An answer to a great nomber of blasphemous cauillations written by an Anabaptist, and aduersarie to Gods eternal predestination. And confuted by Iohn Knox, minister of Gods worde in Scotland. Wherein the author so discouereth the craft and falshode of that sect, that the godly knowing that error, may be confirmed in the trueth by the euident Worde of God

THE ADVERSARIE▪

Now to that which ye say, that Adam, and Dauid euen in commit∣ting of Idolatrie, homicide, all kind of wickednes, they be st••l in gods fa∣uor. mark▪ I pray you how the saying of the prophet Zacharie is verified in you. In this saith he, ye gri••••e the Lord that ye say, They tha•• d•• euil are good in the sight of God, and such please him, can there be any thing more manifes••ly sp••ken against your error▪ and truelye it semeth [ 1] to me, that ye wold intyce the people by this do••trine to sinne, for if the [ 2] elect lose not the fa••or of God by sinne nether the repobate forasmuch, [ 3] a•• y•• say, neuer were nor can be in h•• fa••or▪ so that they can not lose that which they haue not▪ who nedeth to feare then to lose the [ 4] fauor of God by sinne. It is no matter then what we do▪ but con∣••rarie

to your doctrine, we be taught by the hol••e Gost in the worde that God hateth all workes of iniquitie, and he that committeth sinne is o•• the deuil And doeth God fauor them that be membres of the deuil. Paul saeth no unclean person hathe any inheritance in the kingdome of Christ [ 5] and God, thē was Adā whē he transgressed not of the Kingdome of god for he was an unclean person defiled with sinne. If he was n••t of the king∣dom•• [ 6] of God, thē was he of the kingdō of the deuil, & so was he out of the election. euen as Adam did sayth the Lord, so haue they broken my coue∣nant and set me at naught. If Adam in breking the Lordes couenant, setting God at naught, was stil beloued of God, then may we say with the [ 7] wicked as it is written. It is but lost labor to serue the Lord what profit haue we for keping his commandements▪ Therefore may we•• say that the proude are happie, a••d that they which deale with vngodlines are set vp Such a sp••rit haue ye car••les libertins, as your doctrine wel declareth. did [ 8] not God threaten Adam, that in what daye so euer he shoulde eat of the frute, he shoulde dye the death. not onely corporall but also eternall. They which forsake the commandements of God forsake God him self, as the Pro∣phetes saye th they are not the Lords for they haue vnfaithfully forsaken him, Wherefore Adam when he forsoke God was not the Lords but the seruant of death and sinne, to whom soeuer ye commit your selues as ser∣uants to obeye, saieth Paul his seruants ye are, to whom ye obey, whether [ 9] it be of sinne vnto death, or obedience vnto righteousnes. And againe if any man haue not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his, and n••ther Adā nor Dauid were led by the spirit of Christ, when they sinned for the spirit of Christ dwelleth not insuch as forsake him, & obey the deuil & ex∣cept [ 10] Christ saith the Apostel dwel in you ye are cast away, then Adā & Dauid were cast àwaies that is reprobates whē they sinned for nether we∣re they in Christ nor Christ in thē in whō the electiō of God was & is but to what purpose shoulde I thus contēd with you that Adā did f••lle out of the electiō seing in this ye agre not your selues. for your cōgregatiō which is a•• Gen••ua in the confession of their faith, say that of the lost sonnes of Adā [ 11] God elected som to life and the rest he refused. E••her improue their be••efe or els conf••sse with them that all the children of Adam were lost by trās∣gression. If they were lost▪ then were they out of the ele••tion with their fa∣ther▪ Adam from th•• transgression vnto the prom••s was made Therefore saieth Paul damnatio•• came of one sinne vnto condemnatiō & in an other place like as by Adam all dye. euen so by Christ▪ shal all be made aliue, Here doeth the Apostles witnes pla••nely▪ that we all by Adam do dye S. Iohn saieth h•• that beleueth not is alredie condemnedand the wrath of [ 12] God abideth on him. Then were Adam and Dauid, and all such wor∣kers of i••••quitie for that tym that they si••••ed alredie condemned being void, of faith And coulde they be in the ••••ate of cond••mnation & election both together▪ Harken what followeth, and▪ the wrath of God abideth on 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as Adam from the tra••sgression v••to th•• promes felt the force of the

wrath of God, Thus we 〈◊〉〈◊〉, tha•• Adam and Dauid and all other 〈◊〉〈◊〉 [ 13] they sinned ••hey be out of the lou•• and fau••r and election of God, vnto they repen••, and be b••rn•• a n••w. for otherwis•• can they neuer enter int•• [ 14] the kingdome of heauen. Again, S Iohn saith, ye knowe that no mansl••y•• are hath, et••rn••l lie•• abiding in him, Dauid was a man kill••r, wherefore [ 15] he had not eter••al lief abiding in him. Bu•• during the tim•• of his wicked∣••es he was the childe of death, as the Prophet Nathan shew••d him, Da∣uid [ 16] g••uing iudgement against him self▪ without faith it can not b•• that any man should•• please God, Adam, and Dauid when they sinned they were without faith, then pleas••d they not God. If they pleased him not, they displeased him so that they were fallen from the loue, and f••uor of God.

Notes

• The 28. se∣ction. Malac. 2.
• Ose ••