An Answer to Blasphemous Cavillations by an Anabaptist, Section 47 – Section 48
THE ADVERSARIE▪
Iudge now gentill reader vprightly,The 47. section. and here I commit thee to God, beseching him to opē the eies of thy minde, that thou maiest know the trueth, in this, and in all other matters neces…arie to thy saluation.
ANSWER.
As you will all men to reade, and to iudge with indifferencie, euen so do we, requiring of God not onelyonly yt so the eyes of mē maye be lightened that clearely they may se things apperteining to saluation, but also that by the mightie operatiō of gods holie spirit they may be cōfirmed, and so sanctified in his eternall veritie, that to the end they may continue in the simplicitie of his holy worde and further, that all men may se to what confusion your doctrine tēdeth, the ground wherof is your owne vaine imagination, and the end (as before we hauehave said) not onelyonly the destruction of all gods ordinances, necessarie for this present lyfe, but also the treading vnderunder foote of the bright glorie of Christe Iesus. For the more that ye extoll fre will, and the vertues of man, the more do ye obscure the iustice of faith, which onelyonly is acceptable in the presence of God, and the lesse do ye attribute to Christe Iesus his death and passion. Yea, some of you are not ashamed in your enuenomed doc…rine, wherein secretly ye traine your scholars, to affirme: That we that now liue after Christes death, hauehave no other benefite, ether by him, or by his death, but onelyonly an exāple to suffer as he did, O sede of the serpēt thy father Pelagius was neuer so impudent, nether yet did euer the deuil finde anie of his instrumētes (before thee) so bolde, as that against the holy scriptures of God he durst affirme that horrible blasphemie. Darest thou denie, but that the death of Christe Iesus shall to the consumation of all thinges hauehave the same efficacie, that it hathe had frō the beginning? Did not Christe suffer for our sinnes, not for our ex…ple onelyonly… but because we were not able to satisfie the iustice of God which we had al offended, that therefor the punishment of our offenses was laid vponupon him? HaueHave we any more power now, then had his disciples to whome he said, without me ye can do nothing? Doeth not he remaine a soueraigne Priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedech? Is it not he, who by one sacrifice made perfect for euer, such as ether hauehave bene, are, or shalbe sanctified of that polluted sede, of Adam? Finally is it not he alone, who giueth libertie, saluation, and lyfe to his bodye which is the Church, not in one age, but from the beginning to the end? Satan him self is compelled thus farre to co…fesse, and therefor be thou shamed (o thou blasphemous mouth). What other monsters ye norish, and fede in the stincking denne of your enuenomed heartes, time wil reuele. And if it shall please God to assist my weakenes, I will not spare labors to communicate with my brethern, what pestilence lurketh in your enuenomed doctrine, to the end that all the faithful may auoyde the same. You fearing to forget any thing of your master Castalios …currilitie, do thus conclude.
THE ADVERSARIE
And as for you (Careles m…n) you oght to take it in good worth,The 48. section. what so euer I hauehave said▪ first because it is trueth. Secondly because, ye holde that all things, …e do…e of mere necessi…ie, then hauehave I written this of necessitie.
ANSWER.
