An Answer to Blasphemous Cavillations by an Anabaptist, Section 43
THE ADVERSARIE.
To that which ye alledge of the Prophet Isai:The… argumen… ▪ harden the heartes of this people &c.The 43. section. for the better vnderstanding of tha… place. we must note that which is written in the chapter going afore: howe the Lord had chosen this people and planted them as a vineyarde and called all Israel to be iudge betwext him and his v…neyard, what more could hauehave bene donne for it, then he had donne, and yet when he looked, for frute of equitie and right…ousnes, to there was wrong, and mys…rie, where vponupon followed their indura…s…, for they were hardened of the lord, that is, as afo… is sade, God gaue them ouer, to their own heartes lust…s. Further where he saieth to the Prophet, hard… their heartes, we must alwaies consider that their heartes were alredye hardened. which their wickednes did plainely declare. yet hath he cōmanded the Prophet to do his office, not to make their heartes hard. for that belongeth …nelie to God… who giuing them …uer to their heartes lustes hath alredy ha…dnede them, but the office of a Prophe…e was to… shew them the hardnes of their har…es so when he saiethe harden their heartes, it i… as muche, as shew and declare vntounto them the hardnes of their heartes.Leui. 13 The like phrase of spea…che hauehave we in Le…it. 13. If the priest see that the scab is growne abr… de in the ski…me, the priest shall make him vncleane. how should the priest make him vncleane, who is alredye vncleane, and whose fleshe he durst not touche, but by declaring him to be vncleane. So how should the Prophet harden their heartes whose heartes were hardened alredy, and whose heartes he could not touche, but by declaring …hem to be hard hear…ed. So saieth the Lord to Ieremie, driue this people away, that they may go oute of my sight, s…m to death, som to the swerd, some to hunger some to captiu…t…e, this was not the office of the Prophet, which the Caldes executed, but the Prophet was here commanded,Iere. 15 to shew that for their wickednes, they should be driuen away some to death, some to the swerd, some to hunger and some to captiuitie. So Ieremie tooke the cuppe out of the lordes hand, and made all people drinke thereof …nto whom the Lord sent him, where there be m… nations rec…ned, then euer Ieremi… did see with his corp…rall eyes: this place therefore must be vnderstand, as the others conforme to the office of the Prophe…, which was to shewe them that for their wickednes they should drink of the cupp… of the …ordes wrathe which appereth more plainely, by that which followeth, where he sayeth if they will not receaus the cuppe of thy hand and dr…nck it, that is if they will not take warning by the &c. This interpretation is conforme to the phrase of the scripture, nether is it contrary to any part of the word. but if any man hath a better vnderstanding, lett him vse is t… the glory of God. Of these thinges alredy spoken …t is sufficiently proued, that God hath reprobat, and cast away no man before the foundation of the world, but as he hath crea…ed man like vntounto his own image, so he will the deathe of none, but that all should be saued, nether is he …he author or mouer to any euill, which with long pacience suffereth wickednes, to drawe men to repentance, nether willeth he any thing contrary, to that which is expressed in his word. for at God is constant and immutable, of this his holy will he ha…he vttered and declared vntounto man to knowe, the rest reserued he vntounto him se…f, for as much as no man is able to c…prehēd the pr…funditie and depth thereof, therefor oght no man to go about to proue or improue any thing by that which is vnknowen to him, wherefor they which affirme, and teache that …od ha…h orde…ned men a fore the fundation of the world to be damned so that by no meanes they can be saued, for suche is his secr…te will, not with standing be declareth the cōtrary in h…s word, they must nedes hauehave an euill opinion of God, and therefore oght all men of duetie to abho…re their deuilishe doctrine. And because I hauehave said that they hauehave an euill opinion of God, I hauehave added here a discription of …hose careles libertines …d conforme to their doctrine in all pointes, and a discription of the true God, wherby it may appere euen vntounto the simple howe abhominable their doctrine and opinion in this mater is.
ANSWER.
