kinde of Faith not so infallibly attended with eternal salvation as that compared to the stony ground Matth. 13.19 20. And in those that made shipwrack of faith and a good conscience But he says That that 's the substance of the Gospel promulgation whoever believe shall be saved that 's the onely thing held out to innumerable That Faith shal be attended certainly with eternal life Truly I believe that that 's All the Gospel held out to innumerable indeed For they that know of no other Gospel predicable to them at least believe it not how should they preach it And truly though that 's a truth yet not a truth meet to beget Faith but that declares God in Christ an object fit for souls in general and particular to believe on That that 's all the divine Truth that God bids us preach as Gospel to innumerable of men I deny He quotes for it Matth. 16.16 1 John 5.11 but fails in them of his purpose He shews his mistake of the first in that he thinks that that in Mark 16.16 is a declaration of the Gospel that they should preach As if our Saviour had said This is the Gospel you shall preach He that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Now that this cannot be the Gospel is plain for then the latter sentence He that believes not shall be damned should be part of the Gospel too and so good news which I suppose will be hardly judged so The truth is Our having Saviour bid them preach the Gospel informs them what should be the consequences of their preaching it He that believes that is that believes the Gospel that you preach shall be saved but he that believes not but rejects it shall be damned The Gospel that they were to preach was his Mission into the world as the Saviour of it his Death for our sins his Resurrection Ascention c. with the promises of Life to them that believing the Gospel believe on him and so the Apostle preached also as we have before shewed We declare to you good tidings that God hath performed his Promises to us in raising up Christ from the dead And be it known that in this mans name is preached to you remission of sins And to instance no more his other proof is plain that they preached more fully then as he tells us For in that 1 John 5.11 He says not onely this is the Record that life is in Christ and he that hath him hath it but also which he leaps over God hath given us that life eternal that is in Christ so as that it behoves us to receive it in receiving him or else we are ingreateful and guilty of our own destruction Whereas he chargeth us with a Conditional will in God for saving men I speak not of any thing conditional in him but I say God propounds to men salvation on condition and will make good his VVord where-ever that condition is performed by men That which follows in this Consideration is spoken to generally before and therefore I shall pass it and come to the next Consideration 9. He mindes us of the mixt distribution of Elect and Reprobates Consid 9. Believers and Vnbelievers throughout the world in the several places thereof in all or most of the single Congregations and that 's another ground of tendring the blood of Christ to them for whom it was never shed Here are a heap of beg'd questions all without proof As 1. That some are Elect and others Reprobates before the Gospel come to them and fasten upon some to pull them to Christ and his Justice pass upon others in hardning them for their rejection of Christ 2. That there are believers and unbelievers in the Congregations throughout the world antecedently to the Gospels publishing to them and therefore the Gospel must be tendred to All and the blood of Christ offered to them for whom it was never shed 3. That there are some men for whom Christ never shed his blood and that God hath ordered it to be offered to them But 4. Chiefly This is to be admired that the holy Ghost that knows the secrets of God and revealed them to the Apostles should out of these grounds affirm that Christ died and gave himself a ransom for All when he wrote to one of the Churches All which are no matters of our Faith till they have better proof VVhat he says of the Promises there is impertinent for it s not of those we speak but of the affirmations of the extent of Christs Death Propitiation and Ransom which are not promises upon any condition propounded but Declarations and Assertions of things done for us in Christ that are grounds to us for Faith Even such grounds as upon which the Apostles exhorts to Faith Matth. 22.4 2 Cor. 5.19 20. c. and from them though not from the promises which are the believers portion Faith meets with something to perswade us of his Death for All. VVhereas he says the offer is not absolutely universal If he speak of it as profferd in act by men its true but if as proferable and according to the terms of its Proposition in the Scripture its untrue for there it s expresly said To all the ends of the earth and to the whole Creation For Gods refusing to bestow Faith I would have him shew me that God any where expresses himself as unwilling and unready to bestow Faith upon men where they have not first wilfully rejected him as if it was a vain thing to preach to most and for most to hear because God will not afford them power of believing 10. His last Consideration is of the several degrees of Faith Consid 10. tending to clear this That men have an object fit to believe on though they believe not that Christ died for them Which I deny for this believing on God the