A53688:1366
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.
Ans. 1. This is boldly ventured; God promiseth that the End shall be accomplished; Paul exhorteth to the use of the means for the attainment of that End, and in that contradicts the Truth of Gods Promise, if it be not Conditional; And why so? Who ever said that God promised that they should be safe and preserved in the neglect of means; They were men, and not stones that God promised so to safeguard. And it was by his blessing upon means that he intended to preserve them; therefore he that stirred them up to the use of means, contradicted the promise, unless it were Conditional, Paul says indeed, they could not be safe unless the Mariners abode in the ship; not suspending the certainty of Gods Promise upon their continuance in the ship, but manifesting the means whereby God would bring about their safety.
Ans. 1. This is boldly ventured; God promiseth that the End shall be accomplished; Paul exhorteh to the use of the meanes for the attainment of that End, and in that contradicts the Truth of Gods Promise, if it be not Conditionall; And why so? Who ever said that God promised that they should be safe and preserved in the neglect of meanes; They were men, and not stones that God promised so to safegard. And it was by his blessing upon meanes that he intended to preserve them; therefore he that stirred them up to the use of meanes, contradicted the promise, unlesse it were Conditionall, Paul saies indeed, they could not be safe unlesse the Mariners abode in the ship; not suspending the certainty of Gods Promise upon their continuance in the ship, but manifesting the meanes whereby God would bring about their safety.
That which ensues in the two following Exceptions, (as Paul's persuading them to take meat, which conduced to their safety, and their casting the wheat into the sea for the same end) amounts no higher than the Affirmations already considered, Asserting an infallible Promise of an end to be attained by means, and an Exhortation to the use of means with the actual use of them on the account of their necessity as means, are inconsistent; which is plainly without the least show of proof or truth, to beg the thing in Question.
That which insues in the two following Exceptions, (as Paul's perswading them to take meat, which conduced to their safety, and their casting the wheat into the sea for the same end) amounts no higher than the Affirmations already considered, Asserting an infallible Promise of an end to be attained by meanes, and an Exhortation to the use of meanes with the actuall use of them on the account of their necessity as meanes, are inconsistent; which is plainely without the least shew of proofe or truth, to begge the thing in Question.