God his maiestie must néedes be secluded and excused who is the lawe maker the creator no creature hauing no euill motion nor ledde with any affection which might make his worke euill Like as the creature is for the most part blame worthy bicause euen when it doth the best of all It is subiect to some affection eyther selfeloue or hatred of some other yea the Lorde God may vse any of his creatures in any worke without the blame of any euill as well as the Smith may make his coles to flame or to quenche them eyther the same péece of yron sometimes his hammer sometime his tongs or stithy Wherefore though very much might be sayde in this parte that as the potter may make of one péece of clay what him liketh the Smith may make of his yron diuers instrumentes yet following the godly wisdome of S. Paule I thinke it more méete to beate downe mans subtilties with the contemplation of the Maiestie of the mightie God pronouncing boldly that suche as say if my lyes and sinne set foorth his glory why am I then iudged as a sinner let vs doo euill that good may come and so in their wycked words dare make God the author of euil hath their worthy damnation alreadie as Paule sayth Rom. 3. For of necessitie whiche their eyes can not sée suche diuersitie of sinne and grace of righteousnesse and vnrighteousnesse of the contrarietie and change of things must be in this wōderfull creation of heauen and earth by the high maiestie of God appoynted and ordeyned For what néeded the goodly creature of lighte If there had bin no darknesse or howe shoulde this benefite haue bin felte or perceyued what matter or cause of vttering iustice mighte haue bin founde without sinne and vnrighteousnesse howe shoulde grace haue bin shewed if no wrath had bin deserued No the mightie God thereby most euidently vttereth his maiestie in that he sheweth how the heauens fal into darknesse without him the earth into dust the Angels into diuels the men into sinne and so finally without him all things to come to nought that he might be magnified creating all things his sonne our sauiour renowmed who hath redéemed vs all hys holy spirite exalted who hath renewed all vs that be his elect and chosen Nowe to what creature is the maiestie of God bounde and founde debter of his spirite If he withholde it from any his dreadfull maiestie may rightly withhold it for who hath giuen him first to aske any thing agayne of debt or dutie If his maiestie do giue his spirite it is of his frée mercy and grace If the earth fal into dust if man fal into sinne that all things may be knowne to be nothing without God what blame deserueth God or who dare accuse him No let all flesh fall downe before his maiestie and confesse All things doth onely rest vpon thée O Lorde thou hast created all things of nothing so that without thée they all do fall to their originall to shewe themselues vayne and nothing worthe weake wretched miserable wherfore if we haue any good thing it commeth of thy mercy if we haue any weaknesse sinne or infirmitie it cōmeth of our owne concupiscence lusts vanitie our perditiō is of our selues our sinne is of our selues only of thee is our saluatiō thou made vs clay potts vessels to thine vse Do thou with vs as thou shalt think good in thine eyes and the shame shall fall vpon our own faces The seconde cause which concerneth man wherby many mistake this doctrine is that God exhorteth man always in his Scriptures to good and forbiddeth euill with many terrible threatnings whiche things seemeth not to be néedful say they seeing the Elect shall be saued the Reprobate condēned by decree sentence giuen vpon them before they be borne To this we do answer that these exhortatiōs and cōmunications are very necessarie to both twaine bicause God leadeth vs men alwayes like reasonable creatures not like insensible stocks or stones And to the Elect they are most necessarie pricks and spurres to stirre the dull flesh toward his dutie as all good men feeleth can beare witnesse To the Reprobate they are testimonies of the good will of the almighty God to them opened and vttered but openly resisted refused and reiected according to the saying of oure Sauioure Christ If I had not come and spoken to them they had had no sinne but nowe they haue no pretence or excuse for their sinne Peraduenture you will answere me They can not obey vnto it What is the cause thereof I pray you bicause they lacke the spirite of Christe to leade them you will say I dare easily graunt you but will they graunt this will they thinke you submit them selues vnder poore Christe and the foolishnesse of the crosse and not rather boast and brag their wisedome their knowledge and their vpright dealing and righteousnesse Are not these the men that dare thus boast We knowe as well as the Preacher can tell vs Is the spirite of God departed from vs to speake with him As was sayde to Micha 2. of the Kings 22. chapter Or as the Pharisies did answere vnto Christe are we blinde To whome our Sauiour sayth agayne If you were blinde you had no sinne but nowe you say you