147 / 504
OurExpofidón
of
Ma:
i4,ay..
farther Vindicated.
CAr.111.4:gz,
(as Mr
Goodwin
obferves in
the
next
place
)
we deny
them from hence,
not
g
only
to
be
fubje&
to
a
ftnall,
but
alto
to
a
totall
fcduEtion.
5.
We grant,that
notwithftanding
the
fecurity given, which
refpe&s
the
'late
and
Condition
of
the
perlons fpoken of yet
they
may
be,and often were
feduced, and
drawne
afide
into
wayes
that
are not right, into errours and
falle
Dó&rines,
through the
cunningfleights
of
men,who
lay
in wait
to
deceive,
but
never
into loch, (as
to
any abode in
them;)
which are .inconfftent
with
the
union
with their Head, and
his
Life in them;
The
Errours and
wayes
whereunto they are,
or
may
be
feduced, are either
fuch, as,though dangerous;
yea
in
their
Confequences pernicious,
yet have
not
fuch an Afpe&
upon the Faith
of
Believers,as
to
deny a poffibility
of
u-
pion,& holding
the Head upon other accounts: I
doubt
not but
that
men
for
a feafon may
not know,
may
disbelieve,
and deny
forne
fundamentall Articles
of
Chriftian
Religion, and yet not
be
abfolutely concluded
not
to hold
the
Head by any
finew,
or ligament;
to
have no influence
of
life
by any
other
meanes.
Was it
not
fo
with
the
Apailles,
when they queftioned
the Refurre-
tion
of
Chrift, and with
the
Corinthians,who
denyed
the Refurre
&ion
of
the
Saints? an
abode,l
confeffe, in
either
of
which
Errours would,when the
Con-
fequences
ofthem
are
rnanifefted
;
prove
pernicious
to
the
Soules
of
men.
But
that they
have
in
themfelves fuch an abfolute Repugnancy
unto,and in-
conf
ftency
with
the
Life
of
Chrift, however conftdered,
as
that
their
enter-
tainment
for
a feafon
,
Ihould be inímediately
exclufive
thereof
, I
fuppofe
Mr
Goodwin
himfelfe will
not
fay.
In
this
fence
then,
we
grant that true,Sa-
ving,Juftifying Faith may
conftft
with the
denyall
of
fume
fundamental)
Ar-
ticles
ofChriftian Religion, for
a
feafon:
but that
any7rae
Believer
can
per
-.
fiít
in fuch an
Here
fie
,
we deny; he having
the
Promife
of
the
Spirit
to
lead
him into
all
neceffary Troth:
2.
There
are
fuch wayes
and things,
as
in
their
ovine
nature
have an
in-
confiftency
with the
Life
of
Chrift,
as
the
Abnegation
of
Chrift
himfelfe:
but
this alto we
affirme
to
be twofold,
or to
receive
a
twofold Confideration:
t.
It
may be
relayed, upon Confideration,with the deliberate Confent
of
the
whole
Souk:
which we
utterly
deny,
that
Believers
can,
or
fhall
be left
unto
for
a
moment:
or that
ever any
True
believer
was fo.
2.
Such as
may
be
fqueezed
out
of
the
mouthes
ofinen,by
the
furprifall
of
forne
grear,dreadfull,
and horrible Temptation, without
any
habituall or Cordiall
Affent
to
any
fuch
Abomination,or
Difaffe&ion
to
Chrift,
or
refolute Rebellion againft
him. Thus
Peter fell
into
the
Abnegation
of
Chrift, whole Faith
yet
under
it
did
not
perifh,
if
our
Saviour
was
heard
in his
Prayer for
him, having an
eye
to that
very
Temptation
of
his,
wherein he was
to
be tryed,
and
his
fall
under
it.
In
thefirft
fence are
ihofewords
of
our
Saviour
(Mat.
TO-
32.)tobe
underftood, and not
in
the latter.
Chrift
was
fo
far from denying
Peter
be-
fore
his
Father
under
his
Abnegation
of
him,
that
he never manifefted
more
Care and Tenderneffe towards any Believer,
then towards
him in
that Con-
dition. Andthis wholly removes Mr Goodwin
Toth
Se&ion
out
ofour
way,
without troubling
ofour
felves
to hold up that
diftin
&ion
of
afinall
deniall
of
Chrift, and
that
not finall; feeing in
all
probability he
let
it up himfelfe,
that
he
might have
the honour
to
raftit
downe.
What
followes in
Mr
Goodwin
from
the
beginning
of
:Seth
i i
s
Cap:
i
o.
to
the
end
of
Sect: 17.
is
little
more then
a
Tranflation
of
the
Remonflrants
So-
phifiry,in
vexing this
Text
in
their
Synodalia, which he knowes full
well
where
to
find
difcuffed,
and removed. For
the
fake
of
our
Englifh
Readers,
I
fhall
not
avoid
the
confederation
of
it.
I
affirme
then:
r.
That
the phrafe
It.nrarr
here denotes
the
Irnpoffibility
of
the Event denied.
The
manner
of
N
2
Speech
Pi
0.53-