ABSOLUTE Election of Persons Not upon foreseen Conditions STATED and MAINTAINED In some Sermons preach'd at Hartford With some ANIMADVERSIONS on some Pelagian Passages in a Book entituled Vulgar Erros in Divinity removed written by Mr. Ralph Battell present Minister at St. Alhallows in Hartford By WILL. HAWORTH Servant of Jesus Christ in the Ministry of his Gospel Rom. 11.6 If it be of Works it is no more of Grace if Grace no more Works c. LONDON Printed for the Author and are to be sold at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1694. THE PREFACE TO THE READER THE Lord who hath determined the Bounds of our Habitation Acts 17.26 having cast my Lot at Hartford where I have continued in the Ministry of the Gospel above twenty Years yet not without Interruption and having from the time of my Conversion received in the Doctrine of Election much sweet and pleasant Comfort to my Soul as the Church of England's Phrase is speaking of it in the 17th Article I have been a constant Preacher of it and not without various Effects to several Hearers it hath been as the Apostles speak of their Doctrine 2 Cor. 2.16 A Savour of Life unto Life to others a Savour of Death unto Death Some that at first through Novelty stumbled at it now rejoice to hear it preached Others have so stumbled at it through Ignorance Conceitedness and Prejudice that to this day they have not recovered themselves Some forsook our Meetings and turned Quakers upon hearing of this Doctrine the now George Keith a chief Preacher among them owns the Doctrine of Election of a definite Number of Persons that shall infallibly be saved The Church-of England-Professors in Hartford are as far as I can learn most-what prejudiced against it tho it is owned so plainly in their Articles of Religion and no wonder when one of their Teachers is such an Enemy to it witness his slender Book entituled Vulgar Errors in Divinity removed printed 1683. wherein he doth with Bullets of Glass batter the Brazen Mountains of the absolute Decrees of the Supreme Soveraign Zech. 6.1 Who giveth not an account of any of his matters Job 33.13 but this Man impudently disputes with God contrary to that in Rom. 9.20 and arraigns his Creator saying Why hast thou made me thus and yet P. 8. confesseth God might have made him as to his Temporal Being a Dog a Hog or poisonous Serpent and bethinks himself and modestly in his Preface faith If his Superiours think he is in an Error he will disown it I am confident the late Reverend Bishop Barlow of Lincoln would have branded the Book had the read it as fulsome Pelagianism In the fifth Page he writes And what he saith to Moses is most equal I will have Mercy on whom I will have Mercy Thanks be to the Gentleman for that ingenous Judgment upon Jehovah's Dealings But now hear his own Comment that is It belongs to me to appoint upon what Terms I will shew Mercy and justify Men whether by the Law of Faith or by Works For as he that builds an Hospital hath an equitable Right to appoint the Qualifications of the Persons that shall partake in this Gift whether poor Children or Widows aged Persons or the like so it belongs to God to appoint upon what Terms he will justify me it should be Elect for of that he is treating whether by the Law of Works or Faith It is evident by this that the Author is for Election upon Conditional Terms and Qualifications and that it is a vulgar Error viz. Free Election of Persons unto Qualifications The Phrase shewing Mercy in this Paragraph can be no otherwise interpreted but of Election tho he adds the word justify to it Foreseen Faith according to this Author is the Cause of God's Election and that Faith must surely be accompanied all a Man's days with good Works else it is not true Faith so that Election is upon Works as much as Faith and there is no Election but at the utmost Period of a Man's Life Against this Arminian vulgar Error do I militate in the following Sheers wherein the Reader will I question not find sufficient Armoury against it As for absolute Reprobation no wonder the Author is against that whenas he is against absolute Election But that God of his own Will and Pleasure and for no other Cause should decree to damn any which this Author upbraids us withal was never asserted by any Divines that ever I read but they constanâ—â—y uno Ore affirm That God hath from Eternity determined to condemn Man of Sin persisting therein to the end of his days in Unbelief 2. They are all in one Mind That no Man whoever but sins freely when he sins notwithstanding the Decree to permit Sin Now it is no Injustice in God to condemn Man for final sinning and Impenitency therein nor to decree so to do from Eternity tho withal we say the desert of Sin is not the Cause of the Purpose and Decree it self And let them quarrel with us for that Thomas Aquinas a great School-man shall answer for us long since he writ viz. He is mad that saith there can be any Cause of the Divine Will that which is in Time cannot be the Cause of that which is eternal the Cause must exist before the Effect The foresight of the future Sin of Man in time before it hath Existence cannot have a causal Influence upon the eternal Will of God Neither can God fore-see any thing future before he had will'd it to be There could have been no Evil in the World if he had not decreed to permit it That the Decree of Damnation should precede the Decree of permitting Sin our Divines do not say but one of them saith This is the Order which God takes in his Decrees Dr. Twiss in his Answer to Hoard Book 2. p. 30. God at once decrees both to create Men and suffer them to fall in Adam and to bring them forth in their several Generations into the World and to bestow the Grace of Faith and Repentance upon one sort and so to save them and to deny the same Grace unto others permitting them to go on finally in their sinful Courses and so to condemn them for Sin and all to manifest the Glory of Mercy in one and the Glory of Justice on the other yea and his Soveraignty too But wherein not in rewarding the one with Salvation and inflicting Damnation on the other but only in giving Grace to the one and not to the other What fault can be found in this Order of God's Decrees Why should this Author exclaim and say that we make God to ruine the Innocent and make him like the Devil Pag. 8. to be a Murderer from the beginning These are but old cankered Pelagian Cavils against the Cause of God that will have Mercy on whom he will have Mercy and whom he will he hardens and yet is righteous How do we make God to
is neither a total or partial Cause pre-operant co-operant but the passive Subject recipient of that Vim Gratiae verticordiam as Austin called it the changing Power of Grace The Will in Conversion is neither a free Agent nor natural Agent but an obedient Subject of the efficacious Grace of God This we are ready to maintain All the Author's Arguments are in Bellarmine Pelagius Arminius and fully answered by Bradwerdine Twiss Ames and Davenant a Bishop of the Church of England Is 't not pity that this Dish of twice sodden Coleworts should be made ready and set on the Table for the poisoning of so many Souls making them lazy proud and hypocritical Without an Answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to lay open the Fallacies and Absurdities of this vulgar Error it may be done in season In the Interim I offer a few things to manifest the Absurdities of this Tenet viz. The Power of Free-will co-operating with the Grace of God being a Partner with God in Conversion First See what Bellarmine saith of this matter The Concourse of God doth not impress or work any thing upon our Wills but immediately flows upon the Effects it is like to that of two carrying a great Stone which one of them singly cannot do the Will and God work together in one and the same moment of time but now mark the Author will not speak out so plainly but I suppose will not oppose the Cardinal yet God works because the Will works not on the contrary i. e. the Will works because God works because he did as it were oblige himself freely of his own accord when he created Free-will Now this is ingenuously spoken Against this we offer 1. This takes off from the Dominion of Providence and the efficacious Government of all the Operations of Human Will. 2. This takes away the Subordination of Second Causes to the First in their Operations 3. This makes Man not God's Subject but Companion not subordinate but equal to God 4. It makes the Gubernation and Directions of Human Actions and of whatsoever follows thereupon first and chiefly to depend upon Man's Free-will 5. It paints out God depending upon the nod and beck of Man in things of the highest Concernment 6. This Opinion inverts and subverts that Piety which God hath taught us in the Scripture James 4.15 which we should use our selves to in our Besolves viz. If the Lord will we will do this or that if Man will to do this or that 7. It is against not only Aristotle Augustine Aquinas and the Thomists and Jansenists but the very Trent-Roman-Catechism Art 8. Symb. n. 22. Deus Providentiâ suâ quae moventur agunt aliquid intimâ virtute ad Motum atque Actionem impellit God by his Providence doth impel with most intimate Power to Motion and Action all things that are moved and act any thing I cannot forbear adding as to the Description of Grace p. 72. It is Strength and Assistance from God to do something above Nature these Men think it enough when they speak or write of God's Actings of us to grant that he aids strengthens assists helps us Bellarmine argues thus The Scripture teacheth that we are helped of God in our Actions but he that doth nothing cannot properly be said to be holpen but he who labours in acting yet I remember that Christ healing the possessed casting out the Devils in which Men were meerly passive is called helping Mat. 15.25 Mark 9.22 Have Compassion and help us Lactantius long since did very well answer this of Bellarmine The Propriety of this word juvare help doth not hold forth to us Divine but only Human Help For Cicero interprets Jove and Juno to be called so from the word juvando to help and Jupiter is called so Juvans Pater the helping Father which Name doth not in the least sute God because to help belongs to Man bestowing something upon one that hath but little none doth so pray to God that he should help them but save them that he would bestow Life and Salvation upon them which is much more than to help And because we speak of a Father no Father is said to help his Sons when he begets them and brings them up this word is too light than that the Greatness of a Father's Bounty should be expressed by it How much more is it inconvenient and unbecoming God who is most truly our Father by whom we are whose we wholly are by whom we were made quickened inlightened c. He doth not understand the Divine Benefits that thinks himself only to be helped of God Therefore he is not only ignorant but wicked that by the word Jove doth impare diminish or lessen the Power of the Highest Now hear a few Queries that should be resolved by these Levellers Co-operators Coadjutors 1. Whether the Grace of Calling or the whole Work of God which he exerts to the converting of a Man be only moral only in perswading proposing inviting exhorting c. or also real and of proper Efficacy 2. Whether there be no Action of the Spirit acting immediately upon the Mind and Will which causeth us to believe but the proposing only of the things to be believed doth suffice to the begetting and bringing forth of Faith 3. Whether there be not the same manner of working as to the Efficacy of Grace in the quickening of the Intellect Affections and Will the Intellect and Affections being quickened in an irresistable but the Will in a resistable manner 4. Whether any other Powers are given to the Will to its Conversion besides the inlightening the Mind and the exciting the Affections 5. Whether besides the inlightening the Mind and the exciting the Affections Grace works any thing by way of Principle or antecedently unto Conversion but only accompanieth the Will already consenting 6. Whether there being all the Workings and Operations which God useth in the effecting Conversion in Men whether Conversion doth not always follow 7. When Conversion follows whether doth it follow and is effected by any Necessity of the Cause or Infallibility of the Event from the Intention and Action of God or only contingently and uncertainly as it pleased the indifferent Will of Man to incline it self Let these Queries be plainly answered A third vulgar Error is viz. That Christ died for the Elect only he is for universal Redemption Now this vulgar Error the Church of England is for with us for they are for the Election of Persons witness their 17th Article and it 's evident that these two Opinions are inconsistent viz. Election and universal Redemption As for those universal Terms he saith p. 101. the Church teacheth the Children in their Catechisms to answer viz. I believe in God the Son who redeemed us and all Mankind And that in her Collect for Good-friday she prays for the Conversion of Jews Turks and Infidels Indeed according to this Author's Opinion there needs no Prayer be made for them that have Power already in
be elected there needs no Election of particular Persons afterwards 4. It will not sute the Government of God to have his Will depend upon Man's frail fickle Will and that in the highest Things that concern his Glory to wait upon Man's Will to lacky it after Man's Will and be determined by it 5. It 's against the Nature of a Decree the Decree of Election is a severing some from others as it 's said in Scripture many are called few chosen Mat. 20.16 the Election obtains it the rest are hardened Rom. 11. See here they are distinct from others but now it belongs to all to be under a Condition viz. if you believe 6. This will follow upon it then those that are elected may be damned and those that are for the present Reprobate and do not fulfil the Condition may afterward fulfil the Condition and be elected and saved which is ridiculous and clean contrary to the whole Current of Scripture 7. If God chuses Conditions and not Persons until such time as they fulfil those Conditions then Christ is made a King without a Kingdom a Shepherd without a Flock a Husband without a Spouse a Head without Members a Saviour without a Body a Prophet tho he reveals not God's Will to any a Priest tho none be reconciled for it is possible none of these Conditions may be fulfilled 8. Yea this supposeth a Power in Man as to his own Conversion that it lies in him whether he will turn or no be converted or not be converted tho God hath done what is fitting for him and tho he hath done what he can do according to the Rule which he hath appointed to work by 9. It supposeth a Falling from Grace 10. It supposeth plainly Justification by Works for if a Man is elected if he continues in Faith and Obedience then is he also justified by Works The Consequence is easy Object 1. John 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth should not perish c. Now they form the Objection thus there is a Love of God common to all the World that upon Condition they do believe they may be saved therefore no difference of Persons only as they believe or not believe This they say it proves that God gives Christ for this End that every one might be elected if he would believe 1. The first Answer might be as to the word World here it is the Elect of God and this word is so used in other places God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself 2 Cor. 5. John 17. that the World may believe that thou hast sent me 2. Doth not the Text speak of our fallen Estate for it speaks of perishing but surely God did not then begin to elect when Man was fallen no the Fall of Man was decreed as a Means unto the Accomplishment of the Election what was done against the second Adam Christ was done by the determined Counsel of God Acts 4.28 so as to the first Adam all was decreed God who is infinitely wise and governs to accomplish his own End would not let Sin be in the World but that he knew how to make Grace abound thereby Grace began to