PREDESTINATION. And we cannot rightly conceive of the other theological points, unless we bear this in our minds. Therefore St. Augustine treats of predestination not only in his disputations against the Pelagians, but in his sermons and homilies to the people, to let us know that this is a theme which is requisite for the understanding of the other doctrines.
I proceed in the following discourses to treat next of Free-will, and to show the true nature of it in general, and then to prove that the elect only have a freedom of will towards that which is spiritually good. This is necessary to confute that common error, that free-will is that omnipotent tool which doth all, yea and is able to do more than God can do, for those of the Arminian persuasion hold that God cannot convert us, and turn our hearts, unless we give him leave to do it, and that we by the force of our wills are able to frustrate and defeat his Almighty power.
ORIGINAL SIN. I treat, in the third place, of Original Sin, as necessary for understanding the foregoing doctrine of free-will and power of nature; and I endeavor to give a satisfactory account of the imputation and propagation of Adam's offense to the whole race of mankind, together with the punishment that goes along with it.
But one thing I must here take notice of to the reader, that whereas in that treatise I argue from the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ, which some persons may imagine is not consistent with what I say afterwards under that title, when I limit the extent of the virtue of Christ's death, I desire they would not mistake me, for though I assert that the redemption reaches all infants, and all the adult, yet my meaning is not that every individual infant or adult person is actually redeemed by Christ; for the word all is not so understood in scripture when it relates to Christ's redemption, which extends to all sorts and conditions of persons in the whole world, proves, that children as well as others, were involved in Adam's sin and guilt, and that those of the former as well as of the latter rank, who were from all eternity elected to grace and salvation, have the benefit of Christ's redemption.
CONVERSION. I proceed to discourse of grace and conversion, and to make it evident, that that grace which is effectual and saving, is given to some persons only; and that the real change of their hearts and lives is to be ascribed to the irresistible power of the Almighty.
REDEMPTION. In the next place I show, that the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ, is not universal, doth not extend to every individual person, and that it redounds more to the glory of God, that Christ should absolutely and intentionally die for a few, so as they shall certainly attain to salvation, than that he should conditionally die for all men, so as it is possible that not one of them shall be saved, which is the opinion of our adversaries. Here I grant, that the power and virtue of Christ's death is infinite, and that he can actually save all men if he pleases, yea, the very infernal and diabolical spirits; but this is not agreeable to what the scriptures have revealed to us, and therefore we cannot admit of it. And under this and the preceding Head, I have showed, how our adversaries are reduced to straights, and fight with themselves; how, while they labor to evade the truth, because of some pretended difficulties, they venture to assert such things as are not only difficult but incredible.
HEATHENS. I take occasion from this last head, to speak of the salvation of heathens, and to offer what the Holy Scriptures allow us to say on this subject.
PERSEVERANCE. The last point I consider is, the final perseverance of the godly, which naturally follows upon the doctrine of the decrees, for those that are chosen to grace and glory, cannot possibly fall short of them. And besides, I have established this truth on those absolute promises and assurances, which (though denied by some7 [Friendly Debate, pg. 22.]) we find in the Word of God; and I have built it on those other unshaken arguments which the same inspired writings suggest to us.
And in the close of all, the difficulty and novelty which are objected by some against these doctrines, are particularly and distinctly considered; especially the latter of these is thoroughly discussed and examined, and I believe I have demonstrated to the world, that one of our divines8 [Dr. Cudworth's Intellectual System] had little reason to call the asserters of these doctrines Neoterick Christians, though perhaps it may be thought by some a favor, that he and those of his persuasion would give them the name of Christians. I have taken care to satisfy every unprejudiced person, that that which we now call Calvinism, is to be found in the writings of the Ancient Fathers of the Church, and is the very doctrine which the first reformers of our own church professed and maintained, and which is contained in our Articles, Homilies, and Liturgy, and which our Archbishops and Bishops, and the whole body of our English Clergy have generally asserted and vindicated.
