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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
knowledge_n	jesus_n	light_n	shine_v	5,880	5	9.7269	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88594	A treatise of effectual calling and election. In XVI. sermons, on 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherein a Christian may discern, whether yet he be effectually called and elected. And what course he ought to take that he may attain the assurance thereof. Preached by that faithful servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Lawrence Jury, London.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.; Calamy, Edward, 1600-1666.; Cross, Thomas, fl. 1632-1682,	1653 (1653)	Wing L3178; Thomason E696_1; ESTC R202781	182,095	256

love Paul because Paul was the Minister that did convert him therefore he calls him 1 Tim. 1.2 Timothy his beloved son in the faith And hence it is that when the Apostle would draw love from the Corinthians to himself and the Ministers of Christ that were the means of their calling hee urgeth it upon this ground that they were the means that did beget them to Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 4. ver 1. compared with ver 15 16. Let a man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and as Stewards of the mysteries of God Why should men so account of them For ver 15. though you have ten thousand Instructors yet have you not many Fathers for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel Hereby he would draw out their love to him because he was the instrument that did first convert them Now then put these two together A man that is effectually called he doth both love the Word of Christ that was an instrument of his calling and the Minister that preach'd that word which was the means by which he was called and try your selves by these Many of you haply have some good wrought as you think upon you and some change in you but truly let me tell you this if you are persons that are out of love with the Word if you are out of love with those Ministers God made instrumental to convert you you have just cause to suspect your calling for you see thorowout the whole course of Scripture their hearts did cleave with love to them that called them And therefore they that can slight and contemn those Ministers by whose ministry they were brought home to Jesus Christ they have just cause of jealousie to suspect their Call Again 2. If God hath effectually called you he will by his Spirit bring you out of a state of ignorance and darknesse and give you some measure of knowledg to be acquainted both with the mysteries of God and Christ and the sinfulnesse of your selves more then ever you were before This the Apostle Peter intimates 1 Pet. 2. ver 9. You are a chosen generation a royall Priesthood a peculiar people that you may shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknesse into his marvellous light i. e. out of ignorance into a great measure of knowledg And it is called a marvellous light 1. Because it is marvellous if you compare that knowledg you shall have under the Gospel with what men had under the Law 2. It is marvellous because men are astonish'd that they should after so long a night of ignorance come to so great a measure of knowledg 3. It is called marvell us because it is so contrary to that condition they were formerly in As if a man that hath lain long in a dark dungeon should be suddenly called into a glorious Palace the Palace would seem more glorious because it is so contrary to the dark Prison So this work of God when he calls you it is called marvellous light because it is so contrary to the condition you were in before your calling Isa 30.26 Acts 26.18 He hath sent his word to call you from darknesse to light and from the power of Sathan to God 4. It is a marvellous light because such as none but the Mediator could procure it Isa 42.6 7. I will give thee for a light to the gentiles 5. It is a marvellous light because a light that shines out of darknesse 2 Cor. 4.6 God that commanded the light to shine out of darknesse 6. It is a marvellous light because it hath more force then any other light 't is called the light of life Joh. 8.12 Now this call from darknesse to light hath two Branches 1. A man shall have more light to have more acquaintance with and more clearnesse in the mysteries of Jesus Christ And 2. more light to know the sinfulnesse of himself First He shall have more light to know the mysteries of Jesus Christ And hence it is that Paul tels us Gal. 1.16 It pleased God to call me by his grace and to reveal his Son in me implying that where God by his grace doth call a sinner he doth reveal his Son unto him Wherefore Beloved if Jesus Christ be not made known to your souls if you have no competent measure of the knowledg of Christ you may be under this conviction that you are not yet called by Jesus Christ Nay further he doth not onely call you unto this light to manifest Jesus Christ to you in some dim way but you shall have a clear light 2 Cor. 4.6 For God who commanded light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts not in a dim but shining light to give us