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A
Preface
to the Reader.
genre
fibre's
S
:
e/fugaftini
quo:
ad
Profperum
&
Hilariumfcrip
/it,
memoratù
fratribta
legen-
der ingerere :
Epift
:
Synod:
Byzac
:
much more might
be
added
to
manifeft
the Judgment
of
Auftine
to
have
been
the
Catholic&
Judgment
of
the
Church
in
thofe
dayes. So
that
in
his
tingle Teftimony as
great
a
number are included
,
as
in
the
Tcllimony
of
any
one man in
the
world
whatever.
Now the Controverfy
that
Was
between
e4vftin;and
the
Pelagianr,andSemi-Telagians
about
Per/everance
,
Hilary thus expreffeth
in his
Epifi:
to
him: Deinde
moleflé
ferant
(
1pea-
king
of
the
Semi-
Telagians
)
ita
dividi
gratiam,
qua
vel
cunt
,
primo Flowini
data
eft,
ve! nunc
omnibua
datar
, sa ille
acceperit
Perfeverantiam
,
son
quâ
fieret
,
ut
perfeveraret ,fed
fine
quâ
per
libertine
Arbitrium
perfeverare
non
peffet
;
nunc
verb
SasElù in
Regnam per
Graham
pradeftina-
ris,
non
tale adjutorium perfeverantia
deter
,
fed
tale, ut
rù
perfeverantia
ipfa
donetar ,
non
folum
tee
fine
ille
Dono
perfeverantes
effe
non poffint,
verism
etiam
at
per
hoc
Donum
non
nil;perfeveran-
terfine. Ceteram quicquidTibetdonatum
fit
predeftinatis
,
id
po
f
fe
clu
amittere,
j.
retinere
pro
-
pria
volantate
contendunt.
The
very
(late
of
the controverfy
as
now
under
conceit
is
moil
cleerly expreft,in this
Report
of
the Difference,between the
Semi-
peYagi
ens,and
the Church
of
God
in
thole
dayes. And becaufe
the
whole fumme
of
Mr.
Goodwin's
Book
is
briefly
compri-
fed,in the ninth and tenth Chapter
of'rofjter
deingrat
:I
(hall tcattfcribe
that
tenth chapter,
to
prefent to
the Reader thefubftance and pith
of
That Treatife,
as
alfa
the (late
of
the Con-
troverfy
in
thofe dayes.
fans
fides
fit
e
rftrapatefcat,
Gratin
qua
Chrifti
Popularfanner,
hoc
cohibetur
Limitevobifcum,e
f
ormam have
adfcribitù
illi:
Vt
cunflos voter
illa gaidem, invitettg;
nee
untrue
Trateriens,
ftudeat
commanem a
ferreTaimera
Omnibus,
efu
totem
peccato
abfolvere
t3Ylssndum;
Sed
proprio quema,
Arbitrio parerevacanti,
yridiciogTao;
moth feextendere mente
Ad
lucem
ablatata,qu
a
fe
non
fubtrahat
a11i
,
Sed
cupidos
rettijuvet,illufiretg
volentei.
Hint
adjutoris Domini Bonitate
magiflrit
Crefcere'virtutam
fladia
,
ut
quod
gaifgr petendam
vN_andatù didicit
,
jugi
fefletur
amore.
Effe autem
edoelia
iftam communiter
aquas
Libertatem
anima,
at
curium
explere
beatum
Perfftenda
queant,
foamefetlumg,
petitum
'Dante
Deo,
ingenüs
qui nunquam
de
fit
honeftù.
Sed
quia
non idem eft
Cunt-tù
Viyer,& variorum
Illecebrù reram
erahitar
difperfa volunteer,
Sponte
aligaos
vitils
fuccumbere,qui potaiffent
A
Lapfu
revocare
pedem,
ftabilef,
mauere.
As I
fayd,we have
the
fumme
of
Mr.Goodwin's
Bookin
this declaration
of
the Judgment
of
the
Semi-
Telagiant
,
fo alfo in
particular the ftate
of
the Controverfy about the
perfeverance
of
the
Saints
as
then it
was
debated;& I doubt not but the
learned Reader will eafily perceive
it
to
be
no
other,then that
which
is
now agitated
between me
&
Mr.CloodWin.
The controver-
fy
indeed
in
the
matter
between
_9uftin
and
theTelagians
was
reduced
to
3heads
t.As to the
Foundation of
it,which
Auftin
concluded to
be
the
decree
of
Predeflination,whieb
they denyed:
the
Impulfive
Cange
of
it,he
proved to
be
the
Free grace
of
God
tr
the meafure or
quality of
that
Grace
to
be filch
as
that
whoever
received
it, didperfevere,it being perfeverance
which
was given
both
which they denyed
:
about the
kind
offaith, which
Temporary
profeffours
might
have
and fall from
it,
which
were never
eletted, therewas between them no
Conteft
at
all.Of
his
Judgment then
there
were thefe two main heads
which he laboured
to
conflrmee
That
perfeverance
is
a
gift
of
God
,
andthat
no
man either did , or couldperfevere in
Faith
and
obedience upon
the
firength
of
any
grace received,( much
lets
of
his
own
Ability
flirted
up
and
promoted
by
fach
confiderations,as Mr.
Goodwin
makes
the ground
and
bottóme
of
the
pers
feverance
of
all
that
fo
do )
but that
the
Whole
war
from
her
Grace.
Subfervient
to
this,
he
maintained
,
that
no one
Temptation
vehatloever
,
could
be
overcome
but
by
fame
Alt
of
Grace
,
and that therfore
perfeverance
mutt
needs be
a
work
thereof,
it being
an
abiding
in
Faith
and
obedieuce,nocwithílanding,and againít
Temptation. To
this
is
that of
his
on
?oh: Hem.
53;
6
g
quofdam