A04920:417
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.
I suppose that this our confession nothing doth offend you, except in this one thing that we affirm that God still loved Adam and David after their sin, before that his holy Spirit wrought in their hearts any true repentance. And ⟨p. 221⟩yet I wonder why this should offend you, seeing that we assign the cause, not to be them selves, nether any virtue with in them selves, but Christ Jesus, in whom they were elected and chosen. The signs of gods love, we have evidently proved, and y• end and issue did witness that gods love was not mutable. If you require scriptures, for the probation of the same. Behold they are ready. if when we were enemies we were reconciled unto God, by the death of his son, much more we being reconciled shall be saved by his life.1 And a little before in the same chapter. When we were sinners Christ died for us, &c. And the Apostle John: herein appeareth the love of God towards us, y• his only begotten son hath he sent in to the world, that we may live by him: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us. And hath sent his Son in the mercy seat▪ for our sins. These are very plain, and we think that no reasonable man will deny to Adam and to David, that which the holy Ghost maketh common to all gods elect children, to wit, to be beloved of God▪ even when they were enemies, dead in sin, drowned in idolatry, and polluted with all filthiness, as witnesseth the Apostle in these words: And you when ye were dead by sin,2 in the which ye sometimes walked, according to this world, according to y• prince, to whom power is the air, which is the spirit now working in the rebellious children,3 amongest whom we all had sometimes conversation, in the lusts of our flesh, doing those things, which pleased the flesh, and the mind, and were of nature the sons of wrath like as others. But God who is rich in mercy, for his own great love, by the which he loved us, even when we were dead by sins (mark, and if ye be offended, complain upon the holy Ghost) hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved) and hath raised us up together with him, and together with him, hath caused us to sit amongest y heavenly, by Christ Jesus, to show in the ages to come, his most rich grace in his liberality, by Christ Jesus.