for then shoulde the lyke haue bene wrought in the Iewes that came to take Christ for when he sayde I am they al fel to the ground but it was wrought within by the power of the spirite Saint Augustine therefore sayth very well Qui fecit te sine te non te iustificat sine te Ergo fecit nescientem iustificat volentem He that made thee without thee doth not iustifie thée without thée therefore he made thée when thou knewest not but he doth iustifie thée being willing To this doe the wordes of Sainct Paule agrée when he sayeth Deus est qui operatur in vobis velle operari It is God that worketh in you both the will and the worke that is according to the will But first the will So that before we follow the drawer we are by the same drawer made willing to follow Thus doth S. Austen and so doe we that Cerberus barketh so at vnderstand the will of man to be frée To conclude this matter and to see what mans freewil is able to doe sée what S. Austen sayeth Creatus est primus homo in natura sine culpa in naturae sine vitio creatus est rectus nō se fecit rectū Quid se autem ipse fecerit notum est Cadens è manu Figuli fructus est Regebat enim cum ipse qui fecerat voluit deserere à quo factus erat permisit Deus tanquā dicens Deserat me inueniat se miseria sua probet quia nihil potest sine me Hoc modo ergo ostēdere voluit Deus homini quid valeat liberum arbitrium sine Deo The first man was created in nature without blame in nature without fault he was created vpright he did not make himselfe vpright It is knowne what he made himselfe Falling out of the hande of the Potter he was broken For he y ◠made him did gouerne him but he was willing to forsake him that had made him And God suffered him so to doe as it were saying thus Let him forsake me that he maye finde himselfe and that he maye by his miserie proue that without me he can doe nothing By this meane therfore would God shewe vnto man what frée will is able to doe without God This maye suffise to as many as will be satisfied But I feare me that Cerberus and his felowes are none of them By this it appeareth that we runne not into the extremities as Cerberus sayth we doe For we neyther teache fatall destinie nor popishe will libertie but we affirme that man hath a choyse and that in some meaning the same is frée and yet notwithstanding Gods forknowledge predessination and election to be infallible As shall more playnely appeare when I shall come to the place wherein I am by Cerberus charged with the setting forth of such a doctrine as is worthily mysseliked of many In the meane while I must say something of y ◠wherin I with others be charged and playnely affirmed to be Pelagiās And that it may appeare whether we be so or no it shall be néedefull that we set downe the opinion of Pelagius as we finde it written by S. Austen in a booke of more authoritie than is that Epistle that Cerberus buildeth vpon Saint Austen being requested by one named Quod vult Deus to write a Cataloge of heresies he satysfieth hys request And thus he writeth of Pelagius heresie Pelagianorum est heresis hoc tempore omniū recentissima à Pelagio Monacho exorta c. At this time sayth he there is the heresie of the Pelagians which is the newest of all and sprang out of one Pelagius a Monke Which maister one Celestius did in such sorte followe that their followers are also called Celestines These men are such enimies to the grace of God whereby we are predestinated to be adopted or chosen to be his children through Iesus Christ and whereby we are deliuered from the power of darkenesse that we may beleue in him and be translated into his kingdome for which cause he sayd No man cōmeth vnto me except it be giuen vnto him of my Father and wherby Charitie is poured out in our hearts that fayth may worke by loue that they beleue that man is able without it to do all the cōmaundements of God whereas if that were true it might séeme that the Lord had in vaine sayde Sine me nihil potestis sacere Without me you can do nothing Whether we be of this mind with Pelagius or no let all the world that séeth our writings or heareth our doctrine iudge Or whether Cerberus and his fellowes be like to be of this minde which finde fault with our doctrine bycause we teach that there is an elected and chosen number to whome God hath giuen fayth and hath poured out loue in their hearts so that they maye come vnto Christ and by their works of obediēce to Gods wil shew forth the liuely fayth in Christ that in their election they haue receyued freely at Gods hand Let all the worlde I say iudge betwixte vs. We say that there is a certayne chosen number which in mercy are chosen to be the children of God images of the sonne of God Iesus Christ and inheritoures of his kingdome And that none can be of this number but those onely to whome it is giuen fréely without any maner deseruing eyther past present or to come And that they being thus chosen predestinated must alwayes acknowledge that it is God that worketh in them and that of them selues they are not able so much as to think a good thought And yet assure them selues that Hell gates can not preuayle agaynst them that is that the power of the Diuell shall not be able to hurte them And that though they be still sore assaulted and sometimes sore woūded yet they shal neuer be ouercome but shal ouercome in Christ and triumph with him in immortalitie for euer But Cerberus and his company say that al mankind is elected and that there is no reprobation at all and cōsequently no election For if there be none resused then is there none election but a generall acceptation And this their election they say is so vncertayne that no man can thereby be certaine of his saluation but al men must still remayne in doubte of damnation by sinne whereas S. Paule hath sayde that there is no damnation to them that be grassed into Christ And Christ himself saith that it is not possible that the elected sorte shoulde be seduced They say also that the power of mans Frée will is to receiue or refuse the grace of God which is indifferently offred vnto al. Which if it be true then must he be able also of himselfe to do that God commaundeth which is the playne errour of Pelagius Well I leaue these two opinions to the iudgement of the reader to consider which of them is most like to be that which Pelagius helde