the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ that is you have a cleer light to know God in the face of Christ you cannot know God in himself but in the person of Christ you shall have light to know him This therefore is the first Branch That God will put a light into thy soul whereby thou shalt have a clear knowledg of the things appertaining to Jesus Christ Again Secondly This light shall not onely reveal Christ to thee but this light shall also reveal thy Self to thee the sinfulnesse of thy self It is observable of Paul that before his calling he was after the law blamelesse he thought himself to be a faultlesse man but when the word called him then he cryes out I see sin to be exceeding sinfull then he saw sin to be sin and himself to be a vile and wretched man And therefore Beloved any of you that have not this marvellous light in your souls neither to know God nor know Jesus Christ nor the matters appertaining to him nor to know the sinfulnesse of your own hearts take it from God you are not effectually called either these passages in Scripture must be rased out or else your calling must not be sound and therefore take heed I would fain make my Ministrie searching that hypocrites may not lie lurking under it You would be better Christians if you were better acquainted with all that unsoundnesse and that wretchednesse of heart that is in you and therefore I intreat you look about you Though I would have no godly man discouraged by this that is spoken but that you that are not yet called might have your hearts a little staggered by what is and will be said 3. A man effectually called is cast out of himself and cleaves to and closeth with Jesus Christ with more complacencie and contentment then ever he could do in all his life before John 6.45 Hee that hath heard and learned of the father shall come unto me he doth not say all they that hear of the father many men do heare the word but never close in with Christ but all they that have heard and by hearing have learnt and are called come unto mee and close

so troubled he could not speak yet Asaph spake these words with his mouth but the meaning is though Asaph was a godly man yet he was so overwhelmed with trouble he could not speak to God he could not call upon God with that inward vigor of spirit Though thou mayest sometime call upon God with affection yet when trouble rests upon thee thy heart may be out of frame Thirdly many times Gods people are subject to a state of desertion and abatements in their spiritual affections and then they are out of a praying vein when you loose affections the wheels of prayer are knocked off Many times it falls out with Gods people that they are even brought into a languishing and low condition they are in such a swoune as if they had neither a principle nor the actings of spiritual life Rev. 3. verse 2. Strengthen that which remaines saith the holy Ghost that is ready to die Godly people may bee a dying people and then the tongue failes when it is a dying the people of God may be in a dying condition though they never die wholly in grace yet they may be so weakned in their spirits that they cannot poure out their requests to God as in wonted time 2 Chron. 17.3 Jehosaphat he walked in the first wayes of David his father implying that Davids first wayes were better then his last So many men may have their first wayes good yet sometime in the end before they die they may have much failing and deadnesse of spirit upon them Fourthly If a man doth but mourn that he cannot call upon God God looks upon that as calling upon him If you can but sigh out your requests and mourn that you cannot mourn and pray that you might pray the Lord hears your prayer This is the most melodious musick you can make in the eares of God Therefore David saith Psal 6.8 The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping There is a voice in Teares as well as in Words If the Lord see thee to weep over thine own straitnesse and mourn over thine own deadnesse the Lord looks upon this with a more pleasing eye then if thou couldst poure out the inlargements of thy tongue with most fluent and voluble expressions 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren Give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THE Doctrine which 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 gone over many particulars and answered some doubts in reserence to godly men who are effectually called As first in regard of some seeming defects they apprehend to be in the manner of their calling Secondly in the means of their calling And thirdly which I am yet upon of some defects they apprehend about the concomitants that accompany those that are effectually called of which I have spoken onely of one in particular to wit that they cannot call upon God in prayer I now passe to the second Secondly They apprehend that those that are effectually called they have this to accompany their calling that they are brought out of a state of ignorance into a state of knowledge out of a state of darknesse into a state of light hence they will urge this against themselves 1 Pet. 2.9 Ye are to shew forth the praises of him who hath call'd you out of darknesse into his marvellous