were not of the number of God's chosen ones; for had they been born again of the incorruptible seed, had they had that anointing which abides, and from which persons are truly denominated Christians; as they would have appeared to have been chosen, so they would have continued in the faith, and have remained with the churches of Christ, and not have fallen into such errors and heresies, into which it is impossible that God's elect, or true believers, should ever fall. But the defection of these persons was permitted by God, that they might be made manifest, that they had never received the grace of God in truth. It follows, therefore, that as such who so fall were never true believers, so such who are true believers, shall never totally and finally fall away. To which is answered *, 1. "That these words, they were not of us, cannot signify they were not of the number of the elect; but only they were not of the church in general, and of the mind of the apostles, and the church that adhered to them." But surely the apostle would never deny that these persons were of the church, and of the same mind with it, at least in profession, antecedent to their going out; for had they not been in communion with the church, they could not be properly said to go out of it; and if they had not been of the same mind and faith in profession, they could not be said to depart from it. The reason this author gives, as an evidence of their not being of the church," that from them they went out, and with them they might have remained," is a reason invincibly proving that they were of them, as a church, otherwise they could not have went out from them; with whom they not only might, but would have remained, had their hearts been right with God. And whereas it is farther observed, that "they could not go out from the elect only, who are not visible, nor could they have remained with them, who were never of them;" it may be replied, that though they were never of them as elect, yet they were of them as a church, become visible by a profession of faith; and therefore could, as they did, go out from them as such; though had they been true believers in Christ, they would have appeared to have been elect likewise, and would have continued and remained with them both as elect and as a church. It is moreover added +, that "their going out from them for a season, was no certain argument that they were not of the elect; since it is confessed, that they may fall totally, though not finally." Who they are that have made this confession, I shall not inquire; for my own part, I affirm that God's elect, or true believers in Christ, cannot totally fall, that is, wholly and entirely lose the grace of God bestowed on them, or wrought in them. However, the going out of these persons was in such a manner, that it was a certain argument that they were not of the elect; since they became antichrists, ver. 18, the forerunners of the man of sin, avowed enemies to Christ, who denied him to be the Christ, ver. 22, or that he was come in the flesh, chap. iv. 3, and therefore said to be of the world, and not of God, ver. 4—6. 2. It is said, that "the true sense of the words seems plainly to be Whitby, p. 463, 464; ed. 2. 443, 444. + Ibid. p. 465; ed. 2. 445. Ibid.; Remonstr. Coll. Hag. art. v. p. 96. this these antichrists, or deceivers, went out from the apostles and churches of Judea, Acts xv. 1, 24, to preach destructive doctrines to the Gentiles, which both the church of Judea, and the apostles assembled for that purpose, flatly disowned and censured; by which it sufficiently appeared, that all the preachers of these doctrines were not of them." But this sense of the words confines them to preachers only ; whereas, though many of these antichrists might be preachers, yet not all; whoever denied the Father and the Son, or that Christ was come in the flesh, was an antichrist, whether he was in a public or private capacity. Besides, not the true and faithful ministers of the word, but private believers, are opposed to these persons in the following verse, But ye have an unction from the Holy One, &c. This sense of the words also makes the us to be the apostles, and churches of Judea; whereas, when the apostle John wrote this epistle, the rest of the apostles were all dead; and he speaks of these antichrists as men that were, in that last time, risen up among them, and went out from them; and, therefore, could not, with any propriety, say that they went out from the apostles. Besides, whenever this pronoun us is used elsewhere, in this epistle, it is never restrained to the apostles; but the apostle John in it includes, with himself, all true believers. Nor is there any reason to conclude, that he had in view the church of Judea, and a case in which that was concerned near forty years ago, but rather the churches of Asia, among whom he was, and particularly the church at Ephesus, where he is generally thought to have resided. Now the apostle Paul, many years before this, had told the elders of the church, that after his departure, not only grievous wolves should enter in among them, but also of their ownselves should men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them: and the apostle John lived to see these predictions fulfilled. Add to all this, that this sense of the words makes their going out to be merely local and corporal.Now to go out from the apostles, in this sense, was not criminal; the persons that went down from Judea to Antioch, Acts xv. 1, 24, are not blamed for going thither, nor for going out from the apostles thither, but for troubling the disciples with words to the subverting of their souls. Nor was a corporal departure from the apostles any evidence of not being of the same mind with them, for they often departed one from another, and yet continued of the same mind and faith. The departure here spoken of was of men from the true church of Christ, both in doctrine and in affection; and that not of preachers only, but of others who were only nominal Christians, and was so understood by the ancient fathers, particularly Tertullian† and Cyprian‡. *Acts xx. 29, 30. + De Prescript. Hæret. p. 231. Epist. Iv. p. 116, and 1xxvi. p. 208. De Unitate Ecclesiæ, p. 256. SECTION XI. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.-1 JOHN iii. 9. He that is born of God is one that is regenerated by the Spirit and grace of God; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, or spiritual; it is a new man, a new creature, which neither does, nor can commit sin; though it is as yet imperfect, there is no impurity in it, no bias, tendency, or inclination to sin, but all the reverse; it is born of an incorruptible seed which remains, it is a principle of grace which is of God, and can never be lost. Hence it follows, that regenerate persons cannot cease to be so. In answer to this, it is said *. 1. "That these words cannot be intended to signify that he who is born of the Spirit and the word, can never fall from that state is evident; partly, because it hath been proved already that the Holy Spirit may depart and quit his habitation; and so he who was once born of the Spirit may cease to be so; and partly, because men may not continue in the word, nor the word abide in them, nor they in Christ, and may lose their interest in God, and the things which they had wrought, as is clearly intimated by these exhortations, 1 John ii. 24, 27, 28; 2 John 8, 9." But it has been also already proved that the Holy Spirit does not finally and totally depart from true believers. Nor is it possible that he that is once born of the Spirit can cease to be so; a man can be but once regenerated; and he that is once born again cannot be again unborn. Nor do the exhortations referred to intimate that regenerate persons may not abide in the word, or that in them, or they not in Christ, or that they may lose their interest in God; but are so many encouragements to the performance of duty, as a means of their final perseverance. 2. It is argued that "as those words of Christ, Matt. vii. 18, and those of the apostle, Rom. viii. 7, do not prove that a corrupt tree cannot cease to be corrupt, and become good; or that the carnal mind cannot cease to be so, and become spiritual, so neither do these words prove that he who is born of God cannot cease to be so." But it should be observed, that as the words of Christ and the apostle referred to, prove that a corrupt and carnal man cannot become good and spiritual without the powerful and efficacious grace of God, which can only make him so; so these words prove that a regenerate man cannot cease to be one, or in such sense sin as to be lost and perish; for this reason, because there is a principle of mighty grace in him, which overcomes the world, the flesh, and the devil. Again, it is urged, that "as these words in Matt. xii. 34, John vii. 7, and xii. 39, and xiv. 17, do not signify an impossibility that it should be otherwise, but only their present indisposition to the contrary, and the aversation of their minds from those things which it is said they cannot do so those words do not import any impossibility *Whitby, p. 466; ed. 2. 446. Ibid. p. 467; ed. 2. 447. + Ibid. that they should do so, but only that they have at present that frame of spirit, which renders them strongly averse from sin, and indisposed to yield to any temptations to commit it." But it is easy to observe, that the apostle does not conclude the regenerate man's not sinning, or not being able to sin, from any present precarious frame of spirit; but from his constitution, as being born of God, and from the seed of God, a principle of grace remaining and abiding in him. 3. It is said, that "the interpretation which many of the ancient fathers give us of these words, are a demonstration that they believed not the doctrine of the saints' perseverance; for they expound the words thus; He that is born of God sinneth not, neither can sin, quamdiu renatus est, whilst he is born of God; because he ceaseth to be a child of God when he sins." Whether the ancient fathers believed the doctrine of the saints' perseverance, or not, will be considered (God willing) in an after part of this work. Who the many of the ancient fathers are, that give this interpretation of the words, we are not told not Ignatius, nor Clemens of Rome, nor of Alexandria, nor Irenæus, nor Justin Martyr, nor Cyprian. Tertullian comes the nearest to it, when he says†, Hæc non admittet omnino qui natus a Deo fuerit, non futurus Dei filius si admiserit; He that is born of God, will not at all commit these things, speaking of some grievous sins; should he commit them he would not be a child of God. His meaning I take to be this; should any one that professes to be born of God, commit such and such sins, it would be evident that he was not a child of God: but he adds afterwards, We know that every one that is born of God, sinneth not; scilicet, delictum quod ad mortem est, namely, the sin unto death. SECTION XII. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.-ISAIAH liv. 10. THESE Words contain an irresistible argument in favour of the saints' final perseverance; proving that they cannot fall from the grace of God, or ever be deprived of an interest in the covenant of peace, and the blessings of it. In which, the unalterableness of God's love to his people, and the immoveableness of his covenant with them, are illustrated and confirmed, by the departure and removing of mountains and hills; when neither of these shall depart, nor be removed. Wherefore if the kindness of God to them never will depart from them, notwithstanding their fall in Adam, the depravity of their natures, their many actual sins before conversion, their frequent backslidings after; and though he hides his face from them as to sensible communion, and chides and chastises them in the course of his providence; if this is the case, I say, as it certainly is, then it is impossible that persons, thus held and embraced in the arms of everlasting love, should ever totally and finally fall away, so as to be lost and perish *Whitby, p. 467; cd. 2. 448. ↑ De Pudicitia, c. xix. p. 741; ed. Paris. eternally. Moreover, if the covenant of peace is an immoveable one, as there is the highest reason to believe it is; since God has not only said, but swore to it, that he will not break it nor alter the thing that is gone out of his lips; seeing it is made with Christ, with whom it shall stand fast; then the persons interested in it cannot fail of grace here, and glory hereafter, which are blessings secured for them in it. But, in answer to these arguments, 1. It is said, "that it is exceeding evident that this place, with some others, hereafter to be considered, speaks of nations in the general, and not of a few private persons among them." To which I reply; that it is exceeding evident that the persons spoken to, which are no other than the church of Christ, are spoken to in the singular number, as appears from the words thou and thee used almost in every verse in the chapter; which is not very suitable to the nations in general. Besides, the relations that Jehovah stands in to these persons are such in which he does not stand to the nations in general; for, though he is the maker of them all, and the God of the whole earth; yet he is only a husband and a redeemer of particular persons, ver. 5. Likewise, the expressions of God's love and kindness, ver. 7-10, are too strong to be applied to the nations in general; as well as the promises of glory and happiness, ver. 11, 12, and particularly, that all her children should be taught of the Lord, and great should be the peace of them, ver. 13. Add to this, that these persons are distinguished from the nations in general, ver. 3, and from those that should gather and rise up against them, ver. 15-17. And the whole prophecy, concerning them, concludes thus; this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord: which words contain in them both characters and privileges which do not belong to the nations in general. 2. It is further objected+, that the prophet here speaks of the time of the Jews' general conversion to the faith; as is evident from ver. 11, 12, compared with Rev. xxi. But it unhappily falls out for this objector, that the prophet is speaking of the conversion of the Gentiles, and not of the Jews; as appears from ver. 1—3, compared with Gal. iv. 27, in which he predicts, that the instances of conversion among the Gentiles, at the first preaching of the gospel to them, would be far more numerous than what had been among the Jews. And it is evident from ver. 11, 12, compared with Rev. xxi. that he is there speaking of a very glorious state of the church among the Gentiles in the latter day; when their fulness shall come in, and the nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of that glorious state, and the kings of the earth shall bring the glory and honour of the nations to it‡. And it is also very evident, that the prophet is speaking, in ver. 12, of the time when the earth, not the land of Judea, but the Gentile world, shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea §. But supposing that the time of the Jews' conversion is here referred to, and the converted Jews are the only persons intended; *Whitby, p. 469; ed. 2. 449. + Ibid. p. 471; ed. 2. 450. |