Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BT768 .O9 1654

M. G's Exceptions confidered and removed. C.VIII. 4:33. redly taken away from theSpirit that Chriftpromifeth,and afiignedto mens 209 owne care, even in contradiftin&ion to all the benefits, which they receive by him , being fo bellowed on them. The difference then here between yefus chrifl, and Mr Goodwin, is this Chrift faith, theWater that hefliállgive, will bea wellfpringing up to Everlafling Life;Mr Goodwin,Thatit is the Careof men topreferve themfelves, Mat produces that Effelf. 4. Theprefent exemption, which we have by the Waters ofChrifts gi- ving, is not from forrow and trouble, but from thirft: that is,from what is oppofed unto, and is deftruftive of .that Life, which he alto gives: asnatu- rall thirft is unto naturali life. But ofthis thirft, andour exemption from it,I have fpoken before. It is not then the nature and conditionoftheLife promi- fed, that he points unto, no farther then as it is coincident with themeanes of it, here fpokenof. Indeed thismeanes oflife, is our life, as to the inchoation ofithere below, and its daily growing up unto perfeftion. But he adds Sea. I t. 1. That he cloth not oppofe thatLife,rohich accrues mito méby drinking that Water 4, 33^ whichhe gives thë,untó thenatural' life,which they live,by other means,in refpeti ofthe prefent Condition,or Conflitutionofit,or as it is enjoyedby men in this pre- fent world,is evident fromhence, becaufe he alerts itfreefrom thirfl, (flndlne- ver third,). Nowwe know that the Saints themfelves,notwithJanding that lifeof Grace, Which is in them, bydrinking that Water thatChrifl bath given them, are yetfubjet to bothkinds o fThirfl, as well that which iscorporeal) ar naturali, us that which is Spirituall; yea the SpirituallThir3"t, unto which they are nowfob)eEf; though it argues a deficiency ofwhat they wouldfarther have, ordefre to be and in that refpeEf , is troublefome, yet is it Argumentative ofthegoodneffeoftheir Condition.Mat. 5.6. Anf, 1. The fummeofthis Anfwer is that the Life herefpolj'nì of,landpro- mifed, isnot that Spiritualllife,whereofwe arehere made partakers but eternal life, whichisfor to come, which, when anyattaine, they(hall neverfadein, orfall from but whether they may or(hall attaine it or no, here is nothing fpoken. But hereis no notice taken, ofthe maine oppofition .infifted on by our Saviour,. between thefupplies ofthe Spirit for lifeEternall, which faile not , nor fuf- fers them to thirfi, to whom they are given, and the fuppliesof naturali life, by Elementary water, notwithftanding which;they, who are made partakers thereof, doe in a fhort feafon, come to a total) want of it againe. Inftead of Anfwers to our Argument from this place, wemeet with nothingbut perpetu- all diverfionsfrom the whole ¡cope and intendment of it, and at laft are told, that the Promife fignifies only, that men [hould not want Grace,when they come toHeaven. 2. Toprove thatthere is no Promife of any abiding fpiritttall Life here, thofe words they(hall never third, are produced;"That we (hall have our life continued to the full injoyment of it unto eternity , becaufe fuch are the fuppliesofthe Spirit bellowed onus,that we [hall never thirft, is the Argil- ment ofour Saviour: That there is no fuch life promifed, or here tobeattai- ned, becaufe in it we fhall notthirfl, is Mr Goodwin. 3 It is not- the intendment of our Saviour, to prove that we (hall not thìrfï; becaufe we [hall have fuch a life; but the quite contrary ; that we [hall have fuch a life, and [hall affuredlybe preferved, becaufe the fupplies of the Spirit which he gives,will certainly take away the thirft, which is fo oppofite to it, as tobe defiruftive of it. 4. It is true, the Saints notwithflanding this Promife; are frill liable to Thir.ff, that Thir(l intimated Mat. 5. 6. after Righteoufneli e ; but not at all ro" that Thirft, which they have aPromife here to be freed from a Thirftof an E e uni-

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