A04920:182
An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations
An answer to a great number of blasphemous cavillations written by an Anabaptist, and adversary to Gods eternal predestination. And confuted by John Knox, minister of Gods word in Scotland. Wherein the author so discovereth the craft and falsehood of that sect, that the godly knowing that error, may be confirmed in the trueth by the evident Word of GodAn answer to a great nomber of blasphemous cauillations written by an Anabaptist, and aduersarie to Gods eternal predestination. And confuted by Iohn Knox, minister of Gods worde in Scotland. Wherein the author so discouereth the craft and falshode of that sect, that the godly knowing that error, may be confirmed in the trueth by the euident Worde of God
Geneva: printed by John Crespin, 1560Geneva: printed by Iohn Crespin, 1560
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
ANSWER.
What we do teach of gods prescience, of his providence and predestination, and how that his omnipotent will which we fear not to affirm to be the necessity of all things doeth differ from stoical necessity, with the which ye burden us, we have before declared, and therefore remitting the reader to the same place: I say to you. that if ye imagine in God a prescience,1 and foreknowledge, which is idle and separated from his will, that then ye fall into the blasphemy of Epicurus: and if that you say (as plainly ye do) that he foreseeth things to come, which he will not, that then ye deny the omnipotency of his power. Choose which you will, the verity will convince you. To prove that he foreseeth and knoweth many things to come, which he will not, ye adduce the place of Ezekiel, where God affirmeth, that God will not the death of a sinner, The weeping of Christ upon Jerusalem, and the complaint of God against the house of Israel. To which I shortly answer at this time because that after we must have to do with the same matter, that simply (that is having no further respect but to punishment only) God will neither the death of the sinner, neither yet the destruction of Jerusalem, nor of the house of Israel, but in respect of his glory to be showed in their just punishment, and of his verity and sentence to be approved, always stable and constant, why that God shall not will both the death, and destruction to come upon the stubborn ⟨p. 119⟩inobedient, I see neither absurdity to follow neither scripture repugning: but after in answering to your distinction which ye make the betwixt gods will and his permission I purpose to entreat this matter more largely. You proceed saying.
What we do teach of gods prescience, of his prouidence and predestination, and how that his omnipotent will which we feare not to affirme to be the necessitie of all thinges doeth differ from stoicall necessitie, with the which ye burden vs, we haue before declared, and therefor remitting the reader to the same place: I say to you. that if ye imagine in God a prescience,