Another burden upon the shoulders of Mr Goodwin's doctrine, whereof he labours to deliver it, is the great absurdity of the repeti- tion of regeneration, whereof there is no mention at all in the Scrip- ture, and which yet must be asserted by him, unless he will affirm all that fall away at any time irrecoverably to perish; which howso- ever he waives at present, were with much more probability, according to his own principles, to be maintained than what he insisteth on.
" But this repetition of regeneration," saith he, " is not unworthy
550 DocTiiiNE or THE saints' pehseverance. [cuap.
God, and for men a blessed and happy accommodation." Whether it be " unworthy God" or no, the Scripture and the nature of the thing will declare. The " accommodation" that it seems to afford unto men, being a plain encouragement to sin at the highest rate imaginable, will perhaps not be found so happy and blessed unto them. With great noise and clamour hath a charge been managed against the doctrine of the saints' perseverance, upon the account of its giving supportment to the thoughts of men in and under the ways of sin. Whether truth and righteousness have been regarded in that charge hath been considered. Doubtless it were a matter of no difficulty clearly to evince that this doctrine of the "repetition of regeneration" is of the very same tendency and import with that which is falsely and injuriously charged upon that of the perseverance of the saints. The worst that a man thinks he can do by any act of sin is but to sin himself quite out of the favour of God, into a state of death and desert of wrath. He can no farther injure his soul than to cast it into the condition of men by nature. Tell this man, now, whom you suppose to be under the temptation to sin, at least to have in him that great fool the flesh, which longs for blessed accommoda- tions to itself, whilst it makes provision to fulfil its lusts, that if he should so do, this is an ordinary thing for men to do, and yet to be re- newed again and to have a second regeneration, — doyounot encourage him to venture boldly to satisfy his sinful desires, having such a re- lief against the worst that his thoughts and fears can suggest to him? But whatever it be, in respect of God or men, yet that so it may be Mr Goodwin proves from Heb. vi. 6, where it is said, that " it is impossible to renew" some "to repentance;" wherefore some maybe renewed; — and in Jude 12 men are said to be " twice dead;" there- fore they may live twice spiritually. The first proof seems somewhat uncouth. The persons spoken of in that place are in Mr G.'s judg- ment believers. There is no place of Scripture wherein he more triumphs in his endeavoured confirmation of his thesis. The Holy Ghost says expressly of them that it is " impossible to renew them;" *' therefore," says Mr G., " it is possible." What is of emphasis in the argument mentioned ariseth from two things: — 1. That they are true believers; of which afterward. 2. That they fall totally away. This, then, is the importance of Mr G.'s plea from this place, " If true believers fall totally away, it is impossible they should be re- newed to repentance ; therefore, if true believers fall totally away, it is possible they should be renewed to and by repentance." That there is a falling away and a renewing again by repentance of the same persons, we grant. That falling away is partial only which is incident unto true believers, who, when God heals their backslidings, are renewed by repentance. To be renewed by repentance is also taken either for the renovation of our natures and our change as
XV.] THE SINS OF BELIEVERS CONSIDERED, 551
unto state and condition, and so it is the same with regeneration, and not to be repeated; or for a recovery by repentance in respect of personal faiHngs, so it is the daily work of our lives. Jude says, some are " twice dead;" that is, utterly so, — an hyperbolical expression, to aggravate their condition. Those to whom the gospel is a " savour of death unto death" may well be said to be " twice dead." Unto the death that they are involved in and are obnoxious to by nature they add a second death, or rather, seal up their souls under the power and misery of the other, by contempt of the means of life and recovery. Therefore, regeneration may be reiterated, "Quod erat de- monstrandum."
Much of the section that remains is taken up in declaring, in many words, without the least attempt of proof, that it is agreeable to the honour of God to renew men totally fallen away ; that is, when those who have been quickened by him, washed in the blood of his Son, made partakers of the divine nature, embraced in the arms of his love, shall despise all this, " disfaith themselves," reject the Lord and his love, trample on the blood of the covenant, kill their souls by depriving them of spiritual life, proclaim to all the world their dislike of him and his covenant of grace. Yet, though He hath not anywhere revealed that he will permit any one so to do, or that he will accept of them again upon their so doing, Mr Goodwin affirming that for him so to do is agreeable to his holiness and righteousness, it is fit that those who conceive themselves bound to believe whatever he says should think so too. For my part, I am at liberty.