and continueth the habit. And the fear of God, and the belief of his
threatenings, and repentance, and watchfulness, and diligent
obedience, are a great part of this grace. And the acts are ours,
performed by ourselves, by the help of God: God doth not believe,
and repent, and obey in us, but causeth us ourselves to do it.
Therefore to grow cold, and secure, and sinful, upon pretence that
we are sure to persevere, this is to cease persevering, and to fall
away, because we are sure to persevere, and not to fall away: which
is a mere contradiction.
10. Lastly, bethink you well what is the meaning of all these texts
of Scripture, and the reason that the Holy Ghost doth speak to us in
this manner. Col. i. 21-23, "And you—hath he reconciled,—to present
you holy:—if ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be
not moved away from the hope of the gospel." John xv. 4-6, "Abide
in me, and I in you. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a
branch and withered. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will." Heb. iv. 1, "Let us therefore fear, lest a
promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should
seem to come short of it." Jude 21, "Keep yourselves in the love of
God." 1 Cor. x. 4, 5, 12, "They drank of that spiritual rock that
followed them, and that rock was Christ; but with many of them God
was not well pleased: wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall." Rom. xi. 20, 21, "Be not highminded, but
fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he
spare not thee." Gal. v. 4, "Ye are fallen from grace." Matt. x. 22,
"He that endureth to the end shall be saved;" Matt. xxiv. 13. Heb. iii.
6, 14, "Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence, and the
rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. For we are partakers of
Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the
end." Heb. iv. 11, "Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest
any man fall after the same example of unbelief." Rev. ii. 25, 26,
"Hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh and keepeth my
works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations;" Rev.
iii. 2, 3; ii. 4.