An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

But here you storm, crying in your accustomed fury: What is this else but stoical necessity, to make Gods will the only cause of all things, be they good or bad? How dull and ignorant you are, if ye can not make difference betwixt Gods will and that necessity which the Stoics maintained, I have before touched, and how maliciously ye impute unto us, words and sentences, whereof ye be never able to convict us, shall shortly God willing) be declared. But by this I perceive where the shoe doeth wring you. If Gods will, his counsel, his providence and decree bear rule in the actions of mans lief,¹ then foresee you and fear, that your free will shall be brought into bondage: and so can ye not come first to the perfection of Angels, and in process of time to the justice of Christ by the means of your free will. Whether I wrongously suspect you, and so have erred in my judgement, your own words shall after witness. For seeing that we have plainly proved, ut most unjustly and most maliciously ye accuse and traduce us of the vane opinion of the Stoics, I will proceed to that which ye call our first error, after that I have (for the better instruction of the simple reader) declared, what we understand by Prescience, Providence, and predestination, which terms do so offend you, that ye can not hear them named.

But here you storme, crying in your accustomed furie: What is this els but stoicall necessitie, to make Gods wil the only cause of all thyngs, be they good or bad? How dull and ignorant you are, if ye can not make differēce betwext Gods will and that necessitie which the Stoikes mainteaned, I haue before touched, and how maliciously ye impute vnto vs, wordes and sentences, whereof ye be neuer able to conuict vs, shall shortly God willing) be declared. But by this I perceaue where the shoe doeth wring you. If Gods wil, his counsel, his prouidence and decre beare rule in the actions of mānes lief,¹ then foresee you and feare, that your free will shall be broght into bondage: and so can ye not com first to the perfection of Angels, and in processe of tyme to the iustice of Christe by the meanes of your free will. Whether I wrongously suspect you, and so haue erred in my iudgement, your own wordes shall after witnes. For seing that we haue planely proued, vt most vniustly and moste maliciously ye accuse and traduce vs of the vane opinion of the Stoikes, I will procede to that which ye call our first error, after that I haue (for the better instructiō of the simple reader) declared, what we vnderstand by Prescience, Prouidence, and praedestination, which termes do so offend you, that ye can not heare them named.