to your owne saying hath authoritie to dispence with sinnes by vertue of his Bulles not for a day a moneth or for a yeare onely but for euer euer which also keépeth the keyes of heauen at his pleasure wherewith he geueth the kyngdome of heauen vnto some persons and from others locketh it fast which is inuested in the fulnesse of all power is the vndoubted Uicare of God to whose most royall maiestie all and euery other powers and Magistrates must humble yeld submit them selues Whereas I say you allowe of all those titles of dignitie and not onely teache and defend them in this your vnbridled insolēcy but also so lustely couragiously vaūte and rayse vp your crest What doe you els in that blazyng brauerie of speach but coyne to your selfe others a most manifest Idoll which you may worshyp before whom you may prostrate your selfe most lowly humbly make intercessiō vnto And therfore dissemble Ierome as ye liste yet that is your Romish Idoll Your selfe also a manifest Idolatour You must with all willyngly endure all trauaile be it neuer so hard to attaine the fauour and blessyng of that your God perhappes you may picke vp some crommes thereby and through him be promoted so highe that ye may more nearely behold that your earthly God and be enstalled vnder his elbow in his palace wherin you may do sacrifice vnto his Maiestie You say that I do prouoke you to disputation This is vntrue I do not prouoke you but confute your false accusations wherewith you charge vs as mainteinours of a fayth voyde of all vertue and Religion And euer amōg you thrust in the name of Luther What perteineth that to vs Cast out your challenge to some one Deuine in England by name you shall seé how quickly he will take vp your gloue with no labour crush your Sophisticall canes in peéces You do wish me to peruse those your bookes entitled De Iustitia and in thē you say that I may throughly satisfie my selfe touchyng the iustifyeng of fayth Truly I haue perused your Uolumes deuided into threé bookes entitled De Iustitia in the first wherof ye speake much in the commendation of fayth and therein vse testimonies and Argumentes who doth reprehend you herein I pray you And yet all that your endeuour hath obteined no more but to shewe your selfe an vnnecessary arguer in an vndoubted controuersie Of the same stampe also is your second booke wherein you commend much the worthynes of good workes and herein we do nothing dissent from you but will aduaunce the same as much as you will wish vs. But your thyrd booke is almost altogether a Pelagian and beyng throughly poysoned with the heresies of the Greéke Church doth blasphemously inueighe agaynst the freé mercy of God the Father in Christ Iesu and namely agaynst S. Augustine an vnvanquishable patrone of the heauēly grace And therfore this your gaye poppet so gorgiously paynted whiche liketh your selfe so well is partly friuolous ouerwhelmed with to much tattlyng and partly wicked and execrable whiles it practizeth to trāsforme vs from naturall men almost to be Gods Neither am I alone of that opinion for Cardinall Poole also was for the most part of the same Iudgement whō although Rome had maruailously disguised yet all men knew to be farre better man in liuyng and much more expert in Diuinitie then you are he did alwayes withstand your attempt of publishyng in printe that your delicate impe which you as thē did so louyngly embrace and had in so great estimatiō as your owne derlyng And accomptyng the same to be most perillous and pestiferous gaue this famous verdit thereof worthy to be deépely engrauen in the very entrailes of all Christian hartes It is not possible sayth Cardinall Poole it is not possible to yelde to much to the mercy of God nor to abase the strength of man to much If you had had so much grace as to haue conceaued and emprinted in your braynes this doctrine of humilitie abacement you would neuer haue so nakedly stripped Christ of his grace nor so hautely and arrogantly enhaunced the power of mans will ne yet so proudely and boldly reproued and despised S. Augustine But what dare not Osorius doe who accordyng to the nature of his name dare boldly presume vpō all thyngs peraduēture you will demaunde how I knew Pooles mynde herein I will tell you Our familiar very frēd not vnknowen vnto you M. Ascham did sondry tymes aduertize me therof affirmyng that he did heare the same vttered by the mouth of the Cardinall him selfe This also doth trouble you very much bycause I affirmed it to be your own errour as which being imagined in your own braynsicke mazer you would falsely lay to others charge What then did I not say the very truth herein is it not your owne lye your owne haynous acte your owne slaunder yea your owne errour fayned coyned and imagined by your selfe though afterwardes you would poast it ouer to others without cause And yet you spare not to pinche me cruelly for so saying And amongest other scornes reproche me of my stammeryng speach as though I can not speake playnly But in the meane whiles you wryng your selfe by the nose and geue your selfe two foule blowes First of all in the matter it selfe as euen now and els where I haue declared sufficiently Then in the maner of speache where in steéde of barbarous endytyng ye reprehende me for my stammeryng toung Which neuer any person would doe that hath bene enured to write pure and cleane Latine Surely Syr I do speake very playnly and distinctly through the inestimable benefite of God but your toūg doth both stammer and stutte if the report of them be true who haue had conference with you which blemish bycause it proceédeth of nature I would neuer haue obiected against you if you had not first of all vpbrayded me with the same fault wherewith your selfe are naturally encombred At the length you are entred into the treaty of Iustification but first ye snatche at a few sentences of Scriptures which I haue set downe And the same without all reason after a certeine cōtinuall crooked vsage of cauillyng ye writhe and wrest ouerthwartely And therfore I will bid adewe to that your vnmeasurable captious Sophistry and will sift your Diuinitie a whiles which wil appeare to be your own that is to say most foolish detestably corrupt You rehearse out of my writing euē as it is that these workes are vnprofitable to Iustification yet that they ought not be despised bycause Paule doth seéme to verifie both positions Let vs seé what our Doctour Ierome sayth to this for sooth he raungeth abroad to originall sinne altogether besides the cushian He doth cruelly accuse Luther Caluine and Melancthon bycause they do cōdemne all the workes of the most holy men being cōpared with the glory of God And that the same could not be
any thyng if you shall thinke that it ought not to be accōpted in any respect a partener in workyng a good worke For aūswere wherof I would wishe you to harkē not to the wordes that I speake but vnto Augustine It is most true Osori that whatsoeuer good worke is wrought by vs the prayse thereof ought to redounde wholy not to our Freewill but to Gods grace which performeth all whatsoeuer is performed by vs godly and worthy prayse For that is it that the wordes of Augustine emporte that true and humble confession doth require in vs. That is to say That we referre all vnto God And yet this grace of God doth not so worke all that whiche is proper to it selfe by her selfe onely as workyng in vs without our Freewill And agayne it neither worketh so together with our Freewill that any portion of prayse or rewarde should bee ascribed to Freewill for any of all whatsoeuer is due vnto God And therefore where as Augustine in his booke De gratia libero arbit◠both affirme that neither grace without Freewill nor Freewill without grace is sufficient We do confesse both to be true for either of them worketh with the other I cōfesse it but yet after a certeine seuerall sort For the Grace of God worketh when it helpeth mans Freewill yet it worketh in such wise as that it is neuer wrought by an other it doth so helpe Freewill as beyng neuer holpen by Freewill Furthermore it doth so helpe but that it is alwayes freé not to helpe if it will In fine whēas Gods grace doth worke most effectually by helpyng mās will yet worketh it not so with mās Freewill as stādyng in neéde of the helpe of Freewill by any meanes but rather vsing the seruice therof But the state of Freewill is farre otherwise For Freewill worketh together with Gods spirite not as commaundyng his seruice at any tyme but alwayes wantyng his assistaunce In the one wherof you perceaue the efficacie of the cause that worketh in the other the seruice onely of the Instrument Moreouer when will doth worke most effectually Gods grace directyng it yea and freély bycause it worketh voluntaryly yet doth it neuer attempt any good thyng of her selfe without the directiō of grace neither by any meanes otherwise then as it is holpen but neuer helpeth grace by which it is both wrought and holpen Yea and then also when it is wrought it so worketh that it can not chuse but worke of very necessitie Euen as Seruauntes in respect of their birth are freé but beyng commaūded by their Maisters whom they be bounde vnto they must obey whether will they nill they of very Necessitie In like maner fareth it with mens Freewilles albeit they stand in such plight as that they be alwayes carried with freé motiō that is to say with voluntary motion to the thynges whatsoeuer they do yet is it so farre of to be able enough of their owne power to prosecute their purposed imaginations as they would wishe them selues that many tymes they are withdrawen agaynst their willes from executyng the mischief whiche they conceaued Agayne to do good deédes they are so the Seruauntes of grace that when they are drawen they can not chuse but obey of very necessitie What neéde examples in matter most apparaūt How oftē and how many doe we finde that purpose many thynges in their myndes which notwithstandyng come to a farre other maner of end then they were deuised for beyng quite ouerthrowen by the onely countermaunde of almightie God As appeareth in Balaam and the brothers of Ioseph of whom the first was barred from speakyng that which he determined the other from executyng their deuises by the wonderfull prouidence of God It would be to much to recite all the exāples mētioned in the scriptures to this effect as Pharao Sennacherib Hamman Antiochus Herode the Pharisees Iulian and innumerable others of the same sorte whose Freewill beyng wonderfully interrupted euen amiddes their chiefest practizes was neither able to do any good thyng well nor yet accomplishe the euill that they had imagined accordyng to their determinate purpose It shall suffice to produce one or two examples whereby it may make both euidētly appeare how that it neither resteth in the choyse of mā to proceéde in euill doyng after his owne will nor to leaue of frō doyng well beyng drawen by Gods Spirite Saule breathyng forth as yet slaughter threatenynges whenas he persequuted the Christiās with wholy bent affection of Freewill what crueltie would he haue executed if he could haue brought to passe the deuise which he had throughly determined in mynde And why could hee not doe it But bycause there is no freédome in mans Freewill of it selfe euen in workyng wickednesse but such as beyng hindered many tymes alwayes bonde must be enforced to acknowledge her owne weakenesse on euery side Let vs couple with Paule the Apostle Peter that we may learne in thē both how that we are not able of our selues either to frame our lyues altogether to wickednesse or to direct the same sometyme to godlynesse And first touchyng Saules wicked will in his most wicked enterprises how litle it auayled hath bene declared already Let vs now behold Peters fayth not by what meanes he receaued it at the first but let vs seé what his fleshly will was able to doe to the vttermost of his power either in refusing fayth when it was geuen him or in forsakyng it when he was holpen Upō which matter let vs geaue care to the testimonie of Augustine When it was sayd vnto Peter sayth hee Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth may not fainte Darest thou presume to say that ` Peters fayth should haue fayled though Peter him selfe would haue wished it to haue fayled considering that Christ prayed that Peters faith might not fayle as though Peter would haue willed any thing elles then as Christ had prayed for him that hee should will Whereupon appeareth that Peters faith did not depend so much vpon his owne will is vpon the prayer of Christ who did both helpe his faith and direct his will And bycause his will was directed of the Lord therfore could not the prayer made for him be vneffectuall And therfore when hee prayed that his faith might not fayle what prayed hee for els but that he might bee endued with a most free most valiaunt vnuanquishable and most perdurable will in the faith Thus much Augustine And therfore Ieremie the Prophet cryeng out vnto the Lord most worthely I know O Lord sayth he that the way of mā is not in him selfe neither is it in man to walke and to direct his owne steppes Whiche wordes me seémeth that Luther did note not altogether vndiscretely whose wordes if I would here set downe I can not seé which part therof Osorius would be able to confute For in this sorte doth Luther argue If mans way mans
the Grace of God offered vnto vs or els not to receaue it I deny the Argument For where the effectuall Grace of God is which worketh in vs not onely by outward callyng but also by the inward renewyng and earnest motion of the mynde as Augustine writeth to Simplician there can be no defect of will And agayne wheresoeuer is any want of will there is not Gods effectuall Grace which is comprehēded within these two partes outward callyng and inward drawyng So that the receauyng of grace is within vs in deéde yet commeth not of our selues but of the grace of God But the Refusall of Grace is both in vs and of vs and yet in such wise as that beyng left ouer to our owne weakenesse we are not able to doe otherwise of our selues There is obiected out of Augustine Hypognosticon 3. booke That we haue lost our freedome not to will but to be able and to performe First by that consent of the learned it is certeine that this booke was neuer made by August 2. the aduersaries do not interprete it aright 3. let the premisses be ioyned with that which followeth For he doth cōfesse that there is a Freewill hauyng Iudgemēt of reason in deéde not by wh it may be apt either to begyn or to end any godly action wtout God but onely in the actions of this present life And forthwith followeth in the same August When we speake of Freewill we do not treate of one part of man onely but of whole mā altogether c. Whereupō their errour is cōdēned which do affirme that corruptiō is wholy includeth within the flesh whereas by testimony of the same Aug. corruption hath defiled that inward powers of the soule likewise whereupō he speaketh in the same place on this wise Freewill beyng defiled the whole mā is defiled wherfore without helpe of the Grace of God he is neither able to begin to do any thyng that may be acceptable vnto God nor yet to performe it The Scripture doth euery where describe the Freedome of will Where it testifieth that God will render to euery man accordyng to his deseruyng whereas it cōteyneth ordinaunces and preceptes of good lyfe where it exhorteth euery where to godlynes forbyddeth to sinne and threateneth punishment Out of all whiche it is most assured that the power of freewill is declared If the whole Scriptures treate altogether euery where of these where be the premisses then First as touchyng merites Augustine doth Aunswere Woe be vnto the lyfe of man thought neuer so commendable if God deale with vs after our deseruynges As cōcernyng reward he doth aunswere after the same maner That reward is geuē in deede to them that deserue it but yet so as to deserue is geuen first from the grace of God and proceedeth not from mans Freewill vnto whō reward is geuen afterwardes That is to say Grace for Grace as Augustine sayth Moreouer as cōcernyng the preceptes and commaundementes in deéde GOD doth commaunde vs to walke in them but he doth promise that he will bryng to passe that we may walke in thē that is to say that he will geue vs both a mynde and feéte to walke withall Where a Recompence is made there is a consideration of merite Nay rather the conclusion would haue bene more correspōdent on this wise Where Recompence doth follow there doth consideration of obedience goe before For of Obedience the Argument is good enough but of Merite starke naught Where Recompence is there is regarde had both of Obediēce and of Merite out of the Maister of Sentēces Wherupon they argue on this maner Hope doth not trust to the mercy of God onely but to our Merites also And therfore to hope beyng voyde of Merites is not to hope but to presume as they affirme This Treatize here toucheth Merites and Obediēce both I aunswere vnto both First of Obedience the Assertion may be graunted But that Obedience is ment here that is made acceptable to God and proceédeth not from the will and abilitie of our Freéwill but from the grace of GOD onely But of Merite if the worthynesse of the worke be regarded we doe vtterly deny it if they vnderstand of Obedience approued and acceptable in the sight of GOD we doe not striue agaynst them so that they will reknowledge this much agayne that this Obedience of ours how ready soeuer it be doth not spryng from our owne abilitie but that we ought to acknowledge it as a gift receaued by the benefite of the heauenly Grace to be his gift onely and none others Agaynst this Masterlyke sentence I will set downe the opinion of Basile He that trusteth not in himselfe neither looketh to be iustified by workes that man hath the hope of Saluation reposed onely in the mercies of God Augustine disputyng agaynst the Pelagians which did say that the same Recōpence which shal be geuen in the ende is a reward of good workes going before doth aūswere That this may be graūted vnto them if they likewise agayne would confesse that those good workes were the gifts of God and not the proper actiōs of mē for those that are such that is to say proper vnto men are euill but yet are good giftes of God c. Whereupō in an other place If thy merites sayth he come of thy selfe they be euill and for that cause are they not crowned and therefore that they may be good they must be the giftes of God And agayne writyng to Sixtus Be there no merites of righteous men yeas truly Bycause they be righteous men but their merites brought not to passe that they were made righteous For they be made righteous when they be Iustified but after the maner of the Apostles teachyng Freely Iustified through the Grace of Christ. And agayne writyng vpon the 94. Psalme If GOD would deale accordyng to mens deseruynges he should not finde any thyng but that he might of very Iustice vtterly condemne c. But these sayinges bycause they apperteyne to the Iudgement of yeldyng Reward do concerne our cause nothyng at all who do not create now of the last Iudgement but of the Grace of Election properly Whiche grace whosoeuer will say is geuen accordyng to the proportion of deseruynges Augustine doth call the same a most pernitious errour It is Furthermore obiected that Augustine writyng vnto Prosper and Hyllary doth not onely in the very title of the booke ioyne Freewill with Grace but also heapyng a nomber of Arguments together doth very earnestly endeuour to confirme that man hath Freewill I do confesse that Augustine in these bookes as many tymes otherwise doth by certeyne Argumentes framed out of holy Scriptures teache Freewill and withall ioyne it with Grace But such Argumentes are they as him selfe afterwardes confuteth Moreouer consideration must be had in what wise he doth ioyne both these together how he doth part them a sūder agayne
of your side be it neuer so sauadge can with fire Fagot cōsume out of the myndes of the godly But this our new maister dispatcheth all thyngs in scoffes a petie questiōs He demaundeth of vs what is to be vnderstanded of those Sacramentes which we doe reteine First of all if we doe vse any Sacraments at all you are taken tardy for a common lyar agaynst vs especially for you rayled a litle earst that all Sacramentes were vtterly abolished by our preachers and that you haue as many witnesses of this solemne lye as England hath inhabitauntes But you proceede and would know What Sacraments be If you doe know already and will dissemble why doe you playe the foole in so earnest a matter but if you bee ignoraunt hereof what maner of Deuine will you be accoumpted that know not the first principles of Religion Nay say you I am not doubtfull of the Sacraments of Scholemen but I know not your bare and naked Images by the whiche you deny the grace of God to bee obteined How many faultes Osorius in so few wordes For first of all who euer called Sacramentes by this name Images but you alone in déede they are named signes and markes of holy thynges many tymes seales of our saluatiō many mē call them tables and so diuers men geue diuers names But your selfe are the very first that euer gaue this tearme of Images to Sacramēts But as touching wordes though you be oftētymes ouer captious we wil be more tractable with you therein and will prosecute the matter You say that our Deuines doe place naked Images in steade of Sacramentes How naked my Lord I pray you we do agrée with S. Augustine that Sacramentes are signes of holy thynges or thus that Sacramentes are visible signes of inuisible grace I trust you will permit me the same libertie of wordes which you vse to take to your selfe We do graūt that we are by Baptisme regenerate to eternall lyfe we doe also yeld that in the holy Communion our Lord Iesus is truely receiued of the faythfull in spirite by fayth Whereby it appeareth that our Deuines do not accoumpt the Sacramentes as bare naked signes but for thynges most effectuall most holy thynges most necessaryly apperteyning to our comfort they be sacred mysteries of our Religion they be assured pledges of heauenly grace And yet God the father which made vs of clay is not tyed to his workemāshyp nor bounde to his creatures But taketh mercy of whom he will haue mercy and forgeueth our sinnes for his owne sake not for the Sacraments sake Lastly Life euerlasting is the gift of God through Iesus Christ not through operation of the Sacramentes And therfore we do refuse and detest such naked falsely forged Images as dreames of your owne drousie braynes and vse the true Sacramentes as most sacred thynges as pledges of our fayth and seales of our saluation yet we do not attribute so much vnto them as though by the meanes of them the grace of God must of necessitie be poured our vpō vs by the Workes wrought as through conduct pipes This impietie we turne ouer to your Schoolemen the very first sprynges of this poyson For inheritaunce is geuen of faith accordyng to grace The Sacramentes are reuerend signes of Gods grace vnto vs are excellēt monumētes of our Religion are most perfect witnesses of our saluation If you can not be satisfied with these commendations of the Sacramēts heape you vp more vnto them at your choyse we shal be well pleased withall so that you binde not the grace of God to these signes of very necessitie For we are not saued by the receauing of these Sacramēts But if we cōfesse with our mouth our Lord Iesus Christ and with our hartes beleeue that God raysed him agayne from death this confession onely will saue vs. Iulian the Emperour was Baptized in the name of Iesus yet dyed in manifest blasphemie Iudas Iscariote did féede vpon the Sacrament of Euchariste yet immediatly after Supper hee departed to the enemyes of our Lord Iesu and betrayed innocēt bloud what néedeth many wordes Sacramētes are most precious tokens of Gods fauour but they doe not obteine Gods fauour Sacramētes are excellent monumentes of godlynes but they do not make godlynes He that will glory let him glory in the Lord not in the Sacraments For by God we are engraffed into Christ Iesu whiche was made vnto vs by God wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption And this much to your generall obiections framed agaynst our order of administryng the Sacramentes Now I will come to those two principall points which you séeme specially to haue culled out that in them you might braue out the nimblenes of your witte eloquence of toung Confession you name and the Sacrament of the altar as you tearme it Of Confession you draw forth a tedious talke and in the same endeauour to include the Sacrament of Repentance First of all you cast your accōptes amisse in your numbryng Osorius for if you receaue Repētaunce in the name of a Sacramēt either you must admit eight Sacramentes contrary to the old custome of your Church or els you must turne one of your other seuen Sacraments out of the doores wherein vnlesse you deale more circūspectly you will haue more fistes about your eares then your owne euen amongest your owne fraternitie But please them as well as you may and vs you shall easely winne to wincke at you which do content our selues with two Sacramentes onely to witte Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord yet do we also exercize the rest withall as matters singularly profitable and so fast knitte to the rule of true godlynesse that Christian profession can not want them When I name the rest I do not cōprehend all but Confession and yet not your hypocriticall and schoole cōfession wherof we will treate hereafter but the pure and auncient confession authorized by the Scriptures practized by the Prophetes and Apostles I adde hereunto amendement of lyfe ordination of Ministers celebration of Matrimonie and prayer although you passe by this last as a foreine straunger All these I say are in dayly vse with vs and had in great estimatiō though they reteine neither name nor nature of Sacramentes properly There be some other also wherof it is néedelesse to make any mentiō at this present for these are the chiefest which though we do not vsurpe for Sacraments as you do yet we do allow of them reuerently and religiously accordyng to the ordinaunce of the Gospell of God Whiche I thought méete to touch briefly by the way left any person vnacquainted with our orders and geuyng to much credite to Osorius may estéeme so much the lesse of our Religion Now I returne to your Cōfessiō whispered into the eares of your Priests whō though you embrace as your swéet babe and enriche with a great dower of wordes and decke with