perpetrando nutriūt nòn ausert quasi ipse cos induret quià iusto iudicio indurari sinit That is to say It is said that God doth hardē the heartes of certaine euill men as it is written of Pharao King of Egypt not that the Almightye God doeth by his almightie power harden their hearts which thing to beleue is an vngodly thing but when theyr faultes requiring the same doeth not take from them that hardnesse which in committing euilles they themselues doe nourishe to themselues he doth as it were himselfe harden them bicause he doth by his iust iudgemēt suffer thē to be hardened If Cerberus woulde haue weighed these words wel he woulde neuer haue applyed them against vs. For we teach not that the almighty God doth by his almightie power harden mens hearts for we know that it were an vngodly thing so to teach or beleue but we teache as S. Austen doth that theyr sinnes requiring the same he leaueth them in the hardnesse of their hearts which by committing of euilles they do nourish vnto themselues For by the sinne of the first man al mens hearts are hardned and of them selues they can do nought else but nouryshe that hardnesse and Gods hardning of their hearts is nothing else but the withholding of the deawe of his grace from them without which they can not be softned And this he doth in iust iudgement for the sinne of oure first Father hath deserued no lesse in vs all But here I must let the Reader vnderstande what places Cerberus pycketh for his purpose Erasmus supposeth that rather Hugo Victorinus than S. Austen should be y ◠Autor of this booke Well I will not striue wyth him for the matter But let him consider it better before he applie it against vs againe The woordes of the other place that Cerberus citeth out of the .xxj. chapter of S. Austens booke De gratia libero arbitrio are as faithfully handled as y ◠other Cerberus feared to set downe to many of Austens wordes least the Reader shoulde see that they make with vs against Cerberus and his fellowes I will therfore set downe so many of hys wordes as may make his meaning knowen to the diligent Reader Firste in the beginning of the same Chapter he sayth thus Quis nòn ista iudicia diuina contremiscat quibus agit Deus in cordibus etià m malorum hominum quicquid vult reddens eis tamèn secundum merita eorum Roboam filius Salomonis respuit consiliū salubre Seniorum quod ei dederant c. Who would not saith Austen tremble at these iudgementes of God wherby he doth in the heartes euen of wicked men worke what he lusteth and yet rendring vnto them according to their deseruings Roboam the sonne of Salomon refused the holesome counsell of the Elders which they gaue him which was that he should not deale roughly with the people and he hearkened rather to the wordes of them that were of his owne age giuing a rough aunswere to them whom he should haue aunswered gentlye And so forth citing many examples out of the Scriptures to proue that God is he that worketh in the hearts of euill men those things wherby his purpose is performed in punishing of sinne And towards the end of the Chapter he saith Hijs talibus testimonijs diuinorum eloquiorum quae omnia comemorare 〈…〉 s longum est satis quantum existimo manifestatur operari Deum in cordibus hominum ad inclinandas corum volūtates quo ▪ cunque voluerit siuè ad bona pro sua misericordia siuè ad mala pro meritis corum iudicio vtique suo aliquando aperto aliquādò occulto sempèr autèm iusto Fixum enim debet esse immobile in corde vestro quia nō est iniquitas apud Deum Ac per hoc quādò legitis in litteris veritatis à Deo seduci homines aùt obtudi vel obdurari corda corum nolite dubitare praecessisse mala merita corum vt iustè ista paterentur ne incurratis in illud Prouerbium Salomonis Insipientia viri violat vias eius Deum autèm causatur in corde suo That is to say By these and suche like testimonies of holy Scriptures wherof it were too long to make a whole recitall it is as I suppose sufficientlye shewed that God doeth woorke in the heartes of men to encline their willes whither it pleaseth him whether it be to good things according to his mercie eyther to euill things according to their merits and according to his own iudgement which is sometime open and sometime secrete but alwayes iuste For this persuasion ought to be fired and vnmoueable in your hearts that there is none iniquitie with God And hereby when ye reade in the writings of the truth that God doth leade mē out of the way or that he doth dull or harden their heartes do ye not doubt but that their euill deseruing went before that they might iustly suffer these things least ye should runne into that Prouerbe of Salomon which sayth The foolishnesse of a man doth defile his wayes but in his heart he layeth the blame in God If Cerberus would haue set downe all these wordes of S. Austen I shoulde not haue neded to write any aūswere to that whiche he did set downe For S. Austens wordes are sufficient for aunswere when he sayth that God worketh in the hearts of mē to encline their