sée therefore your sinne remayneth Iohn 9. Thus doubtlesse they are so farre from the submission subiection to poore Christ that contrariwise they doo willingly and naturally followe their father Lucifer who did lift him selfe arrogantly aboue Christ the sonne of righteousnesse and euermore fighteth agaynst Christ though the mightie power and high wisdome of God turneth his euill will and all theyrs to his glory and good purposes None other wayes than bodily and naturall darknesse which by the wonderfull wisdome of God clearly setteth foorth the bright sunneshine and yet laboureth by continuall course to shadow the sunne and to couer the whole earth Wherfore the Lorde God to dryue away this naturall darknesse from man exhorteth to iustice and equitie which is hys nature and the Image whiche man ought to counterfeit And alwayes commaundeth thyngs therevnto agreable And forbiddeth that he is not that is to say iniquitie and dehorteth therefrom by his Prophets and Preachers publyshing his wyll and pleasure which is the light and lawe most perfect to man his noble creature whom he hath made for his honour and glory whom he hath appoynted to beare hys Image vppon earth of iustice righteousnesse and innocency But bicause thys Image could by no creature perfectlie bée expressed vnlesse the same were fully replenished with the self same Godhead bicause that all things besidesfoorth had some imperfection bewraying their originall the darknesse as Iohn calleth it the Tohu and Bohu as Moyses dothe it name The vayne vanitie and wilde deformitie whence they were by creation altered recouered and broughte into lighte and life as appeared in Adam falling from truthe to lyes streight at the beginning nowe
to the féelyng of the mighty power of God whiche worketh all in all things to the restoring of all things in our Christ both in Heauen and Earth by whome we are called into this state long before appoynted accordyng to his purposed pleasure by whose power all things are wrought that we may boldly say with the Apostle who dare lay any thing to the charge of the Elect of God It is God that instifieth who is he that can condemne Who can seperate vs which are thys chosen Iacob from the loue of God. Can affliction Can anguish Can persecution Can hunger Can nakednes Can peryll Can the sword For I am perswaded sayth he that neyther death nor life nor Angell nor power nor thyngs present nether things to come nether height nor depth neyther any creature can separate vs from the loue of God in Christ Iesu our lord Lo this is the loue wher with the Lorde loueth his Iacob wherby we say O heauenly father Lord of heauen and earth it hath pleased thée that thou mighte shew thy greate goodnesse moste liberally fréely towards vs before that we were and therefore before we had done eyther good or euil without any our merites or deseruings onely thorough thy frée mercy to elect and choose ordayne and appoynte vs Heyres of euerlasting life and thereby to make all thinges perteining to our saluation so fyrme and sure that they can not stagger wauer nor fayle Where contrarywise if they dydde hang of our worthinesse we should euer be doubtefull bicause euery man is a lyer and all our righteousnesse is like a spotted clothe and nothing but counterfeyte hypocrisie weyed in the balance of thy seuere iustice But the grace of this thy frée Election maketh vs most certaine and sure séeing no creature is able to take oute of thy hande O god Wherefore we doo laude magnifie thy name worlde withoute ende So be it Nowe after thys doctrine of Election and loue of God towarde Iacob the hating and Reprobation of Esau must lykewise be declared though the aduersaries of thys doctrine do séeme to denye that there is anye suche Reprobation of the wicked yet the wordes are so playne in Malachie and Romaines 9. that nothyng can be more euidente For what can be more playnely spoken for thys purpose then that God shoulde say before the children were borne that he hated Esau What was this hatred but the Reprobation Reiection and condemnation by God hys owne mouth of thys wicked Esau like as in the laste verse of the first Psalme wher it is said that the Lord knoweth the wayes of the iuste that is he hath them written in hys booke in the Heauens he loueth them as is sayde of Iacob hée hath suche care ouer them that they can not fall but vnto the glory of God and their owne commoditie and by the course of the contraries compared together in that Psalm it shoulde be added the Lorde knoweth not the wicked like as Christe sayth it shall bée answered vnto them I knowe you not the latter parte of the verse is that the way of the wicked shall perishe so that it appeareth to be all one not to be elected accepted and knowen of God and to perish and to be as a Reprobate condemned And Felinus foorthe of Kymhy doth note that that parte of the laste verse of the. 2. Psalme God beeing angry you shall perishe foorth of the way dothe expounde this of the fyrste Psalme soâ— that the Election knowledge loue aâ—â—… I fauour of God eternall saluation â—â—â—… not be separate Like as his anger and hatred reprobation and condemnation consequently do follow in Cain Esau Pharao Iudas the Pharisies and like obdurate persons so manifestly vttering them selues to bée of that sort whome God alwayes hated The children not of Abraham but as Christ answereth vnto them of their father the diuel who was a murtherer froÌ„ the beginning like as his children haue bene also euer sithe the beginning of the world and therefore muste of necessitie be hated of the moste mercifull Lorde who is compelled by the order of his workes to vse these wicked roddes and cruel scourges for the chastisement of his children dooing many times the worke straunge from his nature that he maye do his worke of mercy peculiar vnto his nature And than vtterly breake hate reiect and cast away into euerlasting fire and vtter destruction this rodde and scurge like a moste mercifull father faâ—oring his children and hating the rodde thâ—â—e as he sayth by his Prophet Wootionâ— Assur the rodde of my fury and the staffe of my indignation and after promyseth to breake the staffe and cast awaye the rodde Psalm 10. Suffering in the meane season yet these instrumentes of his wrathe prepared vnto destruction with greate pacience for this ende that he may vtter the riches of his glory towards the vessels of glory which he hath prepared vnto glory Thus was Pharao the manifest scurge and rodde of God to correct to chastice to exercise the Israelites and to spread the power of God through all the world Therefore was Moyses sente vnto him with the rodde of God hys mightie mercy to breake in sunder thys rodde of chasticement And the Lorde sayde vnto Moyses I haue appoynted thée to bée the God of Pharao and Aaron thy Brother shall be thy Prophet thou shalte speake vnto him all that I commaunde thée And he shall speake vnto Pharao to let go the children of Israell foorth of his lande But I will harden hys hearte saythe the Lorde and I wyll multiplie my signes and wonders in Egypte and he shall not heare you And I will bring myne armie and people foorth of the lande of Egypte by most greate iudgementes and the Egyptians shal knowe that I am the lord Exod. 12. Agayne the Lorde sayth Nowe shall I stretche my hande to stryke thée and thy people with a plague and thou shalt perishe from the earth for therefore haue I caused thée to stande for so is the Hebrue woorde that I may shewe in thée my strength and that my name may be renowmed through al the earth Exod. 9. Then the Lorde sendeth a great hayle so that feelyng the hande of God the tenth tyme Pharao was compelled to crie The Lorde is iuste and I and my people are sinners as followeth in the same chapter Yet for all this the Lorde hardeneth his heart that hée pursueth the children of Israell to hys owne destruction Exod. 14. So that resisting the power of God he perisheth in thys worlde and in the worlde to come hée is appoynted to the euerlasting fyre prepared for the diuell and hys Aungels by the iuste iudgemente of the almightie Lorde who béeyng refused and so openly resisted iustely dothe giue ouer the wycked to their owne Reprobate myndes wyth gredinesse to fulfyll theyr fleshely desiers and obstinate purpose to prosecute that which the Deuyll and the woorlde willeth them to doo and so causeth them to heape vpon
Sonne Moreouer whome he hath predestinate those hath he called whom he called them he also hath iustified whooÌ„ he hath iustifyed those also hath he glorifyed So that thys appeareth to be no new learning or vaine doctrine of Gods prouidence and Election But the only ground of faith and certaynty of concience in all conflictes agaynst the worlde the fleshe and the deuil agaynst Sinne Death and Hell as the Apostle vseth it in the latter ende of the same chapter and all the Fathers from the beginning hath felt it For how coulde Adam by any other worke or creature eyther by comfort of any other doctrine stay hys conscience But in thaâ— the Lorde God promised to prouyde for hym and to saue him from his enemie who once had ouercome hym by the blessed séed which not by mrrites but by mercie and grace and therefore of his frée purpose before appoynted shoulde be sente vnto hym to breake the head of the Serpent Why Should Abraham haue left hys countrey and hys owne fathers house if he had not felt this diuine prouidence fatherly care frée choyse and Election of him and his seede By the whiche liuely feeling of God his careful prouideÌ„ce and frée choyse sending him séede when he was past hope of seede coÌ„cerning hys dead bodie and al the works of nature and by the stedfastnes of faith in the temptations about the same seede to be made a slayne sacrifice other gréeuous temptations and aduersities from time to time layde vpon hym this chosen vessell Abraham is called the father of all faythul As by his hystorie appereth a fatherly care of our God for all his people both for bodies soules for wife and childe and all togither And Isaac his sonne that chosen séede in whom all the Nations of the earth were promised to be blessed long before the childe was borne hath this promise of enheritaunce gyuen hym by fauour that the promise might be sure to all the séede as Paule saith Rom. 14. vnto whom and his saythful seede this frée promise fatherly Election and Predestination or what else you will call it was againe reuealed and opened Genes 26. in these wordes thâ—row thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed And the liuely sence and feeling of this Election and fatherly care of God for hym did then especially shine in his hart when the Lord sayd vnto him Go not into Egipte tarie here I will be with thee and wil blesse thee and thorow thy séed shal al the natioÌ„s of the earth be blessed Gen. 26. And after that greuous temptation vndoubtedly wherein he was compelled for feare of the Philistines to denie his wife and cal hir syster after the manifolde contentions with the Philistines wherin his God dyd preserue him and at the end in the woÌ„derful miracle of his children whose birthright was altered by the vnsearcheable prouidence of God the manyfest notes and tokens of the free Election and choyse of God dyd appeare And Iacob chosen and beloued in his mothers wombe felte thys free worke of God his great fauour who had chosen hym before hee was borne and taking occasion of the necessitie of his brother séeketh the birthright ' the which God had vnto him before appoynted and promised renouncing the course of nature then doth he leaue and forsake his fathers house and paciently taketh all troubles offred vnto him In the which oftentimes vndoubtedly he féeleth the heauy and gréeuous temptations that his fathers Abraham and Isaac had before for no creature more often suffereth trouble than the very Elect of God for the experiment of his fayth whereby the liuely sence and vndoubted tokens of his fauourable election after many battels victories might be made certen and sure thorough present comfort alwayes ministred vnto him eyther by secret inspiration or manifest reuelation witnessing the singuler care of his heauenly father ouer hym his dearely beloued and chosen childe as his wonderfull vision of the ladder and the Angels descending from heauen dothe declare and the other vnsion wherin the Angell did shewe him the party coloured shéepe for his portion to multiplie and encrease his substance as also when God biddeth him go into his owne countrey from this deceytfull Laban and defendeth his Iacob from him And finally the glorious victorie giuen vnto him ouer the Angell comforting him agaynst the feare of his brother Esau dooth bring foorth vnto his heart and conscience the assured signe and token of the fauour of his heauenly father first electing and choosing and after euermore gouerning guyding and preserning by the frée mercy of his diuine Prouidence Ieremie also chosen in his mothers wombe as appeareth in the first chapter of his Prophecie where it is sayd from the mouth of God before I fashioned thée in thy mothers wombe I did know thée and or euer thou wast borne I did sanctifie thée and ordeyned thée to be a Prophet vnto this people then felte the moste liuely signes and tokens of his Election when his fleshe repined grudged and feared to take in hande the execution of this great and daungerous embassage the power of God his spirite dothe touche his heart and openeth his mouthe to the planting and rooting vp of all people and kingdoms to breake destroy and make waste and raysed hym as a fensed towne a brasen wall an yron pyller agaynste the kyngs priestes and people of the lande Nowe though sometymes hys flesh doth grudge for the burthen of hys office and anguish of hart as though he had been an abiecte or Reprobate yet alwayes after the brunt of temptations vttering his weaknesse he findeth the mercifull prouidence of his heauenly father to take a contiunall care for hym and not onely comforte and assist hym but also most euidently to punish his enimies And to be short all the electe of God are thus chosen and called guyded and gouerned from their mothers wombe according to the saying of the pryncely Prophete Thou arte hée that takest me from my mothers wombe thou wast my hope yet when I hanged vppon my mothers brestes I haue bene left vnto thee euer since I was borne thou art my God euen from my mothers wombe And then doe they feele most sensibly liuely thys theyr Election when temptations and aduersities doth assaile and assault them in the which conflcts of the flesh and the spirite of synne and grace of lighte and darknes they are compelled to crye and cal to sigh and sobbe before theyr heauenly father for the deliueraunce of this mortall and sinful body subdued to vanitie and though they do most euidently perceyue how they are called from darknesse to lighte from loue of iniquitie to the hatred of the same from obedience somtime giuen to Sathan and to the lustes of the flesh to the obedience of the spirit which sighteth agaynst the flesh and though I say they perceyuing this be not able to quench these raging lustes yet do they mourne