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Show 746 1679· ~ P:mll. Sea. •· An AdJrefs to p,.oteHants; VoL. I. . . ,. ntle in their Words, and for Accomoda· ed moderate 10 th_etr Beha\'t.o~r, hge Remonflrantr or Free-WiDen; Gomaru$ rion infomc paruculars, wit. t e Gravir due to the Alfembly, the Rules and his Followers, nor obferhtn:fttbk fs 0 ( Cbriflian Communion, fell foul ofDebare, andleaftofal t e e.e T~ndernefs and began to fix Treach~ of their Brethren, reproached thf'A.ccommoda;ion . as if they intended to ry upon theirfober E~deayourhs ~ Reprobation and blow up their Friends execute as well as mamtam . t etr . ' rather than not.dett:oy ~hen ~dverJ:r£e~, uiry, and view the Mifchiefs_of But If we wrll nfe ~tgher ~~ p aEHci the Fourth and Fifth Cenruru$ ~rlier Times! 8owi~g rom .t 1~n}nnce.r ~nough. We cannot poffihly for· after Chrift wtll f~rntfh us Mtth made about the Obfervation of Eafltr-Dtty, get the heavy Ltfe fo~e en b in Jeo ardy: For Co far were they deas if their Etetn:tl Happinefsdh~eek.~~~S of c!hriftianity, that abo~t keepin~ generated from the Love an p t but to be fure no Ejfentzal P11rt of of a Dly, which .~rhapsh wa~ tloto a~i'eces . reproach'~, revifd, batedt and the Chrifiian Rehgton, t ey e more ;0 them than Chrifr, who was Perfccuted one another. ADa~ wv~aory over Brethren fweeter th:1n the Pthe:e1 cLe oarndd aCnodn Ecnodrd o of1 Drhayes C,h. uarnc h. ' t~e great Command ;f Jefus, whom they called Lord. . 1 S or of .Akxander Bifhop of Alexandri• But the rema~kabl~ and .trtglca De6 te about the Nature and Exiftence and.Arius his Pueft, l~ the~r lnow~tablea Confequence thereof, (as all Wri· of the Son ofGod, . ..wtth t e arne witneifeth to the Truth of what I fay. ters upon that S)lbJetl havd re~atSd( r efs of .Ariut . the Prefumption of The Bifhop's Cfunodfi~, and ~ eE~~~~n"ce and Simplicity -of the ~ext, and the one to expoun eyon t e hat would not bate the Blfhop any the captious Humour ofkt~e ~t~dr,. t the Church but Logically exalled Thing for his Ag.e, or Rfanh Re ke . tn from his old Paftor, firft began the the utmoft Far~hmg 0 t e ec omng. f Church and State fame Ages, fray: Which as it beca".\e ~hefo P:~i!e~~;{ b~n perfecured like Sheep by the fo it raged to Blodd-;..an t 0 e ai ft each other and made Sport Heathen not longb~foreht~r;t ~~lv::ei~ o?.vn Defiruttidn. Nay, fo much for the Jnjidelt, dcmg t ~~~ or o '1 fi her that he in his Oration, cal· rnoreChriftian was Tbemifllus the Phl 0 op ~ · for his Moderation~ led c 0 !-~ S ~ L, co~mended t~e Emp;r~!{ci:::;n':.,;hich profeft Chr~i· nnd advtfed htm to give that Ltbe~t{v~o feemed :o think, they never did ans, refufedSto .allo~a eaci~ os~~~ificing one another for Religion, even as God better ervtce, t 0 H. b r1 Shambles . foon as ever they h~ efcapet the ~~ral Heats Dh,ifions and Excommu.: Did we duly refle upon t e unn~uncils th;t were called, the fhong nications :1mong them, the many fl . s of Sees the .AnatbemaJ, the Baand tedious Debates h~ld, t~. Tran da~~:od-:foed that followed this unnJ!U• -nijhments, War.r, Sackmg.r, tre.r an . Controverfie one would venly rai Divifion, that fpr:tngRfrt~ fo. n~~f ahad been in ut~oft Hazard; that believe no lefs, th~n that e tgton It .e Ch ifiianity. and not, that all Judni{mor Paga11ijm were over·runnm\- ~ h 1 'Qpeftion was whe· tSis Stir had been made.a~~ut,fun {d,t}; or :v:~tfo~ Faith? In whi~h the ther Homoufia, or liomozouJra ou e rece . 1 we muft do Violence to Difference is but the fmgle Le~~e~ lh Ce~ta/t lien were followers of that our Underftanding, if we ~ant m t at .t ~ e d fir the World who hated Jef11;~ that loved his Enemzes and g~ve bud 8./' 0 'fnions. The Heotben Phi~ their Brethren :lnd jhed one another s Bloo or / b t ·maintained a better lo.