and pray, lest the hour of temptation should come suddenly on them; which, surely, he would not do, if he knew that they could not be deceived. To which I reply, that inasmuch as they were liable to a partial seduction, and for a time, though not to a total and final one, there was good reason why these exhortations should be given and taken. Besides, such cautions might be useful to quicken their diligence to search and read the Scriptures, and by them try the spirits, whether they were of God or no, and by their fruits, their doctrines, discover impostors, and avoid them. Hence these cautions should not be improved into arguments against the final perseverance of the saints, seeing they may be considered as means of it. 2. That Christ here declares, that by reason of the extreme affliction of these times, many should be offended, and their love wax cold. But it should be observed, that supposing true believers are intended, love in them may wax cold when it is not lost, which was the case of the church at Ephesus; and so is no proof of the saints falling from grace. Besides, the many that shall be deceived, offended, and fall off from the doctrine of faith, are not the same persons with, but distinguished from, the elect, who cannot be deceived. 3dly. When we say, that it is impossible that the elect of God should be deceived, we mean not that it is impossible they should, considered in themselves, or if left to themselves, being, generally speaking, the foolish things of this world; or if left to that old Serpent, the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; or to false teachers, who lie in wait to deceivet: but we say it is impossible, considering the purposes and promises of God, the provisions of his grace, the security they have in the hands of Christ, and their preservation by the mighty power of God: and upon this account we judge, that their final and total deception is here represented as impossible. But to this is excepted, that the phrase el oyvvárov, if it were possible, denotes only a great difficulty in the performance of an act possible, so Acts xx. 16, Rom. xii. 18, Matt. xxvi. 39, and also that it does not import what the event would be, but the vehemency of the endeavours of seducers, who would do the utmost they could to seduce Christians and should it respect the event, it is only with relation to the means here mentioned, being such as should prevail to seduce even Christians, were it possible for impostors, by lying signs and wonders, to deceive them who are invested with a power of working greater signs and wonders. To which I reply, the instances to prove that this phrase only denotes great difficulty, and not an absolute impossibility, are insufficient. The words of the apostle Paul, in Acts xx. 16, are conjectural; he knew not whether it was possible or no, that he could be at Jerusalem before Pentecost; of which sort, surely, the words of Christ here cannot be thought to be. The same apostle's exhortation in Rom. xii. 18, supposes, that which is matter of fact, that it is impossible to live peaceably with some men; and what followed upon *Whitby, p. 440; ed. 2. 428; Remonstr. and Limborch, ibid. +1 Cor. i. 27; Rev. xii. 10; Eph. iv. 14. our Lord's petition in Matt. xxvi. 39, shows, that it was impossible that the cup should pass from him, considering the purpose of God, his covenant with him, and the salvation of his people. Moreover, should this phrase only import the vehemency of the endeavours of seducers, and not respect the event only with relation to the means here mentioned, great signs and wonders; it follows, that if, notwithstanding the vehement endeavours of seducers, and the utmost they can do to deceive the saints; if, notwithstanding their showing great signs and wonders, they are not able to prevail over them, being invested with a power superior to them; it may be concluded and pronounced, that it is impossible they should be deceived either by them, or by any other, or by any other means; since these are the most effectual of any, being according to the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish but says the apostle, in the same place*, we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation; which is the saints' grand security from a final and total deception, either by Satan or any of his emissaries. SECTION V. And this is the Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing; but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.-JoHN vi. 39, 40. THE persons here spoken of, are such as were given by the Father to Christ in eternal election, and in the everlasting covenant of grace, and who in time are enabled to believe on him for life and salvation; concerning whom the will of God is, that Christ should lose none of them, nor anything that belongs to them, neither their souls nor their bodies, no, not the least dust, but that he should raise it up again, and that these should also have everlasting life; which is the will of the Father of Christ, as well as of their Father, and therefore will be strictly regarded. Besides, this is the will of God, and not man, which cannot be resisted, so as to be frustrated; and is eternal, and therefore cannot be made void by any temporal act; and consequently, these words furnish out a considerable argument in proof of the saints' final perseverance. To which is excepted, 1st. That "they treat not of the loss of believers by a defection from the faith, but of their perdition by death; wherefore Christ promises, that he would raise them from death to a salutary life +."” ́ Be it so, that these words speak not of the saints' preservation from an apostacy from the faith, but of their resurrection at the last day; yet, since their resurrection will be the resurrection of life, or will be unto eternal life, they must persevere to the end, and die in the Lord, in order to enjoy such a resurrection. If, therefore, it is the will of † Remonstr. Coll. Hag, art. v. p. 91. * 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10, 13. God, that all those whom he has given to Christ, and who see the Son, and believe on him, should be raised unto eternal life, their perseverance in grace is out of question; and after the resurrection, they will be out of any danger of apostacy; for being raised, they will be caught up with living saints to meet the Lord, and shall be for ever with him. 2dly. It is said *, that "promises and declarations of the like nature with these which engage that God will give eternal life to the believer, are only to be understood of such a faith as doth endure to the end, and belong only to such as continue in the faith and then it is demonstratively evident, that perseverance is included in them; and therefore cannot be proved from them, without begging the question." To which I reply, that all true faith does endure to the end; it is an incorruptible seed of grace; part of that living water, which springs up into everlasting life; is the gift of God; whose gifts and calling are without repentance; of the operation of God, which he begins and performs with power; Christ is the author and finisher of it, and his powerful and prevalent intercession secures it from ever failing: hence those who have it, shall continue in it; and therefore their rance is certain. And if perseverance is insured to true faith, and is included in these promises of eternal life to true believers, to them only do such promises belong; for such who fall away were never true believers then it is demonstratively evident, that it is to be proved from them, and that without begging the question. But to this it is objected, 1. That such who fall awayt," are expressly styled true believers, as others are." But the places where they are so expressly styled cannot be named; the instances alleged from Matt. xviii. 6, 14; Luke viii. 13; Rom. xiv. 14, 15, 20; 1 Cor. viii. 11; John iv. 39, 42; Acts viii. 10, and xxi. 20, are insufficient proofs of it. Some of the persons instanced in, though they may be allowed to be true believers; yet it does not appear, from what is said of them, that they totally and finally fell away; such as the little ones that believed in Christ, Matt. xviii. 6, and the weak brother in Rom. xiv., and 1 Cor. viii. Since what is said of their being offended and perishing, is not to be understood of eternal destruction, but of their being slighted and rejected, and their minds grieved, consciences wounded, and their spiritual peace broken in upon and interrupted; as has been shown in the former part of this work nor does it appear that the Samaritans, who believed in Christ, all fell off from him to Simon Magus; since those who truly believed might be dead, and safe in heaven, before his infatuation began and spread in Samaria: besides, it is not very evident that they were true believers in Christ; they might give their assent to him, as the Messiah and Saviour of the world, without having true saving faith in him for themselves: nor does it appear that many of those myriads of Jews that believed, afterwards fell away. The epistle to the Hebrews is no proof of it. And if any of them did, it will not be easily proved that they were true believers. And it is *Whitby, p. 441, 442; ed. 2. 430. Ibid. p. 442; ed. 2. 431. + Part I. certain that those represented by the stony ground, in Luke viii. 13, who believed for a while, and then fell away, had not the true grace of God; since it is expressly said of them, that they had no root in them. 2. It is observed, "that this faith, that is, of such who fall away, as to its kind, is true; is evident from this consideration, that Christ and his apostles require such persons not to change it, but only to continue in it; not to believe with a faith true and real as to kind, but to be steadfast in the faith they had already." But the passages produced do not prove that Christ and his apostles spoke to such persons; not the passage in John viii. 31, where our Lord says to the Jews that believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciples indeed; that is, you will appear to be really so, and will be made free by the truth; and consequently, it will be evident, that you are sons who shall abide in the house for ever, and never be cast out: nor the passage in Acts xiv. 22, where Paul and Barnabas exhort the believers to continue in the faith; in which they do not give the least intimation, or supposition, that any of them should fall away, but, on the contrary, that through much tribulation, they should enter into the kingdom of God; and in order to their preservation to it, commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. 