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THE 
 
 D O C T R I N E 
 
 O F 
 
 ABSOLUTE PREDESTINATION 
 
 STATED AND ASSERTED; 
 
 TRANSLATED, IN GREAT MEASURE, 
 FROM THE Latin op 
 
 JEROM ZANCHIUS; 
 
 ■WITH 
 
 SoMi ACCOUNT OF HIS LIFE prefixed; . 
 AND 
 
 AN APPENDIX 
 
 ' COMCERNING TUE FATE OF THE ANCIENTS.- 
 ALSO, 
 
 A CAVEAl'agaiti/i UNSOUND DOCTRINES^ 
 
 By AUGUSTUS TOPLADY, A. a 
 
 Late VICAR or BROAD-HEMBURY, Devon. 
 
 REPUBLISHED, AT A REDUCED PRICE,. 
 FROM A LONDON EDITION. 
 
 P E R T H: 
 
 FRINTED BY R. MORISON JUNIOR^' 
 i^ rOR R. MORISON & SON, PERTH; j.- Guthrie, BDINB^RGIT; 
 ■* AND VERNOR & HOOD, LONDON. - 
 
 MjOCC^XCIII, 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 ReCommendatorv Preface, containing a Short hlflory of 
 the Rife and Progrefs of Arminianifm — and fame Account 
 of the Life of AvGvsrus TophADY — — — Page iii 
 
 Toplady'sPreface. — General Obfervatlonst concerning Pre- 
 de/linatlon^ Providence^ and Fate — — — • — — 1 
 
 LifeofTjZnchjy — — — — — — — — 14 
 
 IntroduBory View ^of the "DWint A\Xxi\iXiiZi — — — 27 
 
 Chap. I. Explanation of Terms — — — — — cj 
 
 Chaf. II. Of PredeJUnatlon at large — — — — ^^ 
 
 Chap. III. Of Elealont In particular — — — _ 68 
 
 Chap. IV. Of Reprolation — — — — — 75 
 
 Chap. V. On the Preaching of thefe Dodlrlnes ■— — 9 1 
 
 Short T>\%5^KTkTiovi concerning Yatz — — . ... -« II7 
 
 Caveat agaln/l Unsound Doctrines. 
 
RECOMMENDATORr 
 
 P R E F A C ?. 
 
 Of all the devices formed by Satan, and employed to Afll|' 
 the glory of divine Truth, that, which is now commonly call- 
 ed Arminianism, is the moft ancient, the mod dangerous^ 
 and the mod fuccefsful. Since the fall of man, it has exifted 
 in the world, in every age and in every country. It may be 
 called the Religion of our fallen Natur-e ; and will never waRt 
 friends and advocates on earth, fo long as the Spirit of Error, 
 and the corrupt heart are permitted to exert their wicked in- 
 fluence. It is a fyftem of principles, dated in dire<fl oppofition 
 to the Sovereignty of God, difplayed in the diftribution o£ 
 His favours among men j and is utterly everfive of the whole 
 plan of Grace revealed in the Gofpcl. It proclaims open war 
 againft the elTential prerogative of Deity — His abfolute right 
 of determining the final ftate of rational beings, confidered as 
 guilty and fallen ; and makes the divine Purpofe entirely de- 
 pendent on the creature's Will. The great Goo is impioufly 
 dethroned, that the vile idol of free will may be exalted in 
 His room. The proud ufurper, being feated on the throne ; 
 •dares to arraign, at his bar, every thing human and divine 5 
 •and prefumes to judge, approve, or condemn every article 
 of the divine Teftimony, and every piece of divine ConduA, 
 «s they appear right or wrong to the corrupt heart — the de- 
 ■praved Will. 
 
 This is a fyftem founded in ignorance, fupported by pride» 
 fraught with atheifm, and will end in delufion. But it is well 
 calculated to gain general confent among all who were never 
 llioroughly convinced of the evil of Sin, nor felt the burden of 
 ^lilt prefling their confciences ; nor have feenthe purity of the 
 divine Law, their own loft and helplefs ftate, and the abfolute n€- 
 •ceflity of Chrift's righteoufncfs for juftification and eternal life. 
 The carnal heart is naturally proud, and regards, jvith fond at- 
 tention, whatever tends to flatter its vanity and felf importance* 
 Such is the palpable tendency of the Anmnianifm fcheme. It 
 gently whifpers us in the ear, that, even in a fallen ftate, we retain 
 
 « boUi 
 
[ iv ] 
 
 fcoth the Will and the Poiuer of doing what is good and ac- 
 ceptable to God : — thai Chrilt's dc;r h is accepuJ, by God, as 
 an univerfal atonement fr the fms of all men; in order that 
 every one may, if he ii'iU, i\\t hlmftlf bv hi» own free- will, 
 and good \soiks : — that, in the exc-rcli'e of our n.uural powers, 
 we may arrive at perieclion even in the prefent life, &c. 
 Thefe, and the like unfcriptural tenets, are fo much adapted 
 10 the legal bias of the corrupt heart, that we need not won- 
 der at the favourable reception they have met with Id every 
 period of the church. 
 
 If we confalt the hiftory of paft ages, it will be found, that 
 thisfett of corrupt principles has always occupied a chief place 
 in the faith and profeffion of corrupt Churches. In the latter 
 times of the Jewilh Church, the body of that people were fo 
 ftrongly attached to this legal fcheme, that they utterly rejec- 
 ted Chrift and his righteoufnefs, and went about to eftabliih a 
 righteoufnefs of their own. The Gofpel Church was no fooner 
 planted, than the Spirit of error began to work. The Armi- 
 nian leaven in the heart was fet a v/orking by the Arminian 
 or Judaising teachers of thefe days, which produced fuch a 
 itrong fermentation in fome Churches, that they feem to have 
 almoft entirely departed from the faith. Of this melancholy 
 change the Church of Galatla prefents an affeiSling inftance. 
 The Apeftles and other minifters of Chrift, by their Sermons, 
 their difputations, and writings, laboured hard to ttem the 
 torrent, and prevent the infection from fpreading throngh the 
 Church : but alas, this ipyftery of iniquity continued to work, 
 through the foftering care of the Father of lyes, and by 
 the craft and affiduity of his numerous eniilTaries. During 
 the three firft centuries of the Chriftian Church, it was con- 
 tinually on the increafe ; and, about the beginning of the 
 fourth, it broke out with open violence under the name of the 
 ^rian herefy. 
 
 This was little elfe but a new name clapt upon an old mafs 
 of error which had been lying, in detached fragments, up 
 and down in the Chriftian world from the beginning. By 
 ^rhs they were all gathered up, and artfully formed into one 
 complete fyftem of falOtood and blafphemy. His oppofition 
 ■was chiefly diredted againft the dodrines of Chrift's Eternal 
 ^onjh'tb — of His co-ejfentiality and co-equaltiy with the Father : 
 •>j . bat 
 
C V ] 
 
 biit his fyftem included, in its bofom, tKe very efJence of thr 
 Socinian and Arminian errors. 
 
 Is the year bf oar Lord 325, the Paftors of the Church af. 
 fembleJ, in a general Council, at Nice, in Bythtnia, to con- 
 cert mcr^fures for checking the fpreading infe(ftion. They 
 drew up that adnrjirable form ot found words, called the 
 NiccNE CREED Or Confefllon of Faith. It was fubfcribed hj 
 all prefent ; and even by ^hius himfeU", that temporizing arch- 
 heretic ; merely to ferve a prefent turn, and with a fixed de- 
 fign of throwing off the mail:, as foon as a favourable oppor- 
 tunity fliould offer. In a few years, he openly retraded ; 
 and, gaining the ear of the Roman emperor, he filled the 
 Church with tumult and blood, and attempted to baniflj. 
 Truth, and exterminate its profeifors from the earth. 
 
 The Spirit of error and delufion fcemed to be let loofe from 
 all leftraint. Multitudes of new herefies fuddenly fprung up,. 
 in almofl every corner of the Church. Pelagius, a BritilTi 
 monlc, in the beginning of the 5th century, appeared on the 
 ftage to plead the caufe of error, and decry the Docflrines of 
 Grace. The Scripture doiftrine of abfolute and imconditionai 
 Predejliniition he boldly denied — alferting that God was direc- 
 ted in determiiiing the final Rate of finful men, byliis fore» 
 knowledge of human actions — Original Shiy both imputed and 
 inherent, he accounted a mere figment — He maintained the 
 modern /Irminian tenet of Free Will, in its utmoft extent; 
 affirming, that a man retains full power to chufe what is good, 
 and to ao what is wellpleafing to God, without any fuperna- 
 lural aid — That men, in the prefent (late, may attain y/n/if/J 
 perfection, if they only fuitably improve their natural powers, 
 and the common means of Grace — That Jujlijication before 
 Gnd is by ivorhy and not hy faiih in the Kighteoufnefs of 
 Chrill. 
 
 This mary-he*aded rronfler was hatched, long before the 
 days of Fela^ius ; but never till then did it aflume an afpeft 
 fo alarming and formidable. Its venom foon overfpread the 
 whole continent of Europe, and reached the Britifli Ifle. As 
 every poifun has its antidote, io the caufe of Truth did not 
 then want many noble champions, who flood up in its defence. 
 Among others, the Lord raifed up the juftly celebrated Aus- 
 
 a 2. TIM. 
 
C vl 3 
 
 TIN, who, with a bq^d and well dire(5^ed ftroke, cut ofF this 
 Hydra's head. But the deadly irife(ftion had already fpread 
 too wide to be eafily cured. It lurked in the bowels of a cor- 
 xupt and apoftatizing Church, unlill it made Its way to the 
 Papal chair, gained the confent of general Councils, and be- 
 came the avowed creed of the Antichriftian church. 
 
 At the commencement of the Proteftant Reformation, the 
 ftandard was again lifted up in defence of the Doftrines of 
 Grace. The Scriptures, which for many ages had lain con- 
 cealed in the mufty cabinet of dead languages, were now 
 tranflated into the vulgar tongue of every country where 
 the Reformation got footing. The invention of printing 
 greatly accelerated the difFufion of knowledge; and the wri- 
 tings of the ancient Fathers, particularly of Aujlin, were 
 eagerly fought after, carefully read, and publicly taught 
 by the moft illuftrious Reformers, fuch as, Calvin, Luthery 
 Zu':ng/ius, Bucer, Melancthon, Zanchius, and others. Men were 
 filled with aftonifhment of their former ignorance and infatua- 
 tion. Satan fell, as lightening from heaven, before the 
 preaching of the everlafling Goipel. His kingdom was full 
 of darknefs ; but his heart burned with rage, and he fet every 
 engine on work to prevent the total ruin of his interefl and 
 empire. He moved earth and hell againfl the witnefTes of 
 Chrift, and the earth was foked with the blood of the faints. 
 But Truth prevailed over all the fury of perfecution. 
 
 The old, and more fuccefsful method of oppofing the Caufe 
 of God, was then tried. Floods of error broke in upon the 
 Church. Socinus, a man of great cunning, and confiderable 
 learning, fent abroad a new edition of the old /Irian herefy, 
 with additional ftrokes of bolder blafphemy. After him arofe 
 jirminins, in Holland, who revived, in a new drefs, the old 
 Pelagian herefy. It caufed great convuKions in the feven 
 United Provinces ; and occafioned the meeting of the famous 
 Synod of Dort, at which the errors of Anninius, and his party, 
 were folemnly tried, and condemned. But the old leaven 
 continued ftill to ferment in the bowels of the Church. It 
 ftole into Britain, about the beginning of the lail century ; 
 but dared not openly to Ihew its blotched face, until Archbiihop 
 Z'Oud introduced it to court, and made it the Shibboleth of his 
 party. The ciecutioaof that haughty and arbitrary Prelate, 
 
 with 
 
C vii ] 
 
 w th the diipeTfion of ins powerful fadlion, had nearly cleared ' 
 the in^nd rf the Arminian plague: when lo, a fecond innun- 
 dation broke in upon the land; at the reftoration of King 
 Charles II. By his deb;uich^d court, every thing ferious was 
 treated wiih bulfoonery and fcorn ; bat, becaufc the Armini- 
 an clergy were found more pliant tools for the ruling party 5 
 divines, of this llamp, were generally preferred to the more 
 confiderable ecclefiaflical benehces. England was foon over- 
 run with Arrninianifm ; and the old-fafiiioned doii^rines of^^ 
 Grace were every where run down as ojoh fanatuifmf and- 
 their abettors ftigmatized v/ith the name of enthu/iajlt. 
 
 The noxious weed was openly tranfplated into cur Scotch 
 foil aft-r the reftoration ; ^vhen our Prefbyterian pulpits were 
 invaded and forcibly fei/cd, by an army of curates of the cor- 
 rupt communion of the Church of England. The Prelatical 
 form of church government was indeed pulled down, in north 
 Britain, at the Revolution : but not a few of the Epifcopal 
 Incumbents were continned in their charges, and embodied- 
 into ouf national Church, upon very general and equivocal^ 
 terms. From this impure fource has fprung much of that^ 
 corruption of doctrine whiuh now overfpreads the whole land*. 
 
 . Dfism or abfolute Scepticism f2em, in the prcfent day, , 
 to be the prevailing and fai]ii">n;'.ble "Creed among many who* 
 move in the Uglier fpheres of life. Socinianmsm has, of late ' 
 yrars, made very rapid progrefs among profeffors of different . 
 defcriptions. But Arminian ism, of all others, is the moll'? 
 prevalent ; and may be (tyled the "vulgar error. It comes foli- - 
 citing ohr acceptance, with all the falfe charms of a harlot,., 
 decked out in fuch captivating colours,- as too well fuit fhe 
 ■vitiated and depraved tafte of corrupt nature. It finds an ad- - 
 locate in eveiy man's bofom. Its caufe Is pled by all the. 
 ftrength and fubtility of carnal reafon. 
 
 As a feafonable antidote againft this growing' evil, the fol-- 
 lowlng fhort Treatife and Sermon are lent abroad, warmly 
 recommended to the attention of the public. Many volumes 
 have been wrote, on the Atminlan controverfy ; but I have 
 met with nothing, that, more completely, and, in fo concife 
 a manner cuts it up by the rorts. This valuable Tranllaliun ' 
 ot Zanchy, on PredcHination, came into my hands, about two • 
 
 a 3> years ^ 
 
C vm ] 
 
 years ago ; with fome other pieces of Mr Toplady^s own Worlds. 
 The manly boldnefs of the learned Tranflator and Author,, 
 his fervent zeal for purity of C^ofpel Doftrine, and his mafterly- 
 way of differing and expofing error, very much ftiuck and 
 pleafed me. * I felt much regret, that his Writings fiiould* 
 be fo little known, in Scotland, where they are fo much need- 
 ed. To have republifhed all his Works, would have required" 
 feveral volumes, and, confevjuently, put it out of the reach of 
 the poor to become acquainted with them. Befides, they are 
 not all equally adapted to general edification. Snmt of them 
 are profeffedly compofed for the meridian of England ; and' 
 direflly pointed againft the reigning errors of the Englifh 
 clergy. The two pieces felefled are no lefs fuited to the ftate 
 of matters on this, than on the ©ther fide of the Tweed. 
 This edition is- chiefly intended for the accommodation of fuch 
 as are in narrow worldly circumftances, and can fpare very 
 little for the purchafe of books. It is put into circulation, at 
 one fourth of the original coft of the London edition. May 
 the divine Spirit make it exlenfively ufeful for convincing 
 and reclaiming the erroneous, and for comforting and con- 
 firming all the true friends of the precious Doflrines of Grace^ 
 through the Churches of Ghrift. 
 
 Perth, ALEXANDER PRINGLE. 
 
 KoT. 9th, 1793. 
 
 * The greateft men have their peculiaritres, their favourite- nvodes cf- 
 «»preffion, an-d are liable to be milbken in fome things.- The admirable 
 Auguftus Toplady, with all his excellencies, is not an unexceptiorabk 
 Author, either as to matter or n-ianner. But NvJicre fliall we find fuch a-> 
 fttong uninfpired men ? humanutn eji eitari. 
 
A 
 
 SHORT SKETCH 
 
 OF THE CHARACTER AND LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 AUGUSTUS MONTAGUE TOPLADY, 
 
 RECTOR OP BROAD-HEMBI)RY/Devon. 
 
 •"Mr. Toplady was fecondTon to Richard Toplady, Efq. a 
 Major in the Army — He was bom at Farnham, in Surrey, 
 on Tiiefday the 4th of November 1740. The firft rudiments 
 of his education, he received at Weftminfter School. He 
 very early difcovered an uncommon vigour of mind, and' 
 made proticiency, in the Iwanguages, Uiuch beyond moft of 
 his contemporaries. He ufed to employ his by-hours, while 
 at the Grammar School, in writing Extrriles for fuch idle or 
 difllpited young Nobility as either could not, or would nor 
 write them thenifelves. By this means: he fometimes gamed' 
 three or four ihiliing^ a day. 
 
 After his Father's death, his mother (having fome claims 
 upon an Irifh eliate) took him with her into that kingdom; 
 and entered him a ftudcnt, in Trinity College, Dablin; v/here' 
 he foon took his degree ofBatclielor of Arts. — He was an in- 
 defatigible ftudent in every branch cf. literature and fcience : 
 but, as he very early devoted himfelf to the fervice of Chiift 
 in the church, he chiefly cahivated thefe ftudies which were 
 bell calculated to make him (through the divine bleffing) an 
 able Mtnifter of the New Teftament. He took much pains 
 to render himfelf a proficient, in tlie Hebrew and Greek lan- 
 guages, that he might be qualified to read and ftudy the 
 Scriptures of Truth in their facrcd originals. His writ- 
 ings 
 
 • The fubflance of this fhcrt account of Mr Toplady "s life is taken from 
 the Chrifiinn'i Magazinti for januaiy, If9«, with fomu additions anti 
 alterations. 
 
fhgs abundantly fhew, that he was, in a high degree, mafter 
 of them both. 
 
 About the 15th year of his age, it pleafed God to bring 
 him under awakenings of confcience, on accr unt of the guilt' 
 and mifery of his natural ftate ; and to ihew him his abfolute 
 need of Chrift.. He was, a confiderable time, in great per- 
 plexity and doubt between the /Irm'miati and Calvitiiflk fohemes. 
 He read,, with avidity, many books on each fide. At laft, . 
 a kind of Providence brought in his way Dr Manton, on the 
 xviith of John ; which was made the happy mtan of giving 
 his ftrong Arminian prejudices the firft efFedual blow. By 
 the time he arrived at his i8lh year, he had (through the Spi- 
 rit's fupernatuial teaching) attained a clear and fettled belief 
 <}f the Do<5lrines of Grace ; and continued to the day of his ■ 
 death a bold and determined enemy to the Arminian herefy. 
 He ufed often to fay, among his intimates, " that he fhould, , 
 when in heaven,' remember the year 1738, (the i8th of his 
 age) with gratitude and joy. 
 
