An Answer to Blasphemous Cavillations by an Anabaptist, Section 34 – Section 35
THE ADVERSARIE.
To proue that they whiche be once elect can neuer,The 2. argumēt fall they alledge this saying of Christ: There shall arrise fals Christes & fals prophetes, and shall shew great miracles,The 34. section. & wōders in so much, that if it were possible the verie elect should be deceaued▪ of this they gather, that it is not possible, that the elect should be deceaued, & this cōditionall, if it were possible, &c. affirmeth nothing. But admitting i… be so, we must vnderstand, that the thing which is verie hard & difficile to be done is called vnp…ssible in the scripture as in that place,Luc 18. it is easier for acamele, to go throughe the eye of an …ed…e, then for the riche to enter in to the kingdō of God. This is called impossible▪ because it is verie hard, & difficile to be d…ne. yet be there rich mē, which inherite the kingdom of heauen. how can you beleue saieth Christ which, receaue honor one of an other▪ Iohn. 5.this semeth vnpossible by Christes wordes yet many such were conuerted to Christ. And the same spirit of vaine glorie was among…st the elect Apostles of Christ, after they had continued a long time with him▪ Esai. 49for they contended who should be superior among them selues. can a woman forget the childe of her wombe, and not piti… the same whom she hath born whiche thogh it seme vnpossible for as much as it is contrarie to nature, yet do women destroy and deuore their own birthes▪ May a mā of Inde change his skinne, and the cate of the moūtane her spottes,Iere. 13 no more may ye that be exercised in euill do good. suche we be of our selues, notwithstanding by the power of God we be regenerat, we leaue of from our euill exercises, and do that which is good. Thus we se it is called imposs…ble in the scriptures, which is contrarie to nature which excedeth our strenght & therefor is difficile and hard to be done, …uē so it is impossible. That it is a very hard thing that the elect which follow the lā … whether so euer he g…eth, should be deceaued, yet not withstāding it may come to passe,…. C…r. 11 as Eua was the elect of God, and not withstanding the Apostle w…esseth that she was begyled and deceaued by the Serpent, Therefor warne… Christ the elect Apostles saing, take hede that no man deceaue you.Mat. 24 If Christ had bene of your opinion, that the elect could not be deceaued to what purpose should he bid his chosen take hede lest any man should deceaue them.2, The. 2 Let no man deceaue you saieth Paule to the Thessaloniens, to whom he bare witnes that they were worthy of the kingdom of heauen, yet was he carefull, left they should be deceaued and mou…d from their good mynd ether by spirit, or by wordes, or by letter which should some to come from him And to the Ephesians,Ephes▪ 5 Let no man deceaue you with vain wordes for because of suche thinges commeth the wrath of God vponupon the ch…ldren of desobedience And likewise▪ warneth he the Romanes, to marke and auoide such as with swe…e and flattering wordes decaued the heartes of the innocent. As the old prophete which dwelled in Bethel deceaued the man of God, whiche came from Iuda, and propeh…ed against the alter which Ieroboam buylded, I am a prophete (said he) also as well as thow, and an angell spake vntounto me in the name of the Lord saing, bring him againe with the into thyne own house, that he may eate breade and drink water, and he lied and deceaued the man of God. Such lying prophetes be now a daies, wihch say, they be sent from God, and call the people to their congregations, without which they say, there is no saluation. for they condemne all others, which be not of their sect. And when they hauehave allured the people with fals err…neous doctryne, they prouoke them to a careles libertyne lief, apt to allure any man. Be ware friendes that ye go not with them, lest a… the man of God for his going back, was killed of a lyon, so ye be slayne by errors and deuored of the deuil, which as a roring Lyon goeth about, seking whom he may deuore, of the testimonies a boue reci…ed it appereth that the elect may be deceaued. And yet i… is the phrase of the scripture to call it impossible whiche is verey hard and difficile to be done. There be also many elect wihiche full away, not because they are deceaued but willingly and purposely, as Iudas was not deceaued but wilfully refused the grace of God. Also Ach…ophel being a notable witt…e man, was not deceaued by any mannes persuasion but wilfully refused his master Dauid▪ and played the tra…or. Balaam was not deceaued. for he knew well the will aud the mynd of God. Salom…n was not deceaued in whom grace and will abounded aboue all others: and yet forsook he God. S… the elect thogh they be not deceaued, yet be they at libertie and may refuse the grace of God, if they will. And think you that Adam or any other can be sa…ed by g…ds ordinance. if they wilfully forsake it? can any maune be saued by Christ, which doth forsake him? they which be once lightned, and hauehave tasted of the heauenlie giftes, & are becom partakers of the … G…st, and hauehave taisted of the good worde of God, and of the power of the world to come, I can not tel, how they should be deceaued: ye… may they fall away, and crucifie the Sonne of God afresh, aud make a m…k of him, Lykewise they which be sanctified by the spirit of God, and sprinkling of bloode of the testament, they may tredde the Sonne of God vnderunder foote.
