51 / 504
A
Preface
to
the Reader.
grant
that
they
may f
,t1!
away
,
filth
as
upon the account
of
their Baptifmalentranceinto
the
Church
,
this
P.uu>
devout
lives
their profcffion
of
the faith
of
the
Gofpel, they called
and accounted
,;g.
=:erart
be i:evers
whom yet
they
tell
you upon
a
through
fearch
into the
nature and
canine
o,
irlynr,';r,
grace, and walkzingwithGodthat they would be
found,not to
be
truly,
and really
in char
(tote and
condition,
that
they were efteemed to
be
in;
of
which they
thought
this
a
fui{7tien,
Demonfttation,
even
becaule they did
not perfevere:
which undenia-
bly on
the other
hsnd
(
with the teftimoniesforegoing
,
and the
like
inumerable that might
be produced j
evinces
,
that their conftant judgment
was,
that
all who are
truly, really,and
in
the light of
God
believers, engrafted
into
Chrift,and adopted into
his
family,fhouId certain-
ly perfevere
:
and chat
all
the
paffages
dually
cited
out
of
this
holy
and learned man
,
to
perfwade
us
that
he
ever cart an eye
towards the Doctrine
of
the Apoftacy
ofthe
Saints, may
particularly
be
refer'd to
this head
,
and manifefted
that
they do
not at
all
concerne thofe
,
whom he
efteemed Saints
indeed
; which
is
cieere
from the
confderation
of
what bath
been
infifted
on.
Thus far
He ,
of
whom
what
were
thethoughts
of
the Church
of
God
in
the
dayes wherein
he
lived, hash been declared
:
He who bath
been efteeemed
amongft the
Ec-
c1eftaftica
/Writers
of
old to
have
laboured more, and
to
more purpofe
in
the Doétrine
of
the
Grace
of
God
then
all
that
wentbefore
him
,
or any
that
have followed after him whofe
re-
nowne
in
the Church hath
been theifly upheld,and maintained upon the
account
of
theblef-
fed paines,
and labours.wherin
the
Prefence
of
God
made him
to
excel,for
the
depreffìng
the
pride
of
all flefh
,
and the exaltation
of
the
riches
of
God's
love
,
and
efficacy
of
his
grace in
Jefus
Chrift
,
wherewith
the whole Church
in fucceeding
Ages
hath
been
advantaged beyond
what
is
eafy
to
be expreffed.
That
Proffer,
Hilary, Fulgentiut,
and the
men
of
renowne in
the Congregation
of
God
at
the
end
of
that
Age,dtd fall
to
with their judgments
,
to that
which Auftine had delivered
I
fuppofe will be
eafrly
confeffed:
Troffer
ad Cap:y.Gal.
quemodo
cos
habeas
preordinatain
Chrì-
fto
Eletlio?
cam
Maim
non
fit
donum
Dei
efJe
Terfeverantiam
in
bono
$.4
ad
finem;quod iftos,ex
ea
ipfa
quad
non per
feverarunt,non
habuiffe
manifeflum
eft.
Alto the
breaking of the Power,and
fraftrating
of
the
attempt
of
Pelagitu by fundry
Do
fors
of
the
Church,
and Synods
to
that
end affembled, (
whereof
Profper gives us
an
account, reckoningthem up
in
their
order;
and
Am./line
before him,Epift
:4z.&
47,)
with
fpecial
relation to what
was
done in Africk;(and
in
the
begining
of
his
verfesDe
Ingratis )with what troubles were raifed,and created
anew
to
the
Champions
of
the
Grace
of
God by
the
writings
of
Cafanue,Fauflus,Vincentit
,the Mafilien-
fes,
with
fome others in France,and
the whole
rable
of
Semi-
Telagians,with the
fiction
of
Si-
_ibert
about a
Predeflinarian
Herefy
,
whereofthere
was never any
thing
in being
,
no
not
a-
mong
the
Adrnmetine cAlonkf,
where
Voftn
hoped
to
have placed
it
,
the Councel
of
Arles,
the Corruptions
,
and falfificacions
of
Farrfleu in
the
bufinefs
of
Lucidus,
the impolitionson
Gotefchalcua,
with the light
given
to hat
bufinefs from
the Epifile
of
Flarsu,have
exercifed
the
commendable endeavours
of
fo
many already
,
that
there
is
not the
leaf}
need
further
to
infrft
upon them.
What
entertainment
that
peculiar
Doéìrine which
lam
in
the Conliderati-
onof,fonnd
in
the following
ages,
is
that
which
1
fhall
further demonfirate.
After
thefe
was Gregory:
r:
who
Gib.
r.F.
p
f
99:
fpeakes
to
the
fame
purpofe, with them
in
thefe
words;Redempeor nofler, Dei hominum4r mediator,Conditionis
Humane
non
immemor,fic imis
fiamma
conjnngit,ut
ipfe
in imitate permanens
itaTemporalia,
occults
Infiinliu,pih
confident
mode
-
raeione
difponat, quatenue
de ejue
menu
antiques
Hoflis nullatenua
rapiat
quo:
ante
Secada
intra
Sinum marris Ecclefie
adunandos rife
prefcivit
;
nam
et
fe
quifquam
corm
inter
quos
digit,
Stati-
bus
motets
adTempia
ut
palmes
tituber
,
radix
tarnen
rette
Fidel,
quit
ex occult. prodit,divino
ju
dicio
virens
mánee
, qua
accepts Tempere
fruflum
de
fe
ofientare malear
,
qui latebat,
This
is
the
femme
of
what
we
contend
for
:
viz:
that
all
thofe whom
God hach
predeftinated to
be
ad-
ded to the
Church
,
receiving
a
faring faith
,
though they
may
be
fhaken, yet on
that
account,
the
Root
abides firme,
their
-Faith
never
utterlyperifheth, but
in due
time brings
forth
accep-
ted fruits
againe.
And moft
expreflive
to our
purpofe
is
that
difcourfe
of
his
which you
have,Lib.34.Moral.
Cap.
8: faith
t-ie,
Aurum,quod
penis
Diaboli perfuaJonibus
qua(
lutum(
tern
potuerit,
Aurum
ante Dei
Oinks
nunquam
fuit
, qui
enim Seduci quandoq,
non
reverfuri
poffunt,quafs
habitant
Santiotatem
ante
ocular hominum
videntur
amiteere,
fed
cam
ante
ocules
Dei nunquam
habuerunt.
The Exclufion
of
thofe
from
being True Believers,whomay
be(
educed
and
fall
away;doth
moft eminently infer the
Perfeverance
of
allThem, who
are fo:
Adde unto
thefe,
Oecumeniva
( though
he be one
of
a
latter
date)
and thofe fhall
fuffice
for
the
period
of
time, relating
to
the
Pelagian Coatroverfy: faith he
in
Epifi:
ad
Ephes:
rap.
a.
14,
i
ciOagdp
xtsovrru
li!Agr
acre
F
2
miss,