To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
I Find him here too continuing in his angry fit;* 1.1 yet the same good nature of his that was pleased a little be∣fore to furnish us with some of his deep speculations in State-Policie, hath condescended likewise to acquaint us with a point of Christian Policy, that (as he thinks) may be of high concernment; but I fear he will upon Exami∣nation be found as errant a Pedler in this kind of Politicks as in the former. He saith, According to the best Principles
of Christian Policy, such men who are like to thrust the best of those back from working in the Lords Harvest, whom the Lord of the Harvest thrusts forward to his work there, are not to be invested with any such power and authority by which they shall be enabled to do such d••s-service both unto God and men. But such are the persons, at least the far greater part of them (and such they were before their Intrustment) who by the Commissions aforesaid, are made the authorized Judges of the judgments of all the publick Ministers of the Nation, though they are and were (in respect of their Spirit, Principles, and Tenets) not only like to presume and under∣take to prescribe unto God and Jesus Christ, who, and what manner of Persons, they should do well to employ in the pub∣lick Ministry, and again▪ who and what manner of persons, it would be expedient for them to reject and put by from that employment; but, further, more generally to recommend and order unto them (that I say not, obtrude upon them) for the service, men far lesse competent, than many of those whom they (God I mean, saith he, and the Lord Christ) do recom∣mend daily and providentially send unto them for their Ap∣probation and yet are disallowed and rejected by them.
Well said Mr. G. If these things be so, they in Authority have great reason to ken you thanks (Sir) for the discovery; but had ill luck they had not so foreseeing a Politician to advise with in the Council, because you (it seems) like a wise Aruspex, are able to make an inspection into the in∣ward parts, and from thence collect a Judgment: You (it seems) could beforehand have acquainted them with the hearts of those whom they chose to be Commissioners, and told them, before the Instrument, what a sort of men they were like to prove. Indeed, it was a mighty oversight, that you were not advised with about the Choice of them; then doubtless the Ordinances or Commissions had been good, and all would have been well, had the Commissioners been of your own grave Opinion and Appointment. In the mean time, the Commissioners are such as are all well known to the people of God throughout the Nations; and if they were not, yet it is Argument enough on their behalf,
that they were thought fit to be entrusted by a Prince and his Council, most renowned for piety throughout the Reformed Churches; and it is not the least part of their vindication, that your Greatness hath been pleased to cast so many Revilings and Reproaches upon them, which (knowing who, and what you are) they are willing to wear as Garlands and Crowns of honor about their heads.
But Mr. G. would seem to have some Reason for his dis∣pleasure against them, because he saith they take upon them to prescribe unto God and Jesus Christ who and what manner of persons THEY should do well to imploy in the work of the Ministry, and whom to reject; and to obtrude others upon THEM, viz upon God, and the Lord Christ, who are less able and fit for this work. This is the sum of the business; wherein I cannot but take notice of the manner of Mr. G. his expression in these words, [God, and the Lord Jesus Christ] They (in the plural) being twice repeated at length, as if he intended some more then ordinary Emphasis thereby. I shall not make a business of it to insist further upon the Expression; nor should I have stood still at it by the way, if any other kind of man had used it: But when I consider who penned it, and how he hath dipt himself in other desperate Opinions and Phant'sies, a little matter may give an occasion to fear lest he be ready to take some other new Vagary (being already upon the way) and run over to Arius and Socinus, with the rest of his Brother-Wits, whose ambition it was to have their Names stand upon Record, as the great Masters of Reason in the My∣steries of Religion. But to the business in hand.
