5. Believers’ perseverance in grace may be proved from the Spirit and

seed of God abiding in them. When at first they were regenerated, it was

by the power of the Holy Ghost, as condescending to come and take up his

abode in them: thus we read of their being acted by, and under the

influence of, the Holy Ghost, who is said to dwell where he is pleased

to display his divine power and glory; and if these displays hereof be

internal, then he dwells in the heart. Our Saviour speaks of him, as

_another Comforter_ given, _that he may abide_ with his people _for

ever_, chap. xiv. 19. And this indwelling of the Spirit is very distinct

from that extraordinary dispensation which the church had, when they

were favoured with inspiration; for the apostle speaks of it as a

privilege peculiar to believers as such, when he says, _Ye are not in

the flesh, but in the Spirit; if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in

you: Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his_,

Rom. viii. 9. the meaning of which cannot be, that they have no interest

in Christ, who have not the extraordinary _afflatus_ of the Spirit, such

as the prophets had; therefore we must suppose, that this is a privilege

which believers have in all ages. Now if the Spirit is pleased to

condescend thus to take up his abode in the soul, and that for ever, he

will certainly preserve it from apostacy.

And to this we may add, that there are several fruits and effects of the

Spirit’s dwelling in the soul, which affords an additional proof of this

doctrine: thus believers are said to have _the first fruits of the

Spirit_, ver. 23. that is, they have those graces wrought in them which

are the beginning of salvation; and as the first fruits are a part of

the harvest that will follow, these are the fore-tastes of the heavenly

blessedness which God would never have bestowed upon them had he not

designed to preserve them from apostasy. Moreover, believers are said to

be _sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of

their inheritance_, Eph. i. 13, 14. The earnest, as given by men, is

generally deemed a part of payment, upon which they who are made

partakers thereof, are satisfied that they shall, at last, receive the

full reward; and shall believers miss of the heavenly blessedness, who

have such a glorious pledge and earnest of it? Again, if we consider

_the Spirit as bearing witness with their spirits, that they are the

children of God; and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint

heirs with Christ_; and that _they shall be glorified together_ with

him, Rom. viii. 16, 17. is this testimony invalid, or not to be depended

on, which it could not be were it possible for them to fall from a state

of grace?

This testimony is what we depend very much upon, in order to our

attaining assurance that we are in a state of grace, and shall persevere

therein, as will be observed under the next answer; therefore we shall

at present, take it for granted, that there is such a thing as

assurance, or that this blessing is attainable; and the use which I

would make of this supposition to maintain our present argument, is,

that if the Spirit has an hand in working or encouraging this hope that

we have of the truth of grace, and consequently shall persevere therein

to salvation, this argues that it is warrantable, and not delusive; for

he that is the author or giver of it cannot deceive our expectation, or

put us upon looking for that which is not a reality. From whence it

follows, that it is impossible that they should apostatize, to whom _God

has given_ this _good hope through grace_, so that they should fail of

that _everlasting consolation_, which is connected with it, 2 Thess. ii.

16. This consequence will hardly be denied by those who are on the other

side of the question; and we may observe, that they who oppose the

doctrine of perseverance, always deny that of assurance, especially as

proceeding from the testimony of the Spirit: nevertheless, that we may

not be misunderstood, we do not say, that every one who has a strong

persuasion that he shall be saved, shall be saved; which is no other

than enthusiasm; but our argument is, in short, this, that if there be a

witness of the Spirit to this truth, that cannot be charged therewith,

then the doctrine we are maintaining, is undeniably true, which will

more evidently appear from what will be said in defence of the doctrine

of assurance under our next answer.

And therefore we proceed to the other branch of the argument

before-mentioned, to prove this doctrine, namely, that believers have

the seed of God abiding in them; which is founded on what the apostle

says in 1 John iii. 9. _Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;

for his seed abideth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of

God_; for the understanding of which let us consider,

(1.) That by the words, _he cannot commit sin_, the apostle does not

intend that such an one is not a sinner, or that there is such a thing

as sinless perfection attainable in this life; for that is contrary, not

only to the whole tenor of scripture, and daily experience of mankind;

but to what he had expressly said, _If we say we have no sin, we deceive

ourselves, and the truth is not in us_, 1 John i. 8. Therefore, in this

text, upon which our present argument is founded, he is, doubtless,

speaking of persons committing sins, inconsistent with the truth of

grace, as he says in a foregoing verse, _Whosoever sinneth hath not seen

him, neither known him_, chap. iii. 6. it is such a sin therefore as

argues a person to be in a state of unregeneracy; and then, _He that

committeth sin is of the devil_, ver. 8. therefore he certainly speaks

of such a commission of sin, as argues us to be under the reigning power

of the devil: and that this may plainly appear to be his sense, we may

observe, that he elsewhere distinguishes between _a sin that is unto

death_, and a sin that is _not unto death_, chap. v. 16, 17. by which he

does not mean, as the Papists suppose, that some sins deserve eternal

death, and others not; the former of which they call mortal sins; the

latter venial; but he is speaking of a sin that is inconsistent with the

principle of grace, and that which is consistent therewith; the former

is sometimes called _the pollution that is in the world, through lust_,

2 Pet. i. 4. the latter _the spot of God’s children_, Deut. xxxii. 5.

The least sin deserves death, though they who commit it shall not

perish, but be brought to repentance; but the _sin unto death_ is wilful

sin, committed and continued in with impenitency; and with this

limitation we are to understand the apostle’s words, _He who is born of

God doth not commit sin_.

(2.) We shall now consider the reason assigned, why the person he speaks

of, cannot, in this sense, commit sin; namely, because he is _born of

God_, and _the seed of God abideth, in him_. To be born of God, is what

is elsewhere styled regeneration, or being born of the Spirit, in which

there is a principle of grace implanted, which is here called _the seed

of God_. And, indeed, this metaphorical way of speaking is very

expressive of the thing designed hereby; for as in nature the seed

produces fruit, and in things moral, the principle of action produces

action, as the principle of reason produces acts of reason: so in things

spiritual, the principle of grace produces acts of grace; and this

principle being from God, which has been largely proved under a

foregoing answer,[89] it is called here, _the seed of God_.

(3.) This seed of God, or this principle is not barely said to be in the

believer, as that which, for the present, is the ground of spiritual

actions; but it is said to _remain in him_. As elsewhere Christ speaks

of the Spirit as _abiding_ with his people _for ever_, John xiv. 16. so

here the apostle speaks of that principle of grace wrought by the

Spirit, as abiding, that is, continuing for ever; and from thence he

infers, that a believer _cannot sin_; for if he had been only speaking

of its being implanted, but not abiding; all that could be inferred from

thence would be, that he does not sin; but whereas, he argues from it,

that he cannot sin, that is, apostatize; it being understood, that this

principle abides in him continually; which plainly contains the sense of

the argument we are maintaining, namely, that because the seed of God

abides in a believer, therefore he cannot apostatize, or fall short of

salvation.

They who are on the other side of the question, seem to find it very

difficult to evade the force of this argument: some suppose that the

apostle intends no more but that he that is born of God, should not

commit sin; but that is not only remote from the sense of the words

_cannot sin_;[90] but it does not sufficiently distinguish one that is

born of God, from another that is not so; for it is as much a truth,

that an unregenerate person ought not to sin, as when we speak of one

that is regenerate.

Others, by not sinning, suppose that the apostle means, they sin with

difficulty, or they are hardly brought to commit sin; but as this also

does not answer to the sense of the word _cannot_ sin, so it is

inconsistent with that beautiful gradation, which we may observe in the

words. To say that he does not sin; and then if he commits sin, it is

with some difficulty, is not so agreeable to that climax, which the

apostle makes use of, when he says, he does not commit sin, yea, he

cannot.

Others suppose that the apostle’s meaning is, that he that is born of

God, cannot sin unto death, or apostatize, so as to fall short of

salvation, so long as he makes a right use of this principle of grace,

which is implanted in him; but by opposing and afterwards extinguishing

it, he may become an apostate. But we may observe; in answer to this,

that the apostle does not attribute his perseverance in grace, to his

making use of the principle, but his having it, or its abiding in him;

and he sufficiently fences against the supposition of its being possible

that the principle of grace may be wholly lost; for then this seed could

not be said to abide in him, nor would the inference deduced from its

abiding in him, namely, that he cannot sin, be just.

Thus, concerning this latter branch of the argument to prove the saints’

perseverance in grace, taken from the seed of God, abiding in believers:

But there is one thing must be observed before I dismiss this head,

_viz._ That the principle of grace, which is signified by this metaphor,

though it be, and abide in a believer; yet it does not always exert

itself so as to produce those acts of grace which would otherwise

proceed from it. This cannot be better illustrated than by a similitude

taken from the soul, which is the principle of reason in man; though it

be as much so in an infant in the womb as it is in any, yet it is

altogether unactive; for most allow that such have not the exercise of

thought or acts of reason; and when a person is newly born, it hardly

appears that this principle is deduced into act; and in those in whom it

has been deduced into act, it may be rendered stupid, and almost

unactive, or at least, so disordered, that the actions which proceed

from it cannot be styled rational, through the influence of some bodily

disease, with which it is affected, yet still it remains a principle of

reason. The same may be said concerning the principle of grace; it is

certainly an unactive principle in those who are regenerate from the

womb; and it may cease to exert itself, and be with equal reason, styled

an unactive principle in believers, when they fall into very great sins,

to which it offers no resistance: This we shall take occasion to apply

under a following head, when we shall consider some objections that are

brought against this doctrine, by those who suppose that believers, when

sinning presumptuously, as David, Peter, and others, are said to have

done, fail totally, though not finally. There was indeed a total

suspension of the activity of this principle, but yet the principle

itself was not wholly lost; but more of this in its proper place. We are

therefore bound to conclude, that because this principle abides in them,

they can neither totally nor finally apostatize, and therefore, that

they can neither fall from a state of grace, nor fail, at last, of

salvation.

