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Their fourth argument, “Hath not the potter power over the clay, even of the same lompe to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor.” of this they inferre, that God hath ordeined and made some to salvation, and some to destruction and damnation. But for the more perfect understanding of this place, afore thow go any further, reade the xviii. chapter of Jeremie, and thow shalt perceave this to be the meaning: As the potter hath the clay in his hand, so hath God all men in his power; and as the potter breaketh the vessel wherin is found an incurable faulte, so God destroieth the man in whom there is found obstinate wickednes which can not be amended. It is not the meaning of this place, that God, without any just cause, doeth make any man to destruction. For as the potter maketh no vessel to breake, yet notwithstanding he may, but he will not lose both his clay and his labor, but onely breaketh such as will not frame to be good, notwithstanding he made them to be good; as everie good artificer wold his work were good; so God created no man to lose him, but onely loseth them which will not be good whom he created to be good: as the Lord saieth, “I planted thee a noble vyne and a good roote, whose sede is all faithfull, how art thow then turned into bitter, unfrutefull, and strange grapes?” God wold all men were good, and that all men should be saved; forasmuch as He is good himself, and all that he maketh is good. But as the potter maketh of the same clay, some vessels to serve at the table, some in the kitchen or in the privey; so God hath some men to be in the bodie of Christ, as eies, eares, and hands, as Princes, Prophetes, Apostles; some to be as fete and other secrete partes, as laborers, and other of the inferior sorte, for whom he hath not bestowed so many and so excellent gyftes; yet must thow understand, that it is not all one thing to be made to be broken, and to be made to unhonest uses: Everie vessel which is evill is broken, whether it be made to honest or dishonest uses; yea, thogh it were made of gold; and as it appereth plainely in Jeremie, where the Lord saieth so, “Thogh Conias, the son of Joacim,†1 King of Juda, were the signet of my right hand, yet will I pluck him of:” and therafter, “This man Conias shalbe lyke an image robbed, and torne in peces.” Hath a man any thing appointed for a more honest use then his signet? yet seest thow, that if it become noght it shall be broken and distroied. Againe, everie good vessell, whether it be made to honest or dishonest uses, it is kept, and not broken. Aske the potter, and he shall answer thee, that he will be lothe to break any vessell; but if any chance to be naught, he sheweth his power in breaking of it. Ask the husbandman, and he shall answer thee, that he planted no frute tree to be barren; but if it chance to be barren, he cutteth it doune, and planteth another in steede of it. Ask the magistrate, and he shall answer thee, that it is not his will to kill any of his subjects, for he wold that they were all good; but if any becom a theif and murtherer, he sheweth his power even over him in killing him. Even so saith God, “I will not the death of the sinner, but rather that he converte and live.” I will not that any man be evill, and therefor I forbyd all evil; but if any man, contrarie to my commandement and will, of his own free choise and mynd, refuse the good which he might have accepted, and doeth the evill which he might have left undone, then do I shewe my power over him, in that I cast him away like the shardes of a naughtie pott, which serveth to no good use.
Why, for the more perfect understanding of Paules mynd, any man should rather read the wordes of Jeremie, written in the xviii. chapter of his Prophecie, then the wordes written in xlviii. chapter of the Prophete Isaiah, I see no just cause. For plaine it is, that the Prophete Jeremie in that place hath no respect to God’s eternal Election. He disputeth not why God hath appointed in his eternal counsell some to lief and some to death, but reteineth himself within the limits and boundes of the mater which then he intreated: Which was to assure the Jewes, that God would eject them from that same land which to Abraham he had promised, and had given to his posteritie, and yet wold he preserve them to be a people such as he thoght good. This doctrine was strange, and to many incredible. For it appereth to repugne to God’s promise, who had pronounced, that to Abraham and his seede he wold give that land for ever. Much trouble and contradiction (as may be seen) did the Prophete suffer for the teaching and affirming this former doctrine. And therefor it pleased the mercie and wisdom of God, by dyvers meanes, to strengthen and confirme him in the same. Amongest which this was one, that commanding him to go downe to a potter’s house, he promised to speak with him there; that is, to give unto him further knowledge and revelation of his will: who when he came, found the potter, as is written, making a clay pott upon his rote and turning whele; which pot in his presence did break, but the potter immediatly gathering up the pot sherdes, did fashion and forme it anew, and made it another vessell, even as best pleased him. And then came the worde of the Lorde upon the Prophete, saying, “May I not do unto you, O house of Israel, even as this potter doeth? Behold, ye are in my hand, O house of Israel, even as the clay is in the hand of the potter.” By which fact sene, and wordes after heard, was the Prophet more confirmed in that which before he had taught, to witt, that God, for just causes, wold destroy and break downe the estate and policie of that common welthe, and yet, nevertheles, wold repair and build it up againe, to such an estate as best pleased his wisdome; as the sequele did declare. For that great multitude, corrupt with sin, he brak downe, dispersing and scattering them amongest diverse nations; and yet after, he did collect and gather them togither, and so made them a people, of whome the head of all justice, Christ Jesus, did spring.
