rance as the reward of Christ and in virtue of his intercession.

[I.] God has given to the Church or body of believers absolute promises of preserving grace and eternal salvation. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.-The Lord-forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved forever." "They shall be my people and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me." "When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater he swore by himself; saying, surely, blessing, I will bless thee, and multiplying, I will multiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast." "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my Gospel, be glory through Jesus Christ forever." "To his

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own Master he standeth or falleth. Yea he shall be holden up; for God is able to make him stand." "I know whom I have believed; and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,—be— dominion and power." "The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and-ye shall abide in him." "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." "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day. The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom." "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." "I am the Lord, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way "The very to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." "The Lord is faith

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ful who shall stablish you and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both

do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ."*

[2.] It is as the reward of Christ and in virtue of his intercession that God ensures the perseverance of believers.

First, they are kept in consequence of their election : and as they were elected in Christ, in other words, were given to him as a reward in the eternal covenant, they are kept in consequence of being thus given to him. "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed." Then none believe but those who are elected to eternal life of course

no believer can fall away their election in Christ.

and this security arises from "Ye have not chosen me, but I

have chosen you, and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain." Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." That antecedent purpose and preparation stood inseparably connected with their perseverance to eternal life. "To sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father."+

Secondly, Christ is the Mediator of that better covenant which, in distinction from the covenant of Sinai,

* Ps. 37. 23, 24, 28. Jer. 32. 38-40. Mal. 3. 6. Rom. 14. 4. and 16. 25, 27. 1 Cor. 10. 13. Phil. 1. 6. 1 Thes. 5. 23, 24. 2 Thes. 3. 3-5. 2 Tim. 1. 12. and 4. 8, 18. Heb. 6. 13-19. 1 Pet. 1.5. Jude 24, 25. 1 John 2. 19, 27.

↑ Mat. 20. 23. and 25. 34. John 15. 16. Acts 13. 48.

But now

secures the persevering holiness of believers. hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the Mediator of a better covenant which was established upon better promises. For finding fault with them he saith, Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."*

Thirdly, Christ, having died to redeem his people from all iniquity, did, by one offering, secure their salvation; and God, after calling them to the fellowship of his Son, is bound, in faithfulness to him, to keep them to his everlasting kingdom. "For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified: whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us. For after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their hearts and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin." "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zeal

* Heb. 8. 6-10.

ous of good works."

"Who shall also confirm you unto

the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son."

Hence the whole work is every where said to be done through Christ or in Christ, and believers are said to have been raised with Christ. "God,-when we were

dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, -and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.-For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works."t

Fourthly, hence the promise of preserving grace is made to believers as the seed of Christ, or rather is made to Christ for them. "I have made a covenant with my Chosen. His seed-will I make to endure forever.—If his children forsake my law and walk not in my judgments,—then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes; nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. His seed shall endure forever."

Fifthly, Christ himself testifies that the perseverance of the saints is owing to their having been given to him. "This is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all * 1 Cor. 1. 8, 9. Tit. 2. 14. Heb. 10. 14-18. † Eph. 2. 4-10. Ps. 89. 3, 4, 29-36.