and stand with the Apostle, in the self fame place that he did, admiring and adoring the depth of the riches, and wisdom, and knowledge of God; I fay it will be evident that I do this where there is like occafion for it; not to cloak iniquity or abfurdity imputed to the divine Majefty by, O the depth &c!

Secondly, That I fearch not at all into any thing by mere natural light, and human reason, which to do in these things were a prefumption deferving the feverest cenfure and worft fuccefs, but by the light of Divine revelation in God's holy word; and therefore I have entitled this Treatife, an Ap peal to the Gospel, by which, 1 plainly intimate that I pretend to open God's counfels fo far only as he hath been pleas'd to communicate them to us.

And Thirdly, That I do this, not only by appealing to those texts that directly and immediately speak of our Predeftination and Election, which may seem hard and obfcure; but also to the openest and commoneft places that are fundamental principles of Chriftianity, and the Grounds of Catechifm, which ordinary Capacities, and not Men of great Abilities alone, are able to understand: and by which the fewer and harder Texts are to be enlightned and interpreted, and not contrarily.

*Irenaus rightly obferveth, that they must put a very forc'd and wrong fenfe on many things, who will not rightly understand fome one; which hath happened to many in our age. That one thing which they will not rightly underftand is, the univerfal promife of Grace and Acceptance, made in the Gospel to all Men, thro' Chrift the redeemer of all, which our Church profeffeth in her Articles and Homilies, and in her Catechifm; which one promife is the ground of all the conclufions here maintain'd. So that my Studies

* Multa malè interpretari coguntur, qui Unum rectè intelligere non volunt. lib. 5.

A 3

have

have not been about fome curious and fuperfluous queftions, feparable from the body of Divinity, and which might well have been spared; but about the most effential parts, and Articles of that Body, and of their mutual coherence and connexion: The full Examination whereof is fo neceffary and useful a thing, that I can hardly hold him worthy the name of a Divine, who hath not labour'd therein.

And as my Opinions, unexamined, may be prefumed to be nothing elfe but either antient or late condemned herefies, neither I nor any good Man ought to bear fuch an imputation or bear fuppofition with filence. I fhall therefore in this Tract undertake to fhew, that the apprehenfions expreffed in it, are none of thofe old condemned Herefies, nor those late rejected Heterodoxes; but the very Doctrine of the Antient Fathers of the Church, builded upon the fenfe and letter of the Holy Scrip tures, and confonant to the Publick established doArine of the Church of England, contained in the Books of Articles, Common Prayer, and Homilies. which if I fhall make good by clear and undeniable evidence, then I hope my good Friends will hold me excufed, and cleared of any fuch crime as Herefie, or Semi-herefie, or Novelty and will take me for a true and found Member of the Church of England, both in Doctrine and Discipline: from both which, I fear, there hath been made by many in this Church too great a defection and departure, fince the daies of King Edward the Sixth, when they were first established; and fince the Primitive years of the happy Reign of Queen Elizabeth, wherein they were ratifyed and strengthened with a fecond, and oft-renewed Judgment. But the Examination and Tryal of all this, I commit and fubmit to my ingenuous and loving Friends, and them and their Studies to the Goodnefs and Grace of God our Father.

CHAP.

T

СНАР. І.

THE FIRST OPINION.

HE first Opinion concerning the Order of
divine Predeftination is this:

1. That God from all Eternity decreed to create a certain number of Men.

2. That of this number he Predeftinated fome to everlafting Life; and other fome he reprobated unto eter

nal Death.

3. That in this Act he respected nothing more than his own Dominion, and the Pleasure of his own Will.

4. That to bring Men to thefe ends, he decreed to permit Sin to enter in upon all Men, that the reprobate might be condemned for Sin; and decreed to fend his Son to recover out of Sin his Elect, fallen together with the reprobate.

