Two bokes of the noble doctor and B. S. Augustine thone entiteled of the predestiuacion [sic] of saintes, thother of perseueraunce vnto thende, whervnto are annexed the determinaciouns of two auncient generall councelles, confermyng the doctrine taught in these bokes by s. Aug. all faythfully translated out of Laten into Englyshe by Iohn Scory the late B. of Chichester, very necessary for al tymes ...

The .v. Chapter.

BVt as touchyng that they thynke, that thys sayeng what hast thou, that thou hast not receyued, can not therfore be spoken of this fayth, because that whyche was fyrst geuen to nature beyng hole and parfyte, remayneth styl in the same nature altho corrupt, do ma¦ke nothynge for theyr purpose, yf we remember for what entent the Apostle spake thys. For his entent was to bringe to passe, that no mā should glory in man: for ther were sprong vp discencions amonge the Christian Corinthians, so that eue¦ry one sayd: I holde of Paule, an¦other I holde of Apollo, but an o∣ther sayd, I holde of Cephas: & frō thence he came to this, that he said,

God hath chosen the folyshe thyn∣ges of the worlde, to confound the wyse. And God hath chosen the weake thynges of the worlde, to cō founde thinges which are myghty And vyle thinges of the worlde, & thinges which are dispysed hathe God chosen, yea and thynges of no reputaciō, for to brynge to nought thinges of reputaciō, that no fleshe should glorye in his presence. The Apostels intent in this place is ve∣rye manifestly against mās pryde, that no man should glory in man. and by this meanes, should not glo¦rye in hymselfe. Further when he had sayd, that no fleshe should glo∣rye in Goddes syght, to declare in whome man ought to glory, he ad¦ded by and by, of hym ye are (sayth he) in Christ Iesu, whiche is made vnto vs wysedome of God, & right fulnes, and sanctifieng and redem¦ption, that (as it is wryttē) he whi∣che doth glory,* 1.1 should glory in the Lorde. From thence he deduced this his purpose to thys point, that he after (rebukyng them) sayd:* 1.2 for ye are yet carnall. For seyng there is among you enuyeng and stryffe

are ye not carnal, and walke after the maner of men? For when one sayeth I holde of Paule, an other I am of Apollo, are ye not men?

What then is Apollo, what thinge is Paule? ministers by whome ye haue beleued, and euē as the Lorde hath geuen to euery one. I haue planted, Apollo hath watered: but God gaue thencrease. So then nei∣ther is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth: but God that geueth thencrease. Se you not that thapostle goeth about nothing els,* 1.3 but onlye that man should be brought downe, and God alone eralted? Forasmoch as among thē that are planted and watered, he sayeth that neither the planter, nor the waterer is any thing, but only God that gyueth increase: inso∣moche that euen thys also that one plāteth, and an other watereth, he ascribeth not to them, but to God sayeng, as the Lorde hath geuen to euery man: I haue planted, Apollo hath watered. Frō hence therfore he continuyng in y^e same purpose, came to thys point that he sayd: let no man therfore glory in man.

For he had euen now sayd, he that gloryeth, let hym glory in the Lord After these and certayne other wor¦des that are ioyned vnto these, this selfe intent of his is brought vnto thys that he sayeth: These thynges brethren I haue figuratiuely des∣cribed in myne owne persone and Apollos for your saks, y^e ye myght learne by vs, that no man (beyond that whych is aboue writte) swelle one agaynst an other for an others sake. For who preferreth the? what hast thou that thou hast not recey∣ued? but and yf thou hane receiued it, why dost thou glory as tho thou had not receyued it? In this moste euident intent of the Apostle, wher¦in he speaketh against mās pryde, that no man should glory in man, but only in the Lorde, to thynke vp¦on the selfe hole and perfecte na¦ture, as it was geuen in her fyrste creation, or vpon any of the rem∣nauntes of the corrupted nature, is (as I suppose) a very great absur∣dite. For is one man preferred be∣fore, another by these gyftes which are common to al men? The Apo∣stle

in thys place said fyrst, for who doth preferre the? and after this he added: but what haste thou, that y^u haste not receaued? For the mā that swelleth agaynst another myght saye, my fayth dothe preferre me, my ryghteousnes dothe preferre me: or yf ther be any other thynge. But this godly doctor meting with suche ymaginacions sayeth, what hast thou, that thou haste not recei¦ued? of whome, but onely of hym which hath preferred the aboue an¦other, to whome he hath not geuen that whych he hath geuen to thee. But and yf thou also hast receiued (sayeth he) why doest thou glorye, as tho thou haddest not receyued? doeth he saye any other thynge I pray the, but only that he that doth glorye should glorye in the Lorde? But no thynge is so contrarie to thys vnderstandyng as that anye mā should so glory of his merites, as tho he hym selfe were the wor∣ker of them and not goddes grace:* 1.4 but suche grace, as seuereth y^e good from the euel, not that which is cō¦mon both to good & euell. Let ther be then a grace genē vnto nature,

wherby we are reasonable creatu∣res, and are preferred from brute beastes: let ther be also a grace ge∣uen to nature, wherby amōg men the beutefull are preferred frō the euel fauored, or the witty from the foolyshe, and yf ther be any suche lyke. But he whome thapostle re∣prehended dyd not swelle agaynst brute beastes, nor agaynst any o∣ther mā for any natural gyft, whi∣che maye be also in the moste wic∣ked: but he dyd swell for some good gyft, that apperteyned to a godlye lyfe, ascribyng it to hym selfe, and not to God, when he deserued to heare: who doth preferre the? what haste thou that thou hast not recey¦ued? For althoo it be in the possibi∣lite of nature to haue faythe, do it therfore folowe that she also hathe fayth in dede? For aldo it be in pos¦sibilite for all men to beleue,* 1.5 yet al men do not beleue in dede. For tha¦postle sayeth not, what canst thou haue, which thou hast not receiued that thou myghtest be in possibilite to haue: but he sayeth, what haste thou, that thou hast not receyued? Therefore to be in a possibilite both

to haue fayth & charitie is cōmō to the nature of mā:* 1.6 but to haue faith and charitie in dede is peculiar to the grace of the faythful. That na∣ture therfore wherin is geuen vs a possibilite to haue fayth, doth not preferre one man before an other: but the selfe fayth is it, that prefer reth the faythful from and aboue the vnfaythful. And therfore wher it is sayde: who doth preferre the? what hast thou, that thou haste not receyued? Who so euer dare saye, I haue fayth of my selfe: (I haue not therfore receyued it) doth cer∣teynlye resist this moste manifest truthe: not as tho to beleue, or not beleue, were not in the choise of mans wil: but the wil in the electe is prepared of the Lorde. And ther∣fore it doeth also appertaine to the selfe faith, which is in the wil. For who hath preferred the? What hast thou that thou haste not receyued?

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iere. 9.
• * 1.2

  1. Corin. z.
• * 1.3

  Thapost∣les intent is to brīg downe man, that God mai be extol∣led.
• * 1.4

  Ther is a certeyne speciall. grace that deui¦deth the electe frō the repro¦bate.
• * 1.5

  Rom. 10. 2. Thes. 3.
• * 1.6

  The pecu¦liar grace of gods electe.