490 / 504
Aim
C
A
P.
XVII.
M. G's
arguings from
Heb.
ío.;8,39.
437
Spirit,
fuch
who never come up
to that
Faith
which gives
reali union and
communion with
JefusChrift,
may
farre outgoe thofe
that
do.
2.
That
there
is
any
thing mentioned, or
any chara&ers given
of
Belie-
vers,
much leffe
fuch
as
are ungular and not common
to
all: M.G
hath not
in any meafure been able
to
evince
:
There
is
not the
mean&
Believer
in
the
world but he
is
aChild
of
God,& heir
of
thePromifes,& brother
of
the
LordChrifi;
hathatnion with him,
bath
his
living
in
him,
is
aurekned,fuf
tf
ed,
santfi-
fyed,
bath Chrift made to
him
Wifedome
&c. bath
his Righteouf
neffe
in
God,
and
his Life
hid in
him in Chrifl,
is
paffed
from
death
to
Life,
brings
forth
fruit,
and
is
deare
to
God
as
the
apple
of
his
eye,
accepted
with him,
approved
of
him,
as his temple
wherein he
delighteth
to
dwell.
T
hat
any
thing
in
this
place
mentioned and
infifted
on, any
chara&ers we
have
given
of
the
perfons,whom
we
have confidered, doe
excell, or equall,
or denote
any
thing
in
the
fame
kind,
with
thefe and the
like
excellencyes
of
the
meaneft Believers
will
ne-
ver be
proved,if
we may
judge
of
future
fuccefhes,from
the
iflùe
of
all
former
attempts for that
end and purpofe.
And
thisis the
iffue
of
Mr
Goodtvin's
third
Teflimony
produced
to
confirme
the Do&rineof the
Saints Apoffacy
but
hypothetically, and under
fuch
a
forme
of
expreffìon
as
may not be
argued
from, nor
of
Saints and
true
Belie-
vers at all
:
His 4.
followeth.
ß.
32.
His
fourth Teftimony he produceth, and indeavours to mannage
for
the
Advantage
of
his
caufe,
Se&.
3r.
in
thefe words.
The
nextScriptureieflimony
we
flail
produce&
briefely
urge
in
the
caufe now
un-
der
maintainance,
is
in thefame Epiftleavìth
the
former
andfpeaketh theft
words.
Now
the
Jufl
pall
live
by
Faith , But
if
any
man draw
back,
my
foule
(ball have
no
pleafure
in
him.
Our Englifh
tranflators,
out
of
good
will
(doubtleffe)
to
a bad
caufe, havealinofi defaced this
Teftimony,
byfúbftituting
any
man
for
thejefE
man,
for
whereas
they
tranfate,but
if-any
man
draw back,
the
Originallreadeth,
'sdv
izroseb.nia,,
i.e.&
if
[or
Ent
if]
he
[t.e.thejuff
man
who
fbould live
by
his
Faith,viz.if
he
continues in
it]
fhall
draw back.
Sez.a
himfelfé likewife
before
the,
had
flayned
the honour
of
his
faithfulnefe,
with
the
fame
blot
in
h.
isTranflation.
But
the
mind
of
the
Holy
Ghofl
in the
words
is
plaine,
and
without Parable;
viz.
that
if
the
jufi
man
who
lives
[
i.
e. who
at
prefent
enjoyes
the
favour ofGod,
and
thereby
is fupported
in all
his tryalls
]
and
fhould
live
allwayes
by
his
Faith
[
if
he
continues
in
it,
as Paresis
well lofleth]
[ball draw back,
Os
'ball
be
withdrawn
[viz.
through
feare,
or
(loth,
as the
word
properly
fignifyeth :
See
Ails
20.
27.]
from
his
believing,
my
foule
[hall have
no
pleafure in him
i.
e.
(acs
cordingto theiinpott
of
theFlebraifine)myfoule
Pall
hate,or
abhorre him
to
death;
as
it
is alfo expounded
in
the words immediatelyfollowing
:But
we
are not
of
thofe
who
draw
back
to
perdition, but,
&c.
From
hence
then evident
it
is,
that[ach
a
man
who is a
juft,
or
Righteous
man,
and
under promife
of
living
for
ever
by
his
Faith
(and
therefore a
fo,
a
true
andfound
Believer,) may
draw
back,
or
bewith-
drawne,
to
the
contrailing
of
the
hatred
of
Gad,
and
to
defiruifion
in
the
end.
Theforlornehope
of
evading,
becaufe
the
f
entence
is
Hypotheticall,
or
conditional)
not pofitive, bath
been
routed
over
and
over,
yea
and
is
abandoned
by
force
of
the
great
Mafiers themselves
of
that
caufe, unto
the
defence
whereofit
pretendeth.
And
however,
in this
place,
it
would
be
molt prepofierons. For
ifit
füould
be
fup-
pofed,that
the
juft
man,who is
in
away
&
under
a
Promife
of
living
by
his.
Faith,
were
in
no
danger
or
pof
zhility
ofdrawing
backe,and
that
to
the
loge
of
the
favotir
of
God,
and
ruine
of
his
foule,God
nauft be
conceived
to
fpeake
here
at
no
better
.rate
of
wifdome or
underflanding,than thus;The
7nf1[ball live
by
hisFaith:
but
if
he
[ball
do
that,
which
is
[imply
and
utterly
impo
ible
for
him
to
do, myfoule
f
all
have
no
pleafure
in
him. What
favour
of
wifdome,
yea
or
of
commonfence,is there
in