condemne but with reuerence we do referre iudgemēt to him who is the vniuersall creator whose goodnes and wisdom is such that he can do nothing but wisely and whose iustice is so perfect that his workes are exēpted frō the iudgement of all creatures But the second part affirmyng that if God condemne mo then he shall saue that then his wraith is greater then his mercie is so irreuerēt so bold and blasphemous y t scarsly coulde I haue thoght y t y e deuill him self could haue imagined a more manifest blasphemie Who hath giuen the balance into thy hādes I speak to the most blasphemous writer to pōder ād wey gods mercie and wraith after thy corrupt iudgement if thow claimest the helpe of these former scriptures they proue no more that which thow pretendest then if thow shouldest affirm that God shall saue the deuill because his mercie is aboue all his creatures We do not deny but y t y e most wicked men are participant of gods mercie in temporall felicitie yea and y t farre aboue his chosen childrē that he maketh his son to shyne vpō the good ād bad that with long suffering he calleth them to repentance and delaieth their most iust cōdemnation But what wilt thow hereof cōclude that God hath ordeined mo to saluatiō thē to perdition orels is his wraith greater thē his mercie Blasphemous mouth who hath taught the to appoint a law to God The day shall come if spedelie thow repent not y t thow shalt fele what punishmēt is due to such as go aboute to bring the eternal God and his incōprehensible iudgemēts vnder y e thraldō of their corrupt reason But leauing thee I return to those whō gladly I wold īstruct ād to thē I say that the wordes of Dauid and of Isaiah do speake of that rich and inestimable mercie which God laieth vp in store for his chosen children to whom althogh God somtymes shew him self seuere and angry yet indureth that but for a short space but his mercie is euerlastīg ād his goodnes infinit by the which he marieth his chosen children to him self for euer and whether that these wordes be onely spoken to the elect orels that they be generally spoken to all let the holie Gost decyde the controuersie After that Dauid hath affirmed that God is liberall mercifull patiēt and of great gentilnes and also that he is good to all and that his mercie is ouer all his workes that the eies of all creatures look vpon him and that he is iust in all his workes by which sentences he praiseth the goodnes the mercie and the prouidence of God in the regiment gouernement of his vniuersall creation which goodnes ād mercie do so abounde that the innumerable iniquities of mākind and his detestable ingratitude cā not vtterly hinder the same from the creatures After these cōmon mercies I say whereof the reprobate are oftē partakers he openeth the treasure of his riche mercies which are kept in Christ Iesus for his elect Saing the Lord is nigh to all that vpon him to all that call vpon him in veritie he doeth the will of those that fear him and he heareth their crie and saueth thē The Lord kepeth all those that loue hī but he destroieth all the wicked such as willingly delite not in blīdnes may clerely se that the holie Gost maketh a plaine differēce betwext the graces and mercies which be cōmō to all and that soueraign mercie which is immutably reserued to the chosen children and further that the Lord himself shall destroy the wicked albeit his mercie be ouer all his workes And so that mercie by the which God pronoūceth to gather his Church is euerlastīg ād is not cōdmō to y e reprobate but is onely proper to y e flocke of Christ Iesus The wordes of God spoken vnto Moises do no more serue your purpose then do the other For God in his law expressedly doeth witnes to whom it is that he will shew mercie to thousandes to witt to those that loue him and kepe his commandements and vpon whom will he prosecute the iniquitie vnto the third and fourth generatiō vpō those saieth he y t hate me If here of ye cōclude y t his mercie towardes all is greater then his wraith ye conclude amis For ye confound those whom God hath separated and deuided he promiseth mercie to the thousand generation of those that loue him and threatneth to punishe the iniquitie of the fathers to the third and fourthe generation vpon those that hate him Hereof iustly ye can no further cōclude but that the mercie of God is greater towardes those that loue him thē his wraith against those that hate him And so far will we confes with you but if you abide in your error concluding as you plainely do in this your booke that the wrathe of God must be greater then his mercie except that he saue mo then shall be cōdemned as som of your sectes hath lately affirmed we fear not to affirme that your blasphemie is intollerable Or if you think as some alledge vpon Origene that becaus gods mercie is infinit and extendeth vnto all his workes that therefor the reprobate can not but once obtein mercie The plain scripture cōuicteth you For it affirmeth that the wraith of God abydeth vpō the vnfaithfull that their fyre shall not be quenched and that their worme shall not die If ye shall vnderstand that the elect hath nothing which they receaue not of mercie and that the punishment of the reprobate is most iustly deserued you shall not mesure gods mercie and his wraith by the multitude nor by the nombre but ye oght to consider that where none is worthie of gods mercies by their own merits yet hath it continued from the beginning and shal cōtinue vnto the end euer extending the self to gods children being in miserie and so this mercie must far surmount all wraith and iudgement for where the wraith of God once kindled against sinne oght to haue consumed and deuoured all mercie preualeth and delyuereth those that iustly might haue bene condemned And in this sense say we that gods mercie far surmounteth his iudgementes which interpretation if you admit not we will send you to reason with God and to impugne the same if you be able by manifest scriptures Now to the rest THE ADVERSARIE Of all sortes and Sectes of men I haue iudged them to be most abhorred which are called Athei that is to say such as denie that there is any God But now me think these carelesse men are much more to be abhorred my reason is because they be more iniurious to God then the Athey for he is les iniurious to a man that beleueth that he is not then they he which calleth him a cruel mā a tyrant and an vniust person so are they les iniurious to God which beleue that he is not then they which say he is vnmercifull cruell and an oppressor
Now what greater crueltie tyrannie and oppressioÌ„ can be then to creat the most parte of the world to euerlasting damnation so that by no maner of mean they can escaip and auoid the cruell decre and sentence against theÌ„ Seing the Philosopher Plato iudged them vnworthie to liue and to be suffered in any commoÌ„ welth which spake euill of God what oght our iudgements to be of such men which haue so wicked and opinion of God what so euer our iudgement be of them and what so euer their deseruing be let vs labore rather to win them then to lose them But forasmuch as he which toucheth pitche is in danger to be defiled there with Therefor oght we to walk warely with such men that we be not defyled and infected of them Specially seing that now a daies this horrible doctrine doeth freate euen as the disease of a cankar which infecte from one membre to an other vntill it hath occupied the hole bodie without it be cut away euen so this error hath alredie infected from one to an other a greate nombre The lord grante them the true meaning and vnderstanding of his worde whereby they may be healed and the sicknes cut of the membre being saued ANSWER Becaus that in all this your long discourse ye more shew your malice which vniustly against vs ye haue conceaued then y t either ye oppugne our beleif either yet promote your fals opinion I will not spend the tyme to recompence your dispite Onely this I will offer in the name of all may brethren that if you be able in presence of a lawfull iudge and magistrate euidently to coÌ„uict vs y t either we speak euill of God either yet y t by our writinges preaching or reasoning it iustly can be proued that our opinion is euill of his eternall maiestie power wisdom and goodnes that then we refuse not to suffer the same punishment which you by the auctoritie of Plato iudge vs worthy of Yea we further offer our selues willingly to vnderlie the verey death which God by his law hath appointed to all blasphemers prouided that you refuse not to vnderlie the same penaltie if falsly ye accuse vs. What is your studies to win vs and whether our doctrine be horrible error or not I do not now dispute Thus you reason THE ADVERSARIE God created man a verey good thing and dare you say that God ordeined a verey good thing to destruction Then God deliteth in the destruction of that which is verie good Man at his creation was a iust and innocent creature â–ª for afore the transgreâ—sion there was no euill neither in Adam nor in vs and think you that God ordeined his iust and innocent creatures to condemnation what greater tyrannie and vnrighteousnes can the most wicked man in the world yea the deuil him self do then to condemne the innocent and iust person Hereby may we se that these careles man by more abominable then the Athei which beleue there is no God But these affirme God to be as bad as the deuil yea and worse for asmuch as the deuil can onely tempt a man to death but he can compell none to fall vnto coÌ„demnation but God may not onely tempt but also compell â—y his eternall decre the most part of the world to damnation And hath so done as they say â–ª so that of necessitie and onely because it was his pleasure and will then must God be worse then the deuil For the deuil onely tempted men to fall but God compelleth them to fall by his immutable decre Oh horrible blasphemie ANSVVER Becaus that before plainely and simply I haue declared our iudgement of gods eternall election and most iust reprobation in all these your dispitefull arguments I will onely shew your malice ignorance and proude vanitie This is your argument God created man a verie good thing therefor he did not ordein him to destructioÌ„ your reason is for that is contrarie to his iustice to ordein a good thing to destructioÌ„ I answere if ye be able to proue that man stoode in the same goodnes perfectioÌ„ and innoceÌ„tie he aÌ„d his posteritie whome so hieghly ye praise in the which he was first created then will I confesse your argument to be good But if man albeit he was created good did yet willingly make him self euill how can it be contrarie to the iustice of God to appoint punishmeÌ„t for transgression which he did not onely fore se by an idle speculation or yet suffre and permitt against his omnipotent will but in his eternall counsell for the manifestatioÌ„ of his own glory had decreed the same Against which albeit ye cry horrible blasphemie till your braines drop out yet haue we Moises Exod. 9. Isaiah 6. Salomon and Paul to absolue vs from your cruell senteÌ„ce For they do affirme that God hath created all thinges for his own glorie and the wicked to the day of destruction that he raised vp Pharao that his power might be shewen furth in him that he blindeth the eis and hardeneth the heartes of some so that they can neither heare nor se that they may conuert That God hath prepared bothe vessels of mercie and vessels of wraith which places albit som of them seme not to appertein to the creation yet if they be iustly weyed it shall euidently appere that the hardnes of mennes heartes their blindnes and stubborn malice are not onely punishments of sinne but also are the effects of reprobation like as faith obedience and other vertues be the fre giftes of God geuen in Christ Iesus to those whom he hath elected in him But yet to your argument which thus ye amplifie do ye think that God ordeined his iust and innocent creatures to damnation what greater tyrannie and vnrighteousnes can the most wicked man in the earth yea the deuil him self do then to coÌ„demne a iust aÌ„d an innocent person I answer as before that your argument is nought worthe For you conclude more then ye be able to proue of your two former propositioÌ„s which be those God created man a verie good thing Trew it is and God reprobated maÌ„ and shall also condeÌ„ne him whoÌ„ he created good I grant also Therefor he damned the good thing which he created or that thing which is verie good I deny the conclusion For before demnation there cometh a change in man so that he of verie good became extreme euill and so gods iust iudgements found nothing but that which is euill to condemne You forme your reason as that God had so created maÌ„ good that he by no meanes after could be made euill which last part is fals and so you are deceaued If ye caÌ„not se iust causes why God should make that thing verie good which after should becom exttreme euill accuse your own blindnes and desire of God to repres in you that presumption and pryde which against the eternall Sonne of God you haue conceaued and so your eyes
before he can see the kingdome of God that Christ Iesus must nedes illuminate those that be borne blinde orels without remedy they shall perish in their blindnes And thus I say the one text your master doth falsely and the other most violeÌ„tly wrest But now to yo r wordes God is slowe say you to wrath and ready to forgiue He will be intreated of all so that he biddeth all meÌ„ euerie where to repent and offereth faith vnto all men I will not question with you at this time why in this description of your true God ye make no mention of the Sonne which is the eternall word and wisedom of the eternall father nether of the holye Gost who proceding from the father is equall with the eternall Sonne But this is the one thing of which I did wonder in reading this your description y t ye omitte these properties which God attributeth to himself You do continually repete that God is slow to wrath ready to forgiue that he willeth all meÌ„ to be saued that he wil be intreated of all men that he willeth the death of no creature Which properties in God we confesse and w c sentences we acknowledge to be most true if they be rightely vnderstand But why do ye not likewise teach your scholers that God is zelous that he is a consuming fire that he punisheth the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the sonnes vnto the third and fourth generation and that his iustice can not suffer sinne to eskape punishment no not euen in his most derest children Ye haue accused vs that we deceaue the people teaching them a careles and libertine life And therfore here againe I require the indifferent reader to consider which of our doctrines giueth most libertie whether you that affirme that your true God wil be intreated of all or we that constantly mainteine that God heareth no sinners or that such as delite in iniquitie are so odious in his presence that althogh they crie and howle in their calamities yet will he not heare theÌ„ But now let vs examine your scriptures apart God is slowe to wrath say you true it is but yet he recompeÌ„seth the flownes of punishment with the seueritie of his iudgementes which hath bene and shal be executed against such as heape to them selues gods wrath by abusing his long sufferinges He is readye to forgiue we acknowledge this to be the voice of our God But we feare not to affirme that the remissiâ—n of sinnes is the free gift of God giuen to his Church by Christe Iesus like as are faith and life euer lasting which are not commoÌ„ to al men in generall but particularly do apperteine to gods children He will be intreated of all say you so that he biddeth all men euery where repent and offereth faith to all men Your first proposition is vtterly fals neither yet is there any such sentence conteined in the hole scriptures True it is that God is mercifull gentle liberall protector Refuge and Life to all But to w c all To such as hate iniquitie loue vertue lament for their sinnes past call vpon his Name in veritie and do vnfainedly seke for his helpe in the day of their trouble Of all these no doubte he will be intreated how wicked and vnthanckfull so euer they haue ben before But by the contrarie he will destroy all that speake lies He hateth all that worke iniquitie nether will he shew him self mercifull to such as maliciously do offend But all the sinners of y e earth shall drinck the dregges of that cuppe which the eternall holdeth in his hande For he will destroy all those that traiterously decline froÌ„ him They shal crie but he will not heare He shall answere vnto theÌ„ let your louers whom ye haue preferred to meâ— deliuer you Such as withdraw their eares froÌ„ y e crie of the poore shal crye but shal not be heard yea albeit the blood thirstâ—e wil multiplie praiers and streatch forth their haÌ„des yet will not God heare theÌ„ For his couÌ„tenance is beÌ„t agaiÌ„st all y t coÌ„mitte wickednes And thus I say youâ— shall neuer be able to proue y t God wil be intreated of al except you can confute the holy Gost and make him to recaÌ„t these and innumerable other places As mercy is promised to his children for they onely call in veritie they onely hate sinne and folow vertue So is seuere iudgement pronounced against the wicked of y e world None of these sentences God biddeth all men euery where to repeÌ„t and offereth faith to all men are founde in that sense and meaning that ye do vnderstaÌ„d theÌ„ in the hole scriptures True it is that Isai the Prophet and Christe Iesus him self with his Apostles do call vpon all to come to repeÌ„tance But that generalitie is restrained by their own wordes to those that thirst that hunger that mourne that are laden with sinne as before we haue taught That place of the Actes ye ether vnderstand not or els willingly ye abuse it For Paule saith not that God offereth faith to al but saith that he hath perfourmed to al y t promes w c he made to man w c was to send a Sauiour for maÌ„s redemption by whome also he wil iudge the world Consider the text and you shall vnderstand the meaning of the Apostle to be such you procede He is omnipâ—tent and may do and leaue vndone What so euer shall be his good pleasure The omnipoteÌ„cie of God fredoÌ„ of his wil we most constantly mainteine but we caÌ„ not admitte y t our God be variable vnconstant subiect to ignorance nether yet y t his godly wil depeÌ„d vpon y e wil and disposition of maÌ„ For that were not to leaue gods will at fredome but to bring it vnder y e bondage of his creatures Further these wordes God may do and leaue vndone what so euer shal be his pleasure do smell somwhat of one of your articles offered vnto vs in this churche wherein some of your sect do affirme y t God may be fully purposed this day to do one thing and y t to morow he may repent and be purposed to do the contrarie Which cogitations of of God are most blasphemous wicked For if his couÌ„sels be mutable and inconstant then ceaseth he to be y e God who nether is nor can be changed If you had said because y t God is omnipoteÌ„t therfor he may do and leaue vndone what so euer his good pleasure is you had said well vnderstanding y t the purpose of God is infinite y t therfor of his good will he so mollifieth y e heartes of some men y t of most cruell and enraged ennemies against his trueth and poore seruantes he maketh them and y t sodeinly preachers of his Gospell and protectors to his Church But when ye say he may do what so euer is his good pleasure ye offer occasion to the captious to suspecte y t
