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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41777	The forerunner to a further answer (if need be) to two books lately published against Tho. Grantham of Norwich wherein the spirit and temper of the Calvinists is discovered, particularly Mr. Calvin, Mr. Finch, and his little præcursor : to which is prefixed, the solid testimony of Mr. George Wither, against Calvinism, the worst of doctrines / by Tho. Grantham ...	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.; Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1691 (1691)	Wing G1532; ESTC R39423	9,810	7

contemned 3. Consider that very many of those who most talk of discriminating Grace are greatly destitute of that tender Love which Paul had for them that rejected Christ Rom. 9. 1 2 3. 10. 1 2 3. but are filled with hatred against all that oppose their Conceit of irrespective Reprobation being indeed fierce and of a cruel Disposition full of Passion quickly angry c. These things I have found to be true God knows it among such as pretend very high to discriminating Grace more than amongst others but I fear it will prove but a special discriminating Conceit in the end to very many of them 6. There is a great talk also both in his Epistle and Book about God's absolute Soveraignty As if because he is so he might make Angels and Men on purpose to damn them to Everlasting Fire without giving them at any time any Means sufficient to prevent their Destruction To avoid this Rock upon which they often split themselves let us consider That though God's Soveraignty is incomprehensible yet it is every way better both in its Mercy and Justice and in the exercise of both than any Soveraignty that Men do receive or exercise under him Now we know that what Prince soever exerts his Soveraign Power to impose absolute Impossibilities upon his Subjects and Death for non-performance is a very cruel and unrighteous Prince in the exercise of that Soveraignty Such was Pharaoh Exod. 5. condemned by God and Man O how ill would it become a Prince to cut off the Feet of many of his Subjects and then Gibbet them alive because they do not run as well as those whose Feet he spared And yet even thus do these Calvinists represent the most merciful Soveraign that ever was For they hold and teach that God did freely and unchangeably decree precisely such a number of Angels and Men Women and Infants to be damned and that unspeakable Time before there was either Angel or Man created and this not because God foresaw they would sin and despise the Riches of his Goodness but he also ordained them that they should commit so many Sins yea all the Sins that they ever shall or can commit that so he might glorify the Soveraignty of his Justice as they speak in such a voluntary and dismal destruction of his Creatures 7. These things I made evident from the Learned Calvinists own Pens as alledged against them by their fellow Protestants and Mr. Finch is so far from answering them that he plainly tells you he will not meddle with any of my Quotations and yet he calls his Book an Answer to mine He says also he will not justify all the Phrases of Learned and Godly Men and thus he will hold to their Opinion but not to their Phrases Hence he likes not Dr. Collings's using the Phrase as if God did not seriously act c. when indeed he makes the Case far worse for tho Peter told the Jews God sent Christ to them to bless them in turning every one of them from their Iniquities Mr. F. tells you it was far from Peter ' s meaning p. 21. And when our Saviour bewails Israel for not knowing the things that belonged to their Peace Mr. F. tells us Christ did not weep for their Spiritual Peace but to prevent their Ruin by the Romans as if Christ did more tender their Bodies than their Souls It seems he had ordained the Devil should lead them to Hell but for this Christ would not weep as a Mediator but he wept as Man only for that they should be destroyed by the Romans and yet if you sound him to the bottom it was infallibly and unchangeably decreed by Christ as God that they should be destroyed by the Romans for he holds that God did unchangeably decree whatsoever comes to pass O unwise Expositor and thus does he abuse most of the Texts which he meddles with which speak of God's Love to Mankind universally as every careful Reader may perceive And very unworthily declares That God hath many holy Ends in affording the preaching of the Word to many upon whom he never purposed nor intended to bestow special and saving Grace p. 15. And what is this but to tell the World that God meerly mocks the greatest part of Men to whom the Gospel is preached for whatever he speaks by the Gospel to them he never intended them any Salvation by it And thus Mr. Finch and all such Preachers as he is are meer Hypocrites for they cannot intend any Salvation to all they preach unto but only to a very few and they know not so much as one of them Nay so greedily does he fancy that God will absolutely damn the greatest part of Mankind that he will not spare the poor dying Infants but cast them into Hell also and his Reason is That as Men do kill the young Cubs of Foxes and Wolves though they never yet did any Mischief so God may if he please glorify his Justice upon Infants though they die in their Infancy p. 88 89. And thus our gracious God is made more cruel to his Off-spring for such is all Mankind Acts 17. 28. than the very Wolves and Foxes are to their young Ones An● what is now become of that gracious Speech of Almighty God Psal 145. His tender Mercies are over all his Works Sure damned Infants have no share at all in his Mercy no not so much as a Toad by a thoasand degrees O ye Fools when will ye be wise Psal 94. 8. Mr. Finch quarrels with the Title of my Book and says We read of John the Baptist not of Thomas the Baptist But this only shews his weakness I speak not of Thomas the Baptist I intend by the Baptist all that own the Doctrine and Baptism of Repentance for remission of Sins including John the Baptist as the first Teacher of that Baptism for the manifestation of Christ to Israel and that all Men through him might believe John 1. 7 31. This Doctrine Mr. Finch and the Presbyterians do oppose both in the extent of this blessed Object of Faith for all Men by narrowing it up to they know not who and therefore preach they know not what And also by Sprinkling poor Infants many times fast asleep in opposition to John the Baptist who baptized Repentant Believers in the River or where there was much Water Mark 1. 17. John 3. 23. Mr. Finch also quarrels my Office as a Messenger of the Baptized Churches c. But of this I have given an account in my Book intituled Christianismus Primitivus to which I refer the inquisitive Reader and remain Norwich Aug. 14. 1691. A Friend and Servant to all Men for Jesus's sake THO. GRANTHAM The Calvinists make God to establish all the mischievous Actions of Men and Devils by an unalterable Decree so as that they must be done of necessity O horrible * Libenter fateor inquit Calvinus de se ac prae me fero prodisse accusatorē spero capitale saltem feret judicium Calv. Ep. ad Farret