Wesley Corpus

38.) “The just” (the justified person, of whom only this can be said) “shall live by faith;” even now shall live the life which is hid with Christ in God; and if he endure unto the end, shall live with God for ever. “But if any man draw back,” saith the Lord, “my soul shall have no pleasure in him;” that is, I will utterly cast him off: And accordingly the drawing back here spoken of, is termed in the verse immediately following, “drawing back to perdition.” “But the person supposed to draw back, is not the same with him that is said to live by faith.” I answer, (1.) Who is it then? Can any man draw back from faith who never came to it? But, (2) Had the text been fairly translated, there had been no pretence for this objec tion. For the original runs thus: O Bixalog ex arissa's masla. xon sav wrossixnlai. If o Bixxios, “the just man that lives by faith,” (so the expression necessarily implies, there being no other nominative to the verb,) “draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” “But your translation too is inaccurate.” Be pleased to show me wherein. “I grant he may draw back; and yet not draw back to perdition.” But then it is not the drawing back which is here spoken of. “However, here is only a supposition, which proves no fact.” I observe, you take that as a general rule, Suppo sitions prove no facts. But this is not true. They do not always; but many times they do. And whether they do or no in a particular text, must be judged from the nature of the supposition, and from the preceding and following words. “But the inserting any man into the text is agreeable to the grammatical construction of the words.” This I totally deny. There is no need of any such insertion. The preceding nominative suffices. “But one that lives by faith cannot draw back. For ‘whom he justified, them he also glorified.” This proves no more than, that all who are glorified are pardoned and sanctified first. “Nay, but St. Paul says, “Ye are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.’” Most sure, if you endure to the end.