149 / 504
Mr
G's
Exceptions
thereto,
difcuWed
& remooved.
CA
r:ill.
ß:54.
6.
Suppofe
it be
granted,
that
the words
referre
to
the
endeavours
of
the
feducers in this place,
yet they
muff needs
deny
heir
prevalency,
as
to
the
end aimed
at: It
is
afferted, either
to
be
poifible,
that
the
Eleet fhould
be
fo
fe-
duced, or
not
If
not,
we
have what
we aime
at
If
it be
poble,
and
fo
here
afferted, the
totali
of
this Expreflion
of
our
Saviour will be refolved
into a
Conclufion,
certainly molt remote from
his
intendment.
If
it
be
poßzble
that
the
Elect may
be
feduced, then
(hall
they
be
feduced
:
but
it
is
pojfible
(fay our Ad-
veriaries,)
therefore
they
£hall
be
feduced.
Neither
Both
that
which Mr
Goodwin
urgeth
Sect. 12.
out
of
the
synodalia
before mentioned pag.
3
¡4,
3
r
g.
at
all
prove,
that
the words denote only
a
difficulty
of
the
thing aimed
at,
with
Re-
lation to the earnestendeavours
of
feducers:
s
doth
indeed
intimatetheir
endeavours,but
withall their fruitlefneffe,as
to
the
event.
.si dtuva7dr
is
not re-
ferred
(
as
in
theExample
of
Paul
)
to the thoughts
of
their
minds,
but
to the
fucceffe
foretold by
Chrift.
That
Ecaphaticall
& Diacriticall Expreffion in
the
defcription
ofthem,agáinft
whom
their Attempts
are, (even the
very
Elea) ar-
gues
their
exemption. And
if
by
Elea are meant limply
and only
Believers
as fuéh, how comes this Emphaticall Exprefiion
and defcription
of
them
to
be
ufed, when they alone, and
no other
can
be
feduced; for
thofe
who
feeme
to
Believe
only,
cannot be
Paid
to
fall
from the Faith,
fay
our Adverfa-
ries;
It
is
true, the
Profeffors
of
Chriftianity adhered
of
old, under
many
tri-
ails
(for the greater
part)
with eminent Constancy,
to
their Profeffion:yet
is
not
any
thing
eminently
herein held out
in
that
Paying,
which
Mr
Goodwin
calls Proverbial in
Galen
: he fpeaking
of
the
followers
of
Mofes
the
fame
as
of
the
followers ofChrifi.
What
elfe followes in
Mr
Goodwin
from the
fame
Authors,
is
nothing
but
the
prefling
of(
I
think
)
one
of
the
moft abfurd
Ar-
guments, that ever Learned
Men
made
ufe of,
in any Controverfy ; and
yet
fuch
as
it
is,
wee (hall
meet with
it,
over and over, (as
we have
done
often
already)
before we arrive
at the end
of
this difcourfe;
and therefore
to
avoid
tedioufneffe
I fhall
not
here
infift
upon it.
With
its mention it
shall
be paffed
by.
It
is
concerning
the
ufelefneffe
of
meanes,
and Exhortations unto the
ufe
of
them,
if
the End to
be
attained by them be irrevocably determined
,
al-
though
thofe Exhortations are
part
of
the
meanes
appointed for the
Accom-
plifhment
of
the
end fo
defigned.
I
(hall
not
(as I faid) in this place
infift
up.
on
it:
One thing
only
I {hill
obferve
in
Seer.
r7.
he grants
,
that
God
is
able
to
determine the
Wills
of
the Elect to the afeofineanes,proper
andfufzcienttopre-
vent their
being deceived;
by this
determining the Wills
of
the Elect
to
the
ufe
of
proper
meaner,
the
Efficacy
of
Grace
in
and with Believers,
to
a
certaine pre -
fervation
of
them
to
the
end,is
intended.
It
is
the
thing he oppofeth,as we
are
informed
in
the
next words
(he hash
no
where declared himfelfe
willing
or
re-
solved
to
doe
it). That
by
this one Affertion
Mr
Goodwin
hath
abfolved
our
Doétrinefrom
all
the
absurd
Consequences
and
Guilt
of
I know not
what
Abominations,
which
in
various Criminarions he
bath
charged upon
it,
is
e-
vident upon
the
ñrft
view
and Consideration.
All
that
we
affirme
God
to
doe,
Mr
Goodwin
grants
that
he
can
doe.
Now
ifGod
fhond
doe
all
he
is
a-
ble,
there
would no Abfurdityor
evill,
that
is
truly
fo,
follow.
What
he can
doe,
that
he
can
Decree
to doe:
and
this
is
thefumme
ofour
Doetrine,
which
he bath
chofen
to
oppofe.
God
(
wee
fay
)
bath
Everlaftingly
Purpofed
to
give,and
Both
aCtually
give
his
Holy Spirit
to
Believers,
to
put forth
filch
an
exceeding greatneffe
of
Power,
as
whereby in
the
ufe
of
meanes
,
they
Mall
certainly
be preferved
to.
Salvation
;
This God
can doe,faies
our Author.
ThisConceáìonbeing
made
by
the
Remonfrants in
their
Synodalia,
Mr
Good-
win(I prefume)thought it but duty
to
be
as
free,as
his
Predeceffors,and
there-
fore contented
unto it alto, although
it
bean
axe laid at
the root
of
alinoft all
N
3
the
93