not depart from me *. And Peter alfo teftifies, that we are kept by the power of God, thro' faith unto falvation: And again Ezekiel faith, I will take away the fony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh: And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them †.

Therefore, becaufe God is faithful, and able alfo to perform that which he hath promised, none of his elect fhall ever perifh. To fuppofe the contrary is a dangerous error; or rather, as I conceive, a pernicious berefy; which the Apostle rejects with as much indignation and abhorrence, as he doth that of turning the grace of our GoD into wantonness : Hath God, faith he, caft away his people? God forbid! God hath not caft away his people which he foreknew: Moreover, whom he did foreknow, he alfo did predeftinate; and whom he did predeftinate, them be also called; and whom he called, them be alfo juftified; and whom he justified, "them be alfo glorified.

Whofoever then affirms that God hath left any person to perish, after that he had called him by his grace into the knowledge of CHRIST, and juftified him thro' faith in his blood, makes GoD a liar And who but an infidel, that denies

:

• Jer. xxxii. 39, 40. XẢ I, 2.

Dd 4

the

+ Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. ‡ Rom.

the Scripture, and makes the word of GOD of none effect, will dare affert, that "a person may be a child of God to-day, and a child of the Devil to morrow"; or that, "a man may be justified by the blood of CHRIST, and yet never be fantified, but perish everlastingly."

Yet, because many well-meaning perfons, (as I fuppofe) make objections to the doctrines abovementioned; I shall attempt to obviate the chief of them. And,

1. It is by fome objected, that repentance and faith at leaft, are Gofpel conditions of falvation, which GOD requires of us to perform.-We allow that repentance and faith in CHRIST, even that faith which purifieth the beart, and worketh by love, and overcometh the world, are neceffary to falvation in all that do hear, or might hear the Gospel preached unto them; yet they are no proper conditions of falvation, which we ourselves are bound to perform: For, in the first place, we by nature are dead in trefpaffes and fins, having no ability to will or to do any good work, until we are regenerated and born of GOD: Confequently, if these were proper conditions to be fulfilled on our part, no flesh should be faved; for no man of himself ever did, or can perform

* Eph. ii. 1.

0

perform them: And, fecondly, the Scripture witneffeth that both repentance and faith are the gifts of God to us, and the works of his Spirit in us.Chrift is exalted to give repentance*, and he is the author and finisher of our faith; confequently they are no conditional works, which GOD requireth of us to perform, by any will or power of our own: They are indeed urged upon us, and teftified as neceffary to our falvation; even as he faith, make you a new heart and a new fpirit: but repentance and faith are rather Gospel bleffings, as a new heart and a new Spirit are, with which God hath bleffed his people in CHRIST, and promised to give them on his behalf, that they may partake of that grace and falvation which is in CHRIST JESUs with eternal glory: For CHRIST is exalted at the right hand of God to give them unto us. Wherefore he faith, Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power :-And accordingly it was given to the Philippians to believe in Chrift ||: Thus also among the Gentiles at Antioch, as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed §.

2. It is objected, We read of fome who have made shipwreck of faith, and fallen from grace.— It is true that the Apoftle fpeaks of fuch; but he doth not fay that these were justified by the blood of Chrift, or that they were fome of God's elect; but

Acts v. 31.
Phil. i. 29.

+ Heb. xii. 2. § Acts xiii. 48.

he

↑ Pfal. cx. 3.

he supposes and teaches us quite the contrary: For,
speaking of believers justified by faith in Christ, he
faith; Much more then being now juftified by his blood,
we fhall be faved from wrath thro' him: For if when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of bis Son; much more being reconciled, we shall be saved
by his life. Yea, he afferts pofitively, and teftifies,
that whom God hath justified; them, the very fame
identical perfons, even them he also glorified: And
as to God's elect, he plainly shews that none of
them can perifh; for having informed Timothy,
that Hymenaus, Philetus, and others, had erred con-
cerning the truth, and overthrown the faith of fome;
he immediately adds, nevertheless the foundation of
God ftandeth fure, having this feal, The Lord know-
eth them that are his ‡: And again, Who fhall lay
any thing to the charge of God's ele? it is God that
juftifieth; who is be that condemneth? it is Chrift
that died; yea rather that is rifen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who alfo maketh interceffion
for us.-
-Therefore, whoever they are that depart
from the faith, and draw back unto perdition,
they are none of God's elect. Neither men nor
devils can deceive, and turn any of thefe away
from the truth fo as to believe a lie, and die in
error. When falfe Chrift's and false prophets arise,
and fhew great figns and wonders whereby many are
deceived;

+ Rom. v. 9, 10.

2 Tim. ii. 18, 19..

deceived; yet they are none of them God's elect: Therefore faith CHRIST, IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, they should deceive the very elect: Thus plainly declaring, that 'tis not poffible for any of them to perish. Nor fhall any be deceived by the Beast, who is antichrift, to worship Devils, &c. fave those only whofe names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb flain from the foundation of the worla‡. -These therefore who are faid to depart from the faith, draw back unto perdition, and fall from grace; are thofe whom our LORD calls the ftony ground bearers; whose hearts were not right in the fight of him, that trieth the reins and the bearts; altho', in the fight of man, who can only judge by outward appearance, they,. for a season, seemed far otherwife: But inafmuch as they abode not in the truth, they were manifeftly not of the number of GoD's elect, nor with the heart had believed on CHRIST for righteoufnefs, and forfaken all for his name's fake: Of such the Apostle John speaks thus; they went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifeft, that they were not ALL of us \\. And these perfons, because they were members of CHRIST's vifible Church, profeffing faith in him; are fuppofed to have their names written in the book of life: David there. fore, fpeaking of fuch corrupt and unstable profeffors,

+ Matt. xxiv. 24.

Rev. xiii. 8.

|| John ii. 19.