However, then, the word in the Scripture may be variously taken, yet here it is, from adjacent circumstances, evidently restrained to such a signification as, in respect of the event, absolutely rejecteth the thing denied. The gradation of the apostle also leadeth us to it. " He sinneth not," nay, " he cannot sin." " He cannot sin" riseth in the assertion of that before expressed, "He sinneth not;" which absolutely rejecteth the gloss that some seek to put upon the words, namely, " That ' cannot sin' is no more but ' cannot sin easily, and cannot sin but as it were with difficulty, such is the antipathy and habitual opposition which they have to sin,""" which Mr Goodwin ad- hereth unto: for besides that this is in itself false, there beinsf no such antipathy in any to sin but that they may easily fall into it, yea, and with great difficulty and labour do restrain [themselves] from it, as the apostle argueth at large, Rom. vii, ; so is it also flatly contradictory to the words themselves. The apostle saith, " He that is born of God sinneth not, cannot sin." " He can sin," saith this gloss, " though difficultly." Now, he that can sin difficultly, can sin. " Can sin" and " cannot sin " are flatly contradictory. He cannot, then, sin at all the sin that is intended in the place of whom it is said, " He cannot sin."
Thus we have cleared the first proposition in the words, both as to the subject, " Every one that is born of God," and the predicate,
568 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTs' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
"Siunetli not, cannot sin;" which last expression, taken in its only proper and most usual signification, denoteth an impossibility of the event, and plainly confirmeth in direct terms the position we insist on from the words.
Mr Goodwin knoweth not well (if I am able to gather any thing of his thoughts from his expressions to the argument in hand) what to say to this assertion of the apostle. The argument he intendeth to deal withal from the place he casteth into this form : " He that sin- neth not, neither can sin, cannot fall away; 'whosoever is born of God sinneth not, neither can sin:' ergo."
Coming to the consideration of that expression, " Cannot sin," he findeth out, as he supposeth, four several acceptations in the Scrip- ture of the word " cannot," and giveth us an account of his thoughts upon the consideration of them, — that in respect of these senses both propositions are false. Now, one of the propositions being the express language and literal expression of the Holy Ghost, not varied in the least, there is no way to relieve himself from being thought and con- ceived to give the lie to the blessed Spirit of God, by flatly denying what he peremptorily affirmeth, but only by denying the word " can- not" to be taken in this place in any of the senses before mentioned. Doth he then fix on this course for his own extrication? doth he give in another sense of the word, which he accepts, and grants that in that sense the affirmation of the Holy Ghost may be true? Not in the least ; yea, plainly, for one of the senses he supposeth himself to have found out of the word " cannot," — namely, that it is said of men they cannot do such or such a thing, because of their averseness and indisposition to it, which he exemplifieth in that of Christ to the Pharisees, John viii. 43, — he afterward more than insinuateth that this is the sense wherein the words " Cannot sin" are in this place to be taken, sect. 34 : so that he will not allow the Holy Ghost to speak the truth, although he take his words in what sense lie pleasetb ; yea, and adding a fifth sense, sect. 31 (which is all, it seemeth, he could find out, for we have heard not of any more), he denieth that to bo the meaning of the place: and so shutteth up the mind of the Holy Ghost into some of those significations wherein if the words be taken, he saith, they are false. The discourse of Mr Goodwin, sect. 28-30 (being taken up with the consideration of the various signifi- cations of the word " cannot," and his inferences thereon, taking it in this place, this way or that way, then it is so or so, showing himself very skilful at fencing and warding off the force of our arguments, — as perhaps his thoughts of himself were upon a review of what he had done), we arc not concerned in. And though it were very easy to manifest that, in the distribution of his instances for the exemplifica- tion of the several significations which in part he feigneth and fast- eneth upon the words, he hath been overtaken with many gross mis-
XV.] THE SINS OF BELIEVERS CONSIDERED. 569
takes, some of them occasioned by other corrupt principles than those now under consideration, yet none of the senses insisted on by him coming really up to the intendment of the Holy Ghost, without any disadvantage to our cause in hand, being wholly unconcerned therein, we may pass by that whole harangue.