Perseverance: Old Paths - J. C. Ryle

chapter 19 of ancient ways by j.c

ryle

this librivox recording is in the public domain

perseverance

they will never perish john chapter 10 verse 28. there are two points in religion in which the teaching of the bible is very clear and distinct one of these points is the terrible danger of the wicked the other is the perfect security of the righteous is the happiness of those who convert the other is the misery of the unconverted one is the blessedness of being on the way to heaven the other is the misery of being on the way to hell I consider it of utmost importance that these two points be constantly impressed on the minds of professing Christians.

I believe that the excessive privileges of the children of God and the mortal danger of the children of the world must continually be presented in the lightest colors before the church of Christ. I believe that the difference between the man in Christ and the man who is not in Christ can never be expressed too strongly and too much reserve on this subject is a positive injury to the souls of men wherever such reserve is practiced, the careless will not wake up. Believers will not be established and the cause of God will receive much damage. I fear that many people are not aware of the great quantity of convenient truths which the Bible contains for the peculiar benefit of true Christians.

There is a spiritual treasure in the word which many never enter and some eyes have not even seen. There they will find many truths. golden in addition to the ancient first principles of repentance, faith and conversion there they will see in glorious disposition the eternal election of the saints in Christ the special love with which God loved them before the foundation of the world their mystical union with his resurrected head in heaven and his consequent sympathy with them his interest in the perpetual intercession of Jesus his high priest his freedom from daily communion with father and son his full assurance of hope his

perseverance

to the end these are some of the precious things kept in the scriptures for those who love god these are truths that some neglect out of ignorance like the spanish in the days when possessed of california do not know the rich minds under their feet the minds from which the americans have extracted so much incalculable wealth these are truths that some neglect out of false humility, they look at them from afar with fear and trembling but they do not dare to touch them, but these are truths that God has given for our learning and that we are obliged to study.

It is impossible to neglect them without inflicting harm on ourselves. special truth in the list of a believer's privileges to which I now wish to direct attention: the truth is the doctrine of perseverance the doctrine that true Christians will never perish nor be rejected is a truth to which the natural heart has opposed bitterly in all ages is a truth that for many reasons deserves special attention today, above all it is a truth with which the happiness of all God's children is most closely related. There are four things I propose to do when considering the subject of perseverance one I will explain what the doctrine of perseverance means two I will show the biblical foundations on which the doctrine three is built I will point out some reasons why many reject the doctrine four.

I will mention some reasons why the doctrine is of great practical importance. I approach the subject with distrust because I know that it is one in which holy men do not see the same but God is my witness. that in writing this article I have no desire to promote any cause other than that of biblical truth in pleading for perseverance I can say in good conscience that I firmly believe that I am pleading for an important part of the gospel of christ that god the spirit gave me guide Both writer and reader into all truth. May that blessed today come soon when everyone knows the Lord perfectly and differences and divisions disappear forever.

I will first explain what I mean by the doctrine of perseverance. It is extremely important to leave this point. It is clear that it is the very foundation of the subject, it stands at the threshold of the entire argument in all discussions of disputed points in theology, it is impossible to be too precise in defining the terms, half the abuse that has unfortunately been poured out on perseverance has arisen from a complete misunderstanding of the doctrine in question, its adversaries have wrestled with ghosts of their own creation and have spent their strength in punching the air when I speak of the doctrine of perseverance, I mean this, I say that the Bible It teaches that true believers, true genuine Christians, will persevere. in their religion until the end of their lives they will never perish they will never be lost they will never be cast away once in christ they will always be in christ once made children of god by adoption and grace they will never cease to be his children and become children of the devil once endured with the grace of the spirit that grace will never be taken from them once forgiven and forgiven they will never be deprived of their forgiveness once united to Christ by living faith their union will never be broken once called by God on the narrow path that leads to life they will never be allowed to fall into hell in a word every man woman and child on earth who receives saving grace sooner or later will receive eternal glory every soul who is once justified and washed in christ The blood will at last be found safe the right hand of Christ on the day of judgment.

Statements like this sound tremendously strong. I know it well, but I'm not going to leave the topic here. I must dwell on it a little longer. I wish to clarify it. The doctrine which I am defending from the cloud of misrepresentation with which many obscure it, I want men to see in its proper form, not as it is portrayed by the hand of ignorance and prejudice, but as it is set forth in the Scriptures of the truth. Perseverance is a doctrine with which the wicked and worldly have nothing to do. It does not belong to that great multitude that has neither knowledge nor thought nor faith nor fear nor anything else of Christianity except the name is not true of them that they never do it.

On the contrary, unless they repent, they will come to a miserable end. perseverance is a doctrine with which hypocrites and false professors have nothing to do; does not belong to those unhappy people whose religion consists of words and words and a form of piety while their hearts are devoid of the grace of the spirit, it is not true that they will never perish, on the contrary, unless they repent, they will be lost forever. Footnote to Scott's response to Tomlin, page 675, we do not hold that all the most discerning minister or Christian considers that true Christians will be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Only God can search the heart and see that it is a dead and temporary faith that we, in the judgment of charity, consider alive and permanent. see perseverance is the peculiar privilege of true spiritual Christians belongs to the sheep of christ who hear his voice and follow him belongs to those who are washed, justified and sanctified in the name of the lord jesus and by the spirit of god first corinthians 6 11 belongs to those who repent and believe in Christ and live holy lives belongs to those who have been born again and converted and made new creatures by the holy spirit belongs to those who are of heart and mind broken and contrite the things of the spirit and bear the fruits of the spirit is one of God's chosen ones who cry out to him night and day Luke 18 7. is one of those who know the Lord Jesus by experience and have faith, hope and charity. belongs to those who are the branches of the vine that bear fruit the wise virgins the light of the world the salt of the earth the heirs of the kingdom the followers of the lamb these are those whom the Bible calls the saints and they are the saints and only the saints of whom it is written that they shall never perish footnote by archbishop layton 1680 it is tremendously contrary to the truth of the scriptures to imagine that those who are thus renewed can not be born again end of note does anyone suppose that what I What I say It applies only to eminent saints.

Does anyone think that people like apostles, prophets, and martyrs may be able to persevere to the end, but that the same cannot be said for the common class of believers? Let him know that he is completely wrong. Let him know that this privilege of perseverance belongs to the entire family of God, both to the youngest and the oldest, to the weakest and the strongest, to the babes in grace, as well as to the oldest pillars of the church, the least faith will certainly continue. indestructible as the greatest, the smallest spark of grace will prove as inextinguishable as the most ardent and brilliant light, your faith may be very weak, your grace may be very weak, your strength may be very small, you may feel that in things Spiritually you are nothing more than a child.

You may doubt the reality of your own conversion, but do not be afraid or afraid. It is not by the amount of a man's grace but by the truth and authenticity of it that the promise becomes a brass fart. It is as truly a coin of the kingdom as a gold sovereign, although it is not so valuable, wherever sin is truly repented of and Christ is truly trusted and holiness is truly pursued, there is a work that will never be overthrown, it will remain when the earth and all its works be burned. However, there are some things to say about perseverance to which I must ask special attention.

Without them the account of the doctrine would be imperfect and incomplete. The mention of them may clarify some of the difficulties surrounding the subject and shed light on some points. of the Christian faith experience that the children of God find it difficult to understand, remember then that when I say that believers will persevere to the end, I am not saying for a moment that they will never fall into sin, they can fall sadly, shamefully and disgusting in the scandal of true religion. hurt their families to their own deep and bitter pain noah once fell into drunkenness abraham twice falsely said that sarah was only his sister lot took up residence in sodom jacob deceived his father isaac moses spoke recklessly with his lips david committed a horrible adultery Solomon lost his first love and was taken away by his many wives Jehoshaphat made affinity with Ahab Hezekiah forgot God and boasted of his riches Peter denied his lord three times with an oath The apostles all abandoned Christ in the garden Paul and Barnabas had such a hard quarrel that they were forced to separate.

