<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2008-3-15</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed text and corrected markup.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A85704">
<STC T="W">G2006</STC>
<STC T="T">E690_17</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99862654</BIBNO>
<VID>114823</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT>
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A TREATISE TOUCHING FALLING from GRACE. OR Thirteen Arguments tending to prove that Believers cannot fall from grace, as they were laid down at a Conference at <HI>Yald|ing</HI> in <HI>Kent,</HI> examined and an&s;wered; with many ab&s;urdities of that doctrine &s;hewed. Whereunto is added thirteen Rea&s;ons to prove that Believers may fall totally and finally from Grace, and many profitable U&s;es flowing from that Doctrine.</P>
<P>By JOHN GRIFFITH.</P>
<Q>Hold fa&s;t that thou ha&s;t, that no man take thy Crown.
<BIBL><HI>Rev. 3.11.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<Q>Well becau&s;e of unbelief they were broken off, and thou stands by faith, be not high minded but fear: for if God &s;pared not the naturall branches, take heed lea&s;t he al&s;o spare not thee,
<BIBL><HI>Rom. 11.20, 21,</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n. Hills,</HI> and are to be &s;old by <HI>Richard Moon</HI> at the &s;ign of the &s;even Stars in <HI>Pauls Church-yard,</HI> 1653.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To all the Elders and Deacons with all the faithfull Brethren in the County of <HI>Kent John Griffeth,</HI> an unworthy Servant of Christ, wi&s;h|eth the increa&s;e of Grace and stabillity through the knowledge of our dear Lord and precious Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HEAD>
<P>_DEar and well beloved Brethren, to who&s;e con&s;ideration and pious &s;ince|rity I chiefly de&s;ire to pre&s;ent this &s;mall Treati&s;e, <HI>touching falling from Grace,</HI> as a token of my bounden love and re&s;pects unto you, whom I judge com|petent judges between truth and errour. I ther|fore &s;eek not the patronage of any one in e&s;teem of the world; no <HI>courting</HI> Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 1.6. 1 Pet. 2.5. Chap. 1 4. Rom. 8.17. Luke 12.32. Rom. 3.11. 1 Cor. 9.25.</NOTE> nor <HI>mincing</HI> La|dy: knowing none that are of greater birth or more nobly de&s;cended then you, who are Kings and high prie&s;ts of the mo&s;t high God, born unto <HI>an inheritance that fadeth not away,</HI> who are aires unto a <HI>Kingdome,</HI> unto a <HI>Crown,</HI> not a <HI>corruptible,</HI> but an <HI>incorruptible one&punc; &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The rea&s;on of my appearing in this matter &s;o publikely is onely and alone the glory of God, the love I bear to Religion, and the benifit of the Church of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>That which occa&s;ioned my &s;etting upon this work, was partly the importunity of &s;ome <HI>friends,</HI>
<PB REF="3">
who greatly de&s;ired it, together with an ingage|ment that lay upon me to do it, for the &s;atisfact|ion (in this point) of &s;ome friends in your Coun|try.</P>
<P>But the fir&s;t and primary occa&s;ion did ari&s;e as followeth; you may remember that I was provi|dentially ca&s;t among&s;t you at <HI>Cranbrook</HI> at your generall A&s;&s;embling there <HI>July</HI> 21. 1652. where you did appoint me with &s;ome others, to endea|vour to give &s;atisfaction touching &s;ome points in Religion that were que&s;tioned by &s;ome; to which end and purpo&s;e we did meet on the &s;ix and twen|tieth of the &s;ame moneth at <HI>Yalding</HI> about the mat|ter, which when we were a&s;&s;embled, among&s;t o|ther things, this fell in as the matter mo&s;t in dif|ference, <HI>viz. falling from Grace:</HI> whereupon there was two <HI>Po&s;itions</HI> &s;tated, the one by me, and the other by the other party: the po&s;ition &s;tated by me was, <HI>That Believers in Christ may fall away.</HI> The po&s;ition &s;tated by them was, <HI>That Ju&s;tified per&s;ons cannot fall totally nor finally from the grace of union with the Lord Je&s;us:</HI> the proof was taken on their part in order to their affirmation: they framed thirteen Arguments, eight of which were an&s;wer|ed at the &s;ame time, but night coming on we brake up, with this conclu&s;ion, <HI>that I &s;hould an&s;wer them in writing and give the rea&s;ons of my conclu&s;ion</HI>: which I have endeavoured to do in this following Treati&s;e, to the end that it might extend to the &s;atisfaction of all who are doubtfull in it, and for the confirmation of tho&s;e who have already re|ceived it: let it therefore intreat your loving en|tertainment
<PB REF="3">
and &s;erious peru&s;all, weigh it in the ballance of the Sanctuarie, if it prove weighty and &s;atisfactory give God the glory. I had not been &s;o forward but for the&s;e two rea&s;ons, fir&s;t, becau&s;e I &s;ee few write touching this point. Secondly, becau&s;e I judge it is a point very u&s;efull for Belie|vers to be acquainted with, that they may know by what they &s;tand <HI>viz.</HI> faith, and what need they have, e&s;pecially in the&s;e perilous times, to keep clo&s;e unto God, in that way that he hath taught by his Son, &s;ure it is, that God doth re|quire we &s;hould &s;o doe: we &s;ee daily how many there are that do turn their backs upon the way of God, yea and tread his Son under foot, <HI>and hath counted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith he was &s;anctified, an unholy thing, and hath done de&s;|pite unto the Spirit of grace.</HI> What may be the rea|&s;on that many &s;o do, is it not as much in this as any one thing, <HI>that they &s;uppo&s;e they cannot fall</HI>? and by that means grow carele&s;&s;e and &s;ecure, high minded and the like, being puffed up with conceitedne&s;&s;e touching their own parts, &s;trength and opinions, and &s;o grow heedle&s;&s;e, and &s;light the means, denying Ordinances, the word, yea, and Chri&s;t him&s;elf at la&s;t, as too too many have done in this age, I believe &s;ome not unknown to you: for I cannot &s;ee but that the doctrine of <HI>im|po&s;&s;ibility to fall</HI> doth lead to the taking away of the very power of Religion, and godline&s;&s;e, yea and Church-government and di&s;cipline: for what &s;hall we need any more religion then to get into Chri&s;t, if nothing, when we are once in
<PB REF="4">
him, can &s;eperate us from him, no not <HI>&s;in,</HI> as is af|firmed; what &s;hall we need to walk under the &s;trict rule of Di&s;cipline if that doctrine be true?</P>
<P>But I hope you <HI>have otherwi&s;e learned Chri&s;t</HI>: therefore my dear Brethren <HI>be &s;teadfast, unmova|ble, alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord, for your labour is not in vain in the Lord, hold fa&s;t that you have, that no man take your crown: now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Je&s;us, that great Shepheard of the &s;heep, though the blood of the everla&s;ting Covenant, make you perfit in every good work to doe his will, working in you that which is well plea&s;ing in his &s;ight, through Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to whom be glory for ever and ever, amen.</HI></P>
<P>Which is the hearty de&s;ire of your brother in the faith of our dear and precious Lord, who &s;ub|cribeth him&s;elf willing to &s;erve you and all the Churches of Chri&s;t, in all &s;ervices of love,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>John Griffith.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>A word to the Reader.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>FRIEND,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WHo&s;oever thou art let me tell thee one thing touching this &s;mall <HI>Treati&s;e,</HI> it may be thou wilt &s;carce read it, becau&s;e of the &s;ubject it treateth on, it &s;ound|ing unplea&s;antly in thy ears: but let me in treat this one thing of thee, however it is to read it, &s;eeing thou maie&s;t <HI>try all things,</HI> but be &s;ure <HI>cleave to that which is good</HI>: weigh it well, take it not upon trust, carry it to the Touch&s;tone, that will tell thee whether it be gold or no; if thou find it &s;peak according to the Law and Te&s;tament, then thou maie&s;t not for thy life reject it; for if thou doe&s;t thou wilt be found to be a di&s;pi&s;er of the word, <HI>and who &s;o di&s;|pi&s;eth the word &s;hall be de&s;troyed,</HI> Prov. <HI>13.13.</HI></P>
<P>I hope thou wilt find benefit in it, which if thou do, I have my end, thy profit is that I &s;eek, if thou find it, give God the glory in obeying his voice, doing his will, and loving his righteous law and te&s;timonies, which he hath ratified with the bloud of his deer Son, who died for thee.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine JOHN GRIFFITH.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="5">
<P>REader, the&s;e few faults have e&s;caped the Pre&s;&s;e, and the Author de&s;ireth thee to mend them with thy pen.</P>
<P><LABEL>ERRATA.</LABEL> <HI>PAge 7. line 11. read</HI> I will give thee a Crown of life: <HI>p. 21. l. 11. r.</HI> comforts of the &s;pirit: <HI>in Epi&s;t. Dedic. p. 4. l. 10. r.</HI> through the blood of the Everlasting Cove|nant.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD>A TREATISE TOUCHING <HI>Falling from Grace.</HI> OR <HI>Thirteen Arguments tending to prove that Believers cannot fall from Grace, Examined and An&s;wered.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_THe Po&s;ition: <HI>That Ju&s;tified per&s;ons cannot totally nor finally, fall from the grace of &V;nion with the Lord Je&s;us.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t Argument is drawn from <HI>Matthew</HI> 24.24. thus.</P>
<P><HI>If any could prevail upon the Elect, it is like they might be fal&s;e Prophets that might do it.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But they cannot &s;educe them.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Therefore muchle&s;&s;e can any totally draw them.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;wer.</HI> Fir&s;t con&s;ider that the Lord Je&s;us doth &s;peak in the former part of this chapter (<HI>Matthew</HI> 24.24.) touching the &s;igns of his coming, it be|ing de&s;ired of him by his Di&s;ciples <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 3. our Lord in his an&s;wer (the beginning thereof) gives them (as an introduction unto his an&s;wer) this
<PB N="2" REF="6">
charge, <HI>viz.</HI> that they take heed that none de|ceive them <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 4. it &s;eems then his Di&s;ciples might be deceived, and that by men to, or el&s;e needle&s;s was this caveat <HI>take heed</HI>: the rea&s;ons why they mu&s;t is, becau&s;e <HI>many fal&s;e Prophets &s;hall ari&s;e and deceive many</HI> v. 11. therfore take you heed; what Di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t mu&s;t they take heed? they that are ju&s;tified per&s;ons, or el&s;e lyable to be deceived? yea they mu&s;t, for they onely that en|dure to the end the &s;ame &s;hall be &s;aved <HI>v.</HI> 13. it &s;eems it is not impo&s;&s;ible for fal&s;e prophets to de|ceive ju&s;tified per&s;ons, as appears in this chapter, and al&s;o in 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.1, 2. <HI>But there were fal&s;e Pro|phets al&s;o among the people, even as there &s;hall be fal&s;e Teachers among you, who privily &s;hall bring in damna|ble here&s;ies even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon them&s;elves &s;wift de&s;truction, and ma|ny &s;hall follow their pernicious waies by whom the way of truth &s;hall be evil &s;poken of, and through covetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e &s;hall they with fained words make merchandize of you</HI>: of who? why of ju&s;tified per&s;ons, &s;uch as had <HI>obtained like precious faith, through the right|eou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God and our Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.1.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Paul</HI> in the 20. of <HI>Acts</HI> calleth the Elders of the Church at <HI>Ephe&s;us</HI> together <HI>v.</HI> 17. and in the 28. <HI>v.</HI> he exhorteth them to take heed unto them|&s;elves and to all the Flock <HI>&amp;c.</HI> here the cho&s;en or Elect Elders, cho&s;en of God and purcha&s;ed by his blood <HI>Eph.</HI> 1.4. are commanded to take heed to them&s;elves, and to the Flock: why what is the matter? why after <HI>Pauls</HI> departure &s;hall grievi|ous wolves enter in not &s;paring the Flock, and
<PB N="3" REF="6">
of their own &s;elves men &s;hall ari&s;e &s;peaking perver&s;e things to draw away Di&s;ciples after them, therefore they mu&s;t watch, <HI>v.</HI> 29, 30, 31. or el&s;e they may be deceived or drawn away: therefore Chri&s;t &s;aith&punc; <HI>beware of fal&s;e Prophets &amp;c. Mat.</HI> 7 15. yea and <HI>Peter</HI> in his &s;econd Epi&s;tle 3.17. exhorteth them that have like precious faith, <HI>chap.</HI> 1.1. to beware &s;aying, <HI>lea&s;t ye al&s;o being led a|way with the errour of the wicked, fall from your own &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e:</HI> Ju&s;tified per&s;ons may fall, and be de|ceived by fal&s;e Prophets, el&s;e how u&s;ele&s;&s;e were the&s;e &s;ayings of Chri&s;t and his &s;ervants unto us in the&s;e and many more places of Scripture? this premi&s;ed. Now to the Argument; and fir&s;t let me inquire whether by the Elect is intended &s;uch as <HI>Paul,</HI> who had fought a good fight, who had fi|ni&s;hed his cour&s;e, who kept the faith? it &s;uch, I grant an impo&s;&s;ibility of being &s;educed by fal&s;e Prophets. But if by Elect be meant &s;uch as <HI>Paul</HI> in his warfare. The Minor propo&s;ition is denied, <HI>viz.</HI> that they cannot fall away nor be &s;educed: for <HI>Paul</HI> having kept the faith, could &s;ay, <HI>hence|forth is laid up for me a Crown of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. 2 Tim. 4.8. But in his warfare he &s;aith other|wi&s;e, <HI>I therefore &s;o run not as uncertainly: &s;o fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into &s;ubjection, least that by any means when I have preached to others, I my &s;elf &s;hould be a ca&s;taway,</HI> 1 Cor. 26, 27. thus much to the Argument: now to the text from whence the ar|gument is drawn, I an&s;wer,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;uch as keep the faith are the Elect, that
<PB N="4" REF="7">
&s;hall not be deceived by fal&s;e Prophets and fal&s;e Chri&s;ts, although they &s;hould come with all de|ceiveablene&s;&s;e of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in them that peri&s;h, 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.10. tho&s;e that doe wickedly a|gain&s;t the Covenant, &s;hall be corrupt by flatteries: but the people that know their God, &s;hall be &s;trong, and do exploits. <HI>Dan.</HI> 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.32. They that give diligence to make their calling and election &s;ure, in &s;o doing &s;hall never fall, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.10.</P>
<P>Secondly, by the word Elect is &s;ometimes meant I&s;rael after the fle&s;h; for they are called the cho&s;en of God, <HI>Deut.</HI> 7.6. <HI>chap.</HI> 14.2. <HI>Exod.</HI> 19.5, 6. yet notwith&s;tanding becau&s;e of unbelief they were cut off, <HI>Rom.</HI> 11.20. yet not for ever; for he is able to graffe them in again <HI>v.</HI> 23. compared with <HI>v.</HI> 24. God will not forget the Covenant made with them. <HI>Jer.</HI> 31. <HI>v.</HI> 31. to 34. There &s;hall come a deliverer out of Syon that &s;hal turn ungodline&s;&s;e from <HI>Jacob, &amp;c. Rom.</HI> 11.26. though as concerning the Go&s;pel they are enemies for your &s;akes; yet as touching the election they are beloved for the Fathers &s;ake, <HI>v.</HI> 28. although they are now deceived, yet then it &s;hall be impo&s;|&s;ible to deceive them; for they &s;hal &s;ee him whom they have pierced and mourn, <HI>&amp;c. Zach.</HI> 12.10. <HI>Rev.</HI> 1.7. <HI>Mat.</HI> 24.30.</P>
<P>Thirdly, by Elect &s;ometimes is meant Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for he is the very Elect: behold &s;aith God my &s;ervant, mine elect in whom my &s;oul delight|eth, <HI>I&s;.</HI> 42.1. he is the chief corner &s;tone, Elect, precious, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> 1 <HI>Pet,</HI> 2.6. <HI>Mat.</HI> 21.42. he &s;aith the Lord &s;hall not fail nor be di&s;couraged, <HI>I&s;aiah</HI>
<PB N="5" REF="7">
42.4. he is the beloved <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.6 neither fal&s;e Prophets, nor fal&s;e Chri&s;ts &s;hall deceive him, it is impo&s;&s;ible, for the Lord hath &s;aid he &s;hall not fail nor be di&s;couraged.</P>
<P>Now if by the Elect be meant either &s;uch as keep the faith, or I&s;rael as to their future condi|on, or Chri&s;t; I grant an impo&s;&s;ibility of their being deceived: but if by elect it be the &s;ence of the Opponent that believers in their warfaring e|&s;tate cannot fall, and that to be the &s;ence of this text, it is a thing I want proof of, which till I have I mu&s;t deny as before&s;aid.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Argument is taken from the un|changeable love of God towards his people <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 54.17. <HI>P&s;a.</HI> 1. <HI>Jer.</HI> 31.1.</P>