AN ANSWER TO A GREAT NOMBER of blasphemous cauillations written by an Anabaptist and aduersarie to Gods eternal Predestination AND CONFVTED By Iohn Knox minister of Gods worde in Scotland Wherein the Author so discouereth the craft and falshode of that sect that the godly knowing that error may be confirmed in the trueth by the euident Worde of God PROV XXX ¶ There is a generatioÌ„ that are pure in their owne coÌ„ceit and yet are not washed from their filthines Printed by Iohn Crespin M.D.LX. To the Reader FOr the vnderstanding of the nombres the readers shall obserue that as the writer in his pestilent booke hath deuided the hole into certeÌ„ argumeÌ„tes so lykewise haue I deuided myne answers into certen Sections And because that many things in his railing reasons are either vnworthie of any answere or els not necessarie to be answered so oft as he repeteth the same I thoght good to signe those thinges in euerie seuerall section which I thoght in the same moste necessarie to be answered And this I haue done as well in his reasoÌ„s as in myne answers so that the figure of 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. which be marked in the mergeÌ„t of his reasons are answered where the lyke nombre is fouÌ„d in myne answers This I thoght good to admonish the reader The Preface AMongest the manifold blessinges where with God hath blessed his chosen childreÌ„ whom before all begining of times he hath predestinate to life in Christ Iesus it is not the least most deare brethreÌ„ that he hath giuen vnto vs plaine aduertisment how diuerse vnto dyuerse persons shal be the effect and operation of his word so oft as it is offered vnto the worlde To wit that as he him self was appointed by his heauenlie Father aÌ„d forespokeÌ„ by the Prophetes to be the Stone of offeÌ„se the stombling block and a snare to the two houses of Israel and yet that he shoulde be to others the Sanctuarie of honor the Rocke of refuge author of libertie so should his word I say truely preached be to some foolishnes and the sauor of death and yet vnto others that it shoulde be the swete odore of life the wisedo me and power of God and that to saluation to all those that beleue I purpose not at this present to intreat nor to reason how and why it is that gods eternall worde which in it self is alwayes one worketh so diuersly in the heartes of those to whoÌ„ it is offered but my onelie purpose is in few wordes to admonish vs to whom it hath pleased God of his owne fre mercy more playnely to reuele the mysteries of our redeÌ„ptioÌ„ theÌ„ he hath done to many ages be fore vs not to esteme this a small and common blessing of God that we haue not onely his trueth but also the effect and operation of the same coÌ„firmed to vs by experience of all ages Great infinite is that benefit of God and rightly can it neuer be weighed when so euer he doth offer his trueth vnto the world But such is either the dulnes of man orels his extreme ingratitude that he will not acknowledge the face of theveritie shyne it neuer so bryght The ingratitude of the Iewes is hereof vnto vs a sufficieÌ„t witnes For albeit that loÌ„g they did looke for the Messias and Sauior promised yet neuertheles when he came with wonderous signes workes super naturall they did not onely not know him but also refusing and vtterly denying him they did hang him bewext two theues vpoÌ„ a crosse The cause hereof in some parte we know to be the carnal libertie which coÌ„tinually they did thirst after and their preconceaued opinioÌ„ of worldlie glorie which because Christe Iesus appeared not to satisfie according to their fantasie and expectation therfore did they conteÌ„pteously refuse him aÌ„d with him all gods mercies offered vnto them Which fearfull example deare brethereÌ„ is to be obserued of vs. For by nature it is euident that we be no better then they were And as touching the league societie with God which prerogatiue long made theÌ„ blessed we be farre inferior vnto theÌ„ For in coÌ„parisoÌ„ of that league made with AbrahaÌ„ the tyme is shorte that the GeÌ„tiles haue bene auowed for gods people beloued spouse of Christe Iesus â–ª yea Paule feareth not to call theÌ„ the very natural braÌ„ches and vs the braÌ„ches of a wilde oliue And therfore if their coÌ„teÌ„pt was so punished that blindnes yet remaineth vpoÌ„ theÌ„ what oght we to feare They not considering the office of Christe the cause of his coÌ„ming were offended with his presence and doctrine And doeth any maÌ„ thiÌ„ck that we be free froÌ„ the same dangers Few shal be found that in mouth praise not veriâ—ie euery maÌ„ appereth to delyte in libertie but such coÌ„panyons do follow boâ—â— the one and the other in this life so that both are despised and called in doubt wheÌ„ they be of fered moste plainly to the world To speake this mater somewhat more planely it is a thiÌ„g as I suppose by many coÌ„fessed that after darknes light hath appeared but alas the vices that haue abounded in all estates and conditioÌ„s of persons the terrible crueltie which hath bene vsed against the saintes of God and the horrible blasphemies which haue bene daily are vomited furth against Christe Iesus and his eternall veritie hath giuen and iustly may giue occasion to the imprudent beholder of such confusion to preferre the darcknes of superstition which be fore did reigne to the light of saluation which God of his greate mercie hath now of late yeres offered againe to the vnthankfull world For what naturall man can think that the iustice of faith planelye and truely preached should be the occasion of sinne That grace and mercie offered shoulde inflaÌ„be the heartes of meÌ„ with rage and crueltie And that gods glorie declared shoulde cause meÌ„ impudeÌ„tly to spew furth their vennom and blasphemies against him who hath created theÌ„ The naturall man I say can not perceaue how these incoÌ„ueniences shoulde follow gods worde therfor do many disdein it a greaâ—e noÌ„ber deny it and few as it becoÌ„meth with reuereÌ„ce do imbrace it But such as with graue iudgemeÌ„t shal consider what was the common trade of liuing when Christe Iesus him self did by preaching and working call men to repentaÌ„ce what was the intreatement of his dearest seruaÌ„ts whoÌ„ he sent furth to preach the glad tydinges of his death and resurrectioÌ„ and what horrible sectes followed and daily did spriÌ„g after the publication of that ioyfull attonement made betwene God and man by Christe Iesu by his death resurrectioÌ„ and asceÌ„sioÌ„ such I say as diligeÌ„tly do obserue these former pointes shall not onely haue mater sufficient to glorifie God for his graces offered be the liues of meÌ„ neuer so corrupted and the confusion that thereof insueth neuer so fearful but also they shall haue iust occasion more
steadfastly to cleaue and stick to the trueth whose force effect they se alwaies to haue bene one frome the begīning The giuers of these offēses shall no doubt sustein the wo pronounced against them by Christe Iesus But yet must the childrē of God vnderstand that of necessitie it is that such offēses come that the elect may first be tryed and after be partakers of that blessing pronoūced by our master in those wor des Blessed is he that is not offended in me The cause of these my former wordes is that as Satā euer frome the beginnīg hath declared him self ennemie to the fre grace and vndeserued loue of God so hath he now in these last and moste corrupted daies most furiously raged agaīst that doctrine which attributeth all praise and glorie of oure redemption to the eternall loue and vndeserued grace of God alone By what meanes sathā first drew mākynd frome the obediēce of God the scripture doeth witnesse To wit by powring into their hartes that poison that God did not loue thē and by affirming that by transgressiō of gods cōmandemēt they might attein to felicitie and ioy so that he caused them to seke life where God had prounced death to be This same practise hath sathan euer frome the beginning vsed to infect the Church with al kynd of heresie as the writings of Moises of the Prophetes of the Apostles of the godlie in the primatiue Church do playnelie witnes But alas to such blasphemie did neuer the deuil draw mākynd as now of late daies in the which no small nōbre are become so bolde so impudent and so irreuerent that opēly they feare not to affirme God to be vniust if that he in his eternal coūsel hath elected more one sort of mē thē an other to life euerlasting in Christe Iesus our Lord which thing of late daies is more planely come to oure knowledge thē before we could haue suspected and that by the sight of a book moste detestable blasphemous cōteinyng as it is intiteled The cōfutation of the errors of the careles by necessitie with that odious name do they burden all those that either do teach ether yet beleue the doctrine of gods eternall predestination ▪ which booke writtē in the english tōgue doeth cōtein as well the lies and the blasphemies imagined by Sebastian Castalio and laid to the charge of that moste faithfull seruāt of God Iohn Caluine as also the vane reasōs of Pighius Sadoletus Georgius Siculus pestilēt Papistes expressed ennemies of gods free mercies The dispitefull railīg of w t booke the manifest blasphemies in the same cōteined togither with the earnest req̄sts of som godlie brethren moued me to prepare an answere to the same others I dowbt not might haue done it with greater dexteritie but with reuerēce feare do I lay the talēt cōmitted to my charge vpō y e table of the Lord to brīg to his church such aduātage as his godli wisdō hath appointed But lest that some shoulde thīk that my labors might better haue bene bestowed in some other exercise I thoght expediēt to admonish all brethrē charitably to requyre of thē not to esteme the mater to be of small weight importāce ▪ for seing that gods fre grace is opēly impugned disdainfully refused I iudge it the duetie of euerie man that loketh for life euerlasting to giue his confession to Christe Iesus whose glorie is by these blasphemers to y e vttermoste of their power suppressed Some do thinke that because the reason of man can not atteine to the vnderstanding how God shall be iust making in his counsel this diuersitie of mankīd that therefore better it were to kepe silēce in al such mysteries then to trouble the braynes and myndes of men with curious disputatiōs I willingly confesse that al curiositie oght to be auoided and that with great sobrietie we oght to contemplate beholde that incomprehensible mysterie of our redēption But yet I say that the doctrine of gods eternal predestinatiō is so necessarie to the Church of God that without the same can faith neither be truely taught nether surely established mā cā neuer be broght to true humilitie knowledge of him self nether yet cā he be rauished in admiration of gods eternal goodnes and so moued to praise him as apperteineth And therefor we feare not to affirme that so necessarie as it is that true faith be established in o r har tes y t we be broght to vnfined humilitie y t we be moued to praise hī for his fre graces receaued so necessary also is y e doctrin of gods eternall predestination For first there is no way more proper to buyld and establish faith thē whē we heare and vndoubtedly do beleue that our election which the Spirit of God doth seale in our hartes cōsisteth not in our selues but in the eternal and immutable good pleasure of God And that in such firmitie that it cā not be ouerthrowen nether by the raging stormes of the world nor by the assaultes of sathan nether yet by the wauering and weaknes of our own fleshe Then onely is our saluation in assurance whē we fynd the cause of the same in the bosom and counsell of God For so do we by faith apprehend life and peace manifested in Christe Iesus that by the directiō and guyding of the same faith we looke farther to wit out of what fountaine life doth procede In Christe Iesus now presētly do we fynd libertie ād life he is made vnto vs of God wisdome righteousnes and sanctification and redēption and in the promes of his Gospel is foūded the stabilitie of our saluation But yet we haue a ioy which far surmounteth this For albeit that we should heare that the mercies the graces of God were offered vnto all men and albeit also that we should fele that our heartes were somwhat moued to beleue yet onles the very cause of our faith be knowen oure ioye and comfort cā not be full For if we shall think that we beleue ād haue embrased Christe Iesus preached because our wittes be better then the wittes of others and because that we haue a better inclination and are of nature more tractable then be the cōmon sorte of men sathan I say can easely ouer throw all comfort buylded vpon so weak a ground for as the heart of man is vain and inscrutable so may it be that those that this day be tractable and obedient hauing also som zeale toward godlines yea and also bothe sense and feling of gods mercie such I say may shortly here after become stubborn in some cases disobedient in maters of greate importance tempted with lustes and finally they may be left so barren that rather they shal tremble at the sight of gods iudgemētes thē that they can reioyse in the free adoptiō of his children And therefor I say that except our comfort be
that deny that to be any parte of his mynd but say he reproueth mannes malicious blasphemy and manifest impietie The argument which ye gather of the nynthe chapter of the same book and wold seme to confirm by the wordes of Christe spoken in the seuenth of Mathew hath no greater force then the former for the writer defineth not what God had determined in his secrete and eternall counsell but what he hath expressedly coÌ„mitted to mannes charge by his law and by his holie Spirit speaking in his Prophetes and that him self doeth plainly witnesse For after that he hath asked wisdom righteously to iudge the people committed to his charge he thus speaketh what man is he that knoweth the counsell of God or that can comprehend in his mynd what God wold The cogitations of mortall men are fearefull and our opinions deceauable c. scarsly by coÌ„iecture can we attein to the thiÌ„gs that be in earth and w t trauale fynd we those things w t be amoÌ„gest our haÌ„des But who shal searche oute those thiÌ„gs y t be in the heaueÌ„s and who knoweth they couÌ„sell except that thow shall giue wisdom and from the hiest places shall send thy holie Spirit for so the wayes of those that dwell vpon earth haue bene directed and they haue learned those things that haue pleased the. Cry now as pleaseth you that because man was made lord ouer creatures in earth for that is the veritie of the text to reule the world in holynes That therefor there was no man reprobated and he writer will answer for him self and will affirme that he searcheth not what God hath determined in his eternall counsell and what shall become of euerie man for that confesseth he to be incomprehensible but he declareth what God commandeth in his law and what he hath expressed by his holie Prophetes To the which if man be found inobedient resteth no excusation seing that gods will is manifestly declared as Moises saieth in these wordes The secretes appertein to the Eternall our God but those things that be reueled appertein to vs and to our children for euer that we may do all the wordes of this law Your argumentes which ye think most strong gathered of these wordes in the 7. aÌ„d 12. of Mathew are most weak and vaine For as we do not denie that man was created iust so do we coÌ„stantly affirme that in iustice he stood not but became altogether vniust and therefor God did not condemne man before he was giltie as you falsly gather of our doctrine Wonder it is that ye se not degrees and iust causes which com betwext the purpose of reprobation and the iust condemnation of man This is your argument God purposed to reiect man before he was created Ergò he did damne him before he was criminall or glitie Your consequent is fals far no part of gods iudgements was put in execution before man did sinne for grace was offered to AdaÌ„ after his fall Cayn was admonished aÌ„d rebuked of his crueltie his posterities aÌ„d sede had raged in their furie and finally all flesh had corrupted their waies befor that gods vengeance and most iust iudgement were poured furth and put in execution against the rebellious and vnthankfull world If you be able to proue that the sentence of death was executed vpon Adam before he offended or that Cayn was accursed by gods mouth before he had murthered then hath your argumeÌ„t som apperance but if the iust causes of condemnation be found in man and so founde in man that God in vowies can thereof be accused then oght you to be ashamed to burden vs with that which ye your selues most folishly collecte And further ye shall vnderstand that as the Apostle putteth certen degrees and causes which are sensible vnto vs betwext the eternall election of gods childreÌ„ aÌ„d their glorification euen so put we the contrarie degrees and causes betwext the reprobation and the iust condemnation of the wicked for as those whom God hath chosen before all tymes in time he calleth aÌ„d that of purpose to Christe Iesus his soÌ„ne aÌ„d whoÌ„ thus he calleth he iustifieth and that more and more vntill that flesh and the corrupt affectioÌ„s thereof being mortified they attein to their glorie So by the contrarie be the reprobate either left all together in blindnes neuer called to the light and knowledge of gods fre mercie or if they be called they either do condeÌ„ne it orels sodanly fall from the same and so abiding in their corruption do still heap sinne vpon sinne till at the last their measure being full God executeth this most iust iudgements against their continuall rebellion Inferre now as many absurdities as please you vpon our doctrine you procede THE ADVERSARIE You say that God reprobated and ordeined man to damnation the most parte of the world afore the foundatioÌ„s of the world were laid and yet in the creation God made all meÌ„ after his own image good and righteous as the scripture witnesseth for as we were all created in one man that is Adam So were we all created in one estate that is after the image of God to lief then if your opinion be true the ordinaÌ„ce of God in his election afore the world is not coÌ„forme to his ordinance in the creation And the hâ—lie Gost saieth If I buyld vp agane that which I haue cast doune before I declare my self to be a transgressor if God created man to his own image vnto lief whom before the creatioÌ„ he had reprobat aÌ„d cast away declareth he not thereby him self to be inconstant and a traÌ„sgressour Ye can not escaip here with your bare solutioÌ„ where ye say afore the world God hath not ordeined all but som vnto damnation for in our creation all were ordeined vnto lief for so much as we were all created after the image of God of the ordinance of God in our electioÌ„ afore the world The Apostle writeth thus we be blessed saieth he with al maner of spirituall blessinges in heauenlie thinges by Christe according as he hath chosen vs in him before the foundations of the world were laid that we should walk in theÌ„ Here do we learn that gods ordinance in his electioÌ„ afore the world and also his ordinance in the creation is alwaies one For as we are chosen in Christe Iesu so we are created in Christe Iesu and as we are chosen to be holie and without blame so are we created vnto good workes Wherefor gods ordinaÌ„ce in his holie electioÌ„ and his mightie creatioÌ„ is one aÌ„d of like streÌ„gth and surenes further seing we be as the Apostle saieth bothe elect and created in Christe Iesu. and forasmuche as there is no damnation to them that are in Christe Iesu then is there no damnation either in the election or creation ANSWERE Because that aswell your forged lies as the vanitie of your reasons haue ben declared I will not trooble the reader with repetition of the
the deuill which did manifestly ganesay gods reueled will And therefor do we affirme that neither was the purpose nor counsell of God any cause of sinne but we say with the Apostle that by one man did sinne enter into the world The cause whereof was the malice of the deuill and that fre consent of man to rebelliō whose will was neither inforced neither yet by any violence of gods purpose compelled to consent but he of fre will and redie mynd left God ād ioyned with the deuil Conuict vs now if ye can that we make gods absolute ordinance which maner of speaking I say we abhorre to be the principall cause of sinne Albeit that ye wold be sene subtill in adding your ▪ Logicall termes Causa causae ād Causa causata yet doeth your similitude which ye bring furth for demonstration of your purpose declare that either ye haue not learned orels that ye haue forgottē the chief and principall point of right reasoning which all reasonable men confesse to be rightly to diuide For if ye can not diuide betwext the will of God working all thinges for his own glorie ād the operation of creatures be they Son Moone sterres rayn or dew who can work nothing but as God hath appointed I will not folow you as a God We say not that gods ordinance is the cause of reprobation but we affirme that the iust causes of reprobation are hid in the eternall counsell of God and knowen to his godlie wisdō alone but the causes of sinne of death and damnation are euident and manifestly declared to vs in the scriptures to witt mānes fre will consenting to the deceiuable persuasiō of the deuill wilfull sinne and volūtarie rebellion by which entred death into this world the cōtempt of graces and gods mercies offered with the heaping vp of sinne vpon sinne till damnation iustly came These causes I say of sinne death and damnation are plainely noted vnto vs in gods holie scriptures But why it pleased God to shew merice to som and deny the same to others becaus the iudgementes of God are a deuoring depthe we enter not in reasoning with him but with all humilitie render thankes to his Maiestie for the grace and mercie which we doubt not but of his fre grace we haue receaued in Christ Iesus our onely head When you shall further charge vs that we make God autor of euill we haue good hope plainely to conuict your vennemous tongues of a most malicious lie Now to your wordes THE ADVERSARIE The Lord reasoneth with the inobedient Israelites which did forsake him saing O my people what haue I done vnto the or wherein haue I hurt the giue me answer If the Israelites had ben so well learned as you they might haue answered Lord thow hast preordinate us by thy immutable decre to fall away frome the so that of necessitie we must perish in this hast thow hurt vs with an vncurable wounde ANSWER How so euer we be learned if ye betimes repent not your vnreuerēt skoffing ād iesting at gods eternal predestination ye shall learn in experience that the immutable decre of God is most iust by the which y e fyre which neuer shall be quenched is prepared for the deuill and his angels and for all such as with trembling do not fear his godlie Maiestie and with sobrietie do not contemplat his iudgementes incomprehensible And thus I leaue your blasphemous boldnes to be repressed by the power of him whose iudgementes you mocke THE ADVERSARIE Now I intend with the helpe of God to answer to the arguments which they that be intangled with this error vse to alledge for the proof thereof leauing such as be ▪ but vaine and ingender rather contention then edefying answering to such as some most weghtie collected of certen places of the scriptures wherby it may be thoght that they may be deceaued beseching the gentill reader to wey the mater with an indifferent balance and first heare before thow refuse and God willing thow shalt not repent the of thy labor but forasmuch as the autor ād maīteners of this error do often make mention of election whereby they wold cloke their absurditeis I will first declare how election is taken in the scriptures thre maner of waies that is generally specially and most specially of all first we be all chosen and created in Christe Iesu as Paule witnesseth to the Ephesians in the first and second chapter and conforme to this election he lightned all them that cam into the world and calleth all men to repentance bothe greate and small riche and poore Iew and gētil male and female of all estates without respect of any person And all that be thirstie he calleth to come to the water of lief Secondly he commandeth them which com at the first calling to renounce father ād mother wief and childe with all other earthlie thinges yea and them selues also This is the secounde election where there departed an innumerable multitude which will not forsaik such thinges but for their own lustes Here departed Cayn with the monstrouse Giātes cruell tyrants and bloodie hypocrites and all persecuters which shed innocent bloode here departed Epicurus with all his bellie gods among which was the riche glotton which dispised Lazarus there departed Sardanapalus accompanied with venus and all that be drowned in the lustes of the fleshe Among which was Herodias There departed Cresus with many rich welthie persons among which was the rich yong man of whom we read in the Gospell that with a sorie countenance he departed frō Christe There departed Tarquinius the proude with such as be puft vp with the Pompe glorie of this world Among which was Herode◠of whom we read in the Actes of the Apostles that for his pryde he was striken of God and eaten of lyse There departed Demetrius the siluer smithe with such as will not forsak◠their filthie lucre Amongest which were the maister and mastres of the damsell possessed with a spirit that prophecied There departed a hole band of Stoikes with their destinie plaing fastor loose and that of necessitie which passeth all iuglers coming Among them are all such as defend that of mere necessitie a few nōber must be saued and of mere necessitie all the rest of the world must be condemned Who so abideth this seconde election and calling Christ commandeth them to take vp their crosse and folow him And thus to continue to the end this is the third and last election of which saieth the Lord I haue chosen the in the fire of tribulation here the seuentie disciples departed for they can not abyde this hard saing here doeth Iudas trudge they which remayn suffer greate assaultes in so much that som tyme they turn there backes to their enemies as the Apostles did when Christ was taken and there do worthie soldiours stagger stumble and fall as Peter when he denied his master and swore he knew him not And Thomas
compell it by any violence but did vse it as an ordinarie mean by the which his eternall counsell and purpose should take effect but for the better vnderstanding hereof we must aduerte and note that which before we haue towched and promised after more largely to entreat the same to witt that gods prescience and foreknowledge is not to be seperated from his will and decre For none otherwies doeth God foresee things to com to passe but according as he him self hath in his eternall counsell decreed theâ— sameâ— for as it apperteineth to his wisdome to foreknow and foresee all things that are to come so doeth it appertein to his power to moderate and reule all things according to his own will neither yet herefor doeth it folow that his fore knowledge prescieâ—ce will or power doeth take away the fre will of his creatures but in all wisdom and iustice how euer the contrarie appere to our corrupted iudgements he vseth them as best it pleaseth his wisdom to bring to passe in time that which before all tyme he had decreed To the which purpose and end they I mean the creatures and their willes what so euer they purpose to the contrarie or how ignorantly that euer they worke it neuertheles do volontarely and as it were of a naturall motion incline and bow to that end to the which they are created To make the mater more plaine let vs take the creation and fall of Adam with the creatures that serued in the same for example For what cheif end did God create all thinges of Salomon and Paule we haue before declared to witt for his own glorie to be shewed the glorie I say of the riches of his mercie towardes the vessels of mercie and the glorie of his iustice and most iust iudgements towardes the vessels of wraith And that this eternall counsell of God should take effect as he had purposed maÌ„ was created righteous wise iust and good hauing fre will nother subiect to the thraldom of sinne nor of sathan at the first creatioÌ„ but sodanly cometh sathan ennemie to God and to maÌ„ his good creature and first powred in vennom into the heart of the woman which afterward she powreth into the heart of Adame to the which bothe the one and the other without all violeÌ„ce vsed of gods part doeth willingly consent and so conspiring with the serpent do accuse God of a lie do fully consent to vendicat or challenge to them selues the power of the God head of minde aâ—nd purpose so far as in them lay to thrust downe and depose him from his eternall throne Here we se how the creatures and their willes without compulsion do serue gods purpose and counsell for sathan was neither sent nor commanded of God to tempt man but of malice and hatred did most willingly and gredely runne to the same the will of man being fre before was not by God violently compelled to obey sathan but man of fre will did consent to sathan and conspire against God And yet was the fall of man not onely foresene and fore knowen of God but also before decreed for the manifestation of his glorie Let vs yet take an other exemple that the mater may be more euident The death of Christe Iesus for mans redemption was decreed in the eternall counsell of God before the foundations of the world were laid as we were elected in him and as he was the lambe killed from the beginning which death also was decreed in the same counsell of God to be in a certein time appointed And that so certenly that neither could the malice of any creature preuent the houre appointed of God thereto neither yet could any policie or chance impede or transferre the same to any other tyme. For how oft Christ was afore assaulted the Euangelistes do witnes But alwaies his answere was my houre is not yet come And what impedimentes did occure immediatly before his death is also euideÌ„t The feast of Easter was instant the fame of Christ was great the fauor of the people with publick voices was declared and the counsels of the hie priestes and seniors had decreed that to auoid sedition his death should be delayed till after that feast But all these were shortly ouerthrowen and Christ did suffer in the verey tyme appointed as he before had forespoken But now to the instrumentes which serue in this mater and whether they were compelled by God or not Iudas we know was not one of the least and what moued him the holie Gost doeth witnes to witt his auariciousnes The scribes Phariseis Priestes and Seniors and people led som of malice and enuie some to gratifie their ruelers and altogether of set purpose to crucifie Christ do consent with Iudas Pilate albeit he long refused and by diuers meanes studied to delyuer Christ yet in the end for fear of displeasure as â—well of the priestes and people as of the Emperor he willingly without all compulsion of gods part pronounced an vniust sentence of deathe against Christ Iesus which his soldiours also most williÌ„gly did execute This I say we se that the creatures and their willes without all compulsion do serue gods counsell and purpose Here I know that ye thiÌ„k that either I write against my self orels that I conclude a great absurditie for if I say that God did nothing but foresee these thinges and so permitted them as after you speak to folow their own train that he worketh no more but as a simple beholder of a tragedie then do I aggre with you and if I do say as in verey dede I do vnderstand and affirme that the eternall counsell and purpose of God did so reule in all these thinges that rather they did serue to gods purpose and most iust will then fulfill their most wicked willes then will you cry blasphemie and say that I deliuer the deuill Adam and all the wicked frome sinne of the which I make God to be author To the first I haue answered before that as I seperate not gods foreknowledge from his counsell so do I affirme that he worketh all in all thinges according to the purpose of the same his good will and yet that he vseth no violence neither in compelling his creatures neither constreining their willes by any externall force neither yet taking their willes from them but in all wisdom and iustice vsing them as he knoweth most expedient for the manifestation of his glorie without any violence I say done to their willes For violence is done to the will of a creature when it willeth one thing and yet by force by tyranny or by a greater power it is compelled to do the thinges which it wold not as if a pudique aÌ„d honest matron or chaste virgine should be deprehended alone by a wicked and filthie man who with violence and force thoghe the will of the woman did plainely repine did deflowre and corrupte her This is violence done to will and she