Thus we have endeavoured to explain and shew the force of those

arguments which are contained in this answer to prove the doctrine of

the saints’ perseverance. There are several others that might have been

insisted on; and particularly it may be proved, from the end and design

of Christ’s death, which was not only that he might purchase to himself

a peculiar people, but that he might purchase eternal life for them; and

we cannot think that this invaluable price would have been given for the

procuring of that which should not be applied, in which respect Christ

would be said to die in vain. When a person gives a price for any thing,

it is with this design, that he or they, for whom he purchased it,

should be put into the possession of it; which, if it be not done, the

price that was given is reckoned lost, and the person that gave it

disappointed hereby.

And this argument may be considered as having still more weight in it,

if we observe, that the salvation of those whom Christ has redeemed, not

only redounds to their happiness, but to the glory of God the Father,

and of Christ, our great Redeemer. God the Father, in giving Christ to

be a propitiation for sin, designed to bring more glory to his name than

by all his other works: Thus our Saviour appeals to him in the close of

his life, _I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work

which thou gavest me to do_, John xvii. 14. The work was his, and there

was a revenue of glory which he expected thereby; and this glory did not

only consist in his receiving a full satisfaction for sin, that so he

might take occasion to advance his grace in forgiving it; but he is said

to be glorified, when his people are enabled to _bear much fruit_, chap.

xv. 8. Therefore the glory of God the Father is advanced by the

application of redemption, and consequently by bringing his redeemed

ones to perfection.

The Son is also glorified, not barely by his having those honours, which

his human nature is advanced to, as the consequence of his finishing the

work of redemption, but by the application thereof to his people;

accordingly he is said to be _glorified in them_, chap. xviii. 10. that

is, his mediatorial glory is rendered illustrious by all the grace that

is conferred upon them; and therefore, certainly he will be eminently

glorified, when they are brought to be with him, where he is, to behold

his glory. Now can we suppose, that since the Father and the Son

designed to have so great a glory redound to them by the work of our

redemption, that they will sustain any loss thereof, for want of the

application of it to them, for whom it was purchased. If God designed,

as the consequence thereof, that the saints should sing that new song,

_Thou art worthy, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by

thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation_:

And if God the Father, and the Son, are both joined together, and their

glory celebrated therein, by their ascribing _blessing, glory, and

power, unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for

ever and ever_, Rev. v. 19. compared with 13. Then certainly they will

not lose this glory; and therefore, the saints shall be brought into

that state where they shall have occasion thus to praise and adore them

for it.

If it be objected to this, that God, the Father and the Son, will be

glorified, though many of his saints should apostatize, and the death of

Christ be, to no purpose, with respect to them, because all shall not

apostatize. The answer to this is plain and easy; that though he could

not be said to lose the glory he designed, by the salvation of those who

persevere, yet some branches of his glory would be lost, by reason of

the apostacy of others, who fall short of salvation; and it is a

dishonour to him to suppose that he will lose the least branch thereof,

or that any of those, for whom Christ died, should be for ever lost.

We might also add, that for the same reason that we suppose one whom

Christ has redeemed, should be lost, all might be lost, and so he would

lose all the glory he designed to have in the work of redemption. This

appears, in that all are liable to those temptations, which, if complied

with, have a tendency to ruin them. All are supposed to be renewed and

sanctified but in part, and consequently the work of grace meets with

those obstructions from corrupt nature; which would certainly prove too

hard for all our strength, and baffle our utmost endeavours to

persevere, did not God appear in our behalf, and keep us by his power.

Now, if all need strength from him to stand, and must say, that without

him they can do nothing, then we must either suppose, that that grace is

given to all saints which shall enable them to persevere, or else that

it is given to none; if it be given to none, but all are left to

themselves, then that which overthrows the faith of one, would overthrow

the faith of all; and consequently we might conclude, that whatever God

the Father, or the Son have done, in order to the redemption and

salvation of the elect might be of none effect.

I might produce many other arguments in defence of the saints’

perseverance, but shall conclude this head with two or three scriptures,

whereby the truth hereof will farther appear: Thus our Saviour says to

the woman of Samaria, _Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give

him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be

in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life_, John iv. 14.

Where, by the water that Christ gives, is doubtless understood the gifts

and graces of the Spirit; these are not like the waters of a brook, that

often deceive the expectation of the traveller; but they are a well of

water, intimating that a believer shall have a constant supply of grace

and peace till he is brought to the rivers of pleasure, which are at

God’s right-hand, and is made partaker of eternal life. Again, our

Saviour says, _He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent

me, hath everlasting life_, chap. v. 24. _i. e._ it is as surely his as

though he was in the actual possession of it; and he farther intimates,

that such are not only justified for the present; but they shall not

come into condemnation; certainly this implies that their salvation is

so secure as that it is impossible for them to perish eternally.

Another scripture that plainly proves this doctrine, is in 2 Tim. ii.

19. _Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal,

the Lord knoweth them that are his; and let every one that nameth the

name of Christ depart from iniquity_; in which words the apostle

encourages the church to hope for perseverance in grace, after they had

had a sad instance of two persons of note, _viz._ Hymeneus and Philetus,

who had not only _erred from the truth_, but _overthrown the faith of

some_; and he cautions every one, who makes a profession of religion, as

they would be kept from apostatizing, to depart from iniquity, _q. d._

since many of you are ready to fear that your faith shall be overthrown,

as well as that of others, by the sophistry or cunning arts of those

apostates who lie in wait to deceive, you may be assured that their

state is safe, who are built upon that foundation which God has laid,

that _chief corner stone, elect, precious_, viz. Christ, _on whom he

that believeth, shall not be confounded_, 1 Pet. ii. 6. or else, that

the instability of human conduct shall not render it a matter of

uncertainty, whether they, who are ordained to eternal life, shall be

saved or no; for that depends on God’s purpose, relating hereunto, which

is a sure foundation, and has this seal annexed to it, whereby our faith

herein may be confirmed, that they whom God has set apart for himself,

and lays a special claim to, as his chosen and redeemed ones, whom he

has foreknown and loved with an everlasting love, shall not perish

eternally, because the purpose of God cannot be frustrated. But inasmuch

as there is no special revelation given to particular persons, that they

are the objects of this purpose cf grace; therefore every one that names

or professes the name of Christ ought to use the utmost caution, that

they be not ensnared; let them depart from all iniquity, and not

converse with those who endeavour to overthrow their faith. And, indeed,

all that are faithful shall be kept from iniquity by God, as they are

here given to understand that it is their duty to endeavour to depart

from it, and consequently they shall be kept from apostacy. This seems

to be the sense of these words; and it is agreeable to the analogy of

faith, as well as a plain proof of the doctrine which we are

maintaining.

A late writer[91], by _the foundation of God, which standeth sure_,

supposes the doctrine of _the resurrection_ is intended, which Hymeneus

and Philetus denied, saying, that it _was past already_; this doctrine,

says he, which is a fundamental article of faith, _standeth sure, having

this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his_; that is, he loveth and

approveth of them. But though it be true the resurrection is spoken of

in the foregoing verse, and we do not deny that it is a fundamental

article of faith; yet that does not seem to be the meaning of the word

_foundation_, in this text. For if by the resurrection we understand the

doctrine of the general resurrection of the dead, I cannot see where the

force of the apostle’s argument lies, _viz._ that there shall be a

general resurrection, because the Lord knoweth who are his, since the

whole world are to be raised from the dead. But if by the resurrection

we are to understand a resurrection to eternal life, so that they who

are known or beloved of God, shall have their part in it, and the

apostle’s method of reasoning be this, that they who believe shall be

raised to eternal life; that is, so far from militating against the

argument we are maintaining, that it is agreeable to the sense we have

given of the text, and makes for, rather than against us.

As to what is farther advanced by the author but now mentioned, _viz._

that _the Lord knoweth who are his_, is to be taken for that regard

which God had to his apostles and ministers. This seems too great a

strain on the sense of the words, and so much different from the scope

of the apostle therein, as well as disagreeable to the caution given,

that _every one who names the name of Christ_ should _depart from

iniquity_, that no one who reads the scriptures without prejudice, can

easily give into this sense of the text.

I shall mention but one scripture more for the proof of this doctrine,

and that is in 1 John ii. 19. _They went out from us, but they were not

of us; for if they had been of us, they would, no doubt, have continued

with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they

were not all of us_; for the understanding of which, let it be

considered, that the apostle is speaking of some who were formerly

members of the church, who afterwards turned apostates and open enemies

to Christ, and his gospel: It is plain that the words _they went out

from us_, and _they were not of us_, must be taken in different

respects, otherwise it would imply a contradiction, to say that a person

departed from the faith and communion of the church, when he never

embraced it, or had communion with it; but if they understand it thus,

they left the faith and communion of the church because they were

Christians only in pretence, and did not heartily embrace the faith on

which the church was built; nor were they really made partakers of that

grace, which the apostles, and other faithful members of the church, had

received from God, as being effectually called thereby, the sense is

very plain and easy, _viz._ That there were some false professors, who

made a great shew of religion, and were admitted into communion with the

church, and, it may be, some of them preached the gospel, and were more

esteemed than others; but they apostatized; for they had not the truth

of grace, but were like the seed that sprang up without having root in

itself, which afterwards withered; whereas, if they had had this grace

it would have been abiding, and so they would, _without doubt_, says the

apostle, _have continued with us_; but by their apostacy it appears,

that they were not, in this sense, of our number, that is believers.

They who understand this scripture, not of persons who were members of

the church, but ministers, that first joined themselves with the

apostles, and afterwards deserted them, and their doctrine, advance

nothing that tends to overthrow the argument we are maintaining; for we

may then understand the words thus, they pretended to be the true

ministers of Jesus Christ, and doubtless, to be, as the apostles were,

men of piety and religion, for, in other respects, they were of them

visibly, whilst they preached the same doctrines; but afterwards, by

departing from the faith, it appeared, that though they were ministers

they were not sincere Christians, for if they had, they would not have

apostatized.

IV. We shall now proceed to consider the objections that are usually

brought against the doctrine of the saints’ perseverance in grace.

_Object._ 1. It is objected, that there are several persons mentioned in

scripture, who appear to have been true believers, and yet apostatized,

some totally, as David and Peter; others not only totally, but finally,

in which number Solomon is included; and others are described as

apostates, such as Hymeneus and Alexander, who are said _concerning

faith, to have made shipwreck_, and therefore it is supposed that they

had the grace of faith; and Judas is also, by them, reckoned to have

been a true believer, whom all allow afterwards to have proved an

apostate.

_Answ._ 1. As to the case of David and Peter, it is true, their fall was

very notorious, and the former seems to have continued some months in a

state of impenitency; and when they fell, there appeared no marks of

grace in either of them. Peter’s sin, indeed, was committed through

surprize and fear; but yet it had such aggravating circumstances

attending it, that if others, whose character is less established than

his was, had committed the same sin, we should be ready to conclude,

that they were in a state of unregeneracy; and David’s sin was committed

with that deliberation, and was so complicated a crime, that if any

believer ever lost the principle of grace, we should have been inclined

to suppose this to have been his case. Nevertheless, that which gives us

ground to conclude that this principle was not wholly extinguished,

either in Peter or him, at the same time that they fell; and therefore,

that they were not total apostates, is what we before observed, that the

principle of grace may be altogether unactive, and yet abide in the

soul, agreeably to the sense we gave of that scripture, _his seed

abideth in him_; and if what has been already said concerning the

possibility of the principle of grace remaining, though it makes no

resistance against the contrary habits of sin, be of any force,[92] then

these and other instances of the like nature, on which one branch of the

objection is founded, will not be sufficient to prove the possibility of

the total apostacy of any true believer.

2. As to the case of Solomon; that he once was a true believer is

allowed on both sides; for it is said concerning him, soon after he was

born, that _the Lord loved him_, 2 Sam. xii. 24, 25. upon which occasion

he gave him that significant name, Jedidiah, the beloved of the Lord;

and it is certain, that in the beginning of his reign, his piety was no

less remarkable than his wisdom, as appears from his great zeal,

expressed in building the temple of God, and establishing the worship

thereof; and also from that extraordinary instance of devotion with

which he dedicated or consecrated the house to God, 1 Kings viii. 1. &

_seq._ and the prayer put up to him on that occasion, and also from

God’s appearing to him twice: in his first appearance he condescended to

ask him, what he would give him? and upon Solomon’s choosing, _an

understanding heart_, to judge his people, he was pleased with him, and

gave him several other things that he asked not for; so that there were

_not any among the kings like unto him_, chap. iii. 5, 9, 10, 12, 13.

from all this it is taken for granted, that he once was a believer: but,

on the other hand, we must, if we duly weigh the force of the objection,

set the latter part of his life against the former, in which we find him

guilty of very great sins; not only in multiplying wives and concubines,

beyond what any of his predecessors had done, but in that _his heart was

turned away after other gods, and_, as it is expressly said, _was not

perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David, his father_,

chap. xi. 4. And it is also said, that _the Lord was angry with Solomon,

because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had

appeared to him twice_, ver. 9. and on this occasion he determined to

rend part of the kingdom from his son, ver. 13. which came to pass

accordingly; and all this is said to have been done _when he was old_,

ver. 4. And after this we read of several that were _stirred up as

adversaries_ to him, ver. 14, 23, 26. And in the remaining part of his

history we read of little but trouble and uneasiness that he met with;

and this seemed to continue till his death, of which we have an account

in 1 Kings xi. chapter throughout, which contains the history of his

sin, and troubles; and we read not the least word of his repentance

therein; for which reason he is supposed, in the objection, to have

apostatized totally and finally.

The main strength of this objection lies in the supposition, that

Solomon did not repent of his idolatry which he committed in his old

age, or, as it is supposed, in the latter part of his life, and also

from the silence of scripture as to the matter; especially in that part

of it which gives an account of his fall and death. But this is not

sufficient to support the weight of the objection, and to oblige us to

conclude him to be an apostate; for there is nothing that appears from

the account we have of him in scripture, but that he might have

sufficient time for repentance between his fall and death. It is said

indeed, that in his old age his wives turned him aside, but this they

might do, and yet he not die an apostate; for sometimes that part of

life which is called old age, comprises in it several years; therefore,

when he began to be in his declining age, he might sin, and after that

be brought to repentance. And as for the scripture’s speaking first of

his fall, and then of his death; it does not follow from thence that one

was immediately after the other; since the history of the blemishes and

troubles of his life is but short.

On the other hand, there are several things which may give us ground to

conclude, that he repented after his fall; particularly,

(1.) We have an intimation hereof in God’s promise relating thereunto,

in which it is supposed, that God would suffer him to fall, and a

provisionary encouragement is given to expect that he should be

recovered: thus he says, _I will chastise him with the rod of men, and

with the stripes of the children of men; but my mercy shall not depart

away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee_, 1

Sam. vii. 14, 15. and the same thing is repeated, in which his fall is

supposed, and his recovery from it particularly mentioned, in Psal.

lxxxix. 30-34. as though God had designed that this should be a

supplement to his history, and remove the doubts which might arise from

it, with relation to his salvation.

(2.) There are some things in other parts of scripture, which give

sufficient ground to conclude, that he was a true penitent, which

plainly refer to that part of his life which was between his fall and

his death. Thus, if we duly weigh several passages in Ecclesiastes,

which none can deny that he was the inspired writer of, inasmuch as it

is said, in the title or preface set before it, that they are _the words

of the preacher, the son of David, king of Jerusalem_, we shall find

many things in which he expresses the great sense of the vanity of his

past life, when he says, _I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know

madness and folly_, Eccl. i. 17. where, by _madness and folly_, he

doubtless intends that which was so in a moral sense, when he indulged

his sinful passions, which respects the worst part of his life. And this

he farther insists on; _Whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from

them, I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced in all

my labour_, Eccl. ii. 10. or in all things, which afterwards were matter

of grief and uneasiness to me; in which he observes how he did, as it

were, take pains to bring on himself a long train of miseries that

troubled him afterwards; and then he plainly expresses his repentance,

when he says, _All was vanity and vexation of spirit_, and there was _no

profit under the sun_, ver. 11. as though he should say, I turned from

God to the creature, to see what happiness I could find therein, but met

with nothing but disappointment; he had no profit in those things,

whereof he was now ashamed. It is probable, God shewed him the vanity

thereof, by his chastening him, or visiting his transgressions with the

rod, and his iniquities with stripes, as he had promised to do; and this

ended in vexation of spirit, which is a plain intimation of that godly

sorrow that proceeded from a sense of sin, which made him, beyond

measure, uneasy; and this vexation or uneasiness was so great, that he

says, _I hated life_, that is, I hated my past wicked life, and abhorred

myself for it, _because the work that is wrought under the sun, is

grievous unto me_; that is, the work that I have wrought, was such as

gave me grief of heart; _for all is vanity and vexation of spirit_, ver.

17. that is, this is all the consequence thereof: it cannot be supposed

that he was weary of his life for the same reasons that many others are,

who are deprived of the blessings of common providence, and reduced to

that condition that makes them miserable, as to their outward

circumstances in the world; but it was the uneasiness he found in his

own spirit, the secret wounds of conscience and bitterness of soul,

which arose from a sense of sin, that made him thus complain.

And elsewhere, he seems to be sensible of his sin, in heaping up vast

treasures, which he calls _loving silver_; and adds, that such an one,

which seems very applicable to his own case, _shall not be satisfied

with silver, nor he that loveth abundance, with increase; this is also

vanity_, chap. v. 10. that is, this had been an instance of his former

vanity: and he adds, _The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he

eat little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to

sleep_, ver. 12. If by this we understand that the increase of riches

sometimes gives disturbance to, and stirs up the corruptions of those

that possess them, and this be applied to himself, it is an

acknowledgment of his sin. Or, if we understand by it that the abundance

of a rich man will not give him rest at night, when his mind is made

uneasy with a sense of the guilt of sin, and this be applied to his own

case, when fallen by it; then it intimates that his repentance gave him

not only uneasiness by day, but took away his rest by night; and it

seems not improbable, that what gave him farther occasion to see the

vanity of his past life, was the sense of mortality impressed on him;

for he says, _It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to

the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living

will lay it to his heart_, chap. vii. 3. that is, he will, or ought to

improve the sense of his own frailty, which we may conclude he had done;

and therefore adds, _Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness

of the countenance, the heart is made better_, ver. 3.

