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Becaus that before plainely and simply I haue de∣clared our iudgement of gods eternall election, and most iust reprobation in all these your dispitefull arguments, I will onely shew your malice, ignorance, and proude va∣nitie. This is your argument, God created man a verie good thing therefor he did not ordein him to destructiō. your reason is: for that is contrarie to his iustice, to or∣dein a good thing to destructiō. I answere if ye be able to
proue that man stoode in the same goodnes, perfectiō and innocētie (he ād his posteritie whome so hieghly ye prai¦se) in the which he was first created, then will I confesse your argument to be good. But if man (albeit he was crea∣ted good) did yet willingly make him self euill how can it be contrarie to the iustice of God to appoint punishmēt for transgression, which he did not onely fore se by an id∣le speculation, or yet suffre and permitt against his omni∣potent, will, but in his eternall counsell for the manifesta∣tiō of his own glory had decreed the same. Against which, albeit ye cry horrible blasphemie till your braines drop out, yet haue we Moises Exod. 9. Isaiah. 6. Salomon and Paul to absolue vs from your cruell sentēce. For they do affirme that God hath created all thinges for his own glo¦rie, and the wicked to the day of destruction, that he rai∣sed vp Pharao that his power might be shewen furth in him: that he blindeth the eis and hardeneth the heartes of some, so that they can neither heare nor se that they may conuert: That God hath prepared bothe vessels of mercie and vessels of wraith which places albit som of them se∣me not to appertein to the creation, yet if they be iustly weyed it shall euidently appere that the hardnes of men∣nes heartes, their blindnes and stubborn malice are not onely punishments of sinne, but also are the effects of re∣probation, like as faith, obedience, and other vertues be the fre giftes of God geuen in Christ Iesus to those whom he hath elected in him. But yet to your argument, which thus ye amplifie: do ye think that God ordeined his iust and innocent creatures to damnation? what greater tyran¦nie and vnrighteousnes can the most wicked man in the earth, yea the deuil him self do? then to cōdemne a iust ād an innocent person.
I answer (as before) that your argument is nought worthe. For you conclude more then ye be able to proue of your two former propositiōs: which be those. God crea¦ted man a verie good thing. Trew it is, and God reproba∣ted mā and shall also condēne him whō he created good, I grant also. Therefor he damned the good thing which he
created, or that thing which is verie good, I deny the con∣clusion. For before demnation there cometh a change in man, so that he of verie good, became extreme euill, and so gods iust iudgements found nothing but that which is euill to condemne. You forme your reason, as that God had so created mā good, that he by no meanes after could be made euill, which last part is fals, and so you are decea¦ued. If ye cānot se iust causes why God should make that thing verie good which after should becom exttreme e∣uill, accuse your own blindnes, and desire of God to re∣pres in you that presumption and pryde, which against the eternall Sonne of God you haue conceaued, and so your eyes shalbe illuminated and you shall se first that becaus the creator is infinitly good, that therefor it beho¦ueth the creatures in their original creation to be good. And so I doute not was the deuil created good, but in the veritie, he stood not. And secōdarely that because the iust iudgemēts of God were no les to shyne in the damnation of the reprobat: then his infinite mercie was to be prai∣sed in the vessels of honor, it behoued the one and the o∣ther to be innocent and good in their creation. For if the original had bene euill, God iustly could not haue after dāned that which he had made no better. but so we must confesse that it was good that (yet willingly corrupting the self) mā made away to the most iust executiō of gods eternal coūsell. And last that the eternall purpose of God might in tyme be notified vnto mā, wc was that God wold bestow greater liberalitie, shew greater loue ād mercie in the redēption of mā iustly damned then that he did in his creation. Of nothing he did creat him (for his corporall substāce was made of the dust (which somtymes was not) to his own image and similitude, to him he gaue the do∣minion of all creatures, these were documents of a true loue. But if they be compared with that loue, which in Christ Iesus we receiue and that of fre grace, they are no thing. For what is the dominion of earthlie creatures in respect, that we shall reigne with Christ Iesus for euer?
what were the pleasures and fruites of Paradise in compa¦rison of those heauēlie ioyes which sainct Paul affirmeth can not enter in to the heart of man? If man had stand per¦petually in Adam, neither had the loue of God so won∣derously bene notified vnto vs, neither yet had place ben grāted to his fre grace ād mercie, wc we receiue in Christ Iesus. For mercy properly hath respect to miserie. But ye cheif comfort of gods children is, that as they fell in A∣dam, so are they new transferred in an other that is in Christ Iesus, to whom they are giuen, and who (as before we haue proued) hath so receaued them from the hand of his Father that he shall giue lief euerlasting to so many as the Father hath giuen him. If ye (I say) can not admitt these reasons, why it behoued mā to be created good, and yet after to fall in to sin and merserie, accuse your selues, storm not against God. for he will not be subiect to your reason & iudgements: your horrible blasphemies against God, and your dispitefull raling against vs at this tyme I will omitt. and how impudently ye leap from the pur∣pose of gods reprobation to the execution of his iudge∣ment, shalbe spoken, in weying this your reason which thus foloweth.
To the 1. •• & 3.
Blindnes and hard¦nes of hart are effectes reproba∣tion.
Why God treated mā good whō he ordey∣ned neuer¦theles to fall.