2. That believers fall not into great sins at any time by the mej'e strength of indwelling sin, unless it be in conjunction with some violent outward temptation exceedingly surprising them; either by weakening all ways and means whereby the principle of grace should exert itself, as in the case of Peter; or by sudden heightening of their corruption by some overpowering objects, attended with all circum- stances of prevalency, not without God's withholding his special grace in an eminent manner, for ends best known to himself, as in the case of David. Hence it is that, even in such sins, we say they sin out of infirmity; that is, not out of prepense deliberation as to sin, not out of malice, not out of love to or delight in sin, but merely through want of strength, when overborne by the power of temptation.
This Mr Goodwin frames as an objection to himself, in the pursuit of the vindication of the argument under consideration, sect. 23 : —
" Others plead, ' That there is no reason to conceive that true be- lievers, though they perpetrate the works of the flesh, should be excluded from the kingdom of heaven upon this account; because when they sin in this kind, they sin out of infirmity, and not out of malice.' "
Ans. I was not to choose what objections Mr Goodwin should answer, nor had the framing of them which he chose to deal withal, and therefore must be contented with them as he is pleased to afford them to us; only, if I may be allowed to speak in this case, — and I know I have the consent of many concerned in it, — I should somewhat otherwise frame this objection or answer, being partly persuaded that
XV.] THE SINS OF BELIEVERS CONSIDERED. 537
Mr Good\vin did not fiud it, but framed it himself into the shape wherein it here appeara I say, then, that the saints of God sin out of infirmity onl}'', not maliciously, nor deditd opera, in cool blood, nor with their whole hearts, but purely upon the account of the weak- ness of their graces, being overpowered by the strength of temptation ; and therefore cannot so perpetrate the works of the flesh and in such a way as must, according to the tenor of the covenant wherein they walk with God, not only deserve rejection and damnation, but also be abso- lutely and indispensably exclusive of them from the kingdom of God. What Mr Goodwin hath drawn forth to take off in any measure the truth of this assertion shall be considered. He says, then, —
" To say that true believers, or any other men, do perpetrate the works of the flesh out of infirmity involves a contradiction; for to do the works of the flesh implies the dominion of the flesh in the doers of them, which in sins of infirmity hath no place. The apostle clearly intimates the nature of sins of infirmity in that to the Gala- tians, 'Beloved, if any man be overtaken with a fault' ('ffpoX^^p^fi), — ' be prevented, or taken at unawares." When a man's foot is taken in the snare of a temptation, only through a defect of that spiritual watchfulness over himself and his ways which he ought to keep con- stantly, and so sinneth, contrary to the habitual and standing frame of his heart, this man sinneth out of infirmity; but he that thus sinneth cannot, in Scripture phrase, be said either to walk or to live according to the flesh, or to do the works of the flesh, or to do the lusts or desires of the flesh, because none of these are anywhere ascribed unto or charged upon true believers, but only upon such persons who are enemies unto God and children of wrath."
A71S. This being the substance of all that is spoken to the business in hand, I have transcribed it at large, that with its answer it may at once lie under the reader's view. I say, then, —
1. We give this reason that " believers cannot perpetrate the works of the flesh" in the sense contended about, because they sin out of infirmity; and do not say that they so "perpetrate the works of the flesh out of infirmity." But if by "perpetrating the works of the flesh" you intend only the bringing forth at any time, or under any tempta- tion whatsoever, any fruits of the flesh, such as every sin is, that this may not be done out of infirmity, or that it involves a contradiction to say so, is indeed not to know what you say, to contradict yourself, and to deny that there be any sins of infirmity at all, which that there are you granted in the words foregoing, and describe the nature of it in the words following. They, doubtless, in whom the flesh al- ways lusteth against the Spirit are sometimes led away and enticed by their own lusts, so as to bring forth the fruits of it.
2. If " to do the works of the flesh" imports with you, as indeed in itself it doth, the predominancy and dominion of the flesh iu
538 DOCTRINE OF THE SAIMTs' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
them tliat do the works thereof, we wholly deny that believers can so do the works of the flesh ; as upon other reasons, so partly because they sin out of infirmity, which sufficiently argues that the flesh hath not the dominion in them, for then they should not through infir- mity be captivated to it, but should willingly " yield up their mem- bers as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin."