cite the wordes that are written in the. 33. of Exodie Miserebor cuius misercor misericordiam praestabo cuius miserebor That is I will haue compassion vpon him on whome I haue compassion And I will shewe mercy to whome I will shewe mercy It lyeth not in the willer nor in y â— runner saith S. Paul but in God who taketh mercy For the Scripture sayth vnto Pharao Quia in hoc ipsum exitaui tâ— vt ostendum in tâ— potentiam meam vt annuntietur nomen meu 〈…〉 â—n vniuersd terra That is For this cause haue I styrred thée vp that I might shewe my power vpon thée and that my name might be declared through the whole earth And then S. Paule concludeth thus Ergo cuius vult mi 〈…〉 quem vult indurat That is On whome it pleaseth him he taketh mercy whome he lusteth he maketh harde hearted I knowe the common aunswere to this Which is God doth not hearden the hearts of any but he doth suffer them to harden their owne hearts But it 〈◊〉 good for them that stande vpon this common aunswere to coÌ„sider what S. Austen writeth concerning Gods suffering of things to be done Nec dubitaÌ„dum est Deum facere benè etiam 〈◊〉 fieri quaeâ—uÌ„â— fiunt 〈◊〉 Non enim hoc nisi iusto iudicio sinit Et profecto bonum est omne quod iustum est Quamuis ergo ea quâ—â— mala sunt â–ª in quantum mala sunt non sint bona tamen vt non solam bona sed etiam sint mala bonum est Num nisi esset hoc honum vt essent mala nullo modo esse sinerentur ab omnipotentâ— bono 〈◊〉 proculdubiò quam facile est quod vult facere tum facile est quod non vult esse non sinere Hoc nisi credamus periclitatun ipsum nostrae fidei confessionis initium qua nos in Deum patrem omnipotentem credere consitemur Nequè enim venicitèr ob aliud vocatur omnipotens nisi quia quicquid vult potest nec voluntate cuiuspiaÌ„ creaturae voluntatis omnipotentis impeditur effectus That is to saye It is not to be doubted that God doth well yea when he suffreth to be done whatsoeuer things are euill done For he doth not suffer this otherwise than by iust iudgement And surely all that is iust is good Although therfore those things that be euill in as much as they be euill be not good yet is it good y â— there should be things not onely that are good but also that are euill For excep 〈…〉 t were good y â— there should be things that are euill the almightie goodnesse would by no meanes suffer them to be To whome no doubt it is as easie a thing not to suffer that thing to be which he would not should be as it is to doe that which he is willingâ— to doe Except wée beleue this â–ª she very beginning of the confession of our sayth wherein we confesse y â— we beleue in God y â— Father Almightie is in daunger like to be fosid vntrue For he is not truely called Almightie for any other cause but for that he is able to do what he will the effect of his wyll being Almightie is not by the wil of any creature letted By these wordes of Austen it is playne that God being Almightie can not be sayd to suffer ought to be done which he is not willing should be done The hardening of hearts therfore and that wickednesse that is wrought by the hard hearted is not done without his wil. And although those things be euill in asmuch as they are done by those euill persons yet in as much as the same are done by the will of God it is good that they be done By thys it is plaine that when God doth ordeyne decrée and will that man shoulde sinne he doth not contrarie to Scripture which doth witnesse by the testimonie of S. Austen that it is good that man should do euil in such sense as S. Austen hath declared the same Moreouer Salomon in his Prouerbes sayth thus Vniuersa propter semetipsum operatus est Dominus impiuÌ„ quoque ad diem malum That is The Lord hath made all things for himselfâ—â— the vngodlie man also against the euyl day Esay the Prophet sayth Nunquid gloriabitur Securis coÌ„tra cum qui secat in ea Aut exaltabitur Serâ— contra eum à quo trahitur Quomodo si elevetur Virga contra eleuantem se exe altetur baculus qui vtique lignum est That is to say Shall the Are boast it selfe against him that heweth with it Or shal the Saw set by it selfe against him that draweth it That were as much as if the Rod should be lifted vp against him that lifteth it and as if the staffe that is but timber should be aduaunted The vngodlie man sayth Salomon hath the Lorde made for himselfe euen against the euill day that is against the day of vengeance wherein the vngodly shall haue theyr iust reward at Gods hand By this not onely the vngodlie is iustly punished for his vngodlinesse but the godlie is also