A fruitefull and briefe discourse in two bookes: the one of nature, the other of grace with conuenient aunswer to the enemies of grace, vpon incident occasions offered by the late Rhemish notes in their new translation of the new Testament, & others. Made by Iohn Prime fellow of New Colledge in Oxford.

The blindnesse of mans vnderstanding.

THe natural mā perceiueth not the things that ar of God,* 1.1 because they ar spirituall & he naturall: and therfore in Gods matters

he is not onely weake sighted, but quite blind.* 1.2 The case of the Sodomits that groped as men in the darke, and could not find Lots door is one with the cōditiō of the vnregene rat, who seeth not the way, verily seketh not, certainly findeth not the doore that leadeth & openeth vnto heauē. For in our selues we are not only darkned, but darknesse:* 1.3 & can darknes cōprehēd the light? If the blind lead the blind, the one falleth vnder, & the other vpon, but both into the dike. If that which shold be thine eye to thine affectiōs be dark how peruerse also is the wilfulnes of all thy lusts? But he that beleeueth not, but resteth only in the imagined puritie of naturalls, as the Pelagians, or is in some good liking of natures habilitie, as is the Semipelagian the Papist, he seeth nothing, cōceiueth nothing, vnderstandeth nothing as he should,* 1.4 neither is he capable of heauēly thoughts. For seme he neuer so mighty, potent, politik, wise, dis∣crete, honest in all kinde of honestye, yet because he hath not faith the true roote of godlinesse, those fruites that he can beare, things faire in shew, yet in truth they are but bastard fruits, and vnpleasant to a good tast. For without faith and a sure confidence that we do wel,* 1.5 which procedeth of a true faith in

God,* 1.6 it is impossible to please the Lord. And this faith is not of natur but of grace as shall be shewed afterwards. For natur being tho∣roughly poisoned bringeth foorth nothing but poyson; & who fedeth theron, fedeth on poyson, eateth & drinketh foolishnes, and is nourished with folly, crawleth vpon his bel∣lie, & groueleth vpon the earth like the sin∣full serpent.

The wisdom of the world is foolishnes in Gods iudgement, who knoweth best what is true wisedome,* 1.7 and hath pronounced, that the prudency of the prudent, & worldly wise men he will reproue, because they and he agree not in any one part, neither in the entrance, end, or midway of any one action. Our wayes are not his wayes.* 1.8 Our inuentiōs prouoke him to wrath, our deuises are diuers and contrarie, and therfore not for him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Cor. 2.14
• * 1.2

  Gen. 19.11
• * 1.3

  1. Pet. 2.9 Ioh. 1.5
• * 1.4

  Stapl. de v∣niuer. iustif. doctr. lib. 2 cap. 10
• * 1.5

  Rom. 14.23 Heb. 11.6
• * 1.6

  Philip. 1.29
• * 1.7

  1. Cor. 1.19 Esay. 29.14 Ierem. 5.5.
• * 1.8

  Esay. 55.8 Psal. 99.8