An Answer to Blasphemous Cavillations by an Anabaptist, Section 17
THE ADVERSARIE.
Secondly these men think that gods foreknowledge causeth all things to com to passe of necessitie,The 17. Section which is also vntrue. for knowledge of things past, of things present, and of things to com dependeth of the thing that is knowen, and not the thing of knowledge. As I know that Paule before he was called, he was a persecuter of Christes Churche,O prowde lucifer that darest compare thy knowledledge to the presciē ce of God but Paule was not a persecuter because I knew it, but I knew it because he was a persecuter: I know that in the monethmonth of Iuly shall be haruest, yet shall not haruest be, because I know so, but I know it because it shall be. Likwese God did know that I should write this day, but yet did he not compell me to write: for I had libertie either to write or not to write, not becaus he knew that I should write, therefor did I write, but becaus I was to write, therefor knew he that I should write. Thus ye may se how they do erre which affirme that gods foreknowledge causeth all things to com to passe of necessitie. for as God doeth foresee that men will do … so doeth he also foresee that they may leaue the euill vndone, and as God foreseeth that men will not do well, so he foreseeth that they be not compelled thereto, but might do well if they list. As for example, Christ could and might hauehave obteined more then twelue legions of Angels, and yet God did know that he should not obtein them: also God did know that Christ should not pray for twelue legions of Angels, and yet he might hauehave praied as he saieth him self. Of this it is manifest that notwithstanding the for knowledge of God things may com to passe otherwiese then they do. Wherefor it foloweth that Gods foreknowledge causeth no necessitie. Pilate had power to crucifie Christ, or to let him go: which Christ denied not, but rather affirmed it saing he had that power srome aboue, ād althogh Pilate, did not delyuer Christ, notwithstanding he might hauehave done it. Ananias solde his possession, and yet he might hauehave not sold it: he broght a parte of the price thereof to the Apostles, which he might hauehave reteined to him. as Peter witnesseth that the price therof was in his own power, Many such other exemples may I bring furth whereby it should appere manifest that notwithstanding the fore knowledge of God, things be done which might not be done, and things be not done, which might be done.
ANSWERE.
Albeit that ye be so blinded that ye can put no difference betwext the foreknowledge,To the 1. will, and power of God, which all are perfect in him self, as is his eternall God head, and the foreknowledge, will, and power of man or creatures which he imperfect and weak by reason of mā nes corruption, yet I doubt n…t but that all reasonable men shall sodanly espie your vanitie, who dare be so bold as to affirme that because your knowledge was not the cause that Paul was a persecutor, that therefor the foreknowledge of God, his eternal purpose coūsell and will wc we, neuer seperate, did no more in that mater, then did your bare knowledge. by the same reason ye may conclude … t God wroght no more wt Paule in preaching to the Gentiles, thē did your knowledge, for ye reasō is a lik strōg. But he him self, will not be so vn…hankfull, but will confesse that from his mothers wombe he set him a parte,Galat. 1. and called him by his grace to the end that he might reuele his Sonne Christ Iesus by him:1 Tim. 1 for the which he vnfeanedly thanked the goodnes of God, who made him strong in Christ Iesus to be faithfull in that office,God worketh both in his elect, and in the reprobate but in diu…rse maner. and ministerie, I am not ignorāt that other waies doeth God worke in the heartes of his elect, the work of their saluation, and other waies in the reproba…e. for in the heartes of his elect effectually and by the power of his spirit doeth he so worke in them the motions that be aggreable to his holie commandments, that they striue and contend against their natural corruption: but iustly leauing the reprobate to them selues and to sathā their father, they willingly folow without all violence or compulsion of gods parte, iniquitie and sinne: and so finally the way of perdition to the which …hey naturally are inclyned. But yet if any will affirme that therefor gods fore knowledge doeth but Idly behold that they will do, and that in his eternall purpose, counsell and will, he will one thing, ād they will an other, so that their will preuale against his, he shall not escap the cryme of horrible blasphemy, as before I hauehave said, ād here after also must more largely entreat. Of your knowledge what shall com in Iulie ād of your libertie to write I onelyonly answer this: that albeit God did not compell you to write, for there to your wicked will was bēt: yet becaus he foreknew, and also hath fore spoken that of necessitie it was, that heresies should com, that the elect might be tried, it was not altogither against his will, that ye should manifest your self, ād that we should patiently suffer your vniust accusations.
