the very word emports a rejecting of some and a culling out of others The word Election imports that all shall not be saved Origen held this that all men should be saved that Election shall extend to every man Yea the very Devils at the day of judgment shall be saved which is an opinion among Christians not to be named for Election belongs but to a few Fourthly I say that t is to bring them to eternal life and salvation therefore called ordination to eternal life Act. 13.48 Secondly Whether may a Christian in this life be assured of his eternal Election forasmuch as Election was done in the decree of God before ever he had a being or the world was Therefore seeing we are not privy to Gods decree and councel how can it be said that we may know and be assured of our Eternal Election Indeed the Papists they beat down this Doctrine And hence it is that in the Councell of Trent there was this Canon made that if any man should say he was bound to believe that he was of the number of them that God hath predestinated or elected to life let him be an accursed man They did endeavour to beat down assurance and held that all that a man could have must be onely a conjectural assurance or some kinde of hopes of salvaiton and no other Now that you might not erre in this point see what the Scripture speaks in this case That though Election be an act of God from eternity yet a believer may firmly and fully know his own election And this I shall make good by several places of Scripture Read Luke 10.20 Rejoyce not saith Christ to his disciples that you have power to cast out Devils that they are subject to you but rather rejoyce in this that your names are written in the book of life That is rejoice not that you can work miracles that wicked men can doe that are not elected but rather rejoyce that your names are written in the book of life that is that in Gods decree you are elected to salvation Now how could they rejoyce unlesse they knew this So 1 Thess. 1.4 Knowing brethren beloved your election of God The Apostle takes it for granted that believers did know they were elected So Ephes 1.3 4 5. The Lord hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world was having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ Many more Scriptures I might urge but in the mouth of two or three witnesses it is enough to confirme every truth But now though the Scripture be thus clear yet there are some objections that seemingly oppose this truth which I must satisfie The Papists as far as I have read in their writings I finde five objections they draw from Scripture against this truth that a man may be assured of his Election for say they it was an act of Gods done before we had a being and how can we be assured of that I will therefore beloved first produce those Scriptures that they pretend wil overthrow this point and then take off what seemes to make against it The first Text they urge is 1 Pet. 1.17 Passe the time of your sojourning here in fear This Scripture say they bids us passe our time in fear and if so then we cannot be assured of our Election but we must fear all the daies of our life whether we are elected or no. To this I shall answer briefly You must know the fear that the holy Ghost here presseth that men should passe their time in fear is not meant of a fear about our election but it is meant of a feare of sin that we must not sinne against God but feare God and feare to provoke God by our sinne And if you ask how this appeares I make it appear plainly thus for vers 18. it is said Knowing beloved that you are not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious blood of Christ c. Now this verse proves clearly that they knew they were redeemed by Christs blood and so by consequence knew their Election Therefore the Apostle did not presse a fear to beat down the knowledge of their election bâ—t passe your time in fear i.e. fear to offend God and fear to sin against him Another objection they urge â—s this The Scripture say they doth often commend feare to us and surely fear and assurance cannot stand together Prov. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth alwaies Now if a man must alwaies fear then the mâ—st a man can have is hope and so hang between hope and fear all our daies To which I answer That the fearing alwaies iwhich Solomon annexed blessednesse unto is not meant of the fear about a mans election but only a fear to sin against God And if you ask me how that appeares read the whole verse Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes but he thaet hardens his heart shall run into mischiefe Now mark by the Antithesis it is apparent that fear there is not a fear of our everlasting estate but onely a feare in opposition to hardnesse of heart in wicked men that go on in a course of sin Another place they urge is 1 Cor. 10.12 Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall Now say they the Scripture tells us that every man though never so firm as he thinks about his election yet he must take heed he may fall from grace and be damned for all this Now by way of answer to this I would lay down two things First The Apostle doth not speak of men that have a grounded assurance of their election but to men that lie in carnal security and have deluded perswasions of their good estate and this appeares by the Text for he saith let him that thinks he stands He doth not say let him that stands for he cannot fall but he that thinks he stands Those men that nourish presumptuous and ungrounded perswasions that they are in a good estate and in a happy condition let them take heed lest they fall Secondly the falling here is not meant a falling away from grace or a falling away finally after election for that is impossible but it is onely meant of a falling into sin and so the meaning is this Let him that thinks he stands i. e. that thinks he is strong in grace and stands upon his own legs let that man take heed lest he fall into sinne Now a man may take heed of falling into sinne yet no way question his assurance And if you ask how I make it appear that this is the intendment and scope of the place I answer by the Context Read the foregoing verse Let us not tempt Christ as they tempted him let us not us murmur as some of them murmured for these thingâ— hapned to â—hâ—m for ensamples and are written for our admonition Therefore let him
