183 / 504
M.
G's
notion ofGods
Faithfulneffe
weighed
&
rejeded.
GA
P.
V.4:
e4y
to
preferve them,
as
he
is
the Creator
of
all, and
his
con(tancy
in
receiving
of
them, being prefent with
them, abiding with them
, as
he
is
Faithfutl
in his
word
and Promifes. Yea
and
the interpretation,
our Author would have
fix-
ed
on
the
expreffion
here
ufed
,
is
not only
remote
from
the intendment
of
the
place,
turning
that
into
a
generali
good
difpofiticn
towards
all
his
crea-
tures,
which
is
intimated for the
peculiar
fupport
of
Believers
,
and
that
in
their
difirefe,
but
allo
is
in
it
felfe, a falle,
fond, and
boat,
Affertion.
There
is
no Law, nor
Relation
of
Creation,
that
laies
hold
on
God
fo
farre,
as
to ob-
lige him
to
the
Communication
of
one
dropper
of
his
Goodneffe
to
any
of
the
creatures, beyond what
is
given
them by
their
Creation,
or to continue that
unto
theta
for one
moment;
All
the
difpen£ation
of
himfelfe
unto
his
crea-
tures
flowing
from
his
foveraigne good pleafiire, doing
what
he
will with his
owne.
2.
He
doth
very faintly,
when
he
hath
made
the fartheft
fieppe
in
confi-
dent
afferting
that
he daresventure-upon
,
(it
may
be
, and
it
is moll
1i4ly)
fuppofe
that
the
Faithfulneffe
of
God
in thefe places
under
confederation,
may
be
taken
in fuch
a
fence
as
that
before defcrtbed. But,
r.
This
is no
fence
at
all
of
the
Faithfulneffe
of
God, neither
is
theword e-
ver
ufed in
Scripture
to
fignify
any Inch thing in God,-
or
man, nor
can
with
any
tollerable
fence
be applied
to
any
fuch thing;,
neither
would
there
be any
Analogy between
that
which in
God
we
call
Faithfulneffe,
and
that vertue
in man,
which
is
fo
termed:.nor
is
the
Faithfulnefe
of
God here mentioned
upon
any
fuch
account,
as will
endure
this
defcription, being
infifted
on only
to
affure
the
Saints
of
the
ftedfafrneffe
,
and unalterableneffe
of
God
in
the
performance
of
his
Promifes made
to them: neither
is
the obligation
of
God,
to
continue
his
Love and Favour, with Grace, and meanes
of
it
to
Believers,
founded upon
fuch a
difpofation as
is
imagined
;
but
in
the
free purpofe
of
his
will, which he purpofed
in.efe«
Chrifi
before
the world
was
:
fo
that
there
is
not the
leaft appearance
of
truth,
or
foundneefre
of
Reafon,
or
any
thing
that
is
d
efireable, in this
attempt to corrupt the Word
of
God.
2.
Then,
the
Faithfulnefse
of
God
in the
Scriptures
in
hand
befpeakes his
truth
and
ftability
in
the
performance
of
his
Promifes, made
of
eftablifhing
Believers
to the end,
keeping them from
evil/
not
fuffering any
temptation
to
befall
them,
bat
making withall
a
way
to
efcape: in all which
God
affures
them
he will
prevent
all fuch carelefnef£e,
and
negligence
in
them ,
as is
in-
confftent
with
theirEftablifhment,
which he will
certainly accomplifh. And
.
thus
is
our
Major
Propofition
with
its fupplies
of
light, and flrength, freed from
'fuck exceptions,as
M.Goodwinfuppofes
it
liable unto.
Forthe
Affumption,
I
(hall
not
much
trouble
my
felfe
with
that
ridiculous
fence
(called
a
fober and
Orthodox
explication)
which
Mr
Goodwin
is
pleafed
to
put
upon
it, to
allow
it
to
paffe
currant.
in
this fence
(faith he)
it
is mofi
true,
that
God
hath promifed hat
all
Believers
(ball
Perfevere, i.e.
that all
true
Be-
lievers
formally
confidered,
i.e.
as
fuch.,
and abiding
filch,
pall
perfevere
:
viz:
in
his Grace
and Favour;
But
this
heprefiienes is
not
oar
re>,ce.
Ch:
II.
See:
2.
pag.226. And
well he may prefuiné
it
:
for what ever
his
greatefr skill may
enable
him
unto,
we can
make no
fence
of
it, but this
:.God
bath promifed
Believers (hall
Perfevere,
in cafe
they Perfevere: which
is
to
us
upon
the
mat-
ter
no
fence
at
all.
To
Perfevere
in
Gods
Grace and Favour,is to continue in
Faith and Obedience;
which
ifmen doe, God bath
folemnely promifed,and
fworne
that
they
f
uall
fodoe. Certainly there
is
an
Orthodoxfence in
Gods
Promifes,
that
is
not
non
fence.
Belt granted then,
that
this
is
not
our
fence,
not
fo
much becaufe
not
ours, as
becaufe
not fence, what
is
our meaning
in
this Propofition?
It
is
(faith
Mr
Goodwin)
that
God
will
fo
preferve Believers,t
hat
none
I27
0. 15.