2Òó Of Terfevera`nce. * Even Sradwardine,1. 7. e. t5. who goeth as high againft Free-will asHobs, or any man doth, yet confidently holdeth the Apollacy of Saints, though not ofthe Eat; 'and. queftioning what cauleth perfeverance in Glory, he confutethall that lay it on any thing as fufficient but Gods Will, which he calleth his Love, and the Holy Ghoft I. Them that lay it on the nature of Grace. a. Or the de- gree of Grace. g. Or the fightof God. 4. Or the intenfenefs of that fight. 5. Or the delight in God. 6. Or the de- gree of that Delight' 9. Or on uniting adhe-. fion to God. 8. Or the degreeof that adhefion. 9. Or on our not feeing any good which we want. to. Or the fear of mifery by finning. ar. Or that the by taketh away Free-wild. la., Or on a perfeft beatitude in all thefe¡: All which he faith are infufhcient , and Gods Will is thecaufe,though ufing there. And fo in' this life, men Rand or fall, not becaufe God giveth fome his inward Grace ( for that may be loft ). and others not, but becaufe God willeth the perfevering and o- bedience of one, and willeth it not to-ano- ther].This is over-doing of the Champion of Grace againftFree -will. The fifth. Crimintetion. '* A. "They Phew exceeding much immodefty, i. In holding an Opinion et which is contrary to the DoCtríneof the univerfal Church, from the Apo- "files till of late times : neither Orthodox nor Heretic(; being ever known 1s to hold it, unlefrperhaps Joviniàn alone', till above a thoufand years after GC drift. No not Auguftine and his Difeiples, who were thought by many " to run towards an extream in over-pleading for Grace; fo that they were Ce called by fame Predeftinarian Hereticks. 2. And yet theyhave theface "`(infieadofbeing afhamed of their ownfingularity) to revile others ashate- °` rodox, if' not heretical, whowill not be asfngular as they, andfet as light " by thejudgment of ChrillsChurch. B. I amnotoneof them that will cite any fcraps of the Fathers, con- trary to their current expreflions, to contradiet you : Voiliusbath copi= oúfly related their judgments'inhis PelagianHiftory, and that as favour- ably for perfeveranceasthere was caufe 5 And Dr. TwifJe,who frequently fpeaketh his diftaft of him, faith nothing to prove his Hiftory falfe. Which in this, he that readeth theFathers muff confers tobe true. But this fhould fomewhat moderate you in your cenfure , a. That the Writers of the firft three hundred years are few, and their Writings ( except Tertullians, Origine and Cyprian)'very fhort ; (even Clements, Alexand. and fnfiins not long ). And few of them very learned and accurate Writers; who are the common Managers of Controverfies: nor was thisControverfie (tatted in their times, and therefore not ac- curately fearcht into. 2. And if you fay that this is themore for your caufe, if it werenot Co muchas made a Controverfie; I add that the Platonic( Philofophy which then moft prevailed, might do fomewhat to difpofe them'that way: For as Grotius de fato hathcopioufly proved ( out of above thirty Philofophers and philofophical Chriftians) moft of all the Philofophers, efpecially Platonifls were for Free-will, and moft learned Chriftian Dobtors cameout of Plato's School, (and molt of the learned Hereticks too ). 3. And yet Laertius inZenone tells us, That thestoics were againft fallingaway, and taught that no truly virtuous mandid ever ceafe to be fuch. 2. But above all, I wouldhave you confider a. That this Point was not held by there confentingDo&ors for anArticle ofFaith,and neceffa- ry toChurch- Concord and Salvation ; but as oneof thofe many Opini- ons which were left free. 2. And that manyor molt of thefe Fathers didagree in fome Opinionsthat are not true. 3. Yea that the greater partof themareby the Papifts themfelves charged with feveral Errors, and fome andnot a fewwith Herefies. 4. And that therefore the holy Scriptures being the only and fufficient Ruleof Faith, we need not be fo much afhamed asyou intimate, in fome things to differ from thegenera- lityof thofe Fathers, if the Scripturebe more for us than them. There is manya Text of Scripture which Paps themfelves interpretcontrary `to moll of the Fathers, notwithftanding their Trent Oath to the contra- ry. Therefore your heavy Accufation of immodeft fingularity is too keen. But as for their Crofs-Accufation of you as heterodox, I now meddle not with thetruth, nor excufe any uncharitablenefs therein: The
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