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J Vnderstand wel by that which thou hast said, what the nature & wyll of man should haue byn, if he had continued in the first estate in which God did create him. For as concerning his wil, it should necessarily haue byn ruled by the will of god, as that of the Angels which haue re∣mained
stedfast, is at this pesent: in such sort that he shold haue byn no more able to sinne than they: and so should not at al haue loste the libertye of his wyll, nor done anye thyng by constrainte. And e∣uen so shoulde hée haue béene in a good necessitye, whych shoulde haue procéeded from the riches of the goodnesse and grace wherewith GOD had endued him and made him a part taker of it. But when he turned from this way, it came to passe wyth hym as it dyd wyth the Angels, when they turned from GOD, and hath declared thereby, that hee was in suche sorte created of GOD, good and iuste, and of a good and holy will, and yet was he notwythstandyng not so created that he shoulde or mought bée vnchange∣able of hys own nature and force, for the causes which haue bene already alleged, which in their behalfe doe as much per∣tayne to man as to the Angels. Where∣fore séeyng that manne throughe the in∣tycing and counsell of the Deuil, which was the fyrste trangessor, is turned a∣waye from the wyll and obedyence of GOD hys Creatour, and dyd make
an aliance with the firste offender, who made himself enimy to God through his pride and ingratitude, he hath ben parte taker of his iniquitie, with whome hée made an aliance. From whence it fo∣loweth, that his good and holye nature & will hath bene corrupted and peruerted, and made like to the same, of him to whō he hath ioined himself, & that he hath takē hym not onely for his felow, but for his guide, his leader, his maister, & his Lord. Wherfore, euen as before, abiding vni∣ted and ioyned to God, and hauing God in him, and being gouerned by hys holie spirit, he could do nothing but good, and yt without enforcemēt or constraint: euē so by ye contrarie being separated frō god, & ioyned with the deuill, being lead and gouerned by him, he can doe nothing but euill, and doth it of his owne wyll, with∣out conconstraint of any but only of him selfe, onely bycause his nature is such, by reason whereof he taketh as great plea∣sure in doyng of euill, as he did in well doing, when he was in his firste state of innocency. Now this necessity is greatly different from the first. For in steade that
the first did procéede from the aboundant riches of the grace of god, this other pro∣céedeth from the lacke and faulte of the same. Wherefore that is as wicked, as ye firste is blessed. It séemeth to me that I haue touched the very same thing yt thou woldest haue concluded vpō.
Yet shalt thou more plainly vnderstande it by the comparison of a whole man, and a sicke man. Note well a man that is whole of body and minde, bicause that he hath his appetite sound, and not corrupted by any naughty humors, he doth couet nor desire to eate & drinke any thing but that which is good, and agréeable to hys nature and health, and in such qualitie and quantitie as his nature and health doth require, by∣cause he is so disposed. Consider againe the same being sicke, he will do al things contrary to that which he did being hole, bycause he is wholly otherwise dispo∣sed: That will he moste couet and desyre which is most contrary to him, and can not refraine from the vse of it, and the more the thing shalbe contrary and hurt∣full for him, and the more straitly that he shall be forbiddē it, the more earnestly
shal he desire it. And yet may he not com∣plaine and saye that he was constrained so to doe, either by the phisition, or others which haue forbidden him the same, and that his will was inforced by anye other than by himself which perisheth willing∣lye, for that he is so delicate, that he can∣not vanquishe his affections, & his corrup∣ted nature.
The matter is plaine.