A golden mine opened, or, The glory of God's rich grace displayed in the…

4. It gives occasion to Man to boast, and so contradicts the whole Design of God in the Gospel of his own Free Grace, which is to take away for ever any Cause for the Creature in himself to glory.

5. It brings in that great Absurdity of the Repetition of Regeneration, whereof there is no mention made in all the Scripture; unless they do believe all that fall away so as to lose the Seed of Grace, or from being in a State of Grace, are lost for ever, or fall irrecoverably: but a Repetition of Regeneration seems to be maintained by one of the chief of them, from Heb. 6. 6. If they ⟨p. 312⟩fall away, to renew them again, &c. ^*'Tis impossible, he denies, to renew some to Repentance; but others he would infer from thence may be renewed. Now a renewing again to Repentance, may be where the Seed of Grace was never lost, but the Strength and Exercise of it, as in David's and Peter's Case; therefore 'tis not a total falling which Believers are liable to, but a partial only. But to suppose that such who are regenerated may fall totally, and be renewed again to Repentance, doth presuppose a Repetition of a former Birth, or a second Regeneration. To prove which, these Men mention that Text, twice dead, plucked up by the Roots. Now evident it is, that if true Believers may fall totally from Grace, and none of them can be renewed again, then all such that so fall, sin against the Holy Ghost. But if they may be renewed again, then there is a repetition of Regeneration. When I come to speak to that Text in the 6th of the Hebrews, I hope I shall sufficiently prove, by the Assistance of God, that those there mentioned, were not true Believers; as I have proved no true Believer can so fall as to need another Regeneration, though they may fall as to need a gracious Restoration, or to be healed of their backsliding: Restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation.