An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches

§. 17. And they that will lay the stress of the Controversy on the Aptitude or the Event, must be men of some singular Conceits, and not of the common judgment of the Reformed Churches, the Lutherans, the Jesuits, or the Dominicans, if they ⟨p. 160⟩will disagree; for here we are commonly agreed.

§. 17. And they that will lay the stress of the Controversie on the Aptitude or the Event, must be men of some singular Conceits, and not of the common judgment of the Reformed Churches, the Lutherans, the Iesuites, or the Dominicans, if they ⟨p. 160⟩will disagree; for here we are commonly agreed.

§. 18. But as far as I can discern, most Contenders lay the Controversy upon the point of Divine Intention, Purpose or Decree: viz. Whether Christ as God did purpose to justify and save all men by his death? or else, Whether he purposed to do good to all men by his death? Which Purpose is nothing but God's eternal Will or Decree. And why then do they make two Controversies of Election and Redemption, when they mean the same in both? And here methinks there cannot easily be a difference. For (in a few plain words) whatever good Christ giveth to any, that he from Eternity decreed to give them: But we are agreed that he giveth not Salvation to all men, and yet that he doth give many and great Mercies to all men, and especially, that he hath given to the World (and not only to the Elect) an express conditional Pardon of Sin, and conditional Justification, Reconciliation▪ Adoption and Right to Glory: And sober Divines had rather say that this universal conditional Deed of Gift, is the effect of Christ's Sacrifice and Sufferings, than that God giveth it to one part of Men for Christ's death, and to the other part not for his death, but as without it. And we are agreed, that Christ doth give to some such special Grace, as shall and doth infallibly prevail with them to repent and believe, and also actual Pardon, Justification, Adoption and Salvation.