¶THE FIRST READINGE.

As THE vision which Ezechiel saw / and describeth in the .1. cha. serueth to this ende / to teach that the great miseries / and calamities / which the Iues suffred by the force / ād oppression of Nabuchodonosor / and the Babiloni­ans / came not vpon them by chaunce / but by the ordinance / and prouidence of God / so this vision / which. S. Ioan most liuely setteth before vs / shew­eth in like maner / that the decaie / ād ruine the afflictions / and persequutions of the churche in this later time / and what so euer is don in the world b [...] Antichrist / and his membres / is not tossed at auenture by hap / but gouerned by the hand / and certai­ne prouidence of God. And it is right necessarie for vs to know / that fortune and chaunce rule nor th [...] rost in mennes matters / rufflinge and tombling [...] al thinges confusedly / as Epicures disciples thin [...] ke / but that god is the orderer / disposer / and goue [...] ner of al the thinges that be don in the world. Fo [...] it is not possible for vs to quiete our selues / whan we considre the lōge / and great prosperitee / and lu [...] kie successe of false teachers / of Christes opē / & professed enemies / of most vngodlie cruel / barbarous / and wicked men / onles we be staied with this / tha [...] god ruleth / ordreth / and gouerneth al together / S [...] therefore that there shalbe an ende of the raginge o [...] [Page] tyrannous persequutors / and that the gouerner of al / shal turne al to the iust destruction / of the wicked to the conforte of his chosen / and to the aduācemēt of his awne glorie. Againe if we loke vpon our priuate state / and cal to compte our frailtie, and infir­mitie / the manifold diseases / and miseries whereū to wear subiecte / what cōforte cā we haue / or what ende of morninge and sorow / if we be not persua­ded / that Goddes prouid [...]ce reacheth vnto vs / and ordreth al that commeth vpon vs / not as semeth vnto vs / but as he knoweth to be best for vs.

But here I must warne you of two notable fautes. One is of thē / which whan they heare vs saie / that al thinges comme to passe / by goddes prouidē ce / thincke / and affirme that we teache / that god is the autor of al the sinful actes / that ar don in the world. Which is most false / most horrible / and detestable / [...]ther to be spoken / or thought. For it is as impossible for god / who is al together good / to be the autor of evil / as it is impossible for him / to lea­ue of his godhead / and to be no more god. We saie than constantly / and with al vehementie of minde / that God is the outer of no euil / and we meane it not so / that bycause god worcketh it / therefore it is good / though of it selfe it be euil / but we meane / that he is in dede the propre worcker / and cause of no euil / that euil / and sinne springe not from him / but from the diuel / and from vs / and that he is simply [Page] / and merely the autor / and worcker of good thinges only / both whan he worcketh by him selfe / and whan he worcketh [...]y and in vs. And yet we saye that nothinge commeth to passe without him / and that he ordreth / disposeth / tēpere [...]h / and bringeth forth to light / al the euil actes that ar dō in the worlde. But it is one thinge to vttre / to bringe forth / to dispose / and ordre mennes euils / and it is ano­ther thinge to worcke / and to cause euils in men.

It is one thinge to make an instrument euil / and it is another thinge to vse an euil instrument / beinge alreadie so made by another. To make an instrumēt euil / is euil / to vse an euil instrument / is not euil simply / yea to vse an euil instrumēt to good endes / is good. Satan / and our awne wil / hathe made vs al euil instrumentes. God though we be now made il instrumētes / vseth vs wel. Satā / and our awne wil hath wrought / and caused wick [...]dnes in vs al. God moderateth / represseth / stirreth vp / and bringeth forth the euil / that Satā / & we haue cau­sed in our selues / so that we vttre no parte of the e­uil that is in vs / by Satans enuie / and our awne faute and follie / but where and whan it pleaseth god the gouernor of the vniuersal world. And thus I trust, it is not harde to perceaue, that though no­thinge comme to passe besides Goddes prouiden­ce / yet he is not the autor / and worcker / and verie cause of anie maner of euil / and sinful acte. For he [Page] worcketh not euil in our hertes / but findinge euil there alreadie wrought / he ether stoppeth / and re­presseth the same / or stirreth it vp / and bringeth it forth / and maketh it knowen to the world / as he knoweth to make most for his glorie / & for the profite of his chosen.

Thother faute is of them / which acknowlege God to be the ruler / and gouerner of al thinges / and yet they finde faulte in his gouernment. For they aske / why God prouided not other wise in the beginninge / than that Satan shuld bringe man to transgression / why he stopped not his enterprise at the first / for so shuld there haue ben no euil in the world or why now he doeth not destroie al wicked men / al the aduersaries of his sonne at once / or make them al good men that we might liue a quiete / happie / and pleasant life without miserie / without murmuringe / without filthines of manners in al puritie / and godlines / where as now the world is ful of calamities / ful of pleges / ful of vile actes / ful of false doctrine / idolatrie / and superstition / antichriste preuailīge euerie where / makinge hauocke / beatinge doune / and stāpinge vndre his fete al that is good / and godlie. These men wold haue God / and his doinges subiecte to theyr iudgementes sea­te / and what so euer they cannot comprehēde with theyr wittes / they can find no reason nor goodnes in it. They wil not make theyr iudgemētes agree to [Page] Goddes doinges / but they wil haue God to ma­ke his doinges agree to theyr iudgementes. But what if God wil not do them that honor / vntil they can shew them selues / as wise / as he is.

Shal a cōninge artificer alter his worcke / bicau­se a folish vnskilful mā / cā seme to himselfe to finde a faute in it. No man in this life can attai­ne to a ful reason of Goddes doinges. But we shal see in this part off the scripture / that they which ar now departed out of this life / and liue in a better life / find that God hath don al thinges most wisely / iustly / & ordredly / whereunto thei cold not fully attayne / whyle they liued in this world. But though I saie / that men in this life can not attaine to a ful knowlege / and reason of al goddes doinges / yet I denie not / but that thei haue some knowlege / and se some reason in his doinges. For touchinge the first question / if god had hindred Satans entreprise / at the beginnin­ge / thā Satans wickednes / and mānes frailtie / than goddes righteousnes in punishinge sinne / and his most wonderful goodnes in the lōge purposed before / and now perfirmed incarnation of his sonne / cold neuer haue ben knowen. And touching the seconde question / that he now suffreth Antichrist to make such an hurley burley / and cō ­fusion in the world / therein his wisedom / and righteousnes appereth plainly / in bringing to [Page] light the outragious nawghtines of men / and in strikinge the reprobate with deserued blind­nes. His mercie also and goodnes shineth forth / most clearely in sauing / and pr [...]seruing his cho­sen / in the middest of al errors / and blindnes / in in the middest of al stomblinge blockes / and daū ­gers, which is no lesse to be meruailed at / thā the sauīge of the noble childrē of the Hebru [...]s vnhurte / in the hote burninge ouen. But now that I haue shewed you the ende of this vision, with so­me aunsweres to the obiections of mē / ether vn­godlie or vnlerned / I wil breifely shew you the sū me / and so comme to a more particular consideration of the texte. This is the vision in summe. In heauen there appeareth a throne of imperial maiestie. Vpon this throne there sitteth one hol­dinge a boke in his right hand sealed with .7. sea­les. A lambe as it were slaine / is associated / and ioigned with him / that sitteth vpon the throne / which receueth the boke / and openeth the seales thereof. Out of this throne there procedeth a se­uenfolde spirite / which sheweth forth his won­dreful power. Before the throne there is a glassie sea cleare / and chrystalline. The throne leaneth vpon .4. beastes / which haue eyes / and winges. Then a grene rainebow like an emrode cōpasseth the throne / as it were a garlande. In a circle a­boute the throne be .24. seates / and in them sitte [Page] 24. elders crouned / and clothed in white garmē tes. This is the summe of the vision / which re­quireth a more particular declaration. But first we must speake some what of those thīges / which S. Ioan setteth before this vision / which he so cōningly painteth forth. Thus he speaketh befo­re.

AFTER these thinges I saw) S. Io. saw other visions before / declaringe to him / how the Lord Iesus raigneth in his churche / and gouer­neth it / what preceptes / what exhortations / what chastisementes he vseth in it / and againe what the dutie of the church is towardes hir lord / and kinge. Al which thinges ar discribed in in the former chapitres.

I saw) That is a vision appeared vnto me.

AND behold a dore was opened in heauen) Where a dore standeth open / men maie entre in. So by this speech. S. Io. signifieth / that he was admitted in to the contemplation of heauēlie thinges. Wherein the great goodnes of God is sette before vs / who vouchsafeth to open the dore of his secrete closette to a mortal man. But see the same goodnes yet more declared. For manie see a Kinges priuie chamber dore opē / and yet ar aferd to entre in. Such feare and bashefulnes might happen to. S. Ioan / and therefore God confor­teth him / and maketh him bold. For he saieth.

AND the first voice that I heard was as it had ben of a trōpe speaking with me / and saiyn­ge / comme vp hither) Henrie Bullinger a verie godlie / and lerned mā / thinketh that this voi­ce / was the voice of Christ / which I like wel. If you wil take it rather for the voice of an angel / I wil not cōtende therein / so that you vndrestand / that the angel spake vnto Io. after this sorte / by the appointement of Christ. For whether the lord shew his goodnes to vs by hīselfe / or by his creatures / it is al one. Al procedeth from him / and therefore he is only to be glorified. The voice was like the sound of a trompe / whereby is sig­nified that it was no fainte thinge / but mightie in worcking / and able to take awaie al feare / and to persuade thoroughly.

COMME vp hither) The nature of erth is / to fal to the erth / and not to rise vpwarde.

We shuld neuer rise frō the erth / onles God did cal vs / and raise vs vp. But if we wil considre god / and his worckes / we must ascende / we must flie vp far aboue the erth / far aboue our flesh / and our awne reason to. That Bullinger saieth that we must purge our selues from erthie affec­tions / if we wil beholde heauenlie thinges / it is a verie good sense also.

