132 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CIIAP.
ference to ourselves from any property of God, but only upon the account of the revelation which he hath made thereof unto us for that end and purpose; but this being done, we have a sure anchor, firm and steadfast, to fix us against all blasts of temptation or oppo- sition whatsoever. When God proposes his immutability or un- changeableness to assure us of the continuance of his love unto us, if we might truly apprehend, yea, and ought so to do, that his un- changeableness may be preserved, and himself vindicated from the least shadow of turning, though he should change his mind, thoughts, love, purposes, concerning us every day, what conclusion for consola- tion could possibly arise from such proposal of God's immutability unto us? yea, would it not rather appear to be a way suited to the delusion of poor souls, that when they shall think they have a solid pillar, no less than an essential property of the nature of God, to rest upon, they shall find themselves leaning on a cloud, or shadow, or on a broken reed that will run into their hands, instead of yielding them the least supportment? God deals not thus with his saints. His discoveries of himself in Christ for the establishment of the hearts of his are not such flints as from whence the most skilful and exercised faith cannot expect one drop of consolation. What- soever of his name he holds out to the sons of men, it will be a strong tower and place of refuge and safety to them that fly unto it. Secondly, The consideration of that love in its continuance, wherein the Lord settles and puts out of doubt the souls of his, by the en- gagement of his unchangeableness, or the calling of them to the con- sideration of that property in him from whom that love doth flow, adds strength also to the way of arguing we insist upon. Were the love of God to his nothing but the declaration of his approbation of such and such things, annexed to the law and rule of obedience (it might stand firm like a pillar in a river, though the water be not thereby caused to stand still one moment, but only touch it, and so pass on), there were some colour of exception to be laid against it. And this is, indeed, the -xpco-ov -^ivboQ of Mr Goodwin in this whole controvers}'^, that he acknowledgeth no other love of God to believers but what lies in the outward approbation of what is good, and men's doing it; upon which account there is no more love in God to one than another, to the choicest saint than to the most profligate villain in the world. Nay, it is not any love at all, propcrl}'- so called, being no internal, vital act of God's will, the seat of his love, but an exter- nal declaration of the issue of our obedience. The declaration of God's will, that he approves faith and obedience, is no more love to Peter than it is to Judas. But let now the love of God to believers be considered as it is in itself, as a vital act of his will, willing, if I may so speak, good things to them, as the immanent purpose of his will, and also joined with an acceptation of therfi in the eii'ects of his
II.] THE IMMUTABILITY OF THE DIVINE NATURE. 133
grace, favour, and love in Jesus Christ, and it will be quickly evidenced how an alteration therein will intrench upon the immutability of God, both as to his essence, and attributes, and decrees.
Having thus re- enforced our argument from this place of Scrip- ture, by restoring unto it those considerations which (being its main strength) it was maimed and deprived of by Mr Goodwin in his pro- posal thereof, I shall briefly consider the answers that by him are suggested thereunto.
Thus, then, he proceedeth : " By the tenor of this arguing, it will as well follow, that in case God should at any time withdraw his love and his favour from a nation or body of a people which he sometimes favoured or loved, he should be changed. But that no such change of dispensation as this towards one or the same people or nation argueth any change at all in God, at least any such change which he disclaimeth as incompetent to him, is evident from those instances without number recorded in Scripture of such different dispensations of his towards sundry nations, and more especially to- wards the Jews, to whom sometimes he gives peace, sometimes con- sumes them with wars, sometimes he makes them the head, and sometimes again the tail of the nations round about them."
Aois. The love and favour of God to a nation or people, here brought into the lists of comparison with the peculiar love of God to his saints, which he secures them of upon the accoimt of his immuta- bility, is either the outward dispensation of good things to them^ called his love because it expresseth and holds out a fountain of good- ness from whence it flows, or it is an eternal act of God's will towards them, of the same nature with the love to his own formerly described. If it be taken in the first sense, as apparently it is intended, and so made out from the instance of God's dealing with the Jews in out- ward blessings and punishments, Mr Goodwin doth plainly furaZaivuv s/g ciXXo ysvog, — fall into a thing quite of another nature, instead of that which was first proposed. " Amphora cum coepit institui cur urceus exit?" There is a wide difference between outward providential dis- pensations and eternal purposes and acts of grace and good-will, to deal in the instance insisted on by Mr Goodwin. There being fre- quent mention in the Scripture, as afterward shall be fully declared, of a difference and distinction in and of that people (for " they are not all Israel that are of Israel," Rom. ix. 4-8), the whole lump and body of them being the people of God in respect of separation from the rest of the world and dedication to his worship and external pro- fession, yet a remnant only, a hidden remnant, being his people upon the account of eternal designation and actual acceptation into love and favour in Jesus Christ, there must needs be also a twofold dis- pensation of God and his will in reference to that people, — the first common and general, towards the whole body of them, in outward