A view of the marginal notes of the popish Testament, translated into English by the English fugitiue papists resiant at Rhemes in France. By George Wither

Mat. 12. 33.

The text.

Either ∴ make the tree good, and his fruite good: or make the tree euill, and his fruit euill.

The note.

It is a mans owne free will, and election, to be a good tree, or an ill tree, to bring foorth good fruits or bad. So Augustine vpon this place. Lib. 2. cap. 4. de Actis cum Foelice Manichaeo.

The answer.

I maruell not that péeuish papists hold this, for their own con∣sciences do testifie to them, that the best ground they haue for be∣ing such trées, as papists may be, is the corrupt motions of their owne will, and choise. But we know that no man commeth to Christ,* 1.1 but whom the father draweth,* 1.2 and he hath no shéepe but those whom his father hath giuen him, and of them he pronoun∣ceth they make not choise of him, but he of them. As for Augu∣stine he wrote scant aduisedly of fréewill, till Pelagius did awake him.* 1.3 For till then as he himselfe confesseth, he had not diligently sought nor yet found, what the election of grace ment. Therefore

in the matter of fréewill, if you bring any thing, that Augustine wrote afore he wrote against Pelagius, you do but abuse men with his name against his minde, which in this shall appéere thus. The question betwéen the Manichées and Augustine was, what was the originall cause of euil? The Manichean maketh two eternall, incommutable natures, one good, the other euill, one the author of good, the other the author of euill. On the con∣trarie part, Augustine maketh freewill the originall cause of euil. The Manichean amongst other scriptures, wrested to his pur∣pose to prooue his two natures, vseth this of the two trées good and bad. Augustine to take away his application of this text an∣swereth, that it was the wil of man that made him a bad tree, and that it was in his choise whether he would be good, or bad. After this ariseth Pelagius, of whom the papists haue learned their freewill: he for his defence catcheth at spéeches vsed by Augustine against the Manicheans. Augustine replieth, that though some spéeches vsed against the Manicheans might séeme to fauor the error of fréewill, yet other spéeches of his, euen in those his books against the Manicheans, will sufficiently cleere him from any such meaning,* 1.4 and therefore giueth men this rule, that that, which in those bookes, and in that question he spake of will to do well, he spake of the will of man in which man was first created,* 1.5 and not otherwise. Thus we sée that our Rhemists learned this of their captaine Pelagius; and that they go about by Augustine to prooue that which he ment not, that is, the freedome of our wils now.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohn 10. 29.
• * 1.2

  Iohn 15. 16.
• * 1.3

  Retract. pri∣mo, cap. 23.
• * 1.4

  De natura & gratia cap. 67.
• * 1.5

  Retract. lib. 1. cap. 9.