The Confutation.
The contrarie to this their doctrine is most true. Namely, that the decree of God concerning euery mans eternall both saluation & damnation, is from all eternitie, set downe, and immutable. The reasons. I. Testimonies of scrip∣ture. Rom. 11.29. The gifts and calling of God they are, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, such as are without repentance. Mat. 24.24. There shall arise false Christs, and false Prophets: and shall doe great signes and miracles, so that (if it were possible) they should de∣ceiue euen the elect. Rom. 8.33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods cho∣sen? it is God that iustifieth, who shall condemne? 2. Tim. 2.19. The foundation of god standeth sure, and hath this seale, the Lord knoweth who are his. II. Election & re∣probation they are in God, not in men: nowe there can be nothing in God which is not immutable. Mal. 3.6. I Iehouah am not changed. Esay 46.10. My counsell shall stand, and I will doe whatsoeuer I will. III. If this Popish conclusi∣on should be graunted, then would it follow of necessitie, that the foreknow∣ledge of God must be made void, his power weakened, and his will changed, each of which is impious once to dreame of. For he which changeth his coū∣sell, or his will, doth therefore change it either because he at the length seeth that he might haue taken better aduise, or els in that he seeth that he could not bring his former purpose about as he would. Either of these are farre from our Lord God. IV. If we resolue that the counsell of God is any waies muta∣ble, it will by this come to passe that euery man must bee vncertaine whether he be predestinate to life or not: whereby that notable staie & ground of our full assurance to be saued, is vtterly shaken & ouerturned. Wherefore let this truth be maintained of vs, namely, that both the election and reprobation of God stand immutable, so that neither the elect can become reprobates, nor the reprobates elect; and consequently neither these be saued, nor they con∣demned.
Against this doctrine, the popish sort except. If you speake in a compound sense or meaning (in sensu composito) it is very true that the predestinate can not be saued, nor such as are foreknowne perish: but if in a sense diuided (in sensu diuiso) it is not so. This distinction is plaine by this example. White colour in a compound meaning cannot be blacke, because blackenesse is repugnant & contrarie to whitenesse. But in a deuided sense, white colour nowe may after∣wards be made blacke. In like sort, one predestinated to saluation may, by rea∣son of the free-will he hath, sinne, & so be damned. Ans. These are silly shifts, and meere sophismes, because such as are predestinated to the end, namely sal∣uation, are necessarilie predestinate to the meanes of saluation, the which they cannot but vse, and by them come to the end it selfe.