<P N="2">2. Arg. <HI>Though there is unconstancy in the creature, yet in the fir&s;t of</HI> Pet. 1.5. <HI>We are kept by the power of God: and least that keeping &s;hould be for a little while, he tells you it is an inheritance that fadeth not away, Rom.</HI> 8.30.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> The &s;trength of this Argument lyeth in two particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Gods unchangeablene&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Secondly, in believers being kept by his po|wer.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Therefore to the unchangeablene&s;&s;e of God, I grant that he changeth not, and yet it doth not follow but ju&s;tified per&s;ons may fall totally and finally, For</P>
<P>Union and &s;alvation are conditional.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t their entrance into it is conditional; he that believeth and is baptized &s;hall be &s;aved, <HI>Mark</HI>
<PB N="6" REF="8">
16.16. being ju&s;tifyed by faith &amp;c. <HI>Rom.</HI> 5.1. without faith it is impo&s;&s;ible to plea&s;e God, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11.6. if by faith they are ju&s;tifyed then not with|out it, he that believeth not is condemned <HI>John</HI> 3.18, 19.</P>
<P>But &s;ome may &s;ay we are ju&s;tified before in Gods account.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, then we were his people in his account al&s;o, without or before believing, which to &s;ay were to contradict the Scripture 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. which in time pa&s;t were not a people, yet are now the peo|ple of God, which were not under mercy, but now have obtained mercy <HI>Rom.</HI> 9.25, 26. <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 2.23. the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith that <HI>Andronicus</HI> and <HI>Junia</HI> were in Chri&s;t before him <HI>Rom.</HI> 16.7. the Apo&s;tle <HI>John</HI> &s;aith if we &s;ay we have fellow&s;hip with him, and walk in darkne&s;&s;e we ly and do not the truth 1 <HI>John</HI> 1.6. and again, He that &s;aith he knoweth him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a lyar and the truth is not in him <HI>ch.</HI> 7.4. by all which appears that we are not the ju&s;tifyed ones, neither have we union with Chri&s;t, without be|lieving and doing his commandements, 1 <HI>John</HI> 1.7.</P>
<P>Secondly, we are continued in union with Chri&s;t on condition of believing and per&s;evering in the doing the will of God and not without: this the word of God doth teach us in many pla|ces.</P>
<P>For we are made partakers of Chri&s;t: [<HI>mark</HI>] if we hold fa&s;t the beginning of our confidence &s;ted|fa&s;t to the end <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.14. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith to the <HI>Colo&s;&s;i|ans</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="8">
that Chri&s;t hath reconciled them in the body of his fle&s;h through death to pre&s;ent them holy, and unblameably and unreprovable in his &s;ight, if ye continue in the faith, grounded and &s;ettled, and be not mov'd away from the hope of the Go&s;|pel which ye have heard <HI>Col.</HI> 1.21.22.23. mark, they then &s;hall be pre&s;ented holy, unreprovable, unblameable: upon what terms? why if they con|tinue &amp;c. and &s;o &s;aith the Spirit unto the Angells of the Church in <HI>Smyrna,</HI> be thou faithfull unto death, and I will give the Crown of life <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.10. and &s;o unto the Church in <HI>Thyatira,</HI> he that over|cometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, ver&s;e 25, 26.27. he that overcometh the &s;ame &s;hall be clo|thed in white raiment, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but I will confe&s;&s;e his name before my father, and before his holy Angels, cha. 2 5. our Lord Chri&s;t &s;aith in the fifteenth of <HI>John</HI> the &s;econd, every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: &s;ome branches in Chri&s;t may become fruitle&s;&s;e and &s;o taken away by the Father; &s;o the Author to the <HI>Heb.</HI> &s;aith, that which beareth thornes and bryers is rejected and is nigh unto cur&s;ing <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.8.</P>
<P>By this which hath been &s;aid it appears that we have no union with Chri&s;t but by believing and doing the will of God, and that union with Chri&s;t is continued by per&s;evering in doing the will of God and not otherwi&s;e: God having promi&s;|ed eternal life upon no other terms. Now this con|&s;idered we may plainly &s;ee that although per&s;ons
<PB N="8" REF="9">
which have union with Chri&s;t may fall from it by not holding fa&s;t unto the end: yet God never the more changeable becau&s;e ju&s;tification, union and &s;alvation, are conditionall, as hath been &s;hew|ed: God hath bound him&s;elf (as I may &s;ay) to give life to overcomming Saints: but if any man draw back his &s;oul &s;hall have no plea&s;ure in him, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.39. he hath promi&s;ed his ble&s;&s;ing unto fruitfull branches in Chri&s;t: but fruitle&s;&s;e ones he will take away <HI>John</HI> 15.2.3.</P>
<P>So much to the Argument. Now to the Scri|ptures alleged.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 54.17. the &s;uppo&s;ed &s;trength which is in this text, lyeth in the&s;e words, <HI>No weapon formed again&s;t them &s;hall pro&s;per.</HI> Let us ex|amine now, who it &s;hall not pro&s;per again&s;t: why &s;aith the Lord, this is the heritage of the Lords &s;er|vants: now the Lords &s;ervants are they that &s;till overcome, again&s;t whom no weapon &s;hall pro&s;|per; not they that fight for a time and are over|come at la&s;t; let not him that girdeth on his armor, boa&s;t him&s;elf as he that putteth it off, 1 <HI>Kin.</HI> 20.11. in &s;erving the Lord, we have a promi&s;e, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, who is it that will harm you if you be followers of that which is good 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.13. &s;o that this doth not prove but that believers may fall and &s;o cea&s;e to be what they were, and God not engaged in promi&s;e unto them, for he &s;aith <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.24. but when the righteous man turneth away from his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and committeth in|iquity, and doth according to all the abomination
<PB N="9" REF="9">
that the wicked man doth, &s;hall he live, all his righteou&s;ne&s;s that he hath done &s;hall not be men|tioned, in his tre&s;pa&s;&s;e that he hath tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed, and in his &s;in that he hath &s;inned, in them he &s;hall dy &amp;c.</P>
<P>Again, this is a promi&s;e made unto <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> of, and concerning their being e&s;tabli&s;hed in righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e after their &s;cattering and rejection for their not receiving Chri&s;t; for it relates to Gods per|forming Covenant with them, in which Covenant they &s;hall all be taught of God, &s;ee <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 13. and all thy children &s;hall be taught of the Lord, and great &s;hall be the peace of thy children (but not a promi&s;e made to any in the time of their warfare without the condition of &s;tanding fa&s;t, taking heed, overcoming, and the like, for otherwi&s;e there be weapons, <HI>viz</HI> the firy darts of Satan, and the like may and do pro&s;per again&s;t many, and we no pro|mi&s;e to the contrary) which proves that God one day will look upon <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> though now to&s;&s;ed and afflicted, and turn ungodlyne&s;&s;e from <HI>Jacob,</HI> in which day, or at which time, no weapon formed again&s;t him &s;hall pro&s;per, for the Lord will a&s;&s;u|redly e&s;tabli&s;h <HI>I&s;rael</HI> a people before him, therfore this text doth not &s;o much as &s;eem to prove the thing it is brought for.</P>
<P>The &s;econd place alleged is <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 125.1. they that tru&s;t in the Lord &s;hall be as mount <HI>Sion,</HI> that cannot be moved, but abideth for ever, &amp;c.</P>
<P>I grant as before that per&s;ons that tru&s;t in the Lord, &s;hall be (as Mount <HI>Sion)</HI> unmovable, &s;o long as they continue tru&s;ting in him: but &s;ome that
<PB N="10" REF="10">
tru&s;t in the Lord may let go their confidence, as hath been &s;hewed: yea &s;ome have &s;o done <HI>Jer.</HI> 2.5. compared with <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 12.13. thus &s;aith the Lord what iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity: and are become vain: be a&s;toni&s;hed oh ye heavens at this: and be horribly afraid, be ye very de&s;olate &s;aith the Lord, for my people have committed two evills, they have for&s;aken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out <HI>Ci&s;terns,</HI> broken <HI>Cisterns</HI> that will hold no wa|ter &amp;c.</P>
<P>The la&s;t place is <HI>Jer.</HI> 31.1.</P>
<P>The &s;trength of which place lyeth in the&s;e words, I will be a God of all the Families of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and they &s;hall be my people.</P>
<P>We mu&s;t have re&s;pect in this place to two things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t to the per&s;ons <HI>I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly to the time when, that is after tho&s;e daies, or the daies comming <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 27.31. <HI>Heb..</HI> 10 which is the time God will make a covenant with <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> in the performance of which Covenant God will e&s;tabli&s;h I&s;rael in righteou&s;ne&s;s, although now they are &s;eperated from him they are bran|ches cut off, but they &s;hall be grafted in again, and then &s;hall they be his people, and he will be their God, and he will make an everla&s;ting covenant with them; that he will never turn away from them to do them good; but he will put his fear in their hearts that they &s;hall not depart from him, <HI>Jer.</HI> 32., and let not any &s;ay, that although it be
<PB N="11" REF="10">
not yet performed to <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> yet it is performed to believers.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, then believers may not teach every man his neighbour, &s;aying, know the Lord, for the covenant &s;aith, they &s;hall not teach them after tho&s;e daies, &s;o, they &s;hall not depart from him after tho&s;e daies, for then he will write his law in their hearts, they &s;hall all know the Lord from the lea&s;t unto the greate&s;t of them: And moreover believers now may fall, as hath been &s;hewed, which the &s;pirit hath likewi&s;e expre&s;&s;e|ly &s;aid, that in the latter daies men &s;hall depart from the faith, giving heed to &s;educing &s;pirits &amp; doctrines of devils 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.1. but then they &s;hall not; and therefore tho&s;e daies there &s;poken of are not yet come.</P>
<P>Thus the&s;e Scriptures which are here al|ledged: or rather the &s;uppo&s;ed &s;trength in them tending to the proof of the affirmation, is taken away and removed.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing is, Gods keeping Ju&s;tifyed per&s;ons by his power: the places alledged is 1. <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.5. and <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.30.</P>
<P>Unto which place in <HI>Peter</HI> I thus an&s;wer, the A|po&s;tle takes an occa&s;ion to ble&s;&s;e God, for his a|bundant mercy by which they were begotten a|gain unto a lively hope, by the re&s;urrection of Chri&s;t from the dead, in the fourth ver&s;e he tells them to what they were begotten, <HI>viz.</HI> to an in|heritance incorruptible, and undefiled, that fa|deth not away, re&s;erved in the heavens, for you <HI>ver</HI> 5. who are kept by the power of God through
<PB N="12" REF="11">
faith to &s;alvation; mark I pray, here are two things con&s;iderable.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the inheritance is for tho&s;e who are kept by the power of God.</P>
<P>Secondly the power God keepeth, or beget|teth by, it is not a forcible or compul&s;ive power, as &s;ome &s;uppo&s;eth, but the powerful means that he u&s;eth as to both: therefore the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, I am not a&s;hamed of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, it is the power of God to &s;alvation to every one that be|lieveth <HI>Rom.</HI> 1.16. but we preach Chri&s;t crucified, to the Jewes a &s;tumbling &s;tone, and unto the <HI>Greeks</HI> fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e, but unto them that are called both <HI>Jew</HI> and <HI>Greeks</HI> we preach (for &s;o it is impli'd) Chri&s;t the power of God &amp; the wi&s;dom of God 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1 23, 24. hence it is (&s;aith <HI>Paul</HI>) my &s;peech, and my preaching was not with inticing words of mens wi&s;dome: but in the demon&s;tration of the &s;pirit, and power chap. 2.4. the word of God is powerful &amp;c. <HI>Heb.</HI> 4.12. hence it is &s;aid, we are begotten with the word <HI>Jam.</HI> 1.18 being born a|gain not of corruptible &s;eed, but by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.23. &s;o that the word or Go&s;pel, is the powerful means by which we are begotten to a lively hope: &s;o likewi&s;e is it the powerfull means by which they that are begotten are kept, and &s;o are &s;aid to be kept by his power: for it is the word by which they mu&s;t grow, as new born babes de&s;iring the &s;incere milk of the word that they may grow thereby 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.2. all Scripture is given by in&s;pi|ration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
<PB N="13" REF="11">
reproof, for correction, for in&s;truction in righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e [mark] that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furni&s;hed unto every good work, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">6.17, this powerful word the Scripture &s;aith is of this tendancy, as to the per|fecting of the man of God, <HI>Paul</HI> therefore labour|ed in the word <HI>Col.</HI> 28.29. <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not &s;in again&s;t thee <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119.11. and again, thy word is a lamp un|to my feet, and a light unto my pathes <HI>ver.</HI> 105. thus you &s;ee what it is by which we are kept, <HI>viz.</HI> his word, it is Gods power, or powerful means by which he keeps tho&s;e that are kept. Now there is an inheritance re&s;erved in the heavens for them that are kept by this word (by his power) and do not turn from his commandments, as &s;ome do 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2, 19.20.26. who &s;o de&s;pi&s;eth the word &s;hall be de&s;troyed, he that feareth the comman|dement &s;hall be rewarded <HI>Prov.</HI> 13.13. therefore as the fire devoureth the &s;tubble, and the flame con&s;umeth the chaff, &s;o their root &s;hall be rotten|ne&s;&s;e, and their blo&s;&s;ome &s;all go up as du&s;t, be|cau&s;e they have ca&s;t away the law of the Lord of Ho&s;ts, and de&s;pi&s;ed the word of the holy one of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled again&s;t his people &amp;c. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 5.24.25. <HI>Mat.</HI> 10.33. <HI>Mark</HI> 8.38. men that de&s;pi&s;e the word, di&s;pi&s;e the power of God. as hath been &s;hewed, and ther|fore it is through faith, this power keepes us, as <HI>Peter</HI> there &s;aith 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">. but &s;ome do not mix the word with faith, and &s;o are not kept by the power of God, for it is through faith, and not without faith &amp;c, now they that fall from the
<PB N="14" REF="12">
faith, (as hath been &s;hewed &s;ome do) are not kept by the power of God (for unto us was the word preached as well as unto them; but the word preached, did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it <HI>Heb.</HI> 4.2.) and &s;o con&s;equently they may fall from the grace of u|nion with the Lord Je&s;us, buy di&s;pi&s;ing the growing word 1 <HI>Pe.</HI> 2.2. which is the power of God, by which he keepeth men through faith to &s;alvation &amp;c.</P>
<P>The third Argument followeth.</P>
<P>Arg. 3. <HI>The &s;ame per&s;ons that are predes&s;tinated, the &s;ame are called, they that are called, the &s;ame are ju|&s;tified, the &s;ame that are justified the &s;ame are glori|fied, therefore called per&s;ons cannot fall away becau&s;e they &s;hall be glorifyed.</HI></P>
<P>Let us fir&s;t (for an&s;wer to this Argument) con|&s;ider the text with the coherence <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.30. in the twenty ninth ver&s;e, the &s;pirit of God &s;aith, whom he did foreknow he did al&s;o prede&s;tinate to be conformed to the image of his Son &amp;c.</P>
<P>Wherein take notice of two things,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t Gods foreknowledge,</P>
<P>Secondly, what they that are foreknown are prede&s;tinated unto.</P>
<P>Let us examine whether God doth not fore|know all men, yea &s;ure no man nor no thing can be hid from his eyes: &s;hall we conclude then that all men are prede&s;tinated, no, but rather that God did foreknow &s;ome men in Chri&s;t, by or through faith, and obedience, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.2.2. <HI>The&s;&s;,</HI> 2.13. <HI>Eph,</HI> 1.4. and the&s;e that are &s;o known or foreknown in Chri&s;t by believing, he doth approve of, for &s;o
<PB N="15" REF="12">