appear at the Fall broke out was manifested thereby but Grace was given us in Christ before the World began 2 Tim. 1.9 therefore before God did consider or think of any thing or had any thing in his eye of what was done in the World by us 3. This Scripture tells you that what God did he did out of Love God so loved the World Now this Love of God must either be natural Affection in him or else it must be a Decree Natural it was not for then it must extend to all to the Devil and his Angels as well as to Men those that conceive that there is naturally in God an Affection unto those that are in Misery must needs conceive that Affection to be as well to the Devil and his Angels which were in greater Misery than Men as well as unto Men themselves no it cannot be that for those Affections that are in Men are to be ruled by Reason and their Will so are God's Affections likewise So that the Love spoke of here is God's Electing Love Love in his Decree Love with Choice 4. So loved It is the greatest highest Love God could show to us nothing able to parallel it nothing that can go beyond it so it is said Rom. 5.8 God commendeth his Love to us in that Christ was sent to die for us i. e. he could not have set out his Love more to us In this was manifested the Love of God to us because that God sent his only begotten Son that we might live through him 1 John 4.9 This Love is made equal to that Love that he gave Eternal Life by therefore it must be electing Love the highest Love now to elect upon Conditions is not the highest Love it 's greater Love to elect without a Condition than to elect after the Condition is fulfilled Object 2. If particular Persons be elected then they shall certainly be saved their Salvation is necessary and if it be necessary what need any Endeavours what need Men use the Means who shall be saved and it cannot be otherwise but Election makes it necessary that those Persons be saved and so takes away Endeavours we may live as we list Answ There is a double Necessity 1st Of Nature as a Stone that goeth downward and a Necessity of Compulsion when things are made to act against their own Nature as Stones to move upwards to ascend this Necessity takes away all Endeavours 2d There is a Necessity of Infallibity or Unchangeableness and this stands with Freedom As for Example the Apostle Paul said he must go to Jerusalem and yet he went freely Christ ought to suffer it 's said the things he was appointed to and yet he did suffer very freely he laid down his Life very willingly When things are ordained to some End they are so ordained that that End shall certainly be accomplished So when God saith we shall obtain eternal Life through Holiness we shall be holy that we may attain thereunto Look into Scripture and ye shall find that notwithstanding the Salvation of the Saints hath been certain this hath been so far from taking them off Endeavours that it hath been as a great Weight upon the Wheel to make them very obedient their Obedience and Holiness hath not been slackned at all but increased by this viz. that God hath taken so much care of them in his Election that they should not come short of Glory but certainly obtain it Paul said Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect and who shall condemn and who shall separate Rom. 8.33 34. And yet who more diligent than he abounding in Goodness and stirring up others thereunto his Spirit too big to be enticed with the Pleasures that are in Sin to sin against
wills Men to be saved and gives them sufficient Means would not they be saved infallibly if God put forth all his Power or else his Power is but weak he is not Omnipotent 12. How can God be happy that desires and hath not his Desire satisfied and accomplished he desireth the Salvation of all say these and yet hath it not Happiness is having every good Desire satisfied Thus the other Doctrine wrongs God takes off from the Glory and Praise of the Godhead Motive 2. Take heed of the other Doctrine cleave to this if you receive the other it will corrupt you in all the great Points of Religion it influenceth you in all When the Blood is poisoned all the whole Body will soon be poisoned so here If upon Faith and Obedience Man is elected 1. Then Man is converted by Works and the Obedience of his own Will and no Man otherwise converted 2. A Man then is justified by Works Justification follows Election no Man is saved but by Works and so all that Glory and Beauty and bright-shining Vertue of Grace which God hath manifested in the Gospel vanisheth and comes to nothing for if it be of Works it is no more Grace Rom. 11.6 3. It is then to bring in another Gospel to bring in this other Opinion of Election upon Conditions now there is a Curse upon any that shall bring in another Gospel Gal. 1. Hear then are you willing in the matter of Salvation to trust to your selves and lean upon your selves Hath Christ died and laid down a Price that you might live at your own Hand and be upon the same Terms for Eternal Life and Heaven as Adam was before he fell in a Covenant of Works Then it was Do and live and so now Do this viz. Believe and persevere and live God hath given you Power to do this so he did to Adam he gave him more Power than you for you are full of Infirmities and Weakness and Failings daily but he was perfect and strong Now is this the Gospel of Grace to require as much of a poor weak fallen Man as of