An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

or did they not always send such as lacked light to the word which was revealed, to the law, and to the Prophets, and to the scriptures, which did bear record of Christ Jesus, who is the only way, by the which men come to the true knowledge of the Father? True it is that the Gentiles by contemplation of the creatures, attained to that knowledge, that there was a God: but how little this knowledge served for their salvation the Apostle doth witness. And therefore I say that your Master is more then impudent, ut dare prefer nature, and reason, to gods scriptures. And further his venom (in so saying) is more dangerous, then if plainly he had affirmed, that nature, & reason alone had been sufficient to have instructed man in all things appertaining to salvation. For so declaring him self the simple should have avoided that error, as a pestilence most pernicious. But now in joining together those things which God hath so manifestly divided, as ⟨p. 385⟩he hath divided light from darkness, he doth nothing else, but as a traitorous murderer mix, and mingle poison, with sweet liquor. For in joining nature, and reason, with gods scriptures, in the manifestation of God to mans salvation, he doth plainly witness, that the natural man may boldly pronounce that those works be none of gods, whereof reason can not see a just cause, why so they should be wrought. For the fall of Adam say you, and, the induration of Pharaoh, the deceiving of Ahab, and such others, were none of gods works. But they came by his permission and why so? Because the natural man can not see how such works can agree, with gods goodness, and justice. And thus ye deny him to be the true God, who doth not lay before the blindness of your reason all his works, that they by her judgement, may be justified, or condemned. O blasphemous mouths, dare ye deny him to be the true God, of whom Moses, Job, David and Paul affirm: that his secretes do appertain to him self? that he will not make account to man of all his works. That his counsels are incomprehensible, his judgements a great depth, and his ways unsearchable. Thus much for that which ye omit of your masters words in his description, which I now admonish, lest after the should trouble the simple, with these your vanities, which from time, to time, ye foster, and spread abroad.

or did they not alwayes send such as lacked light to the word which was reueled, to the law, and to the Prophetes, ād to the scriptures, which did beare record of Christ Iesus, who is the onely way, by the which men come to the true knowledge of the Father? True it is that the Gentiles by contemplation of the creatures, atteined to that knowledge, that there was a God: but how litle this knowledge serued for their saluation the Apostle doth witnes. And therfore I say that your Master is more then impudēt, vt dare preferre nature, and reason, to gods scriptures. And further his venom (in so saing) is more dāgerous, then if plainely he had affirmed, that nature, & reasone alone had bene sufficient to haue instructed man in al thinges apperteining to saluation. For so declaring him self the simple should haue auoyded that error, as a pestilēce most pernicious. But now in ioining together those thinges which God hath so manifestly deuided, as