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

I know that this Text is brought by some to prove, That True Believers may fall, not only foully, but also finally: Which certainly ⟨p. 319⟩is a great Mistake, which I shall endeavour, God assisting, to make appear.

Mr. John Goodwin, speaking of this Place, and that in Heb. 10. ¹26. If we sin wilfully, &c. saith, Evident it is from these two Passages, the Holy Ghost, after a serious manner, and with a very pathetic and moving strain of Speech and Discourse, (scarce the like to be found in all the Scripture) admonisheth those who are at present true Believers, to take heed of relapsing into the ways of their former Ignorance and Impiety. This Caveat or Admonition he presseth by an Argument of this import, that in case they shall thus relapse, there will be very little or no hope at all of their Recovery or Return to the Estate of Faith and Grace, wherein now they stand before the Faces of such Sayings and Passages as these: rightly understood, and duly considered, there is no standing for that Doctrine which denies a Possibility, either of a total or final Defection of the Saints, &c. He add, That the Supposition or Hypothetical Proposition, If they fall away, doth denote here a Possibility of it: which I will not deny; but that these Persons of which the Apostle speaks, were true Believers, I see no ground at all to believe, but do utterly deny it: yet I readily grant, this hath always been looked upon as a very difficult place of Scripture to be rightly understood, I have therefore consulted the best Authors and Expositors I could meet with upon it.

Mr. John Goodwin, speaking of this Place, and that in Heb. 10. ¹