The Abélate decree que ioned, mY reafons of the firft fort do indif:rentlÿ refpe&î: and make againf both,and I will fet them down agaitift both together. My fecond fort of reafons Iwill divide, delivering fome of them againft the upper and more rigid way, others againft the lower and more moderate way. I begin with thofe reafons which firft moved me toqueftion the truth of abColuteReprobation, as it is taught bothwayes. They are thefe foure which follow. I . llea ¡Oy8 I The Novelty (A) of thisopinion. Abfolute and inevita J ble Reprobation hath little or no footing in Antiquitie. The Novsi.rY upper way was never taught or approved by any of the Fa- thers (even the ítouteít defenders of Grace againft the Pela- giars ) for the Cpace of fix hundred (I may fay eight hundred} years after Chrift: nor the lower way till the'timeof S. Augu- Itine,which was about foure hundred years after Chrift. They did generally agree upon the contrary conclufion, and taught men in their times,That it was poble(B)for them to be faved which in the event were not faved,and tohave repented,which repented not; and, That there was no decree of God which did laya nece(fity of perifhing upon any fonne of Adam. This that I fay Mr Calvine himfelf doth freely acknowledge, fpeak- ing of EleEtion and Reprobationaccording (C) to Gods fore- e Calv:lnff. lib. 3. C.2Z. Set .t. Neque knowledge; eThis commonly receivedopi- hæc vulgó recepta opinio folius vulgi ni0n,faithhe, (ofa conditional) ref-pet-bye eft: habuit enirn feculis omnibus ma- decree)is not the opini0n onely ofthe com- gnos autores. rraon people,bztt bath had great authoursin f Bea,i<acap.t Lad Rom.v.35. In quern errorem fane turpiffmum Oxigenes ve- all ages. ReverendBeza likewife fpeak- teres plerofque turn Grecos turn Lati- ing ofthe fame opinion,hath thefewords nos adegir. to the fame purpofe; f Into which furely g F-rojper,rrtEp:fl.ad..41cg.rope fine42. mofl foul errour Origen bath driven many Penè omnium parem inveniri & unam fentertie n, qua propouitum & piæde_ of the Incients both Greek andLatine. itinationem Dei fecundùm præfcienti- To the fame effeEt allo ProCper,S.Augu- am receperunt: ut ob hoc Deus alios -fines follower,hatha remarkable fpeech: vafa contumeliæ , alios honoris va- g Almo(i all the .Ancients, faith he, did fa fecerit, quia finem uniufcujufq; pre - viderir, & tub ipfo gratiz adjutor o in grant with one confent, that Goddecreed qua fi,turus effet voluntatc & aetione mens ends according to ha' forefight of præicierit. their at ions, and not otherwife. To theft fpeeches let me adde that of Remi;ius Archbifhop of Lyons, who toRabanus Archbishop of Mentz, objefting that S. Au- guftine wrote a book called Hypognoflicon againft Pelagius and Cxlcftius, wherein he denied that Reprobates were properly h (77J,ifI. h priede(ìi tati ad interitum , predeftinate to deftraflion, an- Gott.pa,;.1o7 fwereth, That S. Augufiine[aidnotfa ; butfewwhet man (as it
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