468 / 504
C. XVII.
D.P.
his
fence
oftheRighteous
perfon here intended,confidered.
4r
is
affociated)
will evince any fuch
meaning
in
his
expreffìon,as
is
there inten-
ded by Mr
Goodwin
Juflification
is
and
it
was fo
taught
by
the
Doîlor
to
be
(
Lea.
de
70. )
in refpe&
of
all pectoris
that
are partakers
of
it equall
:
and
equall
to
every perfon
Co
partaking
of
it,
at
all
times; though
in
regard
of
fence,
and
p?rception,
and
the
peace
and comfort,wherewith
when perceived,
and felt,
it
is
attended,
it
is
no
lefi'e
fubje&
to
encreafes
and
wanings
than
San&ification
it
felfe. So
that
this
alto
might
be
attended
by
the
Doaor
with-
out the
leafy
firaine
of
new
Divinity,
that
Juftifyed and
San&ifyed
perlons,
though
they might
fo
decline from the courte ofclofe walking withGod,
as
for
a feafon
to
be like
a
tree
in
Winter,
whole fubftance
is
in
his
roots,
his
leaves and
fruite
falling
offceaung
to
bring forth the
fruits
of
Holinefre, in
fuch
degrees
as
formerly; and
fo
loofe
their
fence
of
acceptátion
with
God,
through
Chrift, and the peace, with confolation, and
joy
wherewith it
is
at-
tended, yet they
could
not nor
thould
not,
wholly be
cart
out
of
the favour
of
God; the
nature
and
&fence
of
their
Juftification being abiding ; and what
ungular firaine
of
Divinity there
is,in
the
tendency
of
fuch a
difcourfe
I
know
not;
Betides
that
teaching
of
magi"
and
minus
in
Juftification fhould be any
fingular
thing
in Mr
Goodwin, I
do not
well
underftandi
for
if
the matter
of
our
RighteoulnefCe,
or that
upon the imputation whereof unto
us, we
are
Juftifyed,
may
have
its
degrees,
and
receive
magis
and
minus
as
certainely
our
Faith,
may
and
doth;
why our Juftification may not
do
fo
too,
I
fee
no
Keaton.
But he comes
at
length
to
the matter
and
addeth.
3.
Laf
ly,were
it
granted
unto
the
Dotlor,thatfrom
a
mans
turning
afide
from
his
own Holineffe,
it
doth not follow,
that
therefore
he
bath
wholly
diverted
him-
felfe ofthe
Xighteoufneffe
ofChrit
imputecbyet
from
Gods
determination,
or
pro-
_
'zincing
a
man
to
he
in
an
efifate
of
condemnation,&
of
deatb,it
followes roundly,
that
therefore
he
is
diverted
of
the
liigbteoufneffe
of
Chri
fl
imputed
(if
ever
he
were
inverted with
it
before)
becaufe no
man with
that
HiQhteoufneffe
upon
him,
can
be
in
filch an
eftate.
Now we
have
upon
feverall
grounds proved,
that
the
Righteous man under
that
Apo
f
acy;
wherein Ezechiel defcribes
and
prefents
him,
is
pronounced
by
God, a
child,
not
of
a teeaporall,'
but eternall death
and
condem-
nation,
This
indeed the Dollor
deny-es,
but gives
no
reafon
ofbis
denyall,
far
which
I
blame him not.
Only
I
muff
crave
leave to
fay,
that
the Chair weigheth not
fo
much,as
one
good Argument,reitb me;much
leffe,ae
many.so
that all
this while,he
that
fpake; and
.ffillfpeakes unto the world,
by
Ezekiel, is
no
friend
to
that
Do-
élrine,which
denyeth
a
poffibility
of
a
righteous
mans declining
even'
unto death.
Anf.
If
this
be
all
that
Mr
Goodwin
bath to
fay, for
the removall
of
this
Anfwer,
that
cuts
the
throat
of
his
Argument,
Wit
be not removed, hehath
little
Reafon for the
confidence wherewith,
he
clofeth
it,
concerning
Gods
fpeaking in this
place
of
Ezechiel, again
ft that Dòtlrine
which. in
innumerable
places
of
his
Word
he
hath taught
us,
as a
Doctrine enwrapping
no finail
portion
of
that
Grace,
which
in
a
Covenant
of
Mercy
he difpenfeth to
his
chafen,
Redeemed; 7uflifyed,
sanaifyedones
teether
is
here
any
need
to adde,
the
weight
of the
Chair
(wherein yet
that
perfon fpoke of, behaved
himfel£e
worthily in'his Generation, and
was
in his
Exercifes
herein, by no
meanesby
Mr
Goodwin
to
bedefpifed)
be laid upon the Reafonings
of
the Dolor
in
this
cafe, they proving
fingly
ofthemfelves, too
heavy
for Mr
Goodwinto
Beare.
In
briefe
that
the fubftanceofthe
reply
in
hand,
is
meerely
a begging
of
the
thing
in
Qgeftion, any one
that
bath
but halle an
eye in
the
bufinefCa
of
this
nature,
may
eafily
difcerne;
that
it
is
-
fuppofed
that
a
man
truly
Righteous
and
Juftifyed
in
the
blond
of
Chrift, may
fo
fall away,
as
to bepronounced
of
God
to be
in
aRate
of
damnation,
and
fo
fallen really
from
his
former
condi-
tion
(Korn.
8;
t.)
is
the
thing
that
Mr
Goodwin
bath
to prove; Now
faith he,
this