363 / 504
A(%rtors
of
Sts
Perf
compared
with
their
Adverferies.
C,YILL
pry, who
fha11
undertake to
deny and oppofe
it,
I'hope
the
People
ofGod
in
307
'this
Nation,
will
not have many
Inffances
to
Judge
by:
The
belt conje
&ure,
we can for the prefent make
of
what
will be
hereafter,
muff
be
taken
from
what hath
already
come
to
paffe;
and
the bell
guef
e
of
what events
will
be,
are to
be railed from
the
confederation
of
what hath been; from
a like
dif-
pofition
of
Caufes,to an Anfwerableneffe
of
Events.
What Mr
Goodwin
bath
to
plead
in
this
Cafehe
infifts
on
Chap.9.
Seti:24,
4
4,
25,26,27.
Pag.
167,168,169,17°,171,172.
The
fuenme
and
dime
of
his
Dif-
courfe,
is
to
Apologize
for
his
Do&rine againft fundry Obje&ions, which
in
the Obfervations
of
men
it
is
lyable and obnoxious
unto. Now thefe are
fuch
as
whatever the
Iffue
of
their Confideration prove, doubtleffe
it can be
of
no Advantage
unto
his
Caufe,
that
his
Do&rine
is
fo
readily expofed
to
them.
The
firft
of
thefe
is,
that
the
Do6trine he
Oppofeth,
and
in
Oppo
fition
where-
ß.
q.
unto that
is
let
up,which he
fo
induftrioufy
afferts,hath generally been recei-
ved and imbraced,by men eminent
in Piety
and
Godlineffe,
famous on
that ac-
count
in
their Generations,
with
the
generality.
ofthe
People
ofGod,
with
them.
And this is
attended
with
that
which
naturally
infues
thereon,
viz.
The
Scandaloufneffe
ofthe
molt
of
them (yea
of
them
all
of
this
Nation
is
it
fpoken, who have formerly
afèrted
the
Do&rine which
Mr
Goodwin
bath
lately efpoufed;
Whereunto
in
the third
place an
Obfervation
is
fubjoyned,
of
the
Ordinary defection
of
men
to
loofe
and
unfavory
pradifes, after
they
have
once
drunke
in
theprinciples
of
that
opinion, which
he now
fo
induflrioufly
mix-
eth
and
tempereth
for them;It
is
ufually
Paid
there
isnofmoake,but where
there
is
fomefire;It would be ftrange
if loch
Obfervations
as
thefe,fhould be readily
and
generally made by men, concerningthe Do&rine
under
Conteft, unlefle
there
were
Tome
evident
occafion
Adminiftred by
it thereuto.
And
I
'Miff
needs
fay,that
if
they prove
True,
and hold under Examination, they
will
be-
come
as
urging
a
prejudice, as
can lightly
be laid againft
any caufe in
Religion
whatfoever.
The
Gofpell
being
a
DoElrine
according unto
Godlinefjé,
feverall
perfwafions
pretending to be
pacts
and portions thereof,
if
one
(hall
be found
to
be
the
conftant Faith, and,profeffion
of
thofe,
who allo have the
life
and
power
of
Godlineffe in
them; the other to
be
maintained by
evill
men
audfe-
ducers,
who upon their receiving
it,
doe allo wax
worfe
and
worfe;
it
is
no
fmall
advantage
to the
firft,in its plea for
admittance
to
the right
and
title
of
a
truth ofthe
Gofpell.
To
Evade
this
charge
Mr
Goodwin
premifes this
in
General!.
ß.
6.
The experience
Aférted in
the
Objellion, is not
fo
unqueflionable
in point
of
Truth,
But
that
i
f
the
elfferters were
put
home upon
the
proofe,they would
(I
feare)
(doubtleffe he
rather
hopes
it)accompt,more
in
prefumption
than in
reafonablenes
o
fArgument.
For
i
f
Perrous
of
the
one
judgement,
&of
the ather,were
duly compared
together,
I
verily believe there
would
be
found
every
whit,
as
full
a proportion
of
men, truly Confcientiour
and
Religious, amongfl thofe
whofe
judgements Hand,
and
have_flood
for
a
po
ìbility
of
falling
away,
As
on
the other
fide:
but through a
foolifb
and
unfavoury
kind
of
partiality,
we
are apt,
on
all hands,
according
to
the
Proverb, to account
our own
Geefe
for
swamies ,
and
other mensswamies
Geefe5
Certaine
I
am,
that
if
the
writings
of
men
of
the
one
judgement,
and
of
the other,
be
compared
together,
and
an
e
f
imate
made
from
thence
of
the Religion, Worth,
and
Holineffe
of
the Authors refperlively,
Thofe who'oppofe
the
common
Dotirine
of
Perfeverance,
doe
account
it
no Robbery to
make themfelves
everyway
equal/
in this
honour
with their
oppofers5
The
truth
is,
I
f
it
be
law
fullfor
me to
utter what
I
re-
ally apprehend,
and judge in
the
care,
I
doe
not
find
that
fpirit
o
f
holinefe
,
to
breath
with that Authority, height
or Excellency
of
power
in
the
writings
of
the
R
r
2
latter,