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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent 6tre filmds d des taux de reduction diff^rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 A partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. I by errata med to lent une pelure, fapon d 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 32X THE FINAL PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. A SERMON: BY REV. CriA.I^LES N^ISMITII, SPRINCSmiU-u ^'I give unto them eternal life; and they shoM never peiish, n(,ither shall any pluck them out of my hand, ^ohn x. 28. PXJ13LISHED BY REQI7KST. HALIFAX : NOVA SCOTIA PRINTING COMPANY. 1875. THE FINAL PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. i "Tifirr vnfn ihnn rtn;,al lifi .- and they shall never parish, uuther ,haU ami pluck ffitia out of my hand. — John x, 28." II is alnmaaatly -Icir, that, il' God Lu wl,at lie is rcproscuted to 1)0 in the, ]L„ly Scriptu;. ., thu moral redemption of iii;iitkind must be 110 accidental or ur.c.'vtain issue, since it is the issue of his perfection-. When we caileiuplato the physical universe, we see no indicatiuiis that the Creator is an erring, changeable, shoilsighted Being, hut counMcs.s and overwhelming proofs of the contrary. Laws that are al)solutely fixed and unswerving operate; from age to age ; principles that are unchanged and unchangeable run through and connect all matter, form and motion ; and the systems, and the worlds, and tho .seasons, and the light, and the heat, and the budding of a leaf, and the rounding of a dew-drop, continue in an order and according to a design Hut never at one moment or iu one instance vary. The object,s that are intend..,] to be realized, whatever they are, are realized ; tho purposes had in view in the material fabric are evolved; onwards^ to the end to be acc.unplished all things unerringly and unalterably move ; and we cannot imagine tlie constitution of things around us to be unfixed and uncertain in its connection, without the tremendous ai.prehension that the whole material framework and all that appertains to it might dissolve and perish. Now it must be the same, if the God of creation is the God of providence and redemption, in the moral univen-se and in the moral redemption of mankind. In the moral worhl there must be the same certain, detinite, and unaltera1)le purposes, and tlie same certain, .lefinite, an of men, it is necessary to LcHc'Ve, ami, in consi.stuncy with wliat (»oil ia anil dnes, \V(,' cannot but heli(;ve, that tliat system is <;overne(l hy liiws ahsohitely ci.'rtain in their operations, and that the resnlts in tho .salvation of men, tlieir conversion and ultinnite hleysedness, are perfectly and uncliangeahly sure of beinj^ ncconiplished ; and tlierefore that the doe'trine of the text, the final perseveranct^ of the saints, nuist bo true. I say, wo nnist suppose this, and it is utterly impossible to .suppose otlurwi.se, Avithout t''tally contradictin;^ all our knowled{,'0 of God and all tlio evidences that are inulti[ilied around us, and v/ilhout the terriblu apj)rehcnsion, that tli;; entire and universal dostmction of inoral beings throughout the realms of creutiv)n might at any in.'s^ant ensue. And yet ytm are aware tliat tliis truth has l)een deriied, and that somo hav(! afTirnied, that that sche.mo of salvation is uncertain in it.-j operation and results, and that there 's no guarantee that any men, that even true believers, will be secure -f final and complete redemp- tion. This false idea, that believers may fall awuy ir(jm grace and finally perish, hasbeju hehlin niodevn times, and is still held, though aft(^r all in few and unimportant (pi;irters. The true and Scrii)tural doctrine that CJod's people are safe, or, as it is commonly called, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, has been all along held by the Christian church, was held by the churches of the lieformation, and by all who in (Jod's hand have most largely moulded the religious character and destiny of the worhl. Let us consider this great truth, as it is here cxplxitly stained by oTir Li'rd, " I give unto them eternal life, &c." 1. It must be admitted and maintained too, as a Scripture, truth, that tho.se who will not repent and turn to God will full away from such grace as they have had, and pta-ish, Tlua-e are thousands and tens of thousr.nds who are perishing in this condition. Men and women Avill spend week after week, month after month, attending the means of grace, with the word of (Jod in their hands and the way of mercy before their eyes, luit they do not become Christians. They profess not a Saviour's name, thiiy mourn not increasing sin, they hold willingly to a course of inditference and evil. It is perfectly clear that these persons, W they repent not,will lose all the favor of God, 4i I «.'