4. The sum is. If the Spirit and the flesh, lust and grace, may be looked on as habitual qualities and principles in the wills of the same persons, so that though a man hath but one will, yet, by reason of these contrary qualities, he is to be esteemed as having two diverse principles of operation, it is evident that, having contrary inclina- tions continually, the will hath in its actings a relation to both these principles, so that no sin is committed by such an one with his whole will and full consent. That contrary qualities in a remiss degree may be in the same subject is known " lippis et tonsoribus." These adverse principles, the flesh and Spirit, are as those contrary qualities of the same subject; and the inclinations, yea, and the elicit acts of the will, are of the same nature with them : so that in the same act they may both be working, though not with equal efficacy. Notwithstanding any thing, then, said to the contrary, it appears that in the sins which the saints fall into, they do not sin with their whole wills and fuU consent; which of itself is a suffi- cient answer to the foregoing argument.
620 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CIIAP.
Sect. 25 contains a discourse too long to be imposed upon the reader by a transcription. There are three parts of it: the first ren- dering a reason whence it is, that, " if the Spirit be stronger than the flesh, yet the flesh doth often prevail in its lustings." The se- cond, " The way of the Spirit's return, to act in us after its motions have been rejected." The third endeavours a proof of the proposi- tion denied, " That the saints sin with their full and whole consent," by the example of David.
For the first, he tells you, " That the Spirit acts not to the just efficacy of its vigour and strength, but only when his preventing motions are entertained and seconded with a suitable concurrence in the hearts and wills of men; through a deficiency and neglect whereof he is said to be 'grieved' and ' quenched,'— that is, to cease from other actings or movings in men. This truth is the ground of such and such sayings in the epistles of Paul : ' For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die ; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.' 'For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,' " etc.
Ans. The Spirit here intended by Mr Goodwin is the holy and blessed Spirit of grace. What his actings to the just efficacy of his vigour and strength are, Mr Goodwin doth not explain ; nor, indeed, notwithstanding the seeming significancy of that expression, is he able. It must be to. act either as much as he can or as much as he will. That the Holy Spirit, in opposing sin, acts to the utmost ex- tent of his omnipotency in any, I suppose will not be affirmed. If it be as much as ,he will, then the sense is, he will not in such cases act as much as he will. What that signifies we want some other expres- sive phrase to declare. To let this pass, let us see, in the next place, what his acting to this just efficacy are suspended upon ; it is, then, in case "his first preventing motions be received and seconded." But then, secondly, what are these "first preventing motions" of the Spirit? and what is it to entertain them with a suitable con- currence of the will? For the first, Mr Goodwin tells us in this section they are "motions of a xjool and soft inspiration." Such cloudy expressions, in a thing of this moment, are we forced to em- brace ! " Preventing motions of the Spirit" are either internal physical acts, in, with, and upon the wills of men, working in them to will and to do (called " preventing" from the actings of the wills themselves), or they are moral insinuations and persuasions to good, according to the analogy of the doctrine Mr Goodwin hath espoused. It is the latter only that are here intended. The "preventing mo- tions of the Spirit" are his moral persuasions of the will to the good proposed to its consideration.
See, then, in the next place, what it is to "second and entertain these motious with a suitable concurrence in the heart and will."
XV.] THE SINS OF BELIEVERS CONSIDERED. 521
Now, this must be either to yield obedience to these motions, and do the good persuaded unto, or something else. If any thing else, we desire to know of Mr Goodwin what it is, and wherein it consists. If it be to do the good persuaded to, then what becomes, I pray you, of those " subsequent helps" which are suspended upon this obedi- ence, when the thing itself is already performed which their help and assistance is required unto? They may well be called "subse- quent motions" which are never used nor applied but when the things whereunto they move and provoke are beforehand ac- complished and performed; yea, they are suspended on that con- dition.
Farther; wherein do these "subsequent helps," as it is expressed, which move at a more high and glorious rate, consist? We have had it sufficiently argued already, to a thorough conviction of what is Mr Goodwin's judgment in this matter, namely, that he acknow- ledgeth no operations in or upon the wiUs of men but what are moral, by the way of persuasion, contending, to the utmost efficacy of his vigour and strength in disputing, that there is an inconsistency be- tween physical, internal operations in or upon the will of men, and moral exhortations or persuasions, as to the production of the same effect. This, then, is the frame of this fine discourse : " If, upon the Spirit's first persuasion to good, men yield obedience and do it ac- cordingly, the Spirit will then with more power and vigour move them when they have done it, and persuade them to do it." That this discourse of his doth readily administer occasion and advantage to retort upon him his third argument, formerly considered, of im- posing incoherent and inconsistent reasonings and actings upon God in his dealings with men, the intelligent reader will quickly find out; — and it were an easy thing to erect a theatre, and, upon Mr Goodwin's principles, to personate the Almighty with an incongruous and incoherent discourse; but we fear God.