nature not so much by allurement of will as by very constrainte of necessitie I come now to the vse and handlyng of Ciuill trades and forreine disciplines and to other dutiefull actions and considerations of the same kynde which are dayly frequented in mans lyfe In the whiche albeit Luther will confesse many thynges to be conteined that are subiect vnto Freewill yet will he not otherwise graunt thereunto but that euen in the selfe same the vnderstandyng mynde is many tymes deceaued will defrauded and freédome altogether ouerthrowen And yet doe we not for that cause vtterly extinguishe will or freédome nor wrappe vp and entangle the mynde nor spoyle reason of coūsell nor dispossesse mā frō his aunciēt inheritaunce of choyse or will howsoeuer the cruell outrage of Sinne hath weakened and wasted the sinewes and strength of nature beyng well created at the first yet remayneth neuerthelesse that naturall power of the soule not onely in those that are renewed in spirite but in them also that are not regenerate in respect of those actions especially wherof I made mention before But if the question be remoued to those actions which do not belong to the naturall and common conuersation of life but apperteine to the spirituall worshyppyng of God and concerne the kyngdome of Christ who can not here easily discerne that Freewill before it receaueth Grace though it be garnished with neuer so gorgeous a tittle hath besides a glorious tittle onely nothyng els whereby it may defende it selfe from seruile bondage or rayse it selfe vp to attaine the true freéedome of Saluation I doe not speake here of that freédome Osorius which is properly opposite to constrainte and compulsary violēce wherof we vaunte all in vayne nor of that naturall power of the reasonable soule whiche we seéke not to shake of ne yet of mans will beyng regenerated which we do not disable finally nor yet of those actions wherewith this sensible lyfe is beautified but I speake of those affections which are ascribed to the spirituall lyfe of the person that is regenerate in Christ. Whereupon accordyng to those fiue distinctions afore mentioned as many seuerall kyndes of questions do arise which for auoydyng confusion must be seuerally distinguished First if a question be moued of the freédome of nature being pure and sounde as was before the fall of Adam who doth not know that the state of that will was most pure and freé And it is not to bee doubted that mans Freewill was absolutely perfect in his first creation But that man by sinne lost the same freedome altogether August Secundarely if the question bee remoued ouer to the substaunce and to that part of man wherewith the mynde is endued with vnderstandyng and appetite as if this be the questiō whether mans will which is called freé were after the fall of Adam vtterly extinct and of no substaunce we do aunswere here with Ambrose that the Iudgemēt of will was corrupted in deede but not vtterly taken away And agayne The deuill did not spoyle man of his will vtterly but bereft him of the soundenesse and integritie of will For although mans will and the vnderstandyng parte of his soule was miserably corrupted through originall Sinne yet was it not so altogether abolished but that there remayneth some freédome to doe freé I call it in respect of those thynges which are either naturally carryed to motion without Iudgement as brute beastes or whiche are forced by coaction agaynst nature as stones By this therefore that is spoken it appeareth that will wherewith we are naturally endued in respect of the essentiall and naturall disposition thereof doth alwayes remayne in mans nature how corrupt soeuer it be yea and remayneth in such wise as hauyng alwayes a freé and voluntary operation in naturall causes without all forreine coaction vnlesse it be hindered and a naturall sensibilitie also and capacitie as Iustine tearmeth it in heauenly thynges if it be holpē And this is it that Augustines wordes seéme to emporte to my Iudgement where speakyng in the defence of Freewill vseth these wordes Beleeue sayth hee the holy Scriptures and that will is will and the grace of God without helpe whereof man can neither turne vnto God nor profite in God Agayne in his secōd Epistle to Valentin The Catholicke faith doth neither deny Freewill applyable to good life or badd life nor doth esteeme therof so highly as though it were of any value without the grace of God either to turne frō euill to good or to perseuer stedfast in good or to attaine to euerlasting goodnes whereas it feareth not now left it may fainte and decay c. And agayne in an other place I confesse sayth hee that will is alwayes free in vs but it is not alwayes good But the maner how it is sayd to bee alwayes freé must be learned of the same Augustine It is either free from righteousnesse sayth he when it is the bondslaue of sinne and than is it euill or it is free from Sinne when it is handmayd to righteousnesse and then is it good c. It appeareth therefore by this twofold freédome of Augustine that mans will is alwayes freé both in good thynges and in euill thynges But we ought to conceaue of this freédome in this wise not that she hath power of her owne strength to make choyse of good or euill namely in spirituall matters as our aduersaries doe dreame But accordyng to Augustines interpretation whē will is naught it is of her owne disposition naught when it is good then is it guided by grace not vnwillyngly but voluntaryly without compulsion yet freé notwithstandyng alwayes whether it be good or bad bycause it is alwayes voluntary neuer constrained And this much touchyng the propertie naturall disposition of mās will which who so will deny seemeth in my conceite to do euen all one as if he should deny that man is a reasonable creature for I seé no cause why reason may be more sequestred from man then will ought to be seuered from reason Which two thynges are so vnited together with a certeine naturall affinitie are so mutually linked together with an inseparable knot in the reasonable soule that Reason cā neither performe any exployte without will nor will enterprise any thyng aduisedly without the guidyng of Reason Therefore as Iudgement belongeth properly to Reason so to will and to worke apperteineth properly to will whether it be to good or to euil The one wherof respecteth the substaūce of will the other is peculiar to the disposition therof But as this liuely Reason being enclosed within her certeine limittes boūdes hath her proper peculiar obiectes so that she is vnable to rayse it selfe beyond the cōpasse of naturall vitall causes vnles it be enlightened euē so will beyng straighted wtin the same limittes boūdes of naturall causes hath no power at all in it selfe either to attēpt or to
atchieue those spirituall good things vnlesse it be holpen For as much therefore as reason and will doe in their owne right exercize their actiuitie dominiō in naturall thyngs onely as I said before as it were in their lawfull prouinces hereof springeth the thyrd question Whether there be any such freédome in will as to be able of it selfe to embrace or eschewe those thyngs which are gouerned by the externall senses and by reason Whereunto the aunswere is very easie for it is not to bee doubted but that the mynde and the wil out of which two Free-will is deriued do yet still reteine some certein sparckes of freédome such as they be euen in the forlorne nature for the mynde after a certeine sorte is able to thinke to purpose to take counsell to Iudge to allow or disallow in like maner also will doth enioy her certeine freédome in those thynges whereunto Sense and Reason do direct For it as able to wil or not to will to chuse or not to chuse to desire or to forsake to stay his purpose or to chaunge it to moue hether and thether and after a certein maner to exercize it selfe in her kynde to externall discipline that is to say to worke externall honest actions agreable with the law of God to eschew the cōtrary Which thyng besides that many other thynges doe approue to be true as well the sundry examples of Ethnicke people as also the whole politicall estate doth verifie So is it true also that the same is not performed without Gods guidyng which thyng Nazienzen did notably aduertize and expresse in his Oratiō I know sayth hee that the Goale is not attained by the quyuernes of the person nor successe of battell by prowesse nor conquest atchieued by fighting nor yet safe and sure Roade alwayes at skilfull saylers commaundement but it is the onely worke of God to geue victorie and to cōduct the Shippe safety vnto the happie hauen c. But for as much as these actiōs are referred more properly to politique reason then to Diuinitie nor concerne Luthers discourse very much it shal be neédelesse to bestow any great labour herein Fourthly to approche somewhat neare to those thynges which are peculiar and belong chiefly to the doctrine of Deuines and first of all if question be moued whether mans Freewill do beare any stroake in actions meérely euil and corrupt the doyng whereof doth defile man in the sight of God our aunswere herein will forthwith be supplyed with the wordes of Augustine God doth not helpe vs to committe Sinne sayth he but in that we fall from God commeth of our owne corruptiō And this is our corrupt will And agayne where he reciteth the Obiectiō of Iulian writyng agaynst the two Epistles of the Pelagianes Did the Free-will of the first man perishe therefore sayth Iulian to the ende it should compell all his posteritie to Sinne in their flesh of very necessitie To whom Augustine maketh this aunswere Which of vs dare say that mankinde was vtterly spoyled of Freewill by the sinne of the first man freedome perished in deede through Sinne but it was that freedome wherewith man was created in Paradise free to enioy full righteousnes with immortalitie for the which the nature of man standeth in neede of Gods grace according as the Lord him selfe doth testifie saying If the Sonne do deliuer you thē shall you be free in deede Free I meane to liue well and vprightly for so farre is it of that Freewill did so altogether perishe in Sinners that by the same Freewill men do offende especially they that take pleasure in Sinne and which being delighted with the loue of Sinne do with pleasure greedely folow their owne lust And in the 3. Chap. We do not say as they report that we say that all men are constrained to fall into Sinne through the necessitie of their flesh and as it were against their willes But after they be growen to that rypenes of yeares that they may discerne the inclinatiō of their own minde and finde them selues fast holden in Sinne through their owne consent and so suffer them selues to be carried headlong from Sinne to Sinne wilfully and wittingly This will now whiche is free to euill thinges wherein it taketh pleasure is therefore not free to good things bycause it is not made free c. Adde hereunto the wordes of the same Augustine to the same effect discoursing vpon the wordes of the Apostle To doe euill thou hast Freewill without the helpe of GOD albeit that will is not free For of whom soeuer a man is holden bounde to him is hee a bondslane And agayne in an other place To fall sayth hee commeth of our selues and of our sluggishenesse Moreouer writyng agaynst the same Pelagians That person hath Freewill to do euill sayth he either whom Sathan allureth to take pleasure therein by couert or open suggestion or who that persuadeth him selfe thereunto Finally if a mā might tarry still in alledgyng the testimony of Augustine what cā be clearer thē these wordes Freewill being captiued hath no power to worke any thing but sinne and is altogether vnable to worke righteousnesse vnlesse God geue it free passage Whereby you may perceaue how mās will is at one tyme both freé and captiue to witte freé to doe euill in as much as pursuyng lust with voluntary delight neédeth not any forreine coactiō to worke euill whiche also Luther doth not deny but in no respect freé to do good vnlesse it be set at libertie by Gods grace to speake Augustines words vnlesse it be guided to euery good actiō of doyng speakyng thinkyng And where be these iolly fellowes now which do so stoutely yeld to mans will equall freédome to do good or euill in this corruptiō of nature and yet this might be graunted also after a sort so that it be interpreted accordingly for if they meane of will regenerated it is tollerable enough neither will Luther be agaynst it all whose discourse of Freewill tendeth not to any other will then to that wherof mention hath bene made out of Augustine whiche beyng without grace is altogether vneffectuall of her owne nature to doe any thyng but to Sinne. And hereof springeth at the length the whole substaunce of the fift questiō Wherein the chief and speciall state of Luthers discourse consisteth to witte touchyng spirituall motions and actions touchyng heauenly thynges and workes apperteinyng vnto God touchyng spirituall righteousnesse inward worshyppyngs fayth repentaunce conuersion loue new obediēce c. As if the question were demaunded now not of the substaunce of reasonable will whether after the fall there remayne in man a power of vnderstanding appetite to those thynges which nature hath made subiect to mans witte and capacitie or whether man haue any freédome of will to corrupt affections but rather that the question be after this maner whether mās will after
Sinne do reteyne still that force and strength of freédome in those spirituall thyngs before rehearsed as that it be effectuall of it selfe before Grace or beyng holpen by Grace could preuayle so farreforth inspirituall thynges as that through grace and the naturall force of Freewill workyng together it might become sufficient cause of it selfe to enterprise spirituall motions and with all to put them also in practize For all those thynges must be duely considered Osorius If we will shew our selues vpright and hādsome disputers of Freewill in debatyng of which question if ye will permit our Cōfession to be coupled with the authoritie of the most sacred Scripture we must of necessitie hold this rule fast whiche teacheth that albeit mans nature is fallen from the integritie of that excellent and absolute freédome yet it is not ouerthrowen into that miserable state of seruilitie whiche is proper to brute beastes neither that it is so altogether dispoyled of all the power of the first creation as hauyng no sparkes at all of her aūcient dignitie remaynyng For the nymblenesse of the mynde deuiseth many thynges with vnderstādyng digesteth with Reason comprehēdeth with memory debateth with aduise gathereth in order with wisedome inuenteth Artes learneth Sciences Recordeth thinges past obserueth thynges present and prouideth for thynges to come Semblably will doth chuse and refuse the thynges that seéme either agreable to reason or profitable to the senses So that by those qualities appeareth sufficiently I suppose the difference that is betwixt vs and brute beastes and vnsensible creatures Which actions beyng naturally engraffed within vs yea without grace albeit proceéde from the voluntary motion of the vnderstandyng mynde yet bycause they extende no further then to this present lyfe and perishe together with this mortall body serue but to small purpose yea euen then chiefly when we make our best accompt of them Moreouer although they bee after a sort freé of their owne nature yet stand they not alwayes in such an vnchaūgeable integritie but that reason is many tymes deluded by great errours will ouercharged with waywardnesse the power of the mynde suffereth many defectes Almightie God many tymes by secrete operation communicatyng his handy-worke to gether with these actiōs doth apply the willes of men hether and thether whereunto it pleaseth him confoūdeth their deuises aduaunceth their endeuours not after the freé Imagination of men but according to his own freé decreé and purpose And this much hetherto concernyng those obiectes and externall operatiōs onely which concerne the common preseruation of this present lyfe and which perish together with the same But yet truely as concernyng either the enterprising or accomplishyng of those spirituall motions and operations for as much as they do farre exceéde the capacitie of mans nature the Scripture doth vtterly deny that man beyng not as yet regenerated is naturally endued with any force or abilitie of will sithence the first creatiō but that all those giftes are vtterly lost through the greatnesse of Sinne and that by this meanes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imbecillitie and weakenesse of nature is by propagation discended vpon all men and nature it selfe corrupted with miserable faultinesse yea and not with faultynesse onely that doth exclude vs from those euerlastyng good thynges but besides this also that through this corruption of nature hath succeéded in steéde of that auncient integritie a certeine rebellious contumacie and filthy infection of Diabolicall seéde which doth depriue vs of all heauēly knowledge and carry vs headlong into all maner of abhomination whereupon the doctrine of Luther is not vnfitly confirmed wherew t they do conclude with Augustine most truly as agaynst the Romish Doctours that Freewill is not onely weakened in vs but vtterly extinct also and so thoroughly defaced that if we bee any tyme enlightened with any sparcle of Regeneration the same ought wholy be ascribed to the grace of God and not to Freewill nor to any strēgth of ours and to speake the wordes of Augustine neither wholy ne yet of any part For vpon this point chiefly dependeth the whole variaunce betwixt vs and the Papistes touchyng Freewill These thyngs therfore beyng in thus sort discouered which ought in deéde haue bene distinguished at the first for the better demonstration of the manifold diuersitie of questiōs I will now returne agayne to Luthers position who doth professe that Freewill is a thyng of Title onely and a Name or Title without substaunce Wherein if Osorius shall Iudge any worde to be misspoken and blameworthy in him hee must then first aunswere me to this question For as much as Freewill is not all alike in the persons that are regenerate and in them that are not regenerate and for as much as libertie also is to be construed in humane actions after one sort but taken after a contrary cōstruction in spirituall exercizes hee must I say tell me which sorte of Freewill or what maner of actions he doth treate of If he meane that Freewill which is now gouerned by the Spirite of God Surely Luthers position maketh therof no mention at all Or if he meane those naturall obiectes whiche proceéde of common nature or whiche are vsually frequented in the dayly practize of common conuersation after the conduct of Morall reason either in doyng right or executyng wrong So doth not Luthers position tende to these actions in any respect But if the question bee after this maner Of how much force and efficacie the bare choyse of man may be of her owne naturall abilitie either in enterprising or performyng those thynges which doe obteine Gods grace for vs or make an entrey for vs into heauen then will Luther aunswere most truly That there is scarse any substaunce at all in Freewill auayleable to the purchassing of the kyngdome of heauen except a glorious visour of Title onely no more substaunce veryly then is in a dead man who besides the onely shape and denomination of a man hath nothyng in him whereby hee may receaue breath and recouer life to the dead carcasse For of what force is mans Freewill els towardes the thynges that apperteine vnto God before it haue receaued grace then as a dead man without lyfe And for this cause the Scripture in many places expressing our natures in their most liuely and natiue colours calleth vs darkenesse blinde to see deafe to heare vncircumcized of hart wicked in the deuises and imaginatiōs of our conceites stonie harted cast awayes enemies in respect of our fleshly thoughtes Rebelles against the Spirite vnprofitable Seruauntes bondslaues sold vnder Sinne dead vnto iniquitie vnexcusable subiect to wrath S. Paule describyng the callyng of Gods Elect in the first Chap. of his first Epistle to the Corinthes And those thinges whiche were not sayth hee God hath called c. If Paule doe affirme that the thynges which are were not so at the first and that truely How can Osorius Iustifie that will was any thyng worthe in
