An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

Your cold and unsavoury exposition which ¹ye (following the profane subtlety of Castalio) make upon the words of the Apostle written in the ninth chapter to the Rom. is neither able to justify your error, neither yet to improve the doctrine, which upon the same we collect and gather, which is this: That as God by his free benediction separated the people of Israel from all nations of the earth, so did his free election make difference betwixt the men of the same people of whom he did freely choose some to salvation,² and did appoint others, to eternal condemnation. Secondarily, that of this his free Election there is none other cause, nor foundation, but his mere goodness, as also his mercy, which after the fall of Adam doeth without all respect, had to their works receive and embrace whom it pleaseth him. Thirdly that God in this his free election is bound to no necessity to offer the same to all indifferently, but contrary ways he passed by such as it pleaseth him, and whom it pleaseth him he receiveth. These propositions (I say) are so evident in Pauls words that they never can be moved by your malicious and ignorant wresting of the text: for in every one of Pauls sentences, he striveth directly against your error. for where he sayeth: Rebecca conceived of one, that is of our father Isaac, he secludeth all cause that might have been by accidents, which come in time, either in the father or in the mother: and in these words when the children were not yet born, and had neither done good nor evil, he secludeth all respects that can be alleged to have been in the children. But where he sayeth, that the purpose of God might abide according to election, not of works, but of the caller &c, is plainly denied merits, dignity, or works to come, to be any cause of gods free election. For if he would have persuaded men to have believed that God had