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4. For the better understanding the sense of this text, it should be observed, that the apostle John was a Jew, and writes to Jews, as Dr. Whitby himself observes, and them chiefly, if not altogether, who were distinguished from the Gentiles, commonly called the world: now, says the apostle, He is a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, the sins of us Jews, but also for the sins of the whole world, the Gentiles. Nothing is more common in the Jewish writingst, than to call the Gentiles by, the world; and by b, the whole world; and obs, the nations of the world; hence the apostle Paul calls them kάopos, the world, in Rom. xi. 12, 15. It was a controversy agitated among the Jewish doctors, whether, when the Messiah came, the Gentiles, the world, should have any benefit by him; the majority was exceeding large on the negative of the question, and determined they should not; only some few, as old Simeon and others, knew that he should be a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as the glory of the people of Israel. The rest concluded, that the most severe judgments and dreadful calamities would befal them; yea, that they should be cast into hell in the room of the Israelites. This notion John the Baptist, Christ, and his apostles, purposely oppose, and is the true reason of the use of this phrase in the Scriptures which speak of Christ's redemption. Thus John the Baptist, when he pointed out the Messiah to the Jews, represents him as the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, the Gentiles as well as Jews; for by the blood of this Lamb, men are redeemed to God, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. When our Lord was discoursing with Nicodemus, one of their Rabbins, he lets him know that God so loved the world, the Gentiles, contrary to their rabbinical notions, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever of them that believeth on him, should not perish, as they had concluded every one of them should; but have everlasting life; and that God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, the Gentiles, as they imagined, but that the world through him might be saved. When the Samaritans believed in Christ they declared him to be the Saviour of the world, the Gentiles, and so of themselves, who were accounted by the Jews as Heathens; Christ sets forth himself as the bread of life, preferable to the manna, among other things, from its extensive virtue to the world, the Gentiles: and here the apostle John says, that Christ was not only the propitiation for the sins of the Jews, but for the sins of the whole world, the Gentiles §. This puts me in mind of a passage I have met with in the Talmud ||, a saying of Rabbi Jochanan, "Wo, says he, mob bun, to the nations of the world, who are lost, and they know not that they are lost; whilst the sanctuary stood, the altar atoned, or was a propitiation for them; but now who shall be a propitiation for them?" Blessed be God, we know who is the propitiation for us, the nations of the world one that was typified by the altar, and is greater than that, even the Lord Jesus Christ.

*Page 466; ed. 2. 446.

†Talmud, Rabbot, and Zohar. Vid. Jarchi in Isa. liii. 5. Vid. Shemot Rabba, fol. 98. 3, and 99. 4; Shirhash, Rab. fol. 24. 1; Jarchi and Kimchi, in Zech. ix. 1.

§ John i. 29, and iii. 16, 17, and iv. 42, and vi. 33; 1 John ii. 2.

Succa, fol. 55. 2.

SECTION LVIII.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.-JUDE, ver. 21.

THESE words are thought to represent the saints' continuance in the love and favour of God, as conditional, depending on their obedience, care, and keeping of themselves; and that there is a possibility of their falling from it, and consequently that they are not absolutely elected to everlasting life*. To which I reply;

1. That the saints' continuance in the love and favour of God, does not depend on their obedience, or on any thing done by them; since his love to them is an everlasting one, which commenced from everlasting, and will continue to everlasting; is prior to all their obedience; was in his own heart towards them, and expressed by several acts before they had done either good or evil; and continued, notwithstanding all their disobedience, in an unregenerate state, and is the source and spring of all their love and obedience to him; nor is there any thing in their best works that can entitle them to his favour, or secure the continuance of it; since, when they had done all they can, they are but unprofitable servants. Nor is there any possibility or danger, of real saints falling from the love and favour of God. They may, and sometimes are, left to do those things which are displeasing to him, and, was he a man, or should he act as men usually do in such cases, would at once, and effectually, turn them out of his favour; but the case is, he is the Lord, and not man, and changes not in his affections as men do; and therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed. In his severest providences towards his people, his love always remains the same, as when he hides his face from them, or chides and chastises them in a fatherly way; should it be otherwise, his love would not be everlasting, unchangeable, and from which there is no separation, as the Scriptures represent it; and besides, would be contrary to the assurances he has given of the continuance of his love, both by word and oath, Isaiah liv. 9, 10.

