Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_400.lzh/D_416.TXT

Text File | 1994-08-18 | 7KB | 136 lines

41G

--~ ~ ................. ~ -      ~:~ ~
are no proofs of then' final and total falling away.$

OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS.                                                       Book VI.

As to Noah and Lot, though guilty of great sins, they
have after this the character of truly good and righ-
teous men. As for David, though by his fall his bones
were broken, and the joy of his salvation was taken
from him, and grace lay some time unexercised by
him; yet the Spirit of God was not taken from him,
as appears from Iris own words, when most sensible of
his case, Psalm li. 11, 1.9,9. As for Solomon, though
his backsliding was great, attended with aggravated
circumstances, yet not total, see t Kings xi. % 6. uor
final, as to perish everlastingly; which would have been
contrary to the promise of God, that his mercy should
not depart front him, 2 Sam. vii. 14, 15. Besides, he
was restored by repentance; and the book of Eccle-
siastes was penned by him in his old age, as an acknow-
ledgment and retractation of his former follies; and
some persons, after his death, are spoken of with com-
mendation, for walking in the way of Solomon, as well
as in the way of David, 2 Chron. xi. 17. As for Peter,
his fall was not total; Christ prayed for him, that his
faith failed not; nor final; for he was quickly restored
by repentance. And these several instances are record-
ed in scripture, not as instances of final and total apos-
tacy, but of the weakness of the best of men in them-
selves; and for our caution and instruction, to take heed
lest we fall: Demas is sometimes mentioned as an
instance of apostacy; who, very probably, was a good
man, since he is mentioned with such who were so,
Col. iv. 14. Philera. v. 24. and what the apostle says of
him, that he had forsaken hinz, having loved this pre-
sent world, is not sufficient to prove him an apostate,
any more than Mark's departure from the apostle Paul,
and others at Pamphylia; ttor his too much love of the
world, which is to be observed in many, otherwise good
and valuable men, would prove them to be so. As for
Hymeneus, Alexander, and Philetus, they do not ap-
pear to have been good men, as before observed; and
so no instances of the apostacy of real saints.
   Thirdly, Some ill conse(tuences, supposed to follow
the doctrine of the saints final perseverance, are urged
against it. As,-----(1.) That it tends to make persons
secure and indifferent, as to the use of means to pre-
serve them from sin and apostacy. But this is not true
in fact, any more than iu other cases similar to it; but
is rather an encouragement to the use of them: Joshua,
though he was assured that not a man should be able
to stand before him, but all his enemies should be con-
quered by him; this did not make him secure, nor
hinder him from taking all the proper precautions
.against his enemies; and of making use of all means
to obtain a victory over them. Hczekiah, though he
was assured of Iris restoration from his disorder; .vet
this did not hinder him, nor the prophet, who assured
him of it, from making use of propcr means for the
cure of it: and though the apostle Paul had a certainty
of the saving of the lives of all that were in the ship,
yet he directed them to the proper means of their pre-
servation; and told them, that except'they abode in
the ship they could not be saved; and taking this his
advice, though shipwrecked, they all came safe to
shore.-      (2.) It is said, that this doctrine gives en-
couragement to indulge to sin, and to commit such

gross sins as Lot, David, and others; upon an opinion
 that they are the children of God; and upon a pre-
sumption, that they cannot so fall as to perish evcr}ast-
ingly. To which it may be replied, that such sins
mentioned, committed without repentance towards
God, and faith in the blood and sacrifice of Christ,
those who are guilty of them shall not inherit the
kingdom of God; but, according to the law, die with-
out mercy; and even those good men who did commit
such sins, though they had true faith, and genuine re-
pentance, their sins were so displeasing to God, and
resenteel by him, that lie visited their transgressions
with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes; though
his 1oving-kindness was not taken away from them.
And the above instances of sin are recorded, not to
encourage sin; but to caution against it; and to shew
the weakness of the best of men, and to set forth the
pardoning grace and mercy of God to such offenders;
in order to relieve souls distressed with sin, and to give
them hope of the pardon of it. And whatsoever ill use
such persons may make of these instances, who have
only an opinion of their being the children of God;
such who are really so by faith in Christ, neither can
nor will make such an use of them..    -(3.) It is
jeered, that this doctrine lessens the force of the pro-
hibitions of sin, and of exhortations to avoid it; and
of motives offered to persevere in righteousness and
holiness. But these prohibitions of sin, and motives
to holiness, are used by the Spirit of God as means of
perseverance; and so they are considered by good men.
And it would be absurd and irrational to judge other-
wise; for can a man believe he shall persevere to the
end, and yet indulge himself iu sin, as if he was resolv-
ed not to persevere ? and nothing can be more stronger
motives to holiness and righteousness, than the absolute
and unconditional promises of God to his people; and
the firm assurance given them of their being the chil-
dren of God, and the redeemed of the Lamb; see
2 Cot. vi. 18. and vii. 1.1 Pet. i. 17, 18, 19.-
(4.) Whereas we argue, that the doctrine of the saints
apostacy, obstructs the peace and comfort of believers;
it is objected to that of their perseverance, that it is
not therefore true, because it is comfortable to carnal
minds, which are opposite to the doctrine according to
godliness. To which it may be answered, that our
argument does not proceed upon the comfortablehess
of the doctrine we plead for; but upon the uncomfort-
ableness of the opposite to it; for though a doctrine
may not be true which is seemingly comfortable to a
carnal mind; yet that doctrine is certainly not true,
which is really uncomfortable to a sanctified heart; or
which manifestly breaks in upon tile true peace and
comfort of a believer; as the doctrine of the saints
apostacy does; since the whole scripture, and all the
doctrines of it, are calculated for the comfort, as well
as for the instruction and edification of the saints: and
though their perseverance does not depeud upon their
comfort; for if they believe not, and are without com-
fort, God is hithful to his counsel, covenant and pro-
mises, and will preserve and save them. However,
this is certain, that the doctrine of the saints falllug
away from grace finally and totally, is a very uncom-
fortable one, and therefore to be rejected.