An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

What soever ye gather of the words of the Apostle it is altogether out of the purpose. for in none of all those places doth he define & determine what Adam,¹ and David were, when they had sinned, but plainly he declareth, what trial ought every man to take of him self▪ when Christ Jesus is preached unto him, affirming that if any have not the spirit of Christ Jesus, that he is not of his. but the spirit of Christ remaineth not in unclean and profane persons, say you. but yet I affirm that Adam and David ought not to be numbered in that band. for although they sinned, and that most horribly, yet did they not abide in that estate. And albeit they were not led with the spirit of Christ, when they sinned, yet they were both led, drawn, and governed by his omnipotent spirit, when they repented. And so can ye never be able to prove them to be reprobates,² no not even when they sinned: except that ye be able to prove, that they finally perished in sin. for this principal do I still hold, that true faith and true repentance (which the reprobate •• ever have) be the fruits of Election. The place of the Apostle written in the 13. chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians, is neither well marked, nor rightly applied by you, neither yet will it suffer any such conclusion as ye gather of it. The mind of the Apostle is this: After the departing of Paul from Corinthus, where after many storms sustained, he had established the form of a Church, did enter in false Prophets, whose chief study was to elevate the authority of Paul and so to deface his hole labour, affirming that he was ⟨p. 229⟩not worthy to be called an Apostle. for he was never in the company of Christ, others were of greater estimation and favour then he was.

What soeuer ye gather of the wordes of the Apostle it is altogither out of ye purpose. for in none of all those places doth he define & determin what Adam,¹ and Dauid were, whan they had sinned, but plainely he declareth, what tryall oght euerie mā to take of him self▪ whē Christ Iesus is preached vnto him, affirming that if any haue not the spirit of Christ Iesus, that he is not of his. but ye spirit of Christ remaineth not in vnclean and prophane persons, say you. but yet I affirme that Adam and Dauid oght not to be nōbred in that band. for althogh they sinned, and that most horribly, yet did they not abyde in that estate. And albeit they were not led with the spirit of Christ, whē they sinned, yet they were both led, drawen, and gouerned by his omnipotent spirit, when they repented. And so can ye neuer be able to proue them to be reprobates,