them which as yet were not I will rehearse vnto you the saying of our Sauiour in the Gospell where settyng vs forth to behold our selues as it were in a glasse Let the dead quoth hee burie their dead Come thou and preach the kingdome of God Tell vs here Osorius in what sense did Christ call them dead whose bodies were not dead if their life were endued with Freewill able to come vnto God in any respect howsoeuer they seémed to be alyue in the Iudgement of men But and if they had no lyfe in God how then could Freewill be liuely and forcible in the dead Goe to And how can the dead by any meanes restore him selfe to lyfe May it please you to heare Augustine treatyng of the same matter Man can not rise againe sayth Augustine of his owne accorde as hee fell voluntaryly Let vs take holdfast of the right hand of God which he reatcheth out vnto vs. c. So that I would wish you to consider with your selfe aduisedly what thyng it is whiche we ought to receaue at Christes handes without Freewill first and what afterwardes of Free-will without Christ for the which we ought to be thankefull to him for them both For if accordyng to the testimony of Augustine There was none other cause of our destruction greater then mans Freewill by abuse wherof man lost both it and him selfe by what reason will you proue that to be sounde which Augustine affirmeth to bee vtterly lost or how can you restore lyfe to that thyng whereunto you are indebted for your owne death Or what reliefe can you finde towardes the purchasing of eternall life from nature beyng so vtterly dispoyled which euen then especially when it stoode in most perfect integritie could neither helpe you nor her selfe nay rather whiche brought you and her selfe both to vtter destruction The Lord cryeth out in a certein place by the mouth of his Prophet O Israell thy perdition is of thy selfe but in me onely is thine helpe c. If there bee no helpe els where then in the Lord onely vpon whō alone all helpe dependeth what is there left then in Freewill that we miserable wretches may trust vnto If you be ignoraunt therof Maister Osorius the Prophet will forthwith declare it vnto you Forsooth what els think◠you but vtter destruction For in as much as one man by one faulte onely wherein he alone offended did through his freédome of will whenas yet it was most pure and sounde throw headlong both him selfe and all his ofspryng into so horrible thraldome frō most absolute and most perfect Maiestie of freédome what other thynges will Osorius then gape after out of this his Freewill sithence nature is altogether defiled now who hath made so often shypwracke of his freédome of all his Freewill also standyng as it were in dispayred case is enforced dayly to runne to the second table of Penitentiary Confession for relief but vtter perditiō vnlesse he take holdfast by fayth of that right hand of God whereof S. Augustine doth make mētion before Therfore let this great Proctour of Free-will take good heéde least whiles he accuse Luther to much he cōmit a more execrable fact bewray him selfe a more deadly enemy to Gods grace thē the other may seéme aduersary to Free-will For if this controuersie here debated touchyng the merite of Saluation tende to this end onely to sifte out from whence the cause therof ariseth to witte whether from the onely grace of God or whether from Freewill as a necessary and vnseparable coperterner therewith truely if it be true which the Propheticall Scripture doth most truely conclude That all helpe consisteth onely in the Lord and in our selues nothing but destruction I can not seé but that by how much soeuer it shall please Osorius to establishe Freewill by so much shall hee disployle GOD of his Grace and that most iniuriously But I heare the colorable pretence of Osorius wherewith he practizeth to make his defence carry a certeine shewe of truth paintyng it out with a deceauable foyle so that hee may seéme neither to yeld all to the grace of God accordyng to the Catholicke fayth nor yet after the errour of the Pelagians leaue nothyng at all to the operation of Grace For whereas the deuilish doctrine of the Pelagians which taught that euery mā was endued with sufficient freédome to doe good without the helpe of God hath bene long sithence condemned for hereticall accordyng to the testimony of Augustine This Gentleman fearyng to bee deémed a Pelagian doth deuide his Assertion after such a sort that he may neither seéme vtterly to exclude Grace altogether nor yet so yeld ouer all to Grace but that Freewill must of necessitie be copemate with Grace But let vs heare Osorius vtteryng his owne wordes Veryly we do cōfesse this to be true that our thoughtes our workes which we deuise bring to passe vertuously and godly ought to be ascribed vnto God through whose grace and fauour they are accomplished in vs. Behold godly Reader how this godly Prelate of his Catholicke pietie attributeth some thyng to the Grace of God whiche doth ascribe our godly sayinges thoughtes deédes to the worke of God And this much truly did neuer any of the Pelagians deny but affirmed alwayes that onely God must bee accompted the Authour not onely of our lyfe of our beyng yea of all the actiōs also of our lyfe but also that all our Freewill ought to be referred to him beyng the Authour thereof But this is not enough Osorius for question is not demaunded here whether God be the Authour of all good workes which no man will deny But the question is whether those thynges which belong to the purchasing of our conuersion and Saluation in the sight of God do so proceéde from God the Authour therof as that his onely Grace do worke the same altogether in vs or whether Freewill also doth worke any thyng together with Grace For herein consisteth the chief knot of all the controuersie Which shal be debated afterwardes more at large in place fit for it by Gods grace In the meane space let vs marke how Osorius goeth foreward For vnlesse God had restrayned me from rushyng wilfully into wickednesse vnlesse Gods spirite had forewarned me with his coūsell that I should not throw my selfe headlong into euerlastyng calamitie vnlesse he had strengthened me with his wholesome and strong protection made me able to worke the good worke that he cōmaunded me I should neuer haue bene able either to thinke a good thought or to doe a good deede and all myne endeuour employed either to the purposing or accomplishyng my worke should haue bene vtterly vneffectuall What neéde I aunswere much hereunto Neither could Luther him selfe if he were alyue speake or professe any sentence more godlyly if a man regard the wordes and not the meanyng of the man For what can be more truely or
more substauntially spoken theÌ„ that Freewill can worke nothyng but wickednesse destruction headlong ruine and euerlasting wretchednes nothyng but noysome thoughtes vnlawfull Imaginations finally nothing that is godly or good except it be guided by the grace of God which Grace doth restrayne from wickednesse doth recouer from destruction doth direct from wandring doth reforme with wholesome counsell and bryng into the right way those that goe astray Truely if the matter go thus altogether as the wordes emporte That is to say If the very founteine and perfection of all our actioÌ„s thoughtes and deuises tendyng to godlynesse and poured abroad into our lyues doe issue vnto vs from no where els theÌ„ from the onely wellspryng of Gods grace what other abilitie then shal be left in wretched Freewill to worke any good worke if Osorius he the man he would seéme to be but an vnprofitable and naked name onely But least peraduenture he may seéme to be hyred by the Lutheranes to write so effectually in the defence of Grace our Catholicke Byshop returneth agayne to the patronage of Freewill endeuouryng to proue by his Diuinitie that the worke of our conuersion doth not so altogether depend vpon Grace onely but that Freewill also must play his part withall And why so Bycause sayth hee it is in our power not to consent to good counsell to reiect it beyng offered to refuse courtesie and through wickednesse and outrage to treade vnder foote profered grace And who doth deny but that we may so do Nay rather what els doth Freewill at all wheÌ„ it worketh after her owne nature but by resistyng refusall throw headlong into errour Luther him selfe witnessing the same But for more credite of the matter Augustine shall aunswere for Luther In that we turne our selues away from God sayth he commeth of our selues and this is euill will But in that we turne vnto God we can not except he styrre vp and helpe vs thereunto And this is good will Thus much Augustin We may therfore resiste say you and withstand the holy Commaundementes of God accordyng to the operation of our Freewill In deéde there is nothyng more easie neither neédeth any helpe hereunto Agayne We can geue our consent vnto and embrase Gods Commaundementes also Surely this is true if the Grace of God doe guide vs But if Gods grace doe not gouerne vs we do then vtterly deny it Augustine agreéyng with vs herein To Sinne sayth Augustine we are not holpen by God but to doe well or accomplish the CoÌ„maundementes of righteousnes throughly we are not able except God helpe vs And immediatly after If we be turned from God it proceedeth of our selues and then we be wise accordyng to the flesh God therefore doth ayde men beyng conuerted and forsaketh them beyng reuolted yea he doth not onely helpe them beyng conuerted but helpeth them also that they may be conuerted Thus much Augustine Go to and what will Osorius Logicke conclude hereof at the length Forsooth if euery man of his owne freé power be able to dissent from and consent with the Grace of God it appeareth then that Freewill is not altogether vneffectuall For to this effect I suppose will he direct the force of his Argument But I doe aunswere agayne with Augustine That the same might be so construed and graunted well enough if it were not spoken by them whose meanyng is apparaunt For to admitte that man him selfe may will and may condiscende and yeld and do somewhat in his conuersion and spirituall workes yet hath not man this power of his owne naturall strength neither in whole nor in part but he receaueth that streÌ„gth of him which worketh in man both to will and to do And therfore the reason that Osorius frameth here of not reiectyng and of condiscendyng if hee meane of naturall giftes Augustine doth playnely declare that this is the very errour of Pelagius If he meane of the power of Grace hee gaynsayeth Luther nothyng at all who did neuer so dispoyle mans Free-will of freedome but that beyng manumysed and aduaunced by Gods grace it was able to do much and agayne he did neuer so vphold this freédome but that man might of his owne proper strength refuse Grace beyng at any tyme offred for neither Luther nor any other did euer dreame I suppose that Grace was so necessaryly throwen vpon mans will in his coÌ„uersion as that he should be enforced to reteine it beyng offered whether he would or no lyke as when a marke is emprinted into the fleshe by a whoâ—e yron or as stones that are violently whirled out of a Crossebow But this is generally affirmed that the holy Spirite of God doth by his secret operation worke such an effectuall influence in the myndes of the faythfull that the grace which he offreth may bee receaued not with vnwillyng will but that will may with gladsome cheare delight to embrace it with most earnestly bent affectioÌ„ But if it happen to be reiected the fault therof to spryng from out the corruption malice of the flesh If Osori will not be satisfied yet but will vrge still with this his ArgumeÌ„t that euery person accordyng to the proportion of his Freewill may freély reteyne or refuse the Grace of God if he will I will then aunswere briefly and resolutely that the disceit of this suttle Sillogisme is framed of the Fallax to witte a Diuisis ad Coniuncta as the Logicians do terme it For albeit will beyng seuered from Gods grace be of it selfe freé to reiect Gods callyng yet is it not after the same sort freé to obey Gods callyng vnlesse it bee altogether vpholden by the ayde of Gods grace Let vs now seé further the remnaunt of his disputation I do stand at the doore sayth he and knocke hee doth not say I do breake open the doores or I do rende abroad the henges and doe violently rushe in but I knocke onely that is to say I do admonish I do foretell the daunger ensuyng I doe foreshew hope of Saluation I promise to geue ayde and I allure vnto me with fayre promises In deéde Osorius hee standeth knockyng at the doore and they to whom it is geuen do open vnto him but vnlesse it be geuen vnto them they open not at all Therefore in that hee doth knocke this is proper to the callyng but in that an opeÌ„ entrey is made this is to be peculiarely ascribed to Election and Grace So likewise he doth not heaue the doores of the hookes nor rusheth in forcibly and yet although hee presse not vpon with any foreine force he worketh notwithstandyng a secret effectualnesse and draweth them vnto him whoÌ„ he hath chosen and entirely loueth through inward operation of voluntary will Neither is any maÌ„ good that will not be good as Augustine reporteth yet to haue a will to be good must the grace of God needes be assistaunt bycause it is not written in vayne God is hee that
worketh in vs both to will and to do accordyng to his good pleasure and the Lord doth first frame and fashion the will c. Therefore whereas it is sayd that God doth knocke at the gate of our will I gladly yeld hereunto but to say that he doth no more but knocke this I do vtterly deny In lyke maner whereas you say that hee admonisheth that hee foretelleth daunger ensuyng that he feédeth with hope that he promiseth ayde and that he allureth with reward truely these are not vntruely spoken Osorius But ye speake not all nor as much as should be spoken And therefore herein your haltyng bewrayeth it selfe playnely For you are flowen into a Fallax which the Logicians do tearme Ab insufficiente causarū enumeratione True it is that the grace of God doth knocke doth forewarne and doth allure what doth grace therfore nothyng els but knocke forewarne promise and persuade Doth it not also create within vs a cleane hart doth hee not renew a new spirite within our bowels doth he not plucke out of our fleshe the stony hart and engraffe in steéde therof a fleshly hart Yea doth he not also alter all our whole nature I meane all those inward naturall qualities doth hee not make them plyable and as it were out of an old deformed lumpe new fashion it into a new creature doth he commaunde those thynges which he willeth by admonishyng onely by callyng and persuadyng onely doth not Gods Grace geue also that which he commaundeth And where in the meanes whiles lurketh then the law that is written within in the hartes of the faythfull When we heare these wordes in the Gospel No man commeth vnto the Sonne but he whom the Father draweth Tell vs a good felowshyp doth he which draweth nothyng els but admonish but call but allure What is he sayth Augustine that is drawen if he bee willyng for the willing are lead and none are drawen but the vnwilling And yet no man commeth but he that is willing but to this willingnesse he doth draw vs by wonderfull meanes who is skilfull to worke within euen in the very hartes of men not to make the vnwilling to haue fayth but to frame the vnwilling plyable to be willing c. If it be so that the heauēly Grace by inward operation do make men willyng that before were not willyng I would fayne learne now whether Grace do nothyng els but knocke onely Go to and whiles Grace is a knockyng who is it within that openeth Freewill I suppose But now for as much as this Freewill is powred into all persons indifferently by a generall influence as much in one as in an other why doe not all alyke open to the heauenly Grace when the Lord doth knocke forsooth bycause they will not you will say yet doth the wheale runne neuerthelesse as rounde as it did before For I demaunde agayne why some seéme to be willyng whiles others are vnwilling what els thinke you to be the cause hereof but bycause God doth open their Freewill first whiche do open vnto God that they may be able to open otherwise it could neuer opē vnto him Whereby you may easely perceaue that Freewill is not the porter to let in Grace so much as the very gate it selfe and that it doth not els open but as it is first opened by his meanes whiche doth knocke and that it applyeth not any way els but as it is made plyable and so made plyable that it may seéme rather to be drawen then to bee lead neuer goyng before Grace but followyng altogether and to speake the wordes of Augustine Neuer as a foregoer but as an handmayden of Grace onely in euery good worke If you will deny this to be true what Argument shall I better vse agaynst you then the wordes of your owne mouth For what meaneth it els that you your selues of the Romish Sinagogue at the begynnyng of your Mattens pray dayly to the Lord Domine labia mea aperies Lord open thou our lyppes if they open of them selues and are not rather opened by him And in what sorte doe you then desire the Lord to open your lyppes that your mouth may shew forth his prayse whom you affirme to do nothyng els but knocke onely Why therfore doe ye not rather amende your booke that your prayer may bee agreable with your desire and sing an other song on this wise our Freewill shal opē our lippes O Lord and our mouth shall chaunte forth thy prayse What then will you say is it not in our owne power to moue our lyppes Yes truly Osor. there is nothyng more easie then to moue them to contētion to quarellyng to lyeng to blasphemous communication to noysome talke and vayne tittle tattle But I will in no wise graunt that we are able to moue our lippes or to open our hartes of our owne will to shew forth the prayse of God All which notwithstandyng tend not to this ende as though Freewill did worke nothyng at all yes it worketh surely but how it worketh and how it is wrought bycause Osorius doth not declare sufficiently Augustine shall make playne vnto him Not they that are carried of their owne motion but as many as are carried by the Spirite of God they are the children of God Here will some man say vnto me Then are we plyed and do not plye our selues I aūswere yea rather thou doest both apply thy selfe and art applyed And euen then doest thou plye well if thou be plyed by Gods spirite without whom thou canst doe no good thing euen so also thou doest apply thy selfe of thine owne Freewill without the helpe of Gods Spirite thē doest thou euill To this ende is thy will which is called free prone and effectuall that by doing euill it become a damnable handmayd c. Whiche wordes you must interprete to bee spoken of Augustine in this wise not that will doth worke nothyng but that it worketh no good thyng without Gods helpe And that you may conceaue the same more effectually harken what the same Augustine teacheth in his treatize De Gratia Lib. Arbit It is vndoubtedly true sayth hee that we doe when we doe and that we will whē we will but he bringeth to passe in vs to will and to do geuing to our will most effectuall abilitie which hath sayd I will make you that ye shall be able to do Briefly to cōclude It shal be lawfull for me to speake the same and in such wise touchyng openyng whiche and in what wise Augustine spake of doyng when the Lord doth knocke we do open with a Freewill in deéde bycause when we do open we do it freely and willingly but that we may be able to do so not we but he doth open our harts first Whereby you may perceaue to what end this our discourse tendeth not that Freewill hath no place but that it be voyde of merite vnworthy of prayse and to
oftentymes and in many places professe in playne wordes that mans mynde is alwayes prone and inclined to all euill cogitations consideryng also that he doth confesse euery where that to thinke euill is as properly naturall to mans will as that of it selfe it neither can nor doth acquainte it selfe with any thyng elles but with euill thoughtes And I thinke it is not so neédefull to stand much vpon the name of freédome especially sithence we doe agreé vpon the truth of the matter And it may happen that Osorius is deceaued in doubtfull cōstruction of the word or rather deceaueth others therewith takyng the same in an other sense thē Luther vnderstode it For whereas some thynges are sayd to bee freé of necessitie in respect of outward coaction some freé of necessitie in respect of bōdage Will may right well be called freé after the first maner of necessitie as the which is neuer cōstrained to will vnwillyngly that which it willeth be it good or badd For compulsary will as Augustine sayth is no will Accordyng to the latter maner of necessitie man hath neuer power ouer his owne will so but that whiche way soeuer it is carried it alwayes obeyeth his commaūdement of whom it is carried albeit it doth alwayes serue both voluntaryly and willyngly Whereupon S. Paule discoursing vpon the euill whiche hee would not but did it neuerthelesse sayth that he did it not but imputed the doing therof to Sinne dwellyng within him and to the law of his members the force wherof being greater then his own strēgth did drawe him into bondage though hee stroue agaynst it And surely that is the bondage that Luther did meane accordyng to Paules saying when writyng of bond will on this wise Mans will sayth he is after this sort common to vse as is a horse or a beast if God do ride vpō it then it willeth goeth whyther God will haue it if the Deuill sit vpon it then it willeth and goeth whyther the Deuill will haue it nor is it in his owne choyse to runne to either of those riders or to get either of them but the riders do contend for the hauyng and keépyng of him c. If Osorius do seé any meane betwixt these two riders I would fayne haue him shew it He will say perhappes that betwixt these two there is a meane in will whereby will is able to apply it selfe to this or to that Augustine doth make aunswere that the very begynnyng of this applyeng if it be towardes good ariseth not without Gods good will and grace if it be towardes euill then it springeth not but out of euill Euen as Bernarde doth teach that the whole begynnyng must be ascribed to Grace In fine to shutte vp the matter in fewe wordes as concernyng Luthers proposition wherein he denyeth that Freewill is of power to do good or euill of it selfe Two thynges seéme worthy to be noted here The one concernyng the power of doyng the other concernyng the freédome of power If we enquire of the power of will how effectuall it may be to good or euill of her owne naturall force neither Luther nor any other will deny the propertie of will to bee otherwise but that it may will the thynges that it willeth neither that the force of will is so altogether blotted out but that it may apply when it is applyed either to good or to euill and that it doth so farre forth not apply by how much it is either destitute of Grace or ayded by Grace after none other sorte then as the horse doth beare his rider hee trauerseth in his ryng and runneth his race he sweateth vnder his rider he trauaileth his grounde is very nymble chaufeth champeth vpon the bridle commeth a loft porketh out with his heéles behinde he runneth rounde in his carryer backward and foreward and performeth all other qualities and properties of his kynde which are subiect to his senses All which motions if you respect the naturall qualitie and force of the horse seéme to be not altogether out of his owne power But if ye respect the libertie of motiō the actiuitie therof will appeare to consiste not so much in the naturall power of the beast which is ruled as in the power of the ryder which doth mannage him Euē so ought we to Iudge of mans will whose naturall inclination if you regard and what it may doe of her owne strēgth who will deny that the property of will is to will but to be able to will is proper to habilitie For of will it proceédeth that we will but of habilitie it cōmeth that we performe So with our will we will with our mynde we conceaue and with our habilitie we doe performe And as Augustine sayth thinking we do beleeue thinking we doe speake and thinking we doe whatsoeuer we doe And in an other place the same Augustine doth confesse that nature may be of power not onely to do euill but also to haue fayth hope and charitie yet to haue all these hee doth affirme to come of Grace altogether Wherfore we agreé well enough together as touchyng the habilitie of will But to let passe this treatie of habilitie if question be moued touching freédome of will bycause hereupō hangeth all our cōtrouersie for neither do we enquire here what the property of will is or what will cā do properly but what euery man may do or not do in all thyngs by the freédome of his owne proper will Luther doth aūswere forthwith that the name of freédome seémeth to be a name of more maiestie thē that it ought or may agreé cōueniently to any thyng properly but to the onely Maiestie of God or to him whō the holy Ghost hath made freé by grace But the great Proctours of Freewill are wont to obiect that in some sense this is true in deéde That there is no power absolutely fully freé but the onely omnipotēt power of Gods Maiestie yet neuertheles as we call Angels immortall men holy wise and good though we doe acknowledge God onely to bee truly immortall onely wise and onely good so nothyng withstādeth but we may call men after their certeine maner freé I do Aūswere Angels in deéde are called immortall and that truly bycause they obteined that state of their creatour at the first besides that also they neuer lost that state of immortalitie wherein they were placed although some fell frō the blessednes of immortalitie But as for our freédome the condition state therof is of a farre other condition and kynde For albeit mā in the beginnyng was created in the freé estate of will through the benefite of his creatour which he might haue reteigned still without any contradiction if he would yet did hee loase the same freédome and Paradise withall by his own default so that he turned that blessed estate into miserie and his freédome into bondage that beyng out of Paradise now by how much we
