Of god's government, 28 I. Buttheother fide had needas much to be perfwaded topacifick moderation in their cenfures : And firft, They fay, that it is an intolle- rable opinion which is confeffedly contrary toalltheancienteft Churches of Chr : And by Vincent. Lerinenf rule , (prod ab omnibus, ubique & femper) fuch fìngularity or novelty mutt be herefie, or certain error at the leaft. I anfwer, z. They that affert this certain perfeveranceof all the juftified, do believe that the Churches planted by the.Apoflles, wereof their mind; which they gather from the Scripture. 2. The .forefaidRule holdeth indeed in things fo univerfally received as Effen- :ials of Religion, and Neceffary Articles of Faith and Pra lice, without whichmen cannot befaved ; But Vniverfality of Confect in a doubt- ful or unneceffary opinion, orpractice, may poffibly be erroneous, and mayoft lawfully be deferted. It was once .(and beyond theinveltiga- tion of its original) the pralice of the Univerfal Church, that there tlrould be no Adoration by Genuflexion on any LordsDay , or on any Week day betweenEafter and Whitfunday : And this commanded in the Great Council of Nice, and the Canons of Trull : And yet the Papifts themfelves have now forfaken it. To diftinguifh as is ufual, between fuch Canons of Prallice, and points of meer doilrine, andato make confentof Antiquity more obligatory in the latter, is but vanity. Forwhere a point of Prallice is founded in an oportet or fuppofition of Divine or Apoftolical authority, it mull needs be at leaft asobliga- tory as a meer Dollrinal fo founded. For all, Precepts include Do- Urines, and all obedience includeth Faith; Though all Doefrine be not Preceptive, nor all Belief for immediate pratlice. For every Divine Precept includeth this affertion [This Godcommandeth]. And that God commandeth it, is defide; and then it mull be obeyed for Gods Autho- rity, asit is firft believed for his Veracity. All therefore that can be Paid is, that this prallice was not taken to be by a Divine univerfal Law, unchangeable; but by univerfal Cuftomof the Church : And fo may there be a confent in unnecefiary and queftionable Doârinals (as there hath been for the peripatetickPhilofophy almolt). Theopi- nions of the seuls corporeity, of the Millennium, ofthe lufi of Demons, that there were noAntipodes, (to fay nothing of fome that Auguiline oppofed) were little lefs than univerfally owned of force ages : And I doubt many Textsof Scripture, for want of perfet Tranflations, and skill in the original Tongues, were univerfally mifinterpreted. 282. And'the common obje&ion which maketh the greateft noife is a meer injurious pievith cavil or dander 5 viz. when they fay [Tort lead men toall wickednefs, by teaching, that let them commit never fuch heinous sin, theyare fore that they cannotfall from Grace, nor lofe their yuftiftcation.] For it's commonly acknowledged, that ifanyman thould fall into a (lateof Sin inconfiftent, with the love of God, he would lofe his juttification and rightto Heaven, and that without any change inGod. And theyconftantly hold that Gods decree define& mediis is one, and that he decreeth ofhis Elea, that [They fhall perfevere in love and holinefs, and be faved;] and not that they (hall be faved whe- ther theyperfevere in holinefs or not : And that they are nofirer to be faved, than they are toperfevere in holinefs. SECT.
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