Whereas he saith, The Commissioners prescribe unto God whom he should employ in the work of the Ministry, and whom he should reject, and obtrude others upon him who are lesse able; he gives us no more for the proof of this than of the rest of his Arguments. The Commissioners are so far from prescribing unto God, that they follow the prescript of Gods Word in employing or rejecting men, and make that their Rule, the Rules given them by
our Governors in the two Ordinances being all either set down in, or derived from and grounded upon the Word by necessary and undeniable Consequence, as is evident to any man that doth but read the Particulars enumerated in the Ordinances: And you may be sure it is so; otherwise Mr. G. being streightned in his Arguments for want of real and solid matter against the Commissioners and their Commis∣sions, would have taken occasion to enlarge himself upon them all, rather than have recourse (as he hath done all along) to feeble and groundless Allegations of Falshood and Scandal, to fortifie himself in his design against them. But the Commissioners are (he saith) to blame for ap∣proving men that are less competent, and disallowing others whom God and Christ do recommend unto them for appro∣bation, and who are more competent for the work of the Gospel. But who are those whom God recommends as more com∣petent? Even those persons, he tells us, who are qualified to teach the just compass and extent of the grace of God in the death and Gospel of his Son. That is to say, those who teach the extent of the grace of God in the death of Christ ac∣cording to his sense, just as he himself hath calculated it for the Meridian of Coleman-street, yet so as that the Influence of it may (in his conceit) indifferently serve for all the sons of Adam without distinction throughout the world; which is indeed of such an extent and compass, that it will stretch any mans brains, and the whole Scripture too, (as Mr. G. very well knoweth) to bring the grace of God to such a latitude, as that it shall reach to all men alike. They that can do this, are not only men of competent, but reaching Parts and Pates indeed; and a pleasing Doctrine it is to the carnal part of the world, who thereupon presuming that it is in the power of their own Wills to return and re∣pent, and lay hold (at any time when themselves please) upon the grace of God, are by such doctrine encouraged to make use of their young days at their own liberty, and to stretch their Consciences to the full compass and extent of their own lusts, having this comfortable Reserve within their thoughts, That they can leave it off when they are old,
and take their own time to think of Christ (having an in∣terest in his death already) and grow better at leisure; and (having the word of so reverend and learned a Preacher as Mr. G. to bear them out) that it must be their own fault, if for all this they do miscarry in the business. This doctrine is of a brave latitude indeed, it including vir∣tually as the Root, all the Fruits of Ungodliness and Un∣righteousness that break forth into the world: For, when men grow audacious and continue in the commission of sins, it is generally upon this account, that by some secret suggestion of Satan and their own corrupt hearts, they are induced to flatter themselves thus, that they will mend and do otherwise ere long, thereby posting off repentance from time to time, upon a vain supposition, that Redemption by the blood of Christ is so comprehensive and of such a lati∣tude, that all men are interested therein alike; so that the work being done on Christs part already, there remains nothing now on their part, but to claim an interest in it, which they can do a year or two, or seven, or twenty, forty years hence, as well as now, seeing there wants nothing but their own good will to the business; and rather than be wanting in that, they can set their Wills on work when they will themselves, unless you can imagine they would be so foolish as to neglect their own salvation, and tumble voluntarily into hell when it is in their own power to avoid it. This is a Doctrine of a rare Extent indeed, that fetcheth all manner of wickednesses (more or less) into the world: It helps to people Bridewell, stock Newgate, and feed Ty∣born, under the protection and instruction of the Pens and Pulpits of Mr. G. and those more competent Sons of his whom he baptizeth into that wretched Opinion of the Universal extent of Redemption, (viz. of the Benefits of the death of Christ) to all the world, to wit, every indi∣vidual person. And therefore certainly, the Magistrate and the Commissioners for Approbation cannot chuse but conceive it much concerns them to assign maintenance to men on purpose to propagate it, and the other attendant Phant'sies, by preaching for the encouragement, exceeding
consolation and conveniencie of all the impious, dissolute, and profane persons in the world: Especially Mr. G. having passed his word, that they are Preachers of Gods own re∣commendation. And so I leave this commendable Argu∣ment, passing on to the Twelfth.
Mr. G. his eleventh Ar∣gument.