souls to him, that they may be kept unto eternal life, let us remember that our heavenly Father will keep them in his own way, that is, according to his covenant. He will not so keep the feet or souls of his saints, as that they shall enjoy their portion in this life, and also in the life to come; but he will keep their souls, in chastisements, in tribulations, in reproof, in the dishonour of the world, and in the loss of all things for Jesus sake. Truly the Lord will keep the souls that are committed to his guardianship, and to this end will accomplish in them, and for them, the crucifixion of the world and of sin. And do the souls thus "kept by the power of God through faith, unto salvation," desire to be preserved only in a way of ease, and worldly pleasure? Not so; they have but one thing at heart; their ultimate salvation: and the way in which this salvation is to be effected, they willingly entrust with their gracious God. They do not prescribe to him the means that he shall use. These they leave to his wisdom. It may be that they have many a foreboding, that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life," but they are not on that account, of the number of those who draw back unto perdition. Their only fear is lest that perdition should ever overtake them; and to prevent that disastrous issue, they count not their lives dear unto them, but willingly resign them, with all their earthly interests, into the hands of that God who has promised to "make all things work together for good to those who love him, to those who are the called according to his purpose."

We have adverted to the case of those who oppose the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, and have admitted, that although through a deficiency of divine illumination, combined with the force of prejudice, a

certain class of believers reject this precious truth, they yet possess saving faith in Jesus, and the renewing influences of his grace. But allowing this to be the case, it is also apparent, that none can give a rational and intelligible account of their first conversion to God, or of their hope of future glory, upon Arminian principles. For the pious Arminian dares not ascribe either his first conversion to God, or his hope of final perseverance, to his own faithfulness to grace received; which he ought to do, in order to be consistent with himself. Press him on this point, and you will find, that in spite of his false creed to which he holds most pertinaciously in the letter, he is constrained by the power of the Spirit, (which he possesses in common with his Calvinistic brethren) to give God the glory of his own work. If pointedly asked, How is it that you are become a child of God ? were you originally better than your neighbours; or did you by the power of your own free will pluck yourself as a brand from the burning, even when you were dead in trespasses and sins?' The reply to such an inquiry is ever this, "By the grace of God I am what I am." True, the pertinacity of the Arminian creed will still suggest the general retort, 'that there is a time in which every man may or may not comply with the grace of God;' but if the general truth is pushed home and made particular, the conscience of the really humbled sinner, discloses to him that in his case, salvation was of grace. And in like manner, whilst the pious Arminian contends stoutly, that the grace of God which is bestowed to-day, may through the believer's fault be withdrawn to-morrow, we observe him secretly cherishing a confidence in God, that the same grace that first called him to the possession of faith, will perpetuate the precious gift. In fact the feelings

and wants of the renewed heart being ever in a great measure the same, those who differ in words are found to agree in sentiment; and whilst those who "hold fast the form of sound words," are contemned, it may be, on account of their doctrine, their adversaries (if taught of God) are constrained to join them, in ascribing their individual salvation to the same free, almighty, efficacious grace of God.

20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

These verses may be paraphrased in the following manner:-" And truly ye believers, to whom I write, have an unction from the Holy one, and in consequence of that heavenly anointing, possess such a comprehensive knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, that ye will accede at once to the accuracy of the statement I have just made in regard to the final perseverance of those who are in Christ. This statement might be objected to, by those who are little conversant with the whole scheme of man's redemption in Christ; but I have not written to you, as to those who are ignorant of all save the first rudiments of the Gospel. On the contrary, I have rather addressed you, as persons to whose knowledge and experience I can appeal, in confirmation of what I have advanced. And ye know that no lies like unto those put forth by the antichristian teachers, can possibly emanate from him who is "the truth;" consequently that the teachers of antichristian doctrines,

could not by any possibility have received a commission from the Great Head of the Church, whose body (the Church) they do nothing else but wound, by their perversions of the faith once for all delivered to the saints."

Let us now consider in greater detail the important matter contained in these verses. “But ye have an unction from the Holy One." Here the Apostle asserts a very important fact respecting the persons to whom he wrote; a fact which if it is supposed to exist at the present time in the case of some Christians rather than of others, brings with it the imputation of credulity, or the reproach of arrogance. But John is explicit in his terms. We must not then be afraid to acknowledge that he asserts that some in his time possessed a peculiar gift of the Spirit of God, whilst others were destitute of the same gift; for whatever any may think of the present pretensions of those who consider themselves or others similarly endowed, the case of the believers whom John addressed cannot be disputed, without attacking the apostle's truth, or impeaching the soundness of his judgment. But if whilst we assent, or rather, it is to be feared, pretend to assent, to the accuracy of this statement in regard to the believers he particularly addressed, and at the same time, which is so common a case, oppose the general truth, that the same peculiar unction from the Holy One is given to all true believers, now, and in every age of the church, we are in no other condition but the very perilous one, of being found "even to fight against God." We repeat, that this is no unusual case. Alas! it is but too common; for how is the doctrine of the agency of the Spirit in the hearts of a peculiar people, vilified by the carnal mind, and railed at even by those who bear the name of Christ! To proclaim that some

possess an unction from the Holy One," whilst others are destitute of any such anointing, excites at once the enmity and contempt of man's fallen heart. Some will indeed endure to hear of a general work of the Spirit upon all, which work of the Holy Spirit shall not be distinguishable from what is commonly called the light of nature; but let those particular operations of the Spirit be insisted on, which are identical with the birth from above, (John iii. 3-8.) and although Jesus is himself the author of the doctrine, it is rejected with real, although, it may be, with disguised contempt. The believer however, who is himself the subject of this heavenly unction, cannot, and will not, be disposed to dispute it. Rather, he will humbly glorify God in the acknowledgment of the unspeakable mercy he has received, and pray evermore for larger measures of the divine anointing. Nor can he deceive himself, as some suppose, by imagining himself partaker of a gift which is delusive. His possession of a new nature, substantiates the fact of his being born again of the Spirit. He has within him the evidence that a mighty change has been wrought in his heart and mind, by a power foreign to his own. For from whence was it that he derived his present knowledge of himself, as by nature a child of wrath, a sinner, and as such under the righteous sentence, and curse of God? There was a time when such a conviction had no place in his mind. How did he obtain it? And from whence his views of Jesus as the propitiation for his sins? From whence his love of God, and his unfeigned delight in the meditation of his law? His present thoughts and feelings are all new. But how is this? Old things are passed away: " but by what power was this effected?

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He was

formerly the willing slave of his lusts. Now he detests