A04920:690
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.
Behold I have laid before you this day life,1 and death, benediction, and execration, chose therefore life, that thou, and thy seed may live. If God would that all men, and all nations indifferently should come to the same knowledge, why were not the laws, statutes, and judgements of God made manifest to others, as they were to Israel? And if you answer that so they were. the holy Ghost shall convict you of a li•. For he affirmeth, that God had not done so to all nations, and that his judgements he had not revealed, nor made known unto them. But if that plain division made by God him self betwixt Jew, and Gentile, ⟨p. 398⟩during the time of the law, doth not fully satisfy you. Hear yet the sentence of our Master Christ Jesus, who saith to his disciples: To you it is given to understand the secretes of the kingdom, but unto others in parables, that having eyes they should not see. And that most plainly in that his solemn th• ̄ckes giving, he saith: I praise the ô father for thou hast hid these things from the prudent, and from the wise, but thou hast revealed them to little ones. If God would have had the true knowledge of him self, and of his Son Christ Jesus common to all, why should Christ him self affirm that to some it was given, & to others it was not given? to some it was reve•ed, & from others it was hid? And therefore seeing it is plain that God will not give his true knowledge to all (yea to some he doth never offer it) ye shall never be able to prove that God will all men to be saved. For the only means to attain to salvation, and to life, is to know, and embrace God to be our merciful father in Christ Jesus, to which knowledge who so ever doth not attain (I mean of those that come to the years & age of discretion) can have no assurance to be saved. This were sufficient to convict you, even in your own conscience. For albeit malice will not suffer you to give place to the plain verity, yet shall the weight thereof so oppress your pride that when you do open your mouth against it, ye• shall ye be witnesses even against your selves. But yet for the cause of my simple brethren I will add two things first, how all such places, as ether make a general promise of salvation to all, or yet that do pronounce gods wrath against all, must be understand. Secondarily, what sinners they are, whose death God will not.