Wherefore we are concerned to keep up the doctrines which we have heretofore been in possession of, that we may not be upbraided with inconstancy and levity, and that we may not give occasion to some to expect, that we are ready to bid farewell to the other doctrines which we received from out ancestors. It is true, I know that, at this day especially, human authority is no argument, nor do I lay any stress upon it alone; but because the persons I apply myself to, professedly own the Authority of the Church of England, and stand to its determination, and pretend to give a great defense to those Reverend Prelates and Fathers of our Church, in this case authority is a valid argument against those men of our Church who oppose these doctrines, and they can never remove the force of it, if they stand to their own principles. I must now acquaint the reader with this, that in the ensuing discourses I call the doctrines which I maintain, Calvinian, and the contrary I title Arminian, because I have no other names for them, whereby I may distinguish that particular set of doctrines from the others, and because these are the common denominations that are made use of by both parties. But I must needs say, that it is not an exact way of distinguishing these opinions, for Arminius himself was very orthodox in many things, and agreed with Calvin, as the following pages will show; but the Remonstrants, who succeeded Arminus, and pretended to derive from him, outwent him in all or most of those points, and plainly differed from what he had asserted in his writings. So that there is a palpable difference between Arminius and the Remonstrants, as well as between Calvin and them. But because Arminius was the first considerable man that opposed Calvin's doctrines; and because the Remonstrants took part of their opinions from him, we are now wont to make use of the terms of Calvinists and Arminians, to express the two parties that have different, yea contrary sentiments concerning the Decrees, Free-Will, Grace and Conversion, the Extent of Christ's Redemption, and Perseverance.
I do not confine myself to Calvin, and all his particular opinions, though undoubtedly he was a very worthy and excellent man, and of great sense and judgment; but we are not to think that he had a monopoly of truth, or was infallible. It is owned that he hath some harsh sentences, and Beza hath some more harsh: And as for Arminius, it is granted, that he was a man of great parts and learning, and therefore we may observe, that all his great and rational strokes are on our side. But he had a bias that enclined him too powerfully to the other side; for tho his years and judgment might have conducted him to more rectified thoughts, yet the ambition and honor at that time, of confuting Calvin, and baffling his so applauded Scheme of Theology, was temptation sufficient to push on this Belgick Professor to such an attempt. Hence we have been divided into Calvinists and Arminians, or Romonstrants. But it is certain, that the sentiments of the former are as much preferable to those of the latter, as truth to error, and divine revelation to shallow reasoning; of which I hope to convince the reader in the ensuing undertaking. I must here further let him know, that I shall not at present treat of those two doctrines which I gave him some ground to expect a farther account of, namely justification by faith alone, and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to believers, together with the imputation of the sins of believers to Christ; for I reserve these to be fully handled in a just discourse of Faith and Justification, which I intend shall immediately succeed this present one, if God permit, and shall be a forerunner of the several discourses which I have composed on the Articles of faith contained in the Apostle's Creed.
And now as to the performance which I at present offer to the reader, I must needs confess I should never have formed these notions of the Decrees, of Free-Will, and the rest of those doctrines, if I had followed the sole conduct of common reason; for this in several particulars would dictate otherwise. It is from Scripture wholly that I framed the conception of these matters. And therefore I here freely own, that before I narrowly looked into those writings, I was wavering and dubious concerning some of these doctrines; they seemed to me to be uncouth, strange and unaccountable, and not to be admitted of by rational minds. But I soon framed other thoughts concerning them when I came up nearer to them, and closely perused them in the Scripture, and intimately acquainted myself with them there. I found that they are not what they are vulgarly taken to be; I perceived that they are misrepresented by men looking upon them at a distance. But if we study them well, and deliberately search into them, they will appear to be the most accountable doctrines, and such as wherein all the great and shining attributes of the Deity are most admirably displayed. When I consulted the Bible, I could not possibly entertain other thoughts, these truths being so plainly and so frequently mentioned in those infallible writings.
For tho there are some passages there which at the first sight seem to look another way, yet when we compare them with other places, and explain one by the other, it soon appears on which side the truth lies. Human reason is of little use here, because the things depend on the mere will of God, which we can never know but by revelation in scripture. Wherefore when I find these truths revealed there, I desire no farther satisfaction. And tho every thing concerning them be not expressly asserted in Holy Writ (as who could expect to have everything particularly set down?) yet what may be gathered thence by plain consequence, is to be admitted of. And as to the main substance of these doctrines, there is plain and express testimony of Scripture; so that if we see it not, it must be interpreted that we shut our eyes. This is the Faith, these are the Principles which the Evangelical and Apostolical Records convey to us, and it is impertinent folly, to alledge reason against them; for no man can be said to be any further reasonable in these matters, than as he is directed and guided by the eternal wisdom of God in the Sacred Scripture.