call As you know it is with Carpenters they give more blows to knotâ—y Timber then they will do to smooth and tender wood thus doth God when he meets with a knotty sinner a wretched stout-hearted sinner God must give many blows by humiliation before he will be humbled before he can bring him to be a serviceable piece in Gods building whereas Christians of a milde and softer temper they shall have fewer blows and shall not have the terrors of God stick so fast in their hearts as others shall Hence you read that phrase Hos 6.5 saith the Lord I will hew them by my Prophets c. God doth hew some men hew them with judgments and hew them with terrour Yea but others that are not so loose as they I taught Ephraim to go I led Ephraim by the Arms and I drew him with cords of a man and with the bands of love Hos 11.4 God you see would hack and hew some men with terrour and wrath but others he would draw with love and the cords of a man Now suppose God hath not hacked and hewed thee with judgments if God melt thee with loving kindnesse and if God gain upon thy soul with mercy and with love and grace thou must not blame God thou must not confine God for this is Gods way of working sometimes as well as by wrath God works upon some with wrath â—he will allure others with loving kindnesse so that you have no cause or ground of fear that you are not effectually called because you apprehend some defects in the manner of your call because it is Gods usual way to plunge them in most humiliation and most terrour that have been most wicked liv'd men before their call and so ordinarily with men religiously trained up from their youth Thirdly God when he goes to call a sinner to conversion he looks upon the temper of those that are to be called and God sees some men of a rugged temper that their tempers will not be won but by wrath and by fire and by hell and by judgment And so it 's like Felix was his temper was such that nothing could conveâ—t him but wrath and judgement to come terrible Doctrines Some are of this temper that nothing but wrath and hel-fire can work upon them As children there are some that are of such soft and tender tempers that the shaking of a rod may doe them good there are other children if a man should whip them every day they would never leave their childish tricks It is so with sinners God sees some of a more tender and soft temper that love will gain upon them others are of a rugged disposition that nothing but wrath can affright them Now God in the dispensations of his grace he observes their temper and if he seeth love will gain more upon them then wrath will do he will take that course but if God see nothing but wrath and fire and horrour wil doe it then he wil work that way This you read in the Epistle of Jude ver 22 23. On some saith the Holy Ghost have compassion making a difference but others save with fear pulling them out of the fire The meaning is this There are some that you must shew tendernesse and compassion to in calling and working upon them they are of a tendâ—r temper but others there are that you must save with fear that is preach terrible Sermons to them and fright them with hel-fire and judgment to come For God doth observe the different tempers in men and hereupon doth proceed in different wayes of Administration in working upon them Now it may be thou that dost thus complain thou never hadst these terrours in thy soul and yet art effectually called it may be God saw thy temper more to be won by kindnesse and more gained upon in a way of love therefore wrought upon thee this way God is not bound to one way And therefore we may justly count them blame-worthy who preach onely free grace and Gods love and so tie God to one Method and they are too blame on the other side likewise if there be any such that preach only terror and wrath for God observes the temper of mens dispositions some to be knotty and some soft and accordingly proceeds ceeds in his way of working with them This ground therefore for your doubts is insufficient Secondly A second ground that makes men doubt of their effectual calling is upon the apprehension of some seeming defect that may be in the means of their calling As thus Think they I have read in the Word that it doth please God to use preaching as the ordinary means to call and convert sinners to Christ It pleased God by preaching to save them that beleeve I read this also that faith comes by hearing Now many a poor soul hath this that gravels his conscience and troubles his spirit but alas I finde a defect in this means For my part I cannot say I was converted by hearing a Sermon that which did work upon me was some other means One of these three either I was converted saith one by living in a godly family among good Christians seeing their example that first gained upon me Or saith another I was gained upon by reading a Chapter in