An Answer to Blasphemous Cavillations by an Anabaptist, Section 11 – Section 12
THE ADVERSARIE.
Some other be that grant that sinne was à cause why man is reprobate,The eleuēth section. and there with they hold that gods absolute ordinance is also the caus, this saing conteineth cōtradiction in it self: for if it be gods absolut ordinance. then is it not in respect of any other thing, but as they say because it hath so pleased him, if they ment that gods ordinance is the cause why sinners suffer death, or that God ordeined that sinners for their sinne should suffer death, I could agre with them. but that were contrary to that which they hauehave said, that God absolutly ordeined any man afore he was, yea afore the world to death because so it pleased him. for if death be the reward of sinne, and for offence, and sinne we do die, then cometh not death by gods absolute ordinance. And if I do grant that both gods absolute ordinance and also sinne are the causes of damnation after your meanyng, marke well what inconuenience foloweth thereof. first ye must grant me that gods ordinance is the principall and chefest cause, (for it can not be inferior to any other cause) secōdly ye will grant that the first or principale cause called Causa Causae, is the cause of the secōd ād inferior cause called cause causate, so to cōclude, gods ordināce which is Causa causae, shalbe the cause of sinne which is Causa causata. As for a familiar exemple, the heate of the son, and the dew, cause the grounde to be frutefull, and God also is the cause thereof for he maketh the barren ground frutefull, but forasmuch as God is the principall and first cause, he must be also the cause of the same which is but the second cause. Thus it is clerely proued that if gods ordinā ce were the cause of reprobation then gods ordinance should also be the cause of sinne, and God should be autor of euill, contrarie to the hole scripture, contrarie to the opinion of all godlie men, and contrarie to our faith: But forasmuch as God willing I intend to answer at length to this wicked opinion in the confutation of the third error, I will speak no more hereof in this place.
ANSWER.
No further answer nedeth to be giuen to these your most vniust accusatiōs,To the 1. then those which we before hauehave giuen. for neither do we so vnreuerētly speake nor write, neither yet do we vnderstād nor affirme, that gods absolute ordinance is the principall cause of reprobation, of sinne, and of damnation: but simplie we do teache, that God in his etternall counsell for the manifestation of his own glorie hath of one maste chosen vessels of honor, whom before all tymes he hath geuē vntounto Christe Iesus, that they in him should receiue lief. And of the same masse he hath left others in that corruption in the which they were to fall, and so were they prepared to destruction. The cause why the one were elected, we confesse and knowledge not to be in mā, but to be the fre grace and the fre merciemercy shewed and frely giuen to vsus in Christe Iesus, who onelyonly is appoīted head to giuegive life to the bodie. Why the others were reiected, we affirme the cause to be most iust: but yet secrete ād hid frome vsus, reserued in his eternall wisdome to be reueled at the glorious comming of the Lord Iesus. This one thing do we (compelled by your blasphemous accusations) repete oftener then we wold: to the end that indifferent men may se what doctrine it is, which you so maliciously impugne.
How so euer ye ioyn gods absolute ordinance and sinne togither,To the 2. we make so far diuision betwext the purpose and eternall counsell of God (for absolute ordinance we vse not in that mater) and the sinne of mā, that we plainely affirme: that mā when he sinned, did neither looke to gods will, gods counsell, nor eternall purpose: but did altogither consent to the will of 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 vsus 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 hauehave not learned orels that ye hauehave 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,The iust causes of reprobatiō are hid in gods eternall counsel. but the causes of death and damnatiō are euidēt in the scriptures. 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 vsus in the scriptures to witt, mānes fre will consenting to the deceiuable persuasiō of the deuill, wilfull sinne, and volū tarie rebellion, by which entred death into this world, the cōtempt of graces and gods mercies offered with the heaping vp of sinne vponupon sinne, till damnation iustly came. These causes I say of sinne, death, and damnation, are plainely noted vntounto vsus 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,The iudgementes of God are a deuoring depth. we enter not in reasoning with him, but with all humilitie render thankes to his Maiestie for the grace and merciemercy which we doubt not but of his fre grace we hauehave receaued in Christ Iesus our onelyonly head.
When you shall further charge vsus that we make God autor of euill, we hauehave 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:The twelth section. O my people what hauehave I done vntounto the? or wherein hauehave I hurt the, giuegive me answer? If the Israelites had ben so well learned as you, they might hauehave 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 vsus 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 ye 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.