AND j wil shew the what shal be don here after) That god vouchsafeth to make men priuie to his doīges / it is a goodnes neuer thought vpō [Page] neuer commēded enough. Which thinge he shal sone perceue / that considereth what god is / and what we ar / his exceding great maiestie / & our exceding great vilenes. Which matter I wil not now enlarge / but leaue to your consideration.

This wold be wel noted that he saieth / that he wil shew him thinges that must be don after­ward. For some expoune the thinges that are spoken hereafter / partly of thinges dō vndre the old testament / and partly of thinges don vndre the new. Which must nedes be an error / and lead mē in to wronge opinions / makinge them beginne at a wronge ende / sith he saieth plainly / that he wil shew thinges to be don / after the tyme that he spake with him / and not thinges don before.

AND streight waie I was in the spirite) I was so occupied and deteined altogether in the spirite / as if I had / had no bodie / as though I had forgotten al bodilie / and erthlie thinges.

Or the spirite of god came vpō me / and possessed me / or as Bullinger writeth I was in a spiritual contemplation / and rapte in spirite. That he saieth streight waie / he sheweth the might / and efficacie of the voice / that spake vnto him.

AND beholde a throne was sette in heauē) Goddes throne is often spoken of / and described in the scripture. For Esaie saieth in the .6. cha. that he saw god sittinge vpon a throne high / and [Page] aduanced / and his traine filled the temple &c.

In the first cha. of his prophetie Ezechiel saieth / that he saw in heauē / as it were a saphir / and the likenes of a throne. And he repeteth the same in the .10. cha. Daniel in the .7. cha. sheweth that he saw goddes throne glisteringe like fier / and the wheles of it sent forth fierie flammes. But god­des throne is no where described so fully / so liue­ly / and with so conninge and pleasant wordes / as in this place. What this throne signifieth / we maie easely gather out of the wordes of kinge Dauid / for thus he singeth in the .9. psal. God shal remaine for euer / he hath made readie his throne to iudgement. And he shal iudge the world in righ­teousnes / and decide the peoples matters with e­quite. So than we vnderstand by the throne god­des imperial gouernment / and his iudiciarie ad­ministration. This throne is not in erth / but in heauen. For god [...]uleth not after anie erthlie ma­ner / but after an heauenlie maner. Nether is his iudgement and gouernment corruptible / and subiecte to an ende / but as Dauid saieth / he remai­neth a iudge / a ruler / and gouerner for euer. For in the hebrue toūge / to iudge signifieth to ordre / to rule / and gouerne.

AND vpon the s [...]at there was one sitting) You know that it is god / & his son / that sitteth vpon this throne .j. administreth / ruleth / and go­uerneth [Page] al thinges.

AND he that sate was in sight like a iaspis / and a sardine stone) By the colors of two preci­ous stones the nature of God is some wise sha­dowed to saint Io. and to vs. Plinie writeth that a iaspis is a grene stone / which is a fresh / and a pleasant color / and the color of manie thinges that ar lustie / and liuelie. And therefore writers vnderstand thereby goddes perpetual continu­ance / his incorruptible / and immortal nature / as Dauid saieth / thy yeres shal not be ended. And not only that he is the euer liuinge God / and cō ­tinueth euer in life him selfe / but also that he gi­ueth life to al other liuinge creatures / and preser­ueth them in grene / and lustie freshnes. A sardi­ne hath a fierie color / and maie expresse vnto vs goddes sore iudgement / and vengeance vpon vnrepentant sinners.

And a raine bow was aboute the throne like in sight to an emrode) It is meruailous cōfortable to vs / that goddes throne is compassed aboute with the raine bow. For the raine bow is a sacra­mēt of goddes perpetual mercie / and of his most gratious couen [...] ̄t made with vs. Who might abide the iustice / and seueritee of goddes throne / if it were not compassed with mercie? For as Dauid saieth / if god wold obserue iniquites / accordin­ge to his righteousnes / who shuld stand? But he [Page] hath set his raine bow / and sacrament of mercie so round aboute his throne / that his eyes cā neuer be of from it. He cā turne his sight no waie / but he must see it. And therefore now it is not to vs a terrible / and dradful throne / but as. S. Paule calleth it / a throne of grace / whereūto we maie approche with boldnes / and find readie helpe.

The color of this raine bow was like the color of an emrode / which is the most fresch / & plea­sant color / that anie stone hath. For in dede there is nothinge so delectable / and pleasant to vs / as goddes couenant of grace / and mercie. And this couenant is euer grene / and endureth euer to the behofe of the chosen.

AND aboute the throne were .24. thrones &) That the .24. elders sat vpon thrones / fo [...] the greke worde is al one here / and whan menti­on is made of goddes throne / and that thei were crouned / I thincke in dede that by them we must vndrestand with Bullinger / the companie of goddes sainctes departed out of this world / & now raigninge and triumphinge with the lord Iesus in heauen. And I thincke that an allusion is ma­de / and a regarde had to the kinges of this world which haue their counsellers / and noble men sittinge aboute them. For the scripture describeth heauenlie matters to vs / by such thinges as ar in [...]re amōge vs. Bullinger noteth that .24. is made [Page] of .12. And that the .12 Patriarches signifie at Israel / and the old church before the incarnati­on of Christ. And the christiane church was planted by .12. Apostles / so that the nombre of 12. cōprehēdeth the hole cōgregatiō of the new people. And after this sorte .24. signifie the hole triumphant church consistinge of Iues and gē ­tiles. These .24. ar apparelled with white gar­mētes. For Christ hath purged them / & made them faire / and clothed them with his awne puritee / and righteousnes. They ar crouned / for they ouercame Satan / and his hellisch ar­mie / while they liued in this world. And now they raigne as kinges with Christ the lord in e­uerlasting glorie. That they sitte / Bullinger saieth it is not ment / that they be iudges / but thei ar said to sitte / bicause thei rest from theyr labors / and now haue quiete affections / and be far from troblesome passions of mind.

Howbeit I see not, why mentiō shuld be made of thrones, if we shal not vndrestand, that they sit as iudges. Not that we meane, that they iudge in stede of Christ, but we meane, that thei iudge with him, that is to saie, alow his iudgementes, thinckinge the same thinge in euerie matter, that he doeth, and reioising in his doī ­ges. For the lord hath aduanced them, to this dignitee, as to sitte with him in iudgement.

For he hath made al his thinges commune to his sainctes. His iudgementes, he hath made theyr iudgementes, his kingdom, their kingdō, his raigninge, their raigninge, and so forth.

Now by this description of the thrones, goldē crounes, goodlie garmentes of the sainctes de­parted out of this life, we maie vndrestand the greate glorie, and felicitee, that thei liue in.

Which thīge shuld cōforte vs in these our afflictions, and miseries, that we faint not, or be dis­couraged, knowīge that goddes saictes passed by the same, & now triūphe in perpetual ioie. The old heathen, mē of great wittes, taught the youthe of their tyme, that vertue dwelleth vpon the toppe of an high hille and that the waie to the hil toppe is verie rough, laborsom, & tedi­ous, but whan a man is once comme to the top­pe, he shal find a goodlie plaine, goodlie grene medowes, and al maner of pleasures. We know, taught by a more certaine scole master, that the waie to heauen is verie straite, and that thorough manie afflictions, we must entre in to goddes kingdom. But whan we be once cō ­me thither, it can nether be spoken nor thought, what ioie, what pleasure, what felicitee we shal finde there. Wherefore sith the ende of those thinges, whereunto we ar called, bringeth so great glorie, and so great a sea of al pleasures, & [Page] ioies, we ought not to be dismaide, bycause of the difficulties, & ircksome tediousnes, that we finde by the waie. For we shal sone passe tho­rough them. We can not longe sticke in them. For what is longe in this life? Let vs therefore gird vp the loines of our minde, as. S. Petre speaketh, and presse forward to the price of the supernal callinge of god, in Christ Iesu. Let vs with patience runne out the race, that we ar set in, fastenīge our eyes vpon the autor, & finiss­her of our faith, who for the ioie, that was set before him, sustained, and despised the shame of the crosse, and now is sit doune vpon the glori­ous throne of God, and wil leade vs the same waie, to like honor, glorie, and dignite. Vnto god therefore, who hath sanctified our trauailes, our crosse, and our miseries, and made the issue / & end so happie. and blisful, be al glorie, and honor for euer. Amen.

The nexte sondrie after this lecture, one of the companie semed by circumstances to improue some parte thereof. But whan we h [...]d cōferred together, we fully agreed. Where vpon I vttered this declaration folowing.

¶ The seconde readinge.

