A

v. The saints'

firmed from the gracious acts of God. 1. The adoption of the children of God into his family; can a child of God be come a child of the devil? shall an heir of heaven be seen in the flames of hell? or shall one that is a joint-heir with Christ, come short of the incorrupitble inheritance? 2. Justification is another act of God's free grace, and the fruit of his ancient love, Rom. iii. 24, and v. 17, how would this righteousness of his be unto justification of life, if after all they perish eternally? 3. Pardon of sin is another act of the riches of divine grace, is it possible that a man should go to hell with a full and free pardon of all his sins in his hands? final perseverance in grace to glory, and security from ruin and destruction, may be con cluded from the love of Christ to them, his interest in them, and theirs in him. Having loved his own, which were in the world, he loves them to the end, John xiii. 1. to the end of ther lives, and to all eternity; and therefore they can never perish. They are not only the ob jects of his love, dear unto him, but they are his care and charge, who are committed to him to be kept by him; and he has undertook the care of them, has eternal life to give them and does give it to them, and they shall never perish, but have it; yea they have it already, a right unto it and earnest of it; and as they are his Father's gift to him, to be preserved by him, so they are the purchase of his blood, the flock he has purchased with it, and he will not lose one of them; should he, so far his blood would be shed for nought, and his death be in vain. They are members of his body, they are his spouse and bride, they are his portion, and the lot of his inheritance. They are interested in his intercession, and Christ is making preparations in heaven for them. VI. A further proof of this doctrine may be taken from the work of grace, and the nature of it. Faith ever remains; it is more precious than gold that perisheth. Hope, though a lowly grace, is a lively one, a living one. Love, though it sometime waxes cold, and the first love may be left, yet not lost. I proceed,

III. To answer to, and remove the objections made, to this doctrine.

First, From some passages of scripture which may seem to be contrary unto it; or however, are brought to disprove it. 1. The first passage of scripture, and which is usually set in the front of those that are brought against the saints' final perseverance, is Ezek. xviii. 24. But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness. 1. The scope of the chapter should be attended to, which is to vindicate the justiceof God, in the dispensations of his providence towards the people of Israel. 2. This chapter, and the context of it, only relate to the land of Israel, and to the house of Israel, the inhabitants of it. 3. By the righteous man in the text, is not meant one truly righteous. There is not a word in the text, nor context, of the obedience and righteousness of Christ. 4. The death here spoken of, and in other passages in this chapter, is not an eternal death, or the death of the soul and body in hell: for this was now upon them, of which they were complaining; but of some severe judgment which is called a death; as in Exod. x. 17. 5. After all, the words are only a supposition; when, or if, a righteous man, turn from his righteousness; and a supposition proves nothing. 11. Another passage of scripture brought against the saints' final perseverance, and to prove their falling from grace, is the case of the stopey ground hearer; who is said to hear the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for awhile; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended, Matt. xiii. 20, 21. But it should be observed, that those persons thus described, were not truly good and gracious persons; they were a rock, stoney ground still. Though they received the word with joy, this is what a wicked man, a very wicked man, may do. Herod heard John gladly, though he afterwards took off his head. The faith they had was but for a while, as it is expressed, Luke viii. 13. it was a temporary faith, like that of Simon Magus. Those

persons had no root in themselves, and therefore withered. They are manifestly distinguished from the good ground; wherefore the withering and falling away of those, are no proofs and instances of the saints so falling as to perish ever. lastingly. 111. Another passage of scripture produced to invalidate the doctrine of the saints' final perseverance, is in John xv. 2. 6. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away-If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. Now it should be observed, that there is a two-fold being in Christ, and two sorts of branches in him. 1. There are some who are truly and really in him, and have a vital union with him. 2. There are others who are in him only by profession; which must be supposed of many of the members of external visible churches, which are said to be in Christ, Gal. i. 21. 1 Thes. i. 1. such wither in their profession, and are cast out of the churches. But what is this to real saints? 1v. Another supposed instance of saints falling from grace, is that of the broken branches from the olive tree; and threatening of such who are grafted into it, with being cut off, if they continue not in goodness, Rom. xi. 17-22. But, by the good olive tree, is not meant the spiritual and invisible church; but is to be understood of the outward gospel church state, or the outward visible church, under the gospel dispensation; the national church of the Jews, which is compared to an olive tree, Jer. xi. 16. Those who are signified by the broken branches, were never true believers in Christ; but because of their unbelief in him, and rejection of him, were broken off. Those who are grafted in, are threatened to be cut off, in case they continued not in good. ness; meaning, not the goodness, grace, and love of God; but the goodness of the good olive, the gospel church; not from the grace and favour of God; but from the church, and the privileges of it; and who might be grafted in again, being restored by repentance, v. The passage of the apostle Paul