the Bible or in some good Book and that first wrought upon me Or saith a third it may be if it was the Word it was the Word preached by a wicked man that is now turned either erroneous in judgment or prophane in practice and this occasioneth a great deal of jealousie The word preacht by the mouth of a godly Minister is Gods ordinary way but I was altogether out of this way and therefore this doth make him suspect the truth of his effectual calling Now Beloved I beseech you lend me your thoughts a little for I would fain make this Doctrine as comfortable to every called one as I can I shall speak of all these in order and shew you that put case either of these have been the meanes of thy calling yet thou hast no reason to doubt of thine effectual calling First thou suspectest thy call because the means hath been sayest thou not by hearing a Sermon or the word preacht but by living among good Christians and seeing their example and their living thou camest by this means to love the wayes of God and this was the first meanes that converted thee Beloved I doubt not but I speak to a great many that cannot say a Sermon ever converted them but only that they were gained to Gods wayes to imbrace the truth this way now what shall I say to such men as these why I would say thus much that though the Lord did not use his Word preached the ordinary meanes of converting soules in calling thee yet God is not tied and bound up to his word preacht but he may use other means to convert thy soul Secondly and more particularly that living among good people and seeing of their
example both in life and worship we finde in Scripture to be a very efficatious meanes oftentimes to convince sometimes to convert and if you can finde out this in Scripture you may have abundance of comfort It hath been a means oftentimes to convince 1 Pet. 3.16 They shall be ashamed to speak evil of you while they behold your conversation in Christ When they shall see that you live-in Christ and walk according to Christ they shall be ashaemed ashamed of what they have done and what they have spoken it shall convince them So 1 Pet. 2.15 And the Apostle when he speaks of the orderly and regular managing the worship of God 1 Cor. 14.23.25 If there comes an unbeliever among you and he sees your order saith he he shall fall down in the midst of you he shall be convinced and shall say Of a truth God is among you Seeing this saith the Apostle godly men holy in their lives and holy in their worship though he be an unbeleiver he shall fall down and say Of a truth God is among you that is by way of conviction Nay further sometimes God doth blesse the gracious lives and blamelesse example of Christians to be a means to convert some when the Gospel cannot do it and you would think this very comfortable could it be made good I would commend but one Text of Scripture to you to prove what a blessing it is to live in a good family where either husband or wife or any one in the family is godly 1 Pet. 3.1 Wives be subject unto your husbands what then that your husbands that are not wonne by the Word may be wonne without the Word whilest they behold the conversation of their wives A notable text There were many wicked Husbands that all the Sermons they heard would not convert them yet the Apostle tells them that if the wife did live a godly and holy life their lives sometimes should be more efficatious to convert their Husbands then the Word should be And this Beloved doth clearly take off this first plea of yours that because you were converted by example and by living among good Christians and seeing their walkings this gained upon you this is no cause of discouragement because sometimes I say the Lord doth blesse examples of gracious lives to make them winne and gain upon men that are brought home to Jesus Christ Secondly they go yet further There is another poor soul brought home to Jesus Christ and what saith he I do misdoubt the means of my call for a Sermon never wrought upon me the first thing of all that ever gained upon me it was the reading some Chapters in the Bible or some other holy mans book and that made me first to hate sin and love the waies of God and look after his Word for my salvation And here I doubt not but many Christians have found the Word read the first means of gaining upon their hearts And therefore to take off this likewise I shall speak two or three things in way of Answer As First that God is not tyed to any means but can work with the meanest means to bring home people to Jesus Christ If Peters conversion was by a Cock a Cock crowing and a look of Christs eye why may not Christ use the Scriptures read to be a means of a mans call If from stones God can raise up children unto Abraham why cannot God do it by the Word also to make the Word read a means in his own hands to effect it God that can do all things with nothing without means can bring to passe great things by weak means Secondly and more particularly That though ordinarily preaching and hearing of the Word preached be ordained by God and crowned by him cheifly to be a means instrumental to convert souls yet God sometimes hath blessed the reading of the Word to be a means of converting souls likewise Yet Beloved I would not do as the Prelates did who would fain have brought in reading to justle our preaching Preaching is the more noble work and must be highest in our thoughts yet if God will go out in an unusual way who can control him If God will do it by a Chapter read when not by a Sermon preached who can resist God if he will shew his power by weaker means Who shal gainsay it God sometimes