them, before he have done with them. (3) It is com prehenfive of all fpiritual bleffings; nay, of every good thing. "God will give grace and glory, and he will with-hold no good thing from them that walk uprightly,' Pfal. lxxxiv. 11. And believers are faid to be "bleffed with all fpiritual bleffings in Chrift Jefus," Eph. i. 3. (4.) It comprehends all thefe bleffings in their perfection. While in this world, the enjoyments of the faints are not complete; but they thall be fo ere it be long. Grace will ripen into glory. That which is in part fhall be done away, and that which is perfect will come in its room.

3dly, This is a fuitable falvation. How fuitable it is to God, we have hinted already; and therefore I fhall only name a few things which may evince its congruity to fuch poor finners as are convinced of their need of falvation.

(1.) This falvation is exceedingly fuitable to fuch a One that is in a great poor finner, because it is near. extremity, to tell him of a remedy in fome far country, at a great distance, will rather increafe than help his dif quietment. Such a remedy, may be fay, is fufficient; but how hall it be got? who will bring it to me? and may I not be dead and gone before it arrive? So might the convinced finner fay, did we tell him of a Saviour that were to be met withal in fome remote country, or after the course of some years; his perplexity would hereby be increased. His cafe requires fpeedy relief; it will not admit of long delays and this falvation is exact, ly adapted to his condition, as the apoftle fhews, Rom. x. 6. 9. "The righteoufnefs which is of faith fpeaketh on this wife, Say not in thine heart, Who fhall afcend into heaven? (that is, to bring Chrift down from above) or, Who shall defcend into the deep? (that is, to bring Chrift up again from the dead). But what faith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that is the word of faith which we preach, That if thou fhalt confefs with thy mouth the Lord Jefus, and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath railed him from the dead, thou shalt be faved." This falvation is near in the offer; it is near in its advantages. As the offer brings it clofe home; fo the advantage of it is prefently to be ob ained. The jailor foon got ease and so may every con

vinced

vinced finner, in the fame method; he may obtain, if not prefent fatisfaction, yet present safety.

(2.) This falvation in its terms is fuited to the needs and defires of a convinced finner. He cannot purchase falvation; therefore falvation freely offered is fuitable to him. If money were required of fuch as come to the market of grace, the finner would never lock near it but when all that need are bid come, and take and have all, without money and without price, then he finds a market to his mind, falvation according to his wifi, perfectly fuch as he would have.

(3) It is fuitable in its nature to his wants. As it is falvation upon the very terms he withes, fo all the bleffings he needs are to be had upon these terms: needs he pardon? he may have it; needs be repentance? he may have it in a word, if he needs grace or glory, he may have them.

(4.) The fecurity offered is fuitable to the very defires of fuch an one. The convinced finner is now deeply fenfible of the concern, moment, and importance of falvation; and therefore he would not willingly hazard it upon a fmall fecurity. He would not venture fo much upon fome weak probability, he would have the highest fecurity in this matter, which is of the highest importance. And what greater fecurity can he defire for his falvation, than God's covenant and promife, confirmed by his oath?

4thly, This falvation is called eternal falvation, Ila. xlv. 17. "But Ifrael fhall be faved in the Lord with an everlasting falvation; ye fhall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end." And we are told, Heb. v. 9. "That Chrift being made perfect through fufferings, is become the author of eternal falvation unto all them that obey him." It is eternal falvation upon a threefold ascount. (1) It is eternal falvation in its defign and contrivance, the fruit and product of everlasting love. The Father's drawing finners, in time, into a compliance with the terms of falvation, is the fruit of everlasting love,. Jer. xxxi. 3. "The Lord appeared of old unto me, faying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee." (2.) It is everlasting falvation, because it is falvation from everlafting

lafting evils. "He that believes not fhall be damned;" that is, as the Spirit of God comments upon it elsewhere, he fhall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and the glory of his power," 2 Thef. i. 9. (3.) It is eternal falvation, because it entitles to, and puts a man in poffeffion of eternal blethings. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlafting life," John iii. 36. Thus have we feen what this falvation is, in itself, and, in its properties. We proceed,

VI. To demonftrate the truth of the do&trine, that fuch as do betake themselves by faith unto, or believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, fhall affuredly be faved. And this we make good,

First, From the eternal and immutable purpose of God, that he that believes shall be saved. Great conteftsthere have been among Chriftians about the decrees of God; but fcarce ever any yet had the confidence to alledge, that God had not decreed this. Such as will allow leaft to the decrees of God, are forced to own, that he has purpofed in himself, that he that believes fhall be faved; and when God has purpofed fc, who can contradia, or who can make him fall fhort of whatever he has purpofed? Since it is unquestionable, from the revelationthat God hath made of his will, that he has purposed the falvation of all that do believe, it muft of neceffity be fo, that fuch fhall infalliby be faved. Could any believer fail fhort of his happiness, of the falvation which God has purpofed in himself to bestow on him, it must flow from one of two; either a change in God's purpose, or God's falling fhort of his intent. But neither of the two can poffibly be. (1.) As for God's purpose, it must of neceffity be unchangeable, like himfelf: "He is God, and changes not,' Mal. iii. 6. Should God change, he would lose his name, "I Am that I Am." Upon this ground it is, that the wife man fays, Eccl. iii. 14. “I know that whatever God doth it fhall be for ever." "God is "the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither fhadow of turning," James i. 17. That man is changeable in his purpose, flows from his weakness, and from his ignorance of events. His purposes are founded upon a fuppofition, or at moft a probability, that things hall be fo and fo; and when things fall out otherwife than

was

was expected, man must suit his purpose to the state of things. But the matter is far otherwife with God, who doth not therefore purpose to act fo and fo, because he feeth fuch things will fall out; but things fail out fo, because God purpofeth in himfelf that they thould fo fall out. All things are wrought by him according to the counsel of his own will; and known to him are all his works from the beginning. Again, man changes his purpose, becaufe be knows not at first what is best to be done: but the matter is nothing fo with God. (2.) As for the event of the purpose, that must be infallible. God cannot fall fhort of his purpose, if we will take his own word on it: "The grafs withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God fhall ftand for ever," Ifa. xl. 8. And again, "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done: faying, My counfel fhall ftand, and I will do all my pleafare," Ifa. xlvi. 9. 10. And well may he fay he will do fo, fince none is able to refift his will, he that doth it, must first grapple with Omnipotence. "The Lord of hofts hath purpofed, and who fhall difannul it? his hand is ftretched out, and who fhall turn it back?" Ila. xiv. 27. "If he works, who can let ?" Ifa. xliii. 13. "Nons can stay his bad, or fay unto him, What doft thou?" Dan. iv. 45. What is then purpofed by God must be infallibly certain, that fuch as do by faith betake themselves to Jefus Chrift, fhall be faved. :

Secondly, The faithfulness of God in the promife is engaged for it: fo runs the promife, "He that believes fhall be faved." When a man's purpofe is not declared, he is indeed accountable to himself for any change or alter. ation of it, but not to others; but if he declare it openly, especially if te turns his purpose into a promise, in that cafe he is brought under a more public and folemn tie to ftand firmly to what is engaged. So had this been a purpose concealed in the breaft of God, if I may fo fpeak; however he himself fhould have been engaged for its accomplishment, yet we had in that cafe nothing to fay but God by his promife makes himself a debtor; fuch is his condefcenfion to his own creatures. God cannot fuffer a believer to fall fhort of falvation, as mat

ters are now stated, unless he thereby fall into difgrace and contempt; which is as impoffible as it is for him to refign his Godhead. Certain it is, therefore, upon the account of the promise of God, that a loft finner, betaking himself by faith to the Lord Jefus Chrift, fhall be faved. This will appear indeed of great weight, if it be confidered, 1. That there is not only a promife, but a covenant. 2. That this covenant has feals appended to it, for the ratification of it. 3. That Chrift is the Surety of this covenant. 4. That all the bleffings promised are bought by Christ at no lower rate than that of his own blood. 5. What he has purchased he made over in a teftamentary way, by way of legacy, to believers. 6. This teftament being confirmed by the death of the Teftator, there is no altering of it. 7. The Holy Spirit, if may fo fpeak, is left executor of his latter-will; therefore it is utterly impoffible that any believer should mifs of falvation. Thefe things we have only named, because. we haften to the improvement of this truth; which we fhall come to, after we have handled a

1

Third argument for proof of the truth under confideration, and that is taken from the experience of fuch as do believe. And because this argument is, it may be, lefs: understood, therefore I fhall infift fomewhat the more largely upon it. That I may prove it certain that believers are faved, from experience, I fhall inquire, 1st, What it is that fuch as do believe experience? 2dly, How we know that they do fo? for their experience fignifies nothing to us, unless it be made known in fuch a way as may give it fome weight.

As to the 1st, we fay, (1.) All believers, at death, do attain the full poffeffion of this great, complete, fuitable, and eternal falvation: they enter into reft, being conducted fafe to glory, by the glorious Captain of his people's falvation. But this is not that which we princi. pally defign to infift upon, as an evidence of the certainty of the falvation of fuch as do believe. Wherefore we fay,

(2.) That fuch as do believe, even in this life, have, fome experience of this falvation, upon their believing on the Lord Jefus Chrift. We do not fay, indeed, that all believers have the fame degrees of experience, or can.