and e9Vioral Works. SECT. XVIII. Of Perfeverance, and the certainty of it, in order to certainty of Salvation, and true Comfort. 257. Noman can be further certainof his final salvation, thanhe is certain of his perfeverance in Faith and Love. 258. Therefore it is a (mall number of Chriftians comparatively that ever were certain of their salvation. For r. No one that is uncertain of hisfncerity is certainof his Salvation. 2. Noone that holdeth this Dottrine [ That the Saints thatare juftified may fall away, and that we cannot be lure ofperfeverance, ] can be foreof his own Salvation. It's hard toconceive how he can be certain, who holdeth that noman can be certain Now thole that hold this Dottrineare, almoftall the Pupils, theArminians, the Lutherans, andas far as I can learnbytheir Writings, all theancient Writersfor athoufand years after Chrift. And the semi- pelagiansand Pelagian, no man will put in as an exception, except jovi- seianalone; againft whomJerome writinghis fecond Book chargethhim as holding that a man truly baptized by theSpirit, could not fin : No doubt he meant, [ to damnation or mortally] : But it's doubtful what his Opinion was. Auguftine's report of him is of nogreat moment, who as Erafnus noteth (in his Argues. in Hier. adv. yovin.) neither had teen joviniansBook or Hieorm's but fpake by report. And /baths, Profper and Fulgentins thought that all the Elel perfeve- redas Elea, being chofen to perfeverance; but that more were truly fanli fled, jufhified, and in aftate of Salvation had they fo died than we'd elel r That all thefe fell away and perished. That no mancould be certain whether or no he were ele&, and fhould perfevere. Sothat they denied all certainty of Salvation by ordinary means. And that noneof all the Greekor Latin Fathers, then, or longafter, went further from the Pelagian, than Augufiine did, I think Ineed not perfwade any, that bath read them. 259. This hiftorical Truth is ufeful tobeknown : Fromwhence I in- fer, that it is poffible for Chriftians to live in fetled peaceand comfort, in refpel to their heavenly Felicity, without a certainty ofperfeverance andsalvation. For to think that no Paps, no Greeks, no Arminian, noProteft ant Lutherans, nor any ofthe ancient holy Dolor,, norany of all the Martyrs or other Chriftians of their judgment, did attain to fuch holy peace and comfort , is unreafonable, and contrary to all Church- Hiftory, and toexperience. 26o. And though it were a far more joyful Rate to have propercer- tainty, yet reafon and experience inother cafes tellus, that without certainty a man may live a joyful and peaceable life, where probability is ftrong enough to remove all reafonable caufe of fearfulnefs, though there be a pobility of the worft. As we fee that menin youth and health, though they maypofbly die, orfall into torments the next hour, yet do not therefore caft off comfort, and live in fuch trouble as they would do if they had probable caufe to expel it. There is no wife living is certain that her own Hufband will not murder herthe next night; nor no Child certain that the Parents will not cati them offor kill them; nor noFriend certain that his deareft Friend will not do fo ; And yet fewbutmelancholy people will therefore take up forrow, and caft away _9'
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