light And Acts 26.18 He sent forth his Word to call them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God Now saith the poor soul Alas I do not finde this concomitant to be in my heart I do not finde this marvellous light the Scripture here speaks of 2 Cor. 4 6. Alas my heart is like a dungeon of darknesse and like a house that hath no inlets no windows to let in the Sun-shine of the Gospel upon it and many times this gravelleth many a godly minde Now to those that make this doubt I shall onely speak two or three things to take it off First to you that make this complaint I would say this that those that know most they know but little in the mysteries of Christ as you are not perfect in other graces so you are not here perfect in knowledg You know but in part 1 Cor. 13.9 therefore you have no need to be discouraged at this Secondly and more particularly you that complain of ignorance though you are ignorant and cannot finde that marvellous light shine in your souls which you exspect yet if your ignorance have not these three ill qualities you may rest confident your ignorance will never prove a damning sinne unto you but it may be consistent with your effectual calling As First If you ignorance be not a stubborne and wilfull ignorance Secondly If it be not a sottish and brutish ignorance And thirdly If it be not a fundamental ignorance First If it be not a stubborne and wilfull ignorance Though you are ignorant yet if you are willing to learn and know the wayes of God revealed in his Word such an ignorance will never damne you But when ignorance comes to be wilful that a man doth not know and he will not learne a man is an ignorant man yet he thinks he knows more then all the Preachers can tell him this is a sad signe you are not effectually called Hence you read Prov. 1.22 How long ye simple ones will you love simplicity c Godly people may be in a state of ignorance but they love it not therefore 2 Pet. 3.5 the Scripture tells us of wicked men that they are wilfully ignorant So that if your ignorance have not this bad quality in it to be a stubborne and wilfull ignorance it may stand with your effectual calling Secondly Provided that your ignorance be not a sottish and brutish ignorance that is that you do not so lie clouded in a state of darknesse that you are uncapable to discerne the goodnesse of the Word and uncapable to apprebend any thing that is taught you that you are not like those Jer. 4.22 My people have no understanding they are a sottish people wise to do evil but to do good they have no understanding Many men are ignorant men yet not so sottishly ignorant as not to be capable of learning if you will teach him he is willing to be instructed but some men are so ignorant they are not capable of learning you may as well teach a block as them Hence it is the Prophet complains Esa 1.4 The Oxe knows his owner and the Asse his Masters Crib but Israel knows not the Lord his God Thirdly In case your ignorance be not a fundamental ignorance I mean such an ignorance as not to know those necessary and fundamental points in the Word that must be known if ever you be saved as about Jesus Christ and salvation and justification by his blood and faith in

the great props with which he bears up their hearts and comforts them by Then 3. he proceeds by way of Exhortation and Direction ver 5. and that is that they should give diligence to add grace to grace that they should make it their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or their main business for which they are sent into the world not only to get grace but to thrive in grace and begins with Faith because this is the foundation or mother grace And this he presseth by a double Argument First considering the benefit shall redound to them in case they perform this duty to labour to thrive in grace ver 8. If these things be in you and abound they shall make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of the Lord Jesus If you make it your work to grow in grace you shall never be a barren or unfruitful people but you shall be growing in grace and thriving in God still 2. From the inconvenience that would accrue in case they should neglect this work ver 9. He that lacks these things is blind and cannot see afar off that is he that lacks these graces if you do not grow in grace you will be so dim sighted you will so deaden your comforts and darken your evidences that you can have no assurance you shall be saved And then he comes in with a general Exhortation backing all this that seeing there is this good comes by adding grace to grace and seeing there wil be this evil if you do it not he brings all home by a practical inference in the words of my Text Wherefore Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure The words are not difficult though indeed they are mangled by the Papists who bring this Text to Martyrdome by their corrupt glosses I shall only give you a brief Paraphrastical Explication and so come to the Observations Wherefore That you may see the force of the connexion it is as much as if the Apostle should say thus Seeing there comes so great good by growing in grace and seeing the neglect of it doth so much hurt not only to