A04920:740
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.
THE ADVERSARY▪
THE ADVERSARIE▪
Judge now gentle reader uprightly,1 and here I commit thee to God, beseeching him to open the eyes of thy mind, that thou mayest know the trueth, in this, and in all other matters necessary to thy salvation.
Iudge now gentill reader vprightly,1 and here I commit thee to God, beseching him to opē the eies of thy minde, that thou maiest know the trueth, in this, and in all other matters neces•arie to thy saluation.
- 1The 47. section.
ANSWER.
As you will all men to read, and to judge with indifferency, even so do we, requiring of God not only that so the eyes of men may be lightened that clearly they may see things appertaining to salvation, but also that by the mighty operation of gods holy spirit they may be confirmed, and so sanctified in his eternal verity, that to the end they may continue in the simplicity of his holy word and further, that all men may see to what confusion your doctrine tendeth, the ground whereof is your own vain imagination, and the end (as before we have said) not only the destruction of all gods ordinances, necessary for this present life, but also the treading under foot of the bright glory of Christ Jesus. For the more that ye extol free will, and the virtues of man, the more do ye obscure the justice of faith, which only is acceptable in the presence of God, and the less do ye attribute to Christ Jesus his death and passion. Yea, some of you are not ashamed in your envenomed doctrine, wherein secretly ye train your scholars, to affirm: That we that now live after Christs death, have no other benefit, ether by him, or by his death, but only an example to suffer as he did, O seed of the serpent thy father Pelagius was never so impudent, nether yet did ever the devil find any of his instruments (before thee) so bold, as that against the holy scriptures of God he durst affirm that horrible blasphemy. Darest thou deny, but that the death of Christ Jesus shall to the consummation of all things have the same efficacy, that it hath had from the beginning? Did not Christ suffer for our sins, not for our exple only but because we were not able to satisfy the justice of God which we had all