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…

In like case after Pelagius teach the Anabaptists, and thy companion Seruetus, ¹that children stood not in need of the grace of GOD in Christ, saying that they were not rejected by nature. Finally, what is it to take away Original sin, or at the least so to extenuate it, that there be no just cause of reprobation, if this be not? what sayeth David to the contrary? Behold (saith he) I am conceived in iniquity.² Show then that all iniquity doth not deserve death before God. But what sayeth the Lord himself? that (sayeth be) which is borne of the flesh, is flesh, and the flesh is enemy to God: because those that are in the flesh can not please God. Either prove therefore that no […] ⟨p. 28⟩themselves, seeing all are equally the children of wrath, what more untowardness might God see in these, than in them, wherefore he should offer grace to the one, and deny it to the other? that he should take pity on the one, and harden the other, or in deed (as you say) should suffer to be hardened? Therefore of foreseen corruption, or incredulity, or foreknown sins it is a foolish invention: and therefore it is needful that thou confess this difference to depend of the will of God, albeit the reason of this justice is unknown to men. Let us set down an other more manifest example: God is indifferently the father of Esau and Jacob, and that not only in Adam, but also in Isaac, with whom he made a covenant of peculiar blessing. But wilt thou dare affirm, that God is no otherwayes the Father of Esau than of Jacob? for we would grant thee this that Esau may have God his father: if thou darest affirm this, the Lord from heaven shall refel thee, crying, the elder shall screw the younger: and least thou mayst wrangle that this is to be understand of every servitude, the Lord is yet against thee, testifying that the excellency of Jacob was joined with bys love, and the reprobation of Esau with his hatred: whereof it was an assured sign, that he lost the promise of the land of Canaan, seeing that was the earnest of the heavenly blessing and adoption. It remaineth then that we grant thee that God also loved Esau as a Father, yet that he loved Jacob far otherwayes. But tell me, whence is this difference,³ but of him that pitieth whom he pleaseth, and hardeneth whom he will as the Apostle saith?