{opb"s never were fo barbarous to one a not e1, u lfnderfia~ding and Behaviour in their DiJfc,toc~s . " ted. if their But how eafily might a\1 thefe Conf~fion:. t,WJ\e-dbecnf ~re'Y~~re .' fince all F•itb about Chrift h:ld been delivered m th(. t... s o M_"P ef~me to be Sides pretend to believe the Te"'/ J.A~d ~hy fhhonl~:1;Y Gh~ft f1•Tis ftrange, ~;~rG~J p~~~"Ch~iftMfu~~r1dfc0dbeb ~~;ri~::~~j,~li,'e~~~~fi~~v:e:~~te~h~~;. Mind 1 or that the Words u e Y t ~ ory 'J', ncf$ * VaL. I. An Addi'efs to' p,.iJteflan'ts. 7+i .tJelS, Ambiguity or Obliquity in them, that our [tail, Capacitie.r fhollld ;f)e J6]9. needed to make them more eafie, {>toper and intelligible. But that we ~ lbould fcarcely deliver any one Arrule of.F~itb in Scriptur~Terms, and y1et Pan II. make fuch .A.O.r the .Rule and .Bond ofCbrijhan Co,munion, is, in my Jud • sea. 2• ment, an Offence hamous agamit God and Holy Scripture, and yerJ injur~· ous to Cbriflian Charity and FeUowjhip. Who can exprefs <rny Ma,n's Mind fo fully, as himfe!H And fhall we allow that Liberty to our felves, an~ tefufe It to God? The Scrtpturt.r ~11me not in old Time (f'aid the Apofile Pe-ter) by the WiU of Man; h•t holy Men of God fp,,~c, IU they were moved by tbr HolyGhoft. Who can fpeak better, or exprefs the Mind of the Holy Gbojl platner, than the Holy Gbofl ? The Scripture is rhe grear Record of Truth, That which all thefe Parrie.r in Comroverjie agree to be die declared Mind and Will of God, and they unanimoufty fay, it ou§ht to be Of/ieved and profofl as f~tcb. If this be true, in what L:rngua'ge can We fo fafcly and properly declare our Belief of thofe Truths, as in the very Lang11age of the Scnpt11re? . . , And I cannot fee how thofe Perfons can be excufed in the Day of Godt Ju~gment_, who ma~e Men lieterodo": or liererica(, for refu,ling to fubfcribe theu Arndes of Faub that are not 10 Script~tre-Ter»u, }Vho in the fame Time offer to declare t~eirBelie~ of r;Jod, Chrifl~ Spirit" .Man's Lnpje or Fab, Repentance, San8'.ftcttllon, ]ujli.fiutlon, Sa!vatzon, Rif•rreflion.., and Eternal Rtc0!11penu in th~ LtJtttun_ge of Holy Scripture? I rnufi fay, it is prepof.. terous and a Contrad1Elion, that thofe who defire to deliver their Faith of Truth, in the Languttte of Truth, f'haJI not be reputed true &lievers, nor their Fairh admitted. This were to .fay, that therefore their Ft~ith is not to be received, becaufe it is declared in the Lantuage of that very Truth, Which is the Objetl of that Faith, foi which it ought to be received, and which is, on a11 Hands, concluded to be· our Dl4ty to believe. It feems then we mull not exprefs oar Belief of God in his Words, but our own ; nor iS ~~e J~;t{':.t;: grlfri~t",!,i,~~~:~:: Gl~~; to declare a true B_eliever, or Are not Things come to a fad pafs, that to refufe any other Terms tharl thofe the Holy Gbofl h::~s given us, and which are confeft to be the Rule or Form of fonnd Words, is to e~pofe a Man to the Cenfure of being tmfounJ in the Faith :l'nd unfit for Cbrifliah~Communion? WiiJ nothing do but Man's: Comment inftead of God's Text? His Gonfequences and Conclufions in the' Room of SacreJ Revelation?. l cannot fee how a fly M:Jn c;a!J be obliged to~ receive, or believe revealed Trqtb.r in an1 otbtr Langua~. th11n th111 of the Revelation it f elf; efpecially if thofe that vary the Ixpreffion, have. nor ~he fame Spirit to lead them in doing fo, or that it appears nQt to me that they have the Guidance of that Holy Spirit. If the Holy Gbojl had left Doubu in Scripture, which is yet irreverent to believe, I fee not how Men can refolve them; it is the Work of that Spirit. And fince Men are fo apt to err, Do.ubt.r are better left in Scripture, than made or left by us. But it is to crofs that Order of Prudtnce and Wifdom among Men, who chufe to conform their Expreffiont to the Thing they believe. If an honeft Man hath related a Story to me, offometbing he hath feen, and I am to declare my Pairb about it, if I believe the FaO, I will Ghufe to deliver ic in the Temu of the Relator, as being ncarefi ro the T,ruth. Suppofe a Father dying, makes his La:fl Will and TeflttiiJent, 01nd, as he' thinks, fo plain, that there can be no Miftake made by the Executor.r, but what is wilful: If they, inftead of proving. this Will, and aEHng according to the Plainnefs of ir, turn Commentator/, tnake more Difficulties th:m th~ .fin.~, and perplex the whole Mauer, to the Children and Legatees, :rn.d fend them [O the Law fo~ Right; will we not efteem .fuch Exumor.r ,{/ .illen, and jufti6e thofe Perfons concern"d in their R~ft~/al of their Par•· tt b. • !i phrafe? God ha1b at ft~ndry Timer a1td in Jiverft Ml!nnet.r, by his Prof!httf, e t. 1 .his Bt:lov~dSon and his Apojllesf delivered to the World a Declaralton, of his blc!fed Will; but fomc have cbim'd and taken to themfelves the Keepmg, Explanation and Uft of it1 (o.as thofe that. chufe to be concl~ded by riu: Llfllr and Text of Cbria s Teffament in it's moO imporltfnt Po111rs, ellpofe ~ C • tbemfclvco |
