and a thousand more sentences in the Scriptures are to be seasoned; "He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned," Mark xvi. 16. The meaning of this latter saying, to proceed a notioribus ad magis ignota, "He that believeth not shall be damned," is not this; he that now, or at present, believeth not, let him do all he will or can, let him believe a thousand times over hereafter, shall notwithstanding be damned; this, I say, is not our Saviour's meaning in that clause: his meaning is clearly enough this; " He that believeth not," viz. and continueth an unbeliever to his dying day, "shall be damned;" but it doth not follow from hence, that he that is a present unbeliever must of necessity live and die in unbelief, and so be damned; so that there is a sense wherein it is as true that he that believeth not may and shall be saved, viz. if he repents of his unbelief, and returns to his vomit no more. So, to search now into the former saying, when our Saviour saith," He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved,” his meaning is not, that he who at present believeth, and hath been or shall be baptized, shall be saved, let him do what he will or can, let him turn apostate, make shipwreck of his faith, renounce his baptism, and the like; but," he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved," i. e. he that believeth, and continueth a believer, or shall be found a believer, and a man standing fast by his baptism, and holding out his profession with constancy unto the end, shall be saved. Our Saviour's clear intent in these sayings was to show and assert, in the former, the blessed interest of faith in conjunction with a Christian profession, as, viz. that it gives unto men a title and rightfulness of claim to salvation; in the latter, the dreadful danger and formidable property of unbelief, as, viz. that it exposeth the person in whom it abides to the vengeance of hellfire. But, as it was no part of his intent to assert any inseparableness of unbelief from the subject thereof in the latter clause; so neither did he any way intend to assert any such property unto faith in the former. In like manner, when the apostle layeth down this doctrine," All things work together for good unto those that love God," his meaning is not, either to assert the unquenchableness or unremovableness of this affection from its present subject, or to imply that whosoever is at present a lover of God is in any such possession of that privilege he speaks of, I mean, of having "all things to work together for good unto him," that, in case his love to God languisheth and dieth, and a contrary affection succeeds in the place thereof, he can or shall never be cast out of it; but his entire and clear intent, in that position or saying of his, is to show that the love of God, in what subject or person soever it resides, and whilst it there resides, doth, by virtue of the gracious decree or will of God in that behalf, invest him with this privilege, viz. to have all occurrences of things relating to him, even afflictions and persecutions themselves, benefactors unto him. To make this good, he shows what God hath fully purposed or decreed to do for such men, or, which is the same, what he hath predestinated such men

unto, as, viz. to a conformity with or to the image of his own Son, the Lord Christ, i. e. to make them glorious and blessed in such a way or upon such terms as Jesus Christ himself, who was the greatest lover of God that ever was, is now become glorious; unto whose glorification all things that happened unto him in this present world, and more especially his sufferings, jointly contributed and wrought. And, for further satisfaction, how, by what means and degrees God actually brings these persons, viz. continuing still lovets of him, to this conformity with Christ in his glory, he adds, " Moreover, whom he did" thus "predestinate, them he also called," i. e. as was formerly interpreted, he purposed to call, viz. to the knowledge of his Son as the Saviour of the world, and calleth them accordingly; in which respect they are said to be persons "called according to his purpose," verse 28; and "whom he called, them he also justified," i. e. purposed to justify, and justifieth accordingly; " and whom he justified, them also he glorified," i. e. purposed to glorify, or, to bring to an actual conformity with Christ in his glory, and glorifieth them accordingly. Why the purpose or intended actings of God are expressed in Scripture rather in the preterperfect tense than either in the present or future, is accounted elsewhere in this Discourse. But in all these gradations mentioned of the counsel of God concerning the bringing of those that love him unto a conformity with Christ in his glory, the same subject, formally considered, i. e. those that love him as such, is to be understood; so that in case the subject be changed under or between any of the said gradations, and he, for example, who loved God, being yet only predestinated by God to be conformed unto Christ in glory, and not called, or being called and not yet justified, or being justified and not yet glorified, shall, either before his calling, though predestinated, or before his justification, though called, or before his glorification, though justified, be alienated in his affection from God, and having loved him, shall cease to love him, and suffer an hatred of God secretly to grow upon him, it is not to be conceived that God, notwithstanding such a change in him, should advance or carry him on by the remaining steps or gradations unto glory, but that, wherever this heavenly affection of his love to God shall expire and leave him, there the counsel of God, also, concerning his glorification, should leave him, and nothing be further done or acted by him in order thereunto, unless, haply, he returns unto his former affection. The apostle's intent, in the passage in hand, was to declare the series and tenor of God's counsels for the glorious benefit and good of those who should love him, not of those who should cease to love him, or apostatise from their affection towards him; nor yet to teach, imply, or insinuate in the least, the undecayableness or unquenchableness of this affection in men. But enough for the clearing of this place.

I shall only propound and answer one Scripture more upon the account we are now drawing up, which is frequently argued with great importunity for the doctrine of perseverance. The tenor of the place is this, " And I will give them one heart and one way,

that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them. 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 into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me," Jer. xxxi. 39, 40. In these words, say our antagonists in the present controversy, is manifestly contained an absolute promise of perseverance made by God unto his church. To this I answer, that it can no ways be proved, nor is it any ways probable, that the grace of perseverance should be here absolutely promised unto saints or believers. For,

1. Evident it is from the whole tenor of the chapter, that the words contain a special promise made particularly to the Jews.

2. As evident it is, upon the same account, that the promise here mentioned, was not made only to the saints or sound believers amongst the Jews, who were but few, but to the whole body, or generality of them. Peruse the latter part of the chapter, from about verse 30, to the end.

