hand, as an affurance, that the whole fhould afterwards follow. And Chryfoftom fays, ὁ ἀρραβῶν μεροςέςὶ τῇ παντός an earneft is part of the whole. In like manner, thofe gifts of the Spirit, of which we have juft fpoken, are a part of the future happiness, and of the principal thing that is to come after; and they clearly resemble that earnest, which the bridegroom gives to the bride in teftimony of her communion with him in all his poffeffions. For, who will not readily believe, that there is a reference here to the ceremony of betrothing? To which there is certainly an allufion, Hof. i. 21, 22. Moreover, that poffeffion, of which the Spirit is an earneft, is called " the inheritance of the children of God;" because it is perpetual and never to be alienated from the poffeffors; whoever has it, has it continually from the first moment of poffeffion through all the ages of eternity. Therefore we conclude, that it is not pollible, that they, who have once received the Holy Spirit, can forfeit the heavenly inheritance; because otherwife, which God forbid, the Spirit of truth would be a falfe and fallacious earnest.

XXXVIII. Thus far we have fhewn, that the whole adorable trinity contribute their part to the confervation of believers : whence it appears, that their falvation is fecure under fuch guardians. Let us now further enquire into the method which God takes for their confervation. First, then, he employs that infinite and fupernatural power, by which he at firft infufed the beginning of the fpiritual life into elect fouls, fo that it may be cherished and maintained for ever by no lefs efficacy, than it was at firft produced. To this purpofe is what we have advanced, fect. 18. Concerning the power of God difplayed in

this affair.

XXXIX. But as it becomes God to deal with a rational creature in a way fuitable to its nature, so he fuperadds to that fupernatural power fome means, acting morally as they commonly speak, by which the elect themselves are excited carefully to keep themselves under God's protection. Here he ufes the miniftry of his word, which is the incorruptible feed, and "the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever," 1 Pet. i. 23. He fets before them the excellence of faith and godlinefs, thereby confirming the fouls of his people, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, Acts xiv. 22. He gives the promises of a great reward to those and only those who perfevere, Mat. xxiv. 13. Rev. ii. 10, 11. He fubjoins the threatenings of a dreadful vengeance against backfliders and apoftates, Ezek. xxxiii. 13, 14, 15. and at times awakens dull and drowsy fouls with his chaftening rod, and reminds them of their duty, Pf. cxix. 67. " before I was afflicted

afflicted, I went aftray; but now have I kept thy word." These admonitions, promifes, threatenings and the like actions of God towards the elect, are fo far from giving the leaft ground to conclude any thing against their perfeverance; that, on the contrary, they are powerful means for their confervation.

XL. For, when God, by the power of his Spirit, excites the mind attentively to confider these things, a certain holy fear and trembling are produced on man, Phil. ii. 12. which ftir him up to be diligently upon his guard against the flesh, the world, and the devil, and all their fnares, leaft, by being impofed upon by their deceits, he should do any thing prejudicial to his own falvation. And should it happen, that he has departed from God by fome abominable iniquity; the sense of the wound he has given his confcience, and which, unless timely cured, muft at last iffue in eternal death, does not fuffer him to be easy, till, by renewed repentance, he has returned to God, and obtained with many tears, the pardon of his fin from his infinite mercy. And as every believer is confcious of his own weakness, therefore with humble dependence on the affiftance of divine grace, he is earnest in devout prayers, for the continual influences of it, in order to his confervation and corroboration; praying, according to our Lord's direction, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." And in this manner all true believers, being excited and affifted by God, alfo perfevere and preserve themselves; "we know that whofoever is born of God, finneth not: but he that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not," I John v. 18. And indeed whoever forms a right judgment of the vileness of fin, the torments of hell, and the greatnefs of divine wrath: whoever has had but the flightest tafte of the beauty of religion, the pleasantnefs of grace, the honour of eternal glory, and the incredible fweetnefs of the love of God; it is not poffible, he should not exclaim; "Lo! they that are far from thee, fhall perish; thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee: but it is good for me to draw to God," Pfa. lxxiii. 2, 28. This is" with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord," Acts xi. 23.

XLI. Hence appears the falsehood of the calumny of our adverfaries, that, by this doctrine concerning the almighty conservation of God, a wide door is opened to profanenefs and carnal fecurity. That it is highly useful and effectual for the confolation of believers, provided it is true, will not be contradicted even by those who deny it. But nothing can be effectual for the confolation of the faints, which, at the fame time

is not effectual for the promoting of holinefs. For, in every confolation, there is a demonftration of the beneficent love of God towards the wretched finner, who is folicitous about his falvation; and the clearer that demonstration of divine love is, and the more particular the application, the stronger alfo is the confolation. Befides, nothing is more powerful for inflaming our hearts with love to God, than the knowledge, fenfe and taste of the divine love fhed abroad in them. Whoever therefore moft amplifies the powerful grace of God in his confolation, which impudence itself will not deny we do, presents to the faints the most powerful motives to divine love and the confequences thereof.

XLII. But let us more particularly fhow, that our doctrine is far more adapted to promote piety, than what our adversaries maintain concerning the unstable happiness of believers. And firft, Our doctrine doth certainly most of all illustrate the glory of God, which the oppofite tends to obfcure. We celebrate the infinite POWER of the deity, whereby he can not only reftrain our outward enemies from overthrowing our falvation, but alfo fo fix the wavering difpofition of our will, that it may not depart from the conftant love of holiness: also his TRUTH in the promises of the covenant of grace, on which we fafely and fecurely rely, being affured, that he who hath promised, will alfo perform: and his GOODNESS, whereby he does not altogether reject, or difinherit his children, or cut them off from the communion of Chrift, even when they have fallen into fome grievous fin, but by his fatherly chaftifements, graciously recovers them from their fall, and ftirs them up to repentance and his HOLINESS, to which it is owing, that he hides his face from his children, when for fome time, they seem to give too much way to fin, so that he does not grant them familiar accefs to himself, nor the influences of his confolations, but rather fharply ftings, and thoroughly terrifies their confcience with the fenfe of his indignation, leaft he fhould appear to be like the finner, or could bear with fin in his own people without refentment: and the EFFICACY OF THE MERITS AND INTERCESSION OF CHRIST, whereby he has acquired and preferved for himself an inheritance never to be alienated. In fine, we celebrate the invincible POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT who fo preferves his mystical temple, that it neither can be destroyed nor be made an habitation of impure fpirits. But as the fum of our religion confifts in glorifying God, fo that which illustrates the glory of God in this manner, does moft of all promote godlinefs.

XLIII. But as the oppofite doctrine separates the immutable bent of the free will to good, from the efficacy of divine grace; as it maintains, that God does not always perform what he has promised; as it will not grant, that God's children, when they fall into fome grievous fin, are chastised with rods, but difinherited, and punished by spiritual death; as it afferts, that the impetration of falvation by Christ may be perfect, and, in every refpect, complete, though none fhould happen actually to be faved thereby, and that Chrift was not always heard in his prayers; and that the Holy Spirit is fometimes constrained, by the mutability of the human will, to give up his habitation to the evil fpirit; the oppofite doctrine, I fay muft, in many refpects, be injurious to the power, truth and goodness of God the Father; to the merits and interceffion of God the Son, and to the invincible efficacy of the Holy Spirit.

per

XLIV. Secondly, Our doctrine is excellently adapted to allure the unconverted, feriously to endeavour after conversion and repentance: for, the more fure and ftable that happens it, which is promised to the penitent, the more effectual is the motive taken from the confideration of it. The fcripture every where diffuades men from searching after the good things of this world, and encourages them to seek thofe good things, which are spiritual, from this argument, that the former will perish, but the latter endure for ever, John vi. 27. " Labour not for the meat which ifheth: but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life," I John ii. 15, 17. "Love not the world: the world paffeth away, and the luft thereof; but he that doth the will of God, abideth for ever." And indeed, what can be more powerful to excite to repentance than this reflection? "As long as I am diftracted "with the anxious cares of this life, let my fuccess be ever fo "great, I can only amafs perishing treafures, of which I may "perhaps be deprived in this very life, and the remembrance " of which fhall certainly torment me in the next. But if I "diligently pursue the work of my converfion, I fhall, from "the very first moment of that, obtain that love of God in "Chrift, from which nothing shall ever be able to separate me "again and the fooner I enjoy that, the fooner I acquire that fupreme good, which is poffeffed without any danger of hav"ing my mifery renewed."

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XLV. But the oppofite doctrine is adapted to procrastinate endeavours after repentance. For, when it is inculcated on a man, that a child of God by regeneration, after having for fome time been engaged in the practice of holiness, not only may, but actually has often fallen away, and become a child

of

of the devil, been difinherited by his heavenly Father, and is, with greater difficulty renewed to repentance, the further progrefs he had made in holiness: this thought will eafily be entertained by thofe, who hear of exhortations to repentance, that there is no occafion to prefs the matter of their converfion fo strenuously in their tender years, leaft perhaps, confidering the great inconftancy of unstable youth, they be overtaken by fome great fin, and their condition be far worse than it was before: that it is more adviseable, to wait for thofe years (for we generally promise ourselves long life), in which both our judgment is riper, and the mind ufually purfues, with more constancy, what it has once applied to, enjoying in the mean time the delights of this world. Now, nothing can be more pestilential, than this thought, which yet this doctrine fuggests.

XLVI. Thirdly, Our doctrine is alfo very powerful to confirm the elect, already converted, in the fpiritual life, and to quicken them to the conftant practice of religion. Which may be proved various ways: 1ft, All the arguments, which are raised from the poffible apoftacy of the faints, are taken from the fear of punishment, and the terror of dreadful threatenings; but those taken from God's most powerful confervation, breathe nothing but his love and the incredible sweetness of divine grace. Moreover, it is certain, that the children of God," who have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear; but the Spiritofadoption, whereby they cry, Abba, father," Rom. viii 15. are more powerfully drawn by the cords of love, than driven by the fcourge of terror: for, "the love of Christ constraineth us," 2 Cor. v. 14. 2dly, All our religion is nothing but gratitude: but it is clear, that that perfon more effectually promotes gratitude, who proves by cogent arguments, that the happiness bestowed from grace fhall be perpetual, by the help of the fame grace, than he who maintains, that though it be truly great, yet it may be loft. 3dly, It is equitable, that the better fecured the reward of our duty is, we should be the more diligent in the practice of religion. For, the confideration of the reward is among those things which render the commands of God fweet, Pf. xix. 10. But we affure the faithful worshippers of God, from his own word, that from their very first entrance on the course of fincere godliness, their reward is fure; calling upon them with the Apoftle, 1 Cor. xv. 58. " therefore my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, FOR AS MUCH AS YE KNOW, that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." But our adverfaries, unhappily difcourage all diligence, while they teach, that we know not, whether our labour

fhall