 He entered into Orders on Trinity Sunday, the 6th of June 
 1762 — He was, foon after, induced into the Living of Blag- 
 don,- in Somerfetfliire, — and afterwards, into that of Broad- 
 Hembury in Devonlhire. In both charges, he fliewed hirofelf 
 an able, faithful and zealous Servant of Chrill — " a Labourer, 
 that needeth not to be afhamed; rightly dividing the Word of' 
 of Truth."' It was during his refidence at Broad-Hembury, 
 that he compofed the greater part of thefe valuable Works 
 which will perpetuate and endear his memory to all the friends 
 of Truth, through fucceeding ages. He occafionally vidted 
 London, and foon contracted an intimacy with an extenfive 
 circle of friends there. The luRre of his pulpit talents cculd 
 not be hid. He vi:as much followed, and much admired. 
 Three years before his death, his health began to be much 
 impaired, by clofe Rudy and exceffive application. He began 
 to apprehend that the air of Devon was too moift for one of 
 his delicate conRitunion. By the advice of friends, he removed 
 to London in the year 1775. •^'•''- ^^^ ^^"^ ^°^ ^^^'^ arrived, 
 when he was earneftly folicited, by his numerous friends, to 
 engage to preach in the Chapel belonging to the French Re- 
 formed, in Leicefter Fields. Their preffing importunities,, 
 ^nd an ardeut delire of being ufefuV to immortal fouls pre- 
 vailed-. 
 
C li 3 
 ▼ailed over every other confideration. For a fliort time he 
 ftatedly fupplied that charge. But intenfe application to ftudy, 
 and late fitting, foon wafted his remaining ftrength and ac- 
 celerated the premature end of his Minillry and Labours. 
 He fell into a confumption, and, entered into his Mafter's joy 
 on the nth of Augud 1778, the 38th year of his life, and 
 the 1 6th of his miniftry. 
 
 His bodily frame feems to have been rather tall and {len- 
 der ; and his natural temper extremely keen and boiilerous. 
 Impatient of coniradi(5tion, he was in the heat of difputation, 
 apt to be hurried on, by the mere impetuofity of his paffions, 
 to a degree of warmth,, bordering on didatorial infolence. 
 
 His mind was endowed with vaft powders of conceptiorr. 
 His understanding was clear and capacious, his judgment 
 folid and corred, his imagination lively, and his invention 
 uncommonly prompt and fertile. His great natural Powers 
 were much Improved by a liberal education and clofe ftudy. 
 His early acquaintance with the power of religion induced him 
 to delight much in the ftudy of the Scriptures. He foon ac- 
 quired, under divine influence, a very accurate and extenfive 
 knowledge of the Word of God. In his public labours he 
 eminently deferved the noble charafter of A polios, " A man 
 mighty in the Scriptures." His writings clearly fhew his in- 
 timate acquaintance with the Ancient Fathers, and Syftematic 
 Writers. He leems to have inherited a large portion of the 
 zeal and fpirit of Aujl'in and Broadivardin : and, like them too, 
 to have bent the whole force of his genius againft the Pelagian 
 and Arminian herefies. The narrow cfcape which, through 
 the grace of God, he made, from being intangled in the fafci- 
 nating toils of Arminianifm might, perhaps, determine him 
 the iDore to embrace every opportunity o\ expofing the danger 
 to others. Being born and educated in the bofom of a Church, 
 which was over run with ih'is error, he boldly flood forth as a 
 refolute Defender of the Dodrines of Giace, from both pul- 
 pit and prefs. Armiijians, of every denomination, fmarted 
 under his lalli. This error feems to have been his favourite 
 game ; and, whenever it Itarted, he f(l!owed the chace until 
 lie run it down. 80 lully was he vtrfed in this controverfy, 
 tlvat he never feems more mafter of his fubje<5t than when dif- 
 C^Cling and confuting Arminianiiin. Many a fore drubbing 
 
 poor 
 
[ xil ] 
 
 pdor Mr Wejlcy, and his adherents, received from his able pen. 
 Upon the whole, he was a burning and (liining Light — a <kil- 
 ful Champion in the Caufe of God — and a lively and zealous 
 Chriftian. He died as he lived — glorying only in the Crofs of 
 Chrift, and triumphing in the freedom and riches of adorable 
 Grace. 
 
 A LITTLE before his death, a report was in circulation, 
 raifed and indullrioufiy pjopagated by the Arminian faflion ; 
 that he had recanted thofe Calviniftic Docflrines which he had, 
 3.11 along publicly maintained, with fuch llrength of argu- 
 pient and warmth of zeal. When the falfe rumour came to 
 his ev.rs, he was filled with much indignation at this weak and 
 wicked effort of his enemies againil him. And, although he 
 was very much v/eakened through long and fevere dillrefs, 
 yet he determined openly to contradidl: this lying inventioa 
 from the pulpit ; and clofe his miniftry by exhibiting an open 
 teftimony in vindication of the DoArines of Grace. With the 
 greateft fortitude of foul, he executed his refolution; although 
 his voice was now become fo weak that he could not be dif- 
 tinflly heard. 
 
 Speaking to a friend about this matter, he faid, "My dear 
 *• friend, thefe great and glorious truths v.'hich the Lord, in 
 ** rich mercy, has given me to believe; and which he has ena- 
 ** bled me, though very feebly, to ftand forth in the defence 
 ** of, are not (as thofe who believe not or oppofe them fay) 
 " dry dodlrines, or mere fpeculative points — No : but, being 
 ♦* brought into praftical and heart- experience, they are the 
 *• very joy and fupport of ray foul: and the confolations flow. 
 ^* ing from them, carry me far above the things of time and 
 ♦• fenfe." In his laft moments, he was favoured with much 
 comfortable experience of the divine prefence ; and finiflied 
 bis courfe under a ftrcng gale of fenfible affurance. *' Oh, 
 *• what a day of funftiine this has been to me!" (would he 
 fometijnes fay) '* I want words to exprefs it — it is unutter- 
 *' able. Oh, my friends, how good is God! — almoft, without 
 ** interruption, fiis Prefence has been with me ! — What a 
 " great thing i: is to rejoice in death i — Chrifl's love is unutter- 
 '* able !" Some paiTages of Scripture he frequently repeated ; 
 and defcanted, with pecull-ar emotions of joy and lapture, 
 upon the latter part of Rom. viii. When very near the end 
 
 '♦ of 
 
of his confli<fl, ©n his awaking from a flumber, he cried out, 
 *' Oh, what deltrhts ! who carv fathom the joys of the third 
 *' heavens ! — i MiUiOC Had words to expreli. the comforts I 
 •' feel in my i- ul! — they are paft expreffion. The confolations 
 •' of God to fucn an nnworthy wretch are fo abifndant, that 
 " he leaves me nothing to pray for, but a continuance of them. 
 •' I enjoy a heaven already in my fou!. My prayers are all 
 *' converted into praife.-^ — Neverthelefs, I do not forget, that I 
 " am ftill in the body, and liable to all thnfe diftreffing fears 
 *■* which are incident to human nature, when undir tempta- 
 " tion, and without any fenfible divine fupport ; but fo long 
 " as the prefence of God continues with me, in the degree in 
 " which 1 now enjoy it, I cannot but think that fuch a def- 
 
 i .** ponding frame is impodlble." 
 
 '.; WirHiN an hour of his death, he called his friends and fer- 
 vants, and afked them, If they could give him up ? They re- 
 plied. in the affirmative, fmce it pleafed God to be fo gracious 
 
 •to him: then, faid he, '* I blefs the Lord, you are t>. ought 
 ♦* fo chearfully to part with me, and give me up into the 
 *' hands of my dear Redeemer! it will not be long when God 
 *' will take me; for na mortal man can live, (burfting into 
 " tears of joy) after the glories which God has manifefted to 
 ** my foul." Soon, after this, he clofed his eyes, and ilept 
 in Jefus. 
 
 Thus died this great and good man — May fuch ftriking dif- 
 plays of divine Love and fovereign Grace encourage all, w+io 
 truly believe in the Lord Jefus, to truft Him more confident- 
 ly, to love Him moje ardently, to follow Him more fubmif- 
 fively, and to ferve Him more zealouily ; in the well ground- 
 ed hope, that they too, in the end, ftiall find deatli prove 
 their unl^eakdble gain. 
 
A Lift of Mr Topladys Works. 
 
 \, The Church of England ■vindicated from the charge of Ar* 
 minianifm — a letter to Dr Nowell. 
 
 2. The Dodrtne of Abfolute Predeftinalion ftated and aflert- 
 ed — tranflated in a great meafure, from the Latin of Jerom 
 Zanchius, printed 17^)9. 
 
 3. A Letter to Mr Wefley, relative to his Tranflation of Zan- 
 chy on Predeftination, printed 1770. 
 
 4. A Caveat againft Unfound Dod^rine, a Sermon, 1770. 
 
 5. Jefus feen of Angels, three Sermons, 1778. 
 
 6. Free thoughts on a projeded Application to Parliament, 
 for the Abolition of Ecclefiaftical Sufcriptions, 1771. 
 
 7. More Work for John Wefley, 1772. 
 
 8. Clerical Subfcripticn no Grievance, a Sermon, 1772. 
 
 9. Hiftoric Proof of the Doftrinal Calvinifm of ihe Church of 
 of England, in 2 vols 8vo. — 1774. 
 
 10. Free Will and Man's Merit fairly Examined, Sermon, 1774 
 
 11. Good News from Heaven, — Sermon, 1774. 
 
 12. The Scheme of Chriftian and Philofophical Necefllty af- 
 ferted, — 1775. 
 
 '3* Joy in Heaven, and the Creed of Devils, two Sermons, 
 
 1775- 
 
 14. Moral and Political Moderation Recommended, Sermon 
 1776. 
 
 15. A Colleflion of Hymns, 1776. 
 
 16. His Dj'ing Avowal, dated. Knights-bridge, July 22, 
 1778. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 WHEN I confider the abfolute Independency of GOD, 
 and the nece/rary, total Dependence of all created 
 Things on Him their Fiift Caufe ; 1 cannot help ftanding afto- 
 nilhed at the Pride of impotent, degenerate Man^ who is fo 
 prone to confider himfelf as a Being poirefled of Sovereiga 
 Freedom, and inverted with a Power of Self-Salvation: able, 
 he imagines, to counter aS the Defigns even of Infinite Wis- 
 dom, and to defeat the Agency of Omnipotence itfelf. Te 
 SHALL be as gods, faid the Tempter, to Eve, in Paradife : 
 and Te are as gods, fays the fame Tempter, now, to her 
 apoftate fons. — One would be apt to think, that a fuggeftion 
 fo demonflrably falfe and flattering, a fuggeftion the very re- 
 verfe of what wefcrl to be our ftate ; a fuggeftion, alike con- 
 trary to Scripture and Reafon, to Fa3 and Experience ; could 
 never m^et with the fmalleft degree of credit. And yet, be- 
 caufe it fo exadly coincides with the natural haughtinefs o£ 
 the human heart ; men not only admit, but even relifh, the 
 deception : and fondly incline to believe, that the father o£ 
 lyes does, in this inftance at leaft, fpeak truth. 
 
 The Scripture doiftrine, of Preddennhial'ion, lays the axe to 
 the very root of this potent delufion. It affures us, that All 
 things ere of God. That /111 our Times, and All Events, are in 
 His Hand. Confequently, That Man's Bufinefs below is, to 
 fill up the departments, and to difcharge the feveral offices, 
 alljgned him in God's purpofe, from everlafting: and thar, 
 having lived his appointed timSy and finilhed his allotted courfe of 
 adif^n and fufFering ; he, that moment, quits the ftage of ter- 
 rsftrial life, and removes to the invifible ftate. 
 
 The late defervedly celebrated Dr Young, though he af- 
 feifted great oppofition to fome of the do(flrines called CahinijUc; 
 was yet compelled, by the force of truth, to acknowledge. 
 That " There is not a FLT, tut has had Infinite IVifdom ConcertP- 
 ed, not only in its Jlrutlure, but in its dcjlinaiion.*'* Nor did the 
 late learned and excellent Bilhop Hopkins go a jot too far 
 in alferting as follows : " A Sparroiu, -whnfe price is hut mean 
 fwo of them valued at a farthing (tvhlcb fome make to be the lo/A 
 part of a 'Roman penny, and tvas certainly one of their leafl coins) 
 and ivhofe ///(-, therefore^ is but contemptible; and whof Flight 
 
 ^ ♦ /femt 
 
 , • Centaur not Fab. Letter II, » 
 
< PREFACE. 
 
 feems giddy and at random ; yet it falls not to the ground^ neither 
 lights any where, nvithout your Father. His aV-ivife Providence 
 .hath BEFORE APPOINTED ovhat Bough it Jhall pitch on; what 
 Grains itfiall pich up i where it foall lodge, and nvhere it Jhall 
 .luiLD ; on -what it fiall live, and when it Jljall die. — Our Sa- 
 viour adds, The very hairs of your head are all numbered. God 
 keeps an account, even of that Jlringy excrefcence. — Do you fee a 
 thoufand little Motes and Atoms wandering up and down in a 
 Jiinbeam ? It is God that fo peoples it ; and He guides their innu- 
 merable and irregular flrayings. Not a DUST flies in a 
 BEATEN Road; but GOD raiseth it, conducts its uncer- 
 tain Motion, and, by his particular Care, conveys it to the cer- 
 tain place He had before apjointed for it : nor Jhall the moji 
 Jierce and tempejluous Wind hurry it any farther. — Nothing comes 
 to pafs, but God hath His ends in it, and will certainly make his 
 . own ends out of it. Though the World feem to run at random, and 
 .Jlffairs to be huddled together in blind confujion and rude diforder ; 
 yet, GOD fees and knows the Concatenation of all Causes 
 AND Effkcts, and fo governs them, that He makes A perfect 
 Harmony out of all thafe feeming jarrings and dtfcords. — // is moJi 
 ■ tiecejfary, that we Jliould have our hearts well ejlablijlied in thejirm 
 and wiwavering belief of this truth ; 'J hat whatsoever comes to 
 pafs, Bt it Good or Evil, we may look up to the Hand and 
 ,J)tfpofal of All, to God — In refped of God, there is nothing cafualy 
 nor contingent, in the World. If a Mnfler Jhould fend a Servant 
 to a certain place, and command him to flay there, till fuch a time.; 
 and, prefcntly after, flxjuld fend another fervant to the fame [^place]./ 
 the meeting of thefe two is wholly cafunl, in refpea of thtrnfelveSf 
 .but ordained and fore seen by the MaJler who fent them. So 
 it is in PiLiLi fortuitous Events here below. They Jail out UNEX* 
 tectedly, as to us ; but not fo, as to GOD. He forefees, and 
 he af>points, All the vic'Jfitudes of things." * 
 
 To niuftrate this momentou"^ dextrine, efpecially fo far as 
 "God's Sovereign Dlftribution of Grace and Glory is concernecj, 
 was the chief riotive, that determined me to the prefent Pub- 
 lication. In perufing the Works of that mod learned and e- 
 ■vangc^iical Divine, one of whofe peiformances now appears in 
 •an En^^J^lh drefs ; I v«;as particularly taJfen with That Fart of 
 ■His Cbnfjjion of Faith Cprefented, A -D 1562, to the Senate 
 <of Sliijturgh), which relates to Prcdejlination. It iS| from be- 
 'ginning to end, a regular chain of folid argument : deduced 
 * froia 
 
 ••-Sermon upon Providence < from Mattb. x.. 29, 30. 
 
P R E F A C E: T 
 
 from tEe unerring word of Divine Revelation, and confirmed ' 
 by the co-incident Teftimonies of fome of the greateft Lights- 
 that ever {hone in the Chriftian Church. Such were Aujlin,. 
 Luther^ Bucer. Names, that will be precious and venerable, 
 as long as True Religion has a Friend remaining upon Earth. 
 
 Excellent as Zanchy's original piece is, I yet have occafion- 
 ally ventured, both to retrench and to enlarge it, in the Tranf- 
 lation. To this Liberty I was induced, by a defire of render- 
 ing it as complete a treatife, on the fubjeO, as the allotted com-- 
 pafs would allow. I have endeavoured, rather, to enter into 
 the Spirit of the admirable Author ; than with a fcrupulou? 
 exaiftnefs, to retail his very M^ords. By which Means, the 
 performance will prove, I humbly truft, the more faiisfadory* 
 to the Englijl) reader : and, for the Learned one, he can, at 
 any time, if he pleafes, by comparing the following Ferfice 
 with the original Latin, both perceive wherein I have prefumed 
 to vary from it; and judge, for himfelf, whether my Omif-J 
 fions. Variations, and Enlargements, are ufeful and juft. 
 
 The yJrminians ( I know not, whether through Ignorance, or* 
 to ferve a turn) affeft, at prefent, to give out. That Luther 
 and Calvin were not agreed in the article of Preclejlination. A 
 more palpable miftake was never advanced; So far is it from 
 being true, that Luther (as I can eafily prove, if called to it) 
 went as heartily into that Doilrine, as Calvin himfelf. He 
 even afferted it with much more warmth, and proceeded to 
 much harjher lengths in defending it, than Calvin ever did, or 
 any other Writer, I have met with, of that Age. — In the fol- 
 lowing performance, 1 have, for the mod part, carefully re- 
 tained Zanchy\ quotations from Luther ; that the Reader,' 
 from the fample, there given, migkt form a juft idea of Lu'^ 
 ther'% real fentiments concerning the points in queftion. 
 
 Never was a Publication, of this kind, mors feafonaih, thanr 
 at prefent. yirminiani/m is the grand Religious Evil of t^* 
 Age and Country. It has, more or lefs, infcifted every Pro- 
 teftant Denomination amongft us, and bids fair for leaving 
 us, in a fliort time, not fo much as the very prcfejfion of God- 
 linefs. The Poiver of ChriHianity has, for the moft part, 
 taken its flight, long ago; and even the Fonnoi it feems to 
 be on thie point of bidding us farewell. Time has been, when 
 the Calvinijlic Dodlrines were confidered, and defended, as 
 the Palladium of our Eftablillied Church, by her Bijhops and 
 Clergy ; by the Univer/tties, and the whol^. Body of- the Xai/y. 
 
 A 2. I6i 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 It was (during the reigns of Ed-ward VI. Qaeen EUzahetht 
 yames I. and the greater part of Charles 1.) as difficult to 
 jneet with a clergyman, who did n^rpreach the Dodriaes of 
 the Church ol England ; as it is now, to find one who does.-— 
 We have generally forfaken the principles of the Reformation ; 
 and Ichabod, or Thy Glory is departed, has been written, cn 
 mod of our Pulpits and Church-doors, ever fince. 
 
