A20187:119
The opening of heaven gatesThe opening of heauen gates
The opening of heaven gates, or The ready way to everlasting life Delivered in a most familiar dialogue, between reason and religion, touching predestination, Gods word, and mans free-will, to the understanding of the weakest capacity, and the confirming of the more strong. By Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God, at South-Shoobery in Essex.The opening of heauen gates, or The ready way to euerlasting life Deliuered in a most familier dialogue, betweene reason and religion, touching predestination, Gods word, and mans free-will, to the vnderstanding of the weakest capacitie, and the confirming of the more strong. By Arthur Dent, preacher of the word of God, at South-Shoobery in Essex.
London: printed by G. Eld for John Wright, 1610London: printed by G. Eld for Iohn Wright, 1610
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.
Rea. Here again dost thou allude to the glory of God, but if I might still follow the appetite of reason, I should demand why God why such preposterous means doth exact his glory at the hands of his poor creatures.
Rea. Here agayne dost thou allude to the glory of God, but if I might still follow the appetite of reason, I should demand why God why such praeposterous meanes doth exact his glory at the hands of his poore creatures.
Reli. Truly thou mayest, but I will take a day to answer thee, till such time as the Lord hath called me to sit in commission about the affairs of his secret counsel, yet if I say he will be so glorified, because1 it his own will, what then? Is there any2 fault? But take the words of Master Calvin for thine answer in this case, who saith thus. The first man fell because the LORD did judge it expedient, why he so judged, is unknown to us: Yet certain he so judged, for no other reason but because he saw that thereby the glory of his name should most worthily be set forth, when thou hearest therefore mention made of the glory of God, there think of his righteousness, for it must be righteous that deserveth praise, and let us rather ⟨p. 76⟩behold an evident cause of damnation, in the corrupt nature of mankind, which is nearer to us; then seek for a hidden and utterly incomprehensible cause thereof in the secret counsel of God, which is further from us: and let it not green us so far to submit our wit to the unmeasurable wisdom of God, that it may yield in many secrets of his, for of those things which is neither granted, nor lawful to have knowledge, Ignorance is well learned, and the coveting of knowledge a mere kind of madness.
Reli. Truly thou maist, but I wil take a day to answer thée, till such time as the Lord hath called me to sit in commission about the affayres of his secret councell, yet if I say he wil be so glorified, because