462 / 504
CAP,
XVII.
M.
G's
Anfwer propofed and confidered.
406
courfe, I might
well
fuperfede
anyfarther
proceeding in
the
Examination
of
what
h
h
prepared
a as
fo
r
a
Repl
y
to the
An
firers commonly
g
iven
to
the Ar-
gument taken from thisplace:ytt
that
all fecurity
imaginable may be
given
to
the
Reader
of
the
moffenfiveneíle
of
this place
as
to
the
Truth
we.maine-
nine
; I
(hall
briefely
manifeft,
that
Mr
Goodwin
hath
not indeed
effectually
taken up and off, any one Anfwer,
or
any one parcel]
of
any fuch,that
hath u-
fually been given by
our
Divines
unto the
Objeecion againft the Doctrine
of
perfeverance
hence levied.
11.
That
which
naturally
firft offers
it
(elfe
to our
Confideration,
is,
the forme
and
tenourof
the
Exprefíìon here ufed:
which
is
not
of
an abfolutenature,
butHypotheticall;
The
import
of
the words
is,
If
a righteous
man turnefront
his
Righteoufnefe
and
continue therein
he ,(ball
dy:
True;
fay
they
who make
ufe
of
this
Confide
ration; God here
propofes
the
defert offinne, and the con-
nexion
that
is
by his
appointment, between
Apoftacy and
the
puni(hment
thereunto allotted; but
this
not at
all inferres,
that
any one
who
is
truly
righ-
teoús,
(hall
or
may everlaftingly
fo Apofiatize. Such
comminations
as
thefe
God maketh
ufe
of
to caution
Believers
of
the
evill
of
Apòftafy,
and
there-
by
to
preferve them from it ,
as
their
tendency
to
that
end,
by the
appoint-
ment
of
God, and their
efficacy
thereunto, hath
been declared.
So
that
to
fay, becaufe
Gód,
Cayes
If
a
righteous man
turn
from
his Righteoufneffè
he
fball
dye;
the
whole
Emphafis
lying in
the
connexion,
that
is
between
fuch
turning
array,&
dying,to
conclude (confidering what
is
the proper
ufe &
intendment
of
fuch
threatnings
)
that
a
man truly Righteous may
fo fall away
,
is
to
build up
that
which
the Texts contributes not
any
thing
to
in
the
leaft.
4.12.
Againft this plea
Mr
Goodwin
rifeth up with much contempt and indig-
nation, Chap.12.Se&.
9.
in thefe words.
But
this
saniluary
hath
a
fò
been
profaned,
by
fome
of
the chiefeGuardians
themfelves
of
that
Caine,
for
the protellion
and
faf
et,
whereof
it
was built.
There
needs
no
more
be
done
(though
much more
might
be
done,
yea
and
hath
been
done
by
oth.
ers)
than
that
Learned
Doélor
(fo
lately
named) hath
done
himfelfe
for
the
demolifhing
ofit.
Having
propounded
the Argument front thé place
in Ezekiel
according
to
the
import
of
the
interpretation
afferted
by
us;
Some
(
faith
he
)
an-
fwer
that
a
condition
proues
nothing
in
being: which
how
true
foeverit
may
be
in
refpebl
of
fuch
Hypotheticalls, which are made
ufe
of
only
for
the amplyfication
of
matters,&
fervefor
the
aggravating eitherofthe
difficulty
or
indignity
of
a
thing;
(as
if
I
fbould
climbe up
into Heaven
thou
art
there
Pfal,t
39.
It
were
ridiculous to
inferre,
therefore a man
may
climbe
up
into
Heaven
;)
yet fuch
conditionoll
fayings
upon
which Admonitions, Promifes, or Threatnings are
built,
do
at leaf'
fuppofe
fomething in
pof
ïbility,however
by
vertue
of
their tenour&
forme,they
fuppofe
no-
thing in
being.
For
no
man
ferioufly
intending
to
encourage
a
Student
in
his
way
would
fpeakthas
to
him;
If
thou
wilt
get
all
the
Books
in
theVnive,,rftyLibrary
by
heart,thoufbalt
be Doblor
this
Commencement.
Betide
in
'the
cafe
in hand,
he
that
had
a
minde
to
deride the Prophet, might readily
come upon
him thus:
But a
righ-
teous
man according
to
the judgement ofthofe
that
are Orthodox, cannot turne
away
from his
rghteoufnefé :
therefore ourThreatning
is in vaine.
Thus
we
fee
to how
little
purpofe
it
is,
tafeeke
for
farting
holes
in fuch
Logicke guirkes
as
thefe; Thus
farre
the
great Afertor
of
she
Synod
of
Dort,and
the
caufe
which they
maintained,
to
fbew
the
vanity
of
fucha
fence or
conf
rullion, put
upon
the
words
now
in
debate, which
Pall
render
them
meerely
conditionall,
and willnot
allow
them
to
import
fo
much as
a
pofibility ,
of
any
thing
contained or
expreffed
in
them.
Anf.