441 / 504
Apot
afy
of
Saints, in
what
fence
impo1
ble.
C.XYI.
doing, they
(hall
attaine the end
aimed
at
,
is
yet
under conteft?
And
may paffe for
the prefent with thofe other Ridiculous
fuppofallsy
formerly
mentioned.
But
Mr
Goodwin
proceedes
farther
in
the
vindication
of
this
Argument
sell.
38.
And whereas
(faith he)
they
ftìll
plead,
or
pretend
rather, thatfuch
adm,ni.
tions as thefe lately
fpecifyed
may
well
Rand with an
unconditioned
Prosnife
of
Perfeverance,we have
formerly
(hewed,
that
they
are not
able to make
oodthis
plea, nor
to
give
any reafonable account
of
it,whereas
they
adde
that
theirfence and
opinion
is not,
that
tis
a
thing
abfolutely
or everyway impoj
ible
for
true
Believers
to
fall
away
totally
or
finally
from their Faith,
but
that
they willingly
grant that
true
Believers
what through
their
owne
weakenefe,
and
what throughthe
fubtile
baites and temptations
ofsathan
may
fo
fall
away.
I
Anfwer,
But
this
is but a
fig
-lea
fe
fought out
to
cover the
nak
dnefe
of
their
Opinions
which
hath
no
ftrength
at all
nor weight
in
it.
For
what
though
it
were
in
a
thorn(
and other
refpelts never
fo
poffible
for true
Believers to peril's,
yet
if
it
be
al=
together
impofJble
infuch
a refpell which over rules
all
thofe others,
and
which
will
&
ofnecef
ty muff
hinder
the comming
of
it
to
pafe,all
thofe other
notwith-
ftanding, 'tis
to
be
judged
limply and
abfolutely
impojJihle,,
and
all
thofe
re-
fpells
wereby
tis
pretendedpoble
are not
to be
brought
into
account
infuch a
cafe.
Anf.
Whether
we
are able
to
make good our
plea
concerning
the
confi-
ftency
of
Admonitions
with the Promifes
of
Perfeverance, Mr
Goodwin
is
not
the
foie
Judge;Neither
do either
we,
or ourplea
ftand
or
fall
at
his
Arbitre-
ment;
What hath
been lately fpokenfor the reinforcement
of
that
plea
againft
his
Exceptions,he may
if
he pleafe,
take time
to
confider.
Secondly,
For what
is
now
added
in this place
as a
part
of
that
plea
of
ours,
as
tis
here propofed
we owne
not;We doenot
grant
that true
Believers
may
fall away on
any
account whatever
totally
and
finally,
if
the
expreflion,
may
fall
away,relate
to
the
iffue
and
event;We
fay
indeed
that
by
the temptations
of
Sathan Believers may
be
prevailed
againft,to the committing
of
many
fins,
the
root whereof
is
in
themfelves, whilft
the
luff remaines in them which
tempteth
and infnareth them, whereby God may be di(hononred
,
and their
own
Confciences
wounded,
which
is
a fufficient
ground
and
bottome
for
all
the
Admonitions
that
are given
them to
beware
of
his
deceits,
to
ftrengthen
themfelves
againft
his
affaults,
tobe
built upon, though through the Grace
&
-Faithfulneffe
of
God
and his goodwill manifefted, and fecured
unto
them
in
his
Covenant and
Promifes, he
can
never
totally
prevaile
againft
them.
We
fay
moreover,that
'tis
not from
Believers
themfelves,nor
any
thing
in
them,nor fr6
any
Faith
that they
have received,that they cannot
fo
fallfznally
away;there being
in
them
a
pronenes
to
fin
,
&
the
feed
of
all
fin
frill
remain-
ing, yea
a
root
of
bitternes
ready
to
fpring up &
trouble them; but
from
thofe
outward
principles
of
the Will,Purpofes,Covenant
& Promifes
of
God
which
we
have formerly
inlfted
on:
Farther,that
there
is
no neeed
of
granting
any
filch
poflibilitro
taking
that terme,
as
relating
to
the
iffue
and event, and
not
the internal'
principle
of
operation in men,
to
immiffeft
the Harmony
that
is
between the
Admonitions
under
confederation, and
the
Promifes we
have infi-
ited
on
it,
being
fufficiently
evinced on
other
confederations;
So
that
Mr
Goodwins
enfuing
Difcourfe concerning
Abfolute
Isnpof
bility
is
not at
all
re-
lated to
any
thing
that
we
have afferted.
Thirdly, Neither
yet
doth the
Reafon
by
Mr
Goodwin
produced, in
any
meafure convince
what he intends though
we
be
not
concerned therein;
He
will
not
eafily
perfwade
us
that that
which
is
poffible in any refpe&,
s
lèffe
Ddd
385