are sequestred froÌ„ all felicitie euen so farre seéme we to be cut of from all freédome without the Grace of the Redeémer For shyppe wracke beyng once made of vniuersall blessednesse I can seé none other remedy but that freédome must be drowned withall Therefore the selfe same thyng whiche doth open Paradise beyng shut fast agaynst vs must of necessitie restore freédome agayne which can not by any meanes be brought to passe through force of nature or through any power of our owne It consisteth onely in the Grace of the Redeémer As our Redeémer him selfe witnesseth in S. Iohns Gospell If the Sonne shall make you free then shall you be free in deede Notyng vnto vs this one thyng chiefly by those wordes the state of our bondage to be such as except it be renewed with Grace of the Redeémer that in all this nature of ours is nothyng freé Moreouer as concernyng the vsuall maner of speach that men are called good holy and wise I know that men haue bene accustomed to bee tearmed so But what is this to the purpose The question here is not by what name meÌ„ are called but of what value euery thyng is in the sight of God And yet do I not doubt at all but that many men may bee in their kinde good holy and wise euen so to be esteémed well enough But howsoeuer this holynesse godlynesse and wisedome of meÌ„ seémeth in mans Iudgement yet is nothyng whatsoeuer it be if it proceéde not from the grace of God For what hast thou that thou hast not receaued After the same sorte do I aunswere touchyng freédome whiche beyng once lost through Freewill must of necessitie sticke fast cloyed in the puddle of thraldome vnlesse it be renewed agayne by Gods grace WhereupoÌ„ August very aptly Freedome sayth he without grace is no freedome but coâ—tumacle And as in this place August denyeth that to be liberty which is seuered froÌ„ grace so in an other place he will not graunt that to bee named will except it be conuersaunt in good things Will sayth he is not will but in good thyngs for in euill wicked thinges it is properly called Luste not will Wherfore if there be neither freédome where Gods grace is not present nor will where wickednesse is practized by what meanes then will Osorius mainteyne that Freewill is in euill thinges whenas in that respect there is neither freédome nor will There is also in the same August in the same his Epistle to Hillary that may well be gathered and framed into an Argument on this wise The lyfe of libertie is the perfect soundenesse of will But in doyng euill mans will is not sounde Ergo In doyng euill mans will is not freé For euen so are we taught vp Augustines wordes The lyfe of libertie sayth he is the soundenesse of will and by so much euery man is more free by how much his will is most sound Albeit I will not striue much about the contention of tearmes If any maÌ„ be minded to name the choyse of will applyable towardes good or euill to be voluntary rather then freé he shall not erre much in my Iudgement Neither will I be offended if a man do say as Augustine doth that maÌ„s will is freé towardes euill thinges so that he hold the meanyng of Augustine as well as the wordes For I am of this mynde that when Augustine doth name mans Freewill couple it to grace he calleth it freé in this respect bycause beyng freé froÌ„ all forcible constrainte it beÌ„deth it selfe through voluntary motioÌ„ that way whereunto it is directed be it to goodnes through Grace or to euill through naturall lust And in this sense accordyng to August meanyng the ConfessioÌ„ of Auspurgh doth expouÌ„de maÌ„s will to be freé that is to say yeldyng of his owne accord The selfe same do Bucer and Melancthou also this also doth Caluine not deny who doth neither striue much about this tearme of freédome doth learnedly also professe that the originall cause of euill is not to be sought elles where then in euery mans owne will But as concernyng Luther for that he doth vpon some occasion sometyme expresse his minde in writing somewhat roughly wherein afterwards he discouereth his meanyng in a more mylde phrase of speach it was not seémely in my conceite to racke out those thynges onely whiche might breéde offence cloakyng meane whiles those thynges fraudulently which do wipe away all mislikyng He doth set downe in his Assertion thus That it is not in mans freé power to thinke a good or euill thought Agayne in the same Assertion the same Luther doth not deny that all mans imaginations of their owne inclination are carried to all kynde of naughtynesse that Freewill can do nothyng of it selfe but Sinne. On this wise with lyke heate of disputation rather then of any errour he calleth Freewill sometyme a fayned or deuised tearme not to bee founde in deéde any where makyng all thynges to be gouerned by vnauoydeable necessitie Which vehemencie of speach many men do cast in his teéth reprochfully now and then And yet in other places agayne expâ—undyng him selfe he doth grauÌ„t without all Hyperbolicall speéche that in inferiour causes Freewill can do somewhat and withall doth franckely affirme that it can do all thynges beyng assisted with Grace And why is hee not holden excused as well for this as snatcht at for the other why doe the aduersaries shut fast their eyes and blindfold them selues willyngly at matter well spokeÌ„ and neuer looke abroad but when they liste to carpe and cauill Was there euer any so circuÌ„spect a writer whose latter diligence more attentiue heédefulnes might not alwayes amend some ouersight escaped at the first either in Exposition or Iudgement of thynges The more that Solon the Sage grewe in yeares the more he increased in knowledge and may it not bee lawfull for vs to encrease vnderstaÌ„dyng with our age likewise Surely August could not excuse the errours of his youth neither shamed he to confesse in his age the ouersight that escaped his penne in youth vnaduisedly not onely to reforme them by ouerlickyng them as the Beare licketh her whelpes but also to reuoke them openly with an open graue and grayheaded retractation and to pray Pardon of his errours franckly nor doth in vayne permitte those bookes to be preiudiciall vnto him whiche hee wrate beyng a young man saying very modestly of him selfe that hee began then to write like a learner but not aâ— grounded in Iudgement Neither was such perfection to be required in Luther who albeit vttered somewhat at the first in wordes otherwise then common custome of Schooles were acquainted with it had bene the partes of graue Deuines not to prye narrowly into the vnaccustomed phrase of wordes so much as to sift out the substaunce of the doctrine how agreably it accorded with the Scriptures in truth and sinceritie And if
whiche it is Of this Necessary Aristotle hath seâ— downe two principall begynnynges the one internall the other externall Then also distinction is made of this Necessitie which is moued force of the internall cause and inward proprietie of Nature So that some thynges may be called simply and absolutely necessary as God and those thynges whiche beyng chaunged do emply contradiction as if a man would say that foure were not an euen nomber that foure and threé were not seuen in nomber And this is called Geometricall Necessitie which will not admitte any chaunge by course of nature There is an other Necessitie called Naturall Necessitie Which albeit bee of her selfe the begynnyng of her owne motion yet it consisteth not in so simple and absolute an estate but followeth onely the vsuall course of her owne nature And after this manerâ— fier is sayd to bourne of Necessitie The Sunne is continually carried about in his course of Necessitie whiche can not chuse but doe as they doe accordyng to the proprietie of their naturall disposition yet doe they not follow their naturall inclination so absolutely and vnauoydeably but that God may hinder and alter their dispositioÌ„ or make them cease from their naturall operation Such a kynde of Necessitie to Sinne we say that man is clogged withall sith the fall of Adam if the holy Ghost and Grace be absent For of them selues they can not but sinne albeit there is no let in their nature but that they may bee holpen or chaunged and otherwise altered as we seé come to passe in those that are regenerate in Christ. That Necessitie therefore whereby wicked men are sayd to bee lead to sinne is not so absolute and vnaduoydable that they can not chuse but sinne for assoone as the holy Ghost and the Grace of Christ commeth this Necessitie is vtterly cut of And thus much of that internall Necessitie But the Necessitie that spryngeth from externall causes is also deuided two maner of wayes Whereof the one is violent and is called Compulsary Necessitie As when a thyng is forced to moue or to styrre agaynst her own nature And this Necessitie can by no meanes fall into mans will for it is impossible that will shall will any thyng vnwillyngly The other is stable and infallible or of the Hypothesis or by reason of the Consequence which Logicians do take to be in Sensu composito not in Senfu ` Diuiso Now this Necessitie called of the ConsequeÌ„ce is on this wise As when a thyng may be true by occasioÌ„ of the Necessary couplyng together of one proposicion with an other though the thyng that is concluded for true bee not Necessary of it selfe And in this respect we do affirme that all our actions are done of Necessitie not by the force of the inwarde cause or els their owne nature that is to say if they be considered apart referred to their next cause to witte vnto will Euen so will beyng considered apart in her owne nature from the externe begynnyng to witte Gods prouidence and foreknowledge it is sayd to be freé in his certeine kynde so that it is endued with a certeine facilitie to encline it selfe to whether part it will although it bee not able of her selfe to moue and encline at all but vnto that part which God did foreknow Whereby you perceaue Osor. in what sense this Necessitie which we do affirme is not alwayes absolutely tyed to our actions as farreforth as they doe proceéde from our owne will but through the couplyng conioynyng of Gods Predestination with our workes Which thing to be euen so the Deuines did seéme to signifie ` Per Sensum Compositum and Necessitatem Consequentiae ¶ A Description of Freewill and the thynges apperteinyng thereunto after the rules of Diuinitie taken out of August P. Lombard anâ— others Fiue thyngs chiefly to bee coÌ„sidered in Free-will 1. What Free-will is Will. Is a thyng properly perteinyug to reason whereby man doth liscerne good froÌ„ euill what is to be desired or what to be eschewed Free Freedome is a thyng properly perteinyng to will whereby of voluntary appetite without foreine coaction it may either will good or euill but to will good coÌ„meth of Grace which maketh to will and to doe ¶ The desâ—â—â—ption of Freewill talen out of Argâ—na 〈◊〉 lâ—b 2. Dist. 24. Freewill is an â—â—â—initie of reaâ—on and will whereby good is chosen through the assistauÌ„ce of Grace or euill if Grace bâ— absent or thus Freewill is a facuine of the Soule which can will good or euill discernyng them both 2. In what thyngs Freewill doth consiste In God first and chiefly Whose wiâ—l is of it selfe simply and absolutely most 〈◊〉 froÌ„ all boÌ„dage of 〈◊〉 and all infeccion of sinne for God can â—ot of his own nature sinne not bycause any force restrayneth him but bycause of his own nature he caÌ„ not so will so that God is both holy of necessitie and yet this necessitie 〈…〉 Freewill from God in whoÌ„ all â—ccessitie ioyned with all freedome is reliaunt In blessed Angels Whose state and condition is this that their will is made stedfast and vnchaungeable in all goodnes not of them selues but through Grace In mans nature and that foure maners of wayes according to the fourefold diuision of mans state 3. In what respect it is called mans Freewill Not in respect of things present nor thyngs past bycause present thyngs and thyngs past be of this qualitie that beyng done they caÌ„ not be vndone nor thynges paâ— can be reuoked But is called Freewill in respect of thyngs to come And these be the thynges that our Lombardines do affirme are in 〈◊〉 power but vntruely for maÌ„s habilitie to confesse truth is directed by gods euerlasting decree neither is it in maÌ„s habilitie to order chauÌ„ceable thynges at his pleasure 1. In the state of innocencie Whose freedome was once such which could both sinne not sinne And in this sense the auncient writers must be vnderstanded as often as they speake of mans Freewill that is to say of the Freedome of mans nature 2. In the state of blessednesse or of his heauenly couÌ„trey as scholemen terme it where man shal be endued with a freedome that can not Sinne by any meanes 3. In the state of life after sinne before regeneration by Grace In which state man hath no Freewill to do any thyng but to Sinne deadly as Lombard sayth and of this state meaneth Luther writyng of bonde will 4. In the state of life after sinne after regeneration by Grace In whiche state man hath freedome not to Sinne except veniall Sinâ—e as sayth Lombard But although Augustine and Luther doe yeld an habilitie not to Sinne after a certeine sorte Yet in respect of actuall Sinne they doe not except man either from veniall or deadly Sinne. Bycause was neuer any man yet found Christ onely excepte endued with such 〈◊〉 of Grace that had not in all his lyâ—e Synned yea and that
neuer receaued grace as men who through their own Freewill haue made frustrate the Grace of God once receaued by their owne wickednesse But if they be not regenerate yet is that damnable originall sinne worthely punished that will through anguish of punishment may conceaue desire to be regenerate if at least the man that is so chastized be the child of promise That God by outward vsing this meane of scourge vexation and chastizement may by secret inspiration fashion and frame the will to obedience c. And thus much hetherto coÌ„cernyng lawes and ordinauÌ„ces for rewardyng vertue and punishyng vyce in Ciuill gouernement There followeth now an other absurditie to witte where he sayth that by Luthers doctrine man is altogether dispoyled of vnderstandyng depriued of Iudgement bereft of reason and driueÌ„ to that extremitie as to be no better then a naturall stoane throwen out of a mans hand Osorius Argument Whosoeuer do attribute the orderyng of all thynges to absolute Necessitie exemptyng freedome from will doe spoyle men of their vnderstandyng depriue them of Iudgement and bereue them of reason and do traÌ„fforme them into brute beastes and stoanes Luthers doctrine doth bynde mens actions and willes to Necessitie Ergo Luthers doctrine doth dispoyle meÌ„ of their senses and turneth them into stoanes I deny the Maior of this Argument In the Minor I distinguish this word Necessitie Lastly the Argument is altogether vicious and that for two causes Either bycause Osorius thinketh That no Necessitie at all byndeth thynges to be directed by the eternall prouidence and ordinaunce of God or els he supposeth this Necessitie to he such as must neédes exclude all freédome of will Both which are false And first touchyng Necessitie Luther other auÌ„cient writers do learnedly affirme That the actions of mans lyfe are not subiect to fortune but herein they do acknowledge the prouidence of God which they assigne to be the onely and principall gouernesse and guide of maÌ„s lyfe as which directeth maÌ„s purposes boweth and bendeth his will and ordereth all the enterprises thereof Moreouer they teach the same prouidence to be such as whiche is not whirled about through blynd and sudden motions wherein no place is left to the happenynges of fortune nor such a prouidence as must neédes depend vpon inferiour causes or vpon a necessary couplyng together of causes wherein destiny is excluded nor such a prouidence as is vnaduisedly vncerteinly tossed to fro accordyng to the wandryng chaunces of fortune wherein fortune chaunce is taken away but such a prouidence as consisteth in a certeine assured stedfast permanent order workyng so in the meane whiles by inferiour and mixte causes neuerthelesse not as though it were tyed to those causes with any such necessary bonde of couplyng that it may not possibly doe otherwise by her owne absolute and most freé motione neither as though those causes could not possibly doe otherwise but must of Necessitie follow the direction of the same prouidence whereunto they be subiect Whereby it commeth to passe that Freewill beyng occupyed in these meane causes neither ceaseth to be altogether freé as being forced by no forreine constraint but guided by her owne accord nor yet remayneth so absolutely freé but that it is constrayned whether she wil or no to yeld to the direction of Gods prouidence voluntaryly notwithstandyng not coactly Wherupon amongest the learned this Necessitie is called Necessitas immutabilitatis aut certitudâ—nis whiche though doe not vrge thynges with violent coaction yet for as much as nothyng is in al the creation of nature of so small substance as can be without the coÌ„passe of Gods knowledge therfore albeit many things seéme accordyng to our capacities to be done by chaunce yet in respect of Gods prouidence if wee duely consider the originall and principall cause of thynges that are done wee shall finde nothing done but which could not but be done of very Necessitie I make hast to the other absurdities to witte to Osorius his most friuolous brabblynges For in this sorte he crawleth from mans lawes and ciuill gouernement to Gods lawes arguyng as it were in this sort If will be nothing auayleable to good lyfe nor of it selfe can do nothyng but Sinne then are Gods lawes commaunded in vayne in vayne also are exhortatioÌ„s and aduertisementes ministred in vayne are blessinges and cursinges set downe in the Scriptures But no man wil say that these are coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the Scriptures in vayne Ergo this doctrine of Luther is false execrable whereby he leaueth none other habilitie to Freewill but onely to sinne whereby he bindeth all things to necessity This Maior must bee denyed beyng nothyng els but a most manifest cauillation to witte tendyng to this effect as though God commaunded vs to doe nothyng but that we might of our owne selues performe whereunto Augustine aunswereth in this wise O man in the commaundemeÌ„t learne what thou oughtest to doe in the punishment learne thy weakenesse through thyne owne default In the prayer learne from whence thou mayest obteyne c. By the law of commaundyng and forebyddyng therefore accordyng to Augustine we come to the knowledge of our Sinne and infirmitie not of our owne strength power yet is not the law therfore coÌ„maunded in vayne For to vs that aske in the Sonnes name and acknowledge our infirmitie is Grace promised which worketh in vs both to will and to doe accordyng as the same Augustine doth recorde in the same place Let vs remember that hee doth say make vnto your selues a new hart and nâ—w Spirite who hath sayd I will geue you a new hart and I will geue you a new Spirite How is it then that he that sayth make vnto your selues a new hart fayth also I will geue you a new hart Why doth he commaunde if him selfe will geue Why doth he geue if maÌ„ be the worker but bycause he geueth the thyng that he commaundeth and helpeth him whom hee hath commaunded that hee may do it For through grace it commeth to passe that man is endued with a good will which was before of an euill will c. Therfore by this Argument of Augustine appeareth that this word of admonition exhortation or of rebukyng vsed in the Scriptures is as it were a certeine meane or instrument which the holy Ghost doth vse in conuertyng the will of such as are not yet regenerate and in beautifying the first issues of his good giftes in such as are regenerate that they may grow to a more rypenesse through Repentaunce through Fayth and through Prayer And by what wrest of Logicke doth Osorius gather habilitie of Freewill out of the holy ordinauÌ„ces seyng Augustine doth in so many places so directly gayne say him but especially in his 2. booke agaynst the two Epistles of Pelagius writyng in this wise I can see nothyng in the whole Scriptures geuen by God in commauÌ„dement to man to proue that
be agreable to reason For God did also foreknow the euill will of the reprobate as there is nothyng in the world that his vnsearcheable purpose did not foreknow euen aswell as he foreknew before the glory of the elect that should come yet did he not therfore chuse vnto glory some bycause he foreknew thē nor did chuse all thynges which he did foreknow but whatsoeuer his Electiō had predestinated it is out of all doubt that the same were all foreknowen 4. Agayne the foreseéne pety workes which they make to be the cause of Election are either our owne or properly apperteynyng to God If they be Gods and not ours where then is the freédome of our choyse any merites of works But if they be ours that is to say in the direction of our owne willes then is that false that Paule teacheth God it is that worketh in vs both to will and to worke declaryng hereby that we are vnable to will or to attemp any thyng that good is without Gods assistaunce 6. The fift reason is this whatsoeuer is the cause of the cause is worthely adiudged the cause of the effect If the foreseéne workes of the faythfull be the cause of Predestination certes they must neédes be the cause of Iustification also whiche is directly opposite and aduersary to the doctrine of Paule and the Grace of Christ. 6. Workes as they issue from vs are thynges vncerteine But Gods Election is a thyng alwayes certeyne and permanent Now by what reasō will Osorius proue then that thyngs beyng of their own nature certeine vnchangeable shall depēd vpon thynges transitory and variable Not but foreknowledge sayth he of thynges that are foreseene doth stand in a certeine permanēt and vnremoueable assuraunce Neither do I deny this And therefore when the foreknowledge of God hath established thyngs in such a Necessary vnaduoydeable assuraunce whiche will be chaunged by no alteration what should moue him to gnaw so greédely vpon Luther for teachyng such a Necessitie of our workes 7. When as God did regarde the people of the old Testament as a Damsell naked polluted and adulteresse c. Agayne in the new Testamēt where we are heare the vyle things things despised in this world and thyngs which are not to be had in estimation with God Moreouer whereas accordyng to the testimony of August Gods Electiō is said to haue ouerpassed many Philosophers notable for their vertue famous for the cōmendable cōuersation of life doth not the thyng it self declare sufficiently that the whole exploite of our saluation is accōplished not of any desert of our workes that were foreseéne but of his onely bountyfull benignitie and most acceptable freé mercy 8. Moreouer what shall be sayd of Infantes who are taken out of this worlde assoone as they are Baptised what shall we thinke of the theéfe hangyng on the Crosse and others the lyke who hauyng lyued most abhominably were yet receaued into the kyngdome of Christ by holy repentaunce onely thorough fayth whenas they had done no good worke at all were either any workes to come foreseéne in these persons which were none at all shall we Iudge that they wanted Electiō bycause they wanted workes foreseéne before 2. Furthermore whereas this seémeth to be the onely scope of Paules Epistle to extoll and aduaunce the freé mercy of God by all meanes possible surely this scope is vtterly ouerthrowen and rooted out if the whole action of freé Election must be decided by merites of workes foreseéne before Whiche matter moued Augustine so much that to preferre knowledge of workes yea of foreknowledge of fayth either before the Grace of Election he adiudged matter of all other most intollerable 10. Lastly bycause Osorius doth so scornefully loathe our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 innouations as her termeth them as newfangled deuises of rascallike abiects to make it euidēt that we are not altogether destitute of antiquitie to iustifie our Assertions to be true we will ioyne with vs herein the Iudgement of Augustine who excludeth foreseéne workes altogether from the worke of Gods Electiō For these are his wordes most expressely set downe And least peraduenture the faythfull should bee thought to be Elect sayth he before the foundation of the world for their workes that were foreseene he proceedeth addeth therto But if Electiō come by Grace then cōmeth it not now of workes Or els Grace now is not Grace at all c. What say you moreouer to this that in an other place hee doth vtterly deny that choyse was made of the younger to beare rule ouer the Elder through the very foreknowledge of any workes at all c. Which matters being thus set in order what remayneth but that we encounter with our aduersaries argumentes wherwith they endeuour to reuiue the auncient heresie of Pelagius and hale it out of hell agayne For as those olde heretiques dyd teach that mans will was so farforth freé as that euery man was elected for the merite of their workes foreseéne before by God none otherwise do these our new Pelagians iarre vpon the same string or not very much vnlike treading the track of their forerunners the Archheretiques referring all thinges in lyke sort to workes foreseéne before least something maye seéme to bee found altogether without recompence in the behalfe of our most bountifull and souereigne God And amongest these notable Champions rusheth out this couragious ringleader Osorius and geueth a proud onset agaynst the kingdome of Grace and hath so disposed the whole force of hys battery that the maiestie of Freewill may not by any meanes bee endamaged trustyng chiefly to this Target of proofe before mentioned arguyng on this wise If election did consist of freemercy onely sayth he without respect or choyse of any the thinges that God did foresee he might be worthely accused of vnaduised and rashe dealyng But now whereas God accordyng to his vnpenetrable counsell doth determine all thinges aduisedly in a certayne well disposed order Ergo Gods Election doth not consiste of his mercy onely without respect or choyse of workes which he foresaw would be done by the faythfull To aunswere these thinges brieflye If Osorius senselesse iudgement were not throughly ouerwhelmed with heddinesse and rashenes he would not skatter abroad such black and thick cloudes to vse Augustines wordes and such crafty cautels of confused disputations We doe know and confesse Osorius that God doth neuer any thyng at all aduētures nor vnaduisedly Yet doth not that rashe imagination therefore followe whiche you haue as rashely conceaued in that blynde denne of your intoxicate braynes to witte that workes foreseene before are the cause of Election Moreouer Gods Election is neyther therefore decreéd vpon without cause nor yet therefore guyded by blynde chaunce though it hang not vpon the choyse of works afterwardes to be done But Osor. beyng a very naturall Philosopher and very Ethicall seémeth to
Iudgement shall procure vs lyfe or death as Osorius writeth Pag. 145. Agayne if the righteousnesse onely which consisteth of well doyng doth purchase Gods fauour to mankynde Pag. 142. What soppe I pray you shal be left for mercy here to deale withall or what shall remayne at all wherein the Grace of God may be exercized If these be not your owne wordes Osorius deny them if you dare but if they be with what artificiall Argumēt will you persuade vs not to accōpt you for an enemy of Gods grace whiles ye sight so much vnder the banner of his Iustice Yet will not I be so captious a cōptoller of your wordes as to call you by the name of an enemy of Grace though in very deéde I dare scarsely thinke you to be in any respect a sownde frende thereunto hetherto veryly as yet haue you declared your selfe no better And the same euen your owne writings do more then sufficiently denounce agaynst you in that which it is a wonder to seé how lauish prodigall you be in the aduauncyng of the prayses of Iustice for the amplyfieng whereof you can scarse finde any end but in the meane tyme towardes the commendation of Mercy so sparyng a niggard and hardelaced that ye seéme either not to conceaue of the wonderfully Maiestie therof sufficiētly or els very vngratefully not to be acquainted therewith sauyng that ye begyn now at the lēgth to preach somewhat of the excellency therof also takyng occasion of these wordes of Paule What shall we say then Is there vnrighteousnesse with God God forbid for he sayth to Moyses I will haue mercy on him to whom I do shew mercy and I will haue compassion on him on whom I haue compassion In that which place say you Paule doth render a Reason Wherfore no man cā by any meanes accuse God of vnrighteousnesse And doe annexe hereunto a conclusion agreable enough to your defence For the defence of Iustice say you cōsisteth wholy in mercy And agayne But the mercy of God doth acquite his Iustice free from all reproche Whiche reason of yours Osori although perhaps might be allowed in some respect yet doth it not exactly and substauncially enough discusse the naturall meanyng of the Apostle nor sufficiently aūswere the Apostles question Which will euidently and playnly appeare either by the Apostle him selfe or by Augustine the Expositour of the Apostle if we will first note before the marke and state of the question diligently and truely The scope wherof Augustine affirmeth to be this That the Apostle may lay open before vs that the Grace of fayth ought to be preferred before workes not to the end he might seéme to abolish workes but to shew that workes do not goe before but follow grace and to make the same more apparaunt he alledgeth amongest others the example of Iacob Esau Who beyng not as yet borne into the world hauyng done nothyng worthy either to be fauored or to be hated but that equabilitie of estate had made eche of them equall with the other and betwixt whō was no difference of natures or deseruyngs which might procure aduaūcement of the one before the other Finally whenas by orderly course of byrthe and right of first byrthe the elder might haue challenged the prerogatiue of honour before the younger Almighty God vsing here his vnsearcheable Electiō did make this difference betwixt them whereas was no difference of workes or merites as that for sakyng Esau who by no merite after the rule of Iustice had deserued to bee reiected he gaue the preheminēce to the younger turnyng the common order of nature vpsidowne as it were that whereas the younger are wont to be subiect to the elder now contrary to kynde the elder should become seruaunt to the younger Whereupon whē the Apostle sawe what scrupule might arise in the imagination of the hearer or Reader therof he putteth a question vnder the person of one that might argue agaynst it whether God had done any thyng herein agaynst equitie and right or any thyng that he could not iustifie accordyng to Iustice distributiue whereunto him selfe aunsweryng immediately doth with wonderfull vehemency detest that slaunderous cauill and withall acquiteth God freé from all accusation and suspition of vnrighteousnes this not wtout lawfull authoritie of the Scripture What sayth he do we not read spokē vnto Moyses on this wise I will haue mercy on whō I do take mercy and I will haue cōpassion on whō I haue compassion Besides this also addyng forthwith the example of Pharao he doth conclude at the length on this wise Therfore he hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth But if our captious accuser will yet persiste in his obstinacie as though it sufficed not for God to do what it pleased him he doth cōfute him with a most manifest Argument of lyke comparison on this wise The Potter fashionyng his vesselles either vnto honour or to dishonour or to what purpose seémeth him best doth not offend at all And shall it be lesse lawfull or God to shew his power vpon his owne creatures then for the Potter vpon his Chalke or Clay Therfore whether God be willyng to haue mercy or to indurate any man he doth nothyng herein but that which is most lawfull and most agreable with equitie You perceaue therfore Gods Iustice sufficiently enough desended I suppose which in all his workes ought by good right be mightly defēded But how it is defēded is now to be seéen Osorius vrgeth stoughtly that Gods Iustice standeth not otherwise to be defended but onely in respect of his Mercy which albeit might be graunted after a sorte yet is not altogether simply and absolutely true and the reason therof is pyked out of Osorius credite rather then out of any Argument of S. Paule Whereas Paule seémeth to referre all this whole defence of Iustice not to mercy but to onely will of God Saying God taketh mercy on whom he will and hardeneth whom he will Albeit I will not in the meane whiles deny but that the Election of the faythfull doth consist vpon mercy alone yet surely the defense of Election is not vpholden but through the will of God onely Likewise also albeit the castyng away of the Reprobates do proceéde from the onely Iustice of God yet will no man say that the defence of this reiection consisteth in Mercy but in the onely will of God And therfore it is the onely will of God which doth defende Mercy in Election and Iustice in reiection For otherwise how could this come to passe that the onely Mercy of God should defēd his Iustice either in the Reprobate in whō scarse one sparckle of Mercy is discernable or els in the Predestination of the faithfull wherein appeareth no execution of Iustice therfore what is it then that may defend Iustice in these Mercy in those other but onely the purpose of Gods will onely wherof S. Paule maketh
would nor is of it self able to do any thing that it doth otherwise thē of very Necessitie Whereby appeareth euidently what kynde of freédome mans will enioyeth which whether it consent to good thyngs can neyther will nor do any thing of it selfe beyng not assisted agayne if it dissent cannot otherwise dissent but of very Necessity beyng left ouer to her owne strength For so deadly an infectiō hath poysoned the very Rootes whole ofspring of nature that it is neyther able to will any good thing but being holpen by grace no nor so much as to think a good thought What then shall there be nothing left say you in the power of mans freedome Yes truely Osorius I do not spoyle mans will so naked that it can do nothing in heauenly thinges but your opinion tendeth rather to this effect that Gods predestination can appoynt no certeinty in humayne acccions For if mans will do possesse such a full and absolute freedome as you say as can by no meanes be subiect what scope then geue you to Gods Election but that it performe nothing at all freely but be directed alwayes by the free conduct of some forren guyder so that the whole force hereof now be not of him that calleth but of him that is called rather But if according to Paules doctrine the whole exployt of thinges be gouerned by hym that calleth onely what shall become of mans freedome then If you will cut these two asunder and yealde part thereof to will and part to Predestination ascribing all to mans power and abilitye and little or nothing at all to Gods predestination why then do you not instruct vs distinctly what and how much ech of them doth performe and withall wherein the diuersitie and difference of them both consisteth which if you will not distinguishe duely and orderly according to their naturall and proper distinctions what other doctrine will ye teach vs but that Gods predestination must needes appeare both in order of tyme to be first and elder and in power alwayes more mighty and farre surmounting all the force of mans will which beyng graunted what will follow here of at the length but that mans choyse will beé proued at the length so none otherwise freé but that it must alwaies be in bondage eyther to Gods grace beyng holpen to good or to her owne lust beyng cast of to wickednes But me seémeth I do heare what the secrett whisperings of Pelagius brood and amongst them chiefly Osorius the stought Champion of that crew will bark agaynst thys To consent or not to consent say they is in our own power nor is the grace of God otherwise effectuall but as we embrace hys ayde and assistaunce offered vnto vs. Wherevpon they conclude at the length that it is in our owne power eyther to enterteine the grace of God or to forsake it This consequent we deny as the which beyng made without all forme of art is also as voyde of all ground of truth As concerning assenting or dissenting I doe confesse that these motiones are numbred amongest the residue of the naturall powers of mans will if we do consider of them as in their bare and naked powers without their obiectes But to assent rightly to the thinges whiche appertayne vnto fayth and Gods calling Augustine doth aunswere very discretly That vnto this we are altogether vnable of our selues but that our abilitie hereunto proceadeth wholy from hym which doth first bring to passe that of vnwilling we may be made willing and doth draw them that are obstinate to obedience creating a new hart within thē to make them hys owne willing voluntary and seruiceable seruauntes Moreouer where they say that grace is none otherwise effectuall vnlesse we doe put our helping handes also together with grace and that none are holpen but such as endeuour therunto of their owne accord It is true also and the reason is because God doth worke in man not with anye forraygne constraynt onely as he vsually accustometh in brute beastes and stoanes but with mans own voluntary inclination and motion But from whence this voluntary motion in thinges appertayning to God inespecially doth arise Augustine will teach you who doth deny that this grace of God doth finde any good will in vs but doth make our wills to be good And agayne where he testifieth that no man is able to resort to this grace for ayde but whose stepps the Lord doth guyde thereunto in so much that he boldly pronounceth that the beginning of Grace is euen to feele a want of grace Now therefore followeth vpon these propositions thus graunted that whersoeuer Gods effectuall grace is there is no defect of will on the contrary part wheresoeuer appeareth any defect of will there Gods grace is vneffectuall which is comprehended in these ij operations namely in eternall calling and inward drawing so that the receptacle of grace is within vs in deéde but not as of our selues but of the grace of God But the refusall of grace is both in vs and withall commeth of our own selues and yet so neuerthelesse of our owne selues as that being reiected from Gods grace we cannot but reiect his grace nor are we able of our selues to do otherwise though we would neuer so fayne And what kinde of freedome shall Will be sayd to enioy here then the which no kinde of seruile thraldome can beé more miserable or more wretched But our good Syr here will deny this That God accordyng to the inestimable goodnesse of his fatherly nature doth reiect any at any tyme from his mercy which is indifferently and equally layed open for all ingenerall Hereof hath bene sufficiently discoursed before Yet I will adde this one saying If Gods grace do reiect no person from him then must we of necessitie confesse that he doth not make choyse of any like wise For where all are generally and indifferently chosen with out respect there surely is no man cast away Agayne where is no reiection at all there can be then no place for Election For in choyse we are not sayd to chuse all but to accept out of all not euery one but whom we like best Where a choyse is and no mā reiected there is not a choyse or Electiō properly but an acceptaunce and an allowaunce rather Neither can that be tearmed a choyse of men which the Greciās do call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the proper maner of speakyng except it be out of the multitude of a remnaunt But God say you hath left no man so destitute of his grace but that euery mā is able of him selfe to be cōuerted aud to embrace grace if he will or not to be conuerted if he will not Who cā better vnloase this knot then Augustine When the Gospell is preached why do not all beleue they are not all of the father If we shall say sayth he bycause they will not be cōuerted we shall answere here to
doth geue nothing of set purpose but that he pursueth his owne worke to an end in a certeine perpetuall order and course 9. That man doth not so worke together with God as bringing or adding any thing of his owne but doth worke by measure onely in spirituall thinges by how much he is forced by the cause agent So doth the minde see but being enlightened Iudgement doth discerne and chuse but guided by the direction of the holy Ghost The will is obedient but being first regenerated The hart is willing but being renewed man doth endeuour doth will and doth bring to passe but accordyng to the measure that he hath receaued 10. Moreouer where as it is declared that man hath a will aswell in good thinges as in euill thinges then if question be moued what kinde of thing will is of it selfe they do aunswere with Augustine That will is alwayes naturally euill that of it selfe it can do nothing but frowardly bende it selfe against the Iustice of God and that it is made good through grace onely and so made good that it may then of necessitie loue and sollow righteousnes which it abhorred before 11. They doe confesse with Augustine that men when they sinne do neuer sinne but of their owne accorde and by the proper motion of will and that they doe vaynely that do post ouer the fault therof to any others but to them selues 12. Agayne when they are directed to good thinges by the Spirite of God yet that their will is not excluded here for as much as euen this is the very grace of God namely that their will is enclined to desire good 13. That euen from the first creation nature is so weakened that sinne must cleane thereunto of very Necessitie Whiche Necessitie neuerthelesse proceedeth not from God nor from nature simplie neither from any destinie nor yet any forreine coaction but from the corruption of nature and from euery mans proper and peculiar inclination and is to be ascribed thereunto to which inclinatiō is annexed vnauoydeable Necessitie of sinning as Augustine recordeth 14. Luther Caluine and the others when they seeme to take away Freewill the same is so to be construed as that they doe not wholy take the same away but in that sense onely in the whiche that aduersaries doe establishe the same That is to say wherewith they do establish merite and preuētiō in Freewill 15. Last of all whereas the whole difficultie of this controuersie doth cōsist in three wordes chiefly to witte Will Freedome and Necessitie Our Deuines do distinguishe the same after this maner The will of God is takē ij maner of wayes sometymes for his secret counsell wherwith all things are necessaryly carried to the end whereunto God hath directed them before And so do we say that nothing is done besides this will It is also sometyme taken for that which God approueth and maketh acceptable vnto him selfe And in this sense we do see many things done now and then cōtrary to his will discouered in the scriptures And therfore according to his will God is sayd that he willeth all men to be saued whereas yet not all nay rather but a very few are saued 16. Freedome also which is peculiar to man is discerned by two maner of wayes either as it is set opposite to bondage and this Freedome Luther doth vtterly deny as he may well doe or as it is set contrary to coaction or fatall necessitie And this Freedome Luther neuer gaynesayd For as much as there is no will which can endeuour any thing against her will or the thing which she will not or which will may sinne at any tyme except she will her selfe 17. Likewise Necessitie is to be taken two maner of wayes the one of certeintie and vnchaungeablenesse as hath bene declared before which Osorius cā not deny The other of violent coaction which doth offer force vnto will And the same is imputed to Luther falsely 18. But now that former Necessitie which is called vnchaūgeable albeit it take her beginnyng from the cause of Gods Predestination yet this Predestination doth not cast such a Necessitie vpon thinges which may remoue Freewill no more doth it take away the Iustice of God wherewith he doth render to euery one according to his workes These thinges beyng thus set downe and duly considered it shal be an easie matter not onely to withstand the cauillations and subtelties of Osorius but to confounde the residue of the Sophisticall brables of all other aduersaries also wherewith they practize busily enough but all in vayne to oppresse Luthers cause weuyng their Cobbwebbes as I may tearme them for the more part after this maner hereafter following ¶ The Argumentes of the aduersaries agaynst the foresayd Assertions propounded and confuted If our actions be first determined and decreed vpon two inconueniences doe ensue vpon this Assertion .1 that the Freedome of mans will must vtterly perish .2 that men shal be constrayned by Necessitie as if they were bounde in bondes c. There are so many so manifest testimonies in the Scriptures concernyng the truth of Predestinatiō and the foreknowledge of thyngs to come that they can by no meanes be denyed As to the Obiection of inconueniēces it is vntrue For the Freédome of mans will doth not so perish but that men do alwayes chuse the thyng that they will of their owne accorde and willyngly Then also neither is any such Necessitie layed vpon any man which by force of coaction may driue him to do that which he would not Moreouer although it rest not in our Freédome that we may be chosen or forsaken it followeth not therfore that we haue no Freédome to any other thynges This is therfore a captious Argument falsely concludyng from the proposition Secundum quid ad Simpliciter As if a man would argue in this sort A fleshly man doth not conceaue the thynges that are of God Ergo The force of mans witte doth conceaue nothyng at all in any matter whatsoeuer Osorius maketh Luther worse thē Diagoras and Pighius maketh him worse then the Manichees Pighius Argument is framed in this maner The Manichees bycause they would ascribe wickednes to God did imagine two begynnynges Luther ascribyng wickednes and mischieuousnes to God maketh vs lyke vnto a Sawe whom God doth draw and driue forth and backe whether him lysteth Manichee did appoynt two natures in man th one good the other euill whereof that one could not sinne this other coulde not do well Luther doth neyther affirme two natures in man neyther doth so condēne the same nature of man wholy of it self but as it is corrupted after the fall hee doth affirme that of Necessitie and alwayes it doth resiste Gods Spirite yea euen in the very Saincts thēselues being euen from their very childdhoode enclined to euill Then that wicked men are as Sawes in the hand of God not onely Luther but Esay also doth confesse And agayne
