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D
od. of
Sts
PerL
no
incouregemetit unto
fit>ne-
C.XII.4.
enfuing
Difcourfe
which
without doubt
will adminiffer
farther
occa
269
fionfor
the Illuffratihn
or
Confirmation
ofthe
Truth
in hand;
He proceeds
then,
The
reafon
of
the
Minor is
becaufe
a
certain
knowledge
and
perfwafion,
that.
4
r
Godwill
by
an
irrefflable hand
of
power,
preferve a man, in
the
_gate
of
Grace,
how
defperately
carelefe, negligent
or
wicked
fa
ever
he
f
all
be, cleare
fy
difolves
the
ufe
fulnefe, and
necefìty
of
all
other
means
whatfoever,in reference
to
this
end.
If
7 know
certainely
that
the
corne.
which
I
have fowen
in
my
field will
whether
I
wale
or
fleepe grow
and
profiler, would
it
not
be a
very
impertinent addr.
fè,
for
any
man
to
come
to
me,&
admonifh me
in
a
feriousi
grave /aanner,te take
heed,
Ifleepe not,
but
keepe:rny
Rife waking
leaJ1 ßnÿ
Bornefliorddndt.grow,orprofper,
or
that it
may grow
&
profper;
if
my
corngrowes,thrives,&j*ofpers,
by
the
irre ifl
able
hand
of
God,by
the
courfe
of
a
Naturali
&
(landing
proriidénce,
my
watt
sfd
neffe
in
order
to
a procurement
ofthefe things is
abfolutely
vaine
&c.
Anf.
That
this
is
not the
Doc`
rivewhich Mr
Goodwiñ
hath undertaken
to
oppofe,
hath
been more
than
once already
declared;
That
he
is
not able
with any colonr
ofReafon to
oppofe
it,
unleffe
he
firff
impof
è
his
owne
falfe
&
vaine
inferences
upon
it,&
them upon hisReader
for theDo trine it
fdfë
from
his
conftant courfe
of
proceeding
againft
it,
is
alto
evident;
What
advantage
this
is
like
in
the
ciofe,to
prove to
his
caufe
in
the Judgment
of
confiderate
men, the event
will
difcover:
The
Affertion
ofthe
ftability
of
the
Promifes
of
God in Jefus Chrift
given
to
Believers
concerning
his
effeetuall
preferving
them to
the End, from
fuch finnes
as
are Abfolutely
inconfiftent
with
his
Grace and Favour according
to the tenour
ofthe
new Covenant,
or
fuch
con-
tinuance
in any finne
as
is
of
the fame importance
by
his
Spirit
and Grace,
in
the
ufeofineanes, doth
no way tend
to
the
begetting
in
any,
a
certaine
Knowledge,
Affurance
and perfwafion,
that
God
,
will
continue
them
in
a Rate
of
Grace, how
defperately
carelefe or wicked
foever
they
(hall
be.
What
is
intended by the frequent repetition
of
this
grofFe
sophiflry,
or
4'
'S+
what
fucceffe
with
the intelligent
Chriftian
ponderers of things
he can
hope
for
thereby,
I
am
not able
to
gueffe;
Neither
is
any
improvement
in
the
leaff
given
to what
the intendment ofthis Argument
is, fo
farre
as
the
Common
DotirineofPerfeveranccis concerned
thert'in, from the comparifon
infixing
inftituted
between the
growth
of
Corne,
and the walking
of
Believers
inObe-
dience before
God; For
notwithftanding
the
Identity
in
refped
of
the
corn-
panifon
of
that exprelion
[Irrefifiible]which indeed
is
proper to neither,
there
is
a
wide differencebetweene
the
growing
of
carne
in
a
meere natural!
way, and
the
moral!
aBeings
of
an
Intelligent, Rational! Creature;
What
ever
operations
ofGod
are
about, and
in
the
one,
or
the
other,
yet
they are fuited
to
their Subejeas about
which
they are;God
carryes on
the
growth
of
corne
by
.
a way
ofNaturail
and neceffary
taufes,
but
his aéting
of
Rational]
Agents
is
by
fuch wayes
and
means,
as
may
entirely preferve
their Liberty:
that
is,
preferving them
in
their being, and
leaving
them
to
be
fuch
Agents.
As
then-
God
caufeth
the
corne to
grow
by
the fhining
of
his
funne, and
the
f
lle
of
his
raine,
fo
he caufeth
Believers
to
perfevere
in
Obedience, by
Fxhortationr,
Promifes,
andThreatnings, and
fuch waves
and meanes,
as
are fuited
to
filch
Agents
as
they are.
The
fallacy
of
this
Difcourfe
lyes
in
an
inlinuation
that
God by
his
Effe&uall(or
as
they are called irrefiffible) operations for
the
pre-
fervation ofBelievers in Cofpell
Obedience,
(a
thing
he
hath
undertaken
over
and over,
to
performe) doth
change
their nature,
and render them
not
free
and
intelligent
Agents,
fit
to
bewrought upon by the
propofall
offuita-
ble
and defirableObjefts
to
their underftandings,
but
meere
bruit
and
natu-
M
m
3
tall