An Answer to Blasphemous Cavillations by an Anabaptist, Section 28
THE ADVERSARIE▪
Now to that which ye say,The 28. section. Malac. 2. that Adam, and Dauid euen in committing of Idolatrie, homicide, all kind of wickednes, they be st…l in gods fauor. mark▪ I pray you how the saying of the prophet Zacharie is verified in you. In this saith he, ye gri…e the Lord that ye say, They tha… d… euil are good in the sight of God, and such please him, can there be any thing more manifes…ly sp…ken against your error▪ and truelye it semeth to me, that ye wold intyce the people by this do…trine to sinne, for if the elect lose not the fa…or of God by sinne nether the repobate forasmuch, a… y… say, neuer were nor can be in h… fa…or▪ so that they can not lose that which they hauehave not▪ who nedeth to feare then to lose the fauor of God by sinne. It is no matter then what we do▪ but con…rarie to your doctrine, we be taught by the hol…e Gost in the worde that God hateth all workes of iniquitie, and he that committeth sinne is o… the deuil And doeth God fauor them that be membres of the deuil. Paul saeth no unclean person hathe any inheritance in the kingdome of Christ and God, thē was Adā whē he transgressed not of the Kingdome of god for he was an unclean person defiled with sinne. If he was n…t of the kingdom… of God, thē was he of the kingdō of the deuil, & so was he out of the election. euen as Adam did sayth the Lord,Ose … so hauehave they broken my couenant and set me at naught. If Adam in breking the Lordes couenant, setting God at naught, was stil beloued of God, then may we say with the wicked as it is written. It is but lost labor to serue the Lord what profit hauehave we for keping his commandements▪ Therefore may we… say that the proude are happie, a…d that they which deale with vngodlines are set vp Such a sp…rit hauehave ye car…les libertins, as your doctrine wel declareth. did not God threaten Adam, that in what daye so euer he shoulde eat of the frute, he shoulde dye the death. not onelyonly corporall but also eternall. They which forsake the commandements of God forsake God him self, as the Prophetes saye th they are not the Lords for they hauehave vnfaithfully forsaken him, Wherefore Adam when he forsoke God was not the Lords but the seruant of death and sinne, to whom soeuer ye commit your selues as seruants to obeye, saieth Paul his seruants ye are, to whom ye obey, whether it be of sinne vntounto death, or obedience vntounto righteousnes. And againe if any man hauehave not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his, and n…ther Adā nor Dauid were led by the spirit of Christ, when they sinned for the spirit of Christ dwelleth not insuch as forsake him, & obey the deuil & except Christ saith the Apostel dwel in you ye are cast away, then Adā & Dauid were cast àwaies that is reprobates whē they sinned for nether were they in Christ nor Christ in thē in whō the electiō of God was & is but to what purpose shoulde I thus contēd with you that Adā did f…lle out of the electiō seing in this ye agre not your selues. for your cōgregatiō which is a… Gen…ua in the confession of their faith, say that of the lost sonnes of Adā God elected som to life and the rest he refused. E…her improue their be…efe or els conf…sse with them that all the children of Adam were lost by trāsgression. If they were lost▪ then were they out of the ele…tion with their father▪ Adam from th… transgression vntounto the prom…s was made Therefore saieth Paul damnatio… came of one sinne vntounto condemnatiō & in an other place like as by Adam all dye. euen so by Christ▪ shal all be made aliue, Here doeth the Apostles witnes pla…nely▪ that we all by Adam do dye S. Iohn saieth h… that beleueth not is alredie condemnedand the wrath of God abideth on him. Then were Adam and Dauid, and all such workers of i…quitie for that tym that they si…ed alredie condemned being void, of faith And coulde they be in the …ate of cond…mnation & election both together▪ Harken what followeth, and▪ the wrath of God abideth on … as Adam from the tra…sgression v…to th… promes felt the force of the wrath of God, Thus we …, tha… Adam and Dauid and all other … they sinned …hey be out of the lou… and fau…r and election of God, vntounto they repen…, and be b…rn… a n…w. for otherwis… can they neuer enter int… the kingdome of heauen. Again, S Iohn saith, ye knowe that no mansl…y… are hath, et…rn…l lie… abiding in him, Dauid was a man kill…r, wherefore he had not eter…al lief abiding in him. Bu… during the tim… of his wicked…es he was the childe of death, as the Prophet Nathan shew…d him, Dauid g…uing iudgement against him self▪ without faith it can not b… that any man should… please God, Adam, and Dauid when they sinned they were without faith, then pleas…d they not God. If they pleased him not, they displeased him so that they were fallen from the louelove, and f…uor of God.