is the knowledge of God to be under&s;tood, if not he mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity be concluded, to foreknow all men even the wicked, with this foreknowledge mentioned in this text, and then it nece&s;&s;arily fol|loweth, that all men are prede&s;tinated (which will not be granted) for tho&s;e he doth foreknow, in the &s;en&s;e of this text, even all of them he prede&s;ti|nated.</P>
<P>Again Chri&s;t at the la&s;t day is &s;aid not to know &s;ome <HI>Mat.</HI> 7.25. <HI>and then will I profe&s;&s;e unto them I never knew you, depart from me ye workers of iniqui|ty,</HI> what did not Chri&s;t know them? what he that made them, not know them? <HI>John</HI> 1.7. O no! he knew them not, they were workers of iniqui|ty, he did not know them, i. e. he did not approve of them, nor their works, therfore faith he, depart from me, by this we may &s;ee who God foreknoweth, they are believers, workers of righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 64.5. and who he did never know (&s;o as to approve of them) even workers of Ini|quity.</P>
<P>Believers then are the foreknown of God, in the &s;ence of this text, and no others, as for others he knoweth not, <HI>Mat.</HI> 7.25. now whom he did foreknow, he al&s;o did prede&s;tinate, <HI>viz.</HI> believ|ers to be conformable to the image of Chri&s;t <HI>Ephs</HI> 2.10. 1 <HI>John</HI> 2.6. moreover whom he did prede|&s;tinate, them he al&s;o called to this conformity to Chri&s;ts image, therefore &s;aith <HI>Peter</HI> in his fir&s;t E|pi&s;tle, fir&s;t ch. and fifteenth ver. <HI>but as he that hath called you is holy, &s;o be you holy in all manner of con|ver&s;ation, I therefore the pri&s;oner of the Lord be&s;eech
<PB N="16" REF="13">
you that ye walk worthy of the vocation where with you are called, &amp;c</HI> chap. 1.4. <HI>for God hath not called us</HI> (viz. believers) <HI>to uncleanne&s;&s;e: but to holine&s;&s;e</HI> 1 The&s;. 4.7.</P>
<P>Now tho&s;e that are the called according to Gods purpo&s;e (that is &s;uch as walk worthy of his calling by making their calling and election &s;ure, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.10.) he al&s;o ju&s;tifies, and them he al&s;o glorifies: that is, &s;uch as indure to the end they &s;hall be &s;aved, and glorified, yea and they only, as hath been &s;hewed.</P>
<P>But &s;aith the Argument, <HI>Called per&s;ons cannot fall away, becau&s;e they &s;hall be glorified.</HI></P>
<P>Sure this conclu&s;ion is to large, if by called per|&s;ons be meant all called per&s;ons: for the Lord Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>many are called, but few are cho&s;en,</HI> Mat. 22.18. &s;ome that are called comes &s;hort of glory, for want of walking worthy of their cal|ling: for &s;ome turn the grace of God into wan|tonne&s;&s;e; and &s;ome that are righteous or ju&s;tified may be condemned, for their non-continuance in the workes of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, as appears <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18.24. 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.21 therefore all that are called are not glorified: but &s;uch onely who by patient continuance in well doing &s;eek for glory, and ho|nour, and immortality, eternall life, <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.7. So much for that argument. Now to the fourth.</P>
<P N="4"><HI>Arg.</HI> Is &s;tated thus: <HI>In the</HI> 4. John 14. <HI>he tels us it is a living fountain that can never be dryed up. Grace as it is a creature, might doe as others might doe; but becau&s;e the fountain doth &s;trive to maintain the &s;treams, therefore it cannot be dried up. Therefore &amp;c,</HI></P>
<P><PB N="17" REF="13"><HI>An&s;wer,</HI> How little this is to the purpo&s;e may be ea&s;ily &s;een, for our controver&s;ie is not about the fountain, whether that may be dryed, or no: but whether believers may not fal away from their fountain, unle&s;&s;e it be concluded that they&punc; <HI>viz</HI> believers be the fountain, which cannot be grant|ed for Chri&s;t is that fountain <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 2.5. Zack. 13.1.</NOTE> my people, &s;aith the Lord, have committed two evils, they, have for&s;aken me the fountain of living water, &amp;c.</P>
<P>But the text alleged &s;aith, <HI>Who&s;oever drinketh of the water which I &s;hall give him &s;hall never thirst,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Obj.</NOTE> <HI>but the water that I &s;hall give him, &s;hall be in him a well of water &s;pringing up unto everlasting life.</HI></P>
<P>Chri&s;t mu&s;t needs be under&s;tood to intend here continuing believers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;.</NOTE> &s;uch as continually drink in the &s;pirit; for the &s;pring ari&s;eth not from them, but &s;hall be in them (being received by them) believers are wells, but &s;uch wells as may be dry if they continue not drinking, ther|fore Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>who&s;oever drinketh of this water that I &s;hall give him &s;hall never thir&s;t</HI> &amp;c. the Apo|&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peaketh of &s;ome <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.17.</NOTE> <HI>who are wells with|out water, clouds that are carried with a tempe&s;t:</HI> &s;o doth <HI>Jude</HI> in his Epi&s;tle <HI>v.</HI> 12. <HI>Clouds,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>that are without water carried about of winds, trees who&s;e fruit withereth, without fruit twice dead, plucked up by the roots,</HI> by which appears that there mu&s;t be a continuation of drinking, <HI>viz.</HI> believing, or el&s;e they will prove but dry wells. Yet let it not be &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">id that the&s;e were alwaies dry wells, for it may be as well &s;aid they were alwaies dead trees: which cannot be concluded, for then it
<PB N="18" REF="14">
could not be &s;aid they were twice dead, which plainly implies they were twice alive.</P>
<P>But &s;aith the Argument, <HI>The fountain striveth to maintain the &s;treams, therefore it cannot be dryed up &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>I grant the fountain [<HI>Christ</HI>] doth: but he &s;aith <NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Gen. 6.3.</NOTE> <HI>his &s;pirit &s;hall not alwaies strive with man.</HI> Men may for&s;ake the fountain of living water <NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Jer. 12.13 2 Chr. 15.2. Jer. 2.17. E&s;. 1.28.</NOTE> <HI>if ye for&s;ake him, he will for&s;ake you</HI> [<HI>e</HI>] <HI>O Lord the hope of I&s;rael, all they that for&s;ake thee &s;hall be a&s;ham|ed, and they that depart from me &s;hall be written in the earth, becau&s;e they have for&s;aken the Lord the fountain of living waters.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Wells may become dry that once had water in them by for&s;aking the fountain.</HI> And thus in this Argu|ment di&s;&s;olved al&s;o.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Arg. <HI>5.</HI></NOTE>The fift Argument is &s;tated upon the interce&s;|&s;ion of the Lord Je&s;us as appears in the 17. of <HI>John</HI> he making prayers that his father would keep them; and Chri&s;t was heard in the prayer that was made: therefore &amp;c.</P>
<P>The &s;trength of this Argument lyeth in this, <HI>viz.</HI> That Chri&s;t was heard in the prayer that he made.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE>Which is granted, and yet I deny that believers cannot fall totally for this rea&s;on.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e Chri&s;t in his prayers hath re&s;pect to &s;omething or other, and doth not pray ab&s;olutely or po&s;itively that &s;o it mu&s;t be, and no otherwi&s;e, as for example.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t prayed that the cup &s;hould pa&s;&s;e from him, but he prayed as having re&s;pect to his Fa|thers
<PB N="19" REF="14">
will, not my will, but thy will: now if we &s;hould conclude, that his prayer was po&s;&s;itive, that &s;o it mu&s;t be, then he was not heard; for the Cup did not pa&s;&s;e from him: but he praying with re&s;pect and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to his fathers will, he was heard, ina&s;much as the Will of God concerning him was accompli&s;hed.</P>
<P>Again, Chri&s;t prayed for the world, that they might know him: Now,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 17.21 23.</NOTE> if Chri&s;ts prayer had been ab&s;olute, without re&s;pect to this or that, then they mu&s;t know him, and believe in him, which to doe is life eternall. ver&s;. 3. Chri&s;t therefore in his prayer had re&s;pect to the meanes, by which they &s;hould come to know him, which if the means were u&s;ed by them, the end might be effected in them; for the meanes was of this ten|dance, and every way corre&s;pondent, as to the bringing them even all the world to the knowledg of Chri&s;t: in which Chri&s;t was heard: for &s;uch meanes God hath afforded the world, that would accompli&s;h the end, did they not put it from them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Chri&s;t prayed that the <HI>Jewes</HI> who crucified him &s;hould be forgiven.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 23.24.</NOTE></P>
<P>Now, It Chri&s;t here had been ab&s;olute and po|&s;itive, <HI>viz.</HI> it mu&s;t be &s;o without re&s;pect to this or that, then it &s;hould have been &s;o; <HI>viz.</HI> they &s;hould be forgiven, and then they could not have been cut off, for not receiving Chri&s;t, becau&s;e their &s;inne was forgiven: Chri&s;t therefore in this prayer mu&s;t be under&s;tood to have re&s;pect to the way, in which forgivene&s;s was promi&s;ed unto
<PB N="20" REF="15">
them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 2.39.</NOTE> <HI>viz.</HI> repentance, faith and bapti&s;me; in do|ing of which, they, to wit, &s;o many as did repent of their &s;heding the innocent blood, and were ac|cordingly baptized, did receive forgivene&s;s, as Chri&s;t had prayed they &s;hould; but as for the re&s;t, all the blood that was &s;hed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous <HI>Abel,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23.35.</NOTE> unto the blood of <HI>Zacharias</HI> &s;hall be upon them, yea, and the in|nocent blood of Chri&s;t al&s;o, which they de&s;ired might be on them and their Children.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 27.25.</NOTE>Now to come clo&s;e to the argument, Chri&s;t prayeth for his Di&s;ciples, that they &s;hould be kept from the evill of the world, in which he is heard. I grant, con&s;idering his prayer (as before) to have re&s;pect to their abiding in him, by keeping his commandements; for, he &s;aith. <HI>If ye love me, keep my Commandements,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 14.15.16.</NOTE> <HI>and I will pray the Father, and he &s;hall give you another Comforter, that &s;hall a|bide with you forever:</HI> Chri&s;t in this prayer there|fore is not ab&s;olute, that is to &s;ay, they are my Di&s;ciples, thou ha&s;t given them me, and now I pray thee to keep them although they doe not keep my Commandements; but this prayer is with re&s;pect to their abiding in him, which if they doe (as &s;ome have not done that were in him) they have the benefit of his prayer, but if otherwi&s;e, they have no benefit thereof, no more then they that doe never believe in him, have the benefit of his interce&s;&s;ion, but are cut off as un|fruitfull branches from the Vine: therefore not|wit&s;tanding Chri&s;t doth pray for them, it doth not follow but that believers may fall totally and finally.</P>
<P><PB N="21" REF="15"><HI>If neither &s;inne, nor &s;uffering can &s;eperate us from the Lord, then nothing can &s;eperate us,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Arg. <HI>6.</HI></NOTE> <HI>for &s;in</HI> Rom. 8.39. <HI>for &s;uffering</HI> 35, 36. <HI>ve. and concluds the</HI> 38, 39. <HI>that nothing can &s;eperate us.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore nothing can. Only Fir&s;t, we grant that the Saints of God may fall away from the de|grees of Grace, from the &s;trength of faith, to a weake faith, to &s;ome mea&s;ure of hardne&s;&s;e of heart.</P>
<P>Secondly, we grant they may fall from the com<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the Spirit, as in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 51.2.8.12.</P>
<P>Thirdly, From common gifts of the Spirit, as a Spirit of government as <HI>Saul</HI> did, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>This Argument hath a large latitude,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> and mu&s;t in part be denyd <HI>viz.</HI> &s;in unrepented of may &s;epe|rate, unfruitfulne&s;&s;e and &s;uch like, hath a cutting off following it. Therefore upon examination, we &s;hall find that this will not prove the A&s;&s;er|tion.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I &s;uppo&s;e, that it will not be owned that <HI>Paul</HI> doth intend here denying Chri&s;t, or any &s;inne unrepented of, for that may &s;eperate <NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.12 Mat. 10.33.</NOTE> <HI>If we &s;uffer, we &s;hall al&s;o reign with him, if we deny him, he will al&s;o deny us:</HI> [yea we] I <HI>Paul</HI> and thou <HI>Ti|mothy,</HI> if we deny him, he will al&s;o deny us; for &s;o he him&s;elf &s;aid, <NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Luke 12.8. chap. 9 26. Mar. 8.38.</NOTE> <HI>But who&s;oever &s;hall deny me before men, him will I al&s;o deny before my Father which is in heaven.</HI></P>
<P>Again, the Apo&s;tle doth not &s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.39.</NOTE> that &s;in &s;hall not &s;eperate, and therefore the argument is &s;tretched beyond what the Text will prove, I ra|ther think the 33. ver. had been more pertinent to
<PB N="22" REF="16">
the busine&s;s, where the Apo&s;tle makes this holy challenge, <HI>Who &s;hall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect? &amp;c.</HI> Now to know who are the Elect of God will be the &s;olution of this matter (for which I refer you to my an&s;wer to the fir&s;t argument) tho&s;e that are called according to Gods purpo&s;e, ver. 28. who they are &s;ee my an&s;wer to the third Argu|ment? they that make their Calling and Election &s;ure, by adding to their faith, virtue, &amp;c. <HI>who &s;hall lay any thing to their charge, it is God that justifies,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Again, Who &s;hall &s;eperate them that &s;o do? no thing, nor no man can <NOTE N="b)" PLACE="marg">Joh. 10.28.</NOTE> no nor none of the&s;e things, <HI>viz.</HI> tribulation or di&s;tre&s;s, or per&s;ecuti|on, or famine, or nakedne&s;s, or perill, or &s;word, nay, in all the&s;e things, they are more then Con|querours, through him that loved them; but this doth not prove, but that per&s;ons in Chri&s;t may fal and be &s;eperated from Chri&s;t, by denying Chri&s;t, although none of the&s;e can, if they be not over|come by them, to for&s;ake and deny him, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Now the que&s;tion is, whether per&s;ons in Chri&s;t may hot be overcome by the&s;e?</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2, 20.</NOTE>I An&s;wer, the Scripture &s;aith they may, for if after they have e&s;caped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they are again intangled therein, and overcome, <HI>the latter end is wor&s;e then the beginning</HI> <NOTE N="d)" PLACE="marg">Gal. 5.1.</NOTE> Therefore <HI>Paul</HI> exhorteth the <HI>Galathians,</HI> to &s;tand fa&s;t in the liberty wherewith Chri&s;t hath made them free, and not to be intang|led again in the Yoak of bondage <NOTE N="e)" PLACE="marg">Rev. 17.26. chap 3.5.12.21.</NOTE> Chri&s;t &s;aith
<PB N="23" REF="16">
<HI>he that overcometh and keeps my words to the end, to him will I give power over the Nations</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 21.7. Chap. 2.10.</NOTE> <HI>he that overcometh the &s;ame &s;hall be cloathed in white ray|ment: to him that overcomes will I grant to &s;it with me in my throne (g) he that overcometh &s;hall inherit all things; I will be his God, and he &s;hall be my Sonne.</HI> God will not di&s;own us becau&s;e of per&s;ecution, &amp;c. but will reward us for our &s;ufferings, if we are not overcome by them, <HI>be thou faithfull unto the death, and I will give thee a Crown of Life</HI>; &s;o much for this Argument: now to to the next.</P>
<P><HI>The &s;eventh Argument from Joh.</HI> 10.28. <HI>my &s;heep heare my voyce,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>7.</HI> Arg. </NOTE> &amp;c. none are able to pluck the &s;heep of Chri&s;t out of the hands of Chri&s;t: therefore they cannot fall totally nor finally</P>
<P>This Argument being the &s;ame,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> or of the like import with the &s;ixth, I &s;hall &s;ay little to it, for if nothing can &s;eperate them, then none can pluck them cut of his hands.</P>
<P>Only this, <HI>My &s;heep</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>heare my voyce, and I know them, and they follow me</HI>; &s;uch we grant cannot be plucked out of the hands of Chri&s;t, that hear his voyce, and follow him, and he gives them eternall life, and they &s;hall never peri&s;h if they be [ever] followers of that which is good <NOTE N="h)" PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 5 15.</NOTE> <HI>and follow the Lamb where&s;oever he goes,</HI> <NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">Rev. 14.4.</NOTE> no man as the Text &s;aith, can pluck them out of Chri&s;ts hands: but the que&s;tion is, whether Chri&s;ts &s;heep may not refu&s;e to hear Chri&s;ts voyce? the time &s;hall come, &s;aith <HI>Paul,</HI> when they will not indure &s;ound doctrine, but after their owne lu&s;ts, &s;hall they heap to them&s;elves Teachers having
