Of the same hypothetical character, and on the same admission of the power of the Christian to apostatize, is the remarkable passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

That reference is here made to real Christians is evident:

(1.) From the undisputed design of the epistle in which the passage occurs.

This was to prevent apostacy-apostacy of those who were addressed; and that they were addressed as any other than as acknowledged Christians, as were the different churches to whom the other epistles were written, is an absurdity too naked to need any unmasking. It would make the churches then only bands of seeming Christians or of hypocrites, and confine real religion to the apostles themselves, or banish it from the world.

(2.) That reference is made in this passage to real Christians is evident from the language used. Though the description of character might possibly find application to some persons in Christian communities and in Christian churches, who know nothing of that "charity" without which, whatever else they may have, they are but "sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal," mere stony-ground" religionists; yet a plain man, with no theory to maintain, would hardly think that these were the persons meant. The Christian is clearly the only person of whom the description can be understood in its highest and best sense. Whatever may be true of any other person, he is enlightened, he tastes the heavenly gift, he is a partaker of the Holy Ghost, he tastes the good word of God, and feels the influence and the power of the world to come, as no unregenerate person does. The passage is both appropriate and comprehensive as a description of the true Christian.

And, besides, if they are not Christians whom the apostle means, how could he speak of renewing them again to repentance, and say that it is impossible, because they crucify the Son of God afresh or again?

(3.) That this passage relates to real Christians is evident from the aggravated character of the crime contemplated. If it should exist, it would be no ordinary offence. Vaulting up the whole gradation of human crime, it passes on, and takes its station beyond where repentance ever comes; there it stands, beyond the reach of infinite grace. As though its perpetrator had exhausted on his own person the provision made for his salvation, and had then sold its advantages, he is set forth a spiritual Esau,

his birthright of grace despised and lost, his tears of no avail to regain it !

Of the same character is the passage in the 10th chapter of this epistle: "If we sin wilfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.' If we Christians, with forethought of intention, apostatize, (that this is the sin spoken of, the context renders evident,) there is no other, no second Saviour provided for us; nothing remains for us but a fearful judgment and fiery doom.

Now, no one supposes that falling away from any common illumination of the gospel, any common participation of Christian benefits, any common influences of the Spirit, any common regard for the divine Word, any mere external governance of the life by the hopes and the fears of the coming world-in short, no one supposes that falling into absolute infidelity, from the very threshold of the heavenly kingdom, is attended with such hopelessness as that brought to view in these passages. The Scriptures, and Christian ministers, in fulfilling their commission, call upon the wicked, the abandoned, the errorist, the infidel, whatever may have been his past experience, to repent, to return to the Lord, who will have mercy, and to our God, who will abundantly pardon. But on what principle is this free and universal offer of life made to many in every Christian community, if these passages relate to sinners who have only trembled like Felix, washed their hands like Pilate, prayed and wondered like Simon the

sorcerer?

In anticipation of what I have yet to say, I here remark that the fact of this universal offer of salvation, free and ample for all, proves that though the Christian, by the exercise of his powers, might fall away, he in fact never does; for if he did, then for his sin there would be no sacrifice, and fallen Christians would constitute a class in every community to whom the offer of life could not be made.

And now, I further remark that the promises and threatenings generally, which are addressed to Christians, allow the possibility of their apostacy. If the command which comes to the sinner to obey the gospel, implies that he possesses ability so to do, either natural or gracious, so do the warnings to Christian imply that they have ability to plunge into ruin. They are told that he that endureth to the end shall be saved; and that he that overcometh shall inherit all things. "Take heed, brethren," says the apostle, "lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called to day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin,"

The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints admits fully that Christians have free will; that they have ability to apostatize, and, in themselves considered, are in great danger of it. And hence the true doctrine includes, as one of its essential elements, the use and influence of promises, threatenings, and the various means which God has ordained to the work of preserving his saints.

I pass now to a second inquiry, more momentous than the one which we have been considering. Is the power to apostatize, fearful as it is, in itself considered, ever exercised; or, as a matter of fact, will every truly regenerated person so persevere in holiness as to be finally saved? Does God, who has the certain knowledge of all certain events, give us any answer to this ques tion in the revelation of truth, so that we may have any certain knowledge on the subject? Or are we left with at least half as much uncertainty as to the salvation of the saint as of the sinner? And must every Christian; however certain he may be that he is now a child of God, be constantly agitated with the fear that he shall become a child of the Devil, and be lost? And must the joy of the heavenly host over the repenting sinner ever be clouded and chilled with the fear that he may yet be given up of his God, and lie down in hell?