To the which I answere, that if the deuill were not a lier, and the father, not of lyes onelyonly, but also of all deceatful lyers, it were not possible, that you who in so manie thinges hauehave declared your selues horrible lyers should vainly bragge that ye hauehave writtē the trueth. For besides those odious crimes, which most impudently, and most falsely you lay to our charge, amongest al the scriptures by you alledged, their are not three which ye do not abuse, yea and in some ye do so openly belye the holy Gost that you conclude contrarie to his expressed wordes. But when I cōsider, that your Master & father Satan him self, eshamed not in the presence of Christe Iesus, to boast, and to bragge, that all the power, and glorie of the earth was giuen vntounto him, and that he gaue it to such as best pleased him, whē yet in very dede he had no power to giuegive to his felow angelles, and companions of darkenes licence to enter into the bellies of swine, till that he, ād they were faine to begge that pleasant palace, of him, to whom all power is giuen in heauen, and in earth. When this I saye, I do considre, I do more lament your miserable blindnes, then that I can stomake against your vanitie, except in so farre, as to the ende, I must saye, that such as obstinatelye denie the plaine trewth of God, are lyers, and the sonnes of that lier, who first deceaued man, and powred into his hart the same venome, and error which this day ye teach, and mainteine. For he was bold to affirme that wisdom and lyfe was to be found by other meanes then God had determined, yea where God had pronounced death, and damnation, he promised saluatiō, and life, and so do you. For God hath apointed life to none of his elect, but in Christe Iesus onelyonly, ād that by such meanes, as in his holy word expressed, which are trew faith, continuall repentance, abnegation of our selues, of owr owne iustice, and wisdom, ād finally by receauing (of free grace) in Christe Iesus, whatsoeuer we hauehave lost in Adam. But ye ashame not to affirme, that the iustice of Christe sufficeth vsus not, except that we hauehave a personall iustice of our owne. How coldely ye speake, or write of his death, of his resurrection of his mediation, and perpetuall intercession, is euident. Your bragging and prowd boasting of your owne iustice, and of your greate perfectiō, are euident tokens how you do agree with Christe Iesus the trueth, and veritie it self, who commandeth vsus to saye (not for the fashiō, but from vnfeined heartes) we are vnprofitable seruantes. But some of you in your iesting eshame not to saye▪ that ye are not two thousand passes, distant from the fulnes of perfection.
But this your vanitie (your blasphemies excepted) doth not greately offend vsus. For a small pricke of of a pinne, or of a nelde shalbe sufficiēt to declare that bladders (be they neuer so streitly blowen) conteine in them selues nothing but wind. That by necessitie you hauehave written your railing blasphemies, and most impudent lies we easily confesse. For seing that ye are the sede of the serpent (I meane such as in your error shall continue to the end) what thing can you els do, but of necessitie spew forthe vēnom, whē the weight of gods eternall veritie beginneth a litle to presse downe your head (for so doeth the serpent whensoeuer she is touched) But why do ye not considre (seing ye be reasonable serpentes) that like as prowdly ye lift your selues against the glorie of the eternall Sonne of God, and as ye cease not maliciousely to slander suche instrumē tes as in his Church be most profitable, and most wort hie of prayse in the eyes of all godly, that likewise of necessitie it is, that ye come to ruine, that your pride be repressed, and your blasphemous tongues be cōfounded for euer? seing that God, who hatch all iniquitie, must nedes resist the proude, destroy the lying lippes, and remoue from his societie suche as declare them selues enemies to his eternall veritie, the knowledge wherof we confesse with Iob commeth onelyonly by inspiration of the holy Gost, and doth not procede from flesh, or blood, from studie, care, or wordly wisdome, but is the free gift of God reueled to the lytle ones, and comonly hid from the wisest of the world. Which sentence wold God that depely ye could wey: for then I doubt not, but y• ye should clearely se, that to come to Christe Iesus, is nether of the runner▪ nether yet of the …, but of God, who sheweth merciemercy to such as pleas… him, whose counselles eternal, and iudgementes, m…st profound, can no creature apprehend and compasse, and ther…fore oght all the true seruantes of God with reuerence, and with trembling saye, O how incomprehensible are thy iudgementes ô Lord, and how vnsearchable are thy wayes: for of thee, by thee, and for thee are all things. To thee be glorie for euer, and euer. So be it.
Isaiah. 54.
EVERIE TONGVE THAT SHAL CONTEND WITH THEE IN IVDGEMENT, THE SAME SHALT THOV MOST RIGHTLY CONDEMNE.
Fautes escaped in the printing.
In the 24. page the 19. line not for nor. In the 33. page, the 4. line Curthe for Church. In the 95. page. the 17. line displease for displeasure. In the 117. page, in the margent gode for gods. In the 153. page the 21. line through for thoght. In the 193. page, the 32. line maciously for maliciously. In the 165. page, the 6. line yea for yet. In ye 204. page, the 3. line thy penne for my penne. In the 263. page line 3. A scaoth for Asteroth. In the same page, the 16. line, yet the became, for yet he became. In the 199. page, the 24. line, and affirming for and we affirming. In the 312. page, the 34. line 24. for 23. In the 321, page, the last line, defaced… for defaced to his vttermost. In the 322. page, the 18. line good reasonly, for goodly reason. In the 435. page, the 18 line cheir for their.
End of the text · John Knox, An Answer to Blasphemous Cavillations by an Anabaptist (1560)