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this doctrine shut up the proof of it at present, who found himself wonderfully comforted by it after all his fears and falls, where he sings of the lovingkindness of the Lord in time past; "Thou hast holden me by my right hand ;" and, at present, "I am continually with thee;" that is, thou art continually with me; and, with the like courage and confidence, he speaks of all time to come, "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory." Now, although the doctrine of the perseverance of saints be thus fully and clearly laid down in Scripture, yet it is easy to err, in giving an account of it, and of the grounds of it. And, therefore, I shall proceed to the grounds of it, which I shall briefly lay down negatively and affirmatively. First, negatively.

1. The certain perseverance of the saints in a state of grace, doth not arise from the absolute impossibility of losing of grace in the creature: it is one thing to affirm, that grace shall not be lost, and another thing to affirm, that it is absolutely unloseable. God hath told us, that the world shall no more be drowned, but who will say for all that, that it is not in itself capable of drowning? Whilst we think to honour God by asserting the permanency of grace, we must take heed lest we make a god of grace, and so dishonour him. Grace, as it is in God, in the fountain, which divines sometimes call active grace, is eternal and unchangeable, not subject to any defection or alteration. There is no time, or place, or case, wherein the love and goodness of God faileth towards his elect. It is one and the same in God towards his people, even when they

are under the greatest desertions, and have no sense at all of it. We must not say the sun is grown dark, as oft as a dark cloud interposeth between it and our sight. Yea, however, it be most certain, that the pure and holy God hateth sin even in his elect, yet it is also certain, that the good and gra cious God loveth the persons of his saints, even at what time they sin: "For the love of God towards the regenerate," saith Davenant, "is not founded upon their perfect purity and holiness, but upon Christ Jesus the Mediator, who hath transferred their sins upon himself, and so hath redeemed them from the wrath of God." The love and kindness of God towards his people is absolutely unchangeable and everlasting. But grace in the creature, itself being a creature, is not simply and absolutely unchangeable or unloseable: there is a possibility of losing inherent grace, if it be considered in itself; yea, and it would actually be lost and perish, but that God upholdeth his people with one hand, whilst he exerciseth them with the other. Though, with all my might, I desire to maintain the perseverance of the saints, yet I dare not, as the manner of some is, ground it upon the firmness and rootedness of faith in man, but upon the goodness and faithfulness of God, which is such towards his elect, that he will "keep them by his mighty power through faith unto salvation," as the Apostle expresseth it.

2. It doth not arise from the strength of man's free-will, as if he were, of himself, able to keep himself for ever in a state of grace, when God had once put him into it. The saints, indeed, shall for ever will their own perseverance, as we shall see after

wards; but it is God that worketh in them even this will. Man's own free-will, or self-sufficiency, is so far from being the ground of his perseverance in grace and holiness, that I do believe nothing in the world is more directly contrary to grace, than habitual and predominant self-confidence; and, even in the saints themselves, there is nothing that tends more towards their apostacy, than this self-conceit and confidence of their own strength, as something distinct from God, though the same be not habitual and predominant; for they themselves are many times sadly weakened and set back by that means, and suffer many lamentable spiritual decays. This seems to have sometimes been the case of Hezekiah, and of David too, and had like to have been the case of Paul, when he had so much abounded in revelations, 2 Cor. xii. 7. Sure it is, that nothing doth more estrange the hearts of God's people from him, nor bind up the influences of divine grace and favour from them, than this security, confidence in the strength of their own wills, and vain opinion of selfsufficiency, which thing the sad experience of holy Christians doth attest: not only the apostles James and Peter, but indeed all the true disciples of Christ in the world, agree to that proverb, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." In a word, though "to do justly, and to love mercy," have indeed much of religion in them, yet unto perseverance, it is also required that a man deny himself and the sufficiency of his own free-will; and, in the prophet's expression, "walk humbly with his God." You know whose boast it was, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I

never be offended;" and again, "Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee;" and what was the lamentable consequence of this self-confidence, you know likewise. Wherefore, let him

that standeth by his own strength, take heed lest he fall.

I proceed now to speak something affirmatively concerning the grounds of the saints' perseverance in a state of grace. I have already showed you that active grace is absolutely of an immutable nature; and although passive grace be not so, yet it shall not be totally and finally lost. For,

When I

1. The grace of election cannot fail. think of that uncertain, conditional, mutable decree of saving men, which some ascribe to God, who is infinite and eternal wisdom and oneness, methinks I may, with great reason, apply the Apostle's words, spoken concerning himself, and say, when God is thus graciously minded to elect his people to eternal life, "Doth he use lightness; or the things that he purposeth, doth he purpose according to the flesh," after the manner of men, who are unsteady and wavering in their determinations? Is there with him "Yea, yea, and nay, nay?" What doth the Apostle mean by those words, "The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his ?" The Apostle, in the foregoing verse, having related the apostacy of Hymeneus and Philetus, and the overthrow of some men's faith by their means, immediately subjoins this comfortable doctrine of the steadfastness and firmness of God's decrees of election, to prevent the offence which the saints might take against the falls

of others, and to relieve them against the fears that they might possibly conceive concerning their own perseverance; q. d. let no one be offended, as if the salvation of the elect were uncertain. It appears that these men were none of God's elect, because they are seduced, and the faith that they had is overthrown. And as for your part who are elected, fear not lest ye also should apostatise; it is not possible to deceive the elect in the necessary and fundamental truths of the gospel: fear not lest ye also should be drawn away by the error of the wicked unto perdition; for the foundation of God standeth sure," &c. In which sentence, says Dr. Arrowsmith, almost every word breathes firmness and performance: nothing is more sure, in a building than the foundation; that you may not doubt of that, it is also called sure, or steady. This sure foundation is said to stand, that is, say the Dutch annotators, abideth steadfast and certain; for it is the foundation, not of man's laying, but of God, with whom there is "no variableness nor shadow of change." Yea, further, this foundation is said to be sealed: now, what is accounted more firm and sure than those things which are sealed with a seal, especially such a seal as this, "The Lord knoweth who are his ?" Though the wisest of men are oft deceived in their opinions, yet the knowledge of God is infinitely infallible. cording to that of Austin, "If any of the elect perish, God is deceived: but God is not deceived; therefore, none of the elect can perish, for the Lord knoweth who are his." When Samuel, indeed, went to separate one of the sons of Jesse from the rest of his brethren to be king over Israel, he first

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