vol. 1, p. 12

impious and his impietie'. The places of scripture therfore which he produceth, are to be
understoode, that thoe the electe or predestinated some tymes, throw human frailty, and
the common adversarys deceite, sinnes deadly, as holy David and Sainct Peter did
and consequently incurrs gods wrathe and indignation, as longe as they remaine
in sinne, yet throwe gods greate mercie and grace, they arrise againe from sinne, and
are reconciled by sorowe, repentaunce, and such other meance left by Christ, unto him,
whome they soe ungratfully offended. And soe it is verified, that whom God once loves he
loves to the end, be reson he leaves him not finaly in sinne.

In the seconde parte of the Treatise and specially pag. 82. and consequently he
seemes to perswade, that a man onst being iustified by fayth may undouptedly perswade
himselfe, that he cannot thence forwarde miscarry, or louse that fayth, which onste
he has receaved, and consequently that he may be certaine of finall perseverance in Gods
favoure, and of life everlasting, notwithstanding how greeveusly soever he offendes God.
Heerein he followes his erroneus master Calvins opinion who houldes that fayth onst
had is never lost, and that it is proper to the elect only, and consequently that noe
reprobat never had fayth, and that he whoe has fayth may be certaine of salvation
which principles are soe manifestly contrary to holy scripture as nothing can be more,
for holy Paule in his 1. chap. of his first epistill to Timotheus 19 verse says 'Having fayth and good conscience,
which some having put away, as concerninge fayth have made shipwracke, of whome is
Hymneus and Alexander', and in the 4 chap. he says: 'Nowe the spirite speaketh evidently
that in the latter tymes some shall departe from the fayth gevinge heede unto
spirites of error, and doctrine of devilles'. These places are soe plaine and evident that
noe man of any understanding, if he be not blinded and wholy forsaken of gods grace, as
poore Calvine and his followers seemes to be, can deny, for if some has made shipwracke of
there fayth, they made it of the fayth which onst they had; and if some departes from the
fayth, shurly they departe fromt he fayth they had, for noe man departs, but with that, which
he has, therefore none can unfallebly perswade himselfe that thoe onst he had the true fayth,
but he may, throwe his oune fraility, the devills deceite and gods permission, some tymes fall
from it, for if he could not, the holy Ghost speaking by the Apostle, would be a lyer; and allsoe
it would followe thence, that there never were any heresies, for those are called heretiques
who fell from the fayth onst had, for if they never had any fayth then they should be rather
called Infidelles then heretiques, but according holly scripture heresies must be, and this
Calvine himselfe acknowlegeth, for Symon Magus, Nicolas, Hymneus, and Alexander of whom
the scripture mackes mention, onst had the fayth, as the same scripture testifieth, and yet
they fell from it wittnessing the Apostle above cited.

That a man having fayth can firmly beleeve, and perswade himselfe that his sinnes are
forgeven him by Christes merite, is noe lesse against scripture, for the holy Ghost ecclesiast. 9
says, 'a man knowes not whether he be worthy of hatred or love, but all are kept uncertaine
to a future tyme', and ecclesi: 15. of the sinne forgevin, be not withoute feare, and holy
Paule 1 Cor. 4 says of himselfe 'I am nothing guiltie to me selfe, yet am I not thereby
iustified, but that iudgeth me is the Lorde'. Yo see how the Apostle says that he finds not his
conscie[n]ce guilty of any, yet he affirmes that heerein he is not iustified, which certainly he
would not say, if he undouptedly and firmly beleeved, that all those, whoe has fayth, are
questionless iustified in Christe, and that there sinnes are forgevin them, and neverthelesse
the Apostle firmly beleeved himselfe to have the fayth of Jesus Christe, neither would
Calvin or any els dare deny this: therefor thoe a man firmly beleeves himselfe to have
the true fayth of Christe, yet he cannot undouptedly perswade himselfe, that thereby he is
iustified, or that his sinnes are questionless forgevin him, otherwise the Apostle might thus beleeve
of himselfe which he dos not. Hence Deare Sr yo may evidently see, how heresie blindeth
a man, and how those, whoe forsaking the unanemous consent of the catholique church
and the holy fathers thruistes to there oune proper particular spirite, are led away by the
spirite of error, and reades the holy scriptures only to impunge the thruith, wher in if
they feind any apparant place or texte convenient to there perverse intentione, they
soe