7í3g Fallt Signs of Grase. Jhfrv. SF Cr. whereby. The matter doneby them, d to efcape the pollutions of the World, that is, their Idolatry andgreat vices, which formerly they lived in betaking them - felves to the true profff1ionof Chrift, The word M o áN :: is tut once, and that here ufed in the New Teflamenr, `ter. 32. ,4. it is ufed by the Septuagint of more grievous and grolle crimes, but Ez,eb 33.9. of the pollution of the heart only by covetoufneffe. Bade oufaithprdva waspiaculum,` when a man had con- taminated himflfwith fowe grievous crime, contralmgfitch guilt, that he made himfelfand others obnoxious to the wrath ofGod ina confp icnous manner:with Phÿlicians the word fignifieth thofe peRilentraf'feminalsthatateill the corru- pted air, Whereby a general infeP,ion is procured ; fo that the Apoftle meaneth whatfbeveridolatry, or the great fins committed bythem in Paganifm, they had efcaped_ Secondly, The means by which, is through the krotiledfe of Christ, fo that their liveswere clean, nor by moral precepts, and prudent dictates of nature, but by faith h?Rorical or temporary in Chriíf; now here is the great Queftion, whe- ther theje Were trill) regenerated or no ? Thofe that hold the Saints Apo tafle, fay the Affirmative, and they preffe that word in the verfe before '//-sos they did tn- deedefeape; i confeffe that is all the probability, but divers have read it iaí ;cos or ¿1,íße or fora little time, oralmollthey hadefcaped, as Agrippa .was alined a Chriffian, and thus reading it would be no advantage, and fo we feè it in the Margin ofour Bibles : But 1 think it dangerous to depart from univerfally recei- ved copies. Others-therefore that are Orthodox,fày indeed,Thefe were regene- rated, but their fall was only partial and temporary, for they did recover again as Davidand Peter : but theText afforded] no help to fnch anAffertion: I Raall therefore conclude, That abhough bytheChriffian Religion there was made a great and wonderful) change in the lives of thefe men, yet they were not in- wardly regenerated, and my reafon is, becaufe the Apolllecompared) them to a wafted Swine, which though never fo white, yet is a Swine sä11, her nature is not altered, therefore thewill return to her mire again; So deli though purifi- ed in their lives by the profefiìon of the Gofpel, yet were indeed in their natu- ral condition ; and therefore when temptations came, they returned to their ownnatures, thereforeveoJ.'t4 are called ovftN6le fouls. But you will fay, if they;wel enot godly, how are they laid indeedto efeape the pollutions of the:, orld? l'fewer anfwereth, becaufein rite Judgement of charity, and account of belie- vers trey were judged fo. Bez,0better, indeed, that is comparatively with their fall:// teachers,. for they lived in all filthineflè, yet counterfeited an holy life, but, laflly they did indeed leave the outward alts ofwickedneife, as the Sow wafhed is índrdclean, bur yet the is not turned into a Sheep; fo their truly and indeed had altered their manners, amended their outward lives, but were Swine, were Dogs Rill. So that weaffirm the Apoffle to fpeakof men not indeed regenera- ted, but yet changed in their lives from their former wickedneffe, and having no inward change,therefore is is that they fall,and falling their laterend is. worfe then their beginning, partly becaufe they finnewith more knowledge and un- derftanding, and partly becaufe they finne with rreater ingratitude and unthank- fulneffe for further mercies; andpartly becaufe they-ftand not at a Roy till they fall into fome foul wales ofdoEtrine or converfation : And thus much for the fence ofthe words, Thatagreat change madein a mans life h) forfa(ing thole grofe etloal fins he once lived in, dodo not pro/ently argue loch a mansconverfion, or that ke if indeed in a, Efate, of,grate» AChrilban may4a Swine,andyet wafhed.Thou that were oncea drunkard, a whoremonger,a fwearer,maieft have forfaken dtele fins, and yet this alteration be in externals only, not internals. Though thou haft efcaped the pellutionsofthe World, yet not thofe ofthy heart, and therefore thou are Rill in the,(ate of gall andwormwood:. This is cleated inthefoolislt Virgins, who are called. Vir- gins
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