The Institution of Christian Religion

But if thou mark it well thou shalt perceive that the Apostle speaketh not of one or other particular fall, but of the universal departing whereby the reprobate do forsake salvation. And it is no marvel, that they whom John in his canonical epistle affirmeth not to have ben of the elect. from whom they went out,¹ do feel God unappeasable. For he directeth his speech against them, that imagined, that they might re•urue to the Christian religion, although they had ones departed from it: and calling them from this false & pestilent opinion, he saith that which is most true, that there is no way of return open for them to the communion of Christ, that wittingly & willingly have cast it away: But they cast it not away, that only in dissolute licentiousness of life transgress the word of the lord, but they that of set purpose cast away his whole doctrine. Therefore the deceit is in these words of falling & sinning. Because the Novatians expound Falling to be, if a man being taught by the law of the Lord, that he ought not to steal or to commit fornication, abstaineth not from stealing or fornication. But contrariwise I affirm, that there is a secret comparison of contraries, wherein ought to be repeated allthings contrary to that which was first spoken, so that here is expressed not any particular fault, but the whole turning away from God, and (as I may so call it) the Apostasy of the whole man. Therefore when he saith,² they which have fallen after that they have ones ben enlightened, & have tasted the heavenly gift, & ben made partakers of the holy ghost, & also tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come: it is to be understanded of them that with advised ungodliness have choked the light of the holy spirit, have spit out again the taste of the heavenly gift, have estranged themselves from the sanctification of the holy ghost, have trodden under foot the word of God & the powers of the world to come. And the more to express that advised purpose of wickedness, in an other place afterward he addeth this word by name,³ Wilfully.

But if thou marke it wel thou shalt perceiue that the Apostle speaketh not of one or other particular fal, but of the vniuersal departyng whereby the reprobate do forsake saluation. And it is no maruel, that they whom Iohn in his canonical epistle affirmeth not to haue ben of the elect. frō whom they went out,