But 2. There was no promise made to Adam of perseverance, and so no promise made to him of influences to work in Adam to will and to do; so the influences by which he obeyed was, purum donum Creatoris, a mere gift of the Creator, not a gift of either the grace of Christ, or a promised grace, though in a large sense, it may be called a grace, or donum gratis datum: For God gave that influence upon no obligation. Now that it was not a grace promised is evident by Adams fall: for God, who is true, fulfils his promises. 2. Augustine and our Divines teach, Dedit Deus posse ut vellet, non velle ut posset, a power to stand, but not the gift of actual perseverance. If any say that the Lord promised to Adam perseverance conditionally (which in one sense is true, in another false) if he pleased, in that he gave to him all necessaries required for actual standing. Ans. 1. This is to teach that perseverance was promised the same way, in the Covenant of Works, that Arminius saith it is promised in the Covenant of Grace, and that the free-will was absolute lord of standing and falling, and to deny God to be the nearest cause of our standing and persevering in either, the one or the other, and to bid us first and last sacrifice to our own free-will. 2. Willing perseverance actual cannot be promised conditionally:1 for the question should be, Upon what condition doth the Lord promise to work in Adam actual perseverance, if he should be willing to persevere? But the question shall remain, whether that willingness to persevere, since it is the greatest part, if not whole perseverance, be promised or not; If it be not promised, ⟨p. 195⟩the contrary whereof they hold, if it be promised conditionally, the question shall recur, what shall be the condition, and another condition then the willingness of the will to persevere cannot be given, and so the argument shall rise against it self, and the issue must be, God gave to Adam actual perseverance, if he should be willing to persevere, that is, he gives to Adam perseverance, if he give him perseverance; for willingness to persevere is perseverance, or a very large part thereof.
But 2. There was no promise made to Adam of perseverance, and so no promise made to him of influences to work in Adam to will and to do; so the influences by which he obeyed was, purum donum Creatoris, a meer gift of the Creator, not a gift of either the grace of Christ, or a promised grace, though in a large sense, it may be called a grace, or donum gratis datum: For God gave that influence upon no obligation. Now that it was not a grace promised is evident by Adams fall: for God, who is true, fulfills his promises. 2. Augustine and our Divines teach, Dedit Deus posse ut vellet, non velle ut posset, a power to stand, but not the gift of actuall perseverance. If any say that the Lord promised to Adam perseverance conditionally (which in one sense is true, in another false) if he pleased, in that he gave to him all necessaries required for actuall standing. Ans. 1. This is to teach that perseverance was promised the same way, in the Covenant of Works, that Arminius saith it is promised in the Covenant of Grace, and that the free-will was absolute lord of standing and falling, and to deny God to be the nearest cause of our standing and persevering in either, the one or the other, and to bid us first and last sacrifice to our own free-will. 2. Willing perseverance actuall cannot be promised conditionally:1 for the question should be, Upon what condition doth the Lord promise to work in Adam actual perseverance, if he should be willing to persevere? But the question shall remain, whether that willingnesse to persevere, since it is the greatest part, if not whole perseverance, be promised or not; If it be not promised, ⟨p. 195⟩the contrair whereof they hold, if it be promised conditionally, the question shall recur, what shall be the condition, and another condition then the willingnesse of the will to persevere cannot be given, and so the argument shall rise against it self, and the issue must be, God gave to Adam actuall perseverance, if he should be willing to persevere, that is, he gives to Adam perseverance, if he give him perseverance; for willingnesse to persevere is perseverance, or a very large part thereof.
- 1Conditional perseverance was not promised to Adam.Conditionall perseverance was not promised to Adam.