 " Thou, O God, haft brought a Vine out of Egypt; thou 
 haft caft out the Heathen, and planted it. 
 
 Thou preparedft room before it, and didft caufe it to take 
 deep root ; and it filled the land. 
 
 The hills were covered with the fhadowof it, and the boughs 
 thereof were like the goodly cedars. 
 
 She fent out her boughs to the fea, and her branches unto 
 the river. 
 
 Why haft thou then broken down her hedges, fo that all 
 they, who pafs by the way, do pluck her ? 
 
 The boar, out of the wood, doth wafte it ; and the vKld bead 
 «)f the field doth devour it. 
 
 Return, we befeech thee, O God of Hofts ! Look down 
 from heaven, and behold and vifit this vine ; 
 
 And the vineyard, which thy right hand hath planted ; and 
 the branch that thou madeft ftrong for thyfelf ! 
 
 So will we not go back from thee: quicken us, and wc 
 (hall call upon thy name. 
 
 Turn us again, O Lord God of hofts ! caufe thy face to 
 fliine, and we fhall^^/ be faved." Pfalm Ixxx. 
 
 Never was Defcription more ftrikingly expreffive of the ftate 
 our National Church is, at prefent, in ! Never was Si:ppHcation 
 saore pertinently adapted to the lips of her genuine Sons ! 
 
 In vain do we lament the progrefs of Popery ; in vain do 
 ve (hut up a few private mafs-houfts ; while our Prejfes teem, 
 and our Pulpits ring, with the Romijh do(5liines of Merit and 
 Free will: doflrines, whofe native and inevitable tendency- 
 is, to fmooth the paflage for our fuller co-alition with Anti- 
 thr't/l. If we are really defirous to fhun committing fpiritual 
 Abultery with the Mother of harlots and abominations; we 
 muft withdraw our feet fiom the Way that leadeth to her houfe. 
 
 Bleffed be God, the doSrines of Grace are again beginning 
 to lift vp their heads amongft us : a fign, it is to be hoped, that 
 the Holy Spirit hath net quite forfaken us ; <yftd that our Re* 
 dtmptioof from the prevailing errors of ihe day, draweth near. 
 
 Now, 
 
F' ir E F' A^ C" Er" y 
 
 Now, if ever, is the time, for all, who love our church and 
 nation in fincerity, to lend an helping hand to the j^rk ; and- 
 contribute, though ever fo little, to its return. 
 
 The grand obje<ftion, ufually made to that important truth, . 
 which is the main fubjeiH; of the enfuing fheets ; proceeds on 
 a fuppofitkn of partialitv in God y (hould the Calviniftic doc- 
 trine be admitted. — if this confequence Jui real/y (oWow, I fee 
 not how it would authorize man to arraign the conduft of 
 Deity. Should an earthly friend make me a Prefent of io,oool. - 
 would it not be unreafonable, ungrateful^ and prefumptuous in mCj, . 
 to refufe the gift, and revile the giver, only becaufe it might " 
 not be his pleafure to confer the fame favour on my next-door 
 neighuour ? — In o//6fr cafes, the •value, oi a Privilege, or of a 
 Ptiffetfion, is enhancid., by its fcarcenefs. A Virtuofo fets but 
 little eReem on a Medal, a Statue, or a Vafe ; fo common,, 
 that every man, who pleafes, may have one of the fame kind % 
 he prizes 'That alone, as a Rarity, which really is fuch ; and 
 which is not only intrinfically valuable, but which lies in feip ■ 
 hands. — Were all men, here upon earth, qualified and enabled 
 to appear as Kings; the Crown, the Sceptre,- the Rob? of 
 State, and other enligns of MajeRy, would prefently fink into 
 things hardly noticeable. The diftinguifhing grandeurs of 
 Royalty, by ceafing to be umomwon would quickly ccafe to be 
 augufl 2.Ti<\ Jinking. Upon this principle it was, that Henry IV. 
 ot France, laid, on his birth-day, " I was born as on this day f ; 
 and, no doubt, taking the World through, Thoxfaniis were 
 born on the fame day with me : yet, out of all thofe thoufands, , 
 I am, perhaps, the only one, whom God hath made a King.' 
 How fignally am I indebted to the peculiar bounty of His 
 Providence 1" — Similar are the refledions, and the acknow- 
 ledgments of fuch perfons, as are favoured with the fenfe of . 
 their Election in Chrift to Holinefs and Heaven^. 
 
 ^^ But ivhat becomes of the non-eled ?" You have nothing to 
 do with fuch a queflion, if you find yourfelf tmbarraffed and 
 diftreffed by the confideration of tt. Blefs God, for his Elec- 
 ting Love ; and leave Him to aft as He pleafes by them that 
 are without. Simply acquiefcc in the plain Scripture-account 5 
 and wifh to fee no farther, than Revelation holds the Lamp. 
 'Tis enough for you, to know. That the Judge of the luhole 
 Earth will do right. — Yet, will you reap much improvement 
 from the view of Predejlination, in it;; full extent, if your eyes 
 arc able ftedfaftly to look at All which God hath made known 
 
 A 3 . concerning^ 
 
i PREFACE. 
 
 concerning It. But, if your fpiritual fight is weak, forego 
 the enquiry, fo far as Reprobation is concerned : and be con- 
 tent to know hut in part, till Death tranfniits you to that per- 
 fedl (late, where you fhall know even as you are known. Say 
 not, therefore, as the oppofers of thefe doiflrines did in St 
 jPauPs days ; " fVhy doth God ^nd fault with the wicked ? For 
 ivho hath rejijled his tvill ? If he, who only can convert thenn, 
 refrains from doing it; what room is there for blaming them 
 that perifh, feeing it is impoffibk to refift the will of .the Al- 
 mighty ?" Be fatisfied with St Paul's anfwer : Nay, but who 
 art thou, man, that rcplieji againjl God? The Apoltle hinges 
 the matter entirely on God's ahfolute Sovereignty. There he 
 lefts it; and there we ought to leave it.* 
 
 Were the whole of mankind equally loved of God, and /rc- 
 •mljcuoujly redeemd by^hrift ; the Song, which Believers are 
 direfled to fing, would hardly run in thefe admiring drains : 
 To Him that hath loved US, and tvajljed US from our Jlns in 
 His Mivn bloody and hath made US King; and Priejls unto God, '&c. 
 Rev. i. 5, 6. An hymn of praife, like this, feems, evident- 
 ly, \Q proceed on the hypothefis of peculiar Eledion, on the 
 part of God ; and oi a limited Redemption, on the patt of 
 Chriil: which we find flill more explicitly declared. Rev v. 9. 
 where we have a tranicript of that fong, which the fpirits of 
 jujl men made perfeS are now fmging, before the Throne, and 
 before the Lamb: Thou ivafl Jlain, and hajl redeemed us unto 
 God, by thy blood, OUT OF every kindred, and tongue, and pea- 
 pte, and nation. Whence the eleA are faid to have been rf- 
 Jeemed FROM AMONG men. Rev. xiv. 4. 
 
 In ftiort, there is no fuch thing, as cnfuality, or accident, even 
 in things of /<f»7/or<j/ concern ; much lefs, in nmueis fpiritual 
 
 and 
 
 • Some of the more conficlerate Heathens treated God's hidden WiH, 
 with an adoring reverence, which ir.any ot our tppdern Arminiani would 
 do wt-ll to imitate. Thus Bion (KXtw. koh Mu^tr. 10.) 
 
 'Tij not for man, to fit in judgment on the afiisns of Ged. 
 So Theognis {yyuf/.. 141, 14a ) 
 
 ©55/ Si Ktilx ffipQ'-Qov -sratra. riXvo'i vnov. 
 fVe men arc fooHfti in our imaginations ^ amlknoiv nothing : 
 
 But the Gods aecompUp all things according to their oivn mni. 
 And again, (l.in. 687, 6('>?5.) 
 
 Oi'* i}i By/lot<ri z^^c; ccfavaiH; f^a^iirxirSrai, 
 
 ^7ii not lawful for mi tn j, to enter the lifts -with tire Gfds, 
 tier to bring in an axuj. fpH againft them. 
 
PREFACE. 7 
 
 and everlajl'tng. If the univerfe had a Maker, it muft have a 
 Governor : and, if it h.is a Governor, his Will and Provi- 
 dence mull extend to all things, withowt exception. For my 
 own part, I can difcern no medium between abfolute Predef- 
 tination, and blank Atheifm. 
 
 ^>4Ir RoLLiN,* if I millake not, has, fomewhere, a fine ob- 
 fcrvalion, to this efFedt : That " It is ufual, with GOD, fo 
 carefully to conceal himfelf, and to hide the Agency of his 
 Providence ii?.Hihofecon({ cau/es ; as to render Thaf, very of- 
 ten, undifcernable, and undiRinguilhable from Thefe," Which 
 Wifdom of Condufl, and Gentienefs of Operation (not lefs 
 ejicacious, becaufe gentle and invifible), inftead of exciting the 
 admiration ihey deferve ; have, on the contrary, given occa- 
 fion to the fetting up of that-unreal idol of the biain, called 
 Chance. Whereas, to ufe the lovely lines of our gieat moral 
 Poet, 
 
 jlll Nature Is lul Art unlno'wn /* thee ; 
 
 All Chance, Direction tohich thou canjl not fee. 
 Words arc only fo far valuable, as they are the vehicles of 
 Meaning. And Meaning, or Ideas, derive their whole value, 
 from their having foaie foundation in Reafon, Reality, and 
 
 Faa. 
 
 * Since the above was written, 1 I^ave met with the fi:ie PafLge to 
 
 which it refers " Providence cicligiits to conceal its Wonders ur.der the 
 
 Vail of b(itii«n operations," Rollin's Arti and Sciences of she Ancients, 
 
 »ol 3. p 480. 
 
 Mr Hekvey has likewife a moft heautifnl and judicious Paragraph to 
 the Time EfTcft ; where, fptaking of what is comtnoiily termed accidental 
 Death, liiis admirable writer alk? : " Was it then a random Stroke ? d.-ubt- 
 \<.'.h, the Blow came from an aiming, tho* invifible Hand. GOD prtfideth 
 over the Armies of Heaven. GOD ruhth arnong the Inhabitants of the 
 Earth. And GOD C5«r/wi?fri what Men call Chance. KorHiNc, Noth- 
 ing comes te paO, through ■o.blindinA undifcerning Fatality. If Accidents 
 happen ; they happen according to the exaii Foreknow/edge, and conform- 
 ably to t^he dilermiiuite Couiijl/s, of eternal Wifdom. The Lord, with 
 vihom^i the llFiies of Death, ^^kj the IFarrant, and gives the high Com- 
 niifiwi. The jccniingly fortuitous Dilafter, is only the Acunt, or Inst ru- 
 ^^l^KT, appointed to execute the fupreme DECREE When the Kinw of 
 ^Ifrael wa.s mortally wouml'd, h feenied to be a cafual Shot.— A certain Man 
 di'c-J! a Bow at a venture, (l Kings xxii. 34.) At a venture, as hs. thiu^ht. 
 But his Hand was llrer.gtiicned by an omnipotent Aid; and the Shstt, le- 
 velled, by an unerring Eye. So that, ^vh.m- wk. tlrm CASUAI TV, 
 IS REALLY PROVIDENCE; accompli(hin<T delil)erate Dcligns, but con- 
 cealing its own Interpofition. — How corrfirting, this Kcfltdion ! Admi- 
 rably adapted to fool h the throbbing .Anguilli ot the Mouincr.<;, ?.n<'. compofi 
 their .Spirits into a quiet Submiilion ! Excellently fuilcd, to dijppate the 
 fears of godly Survivors; and cieate a calm Intrepidity, even amidU Jans- 
 - ancrable Perils!" Hervet'j Mtditatiins, toI. i. p. 27, i8. 
 
8 P R E FA C E. 
 
 FdSl Was, I therefore, to be concerned in drawing up aa- 
 Expurgatory Index to language ; I would, without rriercy, 
 caftlier and profcribe fuch words, as chance, fortune, luck, ca- 
 fualty, contingency, and m^Jjap. Nor unjuftly For, they are 
 Voces, 13" praterea nihil. Mere tenns, wiihouc ideas. Abfolute- 
 Expletives, which import nothicig. Unmeaning cyphers, either 
 proudly inverted to In U man's ignorance of real caufes, cr-- 
 facrilegioitjlv defit;ried 10 rob the Deity of the Honours due to- 
 His Wifdom, Providence, and Pp*-er. 
 
 Reafon and Revelation are perfedi: Unifons, in affuring us. 
 That GOD is the Supreme, Independent Firjl Caufe; of whom, 
 2\\fecondary and inferior caufes are no more than the effeEls tlfe,.. 
 proper originality and abf >lute wifdom, unlimited inprema- 
 cy and almighty power, ceafe to be attribute? of Deity. — I . 
 remember to have heard an interefting anecdote of King Wil* 
 LiAM, and Biihop Burnet. The Arminiai) prelate aflPeded ta 
 wonder, " How a perfon, of his Mdjeity's piety and good 
 fenfe,. could fo rootedly believe the doflrine of ^hfolute Predef- 
 tinationj' The Royal Calvinifl replied; D/d I not believe Ab- 
 folute Predestination, I could not believe a \ rovidence. For^ 
 it would be mojl abfurd to fuppofe. that a Being of Irfinite Wifdortb. 
 nvould ACT luithout a Plan •• for 'which plan, Fredejlination is , 
 cnly another name. 
 
 What, indeed, is Predefl' nation, but God's determinate plan . 
 of adion P and what is Providence, but the evolution of that 
 plan? In His decree, God, icfclved, within Himlelf, what . 
 He would do, and what He would permit to be done : By hir 
 Providence, this effedlivc and perminive Will pades into exter- 
 nal adl, and has its pofitive accompiilhment. So that the/ar- 
 pofe of God, as it were, draws the out-lines ; and Providence 
 lays on the colours. What 7"/5i?; defigned, 7"/5w completes ! 
 what T'/'a/ oidained, T^tr executes. Piedeftination is analo- 
 gous to the mind and intention i Providence, to the hand and 
 agency of the artificer. Hence, we are told, that God wor- 
 keth fthere's his ProviDenceJ all things, after the counfel of his 
 tivn iVitl [there's his Decree ', Eph i. ii. And again. He 
 DOTPi according to his IVILL, tn the army of heaven and among 
 the inhahiUints of the earth : and none can flay his hand [i. e. his 
 will, and the execution oi it, are irr. sistibleJ, nor fay unto 
 him, what dofl thou ? \. e . his Purpofe and Providence are so. 
 vereign, and for which he will not be accounUtbUxo his crea*> 
 tares. Dan, iv. 35. 
 
 AecordlDgf . 
 
PREFACE. ^ 
 
 According, therefore, to the Scripture reprefentation, Pro- 
 vdence neither ads vaguely and at random^ like a blind archer, 
 who (hoots uncertainly in the daik, as well as he can; nor 
 jzl pro re nata, or as the unforefeen exigence of affairs may 
 require: like fome blundering ftatefman, who plunges (it may 
 bej his country and himfelf into difficulties, and then is for- 
 ced to unravel his cobweb, and reverfe his plan of opera- 
 tions, as the beft remedy for thofe difaflers, which the court- 
 fpider had not the wifdom to forefee. But fhall we fay this 
 of GOD ? It were blafphemy. HE that divelhth in heaven^ 
 lavgheth all thefe miferable afterthoughts to /corn. GOD, 
 M'ho can neither be over reached, nor overpowered has all thefe 
 wretched/o;?-expedients in derifwn. He is incapable of Mijlake. 
 He knows no Levity of tVill. He cannot hcfurprifed with any 
 unforefeen inconveniencies. His throne is in heaven, and his 
 kingdom rulclh over all. Whatever, therefore, comes to pafs,. 
 comes to pafs as a part of the original plan : and is the offspring 
 of that prolific feries of caufes and effeds, which owes its birth 
 to the ordaining and permijftve Will of HIM, in whom nue all 
 live, and are moved*, and have our being. Providence, io time, 
 is the hand, that delivers God's purpofe, of thofe beings a.nd 
 events, with which that purpofe -was pregnant from everlafting. 
 The do6lrine of Equivocal Generation is not more abfurd, in 
 philofophy ; than the dodrine of unpredejlinaied events, is, ia 
 theology. 
 
 Thus, the long train of things is, though 
 j1 mighty maze, yet not <without a plan. 
 Con's Sovereign Will is the Firjl link; his Unalterablb 
 Decree is the Second; and his all aiflive Providence, the 
 Third; in the great chain of caufes. What His Will deter- 
 mined. That His Decree ejlahlijhed, and his Providence, either 
 mediately, or immediately, fffe^s. His Will was the ador- 
 able Spring of all : His Decree marked out the Channel: and 
 His Providence direds the Stream. 
 
 " If fo," it may be objefted, «« It will follow, That JVhat- 
 ever is, is Right." Confequences cannot be helped. No 
 doubt, God, who does nothing in vain ; who cannot do any 
 thing to no purpofe, and (lill lefs to a bad one ; who bofh a58 
 and permits, with defign ; and who iveighs the paths of men ; 
 his, in the unfa'thomahie abyfs of his c<mnfel, very important 
 (though, to us, fecrei) reafons, for permitting thefirft entrance 
 
 of 
 * Kivv/ii^K, AAs xvii. a8. 
 
lo PREFACE. 
 
 of moral evil, and for fufFering both * moral and natural evil 
 ftill to reign over fo great a part of the creation. Unfearchable 
 are his judgments [_x^i/j,ala^ decrees J and His ways [the methods 
 and difpenfations of his Providence'^ pajl finding out. Who hath 
 kno'wn the mind of the Lord, or ivho hath been his counfellor ? For^ 
 OF Him, and THROUGH ffim, and TO Him, ar^ ALL 
 things. Rom. ii. 33, 34, 36. — As to myfeif, I can, through 
 Grace, moft heartily adopt the maxim of Bengelius, Non 
 plus fumere, non minus nccipere\: I neither wifh to know more 
 than God has revealed; nor to remain ignorant of what he HAS 
 revealed. I defire to advance, and to halt, juft when and 
 where the pillar of Gods IVord (lays, or goes forward. I am 
 content, that the impenetrable veil, divinely interpofed, be- 
 tween His purpofes and my comprehenfion, be not drawn afide, 
 till faith is loft in fight, and my fpirit return to HIM who- 
 gave it But of This [ am a/Tured, that Echo does not rever- 
 berate Sound, fo punduaily, as the a£lual difpofal of things an- 
 fwers to God's Predetermination concerning them. This can- 
 not be denied, without dethroning Providence, as far as in us 
 lies, and fetting up Fortune in its room. There is no alterna- 
 tive. I defy ail the fophiftry of man, to ftrike out a middle: 
 way. He, that made all things, either direSs all things he has 
 ipade, or has configned them over to Chance. But, what is- 
 chance? a name iox % rwthing, Arminianism, therefore, is.. 
 Atheism. 
 