whereas he sayth that the remnaunt of flesh euen in the holy ones is like a wilde sauadge Tyger euer resistyng against the Spirite and whereas also he doth cōuince the whole fleshly Iudgemēt of mā of faultynes naturall he differeth herein nothyng at all From Paule and Augustine Augustine writyng vpon Iohn Let no man flatter him selfe sayth he of him selfe he is a Sathan◠Let man therfore take away Sinne that is his owne and leaue righteousnes vnto God c. Osorius is not so blokishe as to make Luther equall with Diagoras but much more wicked And why so He adiudgeth is to be more tollerable to thinke there is no God at all thē to conceaue that God is wicked and vnrighteous But Luther doth conceaue him both wicked and vnrighteous Ergo c. Undoughtedly a very haynous fact yea more then Diagoricall If so be that any man either were euer so detestably abhominable as to be able to conceaue any such thyng of God But frō whence shall this mylde charitable allegation of this most curteous Prelate appeare at the length vnto vs to be truly vouched agaynst Luther For sooth vnlesse I be deceaued as the mā is not altogether blockish he will coyne vs this euident demonstration out of the bottome of his owne braynes Whosoeuer doth impute the faulte to an other of the thyng he can not auoyde doth vnrighteously Sinne is a thyng in man that can not be auoyded as Luther doth say Ergo God imputyng Sinne vnto man after Luthers doctrine is vniust The Maior proposition is true in those persons which were not them selues the cause of the thyngs whiche they could not auoyde But man now through his owne will hath throwen him selfe into that Necessitie of Sinnyng which he is not able to ouercome Wherupon the fault of the trespasse that he committeth is iustly imputed vnto him selfe nor can he nothwithstādyng chuse but doe the thyng that is committed And so by this reason the Maior is false Moreouer as touching the Minor Two thynges are to be considered in Sinne as it is taken to be the punishment of Sinne cleauyng fast vnto vs. The Acte and the Imputation For although the Acte he not taken away altogether through the corruption of nature Yet through Christ the Imputation of the Sinne is take away Therfore if a man cā not be freé from Sinnyng Let him obteyne a remedy for sinne in Christ in whom Sinne though be vnauoydable in this weake nature yet can not be hurtfull at all bycause it is not imputed Whereupon Augustine very fitly Sinne sayth he may be auoyded not when the proude will is aduaunced but when the humble and meeke will is holpen And the same is holpen in them which call earnestly by prayer which do beleue and which are called accordyng to Gods purpose He is in vayn cōmaūded to make choise who hath no power to applye him self to the thing which he doth chuse But we are commaunded to chuse both lyfe and death aswell good as euill Ergo We haue abilitie in vs to applye our selues aswell vnto life as vnto death aswell vnto euill as vnto good These thynges are alledged lyke as if there were any man that did vtterly driue away wil or abilitie of freé choyse frō mē We doe confesse that man hath a freé not a coacted power to chuse good or euill For we do chuse both not through any coaction at all but of our owne voluntary will albeit our choyse is not all alike in both for we make choyse of the thyngs that apperteine vnto Saluation after one sorte and of the thinges that are wicked after an other sorte For wicked thynges and thynges that are not godly euery man greédyly catcheth after of him self is greédyly carried thereunto yet so neuerthelesse of him selfe as of his owne nature he can not otherwise do if he be not hoplē But good godly thyngs no man can chuse through the naturall inclination of Freewill vnlesse he be thereunto assisted by the ayde of the holy Ghost This therfore that is read in the Scriptures God left man to the power of his owne counsell he set before mans face lyfe and death good and euill aduising him to chuse life c. Is a true saying but with this restrainte alwayes annexed that of hym selfe he was able to rush into all euill and beyng ayded by the holy Ghost he might be able to doe well on the other side not beyng holpen that he is neither of abilitie to do any thyng acceptable to God well nor could chuse by any meanes but worke the thyng that was displeasaunt vnto God If man be not the thyng that he can not be of his owne power and will but be compelled of Necessitie to be that which he ought not to be Ergo This is not now to be imputed to man nor yet seemeth he to be in any fault for it The Aunswere is out of Augustine Nay rather it is therfore the fault of the man that he is not without Sinne bycause it came to passe by mans will onely that he should come to such a Necessitie which could not be counteruayled vp the onely will of man If to Sinne be naturall not voluntary then either is it not sinne now or surely not to be imputed But if sinne be voluntary and not naturall nor of Necessitie then in respect that it is voluntary it is auoydeable by will that it neede not cleaue vnto vs of very Necessitie Augustine doth Aunswere God created Nature at the first pure and sounde◠which may not be accused as if it were the cause of Sinne. But afterwardes mans owne will did defile this good nature which beyng now corrupted conceaueth Sinne which neither can be healed without the grace of God Moreouer touchyng the thing that is done by will voluntaryly it can not be denyed but that the same will may be chaunged and so the will being chaunged the thing also that was done voluntaryly may be altered But whereas it is sayd that will may be chaunged by will it selfe this sauoreth surely of a wonderfull arrogancie For asmuch as the flesh willeth agaynst the Spirite and the Spirite agaynst the flesh as the Apostle him selfe witnesseth And these two are at warres agaynst eche other so that ye may not doe the thynges that ye would Gallat 5. Either a man may be without Sinne or he can not be without Sinne. If he can not what reason is it that Sinne that can not be but present should be imputed If he may be without Sinne how is will then bounde by Necessitie which might haue eschued the thyng that was committed And to this also Augustine maketh Aunswere That a man may in deede be without Sinne if God do helpe him we do not deny but this reason proueth not that there is any man without Sinne that is not holpen neither do we agree thereunto
no vnrighteousnes with God and likewise it must be firmely beleued that God hath mercy on whom he will haue mercy and on whoÌ„ he will not haue mercy theÌ„ he hardeneth That is to say on whom he listeth he will not take mercy whereupon whether he geaue any thing or require that is dew vnto hym neyther he of whom he requireth it can well complayne of hys vniust dealing nor he to whom he geueth ought to be ouer proud and boast of hys giftes for the one neither rendereth any more then is due and the other hath nothyng but that which he hath receaued If God had commaunded vs to do the thinges that hym selfe saw were impossible for vs to do he might seeme worthely to be accused of vnrighteousnesse This obiection were perhaps to some purpose vnlesse the scriptures had prouided a Triacle for this malady namely Fayth in hys Sonne in whom when we do beleéue endeuoring in the meane whiles as much as lieth in vs we do then fulfill the whole Law of workes That is to say we do attayne full absolute righteousnes as well as if we had fulfilled the whole beyng endued wiâ—h righteousnes now albeit not properly our owne yet enioying hym notwithstanding whiche of God was made our righteousnesse by Fayth Whereupon Luther in hys booke of Christian liberty hath written very excellently That which is impossible for theé to bring to passe in the whole works of the Law sayth he which are in number many thou shalt easily accomplish with small labour Namely by Fayth Because God the Father hath placed all thinges in Fayth so that whosoeuer is indued with this Fayth may possesse all thinges and he that is voyde of this Fayth may possesse nothing at all After this maner the promises of God doe geue that which the commauÌ„dements do exact they do finish that which the law commauÌ„deth so that now he onely alone is he that may coÌ„mauÌ„d and he onely and alone is he that may bryng to passe c. To what end are ordinauÌ„ces to liue well prescribed why are threatninges added to the stifnecked and rebellious if men were not able to liue well why is a freedome of choyse set out vnto vs to enter into whether way we will if we can not be able to holde the right way who is so madde to commaund a blinde man to keepe the right path or who will commaund that man that is so fast bound as beyng vnable to moue hys arme but vnto the left side to reache hym a a thing on the right side whiche is not possible for hym to doe Augustine will aunswere That which man is not able to atteine to by nature vnto the same may he yet attayne by grace he doth meane there of liuyng commendably not of liuyng perfectly which was neuer as yet graunted to any one person in this life no though he were aided by grace but to Iesu Christ alone But ye will demaund agayne to what end then was the law published and naturall choyse set out vnto vs if that choyce be not free to make choyse of these thinges that are set forth to our Election I do aunswere That this complaynt of Nature might beé not altogether impertinent if he that gaue the lawes had created the same Nature such as we haue at this present But now whereas he did at the beginning create Nature vpright and vnspotted God according to the selfe same Nature did publishe hys law vnto men whiche shoulde be holy and vndefiled Neither could he do otherwise whose commaundemeÌ„ts if we be not able now in this corruption of Nature to accomplish with due obedience there is no cause why the fault thereof should be imputed to GOD who can neyther will nor commaund any thing but that which is most righteous but we our selues and our first parentes Authors of this disobedience and the Deuill the couÌ„sellor are to be blamed therfore God caÌ„ not be vnlike himselfe If we become vnlike to our selues whose fault is it ours or his Furthermore touching the obiection of the blind and the maÌ„ that was bound hereunto I do aunswere That the similitude is not in all respectes correspondent for this cause For if God had blynded man at the first or had chayned hym fast with such Roopes of Necessitie and afterwardes had commaunded hym whom he made blynde to keepe the right pathe or him whom he had first bounde fast to reach afterwardes ouer to the right hand this were perhappes not altogether from the purpose that is cauilled but now for as much as the cause of this blyndnes was procured by man him selfe and not sent by God he is not to be blamed that geueth necessary counsell to speake as Augustine doth but he that hath entangled him selfe into such a Necessitie out of the whiche he can by no meanes vntwyne him selfe agayne A righteous and wise Law geuer doth neuer proclayme such Statutes the performaunce whereof will exceede the abilitie and capacitie of his subiectes God is the most righteous and most wise Law geuer Ergo God in publishyng his law did prescribe nothyng beyond the capacitie and abilitie of his owne Creatures I do aunswere vnto the Maior two maner of wayes First That the same is true in deéde in those lawes whiche were established of the Lawgeuer to this onely ende that the subiectes should exactly performe the same But albeit GOD did desire this thyng chiefly that all men should precisely and throughly obserue his Ordinaunces yet besides this consideration there are many other endes and causes 1. That the Iudgement and wrath of God agaynst Sinne should be made manifest 2. That we might be more easily brought to the acknowledgemeÌ„t of our Sinnes and weakenesse 3. Thyrdly that vnderstandyng our weakenes the more we feéle our selues more heauyly oppressed with this burden the more sharpely we should be prouoked as with the Schoolemaisters rodde to fleé vnto Christ who is the end of the law 4. That by this Schoolyng as it were we may learne what way we ought to take that if it be not geuen vs at the least to atteyne the full and absolute obedience of the law yet that begynnyng to be obedient we may profitte as much as we may Secundaryly we do confesse that the Maior is true in respect of those lawes for the due obseruation of the which there is no cause to the coÌ„trary either by the Lawgeuer or in nature it selfe but such as appeareth rather in the Subiectes Whose onely fault and disorderous licentiousnes procureth the breach therof As for example If a Prince do sende foorth an Ambassadour in all respectes whole sounde and well enstructed to whom afterwardes he geueth in commaundement to put some matter in execution which he might very easily bryng to passe vnlesse through his owne default and disorder he made him selfe lame halte or vnable to execute the commaundement of his Prince Now if this Ambassadour
for want of health and strēgth become vnable to execute his Embassie ought the Prince to be blamed for it or the Ambassadour rather who by his owne folly hath disabled him selfe And that is it that Augustine doth seéme to emply in his booke De perfectione Iustit Nay rather for this cause sayth he the man is blameworthy that he can not perfittly doe his duetie nor liue without Sinne bycause by mans owne will it came to passe that hee should be driuen to that Necessitie which could not afterwardes be shaken of agayne by mās will alone Thyrdly here is to be noted that there be foure maner of meanes or wayes to obserue the law 1. Either by the force of our owne strength and by this meanes the greatnesse of our strength is ouercome by the law 2. Or by the helpe of some other And so nothyng withstandeth but that we may fulfill the commaundementes of the law 3. Or by the operation of the holy Ghost in vs to make vs to lyue godly 4. Or by Imputation through fayth in the Mediatour who freély forgeueth our imperfection and iustifieth the Sinner and wicked also All sinne is voluntary Ergo No man sinneth of Necessitie Here must be a distinction added in these wordes Will and Necessitie If Necessitie be taken in this place for coaction then is the consequent true but if it be taken for euery vnchaūgeablenesse which of it selfe can not be otherwise altered then is the Argument faulty Moreouer in the Antecedent If the word Will be taken for a sounde Will able enough of it selfe such as was in the first creation of nature the consequēt were not amisse and was true in deéde in Adam But if we take it for that Will which is in vs now defiled and full of corruption the Argumēt concludeth no Necessitie at all no more thē if a man should argue on this wise Euery man by nature is two footed Ergo Euery man may goe If Nature here be meant for sounde the Argument is good but if it haue relation to one sicke of the palsey or to a maymed mā or one that is bounde with roapes beyng fallen in the hands of theéues your selfe will deny the Argument And why so not bycause man is not two footed by nature if ye regarde his first creation but bycause this nature is woūded through the disobedience of our first parētes and maymed altogether so that now either we haue no feét◠at all or they be not sounde surely or if they be hoale and soūde they are not at libertie to treade on the groūde but fast bounde by theéues and are holden captiuate vnder Sinne so that either we be not able to go at all or at least lesse able to treade the right tracke that we ought to doe vnlesse the holy Samaritane come and let lowse our bandes namely the assistyng Grace of Christ Iesu of that which Augustine speaketh very notably If we will mainteyne Freewill sayth he lot vs not gaynsay that from whence will taketh her Freedome for he that denyeth Grace whereby it is made free either to eschue euill or to do good is willing to continue still in bondage c. And therfore when we debate or dispute of Will the question must not be referred to nature it selfe but rather to the corruptiō of nature There is no Necessitie of sinning where will hath a freedome to doe All men are endued with a Freewill to doe Ergo There is no Necessitie of sinnyng in men Where Freédome of Will is there is no Necessitie of Sinnyng this propositiō is false For there is not such a repugnaūcie betwixt Will and Necessitie whosoeuer sinneth freély the same also sinneth voluntaryly No man is enforced to Sinne but is drawen to wickednesse by the enticementes of his owne will and not by any foreine constrainte Chrisostome He that draweth draweth him that is willing Wherfore if our owne will do carry vs headlong to Sinne let vs not Impute it to Necessitie but to lust And therfore to make a distinction of these thynges Osorius and that ye may be satisfied if it be possible Voluntary and Necessary are not opposite For they may both light together at one tyme in Will When Will enlightened by the inspiration of the holy Ghost doth earnestly couet after euerlastyng lyfe this it doth of Necessitie in deéde yet neither vnwillyngly nor cōstrayned thereunto for it cā not come to passe by any meanes that will may be any tyme enforced to will that whiche it will not Nay rather Augustine is of this opinion that it standeth as much agaynst the conueniencie of reason for man to will the thyng that he will not as if a mā would contend that any thyng could be hoate without heate And yet that Necessitie in the meane tyme wherewith wicked men are sayd to Sinne is not so absolute and vnauoydeable as that they can not chuse but continue in their wickednesse For assoone as the holy Ghost and the grace of Christ preuēteth them that chayne of that Necessitie is forthwith broken in peéces And therfore Augustine doth say that it proceédeth of nature to be able to haue fayth hope and charitie but to haue thē in deéde commeth vtterly of Grace For that power and habilitie is not put in execution vnlesse Grace be geuen from aboue And thus farre forth Augustine did agreé with Pelagius that to be able commeth of nature but Augustine addeth withall that Pelagius would not agreé vnto That to will well and to liue well must be ascribed onely to grace Nothyng ought to be accompted for sinne which doth not depende vpon the free choyse of man This is true if it be taken of that kynde of Sinne that is called the punishment of sinne For otherwise Originall sinne is neyther voluntary nor vndertaken of any choyse If you be willing and be obedient ye shall eate the fatte of the earth But if you will not nor will be obedient the sword shal deuour you for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Ergo It is in mans power both to will and not to will Augustine The whole law is full of such conditions And these Commaundementes were geuen to suppresse the pryde of Arrogant persons by way of sufferaunce vnder a colour vntill the seede should come that was promised That is to say That men should be tyed to the commaundementes whiche otherwise presumed proudly before of their owne strength In the accomplishing of the whiche man faynting and made to quayle in hys owne conceipte he shoulde be forced to flee to the deliuerer and Sauiour And so being terrified by the rigour of the Law should by the same Lawe as by a schoolemaister be conducted to fayth and to grace c. This much Augustine Sinne is eyther of Will or of Necessitie if it be of Necessitie then doth Osorius deny it to be sinne if it be of
Will then may it be auoydeable Augustine maketh aunswere That sinne is not of Nature simply but of Nature corrupted and of will depraued wherevpon ensueth vnauoydeable Necessitie to dwell in sinne vntill a Release be sealed and deliuered from the Grace of GOD through Iesus Christ our Lord. And therefore that man may be acquited of this Necessitie he is to be called vpon vnto whom the Psalmist cryeth out Set me at libertie O Lord from my Necessities c God doth neyther forbid nor commaund any thing in vayne He shoulde prohibite in vayne if the thynges that are contayned in the Lawe might not be eschued or fulfilled by vs. Ergo We be of power to accomplishe or to eschew the things which God doth commaund or prohibite Augustine doth aunswere The whole Lawe which is comprehended in these two commaundementes in not coueting and in louing To do good and to eschew euill doth com̄maund things that ought to be done in deede and forbiddeth the contrary nor so much because that we are of power and abilitie to accomplishe the same of our selues but because when as man feeleth hys owne disabilitie and weakenes to performe them he shoulde not swell nor be pufft vppe with pryde but beyng weryed and faynt in his trauaile should seeke for relief at Christs handes and so the law holding him in a couenable feare should in stead of a schoolemaister leade to the loue of Christ. God doth commaund nothing but that which is in our power to performe God doth commaund spirituall thinges chiefly Ergo Thinges that be most spirituall are in our power The Maior were true if the will were sound or such as was at the first in the first man Adam before the fall whiche was of power to enforce her selfe wholy to the keeping of the lawe nowe sithence all the powers of the soule are weakened and vneffectuall altogether to do any good we must seek for abilitie that may satisfy the law in heauen and not in our selues If man were not of power to be obedient God shoulde enstruct and exhort in vayne In vayne I confesse if he should vse none other meanes but externall preceptes to lead to the true profiting in Godlines But as now sithence he maketh hys doctrine effectuall through the inspiration of the holy Ghost it is farre of that his dotrine should be fruitlesse God commaundeth nothing that is out of our power True it is if you meane of that power not which is engraffed in our naturall corruptiō but that power wh God doth geue to hys holy ones peculiarly from aboue In the conuersione of a sinner God himselfe doth not by hys own will cōuert him alone but doth allure and exhort hym that he may cōuert hymself for in much lenity patient suffering he doth not punish hym but graūteth space place of repentance prouokīg solliciting pricking him forward to repentaunce vseth many occasions exhortations and corrections And therefore it is our part to be conuerted and to tourne agayne and hys office to receaue the sinner that retourneth and to quicken him The collusion and fallax of thys reason is in the insufficient nombring of partes or deriued from the cause insufficient for albeit God do work all these in the conuersion of a sinner yet doth he not vse these externall meanes onely but ministreth also in the meane space the motione of the harte withall and the inspiration of a secret renouation In the regeneration and conuersion of man euery of vs haue of our selues sufficiently to be obedient to the calling It is in euery man I confesse but not of euery man but proceédeth frō an other who calleth inwardly before that man doth outwardly obey The Tridentine Fathers doe obiect that man may refuse to geue hys consent and to reiect grace when it is offred That is true in deede and to true Neyther doth any man Imagine that Grace is so thrust vppon man in hys conuersion as though he shoulde be constrayned to receaue it whether hee would or no which neyther he can refuse though he will But this is the meaning hereof That the holyghost with hys secret effectuall operation doth so enlighten the hartes of hys elect that the Grace which he graunteth of hys owne liberalitie shal be receaued that the will cannot choose but receaue it with an harty desire and earnest willingnesse yea most ioyfully and gladly But if it happen that grace be forsaken that proceadeth from the corruption of our own fleshe and our naturall faultines naturally engraffed within vs. Agayne it is also in our power to geue our consent In vs in deede but not of our selues as Augustine reporteth who sayth that grace doth not finde good will in vs but doth make them to be good c. And in an other place Who ronneth to the Lord for Grace but whose foot steppes are directed thereunto by the Lord And therefore to craue the assistaunce of Grace is the very beginning of Grace God hath set before all men indifferently a ctrteine generall grace and promise and a free desire of choyse that all men may conceaue it that will We do not deny that we haue altogether a generall grace of God that calleth vs to eternall saluation But this must be confessed withall that Grace to embrace the thinges whereunto we are called is not graunted to all ingenerall without exception but distributed by a certayne peculiar Election and Predestination of God to some whereby it commeth to passe that it is not in euery mans power the will to refuse or take hold fast of this grace so generally offered but in their power vnto whom it is geuen for to take or refuse Grace offered is not in our own power Otherwise what place were left for Gods Election before the foundation of the world were layde If our will were a a rule of hys Election or the cause and beginning of our saluation And therefore this their cauillation that God doth receaue them that will be receaued and doth reiect them that will not be receaued is vntrue It had bene more agreable with reason to beginne rather at the Grace of God then at our owne will and it had bene more conuenient to haue sayd that the Grace of God is graunted vs to the end we may will those thinges that he commaundeth vs and that such as forsake it are worthely reiected in deede but in that that they are forsaken cōmeth hereof because they are not first holpen that they may be able to receaue If all the worke of our conuersione be in God onely that our endeuour auayle nothing thereunto what remayneth then for vs but that we must become no better then stocks and stoanes There is none of vs that affirmeth that men do nothing towardes their conuersion This is it that we do affirme that men when they be conuerted do consent to the worde