All of these are concrete cases. All of them are melancholy proofs that Christians can deceive but believers will never fall completely and will definitely always rise from their fools through repentance and renew their walk. with god, although painfully humiliated and dejected, they never completely lose their grace, the consolation of it they may lose, but not their being, like the moon under an eclipse, its light becomes darkness for a season, but they are not rejected or rejected like the trees in winter that they may show neither leaves nor fruit for a time but life is still at their roots they may be overtaken by a fault and carried away by temptation but they will never perish remember one other thing that when I say that believers will persevere to the end I do not mean that they do not They will have no doubts or fears about their own safety, so far from this being the case, God's holiest men are sometimes deeply troubled by anxiety about their own spiritual condition, they see so much weakness in their own hearts and They discover that their practice is bad for them.

They are so short of their desires that they are strongly tempted to doubt the truth of their own grace and to imagine that they are nothing but hypocrites and will never reach heaven. To be safe, it is one thing to be sure that we are safe, and quite another there. There are many true believers who never enjoy the full assurance of hope all their days, their faith is so weak and their sense of sin so strong that they never feel secure in their own interest in Christ. Many times you could say with David, someday I will do it. perish first samuel 27 1 and with work where is my hope work 17 15 the joy and peace in believing that some feel and the testimony of the spirit that some experience are things that some believers whose faith is impossible to deny never seem to achieve called as evidently They are so by the grace of God, they never seem to taste the full comfort of their calling, but yet they are perfectly safe, though they themselves refuse to know it.

Happier but not more secure, the glorified spirits in heaven, the full security of hope is. It is not necessary for salvation the absence of it is not an argument against the perseverance of a man to the end that the powerful teacher of theology john bunyan knew well what he wrote when he told us that discouragement and much fear were finally saved to the heavenly city as well as Christiana and brave for the truth, it is as true of the most doubtful child of God as of the strongest, that he will never perish, he may never feel it, but it is true.

Footnote to path 1690. Every believer does not know that he is a believer and therefore cannot know all the privileges that belong to believers end of note see remember lastly that the certain perseverance of thebelievers does not free them from the need to watch over prayer and the use of means nor does it make it unnecessary to apply them for practical purposes. exhortations, far from being so, it is only through the use of means that God allows them to continue in the faith. He draws them with the ropes of a man. He uses warnings and conditional promises as part of the machinery by which he ensures their final security, the very fact of That they should despise the helps and ordinances which God had appointed would be a clear proof that they were without any grace and were on the path of destruction.

Saint Paul received a special revelation from God before his shipwreck that he and all the ship's company should reach land safely, but it is a surprising fact that he told the soldiers, unless the sailors remain on the ship, acts cannot be saved 27 31 he knew that the end was assured, but he also believed that it was an end that must be achieved through the use of certain means. The warnings, conditional promises, and admonishments to believers that abound in the Scriptures are all part of the divine agency by which their perseverance is ensured. carried out, an old writer says that they do not imply that the saints can fall, but they are preservatives to prevent them from falling.

The man who thinks he can do without such precautions and despises them as legal may well be suspected of being an impostor whose heart has The man who has really been taught by the spirit has never been renewed will generally have a humble sense of his own weakness. and he will be grateful for anything that can quicken his conscience and keep him on his guard. Those who persevere to the end are not dependent on any means but are still not independent of them. Their final salvation does not depend on their obedience to practical exhortations but it is simply by heeding such exhortations that they will always continue to the end.

They are the diligent. vigilant those who pray and the humble to whom the promise belongs will never do it. I have already realized what I mean when I speak of the doctrine of perseverance this and this alone is the doctrine that I am willing to defend in this work I ask the men who will carefully weigh what I have said and examine the statement I have made on all sides, I believe it will stand inspection and will not serve to tell us that this doctrine of perseverance has any tendency to encourage a careless and ungodly life.

Such an accusation is completely devoid of truth. cannot be presented with justice I have not a word to say on behalf of anyone who lives in willful sin no matter how high his profession he is deceiving himself he has a lie in his hand he has none of the marks of the elect of god perseverance What I pray is not for sinners but for saints. It is not a perseverance in carnal and ungodly ways, but a perseverance in the path of faith and grace. Show me a man who deliberately lives an ungodly life and yet boasts that he is converted and that he will do it.

Never perish and I say clearly that I see nothing hopeful in it. He may know all the mysteries and speak with the tongue of angels, but as long as his life remains unchanged, he appears to me on the road to hell. Charnock Footnote on Weak Grace 1684 let no one dare to have liberty in sin and presume on God's preservation of them without the use of means. No, the electoral council on which this victory is based elected us for both the means and the end. Whoever makes such a consequence, I doubt it. If he was ever a Christian, I can safely say that anyone who has resolved willful and purposeful neglect has never been in the covenant of grace.

End of footnote. It will not do to tell us that this doctrine of perseverance is simply a piece of Calvinism. Nothing is easier than creating a prejudice against the truth by giving it a bad name. Men deal with doctrines that they do not like as much as Nero did when he persecuted the first Christians. They dress them in horrible clothes and then display them. They despise them and belittle them. Perseverance. of the saints is often treated this way - people avoid it with some disparaging remark about Calvinism or some apocryphal old wives fable about Oliver Cromwell's deathbed and then think they have settled the issue.

It is said that Cromwell, on his deathbed, asked Dr. Thomas Goodwin if a believer could fall from grace. Goodwin said no. Cromwell is reported to have said that, if so, he was safe because he was sure that he had once been in a state of grace. The truth of this story is highly questionable. It is a notable fact that Cromwell's faithful servant, who published a collection of all the notable sayings and deeds of his master in his last illness, does not mention this conversation. It's more than likely one of those. false and malicious inventions with which the great protector enemies worked so hard to blacken his memory after his final death from a footnote surely it would be more appropriate to ask if perseverance was not taught in the bible from the beginning and long before From when Calvin was born the question What remains to be decided is not whether the doctrine is Calvinist but whether it is scriptural.

The words of the famous Bishop Horsley deserve to be widely known. Be especially careful, he says, before you point your arrows at Calvinism, know what is Calvinism and what is not. that in the mass of doctrine which it has lately become fashionable to abuse under the name of Calvinism it may be distinguished with certainty between that part of it which is nothing better than Calvinism and that which belongs to our common Christianity and faith general of the Reformed churches lest when all they seek is to commit total Calvinism, they attack something more sacred and of a higher origin, see last, but not least, it will not do to tell us that perseverance is not the doctrine of the church of England, regardless of what men say. please say against this, this is a statement in any case they will find it difficult to prove perseverance taught in article 17 of the church of england clearly, without a doubt, was the doctrine of the first five archbishops of canterbury parker grindel white gift Bancroft and Abbott was the doctrine preached by the judicious Hooker, as anyone can see by reading the footnote to his sermons of Hooker's justification speech in 1590, for Christ, risen from the dead, he no longer dies, death has no more power over him, so the justified man is allied. to god in christ jesus our lord necessarily from that moment forward has always lived as christ by whom he has life always lives romans 6 10 john 14 19. as long as that which animates, vivifies and gives life remains in us as long as we live and We know that the cause of our faith remains in us forever if Christ, the source of life, can escape and leave the room where he once dwelt, what will become of his promise?

I am with you until the end of the world if the seed of God that contains Christ. can be conceived first and then discarded how duts and peter call him immortal first peter 1 23 how st john claims to remain first john 3 9 end of footnote was the doctrine that all the leading theologians of the church of England held until during the reign of charles the first the denial of the doctrine up to that time was barely tolerated more than one minister who questioned it was forced to read a public retraction before the university of cambridge in summary until the time when the lord archbishop came to power the perseverance was considered in the church of england as a recognized truth of the gospel along with the leaven of shit that the lord brought with him arose the unhappy doctrine that true believers can fall away and perish this is a simple matter of history the perseverance of the saints It is the old doctrine of the Church of England The denial of it is the new It is time to leave this branch of the subject and move on I do not want a clearer and more distinct declaration of perseverance than that contained in article 17 of my own church to a What I have already referred to, the article says of God's elect, those who are supported with such excellent benefits from God, will be called according to the purpose of God by his spirit working in due time, by grace they obey his call, they will be justified freely, they will be made children of God by adoption they will be made like the image of his only begotten son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good works and finally through the mercy of God they achieve eternal happiness these are precisely the views that I hold this is the doctrine which I subscribed to long ago This is the truth that I believe it is my duty as a clergyman to defend.

