H

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 fome fatisfaction to my self in the great queftion of this age, concerning the Order and Manner of divine Predeftination, conceiv'd in the mind of the only wife God, after the manner of our underftanding, as the holy Scriptures have revealed it

unto us.

Therefore about this Order I have fearched out, and here fet down, the feveral opinions of Note and Eftimation, which are five in number; these I have examined and compared together: and in four of the five I do find and acknowledge fome parts and pieces of truth, and indeed no Doctrine can appear in any degree probable, which confifts ell of falfhoods. But thofe 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 fhould live after them; and that not by abufe only, as may be pretended, but by juft and neceffary confequence, and by the nature of the very principles. A

But

But in the fifth Opinion, I will not fay there fhineth forth the Perfection of the full and naked truth; for fince we fee now thro' a Glass Darkly, if I should fay that we have discovered truth beyond poffibility of miftake, nothing could bewray a greater want of Judgment, than fuch an arrogant prefumption of certainty. But this I must fay, therein feemeth to appear a certain way of apprehending and teaching this high myftery, which is, in it felf, far more free from giving occafion of error, either in faith or practice, than in any of the feveral opinions before laid down.

This which we advance, though not new in it felf, hath been but little explain'd or treated of in fuch 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 fhow 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 feveral defenders of the four Opinions in their Books written in the Elentique, 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, becaufe as it is an harder, fo 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 thofe falfhoods which the fooner fall of themselves, the more curioufly they are polish'd and wrought upon by their zealous admirers.

Yet

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 fhew alfo the caufe why that is falfe which c. 14. is false; and that this doth much avail to win credit to our own Opinion. Therefore I fhall give in brief fome reafons for my diflike of the opinions which I reject, in their feveral and proper places; and then proceed to my chiefeft care, and hardest Task.

*

In which weighty work, diftrusting my own mean abilities, I continually moft humbly pray the fpirit of Truth, to lead me into all Truth, which is conducive to Godliness; not defiring to amuse my felf with bare fpeculations, but if poffible, to make fuch difcoveries as may be ferviceable 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 practife 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 beft to have fuppreffed and concealed the names of the Authors, and great advocates of the difagreeing opinions; that none might be prejudic'd againft truth thro' refpect 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 Chriftians are either ftiff 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 Ecclefia qui authoritate nominum in fententia teneantur, aut ad fententiam transferantur? Epift. ad Aug.

A 2

was

was not written to the Many, who have no other reafon for their Sentiments, but that fuch and fuch have thought fo before them; but to thofe who have judgment and will make use of it; to fuch, whom the Sacred Penman terms more noble, more generous and human fpirits, who will allow them felves and me to fearch the Scriptures and fee whether things be fo as Doctors fay; and will not be offend ed, if I am unwilling implicitly to follow the fingle dictates of any, but endeavour to collect the fcattered rays of truth and probability, wherever I find them, and refolve to appeal from any Authori ty to that of the Gospel.

Another end and defign which I had in writ ing this Treatife, and reducing it to its prefent form, was to give fatisfaction to fome 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 worfe thoughts of me and them, than either there is caufe, or than I ought to fuffer them long to entertain in their minds.

For as concerning my Studies, it may poffibly 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 fmall, that is, of my abilities fhould or can go but also have approached too near to majefty, in fearching into Mysteries above human Capacity; as in these enquiries concerning the Order and Manner of Predeftination, conceiv'd in the mind of the only wife God, and the reconcileableness of the doctrines of Grace and Freewill with that of Predeftination. But thefe Papers I hope, will make it manifeft;

Firft. That I leave things unfearchable unfearch'd, + Authorem neminem unum fequar, fed ut quemque veriffimum in quaque parte arbitrabor. Plin. Proam. 1.3.

and