A Prospect of Heaven, Treatise · Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX. Of the certainty of the ſalvation of the Saints.
Ʋſe 1. HAving ſpoken of the Circumſtances, ſubſtance, and adjuncts of the Saints glory, it will now be neceſſary that I make ſome uſe and improvement of what hath been ſpoken.
Will God crown his people with glory, and is there ſuch a bleſſed eſtate reſerved in Heaven for them, as I have ſhewed at large? This then in the firſt place may inform us concerning the certainty of the ſalvation of the Saints. The ſalvation of God's Children is ſo certain, that the Scripture ſpeaks not of it as if it were to come, but as if it were already paſt or preſent, even as if it were now done, and not as of a thing to be done: it is uſual in Scripture to deſcribe thoſe things which God hath certainly determined, in ſuch a manner as if they were certainly accompliſhed: So S. Paul ſpeaking of the ſalvation of the Saints, ſaith, Tit. 3.5. according to his mercy he hath ſaved us: not he will do it, but he hath done it. By grace ye are ſaved, Eph. 2.8. not ye ſhall be, but ye are; whom he hath called, them hath he juſtified; and whom he hath juſtified, them alſo hath he glorified, Rom. 8.30. Bleſſed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he is tryed, he ſhall receive the crown of life, Jam. 1.12. From the certainty of future happineſs, the Apoſtle inferreth and concludeth preſent bleſſedneſs; he ſhall be bleſſed, therefore he is bleſſed.
1. The ſalvation of the Saints is certain if they look to God, or to themſelves; to God both in reſpect of his own purpoſe, and of Chriſt's performance. God hath purpoſed it, therefore it ſhall inevitably come to paſs; all the powers on Earth or Hell ſhall never be able to divert it: Man's purpoſes are ſubject to alteration, God's are not. Balaam himſelf could ſay, where he bleſſeth, none can curſe, Numb. 23.23. if God hath ſaid it, he will do it; if he hath ſpoken it, he will certainly perform it — Certain it is alſo in reſpect of Chriſt's performance, Chriſt hath performed all that is neceſſary and ſufficient for our ſalvation; he hath been both our ranſome and our purchaſe; ranſomed us from Hell, and procured for us an inheritance in Heaven. He is called the Lamb ſlain from the beginning of the world, Rev. 13.8. for, if ye look to the decree and purpoſe of God, he was ſo; or if ye look to the merit and efficacy of his ſufferings, he was ſo: To all the faithful that have lived, from the beginning of the world, the ſuffering and ſacrifice of Chriſt is meritorious, and available, even to them that lived before Chriſt came into the fleſh, as well as to us that live after it: as many as are ſaved, are ſaved by it, as S. Bernard wittily ſpeaketh, Mors Chriſti proſuit, antequam fuit: the death of Chriſt was profitable, before it was.
2. The ſalvation of the Saints is certain alſo if they look to themſelves, if they look to what they are, aut re, aut ſpe, either indeed, or in hope; that is, either to their preſent eſtate, or their future.
As to their preſent eſtate, God hath already ſo far given it them, as he hath certainly given the ſeal and earneſt of it to them; they have his Spirit already, that is the ſeal of their adoption, the earneſt of their ſalvation; and having this, they are ſure of the other, as when a man hath his earneſt, he is ſure of his bargain; and God never takes this earneſt back again, becauſe it is ſo the earneſt of our inheritance,Praeſentia & quae j…m aſſecutus es, de futuris tibi fidem faciunt. Chryſ. in Rom. Homil. 9. until the redemption of the purchaſed poſſeſſion, as that it is an earneſt alſo, that in the mean time God eſtabliſheth us in Chriſt, and that he hath created us even for this very thing, namely to cloath us with immortality and eternal life: Moreover, God in giving earneſt to aſſure the end unto us, doth thereby undertake againſt all lets and impediments, that ſhould hinder the atchieving of that which is earneſted thereby; and therefore as Chryſoſtom ſaith, the things preſent which thou haſt already attained, do aſſure unto thee thoſe things which are yet to come: But of this I have ſpoken before, Chap. 4. And as in reſpect of their preſent eſtate, ſo in reſpect of their future hope, as well as their preſent earneſt:Futura ſperant, quicunque ſperant. Auguſt. their hope of ſalvation confirmeth their certainty of it, Rom. 8.24. Ye are ſaved by hope, ſaith the Apoſtle: though hope be properly of future things, yet he ſpeaks of ſalvation as of a thing preſent. Indeed it is not with this hope as with worldly hope: worldly hope doth many times fail a man, but this doth never; therefore it is called an anchor, Hebr. 6.19. which hope we have, ſaith the Apoſtle, as an anchor of the ſoul, ſure and ſtedfaſt. Non dixit fundamentum, ſed anchoram; he did not ſay a foundation, but an anchor, ſaith Chryſostom: foundations are many times ſo firm, as that they are without any ſhaking or tottering at all, but it is not with a Ship lying at anchor, as with an houſe built upon a foundation: a Ship when it lyeth at anchor in the Sea, & movetur, & non movetur, it is moved, and not moved; it is moved as the winds ſtir it, but not moved from the place where the anchor holds it. Thus it is with the Chriſtian that lies floating in the Sea of this world, and yet hath caſt anchor in Heaven, & movetur, & non movetur, he may be both moved and not moved; for he ſtands not like a foundation that cannot be moved: the ſtreams of temptation and trouble will agitate and toſs him (O thou afflicted, and toſſed with tempests, Iſa. 54.11.) yet not moved, that he cometh in danger of being utterly overwhelmed, for hope is an anchor ſure and ſtedfaſt, that fixeth and ſetleth him. Where there is ſtedfaſtneſs of hope, there is aſſuredneſs of ſalvation: and that hope may be the anchor of the Soul, ſaith muſt go before to ſound the ground, or hope cannot do its office; for what more abſurd, than that hope ſhould have any certainty at all without faith, any more than an anchor ſhould have any ſtay without ground to faſten upon? this hope (as Hilary noteth) is not a preſuming of things uncertain, but an expectation of things known to us: for that cauſe it is, that S. Paul ſaith, Hope maketh not aſhamed. They that hope, ſaith Theodoret, and are deceived of their hope, do bluſh, and are aſhamed thereof; now ſaith S. August. we are certain of our hope, for our hope is not uncertain, that we ſhould doubt thereof; yea, we are ſo certain thereof, that S. Paul ſaith, We rejoyce under the hope of the glory of God, Rom. 5.2. which confidence and rejoycing of hope groweth from that which the Holy Ghoſt termeth foreign, full aſſurance of faith: that which the Saints hope for, it cannot but come to paſs, the Spirit of God would never work this undoubted perſwaſion in their hearts, if he did not intend their eternal good; the promiſes of God are ſure grounds to caſt the anchor of our hope upon, they are the pillars of hope. David ſaith often in Pſal. 119. that he hoped in God's Word.