4he Preface. And i`o Minifters are armed again It lviinifters, Churches againft Churches, Chriftians againft Chriftians.,yea Princes againft Princes, and Countreysagainf} Countreys, by wran- gling contentious Clergie men. And (Owhat an injury is it!) Young Students are almoft neceffitated to wafte much of their lives ( which Mould be (pent in preparing them to promote faith, holinefs and Love) in reading over multi- tudes of thefe wranglingwriters, to know which of them is in the right : And moll readers catch the difeafe hereby themfelves ; And thole few that at great coil and labour come to the bottom of the differences do perceive, that the Proud Opiniators have flriven partly about unrevealed. or unneceffary things, but chiefly about weer ambiguous words and arbitrary humane notions ; and multitudes condemn and revile each other, while they mean the fame things; and do not know it. One writeth a Learned Book againft fuch a party, and another confuteth filch an Adverfary (elpecially about Predellination, Redemption, Free-will, Humane Power, Grace, Merit, Juflification, Pardon, Im- putation, éo c.) and then many readand applaud all as excel- lently done ; ( Alas, for the low eflate of the Clergie that while !) when a trulydifcerning man perceiveth that it is but a flrivingabout unexplained words, for the mofl part : And thus being Orver=wile in pretences of Zeal for Truth, andunder=wife in underfianding it, and departing from Cbriari f mplicity of dotdrine, and even deriding the t-brillian Creed, hash made even Come honeft men become dividing Engineers, and their Articles, and Controverfres theChurches calamity. III.And what Practical m(guided seal about worfhiphath done, almofl all_Seits,Z'pvatians,Anabaptafls, in Germany and here, and the various fort of Churches that refute Communion with one another, andthat condemn, or cat} out diffenters from them, and preach and talk and backbite their brethren into the odium or diftafle of their (educed auditors ; the bitter inve Lives inPulpit, talk andpreis of the feveral Paflors and people againft each other ( and worfe thanwords where they have power :) all thefe fpeak fo loud, as may (pare me the labour of any further difcovery ; and calls us all to make it the matter of our lamentation. And what shall I fay in the conclufion, now I am near to 'my departure from this contentious world ? but founda Re- treat to all thefeunhappy militants, that will not let Holinefs profper by theneceffary advantageof Peace.Cealeyour Proud contendings, J
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