The unjust mans doom as examined by the several kinds of Christian justice, and their obligation : with a particular representation of the injustice & danger of partial conformity / by William Smyth.

A PREFACE TO THE READER.

I Would willingly meet so much Cha∣rity and Ingenuity from thee, to be be∣lieved, while I pro∣fess that I propound to my self these two Designs in Publishing these Papers: First, That (by

the former part of my Dis∣course) I might contribute some∣thing towards the restoring the lost Principles and Practices of Christian Righteousness; & free the Notion of it from such Prejudices and Misprisions which some mens Doctrines, and manner of Preaching the Gospel, have brought upon it. And that the Scandalous Distinction (which the world have had too just a temptation to make, by the observation of some Profes∣sors Actions) between Godli∣ness and Civil Honesty, Piety, and Obedience, might for ever be removed and forgotten; and that all persons designing to be

Religious, and that do not fully understand their indispensable obligation to the performance of every part of that Justice in or∣der to their Salvation, might be delivered from the Ignorance of so considerable a part of Christi∣anity, and their Duty to God. For it is too notorious, that ma∣ny earnest Pretenders to Religi∣on, (by being so especially and continually called upon by their Teachers, to be righteous by the Person, and not the Religion of Christ, by the effects of his Me∣rits, and not as necessarily by obedience to his Precepts) even while they presumed to engross the Vulgars belief of being the

only men that are Godly and ho∣nest, have in contradiction to the very design of Christianity, & to the shame of it, been grosly Vnrighteous before God and man, by being so to their Superi∣ors (both civil and Ecclesia∣stick) as to Distributive Ju∣stice, nor so careful to free them∣selves from the imputation of being unjust in their dealings & transactions, as to Commutative. And though I have cast my Dis∣course of Christian Justice in∣to the Mould of a Sermon, occa∣sionally preach'd, to represent the Danger of Vnjust persons; yet if any man, being convinced of the necessity of doing Righ∣teousness,

that he may be Righteous, (1 John 2. 7.) shall resolve to engage himself in that excellent part of his Obe∣dience to God; I hope I have so carefully drawn the several Lines of Evangelical Justice, that he may be sufficiently instru∣cted in that part of Christiani∣ty, which may be accounted the Vniversal Religion of the World; that is, as extensive as Gods Love to Mankind or Christ's Death for it, and by which men of every Nation, even among them that are invincibly ign•••••••••• of Christianity, and so not criminally Vnbelievers, (if Charity may be allowed to

speak her Sense) may be accept∣ed for Christ's sake: that is, such as fear God, and do righ∣teousness) or Justice (for they are of the same signification) Acts 10. 35. according to the light God hath given them of their Obligation to it.

The next Design (in the lat∣ter Part of my Discourse) is to represent the Danger and Inju∣stice of Partial and Shuffling Conformity, and to measure the Dimensions of those many wrongs that have been done to the Church of England by it, in all her concerns: and that in order to the finding out the best Expedients, how to redress them

And this I have done without the least uncharitable reflection upon any Man or Parties of men, unless to reprove their miscar∣riages, which do so neerly in∣trench upon the very Design of Christianity and the Churches Peace, may be so interpreted. And I find upon the most serious examination of the Affairs of the Church since the Reforma∣tion, and the most unpassionate observation of things which have been seen done in our time (to which a great part of this present Age can give testimony) That Ministers Puritanizing in their Congregations in com∣pliance with some Forreign

Churches of different Models, Perswasions and Practices a∣gainst all their Obligations to do the contrary, (with considera∣tion had to our many sins for which God hath laid those hea∣vy Punishments upon us) to be the Original cause of the great Evils that befel the Church of England in the days of her Late calamity, of the many present Discomforts that are now upon it, and the threatning dangers that are before it. For these men so managed their business in their Churches, that the com∣mon People (many of which had honest minds, and upright de∣signs of being good) are insensibly

betrayed into such a dislike of the Government, Service, and universal Constitutions of the Church, that they were prepa∣red upon the least check of Au∣thority to require Conformity from them, to make it the Cause of God, and an eminent Act of Zeal for him, to deny all Obedience to it, if not to endea∣vour the universal overthrow of all its Peace and Order. So that I am not so uncharitable as to think, that all the People that were Enemies to the Church of England, hated it because it was good and innocent, but because (through these mens either design'd project of keeping

them in Ignorance; or through their own Inability to instruct them better) they understood it not; and being once prejudic'd with an ill Opinion, and presu∣med not to be Masters of so much Reason as to be able to ex∣tricate themselves from their Mistakes, and not likely to en∣tertain an instruction from them, whom they were taught to sus∣pect and oppose, its no wonder if they became such zealous & implacable Enemies to a Church of the most Catholick and Pri∣mitive Constitution in the World. Now the grand Argu∣ment which they put into the

Peoples Heads, to perpetuate their enmity against the Church of England, is, That the pre∣sent Constitution is a Disposi∣tion to Popery, and that the en∣crease of it is to be imputed thereunto, when themselves are only guilty of it: For though the Designs of the Factious & the Romanists are as distant as the two Poles, yet in this they Centre, that they aid one ano∣ther in the boldness of their Se∣parations, and allow a plausible temptation to such (who con∣sult nothing but the Interest of an unsecure and palliated Peace, or rather to prevent

some little trouble of preserving the Church in its Integrity) to endeavour an universal Tolerati∣on of all Perswasions, to the esta∣blished Churches infallible fall and ruine. But concerning this and all other wrongs done by them to the Church, the Reader is refer-red to the Dis∣course it self.

Now if by Gods blessing I may in any measure attain both my Designs; If by the first I may fully instruct Souls to live (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) Justly, one part of E∣vangelical Obedience in St. Paul's Division, (Tit. 2. 12.) And if by the second I can con∣tribute any thing towards the

cure of the Church of England's present Distempers, I shall not much consult what Entertain∣ment they shall have among such as are resolv'd enemies to both, and perhaps for that reason will be so to their Faithful Monitor,

W. S.