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from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of

v 2 Tim. ii. 19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. Jer. xxxi. 3. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.

Heb. x. 10, 14. By the which will we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. John xvii. 11, 24. 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.-Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am: that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. Heb. vii. 25. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Heb. ix. 12, 13, 14, 15. Rom. viii. 33, to the end. Luke xxii. 32.

John xiv. 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. 1 John ii. 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 same 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. 1 John Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

iii. 9.

grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof. *

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 sins; and for a time continue therein: whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve his Holy

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y Jer. xxxii. 40. 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. With Heb. viii. 10, 11, 12.

z 2 Thess. 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. John x. 28. They shall never perish. 1 Thess. v. 23, 24.

Matt. xxvi. 70, 72, 74. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.-And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.-Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the

man.

b 2 Sam. xii. 9, 13. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.-And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.

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Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

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Isa. lxiv. 7, 9. For thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.-Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 2 Sam. xi. 27. And when the mourning was

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Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize g others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.

past, David sent and fetched her to his became his wife, and bare him a son. that David had done displeased the Lord.

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house, and she But the thing

a Eph. iv. 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemp

tion.

e Psa. li. 8, 10, 12. Make me to hear joy and gladness: that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. -Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.-Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Rev. ii. 4. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

f Mark vi. 52. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. Mark xvi. 14. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven, as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him, after he was risen. Psa. xcv. 8.

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

h2 Sam. xii. 14. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee, shall surely die.

i Psa. lxxxix. 31, 32. If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 1 Cor. xi. 32. But when we are judged we are chastened

CHAPTER XVIII.

OF THE ASSURANCE OF GRACE AND SALVATION.

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ALTHOUGH 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 salvation; which hope of theirs shall perish: yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the

of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Job viii. 14. Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. Deut xxix. 19. 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 said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Matt. vii. 22, 23. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Job viii. 13.

1 1 John ii. 3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 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. 1 John iii. 14, 18, 19, 21, 24.

glory of God: which hope shall never make them ashamed.m

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II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adop

m Rom. v. 2, 5. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.-And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

n Heb. vi. 11, 19. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.-Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.

• Heb. vi. 17, 18. Wherein God, willing more abun dantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.

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P 2 Pet. i. 4, 5, 10, 11. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge.—Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 1 John iii. 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. 1 John ii. 3, and 2 Cor. i. 12.

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