42S DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
nature of Christ doth no way impeach the omnipresence of the Deity: therefore it is true and according to Scripture!
I might supersede all farther considerations of this argument, having rendered it altogether useless and unserviceable in this war- fare by breaking its right leg, or rather crutch, wliereon it leaned. But something also may be added to the minor, because of its re- flection in the close of its proof upon the doctrine we maintain, in- timating an inconsistency of it with that excellency of God spoken of, namely, that he is no accepter of persons.
Pi'osopolepsia, or accepting of i:)ersons, is an evil in judgment^ when he who is to determine in causes of righteousness hath respect to 2)ersonal things, that concern not the meint of the cause in hand, and judgeth accordingly. This properly can have no place in God as to any bestowing of free grace, mercy, or pardon. There is room made for it only when the things that are bestowed or wrought by it are such as in justice are due; it being an iniquity solely and directly opposed to distributive justice, that rendereth to every one according to what is righteous and due.^ That with God there be no accepting of persons there is no more required but this, that he appoint and determine equal punishments to equal faults, and give equal rewards to equal deservings. If he will dispose of his pardoning mercy and free grace to some in Christ, not to others, who shall say unto him, "What doest thou?" May he not do what he will with his own? So he giveth a penny to him that laboureth all day, he may give a penny also to him that worketh but one hour. Now, suppose that Mr Goodwin's doctrine render God free from this (or rather chargeth him not with it), yet if withal it calleth his truth, righteousness, faithfulness, oath, and immutability into question, shall it pass for a truth, or be embraced ever the sooner?
But the sting of this argument lieth in the tail or close of it, in the reflection insisted on upon the common doctrine of perseverance, as it is called, namely, that it teacheth God to be an accepter of persons. This is Mr Goodwin's way of arguing all along: When at any time he hath proposed a proof of the doctrine he goeth about to establish, finding that as something heavy work to lie upon his hand, and not much to be said in the case, he instantly turneth about and falleth upon his adversaries, in declaiming against whom he hath a rich and overflowing vein. There is scarce any one of his arguments in the pursuit and improvement whereof one fourth part of it is spoken to that head wherein he is engaged.
But wherein is the "common doctrine of perseverance" guilty of this
great crime? It teacheth that "he that believeth shall be saved, and
he that believeth not shall be damned." It teacheth that God hath
allotted equal punishments to equal transgressions, and appointed
• Exod xxiii. 2, 3, 6-9; Job xxxi. 34.
XII.] OBJECTIONS TO THE DOCTEINE REFUTED, 429
equal rewards to equal ways of obedience; that the wages of every sin is death, and that every sinner must die, unless it be those con- cerning whom God himself saith, " Deliver them, I have found a ransom," Job xxxiii. 24; that he is alike displeased with sin in whomsoever it is, and that in a peculiar and eminent manner when it is found in his own. Indeed, if this be to impute acceptation of persons to God, to say " that he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth," — that is, is tender to his own, as a father to his only child that serveth him, and will recover them (being faithful in his promises) from their sins, and heal their backslidings, though he suffer others to lie wallowing in their re- bellions and pollutions all their days; — that he will not give joardon to any sinner but upon faith and repentance, but will give faith and repentance to those whom he hath chosen, and given unto Jesus Christ to be saved : if this, I say, be acceptance of persons, our doc- trine owneth the imputation of ascribing it to God, and giorieth in it, we being ascertained that God taketh all this to himself clearly and plentifully in the word of truth.
The sum of what our author gives in to make good his charge upon the " common doctrine of perseverance" is, that it afBrmeth "That though saints and believers fall into the same sins of adultery, and idolatry, and the like, with other men, yet they are not dealt withal as other men, but continued in the love and favour of God." To waive the consideration of the false impositions, by the way, on the doc- trine opposed (as that is, that it teacheth the saints to fall into and to continue in them, to the significancy of that expression " Never so long," under abominations), and to join issue upon the whole of the matter, I say, —
1. That in and with this doctrine, and in perfect harmony and consistency therewith, we maintain that the judgment of God is the same in respect of every sin, in whomsoever it is, that he that doth it on that account is " worthy of death," Kom. i. 82. And, — •