willes whether it be to good things according to his mercy or to euill things according to their deseruings that which way he him self is willing to encline them Now let Cerberus finde contradiction in S. Austens words if he can As forme I can sée none But if Cerberus can finde none then hath he applied S. Austens wordes against vs contrary to S. Austens meaning Nowe let vs sée what Cerberus hath founde in Melancthons common places Melancthon speaketh verye plainly saith Cerberus and sayth Nec figur◠illae verborum offendunt c. Neither saith he doe these figuratiue speaches offend As I wil hardē the heart of Pharao and such like for it is certain that in the Hebrew phrase they signifie a permission or suffering not an effectuall will of God As leade vs not into temptation y ◠is to saye suffer vs not to be lead into temptatiō These are Melancthons wordes sayth Cerberus and marke sayth he what he sayeth of the Hebrew phrase for all men know him to be a man learned Here Cerberus beginneth to triumphe and semeth to himselfe to haue wonne the stelde Melancthon hath said it therfore it must nedes be so I reuerence Melancthon and do acknowledge that he was learned but let vs sée whether in this point Melācthon haue not shewed him selfe to loth to offende such as Cerberus is and therfore séemed to haue giuen them vaūtage against himselfe In the same booke of common places in the first title which is De Deo he describeth God after this sorte Deut est essentia
But to giue a little more light to the Reader I wyll note one sentence more out of that that S. Austen wryteth concerning the heresie of Pelagius Illam vero gratiam Dei sine qua nihil boni possumus facere non esse dicunt nisi in libero arbitrio quod nullis suis praecedentibus meritis ab illo accepit nostranatura ad hoc tantum ipso adiuuante per suam legem atque doctrinam vt discamus quae facere quae sperare debeamus Nos autem ad hoc per donum spiritus sancti vt quae didiscerimus esse facienda faciamus That is They say sayth Austen that the grace of God without which we are able to do no good thing is not otherwise than in Frewil which our nature hath receyued of him not by any deseruings that was in the same before he only helping vs herevnto by his law and doctrine that we may learne what we ought to do and what to hope for But we say to this that through the gift of the holy Ghost we may do those things that we haue learned to be méete to be done Here it is playne that Pelagius maketh the grace of God nothing else but an helpe to the Frée wil of man Whether Cerberus and his fellowes do so too or not let thē iudge that reade his words that are written in his aunswere to this letter and do weygh them with indifferent mindes Now as touching that place that Cerberus citeth out of the sermon De tempore that is of the time 191. Although I knowe what Austen himselfe writeth of all his Epistles and his sermons saying that he had not perused or retracted thē when he set forth his two bookes of Retractations neither doeth it appeare in any of his writings that euer he did retract them Yet I will not reiecte it as none of Austens wordes for the doctrine is sound if it be rightly vnderstande It is possible for man by the power of God to be preserued from Actuall sinne although he can neuer be without the sinne of concupiscence so long as he liueth in mortall flesh So is it possible also yea it can not be chosen but vnlesse God doe by his grace staye man he shall commit Actuall sinne after his regeneration and of him self man is not able to stay him self from it But what make Austens wordes against vs We confesse with Austen that man hath alwayes néede of Gods helpe and we say with the same Austen that they do erre which say that man can not auoyde sinne but yet as I haue sayd before being stayed by the power of God For otherwise these wordes of Austen should be contrary to his owne wordes in his 13. sermon De verbis Apostoli Of the wordes of the Apostle Where he sayeth thus In hoc agone cum constigimus Deum habemus spectatorem in hoc agone cum laboramus Deum poscimus adiuterem Si enim nos ipse non adiuuat non dico vincere sed nec pugnare poterimus That is When we sight in this battayle we haue God to beholde and loke vpon vs when we are in daunger in this battayle we do pray vnto God to helpe vs. But if he do not helpe vs I say not that we shall not ouercome but that we shall not be able so much as to fight We wil not therefore set Austen against him self but take that meaning of his wordes in one place that may agrée with his wordes in another place And so are we with Austen and not against him as Cerberus layeth to our charge Neyther do we holde with Pelagius in any vntruth but if he do in any poynt confesse truth then do we agrée with him although S. Austen shoulde say to the contrary Loke better vpon your conclusion therefore good master Cerberus and learne to apply Scriptures better than you haue applied the words of S. Paul to the Phillippians else men will say ye vnderstand not S. Paule for S. Paule doth not there goe about to ascribe any thing to the power of his owne Frée will but altogether to set forth the exceeding great mercy of God towards him who did stay him from falling both in aduersitie and in wealth As it may well appeare to al that will with iudgement reade the place Your sentence also cyted out of Esoras you shoulde knowe it not to be of such authoritie that it might serue in the triall of such a cause as this is But graunt it were of the greatest authoritie What can it make against vs which deny not that man hath a choise which in some sort is free as I haue declared but do cōfesse that man which despiseth