Secondly. That Christ here only promises his sheep should never perish through any defect on his part, or by the force of any plucking them by violence out of his hands, so the particle x, which is here illative, shews, viz. they therefore shall not perish, 66 FOR none shall pull them out of my hand." And this is still more evident from the reason following, my Father is greater' than all their adversaries; so that none can pull or force them out of his hands, now his power and mine is one and the same. Well therefore said Isidore Pelusiota, "no man can snatch them away by force and tyranny; for then they must perish without and against their wills. But this may be done by deceit and allurements, παρὰ τὴν τῶν αντεξεσίων ανθρώπων ῥαθυμίαν, through the negligence of men who have the freedom of their wills;' for such men, who by the allurements of the world, the flesh, and the devil, thus cease to obey Christ's laws, are not snatched out of his hands, but chuse to go from him."

Thirdly. This text seems only to speak of such sheep who have already persevered so as to receive the reward of their obedience, eternal life, assuring them that their felicity shall be incapable of interruption; for so the whole verse runs, "I give to them eternal life, and they shall never perish." And this seems fairly gathered from the former verse, where he describes his sheep' as such who "hear his voice and follow him:" and then he adds, to them who do so, "I give eternal life." He therefore cannot reasonably be supposed to promise that which he here affirms they did, that they should hear his voice, and follow him, still unto the end; but rather that which is the sure reward of them who do so.

IV. ARGUMENT FOURTH." If God's fidelity be engaged to "confirm them unblameable to the end" whom he hath called to the communion of his Son, 1 Cor. i, 9, 10; if his faithfulness will not "suffer them to be tempted above what they are able to bear," x, 13; if St. Paul had ground of confidence that "he who had begun the good work in his Philippians, would perfect it unto the day of the Lord Jesus," Phil. i, 6; if it be part of God's fidelity "to sanctify them whom he hath called, wholly in body, soul, and spirit," 1 Thess. v, 23, 24, "and to establish them, and keep them from evil," 2 Thess. iii, 3, then must they persevere to the end; but all these are the express assertions of the holy scripture. Ergo."

ANSWER FIRST. Now for a general answer to all these texts, let it be considered, that God in scripture is often said to do a thing, when he does that which hath a proper tendency to the effect, and is sufficient to procure it, and hath done all that was requisite on his part, in order to it; so that if the effect be not wrought in us, it is by reason of some defect in us, or some neglect of doing that which he hath given us sufficient means and motives to perform. Thus is he said to have ‘purged Jerusalem though she was not purged,'a because he by his prophets had vouchsafed proper and sufficient means for her purgation, by his frequent admonitions, exhortations, expostulations, promises, and threatenings, and by the strivings of his Holy Spirit with them, though, by their obstinacy in their sinful courses, they obstructed the influence of God's word and Spirit upon them. He caused the whole "house of Israel to cleave to him, as a girdle cleaves to a man's loins," though all that he had said and done in order to it, proved ineffectual, because "she would not hear." He is said "to teach them to profit, and lead. them by the way that they should go," who neither were led, nor taught, because "they hearkened not to his commandments;" and saith, "this people have I formed for my praise;" and yet he adds, "but thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob, thou hast been weary of me, O Israel; thou hast not honoured me with thy sacrifices, but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquity;" and of Babylon he saith, UND (ripinu,) WE HEALED Babylon, and she was not healed." Thus are they said to know God, who had such means to know him imparted by his providence, as rendered their ignorance of him, and their idolatry " without excuse." "The riches of God's goodness, patience and long-suffering," is said "to lead them to repentance" who continued "in the hardness, and the impenitency of their hearts;"" and God is said to be "in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to them their iniquities," because he had made him "a sacrifice for their sin, that they might be made righteous through faith in him;" and yet that he was doing this for them who were not actually reconciled to him, and so whose sins were not forgiven, appears from the

a Ezekiel xxiv, 13. e Verses 22, 23.

b Jeremiah xii, 11. f Jeremiah li, 9.

c Isaiah xlviii, 17, 18.
g Romans i, 20, 21.
i 2 Corinthians v, 19, 20, 21.

d Chapter xliii, 21. h Romans ii, 3, 4

words following, we therefore beseech you to be reconciled unto God.' Thus the grace of God is called saving grace, because it teacheth us to do that which if we conscientiously perform we shall be saved. The converted Jews are styled, oi owoμevo, the saved; though many of them after fell away, as hath been proved, note on 2 Thess. ii, 3. And all the members of the church of Corinth are styled 'the saved," though there were found many among them who had "not repented of the lasciviousness, uncleanness, and fornication which they had committed,"" and so lay under the guilt of those works of the flesh, which "they who do," saith the apostle "shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

ANSWER SECOND. To proceed to a particular answer to the texts alledged; (First,) the words cited from 4 Cor. i, 9, 10, "who shall confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ: God is faithful, by whom ye were called to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ:" (verse 10.) I say these words cannot contain a promise of perseverance made to the elect only among the Corinthians, (i.) because the apostle plainly speaks to the whole body of the Church of Corinth; "to the church of God which is in Corinth, to all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (i.) Because he speaks not only of their not falling away finally, but of their being preserved unblameable; whereas it is certain that the elect are not always so preserved.-(2.) These words are by the ancients thus interpreted, "God in the day of the Lord Jesus which you expect, will confirm you for ever blameless; for," say they, "God is faithful who hath promised to them that obey the gospel, violesíav 'the adoption," that is, the redemption of the body,* or that they shall be partakers of that kingdom and glory to which he hath called them." 1 Thess. ii, 12.-Or, (3.) they are well expounded by Grotius thus, "he will do, quod suarum est partium, all that is requisite on his part' to render you unblameable to the end; so that you shall not fail of being so through any want of divine grace requisite to that end, or any unfaithfulness on his part to his promise, who hath already reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ, "to represent you holy and unblameable, and unreprovable in his sight, if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel." Col. i, 23.

Titus ii, 11, 12. / Acts ii, 47.

m 1 Corinthians i, 18. Romans viii, 23.

n 2 Corinthians, xii, 20, 21.

6

Secondly. To those words, "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted (by persecutions) above what you are able (by his grace) to suffer; but will with the temptation make a way (so far) to escape, that you may be able to bear it;"” 1 Cor. x, 13; and therefore if you will use the strength which he is ready to afford, shall do so,-I answer, (1.) that these words ought not to be restrained to the elect; for the preceding words, "no temptation hath happened to you but such as is common to men," are spoken to the whole church of Corinth. Moreover God hath doubtless engaged to all that enter into covenant with him, to enable them to perform the conditions of that covenant, since a covenant upon an impossible condition cannot be performed, and all are bound to pray in faith that they may not be tempted above what they are able through his strength, to bear.'-(2.) This text must be impertinently alledged, because it only contains a promise of ability suflicient to resist temptations if men will use it; but doth not contain an engagement that this strength shall be effectual, or certainly improved to that end.—And (3.) I have shewed, when I discoursed of the cautions given to believers, that in the words immediately preceding, "wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall," and in the words following, "wherefore, beloved, flee from idolatry," there is a plain indication that they who truly think they stand, may fall, as did the Jews there mentioned; and might be guilty of idolatry, which he himself declares to be a sin exclusive from the kingdom of Christ. 1 Cor. vi, 9.

Thirdly. To the words cited from Phil. i, 6, viz. "being confident of this, that he who hath begun the good work in you, will perform it to the day of Jesus Christ," I answer, that it is evident the apostle speaks not out of any opinion of the election of any, much less of all the Philippians to eternal life, or of the certainty of their perseverance to the end; for why then doth he exhort them "to work out their salvation with fear and trembling,? to stand fast in the Lord, and to retain the word of life, that he might have joy in the day of Christ, that he had not run or laboured in vain among them?" He speaks this therefore from a judgment of charity; "because," saith he, "it is just" or fit "for me to conceive thus of you," by reason of that great affection you

have for me, and your patience under the like sufferings. Now he who only gives these reasons of his confidence, gives us just reason to conceive he knew nothing of the necessity of their perseverance by virtue of their election to salvation.

Fourthly. Those words, 'I pray God your Spirit, soul, and body may be preserved blameless to the coming of the Lord Jesus: faithful is he who hath called you, who also will do it; 1 Thess. v, 23, 24; do only signify that he will not be wanting on his part towards it: I say, his part; for if the fidelity of God required that he should sanctify and preserve them blameless to the end without their care and industry, or should work in them certainly and absolutely that care, and the apostle believed this, how could he fear lest these Thessalonians should be so overcome by satan's temptations as that his labour with them might have been in vain? This being in effect to fear that God might be unfaithful to his promise. And, for the same reason, the words cited from 2 Thess. iii, 3, must be thus interpreted, "the Lord is faithful, who (therefore) will (do all that is requisite on his part to) establish you, and preserve you from evil."

CHAP. V.

Enquiring which of the two opposite opinions tends most to administer true comfort, and to promote holiness of life.

THE only objection from reason against this doctrine that saints may fall away from grace, is, that "it is obstructive of the peace and comfort of believers, it impairs their humble confidence in God, and fills them with continual fear and dread of falling from that happy state."

Whereas indeed our doctrine only teacheth, with the holy scriptures, that a well grounded peace is the fruit of righteousness,' and consequently that by going out of the way of righteousness, we go out of the way of peace: that all true peace and

1 Thessalonians iii, 5.

James iii, 18.