The Scripture Gospel defended, and Christ, grace, and free justification vindicated against the libertines…

The Preface long ago written.

Reader,

IT was the Army and Sectarian Antinomians (more fitly called Libertines) who first called me in the year 1645. and 1646. to study better than I had done the Doctrine of the Covenants and Laws of God, of Redemption and Justification: I fetched my first resolving thoughts from no Book but the Bible, specially Mat. 5, and 6, and 25. Grotius de Satisfactione next gave me more light. While I was considering many mens friendly Animadversions on my Aphorisms, and answering some (that more differed from each other than from me) it increased light, especially the Animadversions of Mr. George Lawson. My Writings against the Antinomians had success beyond my expectations, though some good men of the Party called Independent, having more heat than light, deceived by the notions of some that had spoken injudiciously before them, cast out suspicions and contradictions in a jealousy that I encroached on the honour of Free Grace: I mean such men as prefaced the Book called The Marrow of Modern Divinity, which on pretence of Moderation is Antinomian or Libertine, and very injudicious and unsound: And others Books (such as Paul Hobsons, Mr. Saltmarshes, Bunyan on the Covenants, &c.) which ignorantly subverted the Gospel of Christ, came out on the same business, and revealed mens mistakes on pretence of revealing the Mystery of Free Grace.

IT was the Army and Sectarian Antinomians (more fitly called Libertines) who first called me in the year 1645. and 1646. to study better than I had done the Doctrine of the Covenants and Laws of God, of Redemption and Justification: I fetcht my first resolving thoughts from no Book but the Bible, specially Mat. 5, and 6, and 25. Grotius de Satisfactione next gave me more light. While I was considering many mens friendly Animadversions on my Aporisms, and answering some (that more differed from each other than from me) it increased light, especially the Animadversions of Mr. George Lawson. My Writings against the Antinomians had success beyond my expecations, though some good men of the Party called Independent, having more heat than light, deceived by the notions of some that had spoken injudiciously before them, cast out suspicions and contradictions in a jealousie that I encroached on the honour of Free Grace: I mean such men as prefaced the Book called The Marrow of Modern Divinity, which on pretence of Moderation is Antinomian or Libertine, and very injudicious and unsound: And others Books (such as Paul Hobsons, Mr. Saltmarshes, Bunyan on the Covenants, &c.) which ignorantly subverted the Gospel of Christ, came out on the same business, and revealed mens mistakes on pretence of revealing the Mystery of Free Grace.