13 / 504
but
our
Father
which is
inheaven
;
you do
not
upon any endeavour
of
your own
,
differ
from
them
who
are
given
up
to the fore Judgment,and
ever
to
be
bewailed
condition before
mentio-
ned.
It
bath
not
been
from your own endeavours
or
watchfulnefs
that you
have been hi-
therto
preferved
under the
hour
of
temptation; which
is
come
to
try
the men
that
live
upon the
face
of
the
earth.
It
is
not
of
your
felves,
that you
are
not
induflrioully diflurbing your own fouler
and others
,
with
this,
or
that
entrenchmentupon the doctrine
of
the Golpel
,
and
the free
Grace ofGod
in Jefus
Chrifl
,
which
not
a
few
pride themfelves in
,
with the contempt
of
all
otherwife minded.
And doth not the
prefent
(late
of
things require the full
disbutfing
of
all,that
you have freely
received
for
the glory
ofhim,from
whom
you
have received it?
You
are
perrons
who not only
as
Doíleurs
& Teachers
in
ars
Vniverlity,have
a
large,diflind,difci-
plinary knowledge
of
Dsvinity;but alfa
fuck
as
to whom the
Son
of
God
is
come,andhath given
an
renderflanding to know him
that
ú
trae
: into
whole hearts
God
hash
Joined
to
give
the
light
of
the
knowledge
of
hieglory
in the
face
of
3efua
Chriff;
&
therefore
may
fay
,what (ball
We
render
to
the
Lord
?
how (hall
we
ferve
him in
any
way
anfwerable
to the
grace we have received
?
I
(peak
not (thisthe
Lord knowes
it.before
whom I Hand) with
Refledion on
any,as
though
I
judged them
negleders
of
the duty incumbent on
them. Every
one
of
ua
muff
give
an ac-
count
of
himfelfe to the
Lord.
The
dayly paines labour and
travaile
of
many
of
you
in
the
work
of
the Gofpel,
the
dilegence and endeavours
of
others
in
promoting other
ufeful
litera-
ture
,
is
known
unto
all.
Only the
confideration
of
my
own prefent undertaking
,
joyn'd
with
a fenfe
of
mine
own
infufficiency
for this or any
other labour
of
this kind
,
and
of
your
larger
furnifhmentswith abilities
of
all
forts,
preis me
to
this
flirring
up
of
your
remembrance,
to
contend
for
the
faith
fo
much oppofed and
perverted
:
Not that
I
would
prefs,
for the
need
-
lefs
multiplying
of
bookes,(whofe plenty
is
the general cur/ornerycomplaint
of
all men
vet-
ted
in
them)unlefs
neceflity call
thereto;
Scribimua
indolli,doili4,.
-.But that
ferions
thoughts
may
-be
continually dwelling
in
you
,
to
lay
out your
felves
to
obviate
thefpreading of
any
errour what
ever
,
or
the
deftrudionof
any already propagated by fuch waies and meaner,
as
the
providence
of
God,and
the
circumftances
of
the matter
it
felfe
theft call you out
unto,
is
in
the delire
of
my foule.
Something
you
will findin
this
kind attempted
,
by
the
weakefl
of
your
number
,
in this
enfuingTreatife. The matter
ofit
I know will bave
your
Approbation
,
and
that
becaufe
it
hath
his,whom
you
ferve.
For the
manner
of
handling
it,it
is
humbly given up
to
his
grace
and
mercy ,
and freely left
to your Chriftian Judgments
:
The
general concernments
of
this
bufinefs arefo
known
to
all
that
I
(hall byno
meanes
burden you with
a
repetition
of
them.
The
attempt
made by t,VlrGoodwin
againft the
truth
here afferted,
was by
all men
judged fo
confiderable
(efpecially
the truth oppofed,having
a more practical influence into
the
walking
of
the
Saints
withGod,then
any
Other
by
him affaulted,and the
defending
of
it,giving more
advantage into
an
inquiry after the mind
of
God
,
as
delivered in innumerable
places
of
Scri-
pture,
then
any
of
the refl
oppofed
)
as
that
a
removal
of
his
Exceptions
to
our Arguments,
and
an
Anfwer
to
his
Objedioas,was judged
neceffary by all.
Other
martins
manifefling this
endeavour to
be in
order
and
in
feafon,
I
have
further communicated
in
the entrance
of
the
Trearife it
felfe. In my
addreffes
to the
work,
I
could
by
no
meanes
content
my
Idle,
with
a
mere
difcufling
of
what
was
produced by
my Adverfary.
For
he having kept himfelfe
for
the molt part,within the campais
of
the Synodal writings
of
the
Remonfirants
,
which are
already moft clearly and folidly
anfwered
,
(by
one efpecially, renowned
smefiue
)
to
have
eyed my felfe
unto
a
concert with him , had been merely
4Fíam agere,
without promotingthe
caufe
I
had undertaken
in
the
kart.
As
I
account it
by no meanes an ingenuous
proceeding,
for
men
to
beare
up
their own
names by
flanding upon the fhoulders
of
others, to
deport
themfelves
Authours when
indeed
they
are but
Colledours
and Tranflatours;
So
I
am
very
remote from being
fo
far
in love
with this way
of
handling controverfies in Divinity
, as
to
think
it neceffary to multiply books
of
the
fame
matter
,
withoutfome conlderable addition
of
Light,and
ftrength to theCaufe,
whofe protection and
promotion
is
undertaken,
On
this
confideration,
betides
incident
difcourfes , which
I
hope
through
the Grace
of
him, that
fap-
plyedfeed
to
the
fewer, may be
of
ufe,
and have an
entree
re
among(}
the
Saints
of
God;
I have
made
it
my aime
(
and what
therein I
have
attained
is
with all fubmiflìon
of
mind and
judg-
ment
calf
before
the thoughts
of
men
,
whofe
fenfe.: are
exercifed
to drfcernegood
and
evill)
to
place each
Argument
irafifted
on, upon
its
own proper
hafts
and
foundation: to
Refolve every
Reafon and
(A/tedium
whereby I have proceeded
, into
it's own principles
:
dífcovering
the
fountaine
and
wellhead
of
all the flreames
that
run
in
the
field
of
this
cònteft,
as
alto
to
give
fomeclearings and
evidence,to our Conclufions
from
the
feveral
Tests
of
Scripture difcuffed,
by difcovering the Reafon
of
them
,
and intent
of
God.
in
them.
Some
Arguments
there
e.4
3
are