occasioned to acknowledge that it is mercie alone that doeth preserue him froÌ„ the like punishment For he seeth in himselfe no cause why he should not suffer the same condemnation Thus by the wicked both the iustice and mercy of God are made manifest vnto man But the purpose of the vngodlie is nothing lesse than that Gods iustice and mercie should be set forth by him therfore he is iustly punished for his wickednesse And Esaie the Prophet comparing Nabuchodonosor to an Axe a Sawe and a Rodde doth plainly teach that it was God that wrought all the plagues and destructions that were by that wicked instrument brought not onely vpon the people of the Iewes but vpon other Nations also And that that bloudie and ambitious tyrant was but as an Axe Saw or Rod in the Lords haÌ„d And therfore when he began to boast of his owne power and policie as though he had by his own wisdom and strength ouercome kingdomes and set himselfe aboue them the Lord to let his people know that it was not Nabuchodonosors power that could haue done or that should doe those things to them which the Prophetes did tell them should come vpon by the Kings of Babilon doeth tell them by the mouth of the same Prophets that the worke was his and that the Kings of Babilon were but hys fooles or instrumentes to worke withall But this can not Cerberus abide God must be but a looker on and no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 any of these things For if God should be a worker he must needes be the Authour of the sinne that is in the deede For the old Curre hath his eyes so blinded with the filthie â—â—dder of Hell fire that he can not sée how God may be the Authour of the fact and not of the sinne that is in it But when he
Palaestine I think it good to rehearse them first in Latine after in Englishe as they are gathered togither by Augustine And theÌ„ to shewe according to your request what parte of their doctrine which they teache vnder the name of Predestination my selfe and other doe mislyke To the ende that you and other may the better iudge who are in deede worthy to be called Pelagians and whether some parte of their doctrine be not for iust cause misliked Crowley Here Cerberus vseth all his Retorique at once to persuade his dearely beloued friend whose letter he sayth he aunswereth that he and other of his minde be falsely and wrongfully accused to be enimies of Gods holy predestinatioÌ„ c. And to this ende he will in as fewe words as possibly he can set forth what shamefull doctrine is now taught c. But first he will set forth both in Latine and in Englishe those errours which the olde Heritike Pelagius with other did holde and also reuoke c. That men may the better iudge who are in deede worthy the name of Pelagians for he thinketh that he hath proued that we against whom he writeth are those that should be called Pelagians and whether some parte of oure doctrine be not for iuste cause misliked Now let vs sée how he noteth Pelagius errours out of Augustine first in Latine and then in Englishe Which when we haue weighed we shall sée who are moste lyke Pelagius he his or I and mine For this is his purpose I am sure for that he toucheth me first by name and setteth himself and such as he is against al such as I am affirming that whereas we accuse them as enimies of Gods Predestination they are in déede y e most intire louers and we the enimies therof My chief labor therfore in this Apologie shall be to make the truth hereof to appeare playnely to all the indifferent hearers Cerberus The wordes of Austen are these Episto 106. tomo 2. Obiectum est enim eum dicere Quia Adam siue peccaret siue non peccaret moriturus esset 2. Et quod peccatum eius ipsum solum laeserit non genus humanum 3. Et quod infantes in illo statu sunt quo Adam suit ante praeuaricationem 4. Et quod neque per mortem vel praeuaricationem â—de omne genus humanum moriatur neque per resurrectionem Christi omne genus humanum resurgat 5. Et diuites baptizatos nisi omnibus abrenuntient si quid boni visi fuerint facere non reputari illis nec eos habere posse regnum Dei 6. Et gratiam Dei atque adiutorium non ad singulos actus dari sed in libero arbitrio esse vel in lege atque in doctrina 7. Et dei gratiam secundum merit a nostra dari 8. Et silios Dei non posse vocari nisi omnino absque peccato fuerint effecti 9. Et non esse liberum arbitrium si Dei indiget auxilio quoniam in propria voluntate habet vnusquisque facere aliquid vel non facere 10. Et victoriam nostram non ex Dei adiutorio esse sed ex libero arbitrio 11. Et quod