The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

That Doctrine which rendereth God free from the unrighteousness which the Scripture calleth the respecting of persons of men, is a Doctrine of perfect consistence with the Scripture, and the truth; The Doctrine which teacheth the possibility of the Saints declining, and this unto death is a Doctrine of this import: Ergo.

That Doctrine which rendreth God free from the unrighteousnesse which the Scripture calleth the respecting of persons of men, is a Doctrine of perfect consistence with the Scripture, and the truth; The Doctrine which teacheth the possibility of the Saints declining, and this unto death is a Doctrine of this import: Ergo.

Ans. 1.¹ The first proposition must be supposed Universal, of else the whole will quickly be manifested to be unconclusive. If it be only Indefinite, and so equivalent (as it lieth) to a particular, the conclusion is from all particulars, and of no force, as Mr Goodwin well knoweth. Take it universally, and I say it is evidently false, and might easily be disproved by innumerable Instances. ⟨p. 263⟩Not that any error or falsehood can indeed give God the Glory of any one of his Attributes; but that they may be fitted and suited for such a service, were not their throats cut, and their mouths stopped, by the Lies that are in them, which Mr Goodwin's Doctrine is no less liable to then any other, and not at all exempted from that Condition, by its seeming subserviency unto Gods Aprosopolepsia. Doth not the Doctrine of Justification by Works even in the most rigid sense of it, according to the tenor of the old Covenant, absolutely render God free from the Unrighteousness of Accepting of Persons? And yet for all that, it hath not one jot the more of Truth in it, nor is it the less Anti-evangelical. This foundation then being removed, what ever is built upon it mole ruit su•. Neither is it in any measure restored, or laid a new, by the reason of it given by Mr G. viz. That the Scripture affirmeth in sundry places that God is no accepter of persons: for he that shall hence conclude, that what ever Doctrine affirmeth, directly, or by consequence, that God is no Accepter of persons, what ever other abomination it is evidently deeming with all, is yet true, and according to the mind of God, shall have leave notwithstanding the antiquated Statute of our University against it, to go and read Logic at Stamford. On this account do but provide that a Doctrine be not guilty of any one crime, and you may conclude that it is guilty of none. For instance, That Doctrine which impeacheth not the Omnipresence of the Deity, is true & according to the Scripture, for the Scripture aboundeth with clear Testimonies of the Presence of God in all places. Now the Doctrine of the Ubiquity of the humane nature of Christ, doth no way impeach the omnipresence of the Deity; therefore it is true and according to Scripture.