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Show ;-. Thirdly, The Q!!ellion is not, Whether a ju~ified, rtgentrate S•ul, can in his ""H power and ftrength hold on in hi< way) but only, Whether he jhall hold on or nol Thole who contend for the certainty and abiding of the Saints !late, are very far from thinking and affirming that thereis any Cuch Powe(inthem; or that by their own power they !hall be able to hold out: they know that of our [elves we are able to do nothing. That it is his llrength which - is perfecred in our weakne~ ; that the Saints them !elves are kept by the power of God to Salvation; that if they fiand they (fond by Gr~ce, and are Caved by Grace, 4· fourthly, The quellion is not, Whether a Chri~ian's union with Chrijl {haU abide, Itt him liv• M be li/1 l Or, whtther be u[eth any »~ta•u in order to fucb a per{everAnce ancl abiding, yea or no? we fufficiently know that it is the indifpenlable duty of every Chrifiian, to endeavour to malte his calling and ele/Jion Jure: to jlrive to mter in at the ftrait f!.att ; while be ~ands to tak_e heed lefl he [.Us; to walk., cirenmfp,£lly, not as fools, b~tt ar wife : we lily perfeverance is the Grace of God; ( By grace we }land: ) but . we fay, this grace of God is given in the nfe of means on our part, and cannot orherwife be expetled ; and if it were pollible Wat a child of God could live and die in a llate of fin, or under the guilt o{ji11, not repmted o{, he would find that he lhould nor be Chrills, ·110r Chrill his : But this we fay, every Eld1 Soul, every true Believer, though he falls, he jhall f'i{e , though he finr he !hall re.new J,i; faitb and repentance before he dies ; he !hall hold eNt to tht end, and Co {hall be (aved. So then the ~1ellion is plail)lY this : Whether one that is detled and truly jJfiified through faith, may either tot~lly or finallY fall an>ay, and I ole his jufilfied e!late and favour with God, or !hall not according to the gracious ordination council and decree of God, abide and continue, and by the gntc'e of God be preferved in that llate; tha~ grace. quickening him, though he may fall and fin fo as .he !hall rtfe agam by a tn~e faith and repentance, and fo be certatnly and eternally faved til the day of the Lord Jefus. We affirm the latter, viz. That every efe[l Ve(J'el, every Soul, ~ho by the grace ofEle/Jion, ordaining him to et"n•l life, 'being [o ordained doth truly believe, jhaU by vertue of the JPeci;~l grace of God, '[ttfi•ining and upholding, and encre• fing his own n>Dt/t in him, and quick!ning him to the exercifes •f daily rqpentance, f•ith ••d holinr{t, jhaU mojf ctrtamly be k!Pt IH hu juflified fiatt tmto Ettrnallife; even until the day break., and the · jhadows '' The Saint/Perfeverttnce. fhadows f/ ee a"'ay, (as the Text exprelfeth it.) We do not fay, tbaJ the Saints are in n• poffibility of f•lling away, but only that they ]haY not f•U through Gods gracious Covenant "nd allillance. It is impoffible they lhould {IJJnd ".ffthemfelves: and it is iinpoffiblt they jho11kl faD, becaufe God will hold them up and carry them on. • This will fully appear from what I !hall fpeak upon the fecond head, viz. From wbmce it H that w~ affirm tbit , That the Vnion and 1/..ela- ~u. 2. tion betwixt Cbrift and tbe Soul fh~D abide un.til tbt day break.., and u~til the jhadows flee away f , 1. In General, If there be a failure, it mu/1 tither be 011 Chrilft part or our part : tither becau[e our Lord will ca/ltu off, or becau[e n>< may ca/i him off? Bat it isupm neither oftbeft account! l1k! to fail. In 010r't, This is a point abundantly fpoken to by many Eminent Divines, and in large Treatifes : and it is hardly poflible for me to lpeak any thing to you that !hall be {olid and new in this great Point. Divine$ do generally conclude this certainty of the ]ufiilied Soul's thte to depend upon thefe things : 1, An unchangeable Love, :r.. An immutabW Decree, 3· A If unalterable Covmant, 4.A cert•iJt R.edtmptio1f1 5· An irrevoc•blt CaUmg, 6. An immutable Word, 7· A potent lnterw!flon, s·. An immortal Seed. I will difJ courfe a little upon them all. I. I fay, they found it upon Gods Free, ·Immutable and cou· frant Luve: That God isfru, intmur.sbli:, ~n'd uncha1rgeahle in hi< luve, doth not only appear from the immut,bi!ity of his Nature, ( Immutability being elfential to him;) I am ( faitl'r-he ) the G,d . that changeth not, and indeed he could not be God if he were not unchangeable: and as he is in all things unchangeable, Co particularly in his Love. John I 3· I. H•~ing loved his own which Wfl'e ;,. tbe world, he l'OVed them unto the tnrl: Efay- 54· 8. TYith ev"la· ]li»g kJndnefi ,.iU I have mere)' upon thee. I am aware of what Arminia~;~s fay to this, that the Text 1obn I 3. 1. conclude~ no fmther than the continuance of Chri!ls love to hi> Difciples to the end of his life as long as he abode in t.he World ; but certainly it need conclude no more, fur his Lo"e did not alm~ ro his people by his going-up to Heaven; whither he tells them, chap. '4' He went to Jlrtpare a place for the"'• and that he would come again ro them and take them to himfelf; and' in the mean tim~ fend them the Comfprm, who lhould be, and abide witli rhem. Al;ld Cqap. J 5· |