should say vnto thē Yet fortie dayes and Niniue shalbe destroyed The effect doth declare that his eternall purpose was not to destroy them for they were not destroyed Neyther was this cōmaundement contrarie to his eternall purpose but he did vse it as a meane whereby to bring his eternall purpose to passe which was to shew mercie in forgiuing the sinnes of the Niniuites When Moses was sent to Pharao the open word and commaundement was thus Say vnto Pharao let my people go that they may offer sacrifite vnto me But his eternall purpose was that by the stubbornnesse of Pharao in refusing to do his commaundemēt he might haue iust occasion to shew his power vpon him in pouring out vpon him and his people the manifold plagues that we reade of in the holie Histories and that thereby his name might be made knowen in all partes of the earth So that this cōmaundement was not contrarie to the eternal purpose but did concurre run together with it to that ende that in the eternal purpose was prefixed When Iesus Christ began to preach the open word was Repent and beleue the Gospell but the eternall purpose was that for his doctrine miracles he shoulde be hated of his countriemen and kinsemen for the most part and by them be deliuered to the Heathen to be crucified and made a sacrifice for the sinnes of the world So that this open word was not against the secret purpose of God 〈…〉 as S. Paule doth terme it it was to them that perished the sauor of death vnto death and to them that be saued the sauor of life vnto life For in the one sort it did worke beliefe and by beliefe saluation and in the other it did manifest and make open the vnbeliefe that was in their heartes before and so make them vtterly without excuse As our Sauiour himselfe sayth Now haue they nothing to pretend for excuse The Law and the Gospell are both written preached and the open word is do this and thou shalt haue this but the eternall purpose of God is that those that haue cares to heare should heare and obey and so enioy the reward promysed and that they which lacke such eares should haue the iust condemnation of their owne consciences These two therefore be not contrarie the one to the other but doe concurre and runne together to one ende Much more might be said to this effect without either faire words or finely framed fetches and so the inconuenience that Cerberus would conclude clearely auoyded But I will content my selfe with one saying of Austen writing vpon the ninth Psalme His wordes be these Non in toto corde consitctur Deo qui de prouidentia eius in aliquo dubitat Sed quia iam cernit occulta sapicutiae Dei quantum sit inuisibile premium cius qui dicit gaud 〈…〉 in tribulationibus quemadmodum omnes cruciatus qui corporaliter inferuntur aut vt exerceant conuersos ad Deum aut vt conuertantur admoneant aut iustè damnationi vltimae praeparent obduratos sic omnia ad diuinae prouidētiae regimen referrantur quae stulti quasi casu temere nulla diuina administratione fieri putant ait Narrabo omnia mirabilia tua c. That is to say That man which doth doubt of the prouidence of God in anye thing doth not shew himselfe thankful or praise God in all his heart But bicause he doth now sée the secretes of the wisedome of God how great the inuisible reward of him is which sayth we reioyce in troubles and how all afflictions which are brought vpon the body eyther to exercyse those y ◠be conuerted vnto God or that they may admonish them to conuert or that they may prepare to the last damnation those that be iustly made hard hearted and that so all those things might be referred vnto the gouernement of Gods prouidence which foolish men do suppose to be wrought by chaunce at aduenture and by no diuine prouidence he sayth I will declare all thy wonderous workes c. We maye be bolde therefore I thinke to say that this which Cerberus hath done in writing this spitefull aunswere to his friendes Letter if any such were was gouerned by Gods prouidence And yet we are not Genethliaci or declarers of mens fortunes or destinies such as were banished out of Rome for we say not y ◠it is Cerberus his fortune or destinie to be hanged or drowned or that he shal die a natural death before he shalbe as great a fauourer of Gods predestination as he doth now shew himself to be a mortall foe therof But we knowe that if God haue predestinated any of these things the same shall vndoubtedly come to passe in such sort as he hath appointed And yet shal not Cerberus his will be enforced But if he hang himselfe it shall be with the full consent of his will And if he shalbe a fauourer of our side it shalbe with the frée choyse of his owne will gouerned by the prouidence of God As there be some yet liuing that can testifie that once they were of the same minde that Cerberus is now and that with consent of will And now they be of one minde with me and that with assent of will also We leaue Cerberus and his fellowes therefore to him that by his prouidence gouerneth al things And yet do we our selues vse the meanes that God in prouidence hath appointed to be vsed and we teach all other to do the same committing the successe to him that knoweth what he hath determined to worke in all his creatures And we conclude this matter with Austen saying Quapropter voluntates nostrae tantum valent quantum Deus eas valere voluit atque praesciuit ideo quicquid valent certissimè valent quod facturae sunt ipsae omninò facturae sunt quia valeturas atque facturas ille praesciuit cuius praescientia falli nòn potest Quapropter si fati nomen alicui rei adhibendum placeret magis dicerē fatum esse infirmioris potentioris voluntatem qui eū habet in potestate quà m illo causarum ordine quem nòn vsitato sed suo more Stoici fatum appellant arbitrium nostrae voluntatis auserri That is to saye Wherefore this is the cause why our willes are able to doe as much as God would did know afore hand that they should do and therefore loke what they are able to do that are they most certainly able to do and what so euer they shall do they shall in déede do bicause he whose prescience or foreknowledge cannot be deceiued did know afore hand that they should do it Wherefore if I could allow the name of destinie to be giuen to any thing I would rather say that destinie were a thing belonging to the weaker and will to the stronger which hath it in his power than that the liberty of our will should by that order of causes which y ◠Stoikes