honours the reading of the Word to give encouragement to reading to be a means of some mens call I have read of S. Austine that he was converted not by hearing a Sermon but by opening the Bible and reading that place Rom. 13.13 Let us walk honestly as in the day time not in rioting and drunkeness not in chambering and wantounesse and the reading of this verse wrought upon him I have read of Cyprian that he was converted by reading the Prophesie of Jonas hearing of Gods mercy to save such a wicked people and of Gods mercy to Jonas when he was in so pettisâ— a mood as to be angry with God I have known likewise another famous Minister that going by a Book-binders shop he was converted by reading a Sermon of Repentance that cost but two pence and hath been a famous Minister since for the conversion of many hundreds to Jesus Christ Junius was converted by reading the first of John so the Eunuch was converted by reading Isa 53.7 Beloved God is not bound to any one way in saving man He that wrought upon Austin by a verse reading and upon another by a Sermon he can do so by thee Reading is an ordinance of God and God is not bound up but may use that as a means of thy effectual call likewise Thirdly Yea but saith another doubting soul Peradventure I was never wrought upon neither by seeing godly people among whom I lived and observing their example nor was I wrought upon by reading good books but I was first wrought upon by hearing such a Minister that I now see is run into error or a Minister that is grown loose in his practice hapily in these present times gone to joyn with the enemy against the Kingdom and become a vile liver and the Minister being bad that wrought upon me makes me question whether the work be not an unsound and bad work also and this gravels many a Christian likewise To which I answer briefly First That suppose the Minister were bad that wrought upon thee yet the badnesse of the Minister is no just ground of making us suspect our calling For then we should never be sure of our call A man may be sure of his own conversion though a man may not be sure of the conversion of him by whose means he was called Secondly Again in is clear in Scripture God may use Ministers that are wicked themselves to convert others The Ministers of the seven Churches of Asia doubtlesse some of them were bad men Paul tells you 1 Cor. 9.17 I keep under my body lest when I preach to others I my self may
that God would blot his name out of the book of life Intimating say they a man may be elected and written in that book and yet afterward blotted out and perish To which I answer That this prayer of Moses is onely a wish or supposition as Pauls was when he wisht he were accursed from Christ for his kindred in the flesh Now a man may suppose mountains of Gold and suppose things that never were nor never shall be in being bare suppositions put nothing in being so here that Moses makes a supposition in a pathetical prayer this doth no way argue as if his name could be blotted out of the book of life Secondly Rivet he expounds it thus that there is a double book of life The book of life being sometimes taken for the eternal councel and decree of God as Phil. 4.3 sometimes for the special providence of God over men in preserving them amongst the living So we read Psal 139. In thy book saith David were all my members written meaning not in the book of Gods decree but only in the book of his providence that all the members of Davids body they were all under the providence of God that none could hurt him And so Rivet with others think that by the book of life here is meant that God would blot out Moses from the book of his special protection and let him die as other men rather then this evil should come upon the people of Israel q.d. Destroy my name from among men and do not protect me any longer Again they object that in Psal 69.28 it is said Let them be blotted out of the book of life Now say they That is Gods election and to be blotted out implies that a man may be elected and yet perish To this I answer as formerly that the book of life in that place hath no reference to the decree of Gods Election but onely to his book of providence that God would not protect wicked men as he doth his own people in a way of providence And other phrases in Scripture will somewhat favour this interpretation As Ezek. 13.9 They shall not be written in the writings of the house of Israel What 's that i. e. let them not any more be thought Israelites nor numbred among the people And Ainsworth I remember compares Psal 69.19 with this place in Ezek. 13.9 and he makes the sence to be one and the same that to be blotted out of the book of life is nothing else then to be out of Gods protection to be blotted out of the catalogue of the living and have ones life in danger to be brought to death And this wish David wished for those wicked men But then they object further from Rev. 22.19 If any man shall take away from the words of this book God shall take away his part in the book of life Here say they by book of life is unquestionably meant Gods decree and the Scripture saith They that take any thing from this book God will blot him out of the book of life and will undoubtedly damn him To which I answer I confesse in this place the book of life is taken for Gods decree and that a man may be said to be blotted out of this book and yet this no way follow that a man elected may be damned And here let me give you Austins words upon the place which is a very clear and satisfactory answer That a man may be said to be blotted out of the book of life in two regards First