But if it be objected, that all these expressions are not applicable to

himself, and many others of the like nature, which might have been

referred to, which are expressive of his great repentance; though I

cannot but think that the contrary to this seems very probable; yet

there is something farther added, that he expressly applies to himself,

which refers to his unlawful love of women: _I find more bitter than

death the woman whose heart is snares, and nets, and her hands as bands.

Whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken

by her: behold, this have I found, saith the preacher_, ver. 26, 27. If

these things be not expressive of repentance, it is hard to say what

are.

And to this we may add, that as he expresses a grief of heart for past

sins; so he warns others that they may not be guilty of that which he

himself found more bitter than death; and accordingly, having described

the arts used by the wicked woman, to betray the unthinking passenger,

he cautions every one to take heed of declining to her ways; inasmuch as

the consequence thereof will be, that a _dart_ will _strike through his

liver_, and he is _as a bird that hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not

that it is for his life_, Prov. vii. 23. compared with the foregoing

verses. He also adds, That _she hath cast down many wounded; yea, many

strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going

down to the chambers of death_, ver. 26, 27. So that we find in Solomon,

two of the greatest evidences that we can have of sincere repentance;

namely, a great degree of sorrow for sin, and an earnest desire that

others would avoid it, by giving those cautions that are necessary to

prevent their falling into the snare in which he had been entangled.

(3.) There is something spoken in Solomon’s commendation, after his

death, which may be gathered from what is said, that during the three

first years of Rehoboam’s reign, which God approved of he _walked in the

way of David and Solomon_, 2 Chron. xi. 17. where we may observe, that

Solomon is joined with his father David: so that as there were

abatements to be made for the blemishes in David’s reign; the reign of

Solomon had in it great blemishes: but as one repented, so did the

other, and therefore ought not to be reckoned an apostate.

And to all this we may add, that he was a penman of scripture; and it

does not appear that God conferred this honour upon any that apostatized

from him; but on the other hand, they have this general character given

of them by the apostle Peter, that they were all _holy men of God_, 2

Pet. i. 21. which we must conclude Solomon to have been, till we have

greater evidence to the contrary than they can produce who deny it.

3. There are others mentioned in the objection, to wit, Hymeneus and

Alexander, whose apostacy we have no ground to doubt of; but we cannot

allow that they fell from, or lost the saving grace of faith. It is one

thing to fall from the profession of faith, and another thing to lose

the grace of faith; therefore, the only thing to be proved in answer to

this branch of the objection, is, that these persons, who are described

as apostates, never had the truth of grace; or that they only fell from

that visible profession which they made thereof; whereby they were

reckoned to be, what in reality they were not, namely, true believers.

Now that this may appear, let it be considered,

That the apostle speaks of them as having _departed from the faith_,

viz. the doctrines of the gospel; and that was attended with blasphemy,

for which they were _delivered unto Satan_, which is a phrase used by

the apostle here and elsewhere, for persons being cut off from the

communion of the church; upon which occasion he advises Timothy _to hold

faith and a good conscience, which some having put away, concerning

faith, have made shipwreck_, as these have done.

Now the main force of the objection seems to lie in this, that they who

have made shipwreck of faith, were once true believers; therefore, such

may apostatize, and so fall short of salvation.

To which it may be replied, that by _faith_ here, is meant the doctrines

of the gospel, which are often styled _faith_: thus it is said, that the

apostle _preached the faith which once he destroyed_, Gal. i. 23. and

elsewhere, _before faith came_; that is, before the gospel-dispensation

began, and those doctrines were preached that were to be published

therein to the world, _we were kept under the law_, chap. iii. 23. And

again, _Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the

hearing of faith_, ver. 2. that is, by hearing those doctrines that are

contained in the gospel. Therefore, that which he chargeth these

apostates with, is making shipwreck of faith, considered objectively:

they once, indeed, held the truth, but it was in unrighteousness; they

had right notions of the gospel, which they afterwards lost: now the

apostle advises Timothy not only to _hold faith_, that is, to retain the

doctrines of the gospel, as one who had right sentiments of divine

truths, but to hold it _with a good conscience_; for I take that

expression, _hold faith and a good conscience_, to contain an

_hendyadis_; and so it is the same as though he should say, Be not

content with an assent to the truths of the gospel, but labour after a

conscience void of offence towards God, that thou mayst have the

testimony thereof, that thy knowledge of divine truth is practical and

experimental, and then thou art out of danger of making shipwreck of

faith, as these have done, who held it without a good conscience. It is

not said they made shipwreck of a good conscience; for that they never

have had; but _concerning faith_, which they once professed, _they made

shipwreck_.

The same thing may be said concerning Judas; he apostatized from the

faith, which he once made a very great profession of, being not only one

of Christ’s disciples, but sent forth with the rest of them, to preach

the gospel, and work miracles; yet it is evident, that he had not the

saving grace of faith. For our Saviour, who knew the hearts of all men,

was not deceived in him (though others were) inasmuch as it is said, _He

knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should

betray him_, John vi. 64. However, the principal force of the objection

lies in this, that Judas must needs have been a believer, because he was

given to Christ; and our Saviour says, that _those who were given him

were kept by him, and none of them was lost but the son of perdition_,

chap. xvii. 12. His being styled _the son of perdition_, argues him an

apostate; and his being _given to Christ_ denotes that he was once a

true believer; therefore he fell totally and finally. In answer to

which,

(1.) Some conclude, that they who are said to _be given to Christ_, are

such as were appointed, by the providence of God, to be his servants in

the work of the ministry. Now it is said concerning them, that they were

given to Christ, to be employed by him in this service; and that all of

them were kept faithful, except the son of perdition. If this be the

sense of their being given to him, it does not necessarily infer their

being made partakers of special grace: it is one thing to be given to

Christ, to be employed in some peculiar acts of service, in which his

glory is concerned; and another thing to be given to him, as being

chosen and called by him, to partake of special communion with him: if

Judas had been given to him in this latter sense, he would not have been

a son of perdition, but would have been kept by him, as the other

disciples were; but inasmuch as he was only given to Christ, that he

might serve the design of his providence, in the work of the ministry,

he might be lost, or appear to be a son of perdition, and yet not fall

from the truth of grace.

(2.) If, by being _given to Christ_, we understand a being given to him,

as objects of his special love, we must suppose, that all who were thus

given to him, were kept by him; in which sense Judas, who is called _the

son of perdition_, and was not kept by him, was not given to him:

accordingly the particle _but_ is not exceptive, but adversative; and it

is as though he should say, _All that thou gavest me I have kept, and

none of them is lost; but the son of perdition is lost_, I have not

preserved him; for he was not the object of my special care and love; he

was not given me to save, therefore he is lost. Now it is certain, that

the particle _but_ is used in this sense in many other scriptures,

particularly that wherein it is said, _There shall in no wise enter into

it_, that is, the heavenly Jerusalem, _any thing that defileth, neither

whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, but they which are

written in the Lamb’s book of life_, Rev. xxi. 27. _q. d._ ungodly men

shall not enter in; but they that are written in the lamb’s book of life

shall[93]. Thus much concerning this objection, taken from particular

persons, who are supposed to have fallen from grace.

_Obj._ 2. The next objection is taken from what the apostle Paul says

concerning the church of the Jews, whom he describes as apostatized from

God; and it is evident, that they are, to this day, given up to judicial

blindness, and not in the least disposed to repent of that crime for

which they were cast off by him; concerning these he says, that they

once were holy; _If the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and

if the root be holy, so are the branches_, Rom. xi. 16. and afterwards

he speaks of _their casting away_, and _some of the branches being

broken off, because of unbelief_, ver. 15, 17, 19, 20. Now if the whole

church apostatized, we must conclude at least, that some of them were

true believers, and therefore true believers may fall from the grace of

God.

_Answ._ That the church of the Jews apostatized, and were cut off for

their unbelief, is sufficiently evident: but we must distinguish between

the apostacy of a professing people, such as the church of the Jews

were, who first rejected God, and then were cast off by him, and the

apostacy of those who were truly religious among them; the apostle

himself gives us ground for this distinction, when he says, _they are

not all Israel which are of Israel; neither because they are the seed of

Abraham are they all children_, chap. ix. 6, 7. And elsewhere he

distinguishes between one who is _a Jew_, as being partaker of the

external privileges of the covenant, which that church was under, and a

person’s being _a Jew_, as partaking of the saving blessings thereof; as

he says, _He is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that

circumcision, which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew which is

one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and

not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God_, Rom. ii. 28,

29. A church may lose its external privileges, and cease to have the

honourable character given it; the greatest part of them may be blinded,

when, at the same time _the election_, that is, all among them who were

chosen to eternal life, _obtained it_, as the apostle observes, chap.

xi. 7. and thereby intimates, that some who were members of that church

were faithful; those were preserved from the common apostacy, being

converted to the Christian faith. Their privileges, as members of a

church, were lost, but they still retained their spiritual and

inseparable union with Christ, which they had as believers, and not as

the result of their being the natural seed of Abraham, they were made

partakers of the blessings that accompany salvation; and therefore were

not separated from the love of God in Christ, whilst formal professors

and hypocrites, who were Abraham’s natural seed, but not his spiritual,

were cast off by Christ.

