them out of their fenfes, thus without advantage to any, to exercife fuch an act of cruelty on their own body; and without fuppofing Paul, to be out of his mind, who, for his own honour, would permit and commend it. In fine, it was impoffible for that cup to pafs from Chrift, without his drinking it, Impoffible, I fay, not abfolutely, in which fenfe Chrift fays, O my father, all things are poffible to thee; but from the fuppofition of the divine decree, the furetifhip he had undertaken, the prophecies and types by which he was foretold and prefigured.

For,

Chrift was to make fatisfaction to the utmoft farthing. Which fatisfaction is reprefented by his drinking the cup. 2dly, Should we grant our adverfaries, what they ftrenuously contend for, that impoffible, fometimes denotes what is difficult; and poffible, what is eafy, yet that fenfe would not fuit this pasfage. For, fhould any transform our Saviour's words, thus: "They will fhew figns and wonders, fo as to deceive (if it might be eafily done), the "Elect themfelves," he would render that most wife fentence impertinent and foolish.

an unalie

XV. Secondly, the father gave believers to Chrift, 2. Gave John 17. 6, for his inheritance, and as the reward them to and price of his labour, P. 2. 8. But the father Chrift for will neithet fuffer the inheritance of his only begotten hable infon to be alienated, nor him to lofe his purchase. heritance. Chrift was fecure as to this, when he faid, Ifa. 49. 4. furely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God: and, John 1o. 29, my father which gave them me, is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of my father's bands: that is, neither Satan, nor the world, nor the flesh, which three are the enemies of Chriít's fheep, fhall ever have fo much power, as to make them unwilling to abide under the faving protection of the father: for, they cannot be pulled away againft their will. This violent taking them away confifts in the alone change of the

T 3

will

willingly

k

will. Whence it appears, that thefe perfons trifle in a matter of ferious importance, who would, have this condition understood, viz, unless they depart from God. For, the tendency of Chrift's dif courfe is to affure believers, that their enemies fhall never be able to make them foolishly fteal away from God. We are to attend to Chrift's manner of arguing, which runs thus: "I give life to my fheep, nor "Thall they ever perifh, because none can pluck "them out of mine, or my father's hands." But if our adverfaries answer be true, that they may ceafe to be fheep, and of their own accord, by their fins fly out of his hands, though not plucked out of them: then Chrift's reafoning would be weak and inconclufive. It is the greateft abfurdity to thefe words of Chrift to thofe, who have died in faith; and that the plucking them out of Chrift's hand, denotes the detaining them under death and condemnation, and preventing their being raised by Chrift from, death to eternal life. For, ift, Chrift here speaks of the sheep, which hear his voice, and follow him; the voice of a ftranger they hear not, but fly from him: all which belong to the ftate of this life. 2dly, It is evident, that Chrift here comforts believers against thofe temptations, by which they are most of all annoyed. But what believer is much difquieted by the thought, that, when he is dead in the faith of Christ, and his foul is received into the heavenly manfions, he fhall be detained under death and condemnation? Who once doubts, but his happiness is then firmly fecured? 3dly, Nothing can be spoken more indigefted, than that they, who have died in the faith of Chr ft, are detained undor death and condemnation, as the babbling apologist for the Remonftrants is pleafed to fay. What? are thofe, who have died in the faith of Chrift under a condemnation, under which they can apprehend they may be detained?

XVI. 3dly,

faftnefs

XVI. 3dly, The father has, by an immutable co- 3. Stedvenant and teftament, promifed to take care, that promised the Elect fhould not fall away from him to their eter-them, nal deftruction. But to doubt of the faithfulness of

God, promifing and bequeathing by teftament, is blafphemous. To this purpofe is, Ifa. 54. 10, The I. 54. 10. mountains fhall depart, and the bills be removed, but my kindness fhall not depart from thee, neither hall the covenant of my peace be removed, faith the Lord, that' bath mercy on thee. By which words, God not only in general declares, that he will faithfully adhere to what he has promifed in behalf of his children; but intimates the stability of the covenant of grace, which he calls the covenant of peace, beyond the covenant of works. Certainly, God would have performed what he had promited in the covenant of works, provided man had perfevered in his obedience, but in the covenant of peace he abfolutely promifes, that his goodness fhall not depart from his covenant-peo-i ple, because it was that, which was to preferve them in holinefs, and fo to bring them to happiness. And in this fenfe alfo, it may be faid of the new covenant, that it is better and established upon better promifes, Heb. 8. 6, namely, fuch as are abfolute, without depending on any incertain condition.