ANSWER.
Albeit that I perceaue yt ether ignorāce doeth so impede you, orels that malice doeth so blynd you, yt nether ye wil nor can vnderstand yt, which in ye self is most sensible & plaine, I wil neuer theles yet once againe repete, that wc before I hauehave said to the ēd, that we may giuegive testimonie, asw…ll, to those yt now liue, as vntounto ye posteritie to com, what doctrine it is, wc ye so furiously impugne. If ignorance be the cause why thus ye rage against vsus, ye may be taught, if ye list to bestowe your eares to heare, your eyes to read, & heartes to vnderstand. for o• doctrine is not as som of you do complein, darke nor obscure, except yt it be, to those to whom ye Apostle affirmed, yt his Euāgill was hid. But if that malice wc ye hauehave cōceaued agaīst the eternal trueth of God,Answer. to the …. 2. 3. doth so blynd you that ye wil not se ye bright son in ye midday, there resteth no more to vsus, but to desire of God ether to remoue this your deuelish malice (I write as knoweth God euen frō ye grief of heart): orels so to stay & brydle it, y• it trooble not his afflicted Church. Ye accuse vsus, as yt we made no differēce betwext vice & vertue, sinne, and iustice, nether yet betwext Adā, and Dauid, as they were elected in Christ Iesus before ye foūdacions of the worlde were laid, and betwext Adam transgressing, and Dauid committing adulterie, and murthe….
Ye further seme to charge vsus as we should affirme, that God hated not sinne, nether yet that he respected vice. If our short, plaine, and vnfeined cōfessiō, be able to satisfie you in these thre dowtes I hauehave good hope yt after this ye shall hauehave no occasion to suspect vsus in such causes.Our confession touhing sinne. first before God, before his holie Angelles in heauē, & before his cōgregatiō in earthe, we protest & acknowledge, yt sinne, vice, and all kind of iniquiti…, is, and euer hath bene so odious, in ye presence of God, yt he neuer suffered ye same vnpunished, in any of his elect childrē. That for ye same not onelie death, but also cōmō calamities hath apprehēded all man kynd euē sithēce the first trasgression. That vertue,T… ching v…rtue and iustice … uil. iustice, and ciuil honestie (besydes the iustice of the regenerat children) hath so pleased God▪ that for louelove of the same, he hath mainteined and to this day doth maintein cōmon welthes, albeit that many grieuous crymes be commited in the same. As God (we say and affirme) loueth equitie, iustice, chastitie, trueth, merciemercy, and tēperāce, so doth he in som sort hieghly reward the same, and hateth vnrighteousnes, filthie life deceat, excesse, crueltie, and ria…ous liuing, which often he punisheth euen in manne… eyes. And this difference, we say God maketh euen amongest those, that be not regenerate, nether were euer called to ye true knowledge of saluation. And this much briefly for the first secōd and 3. This difference we make betwext Adam and Dauid elected, in Christ Iesus, and Adam and Dauid transgressing gods holie commādemēt, and wil reueled▪ Adam and Dau…d elected, in Christ Iesus before the foundations of the worlde were laid, were so loued in the same Lord Iesus their head, that when they had most horribly fallen and offended, yet did God seke Adam, call vponupon him gently reason with him and at length conuicting his conscience of his offence, did make vntounto him, that most ioyfull promes of recōciliation: of the same louelove (we say it proceded) that God did send the Prophete Nathā to Dauid, the offender, that by the fiction of an other person, he letteth him se the horror of his sinne, that he did first terrifie, and beate downe his conscience: and after most tenderly did erect, and lift it vp from the pitt of desperation. All these graces (say we) proceded frome gods immutable louelove which did remaine cōstant,… and i… whom God loueth sin…ers euē when …hey hauehave off…n…ed. both towardes the one and towardes the other, euen in the tyme of their greatest vnthank fulnes. And that because they nether were beloued, nor elected in them selues, but in Christ Iesus their head, who nether did transgresse nor offend in any iote, against the wil of his heauenlie father.
