Contents of Volume 2.

THE WORKS

OF THE

REVEREND JOHN FLETCHER.

Late Vicar Of Madeley.

IN FOUR VOLUMES.

SCHMUL PUBLISHERS

SALEM, OHIO

1974

Rev. John Fletcher

CONTENTS OF VOLUME 2.

1. SCRIPTURE SCALES, TO WEIGH THE GOLD OF

GOSPEL TRUTH, — PART FIRST, — BEING THE SECOND

PART OF AN EQUAL CHECK TO PHARISAISM AND

ANTINOMIANISM.

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Prefatory Epistle. — Description of a true Protestant — The author’s three protests.

Section I. The cause of the misunderstanding of pious Protestants — View of the Gospel axioms or weights of the sanctuary,

II. General observations on God’s free grace, and man’s free will — Salvation originally of the former, and damnation of the latter, III. The golden beam of the Scripture scales — The chains by which they are suspended, and a rational account of the origin of evil, IV. Remarks on the terms of the two covenants — Salvation and damnation have two causes — The glory of Christ, and original merit, balanced with the importance of obedience and derived worthiness, V. The importance of faith balanced by that of works, VI. The moral law of Christ, and that of Moses, one and the same; and the Sinai covenant an edition of the covenant of grace,

VII. The doctrine of the preceding section weighed in the Scripture Scales, VIII. What is God’s work, and what our own — The two are balanced, IX. The most wonderful work of free grace, the redemption of the world balanced with the most wonderful work of free will, the obstinate neglect of that redemption,

X. The doctrine of free grace, and that of free will, farther maintained, XI. A rational and Scriptural view of the ninth chapter to the Romans, XII. Of an unconditional election of sovereign grace, and a conditional election of impartial justice,

XIII. A view of St. Paul’s doctrine in the first chapter to the Ephesians,

2. SCRIPTURE SCALES. — PART SECOND.

Preface. — An invitation to the contending parties to end the controversy, Explanation of some terms used in this work,

Section I. The Scripture doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, II. The doctrine farther weighed in the Scripture Scales, III. The declaration of our Lord and his apostles concerning fallen believers,

IV. A double declaration proposed to guard the doctrines of free grace and free obedience,

V. The doctrines of free grace and free will farther maintained by Scriptural arguments,

VI. How prescience is consistent with liberty,

VII. President Edwards and Voltaire’s doctrine of necessity considered and refuted

VIII. The doctrines of free grace and free will, here maintained, are the very doctrines of the primitive Church, and Church of England, IX. The curliest fathers held the doctrine of the Scripture Scales, X. The marriage of free grace and free will reflects no dishonour on God’s sovereignty,

XI. The Scriptures hold forth first and second causes, and primary and subordinate motives,

XII. The author sums up the opposite errors of Zelotes and Honestus, and invites them to a speedy reconciliation,

3. THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE AND JUSTICE.

Section I. A plain account of the Gospel, and its various dispensations — It holds forth the doctrines of justice as well as those of grace, II. Remarks on the two Gospel axioms upon which the doctrines of grace and justice are founded,

III. By whom Chiefly the Gospel axioms were systematically parted, IV. Luther and Calvin did not restore the balance of the Gospel axioms; but Cranmer did,

V. The two modern Gospels, and their dreadful consequences,

4. THE RECONCILIATION; OR, AN EASY METHOD TO

UNITE THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

Section I. The sad consequence of the division of those who make a peculiar profession of faith in Christ,

II. Moderate Calvinists and Arminians may be easily reconciled to each other,

III. Eight pair of opposite propositions on which the opposite doctrines of grace and justice are founded,

IV. Bible Calvinism and Bible Arminianism stated in two essays, V. Inferences from the two essays

VI. A plan of general reconciliation and union between moderate Calvinists and Arminians,

VII. Directions how to secure the blessings of peace and brotherly love, VIII. Farther motives to a speedy reconciliation,

5. REMARKS ON MR. TOPLADY’S SCHEME OF

CHRISTIAN AND PHILOSOPHICAL NECESSITY.

Introduction,

Section I. A view of Mr. Toplady’s scheme — It represents God as the first cause of all sin and damnation,

II. His error is overthrown by fourteen arguments,

III. Twelve keys to open the passages of Scripture on which he founds his scheme,

IV. The capital objections of the necessitarians to the doctrine of liberty answered,

V. The doctrine of necessity is the capital error of the Calvinists, and the foundation of the most wretched schemes of philosophy and divinity,

6. ANSWER TO MR. TOPLADY’S VINDICATION OF THE

DECREES.

Introduction,

Section I. The Calvinian scheme evidently implies that some men shall be saved, do what they will; and others damned, do what they can, II. Calvinism upon its legs: or a full view of the arguments by which Mr. Toplady attempts to reconcile Calvinism with God’s holiness, III. Mr. Toplady appeals in vain to Scripture and reason to support the absoluteness and holiness of the Calvinian decrees,

IV. Calvinian reprobation cannot be reconciled with Divine justice, V. Much less can it be reconciled with Divine mercy,

VI. A view of the manner in which Mr. Toplady attempts to prove Calvinian reprobation from the Scriptures,

VII. The arguments answered by which Mr. Toplady tries to reconcile Calvinism with a future judgment, and absolute necessity with moral agency,

VIII. Mr. Toplady’s arguments from God’s prescience answered, IX. An answer to the charges of robbing the trinity, and encouraging Deism,

X. Mr. Toplady attempts in vain to retort the charge of Antinomianism, and to show that Calvinism is more conducive to holiness, than the opposite doctrine,

XI. A caution against the tenet, “Whatever is, is right,” XII. Some encouragements for those who, from a principle of conscience, bear their testimony against absolute election and reprobation,

7. POLEMICAL ESSAY.

Preface. — Reasons of the title given to this tract — The doctrines of the heathens, the Papists, and Calvinists, concerning the purgation of souls from the remains of sin — The purgatory recommended in this book, Section I. The doctrine of Christian perfection placed in a Scriptural light, II. Pious Calvinists dissent from us chiefly because they confound the law of innocence, and the law of liberty, or Adamic and Christian perfection,

III. Objections against this doctrine solved merely by considering the nature of Christian perfection,

IV. The ninth and fifteenth articles of our Church, properly understood, are not against the doctrine of Christian perfection — That our Church holds it, is proved by thirteen arguments,

V. St. Peter and St. James declare for Christian perfection, VI. St. Paul preached Christian perfection, and professed to have attained it,

VII. St. Paul was not carnal, and sold under sin — The true meaning of Galatians 5:17, and of Romans 7:14, VIII. An answer to the arguments by which St. Paul’s supposed carnality is generally defended,

IX. St. Paul presents us with a striking picture of a perfect Christian, by occasionally describing his own spirituality,

X. St. John is for Christian perfection, and not for a death purgatory, XI. Why the privileges of believers under the Gospel cannot be justly measured by the experience of believers under the law of Moses, XII. A variety of arguments to prove the absurdity of the twin doctrines of Christian imperfection and a death purgatory,

XIII. A variety of arguments to prove the mischievousness of the doctrine of Christian imperfection,

XIV. The arguments answered, by which the imperfectionists support the doctrine of the necessary indwelling of sin till death, XV. The doctrine of Christian perfection is truly evangelical — A recapitulation of the Scripture proofs whereby it is maintained, XVI. The distinction between sins and infirmities is truly Scriptural — An answer to Mr. Henry’s grand argument for the continuance of indwelling sin,

XVII. An address to perfect Christian Pharisees,

XVIII. To prejudiced imperfectionists,

XIX. To imperfect believers, who embrace the doctrine of Christian perfection,

XX. Address to perfect Christians,