the warnings and long sufferings of God in this life shall after this life in paynes learne to vnderstand what they did then But procéede as you sayde you would Cerberus There followeth the tenth and the eleauenth errours which are these That our victorie commeth not of Gods helpe but of free choyse and that remission of sinnes is not giuen to thē that repent according to the grace and mercy of God but according to the deseruing and labor of them whych by repentaunce are worthy of Gods mercy O blasphemie intollerable O filthy puddle and sincke moste execrable full of stinking errours full of damnable presumption like to the pride of Lucifer moste abhominable the detestable vilenesse whereof is such that rather by exclamation I haue thought it good to renoūce it than with Scripture or reason to confute it All reason and all Scripture gyueth all glory vnto God And this blasphemous errour taketh awaye all the glorye of al goodnesse from the father of all mercy and God of al consolation and gyueth it vnto vile and wretched man which hath of him selfe nothing that is good but doeth altogether receiue it from the mercy and goodnesse of God Here concludeth Austen wyth the errours of Pelagius and sayth that all these errours he reuoked or renounced in the generall Counsell of Palestine Crowley I haue not sworne to finde faulte with all that Cerberus writeth in this his aunswere as it may seme that he hath to reproue and depraue all that I and other that haue or do write or speake of Gods predestination do or haue affirmed I will therefore ioyne with Cerberus in this detesting and renoūcing of these Pelagian errours as one that doth abhorre them no lesse than he doth And bicause man can sée no further than these things that be outward I do with all mine heart wish that he would make it knowen vnto men by such meanes as maye be most to his glorye whether we or Cerberus and his felowes do in y ◠heart detest and abhorre these errors most I will not enter into iudgement but there is cause to suspect that Cerberus and his sorte be not so cleare as by these wordess they would seme to be But let God be Iudge Cerberus Thus haue I set forth in Englyshe
Retractations and not reuoked But Cerberus purpose was craftily to cause all that would harken vnto him to estéeme both Caluin vs as most arrogant heretikes that wyll not sticke to compare one of our time with that auncient Father and to accept his iudgement without either reason or learning directly against the iudgement of him whom al the Church of Christ hath these many hundred yeres worthily reuerenced For who séeth not that Cerberus can not be one of those Gospellers that do accompt Caluin to be fully sufficient in auctoritie to encounter with Austen sith he writeth so bitterly against all thē that eyther write or preach that that Caluin hath in writing most euidently proued and defended Yea he alleageth Austen against Caluins doctrine and woulde seme thereby to triumphe ouer him and all that be of his minde As for the place that he cyteth out of Caluin I leaue for Cerberus to seke out at his leysure and when he hath founde it to note where it may be sound◠But I beleue it will be harde for him to find in Caluines workes that sentence in those wordes Cerberus There remaineth then as before I promised briefly to note those thyngs which I thinke worthye to be reproued about the doctrine of Predestination as it is now a dayes taught of many Wherin least I should seme to speake without assured grounde and bicause wordes in preaching in talke or disputation wherof I haue heard great abundance in thys matter may rashly passe with small aduisement and eyther easely be denied or soone forgotten I am determined to touch nothyng but their very wordes whych are set forth in Print And bicause the taking and aunsweryng of their whole bookes were a matter long and tedious being commonlye stuffed on the one side wyth an heape of opprobrious and outragious wordes against such priuate persons as they take in hand to write agaynst and on the other side filled rather wyth obscure subtelties than wyth plaine affirmations I haue thought it best therfore to take certayne sentences whych contayne manifest affirmatiōs out of diuers late printed Englyshe bookes wherein the summe and effect of this doctrine which manye doe for iust cause mislike is fully plainelye and simplye declared Crowley Nowe Cerberus beginneth to growe to the performance of his promise in noting those things in the doctrine of predestinatiō now preached as seme to him mete to be reproued And by the way he will not taunt vs but thus he sayth that in preaching talking and reasoning wordes may passe vs rashly and with small aduisement and be either easely denied or sone forgotten Wherfore he will touche nothing but that which we haue written and set forth in Print Well contented but yet I would Cerberus should knowe that we neither preache talke nor dispute with such rashnesse or small aduisement but that we are able and will by Gods helpe stande to all that we haue spoken therein and he is able to charge vs withall As for the outragious wordes that we vse towardes them that we write against shalbe found modest inough when they shalbe compared with the words that in this hys aunswere he vseth towards vs. Let him therfore procede in noting those things that he misliketh Cerberus I reade in an Englyshe booke set forth by Robert Crowley and entituled the confutation of .xiii. Articles c. these wordes Adam therfore beyng so perfect a creature that there was in him no lust to sinne and yet so weake that of himselfe he was not able to withstand the assault of the subtile serpent no remedye the onely cause of his fall must nedes be the predestination of God Thou seest dearly beloued in the conclusion of this sentence one point declared wherin the controuersie doth consist For where he plainlye affirmeth that Gods predestination is the only cause of Adams fall which is the sountayne of all sinne other hauing a much more reuerend opinion of God and of hys holye predestination do set their fote or rather their heart and soule agaynst their sayd conclusion Estemyng it far better to be torne in manye thousande pieces than to thynke or say that Gods fore-ordinance or predestination is the cause of any sinne or euil I besech thee let not thine eies be blinded or thy minde musfled wyth malice eyther agaynst the one partie or the other but in the ballāce of vpright iudgement waye the difference The one sayth as in this conclusion manifestlye appeareth and as afterwarde yet more plainly he affirmeth that the predestination of God is the onelye cause of Adams sinne and so consequently of all euill The other affirmeth directly contrary That God or his predestination is the cause of no sinne or euyll but the only cause of all goodnesse and vertue And herewyth agreeth the holye and diuine Apostle Sainct Iohn in hys Epistle saying All that is in the worlde as the concupiscence of the fleshe the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father Al good things that are in the worlde are no doubt of God our heauenly Father but whatsoeuer in the worlde is concupiscence lust sinne euill or wickednesse the same is not of God our heauenlye Father S. Iohn doeth piainly and precisely affirme The lyke playnenesse vseth also the holye man Iesus the sonne of Sirach in these wordes Say not thou it is the Lordes fault that I am gone by for thou shalt not doe the thing that God hateth saye not thou he hath caused me to go wrong for he hath no neede of the vngodlye The verye same thing is plainely declared in these Scriptures folowyng and in other places almost innumerable Psal 5. Pro. 19. Ieremie 7. 19. Oseae 13. Iob. 34. 36. Rom. 7. 1. Corin. 14. Iacob 1. Exod. 34. Deut. 5. 2. Reg. 14. Psal 81. 144. Prou. 1. Sap. 1. 2 11. 12. 15. Eccles 2. 18. Esay 5. 30. 55. 65. Lament Iere. 3 Ezech. 18. 24. 33. Ioel. 2. 4. Esdr 1. 2. 7. 8. Math. 23. Act. 17. 1. Timoth. 2. 4. 2. Pet. 3. The same sayth Austen also plainely in these wordes Non ergo casus ruentium nee malignitatem iniquorū neque cupiditates peccantium praedestinatio Dei aut exitauit aut suasit aut impulit sed plane praedestinauit iudicium suuin quo vnicuique retributurus est pro vt gessit siue bonum siue malum quod Iudicium futurum non esset si homines Dei voluntate peccarent Neither the falles of them that fall nor the wickednesse of them that be wicked nor the luste of them that offende hath the predestination of God eyther prouoked moued or compelled but without doubt he hathe forcordeyned his iudgement wherby he will recompence euerye man according as he hath done whether it be good or euyll the whiche shoulde be no iudgement if men did sinne by the will of God Crowley I do acknowledge that this English booke that Cerberus saith he hath read was of
we doe neither denie nor call it by the name of destinie except it be so as we may vnderstand Fatum to be deriued of the word For faris that is of speaking For we can not denie but it is wrytten in the holie Scriptures God spake once these two sayings I my selfe hearde it that power belongeth vnto God and vnto thée O Lord belongeth mercie for thou wilt giue vnto euerie man according to his workes And where as it is said he spake once we vnderstand that he spake vnmoueably that is vnchaungeably euen as he did vnchaungeably know al things that are to come and that he himselfe will do After this sort therfore we may say that Fatum or destinie is deriued à fando or speaking if this name had not now bene accustomed to be vnderstāded of another matter wherevnto we are not willing that mens hearts should be enclined Now if Cerberus haue ought to say against this let him make S. Austen one of vs. For we are in this point all one with him Cerberus And as for that which the Heathen did attribute to the starres or planets they meant none other but that God ordeined the planets in nature to worke such things as he before had decreed appointed Euen as we also iudge that God vseth the operatiō of the planets in sending such rayne tempest faire weather or soule as his pleasure is let them say therfore what they cā or wil. This meere necessitie which our men do teach is the verie same which the Stoikes did hold which opinion bicause it destroied the state of a common wealth it was banished out of Rome as Augustine declareth Lib. Quest vet no. Test Where he notably refelleth that opinion in these few words saying Qua ratione nati dicuntur c. By what reason sayth Augustine were they borne which banished Mathematicos the setters forth of destinie out of Rome which law was kept and they were but Heathen howe were those things done by destinie which make agaynst destinie But surely if there be a destinie it doth nothing against it selfe saith Aug. For so were destinie no destinie or at the least destinie fighting agaynst it selfe Or to speake the same in those wordes which our men by abuse take out of the Scripture to maintain the very same matter If it be Gods predestination that men should write and speake agaynst hys predestination as they saye some men do then is Gods predestination a Kingdome not only deuided but also fearcely fighting agaynst it selfe O miserable absurditie which any child may perceyue must needes follow if all things come to passe with absolute necessitie by Gods