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That all fears of this kind may vented, he, who cannot lye, has declared, in his word, that "the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, who are fought out, fhall be a city not forfaken;" that "the place of their defence fhall be the muni→ tion of rocks; their bread fhall be given them, and their waters fhall be fure": That "God will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her affemblies a cloud; and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory fhall be a defence." From thefe, and many other declarations of heaven, the apostle might well be confident that he, who had begun a good work in the Philippians, would perform it until the day of Jefus Chrift.

The important article of the faints establishment and perfeverance in grace, being allotted to my confideration in this Lecture, I have turn'd you to this verfe; because it will foon appear, from a juft explication of the words, that this doctrine is really founded upon divine authority.

To guide us into the meaning of the text, and to direct us in its application, ic will be proper to take notice of these four things.

a Ifai. lxii. 12. iv. 5. VOL. II.

Chap. xxxiii. 16.

• Chaps

T

1. The

I. The work it self, which is here fpoken of.

2. The perfection that was to crown it.

3. The apostle's confidence with respect to that perfection.

4. The common concern and intereft of the faints in the whole matter.

(1.) I fhall confider the work it felf, which was begun in the Philippians.

This is term'd a good work, by which we are to understand the work of grace, or the internal, fupernatural, and effectual work of the Spirit of God upon their fouls, whereby they were made partakers of his heavenly grace; in confequence whereof, they were renew'd, sanctified, or made holy, and thus became new creatures.

That this work was begun in them, may eafily be collected from feveral paffages in this epiftle; particularly from the seventh verfe of this chapter, where the apostle fays, they were partakers of his grace;" i. e. of the like grace with himself: And this is agreeable to his declaration in the twenty ninth verfe, that unto them it was given, as well as to him,

both to believe on Chrift, and to fuffer for his fake." Farther, when he prays, in the ninth verse, that "their love might abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment," it is fuppofed that they

they were already favour'd with fome knowledge and fome judgment in fpiritual things, and that their knowledge did not rest in mere fpeculation, but it warm'd the heart, and kindled an holy flame within; yea, that as their knowledge was not a dead notion, fo neither was their love a blind affection; but its motions and actings were under the guidance of an enlighten'd mind; and, upon the whole of what the apostle had obferved, while among them, and heard of them, when absent, he concluded that they were the feals of his apostleship and ministry, and, as such, he calls them "his joy and crown." Hence it appears that the good work of grace was begun in them.

And fince no other work whatever, in which they were especially concern'd, either had, or was intended to have, the like abiding duration with the work of grace; and fince nothing short of this could have given the like fuperlative occafion for that abundant thankfulness and joy, which, in the preceding verfe, he declares he had, upon every remembrance of them, and their fellowship in the gofpel, we must therefore conclude that the work of true grace, and not the preaching of the gospel; was that good work which the text refer'd

to: And thus I fhall conftantly understand it. Let us next confider,

(2.) The perfection with which this work was to be crown'd.

This is exprefs'd by its being perform'd until the day of Jesus Christ. By the day of Chrift, is here meant the day of his fecond appearance, when he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. This interpretation agrees with the phrafe used by the apostle, in his first epistle to the Thef falonians; where he prays, that " they might be preferv'd blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift." The expreffion in the text running in fuch terms, it must imply a compleat protection thro' all the temptations and dangers, not of life only, but of death it felf; and the faints may warrantably expect a final perfeverance in grace, till they are brought fafe to glory.

By the force of the word in the original, the perfection of the work is likewife fignified. The Greek verb, which we render " perform," might well be translated "finish;" and when the laft conflict with death is over, then shall the faints be immediately made perfect in holiness, and be preserv'd blameless till the day of Jefus Chrift. Nor is it a determinate period, with an exclu

1

fion of fucceeding duration, that is here intended; but the meaning is, that the good work fhall be finish'd, and, being finish'd, it shall remain for ever perfect; for, in the day of judgment, the faints fhall be openly acknowledged, and pronounced blessed; yea, by fome folemn action, they shall then be publickly confirm'd in a state of perfect purity and endlefs blifs. I fhall therefore confider,

(3.) The apostle's confidence, with refpect to this perfection.

In his expreffion, Being confident of this very thing," we may take notice there are two pronouns ; the emphasis whereof is well obferved in our tranflation, the words being render'd, "this very thing." The phrase, as it stands here, points out three things.

[1] The certainty of the faints final perfeverance in grace. This privilege is here spoken of as a matter, the accomplishment whereof may be depended upon. The expreffion will not admit of the leaft doubt or fufpicion; for it does not leave the cafe to rest upon a probability, though of the highest degree, but it carries it to the greatest certainty. It is as though he had faid, if I can be confident of any thing, I can be confident of this, that where God