An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

And in destroying the City, and punishing the people, who will say that he or his servants hated sin, Pride, Cruelty, Idolatry and abominations with the which he, and his hole realms were replenished? And the same do I say of the Israelites, who did not only sin, because ⟨p. 362⟩they exceeded measure in punishing Judah, but because that against gods law, & express commandment, they made unjust war against their brethren. They nether looked, neither yet ought they to have looked to gods secrete counsel, but to his plain law, which commanded them to love their brethren, not to murder, not to spoil, not to covet &c. Against the which because they did offend, even in the first motion, & purpose of their warr• in gods presence they were murderers, thieves oppressors, & covetous persons, before that ever they set their foot forth of their houses. And so even that which he in his eternal counsel willed them to do, did no less displease him, as touching their wicked minds, than did that, which you affirm he suffered. For every transgression of his law, is before his justice odious, and sinful. If this can not correct your judgement, yet I am assured that it shall declare your vanity, who dare conclude that if the Israelites, & Babylonians had kept measure in punishing Judah, that then they had not sinned. But the contrary I affirm• and say, that the first thought, and purpose moving them to make war, was sin before God. Touching the permission of the father towards his prodigal son, & touching the • son, which promised to go, and to labour in his fathers vineyard, & went not, I have before answered, that similitudes ought not further to be stretched, than the mind of the holy Ghost is to teach in the same. And in these places it is evident, that Christ teacheth not, how God is compelled to suffer many things which he will not, nether yet was it his mind in those similitudes, to teach us what difference there is between gods will, & his permission, but in y• one he teacheth, that in God there is mercy towards the sinner, yea & towards such a sinner, as unthankfully, and inobediently hath departed from God, and that there be some proud children, who by reason of their continuance in their fathers house, become disdan•ful that others shoulde de be preferred, or compared unto them.