The confidence with which David announces to the righteous their privileges, will lead us to consider, II. Their security for the enjoyment of them —
God has solemnly engaged to confer these bless- ings upon them —
[From all eternity did he enter into covenant with his dear Son, that "if he would make his soul an offering for sin, he should see a seed, who should prolong their days; and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand0." The terms heing accepted by the Lord Jesus, a people were " given to him ; " with an assurance that not one of them should ever be lostp. Accordingly, we find innumerable promises made to them, that " God will keep their feetq," and carry on his work in their hearts1, and " preserve them blameless unto his heavenly kingdoms."]
From respect to these engagements, he will as- suredly fulfil his word —
[Not one jot or tittle of his word shall fail1. His children may, indeed, by their transgressions, call forth some tokens of his displeasure : yet, though he visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes, his loving-kindness will he not utterly take from them, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail. His covenant will he not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of his lips ; for once he has sworn by his holiness, that he will not lie unto David u. Having thus pledged his truth and faithfulness in their behalf x, and engaged never to leave them till he has accomplished in them and for them all that he has promised y, he considers his own honour as involved in their happiness2 ; and would account himself " unrighteous," if he left so much as one of them to perish a. But " he cannot lie0 :" and, therefore, all who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them, may have the most abundant consola- tion0," in an assured expectation that " he will perfect that which concerneth themd," and " keep them, by his own power, unto everlasting salvation e."]
Comforting as this Scripture is, it needs to be very carefully guarded from abuse. Permit me, then, to address myself,
0 Isai. liii. 10.
fi 1 Sam. ii. 9.
s 1 Cor. i. 8. 1 Thess.
u Ps.lxxxix.30 — 35.
z Ezek. xxxix. 25.
c Heb. vi. 17, 18.
p John xvii. 2, 6, 9, 10—12, 24. r Phil. i. 6. v. 23. x 1 Thess. v. 24. a Heb. vi. 10. d Ps. cxxxviii. 8.
1 Isai. liv. 9, 10. y Heb. xiii. 5, 6. b Tit. i. 2. e 1 Pet. i. 5.
658.] THE believer's security. 149
1. To those who are indulging in undue security —
[Is there any one that will dare to say, ' I cannot fall ; or, if I fall, I cannot bnt rise again : for, if God were to leave me to perish, he would be unfaithful and unjust?' I must reply to such an one, ' Thou art on the very border and precipice of hell.' Who art thou, that thou shouldst not fall, when David, and Solomon, and Peter fell? Or, who art thou, that thou must be raised again, when Demas, as far as we know, fell for ever ? Hast thou been up to heaven, and seen thy name writ- ten in the Book of Life ? Hast thou inspected that covenant which was made between the Father and the Son, and seen that thou wast among the number of those who were given to Christ before the foundation of the world ? " The Lord knoweth them that are his ; " but who besides him possesses that know- ledge? What knowest thou, except as far as causes can be discerned by their effects ? Thou hast experienced what ap- j>ears to be a work of grace in thy soul. Be thankful : but be not over confident : thousands have deceived themselves : and thou mayest have done the same. Could it be infallibly ascer- tained that thou wast given to Christ before the foundation of the world, and, in consequence of God's engagement with him, wast effectually called to a state of union with him, we will acknowledge that none should ever pluck thee out of the Father's hands f: for "his gifts and calling are without repentance g." But, as this can never be ascertained but by a special revelation from God, I must say to thee, and would say, if thou wert the most eminent Christian upon earth, " Be not high-minded, but fearh." It is certain that multitudes of most distinguished professors have apostatized from their faith : and such may be thine end ; yea, and will, if thy confidence be so daring and presumptuous : and, if this should be thine unhappy fate, we shall not for one moment question the fidelity of God ; but shall say of you, as St. John did of the apostates in his day, " They went out from us ; but they were not of us : for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us : but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us i."]