A53688:1310
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.
First who says that God works by force immediately upon the wills of men? Or who makes force and power to be terms equivalent? Or that God cannot put forth the exceeding greatness of his power in them that believe, but he must force or compel their wills: or that he can not work in us to will and to do of his own good pleasure, immediately working in and with our wills, but he must so force them.
First who saies that God workes by force immediately upon the wills of men? Or who makes force and power to be tearmes equivalent? Or that God cannot put forth the exceeding greatnesse of his power in them that believe, but he must force or compell their wills: or that he can not work in us to will and to do of his owne goodpleasure, immediately working in and with our wills, but he must so force them.
Secondly, whence ariseth the disjunctive force of this Argument? Either by immediate actings upon their wills, or he makes use of those Exhortations? As though the one way were exclusive of the other, and that the Scripture did not abundantly and plentifully ascribe both these unto God; both that he exhorts us to know him, love him, believe in him, and gives us an understanding, and an heart so to do; working Faith and Love in us, by the exceeding efficacy of his power and Spirit: I say then that God works immediately by his Spirit, in, and on the wills of his Saints: that is, he puts forth a real Physical power that is not contained in those exhortations, though he doth it by, and in, and with them: The impotency that is in us to do good, is not amiss termed Ethico-physica: both Natural and Moral; and the Applications of God to the soul in their doing good, are both Really and Physically efficient, and Moral also; the one consisting in the efficacy of his Spirit, the other lying in the exhortations of the Word; yet so as that the efficacy of the Spirit is exerted by, and with the Moral efficacy of the Word; his works being but Grace or the Law in the heart, the Word, being the Law written, so that all the ensuing Reasonings are bottomed upon things Male divisa, that stand in a sweet harmony and compliance with each other.
Secondly, whence ariseth the disjunctive force of this Argument? Either by immedate actings upon their wills, or he makes use of those Exhortations? As though the one way were exclusive of the other, and that the Scripture did not abundantly and plentifully ascribe both these unto God; both that he exhorts us to know him, love him, believe in him, and gives us an understanding, and an heart so to do; working Faith and Love in us, by the exceeding efficacy of his power and Spirit: I say then that God workes immediately by his Spirit, in, and on the wills of his Saints: that is, he puts forth a reall Physicall power that is not contained in those exhortations, though he doth it by, and in, and with them: The impotency that is in us to do good, is not amisse termed Ethico-physica: both Naturall and Morall; and the Applications of God to the soule in their doing good, are both Really and Physically efficient, and Morall also; the one consisting in the efficacy of his Spirit, the other lying in the exhortations of the Word; yet so as that the efficacy of the Spirit is exerted by, and with the Morall efficacy of the Word; his workes being but Grace or the Law in the heart, the Word, being the Law written, so that all the ensuing Reasonings are bottomed upon things Male divisa, that stand in a sweet harmony and compliance with each other.