§. III.
Answ.A good and evil Conscience. This Objection is very weak, and apparently contrary to the Text, 1 Tim. i. 19. where the Apostle addeth to Faith a good Conscience, by way of Complaint; whereas if their Faith had been only seeming and hypocritical, the Men had been better without it than with it; neither had they been worthy of Blame for losing that which in itself was Evil. But the Apostle expresly adds [and of a good Conscience,] which shews it was real; neither can it be supposed that Men could truly attain a good Conscience without the Operation of God’s saving Grace; far less that a good Conscience doth consist with a seeming false and hypocritical Faith. Again, these Places of the Apostle being spoken by way of Regret, clearly import that these Attainments they had fallen from were good and real, not false and deceitful, else he would not have regretted their falling from them; and so he saith positively, They tasted of the heavenly Gift, and were made Partakers of the Holy Ghost, &c. not that they seemed to be so, which sheweth this Objection is very frivolous.
Obj. 2.Secondly, They allege, Phil. i. 6. Being confident of this very Thing, that he which hath begun a good Work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ, &c. and 1 Pet. i. 5. Who are kept by the Power of God through Faith unto Salvation.
Answ.These Scriptures, as they do not affirm any Thing positively contrary to us, so they cannot be understood otherwise than as the Condition is performed upon our Part, Salvation is proposed upon certain Conditions by us to be performed.seeing Salvation is no otherways proposed there but upon certain necessary Conditions to be performed by us, as hath been above proved, and as our Adversaries also acknowledge, as Rom. viii. 13. For if ye live after the Flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body, ye shall live. And Heb. iii. 14. We are made Partakers of Christ, if we hold the Beginning of our Confidence stedfast unto the End. For if these Places of the Scripture upon which they build their Objections were to be admitted without these Conditions, it would manifestly overturn the whole Tenor of their Exhortations throughout all their Writings. Some other Objections there are of the same Nature, which are solved by the same Answers, which also, because largely treated of by others, I omit, to come to that Testimony of the Truth which is more especially ours in this Matter, and is contained in the latter Part of the Proposition in these Words: Yet such an Increase and Stability in the Truth may in this Life be attained, from which there cannot be a total Apostasy.