o98 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE [CHAP.
fruitfulness is subservient to its own constancy, preserving the saints such as he may rest in it unchangeably, Rom. viii. 29, SO; a love Avhei'eby God " sings to his vineyard, watches over it, and waters it every moment," Isa. xxvii. 2, 3. And now, what flint almost in the rock of stone would not be softened and dissolved by this love? When we shall think that it is from the love of God that our wasted por- tion hath been so often renewed, that our dying graces have been so often quickened, our dreadful backslidings so often healed, our breaches and decays so often repaired, and the pardon of our in- numerable transgressions so often sealed, unless we suck the breasts of tigers, and have nothing in us but the nature of wolves and un- clean beasts, can we hold out against the sweet, gracious, powerful, effectual influence that it will have upon our souls? Thus, I say, doth the doctrine which we have in hand set out the love of God unto us in its eminent endearing properties, wherein, he being em- braced through Christ, a foundation is laid, and eminent promotion given unto the holiness and obedience which he requireth of us.
This doctrine renders Jesus Christ lovely to our souls, to the souls of believers. It represents him to them as the "standard-bearer^ to ten thousand," as one " altogether lovely," as exceeding desirable in the work of his oblation, and lovely and amiable in the work of his intercession, as hath been manifested.
1st. [As for his oblation], it imports him as one who, in his death, hath made an end of the controversy between God and our souls, Dan, ix. 24, becoming " our peace," Eph. ii. 1 4, " having obtained for us eternal redemption," Heb. ix. 12; that he hath not suffered all that sorrow, anguish, pain, torment, dereliction, whereunto for our sakes he was given up, and willingly exposed himself, for an uncertain end, not fighting in his death as one beating the air, nor leaving his work in the dust, to be trampled on or taken up as it seems good to us, in our pol- luted, daik, dead estate of nature ; but hath filled it with such immor- tal seed, that of itself, by itself, and its own unconquerable efficacy, it hath sprung up to the bringing forth of the whole fruit intended in it, and the accomplishment of all the ends aimed at by it; — that is, that it shall certainly and infallibly bring all those to God for whom he offered himself, byjustifying, sanctifying, and preserving tliem, through the communication of his own Spirit and grace to them for that end and purpose, " all his promises being yea and amen in him," con- firmed by his death, 2 Cor. i. 20; Heb. x. 12-17. Some of those who abuse the truth we have insisted on indeed pretend to grant " That by his death he made satisfaction for sin, but only on condi- tion that men believe on him, and continue so doing; that they shall so believe, and so continue" (though he is said to be the " captain of our salvation," and the " author and finisher of our faith," though it ' So some render Wi, Cant. v. 10. — Ed.
X.] THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE DOCTRINE. 899
be "given unto us for his sake to believe on him/' and we are "blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in him"), that he takes no care about beyond the general administration of outward means. He neither procured any such thing by his oblation, nor doth inter- cede for it. These things are left unto men, to be educed, drawn forth, and exercised, by virtue of sundry considerations that they may take upon themselves." Never, doubtless, did men take more pains to stain the beauty and comeliness of our dying Saviour.
^.dly. [As] for his intercession, the doctrine hitherto insisted on ren- ders him therein exceeding lovely and desirable. It tells you that he doth " pray the Father," who thereupon " sendeth us the Comforter," the Holy Spirit, for all the gracious acts and works, ends and pur- poses, before mentioned, with innumerable other privileges that the saints by him are made partakers of, and that to " abide with us for ever," never to leave us nor forsake us ; that he continually " appears in the presence of God for us," interceding that our faith may not fail, pleading for us in and under all our decays, making out to us suitable supplies in all our distresses, temptations, trials, troubles, taking care that " no temptation befall us," but that " a way also of escape be given to us together with it;" — it tells us his eye, even now he is in glory, is still upon us, seeing our wants, taking notice of our weakness, and providing for us, as his only concernment in the world, that we be not lost; that he hath not left one jot of that kind- ness which he bare to his flock, his lambs, his little ones, but pursues with all his strength, and all the interest he hath in heaven, the work of their salvation, which he came from his Father's bosom to enter on, and returned to him again to carry on unto perfection; that, as the high priest of old, he bears our names on his breast and on his shoulders continually before his Father: so that in all our falls and fiiilings, when we are in ourselves helpless and hopeless, when there is nothing in us nor about us that can do us any good, or yield us any help or consolation, yet on this account we may say, " 'The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want:' he hath undertaken for us, and will bear us in his arms, until he bring us to the bosom of his Father."