neither hall any PLUCK THEM Out of my Father's hand. John x. 27. &c.

the Lord, and OBEY his voice, and NOT REBELL against his commandment then fhall ye CONTINUE following the Lord YOUR GOD. But if ye wILL NOT OBBY, &c then thall the hand of the Lord be against you. Only SERVE HIM in truth, with all your heart: for confider how great things he has done for you. Bat if ye shall ftill DO WICKEDLY, ye fhall be coNSUMED. 1 Sam. xii. 14, 15, 24, 25. [Left Samuel's teftimony fhould be rejected as unevangelical, I produce that of Chrift himself; hoping that Zelotes will allow our Lord to understand his own gospel.] Bear much fruit, so hall ye be my difciples. As the Father hath loved me, fo have I loved you: CONTINUE YE in my love. IF YE KEEP my commandments, ye shall ABIDE in my love: even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and ABIDE in his love. John xv. 8. &c.-Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away-and they are burned. John xv. 2,6.

1. There fhall arife falfe Chrifts, and fhall fhow great figns, infomuch that [ IT WERE POSSIBLE] they fhall DECRIVE πλανήσαι [lead into error] the VERY ILECT. Mat. xxiv. 24.

2. They fhall deceive many. Take HEED that 110 man DECEIVE YOU. Verfes 4, 5. Verfes 4, 5. - They [that caufe divifions by good words DECEIVE the hearts of the fimple. Rom. xvi. 18. [Query: Are all the fimple believers, whom party-men DECEIVE, very REPROBATES? I have efpoufed you to Chrift, &c. But I fear, left, by any means, as the ferpent BEGUILED Eve, fo your minds fhould be CORRUPTED. 2 Cor, xi. 2, 3. They HAVE BEEN DECEIVED [or, have erred] FROM THE ΓΑΪΤΗ [απεπλανήθησαν, the very word used by our Lord, and frengthened by a prepofition] Tim. vi. to. When Zelotes fupi pofes, that the claufe (if it were poffible) neceffarily implies an impoffibility, does he not make himfelf ridiculous before thofe who know the fcriptures ?

That

That expreffion IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, is used only on four other occafions; and in each of them it notes great difficulty, but by no means an impossibility. Take only two initances: IF IT WERE POSSIBLE ye would have plucked out your own eyes; and have given them to me. Gal. iv. 15. Paul hafted to be at JeruJalem the day of pentecoft, IF IT WERE POSSIBLE for him. Acts xx. 16. Now is it not evident, either that Paul wanted common sense if he hafted to do what could not absolutely be done; or that the expression IF IT WERE POSSIBLE implies no impoffibility ? And is not this a proof, that calvinism can now DECEIVE Zelotes, as eafily as the tempter formerly DECEIVED Aaron, David, Solomon, Demas, and Judas in the matter of the golden calf, Uriah, Milcom, and Mammon?

1. I have prayed for thee, that thy faith FAIL NOT. Luke xxii. 32.

to

2. I know thy works, &c. thou holdest fast my name, and haft NOT DEThat Peter's faith failNIED MY FAITH [as Peed for a time is evident ter did] Having damfrom the following obfer- | nation because they have vations: (1) Faith without CAST OFF their firftFAITH. works is dead: much more Rev ii. 13. 1 Tim. v. 12. faith with lying, curfing, Which [a good confciand the repeated denial of | ence, the believer's most Chrift :-(2) Our Saviour precious jewel, next himfelf faid to his difci-Chrift] fome having put ples, after a far lefs grie-away, concerning FAITH vous fall, How is it that have made SHIPWRECK. you have NO FAITH. Mark 1 Tim. i. 19.—WITHOUT iv. 40.-(3) His adding FAITH it is impoffible to immediately, When thou PLEASE God, The juft art converted, ftrengthen fhall live by FAITH, but thy brethren, fhows, that if he draw back [i. e. if Peter would ftand in need he make shipwreck of faith] of converfion, and confe- my foul hall have NO quently of living, conve t- PLEASURE in him. Heb. ing faith; for, as by kill- xi. 6.-x. 38. — If any ing unbelief we depart [believer] provide not for God, fo by living his own, &c. he hath denied the FAITH, and is

we are converted to
him.

WORSE

WORSE than an INFIDEL.
I Tim. v. 8.

him. Hence it is evident
that, if Chrift prayed,
that Peter's faith might
not fail AT ALL, he prayed CONDITIONALLY; and,
that upon Peter's refufing to watch and prey, which
was the condition particularly mentioned by our
Lord, Chrift's prayer was no more anfwered than
that which he foon after put up, about his not drink-
ing the bitter cup, and about the forgivenefs of his
revilers and murderers. But, if our Lord prayed (as
feems most likely) that Peter's faith might not fail or
die like that of Judas, i. e. in fuch a manner as
never to come to life again, then his prayer was per-
fectly answered: for the candle of Peter's faith,
which a fudden blast of temptation [and not the ex-
tinguisher of malicious, final obftinacy] had put out,
Peter's faith, 1 fay, like the fmoking flax, caught
again the flame of truth and love, and fhone to the
enlightening of thoufands on the day of pentecoft,
as well as to the converfion of his own foul that very
night. However, from our Lord's prayer, Zelotes
concludes, that true faith can never fail, in flat
oppofition to the fcriptures, which fill the oppofite
fcale; yea, and to reafon, which pronounces, that
our Lord was too wife to spend his laft moments in
afking, that a thing might not happen, which, if we
believe Zelotes, could not poffibly happen.