But Adam and Dauid transgressing and horribly falling from God, were so hated in them selues, and for their sinnes, that first behoued the innocent Sonne of God, by his death to make a satisfaction▪ for their sinnes▪ as also for the sinnes of all gods children. And secondarely we say, preache write, and maintein, that the sinne was so odious before God, that his iustice could do none other, but inflict vponupon Adam, and his posteritie… The penaltie of death corporall,How … dious is sin in g…ds pr… sence. the punishemētes, and plagues, which daily we do se apprehend gods children. that vponupon Dauid, he did execute his iust iudgement, which in these wordes he pronounced. Now therefor ye sworde shall neuer departe from thyne house, because, thow hast despysed me, and taken the wife of vriah the Hittite, to be thy wife. Thus saieth the lord: behold I wil raise vp euill against the oute of thyne own house, and I shall take thy wiues before thyne eyes and giuegive them vntounto thy neighbour and he shall lye with thy wyues in the sight of sunne. for yu didest it secretely, but I shall do this thing before all Israel, and before y• sunne. This sentence,…. Sam. 12 I say, most iustly pronounced, was after most sharply, and yet most iustly) for sinne commited) put in▪ execution. And so do we affirm that none of gods children be they neuer so deare, shall escaip punishement, if contempteously they transgresse.
I suppose yt this our confession nothing doth offend you, except in this one thing yt we affirme that God still loued Adā and Dauid after their sinne, before yt his holie Sprit wroght in their heartes any true repentance. And yet I wonder why this should offend you, seing yt we assigne the cause, not to be them selues, nether any vertue with in them selues, but Christ Iesus, in whom they were elected and chosen. The signes of gods louelove, we hauehave euidētly proued, and y• end and issue did witnes yt gods louelove was not mutable. If you require scriptures, for the probatiō of ye same. Behold they are redie. if whē we were enemies we were recōciled vntounto God, by the death of his sone, much more we being recōciled shalbe saued by his life.Rom. 5▪ And a little before in the same chapter. Whē we were sinners Christ died for vsus, &c. And ye Apostle Iohn: herein appereth the louelove of God towardes vsus, y• his onelie begotten sonne hath he sent in to the world, that we may liue by hym: herein is louelove, not that we loued God, but that he loued vsus. And hath sent his Sonne in the mercieseat▪ for our sinnes. These are verey plaine, and we think that no reasonable man wil denie to Adam and to Dauid, that which the holie Gost maketh common to all gods elect children, to witt, to be beloued of God▪ euen when they were ennemies, dead in sinne, drowned in idolatrie, and polluted with all filthines, as witnesseth the Apostle in these wordes: And you when ye were dead by sinne,Ephe. … in the which ye somtymes walked, according to this worlde, accordīg to y• prince, to whom power is the ayre, which is the spirit now working in the rebellious children,The vnspea…kable lo… of God towardes his elect. amongest whom we all had somtymes conuersation, in the lust…s of our flesh, doing those thinges, which pleased the fleshe, and the mynd, and were of nature the sonnes of wrathe like as others. But God who is riche in merciemercy, for his own great louelove, by the which he loued vsus, euen when we were dead by sinnes (marke, and if ye be offended, complein vponupon the holie Gost) hath qwickened vsus togither with Christ (by grace ye are saued) and hath raised vsus vp togither with him, and to gither with him, hath caused vsus to sit amongest y• heauenlie, by Christ Iesus, to shew in ye ages to com, his most rich grace in his liberalitie, by Christ Iesus. God open your eyes that you may se the light, and mollifie your heartes, that ye may magnifie with gods children his superaboundant louelove and merciemercy bestowed euen vponupon the most vnworthie.
If ye think yt this louelove hath onelie place before that man offend, you se the holie Gost plainely repugneth to your sentēce, for he speaketh to them that had bene polluted & defiled with all sinnes.…epli… If yet ye replie, but that was during the tyme of their ignorāce and not after they were illuminated by grace, ye hauehave said nothīg against our confession. for we affirme that God loueth sinners being wrapped in death and damnatiō by sinne.… and yt we hauehave plainely proued. But yet for your satisfactiō, and instructiō (for I take to record the Lord Iesus y• I wold bestow my own life, to ioyne you fully to Christ Iesue) I will procede a litle further with you▪ Do ye think that the sinne of Dauid touching the nature and qualitie of ye sinne it self, was more horrible and odious be fore God, then were all the sinnes committed in Ephesus, by those, to whom the Apostle writeth? yea then the …innes which were done amongest ye hole Gētiles? I trust ye will not think it. and we clerely see that God loued y• elect in Ephesus and amongest the Gentiles when they were drouned in all kynd of iniquitie. If still ye replie Dauid was vnthankfull who after so many benefites receaued, so traterously declined frome God, followīg his own appetites, and of purposed coūsell, murthering his innocent seruant, and y• with great ignominie of God. This nether do, nether yet euer did we denie. but yet as y• question is other, so is not our cōfe…ion proued fals, Albeit Dauid was vnthankfull (yea and after Adā most vnthankfull, of any of gods children to his daies). for herein standeth the doubt, whether y• the vnthankfulnes of gods childrē, after they hauehave once receaued merciemercy, grace, and large benefites from gods hands, doth so alienat the mynd of God, from them, that he beareth to them no maner of louelove, till they turn to him by repentance The contrarie hereof, we hold, and affirme, not fearing to auowe, that repentance,Faith & repentā ce are the eff… ct…s of gods lo…e which he beare…h to his elect in Chri… lesus. as it is ioyned with faith which is the fre gift of God, so is it the effect of gods cōstant louelove toward them, and no cause of the same. And for the more ample declaration hereof, let vsus compare the deniall of Peter, and ye defection of all the Apostles, with the sinne of Dauid. Albeit Peter was not called to be a wordlie prīce, as Dauid was, yet I thīk ye wil not denie, but to be called to the office of an Apostle, to be Christes scoller the space of thre yeres, to be so familiare with Christ, yt he alone with other two did se Christ their master trāsfigured, did heare y• ioyfull voice frome heauen▪ did se Moises and Helias speak with him, my trust is, I say,Dauids offence cōpared with Peters d…niall of Christ yt ye will not denie, but that those were graces no thing inferior to Dauids kingdom temporall: and yet how horribly yt Petet did denie Christ Iesus, ye are not ignorante. Yea but say ye, Peter wept, and soght grace with repētance. But I ask when? the holie Gost doth answere, y• it was after the cocke had crowen, and that Christ Iesus had looked vntounto him. Proceded yt looke I besech you from louelove, or hatered? It should seme in dede, by the effect, that it came from louelove. for then it is said that Peter remembered the wordes of his master and so wēt furth and wept bitterly. By all liklihode, then were his masters vordes before qwyte blotted oute of his memorie. But God be praised, we nede not to depend vponupon vncerten coniectures. The fall and deniall of Peter (as in an other place we hauehave declared) came not by chance, as a thīg, whereof Christ Iesus was ignorāt. He did forese it, and before speaketh it. And what cōfort gaue Christ Iesus vntounto him▪ before he pronounced that sharp sentence, before ye cock crowe thow shalt denie me thries. This comfort I say, which oght of all faithfull most to be ex…olled: Simon, Simō, beholde Satā hath desired you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I hauehave prayed for the,Luk …2 that thy faith faile not: and thow being conuerted confirme thy bretheren. Did Christ pray for Peter, knowing that he should denie him? so he affirmeth. Doth the praier of Christ Iesus and the effect thereof vanish in a moment? God for bid, that such impietie take place īn our heartes. The Apostle doth witnes that as his sacrifice is euer recent before God, so is his praier effectuall euer for his elect. Doth God vtterly hate detest, and abhorre such, as for whom Christ Iesus praieth? yea commendeth to his merciemercy, before they fall i…n to danger? my hope is that the godlie will not so iudge. The same I might proue by the stowte denial of Thomas (besides the defection of all the rest) who after that the glad tydings of Christes resurrection,God can not hate such as Christ praieth for. was confirmed by the testimonie of many, did obstinatly say, except that I put my fingers in the holes, &c. I wil not beleue. Here ye se was no repentance of his former infidelitie, but rather an augmentation, and increase of the same. And did it procede frome louelove, or from hatered, that Christ cometh vntounto him, and doth offer to satisfie his curiositie, in all thinges, willing him to be faithfull and not to remaine an infidele?
