Salvation laid on its right foundation, or, The free grace of God prov'd to be the only ground of, and to have the alone stroke in, the matter of our salvation being the sum of two sermons / preach'd to a county auditory by an admirer of grace, and the freeness of it.

To his much Honoured, and his very good Friends, Capt. William Thompson, Esq. AND TO Madam Katherina, his Pious Consort. Salvation.

Much Honoured in our Lord,

THE great Acquaintance You have with, Honour for, and Delight in the Truths treated upon in the Subse∣quent Tract, strongly inclined me to this Dedication. —

I have no Design in publishing these Labours, of Cour∣ting the Applause of any, nor Recovering the Esteem I once had among some: I have Learned, to My own Master I stand or fall. That which engaged me in the Work, was a desire to put to my poor help in hand, for the clearing up, and mag∣nifying of that Glorious, Weighty and Soul-Refreshing Do∣ctrine of Salvation by Grace, which of late has been so strange∣ly o're clouded by the Mists and Fogs the Legalists have Raised. I confess I have all Reasons in my self to bow down under a sense of my Inability for so great a Work. But as one who de∣sires to be found Faithful, I cannot but endeavour an Improve∣ment of my One Talent; and should be much Raised in my Spi∣rits, if God should incline others to Imploy their Five in a Work so necessary at this day, in which the Doctrine of Salvation by Grace is Contemned, and greatly Aspersed; not only to the great Debilitating, but indeed Amazement of the Honourers of this Glorious Truth, though indeed the Wonder is somewhat lessen∣ed when we consider, That Every Man is an Arminian born; i. e.

such he is by nature, and therefore greatly in love with him∣self, and fond of his own Improvements, and so stifly bent to a Covenant of Works, that it is no easie matter to draw him off from priding himself with the Pharasaical Feathers of his own Performances; Stand by, for I am holier than thou, is a Distem∣per somewhat Epidemical; and God I thank thee, I am not as other Men are, has strangely seized the generality of Mankind; the folly of which, they shall readily acknowledge, when set on the other side of Eternity: for then those Justiciaries who have magnified Man, and presumed to exalt him at so high a rate, shall then freely own, that Man fallen, is poor, blind, wretched and naked, and at enmity with all that is truly good, and that he is never more remote, and far off from God, than whiles in high thoughts of himself, glorying in his own Under∣standing, Strength, Worthiness, and freedom of Will; which the stroaking himself with, makes him proud and presumptu∣ous; I say, this they shall then own, and the admirers of free di∣stinguishing Grace, would count it hall joy to see God convincing them of it now. Arminianism is a dangerous bottom, and the more, because it is so agreeable with corrupt Nature; it being natural to Men to think, that if they be saved, it must be by their own Merits and Worthiness, not from the free special distin∣guishing grace of God; and 'tis that which Arminianism brings Men to at last: for if God have not laid the Foundation of their Salvation on the bottom of free Grace, then they with what Helps they had common to them that are saved, and to them that perish, do make themselves to differ; and how God disho∣nouring a Principle this is, let our Enemies themselves con∣sider, it is no less than a robbing God of his Glory, which he has declared, He will not give to another; to which end, it is the Apostle bars and shuts out the desert of Works, from being causes of Salvation, Not of Works, least any Man should boast; clearly intimating, that nothing which we do, doe's merit our Salvation, or is a cause procuring it unto us.

Thus, Sir, and Madam, I am persuaded you have learned Christ; God having by his Servants, fed You with the finest of

the Wheat, and happily placed You in Your relation to a Church, where You are blest with the Sound of the true Shibboleth; the Strength that God in his rich mercy, is pleased yet to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to your Worthy Pastor, being greatly imployed in magnifying the freeness of God's Grace, and debasing proud Man, and all his empty performances; a Work which not only He, but all of an Evangelical Cast delight in, and Rejoyce to be promoters of; well knowing that as this is what they now own and preach, so it is what they shall Triumph in, in the Great Day, when such as have Exalted Grace, and the Freeness of it shall be Exalted by it: when, on the contrary, such as have Exalted empty Man, so as to detract or lessen the Glory of God, which is all in all in the matter of Man's Salvation, shall hang down their heads with shame and confusion of Face, and be Rejected as Friends to Antichrist, and Preachers of Popish, yea, Devilish Doctrine; for no better is that which puts Men upon seeing most in the Creature, and least in the Creator, who is God blessed for ever more.

I'll not detain You any longer in the Porch, only to hint, that it might have been thought necessary, by some that I should have given the World some account of those Graces which so eminent∣ly shine in each of You; a Theam so copious, that I should sooner want Words than Matter; but being well acquainted, how little You delight in it, and how every way unfit I am for it, I shall wave Encomiums of Praise, to bow my knees in Prayer, that God in the riches of his grace, would more and more enable each of You to put the hopes of Your Salvation out of your Selves, upon that which God hath done for you in Christ, and fling your selves by Faith, into the meritorious Arms of the Lord Jesus, adoring that grace, by which you have hope of be∣ing made meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light.

Now that our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting Consolation and good Hope, through grace, may comfort your Hearts, and establish you in every good Word and Work; shall be the earnest desire of him, who is for the temporal and eternal Happiness of You and Yours.

SIR and MADAM,

Your most humble Supplicant at the Throne of Grace. R.C.

Jan. xxix. 1698.

Notes

• Rom ••
• ••. 65 5. ••ke 18.11.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 2.8.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 9.