Before I conclude, I would insert this, that I do not lose my charity, whilst I defend the Truth. I bear no ill-will to the persons I dissent from, yea, I pay an entire respect to all those of them that are men of learning and piety; I honor and esteem them for their real worth. I am afraid there are those who act out of a spirit of opposition, and from a hatred which they inwardly bear to that goodness which they espie in some persons of the other way. But as to the greatest numbers, I hope they may be allowed to be sincere, and that we and they innocently strive which of these Attributes of God we shall exalt most, his Sovereignty and uncontrollable Power, or his boundless Mercy and Philanthropy. I desire to entertain favorable thought of those I contest with, and to remember, that holy men do sometimes build Hay and Stubble on the Foundation. I charitably believe that there are many good men of the Arminian persuasion, tho it is their unhappiness to be led away with the error of the age. Some of them have read little or nothing of these matters, and what they have read, they have read with prejudice and prepossession. They take up doctrines on trust, and believe with other mens faith. Some of our inferior clergy think it as high an offence to find fault with the dictates of some of their superior churchmen, and great preacher, as the Roman Catholics think it to question and contradict their holy father the Pope. I am fully satisfied that the generality of those that talk or preach of these points, have never taken the pains themselves to peruse the arguments on both sides, and to weigh and compare them with great deliberation; which is absolutely necessary for a complete insight into these doctrines: Tho I grant that a diligent and sincere perusing the Bible is sufficient it self to give us a competent discovery of them. But I am, I say, against uncharitable and angry censurings of that party which opposes us, and I hold it no small delinquency to malign and traduce those that differ from us, as infidels and outcasts.
But this should not hinder us from a zealous asserting the truth, and appearing as advocates for those so much neglected and opposed doctrines. As for my own part, I should have been silent (as others are) if Christianity were not highly concerned, if I had not represented to my thoughts the deplorable state of the Christian Church, upon the rejection of these necessary truths. Wherefore tho I have not the concurrence of my brethren, yet the duty which I owe to God and men engages me in this work; and I hope it will be serviceable to awaken and rouse our drowsy Churchmen, and to open their eyes, filled up with prejudice. Yea, I have heard that some of them who before were averse to these doctrines, have since taken up a favourable opinion of them. However, I shall have the satisfaction of offering my conceptions concerning these truths of the last consequence, and pursuing the design I always aimed at, namely, to restore Christianity to what it was at first, to instruct men in the true Faith as it is delivered in the inspired Writings, to give the World a caution to beware of those errors which are growing upon them, and to revive those Truths which are almost extinct among us.
It remains now, that I remove some prejudices and exceptions against the doctrines, which I maintain, and then I will shut up this Preface. Since I published my sentiments concerning the Calvinian Tenents, I have had several messages and letters sent me from persons with names, and without names; and because I have no leave of the former to mention their names publicly, I shall look on both as anonymous, and only take notice of the matter of their objections and complaints, to satisfy these gentlemen, if they be capable of it, but however, to do right to the Truth, and to my self. They have not the courage to appear in public against me, but they pelt me with epistles; and the first and general clamor is,
"That I run against the current of the divines of this age, and the general persuasion of others." To which I answer; it is no wonder that the Arminian doctrines are taken up and embraced by most of our preachers, and by the generality of their auditors; for the former see that these are grateful and acceptable to the latter, and therefore they do what they can to propagate them. I attribute the universal spreading of these opinions to this, that the framers of them have suited them to the understandings of the vulgar, and that there is no study or care requisite to apprehend them. There is no need of enquiry into the scriptures, the matter is easy and plain, and very plausible; and this makes it to be welcome to the greatest numbers of men, who hate to be solicitous and inquisitive after Truth, and to trouble their thoughts about it, and to be at pains to search into it. Here is a short and compendious draught of divinity -- God created all men actually to save them, and Christ died for them all to the very same end and purpose: And as God and Christ are thus merciful, so men themselves have a will as powerful and effectual, by the dexterous determining of which they are able to convert themselves at any time, and they need no special grace to effect it -- This scheme is agreeable to mens proud humours, and here is no difficulty or perplexity to gravel them. But the Apostle represents the doctrine of the Decrees to be unsearchable and past finding out; and the other doctrines appertaining to these, to be such as the natural man receiveth not, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And tho our modern theologizers affect the plainest way, yet that is not God's way in any of his transactions, either natural or supernatural. The Sun or the Earth (as we now speak) moves not always in the Equinoctial, in a direct line, as might have been expected: The axis of it is not parallel, but oblique to the plane of the ecliptic: And this oblique position agrues the Wisdom of God. So in supernatural and divine things (of which number those are which I'm now speaking of) God hath mixed obliquity and difficulty, and a great deal of inequality, wherein we adore his transcendent Wisdom and Contrivance, and have by this means an occasion to exercise our diligence and industry in enquiring into them. But because men are very backward to this employment, some of their teachers have complied with their laziness, and have infused into their minds such doctrines as are level with their ordinary understandings, and common reasonings, and gratify their vain humour and pride. This is the true account of that so general propagation of the Arminian doctrines, and I think it makes not much for the credit either of the instructors or the disciples.
