A Mistake, Title page – To the reader
A MISTAKE, OR MISCONSTRVCTION, REMOVED.
(Whereby little difference is pretended to have been acknowledged between the Antinomians and Us.)
AND, FREE GRACE, As it is held forth in Gods Word, as wel by the Prophets in the Old Teſtament, as by the Apoſtles and Chriſt himſelf in the New, ſhewed to be other then is by the Antinomian party in theſe times maintained.
In way of anſwer to ſome paſſages in a Treatiſe of Mr. John Saltmarſh, concerning that ſubject.
BY THOMAS GATAKER, B. of Divinity and Paſtor of Rotherhith.
LONDON, Printed by E.G. for F. Clifton, and are to be ſold at his ſhop on Fiſhſtreet-hill neer London-bridge. 1646.
To the Chriſtian Reader.
DUring the time of my reſtraint and confinement to my chamber; (which I am not yet wholy freed from) by a late ſickneſſe, that brought me very low, and ſome relapſes, that kept me down; being by a friend, that came to viſit and aſſiſt me, advertiſed, that there was a Treatiſe abroad, of one Mr. John Saltmarſh, (a man to me then, ſave by one or two ſhort Pamphlets, utterly unknown) wherein I was among other late writers produced, (traduced, I might ſay) as giving ſome Teſtimony to the Tenents of the Antinomian party: I could not but deſire greatly to ſee it; wondring not a little, asaforeign Plut. in apophth. & in Phoc. Phocion ſometime, what ſhould ſlip from my tongue or pen, that to that party ſhould be pleaſing. Having therefore, to ſatisfie my ſelfe therein, procured a ſight of the book, and finding therein the matter reported anſwerable to the report that had been made to me of it; I was the rather thereby induced to looke into the work; albeit the verybFree Grace: or, The flowings of Chriſts Blood freely to Sinners, &c. too long at full length to relate. ſpecious, glorious and deep promiſing Title it ſelfe, (which yet ſometime is wont to moove matter ofcMulta fidem promiſſa levant, ubi plenius aeqo Lavdat venales, quas vult obtrudere merces. Flaccus ad Florum. ſuſpition) that the Frontiſpice at firſt preſented me with, as affording upon an experiment of many yeers, a cleerer diſcovery of Jeſus Chriſt and the Goſpel, ſundry ſoul-ſecrets opened, and the Goſpel in its glory, liberty, freenes, and ſimplicity for ſalvation further reveiled; might have beendInſcriptiones propter q… vadimonium de…i poſſit. Plin. in praefat. hiſt. nat. a buſh ſufficient of it ſelf to invite to ſuch pretious pretended liquor, and to ſuch choiſe, abſtruſe and uſefull matter. I tooke ſome time therefore to read it thorough; and having upon a ſerious and adviſed ſurvey of it, obſerved, that not only the godly Miniſtry both of theſe and former times, (and as well the Divines themſelves as their Divinity) was therein grievouſly traduced; but the doctrine of the Goſpel alſo miſerably corrupted; I could not forbear, notwithſtanding my preſent weakneſſe, yet to ſtrain a little; and to hazzard the incurring of ſome inconvenience; partly for the cleering of my ſelf from compliance with thoſe, whoſe opinions both in Pulpit and by Pres I have publikely proteſted againſt; and partly to unbowel and lay open ſome part of that unſound ſtuff that lies cloſely couched in this covert vault; leaving the further proſecution and diſcovery of it to ſome other skilful Anatomiſts, of more ſtrength, and of better abilities for ſuch a buſineſſe then my ſelf. To this purpoſe I had inſerted the preſent diſcours a good part of it, by way of digreſſion, into a worke of another nature, that then hung in mine hands. but having diſpatched that, and finding it to have riſen to a far greater bulk then at firſt I intended, or expect d; in regard whereof it was not ſodainly like to ſee light; I thought good again to extract thence what concerned this ſubject, and having ſomewhat further enlarged it, to let it go by it ſelf, that it might the ſooner come abroad. If by it any may be ſtayed, that are but wavering or winding yet that way; or any ſtrengthened and warded againſt the wiles of ſuch as would withdraw them thereunto, (for of thoſe that are fixed on it, I conceive little hope) I ſhall have cauſe to bleſſe God for it, and to think my paines therein wel beſtowed. However, my prayer ſhal be to theeJam. 1.17. Father of lights, that he will be pleaſed in mercy, tofEpheſ. 1:18. enlighten the minds of his faithfull people amongſt us, with that Spirit of wiſdom and of light, whereby they may be enabled togforeign Rom. 2.18. Phil 1 10. Exp…orare qae diſcrepant. Beza. diſcern between ſound and ſeeming, between tru and fals lights; leſt miſtaking their way, while they are miſled by the latter, like thoſehIgnem fatuum qui ſequntur, in avia abducuntur, & in praecipitia f…ſla…que ſaepenumero ruunt, Leloger. l. 6. c 3. & K…ckerman. ſyſtem. Phyſ. l. 6. c …. that fondly follow ſome blazing meteores, they fall upon perilous and pernicious precipices to the ruine of their ſouls; and while they think to make a ſhorter cut of it, as imagining to have found out an eaſier and more compendious paſſage to heaven, declining thoſe paths, becauſe to fleſh and blood they ſeem the more harſh and unpleaſing that Gods Miniſters out of his word, have formerly chalked out unto them, inſteed of attaining what thereby they expected, they run hedlong on toward hell.