A04920:662
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.
But now of thee,1 ô blasphemous mouth, I ask, if thou be able to forge to thee, and to thy pestilent facti•, ⟨p. 378⟩an other God, then that God who most justly did drown, and destroy by water, all living creatures in earth, except so many, as were preserved in the ark with Noah who also did destroy by fire from heaven Sodom, and Gomorra, with the cities adjacent, and the hole inhabitants of the same (Lot and his two daughters only reserved) who further by the space of four thousand years, did suffer all nations to walk in their own ways, revealing only his good will, and the light of his word, to the seed of Abraham (to those that descended of Jacob I mean) Canst thou I say forge to thy self another God, then this eternal majesty of our God whom we do reverence, in whom we trust, and most steadfastly believe, whose Son Christ Jesus we preach to be the only saviour of his Church, and whose eternal verity we maintain, not only against Jew, Turk, and Papist, but also against you enraged anabaptists, who can admit in God no justice, which is not subject to the reach of your reason? Darest thou, and thy conspiracy stand up, and accuse God of cruelty, because that in these his works, thou canst not deny, but that mo were punished, then were preserved, mo were left in darkness, then were called to the true light? Shall not his mercy exceed all his works, except that he save the Devil, and those that justly be reprobated as he is? Stoop Satan under the empire of our Sovereign God,2 whose will is so free, that nothing is able to constrain, or bind it. For that is only liberty, that is not subject to mutability, to the inconstancy or appetites of others,3 as most blasphemously you would imagine God to be in his election and most just reprobation: by the which in despite of Satan,4 of thee his slave, and son, and of all thy sect, he will declare his glory, as well in punishing with torments for ever such blasphemers, as you be, as in showing the riches of his glory to the members of his dear Son, who only depend upon Christ Jesus, and upon his justice.