323 / 504
Total!
&finalldefeítion
of
Sts
in
what
fence
imporlible..
"C.
X11.4
:li.
are
all
oftheir
perfe
&ions
of
Faith,
and
of
the
Saints in
believing:
which
26
without doubt,
they
are
in
all
that
they
-are
to
Believe,
to
prefle
after:
fo
that
all this
is
no more, but
that
this Do&rine
requireth
men
to
believe what
it
affirmeth
God
to havepromifed.
It
requireth
men
to
mixe
the
Promifes
of
God with Faiths)
Crimen in aìiditum.
But
though
the
manner
of
Believing
which it
requireth, be not
blameable, yet
the thing
which
it propofeth
to
be believed
is
falle
What
is
that
?
That
there
is an
Ab_Plate
or utter im-
poff
ibility either
of
a totall or
fnall
defection
of
the
Faith
of
true
Believers.
Its
re=
qurring this
to be
Believed
is
the
bottonte,
&
allo
"corner
f
gone,
of
Mr
Goodwin's
infuing
Argument:
if
it
doth not do
this,
he
hath nothing
in
this
place
to
fay
to
it Let
him
then produce
any
one
that
ever wrote
in
the
defence
of
it,
that
bath
in
Termes, or by
jutt
confequence,
:delivered.
any fuch
thing, and on
Herbam;
there
Ihall
be an end
of
this
difpute; I
prefutne Mr
Goodwin
know-
eth what
is
meant by
an
abfolute
and utter.
impofsibility. An
abfolute
Repug'
nancy
unto being,
in
the
nature
of
the
things themfelves concerning which
any
Affirmation
is,
and
not
any
externals
or
forraigne
conlderation doth
en-
title
any
thing
to
an
abfolute
es,.
utter
Impofsibility;
did ever
any
one
affirme,
that
in
the nature
of
the
thing it felfe,thedele&ion
of
the
Sts
is
abfolutely
im-
pofJible
?
Is
it not by them
that
believe the Perfeverance
of
the
Sts
conftantly
affirmed
that
in
themfelves
they are
apt,
yea
prone
to
fall away,
and
their
Faith
to
decay and dye, which
in
it
felfe poffibly
may be done, though Mr
Góodw:
cannot tolerably thew
how.The wholeeerrainty
of
their continuance
in, and
of
the prefervation
oftheir
Faith,
depends meerely on fuppofition
of
foniething
that
is
extrinfecall in refpeçt
of
them, and
of
their
flat;
which
as
to
their Condition might,
or
might not
he.
Farther, the
Perfeverance
of
the Saints,
is
by
the
fame perlons, conflantly affirmed
to
be carryed
ón, &
to
be
perfe&ed in,
and
by
the
ufe
ofineanes.
It
is
their,keeping,by the power
of
God
through
Faith
unto
Salvation; And can then an
abfolute
impofsibility
of
their
defe&ion.be
aiferted; or only
that
which
is
fo
upon
fuppofition
viz:
of
the
Purpofe
of
God
&c.
There
was
no
Abfolute
Impofsibility
that
the
bones
of
Chr%ii
fhould
not
be
broken,
they
being
in
themfelves
as
lyable
to
be
broken
as
his
flefh
to be
pierced;
yet in
refpe&
ofthe
event,
it
was
impoffible
they
Ihould be
fo.
I cannot
well imagine
that
Mr
Grodwin.is
not
fully perfwaded
with
the
greatefl and
',soft
indubit
able
certainty
that
a
.
Perfwafron in
things
of
this
kind,
will
admit, that
the
Common
Dollrine
o
f
Pere
"erance, cloth
not
re-
quire
Saints
to
believe,
that
there
is
an
abfolute
impoffìbility
of
their defe-
&ion,
but only
that
God hath
promifed
to
Preferve them
from
that,
which
in
themfelves
and
in refpe&
of
any
thing
in
them, theyare obnoxious unto;
in, and
by
the
ufe
ofineanes,
fuited
and appointed by him,to
the
carrying on
of
that
worke, and
compaffing
of
the end propofed,
But
yet it
pleafeth
bins
here to make
thew
of
a
contrary
Apprehenfion,
and
to
thew
his
confidence
therein,
he
aggravates it,
with
this annexed fuppofition
and
cafe:
It
doth
ro,
(faith
he)
though theyfhould
fall
into
ró000
enormous
and molt
abominable
f
nnes,and
lye
wallowing
in
them like
Swine
in
the mire;
yet
that
they
f
all
remain
all
the while
in an
a(late
o
fGrace.
Anf.
Truly
this
is
fuch
an
enormous
and abominable Calumny,
that
I is.tt.
cannot
butadmire
how any
lober and Rationall man, durst
venture
upon
the
Owning
of
it;The
queflion now is,what Faith the
Doltrine
infifted on
in-
generates
in
particular perfons,that
fhould enervate
and make void
the
Ex=
hortations
&c.
of
the Mini'try
?
Now though
the
Dodrine
Mould
teach this
Indefinitely,
that
thoughmen did
finne fo,
and
fo,
as
is
here expreft,
yet
they
should
be kept
in
a
hate
of
Grace,
as
is
mentioned, (which
yetis
towdly and
palpably falle,
as
bath been declared) yet
that it.doth
require
particularmen
M
in
2
to