onely ultimate object of Faith being a reliance or depending on him presupposes an apprehension of God as one able and willing to help him and that apprehension springing from his VVord reporting him to be such which cannot be apprehended with this in question Whether God hath given Christ for him or not for if that be doubted or uncertain its uncertain too whether God be willing to help him seeing he hath appointed help no ways but by him and through his dying for men But let us see what are his Positions He tels us there is 1. This That sinners cannot have salvation in themselves in as much as all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Nor can be justified by the works of the Law This is indeed a truth to be believed but not properly Gospel or good news much less doth it shew the object to be believed on 2. That life is to be had in the promised seed But this is a lame Proposition for it expresses not whether life is there for them to whom it s preached or onely for some
do fall we have but discovered a hypocrite and parted with him and discern that Christ never died for him Is this to expound the Scripture or to pervert and elude it But why did he but seem to be a brother Surely hypocrites use-rather to boast themselves of strength and seem to be strong then to appear weak they use not to dissimble and counterfeit the lowest places or least strength as we may see in Jehu But we are brethren onely by Faith That 's untrue In a Church-Fellowship Faith and Confession make brethren with professed agreement in joynt worshiping And such also as have true illuminations and some measure of saith in believing the truth and seeking God therein may and do turn aside as the Scriptures witness As the Galathians did run well not hypocritically but well and yet some of them Paul greatly scared for they were turned away from him that called them And others put away a good conscience making shipwrack of faith 1 Tim. 1.20 Sure a counterfeit profession never makes a good conscience Weak believers not yet setled and rooted nor so far prevailed with as to be brought to commit their souls to Christ nor made one with Christ and his chosen ones in spirit throughness of heart are in danger of falling off by corrupt doctrines and temptations if they take not diligent heed to Christ and his doctrine Thence the Apostles were especially earnest in watching over admonishing such And yet that faith truth confession goodness of way and walking they had might truly denominate theÌ„ brethren And such the Apostle speaks of here as had had some illuminations and their hearts closing with the truth yea the truth so powerful in them as to pull them out of the worlds way and fellowships and made them attend amongst the Church for further knowledg and divine teachings yet being not established and so throughly united to them in Spirit they might be shaken and turned away again by offensive carriages But that the Apostle should mean him thou countest a brother and Christ to have died for or wish him onely to avoid endeavouring his perishing is a meer perverting of the Apostles saying The Apostle uses not to speak things contrary to truth to suit with seeming appearances to men as we noted above As for his making us draw an universal Conclusion from this or the other Scripture viz. That therefore he died for all Reprobates it s none of ours but this Therefore the after perishing of men proves not that Christ died not for them as they use to argue nor did he dye for the Elect onely as they say 3. The third place is 2 Pet. 2.1 Denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction In which he questions every thing As 1. Whether by Lord be meant Christ as Mediator 2. Whether by buying be meant an eternal Redemption by the blood of Christ 3. Whether it be spoken according to Reality or appearance To the first he says It rather signifies God the Father because the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is every where given to him To which I answer 1. Christ calls himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matt. 10.25 alibi 2. Jude in his Epistle which is almost word for word the same with this Chapter tells us speaking of these men that they deny 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the onely Master God and Lord Jesus Christ where a Vnicus articulas omnibus istis epithetis communis omnino declarat Christum esse Herum illum unicum Vid. Bez. in locum Beza strongly contends that all those Epithites are given to Christ there being no pause between them and but one Article prefixed before them All blaming Erasmus much for otherwise rendring it Nay He tells us That one ancient Greek Copy Codex Complutensis reads it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And sure if that b Vide etiam Zâ—nch in Jud 4. Qui Deitatem Christi inde arguens haec habet Petrus verò à quo Judas desumpsitsua docet Jesum Christum esse hunc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quem falsi doctores negant Etiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inquit Petrus qui illos mercatus est abnegantes quis mercatus nos est nisi Christus suo sanguine c. Et Paulò post Confirmat Judas Christum esse hunc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nostrum Deum Illà enim omnia praedicata de uno subjecto Jesu Christo praedicantur cum unus tantùm sit articulus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 communis omnibus ille praedicatis Zanch. de trib Elohim par 1. lib. 6. 