. wan t9'dei3sfiî4lleso 11 3 refereed all the finnes of the world to three heads, the liiff of the flefh, the tuft ofthe eyes, and the pride oflife, telleth us that they are not of the Father , ,but of the world. Towhich fpeeches let me adde the fpeech of Siracides, though not ofthe fame authoritie; Say not thou , It is through the Lordthat I fell away: for thou oughtefi not to do the things that he ha- teth. Say not thou, He bath caufedme to erre : forhe bathn0 Efaris 15. treedofthefinfsll man. I z. pious Antiquitie bath conftantly laid the fame,and prefl'ed it with fundry reafons : Some of which are thefe that follow. If God be the authour of finne, shed He (8) is worfe then the devil, becaufe the devil Both onely tempt andperfwade to finne, 'and his a&ion maybe re- fifted : but God (by this opinion) doth will and procure it by a powerfull and44wall decree, which cannot be refilled. This is Profpers argument ; ' Who to fomeobje&ing that by S. Auguflines doctrine, when Fathers defile their own daugh- ters, and mothers their own f nncs, fervants murder their ma- fiers, and men commit any horrible villanies, it cometh to paffe, becaufe God bath fo decreed; anfwereth, that if this werelaid to thedevils charge, he might in fomefort clear him, felfofthe imputation; b becaufe though he be delighted with wens finnes, yet he doth not, he cannot compell them to finne : what a madnefe therefore is it to impute that to God which íannot juflly be fatheredupon the devil? z He cannot be a puniíher of finne : For none (C) can juftly punifh thofe offenfes of which they are the authours. This is Profpers argument too; a it is again(l reafon to fay, that he which is the damner ofthe devil , wouldhaveanyman to be the devils fervant. This reafon Fulgentius ufeth like - wife ; e rei Deus nilor elf, cujcu autor non e/1; God is the avenger of that ofwhich he is not the authour. Tertullian alfo before them bath Paid, f He is not to be accounted the au- thour offinne,who is theforbidder,yea and the condemner of it: 3 He cannot be God ; becaufe he flaould not be tuft , nor holy, nor the Judge ofthe world ., all properties effentiall to God. And this is S. Bafils reafon, who bath written a whole Homilie againft this wicked affertior : 8 It is all one, faith he, a Pró($er rerp.ad obj. z z .Vincent, bQuia eta deleflatus eft furore peccantiuins probaret ta- rnen fe non intuliffevim, criminum: c Qua' erg() infìpientia, quáve de- mentia delii- nitur, ad Dei referendun effe confili- um,quod nee diabolo in totum affcri_, bi poteft,qui in peccanti - um flagitiis illecebraruni adjutor, non voluntatun credendus eft effe ge- neratori d Pr4.re(1) ad chjeE Infanum omnino & contra rationem eft, dicere, da ninatorem cliaboli & ejus famulorum velle ut diabolo ferviatur. e Furent. lib. r. ad Mosim. c. 19. fTert.l.a.cont. Marción. ç.9. Nee ideni habendus eft delusi autor, qui invenitur interdiEtor & condemtrator. g Bafal. homil. quòd Deus non eft, en:Tan- tandem eft Deum afièrere ette autoremHpeccati, & negare effe Deum. to
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