An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

ANSWER.

As no man of hole judgement did ever deny that in Adam we did fall, so I think you and your sect set a part there hath ben none that ever did affirm that in Adam we were predestinate to lief everlasting. True it is that we stood in Adam, created in his loins, but I suppose that ye will not hold that the children had greater privilege then had the father. Adam did not so stand, but that he was subject to the law, the transgression where of made him detour to death. To speak the matter more plainly, Adam did so stand that he might (and did) fall as the event declared. and were his children so elect in him that they could not fall: so ye appear to conclude. For thus ye reason: if we did all stand then were we all predestinate to lief, for as our fall here is to damnation and death, so is our standing unto salvation and lief. Assuredly these reasons appear marvellous, strange to me, and principally that which ye bring forth of falling and standing: for it hath in the self plain contradiction. for if we fell in Adam to death, how can we stand in him now unto lief. If you had said as that our fall was to damnation and death, so should our standing have ben to salvation and lief, ye might have had some probability. For your error had only stand in this,¹ that ye do not consider that Adam was not created to stand for ever in him self▪ and much less his posterity in him. But when ye say as our fall is to death, so is or standing unto lief, you plainly speak, what so ever ye think, that yet either in Adam, either in our selves we both fall and stand. But this do we utterly abhor, for we fear not plainly to confess that we have no assurance either of standing either yet of lief but in Christ Jesus alone in whom we be ingrafted, and with out whom we can do nothing.² In few words to repeat the answer of your former objection, In Adam did no man stand otherwise than he did. But he did stand with condition to fall and that even to death: Therefore in Adam did none stand to lief. The common sense of man will approve the first part of this my argument. for who can think that any descending of Adam by his means could have greater liberty than he him self had? And the event and that which followed declareth the verity of the