can hinder the accomplishing of that promise of eternal life which was given and passed to Christ in their behalf before the foundation of the world. If a saint could any way miscarry and fall short of this eternal life, it must be from one of these three causes : 1. Because God may forsake the Christian, and withdraw his grace and help from him ; or, 2. Because the believer may forsake God ; or, lastly. Because Satan may pluck him out of the hands of God. A fourth I know not. Now none of these can be.
First, God can never forsake the Christian. Some imadvised speeches have dropped from tempted souls, discovering some fears of God's casting them oiF; but they have been confuted, and have eaten their words with shame, as we see in Job and David. O what admirable security hath the great God given his children in this particular !
First, In promises. ' He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,' Heb. xiii. .5. Five negatives in that promise, as so many seals to ratify it to our faith : he assures us there never did or can so much as arise a repenting thought in his heart concerning the purposes of his love and special grace towards his children. Rom. xi. 29 : 'The gifts and calling of God are without repentance :' even the believers' sin against him, their froward carriage, stirs not up thoughts of casting off, but of reducing them : ' For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him ; I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart; I have seen his ways, and will heal him,' Isa. Ivii. 17, 18. The water of the saints' failings, cast on the fire of God's love, cannot quench it ; ' Whom he loves, he loves to the end,'
Secondly, God, to give further weight and credit to our unbelieving and misgiving hearts, seals his promise with an oath; see Isa. liv. 9, 10: 'With everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. This is as the waters of Noah unto me ; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should not return over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee.' Yea, he goes on and tells them, ' The mountains shall depart,' (meaning at the end of the world, when the whole frame of the heavens and earth shall be dissolved,) ' but my kindness shall not depart, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed.' Now lest any should think this was some charter belonging to the Jews alone, we find it, ver. 17, settled on every servant of God as his portion : ' This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.' And siu-ely God that is so care- ful to make his children's inheritan(;e sure to them, will give them little thanks who busy their wits to invalid and weaken his conveyances, yea, disprove his will : if they had taken a bribe, they could not plead Satan's cause better.
Thirdly, In the actual fulfilling these promises (which he hath made to believers) to Christ their representative. As God, before the world began, gave a promise of eternal life to Christ for them, so now hath he given actual possession of that glorious place to Christ as their advocate, where that eternal life shall be enjoyed by them ; for as he came upon our errand from heaven, so thither he returned again to take and hold possession of that inheritance which God had of old promised, and he in one sum at his death had paid for. And now what ground of fear can there be in the believer's heart concerning God's love standing firm to him, when he sees the whole covenant performed already to Christ for him, whom God hath not only called to, sanctified for, and upheld in, the great work he was to finish for us, bixt also justified in his resurrection and gaol delivery, and received him into heaven, there to sit on the right hand of the Majesty on high, by which he hath not only possession for us, but full power to give to all believers?
A second occasion of fear to the believer that he shall not persevere, may be taken from himself. He has many sad fears and tremblings of heart that he shall at last forsake God : the journey to heaven is long, and his grace weak. Oh, saith he, is it not possible that tliis little grace should fail, and I fall short at last of glory ? Nov/ here there is such provision made in the covenant as scatters this cloud also.
First, The Spirit of God is given on purpose to prevent this. Christ left his mother with John, but his saints with his Spirit, to tutor and keep them, that they should not lose themselves in their journey to heaven. O, how sweet is that place, Ezck. xxxvi. 27 : ' I will put my Spirit in you, and cause you to
AND HAVING DONE ALL, TO STAND. ] (^f)