rest to be Spectacles of his Justice 15 Such as are Predestinated unto Life be called according to Gods purpose his Spirit working in due season and through Grace they obey the calling they be Justifyed freely they be made Sons of God by Adoption they be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good Work and at length b◠Gods Mercy they attain to everlasting felicity but such as are not Predestinated to Salvation shall finally be condemned for their Sins 16. The Godly consideration of Predestination and our Election in Christ is full of sweet pleasant unspeakable comfort to Godly persons such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the works of the flesh their earthly members and drawing up their minds to high and heavenly things as well because it doth greatly confirm establish their faith of eternal Salvation to be enjoyed thro' Christ as because it doth servently kindle their Love towards God and on the contrary side for curious carnal persons lacking the Spirit of Christ to have continually before their Eyes the Sentence of Gods Predestination is very dangerous This is the Doctrine of the Church of Ireland so exactly agreeable to the 39 Articles those of Lambeth that I need say no more of them Another discovery of the Doctrine of Predestination is from the Suffrages of the five Representatives of the Church of England at the Synod of Dort Dr. Carleton Bishop of Chichester Dr. Samuel Ward publick Divinity professor at Cambridge Dr. Davenant Bishop of Satisbury Dr. Balcanquel Dean of Richester and Dr. Thomas Goad who were called and assembled to nip Arminianism in the bud and they being Commissionated sent by the Supream Authority in the Nation their Suffrages as recorded in the publick Acts of that Synod and by Dr. Ward in his Suffragium Britannorum are to be found were then received approved at the Doctrine of the Church of England And should it not appear a wonder and be a surprise to the hearers tho' the Preachers cannot be Ignorant of it that the Common Prayer Book the ordinary universal Book of their Devotion should give its Suffrage and bear its testimony for Predestination or Election which upon a more strict observation all shall find In the Collect for All Saints Day it begins Almighty God who hast knit together thine Elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical Body of Christ Jesus our Lord. If God has an Elected people there must some be left out and passed by otherwise there can be no Election or Choice In the Catechism generally taught unto Children in Answer to Q. 6. It is replyed in the third place In God the Holy Ghost who Sanctifyed me and all the Elect people of God which plainly instructs us that God chooseth to Sanctification and holiness as well as to Salvation and that all Elect ones shall be Sanctifyed consequently Saved In the burial of the Dead in the first prayer after the Lords Prayer Beseeching thee that it may please thee of thy gracious Goodness shortly to accomplish the number of thine Elect. Here is not only an Elect but a definite and certain Number determined with God which are not yet accomprished and the number of such as are left out and passed by is also certain and determined In 〈◊〉 Godly prayer at all times which is added to some old Bibles there is this passage In that it hath pleased thee freely and of thine own accord to Elect and choose us to Salvation before the beginning of the World This is plain language and in the Books of Devotion and even those who little thought Common Prayer favoured Predestination which they oft called a Damnable Doctrine and is so particular for a Doctrine some of your Neighbours have asserted contrary to the word of God and a great discouragement to Piety So that I wonder how the Oxford Oath of Assent Consent shall relish for the future wherein men Swear That nothing is contained in the Book of Cannons Ordination of Bishops and Common Prayer contrary to the word of God seeing Predestination is found in one of them We call in also to witness for us the Homilies of the Church which appear to be principally the established Doctrine thereof for the most part composed by the Arch-bishop Cranmer who sealed among many more this and other truths with his Blood It were too tedious to transcribe all here but I shall give a passage or two to engage Readers to be more attentive and observant for the suture Therefore in the 2d part about p. 160. God of his mercy special favour towards them whom he hath appointed to everlasting Salvation hath so offered his Grace especially and they have so received it fruitfully that altho' by reason of their sinful living out wardly they seemed before to have been the Children of wrath perdition yet now the Spirit of God mightily working in them unto the obedience of Gods will that they are the undoubted Children of God appointed unto everlasting Life for the Good fruit is not the cause the tree is good but the tree must first be good before it can bring forth good fruit This much more may be found in both parts for confirmation of this Doctrine of Predestination I refer you also to a Church of England Catechism enjoyned by K Edw. 6. to all Schoolmasters for instruction of Children throughout the Kingdom wherein it is asserted That the faithful were sorechosen Predestinated and appointed to everlasting life before the world was made that the cause of our Justification Salvation is the goodness love of God whereby he chose us before he made the world I cannot omit certain Questions Answers concerning Predestination published by Robert Parker continued to be bound in with your Bibles until the year 1615. I shall give you a hint thereof in two or three Questions relating to Predestination