case with Job, David, Paul, and others. But if saints may fall from grace, there can be no such thing as assurance of salvation. Suppose a person to know that he is a Christian to-day ;--how does he know that he shall not fall before to-morrow, or at any rate before he dies. If David, and Peter, and Judas fell from grace, what saint can be sure that he shall stand? How then could Job say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold and not another." How dare the Psalmist say, "As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness." How dare Paul say, "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day." And how dare John say, "We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Such confident assurance, must certainly be presumption, if God has not promised to preserve his people from utter and final apostacy.

4. I argue the perseverance of the saints from the immutability of God. If true religion were obtained by human efforts merely, it would be rational to suppose that it might be lost. But if it is God who begins the good work in the hearts of believers, and if he is an unchangeable being, we cannot suppose that he will leave his work incomplete. Why should God renew the heart of a sinner, unless it is his design to bring that sinner to heaven? And will he suffer his design to be frustrated? What motive can he have to abandon the work? Will it be said, that he leaves them to fall and perish, on account of their sins? But were they not sinners, and utterly unworthy of his favor, when he undertook the work of their salvation? And if when they were dead in sin, he had mercy on them, and raised them to spiritual life, can we suppose that he will be provoked utterly to forsake them? The apostle thus reasons, Rom. v. 10. "For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

5. That all true believers will persevere, is evident from their union to Christ. By faith they become one

with Christ, and their life and interests are identified with his. Accordingly, he says, John xiv. 19. "Because I live, ye shall live also." And the apostle says, Col. iii. 3,

4. "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." These texts represent the salvation of believers as certain as the eternal felicity of Christ.

6. I argue the certain perseverance of the saints, from those texts which represent the salvation of all the elect, as certain. I will not here insist on the meaning of election, as I understand it, but I will take it in the sense usually understood by those who deny the doctrine of perseverance. They will allow, that persons are elected when they believe; in other words, that real Christians are styled in scripture the elect. If then it can be made to appear, that all the elect will be saved, the idea of falling from grace must be given up. In reference to this point, see Matt. xxiv. 24. "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." It is obviously implied in this passage, that it is impossible for any of the elect to be so deceived as to be finally lost. Ver. 31. "And he shall send his angels and they shall gather together his elect, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." We are here taught, that God will at last gather all his elect into his kingdom. See also Rom. viii. 33. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." And chap. xi. 7. "The elec

tion hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." Now these texts prove conclusively, that all the elect will be saved; and it makes no difference, as it respects the subject under present discussion, whether we suppose them elected from eternity, or when they believed. If all the elect will be saved, the perseverance of the saints is secured. In connexion with the above, take another text. Acts xiii. 48. "As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed." Here we are taught, that those who believe, are ordained to eternal life. All true believers then will persevere.

7. I argue the certain perseverance of all believers, from

the intercession of Christ. "If any man sin," saith the apostle John, "we have an advocate with the Father, even Christ the righteous."* "Who is he that condemneth?" saith Paul; "it is Christ that died; yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."+ And again, "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.‡

We may learn something of the nature of Christ's intercession, by attending to the prayer which he offered up for his disciples, just before he suffered. This is a specimen of the intercession, which he continually maketh for the saints. In this prayer, we find the following petitions. "I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me-Holy Father, keep through thine own name, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are--I pray not, that thou shouldest take them out of the world; but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil-Sanctify them through thy truthNeither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us-Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, should be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me."§

You will remark, that Christ prays for all whom the Father hath given him; not only those who were his disciples in the days of his flesh, but for all who should believe on him to the end of the world. And what does he pray for? He prays that God would keep them through his own name that he would keep them from evil—that he would sanctify them through his truth, and that they may all hereafter be with him and behold his glory. He does not barely pray that God would save them, if they do not apostatize-He goes farther. He prays that God would keep them from apostatizing.

The question is now reduced to a Christ's intercession prevalent or not?

single point. Is Does God always

John xvii. 9, 11, 15, 17, 20, 21, 24.

Heb. vii. 25.

hear and answer his requests, or does he not? On this point you shall have the testimony of Christ himself. John xi. 41, 42. "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and I knew that thou hearest me always." Since then Christ prays for his people that God would keep them, and since God always hears his prayers, their perseverance is infallibly secured.

In addition to the foregoing arguments, I will now adduce a number of texts which have not yet been quoted, and which either expressly assert or clearly imply the doctrine in question. Psalm lxxxiv. 7. "They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." Prov. x. 29. "The way of the

Lord is strength to the upright, the righteous shall never be removed." Prov. iv. 18. "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Isa. xliii. 25. "I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Chap. xlix. 15. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, but I will not forget thee." Chap. liv. 7-10. "For a small moment, have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness, will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord, thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn, that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee; for the mountains shall departand the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee; neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Ezek. xxvi. 25-29. "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you ;-A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh: And I will put my Spirit within you; and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them.”

Such, and much more abundant, is the testimony of

the Old Testament. Let us now turn to the New Testament. And first, let us attend to some of the words of our Saviour which have not yet been quoted. He has taught us, that if our house be founded on a rock it will stand, and if it fall, it will be because it is built upon the sand. He says, John v. 34. "He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation." Chap. xi. 26. "Whosoever liveth and believeth on me, shall never die." Chap. iv. 14. "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Chap. vi. 51. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever." Ver. 54. "Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Matt. xviii. 14. "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." Luke x. 42. Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her."

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The time would fail me to quote all the texts which might be collected from the epistles of the apostles. Out of the many which might be adduced, take the following. Rom. vi. 14. "Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Chap. viii. 29, 30. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his SonMoreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Observe, all who are justified will be glorified." Eph. i. 13, 14. "In whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession."* Heb. vi. 17-19. "Wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of salvation, the immu

* "An earnest is something paid beforehand, to confirm a bargain, of the same kind with the full sum, and as a pledge and security for the payment of the whole. And if in this matter the Spirit is both a seal and an earnest, the bargain cannot be disannulled; but upon whomsoever God bestows the first fruits, he gives them as an earnest of the complete enjoyment of the heavenly inheritance."-Taggart on Perseverance.