It is verie certaine, that not ōly vnbrid­led wanton wittes of vngodlie, wild, fanatical, arrogāt, and proud spirites, sporte them selues in mockinge of goddes prouidīce, but also that the weake, vnlerned, & vnex­ercised mindes of some g [...]dlie folke, ar trobled with this, that where as thei heare, & be taught by the holie scripture, that god is the ruler, and gouerner / of the hole world / yet thei see, that the despicers, and contemners of god, & godli­nes, whō god hateth, and abhorreth, prosper in the world, they see that the godlie, whom god loueth, ar oppressed, & vily entreated, thei see that lies falshod, violence, tyrannie, false and frātike opinions, idolatrie, and superstitiō, raigne eue­rie where, and truth, righteousnes, vertue, & al honestie, is troden vndre fote, and lieth woun­ded, maimed, & mangled in the mire of the stre­tes. Yea not only the weake ar offended here with but also some farther growen, and more exercised, and endued with greater knowlege, beginne to slagger, and to doubte, whether the world be gouerned by goddes prouidēce, or whether al thinges be tombled, and tossed by chaū ­ce, whan they see in how great welt hand felici­te the vngodlie liue, and how the godlie wrastle [Page] & tugge continually, with al maner of miseri­es, and calamities. For Asaph confesseth that his fete were al most ouerturned, and his step­pes slidden, whan he saw the peace .i. the prosperitee of the vngodlie. He was so nigh a fal that he was al most comme to this, to saie, I haue plainly clensed my herte in vaine, vntil he en­tred in to goddes holie places, considered more depely, his prouidence, and so perced farther, & vndrest [...]de the ende of the vngodlie, how God had sett them in a slipperie place, to giue them a more shameful fal. And therefore, that is to be noted, he confesseth, that before god had ad­mitted him, in to a farther vndrestanding of his prouidence, while he folowed his awne witie in cōsideringe the affaires, & happes of the world, he was a verie beaste before god. Ieremie al­so, though he acknowlege, that the world is gouerned by goddes prouidence, yet he can not cō prehende, by his witte, but that thinges might be don better. For thus he saieth. Thou art iust lord, if I shuld contende with the. By these wordes it appeareth, that he acknowlegeth god­des prouidence, in gouerninge the world. For why shuld he cōplaine to god, aboute those thinges, where with god shuld haue no thinge to do if the world were not gouerned by him? Or why shuld he acknowlege god to be iust in those [Page] thinges, wherein he is offended, and trobled, if thei were not ordred by him. For these wordes, thou art iust lord / if I shuld contende with the, signifie asmuche, as if he shuld saie, I know lord, that al thinges ar gouerned by the, and cō ­me to passe by thy prouidence, & that thou hast a iust reason in al thy doinges, but I can not see it in manie thinges, and namely in the prosperite of the vngodlie. For it foloweth, yet I wil speake iudgementes with the that is, yet me thī keth some thinges go not right. Why is the waie of the vngodlie prosperous, why be they happye, and liue in al welth, & ioilitie, that trās­gresse transgression, that is, which be extreme, and exceding great transgressors of thy lawes? This is the thinge, that trobleth the Prophete, that semeth not right. For it semeth to man­nes reason iuster, that god shuld aduāce, & prosper his frendes, and faithful seruantes, and nat such, as despice him and his. But it is wel, that he acknowlegeth that god is iust. For the­reby he confesseth, that there maie be some what more in the matter, thou he cold attaine vnto.

And yet he is angrie with him selfe, that he cold not perceaue the reason of it. If this happened to so notable men, to men furnisched with so excellent graces of god, to men so much exercised in spiritual matters, it is more certaine, that [Page] weake, and vnpractised mindes, wold be offen­ded, trobled & amased with this, that antichrist shuld oppresse goddes ministers, ouerthrow, & al most quenche out the gospel of Christ, & al tru doctrine, sette vp, and blase abrode false religion, thorough [...]ut al the world, and triumphe in his mischeife, not a few daies, but manie hundred yeres. Bycause this must nedes be verie offen­siue to manie, and make them wauer, and doute of goddes prouidēce, it pleased god to shew afo­rehand, by other his prophetes, and apostles, & by this his faithful seruant. S. Ioan, that these thinges shuld comme to passe, that al mē might know, that they fal not in by chaunce, but be go­uerned, and ordred by his wisedō, and fore knowlege, and so arme them selues with patience, in such ouerthwarte issues, as they some to vs, consideringe that god doeth al thinges most iust­ly, and wisely, to his awne glorie, and the fur­theraunce of his chosen. If you wil knew the causes, why god hath appointed, and ordai­ned that antichrist shal rise, and set vp his hor­nes, and beate doune the tru church, & stablishe his countrefaite preisthode, his kingdom of shauelinges, his mōckerie, nonrie, and al his pope­rie, his false doctrine, and open beastlie errors, serch the scriptures. And if you find causes there expressed, see that ye reuerence in them goddes [Page] wisedom, and righteousnes. As in dede some be there expressed, as I doubte not but you shal heare at large, whan our brother shal comme to that place in the .2. epistle to the Thessal. If you find not al there expressed, or be not satisfied with thē, that be there expressed, crie out with S. Paule. O the depenes of the riches, of the wisedom, and knowlege of god & But yet there is one thinge more, that trobleth manie wittes now a daies, wherein perchaunce they maie be satisfied, or some what quieted, and that is, how it can be, that al thinges cōme to passe, by goddes wil, and ordinance, & yet manie thī ­ges in the world be don against his worde, and against his wil. It is no meruail, if this be hard to vndrestande. For. S. Augustine graū ­teth, that it cōmeth to passe, by a wondreful, & vnspeakable maner, that, that commeth not to p [...]sse beside goddes wil, that is don against his wil. But ye shal know, that whan men do e­uil worckes, concerninge the faute, and vice of their actes, they do that, that is against goddes wil, but concerninge the end, and that, that god wil turne theyr euil actes vnto, thei do the thī ­ges that god wil haue to be don. And there­fore. S. Augustine saieth, verie profoundly, & lernedly. These be the great, wonderful, and exquisite worckes of god, that whan mannes, and [Page] angels nature had sinned, that is, had don, not that he wold, but that thei wold, euen by the sa­me wil of the creature, whereby that was don, that the creator wold not, he fulfilled that he wold, vsinge wel euen euil thinges, as supre­mely good him selfe, to the damnation of them, whō he iustly fore ordained to punishment, and to the saluatiō of them, whom he mercifully fo­reordained to grace. For as touchinge them selues, thei did that god wold not, but touchinge the omnipotentie of god, thei cold no waie do it. For euen in this, that thei did against god­des wil, goddes wil was don vpon them. By these wordes he teacheth that though god ab­horre mennes nawghtie, and wicked dedes, yet thei comme not to passe besides his wil, and or­dinance touching the end and vse of them. For he wil make mennes nawghtie dedes, serue to good endes, and vses. And therefore the same autor saieth againe. When in the last daie Christ shal comme to iudge the world, than in the most cleare light of wisedō, it shal appeare, that now the faith of the godlie hath, how certaine, & in­euitable, and most effectual goddes wil is, how manie thinges he can do, and wil not, but wil­leth nothinge that he can not do, and how tru it is, that is sounge in the psal. Our god is in heauen, he hath don, whatsoeuer he wold, which surely [Page] is not tru, if he wold haue some thinges don, and hath not don them. There is not than anie thing don, onles the omnipotent wil haue it don, ether in suffringe it to be don, or in doinge it himselfe. Hitherto. S. Augustin.

And that you maie vndrestand, that he taketh goddes suffringe, for goddes ordinance, though god worcke sondrie waies, some tymes by him­selfe, and some tymes by his creatures good, & bad, he goeth farther, & saieth more ouer. Ne­theri sit to be douted, but that god doeth wel in suffring to be don, what soeuer is don il.

For he suffreth not this / but by iust iudgement. Though than those thinges, that be euil, inas­much as thei be euil, be not good, yet it is good, that not only good thinges, but also euil thinges shuld be. For if this were not good / that euil thīges also shuld be / thei shuld in no wise be suffred of the almighty good i. god. To whō without doubte as easie as it is, to do what he wil, so easie is it, not to suffre, that he wil not to be don. Out of these wordes we lerne, that the diuine man. S. August. vndrestode, that al the thinges in the world comme to passe by the ordinance of god, and that goddes wisedō was such, that he saw it good / that euil thīges shuld be, and his power such: that he cold turne those euils to good. Now lest anie man shuld thinc­ke [Page] here vpō, that god is the autor of euil, he tea­cheth, that there is some thinge in mennes ac­tes, not by goddes propre worckinge, but by his ordinance / to a certaine end, and by the propre worckinge in dede of Satan, and by mānes aw­ne nawghtines. For god wrought not nawgh­tines in Adams herte first, but ordained, that Satan moued with his awne malice shuld tur­ne Adam to euil, & worcke nawghtines in him thorough Adams awne faute. And that nawghtines al Adams ofspringe, & posterite draw frō him. Now than after this sorte al men ar made / euil and ful of nawghtie desires. God the gouernor of the world wil haue this nawghtines / that lurcketh in mennes hertes / to be bewraied, and brought forth to light, whereby his awne wisedom, righteousnes, and mercie maie be declared. So than he ordaineth that this man shal vttre in acte the lecherous desires that lie hidden in his herte, this his theuishe, this his murtherous minde. And thus he or­dreth al mennes euil actes, so that no thinge cō ­meth to passe beside his ordinance, but he is not the autor, and propre worcker of the euil, that is in mennes hertes. If he did worcke, and cau­se an adulterous mind in a man, whose mind was pure, and innocent before, and than moued him to vttre the same in acte, and dede, he shuld [Page] be the autor of euil. But if he worcke not that adulterous mind, but findeth the mind corrup­te and defiled by Satan, and by the person him­selfe, and than ordaineth where, and whan, & to what endes the same shalbe made open to the world, he is not the autor, and worcker, but the orderer, and disposer of euil. And in this matter thus vndrestanded, you shal know that al we, whom it hath pleased god to appointe to treate his word in this place, do agree. For he that said, that it [...] goddes wil, that Adam s [...]uld sinne, in it not simply & [...] waie / that it was not goddes wil, that Adam shuld sinne, but he ment, that tou hinge the si [...]fulnes of A­dams acte, it was not goddes wil, that he shuld sinne, but [...]u [...]inge the end, and that, that god wold turne Adam sinful acre vnto, he graun­teth that it was goddes wil, that Adam shuld sinne. This much I [...]hought good to speake a­forehand, bicause S. I [...]annes vision leadeth vs to a consideration of goddes prouidence, and ordringe of al thinges / that happen to the church in this later tyme: wherein we can not walke safely, ōles we know the thinges, that I haue told you. Now to the texte.

And there proceded out of the throne light­ninges and thōdring [...]s and voices, and .7. lam­pes of fier burninge before the throne which he [Page] the .7. spirites of god) These wordes in my opinion teach that al the thinges that ar don in the world procede out of goddes iudgement, & be the effectes of his spirite. Whan the min­des of goddes chosen be illuminated, & light­ned, whan the wicked ar fraied / & horribly strikē with goddes threates, as it were with light­nīges, whā goddes preachers thōdre against the corrupte maners of the world, whan thei send forth the swete voices of the gospel, whan they exhorte and comforte, breifely whan thei shew anie grace and vertue, al this procedeth out of godd [...]s throne, out of goddes iudgement, and these be the mighty worckes of his spirite.

