442 / 504
C<xV1.
All
things impollible,
not
abfolutely
fo.
386
leffe in
many, and
i.tnpofiible only
in one
,
is
alwayes
to
be judged
simply
and
Abfolutely
impoffible; much
leffe
are
we concerned"in
it; who
fay
that
Simply
and
Abfolutely
the
falling away
of
Believers
is
Poflible, namely,
as
the
terme
poffible
relates
to
the principle
of
operation
in
them;
But
in fome re
-,
fpe
&s
only
it
is
impofíìble,
that
is,not
of
it
felfe,
but
in refpe&
of
the
external
prohibiting
caufe.
It
was
and limply
poffible,
that
the
bones
of
our
Saviour fhould have been
broken, in
the nature of
the thing it
felfe: im
-.
poffible, in
refpe&
of
the
decree
of
God;
So
are
a
thoufand
things Abfolutely
poble
in
their
owne
nature,
as
to
the
power
of
the
caufes
whereby they
might
be produced,
but
impojible in refpe&
of
Tome
external] prohibiting
caufe; Abfolutely pofíìble in
refpe&
of
their proper
caufe
and principle; im-
pofiible
in refpe&
of
the event,upon the
the
account
of
Come
external] prohi-
biting
caufe
as was
(hewed.
So
'tis
in
the bulneflé
in
hand;
We affert not
any pofiìbility
in refpe&
of
the event;
As
though
in
the
iffue
it-might
fo
come
to
paffe,
that
Believers
fhould
fall totally
and
finally from
God,
which
is
the
thing
we oppofe:
but
it
grant,in
refpe&
of
the
caufes
of
fuck
apoflacy,with
re-
ference
to
the nature
of
the thing
it
felfe;
Though
how the
poffibility might
be
reduced into
a&
Mr
Goodwin
cannot declare;
As
for the
dole of
this
Se&i-
on
concerning the
Abfolxte, Peremptory,
irref/lible
decree
of
Perfeverance
which he afcribes
to
us as
our. affertion, when he
fhall
have
convinced
us
of
the
Conditìnnall,
Non-peremptory, reverfihle decree
of
God,
which
he endea-
vours
to introduce
in
the
place
thereof,he
may
here
more'of
ús, in
the
mean
time
¡úvopev;tamp
EPµsv.
$.
22,
Seçlion
39.40. he feekes
to
alleviate the inflance comnionly
given
of
our
Saviour Chrift, who though affured
of
the
end,
(and
in refpe&
of
whom 'twas
utterlyimpoble
that
his
gloriousexaltation,fhould not follow
in
the
iffue,he
being wholly out
of
all
danger
of
being
detained under the power
ofDeath,)
yet
he Laboured, and prayed, and failed, and refilled Satins temptations,and
watched againfi him, and dealt with him,
by
weapons
taken out ofthe
word
of
God;
And in efpeciall when
the
Divell urged
him with
the argument
in
hand, that
there is no need
of
meaner or the
"ling
of
them,
when there
is a
cer-
tainty
of
the
end,
and
an
impoffibility
that
it
fhould
otherwife
fall
out,
or
the
End
not
be
brought about
and
accomplifbed,
as
he did
when
he
tempted
him
to
café
bimfelfe
headlong
from
a
pinacle
of
the
Temple
becaufe
the
Angelis
had
charge
over
him,
that
not
fo
much as his
foot
fhould
be
hurt again(]
a
(lone, whatever
he
did,
as
Sathan intimated,which
is
the tenour
of
the
Argument wherewith we
have
to
doe, he retornes
to
him
the
very Anfwer
that
we
infill
upon;
viz.
that
though
it
be
the
goodpleafure
of
God
to,
bring
us
to the
end
we aime
at,
yet
are
we
not
to
tempt
him by
a
negleet
of the
meanes
which
he bath
ap-
pointed; 'tis true, there
are Arguments
ufed
tó
us
that
could have no place
with Chrift, being
taken
from the
Efface &
Condition
of
infirmity
and'weak-
neffe
through
finne,
wherein we
are;
which
is
a
ground
only
of
an
inference,
that if
Chrift who
was
Holy,
Harmeleffe,
undefiled,
feparate from
finners,
did
yet watch and pray and contend
againfl Sathan, muchmore fhould
we
do
fo.
But
this
loth
not at
all
take off
from
the
parity
of
Reafon
that
is
in
cafe
of
Diligent
ufrng
ofthe
meanes,
for
the
compaffing
of
the
end,
that
in
fume
re-
fpe&
is
under
an
impoffibility
of
not
being accomplifhed; For
the
removeall
of
this inflance
Mr
Goodwin
enters into
a
large Difcourfe
of
the
caufe
and
Reafon veiling
the Lord Chrift with
an
immutability
in
.good, and how
'tis
not
competent to
anyCreature:which
that it
is,never entred
into
the thoughts
of
any
to
affert
that
I
ever heard
of
Not
is
it
of
the
leaft
importance to
the
removeall
ofour
Inflame
as
to
its ferviceableneffe
unto
the end,
for
which
'tis
produced;
He tells
us
alfo,
That
in
cafe
men
be
caufed,
neceßstating
y
and-
unavoidably