Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_400.lzh/D_406.TXT

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406                                 OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS.                                                       ]Book VL

as the rest were; nor does it appear, from all accounts
of him, that he ever was a partaker of the true grace
of God; and so no instance of the apostasy of a real
saint. Judas stands distinguished from the rest of the
apostles, in the choice of Christ; I speak not of you
all; 1 know whom I have chosen, that is, to eternal
life; for otherwise, Judas was chosen as an apostle
with the rest; Have I not chosen ye twelve, and one of
.you is a devil ? John xiii. 18. and vi. 70. and as here,
a son of perdition; and was never considered as an ob-
ject of his, or' his Father's love, and so was left to that
perdition to which he was appointed, that the scripture
might be fulfilled, which foretold it , and the particle
but is not exceptire, but adversative; and does not
imply, that he was one of those given to Christ to be
kept, but the contrary.
Seventhly, When the apostle says of God, 1 Cot. i.
8, 9. Who shall confirm you to the end, that ye may be
blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ; faithful
· is God, &c. to do it; with other passages of the same
kind, 1 Cot. x. 13. I Thess. iii. 13. and v. 23, 24.
2 Thess. iii. 3. These are so many proofs of the saints
final perseverance. The blessing itself promised and
assured is confirmation, or establishment, in Christ;
in faith in Christ, in the grace of faith, and in the doc-
trine of faith, and in holiness: the author of it is God;
though ministers may be instruments of establishing
the saints; God is the efficient: he has promised it;
and he, as the God of all grace, is able to do it, and
will; He which establisheth us with you in Christ--is
God, 2 Cot. i. 21. see 1 Pet. v. 1o. and the duration
of it is to the end; not for a short time, but to the end
of life; so that such shall endure to the end, or finally
persevere; yea, so confirmed are they, that they shall
be unlameable at, and be preserved blameless to the
coming of our Lord Jesus; though not in themselves,
yet in him, who will then present them to himself
glorious, and without spot; and to his Father faultless,
before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy.
And to do all this, the faithfulness of God is engaged,
which is observed in the several passages; and which
faithfulness of his he will never suffer to fail; and
therefore the confirmation, and the preservation of
the saints to the end, even to the coming of Christ,
are sure and certain; and their final perseverance in
grace to glory, out of all doubt.
Eighthly, 'It is said of those who are elect, and are
begotten again, that they are kept by the power of God,
through faith, unto salvation, I Pet. i. 5. they are kept
in the love of God, in the covenant of grace, in the
hands of Christ, and on his heart; in him, the strong
hold, and on him, the foundation; in a state of grace,
both of sanctification and of justification; and in the
paths of truth and holiness: they are kept from Satan,
not from his temptations, but from destruction by him;
and from false teachers, and their errors, from being
carried away with them, and finally deceived by them:
and from sin, not from the indwelling of it in the
hearts of believers; nor from all acts of sin in their
conversation; but from the dominion, power, and ty-
ranny of it; and from a final and total falling away
through it. The means by which they are kept is, the
power of God, which is as a fortress to them, inex-

pugnable; where they are \~frouroumenoi\~, kept, as in a gar
rison, as the word signifies, andso are safe and secure;
there being no might or power of men or devils, that
can withstand, break through, or weaken the power
of God. Likewise they are kept, through faz?h, in
the power of God, andin the person and grace of
Christ; through faith looking to Christ, living upon
him, and leaning on him; through that faith which
overcomes the world, and every spiritual enemy; and
through the viewsit has of eternal glory; and so the
believer endures, as seeing what is invisible: and
what they are kept unto, is salvation; the full posses-
sion of that salvation which Christ is the author of,
and they are heirs of; and which shall be completely
enjoyea in a future state; to which, and till they
come into it, their perseverance is certain. There are
many other passages of scripture, which might be
produced in proof of this doctrine; but these are suffi-
cient. I pass on,
II. To observe those arguments in proof of the
saints final perseverance, taken from various sacred
and divine things. As,
First, From the perfections of God; whatever is
agreeable to them, and made necessary by them,
must be true; and whatever is contrary to them, and
reflects dishonour on them, must be false. The doc-
trine of the saints final perseverance is agreeable to,
and becomes necessary by them, and therefore must
be true; but the contrary to it, that of the apostasy
of real saints, so as to perish everlastingly, is repug-
nant to them, and reflects dishonour on them, and
therefore must be false. The perfections of God,
which are manifestly displayed in the doctrine of the
saints final perseverance, and by which it is confirmed,
.are the following.--1. The iramutability of God.
God is unchangeable; this is asserted by himself,
I am the Lord; I change not: and he himself drew
this inference from it, Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed; ye that are Israelites indeed perish
not, nor ever shall; and after God himself, we may
safely draw the same conclusion: if they are con-
sumed, or perish everlastingly, he must change in his
love to them, which he never does, but rests in it;
and in his purposes and designs concerning them. And
those whom he has appointed to salvation, he must
consign over to damnation; and his promises of grace
made to them, and his blessings of grace bestowed on
them, must be reversed; and yet he will not alter the
thing that is gone out of his lips, nor change his mind;
for he is of one mind, and who can turn ]tim ? The
doctrine of the saints final perseverance asserts the
unchangeablehess of God, and does honour to it; but
the contrary doctrine makes him changeable in his
nature, will, and grace, and reflects dishonour on him,
with whom there is no variablehess nor shadow of turn-
ing, Mal. iii. 6. Job xxiii. 13. James i. l7.--2. The
wisdom of God appears in this doctrine; and whose
wisdom is seen in all his works of nature, providence,
and grace; and is very conspicuous in the salvation
of his people; which it would not be, should they
perish. No wise man, who has an end in view, but
will devise and make use of proper means; and will,
if in his power, make those means effectual to attain