• aii (Jospd, and may yet fail of linal ivdcmption. Tt-is po.ssihlo to ho a jjrofossor, and a very aniiaMc and correct proft'ssor too. and even to have, very h'ron^ inward cunvictious and emotion.^ and yet not he roally converted ; and if such a pruf'essdr hecomc mure indidereiit. and at. li'n.uth so entirely worldly a.s to oast away the very form of reli,L;ion, hi.s ease is as hojtc- less as any on this side the j^'rivc can he. Jt is in this M'ay that ono or two ])a.^sa^'es are to he understood, whiidi some, takin;^'a very pirtial and superficial vic\\ of the subject, r'Up[iosc countenance the false idea referred to ; thou;^di no one, who attentively reads the Scriptun \s, can full into such a mistidcf!. We refi;v to the following : — Hebrews vi, 4, " For it is ini[)ossible for those who were onco cnli^ditened, and have tasted of the heaveidy ,L,nft, and were made partakers of the Ifoly Ghost, and have tasted the p»r)d word of (jod, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away to renew them again to repentance ; seeing they crucify to themselves the Lt)rd afresh and jait him to an open shame." We do not need to take the exjilanation which some commentatitrs, and i)erhai)s quite properly, have given of this verse, viz : that the Ajjostle is suj»posing an im- possible casi>, that he is making merely an hypothesis, that he does not say that the persons icoiill fall av/ay, but that if thoy possibly fnvhJ, if such a thing could be (which it could not), there would bo no more nipentance for tb.i.'m. We can perfectly understand the words without this explanation, and in harmony with all the rest of Scripture. We can understand a man to be fully informed in reference to the Gospel, as this passage states, to have had strong and melting emotions in connection with Christ the Heavenly (Jift, to have j)artaken largely of the intlu(Mices t>f the Holy Sj)irit, to have cherished a considerablft relish, for a time at least, in the 8cri|)tures, and to have felt powerftdly the tremendous realities of eternity ; we can nnderstand a man to have passed thr(,>ugh all this, and yet never to have been really and permanently converted to Ciod. Judas was such a i)orson. The stony ground hearers in the parable of the sower were such persons. Scrip- ture gives us instances of professors of the truth, fqiparcntli/ as much 6 intoTP.sli (1 ill it ns linlicvers, yet imt truly (H.sciples of Christ. Tlu' Apo.^tlc in ;uif)tlifi' <[»istl() sfiVM, " 'I'lioii^li T sjtciik with the toiifjuosof men and oi' angels, and tlinimli I liavc the ,t^ift of prnphccy, and undcrstind all niy^stiTJcs imd all knowlfdge, .md llintigh I have all Cailli, and liivc not charity," lnVf, gmnini' Invo, to (ithers I'ur ('hiisl'H sako, " r am noihin;,'." And in thu passage licrt', he is thiri'fdn; Hpoaking not oC gcnnino. (lis(!i[)h'S of Chnst, not of real hclicvors, not of ]HMv,()nH who ri'ally |tos.s<'S9 eternal life, l)nt of persons who — though highly ]»rivilegrd and even gil'led with religious attainments — never truly rep(Mit and beli'-ve. And then; are persons in that condition in many if not in all of mir ecngregations, and we have met with them. Then* are individuals who have had all the privileges and o})poi't unities the Aj)Ostle here enumerates, and Avho confess to having ex{)erienoed ihem ; wdio know the truth clearly, who have been son ;il)lo (jf thosf5 emotions ami tastes and desires and solemnities of feeling stirring within iheui, which Jesus and the; Holy Hpirit and the Scripture and eternity are fitted to awaken ; and yi't their hearts have never heox won, and thinr lives never been suirendered, to the Savionr. Now if these individuals do not yield to (iod, if they willingly neglect the ^'reat salvation, if they fdl away fnun these means of grace and all the constraiin'ng fon/e uf tlu'l>i\ine inllui ncos, it will ])e impossible