estate) is from the whole proposition, the seed of God abideth in him.' Separate the permanency of the seed, which is asserted in the consideration of it, and it respects only and solely, the continuance of the effect which is produced by it as seed, or of the estate wherein any one is placed, by being born of God. All that Mr. Goodwin hath to offer in this case, is, that the abiding of the seed, is so asserted to be the reason of that part of the proposition he commits not sin,' as not to be the cause rns av noews, 'he cannot sin; when the abiding of the seed, singly considered, is not used as any reason at all of the first, nor in the proposition as it lieth, the seed abideth' any otherwise, but as it is the cause of the latter,' he cannot sin.'

3. Even the expression he committeth not sin,' denoteth not only the present actual frame and walking of him of whom it is spoken, but his estate and condition: being once born of God he committeth not sin; no one that is so born of God doth; none in the state and condition of a regenerate person doth so; that is, in his course and walking to the end; and this is argued not so much distinctly to the permanency of the seed, as from the seed with such an adjunct.

4. Mr. Goodwin's allusions to the soul, and the obedience of angels, are of little use or none at all to the illustration of the business in hand. For though the reason why the soul moveth the body to-day, is not because it will move it to-morrow, yet the reason why the body moveth and cannot but do so, is because it hath the soul abiding in it, and he that shall say, 'he that liveth, moveth, for he hath a soul abiding in him and cannot but move,' shall speak properly enough. And the reason why the angels do the will of God in heaven, that is, actually continue in so doing is, because they have such a confirmed and uncontrollable principle of obedience. So that all these exceptions amount not to the least weakening of the apostle's arguments.

Sect. 32. Our author giveth two instances to prove that the word ueva in the Scripture, signifieth sometimes only to be, and not to abide, and they are, the one, John xiv. and the other, 1 John iii. 14. And one argument to manifest that in the place under consideration, it must needs signify a present abode and being, and not a continuance, &c.

Ans. 1. If any such places be found, yet it is confessed that it is an unusual sense of the word, and a thousand places of that kind, will not enforce it to be so taken in another place, unless the circumstances of it, and matter whereabout it treateth, enforce that sense, and will not bear that which is proper.

2. Mr. G. doth not make it good by the instances he produceth, that the word is tied up in any place, to denote precisely only the being of a thing, without relation to its abiding and continuance. Of the one, John xiv. 17. But ye know him because he remaineth with you, and shall be in you :' saith he, the latter clause, Shall be in you, will be found a mere tautology, if the other phrase, Abideth with you, importeth a perpetual residence or inbeing.'

But that this phrase abideth with you' importeth the same with the phrase in the foregoing verse, where it is clearly expounded by the addition of the term 'for ever' (that he may abide with you for ever), I suppose cannot be questioned. Nor,

2. Is there any the least appearance of a tautology in the words. His remaining with believers, being the thing promised, and his inbeing, the manner of his abode with them. Also the 1 John xiv. μéve év tý Javáry, doth not simply denote an estate or condition, but an estate or condition in its nature, without the interposition of almighty grace, abiding and permanent: so that neither have we yet any instance of restraining the significancy of the word, as pretended, produced: nor if any place could be so, would it in the least enforce that acceptation of the word in this place contended about. Wherefore, Mr. Goodwin, as I said, addeth an argument, to evince that the word must necessarily be taken in the sense by him insisted on in this place, which is indeed a course to the purpose, if his argument prove so in any measure; it is this: Because such a signification of it, would render the sense altogether inconsistent with the scope of the apostle, which is to exhort Christians unto righteousness and love of the brethren; now it is contrary to common sense itself, to signify unto those whom we persuade to any duty, any such thing which imports an absolute certainty or necessity of their doing it, whether they take care or use any means for the doing of it or no: and a clear case it is,

that the certainty of a perpetual remaining of the seed of God in those that are born of him, importeth a like certainty of their perpetual performance of that duty whereunto they are exhorted.'

Ans. If this be all it might have been spared. The argument consisteth of two parts: 1. An aspersion of the infinite wisdom of God, with a procedure contrary to all reason and common sense. 2. A begging of the thing in question, betwixt its author and its adversaries. That there is any thing at all in the text, even according to our interpretation of it, that importeth an absolute necessity of men's doing any thing, whether they take care to use the means of doing it or no, the reader must judge. The abiding of the seed is that, we say, which shall effectually cause them, in whom it is to use the means of not sinning, that eventually they may not do so; and that a certainty of the use of means is imported, is no argument to prove that their necessity of persevering is proved, whether they use means, yea or no. To take care to use means, is amongst the means appointed to be used; and this they shall do, upon the account of the abiding seed. That indeed, which is opposed, is, that God cannot promise to work effectually in us by the use of means, for the accomplishment of an appointed end, but that withal rendereth useless and vain, all his exhortations to us to use those means. This is Mr. Goodwin's argument from the place itself, to enforce that improper acceptation of the word 'remaineth' in us.

