long before they had a being, and fo before they were in a ca pacity of any perfonal offence? Does it become his fincerity to feem fo carneft in his calls to them to repent, and turn themfelves from their tranfgreffions, and to inquire with fo much feeming concern (b) Why will you die? and to ftrength en his invitation with an oath and folemn declaration, (c) have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, therefore turn yourfelves and live ye and an inquiry, Halo Kaphatiti BeShab, am I not much delighted in that that the funer turneth from his evil ways, and liveth, when he himself hath past that act of Preterition on them, which renders it impoffible for them to repent, or turn from the evil of their ways, and therefore impoffible that they fhould live?

To fay that God is ferious, fincere, and in good earnest in thefe declarations and inquiries, although (d) revera decrevit Gratiam neceffariam ad illa præftanda eis non indulgere, d eos ad perniciem præfcripfit, He hath decreed not to vouchfate them grace neceffary to perform these things, and hath ap pointed them for deftruction, only because the thing commanded, though it be impoffible to be done by them, would be grateful to him if it were done, and therefore may be faid to be willed by him, voluntate fimplicis complacentia, by a will of complacency; is moft apparently to put a force upon the text, to delude men with vain words, and to make the great and good God fpeak fo to his people in the concerns of their falvation, as a wife, honeft and fincere man would be afhamed to fpeak to his neighbor. And

1. It puts a manifeft force upon the text; for in what propriety of fpeech can he be faid to be more defirous that lapfed finners fhould return from the evil of their ways and live, than that they fhould continue in their fins and die, who feeing them under an abfolute neceflity of dying without grace neceffary to avoid it, leaves them under that fad neceffity? And who feeing them under an equal incapacity of living without the fame grace, decrees that they fhall never have it, and therefore in effect faith, they fhall die and not live? Surely when that which they fay would be grateful to God, is by him left under a known impoffibility of being done, he can not properly be faid to will it at all, because voluntas non eft impoffibilium, a true will only refpects things poffible; much lefs can he be faid to will it, rather than that death, which by his own decree, i. e. his will and rule of act ing, he hath made impoffible to be avoided. Again;

Doth he not delude men with vain words, who teacheth that a God of truth and fincerity, and of great goodness,

(b) Ezek. xviii. 30, 31, 32.- ·(c) Ver. 23(d) Maref. contr.

Socin. To. i. p. 669.

doth with much seeming ardency and compaffion, inquire of perfons abfolutely doomed to death by his own prescription, Why will you die? and faith unto them with fuch symptoms of a paffionate concern, turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, why will you die? repent, and be converted from all your tranfgreffions, fo iniquity fhall not be your ruin; when he himself had from eternity appointed them to ruin, and purpofed to withhold from them that grace without which, it was impoffible they fhould repent or be converted? and that he calls upon them to caft away from them all their tranfgreffons whereby they have tranfgreffed, and make themselves a new heart, and a new Spirit, for I have no pleasure in their death; when he himself only propounds the way of life unto them upon impoffible conditions?

Did ever any honeft man fincerely thus attempt to engage another to that which he beforehand knew was impoffible for him to do, without that help he had determined to deny him?. or inquire why he would do what he well knew he never could avoid? Did ever any wife phyfician, oculift or chirurgeon, fay to the blind, the deaf and lame, I am not willing you fhould fill continue under thefe diftempers, put away therefore your blindnefs, deafnefs and lamenefs, and it fhall be well with you; when they well knew it was impoffible for them to do it without their art, and that they were refolved it should afford them no affiftance in fo doing? If then the cafe be perfectly the fame, in reference to all to whom God hath decreed not to afford fufficient grace to enable them to repent, and turn to him, or to obtain a new heart and fpirit, and more ef pecially to them, quos ad perditionem prafcripfit, whom he hath ordained to die eternally; who can imagine a God of wisdom and fincerity, not to fay goodness, fhould fo deal with the generality of lapfed men, as no good, wife, honeft or true hearted man, could have the face to deal with one like himfelf? Infinite are the demonstrations which might be produced against this tremendous decree, but I fhall wave them, all at prefent, intending in the fection containing arguments against an Abfolute Election, to confute both thefe decrees together.

F

CHAPTER III.

Concerning Predeftination, or the Abfolute Election of fome particular Perfons to Eternal Life.

SECTION I.THIS with refpect to the end, is an Abfolute Decree and purpose of bringing a certain number of persons to eternal life, without refpect to their forefeen faith or perfe

verance.

adly. As it refpects the means, it is an eternal Decree and purpose of giving to thefe men, and thefe alone, that effectual grace which fhall infallibly, and infruftrably, produce in them faith, fanctification and perfeverance to the end.

And here note, That this Election or Predeftination confidereth all men in the fame condition, alike miferable and dam, nable, alike impotent, and wanting effectual grace, and alike meet to be the objects of his eternal love, and partakers of effectual grace; fo that as in two apples of equal goodness, no reafon can be given why I fhould choose one, rather than the other, fo neither can any reafon be affigned why all or any of thefe perfons are thus elected to falvation, rather than all, or any that are not elected, In oppofition to this doctrine I affert,

ft. That the election, mentioned in the holy fcriptures, is not that of particular perfons, but only of churches and nations.

2dly. That this election doth import rather their being chofen to the enjoyment of the means of grace than to a certainty of being faved by thofe means; that it is only that which puts them in a capacity of having all the privileges and bleffings which God hath promifed to his church and people, rather than under any abfolute affurance of their falvation, or of any fuch grace as fhall infallibly,and without any poffibility of fruftration, procure their salvation.

3dly. That the election to falvation mentioned in the haly fcriptures is only through faith joined with holiness, according to thofe words of St. Paul, (a) God hath elected you (Theffalonians) to falvation, ev aylasu, by the fanctification of the fpirit, and the belief of the truth. That it is only a conditional election upon our perseverance in a life of holinefs, and

(a} 2 Theff. ii. 13.

a

#Holiness, or Sanatification, is a separation to by virtue of some law. Su Baxter on 1Bap For Baptism thew is an applicati

Lite I ele Esay. Sauty in the most woher

is to be made fure unto us by good works, according to that
exhortation of St. Peter, (b) give diligence to make your call.
ing and election fure, dia tav nahwr ywy, by good works, as
both the fathers, the Syriac, the vulgar, the Ethiopic, and
many ancient copies read, and as the text requires, the words
immediately following being thefe (c) for if you do thefe
things you fhall never fall; plainly declaring, that both the
making of their calling and election fure, depended on their
doing of thofe works of virtue, godliness, temperance, patience,
brotherly kindness and charity, mentioned ver. 5, 6, 7. of that
chapter,

177

Now that the whole fociety, or all the members of the
church of God and Chrift, are in the fenfe of fcripture, the
chofen and elect of God; or that the election mentioned in
the holy fcriptures is not an Abfolute Election of particular
perfons to falvation, but rather of whole nations and focieties
to be his church, and his peculiar people, will be made fully
evident from an impartial view of all thofe places of the Old.
and the New Testament, where this phrafe frequently occurs,
And,

SECTION II.-ft. In the Old Testament it is moft evident
that not the righteous and obedient perfons only are ftyled the
elect, but the whole nation of the Jews, good and bad, were
the elect of God; for in the books of Mofes this phrafe is
fill applied to the whole nation of the Jews, as in these words,
(d) because he loved thy fathers, therefore Earo To Épμa
duty, He chofe their feed after them, and brought them out of
Egypt by his mighty power; where it is evident that the whole
feed of Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob, even all that came out of
Egypt, are the elect. Again, (e) Jehovah thy God hath chofen
thee to be a peculiar people to himself above all people that are
upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not fet his love upon
you, and chufe you, because you were more in number than
people: But because the Lord loved you, and becaufe he would
keep the oath which he had worn to your fathers, hath he
brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of
the houfe of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of E-
gypt; where alfo evident it is,

any

f. That their being chofen before other nations, to be God's peculiar people, is their election.

adly. That all who were brought out of Egypt, were thus beloved and elected.

3dly. That to his beloved and elected people, God only promifeth to keep covenant and mercy, provided they would

(b) 2 Pet. i. 10.- (c) Ver. 11. (d) Deut. iv. 37. (e) os #çosalo posé§alo, Deut. vii. 6, 7, 8.

#Preghe secheres of Mose nations to whom the Holy Ghoft ent the Gospel, who rejected Christianity — were as God's Asin People as the Ifraelites who fill int

love him, and obey his precepts and that he threateneth to deftroy them, and to repay them to their face, if they neglect. ed fo to do. In the tenth chapter, he speaks thus, (f) The Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, xai éženéžaтo, and he elected you their feed after them above all people; circumcife therefore the foreskin of your hearts, and be no more fiff necked. Where again evident it is, that the whole feed of Abraham by Ifaac, even the stiff necked of them, were the eleft of God, Chap. xiv. he faith to all to whom the following precepts did belong, and therefore doubtlefs to all Ifrael, (g) thou art an holy people to the Lord thy God, nai oè èžeλéžaro o xúpois, and the Lord hath chofen thee out to be a peculiar people to himfelf above all nations.

And with this notion of the words accords the constant use of the fame phrase in all the prophets and facred writings of the Old Teftament. Thus Salomon faith, (h) Thy fervant is in the midst of thy people, öv ¿žeλéžw, which thou hast elected, a great people that cannot be numbered, nor counted for multitude. In the book of Pfalms the Jews in general are styled (i) the feed of Ifrael his fervant, the children of Jacob, èxλɛxτο αυτο, his eleil : there it is faid, τὸν Ἰακώβ ἑαυτῷ ἐξελέξατο, (k) the Lord hath chofen Jacob for himself, and Ifrael for his own inheritance; that the (1) Lord brought forth his people with joy, nai rous ExλEXTOùs durou, and his elect with gladness; there he defires of God to fee the good, tav inλentwv, of his elect, and to rejoice in the gladness of his nation, and with his inheritance: So that throughout the book of Pfalms God's people, his fervants, his nation, his inheritance, and his elect, are the fame perfons.

In the evangelical prophet we find God fpeaking of Jacob, ôv ěžeλežáμnv, (m) whom, faith he, I have chofen, and Ifrael whom I have loved; and to whom he fpeaks thus, (n) thou art my child whom I have chofen: There God declares he will make waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the defart, norioas Tò YÉVOS μòũ Tò Êxhentov, (o) to give drink to my chofen generation, my people whom I have chofen to fet forth my praife; there we read of (p) Jacob my fervant, and Ifrael mine elect, and of a mountain which his elect fhall inherit, and in which his fervants fhall dwell.

In the prophet Jeremy we find God is difpleased with them who faid, (q) the two families whom the Lord hath chofen he hath even caft them off. The prophet Ezekiel speaks of the day (r) when the Lord chofe Ifrael, and lifted up his

(f) Ver. 15, 16.- -(g) Ver, 2.- (b) 1 Kings iii. 8.—(i) Pf. cv. 6, 43. -(k) Pf. cxxxv. 4.—(1) Pí, cvi. 5.- (m) Ifa. xli. 8, 9.- (n) xliii. 20. 21. — -(0) xlv. 4. ·(p) lxv. 9.--(r) Ezek. xxi. 5.

-(9) Jer.