Of Perfeverance. a 9 gaged to defend him againft Satan and all Enemies, that it is impoffible for them toovercome God, and deftroy him : But here impoffible is re- lated to the power, of Enemies only: It is a thing that Satanhath not Power to do, to conquerGrace. 3. But when the queftion is of the Power of the Perfonrhimfelf, they fay, It is unfit to fay that he is unable to fall away, or that it, is impoffible in refped tohis ownPower.. i. Becaufe thatto ifall away is an effect of Impotency and not of Power. a. BecaufeGod will not fo operate by his Grace, as tomake a man unable tofn, but unwilling, and aûually to keep him from it. So that Grace Bothnot make us impotent to refiftit, and makeit really impoffibleto us to fall awayg . but makethus able and willing to /land, and caufeth us freely de faro to perfevere. 3. And I muff tell you, that your Crimination is grounded ona lame and faulty recitation of theirOpinion; youname but halfof it, inftead of the whole: which is, C That thefanítified never fallsway from the due fear, and care, and endeavour ofperfevering, and confequently not fromSan&ification or Juftification]. And will you infer that L a man needeth not fear, careor live holily, if certainly he tliall do fo ? ] A. " Yes ! whatneed flakecare of that whichOat! certainly do ? B. That is, what need you take care ifyou certainly thall take care ! A. " what needI trouble my own head about that which God will do, "what-ever I do? If he undertake to afcertain it, I may leave it to " him. B. You talk contradi&ions ! God doth not undertake to fecure your Salvation whether you will or not, or care or not, or labour or not : Butto caufeyou towill, tocare and labour. And you fay, IfGod will make me willing I need not be willing: IfGodwill make me think ofit, andcare and labour forit, I need not thinkof it, or care or labour for it. The Sun need not thine if Godwill make it Thine ! You need not eat ifGod decreethat you fhall eat. Are not thefe weak Contra- dictïons? A. " But as weak as you make it, the contradii2ion is their own : For L0 theyfirfl make God to snake their falling away to be impoffible or certainly " non-futurum, and yet fay, that he will make them fear it : that is, to " perform an AEl without the proper Objeil: As if God decreed that they " fhould fearGood as Good, or love Evil as Evil: No man can fear that "which neither is, nor is taken to be fearful : An impoffible (or cer- " taint) nonfuture)hurt is not fearful, or anObjeloffear, unlefs to a mad "man. B. There were much weight in what you fay, but for that which you leaveout : i. That objeffive certainty may be feparated fromfubjeCtive certainty : that is, men may be uncertain of that which is certain in it felf. 2. Yea fewof the Godly have a firongaffuranceof their fincerity apd Juftification. 3. And no manin this life hath aperfect affärance, no more than other perfect Graces. 4. And every mansfaith it felf in GodsPromifes andfidelity is imperfect. Therefore while all thefe are imperfect, and not only fo, but liable to fad of faults, and interruptions, and decays. 5. Yea and theperfon liable to fuch hainous fins, as look terribly towards Apoftacy, you cannot fay that fear is needlefs. For though God decree the certainty of their perfeverance, that proveth not that they are perfectlycertainof it. A. " But God will not foundour Duty on our Sin, nor command men to "fear, becaufe throughfnful weaknefs they dofear. B; God
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=