A71S. What there is more in this than what went before, unless sophistry and falsity, I see not; for, — First, Though I conceive that eternal life is proposed in the Scripture as our reward rather upon the account of supporting and cheering our spirits in the deficiencies, temptations, and entanglements attending our obedience, than directly to engage unto obedience (though consequently it doth that also), whereunto we have so many other unconquerable engagements and inducements, yet the consideration thereof in that sense also, as it moves the wills of men to actions suitable to the attainment of it, is very well consistent with the doctrine in hand. That old calumny, a hundred times repeated and insisted on in this contest, of our wills being necessitated and deprived of their choice and election, unless it could be tolerably made good, will be of no use to Mr Goodwin as to his present purpose. The whole strength of this argumenta- tion is built on this supposal, that the effectual grace of God in its working the will and deed in believers, or the Spirit's doing of it by grace, with God's fore-determination of events, doth take away the liberty of the will, inducing into it a necessary manner of operation, • — determining it to one antecedently in order of time to its own de- tci-mination of itself; which is false, and no wise inferred from the doctrine under consideration. Yea, as God's providential concur- rence with men and determination of their wills to all their actions as actions is the principle of all their natural liberty, so his gra- cious concurrence with them, or operation in them, as unto spiritual effects, working in them to will, is the principle of all their true spiritual liberty. When " the Son makes us free, then are we free indeed." Tlie reward, then, is joroposed to an understanding enlight- ened, a will quickened and made free by grace, to stir them up to actions suitable to them who are in expectation of so bountiful a
XIV.] THE EXHORTATIONS OF THE GOSPEL. 507
close of their obedience (which actions are yet wrought in them by the Spirit of God, whose fruits they are) ; and this to very good pur- pose, in the hearts of all that know what it is to walk with God, and to serve him in the midst of temptations, unless they are under. the power of some such particular error as turns away their eyes from believing the truth.
Secondly, The opposition here pretended between a physical ne- cessitating and a moral inducement for the producing of the same effect, is, in plain terms, intended between the efficacy of God's in- ternal grace and the use of external exhortations and motives. If God give an internal principle, or spiritual habit, fitting for, in- clining to, spiritual actions and duties; if he follow the work so begun in us (who yet of ourselves can do nothing, nor are sufficient to think a good thought) with continual supplies of his Spirit and grace, working daily in us, according to the exceeding greatness of his power, the things that are well pleasing in his sight; — then, though he work upon us as creatures endued with reason, under- standings, wills, and affections, receiving glory from us according to the nature he hath endued us withal, all exhortations and encourage- ments to obedience required at our hands are vain and foolish. Now, because we think this to be the very wisdom of God, and the op- position made unto it to be a mere invention of Satan to magnify corrupted nature and decry all the efficacy of the grace of the new covenant, we must have something besides and beyond the naked assertion of our author to cause us once to believe it.
Thirdly, The great execution that is made by moral inducement solely, without any internally efficacious grace, in the way of gospel obedience, is often supposed, but not once attempted to be put upon the proof or demonstration. It shall, then, suffice to deny that any persuasions, outward motives, or inducements whatever, are able of themselves to raise, engage, and carry out, the will unto action, so that any good, spiritual action should be brought forth on that ac- count, without the effectual influence and physical operation of in- ternal grace ; and Mr Goodwin is left to prove it, together with such other assertions derogatory to the free grace of God, dogmatically imposed upon his reader in this chapter, whereof some have been already remarked, and others may in due time. The residue of this section (the 19th), spent to prove that eternal life is given as a reward to perseverance, — having already manifested the full consis- tency of the proposition, in a gospel acceptation of the word " re- ward," with whatever we teach of the perseverance of the saints, — I suppose myself unconcerned in ; and therefore, passing by the tri- umphant conclusion of this argument, asserting an absolute power in men to exhibit or decline from obedience, I shall go on to that which, in my apprehension, is of more importance, and will give
508 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP,
occasion to a discourse, I hope, not unuseful or unprofitable to the reader. I shall therefore assign it a peculiar place and chapter to itsel£