The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

1. That it commandeth all Saints to he fully persuaded, and that with the greatest and most indubitable certainty of Faith, that there is an absolute and utter impossibility either of a total, or final defection of their Faith.

1. That it commandeth all Saints to he fully perswaded, and that with the gseatest and most indubitable certainty of Faith, that there is an absolute and utter impossibility either of a totall, or finall defection of their Faith.

Ans. 1. What is the intendment of these Aggravating expressions of, [fully persuaded, greatest and most indubitable certainty of Faith] I know not. Will it please you, if it should require them to be persuaded, but not fully persuaded, Believe it, but with little and dubitable certainty of Faith, or uncertainty rather? Full persuasion, greatest certainty, without doubting or staggering, ⟨p. 267⟩are all of their perfections of Faith, and of the Saints in believing: which without doubt, they are in all that they are to Believe, to press after: so that all this is no more, but that this Doctrine requireth men to believe what it affirmeth God to have promised. It requireth men to mix the Promises of God with Faith,) Crimen in auditum. But though the manner of Believing which it requireth, be not blameable, yet the thing which it proposeth to be believed is false. What is that? That there is an Absolute or utter impossibility either of a total or final defection of the Faith of true Believers. Its requiring this to be Believed is the bottom, & also corner stone, of Mr Goodwin's ensuing Argument: if it doth not do this, he hath nothing in this place to say to it; Let him then produce any one that ever wrote in the defence of it, that hath in Terms, or by just consequence, delivered any such thing, and on Herbam; there shall be an end of this dispute; I presume Mr Goodwin knoweth what is meant by an absolute and utter impossibility. An absolute Repugnancy unto being, in the nature of the things themselves concerning which any Affirmation is, and not any external or foreign consideration doth entitle any thing to an absolute & utter Impossibility; did ever any one affirm, that in the nature of the thing it self, the defection of the Sts is absolutely impossible? Is it not by them that believe the Perseverance of the Sts constantly affirmed that in themselves they are apt, yea prone to fall away, and their Faith to decay and dye, which in it self possibly may be done, though Mr Goodw: cannot tolerably show how. The whole certainty of their continuance in, and of the preservation of their Faith, depends merely on supposition of something that is extrinsical in respect of them, and of their state, which as to their Condition might, or might not be.