The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

But you will say;¹ doth not the Lord plainly hold out a Purpose, and Decree in these words, I said in deed? Did he say it? Will you assign Hypocrisy to him, and doubling with the sons of men?

But you will say;¹ doth not the Lord planely hold out a Purpose, and Decree in these words, I said in deed? Did he say it? Will you assigne Hypocrisy to him, and doubling with the sonnes of men?

1. 1§. 24.

I say then secondly; that the expression here used holds out no intention nor Purpose of God, (as to the Futurition and Event of the thing it self) that the Priesthood should continue in the House of Eli, but only his Purpose and Intention that Obedience and the Priesthood should go together. There is a Connection of things, not an Intendment or Purpose of Events, in the words intimated. The latter cannot be ascribed to God, without the charge of as formal Mutability as the poorest Creature is liable to. Mr Goodwin indeed tells ye, Sect. 43. pag. 209. That the Purpose of God it self considered, as an act, or conception of the mind of God, dependeth not on any Condition what soever, and all Gods Purposes, and Decrees without exception, are in such respect absolute, and independent: How weak and unable this is to ⟨p. 66⟩free the Lord from a charge of Changeableness upon his supposals, needs little pains to demonstrate. The Conceptions of the minds of the Sons of men & their Purposes, as such, are as absolutely free & inconditionall, as the nature of a Creature will admit: only the Execution of our Purposes and resolves is suspended upon the Intervention of other things, which render them all Conditional; And this it seems is the state with God himself; although in the Scripture he most frequently distinguisheth himself from the Sons of men, on this account, that they purpose at the greatest rate of uncertainty imaginable, as to the accomplishment of their thoughts, and therefore are frequently disappointed; but his Purposes and his Counsels stand for ever. so