Baptismal Regeneration of Elect Infants Professed by the Church of England, To the reader – Bibliography
To the Readers
I Will not tediouſly preface touching either the occaſion of this Treatiſe, which wee may finde in the firſt Chapter; or any particular elſe that may be paſſed ouer without preiudice to You, or Me. I hauehave only theſe things wherof to advertize you, before yee enter on the booke it ſelfe.
1 I am certainly informed that ſome, hauing intelligence of my purpoſe of pubiſhing this worke, (which is tbe ſumme of ſundry Lectures deliuered in mine owneS. Magnus London. Charge) spare not to giuegive out that this is not the ſame which I preached. I cannot but wonder at their confidence and vncharitableneſſe, foraſmuch as I am ſure that, at the time of making ſuch their proclamation, they neither ſaw one line of my booke, nor knew what it containes. Only in generall, ſome of them hauehave heard it by Iudicious and eminent Divines, to be pronounced Orthodox: which it ſeemes, doth not a little trouble them, becauſe they hauehave divulged the contrary, of my Sermons. Howeuer they, by this, make it appeare before hand, that they are reſolued not to permit this tract to goe without a ſcratcht face, ſo ſoone as their nailes can come at it. I am therfore constrained for defence thereof to avouch, that I can (if need require) make it good by aboue 500 Witneſſes, that I hauehave beene ſo punctuall in ſetting downe, in this booke, the maine poſition which I first deliuered that I hauehave put it into the very ſame termes formerly vſed, without the least variation. I willingly confeſſe, that in the proſecution of the point, I hauehave here added ſome things by way of further illustration; and ſome alſo, for more ample confirmation; and preſſed ſome obiections further then the ſtreights of time would then admit. And if for this I be to blame, let wiſe men iudge.
2 Whereas most of the obiections porduced and anſwered in this treatiſe, hauehave beene firſt vrged vponupon me in private conference, or ſent me in writing by ſundry friends, whoſe worth I reuerence, & whoſe louelove I much affect, notwithſtanding their diſſent from me in this particular; I must craue leaue to profeſſe and protest before him that knoweth all things, that my aime is not ſo much as in my ſecret thoughts, to despiſe or disparage any of them hereby: but only to ſet downe their arguments, that thereby occaſion might be taken, more throughly to diſcuſſe this ſubiect. It is true that I hauehave ſometimes made vſe of the ſame phraſes firſt vſed by my friends to me: yet I deſire them to take notice that I hauehave only weighed their arguments impartially in the ballance of reaſon and truth, without the leaſt glaunce vponupon any of their perſons. And if I could hauehave beene aſcertained that none but they would euer hauehave lighted on the ſame obiections, I could as willingly hauehave ſuppreſſed them; as J doe the names of the obiectors. But becauſe what friends doe octiect in louelove, others may alſo preſſe to the preiudice of this truth, I hauehave made bold to make thoſe arguments thus publique, that their mouthes may be ſtopped, who elſe might happen to vrge the ſame with violence and paſſion enough, and thinke them vnanſwerable, if there ſhould no anſweres be ſent out to meet them. For their ſakes therfore hauehave J thus preſumed on my friends (whom I earneſtly deſire ſtill to hold deare vntounto me,) hoping they will not bethinke it to the publique good, nor hold themſelues diſparaged hereby, but rather reioice that they hauehave beene a meanes of a more exquiſite debate of this point, wherby the truth may be better knowne.
3 I hauehave a requeſt to all that ſhall vouchſafe to make vſe of this booke, that they will be at the paines to read ouer the whole, or forbeare to cenſure it by any peece therof, that they may happen to caſt their eye vponupon. For, in a point of controverſy, wherein method requires only explication in one part, confirmation in another; refutation in another; and often references from one part of the diſcourſe vntounto other places thereof, for avoiding of confuſion and tedious repetitions: it is impoſſible to receiue full ſatiſfaction by reading any one peece only, how ſatiſfactorie ſoeuer it may proue when it is conſidered altogether, and when the reſt is pervſed and weighed as well as that branch on which haſty and forward cenſurers doe ſometimes paſſe a ſharpe and heavy ſentence. If you pervſe the firſt part of this booke only, without the reſidue, yee may perhaps obiect divers things, and remaine vnſatiſfied becauſe ye goe not on to the latter part wherein all ſuch obiections together with anſwers to them, doe preſent themſelues in their proper rankes. On the contrary, if wee looke only on the latter part to ſee how the maine obiections be anſwered, yee may ſometimes haply ſticke (through your owne fault) at ſome of the anſweres, becauſe I take ſundry things for graunted which ye may doubt of till ye hauehave read the former part, wherein the ſame things are proued at large, and to which, in my anſwers the rules of Method often compell mee to referre you. Farewell.
A Table of the ſeverall Chapters of this Booke.
CAP. I. The Introduction declaring the Occaſion and Neceſsity of this Treatiſe. p. 1.
CAP. II. The State of the Poſition. pag. 11
CAP. III. The Agreement of this point to the Publike doctrine of our church. p. 22
CAP. IV. The point proued by Authority of Scripture. pag. 70
CAP. V. The iudgment of the Fathers of the Primitiue Church in this point. pag. 117
CAP. VI. The Agreement of it to the confeſsions of Reformed Churches. pag. 138
CAP. VII. The Iudgement of Forraine Divines in this point. p. 157. particularly of Calvine, Chameir, M. Bucer, …. Martyr, Muſculus, Fran: Iunius, Zanchius, Danaeus, Gerhardus Voſsius.
CAP. VIII. The Iudgment of ſome Divines of ſpeciall note in our own Church. p. 185 Biſhop Iewel, Doctor Whitaker, Dr Francis White now L. Biſhop of Norwitch. D Davenant now L. Biſhop of Salisbury, D. Fulk. and D. Featly.
CAP. IX. Six Obiections againſt the maine Poſition anſwered. pag. 231
CAP. X. Six other Obiections againſt the ſame Poſition anſwered. p. 296
The principall Authors quoted in this Treatiſe as giuing teſtimony to the maine aſſertion handled herein.
Fathers
Cyprianus.
Gregorius Nazien:
Athanaſius.
Baſilius Mag:
Chryſoſtomus.
Hieronymus.
Ambroſius.
Auguſtinus.
Confeſſions of Churches.
Heluetica.
Scoticana.
Belgica.
Gallicana & Genevenſis.
Argentinenſis.
Auguſtana.
Saxonica.
Wirtembergica.
Palatini.
Forraine Diuines.
Ioannes Calvinus.
Petrus Martyr.
Hieron: Zanchius.
Wolfgangus Muſculus.
Fran. Iunius.
Aug: Marloratus.
Mart. Bucerus.
David Pareus.
Lamb. Daneus.
Daniel Chameir.
Ger. Voſsius.
Engliſh Divines.
Biſhop Iewel.
Dr Whitaker.
Dr Fulke.
Dr Dauenant. B. of Sarum.
Dr White. B. of Norwitch.
Dr Featly.
Dr Ames.
Mr Richard Hooker.
Mr Thomas Rogers.
Mr Thomas Taylor, D. of Divinity.
Mr. Aynſworth.