ners thither, as much as presbyterial government was determined
in the church of Scotland before the reverend Assembly of Divines was
called. And this pre-engagement and predetermination of those reformed
churches was the main objection of the Arminians against the foreign
divines who came to the Synod of Dort. To conclude this point, Mr Coleman
himself, in his _Re-examination_, p. 7, avoucheth roundly, that the
foreign divines came to Dort, not as divines, by dispute and disquisition
to find out truth, but as judges, to censure all different opinions as
erroneous.

CHAPTER VII.

CALUMNIES CONFUTED, AND THAT QUESTION BRIEFLY CLEARED, WHETHER THE
MAGISTRATE BE CHRIST'S VICEGERENT.

Mr Hussey, in his title page, tells us he hath prosecuted the
argumentative part without any personal reflections, yet I could instance
divers personal reflections in his book which any moderate impartial man
will extremely dislike; but what should this be to the edifying of my
reader, the end which, next to the glory of God and the promoting of
reformation, I have proposed to myself? Yet I must needs take notice of
some calumnies.

First, In his _Epistle_, p. 8, he offereth it to be examined whether I was
not beside my text, Mal. iii. 2, when I pressed from it reformation by
ecclesiastical discipline: whether that refiner's fire and fuller's soap
doth not point at another and a nearer operation upon the souls and
spirits of men by the blood, word, Spirit, and grace of Christ: and
whether such handling of a similitude in a text be to preach the mind of
God, or men's own fancy. It is no discontent to me, but I shall rejoice in
it, that men of piety and judgment examine my doctrine by the word of God,
and hold fast what they find agreeable to the Scriptures, and no more. But
is this brotherly, or fair, or conscionable dealing, to offer my sermon to
be examined under such a notion, when he hath not only said nothing to
confute any of my doctrines, as not arising from my text, or any of my
applications, as not arising from my doctrines; but hath also untruly
represented my sermon, as coming short of, or not expressing that which
indeed it hath most principally and most expressly in it? That of
reformation was but a part of my sermon; and that of church censures,
against scandalous sinners, was but the least part of that part. And why
should not the fuller's soap in the house of God, take off those spots