Brooks - BX9338 .B7 1813 v2

82 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. an insensible bias that way ; yet the meetings he heldwith these persons, were not intended to introduce a new dis- cipline, but to expound thescripture.". In the year 1595, there were many warm disputes about points of christian doctrine. The fire of contention broke out in the university of Cambridge, in which Dr. Whitaker was .deeply involved. He spewed himself the zealous advocate of the supralapsarian sentiments, and was warmly opposed by Dr. Baro and others of the same party. To put an end to these disputes, the heads of the university sent Dr. Whitaker and Dr. Tyndal up to Lambeth, for the purpose of consultingwiththe archbishop, and other learned divines, upon these points ; when they concluded uponnine propositions, commonly called the Lambeth articles, to which the scholars in the university were enjoined an exact conformity.+ Dr. Whitaker, during his journey to Lambeth, fell sick, occasioned by his unusual fatigue and want of sleep, and died soon after his return to Cambridge. Through the whole of his affliction, he discovered great submission to the divine will. With holy and happy composure, he said, " 0 Lord my God, though thou kill me; yet, I am sure, that with these eyes I shall see thee ; for in thee do I hope." To a friend, who asked him one morning how he did, he replied, " 0 happy night ! I have not taken so sweet a sleep sincemy diseasefell upon me." His friend afterwards finding/ him in a cold sweat, and telling him that signs of death were upon him, he immediately answered, " Life or death is welcome to me, which God pleaseth ; for death shall be an advantage to me. I desire not to live, but only * Baker's MS. Collec. vol. i. p. 214. vol. xx. + These articles were the following : -" God path, from eternity, predestinated certain persons to life ; and hash reprobated certain persons unto death.-The moving or efficient cause of predestination unto life, is not the foresight of faith, or of perseverance, or of good works, or of any 'thing that is in the persons predestinated but only the good will and pleasure of God.-There is pre-determined a certain number of the pre- destinate, which can neither be augmented nor diminished.-Those who are not predestinated to salvation, shall inevitably be condemned for their sins.-A true, lively, and justifying faith, and the spiritof Godjustifying, is not extinguished, doth not utterlyfail, doth not vanish away, in the elect, either finally or totally.-A true believer, that is, one who is endued with justifying faith, is certain with the full assurance 9f faith, of the remission of his sins, and of his everlasting salvation by Christ.:-Saving grace is not given, is not granted, is;not communicated to all men, by which they may be saved if theywill.-No man is able to come unto Christ, unless it be given him, and unless the Father draw him and all men are not drawn by the Father, that they may come to the Son.-It is not in the will or power of every man to be saved. '-Fuller's Church /list. b. ix. p. 230-231.

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