And whereas it is further insisted upon, and objected to me,
"That all doctrines essential to salvation, are easily to be understood by the meanest capacities, but those that I have commended, are intricate and perplexed." I ask the objectors what they think of the doctrine of the Sacred Trinity. Is not that essential to salvation, and can they deny it to be in some degree intricate, and to have some difficulty and perplexity in it? Yea, let me tell them, there is not any one part of our holy religion, but hath some obscurities and difficulties mixed with it. As the most practical points employ the casuists, so the plainest doctrines, such as faith and repentance, afford matter for dispute and controversy, as we see in the writings of divines. Wherefore for the future, let not these men stand so amazed at my asserting and maintaining the doctrine of the Decrees, and those others that attend it, tho there be found something of intricacy and difficulty in them. Let them not fright and scare people, by telling them, that this polemical divinity, and controversial, and therefore doth not belong to them. They are to know, that there is something of controversy in every article of Christianity, and the Bible itself is polemical in sundry places.
Another prejudice that epistolizers conceive against these doctrines, is,
"That they are not to be found in the four Evangelists, there is not one word, there is not the least mention of any of them there." Truly I am heartly sorry for these divines, that they have lived so long and have not looked into the Gospels. What do they think of these texts? I thank the, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes, Matt 11:25. It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given, Matt. 13:11. For judgment am I come into this world, that they which see not, might see; and they which see, might be made blind, Jo 9:39. Many be called, but few chosen, Matt. 10:16. A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven, Jo. 3:27. No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me, draw him. Jo. 6:44. That he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him, Jo. 17:2. I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, verse 9. All the Father giveth me, shall come to me, Jo. 6:37. Having loved his own, he loved them to the end, Jo. 13:1. They shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand, Jo. 10:28. None is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand, verse 29. I suppose our adversaries own these texts to be part of the Evangelical Writings, and how then can they with so great assurance assert again and again, that there is not a word of these doctrines in the Gospel?
But suppose the Evangelists had not mentioned them, is it not sufficient that the Apostolical Epistles, which are equally the Word of God with the Writings of the four Evangelists, frequently inculcate them? And this my objector is pleased to grant, when he saith, "If the epistles had not been written, we had been totally ignorant of these doctrines." These writings then of the inspired apostles, convey to us the knowledge of these doctrines, and this you acknowledge: Why then do you reject them, and cavil at me for vindicating them? I request you, good Sir, to consider this, and either plainly tell us that you cashier the epistles, or that you repent of disowning what is contained in them: You must do one of them, but according to what may be guessed from your warm espousing the Arminian doctrines, I fear you will choose the former. Indeed those epistles, especially St. Paul's, have been very unacceptable to your Party, and I doubt not but you have heartily wished they were taken out of the Bible. They being such a continual upbraiding of you, you must needs be very uneasy as often as you turn to them; which I suppose you avoid as much as you can.
