And thus I doubt not but that it is manifest, by these considera- tions of Mr Goodwin's objections to the contrary, that the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, as by us taught and delivered, doth not only fall in a sweet compliance with all the means of grace, especially those appointed by God to establish the saints in faith and obedience, — that is, to work perseverance in them, — but also to be eminently useful to give life, vigour, power, and efficacy, in a peculiar gospel manner, to all exhortations, threatenings, and promises, ap- pointed and applied by God to that end and purpose.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE ASSERTORS AND ADVERSARIES OF THE DOCTRINE COMPARED.
The maintainers and propagators of the several doctrines under contest taken into consideration — The necessity of so doing from Mr G. undertaking to make the comparison — This inquiry confined to those of our own nation — The chief assertors of the doctrine of the saints' perseverance in this nation since it received any opposition; what was their ministry, and what their lives — Mr G.'s plea in this case — The first objection against his doctrine by him proposed, second and third — His answers to these objections considered, removed — His own word and testimony offered against the experience of thousands — The persons pointed to by him and commended, considered — The principles of those persons he opposeth vindicated — Of the doctrine of the primitive Christians as to this head of religion — Grounds of mistake in reference to their judgment — The first reformers constant to themselves in their doctrine of the saints' perseverance — Of the influence of Mr Perkins' judgment on the propagation of the doctrine of the saints' perseverance — • Who the persons were on whom his judgment is supposed to have had such an influence — The consent of foreign churches making void this surmise — What influence the doctrine of the saints' perseverance has into the holiness of its professors — Of the unworthiness of the persons who in this nation have as- serted the doctrine of apostasy — The suitableness of this doctrine to their practices — Mr G.'s attempt to take oft' this charge — How far men's doctrines may be judged by their hves — Mr G.'s reasons why Episcopalists arminian- ized the first, considered and disproved — His discord, etc. — General apostasy of men entertaining the Arminian tenets — The close.
As to the matter in hand, about the usefulness of the doctrine of VOL XI. . 31
482 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCK [CHAP.
the perseverance of the saints in and unto the ministry of the gospel, and the obstruction pretended to be laid unto it thereby, it may be somewhat conducing and of concernment to consider who the per- sons are and were, and what hath been and is the presence of God with them, in their ministry, who have been assertors and zealous maintaiuers of this doctrine ; and withal who they were, and tohat they have been in their ministry, and in the dispensation of the word committed unto them, who have risen up in opposition thereunto. How, also, these different parties have approved their profession to the world, and acquitted themselves in their generation in their walking with God, may be worth our consideration. Doubtless, if the doctrine whose declaration and defence we have thus far engaged in be of such a pernicious tendency as is pretended, so destructive to gospel obedience, and so evidently rendering that gTeat ordinance of the ministry useless, it may be traced to its product of these effects, in some measure, in the lives, conversations, and ministry, of those who have most zealously espoused it, most earnestly contended for it, and been most given up to the form and mould thereof. It were a thing every way miraculous, if any root should for the most part bring forth fruit disagreeing to the nature of it.
A task this is, I confess, which, were we not necessitated unto, I could easily dispense with myself from engaging in ; but Mr Good- Avin having voluntarily entered the list as to this particular, and instituted a comparison between the abettors of the several doctrines under contest, chap. ix. of his book (a matter we should not have expected from any other man), it could not but be thought a gross neglect of duty, and high ingratitude towards those great and blessed souls who in former and latter days, with indefatigable pains and eminent success, watered the vineyard of the Lord Avith the dew of this doctrine, to decline the consideration of the comparison made and dressed up to our hand. Now, because it is a peculiar task allotted to us, to manifest the embracement of this truth by those who in the primitive church Avere of greatest note and eminency, for piety, judgment, and skill in dividing the word aright; with the professed opposition made unto it by such as those with whom they lived, and succeeding ages, have branded for men unsound in the faith, and leaving the good old paths wherein the saints of old found peace to their souls; as also to manifest the receiving and propaga- tion of it by all (not any one of name excepted) those great and famous persons whom the Lord was pleased to employ in the refor- mation of his church, walking in this, as in sundry other particulars, closer up to the truth of the gospel than some of their brethren, that at the same time fell off from that church which was long before fallen off from the truth ; — I shall, in my present inquiry, confine myself to those of our own nation who have been of renown in their