This is the truth that I now want my readers to receive and believe. Footnote to George Carlton, Bishop of Chichester, 1626, an examination, page 63. It would intrigue any man who had his eyes fixed directly on his head to read and consider the words of article 17, the order and solidity of them and then let him judge whether perseverance to the end is not solidly and decisively established and a third in this article at the end of footnote two i Let us now proceed to show the biblical foundations on which the doctrine of perseverance. It goes without saying that the Bible is the only test by which the truth of all religious doctrine can be proven.

The words of the sixth article of the Church of England deserve to be written in letters of gold, whatever is not read in the Holy Scriptures nor can be proven by them, no man should be required to believe as an article of faith according to that rule, I am happy to comply, I do not ask it of anyone. believe in the final perseverance of the saints unless the doctrine can be shown to be the word of God, in my opinion a simple verse of Scripture outweighs the most logical conclusions that human reason can reach when presenting those scriptural texts on which they are based.

This article is substantiated I intentionally refrain from quoting the Old Testament I do so so that no one will say that the promises of the Old Testament belong exclusively to the Jewish people as a nation and are not available in a disputed issue affecting individual believers I do not admit the soundness of this argument but I will not give anyone the opportunity to use it I find abundant evidence in the new testament and I will limit myself to them I will write the texts that seem to me to prove the final perseverance without notes or comments I will only ask my readers to observe how deep and broad the foundation is on which rests the doctrine.

Note that it is not by any strength or goodness of their own that the saints continue to the end and never fall. They are in themselves weak and fragile and prone to fall like others, their security is based on the promise of god that has never been broken in the election of god that cannot be in vain in the power of the great mediator christ jesus who is almighty in the inner work of the holy ghost that cannot be demolished, I ask you to read the following texts carefully and see if this is not the case, I give them eternal life and they will never perish nor will anyone snatch them from my hand, my father who gave them to you is greater than all and no one can snatch them from the hand of my father John 10 28 and 29 whoever separates us from the love of Christ will be tribulation or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written by you we are killed all day long we are numbered like sheep to the slaughter and in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us because I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor neither height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord Romans 8 35-39 They came out from us but they were not ours because if they had been ours they would undoubtedly have continued with us but they came out to that it should be made clear to them that they were not all of us first John 2 19 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not come into condemnation but will pass from death to life John 5 24 I am the living bread that came down from heaven if anyone eats this bread he will live forever John 6 51 because I live, you too will live John 14 19 everyone who lives and believes in me will never die John 11 26 with a single offering he has perfected forever the sanctified Hebrews 10 14. he who does the will of God remains forever first John 2 17. sin will not have dominion over you Romans 6 14 who will also confirm you to the end so that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ first Corinthians 1 8 kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation prepared to be revealed in the last time first Peter 1 5 preserved in Jesus Christ and called Judas verse 1 the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me for his heavenly kingdom second timothy 4 18.

I pray to god that your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless until the coming of our lord jesus faithful is christ who calls you, who also will 1 Thessalonians 5 23 and 24 Faithful is the Lord who will establish you and keep you from evil 2 Thessalonians 3 3 Faithful is God who will not allow you to be tempted more than you can but want with the temptation you will also find a way toescape so that they can endure it 1 Corinthians 10 13 God wanting to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel he confirmed with an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we could have strong consolation those who we have fled in search of refuge to take hold of the hope placed before us Hebrews 6 17-18 this is the will of the father who has sent me that of all that he has since he would not lose anything but would resurrect it on the last day John 6 39. the foundation of god is secure having this seal that the lord knows those who are his second timothy 2 19 whom he predestined, whom he also called and whom he called he also justified and whom he justified then he also glorified romans 8 30. god has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our lord jesus christ first to the thessalonians 5 9 god from the beginning has chosen you for salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief in the truth 2 thessalonians 2 13 the vessels of mercy that had are prepared for glory romans 9 23 the gifts and calling of god are without repentance romans 11 29 if it were possible they will deceive the very elect matthew 24 24 he is able to save perpetually all those who come to god, through him , since he always lives to intercede for the Hebrews 7 25 able to keep you from falling and present you impeccable before the presence of his glory with great joy.

Jude verse 24 I know whom I have believed and I am sure that he is able to keep what I have entrusted to him for that day second Timothy 1 12 I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail luke 22 32 holy father guard through yourself name those you have given me John 17 11. I do not ask that you expel them from the world but that you keep them from evil John 17 15 I also want those that you have given me to be with me where I am John 17 24. if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled we will be saved by his life romans 5 10. the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him but you know him because he dwells with you and will be in you john 14 17 Being sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Jesus Christ Philippians 1 6.

The anointing that you have received from him remains in you and you do not need anyone to teach you except as the anointing itself He teaches you about all things and it is true and not a lie and just as he has taught you you will remain in him first John 2 27 born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible 1 Peter 1 23 he has said I will never leave you nor forsake you Hebrews 13 5 I present these 39 texts of Scripture before my readers and I ask your serious attention, I repeat that I will not make any comments on them and I would prefer to leave them to the honest common sense of all those who read the Bible.

Some of these texts certainly highlight the doctrine of final perseverance more clearly than others in terms of interpretation of some of them. Men's judgments may differ widely, but there are not a few. of the 39 that seem so clear to me that if I invented words to confirm my views, I would despair of inventing any that would convey my meaning so unequivocally. I am far from saying that these texts are all the biblical evidence that could be provided. Further, I am satisfied that the doctrine maintained in this article can be confirmed by other arguments of great weight and power.

It could point out the attributes of God's character revealed in the Bible and show how his wisdom, immutability, power, love, and glory are all involved. In the perseverance of the saints If the elect may ultimately perish, what will become of God's counsel concerning them in eternity and of his actions for them in time? footnote to augustine from coruptione et gratia chapter 7. now, if you kill all this people as one man, then the nations that have heard the fame of you will speak saying why the lord could not bring this people to the land that He swore to them, that's why he killed them in the desert numbers 14, 15 and 16.

What will you do with your great ones? name joshua 7 9 if any of the elect perishes god is defeated by the perversity of man but none of them perishes because god who is omnipotent can in no way be defeated end a footnote to indicate all the offices that the lord jesus plays and shows What discredit is cast upon his deliverance from them if any of his believers may finally be lost? What kind of head would it be if any of the members of his mystical body could be torn from him? What kind of shepherd would he be if a single sheep from his flock were abandoned in the wilderness, what kind of doctor would he be if any patient under his hand was finally declared incurable?

What kind of high priest would he be if some name that was once written on his heart was missing when he did? jewels of him, what kind of husband would he be if he and any soul who was ever united to him by faith were ever separated? Colonel's Footnotes 1655 How well do they consult for the honor of Christ that they say that his sheep may die in a ditch of Christ's final apostasy? and its members make one Christ now is it possible that the peace of Christ can be found at last burning in hell can Christ be a crippled Christ can this member fall and how can Christ be separated from his mystical members and not from his glory end a footnote see Finally, I might point out the great fact that there is not a single example in all of Scripture of any of God's elect ultimately being shipwrecked and going to hell we read about false prophets and hypocrites we read about unfruitful branches, ground rocky and thorny ground listeners virgins without oil in their vessels servants who bury their talents we read about balaam and Lot's wife and Saul and Judas Iscariot and Ananias and Sapphira and Edema we see their hollow characters we are told of their end they had no root they were rotten in the heart they held on for a while finally they went to their own place, but there is not a single case in the entire Bible of someone who has fallen and who has ever shown unquestionable evidence of grace.

Men like Abraham, Moses, David, Peter and Paul always hold on. in their path they may slip they may fall for a season but they never completely depart from god they never surely perish if the saints of god can be cast aside it is a curious and surprising fact that the Bible should not have given us a single clear example But time and I would lack space if I entered the field I have just indicated. I think it is better to base my case on the texts that I have already given to the mind for which these texts have no conviction.

Probably influenced by other arguments directed at myself, when taken together they seem to contain such an immense mass of evidence that, as a Christian man, I dare not deny that perseverance is true. I dare not because I feel that at this rate I could dispute the truth of any doctrine in the gospel. I feel that if I could explain texts as simple as some of the ones I have cited, I could explain almost all the main truths of Christianity. I am well aware that there are some texts and passages of Scripture that appear at first glance to teach a doctrine contrary to what I maintain in this article.