Consider now how simply and plainely, we hauehave opened our myndes vntounto you, God grāt you his holie Spirit rightly to vnderstand, and charitably to interprete the thinges that be spoken, &c.
Now will I briefly go throughe these scriptures which ye abuse, and violently wrest against vsus not making so long discourse to amend your iudgemēt, as I hauehave done to fore. For if things alredie spoken shall not profit, I must confesse my self destitute of counsell, for this tyme. The wordes of the prophete (where necgligently ye name Zacharie for Malachie),Mala. 2. nether serue your purpose, nether yet are verefied in vsus. for we be not as the priestes, who in those daies permitted plaine iniquitie, and contempt of God, and of his statutes, vniuersaly to be done by the people, and yet they did not oppone them selues to the same. Read the Prophete and con…ict vsus of those thinges if ye can.
We are sorie, that ye hauehave no better opinion of vsus,To the 3 then that our hole studie should be to entyse the people to sinne. Not that we do muche feare, that by your wordes, ye can persuade any, except your own faction▪ (and hardly those) to credit you in that behalf. for all praise be to God, our liues, doctryn, and correctiō of vice, do witnesse the contrarie. but our greatest sorow is, for your condemnation, which doubtles must ensue suche wicked iudgement, if hastely ye repent not.
As the Sunne is not to be blamed,To the 4 Th… sunne is not blamed becaus the carion stinketh albeit the carion by the heate thereof, be more and more corrupted: so is not our doctrine, althogh that carnall men, thereof take carnal libertie. for that ye knowe did ensue the doctrine of S. Paule.
We do no les affirme both in worde and writing thē here you do affirme, to wit: That he who committeh sinne, is of the deuil. but herein I suppose standeth the difference, that you and we vnderstand not that phrase alike. we vnderstand that the man cōmitteh sinne,Rom. 6 To the 5▪ …. I…a. … What it is to committ sinne. whose hole studie, mynd, and purpose frome tyme, to tyme, is bent vponupon iniquitie: and suche do we affirme to be of the deuil, who sinneth from the beginning. If you vnderstand, that euerie action committed against the law of God, maketh a man the sonne of the deuil, we must liberally speak that so we do not vnderstand the mynd of the Apostle. for plaine it is that he meaneth not of actiōs particulare, be they neuer so grieuous, whereof a man after repenteth, ād from the same desisteth: but of a continual exercise, delite, and studie, whiche man hath in sinne. And this is plaine I say,The meaning of the place alleged 1. Iohn 3 by the wordes which immediatly procede and go before, he that exerciseth iustice (saieth he) is iust euē as he is iust: he yt cōmitteth sinne is of the deuil. for frome the beginning the deuil sinneth. Here is the exercise of iustice put in contrarietie to the committing of sinne. An exercise we know requireh a continual studie and practyse. I think ye will not say, that one iust worke maketh a man iust, and so consequently the son of God, except he procede frome iustice to iustice. The same say we must be vnderstand of the committing of sinne: for nether Adame,To the. 5. nor Dauid did any longer committ their former sinnes, then by grace they began to repent. And so did they not remaine vnclean persons, nor in bondage of the deuil. Neither yet can it be proued, that euer they were membres of the deuil, nor of his kingdom, albeit willingly they made them selues slaues to him: whom Christ Iesus notwithstanding did vendicate to him self,To the. 6. and delyuer from that thraldome. Because of the fre gift of God his father, they did appertein to his kingdome: nether euer be you able to proue by any of these sentences, that euer they were out of the election, as before is declared.