5. place that answers this so exactly ascribe that title to him it s not to be denied that this doth it too But he says It s not a proper word for our Saviour in that work of Redemption because its such a Lord and Master as refers to servants and subjection but the end of Christs purchase is always exprest in words of more indearment But this is frivolous for in 2 Cor. 5.15 He died for all that they might live to him expresses subjection and to be as his servants as the end of his death So in 1 Cor. 7.22 23. upon this ground that Christ bought us with a price it s said He that is called being free is the Lords servant and so in Rom. 147 8 9. Thence the Apostles through redeemed by Christ I trow stile themselves the servants of Christ To say nothing that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used to denote as much reference to subjection as this can and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used over all in the house Elect and others See Matth. 15. â—7 27 and 18.25.32 Joh. 15.15 Matth. 20.1.16 2. Was not such a word as argued their duty of a subjection fittest to aggravate their sin of denying subjection Whereas he says God only in the following verses is named and not Christ That 's not so for in ver 20. where he speaks again to this Apostacy of theirs they are said to have escaped the pollutions of the world through the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ But 3. Suppose it be meant of God Is not Christ as Mediator God too And is not God said to purchase his Church with his blood Acts 20.28 Doth he buy any into his Church but by the Death and bloodshed of Jesus Christ He says Yes and that 's the second thing to be spoken to in which he says 2. its uncertain whether this buying was made with the ransom of his blood or by the goodness of God delivering them by the knowledg of the truth from Idolatry To which I answer By both The goodness of God is not extended to faln man but by Christs death The Declaration of which as so testified is the truth that God makes forcible for drawing men to himself from their Idolatry Tit. 3.4 5. 1 Cor. 15.2 3. That there must be a price is evident and
gives a good answer by his resurrection that is by it as not only acted in Christ but as discovered to us in the word and as its that medium by which we behold Gods goodness toward us Rom. 3.25 and 5.1 And so the bloud of Christ Justifies us by faith in it as by vertue of the satisfaction made by it Christ presents us righteous being brought into him through the faith of it and so for sanctification it 's by his bloud sprinkled on us and through the power of the spirit working powerfully in us That place in Heb. 9.14 quoted by him p. 64. to prove sanctification to be an immediate product of his death is horribly mistake for it speaks not of his Death simply assuffered or his blood as presented by him to God but as sprinkled upon the conscience and therefore it s brought to answer the type of the red heifer Numb 19. which not by its death and oblation immediately sanctified the people but the ashes of it being reserved and after mixed with clean water and sprinkled on the unclean then Sanctified to the purifying of the flesh and not otherwise so also he hath misapplyed 2 Cor. 5.19 in his first chapter p. 2. bringing it to prove Reconciliation accomplished in the Death of Christ When the Apostle speaks but of it in fieri not in facto its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reconciling to the accomplishment of which in them he exhorts them in ver 20. Be ye reconciled unto God so in pag. 3. he hath to wrong purpose quoted Heb. 9.12 and 1 Pet. 2.24 as speaking of redemption or justification as accomplished upon men when they so far as he quotes them speak but of Christs finding or obtaining it of the father in himself or into his hand nor is it there expressed for whom or for how many he obtained it the words for us being not in the Text. Again he there misquotes Rom. 3.25 rendring it We have all sinned and are justified as if it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereas it is indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All have sinned being justifyed c. But I pass from these things His drift in all this he afterward in pag. 4. and more plainly chap. 3. lib. 2. discovers to us It s to beat down a spreading perswasion as he calls it of Christs giving himself aransome for all and every one a perswasion which the Teacher of the Gentiles in truth and verity broached in those very expressions 1. Tim. 2.5 6 7. Heb. 2.9 a sad time when men of parts study to oppose his doctrine totidem verbis in the very tearms that he delivered it in But Hic labor hoc opus est To this purpose the aforesaid considerations were laid down to be the foundation and Basis of an argument or two as to that purpose he hath inlarged them also lib. 2 cap. 3. producing more scriptures tending to the same thing to which those above mentioned were produced as That he shall save his people from their sins shall see his seed and carry on the pleasure of the Lord Sanctified himself that they may be Sanctified through the truth gave himself for us that he might deliver us from this present evil world was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him most or all of which we shall after meet with and speak more particularly to from all which he draws this argument That which the Father and Son