 I grant 
 
 • Grotius Vilmfclf is forced to own, " Quae vero permittuntur Scelera, 
 non carent interim fuo FruBu,^' i. e. even the crima -which God permits th^ 
 Ferpelration of, are not -without their good confcquences. (De Vcitat. Rel 1. I. 
 fecft. 19.) — A bold Sayi^ig, this! but the Sayer was an Arminian: and,, 
 therefore, we hear no out-cry on the occaGou. 
 
 f Ordo Temporum, cap viii. p. 30^. 
 
 \ The late learned and indefatigable Mr Chambers has, in his valuable 
 Dictionary of Arts and Scitnces, under the Word Chance, two or three Ob- 
 fervations, fo pertinent and full to this Remark, (viz. of Chance being a 
 name for Nothing) that I c.innot help tranfcrihing them " Our Ignorance 
 and 'recipitancy lead us to attribute EfFefts to Chance, which have a neeef' 
 fary and determinate Caufe. 
 
 When we fay a thing happens hy chance ; we really mean no more, than 
 that its Cauftf is unknown to us : and not, as fome vainly imagine, that 
 Chance itfelf can be the Caufe of any thing. From this Confideration, Dr 
 Bentley lakes occr.Jlon to expofe the Folly of that old Tenet, The JVorld ' 
 •was made by Chance. 
 
 The v'afe of the Painter, who, unable to exprefs the Foam at the Mouth 
 of an Horfe he had painted, threw hi.^ .sponge in di.fpair at the Piece, and 
 Jjr Chanced'id that which he could not before do by Defign, is an eminent 
 
 InAance 
 
PREFACE. I r 
 
 I grant, that the twin doiftrlnes of Predeftrnation and Pro- 
 vidence, are not without their difficulties. But the denial of 
 them is attended with ten thoufand times more and greater. 
 The difficulcie;;, on one fide, are but as duft upon the balance : 
 thofe on the other, as mountains in the fcale. To imagine, 
 that a Being of boundlefs Wifdom, Power and Goodnefs, 
 would create the Unlverfe, and not Jit at the helm afterwards, 
 but turn us adrift, to ftiift for ourfelves, like an huge veffel 
 without a Pilot ; is a fuppofitlon, that fubverts every notion 
 of Deity, gives the lye to every page in the Bible, contradi<^s 
 our daily experience, and infults the common reafon of man- 
 kind. 
 
 Say^Jl thout The courfe of Nature governs All ? 
 
 The CQurfe of Nature is the Art of GoD.- 
 The whole creation, from the Seraph down to the invifible 
 yitonif minifters to the fupreme will, and is under the fpecial 
 obfervation, government, and direflion of the Omnipotent 
 ^ind: -who fees AW, Himfelf unfeen ; who upholds All, Him- 
 felf unfuQained ; who guiJes All, Himfelf guided by none j 
 and who changes All, Himfelf unchanged. 
 
 ** But does not this dodlrine tend to the eftablifhment of 
 Fatality ?" Suppofing it even did, were it not better to be a 
 Chriftian Fatalift, than to avow a fet of loofe, Arminian prin- 
 ciples, which, if puflied to their natural extent, inevitably ter- 
 minate in the ranked Atheifm ? For, without Predeftination^ 
 there can be no Providence ; and, without Providence, no God. 
 
 After all. What do you mean by Fate ? If yon rnean a re- 
 gular fucceffion of determined events, from the beginning to the 
 end of Time; -in uninterrupted chain, without a fiiigle chafm? 
 all depending on the eternal IVill and continued Influence of the 
 Great First Cause: if This '.s Fate, it mu(l be owned. 
 That IT and the Sc;ipture predejlination are, at moft, very 
 thinly divided ; or, rather, entirely cu-alefce. — But if, by Fatty 
 is meant, eitlier a conjliluiion of things antecedent to the ivill of 
 God; by which He Himfelf was bound, ah originc ; and which 
 
 goes 
 
 Infiacice of the force of Chance. Yet, it is obvio"s, all we here mean by 
 Chance, is, that the Painter was net aivare ot tlic ZfTtft : oj-, that he did 
 not tluow the Sponge -wuhfuch a Fie-w. Not lut that he acliially did <vcry 
 ihing ncccflary ti produce tht liffe£l. Infomuch that, ci nfiderin;; the Di- 
 KECiioN wherein he thvw 'lie Sponge, togctiier with it« Fokm^ arid fpe- 
 cific Gravity; the Colouks whcrtwitli it was fnieered, and the Dis- 
 tance of the Hand ('r6m the Piece; it was hnpofitlc, un tht.prcfcnt Syt 
 tcm of Things, . that the Efftft -fliould iv»t l-ollow»" 
 
12 PREFACE. 
 
 goes on, of itfelf, to multiply caufes and efFe<n:s, to the eiclu- 
 fion of the ail-pervading power and untnternriitting agency of 
 an intelligent, perpetual, and particular Providence : neither 
 \eafony nor Chr'tjl'ianity , rHows oi SLwy fuch Fate SLithh. Fate^ 
 thus confidered, is juft fuch an extreme, on one hand, as 
 Chance is, on the other. Both are, alike, unexijlalle. 
 
 Tt having been not unnfual, with the Arm'tnian writers, to 
 tax us with adopting the Fate of the Anl'ient Stoics ; I thought 
 it might not be unacceptable, to the Eng/l/h reader, to fub- 
 join a brief view of what thofe ph'dofophei s genera//y held (for 
 ihey were not. All, exacftly of a mind) as to this Particular. 
 It will appear, to every competent reader, from what is there 
 given, hoiif far the do<ftrine of Fate, as believed and taught 
 by the Stoics, may be admitted, u/)on Chri/iian Principles. Ha- 
 ving large materials by me, for fuch a work, it would have 
 been very eafy for me to have annexed a dilTertation, of my 
 own, upon the fubjeft: but I chofe to co.ifine myfelf to a 
 fmall extraft from the citations and remarks of the learned 
 Lipsius; who feems, in his Phyfwlogia Sloicorum, to have al- 
 moft exhaufted the fubllance of the argument, wiih a penetra- 
 tion and precifion, which leave little room either for addition 
 or amendment. In a caufe, therefore, where the intereft of 
 Truth is fo eminently concerned ; I would rather retain the 
 abkjl coiinfel, when it can be had, than venture to be, myfelf, 
 "her fole advocate. 
 
 • For my own particular part, I frankly confcfs, that, as 
 far as the coincidence of the Stoical Fate, with the Bible' 
 PaEDtSTiNATioN *, holds good J I fee no reafon, why we 
 
 Ihould 
 
 • " Now I am in fbme meafure enlightened," (fays the Rev. Mr New- 
 ton, of Olney) " I can eafily perceive, that it is in llie actjuftment and 
 concurrence oi Jecmingl^ furtuiloui cxwMnxddLncti, that the ruling power and 
 "wiftloiii of God are mo/t evidently difpiayed in human affairs. How many 
 fuch cafttat evtnts may we remurk in the hiflory of Jofcph, which had each 
 a neceffary influence in his enfuing promotion ! — If the MidiaJtcs had paf> 
 fed by a day fooner, or a day later; — Ir they had fold him to any pcrf.n, 
 but Pctipbar; — If his miftrtfs had been abetter woman ;-^lf Fharaoh s 
 Officers had not difpleafed their Lord; or, if any, or all thefe things had 
 "fallen out in any other manner, or tirne, than they did; ail, that followed, 
 had betn prevented : the promifes and purpofes of God concerning Jfrael, 
 their bondage, deliverances, polity, and fettlcment, muft have failed : 
 and, as all thefe things tended to and centred in CHRIST, the promifed 
 Saviour; the dftrc of alt nations would not have appeared. Mankind had 
 "been flill in their fms, witliout hope; and the counfels of God's eternal 
 lore, ill favour of fi>aiicrs, defeated. Thus we may fee a CoNNEcnoN 
 
 bctuetn 
 
PREFACE. 13 
 
 ffinuld be afhatned to acknowledge it. St Aujlin^ and many 
 other great and excellent men, have not fciupled to admit 
 both the Word [viz. the Word Fate] and the Thing, proper- 
 ly underftood. * I am quite of Lipsius's mind : " Kt vero 
 non averfabor Sto'ic'i nomen ; fed 5'/'3/V/ Christ.ianj : I have n* 
 oljeS'ton to being called a Sio'ic/o you but prejix the auord Chris- 
 tian to /V."f 
 
 Here ended the firft Leflon : i. e. here ended the Preface to 
 the former Edition of this Trad. A Trad, whofe Publica- 
 tion has raifed the indignant Quills of more than one Arminian 
 Porcupine. 
 
 / Among thofe enraged Porcupines, none has, hitherto, brif- 
 tled up fo fiercely, as the high and mighty Mr J^oZin ^g/7fjf. 
 He even dipt his Quills in the Ink of Forgery, on the Oc- 
 cafion ; as Indians tinge the Points of their Arrows with Poi- 
 fon, in hope of their doing more efi'edual Execution. The 
 Quills, however, have reverberated, and with ample Intereft^ 
 on pocr. Mr Jobti^$ own Pate. He felt the unexpeded Pain, 
 and he has fqueahed accordingly. I will not, here, add to 
 the well deferved Chaftifement he has received : which, from 
 more than one Quarter, ha? been fuch, as will, probably, 
 keep him forcy while his fuiname begins with W. l^zi him, 
 for his own Sake, learn, as becomes a very fore Man, to lie 
 
 flill. Reft may do him good : Motion will but add to his Fe- 
 ver, by irritating his Humors already too peccant. Predes- 
 TiNAiiCN is a Stone, by raOily falling on which, he has, rficft^ 
 than once, been lamentably hrohen. I wifh him to take Heed, 
 in due Seafon, left that Stone, at length, /«// on Him. For, 
 notwithilanding all his Delinquencies, I would (lill have him 
 avoid, ifpollible, the Cataftrophe of being ^r<?wn^/(? Poioder. 
 
 between J'fiph'i firft dream, and the Denih of our Lord Christ, with all 
 its glorious fonfcquences. So ftroiig, thoiigli fecret, is tlic CONCAl'E- 
 NATION httween the greatejf and Xht fnialuft events: — What a com- 
 fortahlc thought is this to a believer, to know, that, amidft .^11 the vari- 
 ous, interfering defigns of men ; the Lord has one conrtant defign, which 
 He cannot, will not roils : namely. His own Glory, in the coniplete (alva- 
 tion of hi^ people ! And that He is wife, and flrong and fjithful to make 
 even-thofe thing";, which feem contrary io this deCign, fuhjirvici.l to promote 
 it!" Sec p. 96. & fcq. of a moft entertaining and infliuflive Piece en- 
 titled, .^n atiihcnlic Narrative offome remnrkalle and interefiing Partkulan in 
 the Life of **' '**, in a Scries of Letters. 1 705. 
 
 • Tor a famplo, the Icirne.l reader may perufe the judicious chaptsr 
 ■Dc Falo, in Abp. Brabwardin's immortal Iiook L)e Caufa Lei, Lib. i! 
 Cap. a8. f Oper. Tom. i. Dcf. Polihum. cap. ii, p. ijg. 
 
SOME 
 
 ACCOUNT 
 
 O F T H E ^ 
 
 LIFE 
 
 G F 
 
 JEROM ZANCHIUS. 
 
 i-T has been afTerted *, That this great Divine was born at 
 yllzano, a Town oi Italy, fiiuate in the Valley of i'i.'r/, or 
 Ser'io. But the learned John Sturmujs, who was not only 
 Zanchyh Contemporary, but one of his moft intimate friends, 
 exprefsly affirms, in a f fpeech delivered on a public and impor- 
 tant occafion. That he was Nubili natus familia Bergomi ; born, 
 of an illujlrious family, at BerganiOy the capital of a little Pro- 
 vince, in the North- Weft oi Italy : anciently, a part of Gallia 
 Cifpadana ; but, A. D. 1428, made a parcel of the Venetian 
 territory : as it ftill continues J. I look upon Sturmius's teftimo- 
 ny, as decifive: it being hardly credible, that he could miftake 
 the native place of a colleague, v/hom he fo highly valued, 
 ■who was living at the very time, and with whom he had op- 
 portunity of conver/ing daily. Sturmius adds, That there was 
 then remaining, at Bergamo, 2^ fortrejs (built probably by fome 
 of Zanchy\ ance(lx>rs) known by the name of The Zanchian 
 Tower. 
 
 In this city was our author born, Feb. 2, 15 16. At the 
 lime of his birth, part of the Public Service, then performing, 
 was, A Light to lighten the Gentiles, &c. And, bj» God's good 
 Providence, the Reformation broke forth, the very next year, 
 in Germany, under the aufpices of Luthet ; and began to fpread 
 far and wide. 
 
 At 
 
 • Mdch. Aiam Fit. Theolog. Exterior, p, 148. and BayU'i Hifi. D.ii. 
 under the aitkle Zanchius. 
 
 ■}•• Addreft, by Sturmius, to the Senate of Strajburg, March 20, 156a. and 
 '.aferted, afttiwards, ii.to the Works of Zanchj, Tom, vii. part %, ccl. 468. 
 
 A Cmplete S^J}. vf Ge g. vol. i. p. 843- 
 
 <^-' 
 
LIFE OF JEROM ZANCHIUS. 15 
 
 At the age of t'wehe years, Zanchy loft his father*, who 
 died, of the plague,. A. D. 1528. His f mother furvived her 
 hufbind but three years. Deprived, thus, of both his parents^ 
 Zanchy refolved on a Mo-.tajVic life : and, accordingly, joined 
 himfelf to a fociety of Canons Regular \. He did this, partly, 
 to improve himlelf in literature ; and, partly for the fake of 
 being with ferae cf his relations, who had, before, entered 
 themfelves of that Houfe. Here he coutinued nineteen years r 
 chiefly devoting his ftudies to Ar'ijl(itky the Languages, and 
 School-divinity. 
 
 It was his happinefs, to become acquainted, very early in 
 life, with Celfiis Afaximian, Count of Martincngo : who, from 
 being, like Zanchy^ a bigoted papift, by education; became, 
 afterwards, a burning and fhining light in the Reformed 
 Church. Of our Author's intimacy with this excellent Noble- 
 man, and its bleffed effesHs, himfelf gives us the following ac-» 
 count II : "I left Italy for the Gofpel's fake ; to which 1 wa3 
 not a little animated, by the example of Count Maxhn'tan, a 
 learned and pious perfonage, and my moft dear brother in the 
 Lord. We had lived together, under one roof, and in a ftate 
 of the ftriifteft^religiotts friendfhip, for the greater part oi fiX' 
 teen years ; being, both of us. Canons Regular ; of, nearly, 
 the fame age and (landing ; unifons in temper and difpofition j 
 purfuing the fame courfe of ftudies ; and, which was better 
 ftill, joint hearers cf Peter Martyr^ when that Apoftolic man 
 publicly expounded St Paul's Epiftle to the Romans^ and gave 
 private ledures on the Pfalms to us his Monks." From this 
 memorable period we are, evidently, to date the xra of Zan* 
 ehy's Awakening to a true fight and experimental fenfe of di- 
 vine things. His Friend the Count, and the learned TrcmeU 
 Hus, were alfo converted, about the fame time, under the Mi- 
 niftry of AlartyK. 
 
 This happy change being efFeftcd, our Amhor* sjlud'tes be- 
 gan to run in anew channel. " The Count," fays he, " and 
 myfelf betook ourfelves to a diligent reading of the Holy Scrip' 
 tares : to which we joined a perufal of the beft of the Fathers^ 
 
 B 2 and, 
 
 • Francii ZancJma : who Teems to have been a native of Ftnkt ; and was, - 
 by profe/Tion, \ Counfcllor. 
 
 \ Biirbtira; fiflcr to Marc Antony Mtitius, a Nobkman of great .worth 
 and cliOir(ni()n. 
 
 \ At Lucca, Ste the B'tjgr. D'lB. vol. viii. p. ad;, und»:e the articA^ 
 Ftttr Martyr. 
 
 II Zanchii Efijf. ad Lantgrav. .Opepurn. Tom. tii. part. 1. coU^t. 
 
%4 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 and, particularly, St Aujlin. For fome years, we went on 
 thus, in private ; and, in public, we preached the Gofpel, as 
 far as we were able, in its purity. The Count, whofe gifts 
 and graces were abundantly fuperior to mine, preached with 
 much greater enlargement of Ipiric, and freedom of utterance, 
 than I could ever pretend to : It was, therefore, no wonder 
 that he found himfelf conRrained to fly his country, before I 
 was. The territory of the Grlfons was his immediate place of 
 retreat: from whence removing fcfon after, he fettled at Ge- 
 neva; where he commenced the firft paftor of the Proteftant 
 Italian church in that city. Having faithfully executed this 
 facrcd office, for fome years ; he, at length, comfortably fell 
 afleep inChiift*," A. D. '558, after having, on his death- 
 bed, commended the ovei fight of his flock to the great Calvim. 
 
 It was in the year 1550, that Peter Martyr himfelf was 
 obliged to quit Italy ; where he could no longer preach, no» 
 even ftay, with fafety. Toward the latter end of the fame 
 year, eighteen of his difciples were forced to follow their maf- 
 ter from their native land ; of which number Zancby was one. 
 Being thus a refugee, or, as himfelf ufed to exprefs it, " de- 
 livered from his Balylonijh captivity ;^^ he went into Grifony^ 
 ■where he continued upwards of eight months: and then to 
 Geneva, where, after a flay of near a twelvemonth, he received 
 an invitation to England (upon the recomrfiendation of Peter 
 Martyr, then in this kingdom), to fill a divinityprofefforfliip 
 here ; I fuppofe, at Oxford, where Martyr had been for fome 
 time fettled. Zanchy embraced the offer, and began his jour- 
 ney : but was detained, on his way, by a counter invitation to 
 Strafburgh ; where the divinity chair had been lately vacated 
 by the death of the excellent Cafpar Medio. 
 
 Zanchy was fixed at Strafburgh, A. D. 1 553. and taught 
 there, almoft eleven years : but not without fome uneafinefs to 
 himfelf, occafioned by the malicious oppofition of feveral, who 
 perfacuted him for much the fame reafon that Cain hated 
 righteous v^/W, i John \n. I2. Matters, however, went, on 
 toleirably, during the life-time of Sturmiits ;^ who was then at 
 the head of the univerfuy, and Zanchlus'^ fad friend. At 
 Strafburgh it was, that he prefented \.\v: famous Declaration of 
 his i^«//l concerning PRtDEsriNAriON, Final Perseverance, 
 afid the Lord's Supper. He gave it in, to the vSenale, OSo- 
 ber 22, 1 562. Of this admirable performance (/. e. of that 
 
 part 
 • Zanch. ut fupia. 
 
LIFE OF JEROM ZANCHI'JS. r^f 
 
 part of it vhich refpeds the Jir/I of thefe points) the'Readc* 
 may form fome judgment, by the following tranilation. 
 
 In proporti'-.n as the old fenators and divines died off, one 
 by one ; Z(tnchy\ fituation, at Strajburghj grew more and mora 
 uncomfortable. Matters at length, came to that height, that 
 he was required to fubfcribe to the Aujburgh Confellion, on 
 pain of loling his Profe<r;)rI}iip. After mature deliberation, 
 he did indeed fubfcribe : but with this declared rellri(5tion, moda 
 orthodoxe intelligatur. Notwithrtanding the exprefs limitations, 
 with which he fettered his fybfcription, ftill, this great and good 
 man feem?,. for peace fake, to have granted too much, con- 
 cerning the manner of Chrifl's prefence in the Lord's Supper: 
 as appears, by the firft of the three tkefesy maintained by him 
 at this time: l. y^rum Chrijll corpus, pro nobis traditum ; £5* 
 verum ejus furguinem, in peccatorupj nojlrorum remlffiontm effiifum } - 
 in Ltena vere manducari i^ bib:. Though the other two pofi- • 
 tions do, effeiftually, explain his meaaing: 2. yerum id, nort 
 ere, iff dtntibus corporis, f.'d vera Jide. 3. Ideoque, a foJis Jideli" - 
 bus. I fhall, here, beg leave to interpofe one queftion naturally 
 arifmg from the fubjeft. What good purpofe-do the Impofition 
 and the multiplicntion of \inniCi.iiAry fubjlripf ions to forms of 
 human compoiiciiin, tend to promote? It is a fence, far too 
 l'j<w, to keep out men of little or no principle ; and too higiljf . 
 fometimes, for men of real integrity to furmount. It, ofteny 
 opens a door of ready adrnillion, to the abandoned ; who, oT- 
 ii'iCh lik?, care roc what they fwallow, fo they can but make 
 fubfcripcion a bri'ge to fecular intereft : and, for the truly' 
 honiji, it, frequenily, either quite excludes them from a fpherc 
 of a«Ilion, wherein ihey might be eminently ufeful ; or obliges 
 thcm^to celtify iheir allent, in fuch terms, and with fuch open, - 
 profeft reftrii5\ions, as render fabfcrip>tion a mere nothing. 
 
 Not content with Zatuhy^$ conceffions, feveral of the Straf- - 
 lurgb bigots * perfifted in raifmg a controverfial duft They 
 tendered accuf.itions againft him, of errors in point of dodrioes : 
 particularly, for his fuppofed heterodoxy cf.ncerning the na- 
 ture of the Lord's Supper ; his denial of the Ubiquity af Chrifl't 
 
 B 3 . natural ■- 
 
 • Particiila.ly, yohn. Marhach, nzi'wi c oi Schaviien, or Sipohia i a tiirbi?- •. 
 lent, unlleady thtoiogift ; pcJanwc, and a'jufive; a weak, hnt firy fiifpiitcr, 
 who dtlighteil to live in :l'.c Onokc of conteiitioii anri viiuleat <lebate. H« 
 was, amnnjf tlj^ rtft of his p<^od qualilic*, cxcertively locjiwcioiis ; whicK-.; 
 ni-tde L:iih<:r fay of liim, on a very public occulion, Ori hujus Sucvi nunquam 
 arancx potcvuht te.'ut texac ; ' I'lils talk.-.tivo S-wabian need not he afi.iid 
 of ffidcxs ; lor bt k'-.",iS his lips in fuch conflant motion, that ho fpiil' v 
 will ever be able to weave a cobweb gn his mouth." 
 
i8 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 natural body, and his protefting againft ihe Iwjjfulnefs of'tmagesy 
 &c. Nay, they even went fo far, as to charge him with un- 
 found opinions concerning PrechJlinaUon and the Perfeverance 
 of the truly regenerate: to early did fome of Luther* s, pretend- 
 ed difciples, after the death of that girrious Reformer (and 
 he had not been dead at this time above fifteen years), begin 
 to fall off from the d((fliines he taught, though they ftill had 
 the efiVontery to c«ill tliemfelves by his name ! 
 
 A grand occafion of this difl'ention, was a book concerning 
 the Eucharijl, and in defence of Ccnfubftantiaticn, written by 
 ox\t Hejhujius ; a fierce, invidious preacher, who 'nvifhed the 
 opprobrious names oi heretic and athei/I, on all, without diftinc- 
 tion, whofe religious fyftem went an hair's breadth above or 
 below his own ftandard. In his preface, be grofsly reflefled * 
 on the EleBor Palatine (Frederic III ), Peter Martyr, Bullinger, 
 Galvin, Zuiuglius, CEcoInmpadius, and other great Divines of 
 that Age. Zanchy, in mere refpedl to thefe venerable names» 
 did, in concert with the harned Sturmins, prevail with the 
 magiRrates of Strq/iurgh to prohibit the impreffion. Mr Bay'e 
 is fo candid, as to acknowledge, 1 hat " Zanehy caufed this 
 book. to be fupprelTec!, not on account of its dcflrine, which 
 he left to the judgment of the church ; but for the calumnies 
 of the preface." Zanchy was a zealous friend to religious li- 
 berty. He had too great a fhare of good fenfe and real reli- 
 gion, to purfue any njeafures, which fimply tended, either to 
 reftrain men from declaring their principles with fafety, or to 
 ftackle the human rain.^ in its ernniries after truth. But he 
 ardently wilhed to fee the contending parties, of every dene- 
 ininatirn, carry on their debates with Chriftian meeknefs, mo- 
 defty, and benevolence : and, where thefe amiable ingredients 
 were wanting,- he looked upon difpulation as a malignant fe- 
 rer, endangering t/he health, peace, and fafety of the chuich. 
 When Candour is loft. Truth is rarely found. Tjanchy's own 
 obfervations f fubjoined below, exhibit a ftriking pidure of 
 
 that 
 
 * Vide Zfwch. Op. Tom. vii. part 3. col. 250, aj.r. 
 
 f Si titer ijfe na; furjTel rcfertvs tot calnmniis ir conuitih, turn in if/am frin- 
 tlpevi Pnkthntm, him in tat pneclaras ecckfias & earum doBores ; ego non cu- 
 raffcni ia ejus i?i:preJfioiiem itnpediri. Licet enim unicuique suam sen- 
 atNiiAM scRiBF.RE ET EXPLicARE. S(d cum (wdirevi tct ccclefidi in tilr9 
 i;i.i damnc^i hxrejecs ir athaj}\A ; iique non propter unum ant altervm arlicuhm 
 fdei, qui impugn.iretur, fid folainniodo propter intcrprctotiovem aliquam verity- 
 rutii, in -qua iicque t(ta rcligio con/iftit^ nsque Jalui picriclitaiur : — adduHus fui, 
 *•/ l:hi ijtiiis itnprcJp.oKem, &c. 
 
 Zakcb> vbi Aipr. 
 
LIFE OF JEROM ZANCHIUS. i^ 
 
 that moderation, detachmeht from bigotry, and liberality of 
 fentiment, which ftrongly charadVerife the Chriftian and the 
 Proteftant. 
 
 Not with (landing the precautions taken by the Magiftrates, 
 Hejlu/iiis\ incendiary piece ftole through the prefs : and Zaa- 
 f/jy's efforts, to ilifle its-pubhcation, were looked upon, by the 
 author's party, as an injury never to be forgiven. They left 
 no methods uneffayed, to remove him from his ProfefTorfhip. 
 Many compromifing expedients were propofed, by the mode- 
 rate of both parties. The chapter of St 'Thomas (of whiclj 
 TLanchy himfelf was a canon) met to confider what courfc 
 Ihould be purfued. By them, it was referred to a fele<5t com- 
 mittee of thirteen. TLanchy offered to debate the agitated 
 points, in a friendly and peaceable manner, with his oppo- 
 nents : M'hich offer not bein? accepted, l>e made feveral jour- 
 ries to other churches and uuiverfities in different parts of 
 Gcrmauy ; and requefted their opinions, which he brought 
 with him in writing. Things, however, could not be fettled, 
 till the fenate rif Strajhur^h convened an affembly, from other 
 diftriifls, conGliing, paitiy, ot divines ; and, partly, of perfons 
 learned in tlie law?. i'hefe referee-?, after hearing both fides, 
 recurred to tfce old, fruitlefs expedient, of agreeing on certain 
 articles, tn which they adviied each party to fubfcribe. Zff«- 
 chyy delirous of la) ing thefe uncliriftian heats, and, at the 
 fame time, no lefs determined \o prefexve integrity and a 
 good ccnfcience ; fubfcribed in thefe cautious terms : Hanc 
 duttrina formulam ui plam iiguofco, ita etiajn recip'to : " I acknow- 
 ledge this fumniary of dodrine to be pious, and fo I admit it." 
 This condefceniion, on TLanchy'% part, was not foirowed by 
 thofe peaceful effedls, which were evpe»5ied. The peace was 
 too loofely patched up, to be of any long duration. His ad- 
 verlaries began to worry him afrelh ; and, ■jufl as meafures 
 were bringing on the carpet, for a new and more lading com- 
 promife, our Divine received an invitation to. the chtirch of 
 Chiavama ; fituate on the borders of Italy, and in the teriitory 
 of the Gnfons. 
 
 ulugujlin Mahiarcly paftor of that place, was lately dead ; 
 and a meffenger arrived, to let Zanchy know, that he was 
 chofen to fucceed him. Having a very (lender profpedl of 
 peace at Strajburgb, he obtained the confeni of the Senate to 
 refig.i his Canonry of Si Thomas, and Profefforfhlp of Divinity, 
 Whilft tlie above debates were depanding, he had leceived fepa- 
 
 rate 
 
CO SDME ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 rate invitations to Zurkh, Geneva, Leyden^ Heidelberg^ Mdrpurgt 
 and Laiifanne : but, till he had feen the relult of things at 
 Strajhurghy he did not judge any of thefe Calls fufBciently pro- 
 vidential to determine his removal. 
 
 He left Strafburgh*, in November, 1563. and entered on 
 his paftoral charge at Chlavenna, the beginning of "January 
 following. But he had not long been there, btfore the tovvn 
 was vifited by a difmal peftiknce, which, within the fpace of 
 feven months, carried off twelve hundred of the inhabitants. 
 Zanchy, however, continued to exercife his rhinillry, as long, 
 as thefe was an aflcmbly to preach to. At length, the far 
 greater part of the townsmen being fv-'ept away; he retreat- 
 ed for a while, with his family, to an adjoining nvountaini. 
 His own account is this (Tom. vii. part. i. col. 36, 37.'^ : 
 " Mahiard, my pious predeceffor, had often foretold the cala- 
 mity, with which the town of Chiavenna has been fince vilited. 
 All the inhabitants have been too well convinced, that that 
 holy man of God did not prophefy at random. — When the 
 plague af^uall'!' began to' make havock, I enforced Repen- 
 tance and Faith, while I had a place to preach in, or any . 
 congregation to hear. — Many being dead, and others having 
 fled the tovvn (like Ihrp-wrecked mariners, who, to avoid in- 
 ftant deflrudlim, mi.ke toward what coaft they can); but 
 very few remained : and, of thefe remaining few, fome were 
 almoft terrified to death, others were folely employed in ta- 
 king care of the Tick, and others in guarding the walls. — They 
 concurred in advifing me to confult my own fafeiy, by with* 
 drawing, for a time, till the indignation fhould be overpaft* 
 I betook myffilf, therefore, with all my family, to an high 
 mountain, not a vaft way from the town, yet rem.ote from 
 human conveiie, and peculiarly formed for contemplation and 
 unmolcRed retirement Here we led a folitary life, for three 
 months and an half. I devoted my time, chiefly, to Medi- 
 tation and Writing ; to Prayer, and reading the Scriptures* 
 
 *> I never 
 
 * Attended hy his ftrvant, Friclcrte Syllxpurg, a, native of Hejfc : con- 
 cernini» whom ZiTuchj tlais writes; Difcejfi ArgenlinOy una cum fidj, mntam 
 famuli, gucin omko ir frotre, Fridcrico Syll.epar^^so, Hejfo ; juvcne hoiwrum 
 liseranan Jludiofo, & foii^e BoEfriait e!nii:::li : " A learned youth, and a lover 
 of tlie goipel; wh mi I icok upon, not Jo much in the light of a Domcftic, 
 as of a fditiiful friend and a Chriftian •rother." 
 
 Oper.. T. vii. part x. col. 36. 
 
 1 hardly kr>(>'.v, which were mo.ft extraordinary : the good <jualitie5 »f 
 the fervani; or the gratitude and humility of the mader. 
 
LIFE OF JEROM ZANCHIUS. 2i 
 
 I never was happier in my own foul, nor enjoyed a better 
 Ihare of health." Afterwards, the plague beginning to abate, 
 he quitted his retreat, and refumed the public exercife of his 
 fun(ftlon. 
 
 After four years continuance at Chiavetma, Frederic III. 
 Elccflor Palatine, pravailed with him to accept a Divinkf 
 FrofcirorOiip, in the Univerfity oi Heidelberg, upon the deceafe 
 of the famous Zachary Urftn. In the beginning of the year 
 ij68, T^anchy entered on his new fituation : and, ftiortly after 
 opened the chair, with an admirable oration, De confervando 
 in eccle/ta puro piito verba Dei. ' In the {aviiq year, he received 
 his Do(5lor's degree : the EleiTlor Palatine, and his fon, Prince 
 Cdjimir, honouring the ceremony with their prefence. 
 
 He had not been long fettled in the Palatinate, when the 
 Elet^or (one of the moft amiable and religious Princes of tliat 
 Age) ftrongly folicited him to confirm and elucidate the doc» 
 trine of the Trinity, by, writing a profeHed treatife on that 
 moft important fubjed : defiring him, moreover, tobe very . 
 particular and explicit, in canvalllng the arguments made ufe 
 of by the Socinians ; vvho had then fixed their head quarters ia 
 Poland and Tranfyhanla, and were exhaufting every artifice, 
 of fophiRry and fubteifug^, to degrade the Sox and Spirit of 
 God to the level of mere creatures. 'Lanchy, accordingly em- 
 ployed his leifure hours in obeying this pious command His 
 maHerly and elaborate treatife De Dei natura ; and That De 
 tribus Elohim una eodemque jfehova; were written on this occafi^ 
 on : treatifes, fraught with the moft folid Learning and Ar- 
 gument ; breathing, at the fame time, the amiable fpirit of 
 genuine Candour and tranfparcnt Piety. Among a variety of 
 interefting particulars, he does not omit to inform his Read- 
 ers, that I.alius Socintis, and other favourers of the Ser^'eiian 
 hypnthefis, had fpared neither pains, nor art, to pervert.his 
 judgment, and win, him over to tlieir party : but that, find- 
 ing him inflexil)le, they had broke off all intercourfe with him; 
 and, from artful adulators, commenced his determined ene- 
 mies An event this, which he even looked upon as a blef- 
 fmg, and for which he conceived himfelf bound to render his 
 be(t thanks to tlie fuprem? head of the church, Christ Je- 
 sus. — He retained his Prcfeff )r(hip at Heidelberg, ten years: 
 when, the Elector Frederic being dead, he removed to New- 
 Jladi, the refidence of Prince ^^ohn Ca/tmir, Count Palatine. 
 Here he chofc to fix his fiaiion, for the prefent, in preference 
 
22 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 to two invitations he had juft received : one, from the univier- 
 f\ty o£ Leydai, then lately opened ;- the ether, from the Pro- 
 teftant church at Ant'werp. — The conduft of Divine Provi- 
 dence, refpeding Tjanchy^s frequent removals, is very obfer*- 
 vable. He was a lover of peace, and paffionately fond of ts- 
 tirenient. But he was too bright a luminary, to be always 
 continued in one place. The Salt of the Earth muft be fprink- 
 led here and there, in order to be extenfi^ely ufeful, and to 
 feafon the Church throughout. Hence, God's faithful Mini- 
 fters, like the Ofacers in a Monarch's army, are quartered in 
 various places ; Rationed and remanded hither and thither, as 
 may moft conduce to their Mafier's fervice. 
 
 The church of Netvjladt^ enjoyed our author upwards of 
 feven years. Being, by that time, far advanced in life ; and 
 the infirmities of age coming on him veryfaft; he found him- 
 felf obliged to ceafefrom that confcant feries of labour, and 
 intenfenefs of application, which he had, fo leng, and fo in* 
 defatigably, undergone. He was, at his own requeft, dif- 
 miffed, from public fervice, at Ne-wjiadt, by the Ele<5lor Cajl- 
 mtr ; receiving, at the fame time, very fubftantial marks of 
 refped and favour from that religious and generous Prince- 
 
 From Newjladt, he repaired, otice more, to Heidelberg; 
 chiefly with a view to fee fome of his old friends. — This pro- 
 ved his lad removal on earth : for, ftortly after, his Soul, 
 now ripe for glory, dropt the Body, and afcended to heaven, 
 about^Tx in the morning o{ November 19, 1590. at. 75. His 
 remains'were interred at Heidelberg^ in the College Chapel of 
 St Peter ; where a fmall monumental ftooe was feC up to his 
 memory, with this infcription : 
 
 HIEPvONYMI hicjunt condita ojfa Z ANCHII, 
 
 Itali ; exulantis, Christi rt?Korf, a palria : 
 
 ^ui Theologus quanius fuerit et Philojophus^ 
 
 ■Tejianiur hoc, Libri editi ab Eo plurimi ; 
 
 ■Tejlantur hoc, quos voce docuit in Scholis ; 
 
 ^iique audiere eum docentem ecclejias. 
 
 Nunc ergo, quamvis hinc migrarit Spirltu, 
 
 Claro tamen nobis rsmari/lt nomine. * 
 
 Deceffit A. MDxc. Die 19. Novemb. 
 
 I cannot 
 • Here Zanchy rerts, whom Icve of truth conftrain'd 
 To quit his own and fock a foreign land. 
 How good and great he was, how form'd to fliine. 
 How fiaug^t with fcience human and divine ; 
 
 ^ SufficJcat 
 
^ LIFE OF JEROM ZANCHIUS. 23 
 
 'I cannot help lamenting, that no more is to be colIe<fled, 
 concerning this incomparable man, than a ft-w outUnes of his 
 life ; comprizing little eli'e but a dry detal of dates and re- 
 movals. 
 
