A04920:578
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.
Ye will not deny that Israel & Judah were the pleasant vineyard sometimes planted by gods own hand: So doth he him self affirm,1 and doth God no more in their destruction but only look upon them as an idle and unwilling sufferer upon the tragedy and miserable calamity? he him self doth witness the contrary. for he saith I will plainly declare unto you what I will do to my vineyard, I shall take away the hedge of it. I shall break down the wall that it may be trodden upon, I shall make it waste and shall also so forbid the clouds that they shall nether send down rain nor moisture upon it. Note and mark well I beseech you, god here speaketh nothing of permission, but all together of working, to wit of taking away and of breaking down. And how I pray you came that fearful destruction to pass? the lord God of hosts (sayeth the Prophet Isaiah) will take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the strength,2 even all the stay of bread, and all the stay of water, the strong man and the man of war the judge and the Prophet, the prudent and the aged, the captain of fifty and the honourable and the counsellor, and the conning artificer, and the eloquent man, and I will appoint children (note well what God speaketh) to be their princes and babes shall rule over them &c. And after the Lord shall bring upon thee, upon thy people and upon thy fathers house the days that have not come from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, even the king of Asshur &c.3 In that day shall the Lord shave the with a razor that is hired &c. The Lord him self doth further confe••e,4 that the king of Asshur is the rod of his fury and the axe in his hand, he sayeth to an hypocritical nation will he send him: and I give him commandment against that people which hath, deserved my indignation I will give him charge to take away, to ⟨p. 321⟩rive and to part the spoil. And further in the same place God doth acknowledged the grievous punishment and miserable destruction of Jerusalem to be his own work. for thus speaketh the Prophet: But when the Lord hath accomplished all his work upon mount Zion and Jerusalem, I will visit the fruit of the proud heart of the king of Asshur, and his glorious and proud looks &c.