Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BT768 .O9 1654

C Ap.I 11. §:11,1z. Stedfaflnefl'eofGod's loveconfirmed by Inflances. 54 3. Thirdly, That no Purpofe of God is conditional[, though the things themfelves, concerningwhich his Purpofes are, are often times conditionalls one ofanother. q. Fourthly, That conditionall Purpofes concerning Perfeverance, are either Impoffible, implyingcontradi&ions, orLrsdicrons,even to an unfitnes for a Stage. But of thefe and fuch like, as they occafionally fall in, in the infuing Difcourfe. 4, ti. This foundation being laid,I come towhat was secondly propofed,namely, tomanifeft by an Inclusion o fparticular Inftances,the ingagement ofthefe Ab- folute andImmutable Purpofes ofGod, as to the Prefervation ofthe Saints in his Favourto the End: andwhatfoever is by MrGoodwin excepted, as to the former Do&rine of the Decrees and Purpofes of God , in that part ofhis Treatife,which fallsunder our confideration, !hall in the vindicationofthe refpedive places ofScripture tobe infifted on, bedifcuffed. The Firítparticular Inflance,that I !hall propofe, is, that Eminent place ofthe Apoftle,Hom.8.28. where you have theTruth in hand meted out un- to us, fullmeafure, fhaken together,andrunning over It doth not hang by the fideofhis difcourfe , nor is left tobe gathered, and concluded from other Principles,and Affertions couched therein; but is the maineofthe Apolloli- call drift,andDefigne; it being propofed by him, to makegood,upon unque- ftionable Grounds, the Affurancehe gives Believers, That all things worktoge- therfor Good to them that love God, to them that are Called accordingto his Par- pofe: thereafon whereofhe farther addes in the following words, For whom he didfore-know, he alfo didPredeflinate to be conformable to the Imageof his Sonne,that he might be thefirfl borne among many Brethren: moreover whomhe didPredeflinate, themhealfo called, andwhom he called, themhe alfo jus`lified,' &whomhejuftifsed,themhe alfoGlorifsed.What the Goodaimedat,is,for which all things !hall worke together, And wherein it doth confift, hemanifefts in the Conclufionof the Argument produced toprove his firft Afhertion v. 3g. 36,37,38, 39. Who ,fhall feparáte rue from the Loveof God inChriflc(hall tribula- tion &c. TheGoodofBelievers, of them that love God, confifts in the injoy- ment ofChrift, andhisLove: faith then theApoftle, God willfo certainlyor- der all things, that they (hall be preferved in that injoyment of it, whereun- to in this life they are alreadyadmitted, and borne out through all oppofiti- ons,to that perfe&fruition thereof, which they ayme at and this is founquel nionable, that the very things, which feeme to lye in the way offuch anAt- tainment and event, !hall worktogether, through the Wifdome, and Love of God to that end.Tomake good thisConfolation,the ApeJlle layes downe two Grounds or Principles,fromwhence theTruth ofit doth undeniably follow: theone,taken from the Defer.iption ofthe Perfons,concerning whom he makes it and the other,from theAf s o fGods Grace, and their refpe&ive concatena- tion in reference to thofe Perlons. 4. 12. ThePerfons, he tellsyou, are thofe, who are called according to thePurpofe ofGod: That their calling "here mentioned , is the Efrain ll call of God, which is anfwered, by Faith and Obedience, becaufe it confifts in the be !towingofthem on the Perfons focalled, taking away the Heart of/one and giving aHeartoffefh,is not onlymanifeft from that place, which afterwards receives in the Golden Chaire ofDivine Graces betweene "Predefiination and yuilifscation, whereby the one bath infallible influencies into the other; but allo from that precious defcription which is givenofthe famePerfons, viz. that they Love.Gad, which certainely is an Iflue and fruit ofÉffeetuall Calling, as (hall afterwards be further Argued. For to that Iflueaie things drivenin this Controverfy, that proofs thereofare becomeneedful1. The

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