I know that many give great weight to these texts and consider them to prove that the saints of God can perish and fall away. I can only say that I have examined these texts. carefully but I have not found in them any reason to alter my opinion on the subject of perseverance footnote the following texts on which the opponents of perseverance mainly rely seem to require a brief notice ezekiel 320 and ezekiel 18 24 I cannot see no evidence in either In these cases, the righteous person spoken of here is more than just someone whose outward conduct is righteous, there is nothing to show that he is someone justified by faith and considered righteous before God.

First Corinthians 9 27 I see nothing in this except the godly fear of falling into sin which is one of the marks of a believer and distinguishes him from the unsaved and a simple statement of the means Paul used to preserve himself from being a shipwreck is as first john 5 18 he who is begotten of god keeps himself john 15 2 this does not prove that true believers will be taken away from christ a branch that does not bear fruit is not a believer a living faith says the twelfth article can be as evidently known by good works as a tree is known by fruit 1 Thessalonians 5 19 if the spirit here means the spirit in ourselves, it means nothing more than grieving the spirit in ephesians 4 30. but most good commentators think that It is the gift of the spirit in others and must be taken in connection with verse 20.

Galatians 5 4 The tenor of the whole epistle seems to show that this fall is not due to the inward grace of the spirit but to the doctrine of grace. The same observations apply to 2 Corinthians 6 1 Hebrews 6 4-6 The person here described as apostate has no characteristics that cannot be discovered in unconverted men until he is said to possess saving faith and charity and is elected John 8 31 Colossians 1 23 The conditional if in both verses and in several other similar ones that could be cited does not imply an uncertainty as to the salvation of those described simply means that the evidence of real grace is continuity false grace perishes true grace lasts frequently in the Scripture says charnock to put into promises these conditions which are elsewhere promised to be fulfilled in us charnock on royal grace 1684.

I readily admit that these are not all the texts that the adversaries of final perseverance generally present, but I believe they are the main. The weak point in their case is that they do not have any text that proves that the saints. may fall, which will in no way compare with the expression that my sheep will never perish and have nothing to give of a saying as powerful as this promise of our lord that is in no way satisfactory or even rational. John Goodwin, the famous Armenian, offers the following explanation of this text: the promise of eternal security made by Christ to his sheep is not related to their state in the present world but to that of the world to come, a man must be profoundly righted when he can to argue in such a way final of the footnote their number is small their meaning is unquestionably more debatable than that of many of the 39 that I have cited all of them admit of being interpreted in a way that does not contradict the doctrine of perseverance I consider it a infallible rule in the exposition of the Scriptures that when two texts seem to contradict each other, the smaller plane must give way to the flatter and the weaker plane must give way to the stronger.

That doctrine which reconciles the majority of the texts of Scripture is most likely to be correct. That doctrine which reconciles the majority of the texts of Scripture is most likely to be correct. most texts that argue with each other are very likely to be wrong. I ask my readers, if they are not convinced by everything I have said so far, to write in two separate lists the texts I have cited in the name of perseverance and the texts commonly cited against it. one against another judge them with fair and honest judgment which list contains the greatest number of positive and unambiguous statements which list contains the greatest number of sentences that cannot be explained which list is the strongest which list is the weakest which list is the most flexible which The list is the most inflexible, if it were possible in a world like this for this question to be judged impartially by a jury of impartial intelligence.

I have no doubt what the verdict would be. It is my firm belief and conviction that the final perseverance of the saints is so deeply founded on biblical foundations that while the bible is the judge, the third thing I propose to do is to point out the reasons why many reject the doctrine of perseverance, It is impossible to deny that multitudes of professing Christians completely disagree. With the opinions expressed in this document, I am well aware that many regard them with abhorrence, as dangerous, enthusiastic and fanatical, and do not miss the opportunity to warn people against them.

I am also aware that among those who hold that God's saints may fall away and perish. There are many holy, self-sacrificing, spiritually minded people, people at whose feet I would gladly sit in heaven, although I cannot approve of all their teachings on earth. This being the case, it becomes a matter of deep interest to discover whether we can Reasons why the doctrine of perseverance is so frequently rejected. How can you be adamantly opposed to a doctrine to which so many Scriptures can be attributed? How is it possible that a doctrine that during the first hundred years of the Reformed Church of England was hardly permissible?

It should now be so often refused to question what new opinions may have arisen in the last two centuries that make it necessary to dismiss this good old servant of Christ. I am sure that such investigations are of profound importance today. There is much more to this issue than meets the eye at first glance. I am convinced not to waste time trying to shed a little light on the whole subject. Desireclear the way by admitting that many good people reject the doctrine of perseverance for no reason. Even if they accept that it is too strong for them, there are a large number of sincere Christians at this time who never seem to be able to endure anything strong; their religious constitution seems so weak and their spiritual digestion so weak that they must always be fed with milk and not with milk. with flesh, talk loudly about grace and they will brand you an antinomian, talk loudly about holiness and you are considered lawful, talk loudly about election and you are considered a narrow-minded Calvinist, talk loudly about responsibility and free will and you will be They consider themselves as a low Armenian in short, they cannot endure anything strong of any kind or in any direction, of course, they cannot receive the doctrine of perseverance.

I leave these people alone, I feel sorry for them, sadly there are too many of them in the churches of Christ right now. I can only wish you better spiritual health and less narrow-mindedness and faster growth in spiritual knowledge. The people I have in mind in this part of my article are of a different class and to them I now address one, I think one. The reason why many do not maintain perseverance is their general ignorance of the whole system of Christianity. They have no clear idea of ​​the nature, place, and proportion of the various doctrines which compose the gospel.

Their various truths have no definite position in their minds. Its general outline is: It is not mapped in their understanding They have a vague notion that it is right to belong to the church of Christ and believe all the articles of the Christian faith They have a vague, floating idea that Christ has done certain things for them and that they should do certain things by him and that if they do them everything will be fine in the end, but beyond this, they really know nothing of the great systematic statements in the epistles to the Romans, Galatians and Hebrews, they are profoundly ignorant as to a clear explanation of the justification I could also ask them to square the circle or write a letter in Sanskrit it is a subject that they have not even touched with the tips of their fingers this is a painful disease and very common in England unfortunately it is the disease of thousands of people who pass as excellent men of the church it is absurd to expect such people to have perseverance when a man does not know what it is to be justified, of course he cannot understand what it is to persevere to the end two, I believe, another reason The reason why many they do not support perseverance it is because of their aversion to any system of religion that establishes distinctions between man and man;

There are not a few who completely disapprove of any Christian teaching which divides congregations into different classes and speaks of one class of people as if they were in a better and more favorable state before God than another, such people claiming that all teaching of this kind is uncharitable, that we should have good hopes for everyone and assume that everyone will go to heaven, they think. It is totally incorrect to say that one man has faith and another does not, one is converted and another is not, one is a son of God and another is a son of the world, one is a saint and another is a sinner.

What right do we have to think anything about it? They say. We cannot know that those whom we call Good people are probably no better than other hypocrites, impostors and the like, those of whom we think badly are probably just as headed for heaven as the rest of humanity and have good hearts at the moment. bottom line as to anyone feeling sure of heaven or confident in their own salvation they consider it quite abominable no one can be sure we must have good hopes for everyone there are too many such people today of course the doctrine of perseverance It is perfectly intolerable for them when a man refuses to allow any one to be elected or to have grace or to enjoy some special mark of God's favor more than his neighbors.

It is logical that he denies that anyone can have the grace of perseverance. Three, I think, another. The common reason many do not hold to perseverance is an incorrect view of the nature of saving faith. They regard faith as nothing better than a feeling or impression, as soon as they see a man somewhat impressed with the preaching of the gospel and manifesting some pleasure in hearing it. About Christ they immediately classified him as a believer little by little the man's impressions wear away and his interest in Christ and salvation ceases completely. Where is the faith that he seemed to have?

He is gone. How can his friends who had declared him a believer? They can only explain it by saying that a man can stray from faith and that there is no such thing as perseverance, and in short this becomes an established principle in his religion. Now this is a malicious bug and I'm afraid it is. sadly common in many quarters, can be attributed to ignorance of the true nature of religious affections. People forget that there may be many religious emotions in the human mind with which grace has nothing to do. The hearers on stony ground received the word with joy, but there was no root in them matthew 13 20. the history of all revivals shows that there can often be a great deal of apparently religious impressions without any true work of the spirit.