it is equivalent to this phrase that this name shall never be written in the book of Life And you have often such phrases in Scripture As it is said in Matthew He that doth evill himself and teacheth men so to doe he shall be least in the Kingdome of Heaven Intimating not as if he should come to heaven but that he should not come there at all To be least there is never to be there So here to be blotted out is equivalent to this that they were never in Secondly A mans name may be said to be blotted out of the book of life not as if it were there in deed and in truth but in their own opinion they thought they were elected and thought their names were written there they had strong conceits of this and though they are now deluded and mistaken yet God will make them know one day when they are in hell that their names are blotted out of the book of life Again Another Scripture they abuse is 1 Cor. 10.12 Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall Now say they if it were not possible for a man elected to fall and fall finally to what end is this caution of the Apostle it were a needless caution were it not possible to come to passe To which I answer two things First the Apostle doth not say Let him that stands take heed left c. but the Apostle saith Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall Intimating that men that think they are elected and think they are in a good condition they should take heed lest they miscarry to all eternity Secondly Take heed lest they fall This falling here is not meant a falling from grace finally and falling into hell and perishing but the falling here is onely a falling into sinne and so an elect â—an should doe An elect man though he stand firme in Gods decree yet he should take heed all the dayes of his life that he fall not into sinne And if you aske me how I make that appeare I answer from the context This is a conclusion or caution the Apostle gives upon the enumeration of several instances of the people of God that in former ages did sin against God As some that tempted Christ and fell in one day 23000. Others that fell to fornication and provoked him in the Wildernâ—sse With many such sins reckoned up and the summe of all is this that seeing they that were Gods people fell into sinne and were punished therefore you that think you stand and think you are elected you should take heed you fall not into sinne as they did And thus I have done with resolving this second query Thirdly whether doth God elect any man to life and salvation upon foresight of his faith or good works foreseeing that this man will believe therefore I elect him to salvation and the other man will not believe therefore I chuse him to damnation Whether I say doth God in his eternal decree elect any man to life upon foresight of works Here the Papists and Arminians joyn both together in maintaining of this The reason say they why God elects some and not others is because God did foresee from eternity that that man would be holy and would believe in Christ and therefore God elected him to salvation These are the hard imputations they lay to Gods charge And in the resolving of this I shall answer it in the Negative That
to be poor in faith and to be such a beggar as not to be endowed with one dram of grace and then you are beggars indeed As we say he is a poore man that God hates He that hath not Christ and hath not the treasures of heaven in him he is exposed to worse poverty a thousand times then he can be for imbracing the cal of Jesus Christ Rev. 3.17 Yea and he is exposed to worse persecution also that for fear of persecution neglects Jesus Christ Psal 83.5 The Lord will persecute them saith David with fury and wrath speaking of wicked men All persecution from man reaches but to the body but this from God reaches to the soul 7. And then lastly This should not hinder you from following Jesus Christ considering that though you should be poor and should be persecuted yet heaven wil make you amends for all Heb. 11.35 Heaven wil make amends for povertie when you are endowed with all the riches of Christ and Heaven wil make amends for persecution when there the weary shal be at rest and there the troubled shal be at ease And thus much be spoken of the third suggestion of the Devil that if you entertain the cal of Jesus Christ you shal be exposed to much povertie and persecution here in the world SERMON VI. 2. Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THE Doctrine I am yet upon is this That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the prosecution of which I have resolved one case of conscience and am yet upon the second case namely what suggestions the Devil doth use to keep men off from imbracing the cal of Jesus Christ I have laid down and answered three already 4. Now there is one suggestion more When the Devil sees either of these wil take place then he comes in with a fourth to disswade men from imbracing the call of Christ and that is this Why saith the Devil if you wil entertain the call of Christ you wil abridge your selves of all the joy and comfort of your lives you wil never have merry daies while you live upon earth You see men that pretend to be converted and doe hear Sermons what lumpish and melancholy men they are not so jocund and jolly as others are that walk not so precisely if you follow Christ and his Gospel this wil casheer all your merry daies and this wil put you into a sad temper all your jovial daies are gone Therefore to take off this aspersion that the waies of Christ are sad and melancholy waies which hath been an aspersion that from age to age and