Ans. But "carbones pro thesauro." If it be possible, this, being of the same nature with that which went before, is more weak and in- firm, as illogical and sophistical as it. The whole strength of it lies in a supposal that those who are so called as here is intimated in the text, — called according to the purpose of God, called to answer the design of God to make them like to Jesus Christ, so called as to be hereupon justified, — may yet lay such bars of wickedness and un- belief in their own way, when they are so called, as not to be justi- fied, when that calling of theirs consists in the effectual removal of all those bars of wickedness and unbelief y^hich might hinder their free and gracious acceptation with God; that is, that they may be called effectually and not effectually. A supposal hereof is the strength of that consideration which yielded Mr Goodwin this demonstration. His eminent way of arguing herein will also be farther manifest, if you shall consider that the very thing which he pretends to prove is that which he here useth for the medium to prove it, not varied in the least! "Si Pergama dextra,"etc. But Mr Goodwin foresav/ (as it was easy for him to do) what would be excepted to this last argu- ment,— to wit, that the calling here mentioned effectually removes those bars of wickedness and unbelief, a supposal whereof is all the strength and vigour it hath; and in that supposal there is a plain assuming of the thing in question, and a bare contradiction to that which from the place we prove and confirm. Wherefore, he answer- eth sundry things: —
First, That " Judas, Demas, Simon Magus, were all called, and yet laid bars of wickedness and unbelief, whereby their justification was obstructed." And to the repty, that they were not so called as those mentioned in the text, not called according to God's purpose, with that calling which flows from their predestination to be con- formed unto Christ, with that calling which is held out as an effect- ual mean to accomplish the end of God in causing all things to work together for their good, and therefore that the strength of this answer lies in the interposition of his own hypothesis once more, and his re- newed request for a grant of the thing in question, — he proceeds to
174 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PEllSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
take away this exception by sundry cross assertions and interroga- tions. Sect. 45, "It hath not been proved," saith he, "by any man, nor I believe ever will be" (sir, we live not by your faith), " that the calling here spoken of imports any such act or work of God whereby the called are irresistibly necessitated savingly to believe. If it import no such thing as this, what hinders but that the persons mentioned might have been called by that very kind of calling here spoken of?"
Ans. It is known what Mr Goodwin aims at in that expression, " Irresistibly necessitated savingly to believe;" we will not contend about words. Neither of the two first terms mentioned is either willingly used of us or can be properly used by any, in reference to the work of conversion or calling. What we own in them relates, as to the first term, " irresistibly," to the grace of God calling or convert- ing; and in the latter, " necessitated," to the event of the call itself If by "irresistibly" you intend the maimer of operation of that effect- ual grace of God (not which conquers in a reaction, Avhich properly may be termed so, but) which really, and therefore certainly (for "unumquodque, quod est, dum est, necessario est"), produces its effect, not by forcing the will, but, being as intimate to it as itself, making it willing, etc., we own it. And if by "necessitated" you understand only the event of things, — that is, it is of necessity as to the event that they shall savingly believe who are effectually called, without the least straitening or necessitating their wills in their conversion, which are still acted suitably to their native liberty, — we close with that term also, and affirm that the calling here mentioned imports such an act of God's gi'ace as whereby they who are called are effect- ually and infallibly brought savingly to believe, and so, consequen- tially, that the persons whose wickedness and unbelief abide upon them were never called with this calling here contended about. They who are not predestinated a parte ante, nor glorified a parte post, are not partakers of this calling. I must add, that as yet I have not met with any proof of Mr Goodwin's interpretation, nor any exception against ours, that is not resolvable into the same prin- ciple of craving the thing in question, producing the thing to be proved as its own demonstration, and asserting the things proved against him not to be so because they are not so. From the design and scope of the place, the intendment of the Holy Ghost in it, the meaning of the words, the relation and respect wherein the acts of God mentioned stand one to another, the disappointment of God's purpose and decree in case of any interruption of them or non-pro- ducing of the effects, which lead the subjects of whom they are spoken from one to another, we prove the infallible efficacy of every act of God's grace here mentioned as to their tendency unto the end aimed at; and this he that is called to believe may infallibly do.