The answer to this queston clearly must have an important practical influence; it has not a little to do with our hopes and our fears, our agitation and our tranquillity, as Christians not yet glorified. What, then, saith the Scriptures?

Far back in the comparatively dim light of the old dispensation it was proclaimed-"The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger." "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hands." "The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

And when the Saviour came, and "spake as never man spake," what were his words? Did he annul the intimation of the ancient Scriptures, or did he cast upon it the clear light which he came to reveal, and raise it to a certainty ? "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. . . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. . . I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever... Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life." "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed

from death unto life." "The water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life."

What can be clearer than these words of the Great Teacher? None that were given to him shall be lost. And the dividing line which he fixes between death and life is not drawn across the farther end of the believer's course, but across its beginning. In his first exercise of justifying faith, in his first partaking of the Redeemer's flesh and blood, in his new birth, he actually passes the line between death and life; henceforth, because He in whom his life is, lives, he shall live also. Not that he shall be compelled to go to heaven, whether he will or not. "My sheep," says the Great Shepherd, "hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, [those of whom I am to lose none,] is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." How perfectly do these words guard every sheep of the fold! These are the ones who are in the everlasting covenant, of whom God has declared, "I will not turn away from them to do them good;" not, if they are faithful, and turn not away from me; but "I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." These are the elect, whom the Saviour declared it impossible for false Christs and false prophets, with all their signs and wonders, to deceive. These are they who are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation; they whom God will not suffer to be tempted above what they are able to bear, but, in his wisdom, and by his power, will ever, in faithfulness, make a way for their escape.

And I now furtker remark, that this doctrine is not only clearly intimated in the Old Testament, and clearly taught by the Lord Jesus, but it is proclaimed and exulted in by the apostles. "And we know," says Paul, "that all things work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to his purpose." How so? May they not by any enemy or instrumentality be deceived, ensnared, ruined? By no means. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Here is a complete and heaven-wrought chain, linking those whom God foreknew to glory; and it is described as already finished in the purpose of Jehovah.

And it is not important to the doctrine in hand, let it be distinctly observed, which of the three main significations claimed for the word foreknow, is given to it. Give it the Arminian one, prescience of repentance and faith; or the mixed one, loved or approved, whether from a foresight of obedience or not; or give

it the sense to select or determine upon, the Calvinistic election of grace, and the chain in either case remains alike unbroken. Whom God knew would repent and believe, or whom he loved from a foresight of goodness or otherwise, or whom he selected of his own good will as the subjects of regeneration, them he predestinated to a conformity to the image of his Son, [to be holy.] Moreover, whom he did predestinate, to be holy, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

And then, in view of this chain of grace, joining every true believer to glory, the fervid apostle kindles into exultation, and triumphantly exclaims, as if in defiance of all the enemies of the Church of God, "If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ?. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us.. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Perfectly confident was the apostle that He who began a good work in Christians would perform (finish) it; and that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance-not abandoned.

And how childish and short-sighted is the answer so often made to the above triumphant passage of the apostle, that this is all conditional; none of these things can separate a Christian from the love of God unless he yields to them? Indeed! and who ever supposed they could? Is there any other way for a Christian to fall than by yielding to evil? Does the objector think this passage means that no creature is stronger than God, and that all this triumphing of the apostle is a mere flourish of trumpets over the fact that no creature of earth or hell can make effectual war upon the Almighty, and tear away an obedient child from his arms? If this is not what he thinks, then he is entertaining himself with a mere truism, which, of course, nobody denies : nothing can ruin the child of God unless he yields. And this is the precise point to which the whole passage relates. As there is no other way to pluck a child from His hands but by inducing apostacy, it is over the want of power in all the enemies of the Christian to effect this that the apostle triumphs so exultingly. His assuranc was, and ours is, that all the wisdom, wonders, temptations, lies, allurements, and enchantments of men and devils, cannot cause a Christian to apostatize from his God!

Another inquiry: Does the perseverance of the saints, thus revealed, thus promised, and hence sure, consist in simply retaining the grace and obedience possessed immediately on conver