The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

Ans. That this is a most vain and groundless conjecture,¹ I presume any one that will but cast back his thoughts upon the posture of Affairs during the reign of that Generation of men, and a little consider the ways and means whereby they were through the righteous Hand of God, reduced to that condition and state wherein they now are, will quickly determine. The truth is, they were so far from advantaging themselves against their Adversaries, and prevailing upon them, in the esteem of the most rational and knowing men in the Nation, by their entertaining the Arminian Doctrine, that utterly on the other side they dishonoured their cause of Ceremonies, discipline, & conformity, which with success they had so long carried on with the Generality of the Nation, & exposed themselves to the power of the people of the Land in Parliament, from whence as to all other differences they were sheltered by an appearance of Legal Constitutions; so that after some forward Person of that faction, (the most contemptible indeed as to any real worth, one or two individuals only excepted, of the whole tribe) had upon the grounds forementioned, taken up & made profession of the Opinions and Doctrine we are speaking of, they fell daily before their Adversaries, as to the esteem of all, or at least the greatest part of those who cordially & throughly adhered to them ⟨p. 315⟩as to the discipline, and Worship then established. Certainly the Prelatical party themselves, will not say, they prevailed on that hand, as to any ends and purposes for the establishment of their interest, or making good their ground against their opposers. Nay the most sober and Learned of that sort of men, do to this day ascribe in no small measure the downfall of the whole fabric whereof they were parts and members to the precipitating rashness, and folly of some few, in advancing and pressing the Arminian errors that they themselves were given up unto.

Ans. That this is a most vaine and groundlesse conjecture,¹ I presume any one that will but cast back his thoughts upon the posture of Affaires during the reigne of that Generation of men, and a little consider the wayes and meanes whereby they were through the righteous Hand of God, reduced to that condition and state wherein they now are, will quickly determine. The truth is, they were so far from advantaging themselves against their Adversaryes, and prevailing upon them, in the esteeme of the most rationall and knowing men in the Nation, by their entertaining the Arminian Doctrine, that utterly on the other side they dishonoured their cause of Ceremonys, discipline, & conformity, which with succes they had so long carryed on with the Generality of the Nation, & exposed themselves to the power of the people of the Land in Parliament, frō whence as to all other differences they were sheltered by an appearance of Legall Constitutions; so that after some forward Person of that faction, (the most contemptible indeed as to any reall worth, one or two individualls only excepted, of the whole tribe) had upon the grounds forementioned, taken up & made profession of the Opinions and Doctrine we are speaking of, they fell daily before their Adversaries, as to the esteeme of all, or at least the greatest part of those who cordially & throughly adhered to them