1

XVII. The fame thing is more fully inculcated, Jer. 32. Fer. 32. 38, 39, 40, and they shall be my people, and I 38, &c. will be their God: And I will give [put within] them one heart and one way, that they may fear me FOR EVER. And I will make an EVERLASTING COVENANT with them, that I WILL NOT TURN AWAY FROM THEM TO DO THEM GOOD; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that THEY SHALL NOT DEPART FROM ME. The very fame thing we have Jer. 31. 31, 32, 33. On thefe teftimonies we are to observe. it, That God here, in explaining his gracious covenant, propofes it by way of testament, while he abfolutely promifes, what he is to do, requiring no conditions, to be performed by man, 2dly. That this covenant or teftaT 4

ment,

4. Exerts infinite

fervation.

1Pet. 1.5.

ment is faid to be perpetual, or everlasting, with an exprefs oppofition to another Covenant, which depended on a mutable condition, broken by man, and abrogated by God, Jer, 31. 32. 3dly. That there is not only a promife of the conftant affection of God towards them, whereby he will never turn away from doing them good, to which promife fome condition might be understood; but alfo of that fear of God, whereby they fha'l not depart from him. Which being fuppofed, nothing further can be required. 4thly. I hat God fays not, he will invite them by his word, by the greatest promises, and by very many benefits to a conftant a fear of himfelf, and thus, by moral fuafion, incline their minds, as much as in him lay; which the remonftrants repeat after the Socinians; but that he would, actually, and by the invincible efficacy of his fpirit, put his fear in their hearts; the confequence of which would be, that they fhould not depart from him. Could this almighty confervation of believers be poffibly promised in clearer terms?

1

XVIII. Almighty, Ifay; for, what we are fourthly to obferve is, that God exerts his fuper-eminent power in power in the performance of those promifes, for their confertheir con- vation: that power, by which he is greater than all, as we just heard our faviour declaring. Of this Peter fpeaks Pet 1.5, who are kept by the power of God (as a garrifen) through faith unto falvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. There Peter teftifies, ift. That the elect are kept unto falvation by the power of God. It is not therefore poffible, they fhould perifh. 2dly. He compares that power to a strong garrifon, which may not only bravely repulfe all external violence, but also easily quell all commotions of intestine rébellion; for both thefe are incumbent on foldiers in garrifon. 3dly He fhows the means of their confervation namely faith, whereby we cannot be preferved unless it alfo be preferved in us. Thus far of the father, a

XIX. Now

I

fufferther

XIX. Now let us take a view of the Son. And The for purchafed firft confider, at what rate he purchafed the Elect; the Elect not with gold or filver, but with his precious blood, with dreadful horrors of foul, and tortures of body, dear a with an accurfed death, accompanied by the pains rate, to of fpiritual and eternal death. Can any one think it to perish. probable, that Chrift would fuffer thofe, whom he Purchaled at fo dear a rate, to be taken away from him, and to fall into the power of another, and even of him, who is his molt enraged enemy? What? Will not, Jefus protect them, who are now become his peculiar property? Why was he willing to be at fuch expence for their purchafe? Why are they calledits Tow, a people purchased, 1 Pet. 2.9; and is a peculiar people, Tit. 2, 14? For reperoinoit → Tepicció and are interpretations of the Hebrew word Segullab which fignifies a peculiar treasure, a sthing of value, that is, a thing acquired by one's labour and expence, and therefore, exempted from all E foreign right and power, to be carefully kept by the purchafer, and its lofs to be deemed a great derrioment and damage. Elegantly fays Mofes Gerundenfis on Exod. 19. 5, ye shall be in my hands a purchase, a beloved thing, which one puts not into the bands of Sanather. See what we have more fully faid on thefe swords in the preceeding chapter, fect. VII. Or can he bonot keep them, unless they also themselves are willing? But he who could act so powerfully by his inficlining efficacy on their will, when befet on every shand by the devil, as with full bent of foul towards bhim to reit, by faith and love, upon him; why can be not, by the fame inclining efficacy, caufe them, after shaving fully tafted his incredible sweetness, to abide with him with a fixed purpose of foul? Nay, he is anboth willing and able to keep them, and actually endoes far thofe that thou gavest me, I have kept, and John 17. none of them is loft, John 17. 12. From what our 12. Lord adds, but the fan of perdition, we are not to conclude, that Judas was, in the fame manner, given

to