The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

Some to maintain this position, That all the sins of true Believers are sins of infirmity, lay hold on this shield, such men, they say never sin with their whole wills, or with full consent, therefore they never sin but through infirmity; that they never sin with full consent, they conceive they prove sufficiently from that of the Apostle, for the good that I would I do not, but the evil that I would not that I do, Now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I Answer, first that the Saints cannot sin but with their whole wills or full consents is undeniably proved by this consideration; viz. Because otherwise there should be not only a plurality or diversity, but also a contrariety of wills in the same person, at one & the same instant of time, viz. when the supposed act of evil is produced, now it is an impossibility of the first evidence that there should be a plurality of acts & these contrary one to the other in the same subject or agent, at one or the same instant of time; it is true between the first movings of the flesh in a man towards the committing of the sin, and the completing of the sin by an Actual and External perpetration of it, there may be successively in him not only a plurality but even a contrariety of Volitions or Motions of the will according to what the Scripture speaketh concerning the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the ⟨p. 331⟩Spirit against the flesh; But when the flesh having prevailed in the combat, bringeth forth her desire into act the Spirit ceaseth from his act of Lusting; otherwise it would follow that the flesh is greater and stronger in her lusting; than the Spirit of God in his; and that when the flesh lusteth after the perpetration of such or such a sin, the Spirit as to the hindering of it lusteth but in vain, which is contrary to that of the Apostle, greater is he that is in you (speaking as tis clear of the Spirit of God unto true Believers) than he that is in the world, meaning Satan and all his Auxiliaries Sin, Flesh, Corruption.

Some to mainetaine this position, That all the sinnes of true Believers are sinnes of infirmity, lay hold on this shield, such men, they say never sinne with their whole wills, or with full consent, therefore they never sinne but through infirmity; that they never sinne with full consent, they conceive they prove sufficiently from that of the Apostle, for the good that I would I do not, but the evil that I would not that I do, Now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it, but sinne that dwelleth in me. I Answer, first that the Saints cannot sinne but with their whole wills or full consents is undeniably proved by this consideration; viz. Because otherwise there should be not only a plurality or diversity, but also a contrariety of wills in the same persō, at one & the same instant of time, viz. when the supposed act of evill is produced, now it is an impossibility of the first evidence that there should be a plurality of acts & these contrary one to the other in the same subject or agent, at one or the same iustant of time; it is true between the first movings of the flesh in a man towards the committing of the sinne, and the compleating of the sinne by an Actuall and Externall patration of it, there may be successively in him not only a plurality but even a contrariety of Volitions or Motions of the will according to what the Scripture speaketh concerning the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the