cowardly withdraw himself from the public worship of Christ," &c.-So again; "If-the just, the Christian proves thus pusillanimous, hangs back from the performance of his duty; if by afflictions he be disheartened and terrified, GoD's soul hath no pleasure in him, he is utterly rejected and disliked by GoD." The learned and Calvinian Diodati explains this drawing back as done by the just man who lives by faith. The just." says he, "draw backIf HE depart from his belief in me, if he becomes careless or disloyal in following my vocation," &c. Dr. Heylin supposes the same, "The just shall live by faith; but if He draws back, retreats or deserts his post, he shall not be approved by ine." So Calvin renders it, "Justus autem ex fide vivet: et si subductus fuerit, non oblectabitur," &c. that is, and if HE *See Hammond on the place; note. † Dioodati on the place. Heylin on the place. * shall draw, or be drawn back, my soul, &c. And so evident is this, that even Mr. Kendal, who wrote against Mr. John Goodwin's Redemption Redeemed, says, "I YIELD THAT ANY MAN IS NOT IN THE TEXT." But it may be objected again, that "The apostle, in the next verse saith, We are not of them who draw back unto perdition: but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." I answer, The apostle does say so.→→ But then the question is, what does he mean? It is impossible for him to mean, we are not of that sort of people who CAN draw back unto perdi tion; but we are of that sort who MUST believe to the saving of the soul. Had this been his meaning, how came he to write a whole epistle to warn and caution them not to draw back? How came he to caution them against letting this salvation slip? chap. ii. ver. 1. against hardening their hearts Calvin in loc. See answer to Redemp. tion Redeemed. as in the provocation? chap iii. ver. 8.-against an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living GOD' in verse 12.--against being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin? ver. 13. against falling through unbelief? chap. iv. verse 11.--against not holding fast their profession? verse 14.against falling in such a manner as to be incapable of being renewed again unto repentance? chap. vi. ver. 4, 6. -against not being diligent to the end? verse 11.-against not holding fast their profession? chap. x. 23.against forsaking the assembling of themselves together? verse against sinning wilfully after having received the knowledge of the truth? verse 26.-against casting away their confidence? verse 35.--against drawing back in such a manner that God shall have no pleasure in them? ver. 23. To suppose that the apostle would send such a number of warnings and cautions to these Hebrews, and then tell them that they were not the persons to whom these cautions belonged, is to suppose that he wrote only for the sake of absurdity and self-contradiction! But what did he mean when he said, We are not of them who draw back unto perdition? &c. Answer: we are not AT PRESENT of that number. It has been observed already on chap. x. verse 25. that many of the converted Hebrews had forsaken the assembling of themselves together, and that there was danger the rest would follow their example. Now as this epistle was written on purpose to prevent this evil, the apostle, both in the passage under consideration, as well as elsewhere, lays before them the dreadful state of apostates. But that this might not discourage them, and cause them to abandon themselves to despair, he very judiciously tells them, that whatever danger they were in of becoming apostates, they were not, AT PRESENT, of that number; but rather of the number of those who yet believed to the saving of the soul. I therefore conclude, notwithstand ing all that has been said to the contrary, that the evil which the apostle here supposed the Hebrews to be in danger of, was, so to neglect this salvation as to draw back unto TOTAL and FINAL APOSTASY. 15. Another proof that falling away was the evil the apostle apprehended the Hebrews to be in danger of, is, chap. xii. ver. 3. "For consider him that ENDURED such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be WEARIED and FAINT in your mind." Kauv, literally signifies, To be tired. The expression is agonistical, and belongs to those who are worsted, or overcome in fight, and who give over the combat through despair of suc cess. So Dr. Hammond tells us from Phavorinus, that it signifies, "To give over to despair-to play the coward or run away." He also tells us that ψυχαίς εκλύεσθαι signifies, «Το turn coward or pusillanimous, such as whose souls within them fall away like water, dissolve; and it is spoken of those who give over the attempt as |