361 / 504
Affertors
of
Sts
Pelf.compared
with
their
Adverfaries.
C.Xllt,
fatigable,pains and eminent
fuccefiè
watred the
vineyard
of
the
Lord,
with
the
go
dew
of
this Do&rine,
to
decline
the Confideration
of
the
comparifon
made
and
drefTed
up
tò
our hand. Now
becaufe
it
is
a
peculiar tafke
allotted
to'
us,
to
manifeft
the imbracement
of
this
Truth,
by
thole
who
in
the
Primitive
Church,
were
ofgteateft note
and Eminency
for
Piety, Judgement, and íkill
in
dividing
the
Word
aright,
with
the
Profefièd Oppofition made unto it, by
fuch,as thofe
with whom they Lived,and
fucceeding
Ages,
have
branded for
men unfound in the
Faith, and
leaving
the
good
old
Paths, wherein
the
Saints
of old found
peace
to
their
Soules:As
alto to
manifeft
the
receiving
&
propa-
gation
of
it,by all(not any one
of
name excepted)thofe
Great &FamousPerf
òns
whom the Lord
was
pleafed
to
imploy
in
the Reformation
of
his
Church,
walking
in
this,as
in
fundry
other
particulars, clofer up
to the
Truth
of
the
Gofpelt,than
fotne
of
their
Brethren,
that
at
thefame
time
fell
off
from
that
Church, which
was
long before
fallen,
off
from
the
Truth,
I (hall in my
pre -
fent inquiry,confine my
felfe
to thofe
of
our
owne
Nation,
who have been
of
Renowne
in
their
Generation
for their Labour
in
the Lord, and
of
name
a-
mong the
Saints
for
their
worke
in
the
fervice
of
the
Gofpell.
For the
one halfe
of
that
Cmall
(pace
of
time,
which
is
pafTed
fince
the
breaking
forth
of
the light
of
the
Gofpell
in
this Nation,
we
are difenábled
4.
3
from perfuing the Companion
inftituted:
The
one
part
being
not to
be con
-
fidered,
or
at
leaft
not
being confiderable;
The
time
when
firft
Head was
made againft
the
Truth
we profeffe,
and
Criminations
like thofe managed
by
Mr
Goodwin
hatched and contrived
to
"Aflault
it withall,
was, when it
had
been
eminently delivered
to the
Saints
of
this
Nation,
and all
the
Churches
of
Chrift,
by
Reinolds, Whitakers,
Greenham
and others like
to
them, their
fellow labourers in the Lords Vineyard.
The
poore weake Wortnes
of
this
prefent Generation, who imbracethe
fame
Do
&rine
with
thefe
men
of
name,
are thought
to
be
free
(Come
of
them
at
leaft) from being
deftroyed by
the
poyfonous
and
pernicious
embracing
of
it,by their owne
weakeneffe
and difabi-
lity, to
difcerne
the naturall
genuine Confequences and
Tendency,
in
the
progreffe
of
that,which
in
the Roote
and
Foundation they
imbrace.
Their ig-
norance
of
their owne Do&rine
in its
compas,
&
Extent,is the
Mother
of that
Devotion,
which in
them,
is
nourifhed thereby.
So
our
great
"Wafters
tell
us
a-
gainft whore
Kingly
Authority in
thefe things there
is
no
tiring up.
For the
Perlons formerly named, the like reliefe cannot
be fuppoled.
He
that
Ihall
provide an
Apology
for
them,
Affirming
that
they underftood
not the ftate,
nature,
confequences, and tendences
of
the Do
&rines
they received, defen-
ded,preached,contended for,will
fcarce
be able by
any
following defenfative,
to vindicate
his
owne credit, for
fo
doing.
In
the
lives
then and the Mini
flry
of
thofe
men,
and
fuch
as
thofe,
ifany
where are
the
fruits
of
this
Do
&rine
to
be feene.
If
it corrupted not their
liver,
nor
weakned"
their
Miniffry,
ifit
turned not
them
afide
from
the
pathes
of
Gofpell Obedience,
nor weakened
their
hands in
the
Difpenfation
of
the
Word,
in
the
Promifes, Threatnings
and
Exhortations
thereof,
to the
Converfion
of
foules,
and building
up
of
thofe
who by their
Minis`fry
were
called,in their wog
holy
Faith,
it
cannot
but
be a
ftrong.prefumption,
that
there
is
no
fuch
venomous
in
feEtious
quality
in
this
Do&rine,
as
of
late
fore
chi
micall Divines
pretend
themfelves
to
be able
to
extra&
out
of
it:
Now
what
I pray
were thefe
osen
?
What
were
their
Lives
?
What
was
their
Miniftry
? All
thofe who
now oppofe Mr
Goodwin's
Do
&rine,do
it
either
out
of
Ignorance,
or to
Comply
with Greatneffe, and
men in
Authority, thereby
to
make
up themfelves
in
their Ambitious and worldly
.aymes,
and
to
prevaile themfelves upon
the
opinion
of
men: for what caufe
elfe in
the
world
can
beimagined
why
they
fhould
fo
ingage?
what though
R.
r
they