The place of the prophete Oseas is of you euill vnderstād▪ Os… 6.the lacke of the hebrew tongue may be the cause of your error. And albeit your great, and perfect angell Castalio pretēd great knowledge in that tongue, yet in that, as in many other places a childe may espie his negligence. Trewe it is that in the hebrew, this word Adam is in that place. But if we shall vnderstand that word wheresoeuer it is founde in the scripture, for the person of Adam our first father, we shall make a mad translatiō, and a sense more mad. Suche as hauehave, but mean vnderstanding in that tongue do know, that that worde is oftē common for any man, as in the prophetes is most euident.
The veritie of the text is this, they hauehave transgressed the couenante,How …his worde Adā in 6. cha. of …seas ogh… to be vnderstand. as the couenante of a man, they hauehave rebelled against me &c. God compleineth vponupon Ephraim and Iuda, that they had no further respect, reuerence nor regard to that most excellent couenante and league, whiche God had made with them, to wit, that he wold be their God, and they should be his people. for God had preferred them to all nations of the earth, and had set them a part from others, to serue and honor him in holynes of lief, and to offer vntounto him rather spiritual thē carnall sacrifice. But they serued him at their pleasure: yea, and in that land which they had receaued of gods most liberal benediction, they did decline to Idolatrie. for that he meaneth, where that he saieth: there hauehave they rebelled, that is, where that they most oght to be obedient. This I doubt not shall euerie man, who diligently marketh the scope of the prophete perceaue to be his verie meaning.
Otherwies,To the… and more sharply I might hauehave answered your ignorance, who can se no difference betwext Adam once sinning, and yet shortly after by grace called to a new, and more sure league with God (whiche with all gladnes and thankfulnes he did receaue) and the manifest contemners of God, which do nothing els, but delyte in sinne. forme the whiche albeit, that ten thousand tymes they be called, yet contemning all societie with God, their pleasure is, to remaine in vanitie, and so finally in death. This difference, I say ye oght to hauehave obserued, and then I doute not, but that ye wold hauehave exempted Adam, from the rancke of suche as contempteously crie, it is but labor lost to serue God. If diligently ye shall consider what is writen in Iob,Iob 21 Mal…. 3 and in Malachie the third cha. ye shall easely vnderstād that the prophete there deuideth ye hole multitude, in these two sortes of men, to wit, in those that be proud obstinate contēners, and in them yt feared the Lord, whō he calleth his peculiare people, whom he promised to spare, as a man spareth his son that serueth him. And one of this last sorte vnderstand we Adam to hauehave bene all his daies, after his fall, and recōciliation by grace. The lord purge your heartes (if his good pleasure be) from yt venom, which so oft moueth you to spew furth your own shame, sometymes crying: that we be led with the spirit of Balaam: and now affirming▪ that we be careles libertynes. To wc blasphemies because I can nether answere without ye sorow & grief of heart, nether without som offence of godlie eares, I will remit iudgement to him, to whō as he hath frome the beginning, opened thinges that for a tyme lay hid in darknes, so I dout not, but that he will, yea and that shortly reuele vntounto the world with what spirites both you and we be led. when more occasiō shall be offered, I purpose, if so it please the merciemercy of my God to assist me, to notifie with what spirites you and your sect hauehave bene led here to fore.