Saving faith is something much deeper and more powerful than a sudden little feeling; It is not an act of the feelings alone but of the entire consciousness, will, understanding and inner man. It is the result of clear knowledge. It arises from a conscience that is not simply touched but completely agitated. It shows itself in a deliberate and humble dependence on Christ. Such faith is a gift. of god and is never overthrown make faith a mere matter of feeling and of course it is impossible to maintain perseverance four I think another reason why many do not maintain perseverance is similar to the last mentioned is an incorrect view of the nature of Conversion Not a few are willing to call any change to improve a man's character a conversion;

They forget that there may be many flowers on a tree in spring and yet no fruit in autumn and that a new coat of paint does not make an old door new. Some, if they see someone crying under the influence of a sermon, will immediately consider him as a case of conversion, others, if a neighbor suddenly stops drinking, swearing or playing cards and becomes a communicant and a great teacher, immediately rushing to the conclusion. After he has been converted, the natural consequence in many cases is disillusionment. His supposed case of conversion often turns out to be nothing more than a case of outward reform in which the heart was never changed.

Your converted neighbor sometimes returns to his old bad habits like the sow that has been washed until it wallows in the mud, but then, unfortunately, the pride of the natural heart, which never allows itself to be mistaken, leads people to draw a wrong conclusion about In the case, instead of telling us that the man was never converted, they say yes. He was converted but then he lost his grace and fell. The true remedy for this is a correct understanding of conversion. It is not something as cheap, easy and common as many seem to imagine. It is a powerful work in the heart that no one except the one who did the conversion. world can do and a work that will always endure and withstand the fire, but once you adopt a low and superficial view of conversion, it will be impossible for you to maintain final perseverance.

Five. I think another of the most common reasons why many do not maintain perseverance is an incorrect one. In view of the effect of baptism, they establish as a cardinal point in their theology that all who are baptized are born again in baptism and all receive the grace of the holy spirit without a single clear text in the Bible to support their opinions and in the face of the Article 17, which many of them as clergymen have subscribed to, still tell us that all baptized persons are necessarily regenerated; of course, such a view of baptism is completely destructive of the doctrine that true grace can never be overthrown, it is clear as the light of day that Multitudes of baptized people never show a spark of grace in their entire lives and never give the slightest evidence of being born of God they live carelessly and worldly and carelessly and worldly die and apparently perish miserably according to the vision that I have .

Now I mean everyone has fallen from grace everyone had it everyone was made children of God but everyone lost their grace everyone has become children of the devil I will not trust myself to make a single comment on such a doctrine I will leave those Who can reconcile it with the Bible? All I am saying is that if baptismal regeneration is true, there is an end to final perseverance. For those who wish to see a complete discussion on this topic, I dare to recommend an article of mine called Guide for the Church. men on baptism and regeneration, the same article will be found in my Knots Untied volume 6.

I believe another reason many do not hold to perseverance is an incorrect view of the nature of the church. They make no distinction between the visible church which contains evil as well as the good and invisible church which is composed of nothing but God's elect and true believers, they apply to one the privileges, blessings and promises that belong to the other; they call the visible church with its multitudes of ungodly and unfaithful baptized members, the mysticism. the body of christ the bride the wife of the lamb the holy catholic church and the like will not see what Hooker pointed out long ago and his admirers would do well to remember that all these glorious titles do not properly belong to any visible church but to the mystical company of God's elect, the consequence of all this confusion is certain and clear in this man-made system, are forced to allow thousands of members of the body of Christ to have no life, no grace or sympathy with their head and end up in the end ruined forever and becoming lost members of Christ in hell, of course, at this rate they cannot maintain the doctrine of perseverance once they embraced the unbiblical notion that all members of the visible church are, by virtue of their ecclesiastical, members of Christ and the doctrine of this document must be discarded oh what a wise comment from the prostitutes for once to diligently observe the difference between the mystical and visible church of God the oversights are not few nor slight that have been committed I recommend the things I have just said to the sincere and prayerful attention of each reader of these pages.

I have reviewed them at the risk of seeming tedious out of a deep conviction of their great importance. I am sure that if any part of this document deserves consideration it is this one. I beg you to notice how important it is. That Christians may be sound in the faith and armed with a clear Scriptural knowledge of the entire gospel system, I fear the increasing tendency to regard all doctrinal questions as matters of opinion and to regard all sincere men as correct, whatever. let the doctrines be. They maintain that I warn you that the sure result of yielding to this tendency will be a vague and confused theology, a theology that contains no positive hope, no positive motive, and no positive consolation, a theology that will fail most just when it is most needed in the day. . of affliction, the hour of illness and on the bed of death, I know well that it is a thankless office to offer warnings such as these.

I know well that those who give them must expect to be called intolerant, narrow-minded and exclusive, but I cannot review the many errors that prevail on the subject of perseverance without seeing more than ever the immense need to urge everyone to be careful. with the doctrine oh, learn to know what you mean when you talk about believing in the doctrines of Christianity, be able to give a reason for your hope to be able to say what you think true and what you think false in religion and never ever forget that The only basis for sadness in faith is a deep textual knowledge of the Bible.

Lastly, I beg you to observe how one error in religion leads to another. There is a close connection between false doctrines. It is almost impossible to adopt just one once a man is mistaken about the church and the sacraments and there is no telling how far he can go and where he can finally land he is mistaken at the source and influences the entire course of his religion the mistake about baptism is a striking illustration of which I mean casts a color upon the whole divinity of a man, insensibly affects his views on justification, sanctification, election, and perseverance, fills his mind with a tangled labyrinth of confusion as to all the principal articles of faith, He begins with a theory for which no simple text of Scripture can be pleaded, and before this theory he tramples upon simple passages of the Bible that greatly interfere with his favorite theory and therefore cannot mean what common sense tells us. which means we should be as zealous for a little false doctrine as we would be for a little sin remember saint paul's words about false doctrine a little yeast leavens the whole dough galatians 5.

Now I proceed lastly to mention some reasons why which is thedoctrine of final perseverance is of great importance when I speak of the importance of perseverance I do not mean for a moment that it is necessary for salvation to receive it, I freely grant that thousands and tens of thousands have gone to heaven and believed all their lives that the saints could fall, but all this does not prove that the doctrine maintained in this article is a matter of indifference for those who do not believe it and still be saved, undoubtedly do well, but I am persuaded that he who believes it and is except it does it much better.

I consider it one of the main privileges of the children of God and I consider it no privilege contained in the gospel. it can be lost sight of without harming the soul 1. perseverance is a doctrine of great importance due to the strong color it casts over the entire statement of the gospel the great characteristic of the gospel is that it is good news, it is a message of peace for a world rebellious is good news from a faraway country equally unexpected and undeserved is the good news that there is a hope for us, lost, ruined and bankrupt, as we are by nature a hope for forgiveness a hope for reconciliation with god a hope for glory It is the good news that the foundation of this hope is very deep and broad that it is built on the atoning death and the merciful mediation of a savior It is the good news that this savior is a real living person Jesus the son of God capable of saving to the utmost all those who come to God through him and no less merciful, compassionate and willing to save than Abel, is the good news that the path to forgiveness and peace from this savior is the simplest possible, it is not something high. heaven that we cannot reach or in the depths that we cannot fathom is simply believing trusting to surrender ourselves totally to Jesus for salvation and then salvation is all ours it is the good news that all who believe are both justified and forgiven all the things their sins for many are washed away their souls for being unworthy they are considered righteous before God they believe in Jesus and therefore they are saved this is the good news this is the good news this is the truth what is the great peculiarity of the gospel Truly happy It is he who knows it and believes it, but think for a moment what a difference it would make to the sound of the gospel if he went on to say that after receiving all these mercies, little by little he might lose them altogether.

