The Doctrine of the Saints' Perseverance

Here we have the strength (as will be manifest in the progress of our Discourse) of what Mr Goodwin hath,¹ to make good his former strange Assertion; Whether it will amount to a necessary proof or no, may appear upon these ensuing Considerations.

Here we have the strength (as will be manifest in the progresse of our Discourse) of what Mr Goodwin hath,¹ to make good his former strange Assertion; Whether it will amount to a necessary proofe or no, may appeare upon these ensuing Considerations.

1. 1§. 22.

1. First: The Reason intimated, being taken neither from the Text under debate, nor the Context, nor any other place, where any concernement of the Doctrine therein contained, is touched, or pointed at, there being also no Coincidence of phrase or expression in the one place and the other here compared: I cannot but admire by what Rules of Interpretation M. Goodwin doth proceed, to make one of these places exegetical of the other. Though this way of Arguing hath been mainly, and almost solely insisted on of late, ⟨p. 63⟩by the Socinians, viz. Such a word is in another place used to another purpose, or in another sense, therefore this cannot be the necessary sense of it in this: yet it is not only confuted over and over, as irrational, and unconcluding, but generally exploded, as an Invention suited only to shake all Certainty whatever in matters of Faith, and Revelation. Mr Goodwin in his instance goes not so far, (or rather he goes farther, because his instance goes not so far) there being no likeliness, much less sameness of Expression in those Texts, which he produces to weaken the obvious, and literally exposed sense of the other insisted on therewith. To wave the force of the inference from the words of the Holy Ghost, (seeing nothing in the least intimated in the place will give in any assistance thereunto.) First,