Lib. 2.

trance, and Righteoufnefs depart, and the contrary; for this in the Apoftles times was out of queftion: whence the admonitions that they who had begun in the Spirit, fhould not end in the Flesh. &c. But his Scope was to prove that thefe two things, which the Flesh would fain imagine confiftent, cannot stand together, namely, to be born of God, and to commit deadly Sin. They admitted it for true, that he that had been the member of an Harlot, might by Repentance become the member of Chrift; and that the member of Chrift might become the member of an Harlot, by falling into Adultery. But that a Man might be at once, together a member of an Harlot, and a member of Chrift, that they utterly deny, thefe expelling one the o

ther.

For this hear St. Jerom against Jovinian, who abufed this Text for the like purpose that many do now-adays; The Apoftie faith, Little children, I therefore write unto you, whofoever is born of God, doth not commit Sin, that ye may not Sin, and may know that fo long as ye fhall not commit Sin, ye remain the Children of God, Yea and those that perfevere the Children of God, cannot Sin; for what communion is there between Light and Darkness, Chrift and Belial? In like manner as Day and Night cannot mingle, fo neither can Righteousness and Iniquity, Sin and good Works, Christ and Antichrift: if we have entertained Chrift in the Inn of our hearts, we immediately put the Devil to flight; if we Sin, and by the gate of Sin give entrance to the Devil, forthwith Chrift departs. Those that perfevere the Children of God cannot Sin, faith the Father; And this is confonant to our fixteenth Article, which fuppofeth a departing from Grace, whenever we fall into Sin. Let them confider this who defend David to be ftill born of God, when he flood guilty of Adultery and Murder; and let them beware they be not made to hear

that

that of * Tertullian; But fome fay, that God is well enough fatisfied, if Men reverence him in Heart and Mind, tho' there be less regard bad of him in their actions: And that therefore they may Sin without detri ment to the Fear and Faith which they owe to him: which is in effect to say that they may commit Adultery, and yet retain their chastity inviolable; or poyson their Parents without shipwracking Piety. Since therefore they can Sin, notwithstanding their fear, they them felves fhall be thrown into Hell, notwithstanding their Pardon. Let them confider this, who fay, that Peter denyed and forfwore his Mafter Salvo amore, falva fide.

They count it a ridiculous thing to fay, we be fo often born of God, as we repent of Sin: But it is more lamentable to fall oft into fuch Sins, than ridiculous to be often renewed by Repentance. They should not stick to the letter of an Allegory too long; for it is utterly inconfequent to conclude, that because in our natural birth we are born but once, therefore in our spiritual we are born but once; at least St. Paul thought fo when he faid, My little Gal. 4.19 Children of whom I travail in Birth again, until Chrift be formed in you. As for the unity of Baptifm,

the Sacrament of our new birth, that hath another reason, whereof I need not now fpeak; efpecially feeing the Prudent Divines, in their Preface to the fifth Article, concerning Perseverance, do bar us from an Argument taken from the juftification that is conferred in Baptifm, knowing well the do&rine of our Church concerning the efficacy of Baptifm.

But to return to the interpretation of the Text in St. John: Bishop Ridley one of our Bleffed Martyrs, and a chief guide in the Reformation of our Church in King Edward's time, in a Treatife of his

De Pænitent. Pag. 480. Fo.