this to do with the eternall election of God by the which he hath elected som to lief euerlastiÌ„g whom our Apostle calleth vessels of mercie and hath left others in their own corruption and perpetuall condemnation And so I say because that Ieremie intreateth one thing that is a temporall punishment and the mutatioÌ„ which shortly should folowe in Ierusalem aâ—d the Apostle intreath an other as before is said the one can be no exposition to the other but rather the Apostle hath respect or at least alludeth to the saing of Isaiah which thus speaketh Wo to be to him that striueth with his maker the vessel of clay with the Potter of clay Shall the clay say to his potter what makest thow In which wordes as before we haue more largely spoken the Prophete and the Apostle folowing his phrase represseth the pryde of man who compared to God is much more inferior to his maiestie theÌ„ clay compared to the Potter For God hath created and made man when he was not which thing the Potter did not to the clay of which he maketh the diuersitie of pottes and therefor of right hath God more power ouer man then hath the potter ouer clay This I doubt not to be the mynd of the holie Gost in bothe the places In which similitude is further to be considered that as the Potter doeth no iniurie to the clay what forme soeuer he giueth it for the matter and substance of it he doeth not change so doeth not God wrong to the verey reprobate whom he prepareth to be vessels of wrath for that are they of nature Where that ye say that it is not the meaning of this place that God without all iust causes doeth make anie man to destruction none of vs doeth hold the contrarie for we affirme that the causes of reprobation are most iust but yet we say that they are incomprehensible to man That ye giue to God no greater power nor none other will then to your good artificer consider with your self how vndiscretely ye matche his eternal God heade whose power is infinite and whose determined will no creature can resist with creatures that be but impotent vnwise aâ—d ofteÌ„ dissapointed of their purpose and will Trew it is that no artificer willingly wold lose his clay aÌ„d labore but is compelled to break those that be faultie But this procedeth partly frome his ignoraÌ„ce who did not before know and se the fault which was in the mater and partly of his impotencie who can not at his will otherwies remedie the faultie vessell but onely by breaking the same But dare ye or will ye impute vpon God those imperfections so ve seme to do for this ye write So God created no man to lose him but onely loseth them that wold not be good whom he created to be good as the lord saieth I planted the a noble vyne The cheif end of mannes creation we haue before declared to be the glorie of God which if you can not se shâ—ne in the iust condemnation of the reprobate accuse your bliÌ„dnes That God created the reprobate to the day of destruction Salomon affirmeth as often before is said But that he was created to be good that will not the wordes of the Prophete w c ye adduce proue for in y t place there is no meâ—tioâ— made of creatioâ— but of plaÌ„tatioÌ„ w c is a thâ—g far differeÌ„t frome creatioÌ„ The substance w c was before is plaÌ„ted y t by manuring aÌ„d trauale of the plaÌ„ter it may be better but creatioÌ„ importeth the being of the substaÌ„ce w c before was not And so the Prophete in this place w c ye alledge to proue that God created all men to be good meaneth no such thiÌ„g but onely rebuketh the Israelites who loÌ„g after their creatioÌ„ were plaâ—ted by the haÌ„d of God aâ—d were coÌ„tinualy watered by his Prophetes aÌ„d yet did they briâ—g furth no better frute How that God wold all meÌ„ were good aÌ„d also that al me should be saued we shal God williÌ„g after speak How that God remaining good for euer ma his creature fel frome his original goodnes I haue before spokeÌ„ aâ—d therefor will not now trooble the reader w t the repetitioâ— of the same In the differece w c ye make betwext the vessels w c y e potter makâ—th some to serue y e table and some y e kitchiâ—g or priuie of w c he breaketh none but such as be faultie ye vtterly dissagre froÌ„ the miÌ„d aÌ„d plaine wordes of the holie Gost. for S. Paul calleth not the vesselles of honor priÌ„ces or prophetes and Apostles and the vessels of dishonour the laborers aÌ„d inferior sort of meÌ„ but the one he calleth y e vessels of mercie aÌ„d the other he calleth y e vessels of wrath The one he feareth not to affirme to be prepared aÌ„d ordeined to destructioÌ„ y t the seuere iudgemeÌ„t of God agaiÌ„st sinne may appere in theÌ„ the other to be prepared to glorie y t the riches of his mercie may be praised for euer This plaine simplicitie will not the Apostle recaÌ„t neither yet thereof God assisting vs wil we be ashamed how so euer ye raige aÌ„d blaspheme the veritie And this I say that your differeÌ„ce betwext honest aÌ„d vnhonest vessels aÌ„d betwext those that shal be brokeÌ„ aÌ„d not be broken is altogether besides the purpose of the Apostle And so of Conyas son of loaciÌ„ ye caÌ„ proue no more but y t God wold depriue hiÌ„ frome his kingdome aÌ„d frome y t seat of Dauid in w c vnworthelie he did reigne If he was the reprobate theÌ„ althogh he was kiÌ„g yet was he the vessell of dishonor for these wordes althogh he were y e signet in my right haÌ„d are not spokeÌ„ to declare y t in verey dede he was the signet in the haÌ„d of God but are spokeÌ„ agaiÌ„st the foolish presuÌ„ptioÌ„ of hiâ— aâ—d of the Iewes w c liuig most wickedly did yet neuertheles brag aÌ„d boast that God could not leaue the seat of Dauid voide but y t one of his sede must for euer sit on it And this is euideÌ„t if the text be wel marked for where he saieth althogh he were the signet he sufficietly declareth y t so he was not aÌ„d so I say y t those wordes proue nothiÌ„g of yo r purpose for first must ye proue y t because he was a king therefor he was a vessell of honor in such seÌ„se as S. Paul speaketh And secoÌ„darely ye must proue y t he was elected to the lief euerlasting because it is said that albeit he were a signet in y e right haÌ„d of God yet should he be plucked of wâ—e by plaine scriptures to do will be more then hard for you how so euer that ye brag that ye will proue all your purpose by scriptures Where ye seÌ„d vs to ask of y e potter of y e husbaÌ„d maÌ„ aÌ„d of y e Magistrate if any of theÌ„ wold williÌ„gly break
his vessell plaÌ„te a tre to be barren or kil any of his subiects we send you as befor to ask couÌ„sel at the plaine scriptures whether â—in God there is not a greater knowledge greater power aÌ„d a iustice more perfect althogh it be incoÌ„preheÌ„sible to o r dulseÌ„ses theÌ„ y t their is in y e potter husboÌ„d maÌ„ or Magistrate How that God wil not the death of the sinner but rather that he may conuerte and liue we shall shortlie God wiliÌ„g after speak And therefor omitting that which indigestly you heape togither I procede to that which foloweth THE ADVERSARIE Where ye replie w t that it lieth not in maÌ„nes will or ronning but in the mercie of God I answer by the same senteÌ„ce y t we may both will aÌ„d roÌ„ne which is coÌ„trarie to your hole purpose aÌ„d doctrine aÌ„d yet saieth the Apostle our saluatioÌ„ depeÌ„deth of the mercie of God for it is his fre gift The GeÌ„tiles w c for their wickednes wer reiect of God in vaine should they either wil or ronne w tout God exteÌ„ded his mercie towardes theÌ„ as he doeth now preseÌ„tly Lyke as on the other side the Iewes which for their sinnes be now abiect in vaine should they either wil or roÌ„ne without it pleased God to extend his mercie ouer theÌ„ as he shal do after that the fulnes of the GeÌ„tiles become in as witnesseth Paul â–ª for there we must vnder staÌ„d that wheÌ„ it pleased God to offer vs his mercie yet without we both will and ronne we shall not obtein the reward notwithstanding neither for our willing or ronning are we worthie to receaue saluation for it is the fre gift of God which he giueth to vs onely for his own mercies saik God offered saluation to Ierusalem not for the deseruing but of his mâ—rcie yet obteined they not saluation because they wold neither will nor ronne As Christ saieth how often wold I haue gathered thy children as the hendoeth her chekens and thow woldest not so the scribes and the Phariseis made the counsell of God towardes them of none effect for they dispised it Gods will was to saue them but they wold neither will nor ronne but kepe still their old passeâ— so they perished Wherefor vnto our saluation is required chiefly the mercie of God as the onely sufficient and the efficient cause thereof wherby we being vnworthie and his ennemies be reconciled and receaued vnto the feloship of the saintes Secondly is required that we both will and ronne not as the cause but rather as the effect anâ— frute of our reconciliaâ—ion declaring our selues to be thankfull for the benefits which we haue frely without our merits receaued otherwies the kingdoâ— shal be â—aken from vs againe and geuen to such as shall boâ—h will and ronne bringing furth the fruts thereof ANSWER Your ancient father Pelagius coniured ennemie to the fre grace of God did bragge and boast as you do that in man there was a will and a ronning But the probation of bothe is one that is to say your affirmation must suffice for auctoritie You boldly write that of those wordes of the Apostle neither it is of him that willeth neithâ—r yet of him that ronneth but of God hauing mercie it is plaine that we bothe will and ronne But how is this proued your long discourse in which it semeth that ye haue forgotten your self proueth no part of your purpose for the question is not what either the Iew or y e geÌ„till doeth ImeaÌ„ after they haue receaued the grace of God For theÌ„ we confesse that they haue yet not of theÌ„ selues a will aÌ„d studie to walk in godlines but the question is whether this wil aÌ„d studie which now by grace they haue receaued was anie cause of their election the contrarie whereof we haue before proued We do not imagine the faithfull meÌ„bres of Christes bodie to be stockes or stones insensible without will or studie of godlines â–ª but we affirme that it is God that worketh in vs the good will and the good thoght for of our selues we are not sufficient to think one good thoght We further affirme that except with all humilitie the fre grace offered with thankes giuing be receaued that they serue nothing to the saluation of the coÌ„temners But therewith we adde that it is God onely who taketh away the stonie and stubborne heart and giueth to vs a fleshie heart In which he by the power of his holie Spirit writeth his law maketh vs to walk in his wayes draweth vs to his Sonne Christ Iesus giueth vs into his protection I mean as faith assureth vs in our conscience aÌ„d so we acknowledge God alone by Christ Iesus his sonne to be the beginning the middes and the end of our sanctification godlie lief and saluation I for my part do yet againe praise God that his veritie is of that strength that somtymes it will compell the verie ennemies to bear testimonie to it And I pray God to retein you in that mynd that vnfeanedly you may beleue aÌ„d coÌ„fes that what vertues or good motions that euer be in you be the onely effects or fruites as ye call them of your reconciliation and neither cause of your election nor yet of your iustification That Ierusalem and the scribes refused grace and therefor iustly were condemned we consent with you but that euer it was the eternall couÌ„sell aÌ„d will of God to giue them life euerlasting that we constantly deny Our reasons we haue before alledged and after will haue occasion to repete som againe And therefor we procede Thus ye write THE ADVERSARIE Here with great vehemencie ye alledge these wordes of Paule who hath ben able to resist his wil of which saying ye inferre that God without any cause knowen to vs hath reprobated and damned many against which wil no man can resist These wordes did Paule write because he did foresee that of his former sainges som deuelish disposed persons wold take occasion to burden God with vnrighteousnes as ye do making him the author of euill for ye say that God hath a secrete will whereby he willeth the most parte of the world to be condemned which will because it can not be resisted therefor of mere necessitie by the immutable decre of God so many do perish further ye this affirming God to be the cause of damnation onely because it so hath pleased him ye cause many other to burst owt and say Sithe his will and pleasure no man is able to resist let him lay it on him self and not to vs if any sinne be committed and surely for my parte were it not I abhorre your horrible doctrine wherwith ye cruelly affirme gods ordinaÌ„ce to be the cause of damnation I wold not medle further in this mater but with reuereÌ„ce behold the workes of God forasmuch as I se thankes be to God no work of God wheriÌ„ his mercie doeth not clerely shyne But if your saying were true
then were his workes full of crueltie miserie damnation and destruction Now as touching this saying who is able to resist his will we must learne what is gods will If you ask the Lord he will answer you it is not my will that any man sinne neither is it my will that the sinner die but rather that he amend and liue but if he will not amend but continew in sinne him wil I punishe and him may I also punishe hauing power aboue all men as the potter ouer the clay Wherefor when any man suffereth iustly for his trespasse he oght not to accuse God and say who can resist his will â–ª as God wold absolutely the destruction of his creatures as ye teach God will all men to repent and amend and also that theâ— who will not repent and amend be punished this his will is iust and full of mercie against which will is no man able to resist for either must they repent and amend orels they must suffer As the potter wold gladly make of his clay a good vessell but if it will not frame he breaketh it and casteth it away and as the king wold all his subiects to be obedient vnto his lawes yet the vnworthiest slaue in his dominion hath power to break the kinges lawes Notwithstanding wheÌ„ he suffereth for his offence the kinges will is fulfilled eueÌ„ so thogh God both wille hand coÌ„man deth vs to obserue his law yet haue we power to offend against the former parte of his will otherwies we should all obserue â—he will of God and be saued and so should there be no reprobate But when for our disobedience we be punished the will of God is fulfilled which will is both good and iust and therefor oght no man to accuse it aÌ„d say who is able to resist his wil. No more theÌ„ clay when it framed not to be a good vessell doeth accuse the potter of breaking it ANSWER Ye be not able to proue that in any vehemencie we alledge those wordes of the Apostle in other sentence theÌ„ he wrote theÌ„ for all praise aÌ„d glorie be vnto God the mercifull giuer we haue not so litle profited in the schoole of Christ Iesus that we wold wrest the wordes of the holie Gost to a coÌ„trarie sense We are not ignorant that the Apostle pronouÌ„ceth these wordes in the person of carnall meÌ„ who hearing that God hath mercie vpon those that he wil and that also he maketh hard hearted such as he will do storm and furiously crye wherefor theÌ„ doeth he coÌ„plein who is able to resist his wil. These wordes I say do we not vrge to proue our doctrine for where we affirme that the onely will of God is the perfect reule of all thiÌ„ges which be done aÌ„d are to be done in heaueÌ„ and in earth we build our doctrine vpon euideÌ„t testimonies of the scriptures aÌ„d vpon the cheif principalles of our religioÌ„ and faith Dauid and Isaiah do both aggre that our God who dwelleth in heauen doeth what so euer he will in heaueÌ„ and in earthe that he formeth light and doeth creat darknes that is giueth aswel prosperitie as aduersitie Daniel affirmeth that the supreme God distributeth kingdomes as best semeth to his wisdom and Salomon doeth witnes that against the Lord there is no counsell can preuale The necessarie principalles of o r faith do teach vs that as in God there falleth no ignorance so in him there