ANSWER.
If it had pelased you ether diligently to hauehave red out writinges, ether faithfully to hauehave recited the testimonies, which we vse for confirmation of our doctrine, ye should hauehave found mo, and such as be som…hat more plaine then any of those that ye take vponupon you to confute. But praised be God who giueth such maieste, euen to those places, which ye your self appoint, that when ye hauehave said all, yet doth ye veritie remaine inuincible.
That this condicionall, If, in these wordes,To the …, 2 & 3. if it were possible, the elect should be drawen into error, affirmeth nothing, I am content, so that the same reason be a law against you in all other places. But that this word impossible shalbe interpreted in all places of Scripture by this phrase, a thing hard to be done, I can not admitte, without testimonies more euident, then yet ye hauehave adduced, for the most part of those plainely deny that interpretation. For as it is impossible for a Camel (or Cable, that is a greate rope of a ship) remaining in the own quantitie, to go through an nedils eye (remaining in the own streitnes) so is it lyke impossible for a rich mā remaining in his own natural pryde, coue…ousnes, and corruption, to enter in to the kingdom of God. and therefor▪ when those which heard, were offended, asking, And who may then attein to saluation? Christ answered, thinges that be impossible before man, are possible with God. marke well that Christ called the humiliation of the rich man, impossible vntounto man, but possible vntounto God. And the same I say is true of those that seke glorie and praise of men. for impossible it is vntounto such abiding in yt corruption vnfeanedly to beleue in Christ Iesus. for albeit the spirit of vaine glorie did now and then burst out and appere amonges the disciples, yet was it alwaies repressed and corrected by the seuere obiurgation of their master, and in the end, by the power of the holie spirit, it was remoued. God doth not affirm that it is impossible to a woman to forgett the childe of her bosom, but laying his perfect louelove against her natural louelove corrupted, he saieth, if she may, yet, cā not I forgett thē that trust in me: and so he preferreth his louelove towardes his childrē, to the louelove of any creature, whiche they can beare towardes others.
The examples of the man of Inde, and of the Cat of the mounteine, can in no wise receaue your interpretation. for the impossibilitie of the one, and of the other, experience of long continuance hath taught vsus. for we se that althogh the Moorian change the regiō where he was born, yet kepeth he his naturall blacknes: nether yet can any art vtterly remoue the spottes of that beast, which the Prophete in that place calleth the …opard. how impossible it is that they be changed, none can be ignorant, except such as hauehave not sene or do not know the beast, nor her nature. And therefor vponupon these two thinges to nature impossible did the Prophete conclude, that no more could the citezeins of Ierusalē, being excercised in all iniquitie leaue the same, and so was it impossible, impossible I say to them selues and to their own power. for what the Spirit of God worketh in the conuersion of sinners, oght not to be attributed vntounto mans power.
