4. That the saints’ perseverance farther appears from Christ’s continual intercession for them. This has been particularly explained in a foregoing answer;[88] and the apostle speaking of his _ever living to make intercession_ for his people, infers that _he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him_, Heb. vii. 25. This he could not be said to do, should he leave the work which he has begun in them, imperfect, and suffer them, who come to him by faith, to apostatize from him. We have before considered Christ’s intercession, as including in it his appearing in the presence of God, in the behalf of those for whom he offered himself a sacrifice while here on earth; and also, that what he intercedes for shall certainly be granted him, not only because he is the Son of God, in whom he is well pleased, but because he pleads his own merits; and to deny to grant what he merited, would be, in effect, to deny the sufficiency thereof, as though the purchase had not been fully satisfactory; therefore we must conclude, as he himself said on earth, that _the Father heareth him always_. It is also evident, that he prays for the perseverance of his people, as he says to Peter, _I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not_, Luke xxii. 32. And there are many things in that affectionate prayer, mentioned in John xvii. which he put up to God, immediately before his last sufferings, which respect their perseverance in grace; as when he says, _Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are_, John xvii. 11. and, _I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil_, ver. 15. that is, either the evil that often attends the condition in which they are, in the world, that so the work of grace may not suffer, at least, not miscarry thereby; or else, that he would keep them from the evil one, that so they may not be brought again under his dominion; he also prays, _that they may be made perfect in one_, ver. 23. that is, not only that they may be perfectly joined together in the same design, but that this unanimity may continue till they are brought to a state of perfection; and _that the world may know that God has loved them, even as he has loved Christ_. And he declares his _will_; which shews that his intercession is founded on justice, and accordingly contains in it the nature of a demand, rather than a supplication for what might be given or denied, namely, _That they whom the Father had given him might be with him where he is, that they may behold his glory_, ver. 24. all which expressions are very inconsistent with the supposition, that it is possible that they, whom he thus intercedes for, may apostatize, or fall short of salvation. _Object._ It is objected by some, that this prayer respects none but his disciples, who were his immediate friends and followers, and not believers in all ages and places in the world.