fall back from him albeit that to the end he cryeth that they shoulde continue S. Paul affirmeth that he did write his sharpe epistle to the Corinthians for a trial of them if they wolde in all things be obedient if they as true shepe wolde heare the voice of their true pastor acknowledge follow it which he witnesseth that they did And there for he saith now do I reioyce not that ye did sorow but that ye did sorowe to repentance By the which was not onely the Apostle comforted as he him self doth confes but also were they newly confirmed that the Spirit of God was not vtterly extinguished before And so albeit ye can se no frute nor necessitie of gods worde preached except that the nature of the reprobate be changed yet do gods children fele in experience how comfortable it is to haue their dull spirites stirred vp by frequent exhortacions yea how necessarie it is that their dulnes and vnthankfulnes be sharply rebuked The third thing in which I perceaue you horribly to erre in all this youre long discourse of the seuen Churches is that where so euer there is precept or commandement giuen to repent and to continue in faith or to liue a godlie life or where so euer mention is made that space and time is granted to repent there streight waies ye conclude then may men kepe the commandementes then may they repent and so be saued althogh before they were reprobate For this ye affirme of Iesabel she might say you haue repented and haue bene saued and likwise vnto them that committed fornication with her is repentance granted But how vaine is this conclusion God commandeth that which is righteous Ergo man may do all that is commanded God giueth place of repentance to all men Ergo all men do or may repent How vaine I say be these conclusions such as be not infected with the pestilent opinion of their own power fre will and iustice may easely espie when ye haue proued that God commandeth nothing which man may not do by his own power fre will and strength and that repentance so procedeth from man that in him self it lieth ether to repent or not to repent then may ye sing this song which so oâ—t ye repete God commandeth God giueth space of repentance God offereth mercie to all Ergo of their own power they may repent But and if we be not sufficient of our own selues to think one good thoght if repentance be the fre gift of God and if to receaue mercie procedeth of his own fre gift also then harp so long as ye list vpon that one string I will answer that except ye make it better aggre with gods scriptures I must nedes say that he is worthie to be mocked that continually harpeth vpon a discording string As we do not contemne your exhortacion if we coulde be persuaded that it did procede from the spirit of lenitie so can we not acknowledge our selues to be infected with the poysoned error of mere necessitiâ— and Stoicall destinie nether yet that we teache a careles and libertine life nether that we giue occasion of sinne to the people finally that we can not confes that we teache and mainteine idolatrie as most vniustly ye accuse vs without any further probation for that any such crymes reigne and are permitted amongest vs without punishement ye be neuer able to proue We do not denie but that among vs haue bene men infected with all crimes which ye lay to our charge for som of you were once of our nombre so far as man coulde iudge but as you haue made your selues manifest so haue others also But yet it semeth far repugnant to equitie and charitie that the treason of Iudas should be laid to the charge of the faithfull Apostles If I list to take my pleasure in examining your liues and applying the offences of those churches to your faction I doubt not
before was secrete in gods eternall counsell is by the promes and worde of grace notified vnto maÌ„ so that tollerably it may be spoken man is assured of his election by the promes which he willingly embraseth but to be sure in the election by the promes is not the phrase of the holie Gost further of this we shal examine in your seconde reason which is this Election hath no promes without faith trew faith is gods worke by his grace and is also mannes worke partely by consenting thereto wherefor Paul calleth the righteous â—oynt workers with god because they worke to gether with him Now say you if maâ— for his part according to his nature be inconstant in his faith then is he out of the promes whereby he was made sure of his election yet Gods election remaineth sure and stable in Christ Iesus The first membre of your reason is darcke and obscure and the manner of speaking so strange that in the scriptures I am assured it is neuer to be founde In one of two senses is election taken in the scriptures The former for the elect them selues as when Paul saieth the electioÌ„ did obteine it that is the elect of God obteined mercie And in the same sense is Paule called the vessell of election that is an elect vessel and if in this sense ye affirme y t electioÌ„ that is to say the elect haue no promes without faith albeit I wil not greatly contend in that behalf yet by manifest scriptures I may proue the contrarie for the posteritie of Abraham by gods fre election had this promes that he shoulde be their God And sainct Paul affirmeth that the children of the faithfull were holie and yet all coulde not haue faith when the promes was made for then had AbrahaÌ„ no sede at all but of this I say I will not contend Otherwies election is taken in the scriptures for the eternall counsell of God by the which he hath appointed life euerlasting to such as he hath giuen to his Sonne before all worldes as Paul saith For yer the children were borne when they had neither donne good nether bad that the purpose of God which is by his election that is not by workes but by him that calleth might stand sure it was said vnto her the elder shal serue the yonger c. And after euen so at this time is there a remnant left through the election of grace and so furth in diuers other places and in this sense if ye vnderstaÌ„d that election hath no promes without faith I answere that gods free election in Christ Iesu nedeth nether promes nor faith as touching the parte of God for he in his election respecteth nether of bothe but his own good pleasure in Christ his sonne so I wold haue wished greater plaines in the first part of your reason then there is but I perceaue the ground of your error by that which followeth Trew faith say you is gods worke by grace and it is also partlie mans worke by consenting thereto which secoÌ„d part of this secoÌ„de membre is vtterly fals for faith is no parte of mannes work no more then the childe begotten of the father and conceaued of the mother is the worke of the self but faith is altogether y e worke of God for as he begetteth vs by the worde of veritie and by the power of his â—olie spirit maketh our heartes to conceaue and retein the sede of life so by his power are we kept by faith to saluatioÌ„ w c is prepared to this end y t it shal be manifested in y e last time therefor saith y e Apostle through grace are ye saued by faith y t not of your selues ye must compel the holie Gost to recaÌ„t w c I thinke he wil not do for your threatning before ye be able to proue y t faith is any part of mannes work The wordes of the Apostle you shame fully abuse for in that place he intreateth onely how God vseth the ministers of his worde and blessed Euangil to be helpers with God in so far as they are the embassaders of reconciliation as in an other place he calleth them he meaneth nothing nether what man doeth in the worke of his own saluation by his own faith or by his owne workes And therefor althogh ye as a blinde man go forwarde to your own perdition saying now if man for his part according to his nature be inconstant in his faith then is he out of the promes c. yet must we pull you backe and say that because faithe is no part of mannes worke therefore doth nether his faith nor his election depend vpon the inconstancie of his own nature but God of his soueraign bountie ouercomming what imperfectioÌ„s soeuer be in his choseÌ„ childreÌ„ hath grouÌ„ded their electioÌ„ in him self in Christ Iesus his Sone an other error I se in this your reason w c because I haue sufficiently confuted I wil here touch it onely Ye make faith the eÌ„brasing of y e promes our obedience to be causes of gods election wheÌ„ in verie dede they be but the effectes of our electioÌ„ for nether faith nor obedieÌ„ce make vs to be gods elect but because we were elected in Christ Iesus therefore are we called made faith full obedient and sanctified by his fre grace To admonish you yet of one thing so to put end to yo r vnresonable reasons WoÌ„der it is y t ye will attribute to electioÌ„ that w c ye denie to y e elect you affirme y t electioÌ„ is sure in Christ but not y e elect say you be like ye imagin electioÌ„ to be a certen speculatioÌ„ or imaganation without any certen substaÌ„ce to the w c it must be referred but S. Paul teacheth vs y â— coÌ„trarie saing he hath cho seÌ„vs in Christ he saith not y t electioÌ„ was in Christ but we were elected in Christ Iesus before y t fundacioÌ„s of the worlde were laid This geÌ„tly I put you in mind to grouÌ„d your reasons more substaÌ„cially if y t by them ye enteÌ„d to proue any thing A short answer I might giue you to all your examples to witt that we speake not of election to offiâ—es or to possession temporall but of election to life euerlasting from the which ye are neuer able to proue any to haue bene finally secluded that in Christ Iesus was thereto elected before the fundacion of the worlde was laied But yet to gratifie you some what I wil passe through your examples and coÌ„municat with you my iudgement God grant you heartes to vnderstand It is a thing most certen that albeit Adam and all men in him might and did fall from God by sinne yet can not the elect of God who be elected to life euerlasting in Christ Iesus so fall from their election that finally they perishe the reason is that as Christ Iesus the brightnes of the glorie of his father
to allure any man Be ware friendes that ye go not with them lest aâ— the man of God for his going back was killed of a lyon so ye be slayne by errors and deuored of the deuil which as a roring Lyon goeth about seking whom he may deuore of the testimonies a boue reciâ—ed it appereth that the elect may be deceaued And yet iâ— is the phrase of the scripture to call it impossible whiche is verey hard and difficile to be done There be also many elect wihiche full away not because they are deceaued but willingly and purposely as Iudas was not deceaued but wilfully refused the grace of God Also Achâ—â—ophel being a notable wittâ—e man was not deceaued by any mannes persuasion but wilfully refused his master Dauid â–ª and played the traâ—or Balaam was not deceaued for he knew well the will aud the mynd of God Salomâ—n was not deceaued in whom grace and will abounded aboue all others and yet forsook he God Sâ— the elect thogh they be not deceaued yet be they at libertie and may refuse the grace of God if they will And think you that Adam or any other can be saâ—ed by gâ—ds ordinance if they wilfully forsake it can any maune be saued by Christ which doth forsake him they which be once lightned and haue tasted of the heauenlie giftes are becom partakers of the 〈◊〉 Gâ—st and haue taisted of the good worde of God and of the power of the world to come I can not tel how they should be deceaued yeâ— may they fall away and crucifie the Sonne of God afresh aud make a mâ—k of him Lykewise they which be sanctified by the spirit of God and sprinkling of bloode of the testament they may tredde the Sonne of God vnder foote ANSWER If it had pelased you ether diligently to haue red out writinges ether faithfully to haue recited the testimonies which we vse for confirmation of our doctrine ye should haue found mo and such as be somâ—hat more plaine then any of those that ye take vpon you to confute But praised be God who giueth such maieste euen to those places which ye your self appoint that when ye haue said all yet doth y e veritie remaine inuincible That this condicionall If in these wordes if it were possible the elect should be drawen into error affirmeth nothing I am content so that the same reason be a law against you in all other places But that this word impossible shal be interpreted in all places of Scripture by this phrase a thing hard to be done I can not admitte without testimonies more euident then yet ye haue adduced for the most part of those plainely deny that interpretation For as it is impossible for a Camel or Cable that is a greate rope of a ship remaining in the own quantitie to go through an nedils eye remaining in the own streitnes so is it lyke impossible for a rich maÌ„ remaining in his own natural pryde coueâ—ousnes and corruption to enter in to the kingdom of God and therefor â–ª when those which heard were offended asking And who may then attein to saluation Christ answered thinges that be impossible before man are possible with God marke well that Christ called the humiliation of the rich man impossible vnto man but possible vnto God And the same I say is true of those that seke glorie and praise of men for impossible it is vnto such abiding in y t corruption vnfeanedly to beleue in Christ Iesus for albeit the spirit of vaine glorie did now and then burst out and appere amonges the disciples yet was it alwaies repressed and corrected by the seuere obiurgation of their master and in the end by the power of the holie spirit it was remoued God doth not affirm that it is impossible to a woman to forgett the childe of her bosom but laying his perfect loue against her natural loue corrupted he saieth if she may yet caÌ„ not I forgett theÌ„ that trust in me and so he preferreth his loue towardes his childreÌ„ to the loue of any creature whiche they can beare towardes others The examples of the man of Inde and of the Cat of the mounteine can in no wise receaue your interpretation for the impossibilitie of the one and of the other experience of long continuance hath taught vs. for we se that althogh the Moorian change the regioÌ„ where he was born yet kepeth he his naturall blacknes nether yet can any art vtterly remoue the spottes of that beast which the Prophete in that place calleth the â—â—opard how impossible it is that they be changed none can be ignorant except such as haue not sene or do not know the beast nor her nature And therefor vpon these two thinges to nature impossible did the Prophete conclude that no more could the citezeins of IerusaleÌ„ being excercised in all iniquitie leaue the same and so was it impossible impossible I say to them selues and to their own power for what the Spirit of God worketh in the conuersion of sinners oght not to be attributed vnto mans power And thus I say that those thinges which the holie Gost pronounced to be impossible remain impossible And therefor it is not onely ahard and a difficile thing that the elect of God who follow the lambe where euer he goeth be so deceaued that finally they perishe but also it is impossible and that becaus the true pastor coÌ„ducteth them leadeth them furth to the holsom pastures and waters of lief illuminateth theÌ„ by y e presence of his light and finally doth sanctifie and confirme theÌ„ in his eternall veritie by y e power of his holie Spirit Vpon those wordes of the Apostle I feare lest that your senses be corrupted from the simplicitie which is in Christ euen as the serpent deceaued Eua ye labor to proue that the elect shal be deceaued for she say you was the elect of God and yet she was deceaued In few wordes I answer that becaus she was the â—lect of God she remained not in that error we do not denie but that the simple shepe do somtimes erre and go astray from their pastor that they heare to their great danger the owling of wolues do credit and receaue lies for veritie yea further that somtimes with knowledge they coÌ„mitte iniquitie But that they are permitted in y e same finally and without redemption to perish that we coÌ„staÌ„tly denie for imposible it is that the liuely members shal lack participation with the head Imposible it is that Christes death shal lack his effect which is the life of those that of his father are committed to his charge of whoÌ„ impossible it is that any shal perish for the nombre of our bretheren must be complete nether yet doth it hereof follow that exhortacioÌ„s admonitions be superfluous vaine for they are the meanes which the wisdom of God knoweth to be most necessarie to stirre vp our dul senses which alwaies be redie to ly in a
so shall thy nauel be hole and thy bones strong â–ª And Iâ— but is not we that can fynde out the almightie for in power equitie and righteousnes he is hiegher then can be expressed Let men therefor feare him for there shall no man se him that is wise in his own conceat we must not â—eke out the sâ—cretes of God for we shall not preuaile but bring our selues to consufion If we go about to establishe our opinions by gods secret will we must nedes fâ—ll in horrible darcknes and errors for who can know what the will of God is we must submitt our selues with all humilitie to the word and there with great reuerence search out such things as are written for our comfort and edification which we can not duelie vnderstand without the spirit of God to teache vs as it is written oh Lord who can haue knowledge of thy vnderstanding and meaning except thâ—w giue him wisdom and send thy holy Gost from aboue But if we prepare our selues with râ—uerence to read the word of God to the intent to vnderstand it to our consolation and with humilitie submâ—t our selues to do it God will open to vs so much as is ether necessarie or profitable for vs. ANSWER What confirmation our doctrine hath by the inuincible and most euident testimonies of gods holie scriptures I will not now dispute onely I must coÌ„pleine that maliciously and most impudently ye wrest our wordes and peruert our myndes And for the probatioÌ„ thereof I say that ye are neuer able to shew in any of our writings the wordes and sentences which in this place ye affirme vs to say ye be neuer able I say to proue that we haue written or taught that God by his reueled will will all men to be saued and yet by his secrete will he willeth many to be damned That by his reuâ—led will he willeth no wickednes but by his secret will he will Pharao to be hard hearted Semei to curse Dauid the Patriarkes to sell their brother Ioseph that by his reueled will he wolde not that Adam shoulde fâ—ll but by his secret will he willeth Adam to fall These propositions I say you be neuer able to shew in our writinges nether yet to proue that our doctrine did or doth tend to that end for we constantly affirme that God reueled vnto vs his most holie and most iust wil in his plaine and holie scriptures which do assure vs that a separation shal be made betwext the goates and the lambes that the one shal receaue the kingdom propared vnto them before all beginning and that the other shal be adiudged to the fyre which neuer shal be quenched That God stirred and raised vp Pharao that his power might be declared in him that these wordes God plainely spoke to Moises I know that Pharao shal not permitte the people to depart therefore haue I hardened his heart that I may multiplie my woÌ„ders vpon him that Dauid did represse the furie of Abisai and of his seruantes who wolde haue killed Semei saying suffre him to curse for the Lord hath commanded him the Lord perchance shal behold my affliction and shal reward me with good for his cursing this day That Ioseph said to his bretheren be you not moued with sorow y â— ye haue solde me for the Lord hath sent me for conseruation of a great multitude it is not therefore you that haue sent me hither but God who hath made me father to Pharao and Lord ouer his hole house None of all these I say do we cast vpon gods secrete will as ye falsly accuse vs but we do constantly affirme that his will is so plainely reueled in these maters that such as shall denie any of them to haue bene gods wil can not escape abnegation of his eternall veritie And further we say that the fall of man is plainely reueled vnto vs not onely by experience but euen by that same law which was imposed to him shortly after his creation the transgression whereof made Adam and all his posteritie criminall and giltie to gods iustice that nether against gods wil reueled nether yet against his secrete wil. for by his will reueled can no man further conclude but this that in what day soeuer AdaÌ„ should eate of the frute