It would be your feelings if I told you that you are in daily danger of losing all these privileges and having your forgiveness sealed in the blood of Christ taken away again. What would you think if I told you that your safety was still somewhat uncertain and that you could still perish and never reach heaven at all oh, what a fall this would seem oh, how much of the grace and beauty of the glorious gospel would disappear and fade, yet , this is literally and exactly the conclusion to which the denial of perseverance should once lead us. admit that God's saints can perish and it seems to me that you pluck from the crown of the gospel its brightest jewel we are hanging on the edge of a precipice we are kept in terrible suspense until we are dead to tell us that there are many merciful promises to encourage us if we persevere They are nothing more than a mockery, it is like telling the sick person that if he is cured he will be strong, the poor patient does not feel confident that he will be cured and the poor weak believer does not feel anything in him. as a power to persevere today he may be in Canaan and tomorrow he may be in Egypt again and in slavery this week he may be on the narrow road but for whatever he knows next week he may be back on the wide road this month he may be a man justified pardoned and forgiven but next month his pardon may be completely revoked and he himself in a state of condemnation this year he may have faith and be a child of god next year he may be a child of the devil and have no part or lot in christ Where is the good news in all this?

What will become of the good news? In truth, such a doctrine seems cutting to me. root the joy of the gospel, but this is the doctrine we must hold if we reject the final perseverance of the saints. Note at the foot of the mountain on judas 1658. They weaken the comfort of Christians that causes believers to walk with Christ like dancers on a rope at every moment. afraid of breaking their necks in the footnote I bless God because I can see another type of gospel that is in the word of God in my eyes the Bible seems to teach that he who once begins the life of faith in Christ will undoubtedly be preserved from apostasy and will come to a glorious end once quickened by the grace of God will live forever once resurrected from the grave of sin and made a new man will never return to the grave and will become once again the old man dead in transgressions and sins will be kept by the power of God he will be more than conqueror through him who loved him the eternal God is his refuge beneath him are the eternal arms the love that interests him is eternal the justice in which he is clothed is eternal the redemption he enjoys is eternal the sense of comfort he may lose by his own carelessness but the thing itself after believing once is his forever let any thinking man look at the two ways in which the weary and burdened sinner can be addressed and judge for yourself, which is more similar to the gospel of the grace of God, on the one hand there is the doctrine that says believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved once you believe, you will never perish, your faith will never be If you are Allow yourself to fail completely, you will be sealed with the holy spirit until the day of redemption.

On the other side is the doctrine that says believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, but after you have believed, be careful, your faith may fail. If you fall you can expel the spirit from you you can finally perish forever which of these two doctrines contains more good news which is more like good news does it not matter which way it is addressed to the sinner? It is a matter of indifference if we tell him that by believing he is saved unless he falls or if we tell him that by believing he is saved forever I cannot think about it.

I consider that the difference between the two doctrines is very great, in fact it is the difference between January and June. It's the difference between Twilight and Moonlight I speak for myself I cannot vouch for the experience of others to give me solid peace I must know something about my future prospects as well as my current position It's nice to see my forgiveness today but I can't help but Think about tomorrow tell me that the one who leads me to Christ and gives me repentance and faith in him will never leave me or forsake me and I feel solid comfort my feet are on a rock my soul is in good hands I will get home safely tell me about another side, that after being guided to Christ I am left to my own vigilance and that it depends on my vigilance and prayer and care whether the spirit leaves me or not and my heart melts within me I am standing on quicksand I lean on broken sand reed I will never reach heaven it is in vain that they speak to me about the promises they are only mine if I walk worthy of them it is in vain that they speak to me about the mercy of Christ I can lose all my interest in it due to indolence and stubbornness the absence of the doctrine of Perseverance seems to me to give a different color to the entire gospel of Christ, you can't wonder if I consider it of great importance, two, but the doctrine of perseverance is also important because of the special influence it has. to have above all those who oscillate between two opinions in religion there are many people of this description in the church of christ there are hundreds in every congregation to which the gospel of christ is preached who know well what is right and have not yet done it courage to act upon their knowledge their consciences are awake their minds are comparatively enlightened their feelings are partially awakened to a sense of the worth of their souls they see the path they must take they hope to be able to take it one day, but in the end In the present, they sit still and they wait, they will not take up the cross and confess Christ, and what is stopping them?

In a large proportion of cases, they are afraid to start so as not to fail and fall. They see innumerable difficulties before them. They, if they serve Christ, are absolutely right, it is in vain to deny that there are difficulties, many and great, they are trembling at the edge of the vast sea in which we want them to embark and, as they observe the waves that stir, their hearts they faint They mark many small boats in the waters of that sea, tossed from side to side and struggling with all their might to cross and looking as if they would be engulfed by the furious waves and never reach safe harbor, it is of no use, they feel it.

It is no use, we will certainly fall, we cannot serve Christ, but that cannot be done now, which is more likely to give courage to these wavering souls, which is more likely to encourage them for the journey, which is more likely to lift your spirits. their minds and bring them to the point of boldly launching themselves. I respond without hesitation to the doctrine of final perseverance. I would gladly tell you that no matter how great the difficulties of Christ's service, there is grace and strength reserved to carry you triumphantly through it all. They are told that these poor, praying, broken-spirited travelers whom they watch and expect to see shipwrecked are all as safe as if they were already in port.

Each has a pilot on board who will carry them safely through each storm. Each one of them is united to the eternal. God for a bond that can never be broken and all will finally appear safe at the right hand of his lord. Yes, and I would like to tell them that they too will have a glorious end if they only begin. I want you to know that if you will only commit yourself to Christ, you will never be cast away, you will never be taken away by satan, you will never be allowed to sink and be ashamed.

Trials they may have, but none that the spirit does not give them power to endure temptations. They can have but nothing that the spirit does not allow them to resist, just let them begin and they will be conquerors but the important thing is to begin. I firmly believe that one of the reasons why so many wavering Christians refrain from making a determined profession is the lack of encouragement which the doctrine of perseverance purports to give is of importance because of the special influence it is calculated to have on minds. of true believers. The number of true believers is at all times very small.

Are a little. flock, but even within that flock there are few who can be called strong in faith, few who know much of the joy and peace interrupted in faith, few who do not often let themselves be overcome by doubts, anxieties and fears, it is useless deny that the road to heaven is narrow there are many things to test the faith of believers they have tests that the world cannot understand they have inside a weak heart deceitful and untrustworthy cold when they would pretend to be warm behind when they would pretend to be ahead more ready to sleep that to observe they have without a world that does not love the truth of Christ and the people of Christ a world full of slander, mockery and persecution a world with which their dearest relatives are often united they have always near them a demon busy a enemy who has been reading the hearts of men for six thousand years and knows exactly how to adapt and time his temptations an enemy who never stops laying traps in his path who never sleeps or sleeps has the worries of life to attend to like other people the cares of children, the cares of business, the cares of servants, the cares of money, the cares of earthly plans and arrangements, the cares of a poor and weak body, each of which imposes itself daily on its souls Indeed, I often think that the salvation of every saved person is a greater miracle than Israel's passage through the Red Sea, but what is the best antidote to the believer's fears and anxieties?

What is most likely to cheer him up while he waits for the untried? future and remember the tired past I answer without hesitation the doctrine of the final perseverance of God's elect let him know that God having begun a good work in him will never allow it to be overthrown let him know that the footprints of the little flock of Christ are all in one direction they have heard they have been afflicted they have been tempted but none of them have been lost let them know that whom Jesus loves, he loves to the end let them know that he will not allow even the weakest lamb of his flock in the desert or the weakest flower to perish. tender in his garden to wither and die, let him know that Daniel in the lions' den three children in the fiery furnace Paul in the shipwreck Noah in the ark none of them were more cared for and safer than every believer in Christ is on this present day let him know that he is surrounded in wool protected guarded by the almighty power of the father son and the holy spirit and cannot perish let him know that he is not in the power of things present nor of things to come of men or of demons of internal worries or external problems to separate a single child of God from the love that is in Christ Jesus this is a strong consolation these are the things that God has kept in the gospel for the establishment and confirmation of his people it would be good for his people if these things were presented more than in the church of Christ I truly believe that one of the reasons for the weakness of the saints is their ignorance of the truth that God has revealed to strengthen them.

