Co[m]mon places of Scripture ordrely and after a co[m]pendious forme of teachyng set forth with no litle labour, to the gret profit and help of all such studentes in Gods worde as haue not had longe exercyse in the same, by the ryghte excellent clerke Eras. Sarcerius ; translated in to Englysh by Rychard Tauerner.

¶The proues of this diffinicion.

THIS diffiniciō is sufficiētly proued by Paul, where he saith.* 1.1 The thīg that I allowe not, and that I will not, I do, and that I hate, I do, Here thou ••e∣est a certayne desyre, wyll, indeuoure and studye of good, Also thou seest that the effectes whiche oughte to be done do not answere to the wyll of de∣syre endeuor and studye. And in an other place the said Paul saith.* 1.2 It is not of y^• ••ūner nor of y^• willer but of god y^• hauer of mercy. Here thapostle yet leueth vnto

our wyll, to runne and to wyl,* 1.3 and yet he ascrybeth all thynges to the mercye of god. Salomon in his prouerbes doth attribute to the herte of man the thyn∣king of his way, & forthwith he addeth Et dominus di••igit gressus suos. The lord directeth his goyng{is}. Ye wyl aske then what is lefte vnto our free wyll ī thynges spirituall? I answere in fewe wordes: A certayne desyre of thinges or goodes spirituall, a wyll, an attēptate, a study, a rūnyng, a thīkyng, all whiche neuerthelesse be nothyng neyther to at tayne thy desyre, neyther to {per}forme the same. Therfore the apostle always pra∣eth for the churches, to whiche he wry∣teth that god wyll performe the good that he hath begonne in them, as to the Philippi. cap. i. knowyng this thynge certeynly, that be whiche hath begonne in you a good worke, shal performe the same. It is therfore to be thought vni∣uersally that our desyre and endeuours vnto spirituall goodes can do nothyng onles fyrst the holy ghoste approcheth & helpeth our desyre & longing{is}, whiche holpē so, they shal ensue those effectes ī receyuyng & {per}fourmīg y^e sayd spirituall thyng{is}.* 1.4 For as Pau. sayth, they whiche be led w^t y^• spirite of god, be y^e sonnes of

god that is to saye, they y^t haue tholye ghost may {per}forme y^t thyng which bese∣meth son{is} to do. Now, it besemeth the son{is} of god w^t ioye to receyue & execute the cōmaūdementes of theyr father. Itē where y^• spirite of y^t lord is, there is libertie, y^t is, there is truly done the wyl of god, there our endeuours be trulye made free, where tholy ghost is helper, which is called y^• spirite of y^• lord, foras¦moch as our lord Chryst gyueth hym, & w^tout Chryst he is not resident, for who so hath not Chryst, y^e same can not haue tholi ghost, And cōtrarili who hath not tholy ghost y^• same is none of Chrystes mā. Now to be Christes mā. is nothing els, but to receyue his word, & beleue hī which to do, y^u hast nede of tholy ghoste to gyue the lyght to y^• word, y^e worketh faith. Howbeit, although by tholy gost our desyre is made effectuall, for y^e recey¦uyng & {per}formyng of thynges spiritual, yet it is not so effectual & free, that such work{is} as be done by the same, cā be ple¦ded for tru ryghtwysnes, agaynst y^• yre of god. Wherfore oure wyll y^t was loste doth so retorne effctuall by tholy ghost vnto spirituall thinges to be done and performed that yet we be iustifyed in Chryste yea in that is oure wyll made

effectual by tholy gost, y^t we may receyue y^e word of Christ, to thin••ē•• we myght be iustifyed by hym, and not to thintent that by our effectuall wyll we myght o¦uerwelme the ryghtwysnes of Chryste, in whose place who so euer dothe sub∣stytute & set his owne iustice, hath ney∣ther tholy ghost, nor a wyll of any stren¦gthe, For the holy ghost doth therfore helpe our wyll and endeuoure, that we myght receyue Chryste, & that by hym, our wyll myght remayne effectuall, the holye ghoste workynge togither w^t vs, which fyrst helpeth our endeuours and maketh y^e same of efficacie. wherby we may receyue Chryst & afterwarde gyuē vnto vs of Chryst kepeth our wyll my∣ghty vnto all good thynges to be retey¦ned and done.