What soeuer shalbe redde in the hole scriptures,To the … you shall neuer be able to proue that in these wordes of Isaie, (Go, and harden the heartes of this people) is nothing els meant, but that the Prophete was onelyonly commanded to declare vntounto them their blindnes, and hardnes of heart. for wher soeuer mention is made of the difference betwext the elect, and the reprobate, this vertue is attributed to the word, that it doth illuminate the eyes, and mollifie the heartes of the one, by the power of the holy Gost: and by the contrarie that it doth excecate, and more harden the other by reason of their corrupt nature, to the which they are iustly left. The Euangelist saint Iohn making mention, that the Iewes did not beleue in Christ Iesus, albeit that they had sene his wonderous workes, addeth this cause: therefore (saith… he) they could not beleue,Iohn 12 because Isaiah had said: He hath blinded their eyes, & hardened their heartes, that they should not see with their eyes, nor vnderstand in their heartes, and be conuerted, that I may heale them. Here doth the Euangelist attribute to the Prophet, not onelyonly that he declared their blindnes, but that God by him did in verydede iustly blind their eyes, and harden their heartes. But this shall more plainly appere in examining the reasons, and scriptures which ye alledge for proofe of your interpretation.
First say you, their heartes …ere alredy hardened which their wickednes did plainely declare, yet hath he commanded the Prophet to do his office not to make their heartes hard, for that bel…ngeth onelyonly to God who giuing them ouer to their heartes lustes he alredy hardened them. And so ye conclude that the Prophet did onelyonly declare vntounto them the hardenes of their heartes.Answer We do not deny but that their heartes were hardened before, and that iustly for their iniquities sake they were giuen ouer to their heartes lustes. But whether they were so hardened before the preaching of the Prophet, that after they could be not harder, I greately doubte. Yea I nothing doubte to affirme, but that euen as the claye by the heate of the Sunne, becometh more hard, and more hard, or as the branch cutte of the natural stock doth more & more wither, vntill that no kinde of sappe, nor moisture doth remaine, euen so I say do the reprobate from time, to time become more obstinate, more blinde, more hard, and more cruell, and that by the word, wc doth plainely rebuke their iniquitie, and euidenly declare whose children their are. Exāples in scripture hereof are manifest: Some lenitie, and gētlenes appered in Pharao, toward the people of Israel before that Moses, at gods commandement required their libertie. But that will, and word of God commanding him to let his people go and serue God in the wildernes, did so quicklye worke in the heart of that reprobate,Exo. 5. … that the greater hardnes of his heart, was sodenlye felt by the Israelites, to their greate grief and grudging disconfort.
In the people of Israel, in their elders, Priestes, and counsell, appered some face of iustice, when Stephan was accused, before that he pronounced these wordes: ye stiffenecked, and vncircumcised in heart, and eares, you hauehave euer resisted, the holy Gost, euē as your fathers hauehave resisted,Act. 7 so do you: whom of the Prophetes hauehave not your fathers persecuted? and they hauehave slayn them, whiche shewed before of the cōming of yt iust, whom ye hauehave now betraied, & murthered. Before this sentence (I say) there appered some face of iustice, but what ensued the holy Gost doth witnes, saying: whē they heard these thinges their heartes brast for anger and they gnashed at him with their tethe. And after also that he gaue a more plaine confession of Christe Iesus, of his exaltation, glory, power, and Maiestie, they cried out wt a great voyce, they stopped their eares, they as wolues enraged russhed vponupon him, wt one consent, and so without all ordre of iustice, did stone him to death. If ye cōfesse not yt the word of God, proceding frō the mouth of Stephen, did not more harden them, who no doubte were hardened before, you deny a trueth that is more then euidēt. Diuers places more I might adduce for the same purpose, but (hauing respect to breuitie) I stand content with th…se two, which