"For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."

I answer, First, These affirm nothing of a daily and continual sinning, so as never to be redeemed from it; but only that all have sinned, or that there is none that doth not sin, though not always, so as never to cease to sin; and in this lies the question. Yea, in that place of the Kings he speaks within two verses of the returning of such with all their souls and hearts; which implies a possibility of leaving off sin.

They object some expressions of the apostle Paul, Rom. viii. 19. "For the good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do." And verse 24. "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

I answer, This place infers nothing, unless it were apparent that the apostle here were speaking of his own condition, and not rather in the person of others, or what he himself had sometimes borne; which is frequent in scripture, as in the case of cursing, in James before mentioned. But there is nothing in the text that doth clearly signify the apostle to be speaking of himself, or of a condition he was then under, or was always to be under; yea, on the contrary, in the former chapter, as afore is at large shewn, he declares, they were dead to sin; demanding how such should yet live any longer therein? Secondly, It ap

pears that the apostle personated one not yet come to a spiritual condition, in that he saith, verse 14. "But I am carnal, sold under sin." Now is it to be imagined that the apostle Paul, as to his own proper condition, when he wrote that epistle, was a carnal man, who in chap. i. testifies of himself, that he was 66 separated to be an apostle, capable to impart to the Romans spiritual gifts;" and chap. viii. ver. 2. that "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had made him free from the law of sin and death?" So then he was not carnal. And seeing there are spiritual men in this life, as our adversaries will not deny, and is intimated through the whole eighth chapter to the Romans, it will not be denied but the apostle was one of them so then as his calling himself carnal in chap. vii. cannot be understood of his own proper state, neither can the rest of what he speaks there of that kind be so understood: yea after verse 24. where he makes that exclamation, he adds in the next verse, "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord;" signifying that by him he witnessed deliverance; and so goeth on, shewing how he had obtained it, in the next chapter, viz. viii. ver. 35. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" And ver. 37. "But in all these things we are more than conquerors:" and in the last verse, "Nothing shall be able to separate us," &c. But wherever there is a continuing in sin, there is a separation in some degree, seeing

every sin is contrary to God, and a transgression of the law, 1 John iii. 4. and whoever committeth the least sin, is overcome of it, and so in that respect is not a conqueror, but conquered. This condition then, which the apostle plainly testified he with some others had obtained, could not consist with continual remaining and abiding in sin. They object the faults and sins of several eminent saints, as Noah, David, &c.

I answer, That doth not at all prove the case: for the question is not whether good men may not fall into sin, which is not denied; but whether it be not possible for them not to sin? It will not follow because these men sinned, that therefore they were never free of sin, but always sinned.

Lastly, They object, That if perfection or freedom from sin be attainable, this will render mortification of sin useless, and make the blood of Christ of no service to us, neither need we any more pray for forgiveness of sins.

I answer, I had almost omitted this objection, because of the manifest absurdity of it: for can mortification of sin be useless, where the end of it is obtained? seeing there is no attaining of this perfection but by mortification. Doth the hope and belief of overcoming render the fight unnecessary? Let rational men judge which hath most sense in it, to say as our adversaries do, "It is necessary that we fight and wrestle, but we must never think of overcoming, we must resolve still

to be overcome;" or to say, "Let us fight, because we may overcome?" Whether do such as believe they may be cleansed by it, or those that believe they can never be cleansed by it, render the blood of Christ most effectual? If two men were both grievously diseased, and applied themselves to a physician for remedy, which of those do most commend the physician and his cure, he that believeth he may be cured by him, and as he feels himself cured, confesseth that he is so, and so can say this is a skilful physician, this is a good medicine, behold I am made whole by it, or he that never is cured, nor ever believes that he can so long as he lives? As for praying for forgiveness, we deny it not; for that all have sinned, and therefore all need to pray that their sins past may be blotted out, and that they may be daily preserved from sinning. And if hoping or believing to be made free from sin, hinders praying for forgiveness of sin, it would follow by the same inference that men ought not to forsake murder, adultery, or any of these gross evils, seeing the more men are sinful, the more plentiful occasion there would be of asking forgiveness of sin, and the more work for mortification. But the apostle had sufficiently refuted such sin-pleasing cavils in these words, "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid." Rom. vi. 1, 2.

Blessed then are they that believe in him, who is both able and willing to deliver as many as

come to him through true repentance from all sin, and do not resolve, as these men do, to be the devil's servants all their life time, but daily go on forsaking unrighteousness, and forgetting those things that are behind, press forward toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; such shall not find their faith and confidence to be in vain, but in due time shall be made conquerors through him in whom they have believed; and so overcoming, shall be established as pillars in the house of God, so as they shall go no more out, Rev. iii. 12.

CONCERNING PERSEVERANCE, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF FALLING FROM GRACE.

Although this gift and inward grace of God be sufficient to work out salvation, yet in those in whom it is resisted, it both may and doth become their condemnation. Moreover they in whose hearts it hath wrought in part to purify and sanctify them, in order to their furth er perfection, may, by disobedience, fall from it, "turn it to wantonness," Jude 4. "make shipwreck of faith," 1 Tim. i. 19. "and after having tasted the heavenly gift, and been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, again fall away." Heb. vi.4, 5, 6.

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