C. XV. i lohn ;. 9, Opened and infiftedon. 364 Nowthis place is,the t iohn 3.9. Whotfoever is borneofGod, cloth not commit finne, for hisfeedremaineth in him, andhe cannot finne becaufè he is borne of 57° God. Aplace ofScripture, that alway bath amazed the adversariesoftheDo- &rine, which hitherto through the GraceofGod, we have afferted 5 being in its felfe, fully fufficient tocaptivate every understanding, unto the obedience of its Truth, thatis not refolved tocleave to a contrary Conclufon, let what .4 Demonstration foever lye againft it. In thedefence of the Do&rine under conuderation, fhould we ufe Expreflìons of thefame importance , with thefe hereufed by the Apoftle,aswe fhould abundantly fatisfyeour felves, that we had delivered our mindes and fence, to the understanding ofany indifferent Per1)n, with whom we might have to doe,fo we shouldbynomeanes, avoid all thofe imputations offollyand errour , thatour Do&rine fuffereth under, from the men that have entertained an enmity againft it , as it is held forth in equivalent expressions by us. TheAuthorityofthe Holy Ghoft, háth gai- ned thus much upon our Adverfaries, that when he afferteth in expresíe; and exprefve termes, the very thing, or things that in us are called,folly, that e-. vafionsthouldbe ftudied, and pains taken to rack his words, toa fence which they will not beare, rather than plainly to deny his Authority. But let the words,with the fcope & tendency be confìdered.(i. )The fcope&'intendment ofthe Apoftle in the place is togive a difcriminating character ofthe Children ofGod,and the Children oftheDivell> thus be fully expreffeth himfelfe unto us v,to. In this (faith he) the Children ofGod are manifefled, andthe Children ofthe Dived, rohofoever doth not righteoufnefe isnot of God, neither he thatlo- vethnot his Brother. And withall to preffe on an Exhortation againft finne, whereunto heufeth the Argument that lieth in thefollowing wordsifanyone. fin that thinkethhimfelfe to be borne ofGod,hedeceiveth himfelfe,v.7. Little chil- dren let voman deceiveyou; he that cloth righteoufneffe , isrighteous even as he is righteous, He that committethfinne isof the Divell :. But how proveth he this? In thefe words, Whofoever is borneofGodfanneth not,dothnot,cannotfinne. Such is the GeniusandNatureofthe Childrenof God, of them that are borne of him, that they doe not, they cannot finne. You are perfwaded that you are fo -borne ofGod , therefore you muff preffe after fuch a frame, fuch an ingenie and difpofition, fuch a principle, as that thereby you cannot finne: it muff inanifeft its felfe to be in you, ifyou be the ChildrenofGod. 4.58 Nowwhereas it isoffered by M. GoodwinCap. to. Se&: 27 pag. 194. That the context, orfcope ofthe whole place, doth not invite filch anEx ofttion as is fually infifiedon, becaufe (faith he) the intent anddrift ofthe Apofilefront werfe 3. evento theendof the Chapter(as he that cloth but mine the context overmay reade) is not to fbew or argue, Whether thefonnes ofGod, may pofbly in timefö degenerate, as to livefinnefully, anddye impenitently, butto evince this, that thefe who claime thegreat honour ? priviledge ofbeing the Children ofGod,cantiot ffify or make good this claimeneither unto others nor unto themfelves : butby an HolyandChris`lian Lifeandeonverfation, nowit is one thing to argue, andprove, who are theBonnerofGod atprefent; another, whether theywhoarefinchatprefent muff ofnece ty alwaies fo continue. Theformer is the Apofiles theame in theCon- text,the latter he is wholly filentof. I fay, it is evident thatthe fcopoofthe place, istoevince, that in the Chil- dren ofGod, thofethat areborneofhim, there is fuch a Principle, Genius, a new nature, as that upon the account thereof, theycannot finne, and there- fore that thofe who have not fisch principles in them, whatever their preten- ces be, are not indeedborne ofGod 5 and in this he manifefteth, that thofe who are indeed borneofGod, cannot poffibly fo degenerate , as to fall into total!
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