2. By the love of God, in this text, we are not to understand the love which God bears in his own heart to his people, or with which they are loved by him, but rather that love with which they love him, and of which he is the object; see Luke xi. 42, which is a sense some interpreters on the other side of the question readily allow of; and then the meaning of the exhortation, keep yourselves, avrovs, one another, as it may be rendered, in the love of God, is, that though this grace of love cannot be lost, yet, inasmuch as the fervour of it may be abated, and the saints grow cold and indifferent in their expressions of it, it becomes them to make use of all proper means to maintain, increase, and inflame it, both in themselves and others, such as are mentioned in the context, as conversing together in an edifying * Whitby, p. 87, 398, 421, 422, 458; ed. 2. 86, 388, 410, 411, 438. † Mal. iii. 6.

Vorstius and Grotius in loc.

way, about either the grace or doctrine of their most holy faith; praying either separately or together, under the influences of the Holy Ghost, and looking forward for the mercy of Christ unto eternal life. All which, with many other things, by the blessing of God, may serve to maintain and revive the grace of love, and blow it up into a flame. Though, perhaps, this phrase may chiefly design that love, peace, and concord, which ought to subsist among saints as brethren, and which they should be careful to preserve. This may be called the love of God, just as the same thing is styled the peace of God, Col. iii. 15, because he calls them to it, it is of him, what they are taught by him, and in which he causes them to abound; and then the sense of the exhortation, keep yourselves, or one another in the love of God, is, endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; provoke one another to love and good works*; walk in love, both to God and among yourselves, as ye have Christ for an example; which sense is strengthened by the following words, of some have compassion, making a difference, and others save with fear. And hence it will appear that this text neither militates against the doctrine of absolute election, nor countenances the doctrine of the possibility of real saints falling from a state of grace and favour with God. But,

3. Admitting that by the love of God, is meant the grace and favour of God: the exhortation to the saints, to keep themselves in it, is, to set it always before them, to keep it constantly in view, to exercise faith on it, firmly believing their interest in it, and hence keep looking and waiting for the mercy of Christ unto eternal life; or to keep themselves in it, is to meditate on it, give themselves up wholly to the contemplation of it, and employ their thoughts constantly about this delightful subject, the love of God; which is the foundation of all grace here, and glory hereafter. Once more, the words, kavтovs év åyáπη Оεоû Tηpoate, may be rendered, preserve yourselves by the love of God, that is, against Satan's temptations, the snares of the world, and the lusts of the flesh. Whenever Satan solicits to sin, any snare is laid to draw into it, and the flesh attempts to be predominant, betake yourselves to the love of God, as a strong hold, or preservative against sin; and reason thus, as Joseph did, How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? who, when I look backward, has loved me with an everlasting love; and when I look forward there's the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Consider the words in either light, they neither prove a conditional election, nor a possibility of the saints falling from grace; against which, provision is made in Christ, who, in ver. 24, is represented as able to keep them from falling, and to present them faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

Eph. iv. 3; Heb. x. 24; Eph. v. 2.

+ Gen. xxxix. 9.

SECTION LIX.

REVELATIONS, CHAP. II. AND III.

SEVERAL passages are produced from the epistles to the seven churches of Asia, in favour of the defectibility and total apostacy of real saints. It should be observed, that the churches in all ages, have more or less consisted of true believers and hypocrites, wise and foolish virgins, sheep and goats, wheat and tares, and sometimes are denominated from the better, and sometimes from the worser part; some things in the epistles to them particularly regard true believers, and others formal professors among them. This observation will help us to understand the reason and meaning of many commands, cautions, exhortations, and threatenings, not only used in these epistles, but in the rest of the epistles sent to the several churches. Besides, it may be observed, that the whole churches may be unchurched, their church state be dissolved, and yet not one true believer among them be lost or perish, as has been the case of these seven churches, and many others; which is brought about by removing true believers by death, withholding a blessing from the means of grace to the conversion of others; and at length, taking the gospel wholly from them, and so at last the candlestick is removed out of its place. It is, therefore, to no purpose to urge passages and instances of this kind against the saints' final perseverance; however, we shall consider the several Scriptures urged and referred unto. And,