sheading righteousnesse euerlasting lyfe by his resurrectiō According to y e saying of Paul Traditus est propter delicta nostra resurrexit propter iustificationē nostrā He was deliuered vnto death for our sinnes and he rose againe for our iustification But Cerberus and his fellowes do vrge the vniuersall signe Omnes All. Sicut per vnius delictum in omnes homines in condemnationem sic per vnius iustitiam in omnes homines in iustificationem vitae That is Euen as by one mans fault sinne entred into all men to condemnation so by the righteousenesse of one man is righteousenesse entred into all men to the iustification of lyfe This vniuersall signe muste néedes streatche it selfe to all Adams posteritie and therfore all muste be made righteouse by Christ These men will not see how suche vniuersall signes are vsed in the Scriptures They can not perceiue how this vniuersall signe shoulde in the first sentence streatche it selfe to all the generation of the firste Adam that sinned and in the seconde sentence to all the generation of the seconde Adam which is Christ The generation of y e first are all that haue or shall be borne of fleshe and bloud and the generation of the seconde are al they that be borne of God If we shoulde in all places of Scripture streatche this vniuersall signe all so farre as Cerberus doth streatche it here we should make as good a piece of worke as y e Nonne did which reade in s Paule Omnia probate proue all things And therefore hauing a minde to sir Iohn the Chaplen of the house she proued what it was to lye with a man And being with childe the matter came to the knowledge of the Abbas she excused hir selfe by Saint Paule who biddeth vs proue all things If a théefe that taketh another mans goodes shoulde excuse himselfe with Omnia mihi licent I may doe all things or Omnia vestra sunt All things are yours It would not be founde that these vniuersall signes should either make it léeful for him to take another mans goods or to haue right to that that is not hys by some iust title I woulde wishe Cerberus and his fellowes therfore to weigh this matter better before they triumph ouer vs in such sort as he doth in this his aunswere And I woulde wishe him to consider well whether saint Austen in the Epistle where these Articles of Pelagius be written do not write cleane contrary to this iudgement of his For in the very place that he citeth to make for his purpose S. Austen sayth thus Infantes nuper nati non sunt in illo statu in quo Adam fuit ante praeuaricationem vt ad ipsos pertineat quod breuiter ait Apostolus Per vnum hominem mors per vnum hominem resurrectio mortuorum Sicut enim in Adam omnes moriuntur it a in Christo omnes viuisicabuntur Vnde sit quod Infantes nō baptizati non solum regnum coelorum verum etiam vitam aeternam habere non possint That is Infantes that be lately borne are not in that state that Adam was before he sinned that that thing which the Apostle doth in fewe wordes affirme might partaine vnto them By one man came death and by one man came the resurrection of the deade For euen as in Adam all dye so in Christ shall all be made alyne Wherby it commeth to passe that Insants which are not baptised are not onely vnable to enioye the Kingdome of Heauen but also lyfe euerlasting These wordes me think are very plaine against that which Cerberus would maintaine by Paule and Austen For if Infants vnbaptised can not haue the kingdome of God nor euerlasting lyfe how doth this saying In christo omnes viuificabuntur All shalbe quickned in Christ pertayne to all the posteritie of Adam vnlesse he will say that Infantes that dye before baptisme be not of Adams posteritie Better matter can I not wishe for against Cerberus than that which hangeth to the foundation that he himselfe buildeth vpon It were for my purpose to aduaūce the auctoritie of this Epistle bicause it helpeth me very much against this Hel Dogge Cerberus but bicause I woulde not haue the Reader to conceyue such an opinion of S. Austen as to thinke that he shoulde be of such minde as the Auctour of thys Epistle doth shewe himselfe to be in certaine pointes I will cite the iudgement of Erasmus concerning thys Epistle all other of this title That is Ad Bonifacium To Boniface Speaking of y e Booke of Epistles wher in this Epistle 106. is written he saith Nonnullae simplicitor confictae quod genus sunt illae Bonefacij ad Augustinum Augustini ad Bonifacium Some of those Epistles saith he are altogether fayned As are those of Bonifacius to Augustine and of Austen to Boniface Now iudge gentle Reader what this Cerberus meaneth that leauing the good and sounde workes of Austen where he writeth very well of this matter setteth his foundation vpon such rotten patches as some such as he is haue put forth in Austens name No maruell though Cerberus be ashamed to set his name to his booke This might suffise for our defence against Cerberus his assaulte in thys point But I will adde one Scripture or two and so the iudgement of some learned writers that he take not occasion of a new calumniatiō because I promised more than I haue yet performed Saint Paule writing to Timothe in his seconde Epistle and seconde chapter sayth thus Sed firmum fundamentum Dei stat habens signaculu hoc Cognouit Dominus qui sunt sui The foundation of God standeth firme and sure hauing this sure seale The Lorde knoweth who be his By which wordes it is manifest that S. Paule vnderstoode not that all mankinde were elected in Christ and so restored by Christ but a certaine number which though they be vnknowne vnto men yet doth the Lorde whose they be knowe them well and will not suffer them no nor any of them to perishe Wherfore he exhorteth all such as call vpon the name of the Lorde that is all Christians to depart from iniquitie For in a great house saith he there be not only vesselles of Golde and Siluer but also of Timber and Earth some to serue for honorable vses and some for vile vses I knowe how some doe wrest these latter wordes of S. Paule to proue that it is in mans power to depart from iniquitie bicause Saint Paule doth will Christians so to doe And especially those wordes which followe which are these Si quis ergo emund iuerit se ab istis erit vas in honorem sanctificatum vtile domino ad omne opus bonum paratum If any man therfore shall clense himselfe from these men he shall be a vessell sanctified vnto honour and profitable for the Lord being prepared and made readie for euery good worke These wordes do manifestly declare