Whereby the prouidence of god is certainly set before vs in gouerninge the world. For by these special efficies, we must vnderstande the h [...]le. F [...]r if anie parte of the world, and mennes doinges, be gouerned by goddes prouiden­ce, than al is gouerned by the same, sith there is no conuenience, nor reason why he shuld medle with parte, and not with al. For it agreeth nether with his goodnes / nor with his power, that he shuld leaue anie thing vnloked to, & vn­gouerned. And therefore the scripture assig­neth the lest, and most contētible worckes that be don in the world to goddes prouidence, as in hewinge of wood, the fallinge of an axe frō the [Page] helue, whereby a man is slaine. And in Mo­seis tabernacle not only the golden table, the golden cherubs, the golden arke, were made by goddes appointement, but also the gredirons, the disches, the spones, and the snuffers, and such o­ther base thinges. S. Io. reciteth the cheife worckes of god, thondringes, lightninges, and voices, to giue vs a light to see al the rest, and to make a waie to entre farther.

And seuen lampes burninge) By these .7. lampes I vndrestand, the holie gost, and his sondrie giftes, and graces, which burne, ar quicke, liuelie, and busie in worcking, giue light, and cō ­f [...]r [...]e to goddes chosen without ceasing. This is Moseis golden candlesticke, with seuen can­dles burninge continually.

Which be the .7. spirites of god) The se­uen lampes be, that is signifie, & represent the seuen spirites of god. But how is it, that he attributeth to god .7. spirites. For we know, that god hath but one spirite, and that spirite cā not be diuided, and sondred in to partes.

G ddes one spirite is called seuen spirites, by­cause he is furnished with, seuen, that is / with sondrie and innumerable graces. For seuen in the scripture is a perfecte nōbre, and signifi­eth fulnes. So goddes seuen spirites, is as­much to saie, as goddes seuenfold spirite, that is [Page] goddes spirite ful of al good giftes procedeth from goddes throne .i. is sent in to mennes hertes / and worcketh s [...]ndrie effectes in them ac­cordinge to goddes iudgement.

And in the sight of the throne there was a glassie sea like Chrystal) The sea is varia­ble / and vnstable / some tymes caume / & quie­te / some tymes troblesome and raging / and therefore the world is expressed by it in the scripture / wherein there is much tossing and tur­moiling / great vnstablenes / manie wondreful chaunges / and turnes. This sea is glassie.

Glasse is also verie britle / and maie signifie the frailtie of the world. But bycause the sea is afterward likened to chrystal / and that both glasse / and chrystal excelle in clearnes / I thinc­ke that the sea is said to be glassie / and christal­line / bycause that al thinges / that ar dō in the world / ar open to goddes eyes. For as in christal there is not a thinge so litle, but that it maie be seen / so there is no thinge dō in the world so smal / as that it can escape Goddes sight and knowlege. This sea is before the throne / that is / subiecte to goddes iudgement, rule / and gouernment. And therefore fortu­ne / and chaunce haue no place therein. No­thing is dō incōsiderately / and atauenture.

Men do not what they list / but their doinges [Page] ar subiecte to Goddes throne. The Medes / and Persians did not what they listed / nor put on weapōs vpō theyr awne deuise without god against the Babilonians / but as we haue in E­saie / the lord cōmaunded his sanctified .i. whō he had prepared / and he called his strōg val­iant soldiars / to exequute his wrath. Sena­cherib the kinge of the Assirians did not what he listed against the people of Ierusalem. For god saide / that he wold put an hooke in his nostrels / and a bridle in his lippes / and brin­ge him backe / by the waie / that he came.

Yea what soeuer he did against Ierusalem / he did by goddes appointment. For thus saieth god in the .19. of Esai. O Assur / the rod of my furie / and the staffe of my wrath. I wil send him to an hypocrital people / I wil cōmaund him agaīst the people of my indignatiō / to spoi­le spoiles &c. Nabuchodonosor did not / what he listed / nor rose of hīselfe without god / against Sion. For god saieth in the .29. of Esa. to Dauids citie. I wil besege the / and as­saultee the by towres / and raise vp heapes of erth / against the. And of the kinge of Babi­lō / he saieth in the .51. of Iere. Thou art my hammer / and weapōs of warre / I haue by the beaten doune natiōs / and destroied kindōmes. I haue by the beaten doune the horse / and his [Page] rider &c. Seinge than that men ar subiecte to goddes throne / and do not what they list / but be his instrumentes scourges / hatchettes / and hammers / we ought patiently to sustaine our present affliction, and the great miserie of our countree. And we maie wel conceaue ho­pe of conforte, and of better state, consideringe / that god hath also, an hoke in the nostrelles, & a snaffle in in the mouthes euen of the vnmer­ciful oppressors of his seruauntes in England / whereby he wil draw them another waye / and restraine theyr rage, whan he hath duly plaged the reprobate, & sufficiētly chastised his chosen.

Only lette vs remoue the causes, of these our miseries, namely lothinge of goddes holie wor­de, boilinge lustes, idle wantonnes, and greedie desires of wordlie thinges, & we shal see short­ly Pharao, and his furious armie drouned in the red sea. And we that haue longe sounge morneful songes, shal chaunge our tunes, and singe another while ioifully with Moses, and M [...]riam. The lord is our strength, and our praise, & he his our saluation, this is our god, and we wil magnifie him, our fathers god, and we wil aduance him. For this lette vs praie, to this lette vs saie, Amen, amen.

¶ After this lecture, it pleased the partie spoken of before, to make certayne argumentes against mine as­sertiō, whereunto here foloweth the aūswer.

¶ The third reading.

My conscience beareth me witnes, that thorough goddes grace, and good­nes, I haue taught you the truth in this place, and that I haue spoken reuerently of god, and his worckes. I am charged in de­de with vnreuerent speech. But alas, what shuld moue me to speake vnreuerētly of hī who made me, whan I was nothing, who saued me, whan I was lost, who restored me to life whan I was ded, who quited me, whan I was to be damned, who raised me vp to heauen, wh [...] I was to be cast in to hel / who hath fed m [...] from my cradle, and than most plentiously, wh [...] I was an orphane, who also I am certaine, hat [...] deliuered me out of manie daungers, thauoidance whereof to procure, I had nether counsel, nor purpose, nor thought, in whom no [...] [Page] being chased out of my countree, and banished from mine acquaintaunce, & knowen frendes, I finde swete comforte, and great plentie of ioies / euen in the middest of teares. But the maner of my speaking foundeth vnreuerently / though in my mind / I maie thincke reuerently.

If this be an vnreuerent speech, to saie, that it was goddes wil, and ordinance, that Adam shuld sinne, than this is an vnreuerent speech / to saie, that it was goddes wil, and ordinance / that the Iues shuld crucifie Christ, and that Io­sephes brethern shuld sel him in to Aegypte.

But the holie gost saieth / by the mouth of his holie Apostles / and primitiue church, that the Iues and the gētiles came together to do, what soeuer goddes hand, & purpose, had ordained to be don. And the same holie gost saieth by the mouth of the right vertuous, and holie man Ioseph, you sent me not hither, but god.

Howbeit you must know, that whan we saie, that it was goddes wil, and ordinance, that A­dam shuld sinne, the meaninge is not, that god delighted in Adams sinne, or that god alowed Adams sinne, or that god was the propre cau­se, or propre worcker of Adams sinne / but the meaning is, that it was goddes wil, that A­dam shuld sinne, thorough Satans enuie / and Adams awne faulte, not for the sinnes sake / or [Page] in respecte of the sinne, but for the end that he wold turne the sinne vnto. And that the ho­le matter, that I haue taught you herein is true I haue a sure ground. For the scripture tea­cheth plainly, that al the thinges, that ar don in the world, ar gouerned by goddes wil. The testimonie of Salomon, is plaine, that God h [...]th wrought al thinges for him selfe, euē the vngodlie, to an euil daie. And. S. Paule speaking of goddes bli [...]ding, and reiecting of the Iues, and receauing of the gentiles to mer­cie, pronounceth, that al thinges ar of him / by him, and into him. Ieremie repeouing the furious madnes of them, that denied god­des prouidence in his tyme, maketh this demā ­de, with a stomake. Who is he, that saieth, a thing is don, and god commaunded it not, that is to saie, ordained it not? The same Iere­mie, whan the king of Babilō purposed to inuade the Moabites, and being now in his ior­naie, chaunged his purpose, and came against Ierusalem, crieth out. I know, lord, that mā ­nes way is not his awne, nether is it of man / to gouerne, and to directe his awne steppes.

And therefore Salomon saieth also, that man­nes steppes ar guided of god. And to tea [...]h vs certainly, that nothinge commeth to passe by chaunce, and to remoue al matter of doubtinge [Page] in this question, the same Salomon teacheth / that those thinges, wherein hap semeth most to haue place, procede out of the iudgdmēt of god.

Lottes, saieth he, ar cast in to the lappe, but the hole iudgement is from Iehoua. How eloquently, and how diligently, is this matter beaten in to mennes heades, in the propheties of Esaie? Where god, after that he hath shew­ed, that he wold raise vp king Cyrus, from the east, to beate dounne Babilon, and to conquere manie nations, to the confusion of al Epicures babling bande, asketh this question. Who hath wrought, and don these thinges? And aunswe­reth thereto himselfe. I Iehoua the f [...]rst, and with the last, ani hu, I am he. And in the 45. cha. I the lorde, and there is no more, fra­ming light, and causing darcknes / making pe [...]ce, and causing euil, that is, wa [...]re I Iehoua do al these thinges. Breifely al the places of the scripture, that teach, that god is the iud­ge, and gouernor of the world / teach that al thinges comme to passe by his wil, and ordi­nance. But this truth hath had aduersaries in al ages. For to goe no higher. S. Hiero­me, though he haue some sentences, that some to make with vs, yet he hath one sentence, that putteth me out of doubte, that he halted, and went to much a wrie in this matter. For [Page] writinge vpon one of the prophetes, he saieth in mockage, that some ar so straite mainteiners of goddes prouidence, that they affirme / that god knoweth, how maneflies, & gnattes the­re be in the world, which he thincketh to be to base a matter, for god to be occupied in. But how vntrue this is, you know, that haue heard the lord Iesus / who is in goddes bosome, and knoweth al his secretes, affirme, that the heares of our heades ar nombred, and that there fal­leth not a litle sparow vpon the erth, beside the wil, and ordinance of our heauenlie father.