deaden your hearts but darken your comforts that you can have no cleer and comfortable evidence for heaven Therefore give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Wherefore the rather brethren that is Brethren not in the flesh but in the faith of Christ imbracing the same faith keeping to the same head them the Apostle calls brethren Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word in the Greek is more emphatical and signifies to do a thing enough not agere but sat agere not in an overly and careless way but to do a thing with industry vigilancy and unweariedness of spirit it should not be matter of constraint but free and voluntary Give diligence And the diligence you should use is in matters of the soul Give diligence In what To make your Calling and Election sure First I must shew you what is meant by Calling then by Election and then shew you why Calling is set before Election when in order of time election is before calling 1. What is meant by Calling which that you may understand you must know there is a twofold Calling an external and an internal Calling The External Calling is that general invitation which by the preaching of the Gospel is made unto men to invite them to come in to Jesus Christ and most in the world are called by this call both good and bad 2. The Internal Calling when the Spirit of God accompanies the outward administration of the word to call a man from ignorance to knowledg and from a state of nature to a state of grace and of this Calling my Text means Make your Calling sure that is you that live under the preaching of the Gospel be sure you be called thereby Your calling and election Election is an act of God whereby from all eternity he doth purpose within himself of his own pleasure and will to bring a certain number of men unto salvation by Jesus Christ But now how can it be said We must make our calling and election sure Doth not the Foundation of God stand sure as the Apostle saith And are not the gifts and calling of God without repentance How then must we make our Election sure when all the Decrees of God stand sure Answ Beloved when it is said you must make these sure you must take it in this sense not to make them sure on Gods part for it cannot be made more sure there then it is already whom he hath elected shall be glorified But make it sure on your parts that is Labour to have a real bottom'd and grounded assurance that you are effectually called that you are elected by God in his eternal Decree to obtain life and glorie by Jesus Christ Divines therefore give this distinction Certitudo Objecti certitudo Subjecti That there is an assurance of the Object and that is sure enough for if God hath decreed you to glorie that will hold sure for ever But then there is a certitude of the Subject an assurance to the person that is elected and that is when by a reflex act of faith you have a grounded perswasion in your own brests that you are effectually called and eternally elected An assurance in your own apprehension and knowledg Lastly Why is Calling here set before Election when in order of time Election is before Calling You are called in time by the preaching of the Gospel you are elected before all time before the world Before the foundation of the world was laid he hath elected us in Christ Eph. 1.4 And if so What is the reason that Calling in my Text is put before Election Answ To this I answer Calling in order of words is placed before Election not as if it were in time before it but to shew that we can never be sure of our election till God hath effectually called us by the preaching of the Gospel and therefore Calling is set before Election Thus I have opened the things most material giving you the sense of the words The whole Verse is made up of two parts First Here is a main duty enjoyned in these words Give diligence to make your calling and election sure Secondly Here is a strong inducement to inforce you to this duty and that in the last words If you do these things you shall never fall In the Duty injoyned there are several things observable 1. The matter of the duty To make sure your election and calling 2. The manner how you must set about this duty and that is with diligence Give diligence 3. The motive to draw you to it in the word Wherefore 4. Here is the comparison between this duty and all other duties Wherefore the rather do this rather then all other things in the world And Lastly Here is that loving compellation whereby Peter would

