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the Son of God himself that is intended, and not the apostate; for the immediate antecedent to the relative be, is the Son of God; who was sanctified, or set apart, by the blood and sacrifice of himself,

The sins ascribed to the persons spoken of, are such as are never committed by true believers. x. The following passage though it makes clearly for the doctrine of the saints' final perseverance, is brought as an objection to it, Heb. x. 38. Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. He that is truly a just man, can never die spiritually and eternally; Whosoever liv eth and believeth in me, says Christ, John xi. 26. shall never die. The just man, and he that draws back, are not the same; as is clear from the next verse; But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the sav ing of the soul. The passage in Hab. ii. 4. which is referred to, plainly shews who the man is that draws back, as opposed to the just man that lives by faith: he is one whose soul is lifted up, and is not upright in him. God's taking no pleasure in him that draws back, does not intimate that he took plea sure in him before his drawing back, since it is not said, my soul shall have no more or no further pleasure in him; but shall have no pleasure in him. Such who are the objects of God's delight and pleasure, are always so; he rests in his love towards them &c. Zeph. iii. 17. XI. To the doctrine of the saints' final perseverance, is objected the passage in 2 Pet. ii. 20-22. But 1. There isnothingsaid in those words which shew that the persons spoken of were true believers. The knowledge they had of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, was not a spiritual knowledge of him, for then they would have followed on to have known him. 2. Escaping the pollutions of the world through it, designs no other than an external reformation of life. 3. Nor does it appear that they ever were any other than dogs and swine; their case seems to be the same that is observed by Christ, Matt. xii. 43.

X11. The falling away of real believers is argued, and their perseverance objected to, from various exhortations, cautions, &c. given unto them. As, 1. When he that thinks he stands, is exhorted to take heed lest he fall, 1 Cor. x. 12. but suppos. ing a true believer is here meant, which yet is not clear and certain, since it is one, who seemeth to himself, and others, to stand; but admitting it, the exhortation is not superfluous: he may so fall as that God may be dishonoured by it: he should take care of falling, for though there is no danger of his perishing eternally; yet if he falls to the breaking of his bones, and wounding his own soul, it behoves him to take heed. 2. When believers are cautioned, to take heed, lest there be in them an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God, Heb. iii. 12. And, 3. When the apostle Peter exhorts those he wrote to, who had obtained like precious faith with him, to beware, lest being led away with the error of the wicked, they should fall from their own steadfastness, 1 Pet. iii. 17. the meaning is not as though there was a possibility of their falling from the precious grace of faith they had obtained; but from some degree of the steady exercise of it. 4. When the apostle John exhorts, saying, Look to yourselves, that ye lose not those things which we have wrought, 2 John 8. he refers to what the ministers of the gospel, had wrought. 5. And when the apostle Jude says, Keep yourselves in the love of God, 21. it is not to be understood of the love which God has in his heart towards his people; but rather of the love which they bare to him.

Secondly, Objections are raised against the doctrine of the the saints' final perseverance, from the sins and falls of persons eminent for faith and holiness; as Noah, Lot, David, Solomon, Peter, and others. But these are no proofs of their final and total falling away. As to Noah and Lot, though guilty of great sins, they have after this, the character of truly good and righ teous men. As for David, the spirit of God was not taken from him, Psal. li. 11, 12. As for Solomon, though his backsliding was great, y not total, see 1 King xi. 4. 6.

Some persons, after his death, are spoken of with commendation, for walking in the way of Solomon, as well as in the way of David, 2 Chron. xi. 17. As for Peter, his fall was not total; Christ prayed for him, that his faith failed not; nor final, for he was quickly restored by repentance: these several instances are recorded in scripture, for our caution and instruc tion, to take heed lest we fail.

Thirdly, Some ill consequences, supposed to follow the doctrine of the saints' final perseverance, are urged against it. As, 1. That it tends to make persons secure and indifferent but this is not true in fact, any more than in other cases similar to it. Joshua was assured that no man should be able to stand before him, but this did not make him secure, nor hinder him from taking all the proper precautions against his enemies. Hezekiah, though he was assured of his restora tion from his disorder; yet this did not hinder him from making use of proper means for the cure of it. Paul had a certainty of the saving of the lives of all that were in the ship, yet he told them, that except they abode in the ship, they could not be saved. 2. It is said, that this doctrine gives encouragement to indulge in sin, and to commit such gross sins as Lot, David, and others. The above instances of sin are recorded, not to encourage sin, but to caution against it: and whatsoever ill use persons may make of these instances; such who are really the children of God by faith in Christ, neither can, nor will make such an use of them. 3. It is objected, that this doctrine lessens the force of the prohibitions of sin. But these prohibitions of sin, and motives to holiness, are used by the Spirit of God as means of perseverance. Nothing can be more stronger motives to holiness and righteousness, than the absolute and unconditional promises of God to his people. 4. Whereas, we argue that the doctrine of the saints apostacy, obstructs the peace and comfort of believers, it may be answered, that our argument does not proceed upon the comfortableness of the doctrine we plead for; but upon the un

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comfortableness of the opposite to it; for though a doctrine may not be true which is seemingly comfortable to a carnal mind; yet that doctrine is certainly not true, which is really uncomfortable to a sanctified heart. This is certain, that the doctrine of the saints falling away from grace finally and totally, is a very uncomfortable one, and therefore to be rejected.

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OF THE DEATH OF THE BODY.

THE things to be enquired into, are, What death is? who are the subjects of it? what the causes of it, and its properties?

I. What death is. To say what it is, is difficult; we know nothing of it practically and experimentally, though there are continual instances of it before our eyes. We know nothing of death but in theory: what it is, is chiefly to be known from the scripture, by which we learn, 1. That it is a disunion of the soul and body, the two constituent parts of man; the one consists of flesh, blood, and bones, of arteries veins, nerves, &c. the other is a spiritual substance, immaterial and immortal, and goes by the name of spirit. Death is a dissolution of this union; The body without the spirit, separate from it, is dead, James ii. 26. 2. It is a dissolving this earthly house of our tabernacle, 2. Cor v. 1. in allusion either to military tents, or those of shepherds, which were removed from place to place for the sake of pasturage for their flocks, Isai. xxxviii. 12. 3. It is signified by a departure out of this world to another; the death of Christ, and of some others is expressed in such language, John xiii. 1. 2 Tim. iv. 7. it is like going from one house to another: with the saints it is a departure from their earthly house, to an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; from houses of clay

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