18 / 504
A
Preface to
the Reader
there
is
no
queftion but that
of
two
perfons
continuing in
the
fame
work or opinion one
may
doe
it
our
of
pertinacy,
the other out
of
perfeverance,
yet amongft
men who
judge
ofthe
minds
of
others,
by
their
fruits, and
of
the
As
of
their
minds by their objects,
there
two
dif-
pofitions or
Habits are univerfally
diftinguifhed,as
before,by
Varro.
Hence
the
Termes
of
pertinacy and obffinacj
being
thrall
into the
definition
of
herify, by them
who renouncing
any
infallible living Judge and
determiner
in
matters
of
faith
,
to
make way
for
the inflicting
of
punifhment on the entertainers andmaintainers
thereof
,
they take no
thought
of
proving it
foci), but
only
becaufe
it
is
found
in
perlonsembracing fuch errours
The
tame Affeétion
of
mind
,
with
the
fame
fruites anddemonftrations
ofit
in perfonsembracing the
Truth,woaid
by
the fame men
be
termed
perfeverance. But
this
is
not that whereof I Treat.
Evangellical
perfeverance,ts from
the Scripture at large explained
in
the Rookjr
felfe.
As
it
relates
to
our
Acceptation with
God
and
the immutability
of
Juftification ( which
is
the
the
cheife and
molt
eminent part
of
the
Doctrine contended for
,
)
as
it bath no conformity
in any
thing
,
with the
moralperfeverance
before defcribed,
fo
indeed',
it
is
notcomprehended
in
thatfetid notion
and lignification
of
the word it
felfe
,
which denotes the continuation
of
tome
Ad,
or
Ads
in
us,
and
not
the uninterruptiblenefsof
any
Ad of
God.
This then
is
the
caufe
ofperfeverance,rather than
perfeverance it felte ;
yet
fuch
a
caufe,as being
efiabii(hed,
the
effectwill
certainly and uncuntrolably enfue. They who
goe
about
to
affert
a
perfeve-
rance
of Saints,cot
off
from
the
abfolste
unchangablenefs
of
the
decree
,
purpofe
,
and Love
of
God
,
attended with
apofbility
of
a
contrary
Event,
and
that not
only
in
refped
of
the
free
manner
of
it's
carrying on,
whereby he
that
wills
to
perfevere
,
may
not
will
fo
to doe,but al-
fo in
resfped
of
the
ilfue
and end
it
fdfe
,
will ,
I
doubt not
,
if
they are
ferions
in
what
they
pretend
,
find themfelves
entangled
in
their undertaking. As
perfeverance
is
a
Grace
in
the
fubjeli
on
whom
it
is
beftowed
,
fo
it
relates
either to the
fpiritual habit
offaith,
or the prin-
ciple
of
new life
they
have received
from
God
,
or to
the
actual
performance
of
thofe duties
wherin they
ought to
abide.
In
the
firl:t
fenfe
it confifts
in
the
point
of
being,
or
not
being.
Whiten
the habit
of
faith
remaines ,
there
is
in
refped thereof
an uninterrupted perfeverance in
him in whom
it
is;
and
this
we
contend for. As
itrefpeds
Athens
flowing
from
that Habit
and
principle
;
fo
it
expatiates
it
felfe
in
alarge
fieild.
For
as
it imports
not
at all
a
perpetual
performance
of
fuck
Ads
without Intermifon,
(
which were naturally
as
well
as
fpiritually
impofíible,whileft
we carry
about
us
a
body
of
death,)
fo
neither doth it
neceffarily imply
a
confiant tenour
of
proceeding
in
the
performance
of
them
,
but
is
çonfiftent with
a
change in
degrees
of
performance, and in
otherrefpeds
alto,
not
now to be infifted
on. Perfeverance in
this
fenfe
being the uninterrupted continuance
of
Habitual grace
,
in
the
hearts
of
Believers
without
intercijbon
,
with fuch
awalkingin
obedience
,
as
God
according to the tenour
of
the
new covenant
will
accept,upon
the whole
of
the matter
,
it
is
in it's
own
nature
,
( as every
thing
alto
is
that
bath not
its
being from
its
felfe)
liable
and
obnoxious
to
Alteration
;
and
therefore mutt be built and repos'd on
that
which
is
in
it
(cite immutable,
that
it may
be
ren
dred on
that
fuppofition
,
immutable
alto. Therefore
is
Perfeverance
in
this fente refolved
in-
to that
Carafe
of
it
before mentioned which to doe
is
the cheife endeavour
of
the
following
Treatife.
Of
the Groundleffnefs
of
theiropinion,who grantingfinal
perfeverance,
doe yet
pleadfor the
poffibility
of
a
final
Ipoftacy,and
an intercifion
of
faith no more
need
be
fpoken,
but what upon the
account
lab
mentioned bath
been argued
already. Some
difcourfes have
paned both
of
old,and oflate,concerning the
nature
of
this perfeverance,and wherein
it
doth
propperly conlift. Many
affirme
it not really to differ from
the habit
of
faith and
love
it
felfe, for
which
73
radevardineearneftlyrcontends, Lib z.deCam:
dei:
cap.
at.
Concluding
his
difputation
,
that
Perfeverantia
Habitualis,
ell
jufiitia
habitualiter prefervata,peefeverantia
s
4flualis,
ellj'uf
iria
perfeverantia
ipfum verb perfeverare
,
eft
juflitiam
prefervare.
Whereupon
(fuo
more)
he infectes
this corollary.
food
semen
perfeverantia nullam
rem abfolu-
tam effentialiterfgnifecat,
fed
accidentaliter,
er
relative,Charitatem videlicet,fve jnfiitiam,cum
refpeifufesturapermanfionis Continue
te
in
farm; &
quad
non
inprobabiliterpoffeediciperfe-
verantiameffe ipfamrelationem bijou
:
And therefore
in
the
next
Chapter,
to
that objeflion,
If
perfeverance be no
more
but
charity or righteoufnets
,
then every one that bath
once
ob-
teined there, or true grace,
mule
alto
perfevere
;
He retornes
no
Anfwer at all: plainly intinu-
ating
his
Judgment to
be
fo
;
of
which afterwards
t
and therefore
he fpends his
thirteenth
Chapter
of
the
fame Book
to
prove, that
the
Holy Spirit
is
that
o-
luxilium
,
as
he
called
it,
whereby any
perfevere.
And
Chap:
t.
He tefolves all
pre(
ry
ation
from
net being
overcomeby
Tentation
,
or not
be-
ing tempted
to
a prei)encie
(
the
fame
for
fubftance
with perfeverance)
into
the
will
and
purpofe