Ans. 1. The grounds asserted by Mr Goodwin on which believers may build the assurance pretended, of the perpetuity of their stand- ing in the grace and favour of God, notwithstanding the possibility of their defection (the assertion whereof costs no less than the deny- ing of all or any influence from the purpose, promises, covenant, or oath of God, or mediation of Christ, into their preservation), I have formerly considered, and manifested them to be so exceeding unable to bear any such building of confidence upon as is pretended, that it is almost a miracle how any thoughts of such a structure on such quicksands could ever find place in the mind of a man any thing seriously acquainted with the ways of God. The whole of the saints' preservation in the love and favour of God (as it is also ex- pressed in this section) is resolved into men's self- considerations and endeavours. Being weary, it seemeth, of leaning on the power of God, to be kept thereby unto eternal salvation, men begin to trust to themselves and their own abilities to be their own keepers ; but what will they do in the end thereof? The sum of what Mr Good- win hath formerly said, and what he repeateth again to the end of this section, is, " Men need not fear their falling away, though it is possible, seeing they may easily prevent it if they will;" — expressions sufficiently contemptive of the grace of God, and the salvation that God assureth us thereby; an assertion which those ancients which Mr Goodwin laboureth to draw into communion with him would have rejected and cast out as heretical. Man's ability thus to preserve himself in the grace and favour of God to the end is either from himself or from the grace of God? If from himself, let us know what that ability is, and wherein it doth consist, and how he comes
VOL. XI. 27
418 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
by it. Christ telleth us that " without him we can do nothing;" and the apostle, that " we are not suflficient of ourselves to think a good thought, but that all our sufficiency is of God:" so that this self- ability for preservation extendeth not to the thinking a good thought, — indeed is nothing. Is it from the grace of God? Then the as- surance of it must be either because God promised absolutely so to " work in him both to will and to do of his good pleasure" as that he should certainly be preserved ; which you will not say, as I sup- pose: or because he will so afford him his gi'ace as that he may make use of it to the end proposed if he please. But now what as- surance hath he that he shall so make use of his gi'ace as to make it effectual for the end designed? And is this good use of grace of himself, or of grace also? If of himself, it is " nothing," as was showed from that of our Saviour, John xv. 5, neither can a man promise himself much assistance from the ability of doing nothing at all. If you shall say it is of grace, the same question ariseth as formerly, manifesting that there is not the least assurance imaginable of our continuance in the grace and favour of God, but what ariseth from his faithful promises (efficaciously overcoming all interveniencies) that we shall so do.
2. He telleth us that " Paul lived at an excellent rate of assurance, and yet knew that it was possible for him to be a reprobate." I con- fess, indeed, he lived at an excellent rate of assurance, which he mani- festeth himself to have received upon such principles and founda- tions as were common to him with all true believers, Rom. viii. 32-35. That it was possible in respect of the event that he might have been a reprobate who was chosen from eternity is not proved. He saitli, indeed, 1 Cor. ix. 27, "I keep under my body, and bring it into sub- jection, lest by any means I should be found ddom/Mog." That by udoxi- /xog, there, any more is intended than " not approved or accepted " in that service he had in hand, Mr Goodwin laboureth not to evince; and if that be the sense of the words (as the scope of the Avhole manifest- eth it to be), then all that Paul there expresseth is, that he endea- voured always to approve himself, and by all means, an acceptable workman, not to be rejected or disallowed in the labour of preaching the gospel which he had undertaken. And we acknowledge that this thought and contrivance may w^ell become him wdio liveth at the greatest rate of assurance that God affordeth to any here below ; yea, that such thoughts and endeavours do naturally and genuinely flow from the assurance of the love of God we also grant. But yet, sup- posing that being a rej^robate, by a metonymy of the effect, may hei'e signify to be damned, how doth this prove that it was possible in respect of the event that he should be damned ? *' Why, because he laboured that he might not be so." That is, no man can use the means of avoiding any thing, but he must be uncertain whether in