Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-01-21

into the account and are indispensable t.
! his salvation. Nor can it be shown tha
God has purposed the perseverance ant
salvation of any believer independently o
! his own agency and effolts. Hence NJ
purpose of God which does not embrac,
the voluntary obedience Of the believer
can be plead as an insurmountable BARRIE
to his return 10 sin. He can do it if h
will. The wold can is here used in it.
literal sense, implying that if he desire
and strive to apostatize he has all the fac
ultieS which are necessary. and there il
no natural imposSibilty in the way of his
doing it. If he is a moral agent, he has
all the natural faculties necessary to ODE.
dience and is able to obey, and ifso, he is
able also to diSobey, otherwise he is not a
moral agent. ftben, there is possibil.
ity and is danger that the believer in Je.
sas may fallthrough Ignorance or unlaith
fitness, in order to secure his persevering
obedience unto salvation; we see the ne
cessity of that moral power, which God
exerts on him through the fundamentally
of his law addressed to his understanding
as rule to regulate his life, and to guide
the decisions of his conscience, and thro'
those motives contained in the warnings,
-exhortations and promises found in the
Bible. For without these it can hardly
be supposed that single regenerate per
son would hold on his way. And in The
end we shall probably see the exact adap-
tatlon of these motives to produce the de-
sired effect.
2. Warnings form a most important
item in the grand system Of means design
ed to secure the perseverance Of believers
and they imply that there is possibility,
of falling from grace; J. e. if any choose
to neglect duty and resolveto 60 on in sin,
there is no natural difficulty or insur-
mountable barrier to prevent their doing
it. Some of these show also that if any
should once fail their damnation is newt
able. Heb. vi 4, 6. For it is impossi-
be for those who were once enlighteded,
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 power of the world to come, if
they shall fall away to renew them again
to repentance: seeing that they cruelty
to themselves the son of God afresh. and
put h m to an open shame" Heb. K: &c,
81. For if we sin wiLfully after that we
have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
but certain fea Iful looking for Of judg-
ment and fiery indignation which shall
devour the adversaries. He that despis-
ed Moses law, did without mercy under
two or three witnesses; of how much
sorer punishment, suppose We, shall he be
thought worthy, who hath trodden under
foot the Son of God, and hath counted the
blood ofthe covenant, where with he was
sancti6ed, an unholy thing, and hath done
despite 20 the spirit of gracel For We
know him that hath said, vengeance be-
lonseth unto me, will recompense saith
the Lord. And again the Lord shall
Judge his people" Reference is here
had to the Jewish law Mum. Is: 80, 3l,l
under which no atonement could be made
for presumptuous sins. John XIV: g.
IF any man abide not in me. he is cast
forth as branch, and is withered; and
men gather them, and cast them into the
FIRE, and they are burned" For other
warnings Of similar nature see, r Pet,
2: 20, gil Eek. xviii: "a. Heb. iv:
n. Here are, most solemn warnings ad-
dressed to believers, manifestly implying
that they can. fall, and are in danger OF
doing it. They are, however, all suppos-
ed cases, and do not show that any ever
have fallen away, or that any ever will
do it. But they p'ainly show that if any
do once flll, there is in their case no hope
Of a second repentance and pardon
Now if there is any real danger Of oul
coming short and losing our souls, and i
our own personal efforts are indispcnsa
bic to our perseverance, we see the pro
priety of those exhortations which in The
Bible, are addressedto believers. Cor
X: H.. Wherefore LEI him that think
eth he s,andeth take heed lest he fall"
Cor. *: a. 80 run that ye may OBJ
tain" 2 Pet i: 10, II. Wherefor,
the rather, brethren, give diligence Il
make your calling and election sure; 70
ifye do these things, we shall never fall
for 50 an entrance shall be ministered unit
you abundantly into the everlasting king
dom ofour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. y
See also Mark xiv: SO. Heb. iv: |, an
IL, IA, Is, I6, II, rs.
These and similar exhortatlons ar
among the means which God has institut
ed to secure the perseverance, of the saints
And their adaptation to guard Their
, against presumption, inattention and slott
, fitness, and to stir them up to that cat
J ttious and unceasing exertion implied i
{ Perseverance, must be masifest to all.
: h. Neither. do these ,exhortations prov
that any susr hare fallen. or erer tcH :
r but they point out the course of condu'
> necessary to prevent IT. Now as tn
! warnings and exA0rtatiOHs Of the, Bib