intend to accomplish in and towards all those for whom Christ died by his death that is most certainly effected But the Father and Son intended by the Death of Christ to redeem purge sanctifie purifie deliver from Death Satan the curse of the Law to quit of all sin to make righteousness in Christ all those for whom he dyed Therefore He dyed for all and only those in and towards whom all those things recounted are effected and so not for All. This is a main pillar of his edifice let us by Gods assistance assay to shake and evert it And first not to speak to the form how the conclusion should have been inferred for the major if taken in this sense What the Father and Son did intend purpose and wholly take upon themselves absolutely to do by his death that was and shall be thereby effected His determinate purpose shall not fail so it s granted But if by intended we understand what he propoundeth as an end intended in which there may be something suspended in the proposition upon some condition in that way I say what ever is propounded as his intent may not be fulfilled and accomplished in All for whom he dyed But I know he intends it in the former sense and therefore 2. I shall deny the Minor and desire his proof for it namely that the Father and Son intended that is absolutely purposed and wholly took upon themselves without condition to redeem purge sanctify c. all for whom Christ died For 1. This is beside the scripture that saith He dyed for all but never that he so intended to purge sanctifie set free and save All. 2. It s against that intimation in Rom. 14.15 and 2 Cor. 8.11 that one for whom Christ dyed may possibly perish and makes a meer scare-Crow of the Apostles reasoning as if he would deter them from evils by propounding impossible consequences of it and suppositions quite contrary to the faith to say nothing that it thwarteth that too in 2 Pet. 2.1 3. None of all the Places quoted prove what is affirmed for either they say not that the object named is all that Christ died for but some specially distinguished from others by the intervention of faith either in the eye of God or in real existence in them as his people 1 Pet. 2.10 them that believe on him the Church that is a people called out of the world Vs who were then actually believers them that were given him out of the World had received his words believed were sent into the world by him to preach the Gospel to say nothing of his begging the question that by sanctifying himself he meanes his dying or setting himself apart to dye in Joh. 17.19 so that that Minor is peccant in that it wants proof none of those Scriptures saying that those things he aymed at in all he dyed for To illustrate the business the proof is like this It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe and he called you by the Gospel to the obtaining of the Glory of the Lord Jesus Ergo All to whom it pleased God that the Gospel should be preached shall be saved and obtain eternal Glory To propound as a truth that God intended to redeem purge and save All for whom Christ dyed and then to prove it by telling us he intended to do so to Vs that believe to his Church and people is as lame a proof as if I should propound for truth that God intended to
we look upon perfection as provided in himself for them viz. that thereby they are so compleatly furnished with all things needful for them that they need not to turn any whither else for any perfection he being a fountain of living waters for them or if we understand it of his former dealings in all times propounded as an encouragement for our abiding in him he hath for ever perfected his sanctified ones by that one Sacrifice and therefore we may comfortably attend to him in and by that for perfecting us also nothing being able to keep us from that perfection to be had in and by it but our renouncing that that is appointed for our perfection That many do believe for a time and turn away again is affirmed in Scripture as also that that faith was operative in them to make them rejoyce and spring up as the green corn on the stony ground yea to purge them from their former sins to give them to escape the pollutions of the world through lust to make them devote themselves to God c. which I think is that the Apostle calls their sanctification So that except Mr. Owen can produce a Scripture that says That All that are ever sanctified by the bloud of the Covenant shall not nor can perish but shall be eternally saved his instance is not parallel with this in hand That admonitions and warnings of things that in regard of Gods purpose shall never come to pass are not in vain and fruitless we grant it being supposed that such a purpose hath appointed to keep off such an issue by such admonitions those admonitions and warnings being taken and submitted to by them to they are given But that ever God so purposed concerning all that at any time or in any degree are sanctified and that none such ever do or can reject such warnings and fall away is the thing in question and to be proved First before we can grant that so it is here and that that strengthens our conception to the contrary beside what is said above is what the Apostle says ver 25. where he tels us some were in those waies that lead to this back-sliding with reference to whom he admonishes them the more earnestly and backs this warning with these threatnings 3. He tels us that these made profession of all these things and that an