C. XV. a lohn 3, g. Argued: 374 upon as the carafe ofan . effec`l, but only in refpect of. the prefent _being or residence of it. The Reafon why the-foule moveth to day, is not becaufe it will move, or all the body to morrow or``beeaufe it is on the body to day, upon 'itch termes, that it willhe in it to morrow' afo , much lefe bccatcfe it Iran immortall fubfiance; but,fimply becaufe it is now or this day in'the body: so the Reafonwhy Angels atthis day do thewill ofGád, is not becaufe they have fuch a principle.o f holineffe; or Obedience inthem, whichthey cannot put off, or loge to eternity,but becaufe offuch aprinciple as we fpealre of residing in them atprefent: therefor whenfohn affigneth the remaining ofthefeed ofGad in him that is borne ofhim, forthe reafon why he cloth not commitjinne,certaine it k that by this renoaining.o f thefeedhe meaneth nothing elfe but the prefent refadence or abode thereof in this rerfon; and if his intent hadbeen either toaffert, or imply a perpetual) refidence ofthisfeed;inhim, that is borneof God; it had been much more proper for him to have raveditfor a reafonofthelatter propoftion,,[he that is borneofGodcannot finne] then to havefubjoyned it as a reafonofthe former; for though the future continuance ofthe thing in being, can be no reafon ofthe e ffdl pre" fent,yet it will be agroundor reafonofthe continuanceofaprefent Anf: I have thus at large tranfcribedthis difcourfe, becaufeit is the rum of what Mr Goodwin, hath to offer for the weakning of our Argument from this place, of what weight this is;will quickly appéare. For I. ThisReafon (the feed abîdeth inhim) though brought in illatively; in refpeet ofwhat was faid before, [he cloth not commit finne] yet bath its caufall influencechiefly into htit which fóioweth, he cannot finne. To make good what wasfitftfpoken, òfhis not - committing finne that is borne of God, the A- poftle difcovereth the caufeof it, which fo farre fecureth'thetruth of thatex= preflion, as-that it caufeth it to afcend; and call then' up higher, toa.cer- tame impoflibility'ofdoingof that- which was only'at firftfimply denyed. Neither is this Aflertton thefeedofGod abideth,in hint, any otherwife a Rea:r fon of the frrft AffertionHecommitteth not finne, than as it is theeaufe ofthe latter.He cannotfinite. NowMr Goodwin granteth in the clofe ofhis Difcòurfe that thefuture continuanceofa thing in being, is, or may be thecaufè ofthe con- tinuanceofaneffbHwhichat prefent itproduceth; and what Mr Goodwin may more curioufly :difcover of the intent oftheApoftle, hiswords plain- ly affert the continuance and abode ofthefeed ofGod in them in whom it is and ufingit as he doth, fora reafon ofthe flatter clanfe of that Propofition[ile cannotfinne] hefpeaketh properly enough, lbgreat a Mafter (of one lan- guage at leaft) as Mr Goodwinbeing judge. - a: TheKeafon infifred on by theApoftle,is neither from the word [fled] nor from the word [abideth] nor from the nature ofthetfèed limply confide- red, nor from its permanencyand continuance [fhefed abideth;] So that it is no exception to the:intendment of the Apoftle, to a llert the abiding of the feed, not tobe a fttffieient carafeofthe Propolitión, becaufe its abiding or per- manencie is not a caufe of prefent not finning, for it is not affertedthat it is. His prefent notfinning in whom it is, isfrom-God, his being borne ofGodby the feed:, his continuance and eflateofnotfinning, (both which are intended) is from the abiding of thefeed. The, whole conditionofThe Perfon,that Hefinn- cth not,neithercanfnne,(which tetmes regard his continued eftate) is from thewhole Propofition, heftedo fGod abided.)in him. Separate the permanency of the feed; which is aflèrted in the ' confideration of it, and it refpeds Only, and folely, thecontinuance oftheeffect which is produced by it as feed, orof the ettatewherein anyone is placed, . by being-borne ofGod. All that Mr Goadcninbath to offer in,this cafe, is that the abidingof thefeed,is fo affected to bethe Reafonofthatpart ofthe°Propofition He tommtts not'nine, as not to be
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