they, &c. were defroyed of the deftroyer, 1 Cor. x. 4, 5. 10. They were broken off because of unbelief, and thou ftandeft by faith, &c. continue in his goodness otherwife thou alfo fhalt be cut off, Rom. xi. 20. 22. Through thy knowledge fhall thy weak brother perish, for whom Chrift diel, &c. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend [and so to PERISH] I will eat no flesh while the world ftandeth, 1 Cor. viii. 11. 13. There fhall be falfe teachers among you, &c. who denying the Lord that bought them, fhall bring upon themselves fwift deflruction. Thefe fhall utterly perib in their own corruption, and fhall receive the reward of unrighteousness, &c. curfed children, who have forjaken the right way, 2. Pet. ii. 1. 12. 15.

2. My people have committed two evils, they have forfaken me, &c. I will even forfake you, faith the Lord, Jer. ii. 13, xxiii. 33. The destruction of the tranfgreffors and of the finners fhall be toge

1. He hath faid, I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee fo that, (in the way of duty) we may boldly fay, The Lord is my helper, Heb. xiii. 5. 6-(I add in the way of duty, becaufe God made that promife originally to Jo-ther, and they that forjake fhua, who knew God's the Lord fhall be confumed, breach of promise, when Achan ftepped out of the way of duty. Compare Joh. i. 5, with Joh. vii. 12, and Numb. xiv. 34.)

1. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faith unto him, If thou be the Son (or child) of God, caft thyfelf down; for

&c. and they shall both burn together, and none fhall quench them, Ifsa. i. 28. 31.

2. Jefus faid it is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, Matt. iv. 7. Neither let us tempt Chrift, as fome of them alfo tempted, and were deftroyed of serpents, I Cor. x. 9.

(Who

for it is written, He fhall give his angels charge concerning thee, &c. (not only left thou fall finally, but alfo left thou dafh thy foot against a ftone, Matt. iv. 5, 6. Pfalm xci. 11,

12.

(Who can tell how ma ny have been deftroyed by dangerous errors, which, after infinuating themfelves into the bofom of the fimple, by means of their fmoothness and fine colours, drop there a mortal poifon, that too often breaks out in virulent expreffions, or in practices worthy of—Mr. Fulfome ?)

How wifely does the tempter quote feripture, when he wants to inculcate the abfolute prefervation of the faints! Can Zelotes find a fitter paffage to fupport their unconditional perfeverance! It is true however, that he never quotes it in favour of his doctrine: for who cares to plow with fuch an heifer? (fænum habet in - cornu.) Therefore, though fhe is as fit for the work, as most of those which he does it with; he never puts her to his plough, no not when he makes the most crooked furrows. Should it be asked, why the devil did not encourage Chrift to throw himself down, by giving him fome hints, that a grievous fall would humble him, would make him fympathize with the fallen, would drive him nearer to God, would give hita an opportunity to fhout louder the praifes af peilevering grace, &c. I reply, that the tempter was too wife to show fo openly the cloven foot of his doctrine: too decent not to fave appearances: too judicious te imitate Zelotes.

SECTION XVI.

What thoughts our Lord, St. John, St. Paul, and St. James, entertained of fallen believers. Aparallel between the backfliders delineated by St. Peter, and those who are defcribed by St. Jude. A horrible deftruction awaits them, for denying the Lord that bought them, and for turning the grace of God into lafciviousness.

IT

Tis impoffible to do the doctrine of Perseverance juftice, without confidering what Chrift and the Apoftles fay of apoftates. Even in their days the nuinber of falling and fallen believers was fo great, that a confiderable part of the lait Epiftles feems to be nothing but a charge againft apoftates, an attempt to reclaim pharifaic and antinomian backfliders, and a warning to thofe who yet flood, not to fall away after the fame example of unbelief and conformity to this prefent world.