words are these Viuo ego dicit Dominus Nolo mortem impij sed vt conuertatur impius à via sua viuat Conuertimini conuertimini à vijs vestris pessimis quarè moriemini domus Israel That is to say As truely as I liue saith the Lord I desire not the death of the vngodly but that the vngodly be conuerted froÌ„ hys owne way and liue Be conuerted be conuerted froÌ„ your most wicked wayes why will ye die O you house of Israel Saint Hierome expounding this place beginneth at these wordes in the same Chapter Tu ergo fili hominis dic ad domum Israel sic locuti estis dicentes Iniquitates nostrae peccata nostra super nos c. Therefore thou sonne of man speake thou to the house of Israell and say thus haue ye spoken saying Our iniquities sinnes are vpon vs. c. By occasion of which wordes S. Hierome sayeth thus Sinegligenter legamus videtur nobis eadem prophetia esse quae supra in qua dicitur Nunquid volens cupio mortem iniqui dicit dominus nisi conuerti eum à via sua mala viuere Et in fine eiusdem prophetiâ—e Conuertimini redite ab vniuersis impietatibus vestris non erunt vobis in tormentum iniquitates Ibi enim ad eos sermo fit qui volunt agere poenitentiam iustitia peccata delere vt cum fiducia conuertantur pleno animo agant poeniteÌ„tiam Hic autèm ad eos loquitur qui magnitudine peccatorum imo impietatum suarum desperant salutem dicunt Iniquitates nostrae peccata nostra super nos sunt in ipsis tabescimus quomodo ergo viuere poterinites Et est sensus Cum semel nobis mors proposita sit vulneribus nostris nulla medicina possitrestituere sanitatem quid necesse est laborare frustra consumi praesentem vitam nòn cum desperatione transigere vt saltèm hac fruamur quia futuram perdidimus Quibus respondet Deus nòn velle se mortem impij sed vt reuertatur viuat Et Apostropham sacit ad impios desperaÌ„tes coÌ„uertimini à vijs vestris pessimis Atque vt sciamus qui sint impij ad quos loquitur sequeÌ„s sermo demoÌ„strat Quarè moriemini domus Israel Vita autem mors in hoc loco nòn haec significatur qua omnes communi cum bestijs lege naturae vel viuimus vel morte dissoluimur sed illa de qua scriptum est Placebo Domino in regione viuentium That is to saye If we reade this negligently it séemeth to be the same prophecie that is before wherin it is said do I willingly desire the death of the vngodly sayth the Lorde or but that he be conuerted from his owne euill waye and liue And in the ende of the same Prophecie Be ye conuerted and come backe againe from all your vngodlinesses and your iniquities shall not turne you to tormentes For in that place he speaketh vnto those which are willing to repent and by righteous life to blot out their sinnes that they might with sure confidence returne vnto God and with full mindes repent But in this place he speaketh vnto theÌ„ that throughe the greatnesse of their owne sinnes yea their owne impieties do dispayre of saluatioÌ„ and say Our iniquities and our sinnes are vppon vs and in them doe we consume away how can we therefore liue And this is their meaning Seing that death is once set before vs and no medicine is able to heale our wouÌ„ds what nede we labour and be consumed and not passe ouer thys life with desperatioÌ„ so that at the least way we may enioy this life For the life to come we haue already lost Unto whome God maketh aunswere that he willeth not the death of the vngodly but that he be conuerted liue And he turneth his speach to the desperate vngodlye ones saying turne you from your owne wayes whiche are most wycked And that we might knowe who those wicked ones were to whome he spake the wordes that follow do declare O ye house of Israell why wyll ye dye And that life and that death wherby we do by the order of nature with the brute beastes eyther liue or die is not in this place signified but that life whereof it is written I will please the Lorde in the land of the liuing By these wordes of S. Hierome it appeareth that he vnderstoode not the wordes of Ezechiell in such sorte as Cerberus would haue vs to vnderstande them that is that by them is taught a doctrine contrarie to that which we teache and so consequently the places that we builde vpon proued to make nothing for our purpose For Hierome saith that in the .xviii. Chapter of his Prophecie Ezechiell speaketh to them that be penitent and woulde by righteous life blot out their sinnes past These doth he there encourage with bolde courage and assured hope of forgiuenesse at Gods hand to go forward with their repentance begon saying Be ye conuerted and returne againe from all your vngodlinesses and your iniquities shall not turne you to torment But in this place in the 33. of his Prophecie sayth S. Hierom the Prophete speaketh to the desperate people of y â— Iewes which said Our iniquities and sinnes are vpon vs. c. Giuing them selues to continue in wickednesse as those that dispayred of forgiuenesse of that which was paste although they should froÌ„ thenceforth endeuour amendment To these sayth the Prophet speaketh God saying Turne from your owne moste wicked wayes Why wil ye die O ye house of Israell The greatnesse of our sinnes can be no cause why we should dispaire of Gods mercy Wherefore we teache with Ezechiel Ieremie Esaie and the rest of the holye Prophetes that God is ready to receiue to mercy as many as by repentance and amendmeÌ„t of life turne to him beleuing the promise that he hath made in the death and bloudshedding of his only sonne Iesus Christ I conclude therefore that this place maketh for our purpose and not against vs. And least I shoulde trouble the Reader ouer much with such places as this I 〈◊〉 referre all such places to the aunswere I haue here made not doubting but the diligent Reader who seketh nothing but the simple trueth shalbe therewithall satisfied Nowe as touching the places of S. Austen whyche Cerberus citeth out of his boke De esseÌ„tia Diuinitatis And De libero arbitrio gratia I will first rehearse all the wordes that S. Austen wryteth in those places concerning this matter and then weigh them that we may sée how they may serue for Cerberus purpose The wordes are these Indurare dicitur Deus quorundam malorum corda sicùt de Pharaone Rege Egypti scriptuÌ„ est nòn 〈◊〉 omnipotens Deus ppotentiaÌ„ suaÌ„ corda corum induret quod est impiuÌ„ ità credere sed exegeÌ„tibus coruÌ„ culpis quam duritiaÌ„ cordis quaÌ„ ipsi sibi mala