predestination as they teach Thys same doctrine also that all euill springeth out of Gods ordinance or that Gods predestination was the cause of Adams fall and of all wickednesse is plainly maintained in an English boke lately set forth and entitled agaynst a priuie Papist c. where among many open and plaine sentences vpō this matter I find an argument made in these words Whatsoeuer was in Adam was in him by Gods wil ordināce sinne was in Adam Frgo sinne c. was in him by Gods will ordināce The maior of which argument being vnderstand of Adam after his fall is manifestly false therefore the cōclusion also is false for if it may be sayd of Adam after his fal as by the minor you wel perceyue that he so doth vnderstand it then may it also be sayd now of any man that what execrable wickednesse so euer is in any mā that same is in him by Gods wil ordināce He goth about also to proue the same by another argumēt which he maketh speaking of the lying spirit saying God cōmaūded him to sinne but God commaūded nothing which he ordeineth not so he ordeined him to sinne Which argument it was maruel that any man could be so blind as not to see how it might with more strength and force and much more manifest truth be turned against him in this sort speaking of Adam yea and of all men saying God commaunded Adam and doth commaunde all men to absteine from sinne but he commaundeth nothing which he ordeineth not Ergo God ordeined Adam and all men to absteine from sinne If God then ordeyned Adam and all men to absteine from sinne than did he not ordeyne Adam or any man to commit sinne so was not sinne in Adam or in any man by Gods will and ordinance nor Gods ordynance the cause of Adams fall or of any mans sinne And therefore their opinion is vtterly false also if God in hys secret counsell do predestinate appoint and ordeine man to sinne and yet gyue vnto him a straight law and commaundement not to sinne is not then his secret wyll contrary to his open word and hys eternal ordinance repugnant to his written law All theyr sayre wordes and sine framed fetches can not auoide it Crowley Let vs say what we can or wyll sayth Cerberus the méere necessitie that we teach shall be all one wyth that which the Stoikes helde affirming their Fatum or destinie To this I haue sufficiētly answered before shewing plainly by S. Austens words that we teach none other doctrine herein than did S. Austen in the same booke De Ciuitate Dei out of which Cerberus citeth matter against vs. But nowe Cerberus hath founde another authoritie of saint Austen agaynst vs in his booke as Cerberus sayth which he wrate and entitled Questiones ex vtroque Testamento In the question 115. he sayth thus Qua autem ratione nati dicentur qui Mathematicos vrbe Roma prohibuerūt quod ius seruatum non ignoratur Et certè Pagani fuerunt Quomodo fato fiunt quae contra fatum sunt Sed si est fatum non facit contra se c. That is to say By what order shall it be sayd that those men were borne which did forbydde the Mathematicks that is to say y e tellers of mens fortunes or destinies to come within the Citie of Rome And it is wel knowen that that lawe was kept And doubtlesse these men were Heathen men Howe are those thinges done by destinie which are against destinie But if there be a destinie it worketh agaynst it selfe c. sayth Austen But stay there Master Cerberus and proue that Austen was Authour of that booke So may it be of some authoritie with vs. But Erasmus hath alreadie proued by sūdrie good reasons that S. Austen did neuer write it As may appeare to as many as wyll reade his iudgement set forth before the beginning of this booke Where wryting of this parte of that booke out of which Cerberus hath cyted the wordes aboue wrytten he sayth Disputat contra Mathematicos quoque altius ingreditur opus hoc licentius ineptit That is to say He disputeth agaynst the Mathematicks and the déeper he doth enter into the worke the more outragiously doth he play the parte of a foole But Cerberus wyll not
heareth that saying he crieth 〈◊〉 Areade Areade what is this In Cerberus his iudgement eyther Iob must be a liar or else God must be a théefe For when word came to Iob that the Sabeis had slaine his seruauntes and driuen away his cattle he sayd the Lord hath taken theÌ„ away But to take away Iobs cattle was felonie Ergo eyther God was a Felon or Iob a liar if Cerberus his opinion beleue But how God doth worke in the heartes of euill and wicked men and vse them as his instruments and yet is not partaker of their sinne is sufficiently declared afore out of S. Austen De gratia libero arbitrio Nowe Cerberus will looke that I shoulde say some thing to the words of Prosper Otherwise he wil make reckning that he hath the victorie For a little occasion maketh him to brag The obiection that the Frenchmen made against the sentence of S. Austen in the place that Cerberus speaketh of is this Quòd liberum arbitrium in homine nihil sit sed siue ad bonum siue ad malum praedestinatio 〈◊〉 in hominibus â—perctur That is to say That S. Austen should holde that frée will in man is nothing but that Gods predestination doth worke in men whether it be to good or to euill The answere to this obiection is thus Liberum arbitrium nihil esse vel non esse perperam dicitur sed ante illuminationem fidei in tenebris illud in vmbra mortis ac gere nòn rectè nogâ—tur Quoniam priusquam à dominatione Diaboli per Dei gratiam liberetur in illo profundo iacet in quod se sua libertate demersit Amas ergo langores suos profanitate habet quòd agrotare se nescit donec prima haec medela conferatiâ— aegroto vt incipiat nosse quòd langueat possit opem medici desiderare qua surgat Iustificatus