04 Of Perfeverance. themfelves: no more than Phyfick is naught that maketh men fick. We mutt take our Comforts on Gods terms. The truth is, your Do- arine feemeth more comfortable inthe refpe&s which you havenamed; as to the affurance of prefint yuffcation, and theirs more comfortable in another refpe& ; viz,. as to the continuance of it when they have it. But if this Doctrine were to be chofenby the comfortablenefs, yea and isfeful- nefs of it, there is a middle way (of force Schoolmen) which would be preferred before both. That is, that neither any of the Fled, nor any that have attained toconfirmationor afixeddegree ofGrace, do ever fall away : But that thereare fomenot-Elet7, who arefincere andjuflifed, but weakand mutable (as Adam in Innocency) and not confirmed, who fall away andperifh: And this vows thinkethwas Auguftine'sOpinion. And Grotius in his excellent Epiftle againff Molin: lately tranflated into Englifh by Mr. Barksdale, of irmeth it to be the common judgment of the Fathers : which will be no fmall advantage to it with me. And r. This avoideth the uncomfortable Do&rine which you charge on them ; For thisholdeth that a weak Chriftianmay have the comfort of prefent :ufifcation, that is not certain to perfevere, nor that he is any better than force that fall away. 2. And itavoideth the uncom- fortablenefs which they charge onyou, viz. that no man can be affured of hisPerfeverance and Salvation : For thefe hold that all the confirmed maybe affuredof it ; And that all weakChriftians may poffiblyattain to confirmation. 3. And it only leaveth weak unconfirmed Chriftians un- certainof Salvation, which both fides are agreed in. For theyconfefi that weak Chriflians are feldom ifever lure of their prefint fincerity and 3ufiification : And you hold that they are uncertain to perfevere : And fo both ofyou hold them tobe uncertain ofSalvation. But proceed. The fourth Crimination. A. "They do reproach the Holinefi of Gods people, and his Image, " and encourage waft horrid wickednefs , while they make all thefin " that ever was committed by any man after his Regeneration , to be " confifient with Holinefì and Juflification : not only Noah's Drunkennefs, "Lots being Drunk and Incefluous two nights together, David's horrid "Murder and Adultery, Peter's denying and forfwearing his Lord; but " (for in.!lance) Solomon theyfay wasa Saint, andjuflifed, when he gave " uphimfelf to all manner of pleafnre, and denied himfelfnothing, (and " Paul faith, The carnal mind is enmity to God, and if ye live after " the flefh ye thall die,) when he clave in love to many Idolatrous x Eradmard;ne, li.3.c.z7. " women; having (even hundred Wives, and three hundred Concu- having maintained that all things come to pars ec bins, and hisWives turned awayhis Heart after other gods, and his by neceflity,and cap.zq. " Heart was not perfe&with the Lord- --but he went after Afhtoreth., the p. 734. anfwering the u Objelbon that this will Goddefs of the Sidonians, and after Milcorh, the abomination of make men call all their " the Amorites, and built an High Place for Chemoth, the abomination fin on God, and be un- " of Moab godly, anfwcreth that is ¡1,1,, and for Molech theabominationof Ammon; and likewife did will do fo by none but " he for all his ftrange Wives, which burnt Incenfeand facrificed to their MT, Reprobate, and con- cc gods his Heart was turned from the Lord that appeared to him fefièth that Co one of g PP his Monaftery did ar- " twice, I King. I I. I, to I2. Allthis fay the Calviniftsyoumaydo, and gue, and turned there- cc be Saints, and jufiified and faved. * Allthis may (landwith Gods upon to a wicked life ; but that he cannot help " Image, and trite Holinefs. nate r e men can can coa pre- B. As toall the refs, except Solomon, the fin beingone of twoparticua reprobated. larAïts contrary to themain bent and (cope of their lives ( which were holy)
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