An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

And as a multitude is ever more ready to receive poison than wholesome medicine, a great number began to give ear unto them: and so began little to esteem, what so ever Paul had laboured amongest them. Against which unthankfulness▪ the Apostle very sharply writeth, as in both his epistles doth appear. And amongest other his arguments, which he useth to prove that he was an Apostle, nothing inferior to the greatest, he adduceth them selves for a testimony, saying: Try your selves if ye be in the faith,¹ prove your selves. know ye not your selves, that Jesus Christ is in you, except that ye be reprobates? By these words most sharp, and most vehement he laboureth to convict their conscience, that he was an Apostle, and that the proof of his Apostleship (as in an other place he doth affirm) was declared in them, as he should say: your false Apostles affirm, that I am not worthy of the name of an Apostle. but if the office of an Apostle be to preach Christ Jesus, and if the true sign,² that discerneth the true Apostle from the false be, that Christ so potently worketh by his ministry, that Christ Jesus taketh possession in the hearts of the hearers by the true preaching of his word, then be judges your selves whether I be an Apostle or not. Call your conscience to examination, in what estate I did find you. were ye not drowned in all sorts of iniquity? did ye not walk in darkness, without any true light of God? And in what estate did I leave you? Try and examine your selves in what estate ye do yet stand, you can not be unsensible, you can not be so ignorant, but ye must know, whether that Christ dwelleth in you or no. If you will acknowledge, and con •es that Christ dwelleth in you, then must ye needs confess, that I am an Apostle. For by my labours and preaching did you receive Christ Jesus. And if to deface my labours, and to defraud me of ⟨p. 230⟩that honour, which God, of his mercy hath given unto me ye list deny, that ether ye received Christ Jesus, ether yet that he remaineth in you, then do ye confess your selves reprobates.

And as a multitude is euer more redie to receaue poyson thē holsom medicine, agreate nōber began to giue eare vnto them: and so began litle to esteme, what so euer Paul had labored amongest them. Against which vnthankfulnes the Apostle very sharpley writeth, as in bothe his epistles doth appere. And amongest other his argumentes, which he vseth to proue that he was an Apostle, nothing inferior to the greatest, he adduceth thē selues for a testimonie, saing: Trie your selues if ye be in the faith,