But what hath this to do with the eternall Election of God, by the which he hath Elected some to life everlasting, whom our Apostle calleth “vessels of mercie,” and hath left others in their own corruption and perpetuall condemnation? And so, I say, because that Jeremie intreateth one thing, that is, a temporall punishment and the mutation which shortly should folowe in Jerusalem, and the Apostle intreateth another, as before is said; the one can be no exposition to the other, but rather the Apostle hath respect, or at least alludeth to the saying of Isaiah, which thus speaketh: “Wo to be to him that striveth with his Maker! the vessel of clay with the potter of clay. Shall the clay say to his potter, What makest thow?” in which wordes (as before we have more largely spoken) the Prophete, and the Apostle folowing his phrase, represseth the pryde of man, who, compared to God, is much more inferior to his Majestie then clay compared to the potter. For God hath created and made man when he was not, which thing the potter did not to the clay of which he maketh the diversitie of pottes; and therefor of right hath God more power over man then hath the potter over clay. This I doubt not to be the mynd of the Holie Ghost in both the places. in which similitude is further to be considered, that as the potter doeth no injurie to the clay, what forme soever he giveth it, (for the mater and substance of it he doeth not change,) so doeth not God wrong to the verey reprobate, whom he prepareth to be vessels of wrath, for that are they of nature. Where that ye say, that it is not the meaning of this place, that God, without all just causes, doeth make anie man to destruction; none of us doeth hold the contrarie, for we affirme that the causes of reprobation are most just; but yet we say, that they are incomprehensible to man.
That ye give to God no greater power, nor none other will, then to your “good artificer,” consider with yourself, how undiscretely ye matche His eternal Godhead (whose power is infinite, and whose determined will no creature can resist) with creatures that be but impotent, unwise, and often disappointed of their purpose and will. Trew it is, that no artificer willingly wold lose his clay and labore, but is compelled to break those that be faultie. But this procedeth partly frome his ignorance, who did not before know and see the fault which was in the matter; and partly of his impotencie, who can not at his will otherwies remedie the faultie vessell, but onely by breaking the same. But dare ye, or will ye, impute upon God those imperfections? So ye seme to do, for this ye write: “So God created no man to lose him, but onely loseth them that wold not be good whom he created to be good; as the Lord saieth, I planted thee a noble vyne.”
The cheif end of mannes creation, we have before declared to be the glorie of God; which if you can not see shine in the just condemnation of the reprobate, accuse your blindnes. That God created the reprobate to the day of destruction, Salomon affirmeth, as often before is said. But that he was created to be good, that will not the wordes of the Prophete, which ye adduce, prove; for in that place there is no mention made of creation, but of plantation, which is a thing far different from creation. the substance which was before is planted, that by manuring and travale of the planter it may be better; but creation importeth the being of the substance which before was not. And so the Prophete in this place, which ye alledge to prove that God created all men to be good, meaneth no such thing, but onely rebuketh the Israelites, who, long after their creation, were planted by the hand of God, and were continualy watered by his Prophetes, and yet did they bring furth no better frute. How that God wold all men were good, and also that all men should be saved, we shall, God willing, after speak. How that God remaining good for ever, man his creature fell frome his original goodnes, I have before spoken, and will not now trouble the reader with the repetition of the same.
In the difference which ye make betwixt the vessels which the potter maketh, some to serve the table, and some the kitching, or privie, of which he breaketh none but such as be faultie, ye utterly disagree from the mind and plaine wordes of the Holie Ghost. For S. Paul calleth not the vessels of honor, Princes, or Prophetes, and Apostles; and the vessels of dishonour, the laborers and inferior sort of men: but the one he calleth the vessels of mercie, and the other he calleth the vessels of wrath. the one he feareth not to affirme to be prepared and ordeined to destruction, that the severe judgement of God against sinne may appere in them; the other to be prepared to glorie, that the riches of his mercie may be praised for ever. This plaine simplicitie will not the Apostle recant, neither yet thereof (God assisting us) will we be ashamed, how so ever ye rage and blaspheme the veritie. And this I say, that your difference betwixt honest and unhonest vessels, and betwixt those that shalbe broken and not be broken, is altogether besides the purpose of the Apostle. And so of Conyas, son of Joacim, ye can prove no more but that God wold deprive him frome his kingdome, and frome the seat of David, in which unworthelie he did reigne. If he was the reprobate, then althogh he was King, yet was he the vessell of dishonor; for these wordes, “Althogh he were the signet in my right hand,” are not spoken to declare that in very dede he was the signet in the hand of God, but are spoken against the foolish presumption of him, and of the Jewes, which living most wickedly, did yet nevertheles brag, and boast that God could not leave the seat of David voide, but that one of his seede must for ever sit on it.
And this is evident, if the text be well marked. For where he saieth, “Althogh he were the signet,” he sufficiently declareth that so he was not; and so I say that those wordes prove nothing of your purpose. For first must ye prove, that because he was a King, therefor he was a vessell of honor, in such sense as S. Paul speaketh. And secondarely, ye must prove, that he was Elected to the life everlasting, because it is said, that albeit he were a signet in the right hand of God, yet should he be plucked of: which by plaine Scriptures to do, will be more then hard for you, how so ever that ye brag, that ye will prove all your purpose by Scriptures. Where ye send us to ask of the potter, of the husband man, and of the magistrate, if any of them wold willingly break his vessell, plante a tree to be barren, or kill any of his subjects; we send you, as befor, to ask counsel at the plaine Scriptures, whether that in God there is not a greater knowledge, greater power, and a justice more perfect, althogh it be incomprehensible to our dull senses, then that their is in the potter, husband man, or magistrate.
How that God will not the death of the sinner, but rather that he may converte and live, we shall shortlie, God willing,after speak. And therefore omitting that which indigestly you heape togither, I procede to that which foloweth.
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