Arg. from the text to prove the perlons defcribed tobe trueBeliev,C.(VII. thefewe fay were never trueBelievers: a fmall matter; will ferve to make a 4. ii man a true Believer, if thefe are fuch.What tendency thisDoetrinemay have to lull men afleepe in fecurity,when chrifl is not in themofa truth,may eafily appeare, & be judged: if men who are diftinguifhed fromother Believers, by fuch fignall differences as thefe here are, may yet paffe for true Believers, Juttifyed, San&ifyed, Adopted ones,folvi mortales curas, the way to Heaven is layed opento thoufands, who I feare will never come to the endof the journey. What remaines ofM.G's Difcourfe on this text,is fpent in anfwering fome 44 obje&ionswhich are made againít his interpretation of the places. it growes now late, and this talke growes fo heavy on my hand,, that I cannot fatisfye my felfe in the repetition ofany thing fpoken before, . or delivered, which would neceffarily enforce aparticular conftderationof what M. G. here in- fïfts on,let himat his leifureAnfwer this oneArgument and I fhall trouble him no farther inthismatter. That Faithwhich bath neither root norfruit, neitherfound heart, nor good life, that by andby, readily and eatly yeelds upon Temptation to a tatail dofetlion, not true Paving, juflifyingFaith. The root of Faith taken fpiritually , is the habit of it in the hearts a 4pirituall living habit , which if it reticlenot in the heart, all affent whatever , wants the nature of Faith , true and laving ; the W fruits ofFaith, are good orkes, and new Obedience; that Faith whichbath not Workes, James tells you, is dead; dead and living Faith doubtletlèdiffer, fpecifically. AgaineFaith purifieth the heart, and whena heart is wholly pol- luted, corrupted, naught and felfe, there.dwelles no Faithin that heart ; it is impofftble it fhould be in a heart; andnot at leafs radically and fundamentally purify it: farther Mr Goodwin hath toldus, that trueBelievers are fo fortified againft Apoftafy, that they are in only apojfìbility,innor probability, nor great danger of total' Apoftafy: and therefore they who piefently, and readily fall away, cannot be ofthofe, who are fcarfe in anydanger of fo doing, upon any account, whatever : but thatthe faith here mentioned, path neither root, nor fruit, good heart to dwell in, nor good life attending it, but inftautly upon triall and temptation, vanifheth to nothing, we are taught in the text it fè'fe: therefore the Faith here mentioned, is not true no Paving Faith. That it bath no root is exprefslyaffirmed. V.21. and all the refl ofthe qualitycs mentioned are evidenced from the oppofition wherein they, who are thefe Believers, are fet unto true Believers , they receive the Word in good and honeft hearts, they bring forth fruit withpatience, they endure in the time oftryall; like the houfe built on theRock,when the houfe built on theSand,frlls to the ground. One word morewith thiswitneffe before we part : they who receive the Word in good and honest hearts, and keepe it, do bring forth fruit withpa- tience, and fall not awayunder temptation : fo faith the teftimony: but all true Believers recive the Word in good and honest hearts: Ergo. Which is the voyce ofMr Goodwin's fourth Witnefe in this caufe. The 2Pet.4.a8,a9,ao,21,22:is forced to bring up the reareoftheTeftimo- 4.45a ayes by M.G. produced to convince the worldof the truth& Righteoufneffe ofhis Do&rineoftheSaints Apoftacy;ending his whole Difeourfe in the mire. Obfervatioas from theText or context,from the words themfelves,or the co- herence,to educe his conclufionfrom, he infifts not on.Manyexcellent words we have concerning thecleareneffe & evidence ofthis.Teftimony,& the im poffibility ofavoyding what hence he concludes, we want not, but we have been too often inured to fuck a wayofproceeding, tobe now moved at it, or troubled about it, were the waters deepe. they would not make filch a noyfe. Theftate and condition ofmen her; defcribed by theApofileis fo
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