must depreciate the grace of God and fufferings of Chrift, and exalt the power and freewill of man. The inftance of a prince affording an act of grace and indemnity to fome rebels, leaving others under condemnation, who would affuredly conceive his grace and favour would be greater, were it extended to them alfo, and not think it the more magnified, for being fo difcriminating, is not to the purpofe; for the prince's grace is not to be judged of by the conceptions of fach rebels who are justly left under condemnation; and whatever they think of it, 'tis certain, that those who are comprehended in the act of grace, look upon their prince's favour to be the greater for being fo difcriminating, feeing they were equally guilty with fuch who are left out. The grace of God is magnified, not fo much by the number of perfons on whom it is conferred, as by the fovereignty of it, the circumftances of the perfons interested in it, and the manner in which it is bestow'd. NUMB. NUMB. L. Heb. vi 4.5 L. For it is impoffible for chill war, oro; ch gift, and were made partake, et E if they shall fall owcy, to *mru t ." HIS fcripture is often ud t co tradi&t the final perieverance of the faints; and it is faid, that "The doftrme the poffibility of the final departure of the believers and penitents from the fatt, at fully contained in these wordt, fax ri evident they are fpoker of fact, from the word perles, enlightened, Lied by the fame apostle, speaking to the fame perfor in Chap. x. 32. who were fo e per i as to know they had an inheritance it heren; and from the words, it simple to reas them again to repentance; with imply that they had once truly repepted, and were once truly in that state to which they were to be renewed, and their loís of it; and that thele Remonftr. in Coll. Hag, Art. v. p. 18. A&t. Synod, ein. Art. v. p. 235,&c. Limborch: p. 709, 710. Whitby, p. 404, 405, 406. must fall totally and finally, because the apoftle doth pronounce it a thing impoffible to renew them to repentance, and on this account, that they crucified to themselves afresh the Son of God, and put him to an open fhame". But, I. Admitting that these words are spoken of true believers, they will bear fuch a verfion and sense as will be fo far from furnishing out an argument against the faints perfeverance, that they will conclude one for it; for they may be render'd thus; it is impoffible that there should be any who have been once enlighten'd, and have tafted of the beavenly gift, &c. is aπéovac, and yet fall away, that is, it is impoffible that fuch fhould fall away; agreeable to which is the Syriac verfion of the words; it is impoffible, &c. non, that they should fin again, fo as to die fpiritually, or lofe the grace of God, and ftand in need of a new work of grace upon them; which would require the crucifying of Chrift again, and a re-expofing him to public fhame; which latter things are impoffible; and therefore the former, namely, that they fhould fin in fuch a manner; for, according to this verfion, the feveral other things mentioned, are connected with the word impoffible; as it is impoffible that they should be renewed again to repentance; that they should again crucify the Son of God, and put him to fhame. This fenfe fense of the words is alta confirmed 17 Arabic verfion. Moreover, thonia ve esa the words, if they fall away, they to r most contain a fuppofition of the faints a ling, & fuppofitio nil ponic in effe, a jut pofition puts nothing in being, proves no matter of fact; nor can it be concluded from hence, that any fuch have fallen away, and are, at moft, only expreffive of the danger they are in, and of the difficulty of the reftoring them when fallen even partially; a total and final falling away, being prevented by the grace and power of God. II. It is not evident from the characters of these persons, that they were true believers; they are faid to be once enlighten'd, which fome understand of their being once baptized; and it is certain, that chops, and phoμa, illumination, were used by the ancients, for baptifm; and poluara, enlightened ones, for baptized perfons; accordingly the Syriac verfion reads the words thus, who once, nn) annoyph, bave defcended into baptifm; the Ethiopic, after they are baptized; and it will not be denied, that some such, as Simon Magus, may totally and finally fall away; but not to infift on this fenfe of the words. There are two forts of enlighten'd perfons; fome who are faving*Juftin Martyr, Apolog. 2. p. 94. Clem, Alexandr. Paedagog. 1. 1. c. 6. p. 93. ly ly enlighten'd by the Spirit of God, to fee their loft ftate and condition, their need of falvation by Chrift, and their intereft in it, who fhall never perifh: Others are enlighten'd only into the doctrines of the gospel, and fome to fuch a degree, as to be able to preach them to others, and yet entirely deftitute of the grace of God; and when fuch fall away, they are no proofs nor instances of the apoftafy of real faints. The enlighten'd perfons in Heb. x. 32. are not the fame with thefe here mentioned; for the believing Hebrews are manifeftly diftinguifhed from thefe, ver. 9. But beloved, we are perfuaded better things of you, and things that accompany falvation, though we thus Speak; and therefore, though the Hebrews were fo enlighten'd as to know they had an inheritance in heaven, it does not follow, that these were enlighten'd in the fame manner, and fo fincere Chriftians and true believers. They are alfo faid to have tafted of the heavenly gift, by which, whether we understand eternal life, or any of the blef fings of grace, as a juftifying righteoufnefs, or, with the Greek fathers, ἄρεσιν τῶν ἀ μαςτιών, Tev, the remiffion of fins; the meaning is, that they had fome speculative notions abour these things, and some defires after them, arifing from a natural principle of felf love; or fhould Chrift himself be intended by it, tafling of it, ftands oppofed to eating his flefh, |