Aim C A P. XVII. M. G's arguings fromHeb. ío.;8,39. 437 Spirit, fuchwho never come up to that Faith which gives reali union and communion with JefusChrift, may farre outgoe thofe thatdo. 2. That there isany thing mentioned, or any chara&ers givenofBelie- vers, much leffe fuch as are ungular and not common toall: M.G hath not in any meafure been able to evince : There isnot themean&Believer in the world but he is aChildofGod,& heir of thePromifes,& brotherof the LordChrifi; hathatnion with him, bath his living in him, is aurekned,fuftf ed, santfi- fyed, bath Chrift made to himWifedome &c. bath his Righteoufneffe in God, and his Lifehid in him in Chrifl, ispaffed from death to Life, bringsforthfruit, and is deare to God as the appleofhis eye, acceptedwith him, approved ofhim, as his temple wherein he delighteth to dwell. T hat any thing in this place mentioned and infifted on, anychara&ers wehavegivenofthe perfons,whom we have confidered, doe excell, or equall, or denote anything in the fame kind, with thefe and the like excellencyes of the meaneft Believers will ne- ver beproved,ifwe may judge offuture fuccefhes,from the iflùe of all former attempts for that end and purpofe. And thisis the iffueofMr Goodtvin's third Teflimony produced to confirme the Do&rineof theSaints Apoffacy but hypothetically, and under fuch a forme ofexpreffìon as may not be argued from, nor ofSaints and true Belie- vers at all : His 4. followeth. ß. 32. His fourth Teftimony he produceth, and indeavours to mannage for the Advantage ofhis caufe, Se&. 3r. in thefe words. The nextScriptureieflimony weflailproduce& briefely urge in thecaufe now un- der maintainance, is in thefame Epiftleavìth theformer andfpeaketh theft words. Now the Juflpall live by Faith , Butifany man drawback, my foule(ball have no pleafure in him. Our Englifh tranflators, out ofgoodwill (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 whofbould live by his Faith,viz.ifhe continues in it]fhall draw back. Sez.a himfelfé likewifebefore the, had flayned the honour ofhisfaithfulnefe, with thefame blot in h. isTranflation. But the mindof the HolyGhofl in the words is plaine, and without Parable; viz. that if thejufi manwho 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[ ifhe continues in it, as Paresis well lofleth][ball draw back, Os 'ball be withdrawn [viz. throughfeare, or (loth, as the word properly fignifyeth : See Ails 20. 27.]from his believing, my foule[hall have nopleafure in him i. e. (acs cordingto theiinpott oftheFlebraifine)myfoulePall hate,or abhorre him todeath; as it is alfo expounded in the words immediatelyfollowing :But we are not of thofe whodraw back toperdition, but, &c. From hence then evident it is, that[ach a manwho is a juft, or Righteousman, andunder promifeof livingfor ever byhis Faith (and therefore afo, a trueandfound Believer,) maydraw back, or bewith- drawne, to the contrailingofthe hatredof Gad, and to defiruifion in the end. Theforlornehope ofevading, becaufethefentence is Hypotheticall, or conditional) not pofitive, bath been routed over andover,yea andis abandoned byforce of the great Mafiers themselvesof that caufe, unto the defence whereofit pretendeth. And however, in thisplace, it wouldbe molt prepofierons. For ifitfüould befup- pofed,that thejuft man,who is in away& under a Promifeofliving by his.Faith, were in no danger orpof zhility ofdrawing backe,and that to the loge ofthefavotir ofGod, andruine ofhisfoule,Godnauft be conceived to fpeake here at no better .rate ofwifdome or underflanding,than thus;The 7nf1[ball live by hisFaith: but if he [balldo that, which is[implyandutterly impo iblefor him to do, myfoule f all have nopleafure in him. Whatfavourofwifdome, yea or ofcommonfence,is there in
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