forbiddeÌ„ that he should die the death But Adam against gods command ement did eat and therefor did he iustly vnderly the sentence of death And thus do we referre to gods will manifestly reueled what soeuer ye imagin that we ascribe to his secret will Nether yet nede you to maruell if ye list to take such paines as to read our writiÌ„ges where that we finde the doctryne that we teach your surmised lie we cast vpon your selues seing that Moises the prophetes Christ Iesus and his Apostles in all writings do affirme the same But yet lest that ye should think that we attribute nothing to gods secret wil I will in few wordes confesse what we teach maintein and beleue in that case And that the rather because you gather agreate absurditie not of our doctryne but of that which ye falsely imput vpon vs in this maner for asmuch you say as the secrete will of God is knowen to none but to him self alone Who hath reueled it to you how can you say this is gods secret will if it was gods secret will that Adam should fall and you knew it â–ª then it is both secret and vnsecret both reueled and vnreueled both knowen and vnknowen What greate absurditie is this To the which I answere according to your impudeÌ„t foolishnes that because you fight with your owne shadowe these yo r dartes do hurt vs nothing for we do not affirme that we do knowe the fall of man by gods secret will but by his will manifestly reueled vnto vs by his holie scriptures Or more plainly to answer yo r reasons which you think inuincible we say that that wil which was secret in God before all time was reueled to man in time by his owne word and that from time to to time the same became more manifest as sainct Paul witnesseth in these wordes To me the least of all saintes is giuen this fauor or grace that I should preach amoÌ„gest the GeÌ„tiles the vnsearchable riches of Christe That I should bring forth to light before all meÌ„ what is y e coÌ„munion of the mysterie w c was hid from all ages in God who hath made all things by Christ Iesus that the manifest wisdome of God may nowe be notified to principates and powers in heauenlie things by the Church according to the fore appointment of the ages which he hath made in Christ Iesus our lorde so that we are now bold to say that albeit no creature did knowe before all time what ordre God should kepe in the creation and disposition of all thinges in time yet may we nowe I say be bolde to affirme that the secrete was hidde in the
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
wil coÌ„uicte you of a lie for he affirmeth the same to the scribes pharisies to whome principally he spake in that place that they were not of his shepe that therfor they could not be gathered to his folde that they were not of God therfor that they could not heare his voice y t he did not pray for y â— world and therefor they could neuer be vnited to God You must declare howe y t God wold y t those Israelites whose carcases fell in y e wildernes should entre into y e land promised If you say by any other will theÌ„ by his generall precepte giueÌ„ y t they should go possesse it â—e shall lack the testimony of the holie Gost. I haue declâ—red causes most iust and most sufficient why God shall command that which is iust right laudable albeit that man neither can perfourme his commandementes neither yet that it was gods eternall will counsell that all men should so do And forther I haue declared iust causes why God doth call many to repentance and felicitie and yet that he choseth a certeÌ„ to attein therto entre the same And so I say ye must proue y t God did other wayes will them to entre into the laÌ„d theÌ„ by his general commaÌ„dement before you be able to proue that any thing is done against the eternal and immutable will of God I can proue that gods will was so plaine reueled that none of them should entre into the laÌ„d promised y t it behoued y e hole armye to be receaued frome place to place til they were al coÌ„sumed Yea further I caÌ„ proue y t Moises him self could not obteine y t priuiledge to entre in nor the people albeit that in prayer moste earnestly he required the same â–ª proue if you can that euer God reueled his will to any particulare persons Iosua Caleb onely excepted y t they should entre in it And theÌ„ may you say that either God did chaÌ„ge his wil purpose orels that some thing was doÌ„ne against his will which he did permitte but not will I will answer there is no better argument to proue that God hardened the heart of Pharao then that same w c you adduce to proue that Pharao did harden his owne heart and y t God doeth suffer it to be hardened but doeth not will it This ye write All the children of Adam haue a hard and wicked hearâ—â— vntill they be mollified by the grace of God as leremis witnesseth saying AmoÌ„gest all things liuing man hath the most deceatfull stubbâ—rne heartâ— â–ª your libertie or ignorance in citing the Prophetes wordes passe measure And the Lord saieth that he will take away the stony hearte from them and giue them a hearte of flâ—sh no stronger argument nor reason I require to confute your error then the same which you alledge for the