Nether maie you thincke, that god knoweth fli­es, and gnattes, and litle sparowes with irck­som tediousnes, which is found in man, bicau­se of his weacknes. And therefore whan the prophete Esaie speaketh of goddes prouidence, how he brought forth the armie of heauen, that is to saie, the starres, & called euerie one by na­me, saieth thus Why saiest thou Iacob / my waie is hidden from Iehoua, and my iudge­mēt shal passe from my god, that is to saie, god­des ordinance extendeth not to me? Doest thou not know / that the eternal god Iehoua / who made the vtter most partes of the erth, is not werie / nor feleth tediousnes / or paine, & that his vndrestanding can not be serched out?

By these wordes Hieromes feare, that god [Page] shuld be ouermuch vnsemely busied with so smal thinges, is proued fond, and superfluous.

Wel, such aduersaries the truth had than. Howbeit it had also as stronge maintainers,

For. S. Augustine in the same tyme glorious­ly, and inuincibly defended it, and to this daie he raigneth in it / as a mightie conqueror of al them, that dare hisse against it. The later sco­le men, thought not altogether amisse of this matter. For thei saie, that al thinges com­me necessarely to passe, not by the necessitee of natural causes, but by the necessitee of goddes ordinance, which thei cal necessitatem consequē tie. Some sophisters, that folowed afterwar­de, delighting them selues in choplogike, & in braules, and vaine subtilties, labored on tho­therside to impugne the truth hereof. And in our tyme the popes peare of bastarde diuines Eckius, and Pigghius haue taken the same thī ­ge in hand. And not only papistes ar busie herein, but also some professors of tru religion, ether bicause thei be preposterously feareful, or bicause thei haue wanton idle wittes. In this later ordre I compte the hartiehard harti­ans in England. In the the nombre of the first, I put Philippe Melanchthon, who in the beginning, was verie ernest, and free, but af­terward whan he saw, the perue [...]site of the ra­ging [Page] world, being a man naturally fearful, he beganne to giue place, and to beare with the pap [...]stes in more thinges, than this. Howbeit I thincke surely, that he relented not altogether of feare, but partly to winne the weake, whose tendre yonge stomakes cold not broke so hard meate, at the first. For he is a right godlie mā, and studious to promote sincere doctrine by al meanes. Melanchih [...]n than standeth not plainly with vs, nether standeth he plainly a­gainst vs. For if ye marcke his writinges thoroughly, he impugneth, and beateth doune only this, that god is the autor of sinne, wher in no man dissenteth from him, saue the mad Manichees in old time, and in our tyme men like to them, the lost Libertines. I thincke wel, that there be some other good men, which to auoide the offense of vnlerned tendre eares / forbeare to speake plainly, what thei thincke in this matter. But Zuinglius, and Oecclam­padius, two lightes of the worlde, Martinus Lutherus, and Martinus Bucerus, men of in comparable knowlege, and lerninge, Petrus Matyr, and Ioannes Caluinus, of which two the first in sondrie sciences, and in present rea­dines and liuelines of witte excelleth al the mē, that we know in Europe, thother in eloquence, in handsome handlinge, and vndrestandinge of [Page] the scripture, is a miracle to al men / euen to the verie papistes. Al these, by whom god hath most wondrefully renued his truth in this later tyme, haue expresly, plainly, fully, and strongly not only affirmed, but also with most pithie and sound reasons cōfirmed the thinges, that I haue taught you in this place, & at this present reherse vnto you. Now seing I haue spoken after the meaning, and maner of the ho­lie gost, and after the vndrestanding of most godlie / and most excellently wel lerned men, I trust you wil not thinke / that I haue spoken ra­shely, or vnreuerently of god, and his worckes.

I haue chosen in dede purposely, to treate such places amonge you, as touch goddes pro­uidence in gouerning the world, partly to con­forte my selfe, and you in this woful tyme, and partly to shew the inconsiderate wilfulnes of the harriharde hartiās, & such beggerlie doc­tors in England. Now some for exercise of lerninge / haue set them selues against me in this my trauail, of whō I nede not to be much aferde, for two causes. First because thei brin­ge not with them bitternes of minde / nor ha­tred ether against me / or against the truth.

Secondly because they fight with leaden swor­des. For against that / that I said for the tho­row mainteinance of goddes prouidence / that [Page] it was goddes wil, and ordinance, that Adam shuld sinne / they make this fainte reasō: Adās sinne was iniquitee, but god willeth none ini­quitee, ergo & I aunswere, that these lo­gicians begile them selues, in douteful termes.

For to wil / hath a double signification.

For we maie be said to wil a thinge, whan we alow it, or delight in it. And so Dauides worde, lo kaphets, certainly signifieth, and shuld be thus englished: Thou art not a god, that hath pleasure in iniquitee. And we maie be said also to wil a thinge, whan we de­light not in the thīge nor alow it, but ordaine it to be dō, for some purpose. If these men that be our aduersaries in disputing / not in meaning / vndrestand by this world / to wil / that god de­lighted not in Adams sin / nor alowed it / so saie we. And than they fight against their awne shadowes. But if thei meane / that it was not goddes decree / and ordinance / that Adam shuld sinne, for another purpose I mea­ne, than for the respecte of sinne, thā we saie / they go aboute to pulle god out of his throne / to spoile him of his power / and violently to wrest out of his handes his office of iudging / and gouerning the world. And thei ascribe weacknes to god. For they so teache, that thī ­ges be don whether god wil, or no. The [Page] second argument is, that god in forbidding A­dam to eate of the frute / doclared his wil to be, that Adam shuld not eate thereof. But if god had ben in wil, that Adam shuld haue eaten of the frute, that had ben a contrariete in god, er­go &c. To this I saie shortly, that god in de­de by his commaundment, testified to Adam / what his pleasure was / and what he alowed / and againe what Adās dutie was to do towar­des him / but this letted not god to wil, and decree, that Adā thorough his awne fault, shuld do the thinge / that god alowed not in it selfe / but ordained to be don / for the ende / that he wold turne it vnto. Bycause god liked not / nor alowed Adams sinne, mighte he not there­fore ordaine it to be don for some good ende?

Who hath giuen you such autoritee ouer god to cutte shorte his power, that he shal do no more than pleaseth you, or that you can be contente to iudge wel don? Lo how terrible these weapons be, which breake in shiuers, before they comme to the stroke. But now commeth another mightie blow he that doeth the wil of god, pleaseth god, but Adam in breaking the commaundment of god, pleased not god, ergo he did not his wil. I praie you good fren­des, shuld Adam please god in doinge goddes wil, and ordinance with a faulte of his awne?

Senacherth did goddes wil, and ordinance in afflicting the people of Ierusalem, but by­cause he did it, with a fame of his awne, god plaged him, for doing that, that he testifieth, he had appointed him to do. If you can not perceaue, how men maie do Goddes decreed wil / with a fault of their awne / impute it to your ignorance / and want of vndrestanding / & thincke it not by and by, to be false, that your measured witte can not comprehende. The nexte argument is like the for ner / God rewarded not Adam with benifices / ergo he did not that goddes wil was to be don. I wil make the like reason. God rewarded not the Iues with benefites, for crucif [...]inge of Christ, ergo it was not goddes wil / and ordinance / that the Iues shuld crucifie Christ. But yet the holie gost saieth, that thei did, that goddes hand and purpose had foreordained to be don.

Pigghiu [...] the papist frameth the argume [...]t thus. Adam in si [...]ninge, and the Iues in pro­curing Christes death, did that god wold, and had ordained before to be don / ergo thei were not to be punished. For right vndrestanding hereof / ye shal know, that god / and wick [...]d men / wil some times one thinge, but not af­ter one maner. Adams wil was to sinne, and goddes wil was, that he shuld sinne.

But Adams wil was to sinne bycause he wold be [...]qual to god / i [...] knowinge of good, & bad.

And goddes wil was, that Adam thorough his awne faute shuld sinne / to turne Adams sinne to good / and to bringe good out of euil.

The Iues wil was to put Christ to death / and goddes wil was / that his sonne shuld die.

But the Iues wil was / that he shuld die, by­cause thei wold satisfie their malice, and cruel­tie vpon him, and godddes wil was / that he shuld die, to raunsome his chosen, and so to declare h s [...]sti [...]able goodnes. Sainct Augus­tine sheweth verie handsomely, how god wil­leth the same thinge / with a good wil / that men wil, which a nawghtie wil. An vnthrif­tie child [...]h the death of his father / whō god wil haue to die. Thei both wil one thīg, namely the death of the man, but they wil it not, after one sorte. For the enthriftie sonne willeth it, to emote his father goodes. God willeth it / to conuete him out of miserie, if he be one of the chosen / or duly to punish him / if he be a reprobate. Is this vnthrifte than wor­thie to be rewarded with benifites, bicause he wold the same thinge that god wold? Naie su­rely. For he willed it vniustly, to an euil pur­pose, and god willed it iustly, to a good porpo­se. Boies in scoles to practise then sophistrie, [Page] make the argument, as handsomely, after this sorte. That wil, that agreeth with goddes wil, is good / the Iues wil agreed with goddes wil, for thei wold that Christ shuld die, and god also wold / that he shuld die, ergo their wil was good. To this wise men aunswer, that the Iues wil agreed not with goddes wil, in al causes, and in al pointes, and therefore it was not good, but extremely euil. The argument the refore is nawght. For it is deducted ex causa non sufficiente .i. of a cause not sufficient.

But let vs peruse more of our aduersaries rea­sons. God made man to immortalitie, ergo it was not his wil, that he shuld sinne, and die. I aunswer, that this is not an absolute speech, god made mā to immortalitie, but a cōditional. God made man to immortalite, if he wold ha­ue persisted, and continued in the state, that god made him in. Whan Ionas saieth / yet .40. daies, and Niniue shalbe destroied, this speech declareth not goddes secrete determinatiō, but what shuld folow, if thei did not repente.

