on directing and sending the poor sin-sick wounded Sinner to the Son of God with his Wounds and Plague-sores to be healed pressing him to believe in the Son of God out of whom no Salvation is to be found Hereto I add the peremptory Command of God himself that the poor despairing Soul believe on the Son of God 1 Jo. 2.23 Mark 16.16 By these Methods and Ways of God's own appointment God is pleased to work saving Conversion and effectual Faith in the Souls of elect Sinners To what hath been offered out of God's own Word to prove the Doctrine of Particular Election before time I here set down the Judgment of the most Orthodox Protestant Churches concerning the same Not that I think the Word of God stands in any need of Humane Testimony to help it out but rather to shew forth the sweet Harmony which is between the Holy Scriptures and the Saints of God in their Holy and Orthodox Confessions of their Faith concerning the present so much controverted and impugned Doctrine of Election and Reprobation before time As also to shame those nominal Protestants both Non. and Conformists who have so apparently turn'd the back upon their own Articles of Faith whereby both the one and the other Party hath not a little strengthened the Foundation of the Jesuits hope of bringing England's Neck once more under the Papal Yoke From which I heartily wish and sincerely pray that God will ever keep us I begin with the Church of England Predestination to Life is the everlasting Purpose of God whereby before the Foundations of the World were laid he hath constantly decreed by his Counsel secret to us to deliver from Curse and Damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ out of Mankind and to bring them by Christ to everlasting Salvation as Vessels made to Honour Wherefore they which be endued with so excellent a Benefit of God be called according to God's Purpose by his Spirit working in due season They through Grace obey the Calling they be justified freely they be made Sons of God by Adoption they be made like the Image of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ they walk religiously in good Works and at length by God's Mercy they attain to everlasting Felicity See 39 Articles of the Church of England Article 17th of Predestination and Election Secondly The Confession of Faith agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster By the Decree of God for the Manifestation of his Glory some Men and Angels are predestinated to everlasting Life and others to everlasting Death 1 Tim. 5.21 Mat. 25.41 Rom. 9.22 These Angels and Men thus Predestinated and fore Ordained are particularly and unchangeably design'd and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either encreased or diminshed Those of Mankind that are Predestinated unto Life God before the Foundation of the World was laid according to his eternal and immutable Purpose and the secret Counsel and good Pleasure of his Will hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting Glory out of his meer free Grace and Love without any foresight of Faith or good Works or Perseverance in either of them or any other thing in the Creature as Conditions or Causes moving him thereunto and all to the praise of the Glory of his Grace As God hath appointed the Elect unto Glory so hath he by the eternal and most free Purpose of his Will fore-ordain'd all the means thereunto 1 Pet. 1.2 Ephes 1.4 5. Ephes 2.10 2 Thes 2.13 Wherefore they who are Elected being fallen in Adam are Redeemed by Christ are effectually called unto Faith in Christ by his Spirit working in due Season are Justified Adopted Sanctified and kept by his Power through Faith unto Salvation 1 Thes 5.9 10. Tit. 2.14 Rom. 8.10 Ephes 1.5 1 Pet. 1.5 Neither are any other Redeemed by Christ effectually Called Justified Adopted Sanctified and Saved but the Elect only Jo. 17.9 Rom. 8.28 Jo. 10.26 The rest of Mankind God was pleased according to the unsearchable Counsel of his own Will whereby he extendeth or withholdeth Mercy as he pleaseth for the Glory of his Soveraign Power over his Creatures to pass by and to ordain them to Dishonour and Wrath for their Sin to the praise of his glorious Justice Mat. 11.25 26. Rom. 2.12 2 Tim. 2.19 1 Pet. 2.8 See The Assemblys Confession of Faith Chap. 3. of the eternal Decree of God To this the Church of Scotland hath fully agreed With this also agrees the Articles of Faith of the Church of Ireland in Bishop Vsher's time See those Articles And Vsher's Body of Divinity Quest What are the parts of Predestination Answ Election and Reprobation 1 Thes 5.9 Rom. 9.13 22 23. Quest What is Election Answ It is the everlasting Predestination or Fore-appointing of certain Angels and Men unto everlasting Life and Blessedness for the praise of his Grace and Goodness 1 Tim. 5.21 Jo. 15.16 Rom. 9.22 23. Ephes 1.4 5 6 9. Quest What is Reprobation Answ It is the eternal Predestination or Fore-appointment of certain Angels and Men unto everlasting Dishonour and Destruction God of his own freewill determining to pass them by refuse or cast them off and for Sin to Condemn and Punish them with eternal Death Prov. 16.4 Exod. 9.16 Rom. 9.17 22. 