earnest of their inhe XXXVII. In the laft place, this fpirit is 'pay 4. The ño poroplas nur, the earnest, of our inheritance, Eph. 1. 14. Grotius has learnedly obferved on this place, ritance. that the word appa (earneft) is not of Greek, but Syriac origin; but we fay, it is of Hebrew derivation: as appears from Gen. 38. 17, where Thamar afks ay, Arabon a pledge of Jubah. It is probable, the Greeks had this word from the Phenicians, with whom they carried on much commerce. But Arrabo an earneft, or, as the Latins exprefs it fhorter, arra, is a part of the price given before hand, as an affurance, that the whole fhould afterwards follow. And Chry fosiom fays, ὁ ἀρραβῶν μερῶ ἐςὶ τὸ παντός an earnest is part of the whole. In 1ke manner, thofe gifts of the fpirit, of which we have juft fpoken, are a part of the future happiness, and of the principal thing that is to come after: and they clearly refemble that carneft, which the bridegroom gives to the bride, in teftimony of her communion with him in all his poffeffions. For, who will not readily believe, that there is a reference here to the ceremony of betrothing? To which there is certainly an allufion, Hof 1; 21, 22. Moreover, that poffeffion, of which the fpirit is an earneft, is called the inheritance of the children of God; because it is perpetual and never to be alienated from the poffeffors: whoever has it, has it continually, from the first moment of poffeffion thro' all the ages of eternity. Therefore we conclude, that it is not poffible, that they, who have once received, the Holy Spirit, can forfeit the heavenly inheritance: because otherwife, which God forbid, the Spirit of truth would be a falfe and fallacious earnest. XXXVIII. Thus far we have fhewn, that the For this whole adorable trinity contribute their part to the confervaconlervation of believers: whence it appears, that tion, God" their falvation is fecure under fuch guardians. Ler employs a us now, further enquire into the method, which God tural etakes for their confervation. First then he employs cacy. that infinite and fupernatual power, by which he at And mo firft infused the beginning of the fpiritual life into in this affair. XXXIX, But as it becomes God, to deal with a ral means. fational creature in a way fuitable to its nature; fo he fuperads to that fupernatural power fome means, acting morally, as they commonly fpeak, by which the elect themselves are excited carefully to keep themselves under God's protection. Here he ufes the miniftry of his word, which is the incorruptible feed, and the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever, 1 Pet. 1. 23. He fets before them the excellence of faith and godlinefs, thereby confirming the fouls of his people, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, Acts 14. 22. He gives the promifes of a great reward to thofe and only thofe who perfevere, Mat. 24, 13. Rev. 2. 10, 11, He fubjoins the threatnings of a dreadful vengeance against backfliders and apoftates, Ezck. 33. 13, 14, 15 and at times awakens dull and drowfy fouls with his chattning rod, and reminds them of their duty, P. 119. 67, before I was afflicted, I went aftray; but now have I kept thy word. Thefe admonitions, promifes, threatnings and the like actions of God towards the elect, are to far from giving the leaft ground to conclude any thing againft their perfeverance; that, on the contrary, they are powerful means for their confervation. ed to pre i ནི་ཉི By which XL. For, when God, by the power of his fpirit, believers excites the mind attentively to confider thefe things, are excit a certain holy fear and trembling are produced on ferve man, Phil. 2, 12, which ftir him up to be diligently themfelve. upon his guard againft the flesh, the world and the devil, and all their fnares, leaft, by being impofed upon by their deceits, he fhould do any thing prejudicial to his own falvation. And should it happen, that he has departed from God by fome abominable iniquity'; iniquity; the fenfe of the wound he has given his confcience, and which, unlefs timely cured, muft at laft iffue in eternal death, does not fuffer him to be eafy till, by renewed repentance, he has returned to God, and obtained, with many tears, the pardon of his fin from his infinite mercy. And as every believer is confcious of his own weaknefs, therefore with humble dependence on the affiftance of divine grace, he is earneft in devout prayers, for the continual influences of it, in order to his confervation and corroboration; praying, according to our Lord's direction, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. And in this manner all true believers, being excited and affifted by God, alfo perfevere and preferve themfelves; we know, that whofoever is born of God, finneth not; but he, that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not, I John. 5. 