1. GOD even our Father, who hath loved us, and given us EVERLASTING confolation, &c. STABLISH you in every good word and work. 2 Theff. ii. 16, 17.--He who ESTABLISHETH us with you in Chrift, &c. is God. 2 Cor. i. 21.

2. IF YE WILL NOT believe, ye fhall NOT be ESTABLISHED. If. vii. 9. God PRESERVETH NOT the life of the WICKED, &c. He withdraweth not his eyes from the RIGHTEOUS, &c. He fheweth them their wORK, and their tranfgreffions, &c. He openeth alfo their ear

to difcipline, and commandeth, that they RETURN from iniquity. IF THEY OBEY and ferve him, they

will spend their days in profperity, &c. But I THEY OBEY NOT, they fhall PERISH, &c. and die without knowledge. Job xxxvi. 6—12.

1. Chrift fhall alfo coNFIRM you UNTO THE END, that ye may be blameless, &c. God is FAITHFUL, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son. 1 Cor. i. 8, 9.

2. Know ye not that YE ARE the temple of God, &c. If any [of you] defile the temple of God, HIM will God DESTROY. Chap, iii. 16, 17.—If thy right eye offend thee, PLUCK it out, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should PERISH, and not that thy whole body fhould be CAST INTO HELL. Mat. v. 29. -DESTROY not him with thy meat, FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED. - For meat DESTROY not the work OF GOD [in] thy brother, who ftumbleth, or is offended. Rom. xiv. 15, 20, 21. The Lord having SAVED the people, &c. afterward DESTROYED THEM that believed not, Jude 5.-They did ALL drink, &c• of that fpiritual rock, which followed them: and that rock was Chrift. But with MANY OF THEM, God was not well pleafed; for they, &c. were DESTROYED of the deftroyer. 1 Cor. x. 4, 5, 10. They were BROKEN OFF because of unbelief, and thou ftandeft by faith, &c. CONTINUE in his goodness, otherwife thou alfo fhalt be CUT OFF. Rom. xi. 29, 22.-Thro' thy knowledge fhall the weak brother PERISH, FOR WHOM CHRIST DIED, &c. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend [and fo to PERISH] I will eat no flesh while the world ftandeth. 1 Cor. viii. 11, 13.-There fhall be falfe teachers among you, who &c. denying the Lord that BOUGHT THEM, hall bring upon themselves swift DESTRUCTION.Thefe fhall UTTERLY PERISH in their own corruption, and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, &c. curfed children, who have FORSAKEN THE RIGHT WAY. 2 Pet. ii. 1, 12, 15. See also the scriptures quoted, in page 102.

1. He hath faid, I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee: fo that [in the

2. My people have committed two evils, they. have FORSAKEN ME, &C.

way of duty] we may I will even FORSAKE boldly fay, The Lord is you, faith the Lord. Jer. my helper. Heb. xiii. 5, | ii. 13. Chap. xxiii 33.6.- add in the way of The deftruction of the duty, becaufe God made tranfgreffors and of the that promife originally to finners fhall be together, Joshua, who knew God's and THEY that FORSAKE breach of promife, when the Lord fhall be coNAchan flepped out of the SUMED, &c. and they fhall way of duty. Compare both burn together, and Joh. i. 5, with Josh. vii. none hall quench them. 12, and Numb. xiv. 34.] If. i. 28, 31

1. Then the devil tak. eth him up into the holy city, and fetteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and faith unto him, If thou be the SON [or child] OF GOD, caft thyfelf down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, &c. [not only left thou fall finally, but also] left thou dash thy foot against a ftone. Mat. iv. 5, 6. Pf. xci. 11, 12.

2. Jefus faid it is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Mat. iv. 7.-Neither let us tempt Chrift, as fome of them alfo tempted, and were DESTROYED of ferpents. 1 Cor. x.9.

[Who can tell how many have been destroyed by dangerous errors, which, after infinuating themfelves into the bofom of the fimple, by means of their smoothness and fine colours, drop there a mortal poifon, that too often breaks out in virulent expreffions, or in practices worthy of - "Mr. Ful

How wifely does the tempter quote fcripture, when he wants to inculcate the abfolute prefervation of the faints! Can Zelotes find a fitter paffome ?"] fage to fupport their unconditional perfeverance! It is true never quotes it in favour of his cares to plow with fuch an heifer T 2

however, that he doctrine: for who (fænum habet in cornu.)