is no impotencie He doeth not as it were in suspeÌ„se aÌ„d doubt behold the eueÌ„t aÌ„d chaÌ„ce of thiÌ„ges ronning after to seke remedie but that in wisdom hath he disposed all thiÌ„ges willing nothing which he may not and doeth not bring to passe in time according to his eternall purpose and working nothing which is not most iust howbeit the causes thereof be hidde frome vs. Of these and many mo scriptures and necessarie principalles of our faith do we grounde our doctrine and not vpon that one place spoken in the rebuke of the stubborn and rebellious disputers with God ye burden vs that we accuse and make God to be the author of euill aÌ„d the cause of damnation That we cause many brest owt and say since his will and pleasure no man is able to resist let him lay it on him self aÌ„d not to vs if any sinne be committed And last ye affirme that if our sainges be true that then are gods works full of crueltie miserie damnatioÌ„ and destructioÌ„ and so of two thinges ye accuse vs and the thirde ye affirme ineuitably to folow of our doctrine if it be true Here after I will not greatlie labour to confute thy argumeÌ„tes which is a thing most easie euen to any godlie man how beit he had neuer sene arte nor studied the same But seing that thow and thy most pestileÌ„t sect be not content maliciously to sclander those that in such a case be most innoceÌ„t but that also with most impudent mowthes ye vomite furth your horrible blasphemies against gods maiestie I will most earnestlie and most vnfeanedlie require of all reulers Princes Magistrates and gouernors who in the fear of God do ruele aboue their subiects that as they will answer in the presence of the Lord Iesus for the administration of iustice committed to their charge that indifferently they iudge betwext you and vs. To witt that if we can euidently be coÌ„uicted of those crymes which ye most maliciously and most vniustly lay to our charge that then iudgement without mercie be executed against vs. But and if ye fail in your probation and also if ye can not proue crueltie to be in gods workes supposing that our doctrin remaine as that it is trew aÌ„d stable that then such order may be takeÌ„ for repressing of your vennemous tongues that neither ye be permitted thus openly to blaspheme gods Maiestie neither thus maliciously to sclander innocentes and to offend y e eares of all godlie hearers And to the end that meÌ„ shall not think that being at this time accused we beginne to deuise new defenses or excuses of our selues I will faithfully and simply bring furth of the workes as som what I haue done before of that singulare instrument of Christ Iesus in the glone of his Gospell Iohn Caluin such sentences as shall make plaine to all men what our opinion is of God of the fall of man of the woÌ„derous work of our redemption and of the most iust reiection and damnation of the reprobat Thus saieth he dependeth the perdition of the reprobate vpoÌ„ the predestination of God that the cause and the mater is altogither found in them the first man fell because the eternall iudged it expedient why he iudged it we know not yet certeÌ„ it is that he so iudged it not but that he saw the glory of his name thereby to be illustrate when that thow doest heare the mention of gods glorie there also remembre thow iustice to be for of necessitie it is that iust must y t
those I say shalle punished who not content with the will of God reueled to the which they will not be obedienâ— delite to mounte and flie aboue the skyes there to seke the secrete will of God With what faces can ye now lay to our charges that we giue occasion to men to flatter them selues in sinne or yet to think that in committing iniquitie they obey gods will Ye alledge perchance that the common people read not our writings and therefor they can not vnderstand our iudgement in this case I answer the more impudent and blasphemous are you who so defame vs in the eares of the vnlearned multitude that to them ye make both vs and our doctrine odious before that euer it be knowen or examined But yet for further discharge of our selues against your most vniust accusations and for the better instruction of the simple I will adduce an other testimonie from the writing of the same faithfull seruant of Christ Iesus Iohn Caluin and so put end to this your second calumnie In his commentarie vpoÌ„ the actes of the Apostles the 2. chap. writing vpoÌ„ these wordes of Peter affirming that by the determinat counsell and prescience oâ— God was Iesuâ— betraied and crucified by the handes of wicked men because saieth he Peter appereth to mean that wicked men obeyed God whereof of two absurdities one must nedes folow to wit that either God is the author of euill or that men committing all kynd of iniquitie do not sinne becaus they seme to obey God I aâ—sâ—er that wicked men do not obey God how so euer it be that they put in execution those things which God hath with him self appointed for obedience procedeth frome a voluntarie affection which earnestly thirsâ—eth to please God buâ— we know y t the wicked haue a far other purpose moreouer no man obeieth God but such as hath his will knowen Obedience then dependeth vpon the knowledge of gods will And so as the will of God is reueled in his law so likewise it is euident that who so euer transgresseth against his will reueled hath his conscience to witnes against him that neither he doeth the will of God neither yet that he obeyeth him To the second â—e sayeth I constantly denie that God is author of euiâ—l for in this word euill there is the notation and proprieâ—ie of a wicked affection which neuer falleth nor can fall in God The euill work oght to be iudged by the purpose and eÌ„d to the which euerie man teÌ„deth in his actioÌ„ When men committ theft or murther thereforâ— they sinne because they are theues and murtherers In the theft aÌ„d murther there is wicked counsell which neuer tendeth to please God but to saciate their inordinate appetites But God who vseth their malice is to be placed in glorie aboue them for he looketh to an other end for the one he wil punishe and the patieÌ„ce of the other he wil exercise And so he neuer declineth nor boweth froÌ„ his own nature y t is frome a most perfect righteousnes So that Christ was betrayed aÌ„d crucified by y e haÌ„ds of y e wicked it was done by y e ordinaÌ„ce of God But the treason aÌ„d the slaughter w c by them selues were most odious and wicked oght not to be iudged nor accompted the work of God Let men whose myndes the deuil hath not inflambed in hatred aÌ„d malice against God against his simple trueth and against the professors of the same now iudge whether that we affirme God to be author of sinne or if we giue any iust occasion that man should glorie in wickednes either yet that they shall burden God w t the same And I appele to thy own coÌ„science thow vnthankfull vnto men and open traitor to the veritie which once thow professed whether that thow oftener then once hast heard with thine eares and that in open audience of many That if any should take boldnes to sinne in hope of mercie that the cuppe which they should drink should be most bitter Now to that which ye affirme and we most constaÌ„tly denie You affirme that if our sayinges be true that then are the workes of God full of crueltie miserie damnation and destruction As before I haue noted somwhat which maliciously ye sclander vs so will I plainely and simply in short and seueraâ—l propositions set furth the some of that doctrine which we teach and professe and that you so blasphemously oppugne to the end that Ruelers and godlie magistrates and you your selues also may clerely se what we beleue and affirm which being considred and compared with gods scriptures if your affirmation be found true then refuse we not punishement worthie for blasphemers But if ye of malice against gods trueth spewing furth the corruptioÌ„ of your stinking stomockes infected with pryde and with contempt of gâ—ace haue affirmed that which ye be not able to proue our earnest request is as befor that your vennom may be repreâ—sed betymes These propositioÌ„s following haue I traÌ„slated furth of the work writte by that learned aÌ„d godlie man Theodorus Besa against the caluÌ„nies of your capteyn Castalio The first proposition God effectually worketh and bringeth to passe all thinges according to the counsell of his own will This counsell doeth God execute in certen momeÌ„tes of tyme neuertheles the counsell it self is eternall aÌ„d passeth before all thinges not onely in tyme as it that is before all tyme but also â—n ordre for otherwies the will of God should not be the principall and first reule of gods counsell but rather the qualities of things foresene and foreknowen and mouing God to take this counsell or that should prescribe a reule to â—he will of God This couÌ„sell maâ— not be seperaâ—ed from the will of God oneles of necesâ—itie we spoiâ—e God of his God head This counsell is not put in moderation and in direction of chance or fortune but it hath an effectuall and working strength in all thinges as Paul speaketh This streÌ„gth aÌ„d efficacie is attributed to God working but it is not saâ—d to be of God therefore by this worde efficacie or strengâ—h is not declared any nature and power giuen by God the creator to the thinges that be created that they should do this or haâ— but thereby is vnderstand the power of God which he hath in him self to do all thinges This vniuersall particle all in the wordes of Paul can by no maner of excepâ—ion be restreinend but that God in that part shall be iudged ydle as Epicurus did falsly affirme And if we shall say that any thing is done which God may notimpede the shall he be spoâ—â—ed of his infinit powere So that the coÌ„clusioÌ„ is sithecâ— that God him selfe euen as it hath pleased him to determyn all thinges to com from eternitie euen so he workth by his own power that the same thinges come to paâ—â—e in their tyme as he willeth Of these thiÌ„gs not withstaÌ„ding none of those blaspemies doth followe
it proceded that God did send the Prophete NathaÌ„ to Dauid the offender that by the fiction of an other person he letteth him se the horror of his sinne that he did first terrifie and beate downe his conscience and after most tenderly did erect and lift it vp from the pitt of desperation All these graces say we proceded frome gods immutable loue which did remaine coÌ„stant both towardes the one and towardes the other euen in the tyme of their greatest vnthank fulnes And that because they nether were beloued nor elected in them selues but in Christ Iesus their head who nether did transgresse nor offend in any iote against the wil of his heauenlie father But Adam and Dauid transgressing and horribly falling from God were so hated in them selues and for their sinnes that first behoued the innocent Sonne of God by his death to make a satisfaction â–ª for their sinnes â–ª as also for the sinnes of all gods children And secondarely we say preache write and maintein that the sinne was so odious before God that his iustice could do none other but inflict vpon Adam and his posteritieâ— The penaltie of death corporall the punishemeÌ„tes and plagues which daily we do se apprehend gods children that vpon Dauid he did execute his iust iudgement which in these wordes he pronounced Now therefor y e sworde shall neuer departe from thyne house because thow hast despysed me and taken the wife of vriah the Hittite to be thy wife Thus saieth the lord behold I wil raise vp euill against the oute of thyne own house and I shall take thy wiues before thyne eyes and giue them vnto thy neighbour and he shall lye with thy wyues in the sight of sunne for y u didest it secretely but I shall do this thing before all Israel and before y â— sunne This sentence I say most iustly pronounced was after most sharply and yet most iustly for sinne commited put in â–ª execution And so do we affirm that none of gods children be they neuer so deare shall escaip punishement if contempteously they transgresse I suppose y t this our confession nothing doth offend you except in this one thing y t we affirme that God still loued AdaÌ„ and Dauid after their sinne before y t his holie Sprit wroght in their heartes any true repentance And yet I wonder why this should offend you seing y t we assigne the cause not to be them selues nether any vertue with in them selues but Christ Iesus in whom they were elected and chosen The signes of gods loue we haue euideÌ„tly proued and y â— end and issue did witnes y t gods loue was not mutable If you require scriptures for the probatioÌ„ of y e same Behold they are redie if wheÌ„ we were enemies we were recoÌ„ciled vnto God by the death of his sone much more we being recoÌ„ciled shal be saued by his life And a little before in the same chapter WheÌ„ we were sinners Christ died for vs c. And y e Apostle Iohn herein appereth the loue of God towardes vs y â— his onelie begotten sonne hath he sent in to the world that we may liue by hym herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs. And hath sent his Sonne in the mercieseat â–ª for our sinnes These are verey plaine and we think that no reasonable man wil denie to Adam and to Dauid that which the holie Gost maketh common to all gods elect children to witt to be beloued of God â–ª euen when they were ennemies dead in sinne drowned in idolatrie and polluted with all filthines as witnesseth the Apostle in these wordes And you when ye were dead by sinne in the which ye somtymes walked according to this worlde accordiÌ„g to y â— prince to whom power is the ayre which is the spirit now working in the rebellious children amongest whom we all had somtymes conuersation in the lustâ—s of our flesh doing those thinges which pleased the fleshe and the mynd and were of nature the sonnes of wrathe like as others But God who is riche in mercie for his own great loue by the which he loued vs euen when we were dead by sinnes marke and if ye be offended complein vpon the holie Gost hath qwickened vs togither with Christ by grace ye are saued and hath raised vs vp togither with him and to gither with him hath caused vs to sit amongest y â— heauenlie by Christ Iesus to shew in y e ages to com his most rich grace in his liberalitie by Christ Iesus God open your eyes that you may se the light and mollifie your heartes that ye may magnifie with gods children his superaboundant loue and mercie bestowed euen vpon the most vnworthie If ye think y t this loue hath onelie place before that man offend you se the holie Gost plainely repugneth to your senteÌ„ce for he speaketh to them that had bene polluted defiled with all sinnes If yet ye replie but that was during the tyme of their ignoraÌ„ce and not after they were illuminated by grace ye haue said nothiÌ„g against our confession for we affirme that God loueth sinners being wrapped in death and damnatioÌ„ by sinne and y t we haue plainely proued But yet for your satisfactioÌ„ and instructioÌ„ for I take to record the Lord Iesus y â— I wold bestow my own life to ioyne you fully to Christ Iesue I will procede a litle further with you â–ª Do ye think that the sinne of Dauid touching the nature and qualitie of y e sinne it self was more horrible and odious be fore God then were all the sinnes committed in Ephesus by those to whom the Apostle writeth yea then the â—innes which were done amongest y e hole GeÌ„tiles I trust ye will not think it and we clerely see that God loued y â— elect in Ephesus and amongest the Gentiles when they were drouned in all kynd of iniquitie If still ye replie Dauid was vnthankfull who after so many benefites receaued so traterously declined frome God followiÌ„g his own appetites and of purposed couÌ„sell murthering his innocent seruant and y â— with great ignominie of God This nether do nether yet euer did we denie but yet as y â— question is other so is not our coÌ„feâ—â—ion proued fals Albeit Dauid was vnthankfull yea and after AdaÌ„ most vnthankfull of any of gods children to his daies for herein standeth the doubt whether y â— the vnthankfulnes of gods childreÌ„ after they haue once receaued mercie grace and large benefites from gods hands doth so alienat the mynd of God from them that he beareth to them no maner of loue till they turn to him by repentance The contrarie hereof we hold and affirme not fearing to auowe that repentance as it is ioyned with faith which is the fre gift of God so is it the effect of gods coÌ„stant loue toward them and no cause of the same And for the more ample declaration