I doubte nothing, are sufficient to proue, that men, that be alredy hardened, yet by the comming of the plaine word, which rebuketh their iniquitie, they become more hard. As the owle being blind, euen when she appereth to see best in the night season, but yet in ye day time, she is more blinded, bacause that the weaknes of her eyes, can not abide the bright beames of the sunne. And euē so it is wt the reprobate, they are alwaies blind, and hard heared, but whē the light of God doth most plainely shine before thē or when they are called frō iniquititie to vertue, then becometh the word of glad tidinges to thē, a verie sauor of death, by the wc, they are both more blinded, and more hardened. And so in your first reason we dissent frō you in yt, that you seme to affirme, that because ye reprobate are once hardened, therefore they cā be no more hardened. Your second reason is, that because it belōgeth to God onelyonly to make hard their heartes, th…t therefor there resteth nothing to the Prophetes, but to shew vntounto them the hardnes of their hartes. I am glad that once ye will cōfesse yt it is nothing repugning to gods good nature,Answer for iust causes, to harden the heart, and to make blind ye eyes of the reprobate. But yt therfore nothing resteth to ye Prophetes or Apostles, but onelyonly to declare vntounto mē their hardnes I cā not admitte. For we do find yt God doth so cōmunicate his power wt his true messingers, and embassadours, that what soeuer they lowse in earth, he doth lowse in ye heauē, & what soeuer they bynd in earth, he bindeth in heauē, whose sinnes they remitte, they are remitted, & whose sinnes they reteine, they are reteined. The Lord him selfe saith vntounto Ieremie:I…re. … Behold I hauehave put my wordes in thy mouth, and I hauehave ordeined thee aboue nations, and kindomes, that thou maiest roote out, destroy, & scatter, and that yu maist also build vp, and plant. And vntounto Paul it was said: And now I shall deliuer the from the natiōs, to ye which I send thee that thou maist open the eyes of those that be blind, that they may conuert from darknes vntounto light, and from the power of fathan vntounto God. These wordes do witnes that the effectuall power of God doth work with the word, which he putteth in the mouthes of his true messingers, in so much that ether it doth edifie, lighten, or mollifie to saluation, or els it doth destroy, darken, and hardē. For the word of God is of ye nature of Christe Iesus, & he is not onelyonly come to illuminate, and to raise vp, but also to make blind, and to beate downe, as he him selfe doth witnes, saying, I am come to iudgement into this world, yt those that see not shall see & that those that see shalbe blind. And Simeon saith:Luke. Ma…. 21 Behold this is he yt is put in resurrection, & in ruine of many in Israel. In so much, that vponupon whō that stone of offense falleth, it shall burste him to powder. And therefore we can not admitte that the ministerie of his blessed word preached, or published by his faithfull messingers, be nothing els but a simple declaration what men be. No, we know that it is the power of God to saluatiō of all those y• beleue, that the message of reconciliation is put in their mouthes, that the word wc they preach, hath such efficacie, & strength that it deuideth asunder y• ioyntes, & sinewes, ye bones frō the marye, that ye weapons of their warrefare are not carnall,1. Co. 1…. but are power in God to the beating downe of all strōg holdes, by the which, the true messingers beat down all counselles, & all height which is raysed vp against the knowledge of God, by the which also they lead into bondage all cogitatiōs to obey Christe. we know further that they hauehave vēgeāce in readynes against all inobedience.Apo. 10 That fire passeth forth of their mouthes which deuoureth their enemies, that they hauehave power to shutte the heauen that rayne descend not in the daies of their prophecie. That gods power both in the one sort, and in the other, is cōteined with his word euen preached, pronounced, and fore spoken by his messingers, do all exāples in gods scriptures witnes. At the praier,3. King. 18 and prophecie of Elias was the heeauen both shut, and opened: fire descended frō heauen, & cōsumed those vngodly souldiours wt their captaines.