to awaken the (tld feelings of re])entance ; their reformation is utterly hopeless, for by their rcjectifui C'f the sacriiice of Christ they make another sacrifice,, if that were ])ossible, necessary, and tlnis crucify the Lord afresh and put him to an opeii shame. Similar is that otiier passage in llebi'CAvr, x, 20, "For if we sin wilfully aft(U' that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgiuent ar.d fiery indignation, which shall devour the adver- saries." It was oidy the otiier d.'iy that I conversed with a man, one wdiois not a Christian, and yet as well InfornKid in regard to the truth of the Gospel as most of those pnsent. lie has the knowledge of the truth, but his will is not gi\en up to Christ. This man admits ho is living a wrong course, he ki'uws it, but he wilfully pnrsues it, wil- fully sins. Here is an instance amongst ns exactly of what the Apostle is pointing out. And if a man, knowing the truth, wilfully and deliberately sins, wha-t remains 1 Xotliing, he sins against the remedy, and, treading underfoot the Son of God, there remains nothing but a certain fearful looking Air of judgment and fiery indignatioiu 4' <■ irt.'l)ri;\vri xii, 2."), '< Loijkiii.L; L finy in.ii\ lUl cf the ujnicc' of ( J(«l." It is pos.siblf, ami it i.s too common, tnr an unhi'Ucvuoj mail to fail of the f^'racc of God vouclisaffd him, to tuni iiwiy tVom iinJ abandon or lose Lhf favor of (lod ; and it is also pns.sihk' for u ht'Iicvcr to fall into .sin/o/* a tlmi', and it is this douhlhs.s tliut tho Aportlc nman.s. 11(3 doos not say that a hr/i'orr will remain in sin, and finally and forovt'r fall away ho as to pcri.sh, and in numcr"U9 other 1 >a.'vil indulgcneies and passions, and deny one's self. Christ says so •dsewhere, an*^ Paul says so in this passage. And if I'aul did not keep his body under, that is, did not subdue those evil indulgencies and luissimis, even though he preached to others, he certainly would be a castaway ; and this seKishncss and sin would prove that he never had been a servant of Christ at all. That is Gospel truth, and it aii[)lies to Paul and every one. But Paul ica,^ a true 1)< liever and servant of Christ, and therefore he would, and did keej) under his 1>udy, that is, he gave up sinful S' usual habits, and therefore he never Wdidd and never did prove a castaway, that is, he never would f:dl away from grace. These are ail the passages of any importance on the l)oint, and it is evidtiit thei none of them contradicts the grand doc- tiine of tlie final perseverance of the saints, and which we now proceed to establish. 2. Wo affirm llii.s doctrino from Scriptun'. In tlu' nas.siign \k-\\<\v us "WO have tliij moat po.sitivo declaration tliat is pos.siMi', to conccivo. Hero our I,(»r(l is ppoalting of tho shoei), for which as tho (Jood Rhcjihcrd Ifn L,'avo his life. Tho .sh(!('[) arc luniiu'stionahl}' hcliovrrs, all who tru.--t Iliin and folhnv lliin as tli<'ir Saviour ; wo novor lhiid< ol quest ioniii^f'tlnit; thoy are all ovcirywhero wlio comitoso tho I/uuh's fl(M;k, truly loving .and serving lliiu. Now Christ says Mo gives them ctcriKil life ; not a tomi)orary, changing, uncertain lilV, huL ctirmil life, " I give unto them eternal life." lUit it could not he eternal, if it M'eve Hiihlc to })o ln>,t ; it could not poasi])ly l)e eternal, if those aheep, true Christians, might fall away and not inherit it ; in that case he would give uncertain life. To say that Christ's people might, by any possibility or mischanco or accident or event wliatevir, }iot enter glory, would 1)0 to deny that Christ gave them eternd life, for thai moans and can only moan 9}>iritual, everlasting, imporishaldo life, Jf there were no other statements in the whole word of Cod, this would he Huflicient to show that no helievor in Christ can ])ossilily perish, and to give every beliovcr the comfort and assurance that lie is forever safe. Ho may fall into sin, Init he will not, cannot remain in it, because he has now a new nature, because he sincerely and really loves Christ, because ho mourns for and turns from it, because Christ never lets him go, and has declared His gift to him to bo eternal life. It is not possible for the gift to be lost, it is removed beyond th(^ jiossibility of accident or peril, eternal is tho life as is the Saviour of tlie Christian. Further Christ says, " They shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand." Can word? be plainer, more- explicit, more conclusive ? Tlie man who shut.? his eyes to this statement might as well shut his eyes to tlje sun, and say there can bo no light. There, as distinctly as language, human divine language, can state it, is the doctrine of tho infallible perseverance and glory of tho saints. They, His sheep. His j)eople, for whom Ho died, ** shall never iierish, neither shall any man," in the original it is not any — not any angol, not any devil, not any being, not any power or possibility wdiatever — can pluck them out of my hand. The man, therefore, who attempts to deny tho certainty of all believers' final salvation, attempts to contradict tho Lord Je^nis Christ. But our Lord, in the following verse, adds " Mr Father, whie.li gave them me, is greater than all ; and no man is able to pluck them II t 1. it 1 out of Jiiy F.illivy. The; man therefore, who attenipt.s to deny the certainty id' all believers' ullimat*.' .salvation, opjxises the l)ivin(> Spirit, And le.st any one in any after a<^'(i of tie; world, or any minister forgettiu;,' or [)erverting the trutli, .should say or suppo.se, that it was only bis twe!\-e di.seiple.s that (,'hrist meant, and not all true believers, all Christ'.s eleet and redeemed ones, in every aj^c, he declares in John xvii, 20, " Neither [u-ay I lor theso alone, but for tliem also which .sliall bi'lieve on me through their word, that they all may be one," The man therefore who ventures to afiirm tliut (iod'-s elect l.>elicving cliildrcn -shall not all without exception linally I'c saved, or that any one of Hk iu may altogether fall aAvay fnjiu grace, contradicts the word and opj)u.ses the work of Father, Sun, and Holy Spirit, the Three One eternal dod him.self. And the grand truth thus announced is a.sserted and confirmed throughout the word of God • it enters into the vt-ry es.sencc of the Gospel; it Viuderlies its every fact, is implied iu every .statement, and breathed in every promise. 2 Samuel xxiii, 5, " Although my hon.^o be not so witli God, yet hath he made with mo an everlastin,'>; covenant, ordereil in all things and .sure," Here is a saint of God, imperfect indeed, yet a saint of God, rejoicing in the everlasting covenant of grace, that is, never ending, never changiug, ordered in 10 ;iil tliin.Ljs iiTxl siirn, ahsolnlahj certain tlu.-n of l)L'iiig fuinrKHl. .rercniiali xxxi, 3, " Tho Lonl liitli aiipoarcil of oM unto me, saying, T liavc loved (Ik-c with an overLi.sling \oxo, UioivrofL' witli lovin.^r kindness liave I drawn Ww ; xwii, 40, '-'And I will make an I'vcrksting covenant with llicm, tliat I will not turn away IVoni them to do tlieni good ; ])iit I Avill put my fear into their hearts, that the'y shall not depart frcni me." (/ould the doctrine of final grace ])c more positivi^ly declareil ] Ijomans v, 2, "J>y whom al.::o wt; have access hy faith into thi-; sn-ace wliereiii wt; st; nd, and rejoice in hope of the glory of (rod." TIere helievers arc said to stand in (lod's grace, and rejoice in liopc, of nliimatc perfection, hut they could not stand in a peradvcnture, aiid rejoice in an uncertainty, llomaiis viii, 35, 38, " Who , 'hall separate us from tho love of Christ? Siiall trihulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? 1 am pevsuadfHl t!i;it neither death nor life," &c. Here the Apostle asks. Who shall separate Christians from the Saviour? and says that he is persuaded, most lirndy assured, that nothing in the universe can ever separate them. And yet Wiovq arc persons who venture to say the reverse. Ephi::-:ians i, 4, '' According as He hath chosen us in Him hefore tho foundation of tlic ■world tJu^t avc shoxdd he holy and M'ithout hi' ,ue hufore Ilim in love ; having predestinated us unto the adoption of eliildren hy Jesus (.'lirist to Himself." Here it is declared that itges ;igo Lelievers \>ore chosen to l)e hoi}' autl hiameless, and predestinat"d to he Cod's children. If this is true, then it /6' true, and they )ini.-mise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until liie redemption of the purchased possession." Here hclicvers are decl r 'd to he ■■^exlcd with (hid's Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest or guarantee of their inheritance ahove. There cannot then 1)e I'.ny possihility of their ]iot reaching this, for they are (Jivinely and infallibly sealed or certiiied or guaranteed to it. Phili- ])iai\s i, 6, " Ijeing confident of this very thing that He which hath Itegun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus (>hrist." J]hi Apostle was c.unio to say that tho Apostle had no riglit to he confident, that he was mistaken, and that tho work might uover ho 11 jicrfurmod at all. ^Vu ro})oat otlior pnssogcs \vi[lu.ut omnioiit. 2 Tim. ]), 10, " Xcvcrtlielcss tlie foniidaliou of (uA sfuiHldh suro, liHviiiL; this .svY//, 'riio Jxuxl knowiHh tlit'iii tliutarc l;is." 11. \i, 11, 17, 19, "iVinlwe dosire that evcrv one of von do sliow the same 1^ .igonce to tlif" full assurance of lu>[)0 auto iho, end. Which hopu Ave liavo an an anclsor of the soul, bnlh ■■^iiv and ,-;ff'/h'iisf. ;nid which I'ntereth into that within the veil. "Whciviii C'd, willin;^' nioro abundantly to .■^how, cVc." Hi'h. vii, 7, "2"), '" WLiM'Top- ho i-< ahlo also tt) save thei'i to tlio uttermost tliat come unto (Ii'd hy llim." licit, ix, 12, "lie h:'th (d)taincd cfrynftl rcdcMiij'tinn ^>>v us." Hcb, X, 14, " For by one olfcriug Ho halli /tcr/t'ctcfl fur <'r-r tlifui that aro .-■anctiMcd." Ifcb. ?:iii, 20, "Now tlic Hod of pcu'c ni^ikf you pcriect," ko,. 1 T'ctcr i, f), 0, '• Wiio an- kept by the power of T^d through faith ioito mlvatioii, ready to be revealed iu Ihe last tijue. L'eeeiving the Old of your faitii, even the salvation of ymir souls."' '1 Peter i, 4, 10, "Whereby an^ given unto u.> exceeding great and jirecious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the diviiu^ nature. Wherefore the; rath(U', brethren, tfivc diligence to make vour calling and election sure, fyr if ve do these things ye shall vc^-fr fall.'' 1 dohn ii, 10, '-'I'li'y went out from us, but they were not c^f ns ; for if they had bren of us they /TO?/A7 7/w/vj conHiiard willi u.- ; but they went out from us, that they might b" made manifest that they were lot all of ns." I JoImi iii, 0. "Whosoever is born of riod doth not comnut sin, fur his set'd reiuainefh in hini, and lii.' e-i?inot sin, because he is Itorn of Ood.." 1 John v. 13, " Tlic'se thing>i ]\\\\k' T written unto you that believe oii the ti;nue of the .Sun of r,od. []v\i y»^ may ku(.)W that ye liavc^ cfrninl life." From these and many >! •mm- passages only one conclusion can be drawn, that the vray of W L'hristiau is not beset with uiic( ; !-aiity, and tint all who thi'imgh (lud.'s spirit are born again -.wv. born for ev<'rmore. 3. This doctrine moreover nuist lie atrirmed, if we cotiyld.er any nf the great facts in conneetiiju with the (b)spol. I'roiiiinent before ns is the eternal and unchangeable love of f}.)l ;.'oiiig f.rtli in the election of his own people. No cue will atteu'pt to dj ny that there is this election taught in tlu; Scriptures. It is not uiendy (dection, but ele(;tion/Vf>;?? nil cfi'miti/ ; and election, not because of anything j/ood or meritorious in them, but to good, to reju ritance. to fnth, to salvation, chosen uiito these things. And we find tlu> Mdcde chain of 12 pri\Lrrc.'>s (li.stiiictly stilted in thu Kpi.stlo to tlio "Romans, " For wlioiiv lie (lid foreknow, he also did prcdt!stinatc to bo conformed to the imagti of jiis Hon. ]\rorcovor, whom he did ])rcdestinal(', tluau ho also called : and wliom he called, then he als,» jusf ilnnl : and whom he jnstilied, them lii> alio glorified." They arc predestinati'd and called, and the cud of it i.s that they (.re glorified. If then God has elected them to everlasting lif(!, which Tie has, th<>y cannot hy any poasihility finally perish. If they conld peri.di, then God did n(jt elect them to everlasting life, hnt this would he contradicling Scriptnre. Klection is there, election of God's p'.oplo to final and endless salvation, and thiTi.'fore that final and endless salvation can no more fail than God can fail. The accomplishment of it is not dependent on them hnt on Him, for He has predestined and deter- mined it, and to say that He cannot or may not bring it (o pass, what unspeakable wickedness is this ! Cxod has saiil that it will bo and cannot but be, for He has pre-dcterinined that it will be, and if any man venture to say that it v,'ill not be or may not be, let him beware. To say this is to impugn God's veracity, it is to qne-stion His love and Avisdom and omnipotence, it is to attack and subvert the Scripture itself. Further, there is the efficacy ot the merit and intercession of Christ. T'hc merit of Clirist endures for ever, and He ever liveth to make intercession f >r us. If therefore the merit of Christ is ever fresh, and the intercession of Christ ever prevalent, how can those for whom he merited everlasting life, and for whom He intercedes, fin allj' fain Christ's work must accomplish the purposes which he foresaw and foreknew and determined that it should accomplish, and He foresaw and foreknew and determined that all His people should be saved and he with him forever. To sujjposo that Christ's peoido might finally fill from grace is to suppose that Christ's whoh; life and sud'erings and death and resurrection and intercession might fail, and that therefore He might not see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. To suppose that any whoso names are written in the Lamb's book of life are now lost is to suppose that Christ's purpose is def(uited, that He was mistaken, and that He was an adventurer. Jn such a case there is no guarantee that any believer can reach heaven at all. They may reach it, but then they may not ; there is no certainty, and therefore they niav be never there. Could any idea be 13 more insulting to the Saviour, and more dcslruclive of the whole fharactc'V and object of His glorious mission into the world? Furth(;r, there is tlx; continual abiding and influence of the Tloly Spirit. The Hjiirit brings us to Christ, aiid takes possession ot us, and sets us apart, for ('hrist. If lie can take possession He can In'ep possession, and if He cfoi keep possession, for the honor of Christ He will. Christ himself says that He will, that \\v will abide forever, and that He will pei'form the work until the day of His aii[)earance. How then can we tinally fill away and perish 1 To think so is to deny the Holy Ghost Himself and to regard His whole work with every soul as a peradventure and a chance. And further, there is the very nature of the Gospel and the Christian life. The (iospel is a work, a Pivinc work, as truly as any work we see around us. It is begun in eternity, it is carried out in time, and will l)e linished in eternity. Can we supjiose that there is nothing delinite about this work, nothing certain and sure ; that it is all doubtful, confused, baseless as a dream ? The idea is blasphemous as well as absurd, for it strips God of His attributes, and makes Him less trustworthy than a fallible mortal. And as regards the Christian life, how could it be, how could religion exist, if all the future of it were indetinite and uncertain 1 No one would engage even in any worl'lly business without some prospect of success, AVould you open a store, or dig a mine, or build a ship or factt)ry, or project a railway or canal, if you had no reasonable ground of its ])rosperity '\ If every enter[)rise in the Avorld were just as likely to fail as to prositer, just as likely to fall through as to succeed, who would undertake any 1 And if it were really true that there was no certainty of any undertaking succeeding, if this actually were the case, the result woidd speedily be that no one windd put forth any effort whatever. Progress would cease, society would come to a stand, the world would stoj) ; and everywhere disorder, desolation, despair would reign. And if this is true in worldly things, it is still more true in the things of the soul, in the matters of eternity. If there were no certainty that by a par- ticular course of conduct salvation would be secured, no one would attem[)t it. To read the Bible, to preach, to hear, to pray, to strive, to labor, would be useless and absurd, if after all the whole might fail. Why should there be means of grace in the world and the church, if nothing certain is to be secured, and all of us and any of 14 us may ontinly ami eternally perish] "We may j^nvc tlioin all up, l)ecan.s(.' we h ive no .s(>ciirity fur salvation, and we ought to givi^ thcui up, because it Is a waste of time and effort. There is no use iu ]>rofessing religion, or beooniing nieniLers of the church, hecauso we uro not tlie hetter or sunif on that account. There i; no use in ndigion at all. In lact this falling away idea would overturn all virtue, and all prineiph; whtitisver. We venture to allirni that if this utterly lalse and unsori[)tural