2 Tim. 2.20 Mat. 25.41 See Vsher's Body of Divinity pag. 91 92. The Church of France in the 12th Article of the Confession of her Faith hath these words viz. We believe that God out of that Corruption and general Curse into which all Men were plung'd doth free those whom in his eternal and immutable Counsel he elected of his meer Goodness and Mercy in our Lord Jesus Christ without the Consideration of Works leaving the rest in the same Corruption and Damnation to shew forth in these his Justice and in them the Riches of his Mercy for none of them are better than others because God hath separated them c. The Synod of Dort in the 7th Canon doth lay down this plain and clear Definition of Election thus viz. Election is the unchangeable Purpose of God by which before the Foundation of the World according to the free good pleasure of his Will of his meer Grace he hath chosen out of all Mankind to Salvation in Christ a certain and set number of Men neither better nor more worthy than others but lying in the common Misery with others and fallen from original Righteousness into Sin and Destruction by their own fault c. And in the 15th Canon of Reprobation they say thus viz. The Holy Scripture doth manifest and commend unto us this eternal and free Grace especially when it doth farther witness That not all Men are elected but that some are not elected or are passed by in the eternal Election of God viz. Those whom God according to his free just unreproveable and immutable good Pleasure decreed to leave in the common Misery into which they had cast themselves by their own fault and not to
and the World hath hated them because they are not of the World even as I am not of the World Here are two distinct Partys described by Christ the one is Prayed for the other is not the one is hated the other hates the very Practice of the latter denotes the Persons to be Children of another Father distinct from those they hate There is nothing more discovers Men to be the Children of the Devil than their hating Righteousness and not loving those who appear to be Godly 1 Jo. 3.10 In this the Children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devil whosoever doeth not Righteousness is not of God neither he that loveth not his Brother As Love to God his Truth and such as bear his Image is an infallible Character of an Elect Child of God Jo. 13.35 1 Jo. 3.14 1 Jo. 4.7 So to hate God his Truth and such as bear his Holy Image is the indelible Character of a Reprobate designed for Eternal Destruction 1 Jo. 3.10 The second thing in the Proposition to be considered is the End and Design of God in that Act of his in Electing and Choosing which is twofold First as it respects the Creatures Elected viz. that they might partake of the Special Grace of God here on Earth and of Eternal Glory in the Kingdom of Heaven through Christ his Son according to that of Paul Ephes 1.4 According as he hath Chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World that we should be Holy and without blame before him in Love 2 Thes 2.13 Because God hath from the beginning Chosen you to Salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit and Belief of the Truth Vers 14. Whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 5.9 For God hath not appointed us to Wrath but to obtain Salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ Secondly with respect to God Electing viz. That the Glory of his Soveraign Free and rich Grace might be Extolled and Praised for ever according as the Apostle expresseth it in Ephes 1.6 To the Praise of the Glory of his Grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved Vers 11 12. In whom also we have obtained an Inheritance being predestinate according to the purpose of him who worketh all things according to the Counsel of his own Will that we should be to the Praise of his Glory who first trusted in Christ The third thing in the Proposition to be considered is to take Notice of the Properties in that Act of God Electing Those Properties are in number three First God in Electing and Choosing some Sinners to himself out of the corrupted Mass of fallen Mankind on whom he purposed to shew Mercy He did Elect and Choose them most freely there was nothing at all in the Objects Elected and Chosen that could move God wherefore he should Elect one Sinner more or sooner than another for as fallen into Sin and equally obnoxious to the Curse of the Law and the Wrath to come were all the Sons and Daughters of Adam lookt on by God when he fixed his Electing Love on some and actually rejected and passed others by on whom the most High God as an uncontrolable Soveraign purposed to execute the fierceness of his Wrath for Sin The reason or impulsive cause of this Difference