348 / 504
^C.XII:
Efficacy
of
internall
Grace con fiftent
with
Thr, from
the Word.
292
them
v.
to. it
is
upon the account
ofthe
Righteoufnefe
of
God,
in
carrying
on
the
worke
of
their Labour
of
Love
which
was
begunne
in
them, and
which
they had
fhewen
or
manifefted,that
he
had
this
perfwafion concerning them,
which in
the
infuing verfes, he
farther
purfues, clearing up the ingagement
of
the
iìighteoufneffe
of
God
in his Oath,
of
which
elfewhere;
So
that
notwith-
ftanding any
thing attempted
to
the contrary,
evident it
is
that
in
carrying
on the worke
ofour
Salvation,
the
Holy Ghoft
doth
make ufe
of
Promifès
of
effe
&wall
Grace for Perfeverance, and eminent
Exhortations
to
abide with
God,
in fuch an
harmony
and confiftency,as
is
well
fuited
to
the
things them-
felves,
and
in a
courfe
which
takes
San
&uary
under the fhade ofhis
wifdome
from
all
the
charges
of
folly
and
weakeneffe, which poore
weake and
foolifh
men may
under their Temptations,
and in
their
darkeneffe rife up
againft
it
withal'', whether there are
expreffe
Promifes
of
Perfeverance
in
the
Scrip-
ture,
force
advantage
I
hope will be given
to
the
pious
Reader to
judge,
from what bath
been fpoken, and
what
by
the
Lords
Affïítance,
may
be
in-
lifted on
to that
purpofe.
4
:53.
Unto
this
debate about the
Exhortations
of
the word
we find
a
Difcourfe
of
the
fame
nature
& importance fubjoyned
about the
Threatnings
that
are
therein,
which
as
it
is
aflerted are rendered
ufeleffe
& ineffe&uall for
the
end
whereunto they
are
of
God appointed,
by
that
Do&rine
of
Perfeverance,woi
is
oppofed;
We
freely acknowledge,
That
if
any
Doc
trine
whatever,
do
ener-
vvte
and render
vaine any Ordinance
or
inftitution
of
God
as
to
the Ends
and purpofeswherereunto
itis
of
him appointed,
that,
that
Doetrine
is
not
of
God,
whole pathes are
all plaine
and equal',
and whole commands
do not
enterfere
one with
an
other;
Now that
the
principles
of
the
Do&rine
of
Per-
feverance do
deftroy,
the
efficiency
of
Threatnings,
is
attempted
to
be
proved
by
an Indu
&ion
ofobfervations
which being
the
fumme
of
all
that
is
fpoken
to
this head, muff
be tranfcribed
at
large, and
is
as
followeth.
4.54.
Se&. r
2.
If
theprinciples
of
the Doctrine
we
fpeake
of,
difolve
the
efficiency
of
the
faidThreatnings
towards
the
end,
for
the
accomplifhment
whereof
they are
given,then
they
render themunfavoury,.
ufeleffe
and
vaine;
Eat
the principles
of
this
Doctrine are guilty
of
this
offence:
Ergo,
The
tearmes
o
f
the
Major
p+'o
pi
o
stion
1
are
fufficient witnefes
of
the
truth
thereof; in order
to
the
proofs
of
the Minor,
wefuppofe
firfl that
the end
intended
by
God
in
fuch
Threatnings, which threaten
thofe
that¡hall
Apoftatize,
with eternall death,is
to
prevent
Apo
ftacy
in
the
saints,
&
to
worke
or
caufe
them
to
perfevere;
2.
That
this
is
one
of
theprinciples
of
the
common
Doctrine ofPerfeverance,God hathabfolute
y
prom
fedtnall
Perfeverance
unto the
Saints; and this
another,
God
will
certainly,
in
fruffrably,
&
infallibly
worke
this
Perfeverance
in
the Saints. Theft
two
things
onlyfuppofed,
the
light
of
the
truth efthe
feld
Minor
propofition
breales
forth
from
between
them with
much evidence
and
power:
For
Fir
.ft
if
the
fail
Threatnings
be
intended
by
God
for
the prevention
of
the
Apoftacy
ofthe
Saints,
and
confequently
to
effect
their
Per-
feverance the
way
and
manner
wherein
this
end intended
by
Godis
to
be effected
by
them, mnft
needs
be
by
their
ingenerating or
railing
a Fears;
or
Apprehenfion
in
the
saints
of
Eternal/
Death;it
being
the
native
property
of
Feare,mixedwith
hope
to awaken
and
provoke men to
the
ufe
of
fuch meaner which are propertoprevent
the dangeror
evil
feared;
there
is
no
other
way
imaginable
'how
or
whereby the
Threatnings
we
fpeake
of
hould
operate
towards the
Perfeverance
ofthe
Saints
for
thepreventtng
of
their
Apoftacy,
but
that
mentioned,
viz.
by
Working
in
them
a
feare
or
dread
of
the
evill threatned.
Therefore Secondly
evident
it
is thatfxch
Promifes made,
and
made
known
unto
the Saints
by
which they
are
made anca-
peable
of
any
fuchFeare,are
abfol4tely
deftruttive ofthe
efficiency,
which is
proper
to the
faidthreatnings,to
exhibit
towards the prevention of,4poftacy
in
the Saints,
or