Teaching Resources International

For then for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  Hebrews 5:12

These words are a complaint, which the apostle makes against the Christian Hebrews, for their lack of proficiency in the knowledge of the doctrines and mysteries of religion, as might have been expected of them.  The apostle complains that they had not made that progress in their acquaintance with the things taught in the oracles of God, which they ought to have made.  And he means to reprove them, not merely for their deficiency in spiritual and experimental knowledge of divine things, but for their deficiency in a doctrinal acquaintance with the principles of religion, and the truths of Christian divinity; as is evident by the manner in which the apostle introduces this reproof.

The occasion of his introducing it is this: In the next text but one preceding, he mentions Christ as being “Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.”  In the Old Testament, the oracles of God, Melchizedek was held forth as an eminent type of Christ; and the account we there have of him contains many gospel mysteries.  These mysteries the apostle was willing to point out to the Christian Hebrews; but he apprehended, that through their weakness in knowledge, they would not understand him; and therefore breaks off for the present from saying any thing about Melchizedek, thus (ver. 11): “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered; seeing ye are all dull of hearing;” i.e. there are many things concerning Melchizedek which contain wonderful gospel-mysteries, and which I would take notice of to you, were it not that I am afraid, that through your dullness, and backwardness in understanding these things, you would only be puzzled and confounded by my discourse, and so receive no benefit; and that it would be too hard for you, as meat that is too strong.

Then come in the words of the text: “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”  As much as to say, indeed it might have been expected of you that you should have known enough of the Holy Scriptures to be able to understand and digest such mysteries, but it is not so with you.  The apostle speaks of their proficiency in such knowledge as is conveyed by human teaching: as appears by that expression, “When for the time ye ought to be teachers;” which includes not only a practical and experimental, but also a doctrinal, knowledge of the truths and mysteries of religion.

Again, the apostle speaks of such knowledge, whereby Christians are enabled to understand those things in divinity which are more abstruse and difficult to be understood and which require great skill in things of this nature.  This is more fully expressed in the two next verses: “For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”  It is such knowledge, that proficiency in it shall carry persons beyond the first principles of religion.  As here: “Ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God.”  Therefore the apostle, in the beginning of the next chapter, advises them “to leave the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, and to go on unto perfection.”

We may observe that the fault of this defect appears in that they had not made proficiency according to their time.  For the time, they ought to have been teachers.  As they were Christians, their business was to learn and gain Christian knowledge.  They were scholars in the school of Christ; and, if they had improved their time in learning as they ought to have done, they might, by the time when the apostle wrote, have been fit to be teachers in this school.  To whatever business any one is devoted, it may be expected that his perfection in it shall be answerable to the time he has had to learn and perfect himself.  Christians should not always remain babes, but should grow in Christian knowledge; and leaving the food of babes, they should learn to digest strong meat.

DOCTRINE

Every Christian should make a business of endeavoring to grow in knowledge in divinity.  This is indeed esteemed the business of divines and ministers: it is commonly thought to be their work, by the study of the Scriptures, and other instructive books, to gain knowledge; and most seem to think that it may be left to them, as what belongeth not to others.  But if the apostle had entertained this notion, he would never have blamed the Christian Hebrews for not having acquired knowledge enough to be teachers.  Or if he had thought, that this concerned Christians in general only as a thing by the by, and that their time should not in a considerable measure be taken up with this business; he never would have so much blamed them, that their proficiency in knowledge had not been answerable to the time which they had had to learn.

In handling this subject, I shall show what is intended by divinity; what kind of knowledge in divinity is intended; and why knowledge in divinity is necessary. And why all Christians should make a business of endeavoring to grow in this knowledge.

SECTION I: What is intended by divinity, as the object of Christian knowledge

Various definitions have been given of this subject by those who have treated on it.  I shall not now stand to inquire which, according to the rules of art, is the most accurate definition; but shall so define or describe it as I think has the greatest tendency to convey a proper notion of it.  It is that science or doctrine which comprehends all those truths and rules which concern the great business of religion.

There are various kinds of arts and sciences taught and learned in the schools which are conversant about various objects; about the works of nature in general, as philosophy; or the visible heavens, as astronomy; or the sea, as navigation; or the earth, as geography; or the body of man, as physic and anatomy; or the soul of man with regard to its natural powers and qualities, as logic and pneumatology; or about human government, as politics and jurisprudence.  But one science, or kind of knowledge and doctrine, is above all the rest; as it treats concerning God and the great business of religion.  Divinity is not learned, as other sciences, merely by the improvement of man’s natural reason, but is taught by God himself in a book full of instruction, which he hath given us for that end.  This is the rule which God hath given to the world to be their guide in searching after this kind of knowledge and is a summary of all things of this nature needful for us to know.  Upon this account, divinity is called a doctrine, rather than an art or science.

Indeed there is what is called natural religion. There are many truths concerning God, and our duty to him, which are evident by the light of nature.  But Christian divinity, properly so called, is not evident by the light of nature; it depends on revelation.  Such are our circumstances now in our fallen state that nothing which it is needful for us to know concerning God is manifest by the light of nature, in the manner in which it is necessary for us to know it.  For the knowledge of no truth in divinity is of significance to us, any otherwise than as it some way or other belongs to the gospel-scheme, or as it relates to a Mediator.  But the light of nature teaches us no truth in this matter.  Therefore it cannot be said, that we come to the knowledge of any part of Christian truth by the light of nature.  It is only the word of God, contained in the Old and New Testament, which teaches us Christian divinity.

This comprehends all that is taught in the Scriptures, and so all that we need know, or is to be known, concerning God and Jesus Christ, concerning our duty to God, and our happiness in God.  Divinity is commonly defined, the doctrine of living to God; and by some who seem to be more accurate, the doctrine of living to God by Christ. It comprehends all Christian doctrines as they are in Jesus, and all Christian rules directing us in living to God by Christ.  There is no one doctrine, no promise, no rule, but what some way or other relates to the Christian and divine life, or our living to God by Christ.  They all relate to this, in two respects, viz. as they tend to promote our living to God here in this world, in a life of faith and holiness, and also as they tend to bring us to a life of perfect holiness and happiness, in the full enjoyment of God hereafter.

SECTION II: What kind of knowledge in divinity, is intended in the doctrine

There are two kinds of knowledge of divine truth, viz. speculative and practical, or in other terms, natural and spiritual. The former remains only in the head.  No other faculty but the understanding is concerned in it.  It consists in having a natural or rational knowledge of the things of religion, or such a knowledge as is to be obtained by the natural exercise of our own faculties, without any special illumination of the Spirit of God.  The latter rests not entirely in the head, or in the speculative ideas of things; but the heart is concerned in it: it principally consists in the sense of the heart.  The mere intellect, without the will or the inclination, is not the seat of it.  And it may not only be called seeing, but feeling or tasting.  Thus there is a difference between having a right speculative notion of the doctrines contained in the word of God, and having a due sense of them in the heart.  In the former, consists the speculative or natural knowledge; in the latter consists the spiritual or practical knowledge of them.

Neither of these is intended in the doctrine exclusively of the other; but it is intended that we should seek the former in order to [know] the latter.  The latter, or the spiritual and practical, is of the greatest importance for a speculative without a spiritual knowledge [serves] no purpose but to make our condemnation the greater.  Yet a speculative knowledge is also of infinite importance in this respect, that without it we can have no spiritual or practical knowledge.

I have already shown that the apostle speaks not only of a spiritual knowledge, but of such as can be acquired and communicated from one to another.  Yet it is not to be thought that he means this exclusively of the other.  But he would have the Christian Hebrews seek the one, in order to [have] the other. Therefore the former is first and most directly intended; it is intended that Christians should, by reading and other proper means, seek a good rational knowledge of the things of divinity: while the latter is more indirectly intended, since it is to be sought by the other.  But I proceed to

SECTION III: The usefulness and necessity of the knowledge of divine truths

There is no other way by which any means of grace whatsoever can be of any benefit but by knowledge.  All teaching is in vain without learning.  Therefore the preaching of the gospel would be wholly to no purpose if it conveyed no knowledge to the mind.  There is an order of men which Christ has appointed on purpose to be teachers in his church.  But they teach in vain if no knowledge in these things is gained by their teaching.  It is impossible that their teaching and preaching should be a mean of grace, or of any good in the hearts of their hearers, any otherwise than by knowledge imparted to the understanding.  Otherwise it would be of as much benefit to the auditory, if the minister should preach in some unknown tongue.  All the difference is that preaching in a known tongue conveys something to the understanding, which preaching in an unknown tongue doth not.  On this account, such preaching [would] be unprofitable.  In such things, men receive nothing when they understand nothing and are not at all edified unless some knowledge be conveyed; agreeable to the apostle’s arguing (1 Cor. 14:2­6).

No speech can be a means of grace but by conveying knowledge.  Otherwise the speech is as much lost as if there had been no man there, and if he that spoke had spoken only into the air; as it follows in the passage just quoted (vv. 6­10).  God deals with man as with a rational creature; and when faith is in exercise, it is not about something he knows not.  Therefore hearing is absolutely necessary to faith; because hearing is necessary to understanding (Rom. 10:14): “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?”  In like manner, there can be no love without knowledge.  It is not according to the nature of the human soul to love an object which is entirely unknown.  The heart cannot be set upon an object of which there is no idea in the understanding.  The reasons which induce the soul to love must first be understood before they can have a reasonable influence on the heart.

God hath given us the Bible which is a book of instructions.  But this book can be of no profit to us [unless] it conveys some knowledge to the mind: it can profit us no more than if it were written in the Chinese or Tartarian language, of which we know not one word.  So the sacraments of the gospel can have a proper effect no other way than by conveying some knowledge.  They represent certain things by visible signs.  And what is the end of signs, but to convey some knowledge of the things signified?  Such is the nature of man that no object can come at the heart but through the door of the understanding: and there can be no spiritual knowledge of that of which there is not first a rational knowledge.  It is impossible that anyone [can] see the truth or excellency of any doctrine of the gospel who knows not what that doctrine is.  A man cannot see the wonderful excellency and love of Christ in doing such and such things for sinners, unless his understanding be first informed how those things were done.  He cannot have a taste of the sweetness and excellency of divine truth unless he first has a notion that there is such a thing. Without knowledge in divinity, none would differ from the most ignorant and barbarous heathens.  The heathens remain in gross darkness because they are not instructed and have not obtained the knowledge of divine truths.

If men have no knowledge of these things, the faculty of reason in them will be wholly in vain.  The faculty of reason and understanding was given for actual understanding and knowledge.  If a man has no actual knowledge, the faculty or capacity of knowing is of no use to him.  And if he have actual knowledge, yet if he be destitute of the knowledge of those things which are the last end of his being and for the sake of the knowledge of which he had more understanding given him than the beasts, then still his faculty of reason is in vain; he might as well have been a beast as a man.  But divine subjects are the things to know for which we have the faculty of reason given us.  They are the things which appertain to the end of our being and to the great business for which we are made.  Therefore a man cannot have his faculty of understanding to any good purpose further than he hath knowledge of divine truth.

So that this kind of knowledge is absolutely necessary.  Other kinds of knowledge may be very useful.  Some other sciences, such as astronomy, natural philosophy, and geography, may be very excellent in their kind.  But the knowledge of this divine science is infinitely more useful and important than that of all other sciences whatever.

SECTION IV: Why all Christians should make a business of endeavoring to grow in the knowledge of divinity

Christians ought not to content themselves with such degrees of knowledge of divinity as they have already obtained.  It should not satisfy them as they know as much as is absolutely necessary to salvation, but should seek to make progress.

This endeavor to make progress in such knowledge ought not to be attended to as a thing by the bye, but all Christians should make a business of it.  They should look upon it as a part of their daily business, and no small part of it neither.  It should be attended to as a considerable part of the work of their high calling.  For …

1. Our business should doubtless much consist in employing those faculties. The reason why we have faculties superior to those of the beasts given us is that we are indeed designed for a superior employment.  That which the Creator intended should be our main employment is something above what he intended the beast for, and therefore hath given us superior powers.  Therefore, without doubt, it should be a considerable part of our business to improve those superior faculties.  But the faculty by which we are chiefly distinguished from the brutes is the faculty of understanding.  It follows then that we should make it our chief business to improve this faculty and should by no means prosecute it as a business by the bye.  For us to make the improvement of this faculty a business by the bye is in effect for us to make the faculty of understanding itself a by­faculty, if I may so speak, a faculty of less importance than others: whereas indeed it is the highest faculty we have.

But we cannot make a business of the improvement of our intellectual faculty, any otherwise than by making a business of improving ourselves in actual knowledge.  So that those who make not this very much their business; but instead of improving their understanding to acquire knowledge are chiefly devoted to their inferior power—to please their senses, and gratify their animal appetites—not only behave themselves in a manner not becoming Christians, but also act as if they had forgotten that they are men and that God hath set them above the brutes by giving them understanding.

God hath given to man some things in common with the brutes, as his outward senses, his bodily appetites, a capacity of bodily pleasure and pain, and other animal faculties: and some things he hath given him superior to the brutes, the chief of which is a faculty of understanding and reason.  Now God never gave man these faculties to be subject to those which he hath in common with the brutes.  This would be great confusion and equivalent to making man to be a servant of the beasts.  On the contrary, he has given those inferior powers to be employed in subserviency to man’s understanding; and therefore it must be a great part of man’s principal business to improve his understanding by acquiring knowledge.  If so, then it will follow, that it should be a main part of his business to improve his understanding in acquiring divine knowledge, or the knowledge of the things of divinity: for the knowledge of these things is the principal end of this faculty.  God gave man the faculty of understanding, chiefly, that he might understand divine things.

The wiser heathens were sensible that the main business of man was the improvement and exercise of his understanding.  But they knew not the object about which the understanding should chiefly be employed.  That science which many of them thought should chiefly employ the understanding was philosophy; and accordingly they made it their chief business to study it.  But we who enjoy the light of the gospel are more happy; we are not left, as to this particular, in the dark.  God hath told us about what things we should chiefly employ our understandings, having given us a book full of divine instructions, holding forth many glorious objects about which all rational creatures should chiefly employ their understandings.  These instructions are accommodated to persons of all capacities and conditions and proper to be studied, not only by men of reaming, but by persons of every character, learned and unlearned, young and old, men and women.  Therefore the acquisition of knowledge in these things should be a main business of all those who have the advantage of enjoying the Holy Scriptures.

2. The truths of divinity are of superlative excellency and are worthy that all should make a business of endeavoring to grow in the knowledge of them. They are as much above those things which are treated of in other sciences, as heaven is above the earth.  God himself, the eternal Three in one, is the chief object of this science; and next Jesus Christ, as God­man and Mediator, and the glorious work of redemption, the most glorious work that ever was wrought: then the great things of the heavenly world, the glorious and eternal inheritance purchased by Christ, and promised in the gospel; the work of the Holy Spirit of God on the hearts of men; our duty to God, and the way in which we ourselves may become like angels, and like God himself in our measure.  All these are objects of this science.

Such things as these have been the main subject of the study of the holy patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, and the most excellent men that ever existed; and they are also the subject of study to the angels in heaven (1 Pet. 1:10­12).  They are so excellent and worthy to be known, that the knowledge of them will richly pay for all the pains and labor of an earnest seeking of it.  If there were a great treasure of gold and pearls accidentally found and opened with such circumstances that all might have as much as they could gather; would not every one think it worth his while to make a business of gathering while it should last?  But that treasure of divine knowledge, which is contained in the Scriptures, and is provided for every one to gather to himself as much of it as he can is far more rich than any one of gold and pearls.  How busy are all sorts of men all over the world in getting riches!  But this knowledge is a far better kind of riches than that after which they so diligently and laboriously pursue.

3. Divine truths not only concern ministers, but are of infinite importance to all Christians.  It is not with the doctrine of divinity as it is with the doctrines of philosophy and other sciences.  These last are generally speculative points which are of little concern in human life; and it very little alters the case as to our temporal or spiritual interests whether we know them or not.  Philosophers differ about them, some being of one opinion, and others of another.  And while they are engaged in warm disputes about them, others may well leave them to dispute among themselves without troubling their heads much about them; it being of little concern to them, whether the one or the other be in the right.  But it is not thus in matters of divinity.  The doctrines of this nearly concern everyone.  They are about those things which relate to every man’s eternal salvation and happiness.  The common people cannot say, Let us leave these matters to ministers and divines; let them dispute them out among themselves as they can; they concern not us: for they are of infinite importance to every man.  Those doctrines which relate to the essence, attributes, and subsistencies of God, concern all; as it is of infinite importance to common people, as well as to ministers, to know what kind of being God is.  For he is a Being who hath made us all, “in whom we live, and move, and have our being;” who is the Lord of all; the Being to whom we are all accountable; who is the last end of our being and the only fountain of our happiness.

The doctrines also which relate to Jesus Christ and his mediation, his incarnation, his life and death, his resurrection and ascension, his sitting at the right hand of the Father, his satisfaction and intercession, infinitely concern common people as well as divines.  They stand in as much need of this Savior and of an interest in his person and offices and the things which he hath done and suffered as ministers and divines.  The same may be said of the doctrines which relate to the manner of a sinner’s justification, or the way in which he becomes interested in the mediation of Christ.  They equally concern all; for all stand in equal necessity of justification before God.  That eternal condemnation, to which we are all naturally exposed, is equally dreadful.  So with respect to those doctrines which relate to the work of the Spirit of God on the heart in the application of redemption in our effectual calling and sanctification, all are equally concerned in them.  There is no doctrine of divinity whatever which doth not, in some way or other, concern the eternal interest of every Christian.

4. We may argue in favor of the same position from the great things which God hath done in order to give us instruction in these things. As to other sciences, he hath left us to ourselves, to the light of our own reason.  But divine things being of infinitely greater importance to us, he hath not left us to an uncertain guide; but hath himself given us a revelation of the truth in these matters and hath done very great things to convey and confirm it to us; raising up many prophets in different ages, immediately inspiring them with his Holy Spirit, and confirming their doctrine with innumerable miracles or wonderful works out of the established course of nature.  Yea, he raised up a succession of prophets which was upheld for several ages.

It was very much for this end that God separated the people of Israel in so wonderful a manner from all other people and kept them separate; that to them he might commit the oracles of God and that from them they might be communicated to the world.  He hath also often sent angels to bring divine instructions to men; and hath often himself appeared in miraculous symbols or representations of his presence: and now in these last days hath sent his own Son into the world, to be his great prophet, to teach us divine truth (Heb. 1:1, etc.).  God hath given us a book of divine instructions which contains the sum of divinity.  Now, these things hath God done, not only for the instruction of ministers and men of learning; but for the instruction of all men, of all sorts, learned and unlearned, men, women, and children.  And certainly if God cloth such great things to teach us, we ought to do something to learn.

God giving instructions to men in these things is not a business by the by; but what he hath undertaken and prosecuted in a course of great and wonderful dispensations, as an affair in which his heart hath been greatly engaged; which is sometimes in Scripture signified by the expression of God’s rising early to teach us, and to send us prophets and teachers, Jer. 7:25, “ Since that day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt, unto this day, I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early, and sending them.”  And in verse 13, “ I spake unto you; rising up early, and speaking.”  This is a figurative speech signifying that God hath done this as a business of great importance, in which he took great care, and had his heart much engaged; because persons are wont to rise early to prosecute such business as they are earnestly engaged in.  If God hath been so engaged in teaching, certainly we should not be negligent in learning; but should make growing in knowledge a great part of the business of our lives.

5. It may be argued from the abundance of the instructions which God hath given us, from the largeness of that book which God hath given to teach us divinity, and from the great variety that is therein contained.  Much was taught by Moses of old which we have transmitted down to us; after that, other books were from time to time added; much is taught us by David and Solomon; and many and excellent are the instructions communicated by the prophets: yet God did not think all this enough, but after this sent Christ and his apostles, by whom there is added a great and excellent treasure to that holy book, which is to be our rule in the study of this important subject.

This book was written for the use of all; all are directed to search the Scriptures, John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they that testify of me;” and Isa. 34:16, “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read.”  They that read and understand are pronounced blessed, Rev. 1:3, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that understand the words of this prophecy.”  If this be true of that particular book of the Revelation, much more is it true of the Bible in general.  Nor is it to be believed that God would have given instructions in such abundance, if he had intended that receiving instruction should be only a bye concern with us.

It is to be considered that all those abundant instructions which are contained in the Scriptures were written that they might be understood: otherwise they are not instructions.  That which is not given that the learner may understand it, is not given for the learner’s instruction; unless we endeavor to grow in the knowledge of divinity, a very great part of those instructions will to us be in vain; for we can receive benefit by no more of the Scriptures than we understand.  We have reason to bless God that he hath given us such various and plentiful instruction in his word; but we shall be hypocritical in so doing, if we after all content ourselves with but little of this instruction.

When God hath opened a very large treasure before us for the supply of our wants, and we thank him that he hath given us so much; if at the same time we be willing to remain destitute of the greatest pare of it, because we are too lazy to gather it, this will not show the sincerity of our thankfulness.  We are now under much greater advantages to acquire knowledge in divinity than the people of God were of old because since that time the canon of Scripture is much increased.  But if we be negligent of our advantages, we may be never the better for them and may remain with as little knowledge as they.

6. However diligent we apply ourselves, there is room enough to increase our knowledge in divine truth. None have this excuse to make for not diligently applying themselves to gain knowledge in divinity that they already know all; nor can they make this excuse that they have no need diligently to apply themselves in order to know all that is to be known.  None can excuse themselves for want of business in which to employ themselves.  There is room enough to employ ourselves forever in this divine science with the utmost application.  Those who have applied themselves most closely, have studied the longest, and have made the greatest attainments in this knowledge, know but little of what is to be known.  The subject is inexhaustible.  That divine Being, who is the main subject of this science, is infinite, and there is no end to the glory of his perfections.  His works at the same time are wonderful and cannot be found out to perfection; especially the work of redemption, about which the science of divinity is chiefly conversant, is full of unsearchable wonders.

The word of God, which is given for our instruction in divinity, contains enough in it to employ us to the end of our lives, and then we shall leave enough uninvestigated to employ the heads of the ablest divines to the end of the world.  The psalmist found an end to the things that are human; but he could never find an end to what is contained in the word of God: Psalm 119:96, “I have seen an end to all perfection; but thy command is exceeding broad.”  There is enough in this divine science to employ the understandings of saints and angels to all eternity.

7. It doubtless concerns every one to endeavor to excel in the knowledge of things which pertain to his profession, or principal calling. If it concerns men to excel in anything or in any wisdom or knowledge at all, it certainly concerns them to excel in the affairs of their main profession and work.  But the calling and work of every Christian is to live to God.  This is said to be his high calling, Phil. 3:14.  This is the business, and, if I may so speak, the trade of a Christian, his main work, and indeed should be his only work.  No business should be done by a Christian, but as it is some way or other a part of this.  Therefore certainly the Christian should endeavor to be well acquainted with those things which belong to this work, that he may fulfill it, and be thoroughly furnished to it.

It becomes one who is called to be a soldier to excel in the art of war.  It becomes a mariner to excel in the art of navigation.  It becomes a physician to excel in the knowledge of those things which pertain to the art of physic.  So it becomes all such as profess to be Christians, and to devote themselves to the practice of Christianity to endeavor to excel in the knowledge of divinity.

8. It may be argued hence, that God hath appointed an order of men for this end, to assist persons in gaining knowledge in these things.  He hath appointed them to be teachers, 1 Cor. 12:28, and God hath set some in the church; first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers: Eph. 4:11-12, “He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”  If God hath set them to be teachers, making that their business, then he hath made it their business to impart knowledge.  But what kind of knowledge?  Not the knowledge of philosophy, or of human laws, or of mechanical arts, but of divinity.

If God have made it the business of some to be teachers, it will follow, that he hath made it the business of others to be learners; for teachers and learners are correlates, one of which was never intended to be without the other.  God hath never made it the duty of some to take pains to teach those who are not obliged to take pains to learn.  He hath not commanded ministers to spend themselves, in order to impart knowledge to those who are not obliged to apply themselves to receive it.

The name by which Christians are commonly called in the New Testament is disciples, the signification of which word is scholars or learners. All Christians are put into the school of Christ, where their business is to learn, or receive knowledge from Christ, their common master and teacher, and from those inferior teachers appointed by him to instruct in his name.

9. God hath in the Scriptures plainly revealed it to be his will that all Christians should diligently endeavor to excel in the knowledge of divine things.  It is the revealed will of God that Christians should not only have some knowledge of things of this nature, but that they should be enriched with all knowledge: 1 Cor. 1:1-5, “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God that is given you by Jesus Christ, that in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge.” So the apostle earnestly prayed, that the Christian Philippians might abound more and more, not only in love, but in Christian knowledge; Phil. 1:9, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment.” So the apostle Peter advises to “give all diligence to add to faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge,” 2 Pet. 1:5, and the apostle Paul, in the next chapter to that wherein is the text, counsels the Christian Hebrews, leaving the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, to go on to perfection.  He would by no means have them always to rest only in those fundamental doctrines of repentance, and faith, and the resurrection from the dead, and the eternal judgment, in which they were instructed when baptized, at their first initiation in Christianity (See Heb. 6 etc.).

SECTION V: An exhortation that all may diligently endeavor to gain Christian knowledge

Consider yourselves as scholars or disciples put into the school of Christ and therefore be diligent to make proficiency in Christian knowledge.  Content not yourselves with this, that you have been taught your catechism in your childhood, and that you know as much of the principles of religion as is necessary to salvation or else you will be guilty of what the apostle warns against, viz. going no further than laying the foundation of repentance from dead works, etc.

You are all called to be Christians, and this is your profession.  Endeavor, therefore, to acquire knowledge in things which pertain to your profession.  Let not your teachers have cause to complain that while they spend and are spent to impart knowledge to you, you take little pains to learn.  It is a great encouragement to an instructor to have such to teach as make a business of learning, bending their minds to it.  This makes teaching a pleasure, when otherwise it will be a very heavy and burdensome task.

You all have by you a large treasure of divine knowledge in that you have the Bible in your hands; therefore be not contented in possessing but little of this treasure.  God hath spoken much to you in the Scriptures; labor to understand as much of what he saith as you can.  God hath made you all reasonable creatures; therefore let not the noble faculty of reason or understanding lie neglected.  Content not yourselves with having so much knowledge as is thrown in your way, and receive in some sense unavoidably by the frequent inculcation of divine truth in the preaching of the word, of which you are obliged to be hearers, or accidentally gain in conversation; but let it be very much your business to search for it, and that with the same diligence and labor with which men are wont to dig in mines of silver and gold.

Especially I would advise those who are young to employ themselves in this way.  Men are never too old to learn; but the time of youth is especially the time for learning; it is peculiarly proper for gaining and storing up knowledge.  Further, to stir up all, both old and young, to this duty, let me entreat you to consider,

1. If you apply yourselves diligently to this work, you will not lack [uselfulness], when you are at leisure from your common secular business. In this way, you may find something in which you may profitably employ yourselves.  You will find something else to do, besides going about from house to house, spending one hour after another in unprofitable conversation, or, at best, to no other purpose but to amuse yourselves, to fill up and wear away your time.  And it is to be feared that very much of the time spent in evening visits is spent to a much worse purpose than that which I have now mentioned.  Solomon tells us, Prov. 10:19, “That in the multitude of words, there lacketh not sin.”  And is not this verified in those who find little else to do but to go to one another’s houses and spend the time in such talk as comes next, or such as anyone’s present disposition happens to suggest?

Some diversion is doubtless lawful; but for Christians to spend so much of their time, so many long evenings, in no other conversation than that which tends to divert and amuse, if nothing worse, is a sinful way of spending time, and tends to poverty of soul at least, if not to outward poverty: Prov. 14:23, “In all labor there is profit; but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.”  Besides, when persons for so much of their time have nothing else to do, but to sit, and talk, and chat, there is great danger of falling into foolish and sinful conversation, venting their corrupt dispositions, in talking against others, expressing their jealousies and evil surmises concerning their neighbors; not considering what Christ hath said, Matt. 12:36, “Of every idle word that men shall speak, shall they give account in the day of judgment.”

If you would comply with what you have heard from this doctrine, you would find something else to employ your time besides contention, or talking about those public affairs which tend to contention.  Young people might find something else to do besides spending their time in vain company; something that would be much more profitable to themselves, as it would really turn to some good account; something, in doing which they would both be more out of the way of temptation and be more in the way of duty and of a divine blessing.  And even aged people would have something to employ themselves in after they are become incapable of bodily labor.  Their time, as is now often the case, would not lie heavy upon their hands, as they would with both profit and pleasure be engaged in searching the Scriptures and in comparing and meditating upon the various truths which they should find there.

2. This would be a noble way of spending your time. The Holy Spirit gives the Bereans this epithet, because they diligently employed themselves in this business: Acts 17:11, “These were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”  Similar to this is very much the employment of heaven.  The inhabitants of that world spend much of their time in searching into the great things of divinity and endeavoring to acquire knowledge in them, as we are told of the angels, 1 Pet. 1:12, “ Which things the angels desire to look into.”  This will be very agreeable to what you hope will be your business to all eternity, as you doubtless hope to join in the same employment with the angels of light.  Solomon says, Prov. 25:2, “It is the honor of kings to search out a matter;” and certainly, above all others, to search out divine matters.  Now, if this be the honor even of kings, is it not much more your honor?

3. This is a pleasant way of improving time. Knowledge is pleasant and delightful to intelligent creatures, and above all, the knowledge of divine things; for in them are the most excellent truths and the most beautiful and amiable objects held forth to view.  However tedious the labor necessarily attending this business may be, yet the knowledge once obtained will richly requite the pains taken to obtain it.  “When wisdom entereth the heart, knowledge is pleasant to the soul,” Prov. 2:10.

4. This knowledge is exceedingly useful in Christian practice.  Such as have much knowledge in divinity have great means and advantages for spiritual and saving knowledge; for no means of grace have a saving effect, otherwise than by the knowledge they impart.  The more you have of a rational knowledge of divine things, the more opportunity will there be, when the Spirit shall be breathed into your heart, to see the excellency of these things, and to taste the sweetness of them.  The heathens, who have no rational knowledge of the things of the gospel, have no opportunity to see the excellency of them; and therefore the more rational knowledge of these things you have, the more opportunity and advantage you have to see the divine excellency and glory of them.

Again, the more knowledge you have of divine things, the better will you know your duty; your knowledge will be of great use to direct you as to your duty in particular cases.  You will also be the better furnished against the temptations of the devil.  For the devil often takes advantage of persons’ ignorance to ply them with temptations which otherwise would have no hold of them.  By having much knowledge, you will be under greater advantages to conduct yourselves with prudence and discretion in your Christian course and so to live much more to the honor of God and religion.  Many who mean well, and are full of a good spirit, yet for want of prudence, conduct themselves so as to wound religion.  Many have a zeal of God which doth more hurt than good because it is not according to knowledge, Rom. 10:2.  The reason why many good men behave no better in many instances is not so much that they lack grace as that they lack knowledge.  Besides, an increase of knowledge would be a great help to profitable conversation.  It would supply you with matter for conversation when you come together or when you visit your neighbors: and so you would have less temptation to spend the time in such conversation as tends to your own and others’ hurt.

5. Consider the advantages you are under to grow in the knowledge of divinity. We are under far greater advantages to gain much of this knowledge now than God’s people under the Old Testament, both because the canon of Scripture is so much enlarged since that time and also because evangelical truths are now so much more plainly revealed.  So that common men are now in some respects under advantages to know more than the greatest prophets were then.  Thus that saying of Christ is in a sense applicable to us, Luke 10:23-24, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see.  For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”  We are in some respects under far greater advantages for gaining knowledge now in these latter ages of the church than Christians were formerly; especially by reason of the art of printing of which God hath given us the benefit, whereby Bibles and other books of divinity are exceedingly multiplied and persons may now be furnished with helps for the obtaining of Christian knowledge at a much easier and cheaper rate than they formerly could.

6. We know not what opposition we may meet with in the religious principles which we hold. We know that there are many adversaries to the gospel and its truths.  If therefore we embrace those truths, we must expect to be attacked by the said adversaries; and unless we be well informed concerning divine things, how shall we be able to defend ourselves?  Beside, the apostle Paul enjoins it upon us, always to be ready to give an answer to every man who asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us.  But this we cannot expect to do without considerable knowledge in divine things.

SECTION VI: Directions for the acquisition of Christian knowledge

1. Be assiduous in reading the Holy Scriptures.  This is the fountain whence all knowledge in divinity must be derived.  Therefore let not this treasure lie by you neglected.  Every man of common understanding who can read, may, if he please, become well acquainted with the Scriptures.  And what an excellent attainment would this be!

2. Content not yourselves with only a cursory reading without regarding the sense. This is an ill way of reading, to which, however, many accustom themselves all their days.  When you read, observe what you read.  Observe how things come in.  Take notice of the drift of the discourse and compare one scripture with another.  For the Scripture, by the harmony of its different; parts, casts great light upon itself.  We are expressly directed by Christ, to search the Scriptures, which evidently intends something more than a mere cursory reading.  And use means to find out the meaning of the Scripture.  When you have it explained in the preaching of the word, take notice of it; and if at any time a scripture that you did not understand be cleared up to your satisfaction, mark it, lay it up, and if possible remember it.

3. Procure, and diligently use, other books which may help you to grow in this knowledge.  There are many excellent books which might greatly forward you in this knowledge and afford you a very profitable and pleasant entertainment in your leisure hours.

4. Improve conversation with others to this end.  How much might persons promote each other’s knowledge in divine things if they would improve conversation as they might; if men that are ignorant were not ashamed to show their ignorance and were willing to learn of others; if those that have knowledge would communicate it without pride and ostentation; and if all were more disposed to enter on such conversation as would be for their mutual edification and instruction.

5. Seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause and to enable you to dispute with others; but seek it for the benefit of your souls, and in order to practice. If applause be your end, you will not be so likely to be led to the knowledge of the truth, but may justly, as often is the case of those who are proud of their knowledge, be led into error to your own perdition.  This being your end, if you should obtain much rational knowledge, it would not be likely to be of any benefit to you, but would puff you up with pride: 1 Cor. 8:1, “Knowledge puffeth up.”

6. Seek God that he would direct you and bless you in this pursuit after knowledge. This is the apostle’s direction, James 1:5, “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not.”  God is the fountain of all divine knowledge: Prov. 2:6, “The Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”  Labor to be sensible of your own blindness and ignorance and your need of the help of God, lest you be led into error, instead of true knowledge: 1 Cor. 3:18, “If any man would be wise, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.”

7. Practice according to what knowledge you have. This will be the way to know more.  The psalmist warmly recommends this way of seeking knowledge in divine truth, from his own experience: Psalm. 119:100, “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.”  Christ also recommends the same: John 7:17, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 1 Corinthians 13:8

In the entire context, the drift of the apostle is, to show the superiority of charity over all the other graces of the Spirit.  And in this chapter, he sets forth its excellence by three things: first, by showing that it is the most essential thing, and that all other gifts are nothing without it; second, by showing that from it all good dispositions and behavior do arise; and, third, by showing that it is the most durable of all gifts, and shall remain when the church of God shall be in its most perfect state, and when the other gifts of the Spirit shall have vanished away.  And in the text may be observed two things: —

First, that one property of charity, by which its excellence is set forth, is, that it is unfailing and everlasting — “Charity never faileth.”  This naturally follows the last words of the preceding verse, that “charity endureth all things.”  There the apostle declares the durableness of charity, as it appears in its withstanding the shock of all the opposition that can be made against it in the world.  And now he proceeds further, and declares that charity not only endures to the end of time, but also throughout eternity — “Charity never faileth.”  When all temporal things shall have failed, this shall still abide, and abide forever.  We may also observe in the text,

Second, that herein charity is distinguished from all the other gifts of the Spirit, such as prophecy, and the gift of tongues, and the gift of knowledge, etc. — “Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away;” but “charity never faileth.”  By the knowledge here spoken of, is not meant spiritual and divine knowledge in general; for surely there will be such knowledge hereafter in heaven, as well as now on earth, and vastly more than there is on earth, as the apostle expressly declares in the following verses.  The knowledge that Christians have of God, and Christ, and spiritual things, and in fact all their knowledge, as that word is commonly understood, shall not vanish away, but shall be gloriously increased and perfected in heaven, which is a world of light as well as love.  But by the knowledge which the apostle says shall vanish away, is meant a particular miraculous gift that was in the church of God in those days.  For the apostle, as we have seen, is here comparing charity with the miraculous gifts of the Spirit — those extraordinary gifts which were common in the church in those days, one of which was the gift of prophecy, and another the gift of tongues, or the power of speaking in languages that had never been learned.  Both these gifts are mentioned in the text; and the apostle says they shall fail and cease.  And another gift was the gift of knowledge, or the word of knowledge, as it is called in the eighth verse of the previous chapter, where it is so spoken of as to show that it was a different thing, both from that speculative knowledge which is obtained from reason and study, and also from that spiritual or divine knowledge that comes from the saving influence of the Holy Spirit in the soul.  It was a particular gift of the Spirit with which some persons were endowed, whereby they were enabled by immediate inspiration to understand mysteries, or the mysterious prophecies and types of the Scriptures, which the apostle speaks of in the second verse of this chapter, saying, “Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge,” etc.  It is this miraculous gift which the apostle here says shall vanish away, together with the other miraculous gifts of which he speaks, such as prophecy, and the gift of tongues, etc.  All these were extraordinary gifts bestowed for a season for the introduction and establishment of Christianity in the world, and when this their end was gained, they were all to fail and cease.  But charity was never to cease.

Thus the apostle plainly teaches, as the doctrine of the text:

That That Great Fruit Of The Spirit, In Which The Holy Ghost Shall, Not Only For A Season, But Everlastingly, Be Communicated To The Church Of Christ, Is Charity, Or Divine Love.

That the meaning and truth of this doctrine may be better understood, I would speak to it in the four following propositions: first, The Spirit of Christ will be everlastingly given to his Church and people, to influence and dwell in them; second, There are other fruits of the Spirit besides divine love, wherein the Spirit of God is communicated to his church; third, These other fruits are but for a season, and either have already, or will at some time, cease; fourth, That charity, or divine love, is that great and unfailing fruit of the Spirit, in which his everlasting influence and indwelling in the saints, or in his church, shall appear.

1. A. The Spirit of Christ is given to his church and people everlastingly, to influence and dwell in them.

The Holy Spirit is the great purchase, or purchased gift, of Christ.  The chief and sum of all the good things in this life and in the life to come, that are purchased for the church, is the Holy Spirit.  And as he is the great purchase, so he is the great promise, or the great thing promised by God and Christ to the church; as said the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:32, 33) — “This Jesus… being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”  And this great purchase and promise of Christ is forever to be given to his church.  He has promised that his church shall continue, and expressly declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  And that it may be preserved, he has given his Holy Spirit to every true member of it, and promised the continuance of that Spirit forever.  His own language is (John 14:16, 17), “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Man, in his first estate in Eden, had the Holy Spirit; but he lost it by his disobedience.  But a way has been provided by which it may be restored, and now it is given a second time, never more to depart from the saints.  The Spirit of God is so given to his own people as to become truly theirs.  It was, indeed, given to our first parents in their state of innocence, and dwelt with them, but not in the same sense in which it is given to, and dwells in, believers in Christ.  They had no proper right or sure title to the Spirit, and it was not finally and forever given to them, as it is to believers in Christ; for if it had been, they never would have lost it.  But the Spirit of Christ is not only communicated to those that are converted, but he is made over to them by a sure covenant, so that he is become their own.  Christ is become theirs, and therefore his fullness is theirs, and therefore his Spirit is theirs – their purchased, and promised, and sure possession.  But,

1. B. There are other fruits of the Spirit besides that which summarily consists in charity, or divine love, wherein the Spirit of God is communicated to his church. For example,

1.  The Spirit of God has been communicated to his church in extraordinary gifts, such as the gift of miracles, the gift of inspiration, etc. — The Spirit of God seems to have been communicated to the church in such gifts, formerly to the prophets under the Old Testament, and to the apostles, and evangelists, and prophets, and to the generality of the early ministers of the gospel, and also to multitudes of common Christians, under the New Testament.  To them were given such gifts as the gift of prophecy, and the gift of tongues, and the gift called the gift of knowledge, and others mentioned in the context, and in the foregoing chapter.  And besides these,

2.  There are the common and ordinary gifts of the Spirit of God. — These, in all ages, have more or less been bestowed on many natural, unconverted men, in common convictions of sin, and common illuminations, and common religious affections, which, though they have nothing in them of the nature of divine love, or of true and saving grace, are yet the fruits of the Spirit, in the sense that they are the effect of his influences on the hearts of men.  And as to faith and hope, if there be nothing of divine love with them, there can be no more of the Spirit of God in them than is common to natural unregenerate men.  This is clearly implied by the apostle, when he says in this chapter, “Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”  All saving faith and hope have love in them as ingredients, and as their essence; and if this ingredient be taken out, there is nothing left but the body without the spirit.  It is nothing saving; but at best, only a common fruit of the Spirit.  But,

1. C. All these other fruits of the Spirit are but for a season, and either have already ceased, or at some time will cease.

As to the miraculous gifts of prophecy and tongues, etc., they are but of a temporary use, and cannot be continued in heaven.  They were given only as an extraordinary means of grace that God was once pleased to grant to his church in the world.  But when the saints that once enjoyed the use of these means went to heaven, such means of grace ceased, for they were no longer needful.  There is no occasion for any means of grace in heaven, whether ordinary, such as the stated and common means of God’s house, or extraordinary, such as the gifts of tongues, and of knowledge, and of prophecy.  I say, there is no occasion for any of these means of grace to be continued in heaven, because there the end of all means of grace is already fully obtained in the perfect sanctification and happiness of God’s people.  The apostle, speaking in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, of the various means of grace, says that they are given “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man.”  But when this has come to pass, and the saints are perfected, and are already come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, then there will be no further occasion for any of these means, whether ordinary or extraordinary.  It is in this respect very much as it is with the fruits of the field, which stand in need of tillage, and rain, and sunshine, till they are ripe and gathered in, and then they need them no more.

And as these miraculous gifts of the Spirit were but temporary with regard to those particular persons that enjoyed them, so they are but for a season with regard to the church of God taken as a collective body.  These gifts are not fruits of the Spirit that were given to be continued to the church throughout all ages.

These communications of the Spirit were given to make way for him who hath the Spirit without measure, the great prophet of God, by whom the Spirit is communicated to all other prophets.  And in the days of his flesh, his disciples had a measure of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, being enabled thus to teach and to work miracles.  But after the resurrection and ascension, was the most full and remarkable effusion of the Spirit in his miraculous gifts that ever took place, beginning with the day of Pentecost, after Christ had risen and ascended to heaven.  And in consequence of this, not only here and there an extraordinary person was endowed with these extraordinary gifts, but they were common in the church, and so continued during the lifetime of the apostles, or till the death of the last of them, even the apostle John, which took place about a hundred years from the birth of Christ; so that the first hundred years of the Christian era, or the first century, was the era of miracles.

But soon after that, the canon of Scripture being completed when the apostle John had written the book of Revelation, which he wrote not long before his death, these miraculous gifts were no longer continued in the church.  For there was now completed an established written revelation of the mind and will of God, wherein God had fully recorded a standing and all-sufficient rule for his church in all ages.  And the Jewish church and nation being overthrown, and the Christian church and the last dispensation of the church of God being established, the miraculous gifts of the Spirit were no longer needed, and therefore they ceased; for though they had been continued in the church for so many ages, yet then they failed, and God caused them to fail because there was no further occasion for them.  And so was fulfilled the saying of the text, “Whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”  And now there seems to be an end to all such fruits of the Spirit as these, and we have no reason to expect them any more.  And as to those fruits of the Spirit that are common, such as the conviction, illumination, belief, etc., which are common both to the godly and ungodly, these are given in all ages of the church in the world; and yet with respect to the persons that have these common gifts, they will cease when they come to die; and with respect to the church of God considered collectively, they will cease, and there will be no more of them after the day of judgment.  I pass, then, to show, as proposed,

1. D. That charity, or divine love, is that great fruit of the Spirit, that never fails, and in which his continued and everlasting influence and indwelling in his church shall appear and be manifest.

We have seen that the Spirit of Christ is forever given to the church of Christ, and given that it may dwell in his saints forever, in influences that shall never fail.  And therefore however many fruits of the Spirit may be but temporary, and have their limits where they fail, yet it must be that there is some way of the Spirit’s influence, and some fruit of that influence, which is unfailing and eternal.  And charity, or divine love, is that fruit, in communicating, and nourishing, and exercising which, his unfailing and eternal influences appear.  This is a fruit of the Spirit that never fails or ceases in the church of Christ, whether we consider it with respect to its particular members, or regard it as a collective body.  And,

1.  We may consider the church of Christ with respect to the particular members of which it consists. — And here it will appear that charity, or Christian love, is an unfailing fruit of the Spirit.  Every one of the true members of Christ’s invisible church is possessed of this fruit of the Spirit in the heart.  Divine or Christian love is implanted, and dwells, and reigns there, as an everlasting fruit of the Spirit, and one that never fails.  It never fails in this world, but remains through all trials and oppositions, for the apostle tells us (Rom. 8:38, 39) that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  And it ceases not when the saints come to die.  When the apostles and others of their day died and went to heaven, they left all their miraculous gifts behind them with their bodies.  But they did not leave the love that was in their hearts behind them, but carried that with them to heaven, where it was gloriously perfected.  Though when wicked men die, who have had the common influences of the Spirit, their gifts shall eternally cease, yet death never overthrows Christian love, that great fruit of the Spirit, in any that have it.  They that have it may and shall leave behind them many other fruits of the Spirit which they had in common with wicked men.  And though they shall leave all that was common in their faith, and hope, and all that did not pertain to this divine and holy love, yet this love they shall not leave behind, but it shall go with them to eternity, and shall be perfected there, and shall live and reign with perfect and glorious dominion in their souls forever and ever.  And so, again,

2.  We may consider the church of Christ collectively, or as a body. — And here, again, it will appear that charity, or Christian love, shall never fail.  Though other fruits of the Spirit fail in it, this shall never fail.  Of old, when there were interruptions of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit in the church, and when there were seasons in which no prophet or inspired person appeared that was possessed of such gifts, still there never was any total interruption of this excellent fruit or influence of the Spirit.  Miraculous gifts were intermitted through the long time extending from Malachi to near the birth of Christ; but in all this time, the influence of the Spirit, in keeping up divine love in the church, was never suspended.  As God always had a church of saints in the world, from the first creation of the church after the fall, so this influence and fruit of his Spirit never failed in it.  And when, after the completion of the canon of the Scriptures, the miraculous gifts of the Spirit seemed finally to have ceased and failed in the church, this influence of the Spirit in causing divine love in the hearts of his saints did not cease, but has been kept up through all ages from that time to this, and so will be to the end of the world.  And at the end of the world, when the church of Christ shall be settled in its last, and most complete, and its eternal state, and all common gifts, such as convictions and illuminations, and all miraculous gifts, shall be eternally at an end, yet then divine love shall not fail, but shall be brought to its most glorious perfection in every individual member of the ransomed church above.  Then, in every heart, that love which now seems as but a spark, shall be kindled to a bright and glowing flame, and every ransomed soul shall be as it were in a blaze of divine and holy love, and shall remain and grow in this glorious perfection and blessedness through all eternity!

I shall give but a single reason for the truth of the doctrine which has thus been presented.  And the great reason why it is so, that other fruits of the Spirit fail, and the great fruit of love remains, is, that love is the great end of all the other fruits and gifts of the Spirit. The principle and the exercises of divine love in the heart, and the fruits of it in the conduct, and the happiness that consists in and flows from it – these things are the great end of all the fruits of the Spirit that fail.  Charity or divine love is the end, to which all the inspiration, and all the miraculous gifts that ever were in the world, are but the means.  They were only means of grace, but charity or divine love is grace itself; and not only so, but the sum of all grace.  Revelation and miracles were never given for any other end but only to promote holiness, and build up the kingdom of Christ in men’s hearts; but Christian love is the sum of all holiness, and its growth is but the growth of Christ’s kingdom in the soul.  The extraordinary fruits of the Spirit were given for revealing and confirming the word and will of God, that men by believing might be conformed to that will: and they were valuable and good only so far as they tended to this end.  And hence when that end was obtained, and when the canon of the Scriptures, the great and powerful means of grace, was completed, and the ordinances of the New Testament and of the last dispensation were fully established, the extraordinary gifts ceased, and came to an end, as being no further useful.  Miraculous gifts being a means to a further end, they are good no further than as they tend to that end.  But divine love is that end itself, and therefore remains when the means to it cease. The end is not only a good, but the highest kind of good in itself, and therefore remains forever.  So it is with respect to the common gifts of the Spirit that are given in all ages, such as illumination, conviction, etc.  They have no good in themselves, and are no further good than as they tend to promote that grace and holiness which radically and summarily consist in divine love; and therefore when this end is once fully answered, there shall be an end forever of these common gifts, while divine love, which is the end of them all, shall eternally remain.

From Charity and Its Fruits, Lecture XV, “The Holy Spirit Forever To Be Communicated To The Saints, In The Grace Of Charity, Or Divine Love.”

And confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a country. Hebrews 11:13, 14

Subject: This life ought so to be spent by us as to be only a journey towards heaven.

The apostle is here setting forth the excellencies of the grace of faith, by the glorious effects and happy issue of it in the saints of the Old Testament. He had spoken in the preceding part of the chapter particularly, of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob. Having enumerated those instances, he takes notice that “these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers,” etc. — In these words the apostle seems to have a more particular respect to Abraham and Sarah, and their kindred, who came with them from Haran, and from Ur of the Chaldees, as appears by the 15th verse, where the apostle says, “and truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.”

Two things may be observed here:

1. What these saints confessed of themselves, viz. that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. — Thus we have a particular account concerning Abraham, “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you.” (Gen. 23:4) And it seems to have been the general sense of the patriarchs, by what Jacob says to Pharaoh. “And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years; few and evil have the days of years of my life been, and have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” (Gen. 47:9) “I am a stranger and a sojourner with thee, as all my fathers were.” (Psa. 39:12)

2. The inference that the apostle draws from hence, viz. that they sought another country as their home. “For they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a country.” In confessing that they were strangers, they plainly declared that this is not their country; that this is not the place where they are at home. And in confessing themselves to be pilgrims, they declared plainly that this is not their settled abode, but that they have respect to some other country, which they seek, and to which they are traveling.

SECTION I

That this life ought to be so spent by us, as to be only a journey or pilgrimage towards heaven.

Here I would observe,

1. That we ought not to rest in the world and its enjoyments, but should desire heaven. We should “seek first the kingdom of God.” (Mat. 6:33) We ought above all things to desire a heavenly happiness; to be with God and dwell with Jesus Christ. Though surrounded with outward enjoyments, and settled in families with desirable friends and relations; though we have companions whose society is delightful, and children in whom we see many promising qualifications; though we live by good neighbors, and are generally beloved where known; we ought not to take our rest in these things as our portion. We should be so far from resting in them, that we should desire to leave them all, in God’s due time. We ought to possess, enjoy and use them, with no other view but readily to quit them, whenever we are called to it, and to change them willingly and cheerfully for heaven.

A traveler is not wont to rest in what he meets with, however comfortable and pleasing, on the road. If he passes through pleasant places, flowery meadows, or shady groves, he does not take up his content in these things, but only takes a transient view of them as he goes along. He is not enticed by fine appearances to put off the thought of proceeding. No, but his journey’s end is in his mind. If he meets with comfortable accommodations at an inn, he entertains no thoughts of settling there. He considers that these things are not his own, that he is but a stranger, and when he has refreshed himself, or tarried for a night, he is for going forward. And it is pleasant to him to think that so much of the way is gone.

So should we desire heaven more than the comforts and enjoyments of this life. The apostle mentions it as an encouraging, comfortable consideration to Christians, that they draw nearer their happiness. “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” — Our hearts ought to be loose to these things, as that of a man on a journey, that we may as cheerfully part with them whenever God calls. “But this I say, brethren, the time is short, it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as not abusing it; for the fashion of this world passeth away.” (1 Cor. 7:29-31) These things are only lent to us for a little while, to serve a present turn, but we should set our hearts on heaven, as our inheritance forever.

2. We ought to seek heaven, by traveling in the way that lead thither. This is a way of holiness. We should choose and desire to travel thither in this way and in no other, and part with all those carnal appetites which, as weights, will tend to hinder us. “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race set before us.” (Heb 12:1) However pleasant the gratification of any appetite may be, we must lay it aside if it be a hindrance, or a stumbling block, in the way to heaven.

We should travel on in the way of obedience to all God’s commands, even the difficult as well as the easy, denying all our sinful inclinations and interests. The way to heaven is ascending. We must be content to travel up hill, though it be hard and tiresome, and contrary to the natural bias of our flesh. We should follow Christ: the path he traveled, was the right way to heaven. We should take up our cross and follow him, in meekness and lowliness of heart, obedience and charity, diligence to do good, and patience under afflictions. The way to heaven is a heavenly life, an imitation of those who are in heaven in their holy enjoyments, loving, adoring, serving, and praising God and the Lamb. Even if we could go to heaven with the gratification of our lusts, we should prefer a way of holiness and conformity to the spiritual self-denying rules of the gospel.

3. We should travel on in this way in a laborious manner. — Long journeys are attended with toil and fatigue, especially if through a wilderness. Persons in such a case expect no other than to suffer hardships and weariness. — So we should travel in this way of holiness, improving our time and strength, to surmount the difficulties and obstacles that are in the way. The land we have to travel through, is a wilderness. There are many mountains, rocks, and rough places that we must go over, and therefore there is a necessity that we should lay out our strength.

4. Our whole lives ought to be spent in traveling this road. — We ought to begin early. This should be the first concern, when persons become capable of acting. When they first set out in the world, they should set out on this journey. — And we ought to travel on with assiduity. It ought to be the work of every day. We should often think of our journey’s end; and make it our daily work to travel on in the way that leads to it. — He who is on a journey is often thinking of the destined place, and it is his daily care and business to get along and to improve his time to get towards his journey’s end. Thus should heaven be continually in our thoughts, and the immediate entrance or passage to it, viz. death, should be present with us. — We ought to persevere in this way as long as we live.

“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” (Heb. 12:1) Though the road be difficult and toilsome, we must hold out with patience, and be content to endure hardships. Though the journey be long, yet we must not stop short, but hold on till we arrive at the place we seek. Nor should we be discouraged with the length and difficulties of the way, as the children of Israel were, and be for turning back again. All our thought and design should be to press forward till we arrive.

5. We ought to be continually growing in holiness, and in that respect coming nearer and nearer to heaven. — We should be endeavoring to come nearer to heaven, in being more heavenly, becoming more and more like the inhabitants of heaven in respect of holiness and conformity to God, the knowledge of God and Christ, in clear views of the glory of God, the beauty of Christ, and the excellency of divine things, as we come nearer to the beatific vision. — We should labor to be continually growing in divine love — that this may be an increasing flame in our hearts, till they ascend wholly in this flame — in obedience and a heavenly conversation, that we may do the will of God on earth as the angels do in heaven, in comfort and spiritual joy, [and] in sensible communion with God and Jesus Christ. Our path should be as “the shining light, that shines more and more to the perfect day.” (Pro. 4:18) We ought to be hungering and thirsting after righteousness: after an increase in righteousness. “As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the work, that ye may grow thereby.” (1 Pet. 2:2) The perfection of heaven should be our mark. “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13, 14)

6. All other concerns of life ought to be entirely subordinate to this. — When a man is on a journey, all the steps he takes are subordinated to the aim of getting to his journey’s end. And if he carries money or provisions with him, it is to supply him in his journey. So we ought wholly to subordinate all our other business, and all our temporal enjoyments, to this affair of traveling to heaven. When anything we have becomes a clog and hindrance to us, we should quit it immediately. The use of our worldly enjoyments and possessions, should be with such a view, and in such a manner, as to further us in our way heavenward. Thus we should eat, and drink, and clothe ourselves, and improve the conversation and enjoyment of friends. And whatever business we are setting about, whatever design we are engaging in, we should inquire with ourselves, whether this business or undertaking will forward us in our way to heaven? And if not, we should quit our design.

SECTION II

Why the Christian’s life is a journey, or pilgrimage?

1. This world is not our abiding place. Our continuance here is but very short. Man’s days on the earth, are as a shadow. It was never designed by God that this world should be our home. Neither did God give us these temporal accommodations for that end. If God has given us ample estates, and children, or other pleasant friends, it is with no such design, that we should be furnished here, as for a settled abode, but with a design that we should use them for the present, and then leave them in a very little time. When we are called to any secular business, or charged with the care of a family, [and] if we improve our lives to any other purpose than as a journey toward heaven, all our labor will be lost. If we spend our lives in the pursuit of a temporal happiness, as riches or sensual pleasures, credit and esteem from men, delight in our children and the prospect of seeing them well brought up and well settled, etc. — all these things will be of little significancy to us. Death will blow up all our hopes, and will put an end to these enjoyments. “The places that have known us, will know us no more” and “the eye that has seen us, shall see us no more.” We must be taken away forever from all these things, and it is uncertain when: it may be soon after we are put into the possession of them. And then, where will be all our worldly employments and enjoyments, when we are laid in the silent grave! “So man lieth down, and riseth not again, till the heavens be no more.” (Job 14:12)

2. The future world was designed to be our settled and everlasting abode. There it was intended that we should be fixed, and there alone is a lasting habitation and a lasting inheritance. The present state is short and transitory, but our state in the other world is everlasting. And as we are there at first, so we must be without change. Our state in the future world, therefore, being eternal, is of so much greater importance than our state here, that all our concerns in this world should be wholly subordinated to it.

3. Heaven is that place alone where our highest end and highest good is to be obtained. God hath made us for himself. “Of him, and through him, and to him are all things.” Therefore, then do we attain to our highest end, when we are brought to God: but that is by being brought to heaven, for that is God’s throne, the place of his special presence. There is but a very imperfect union with God to be had in this world, a very imperfect knowledge of him in the midst of much darkness: a very imperfect conformity to God, mingled with abundance of estrangement. Here we can serve and glorify God, but in a very imperfect manner: our service being mingled with sin, which dishonors God. — But when we get to heaven (if ever that be), we shall be brought to a perfect union with God and have more clear views of him. There we shall be fully conformed to God, without any remaining sin: for “we shall see him as he is.” There we shall serve God perfectly and glorify him in an exalted manner, even to the utmost of the powers and capacity of our nature. Then we shall perfectly give up ourselves to God: our hearts will be pure and holy offerings, presented in a flame of divine love.

God is the highest good of the reasonable creature, and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. — To go to heaven fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows. But the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean. — Therefore it becomes us to spend this life only as a journey towards heaven, as it becomes us to make the seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work of our lives, to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labor for, or set our hearts on anything else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?

4. Our present state, and all that belongs to it, is designed by him that made all things, to be wholly in order to another world. — This world was made for a place of preparation for another. Man’s mortal life was given him, that he might be prepared for his fixed state. And all that God has here given us, is given to this purpose. The sun shines, the rain falls upon us, and the earth yields her increase to us for this end. Civil, ecclesiastical, and family affairs, and all our personal concerns, are designed and ordered in subordination to a future world, by the maker and disposer of all things. To this therefore they ought to be subordinated by us.

SECTION III

Instruction afforded by the consideration, that life is a journey or pilgrimage, towards heaven.

1. This doctrine may teach us moderation in our mourning for the loss of such dear friends, who while they lived, improved their lives to right purposes. If they lived a holy life, then their lives were a journey towards heaven. And why should we be immoderate in mourning, when they are got to their journey’s end? Death, though it appears to us with a frightful aspect, is to them a great blessing. Their end is happy, and better than their beginning. “The day of their death, is better than the day of their birth.” (Ecc. 7:1) While they lived, they desired heaven, and chose it above this world or any of its enjoyments. For this they earnestly longed, and why should we grieve that they have obtained it? — Now they have got to their Father’s house. They find more comfort a thousand times now [that] they are gone home, than they did in their journey. In this world they underwent much labor and toil: it was a wilderness they passed through. There were many difficulties in the way: mountains and rough places. It was laborious and fatiguing to travel the road, and they had many wearisome days and nights: but now they have got to their everlasting rest. “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” (Rev. 14:13) They look back upon the difficulties, and sorrows, and dangers of life, rejoicing that they have surmounted them all.

We are ready to look upon death as their calamity, and to mourn that those who were so dear to us should be in the dark grave: that they are there transformed to corruption and worms, taken away from their dear children and enjoyments, etc. as though they were in awful circumstances. But this is owing to our infirmity. They are in a happy condition, inconceivably blessed. They do not mourn, but rejoice with exceeding joy: their mouths are filled with joyful songs, and they drink at rivers of pleasure. They find no mixture of grief that they have changed their earthly enjoyments, and the company of mortals, for heaven. Their life here, though in the best circumstances, was attended with much that was adverse and afflictive, but now there is an end to all adversity. “They shall hunger no more nor thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev. 7:16, 17)

It is true, we shall see them no more in this world, yet we ought to consider that we are traveling towards the same place; and why should we break our hearts that they have got there before us? We are following after them, and hope as soon as we get to our journey’s end, to be with them again, in better circumstances. A degree of mourning for near relations when departed is not inconsistent with Christianity, but very agreeable to it. For as long as we are flesh and blood, we have animal propensities and affections. But we have just reason that our mourning should be mingled with joy. “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others that have no hope:” (1 Thes. 4:13) i.e. that they should not sorrow as the heathen, who had no knowledge of a future happiness. This appears by the following verse; “for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him.”

2. If our lives ought to be only a journey towards heaven, how ill do they improve their lives, that spend them in traveling towards hell? — Some men spend their whole lives, from their infancy to their dying day, in going down the broad way to destruction. They not only draw nearer to hell as to time, but they every day grow more ripe for destruction. They are more assimilated to the inhabitants of the internal world. While others press forward in the straight and narrow way to life and laboriously travel up the hill toward Zion, against the inclinations and tendency of the flesh, these run with a swift career down to eternal death. This is the employment of every day, with all wicked men, and the whole day is spent in it. As soon as ever they awake in the morning, they set out anew in the way to hell and spend every waking moment in it. They begin in early days. “The wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” (Psa. 58:3) They hold on it with perseverance. Many of them who live to be old, are never weary in it. Though they live to be an hundred years old, they will not cease traveling in the way to hell till they arrive there. And all the concerns of life are subordinated to this employment. A wicked man is a servant of sin, [and] his powers and faculties are employed in the service of sin and in fitness for hell. And all his possessions are so used by him as to be subservient to the same purpose. Men spend their time in treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath Thus do all unclean persons, who live in lascivious practices in secret: all malicious persons, all profane persons that neglect the duties of religion. Thus do all unjust persons, and those who are fraudulent and oppressive in their dealings. Thus do all backbiters and revilers, [and] all covetous persons that set their hearts chiefly on the riches of this world. Thus do tavern-haunters, and frequenters of evil company, and many other kinds that might be mentioned. Thus the bulk of mankind are hastening onward in the broad way to destruction, which is, as it were, filled up with the multitude that are going in it with one accord. And they are every day going to hell out of this broad way by thousands. Multitudes are continually flowing down into the great lake of fire and brimstone, as some mighty river constantly disembogues its water into the ocean.

3. Hence when persons are converted they do but begin their work and set out in the way they have to go. — They never till then do anything at that work in which their whole lives ought to be spent. Persons before conversion never take a step that way. Then does a man first set out on his journey, when he is brought home to Christ, and so far is he from having done his work, that his care and labor in his Christian work and business, is then but begun, in which he must spend the remaining part of his life.

Those persons do ill, who when they are converted and have obtained a hope of their being in a good condition, do not strive as earnestly as they did before, while they were under awakenings. They ought, henceforward, as long as they live, to be as earnest and laborious, as watchful and careful as ever: yea, they should increase more and more. It is no just excuse that now they have obtained conversion. Should not we be as diligent as that we ourselves may be that we may serve and glorify God, happy? And if we have obtained grace, yet we ought to strive as much that we may obtain the other degrees that are before, as we did to obtain that small degree that is behind. The apostle tells us that he forgot what was behind and reached forth towards what was before. (Phil. 3:13)

Yea, those who are converted have now a further reason to strive for grace. For they have seen something of its excellency. A man who has once tasted the blessings of Canaan, has more reason to press towards it than he had before. And they who are converted, should strive to “make their calling and election sure.” All those who are converted are not sure of it, and those who are sure, do not know that they shall be always so, and still, seeking and serving God with the utmost diligence, is the way to have assurance and to have it maintained.

SECTION IV

An exhortation so to spend the present life, that it may only be a journey towards heaven

Labor to obtain such a disposition of mind that you may choose heaven for your inheritance and home, and may earnestly long for it and be willing to change this world, and all its enjoyments, for heaven. Labor to have your heart taken up so much about heaven, and heavenly enjoyments, as that you may rejoice when God calls you to leave your best earthly friends and comforts for heaven, there to enjoy God and Christ.

Be persuaded to travel in the way that leads to heaven: viz. in holiness, self-denial, mortification, obedience to all the commands of God, following Christ’s example [and] in a way of a heavenly life, or imitation of the saints and angels in heaven. Let it be your daily work, from morning till night, and hold out in it to the end. Let nothing stop or discourage you, or turn you aside from this road. And let all other concerns be subordinated to this. Consider the reasons that have been mentioned why you should thus spend your life: that this world is not your abiding place, that the future world is to be your everlasting abode, and that the enjoyments and concerns of this world are given entirely in order to another. And consider further for motive.

1. How worthy is heaven that your life should be wholly spent as a journey towards it. — To what better purpose can you spend your life, whether you respect your duty or your interest? What better end can you propose to your journey, than to obtain heaven? You are placed in this world with a choice given you, that you may travel which way you please, and one way leads to heaven. Now, can you direct your course better than this way? All men have some aim or other in living. Some mainly seek worldly things. They spend their days in such pursuits. But is not heaven, where is fullness of joy forever, much more worthy to be sought by you? How can you better employ your strength, use your means, and spend your days, than in traveling the road that leads to the everlasting enjoyment of God: to his glorious presence, to the new Jerusalem, to the heavenly mount Zion, where all your desires will be filled and no danger of ever losing your happiness? — No man is at home in this world, whether he choose heaven or not: here he is but a transient person. Where can you choose your home better than in heaven?

2. This is the way to have death comfortable to us. — To spend our lives so as to be only a journeying towards heaven, is the way to be free from bondage and to have the prospect and forethought of death comfortable. Does the traveler think of his journey’s end with fear and terror? Is terrible to him to think that he has almost got to his journey’s end? Were the children of Israel sorry after forty years’ travel in the wilderness, when they had almost got to Canaan? This is the way to be able to part with the world without grief. Does it grieve the traveler when he has got home, to quit his staff and load of provisions that he had to sustain him by the way?

3. No more of your life will be pleasant to think of when you come to die, than has been spent after this manner. — If you have spent none of your life this way, your whole life will be terrible to you to think of, unless you die under some great delusion. You will see then, that all of your life that has been spent otherwise, is lost. You will then see the vanity of all other aims that you may have proposed to yourself. The thought of what you here possessed and enjoyed will not be pleasant to you, unless you can think also that you have subordinated them to this purpose.

4. Consider that those who are willing thus to spend their lives as a journey towards heaven may have heaven. — Heaven, however high and glorious, is attainable to such poor worthless creatures as we are. We may attain that glorious region which is the habitation of angels: yea, the dwelling-place of the Son of God, and where is the glorious presence of the great Jehovah. And we may have it freely, without money and without price. If we are but willing to travel the road that leads to it and bend our course that way as long as we live, we may and shall have heaven for our eternal resting place.

5. Let it be considered that if our lives be not a journey towards heaven, they will be a journey to hell. All mankind, after they have been here a short while, go to either of the two great receptacles of all that depart out of this world: the one in heaven; whither the bulk of mankind throng. And one or the other of these must be the issue of our course in this world.

I shall conclude by giving a few directions:

1. Labor to get a sense of the vanity of this world, on account of the little satisfaction that is to be enjoyed here, its short continuance, and unserviceableness when we most stand in need of help, viz. on a death-bed. — All men, that live any considerable time in the world, might see enough to convince them of its vanity, if they would but consider. — Be persuaded therefore to exercise consideration when you see and hear, from time to time, of the death of others. Labor to turn your thoughts this way. See the vanity of the world in such a glass.

2. Labor to be much acquainted with heaven. — If you are not acquainted with it, you will not be likely to spend your life as a journey thither. You will not be sensible of its worth, nor will you long for it. Unless you are much conversant in your mind with a better good, it will be exceeding difficult to you to have your hearts loose from these things, to use them only in subordination to something else, and be ready to part with them for the sake of that better good. — Labor therefore to obtain a realizing sense of a heavenly world, to get a firm belief of its reality, and to be very much conversant with it in your thoughts.

3. Seek heaven only by Jesus Christ. — Christ tells us that he is the way, and the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) He tells us that he is the door of the sheep. “I am the door, by me if any man enter in he shall be saved; and go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) If we therefore would improve our lives as a journey towards heaven, we must seek it by him and not by our own righteousness, as expecting to obtain it only for his sake: looking to him [and] having our dependence on him, who has procured it for us by his merit. And expect [that] strength to walk in holiness, the way that leads to heaven, only from him.

4. Let Christians help one another in going this journey. — There are many ways whereby Christians might greatly forward one another in their way to heaven, as by religious conference, etc. Therefore let them be exhorted to go this journey as it were in company: conversing together, and assisting one another. Company is very desirable in a journey, but in none so much as this. — Let them go united and not fall out by the way, which would be to hinder one another, but use all means they can to help each other up the hill. — This would ensure a more successful traveling and a more joyful meeting at their Father’s house in glory.

Dated September, 1733; 1753. Preached at Boston and at New Haven; preached to Stockbridge Indians.

1. There is just the same reason for those commands of earnest care and laborious endeavors for perseverance and threatenings of defection, notwithstanding its being certain that all that have true grace shall persevere, as there is for earnest endeavors after godliness, and to make our calling and election sure, notwithstanding all that are elected shall undoubtedly be saved.  For as the case with respect to this is the same, decree or no decree, every one that believes shall be saved, and he that believes not shall be damned.  They that will not live godly lives, find out for themselves that they are not elected; they that will live godly lives, have found out for themselves that they are elected.  So it is here: he that to his utmost endeavors to persevere in ways of obedience finds out that his obedience and righteousness are true; and he that does not, discovers that his is false.

2. As persons are commanded and counseled to repent and be converted though it is already determined whether they shall be converted or no; after the same manner, and with the same propriety, persons are commanded and counseled to persevere, although by their being already converted, it is certain they shall persevere. By their resolutely and steadfastly persevering through all difficulties, opposition, and trials, they obtain an evidence of the truth and soundness of their conversion; and by their unstableness and backsliding, they procure an evidence of their unsoundness and hypocrisy.

And it always happens, that persons who have the most need of being cautioned and counseled against falling and apostacy, by reason of the weakness of their grace, have most need of an evidence of the truth of their grace.  And those who have the least need of any evidence, by reason of the strength and lively exercise of grace, have least need of being warned against falling, they being least in danger of it. And so the same persons, when they are most in danger of falling – by reason of the languishing of their graces, their ill-temper and workings of corruption – have most need of evidence; and, when in least need of care and watchfulness not to fall, by reason of the strength and vigorous actings of grace, they have least need of evidence.  So that there is as much need of persons exercising care and diligence to persevere in order to their salvation, as there is of their attention and care to repent and be converted.  For our own care and diligence is as much the proper and decreed means of perseverance, as of any thing else; and the want of perseverance, as of any thing else; and the want of perseverance, is as much an evidence of the want of true conversion, as the want of conversion is a sign of the want of election.

Labor and diligence to persevere is as rational a way to make sure of the truth of grace, as they are to make sure of the truth of election.  God’s wrath and future punishment are proposed to all sorts of men as motives to an universal and constant obedience, not only to the wicked, but also to the godly.  Indeed, those that have obtained full assurance of their safe estate are not capable of this motive and they have no need of it.  But when persons are most capable of the fear of hell, through their want of assurance — and their uncertainty, whether or no they are not exposed to damnation — by reason of the weakness of their grace, then they have most need of caution.

Corollary — Here we may observe, that it is not the scripture way of judging of the truth of grace to be determined principality by the method and steps of the first work, but by the exercise and fruits of grace in a holy life.

3. Perseverance in faith is, in one sense, the condition of justification. That is, the promise of acceptance is made only to a persevering sort of faith and the proper evidence of its being of that sort is actual perseverance, not but that a man may have good evidences that his faith is of that sort before he has finished his perseverance.  Yea, the first time that he exercises such a faith, if the exercises of it are lively and vigorous.  But when the believer has those vigorous exercises of faith by which he has clear evidences of its being of a persevering kind, he evermore feels most disposition and resolution to persevere and most of a spirit of dependence upon God and Christ to enable him so to do.

4. As to passages of Scripture like that, Ezekiel 18:24. wherein are declared the fatal consequences of turning or falling away from righteousness, they do not at all argue but that there is an essential difference, in the very nature of the righteousness of those that persevere, and the righteousness of those that fall away.  The one is of a lasting sort, the other not; and so, falling away or holding out, are in those places resected as natural fruits or discoveries of the nature of the righteous or of the wicked.  If a man that had a prospect of being ere long in calamitous circumstances, of being poor, and the object of general contempt, and should make this declaration concerning his friend, or him that now appeared to be such, that if his friend would cleave to him through all his circumstances, he would receive him and treat him ever after as his true friend, but otherwise he would utterly desert him as a false friend; this would not argue, that he thought there was no difference between the love of friendship that was persevering, and that which fails when it is tried; but only, that those difficulties discover the difference, and show whose love is of a lasting sort, and whose not.  The promises in Scripture are commonly made to the signs of grace; though God knows whether men be sincere or not, without the signs whereby men know it.

5. God, when he had laid out himself to glorify his mercy and grace in the redemption of poor fallen men, did not see meet, that those who are redeemed by Christ, should be redeemed so imperfectly, as still to have the work of perseverance left in their own hands. They had been found already insufficient for this even in their perfect state and are now ten times more liable than formerly to fall away and not to persevere, if, in their fallen broken state, with their imperfect sanctification, the care of the matter be trusted with them.  Man, though redeemed by Christ, so as to have the Holy Spirit of God, and spiritual life again restored in a degree; yet is left a poor, piteous creature, because all is suspended on his perseverance as it was at first; and the care of that affair is left with him as it was then; and he is ten times more likely to fall away than he was then, if’ we consider only what he was in himself to preserve him from it.  The poor creature sees his own insufficiency to stand, from what has happened in time past; his own instability has been his undoing already; and now he is vastly more unstable than before.

The great thing wherein the first covenant was deficient, was, that the fulfillment of the righteousness of the covenant and man’s perseverance was entrusted with man himself, with nothing better to secure it than his own strength.  And therefore, God introduces a better, which should be an everlasting covenant, a new and living way; wherein that which was wanting in the first should be supplied and a remedy should be provided against that, which under the first covenant proved man’s undoing, viz. man’s own weakness and instability; by a Mediator being given, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever; who cannot fail; who should undertake for his people, and take care of them.  He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through him; and ever lives to make intercession for them.  God did not see it fit that man should be trusted to stand in his own strength a second time.  It is not fit that in a covenant of grace, wherein all is of mere, free, and absolute grace, that the reward of life should be suspended on the perseverance of man, as dependent on the strength and steadfastness of his own will.  It is a covenant of works and not a covenant of grace that suspends eternal life on what is the fruit of a man’s own strength.  Eternal life was to have been of works in those two respects, viz, as it was to have been for man s own righteousness and as it was suspended on the fruit of his own strength.

For, though our first parent depended on the grace of God, the influence of his Spirit in his heart; yet that grace was given him already, and dwelt in him constantly, and without interruption, in such a degree as to hold him above any lust or sinful habit or principle.  Eternal life [did not depend] on that grace that was given him and dwelt in him, but on his improvement of that grace which he already had.  For, in order to his Perseverance, there was nothing further promised beyond his own strength; no extraordinary occasional assistance was promised.  It was not promised but that man should be left to himself as he was.

But the new covenant is of grace, in a manner distinguishing from the old, in both these respects, that the reward of life is [dependent] neither on his own strength nor worthiness.  It provides something above either.  But if eternal life under the new covenant was suspended on man s own perseverance or his perseveringly using diligent endeavors to stand without the promise of any thing farther to ascertain it than his own strength, it would herein be further from being worthy to be called a covenant of grace than the first covenant; because man’s strength is exceedingly less than it was then, and he is under far less advantages to persevere.  And if he should obtain eternal life by perseverance in his own strength now, eternal life would, with respect to that, be much more of himself than it would have been by the first covenant; because perseverance now would be a much greater thing than under those circumstances; and he has but an exceeding small part of that grace dwelling in him, to assist him, that he had then and that which he has, does not dwell in him in the exercise of it by such a constant law as grace did then, but is put into exercise by the spirit of grace, in a far more arbitrary and sovereign way.

6. Again, Christ came into the world to do that in which mere men failed.  He came as a better surety and that in him those defects might be supplied which proved to be in our first surety [Adam] and that we might have a remedy for the mischief that came by those defects.  But the defect of our first surety was that he did not persevere.  He wanted steadfastness and therefore God sent us, in the next surety, one that could not fail; but should surely persevere.  But this is no supply of that defect to us, if the reward of life be still suspended on perseverance which has nothing, as to ourselves, greater to secure it still, than the strength of mere man; and the perseverance of our second surety is no remedy against the like mischief, which came by failure of our first surety; but on the contrary, we are much more exposed to the mischief than before.  The perseverance on which life was suspended depended then indeed on the strength of mere man; but now (on the supposition) it would be suspended on the strength of fallen man.

In that our first surety did not persevere, we fell in and with him; for doubtless, if he had stood, we should have stood with him.  And therefore when God in mercy has given us a better surety to supply the defects of the first, a surety that might stand and persevere, and one that has actually persevered through the greatest imaginable trials; doubtless we shall stand and persevere in him.  After all this, eternal life will not be suspended on our perseverance by our own poor, feeble, broken strength.  Our first surety, if he had stood, would have been brought to eat of the tree of life, as a seal of a confirmed state of life in persevering and everlasting holiness and happiness; and he would have eat of this tree of life as a seal of persevering confirmed life, not only for himself, but as our head.  As when he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he tasted as our head and so brought death on himself and all his posterity; so, if he had persevered, and had eat of the tree of life, He would have tasted of that as our head and therein life and confirmed holiness would have been sealed to him and all his posterity.

But Christ, the second Adam, acts the same part for us that the first Adam was to have done, but failed.  He has fulfilled the law and has been admitted to the seals of confirmed and everlasting life.  God, as a testimony and seal of his acceptance of what he had done as the condition of life, raised him from the dead and exalted him with his own right hand, received him up into glory, and gave all things into his hands.

Thus the second Adam has persevered, not only for himself, but for us; and has been sealed to confirmed and persevering and eternal life, as our head; so that all those that are his, and who are his spiritual posterity, are sealed in him to persevering life.  Here it will be in vain to object, that a persons’ persevering in faith and holiness is the condition of their being admitted to the state of Christ’s posterity, or to a right in him; and that none are admitted as such till they have first persevered.  For this is as much as to say, that Christ has no church in this world; and that there are none on this side the grave admitted as his children or people; because they have not yet actually persevered to the end of life, which is the condition of their being admitted as his children and people; which is contrary to the whole Scripture.

Christ having finished the work of Adam for us does more than merely to bring us back to the probationary state of Adam, while he [Adam] had yet his work to finish, knowing his eternal life uncertain, because suspended on his uncertain perseverance.  That alone is inconsistent with Christ’s being a second Adam.  For if Christ, succeeding in Adam’s room, has done and gone through the work that Adam was to have done and did this as our representative or surety, he has not thereby set this only in Adam’s probationary, uncertain state, but has carried us, who are in him and are represented by him, through Adam’s working probationary state, unto that confirmed state that Adam should have arrived at if he had gone through his own work.

7. That the saints shall surely persevere, will necessarily follow from this, that they have already performed the obedience which is the righteousness by which they have justification unto life; or it is already performed for them, an imputed to them: for that supposes, that it is the same thing in the sight of God as if they had performed it.  Now, when the creature has once actually performed and finished the righteousness of the law, he is immediately sealed and confirmed to eternal life.  There is nothing to keep him off from the tree of life.  But as soon as ever a believer has Christ’s righteousness imputed to him, he has virtually finished the righteousness of the law.

It is evident the saints shall persevere, because they are already justified.  Adam would not have been justified till he had fulfilled and done his work; and then his justification would have been a confirmation.  It would have been an approving of him as having done his work and as standing entitled to his reward.  A servant that is sent out about a work is not justified by his master till he has done; and then the master views the work and seeing it to be done according to his order, he then approves and justifies him as having done his work and being now entitled to the promised reward; and his title to his reward is no longer suspended on any thing remaining.  So, Christ having done our work for us, we are justified as soon as ever we believe in him, as being, through what he has accomplished and finished, now already actually entitled to the reward of life.  And justification carries in it not only remission of sins, but also being adjudged to life, or accepted as entitled by righteousness to the reward of life; as is evident, because believers are justified by communion with Christ in his justification.  But the justification of Christ did most certainly imply both these things, viz. his being now judged free of that guilt which he had taken upon him, and also his having now fulfilled all righteousness—his having perfectly obeyed the Father, and done enough to entitle him to the reward of life as our head and surety—and therefore he then had eternal life given him as our head.

That life which was begun when he was raised from the dead was eternal life.  Christ was then justified in the same sense that Adam would have been justified, if he had finished his course of perfect obedience; and therefore implies in it confirmation in a title to life, as that would have done; and thus, all those that are risen with Christ, and have him for their surety, and so are justified in his justification, are certainly in like manner confirmed.

And again, that a believer’s justification implies not only a deliverance from the wrath of God, but a title to glory, is evident by Romans 5:12 where the apostle mentions both these as joint benefits implied in justification: “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  By whom also we have access into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  So, remission of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified, are mentioned together, as what are jointly obtained by faith in Christ: Acts 26:18. “That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified, through faith that is in me.”  Both these are undoubtedly implied in that passing from death unto life, which Christ speaks of as the fruit of faith, and which he opposes to condemnation: John 5:24. “Verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.”

To suppose that a right to life is suspended on our own perseverance, which is uncertain, and has nothing more sure and steadfast to secure it than our own good-wills and resolutions, (which way soever we suppose it to be dependant on the strength of our resolutions and wills, either with assistance, or in the improvement of assistance, or in seeking assistance) is exceedingly dissonant to the nature and design of the gospel scheme.  For, if it were so, it would unavoidably deprive the believer of the comfort, hope, and joy of salvation: which would be very contrary to God’s design in the scheme of man’s salvation, which is to make the ground of our peace and joy in all respects strong and sure: or else, he must depend much on himself and the ground of his joy and hope must in a great measure be his own strength, and the steadfastness of his own heart, the unchangeableness of his own resolutions, etc.; which would be very different from the gospel scheme.

8. It is [an] act of faith to commit the soul to Christ’s keeping in this sense, viz. to keep it from falling. The believing soul is convinced of its own weakness and helplessness, its inability to resist its enemies, its insufficiency to keep itself, and so commits itself to Christ, that he would be its keeper.  The apostle speaks of his committing his soul by faith to Christ, under great sufferings and trials of his perseverance; 2 Timothy 1:12. “For which cause also I suffer these things.  Nevertheless, I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.”  And we are commanded to commit our way and our works unto the Lord; Psalm 37:5; Proverbs 16:3.  Faith depends on Christ for all the good we need, especially good of this kind, which is of such absolute necessity in order to the salvation of our souls.  The sum of the good that faith looks for is the Holy Spirit. It looks for spiritual and eternal life; for perfect holiness in heaven, and persevering holiness here.  For the just shall live by faith.  It seems to be because continuance in faith is necessary to continuance in justification, at least in part, that the apostle expresses himself as he does, Romans 1:17, “For therein the righteousness of God is revealed from faith unto faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”  For it is by faith that we first perceive and know this righteousness and do at first receive and embrace it; and being once interested in it, we have the continuance of faith in future persevering exercises of it made sure to us.  And thus that is fulfilled, “The just shall live by faith.”  Agreeable to 1 Peter 1:5, “We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”  And also Hebrews 10:35-39, “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.  For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  For yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.  Now, the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

9. Perseverance is acknowledged by Calvinistic divines to be necessary to salvation.  Yet it seems to me that the manner in which it is necessary has not been sufficiently set forth.  It is owned to be necessary as a sine qua non: and also, that though it is not that by which we first come to have a title to eternal life, yet it is necessary in order to the actual possession of it, as the way to it; that it is as impossible we should come to it without perseverance, as it is impossible for a man to go to a city or town, without traveling throughout the road that leads to it.  But we are really saved by perseverance; so that salvation has a dependence on perseverance, as that which influences in the affair, so as to render it congruous that we should be saved.  Faith (on our part) is the great condition of salvation; it is that by which we are justified and saved.  But in this faith, the perseverance that belongs to it is a fundamental ground of the congruity that faith gives to salvation.  Perseverance indeed comes into consideration, even in the justification of a sinner, as one thing on which the fitness of acceptance to life depends.  For, God has respect to perseverance as being virtually in the first act.  And it is looked upon as if it were a property of that faith by which the sinner is then justified.  God has respect to continuance in faith; and the sinner is justified by that, as though it already were; because by divine establishment it shall follow; and so it is accepted, as if it were a property contained in the faith that is then seen.  Without this, it would not be congruous that a sinner should be justified at his first believing; but it would be needful that the act of justification should be suspended till the sinner had persevered in faith.  There is the same reason why it is necessary that the union between Christ and the soul should remain in order to salvation, as that it should be begun; for it is begun to the end that it might remain.  And if it could be begun without remaining, the beginning would be in vain.  The soul is saved no otherwise than by union with Christ, and so is fitly looked upon as his.  It is saved in him; and in order to that, it is necessary that the soul now be in him, even when salvation is actually bestowed and not merely that it should once have been in him; and therefore God, in justifying a sinner, even in the first act of faith, has respect to the congruity between justification and perseverance of faith.  So that perseverance is necessary to salvation, not only as a sine qua non, or as the way to possession; but it is necessary even to the congruity of justification.

10. That perseverance is thus necessary to salvation, not only as a sine qua non, but by reason of such an influence and dependence, seems manifest from Scripture; as particularly, Hebrews 10:38, 39, “Now the just shall live by faith.  But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe unto the saving of the soul.”  [Also] Romans 11:20, “Well, because of unbelief they were broken off.  But thou standest by faith.  Be not high minded, but fear.” [And] John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” [Likewise] Hebrews 3:14, “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end,” and Hebrews 5:12, “Be ye followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”  So that not only the first act of faith, but subsequent acts of faith and perseverance in faith, do justify the sinner; although salvation is in itself sure and certain after the first act.  For the way in which the first act of faith justifies is not by making the futurition of salvation certain in itself; for that is as certain in itself by the divine decree, before the first act of faith, as afterwards.

Salvation is in some sense the sinner’s right before he believes.  It was given him in Christ before the world was.  But before a sinner believes, he has not anything from God that he can lay hold of, so as to either challenge it or on good grounds hope for it.  He cannot be said to have any right, because be has no congruity; and as to the promise made to Christ, he has no hold to that, because that is not revealed to him.  If God had declared and promised to the angels that such a man should be saved; that would not give him any right of his own, or any ground of challenge.   A promise is a manifestation of a person’s design of doing some good to another to the end that he may depend on it and rest in it.  The certainty in him arises from the manifestation; and the obligation in justice to him arises from the manifestation being made to him, to the effect that he might depend on it.  And therefore subsequent acts of faith may be said to give a sinner a title to salvation, as well as the first.  For, from what has been said, it appears that the congruity arises from them, as well as the first; they in like manner containing the nature of union to Christ as mediator; and they may have as great, nay, a greater hand in the manifestation of the futurition of salvation to us for our dependence, than the first act.  For our knowledge of this may proceed mainly from after-acts, and from a course of acts.  The Scripture speaks of after-acts of faith in both Abraham and Noah, as giving a title to the righteousness which is the matter of justification.  See Romans 4:3 and Hebrews 11:7.

11, The doctrine of perseverance is manifest from the nature of the mediation of Christ.  For as Christ is a mediator to reconcile God to man and man to God, and as he is a middle person between both, and has the nature of both, so he undertakes for each, and, in some respect, becomes surety for each with the other.  He undertakes and becomes a surety for man to God.  He engages for him, that the law, that was given him, shall be answered; and that justice, with respect to him, shall be satisfied and the honor of God’s majesty vindicated.  So he undertakes and engages for the Father with man, in order to his being reconciled to God, and induced to come to him, to love him, and trust confidently in him, and rest quietly in him.  He undertakes for the Father’s acceptance and favor, John 14:21, “He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father.”  He undertakes that the Father shall hear and answer their prayers.  He becomes surety to see that their prayers are answered; John 14:13. “Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”  He undertakes that they shall have all necessary supplies of grace from the Father; and he engages for the continuance of God’s presence with them, and the continuance of his favor and of the supplies of grace necessary to uphold and preserve them and keep them from finally perishing; John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.”  And verse 23, “If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our abode with him.”  Christ does not only declare that God will give us needed grace, but he himself undertakes to see it done.  He promises that he will bestow it from the Father; John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send you from the Father.”

It was necessary that some one should thus undertake for God with man for the continuance of his pardoning and sanctifying grace, in order to the sinner’s being fully reconciled to God and brought fully and quietly to rest in him as his God: otherwise the sinner, conscious of his own weakness and sinfulness, could have no quiet rest in God, for fear of the union being broken between God and him, and for fear of incurring God’s displeasure and wrath, and so having God an enemy forever, He is in a capacity to undertake for us, and be surety for us, with the Father, because he puts himself in our stead.  He also is in a capacity to undertake for the Father, and be surety for him with us, because the Father hath put him in his stead.

He puts himself in our stead as priest and answers for us and does and suffers in that office what we should have done and suffered; and God puts him in his stead as King.  He is appointed to the government of the world, as God’s vicegerent, and so, in that office, answers for God to us, and does, and orders, and bestows, that which we need from God.  He undertakes for us in things that are expected of his subjects, because he puts himself into our subjection. He appears in the form of a servant for us.  So he undertakes for the Father, in that which is desired and hoped for of him as king: for the Father hath put him into his kingdom and dominion and has committed all authority and power unto him.  He is in a capacity to undertake for the Father with us because he can say, as in John 16:15, “All things that the Father hath are mine.”

12. The first covenant failed of bringing man to the glory of God through man’s instability, whereby he failed of perseverance.  Man’s changeableness was the thing wherein it was weak.  It was weak through the flesh.  But God had made a second covenant in mercy to fallen man, that in the way of this covenant he might be brought to the glory of God which he failed of under the other.  But it is God’s manner, in things that he appoints and constitutes, when one thing fails of its proper end, he appoints another to succeed in the room of it; to introduce that the second time, in which the weaknesses and defects of the former are supplied and which never shall fail, but shall surely reach its end and so shall remain as that which needs no other to succeed it.  So God removed the first dispensation by Moses, Hebrews 8:7-13, “For if the first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second,” etc.  So the priesthood of the order of Aaron ceases, because of the weakness and insufficiency of it to answer the ends of priesthood, which are, to reconcile God to man.

Therefore God introduces another priesthood, of the order of Melchizedek, that is sufficient, and cannot fail and remains forever, Hebrews 7.  So Moses, the first leader of Israel, failed of bringing them into Canaan; but Joshua, the second leader, did not fail.  The kingdom of Saul, the first anointed of the Lord, did not continue; but the kingdom of the second anointed remains forever.  The first sanctuary that was built in Israel was a movable tabernacle, and therefore ready to vanish away or be removed finally: and God forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh.  But the second sanctuary was a firm building, an immovable temple, which was typically an everlasting sanctuary, and that which God would never forsake; 2 Samuel 7:10-11.  So the first covenant, that God made with Adam, failed, because it was weak through the weakness of human nature, to whose strength and stability the keeping was entrusted.  Therefore God introduces another better covenant, committed not to his strength, but to the strength of one that was mighty and stable and therefore is a sure and everlasting covenant.  God entrusted the affair of man’s happiness on a weak foundation at first to show man that the foundation was weak and not to be trusted to, that he might trust in God alone.  The first was only to make way for the second.  God lighted up a divine light in man’s soul at the first; but it remained on such a foundation, that Satan found means to extinguish it; and therefore, when God lights it up a second time, it is that it may never be extinguished.

13. Some things may yet remain that are properly the conditions of salvation; on which salvation may be suspended, that it may well excite to the utmost caution, lest we should come short of eternal life and should perish for the want of them after it is already become impossible that we should fail of salvation.  For the condition on which the man Christ Jesus was to obtain eternal life was his doing the work which God had given him to do; his performing perfect persevering obedience, and his therein conquering Satan and the world, and all opposition, and enduring all sufferings that he met with.  Therefore Christ used the utmost diligence to do this work and used the utmost caution lest he should fail of it; and prayed with strong crying and tears and wrestled with God in a bloody sweat, that he might not fail, but might have God’s help to go through.  Yet it was impossible he should fail of eternal life, and the whole reward that had been promised him.  The joy that was set before him was not only certain to him, but he had a proper title to it as God’s heir, by reason of his relation to God the Father, as being his only-begotten Son.  It was impossible that he should fail in the work to which he was appointed, as God had promised him sufficient and effectual grace and help to persevere, and already had made known his election: Psalm 110:7, “He shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up the head;” and Isaiah 42:1, “Behold my servant whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth.  I have put my Spirit upon him.  He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles,” and “He shall not fail nor be discouraged” (verse 4), and “I the Lord have called thee in righteousness: I will hold thine hand and keep thee” (verse 6).  So it was in effect promised in the revelations that were made to Mary and Joseph, Zechariah, etc. and so to himself in answer to his prayers by a voice from heaven, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”  It appears that all was certain beforehand, by God’s actually saving great numbers beforehand, on the ground of his future perseverance in his work.

14. Grace is that which God implants in the heart against great opposition of enemies, great opposition from the corruption of the heart, and from Satan and the world. Great are the efforts of all these against the implantation of it and they all labor to the utmost to keep it out.  Seeing therefore that God manifests his all-conquering power in giving grace a place in the heart in spite of those enemies, he will doubtless maintain it there against their united efforts to root it out.  He that has so gloriously conquered them in bringing in grace will not at last suffer himself to be conquered by their expelling that which he has so brought in by his mighty power.  He that gloriously subdued those enemies under his feet by bringing this image of his into the soul will not suffer this image of his finally to be trampled under their feet.  God alone could introduce it.  It was what he undertook; and it was wholly his work, and doubtless he will maintain it.  He will not forsake the work of his own hands.  Where he has begun a good work, he will carry it on to the day of Christ.  Grace shall endure all things and shall remain under all things; as the expression panta upomenei literally signifies, in 1 Corinthians 13:7.

15. The Spirit of God was given at first, but was lost.  God gives it a second time never to be utterly lost. The Spirit is now given in another manner than it was then.  Then indeed it was communicated and dwelt in their hearts.  But this communication was made without conveying at the same time any proper right or sure title to it.  But when God communicates it the second time, as he does to a true convert, he withal gives it to him to be his own; he finally makes it over to him in a sure covenant.  He is their purchased and promised possession.  Man, in his first estate, had no benefit at all properly made over to him: for God makes over benefits only by covenant: and then the condition of the covenant had not been fulfilled.  But now, man, at his first conversion, is justified and adopted: he is received as a child and an heir, as a joint heir with Christ.  His fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.  God is theirs, and Christ is theirs; and the Holy Ghost is theirs; and all things are theirs.  The Holy Spirit, who is the sum of all good, is their inheritance; and that little of it that they have in this life, is the earnest of their future inheritance, till the redemption of the purchased possession.  Heaven is theirs: their conversation [life] is there.  They are citizens of that city, and of the household of God.  Christians are represented as being come already to heaven, to mount Zion, the city of the living God; to an innumerable company of angels, etc.  Heaven is the proper country of the church.  They are raised up together with Christ and made to sit together in heavenly places: “They are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places,” (Ephesians 2:6.).  The whole tenor of the gospel shows that Christians have actually a full and final right made over to them, to spiritual and heavenly blessings.

16. That the saints should be earnestly exhorted and pressed to care and caution and earnest endeavors to persevere is most reasonable; and it cannot be otherwise, notwithstanding their having an absolute, unchangeable promise, that they shall persevere. For still perseverance is their duty and what they are to do in obedience to God.  For that is the notion of perseverance, their holding out in the way of God’s commandments.  But if it were absurd to command them to persevere, as the work they have to do, then how would they do it in obedience to him?  The angels in heaven are confirmed, and it is promised unto them that they never shall sin: yet it is proper for God to give them commands, though in so doing he requires the improvement of their care and endeavors to obey and fulfill his will exactly.  It is not obedience, if they do not take care and endeavor to obey.  If they should cease to take care, that very thing would prove their fall.  So, in this case, if Christians cease to take care to persevere, that very thing is falling away.

17. It shows the infallible perseverance of true Christians, that their spiritual life is a participation with Christ in the life that he received as risen from the dead. For they live by Christ’s living in them: Galatians 2:20. “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me:” that is, by the life that be has received since his resurrection and by his communicating to them that fulness which he received when he rose from the dead.  When he rose, he received the promise of the Father, the Spirit of life without measure, and he sheds it forth on believers.  The oil poured on the risen head goes down to the skirts of the garments; and thus Christ lives in believers by his Spirit dwelling in them.  Believers, in their conversion, are said to be risen with Christ; Colossians 2:12-13, “Ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.  And you, being dead in your sins, and the circumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him.”  And chap. 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ,” etc.  And Ephesians 2:5-6, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together.”  [And] Romans 5:10, “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.”  This spiritual resurrection and life is procured and purchased for Christ’s members, by Christ’s suffering obedience, in the same manner as his own resurrection and life is purchased by it.  And they receive life as united to him, as members of a risen Savior and as being married in their conversion to him.

18. The perseverance of faith is necessary to a congruity to salvation. For it is implied in several places of Scripture, that if true believers should fail in persevering in faith, they would be in a lost state; John 18:8-9, “Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he.  If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way: that the saying might be fulfilled which he spake, ‘Of them which thou gayest me, have I lost none:’” i.e. Christ took care that they might go away that they might not be in the way of such temptations as would he in danger of overthrowing them so that they should not persevere.  And it is implied, that if they were overthrown and should not persevere, Christ would have lost them; the saving relation that they stood in to Christ would have been dissolved.

The same seems fully implied in Christ’s prayer in the 17th chapter of John.  Thus, he makes use not only of their having received God’s word and believed that God had sent him, but their having kept his word, as a good plea for their title to that favor and acceptance of the Father which he asks of the Father for them; as ver. 6, 7, 8, etc. — The same is implied in the 11th verse: “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”  This implies, that their being one, or their standing in a saving relation to him and in union with his mystical body, depends on the perseverance of their faith, even that union on which a title to all spiritual and saving benefits depends, which is more fully spoken of in the 21st and following verses.  This perseverance of believers seems to be the benefit, which is the principal subject of this whole prayer.

And in Luke 22:31, 32, it is implied, that if Peter’s faith had failed, Satan would have had him: “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not.”  [And in] 1Pet. 1:5, “Who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation.”  Where it seems implied that if they were not kept through faith, or if their faith did not persevere, they never would come to salvation.  So, believers being overthrown in their faith or their not knowing Christ’s voice and following him is called a being plucked out of Christ’s hand; and it is implied, that the consequence would be their perishing.  It also seems to be implied, that their possession of eternal life by Christ’s gift depends on their perseverance; John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I will give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.”

And in the 15th chapter of John, believers persevering in faith in Christ, or their abiding in him, is spoken of as necessary to the continuance of the saving union and relation that is between Christ and believers, and Christ’s abiding in them; as verses 4 and 5, “Abide in me, and I in you. I am the vine, ye are the branches.  He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.”  And in the 6th verse, it is spoken of as the necessary consequence of their not abiding in Christ, if that were possible; that the union should be utterly broken between Christ and them, and that damnation should be the consequence, “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”  And in the 7th verse, this perseverance of faith is spoken of as the necessary means of the success of faith as expressed in prayer, which is faith’s voice, necessary to obtain those good things which faith and prayer seek, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”  And in the 9th and 10th verses, it is implied, that Christ’s acceptance of us and favor to us as his, depends on our perseverance: “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you.  Continue ye in my love.  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”  So, the same perseverance is spoken of as necessary to our continuing in the favor and grace of God.

“Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.”  And so it is spoken of as necessary to continuing in the goodness of God; and being cut off, is spoken of as a certain consequence of the contrary.  [In] Romans 11:22, “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off.”  That expression, of standing fast in the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 3:8 and Philippians 4:1 implies that perseverance is necessary to a continuing in Christ, or in a saving relation to him; and more plainly still in 1 John 2:24, “Let that therefore abide in you which you have heard from the beginning.  If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father.”  See 1 Corinthians 15:2 and 2 Timothy 4:7-8 and Hebrews 12:28.  See also Jeremiah 3:19.

19. Concerning the objection from Ezekiel 18:24: “If the righteous shall fall from his righteousness and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but in the iniquity which he hath done shall he die,” and the like; God saying this does not at all prove, that it is supposed possible that a truly righteous man should fall from his righteousness; any more than God’s saying, Leviticus 18:4, 5. “Ye shall do my judgments and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.”  The Scripture in saying he that doeth these things shall live in them, does not design to teach us, that in the present state of things, it is possible for us to do those things in a legal sense, (in which sense the words are certainly proposed, as the apostle teaches,) but only teaches the certain connection there is between doing these things and living in them, for wise ends; particularly to lead us, by such a legal proposal, to see our utter inability to obtain life by our own doings.  So the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, The Scripture in saying, If the righteous shall fall away from his righteousness, he shall die; does not teach us, that in the present state of things, since the fall, it is possible for a truly righteous man to fall from his righteousness; but only teaches us the certain connection between the antecedent and the consequent, for wise ends; and particularly, that those who think themselves righteous, may beware of falling from righteousness.  For it is not unreasonable to suppose that God should put us on bewaring of those things that are already impossible, any more than that he should direct us to seek and pray for those things that are promised and certain.

20. With respect to those texts in Ezekiel that speak of a righteous man’s falling away from his righteousness, the doctrine of perseverance was not so fully revealed under that dispensation. It was of service to the godly to make them wary; but especially to those who were legally righteous and trusted in their own righteousness, as Ezekiel’s hearers did; to convince them of this, that there was a connection between the antecedent, falling away, and the consequent, the dying in their iniquity, Jeremiah 32:39, 40, “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 in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.”  And it is so spoken of once and again by this very prophet in chapter 11:17-21 and chapter 36:24-29.  Yea, in this very chapter, after he had been declaring the danger of falling away from righteousness, the children of Israel seem to be exhorted to this very thing as a remedy against falling away: “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”(verse 31).  They needed not only to turn from their transgressions, but to cast them away utterly, to have finally done with them, and to make them a new heart; for the prophet declares, that their old heart was a backsliding heart, bent to backslide, as the prophet often complains.

21. The godly themselves were really exposed to die in their iniquity, i.e., they were liable to be destroyed by God’s awful judgments in this world.  The prophet has a special eye to those destroying judgments that God had lately brought on the nation of the Jews which are very much the subject of the prophecy and seem to have given occasion for it, and which the Jews had respect to in the proverb which they used and which gave occasion to what is said in this chapter.  If the sinner turned from his outward wickedness unto an outward righteousness only, he would save his soul alive with regard to those outward calamities; and if the righteous fell away outwardly by committing some grievous sin and getting into a bad way, they exposed themselves to die by this their iniquity in this manner.

22. That there is a real difference between them that fall away and them that persevere, even before they fall away, is evident by the things that are given as a reason of their falling away: because they have no root in themselves; because they have not counted the cost, and because they have no oil in their vessels.  Those that have no root, differ from those who have root, before there be the effect of their having no root: and so those that have no oil, etc,  And it appears again, by what is said, John 2:23 that “when Christ was at Jerusalem at the Passover on the feast day, many believed in his name when they saw the miracles which he did.  But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”  And so, “They went out from us, because they were not of us they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us.”

23. Objection. But it is in the same chapter said, “that if a wicked man turn from his wickedness and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live:” where doubtless must be understood by “doing that which is lawful and right,” sincere and gracious righteousness, because there is a promise of life.  And we must doubtless understand doing that which is lawful and right here, in the same sense as before.  Answer.  We may understand it in the same sense, for [it is] an external, visible, material righteousness.  When it is said, if he turn from his iniquity and do that which is lawful and right, it must be understood if he continues so to do and does not turn from it again.  According to the schemes of both Arminians and Calvinists, this must be understood.  Whereby the objection is overthrown.  Visible Christians are in Scripture called saints, or holy; which is equivalent to the calling them righteous.  The Jews are called a holy nation; the land is a hand of uprightness; when only visibility is intended.  By righteous, sometimes is meant only innocent or materially righteous in some particular. “Wilt thou also destroy a righteous nation?” Genesis 20:4; Exodus 23:7, “The innocent and the righteous, slay thou not;” Deuteronomy 25:1, “Ye shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked;” I Samuel 4:11, “How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person?”  By the righteous man that the prophet Ezekiel speaks of, he certainly does not speak in so limited a sense as to mean those that are of perfect and upright hearts, but so as to include those of an unsound heart, that trust in their own righteousness to commit iniquity; see Ezekiel 33:13. i.e. those whose motive is only self-love and their own safety and so trust that they have righteousness enough to render them safe though they do commit sin.  Those that are only restrained from committing sin by fear and are ready to embrace, and are glad of opportunities of committing sin with impunity; these cannot be such as the sincerely righteous are often described to be, viz, such as love God with all their hearts and souls; that love the way of his commandments; that choose the way of his commands, etc.  The reason why some do not persevere is that there is not now a right heart in them; as is evident by Deuteronomy 5:29, “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me and keep my commandments!” etc.

24. When it is said, “If a righteous man turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, his righteousness shall not be remembered, but he shall die in his iniquity;” we need not, according to the scripture manner of expression understand anything but his seeming righteousness, or the righteousness that he seemeth to have.  Christ has often such an aphorism as this, “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath;” which he applies to that apparent godliness, grace, or piety, which natural men have, as is evident by the contexts, and the occasions of his using this aphorism; as Matthew 13:12, Matthew 25:29, and Mark 4:25.  This, in another place, is explained thus, “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have;” Luke 8:18.  Being a righteous man, does indeed commonly signify to be one that is truly and sincerely godly.  And so is believing in Christ mentioned frequently as the distinguishing character of one that is truly Christ’s disciple.  Yet we read of some that are said to believe, who, even at that very time, are spoken of as wanting something necessary to make them true disciples: John 2:23, 24, 25, “Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.  But Jesus did not commit himself to them, because he knew all men; and needed not that any should testify of men, for he knew what was in man.”  These words intimate, that though they believed, yet Christ knew that they had not that in them [what] was to be depended on for perseverance: which implies, that if they were true believers, of a right principle, their perseverance might be depended on.  And we are elsewhere told, why some that believe, endure but for a while, and do not persevere, viz, because they have no root in themselves.

25. That there is an essential difference between the faith and seeming grace of such professors as fall away and such as persevere, even before any distinction appears as to perseverance, or while both retain their religion is exceedingly manifest by John 6:64-65, “But there are some of you that believe not.  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.  And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”  And verse 70, “And Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”  Here, before Judas had fallen away, he is said not to believe and to be a devil.  Now Judas was a professing disciple and a distinguished one.  He was a visible believer.  Christ speaks of him as one that had forsaken all and followed him in the regeneration, as is evident in Matthew 19:27-28; and as one that had continued with Christ in his temptations, Luke 22:28 (compared with verse 30).  There were great appearances of true grace in him, as there were in Ahitophel, his type, with whom David took sweet counsel, etc.  And therefore, as a righteous man, Christ had given him the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost and sent him forth to preach the gospel and heal the sick and cast out devils — Yet he, even before he fell away, is said not to believe, but to be then a devil; which is agreeable to what the apostle says of apostates, “They went out from us, because they were not of us.  If they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us.”

26. That they who once truly believe in Christ never fall away finally and perish is evident because they that now believe not and are in a state of condemnation are spoken of as those that never have believed, John 3:18, “Because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  Which supposes, that none of those that have believed are now unbelievers or are now in a state of condemnation.  So again, those who shall be condemned at the day of judgment are represented as those, not only whom Christ then will know not, but as those whom he never knew, Matthew 7:23.  But how can this be a true representation, if some of them were once true Christians and so were known and owned by Christ, but only have since apostatized?  “When St. Paul kept under his body lest he should be a castaway, 1 Corinthians 9:27, he did no otherwise than he was wont to do in temporal concerns, in cases wherein he was beforehand certain of the event.  So he sent word to the chief captain of the Jews lying in wait to kill him lest he should be murdered by them, though it was revealed to him from God the very night before, that he should live to see Rome, Acts 23:12-21.  So he would not allow the sailors to leave the ship.”

27. As to scripture cautions against falling away, lest it should issue in damnation; we may observe that God had been pleased to connect eternal life with eating the fruit of the tree of life; and therefore, although it was utterly impossible that Adam should have eternal life in himself, after he had fallen, as God’s peremptory declaration and unalterable constitution had made it impossible; yet we are told, that after the fall, God placed cherubims and a flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life, lest the man should put forth his hand, and take and eat of the fruit of the tree and live forever.  So God has connected damnation with living in allowed sin and being overcome by sin, and brought under its power.  And therefore, although it be impossible, that men, after they are once truly converted, should ever perish, yet they are warned against falling away and yielding to the power of sin, lest they should perish: and the apostle Paul kept under his body, lest he should be a cast-away.

28. As to objections from such hypothetical propositions as those, Hebrews 10:27, etc. “If we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth;” Hebrews 6:4, etc. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, if they fall away,” etc.  Such hypothetical propositions may be true, when one or both parts of it are impossible, as the truth of such a proposition consists in the connection of the antecedent and consequent; as when our Lord said to the Jews, “If I should say, I know him not, I should be a liar like unto you.”  See Gill against Whitby, vol. 1:271.

29. Objection. That we are required to TAKE CARE and to pray that we may persevere.  It was impossible for Christ to fail under his trials; and yet how evident is it that he used means, endeavors, care, labor, and earnest prayers, that he might persevere?  In order to show, that an absolute promise of perseverance does consist with counsels and exhortations to endeavor and care to persevere, I would lay down the following positions.

Position I. What it is proper for us to seek by earnest and importunate prayer, it is proper for us to use means, labor, and care, for that end.  The reason is plain: prayer is one kind of seeking the thing; it is using means, and one way of laboring for it, taking care to obtain it, and pursuing after it.  There are many instances of prayer and commands to pray for things promised.  Christ on earth prayed for things promised; and he continually intercedes in heaven for things promised.

Position II. What it is proper that persons should use endeavors, means, and care for, they are properly exhorted to use those means and endeavors.

Position III. That which it is proper for another to use means, labors, and care for, that he may obtain it, though he knows it is certainly promised, it is proper that we should use means, etc. to obtain for ourselves, though it is promised.  But Christ used means, endeavors, labor, etc. for the salvation of sincerely good men though it be promised.  He labored, took care, denied himself, and suffered for the salvation of sincerely good men; which yet had been before abundantly promised to him and promised to men in the Old Testament; and Christ himself had promised it.  The Scripture represents that Christ ran a race to win a prize and endured the cross for the joy that was set before him.

30. If it were left to the freedom of men’s own will whether men should persevere in the sense that the Arminians suppose; i.e. to a will not determined by God, but self-determined, then it would be absurd to pray to God that we may persevere; that he would keep us from falling, and that he would uphold our goings in his paths, etc.

1. The Nature of Faith demands Assurance.

If the doctrine of falling from grace be embraced, it would have a great tendency to prevent an act of faith.  For if so, a person, if he should venture his soul on Christ, could not be assured that Christ would save him.

2. Those that fall away differ from those that persevere.

That there is a real difference between them that fall away and them that persevere, even before they fall away, is evident by the things that are given as a reason of their falling away: because they have not rooted themselves, because they have not counted the cost, and because they have no oil in their vessels.  Those that have no root differ from those that have root, before there be the effect of their having no root: and so those that have no oil, etc.  And it appears again, by what is said, John 2:23, that “when Christ was at Jerusalem at the Passover, on the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.  But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”  And so by that, “They went out from us, because they were not of us.  If they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us….”

3. False believers have never believed and were never known by Christ.

That they that once truly believed in Christ never fall away finally and perish is evident, because they that now believe not, and are in a state of condemnation, are spoken of as those that never have believed.  John 3:18, “Because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”  Which supposes that none of those that have believed are now unbelievers, or are now in a state of condemnation.  So again, those that shall be condemned at the day of judgment, are represented as those, not only that Christ then will know not, but as those that he never knew, Mat. 7:23.  But how can this be a true representation, of some of them were once true Christians, and so were known and owned by Christ, but only have since apostatized?  The same is found in 1 John 3:6, “Whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him, neither known him.”  This could not be true, if it might be so that a man that has truly seen him and known him, might finally fall away to sin.

4. Objections.

First Objection – The Scripture cautions against falling away, lest it should issue in damnation. God had been pleased to connect eternal life with eating the fruit of the tree of life, and therefore, although it was utterly impossible that Adam should have eternal life in himself, after he had fallen, as God’s preemptory declaration and unalterable constitution had made it impossible.  Yet we are told that after the fall, God place cherubims and a flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life, lest the man should put forth his hand and take and eat of the fruit of the tree, and live forever.  So God has connected damnation and living in allowed sin, and being overcome by sin and brought under its power.  And therefore, although it be impossible that men, after they are once truly converted, should ever perish, yet they are warned against falling away and yielding to the power of sin, lest they should perish: and the apostle Paul kept under his body, lest he should be a castaway.

Second Objection – What about the hypothetical propositions as those in Heb. 10:26, etc. “If we sin willfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth.”  Heb. 6:4, etc. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, if they fall away,” etc.  Such hypothetical propositions may be true, when one or both parts of it are impossible, as the truth of such a proposition consists in the connection of the antecedent and consequent: as when our Lord said to the Jews, “If I should say, I know him not, I should be a liar like unto you.” See Gill against Whitby, vol. 1, page 27.

Third. Objection. That we are required to “take care” and “pray” that we may persevere.  It was impossible for Christ to fail under his trials, and yet how evident is it that he used means, endeavors, care, labor, and earnest prayers, that he might persevere?

7. Inquiry. Whether an absolute promise of perseverance does consist with counsels and exhortation to endeavor, and care to persevere.

In answer to this, I would lay down the following positions.

Position 1. Things that it is proper for us to seek by earnest and importunate prayer, it is proper for us to use means and labor and care for. The reason is plain: prayer is one kind of seeking the things. It is using means, and one way of laboring for it, taking care to obtain it, and pursuing after it.

There are many instances of prayer and commands to pray for things promised. Christ on earth prayed for things promised, and he continually intercedes in heaven for things promised.

Position 2. That which it is proper persons should use endeavors, means, and care for, they are properly exhorted to use means and endeavors for.

Position 3. That which it is proper for another to use means, labors and care for, that he may obtain it, though he knows it is certainly promised, it is proper that we should use means, etc. to obtain for ourselves, though it is promised.

But Christ used means, endeavors, labor, etc. for the salvation of sincerely good men, though it be promised.

8. The Christian precept, which forbids anxiety in Christians, is a demonstration of the doctrine of perseverance: “Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

9. Christ labored, sought, took care, denied himself, and suffered for the salvation of sincerely good men, which yet had been before abundantly promised to him, and promised to men in the Old Testament: and Christ himself had promised it. The Scripture represents that Christ ran a race to win a prize, and endured the cross for the joy that was set before him.

10. That a truly good man will not backslide is evident from Pro. 14:14, “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own way; and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.” Here is a plain opposition, both in the subject and predicate of this proposition, which plainly shows it to be incompatible to a good man that he should be a back slider….

11. If it were left to the freedom of men’s own will, whether men should persevere, in the sense that the Arminians suppose, i.e. to a will not determined by God, but self-determined, then it would be absurd to pray to God that we may persevere, that he would keep us from falling, and that he would uphold our goings in this paths, etc.

From Miscellany 799.