poenitentibus veni a noÌ„ detur secuÌ„dum gratiam misericordiam Dei sed secundum moritum laborem eorum qui per poenitentiam digni suerint misericordia Haec omnia Pelagius anathematizauit The first of Pelagius errours which Augustine here citeth is that Adam shoulde haue died whether he had sinned or not sinned This is as you heare one of Pelagius wicked errours that sinne is not the cause of Reprobation or casting away death sprong out of Gods ordinance or some other way came not of mans sinne saith he whether man had sinned or not sinned yet should he haue dyed contrary to the manifest Scripture which sayeth that by one man sinne entred into the worlde death by the meanes of sinne Roma 5. b. And the wyse man sayth that God created maÌ„ to be vndestroyed And againe he saith God hath not made death neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the liuing he created al things that they might haue their being yea all the people of the earth hath he made that they shoulde haue health that there should be no destruction in them and that the Kingdome of Hell should not be vpon earth for righteousnesse is euerlasting and immortall but vnrighteousenesse bringeth death Wicked and abhominable therfore was this errour of Pelagius which affirmeth that whether man had sinned or not sinned he shoulde haue dyed And here in the very beginning of Pelagius errours I reporte me to themselues euen to themselues I saye that blowe the trumpet of defamation against other with the termes of pestilent Pelagians whether those whome they so accuse nowe to be Pelagians holde this errour or whether they themselues which woulde take some mote of errour out of other mens eyes haue not this Pelagius beame sticking fast in their owne let they themselues be iudges or let their owne doctrine iudge both in print and preaching whereof some parte shall be hereafter rehearsed Yea let all the worlde iudge which haue hearde the doctrine of both parties who they are that in this point ought worthily to be called Pelagians Crowley After Cerberus hath set downe in Latine certaine of Pelagius errors to y e number of .xi. he repeteth y e first in Englishe that is that Adam should haue dyed though he had not sinned And bycause his purpose is to proue that we are those that holde this Pelagian heresie he vnderstandeth Pelagius meaning to be that sinne was not the cause of Reprobation or casting away but that heath sprong out of Gods ordinaunce And so at the last he concludeth that Pelagius and we are all one in thys point for we teache the same doctrine What moued Pelagius to teache that doctrine I knowe not neyther did I at any time so much as once thinke to holde or desende it And I thinke I may be bolde to say in the name of all that haue written or preached the doctrine that Cerberus misliketh that not one eyther hath or will teache it Although Cerberus doe boast that hereafter some parte of our doctrine shall be shewed whereby all men may be able to iudge that we are al one with Pelagius in this point For mine owne parte I will put all men out of doubt that I beleue and haue doe and will if God permit wache that if Adam had not sinned he had neuer dyed And that God did create man to be vndestroyed And that God made not death as the wise man writeth But by one man sinne entred into the the worlde and by sinne death And I can not sée that any of my breathren haue or doe teache any otherwise either in writing or preaching Wherefore Cerberus doth vs open wrong to ioyne vs with Pelagius in thys errour As for the doctrine that I haue written and
thou seest here by example the same which Tullie calleth Series causarum the continuall order of causes appointed of God And our men euen in like maner call it the causes appointed of God to leade vnto the same end which he hath ordeyned Whereof followeth the force of cannot chuse which is called Fati necessitas Fatall necessitie or the necessitie of Gods ordinaunce for as you haue heard Fatum is nothing else but a decree or ordinance of God Which necessitie is set forth of some men vnder the name of Gods predestination now oftentimes the same thing is set forth also by thys word prouidence Which name of prouidence likewise the Heathen Stoikes vsed for the same purpose as Cicero sayth Pronoca anus fatidica Stoicorum quam Latinè licet prouidentiā dicere Pronoca in Greke saith he the olde wyse of the Stoikes that setteth forth theyr destinie which in Latine was called Prouidētia the prouidence of God But let them cal it prouidence predestination preordinance or what they will this is no doubt the very Stoikes opiniō that God hath so appoynted and preordeyned all thyngs that of meere necessitie they come to passe And whatsoeuer men do whether it be good or euill they can not chose but do it Which necessitie Seneca also manifestly declareth in these wordes Necessitates omnium rerum quas nulla vis rumpat fatum existimo The necessitie of all thinges sayth he which no force or violence can breake that same I holde to be destinie Crowley Nowe Cerberus can no longer kéepe it in He must néedes breake out in an exclamation against the doctrine of prouidence predestination preordinance For sayth he it is none other thing than the very opinion of y t Stoikes call it what we will Who séeth not the destruction of England c. If God doe by his prouidence gouerne all things If God haue predestinated or preordeyned all things so that they shall come to passe in such time and order as God by his prouidence predestination and preordinance hath appoynted that they shall then must no man be so blinde as not to sée that Englande must be destroyed Then must all Commonweales come to confusion Then shal no King sit safely in his kingdome nor any subiect in his possession Yea no man shall be ruled by the right of a law but if God do leaue the matter to mans discretion to vse the matter as he shall sée cause and doe but put to his helping hand when he séeth that man goeth about to bring things to good effect but in any case determine vpon nothing tyll the same shall be by mans wysedome deuised and enterprised then shall England and all other Commonweales slourish styll then shall all Princes safely sit in their Kinglie seates then shall all subiectes quietly enioy their possessions and euery man be ruled by the right of a lawe Thus much followeth vpon the pityfull complaynt that Cerberus maketh vpon the doctrine of Gods prouidence his predestination or preordinance but I would gladly know what Cerberus thinketh to be the cause that in King Edwarde the fourthes dayes Marten Swarth Syr Richard Simon and the rest made such a styrre in England Was it for that they were persuaded in this doctrine that Cerberus seemeth to make the cause of all such doings Surely I suppose there was not one of them that did once dreame of any prouidence of God For those that take such matters in hand are cōmonly as great enimies to Gods prouidēce as is Cerberus himselfe And shall Cerberus wordes make vs afrayde to say that God in his prouidence had predestinated preordinated all those things to be done yea that it could not otherwise be but that those things must then be done Surely I can sée no cause why we should feare so to say Let Cerberus and his fellowes conclude what they wil. For I am sure S. Austen in the x. Chapter of his fift boke De Ciuitate Dei will take our parte herein His wordes are these Si autem illa definitur esse necessitas secundum quam dicimus necesse esse vt sit aliquid velità fiat nescio cùr eam timeamus ne nobis libertatem auserat voluntatis That is to say If we call that thing necessity whereby we say of anie thing that it must needes be or that it must néedes be so done then do not I see why we should feare least that should take from vs the libertie of our will When we say therefore that of necessitie Marten Swarth and the rest must make such a styrre as they did in King Edward the fourthes dayes do we take frō them the libertie of their wil No sayth S. Austen For they did whatsoeuer they did with the frée cōsent of their willes and felt no constraynt at all But Cerberus is not so satysfied he wyll be inquisitiue to knowe what shoulde be the cause why God woulde in his prouidence predestinate these men to doe these things I wil answer with S. Austen I can not tell God doth know a cause but he hath not made Cerberus and me priuie to it Occulta causa esse potest iniusta nòn potest That is The cause may be secrete but it can not be vniust Is there any iniquitie with God God forbyd What Seneca thought of destinie we passe not But with S. Austen we saye Omnia verò fato fieri nòn dicimus imò nulla fieri fato dicimus quoniam fati nomen vbi solet à loquentibus poni id est in constitutione syderum qua quisque conceptus aut natus est quoniam res ipsa inaniter asseritur nihil valere monstramus Ordinem autem causarum vbi voluntas Dei plurimum potest neque negamus neque fati vocabulo nuncupamus nisi fortè vt fatum à fando dictum intelligamus id est a loquendo Nòn enim abnuere possumus esse scriptum in litteris sanctis semel locutus est Deus duo haec