Quest. How doth Christ preserve the saints' graces, till they come to heaven ?
Ans. 1. Jnfluxu Spiritns. Christ carries on grace in the souls of the elect, by the in- fluence and co-operation of his Spirit. Christ doth, Spiritu, continually excite and quicken grace in the godly; his Spirit doth blow up the sparks of grace into a holy flame ; Spi- ritns est vicorius Christi,— the Spirit is Christ's vicar on earth, his proxy, his executor, to see that all that Christ hath purchased for the saints be made good. Christ hath ob- tained an inheritance incorruptible for them, 1 Pet. i. 5., and the Spirit of Christ is his executor, to see that this inheritance be set- tled upon them.
A. 2. Christ carries on perseveringly in the souls of the elect, vi orationis, by the prevalency of his intercession : Heb. vii. 25., " He ever lives to make intercession for them." Christ prays that every saint may hold out in grace till he comes to hea- ven : can the children of such prayers per- ish ? If the heirs of heaven should be dis- inherited, and fall short of glory, then God's decree must be reversed, his promise broken, Christ's prayer frustrated, which were blasphemy to imagine.
A. 3. That God's children cannot be dis- inherited or put by their right to the crown of heaven, is evident from their mystical union with Christ. Believers are incorpo- rated into Christ; they are knit to Christ, as the members to the head, by the nerves and ligaments of faith, so that they cannot be broken off, Eph. i. 22, 23., " The church which is his body." What was once said of Christ's natural body, is as true of his mystical, ' A bone of it shall not be bro- ken.' As it is impossible to sever the lea- ven and the dough when they are once mingled and kneaded together; so it is im- ]»ossible, when Christ and believers are once united, that they should ever, by the power of death or hell, be separated. Christ and
his spiritual members make one Christ . now, is it possible that any part of Christ should perish ? How can Christ want any member of his body mystical and be per- fect ? Every member is an ornament to the body, and adds to the honour of it. How can Christ part with any mystical member, and not part with some of his glo- ry too? So that by all this it is evident that God's children must needs persevere in grace, and cannot be disinherited. If they could be disinherited then the Scrip- ture could not be fulfilled which tells us of glorious rewards for the heirs of promise, Ps. Iviii. 11., "Verily there is a reward for the righteous." Now, if God's adopted children should fall away finally from grace, and miss of heaven, what reward were there for the righteous ? And Moses did indiscreetly to look for the recompense of the reward, and so there would be a door opened to despair.
Obj. This doctrine of Gocfs children per- severing, and having the heavenly inheritance settled on them, may cause carnal security, and make them less circumspect in their tcalk- ing.
Ans. Corrupt nature may, as the spider, suck poison from this flower ; but a sober Christian, who hath felt the efficacy of grace upon his heart, dares not abuse this doc- trine ; he knows perseverance is attained in the use of means, therefore he walks ho- lily, that so in the use of means he may ar- rive at perseverance. St. Paul knew that he should not be disinherited, and that no- thing could separate him from the love of Christ : but who more holy and watchful than he ? 1 Cor. ix. 27., " I keep under my body ;" and, Phil. iii. 11., " I press towards the mark." God's children have that holy fear in them, which keeps them from secu- rity and wantonness ; they believe the pro- mise, therefore they rejoice in hope ; they fear their hearts, therefore they watch and pray. Thus you see what strong conso- lation there is for all the heirs of the pro- mise. Such as have God for their Father are the happiest persons on earth ; they are in such a condition that nothing can hurl them; they have their Father's blessing, all things conspire for their good ; they have a kinjjdom settled on them, and the entail
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can never be cut off. How may God's cliildren be comtortcd in all cotiditions. let tbe times ho what they ^^'ill ! Their Father is in heaven, he rules all ; if troul)les arise, they shall but carry God's children so much the soonei" to tlieir Father. The more vio- lently the wind beats ajjainst tlie sails of a ship, tlie sooner the shij) is brought to tlie haven ; and the more fiercely God's chil- dren are assaulted, the sooner they come to tlieir Father's house, 1 Thess. iv. 18., " Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
U.se \th. Of exhortation. Let us beliave and carry ourselves as the children of such a Father, in several particulars.