But Mr Goodwin will not thus give over. He prefers his excep- tions to this testimony in another whole section; which, because the demonstration of the truth in hand from this place, though here handled by-the-by, is of great importance, and such as by its single strength is sufficient utterly to cast to the ground the figment set up in opposition to it, I shall present entirely to the reader, that our author may be heard out, and nothing omitted that he pleads for the waiving of the force of the argument in hand in that whole section. Thus, then, he proceeds: —
" Suppose that these two suppositions be granted to the inference makers, first, that this phrase, ' To go out from us,' signifies volun- tarily to forsake the society and communion of Christians; and, secondly, that this expression, ' To be of us,' signifies true and in- ward communion with those from whom they went out ; yet will not these contributions suffice for the firm building of the said inference. The reason is, because the apostle expressly saith that ' They would have continued with us;' not that they would have continued such as they were, in respect of the truth or essence of their faith. And if the apostle's scope in this place were to prove or affirm that they who are once true Christians, or believers, always continue such, then, when he saith ' They would have continued with us,' he must of necessity mean either that * They would have continued faithful as we continue faithful,' or else that ' They would have continued always in our society, or in the profession of Christianity.' But that neither of these senses is of any tolerable consistency is evident by the light of this consideration, namely, that the apostle then must have known that the persons he speaks of, and who went out from them, neither were nor ever had been true Christian believers, when they went thus from them. Now, if he had this knowledge of them, it must be supposed either that he had it by extraordinary revela-
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tion (but this is very improbable, and howsoever cannot be proved), or else that he gained and obtained it by their departure or going out from them: but that this could be no sufficient argument or ground to beget any such knowledge in the apostle concerning them is evident from hence, because it may very easily, and doth very fre- quently, come to pass that they who are true Christians do not always continue in the society to which they have joined themselves, no, nor yet in the external profession of Christianity itself; yea, our opposers themselves frequently, and without scruple, teach that even true believers themselves may, through fear, or shame, or extremity of sufferings, be brought to deny Christ, and, without any danger of being shipwrecked of their faith, forbear making a profession of the name of Christ afterward."
Ans. 1. What is meant and intended by these expressions, "Went out from us," and " To be of us," hath been declared. We are not to teach the Holy Ghost to speak. Whatever conceit we may have of our own abilities, when we deal with Avorms of the ' earth like ourselves, to his will, to his expressions, we must vail and submit. He is pleased to phrase their continuance in the faith, their "Continuance with us;" that is, with the saints in the fellowship and communion of the gospel, which they had with God in Christ. The expression is clear and evident to the purpose in hand, and there is no contending against it.
2. We do not say that it is the direct scope and intent of the apostle in this place to prove that those who are true believers can- not fall away and depart from the faith, — which he afterward doth to the purpose, chap. iii. 9 ; but his mind and intendment was, to manifest that those who forsake the society of Christians, and become antichrists and seducers, were indeed never true believers, using the other hypothesis as a medium for the confirmation of this as- sertion,
3. By that phrase, " They would have continued with us," the apostle intends their continuance in the society and fellowship of the faithful, by the profession of Jesus Christ, whom now they op- posed, denying him to be come in the flesh ; that is. They would not have so fallen off as they have done, upon the account of the estate and condition of true believers and real saints, who are kept by the power of God to salvation.
4. The apostle did know, and professed himself to know, that they were not, nor ever had been, true believers, when they Avere once so gone out from them as they went; as our Saviour Christ professed them not to have been true believers who followed him for a while, and were called and accounted his disciples, when they fell in an hour of temptation. Neither have we the least reason to sup- pose that the apostle had this knowledge by revelation, seeing the
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tiling itself, in reference and proportion to the principles he lays down of the continuance of believers, did openly proclaim it.