audiui quoniam potestas est Dei tibi Domine misericordia quia tu reddes vnicuique secundum opera eius Quod enim dictum est semel locutus est intelligitur immobilitèr hoc est incommutabilitèr est locutus sicut nouit incōmutabilitèr omnia quae futura sūt quae ipse facturus est Hac itaque ratione possumus à fando fatū appellare nisi hoc nomē iam in aliare soleret intelligi quo corda hominū nolumus inclinari That is to say We say not that al things do come to passe by destinie yea we say that nothing is done by destinie For we do plainely shew that the name destinie is of no value in the place where men vse to place it in speaking that is in the constitution of the heauenlie signes wherein euerie man is conceyued and borne bicause the thing it selfe is vainely affirmed As for the order of causes wherein the will of God is of great force and power
set a Louse by the iudgemeÌ„t of Erasmus He wyll conclude vpon the wordes of hys Austen that so destinie shoulde be no destinie or at the least destinie fighting against it selfe Nay he wyll not stay there but as though destinie and Gods predestination were all one thing he wyll conclude that it is also a Kingdome not onely deuided but also fiercely fighting agaynst it selfe And then knitte vp the matter with hys maner of exclaming O miserable absurditie c. Cerberus his heart would haue brust if he might not haue borowed his fellowes bable to fetch one flourishe wythall Euery childe may sée sayth Cerberus what absurditie must néedes follow And euery wise man may sée say I that there can no absurditie followe vpon that necessitie that we teach For it taketh away no fréedome that mans will hath or euer had Neyther doth Gods predestination sight against it selfe bycause Cerberus wyth his fellowes were predestinated before the worlde was in this time of the world thus to go about to deface those that doe truely teach that Gods prescience prouidence and predestination is infallible For what wise man wil say that the Potmaker is contrarie to himselfe bycause he maketh of his clay some vessels to serue in honourable vses and some other to vses cleane contrarie Or who wil say that God is contrarie to hymself bycause he hath made and doeth daylie make some of his creatures to be deuourers and destroyers of the rest or that nature doth fight against it self bicause it doth bring forth both helthsome foode and poyson Surely I thinke there is no man of that minde but Cerberus and his fellowes and that Austen that Cerberus citeth for his purpose But how worthy credit that Austen is is afore sufficieÌ„tly declared But Cerberus hath found in an Englishe Booke entitled against a priuie Papist two Argumenes one in these words Whatsoeuer was in Adam was in him by Gods wil ordinance sin was in Adam Ergo sinne c. The other speaking of the lying spirite in these words God commaunded him to sinne but God commaundeth nothing which he ordeyneth not so he ordeyned him to sinne Cerberus mislyketh much with these two Arguments The maior proposition in the first Argument is false sayth Cerberus Wherfore the conclusion can not be true But S. Austen in his Enchiridion ad Laurentium sayth that the maior is true Ergo it is lyke that Cerberus sayth not truely Saint Austens wordes be these Haec sunt magna opera Domini exquisita in omnes voluntates eius tam sapientèr exquisita vt cuÌ„ angelica humana creatura peccasset .i. non quod ille sed quod voluit ipsa secisset etiaÌ„ per eandem creaturae voluntatem qua factum est quod Creator noluit impleret ipse quod voluit benè vtens malis tanquam summè bonus ad eorum damnationem quos iustè praedestinauit ad poenam ad eorum salutem quos benignè predestinauit ad gratiaÌ„ Quantum enim ad eos â—â—tinet quod Deus noluit fecerunt quantuÌ„ verò ad omnipotentiam Dei nullo modo id efficere valuerunt Hoc quippe ipso quod contra voluntatem Dei fecerunt de ipsis facta est voluntas eius Propterea namque magna opera Domini exquisita in omnes voluntates eius vt miro inestabili modo non fiat praeter eius voluntatem quod etiam sit contra eius voluntateÌ„ Quia non fieret si non sineret nec vtiquè nolens sinit sed volens Nec sineret bonus malè fieri nisi omnipotens etiam de malis facere posset benè That is to say These are y â— great workes of God sought out according to all his wylles and yet wysely sought out so that when the nature both of Angels and man had sinned that is had done not the thing that he wylled but that it selfe wylled euen by the same will of the creature wherby that thing was done that y â— Creator was not willing should be done he fulfilled that which he would haue done euen as he that is best of all vsing well euen those things that are euill to the condemnation of those whome he hath iustly predestinated to paine and to the saluation of those whom he hath louingly predestinated to frée mercy As touching themselues they did y â— which God was not willing they should do but as touching the almightie power of God they were by no meanes able to bring that to passe For euen in the verie same thing that they did contrarie to the wil of God his will was wrought vpon them For that cause therefore the workes of the Lord are great searched out according to all his willes So that after a maruellous and vnspeakable maner that thing that is done euen contrarie to his will should not be done without his will For if he would not suffer it it should not be done neyther doth he suffer it being vnwilling but willing Neyther would he that is good suffer a thing to be euill done except the same being almightie were also able to worke a good effect of those things that be euill Thou maist sée here gentle Reader how great cause Cerberus hath to mislike with this Argument S. Austen sayth that after a maruellous and vnspeakable maner that thing that is done contrarie to the will of God is not without his will And thou mayst be bolde rather to consent vnto that which was written against a priuy Papist hauing Austen also on thy part than by Cerberus his misliking to be persuaded that that writer hath taught an vntrueth Of the other Argument Cerberus sayth that it was maruell that any man coulde be so blinde as not to sée how the same might with much more strength and force and manifest truth be turned against himselfe that made it in this sort God commaunded Adam and doth commaund all men to abstaine from sinne But he commaundeth nothing which he ordeineth not Ergo God ordeyned Adam and all men to absteyne from sinne But what hath Cerberus wonne by this I graunt the Argument to be good But that the conclusion is against vs I denie For we affirme that when man abstaineth froÌ„ sinne the same is done by Gods will and ordinance as wheÌ„ he committeth sinne the same is also by the wil and ordinance of God as by the words of Austen afore written doth plainly appeare As for Cerberus his argumeÌ„t and the conclusion that he inferreth therevpon I referre to the iudgement of all wise men that will weygh the afore written words of S. Austen Who shall thereby easily perceyue that no such conclusion can follow vpon such premisses But to his Also if God in his secret counsell c. I must say some thing Else will Cerberus say that Gods secret will and eternall ordinance is contrary to his open word and written law When Ionas was sent to Niniue the open word coÌ„maundement of God was that he
this consequence So far as I am able to iudge we may graunt him all that he hath said and yet affirme still that if God haue appointed the ende he hath also appointed the causes that leade to the same end But I will vnderstand Cerberus as I suppose he meaneth that is that God doth neither appoint the end nor causes that leade therevnto If this be not his meaning then hath he ment nothing but to make simple men suppose that he is able to saye much And sée gentle Reader how well he agréeth wyth S. Austen whose authoritie he woulde faine vse both in steade of a sword and buckler In the eyght chapter of his fift booke De Ciuitate Dei S. Austen sayth thus Qui verè nòn astrorum constitutionem sicut est eum quidque concipitur vel nascitur vel incoatur sed omnium connexionem seriemque causarū qua fit omne quod fit Fati nomine appellant nòn multum cum cis de verbi controuersia laborandum atque certandum est quandoquidem ipsum causarum ordinem quandam connexionem Dei summi tribuunt voluntati potestati Qui optimè veracissimè creditur cuncta scire antequam siant nihil inordinatum relinquere à quo sunt omnes potestates quamuis ab illo nòn sint omniū voluntates That is to say As for those men which do call by the name of destinie not the constitutiō or order of the celestial signes as y ◠same is at the conception birth or beginning of any thing but the knitting together order of all causes whereby euerie thing that is done is brought to passe we néede not much to labour and contende with them about the controuersie of that word bicause they do attribute to y ◠wil power of God that order and certain knitting together of causes which is verie well and truely thought to knowe all things before they come to passe and to leaue nothing