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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A48584 A treatise of election and reprobation in vindication of the universal grace and love of God to mankind by B.L. Lindley, Benjamin, d. 1723. 1700 (1700) Wing L2312; ESTC R28788 51,533 66

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absolute without any respect to the Man's being good or evil Salvation were unavoidable to such Men live as they will But God's Saved Ones were pluck'd as Brands out of the Fire Zach. 3.2 Job 33. and delivered from going down to the Pit and brought back from the Pit to be enlightned with the Light of the Living and were brought up out of an horrible Pit And being straightned and seeing this danger prayed Deliver me out of the Mire and let me not sink let me be delivered from them that hate me and out of the deep Waters Psalm 69. Let not the Water-floods overflow me neither let the deep swallow me up and let not the Pit shut her Mouth upon me Object 1. Ay but say our Opponents They that are Predestinated unto Salvation as the end are also Predestinated unto Righteousness and Holiness as the means leading to that End Answ If it be thus and this Predestination soveraign and absolute then how is this Holiness or Salvation of Men effected It must be either 1. By a Super pondium of the Will and Affection c. 2. Or by Force To the first of these it would be contrary to God's Work of Creation in making us free voluntary Agents so as to will distinguish and choose for our selves and it un-Mans us depriving us of those Powers and Faculties so essential to a Rational Creature And as to the second then Men would be saved Nolens volens whethey will or nay which is contrary to Seeking Searching Inquiry Supplication Prayer Faith Obedience Love c. And overthrows all Divine Testimonies so that were it Truth it would be the most obstinate repugnant Truth that ever was heard of for it renders all the rest of the holy Scriptures not to be true and gives the lye to all those inspired Writings and therefore it is Self-erroneous in the Sense they urge it Object 2. Whom he did Foreknow them he also did Predestinate whom he did Predestinate them he also Called whom he Called them he also Justified and whom he Justified them he also Glorified But it doth not say He Predestinated any but whom he foreknew c. Answ This place indeed speaks only of such as love God and are foreknown of him as such and it is as the foregoing words shew a Declaration how all things work together for good unto such a People but it doth not say That none else are ever Predestinated or Called but such as are thus Fore-known But the contrary appears 1. From Christ's weeping over Jerusalem because in that her day she had not known the things that appertain'd to her Peace and then they were hid from her Eyes 2. From that Of the many that are Called few are Chosen § 3. And speaking on 't in a general Sense Predestination may be forfeited for if Justification can be fallen from and forfeited then may Predestination and Calling being lower Steps and in order to it But that Justification may be forfeited appears from that all True Justification is by Grace and Faith Rom. 3.24 28. and 5.1 Gal. 2.16 and 3.24 Tit. 3.7 And we read of some that turn'd the Grace of God into Lasciviousness and some Jude 4. 1 Tim. 1.19.6.10 that made Shipwrack of Faith and have erred from the Faith and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows So if Justification be by Grace and Faith and if Grace and Faith by which we are Justified may be fallen from and lost then may Justification also be fallen from and forfeited and if Justification then also Predestination and Calling This is further manifest from Ezek. 18.24 which saith When a righteous Man turneth away from his Righteousness and committeth Iniquity in his Trespass that he hath trespassed and in his Sin that he hath sinned in them shall he dye Which shews a possibility of falling from Righteousness and even of a total and final Apostacy from it And if from Righteousness then from Justification for they are equivalent A righteous or justified Man is the same § 4. Then Predestination is imply'd in Calling Election and Adoption so if these can be lost and forfeited Predestination may being imply'd in them And as it is shewn before concerning Calling that it may be fallen from and lost the same I shall shew concerning Election and Adoption The first appears from 2 Pet. 1. where we are exhorted To use all diligence adding to our Faith Vertue to Vertue Knowledge to Knowledge Temperance to Temperance Patience to Patience Godliness to Godliness Brotherly Kindness to Brotherly Kindness Charity for he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgot that he was purged from his old Sins Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Which shews though they were Called Elected and Brethren c. yet there was a possibility of their losing that State again and of forfeiting what God had done for them in purging them from their old Sins and of their falling into Blindness c. On the other hand If we do these things we shall never fail Here 's a Conditional Assurance If we do them we shall never fail if we do them not we shall fail For what signifies Faith without Vertue Religion without Holiness And 't is plain this our not failing or preservation depends upon something we are to do but yet not so as of our selves but by the Grace of God by and through this Grace we may do these things upon which depends our Preservation And for want of this doing we fail so our Destruction is of our selves and in God is our Help But he helps us by our selves not without our selves if we do these things it is left upon that whether we fail or never fail The second is shewn in the Instance of Israel to whom appertain'd the Adoption and the Glory c. and yet they would not receive Christ but crucify'd him and fell away and lost the Holy Land and became Fugitives in all the Earth Esau answer'd in the Type unto this State he fainted and lost his Birth-right and Fainting spiritually is understood of Vnbelief and it was through Unbelief those Israelites whom the Apostle renders as the Natural Branches in Christ the true Vine were broken off from him and fell from the Adoption So in the Mystery that which Fainteth is Esau and this loseth the Adoption and Spiritual Birth-right CHAP. III. Shewing 1. That Election and Reprobation are of the Two Seeds and that Predestination Election Adoption Justification c. are all in Christ 2. That Election according to Scripture is not strictly to be understood of particular Persons without respect to their being Good or Evil and the same evinc'd by sundry Propositions with their Affirmative Proofs laid down concerning the falling away of some and not falling away of others of the Elect according to Scripture § 1. ELection and Reprobation are of the two Seeds or Principles before spoken of whosoever is