A53688:1503
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.
The consequence of the Major Proposition,1 stands firm upon this foundation; No act of the Creature whereunto it is necessitated, or which it cannot possibly decline, or but do, is by any Law of God, or rule of Justice rewardable; therefore if the Saints be necessitated by God to Persevere finally, so that he leaves unto them no possibility of declining finally, their final Perseverance is not according to any Law of God, or man, nor indeed to any principles of Reason or Equity, capable of reward; no whit more than actions merely natural are: Nay of the two, there seems ⟨p. 321⟩be more reason why acts merely natural (as for example, Eating, Drinking, Breathing, Sleeping,) should be rewarded, in as much as these flow in a way of necessity, yet from an inward principle and connatural to the Agent, than such actions whereunto the agent is constrained, necessitated, & determined, by a principle of power from without, and which is not intrinsical to it.
The consequence of the Major Proposition,1 stands firme upon this foundation; No act of the Creature whereunto it is necessitated, or which it cannot possibly decline, or but doe, is by any Law of God, or rule of Iustice rewardable; therefore if the Saints be necessitated by God to Persevere finally, so that he leaves unto them no possibility of declining finally, their finall Perseverance is not according to any Law of God, or man, nor indeed to any principles of Reason or Equity, capable of reward; no whit more than actions meerely naturall are: Nay of the two, there seems ⟨p. 321⟩be more reason why acts meerely naturall (as for example, Eating, Drinking, Breathing, Sleeping,) should be rewarded, in as much as these flow in a way of necessity, yet from an inward principle and connaturall to the Agent, than such actions whereunto the agent is constrain'd, necessitated, & determined, by a principle of power from without, and which is not intrinsecall to it.
- 1§. 7.