open renouncing these deserved such a commination though the Apostates never had any such true interest in the bloud of Christ c But I answer that their professing such things as they had not is both a devise of which the Text speaketh nothing and it comes not up to the case by the Apostle propounded nor suites with the type to which he alludes for he alludes to the people in the wilderness that were really delivered from the Egyptian bondage and had the bloud of the Old Covenant sprinkled upon them as really as others though they made not so good an use of it nor were perswaded to such stedfastnesse in the Covenant by it he speaks of such despising the Law as the Law it self declares Now to match with this such as onely boasted of those things but Christ never did any of them to them and so that had no such reall ingagement to Christ as they had to Moses is unparallel Beside the case propounded is thus what such a one is worthy of that being so sanctified should despise that bloud that sanctified him not what he is worthy of that never having such an engagement to that bloud but onely boasting himself of it should despise it so that that 's impertinent too 4. He saith It was the manner of the Saints and Apostles to speak of all baptized persons as sanctified and so mentions back-sliders as they were esteemed so to be To which I answer as before that that is to make the Apostles not to write in things Dogmaticall and Doctrinall after an infallible Spirit but after a fallible judgement of their own and other mens Besides the Scriptures say not they so judged of any in their writings that were not so But suppose they did so yet after what rule walked they in so doing He says in Chap 1. the rule of charity to which I answer that that might perhaps be ground for so speaking of men while they walked in the Doctrine and Profession of the Church but no ground for so speaking of Apostates as such That 's not charity to suppose that a man that doth so trample under foot the Son of God sin wilfully after the knowledge of the truth c. to have ever been sanctified by the bloud of Christ if they that so do never were or could be so or if those that ever were so could never do as is here supposed 5. He says if the Text be interpreted positively and according to the truth of the thing then these two things follow 1 Faith and Sanctifition are not the fruits of Election Ans That follows not but onely this That then All Faith and Sanctification are not the fruits of such an Election as he speaks of And that 's true enough For I suppose he will say the faith in them that fell away compared to the springing up of seed on stony ground was not the fruit of Election nor yet that goodness of conscience that some put away nor that escaping of pollutions that others fell from all which I look upon as equivalent to this sanctification and indeed to be the very thing here spoken of 2. That believers may fall finally away which I do believe they may such as we have spoken of and I think Christ himself implies it too and all that Mr. Owen can say cannot disprove it 6. He says Nothing in the Text inforces that these persons spoken of must needs be truly justified and regenerated believers much lesse that Christ dyed for them but onely by strained consequences The first part of which is not to our purpose how far they were believers or how regenerated but for the latter of them that Christ dyed for them will inevitably follow both from that it s said There remains no more sacrifice for sin upon such sinning which to me implies that there was one for them till then and also in that such are said to have been sanctified by the bloud of the Covenant except he can shew that ever the bloud of a sacrifice sanctified any for whom and whose sanctification it was never shed Whereas he says The ancients called Baptisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in which by a solemn aspersion of the symbole of the bloud of Christ they were externally sanctified set apart c. intimating that the Apostle might mean but that too it s too weak He should tell us how the Apostles use to call things not how other Ancients and particularly that the Apostles ever call the outward Baptisme or the Water in it the bloud of Christ and their Baptisme the being sanctified by that bloud though it was
tears from all faces Esa 25 7.8 it hinders not but the Reprobates may be cast out tò eternity I answer He did in and by his Death wipe off tears from all faces giving himself a ransome for All and being the propitiation for the sins of the whole world he keeps off many a judgment that else would seize upon all and produce many tears and much sadness to them yea and delivers all from many a trouble and sorrow that would else overwhelm them though he doth not wipe off all tears from off all faces as he will do off from some namely such as believe on him and follow him Rev. 7.17 and 21.4 Others abusing his goodness and sinning against those mercies towards them and deliverances of them pull upon themselves tears and sorrows afresh that shall never be wiped off them And besides it s more equal that the Apostolical expressions should expound the prophetical then on the contrary the prophetical to expound them the prophetical expressions being as in a darker manifestation of Christ so more obscure then the Apostolicall who were to unfold the things of God more plainly And to speak in the light what was told them in darkness 