establishment thereof for if by nature all be equall and that onely grace maketh the difference then we demaÌ„d ask whether that grace be giuen to some and denied to others y t by permission sufferance as you speak or if it be the determined will of God that his grace aÌ„d mercie by Christ Iesus shal be frelie coÌ„municated with some and that the same shall most iustlie be denied to others albeit the causes to vs do not appere during the time of this our martalitie If you dare say that gods will in taking away the stonie hearte and in giuing the fleshie hearte be nothing elles but onely a permission sufferance without the operation and will of his Spirit then may you reason that in the hardening of Pharao and of the rest of the reprobat there is nothing elles but a bare permission without any efficacie of gods spirit But if it be God that worketh in vs the good will and perfourmance of the same and that he hath mercie vpon whome he listeth theÌ„ is it likwies that God hardeneth whome he will Mark note y â— wordes of the Apostle He saieth not he hardeneth whome he permitteth and doth suffer to be hardened but palinely he saieth y t he hardeneth whome he will The Apostle sawe none other cause why mercie was shewed to some and others were left in induratioÌ„s but gods will Trew it is y t the reprobat of nature haue and froÌ„ their mothers woÌ„be doth tary with them the mater of their induration But the question is What is the cause that y t pestileÌ„t mater is remoued from some and why dothe it remaine with others If you answere because som receaue grace offered and som refuse it Ye haue said nothing as more plainely I haue before declared â–ª for alwayes we ask the cause why is the will of the one obedient to God and why is the will of the other rebellious considering that all by nature are equall Althogh that you trauell to confounde the heauen and the earth yet shall ye be broght to this principall that God hath mercie vpon whome he will and whome he will he maketh hard hearted And therefor as of his mercie and free grace God worketh willingly in the one with his Spirit softnes y â— feling of mercy so doth his iust iudgementes iust wrath against sinne couceaued by the spirit of sathan work in the others hardnes obstinacie y e sense of his wrath You reason affirming that Pharao had a stonie heart before that Moises spake vnto him theÌ„ could not it be heardened more theÌ„ a stone a fore y t it was mollified â–ª this yo r reason I say is more then foolish â–ª for I suppose y t you be not so brutishe y t you wil affirme y t the heart of any tyraÌ„ne at any tyme in naturall hardnes I meane to grope fele is coÌ„perable to y e hardnes of a stone but y t is a figuratiue speach by y e w t is declared y e vnchangeable hardnes of mans heart as touching y e naturall power of the same foras the stone by it self can neuer com to any softnes of fleshe so can neuer maÌ„ by any gift which nature hath of it self come to that humilitie and obedience w c is acceptable before God But doth it therof insue that one man is not nor can not be more cruell then an other yea that one and the same may not procede frome euil to wors and by contempt of grace make him self more hard and more hard althogh his heart was neuer fully mollified I think you will not affirme the contrarie for the holie Gost giuing this exhortatioÌ„ This daye if you heare his voice harden not your heartes doth confirme my affirmacion which is that men procede from hardnes to hardnes yea from one sinne to an other till their sinnes be becomme inexcusable and so finally irremissible because that obstinately they refuse grace offerâ—d as Christ doth wittnes in these wordes if I had not com and spoken vnto them they should
preferred or coÌ„pared vnto them And therfor they grudge they murmurre aÌ„d they enuie the liberalitie of their father his mercy shewed to the sonne y t before appered lâ—st To whom this might be applied besides the Iewes and the Gentiles ye are not ignorant The other similitude doth teach vs that many in mouth say Lord Lord I go I go whose heart did neuer fele what is the reuerence and true obedience due to gods Maiestie We coÌ„fesse no les then Ieremie doth write for we say that God nether coÌ„manded such abhominations as his people coÌ„mitted nether yet y t euer they did enter in to his heart that is they did neuer delyte nor please him nether yet did he euer will them for the actions them selues But when you shal be able to proue that it did not apperteine to his iust iudgementes to punishe those idolaters with such blindnes that they became more cruel then brute beastes then shall ye be more able to proue that in no wise did God will that crueltie God willed not those abhominations for the murther committed and blood that was shedde for that he hated did punish But he willed y t a testimonie should be left to the world in what blindnes man falleth when he declineth from God and from his true honor of which fearfull example you and your sect oght to take hede The Israelites in killing their childreÌ„ no doubte did euen agre with gods will and were of one mynde with his iust iudgementes as you declare your