if I maye doe any thing with the same partie my hartie request to him shall be that he wyll graunt Cerberus his request And further I will be an humble suiter to all that shall reade this Apologie that they setting all affection a side will weighe both his aunswere and this Apologie euen as they are and none otherwise then haue I ynough also The Article is that all the generation of man doth neyther die by the sinne and transgression of Adam neither rise againe by the Resurrection of Christ That is that neither Adam was by his sinne a generall condemner of himselfe and all his posteritie neither Christ by his Resurrection a generall restorer of all mankinde For so doth Cerberus interprete Pelagius meaning I will not dispute about Pelagius meaning For I know it coulde not be good sith he denyeth a truth plainely affirmed by S. Paule and Esdras both as Cerberus hath truely affirmed vpon the seconde Article But that S. Paule ment in that place as Cerberus doth vnderstand him I doe slatly venie And will by Gods helpe proue both by the Scriptures iudgemēt of auncient writers And that the matter I go about may be the more playne to the reader I will first set downe in plaine wordes what meaning Cerberus gathereth of those wordes of Paule He gathereth that Paule shoulde minde to teach by those wordes that Christ restored as many as Adam loste Which gathering is very false and that may be proued by the verye circumstaunce of the place it selfe First Paules purpose is by comparing Christ with Adam to shewe that as Adam was able by disobedience to make himselfe and all his posteritie bonds slaues to Satan so was Christ able by obedience to deliuer the same from that bondage and to make them the free children of God Now for the maner of speache that he vseth in comparing these two togither we muste beware that we vnderstande it not so that we make Christ Adam lyke in all pointes For then shall we be enforced to graunt many inconueniences whereof thys is one That as Adam lost himselfe by disobedience so Christ restored himselfe by obedience Wherof shoulde followe that filthy errour of them that affirme that Christ dyed for his owne sinnes as well as for the sinnes of the people contrary to the whole course of the Scriptures which teache that he was without spotte of sinne and therfore was able to satisfie to God y e Father for sinne Another incōuenience is y t there shoulde be repugnācie betwéene this place of Scripture other wherin both S. Paule our Sauiour Christ doe teache that not all mankinde that is not euery particular person of mankinde but a certaine elected and chosen number are by Christ restored into y e fauour of God which thing may not be graūted For in the Scripture there is no repugnaunce at all And the thirde inconuenience shoulde be that only originall sinne that is y e sinne that we haue of our parents euen in our conception is put awaye by the bloud of Christ and not our actuall sinne So that we must eyther satisfie for that our selues or else perishe notwithstanding Christes death and sufferance Which is such an inconuenience as cutteth of from Christ as many as dye not in Infancie before they commit any actuall sinne These inconueniences considered we must séeke to finde another meaning in S. Paules wordes when he compareth Christ with Adam than that which the bare wordes seeme to giue His meaning is not to make Christ lyke vnto Adam but to preferre Christ before Adam to shewe that grace is more abundant in Christ than sinne was in Adam Which thing appeareth in Paules very wordes in the same chapter where he saith Sed non sicut delictum ita donū Si enim vnius delicto multi mortui sunt multo magis gratia Dei donum in gratia vnius hominis Iesu Christi in plures abundauit That is to saye But the gifte was not lyke vnto the sinne for if many dyed by y e sinne of one much more hath the mercy gifte of God in the grace of one man Iesus Christ abounded vnto many If these words of Paule should be vnderstād of the number that were loste by Adam and restored by Christ then muste we graunt y e more were restored by Christ than lost by Adam For he saith that the grace or mercy hath abounded vnto moe Which wordes being vnderstand of y e number restored must be spoken in comparison of the many that were lost by Adam so must it follow that moe were restored by Christ than were lost by Adam Which can not be vnlesse we will saye that Christ restored moe than all For Adam loste all The meaning of Paule is therefore that as y e sinne of Adam being but one man was a sufficient condemnation to himselfe and all his posteritie which are many euen so yea and much more was the grace or frée mercy and gift of God in Christ being but one a sufficient restitution of all the chosen Children of God although y e same were neuer so many And that this is the meaning of Paule doth well appeare by his wordes that follow in the same chapter where he sayth Et non sicut per vnum qui peccauit ita donum Nam condemnatio quidem ex vno in condemnationem gratia autem ex mult is delictis in iustificationem Si enim vnius delicto mors regnauit per vnum multo magis abundantiam gratiae donationis iustitiae accipientes in vita regnabunt per vnum Iesum Christum That is to saye And the gift is not so as is that which entred in by one that sinned For the condemnation came by one sinne into condemnation but grace or frée mercye was of many sinnes into righteousenesse For if by the sinne of one man death haue raigned by the meanes of one man much more shall they which haue receiued abundance of frée mercye or grace and of the gifte and righteousenesse raigne in lyfe thorow one which is Iesus Christ Here doth Paule plainely expresse his meaning Which is that they which haue receiued abundaunce of grace and of the gyft and righteousnesse are those many that are restored by Christ Iesu in whome through the same Christ lyse shall raigne Those are not the whole posteritie of Adam For the same Paule sayth in the .xj. chapter of this Epistle Quod quaerebat Israell non est consecutus electio autē consecuta est Israell hath not obtayned y e thing that he sought for but the election hath obtained Meaning that the carnall Israelites obtained not righteousenesse much lesse did y e whole offspring of Adā obtaine it But the election that is the elected and chosen children of God whether they be of the stock of Israel or no haue obtayned righteousenesse through Christ which is forgiuenesse of al their sinnes by his bloud
Austens name But bycause I promised before to proue mine affirmation as well by the iudgement of Auncient writers as by Scripture I will adde the iudgement of one or two moe whose autoritie and antiquitie is not to be dispised Of the which Ambrose shall be one Writing vpon the Epistle to the Romans he sayth Sicut per vnius delictum in omnes homines in condemnationem sic per vnius iustitiam in omnes homines in iustificationem vitae Hoc est sicut per vnius delictum omnes condemnationem meruerunt similiter peccantes ita in iustitia vnius omnes iustificabuntur credentes Si qui autem condemnationem hanc generalem esse putant simili modo iustificationem generalem accipient Sed non est verum quia non omnes credunt Sicut enim per inobedientiam vnius hominis peccatores constituti sunt plurimi ita et per vnius obedientiam iusti constituentur multi Quos supra omnes dixit hic plures multos significat Plures enim delictum Adae secuti sunt praeuaricando non omnes multi iusti constituentur non omnes Non ergo in eos regnauit mors qui non peccauerunt in similitudine preuaricationis Adae That is to say Euen as by one mans sinne giltinesse came vpon all men to condemnation so did iustification of lyfe come vpon all mē through the righteousenesse of one man That is euen as by the sinne of one man all men that doe sinne as he dyd haue deserued condemnation euen so all that do beleue shall be iustified in the righteousenesse of one man And if any doe think that this condemnation is general let them in lyke maner take the iustification to be generall But that is not true bycause all men doe not beleue For euen as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so by the obedience of one man many shall be made righteous The Apostle doth here call those same many that he did before call all For many haue in sinning folowed the sinne of Adam but not all and many shall be made righteous but not all Death therefore hath not raigned ouer them which haue not sinned in lyke sort as Adam did These be the wordes of Ambrose Which though at the first sight they séeme to incline to the errour of Pelagius yet when they be well weighed they giue a good and sounde meaning That is that sinne neuer raigned in any of Gods elect For although the elect of God in as much as they be the childrē of Adam be partakers of Adams sinne and in Adam condemned yet are they by Christe deliuered from that condemnation so that sinne hath in them no dominion at all Which thing appeareth in them by the fayth in Christ which when they come to knowledge they doe both by wordes and workes declare That this is the meaning of Ambros doth very plainely appeare by that he sayth that all the beleuers shall be iustified For what nedeth iustification where no condemnatiō was Thus much I thought good to write concerning y ◠simple meaning of this auncient Father least any mā of simplicity mistaking his meaning might think y t he should denie y e Elect to be conceyued and borne in originall sinne from which neuer any that was borne Christ only excepted coulde be frée But this is his meaning that in the Elect and chosen Children of God this sinne hath no dominion as it doth appeare by their obedience that they shewe in beleuing the Gospell but in the Reprobates it beareth rule still For Christ hath not killed it in them And to make an ende of this matter Saint Paule sayth thus in his eyght chapter to the Romans Who shall laye any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that doth iustifie who is it that shall condemne If all mankinde then be elected in Christ as Cerberus sayth then shall no sinne be layde to any mans charge For who dare accuse Gods chosen children And so shall Cerberus doctrine be the destruction of all vertue as he hath afore affirmed of the doctrine we teache of Predestination As for that which Cerberus citeth out of the seconde chapter of S. Iohns first Epistle the other places that he sendeth the Reader vnto I doe nowe passe ouer as sufficiently aunswered by that I haue written concerning S. Paules meaning in the fift to the Romans Cerberus The fift of Pelagius errours was that riche men being baptized except they did vtterly renounce and forsake their riches though they seeme to doe some good yet is it not accepted neither can they haue the Kingdome of God A filthy and an abhominable errour directly repugnant both to the state of the common wealth and also to the worde of God which sayth Charge them that be riche in this world that they be not exceding wyse c. And that they doe good and be riche in good workes c. The sixt errour is that the grace of God and the helpe of God is not giuē to euery one of our works but that it is in free choyse in the lawe and in doctrine This errour is exceding wicked and execrable that mā by the law by doctrine and by free choise is able to doe any maner of good worke whatsoeuer it be without the grace and helpe of God For as S. Paule sayeth we are not sufficient of our selues to think any thing as of our selues but our ablenesse cōmeth of God And againe It is God that worketh in vs both the will and the dede euen of good will The seuenth errour is that the grace of God is giuen according to our deseruing Vile and abhominable is this errour also and contrary to the manifest minde and words of the Apostle which sayth If it be of workes then is it no more grace for then were deseruing no more deseruing The eyght errour is that none can be called the children of God except they be all together made without sinne This errour is lyke wicked with the rest directly repugnant to the open Scripture where it is written If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs. For as S. Iames saith of himselfe and of all other In many things we sinne all Crowley In these foure errours Cerberus can finde nothing to charge vs with all and therfore he goeth about to get himselfe credite among the simple Christians by calling these errours filthy and abhominable exceding wicked and execrable vile and abhominable and lyke wycked with the reste But if a man might come to reason with Cerberus I thinke it woulde fall out in the ende that he is not so cleare of the sixt errour as he would séeme to be when he calleth it exceeding wicked and execrable For if he were asked why feared he to translate Saint Paules words according to his meaning when he saide to the Philippians Deus est qui operatur
