1. " That the weakness of the flesh, or aptness of miscarrying through this, is no reasonable ground of fear to any true believer of his perishing, considering that no man loseth or forfeiteth the grace and favour of God through sins of weakness or infirmity. It is only the strength of sin and corruption in men that exposeth to the danger of losing the love of God."
Atis. The latter part of these words plainly discovers the vanity of the former, as produced for any such end and purpose as that in hand : for though I willingly grant that that which is termed " The weakness of the flesh" is enough to make any man whatever fear that he shall not hold out in the course of his obedience to the end, if he liave no promise of supportment and preservation by an almighty power (notwithstanding it is affirmed that it draweth men only to
XI.] ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE DOCTEINE CONSIDERED. 42 J
" sins of weakness or infiraiity," which I thought had not been called so from weakness of the flesh, but of grace in believers), yet it is the strength, the power, the law, the subtlety of the flesh, or indwelling- sin, that is the matter of our plea in this case; not that which Paul "gloried in," even his " infirmity," but that which made him cry out, *' O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" and from the distress by reason whereof he found no deliverance, but only in the assured love of God in Jesus Christ, Rom. vii., viii. 1. So that notwithstanding this reply, shaped to fortify the minds of men against their failings upon the account of the weakness of grace, rather than of the flesh (which yet it is not able to do, for if there be no promise to the contrary, why may not the principle which carrieth men forth to lesser carry them also forth to greater and more provoking sins? what boundaries will you pre- scribe unto these sins of infirmity?), the pretension from the strength of the flesh (yea, from the weakness of it) holdeth good against the saints' establishment in peace and assurance, upon the account of their being destitute of any promise of preservation by God.
2. " If the saints be willing," saith he, " to strengthen the Spirit in them, and make him willing proportion ably to the means pre- scribed and vouchsafed unto them by God for such a purpose, this will fully balance the weakness of the flesh, and prevent the mis- carriages and breaking out hereof. ' This, I say, then,' saith the apostle, ' walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.' And again, * If ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law,' and consequently are in no danger of losing the favour of God, or of perishing for such sins which, under the conduct of the Spirit, ye are subject unto."
Ans. But that all now must be taken in good part, and nothing called strange or uncouth, since we have passed the pikes in the last section, I should somewhat admire at the doctrine of this paragraph ; for, —
(1.) Here is a willing, in reference to a great spiritual duty, supposed in men antecedent to any assistance of Him who " worketh both to will and to do of his good pleasure." What he worketh, he worketh by the Spirit; but this is a willing in us distinct from and ante- cedent to the appearing of the Spirit, for the strengthening thereof.
(2.) That whereas we have hitherto imagined that the Spirit strengtheneth the saints, and that their supportment had been from him, as we partly also before declared (at least we did our mind to be so persuaded), it seemeth they " strengthen the Spirit in them," and not he them ! How, or by what means, or by what principles in them, it is that so they do is not declared. Besides, what is here in- tended by "the Spirit" is not manifested. If it be the holy and blessed Spirit of God, he hath no need of our strengthening; he is able of
422 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
himself to " make us meet for the inheritance of the saints in hght." If it be the gracious princijjles that are bestowed upon the saints that are intended, the "new creature/' tlie "inward man," called "the Spirit" in the Scripture, in opposition to " the flesh ;" if our strength- ening this Spirit be any thing but the acting of the graces intended thereby in us, I know not what you mean. Especially, in what is or consists their acting to make "the Spirit willing proportionably to the means we do receive," am I to seek. To say that we receive outward means of God (for so they must be, being distinguished from the Spirit), and thereupon of ourselves do make the Spirit willing, and strengthen him to the performance of God, surely holds out a very sufficient power in spiritual things inbred in us and abid- ing with us, whereof there is not the least line or appearance in the whole book of God, nor in any author urged by Mr Goodwin to give countenance to his persuasion.