generation to generation hath been as a Gin the Devil hath used to keep men from Christianity And I remember it is one of the greatest Engines Antichrist useth to support and uphold his Kingdom The Papists to deter men from Christianity and the Protestant Religion they would hold their Disciples in hand with this that the spirit of a Calvinist is a sad and lumpish spirit and therefore they would disswade all Nations from turning to their Religion and this the Priests were to tel in all the Churches of Rome how sad and melancholy they were that turned to the Calvinists religion and this did mightily stay the people from imbracing the truth And this aspeâ—sion hath passed from hand to hand and is many times prevalent upon the spirits of men that are of the true Religion that they must not be too forward in the practice of Religion fearing lest this should work melancholy and sad thoughts in them Now to take off this I shal onely urge four or five heads briefly First Whereas you say they are melancholy sad that are called by Christ to a profession of his waies I would answer thus That they of all people in the world have most cause of mirth gladness and they are the most truly joyful people in the world That they have most cause of rejoycing is apparent When the Disciples came triumphing that they could cast out Devils heal the diseased and work Miracles O but saith Christ Rejoyce not in this but rejoyce that your names are written in the book of life Luke 10.20 As much as if Christ should say All the endowments and extraordinary gifts of the spirit they are no such grounds of joy if you had them all but here is your joy and cause of rejoycing that your names are written in the book of Life that you are in Christ and your souls shal be saved And so Paul tels us Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alwayes again I say rejoyce The Apostle would not speak it to them with a single command but doubtless his expression to shew that they that are people that have their sins pardoned that have their souls reconciled that have a title to glory whose names are written in the book of Life these of all men in the world have most cause of joy and gladness And they have not onely most cause but they doe most truly rejoyce and have more real joy in their hearts in one day then the wicked can have all their lives 1 Pet. 1.8 They rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory What joy you have in the world the tongue is able to speak of it but the tongue is not able to speak of that inward joy that godly men have in their hearts upon the apprehension of the interest they have in Jesus Christ Psal 4.6 Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance And Thou shalt put more gladness in mine heart c. Prov. 14.13 A good conscience is a continual feast Men are never more merry then when they are at a feast godly men they carry clear consciences about them and that makes them as joyous and pleasant as if they were alwayes at a great and sumptuous feast Indeed this is true they do not rejoyce with such exorbitancies of joy as wicked men do Wicked men rejoyce in sin that they cannot do wicked men rejoyce in their lusts in their drunkenesse and their adulteries and wayes of sin that godly men dare not do Such a rejoycing as this is the foundation of sorrow This rejoycing like the Prodigal in a riotous course of living is the foundation of sorrow and will meet with you when you are to die Secondly Grant this should be true yet consider that this sorrow that godly people have it is such a sorrow that they shal have no cause to repent thereof but it is a foundation of future joy to them 2 Cor. 7.9 10. I rejoyce saith the Apostle in that I have made you sorrowful What rejoyce to see them a sad people Yes for the sorrow I made you sorrowful with was a sorrow never to be repented of you wil never repent of that sorrow and therefore Paul would do it because it was a
say it doth not extend to children who die in their infancy but onely to men come to years of discretion if they live and die without having these six effects they may conclude they cannot be elected Secondly that the want of these six particulars for a time is no Argument of a mans non-election for before conversion which is Gods first dealing with a sinner an elect man may be as vile and as bad as any wicked man alive As the Apostle Paul tells us Titus 3.3 In times past we were also disobedient and served divers lusts and lived in pleasure and excess c. So 1 Tim. 1.12 So that the want of this for a time is no argument of a mans non-election for then it would follow a man unconverted is no elect man which would crosse the whole tenour of Scripture But a man living and dying without these doth not belong to the election of grace Thirdly I do not presse the having of these effects actually if you have them habitually My meaning is this A man may be elected and yet may not act any thing answerable to effectual calling nor act with any delight and love to the word nor act any thing in a way of sanctification yet if you have these habitually in the habit of them these may be testimonies or evidences of election Fourthly I do not presse the having of these effects sensibly to be an evidence of election if so be you have them really There are many men have these really when they have them not in their own apprehension Fifthly I do not presse the having of these effects gradually so you have them sincerely My meaning is this that a man may be elected yea and he may not onely be chosen in Gods eternal decree but the execution of that decree may be passed upon him