A53688:1139
The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance
The doctrine of the saints perseverance, explained and confirmed, or, The certain permanency of their 1. acceptation with God & 2. sanctification from God manifested & proved from the 1. eternal principles 2. effectual causes 3. external means thereof ... vindicated in a full answer to the discourse of Mr. John Goodwin against it, in his book entitled Redemption redeemed : with some digressions concerning 1. the immediate effects of the death of Christ ... : with a discourse touching the epistles of Ignatius, the Episcopacy in them asserted, and some animadversions on Dr. H.H. his dissertations on that subject / by John Owen ...The doctrine of the saints perseverance, explained and confirmed, or, The certain permanency of their 1. acceptation with God & 2. sanctification from God manifested & proved from the 1. eternal principles 2. effectuall causes 3. externall meanes thereof ... vindicated in a full answer to the discourse of Mr. John Goodwin against it, in his book entituled Redemption redeemed : with some degressions concerning 1. the immediate effects of the death of Christ ... : with a discourse touching the epistles of Ignatius, the Episcopacy in them asserted, and some animadversions on Dr. H.H. his dissertations on that subject / by John Owen ...
London: printed by Leon. Lichfield, 1654
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. Secondly,1 this being so (as was said) the Gospel Obedience, whereof we speak, it is evident, what Principle it proceedeth from; Whereas there are two contrary Principles in every regenerate man, as shall more fully afterwards be declared, called in the Scripture flesh and Spirit, the Old and New man, indwelling sin and Grace, which have both of them their Seats and Places in all, and the same Faculties of the soul, it is most evident, that this Obedience flows solely and merely from the latter Principle, the Spirit, new or inner man, the new Creature, which is wrought in Believers; The strengthening and heightening of this Principle, the Holy Ghost lays at the bottom of the renewal, and increase of Gospel Obedience. Eph: 3. 16. 17. 18. 19. I pray, (saith the Apostle) that God would grant you, according to the Riches of his Glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith, that ye being rooted & grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth, & length, and depth, & height, and to know• the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fullness of God; Their strengthening with might by the Spirit in the inner man is the foundation of their acting of, and increasing in Faith, Love, Knowledge, and Assurance unto all the fullness of God; It is the New man, which after God is Created in Righteousness and Holiness, that carries men out unto all acceptable Obedience, as c. 4. 23, 24. of the same Epistle. Look whatsoever influences the other Principle of the flesh, hath into our Obedience, so far it is defiled; for that which is from the flesh is flesh, 2& all the fruits of it are abominable; Hence are all the pollutions that cleave to our Holy things. Yea if at at any time, poor and mere selfish considerations do put men upon duties of Obedience, and abstaining from sin, as fear of vengeance, and destruction, and the like, (which is made almost the only motive to Obedience, by the Doctrine of Saints Apostasy) their Obedience in doing or abstaining, is but as their fear of the Lord,3 who were taught it by Lions, & abominable unto him; This then being the nature of Gospel Obedience, and this the Principle, from whence it flows, it is evident,