<PB N="24" REF="17">
itching eares <HI>(i</HI>) therfore it doth not follow but tho&s;e that are the &s;heep of Chri&s;t may cea&s;e to be his &s;heep, by refu&s;ing to heare his voyce, and by not following of him, and &s;o as unfruitfull bran|ches, be cut off from Chri&s;t: &s;o much as to that: now to the next.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Arg. <HI>8.</HI></NOTE><HI>Becau&s;e in the greate&s;t temptation, the Lord is plea|&s;ed to give &s;uch a&s;&s;i&s;tance, that they &s;hall not be tempted above their abilities,</HI> 1 <HI>Co.</HI> 10.13. <HI>therefore.</HI></P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE>The Apo&s;tle in the beginning of the Chapter puts the <HI>Corinthians</HI> in mind of mercies that were injoyed by the <HI>Jews,</HI> from the fir&s;t ve&s;e to the fifth, but &s;aith he, with many of them God was not well plea&s;ed, for they were overthrown in the Wil|derne&s;s v. 5. Now the&s;e things were our exam|ples, to the intent we &s;hould not lu&s;t after evill things, as they lu&s;ted, &amp;c. Pray con&s;ider, was their overthrow our en&s;amples, and cannot we lu&s;t, be Idolaters, tempt Chri&s;t, murmour as they did, and &s;o be overthrown as they were? yea, &s;ure it is po&s;&s;ible, for &s;o the Apo&s;tle telleth the <HI>Hebrewes</HI> likewi&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 41. Ver&s;. 11.</NOTE> let us therefore fear, le&s;t a promi&s;e be|ing left us of entring into his re&s;t, any of you &s;hould &s;eem to come &s;hort of it: let us labour therefore to enter into that Re&s;t, le&s;t any man fall after the &s;ame en&s;ample of unbelief, &s;o that it is very po&s;&s;ible we may lu&s;t, and be overthrown as they were; for all the&s;e things hapned unto them for en&s;amples, and they are written for our admo|nition, upon whom the ends of the world are come:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.11, 12.</NOTE> wherefore &s;aith he, let him that thinketh he &s;tandeth, take heed le&s;t he fall, you that think
<PB N="25" REF="17">
you &s;tand &s;o as it is impo&s;&s;ible you &s;hould fall, take heed, be not too high minded, but fear: <HI>for if God &s;pared not the naturall branches, take heed least he &s;pare not you.</HI></P>
<P>Now lea&s;t they &s;hould complain that their temptations were great, and &s;o if they did fall they were &s;omething excu&s;able, he tels them, that there hath no temptation taken them, but &s;uch as was common to man, and therefore they mu&s;t look to it: and be&s;ides, <HI>God is faithfull who will not &s;uffer you to be tempted above what you are a|ble to bear: but will with the temptation al&s;o make a|way to e&s;cape,</HI> that you may be able to bear it; <HI>wherefore</HI> (&s;eeing it is &s;o) <HI>my deerly beloved flee from Idolatry</HI>: for if you do not, God will over|throw you as he did them.</P>
<P>Thus may you &s;ee that this text is far from proving that Saints cannot fall: but doth plainly prove they may. Now to the Argument, the Con&s;equence drawn from the Rea&s;on mu&s;t needs be denyed to be naturally deducted, for <HI>Saints</HI> mu&s;t make u&s;e of the means, <HI>viz.</HI> the way that God will make for them to e&s;cape, or el&s;e the means will not profit; for the tempter and his temptations mu&s;t be re&s;i&s;ted with &s;tedfa&s;t faith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5.8.9. Jam. 5.7&punc; ch. 1.2, 3, 4.</NOTE> <HI>re&s;ist the Divel and he will flee from you,</HI> therefore ble&s;&s;ed are ye when ye endure temptation <HI>chap.</HI> 1.12. men mu&s;t re&s;i&s;t by faith, and endure temp|tation with patience, or el&s;e they may be over|come: thus is this argument too light al&s;o. Now to the next.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Arg. <HI>9.</HI></NOTE>The ninth argument is taken from the pre&s;ent
<PB N="26" REF="18">
joy that Saints have in believing, which they could never have, if they were not a&s;&s;ured to per|&s;evere for the future, as well as of their &s;tanding for the pre&s;ent. Therefore, &amp;c.</P>
<P>The affirmitive part of this argument is denyed, <HI>viz.</HI> they could have no joy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4.4.</NOTE> if they were not a|&s;ured to per&s;evere for the future as wel as of their &s;tanding for the pre&s;ent; for Saints ought to re|joice in the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.20, 21. 1 Kin. 20.11. 2 Pet. 1.10. 1 Pet. 1.10. 1 Pet. 1.8, 9.</NOTE> yet it is a duty to fear, and not to boa&s;t as he that putteth off his armour, they are a&s;&s;ured to &s;tand, if they give dilligence to make their calling and election &s;ure, in &s;o doing they have a&s;&s;urance, and no other wayes, in which they may rejoice, receiving the end of their faith, the &s;alvation of heir &s;ouls: what no joy for the pre&s;ent? I no con&s;olation in Chri&s;t? no comfort of the Spirit?<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.11.</NOTE> what becau&s;e we mu&s;t hold out to the end,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.7.</NOTE> or el&s;e lo&s;e our crown? Yea much joy in this, <HI>that</HI> if <HI>in patient continuance in well doing, we &s;eek for glory, honour, and immortality</HI> we &s;hal have <HI>eternall life:</HI> per&s;ons may have joy for the pre&s;ent, and yet that not hinder, but that they may have no a&s;&s;urance to &s;tand for the future, but by taking heed <HI>&amp;c.</HI> therefore this argument is too light to prove the affirmation. So much as to that: now to the next.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>10.</HI> Argu.</NOTE><HI>Pre&s;ent keeping from falling with pre&s;entment of un&s;pottedne&s;&s;e at the coming of J&s;us Chri&s;t goeth to|gether. Therefore,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;wer.</NOTE>Fir&s;t let us examine the text, Secondly the Ar|gument.</P>
<P>Saith the text, <HI>Now unto him that is able to keep
<PB N="27" REF="18">
you from falling, and to pre&s;ent you faultle&s;&s;e before the pre&s;ence of his glory with exceeding joy:</HI> what doth this prove that pre&s;ent keeping from falling with pre&s;entment of un&s;pottedne&s;&s;e goeth toge|ther? no &s;ure, there is not &s;uch a conclu&s;ion to be drawn from the text. But this it proves (which we do not deny) that God is able to keep them that will be kept by him; and that tho&s;e that will be kept by him, he is able to pre&s;ent faultle&s;s before his glory: I &s;ay, that will be kept by him; for &s;ome will not,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Col.</HI> 1.22.23. <HI>Jer.</HI> 17. <HI>E&s;ay</HI> 1.28.</NOTE> as hath been &s;hewn: the argument therefore mu&s;t be denyed even all of it as too light, and not true: he will pre&s;ent us un&s;potted in the pre&s;ence of his glory, if we continue in the faith, and not el&s;e. So much to this argument. To the next.</P>
<P>The eleventh argument is taken from the&s;e words, <HI>Becau&s;e in the greate&s;t falls,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Arg <HI>11.</HI></NOTE> <HI>the Lord is plea&s;ed to put unto his hand, that the Saints cannot fall to de&s;truction,</HI> P&s;al. 37.24.52.8. Job 17.9.</P>
<P>I grant that the Lord doth &s;et to his hand to this end, that they, <HI>viz.</HI> believers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;.</NOTE> might not fall to de&s;truction: but that he &s;etteth to his hand &s;o that they cannot fall to de&s;truction, I deny.</P>
<P>Let us con&s;ider what is to be under&s;tood by the Lords hand, for the more clear under&s;tand|ing of this argument (although the <HI>text</HI> alledged doth not mention it) by the Lords hand is under|&s;tood the Lords power: when <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> doubted in him&s;elf how &s;o many thou&s;ands &s;hould be fed a moneth with fle&s;h in the wilderne&s;&s;e, the Lords an&s;weris, <HI>Is the Lords hand waxd &s;hort?</HI> as if he &s;hould
<PB N="28" REF="19">
&s;ay,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ay. 50.2.56.1.</NOTE> is my power le&s;&s;ened, thou &s;halt &s;ee now whether my word &s;hall come to pa&s;&s;e unto thee, or not: now con&s;ider, the Lords hand being his power, whether he doth not &s;et to his hand to tho&s;e that do fall to this end, that they might not fall to de&s;truction, &s;ee <HI>Jer.</HI> 2.5.3.12, 13, 14. compared with <HI>Rom.</HI> 10.20, 21.</P>
<P>Again we have &s;hewed what Gods power is, by which he keeps men to &s;alvation through faith in the an&s;wer to the &s;econd Argument, to which I refer you for a more full an&s;wer to this; the power of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.5. E&s;ay 51.2.2, 3, 4.</NOTE> as hath been &s;hewed, by which he keepeth men, or his hand he &s;ets to believers to the end they might not fall to de&s;truction, is his word which is the powerfull means that he u&s;eth to that end, in which means he is not wanting to any that do fall: for the Rea&s;on of their fall is not becau&s;e the Lord is wanting in the meanes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 17.23. Zach. 7.11.12.</NOTE> but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">cau&s;e they reject his word.</P>
<P>Thus is this Argument found too light: now to the next.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Arg. <HI>12.</HI></NOTE>The 12th. Argument is taken from the&s;e words <HI>The path of Ju&s;t men is still increa&s;ing and growing, therefore they cannot totally nor finally fall away P&s;al.</HI> 1. &amp;c.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE>Men that are ju&s;t and &s;o continue are like unto a tree that is planted by the Rivers of waters, that bringeth forth his fruit in his &s;ea&s;on, and they that do &s;o I grant cannot fall totally and finally: but what is this to prove the a&s;&s;ertion: doth it therfore follow that ju&s;t men cannot become un|ju&s;t, by their forgetting they were once purged
<PB N="29" REF="19">
from their old &s;ins, and &s;o become unfruitful men that are blind and cannot &s;ee;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1.9. P&s;al. 1.2.3. Jo&s;. 1.8. P&s;al. 119.1.2.3-2.12. Jer. 17.8.</NOTE> but men that have their delight in the law of the Lord and in it do meditate day and night, will be fruitfull: This book of the Law &s;hall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou &s;hall meditate therein day and night, that thou maye&s;t ob&s;erve to do all that is written therein, for then, if thou &s;o doe&s;t, thou &s;halt make thy way pro&s;perous, and then thou &s;halt have good &s;ucce&s;&s;e, but if otherwi&s;e &s;ee <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 1.19, 20.</P>
<P>Thus is this Argument weighed in the ballance al&s;o, and found too light.</P>
<P>The thirteenth Argument is &s;tated upon the&s;e words,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Arg. <HI>13.</HI></NOTE> <HI>The gifts and calling of God being without repentance Rom.</HI> 11.29. <HI>therfore they cannot totally nor finally fall John</HI> 5.24. 1 <HI>John</HI> 2.19. 2 <HI>John</HI> 2. <HI>v.</HI></P>
<P>The propo&s;ition I grant,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> <HI>viz</HI> the gifts and cal|lings of God are without repentance: but what doth this prove that believers cannot fall totally nor finally? no, the Apo&s;tle brings it for another end, <HI>viz.</HI> to prove that God wil perform cove|nant with I&s;rael.</P>
<P>But le&s;t this &s;hould not do it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.25 26, 27, 28, 29.</NOTE> you allege three places of Scripture to prove your conclu&s;ion: I &s;hall therfore examine them in order and &s;ee whe|ther they are of that weight to this thing as to prove it. The fir&s;t place is <HI>Joh.</HI> 5.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">4. the words are the&s;e, <HI>&V;erily, &V;erily, I &s;ay unto you he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that &s;ent me hath ever|la&s;ting life, and &s;hall not come into condemation but is pa&s;&s;ed from death to life:</HI> what doth this prove
<PB N="30" REF="20">
that believers cannot fall, it is true they that be|lieve &s;hall not come into condemnation if they continue believing, for &s;o Chri&s;t is to be un|der&s;tood, which as I &s;uppo&s;e will not be deny|ed.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Obj.</NOTE>But it may be objected they &s;hall continue be|cau&s;e Chri&s;t &s;aith they &s;hall not come into con|demnation.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE>They that do continue believing &s;hall not come into condemnation I grant: but that this proves a nece&s;&s;ity of continuing I deny, for we find that &s;ome that believed did not continue, as &s;aith the <HI>Evangeli&s;t</HI> from that time many of his di&s;ciples went back and walked no more with him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 6 66. 1 Tim. 1 20, ch. 5.15. 2 Tim. 1.15, ch. 2.18.</NOTE> &s;ee here that &s;ome that were Chri&s;ts di&s;ciples, and thereby under the promi&s;e of everla&s;ting life, yet they &s;hall come unto condemnation becau&s;e they do not continue: <HI>Hymeneus</HI> and <HI>Alexander</HI> belie|ved and thereby were under the promi&s;e, yet they made &s;hipwrack of faith and a good con&s;cience and &s;o come under condemnation, for they were delivered to <HI>Satan</HI> that they might learn not to bla&s;pheme, &s;ome are already turned a&s;ide after Satan, this thou knowe&s;t that all they that are in <HI>A&s;ia</HI> be turned away from me, of whom is <HI>Phyle|tus</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> who concerning the truth have erred, &s;aying that the re&s;urrection is pa&s;t already, and overthrow the faith of &s;ome, <HI>viz. Hymenues</HI> and <HI>Phyletus,</HI> but they that do believe and do continue according to the text &s;hall not come into condemnation.</P>
<P>Your &s;econd place is 1 <HI>John</HI> 2.19. the words are
<PB N="31" REF="20">
the&s;e, <HI>They went out from us, but they were not of us for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us, but they went out from us that they might be made manife&s;t that they were not all of us.</HI></P>
<P>What doth this text prove that believers can|not fall away? or doth it prove that &s;ome have fallen away? &s;ure it rather proves the latter then the former, for they were with them and they did go out from them.</P>
<P>But it may be objected,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Obj.</NOTE> that they never were of them, and therefore they went out from them, &s;o that they fell not from the faith but from a &s;ee|ming faith.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer,<NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> that they never were of them the text doth not &s;ay for then they would never have been with them.</P>
<P>Again, when they went out from them they were not of them <HI>I grant,</HI> but that they never were of them I deny, tho&s;e that depart from the faith are not of tho&s;e that keep the faith: they that go from the Churches are not of them that continue with the Churches, but they have received ano|ther &s;pirit, <HI>viz</HI> the &s;pirit of Antichri&s;t, and ther|fore they go out from them that are of the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t: but that they never were of them, is more then the text will prove: the Apo&s;tle telleth them in <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 18. that there are many Antichri&s;ts, they &s;aith he went out from us&punc; <HI>viz.</HI> tho&s;e <HI>Antichrists,</HI> according to the Apo&s;tle <HI>Acts</HI> 20. al&s;o of your own &s;elves &s;hall men ari&s;e <HI>(mark well</HI>) of your own &s;elves, tho&s;e were of them, and they &s;hall &s;peak perver&s;e things to draw di&s;ciples alter them, thus
<PB N="32" REF="21">
is this Scripture found not &s;ufficient to prove that which it is brought for.</P>
<P>Your la&s;t place alleged is 2 <HI>John</HI> 2. the words are the&s;e, <HI>for the truths &s;ake which abideth in us, and &s;hall be in us for ever.</HI></P>
<P>I an&s;wer, the truth will abide with tho&s;e that do abide in it I grant, but &s;ome do erre from the truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.18 2 Pet. 3.17. Joh. 8.32. 2 Joh. 8.9.</NOTE> therefore Saints mu&s;t beware lea&s;t being lead away with the error of the wicked, they fall from their own &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e, but if they abide in the truth, the truth &s;hall make them free: &s;o that you may &s;ee that if they abide in that truth, that truth will abide with them for ever, and not o|therwi&s;e: and therefore the Apo&s;tle exhorts the elect Lady, looke to your &s;elfe (&s;aith he) that we loo&s;e not the things that we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward, who|&s;oever tran&s;gre&s;&s;eth and abideth not in the do|ctrine of Chri&s;t hath not <HI>God</HI>; he that abides in the doctrine of Chri&s;t hath both the father and the Son, thus may we plainly &s;ee that the truths abi|ding with us, is upon condition of our abiding in it? Thus have you the&s;e Arguments all weighed in the ballance of the &s;anctuary, and found too light to prove the affirmation.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="33" REF="21">
<HEAD>The ab&s;urdities that do naturally flow from the doctrine of impo&s;&s;ibility, for believers to fall totally and finally from grace.</HEAD>