Q Are not all ordained to eternal Life A. Some are Vessels of Wrath ordained to Destruction as others are Vessels of Mercy prepared for Glory Q How standeth it with Gods Justice that some are appointed to Damnation A. Very well because all men have in themselves Sin which deserveth no less therefore the mercy of God is wonderful in that he Vouched to save some of that sinful race and to bring them to the knowledge of the Truth Q. But how shall I know I am ordained to eternal life A. By the motions of Spiritual Life which belongeth only to the Children of God I might enlarge with variety of Testimonies in favour of this Doctrine from the Learned and Godly in all the past Reigns from the Reformation down ward and shall conclude with that honourable and venerable Suffrage of Primate Vsher in his Sum and substance of Christian Religion which for the Satisfaction of all I shall deliver in his own words Q What are
this so qualâ—ifyed most if not all their Ministers have Subscribed as a condition of their Established Liberties and Tolleration 3. They believe own maintain and perform all Ordinances and parts of Gods Instituted Service and Worship in Publick Private and Secret that are mentained professed by any Reformed Protestants as Preaching Praying Reading Hearing Meditation Singing of Psalms Baptism and the Lords Supper c. 4. They firmly believe and strenuously hold a fixed and standing Ministry to be always in the Church to the End of the World and Churches to be furnished with all Officers warranted in the Scriptures duly qualifyed and orderly set apart according to the Word of God and after a long and most strict Examination and tryal some are allowed first to Preach only as Probationers or Expectants for a proof of their Preaching gifts and Praying abilities and of a Holy Conversation and when called to the Pastoral Charge submitting to a second Examination they are orderly set apart or Ordained to the whole Work of the Ministry according to the Apostles phrase by the Imposition of the hands of the Presbytery 5. They abhor renounce and abjure Popery Idolatry Superstition and Haeresy with every Error they are convinced and perswaded is contrary to the Word of God universally believing the Popes of Rome to be the Grand Antichrist 6. They hold and maintain an Authoritative Government Order Discipline and Censure committed by Jesus Christ the Head of the Vniversal Church unto Church Officers appointed by him consisting in Admonition Suspension Excommunication and this Government specifically distinct from all Civil Government 7. They Baptise both Adult Persons Children of believing Parents professing the Truth of the Gospel 8. They believe and always maintain the morallity of the Fourth Commandment and perpetuity of a Sabbath with the strict observation of the Lords Day wholly to be employed and spent in the Publick Private and Secret Service and Worship of God allowing works of absolute necessity and necessary Mercy 9. They conscientiously and faithfully keep and observe all Solemn Days and occasional Times set apart upon extraordinary and emergent Providences of God for Humiliation Fasting Prayer 10. Though they abhor as much as any all vain Swearing and Cursing yet they maintain and allow the Lawfulness of Witnessing to Truth or Conviction of Falshood by a Solemn Oath when called thereunto by a Lawful Magistrate in matters of moment tho' they rather like to do it after the Scripture Pattern with a Solemn lifting up of the Hand to Heaven 11. They hold and maintain Magistracy and Civil Government to be an Ordinance of God and many of them highly Zealous for Monarchy as in Scotland England France Ireland though others in Geneva Holland and Germany are for Aristocracy as the Government of those places 12. They are highly for School-Education and Learning and Academical accomplishments for fitting and preparing men in an ordinary way for Ministerial Offices in the Church not excluding but including particular Gifts and Qualifications and a Call from God to that great Work Reader They are the same in these and most things material with the Established Church of England therefore beware of Reproaching Presbyterians as the worst as bad if not worse than Papists least ye wound reflect upon your selves unto whom they are likest of any other Dissenters that are Protestants Now though we agree in all these things and more yet we differ or dissent in three or four Things to all which I shall speak branching out the particulars as far as an Epistolary Dedication will allow of 1. In Common Prayer and Ceremonies 2 In your Canons 3. In your Government or Praelacy 4. In your Discipline and Censures I I shall begin with Common Prayer and Ceremonies and concerning them we differ in these particulars waving many of our Reasons to avoid Offence 1. We dare not receive nor comply with stinted Composed and Imposed Forms or Lyturgies of Worship because not Commanded nor Warranted by the Word of God nor known in the purest and Original Centuries of the Gospel Churches but composed without Divine Commission and required meerly by Men in the Degenerate and latter Ages of the Gospel 2. Though we deny not altogether but allow many Forms of Prayer on many Cases as studyed Forms for ones-self and Composed easy and plain Forms for the Ignorant and Vnskillful as young ones early Converts as Crutches for the Weak and Lame yet we cannot nor dare not Ordain and call any man to be a Minister of the Gospel and to take Charge of Souls that hath not given sufficient proof and demonstration of their Praying and Preaching Gifts and Abilities at all Times and suitably or pertinently for all occasions and conditions without prescribed Forms read in a Book