Again, it is suggested, that
"The preaching these doctrines is contrary to the commands of our superiors," But I shall not give my suffrage to this till the objector assigns the particular act or declaration, or prohibition of our Church, which forbids the treating on these heads: which he will never be able to do. But I suppose he refers to King James and King Charles the First, in whose reigns there was an embargo laid on these doctrines, and the preaching of them was forbidden; but what is that to us now? So there was a declaration in those princes reigns for sports on the Lord's Day; but do our adversaries think that obliges us in this age? If they do, let their sports and their free-will go together. No wife and sober man willenvy them, but rather pity them, and pray for them. One of my admonitors blames me for
"Making the Church of England a Party in the Cause." But if he had read and observed what the Archbishops and Bishops, and other Divines of the Church of England did, at and after the Reformation, he would have forborne his reproofs. They were zealous asserters of those very doctrines which I have mentioned in my late writings. So that it may be truly said, whilst our late Churchmen defend the contrary, they tread antipodes to the Church which they profess to be of, and they forsake the doctrines of our first worthy Reformers. All unprejudiced and unbiased persons, must needs be surprized at their conduct, when they observe how zealously they cry up the Church of England, and yet trample upon her received doctrines, and vilify the memory of our ancient Prelates, Doctors and Divines; when they observe how they disparage that excellent servant of God, the renowned Calvin, whom those Prelates admired, and heaped large encomiums upon; and when they take notice how we doat on the upstart opinions of Arminius and Eposcopius, who, tho men of worth and learning, have led men into errors of a very dangerous and pernicious nature. Another
"Suspects my sincerity for the Church of England, and the Constitutions of it," and hardly believes but that he who defends these doctrines is posting to the discipline of Geneva, and the government of the Kirk of Scotland. But nothing could more palpably discover the ignorance of these cavillers, for it is well known that the greatest admirers of our ecclesiastical polity have been as great asserters of the Calvinian doctrines. And we are to know that this is an old artifice, made use of on purpose to render the Calvinists odious. That good and learned Prelate Dr. Sanderson observes and laments that "the Arminians seek to draw the persons of those that differ from them into dislike with the State, as if they were Puritans, or Disciplinarians, or at least that way affected; which, he saith, is the most unjust and uncharitable course, and whereby he verily thinks they have prevailed more than all the rest." [Pax Eccle.] But I am not disheartened by this; these groundless calumnies reach me not; I am not concerned in these undeserved reproaches.
But further, I am dissuaded from maintaining the Calvinian doctrines,
"Because of the ill use that was made of them in the late unhappy times: they have been and are still abused to the worst ends and purposes, persecution, rebellion, blood, contempt of superiors in Church and State;" and a neighbouring nation is produced as an instance of this at this day. Thus their narrow thoughts betray them to these mistakes, and they forget that there was persecution, bloodshed, rebellion, contempt of superiors in Church and State in all countries, and in that which they particularly mention, before the Calvinian doctrines were there professed, or at least in that open manner as they are now. Their logic should have reminded them not to be guilty of so gross a fallacy as Non Causa pro Causa. I desire them to revolve history, and there they will find that there have been rebellions and slaughters among men of contrary persuasions; so that they are ignorantly imputed by these men to one party. And as for the cruelty and barbarity which the Episcopal Clergy feel now in Scotland, I would desire these gentlemen, for their own credit, not to talk of this till they are able to disprove the execrable and horrid inhumanity of that party when they were uppermost, that is in the reigns of King Charles the IId, and King James the IId, which if they will well consider, they must vote the present Kirk to be very merciful and tenderhearted.
To vilify the predestinarian doctrines, I am told by the same hand, that the preachers of them declare that
"We may be in the favour of God and in a state of grace without morality, and that we may get to Heaven without being honest or just men." If this person and his party think to gain their point by such calumnies as these, they are much mistaken. And besides, they betray their blindness in a very egregious manner, for no sober writers of preachers of the Calvinian persuasion ever attempted to utter any thing of this import, but have expressly asserted the contrary. He stumbles ujpon the old Stone,
"They that are predestined shall be saved, and those that are fore-ordained to be damned, shall be damned, do what they will, for there is not anything they can do, will mend the matter." One would think that this senseless, as well as vulgar suggestion, should be despised by men of understanding, who know that the Decrees have no physical influence and operation upon us, and necessitate no man to do good or evil. It is true, they render all actions and events certain and fixed, but carry nothing of compulsion with them; so that all men are ldft to act freely and voluntarily. If he had considered this, he would not have troubled himself or me with that trite and obsolete cavil.
Further; after several smart pieces of railery against the Calvinsits and their doctrines, he tells us that they cry up
"Free-grace, and the Holy Spirit, and wait for the stirring of the waters, but will do nothing themselves;" in short, "they are a lazy and idle generation of men, who will not take one step towards Heaven;" and consequently there is no possibility of their coming thither. This is the reprobating doctrine, (which yet they so much decry) of our adversaries; they damn all but themselves, who are an active generation, and make long and large steps to Heaven, and fail not of that happiness; but the dull and lazy Calvinist cannot reach them. Thus their own party are Sainted by them, but the others are under a damnatory sentence. Which this very person frequently censures in the Calvinists, and blames them for reckoning none to be elect and in the favour of God but themselves. But now we see the scene is altered. Thus poor mortals confute themselves, and run counter to their own maxims and conclusions. They are uncharitable and censorious, whilst they find fault with these ill qualities in others.
Some would beat me off from handling these points, because hereby
"I censure and expose our worthy divines and preachers, who have declared themselves to be of another sentiment." And must they then not be exposed if they deserve it? I do not think there is any rational man will hold this; and they themselves do not hold it, witness the late skirmish between the Reverend Bishop of Gloucester and the Dean of St. Paul's. The latter was the aggressor, and fell upon the other with a heavy hand, telling him that the opinion which he had maintained, (which the Dean calls The New Hypothesis) "overthrows the whole doctrine of our salvation, and all our hopes of immortality." [Scripture Proofs, c. p. 273.] Is not this exposing of that learned Bishop? What else do you call it? Yea is not this making him an egregious heretic, if not infidel? Surely that man who overthrows the whole doctrine of our salvation, and all our hopes of immortality, is, and ought to be called by one of these names. I appeal to the impartial reader whether in this, or any other of my writings I have reflected on any of my brethren with a sharpness like to this. I confess I have, according to my conscience and my duty, reminded them of their failings in some points, and with great freedom laid before them the danger and mischief that attend them; and I don't see how I can be blamed by Wife and Good-Men for taking notice how some persons have abandoned those very articles and doctrines which they have subscribed to.
I will here insert what a learned and grave divine of our Church was pleased to write to me in a late letter, "It is very good service, saith he, in you to censure the plain and evident failings of great men, which in my judgment is very well in many things, particularly Dr. Tillotson of the rise and original of Christianity: Dr. Lucas, Dr. Pain, Dr. Tillotson about idle-words, Dr. Tillotson about the Devils not imprinting wicked thoughts, and about Hell torments. I do not allow of Mr. Kettlewell's interpretation of our Saviour's text of idle-words. You did exceeding well in censuring Morer's dialog, of the Lord's-Day. As for Dr. Lucas, he grants, that he had better have not used that distinction of venial and mortal sins."
And as for some other authors whom he thinks I have not dealt so ingenuously with, I have looked them over again, and find that the ingenuity is rather wanting on his side. I have faithfully represented the mind and sense of the writers I quote, and have not any where mistaken them; which I fear this gentleman hath done, but I hope not willingly and defeignedly. When I charge some preachers with their over-lavish extolling of reason, he palliates their fault, and when he saith he knew some of them very well, perhaps that might be the inducement to use them so favourably. His waveing genius is plainly discovered in what he saith of the passage cited by me out of Mr. Kettlewel, namely; "That God tolerates and dispenses with some sins": First, he excuses it, and tries how to give a good interpretation of it; and then he blames it, and saith such expressions are never to be used but with great caution. This shews he was not a competent judge of my mistaking the mind of the authors I quote, though every one knows that this hint was to be expected from those who intended to oppose what I had produced against those authors; for if they could not say this, they could say nothing, and indeed it comes to nothing. I will give the reader no further trouble, after I have observed how wonderfully the preachers are obliged to these champions for their learned defence of them and their cause, though it amounts to no more than this, that they are resolved to adhere to their opinions, though they have plenty of arguments offered to them to retract them. But such is the nature of these men; they and their friends by this obstinate retaining the Principles of the Remonstrants, have convinced the unprejudiced part of mankind that those doctrines which they have set themselves against are true, namely, that man's nature is originally perverse, that his will is naturally bent to what is unlawful, that it must be a special and efficacious grace that thoroughly convinces men, and that there are but few that are thus favored. These men by their behavior have effectually demonstrated the reality of these doctrines at the very time when they have opposed them.
I now recommend this ensuing enterprize to the serious consideration of all such as have a reverence and regard for our Holy Religion. And I apprehend it to be more especially seasonable and useful in this bantering and sceptical age, which laughs at the most serious truths, and reckons orthodoxy an utopian fiction, and looks upon error as a vain and idle mormo. I beseech you examine and ponder what I have said, and judge according to the merits of the cause, for I desire nothing else. And this I assure you of, that if you shew me wherein I have erred, I will yield myself a proselyte to the better opinions. I have now only this to acquaint the reader with, which is, that I have purposely studied plainness in the following book, that I might thereby make it useful to those of the most ordinary capacities, who are as much concerned in these Evangelical Doctrines as the learnedest. And I have endeavored to bring the whole within this moderate volume, that I might not be over-chargeable to the purchasers of it. Or, if they should think it too costly, they may solace themselves with this, that they need not all their lives be at any further expenses. For I may be permitted to say, without incurring the imputation of arrogance, that I have comprised in this narrow compass, everything that can be said with relation to these heads. So that I can assure the reader he will never have occasion for the future to lay out his money on any authors that have handled these points. Which I hope will prove a saving caution to him, besides the gain and advantages which will accrue.
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