_Obj._ 3. It is farther objected, that there are some who have the

character of righteous persons, concerning whom it is supposed, that

they may fall away or perish; particularly those mentioned in Ezek.

xviii. 24. _When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness,

and committeth iniquity, and doth according to all the abominations that

the wicked man doth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath

done shall not be mentioned, in the trespass that he hath trespassed,

and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die_: And in Heb.

x. 38. it is said, _The just shall live by faith; but if any man_, or,

as the word should be rendered, if _he draw back, my soul shall have no

pleasure in him_. Therefore, since the righteous man may turn from his

righteousness, and draw back to perdition, the doctrine of the saints’

perseverance cannot be defended.

_Answ._ 1. As to the former of these scriptures, we must consider the

sense thereof agreeably to the context, and the scope and design of the

prophet therein; he had often reproved them for those vile abominations

which they were guilty of, and had denounced the threatnings of God,

which should have their accomplishment in their utter ruin;

particularly, he fortels the judgments that should sweep away many of

them before, and others that should befal them in the captivity: this is

the subject principally insisted on by the prophets Jeremiah and

Ezekiel; whereupon sometimes they were represented as disliking the

doctrine, desiring that _smooth things_ might be prophesied unto them,

and _the holy one of Israel might cease from before them_. At other

times they are represented as complaining of the hardship of this

dispensation, intimating that it was unjust and severe, and, at the same

time, justifying themselves, as though they had done nothing that

deserved it; but all this was to befal them for the sins of their

fathers, and accordingly there was a proverbial expression often made

use of by them, mentioned verse 2d of this chapter, _The fathers have

eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge_; by which

they did not understand that we expect to perish eternally for our

fathers’ sins, in which sense it must be taken, if this objection has

any force in it: now God, by the prophet, tells them that they had no

reason to use this proverb, and so puts them upon looking into their

past conduct, and enquiring, whether they had not been guilty of the

same sins that their fathers were charged with? which, if they could

exculpate themselves from, they should be delivered, and not die, that

is, not fall by those judgments which either should go before, or follow

the captivity; for that seems to be the sense of _dying_, according to

the prophetic way of speaking, as we have observed elsewhere.[94] For

the understanding of this scripture we must consider, that the prophet

addresses himself to _the house of Israel_, who are represented, ver.

25. as complaining, that _the way of the Lord was not equal_; or, that

God’s threatnings or judgments, which were the forerunners of the

captivity, were such as they had not deserved; and therefore he tells

them that he would deal with them according to their deserts, ver. 24.

_When the righteous_, that is, one whose conversation before this seemed

to be unblemished, and he not guilty of those enormous crimes which were

committed by others (which may be supposed, and yet the person not be in

a state of grace) I say, when such an one _turneth away from his

righteousness, and doth according to all the abominations that the

wicked man doth_, that is, becomes openly vile and profligate; _shall he

live?_ can he expect any thing else but that God should follow him with

exemplary judgments, or that he should be involved in the common

destruction? _In his sin that he hath sinned shall he die._ And on the

other hand, ver. 27. _When the wicked man turneth away from his

wickedness_; that is, they who have been guilty of these abominations

shall reform their lives, or turn from their idolatry, murders,

adulteries, oppressions, and other vile crimes, that the people in

general were charged with, by the prophet, which are assigned as the

reason of God’s sending this dreadful judgment of the captivity; I say,

if there be such an instance of reformation, _he shall save his soul

alive_; that is, either he shall be delivered from the captivity, or

shall be preserved from those temporal judgments that either went before

or followed after it. This reformation, and deliverance from these

judgments, includes in it something less than saving grace, and a right

to eternal life, which is inseparably connected with it, so that if

nothing else be intended by the _righteous_ and _wicked man_; and if the

judgments threatened, or their deliverance from them, in case of

reformation, includes no more than this, it is evident, that it does not

in the least suppose, that any true believer shall apostatize or fall

from a state of grace. As we may distinguish between eternal death and

temporal judgments; so we must distinguish between a person’s abstaining

from the vilest abominations, as a means to escape these judgments; and

his exercising those graces that accompany salvation. There may be an

external reformation in those who have no special grace, if nothing

farther be regarded than a person’s moral character, or inoffensive

behaviour in the eye of the world. If we only consider him as abstaining

from those sins which are universally reckoned disreputable among those

who make any pretensions to religion, and in this respect he be

denominated a righteous man, such an one may turn away from his

righteousness and become immoral and profligate, and so be reckoned

among the number of apostates: nevertheless he cannot be said to

apostatize or fall from the grace of God, since moral virtue or the

exercise of righteousness in our dealings with men is as much inferior

to saving grace, as a form of godliness is to the power thereof.

2. As to the other scripture, mentioned in the objection, it is

generally urged against us as an unanswerable argument, taken from the

express words thereof, to prove the possibility of the saints’ apostacy;

and our translation is charged with a wilful mistake, to serve a turn,

and make the text speak what it never intended, since all who understand

the original must allow that it ought to be rendered, _If he draw back_,

which supposes that the just man may apostatize, or draw back unto

perdition. To which it may be replied,

(1.) That though the words, according to the form in which they are laid

down, contain a supposition, it does not infer the being or reality of

the thing supposed[95]; but only this, that if such a thing should

happen, it would be attended with what is laid down as a consequence

thereof. This is very agreeable to our common mode of speaking, as when

we say; if a virtuous person should commit a capital crime, he will fall

under the lash of the law as much as though he had made no pretensions

to virtue; nevertheless, it does not follow from hence, that such an one

shall do it, or expose himself to this punishment; or, on the other

hand, if a king should say to a criminal, as Solomon did to Adonijah,

‘If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him

fall to the earth,’ it cannot be concluded from hence, that he will

behave himself so as that his life shall be secured to him. The

proposition is true, as there is a just connexion between the

supposition and the consequence; yet this does not argue that the thing

supposed shall come to pass. Now to apply this to the scripture, under

our present consideration; the proposition is doubtless true, that if

the just man should draw back, so as to become a wicked man, if he

should lose the principle of grace which was implanted in regeneration,

and abandon himself to the greatest impieties, he would as certainly

perish as though he had never experienced the grace of God; but it must

not be inferred from hence, that God will suffer such an one, who is the

object both of his love and care, thus to fall and perish, so that his

soul should have no pleasure in him.

(2.) If we suppose the person here spoken of, whom we consider as a true

believer, to draw back, we may distinguish between backsliding or

turning aside from God, by the commission of very great sins; and

apostacy. Or between drawing back, by being guilty of great crimes, so

as to expose himself to sore judgments; and his drawing back to

perdition. The just man in this text, is said, indeed, to draw back, but

he is distinguished from one that draws back to perdition; as it is said

in the following verse, ‘We are not of them who draw back to perdition,

but of them that believe, to the saving of the soul.’ Such a drawing

back as this, though it shall not end in perdition, inasmuch as the

person shall be recovered and brought to repentance; yet it shall be

attended with very great marks of God’s displeasure against believers,

for those sins which they have committed, as well as others;

accordingly, _his soul having no pleasure_ in them, denotes that he

would, in various instances, reveal his wrath against relapsing

believers, as a display of his holiness, who shall nevertheless be

recovered and saved at last. If these things be duly considered, the

objection seems to have no weight in it, though it should be allowed,

that the words upon which it is principally founded, are not rightly

translated.

However, I cannot see sufficient reason to set aside our translation, it

being equally just to render the words, _if any man draw back_[96];

since the supplying the words _any man_, or _any one_, is allowed of in

many other instances, both in the Old and New Testament. Therefore there

is not the least incongruity in its being supplied in the text under our

present consideration[97]; and, if it be, the sense that we give of it,

will appear very agreeable to the context; accordingly the meaning is,

‘The just shall live by faith,’ or they who ‘know in themselves that

they have in heaven a better and an enduring substance,’ as in one of

the foregoing verses: These shall live by faith, but as for others who

do not live by faith, having only a form or shew of religion, ‘whose

manner is to forsake the assembling of themselves together,’ as in verse

25. these are inclined to _draw back_; therefore, let them know that _if

any one_, or _whosoever draws back_, it will be at their peril; for it

will be to their own _perdition_; yet saith the apostle, that true

believers may not be discouraged by the apostacy of others, let them

take notice of what is said in the following words, ‘We are not of them

who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe, to the saving of

the soul.’ These things being duly considered, it will be sufficiently

evident that this text does not militate against the doctrine of the

saints’ perseverance.

_Obj._ 4. There is another objection brought against the doctrine we

have been endeavouring to maintain, taken from what the apostle says in

Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6. ‘It is impossible for those who were once enlightened,

and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the

Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the

world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto

repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and

put him to an open shame.’ The force of this objection lies in two

things, _viz._ that they are described as total and final apostates; and

also, that according to the account we have of their former

conversation, they appear then to have been true believers.

_Answ._ This is thought, by some, who defend the doctrine of the saints’

perseverance, to be one of the most difficult objections that we

generally meet with against it; especially they who cannot see how it is

possible for a person to make such advances towards true godliness, and

yet be no other than an hypocrite or formal professor, are obliged to

take a method to set aside the force of the objection, which I cannot

give into, namely, that when the apostle says, _It is impossible_ that

such should be _renewed again to repentance_; the word _impossible_

denotes nothing else, but that the thing is exceeding difficult, not

that they shall eventually perish; because they are supposed to be true

believers; but their recovery after such a notorious instance of

backsliding, shall be attended with difficulties so great that nothing

can surmount, but the extraordinary power of God; and though he will

recover them, yet they shall feel the smart thereof as long as they

live; they shall be saved, yet so as by fire[98].