itaque homo idest ex impio pius factus nullo praecedente bono merito accipit donum quo medio adquirat meritum vt quod in illo inchoatum est per gratiam Christi etiam per industriam liberi augeatur arbitrij nunquam remoto adiutorio Dei sine quo nec prosicere nec permanere in bono quisquam potest Praedestinationem autem Dei siue ad bonum siue ad malum in hominibus operari ineptissimè dicitur vt ad vtrumque homines quaedam necessitas videatur impellere cum in bonis voluntas sit intelligenda degratia in malis autem intelligenda sine gratia That is To say that frée will is nothing or that there is no frée will at all is euil sayd but that the same doth wander in darknesse and in the shadow of death before it is illumined by faith is not well denied For before it is by the grace of God deliuered from the domination of the Diuell it lyeth in that déepe dongion into which by it owne libertie it did cast it selfe It doth therfore loue it owne sore sicknesses and doth compt it helth not to knowe that it is sicke vntyll this first medicine be ministred to it being sicke that it may begin to know that it is sick and be able to desire the helpe of the Phisition whereby it may aryse When man therefore is iustified that is to say made godlie of vngodlie without any good deseruing going before he receyueth a gift by which meane he maye also get merit or deseruing that that thing which is by the grace of Christ begonne in him may also by the industrie of frée will be encreased neuer without the helpe of God without which no man can eyther go forward or stay in that which is good But it is most foolishly said that the predestinatioÌ„ of God doth so worke in men eyther to good or to euill that a certain necessitie may séeme to force men forward vnto both seeing that in good the will is to be vnderstanded to come of grace in euill the will is to be vnderstanded without grace Now gentle Reader thou seest what it was that the French men obiected against S. Austen Thou séest also what Prosper doth answere in S. Austeus defence CoÌ„sider nowe what occasion Cerberus hath to conclude against vs as he doth The French men obiect that S. Austen should hold that fréewill in man is nothing but that Gods predestination doth worke in men whether it 〈…〉 to good or euyl Prosper aunswereth that it is an euil saying to affirme that fréewill is nothing or that there is no fréewill at al. And that it is most foolishly sayd that the predestination of God doth so worke in the heartes of men either to good or euill that a certaine necessitie may séeme to force men forward vnto both But we do neyther say that fréewill is nothing or that there is none at all neither that predestination doth so worke in men that a certaine necessitie may seme to force them forward both to good and euil No we do not affirme that predestination doeth worke in men any thing at all Ergo Prosper hath written nothing against vs. Cerberus And further Crowley in the sayd booke of confutation before named and the same article vsing the very same terme of driuing he sayeth that Gods predestination hath driuen them to it And yet not therwith content anone after he sayeth We are coÌ„pelled by the necessitie of Gods predestination to do those things for the which we are damned but to repeate the whole sentence To this must we answere sayth he in thys wyse If God were an inferiour to anie superior power to the which he ought to render an accompt of his doings or if anie of vs were not his creatures but of another creation besides his workmanship then might we charge him with tyrannie bicause he condemneth vs and appoynted vs to be punished for the things we doe by compulsion through the necessitie of his predestination Marke here by the way how al rulers be charged wyth tyrannie for punishing of male factors first grauÌ„t thys proposition which he affirmeth That al offenders as murderers theues and traytours coÌ„mit their offences by the compulsion of predestination Secondly this assumpted minor which he also affirmeth that it is tyranny for one whych is an inferior power and not theyr creator to punish them which do commit crimes by such compulsion Then must it needes follow that al rulers are tyrants which punish malefactors and are no creators but inferior powers bicause all malefactors could not chose but commit such wicked offeÌ„ces being driuen therevnto by compulsion through the necessitie of predestination Wo worth the sinful generatioÌ„ of our age which hath bred and brought forth such a noisome noueltie and straunge Paradox to whom the handes of Gods mercie are stretched out all the day long and yet they are euer defying him to the face as the Prophete sayth Esay 65. Consider I desire thee not the persons of them that speake be they neuer so high neuer
their doctrine whych thyngs if you diligently weye and consider readyng the same wythout partiallitie then haue I my desire Crowley I am glad that Cerberus is nowe come to an ende Much adoe he had to let slip so manie things as offered themselues to be spoken off But now he hath coÌ„cluded concenting him selfe wyth fewe wordes in purging him selfe of those things that his friende charged him with and setting forth the Pelagians errours c. Yet euen in the winding vp of y e matter he hath found one part of doctrine hanging vpon the Article of Gods eternal predestinatioÌ„ which is to be misliked of al meÌ„ if Cerberus be not deceyued and that is That as the only will purpose of God is the chiefe cause of Election and Reprobation so his free mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause of saluatioÌ„ c. Here Cerberus doth of purpose leaue out the ende of that glose