449 / 504
Apo1 afy
of
Saints, in
what
fence
impoflîble.
C.XV/.
they were not, nor ever had
been
true
Believers, when
they were
once
fo
393
gone
out
from
them,
as
they
went;
as
our
Saviour
Chritt profett them
not
to-
have been true
believers,
who followed
him
for
a
while, were called
and ac-
counted
his
Difciples, when
they
fell
in an
honre
of
Temptation ; Neither
have
we
the
leaft reafon
to
fuppofe,
that
the
Apoftle had this
knowledge by
Revelation,
feeing
the
thing
it
felfe in
reference and proportion
to the
prince-
ples
he
laies
downe
of
thecontinuance
of
Believers,
did
openly
proclaime
it.
Fiftly,
That
true
Chriftians
or
Believers, can
fo fall
away from the fociety
of
the
Saints,
as
thefe
here mentioned did,
is
denied
;
and
a
grant
of
it ought
not to be
begged
at
our hands;'tis
true,
that
(
as
was
before
granted)
a
true
believer
may
for
a
feafon defert
the
communion
or
fellowfhip
of
a
Church,
wherein he
bath walk'd,and that
caufelefly; yea, he may
be furprizedthrough
Infirmity,
to
deny,
under
mighty temptations,
in
words
,
for
a
moment
,
the
Lord
Chrift, whom yet
his
Heart
loves
,
and
honours
,
as in
the
cafe
of
Peter
was
too evident,
But
that
fuoh
an one, may forfake
the
externall
profeffion
of
Chriftianity,
or
ceafe
profej
ton making,
and betake
himfelfe
to
a
contrary in-
tereft,
oppofing
Chrift and
his
wayes,
as
thofe here
infifted
on
did; that's de-
nied, and
not
the
leaft
attempt ofproofe
made
to
the contrary.
Whilft
I was
upon
the
confederation
of
thefe exceptions
of
Mr
Goodwin's,to
0.
38.
our Tettimonyfrom
this
Text
of
Scripture by uainfifiedon,there came
to
my
hands,
his Expofîtionon
the
9. Chapter
to
the Romans;
In the
Epifile
whereof
to.
the Reader,
he
is
pleafed
Se&. 6.
Studioufly
t
wave the
imputation
of
having
borrowed
this Expofition
from
Armi»i
is
followers:
An
Apology
per-
haps
unworthy
his
prudence,and
great
ilieyés:
which
Teftimony
yet
I
feare,
by
having
caft an eye on
the body
of
the Difcourfe,
will fcarcely
be received
.
by
his
Reader, without the
helpe
of
that
vulgar Proverbe
Good
Wits
jumpe:
But
yet
on
that
occafion I
cannot
but
fay,however
he
bath dealt
in
thatTrea-
tife,this
Difcourfe
I
have under
confideratiori
is
purely tranflated from
them,
the
condition
of
very
much
of
what bath ben already confidered,having
the
fame which
I
bad
there thought
to
have
manifefted,by placing
their
Latine
a
gainft
his Englifb
in
the margent:but
thefe things
are perfonall,not belonging
to the
caufe in
hand
M.
G.
is
fuf
iciently known
to
have
Abilityes
of
his
own
fuch
as
wherewith he bath done(in fundry
particulars)confderable
fervice
to
theTruth,
as
fometimes they have been unhappily ingaged
in wayes
ofa
con.
trary
nature,
and tendency.
,
It
being
evident from
thefeConfiderations
that
ourAuthor
is
not able
in
the
4. 39,
leant
to
take off
this witneffe
from fpeakeing home
to
the
very
heart
of
the
caufe
in
hand,
that it
may
not
feeme
to
be weakened and impaired by him
in
the
leant
: I (hall
farther
confider
that
diverfion which
hewould intice
the
words
unto,
from
their proper channell
and
Intendment,
and
fo
leave
the
Apontacy
of
the
Saints
dead,at
the foote
of
it
:
He gives
us
then,
(Se
&.23,24.)
an Expofition
of
this place
of
Scripture, upon
the Rack whereof,
it
feemes
not
to
fpeake what-formerly we received from its mouth, For
the
occafion
of
the
words,he
fayes,
For the true meaning
of
this
place,'tis
to
be
conftdered,'
that
the
Apoflles
in- ß40.
tent in
the words. was
to
prevent,
or heale
an
offence,
that
weake Chr
f
fans
might take,
at
the
Doílrine
which was
taught
and
fpread
abroad
by
thofe
Anti
-
chrifls
or
Anticriflian
teachers,
rpoken
of in
:
the
formerverfe; and
they
are
faidto.have
been
many,&
that
efpecially becaufe they
hadfometisaes
liv'd
&
con
-
verfedwith
the Ape/ties
.
themfelves
in Chriflian
Churches,and
had
profefl
the
rime
Faith &Dollrine with
them;
by
reáron
hereo
f
force Chri/lians not
ro con
f
Aerate or
judicious
m
others,
might
poffibly
thinke
or
conceive,thatfinely
alt
things
were
not
E
e e
,
well