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apostle and the Ephesians had "obtained an inheritance, being predestinated," &c. He and his fellow Christians from among the Jews had "first "trusted in Christ;" and the Ephesians, hearing "the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation, "had trusted in Christ;" they had believed, and "had been sealed by the Holy Spirit, the earnest "of their inheritance." They had faith in Christ, and love to all "the saints.' Now can all these things be spoken of any except of true Christians? Indeed, can any of these things be true of others? If there were others, in the outward communion of the church, as chaff or tares among the wheat, "they were not of them," though they were among them; and they might "go out from

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them," or continue mixed with them till the time of harvest. It is here also to be noted, that the epistle is not addressed to the church at Ephe"but to the saints and faithful brethren:" so that there is the less ground for considering it as written to a collective body of true Christians and hypocrites indiscriminately. Whatever is meant by chosen and predestinated, the words are indisputably connected with "the things which ac"company salvation;" and of which this choice and predestination were the source and cause, and not the effect.

'Instead of representing their salvation as certain, he earnestly exhorts them to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they were called;" guards them against those deceits which bring "down" the wrath of God upon the children of 'disobedience ;" and commands them " to put on

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'the whole armour of God, that they may be able 'to stand against the wiles of the devil:" it was 'therefore possible for those who were "saints," "" faithful," "chosen" and "predestinated," to 'walk unworthily, to incur the wrath of God by 'disobedience, and to yield to sinful temptations, ' and consequently to fail of salvation.''

Exhortations, to give diligence "to make their calling and election sure," are perfectly consistent with the doctrine of the final salvation of all true believers: but exhortations to "walk worthy "of their vocation," especially related to their adorning and recommending the gospel, for the honour of God and the good of mankind. Even true Christians are often betrayed into improper conduct; and exhortations are exceedingly needful and useful, to make them vigilant and circumspect but surely every instance of yielding to 'sinful temptations' does not imply that a man will fail of salvation:' for we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and, by the grace ' of God, we may arise and amend our lives.'2 Even if assured that the salvation of any company was infallibly certain, we might and ought to exhort them to "walk worthy of God who had called "them to his kingdom and glory; "3 and address them in the language of the apostle, "Wherefore,

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my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmove"able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, "forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in "vain in the Lord." Many important ends are answered by the holy lives of Christians, distinct from their own salvation. We may also say to

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' Ref. 207.

2 ' Art. xvi.

31 Thess. ii. 12.

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any company, who act consistently, I address you as believers, and suspect the contrary of none among you; but it behoves you to examine yourselves, and to " give diligence, that you may "have the full assurance of hope unto the end; and so be animated for every service and every trial.' God generally works by means. The promise of a plenteous harvest would not render the husbandman's diligence superfluous, but rather encourage it: and, if any individual should so perversely interpret it as to excuse himself from labour, he would justly be excluded from the general benefit.

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This does indeed express God's taking such 'methods to answer his purposes, as he knows 'will in fact be successful: but it does not prove

any thing like an over-bearing impulse on men's ' minds, to determine them in such a manner as to destroy the natural freedom of their volitions, ' and so to prevent their being justly accountable 'to God for such actions.' 1

There is nothing in this note at all discordant with our principles. So the pious Doddridge states the subject, and so would I state it.

"Jesus knew from the beginning who should betray him. Jesus answered them, " Have not I 'chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 'He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon : 'for he it was that should betray him, being one ' of the twelve." Jesus called, chose, elected these 'twelve to be his peculiar disciples, his apostles, Doddridge, Note, Ref. 207.

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his constant companions, his friends. He gave 'them power to work miracles, to preach the 'gospel, to become witnesses of, and sharers in, 'his glory, to sit upon twelve thrones in his king'dom, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Yet 'one of these men he declared to be a devil; one ' of them he knew would betray him; one of 'them he knew to be "the son of perdition," about 'to suffer such punishment, that it "had been good for him if he had not been born." Since then Judas was one of the chosen, one of those 'whom God " gave to Christ ;" and since "Jesus 'knew from the beginning that he should betray 'him," and consequently be rejected and "lost;" 'it is clear that the chosen may deprive themselves of the advantage of "this excellent benefit" of being placed in a state most favourable for the ' attainment of salvation, and that foreknowledge ' does not imply control or influence."1

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Did our Lord ever say that he had chosen Judas to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit "and belief of the truth?" He chose Saul to be king over all Israel; and Jeroboam to be king over the ten tribes; and Cyrus to be the deliverer of Judah from captivity; and Judas to be an apostle, and to be the predicted traitor: but is this the same as "to be chosen in Christ, before "the foundation of the world, that we should be 'holy, and without blame before him in love; "being predestinated to the adoption of children, "by Jesus Christ, unto him?" As to any other election, it is wholly beside our subject: and no man will say that Judas was thus chosen. Therefore

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the whole argument from this case falls to the ground. Our Lord indeed says, "Ye that have "followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son "of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also "shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve "tribes of Israel." And he used nearly the same words, even after he had expressly pronounced a wo on the traitor.2 But Judas is not mentioned in either place. He had not left all and followed Christ, in the same honest manner as the other disciples had done: he had not "continued with “him in his temptations," but was a deserter and traitor. He will not "sit on one of the twelve "thrones" at the coming of our Lord: he could not then be intended in this express declaration of the final exaltation of the persons spoken of. But the apostles were twelve in number, as the tribes of Israel were, and, when one of them "by transgres"sion fell" from the apostleship, another was chosen in his place; and to the twelve apostles this promise will most surely be fulfilled. Our Lord also used these words in prayer, "Those whom thou hast

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given me I have kept, and none of them is lost "but the Son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."3 In the preceding verses, he had said of those that were given him, "They "have kept thy word." "They have received thy

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words, and have known surely that I came out "from thee, and they have believed that thou "hast sent me. I pray for them; I pray not for "the world, but for them that thou hast given me, for they are thine. And all mine are thine,

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'Matt. xix. 28.

2 Luke xxii. 22, 28, 29.

3 John xvii. 12.

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