A04920:220
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.
Shortly after, that the people of Israel, I mean, the tribes of Judah, Benjamin,1 and I •evi, were by the miraculous work of God, after the bondage of 70. years set at liberty and brought again to Jerusalem, in which they did reedify the temple, repair the walls, and begin to multiply, and so to grow to some strength within the city, and land: they fall to their old nature, I mean to be ungrate and unthankful unto God. the people were slothful: and the priests, who should have provoked the people to the remembrance of those great benefits, were become even like to the rest. The Lord therefore did raise up ⟨p. 136⟩his Prophet Malachi (who was the last before Christ) sharply to rebuke and plainly to convict this horrible ingratitude of that unthankful nation, who so shamefully had forgotten those so great benefits recently bestowed upon them. And thus beginneth he his prophecy: I have loved you (sayeth the Lord) in which words he speaketh not of a common love which in preserving and feeding all creatures, is common to the reprobate. but of that love by the which he had sanctified and separated them from the rest of nations to have his glory manifested. But because they (as all ungrate persons do) did not consider wherein this his love towards them more then towards others did stand: he bringeth them to the fountain, demanding this question: was not Esau brother to Jacob (sayeth the Lord) and nevertheless Jacob have I loved and Esau I have hated, and this he proveth not only by the diversity of the two countries, which were give• to their posterities, but also by that that God continually showed him self loving to Jacob and to his posterity, reducing them again after long captivity, declaring him self as it were enemy to Edom, whose desolation he would never restore, but would destroy, that which they should go about to build. Let now the godly reader judge whether that the mind of the Prophet was to seclude Jacob, in his person from the love of God, and Esau from his hatred: or that it was not rather to rebuke the unthankfulness of the people, who did not consider that undeserved love, which God did show to their first father, whiles he was yet in his mothers bosom.
Shortly after, that the people of Israel, I mean, the tribes of Iuda, Beniamin,