A53688:1704
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 Apostle nextly advanceth farther with his design and saith, He that is borne of God cannot sin: that is, That sin which he sinneth not, he cannot sin; 1He cannot fall under the power of reigning sin unto death. I confess the words can & cannot, are variously used in the Scriptures; some kind of impossibility in one respect or other (for things may be in some regard impossible, that are not so absolutely) it alway denoteth. The whole of the variety in this kind, may be referred to two heads.
The Apostle nextly advanceth farther with his designe and saith, He that is borne of God cannot sinne: that is, That sinne which he sinneth not, he cannot sinne; 1He cannot fall under the power of raigning sinne unto death. I confesse the words can & cannot, are variously used in the Scriptures; some kind of impossibility in one respect or other (for things may be in some regard impossible, that are not so absolutely) it alway denoteth. The whole of the variety in this kind, may be referred to two heads.
- 1§. 64.
1. That which is morally impossible. Of that it is said, that it cannot be done 2 Cor. 13. 8. Saith Paul, we can do nothing against the Truth. And Acts 4. 20. Say the Apostles, we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard. It was morally impossible that ever any thing should have been done by Paul against the truth; or that the Apostles having received the Spirit should not speak what they had seen and heard of Christ. And of many things that are thus morally impossible, there are most certain and determinate causes, as to make the thing so impossible as in respect of the event, to be absolutely impossible. It is morally impossible that the Devil should do that which is Spiritually good, and yet absolutely impossible. There is more in many a thing that is morally impossible than a mere opposition to Justice; as we say Illud possumus quod jure possumus. The causes of moral impossibility may be such, as to tie up the thing which it relateth unto, in an everlasting nonfuurition. There is also