shutting vp the matter wyth his c. I will therefore set downe the words that follow which are these and the hardening of the heart an inferiour cause of damnation Now this glose is some thing more plaine than it was before as Cerberus hath cited it with his c. He thought belike that the Bible wherin he findeth this glose is not in euerie mans hande and therefore his c. should cause men to thinke that the rest of the glose must be as good stuffe as he thinketh the first part to be That is worthy to be misliked of all men importing a sophisticall search of bottomlesse secretes and drawing from Christ Such shifts doth Cerberus vse to make meÌ„ mislike with that which he himselfe liketh not But to proue this part of doctrine to be such as Cerberus assirmeth it to be he vseth two reasons One is that the eternall purpose of God springeth out of hys frée mercie in Christ wherefore that frée mercie cannot be inferiour to Gods eternall purpose more than the fountaine from which streames of water do slowe can be inferiour to the streames that flow from it The other is of the mediation of Christ For if God did in his eternall will and purpose elect vs before Christ had appeased his wrath by his mediation then was it but a vaine thing for Christ to be a Mediatour neyther had we any neede of his mediation Although I would gladly content my self to haue defended mine own writings and other mens wherewith Cerberus findeth fault euen with as fewe wordes as he vseth in purging himselfe and other of that which his friend layeth to his charge yet may I not so shortly slip ouer this matter wherewith Cerberus hath shut vp his aunswere For if Cerberus would haue sought how to haue set forth to be séene his owne wilfull ignorance and errour in the chiefe pointes of our Religion he could not haue found a better meane thaÌ„ he hath vsed in these two reasons that he maketh against the doctrine conteyned in the glose wherewith he misliketh For what greater errour can there be than to holde that with God there is time past and time to come and that any of the essentiall properties of God do spring out of other in time as though there had bene or could haue bene a time wherein God lacked those properties Or that the sonne of God the seconde person in Trinitie should in his diuine nature in time make mediation to God the Father that thereby he might purpose to saue man whom he was before purposed to destroy For striuing against him that hath sayde that the only will and purpose of God is the chiefe cause of Election and Reprobation and that his frée mercie in Christ is an inferiour cause of saluation c. He sayth that the purpose or will of God to saue vs must néedes spring out of the frée mercie of God and that therefore the will or purpose of God in sauing must of force be inferiour to his mercie euen as streames that issue from fountaines are inferiour to the fountaines that they come from And to proue this he citeth the words of Ecclesiasticus the. 2. Chapter Secundum enim magnitudinem ipsius sic misericordia illius cum ipso est That is Euen according to his owne greatnesse so is his mercie with hym He citeth also the saying of S. Iames. Cap. 2. of his Epistle where he sayth Iudicium enim sine miscricordia illi qui nòn sacit miscricordiam Gloriatur autem miscricordia aduersus iudicium That is He that sheweth no mercie shall haue iudgemeÌ„t without mercie But mercie reioyseth against iudgement And againe he citeth the words of Dauid in the Psalm 145. Miscricordia eius super omnia opera eius That is His mercie is vpon all his workes All this ado he maketh to proue that Gods will and purpose are inferiours to his mercie But how well that is by these Scriptures proued I referre to the iudgement of the indifferent Reader Sirach sayth that those which feare the Lorde will prepare their heartes and humble their soules before the Lord. Let vs fall into the handes of God and not into the hands of men For euen as his greatnesse is so is his mercy Sirach his purpose is to set forth the effect of y e feare of God which worketh in y e hartes of meÌ„ a true turning to God with an assured hope of forgiuenesse at his hande bicause they be persuaded that he is no lesse readie to forgiue penitent sinners than he is able to punish the impenitent S. Iames sayth that the merciful shall finde mercie minding to persuade all men to shew mercie one to another Assuring themselues that vnlesse they do so they can finde no mercie with God and on the contrarie if they do shew mercie they shall not néede to feare iudâ—ement for mercie shall preuaile against iudgement And Dauid the Prophet hath said that Gods mercie is vpon all his workes although it please Cerberus to cite his wordes otherwise for his purpose For he sayth that Dauid hath said that the Lordes mercie is aboue all his workes Which words though they be true yet hath not Dauid so sayd neyther maye I suffer Cerberus to cause the Prophet Dauid to speake as he woulde haue him that his fantasie might be maintained by the Prophetes words Dauids meaning is to teach that the Lord God sheweth mercie vpon all his works so that there is not one of the works of God that hath not cause to praise him for his louing kindnesse and mercie Both y e Hebrue and Gréeke Text and al the translations in Latine and English too so many as I haue seene do giue thys sense of the Prophetes wordes How can Cerberus proue then by these Scriptures that the mercie of God is the fountaine of his wil purpose All that he doeth therefore is nothing else but a setting forth of his owne wilfull ignoraunce whereby he is fallen into the filthy errour of them that imagine of God as of a man and