In

concerning himself, is wrested to such a purpose; I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that.by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away, 1 Cor. ix. 27. The word adokimos, is not to be rendered reprobate, as it sometimes is; but signifies disapproved. The sense of the apostle seems to be this, that he was careful not to indulge in sensual gratifications, lest whilst he preached the gospel of the grace of God to others, he might stand reproved himself, and be disapproved by men, and his ministry become contemptible and useless. The fears and jealousies of the saints over themselves, are not inconsistent with their perseverance in grace, much less disprove it; but are means of their perseverance in it. IV. When the apostle says, Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace, Gal. v. 4. It is not meant of falling from the grace of God in the heart; but of falling from the doctrines of grace. like sense are we to understand other similar passages, 2 Cor. vi. 1. Heb. xii. 15. v11. What the apostle says of Hymeneus and Alexander, is produced as a proof of the apostacy of real saints; Holding faith and a good conscience; which some, having, put away, concerning faith, have made shipwreck; of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander, 1 Tim. i. 19. But, 1. It does not appear that these men were ever truly good men; of Hymeneus it is said, that he was a vain babbler, and increased to more and more ungodliness; and of Alexander, who is supposed to be the same with Alexander the copper-smith, that he did the apostle much evil. 2. Nor is it manifest that they ever had a good conscience; putting it away does not suppose it: persons may put away that with disdain and contempt, as the word here used signifies, which they never received and had so the Jews put away the gospel from them, which they never embraced, Acts xiii. 45, 46. where the same word is used as here. Besides, 3. Persons may have a conscience good in some sense, in an external shew, and yet not have a conscience purged by the blood of Christ. 4. The faith of these men

made shipwreck of, was not the grace, but the doctrine of faith; for this phrase, concerning the faith, is only used of the doctrines of faith, Acts xxiv. 24. and the particular doctrine made shipwreck of, was the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, 2 Tim. ii. 18. 5. Supposing the grace of faith was meant, the phrase of making shipwreck of it, is not strong enough to express the entire loss of it; since a person may be shipwrecked and not lost; the apostle Paul thrice suffered shipwreck, and yet was saved each time. VIII. Another pas sage usually brought to prove the apostacy of real saints, and against their final perseverance, is Heb. vi. 46. But, 1. The persons here spoken, are distinguished from the believing Hebrews; Beloved, we are persuaded better things of you. 2. Admitting true believers are meant, the words are only conditional; If they fall away; and prove no matter of fact. 3. The words are, in some versions, so rendered, as to assert the impossibility of their falling; so the Syriac version, It is impossible they should sin again; which sense agrees with the words of the apostle, 1 John iii. 9. And he cannot sin, because he is born of God: and this is confirmed by the Arabic version. 4. There is nothing said of them that is peculiar to believers. What is said of them, is what may be found in persons destitute of the grace of God. Now when such persons as these fall away from a profession of religion, and into sin, they are no instances of true believers falling from real grace. IX. Another scripture brought as a proof of falling from grace, is Heb. x. 26. 29. For if we sin wilfully, &c. but these words are not said of true believers; for though the persons described are such who, 1. Had knowledge of the truth; yet persons may have a notional, and not a saving knowledge of these things; the apostle says, men may have all knowledge, and all faith, which is historical, and yet be without grace, 1 Cor. xiii. 2. 2. Though said to be sanctified by the blood of the covenant, this is not to be understood of the expiation of their sins; but of their profession of their being thus sanctified. After all, it is