which the tremendous God saw fit to make between Sinners equally guilty and obnoxious to the Curse and Wrath of God is not to be sought out of God himself An Example and lively Instance hereof we have in Rom. 9.11 which the Wise God hath seen sit should be recorded on purpose to stop the mouth of Carnal reason which is so wretchedly prone to Question and Dispute against his Soveraignty over his Creatures The Children being not yet Born neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth It was said unto her the Elder shall serve the Younger As it is Written Jacob have I Loved but Esau have I Hated The Wise God foreseeing the purblind Reasonings and Cavillings of Carnal Mens unsanctified Brains against the Doctrine of Gods absolute Soveraignty in disposing of the Eternal concerns of his rational Creatures fallen by Sin into a state and condition of Misery through their own default hath seen good for the vindication of his own Prerogative to make known to the Sons of Men and that by the unerring Wisdom and unquestionable Authority of so great a Man as Paul the great Apostle of the Gentiles the reason of Gods Method in proceeding to Elect some of fallen Mankind to a state of Life and Salvation through a Redeemer and Reprobating others leaving them for ever to perish in that Sin and Misery into which they did without any constraint wilfully plunge themselves to be no other than his own most free and holy Will seeing that he alone is the undoubted Soveraign of the World who hath an indisputable right to determine what to do with or how to dispose of Sinning Rebels without being any way liable to the controulment of any of his Creatures especially such of them as by Sin have forfeited their very Being to the Divine Justice and who while in an unreconciled State are not capable of knowing him or of being subject to his Divine Law The good Will and Pleasure then of the Blessed God is the Source and Fountain whence the great Disparity between the Elect and the Reprobate World doth spring not any thing in the Creatures themselves as Arminian Cavillers dream and conceit it doth This will evidently appear if the Reader will but with a becoming modesty and unprejudic'd judgment read the whole Chapter at length and with fervent Prayer to God for the Wisdom of his Spirit look narrowly into and with sobriety consider the 11th and the 16th Verses where it plainly appears that the two conceited Qualifications of which the Enemies of Election are usually proud and which they hold and teach are the procuring cause of the Difference between the good and the evil Men on Earth viz. the Free Will in Man and the good Works which unregenerate Men do but conceit they do they are both met with and equally discarded by God from having any room or place among the causes which put God either upon Choosing the Elect or rejecting the Reprobate Mark the 11th Vers That the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of Works but of him that calleth With this agrees Ephes 2 8.9 For by Grace are ye Saved through Faith and that not of your selves it is the Gift of God Not of Works least any Man should boast And Tit. 3.5 Not by Works of Righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he hath Saved us c. Vain unregenerate Man would fain perswade himself that he is worse than Threadbare Rags of his polluted Morality negative and positive is a covering sufficient
Hell in my own Apprehensions while I bordered so near the Confines of final Desparation finding in my self how vastly short my Personal Qualifications came of answering the Laws demand as a Condition of Life and Salvation I found that nothing could possibly quiet or satisfy my wounded despairing Conscience but what doth effectually appease and satisfy that Holy God against whom I have so many thousands of times offended which can be nothing short of an infinite Righteousness which Righteousness can be had no where but in Christ God Man and no way to be had but in a way of Believing of which Mystery my blind and perverted Reason was as ignorant as a Beast And not only so but my Heart and Soul were Zealously set against looking for Life and Salvation in any other way than that of Free-will and general Redemption This Principle so every way Quadrating with my Legal Frame of Heart which was acted by no other Principle But do and Live Here it might not be amiss or unseasonable for the relief and encouragement of a poor tempted Soul who as touching this very point of Election may be walking in Darkness having no light of Comfort in his own Spirit to answer or resolve this needful Question How shall a poor bewildred tempted Soul come to know that it self in particular was elected of God before time To this Question about which many of God's called ones are not a little distressed in their own Spirits I shall answer in three Particulars First The way to know thou art elected before time is to go about it in a right way or manner By this