?

APPEAL

TO THE

GOSPEL &c.

T

PART I.

THE INTRODUCTION.

HAT which gave Beginning and Birth to the following work, was principally a defire,

by the help of God and through his bleffing, to get some fatisfaction to my felf in the great question of this age, concerning the Order and Manner of divine Predestination, conceiv'd in the mind of the only wife God, after the manner of our under standing, as the holy Scriptures have revealed it

unto us.

Therefore about this Order I have searched out, and here fet down, the several opinions of Note and Estimation, which are five in number; these I have examined and compared together: and in four of the five I do find and acknowledge some parts and pieces of truth, and indeed no Doctrine can appear in any degree probable, which consists ell of falfhoods. But those few lineaments of truth are so obscur'd and mingl'd with defects, that they seem to me to lead both into error in faith, and corruption of Manners, if Men should live after them; and that not by abuse only, as may be pretended, but by just and necessary consequence, and by the nature of the very principles.

A

But

But in the fifth Opinion, I will not say there thineth forth the Perfection of the full and naked truth; for fince we fee now thro a Glass Darkly, if I should say that we have discovered truth beyond poffibility of mistake, nothing could bewray a greater want of Judgment, than such an arrogant presumption of certainty. But this I must say, therein seemeth to appear a certain way of apprehending and teaching this high mystery, which is, in it felf, far more free from giving occasion of error, either in faith or practice, than in any of the several opinions before laid down.

This which we advance, though not new in it self, hath been but little explain'd or treated of in such popular Books or Sermons as have hitherto been published in English: Some parts of it indeed have been perhaps lightly and occafionally touch'd upon. I was therefore defirous to give a full and intelligible explication of it; to confirm and demonftrate it by the holy Scripture, and to show its confonancy with other undoubted truths of divinity. In which I have here taken much more pains, and am far more large than in the Demolishing and Confuting of the different, and, as I take it, defective Opinions; partly, because that is already done to my hand, in the domeftick conflicts of the several defenders of the four Opinions in their Books written in the Elenchique, and the invective vein, more to the breach of the peace of the Church, than to the edifying of the truth in love: and partly, because as it is an harder, so it is a nobler thing to build than to destroy, to abet and maintain a lovely truth tending to peace, both inward in the Conscience, and outward in the Church, rather than to labour to hew down those falshoods which the fooner fall of themselves, the more curiously they are polish'd and wrought upon by their zealous admirers.

Yet because the great Master of method teacheth Ariftot. us, that it is not enough to deliver the truth, unless Ethic. 1.7. we do thew also the cause why that is false which c. 14. is false; and that this doth much avail to win credit to our own Opinion. Therefore I shall give in brief some reasons for my dislike of the opinions which I reject, in their several and proper places; and then proceed to my chiefeft care, and hardeft Task.

In which weighty work, distrusting my own mean abilities, I continually most humbly pray the spirit of Truth, to lead me into all Truth, which is conducive to Godliness; * not defiring to amuse my felf with bare speculations, but if possible, to make such discoveries as may be serviceable in the promoting true and active piety: nor approving their faying, who tell us, one doctrine is for Schools where truth is tryed, and another for the Pulpit where piety is perfuaded. Never am I perfuaded where the Exhortations to practise found contrary to the doctrine which the Preacher just now laboured to establish, nor where the Pulpit differs from the Chair.

Now if I had intended this work for the Publick, it had been best to have suppressed and concealed the names of the Authors, and great advocates of the disagreeing opinions; that none might be prejudic'd againft truth thro' respect to any contrary authority: knowing that it is as true in our age, as it was in † St. Hilary's, that the greater part of Christians are either stiff or variable in their Tenets, according as they find some famous or favourite Author to have been for or against them. But this

* Cupimus enim investigare quid verum fit, neque id folum, fed quod cum veritate Pietatem quoque praterea erga deum habeat conjunctam. Sadolet. in Rom. 8.

+ Quanto plures funt in Ecclesia qui authoritate nominum in fententia teneantur, aut ad fententiam transferantur? Epift. ad Aug.

was not written to the Many, who have no other reason for their Sentiments, but that such and fuch have thought so before them; but to those who Acts. 17. have judgment and will make use of it; to fuch, whom the Sacred Penman terms more noble, more generous and human spirits, who will allow themselves and me to search the Scriptures and fee whether things be so as Doctors say; and will not be offended, * if I am unwilling implicitly to follow the single dictates of any, but endeavour to collect the scattered rays of truth and probability, wherever I find them, and resolve to appeal from any Authori ty to that of the Gospel.

Another end and design which I had in writing this Treatise, and reducing it to its present form, was to give fatisfaction to some of my Learned and Loving Friends, to whom I might communicate it: who having heard either of my Studies in these contoverfies, or of my opinions, and perhaps not throughly apprehending them, may have conceiv'd worse thoughts of me and them, than either there is caufe, or than I ought to suffer them long to entertain in their minds.

* For as concerning my Studies, it may possibly be thought that I have aim'd at knowledge too wonderful for me; that I have not only endeavoured to go farther than Men of small, that is, of my abilities should or can go; but also have approached too near to majesty, in searching into Mysteries above human Capacity; as in these enquiries concerning the Order and Manner of Predestination, conceiv'd in the mind of the only wife God, and the reconcileableness of the doctrines of Grace and Freewill with that of Predestination. But these Papers I hope, will make it manifest;

First. That I leave things unsearchable unsearch'd, + Authorem neminem unum sequar, fed ut quemque veriffimum in quaque parte arbitrabor., Plin. Proæm. 1. 3.

and