concile this with the scriptural doctrine of a future judgment. I say, again, I defy any man on earth to show, how, on this scheme, God can judge the world in righteousness.

SERIOUS THOUGHTS

UPON THE

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS.

1. MANY large volumes have been already published on this important subject. But the very length of them makes them hard to be understood, or even purchased, by common readers. A short, plain treatise on this head, is what serious men have long desired, and what is here offered to those whom God has endowed with love and meekness of wisdom.

2. By the SAINTS, I understand, Those who are holy or righteous, in the judgment of God himself: those who are endued with the faith that purifies the heart, that produces a good conscience: those who are grafted into the good Olive-tree, the spiritual, invisible church; those who are branches of the true Vine, of whom Christ says, "I am the Vine, ye are the branches :" those who so effectually know Christ, as by that knowledge to have escaped the pollutions of the world; those who see the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and who have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, of the witness and fruits of the Spirit: those who live by faith in the Son of God; those who are sanctified by the blood of the covenant:. those to whom all, or any of these characters belong, I mean by the term SAINTS.

3. Can any of these fall away? By falling away, we mean, not barely falling into sin. This, it is granted, they may. But can they fall totally? Can any of these so fall from God, as to perish everlastingly?

4. I am sensible, either. side of this question is attended with great difficulties such as reason alone could never remove. Therefore to the law and to the testimony. Let the living oracles decide: and if these speak for us, we neither seek nor want farther witness.

5. On this authority, I believe a SAINT may fall away; that one who is holy or righteous in the judgment of God himself, may nevertheless so fall from God, as to perish everlastingly.

I. For thus saith the Lord, "When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity,-in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them. shall he die.” Ezek. xviii. 24.

That this is to be understood of eternal death, appears from the 26th verse: "When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them, [here is tempo ral death] for his iniquity that he hath done, he shall die:" here is death

eternal.

It appears farther, from the whole scope of the chapter, which is to prove, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die," ver. 4. If you say, "The soul here means the body :" I answer, that will die whether you sin or not.

6. Again, thus saith the Lord, "When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live: if he trust to his own righteousness," [yea, or to that promise as absolute and unconditional] "and committeth iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for the iniquity that he hath committed shall he die." chap. xxxiii. 13.

Again, "When the righteous turneth from his righteousness and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby," ver. 18. Therefore, one who is holy and righteous in the judgment of God himself, may yet so fall as to perish everlastingly.

7. But how is this consistent with what God declared elsewhere, "If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments,— I will visit their offences with the rod, and their sin with scourges. Nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my truth to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips; I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not fail David." Psalm lxxxix. 31–34.

I answer, there is no manner of inconsistency between the one. declaration and the other. The prophet declares the just judgment of God, against every righteous man who falls from his righteousness. The Psalmist declares, "The old loving kindnesses which God sware unto David in his truth. I have found," saith he, " David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him. My hand shall hold him fast, and my arm shall strengthen him.-His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. But if his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments.Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my truth to fail. My covenant will I. not break. I will not fail David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me," ver. 21, 22, 30, 31.

May not every man see, That the covenant here spoken of, relates wholly to David and his seed, or children? Where then is the inconsistency between the most absolute promise made to a particular family, and that solemn account which God has here given of his way of dealing with mankind?

Besides the very covenant mentioned in these words is not absolute, but conditional. The condition of repentance, in case of forsaking · God's law, was implied, though not expressed. And so strongly implied, that this condition failing, not being performed, God did also fail David. He did alter the thing that had gone out of his lips, and. yet without any impeachment of his truth. He "abhorred and.

forsook his anointed, the seed of David, whose throne [if they had. repented] should have been as the days of heaven," ver. 37. He did "break the covenant of his servant, and cast his crown to the ground," ver. 38. So vainly are these words of the Psalmist brought to contradict the plain, full testimony of the prophet.

8. Nor is there any contradiction between this testimony of God by Ezekiel, and those words which he spake by Jeremiah: "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee." For, do these words assert, That no righteous man ever turns from his righteousness? No such thing. They do not touch the question, but simply declare God's love to the Jewish church. To see this in the clearest light, you need only read over the whole sentence. "At the same time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." "Thus saith the Lord, the people which were left of the sword, found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I caused him to rest." "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me," saith the prophet, speaking in the person of Israel, saying, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. Again, I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, Q virgin of Israel.” ch. xxxi. ver. 1-4.

Suffer me here to observe once for all, a fallacy which is constantly used, by almost all writers on this point. They perpetually beg the question by applying to particular persons, assertions, or prophecies, which relate only to the church in general, and some of them only to the Jewish church and nation, as distinguished from all other people.

If you say, "But it was particularly revealed to me, that God had loved me with an everlasting love!" I answer, suppose it was, (which might bear a dispute,) it proves no more, at the most, than that you in particular shall persevere: but does not affect the general question, whether others shall, or shall not?

9. Secondly, one who is endued with the faith that purifies the heart, that produces a good conscience, may nevertheless so fall from God, as to perish everlastingly.

For thus saith the inspired apostle, "War a good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience, which some having put away, concerning faith have made shipwreck." 1 Tim. i. 18, 19.

Observe, 1. These men (such as Hymeneus and Alexander) had once the faith that purifies the heart, that produces a good conscience: this they once had, or they could not have put it away.

Observe, 2. They made shipwreck of the faith, which necessarily implies the total and final loss of it. For a vessel once wrecked can never be recovered. It is totally and finally lost.

And the Apostle himself, in his second epistle to Timothy, mentions one of these two as irrecoverably lost. "Alexander, says he, did me much evil: The Lord shall reward him according to his works." 2 Tim. iv. 14.

Therefore, one who is endued with the faith that purifies the heart,

that produces a good conscience, may nevertheless so fall from God, as to perish everlastingly.

10. But how can this be reconciled with the words of our Lord, "He that believeth shall be saved?"

Do you think these words mean, He that believeth at this moment, shall certainly and inevitably be saved? If this interpretation be good, then by all the rules of speech, the other part of the sentence must mean, He that does not believe at this moment shall certainly and inevitably be damned. Therefore that interpretation cannot be good. The plain meaning then of the whole sentence is, He that believeth, if he continue in faith, shall be saved; he that believeth not, if he continue in unbelief, shall be damned.

11. "But does not Christ say elsewhere, He that believeth, hath everlasting life? John iii. 36. And He that believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life?" ch. v. ver. 24.

I answer, 1. The love of God is everlasting life. It is in substance the life of heaven. Now every one that believes, loves God; and therefore hath everlasting life. 2. Every one that believes is therefore passed from death, spiritual death, unto life; and, 3. Shall not come into condemnation, if he endureth in the faith unto the end according to our Lord's own words, " He that endureth to the end, shall be saved:" and, "Verily I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." John viii. 51.

12. Thirdly, Those who are grafted into the good olive-tree, the spiritual, invisible church, may nevertheless so fall from God, as to perish everlastingly. For thus saith the apostle, "Some of the branches are broken off, and thou art grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive-tree. Be not high-minded, but fear: if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he spare not thee. Behold the goodness and severity of God! on them which fell severity; but toward thee goodness, if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou shalt be cut off.” Rom. xi. 20-22. We may observe here, 1. The persons spoken to, were actually grafted into the olive-tree.

2. This olive-tree is not barely the outward, visible church; but the invisible, consisting of holy believers. So the text: "If the first fruits be holy, the lump is holy; and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith."

3. These holy believers were still liable to be cut off from the invisible church, into which they were then grafted:

4. Here is not the least intimation of those who were so cut off, being ever grafted in again. Therefore, those who are grafted into the good Olive-tree, the spiritual, invisible church, may nevertheless so fall from God, as to perish everlastingly.

13. "But how does this agree with the 29th verse, The gifts and calling of God are without repentance?"

The preceding verse shows: "As touching the election," (the un

conditional election of the Jewish nation,) "they are beloved for the father's sake:" for the sake of their forefathers. It follows, (in proof of this, that "they are beloved for the father's sake,") that God has still blessings in store for the Jewish nation, "For the gifts and callings of God are without repentance:" for God doth not repent of any blessings he hath given them, or any privileges he hath called them to. The words here referred to, were originally spoken with a peculiar regard to these national blessings. "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent." Numb. xxiii. 19.

14.." But do not you hereby make God changeable?". Whereas "with him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning?" By no means. God is unchangeably holy. Therefore he always loveth righteousness and hateth iniquity. He is unchangeably good. Therefore he pardoneth all that "repent and believe the gospel." And he is unchangeably just; therefore he "rewardeth every man according to his works." But all this hinders not his resisting, when they are proud, those to whom he gave grace when they were humble. Nay, his unchangeableness itself requires, that if they grow high-minded, God should cut them off: that there should be a proportionable change, in all the divine dispensations toward them.

15. "But how then is God faithful?" I answer, in fulfilling every promise which he hath made, to all to whom it is made, all who fulfil the condition of that promise. More particularly, 1st. "God is faithful, in that he will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able to bear." 1 Cor. x. 13. 2d. "The Lord is faithful, to establish and keep you from evil," 2 Thess. iii. 2. (if you put your trust in him,) from all the evil which you might otherwise suffer, through "unreasonable and wicked men." 3. "Quench not the Spirit; hold fast that which is good; abstain from all appearance of evil" and your "whole spirit, soul, and body, shall be preserved blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he who calleth you, who also will do it." 1 Thess. v. 19, &c. 4. Bc not disobedient unto the heavenly calling; and "God is faithful by whom ye were called, to confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless, in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. i. 8, 9. Yet, notwithstanding all this, unless you fulfil the condition, you cannot attain the promise.

"Nay, but are not all the promises yea and amen?" They are. They are firm as the pillars of heaven. Perform the condition and the promise is sure. "Believe and thou shalt be saved."

"But many promises are absolute and unconditional." In many, the condition is not expressed. But this does not prove there is none implied. No promises can be expressed, in a more absolute form, than those above cited, from the 89th Psalm. And yet we have seen, a condition was implied even there, though none was expressed.

16. "But there is no condition either expressed or implied, in those words of St. Paul, I am persuaded that neither death, nor