and we never denyed the Lawfulness of joyning with the sound Words of others in Prayer 3. Such Ministers as have received of God and have given sufficient Proof to many of their Praying Gifts and Abilities dare not ordinarily and in their ordinary Administrations tye themselves to and only use these prescribed and Book Forms least they should be guilty of not using and improving but hiding or burying their Gifts and Talents and so incur the Character of Vnlawful Servants 4. We dare not read as a part of Publick Worship the Aphocrypha Books which are enjoyned and read seeing they are acknowledged by all not to be Canonical Scripture and owned by many and in many things false and fabulous especially while we have the Scripture by us that Perfect Rule of Faith and manners 5. We cannot nor dare not allow in Publick Worship which should be for the Edification of all that inarticulate and unintelligible way and noise of the People all or most confusedly speak together one mans voice drowning the accent of another which seems to be so far from Order that it appears confusion as Service in an unknown Tongue Hickeringill tells us he suffers no such babling in his Church at All Saints in Colchester as is made by alternate Responses 6. We cannot allow Women to speak in the Church as many of yours in your whole Service talk more in a Day than some Quaker-Women condemned by most for that practice 7. We dare not add to the Sacrament of Baptism an airy Sign of the Cross that perishes with the using more than Spittle Oyl and Salt nor allow the Spiritual Signification imposed by men and explained in the 30th Canon Seeing Baptism signifies all that and more and you own in the Form for private Baptism that it is valid and sufficient without it And further it is abused at this Day to Idolatry in Romish Churches Cranmers great Argument for abolishing Images out of the Churches though some are got in again and most of them into their Book of Devotion 8. We cannot comply with that Popish posture not our Saviours posture of Kneeling at the Lords Supper which cannot be more Reverent nor so suitable to
the parts of Predestination A Election Reprobation Q. What is Election A. T is the everlasting Predestination or fore appointment of certain Angels and men unto everlasting life and blessedness for the praise of Gods glorious Grace and Goodness Q What is Reprobation A. It is the eternal fore-appointment of certain Angels men unto everlasting Dishonour and Destruction God of his own free will determining to pass them by refuse cast them off and for sin condemn and punish them with eternal Death And to these you may add most Church of England Books common among us as also that common Book almost in every Family The Practice of Piety So it is to be hoped you will not adventure to say the Church of Scotland holds any other Predestination than what is the Doctrine of the Church of England or that it is contrary to the word of God and a great discouragement to Piety I am very unwilling to engage in a further controversy about this Doctrine so fully handled and sufficiently vindicated already lest I should engage some of your Island in a most unnatural War against their own Mother Church and should it not be a Paradox to Barbados to hear of a Presbyterian taking up the Cudgels in defence of a fundamental established Doctrine against a Son a Member and a Minister of the English Church And seeing one hath been pleased to run upon Quaeries on this occasion I am obliged to entertain you with a few concerning the controverted Doctrine in behalf both of Dissenters and the Church of England The Quaeries are these 1. Whether God be not an absolute Sovereign power being having infinitely a greater more illimited and boundless Authority over the highest and best of his creatures without being controuled by or accountable to them I say more than the Potter has over the clay he frames at his pleasure for honourable dishonourable uses services 2. Whether God from an infinite and eternal knowledge knows infallibly the certain determined number of them that shall be Saved and shall be Damned which number shall never be encreased neither can be diminished 3. Whether it is God of his own will free grace and goodness that makes the difference between Believers and Vnbelievers 4. Whether the immutable and unchangeable Decrees of God in the execution of them rob the creature of its liberty in acting or doing 5. Whether a Sinner without the special and entire Grace of God can repent believe regenerate and save himself 6. Whether God can be accounted unjust for damning a part while he might justly have damned the whore World for their Sir 7 Whether God designed the Salvation of any without holiness faith and repentance or the damnation of any without fore-running Sin final unbelief and impenitence 8 Whether God absolutely and unchangeably determined with himself the period and end of our dayes in this life 9. Whether God the Father determined from all eternity to send his own Son our Saviour into the World all his particular Sufferings in the World 10 Whether we should decry or disown those great transcending Mysteries of God's Counsel because we cannot reach nor comprehend them with our shallow and narrow Capacities or carnal apprehensions If any intend to give any resolution to these ten Quaeries I hope I need not caution them against such things as inâ—ringe and may tend to impeach the absolute Sovereignty and Prerogative of Heaven or condemn their own Church And I assure my self they will not revive again those groundless silly and inconsequential Allegations vulgarly heaped up against this Doctrine which have been long since unswered confuted and overthrown FINIS