But we are not of them who draw back unto
perdition
There is a drawing back which is not unto perdition; persons may
be attended with much unbelief, may be very cold and indifferent
to Gospel ordinances, may fall into great sins, and may greatly
backslide, and yet be recovered, as David, Peter, and others: and
there is a drawing back to perdition; when Christ is rejected as
the alone Saviour; when he is not held to as the head; when false
doctrines and damnable heresies are given into; and when men draw
back, and never return, nor are they, nor can they be returned,
and their apostasy is total, and final: but true believers do
not, and cannot draw back in this sense; because they are held
fast in the arms, and with the cords of everlasting love, are
chosen of God unto salvation, are given unto Christ, and secured
in him; they are redeemed and purchased by him; they are united
to him, and built upon him; they are interested in his prayers
and preparations, and are his jewels, and his portion; they are
regenerated, sanctified, inhabited, and sealed by the Spirit of
God, and have the promises and power of God, on their side.
But of them that believe to the saving of the
soul;
or "of faith, to the salvation of the soul"; not of faith of
miracles, nor of an historical faith; but of that faith, which is
the faith of God's elect, is the gift of God, and the operation
of his Spirit; by which a soul sees Christ, goes to him, lays
holds on him, commits all to him, and expects all from him: this
stands opposed to drawing back; for by faith a man lives, walks,
and stands; and with this is connected the salvation of the soul,
as opposed to perdition; not as though it is a cause of
salvation, but as a means of God's appointing to receive the
blessings of salvation, and which is entirely consistent with the
grace of God; and since salvation and faith are inseparably
connected together, so that he that has the one shall have the
other, it follows, that true believers can never perish. The
nature and excellency of this grace is largely treated of in the
following chapter.