A. 2. Auxilio spiritus, — by the sacred in- fluence and concurrence of the Spirit. Tiie Spirit of God is continually at work in the heart of a believer to carry on grace to per- severance ; it drops in fresh oil to keep the lamp of grace burning. The Spirit excites, strengthens, increaseth grace, and makes a Christijin go from one step of faith to ano- ther, till he comes to the end of his faith, salvation, 1 Pet. i. 9. It is a fine expres- sion of the apostle, 2 Tim. i. 14., " The Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us." He who dwells in an house, keeps the house in repair : the Spirit dwelling in a believer, keeps grace in repair. Grace is compared to a river of the water of life, John vii. 38. This river can never be dried up, because Gods Spirit is a spring which continually feeds it.
A. 3. Grace is carried on to perseverance, 1 y Christ's daily intercession. As the Spi- rit is at work in the heart, so is Christ at vork in heaven. Christ is ever praying that tiie saints grace may hold out, John
them as the stars in their orbs, — keep them as jewels, that they may not be lost. " Fa- ther keep them." That prayer Christ made for Peter, was the copy of his prayer he now makes for believers, Luke xxii. 32., " I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not," that it be not totally eclipsed ; how can the children of such prayers perish ?
Quest. 2, By what arguments may we prove the saints' perseverance 9
Ans. 1. A veritate Dei, — ' from the truth of God.' God hath both asserted it, and promised it : 1. God hath asserted it, 1 John ii. 9., " His seed remaineth in him." 1 John ii. 27., " The anointing ye have received of him abideth in you." — 2. As God liath jts- scrted ii, so he hath promised it : the truth of God, the most orient pearl of his crown, is laid a pawn in the promise, John x. 23., " I will give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish." Jer. xxxi.i. 40., " I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." God will so love his people that he will not forsake them ; and they shall so fear him, that they shall not forsake him. If a believer should not persevere, God should break his promise, Hos. ii. 19., *' I will betroth thee unto me for ever, in righ- teousness and loving-kindness." God doth not marry his people unto himself, and then divorce them ; he hates putting away, Mai. ii. 16. God's love ties the marriage-knot so fast that neither death nor hell can bre;'K it asunder.
2. The second argument is, a potentia Dsi, — from the power of God. In the text, we " are kept by the power of God unto sal- vation." Every ])erson in the Trinity hath an hand in makitig a believer jiersevere. (Jod the Father establisheth, 1 Cor. i. 21. God the S<m conlirms, 1 Cor. i. 8. (iod the Holy Ghost seals, Eph. i. 13.; so that it is the power of God that keeps us. Alas, we are not kept by our own i)ower ! The Pelagians held, that man. by his own j)()\ver, might overcome tcniptation and persevere. But St. Austin conlutes tlicni. " Man," Kaith he, " pra} s unto God for per.sever-
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ancc, wliicli would Le absurd, if he had power of liiinself to persevere." And, saith j St. Austin, " if all the power be inherent I in a man's self, then wliy sliould not one persevere as well as another ? Why not Ju- das as well as Peter?" So that it is not by any other than the power of God that we are kept. As tlie Lord preserved Israel from perishing in tlie wilderness, till he brought them to Canaan : the same care will he take, if not in a miraculous manner, yet in a spiritual invisible manner, in pre serAnng his people in a state of grace, till he bring them to the celestial Canaan. As the heathens feigned of Atlas, that he did bear up the heavens from falling, the power of God is that Atlas which bears up the saints from falling. It is disputed, whether gi'ace of itself may not perish, as Adam's ; yet sure I am, grace kept by the power of God cannot perish.
3. The third argument is taken ab elec- tionc, — from God's electing love. Such as God liath from all eternity elected to glory cannot fall away finally ; but every true be- liever is elected to glory, therefore he can- not fall away. What can frustrate election, or make God's decree void ? This argument stands like Mount Sion, which cannot be moved ; insomuch that some of the Papists hold, that those who have absolute election cannot fall away, 2 Tim. ii. 19., " The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal. The Lord knoweth them that ai'C his." The foundation of God is nothing else but God's decree in election ; and this stands sure, God will not alter it, others cannot.