And thus I say that those thinges, which the holie Gost pronounced to be impossible, remain impossible. And therefor it is not onelyonly ahard and a difficile thing that the elect of God, who follow the lambe where euer he goeth, be so deceaued that finally they perishe, but also it is impossible: and that becaus the true pastor cōducteth them, leadeth them furth to the holsom pastures, and waters of lief, illuminateth thē by ye presence of his light: and finally doth sanctifie and confirme thē in his eternall veritie by ye power of his holie Spirit
VponUpon those wordes of the Apostle I feare lest that your senses be corrupted from the simplicitie,To the 4. & …. which is in Christ euen as the serpent deceaued Eua, ye labor to proue that the elect shal be deceaued for she, say you was the elect of God, and yet she was deceaued. In few wordes I answer that becaus she was the …lect of God, she remained not in that error. we do not denie, but that the simple shepe do somtimes erre, and go astray from their pastor, that they heare to their great danger the owling of wolues, & do credit, and receaue lies for veritie, yea & further that somtimes with knowledge, they cōmitte iniquitie. But that they are permitted in ye same finally, and without redemption to perish, that we cōstātly denie. for imposible it is that the liuely members shal lack participation with the head. Imposible it is that Christes death shal lack his effect, which is the life of those that of his father are committed to his charge, of whō impossible it is, that any shal perish. for the nombre of our bretheren must be complete, nether yet doth it hereof follow, that exhortaciōs & admonitions be superfluous, & vaine. for they are the meanes which the wisdom of God knoweth to be most necessarie to stirre vp our dul senses, which alwaies be redie to ly in a certen securitie, And therefor the wordes of our master spoken to his disciples and the admonition of Paul to the Churches in his daies doth much profit, comfort, and confirme vsus: for by the same we are so armed against offences and sclanders, which daily do chance, that albeit we se that frō amongest our selues arise such as bring in damnable sectes. which lead many to perdition, yet we do not therefor detest nor ahbore Christs simple veritie but being prouoked by that fall & deiection of others, with great solicitude and care, we call for the assistance of gods holie spirit en those most miserable and most wicked daies.To the 7 That ye affirme vsus to be lieng prophetes not sēt of God but such as runne of our selues, calling to our cōgregation the people, whom after we prouoke to a careles & libertine life, we answer not to you but to our God. Iudge vsus (ô Lord) in this cause according to our innocencie, & according to the puretie, which thy spirit hath formed in our heartes, destroy all lyeng lippes, and confound thou those, that of malice trouble thy afflicted flock.
Let your friēdes,To the 8 enemies to gods eternall trueth, proude boasters of their own iustice, and suppressers to their power of Christes glorie, giuegive eare, if they list, to your admonition, absenting them selues from all well reformed congregations. We will not cease to exhort all the faithfull to frequent and hant the places wher Christes Euangil is truely and openly preached, his holie sacrementes rightely ministered according to his own ordinance and institution: And also where disciplyne is put in practise according to that ordre which he him self hath commanded. Nether yet will we cease to affirme that your priuie assemblies, and all those that in dispyte of Christes blessed ordinance, do frequent ye same are accursed of God.
We do not deny,To the 9 but that Iudas, Achitophell, Balaā, and many mo willingly and of determined purpose did wickedly & most vnthankfully offend, but what is this to your mater, It resteth alwaies, to be proued that they were elected in Christ Iesus by the eternal counsel of God.To the 10 Your foolish question demanding if Adam or any other mā can be saued by Christ. which doth forsaik him, I hauehave before answered, plainely prouing, that the elect children can not finally forsaik and contēne the ordinance of their father. Nether yet can the membres, refuse the lief whiche they receaue frō their head. And that because the Spirit of God, drawing them to Christ, maketh them to fele their necessitie, which they hauehave of him.The elect of God can not forsake Christe. And therefor with al thank fulnes and ioy do they receaue him who is made to vsus from God, wisedom, iustice, satisfaction, redēption, and lief. To me it appereth a very foolish questi…, if any should demand if a man perfect in witt, memorie and reason, feling him elf so pressed which honger or thirst, that of necessitie he must perish, except nature were supported, to ask, (I say) if such a man willingly and obstinatly wold refuse holsom meat, and drink, appereth foolish, and vaine. And such is your question, for the elect children do fele their own miserie, honger thirst and pouertie, yea they labor vnderunder the burden of their sinnes, which they hate, of the which they wold be releued. And therefor they can not refuse the iustice, lief and assured redemption, which is offered to thē in Christ Iesus. To whom be all praise glorie and honor for euer. The place of the Apostle I hauehave before answered and therfor I shortlie com to that wich ye call.
THE ADVERSARIE.
The third error of the careles by necessitie
God hath two maner of willes,The 35. sec…on. one reueled will, and a secret will which is onelyonly knowen …o him self▪ by g…ds re…led will men should not com to nought, but they which por…sh, … perishe by his secrete will, in respect of gods commandement. It was n…t gods will, that Adam should sinn…, but in respect of gods secrete will God wold Adam to fall.
ANSWER.
How maliciously ye peruerte our wordes, and how impudently ye forge vponupon vsus a form of doctryne, which did neuer enter into our thogthes shall appere God willing bv answering to that, which ye call the confutacion of our third error, which thus beginneth.