308 / 504
C.X.g:14.
Do
t.ot
Sts
Petfev
"its
ufefulneffe
topromote
QOM
Obedience,
252 effe&ed
& produced,fuitably
to the
nature
of
the immediate
caufe ofwhich
it
is,
whether
free, neceflary,
or contingent, but
alfo (hall
be
fo
farre
uncertaine,
as
that
it may ,
or
may
not be wrought and
accomplithed.
.
ia,
The
former
part
of
this
third Paragraph
is
buta
Repetition
of
an Afferti-
on,which upon
the Credit
of
his
own fingleTeflimony
we
have had often ten-
dered;
(viz.)
That an Afurance given him,
that
is
Godly,
of
theLove
of
God,
not
depending on any
thing in
him, which
it
is
uncertain whether
he
mill
per
forme or
no,
is no
motive
to men
to
continue
in
the
wayes
o
fHolineffe.
This (as
I paid
be-
fore)
I
cannot
clofe withall:
That that
which
is
a
motive
to
Faith, andLove,
and eminently
fuited to
the
f
irring
of
them up,and
Petting
them
on worke,
is
alfo
a
motive to the
Obedience,
which
is
called Love, and Obedience of
Faith, bath
been declared.
Ifthere
be any thing
ofthe
new
and
Heavenly
nature
in the
foule, any
Quality,
or
difpofition
of
a
Child
therein, what
can
be
more
effe&aall
to promote
or advance
-the
Feare,
Honour,and
Reverence
ofGod
in
it,
then
an Aflurance
of
his
Spirit
,
to
continue and
preferve
them
in
thofe wayes,
which
are well pleating
unto
him.
It
is
confetlèd, that
in many
Promifesof
Acceptation here, and
Reward hereafter,
the
things
and duties,
that
are
the
meanes, and wayes
of
enjoying the one, and attai-
ning the
other,
are mentioned not
as
conditions
ofthe
Grace and
Love,
of
God
to
them,
to
whom
the
Promifes
are made,
as
though they
fhould de-
pend
on any thing
of
their uncertaine
accomplifhment
as
bath
been
decla-
red, but
only
as
the
meanes,
and
wayes, which
God bath appointed for
men
to
ufe, and walke in,
unto
thofe
ends,
and
which
he bath abfolutely prowl-
fed
to
worke
in
them, and
to
continue
to
them.
4.13.
4.
The
dole of
this
Paragraph
in
the fourth place,deferveth
a
little
more
.
cleare confideration, it containing an Affèrtion, which force would
not
be-
lieve,
when it
was
told them,and bath flumblednot
à
few
at the
repetition
of
it.
Thus then
he proceedeth.
Befides,mhether
any
fach
Affarance
of
the unchangeablenefe
of
the
Love
of
God
towards him
that
is
godly,
as the
Objetion
fpeal¿eth
of,
can
be
effectually,
and
up-
on
f
itPient
ground.` cleared
and
proved,
is very quefiionable,
yea
I
conceive there
is
more reafon
to
judge
otherrvife
then
fo,
Teti
that
which is
more,
I
verily
believe,
that
in
cafe any
filch
Affurance
of
the
unchangeablenefee
of
Gods
Love,
were
to be
found
in,
or couldregularly
be
deduced
from the Scriptures,
it
were
a
jufl
ground,to
any
intelligent
and
confidering man, to.queflion
their
Authority,
and
whether
they
were
from
God,
or no: For,
that
a God
infinitely righteous and
holy
fhould irre-
verfîbly afsurethe ir.,mbrtall
&
undefiled
inheritance
of
his
Grace
&
Favour,
unto
.
any Creature whatfoever:
fo that
though
this
creaturefhould
probe^
r
v
a
tI,7-
nable
in
his
fight,
never
fo outragioufly
and
defperately.wicked
and
rophane,
he
fhould not
be
at
liberty,
to
with
-hold
his
inheritance
from
him, is a
ja
ying doubt
-
lefe
too
hard
for
any
man,
who
rightly underflandeth
and
confidereth
the nature
ofGod,to
bears:
04.
Anf.
The
Love mentioned
in
the
foregoing
Obje
&ion,
is
that
which God
beareth to them
that
are godly
in Jefus
Chrift , exerting
it
felfe
partly
in
his
Gracious acceptation
of
their Perlons
in
the
Sonne
of
his
Love,
partly
in
gi-
ving
to
them
of
his
Holy Spirit and Grace,
fo
that
they thallnever depart ut-
terly and
wickedly from him, and forfake him,
or
reje&
him
from being
their
God. Whether
an affurance
ofthis
Love may,on good grounds, be
given
to
Believers,
bath been already confidered, and the
Affirmative,
I
hope
in force
good
meafure confirmed.
The
farther Demonftration
of
it
awaiting
its
pro-
per
feafon; which
the
will
of
God
thall give
unto
it. This Mr
Goodwin faith
to
him
is queigionable3
yea
I
fuppofe
it
is
with
him out
of
quellion
,
that
it
can-
not be,
elle
furely
he would
not have taken
fo
much
painesin
labouring
to
difprove