former election when Israel was yong I loued him and called my sonne owt of the land of Egypt forasmuch as Israel was the sonne of God and that also beloued insomuch that the lordled them with cordes of friendship and bondes of loue they must nedes be â—he elect of God yea because they prouoked the lord through their abominations they are cast away â–ª and the lord rewardeâ—h them according to their desertes ANSWER If I should labor to the end of this your most confused worke to reduce euerie scripture by you wrested and abused to the true meaning and vnderstanding of the holie Gost as hitherto I haue done in the most parte of them which ye haue alledged my trauale should be great aÌ„d the work should excede a iust measure Therefor seing that sufficiently by the plaine scriptures of God I haue confirmed the doctrin which we teach beleue and maintein aÌ„d by the same trueth of gods worde I haue confuted your error from hencefurth I inteÌ„d onely to toâ—che the proposition which ye maintein and by confuting the same briefly ether by scripture orels by exemple to shew in what sorte ye wrongfully apply the scâ—iptures to maintein your error offring yet to satisfie to my power such as charitably shall ask of me by word or writing further explanation of any scripture by you alledged by me at this tyme not fully resolued The chief propositioÌ„ which ye maiÌ„tein to y e end of this your book is that the elect may fall froÌ„ their election To the which I answer that if ye vnderstand that those whom God the father hath elected in his eternall counsel to lief euerlasting in Christ Iesus may so fall from their election that finally they perish if this I say be your vnderstanding then I feare not to affirme that proposition to be vtterlie fals erroneous and daÌ„nable as it that doeth expressedly repugne to gods plaine scriptures for Christ Iesus doeth affirme that so many as his father hath giuen to him shal come vnto him And to such as do come he promiseth life euerlasting which he hath in him self for the saluatioÌ„ of his flock whereof none shal perish for furth of his hands can none be pulled away But because this before is largely intreated I come shortly to the scriptures which ye abuse First ye proue that those which be elected be sanctified by the spirit and through beleuing of the trueth which we confesse to be most true Thereafter ye alledge that such as be sanctified may after dishonor the spirit of grace tredde doune the blood of the testament so drawe to damnation I answer the cause of your error is that ye make no difference betwext the sanctification and liuely faith which is proper onelie to the sonnes of God which once begonne is perpetuall and that sanctification and faith which is common to the reprobate and therefore it is but temporall If this distinctioÌ„ displeaseth you quarel with y e holie Gost and not with vs for of his plaine workes wordes euideÌ„t haue we receaued it for all Israel were sanctified to be y e kinglie priesthode all were circuÌ„cised yea did drink of y t spirituall drink and yet were they not all inwardly saÌ„ctified vnto saluatioÌ„ life euerlasting The hole tribe of Leuie were saÌ„ctified to y â— seruice of y e Lord in his tabernacle but how many of theÌ„ did stil remaine prophane persoÌ„s y â— scripture coÌ„cealeth not EueÌ„ so all y t great multitude whoÌ„ Christ fed in y e wildernes yea all those y t adhered for a time to his doctrine were after som maner sanctified that is seperated deuided froÌ„ y e rest of y e world But that sanctification was but temporall like as also was their faith we do not denie but that the reprobate haue som maner of faith aÌ„d som sort of sanctification for a time that is that they are compelled eueÌ„ by the impire of the Spirit of God to confesse and acknowledge that all thinges spokeÌ„ in gods sciptures are true And y t therefor their conscience in afeare and terror do seke som meanes to please God for the auoiding of his veÌ„geaÌ„ce For as this is nother the true faith iustifying neither yet the perfect sanctification of the Spirit of God which reneweth y e elect in the inwarde man so doth nether of both long coÌ„â—inue for they returning to their natural prophanation and darknes do leaue the waye of light and life and drawe them selues to death and damnation But hereof without the contumelie of the SoÌ„ne of God and without abnegation of his plaine veritie ye can not conclude that the elect membres of his bodie can be rest out of his hands that those for whom soleÌ„nely he hath prayed that they shoulde be sanctified in the veritie and that they should be one with him as he is one with his father may come to finall prophanation and so to perditioÌ„ we feare not to affirm that to be a thing no les impossible then that it is that Christ Iesus shall cease to be head of his Churche and the sauiour of his bodie In the wordes of the Apostle writeÌ„ in the second chapter to the Ephesians ye seme not to vnderstand his meaning where he saieth ye were soÌ„times without Christ â—for saye you we are sure that without Christ there is no election In which wordes thow that writest plaiest with the simple ignorant reader the vile sophister confounding by the inglishe word without that whiche in latine is moste euidently distincted Doth Paule say Eratis aliquando extra ChristuÌ„ or saieth he not Eratis sine Christo To make the mater sensible to you my deare brethren be you neuer so simple where he saieth without Christ there is no election that proposition is â—rue if it be vnderstand that man was neuer elected to lief euerlasting but in Christ Iesus onlie But if he will affirme that none are elected in Christ Iesus without Christ that is to say before that they come to the true and perfect knowledge of gods mercies in Christ that proposition is most fals and doth repugne as plainely ye may se to the mynde and wordes of the Apostle for he affirmeth that we were elected in Christ Iesus before the fundation of y e world was laid yea wheÌ„ we were dead by sinne ignorant of him strangers from the testament of his promes which S. Paule calleth to be without Christ without God in this world without the league of the testament And by these wordes doth the Apostle magnifie the superaboundaÌ„t mercies of God shewed to the world in Christ Iesus By the which he receaued not onely the Iewes who long had continued in league with God but also the Gentiles to the participation of his glorie albeit that from the daies of AbrahaÌ„ they had liued as dispised reiected of God Let the reader now iudge how strongly ye conclude To the place of the Aâ—postle touching the
wil coÌ„uicte you of a lie for he affirmeth the same to the scribes pharisies to whome principally he spake in that place that they were not of his shepe that therfor they could not be gathered to his folde that they were not of God therfor that they could not heare his voice y t he did not pray for y â— world and therefor they could neuer be vnited to God You must declare howe y t God wold y t those Israelites whose carcases fell in y e wildernes should entre into y e land promised If you say by any other will theÌ„ by his generall precepte giueÌ„ y t they should go possesse it â—e shall lack the testimony of the holie Gost. I haue declâ—red causes most iust and most sufficient why God shall command that which is iust right laudable albeit that man neither can perfourme his commandementes neither yet that it was gods eternall will counsell that all men should so do And forther I haue declared iust causes why God doth call many to repentance and felicitie and yet that he choseth a certeÌ„ to attein therto entre the same And so I say ye must proue y t God did other wayes will them to entre into the laÌ„d theÌ„ by his general commaÌ„dement before you be able to proue that any thing is done against the eternal and immutable will of God I can proue that gods will was so plaine reueled that none of them should entre into the laÌ„d promised y t it behoued y e hole armye to be receaued frome place to place til they were al coÌ„sumed Yea further I caÌ„ proue y t Moises him self could not obteine y t priuiledge to entre in nor the people albeit that in prayer moste earnestly he required the same â–ª proue if you can that euer God reueled his will to any particulare persons Iosua Caleb onely excepted y t they should entre in it And theÌ„ may you say that either God did chaÌ„ge his wil purpose orels that some thing was doÌ„ne against his will which he did permitte but not will I will answer there is no better argument to proue that God hardened the heart of Pharao then that same w c you adduce to proue that Pharao did harden his owne heart and y t God doeth suffer it to be hardened but doeth not will it This ye write All the children of Adam haue a hard and wicked hearâ—â— vntill they be mollified by the grace of God as leremis witnesseth saying AmoÌ„gest all things liuing man hath the most deceatfull stubbâ—rne heartâ— â–ª your libertie or ignorance in citing the Prophetes wordes passe measure And the Lord saieth that he will take away the stony hearte from them and giue them a hearte of flâ—sh no stronger argument nor reason I require to confute your error then the same which you alledge for the establishment thereof for if by nature all be equall and that onely grace maketh the difference then we demaÌ„d ask whether that grace be giuen to some and denied to others y t by permission sufferance as you speak or if it be the determined will of God that his grace aÌ„d mercie by Christ Iesus shal be frelie coÌ„municated with some and that the same shall most iustlie be denied to others albeit the causes to vs do not appere during the time of this our martalitie If you dare say that gods will in taking away the stonie hearte and in giuing the fleshie hearte be nothing elles but onely a permission sufferance without the operation and will of his Spirit then may you reason that in the hardening of Pharao and of the rest of the reprobat there is nothing elles but a bare permission without any efficacie of gods spirit But if it be God that worketh in vs the good will and perfourmance of the same and that he hath mercie vpon whome he listeth theÌ„ is it likwies that God hardeneth whome he will Mark note y â— wordes of the Apostle He saieth not he hardeneth whome he permitteth and doth suffer to be hardened but palinely he saieth y t he hardeneth whome he will The Apostle sawe none other cause why mercie was shewed to some and others were left in induratioÌ„s but gods will Trew it is y t the reprobat of nature haue and froÌ„ their mothers woÌ„be doth tary with them the mater of their induration But the question is What is the cause that y t pestileÌ„t mater is remoued from some and why dothe it remaine with others If you answere because som receaue grace offered and som refuse it Ye haue said nothing as more plainely I haue before declared â–ª for alwayes we ask the cause why is the will of the one obedient to God and why is the will of the other rebellious considering that all by nature are equall Althogh that you trauell to confounde the heauen and the earth yet shall ye be broght to this principall that God hath mercie vpon whome he will and whome he will he maketh hard hearted And therefor as of his mercie and free grace God worketh willingly in the one with his Spirit softnes y â— feling of mercy so doth his iust iudgementes iust wrath against sinne couceaued by the spirit of sathan work in the others hardnes obstinacie y e sense of his wrath You reason affirming that Pharao had a stonie heart before that Moises spake vnto him theÌ„ could not it be heardened more theÌ„ a stone a fore y t it was mollified â–ª this yo r reason I say is more then foolish â–ª for I suppose y t you be not so brutishe y t you wil affirme y t the heart of any tyraÌ„ne at any tyme in naturall hardnes I meane to grope fele is coÌ„perable to y e hardnes of a stone but y t is a figuratiue speach by y e w t is declared y e vnchangeable hardnes of mans heart as touching y e naturall power of the same foras the stone by it self can neuer com to any softnes of fleshe so can neuer maÌ„ by any gift which nature hath of it self come to that humilitie and obedience w c is acceptable before God But doth it therof insue that one man is not nor can not be more cruell then an other yea that one and the same may not procede frome euil to wors and by contempt of grace make him self more hard and more hard althogh his heart was neuer fully mollified I think you will not affirme the contrarie for the holie Gost giuing this exhortatioÌ„ This daye if you heare his voice harden not your heartes doth confirme my affirmacion which is that men procede from hardnes to hardnes yea from one sinne to an other till their sinnes be becomme inexcusable and so finally irremissible because that obstinately they refuse grace offerâ—d as Christ doth wittnes in these wordes if I had not com and spoken vnto them they should
donne theÌ„ a iust commandemeÌ„t to witt That he doer haue gods expresse commandement for his assurance And secondarely that he looke and haue respect to the same endes which God hath vttered in his word and last that he do it onely to obey God Nowe proue any of these to haue bene in Semei and I will confesse that ye haue once triumphed I finde that Dauid did acknowledge gods commandement and couÌ„sell and therfor at that time wold he not arme him self nor his seruantes to take vengeance But what commandemeÌ„t of God I pray you did Semei either acknowledge or confesse I finde no mention that he excuseth him self no not by any commandement that he had receaued of God when after he submitteth him self to Dauid in the day wheÌ„ he returned and came ouer Iordane But I finde him plainely to confesse his offence saying Let not my Lorde impute wickednes vnto me nor remembre the thing that thy seruant did wickedly when my Lorde the king departed oute of Ierusalem that the king shoulde take it to his heart for thy seruant doeth knowe that I haue donne amisse If Semei had either knowen any commandement of God or if he had looked to the same end to the which God looked he might haue had plausible reasons to haue persuaded Dauid to haue shewed fauor and mercie vnto him first he might haue said Oh Dauid althogh thow was kiÌ„g and that I did curse the thow oghtest no more to be offended against me then thow wast against the Prophet Nathan for as he had gods commandemeÌ„t plainely to reuele thy sinne aÌ„d sharply to rebuke the same to the eÌ„d that thou mightest be more effectually moued to repentance so had I gods commandement bitterly to curse thee to the end that thou mightest humble thy self before thy God whom so highly thou hast offended These I say I had bene plausible reasons to haue moued Dauid to mercie But the canckered conscience of Semei did witnes against him self y t he to his knowledge had neither commandement of God neither yet that he looked to any purpose or counsell of God but onely to Dauids vtter confusion destructioÌ„ which he maliciously soght And so I say albeit that gods commandement in the self was iust for the purpose and end which he had appointed yet was this commandement hid to Semei and gods purpose also vnknowen to him therfore was his fact neither iustly nor obediently donne for a iust fact as I haue before said requireth a good wil to obey a iust commandement and obedieÌ„ce requireth knowledge of the will which neither of bothe was in Semei Nowe proue if you caÌ„ either iniustice in God who thus doeth vse this wicked instrumeÌ„t or yet in Dauid his sernant who in his testament commanded the dissembled hypocrisie to be punished The rest of your vaine sophisterie which of Castalio you haue begged doeth nothing profit you for albeit we should confesse that it was the will of God in some respecte that Semei should haue an euill and inobedient minde how shall you be able to proue that therfor he did obey God Is it not the will of God that sathan and the wicked world of a wicked and malicious mynde trooble and tempt his children in this earthe Doeth it therfor folowe that Sathan and the wicked obey God or doeth it not most iustly folowe that because God will that our pacience should be knowen that the wicked from tyme to tyme procede in their impietie till the measure be full that therfor they caÌ„ neuer obey God And in this our affirmation we feare not so much the frost nor snowe as that we lament your vncomelye iesting in gods scriptures Thus you procede THE ADVERSARIE An argumeÌ„t you make in that place of Genesis where Iâ—seph saieth vnto his brethren God sent me hither for your liues saik and thereafter it was not you that sent me hither but God which hath made me a father vnto Pharao of this do you gather that the wicked dede which Iosephes brethern did in selling him was the Lords dede and secret will But for so much as the patriarckes here committed double sinne first greued their father and secondly they did committe the greatest kinde of these that is to sell a mans child from him which by the lawe â—ght to be punished by death therfor may we see that this dede was not donne by gods will for 〈◊〉 was centrarie to this commandementes neither wil he any wickednes but according to his nature which is euer good he turned their wicked dede to a good end for his seruantes AbrahaÌ„ Isaack and Iacâ—bes sakeâ— for he sheweth mercie to the thousand generaâ—ion of them that loue him this to be so it is plainely proued by the latter chapter where Ioseph saieth vnto his brethren you thoght â–ª euill ouer me but God haâ—h turned it vnto good to do as it is come to passe this day marke well what is here ascribed vnto Iosephes brethern and what vnto God They thoght euill and God turned it to good Then their minds and gods mynde were not all one wherfor it was not gods wil that they should thus do wickedly notwithstanding that this place of the last of Geneses is so manifest and directe against your error as can be yet will you not agree to the trueth but flie to your shamefull shift of gods secret will for here you say that it was gods secret will that this should so come to passe so that the patriarkes thoghtes were moued to do this by God Thus you attribut to God that which is propre to the deuill by the testimonie of the word Wherby we be taught that the deuill moved meÌ„ with euill thoghtes God commandeth vs to resist euill thoghtes which if they come of him then commandeth he vs to resist him self Iames saieth that no man is tempted of God But to moue with euill thoghtes is to tempt all is good which commeâ—h from the father of light wherfor if euill thoghts come from him they must be good then was Iosephes saying vntrewe you thoght euill over me but you grant euill thâ—ghtes to be euill and yet you say that they came from God then may we call God the fâ—ther â—f darâ—knes because from him came euill thoghts which are darknes And wher you sayâ— that God doeth hose things for his owne glory I aâ—swer that saying is but vaine â–ª for we glorifie him wheÌ„ we iudge him worthie to be glorified as Nabuchadnez or being chaÌ„ged into a brutishe nature hauing experience of the iustice power of God he gaue glory to God for as much as he did see iudged God to be iust God wil be glâ—rified of all nations then must gods works be such as all nations may knowe â—hem and praise them yet is â—here no nation which at any tyme shall acknowledge God to be iust for because he punished a man for the offence wherunto he him self did prouoke him The
such as remained obstinate did and shall glorifie God in so farre as his iust iudgemeÌ„tes were and shal be executed against theÌ„ If you feare no punishemeÌ„t rage as you list To your blasphemies I haue before answered for none of vs doeth impute vpoÌ„ God that he punisheth any man for thing that he prouoketh him to do for iniquitie commeth not of gods prouocation motion nor holy Spirit as that before we haue declared aÌ„d therfor as God hath reueled to vs a more assured knowledge in his holy scriptures then the Philistians priestes had so are we bold to affirme that which was hid from theÌ„ which also you can not abide to witt that al creatures are compelled to serue to gods glory in such sorte as his wisedom hath appointetd them and yet that the willes of men are neither violently moued nor enforced by God to committe iniquitie to the which all men are redy bent of naturall corruption Amongest many foolishe and moste disagreing similitudes which your captaine Castalio vseth for probation of his purposes for in such doeth stand the chief grouÌ„d of his diuinitie none caÌ„ be more foolish nor further repugniÌ„g to that which he and you wold proue then is this If God should punish a man because he hath a beard should any glory redound to God there of â–ª seing he hath giuen vs beards him seis Here of you wil inferre that if God punishe sinne which he hath willed or appointed to be then can he not be iust But let vs examine if your Simile doeth agree euen in the chief pointes in the which if it proue any thing it must agre first we knowe that the beard of maÌ„ was created by God But who amoÌ„gest vs did yet euer affirme that sinne and iniquitie was made or created by God Sinne we coÌ„fesse was forsene yea and ordeined in the incomprehensible counsell of God and that for the most iust and the most righteous end and purpose But that it was made or created by God that are ye not able to proue by our doctrine Thus doeth your similitiude halt in the chief membre for they must be both a like gods creatures and creation if God shal be bound no more to punishe man for hauing of the one then for hauing of the other moreouer the beard of maÌ„ so springeth groweth and abideth of a mere natural motion y t albeit men slepe eate drink do or what so euer actioÌ„s pleaseth them not taking care or solicitude of their beard it cometh neuertheles to that state and perfection that nature will suffer But hath man sinne none otherwayes then thus Doeth ma sinne I say hauing neither will mynd nor appetite to sinne or doeth not sinne procede from so voluÌ„tary and corrupt motioÌ„ that the will the iudgemeÌ„t the vnderstanding and appetites yea the hole man and all his cogitations are subiecte to sinne and bent vpon in iquitie at all tymes â–ª Be iudges your selues how well do y e partes of your similitudes agree Thus with greater modestie haue I answered your foolishnes theÌ„ your scoffing scurrilitie deserueth Where you affirmethat albeit there be some secretes of God vnknowen to vs yet is the iudgement of God knowen aÌ„d made manifest to vs in the word I wold ask of you if ye caÌ„ by y e plaine word assigne causes of all gods iudgementes from the beginning and of those iudgements which that day shal be put in execution wheÌ„ y e secretes of al heartes shal be reueled And if you be able so to do yeshould be profitably occupied as I thiÌ„k if by your plaine and simple writing ye wold studie to put end to this controuersie the chief point where of staÌ„deth in this that we affirme that causes able to satisfie the curiositie of man caÌ„ not be assigned from gods plaine scriptures why God permitted a great nombrâ— of his Angels to fal of whome he hath redemed none but reseruâ—th them to iudgement why God did suffer man to fall and yet of one masse elected som vesseles of mercie to honor and appointed others for sinne to damnation And finally as before I haue said why God deferred the sending of his SoÌ„ne so long and why also that his againe comming is so long delayed If ye will answer y t these two last are resolued by the scriptures the one to be as the Apostle writeth lest that the fathers should haue bene made perfect with out vs and the other that the nomber of gods elect children might be fully complete â–ª which we coÌ„fesse to be a reasone most strong and sufficient for all gods children neither yet do we require any other but yet the curious braine will not so be quieted but it wil still demaÌ„d may not God in one momeÌ„t if so it please him fulfill the noÌ„bre of his chosen children as well as he of nothing did creat the heauen and the earth and shortly in the space of six naturall dayes set all things in perfect ordre Consider with your selues what you do take in haÌ„d if ye wil affirme that all gods iudgemeÌ„ts be so knowen that a sufficient reason of euery one may be assigned from the word aÌ„d if you say there be some things secrete The consider I beseche you that the holie Gost hath neuer made mention of any greater secret then that which lieth hid in gods most iust iudgemeÌ„tes which Paule affirmeth to be incoÌ„prehensible and Dauid saieth they are depe and so profouÌ„d that neither can the vnderstanding of man nor of Angell reach to the bottom of the same Why ye should accuse vs that we should affirme that God shall iudge the world not according to Christes Euangell plainely reueled but according to some other secret will I see neither cause nor reason for no men do more constantly abyde by that which is written and reueled no men do lesse care to seke for newe reuelations or vncerten authorities then we do Oure continuall doctrine is that God shall absolue from damnation such as by true faith embrase his dear Sonne Christe Iesus and shall condemne to fire inextinguible all infideles and such as delyte in manifest impietie and wickednes and this iudgement do we beleue that God shall pronounce by his Sonne Christe Iesus to whom all iudgement is giuen And for none other secrete will in that mater do we search But if I lust I coulde lay to some of your charges that which none of you can be able to deny to witt that some of you haue written besides your priuie informations that there is a doctrine more perfect then euer Saint Paule committed to writing yea and further that some of you haue called the hole scriptures of God in doubte and some do affirme that none is able by the word written to decide the controuersies that this day be in religion And therefor that we must haue new Prophetes and newe reuelations from heauen before that any publicke and generall reformatioÌ„ shal be made if
you pretēd ye cā not but vnderstand this answere to be sufficiet to dissolue what so euer ye haue vnreuerently collected But yet to make it more sēsible to the simple I say y t in this proposition God can not wil two contraries and in the conclusion which you make vpon the same you oght to haue made a distinction betwene those thinges w c God simply or as ye spake before absolutely will and betwene those thinges which he will for a certein end and purpose which doeth not appere in the external actiōs For certen thinges there be as in an other place I haue entreated which God will euen for them selues such as be mercie iustice temperance chastitie and all other vertues which he wil haue to shyne in his elect and please him in Christ Iesus his Sonne And yet neuertheles he also will crueltie iniustice excesse filthie life blindnes induration to be in others as iust punishmētes of their sinnes and causes of their condēnation The last I say will God to be in the reprobate not for the wicked actes sake which do euer displease his Maiestie but for such endes as his wisedom hath appointed Let this be explained by examples some natural and some takē frō gods scriptures There is no mā except he be of a most cruel nature that considering the incōmodities of warre and of battell doeth will it for the selfe And yet a godly prince persewed by externall ennemies doeth not onely will his soldiours to fight and to mainteine the warre but also he prouoketh he encourageth and exhorteth his subiectes to the same And why is it because y t warre or battell pleaseth him in the self or for the self No but because with out such trauaill such danger and hasard his subiectes can not lyue in quietnes and the estate of his commō wealth can not be preserued The same may I say of godlie magistrates punishing murtherers adulterers and blasphemers w t death and yet nether willing the death of any mā neither yet deliting in the sheding of their blood In these similitudes I grāt somwhat to be vnlike for gods power is not subiect to such incōmodities vnwillingly as be the powers of men But yet these similitudes suffice to explaine the chief purpose w c is y t man may will two contraries for diuers respectes without any contrarietie in him self For peace and warre are cōtraries to kill to saue the life are likewise cōtraries and yet one man euen at one time may will both the one and the other for diuers respectes and diuers endes He may will peace for the cōfortable quietnes and felicitie y t ther of springeth and at the same instāt without all cōtrarietie in him self he may wil warre to withstād the furie of the ennemie y t wold oppresse his subiectes And may not these thinges w c we perceaue to be in creatures be in God in greater perfectiō althogh we perceaue not the causes Let vs trie the answere both by the examples of gods seruātes and last by the exāple of God him self Lot no doubte did agree with gods wil in that he loued chastitie sobrietie and temperāce and hated filthie life riotous chere and excesse For the holy Gost boareth him this record that he was pure and cleane both in eares and eyes But what will had he when he did offer his two daughters to be defloured and abused by those vilanous persons was it cōtrarie to his formar will Did he now beginne to delyte in that execrable filthines assured I am he did not But being oppressed with the present necessitie reteining the same loue wil and minde to chastitie and honest conuersation soght y e next remedie that to him appered able to haue staied the rage of that furious multitude vpon God I grāt falleth no such necessitie But let the chief scope be obserued and we shall vnderstand that for diuers respectes to will two thinges wherof the one is contrarie to the other is not to will contrarietie But let vs come to God him self God willeth mercy iustice all other vertues as before we haue said and these he will at all times and before all times But is it not possible therfor that he can will crueltie oppression blood sheding murther and death Who then sent Nabuchadnezer to destroy not onely the Iewes but also the Moabites and other nations Who pronounced this sentence Cursed be he that doeth the Lordes worke negligently and he that withdraweth his swerd from blood Who did create the smithes with their hammers to break downe the hornes which had dispersed Israel And finally who gaue his owne sonne to the cruell death Who hath subiected the deare spouse of Christe Iesus to afflictions and temporall calamities Dare you denie but that it was and is the eternall God by whose good will all these thinges were appointed and decreed or were any of them done agaīst his almightie will I think you wil not so affirme For the scripture witnesseth that God gaue his Sonne to the world euē of determined purpose that he should dye orels who could haue compelled his Maiestie therunto if his will had bene repugnant Peter affirmeth that blessed are we that suffre for y e name of Christe adding this comfortable sentēce By them y t is by the persecuters is y e name of God blasphemed but by you it is glorified And therfor let such saith he as be afflicted by y e will of God lay doune their soules in well doīg as in the handes of a faithfull keper Paul witnesseth y t those whom God hath elected in Christe Iesu he hath also predestinate and before appointed to be like fashioned to the image of his owne Sonne Of which testimonies it is plaine that the greuous destruction the aboundance of the bloodshed amōg diuers natiōs the cruell death of Christ Iesus and the most fearefull afflictions of his dearely beloued Church did procede from gods will in so much as he did not onely suffer them but also for most iust causes respectes and endes which often before I haue recited he did will and appoint them and yet in God was there no contrarietie For in the destruction of Ierusalem ād of others he had not respect simply to the ruine and vastatiō of those places but to his iust iudgementes which were prouoked to take vengeance vpon the multitude of their sinnes which lōg he had suffered When our Master Christe Iesus did suffre he had no delite in the crueltie of those enraged dogges who did crucifie him which as he hated so after he did most seuerely punish but his pleasure ād delite was in the redēption of man which by none other sacrifice could haue bene perfited And this day and from the beginning he hath had no pleasure in the blood which is shed neither in the tyrānie which is vsed against his simple and smal flock but because he wil haue the members like y e head he doeth a
