Spiritual refining

Secondly, The means by which, is through the knowledge of Christ, so that their lives were clean, not by moral precepts, and prudent dictates of nature, but by faith historical or temporary in Christ; now here is the great Question, Whether these were truly regenerated or no? Those that hold the Saints Apostasy, say the Affirmative, and they press that word in the verse before [Greek or Hebrew], they did indeed escape; I confess that is all the probability, but divers have read it [Greek or Hebrew] or [Greek or Hebrew] or [Greek or Hebrew], for a little time, or almost they had escaped, as Agrippa was almost a Christian, and thus reading it would be no advantage, and so we see it in the Margin of our Bibles: But I think it dangerous to depart from universally received copies. Others therefore that are Orthodox, say indeed, These were regenerated, but their fall was only partial and temporary, for they did recover again as David and Peter: but the Text affordeth no help to such an Assertion: I shall therefore conclude, That although by the Christian Religion there was made a great and wonderful change in the lives of these men, yet they were not inwardly regenerated, and my reason is, because the Apostle compareth them to a washed Swine, which though never so white, yet is a Swine still, her nature is not altered, therefore she will return to her mire again; So these though purified in their lives by the profession of the Gospel, yet were indeed in their natural condition; and therefore when temptations came, they returned to their own natures, therefore vers. 14. are called unstable souls. But you will say, If they were not godly, how are they said indeed to escape the pollutions of the world? Piscator answereth, because in the judgement of charity, and account of believers they were judged so. Beza better, indeed, that is comparatively with their false teachers, for they lived in all filthiness, yet counterfeited an holy life, but lastly they did indeed leave the outward acts of wickedness, as the Sow washed is indeed clean, but yet she is not turned into a Sheep; so these truly and indeed had altered their manners, amended their outward lives, but were Swine, were Dogs still.

Secondly, The means by which, is through the knowledge of Christ, so that their lives were clean, not by moral precepts, and prudent dictates of nature, but by faith historical or temporary in Christ; now here is the great Question, Whether these were truly regenerated or no? Those that hold the Saints Apostasie, say the Affirmative, and they presse that word in the verse before 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, they did indeed escape; I confesse that is all the probability, but divers have read it or or , for a little time, or almost they had escaped, as Agrippa was almost a Christian, and thus reading it would be no advantage, and so we see it in the Margin of our Bibles: But I think it dangerous to depart from universally received copies. Others therefore that are Orthodox, say indeed, These were regenerated, but their fall was only partial and temporary, for they did recover again as David and Peter: but the Text affordeth no help to such an Assertion: I shall therefore conclude, That although by the Christian Religion there was made a great and wonderfull change in the lives of these men, yet they were not inwardly regenerated, and my reason is, because the Apostle compareth them to a washed Swine, which though never so white, yet is a Swine still, her nature is not altered, therefore she will return to her mire again; So these though purified in their lives by the profession of the Gospel, yet were indeed in their natural condition; and therefore when temptations came, they returned to their own natures, therefore vers. 14. are called unstable souls. But you will say, If they were not godly, how are they said indeed to escape the pollutions of the world? Piscator answereth, because in the judgement of charity, and account of believers they were judged so. Beza better, indeed, that is comparatively with their false teachers, for they lived in all filthinesse, yet counterfeited an holy life, but lastly they did indeed leave the outward acts of wickednesse, as the Sow washed is indeed clean, but yet she is not turned into a Sheep; so these truly and indeed had altered their manners, amended their outward lives, but were Swine, were Dogs still.