Pub

Fag. 1672. Published by Mr. Fox in his Acts and Monuments, mentioning this Speech of St. John, faith in a Parenthefis, he meaneth fo long as that feed doth abide in him, he cannot Sin. In the Homily of Faith, the fecond and third parts, it is largely proved, that Faith without good Works is dead and frequent ufe is made of the fentences of St. John, in his Epiftles, the fum whereof is interpreted to be, that Pag. 34. Faith, Hope, and Charity cannot stand with evil living; or as afterward, cannot confift or stand without Good. and Godly Works: Not confifting or standing imply that Faith Hope, and Charity are fometime prefent, or have a being in that place which they fly and avoid, as foon as an Evil and Grofs work cometh in; as well as that fo long as evil works continue, Faith, Hope and Charity can by no means ftand and abide with them. And left we should think that St. John labours only to convince those that made a bare profeffion of Faith, and of knowing God, without being changed in their lives, or ab. ftaining from Sin, that they were mere Hypocrites, and did lie in saying they were in the Light, when they ftill walked in Darkness, Mark that he writeth even to his own little Children, of whom he judged better viz. that their Sins were forgiven them, that they Had overcome the evil one; that they also Sin'd not, that they loved not the World; that they loved their Brethren: Whence he so often useth these Phrafes, of abiding in him, of abiding in the Light, abiding in the Father and in the Son, by walking as God walketh, by loving their Brethren, by not Sinning: which things none can do, but they must first be truly engrafted and entered as it were into Chrift, in whom they are to abide, so that if they Sin, or love the World, or hate their Brother, and yet say they abide in the Light, they lie alfo as well as they that never were in the true Light at all.

1. John.

2. I.

V. 12.

v. 13. v. G.

V. IO.

V. 24.

CHAP.

CHA P. XVIII.

Of the certainty of Perfeverance, Election, or Salvation.

THI

'HIS is an Appendix to the Question of Perfeverance; for we can have no better affurance of the certainty of Election, or Salvation, than we have of the certainty of our Perfeverance, if our Election and Salvation do prefuppofe our Perfeverance. The certainty we fpeak of is not to God, whofe knowledge is infallible, and purpose unchangeable, but to us here while we live, either for knowledge, or for Faith of our Perfeverance, and the rest depending thereon.

The Divines in their Suffrage, methinks, speak here fo variably, and take up that which they lay down, and lay down again that which they took up, that I doubt not they will eafily admit and allow these three Conclufions, wherein I reft with many fober and humble Spirits in the Church of God.

1. That for the prefent time and state, after much ufe of the holy means of Salvation, while he is in the ways of Holiness, and out of Temptation, and. in the peace of a good Confcience thro' Faith in Chrift, a believer hath, by the Teftimony of the Holy Ghoft in him, a comfortable affurance that he hath true Faith, and is now in the ftate of Salvation; which begets in him true Joy, and fervent Love, and Thankfulnefs unto God. And if this be, when he is near to the end of his race, or at the point. of death, it may be more abundant and more triumphant; according to that of St. Paul, I am now. 2. Tim.4; ready to be offered, &c. I have fought a good fight,, 16. 7.

have finished my course, I have kept the Faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of Righteousness, &c.

This is the Doctrine of the Lutherans against the perpetual doubting of the Papifts, who would have no Man certain of his prefent Eftate, no not when Part. 3. he is at beft. But our Homily of Faith faith well, He that feeleth his Heart fet to feek God's honour, &c. Such a Man may well rejoyce in God, perceiving by the trade of his Life, that he unfeignedly hath the right knowledge of God, a lively Faith, a Stedjaft Hope, a true and unfeigned love and fear of God. Thus I underftand the fixth of the Lambeth Articles.

2. That for the time to come, as to our Perfeverance to the end, efpecially when as yet probably we have a long race to run, as in youth, and many dan gers to pass through, we have no certain affurance of the event, that we fhall undoubtedly Perfevere; but we have a fure confidence in God and his Goodnefs, that he will not be wanting unto us, if we be 1.Cor. 10, not too much wanting to our felves, but will with 13. the Temptation, wherewith he fhall please to try us, make a way also to escape, that we may be able to bear it. For this I refer my felf to the judgment of the Antients, holy Men, and experienced Divines. Let us first hear St. Augustine; we do not now indifcreetly call them bleffed, whom we fee living Fustly and Godly, with hope of future Immortality, and without fuch a crime as maketh shipwrack of Conscience: who tho they be affured of the reward of Perfeverance, are not• withstanding found very uncertain of their Perfevering: • for who is there among Men that knoweth for certain he fhall continue to the end, in the Practife of and pro grefs in Righteousness, except he be affured thereof by Jome Revelation from him, who touching this matter, in his just and fecret judgment, is not pleased to in • form all, altho' he deceive none.

De Civitat. Dei. LLC, 12. Pag. 654. Octavo,