vnordered of whom al powers haue their being although all mens willes doe not spring of him Here mayst thou sée gentle Reader howe Cerberus falleth out with him whose authoritie he woulde séeme chiesly to leaue to Austen sayth that whatsoeuer is done commeth to passe by that knitting together and continuall order of causes which the Stoikes call destinie But Cerberus will haue al set at six and seauen and that nothing should come to passe by any such order Austē sayth that it is verie well and truely thought that God doeth knowe all things before they come to passe and that he doth leaue nothing vnordered But Cerberus will none of that For then must Marten Swarth his men Syr Richard Simon Priest and his scholler Lambert the Irish men Lady Margret the Earle of Lincolne the Lorde Louell with the rest that rebelled in King Edwarde the fourthes time be appoynted and ordeyned of God to doe as they did But rather than it should be so Cerberus wyll say with Cotta that there is no God at all For so doth S. Austen conclude vpō Ciceroes disputation that he hath agaynst the Stoikes His wordes be these Quomodo igitur ordo causarum qui praescienti certus est Deo id efficit vt nihil sit in nostra voluntate cū in ipso causarum ordine magnū habeant locum nostrae voluntates Contendit ergo Cicero cum cis qui hūc causarum ordinem dicunt esse fatalem vel potiùs ipsum fati nomine appellant quodnos abhorremus praecipuè propter vocabulū quod nòn in re vera consueuit intelligi Quod vero negat ordinem omnium causarum esse certissimum Dei praescientiae notissimum plus eum quam Stoici detestamur Aut enim deum esse negat quod quidem inducta alterius persona in librii de Deorum natura facere molitus est Aut si esse consitetur Deum quē negat praescium futurorum etiam sic dicit nihil aliud quà m quod ille dixit insipiens in corde sur non est Deus Qui enim non est praescius omnium futurorum non est vtique Deus That is to say How doth the order of causes then which is certayne to God that knoweth them before bring to passe that there should be nothing in our will seing 〈…〉 wils to beare a great sway euen in the order of causes it selfe Let Cicero therefore striue with them that say that this order of causes is fatall or rather that do giue it y ◠name of destinie which thing we do abhorre chiefly for the name which is not accustomed to be vnderstanded in the thing it selse But where as he doth denie that the order of all causes is most certaine and knowen to the prescience of God we do detest him more than the Stoikes did For either he doth denie that there is a God which thing in his bookes concerning the nature of the Gods he doth vnder an other mans person endeuour to do or else if he do confesse that there is a God whom he denieth to know of things before they come to passe euen so saying he doth none other thing than did that foolish mā which said in his heart there is no God For he that doth not knowe afore hand all things that are to come doubtlesse the same is not God If Cerberus had had so much leysure as to read ouer this ninth Chapter of S. Austens fift booke out of the which he would faine finde matter against vs no doubt he would not haue bragged so much of S. Austens authoritie But by like he trusted some other mens notes gathered out of S. Austen and neuer saw the bookes of S. Austen himselfe I speake this in his fauor But sée gentle Reader how well Cicero serueth for the purpose that Cerberus doth alleage him for And as thou findest him in this point so trust him in the rest Cicero doth not only reason against them that say there is a destinie called in Latine Fatum but also against all that say there is a God that hath knowledge of things to come And so consequently he affirmeth that there is no God at all Spoyling God of his foreknowledge as S. Austen sayth rather than he would suffer man to be spoyled of his frée will But y ◠religious minde sayeth S. Austen doeth choose both doeth confesse both and with the faith of godlinesse doth cōfirme both That is to say the foreknowledge of God and the libertie of mans will So that whatsoeuer man doth we say and beleue that he doth it with the consent of his will Cerberus Alas who seeth not the destruction of England to follow this doctrine who seeth not the confusion of all common weales to depend herevpon What Prince may sit safely in the seat of his kingdome What subiect may liue quietly possessing hys owne What man shall be ruled by right of a lawe if thys opinion may be perfectly placed in the heartes of the people But to be short