selues to be in spewing forth these horrible blasphemies agaiÌ„st his supreme Maiestie For as they leauing the plaine will of God declared in his law concerning their oblations and making of sacrifice in a blinde zeale to honor God as they pretended with sacrifices more precious and acceptable because their children to them were more deare theÌ„ oxen or bullockes as they I say in so doing leaue to vs a fearefull example of gods iudgementes So do you by these your horrible blasphemies w c in furie iesting skoffing ye vomit furth against God his eternall trueth against the true professors of the same and thus farre I coÌ„fesse was gods most iust will fulfilled in theÌ„ as also it is here after shal be fulfilled in you That because they in y e vanitie of their imaginatioÌ„s dâ—clined froÌ„ gods will reueled God of his iustice wolde make theÌ„ spectacles to all ages folowing what were hisâ—iudgementes as I haue said against idolaters EueÌ„ so ye neither content y t God shal vse his creatures as best serueth for his glory nether yet that any iustice be in his eternall God head to the which your reason can not atteine are giuen ouer by gods will into reprobate myndes thus horribly to blaspheme his Maiestie to admonish the generation present and to come that with greater sobrietie more feare and reuereÌ„ce they speake aÌ„d thinke of those mysteries that be incoÌ„prehensible vnto maÌ„ I haue before declared that no man leauing the will of God reueled in his worde doth ether obey him ether yet please him and so can he neuer be of one mynd w t God that committeth thinges forbiden by his word But why that God forbiddeth iniquitie to all which also in all men he hateth and yet that betwext his vessels of mercie and the vessels of wrath he maketh such difference that to the one he giueth medicine and purgation against the natural venom so effectually that it worketh their saluation in the ende and to the other he denieth that grace he will not make you nor any of your faction further of counsell then he hath expressed in these wordes He hath mercie on whom he will haue mecie and whom he will him he maketh hard hearted That sathan hath so enraged you that vpon that doctrine which the holy Gost most euidently doth teach ye dare gather this abhominable absurditie that God and whicked idolaters are both of one mynde that they both inwardly and owtwardly do obey him ye haue iust cause not onely to be ashamed but also to quake tremble and feare for that horrible blindnes wherinto you are fallen and for those iust veÌ„geances which your pride doth craue of gods iustice Iust art thou o â— Lord in all thy workes To your question asking by what meanes should the Lord stirre vp the mynde of the king of the Medes to destroy Babylon who had before a desyre ready bent to do the same but by suffering and permitting him To this question I say doth â—sai the Propheâ— answer saying Thus saith the Lord vnto Cyrus his anointed whose right hand I haue holden to subdue nations before him therefor will I weaken the loynes of kings and open the doores before him the gates shall not be shut I will go before thee and make the crooked streight I will breake the brasen doores and burst y e yâ—one barres And I will giue y e treasures of darknes and the thinges hidde in secrete places c. If there be in you ether modestie or aptnes to learn this is sufficient to instruct you how God raysed vp his spirite which before was redy bent to destroy Babylon to witte in giuing vnto him so prosperous succes that no impedimeÌ„t was able to resist or withstaÌ„d him which thing God did not by and ydle permission or sufferance as ye imagine but by his power which did effectually worke in all that his iourney as the Prophet here in many other places doth witnes Which thing doth Cyrus him selfe also confesse in these wordes The Lord God of heauen hath giueÌ„ me all the kingdomes of the earth he hath commanded me to build him an house in Ierusalem which is in Iudah And the holy Gost affirmeth that y e Lord did stirre vp y e spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to cause this proclamation to be made Dare you say that to giue all the kindomes of y e earth to one man is nothing els but to suffre him to ryue and posses them at his appetites Daniel affirmeth the coÌ„trary saying The name of God be praised for euer and â—uer for wisedome and strength are his And he changeth the tymes and seasons he taketh away kings he setteth vp kinges he giueth wisedome to the wise and vnderstanding to those that vnderstand c. And Dauid also saith he that raiseth the nedie oute of the dust and lifteth vp y e poore out of the dung that he may sette him with the princes euen with the princes of his people And therefore because the holy Gost giueth to gods prudence and working power that which you most wickedly attribute to his permission or ydle sufferance I feare not to say that as God stirred vp Cyrus spirite effectualy mouing it to giue libertie and commandement to his people to returne to Ierusalem and to restore the temple so did he also stirre vp his spirit in enterprising his first iourney against Babylon in taking froÌ„