the better know they should live for ever and everlastingly be saved Keep close to God in reading his written Word and this will be of great use Because there are Promises scattered throughout the veines of Scripture Not a Scripture almost you can read but there is a promise or support for your faith one way o● other Thirdly Keep close to God in a constant and consciencious hearing of his Word and this is a great means to get assurance Luke 1.76 Thou shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his way that is thou shalt go to prepare the peoples hearts that they may receive Jesus Christ that followes after This is spoken of John Baptist And what was the effect of hearing John preach To give knowlege of salvation to his people for the remission of their sins not onely to give them salvation but to give them knowledge and assurance of this salvation O live under the Ministery and under John Baptists Ministery that preacheth repentance and humiliation and that is the Ministery will give most assurance of your salvation Fourthly Keep in communion with God in a daily trying and examining your own hearts Gal. 6.4 If any man think himselfe to be somewhat when he is nothing he deceiveth himselfe but let every man prove his own works and then he shall have rejoycing in himselfe That is let a man examine himselfe and prove his heart and this will be a means to work joy in the heart that they shall have comfort and joy in themselves in the assurance of their happiness Beloved what 's the reason you do not keep assurance the reason is you keep not close to God in a way of communion in these duties of holinesse you keep not to God in a way of prayer and reading and examining your hearts and proving your comforts and your own estate and that 's the reason you are no more full and no more firm Secondly if you would keep your comforts keep your conscience clear from harbouring the guilt of linne Job 11.14 15. I iniquity be in thy hands put it far away if sinne be in thy conversation away with it Let not sinne be in thy heart nor in thy house then shalt thou list up thy face to God without spot thou shalt be stedfast before him and not fear This will ballance thy spirit and keep thy heart from fear and keep thee in a stedfast assurance if thou keep thy conscience clear Thirdly If thou wouldst keep assurance gather and heap together all the experiences thou hast had of God in thy heart in times past I called to remembrance the dayes of old Psal 77.7 Call to remembrance all the experiences thou hast had of God and had of Christ and of thy own grace and the fruits of Gods Spirit in thy own soul and this will wonderfully keep up thy assurance Rom. 5.4 The Apostle tels us Experience worketh hope The more experimental you are and the more you gather experience together the more you strengthen hope and the more hope is strengthened the more assurance is gained These are the particulars you must practise in case you would preserve in your brest this assurance of your effectual calling Secondly There are some things you are to avoid and take heed of in case you would perpetuate assurance in your hearts and those I shall comprize under six heads First Take heed you do not wallow in and give your selves to sensual joy and pleasure There is nothing in the world will more eat out spiritual joy and that effectual assurance in your hearts then giving your selves too much to carnal joy and sensual pleasure which takes away the heart The more your joy runnes in that channel after sensual pleasure the less it runs towards God and the comforts that are above godly sorrow is the seed plot of spiritual joy Secondly The evill of earthly mindedness take heed of that if ever you would keep your comforts There is nothing in the world will more blast your comforts then an earthly minde to be still poring upon the things of the world What the Philosophers say of the Eclipse of the Sun that it is occasioned by the intervening of the Moon between the Sun our sight is true in this case The Moon is an emblem of the world If the world get between Christ the Sun of Righteousnes and our sight it will darken our sight of Jesus Christ and bring eclipses upon our comforts and graces Those men that dig deepest into the bowels of the earth they are oftentimes choaked and stifled by damps that come from the earth So it is with Christians those that will be ever poring and digging about the things of this world it is a thousand to one if from worldly things a damp doth not arise to smother their comforts and quench their graces the world pierceth with sorrow therefore must needs damp your joys A candle though it may shine to the view of all yet put it but under ground and though there be not a puffe of winde the very damps will stifle the light of the flame Beloved though you shine like candles in your comforts yet bring them but under the earth and a clod of earth will stifle your candle will damp your comforts There is nothing laies a Christian under more losse in his assurance then worldly-mindedness Thirdly Avoid remisseness in religious duties If you slack in duties you will slack in comforts lesse duties and lesse comforts go together If a man doth let loose the tacklings of his ship and let slack the sailes that ship cannot go with so swift a motion specially if winde and tide be against it the ship must needs go backward Believers that are assured Christians they are like a ship under saile you go against winde and tide against nature and against corruption against Temptation and the devil and all now if you let slack your sailes and grow remisse in duties you will quickly slack in your comforts whatever weakens your graces and straitens your duties will impaire your assurances and eclipse your comforts and therefore take heed of remisseness in a way of duties oh do not less work when you have most encouragement Fourthly Take heed of spiritual pride If once you begin to admire your selves you then lose your selves If once you are proud of your graces it is a provocation to make God take away your comforts and to make you lose your graces I mean lose them not in the very being but in the comfort and exercise of them pride it is the great murderer of a Christians comforts Fifthly Take heed of grieving the Spirit of God Grieve not the holy Spirit saith the Apostle whereby you are sealed to the day of Redemption The Spirit of God is a sealing Spirit O grieve not this Spirit Ità nos tractat Spiritus sicut tractatur The Spirit deals with us as we deal with

