sin," I cannot so sin against the light of the text as to join with Mr Goodwin in it. It is not the "antipathy of his heart to sin," but the course of his walking with God in respect of sin, that the apostle treateth on. His internal principling against sin he hath from being "born of God" and the "abiding of his seed in him;" of which this, that "he cannot sin," is asserted as the effect. "He cannot sin," —that is, he cannot so sin upon the account of his being "born of God" (thence, indeed, he hath not only "a potent disposition another way and antipathy to evil," but a vital principle with an everlasting enmity and repugnancy to and inconsistency with any such sin or sinning as is intimated); and that he cannot sin is the consequent and effect thereof, and is so affirmed to be by the Holy Ghost.

Nextly, Mr Goodwin giveth you the reason of this assertion used by the apostle, why such an one as of whom he speaketh sinneth not, and cannot sin: "Now the reason,' saith the apostle, 'why such a person committeth not sin in the sense explained is, because his seed, the seed of God, by whom and of which he was born of him, remaineth in him;' that is, is, or hath an actual and present being or residence, in him. And that in this place it doth not signify any perpetual abiding, or any abiding in relation to the future, is evident, because the abiding of the seed here spoken of is given as the reason why he that is born of God doth not commit sin; that is, doth not frequently walk in any course of known sin. Now, nothing in respect of any future permanency or continuance of being can be looked upon as the cause of an effect, but only in respect of the present being or residence of it. The reason why the soul moveth to-day is not because it will move or act the body to-morrow, or because it is in the body to-day upon such terms that it will be in to-morrow also, much less because it is an immortal substance, but simply because it is now or this day in the body. So the reason why angels at this day do the will of God is not because they have such a principle of holiness or obedience in them which they cannot put off or lose to eternity, but because of such a principle as we speak of residing in them at present. Therefore, when John assigneth the remaining of the seed of God in him that is born of him for the reason why he doth not commit sin, certain it is that by this remaining of the seed he meaneth nothing else but the present residence or abode thereof in this person; and if his intent had been either to assert or imply a perpetual residence of this seed in him that is born of God, it had been much more proper for him to have saved it for a reason of the latter proposition, He that is born of God cannot sin,' than to have subjoined it as a reason of the former; for though the future continuance of the thing in being can be no reason of the effect present, yet it will be a ground or reason of the continuance of a present effect."

Ans. I have thus at large transcribed this discourse, because it is

the sum of what Mr Goodwin hath to offer for the weakening of our argument from this place. Of what weight this is will quickly appear; for,

1. This reason, "The seed abideth in him "though brought in illatively, in respect of what was said before, He doth not commit sin, yet hath its causal influence chiefly into that which followeth, "He cannot sin." To make good what was first spoken of his not committing sin that is born of God, the apostle discovereth the cause of it; which so far secureth the truth of that expression as that it causeth it to ascend, and calls him up higher, to a certain impossibility of doing of that which was only at first simply denied. Neither is this assertion, "The seed of God abideth in him," any otherwise a reason of the first assertion, "He committeth not sin," than as it is the cause of the latter, "He cannot sin." Now, Mr Goodwin granteth, in the close of his discourse, that "the future continuance of a thing in being is, or may be, the cause of the continuance of an effect which at present it produceth;"-and what [ever] Mr Goodwin may more curiously discover of the intent of the apostle, his words plainly assert the continuance and abode of the seed of God in them in whom it is; and using it as he doth, for a reason of the latter clause of that proposition, "He cannot sin," he speaketh properly enough, so great a master (of one language at least) as Mr Goodwin being judge.

2. The reason insisted on by the apostle is neither from the word "seed," nor from the word "abideth," nor from the nature of the seed simply considered, nor from its permanency and continuance, "The seed abideth;" so that it is no exception to the intendment of the apostle to assert the abiding of the seed not to be a sufficient cause of the proposition, because its abiding or permanency is not a cause of present not sinning, for it is not asserted that it is. His present not sinning in whom it is, is from God, his being born of God by the seed; his continuance and estate of not sinning (both which are intended) is from the abiding of the seed. The whole condition of the person, that "He sinneth not, neither can sin" (which terms regard his continued 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 committeth not sin," as not to be the cause rs avžnoεws, "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 vs in the Scripture signifieth sometimes only "to be," and not "to abide," and they are, the one, John xiv. 17, 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, etc.

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 Goodwin 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 abideth 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 in-being." 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,

3. 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 1 John iii. 14,

Μένει ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ, 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 as 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 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 he 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 words "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

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37

flourish set up on 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.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE BEARING OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' APOSTASY ON THEIR CONSOLATION.

Mr G.'s seventh argument, about the tendency of the doctrine of the saints' apostasy as to their consolation, proposed, considered-What that doctrine offereth for the consolation of the saints stated-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 apostasy 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 procedure 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 pursued-Mr G.'s consent with the Remonstrants manifested by his transcriptions from their Synodalia-Our argument from 1 John ii. 19 fully cleared-The conclusion of the examination of Mr G.'s arguments for the apostasy 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 show in the whole pack, concerning the influence of the doctrine of the saints' apostasy into their consolation in their walking with God; an undertaking so uncapable of any logical confirmation, as that though Mr Goodwin interweaves 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