But notwithstanding the word _impossible_ may be sometimes taken for

that which is very difficult, I cannot but conclude that the apostle is

here speaking of that which is impossible, with respect to the event,

and therefore, that he is giving the character of apostates who shall

never be recovered. This appears, not only from the heinousness of the

crime, as they are said _to crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,

and put him to an open shame_; but from what is mentioned in the

following verses, in which they are compared to _the earth that bringeth

forth thorns and briars, which is rejected, and nigh unto cursing, whose

end is to be burned_; and from their being distinguished from those who

shall be saved, concerning whom the apostle was _persuaded better

things, and things that accompany salvation_; therefore he is speaking

here concerning a total and final apostasy.

But that this may not appear to militate against the doctrine we are

maintaining, I shall endeavour to shew, that notwithstanding the

character the apostle gives of the persons he here speaks of they were

destitute of the truth of grace, and therefore nothing is said

concerning them, but what a formal professor may attain to: That this

may appear let it be considered,

1. That they are described as _once enlightened_; but this a person may

be, and yet be destitute of saving faith. If by being _enlightened_ we

understand their having been baptized, as some critics take the word,

which was afterwards, in some following ages, used in that sense, it

might easily be alleged, that a person might be baptized and yet not be

a true believer: But since I question whether baptism was expressed by

illumination in the apostles age[100], I would rather understand by it,

their having been convinced of the truth of the gospel, or yielded an

assent to the doctrines contained therein. Now this a person may do, and

yet be destitute of saving faith, which is seated not barely in the

understanding, but in the will, and therefore supposes him not only to

be rightly informed, with respect to those things which are the object

of faith, but to be internally and effectually called, from whence

saving faith proceeds, as has been before observed.

2. They are said to have _tasted the good word of God_; which agrees

with the character before given of those who had a temporary faith[101],

who seemed, for a while, pleased with the word, and their affections

were raised in hearing it; as Herod is said to have _heard John the

Baptist gladly, and to have done many things_; like those whom our

Saviour compares to the seed sown in stony ground, which soon sprang up,

but afterwards withered away. This a person may do, and yet not have

saving faith; for it is one thing to approve of, and be affected with

the word, and another thing to mix it with that faith which accompanies

salvation. A person may entertain those doctrines contained in the word

which relate to a future state of blessedness with pleasure; as all men

desire to be happy, and at the same time be far from practising the

duties of self-denial, taking up the cross, and following Christ,

mortifying indwelling sin, and exercising an intire dependance upon, and

resignation to him in all things: This contains much more than what is

expressed by _tasting the good word of God_.

3. They are farther described as having _tasted the heavenly gift, and

being made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and of the powers of the world

to come_; all which expressions, I humbly conceive, carry in them no

more than this, that they had been enabled to work miracles, or that

they had a faith of miracles, which has been before described[102], and

proved to fall very short of saving faith[103]. Therefore these

characters given of them do not argue that they were true believers, and

consequently the objection, which depends on the supposition that they

were, is of no force to prove that saints may totally or finally fall

from grace.

_Obj._ 5. The next objection against the doctrine we have been

maintaining, is taken from Heb. x. 29. _Of how much sorer punishment

suppose ye shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the

Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was

sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of

grace._ The crime here spoken of is of the heinous nature, and the

greatest punishment is said to be inflicted for it: Now, inasmuch as

these are described as having been _sanctified by the blood of the

covenant_, it follows, that they were true believers, and consequently

true believers may apostatize, and fall short of salvation.

_Answ._ The force of the objection lies principally in those words, _the

blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified_; which expression is

taken, by divines, in two different senses.

1. Some take the word _he_ in the same sense as it is taken in the

objection, as referring to the apostate; and then the difficulty which

occurs, is how such an one could be said to be sanctified by the blood

of the covenant, and yet not regenerate, effectually called, or a true

believer: To solve this, they suppose, that by _sanctification_ we are

only to understand a relative holiness, which such have who are made

partakers of the common grace of the gospel: Thus it is said, _Israel

was holiness unto the Lord_, Jer. ii. 3. or, as the apostle Peter

expresses it, _an holy nation_, 1 Pet. ii. 9. as they were God’s people

by an external covenant relation, and by an explicit consent to be

governed by those laws which he gave them when they first became a

church, Exod. xxiv. 3. and publicly avouched him to be their God, and he

avouched them to be his peculiar people, which was done upon some solemn

occasions, Deut. xxvi. 17, 18. Nevertheless, many of them were destitute

of the special grace of sanctification, as it contains in it a thorough

and universal change of heart and life. Moreover, they suppose that this

privilege of being God’s people, by an external covenant-relation,

together with all these common gifts and graces that attend it, was

purchased by, and founded on the blood of Christ, which is called _the

blood of the covenant_, inasmuch as he was _given for a covenant of the

people_, Isa. xlii. 6. and pursuant hereunto, he shed his blood to

procure for them the external as well as the saving blessings of the

covenant of grace; the former of these, the persons here described as

apostates, are supposed to have been made partakers of, as the apostle

says, _To them pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the

covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the

promises_, Rom. ix. 4. they worshipped him in all his ordinances, as

those whom the prophet speaks of, _who seek him daily, and delight to

know his ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the

ordinance of their God; they ask of him the ordinances of justice, and

take delight in approaching to God_; and yet these things were not done

by faith, Isa. lviii. 2. In this respect persons may be sanctified, and

yet afterwards forfeit, neglect, despise and forsake these ordinances,

and lose the external privileges of the covenant of grace, which they

once had, and so become apostates. This is the most common method used

to solve the difficulty contained in the objection. But I would rather

acquiesce in another way, which may be taken to account for the sense of

those words, _the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified_.

Therefore, let it be considered,

2. That the word _he_ may be understood, not as referring to the

apostate, but our Saviour, who is spoken of immediately before: thus the

apostate is said to ‘trample under foot the Son of God, and count the

blood of the covenant wherewith He, that is, Christ, ‘was sanctified, an

unholy thing.’ That this sense may appear just, it may be observed, that

Christ was sanctified or set apart by the Father, to perform all the

branches of his Mediatorial office, in two respects.

(1.) As he was fore-ordained or appointed, by him, to come into the

world to shed his blood for the redemption of his people: thus his

undertaking to redeem them is called his sanctifying, or devoting

himself to perform this work, as he says, ‘For their sakes I sanctify

myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth,’ John

xvii. 19. this he did in pursuance of the eternal transaction between

the Father and him, relating hereunto. But it will be said, that this

was antecedent to his dying for them; and therefore, properly speaking,

he could not be said, in this respect, to be _sanctified by the blood of

the covenant_; therefore, to this we may add,

(2.) That he was also sanctified, or set apart by the Father, to apply

the work of redemption after he had purchased it; which sanctification

was, in the most proper sense, the result of his shedding his blood,

which was the blood of the covenant; so that as he was ‘brought again

from the dead,’ as the apostle speaks, ‘through the blood of the

everlasting covenant,’ Heb. xiii. 20. all the blessings which he applies

to his people as the consequence hereof, are the result of his being

sanctified, or set apart to carry on and perfect the work of our

salvation, the foundation whereof was laid in his blood.

Moreover, that they who are here described as apostates, had not before

this, the grace of faith, is evident from the context, inasmuch as they

are distinguished from true believers. The apostle seems to speak of two

sorts of persons, to wit, some who had cast off the ordinances of God’s

worship, ‘forsaking the assembling of themselves together,’ who are

distinguished from those whom he dehorts from this sin, who _had_ the

grace of _faith_, whereby they were enabled to ‘draw near to God in full

assurance thereof, having their hearts sprinkled from an evil

conscience, and their bodies washed with pure water;’ concerning these

he says, ‘We are not of them who draw back to perdition, but of them who

believe to the saving of the soul,’ chap. x. 39. Therefore we must

conclude that others are intended in the text under our present

consideration, who were not true believers, and consequently it does not

from hence appear that such may totally, or finally, fall from a state

of grace.

The apostates spoken of in this and the foregoing objection, were

probably some among the Jews, to whom the gospel was preached, who

embraced the Christian faith, being convinced by those miracles which

were wrought for that purpose, but afterwards revolted from it, and were

more inveterately set against Christ and the gospel than they had been

before they made this profession; and accordingly as they had formerly

approved of the crimes of those who crucified Christ, in which respect

they are said to have crucified him; now they do, in the same sense,

crucify him afresh. And as they had been made partakers of the

extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost; afterwards they openly blasphemed

him, and this was done with spite and malice. These texts therefore not

only contain a sad instance of the apostasy of some, but prove that they

were irrecoverably lost; and this comes as near the account we have in

the gospels of the unpardonable sin, as any thing mentioned in

scripture: nevertheless, what has been said to prove that they never

were true believers, is a sufficient answer to this and the foregoing

objection.

_Objec._ 6. Another objection against the doctrine of the saints’

perseverance, is taken from 2 Pet. ii. 20-22. _For if after they have

escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord

and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and

overcome; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning_; and

they are said in the following verse, to _turn from the holy commandment

delivered unto them_; which is compared to the _dog turning to his own

vomit again, and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire_.

