80 / 504
C
A
p.
I,
ß;
38.
Mt
GAS
Grounds
of
the
Sts
Perseverance
examined.
28
wards
it
he
pleafeth,
now
'tis
certaine
to every
man,
that
there
is
moregood
in
ab-
_
laining from things either
Eminently dangerous,
or
slpparantly
de
ra-
dive
to his Soule,
then in forbearing things
Apparently
deffrutlive
to his
natu-
turall
being.
(Secondly,)
as
evident
it
is
that
every
man
is capable
ofattai-
ning
or evincing to
the certaine
knowledge of.
and
cleave
apprehending
this ex-
:wife
of
to
him
in
the
former
Good,
then in
the
latter.
T
hirdly,neither
is
it
a
thing lefe
evident then either
of
the
former, that
every
man is
as
capable
of
ru-
minating
or reapprehending the
faidexcefs
of
Good as much
&as
oft,as
he
pleafeth
as
he
isfrmply
ofapprehending
it
at all;
whichfuppofed
as undeniably
trae,
it
fol-
lower
with an
high
hand
&
above
all
that
the
Saints
may
(and
have
means
and
opportunityes
faire
and
full
for
that
purpofe
)
.
plant inclinations
or
,dif
of
tions
in
themfelves to
refraine
all
manner
offnnes,
apparently dangerous
?ice
deflprulliveto
the
fafety
of their
Soules,fuller ofenergie,vigor,
life,
firength,
power
then
the
naturali
inclination
in there,
which teacheth them
to
refrain
all
occafi-
one
which
they know
mull
needs
be
accompanied
with
the de1lru0
0
of
their
natu-
ran
beings.Th.
ereföre
ifthey
be
more
or
fo
much
afraid
of
deflroying
their
lives vol-
luntarily
QJ"
knowingly,(as
by
the
cafling
théfelves
i
rito
the
fier,or
the
water
or the
like)then
they
are
of
falling
away
through
fin;
the
fault
or
reafon
thereof
is not
at
all
in
the Doctrine,which
affirmes
or informes them,
that
there is
a poll
that
they
fall
away,
but
in
themfelves,
and their
owne
voluntary
negligence: they
have
meanes
and
opportunityes
(as
we
have prooved)
in
abundance to render themfelves
every
whit
as
fecure,yea
and
more
[ewe
touching
the
latter,
as
they are,or re
fo-
nably can
be,
concerningthe
former.,
s
38
.
When
I
firft
call
an eye on
this
Difcourfe
Of
Mr
Goodwin,! confeffe I
was
Anf.
furprized
to
as
high
a
degree
of
,Admiration, & fome
other
Affe&ions
alto,
as
by
any
thing
I
had obferved
in
hiß
whole
Booker
as
having.
not met
(if
with-
out
offence I may
be allowed
to
fpeake my Apprehenfions) with any
dif-
courfe whatfoever,
of
fo
tranfcendent azlerogation from, and
dire&
ten.
dency
to
the
overthrow
ofthe
Grace
of
CHrifl,
but
only in
what
is
remeto-
bred by
Auflin,
Hilary,Fulgentius,
with
fame
others,of
the difputes
of
Pelage-
srs,
Coleflius, fulianus,
with
their
followers, and
the
Socinians
of
late, with
whomMr
Goodwin
would not be
thought to
have Joyned
in
their Oppofiti-
onto
the
Merit and
Grace
'ofchriTA
As I
faid
then before,
if
this (hould
proove
in
the
iffue
to be the
fumme
of
the
meanes afforded
to
preferve the
Saints
from
Apo[lacy
and
falling
away
into
ruine,
I (hail
befo
farre from
op
-
poling
a
poffibility
of
their
defe&ion,
that
(hall
certainly
conclude
their
Perfeverance
to be impoffible.
Being
fully
perfwaded
that
withal!
the contribu-
tion offtrength,which the
conliderations mentioned are able
of
themfelves
to
afford
unto them,they are
no
more able to meet their
Adverfaries
who
come
againfl them
with
twenty
thoufand
fnbtilties and
Temptations,
then
a
man with
a
flraw
and
a
feather,is
to
combàte with, and overcome
a
royal!
Army;
The
Scripture
tells
us,
and
we
thought
it
had been
fo,
that
we
are
kept by
the
power
of
Godunto
Salvation,
and
that
to
this
end,
he
putts
forth
the
'
pee.i.9'
exceeding eatne
e
of
his
power
in them
that
Believe,
according
to
the.migh-
Fphef.i.
i
^
g
ff
f
p
18.
19.2
o.
ty Workings,which wrought
in
Chrifi when
he
raifed
him
from
the
Dead,whereby
cot.i:e
i.
he flrengthens
them
with
all
might
according
to
his Glorious
Power,
making
them
meet
partakers
of
the inheritance
ofthe
Saints Light;
It
feemes,though
there
be
a
Glorious
found
of
words
in
thefe, & innumerable
the
likeExpreffions
of
the
engagement
of
the Power
and
faithfullneffe
of
God, for
the
fafegarding
of
his
saints,yet
all this
is
but
an
empty noyfe, and beating
of
the
gyre:
That
which
is
indeed materiall
to
this Purpofe,confifling, in certaine
Confederations,
which rational! men may
have
concerning
their
prefent State; &
future
Con
-
dition:
But
let
us
a
little
confider
the
Difcourfe it
felfe.