<P>If believers cannot fall away then there is no u&s;e <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> of feeding mini&s;ters, as Pa&s;tors, and Elders and Teachers, who&s;e work is to take the over&s;ight of the flock to feed them, to take heed of them;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5.2.</NOTE> now this is altogether u&s;ele&s;&s;e if they cannot fall away:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 20.28.30.</NOTE> if they mu&s;t be fed, it imports they cannot live without feeding, but will &s;tarve and dy, if they mu&s;t be over&s;een, and heed taken of them, it im|ports they may &s;tray and be drawn away: they mu&s;t feed the flock and take heed of it becau&s;e of wolves, which are mortal enemies to &s;heep; now if &s;heep cannot be de&s;troyed by wolves, that is, cannot be &s;educed, nor drawn away, nor fal, then there is no u&s;e of the Shepheard, he may be &s;pa|red.</P>
<P>If believers cannot fall away, then as the feeder <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> is u&s;ele&s;s, &s;o is his food al&s;o, I mean the growing word, and Go&s;pel ordinances, and duties, as breaking of bread,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.2.</NOTE> Church a&s;&s;embling, and com|munion, which we are commanded not to for|&s;ake, but to de&s;ire after,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.25.</NOTE> as new born babes de&s;ire
<PB N="34" REF="22">
the &s;incere milk of the word, that they may grow thereby, now if believers cannot fall what need is there or what u&s;e can we make of it, what &s;erves it for? e&s;tabli&s;h us it cannot, for we cannot fall, we are e&s;tabli&s;hed from the beginning, dy we cannot, what u&s;e of food? overcome we cannot be, what u&s;e of &s;trengthning? thus then may we &s;ay in vain have we &s;erved God: and what pro|fit is it that we have kept his ordinances,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3.14.</NOTE> and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Ho&s;ts if believers cannot fall away?</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> If believers cannot fall away, then is a great part of the Scripture u&s;ele&s;&s;e unto them, as take heed, &s;tand fa&s;t, beware, and &s;uch like &s;aying, which are very plentiful in the Scriptures: and &s;o likewi&s;e the many exhortations u&s;ed by Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles to watchfulne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">&s;ee Mat. 24.4, 5. Act. 20.28. Heb. 3.17. Col. 2.8.17. &amp;c.</NOTE> to &s;obriety, to prayer, to &s;tability, which are very plentiful in the Scripture, what u&s;e are the&s;e and &s;uch like places to us? what &s;hould we take heed, watch beware, take care to &s;tand fa&s;t in the faith? for 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 16.13.14. if we cannot fall what do they &s;erve for? why do we read them? what do they teach us, mu&s;t we take heed and beware, and no danger neer us? nor can come to us? mu&s;t we watch and no Enemy to approach us? mu&s;t we arme our &s;elves, when none can overcome us? if it be impo&s;&s;ible to fal there is no need of all this, the&s;e duties are out of date, it is enough for them to do the&s;e things that may fall, but as for them that cannot they are u&s;ele&s;&s;e unto them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> If believers cannot fall away, then is the ex|pre&s;s
<PB N="35" REF="22">
&s;ayings of the &s;pirit contradicted, which &s;aith in the latter daies &s;ome &s;hall depart from the faith 1 Tim. 4.1.</P>
<P>If believers cannot fall away, it opens a gap <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> to lukewarmne&s;&s;e, to prophanene&s;&s;e, to neglect of duty, as of hearing, reading, praying, clo&s;e-walking, watchfulne&s;&s;e, fruitfulne&s;&s;e and the like: for if believers cannot fall, why &s;hould any of the&s;e things be done? for &s;uch as cannot po&s;&s;ibly fall, need not pray, hear, need not read, nor watch &amp;c. nor do any of the&s;e things, they are &s;ure to &s;tand: finne cannot &s;eperate them, nor nothing, let them do what they will, delight in the law of God, or not delight in it all is alike ca&s;e if it be true that believers cannot fall away</P>
<P>It hardens and incourages loo&s;e profe&s;&s;ors in <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> their loo&s;e walking in the profe&s;&s;ion of the Go&s;pel, for if they that once believed cannot fal away they will be hardned, and incouraged to go on, why &s;ay they, once in Chri&s;t and ever in Chri&s;t, it is im|po&s;&s;ible that I, which once believed &s;hould fall a|way, let me do what I will, nothing can &s;eperate me from Chri&s;t, God is not bound to ordinances, nor to this way, or that way, he will keep me al|though I do not walk &s;o &s;trictly as I have done, or as others do, and therefore what need I care for Church fellow&s;hip, or hearing, or any of the&s;e things? thus may loo&s;e profe&s;&s;ors be incouraged, and imboldn'd in their loo&s;e way by this doctrine of impo&s;ibility of falling away from grace.</P>
<P>It hardneth loo&s;e profe&s;&s;ors and di&s;orderly <MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> walkers again&s;t reprehen&s;ion, and admonitions of
<PB N="36" REF="23">
their Rulers, and their brethren, and hardens them again&s;t the danger laid before them for their &s;o doing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.21.</NOTE> and the judgements and &s;everity of God again&s;t them that &s;o do: for if believers can|not fall from grace, then may they &s;light repre|hen&s;ions, and &s;ay, take no care for me, I know I &s;hal never fal totally, and finally, therefore tell not me of the danger that is, I know none there is, no &s;e|verity in <HI>God</HI> again&s;t me, for my &s;ins are pardon'd and &s;hall never be laid to my charge, God will not enter into judgement with me, &s;ay you what you will: thus may di&s;orderly per&s;ons be hardned a|gain&s;t reprehen&s;ions, if believers cannot fall from grace.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> It hardeneth them al&s;o again&s;t Church cen&s;ures that are &s;entenced for their impenitency, for what will they &s;ay, what need I matter your cen|&s;ures? though you excommunicate me, and ca&s;t me out from you, yet I know God will not, for he will not for&s;ake me, I &s;hall not be &s;eperated from him, for nothing can do that. Thus doth this doctrine of impo&s;&s;ibility of falling from grace harden impenitent &s;iners again&s;t Church cen&s;ures which are ratifyed in heaven, <HI>Mat.</HI> 18.18. by Chri&s;t him&s;elf.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="9" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> It gives Satan an advantage again&s;t believers, when he <HI>tempts them</HI> to &s;in he can back it with this encouragement, <HI>viz.</HI> it is impo&s;&s;ible to fall, with this bait he deceived <HI>Eve,</HI> and the Serpent &s;aid un|to the woman ye &s;hall not &s;urely dy, and thus he deceived her;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3 4, 5.</NOTE> &s;o it is impo&s;&s;ible to fal, may he &s;ay, therefore eate, take delight, &s;eek after plea&s;ure
<PB N="37" REF="23">
and profit, take thy fill, walk not &s;o preci&s;ely, &s;a|tisfie thy &s;elf with this lu&s;t, or that lu&s;t, for thou can&s;t not fall from grace.</P>
<P>It rendereth believers uncapable of with|&s;tanding <MILESTONE N="10" UNIT="Ab&s;ur."> Satan in his temptations, for who more uncapable of with&s;tanding a potent enemy then he that &s;uppo&s;es him&s;elf to be &s;ecure, and that he cannot be prevailed again&s;t? his enemy then will take him at unawares, and overcome him: &s;o they that &s;uppo&s;e that they cannot fall, may grow &s;ecure and &s;o uncapable of with&s;tanding Satan when he a&s;&s;aults them at unawares, and &s;o may be overcome immediatly by him.</P>
<P>It renders them uncapable of &s;uffering per&s;ecu|tion <MILESTONE N="11" UNIT="Ab&s;ur."> likewi&s;e for the name of Chri&s;t, for what &s;hould they &s;uffer reproaches, impri&s;onments or any &s;uch thing, for, &s;eeing nothing can &s;eperate them from Chri&s;t, no not &s;in (as is affirmed) what if I &s;hould (may &s;ome &s;ay) conform a little to men and &s;o keep my &s;elf out of trouble? I know I &s;hall not be &s;eperated from Chri&s;t, that is impo&s;&s;ible that I that have once believed &s;hould fall away. Thus may Satan get in a litle at fir&s;t, and &s;o by degrees take full po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>It is a let to fruitfulne&s;&s;e, for if believers can|not <MILESTONE N="12" UNIT="Ab&s;ur."> fall from grace, what need they endeavour after fruitfulne&s;&s;e or good works? what may the rich man &s;ay? I will keep my money, what need I be &s;o rich in good works?<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.17</NOTE> I know I cannot fall away, nothing can &s;eperate me from Chri&s;t: thus may it ob&s;truct fruitfulne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>It opens a gap to all Licentiou&s;ne&s;&s;e: for if <MILESTONE N="13" UNIT="Ab&s;ur.">
<PB N="38" REF="24">
believers cannot fall away, what loo&s;ene&s;&s;e is it they may not run into? what need they watch, pray, hear, or doe any thing? <HI>let us eat and <MILESTONE N="13" UNIT="Ab&s;urd."> drink for to morrow we &s;hall die</HI>: what matter for following peace and holine&s;&s;e? what matter for ab&s;taining from fle&s;hly lu&s;ts, or for clean&s;ing our &s;elves from filthine&s;&s;e of fle&s;h and &s;pirit? they cannot fall, nothing can &s;eperate them from Chri&s;t? no not &s;in, being once in Chri&s;t, if this doctrine of impo&s;&s;ibility of falling from grace be true.</P>
<P>Thus may it be ea&s;ily &s;een that this doctrine which is &s;o contended for, with &s;o much pretend|ed &s;trength, is not Gods holy mind; but an opi|nion taken up and endeavoured to be maintained but cannot by written verity; let it therefore be weighed in the ballance and it will be found too light,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.12 Phil. 2.12. Cor. 16.13. Heb. 10.36. Luk. 21.26. 1 Pet. 5.8. Heb, 3.12. Col. 2.8. Mat. 7.15. Cant. 2.15. Act. 20.29.</NOTE> how it can be cleared from the&s;e ab&s;urdi|ties laid down I know not, which are very dan|gerous, and is indeed that which will de&s;troy and di&s;&s;olve the very life of a Chri&s;tians warfare and pilgrimage, which all that wil go to bli&s;s mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e thorow with fear and trembling, with &s;ted|fa&s;t faith, with patience, with watchfulne&s;&s;e, with &s;obriety, with taking heed, with being be|ware of men, of fal&s;e prophets, &s;educers, little Foxes, Wolves in &s;heeps cloathing, grievious wolves; perver&s;e &s;peakers, fal&s;e teachers and &s;uch like; for &s;ure we are fallen into the perilous times, <HI>when men &s;hall be lovers of them&s;elves more then lovers of God,</HI> therefore we have need to take to us the <HI>whole armour of God that we may be able to
<PB N="39" REF="24">
withstand in the evil day, and having done all to &s;tand.</HI></P>
<P>Now the&s;e arguments being an&s;wered, and the ab&s;urdities of that doctrine &s;hewn, it remains for me to betake my&s;elf to my propo&s;ition as it was then &s;tated by me: but denied by the other at our conference.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Thirteen Rea&s;ons by which its plain|ly proved that <HI>Believers</HI> in <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> may fall from <HI>Grace.</HI></HEAD>
<P>MY fir&s;t rea&s;on is becau&s;e they are command|ed to take heed.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t were truly believing <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> men, and yet our Lord &s;aith unto them, <HI>take heed that no man deceive you</HI>; and the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e many fal&s;e Chri&s;ts &s;hall come in his name, &s;aying, <HI>I am Christ, and &s;hall deceive many,</HI> therefore take you heed that no man deceive you:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24.4, 5. Mark 13.33. Lu. 21.34.</NOTE> take yee heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is: <HI>Take heed to your &s;elves lea&s;t at any time your hearts he overcharged with &s;urfeting and drunkenne&s;s, and cares of this life, and &s;o that day come upon you unawares.</HI> The&s;e &s;ayings doe plainly teach us that they might be deceived by fal&s;e Chri&s;ts, and
<PB N="40" REF="25">
be overcome by &s;uffering, if they did not take heed unto them&s;elves: or el&s;e needle&s;&s;e were the&s;e &s;ayings; for if they could not be deceived and &s;o fall, they had no need to take heed? where there is no danger there needs no caution: the&s;e Scriptures with many others of like import, may be cro&s;&s;ed out of our Bibles if there be no danger of falling from the faith; Chri&s;t tels his Di&s;ciples that they are the <HI>Salt of the earth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.13. Luk. 14.33, 34, 35.</NOTE> <HI>but if the &s;alt have lost its &s;avour, wherewith &s;hall it be &s;alted, it is thence|forth good for nothing but to be ca&s;t out and trodden under foot of men.</HI> Now were it not an ab&s;olute contradicting of Chri&s;t to &s;ay, we cannot lo&s;e our favour, its impo&s;&s;ible we &s;hould, and a making of his words impertinent, his cautions u&s;ele&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>Again, the Apo&s;tle gives the like cautions to the Churches,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3:12, 23. Act. 20.</NOTE> <HI>Take heed brethren, lea&s;t there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God: but exhorting one another daily while its called to day, least any of you be hardned through the deceitfulne&s;&s;e of &s;in.</HI> They mu&s;t take heed, or el&s;e there may be in them an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; and therefore they mu&s;t exhort one another, lea&s;t they be hard|ned <HI>&amp;c. looking diligently lea&s;t any man fail of the grace of God; lea&s;t any root of bitterne&s;&s;e &s;pring up and trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lea&s;t there &s;hould be any fornicators or prophane per&s;ons as E&s;au,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.15, 16.</NOTE> <HI>who for one mor&s;el of meat &s;old his birth-right.</HI> It &s;eems Saints may fall from grace and become pro|phane per&s;ons, fell their birth-rights, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> there|fore believers in Chri&s;t may fall away.</P>
<P><PB N="41" REF="25">The &s;econd Rea&s;on is, becau&s;e the Scripture <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> fore-telleth, that many &s;hall be deceived, and drawn away by men &s;peaking perver&s;e things,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24.5.</NOTE> and made merchandize of by fal&s;e teachers,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 10.29.30. 2 Pet. 2.1, 2 3.-1.1-3.17. Col. 2 8.18 Rev. 3.11.</NOTE> even tho&s;e that have obtained like precious faith, and therefore &s;aith he unto them, beware lea&s;t al&s;o ye being led away by the error of the wicked, fall from your own &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e, again, beware lea&s;t any man &s;poil you through Philo&s;ophy and vain deceit, after the Traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Chri&s;t, let no man beguile you &amp;c. and again, behold I come quickly, hold fa&s;t that which thou ha&s;t let no man take thy crown: all which teacheth us, that be|lievers may fall away if they do not take heed, beware and &s;tand fa&s;t &amp;c. and that the Scripture did fore-&s;ee that &s;ome &s;hould fall, be &s;poiled, and deceived, through their not taking heed, therefore believers in Chri&s;t may fall away.</P>
<P>The third rea&s;on is, becau&s;e &s;ome have fallen <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> away from the faith, <HI>Paul</HI> exhorts <HI>Timothy to war a good warfare, holding faith and a good con&s;cience,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.15 17.18. 1 Tim. 5.15. Jer. 2.5. com. 11.12.13 27, 13.-18 14, 15, 16, 17.</NOTE> which &s;ome have put away, concerning faith, have made &s;hipwrack, of whom is</HI> Hemeneus <HI>and</HI> Alexan|der.</P>
<P>But &s;ome may &s;ay, <HI>that faith they fell from was not a true faith but a &s;eeming faith.</HI></P>
<P>I an&s;wer if that were &s;o, <HI>Paul</HI> did <HI>Hemeneus</HI> and <HI>Alexander</HI> great wrong, for he delivered them to Satan, now if they did but &s;eem to have faith, but had no true faith, then when they fell they were better then when they &s;tood, becau&s;e when they
<PB N="42" REF="26">
&s;tood they &s;eemed to be what they were not, but when they fell they appeared to be what indeed they were, now if <HI>Paul</HI> delivered them to Satan for falling from a &s;eeming faith, he &s;urely did them wrong, <HI>viz.</HI> they were delivered to Satan for dea|ling plainly, which they did when they fell, but were di&s;&s;emblers when they &s;tood at the be&s;t, if they had but a &s;eeming faith, which is none, &amp; how they could make &s;hipwrack of that they never had is a paradox to me.</P>
<P>Again, it was a true faith, no &s;eeming faith, be|cau&s;e that which they made &s;hipwrack of, the &s;ame he exhorts Timothy to hold, <HI>holding faith and a good con&s;cience, which &s;ome having put away,</HI> &amp;c. &s;o that the &s;ame faith the one mu&s;t hold (which cannot be denyed but it was a true faith) that the other put away: which if the &s;ame, it mu&s;t needs be as true, therefore no &s;eeming faith.</P>
