" But," says Mr Goodwin, "this is otherwise." Well, let that pass.
III.] THE IMMUTABILITY OF THE DIVINE PURPOSES. 1 75
He adds, secondly, "Suppose it be granted that tlie calling here spoken of is that kind of calling which is always accompanied with a saving answer of faith, yet neither doth this prove but that even such called ones may obstruct and prevent, by wickedness and unbelief, their final justification, and consequently their glorification. If so, then that chain of divine acts or decrees here framed by the apostle is not indissolvable in any such sense which imports an infallibility, and universal exertion or execution of the latter whensoever the former hath taken place." In this answer Mr Goodwin denies our conclu- sion, to wit, that the chain of divine acts of grace in this place is in- dissolvable (which that it is we make out and prove from the words of the text, the context, and scope of the place), and adds his reason, " Because they who are justified may lay bars in their way from being finally so, or being glorified;'' — that is, it is not so, because it is not so; for the efficacy of the grace asserted is for the removal of the bars intimated, or wherein may its efficacy be supposed to con- sist, especially in its relation to the end designed ? And so this place is answered. Saith the Holy Ghost, " Those whom God justifieth he glorifies." " Perhaps not," saith Mr Goodwin ; " some things may fall in or fall out to hinder this." Eligite cui credatis.
Were I not resolved to abstain from the consideration of the judg- ments of men when they are authoritatively interposed in the things of God, I could easily manifest the fruitlessness of the following en- deavour to prove the effectual calling of Judas by the testimony of Chrysostom and Peter Martyr ; for neither hath the first, in the place alleged, any such thing (least of all is it included in Mr Goodwin's marginal annotation, excluding compulsion, necessity, and violence, from vocation) ; and the latter, in the section pointed to and that fol- lowing, lays down principles sufficiently destructive to the whole design whose management Mr Goodwin hath undertaken. Neither shall I contest about the imposing on us in this dispute the notion of final justification distinct from glorification, both name and thing being foreign to the Scripture, and secretly including (yea, delivering to the advantage of its author) the whole doctrine under consideration stated to his hand. If there be a gospel justification in sinners or believers in the blood of Christ not final or that may be cut off, he hath prevailed.
But Mr Goodwin proceeds to object against himself, sect. 46, "But some, it may be, will farther object against the interpretation given, and plead, — 1. That the contexture between these two links of this chain, predestination to a conformity with Christ and calling, is sim- ply and absolutely indissolvable, so that whoever is so predestinated never fails of being called ; 2. That it is altogether unlikely that, in one and the same series of divine actions, there should not be the same fixedness or certainty of coherence between all the parts"
176 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
The first of these being the bare thesis which he opposed, I know not how it came to be made an objection. I shall only add to the latter objection, which includes something of argument, that the effi- cacy of any one act of God's grace here mentioned, as to the end proposed, depending wholly on the uninterruptible concatenation of them all, and the effectual prevalency and certainty (as to their respective operations) of every one of them being equal to the ac- complishment of the purpose of God in and by them all, I will- ingly own it, especially finding how little is said, and yet how much labour taken, to dress up a pretended answer unto it. Of this there are two parts, whereof the first is this: " I answer," saith he, —
" First, by a demur upon the former of these pleas;" which was, that the connection between the predestination of God mentioned and his calling is uninterruptible. " Somewhat doubtful to me it is whether a person who, by means of the love of God which is in him at present, falls under his decree of predestination, may not possil)ly, before the time appointed by God for his calling, be changed in that his affection, and consequently pass from under that decree of predestination, and fall under another decree of God opposite there- unto, and so never come to be called."
Avs. I confess this demur outruns my understanding, equis albis,^ neither can I by any means overtake it, to pin any tolerable sense upon it, though I would allow it to be suited only to Mr Good- win's principles, and calculated for the meridian of Arminianism. For who, I pray, are they in any sense (in Mr Goodwin's) that do so love God as to fall under, as he speaks, that pendulous decree of predestination, and to whom this promise here is made? Are they not believers? Are any others predestinated, in our author's judg- ment, but those who are actually so? Is not the decree of predes- tination God's decree or purpose of saving believers by Jesus Ciu'ist? or can any love God to acceptation without believing? If, then, they are believers, can they alter that condition before they are called? We supposed that "faith had been by hearing, and hear- ing by the word of God," Rom. x. 17, and that it is of necessity, in order of nature, that calling should precede believing. What are men called to? Is it not to believe? Here, then, is a new sort of men discovered, that believe and fall from faith, love God and forsake him, all antecedently to their vocation or calling. I am confident that Mr Goodwin may be persuaded to withdraw this demurrer, or if not, that he will be overruled in it before the judgment-seat of all unprejudiced men. It will scarcely as yet pass currently that men are bom believers, and after such and such a time of their continu- ance in that estate of belief, and being predestinated thereupon, God then calls them. Neither do I understand the meaning of that 1 See llor. Sat,, j. 7, 8.— Ed.