_Answ._ To this it may be replied, That though every one must conclude,

that the persons, whom the apostle here speaks of, plainly appear to be

apostates; yet there is nothing in their character which argues that

they apostatized, or fell from the truth of grace; and it is only such

whom we are at present speaking of. It may be observed, that the apostle

is so far from including these apostates in the number of those to whom

he writes this, with the foregoing epistle, whom he describes _as elect,

according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father, through

sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood

of Jesus Christ_, and as having been _begotten again unto a lively hope,

by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to an inheritance reserved for them

in heaven_, and as such, who should be _kept by the power of God,

through faith, unto salvation_, 1 Pet. i. 2-5. that he plainly

distinguishes them from them. For in verse 1, of this chapter, from

whence it is taken, it is said, ‘There shall be false teachers among

you, and many shall follow their pernicious ways;’ he does not say many,

who are now of your number, but many who shall be joined to the church,

when these false teachers arise. These persons, indeed, are represented

as making a great shew of religion, by which they gained reputation

among some professors, whom they seduced which otherwise they could not

have done; and therefore it is said, ‘They had escaped the pollutions of

the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,’

and that they had ‘known the way of righteousness.’ Such might indeed be

joined to the church afterwards; but they did not now belong to it; and

what is said concerning them, amounts to no more than an external

visible reformation, together with their having attained the knowledge

of Christ and divine things; so that they were enlightened in the

doctrines of the gospel; though they made it appear, by the methods they

used to deceive others, that they had not experienced the grace of the

gospel themselves, and therefore they fell away from their profession,

and turned aside from the faith, which once they preached. It is one

thing for a formal professor, who makes a great show of religion, to

turn aside from his profession, to all excess of riot; and another thing

to suppose a true believer can do so, and that to such a degree as to

continue therein; this the grace of God will keep him from.

_Objec._ 7. Another objection against the doctrine of the saints’

perseverance, is taken from the parable of the debtor and creditor, in

Matt, xviii. 26, _&c._ in which it is said, ‘The servant fell down and

worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee

all. Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed

him, and forgave him the debt;’ but afterwards, upon his treating one of

his fellow-servants, who owed him a very inconsiderable sum, with great

severity, his lord exacted the debt of him, which he had before forgiven

him, and so _delivered_ him _to the tormentors_, till he should pay all

that was due to him: ‘So likewise,’ it is said, ‘shall my heavenly

Father do unto you, if ye, from your hearts forgive not every one his

brother their trespasses;’ from whence it is inferred, that a person may

fall from a justified state, or that God may forgive sin at one time,

and yet be provoked to alter his resolution, and inflict the punishment

that is due to it, at another; which is altogether inconsistent with the

doctrine of the saints’ perseverance in grace.

_Answ._ In answer to this we must observe, that our Saviour’s design in

his parables, is not that every word or circumstance contained in them,

should be applied to signify what it seems to import, but there is some

truth in general intended to be illustrated thereby, which is

principally to be regarded therein. Thus in the parable of the _judge_,

in Luke xviii. 2, &c. ‘which feared not God, neither regarded man,’ who

was moved, by a widow’s importunity, to ‘avenge her of her adversary;’

which after a while, he resolved to do, because the widow _troubled

him_. This is applied to ‘God’s avenging his elect, who cry day and

night unto him;’ where we must observe, that it is only in this

circumstance that the parable is to be applied to them without any

regard had to the injustice of the judge, or his being uneasy, by reason

of the importunity which the widow exprest in pleading her cause with

him.

Again, in the parable of the _steward_, in Luke xvi. 1, &c. who being

accused for having _wasted his lord’s goods_; and apprehending that he

should be soon turned out of the stewardship, he takes an unjust method

to gain the favour of his lord’s debtors, by remitting a part of what

they owed him, that by this means they might be induced to shew kindness

to him when he was turned out of his service. It is said indeed, verse

8. that ‘the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had acted

wisely;’ whereas, our Saviour does not design, in the account he gives

of his injustice, to give the least countenance to it, as though it were

to be imitated by us; nor by his lord’s commending him as acting wisely

for himself, does he intend that it is lawful or commendable for wicked

men to pursue the like measures to promote their future interest. But

the only thing in which this parable is applied, is, that we might learn

from hence, that ‘the children of this world are, in their generation

wiser than the children of light;’ and that men ought to endeavour,

without the least appearance of injustice, to gain the friendship of

others, by using what they have in the world, in such a way, as that

they may be induced, out of gratitude for those favours, which they

conferred upon them, to shew respect to them; but principally, that in

performing what was really their duty, they might have ground to hope

that they shall be approved of God, and received into everlasting

habitations.

Now to apply this rule to the parable from whence the objection is

taken, we must consider, that the design hereof is not to signify that

God changes his mind, as men do, by forgiving persons at one time, and

afterwards condemning them, as though he did not know, when he extended

this kindness to them, how they would behave towards others, or whether

they would improve or forfeit this privilege; since to suppose this

would be contrary to the divine perfections. Therefore the only design

of the parable is to shew, that they who now conclude that God has

forgiven them, ought to forgive others, or else they will find

themselves mistaken at last: and though according to the tenor of the

divine dispensations, or the revealed will of God, which is our only

rule of judging concerning this matter, they think that they are in a

justified state, it will appear, that the debt which they owed was not

cancelled, but shall be exacted of them to the utmost, in their own

persons; so that all that can be proved from hence is, that a man may

fall from, or lose those seeming grounds, which we had to conclude that

his sins were forgiven: but we are not to suppose that our Saviour

intends hereby that God’s secret purpose, relating to the forgiveness of

sin, can be changed; or that he, who is really freed from condemnation,

at one time, may fall under it at another: therefore, what is said in

this parable, does not in the least give countenance to this objection,

or overthrow the doctrine we are maintaining.

_Objec._ 8. There is another objection, taken from what the apostle Paul

says concerning himself, in 1 Cor. ix. 27. _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._ Now it is certain that the

apostle was a true believer; yet he concludes, that if he did not behave

himself so as to subdue or keep under his corrupt passions, but should

commit those open scandalous crimes, which they would prompt him to, he

should, in the end, become a cast-away, that is, apostatize from God,

and be rejected by him.

_Answ._ To this it may be replied, That though the apostle had as good

ground to conclude that he had experienced the grace of God in truth, as

any man, and was oftentimes favoured with a full assurance hereof; yet

he did not attain this assurance by immediate revelation, so as he

received those doctrines which he was to impart to the church as a rule

of faith; for then it would have been impossible for him to have been

mistaken as to this matter: and if this be supposed, then I would

understand what he says concerning his being _a cast-away_, as denoting

what would be the consequence of his _not keeping under his body_; but

not implying hereby that corrupt nature should so far prevail, as that

he should fall from a sanctified state. Now if he did not attain this

assurance by immediate revelation, then he had it in the same way as

others have, by making use of those marks and characters which are given

of the truth of grace; and accordingly he argues, that though, at

present, he thought himself to be in a sanctified state, from the same

evidences that others conclude themselves to be so; yet if corrupt

nature should prevail over him, which it would do, if he did not keep

his body in subjection, or if he were guilty of those vile abominations

which unregenerate persons are chargeable with, then it would appear,

that this assurance was ill grounded, his hope of salvation delusive,

and he no other than an hypocrite; and so, notwithstanding his having

preached to others, he would be found, in the end, among them who were

false professors, and accordingly rejected of God: therefore we may

observe, that it is one thing for a person to exercise that caution, and

use those means to prevent sin, which, if he should commit, would prove

him an hypocrite; and another thing for one that is a true believer, to

be suffered to commit those sins whereby he would apostatize from God,

and so miss of salvation.

And this will serve to answer another objection that is usually brought

against the doctrine we are maintaining, as though it were inconsistent

with that holy fear which believers ought to have of falling, as an

inducement to care and watchfulness in the discharge of their duty; as

it is said in Prov. xxviii. 14. _Happy is the man that feareth always_;

inasmuch as we must distinguish between that fear of caution, which is a

preservative against sin, and includes a watchfulness over our actions,

that we may not dishonour God thereby; and an unbelieving fear, that

though we are in a state of grace, and are enabled to exercise that

diligence and circumspection that becomes christians, yet we have no

foundation whereon to set our foot, or ground to hope for salvation. Or,

it is one thing to fear, lest we should, by giving way to sin, dishonour

God, grieve his Spirit, and wound our own consciences, and do that which

is a disgrace to the gospel, through the prevalency of corrupt nature,

whereby we shall have ground to conclude that we thought ourselves

something when we were nothing, deceiving our own souls; and another

thing to fear that we shall perish and fall, though our hearts are right

with God, and we have reason to expect that we shall be kept by his

power, through faith, unto salvation.

We shall conclude this answer with some few inferences from what has

been said, to prove the doctrine of the saints’ perseverance as

contained therein. And,

1. Since we do not pretend to assert that all who make a profession of

religion are assured that they shall never apostatize, but only true

believers, let unbelievers take no encouragement from hence to conclude,

that it shall be well with them in the end. Many are externally called

who are not really sanctified; and presume that they shall be saved,

though, without ground, inasmuch as they continue in impenitency and

unbelief; such have no warrant to take comfort from the doctrine we have

been maintaining.

