MASTER PERKINS HIS Epiftle to the Reader. ~-· - ---------------- HE Do£lrin'eof Pred~ffination and r]Ddt grace iE to be(o;mded vponrhe writteJSWord" God, andnotvpon theiudgemmts if mm. For M H1Iarie(aith wdl, Godcan not bee vn~ Oc Trin.l.~ derft-bode butb] 6od: .And11gaine,Wc mu{I /earne ofGod, thlitwe areto vndn·ft.,md of qod, bu11u{e heUtheonely Authorofour k,Jowlu{~e of him. It is alfo r~qui{ite rh,qt thu dq[/rine agree with thegroundto(commonreafow, flnd oftbat k_r,owledg~ ofGod wh1c-h t114] b<ibtained bl the!ight ofn•trm; •ndfuch .rerhe(ewh1Chfollow, 1 GOD i4 a!J¥aiesi.uft, albeitmendoenotvndtrfftmdhtJwhci&iufl. • G0 D w notgoun0Jof, much lef[edot!Jhedepend vponfecond canfu, butdothiuHIJ ord&tbtm,e· um thdnwhen thq w"r~evniHfliJ. 3 q0 D JPorkph wifdJ, to wit,propom~dmgvH!ohim{tlfeaetrtainrend: heUignorant cf nc.tl:ing: he d6rh n9t rPiH9Y drcrte tiJAt whichhucan wot eJf([f: he doth nDt uJdtluht!d wh;~tfiN,/i be,or n-JJ~u lllll) 6(~~ done, hut hedi(p1[eth allthi,gs vnto hi!. glor~e; ami thtrtfore he httth decreed I~ do~(n. . 4 G0 7J u nat cbanged: and thofe things -,htcharechawged,t~rcnot ch~tnged tnfbc:lf hu 'lJ.,IJcbatJgeahle 1 decree, all circumffancesbeingcertaineandftJrt. s Theftcret and vn[tArthiZbleiudgemt/IJtsif']O.'I>are to behonoured Andack?_Wrrledged,AuguUlne. De vcr:,.A_ It m_oucth me (thoH[II)fl)that he perifhr:h: and a~Jotluris bapti?..td :itmouuhme,itmoruthme.u 1f man. 1 po!l.fcr, 1 J. I(thou ws!t hearc the triJfh)it al(o moueth me,6ccaufc 1Ama m-An. But ifthoubufi aman,/am al{o am11.:1: let vt6orh he~Zrc him that faith, 0 motn! Peril],if~·~ futhcreforemolud,hecaufewccAreme~, theApo.fllc (jufl/ze; t~ h~.•mancrt~ttHTtitfclfc being ruak.§andfecblc,(AJinJ.: 0 man, who art thot4 n:htchpleadrji ~zainft l\om 9 .:.c-. G07) !Sh•ll I hethsngfonnedf•J to him thatformcd it, Wh] haft thoN ,,.J,me thmi if d oea(lcould !P«kt, anddid(4)to God,Why h~fl thoumade hima man,tmdmeaheaft?mighuP thou notitJffly6e angr,,andf~y, 0 hcaf!,who art thou? And thouart amttn, but in compari(onofGod, thtm Art 4 hcafl. 6 Nogood thing canbe done, vnlef[e G0 7) doth a~(ulmdpri/1and work•it: andr.-e do lhambicls is good,(o["reforth .u Goddoth work..einvsmoreorleffe. 7 NoeuiUc•nbe auOJded, vnlef[e G 0 D dohir.dcrit: and weauopl eniil,(ofarre fomh M Goddoth m"cor lcf[chinderit. 8 The willofG0 D Uknawne~not ~nly b] thew~itten word, or6] rtHdttticn,bHt alfo /Jy thecucnr. For that"'hich commeth to paffe,doth therfore come top.j]e, bec•u(e (jodhatiJ wiUed that tt (houldcomctop•. f[e. 9 A man doth not th11t good thingwhich bJgrtJseheil4blttodac, vnlcj[e Godmak!him docit,.u het bath made lmnahletotlaeit ifhewill. 10 Not apart onlj,but the wholegoHern~mentofthe world, andtheex~cmi'n ojiufiice~ is tobe afcri!ud toGqd,astothe A!o~thor. Id'Jrnow o.·hilitevnta thu4 view andpif:tHrcofthft t:U[Jrine~ compg{cd ofthe(tprinciples, and at} puhlifo the{tcm~, thar I might to m1 power, he/pc out • thofe that Pick.~ in thed1fi,;u/ritr o[1hU doDrinc: rJj Prr- Tbcologi:l! deftintJtion: a1zd that l mightlilearethetruth, that i& (tU the] tal/it) theCaluinift.sdottrm~,oftho(c re- fbdtofus. prochcJ whichare caft vptm it : and that lmigh1 mitigate and ~tppe.c(e themi~des offome of our Brahrm, which haue!Jin1mreojfendedatit then WMfit. For I dD J'Pil/ingly ack!}flwledgtandteach vniucrJ.dt n dcmption andt.race,(ofar tU it is poffiblc fry the word. Mymi11diJ to pur(ue afterpeace, whichUdeparriv11{rem vt: and [would haueal/mtn{ointerprcte my faEl. 0 I a!leadgc th~ te{limoniesofthe A;~ncient eucry where, not but that enenone euidentandpc...JPicuom(m· tenceof(acred Scripture, conarnihg An] point of DoElri~:e and FAith, iJ ofmorevalue andf<wce, then"lithe tcPi.,mnies o(the DoflortandSchoolemetj: but becatJft I holdeit neceffArie, thAt there fhould 6ehada}t e.\'– am~lcoj co-,fent Andconc~rdin th~tdoClrinr, which~ r~pottnded in hoiJ bookJr , ttnt:l.Ypropagated to allpo– {lmt). A•d I hope,/{haDfu.fJimntl] per[wAde an s•dijfmnr Judge, thatthefe thmgs hau1n•t bin /,urfy I batched llt home~ WbJcb 'n'C dclfutr In oUr Congreg 11tiOf11 And$CbtJo/es ) but th,ct We haueavoderiued and (etched them from the FAthers themfelues, I Ee e 3 THE
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