18. And indeed, whoever forms a right, judgement of the vilenefs of fin, the torments of hell, and the greatnefs of divine wrath; whoever has had but the flighteft tafte of the beauty of religion, the pleafantnels of grace, the honour of eternal glory, and the incredible sweetness of the love of God; it is not poffible, he fhould not exclaim; lo! they that are far from thee, fhall perish; thou haft destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee: but it is good for me to draw near to God, P. 73, 2, 28. This is with purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord, Acts 11. 23. trine no XLI. Hence appears the falfehood of the calumny Our docof our adverfaries, that, by this doctrine concerning lefs ufeful the almighty confervation of God, a wide door is for piety. opened to profaneness and carnal fecurity. That it is than com highly useful and effectual for the confolation of be- fort. lievers, provided it is true, will not be contradicted even by those who deny it. But nothing can be effectual for the confolation of the faints, which, at the fame time, is not effectual for the promoting of holinefs. For, in every confolation, there is a demonftration Because it demonftration of the beneficent love of God towards the wretched finner, who is folicitous about his falvation; and the clearer that demonstration of divine love is, and the more particular the application, the ftronger alfo is the confolation. Befides, nothing is more powerful for inflaming our hearts with love to God, than the knowledge, fenfe and tafte of the divine love fhed abroad in them. Whoever therefore moft amplifies the powerful grace of God in his confolation, which impudence itself will not deny we do, prefents to the faints the most powerful motives to divine love and the confequences thereof. XLII. But let us more particularly fhew, that our 1. greatly doctrine is far more adapted to promote piety, than illuftrates what our adverfaries maintain concerning the unftable the glory of God. happiness of believers. And firft, our doctrine doth certainly most of all illuftrate the glory of God, which the oppofite tends to obfcure. We celebrate the infinite POWER of the deity, whereby he can not only restrain our outward enemies from overthrowing our falvation, but alfo fo fix the wavering difpofition of our will, that it may not depart from the conftant love of holiness: alfo his TRUTH in thé promifes of the covenant of grace, on which we fafely and fecurely rely, being affured, that he, who hath promifed, wilt alfo perform: and his GOODNESS, whereby he does not altogether reject, or difinherit his children, or cut them off from the communion of Christ, even when they have fallen into fome grievous fin, but, by his fatherly chaftifements, graciously recovers them from their fall, and stirs them up to repentance: and his HOLINESS, to which it is owing, that he hides his face from his children, when, for fome time, they feem to give too much way to fin, fo that he does not grant them filiar access to himself, nor the influences of his confolations, but rather sharply ftings, and thoroughly terrifies their confcience with the fenfe of his indignation, leaft he fhould appear to be like the finner, or could bear with fin in his own people, without 1 without refentment: and the EFFICACY OF THE MERITS AND INTERCESSION OF CHRIST, whereby he has acquired and preferves for himself an inheritance never to be alienated. In fine, we celebrate - the invincible POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, who fo preferves his mystical temple, that it neither can be deftroyed, nor be made an habitation of impure fpirits. But as the fum of our religion confifts in glorifying God; fo that which illuftrates the glory of God, in this manner, does moft of all promote godliness. offer discl doctrine XLIII. But as the oppofite doctrine feparates the Which the -immutable bent of the free will to good, from the oppofite efficacy of divine grace; as it maintains, that God obfcures. does not always perform what he has promifed; as it will not grant, that God's children, when they fall into fome grievous fin, are chaftifed with rods, but difinherited, and punished by fpiritual death; as it afferts, that the impetration of falvation by Chrift may be perfect and, in every respect, compleat, tho’none fhould happen actually to be faved thereby, and that Chrift was not always heard in his prayers; and that the holy fpirit is fometimes constrained, by the mutability of the human will, to give up his habitation to the evil spirit; the oppofite doctrine, I fay muft, in many refpects, be injurious to the power, truth and goodness of God the father; to the merits and interceffion of God the fon, and to the invincible efficacy of the Holy Spiritwooms ed. XLIV. Secondly. Our doctrine is excellently adapted 2. Power to allure the unconverted, feriously to endeavour ful to alafter converfion and repentance: for, the more fure lure the and ftable that happens it, which is promifed to the unconvert penitent, the more effectual is the motive, taken from the confideration of it. The fcripture every where diffuades men from fearching after the good things of this world, and encourages them ro seek thofe good things, which are fpiritual, from this argument, that the former will perish, but the latter endure |