The Connection therefore will not be questioned, if I believe I shall be saved; this God hath promised, but shall not a believer lose his Faith in Christ, and lose his Love to God; for the Remonstrants grant that a beleever qua talis, as a believer cannot fall away, not come short of glory; but qui talis est; Hee that is a believer may fall ⟨p. 311⟩away totally and finally, and so cannot have assurance of salvation, because he hath no assurance that he shall persevere in his believing, and state of grace. To this I oppose these places of Scripture, 1 Thes. 5.23, 24. And the very God of Peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless (therefore preserved from Apostasy, which is exceedingly blameworthy) till when; till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; is this a prayer and not a promise? yea, it is a prayer indited by the Spirit of God, and hath a promise following it, if you will read on. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Here the Apostle that had the Spirit, prayeth for perseverance; and the Apostle that had the Spirit, promiseth perseverance. Certainty then of perseverance doth not make men careless in the use of means, not prayers needless; by praying a man obtains the thing promised, and the certainty that he hath by the promise of obtaining, puts life into his prayers, Phil. 1.6. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, 1will perform it ([Greek or Hebrew], will finish it, will perfect it) until the day of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. 1.5. Kept (garrisoned) by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation, Joh. 10.28, 30. 1 Cor. 10.13. — But will with the Temptation make a way to escape; therefore they shall persevere, for to enable the believer to persevere in all tentations, is to make a way to escape the destruction and hurt the tentation tendeth to. God doth promise this absolutely, Jer. 32.38, 40. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, and will make an everlasting Covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good, but I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. They shall not forsake God, because God will not leave them, Ezek. 36.27. And I will put my Spirit into you, and [cause] you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my Judgements and do them.
The Connexion therefore will not be questioned, if I beleeve I shall be saved; this God hath promised, but shall not a beleever lose his Faith in Christ, and lose his Love to God; for the Remonstrants grant that a beleever qua talis, as a beleever cannot fall away, not come short of glory; but qui talis est; Hee that is a beleever may fall ⟨p. 311⟩away totally and finally, and so cannot have assurance of salvation, because hee hath no assurance that hee shall persevere in his beleeving, and state of grace. To this I oppose these places of Scripture, 1 Thes. 5.23, 24. And the very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, bee preserved blameless (therefore preserved from Apostacy, which is exceedingly blameworthy) till when; till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; is this a prayer and not a promise? yea, it is a prayer indited by the Spirit of God, and hath a promise following it, if you will read on. Faithful is hee that calleth you, who also will do it. Here the Apostle that had the Spirit, prayeth for perseverance; and the Apostle that had the Spirit, promiseth perseverance. Certainty then of perseverance doth not make men careless in the use of means, not prayers needless; by praying a man obtains the thing promised, and the certainty that hee hath by the promise of obtaining, puts life into his prayers, Phil. 1.6. Being confident of this very thing, that hee which hath begun a good work in you, 1will perform it (〈non-Latin alphabet〉, will finish it, will perfect it) until the day of Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. 1.5. Kept (garrisoned) by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation, Joh. 10.28, 30. 1 Cor. 10.13. — But will with the Temptation make a way to escape; therefore they shall persevere, for to enable the beleever to persevere in all tentations, is to make a way to escape the destruction and hurt the tentation tendeth to. God doth promise this absolutely, Jer. 32.38, 40. And they shall bee my people, and I will bee their God, and will make an everlasting Covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good, but I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from mee. They shall not forsake God, because God will not leave them,
- 1[Greek or Hebrew] denoteth more safety than [Greek or Hebrew].〈non-Latin alphabet〉 denoteth more safety than 〈non-Latin alphabet〉.