<P>Again, they that fall from the faith, are &s;aid to depart from the living God: now it is contrary to all rea&s;on to &s;ay, they do depart from him, who never were with him: and that which brings per&s;ons to God can be no &s;eeming faith but a true faith, &s;ee <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.22. therefore that faith that is fallen from in departing from the living God, mu&s;t be a true faith.</P>
<P>Again, that faith which is accompanied with a good con&s;cience is a true faith.</P>
<P>But the faith which <HI>Hemeneus</HI> and <HI>Alexander</HI> made &s;hipwrack of was accompanied with a good con&s;cience (<HI>holding faith and a good con&s;cience which &s;ome having put away, viz.</HI> faith and a good con&s;ci|ence.)</P>
<P><PB N="43" REF="26">Therefore that faith which they put away was a true faith.</P>
<P>The fourth Rea&s;on is, becau&s;e we are comman|ded,<MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> <HI>not to be high minded, but to fear</HI> (&s;aith the &s;pirit) <HI>becau&s;e of unbelief</HI> they were broken off; and thou &s;tands by faith, be not highminded, but fear, and the rea&s;on is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 11.20.21.</NOTE> becau&s;e <HI>if God &s;pared not the natural branches, take heed lea&s;t he &s;pare not thee,</HI> we mu&s;t fear: why what is the matter? what need we fear if we cannot fall? what need we take heed if there be no danger? but there is need &amp; therfore danger, for we &s;tand by faith, and if we let go our faith, as we may, we let go all; God will &s;pare us no more then he did the natural branches:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4.11.</NOTE> let us labour therefore to enter into that re&s;t, lea&s;t any man fall after the &s;ame example of unbelief; ther|fore believers in Chri&s;t may fall away</P>
<P>The fift Rea&s;on is becau&s;e the &s;pirit &s;aith ex|pre&s;&s;ely <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that in the Latter daies &s;ome &s;hall depart from the faith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4.1.2. 2 The&s;. 2.3.</NOTE> giving heed to &s;educing &s;pirits and doctrine of devils, &s;peaking lyes in hypo|cry&s;ie, have their con&s;cience feared with a hot i|ron, therefore believers in Chri&s;t may fall away.</P>
<P>The &s;ixth rea&s;on is, becau&s;e per&s;everance hath <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> the promi&s;e of the Crown as a condition of it, now if believers cannot fall, per&s;everance cannot be a condition of happine&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Re. 2, 10.17.</NOTE> becau&s;e that which is a condition by which we obtain the thing promis'd or do not obtain it: may be done or not done: now that it is a condition is plain in &s;cripture, be thou faithful unto death, and I wil give thee a Crown of life, to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the
<PB N="44" REF="27">
hidden Manna, and will give him a white &s;tone, and in the &s;tone a new name written which no man knoweth, &s;aving he that receiveth it, v. 17.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.26.27, 28.3.5.</NOTE>And he that overcommeth and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he &s;hall rule them with a rod of I|ron, as a ve&s;&s;el of a potter &s;hall they be broken to &s;hivers, even as I received of my father, and I will give him the morning &s;tar.</P>
<P><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3.12, 13, 14. Col. 1.22, 23. Ro. 11.22.</NOTE>Again further, it is a condition of happine&s;&s;e, as the&s;e places prove: for we are made partakers of Chri&s;t if we hold the beginning of our confidence &s;tedfa&s;t to the end, Chri&s;t will pre&s;ent us holy, un|blameable and unreproveable, if we continue in the faith, <HI>behold</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul) therefore the goodne&s;&s;e and &s;everity of God, to them as fell &s;e|verity, but towards thee goodne&s;&s;e if thou continue in his goodne&s;&s;e, otherwi&s;e thou al&s;o &s;halt be cut off:</HI> (mark well) it is on condition of continuance, it is if we continue otherwi&s;e we al&s;o &s;hall be cut off, God will be as &s;evere to us, if we continue not, as he was to them, <HI>viz. I&s;rael,</HI> who fell from him, ther|fore believers in Chri&s;t may fall away.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="Rea&s;on."> The &s;eventh Rea&s;on is, becau&s;e the Lord threat|neth &s;ore puni&s;hment in ca&s;e of non-continuance, which if there were no &s;uch thing as falling from grace, how could puni&s;hment be threatned? for where there can be no offence there can be no pu|ni&s;hment, becau&s;e puni&s;hments are threatned where there are offences committed, or at lea&s;t may be: that puni&s;hments are threatned in this ca&s;e con&s;ider the&s;e places, for if we &s;in willfully
<PB N="45" REF="27">
after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, their remains no more &s;acrifice for &s;ins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgement,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb 10.26 27.-6.4, 5, 6.</NOTE> and firy indignation, which &s;hal devour the Ad|ver&s;aries.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aith <HI>that the latter end</HI> (of men that are intangled and overcome of the world a|gain, that have once e&s;caped,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.20.21.</NOTE> through the know|ledge of Jeus Chri&s;t) <HI>is wor&s;e with them then the begining. for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, then after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandments deli|vered unto them.</HI> Now if there be no po&s;&s;ibility of comming to the wor&s;t e&s;tate by falling from the commandments, and being over come, then could not this be threatned as before: therefore believers in Chri&s;t may fall and become culpable of judgement, and firey indignation, and come in|to a wor&s;e e&s;tate then ever they would have been in, had they never known him.</P>
<P>The eighth Rea&s;on is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 2.5.11.12.13.-17.13. Rom. 3.4.</NOTE> becau&s;e the Lord com|plains <MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> of his people for for&s;aking him the Foun|tain of living waters, now doth God take up a complaint becau&s;e of this, and is there no &s;uch thing, did they not for&s;ake him: and yet doth he &s;ay they did? &s;hall we give God the ly? no God forbid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> let God be true and ever man a lyar, ther|fore believers in Chri&s;t may fal away.</P>
<P>The ninth Rea&s;on is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2.1.2. Jude 12. Se 2 Pet. 2.17.</NOTE> becau&s;e Trees may dy <MILESTONE N="9" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> that had life, <HI>viz.</HI> men that were quickned by the Lord may become dead by turning the grace of God into wantonne&s;&s;e, or Laciviou&s;ne&s;&s;e, of
<PB N="46" REF="28">
the&s;e <HI>Jude</HI> &s;peaks of,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jude 12 2 Pet. 2.17.</NOTE> the&s;e are &s;pots in your fea&s;ts of Charity, they fea&s;t with you feeding them&s;elves without fear, clouds they are without water, ca|ried about with winds, trees who&s;e <HI>fruit</HI> wither|eth, without <HI>fruit,</HI> twice dead, plucked up by the roots, the&s;e were twice dead, and therfore twice alive, for it cannot be &s;aid that any thing can dy that vvas not alive, the&s;e therefore were dead in &s;innes, and made alive in Chri&s;t, and dyed again, twice dead, and &s;o fall totally and finally, for they are plucked up by the roots: now we know when Trees are plucked up by the roots they die,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6.7.8.</NOTE> and cannot have life in them again, but are fit for burning: therefore believers in Chri&s;t may fall away.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="10" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> The tenth Rea&s;on is, becau&s;e branches in the Vine may be taken away,<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 15&punc; 2.9.10.</NOTE> <HI>viz.</HI> men united to Chri&s;t, as the branches are to the Vine, may be ta|ken away or di&s;united, becau&s;e they die or bear no fruit: <HI>I am the vine</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>and my fa|ther is the husbandman, every branch in me that bear|eth not fruit, he taketh away:</HI> therefore &s;aith he, <HI>continue in my love,</HI> and lea&s;t they &s;hould not know how, he &s;aith, <HI>if ye keep my commandments ye &s;hall abide in my love, even as I have kept my fathers com|mandments and abide in his love</HI>: therefore belie|vers in Chri&s;t may fall away, be cut off, die, bear no fruit, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="11" UNIT="Rea&s;on"><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1.1.10.</NOTE>The eleventh Rea&s;on is, becau&s;e they that have <HI>obtained like precious faith,</HI> mu&s;t give diligence to <HI>make their calling and election &s;ure</HI>: it followes then, that believers may fall, even &s;uch as have preci|ous
<PB N="47" REF="28">
faith; and that their calling and election is not &s;ure, without their giving dilligence to make it &s;o: therefore believers in Chri&s;t may fall a|way.</P>
<P>The twelfth Rea&s;on is, becau&s;e Believers, cho|&s;en <MILESTONE N="12" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> per&s;ons,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1.4.&mdash; 6.11.12.13 Cor. 16.13.</NOTE> are exhorted to <HI>put on the whole ar|mour of God, that they may be able to &s;tand again&s;t the wiles of the Divel</HI>: Now we know that when men arme them&s;elves, it is becau&s;e of &s;ome ene|my, yea and &s;uch an enemy as may overcome them, &s;lay them, &s;poile them, vanqui&s;h them, &amp;c. therefore they mu&s;t &s;tand fa&s;t, quit them|&s;elves like men, be &s;trong: now if believers can|not fall from the faith, nor be overcome, they have no need of armour, if the Divels wiles cannot prevail they need not arm them&s;elves: but they mu&s;t <HI>take to them the whole armour of God</HI>: therefore believers in Chri&s;t may fall away.</P>
<P>The thirteenth rea&s;on is&punc; becau&s;e men that have their names written in the book of life and their <MILESTONE N="13" UNIT="Rea&s;on"> part in the holy City, which none but believers have, may by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion have their names blot|ted out, and their part taken away out of the Ci|ty: For I te&s;tifie unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man &s;hall adde unto the&s;e things, God &s;hall adde the plagues that are written in this book,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 22.18.</NOTE> and if any man &s;hall take away from the words: of the book of this Prophe&s;ie, God &s;hall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy City, and from the things that are written in this <HI>book:</HI> thus men who&s;e names are written in the book of
<PB N="48" REF="29">
life may have their name blotted out,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo. 32.32. Heb. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">0.26. Rev. 3.5.</NOTE> and their part taken out of the holy City, that do &s;in wil|fully, but tho&s;e that overcome, Chri&s;t will not blot their names out of the book of life, but will confe&s;&s;e them before his father, and before his Angels, therefore believers may fall away.</P>
<P>I leave the&s;e Rea&s;ons to the &s;erious and unbia|&s;ed Reader to weigh in the ballance of the &s;anctu|ary. I &s;hal now come to &s;hew the u&s;e and profita|blene&s;&s;e of this doctrine of per&s;everance, or the po&s;&s;ibility that Saints &s;tand in to be deceived and &s;o fall if they do not take heed, u&s;e the means, &s;trive and labour after the obtaining the Crown, which they cannot have if they do not fight the good fight and fini&s;h their cour&s;e, keep the faith to the end, as &s;aith the &s;pirit, be thou faithful un|to death,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.10. 2 Tim. 4.8.</NOTE> and I will give thee the Crown of life, which God will give unto all them, that &s;o do, and love his appearing.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="49" REF="29">
<HEAD>The profitable u&s;es that flow from this doctrine, that tis pos&s;ible for the Saints to fall finally, if they take not heed.</HEAD>
<P>IT teacheth the Saints to be watchfull over <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> them&s;elves, their words, thoughts and actions,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.13. Mar. 13 33. Mat. 26 41. Eph 6.8. Col. 4.2. 1 Cor. 16.13. 1 The&s;. 5.6. 2 Tim. 4.5. Hab. 2. 1. P&s;alm 130.6. Re. 16.15.</NOTE> lea&s;t they &s;hould be over taken; this duty is much urged in Scripture, <HI>watch therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour wherein the &s;on of man com|eth: watch and pray that you fall not into temptation: watch ye, &s;tand fast in the faith, be &s;trong: There|fore let us not &s;leep as do others, but watch and be &s;o|ber.</HI> So <HI>Paul</HI> exhorteth <HI>Timothy: but watch thou, in all things indure affliction:</HI> in this duty were the Saints much exerci&s;ed: the Prophet <HI>Habakkuk</HI> &s;aith, <HI>I will &s;tand upon my watch and &s;et me upon the tower, and will watch to &s;ee what he will &s;ay unto me, and what I &s;hall an&s;wer, when I am reproved:</HI> So was that gracious &s;oul the Prophet <HI>David</HI> exerci|&s;ed, when he &s;aid, <HI>My &s;oul waiteth for the Lord, more then they that watch for the morning, I &s;ay, more then they that watch for the morning</HI>: there is a ble&s;|&s;edne&s;s annexed to this duty of watchfulne&s;s, they are reckoned among&s;t the ble&s;&s;ed ones that &s;hall
<PB N="50" REF="30">
inherit the earth: <HI>Behold I come as a theef, ble&s;&s;ed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked, and they &s;ee his &s;hame:</HI> but in the neg|lect of this duty there may be great lo&s;&s;e. <HI>Be watch|full, and &s;trengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die, &amp;c.</HI> If therefore thou wilt not watch, I will come on thee as a theef, and thou &s;halt not know what houre I will come upon thee: by this we may &s;ee how nece&s;&s;ary this duty is,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet 5.8.</NOTE> and like|wi&s;e how it flowes from the afore&s;aid doctrine as a &s;treame from the fountain: for we mu&s;t watch, becau&s;e we have an adver&s;arie that &s;eeks to de|vour us, be &s;ober, be vigilent becau&s;e your ad|ver&s;ary the devil, as a roaring Lion, walketh about &s;eeking whom he may devour.</P>
<P>Lets con&s;ider what need the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t have to watch, to take heed, and to beware; their enemies are many and great, as the devil a potent adver&s;arie, and his baits very deceiving, as the world,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 4 9.</NOTE> and the plea&s;ures thereof, when he temp|ted Chri&s;t our beloved Lord, what was his baits? why the world, <HI>all this will I give thee,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>if thou wilt fall down and wor&s;hip me.</HI> If I &s;hould in|quire into the experience of the Servants of Chri&s;t, they would tell me, that the adver&s;ary of their peace layeth this bait before them al&s;o, &s;ugge&s;ting unto them, and &s;etting before them the glory, riches, greatne&s;&s;e, and honor of the world &s;aying, if thou for&s;ake this way of Religion thou art in, which thou maye&s;t do, and yet go to heaven,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The devill oft times per&s;wades men not|with&s;tand|ing they for|&s;ake the truth, they &s;hall go to heaven. but beware of him for he is a lyar.</NOTE> &s;aith he, then friends will cleave to thee, the world will love thee, whereas now they de&s;pi&s;e thee,
<PB N="51" REF="30">
then wilt thou be in the way of profiting thy &s;elf by thy trade, and make the be&s;t of it, though by lying and di&s;&s;embling a little,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh 15.19.</NOTE> &s;aying to the Sell|ler it is nought, but when he is gone thou prai&s;eth it, and by this means maye&s;t thou become rich,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 14.20.</NOTE> and &s;o have many friends, and be in repute and in the way of preferment, and come to places of honour in the world, and be called of men <HI>Rabby</HI>; thou art a fool to dote upon this di&s;pi&s;ed way of Religion thus as thou doe&s;t, and be made a &s;corn and a deri&s;ion of all: do not &s;o, thou maie&s;t delight thy &s;elf in plea&s;ures, and fle&s;hly lu&s;ts too, and &s;pend thy time merily while thou art here &amp;c. With the&s;e and &s;uch like temptations, doth Satan a&s;&s;ault Chri&s;ts &s;ervants, as he did him: what need then have they to &s;tand upon their watch, and to &s;et them&s;elves upon their watch tower lea&s;t they be catched by the&s;e baits, and &s;o be overcome by him? therefore, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2.1.</NOTE> <HI>put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to &s;tand again&s;t the wiles of the devil,</HI> and again,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 6.11.16.18.</NOTE> <HI>above all taking the &s;hield of faith, wherewith ye &s;hall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.</HI> What need have they then to pray alwaies, watching thereunto with all per&s;everance; &s;eeing they have to deal with &s;o potent an adver&s;ary, which otherwi&s;e may overcome them? what need have the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t to watch over their words and con&s;ider what they &s;peak,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.33. Jam. 2.26.</NOTE> &s;eeing <HI>evill communication cor|rupts good manners,</HI> and &s;eeing likewi&s;e that <HI>he that bridleth not his tongue his Religion is vain?</HI> ther|fore <HI>David</HI> de&s;ired the Lord to <HI>&s;et a watch before</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 144.3.</NOTE>
