There remains nothing for the confirmation of the first branch or part of the truth proposed, but only the consideration of the oath of God; which, because it ought certainly to be "an end of all strife," I shall reserve the handling of it to the close of the whole, if God be pleased to carry us out thereunto, that we may give the oath of God its due honour, of being the last word in this contest.
The order of our method first proposed would here call me to handle our steadfastness with God, and the glory created upon our grace of sanctification ; but because some men may admire, and ask whence it is that the Lord will abide so steadfast in his love towards believers as hath been manifested upon several accounts that he will, besides what hath been said before of his own goodness and un- changeableness, etc., I shall now add that outward consideration which lies in the mediation of Christ, upon the account whereof he acts his own goodness and kindness to us with the greatest advan- tage of glory and honour to himself that can be thought upon. Only I shall desire the reader to observe, that the Lord Jesus is an under- taker in this business of perfecting our salvation and safeguarding our spiritual glory not in one regard and respect only. There is one part of his engagement therein which, under the oath of God, is the close of the whole, and that is his becoming a surety to us of his Father's faithfulness towards us, and a surety for us of our faith- fulness to him : so that, upon the whole matter, the business on each side as to security will be found knit up in him, and there we shall do well to leave it, though the handling of that suretiship of his be not of our present consideration. Men will scarce dispute him out of his faithfulness. " Henceforth he dieth no more ; death hath no dominion over him ; he sits at the right hand of God, expecting to have his enemies made his footstool." This, then, I will do, if God permit. And [as] for the steadfastness of his saints in their abiding with God, I shall, I fear, no otherwise insist peculiarly upon it but
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290 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
as occasion shall be ministered by dealing with our adversary as we pass on.
That Avhich I shall now do is, to consider the influence of the priesthood of Christ in those two grand acts thereof, his oblation and intercession, into the perseverance of saints, according to that of the apostle: Heb. vii. 25, " Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." And I will do it the more carefully, because though it be one of the greatest strengths of our cause, yet I shall walk in a path wherein none shall meet me, for the most part of the way, to make any opposition.
My entrance into the consideration of the procurement of our glory by Christ shall be with that whereby he came into his own, namely, his oblation, which hath a twofold influence into the perse- verance of the saints, or into the safeguarding of their salvation to the utmost: —
I. By removing and taking out of the way all causes of separation between God and those that come unto God by him ;^ that is, all be- lievers. Now, these are of two sorts: 1. TJmt which is moral, and procuring such separation or distance, which is the guilt of sin; 2. That which is efficient and working, as tlie power of Satan and of sin; — the first of these being that alone for which it may be supposed that God will turn from believers, and the latter that alone whereby they may possibly be turned from him. Now, that both these are so taken out of the way by the oblation of Christ that they shall never actually and eventually work or cause any total or final separation between God and believers, shall be demon- strated : —
1. He hath so taken away the guilt of sin from belie vei*s, from them that come to God by him, that it shall not prevail with the Lord to turn from them.* He hath " obtained eternal redemption for us," Heb. ix. 12, eternal and complete; not so far and so far, but " eternal redemption" hath he obtained, — redemption that shall be completed, notwithstanding any interveniencies imaginable what- ever. This redemption, which he hath obtained for us, and which by him we obtain, the apostle tells us what it is, and wherein it doth consist: Eph. i. 7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins." He hath obtained for us everlast- ing forgiveness of sins. As to the complete efficiency of the procur- ing cause thereof, absolutely perfect and complete in its own kind, not depending on any condition in any other whatsoever for the producing the utmost effect intended in it, there shall be no after- reckoning or account for sin between God and them for whom he
■ Isa. lix. 2.
» Eph. i. 10, ii. 13-10; CoL i. 20-22; 2 Cor. v. 10, 20; 1 John L 7.