A09918:279
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…
An evident display of Popish practises, or patched Pelagianism Wherein is mightily cleared the sovereign truth of Gods eternal predestination, the staid groundwork of our most assured safety by Christ. Written in Latin by that reverend father, master Theodore Beza, and now lately Englished by VV.H. preacher of the Gospel.An euident display of Popish practises, or patched Pelagianisme Wherein is mightelie cleared the soueraigne truth of Gods eternall predestination, the stayd groundworke of oure most assured safetie by Christ. Written in Latin by that reuerend father, mayster Theodore Beza, and now lately Englished by VV.H. preacher of the Gospell.
London: printed by Ralph Newberie, 1578
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 ANSWER.
THE AVNSVVER.
Wilt thou Devil never leave to Slander: No one man within all memory hath beaten down either more vehemently, or more Godly, this blasphemy of the Libertines, than Calvin, and will it not shame thee so oft to urge the same lye in other words? Howe often have I answered already, with how many Testimonies taken out of Calvin himself, have I laid open your impudency? I will not repeat again now that I have said a thousand times. Yet it shall be labour worth, to see what occasion thou tookest to patch this slander. Calvin wrote in his book of eternal Predestination, against Pyghius and Siculus, out of whose puddles you have drawn your unclean filthiness.1 Augustine's sentence (saith he) must be kept: when God will any thing to be done that must not be done, but by men willing, that he together inclineth their hearts, that they become willing, and worketh in their hearts not only by helping, but also in judging, that they, who had no such purpose, may fulfil that counsel, which his hand hath determined. And by and by, here truly it may easily be gathered, how vain and inconstant that defence of divine tustice is. That those things which be evil, are not done by his will, but only by his ⟨p. 169⟩sufferance. Truly, for as much as they are evil which are done of men with an evil mind (as I will set down more plainly anon) I grant they do in no case please God. But whereas they feign that he suffereth those things being idle, which the Scripture pronounceth to be done, not only with his will, but he being author, is too frivolous a shift. Thus far Calvin, whom indeed thou thoughtest to hold entangled in thy snares, when thou readest these things, but how foolishly, I will show anon. For I will gratify thee, and allege another like place out of Calvins book against the Libertines, Chap. 14. The Lord (saith he) is highly displeased, when we suppose that any thing proceedeth from any other place, and do not behold him, that we may acknowledge him, not only as the chief cause of all, but also as author, determining by his counsel all things by this or that mean. So therefore let us conclude, as well prosperity as adversity, Rains, Winds, Hails, Frost, fairness, abundance, famine, war, & peace be the works of God: