An evident display of Popish practises, or patched Pelagianism Wherein is mightily cleared the…An euident display of Popish practises, or patched Pelagianisme Wherein is mightelie cleared the…

After, saith he,¹ that the Lord hath finished all his work in mount Zion and Jerusalem, I will visit the proud heart of the king of Assur. Therefore when thou fliest to the Sanctuary of his idle and fruitless sufferance, what other thing doest thou show, but that thou art void even of common reason. For truly it is even as much, as if thou shouldest say that GOD being idle, doth work against his will: except it be so, that thou darest accuse the Prophets, yea even the Lord himself of blasphemy, and in deed of ignorance. But what did David, when he was exasperated with the cursings of Simmer?² Thus (said David) he curseth me, because the Lord hath commanded him to curse me. So when the ten Tribes fell away, not only from Rehoboam, but also from the Lord himself, for which defection they afterwards suffered most sharp ⟨p. 128⟩punishments, doth not the Scripture plainly witness that it was the Lords doing that the king should not hearken to the people? Truly I do not imagine any thing here, sith the holy Ghost in the report of his History useth ³the words cause or occasion, than the which I see not what could be said [Greek or Hebrew], more effectual. Wherefore also the Lord himself dealing of this defection, and speaking to the army of Rehoboam by Semahia the Prophet.⁴ Go not up (saith he) neither fight ye against your brethren the thyldren of Israel: let every man return to his own home: for this thing is my doing. But also go to when the Lord threatened that he would revenge the adultery of David with the punishment of a like, and therefore the greater mischief, that is with incest. what saith he? I will take (saith he) thy wives in thy sight, and will give them to thy best beloved, who shall sleep with thy wives in the sight of this Sun. Beholds good fellow, the very words of the Lord. Go therefore and accuse God of blasphemy: For why shouldest thou not dare to do that, seeing (blushless and shameless face) thou darest reprehend his servants affirming these same things, as wicked and blasphemers? But, thou wilt say, these have need of some interpretation. But of that we shall see hereafter. Now let us come to the third forte of evils, by which the Lord punisheth the wicked either by the good, or else doth it amongst themselves, like as I should strike with a hammer, so one should mangle and flea an other.