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…

For seeing it is an assured truth, that God hardeneth whom he will, and that this will cannot be withstood, if thou askest how therefore God is not in the fault, thou shalt show which in deed is the truth, that men be sufficiently convinced with the testimony of their own conscience, but because that reason cannot satisfy mans judgement, it is of necessity, that thou say with Paul, O man, who art thou that contendest against God?¹ And when thou haste reasoned many things of these mysteries of God, if will be of necessity,² that thou cry out with Paul, O the deepness of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge ⟨p. 177⟩of God: and with David, Thy judgements O Lord, are as the great deeps: and with Isai,³ Thou shalt secretly reverence his infinite omnipotency. All your subtleties therefore do fail, or rather your brabbling trifles, as though we should assign, that God were contrary to himself. For albeit, that mans mind cannot comprehend by what reason that should not be done besides his will which is against his will, as Augustine sayeth, yet it followeth not that this is not true, seeing there be extant so many and manifest testimonies of the word whereby it may be confirmed to be so, as we have showed. For that idle sufferance in the action of evil instruments, and that only moderation of the success and alone conversion of good into evil, besides that it is refelled with most manifest places of holy Scripture, it is also contrary to the nature of God, who should have no action in revenging evils. Yet Augustine allegeth that reason which may always satisfy all reasonable dispositions,⁴ as we have showed before in the confuting of the third slander. For how often worketh the Lord by evil, and therefore sinning instruments: albeit the actions themselves of their own nature be sins, yet in respect of God working, they are no sins, but the punishments of sins, wherewith either the Lord revengeth sins paste, or prepareth his to patience, or doth both together. Therefore God even then, when he seemeth to will sin, which yet he hath forbidden in the Law, cannot seem unlike himself, yea rather he showeth himself such a one as the law doth set him forth to us, that is, a severe punisher and revenger of wickedness.