This opinion hath for its defenders Beza, Pifcator, Whitacre, Perkins, and other Holy and Learned Men; but is rejected by many Proteftant Divines, as by the Reverend Divines of our Church that were at Dort, by Peter Moulin, Robert Abbot Bishop of Salisbury, and others: it is detefted by the Papifts and Lutherans; and was that which Arminius, and his followers chiefly oppofed in the low Countries; and it is charg'd,

With making God the Author of Sin.

With reprobating Men before they were Evil.
With Electing Men not in Chrift, who is fent, ac-
cording to this Opinion, to recover out of Sin
those that were Elected, before they were confi-

dered as Sinners.

This is that irrespective decree which * Mr. Mount

* See his Appello Cafarem Pag. 49.54, &c. this Mountague was afterwards Bp. of Chichester.

7

ague

ague difliketh, because in it there is no refpe& had to any thing fore-known, not fo much as the fall of Man, much lefs Chrift, or Faith, giving to God no fore-knowledge, or no ufe of it at all. in this Act of his which the Scripture calls Predeftination.

Yet this Opinion doth well admonish us to remember the Dominion, and Sovereign Power, and Will of God, which muft be feen and acknowledged in his Predeftinating of Men, according to 9. that of the Apoftie, Hath not the Potter power over the Clay? and, He hath mercy on whom he will: which Rom. 9 we will be mindful of in the fifth Opinion.

Rom.

21.

15.

1595.

Under this Opinion are to be placed the nine Nov. 20. affertions concluded at Lambeth; which fome have often laboured to get inferted into our book of Articles, but could never yet obtain their defire. It is requifite therefore to fet them down, because they are not vulgarly known, and to examin them what they mean, and, fee how far they are Orthodox, or agreeing to our Articles. And for their fakes. that understand not the Latin Tongue, I will render them in English.

* Articles approv'd by the right Reverend Lords, John Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and Richard Lord Bishop of London, and other Divines at Lambeth.

1. God from Eternity Predeftinated fome Men to Life, and fome he reprobated unto Death.

2. The moving or efficient cause of Predeftination to Life, is not the fore fight of Faith, or of Perfeverance, or of good Works, or of any thing which may be in the perfons Predeftinated, but only the Will of God's good pleafure.

3. Of the Predeftinate there is a predefined and cer

For a full account of these Articles fee an Appendix to Dr. Elis Expof. of the 39 Articl. or rather the very learned and diligent Mr. Strype's Life of ABp. Whitgift. B. 4. C. 17, 18.;

tain number, which can neither be increased, nor diminished.

>

4. They which are not Predeftinated unto Salvation, fhall neceffarily be condemned for their Sins.

5. True, lively, justifying Faith, and the fanctifying Spirit of God, is not extinguished, doth not fall out, doth not vanish in the Elect, either Finally, or Totally.

6. A Man truly believing, that is, endued with justifying Faith, is certain, by or with full perfuafion of Faith, of the forgiveness of his Sins, and of his everlafting Salvation by Chrift.

7. Saving Grace is not given, is not communicated, is not granted to all Men, whereby they may be faved, if they will.

8. No Man can come to Chrift, unless it be given unto him, and unless the Father draw him; and all Men are not drawn of the Father, that they come unto the Son.

9. It is not put in the free Choice, and Power of every Man, to be faved.

*

These be the nine Affertions concluded at Lambeth, at the inftance of Dr. Whitacre against three propofitions deliver'd at Cambridge by Peter Baro the Frenchman, Profeffor of Divinity in the Chair erected by the Lady Margaret.

Only four of these nine, which concern the Doarine of Predeftination, are here confidered; the other five we fhall fpeak of in their proper place, in the third part of this Book.

For the words of thefe four, they are fo compofed, that they comprehend most certain Truths, but applicable as well to the fifth Opinion, hereafter to. be propounded, as to any other. But because all Men will fetch the interpretation of them from Dr. Whitacre, the chief compofer, his understanding of them must be taken for their meaning. And how

1. De Prædeft. & Reprobat. 2. De Amiffione Gratiæ. 3. De Certitud. & fecuritate Salutis. Whit. cont. ult. Pag. 4.

B

he