fear him, he shall be saved. This opinion was
formerly maintained by the Valentinian and Basiledian heretics, revived of
late in [6802]Turkey, of what sect Rustan Bassa was patron, defended by
[6803]Galeatius [6804]Erasmus, by Zuinglius _in exposit. fidei ad Regem
Galliae_, whose tenet Bullinger vindicates, and Gualter approves in a just
apology with many arguments. There be many Jesuits that follow these
Calvinists in this behalf, Franciscus Buchsius Moguntinus, Andradius
Consil. Trident, many schoolmen that out of the 1 Rom. v. 18. 19. are
verily persuaded that those good works of the Gentiles did so far please
God, that they might _vitam aeternam promereri_, and be saved in the end.
Sesellius, and Benedictus Justinianus in his comment on the first of the
Romans, Mathias Ditmarsh the politician, with many others, hold a
mediocrity, they may be _salute non indigni_ but they will not absolutely
decree it. Hofmannus, a Lutheran professor of Helmstad, and many of his
followers, with most of our church, and papists, are stiff against it.
Franciscus Collius hath fully censured all opinions in his Five Books, _de
Paganorum animabus post mortem_, and amply dilated this question, which
whoso will may peruse. But to return to my author, his conclusion is, that
not only wicked livers, blasphemers, reprobates, and such as reject God's
grace, "but that the devils themselves shall be saved at last," as
[6805]Origen himself long since delivered in his works, and our late
[6806]Socinians defend, Ostorodius, _cap. 41. institut._ Smaltius, &c.
Those terms of all and for ever in Scripture, are not eternal, but only
denote a longer time, which by many examples they prove. The world shall
end like a comedy, and we shall meet at last in heaven, and live in bliss
altogether, or else in conclusion, _in nihil evanescere._ For how can he be
merciful that shall condemn any creature to eternal unspeakable punishment,
for one small temporary fault, all posterity, so many myriads for one and
another man's offence, _quid meruistis oves_? But these absurd paradoxes
are exploded by our church, we teach otherwise. That this vocation,
predestination, election, reprobation, _non ex corrupta massa, praeviso,
fide_, as our Arminians, or _ex praevisis operibus_, as our papists, _non
ex praeteritione_, but God's absolute decree _ante mundum creatum_, (as
many of our church hold) was from the beginning, before the foundation of
the world was laid, or _homo con