AS touching fre wyl ī outward thīg{is} ther is no doubt. For so long as reasō & wil abide ī mē (which shal abyde so long as mē be mē) fre wil shal not cease ī out¦ward thyng{is} to be done of mē but so yet whyle it be graūted of reason & wyll as vnto causes to worke. For y^e deuyl may let those causes ī their cou••s which beīg ••etted y^e outward actions cā not folow.* 1.5

FRE choise after y^e fal is deuided into fre wyl in thyng{is} spirytual & īto fre wil

in thynges outward. Fre wyl ī thinges spirituall wat it is and wat it can do I haue declared before. Fre wyl in thing{is} outward is truly fre, so it be not letted of y^e deuyl & to this is not requyred tho¦ly gost or any renuaūce by tholy ghost.

THE cause of frewyll in thynges spi¦rituall* 1.6 eyther to be accepted or perfor∣med is the holy ghoste wose office is to gyue lyght vnto y^e beleuyng of y^e word, so in y^e word beleued is foūd Chryst for wose sake tholy ghost maketh our ende¦uours franke. Also tholy ghoste kepeth ••yl the same in force to y^• {per}formaūce of good thynges. The cause of our desyre & endeuours in thinges spiritual be, resō & wyl, reason iudgeth by y^e lawe of na∣ture (after a maner) of thynges sptrytu∣all. The wyll obeyeth but to no effecte accordying ••o the saynge of Paule, that which I allowe & wolde I do not, and that I hate I do, Of fre wyll in oute∣warde thynges the causes be reasō and wyll whiche bothe twayne the deuyll may let so y^t thou shalt not alow those thynges which thy resō aloweth nor wil those thyng{is} y^t be allowed of reason. Albeit in y^• meane seasō the iudgmēt ac∣cusyng thy conscience remayneth & g••a¦weth y^• same cōtinually. Now yf the in

ward causes be letted, it is not possyble that the outward effect{is} can folow. al∣so it may be that thou alowest thynges allowed of reason & also y^e wol••est the same yet y^e deuyl may let the outwarde effectes, as euery man in him selfe hath experyenc dayly herof, & thexemples of very good & godly men teache also the same, which purpose one thyng & do an other, Now free wyl in outward thing{is} may be effectual without the holy ghost or renuaunce made by the holy ghost.

¶Theffectes of free wyll after the fall in thynges spirituall may be recounted these.* 1.7 To wyl good or spiritual thyng{is} Ro. vij. That I do I allowe not, & that I wolde not y^t I doo.* 1.8 To thynke to doo good. To endeuour, to wyll, to tūne for thinges good or spirituall, Rom̄, ix. To take hold after a maner of the promyse after a maner to do y^e outwarde work{is} of y^• lawe, these effectes must alwaye so be vnderstande. yf they be not let of the deuyll, and withoute doubt these effect{is} be nothynge withoute the holy ghoste whiche approchynge neare dothe lygh∣ten y^• herte to beleue, doth quyckē oure endeuours to byleue hertely in god, her¦tely to serue god hertely to loue god, ne¦uerthelesse all these thynges we do so.

that yet alwayes they be couered w^t som infirmitie, which god gladly winketh at bycause of his Christ the restorer of our lost iustice.

¶Theffectes of fre will after the fall in outward thinges be these:* 1.9 To eate, not to eate. To slepe, not to slepe, To drinke not to drinke. To cloth him self with this or that garmēt. To do this or that or not to do the same, & such lyke. These effectes although they seme to be of the moost franke fre will (as they be in dede) yet this fre wyl is imperfite and bonde and whiche maye be let of the deuyll by the sufferaunce of god, as manyfestly we haue declared heretofore.