Begin we by an extract from Chrifl's epiftles to the churches of Afia. Though the EPHESIANS hated the DEEDS of the Nicolaitans, yet after St. Paul's death, they fo far inelined to lukewarmness, that they brought upon themselves the following reproof. I have fome what against thee, because THOU HAST LEFT thy first love. Remember therefore, whence THOU ART FALLEN, and repent, and do thy firft works, OR ELSE I will remove thy candlestick. The church at Fergames was

not in a better condition; witness the fevere charge that follows: Thou haft them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balaac to caft a fumbling-block bifore the children of Ifrael, &c. to commit fornication. So haft thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent, OR ELSE I will fight against

thes

thee with the fword of my mouth. The contagion reached the faithful church of Thyatira, as appears from thefe words: Thou fuffereft that woman, Jezebel, to SEDUCE MY SERVANTS to commit fornication. But unto,

&c. as many as have not THIS DOCTRINE, and have not known the DEPTHS OF SATAN, I will put upon you none other burthen. In Sardis a ferv names (only) had not defiled their garments, the generality of chriftians there had, it seems a name to live and were dead. But the fall of the Laodiceans was univerfal: before they fuf pected it, they had all, it seems, flidden back into the fmooth, downward road that leads to hell. I know thy works, fays Chrift, I would thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Like thofe who ftand complete merely in notions of imputed righteoufnefs) thou fayeft, I am rich, &c. and have need of nothing; and knoweft not that thou art wretched, and poor, and blind, and naked,

Rev. ii. iii.

Can we read this fad account of the declenfion, and falling away of the faints without asking the following queftions? (1.) If backfliding and apoftafy were the bane of the primitive church, according to our Lord's doctrine; and if he did not premise to any of those backfliders, that victorious, almighty grace would certainly bring them back; what can we think of Zelotes's doctrine, which promises infallible perseverance, and enfures finished falvation to every backfliding, apoftatizing believer? 2.) If the primitive church, newly collected by the Spirit and fprinkled by the blood of Chrift, guided by apoftolic Preachers, preferved by the falt of perfecution, and guarded by miraculous powers, through which apoftates could be given to Satan for the deftruction of the firk, witness the cafe of Ananias, Sapphira, and the inceltuous Corinthian ;) If the primitive church, I lay, with all these advantages, was in fuch danger by the falling

away

away of the faints, as to require all thofe reproofs and threatenings from Chrift himfelf: is it not aftonifhing, that whole bodies of proteftant believers fhould rife in our degenerate days to fuch a pitch of unferiptural affurance, as to promise themselves, and one another, abfolute, infallible perfeverance in the divine favour ? And (3.) If the apoftate Nicholas, once a man of bcaeft report, ful of the Holy Ghoft and wijdom, but afterwards (it feems) the ring leader of the Nicolaitans: if Nicholas, I fay, went about to lay a flumbling-block b fore Chriftians, by teaching them that fornication would never endanger their finifhed falvation: does Zelotes mend the matter when he infinu-ates withal, that fornication, yea, adultery, and if need be, murder, will do Chriftians good, and even anfwer the moft excellent ends for them?

Confider we next what were St. John's thoughts of Antinomian apoftates. He had fuch a fight of the mischief, which their doctrine did, and would do in the church, that he declares, This is love, that re WALK after his commandment. This is the commandment, that ye bave heard from the beginning ye Should WALK in it. For MANY DECEIVERS are entered into the world, who confefs not (practically) that Jefus Chrift is come in the flesh (to deftroy the works of the Devil: who deny Chrift in his holy doctrine: and, among other dangerous abfurdities, will even give you broad hints, that you may commit adultery and murder without ceafing to be God's dear children. But believe them not.) Look to your felves that we lofe not those things which we have wrought. Whosoever TRANSGRESSETH and ABIDETH NOT in the practical) doctrine of Chrift, hath not God, &c. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your houfe, neither bid him God speed, 2 John 6 to 10. Again, He that faith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Thefe