 As to his Per/on. I can find no defcription of ir, except from 
 fbme very old and fcarce Prints, moft of which were ftruck 
 fjom. Engravings on Wood. Thefe reprefent him, as ex- 
 tremely corpulent, even to Unwieldinefs. And yet, from the 
 aftonidiing Extent, Profoundnefs, and-exquifite Adlivity, of his 
 Learning, Judgment, and Genius ; one might well nigh be 
 induced to imagine, that He coniilted entirely of Soul, with- 
 out any dead Weight oi Body at all. For, of his Mind, his 
 writings prefent us with the lovelieft image. He feems to 
 have been polleiled, and in a very fuperior degree, of thofe 
 Graces, Virtues, and Abililfcs, which ennoble and exalt hu- 
 man nature to the higheft, elevation it is capable of below. 
 His clear infight into the truths of the gofpel, is wonderful! 
 efpecially, confidering that the church of God was but jufk 
 emerging from the long and difmal night oi Popi/Ij darknefs ; 
 and himfeif, previous to his converfion, as deeply plunged in 
 the fliades, as any. It is a bleillng, which but few are fa- 
 voured with, to ftep, almoft at once, out of midnight, into 
 meiidian day- — He was thoroughly experienced in the divine 
 life of the foul ; and an happy fubjed of that internal king- 
 dom of God, which lies in righleoufncfs, and peace, and joy in 
 tie Holy Ghojl. This enabled him to fuftain that impetus of 
 oppofition, which he, almoil; conftantly, met with. Few per- 
 fons have, ordiniirily, borne a larger fhare of the crofs ; and, 
 perhaps, none ever fuRained it belter. In him were happily 
 centred all the meek benevolence of Charily, and all the ada- 
 mantine firmnefs q.{ hitrepidity : qualities, alas, not conUanllfi, 
 united in men of Orthodoxy and Learning. 
 
 He was intimately converfant with the writings of \\it fa- 
 thers, and oflhe philofophers of that and the preceding times. 
 His modeily and humility were lingular. No man was ever 
 more (ludious to prcferye peace in the church of Chrift, nor 
 more highly rclilhed the phafures of learned and religious 
 friendlhip.— For fome time before his deceafe, It pleafed God 
 
 to 
 
 Sufficient proof his numVoiis Writings g've. 
 And thofe who hcarJ him tc.ich and (a* him live. 
 Eartli fiill tij'oys lini, iho' his Scul is fled : 
 Hii name is il-jathliTs iho' his dvifl is-dcad. 
 
14 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 to deprive him of his eyefight : for this I take to be the 
 meaning of the excellent Melchkr /Idamus * ; to whom I am 
 indebted for much of the preceding account. — His IVoris, 
 which, -.viih his Letters, and Ibme other fmall pieces included, 
 are divided into 9 Tomes, were collected and publiflied, by 
 his executors, feme years after his death ; and are ufually 
 bound together in .3 vols, fo/io. — He was twice married, and 
 had feveral children ; none of which, fo far as I can find, ap- 
 pear to have furvived him. 
 
 He is faid, by Mr Lel^h f , to have been one ** of the moft 
 Scholaftical among the Froteftants :" which, however, may 
 be queftioned ; his ftyle, and manner of treating an argument, 
 being rather plain and folid, thi;n fubtil and metaphyfical. 
 If Scholifm be an excellence in ij writer, it is certain that the 
 elder Spanhemius, and the great Janets 'T'urreUn, have, fince, 
 much exceeded TLanchy in that refpeft. — Our learned country- 
 man, Mr Matiheiv Poole, terms him X T^heojrgus nan e munh ; 
 Cujus commentaria, Jingulari erud'ttione at que acumine compofua, auc- 
 torem fuum clod'tjpmum reftrunt : " A Divine of the tirft clafs ; 
 whofe expofitions, written with extraordinary learnrng and 
 ability, prove him to have been a moft accompliflied fcholar." 
 — Even, Mr Bayk, who never feems to have been better plea- 
 fed, than when he could pick an hole in the gown of an Ec- 
 clefiallic, though himfelf was the fon of one ; yet allows our 
 author to have been " one of the moft celebrated Protefiant 
 Divines, and that few Minifiers have been fo moderate as he." 
 Nor muft I omit the honour put upon him, by our univer- 
 fjty of Cambridge, within five years after his death. — One 
 iViillam Barrett \\, {tWovi of GonvU/e and Caius college,'ven- 
 tured, y/p r il 2g, 1595, to preach an y^rm.'w'an fermon, in the 
 f«ce of the Univerfity, at St Mary's. I fay, ventured ; for it 
 vas a bold and dangerous attempt, at that time, when the 
 Church of England was in her purity, for any man to propa- 
 gate jirminlanifm § : and, indeed, Barrett himfelf paid dear 
 
 for 
 
 • His words concerning Zanchy are inJeneBa que ramquam fola vcn'tt, fatt 
 Ifaacl ob.ioxius, 
 
 f Acccttnt of B.el. and Learn. Men, p. 370. 
 
 j Synopf. Criticor. vol. iv. pars 2. in Praeloqii. ad Left. 
 
 II tiee FuLLtK's NiJ}. cf Cambridge, p. 150. 
 
 § As evtry Reader jnay not have a clear, determinate idea of what Ar- 
 rniniar.ijm preciiely is; it may, to fucli, be fatiblafiory to know, that It 
 confifts, chiefly, of 5 particulars, (i.) The Arminians will not allow £/^c- 
 
 tkt, 
 
LIFE OF JEROM ZANCHIUS. 25 
 
 for his innovating raflinefs ; which ended in his ruin. The 
 Univerfity were fo highly offended, both at his prefumption, 
 in daring to avow his novel, heterodor opinions ; and for 
 mentioning (bme great Divines, among whom T^anchy was one, 
 in terms of the highefl: rancour and dilrefpecS ; that he was en- 
 joined to make a public recantation, in that very pulpit, from 
 whence he had fo lately vented his errors. This he did, the 
 5th of iJ'/ty' following. Part of his recantation ran * thus : 
 
 C «' Laftly, 
 
 tion to be an eternal, peculiar, unconditional, and irreverfible aft cif God. 
 (x.) Ttiey a/Tcrt, that Cluift died, equally and iudifcriminately, for every 
 individual of n;ankiiid : for them tl at perifli, no lefs than for tliem that 
 arc faved. (3.) 'I'iiur fsving grace is trdcrf-d to the acceptance of every 
 (4,) That the rt-geneiating pouer of t! e Holy Spirit is not invinciljle; but 
 inan ; wl ich h<; may, or may not, receive, julVas he pleafes. Confcquently, 
 is fufpcndcd, for it^ efficacy on the will of man (5.) That (aving grace is 
 not an ahjding principle; but t'at thofe who are loved of God, ranfomed 
 by Chiiif, ai^d born jgain of the Spirit, may (let God vvifh and f>rive ever 
 P> much to the contraiyl throw all away, and perifli eternally at lafV. 
 . To thcfe, many Armmatn tack a variety of errors befide. But the a- 
 bove may be conli lered as a general Jktlcton of the leading miftakes which 
 charaftcrize the feci. 
 
 * Pojircmo, tctneid hxc verba cffudi advcrfus ."^ohanv-cm Calviiium, vtrtint 
 it ccchfia Chijit iptimc mcritum ; Euin iiimirutn a'uftim fuijfe Jefe atlollere fu~ 
 yra alfiffimijs- annipolinlis Dei Vere aUijpmum et omnipctentem Fjliunt. J^/- 
 bus verbis me vrro doRiJpmo, vereque fio, inagnam injurium fcciffe fiiteor : ieinc- 
 ritntcinque hjiic nieam tit omncs condoiieti^, buinillime prccor. Turn cliani quod 
 nonnu/Ia adverf'is P. Martyrem, Theodorum Bczam, H I ER O N YMUIVI 
 ZANCtUXJM, Francilcum Jnnium, ct cstei-os cjufdein reli^ionis, EccLEs»i« 
 NosiRiE I.UMINA & Oknaminta, eccrhijjimc effiideritn J eof cdio/o nomine 
 iippcllarn Calvinift^i, <tr aliis vcrb-is igrominis gravijjlmam infami^ not(un ipu- 
 'rcns,. Quos quia Ecci.ksia nostra meruo RtvERF.ruR, tion crat dquum. 
 et ego eorum J'.iwam -uio/aron, aut exijlimatkacm cdiqua ralione immsuucrem-g 
 aut aliqi.os e ncjlrii dchoifarer, nc eorum doP.iJfimd Scripta Icgerciit. 
 
 Sprvi-e's Life of fVffitgift. Appendix, p. 186. ' 
 
 I cannot help obferving one more particular, refpc£ling this famous Re- ' 
 rsritation ; vclierein the Hccantcr thus ^xprtfltd himfelf: Secundo, Petri 
 fiiem defcere noii poln/jre, cjcrui ; at alionim poffe, &c. i. e. " 1 aiTcrted, 
 that I'cur's faith, indeed, could not fail; hut that the faith of other be«^ 
 lievtrrs rr.jght: whereas, now, being, by Cl.rid's own word, brought to « 
 "betler and founder mind, I acknowledge that C'hiift prays for the faith of 
 each htlii. ver in particular; and that, by the ilTTcacy tf Cluift's piaycr, all 
 true believers ore fo fupporti-d, that their faith cannot fail." — Bsrmt zf* 
 ftitjrd, rank Aiminian as he vas, that Filer's faith did not aHiialh fail. 
 But we have had a nccut iiHance of an Arniinian preschcr, wlio avers, 
 without ceiemony, that Peter's faith DID fail. '1 he pafTage, verlclirtt, 
 withc.ut adding a jot, or diminilling a tittle, flands thus: " Petiir's" 
 
 FAITH FAILED, I I.OUCU Cu KIS 1 HI M S I- L F PRAYED IT MJGIIT NOT."— 
 
 See a S«mcn, on l dr. ix. 27. pieatl.ed before the univerfity of OxroRD, 
 x-ebr. 19, 1769, ly yohn Allen, M. A. Vicc-principalcf /i/o^c'fl/a;ifc//, p. 17. 
 
 This 
 
3« SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 
 
 ** Laftly, I raflily uttered thefe wqrds againft John Calvin 
 (a perfon, than whom none has deferved better of the Church ), 
 namely, that he had prefumed to exalt himfelf above the Son of God : 
 in faying whi«h, I acknowledge that I greatly injured that 
 moft learned and truly pious man ; and I do moft humbly in- 
 treat, that ye will all forgive this my raflinefs. 1 alfo threw 
 out, In a moft rancorous manner, fome refleiflions againft P% 
 Martyty Theodore Beza^ Jerom Zanchy, Francis yunius, and 
 Others of the fame religion, who were the Lights and Or- 
 naments OF OUR. Church : calling them by the malicious 
 name of Calvlnijii, and branding them with other reproachful 
 terms. I did wrong, in aflailing the reputation of thefe per- 
 fons, and in endeavouring to lefTen the eftimation in which 
 they are held, and in diflfuading any from reading their moft 
 learned works : feeing our Church holds these Divines 
 
 JN DESERVED ReVERENCE." 
 
 I would hope, as our ji nicks of Rel'igion have not been 
 changed, but ftand juft as they did at that very time ; that 
 the Church of England, in the year 1769, ftill confiders the 
 above great men (and T^anchy among the reft) as fome of 
 HER ancient LIGHTS and ORNAMENTS: and that fhe 
 holds Theviy and their Writings, in the fame DESERVED 
 REVERENCE, as did the Church of England in the year 1595. 
 
 OBSER" 
 
 • 
 
 Ttii* Is Armi'niahifm dcubU-iijliUcd. The common, fimple Arminianifm, 
 that ferved Barrett, and Laud, and Heylin, will not do now, for our more 
 enlightened Divines. — Whether Peter's faith failed, or not ; that Mr Alkn't 
 modtfiy has failed him, is, 1 btlieve, What no -body can deny. 
 
OBSERVATIONS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 DIVINE ATTRIBUTES? 
 
 NECESSARY TO BE PREMISED, 
 
 In order to our better under ftandlng the Do(flrine of 
 
 PREDESTINATION. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the great and ever blefled God is a Being 
 abfoluulyftmple, and infinitely remote from all fhadow 
 of Cctnpofition ; He is, neverthelefs, in condefcenfion to our 
 weak and contracted faculties, leprefented, in fcripture, as 
 poife/Ted of divers Properties, or Aunhutes^ which, though 
 leemingly different from his EJfence, are, in reality, eflentiat 
 to Him, and conftitutive of his very nature. 
 
 Of thefe Attributes, thofe, on which we fhall now particu- 
 larly defcant (as being more immediately concerned in the 
 enfuin^ fubje(n), are the following ones ; i. His eternal Wif- 
 dom and Foreknoivledge, 2. The abfolute Freedom and Liberty 
 of his w'ill, 3. The Perpetuity and Unchangeabknefs both of 
 Jiinifclf and his Decrees, 4. His Omnipotence, 5. His "Jujlicey 
 6. His Mercy. 
 
 Without an explication of thefe, the Dodlrine of Predefti* 
 nation cannot be fo well underftood : we fhall, therefore, 
 briefly confidcr them, by way of Preliminary to the main 
 fubjec^. 
 
 1. With refpefl to the divine Wifdom and Fore- knowledge, I 
 fhall lay down the following Poftttons, 
 
 Pof. I. God is, and always was, fo pcrfef^ly wife, that ««• 
 thing ever did, or does, or can, elade his knowledge. H<t 
 knew, from all eternity, not only what He I/im/el/'mtcndcd to 
 do, but alfo what he would incline and permit others to do. 
 A8s XV. 18, " Known unto God are all his works, «sr' a.4ui,&^ 
 from eternity." 
 
 Pof. 2. Confequently, God knows nothing now, nor will 
 know any thing hereof ler., which he did not know and forefee 
 from everlaflwg : his Foie-kncwledge being co-eternal with 
 Himfelf, and extending to every thing that is or ftiall be done. 
 Uib. iv. 13. Allthitgt, which comprifes paft, pr^nt and fu- 
 
 C 2 tore- 
 
: 28 ] 
 
 ture, are naked and epen to the eyes of him iv'ilh ivhom nve havt 
 to do. 
 
 Pof. 3. This Foreknowledge of God is not ronjeSural and 
 uncertain, (for then it would not be ForclnoioJedge) but mod 
 Jure and infallihle : fo that whatever He foreknows to be future, 
 ihall necellarily and undt)ubted!y come 10 pafs. For,- His- 
 icnowledge can no more be fruftrated, or his wifdom be 
 deceived, than he can ceafe to be God. Nay, could either 
 of thefe be the cafe, he a.flually luouJd ceafe to be God ; all 
 mi/lake and difappc'inimeut being abfolutely incompatible with 
 the divine nature 
 
 Pof. 4. The hijiuence, which the divine Foreknowledge has 
 on the certain Futtirition of the things foreknown, does not ren- 
 der the intervention oi fecond caufes needlefs, nor deftroy the 
 nature of the things themfelves. 
 
 My meaning is, that the prefcience of God does not lay any 
 co-ercive neceffity on the wills of beings naturally /r^'tf'. For 
 inftance, man, even in his fallen ftate, is endued with a natu- 
 ral freedom of will ; yet he adls, from the firil to the laft mo- 
 ment of his life, in abfolute fub'ferviency (though, perhaps, he 
 does not know it, nor defgn it) to the purpofes and decrees of 
 God concerning him : notwithftanding which, he is fen^ible of 
 no compti'Jion, but afls z*. freely and i>oluntarUy, as if he \vs.sfui 
 juris, fubjeft to no controul, and abfolutely lord of hiinfelf. 
 This made LyxHER *, after he had fhewn how all things ne- 
 ceffarily and inevitably come to pafs, in confequence of the 
 fovereign Will and infallible Foreknowledge of God, dy, that 
 <* We Ihould carefully diilinguifh between a neceffity oi Jnfal- 
 lihiiity, and a neceffity of Coa8ion ; fmce both good and evil 
 meiT, though by their atf^ions they fulfil the decree and ap- 
 pointment of God, yet are not forcibly conllrained to do any 
 thing, but aft luillingly.'* 
 
 j(|> /'o/I 5. God's Foreknowledge, taken abf;ra5ladly, is not 
 -'the fole caufe of Beings and Events; but his IVUl and Fore- 
 knowledge together. Hence we find, Afts ii. 23. that his </,?- 
 ierminate coiivjel and Forek^iowledge aft in concert ; the Uiller re- 
 fuiting froH), and being founded on, iht former. 
 We pafs on, 
 
 II. T»> con'iderthe Will of God : with regard to which «e 
 afTert as folilows. 
 
 Pof i. 
 • De Sew. Arb. csp ^^4. 
 
 P 
 
 c'l 
 
[29-3 
 
 Pof. I. The Deity is pofle/Fed not' only of infinite Knows- 
 ledge, but likewife of abibliite liberty of Will: fo that whate- 
 ver he doesy o\ permits to be done, he does and permits y>-^f/y, 
 and of his own good plealure. 
 
 Confequenlly, it is his free pleafure to permit Sin j fmce, 
 without his permiffion, neither men nor devils can do any 
 thing. Now, to permit y is, al lealt, the fame as not. to hinder, 
 though it be in our power to hinder if we pleafe : and this 
 permiifMn, or non-hindrance, is certainly an a^ of the divine 
 Will. Hence Austin f f^ys, *• Thofe things, which, feem- 
 jngly, thwart the divine Will, are, neverthelefs, agreeable to 
 it; for, if God did not permit them, they could not be done j 
 and whatever God permits, He permits freely and willingly. 
 idle does nothing, neither fuifers a<iy thing to be done, againft 
 his own Will" And Luther :{: obferves, that "God per- 
 mitted Adam to fall into Sin, becaufe he willed that he fhould 
 ft) fall." 
 
 Pof. 2. Although the Will of God, confidered in itfelf, is 
 fm)ply otieandihef'ime; yet, in condefcenfion to the prefent. 
 capacities of men, the divine \iVill is very properly diflin,- 
 guWbed 'n\\.o ferret and revealed. Thus it was his revealed V^WX^, 
 thai Pharaoh lliould let the IfraeJhes go ; that Ahraham ftiould- 
 facrifice hib Son ; and that Peter (hould not deny Chrift ; but», 
 as was proved by il.e event, it was \\\% Jeeret Will that Pharoah- 
 fhould not let Ifraei go, Exvd. iv. 2i. that Alralxam fhould not- 
 iacriKce Ifaac, Gen. xxii. 12. afld that Peter Jbould deny \\\&. 
 Lord, Mat. xxvi. 34. 
 
