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VI. If liberty is not confiftent with neceffity in any fenfe, then it is not confiftent with the decrees of God, nor even with the foreknowledge of God; from whence must follow fome kind of neceffity, not, indeed, a neceffity of co-action or force upon will of man, but of event; for if there is not a neceffity of the things coming to país, which are foreknown and decreed by God, then his foreknowledge is uncertain, and is but mere fuppofition and conjecture, and his decrees must be fruftrable and precarious, It is faid, this "was of old the chief argument of the Fatalifts, espoused of late by Mr. Hobbs, and is ftill made the refuge of the Predeftinarians." Be it fo; if the Fatalifts and Mr. Hobbs meant no more by neceffity than we do, namely, a neceffity of the immutability and unfruftrablenefs of God's fore-knowledge and decrees, and not of co-action or force upon the will of man; we have no reason to be ashamed of the argument they made ufe of; and, inftead of making it a refuge, or mere fhift, fhall think our felves obliged to defend it, and abide by it.

Whitby, p. 371. Ed. 2. 362.

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Now proceed to confider the arguments taken from reafon, against the doctrine of the faints perfeverance to which will be added, thofe that proceed upon rational accounts, in favour of it; with a vindication of fuch as are excepted to. I fhall begin with the arguments or objections against it. And,

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I. It is objected that this doctrine gives a great encouragement to those, who have once gotten an opinion that they are the children of God, to indulge themfelves in the like iniquities, (that is, such as Lot, David, Solomon, and Peter committed) as being never able to feparate them from the love of God." To which may be replied, That tho' the fins committed by the perfons mentioned, were of fuch a nature, that those who do the like, and die

Whitby, p. 487. Ed. 2. 466.

without

without repentance for them, and faith in the blood and facrifice of Chrift, have no inheritance in the kingdom of God and Chrift, to which the law of Mofes threatned death, without admiffion of any atonement by facrifice, and the fevereft of God's judgments; yet the perfons of these men being high in the favour of God, remained fo, when these fins of theirs were abominable in his fight, difpleafing to him, and resented by him. He vifited their tranfgreffion with a rod, and their iniquity with fripes; nevertheless his loving-kindness he did not utterly, nor at all, take from them, nor fuffer his faithfulness to fail. Thefe inftances of the falls of good men, are not recorded to encourage men in fin, but to caution against it, and to fet forth the free, unchangeable, and everlasting love of God, in pardoning and accepting his people, notwithstanding their aggravated tranfgreffions, and fo to encourage fouls: diftreffed with fin. What use fuch perfonsmay make of this doctrine, to indulge themfelves in fin, who have only gotten an opinion that they are the children of God, I know not; however, I am fure, that those who are the children of God by faith, or who have reafon to believe, and do believe that they are fo, or who have received the fpirit of adoption, witneffing their fon

Pfal. lxxxix. 32, 33..

ship to them, under the influence of that spirit, neither can nor will make any fuch ufe of it. Nothing has a greater tendency to promote holiness of heart and life, than the abfolute promises of God, refpecting grace and glory, the affurance of adoption, the certainty of perfeverance to the end, and the fure enjoyment of eternal life. Now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know, that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall fee him as he is, and every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure. The force of the prohibitions of fin, of exhortations to avoid it, and of cautions to refift and flee from temptations to commit it, is not abated by this doctrine of the faints perfeverance; feeing these things are made ufe of by the spirit of God with great energy and power, as means in order to the thing it felf. How prepofterous and irrational must it be in a man, who thinks himself to be a child of God, and believes he shall perfevere to the end, from this confideration to indulge himself in all manner of fin, as, refolving that he will perfevere no longer?

II. It is faid, that this doctrine "leflens the force of all the motives offered in the scrip

I John iii. 2, 3.

Whitby, p. 488. Ed. 2. 467. ture,

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ture, to engage us to perfevere in righte oufnefs and goodness, and to have our fruit unto holiness, that the end may be eternal life." I answer, The doctrine of the perfeverance of the faints, and the abfolute promises of God concerning their everlasting fafety and happiness, are fo far from leffening the force of fcripture motives to righteousness and holiness, that they are made ufe of, in fcripture to encourage the faints to the practice of them, and to engage them to continue in them. The apostles did not judge it irrational to argue from them to this purpofe; nor did they think that hope and fear were excluded by them, when they reafon after this manner: Having therefore thefe promifes (dearly beloved) let us cleanse our Jelves from all filthiness of the flesh and Spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Should it be asked what promifes these were? they were fuch as thefe; I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, and I will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my fons and daughters, faith the Lord Almighty. So the apostle Peter, having afferted that the elect of God, and fuch as are begotten again through abundant mercy, are kept by the power of God through faith unto Salvation, proceeds to exhort them to gird up the loins of

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