¶Contraryes to free will in a generali¦tie be these.* 1.10 To deny that mā was creat in fre wyll. To denye reason and wil to be as meanes and instrumētes wherby free wyll was exercyced before the fall and yet is exercysed in thinges subiecte to reason. To graunte that God hathe suche a free choyse as man hadde before the fall, by whiche Adam myghte in∣clyne both to good, and euyll. To deny that man had such a fre wyll as yet the holy aungels haue. To graunt with the Mantchees, that orygynall synne is not imputable to the free will of man. To

sayē man is inclyned to euyll, not of his free wyll, but of necessitie constrayning to the same. These persons vnderstande not what is lybertie, for yf it were infor¦ced of necessitie it were no lyberty, wher¦fore eyther we must byleue that man im¦braced euyll of fre wyll, or we must de∣ny the lyberty in which mā was create. But S. Augustyne saith.* 1.11 Homo male vtens liber•• arbitito et se perdit et ip̄m quia peeditum est per peccatū, non a ne∣cessitate, sed a peccato, qui enim facit pec¦catum, seruus est peccati. That is to say man by euyl vsinge of fre wyl lost both hym selfe and it, for it was lost through synne, not of necessitie, but of synne, for he that committeth synne, is the seruaūt of sinne.* 1.12 To graunt with Ualla and o∣ther that there is no lybertye of man by cause all thinges be done by gods ordy∣naunce. In this errour Ualla consydered not that the creatures were ereate rea∣sonable, which be led with choyse or e∣lection in such thinges and affayres as be subiect to the iudgemēt of reason. To graunt with certayne to moch spiritual {per}sons,* 1.13 that there is no desyre good wyll attemptace he studye in vs for good thī∣ges or spirituall. This erroure we haue sufficiently debated before. To graunte

with the Pelagians that mā of his fre* 1.14 wyll maye kepe all the commaundemē∣tes of god yea and without grace also. A¦gaynste whom disputeth at large saynt Augustine.* 1.15 To graunte with the schole men that albeit free will is holpen of y^• holy ghost or of grace yet it is in oure free wyl to deserue rightousnes. But grace in this place is taken not onely for the ayde of the holy ghost but for y^e self fre imputacion & acceptaunce of righ∣tousnes. To graunt with the Annabap∣tistes* 1.16 that after the deth of Christ retur¦ned fully vnto all men a lyke, such free wyl as was lost so that now it is in our powers as easely as before to imbrace good an euyll. To meynteyn and dys∣pute after this wyse. God hath no cō∣maunded thinges impossible, Ergo it is in our power to kepe the commaunde∣mentes of god. To graunt that our will is of strength without the holy ghost in thinges spiritual agaynst whiche errour Saynt Augustine disputeth in this wyse For Adam to go into synne sufficed free wyll by whiche bespotted him selfe.

But that he maye be stronge vnto righ∣tousnes he nedeth a Phision for he that is not sounde, nedeth a quyckener by∣cause he is deed. &c. To graunte that fre

wyll is other wise holpen of the holye ghost than be lighteninge to beleue the gospell or Christ for whose onely sake y^• holy ghost helpeth our endeuours. To deny free wyl in outwarde thinges. To reasō thus we haue fre wyl in outward thinges without the renuaunce of the holy ghost, Ergo in thinges spirituall al¦so. To graunte that God requyreth no more of vs but our endeuours and oure owne powers. To denye that our ende∣uours aswel in thinges spiritual as out¦ward may be letted of the deuyl.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Roma. vii. d
• * 1.2

  Roma. i••.
• * 1.3

  Prouet. 16. b
• * 1.4

  Roma. ••. ••
• * 1.5

  Partes of fre wyl after the fall.
• * 1.6

  The cause of fre wyll
• * 1.7

  Theffectes of fre wyll. after the fall.
• * 1.8

  Prouerb••. 16.
• * 1.9

  Theffectes of fre choyce after the fa••••••
• * 1.10

  Contrarye•• to fre wyll generally.
• * 1.11

  August in Enchiridion.
• * 1.12

  ••au. vall••.
• * 1.13

  ••imium spi∣rituales
• * 1.14

  Pelagian••
• * 1.15

  Scole men.
• * 1.16

  Anabaptist{is}