God for their preservation, to wit, because they received the word of his dear Son, and upon that account left the world, separated from it, and became its enemies. And shall they now be left to the rage and fury of the world in this condition? "That be far from thee; 'holy Father, keep them."" Hereupon,

Fourthly, Verse 15, he reneweth his prayer in their behalf, with a farther opening of his mind as to what he had last spoken of. "The world," the world being vile, wretched, deceitful, and set upon opposition against them, a man would have thought that the Lord Jesus should have desired that his saints might be taken out from the midst of this world, and set in a quiet place by themselves, where they might no more be troubled with the baits and oppositions of it. But this is not that which he requests. He hath another work for them to do in the world. They are to bear witness to him and his truth by their faith and obedience, to convince the wicked, unbelieving world; they are to glorify his name by doing and suffering for him: so that this is no part of his request. "I pray not," saith he, "that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that they may not be prevailed on nor conquered by the evil that is in the world; that they may be kept and preserved from the power of evil, which would separate them from me and my love." This he presseth for, and this he is heard in; and that not only for his apostles and present followers, but as he tells you, verse 20, for all that should believe on him to the end of the world.

The things prayed for, the reason of his intercession, the opposition against the accomplishment of the things interceded for, the distinction put between them for whom he intercedes and the perishing world,—all delivered in plain and expressive terms,—evidently evince the intendment of Christ in his intercession to regard the safeguarding of believers in the love and favour of God, by their continuance in believing, and preservation from the power of temptations and oppositions arising against their perseverance in communion with God.

The result of what hath been spoken, as to its influence into the confirmation of the truth under demonstration, amounts unto thus much That which the Lord Jesus, as mediator, requesteth and prayeth for continually of the Father, according to his mind, in order to the accomplishment of the promises made to him and covenant with him (all his desires being bottomed upon his exact, perfect performance of the whole will of God, both in doing and suffering), that shall certainly be accomplished and brought to pass; but thus, in this manner, upon these accounts, doth the Lord Jesus intercede for the perseverance of believers, and their preservation in the love of the Father unto the end: therefore, they shall undoubtedly be so preserved. It is confessed that the persons interceded for are be

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lievers, all believers that then were, or should be to the end of the world (the efficacy of this intercession having commenced from the foundation thereof); the thing prayed for is their preservation in the state of union with Christ and one another; the motives used for the obtaining this request in their behalf are taken from the work they have to do, and the opposition they were to meet withal. And all the saints being thus put into the hand of God, who shall take them from thence? On what account is it that they shall not be preserved? To say they shall be thus preserved in case themselves depart not wilfully from God, is to say they shall be preserved in case they preserve themselves, as will afterward be farther manifested.

This argument is proposed by the apostle in the most triumphant assurance of the truth and certainty of the inference contained in it that he anywhere useth, in any case whatsoever: Rom. viii. 33, 34, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." He lays the immunity of the elect and justified persons from just crimination or condemnation on the foundation of the oblation and intercession of Christ. The first part of this argument from the oblation of Christ ("Who shall condemn? It is Christ that died"), asserting the immunity of believers from condemnation, upon the account of the punishing of all their sins in Christ, and the perfect satisfaction made by his death for them, whence the justice of God in the issue will not have any thing to lay o their charge, we have formerly insisted on; the other, which the apostle induces emphatically and comparatively, though not in respect of procurement and purchase made, yet of assurance to be given, with aλλor ds, in respect of his oblation, is that now before us. To make the assurance of believers plentiful, that they may know both the truth of his first general assertion, that all things shall work together for good to them, and this particular conclusion, now laid down by way of interrogation, rejecting all evil opposed to their former enjoyments, "Who shall lay any thing to their charge? who shall condemn?" he gives them a threefold consideration of the state and actings of the Lord Christ, after the expiation of their sins by his blood, in reference to them:-1. "He is risen;" 2. "He is at the right hand of God;" 3. "Maketh intercession for them:"the first denoting his acquitment, and theirs in him (for he died in their stead), from all the sins that were charged on him; for he was declared to be the Son of God, accepted with him, and justified from all that debt which he undertook, in his resurrection. And if he be risen, who shall lay any thing to the charge of them whom he died. for, and for all whose sins, in their stead, he was acquitted? The second is his exaltation and power; for "having purged our sins, he

sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," Heb. i. 3, receiving thereby a most plenary demonstration of his Father's goodwill to him and his, in respect of the work that he had undertaken and gone through for them: for if he had not "made an end of sin," when he was "obedient unto death, the death of the cross," he could not expect that God should give him "a name above every name," with fulness of power to give eternal life to all that the Father gave him. This to assure us that he will do, having power in his own hand, the apostle adds, "Who also intercedes for us;" hereby, thirdly, testifying abundantly his good-will and care for our salvation. Upon these considerations, the apostle leads the faith of the saints of God to make a conclusion, which is to be believed as a divine truth, that tenders to us the doctrine we have under demonstration triumphant against all objections and oppositions that can be made against it. And hence we thus argue: Those against whom no charge can be laid, who cannot by any means be separated from the love of God in Christ, cannot totally and finally fall away from faith, and fall out of God's favour. But that this is the condition of all true believers is evident from the context. It is of all that are called according to the purpose of God, justified, and sanctified,—the proper description of all and only believers,-that the apostle affirms these things, and to whom he ascribes the condition mentioned. Now, that this is the state and condition of those persons, the apostle manifesteth from the causes of it,-namely, the oblation and intercession of Christ in their behalf; for those for whom he died and doth intercede are on that account exempted from any such charge as might be of prevalency to separate them from God.

Mr Goodwin attempts, indeed, once more to re-enforce the triumphed-over enemies of the saints, and to call them once more to make head against the intercession of Christ; but with what ill success, the consideration of what arguments he useth with them and for them will demonstrate. Thus, then, he addresseth himself to his task, chap. xi. sect. 33, p. 248, "I answer, It is nowhere affirmed that Christ intercedes for the perseverance of the saints in their faith, or they who once believed should never cease believing, how sinful and wicked soever they should prove afterward; but Christ intercedes for his saints as such, and so continuing such, that no accusation from any hand whatsoever may be heard against them, that no afflic tions or sufferings which they meet with in the world may cause any alienation or abatement in the love of God towards them, but that God will protect and preserve them under them, and consequently that they may be maintained at an excellent rate of consolation in every state and condition, and against all interposures of any creature to the contrary."

This answer hath long since ceased to be new to us; it is that, in

deed, which is the shield behind which Mr Goodwin lies, to avoid the force of all manner of arguments pointed against himself, though it be the most weak and frivolous that ever, I suppose, was used in so weighty a matter. It is here cast (as he hath many moulds and shapes to cast it in) into a denial of the assumption of our syllogism, and a reason of that denial. First, he denies that Christ intercedes for believers that they may persevere in their faith; he prays not for their perseverance.

His reason of this is twofold:-1. A supposal that "they may prove so wicked as not to continue believing." 2. A description of what Christ intercedes for in the behalf of believers, namely, "that they may continue in God's love if they do continue to believe, notwithstanding all their afflictions." "Homo homini quid interest?" Whether men will or no, these must pass for oracular dictates.

1. For the first, let what hath been spoken already be weighed, and see if there be not yet hope left for poor souls that Christ prays for them that their faith fail not. And, by the way, who will not embrace this comfortable doctrine, that will assure him, in his agonies, temptations, and failings, that all help and supplies are made out to him from and by the Lord Jesus, in whom is all his hope, and that he receives of his Father, upon his intercession, all the fruits of his death and blood-shedding in his behalf; but that he should believe, or, being tempted, should be preserved in believing, of that Christ takes no thought, nor did ever intercede with his Father for any such an end or purpose! Such consolation might befit Job's friends: "Miserable comforters, physicians of no value." But of this before.

2. For that supposal of his, of their proving wicked afterward to an inconsistency with believing, it hath often been corrected for a sturdy beggar, and sent away grumbling and hungry, and, were it not for pure necessity, would never once be owned any more by its master. Christ intercedes not for believers that they may persevere in the faith upon such foolish supposals, whose opposite is continuance in the faith, and so is coincident with the thing itself interceded for. To intercede that they may continue believing, is to intercede that they may never be so wicked as Mr Goodwin supposeth they may be. The end asserted of Christ's intercession for the saints is, that they may never wickedly depart from God. Doth Mr Goodwin indeed take this to be the tenor of the doctrine he opposeth, and of the argument which he undertakes to answer,—namely, that the faith of believers, and the continuance of that, is interceded for without any reference to the work of faith in gospel obedience and communion with God in Christ? or if he thinks not so, why doth he so often insist on this calumnious evasion?

In giving the aim of Christ in his intercession for believers, we have this new cogent argument against our position, "Christ inter

cedes for the things here by me mentioned; therefore he doth not intercede for the perseverance of the saints." But why so? Is there any inconsistency in these things, any repugnancy in terms, or contrariety of the things themselves? Christ intercedes that believers may enjoy the love of God; therefore he doth not intercede that they may be established in believing!

The sum of all that is here ascribed to the intercession of Christ at the best is, That God will confirm and ratify that everlasting law, that believers continuing so to the end shall be saved; which whether it be the sum of Christ's intercession for his church or no, that church will judge. If there be any thing farther, or of more importance to them, in what is assigned to it by Mr Goodwin, it is wrapped up in the knot of" etc.," which I am not able to untie.

These words of the apostle, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?" do not denote that this is the intercession of Christ for them, that no accusation be admitted against them whilst they believe, which is no more but the confirmation of that general proposition of the gospel before mentioned; but it is the conclusion which they make upon the account of the intercession of Christ, in the application of the promise of the gospel to their own souls. Neither is there any more weight in that which follows, "That there be no abatement or alienation of the love of God from them upon the account of their sufferings and afflictions;" which for the most part are for his sake. What saints of God were almost so much as once tempted with a conceit that God's love should be abated or alienated from them because they suffered for him?

And this is the foundation of that "excellent rate of consolation at which the saints, upon the account of the intercession of Christ, may be maintained:" "Into afflictions, temptations, trials, they may fall; but if they continue in faith and love they shall not be rejected. No creature shall be heard against them; that Christ takes care for: but for the worst enemies they have, their own lusts, corruptions, and unbelief, the fiery darts of Satan fighting against their souls, with their continuance in believing,-the falling from whence is indeed all the danger they are exposed to, for whilst they continue so doing, all other things are lighter than vanity,-these Christ takes no care about" (though he prays that God would sanctify them and keep them), "but they must shift for themselves as well as they can; he will not, doth not intercede for them that from these they may be preserved." Doubtless, he that shall think to be maintained long at any high rate of consolation, and lays in no other nor no better provision to live on than this mentioned, will quickly be reduced to a dry morsel.

But yet some reasons of the foregoing interpretation of this place of the apostle, Rom. viii., are offered unto us: