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The Confeffion of Faith.
certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved as
Chap. XVII.

II. This perfeverance of the saints depends not upon their own free-will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Fatherb; upon the efficacy of the merit and interceflon of Jesus Christc; the abiding of the Spirit and of the feed

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily, I say unto you, In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. Mat. xxiii. 23. Wo unto you scribes and Pharifees, hypocrites; for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

I. a Phil. i. 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. i. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election fure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. John x. 28. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. v. 29. My Father, who gave them me, is greater than all: and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I John iii. 9. Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin; for his feed remaineth in him: and he cannot fin, because he is born of God. 1 Pet. i. 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. v. 9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your fouls.

II.62 Tim. ii. 18. Who concerning the truth have erred, saying, that

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the refurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of fome. v. 19. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the ty. Jer. xxxi. 3. The Lord hath apname of Christ, depart from iniquipeared of old unto me, faying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

e Heb. x. 10. By the which will ing of the body of Jesus Christ once we are fanctified, through the offerfor all. v. 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that the God of peace, that brought aare sanctified. Heb. xiii. 20. Now gain from the dead our Lord jefus, that great shepherd of the theep, ing covenant, v. 21. make you perthrough the blood of the everlastfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his fight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for Neither by the blood of goats and ever and ever. Amen. Heb. ix. 12. calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemptiof bulls, and of goats, and the ashon for us. v. 13. For if the blood clean, sanctifieth to the purifying es of an heifer sprinkling the unof the flesh; v. 14. how much more the eternal Spirit, offered himself shall the blood of Christ, who, thro

Chap. XVII. The Confession of Faith.

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of God within themd; and the nature of the covenant of gracee: From all which arifeth also the certainty and infal libility thereoff.

without spot to God, purge your confcience from dead works, to serve the living God? v. 15. And for this cause he is the mediator of the new teftament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the tranfgreffions that were under the first testament, they who are called might receive the promise of eternal, inheritance. Rom. viii. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that juftifieth: v. 34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh interceffion for us. v. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? thall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? v. 36. (As it is written, for thy fake we are killed all the day long; we are counted as theep for the flaughter.) v. 37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. v. 38. For I am perswaded, that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, v. 39. nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. John xvii. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 4/24. Father, I will, that they al

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so whom thou haft given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which thou haft given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. Luke xxii. 32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Heb. vii. 25. Wherefore he is able also to fave them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for them..

d John xiv. 16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; v. 17. Even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it feeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you, i John it. 27. But the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you: and ye need not that any man teach you: But, as the fame anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie: and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. John iii. 9. Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit fin; for his feed remaineth in him: and he cannot fin, because he is born of God.

e Jer. xxxii. 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, That I will not turnaway from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

f John x. 28. And I give unto them eternal life, and they thall ne

III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous finsg; and for a time continue thereinh: whereby they incur God's displeasurei, and grieve his holy Spiritk; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts hardenedm, edm, and their confciences wounded n; hurt and scandalize otherso, and bring temporal judgments upon themselvesp.

ver perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. 2 Theff. iii. 3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil, 1 John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

III. g Mat. xxvi. 70. But he denied before them all, faying, I know not what thou sayeft, v. 72. and again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. v. 74. Then began he to curse and to swear, faying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

b Pfal. li. (the title) To the chief mufician, a pfalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone into Bathsheba. v. 14. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my falvation: and my tongue shall fing aloud of thy righteousness.

i Ifa. Ixiv. 5. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth, and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth, for we have finned: in those is continuance, and we shall be faved. v. 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and haft confumed us because of our i

niquities. v. 9. Be not wroth very fore, O Lord, neithet remember iniquity for ever: behold, fee, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 2 Sam xi. 27. And when the mourning was past, David fent, and fet her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son: but the thing that David had done displeafed the Lord.

Eph. iv. 30. And grieve not the holy spirit of God, whereby ye are fealed unto the day of redemption.

1 Pfal. li. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness: that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. v. 10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. v. 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Rev. ii. 4. Nevertheless, I have fomewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Cant. v. 2. I fleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. v. 3. I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? v. 4. My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. v. 6. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had

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CHAP. XVIII. Of the Affurance of Grace and Salvation. LTHOUGH hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God and estate of falvation a; which hope of theirs fhall perishb: yet such as truly believe

withdrawn himself, and was gone; my foul failed when he spake: I fought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

m Ifa. lxiii. 17. O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways? and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy fervants fake, the tribes of thine inheritance. Mark vi. 53. For they confidered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. Mark xvi. 14. Afterwards he appeared unto the eleven, as they fat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart because they believed not them who had seen him after he was risen.

" Pfal. xxxii. 3. When I kept filence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long. v. 4. For day and night, thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of fummer. Pfal. li. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness: that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

• 2 Sam. xii. 14. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occafion to the enemies of the Lord to blafpheme, the child also that is born unto thee, shall furely

die.

• Pfal. Ixxxix. 31. If they break

my statutes and keep not my commandments. v. 32. Then will I vifit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 1 Cor. xi. 32. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

I a Job viii. 13. So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrites hope shall perífh. v. 14. Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spiders web. Mic. iii. 11. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. Deut. xxix. 19. And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curie, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst. John viii. 41. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then faid they to him, We be not born of fornication, we have one Father even God.

b Mat. vii. 22. Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? and in thy name have caft out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? v. 23. And then will

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believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in fincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good confcience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of gracec, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God; which hope shall never make then ashamed d.

II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable perfuafion, grounded upon a fallible hope e; but an infallible afsurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of falvationf, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are madeg, the testimony of the Spirit

will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

c 1 John ii. 3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. I John iii. 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren: he that loveth not his brother, abideth in death. v. 18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. v. 19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. v. 21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God. v. 24. And he that keepeth his commandments, dwelleth in him, and he in him: and hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit that he hath given us. 1 John v. 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

d Rom. v. ii. By whom alfo we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. v. 5. And hope maketh not ashamed,

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because the love of God is shed a broad in our hearts, by the holy Ghost which is given unto us.

that every one of you do shew the II. e Heb. vi. Ir. And we defire same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end. v. 19. Which hope we have as an anchor of the foul, both fure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the vail.

ling more abundantly to shew unto f Heb. vi. 17. Wherein God wilthe heirs of promise the immutability of his counfer, confirmed it by an oath: v. 18. that by two immupoffible for God to lie, we might table things, in which it was imhave a strong confolation, who have fied for refuge to lay hold upon the hope fet before us.

unto us exceeding great and preg 2 Pet. i. 4. Whereby are given might be partakers of the divine cious promises, that by these you nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through all diligence, add to your faith, virJust. v. 5. And besides this, giving tue; and to virtue, knowledge. v. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things,

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