" Yea, but," says Mr Goodwin, " it may be thus, in case them- selves shall not comport with Christ in his act of preserving them, with their care and diligence in preserving themselves;" that is, Christ will surely keep them in case they keep themselves. Alas! poor sheep of God ! If this were the case of the flocks of the sons of men, how quickly would they be utterly destroyed ! Doth the veriest hireling in the world deal thus with his sheep, — keep them in case they keep themselves? Nay, to what end is his keeping if they keei^ themselves? Christ compares himself to be the good shepherd which seeketh out and fetcheth a wandering sheep from the wilderness, lay- ing it on his shoulders, and bringing it home to his fold. How did that poor sheep keep itself, when it ran among the ravenous wolves in the wilderness? Yet by the good shepherd it was preserved. This is the spirit and comforting genius of this doctrine: "Christ keeps us provided we keep ourselves!" "We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel ;" that ho gave us his Hoi} Spirit to abide with us for ever, to seal us to the day of redemption ; that kno\v- ing himself, and telling us, that without him we can do nothing, ho would not suspend his doing upon our doing so great a thing as pre-
III.] THE IMMUTABILITY OF THE DIVINE PURPOSES. '19S
serving ourselves. For let us see now what it is that is required in us if we shall be preserved by Christ: it is to comport luith him in his act of p7^eserving us, and to be diligent to keep ourselves!
What is this " comporting with him in his act of preserving us?" Our comporting with Christ in any thing is by our believing in him and on him ; that is our radical comportment, whence all other clos- ings of heart in obedience do flow. So, then, Christ will preserve us in believing, provided we continue to believe. But what need of his help to do so, if antecedently thereunto so we do? Is not this not only aypatpov, but also aXoyov, not only unscriptural, but also unrea- sonable, yea, absurd and ludicrous? This is the flinty fountain of all that abundance of consolation which Mr Goodwin's doctrine doth afford. Doubtless, they must be wise and learned men (like himself) who can extract any such thing therefrom. Let him go with it to a poor, weak, tempted, fainting believer, and try what a comforter he will be thought, a physician of what value he will be esteemed. Let him tell him, " Thou art indeed weak in faith, ready to decay and perish, which thou mayst do every day, there being neither purpose nor promise of God to the contrary; great oppositions and great temptations hast thou to wrestle withal. But yet Christ is loving, tender, faithful, and in case thou continuest believing, he will take care thou shalt believe. That Christ will increase thy faith, and keep it alive by continual influences, as from a head into its mem- bers, preserving thee not only against outward enemies, but the treacheries, and deceits, and unbelief of thine own heart, of any such thing I can give thee no account." Such consolation a poor man may have at home at any time.
Fai'ther; what is that act of Christ in preserving them that is to be comported withal ? wherein doth it consist ? Is it not in his daily, continual communication to them of new supplies of that spi- ritual life whose springs are in him ; the making out from his own fulness unto them ; his performing the office of a head to its mem- bers, and filling those other relations wherein he stands, working in them both to will and to do of his own good pleasure?^ What is it, then, to comiDort with this act or these acts of Christ? Can any thing reasonable be invented wherein such comportment may be tliought to consist, but either it will be found coincident with that whereof it is a condition, or appear to be such as will crush the whole undertaking of Christ for the preservation of believers into vanity and nothing? Again; hath Christ undertaken to jireserve us against all our enemies, or some only?^ If some only, give us an account both of them that he doth imdertake against, that we may know for what to go to him and whereof to complain, and of them
' John i. 16 ; 1 Cor. xii. 13 ; Eph. i. 23, ii. 20-22, iv. 15, 16 ; Gal. ii. 20 ; Col. i. 17-19, ii. 19. 2 Heb. Tii. 25.
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194 DOCTIilNE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
that he doth not so undertake to safeguard us against, that we may know wherein to trust to ourselves;^ and let us see the places of Scripture wherein any enemies are excepted out of this undertaking of Christ for the safety of his. Paul goes far in an enumeration of particulars, Rom. viii. 35-39. If he hath undertaken against them all, then let us know whether it be an enemy that keeps us from this comportment with Christ, or a friend. If it be an enemy (as surely every thing in us that moves us to depart from the living God is), hath Christ undertaken against it, or no ? If not, how hath he undertaken against them all? If he hath, how is it that it prevails? "Yea, but he undertakes tliis in case we comport with him;" that is, he undertakes to overcome such an enemy in case there be no such enemy. In case we be not turned aside from comporting with him, he will destroy that enemy that turns us aside from comporting with liim. " Egregiam vero laudem et spolia ampla!" Or, on the other side, if our enemies prevail not against us, he hath faithfully under- taken that they shall not prevail against ua