Though we be compelled to say that God is the Authour of the fact yet we must answere but not of the crime Areade areade what is that God is the Author of the very fact deede of adulterie theft murder and treason and yet he is not the Authour of sinne And why The subtilitie of the Riddle is this That sinne is nothing The theefe is not hanged for the deede that he hath cōmitted for God is the Author therof but he is hanged for the sinne and that is for nothing For whē they say God is the Author of all things then nothing is excepted But sin is nothing therfore he is not the Author of sinne The theefe is hanged for nothing The murderer is put to death for nothing The traitor loseth his head for nothing The wicked are punished in euerlasting fire for nothing A maruellous sophistication A straūge Paradox cautelous riddle But to be short though many ways this subtiltie might be answered I wil take onely the definition of sinne as I finde it written in the same booke where he sayth verie truly The nature of sinne is defined by the authoritie of Scripture to be a thought word or deede contrary to the wyll of God Now bicause they say that God is the Author of all euil deedes though not of the crimes let vs pase ouer the euill thought and euill words and speake onely of the deede it selfe whych he hymselfe desineth to be sinne and contrary to Gods wyll If God then be Authour of the fact or deede which deede is sinne and cōtrarie to Gods wyll how can he then say that God is the Authour of the fact but not of the fault soyng he hymself setteth forth not only a thought or a word but also a deede to be sinne And if God be the Authour of that same deede whych deede is sinne is it not a thing most plain that God is the Authour of sinne Crowley Marke gentle Reader I pray thée how this Puppie playeth with his owne tayle He imagineth that all euē as many as do hold that God doth not only foresée but also predestinate al things both good and euill do therin holde that God is the Authour of all sinne and abhominable wickednesse The contrarie whereof is in the former part of this Apologie sufficiently proued But he hath heard he sayth yea and séene in an English booke an Enigma a maruellous sophistication a straunge Paradox and a cautelous Riddle which is this Though we be compelled to saye that God is the Authour of the fact yet we must aunswere but not of the crime Areade areade what is that sayth Cerberus The Curre can not smell how the acte may be Gods and the sinne that is in the acte his that is the instrument in the working of the acte But the subtiltie of this Riddle saith he is this That sinne is nothing And then the theefe is hanged for nothing the murderer is put to death for nothing the traytour loseth his head for nothing and the wicked are punished in euerlasting fire for nothing But this is some thing That Cerberus sayth that there is some thing wherof God is not the Authour And so it followeth vpon his wordes that eyther there is another being besides God whereof those things that God is not the Authour of haue their being or else that those things haue theyr being of themselues and are therein equall with God whose greatest honour is in that he is and hath his being of himselfe But Cerberus must be borne withall whatsoeuer be sayth For if he be contraried all hell shall ring of his bauling We may not conclude vpō his wordes as he doeth vpon ours But for this once I will be bolde to say that if God be not the principall cause and Authour of al things wythout exception then there be some things whereof God is not the principall cause and Authour And so must it needes follow whether Cerberus will or no that the words in the beginning of S. Iohns Gospell are not true Omnia per ipsum facta sunt sine ipso factū est nihil quod factum est By him were all things made and nothing that was made was made without him But we knowe this saying to be true Wherefore we are bolde to conclude contrarie to the iudgement of Cerberus that God is not onely the principall cause but also the Authour and maker of all things And bicause Cerberus sayth that we holde a Paradox contrarie to al the auncient writers let him read that which S. Austen writeth in the. 26. Chapter of hys first booke of Retractations His wordes be these Viri 〈…〉 Deus Autor mali nòn sic vbi videndum est nè maè intelligatur quod dixi Mali Autor nòn est quia omnium qua sunt Autor est quia in quantum sunt in tantum bona sunt Et nè hine putetur nòn abillo esse poenam malorum quae vtique malum est ijs qui puniuntur Sed hoc ita dixi quemadmedū dictum est Deus mortem nòn fecit Cum alibi scriptum sit Mors vita à Domino Deo est Malorum ergo poena quae à Deo est mala est quidem malis sed in bonis Dei operibus est quoniam iustum est vt mali puniantur vtique bonum est omne quòd iustū est That is to say Whether God be not the Authour of the thing that is euill where men must take héede that they do not miscōster that which I haue sayd that is That God is not y ◠Authour of that which is euill for he is Authour of all those things that haue any being for in asmuch as they be they be good Also men must take héede that hereby they take not occasion to thinke that the punishment of the wicked cōmeth not of God which punishment is also euill vnto them that be punished But I spake this euen as it is sayd that God made not death Whereas in another place it is written Death and life are of the Lord God The punishment therefore of the wicked which commeth of God is euill vnto them that be euil But yet it is among the good workes of God For it is right that the wicked be punished and euery thing that is right is good I suppose that when Cerberus hath reade and well weighed these wordes of S. Austen he will not say that we hold a Paradox vnlesse he minde to match S. Austē with vs. Which if he shall do he shall shake his owne building verie sore For it standeth well most altogether vpon S. Austens groūd although without Sainct Austens consent But Cerberus will looke that some thing should be sayd to the aunswere that he maketh to our subtile sophisticatiō For he séemeth to himselfe to haue sayd so much that will we nill we it must be cōfessed that God being the Authour of the thing that is euill he is also the
