Ans. 1. It was evident before that this promise was made to the disciples of Christ as believers, to quicken and strengthen their failing, drooj^ing faith, in and under that great trial of losing the presence of their Master which they were to undergo; and being made unto them as believers, though upon a particular occasion, is made to all believers for " a quatenus ad omne valet argumen- tum."
2. It is no less evident that, according to the interpretation here, without the least attempt of proof, importunately suggested, the pro- mise is no way suited to give the least encouragement or consolation unto the disciples, in reference to the condition upon the account whereof it is now so solemnly given them. It is all one as if our Saviour should have said, " You are sadly troubled indeed, yea, your hearts are filled with trouble and fear, because I have told you that I must leave you. Be not so dejected. I have kept you whilst I have
S20 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTs' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
been with you in the world, and now I go away, and will send the Holy Spirit into the world ; and, whatsoever becomes of you, or any of you, whether ye have any consolation or no, he shall abide in the world, perhaps, with some or other (that is, if any do believe, which it may be some will, it may be not) until the end and consummation of it."
S. Is this promise of sending the Holy Spirit given to the apos- tles, or is it not? If you say not, assign whom it is given or made unto. Christ spake it to them, and doubtless they thought he in- tended them, and it was wholly suited to their condition. If it were made unto them, is it not in the letter of the promise affirmed that the Spirit shall abide with them for ever to whom it was given? If there be any subject of this promise in receiving the Spirit, he must of necessity keep his residence and abode with it for ever. The whole design of this section is to put the persons to whom this pro- mise is made into the dark, that we may not see them ; yea, to deny that it is made to any persons at all, as the recipient subject of the grace thereof. He tells you that " he abides in the world." How, I pray? Doubtless not as the unclean spirit, that goes up and down in dry places, seeking rest and finding none. Christ promiseth his Spirit to his church, not to the world, — to dwell in the hearts of his, not to wander up and down. Nay, he abides with the apostles and their spiritual posterity ; that is, believers, in our Saviour's interpre- tation, John xvii. 20, Are they, then, and their posterity, (that is, believers), the persons to whom this promise is made, and who are concerned in it, with whom, as he is promised, he is to abide? This you can scarcely find out an answer to in the whole discourse. He tells you, indeed, the Holy Ghost was not to die, with such other rare notions; but for any persons particularly intended in this pro- mise, we are still in the dark.
3. He tells us, " That from such an abiding of the Holy Ghost with them as this, cannot be enforced his perpetual abiding with any one person dcterminately." But what kind of abiding it is that he intends is not easily apprehended. If on the account of this promise he is given to any person, on the same account he is to abide with the same person for ever. That which he seems to intend is the presence of the Spirit in the administration of the word, to make it effectual unto them to whom it is delivered, when the pro- mise is to give him as a comforter to them on whom he is bestowed. But he adds, sect. 14, —
4. "And lastly, The particle iVa doth not always import the cer- tainty of the thing spoken of, by way of event (no, not when the speech is of God himself), but ofttimes the intention only of the agent: so that the words, 'That he may abide with you for ever' do not imply an absolute necessity of his abiding with them for ever,
VII.] THE MEDIATION OF CHRIST. 321
but only this, that it should be the intent of him that should send him, and that he would send him in such a way, that, if they were true to their own interest, they might retain him and have his abode with them for ever. Turn the words any way, with any tolerable congruity, either to the scope of the place, manner of Scripture ex- pression, principles of reason, and the doctrine of perseverance will be found to have nothing in them."
Ans. 1. This is the -Trdvcofov ipap/xaxov, that, when all medicines will not heal, must serve to skin the wound given our adversaries' cause by the sword of the word: " The promise is made unto believers, in- deed ; but on such and such conditions as on the account whereof it may never be accomplished towards them." 2. This no way suits Mr Goodwin's interpretation of the place formerly mentioned and insisted on. If it be, as was said, only a promise of sending his Spirit into the world for the end by him insinuated, doubtless the word iva must denote the event of the thing, and not an intention only that might fail of accomplishment; for let all or any indivi- duals behave themselves how they will, it is certain, as to the ac- complishment and event, that the Spirit of God shall be continued in the world, in the sense pleaded for. But it is not what is con- gruous to his own thoughts, but what may oppose ours (that is, the plain and obvious sense of the words), that he is concerned to make use of. It being not the sense of the place, but an escaping our argument from it, that lies in his design, he cares not how many contrary and inconsistent interpretations he gives of it. "Usee non successit, alia aggrediemur via." The word 'iva denotes, as is con- fessed, the intention of Christ in sending the Spirit; that is, that he intends to send him to believers, so as that he should abide with them for ever. Now, besides the impossibility in general that the intention of God, or of the Lord Christ, as God and man, should be frustrate, whence in particular should it come to pass he should fail in this his intention? "I will send you the Holy Spirit, to abide with you for ever;" that is, "I intend to send you the Holy Spirit, that he may abide with you for ever." What, now, should hinder this? "Why, it is given them upon condition that they be 'true to their own interest, and take care to retain him.'" What is that, I pray? " Why, that they continue in faith, obedience, repentance, and close walking with God." But to what end is it that he is promised unto them? is it not to teach them, to work in them faith, obedience, re- pentance, and close walking with God, to sanctify them throughout, and preserve them blameless to the end, making them "meet for the inheritance of the saints in light?" " In case they obey, be- lieve, etc., the Holy Ghost is promised unto them, to abide with them, to cause them to obey, believe, repent, etc." 8. The intention of Christ for the sending of the Spirit, and his abiding for ever with