P R E F A C E. concerning him, hisperfans% pirit,grace, office andauthority, and to aboundin all duties offaith, love, truft, honour anddelight in him ;fo alfo to declare his ex- cellency, to plead the caufeofhisglory,to vindicate his honour,andto witnefs him the only reffand rewardofthefoulsofmen,as theyare calledandhaveopportunity. This and no other is the defign of the enffuing treatife, wherein asall things fall unfpeakably Jhort of the glory, eieellency and fublimity of the fubjeli treated of, for no mind can conceive, no tongue can exprefs the real fubftantial glory of them ; fo there is nodoubt but that in all the parts of it, there is a refletlion offailings and imperfel ions from the weaknefsof, its author. But yet Imull fay with confidence, that in the whole, that eternal truth of God concerning the myjtery of his wifdom, love, grace andpower, in the perfon and mediation of Chr, with our duties towards himfelf therein, even the Father, Son, and Eternal Spirit, ispleadedand vindicated, which(hail never be fhaken by the utmoft endeavours and oppo¡itsons of the gates of hell. And in the acknowledgment'of the truth concerning thefe things confifts that faith in an efpecial manner, which was the life andglory of the primi- tive church, which they earnefily contended for, wherein and whereby, they were viîlorious againft all the troops of Rumbling adverfaries, by whom it was affaulted. In giving teftimony hereunto, they loved not their lives unto death, butpoured out their blood like water, under all the paganperfecutions, which had no other defignbut to cal them down and feparate them from this impregnable rock, this precious foundation. In the defence of theft truths did they confidi inprayers, Rudies travels and writings, againft the fwarms offeducers, by whom they were oppofd. And for this caufe I thought to have confirmed the principalpaffages of the enwing difiourfe with fame to monies from the molt antient writers of the ft ages of the church "r <, I omitted that courfe, as fearing that the interpofition of fuch paffages might obftruel inflead of promoting the edification of the common fort of readers, which I principally intended. Yet withal I thought notgood utterly to neeg- ldt that deign, but to give at leá/I afpecimen of theirfentiments about the principal truths pleaded for, in this preface to the whole. But .herein alfa I meet with a difappaintment; for the bookfeller having unexpelledly unto me, feni/lied the printing of the difcourf it fel ,, Imu/ be contented to make ufe of what lyeth already coddled under my hand, not having leifiere or time to make any farther enquiry. I /hall do fomething of this nature, the rather, becaufe I frail have accafr- on thereby togive a fummary account of fame of the principal parts of the difiourfe it fef, and to clear fame paffages in it, which by force maybe ap- prehended abfeure. Cap. t. Thefoundation of the whole is laid in the vindication of thofe words of our blelfed Saviour, wherein hedeclares himfelf to be the rock where- on the church is built, Mat. xvi. 18. And I fay alto unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church, and the Gates of hell Mall not prevail againft it. The pretended ambiguity of theft words, bath been wrefted by the fecular interefts of men to give occafion unto that prodigious controverfy among chrifians, namely, whether Jefus aril' or the pope Of Rome be the rock whereon the church is built. Tbofe holy men of old unto whom Chr/ anat. precious, being untainted with the defres of fecular gran- deur andpower, knew nothing hereof Tefimanies may be, they have been multiplied by others unto thispurpofe ; Í (hall mentionfamefew of them. Oú'rg, eoF i 7re9t r rrxnege myeatt, óá85, l 7dlex ñ xTfis, I maaír, &c. faith Ignatius Epift. ad Philadelph, He (that is, Chrft) is the way leading unto the Father, the rock, the key, the' Ihepherd, whereinhe hash n,/Jell un- to this teftimony. And Origen expreRdenies thewords to befakenof Peter, V
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