An Answer to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations

It may seem by the description of these your two gods (for nether of both, as ye describe them, is the true living, & eternal God) that ye study to renew the damnable error of the Manichees, who imagined two beginners, the one of all goodness, and of all good creatures, the other of all iniquity, and of wicked creatures: affirming further that the good, and the merciful God was overcome for a time, by him that was wicked, and evil. And because that the plain scriptures did confute these blasphem•es, therefore did they deny the authority of Moses, and the certainty of all other scriptures that made any thing against their error. If manifestly ye did take upon you the defence of those your fathers, as that ye do of Pelagius, of Donatus, and of the Papists (for of all these adulterous fathers, ye be adulterous children) then would I from Augustine (whom God stirred up no doubt in the days of darkness most learnedly, and most plainly by infallible scriptures to confute those heresies) from him, I say I might take artillery all ready prepared, able enough to overthrow your buildings, and munitions, appear they never so strong. But because (as before I have said) my purpose is not to burden you further, then you do confess: I only admonish the reader to be ware of such pestilences, as begin to call the trueth of God revealed in his holy word, in doubt, and do persuade men to credit dreams, and revelations, how soever they appear to repugn to that which is revealed in the word. Of such men I say▪ ought Christs flock to take heed, as also of those who make of equal authority such books, as yet the holy Ghost hath never commended to the Church of Christ, with these that are written by Moses, the Prophets, the Evangelists, and Apostles, and that by inspiration of the holy Ghost. That some of you be infected with this most pestilent poison, I am able to prove by mo arguments then one. Being at London the