The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

Thirdly the Discourse of this Section hath a contribution of strength, such as it is, from a squaring of the Love of God, unto the sweet nature and Loving disposition of men, which is perhaps no less gross Anthropomorphism, then they were guilty of, who assigned him a Body and Countenance like to ours; And upon these three stilts, whereof the first is called Petitio Principii, the second Ignoratio Elenchi, and the third Fallacia non causae pro caus•, is this Discourse advanced.

Thirdly the Discourse of this Section hath a contribution of strength, such as it is, from a squaring of the Love of God, unto the sweet nature and Loving disposition of men, which is perhaps no lesse grosse Anthropomorphisme, then they were guilty of, who assigned him a Body and Countenance like to ours; And upon these three stilts, whereof the first is called Petitio Principii, the second Ignoratio Elenchi, and the third Fallacia non causae pro caus•, is this Discourse advanced.

I shall not need to transcribe,¹ and follow the Progress of this Argumentation: the Observation of the Fallacies before mentioned, will help the meanest capacity to unravel the Sophistry of the whole; The close only of it may seem to deserve more particular consideration: so then it proceedeth. The Unchangeableness assumed by God himself, unto himself, in the work in hand, I am the Lord I change not, is, I conceive, that which is found in him in respect of his Decrees; the reason is, because it is assigned by him as the reason why they were not utterly destroyed: I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye Sons of Jacob are not consumed; In the beginning of the Chapter, he did declare unto them his purpose and Decree of sending his only begotten Son, whom he there calls the Messenger of the Covenant unto them. He predicteth, v. 3, 4. The happy fruit or consequence of that his sending, in reference to their Nation and Posterity. To the Unchangeableness of this his Decree he assigns the Patience, which he had for a long time exercised towards them under their great and continued provocations; whereby he implies, that if he could have been turned out of the way of his Decree concerning the sending of his Son unto them in their Posterity, they would have done it by the greatness of their sins; but in so much as this his Decree, or himself in this his Decree, was Unchangeable, and it must have been changed, in case they had been all destroyed (For the Decree was for the sending to their Nation, and Posterity) hence, saith he, it comes to pass, that though your sins otherwise abundantly have deserved it, yet I have spared you from a total ruin, therefore in these two last Scripture Arguments, there is every whit as much, or rather more against, then for the common Doctrine of Perseverance.