2. We may, from what has been said, observe the difference between the

security of a believer’s state, as his hope is fixed on the stability of

the covenant, and the promises thereof, relating to his salvation,

together with the Spirit’s witness, with ours, concerning our own

sincerity; and that which we generally call carnal security, whereby a

person thinks himself safe, or that all things shall go well with him,

though he make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof: This

is an unwarrantable security in a state of unregeneracy, or

licentiousness, which this doctrine does not in the least give

countenance to.

3. From what has been said concerning the apostasy of some from that

faith which they once made a profession of, we may infer; that it is

only the grace of God experienced in truth, that will preserve us from

turning aside from the faith of the gospel. The apostle speaks of some

who, by embracing those doctrines that were subversive of the gospel,

are _fallen from grace_, Gal. v. 4. that is, from the doctrines of

grace; concerning whom he says, that _Christ profited them nothing_, or

was _become of no effect to them_, chap. v. 2, 4. that is, the gospel,

which contains a display of the glory of Christ, was of no saving

advantage to them. All the sad instances we have of many, who are tossed

to and fro with every wind of doctrine, and are made a prey to those

that lie in wait to deceive, proceed from their being destitute of the

grace of God, which would have a tendency to preserve them from turning

aside from the faith of the gospel.

4. Let us be exhorted to be as diligent and watchful against the

breakings forth of corruption, and endeavour to avoid all occasions of

sin, as much as though perseverance in grace were to be ascribed to our

own endeavours, or as though God had given us no ground to conclude that

he would enable us to persevere; and yet, at the same time, depend on

his assistance, without which this blessing cannot be attained, and hope

in his mercy and faithfulness, and lay hold on the promises which he has

given us, that it shall go well with us in the end, or that we shall

have all joy and peace in believing.

5. Let us not only endeavour to persevere, but grow in grace; which two

blessings are joined together; as it is said, _The righteous also shall

hold on his way; and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and

stronger_, Job xvii. 9.

6. This doctrine has a great tendency to support and fortify believers,

under the most adverse dispensations of providence, which, at any time,

they are liable to; and to comfort them under all the assaults of their

spiritual enemies; since though they may be suffered to discourage or

give them interruption in the exercise of those graces which they have

experienced, yet grace shall not be wholly extinguished. And sometimes,

by the over-ruling providence of God, those things which in themselves

have a tendency to weaken their faith, shall be ordered as a means to

increase it; so that when they can do nothing in their own strength,

they may be enabled, by depending on Christ, and receiving strength from

him, to prevail against all the opposition they meet with, and come off

_more than conquerors_, at last, _through him that loved them_, Rom.

viii. 37.

Footnote 81:

_See Whitby’s discourse, &c._ _page 463._

Footnote 82:

_See Vol. I. Page 469._

Footnote 83:

_See Vol. I. page 481, and page 135-138._

Footnote 84:

_See Vol. II. page 170, 171._

Footnote 85:

_See Vol. I. page 477_, & albi passim.

Footnote 86:

_See Vol. I. page 437._

Footnote 87:

_See Page 11, 12, ante._

Footnote 88:

_See Vol. II. page 473-479. Quest._ lv.

Footnote 89:

_See Page 30, ante._

Footnote 90:

_The words are_ ου δυναται αμαρτανειν.

Footnote 91:

_See Whitby’s Discourse, &c. Page 67, 68, 463._

Footnote 92:

_See page 213, 214, ante._

Footnote 93:

_See several other scriptures, in which_ μη _is taken adversatively_,

Matt. xxiv. 35. Gal. i. 7. Rev. ix. 4.

Footnote 94:

_See Vol. II page 333-335._

Footnote 95:

_It is a known maxim in logic_, Suppositio nihil ponit in esse.

Footnote 96:

Εαν υποστειληται.

Footnote 97:

_It is certain, that the particles_ τις, אשר, _and others of the like

import, are often left out, and the defect thereof is to be supplied

in our translation: Thus it is in_ Job xxxiii. 27. _where the Hebrew

word, which might have been rendered_ and he shall say, _is better

rendered_ and if any say, &c. _and in_ Gen. xlviii. 2. _instead of_ he

told Jacob, _it is better rendered_ one told Jacob, _or_ somebody

_told him; and in_ Mark ii. 1. τις, _which is left out in the Greek

text, is supplied in the translation, in which we do not read it_

after days, _but_ after some days. _See Nold. Concord. Partic. Page

41, 42. in which several texts of scripture are produced to the same

purpose, and among the rest, this in_ Heb. x. 38. _which we are at

present considering as what ought to be rendered_ if any one draw

back. _In this and such like instances we may observe, that the verb

personal has an impersonal signification, or that which is properly

active is rendered passively; so_ Eccl. ix. 15. זמצא בה _is not

rendered_ and he found in it, &c. _but_ now there was found in it;

_many other instances of the like nature are to be observed in the

Hebrew text in the Old Testament; and sometimes this mode of speaking

is imitated by the Greek text in the New. I might also observe, with

respect to the scripture under our present consideration, that the

learned Grotius observes that_ τις _ought to be supplied, and

consequently the text ought to be rendered as it is in our

translation_, if any man draw back, _which he observes as what is

agreeable to the grammatical construction thereof, without any regard

to the doctrine we are maintaining, with respect to which, he is

otherwise minded_.

Footnote 98:

_To give countenance to this sense of the word_ impossible, _they

refer to some scriptures, in which it does not denote an absolute

impossibility of the thing, but only that if it comes to pass it will

be with much difficulty. Thus it is said_, Acts xx. 16. _that the

Apostle_ Paul hasted, if it were possible for him to be at _Jerusalem_

the day of Pentecost; _where his making haste argues that the thing

was not in itself impossible, but difficult. And_ Rom. xii. 18. _we

are exhorted_, if it be possible, as much as in us lieth, to live

peaceably with all men; _which shews that it is hard indeed so to do;

nevertheless, we are to use our utmost endeavours to do it, which does

not argue that the thing is in itself altogether impossible. And there

is another scripture they bring to justify this sense of the words in_

Matt. xix. 23-26. _in which our Saviour’s design is to shew the

difficulty of a rich man’s entering into the kingdom of heaven, which

he compares to a_ camel’s going through the eye of a needle; _by which

very few suppose, that the beast, so called, is intended, but a

cable-rope, which is sometimes called a_ camel; _thus the Syriack[99]

and Arabick versions translate the word_:

_And a learned writer observes, that the Jews, in a proverbial way,

express the difficulty of a thing by that of a cable-rope’s passing

through the eye of a needle, See Buxt. Lex. Talmud. Pane 1719. and

Bochart Hiero. Part. 1. Lib. 2. Cap. 3. And by_ needle _is not meant

that which is used in working, but an iron, through which a small rope

may be easily drawn; though it was very difficult to force a camel or

cable-rope through it; therefore they suppose our Saviour is not

speaking of a thing which is absolutely impossible, but exceeding

difficult; and this may be inferred from his reply to what the

disciples objected_, who then can be saved, _when he says_, with men

this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. _And to

apply this to the scripture under our present consideration, they

suppose that the apostle, when he speaks of the renewing of those

persons to repentance, does not intend that which is absolutely

impossible, but that it cannot be brought about but by the

extraordinary power of God, with whom all things are possible._

Footnote 99:

The ancient Syriac is ܠܓܡܠܐ the modern is the same word, which is

literally καμηλον _a camel_, not καμιλον _a cable_. This Eastern

proverb is now well established. Vide Campbell, Clarke, &c.

Footnote 100:

_We do not find the word used in that sense till the second century_,

_by Justin Martyr [Vid. ejusd. Dial. 2.] and Clemens Alexandrinus [in

Pædag. Lib. 1. cap. 6.] and therefore we are not altogether to take

our measures in explaining the sense of words, used in scripture, from

them, who sometimes mistake the sense of the doctrine, contained

therein. However, if we take the word in this sense, it does not

militate against our argument, since a person may be baptized, who is

not in a state of grace and salvation._

Footnote 101:

_See Pag. 124, 125 ante._

Footnote 102:

_See Pag. 122, 123 ante._

Footnote 103:

_There seems to be an hendyadis in the apostle’s mode of speaking. By

the heavenly gift we are to understand extraordinary gifts, which are

called the Holy Ghost elsewhere_, Acts xix. 2. _because they were from

the Holy Ghost as effects of his power, and wrought to confirm the

gospel dispensation, which is called the world to come_, Heb. ii. 6.

_and therefore they are styled the powers of the world to come_.

Quest. LXXX.

QUEST. LXXX. _Can true believers be infallibly assured that they are

in the estate of grace, and that they shall persevere therein unto

salvation?_

ANSW. Such as truly believe in Christ, and endeavour to walk in all

good conscience before him, may, without extraordinary revelation,

by faith grounded upon the truth of God’s promises, and by the

Spirit, enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to which

the promises of life are made, and bearing witness with their

spirits, that they are the children of God, be infallibly assured

that they are in a state of grace, and shall persevere therein unto

salvation.

Having before considered a believer as made partaker of those graces of

the Holy Spirit that accompany salvation, whereby his state is rendered

safe, and also that he shall not draw back unto perdition, but shall

attain the end of his faith, even the salvation of his soul; it is

necessary for the establishing of his comfort and joy, that he should

know himself to be interested in this privilege. It is a great blessing

to be redeemed by Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit; but it is a

superadded privilege to know that we are so, or be assured that we are

in a state of grace, which is the subject insisted on in this answer: In

which we are led,

I. To speak something concerning the nature of assurance, and how far

persons may be said to be infallibly assured of their salvation.

II. We shall endeavour to prove that this blessing is attainable in this

life.