On the topic of the importance ofperseverance here, I hope I have said enough to show my readers that I have not drawn their attention to him in this article without good reason. I firmly feel that the hardness of man's heart is such that nothing should be omitted in religious teaching that is likely to do him good. I dare not omit a single grain of truth, however strong and prone to abuse it may seem, nothing seems to me to be correct. little importance that adds beauty to the gospel or encourages the wavering or confirms and edifies the people of God I wish to teach that the gospel offers not only present forgiveness and peace but eternal security and a certain continuity to the end this I believe is the mind of the spirit and what the spirit reveals I desire and now I have presented before my readers as best I can the whole subject of perseverance.

If I have not been able to convince you, I am sorry but I am satisfied. The defect is not in the doctrine that I defend but in my way of exposing it, it only remains. To conclude this article with a few words of practical application: 1. To begin with, let me beg you to consider carefully whether you have any part in the salvation of Christ Jesus, no matter what you believe about perseverance, if after all you have no nothing. faith in Christ it matters little whether you hold the doctrine or not, as long as you do not have saving faith and your sins are not forgiven and your heart is not renewed by the holy spirit the clearest mental knowledge will not save anyone the most correct and orthodox views It will not prevent a man from perishing alongside the most ignorant pagan if he is not born again oh, seek and see what is the state of your own soul you cannot live forever you must die one day you cannot avoid judgment after death you must appear before the tribunal of christ the summons of the archangel cannot be disobeyed you must attend the last great assembly the state of your own soul you must one day undergo a thorough investigation one day it will be discovered who you are in the eyes of god your spiritual condition at last it will come to light before the whole world oh, discover what it is now while you have time while you have health discover the state of your soul your danger if you are not converted is much greater than I can describe in just proportion to complete safety of the believer is the mortal danger of the unbeliever there is only one step between the unbeliever and the worm that never dies and the fire that is not quenched he is literally hanging on the edge of the bottomless abyss sudden death for the saint is sudden glory but sudden death for the unconverted sinner it is the hell of the south oh seek and see what is the state of your soul remember that you can discover if you have interest in the invitations of the gospel it is something that can be known It is foolish to pretend that no man can say it.

I will never believe that an honest man with a Bible in his hand cannot discover his own spiritual condition by diligent self-examination. Oh, be an honest man, search the Scriptures, look within yourself, do not rest until you discover the states of your soul, to live and leave the state of the soul uncertain is not to play the part of a wise man but that of a fool, two in the next place, if you know nothing of the privileges of the gospel, I pray you. day to repent and convert to hear the voice of Christ and follow him I do not know any human or divine reason why you should not accept this invitation today and be saved if you are really willing it is not the quantity of your sins that should prevent you anyway of sin can be forgiven the blood of Jesus cleanses all sin it is not the hardness of your heart that should prevent you a new heart god will give you and a new spirit he will put in you it is not the decrees of god that need to prevent you he is not the death of sinners he is not willing that no one should perish but that all should come to repentance it is no lack of will in christ he has long cried out to the sons of men to let him who freely drink the water of life to me he comes, there is no way I will cast him out oh why shouldn't you be saved revelation 22 17 john 6 37 if you are ever going to be a child of god, there must come a day when you stop playing with the interests of your soul ?

An hour must come when you will finally bend your knee in true seriousness and pour out your heart before God in true prayer. There must come a time when the burden of your sins finally seems intolerable and when you feel that you must rest in Christ or perish. all this must happen if you ever want to become a child of god and be saved and why not today why not this very night why not without delay seek christ and live answer me if you can three in the next place let me plead with everyone Reader who has final perseverance to use this precious doctrine without abusing it.

There is a terrible disposition in all men to abuse the mercies of God. Even the children of God are not free from the sad infection. There is a demon busy near the best of saints. Who would pretend to persuade them to make their privileges a plea for a careless life, and to turn the flesh of their souls into poison? I cannot look around the church of Christ and see the end to which many great professors come without feeling that a caution is necessary, he who thinks he is standing, take heed lest he fall 1 Corinthians 10 12 would we know what it is to abuse the doctrine of perseverance?

It is abused when believers make their security an excuse for inconsistencies in practice. It is abused when they make their safety an excuse. from the final ruin an apology for a low standard of sanctification and a distant walk with God against both abuses I ask believers to be on guard we would know what it is to use the doctrine of perseverance it is correct, let us jealously monitor the works day by day From our own hearts let us mortify and cut at the root the slightest inclination to spiritual indolence, let us establish in our minds as a guiding principle of our life that the mercies of God are only beneficial when they have a positive effect. sanctifying effect in our hearts, let us firmly root in our inner man that the love of Christ is never so valued as when it constrains us to increase spiritual mentality, let us keep in mind that the more secure we feel, the more holy we must be the more we realize that god has done much for us the more we must do for god the greater our debt the greater our gratitude must be the more we see the riches of grace the richer we must be in good works oh for a heart like that of the apostle paul to give us Count, like him, on our perfect security in Christ, to work as he did for the glory of God, as if we could never do too much, this is the mark, this is the standard to which we must aspire.

So let us use the doctrine of perseverance so that our good is never spoken ill of, let us adorn the doctrine with our lives in such a way that we can make it beautiful to others and compel men to say that it is a good and holy thing to be persuaded of that the saints will never perish four last. I appeal to all believers who have hitherto been afraid to apostatize to hold firmly to the doctrine of perseverance and realize their own security in Christ. I want you to know the length and breadth of your portion in Christ.

I want you to understand the total amount of the treasure to which faith in Jesus entitles you. You have discovered that you are a great sinner. Thank God, that is why you have fled to Christ for forgiveness and peace with God. Thank God, that is why you have committed. Give yourself to Jesus for time and eternity you have no hope except in the blood of Christ the justice of Christ the mediation of Christ the daily and persevering intercession of Christ thank God for this the desire and prayer of your heart is to be holy in all types of conversation thank god for that but oh, hold fast to the glorious truth that by believing in jesus you will never perish you will never be rejected you will never fall it is written for both you and the apostles my sheep will never perish yes jesus has said it and jesus meant it be believed jesus has said it who never broke his promises jesus has said it who cannot lie jesus has said it who has all the power in heaven and on earth to fulfill his word jesus has spoken it for the smallest and lowest believers my sheep will never perish.

You have perfect peace in life so hold fast to this doctrine of perseverance your trials may be many and great your cross may be very heavy but the affairs of your soul are carried out according to an eternal covenant ordered in all things and secure 2 samuel 23 Verse 5 all things are working together I thought I could your sorrows are only purifying your soul for glory your griefs are only shaping you like a polished stone for the temple above made without hands from any side let the storms blow only you They bring you closer to heaven whatever. The time you spend is only maturing you for the barn of God.

Your best things are pretty safe. Whatever you go through, you will never perish. If you had great comfort in illness, then hold fast to this doctrine of perseverance. Think as if you are fearless in the pins and needles of life. this earthly tabernacle is loosening one by one nothing can break my union with christ your body may become useless your limbs may refuse to perform their office you may feel like a useless old log a weariness to others and a burden to yourself but your soul is safe jesus never tires of caring for your soul you will never perish if you had full assurance of hope in death then hold fast to this doctrine of perseverance doctors may have given up their work friends may be unable to minister to you once sight can lose your hearing your memory may be almost gone but the loving kindness of god will not once go away in christ you will never be abandoned jesus will be at your side satan will not harm you death will not separate you from the eternal love of god in christ you will never perish footnote to the fulfillment of Fleming's prophecy 1680 deathbed of Bruce, the famous Scottish theologian, is a striking illustration of this part of my subject.

Old Fleming describes him in the following words: His sight failed him, so he asked for the Bible from him, but seeing that he had lost his sight, he said. Throw me the eighth chapter of Romans and put my finger on these words, I am convinced that neither death nor life, etc. They will be able to separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord now he said that he is my finger on them when they told him that it was he said now God be with you, my children, I have had breakfast with you and I will have dinner with my Lord Jesus Christ this night and so I gave up the ghost at the end of the footnote bishop

ryle

ends this chapter with the following note stating that the perseverance of the saints is the old doctrine of the church of england and that its denial is the new there are few topics on which the English are as ignorant as they are of the true doctrines of the Church of England that many people know nothing of the theological opinions of the English Reformers and of all the leading English theologians for nearly a century after the Protestant Reformation they call old opinions that are actually new and call new opinions that are actually old would be a waste of time.

