may persevere to the end, confiftent with these declarations, and they may be the means of their persevering.— It is true, that he who does not perfevere, but draws back and apoftatizes, fhall not be faved; but it is equally true, that all fuch never were true believers; but their faith was effentially different from true faith, and therefore, only a temporary faith; and this is difcovered by their falling away. Therefore, the Apostle John fays, of fuch apoftates, "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 manifeft, that they were not all of us. Thefe declarations do indeed fuppofe, that perfons may fet out and run well to appearance, for a time; but after that, when temptation comes, fall away, because they had no root in themselves, and never were true believers and are fuited to detect fuch, and to warn and guard all against apoftacy. 7. That the perfeverance of believers in holiness to falvation, is fecured to them in the covenant of grace, is abundantly afferted in divine revelation. A number of paffages which express or imply this doctrine, have already been occasionally mentioned, in the foregoing fections, and it would fwell this fection into a volume, to tranf cribe all the paffages of fcripture, which either exprefsly affert, or imply the certain perfeverance and falvation of all who once become truly pious: Only a few therefore, of the many, will be mentioned. Indeed, if there were but one fentence in the Bible, which exprefsly, or even implicitly afferted this doctrine, which is fo reasonable and defirable, it would be a fufficient warrant to receive it, as an important truth. The promises so often made to them who believe, that they shall be faved, do connect falvation with the firft * 1 John ii, 19. act act of faith, which fuppofes, as has been before obferved, that true faith, is always a perfevering faith; which could not be fo, were it not made fuch, by the promise of God in the covenant of grace, by which he engages to the believer, that his faith fhall never fail; but that he fhall perfevere in believing, fo that the end of his faith fhall be the falvation of his foul. The Apostle Peter gives this account of the matter, and tells in what way, believers perfevere unto falvation. Speaking to believers, he tells them, That an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, is referved in heaven for them, who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto falvation. The certainty of the final falvation of every one who believeth on him, is very particularly and exprefsly afferted by Chrift, in the words following: "Verily, verily, I fay unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that fent me, hath everlafting life, and fhall not come into condemnation; but is paffed from death unto life." The believer could not be faid to have everlasting life, and to have already passed from death unto life, fo as never again to fall into a state of condemnation, unless falvation were made fure to him, upon his first believing, and confequently perfeverance in faith, unto falvation, in the covenant of grace, the tenor of which is here expreffed by the Redeemer. Still more express and strong, if poffible, is the following declaration of his: "All that the Father giveth me, fhall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out. And this is the will of him that fent me, that every one which feeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlafting life; and I will raife him up at the last day." And again he fays, "My fheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they fhall never perish, neither 1 Peter i. 4, 5. + John v. 24. ‡ John vi. 37, 40. My Fa neither fhall any pluck them out of my hand. ther, which gave them me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."* Agreeable to this, he prays the Father, that all who did then believe him, and all that should believe to the end of the world, might be kept secure from falling away, and perfevere in holiness to eternal life. "Holy Father, keep through thine own name, those whom thou hạt given me, that they may be one, as we are. I pray not that thou fhouldft take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Father, I will that they alfo whom thou haft given me, be with me, where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou haft given me. Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them alfo who fhall believe on me through their word."t More The Apostle Paul afferts, that falvation and eternal glory is connected with converfion and juftification, in the following remarkable paffage, in his letter to the church at Rome; where he traces the falvation of finners, from the foundation to the topftone. We know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpole. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predeftinate, to be conformed to the image of his Son. over, whom he did predeftinate, them he also called and whom he called, them he alfo juftified: And whom he juftified, them he alfo glorfied." From this he goes on to the end of the chapter, to show the impoffibility, that any true chriftian, fhould be feparated from the love of God and Chrift, and fo perifh. The Apostle John fays to believers, "The anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you: As the fame anointing teacheth John x. 27, 28, 29, + John xvii. Rom. viii, 28, 29, 30. teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie; and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."* By the anointing is meant the Spirit of Chrift, which he promifed his difciples fhould be in them and abide with them forever. "I will pray the Father, and he fhall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the fpirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it feeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him, for he dwelleth in you, and fhall be in you."+ Of the fame holy spirit he speaks, in his difcourfe with the woman of Samaria, when he fays, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I fhall give him fhall never thirft: But the water that I fhall give him, fhall be in him a well of water, fpringing up into everlasting life.” By this fpirit, believers are faid to be fealed to the day of redemption. "Who hath alfo fealed us, and given the earneft of the fpirit in our hearts." To be fealed, is to be fecured as the property of Chrift, and belonging to him, and a certain token of complete redemption. The earneft, is a part given, as a token and pledge that the whole fhall be granted, even eternal life. + 8. That all true believers in Chrift, fhould perfevere in faith, and none of them perifh, is confiftent with all other truths contained in divine revelation, and is really contained in many of them; and this appears every way proper and reasonable. That this doctrine is not inconfiftent with any thing contained in the scripture, has been made evident; it is hoped, from what has been briefly faid, in fome of the above particulars, to obviate the objections which fome have made to it, from not understanding it, or the scriptures, on which they have grounded their objections. And if man be fo wholly dependent on God for falva 1 John ii. 27. † John xiv. 16. 17. + Chap. iv. 14. tion; tion; fo that this must be determined by his fovereign will, as it has been made evident the fcripture reprefents him to be; and he is brought into a state of salvation, by the fovereign, almighty influence of the divine Spirit, giving him a new heart, and making him a new creature, by which he is brought into a fpiritual, vital union to Christ, and made a living member in his body, the Church; and is pardoned and juftified for Christ's sake; being, by this union, interested in his atonement and righteousness; and is conftantly dependent on God for every holy act and right thought: Then it is unreasonable to suppose, that after God has done all this, of his own fovereign will, and made the believer fo far meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the faints in light, having delivered him from the power of darkness, and tranflated him into the kingdom of his dear Son,* he fhould relinquifh this work, and give him up to the power of fin and fatan, and leave him to perifh forever: But on the contrary, it is most reasonable to conclude, with the Apostle Paul, and with him, "Be confident of this very thing, That he who hath begun fuch a good work in him, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."t IMPROVEMENT. 1. SEE how exactly the bleffings and promises of the covenant of grace are fuited to the circumstances, and to the heart of the believer; and to exhibit and display fovereign grace. He is abfolutely dependent on God for holiness, and perfeverance in it, unto falvation ; he feels himself infinitely unworthy of any favour, and without ftrength in himself to do any good thing; he is furrounded with temptations and dangers; and fatan, that ftrong and subtle enemy, is feeking to deftroy him. He would fink into despair immediately, were it not for the promised Col. i. 12, 13. + Phil. i. 6. |