At the curse of Eliseus did beares deuoure … childrē that mocked him.4. Kin. 1 The wordes of Isai, Ieremy, and Ezechiel, albeit (for the time that they spake) they were contemned, yet had they such force, and effect, yt no strēgth was able to gainestād that, which they had pronounced. At Peters word, Ananias, and Saphira did sodainlye dye. Paule by his sentēce made Elimas the sorcerer blinde, and so forth, the exāples be almost without nōbre, that declare yt gods power is ioyned wt his worde, not onelyonly in sauing (wc I thinck you will admitte) but also in punishing & destroying. If you thinke it fearefull yt gods holy word shall hauehave this power, and effect, to kill, to blind, and to harden. Remembre first, the seuere iudgemētes of God against sinne, and often call to minde that the fault, nor chiefe cause is not in the word, but in the subiect, and person, in whom it falleth. The word falling in to ye heart of the elect, doth mollifie, & illuminate, as before is said, but falling in to the heart of the reprobate, it doth harden & more excecate the same, by reason of the qualitie, and incurable corruption of the persone
And thus in your second reason, we do vtterly dissent from you… & feare not to affirme, yt gods true Prophetes, & messingets, do not onelyonly declare what mē be… but yt by the word, which is cōmitted to their charge, effectually they worke ether lyght,To the 2. 3. 4. or darknes, life, or death, yea saluation, or damnation. The text of Leuiticus serueth you nothing, and ye text of Ieremie is expressely against you. For the hiegh Priest is not commaded to go to a mā, in whom no leprosie appered, and to pronounce, what after shall become of him: but the man in whom there is apperant signes of lepro…ie, is cōmanded to be ledde to the Priestes, who are commāded to pronounce according to the signes wc they see. Cōsidre I besech you, the difference betwene the office of the one, & the office of y• other… the sentence of the one, and the sentēce of the other, the one (yt is the Priestes) go not, nether are they sent, to seke those yt hauehave apperance, or suspicion of leprosie. But the Prophet is sent by God, to thē that then was called the people of God, in whō no man could hauehave suspected such blindnes, such hardnes of heart, & such rebellion as the Prophet is cōmāded to threatē. The Priestes did not nor might not pronoūce sentēce against a mā, in whom manifest signes of leprosie appered not, yea triall must be taken, whether it be leprosie, or not: But the Prophet is cōmanded to go to that people, who held them selues cleane, and before all triall, to pronounce that sharp sentence, you shall heare wt your eares, and shall not vnderstand, you shall plainely see, and yet shall not perceaue, the heart of this people is hardened. Was there anysuch cōmandemēt or charge giuen to ye priestes? Might any of them hauehave said, to any man yt appered to be cleane, &c whole, thou shalt be leprous, I pronounce the sentence which thou shalt not escape? I trust not. Then for the diuersitie as well of their offices, as of the sentēces which they pronounced the phrases must be diuers.
Where ye affirme that ye Prophet could not touch their heartes, but by declaring thē to be hard hearted, ye seme not to vnderstand what is the vertue and power of gods word pronounced euē by the mouth of man, wc (as before we hauehave declared) pearceth to ye depest secret that lieth within the heart. Yea and worketh that thing, wc the Pro phete pronounceth, and speaketh, how vnapperāt that euer it be to mans reason, or how stowtly and stubburnly that euer the wicked resist. Did not the wordes of Elias spoken vntounto Achab aftre ye murtherīg of Naboth, touch his heart? yes, the very hypocrite him selfe had some sense and feling of gods iust wrath. And both he and his posteritie, for all his princely pompe, did after fele the veritie of them. To witte dogges did licke his blood, the flesh of Iesabell was eaten by dogges, his children, and hole posteritie were rooted out of Israell. And thus did the wordes of the Prophete touch his heart (in the time when they were spokē) with a certeine feare, stupiditie, and trembling. which wordes were after of such power, strength, and veritie, that no male children were left aliue to Achab in Israel. And the same is true of Ieremies wordes… & sentence spoken against diuers natiōs, whose faces albeit he neuer saw, yet did he so potently touch their heartes, that how soeuer they despised his threateninges, yet was no word vainely spoken, but in effect was eueryevery thing complete, as he pronounced. And wonder it is that ye are ignorant in this vertue of gods word, seing that ye confesse that Ieremie toke the cuppe from the Lordes hand,lere. 25 which he was commanded to giuegive to all nations, yt they might drinke the cuppe of the Lordes wrath, saing vntounto them: Drincke, & be drucken, and spew, and fall, and rise no more, becaus of the swerd wc I will send among you. Was this I praye you a simple declaration… or was it not rather a sentence & decree so effectuall, that albeit nether Babylon, nether any other proud and whicked nation wold for that time beleue it, yet came it most effectually to