Adam before he fell who was perfect and not subject to Infirmities All the Duties thou dost all the Acts of Faith all thy persevering in good being done for this end that God may elect thee they are but Acts of high Pride and Arrogancy every one of them hath this Language in them I do this that I may be elected rather than another and to put a difference betwixt my self and those that shall go to Hell I do this and this and elect God at first and after I have walked on all my days to the end in good Works he will elect me for this is the Condition he hath made of my Election If I persevere to the end he will then infallibly and peremptorily set his Love upon me and chuse me Now thus God doth made a Bargain with Man barters and sells his Love as Laban his Daughter If thou wilt have my Daughter then serve seven Yeers or else thou shalt not have her So doth God sell Heaven and Glory for a Life's Perseverance in Faith and Holiness Motive 3. To make you take heed of this false Doctrine it destroys all the Fruits of Election if not elected till Death then no benefit of Election in this Life let us see the Fruits of Election and how they are brought to nothing if Election of particular Persons be made void 1. Love to God 〈◊〉 a Fruit God's electing Persons sets out the Greatness of God's Love and fills the Heart with Love to God again Thus the Soul that hath any Intimation that God hath chosen him saith God hath passed by Millions and some of my Neighbours Kindred Friends and they are walking on in Ignorance Evil Unbelief God hath called me in which I read my Election he hath chosen me before the World from Eternity not respecting any thing that would or could be in me for I was a Sinner in my Blood when he visited me and by this Love of his he will enable me to do whatever is required of me to Salvation Who can think of this free eternal Love of God and not love God again God doth therefore in Scripture speak of this peculiar special free Love as an Argument to stir us up to Thankfulness Deut. 7.6 7. God hath chosen thee to be a special People and it was not for any Qualifications in them but because he loved them Chap. 10.15 Only the Lord had a delight in their Fathers to love them What for any thing in them no Was it for fulfilling Conditions No it is over and over in Deut 9. Not for thy Righteousness sake no a base wicked People they were And what could he see in their Fathers why Abram was an Idolater Josh 24.3 and called Now this free Love is brought as an Argument to press them to love God and walk in Holiness Deut. 7. Thou shalt therefore keep the Commandments and Statutes c. Circumcise therefore the Foreskin of your Hearts c. Deut. 10.16 Deut. 14.2 you shall see the same Argument there the Lord hath chosen thee therefore thou shalt not do so and so Object None of these Scriptures speak of God's eternal Love or of singular Persons chosen out of that Love Answ The Text speaks of Love shewed to particular Persons and how that such free Love is a Motive to love God and obey him Now this Love that God had to the Jews is a Type of that Love that God bare to the Elect. Compare Isa 1.9 with Rom. 9.29 Except the Lord of Hosts had left us a very small Remnant c. this is spoke concerning the Temporal Preservation of the Jews the Apostle takes it and applies it to the Elect Isa 8.18 Behold I and the Children whom the Lord hath given me are for Signs c. this is spoken of God's delivering the Jews from their Enemies the Apostle Heb. 2. brings this and speaks it of Christ having all the Elect considered in him God's electing Persons provokes to love God to think that God freely chose thee from Eternity thy Person appointed for thee all the Means hearing c. that thou mightst be saved blessed them to thee and gave thee Faith then in the use of them this is to stir up Love to God From the other way let us hear how it promotes Love to God God hath given Means to all and left them Talents and commands to improve and manage these well Now what if any of these be saved what may Christ say to them Have not I shewed you great Love should not you love me Yea may it be answered It was great Love to come 〈◊〉 the Flesh to redeem me from my Sin in Adam to give me Means to believe and Power to believe but there is no more Love laid out for me than for them that are in the Flames of Hell Can these love Christ so well as the other in the other
Doctrine 2. This Doctrine of Election rightly stated keeps one humble very humble all his days Election doth not take away Free-will we have Free-will but then being called it is to what is good but it takes away glorying in it Not of him that willeth Rom. 9.16 Rom. 11.35 Who hath first given to him c. He gives to will Not a Thought that is good but from him Joh. 15. Without me ye can do nothing As to our natural Being in him we do move So in the Spiritual Being he knits himself to us he is in us as a Principle then we act We cannot pray to him for his Grace but by Grace What hast thou that thou hast not received 1 Cor. 4.7 Will not this make us humble Object But they will say that their Doctrine of God's electing upon Faith will keep a Man humble because Faith is opposed to Works Answ These Men need not bring this for they hold that Faith as a Work of it self not because of the Object it receiveth justifies a Man Faith is not opposed to Works in Election in Justification it is but it is of no