Chapter 17

Of The Perseverance Of The Saints

1. Those whom God hath accepted in the Beloved, effectually called and
sanctified by the Spirit, and given the precious faith of His elect unto can
neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly
persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and
callings of God are without repentance, (whence He still begets and
nourisheth in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of
the Spirit to immortality)

John My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
10:27
John And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
10:28 pluck them out of my hand.
John My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them
10:29 out of my Father's hand.

Philippians I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

1:3
Philippians Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
1:4
Philippians For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
1:5
Philippians Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will
1:6 perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Philippians Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart;
1:7 inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye
all are partakers of my grace.

II Timothy Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord
2:19 knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity.

I John They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no
2:19 doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that
they were not all of us.
and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall
never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are
fastened upon: notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the
sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded, and obscured
from them,

Psalm 89:30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
Psalm 89:31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Psalm 89:32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

I Corinthians But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be
11:32 condemned with the world.

yet it is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto
salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven
upon the palm of His hands, and their names having been written in the book of Life
from all eternity.

Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

2. This perseverance of the saints, depends not upon their own free will but
upon the immutability of the decree of election,

Romans Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them
8:30 he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Romans And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father
9:10 Isaac;
Romans (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
9:11 purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that
calleth;)
Romans It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
9:12

Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth
mercy.

flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy of
the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with Him,

Romans Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
5:9 through him.
Romans For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
5:10 much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

John 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye
shall live also.

the oath of God,

Hebrews Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the
6:17 immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
Hebrews That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might
6:18 have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set
before us:
Hebrews Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which
6:19 entereth into that within the veil;
Hebrews Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after
6:20 the order of Melchisedec.

the abiding of His Spirit, and the seed of God wthin them,

I John Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he
3:9 cannot sin, because he is born of God.
and the nature of the covenant of grace;

Jeremiah And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city,
32:36 whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the
sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;
Jeremiah Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine
32:37 anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place,
and I will cause them to dwell safely:
Jeremiah And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
32:38
Jeremiah And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the
32:39 good of them, and of their children after them:
Jeremiah And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from
32:40 them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart
from me.

from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.

3. And though they may, through the temptation of Satan, and of the world, the
prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of means of their
preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein;

Matthew But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
26:70
Matthew And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them
26:71 that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
Matthew And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
26:72
Matthew And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou
26:73 also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
Matthew Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately
26:74 the cock crew.
Matthew And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock
26:75 crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve His Holy Spirit,
Isaiah Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in
64:5 thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we
shall be saved.
Isaiah But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we
64:6 all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isaiah And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee:
64:7 for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
Isaiah But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all
64:8 are the work of thy hand.
Isaiah Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we
64:9 beseech thee, we are all thy people.

Ephesians And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
4:30 redemption.

come to have their graces and comforts impaired,

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psalm 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded,

Psalm When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
32:3
Psalm For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought
32:4 of summer. Selah.

hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves,

II Samuel And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock
12:4 and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took
 the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

yet shall they renew their repentance, and be preserved through faith in Christ
Jesus, to the end.

Luke And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may
22:31 sift you as wheat:
Luke But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,
22:32 strengthen thy brethren.

Luke And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the
22:61 Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
Luke And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
22:62