6. He bids us observe Consid 6. That the Scripture speaks of persons and things often according to appearance and not to reality as calling men wife just and righteous c. he names no Scripture-instance for them but I hope he knows of righteousness in morall acts and performances and that reall and true in its kind an humane righteousness not only in semblance but in reality though not enough to present a man righteous to God as pertaining to his rule for admittance into his Kingdom and so wisedom after the flesh which is really a fleshly humane wisdom though not the wisdom of God but foolishness with him and yet a real wisdom in its place and kinde for worldly things Luk. 16. but of the Death of Christ there is but one kinde so that it must be really or not at all His instance of Mat. 27.53 that Jerusalem is called the Holy city and yet it was a den of theeves is his mistake to conceive holiness to be inherent frames in the heart which Jerusalem as a place and building was not capable of Holiness as we have noted before in Scripture more frequently signifies the being separated to God for his name and service and so it was really holy not seemingly only Nay rather in appearance it should be unholy but in its reall consecration and separation to God a thing not visible to the eye a holy eye So he instances 2 Chron. 21.23 That the Gods of Damascus smote Ahaz which says he were but stocks and stones and could never help nor smite him but it was God that smote him Sure he hath forgotten that the Gentiles did not only sacrifice to stocks and stones but to Devils also by them idols 1 Cor. 10.20 And I trow the Devills might really smite him or strengthen men to it and yet God suprcamly smite him too God as supreme Judge Sathan as the executioner or hangman using men as instruments as in the case of Job So that this fails too but much more his after-proof of John 5.18 where he brings the Jews imputing to Christ that he brake the Sabbath day in which they spake falsly to interpret Gods sayings by his Apostles by as if he spake so mistakingly too To which he adds That many things proper and peculiar to the children of God are often assigned to them that live in outward communion with them though in truth aliens in respect of inward participation of the grace so assigned But whether things were so assigned to them by the unerring and infallible spirit of God or by the erring and fallible spirit of men he tels us not nor in what Scriptures they assigned things to them as erring men that wrote not by Gods spirit Therefore I can say no more at present to it but that his conclusion That some may be said to be redeemed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are not so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is ungrounded and hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A dangerous suggestion of a rule which men may make use of to any Scriptures as well and subvert the truth of them as is also his next consideration viz. 7. That the Apostles spake many things according to the judgement of charity otherwise in themselves untrue Consid 7. and therefore those things not to be exactly squared and made answerable to verity in respect of them of whom any thing is affirmed This I say in substance is one with the former and both of them are dangerous principles and the very openers of the gap to all the abundance of error brought in by the Antiscripturists they are directly their principles That the Apostles writ as other good men by a judgment of charity and appearance and so what they say may be false we must not square them to verity because they would not then hold out And grant this that the Apostles were not in all things guided by an infallible spirit except where they themselves faithfully tell us so and where shall we stay who shall tell us where that infallible spirit assisted them and where it left them Nay though Paul tels the Thessalonians That he knew their Election and that of God yet Mr. Owen will tell him he might be deceived in that knowledg though 1 Thes 1.4 and 2 Thes 2.13 But I believe Paul durst not have said he knew it if he did but think so out of a charitable perswasion grounded upon a truth fallibly applied to or discerned in them But perhaps the Apostles spake not of Election there as Mr. Owen doth He thought perhaps that it might be made firm or sure and perhaps it might be neglected He perhaps spake of it as Moses of the Election of the Israelites who though he tells them they were chosen to be a special people to God Deut. 7.6 7. and yet freely too yet tells them That if they walk after other Gods and forget Him they should surely perish as the other Nations that he destroyed before them Chap. 8.19 20. I do but propound that to Mr. Owens consideration as also whether he by Election meant not an actual choise of them in pulling them out of the world and bringing them to look after his salvation But however I will by no means yield him That the Apostle spake at random and out of a fallible humane conception of charity and not by the infallible Spirit and so he hath no advantage for his following And why not why not when he says That Christ died for some that might possibly perish 8. He tells us of The infallible connexion according to Gods Will and purpose of Faith and Salvation Consid 8. Which we grant understanding it of Faith rooted in the heart and having singled the heart to God for otherwise there is a degree or