Princes and the people coÌ„spired to this day against God against his sonne Christe Iesus aÌ„d against his eternal veritie They mainteine impietie superstition and idololatrie they cruelly murther the Saintes of God and so do they reioyse in all kinde of tyrannie y t Gods iust iudgementes can not long delaye punishment And therfore leauing you Anabaptistes into the handes of him whose power ye can not escape I am compelled in feaw wordes to admonish you aswell the people as the princes y t spedely ye retourne to the liuing God whose veritie so long ye haue oppugned whose religion ye gainstand and true messingers ye persecute or els persuade your selues that vengeance is prepared He will not entreate you as he hath done his afflicted Church and deare childreÌ„ that is he will not call you to repentance by a fatherlye correction the end wherof shal turne to your coÌ„fort Not so not so but as ye haue still rebelled and dishonored him so will he powre forthe contempt vpon you in the which ye shal perish bothe tâ—mporally and for euer And by whom doeth it most appere that temporally ye shal be punished of vs whome ye banish whome ye spoile and robbe whome cruelly â–ª ye persecute and whose blood ye dayly shed There is no dout but as the victorie w c ouercometh the worlde is our faith so it behoueth vs to posses our soules in our pacience we nether priuely nor openly denie the power of the ciuile magistrate we do not claime the coÌ„munaltie of all things in this life the pluralitie of wiues we do abhorre we wold not destroye gods ordinances and Pollicie by him established in common welthes but we hate detest all such confusion Onely we desire the people and the Rulers to be subiect vnto God and vnto his holy will plainly reueled in his most sacred worde And therfore of vs I saye ye are and maye be without all feare But what ye may loke for if the Anabaptistes shal atteine to their purpose the confusion and tyrannie vsed by those of whome we haue spoken is â–ª and may be a glasse wherein ye may se your iudgement end most fearfull vnlesse that vnfeinedly ye repent Flatter not your selues that ye be able at all times to preuaile in battel by stregth because that in nomber ye be manie or because those Prices of Germanie preuailed against that most miserable most wicked sort of enraged Anabaptistes Consider consider depely in your hearts that when God will punish no multitude can resist At that time God gaue victorie to the Princes and did suppres the furie of those wicked men not because the Princes were iust and had deserued suche a benefite at gods hand No the most part were wicked as their factes since haue plainely declared But God had respect to his owne glorie and honour He did admonish his elect by their examples to beware of such poison and did also by such confusion call you to repentance Of late yeres before was the EuaÌ„gile of Christ Iesus reuiued in Germanie the haruest of the Lord was not come to ripenes therfor for his owne names sake he wold not suffer that pestileÌ„ce so sodainly to preuaile But now seing that of so long coÌ„tinuance from wickednes ye procede to open contempt of God and of his true religion shall he suffer you to rage without punishment No his iustice can not And what instrumentes can God I say finde in this life more apte to punish you then those that hate and detest all lawfull powers and do thirst nothing more then such confusion as before ye haue heard God will not vse his saintes and chosen children to punish you For with them is alawaies mercie yea eueÌ„ althogh God haue pronounced a curse and maledictioÌ„ as in the Historie of Iosua is plaine But as ye haue pronouÌ„ced wrong and cruel iudgement without mercie so will he punish you by suche as in whome there is no mercie Tremble therfor and coÌ„uert vnto God if that ye think to escape vâ—ngeance confusion and shame bothe temporal and for euer Now to the conclusion of your boke Thus ye finish THE ADVERSARIE â–ª Iudge now gentill reader vprightly and here I commit thee to God beseching him to opeÌ„ the eies of thy minde that thou maiest know the trueth in this and in all other matters necesâ—arie to thy saluation ANSWER As you will all men to reade and to iudge with indifferencie euen so do we requiring of God not onely y t so the eyes of meÌ„ maye be lightened that clearely they may se things apperteining to saluation but also that by the mightie operatioÌ„ of gods holie spirit they may be coÌ„firmed and so sanctified in his eternall veritie that to the end they may continue in the simplicitie of his holy worde and further that all men may se to what confusion your doctrine teÌ„deth the ground wherof is your owne vaine imagination and the end as before we haue said not onely the destruction of all gods ordinances necessarie for this present lyfe but also the treading vnder foote of the bright glorie of Christe Iesus For the more that ye extoll fre will and the vertues of man the more do ye obscure the iustice of faith which onely is acceptable in the presence of God and the lesse do ye attribute to Christe Iesus his death and passion Yea some of you are not ashamed in your enuenomed docâ—rine wherein secretly ye traine your scholars to affirme That we that now liue after Christes death haue no other benefite ether by him or by his death but onely an exaÌ„ple to suffer as he did O sede of the serpeÌ„t thy father Pelagius was neuer so impudent nether yet did euer the deuil finde anie of his instrumeÌ„tes before thee so bolde as that against the holy scriptures of God he durst affirme that horrible blasphemie Darest thou denie but that the death of Christe Iesus shall to the consumation of all thinges haue the same efficacie that it hathe had froÌ„ the beginning Did not Christe suffer for our sinnes not for our exâ—ple onelyâ— but because we were not able to satisfie the iustice of God which we had al offended that therefor the punishment of our offenses was laid vpon him Haue we any more power now then had his disciples to whome he said without me ye can do nothing Doeth not he remaine a soueraigne Priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech Is it not he who by one sacrifice made perfect for euer such as ether haue bene are or shal be sanctified of that polluted sede of Adam Finally is it not he alone who giueth libertie saluation and lyfe to his bodye which is the Church not in one age but from the beginning to the end Satan him self is compelled thus farre to coâ—fesse and therefor be thou shamed o thou blasphemous mouth What other monsters ye norish and fede in the stincking denne of your enuenomed heartes time wil reuele And if
aduertisement of those coÌ„gregations no les then that which is conteined in these words by you rehearsed Then let vs heare what is writen and spoken by him in this mater I sawe saith he foure Angelles standing vpon the foure corners of the earth holding the foure windes of the earth that the windes shoulde not blow vpon the earth c. And I saw an other angell ascending from the vprising of the sonne c. And he cryed with a loude voice to the foure Angelles to whom power was giuen to hurt the earth the sea saying hurt not the earth nether the sea nether yet the trees vntil we haue sealled the seruantes of our God in their foreheades I pray you why were these who were to be marked in the foreheades more called the seruantes of God by the voice of the Angell then others I knowe you will answer because of their good workes and godlie intentions But from whence I praie you did it procede that y e workes and intention of the one sort were good and of the other wicked If you say from their own fre wil and power the holie Gost doth proue you liers as before I haue declared and our Apostle assigneth also an other cause saing And power was giuen to the beast vpon all tribes tongues and natioÌ„s and all those that dwelt vpon the earth did worship him whose names are not writen in the book of life of the lambe who was killed from the beginning of the worlde Here it is plaine that our Apostle against your affirmation teacheth that some do worship the beast and so do finally perish and other do not worship him and attein to life â–ª that because the names of the one are written in the booke of life and the names of the others are not written and that more plainely he speaketh in these wordes Then I loked and lo a lambe standing on the mount Zion w t him a hundreth fortie foure thousand hauing his fathers name written in their foreheades c. and they sang as it were a newe songe before y e throne and before the foure beastes the elders none coulde learne the song except those hundreth fortie and foure thousand which were boght from the earth c. and aftre in the 17 chapt is mencioned of these inhabitantes of the earth who shall wonder vpon the beastwhose names are not written in the book of life from y e creation of the worlde if in these places I say y e Apostle maketh no differeÌ„ce betwext one sort of men an other let y e reader iudge if there be differeÌ„ce betwext boght not boght writteÌ„ in y e book of life not writteÌ„ to learn y e newe â—og not to learne y e same theÌ„ no dowt o r Apostle putteth as plaine a differeÌ„ce as we do yea y e hole scope of his reuelatioÌ„ is to declare y t there is a noÌ„bre of y â— elect called y e spouse of y e laÌ„be whoÌ„ it behoueth to be coÌ„plete before y â— coÌ„sumatioÌ„ of all thiÌ„gs com before y t y e iÌ„noceÌ„t blood that hath bene shed be reueÌ„ged vpoÌ„ those y t dwell vpon the earth and therefore aduise with your selues how ye be able to proue that S. Iohn taught no such doctrine as we teach But admitting that he had neuer spoken nether yet of any nombre chosen that can not fall vtterly from their election nether yet of any nombre reprobate who must nedes be apprehended with the beast and with him be cast into the lake of fyre Is it therefore a good argument that all those that teach such maner of doctryne be fals teachers or that no such doctryne is conteined in the holie Scriptures I wil make the like reason Nether Moises nether Iohn the Baptist in any expressed wordes haue left to vs written â–ª that Christ Iesus shoulde be born of a virgin that he shoulde suffer in Ierusalem â–ª that his disciples should all be sclaÌ„dered and flee from him that he shoulde rise againe and ascending into the heauen shoulde send the holie Gost visibly vpon his Apostles nether Moises I say nether yet Iohn who were excellent teachers haue taught in expressed wordes any such doctrine Ergo the teachers of it be fals teachers it is not written in gods scriptures your argument is no better admitting that the Apostle had neuer made meÌ„tion of any sort elected But now shortly to answer to all which without purpose ye heape to gether in this place I say first ye oght to haue made a difference betwext those seuen congregations where Christ Iesus had bene preached and receaued and the rest of the worlde w c theÌ„ remained or after was to remaine in blindenes error for to those y t haue by publicke profession receaued Christ Iesus be they elect or be they reprobate do appertein exhortations threatning y e doctrine of repeÌ„taÌ„ce consolatioÌ„ propheciiÌ„g reuelatioÌ„ of thiÌ„gs to com but to those y t yet remaine manifest enemies of the trueth apperteine onelie y e coÌ„mon calling to eÌ„brace the trueth with the threatniÌ„g of destructioÌ„ if they contiune vnfaithfull And therefore becaus these former coÌ„gregatioÌ„s as said is had professed them selues to be of gods housholde they were intreated as his domestical seruantes If any aske the cause why are som so amiably and others so strangely intreated I answer no other cause can be assigned but that it pleased gods infinit wisdome and goodnes to make that plaine and euident difference betwext those that once be receaued in his houshold be it by externall profession onely and those that remaine in blindenes that the one he commonly doth visit but the other he doth as it were neglect and destroy for what other cause can we assigne that God so louingly did often call to repentaÌ„ce the people of Israel so often offending from the daies of Moises vnto y e comming of Christ Iesus that he sent vnto them Prophetes to exhort to rebuke and to declare the estate of things to come and in this mean ceason the space of two thousand yeres permitted the Gentiles to walke in their own waies And now after the reiection of the Iewes what cause can we assigne that among vs Gentiles God vseth to stirre vp now one countrie now an other to receaue the trueth to detest and abhorre our former superstition Idolatrie and wickednes and of so long coÌ„tinuaÌ„ce hath left bothe y e Iewes turkes drowned still in their blindnes damnable errors we shall find none other cause I suppose then did the Apostle se when that he said to God are knowen all his workes euen froÌ„ the beginning and that he will reuele his secretes to such as please him ye do not heare in all this reuelation of Iohn that Babilon is exhorted to repeÌ„tance y t the blasphemous beast is rebuked ether of his tyranny ether of his blasphemie with any promes made to
him that if he will conuert he shall be receaued to mercie and fauor No the sentence irreuocable is pronounced by the Angel that he shall come to destruction But Ephesus Smyrna Theatira and the rest of the congregations which before had professed Christ Iesus â–ª and yet were become not manifest ennemies but were falleÌ„ som in decay of life some in corruption of manners and som in heresies were exhorted to returne to repent and to be feruent to continue with sharp threatning if they did the coÌ„trarie And why this because that God before had planted among them his trueth which yet vtterly they had not refused and therefore doth he honor them as his domesticall seruantes but in vaine say you for if they be of the elect they cannot perish if they be of the reprobate sorte they can not be saued This is of you vnreuerently reasoned wil ye not suffer God to order his houshold as best pleaseth his wisdom This order hath he appointed that the trompet of his worde to exhort to rebuke to encourage to offer mercie to the penitent and to threaten death to such as do declyne shall clerely sound in his Church so long as he doth acknowledge it to be his Not that by the word preached he that was reprobate in gods eternall counsel may be the elect and so changed but that the worde preached and often repeted maketh a difference betwext the elect and the reprobate euen before man Albeit to you it appere superfluous that God shall fede his children by his own word which because the reprobate do refuse therefore do they beare a testimonie of their own iust condemnation in their owne conscience Albeit I say this appeare superfluous yet God hath commanded and established the same as a thing most necessarie and expedient for the establishing of his children and for the manifestation of his owne glorie I woÌ„der that ye wil not affirme that superfluous it is for a man to till and manure the ground to prepare for victuales to eat and drinke to do such other things as be necessarie for the conseruation of the life corporall seing that God hath appointed the daies of man which he cannot excede and also that our heauenlie father wil prouide for his childreÌ„ seing he prouideth far the birdes of the ayre Assuredly the one ye may coÌ„clude aswel as the other But herein I saie appereth your foolish blyndnes first that ye make no difference betwext the houshold seruantes those that be without and secondarely that ye vnderstand not the vse the profit and the effect of gods word preached Is not y e kingdom of heauen compared to a nett casten into the sea gathering together all sortes of fishes whereof albeit that the seperation can not perfectly be made till the nett be drawen to the drie laÌ„d vpon the last day yet daily by the worde by exhortacion by rebuking threatning do many things com to light which before lay hid how many do followe Christ for a time and fall back from him albeit that to the end he cryeth that they shoulde continue S. Paul affirmeth that he did write his sharpe epistle to the Corinthians for a trial of them if they wolde in all things be obedient if they as true shepe wolde heare the voice of their true pastor acknowledge follow it which he witnesseth that they did And there for he saith now do I reioyce not that ye did sorow but that ye did sorowe to repentance By the which was not onely the Apostle comforted as he him self doth confes but also were they newly confirmed that the Spirit of God was not vtterly extinguished before And so albeit ye can se no frute nor necessitie of gods worde preached except that the nature of the reprobate be changed yet do gods children fele in experience how comfortable it is to haue their dull spirites stirred vp by frequent exhortacions yea how necessarie it is that their dulnes and vnthankfulnes be sharply rebuked The third thing in which I perceaue you horribly to erre in all this youre long discourse of the seuen Churches is that where so euer there is precept or commandement giuen to repent and to continue in faith or to liue a godlie life or where so euer mention is made that space and time is granted to repent there streight waies ye conclude then may men kepe the commandementes then may they repent and so be saued althogh before they were reprobate For this ye affirme of Iesabel she might say you haue repented and haue bene saued and likwise vnto them that committed fornication with her is repentance granted But how vaine is this conclusion God commandeth that which is righteous Ergo man may do all that is commanded God giueth place of repentance to all men Ergo all men do or may repent How vaine I say be these conclusions such as be not infected with the pestilent opinion of their own power fre will and iustice may easely espie when ye haue proued that God commandeth nothing which man may not do by his own power fre will and strength and that repentance so procedeth from man that in him self it lieth ether to repent or not to repent then may ye sing this song which so oâ—t ye repete God commandeth God giueth space of repentance God offereth mercie to all Ergo of their own power they may repent But and if we be not sufficient of our own selues to think one good thoght if repentance be the fre gift of God and if to receaue mercie procedeth of his own fre gift also then harp so long as ye list vpon that one string I will answer that except ye make it better aggre with gods scriptures I must nedes say that he is worthie to be mocked that continually harpeth vpon a discording string As we do not contemne your exhortacion if we coulde be persuaded that it did procede from the spirit of lenitie so can we not acknowledge our selues to be infected with the poysoned error of mere necessitiâ— and Stoicall destinie nether yet that we teache a careles and libertine life nether that we giue occasion of sinne to the people finally that we can not confes that we teache and mainteine idolatrie as most vniustly ye accuse vs without any further probation for that any such crymes reigne and are permitted amongest vs without punishement ye be neuer able to proue We do not denie but that among vs haue bene men infected with all crimes which ye lay to our charge for som of you were once of our nombre so far as man coulde iudge but as you haue made your selues manifest so haue others also But yet it semeth far repugnant to equitie and charitie that the treason of Iudas should be laid to the charge of the faithfull Apostles If I list to take my pleasure in examining your liues and applying the offences of those churches to your faction I doubt not