To investigate the causes of this ignorance, the truth is that it exists, few people seem to be aware that those doctrines that are now commonly called evangelical were the divinity universally accepted by English clergy during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James I, are not. As many ignorantly suppose, novel views of modern invention are simply the old

paths

trodden by the reformers and their immediate successors Tractarianism High Churchmanship and Broad Churchmanship are new systems Evangelical teaching is neither more nor less than Old school proof of this claim can be found in the church history of the reigns of Elizabeth and James I and in the writings of theologians of that period.

Far be it from me to defend all the sayings and facts of the theologians of which the student will find abundant traces in his writings. of intolerance, intolerance and intolerance that I would be the last to defend, but that the vast majority of all the ecclesiastics of that time held the doctrines that are now called Calvinist and evangelical is, in my opinion, as clear as noon and in no point the evidence appears. to be so clear about the doctrine of perseverance, is it not a historical fact that during the reign of queen elizabeth in the year 1595 the university of cambridge forced lord barrett of caius college to read a public retraction and apology in the church of st mary for having denied the doctrines of final perseverance and election the ancient antithesis of the church of england to the new armenianism by william prin page 56 2. is it not a historical fact that the articles written by the vice-chancellor and the directors of the university of cambridge against the aforementioned barrett concludes with the following words: This doctrine, not on inferior points of indifferent matters, but on the substantial foundation and the main comfort and basis of our salvation, has been, so far as we know, continuous and generally received, taught, and defended at this university in lectures, disputations, and sermons. and in other places in sermons from the beginning of the reign of her majesty and so it is stillmaintains and we consider it in accordance with the doctrine of the Church of England veritas redux of Edward page 534 3.

Is it not a historical fact that in the same Queen Elizabeth reign in the same year 1595 the Lambeth articles were drawn up and approved by the archbishop Whitgift and Bishop Bancroft (later Archbishop of Canterbury) and which contained the following proposition: a true living and justifying faith and the justifying spirit of God is not extinguished, it does not fall, it does not disappear in the elect either finally or totally. These articles were not added to our confession of faith, but Fuller's words are nevertheless perfectly true. The testimony of these learned theologians is infallible evidence of what were the general and received doctrines of England at that time from the time of Fuller. history of the church texas edition third volume page 150. four is it not a historical fact that in the year 1604 in the first reign of james this doctrine of perseverance was considered at the hampton court conference the puritan party desired that lambeth's articles be added to the 39 articles his request was not granted but for what reasons not because the doctrine of perseverance was objected but because king james thought it better not to fill the book of articles with all the theological conclusions, while that even the dean general of St.

Paul's whose sadness on this point was The most suspicious used these remarkable words: those who are justified according to the purpose of God's election, although they may fall into grave sin and, therefore, into the current state of condemnation, but never totally or definitively of justification, but in time are renewed by the spirit of God to a living faith. and Repentance from Fuller's Church History, Third Volume, Page 181 5. Is it not a historical fact that the first exposition of the 39 articles published after the Reformation contains a complete and distinct statement of the doctrine of perseverance in the part that deals with article 17?

I allude to the work of Thomas Rogers, chaplain to Archbishop Bancroft, to whom the book 1607 Rogers on the 39 Articles Parker Society Sixth Edition was dedicated. Is it not a historical fact that in the year 1612, King James first published a declaration written by himself against a vostius, an Armenian theologian, in which he calls the doctrine that saints can fall an evil doctrine, a blasphemous heresy directly contrary to the doctrine of the church of England of the antithesis of the main church of England, etc. page 206 7. Isn't it a historical fact? that the same Jamaican king first in the same year 1612 wrote a letter to the states of Holland in consequence of the fact that a Dutch theologian named Bertius had written a book on the apostasy of the saints and had sent it to the archbishop of Canterbury in this letter The king speaks of Bertius as a pestilent heretic and calls his doctrine an abominable heresy and in one place says that he is not ashamed to lie so grossly as to make a vow that the heiresses contained in the said book agree with the religion and profession of the church. of england of the prince church of england the antithesis of armenianism page 206 eight is it not a historical fact that king james himself first in the year 1616 visited with severe displeasure a clergyman named simpson, a member of trinity college in cambridge, to preach before him at royston? that true believers can completely turn away from fuller's cambridge history, page 160. nine, is it not a historical fact that at the synod of dort in the year 1619 the doctrine of final perseverance was firmly affirmed now that several english theologians were formally appointed to attend this synod and participate in its proceedings and, among others, Bishop Davenant and Bishop Carlton and it is not notable that however much they differed from the conclusions of the synod on matters of discipline, they approved all points of doctrine from Fuller's Church History, Volume 3, Page 279.

Ten Last but not least, is it not a historical fact that all the leading archbishops and bishops during the reigns of Elizabeth and James I were complete Calvinists in all matters of doctrine and it is not a well-known fact that the final perseverance of the saints is one of the guiding principles of the system that is called Calvinist. Helen herself is obliged to confess this, she says that it was safer for any man in those times to have been considered a pagan or publican than a high Calvinist from the life of Lord Page of Halen. 52 I present these 10 facts before my readers and ask for their serious attention.

I cannot understand how anyone can avoid the conclusion that can be drawn from them to me it seems an established point in history that the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints is the ancient doctrine of the church of england and the denial of this doctrine is new. I could easily add long quotes to strengthen the evidence I have presented. I could draw on marginal notes from the bishop's bible published under the special supervision and approval of Archbishop Parker. I could quote passage after passage from the writings of Archbishops Cranmer Grindel Sandes Whitgift Abbott Usher and Layton of Bishops Ridley Latimer Joyapilkington Babington Hall Davenant Carlton Predo and reynolds in short, the difficulty is to find theological writers in the reigns of elizabeth and james the first who ever thought of disputing the final perseverance william prin gives the names of no less than 130 writers who maintained that the saints could never perish and gives reference to his works, but by the time he wrote 1629 he could find only four writers who had denied the perseverance of the saints and taught the possibility of their apostasy.

He could provide many quotes from the writers he names, but that's not enough. The reader has probably heard enough already. I have made this note longer than I intended, but the importance of the facts it contains must be my apology. The whole issue today is one of the most profound moments for evangelical members of the Church of England. their adversaries constantly mock them and withhold new points of view. They are told that their opinions are not the opinions of the church and that they should leave the Church of England and become Dissenters without delay. I beg all readers of these pages to never allow themselves to be moved by such mockery and insinuations.

I tell you that those who make them only expose their own ignorance of the first principles of their own communion. I tell you not to be ashamed of your own views because they have no cause. I tell you that the evangelical members of the Church of England are the true representatives of the views of the Reformers and their immediate successors, and that those who oppose them do not know what they are saying. Last but not least, I would advise all clergymen persecuted for holding evangelical views to arm themselves with deep knowledge. of the divinity of the ancient church of England and to console themselves with the thought that they have the truth on their side, they are in any case explaining the 39 articles according to the intention of those who composed them;

His opponents are either neglecting the articles or attaching new meaning to them to what extent it is reasonable and just to persecute pious men for preferring the views of the reformers to those of the lord. He left it to others to decide, but those who are persecuted can console themselves with the reflection that if they are, they are in the right. company and if you ever suffer loss of character and position by maintaining final perseverance and denying the inseparable connection of baptism and regeneration, you can boldly tell the world that you suffer because you agree with latimer and Hooper and Jewel and White Gift and Carlton and Davenant and usher and leighton and hooker and hall he who suffers in the company of these good men has no reason to be ashamed.

If I were in a position to offer advice to my evangelical brothers in this crisis I would sincerely advise them to hold fast to the doctrine of the end perseverance and never letting it go there is no doctrine that so completely overturns the modern view of baptismal regeneration there is no doctrine consequently that many dislike it so much and work so hard to tear it down it is a barrier in your path it is a thorn in your path On the other hand, it is an argument to which they cannot respond. Article 17 of the Church of England is one of the keys to our position.

He who abandons the doctrine of perseverance can be sure that he has sold the pass to his enemy once he has been allowed that saving grace. He may be totally lost and on the day of controversy you will never stand firm. End of chapter 19. End of the ancient parts of J.C. Riley. Christopher Smith recording completed June 2020.