that he may be effectually called and yet he may not have all these six effects in a great measure in the highest degree yet he may have them sincerely and so be a pledge to his own heart of his eternal election And thus having finished this third Quere I come now to enter upon another depending upon the former which indeed is a very dreadful subject and a point to be trembled at while it is handling and that is this what probable guesse may be given of a man that he is not within the compasse of Gods election This is a very high point and must be handled with a great deal of seariousnesse and sadnesse it being a point concerning the salvation or damnation of all the men upon earth And therefore I would intreat you to look about you Gods decrees they are in Heaven and it is onely a reall work of grace upon your hearts on earth that can give you evidence that those decrees are for good to you As good wrought is an evidence of Gods purpose to save you so the contrary work may be an evidence of Gods purpose never to save you but of leaving you without the compasse of his eternal election There can be nothing laid down absolutely and certainly yet there may be many probable guesses given of the men that are not within the compasse of Gods election Of which I shal name but six or seven sorts And I wish to God that none of you that are before the Lord this day have your names written in this black book lest you have just cause to fear your names are no written in the book of life First That man that falls back from a course of profession to a course of profanenesse without timely returning the Scripture gives a shrewd guesse of such a man that he is not within the compasse of Gods purpose to save I do not say every backsliding and every decaying affection but a total and final relapse when a man falls and riseth not again wâ—eâ— a mans runs from God and â—eturns not again the Scripture gives a guesse at him that he is not within the compasse of Gods election Heb. 10.38 39. If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Interpreters observe that in these words there is a figure wherein there is lesse expressed then is intended My soul shall have no pleasure in him It is as much as if God should have said My soule shall hate or I will exceedingly hate him But we are not of them that draw back to perdition but of them that believe to the saving of their souls which words clearly import that men that draw back without returning they draw back to perdition to damnation but we are not of them saith the Apostle And here then beloved doth this word fall upon any man before God this day Hast thou left a course of strictnesse and fallen into a course of prophanesse and loosnesse Hast thou fallen from thy God and never thinkest of a returning I shall not censure thee now but if thou livest and diest in this estate it is an undoubted argument thou art not within the compasse of Gods decree to save Secondly Men that do make the mercies and goodness of God as arguments to embolden them the more in sin such men are not likely to be the persons whom God hath elected to life and glory In the Epistle of Jude v. 4. It is spoken there of men that turned the grace of God into wantonness And what saith the Apostle of them they are men ordained of old to damnation The Scripture there makes it the badge of a man ordained of old to damnation when he shall persist in this sinful temper to turn Gods grace into laciviousnesse that is to take arguments from the grace and mercy and goodnesse of God to walk in waies of sin And therefore look to it and with your hearts bewaile it all you that are apt to abuse doctrins of grace and because God is good you will be evil because God is merciful therefore you will be sinful if you die in this temper the Scripture declares that you are the men ordained of old to condemnation Thirdly a man that doth walk in a course of sin wilfully with malice and knowingly against conscience and obstinately without reluctancy and persist in this and live and die thus that man is not within the compasse of Gods election There is a phrase Psal 59.5 Be not merciful O Lord unto wicked transgressors It is in some translations be not merciful to them that sin of wicked malice or of malicious wickedness Now there is this rule which Divines give that those prayers which were made by David they are rather Prophesies of what should be then meere prayers that this might be As David prayed against the Jewes Psal 69 2â— that their table might be a snare to them and that they should alway bow down under their prayes which was a prophecie and they did so And so he burden here that God would not be merciful to men that sâ—n of wicked malice which is as much as a prophecie that God will not be
poor some Princes and some beggars And therefore the Apostle bids them pray for all men Pray saith he for Kings and for them in authority for God will have all men to be saved As much as if he should say Pray for Kings because God of his grace may save Kings as well as poorer men that have lesse incumbrances and lesse imployments in the world and lesse withdrawings in their own soul then they have God will save all salvation shall come to all sorts of men and therefore you may lawfully pray for them And so Calvin judiciously expounds this place that God will have all sorts â—f men to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ but it is not to be extended universally as if every individual man and woman should be saved 3. These words are to be taken with those that follow after God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowleg of the truth Now that God will be willing to save those that come to the knowledge of the truth is unquestionable all that repent Acts 17.30 all opposition to the time of the old Testament Rom. 16.25 Now is this true that election is not universal but that some men are elected and others reprobated Then to wrap up this quere in a short use this should teach you all who are in the Land of the living not to deceive your selves lull not your selves asleep in security for it may be you may be in Gods counsel to save it may be not Peradventure you may be in Gods thoughts for salvation peradventure you may be in his counsel for damnation and this should put you upon the work my text calls upon you for to endeavour to make your calling and election sure 2. A second Queee is this Whether may one that is an elect man fall away from his election and come to be a damned man or no This the Protestant Divines against the Arminians and Papists have had large controversies about but I will not handle it in a controversal way onely as it best becomes a Pulpit shew you those positive Scriptures and reasons that may clear the truth and then answer the strongest objections they produce to the contrary Whether may a man that is elected fall away and afterward perish To this I answer No. A man that is once elected by God can never perish And this I shall give Scripture and reason to plead for it Matth. 24.24 Christ tels us of errour that it came in so easily that if it were possible it would deceive the elect Intimating that it is impossible so to seduce the elect as to make them finally fall away So John 6.37 All that the Father hath given me shall come unto me that is all that God the Father hath decreed to save by Christ shall come unto Christ Vers 39. This is the Fathers will that haâ—h sent me that of all that he hath given me I should lose none This is the Fathers will and Commission to Christ thâ—t of all those that by his decree he had given to Christ to â—ave by râ—demption he should lose none And saith Christ I â—ave lost nothing So John 10 28 29. I gâ—ve unto my sheep â—ternal â—ife and they shall never perish neither shall any man take â—hem out of my handâ— my Father that gave them me is greater then all and no man shall pluk them out of my Fathers hands By his Fathers hands he meâ—ns his decree God by his decree intended to save so many and Christ to vindicate his Father tels us that so many as God The Father had decreed to salvation neither man nor Devil should prevail to pluck them out of his Fathers hand So Rom. 11.1 God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew That is whom God did predestinate he casts none of them away none of them shall perish Many many more Scriptures I might multiply to shew that a man once elected can never perish as 2 Tim. 2.19 1 Cor. 18.9.2 Thes 3.3 But I would name reasons as well as Scriptures And First if election were changeable then God must be changeable which to think there is nothing more absurd If Gods decree be changeable Gods essence and nature were so also election being nothing else but God himself cusing for every thing in God is God And this the Scripture tels us is farre from him for there is no variableness or shadow of change in God Jam. 1.17 Isa 46.10 Mal. 3.6 Secondly if the elect could perish then Jesus Christ should be very unfaithful to his father because God the father hath given this charge to Christ that whomsoever he elected Christ should preserve them safe to bring them to heaven Now should not this be accomplished Christ would be unfaithful to his father John 6.39 This is the fathers will which hath sent me into the world that of all that he hath given me I should lâ—se nothing but that I should raise them up at the last day This is the will of God to save many by Christ Now should not this be made good Christ must needs be unfaithful to the Commission of his father Thirdly should this be true then Pauls golden chain should be broken Pâ—â—â— 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them he calls whom he calls tâ—â—â—â—e justifies whom he justifies them he glorifies Now should this chain break that whom he elects them he calls whom he callâ— them he justifies and there cease as the Papâ—sts hold and mâ—n be after daâ—ned then the great and main links would be lost that whom he justifies them glorifies and so bring an obsuâ—dity upon â—he Scripture thereby Now to answer some texâ—s of Scripture they abuse which at first view you would think very plausible to maintain that a man may be an elect man and brought into Christ yet afterward damned The first is John 6.70 Have not I chosen twelve and one of them is a Devil Now say they there were twelve chosen or elected and one of them is a devil did perish intimating that men may be elected yet perish for all this To which I answer That there is a double Electing First a chusing to some peculiar Office Secondly there is an electing to grace life and glory Now when Christ saith Have I not chosen you twelve it is meant of his chusing of them to an Office to the place of an Apostle to be his disciples Now it is true that a man may be chosen to some peculiar Office in the Church of God and yet be a perishing and damned man but this phrase hath no relation to the decree of God from eternity only to a temporal electing of twelve men to a temporal Office to the Office of an Apostle Another Scripture they abuse is Exod. 32.32 it was Moses prayer If thou wilt not saith Moses to God forgive their sins then blot my name out of the book of life Now say they the book of life is Gods election and here Moses prayed