lawes and doctrine For therfore that I may vse agayne the wordes of Austen thyngs are forbidden to be done bicause they might be done but ought not to be done And thys necessitie groweth vpon former causes graunted or wrought As it is of necessitie or needes must be that sectes and heresies shall growe in the Church bicause the wycked seeke their owne glorie and Sathan stirreth theyr heartes to imagine set forth abhominable errors wherin they serue the Diuell wyth all the diligence of their power Wherefore it must follow that sects and heresies shall grow Neyther doth this necessitie proue that they could not choose but commit such euilles but seeing they do refuse the light and embrace the darkenesse thys must necessarily follow thys must needes be the end that heresie much mischief shal spring Or as when a man presently beholdeth with his eyes murder theft druÌ„kennesse or any other wickednesse it must nedes be true that such things are committed according to that whych a man doth see plainly before hys eyes Yet doeth it not follow that those wicked doers coulde not choose but commit those outragious crimes But seeyng that they do commit such thyngs it must needes be true by the necessitie of consequence that such things are committed of them These two kindes of necessitie doeth Austen notably declare how after what sort they spring out of Gods predestination Lib. De Praedest Dei Cap. 2. First of all sayth Austen it is horrible iniquitie to say that God doeth predestinate anie thing sauing only that whych is good But of predestinations some be of bynding or of bondage and other be of condition These are of iustice and those of power And that it may be the more manifest it shal be declared sayth he by example which are of binding and power and whych are of condition and iustice God created heauen and earth sunne and moone Furder he did foreordeyne or predestinate that the heauen should euer be turned and the vnmoueable earth should be in place of a center vnto the turning heauen The Sunne and Moone should rule the day and night The day night should succede one another in certain times appoynted These predestinations are of power and of bynding For euerie one of those thyngs aforesayd is so bounde vnto hys worke by the predestination of God that it can not be moued from the same But God created man and did predestinate him that if he were obedient and did absteyn from the tast of the forbidden apple he should liue but if he were disobedient he should abide the sentence of death Thys predestination is of condition and of iustice For God before the fall of man dyd not by the power of binding so predestinate him to die that of necessitie he must nedes die but vnder that coÌ„dition if he sinned Bicause therfore maÌ„ did sin it was a righteous thing that he should die If he sinned not he should not be bouÌ„d to death by any chayn of Gods predestinatioÌ„ All these are the wordes of Austen And thys diuision is often repeated and commended by the best learned of the Protestantes Crowley Now Cerberus will shortly come to an ende For he will conclude with one note in this matter of can not choose or necessitie c. And this note is of the two sortes of necessitie one absolute and the other of consequence Or méere necessitie and necessitie vpon condition c. And to make men beleue that all that we doe is to persuade meÌ„ that al things do come to passe of méere necessitie he putteth for example the damnation of the Diuell the immortalitie of mans soule and the mortalitie of the brute beastes As though the thoughts words and déedes of men were like vnto these And therfore it should as little auaile to vsexeason law counsell doctrine faire promises or threatnings to pull men from euil thought words or déedes and so from damnation which doth necessarily follow vpoÌ„ those doings as it were by the same meanes to goe about to make the Diuell a saued spirite mans soule mortal the life of a brute beast euerlasting But we speake not of that necessitie which is méere or absolute but we speake of the other which is of consequence or condition And therefore his Austens wordes are cited out of place I saye his Austens wordes bicause they are the words of the same Austen that I haue noted before not to be the Bishop of Hippoe for these wordes of this Austen are spoken of the thoughtes wordes and déedes of men which though they do come to passe by a certaine necessitie as God dyd without beginning foresee that they should yet doth man vse the libertie of his wil therein For he doth neyther thinke speake nor doe anie thing without the consent of his will And there is no impossibilitie in man but that his thoughtes wordes and déedes may be contrarie to that they are As for example There was no impossibilitie in Cerberus but that he might haue refrayned both y â— weiting and publishing and casting abroade of this aunswere to his friendes letter Neyther was it impossible for me to refraine from writing this Apologie And Cerberus and I both haue herein vsed the libertie of our will And yet did God foresée predestinate both his doings herein and mine And as he did foresée that we should choose to do as we haue done so did he also predestinate oure doings herein So that choosing to doe as God did foresée and predestinate that we should choose to doe we haue done it by that necessitie that all learned Authours do call the necessitie of consequence or condition And God doeth foresee whether this Apologie shall persuade Cerberus to be of one minde with vs or not And if it shall be so then hath God predestinated my labours so that end If not then shall my labours serue to some other purpose that God knew before And yet do I herein vse the libertie of my wiâ—â— and so shall Cerberus vse his For neyther of vs is or shalbe enforced to do that which our will would not haue vs do This is all the matter that the wordes of Cerberus his Austen do conteine when they be truly weighed As for the sentence of Pelancthon it maketh nothing against vs for we speake of the same necessitie that he speaketh of and we affirme with him that it taketh not away the libertie of mans will The same Melancthon writing De necessario in hys booke which he doth entitle Erotematum dialectices sayeth that there be foure sortes of necessities One absolute As that God is true liberall iust c. Another of desinitions or demonstrations as a thrée cornered stone must of necessitie haue thrée corners and vertue must néedes be a thing that agréeth with the rule of Gods will The third is natural in things which are so ordered in nature that they can not otherwise be in and by that order But this necessitie may be