I mean thou art not to attempt to pry into the Secret Counsels of the most High concerning this Matter knowing that secret things belong to God and to none else until he pleaseth to reveal them Deut. 29.29 Therefore in order to know this Mystery to thy comfort do as thou wouldst do if thou wert to bring both ends of a Bottom of Thread or Yarn to meet together the way is not to begin at that end which is hid in the very centre of the Bottom but to take the end which is outmost and next to thee and by thus doing thou wilt soon bring both ends to meet whereas if thou go about it in any other way as by cutting or ravelling the Bottom to hasten the work thou wilt but fret and vex thy self and which is worse thou wilt marr and spoil the work Do not then attempt as the Devil and Carnal Reason would have thee to climb up to Heaven to inform thy self of this Matter God's Work must be done in the way of his own Appointment which is that thou begin first with thy own Heart See examine and search thy own Soul to find out whether his Holy Spirit hath ever been at work there The Cause must be known by its proper Effects not the Effects by the Cause 2 Cor. 13.5 Gal. 6.4 2 Pet. 1.10 Election the thing thou wouldst fain be resolv'd about is the cause this is a Secret in God's Breast which can be known by thee no other way ordinarily but by its Effects which are Faith in thy Heart and Obedience to Christ's Commands in thy Life and Conversation If the Spirit of God hath called thee to embrace and close with Christ held forth in the Gospel and if the Fruits of that thy closing with Christ do discover themselves in thy Life and Conversation thou hast no Ground or Reason to question thy Election but what the Devil and thy Carnal Reason suggest Acts 13.48 And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed Jo. 10.26 But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you In the Scriptures now quoted Election to eternal Life is held forth as the Cause of Faith and Faith or believing in Jesus as the undoubted Fruit or Effect of Election Secondly Art thou frequently tempted to doubt of and question thine Election to eternal Life This is an undoubted Argument that the Devil discerns in thee the Fruits and Effects of God's electing Love to thy Person which puts him upon tempting thee to question and doubt of God's Love to thee Where the Devil knows he hath the full and quiet Possession of a Sinner there he suggests that the Man is a good Christian His Faith is a good Faith and God is his Father and that he is elected and shall be Saved notwithstanding he lives after the Flesh On the contrary where the Devil sees and discovers the Fruits and Effects of God's Grace and Love appear there he pesters the Soul with Infernal Suggestions and Temptations to put the Soul on mis-believing and questioning the Truth of God's Grace bestowed on the Sinner Thou art but a painted Hypocrite thou art none of God's Elect it is in vain for thee to hope or expect to go to Heaven Thus he dealt with the Believers Redeemer Mat. 4.3 6. If thou be the Son of God c. And if the Adversary hath done this to the green Tree what will he not attempt to do to the dry Luke 23.31 Thirdly Dost thou find thine Heart fixedly resolved come Life come Death to cast thy Soul at the foot of Divine Soveraignty in the way of Duty shunning all known Sin and pressing after Holiness resting entirely on the Grace and Merit of Christ after Life and Salvation Thou art to know for thine everlasting Comfort and Encouragement that no Reprobate ever was or ever shall be able to do this Time will discover that thou art one of God's Elect go on in the strength of thy God Fear not CHAP. II. Of Reprobation BY what hath been discoursed out of the Holy Scriptures concerning the Act of God's Election of some to Life and Salvation by Jesus Christ to the praise of the Glory of his own Grace it unavoidably and by necessary consequence follows that the same Soveraign God hath Reprobated or Rejected the rest not so elected and that from all Eternity having decreed never to recover them by converting Grace but hath fixedly purposed for Sin to Damn them and that for the Praise of the Glory of his own Justice Nothing can be more plain than that if God hath elected and chosen a certain number out of the whole corrupted Mass or Lump of fallen Mankind in whose Salvation he hath purposed to Glorify his Mercy and free Grace by Jesus Christ then hath he refused or passed by the rest as will most evidently appear in all the parts of it The Decree of Reprobation hath in it four parts to each of which I will speak as plainly and as briefly as I can First God hath refused or rejected some particular Persons on whom he purposed never to have Mercy this is most evident from the Scriptures following Jo. 10.26 But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you Rom. 11.7 But the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded Rom. 9.18 Therefore hath