C Ap. I, ß;38. Mt GAS Grounds oftheSts Perseveranceexamined. 28 wards it hepleafeth, now 'tis certaine to everyman, that there ismoregood 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 evidentit is that every man is capable ofattai- ning or evincing to the certaine knowledge of. andcleaveapprehending this ex- :wife of to him in theformer Good, then in the latter. Thirdly,neither is it a thing lefe evident then either oftheformer, that every man is ascapable ofru- minatingor reapprehending thefaidexcefs ofGood as much&as oft,ashe pleafeth ashe isfrmply ofapprehendingit at all;whichfuppofed as undeniably trae, it fol- lowerwith an highhand& aboveall that theSaints may (andhave means andopportunityesfaire and fullfor that purpofe ) . plant inclinationsor ,dif oftions in themfelves to refraineallmanner offnnes, apparently dangerous ?ice deflprulliveto thefafetyof theirSoules,fuller ofenergie,vigor, life, firength, power then thenaturali inclination in there, which teacheth them to refrain alloccafi- one which they knowmull needsbeaccompanied with the de1lru00 oftheir natu- ranbeings.Th. ereföre ifthey bemoreorfo muchafraidofdeflroying their lives vol- luntarilyQJ" knowingly,(as by thecafling théfelves i rito thefier,or the water or the like)then they areoffalling away throughfin; thefault orreafon thereof is not at all in the Doctrine,which affirmesor informes them, thatthere is a poll that theyfall away, but in themfelves, and their owne voluntary negligence: theyhave meanes and opportunityes (aswehave prooved) in abundance to render themfelves everywhit asfecure,yea andmore[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 OfMr Goodwin,! confeffe I was Anf. furprized to as high a degreeof ,Admiration, & fomeother Affe&ions alto, as by any thing I had obferved inhißwhole Booker as having.not met (ifwith- out offence I may be allowed to fpeake my Apprehenfions) with any dif- courfe whatfoever, of fo tranfcendent azlerogation from, and dire& ten. dency tothe overthrowoftheGrace of CHrifl, but only inwhat isremeto- bred by Auflin, Hilary,Fulgentius, with fameothers,of the difputesofPelage- srs, Coleflius, fulianus, with theirfollowers, and the Socinians of late, with whomMr Goodwinwould not be thought tohave 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 themeanes afforded topreferve the Saints from Apo[lacyandfalling away into ruine, I (hail befo farre fromop- polinga poffibilityoftheir 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 areno more able to meet their Adverfaries who come againfl themwith 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 thepower ofGodunto Salvation, and thatto this end, he putts forth the ' pee.i.9' exceeding eatne e of his power in themthat Believe, according to the.migh- Fphef.i. i ^ g ff f p 18. 19.2 o. ty Workings,which wrought inChrifi when heraifedhimfrom theDead,whereby cot.i:e i. he flrengthens themwith all might according to his Glorious Power, making themmeetpartakersofthe inheritance oftheSaints Light; It feemes,though therebe a Gloriousfoundofwords in thefe, & innumerable the likeExpreffions ofthe engagement ofthe Powerand faithfullneffeofGod, for thefafegarding ofhis saints,yet all this is but an empty noyfe, and beating ofthegyre: That which is indeed materiallto this Purpofe,confifling, in certaine Confederations, which rational! men mayhave concerning theirprefent State; & future Con- dition: But let us a little confider the Difcourfe it felfe.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=