21 / 504
A
Preface
to the
Reader.
on that
Occafion
wrote
exprefly
and at largeon the controverted do
&sines.
Which
is
the
Condition
of
Athanafrui,
Bafsl, Gregory,
and fome
others
in
that Arian
Controverfy
;
And in
the
!aft place Emceed
thofe who
lived
after
fur
concuflìons,which are
of
lets
ormore
efteem,
according
as
the Doctrines enquired after were
leis
or
more corrupted
in
the
general
Apo
-
flacy
of
the latter dayes.
According to
this
order Our
firft
period
of
time will be
with
the
Rife
of
the Pelagian Herejy,which gaveOccafion
to
the
through,full,and
Cleare difcuflion
of
the whole
do&nne concerning the grace
of
God
;
whereof that
in
whole
defence we.are
en-
gag'd
is
no
(mall
portion
:
The
next
of
thofe whom
God
railed up
to
make head againft
that
Subtil
oppofer
of
his
Grace with
his
followers
,
during the
fpace
of
an
too
yeares
and Rime-
what onwards,enfuing the promulgation of
that
herefy:
What
havebeen
the thoughts
of
men
in
the latter
Ages
until The
Reformation
and
ofthe
Romenifs lince to this day, manifefted in
a
few pregnant inftances,will take
up
the third part
of
this defigne.
Of
the
judgment ofthe
Reformed Churches
, as
they
are
commonly
called
,
I
(hall
(peak
particularly
in
the
chofe
of
this difcourfe. For the
firs
ofthefe
!
not
to infift
on
the
paucity
of
writers
in
the
firft 300
yeares , fundry
tingle perlons
in
the following Ages,
hawing
feverally
written three
times
as
much
,
as we
have left and remaining
of
all
the others
(
the
names
of
many who
are
faid
to
have
written,being
preferv'd by EuJebita
Eerief:Hifhand
Hierome
lib:defcript: their writings
being
perifhed in
their dayes) nor
in general
of
thatcorruption,whereunto They
have
almoft
every one
of
them been
unqueftionably
expos'd ,
I muff
be forced
to preface the nomination
of
them with
fome
Coeliderations
:
The firft
in
that
known
paffage
of
Heg'ßpus
,
in
Eufeb
Hi/l:Ecclef:'lib,3.a6.
`4sáß
tcsxe<v
f
7án
xedrmv,
zup
JávO
xdszleAgl
icthnda
ais
d"i
i¢eÿs
did 'Aaosát.rvv
xaP94
d7açopyv ÉiTn¢e
ßiu
70,9-
,
rmpst,múset
7ti
ti
ysveá.
ixxivn
Pfd
ori7cú5
úH.o-
«ts 4 ¿K,:,
owtcsinar.úaeü
m
tray4e0
,
4 49sé
s- s'vc
mr dex,ir is i
sßavev
ti
adman
,
d7á
a'
4f
i7eeoMA-
óvg!As
dsazmc,
h
rya
ä74
v.44'466'411 91I 'Amsónur>,e+sro,.e:vn yotseñ Aorrtly
i
d's
as
xsçsu
i
sol7
drnse
as
es yu4(n'71s, 4svAtvv
av
ymary ávssanpc
s
sssi'mxspar. So
far
tfel
letting out
the
corruption
of
the
Church
EGen
as
to
doctrine,immediatly after
theApoftles
fell
afleep:whereofwhofoever will
impartially
,
and with difingagedJudgments lerach
into thewritings,
that
of
thofe
days
do
remaine,
will perhaps find more
Caule than iscommonly imagined,with
him
to
Cornplaine.
z
The
main
work
of
the
writers
of
the
firft
Ages,
being
to contend with
HeatheniJb Ido-
laters,to
convince
them
of
theirmadnefs,and
folly,to
write
Apologies
for the worfitip
ofGod
in
Chrift
in
General,fo to
diffwade
their Rulers
from
perfecutioio,or in
contefting with Heri-
tieks, for
the molt patt
appearing
to
be men
either
corrupt
in
their
lives,
or
mad and brainfick
(
as we
fay)
as
to their
Imaginations,or denying
the
Truth
of
the
perfon
of
Chrifh,
what
can
we expert
from
them
,
as
delivered
direaly
and
on let purpofe to
the matter
of
our
prefent
conteft? Some
principles
may
in
them polfrbly be difcovered,from whence
by a
regular dedu-
dion
,
fome Light may be
obtained into their thoughts concerning the points
in difference.
Thus7univa thinks
,
and
not without
caute,
that
the wholebufinefs
of
Predeflinatian,may be
ftated upon thisone principle
,
that
faith
is the
free
Gift
of
God
flowing from
his
Predeflination
and Mercy;
and
concerning
this,(faith
he)
Hoc
antes
omnes
patres
uno confenfu
ex Chriflo
Paulo agnoverunt;Ipfe
?ultimo
Martyr
inApoloq:
z:
&
Gravifinevero
Clemens
e4lexandri-
nut
in
h
is
alioquin
palefrá
non
itaexercitatus
set
fecula: Hom:lib:z.
Ba
flii
&
Yalen-
tinidogm
e
/fe
dicit,
quódfides
a
nature
fit.
Confi'd.
Semen.
Pet.
Baroni:
without
this
what Ad-
vantage can be taken
or
what
tile can be made
for the
difcovery
of
the
mind
of
any
of
the
eintients;
by cropping
of
fome occafional
expreffionsfrom their
occafions and aimes,I know
not.
Efpetially
,
would
I
more peremptorily affirme
this
could
I
imagine any
of
them
wrote
as Hierome
affirmes
of
himfelfe,
that he
fometimes
did.
Epif.
ad
Augufl:which
is
among
his
89z.
ltagv ( saith
he)
tat
f
mpliciter
Pacer
,
legi
hoc
crania
, eí°
in
mente
sea
plurima
coacervans,
uccita
not
ario
vet
mea
,
vet
atien
di5lavi,
nec
ordinis,
nee
verborum
intendus
netfenfuum
mentor:
fhould
any one
fay
fo
of
himfelfe
in
thefe
da'ys,he
would
be
accounted
little betterthen
a
mad
man:
much then
on
this
Account(or
at leaft
not
much to
the
purpofe)
is
not to
be
expelled
from the
fathrers
of
the firft Ages.
3
Another
obfervation to
our
purpofe,
lyes well expreffed
in
the
beginning
of
the
four-
teenth chapter
of
Bellarmins
fecond Book
de
Grau
&lib:Arb.Prater
Scriptural edferuntalia
Teflimonia
patrum;laith
he fpeaking
of
thofe who oppofed
God's
free 'Predeflination
:to which
he
fubjoynes
:
2égv
eft
'hoc
novas eArgumentumfed
antiquiff
nom.
Scribit
enim
S.
Profper
in Epiftoíaad
S.
Anguflinum,Gallas
psi
fententiam
ejrofdem
Auguflini
de
Predeflinationecalumasi-
abautnr,illud
poti
f
mmns'objicere
falito:
quód
ea
fententia dot!rine veternm videbatur
effe
contraria.
Sed relponiet
idem
Angufiinue
inl
ib
:de
bono
per(everantia,veteres
parres,qui
ante pelagium
fia-
ruerunt,
quaf}ionem
iffam nunquam accurate traElaffe
fed
incidenter foluns
,
cí'
quaff per
eranfuum
B
3
illam