They that doe fortifie Grace in such wise as that maÌ„s Freewill may in no sense be admitted withall doe not Iudge therof rightly For mans will whether it be good or whether it be euill doth neuer cease to be after a certeyne sort Free either Free to righteousnes or Free to Sinne which if it be good she receaueth her goodnes of Grace if it be euill she sucketh that euill of her selfe and therfore sucketh it of her selfe bycause it is seuered from Grace Furthermore it must be coÌ„sidered in what sence Augustine doth construe Freewill Surely if our aduersaries doe interprete Freewill after this sence as though it coÌ„teyned in her owne power a Free election of chusing good or euill they swarue altogether from Augustines interpretatioÌ„ Who by this vocable Freewill seémeth to signifie nothyng els then that will onely which worketh those thynges voluntaryly that it worketh whether they be good or euill An other Obiection out of Augustine Beleue the holy Scriptures both that there is Freewill and the grace of GOD without whose helpe man can neither be conuerted to God nor profite with God Agayne out of his 2. Epistle to Valentine The Catholicke fayth doth neuer deny Freewill either towards good life or towards euill life Neither doth it attribute so much vnto it as that it may be of any value without the grace of God whether it be conuerted out of euill into good or whether it continue profityng in good or whether it attayne to the euerlasting good whereas now it feareth not least it quayle and waxe faynte c. What is meant els by these wordes of Augustine but that vnder the name of Freewill that will be vnderstanded in man which is capable aswell of euill as of good and may be euill of it selfe through corruption of Nature but good onely by reformation of Grace All actions that men take in hand do proceade froÌ„ God the first mouer and ruler as from the first cause thereof accordyng to Luthers doctrine All sinnes are actions Ergo After the Lutheranes doctrine all sinnes doe proceade from God as from the chief and first cause First in the Maior this word Actions must be distinguished Some Actions are Naturall some are Deuine and Supernaturall Now if the Maior haue respect to these Actions then is the Maior true and the Minor to be denyed For the Maior doth not meane properly these Actions which are not of nature but agaynst nature of which sort are sinnes and the ActioÌ„s of wicked Spirites or if it do meane those Actions it may be denyed There is besides theâ—e a thyrdkynde of Action which is called a Freé and voluntary Action I call it Freé for this cause wherby will is willingby euill without all coaction as August witnesseth And these kyndes of Actions which are proper and peculiar to man doe proceade from will as from the nearest and most proper cause although not altogether without the prouidence and ministery of God which as it powreth it selfe abroad through out all maner of thyngs by a certeine secret influence beyond all reach of capacitie euen so doth it encline and make plyable the very wills of men to whatsoeuer purposes it pleaseth him Yet so notwithstaÌ„dyng as that no man is constrayned thereunto by this inclination For neither is any man compelled to be euill agaynst his will when he doth naughtyly except he will him selfe So that now it is neédelesse for any man to seéke for the cause of Sinne without him selfe as Caluine truly teacheth But Osorius doth obiect here agayne Whosoeuer doth entice and allure an other to wickednesse is as much in faulte as he that is allured thereununto at the least is not voyde of blame God doth moue and prouoke mens wills to do haynous offences after the Lutheranes doctrine Ergo God him selfe accordyng to the Lutheranes as the first motioner and cause of euill can not be cleare of faulte The Maior is true there where both he that doth allure he that is allured are lead both by one kynde of coÌ„sent are holden both together vnder one selfe coÌ„ditioÌ„s haue both regarde to one selfe ende in their doyng But now all these thynges doe chaunce farre otherwise in God then in men For as God doth worke nothing but that which is wrought with a maruelous pure sincere will who caÌ„ will nothyng but that which is most good euen so doth he attempt nothyng at any tyme but that he may doe of his most Freé Iustice nor is tyed to any conditions or lawes Now where no law is there neither is any Sinne at all For Sinnes properly are defined not so much by the bare actions as by the conditions lawes and endes At a word to make this matter more discernable God coÌ„maunded Abraham that he should kill his Sonne if any other had coÌ„maunded the same or if the Father had attempted to do the same at any others coÌ„maundement he had â—urely sinned But now sithe it was the Lordes Commaundement neither was there any sinne in him that did commaunde neither in him that did assent no though he had slayne him in deéde What â—hall we say of this That the same Father of heaueÌ„ and earth when he gaue his onely begotten sonne to be flayne yea altogether vndeseruyng it for this Tragedy was not played surely without his hand and secrete counsell shall we therefore say that he sinned bycause in this worke he willed the same that the murtherers dyd For neither was his coÌ„sent absent nor seneâ—ed froÌ„ their will which did Crucifie the Sonne of God ne yet his ordinaunce yet was this ordinauÌ„ce of his cleare from sinne notwithstaÌ„dyng but their fury lacked not sinne In deéde his consentyng will dyd will the same that they willed But not after the same sort for a farre other maner of end For in them that dyd Crucifie Christ appeareth a treble ArgumeÌ„t playne demonstration of Sinne. First bycause they brake the lawes that were commaunded theÌ„ contrary to all equitie right Agayne for that they layed violent handes vpon the innocent beyng enflamed with malice and despight wherein also they did not respect any other end but to embrue their madd murtheryng handes with innocent bloud to establish thereby their arrogaunt ambitioÌ„ All which were farre otherwise in God For first who euer limited any lawes for God which he might not breake Wherfore beyng Freé from all law he neither did any thyng here nor at any tyme els can doe any thyng that is not in all respectes most lawfull for him to doe And yet neither did the Father here so procure the death of his Sonne but that the Sonne him selfe did voluÌ„taryly of his own accord yeld theruÌ„to Moreouer in this the fathers will was nothing amisse in his ordinaunce nothyng malicious in the end nothyng but most glorious for our saluation For on the other side in all this actioÌ„ was woÌ„derfully vttered expressed his
substaūce of God what kynde of couplyng do ye desire to be had betwixt Reason and the will of God Who in deéde can will nothyng but that whiche is perfect sithe that nothyng is perfect but that which he willeth And whereupō then riseth this hauty crest of yours that can not be satisfied with the bare will of God beyng expressed in his playne word Neither seémeth it sufficiēt in your Iudgement that God should chuse any to saluation vnlesse his secret counsell herein may be made discernable by the deépe reach of your owne reason and that he should render an accoumpt and reason of his decreéd will herein vnto your Maistershyppe Albeit I doe not deny this to be true that the profounde wisedome of the Deuine Godhead can not be sundered from the knittyng together of his Reason and counsell that is to say from it selfe Yet out of what Schoole suckt you such Diuinitie O singuler Piller of the Romishe route so earnestly to require and to sift out the counsell and Reason of the Creatour euen in the very vnsearcheable wisedome of him that created you I suppose ye were thus schooled in your sacred confessions Surely you neuer learned it out of holy Scriptures If you neuer noted what aunswere the Lord made to Moyses in the Scriptures marke now somewhat more attentiuely I will haue mercy sayth he on whom I haue mercy and I will take compassion on whom I will take compassion c. Here you may seé a singuler Mercy of God in takyng compassion whereof you nor seé nor heare any other rendred in the whole Scriptures besides the onely will of God I will haue Mercy saith he will you know the causes and the persons the doth not say bycause I perceaue thē to be worthy of my benignitie whose foreseéne workes doe delight me now before I take Mercy but I do therfore take Mercy bycause I will take Mercy and I will take compassion on him of whom it pleaseth me to haue Mercy And therfore S. Paule addyng a very fitte conclusion Ergo sayth he God will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy and will harden whom he will harden With these wordes bridlyng our nyce curiositie as it were and withall geuyng vs to vnderstand that it is enough for vs to know that so is the will of the Lord although there be no manifest demonstration made vnto vs of the cause wherfore he would so do For of what soeuer it shall please the Lord to bryng to passe albeit we can not atteyne the Reason yet ought we to grounde our selues vpon this for sufficient and lawfull Reason bycause the Lord hath brought it so to passe we ought also to learne of Christ this lesson Bycause it hath so pleased thy good will O Father For as much as it is not lawfull for any creature to presume to enquire any reason beyond the will of God Right well therfore and very profoundly doth Augustine geue vs this lesson It is not meete sayth he to search for the causes of Gods vnsearcheable will it is not lawfull to know it for that the will of God is the principall and highest cause of all thinges that are and therefore if when it is asked why the Lord did it it is to be aūswered bycause he so willed it if thou go further in asking why he willed it thou askest some greater and higher thyng then the will of God is Which can not possibly be founde out And agayne the same Augustine in an other place writyng of Predestinatiō and grace God sayth he taketh mercy on whō he will haue mercy and of whom be will not haue mercy he will not take mercy He geueth to whom him listeth and requireth that whiche is due vnto him of whom he will Here agayne ye heare the Will of God named yea and that alone wherewith if you be not yet satisfied bycause it is named alone harken what is immediately annexed by the same Augustine for thus it followeth He that shall continue to say God is vnrighteous let him harken vnto the Apostle O man what art thou that contendest with God man with God earth with the Potter c. Doth he herein not note you excellently Osorius and as it were poynt at you with the finger as that no man could possibly haue noted any matter more notably Paule the Apostle doth render no causes at all of Gods Election but his will onely Augustine dare enquire after none All the whole Scripture is throughly satisfied with his will onely Onely Osorius can not be satisfied nor thinketh it lawfull enough for God to doe that him lyketh best vnlesse with sutteltie of Reasonyng as it were with cutted Sophismes and Sillogismes mā mainteyne Argument with his GOD earth with the Potter Which thing how horrible it is learne at the least out of Esay the Prophet Woe sayth he vnto him that will contend with his maker a brittle pottesharde of the outcast potteshardes of the earth shall the clay say vnto the Potter why doest thou make me thus did thy handes fayle thee in thy worke c. As though there were any of the Creatures of God that doth vnderstand the mynde of the Lord or were euer counsellours vnto him or as though it were not permitted him to will as him lysteth or as though what soeuer pleaseth him were not lawfull for him to do vnlesse he did geue vs a reason and orderly render vnto vs the causes that moued him thereunto And what if he will not discouer it Osorius Yea and what if he ought not what if when him lysteth to display it most manifestly your balde mazer and the blockyshnes of your nymble capacitie can not be able to pearce into the vnsearcheable depth of his glory wisedome and counsell Ieremy the Prophet beyng commaunded to go downe into the house of the Potter and there to behold throughly the workemanshyppe of the runnyng wheéle and the hand of the craftesman when he saw the Uessell that was newly made and was by and by broken agayne neither doth he require a reason thereof of the workeman nor yet doth the Lord beyng the workeman rēder any reason vnto him onely he declareth his power in makyng new and renewyng agayne of that which was broken in these wordes Am not I of power to do vnto you as this Potter doth to his claye O house of Israell sayth the Lord. Behold as the clay in the hand of the Potter so are you in my hand O ye house of Israell And will Osor. dare be so bold beyng a fashioned lumpe of the Potters wheéle neither reuerencyng the Maiestie of his maker nor contented with his onely will to require a reason of his creation besides the lawfull will of the Creator and will he not permit it to be sufficient for God to doe in his owne workes what it pleaseth him best For what do these wordes of Osorius emporte els Where beyng squeymish at Luthers speache He doth
Iudge them not worthy to be heard in any wise whiche will affirme that God doth chuse whom he will vnto Saluation out of the whole masse of mankynde for none other cause but bycause it so pleaseth hym Pag. 163. First where hath Luther any such Assertion Why do ye not set it downe good Syr and admit that he hath what is it that your carpyng cauillation cā gnaw at here if you interprete it aright For although Luther seéme in your goodly conceipt to be more then a thousand tymes madd whom ye can neuer name without some gall of raylyng speache yet was he neuer hetherto so foolish as to haue a will to spoyle the most wise workes of God of Reason and counsell in any wise There is with God a most perfect stable vnchaungeable knowledge of all the workes of his owne handes but such a knowledge as doth altogether surmount the greatest reach of our nymblest capacities and seémeth rather to be wōdered at then to be searched out by vs. Surely it is farre beyond the Reason that you make vnto vs. For deliberately notyng with my selfe and entring into a very deépe viewe and consideration of the thynges which are spoken of Election of purpose of Gods prouidēce for this word Predestination as scarse fine enough for a Ciceronian you abhorte neither dare ye so much as once to name in all your bookes hereūto all your drifts seéme to tende that ye suppose that Gods Iustice can by no meanes be defended in makyng a differēce betwixt them whom he reserueth to be saued those whom he adiudgeth to be damned but by foreknowledge of those workes which God doth behold shall be in them As though Osorius would seéme to argue with God with such an Argument as this is There must be alwayes with God a stable assured and vpright reason in euery choyse to be made There can be none other iust cause of Reason of Gods Election and Reprobation but in respect of the merite that must follow Ergo To the attainyng the grace of Election some preparation of merite must needes go before First I do aunswere out of Augustine that it is a most pestilent errour to say that the Grace of God is distributed accordyng to merites this is one of the errours of Pelagius Then as touchyng the Maior There is in deéde with God a perfect sounde vnchaungeable Reason of all his workes But by what reason be ordereth his workes may not be subiect to the Iudgement of the claye as Augustine sayth but of the Potter Now I come to the Minor Which we do vtterly deny for where you make a definition of Gods prouidence in chusing or refusing whom he will to be none other then such as dependeth vpon the foreknowledge of workes this is altogether most brutishe and vnreasonable For albeit that preuēting for eknowledge of things which out Deuines doe call foreknowledge is vnseparably knitte together to the will of him that doth Predestinate yet do we not graunt the same to be the cause of Predestination For first as concernyng the cause efficient for as much as the will of God is the very substaunce of God aboue the which there cā be nothyng more highe there can be no efficient cause thereof rendered either before it in limitation of tyme or aboue it in Maiestie but the materiall and finall cause therof may after a sort be assigned The materiall cause about the which it doth exercise her force is mākynde and those thynges which God doth geue vnto men by Predestination namely Vocation Faith Iustification Glorification The finall cause is two maner of wayes either that which forceth him to doyng by the preuentyng will and reason of the first Agent or els that which is produced out of action And bycause there may be many endes of one thyng it may be that there is one end of Predestination an other end of him that is Predestinated and an other of him that doth Predestinate As for exāple As Saluation and life euerlastyng is the end of Predestination the end of him that is Predestinated is to beleue and to lyue well and the end of him that doth Predestinate is his owne glory and the manifestation of his Iustice power and mercy As we do reade in Salomons Prouerbes God doth make all thinges for himselfe and the wicked man also for the euill day And therfore if it be asked whether God do predestinate for the workes sake it may be aunswered with S. Paule that the holy ones are predestinated not for their good workes but to do good workes so that now the respect of workes be vnderstanded not to be the cause efficient of predestination but the effect rather For thus we heare the Apostle speake Euen as God hath chosen vs in hys sonne frō eternitie that we should become holy to the prayse of hys glory c. not because we were or should be holy sayth he but that we should become holy to the prayse of hys glory c. So that no reason of Election may appeare but that which is to be sought for in the freé liberalitie of hym that doth make the Election neyther that any other last end may be conceaued but the prayse of the manifestation of hys heauenly grace So that as without God there is no cause efficient which may enforce predestination so if weé seeke for the very beginninges of eternall predestination we shall perceaue that S. Paule doth reduce them to iiij principall heades chiefly 1. to hys power Where he sayth hath not the Potter power c. 2. to hys purpose or hys good pleasure For so we reade in the Epistle to the Ephesianes where he vseth both these wordes because he hath predestinated vs sayth he according to the good pleasure of hys will c. And immediately after whē we were predestinated sayth he according to hys purpose c. 3. to hys will Rom. 10. he will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy and will harden c. 4. to hys mercy or loue Where he sayth Rom. 10. It is neyther of hym that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that taketh mercy Last of all if you demaund further for some reason of Gods Election who shall more liuely expresse the same vnto you then the Apostle Paule writing to the Romaynes on this wise If God sayth he willing on the one side to shew his wrath and to make his power knowne did with much lenity beare with the Vesselles of wrath prepared to destructiō and on the other side to make knowen the riches of hys glory towardes the Vessells of mearcy which he hath prepared to glory c. Unlesse you haue ceased long sithence to be a reasonable man Osorius what more perfect reason can be made vnto you or more manifest of Gods workmanship then this that is here set downe in Paule Whereby you may playnly perceaue that all these councells and workes
doctrine were of such authoritie with you why did you shut vppe your eares from your Masters lessones If you betooke your selues to Armes through occasion of one sentence wrongfully vnderstoode or misconstrued why dyd ye not forsake the field for so many my exhortatiōs and notable exclamations to the contrary But go to Osorius bycause vnder the person of the Boores complaynte you do so vehemently wrest all this false suggestion of mischief agaynst me What if I deny your Assumpsit how will you be able to proue it perhappes by heare say amongest the clownes what of any that be liuyng or that be dead But when the poore clownes lyued and were drawen to execution tormented and stretched out vpon the rackes in which extremitie men are wont for the more part to vtter more thē they know If there were one so much of that whole rable muttered euer halfe a sillable of me such as your Carterlyke and senselesse Imagination hath deuised agaynst me I will willyngly yeld to this accusation of suspitiō But by your occasion say you this tumult might haue bene raysed easily So might the Blacke Moore chaūge his skinne And Osor. also might leaue his lyeng But all thynges are not by and by done that may be done But onward how proue you that it might haue bene so Bycause say you that God worketh all in all in vs accordyng to Luthers Assertion and we be instrumentes onely applyed and wrest with his handes hereupon followeth it therefore sithe God onely raysed vppe these tumultes and was the onely procurour deuisour and accomplisher of this sturre that the Boores of necessitie must be guiltlesse and innocēt hereof Go to And do ye suppose Osorius that these wordes were the whole seédeplotte of all this Rebellion what shall we say thē to that which we read in Paul That it is God that worketh all in all And agayne That worketh all according to the purpose of his will And in the Prophet Amos. There is no euill in the Citie that the Lord hath not done And agayne whē we heare on euery side aswell amongest the Prophetes as the Apostle That men are made blinde of God are deliuered ouer into a Reprobate mynde Why might not the Boores haue taken occasion of these wordes aswell as of myne Go to And what and if I had writtē these wordes also namely That it is in the power of our Freewill to dispose our selues whereunto we lyst either to make our selues earthen vessels or golden vessels in the house of the Lord would the Boores haue the sooner bene quieted for this cause And yet this is the generall proclamation of that notorious Seé of Rome dispersed throughout all Catholicke Nations the same doe all their Recordes and Canons noyse abroad wheresoeuer they crawle yea many yeares before Luther was borne and the very same also doth Osorius write at this day in Portingall and many other of the lyke fraternitie elles where what was there neuer any cōmotions therfore of the rude multitude before Luther was borne in Portingall none in Italy Germany Fraunce England Cycill other Nations Could this or any other portiō of Scripture or doctrine euē so bridle the affections of the vnruly but that they would at one tyme or other burst out into outragious extremities I adde moreouer Admit that my wordes beyng either misconceaued or misconstrued might suggest some matter of euill occasiō shall it be lesse lawfull therfore to beare testimony of the truth bycause there be some that are so beastly brutish that will mishandle the wordes and deédes of others be they neuer so well spoken By this reason away with the Bible bycause out of the same the most parte of heretiques haue sucked their poyson what dyd not Paule therfore not commende the Iustice of God aright by our vnrighteousnesse bycause there wanted not that would abuse his saying to occasion of euill Let vs doe euill say they that good may come thereby The auncient godly Christians were wont to assemble together and sing Psalmes before day light and to receaue the Sacrament of bread wyne Hereupon began rumours to be scattered abroad that the Christiās dyd worshyp the rysing of the Sunne dyd sacrifice to Ceres Bacohus And what hath bene so well spoken or established at any tyme that the peéuishenesse of peruerse and froward persons will not depraue◠if they lyst to pyke a quarell or slaunder the good wordes and well doynges of men The same came to passe with Augustine him selfe through the Pelagians who after had once brought in the name and commendation of grace hereupon forthwith they began to quarell with him as though he should affirme that men are made good by fatall Necessitie And agayne where he denyed that Grace was distributed accordyng to mēs deseruyngs this saying they gnawed at as though he should say That no endeuour ought to be looked for from the will of man contrary that saying in the Gospell where the Lord spake Aske and it shal be geuen you seeke and ye shall finde knocke and it shal be opened vnto you for euery one that doth aske shall receaue c. And all this haue I debated with you euen as it were truth that your counterfaite imagination hath deuised to witte that I should be the originall of all that rebellious insolencie I come now to that pynche of my true defence Namely to deny that there is or euer was any Boore in all Germany that did euer Iustifie this slaunder agaynst me This was neuer the speéche of any Boore but the rude vnshamefastnesse of Osorius voyde of all matter of probabilitie to make me authour of all this mischief The very authour wherof if as yet you do not know and would fayne know him in deéde I will tell him you but briefly yet truly Osorius When Sathan perceaued that the kyngdome of your pride was ready to haue a fall and that the Romishe Prelate could now no longer mainteyne his erroneous sacriledges agaynst the glorious excellency of the gladsome Gospell he entred by a notable pollicie into this deuise vnder the pretence of the Gospell to tickle vppe madd braynes thereby to bryng the Gospell in obloquy and infamy the ouerthrow whereof he perceaued now past his compasse as the which he was now no longer able to withstand Then also vnlesse this lying Osorius had sett him selfe forth as an especiall Instrument of this wyly Serpent vpon whose shauen sconse not so much as a herebreadth may be founde growing of an honest or sober man ye would neuer haue so filthyly infamed the good reporte and credite of honest personages standyng in the defence of the Gospell with so many slaunderous lyes and cursed reproches If Luther should vse this or the lyke counterbuffe accordyng to the frankenes of his speéche agaynst your rusty clownish and illfauored false Diuinitie I do not aske what you could answere him agayne Osorius But I feare this rather least as he should not
but sturred vpp by the flaming fyrebrandes of the furyes of hell and that they applyed themselues not to teach men but to peruert men Of the discention and variable opinions of Deuines and Churches hath bene spoken of before so that it shall be but neédeles to repeate the same agayne onely I will aunswere here to the argument God is not the Author of discention but of peace I doe know this and confesse it to be most true So also is the same God the fountayn of all righteousnes and father of all consolation The same is also Author of Matrimony and of all good thinges Go to now where can you finde in all the estates courses and actions of this transitory lyfe that fulnes and absolute perfection of righteousnes of consolation or of peace yea in the most holy estate of matrimonye as may be aunswerable to that absolute patterne of perfection Lett it suffice vs to haue receaued the first fruits thereof though we possesse not the Tenthes There will come a day and a place when as no darkened cloud of discention shall ouershadow this perfect peace betwixt vs. In the meane space whiles we lyue in this vale of misery men with men we shall neuer be destitute of one thing or other that will alwayes argue vs to be men dwelling in the tabernacle of Imperfection And therefore if Osorius will be so nyce as to exact of vs so precise a knitting together of vnvariable minds as may in no poynt swarue frō ech other lett himselfe become a president hereof in his owne Coūtrey and shew himselfe an Angell emongest his owne people And what maruell is it if in so great varietie of Iudgemētes and amongest so many men two men onely dissent somewhat in matter of so small importaunce whenas in this your so vniforme a Church whereof ye boast so proudly there is no parcell of Religion almost or order in profession wherein Schoole agaynst Schoole Uniuersitie agaynst Uniuersitie Colledge agaynst Colledge Councell agaynst Councell Canon agaynst Canon doe not mainteine continuall iarryng How is it then Osorius that with shuttevppe eyes ye can so lightly ouerlooke and not looke vpon so many and so monstruous Beames ouerspreadyng your Churches and not passe ouer one litle moate in our Church without controllyng your brethren but that ye must burst out into such whotte fury of hellish firebrandes With the Spirite of God say you is no dissensiō This is most true And so it is true also that Luther Zuinglius be not taken for Gods which can not erre nor dissent eche from other in some pointes Neither doth it therfore follow hereupon that bycause they do not reteigne a mutuall constaunt cōsent of myndes in all thyngs that therfore they were not raysed vppe by God Otherwise after this Logicke how many auncient and godly Fathers will you banish out of all Churches was there neuer any iarryng betwixt Moyses and Aaron That contention betwixt Paule Peter about the mainteynyng of the libertie of the Gospell and agayne that separatyng a sunder of Paule from Barnabas is well knowen to all mē It whiles the Lord him selfe lyued vpon the earth the Disciples them selues could be at variaunce about preéminence and superioritie what maruell now if his Disciples do not so well agreé together in all pointes sithēce Christ is not present emongest them who were more familiar then Basile and Gregory Nazienzene and yet in this marueilous consent of qualities and studies wanted not a certeine offence and breache of that mutuall amitie Victor did not of all partes agreé with Policarpus How earnest a conflict deuided Iohn Byshop of Constantinople and Epiphanius Byshop of Cypres Neither did Augustine in all thynges agreé with Ierome And yet I thinke you will not say that these men were not raysed vppe by the grace and Deuine inspiration of God Well now Let vs seé what this so great dissention was betwixt them which as you say proceéded from Luther What a brable was there betwixt them say you about wordes what varietie and inconstancy of opinions how disorderly how intricately and ouerthwartly do they speake in how many sondry matters and Argumentes do they not onely not agree with others but also disagree eche from other Forsooth if you will know Osorius and sith you require the same I will shew you in few wordes what and how monstruous this cōflict was betwixt thē First they do all togethers with one voyce confesse one God they doe all with one Fayth acknowledge the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost They do all with one mynde agreé togethers in the Articles of the Christian Creede with the true auncient and Catholicke Fayth of the Church of Christ. Of this Church they do all acknowledge the authoritie of the Scripture to be chief next vnder Christ the second place and dignitie they do yeld to the Church to the auncient and approued Councels The godly and auncient Fathers they do all with one consent allow and yeld vnto so farreforth as euery of them is founde to agreé with the expresse word of God Heresies and false opiniōs reproued by the authoritie of holy Scripture and the sacred antiquitie of the Church they do all generally oppugne besides this authoritie of Scripture the most couenable proportion of Fayth whatsoeuer hath priuily crawled and crept in by stealth into the profession of Fayth and true worshyppyng of God they do all vtterly and worthly abhorre whatsoeuer is most aunciēt in Fayth and most approued by cōstaunt allowaunce of antiquitie the same is had amongest thē in greatest admiration In the acknowledgemēt of one onely Mediatour in heauen one onely Sacrifice for Sinnes which is resiaunt not in the earth but in heauen in confessyng one onely generall head of the vniuersall Church in all these is there no discention nor brawlyng about wordes or Sentences Moreouer in this they agreé together all be of one mynde and iudgement all namely that the Pope of Rome is the very Antichrist whereof they haue assured and vndoughted proofe by the certeine and infallible Rules and forewarnynges of the holy Scripture and by his horrible persecution of the word of God Besides this also that all Idolles and Images ought to be abolished out of the Church of God That those choppyng chaungyng of Pardons ought to be abhorred That all affiauce of righteousnes of God ought to be settled in the onely Fayth of Iesu Christ and in nothyng els That superfluous vowes and Traditions of men which do yoake fast and clogge Christian libertie and well disposed consciences ought vtterly to be abolished That Ceremonies and Constitutions which are ioyned with an opinion of righteousnesse of worshyppyng of Saluation merityng ought worthely to be banished abandonned that Priestes Concubines ought to be conuerted into lawfull Matrimony that those mōstruous vpstartes of disguised professions rules and orders ought be rooted out that all thyngs may be reduced and leuelled
nor vndertaken of any ranckor or malice nor supported with earthly treasure but to haue bene furthered and encreased by the speciall prouidence of almighty God Neither is it to be doubted if it had bene a pollicy of man onely and not rather the speciall appoyntment of the heauenly Father but that it could neuer haue bene able to haue endured and proceéded in so prosperous a course agaynst your so great and vnmeasurable Tyranny and agaynst so many conspyring confederates of factious furies Which onely successe if the Testimonies of holy scripture can not otherwise preuayle with you and the conduct of Gods mercy which guideth the stearne together with the prophecies and foreshewings which were apparauntly pronounced before the comming of Luther whereof many tokens sent from aboue are mentioned in the Chronicles of the Abbot of vsperge and in the booke entituled Staurosticon Iohannis Frauncisci and Picus Mirandula might haue bene good presidentes vnto you Osorius to instruct you that this Gospell is not the Gospell of Luther of Zuinglius of Bucer nor of Caluine ne yet of men as you prattle and lye but the Gospell of God and that the preachers were not raised vpp by Sathan as your impiety doth blaspheme but sent from an other founder namely the very same who in S. Iohns Reuelation is called by this name the word of God vpon whose Garment and vpon whose thigh is written King of kings and Lord of Lordes Out of whose mouth issueth a sharpe two edged sword agaynst the which neither all the confederate coūcels of the wicked nor Hell gates themselues shal be able to preuayle But to proceéde of the selfe same stampe is that slaunderous cauillation which this Scourgeluther hath coupled in Rancke Of the continuaunce of thirty yeares of title of prescription of the fiue yeares prosperous Reigne of Queene Elizabeth of the grayheadded auncienty of our doctrine and Religiō Wherein it pleased the hoareheadded Syre of his seémely modesty to trifle most apishly of purpose to represent vnto vs as I suppose that old toothlesse Witch of whom is made mention in a certain Greéke Poett Loe what a dust the old Trotte rayseth with her tayle when she daunceth For what if Uerity Trueth which is called the daughter of time being discouered with a farre more excellent lightsonnesse in these our dayes doe beginne to florish more fresh greéne in a certayn largesse of ouerflowing plenty by the inestimable benefite of God shall it therefore be accompted a newe doctrine in your sight because it is cloathed with flesh colors or because it buddeth out blossomes a fresh and is restored to the auncient beauty will you therefore call it new-hatcht neuer heard of before as though it were neuer seéne nor heard of before thirty yeares sithēce what shall we say of Christ who after three dayes lying in graue returned agayne to life frō out his Tombe was not he therfore the same Christ wh he was before his death We read in the Apocalips of two Prophetes whose bodyes being throwen out into the streétes did reuiue and came to life agayne after theé dayes and a halfe And after iij. dayes and a halfe sayth he the breath of life was breathed into thē by God c. The meanyng whereof cann not be extended any wayes to any thyng els but vnto the doctrine of the Gospell And what if the doctryne of the Gospell of Christ be nowe risen agayne into the open world out of the doungeon of darckenesse and deépe drowned blindenesse wherein it hath bene so long suppressed by you is it not therefore the same Gospell that it was alwayes before What did not Iohn Husse Ierome of Prage and the greater part of all Boheme embrace the same Gospell before Luther was borne was not the same order of Doctrine professed in England many yeares before our dayes in the time of Wiclef Swinderbee Brute and others also and in other places likewise amōgest others namely the Valdenses Albingenses with the Grecians Italians Moskouites in Asye in Affricke and in Europe Betengarius Bertrame Peter de Aliaco Iohn Scotus Peter Iohannes William de sancto amore Robert the frenchman whom the hott zealous Pope raked out of his graue and consumed with fire foure hundred yeares agoe Niemus Ioachimus Sauanarola Veselus many others in their time before theyr time with whose goare the bloudy slaughterhowse of the Tyrannous Pope was throughly embrued Did not all these worshipp the same Christ then that we doe professe at this present did they not confesse the same fayth and the same Articles of the Creéde that we do now professe Barnard in his dyscourse of the freé iustification by fayth did he not teach the same doctrine then that Luther hath vttered in writing Augustine disputyng vpon fayth and grace agaynst freé will doth he not treat vpon the same matter that Zuinglius and Caluine doe treat vpon now Of the vse of Sacramentes we haue extaunt with vs long treatises written in the Saxon toung many hundred yeares before those thirty yeares that you speake of witnesses and professours of the same doctrine and fayth which we Englishmen do acknowledge at this present If this be the cause that doth enduce you to thinke that we are entred vpon a new Gospell because we dare shake frō our shoulders the yoake of subiectiō vsurped by the Papisticall Seé the same did long before our dayes Robert Gostred a mā notably learned and famous who beyng Byshop of Lincolne and commaunded by speciall letters from Innocētius the Pope to enduct a certein boy a kinsman of his owne into a Benefice within the Byshopricke of Lincolne being unlearned and unskillfull of the Language did openly resist him and withall did most sharpely inueigh agaynst the Popes detestable prouisions as they call them But why doe I alledge examples of men for the ratifying of the continuaunce of Christes Gospell◠the creditt whereof doth neither depend vpon the maintenaunce of man nor is streighted within any prescription of tyme howsoeuer humaine actions tosse to an fro and neuer persist in any one setled state certes the Gospell of Christ if it be the Gospel of Christ in deede can not be any new or straunge thing nor can haue any other originall or author but Christ himselfe the very sonne of God But whereas in those latter dayes the tongues and mouthes of godly preachers being stopt and shutt vp through terror and Tyranny of the Pope not daring to manifest themselues in the open congregation be now sett at libertye by the boūtifull mercy of God and restored to their auncient Freédome shall we therefore accuse the Gospell of innouation or shall we rather embrace this great liberalitye of God with thankfulnes of mindes and geue our dutifull attendaunce vpon the trueth wherefore whereas this Portingall Parrot prateth so much of xxx or xl yeares limitation herein he behaueth himselfe very iniuriously He perceaueth now a new face
Sophistication If all thyngs that goe commonly after a certein maner together be done together must be coupled applyed to one and the selfe same operationÌ„ by this Reason it must come to passe that he that hath feéte eyes and eares and haue them not by them selues alone therefore he shal be supposed to goe not vpon his feéte onely but to walke vpon his eyes and to seé with his eares For the matter goeth none otherwise in Fayth Hope and Charitie which threé heauenly Iewelles albeit be instilled into vs by the freé liberalitie of God with Remission of Sinnes and cleaue fast within one subiect yet euery of them are distinguished by their seuerall properties and functions notwithstandyng As for Example If a question be demaunded what thyng it is that doth Iustifie vs in the sight of God and obteine vs euerlastyng lyfe I doe aunswere that it is Fayth yea and Fayth onely If you demaunde by what meanes I do aunswere through Iesus Christ the Mediatour Agayne if you aske what kynde of Fayth that is I do aunswere not an idle nor a dead Fayth but a liuely Fayth and a workyng Fayth If you will demaunde further by what markes you may be able to discerne a true Fayth from a false Fayth S. Paule will make aunswere vnto you The true Fayth is that which worketh by Charitie If you will demaunde further yet what this Fayth worketh I doe aunswere accordyng to the seuerall properties thereof two maner of wayes namely Fayth worketh Saluation thorough Christ and it worketh obedience of the law by Charitie what absolute obedience I doe not thinke so What then vnperfect obedience But such a Fayth must neédes be insufficient to the full measure of absolute righteousnesse and perfect felicity And where is now that excellent integritie of lyfe which doth purchase vs a way into the kyngdome of heauen where is the effectualnesse of Charitie auayleable to eternall lyfe where is that solemne Decreé of that Tridentine CouÌ„cell which doth ascribe the onely begynnyng of our Iustification to Fayth but maketh the Formall cause thereof onely Charitie as a certein new kynde of obedience which they call a righteousnesse cleauyng fast within vs whereby we are not onely accompted righteous but be both truely called righteous and be also truely righteous in the sight of God Annexing thereunto a very dreadfull and terrible curse If any man dare presume to say that man is iustified either by the onely Imputation of Christes Righteousnesse or by onely Remission of Sinnes excludyng Grace and Charitie which is poured forth into their hartes by the holy Ghost and cleaueth fast within them or if any man will presume to say that the Grace whereby we be Iustified is the onely fauour and mercy of God Lett him stand accursed And agayne in the Cannon followyng If any man dare presume to say that Iustifiyng Fayth is nothyng els then a CoÌ„fidence of Gods mercy forgeuyng Sinnes for Christes sake or to be that onely affiauÌ„ce whereby we be Iustified lett hym be holden accursed Behold here learned Reader a notable Decreé of this Councell which when these graue Fathers did coyne may any man dought but that the Maister of the Familie was a sleépe when the enuious maÌ„ did scatter abroad darnell emongest his wheate They doe discourse and determine vpon Iustification but none otherwise then as they might argue in Aristotles schoole about naturall causes or powers of the soule For how much more nycely could Aristotle him selfe the Prince of the Peripateticall Schoole dispute if he hadd accoÌ„panyed them and debatyng this cause together with that Ghostly Councell then Osorius and the Tridentine Deuines did Philosophically dispute of the formall cause of Iustification which consideration of doctrine if must be holden for an infallible foundation then lett vs be bold and blush not to roote out withall the whole natiue and essentiall substaunce of all mysticall Diuinitie and lett vs raâ—e out the very foundations of all our Religion For if the state of our Saluation be come to this passe that it must be established by merites not by freé Imputation onely where then is that righteousnesse which is called the righteousnesse of Fayth the force and power whereof is so highely and often aduaunced by Paule what shall become of the difference betwixt the law and the Gospell which if be not obserued very diligently we shall wander and straggle blindely in the course of the Scriptures none otherwise then as wantes and rearemyce at the bright beames of the cleare Sunne Moreouer what shall become of that Antithesis of Paule betwixt the righteousnesse of the law and Fayth betwixt grace and merite what shall become of all that excluding of glorious boastyng vpon workes where is that Fayth Imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse Moreouer how shall this saying of Paule agreé with these Tridentine Lawgeuers to witte Not to him that worketh but vnto him that beleeueth on him that doth Iustifie the wicked Sinner Fayth is imputed for righteousnesse Moreouer what shall become of those exceptiue exclusiue senteÌ„ces of S. Paule wherein all the consideration of our Saluation beyng taken away from confidence in workes is ascribed wholy to Imputation Finally what shall become of all those sweét and most amiable promises of God if according to the rule of this doctrine we shal be excluded from our assurednesse of Saluation and Gods freé imputation We do heare the Lord promising in the Gospell When you haue lifted vpp the Sonne of man on high I will draw all things vnto my selfe And how cann this be true if all assurednesse must be attributed to merites according to the TrideÌ„tines Not so simply to merits say they but we do couple Grace therewith which grace because is not receiued but through the merites of Christ herefore there it commeth to passe that the merite of Christ is so farr forth effectuall to vs in the worke of our saluation as God doth powre into vs the measure of his grace to worke well O notable Deuines But goe to that I may the better aunswere them may I be so bold to demaund a question or two touching Abraham whose workes if we behold what thing coulde be more holy If we respect the vprightnes of his life what was more excellent if we regard the grace of his sanctificatioÌ„ and renouacioÌ„ where was it euer more pleÌ„tifull in any man And now lett vs heare the iudgement of S. Paule concerning all those so manifold and wonderfull workes For if Abraham haue anye thing whereupon he may glory sayth he he hath it in respect of meÌ„ but not of God What where the most excellent workes of Abraham are nothing worth shall our most filthy workes be auayleables Lett vs haue recourse to the first creation of mankinde and lett vs call to remembraunce the auncient age of our first Parent Adam who alone tasting of the forbidden fruite did he