 Pof. 3. The Will of God, refpeding the falvation and con* 
 demnation of men, is never contrary to itfelf; He immutably 
 wills the falvation of the Elect, ^nd vice verfa : nor can he 
 ever vary or deviate from his own will in any Inftance what- 
 ever, fo as that That fhould be dune, which he wilJeth r.ocj 
 or That not be brought to pafs, which be willelh. Jfai. xlvi». 
 10. My Counfel Jhail f}and, and I ivill do all my pleafure. Pfalm 
 jtxxiii. II. The counftl of the Lord Jlandeth for ever , and tlx 
 thoughts of His heart to all generui'tons. Jcb xxiii. 13, 14. He it^ 
 in one mind, who can turn htm ? and ivhat his foul defireih, even 
 that he doth ; for he perfurmtth the thing that is appointed fur me i 
 and many fuch things are with him. Lph. i. 11. Being pre^ 
 Jejlinatedy according to the pur pof e of Him^ lu^fyo 'uwrhih all things 
 fifler the counfel of his own ivill. 
 
 C 3 Tbu«, 
 
 \ Enchir. cap. loo. I,. De Serv. Aib. c i Jjt 
 
C 30 3 
 
 Thus, for infiance, Hophn'i and Phitieas hearkened not to the 
 voice of their j cither s who reproved them for their wickednefs, 
 iecaufe the Lord wovhxyjlay them, 1 Sam ii. 25. and Sihon, King 
 of H''P:>lon, would not receive the peaceable meffage fent him 
 by Mofes, becaufe the Lord God hardened his fpirit, and made 
 his Heart ohjllfiate, that He might deliver him into the hand of 
 Jfrael, Deut. ii 26, ^o. Thus alfo, to add no more, we find 
 that there have been, and ever will be, fontie, vvhofeeyes God 
 blindeth, and whofe hearts he hardeneth, i. e. whom God per- 
 mits to continue blind and hardned, on pnrpofe to prevent 
 their feeing with their eyes, and underrtanding with their 
 hearts, and to hinder their ccnverfion to Gx)d, and fpiriiual 
 healing by him, Ifai. vi. 9 John xii 39, 40. 
 
 Pof 4. Becaufe God's IVill of Precept may, in fome in- 
 fiances, appear to thwart his IVill of Determination j it does 
 not follow, either, l. that He mocks his creatures, or, 2. 
 that they are excufable for negleding to obferve his Will of 
 Command. 
 
 (i.) He does not hereby mock his creatures; for, if men 
 clo not believe his Aliroid, nor obferve his precepts, the fawlt 
 is not in Him, but in themfelves : their unbelief and difobe- 
 dience are not owing to any 111 itfvfed into them by God, but 
 10 iht-mtiq/tty of their depraved nauire, and the perverfenefs 
 of their own wills. Kov,', if God invited all men to come 
 to him, and then (hut the door of mercy againft any who 
 were defirous oi entring ; his invitation vt-ould be a mock- 
 ery, and unworthy of Plimfelf : but we infift on it, that he 
 does not invite all men to come to him in a faving way ; and 
 that every individual perf en, who is, through His gracious in- 
 fluence on his heart, made ivilUhg to come to him, fhall, 
 fooner or later, be furely faved by him, and that with an ever- 
 lafting fa^vation. (2.) M:-;n is not excufable for negletfting 
 'God's Will of Command. Pharaoh was faulty, and there^ 
 fore juftly punifnable, for not obeying God's revealed Will, 
 though God's fecret Will rendered that obedience impoihble. 
 \/ihro.ham would h.'ive committed Sin, had he retufed to facri- 
 (iC& Jfaac ; and, in looking toGfld's fecret Will, would have 
 afted counter to his revealed one. So Herod, Pontius Pilate, 
 and the refft-cbate Jews, were juftly condemned for putting 
 Christ to death, inafmtK:h as it was a moft notorious breach 
 of God's revealed Will. *' Thou (lialt do no murder j yet, 
 in flaying the Msfimh, they did no rKore than God's hand and 
 
 bis 
 
C 3' ] 
 
 his cwnfeh i. e. his fecret, ordaining Will, determined before 
 Jl^ould he doncy /Icls iv. 27, 28. and 'Judas is juftly punilhed 
 for perHdioully and wickedly betraying Chrilt, though his 
 perfidy and wickednefs were (but not with his defign) fub- 
 fervienc to the acconjplifhment of the Decree and Word of 
 God. 
 
 The brief of the matter 7s this ; fecret things belong to 
 God, and thofe that are revealed belong to us : therefore, 
 when we meet with a plain precept^ we Ihonid finiply endea- 
 •vour to obey it, without tarrying to enquire into God's hid- 
 den pur pofe. Venerable Bucer, after taking notice how God 
 hardened Pharoah's heart/ and making feme obfeivaiions or\ 
 the Apoille's fimile of a Potter and his clay ; adds,* that 
 ♦' Though God has at leaft the fame right over His creatures^ 
 and is at liberty to make them what he will, and dired them 
 to the end that pleafeth himfelf, according to bis fovcreign 
 and fecret dtterniination ; yet it by no means follows, that 
 they do not acl Ireely and fpontaneoufly, or that the evil rhey 
 cornncit is to be charged on God." 
 
 Pvf. 5. God's hidden Will is peremptory and ahfolute : and 
 therefore cannot be hindered from taking efFecb." 
 
 God's Will h nothing elfe than God himfdf willing: confe- 
 qucntly, it is omnipotent and unfrurtrable. H<ence we -find 
 it termed, by /lujlin and the fchoolmen, voluntas onwipotentif- 
 Jiina ; hecaufe, whatever God wills, cannot fail c>f being efFec* 
 ted. This made Jlujlin iay, f " Evil men do many things 
 contrary to God's revealed Will ; but fo great is his wifdom, 
 and fo inviolable his truth, that He directs all things into 
 thofe channels which he foreknew " And again, % " No free- 
 will oi the creature can refill theWill of God ; tor man can- 
 not fo will, or niil, as to obRrud the divine determination, or 
 overcome the divine power." Once more ^ *' -It cannot be 
 queftioned, but God does all things, and ever did according 
 to his own purpofe : the human will cannot refili him, fo as 
 to make him do more or lels than it is his pleafure to do , 
 quandoqtiidem etiam de ipfts hominum voluntatibus quod imlt fncity 
 fince he does what he pieafes even with the wills of m^n " 
 
 Pof. 6. Whatever comes to pafs, comes to pafs by virtue 
 of this abfolule, omnipotent Will of God, which' is the pri- 
 mary and fupreme caufe of all things. Rev. is, 11. Thou kajl 
 
 created 
 • Euccr ail Rom. ix. f Dc Civ. Dti 1. ja, c. \, 
 
 \ De Ccif. & Grat. c. I4. § Ibid. 
 
r 32 ] 
 
 er fated alt thirgSf and for thy pleafure they are, and icvere creafeit, 
 Pfalm cxv. 3. Our God is in the heavens ; he hath dune ivhatfo- 
 ever he pleafed. Dan. iv. 35. He doth according to his Will^ in 
 the army of heaven, and among the inhalitawti of the earth ; and 
 none can ftay his hand, or fay unlv him, iVhnt dojl thou ? Pfalm 
 cxxxv. 6. Whatfoever the Lord pleafed, that did he in heaven, and 
 in earth, in the feas, ana all deep places. Mat. x. 29. ^re not 
 t'wo fparro'ws fold for a farthing? and one of them Jl^ all not fall to 
 the ground ivithout your Father. To ail which, Austin iub- 
 fcribes when he fays, * " Nothing is done, but what the Al- 
 tnighty wills fliould be done, either efficiently or permiffive- 
 ly." As does Luther, whofe v/ords are thefe,f "This 
 therefore muft ftand ; to wit the unfearchable Will of God, 
 \vit)ioiit which nothing exiits or a<fls." And again, c. j6o. 
 *' God would not be fuch, if he was not almighty, and vf 
 ' any thing could be done without him." And ehewhere, c. 
 158. he quotes thefe words of Erafmus : *' Suppofing there- 
 was an earthly prince, who could do whatever he would, and 
 none were able to reHft hinn ; we might fafeiy fay of fuch an. 
 one, that he would certainly fulfill his own defire : in like 
 manner, the Will of God, which is the firft caufe of all things, 
 fhould feem to lay a kind of neceffity upon cur wills." 'i'his 
 JLuTHhR approves of, and fubjt/ins, " Thanks be to God for 
 this orthodox paffage in Erafmus's difcourfe ! but, if this be 
 true, what becomes of his dodtrine of free-will, which he, at 
 pther times, fo llrenuoufly contends for?" 
 
 Pof 7. 1 he Will of God isj& the caufe of ail things, as to- 
 be, itfelf, nvithvut caufe ; for nothing can be the. caufe of that, 
 which is the caufe of every thing. 
 
 So that the divine will is the nt plus ultra of all cur enqui-- 
 ries : when we afcend to that, we can go no farther. Hence, 
 we find every matter refolved, ultimately,, into the mere fvvt' 
 reign pleafure of Got>, as the fpring and occafion of whatfnevei 
 is done in heaven and earth. Mat. xi. 25. Thou haji hid thefe 
 things from the zvife and prudent ^ and hafl revealed them unto ha^ 
 bes : even fo, Fath^'r, for fo it feemed good in ihyji'^ht. Luke xii, 
 32. // is your father' s good pleafure to give you the Kingdom. Mat. 
 viii. 3. / 'will : be ihou clean. Mark iii. 13, He luent up into a 
 mountain, and called unto Him whom He luoidd. Jam. i. ! 8. Of 
 His ov.<n Will begat He us, with the ivorJ of truth. John i. 13. 
 Whitb were born not of blood, nor of tie will of the Jie/hy nor of 
 
 tht 
 • Tom. 3. in Eirchi. f De Swv. Arb. c. I4J. 
 
r 33 ] 
 
 the nvill nf mnn, but of Gcd. Rom. ix, 15, 18. / lu'iU have met' 
 cy on ivhom I lu'ili have v.crcy, and I ivUl have compnjfioii, ou luhom 
 J ivill have con}paJJ:(.n Therefore, he hath mercy en iihom he ivtU 
 have mercy, and whom he iv'tll he hardueth. And no vender 
 tliat ihe W-11 of God fhruld be the mainTpring that fets all in- 
 fei ior v.'hecls in motion, and fhnuld likewile be the rule by which 
 he g'^es in all his dealings with his creatines ; fiV.ce nothing 
 out c f God, i» e. exterior to himfelf, can poffibly induce hira 
 to ivill or nill one thing, rather than another. Deny this, and 
 you, at one ftroke, deilroy his imniuttib'dity and independency : 
 (ince he can never be independent, who adts pro re nata, as 
 emergency requires, and whole will ia fufpended on that of 
 others: not unchangeable, whofe purpofes vary and tuke all (hapes, 
 acc/^rding as the perfons or things vary, who aje the objedts 
 of thofe purpofes. The only reafon, then, that can be allign- 
 ed, Why the Deity does this, or omits that, is, becaufe it is 
 his oivn free pleafure. LuTHtR,* in anfvrer to that queftion> 
 *' Whence it was, that Adam was permitted to fall, and cor- 
 rupt his whole pofterity ; when God could have prevented his 
 falling," &c. fays, " God is a Being, whofe Will acknovsr- 
 ledges no caufe : neither is it for us to prefcribe rules to His 
 fovertign pleafui's, or call Him to accour.t for what he does. 
 He has neither fiiperior nor equal : and his Will is the rule of 
 all things. He did not therefore will fuch and fuch things, 
 becaufe they were in themfelves right, and he was bound to will 
 them ; but they aie therefore equitable and riglit, becaufe He 
 wills them. The will of man, indeed, may be influenced and 
 moved ; but God's Will never can To alfert the contrary, 
 is to undeify Hin;." Bucer likewife obferves, f " God has 
 no other motive for what he -does, than ipfa voluntas. His own 
 mere Will ; wliicli Will is fo far from being uniighteous, that 
 it is Juftice itfeii". " 
 
 Pof. 8. Since, as was lately obferved, the Determining 
 Will oi G'.d, being omnipotent, cannot'be obrtiufl^d or made 
 void ; it follows, that He never did, nor does he now, will 
 that every ini, ividual of mankind ihnuld be faved. 
 
 If this was his Will, nut one fir.gie foul could ever be loft; 
 (Tor who hath refifted his will?) and he would furely afford 
 all men thofe elFcflual means <>{ falvation, withont which it 
 cannot be had. Now, God could afford thefe tneans as eafilw 
 to all mankind, as 10 fame only : but experience proves that Ire 
 
 does 
 ♦ De Sew. Arb. c. i;3. f Ad Ron;, ix. 
 
C 34 ] 
 
 dots not ; and the reafon is equally plain, nantiely, that he <w\ll 
 not ; for ivhatfoever the Lord pkafeth, thai does he In heaven and 
 •« earth. It is faid, indeed, by the Apoftle, that Qod 
 would have all Men faved, and come to the knowledge of the truth? 
 i. e. as Austin,* conftantly with other fcripturcs, explains 
 the paffage, " God will fave feme out of the whole race of 
 mankind," that is, perfons of all nations, kindreds and tongues. 
 Nay, he will fave all men i e. as the fame father obferves, 
 *• every kind of men, or men of every kind," namely, the 
 Eledion of grace, be they bond or free, noble or ignoble, rich 
 or poor, male or female. Add to this, that it evidently mi- 
 litates againft the Majefty, Omnipotence, and Supremacy of 
 God, to fuppofe that He can either ivlll any thing in vain., or 
 that any thing can take effefl agalnji His •will: therefore Bucer 
 obferves, very rightly, ad Rom. ix. " God doth not will the 
 falvation of reprobates ; feeing he hath not chofen them, nei- 
 ther created them to that end." Confonant to which are thofe 
 words of Luther, f " This mightily offends our rational na- 
 ture, thatGodfhould, ofhisownmere, unbiased Will, leave fome 
 ^men to themfelves, harden them, and then condemn them: 
 but Hehasgiven abundant demonftration, and does continually, 
 that this is really the cafe; namely, that the foie caufe, why fome 
 are faved, and others perifli, proceeds from his willing the fal- 
 vation of the former, and the perdition of th^ latter, accord- 
 ing to that of Paul, He hath mercy on 'whom He 'will have mercy ^ 
 mnd 'whom He 'will He hardneth." 
 
 Pof. 9. As God doth not will that each individual of man- 
 kind (hould be faved ; fo neither did he will that Chrift fhould 
 properly and immediately die for each individual of mankind : 
 whence it follows, that, though- the blood of Chrift, from its 
 own intriafic dignity, wa.s fii^cient tor the redemption of all 
 men; yet, in confequence of his Father's appointment, he 
 ihed it intentionally, and therefore eJ'cQually and immediately, for 
 the Ele<fl only. 
 
 This is felf evident. God, as we have before proved, vilb 
 not the falvation of every man : but He gave his Son to die 
 for them whofe falvation he willed ; therefore his Son did not 
 die for every man- All thofe, for whom Chrift died, are 
 faved ; and the divine juftice indifpenfably requires that to 
 iJiem the benefits of his death Ihould be imparted : but only 
 
 the 
 • Enchir, c. loi & de Corr. & Gr, c. 14. f De Ser?. Arb. c. 161. 
 
C 35 ] 
 tlie Elctfl are favcd ; they only partake of thofe benefits; cqa- 
 fequently, for them only he died and intercedes. The apoftle, 
 Rom. viii. afks, Whojhall lay any thing to the charge of God's E- 
 Ua ? it is God that jujl'ifiesy i. e. his Eled, exclufivcly of ethers : 
 Kuho is he that condetnneth ? It is Chrijl that diedior them, exchlfive- 
 ly of others. The plain meaning of the pafTageis, that thofe, 
 whom God juUifies, and for whom Chrift died (jul\ification 
 and redemption being of exaiflly the fame extent), cannot be 
 condemned. Thefe privileges are exprefsly retrained to the 
 Eledl : therefore God juftifies and Chrift died for them alone. 
 
 In the fame chapter, Paul i{k% ; He that /pared not his oiun 
 Son, but delivered Him up for vs all, (t. e. for all us eled per- 
 fons) hoiv fJjall he not, ivith him, alfo freely give us all things ? 
 I. e. falvation, and all things ficceffary to it. Now, It is certain 
 that thefe are not given to every individual ; and yet, if Paul 
 fays true, they are given to all thofe for whom Chrift was de- 
 livered to death: confequently, he was not delivered to death 
 for every individual. To the fame purpofe St. Austin argue?, 
 in Johan tract. 45. col. 33 j. Hence that faying of Ambrose, * 
 **Ji non credis, non tibi pajfus efl, i. e. if you are an unbeliever, 
 Chrift did not die for you." Meaning, that whoever is left 
 under the power of final unbelief, is thereby evidenced to be 
 one of thofe for whom Chrift did not die ; but that all, for 
 whom he fuffered, fhall be, in this life, fooner or later, in- 
 dued with faith. The church of Smyrna, in their letter to the 
 diocefe of Pontus, infift every where on the Dodrine of fpecial 
 redemption f. Bucer, in all parts of his A'crks, obibrves, 
 that" Chrift died reftridively for the Eleft only ; but for them 
 univerfally." 
 
 Pof 10. From what has been laid down, it follows, that 
 j^ujlin, Luther, Bucer, the Scholaftic Divine?, and other lear- 
 ned writers, are not to be blamed for afferting that '* God 
 may,tin fome fenfe, be faid to will the being and ccmmiflion 
 of fin." For, was this contrary to his determining will of per- 
 miflion, either he would not be omnipotent, or fin could have 
 no place in the world : but he is omnipotent, and fin has place 
 in the world ; which it could not have, if God willed other- 
 wife ; for icho hath rejifled his ivill? Rom. ix. No one can de- 
 ny that God permits iin : but he neither permits it ignorantly^ 
 nor unwillingly ; therefore, i no tv ingly and •millingly. Vid. .-''vfl, 
 
 Enchir. 
 
 • Ambrrf. Tom. a. de fid. ad Grat. I, 4. c. i. 
 t ViJ. Etifcb. Hi(h I. 4. c. xo. 
 
[ 36 ] 
 
 Enchir. c. 96. Luther ftedfailly maintains this in his book 
 de Serv. Arb'itr. and Bucer in Rom. i. However, it Ihould be 
 carefully noticed, 'i.) fhat God's permiffion of fin does not 
 arife from his taking delight in it: on the contrary, fin, as fin, 
 is the abominable thing that his foul hateth : and his efficaci- 
 ous permiffion of it is for wife and good puip >fes. Whence 
 that obfervation of Auflin^ * " God, who is no lefs omnipo- I 
 tent, than he is fupremely and perfe^flly holy, would never ^ 
 have permitted Evil to enter among his works, but in order 
 that he might do Good even wiih that Evil," i. e. over rule it 
 for good in the end. (2.) That God's free and voluntary per- 
 rniiHon of fin lays no man under ^.n^ forcible or compu'Jive ne- 
 ceffity of committing it : confequently, the Deity can by no 
 means be termed the author of moral evil ;.to which he is not, 
 in the proper fenfe of the word, acceffary, but only remotely or 
 negatively (o, inafmuch as he could, if he pieafed, abfolutely 
 prevent it. 
 
