305 / 504
Dot.ofPerf.of
Sts
its
ufefulnes
to promote
Gofpell-
Obedience.C.X
I.ßtó,7.
maintaineth concerning
the poffìbility of'the
Saints
defeEíion,
promifeth
.a
249
cromrte
to
therit,that
continue
in
Obedience,
and
threatneth
vengeance
of
fire
to
them;
that
turne
to
profaneneffè,
which
taken
as
a
proofe
of
his
former affértion
is
lyable
to
fore
fmall exceptions.
As
t-
.
That
this
doth notat
all
prove
the Dottrine to be
a
branch
or
parcel!
of
theGofpell,it
being,as
it ftandeth
feverally by
it
felfe,the pure
tenor
of
the
Covenant
of
Workes,which weconfef
e
tohave
been
of
fingular importance
for
the propagation
of
Godlineffe & Holineflè,in
them
to
whom
it
was
given,
or with whom
it
was
made; being
given
and
made for
that
very end
and
and purpofe; but
that
this alone by its
felfe
is
a
peculiar branch
or
parcel!
of
the
Gofpell,
or
that
it
is
of
fuch
fingular
importance
for
the carrying
on
of
Gofpell
-
Obedience,
as
fo by
it
felfe
propofed,
that
fhould here have been
proved.
2.
As
it
is
alfo
a
part
of
the
Gofpell
declaring
the
Faithfulneffe
of
God,
and the End and
Iffue
of the
propofall
of
the
Gofpell
unto
men, and
of
their
receiving or refuting
of
it,
fo
it
is
altogether
forraigne
to the Dottrine
of
Mr
Goodwin
under conteft:
&
he might
as
well
have faid,that
the
Dottrine
of
A-
poftacy
is
of
fingular
import
for
the
promotion
of
Holineffe, besaufe
the
Dottrine
of
Jufitfication by Faith
is
fo;
for what force
of
confequence
is
be-
twixt
thefe two
?
that God
is
a
rewarder
of
them
that
Obey him, and
a
puni-
fher
of
them
that
rebell againft
him,
is
an
incentive
to
Obedience: therefore
the
Dottrine that true
Believers
united to
Jefus
Chrift, may
utterly
fall
out
of
the Favour
of
God, and turne
from
theirObedience,
and
be
damned for
ever, there being no Promife
of
God for their prefervation,
is
alfo
an
incen-
tive to
Holineffe.
3.
What
virtue
foever
there
may 'be in this
truth,
for
the
furtherance
and promotion ofHolineffe
in
the world, our
Dottrine
laieth
as
cleare claime
to
it,
as
yours;
(that
is)
there
is
not
any thing
in
the
leaft
in
it incontinent
therewith
all
;we grant
God threaveneth the vengeance
of
Hell
fire,unto thofe
that turne
afide
from
their
profeffion
of
Holineffe,into profaneneflè,the
Got
pelf it felfe
becoming thereby
unto
them
a
favour
of
death
unto
death;
the
Lord
thereby proclaiming
to
all
the world,
that the
wages
of
Panne
and infide-
lity
is
death,
and
that
he
that
believeth
not,(hall
be
damned;
but that
any
thing
can hence
be inferred
for
the
Apoffacie
of
true
Believers,or
how this affertion
cometh
to
be appropriated to
that Dottrine,
we
fee
not.
The latter
part
of
this Difcourfe,
whereby
its
Author
aimeth
to
exclude the,
f:
6;
Dottrine hitherto
afferted by
us,
from any claime laid
to
ufefulneffe
for the
p
motT
i
f,,Gdlinefie,
is
either
a
minake
of
it,
through ignorance
of
the
opinion he
hath undertaken
to
oppofe,
or
a
wilful!
perverting
of
it, contrary
to
his
owne fcience
& confcience;Is
that theDottrine
you
oppofeifs it
fo
pro-
pofed by thofe who
through Grace have laboured
to
explaine,&
vindicate
it?
Doth
not the
maine
weight ofthe
dottrine turne
on this
hinge,thatGod
hash
promifed
to
his
Saiuts,true Believers,fuch
fupplies
of
the
Spirit
and Grace,as
that
they
thali
never degenerate
unto
filch
loofe
and
profane
courfes,
as
are
deftru&ive
to
Godlineffe
?
Doubtlefle
that Dottrine
is
of'
a
molt
fpotleffe
un-
tainted innocency,
which its Adverfaries
dare not venture
to
ftrangle, before
they
have
violently& treacheroufly defloured
it.
And thus
Mr
Goodwin
leaveth
his
Arguments
in
the
duff,
like
the
Enriches
eg,ge.t
under
the
feet
of
men,to
be
trampled on
with
eafe.
The
refidue
of
this Difcourfe onwards
to
the next Argument,beingfpent
in
f.
7,
the
anfwering
of
pretended Obje
&ions,
put
in
againft himfelfe in
the behalfe
of
theDoerrine
of
Perfeverance,not
at all
called
out by
the
import
of
his
pre
-
fent
Arguments
&
Difcourfes,
I
might
paffe
them over:
but
in
as
much
as
that
K
k
which