76 / 504
CA
r.1.
:341.
M` G.
Ground
of
Perfeverance examined.
zo
fu
or
steeples,though perhaps
they nevercome
there)
or runne
into the
fier
or
water and
be
burned,or drowned
having
the ufe
of
their reafon and
undertiand-
ing
to
preferve them
from fach
unufuall
and difmall
accidents
;
which
feemes
to
be
an inftance
of
as remote and infirme
a
poífibility,as can likely be ima-
gened. Yea he tells
you
farther (See.
aa.)
That the Saints
have
as goodfecuritp
of
their
Perfeverance,
as
he could have
of
hie
life,
to whom
God
fhould
grant
a
leafe
of
it
for
fo
long upon
condition
that
he
did
not
thrufi
a
fword
through his
bow-
ells, or
ca
fl
himfelfe headlong
down
a Tower;
fo that
his
Dotlrine indulgeth
to
the Saints
as
much affurance,
as
that
of
Pèrfeverance
;
but
only
it
grants
them
not a liberty
of
finning which I prefume
his
owne
Confcience
told
him
that
neither the
other doth.
§. 34.
But
is
this inded Mr
Goodwins
Do
&rive? Is
this all
that
he
intends
his
Ar-
guments and proofs (hall
amount
unto?
Ad
populiem
phaleras:
orange
that
when
there
is
not
fo
much
as a probabillity
or
danger
offalling
away,
yet
fo
many, and
fo
Eminent
Saints
fhould
fo fall
?-1-low
feldome
is
it,that
we
heare
ofwife and lober
inert
running into the
fier
throwing
themfelves
headlong
from
Towers
thruflingfwords
through
their
Dane
bowels
?and nothing more
fre-
quent then the
Apofiacy
of
Saints,Ifthefe things flood upon equall
tearmes
of
Math.
i3.
unlikelyhood and improbability?
The
fiony
field
in
the
Parablefeemes
to
be
every
whit
as
large
as
the good
ground,whofe
fruit
abided).
That
Ground in
Mr
Goodwin:
fence
is
true
Believers;
fo
that
a
moyety
at
leafh
mull begranted
to
fall away, and never come
to
perfe
&ion:
Doubtleffe
this
is
not
eafy
to
be
received,
that
one
halfe
of
á
Company
of
men in
fucceflion,
fhould
conf?antiy
from one Generation
to
another,
fall
into
ruinein
fuch
a
way,
as
wherein
there
is
no
Danger
of
it,
or
probability
that
it
fhould fo
come
to
paffe.
Me-
thinks, we fhould
fcarce
dare
to
walke the ftreets,lealt at
every
fheppe
we
be
f?rucken
downe by
lober
men,voluntarily tumbling themfelves
fró the topps
of
houles,
and hardly
keepe
our
felves
from being
wounded with the
(words
wherewith they runne
themfelves
through. Was
this
inded
the
cafe
with
David,
solo
mon,Peter?
and others who totally Apòftatized from
the Faith
?
But
if
it
be fo,
if
they
are thus fecure,whence
is
it,that
it
doth arife? what are
the
Fountaines,Springs and
caufes
of
this generall Security
?
Is
it
from
the
weakeneJ
e
of
the
Oppofition,
and
tlightneffe
of
all Meanes
of
diverfion
from
walking with God
to theEnd, that
they meet withall
?
Or
is
it
from
the
na-
'
ture
of
that
Faith,which they have, and
Grace
wherewith they
are
indued
?
Or
is
it
that
God hath
gracionfly
undertaken
to
fafegard
them, and
to
preferve
them
in
their abidingwith him,
that
they
(hall
not
fall
away?
Or
is
it
that
Chrift intercedeth
for
them,that
their Faith faile not,
but
be preferved,
and
their
Soules
with
it,
by
the Power
of
God
untothe End
?
Or
.from
what
other
Principle
doth
this Security
of
theirs arife?From
what
Fountain do
the
firearm
of
their Confolation Flow? Where
lye
the
Heads
of
this Nibs?
That it
is
not
upon
thefirft
account,
I
fuppofe
cannot enter into the Ima-
gination
ofany
perfon, who ever had
the
leafi experience
of
walking with
God,
or doth
fo
much
as affent
to
the
letter
of
the
Scripture. How are our
Enemies
there
difcribed
as
to their
Number,
Nature,
Power, Policy,
Subtility,
Malice,
Re/lleffenes,
and
Advantages
?
With
what
inimaginable and unex-
preffible
variety
of
Meaner,Temptations,Baites,
Al
lurements,inticements,Terrors,.,
Threats,doe they fight againft
us?
Such &
fo
many
are
the
enemies
that
oppofe
the
Saints
of
God
in
their
abiding with him;fo
Greàt&,Effe&ual
the Means,&
weapons,wherewith they
fight againf1thé;founwearied and watchfull.are they
for
the improovement
of
all
Advantages& Opportunityesfor
theirruilte5 that
upon
the
fuppofall
of
the
Ikeje&ion
of
thofe
Principles,
and thofe meanesof
of
their Prefervation,which
we (hall finde Mr
Goodwin
to
attempt,
they
will
be