God saieth to Abimelech, hauing taken to him Abrahams wife. Lo thou shalt die for the wo­man, whom thou hast taken. This semeth an absolute speech, but in dede it hath a secrete condition, which the scripture afterwarde expresseth in these wordes. Restore hir now to hyr [Page] husband, if thou restore hir not (see the condi­tiō expressed), know that thou shalt surely die. Yet there remaineth another reason, that wold make anie man to quake, if he had nether wit / nor sparcke of a mannes mind. If you graūt not cōtingentiam saie thei, than ye affirme, that al thinges cōme to passe by fatal destinee.

Here first I must tel you what cōtingens is.

Cōtingens is that, which though it be dō after some certaine sorte, yet hath of it selfe, and of his awne nature, that it might haue ben otherwise dō. As for exemple / Iulius Cesar ouer­came Pōpeie. There is nothinge in the na­ture hereof, but that Pōpeie might haue ouer­cōme Iulius Cesar. The legges of the lord Iesus of theyr awne nature might haue ben broken. Than we saie, that manie thinges of them selues, and of their awne nature, be cōtingent, but touching goddes wil, and ordinan­ce there is nothing cōtingent in the world, that is to saie, nothinge in the world cōmeth to passe, other wise than he hath determined, and or­dained. And so we saie, that Iulius Cesar must nedes ouercōme Pōpeie, and that the leg­ges of the lord Iesus cold not be broken by rea­sō of goddes ordinance. But so we agree with the stoikes, that saie, that al thinges cōme to passe, by fatal destinie. Naie surely. For [Page] those fōde philosophers taught, that al thin­ges comme to passe by the copulatiō of causes wrapped one in another. And they made god subiect to this ordre / and row of causes depen­ding one vpō another, after such sorte, as Ho­mere deuised his chaine, whereūto he tieth Iuppiter also. But we saie not, that al thinges cō ­me to passe, for that the causes ar so licked to ge­ther, that one thinge necessarely draweth ano­ther, but bicause god hath thorough his secre­te wil, and purpose, ordained al thinges so to be dō as ther be dō. And we make not god subiecte to [...]ained, and lincked causes, but we make al causes. and al thinges subiecte to god.

This than that our aduersaries wold fraie vs withal, was nothing, but lightninge out of a basin.

After that I had gon this far, two other reasōs of theirs, were brought vnto me, wh ch though thei maie be confuted, by that, that I haue al readie said, yet I wil examine them, by­cause I heare / that they acknowlege most strength to be in them. The first is this. If it had ben goddes wil, that Adam shuld sinne, than Adam shuld haue wanted free wil / but god gaue him free wil / to kepe his commaund m [...]t if he wold, ergo it was not goddes wil / that he shuld sinne. This reason shineth to [Page] them, as it were gold, but in dede it is but gil­ted latin. For goddes wil / and ordinance letted not, but that Adam shuld do frely, and wil­lingly without compulsion that he did, nether did Adam sinne, thorough want of free wil, & natural strength. If anie did affirme / that god compelled Adam to sinne, than complaint might be made that Adam wanted free wil.

And a reason might be framed against vs vpō Adams free wil. But if god ordained, that Adam shuld sinne, without compulsion / tho­rough his awne faute, and abuse of his free wil, than this reason hath no maner of force / and the complainte is made without cause.

But you wil saie, that there was no fault in A­dam / if that were necessarely to be don, that he did. I denie the consequence. For if he did willyngly breake goddes commaundment, as it is euident, without compulsion / there was a fault great enough in him. The diuel doeth those thinges necessarely, that he doeth / and can not choose but do them, yet bycause he do­eth them willingly without compulsion / tho­rough the rage of his nawghtie wil, he is iustly to be damned. So though Adam did that must nedes be don, yet bycause he did it with­out compulsion, thorough a manifest fault of his awne, he deserued damnation. For it is [Page] not al one to do a thinge of necessite, and to do a thinge of constraint. For god doeth good necessarely, and can not do otherwise, and yet he doth not good constrainedly. The diuel / as I shewed you doth euil necessarely, and can do none other, and yet he doeth not the same cō strainedly, but most willingly. And thus nether man, nor diuel can excuse their faulte, by goddes ordinance, and by necessitee. For god­des ordinances cōpelleth nether man, nor diuel, to do il, and so leaueth a place to their awne faute. For thei do that thei most desire, and wold do none otherwise to choose. If men wil see this, thei must put of the old spectacles of fleshlie bleared eyes, and desire of god a new sight, and to be made aegleeyed of him. Heare now the seconde argument. Sinne, and death / cā ­me in to the world by the enuie of the diuel, and the nawghtie concupiscence of Adam in trans­gressing goddes commaundment, but the en­uie of the diuel, and the nawghtie concupis­cence of Adam, were contrarie to goddes wil / ergo it was not goddes wil / that Adam shuld sinne. I graūt that Adams nawhhtie con­cupiscence, and the diuels enuie, ar contrarie to goddes wil, if you meane by goddes wil, that god neuer alowed, ether the diuels enuie, or Adams nawghtie concupiscence. But wil [Page] you saie this / death camme into the world, by the enuie of the diuel, ergo it was not ordained by god? Who than ordained death, whether god wold or no? Did god / as Esaie teacheth ordaine gehenna, from yester daie, that is to saie, from eternitee, and not death? As death than came not in to the world besides goddes ordinance, and yet god delighteth not in death, as it is only death, but as it is the iust punish­ment of sinners, so sinne camme not in to the world besides goddes ordinance / and yet god delighteth not in sinne, as it is sinne / but in that, that he wil turne sinne vnto. You ha­ue heard the reasons, that thei thincke maie be made against me, heare now how thei dissolue my reasons, made against them. In which matter thei feately discharge them selues, of o­uer much labor. For thei medel but with o­ne of myn, thother that thei saie is myn, cam­me out of their awne shoppes, and was neuer made by me. To shew that Adams sinne, cā ­me not to passe, besides goddes ordinance, I al­leged this sentence of. S. Augustine. Euen in this, that thei did against goddes wil, goddes wil was fulfilled vpon them. These wordes, saie thei, make against your assertion. For Au­gustine saieth that the angels apostates, & A­dam did that, that god wold not. But I [Page] praie you, what saie thei to this, that. S. Au­gustine saieth, that by the same their acte, god­des wil was fulfilled vpon them? Here thei giue them selues, and vs leaue / and space enough, to breathe. Thei cutte the band in sondre, where the knotte is not, as for the knotte it selfe, thei neuer touche, & yet wold haue men to weene, that thei haue verie wel loosed it.

The argument, which thei forge them selues, & faine to be myne, is this. Nothinge can be dō in the world besides the wil of god, sinne is a thinge, ergo it is not don beside the wil of god.

In this argument, thei denie the minor, & saie that sinne is nothing. If I shuld haue made a syllogisme, I wold haue framed it af­ter this sorte. Nothinge in the world is dō be­sides goddes wil, and ordinance, that Adam sinned was a thinge don in the world, ergo it was don by goddes wil, and ordinance. In the minor, whan I saie, that Adam sinned, I meane Adams sinful action, and dede, and, not the qualitee only of Adams minde, but in their minor / sinne signifieth only a qualitee / & not an action. Howbeit I maie also saie truly of Adams sinne, meaninge the qualitee, or what soeuer you wil cal it, that it was not in him, besides goddes wil, and ordinance, though god caused it not, & than frame the syllogisme after [Page] this sorte. Al that was in Adam, was in him, by godddes goddes wil, & ordinance, but sin­ne was in Adam, ergo it was in him by god­des wil, and ordinance. For it is not al one / to saie, that sinne was in Adam by goddes wil and ordinance, and to saie / that sinne was in Adam, by goddes propre worckinge. The first saiyng is verie true, and ascribeth no faulte to god. The seconde is verie false, for it ascri­beth the faulte of Adams fal, to god, From which affirmation, I most ernestly abhorre.

And I wold to God I might be once halfe so far from other faultes, as I am far from that frantike imagination, and droncken dreame of diuellish men. Where thei saie, that sinne is nothinge, you shal vndrestand, that in scoles this word, nothing, is taken two waies, for nothing negatiuely, and for nothinge priuatiuely. To saie, that sinne is nothinge negatiue­ly, is open blasphemie. For so men shuld be damned for nothinge at al. But thei take this word, nothinge, for nothinge priuatiuely, and teache, that sinne is a priuation, and absence of righteousnes / which is a destruction of natu­re, for which god abhorreth the creature, that is defiled therewith. I graunt thei meane so, and teach so, and so meaneth. S. Augustine to / but seinge the vnlerned can not make a diffe­rence, [Page] and distinction of nothinge negatiuely, and nothinge priuatiuely, nor can wel vndre­stande what priuatiō is, though thei be taught, that darcknes is the priuation of light, & death of life, our aristarches shuld leaue those termes to scoles, and teach the people, as the truth is, and as thei maie easely vndrestand, that sinne is a qualitee repugnant, and contrarie to god­des lawes. For thei ar better acquainted with this word qualitee, than with this worde pri­uation. And logicians permitte, that priuations shalbe referred to the same predicament / that those thinges be in, whereunto thei ar cō ­traries. As for exemple, darcknes is contra­rie to light / and light is a qualitee, therefore darcknes shalbe referred to the same house.

[...] sinne is cōtrarie to righteousnes / & righ­teousnes is a qualitee, therefore we shal putte sin [...]e [...] the same predicament / and row, that r [...]ghte [...]snes is in / & saie, that sinne is a qua­litee whereby mannes nature is corrupte / & [...], and s [...]de worthie to be cast awaie / and condemned of god. But now these good [...] their reas [...]ning, & giue vs good coū sel. [...] bid vs be warie, and forbeare to [...] suc [...] thinges, as the wicked maye turne [...]. But so we shal cease to preache [...]mercies of god. For wicked men turne [Page] that to euil. For the papistes saie, that by preachinge of goddes mercies / we encourage men to sinne. And some wicked men perchaunce take occasion thereby in dede, to sinne the more boldly. But thei plaie the sophisters and take non causam pro causa. For the verie cause in dede of mennes corrupte behauior is their in­warde boiling sinful lust, and not our preachīg.

Wherefore we maie not forbeare to speake the truth, bicause euil men can wringe thinges to euil purposes. But now lette vs comme to the lesson, that these good scolemasters haue giuē you, whereby ye ar taught to ouerthrow shortely, and whithout sweate, whatsoeuer we can allege / for the maintenance of our sentence.

For whan it is said, that it was goddes wil, that Adā shuld sinne, you must saie, that god suffred Adam to sinne, and so forth. But these sufferers / that turne al goddes doinges, in to suffringes / preately suffre them selues to be begiled, if thei weene, that manie wil streight waie beleue them. For shal we saie, that god suffred the Iues to conspire Christes death / whan the holie gost saieth, his hand foreordai­ned it? Whan Micha saieth to Ahab. Lo the lord hath giuen the spirite of liyng in to the mouth, of al thy prophetes / is that nothinge els but god hath suffred thy prophetes to lie?

Whā god biddeth the liyng spirite to go, and to deceaue Ahab / I trow / he doeth more / than suffre him to go. I saie not this, as though this word suffringe might nowaie be ascribed to god, but I saie, that thei ar euil scolemasters / that teach you to turne al goddes doinges in to suffringes, and yet teache you not in what sen­se, you shal take the word suffringe. For suf­fringe is taken sondrie waies. We maie suf­fre a thinge with our wil, and we maie suffre a thinge against our wil. He suffreth also a thīg to be don, that meddleth not at al with the mat­ter. And he suffreth a thinge to be don, that is contente, and agreeth, that it shal be don.

If thei saie / that god sufferd Adam to sinne, as one that wold not medle with the matter / that is plaine sacrilege, and robbeth god of his honor. If thei wolde signifie in saiyng / that god suffred Adam to sinne, that he was not the propre worcker, and autor of his sinne / but ordained Adam to sinne, by Satans propre worckinge, and his awne faulte, than thei meane, as we meane. And than their meruail­ous high lesson is vanished in to smoke.

Now to make at ende, thus I trust you see that I stand vnwounded, and vnhurte against these sore blodie blowes. If anie man thincke, that I haue ben to quicke against them / that be ad­uersaries [Page] in wordes, and not in meaning, lette him considre, that I haue not had respecte to them only, but also to the papistes, which er­nestly vse the same weapons against vs.

And further, bycause I trauail to mainteyne the glorie of my god, which shineth to the da­sellyng of wicked mennes yes in the hole gouernmēt of the world, I thought good to vse some quicknes / and liuelines of wor­des / to awake the dulnes of my hearers. God our most merci­ful lord, and father encrease the knowlege of his prouidence in vs al, arme vs with patience in these mi­series, and confirme in vs, the hope of a better state. Amen, amen.

¶ An exposition of these wordes (Leade vs not in to tentation.) made by Bar. Traheron, lōge before these former lectures, & now added hereto, that you maie know, that he neuer saide nor thought that god is the autor of sinne, as some most falsly, and vngodly, wold haue men to weene.

LEade vs not &) God tempteth, and trieth men sondrie waies, and to sondrie endes. First to beginne with his awne, whom he chose in Christ Iesus, and prepared to euerbastinge life before the fundations of the world were laied, he tempteth and trieth them to sondrie endes, namely ether to make theyr vertues which he him selfe hath wrought in them, to shine forth more clearely, or to open their shame, and nawghtie corrupte nature / that so afterwarde thei maie liue ī greater warines, and feare of god / and more ernestly desire his helpe, knowinge better their awne wicked­nes. To the ende, whereof, we spake first, he tempted Abraham, & Iob to bringe, I mea­ne, their vertues to light, and to make them [Page] more certainly knowen. To thother ende, he tempted kinge Dauid, and. S. Petre, and ma­nie other, not vtterly to destroie them, but to humble them / to teach them to know, and ab­horre their awne wickednes, and to fele more certainly, his great goodnes, and mercie.

And though god use this temptation to the profite of his chosen, yet thei ought to praie, that thei maie not fal in to it. For though it be so, that god of his great goodnes, maketh our nawgh­tines to turne to his glorie / and our welth, yet the godlie ought to abhorre, to committe anie thinge / whereby their god is iustly offended.

But you wil saie / if he be offended with those our dedes / why bringeth he vs in to them?

With our dedes he is surely offended, but he is delighted with that, that he bringeth to passe by them, namely with our humilitee, with our better knowlege of our awne weaknes, & with our more warie walking afterwarde in due feare of him. This tentation, in to which God bringeth his electe / endureth but a time.

But he bringeth some in to a perpetual tentati­on / vtterly giuinge them vp to Satan, & hardening them in wickednes for euer. The god­lie do not praie / that thei maie not be led in to this temptatiō. For thei haue a sure confidēce, that thei ar goddes children. For otherwise [Page] thei might not cal him father. And if thei thincke, that thei be goddes children, thei must thincke / that thei be goddes chosen. And by­cause thei be goddes chosen / thei must thinke, that thei can be no more damned / than god can cease to be god. For whō he hath ōce chosē, thē he hath chosen for euer. Nether cā he repēte him of the thinge, that he hath once purposed / nor chaunge his purpose. For that shuld argue so­me imperfection in him / which can not be in the diuine nature. Wherefore the godlie ar out of daunger, and feare of this tentation.

For thei beleue not only that god is their father, but that he wil euer be their father. For he is father to none, sauing to those, whom he in fallibly chose before the fundations of the world were laied, whom in tyme he giueih to his son­ne to be saued / and preserued for euer. For no man can take them out of his hande, & tho­se that comme to him, he casteth not out.

Wherefore sith noman, nor diuel can take them out of his hand by force / and sith he hath no wil to cast them out / thei ar safe / and sure for euer. But here riseth a great difficulte. For it semeth vniust, that god shuld leade some in to temptation, and harden them / and giue them vp for euer to sinne / and yet punish thē for their sinnes. Neuertheles we saie, that god lea­deth [Page] into tentation / not only whereby mennes vertues ar brought to light, or their weaknes uttered / to their welth, which happeneth to the chosen, but also whereby thei ar hardened / and made stiffer in their wickednes / and giuen vp to sinne, which happeneth to the reprobate. And that this is so, the scripture teacheth plainly, where we haue, that god hardened Phara­os herte / and gaue vp idolatres to shameful raging lustes, and where it is said, to the prea­cher of the gospel. Go, and engrosse the hertes of this people, make dul their eares, stoppe their eyes, that thei se not / with their eyes &c. Certaine writers, bycause thei can not see how this maie be don iustly / alter the toun­ge of the holie gost, and for lead vs not / they saie, suffre vs not to be led / and where god sai­eth / he hardened Pharao, thei saie, he suff­red him to be hardened. And so in teaching the holie gost to speake, thei thincke, that they haue auoided al absurditee, and inconuenience.

But so in dede thei auoide one inconue­nience with another, yea with an inconuenien­ce / thei runne from the truth. Other better lerned saie, that god is greater, than mannes reason, so that it is no meruail, if we can not see his iudgementes thoroughly. For often tymes / the deuises of verie wise men, seme vn­iust, [Page] and vnwise to vs at the beginninning, & yet whan we see the issue, and end of them, we ar compelled, to confesse / that those thin­ges were righteousely don / that we at the first thought to be folish. So whan we shal entre in to goddes sanctuarie, and se god, as he is / we shal perceaue that he neuer did anie thinge / vniustly, or vnreasonably / but that he hath delt with al men according to the vtter most point ether of equitee, or of mercie. Al this is ve­rie truly spoken. How beit, I see not, but that euen in this life, we maie see good, and iust causes, that god shuld harden the reprobate / and leade them in to this baleful temptation. For ar not they worthie to be hardened? And what vnrighteousnes is it, to harden thē, that ar worthie to be hardened? For you must vn­drestande, that whan the scripture saieth, that god hardeneth men, the meaning is not / that thei were soft before, and that than god harde­ned them / for whan were thei soft? But the meaning is, that god maketh them harder.

And that is iustly don. For their former hard­nes deserued to be made harder. In dede if thei had ben soft before / and than hardened by god, there had ben some place left to a cōplaint.

But if god punish their former hardnes, with more hardnes, he dealeth with thē, most iustly.