Your wrastling and wrangling with the wordes of our master Christ Iesus to Peter, is so far from the purpose of the holie Gost, that I am partly ashamed in your behalf. Doeth Christ in that place absolutely affirme, that either he might pray for xii legions of Angells, either yet that his Father wold or might giuegive them to him then, to deliuer him? or doeth he not rather by this interrogation: Beleuest thow not that I may pray my Father? rebuke the bold and foolish interprise of Peter, who rashly pretended to defende by his sworde him whome the Father had giuē into the hādes of his ennemies, of determined purpose to die for our sinnes? and so did he cōclude contrarie to your mynd; to witt, that impossible it was that either he should pray for any Angels, to delyuer him at that tyme, either …et that his Father should send any for that purpose: for becaus it was other waies determined in his eternall and immutable counsell, as … plaine wordes he witnesseth saing: But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled in which it is fore spoken, that so it behoueth to be.
In the wordes of Pilate and in Christes answer ye shew the like ignorance as before.To the …. for there vponupon ye conclude what Pilate might hauehave done, and yet did not the same, where as the purpose of Christe Iesus was to reproue the proode arrogancie of the vaine man, who did vsurpe to him self authoritie, rendring vntounto God neither honor nor glorie, but boasting him self of his power, he thoght all thinges lawfull, which it pleased him to do. Against which pride and vniust vnthākfulnes, Christ absolutely denieth that he should hauehave had any power ouer him, except it had bene giuē to him frome aboue. By which wordes and sentence he did put him in minde that he should make accomptes, what iudgement he pronounced, not to the Emperor onelyonly, but to the soueraigne God who as he hath appointed and established autoriteis, so shall he seuerely require of their hāds an accompt, if vnderunder his name they vse tirannie or pronounce fals iudgemēt. This I doubt not is ye true ād simple meanīg of ye text, ād not as ye ignorātly orels maliciously collect, yt Christ affirmed that Pilate had power not to adiudge him to be crucified, but to deliuer hī.Read the praier of the Apostles. Act. 4. The holie Gost affirmeth ye direct cōtrarie saīg: of a trueth in this citie hauehave cōuened against thy holie Sōne whome thow hast anointed, Herode ād Pōtius Pilate with the gentiles and the people of Israel to do what so euer thy hand and counsell hauehave before decreed to be done. Now let the indifferent reader iudge which of our collections and conclusions is most strongly proued. Ye affirme that Pilate had power not to crucifie Christ: and I say that he was appointed in the immutable counsell of God to be one of the wicked instrumentes, by whome the Sonne of God should innocently suffer the death of the crosse. But how litle doeth this releue the wilfull sinne of Pilate shall after be declared.
Euē such libertie and power,What power Ananias had of his land as ye had to write these former and subsequēt blasphemies, had Ananias of his land, and money receiued for the same. For as you being infected with heresie, malice, and enuie, did willingly write and vtter your vēnom: so he being auaricious and a dissembling hypocrite did of a fre, consenting heart reserue a portion to him self, offering a parte to the Churche of God, with protestatiō that it was the hole some, thinking therebie to hauehave obteined the commendation and praise which hypocrites deserue not.Act. 5. But what was gods purpose, counsell, and will in that behalf, is euident, to witt that we shall abhorre and auoid hypocrisie, that we shall not abuse the simplicitie of our brethren, neither yet make protestation of that thing before men, affirming that to be trew which our own conscience knoweth to be fals. But now to the rest.