Gods Decree is Not the Cause of Any Mans Sin or Condemnation, Title page – To the reader
A SHORT AND PLAINE proofe by the Word / and workes off God / that Gods decree is not the cauſe off anye Mans ſinne or Condemnation. AND That all Men are redeamed by Chriſt. As alſo. That no Infants are Condemned.
Colloſ. 2.8.
Beware leaſt there be anie man that ſpople you through Philoſophie / and vaine deceipt.
Pſal. 119, 113.
I hate vaine inventions: but thy Law doe I love.
Printed 1611.
To the ladie Bovves, Grace, and vviſedome, from aboue.
WOrthy Ladie, when I began to conſider to whome I might beſt commend the care of this ſo great a cauſe; my hart could conceiue of none ſo fitt as you, & that for two cauſes & the third may not be wanting. The firſt is, becauſe I knowe your faithful vnfained louelove to God & his truth, & that in manie thinges according to knowledg: The ſecond becauſe I knowe there is none in that Land that hath better meanes to procure a cauſe of religion, to be handled according to the judgmēt of the best: The third is the faithful reverēd loueing reſpect I beare to you; & that from your owne worthie deſerts in the beſt things, & in all good vntounto me. I pray & beſeech you by that louelove of God, that hath bene in you of long time: (the which I wiſh may abound in you more & more) that you faile not my hopes herein which are: That you wil either plainely ſee an upright conſionable ſound anſwere from the word of truth to this groūd here propounded: or els giuegive glorie to God, & receiue it for the bleſſed truth of God. The ground is eaſilie & plainelie ſet downe, which is that God giueing Adam freewil / and power in himſelf not to eate of the forbidden fruit / and live: or to eate / and dye / could not in his eternal decree; ordeyne or appoint him to life, or death, for then had his Freewil bene overthrowne: & if Adam had not eaten & ſinned (which was to his owne power) then had not death entred: Therefore God did not decree that death should enter: & then Gods decree is not the cauſe of anie mans condemnation. I now pray you Ladie, with all the louelove off my ſoule 'entertaine this great cauſe off God, into your thoughts, & lett it take vp your beſt meditations, that good thereby being produced, you may ſtil be an inſtruement to advance the goſpell off Ieſus Chriſt: & you shalbe ſure off an high recompence off reward at the hands off the most high in heauen, & your remembrance shalbe bleſſed amonge the Saints upon earth, Thus praieing the Lord to bleſſe you, and to giuegive you his holie Spirit with a gracious, wiſe, vnderstanding hart, to deſcorne a right the thinges that differ. I take leaue▪ withal the grace & faithfull honeſtie off my hart, (as I hauehave cauſe) deſiering your beſt good.
Tho: Helvvys. Iune 2. 1611.
Pſal. 111.2.
The works of the Lord are great, & ought to be ſought out off all them that love them.
To all that waite for ſalvation by Ieſus Christ▪ Grace and peace from God.
WHereas we formerly in a little treatiſe / intituled a Declaration off Faith, of Engliſh people remayning at Amſterdam, have in the fifth Article in ſhort ſet downe our faith / of Election and Reprobation, concerning ſalvation and condemnation: there haveing bene ſom eprivate oppoſition ſince wee writt it / the love of God and vntounto his truth conſtraineth vsus to ſpeake thus much more as we are able / for the mainteynance of this cleere light of truth / that God hath not in his eternal decre apointed ſome perticuler men to be ſaved: and ſome perticuler men to be condemned and ſo hath redeamed but ſome: But that Chriſt is given a ranſome for all men, yea even for the wicked, that bring ſwift damnation vponupon themſelves, denying the Lord that hath bought them. 2. Pet. 2.1, It may and wil ſeeme ſtraing that we of all others ſhould take in hand to denie in a cauſe of ſo great controverſie / and ſo deepe a miſterie: to which we aunſwere / that it concernes vsus aſmuch as anie / and therefore though we be not ſo able as we deſire we were / yet becauſe we ought we are readie to ſhew our ſelves willing with the beſt abilitie we have: and in that it is a deepe miſterie / (as the whole truth of God is) the more need had wee to ſearch into i…: that by the grace of God we might find the depth of it / ſo far as God hath revealed in his word / as al men ought to doe. And we pray the Godly Reader not to bee deceaved by that old deceipt of the miſterie of iniquitie / the man of ſinne which is / to perſwade / that it is to high a point / and to deepe a miſterie for thee to enter into / for by this deceipt hath the miſterie of iniquitie prevailed / ād doth to this day prevaile / with thouſands / and ten-thouſands not to ſearch into anie part off the Scriptures at all.
But to reſt vponupon the faith of the Church: ād though manie (bleſſed be God) be broken out from that depth of darknes / yet they are not come to that cleare fountaine of light / to knowe / profeſſe / and practice / that the Lord doth require at their hands to ſearch into ād knowe / his whole truth / revealed in the ſcriptures. And for this miſterie in had / let it be plaine vntounto the that if thou ougheſt to knowe that a Saviour is ſent / then thou ougheſt alſo to knowe to whome he is ſent: ād if thou thinke to ſatiſfie thy ſelf in that thou knoweſt he is ſent a ſaviour to thee / therein doſt thou not ſeeke the glorie of God / nor the good of thy brother / and then the love of God is not in thee. Therefore caſt away all excuſe / and applie thy hart / withall care full diligence / and faithful vprightnes / to ſearch / and find out the depth of this high point ād miſterie / that thou maiſt give glorie to God / for ſending his ſonne a Saviour for all Men.
And ſo praying the God of light to make this truth alſo to breake furth and increaſe amongſt you / as (bleſſed be his name) it hath done / and doth daylie breake furth and increaſe / in theſe partes / and that amongſt them / which your ſelves accomt beſt reformed Churches. Wee require thy loveing patience to beare with our wants / and thy conſcionable conſideration of that which is ſpoken to the / from the word of God / whoſe Spirit bee vponupon thee / Amen.