A04920:64
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.
what will or can ye thereof conclude. That God loveth all say you. ⟨p. 45⟩If you understand and affirm that equally God loveth all because all were created by him, the common experience and the diversity of gods gifts shall reprove your vanity for unto one man we see greater gifts given then unto other, some we see virtuous and others given to nothing but to iniquity. If you say, he loveth them in that he offereth unto them his grace which when they refuse, then beginneth he to hate them, you have proved nothing of your intent, and further the plain scripture confuteth this your error. and first I say that before the can prove your conclusion to be good, ye must prove that all men stood, do stand, and be born in the same perfection that Adam was created in. For it doth not follow, that God still loveth all men, because he loved Adam (created to his own image and similitude.) The reason is. Adam did fall from that image, became rebellious inobedient, and slave to the devil. And in the same damnation wrapped all his posterity.1 So that now from Adam we can claim nothing, but sin, wrath, death, and hatred, as the apostle affirmeth, that of nature we were all the sons of wraeth. If ye allege that the apostle speaketh in that place, of man as he is corrupted in Adam, and so justly deprived from gods favour, then I demand of you (if man doth yet stand in Adam) which if ye confess, the holy spirit shall convict you of ally. For by the mouth of the Apostle he affirmed that by one man sin entered in to the world and by the means of sin death came upon all men, so that in the first man Adam (who fell from his purity, have we neither love, justice, nor life, but the contraries, to wit hatred, sin, and death. But God as he had chosen his elect before all beginning in Christ Jesus his Son, so hath he placed these gifts in the second Adam alone▪ that of his fullness we may all receive even grace for grace. And thus ye may easily perceive, how vane be your arguments which you judged most strong. Your first, drawn from nature and natural inclination, proveth nothing, because that God who is always free, can not be subject to the laws of nature. Albeit that for our weakness he some times useth similitudes taken ⟨p. 46⟩from nature.