This beinge considered / that the reprobate ar neuer soft, but euer hard, as it is euident, I see not so great difficultie in the matter. For why shuld not god harden them / that ar wor­thie to be hardened / by reason of their former hardnes? Why shuld not god leade them in to perpetual temptation, and giue them ouer for euer, that ar worthie to be led in to perpetu­al tentation, and to be giuen ouer for euer? If anie man wil saie, that it is goddes faulte, that he softeneth not al men, lette him shew, that god first hardened al men. If al men first harde­ned them selues / what shal constraine him to make thē soft againe? If he wil, he sheweth his mercie / if he wil not, he sheweth his righteousnes. But who shal cōpelle him to shew his mercie, where he maie shew his iustice? If than he harden, he doth iustly, if he soften, he doeth mercifully. By knowlege hereof, the godlie shal haue this profite, that thei shal much more haue in reuerent admiration, the exceding gre­at goodnes of god, whan thei shal considre / that he vouchsafed to take them in to the nom­bre of those, whom of his mercie he wold softē where of his iustice he might haue hardened them for euer. Thus I trust, I haue shew­ed you iust causes, why god hardeneth some, & leadeth them in to such tentation, as bringeth [Page] with it euerlasting destruction. Howbeit I denie not / but that in manie worckes of god / before we can iudge rightly, we must tarie, vn­til we maie see them altogether, and not by pee­ces. For there be manie thinges amonge vs here in this world, which we shuld iudge il fa­uored, if we shuld see but peeces of thē, which being seen together / ar most comelie, and be­autiful. So if we we wil see the decent, and comelie ordre of goddes doinges, we must tarie, til we maie see the hole bodie together, and not a legge in one place, & an arme in another a mile of, and the head, as far distant. But we maie not passe thus from this matter. For there be some sentences of the scripture, that se­me to impugne our saiynge, and to teach partly that god tempteth no man, partly that he tempteth no man to vttre destruction. Touching the first. S. Iames saieth, lette no man, whan he is tempted, saie, that he is tempted of god. For as god can not be tempted of euil, so he tēp­teth noman. But euerie man is tempted, whi­le he is drawen awaie, and baited with his aw­ne lust. To this I saie, that. S. Iames meaneth plainly, that god tempteth noman, as the au­tor and worcker of sinne in him. For god cau­seth not euil in a mannes herte, and than stir­reth him to committe that euil in acte, that he [Page] hath caused and wrought in him, but where as man is euil of him selfe / thorough Adams fal, and ful of vices, by his awne corrupte nature / god stirreth him to vttre those secrete sores, not that god made, but that man had / by corrup­ting, and poisoning his nature, which god at the beginning made good. So it is tru, that god tempteth noman to euil, which he hath not, but god maketh him vttre the euil / which he hath / and as it were, pulleth the adder out of his hoale. And who cā saie that, that is not wel, and iustly don? After this vndrestanding I ta­ke. S. Iames wordes. For I wil not make hī to sette his head, and to rūne against the eui­dent scriptures. For who hath not red these wordes, in the .24. of the .2. boke of kinges. Goddes anger encreased against Israel / and he sur­red vp Dauid against them, to saie, go, and nō ­bre Israel, and Iehuda. For by that acte / as it appeareth, Dauid greatly and iustly offended god / and brought a sore plage vpon him selfe / and vpon the people. For Dauid surely would trust in the multitude of his people, leauinge the confidence / that he ought to haue had in God only. Therefore the scripture saieth, that god stirred him to nombre his people / to make his nawghtie distrust in god knowen, and to punis­he the people which had offended him with o­their [Page] sinnes. Howbeit god was not the autor / and worcker of Dauides distrust, nor of the peoples sinne / but moued Dauid to shew forth that / whereby al the world might se, that god iustly punished him. Againe we haue in the 12. of the .2. boke of kinges, these wordes. Be­hold, saieth god, by the prophete Nathan, to Dauid after he had committed abominable adulte­rie, and slaine innocent Vrie, I stirre vp euil vpon the, out of thine awne house, & I wil ta­ke thy wiues in thy sight, & deliuer them to thy neighbor, and he shal lie with thy wiues / in the sight of this sunne. For thou hast wrought in secrete, but I wil do this thinge before al Is­rael & Now though it cāme to passe by god­des ordinance, that Absolō laie openly with Dauides wiues, yet it is plaine, that god wrought not in Absolom that vile adulterous minde, but vsed that nawghtie minde, that Absolom had, to punish Dauides shameful adulterie, & mur­der. Touchinge the seconde matter, that god tempteth no man to euerlastinge damnation, so­me allege the prophete Ezechiel, where god sai­eth. I wil not the death of a sinner, but rather that he shal turne, and liue. And. S. Paule to Timothee. God wil haue al men to be saued.

To these scriptures, this is myn aunswer. Where god saieth in Ezech. that he wil not the [Page] death of a sinner, we must vndrestand it of those sinners, whom he hath chosen before the be­ginninge of the world to be conuerted, & to li­ue. For it is euident by. S. Paule that god hath some vessels of wrath, ordained to destructiō, & therefore he giueth thē vp for euer to wallow in their sinnes, and in them punisheth one sinne with another. If anie mā thīke it vniust, that god shuld ordaine some to destructiō, & punish sinne with sinne let hī shew, that thei were not worthie / to be ordained to destruction, and to be so punished. God than wil not the life, and cō ­uersion of those, whom he hath appointed to destruction. For than his wil shuld be against his awne decree. Wherefore, as I said, we must vndrestand, that he willeth the life, and cō uersion of them, whom he hath appointed to saluatiō / & of none other. For whan sainct Luke saieth / that as manie beleued; as were appoin­ted to euerlastinge life / he teacheth thereby, that the rest, which beleued not, were neuer appoin­ted to euerlastinga life. And who can saie / that it is goddes wil to saue anie / besides his awne appointment? If anie man wil take these wordes, god willeth not the death of a sinner, for god delighteth not simply and absolu­tely in the death of a sinner, but for a certaine respecte / the hebrue word, kaphets, which Eze­chiel [Page] vseth is, shal fauor & helpe their vndrestā ­dīg. I know ī dede what maner of obiectiō some rauinge vnlerned spirites make against this vn­drestanding / but it maie be assone cōfuted / as rehersed. For thei saie, that god willeth no­thinge, wherein he delighteth not. For wil saie thei, being a power of the mind, which hath hir free worcking in choosing, and desiring / or in refusing, and not willing, willeth nothinge but that wherein it delighteth. These seelie soules can not make a difference betweene wil­ling of a thinge for it selfe, & willinge of a thī ­ge for a certaine purpose, and not for it selfe.

If their saiyng were tru, men in a tēpest might not cast their goodes in to the sea, for sauing of their awne lyues, onles thei delighted in the losse of their goodes. Iudges might not wil theues to be hanged / onles thei delighted in their hanginge, and so the first poore men shuld be verie noddies and al iudges plaine murthe­rers. Yea so thei affirme that god cold haue no wil that his sonne shuld be tormented, onles he delighted in his torment. And than thei saie ether / that Christ was crucified whether God wold or no / and against his decreed wil & or­dināce, or els thei assigne to god, that I abhor­re to vttre for the falsnes of it, and abominati­on. But we wil combre our selues no farther [Page] with such dotinges, of brainsicke men.

Touchinge the wordes of Ezechiel thei maie be also shortely thus vndrestanded, that goddes wil is not / that anie sinner conuerted / and repentant / shal die. Where Sainct Pau­le saieth, that god wil al men to be saued, he fighteth not against himselfe, but meaneth that god hath chosen some of al sortes, and states, whom he wil bringe to the knowlege of his truth.

But bicause we can not know certainly which thei be, S. Paule biddeth vs praie for al sortes of men, for kinges / and noble men, which yet seme farthiest frō god, and godlines. For god amonge al sortes of men, hath some whom he wil saue. And this is no new exposition / though new men vse it. For this is an old worne, and wel knowen sentence. Distributio est, non pro singulis generum, sed pro generi­bus singulorum, quia de qualibet conditione hominum aliquos predestinauit ad vitam. Which wordes teach / that goddes wil is to appointe to life, and saue some of euerie sorte, and conditi­on, and not euerie one of al sortes and conditi­ons. And surely it is mere madnes, to saie, that god wil saue more, than his sonne wold praie for. The wordes of his sonne / whose wil agreeth with the fathers in al thinges, ar wel knowen. I praie not for the world, saieth he, but [Page] for those, whom thou hast giuen me. Why it is not goddes wil / to saue al, I know not tho­roughly / that it is not his wil I know, and I know that whom soeuer he condemneth, he cō ­demneth iustly. And herein I appeale to the cōsciences of al men. For no man liuinge in the world, can auoide, but that he shalbe cōstrained to graūt, that there is in him most iust matter, and most iust causes of damnation. For al men ar defiled with sinne, & sinne was not in them by their creation, but thei pulled it vpō them, & wrought it in them selues, declining from their first state. So al men ar worthie, to be left in the puddel of the filthie sinnes wherein thei ha­ue willingly drouned them selues, & in the end to be damned. And so god is iust, if he giue them ouer in this life to the wickednes, whereof the verie cause, and roote is in them selues, by their awne procurement, & if he appoint them to euerlasting punishment after this life, which thei haue iustly deserued thorough their mani­fold horrible offences. Now I wolde tarie you no lōger, sauinge that as often as we speake of this matter / rude men rush in / and thincke to roote vp al with their twifold snouttes. For if it be so that, god hath al readie foreappointed whom he wil saue, and whō he wil condemne, than saie thei, preachinges and exhortations be [Page] vaine, and superfluous, and it stilleth not how men liue. For the reprobate can no waie be sa­ued, and the chosen can no waie be damned.

Hereunto the godlie shal aunswer, first that it is not superfluous to preache to the reprobate / for thereby their damnatiō is made iuster, and thei ar driuen farther frō al excuse. And to the chosen it is right fruteful. For thereby it plea­seth god to awake their slepie sluggishnes, & to quickē their dul mēbres. For god worcketh two waies in them, by his spirite within, & by his worde without. By his spirite he lighteneth their darcke mindes / and new frameth their croked hertes. By his word he spurreth them fo­rewarde / & inflameth them to desire, & to seke newnes of life. If than god wil vse his worde as an instrument, whan he wil shew the effica­cie, & mightie worckinge of his hand, with what face can anie man saie, that preaching is superfluous to the chosen? If god wil that waie prepare them to his farther worcking in them / shal anie man forbidde him, to vse the meane / that semeth good to him? Secondly / where thei saie, that it shal not skil how men liue, we wil desire them to vnderstand / that the re­probate, thorough their wicked life, & heaping of sinne vpō sinne make their damnatiō and tor­ment more greuous. And as for the chosen thei [Page] findie not in dede to liue wel, that thei maie wī ­ne heauen, but thei studie to liue wel, bicause heauen is alreadie theirs. Thei labor not to make thē selues goddes childrē thorough good worc­kes, but bicause thei be goddes children there­fore thei worcke wel. Thei saie not bicause we ar alreadie saued, we wil do not good workes, but thei saie, bicause we ar saued therefore we wil studie to do good worckes, and to shew our sel­ues thanckeful to him / who of his only mercie hath saued vs. For thei know that thei ar appoī ­ted to goddes kīgdome, & saued to this ēde, that thei shuld glorifie their heauenlie father tho­rough good workes, & be fashioned after the i­mage of his sonne, & not to wallow themselues in filthie lustes, but to liue in puritee, & holines before god their saueor, who renueth, & refor­meth al those with his holie spirite, whom he hath foreordained to enioie his kingdō euerlas­tingly. Wherefore these wild bores weare their tuskes inuaine against this adamāt, which maie be hitte, but neuer hurte. This much I had to saie to you at this tyme, gi­ue god the glorie. Amen.