Free and Impartial Thoughts, on the Sovereignty of God, The Doctrines of Election, Reprobation, and Original Sin: Humbly Addressed To all who Believe and Profess those Doctrines.Finch, Richard
Religion
Free and Impartial Thoughts, on the Sovereignty of God, The Doctrines of Election, Reprobation, and Original Sin: Humbly Addressed To all who Believe and Profess those Doctrines.
Finch, Richard
Theology, Doctrinal -- Early works to 1800
This proves, I think clearly, on what Authority the Doctor himself
believes these _Doctrines;_ and whoever knows, how _common_ it is
for Men of _this_ Faith, to make a specious Shew of reasoning with
others on a Principle of moral Fitness, and among themselves,
without Scruple, resolving all into mere _Sovereignty_, will not
think I have been too forward or severe in my Observation. I
_humbly_ presume, what I have offer'd against this Notion of _God's
Sovereignty_, is a plain Confutation of the Doctor; and I here, with
all due Submission, invite _him_, or any of his _Brethren_, to
defend _the Doctrines;_ and _this Quotation_, against me. If they
_do really_ resolve these Doctrines into _God's Sovereignty_, let
them speak it out plainly; if they _do not_ believe them in this
Sense, let them speak that out plainly too; that we may clearly
understand, in what _determinate Sense_, they do believe them.
The Doctor has taken a great deal of Pains to make the World
believe, that Christ died for all Men, when it does not appear, that
he himself believes any such thing. Hear him, _Page_ 89, "And
methinks, when I take my justest Survey of this lower World, with
all the Inhabitants of it, I can look upon it no otherwise, than as
a huge and magnificent Structure in Ruins, and turned into a Prison,
and a Lazar-house, or Hospital; wherein lie Millions of Criminals,
and Rebels against their Creator, under Condemnation to Misery and
Death, who are at the same time sick of a mortal Distemper, and
disorder'd in their Minds, even to Distraction: Hence proceed those
infinite Follies, which are continually practised here; and the
righteous Anger of an offended God is visible in ten thousand
Instances: yet there are Proclamations of Divine Grace, Health, and
Life, sounding amongst them; either with a louder Voice, or in
gentler Whispers, though very few of them take any Notice thereof.
But of this great Prison, this Infirmary, there is here and there
one who is called powerfully, by Divine Grace, and attends to the
Office of Reconciliation, and complies with the Proposals of Peace;
his Sins are pardoned, he is healed of his worst Distemper; and
tho', his Body is appointed to go down to the Dust, for a Season,
yet his Soul is taken upwards to a Region of Blessedness; while the
Bulk of these miserable and guilty Inhabitants, perish in their own
wilful Madness and by the just Executions of Divine Anger."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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