A53688:403
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.
1. First manifest, that they are all of them Absolute and Immutable: wherein I shall be brief, not going out to the Compass of the Controversy thereabout, as I intimated before. My intendment lies another way.
1. First manifest, that they are all of them Absolute and Immutable: wherein I shall be briefe, not going out to the Compasse of the Controversy thereabout, as I intimated before. My intendment lyes another way.
2. Secondly show, that God hath Purposed the continuance of his Love to his Saints, to bring them infallibly to himself, and that this Purpose of God in particular, is Unchangeable; which is the second part of the Foundation of our Abiding with God in the Grace of Acceptation.
2. Secondly shew, that God hath Purposed the continuance of his Love to his Saints, to bring them infallibly to himselfe, and that this Purpose of God in particular, is Vnchangeable; which is the second part of the Foundation of our Abiding with God in the Grace of Acceptation.
By the Purposes of God,1 I mean (as I said before) the Eternal Acts of his Will concerning all things that outwardly are of him, which are the Rule (if I may so speak) of all his following Operations. All external temporary Products of his Power universally answering those internal Acts of his Will. The Judgment of those who make these Decrees or Purposes of God, (for I shall constantly use these words promiscuously, as being purely of the same import as relating unto God) to be in themselves Essential to him, and his very Nature or Understanding and Will may be safely closed withal. They are in God as was said, but one: There is not a real multiplication of any thing but Subsistence in the Deity. To us these lye under a double Consideration. First Simply as they are in God, and so it is impossible they should be differenced from his Infinite Wisdom and Will, whereby he determineth of any thing. Secondly in respect of the Habitude and Relation which they bear to the things Determined, which the Wisdom and Will of God might not have had. In the first sense, as was said, they can be nothing but the very nature of God: The [Greek or Hebrew] veil of God his Internal willing of any thing that is either Created or Increated; for those Terms distribute the whole nature of beings. Created they are not, for they are Eternal; (that no new immanent Act can possibly be ascribed to God, hath full well of late been demonstrated.) Farther If they are Created, then God willed that they should be Created; for he Created only what he will: If so, was he willing they should be Created or no? If he were, then a progress will be given infinitely, for the Question will arise up to Eternity. If Increated then doubtless they are God himself for he only is so. 'Tis impossible that a Creature should be increated. Again, Gods very willing of things is the cause of all things, and therefore must needs be Omnipotent, and God himself: that Voluntas Dei is Causa rerum, is taken for granted and may be proved from