A04920:322
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.
It is impossible • t ignorance hath so blinded you all, that none of you can see the diversity betwixt tho semaner of speeches: God hath suffered the vessels of wrath ordained to destruction,1 & these, Pharaoh shall not hear you, that many wonders may be wrought, &c. Give not of thy seed to be offered to Moloch, &c. I will set my face against such ā man, & I will rout him out, from the midest of his people, because that he hath given of his seed to Moloch, that he might defile my Sanctuary, & profane my holy Name. And so forth of all the rest. for only the place of the Apostle after the english phrase and speech may be rightly translated,2 to condemnation, I appeal to thy conscience thou manifest corruptor of gods scriptures, if in all the places, by the alleged there be not this particle, Ut, which is a causal, and not the preposition, In, which is in the words of. S. Paul. And hath malice so bereft the of knowledge ⟨p. 182⟩that thou canst make no difference, betwixt those two dictions or words. The Lord of his mercy preserve his Church from so bold & so deceitful teachers. If altogether thou haddest been ignorant, with sorrow of heart, I could have lamented thy foolishness: but pereraving ye of set purpose and malice, willingly to corrupt gods plain scriptures, that thou may blind the more easily, the eyes of the simple, with grief, and dolour, I say, that better it had been for thee, never to have been born, than thus obstinately to fight against gods plain trueth. And that in such fury, that where from the scriptures, thou canst have none assurance for thy error, yet so thou darest wrest them, that they may seem to serve thy purpose. Where so ever thou canst wrest any place, that it may be translated by this english, To, there thou ashamest not to affirm, that it is the self same phrase, with this of S. Paul, vessels of wrath prepared or ordained to destruction. This is sufficient to show to the learned, yea even to such, as do but understand the first principles of their grammar, thy infidelity and crafty deceit, in this matter. But because such as understand nothing in the latin tongue, can not hastily espy thy craft, I will travel to make it so sensible as I can.
It is impossible t ignorāce hath so blynded you all, yt none of you cā se ye diuersitie betwext tho semaner of speaches: God hath suffered ye vesselles of wrath ordeined to destruction,