The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

That it is not upon the first account, I suppose cannot enter into the Imagination of any person, who ever had the least experience of walking with God, or doth so much as assent to the letter of the Scripture. How are our Enemies there described as to their Number, Nature, Power, Policy, Subtlety, Malice, Restlessness, and Advantages? With what inimaginable and unexpressible variety of Means, Temptations, Baits, Allurements, Enticements, Terrors, Threats, do they fight against us? Such & so many are the enemies that oppose the Saints of God in their abiding with him; so Great & Effectual the Means, & weapons, wherewith they fight against them; so unwearied and watchful are they for the improvement of all Advantages & Opportunities for their ruin; that upon the supposal of the Rejection of those Principles, and those means of of their Preservation, which we shall find Mr Goodwin to attempt, they will ⟨p. 21⟩be found to be so far from a state of no danger, and little probability of Falling, or only under a remote Possibility of so doing, that it will appear utterly impossible for them to hold out, and abide unto the end. Had the choicest Saint of God, with all the Grace that he hath received, but one of the many Enemies, and that the weakest, of all them which oppose every Saint of God, even the feeblest, to deal withal, separated from the Strength of those Principles and Supportments, which Mr Goodwin seeketh to cast down, (let him lye under continual exhortations, to watchfulness, & close walking with God) he may as easily move Mountains with his finger, or climb to Heaven by a Ladder, as stand before the strength of that one enemy. Adam in Paradise had no Lust within to entice him, no World under the Curse to seduce him, yet at the first assault of Satan, who then had no part in him, he fell quite out of Covenant with God. Psal. 30. 6, 7.

That it is not upon the first account, I suppose cannot enter into the Imagination of any person, who ever had the least experience of walking with God, or doth so much as assent to the letter of the Scripture. How are our Enemies there discribed as to their Number, Nature, Power, Policy, Subtility, Malice, Restlessenes, and Advantages? With what inimaginable and unexpressible variety of Meanes, Temptations, Baites, Allurements, Inticements, Terrors, Threats, doe they fight against us? Such & so many are the enemies that oppose the Saints of God in their abiding with him; so Great & Effectual the Means, & weapons, wherewith they fight against thē; so unwearied and watchfull are they for the improovement of all Advantages & Opportunityes for their ruine; that upon the supposall of the Rejection of those Principles, and those meanes of of their Preservation, which we shall finde Mr Goodwin to attempt, they will