What soeuer ye gather of the wordes of the Apostle it is altogither out of ye purpose. for in none of all those places doth he define & determin what Adam,To the 8 9. & …0 and Dauid were, whan they had sinned, but plainely he declareth, what tryall oght euerie mā to take of him self▪ whē Christ Iesus is preached vntounto him, affirming that if any hauehave not the spirit of Christ Iesus, that he is not of his. but ye spirit of Christ remaineth not in vnclean and prophane persons, say you. but yet I affirme that Adam and Dauid oght not to be nōbred in that band. for althogh they sinned, and that most horribly, yet did they not abyde in that estate. And albeit they were not led with the spirit of Christ, whē they sinned, yet they were both led, drawen, and gouerned by his omnipotent spirit, when they repented. And so can ye neuer be able to proue them to be reprobates,How Adā and Dauid wer… neuer repr…bates no not euen when they sinned: except that ye be able to proue, that they finally perished in sinne. for this principall do I still hold, that true faith and true repentance (which the reprobate … uer hauehave) be the frutes of Election. The place of the Apostle written in the 13. chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians, is neither well marked, nor rightly applied by you, neither yet will it suffer any suche conclusion as ye gather of it. The mynd of the Apostle is this: After the departing of Paule from Corinthus, where after many stormes susteined, he had established the forme of a Churche, did enter in fals Prophetes, whose chief studie was to eleuate the auctorite of Paule and so to deface his hole labor, affirming that he was not worthie to be called an Apostle. for he was neuer in the companie of Christ, others were of greater estimatiō and faour then he was.
And as a multitude is euer more redie to receaue poyson thē holsom medicine, agreate nōber began to giuegive eare vntounto them: and so began litle to esteme, what so euer Paul had labored amongest them. Against which vnthankfulnes▪ the Apostle very sharpley writeth, as in bothe his epistles doth appere. And amongest other his argumentes, which he vseth to proue that he was an Apostle, nothing inferior to the greatest, he adduceth thē selues for a testimonie, saing: Trie your selues if ye be in the faith,2. Cor▪ 1… proue your selues. know ye not your selues, that Iesus Christ is in you, except yt ye be reprobates? By these wordes most sharp, and most vehement he laboreth to conuict their conscience, that he was an Apostle, and that the prooffe of his Apostleship (as in an other place he doth affirme) was declared in them, as he should say: your fals Apostles aff…rme, that I am not worthie of the name of an Apostle. but if the office of an Apostle be to preach Christ Iesus, and if the true signe,The pl… ce of th… 13. chap. 2. Corin. declared that decerneth the true Apostle from the fals be, that Christ so potently worketh by his ministerie, that Christ Iesus taketh possession in the heartes of the hearers by the true preaching of his word, then be iudges your selues whether I be an Apostle or not. Call your cōscience to examination, in what estate I did find you. were ye not drowned in all sortes of iniquite? did ye not walk in darkenes, without any true light of God? And in what estate did I leaue you? Trie and examin your selues in what estate ye do yet stand, you can not be vnsensible, you can not be so ignorant, but ye must know, whether that Christ dwelleth in you or no. If you will acknowledge, and cō …es that Christ dwelleth in you, then must ye nedes confes, that I am an Apostle. For by my labors and preaching did you receaue Christ Iesus. And if to deface my labors, and to defraud me of that honor, which God, of his merciemercy hath giuē vntounto me ye list deny, that ether ye receaued Christ Iesus, ether yet that he remaineth in you, then do ye confes your selues reprobates.
Paule doth not absolutely define that they were reprobates, but putteth in to their choise, whether they wold confes, that Christ Iesus did remaine in them by faith, which they had receaued by the preaching of Paule, and so wold admitt him to be an Apostle: or to grante, that they had nothing to do with Christ, and so to confes them selues reprobates. Now let the indifferent reader iudge whether that ether faithfully ye cyte the text, ether that righteously ye conclude vponupon the same. The Apostle saieth not, except that Christ dwell in you, yow are reprobates, but saieth, as before I hauehave alledged, do ye not know your selues that Christ Iesus is in you? except that in som what ye be reprobates. And albeit that the wordes were such, as ye recite, how can you therof conclude, Dauid, and Adam were reprobates, when they sinned? seing that Paule in that place maketh mencion of no other sinne, except of the denial of Christ, to remain in them, of their ingratitude towardes him, whom God had appointed preacher vntounto them and of giuing eare & credite to fals Apostles, sclāderers of Christes true messingers▪ how iustly I might turn Paules wordes vpō your heades, you easely may espie: but all such reasoning I do from my heart abhorre. If ye can be able to proue that Adam refused the grace offered, or that Dauid did storme against Nathan, ether affirming or suspecting him to be a fals prophete, then had your argument som probabilitie. for onelyonly of such, and to suche speaketh the Apostle in that place. Thus doth …ther your ignorance, or malice wresting the scriptures against their natiue sense, compell me to trouble the reader muche more then I wold, if any sinceritie were found in you.