passe? And I say yt these wordes of Ieremie do manifestly repugne to your interpretation, & do sufficiētly proue yt those wordes spoken to Isai, are otherwise to be vnderstād, then yt he was commanded onelyonly to declare what the people were. For as the wordes of Ieremie had this effect, yt according as he spake, so came ye destruction vponupon those proud natiōs, so lykewise had the wordes of God spoken to Isai, the same effect, which he pronounced. To the one he said, thou shalt giuegive vntounto them the cuppe of my wrath, that they may drinke it. The Prophet without feare did obey his commandement, and God did faithfully performe, what so euer his messinger had pronounced. Euen so did God command Isai to blind, and harden, that stubborn, and rebellious generation of the Iewes, by the preaching of his Law, and by rebuking of their manifest impietie. And so he did, God working all to his glory, according to his eternall purpose. And this because your interpretation is not sufficiētly confirmed by any phrase of the scripture, which ye hauehave alledged ād also because it repugneth to the scriptures which before I hauehave adduced,To ye … 6. 7. 8. we can not admitte it. Against your complexion or Epilogue, which is nothing but a superfluous repetition of those thinges, which sufficiently ye hauehave not proued (althogh you so bragge) we say, that as God by his eternal word, and power infinite, hath created al thinges, so hath he by his wisedom incomprehensible so disposed all thinges…, yt as nothing was created for the self, so was nothing the appointer of the self to serue God, as his glory required. But he in his eternal counsel appointed the end to eueryevery creature, to the which they shal once atteine, by such meanes, as he most iustly hath appointed. And therfor seing his glorie doth no lesse require his iust iudgemētes, then his superaboūdant merciemercy to be knowen, he hath in his eternal counsel elected, some, and reiected others, euē before ye foundatiōs of ye world. And albeit he created man after his own image, yet did God neuer determine yt mankind should stād in Adam, but his iust coūsell and purpose was that all men should fall in Adam, that the elect might know the price of their saluation Christe Iesus, in whō they were elected, before yt in Adam actualy they did fall, or were created. And so God willing to make his glorie to shine in al, hath prepared some vessels of merciemercy, and some of wrath. to ye one he hath frely giuē life euerlastīg in Christ Iesus his sonne. The other he hath for iust causes so reiected, that albeit with long pacience, he suffereth their manifest rebellion, yet in the finall iudgement he shall commād them to go to the fire that neuer shalbe quenched. And this will and counsel of God is neither secret, nor hidde from his Church, but is in his word most manifestly reueled: ād therfor of it we feare not to affirme, that euen in the first promise, and euer since hath God made a plaine distinction betwext the elect, and the reprobate, so that the purpose and counsell, which before was hidde in God, was in time manifested vntounto man. Which will and counsell of God (becaus it is constant and immutable, like as God him selfe is) must of necessitie take effect, and therfor I boldly affirme, that neither can any whom God in his eternal purpose hath reprobated, become the elect, and so be saued, neither yet can any of Christes elect nombre to life euerlasting, be reprobated, and so come to finall perdition. We further saye, that albeit gods will in the selfe, be one, to witte, the manifestation of his own glorie, yet as touching his creatures it hath diuers respectes, for God will the saluation of some, and he also will the iust …ondemnation of others. And the contrarie of this doth God neuer declare in his word, but rather doth most plainely reuele it. And therfore this his godlie will is not called secrete, as that it is not expressed in his word: but because that in his word there is no cause assigned (gods good will onelyonly excepted) why he hath chosen some, and reiected others. And this knowledge is so necessarie to a Christian, that without the same, ca the heart of man neuer be sufficiētly subiected vntounto God, nether can he rendre vntounto him due praise and honor, except that he acknowledge, and confesse. yt God him selfe hath made differēce, betwext him, & others. To your odious termes, & dispitefull railing, I briefely say at this time:To the 8. THE LORD shall iudge. To my knowledge there resteth no notable scripture, which ye hauehave alledged (or rather abused) for confirmatiō of your error which is not sufficiētly answered, two places excepted. The one is of Ezechiel, affirmig that God will not the death of a sinner, the other conteineth the wordes of Paul saying: God will all men to be saued, which places because you recite them here in the description of him, whom you call the true God I thoght it expedient to delay til this opportunitie, to ye end that h… uing to fight (as it were face, to face) with the deuil him self, I might hauehave some cōfort of my God in entreating some place of his holie scriptures. Thus you procede with a mouth most execrable, and blasphemous.