The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

Thirdly, That Regenerate persons sin not with their whole and full consent, ¹Consent may be taken two ways; First Morally, for approbation of the thing done; so the Apostle says, that in the inward man, he did consent to the Law, that it was good. Rom. 7. 16. that is, he did approve it as such, like it, delight in it as good; and thus a Regenerate man never consents to sin; no nor unregenerate persons neither, unless they are such as being past feeling are given up to work lasciviousness with greediness; a Regenerate person is so far from thus consenting to sin, that before it, in it, after it, he utterly condemns, disallows, hates it as in himself, and by himself committed. Secondly, Consent may be taken in a Physical sense, for the concurrence of the commanding, and acting principles of the soul unto its operations: and in this sense an unregenerate man sins with his full consent, and his whole will; a Regenerate man doth not, cannot do so; For though there is not in that consent to sin, which his will, inclined by the remaining disposition of sin in it, doth give, an actual sensible Reaction of the other principle, yet there is an express, not consenting; and by the power that it hath in the soul, (for habits have power in, and over the Subjects wherein the are) it preserves it from being wholly engaged into sin; and this is the great intendment of the Apostle, Rom. 7. 19 20. 21. 22.

Thirdly, That Regenerate persons sinne not with their whole and full consent, ¹Consent may be taken two wayes; First Morally, for approbation of the thing done; so the Apostle saies, that in the inward man, he did consent to the Law, that it was good. Rom. 7. 16. that is, he did approve it as such, like it, delight in it as good; and thus a Regenerate man never consents to sinne; no nor unregenerate persons neither, unlesse they are such as being past feeling are given up to work lasciviousnesse with greedinesse; a Regenerate person is so farre from thus consenting to sinne, that before it, in it, after it, he utterly condemnes, disallowes, hates it as in himselfe, and by himselfe committed. Secondly, Consent may be taken in a Physicall sence, for the concurrence of the commanding, and acting principles of the soule unto its operations: and in this sence an unregenerate man sinnes with his full consent, and his whole will; a Regenerate man doth not, cannot doe so; For though there is not in that consent to sinne, which his will, inclined by the remaining disposition of sinne in it, doth give, an actuall sensible Reaction of the other principle, yet there is an expresse, not consenting; and by the power that it hath in the soule, (for habits have power in, and over the Subjects wherein the are) it preserves it from being wholly ingaged into sinne; and this is the great intendment of the Apostle,