Of Perfeverance. B. We ftànd not by our own strength of habitual Grace, butby the carbo tx Aquin. t. 1. upholdingLove and Will of God. q. ' 3s. a. 4. St pf, ¡et,e -' A. i. "When we dispute againfl their Doilrine, it isfrom the immortal 'outdo lament pro rp/a ha- bitn, indigct don° habita- " quality of the feedof Godabiding in them, that theypleadfor certainty ails Brat:a , utnCater' " of perfeverance. 2. Whofindeth not by confiant experience, that God virtutes in(nfa t° acdpiatr;r pro attu pole- "worketh on all things according to their Natures : Andfo on man as man, , eranri' durante ufgs ad e e andfo onSaints as Saints, and on the weak asweak, and on thefírong as morrem, non jolum endiget habituali grdtia, fedattain Jtrong. Do wenot fee thathe giveth menwisdom and all Intellellual abi- gratuito Poi auxilio con. tt lities , before they fpeak and do as fuch abilities mull fit them to do : ¡ervante homrnera in bon- tt When didyen fee Gods Grace make ignorant, injudicious,fools, or weak prte ee ltnatn per grá- tiara thrall,, non fobem da- perfons, judge,fpeak and live, in equality with the wife? Do we not fee tar u pp¡ÿ ;'nt,eui° papa, ,, that as man is, fo is his strength and work, operan fequitur eílè: The guftin. Per ¡e potelt per- "Jlrongs do as the firong, and the weak judge and do as the weal¿. Why tee, in malo, non au- tc elfe dothGodgive men Jlrength of Grace ? fire they that think the habit tem in bona. Bradmardine who hold- "-of Grace mull, needsbe before any all, will not holdthat all our lives after, ecth that no eemptadoie " theAlls (from immediate divineprodullion) go beyond the degree of the can be overcome with- out specialhelp, that h, " habits. Weknow that God is the chief cause of our perfeverance, and all a divine volition or cc our works that are good': But he caufeth them by difpofng andquickening, Decree, doch yet hold tt that the fame Will of , Íirengthening, illuminating and fanílifying our faculties to do them; God which faveth one "which is habitual Grace. mnptt overcoming raveh his B. What is your own judgment in this point ? there by keeping temp- A. " ourjudgment is, r. That he that trulyat the prefentpreferreth the cations from them. tcpleafng of God, and his Salvation, beforeall this World, isfncere, and "juilified. 2. That of thefe fume havewellfetied apprehensions and refo- lutions; but others havefuch fhallow'Conceptions, andweak Refolutions, tt as that a very strongTemptation would change their minds, and overcome " them. ` 3. Butif they efcape fuch Temptation andbe not overcome, they "shall be faved : ForGadwillnet damnmen for poffible Sin andApoflacy, `e which they were never guilty of, but only for that which they did commit. "4. And that it is no certainfgn of hypöcrifie, that theywould have fallen tt away, hadtheirTemptations been great, but only a proof that they were " weak: g. Elfé to pray [ Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us " from evil, ] should be rather [diJbover not our fincerity or hypocri(ie by " temptation]. 6. Therefore God ofth toproportion mens trials to their " t Jlrength :.And thatyoungand weakBelievers may perfevere, he expofeth "themnot (antecedently to their provocation.) togreat Temptations as he '" doth theJtrong. Evenas while ayoung Tree bath little rooting, it bath `.` alfe but a little top :: elfe had it the top Of a great Tree, andbut the roots «of a Plant', the frft great Wind would overturn it. 7. Even ftrong "Chrifiians. might poffibly have fame Temptations , which would over- "match theirfirength, and turn them'fromChri.fl, if God should not keep " them fromJooch Temptations. 8. '1herefore there are fame Temptations fo "far above the very nature of man, by fuchGraceas is not a meer Miracle, " to be overcome, as that God doth not fuffer Mankind to be tried with " them As to be mall exquìfitely tormented many moneths, or a longer _" time. And in that unusual trial of the poor Christians in Japon, "though many endured thofe 'torments' many weeks, yet nature could not ,efuftain them to the laft; but when -they had fufered as much as many "Smithfield burnings to death, at laft'almofl all denied Chrift , fo that Chriftianity is now there extirpated. Now if Rogers, 'Bradford , " t Hooper , fhewed fiwcerityi by fußbring death , why fbould we not think `t that theft did fo thatfusred far more than they , though afterward the " degree'wasgreater than their JIrength. 9. We hold that Gods Punisfi- "ments and Mercies to men in this World, are very much exer- t. cifed in either permitting or not permitting great Temptations. * And
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=