A godly and learned exposition or commentary upon the three first chapters of the…A godly and learned exposition or commentarie vpon the three first chapters of the…

For the necessity of these things, they be such as must needs be done. So speaketh the holy Ghost elsewhere of sundry things to come: of offences, It must needs be that offences should come, Mat. 18.7. Of heresies: There must be heresies in the Church. 1. Cor. 11.19. And of afflictions: Through manifold afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of heaven, Act. 14.22. And, They that will live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecutions. 2. Timoth. 3.12. From whence I gather, That things which come to pass concerning Gods church, and the enemies thereof, do come to pass necessarily. This doctrine must be well observed: for though it be the truth of God, yet the reason of man will not agree unto it: for some will say, If all things come to pass necessarily, then in their actions and proceedings men have no free will: for necessity and liberty of will cannot stand together. Answ. They may: indeed constraint and mans free will cannot stand together, but mans will and unchangeable necessity may well accord: As I show thus; In God there is most absolute freedom of will, yet he doth many things of necessity: as he willeth that which is good necessarily (for he cannot possibly will that which is evil) and yet he willeth the same most freely. So Christ died necessarily, he could not but die, if we consider the counsel of God, and yet he died most freely; For he laid down his life of himself, and no man took it from him. John. 10.18.

For the necessitie of these things, they be such as must needs be done. So speaketh the holy Ghost elsewhere of sundry things to come: of offences, It must needs be that offences should come, Mat. 18.7. Of heresies: There must bee heresies in the Church. 1. Cor. 11.19. And of afflictions: Through manifold afflictions we must enter into the kingdome of heauen, Act. 14.22. And, They that will liue godly in Christ Iesus, must suffer persecutions. 2. Timoh. 3.12. From whence I gather, That things which come to passe concerning Gods church, and the enemies thereof, doe come to passe necessarily. This doctrine must be well obserued: for though it be the truth of God, yet the reason of man will not agree vnto it: for some will say, If all things come to passe necessarily, then in their actions and proceedings men haue no free will: for necessitie and libertie of will cannot stand together. Answ. They may: indeed constraint and mans free will cannot stand together, but mans will and vnchangeable necessitie may well accord: As I shew thus; In God there is most absolute freedome of will, yet he doth many things of necessitie: as he willeth that which is good necessarily (for he cannot possibly will that which is euill) and yet he willeth the same most freely. So Christ died necessarily, he could not but die, if we consider the counsell of God, and yet he died most freely; For he laid downe his life of himselfe, and no man tooke it from him.