Obie5Eions takenfrom tefimonies o fScripture, anfirered.7 ¡ 9 take the words according to their owne fenfe and meaning, yet nothing inferred by them would follow neceifarilie,fee- ing the fpeech is not atifolute but cónditionall, and by way offuppofition, ifanydoe Tinnewillinglie,&c. whichmayrather be takenas an admonition tokeepe the faithfull from falling intocondemnation,then as anargument oftheirfall. CHAP. XIX. Other obieElions againf the doElrine o fpertuerance, taken from te.flimonies out ofthe epiFtles ofPeter and the Reue- lation,an f s Bred. He eightcene place obieetedis 2.Per.1.9. For 4.Seg.i. he that doth not thefethings is blindandcannot x.Poc.I 9, ex feefarre off, andbathforgotten that he waspur- pounded. from his oldfinnes. From whichplace they thus reafon : They who were purged from their old finnes may fall away from grace, for they may become blind, and forget that euer theywere thus purged: but they whoare purged from their finnes are ele& and faithfull; and therefore theele& and faithfull may fall away from the (late ofgrace. I anfwere, firf},that thefe words haue only in them the force of a fuppofition, namely, that if any profeffing Chrif}ianity,negle& all Chriflian vertucs,theyare thus blind and forgetfull ; and therefore feeing nothing is pofitiuelie affirmed, nothingcan herehence be neceffarily concluded, but that wee mulIcarefullytake heed wee doe not negle& thefe holy vertues, feeing this negligence wouldbringmen into thisdefperatecondition. Secondly, I dihinguifhvpon the affumptíon,for menare faid tobe purged from their fins either really and trucly, when the blood ofChrifh is applied vnto themby his fpirit, anda liuely faith, or when as they are only purged in their owne opinion and profellion, or in the judgement ofothers, who charitably account thofepur- gedfrom their finnes, who haue receiued the outward pur- gingand wafhing in baptiffne, and haue by their outward profeifìongiuen their names to Chrift. And of this latter purging
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