We do constantly affirme,To the 11 that by the sinne of one man did death enter in to the world. for Adam did not onelyonly lose him self, but also did with him self wrap all his posteritie in sin, death and damnation, so that Adam and all his sonnes were in him lost. But thereof it doth not follow (as ye affirme) that therefor they were out of the election, from the transgression vntounto the promes. for as before we hauehave plainely proued, they were elected in Christ Iesus before the foundaciōs of y• world were laied, in whom they did stand elected, and beloued euen whē they fell in Adā at which time ye electiō which from all eternitie was kept in the counsell of God, began to be notified, and manifested to mannes knowledge. The fall and sinne of man was the way and meanes, by the which gods election did appere, but was not the cause,It beh… ued all men to dye in Adam. why that it was destroied. And so if with reuerēce ye coulde consider the mysterie of our redemption in Christ Iesus, ye shoulde plainely se, that it behoued all to die in Adam, that the elect might receaue life in Christ Iesus alone.
The wordes of Christ Iesus our master,To the 12. rehearsed by the Euangelist S. Iohn,Iohn: ye do shamefully abuse for in that place he intreateth not, whether a sinner durīg the time of his blindnes and sinne, is appointed to damnation or not, nether yet whether such as before hauehave had knowledge, as Adam and Dauid had, be altogether void of faith, by reason of sinne after committed. None of these two poi…tes I say doth our Master in that place intreat. But vntounto Nichodemus he plainely declareth, that the cause of life is faith, and the cause of condemnation is incredulitie and vnbe leif. Not that Christ Iesus affirmeth, that euerie man that is vnfaithfull at any tyme is or shalbe condemned. for God hath wrapped all vnderunder vnbelief. yt he may hauehave merciemercy vpō all, as S. Paul confesseth him self to hauehave bene a persecuter, and vnfaithfull. But the true meaning of Christ is yt such as dispyse ye light offered, & remaine invnbelief to ye ēd, hauehave their condemnation alredie appointed, as contrary wise who so euer with full obedience do steadfastly beleue the same shall hauehave the life euerlasting, not withstanding the manifest tran sgressions of the law.
The rest of this part is be fore answered and therefor… I will not with repeticion trouble the reader. for ye be neuer able to proue,To the, 13▪ 14. 15 &. 16. that Adame and Dauid were so, out of the louelove of God, that he did not louelove them in Christ his Sonne, in whom they were elected. Dauid was no suche mankiller as was Cayn, of whom, Saint Iohn speaketh, who delited in blood to the end. Nether did Nathā shew, nor Dauid pronounce any suche iudgemēt against him self, as ye imagin, but being conuicted in in his own conscience, how horribly he had offended, he did heare not withstanding that ioyfull sentence: The Lord hath taken a way thy sinne, thow shalt not die &c. Which sentence no doubt proceded frome that immutable louelove, wc was reserued to him in Christ Iesus, euen when he was fardest declined from God. It will be hard for you to proue by euident scriptures, that Dauid was altogither void of faith. but granting, that he, as concerning his own sense, and feling, was vtterly dead, yet doth it not thereof follow, that so he displeased God, that he fell from the louelove and fauor of God, as touching his electiō. for the Apostle (vponupon whose wordes ye seme to grounde your reason) meaneth not, that the lack of faith,The lacke of faith in all persōs d…th not so displease God that he vtterly reie…teth thē in all persons, at all tymes, and in all respectes, doth so displease God, that he hateth them, and reiecteth them to death euerlasting. For childrē for a tyme lacke faith, and yet Crist pronounceth that their Angelles do se the face of his father, and that the kingdō of heauen apperteineth to such. Thomas was vnfaithfull euen after Christes resurrectiō. And yet did he not so displease his maister, as before we heaue touched, but that he did seke… him, and did remoue his incredulitie. And Christ Iesus did rebuke the vnbelief of his disciples, and the hardnes of their heartes. but yet did he not vtterly dispyse them. But now to the rest.