Whatever hard Ufage fhe has met with from others on every Side, yet she has always preferv'd her Temper, and exercised that Gofpel-Charity that fhe teaches; thinking it enough to fhew her Members the right Way to Heaven, without tumbling others headlong into Hell: Whilft That Church which affumes to itself the pompous Titles of Cathelick, Apoftolick, Infallible, &c. does freely and formally difpenfe her Anathema's againft whole Churches at once; nay, against all Churches whatsoever, that will not submit to her Impositions; cutting them off from the Poffibility of Salvation at a Stroke, and sending them down by Wholesale Quick into Hell. Any One that does but observe, what Pains is taken on fome Sides to Exclude all Others from Salvation, would be ready to fancy, that fure it must be Matter of Duty, and fo done for Confcience-fake; or elfe, that there must be some strange Pleasure in giving Men over to the Devil. What else could tempt a late * fowre, fa*This was turnine Author to reprobate, in a Manpreached An.1681, ner, the whole Race of Mankind to Eternal Damnation? The fhocking Pofition he lays down, and even attempts to prove by Scripture is This, "That not One of an Hundred "thou "thousand, nay probably, not One of Ten "hundred thousand, from Adam down to lin, Doctor tuled. us, should ever come to be Saved." I am* Lewis really fo Thunder-ftruck with this Do- du Moutrine, (this execrable Doctrine, that re- of Phyfick, flects fo difhonourably on God, and fo in a Pamuncharitably on Men,) that I know not phlet, Inin what Language of Aftonishment and MoralReAbhorrence to exprefs my felf: There- fections fore, all that I fhall fay, is, That fuch a Number Man must either have a very Good Opi-of the nion of himself, above the General Mafs Printed of Mankind, or else it is hard to con-in Quar ceive, how he could ever think of Dying to, 1080, with Comfort, or ever Live any one Day ry Year be of his Life with Peace and Quiet. upon the Ele&t, which ve dy'd, Aged 76. It was but the Tear before, that his Countryman and near Kinfman, Dr. de l'Angle, had feriously put him in Mind of his great Age, and the Account he had to make to God, for that Unchriftian Spi rit wherewith he had fo rudely treated many, especially the Church of England, and feveral of its very worthy Members, earnestly preffing him to Retract and Repent of his Rancour and Bitterness against them, &c. a Motion which he then received only with Derifion and Ridicule. [v. True Report of a Difcourse between Monfieur de l'Angle, and Lewis du Moulin, Printed 1679.] But mben, a While after, he found Death coming in good Earnest upon him, he could have no Satisfaction in his Mind, on bis Death bed, till be bad folemnly retracted, and publickly profelfed his great Sorrow for all his Reproaches and Invectives against them. Which Retradation of his, figned by himself at two different Times, before feveral Witnesses, was, (according to bis Defire) Fublifh'd foon after his Death, in Quarto, 1680. I Would Think the Best of all Men, and the most Charitably; but really Charity itself can hardly Think Well of fuch Men, Men, or Believe them, (whilft they continue fuch,) to be True Sons of the Gospel of Peace, the True Difciples of the Bleffed and Merciful Jefus; who was not only the Great Preacher of Love and Charity, but was himself the Greatest Pattern and Inftance of it, that ever was in the World; the Redeemer of Mankind, the Great Lover of Souls, who laid down his Life to purchase Heaven for Thofe, whom They are so ready to sentence to Hell-flames. But why do Such Men Profefs Chrift's Religion, or call themselves by his Name, whilst they Act fo very Contrary, both to his Precepts and Example? whilst they are Biting and Devouring, Judging and Condemning, Reprobating and Damning one another! And whetting and provoking one another to Wrath, inftead of Provoking one another, as the Apoftle injoins us, to Love and to good Works! But, God be Thank'd, that Mens Judgement is not Final: And O, what a Bleffing and Comfort it is, that we fhall, at laft, for our Final Sentence, fall into the Hands of God, and not into the Hands of Men! And therefore we may, at any Time, Appeal from Men's, to God's Judgment; as we find the Apostle does, in the Words immediately before my Text, ver. 4. He that Fudgeth me is the Lord -- Therefore (lays he) Judge Nothing before the Time, untill the II. Place to confider, That Judging and Sentencing Others, is not only Uncharitable towards Men, but is also highly Prefumptuous towards God. God has often declar'd himself to be, a God Jealous of his Honour. As he was the only Creator, fo he will be the only Governour and Judge of All the Earth: And if after he has been pleas'd to let us know, that he claims This as his Incommunicable Prerogative, we will prefume to thruft our felves into His Tribunal, to judge our Fellow Creatures; what is This, but to wreft the Sword of Juftice out of his Hands? To ufurp his Authority, To incroach upon his Prerogative, To Invade his Throne ? And is it not an intolerable Infolence for us poor Duft and Ashes, to put ourfelves into his Judgment-Seat! God himself challenges Job, Knoweft Fob 38. thou the Ordinances of Heaven? Or canst 33. Thou fet the Dominion thereof in the Earth? If we cannot, should we not dread to Rush within the Veil? To Pry into the Secret Records of Heaven? St. John makes it a very tremendous Thing to attempt to look into the Secret Counfels of God, and impoffible either for C Men V. II. was Rev. 5.1. Men or Angels. I faw, (faith he) in the Right Hand of Him that fat upon the Throne, a Book Sealed with Seven Seals; And a Mighty Angel proclaiming with a loud Voice, who is worthy to open the Book, and to loose the Seals thereof? Now, tho' there were at that Time Many Angels and Numbers of Men, Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand, and Thousands of Thousands round about his Throne, yet not One of all thefe, nor of any other in Heaven, nor in the Earth, neither under the Earth found able to open the Book, nor to loose the Seals thereof, nor fo much as to look thereon. What Boldness then is it for us Mortals to Search into God's Hidden Purposes? Or to pretend to be fo well verf'd in the Secret Characters of Heaven, as to Read Men's Final Doom there? To Pronounce who fhall be Sav'd, and who fhall be Damn'd; which fome have almost as Peremptorily Done, as if the Books of Life had lain Open before them. . Whilft we thus arrogate to our felves the Judgment of our Brethren, we not only Ufurp a Right, which we have not over them; but we do plainly arrogate to ourselves the Incommunicable Attributes of God. The Pfalmift tells us, that Righteousness and Equity are the Habitation of his Seat, and that Mercy |