What remaineth of Mr. Goodwin's long discourse upon this text of Scripture, is but a fencing with himself and raising of objections, and answering of them suitably to his own principles, wherein we are not in the least concerned. There is not any thing from the beginning to the end of it, that tendeth to impeach our interpretation of the place, or impede the progress of our argument, but only a flourish set upon his own exposition, which if he were desired to give in briefly, and in terms of a plain downright significancy, I am verily persuaded, he would be hardly put to it, to let us know what his mind and conceptions of this place of Scripture are. But of this subject, and in answer to his fifth argument with the chapter, this is the issue.

CHAP. XVI.

Mr. G.'s seventh argument about the tendency of the doctrine of the saints' apostacy as to their consolation proposed. Considered: what that doctrine offereth for the consolation of the saints, offered; the impossibility of its affording the least true consolation manifested. The influence of the doctrine of the saints' perseverance into their consolation. The medium whereby Mr. G. confirms his argument examined; what kind of nurse for the peace and consolation of the saints, the doctrine of apostacy is, whether their obedience be furthered by it; what are the causes and springs of true consolation. Mr. G.'s eighth argument proposed to consideration. Answer thereunto, the minor proposition considered; the Holy Ghost not afraid of the saints' miscarriages. The confirmation of his minor proposition proposed and considered. The discourse assigned to the Holy Ghost by Mr. G. according to our principles. Considered. Exceptions against it, the first. The second. The third. The fourth. The fifth. The sixth. The seventh. The foundation of Mr. G.'s pageant everted. The proceedings of the Holy Ghost in exhortations according to our principles. Sophisms in the former discourse farther discovered. His farther plea in this case proposed. Considered. The instance of Christ and his obedience considered and vindicated as to the application of it, to the business in hand. Mr. G.'s last argument proposed. Examined. 1 John ii. 19. explained. Vindicated. Argument from thence for the perseverance of the saints. Mr. G.'s exceptions thereunto. Considered and removed. The same words farther perused. Mr. G.'s consent with the remonstrants manifested by his trascriptions from their synodalia. Our argument from 1 John ii. 19. fully cleared. The conclusion of the examination of Mr. G.'s arguments for the apostacy of the saints.

THE seventh argument which Mr. Goodwin insisteth upon in the 36th section of his 13th chapter contains one of the greatest rarities he hath to shew in the whole pack, concerning the influence of the doctrine of the saints' apostacy into their consolation in their walking with God, an undertaking so uncapable of any logical confirmation, as that though Mr. Goodwin interweave his discourse concerning it with a syllogism, yet he quickly leaves that thorny path, and pursues it only with a rhetorical flourish of words, found out and set in order to deceive. At the head then of his discourse he placeth this argument, as it is called :

'That doctrine whose genuine and proper tendency is to advance the peace and joy of the saints in believing, is of a natural sympathy with the gospel, and upon this account

a truth; such is the doctrine, which informeth the saints of a possibility of their total and final falling away.' Ergo.

The proposition of this syllogism he supposes we will grant, `and (not to trouble the reader with the qualifications and limitations formerly annexed to that which proposed the furtherance of the obedience of the saints, as a proof of the truth of any doctrine) for my part I do. For the proof of the assumption wherein alone Mr. Goodwin's interest in this argument doth lie, he refers us to his 9th chapter; where, as he tells us (if we may believe him), he hath undeniably demonstrated the truth of it. But we have considered whatever looks that way in that chapter, and have found it all as chaff and stubble, before the breath of the Spirit of the Lord in the word. That which lies upon his shoulders to support (a burden too heavy for him to bear), and whose demonstration he hath undertaken is, that it tends to the peace, joy, and consolation of the saints of God, in their walking with him (which arises from and solely depends upon that assurance they have of their eternal fruition of him through Christ) to be instructed; that indeed they are in themselves weak, unable to do any thing as they ought, that they have no strength to continue in the mercy of God, but carry about with them a body of death, and that they are continually exposed to a world of temptations, whereby many strong men fall down, are thrust through and slain every day; and that in this condition there is no consideration of the immutability or unchangeableness of God, that may secure them of the continuance of his love to them; no eternal purpose of his that he will preserve them, and keep them, through his power; no promise of not leaving them, or of giving them such supplies of his Spirit and grace that they shall never forsake, nor leave him; nothing in the covenant, or oath of God whereby it is confirmed, to assure them of an abiding, and not-to-be-destroyed communion with him; that Christ by his death and oblation hath not so taken away the guilt of their sins, nor laid such a sure foundation for the destruction of the power of them, as that they shall not arise either way to their ruin; that he intercedes not for their preservation in faith and holiness, upon the account of which state and condition of things, many of the most eminent saints that ever served God in this world have utterly fallen out of his love and