and (iod-dishonoring opinion were universally to he helieved, th(! rhurch, ordinances and worship, thi; lUble, Gospel, and religinii would dis;!pptar IVoiu the face of the earth, .society would sink into barbarism and idnLitry, and the wildest, fiercest passions would ravage mankind. It wiadd destroy everything, and cast the whole race of man, fallen and sinfid as it is, on a sea of cliaos, wreck, and ruin, with oidy a gleaiu (>!' light here and there to break for a moment through the (jverwliclming darkness. We have thus endeavored to show, that the doctrine of the final perseverance of tlie saints is ex[)ressly laid doM'U in [Scripture, runs through tlie wh 'le v.-ord of (Jod, and is so connected with all other doctrines, that if they are to be believed it must be believed : God's existence, attriliutcs, providence, grace, Gospel, they all essentially hang together. We deplore the fact, if it is true, that the false notion of believers linally falling away from grace has Ijcen publicly expressed in this place, and tliat any of you have had the misfortune to hear it, and we trust that the stateiut.'nts now made mi!^ ludp to contirm j^our faith. Tins f.dse notion, which some Avho profess to be Christians entertain, manifests vc^ry superhcial thought and ga-eat ignorance ; but it is also most dangerous and destructive, for it strikes at the nature and object 'rf the whole Gospel and all its great truths. It contradicts Scri])tuve, d.;r.\.'!y ab.:;:iijs the character of God., and involves llie most unous assumi ■ij) iptions. render attendance on church an unimportant matter, and do away with church memberslii[; or ciuifession of Christ, a-'d '.lus is its inil'.ience wherever it prevails. Indeed it has a direct tciulcncy to shake all confidence in the Divine Word, in the object and fdth of the (Jospel, and with the most suhaiin and earnest voice wo warn men against it. Scripture is clear on the whole subject. It declares the final salvation of all believers, and tlie necessity of all the i'u\ins of grace ti) that end, for it U through them that this final salvation, according to (Jod's 15 : will, is to 1k^ secured, and not otlicrwirio, and all true Ix-licivurs must and inlalliMy will use those means, and, nsint,' these meann, attain eternal },dory, to the praise of TTim who has redeemed them with His blood, and prepared for them the iidunitance that fadeth not away. Let it he rememhered, liowevor, that this promise belongs only to the righteous, an. I none are righteous hut those who have a living faith in Jesus, and faith in Jesus always produces holiness, and leadsto the performance of good works. If therefore we are not doing good we arc not holy, and if we are iiot holy we have not a living I'aith in Christ, and if we have not a living faith in Christ we are not righteous, and if we are not righteons we have no title to the promise, " .Sciii)ture nowhere teaches the salvation of juofessors hut oidy of heli(. vi is ; it ne\er says that })rofessors shall persevere but oidy that saints shalf. The diictrine Ihei'efore gives no encoui'agement to sloth, nor dcu's it hold out the least comfort to the sinner, whether a professor or not. JUit it is full of the sweetest comfort for the weak, wavering, slijiping, sliding, staggering and stumbling believer in Clai.st, I'or it tells him that he shall be holden up, because CJod is able to make him stand." It assures him that the grace of Christ is sufficient f )r him, and that as his day so shall his strength be. 'My hearer, are you righteous? Are you one of Cod's good men? Do you fear that through the temptation of 8atan or your own weakness or instability, you shall fall, utterly fall ? If so, take the encouragement held out to you in this sweet verse, and believe because (,Jod has said it, and said of every one that relies on his grace, "Though befall, Ik; shall not bo utterly cait down ; for the Lord ui^holdith hiiu willi llis hand." " If ever it sliould come to pass, that slieep of Christ may fail awa/, My fiukle fcohle .soul ;'.!as ! would fall a thousuad times a day; Were; not Tliy love as firm as free, Thou soon wouidst take it Lord from mc. I on thy promises depend, at least I to depend desire, That iliou wilt love me to the end, be witli me in temptation's fire, Wilt for mo wi.rk and in me too, aud guide me right imd lain!; me through."