3. It is yet upon the same account as evident as either of the former, that this promise was made unto this nation of the Jews, when and whilst they were, or at least considered as now being, in the iron furnace of the Babylonian captivity. "Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them again unto this place," &c. ver. 37.

4. From these words now cited, so immediately preceding the passages offered to debate, it clearly appears that the promise in these passages relates unto, and concerns their reduction and return from, and out of that captivity, into their own land. Therefore,

5. It cannot be a promise of absolute and final perseverance in grace unto the end of their lives respectively. For, 1. The promise was made unto the body or generality of this people, even unto all those that God had driven into all countries in his anger and fury, and not only unto the saints or true believers amongst them, unless we shall say that they were only the holy persons amongst them that were thus driven by him. The promise then respects as well the unfaithful as the true believers in this nation; and so cannot be a promise of perseverance in grace unto these. 2. The promise here exhibited, was a promise appropriated and fitted to the present state and condition of the Jews, who were now scattered up and down the world, and in a sad captivity, at least were thus considered in this promise as was lately said, in which respect it must needs be conceived to contain somewhat peculiar to that their condition. Now the promise of perseverance in grace, according to the doctrine of our adversaries, was a standing promise amongst them, and so had been from the first, equally respecting them, or the elect amongst them, in every estate and condition. 3. The promise of perseverance in grace, according to the same principles, includes in it, or supposeth such an interposure of God by his Spirit and grace, which shall and will, and must needs, infallibly

produce the effect of perseverance in all those to whom it is made, i. e. true believers; whereas, evident it is from the prophet Ezekiel, that this promise notwithstanding, the Jews might rebel against and apostatise from God. The whole passage in Ezekiel is this: "Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God, although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God, I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof, and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you, and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God," Ezek. xi. 17, 18, &c. There is nothing more clear than that the promise contained in these words, is for substance and import the same with that in consideration from the prophet Jeremy. Yet here it follows, "But as for them, whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own head, saith the Lord God," verse 21. Which evidently supposeth, that notwithstanding the former promise, pretended to be a promise, either in whole or in part, of persevering in grace, yet they to whom it is made may walk after the heart of detestable things; i. e. so practise detestable things as to promote their interest, and cause them to be practised by others, and that to their own ruin and destruction. For that this threatening, "But as for them," &c. concerns the same persons or nation to whom the precedent promises were made, the carriage of the context makes out of question, and besides, is the general sense of interpreters upon the place; yea, and Calvin himself understands it of the Israelites.* So that no absolute perseverance can with reason be supposed to be contained in the said promise. 4, and lastly, If absolute perseverance should be here promised, there is no time or season can be imagined wherein the promise should have been fulfilled by God. If it be said, that it hath always been fulfilled in the elect and faithful, I answer, 1. That it hath been already proved that it was made to the main body and community of the Jewish nation, and not only to the elect or faithful amongst them. And therefore, if it should be fulfilled in these only, it should be fulfilled but by half, and indeed not to that proportion; and consequently, if propriety of speech be admitted, not fulfilled at all. 2. If this be all the fulfilling of it, it was as much fulfilled during, and under the captivity, yea, and before it, as at any time afterwards. For, in the sense of those against

Nec aliud vult Propheta, quam Deum fore vindicem, si cor suum sequantur Israelitæ, ut ambulent in suis spurcitiis et abominationibus.

X

whom we now argue, the elect and faithful always persevered in grace unto the end.

If it be yet demanded, But do not those words, "I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever;" as also those, "I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me," plainly imply their final perseverance? I answer;

1. That these words, "that they shall not depart from me,' savour too much of the translation; the original would rather have them thus," that they may not depart from me," as the translators also themselves render words of the same character in the former verse. "And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever." And thus both Arias Montanus,* and Junius and Tremellius also render them.

2. The words thus read do not necessarily import the actual event or taking place of the effect intended by God in the promise, and his performance thereof, but only his intention itself in both these, together with the sufficiency and aptness of what he promiseth, for the producing of such an effect in them. As when our Saviour expressed himself thus unto the Jews, "But these things I say, that ye might be saved," John v. 34; he did not suppose that they either would or should be infallibly saved, by means of what he spake, for a few verses after, speaking still to the same persons, he saith, "And ye will not come to me that ye might have life;" but he declared, that the real desire and intent of his heart and soul, in speaking to them as he did, was, that they might be saved; and · withal, that the words which he spake to them were such as by the due minding and hearkening whereunto they might and should have been saved. There is the same consideration of what God said unto Adam: "Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" Gen. iii. 11. It cannot be inferred from hence that Adam did not eat of this tree, for we all too well know that he did eat thereof, but only that the intent and scope of God's commandment unto him concerning this tree was, that he should not eat thereof. See what was lately and more largely observed touching such expressions as these, page 302 of this chapter.

3. The certainty of the continuance of the external and civil prosperity of the Jewish nation, might much more colourably be concluded from sundry passages in this promissory contexture of Scripture than the certainty of their perseverance in grace from those mentioned. For here God promiseth that he will do thus and thus by them, "for the good of them and of their children after them," verse 39. And again, that he "will make an everlasting covenant with them, that he will not turn away from them to do them good; that he will rejoice over them to do them good, and will plant them in that their land assuredly, with his whole heart and with

*Et timorem meum dabo in corde eorum pro non recedere desuper me: in the margin; ut non recedant a me.-Arius Mon. Which latter words the other two borrow from this author for their translation.