places So that it is clear That he might save all or have mercy upon all It is not meant all universally but all with this limitation of Paul here all them that believe Again Another objection or Scripture they abuse is 1 Tim. 2.4 Who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth This Text Origen doth grosly abuse holding hence that it is the intendment and will of God that all men should be saved Now to take off this objection We must first distinguish here of Gods will and then of this phrase All. Who will have all men to be saved First of Gods will Voluntas ben●placiti voluntas signi and the Schoolmen give this distinction about it That there is a will of Gods good pleasure and there is Gods signifying will Now the will of Gods good pleasure is that reall purpose in God to save a man And there is no man that in this sence God wils to be saved but he must be saved but in this sence God wils not all men to be saved But secondly there is Gods significative will that is whereby in Scripture God tenders salvation to every man that will lay hold upon Jesus Christ and so Gods signifying will excludes no man from salvation but the Ministers if they preach to ten thousand people they must tender Christ universally to them all because they know not which of them are elect and which reprobate which of them shall be saved and which damned This is Gods signifying will and though God by this will tell you what Ministers must doe to tender Christ and salvation to all yet this doth no way follow that the determinate will of Gods good pleasure is involved under this as if all men should be saved Perkins in his writings hath this distinction of it That there is Gods absolute will and so he wils not all men to be saved and Gods conditionate will that in case every man did believe they should be saved for God envies no mans salvation there is grace enough in God and willingnesse enough in God to save every man in the world But secondly there may be a more distinct answer given to this place God will have all men to be saved All is taken sometimes in a distributive sence and sometimes in a collective sence In a distributive sence for every man under heaven and so God wils not all men to be saved But secondly in a collective sence for all sorts and degrees of men and so God intends to save all that is some of all sorts and of all degrees of men in the world And this appeares if you mark the context He will have all men to be saved that is some of all sorts Some Kings and some great men some rich and some poore 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 soule 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 of men to obtaine salvation by Jesus Christ but is not to be extended universally as if every individuall 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 knowledge 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 Vse Now is this true that election is not universall but that some men are elected and others reprobated Then to wrap up this query 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 counsell to save it may be not Peradventure you may be in Gods thoughts for salvation peradventure you may be in his counsell for damnation and this should put you upon the work my text calls upon you for to endeavour to make your calling and election su●e 2. A second Query 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 controversall way onely as it best becomes a Pulpit shew you those positive Scriptures and reasons that may cleare the truth and then answer the strongest objections they produce to the contrary Q. 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 hath sent me that of all that he hath given me I should lose none This is the Fathers will and Commission to Christ that of all those that by his decree he had given to Christ to save by redemption he should lose none And saith Christ I have lost nothing So John 10.28 29. I give unto my sheep eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any man take them out of my hands my Father that gave them me is greater then all and no man shall pluck them out of my Fathers hands By his Fathers hands he means 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 divell should prevaile to pluck them out of his Fathers hand So Rom. 11.1 God hath not cast away his people whom he soreknew That is whom God did predestinate he casts none of them away none of them shall perish Many more Scriptures I might multiply to shew that a man once elected can never perish as 2 Tim. 2.19 1 Cor. 1.8 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