<PB N="52" REF="31">
his <HI>mouth, and to keep the door of his lips.</HI></P>
<P>Again, what need have the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t to &s;et a watch over their thoughts al&s;o, &s;eeing <HI>lu&s;t when it is conceived it brings forth &s;in,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.15.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;in when it is fini&s;hed brings forth death</HI>? therfore &s;aith <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 133.133</NOTE> <HI>I hate vain thoughts; but I love thy law</HI>: &s;uf|fer not thy thoughts then to runne after vanity, thou &s;ee&s;t there is danger in it: but make this good u&s;e (thou knowing there is danger) of this truth, let it teach thee to &s;tand upon thy watch, as our Lord &s;aith,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Marr 14.57.</NOTE> <HI>what I &s;ay unto you, I &s;ay unto all men, watch.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="&V;&s;e."><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.1.</NOTE>It teacheth us <HI>to run with patience the race that is &s;et before us,</HI> becau&s;e it is not for a time that we mu&s;t run, or part of the way: but it mu&s;t be the whole race to the end,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.4.</NOTE> till death, and the like: therefore the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>let patience have her perfect work</HI>;<NOTE PLACE="marg">He. 6.11.12</NOTE> we de&s;ire <HI>that every one of you do &s;hew the &s;ame diligence to the full a&s;&s;urence of hope unto the end, that ye be not &s;loathfull, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promi&s;e:</HI> the many reproaches, temptations, afflictions, &s;uf|ferings,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3.12.</NOTE> per&s;ecutions, impri&s;onments, yea and death it &s;elf, <HI>which they that will live godly in Chri&s;t Je&s;us</HI> are liable to &s;uffer, and to pa&s;&s;e through here, for the te&s;timony of Chri&s;t mu&s;t be endued with patience, <HI>thou therefore endure hardne&s;&s;e as a good Souldier of Je&s;us Christ,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24.13</NOTE> the&s;e things mu&s;t be indured if we will have the Crown, and that to the end too; <HI>for he that endureth to the end, &s;hall be &s;aved</HI>: if we faint in our minds and ca&s;t of our confidence and &s;o ca&s;t of Chri&s;t becau&s;e of the cro&s;&s;e, we &s;hall
<PB N="53" REF="31">
not reap, <HI>let us not be weary of well doing,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6.9.</NOTE> <HI>for in due &s;ea&s;on we &s;hall reap if we faint not; if we &s;uffer for Chri&s;t with patience, and indure the Cro&s;s,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.2. 2 Tim. 2.12</NOTE> <HI>and de&s;pi&s;e the &s;hame</HI> as he did, we &s;hall be glorifyed with him, but if in our &s;ufferings we are over|come and do deny him, <HI>he al&s;o will deny us,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.3.</NOTE> ther|fore <HI>let us con&s;ider him that &s;uffered &s;uch contradicti|ons of &s;inners, least we be wearied and faint in our minds,</HI> and <HI>take</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle of our Lord &s;aith) <HI>my brethren, the Prophets,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 5, 10.</NOTE> <HI>who have &s;poken in the name of the Lord, for an example of &s;uffering, affliction, and of patience</HI>; if we do not <HI>add patience to our faith,</HI> we may faint under our burden: let this truth ther|fore teach the Servants of the <HI>Lord</HI> to &s;uffer affli|ctions with patience, knowing that we &s;hall not reap if we faint: it is not &s;ufficient that we be faithful for a year nor years, it mu&s;t be <HI>unto death,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.10.</NOTE> <HI>if we will receive the Crown of life</HI>:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10 36.</NOTE> <HI>we have therefore need of patience that after we have done the will of God, we may receive the promi&s;e,</HI> but if we &s;hall &s;ay in our hearts: <HI>the Lord delaies his comming,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12.45.46.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;hall begin to beat the man &s;ervants and maydens, and to eat and drink and to be drunken,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 5.8.</NOTE> <HI>the Lord will come in a day we look not for him, and at an hour when we are not aware, and will cut us a &s;under, and appoint us our portion with unbelievers,</HI> therefore let us be patient &s;tabli&s;hed in our hearts, <HI>for the comming of the Lord draweth nigh.</HI></P>
<P>It teaches the &s;ervants of the Lord to walk <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> humbly with their God, fearing, and not high minded, they knowing that <HI>God re&s;i&s;teth the proud,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5.6.</NOTE> <HI>but he gives grace to the humble:</HI> God will as it were
<PB N="54" REF="32">
&s;et him&s;elf again&s;t the proud man who&s;oever he be,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 4.6. Prov. 3.34</NOTE> <HI>&s;urely he &s;corneth the &s;corner: but he giveth grace to the lowly,</HI> we mu&s;t not <HI>be high minded, but fear,</HI> for this cau&s;e, for he &s;pared not the natural bran|ches,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.20 Mat. 11.29. Col. 3.12. 1 Pet. 5.5.</NOTE> therefore take heed, le&s;t he &s;pare not thee: we mu&s;t learn of Chri&s;t to be of a meek and low|ly &s;pirit, put on humblene&s;&s;e, of mind, meekne&s;s, long &s;uffering &amp; <HI>be clothed with humility as with a garment,</HI> therefore <HI>Paul,</HI> that faithful &s;ervant of the Lord, humbled him&s;elf: I &s;aith he, <HI>keep under my body,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 9.27</NOTE> <HI>and bring it into &s;ubjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I my &s;elf &s;hould be a cast away.</HI> This &s;ervant of the Lord knew full well if he did not keep him&s;elf low and humble, but give way to the fle&s;h, and the ju&s;ts thereof, he might mi&s;carry, be a ca&s;t away: wherefore he&punc; &s;tirred up the &s;ervants of the Lord to cloth them&s;elves with this comly ornament which be|comes believing men, <HI>let nothing be done through &s;trife,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2.3.</NOTE> <HI>or vain glory, but in lowline&s;&s;e of mind, let each e&s;teem others better then them&s;elves:</HI> and this he &s;trives to fa&s;ten upon them from the graciou&s;|ne&s;&s;e and never to be forgotten example of our dear Lord, <HI>who though he was equall with God, yet he left that glory and humbled him&s;elf, for our &s;akes, and became obedient to death, that we might live</HI>: and therefore we mu&s;t be humble,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57.15.</NOTE> el&s;e God will not exalt us, God will not dwel with a proud per&s;on, <HI>but he will dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble &s;pirit; he hath &s;hewed thee oh man, what is good,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 6.8. ver&s;e 4.</NOTE> <HI>and what the Lord requires of thee, but to do ju&s;tly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="55" REF="32">It teaches the &s;ervants of the Lord to <HI>give dili|gence <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> to make their calling and election &s;ure,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet 2.10.</NOTE> <HI>and to work out their &s;alvation with fear and trembling,</HI> be|cau&s;e otherwi&s;e they may become unfruitful and barren, and &s;o be taken away from the vine;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2.12. Joh. 15.2.</NOTE> they mu&s;t therefore give diligence to make their cal|ing and election &s;ure, for if they &s;o do they &s;hall never fall; they mu&s;t work, the Lord doth require it, and work out their &s;alvation too with fear &amp; trembling,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64.5.</NOTE> for to &s;uch the Lord hath promi&s;ed his pre&s;ence, <HI>thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, tho&s;e that remember thee in thy wayes</HI>: God doth expect that his people &s;hould be a willing people: a people fruitful: a peo|ple giving all dilligence to add to their <HI>faith ver|tue: and to vertue knowledge,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1.5.6 7.8.</NOTE> <HI>and to knowledge tem|perance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godline&s;&s;e, and to godline&s;&s;e brotherly kindne&s;&s;e, and to brotherly kindne&s;&s;e charity,</HI> thus doing, <HI>ye &s;hall nei|ther be barren nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: but he that lacketh the&s;e things, is blind, and cannot &s;ee a far off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old &s;ins</HI>: But let the &s;ervants of the Lord do &s;o, and they &s;hall never fall <HI>viz.</HI> give diligence to make their calling and election &s;ure, by giving dilligence to add the&s;e to their faith, &amp;c.</P>
<P>It teacheth them to e&s;teem highly of the mini|&s;try <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> of Chri&s;t, and &s;o con&s;equently of his mini|&s;ters, who are &s;et over them as their feeders, know|ing that without they are fed, they may pine and and &s;o die, this is a duty that the Lord doth enjoin
<PB N="56" REF="33">
his people to do,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 5.12.13.</NOTE> <HI>and we be&s;eech you brethren to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admoni&s;h you, and e&s;teem them very highly in love, for their works &s;ake</HI> &amp;c. this it teaches Saints to do, and joyfully to receive from them that food, that is appointed for their &s;piritual nouri&s;hment and growth, and not to &s;light their profitable admonitions, which tend to the taking away any infection that may ari&s;e in them; which if not prevented in time may grow to a con&s;ump|tion, and &s;o in&s;tead of thriving under the mini|&s;try, they pine and wa&s;t, and &s;o at la&s;t die, (not) for want of food, but becau&s;e of an infection that may hinder the concoction, and &s;o the food be|come unprofitable unto them; which may be oc|ca&s;ioned by their &s;lighting them that are over them in the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.7.</NOTE> <HI>viz.</HI> by &s;lighting their labour and admonitions, and therefore the Hebrew Saints were put upon this duty, <HI>remember them which have the rule over you who have &s;poke unto you the word of God, who&s;e faith follow, con&s;idering the end of their conver&s;ation</HI>; and again, <HI>obey them that have the rule over you, and &s;ubmit your &s;elves, for they watch for your &s;ouls, as they that mu&s;t give an ac|count,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13.17.</NOTE> <HI>that they may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> It teacheth the &s;ervants of the Lord to &s;et a high e&s;timation on the word of God&punc; they knowing that to be &s;incere milk by which they mu&s;t be fed and grow,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.2.</NOTE> the good &s;ervant of the Lord the Prophet <HI>David,</HI> did highly e&s;teem of the word of the Lord:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm. 119 161.162.</NOTE> &s;aith he, <HI>princes have per&s;ecuted me with|out
<PB N="57" REF="33">
cau&s;e: but my heart &s;tandeth in awe of thy word,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 148.</NOTE> <HI>I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great &s;poil:</HI> again, <HI>mine eyes prevent the night watches,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 15.16.</NOTE> <HI>that I might meditate in thy word:</HI> &s;o likewi&s;e the Pro|phet Jeremiah, <HI>thy words were found, and I did eat them,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.21</NOTE> <HI>and thy words were unto me the joy and re|joicing of my heart</HI> &amp;c. to this duty the Apo&s;tle of our Lord doth pre&s;&s;e believers, <HI>wherefore laie a|part all filthine&s;&s;e and &s;uperfluity of naughtine&s;&s;e,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">119.103.</NOTE> <HI>and receive with meekne&s;&s;e the ingraffed word which is a|ble to &s;ave your &s;ouls</HI>;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 13.13</NOTE> <HI>how &s;weet are thy words unto my tast:</HI> &s;aith <HI>David,</HI> thus to do doth this truth teach us, becau&s;e <HI>who&s;o de&s;pi&s;eth the word &s;hall be destroyed:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 30.12.</NOTE> <HI>but he that feareth the commandements &s;hall be rawarded</HI>; and again, wherefore <HI>thus &s;aith the holy one of I&s;rael,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 66.2.5</NOTE> <HI>becau&s;e ye have di&s;pi&s;ed this word, and trust in oppre&s;&s;ion, and perver&s;ene&s;&s;e, and stay thereon, therefore this iniquity &s;hall be to you as a breach ready to fall, &s;welling out in a high wall, who&s;e breaking commeth &s;uddenly at an in&s;tant, for all tho&s;e things hath mine hand made, and all tho&s;e things have been, &s;aith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is pure, and of a contrite &s;pirit and trembleth at my word:</HI> the Lord is plea&s;ed to make gracious promi&s;es to &s;uch as highly e&s;teem of his word, but if we de&s;pi&s;e it we &s;hall be de&s;troyed:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 3.1.</NOTE> <HI>oh how precious is the word of the Lord</HI>? how &s;hould it then be di&s;ge&s;ted and received into our very hearts as our food, our councel, our light our lan|thorn le&s;t it be de&s;pi&s;ed, &s;o we pine, &s;tarve, dy and be de&s;troyed.</P>
<P>It teacheth the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t to e&s;teem <MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="&V;&s;e">
<PB N="58" REF="34">
highly of Go&s;pel ordinances of the precious in&s;ti|tutions of their precious lord, becau&s;e they know that they are the conveyances in which God is plea&s;ed to convey him&s;elf unto them, and be|cau&s;e without their obedience unto and faithfull walking in them they are in un&s;peakable danger of falling to de&s;truction, therefore &s;aith the Apo|&s;tle <HI>John,</HI> who&s;oever tran&s;gre&s;&s;eth and abideth not in the doctrine of Chri&s;t hath not God, he that abideth in the doctrine of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Joh. 9. Joh. 15.10.-14.21.24</NOTE> hath both the father and the &s;on: again Chri&s;t &s;aith, if ye keep my commandements, ye &s;hall abide in my love &amp;c. he that hath my commandments and keepeth them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.70.72.77.78.79.</NOTE> he it is that loveth me, he that keepeth my &s;ayings, &amp;c. the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t then mu&s;t highly e&s;teem of Chri&s;ts &s;ayings, doctrines, com|mandements &amp;c. for &s;o did they of old, the proud have forged a ly again&s;t me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart, their heart is as fat as grea&s;e, but I delight in thy law; the law of thy mouth is better to me then thou&s;onds of gold and &s;ilver: and again, O how thy comman|dements have made me wi&s;er then al my teachers, for thy te&s;timonies are my meditations: I under|&s;tand more then the antients, becau&s;e I keep thy precepts: here may we &s;ee how this &s;ervant of the lord did e&s;teem of the precepts of the lord and likewi&s;e what profit he received by his &s;o doing; what a &s;ad e&s;tate, and condition are they in that &s;et light by ordinances that ca&s;t them behind them and break the commandements of the Lord and teach men &s;o to do! the lord Chri&s;t will make
<PB N="59" REF="34">
as little account of them one day, for he &s;aith, why call you me lord lord and do not the things that I &s;ay? as if Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;ay you call me lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6.46.</NOTE> but why do you &s;o? how am I your lord, and you keep not my &s;ayings? If I were your lord you would keep my words, my commandements, you would &s;et an high e&s;teem of my ordinances, and the like, how many is there at this day that call Chri&s;t lord, and yet have no love to his te&s;timo|nies? how many that have owned Chri&s;t in his in&s;titutions, and yet have tran&s;gre&s;&s;ed and abide not in his doctrine but &s;light his ordinances &s;aying they are low things, as if they were too high to &s;ubmit to them, or having &s;ubmitted to them were grown too high to continue in them? and yet they call him Lord, the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> prai&s;'d the <HI>Corinthians</HI> for keeping the ordinances as he had delivered them unto them&punc;<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.2 2 Joh. 6.9.</NOTE> let this u&s;e be made therefore of this truth &s;eeing if we tran&s;|gre&s;&s;e and abide not in the doctrine of Chri&s;t we have not God.</P>
