Some Stop to the Gangrene of Arminianism, Title page – To the reader
Some ſtop to the GANGRENE OF ARMINIANISM, Lately promoted by M. John Goodwin' in his Book entituled, Redemption Redeemed. OR, The Doctrine of Election & Reprobation IN SIX SERMONS Opened and cleared from the old Pelagian and late Arminian Errors.
By RICHARD RESBURIE, Miniſter of the Goſpell in Oundle in Northamptonſhire.
LONDON, Printed for John Wright at the Kings-Head in the OLD-BAYLY. 1651.
To the Reader.
Reader,
THou haſt here a ſmall piece preſented to thy view, which hath above theſe three years laine concealed with the Author, as thou mayeſt perceive by the Imprimatur; neither had it yet looked abroad, had not thoſe main Truths of God in it aſſerted concerning his Electing and Redeeming Grace, whereon eſpecially the throne of his glory is raiſed, wherein is the peculiar treaſure of his Saints, been of late by the daring hand of that unhappy man M. John Goodwin, in his wretched Treatiſe by him called, (but miſcalled) Redemption Redeemed, been ſo highly aſſaulted. In the firſt place my hearty Prayer is, The Lord rebuke him; and if that peculiar grace which for the preſent he ſo ſeriouſly deſpiſeth, and ſo boldly bids defiance to, ſhall yet magnifie it ſelfe in ſaving him, though by fire, yet let the zeal of the Lord for his own moſt precious truth burn his worke, for it is ſtubble: Nay, when ever that grace ſhall viſit him indeed, with the diſcovery of the truth, as it is in Jeſus, his own hands will be forward to pul down what he hath built. In the ſecond place my hopes are, and indeed my confident expectation, that the Spirit of the Lord ſhall ſend forth ſome faithfull aſſertors of his Truth, not only to encounter him, but to confound his Doctrine, and for the good of his Elect ones in this Nation, ſuch of them as through weakneſs of judgement, and unskilfulneſs in the myſterie of Chriſt, are liable to be ſeduced by ſuch a Spirit of Errour, (onelyonly the foundation of God ſtands ſure,) to ſtrike his weapons out of his hand, as they have been already ſtruck out of the hands or his great Maſters Arminius and Corvinus, and the reſt of that miſchievous faculty: Neither hath he, for ought I can (and without partiality) diſcerne, at all repaired their loſſe, onelyonly concealing it from vulgar eyes, he treads with confidence in their beaten ſteps, and that nothing may want to ſet it off bravely, challengeth an whole Univerſity to remove him. (Doubtleſſe ſuch modeſty and ingenuity, muſt needs be the character of the Spirit of Truth in him:) In the meane time till a further Antidote ſhall be prepared by a more skilfull hand, I have adventured to adminiſter this which lay by me, if the Lord may pleaſe to bleſſe it for ſome checke to that ſpreading poiſon. And this let me ſay, though it be no Anſwer directed foreign to his Booke, for it was compoſed long before his diſcourſe ſaw the light, yet doth it mainly inſiſt upon the foundation of all, viz. the Decrees of God, endeavouring to cleare according to the Scripture, (the onelyonly key of this Myſtery,) the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation, which being once well ſetled, his errors about the following Doctrines, that of Redemption, the perſeverance of the Saints, &c. are ſmitten at the root; withall in the proſecution of thoſe forenamed Decrees, the other Doctrines controverted fall in to be diſcourſed; neither have I declined the maine Objections which by the Arminian Family are wont to be made about theſe Doctrines; ſo that the ſubſtance of the whole Controverſie is therein handled: But the beſt account I can give hereof, is briefly to ſet down the order of the Treatiſe, which is as followeth.
In the firſt and ſecond Sermon is handled the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation joyntly, and this in opening the ninth Chapter to the Romans, from Verſ. 1. to 24. wherein the Abſolute Decree is maintained. In the third Sermon the Doctrine of Election apart, and therein Abſolute Election further aſſerted. In the fourth Sermon the Doctrine of Reprobation apart, and therein Abſolute Reprobation proved. In the fifth Sermon thoſe Texts of Scripture cleared which are wont mainely to be objected againſt the Doctrines in this Diſcourſe maintained, and therein the Arminian Doctrines, 1. About the antecedent and conſequent Will: 2. About the improvement of naturalls, for the obtainment of ſpiritualls, examined. In the ſixth and laſt Sermon three other Objections are anſwered; 1. That which chargeth the former Doctrine as making God the Author of ſinne. 2. That which chargeth the ſame Doctrine as rendring God cruell, or at leaſt not ſo mercifull as the Scripture repreſents him. 3. That which chargeth it with deſpoiling man of the liberty of his Will, and indeed here is the Diana. In theſe Objections are the knots; I have therefore ſingled them out, not that I have ſuch an overweening opinion of my ſelfe, as to thinke my ſelfe amongſt the ableſt to unite them, but indeed very farre below many of my brethren. But, 1. It is not faire dealing with a Controverſie to paſſe by the main Objections: 2. I hope what is here ſaid in anſwer to them may not be without fruit, for the further eſtabliſhment of ſome in the Truth. 3. I was willing hereby to give occaſion to ſome one or other Scribe in this our Iſrael more throughly inſtructed unto the Kingdome of Heaven, to bring out of his treaſure things new and old, for ſetting theſe precious Truths of God more faire in the eyes of his people: And here I now thanke Mr. Goodwin, whoſe darkneſſe, I doubt not, will occaſion more light, his boldneſſe (confident I am) will excite modeſty; I will not ſay, what an edge his ſometimes imperiall dictates, inſtead of Arguments, (as is the Arminian mode) ſometimes his monſtrous Concluſions, ſometimes his wreſted Quotations, ſometimes his uncouth Philoſophy, ſometimes his conſequentiall Blaſphemy, will put upon the ſpirits of ſome whom the Lord ſhall honour to reſcue his Truth out of his hands, onelyonly I am perſwaded the zeale of the Lord will doe it: Which, and a fruitfull bleſſing thereupon, ſhall be the earneſt Prayer of
(Reader) Thy Servant in and for the Truth, Richard Resbury.