Display of Popish Practices, Slanders · Slander 4
The fourth Slaunder.
All the wicked actes that man committeth, are the good and iuſte workes of God.
THE ANSVVERE.
WHat is it to playe the Diuel,In his booke of eternall Predeſtination. if this be not? The wordes of Caluine which thou haſt wreſted, are theſe. We muſte (ſayeth he) ſée howe the will ōf GOD is cauſe of all things that are done in the world, and yet GOD is not the Authour of euills. I will not ſaye with Auguſtine (whiche yet I reuerence as ſpoken truelye of him,) that in Sin or euill, there is nothing poſititious. For it is a ſharpe ſaying whiche woulde not content manye. But I make choice of an other beginning. Thoſe things whiche are wickedly and vniuſtly done of men, the ſame are the right and iuſte workes of God. If this ſéeme to ſome at the firſte ſighte a Paradox, Beyonde the common opi….lette them not at the leaſte be ſo highe minded, but a little bée content with me to enquire out of the word of God what is to be thought. Theſe ſayeth Caluine. Then he ſheweth by ye Scriptures, how God by his coūſel gouerneth thoſe thinges whiche ſéeme moſte caſuall, what is the Stoicall neceſſitie, and how far caſualtie is not abandoned. Then he deſcendeth to thoſe actions wherein the counſells and endeuoures of men come in betwixt, and teacheth, that God worketh, ſo as that that be performed which was or dained from abone, euen by the wicked themſelues, albeit vnwitting and againſte their will. Summarily, Caluine teacheth, that God worketh wel, euen by euill inſtrumēts ſo ofte as pleaſeth him, nor therefore, that himſelfe is allyed to anye faulte, or that the euill inſtruments do not ſin. If he ſpeak either wickedly, or vnaptly, or too obſcurely that ſpeaketh ſo, let yt holy Ghoſt be blamed of all theſe faults. For yt Lorde letteth not in Iſai to call yt miſerable deſtructiō of Ieruſalem ful of al calamities,Iſa…. 10.12. & ſo much the more of offēces, his work, but vtterly in a cōtrary reſpect. So Peter doubteth not to ſaye, that Chriſte was betrayed by the determinate counſel and foreknowlege of God.Act. 2.2…. The Churche at Ieruſalem accordeth with Peter, and ſpeaketh yet more ſharpely, if there be in theſe kindes of ſpeaking any ſharpeneſſe at all. For it ſpeaketh of Herode and Pontius Pilate, no otherwiſe, than of the Executioners of the counſells of God. Alſo Paule ſaith plainly, that God ſpared not his ſonne. Dauid ſayeth, that Ioſeph was ſent before of the Lorde into Egipt. The ſame calleth his aduerſaries, the Hand & Sworde of the Lorde. The Lord himſelfe calleth Nabuchadnezer his ſeruant. But is this with the Libertines, to make God the Authour of ſinne, or to intermixe the wicked actes of the vngodlye with the ſacred workes of God? But of theſe it is ſpoken plainelye in the depelling of the former ſlaunder.
The Sycophants arguments to the fourth Slaunder.
Againſt the fourth, againſt that of the Prophet Iſai, they crie out: VVe be to them that call good euil, and euill good. If ſinne be good, and the iuſte worke of God, it foloweth, that righteouſneſſe is the euil and vniuſt work of God, for righteoouſneſſe is eueryevery way contrary to ſinne. If ſinne be iuste, it foloweth, that iniustice be iuſte. For ſinne is iniuſtice. If ſon be the worke of God, it foloweth, that God doth committe ſin: and if he committe ſin, he is the ſeruaunt of ſin, by Chriſtes ſentence. If ſinne be the worke of God, and Chriſte came to aboliſhe ſinne, he came to aboliſhe the worke of God. But if he came to aboliſh the workes of the Diuel (as Peter witneſſeth) whiche be the workes of the Diuel? if ſinne be the iuſte worke of God, God hateth and puniſheth his own iuſt work, therefore he is vniuſte. But if it be obiected to them, that ſinne is not ſinne to God, they wil anſwere, to whome therefore is it ſin, or why doeth he himſelfe hate it, or why is it ſinne, but bycauſe it is contrary to the lawe, not of men, but of God? If ſinne be the worke of God, God committeth ſinne, and if God committeth ſinne, he ſinneth, as hee that doeth righteouſneſſe is righteous. But if God ſinne, why doeth he forbid others to ſinne? why doeth he not rather commaunde them to ſinne. that men maye folowe him? The child ought to folowe hys father. Be ye holy (ſaith hee) for I am holyes Therefore by the ſame reaſon it ſhal be ſaide: Committe ſin, for I committe ſinne.
THE REFVTATION.
TRuelye thou couldeſt not cite anye place more to the purpoſe than this of I ſai, that it maye wholye agrée with thée and thy faction. For what elſe is it to call God euill, thā to do that you do, that is, to peruert thoſe things which be we! & godly written with moſt filthie ſlaunders. Sée therfore howe gently and ſimply I will deale with thée: whatſoeuer thou collecteſt by theſe argumentes, I conſēt to thée, that it is true: but it maye be, I graunte thée more, than in déede thou wouldeſt, that is, that thou arte braineleſſe & ſtarke mad, that thou ſholdeſt holde ſuch a conflict in ſo hote contentiō againſt thine own ſhadow. I wil only in few words anſwere to yt obiection, which y• vnworthily layſt to our charge. For we do not ſay yt ſinne againſt God, is not ſin, but when we diſtinguiſh betweene the works of God and of Sathan, or the wicked, we vſe to ſay this in reſpect of God working, the workes are good & iuſt, which works, if we conſider the euill inſtruments, as they alſo work, are euil and vniuſt, & therfore are of God puniſhed with iuſte puniſhments. This is not our diſtinction,Iſai. 10.5.6.12. Act. 2.23. and 4.28.48. Epiſt. to Vin centios. ſéeing the Lorde in Eſay doth manifeſtly confirme the ſame: and Peter alſo, with the whole Churche at Ieruſalē, as we hauehave taught a little before. So alſo Auguſtine, when he ſaith the father deliuered his ſonne, & the Lords own body, & Iudas the Lord: why is God in thys actiō iuſt, & man guilty, except bicauſe in one thing which they did, yt cauſe not one, for which they did it? But if alſo thou pleaſe to reade that which the ſame Auguſtine hathe after his manner deuoutlye and wittilye written of theſe matters in his Enchiridion to Laurentius, in the. 100. Chapter, thou ſhalt vnderſtād many which ought to hauehave bin vnderſtood of thée before thou ſhouldeſt reprehend our doings. Therefore this diſtinction yu muſt either grant or refute,A monſter vvith …hree heades. not that Chimaera, whiche thou imaginedſt to thy ſelfe, ſéeing that appertaineth nothing to vsus: and this hereſie of the Libertines, is of none more vehementlye and plentifully confuted, than of Calum himſelfe, whom thou chargeſt with that, ſuche is thy ſhame.