is the cause of Gods hate or eternal death and put the same into the one side of the ballaunce then take and put into the other side this saying of S. Paul to the Romanes was that then that was good made death vnto me God forbid but sinne was made death vnto me Then wey both these sayings together with the hand of good aduisemēt in the indifferent ballāce of vpright iudgement and put not in aboue three graynes of wilful partialitie thus shalt thou plainly see that the Apostle agreeth farre better with the Maiestie of God and hath a much more reuerent opinion of hys iudgements than these men haue yea thou shalt easily perceyue whatsoeuer they say that neyther Gods pleasure nor Gods ordinance or predestinatiō nor none other thing that is good is made death or the cause of Gods hatred agaynst any man but sinne is the very grounded cause why God hateth taketh vengeaunce and punisheth man by death and destruction according to that which the same Apostle sayth Death is the reward of sinne And the wordes of O see are also manifest plaine where he saith O Israell thou doest destroy thy selfe but in me onely is thy helpe In which words of the holie ghost thou seest how manifestly God doth as it were purge him selfe from being the cause or worker of mans destruction so that the perdition and destruction of man is altogether to be attributed vnto hym selfe And God being cleare neyther accessarie nor partaker thereof as the chiefe and hygh Iudge of heauen and earth vnspotted and wythout blame gyueth the sentence of euerlasting death vpon man for his own wicked deseruing and offence But on the other side sayth God vnto man in me only is thy helpe In God onely onely in God is our helpe and saluation in him onely and of him altogether and not of our selues commeth our saluation and all whatsoeuer belongeth therevnto The same is also set forth by all those Scriptures whych are before rehearsed to proue that sinne and euill commeth not of Gods predestination for vpon that conclusion dependeth also thys proposition that sinne is not the cause of Reprobation or of Gods hatred towards man Crowley Yet once againe hath Cerberus a snatch at Knoxe Whether he do report his words truly or not I knowe not for I haue not seene that booke of his neither haue I cause to thinke y t al is Gospel that Cerberus saith Much more adoe than néedeth doth Cerberus make to proue that an Argument à contrarijs simile and dissimile doth not alwayes conclude necessarilie For as he sayth who séeth not that they do not holde in all pointes This therfore that Cerberus hath here written is but dalliaunce and as it were dauncing about the bushe The questiō is whether the sequele be good in the matter that Knoxe doth vse it in or not We must therfore consider the matter and how Knoxe doth applie this maner of reasoning to this matter The matter therfore is a question moued concerning the cause why Esau shoulde be hated of God and Iacob beloued before any of them had done eyther good or euill yea and before they were borne and therfore before there could be in them any deseruing at all Now Knoxe sayth that if Esau were hated for his euill deseruing then must it néedes follow by an Argument following of the nature of contraries that Iacob was beloued for his well deseruing Nowe I must thinke well of Knoxe for I knowe hym to be not only learned but also godlie and therefore not like to ouershoote himselfe so farre that he woulde stretch an Argument taken out of the place of contraries further than the nature thereof will suffer I must thinke therfore that he meant that if God do in choosing and refusing in louing and hating respect nothing but the well deseruing of one sort and the euill deseruing of y e other as the common opinion of the Papistes is then it must néedes follow by an Argument of the nature of contraries that if he hated Esau for his euill deseruing he must needes loue Iacob for his well deseruing If Cerberus be not satisfied with this let him looke for furder aunswere at Knoxes owne hand for he is yet liuing and able to aunswere for himselfe As for the similitude of a King or Prince that Cerberus vseth to deface Knoxes Argument withall may serue him among such as know not that God is frée frō al mens affections and that he can not be moued to loue vs the better for the giftes that we bestow vpon him nor the worsse for that we take from him and spoyle him of any treasure that he ought to haue The nature of God is not to hate but to loue For S. Iohn sayth God is loue And as the wise man sayth he loueth all things that be and he hateth none of the thinges that he hath made Neyther hath he ordeined or made any thing hating the same that he ordeyned or made For in that he made or ordeyned them they are all excéeding good Wherefore when we say or when it is sayd in the Scriptures that God doth hate any of his creatures as it is said that he hated Esau it is meāt that he loued not Esau or those other creatures whome he is sayde to hate so well as he loued the others of whome it is sayd that he loued them It can not be denied but must néedes be confessed that God loued al his creatures in that he would make them some thing where as before they were nothing and in that he would giue them some part of that which is proper to himselfe For to be is proper to God And whatsoeuer hath any being it hath the same of God When God giueth a being to his creatures he sheweth that he loueth them but when he giueth them an euerlasting and blessed being then he loueth them so that the other loue in comparison of that seemeth but an hatred And therfore it is sayd that he hateth them whom he appointeth not to that euerlasting blessed being but leaueth thē to themselues that in them he may haue occasion to exercise his iustice and by them to gyue occasion to hys dearlie beloued to sée and consider the excéeding greatnesse of his loue and mercie towardes them But Cerberus séemeth to haue the whole Scripture on his side For he sayth that all the Scripture teacheth vs that God neuer hateth and punisheth vs without our owne deseruing Which saying I graunt to be true but not in that sense that Cerberus would haue vs to vnderstande it For Cerberus woulde haue vs to thinke that God could not be compted iust if he shoulde refuse any man in whome there were not sinne that might moue God to refuse him and to that ende he citeth the wordes of the wise man For this is his opinion as it appeareth before that in Christ all mankinde is elected and so consequently that Esau was elected in Christ But