3. It is said, that "this answer thwarts those numerous texts of scripture, which suspend the benefits promised to believers on their continuance in the faith." To which I answer, that the numerous scriptures referred to, which are Coloss. i. 23; 1 Tim. ii. 15; Heb. iii. 6, 14; 1 John ii. 24; Rom. xi. 22, do not represent continuance in the faith as a precarious and uncertain thing; or suppose, that true believers may fall away finally and totally; nor do they suspend the benefits promised to believers, on the continuance of their faith, as a condition of their enjoying them; but represent continuance in the faith, as the evidence of their partaking of some of them already, and as a pledge and assurance of their enjoying the rest hereafter. 4. It is further objected ‡, that if this be the case, "all exhortations to steadfastness in the faith are enervated; and all declarations that we must be faithful to death, and endure to the end, are needless.' To which I reply, that exhortations of this kind are not hereby enervated, nor are such declarations needless; since these may be, and are, made use of by the Spirit of God, for the increase of faith, and steadfastness in it; and so be the means of the saints' final perseverance. And whereas it is said §, that the only distinction between a living and dead faith is, that the one is attended with, the other is without good works; and that the only difference between a temporary and saving faith, is this, that the one continues, and the other does not: it may be replied, that though good works are an evidence of a living faith, yet the life of faith does not consist in works, but in special acts of it on its proper object, Christ; and a temporary faith is only an assent to the truth of some propositions concerning Christ; but is not as saving faith, a going out unto him, depending on him, and believing in him, for the salvation of the soul. * Whitby, p. 443; ed. 2. 431. Ibid. Ibid. §. Ibid. SECTION VI. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.—Rom. xi. 2. THOUGH the number of God's people, in some ages of the world, is very small, as it was among the Israelites at the time of the apostle's writing this epistle, yet God has not, nor will he cast away, or cast off his people, whom he has foreknown; he may hide his face from them, afflict them in a fatherly way, and not immediately arise for their help; yet he will not cast them out of his affections, nor from his sight, nor out of the hands of his Son, nor out of the covenant of his grace, nor out of his family, or so as that they shall perish eternally: so far from it, that he takes the utmost delight and pleasure in them, gives them the greatest nearness to himself, lays them in his bosom, embraces them in his arms, keeps them as the apple of his eye, holds them by his right hand, and preserves them by his power unto salvation: the reasons of which are, his everlasting love unto them, his unchangeable purposes and promises concerning them, and because they are his jewels, his portion and inheritance: wherefore their final perseverance is certain. But to the argument from hence, it is objected *, "That this text cannot relate to any foreknowledge God hath of his elect from all eternity, but only to his foreknowledge and choice of the Jewish nation, before any other nations of the world; and only signifies, that God had not entirely cast off his people, Israel." which I reply, To 1. That it is most reasonable to conclude, that the word "poéyvw is used in the same sense here, as it is elsewhere in this epistle; particularly in Rom. viii. 29, 30, where God's foreknowledge is spoken of as antecedent to predestination, vocation, justification, and glorification: and so must relate to God's foreknowledge of his elect from all eternity, and not of the Jewish nation; since all of them are not predestinated, called, justified, and glorified. 2. Though the people of Israel were chosen to be a peculiar people above all people +, and were known before all the families of the earth: yet they were not all a foreknown people in the special sense; and which is the apostle's sense of the phrase; all were not Israel that were of Israel‡. Among that chosen and known people there were a special foreknown people, a remnant, according to the election of grace §; who were the election that obtained, when the rest were blinded. And these are the people God had not cast away; for as for the bulk, and body, and majority of that people, God had, or was about to cast them away, as is sufficiently evident from this chapter. And the apostle's single instance of himself, and could he have instanced in seven thousand more, as in the times of Elias, would have been an insufficient proof of God's not having cast away the bulk and body of that people; but is a full and *Whitby, p. 445; ed. 2. 433. + Deut. vii. 6; Amos iii. 2. Rom. xi. 5. 7. Rom. ix. 6. |