<P>It teacheth the &s;ervants of the Lord to continue <MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> in&s;tant in prayer praying fervently becau&s;e other|wi&s;e they may enter into temptation and &s;o be in danger of being overcome:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12.12 Jam. 5 16. Mat. 16 41. Mat. 6.13. Mar. 13 33. Mat. 24 42. 1 The. 5.17. Jam. 5.13.</NOTE> therefore &s;aith Chri&s;t watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation; &s;o Chri&s;t taught his di&s;ciples to pray, lead us not into temptation.</P>
<P>Again take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not when the time is, to this duty we are exhor|ted by the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t, to be in&s;tant in prayer, without cea&s;ing, is any afflicted, let him
<PB N="60" REF="35">
pray,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 4.2.</NOTE> continue in prayer, and watch in the &s;ame with thank&s;giving, be ye therefore &s;ober, watch unto prayer: and he &s;pake a parable unto them to this end,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 18.1.</NOTE> that men ought alwais to pray, &amp; not to faint, the good Lord will be &s;ought unto for &s;trength again&s;t temptations, prayer is one of the weapons which we mu&s;t overcome temptations withall,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 6.18</NOTE> and overcome Satan, yea and prevail with God, through bis dear Son, for &s;upplies of grace, that we may be able to &s;tand again&s;t our e|nemies in the day of tryal and adver&s;ity: let us therefore learn this good le&s;&s;en,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 65.2.</NOTE> to be in&s;tant in prayer:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 9.21.</NOTE> for God is a God hearing prayer, and will an&s;wer while we are yet &s;peaking, and what &s;oe|ver we ask in his Sons name,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 15.7.</NOTE> he will give it unto us, if we abide in him, and his word abide in us.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="9" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> It teacheth the Servants of the Lord to be con|&s;tant in hearing, and in reading the Scriptures, and to meditate in the law of the Lord they know|ing that it is a means by which they &s;hal be &s;treng|thned, fed and refre&s;hed, and without which they may grow feeble, therefore &s;aith the wi&s;dome of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov 8.32, 33, 34.</NOTE> now therefore hearken to me O ye children, for ble&s;&s;ed are they that keep my waies: hear in|&s;truction, and be wi&s;e and refu&s;e it not, ble&s;&s;ed is the man that heareth me,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1.5.</NOTE> watching dayly at my gates, waiting at the po&s;ts of my dores: a wi&s;e man will hear and increa&s;e learning,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 5.1.</NOTE> be more ready to hear then to give the &s;acrifice of fools, for they con&s;ider not that they do evil,<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 55.3.</NOTE> hear and your &s;oul &s;hall live: again, be &s;wift to hear and &s;low to &s;peak, &s;low to wrath:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.19.</NOTE> thus doth this truth teach us to
<PB N="61" REF="35">
hear con&s;tantly, yea &s;o to hear as to do what the the will of God is:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.22.</NOTE> for otherwies we deceive our &s;elves; it is not the hearer of the law which is ju|&s;tifyed, but the doer, therefore &s;aith Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.12.</NOTE> he that heareth the&s;e &s;ayings of mine and doth them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7.24.</NOTE> I will liken him to a wi&s;eman &amp;c. but if we refu&s;e to hear, God will &s;end a famine,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6.47.</NOTE> not a famine of bread nor of thir&s;t, but of hearing the word of the Lord: how doth it then behove the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t to be diligent hearers of the word in the&s;e daies of plenty,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos. 8.11.</NOTE> and to walk thankfully towards God in all well plea&s;ing, lea&s;t he &s;hould deprive them of &s;o great, rich and un&s;peakable a mer|cy?</P>
<P>It obligeth and incourageth the &s;ervants of the <MILESTONE N="10" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> Lord to &s;uffer per&s;ecution con&s;tantly for the te|&s;timony of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.12.</NOTE> they knowing that if they &s;uffer they &s;hall be glorifyed with him, but if they de|ny him; he will al&s;o deny them, this is that which the word of God doth much mind us of, <HI>viz.</HI> that they mu&s;t &s;uffer per&s;ecution,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.10.</NOTE> <HI>fear none of the&s;e things which thou &s;halt &s;uffer, behold the devill &s;hall ca&s;t &s;ome of you into pri&s;on, that ye may be tryed, and ye &s;hall have tribulation ten daies, be thou faithfull unto death, and I will give thee a Crown of life.</HI> The Lord, here gives a gracious encouragement, fear not, &s;aith he, none of the&s;e things which thou &s;halt &s;uffer, as if the Lord &s;hould &s;ay, &s;uffer thou mu&s;t, but be thou faithfull unto death, and I will give thee a Crown of life, thou &s;halt be rewarded with a &s;ufficient recompence, <HI>for our light afflicti|on, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
<PB N="62" REF="36">
more exceeding and eternall weight of glory,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4 17</NOTE> what an incouragement is this now, not to for&s;ake nor deny Chri&s;t &s;eeing there is a Crown,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12.13. 1 Co. 9.25. Mat. 16.26</NOTE> an eter|nal weight of glory too, for them that are faith|ful unto death, and do not deny Chri&s;t; what would not a man &s;uffer for a Crown, for glory, for a kingdome? who would for&s;ake a Crown of glory, a Kingdome, an incorruptible one al&s;o, for the &s;uffrings the light &amp; momentary affliction that may be &s;uffered here? what is it for a man to gain the whole world and lo&s;e his own &s;oul? or what &s;hall a man give in exchange for his Soul? therefore he that will &s;ave his life &s;hall lo&s;e it, that is, he that to &s;ave his life here will deny Chri&s;t, and not &s;uffer for his &s;ake, &s;hall lo&s;e his life in that to come: therefore nothing will be our gain if we do not hold fa&s;t, but great will be our lo&s;s, <HI>viz.</HI> our &s;ouls our lives, a Crown, a king+dome of glory: oh how &s;hould the &s;ervants of the lord be filling their hearts with the con&s;iderati|on of the excellency and glory of that kingdom,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.11&mdash; 2.17.26.27 28.-3.5.2.21&mdash;21.7.</NOTE> that they may hold fa&s;t that no man take their Crown, knowing that the promi&s;e is to him that overcommeth.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="11" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> It teacheth them to re&s;i&s;t Satan &s;tedfa&s;tly, they knowing that he goeth about as a roaring lion &s;eeking whom he may devour, and that he is an enemy that mu&s;t be re&s;i&s;ted, other|wi&s;e he may prevaile again&s;t them and overcome them: this may teach the &s;ervants of the lord to &s;tand upon their guard,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4.27</NOTE> and to re&s;i&s;t every temp|tation wherewith he doth indeavour to &s;urprize
<PB N="63" REF="36">
them, and narrowly to watch again&s;t his &s;ugge&s;ti|ons, for they are to give no place to the devill, but to learn with the Apo&s;tle not to be ignorant of his devi&s;es, that &s;o having on the whole armor of <HI>God</HI> they may be able to quench his fiery darts by re&s;i&s;ting of him with &s;tedfa&s;t faith, &s;eeing el&s;e they may be overcome by him, and catched in his &s;nares, like the &s;illy bird, who is catched in the net of the fowler.</P>
<P>It teacheth them to mortifie the deeds of the <MILESTONE N="12" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> fle&s;h, they knowing that that is al&s;o an enemy to them, to which duty we are exhorted,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3.5.</NOTE> mortifie your members that are upon the earth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.13.</NOTE> for if ye live after the fle&s;h ye &s;hall dy: but if ye through the &s;pirit do mortifie the deeds of the body,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 9.27</NOTE> ye &s;hall live; the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t mu&s;t not live af|ter the fle&s;h,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.11.</NOTE> they wil then come under condemna|tion, ver&s;. 1. therefore the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> kept un|der his body, and brought it under &s;ubjection; and the rea&s;on was, le&s;t he &s;hould be a ca&s;t away: the fle&s;h and the lu&s;ts therof do make war again&s;t the &s;oul, they mu&s;t not be &s;uffered to be predo|minant in the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t, for they are &s;tout warriers and will &s;lay, if they be not &s;layed.</P>
<P>It teacheth the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t to follow af|ter <MILESTONE N="13" UNIT="&V;&s;e"> peace and holine&s;&s;e, knowing that without it no man &s;hall ever &s;ee the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.14. P&s;al. 93.5 Luke 1.73.</NOTE> holyne&s;s becomming the hou&s;e of the Lord for ever, to this end was their Redemption wrought that they &s;hould &s;erve him in holine&s;&s;e and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e all the daies of their life; even &s;o now yield your members &s;ervants unto righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e unto holi|ne&s;&s;e,
<PB N="64" REF="37">
but now being made free from &s;in,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ro. 6.19.22</NOTE> and be|come &s;ervants to God, ye have your fruit unto holine&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4.7.</NOTE> and the end everla&s;ting life, for God hath not called us unto uncleanne&s;&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ay 6.3.</NOTE> but unto holine&s;&s;e, without holine&s;&s;e there is no &s;ight of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 3.3.</NOTE> how then &s;hould the &s;ervants of Chri&s;t la|bour after holine&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 7.1.</NOTE> otherwi&s;e they are unlike God he is holy,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 22.14.</NOTE> holy, holy, holy is the Lord, therefore they mu&s;t be holy as he is holy, and he that hath this hope in him purifieth him&s;elf even as he is pure:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 2.6.</NOTE><NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7.26.</NOTE> therefore having the&s;e promi&s;es let us clen&s;e our &s;elves from all filthyne&s;&s;e, both of fle&s;h and &s;pirit,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6.17.</NOTE> perfecting holine&s;&s;e in the fear of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 18.4.</NOTE> ble&s;&s;ed are they that do his command|ment that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in thorow the gates into the City:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5.11.</NOTE> he that &s;aith he is in him ought to walk even as he walked:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.2.</NOTE> now Chri&s;t was holy, for &s;uch an high Prie&s;t became us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jude 0.21.</NOTE> who is holy, harmle&s;&s;e&punc; undefi|led,<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ay 61.3.</NOTE> &s;eperate from &s;inners, and made higher then the heavens, we mu&s;t be holy, harmle&s;&s;e, un|defiled,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 6.16.</NOTE> &s;eperate from &s;inners as he was, for we mu&s;t walk as he walked;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12.14.</NOTE> therefore we are com|manded to come out from among&s;t them and be &s;eperate and touch no unclean thing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1.10.</NOTE> and have no fellow&s;hip with unfruitful works of darkne&s;s, but rather reprove them:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2.1, 2.</NOTE> to follow holine&s;&s;e will bring peace to the con&s;cience,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5.8.</NOTE> glory to God, adorn truth,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 6.13</NOTE> keep Satan at a di&s;tance, &s;trengthen the the things that remain, keep us in the love of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">He. 13.7.17</NOTE> make us appear to be trees of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e of the Lords planting,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.2.</NOTE> that he might be glori|fied,
<PB N="66" REF="37">
but if we be not followers after holine&s;&s;e we &s;hall never &s;ee the Lord in peace,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1.9.105.</NOTE> but rather be of that number that de&s;ire the rocks to fall on them to hide them from the face of the lamb;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 6.17.</NOTE> let the &s;ervants of the mo&s;t high God look about them,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.17.</NOTE> it will be worth their while to make their calling and election &s;ure,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24 4.5&punc;</NOTE> and to &s;tand upon their watch tower, they have many enemies who Li|on-like go about &s;eeking whom they may devour:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2.1.</NOTE> what need have they to take to them the whole armour of God that they may be able to &s;tand, and having done all to &s;tand? how &s;hould they e&s;teem of them that are &s;et over them, in the Lord: and their faith follow con&s;idering the end of their conver&s;ion, how &s;hould they e&s;teem of the word which is their milk, their light, their Lanthorn, their &s;word, with which they mu&s;t fight, and con|tend again&s;t all oppo&s;itions both of the devil and the fle&s;h, the world, plea&s;ures, profits, and pre|ferments thereof, how &s;hould they make the word their councel in all their actions, and not dare to pre&s;ume in any thing above what is writ|ten, lea&s;t they be overtaken with the error of the wicked and &s;o fall from their own &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e: how &s;hould they beware, and take heed of men, fal&s;e Chri&s;ts, fal&s;e prophets, and fal&s;e teachers, how &s;hould they try the &s;pirits whether they be of God or no, &s;eeing many fal&s;e Chri&s;ts, and pro|phets are already ri&s;en,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 4.1.-2.18.</NOTE> which deceive and be|guile the hearts of the &s;imple: how &s;hould they meditate in the law of the Lord,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;a. 119.78</NOTE> &s;tand fa&s;t in the faith without wavering, remember God in his
<PB N="66" REF="38">
way,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Co. 16.13. I&s;a. 64.5. Mich. 6 8. Jam. 1.12. Mat. 10 38. 1 The. 5.17. Luk. 21.36. Mat. 26.41. 2 Pet. 1.5.6.7, 8.9, 10.11.</NOTE> e&s;teem of Chri&s;ts in&s;titutions or Go&s;pel or|dinances, they are Gods conveyances in which he doth convey him&s;elf unto them: how ought they to walk humbly with their God, and to in|dure affliction patiently, to deny them&s;elves, take up their cro&s;s and follow Chri&s;t, otherwi&s;e they cannot be his di&s;ciples: how &s;hould they be fervent in prayer without cea&s;ing, lea&s;t they en|ter into temptation; to conclude, how &s;hould they follow after fruitfulne&s;&s;e, holine&s;&s;e, faith, vertue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godlyne&s;&s;e, brotherly kindne&s;&s;e, charity, for if the&s;e things be in them and abound, they will make them that they &s;hall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: but he that lacketh the&s;e things, is blind and cannot &s;ee afarr off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old &s;ins; wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election &s;ure, for if ye do the&s;e things ye &s;hall never fall, for &s;o an entrance &s;hall be mini&s;tred unto you abundan|tly into the everla&s;ting kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<PB REF="38">
<HEAD>POST-SCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>ALbeit it is mo&s;t undeniably evident that we are now fallen into tho&s;e last and mo&s;t perillous times, wherein it was fore&s;een and accordingly fore&s;hewn ex|pre&s;&s;ely by the &s;pirit that &s;ome &s;hould depart from the faith <HI>1 Tim. 4, 1.</HI> and we &s;ee it verified al&s;o by dayly ex|perience men, &s;ometimes eminent in religion, becoming lovers of them&s;elves, and lovers of plea&s;ures more then lovers of God, and &s;trangely mannered in every re&s;pect according as twas foretold they &s;hould in the latter a|ges by Paul <HI>2 Tim. 2.1, 2.</HI> &amp;c. yet I know this doctrine will not be received for truth by many: neverthele&s;&s;e I have di&s;charged my con&s;cience as in the pre&s;ence of God, that believers therby might be put in mind to hold fa&s;t that they have, the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of which I leave to the Lord.</P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
