428 / 504
C
XV.
i
John
3.
9. Argued
and
Vidicated.
372
According
to the import
of
the word;thefeed
of
God
remaineth
in
Believers;
now
that
remaining
of
thefeed,
is
the
caufe
of
their
not
finning
that
finne,or
in
that
manner,as
the
Apofile here
denyeth
them
to
be liable to
finne.
For
that
is
the
Reafon he giveth
why
they
cannot
finne, even
becaufe
the feed
of
God
remaineth
in
them.
Mr
Goodwin
granteth,
that
this
feed
remaineth
in Believers
alwayes,unleffe they
finne by
a
totali
defection from
God.
Of
not
finning
the
finne
oftotall
defection from
God, the
remaining
or
abiding
of
this
feed
is
the
caufe.
Whilft that abideth,
they cannot
finne,
that
fin,
for it
is
an
unqueffio-
nable
caufe &
uneontrouleable
of
their
not
fo
doing. This feed
therefore
ìnuft
be utterly
loft, and
taken
away, before any
each
firm
can
be committed.
Now
if
the feeed'cannot
be
loft,
without the
commiffìon
of
the
finnewhich
cannot
be
committed till
it be
loft,
neither
can the feed be loft;,
nor
the
fin
becommited.
The
fame
thing cannot
be before, and after
its
felfe,
He that cannot
go fucha
journey,
unleffe he
have
fuch
a
horfe, &
cannot have
fuch
a
horfe
unleffe
he
go
filch
a
journey,is like
to
stay
at home.
In
what
fence
the
words [cannot
fin]
are
to
be
taken,was before declared.
That
there are
fins
innumerable, whereinto men may
fall
notwithftanding
this feed,
is
confeffed:
Under
them
all,this
feed
abideth;
fo
it would not
dounder that whichwec
an-
votfise,becaufe
it
abideth;but
becaufe it abideth,that
fin
cannotbe
committed.
0.68.
The latter
part
of
the
R.eafon
of
the
Apoffles affertion, is,
for
he is
borne
of
God;
which
is
indeeda,driving
_on'
the
former to
its
head,
and fountaine.
What it
is
to
be
borne
of
God
we
need not difpute. It
was fufficiently
difco-
vered
in
the mention
that
was
made before
of
feed"
of
God
by his
HolySpirit beftowing on us
a newSpirituallLife which
by
nature
we have
not,
and
in refpe&
of
whole
want
we
are
Paid
to
be
dead,
is
frequently
faid
to
beget
us,
Tames
a.
t4,
And we
are
Paid
to
be
borne
ofGod.
He
is
the
Soveraigne
di-
fpofer, dilpenfer, and
lupremeföuntaine
ofthat
Life, which
is
fo beftowed on
us, which weare begotten againe
unto,
and are borne
with,
and by;
And
Je-
fus
Chrift
the
&lediat
our,is
allo
Paid
tohave
this
Life in himfel fe,3ob: g.becaufe
he
bath
.received
thefpiritofthe
father
,
to
give
to
his,
for
their
quickning;
who
taketh
of
his,
and thereby
begeteth
them
a
new. And this Life which Be-
lievers thus
receive,:
and whereby indeed
radically
they become
Believers, is
every
wherein
Scripturenoted
as
Permanent
and
abiding.
In
refpea of the
o-
riginall
of
it,
it
is
faid
to
be from
above,
from
Heaven,
of
the
will
of
God,
of
God;
As
to
its
principle
,
to
be
not
of
flefb, or
biota,
or
of
the
will
of
man,
or
of
any thing done
by
us,
but
of
thefeed
of
God,
incorruptible
feed, feed
that ahi-
deth;
in
refpeft
of
its daration
to
eternal',
and
that
it may
fo
be,
to fate-
guarded; being
hid inGod with
Chrif.
In
this place
Receiving
this Life
from
God, is
placed
as
the caufe; and
cannot
finne,
as
the
effe
&.
He
cannot
finne,
for,
or
becaufe
he
is
borneofGod. The
connexion
that.
is
between this caufe
and effeet,orwherein
the
caufality
of
Being borne
of
God to
a
not
f
nningdoth
conift,
needs
not
be
inquired into.
That it
hath
fuch a caufnlity,
the
holy
Ghoft
bath afferted, and our Argumentrefteth
thereon.
If
that
be
the nature
of
Regeneration, or
being
borne
of
-God
that it doth
exclude Apoftacy,
then
he
that
is
Regenerate,
or borne
ofGod,
as
:every Believer
is,
cannot
fo finne
as
to
Apoliatize,
or
fall
totally
from
God:
But
that
fuch is
the nature
of.:Re-
generation whereby any one is
borne
of
God, the,holyGhoft
here
declaneth;
For he denyeth
Apoftacy upon
the,
account
of
Regeneration;
He
cannot
f
nne
becattfe
he
isborne
of
God;which
is
that
whichwe
intended
to
demonftrate from
this
text
of
Scripture.
O.
69.
To
evade the force
of
Argument, M.
Goodwin
(as
bath
been
declared)
undettakethto.gtvean
Expofition
of
this-place
of
Scripiture,
turning
every
(tone, and labouring
to
wreft every
word
in
it.
Thefeverall
.fignifications
of
the