50 / 504
A
Preface
to the
Reader.
the immutable
Will
of
God wrought
by fuch an efficacy
of
Grace that
it was
impof3ible
that
they fhould
not
perfevere.
He compares it
further with the Grace
that
Adam
received
,
Lib.
De:
Correp
:
er
Grat:
Cap,
e
z:
primo
ita4,
homini,
qui
in
eo
bono
quo
faaïus
fuerat red
us
,
acce
perat
poffe
non
Peccare
,
pole
nan mori
,
po
fife
ipfum Bonum
non
deferere,
datum
eft
e
4djutoriuin
Perleverantia,
non quo
fieret
ut
perfeveraret fedfine
quo
per liberum
:Arrbitrium
perfeverare
non
po
]it.
Nunc
verb SanElis
inregnum Dei
per
gratiamDei
pradeftinatie,
non
tantum tale
adjute-
rium
Perf
veranti
e
datur
;
fed
tale,stüt
Perfeverantia
ipfa
donetur
,
non /olátm
ut
fine
iflo
done
Perfeverantes
of
re
non
point
,
verúm
etiam
ut
per
hoc
donum
non
nifi per
feverantes
fjnt. And
a
little
after
;
ipfe;tag, dat perfeverantiam
,
qui
ftabilire
patens eft
co:
qui
ftant, ut
perfevtranti
m-
mè
'lent. And
in
the
eight
Chapter
of
the
fame Book
,
expounding
that
of
our
Saviour, Luke
zz
1 have prayed
for
thee
that
thy
faith
faile
not
, he
manifefleth how upon
that
account,
it
Was
impoflible
that
the
will
of
Peter
fhould not
actually
be
eftablifhed to
the
end
in
belie-
ving;
His
words are
,
an
audebit dicere,etiam rogante
Chri
flo
ne deficeret
fides
Petri
def
alurum
failfie,
fi
Petra
earn deficere
voluifet
ids
f
earn
u/q
in
fines
perfeverare naluiffet
?
quaff
aliad
Petra
ullo
modo
vellet,quárn
pro illo
Chriftut
rogâf
fet
ut
vellet
:
gam
quit ignorat tune
fade
pe-
ritteratn
fides
Petri
,
f
ea
qua fidelis erat
voltentau ipfa deficeret ;
6
permanfuram,
fi
voluntas
e-
adern
perrnaneret
?
quando ergo
oravit
ne
fides
eject
deficeret
,
quid
aliad
yogavie,
nifi
ut
haberet
is
fide
l
iberrimam,fortiffimarn
,inviflifmarn,Perfeverantifrnam
voluntatern?
And
in
this perlua-
fion he had
not only the
confent
of
all
the found,
and
Orthodox Do
&outs
in his
time,as
%I/3S
before manifefled
;
but he
is
followed alto
by
the
School-men
of
all ages and
not
forfaken by
fome
of
the
?elates
themfelves;as we
shall
afterwards fee, when
we have
added
that
confede-
ration
of
the Doctrine
of
this
learned man, which bath
given occafion
to
force
to pretend
his
confent
in
oppolition to
that,
which
moll
evidently
He
not
only delivered
,
but confir-
med.
The
:e
are in Aaftine,
and thofe
that either
joyned with
him
,
or followed immediately
after
him
,
(
notwithflanding the Doftrine
formerly
infifled
on,that
AElttal
perfeverance
is
a
Gift of
God,
and
thatitlimes
from Predeftination
u
an
effeEl
thereof,
and i,
bellowed
on
all
EIeft
Believers, infallibly prefervieg
them
ante
the
end:
(
wherein they
affertand
firongly
prove
the
whole
of
what
we
maintaine)
fundry
Expreffrons
commonly urged
by
the Adverlaries
of
the
truth
in
hand
,
granting
many who were Saints , believing and Regenerate,
to
fall away
and
perifh
for
ever: I need
not
inllance
in
any
of
their
fayings
to
this purpofe:the
Readerknowes
where to
find
them
gathered to
his
hand,
in
Voftu,
Grotitta, &
Mr.
Goodwin
from them.
The
feeming
contradifion that
is
amongfl
themfelves in
the
delivery
of
this
doctrine
,
will
eafily
admit
of
a
Reconciliation
,
may they be allowed the common courtefy
of
being Interpreters
of
theirown meaning.
What
weight
in
thofe dayes was layd upon the Participation
ofthe
Sacramental
figures
ofGrace,and
what expreflions
are
commonly
ufed
concerning
them
who
had
obtained
that
Priviledge
is
known
to
all.
Hence all baptifedperfons
continuing
in
the
Profefficn
of
the
Faith,
and Communion
of
the Church, they
called
,counted,
efleemed
tru-
ly
regenerate,and juftified,and
fpake
fo
of
them:
Such
as
theft
they conflantly affirme,might
fall
away
into everlafling
deftrudion
:
but yet what their judgment
was
,
concerning their
prefent flute
indeed,even then when
they
fo
termed them
Regenerate,and 7lelievers, in refpeél
to the
Sacraments
of
thofe Graces
,
Auline
in
fundry
places
clearly delivers
his
thoughts,
to
the undeceiving
of
all
that
are
willing
to
be
free
:
This he efpecially handles in
his
book
de
Correp:
& gran
Cap:
9:
nor
erant(
faith he ) filii
,
etiam
panda
erant
in
profefane
ri
ne-
mine
filiarum
non
quia jai/titian: fimulaver:ow
,
fed
quia in ea
non
permanferant i This
Righteoufnefs he efleemed
not to
be
meerly feigned
,
and
hypocritical
,
but
rather
fuch as
might truly intitle them to the flare and Condition
of
the Children
of
God
,
in
the
fenfe
be-
fore expreffed.
And againe, ifli
elm
piè
vivunt dirunturfilii
Dei,
fed
quoniam
vitluri fast
impie , G-
in
ea.
dent
impietate
morituri,
non
eos
diese
flios Dei
prafciertia
Dei.
And further in
the
fame cha-
pter,funs rkrfur
quidam qui
filii
Dei
propterfnfceptam
temparalemgratiam
dicrentnr
el
nobit,uec
font
tamer
Deo
:and
againe,non
erant
in numere
filiorum,etiam
quando
Brant in fide
filiorum.And,
Pit
non
verè
Dsfcipuli Chri
fti,ita
nec
verè
filii Dei
fuerunt
,
etiam
quando
e
fe
videbantur
,
&
áta
vocabantnr.He concludes;
e/Ippellamresergo
mot
&
Elellot
Chrifti
Difcipulos
&
Dei
fillet,
quo: regenerator
(that
is, as
to the
Sacramental
Ggne
of
that
Grace
)
pie
vivere
cernimtu; fed
tune verè
Pint
quad
appellantnr
,
fi
manferint in
eo
propter quad
fir
appellastur.:
Si autemperfeverantiam
non
habent
, id
eft,
in
eo
quad c_perunt
eft
non massent, non
verè ap.
pellantter,
quod appellaneter
&
non
font.
As
alfo
de
Doll
;
Chriftiana, Lib.
3.
C.32:
non
eft
re-
nera
Corpse
Chrifti
quad
non
Brie
cum
ills
in aternum.
And
theft
are
the
Perfons
which Auftine
, and
thofe
of
the
fame
judgment with
him
,
do
grant