1. The first of this kind to be examined, is in the epistle to the church at Ephesus. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent*. But neither the complaint lodged against this church, that she had left her first love, proves that she had totally and finally fallen away from grace; since she might leave, that is, abate in the fervency of her love to Christ, though not lose it; which sometimes waxes cold through the prevalence of corruption and the snares of the world, when it is not lost, as it was not in this church; nor can it be lost in any true believer, notwithstanding their desertions, temptations, falls, and backslidings: nor does the exhortation, to remember from whence she was fallen, prove it, seeing she might be fallen partially, though not totally; and the design of this exhortation be to put her upon comparing her former and present condition together; that her desires, after a restoration to her former lively and comfortable frame, might be quickened, and she be humbled under a sense of her backslidings, and brought to an acknowledgment of the same, which would appear by her doing her first works: nor does the threatening to come unto her, and remove her candlestick out of his place, in case of non*Rev. ii. 4, 5. Vid. Limborch, 1. 5, c. 83, sect. 19, p. 721; Whitby, p. 432, 458; ed. 2. 420, 438.

repentance, prove it; seeing this may be understood of his coming to her in a providential way, and either shaking her church state, by suffering persecution or heresy to come in upon her, or by wholly removing it, through withholding a blessing from the means of grace, and entirely taking them away; which might be done without the loss of one true believer, as has been observed. Besides, this church is greatly commended in ver. 2, 3, for her labour, and patience, and zeal against false apostles; a plain case that she was not finally and totally fallen from grace.

2. The next passage to be considered is the promise made to the church at Smyrna, Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. It is represented as incongruous with an absolute promise of God, that believers should persevere to the end, to suspend their happiness on condition of their perseverance, which is said to be done in these words. But it should be observed, that the crown of life, or eternal happiness, is not a blessing suspended, since it never was promised nor ever expected to be enjoyed before death, much less suspended on any condition whatever to be performed by us; since it is a gift, a gift wholly of free grace. Faithfulness unto death is not here made the condition of enjoying the crown of life; but the gift of the crown of life is made the encouragement to faithfulness unto death. In the same light are we to consider James i. 12, and the words of our Lord in Matt. xxiv. 12, 13. Because iniquity shall abound (not because tribulations do abound, as Dr. Whitby cites the words), the love of many shall wax cold; but he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved; where enduring to the end is not the condition of salvation, but the promise of salvation is the encouragement to endure to the end. 3. A third passage referred to is the exhortation to the church at Pergamos, not Ephesus, as Dr. Whitby, through mistake ‡, calls it: Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth §. This church is so far from being an instance of the apostacy of real saints, that she is commended for holding fast the name of Christ, and not denying his faith in the worst of places, and in the worst of times, even where Satan's seat was, and wherein Antipas, a faithful martyr, was slain; and though there were some among them who held the doctrines and followed the practices of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, which should have been matter of humiliation, and on the account of which Christ exhorts to repentance; and though he says that he will come to her quickly, that is in a providential way, yet not to fight against her, but them; for he says not I will fight against thee, the church, as Dr. Whitby inadvertently reads the words, but against them, the Balaamites and Nicolaitans; and that not with the temporal sword, but with the sword of his mouth, the word of God. The passage out of the epistle to the church at Thyatira, being much the same with what is alleged from the epistle to the church at Philadelphia, will be considered with it. I proceed,

4. To examine the instance of the church at Sardis. There were * Rev. ii. 10. Vid. Whitby, p. 430, 431; ed. 2. 419, 420. Ibid. p. 432; ed. 2. 420.

Ibid. p. 431; ed. 2. 420.

§ Rev. ii. 16.

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