use in Election Christ's Righteousness is not accepted to make us elected Election goeth before our Faith or laying hold on Jesus Christ Object Yea but Faith is the Gift of God we should be humble then Answ Is it such a Gift as he that hath it offered cannot but receive it and because of the way and manner of God's working in him is he effectually brought to believe yet his Free-will preserved then we have the Cause as we would God elects Persons and works all the Conditions for them which he requireth of them to Eternal Life But if there be any thing of us required at our Hand that must cast the Scale then we have to glory 3. Assurance and Certainty of Salvation springs from Election When the Scripture would comfort Believers with the Assurance of their Salvation that they should not perish but go to Heaven certainly it fetches the Comfort from the Fountain The Decree of God taking their Persons the Constancy of the Decree of God makes that Assurance which could never be by God's giving Conditions for Election because the fulfilling of them depends upon our own changeable and mutable Will What Assurance can a Man have that is chosen under a Condition For when he hath attained to the best degree of Grace in the use of Means yet then may he say this is no more than what may be done by him that shall perish For it is not the doing this tho great but the continuing to do this upon which Election is grounded and I may fall as others and lose this before Death no Assurance this way But in the other as we have stated Election there is to take off the Fears of the Saints when they saw the Jews fall he brings this and comforts them that they should not fall Rom. 11. God hath not cast away his People whom he fore-knew Ver. 7. What then Israel hath not obtained that which he sought after but the Election obtained it and the rest are hardened He tells you none fell that were elected Psal 33.11 12. The Counsel of the Lord that shall stand and his Thoughts to all Generations then it follows Blessed is the People whom he hath chosen for his Inheritance Isa 54. With everlasting Kindness will I have Mercy on thee He comforts them with the Decree no assurance the other way For it must be either from God or a Man's self from God it cannot be he elects none but after all is fulfilled not of himself for his Will is changeable every moment 4. The Doctrine of Election is a mighty Comfort in times of Sorrow and Grief There are two things that are apt to trouble us especially 1. The Apostacy of Professors 2. The Trials and Temptations that we meet with in the World viz. Poverty Sickness Disappointment Death of Relations c. Now in both these cases Election comforts 1. Election of Persons As for Apostacy when they say If such Cedars fall what will become of such a Shrub as I Dan. 12. he speaking of the last Times how bad they should be yet adds and at that time thy People shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the Book Mat. 24.22 he speaks of such perilous Times that no Flesh should be saved but for the Elects sake those days should be shortned In Rom. 9. 11. the Apostle removes this Stumbling-block out of the way when the Jews fell and tells the Saints none fell but those that were ordained thereunto not one whom God fore-knew when Hymeneus and Philetus fell he comforts them with this 2 Tim. 2.18 The Foundation of God stands sure he knoweth who are his 2. As for Afflictions of what sort soever there is Comfort in them from the Doctrine of Election the Apostle in Rom. 8.28 comforts the Saints with this viz. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them that are called according to his Purpose Calling here is Conversion and that Power that worketh it not any particular Obedience of ours following Faith Whom he predestinates them he calls his Purpose here is not the Object of Obedience which God hath purposed that Men should do for the Apostle brings it to shew that the Call is not in our selves but in his Purpose they that are called are not called by any Obedience or Free-will of theirs but according to his Purpose But on their Doctrine what Comfort can a Man have when he seeth another fall that he shall stand by his own Might and when he meets with Afflictions that he shall be the better by them when many stronger than he have turned aside and grown worse some of as much Light and Parts as he that were just at Land have sunk that were at the very Borders have miscarried He must say tho I be now in a good State yet what I may be is uncertain Temptations have prevailed upon others and they have fallen I am not sure till I have done all and that is not till I go out of the World But the other can be comforted that receive our Doctrine God hath chosen my Person for better for worse and tho I be weak he will enable me to do what he requires and work in me all the Conditions Faith and Perseverance therein will keep me by his Power to his Kingdom he was moved by nothing to love me and do me good nothing therefore that shall separate from his Love shall be done by me he hath ordained me to be conformed to his Image therefore all my Afflictions shall tend to this to plant his Image in me which he loves Afflictions shall be as an Axe to cut off that which is superfluous in me and that Unanswerableness to his Image 5. Nothing so much quickneth a Soul to Obedience as the Knowledg that God hath loved our Persons from