 We fhould, therefore, be careful not to give up the Omni- 
 potence of God, under a pretence of exalting his hol'mefs : he is 
 infinite in both^ and therefore neither Ihould be fet afide or ob- 
 fcured. To fay that God abfolutely nills the being and coni- 
 miffion of fin, while experience convinces us that fin is afted 
 evcr}^ day; is to reprefent the Deity as a iveah, impotent being, 
 who would fain liave things go otherwife than they do, but 
 cannot accomplifli his defire. On the other hand, to fay that 
 he willeth fin, doth not in the leafl detract from the holinefs 
 and reditude of his nature; becaufe, whatever God tuills, as 
 well as whatever he does, cannot be eventually evil : materially 
 evil it may be; but, as was jail faid, it muft, nkimately, be 
 directed to fome wife and juft end, otherwife he could not 
 will it : for his Will is righteous and good, and the fole- rule 
 of right and wrong, as is often obferved by Aujlin^ Luther., 
 and others. . 
 
 Pof II. In confequence of God's immutable Will and 
 infallible Foreknowledge, whatever things come topafs, come 
 to pafs necejfarily ; though, with refpeft to fecond caufes, and 
 us men, many things are contingent : i. e. unexpeded, axidfeem- 
 ingly accidental. 
 
 rhat this was the doflrine of Luther, none can deny, 
 who are in any meafure acquainted with his works : particu- 
 cularly with his treatife De Servo Arbitrio, or Free-ivill a 
 
 Jlave : 
 * Encliir. c II. 
 
[ 37 ] 
 
 Jlave : the main drift of which book is, to prove, that the will 
 of man is by nature enflaved to evil only, and, becaufe it is 
 
 foriil of that llavery, is therefore faid to he free. Among other 
 matters, he proves there, that, " whatever man does, he does 
 neccjfiirily, though not with any fenfible compulfwn : and that we 
 can only do what God from eternity willed and foreknew wc 
 fliould ; which Will of God muft. be effedlual, and his Fore- 
 fight muft be certain " Hence we find him faying, * ** It is 
 moll ncceflary and falutary for a chiiftian to be affured, that 
 God foreknows nothing uncertainly : but that he determines^ and 
 
 forefees, and aBsy in all things, according to his own fcternal, 
 immutable, and infallible "Will ;" adding, " Hereby, as with a 
 thunderbolt, is man's free-will thrown down and deftroyed." 
 A little after, he fhews in what fenfe he took the word necef- 
 
 fiy ; " By it," fays he, " I do not mean that the will fufFers 
 iiTiY forcible cotijlrainty or co-a£lion ; but the infallible acconi- 
 pllllimcnt of thofe things, which the immutable God decreed 
 and foreknew concerning us." He goes on : " Neither ths 
 divine nor human will does any thing by conflraint: but, 
 whatever man does, be it good or bad, he does with as much 
 appetite and willingnc-f,-, as if his will was really free. But^ 
 after all, the Will of God is certain and unalterable, and is 
 the Governefs of ours." Exactly confonant to all which are 
 thofe words of Luther\ fiiend and fellow labourer, Melan«- 
 iHON :f " All things turn out according to divine predefti- 
 nalion ; not only the works we do outwardly, but even the 
 thoughts we think inwardly:" adding, in the fame place, 
 •' There is no fuch thing as chance^ or fortune ; nor is there a 
 readier way to gain the fear of God, and to put our whole 
 tiuft in him, than to be thoroughly verfed in the doflrine of 
 Predeftination." I could cite, to the fame purpofe Axflin^ 
 Aquinas, and many other learned men ; but, for brevity's 
 fake, forbear. That this is the do^flrine of fcripture, every 
 adept in thofe facred books cannot but acknowledge. See, 
 particularly, Pfalm cxxxv. 6. Mat. x. 29. Prov. xvi. j. Mat, 
 xxvi. 54. Luke xxii. 22. ASs iv. 28. Eph. i. 11. Ifai. xlvi. 10. 
 Pof. 1 2. As God knows nothing now, which he did not 
 know fiom all eternity ; fo he tvills nothing now, which he did 
 not will from everlafling. 
 
 This pofition needs no explanation noi enforcement : it be- 
 
 • ing felf evident, that, if any thing can accede to God de novo. 
 
 ^ i.e. 
 
 • -Cap 17. in Refp ad prxf. | In £^,h_ ,^ 
 
I 38 3 
 
 1. e. if he can at any time be wifer than he al"ways was, or 
 will that at one time, which he did not will from all eiernity; 
 thefe dreadful ccnfequences muft enfue, (i.) that the know- 
 ledge of God is not perfedl, fmce what is abfolutely peife<a 
 non recipit magis iff minusy cannot admit either of addition^ or 
 detrad'ion. If I add to any thing, it is from a fnppoial that 
 that thing was not complete before ^ if I detradt from it, it is 
 fuppofed that that detradicn renders it lefs perfect than it was. 
 But the knowledge of God, being infinitely perfedl, cannot, 
 confiftently with that perfection, be either increafed or leflened. 
 (2.) That the Will of God xijluifualing, mutable, and unjieady; 
 confequently, that Grd himfelf is fc, his Will co inciding with 
 his Elfence : contrary to the avowed afTurances of fcripture, 
 ^and the flrongeft dilates of reafon, as we Ihall prefently fiiew, 
 when we come to treat of the divine immutability. 
 
 PoJ. 13. The abfolute Will of God is the original fpring 
 and efficient caufe of his people's falvation. 
 
 I fay, the original and ejfficlent ; For, Jenfu compJexOy there 
 are other intermediate caufes of their falvation, which, how- 
 ever, all refult from, and are fubfervient to, this primary one, 
 the TO/7/ of God. Such are his everlafting Choice c{ them 10 
 <:ternt7l life ; the eternal Covenant of grace, entered into by the 
 Trinity, in behalf of the ele^j The Incarnation, Obedience, Death 
 and Intercejfwn of Chrift for them ; all which are fo many links 
 in the rreat chain of caufes : and not one of thefe can be ta- 
 ken away, without marring and fubverting the whole gofpel 
 plan of falvation by Jelus Chrift. We fee, then, that the free, 
 unbiafled, fovereign Will of God b the root of thfs tree of life, 
 which bears fo many glorious branches, and yields fuch falu- 
 tary fruits : He therefore loved the eleft, and ordained them 
 10 life, becaufe he ivould ; according to that of the apoftle, 
 having predejllnated us — according to the good pleafure of his IVill^ 
 E'^h. i 5" Then, next after God's covenant for his people, 
 and' promlfes to them, comes in the infinite merit of Chrl^'i 
 right ewfnefs and atonement : for we were chofen to falvation in 
 Him, as member"^ of his myfiic body; and through Him, as 
 •cur furety and fubftitute, by whofe vicarious obedience to the 
 moral Jaw, and fubmiffion to its curfe and penalty, all we, 
 whofe name Ere in the book of life, ftould never incur the 
 divine hatred, or be punifhed for our fins, but continue fo 
 eternity, as we were from eternity, heirs of God, and joint- 
 heirs with Chrift. But ilill, divine grace and favour (and God ex- 
 tends 
 
r 39 I 
 
 tends thefe to whom htwh'/J muft be confidered as what gave- 
 iir(h to the glorious fcheme of redemption ; according to what 
 our Lord himfelf teaches ns, John iii. i6. God fo loved the 
 tuorldy that he gave his only begotten Son, See- and that of the 
 apoftle, 1 John iv. 9. /« ills ivas maulfejled the love of God to- 
 nvards us, leraufe that he fcnt his only begotten Son Into the world, 
 that tve might live through Him. 
 
 Pof. 14. Since this abfolute Will of God is both inninutable 
 and omnipotent; we infer, that the falvation of eveiy one of 
 the eledl is rnojf Infallibly certain, and can by no means be pre- 
 vented. This neceffarily follows from what we have already 
 afleited and proved, concerning the Divine Will; which, as 
 it cannot be difappointed or made void, muft undoubtedly 
 A cure the falvation o{ all whom God wills fhould be fa/ed. 
 
 From the whole of what has been delivered under this fe- 
 cond head, I would obfcrve, That the genuine tendency of 
 thefe truths is, not to make men indolent and carelefs, or |ull 
 them to fleep on the lap of prefumption and carnal fecnrity j 
 but, ( 1.) To fortify the people of Chrift againft the attacks of 
 unbelief, and the infults of their fpiritual enemies. And what 
 is fo fit, to guard them againft thefe, as the comfortable per- 
 fuafion of God's unalterable Will to fave them, and of their 
 unalienable intereft in the fure mercies of David ? (2.) To with- 
 draw them entirely from all dependance whether on them- 
 felves, or any creature whatever ; to make them renounce 
 their own righteoufnefs, no lefs than their fins, in point of re- 
 liance, and to acquiefce fweetly and fafely in the certain per- 
 petuity of his rich favour. (3.) To excite them, from a 
 truft of his Goodwill toward them, to love that God, who 
 hath given fuch great and numberlefs proofs of his love to 
 men ; and, in all their thoughts, words, and works, to aim^. 
 as much as polTible, at his honour and glory. 
 We were to confider, 
 
 III. The Unchangeabliiifs, which is effential to Himfelf and 
 his Decrees. 
 
 Pof. I. God is ejfentlally unchangeable in Himfelf. Were he 
 otherwife, he would be confeffedly ImperfeR ; fmce whoever 
 changes, miifl change either for the belter, or for the tuorfe : 
 whatever alteration any being undergoes, that being mufl-, . 
 ipfo fado, either become more excellent than it was, or lofe forae 
 of the excellency which it had. But neither of thefe can be 
 the cafe with the Deity : He cannot change for the better, for? 
 
 D 2 that . 
 
I 40 ] - 
 
 that would necefTarlly imply that he was not perftftly good 
 lefore ; He cannot change for the wojfe, for then he couid 
 not be perfedly good ajier that change. Ergo. God is un- 
 changeable. And this is the uniform voice of fciipture. 
 Mai. iii. 6. / am the Lord, I chavge ?iot. James i. 17, JVith 
 Him is no •vanahknefs, 7^etthev Jliadow of tunmg. Pfalm cii. 27. 
 Thou art the fame, and thy years fcall have no end. 
 
 Pof. 2. God is iikevvife abfolutely unchangeable with regard 
 to his purpofes and from fes Numb, xxiii. 19. 'God is not a 
 man, that he (hould lye; neither the fon of man, that he 
 ihould repent: hath he faid, and (Imll he not do it? or, hath 
 he fpoken, and (hall he not make it good ?' i Sam. xv. 29. 
 
 * The ftrength of Ifrael will not lye, nor rtpent ; for he is not 
 a man, that he fhould repent.' Job xxiii, 13. ' He is in one 
 jnind, and who can turn him ?' Ezek. xxiv. 14. * I, the Lord, 
 have fpoken it, it fhall ccime to pafs, and I will do it ; I will 
 not go back, rieither will I fpare, neither will I repent.* 
 Rom. xi. 29. ' The gifts and calling of God are without repen- 
 tance.' 2 Tim. ii. 13. ' He abideth faithful, and cannot de- 
 ny himfelf.' 
 
 By the purpofe, or decree, of God, we mean His determi- 
 nate couni'el, whereby he did from all eternity pre- ordain 
 whatever he Ihould do, or would permit to be done, in time. 
 In particular, it fignifies his everlafting appointment of fome 
 jnen to life, 'knd cf others to death : which appointment flows 
 entirely from his own free and fuvereign will. Rom. ix. • Tlie 
 children not yet being horn, neicher having done any good or 
 evil, (that the purpofe of God according to eleiHion, might 
 ftand, not of works, but of him that calleth) it was faid, the 
 elder fhall ferve the younger: as it is wiitten, Jacob have I 
 loved, but Efau have I hated' 
 
 The apoftle, then, in the very next words, anticipates an 
 ohjedion, which, he forefaw, men of corrupt minds would 
 make to this: ' What ihall we fay, then? is there uniighte- 
 oufnefs with God?' uhich he anfwers with, God forbid ! and 
 refolves the whole of God's procedure with his creatures into 
 his own fovereign and independent Will : For he f^id to Mofes, 
 
 * I will have mercy on whom I will have mjrcy, and I will 
 have companion on whom 1 will have compaflion.' 
 
 We affert, that the decrees of God are not only immutable 
 as to H'lmfef, it being inconfiftent with His nature to aller in 
 His purpofes, or charge His mind } but that ihey are immu- 
 table 
 
r 41- ]■ 
 
 table likewife with refpeifl to the ohjeas of thofe decrees: fd 
 that, wfeatloever God hath determined, concerning every in- 
 dividual peifni or thing, lh?i!l lurely and infallibly be accom- 
 plilljed in and upon them. Hence we find, that he aiflually 
 iheweth mercy on whom he decreed to fhew mercy, and hai- 
 deneth whom be refolved to harden, Rom. ix. i 8. ♦ For his 
 counfel fhalKland, and he will do all his. pleafure,' If. xlvi, lo. 
 Gonfequently, his eternal Predeftination of men and things 
 muR be immutable as Himfelf, and, fo far from being lever- 
 fjble, can never admit of the leaft variation. 
 
 Pof 3. " Although," to ufe the words of Gregory, '* God 
 never fwerves from his decree, yet he often varies in his decla^ 
 rations ;" That is always fure and immoveable ; ibefe are 
 fometimes feemingly difcordant. So, when he gave fentence 
 againft the Nineviies, by Jonah, faying, Tet forty days, and Ni- 
 neveh Jkall he overthroiun, the meaning of the words is, not 
 that God abfolutely intended, at the end of that fpace, to de- 
 (Iroy the city ; but, that, (hould God deal with thofe people 
 according to their deTerts, they v/ould be totally extirpated 
 froA the earth: and fliould be fo extirpated, wnleli they re^- 
 pented fpeedily. 
 
 Likewife, when he told King Hezehiah, by the prophet 
 }faiah, Set thine houft in order, for thou Jl: alt die, a:id not live ^ 
 the me:'ning was, that, with refpedt to fecond caufes, and 
 Gonfidering the King's bad ilate of health and emaciated con^ - 
 ftitutinn, he could not, humanly fpeaking, live much longer. 
 Biit ftill, the event (hewed I'jat God had immutably deter- 
 mined, that he (hould live fifteen years more; and, in order- 
 to that, had put it into his heart to pray for the blefling de- 
 creed : juft as in the cafe of Nineveh, lately mentioned, God 
 had refolved not to overthrow that city then ; and, in order 
 to the accomplilhment of his own purpofi in a way worthy of ■ 
 himlelf, made the minillry oi Jonah the means of leading that . 
 people to repentance. All wiiich, as it Ihev.s that God's ab-- 
 folute Prededination does not fet afide the ufe of means ; fo^ 
 does it likewife prove, that, however various the declarations 
 of God may appear, (to wit, wlien they proceed on a regard . 
 had to natural caufes) his counfels and defigns ftand firm and 
 immoveable, and can neither admit of alteration in themfelves, 
 nor of hindrance in their execution. See this farther explain- 
 ed by BucER, in Rom. ix. where you'll find the ctrtainty of 
 
 D 3 tbfr 
 
 3*1. 
 
[ 42 ] 
 
 the Divme appointments foliaiy alTerted and unanfwerablf 
 vindicated. We now come. 
 
 IV. To confider the Omnipotence of God. 
 Pof. I. God is, in the moil: unlimited and abfolute fenfe of 
 the word, ^hnighty. Jef. xxxii. 17. Behold Thou haft tnade the 
 heaven and the earth by thy great poiver and J] retched out arm^ and 
 there is nothing too hard for Thee. Mat. xix. 26. JVilh God all 
 things are pojjlhle. The fchoolmen, very properly, diflinguifh 
 the Omnipotence of God into ahfolule and atlual : by ihe for' 
 mer^ God m'lght do many things which he does not ; by the 
 latter, he a<Rually ^o^j whatever he wiU. For inflance; God 
 might, by virtue of his ahfolule power, have made more worlds 
 than He has. He might have eternally faved every individual 
 of mankind, without reprobating any : on the other hand, h.e 
 might, and that with the firidteft jullice, have condemned all 
 men, and faved none. He could, had it been his pleafure, 
 have prevented the fall of angels and men, and thereby have 
 hindered fm from having footing in and among his creatures^ 
 By virtue of his aSual power, he made the univerfe ; executes 
 ihe whole counfel of his Will ; both in heaven and earth ; gO' 
 Terns and influences both men and things, according to his 
 own pleafure; fixes the boimds which they Ihall not pnfs; and> 
 in a word, worketh all in all, IJa. xlv. 7. Amos iii. 6. John v^ 
 17. ABs xvii. 26. I Cor xii. 6. 
 
 • Pof. 2. Hence it follows that, fince all things are fubjeft 
 to the divine controul, God npt only works tfficacioufly on 
 his eleft, in order that they may will and do that which is 
 pkafing in his fight ; but does, likewife, frequently and pow- 
 erfully fuffer the wicked to fill up the meafure of their iniqui- 
 ties, by committing frefii fins. Nay, he fnmetimes, but for 
 \/\{e and gracious ends, permits his own people to tranfgrefs: 
 for he has the hearts and wills of men in his own hand, and 
 jaclines them to good, or delivers them up to evil, as he fees 
 fit: yet without being the author of fin; as Luthery Bucer, Auf- 
 iin and others, have pioufly and fcripturally taught. 
 
 Tliis pofition copfifts of two parts; (t.) That God efEca- 
 cioufly operates on the hearts of his ele61-, and is thereby the 
 fole author of all the good they do. See Eph. iii. 20. Phil. ii. 
 13. 1 Thef. ii. 13. Bcb. xiii. 21. St Aufl'm* takes no fewer 
 than nineteen chapters, in proving that whatever good is in 
 imen, and whatever good they are enabled to do, is folely and 
 
 entirely 
 
 • De Grat. & lib. Aj^.. a c. I. ufque ad c. aa 
 
C 43 ] 
 entirely of GoJ ; who, fays he, " works in holy perfons all 
 their good dcfues, their pious ihoughti, and their righteous- 
 adiions ; and yet thcle holy perions, though thus wrought 
 upon by God, will and do all thefe things freely : for it is 
 He who rediries their wills, which, being originally evil, are 
 made good by him ; and which wills, after he hath fet them 
 right and made them good, he dirtdVs to good a»5lions and to 
 eternal life ; wherein he does nox. force their wills, but makes 
 them willing." (2.) That God often lets the wicked go on 
 to more ungodlinefs : which he does, i. tiegatlvcly, by with- 
 holding thai grace, which alone can reftrain them from evil. 
 2. Remotely, by the providential concourfe and mediation of 
 fecond caufes ; which fecond caufes, meeting and afling in 
 concert with the corruption of the reprobate's uniegenerate, 
 nature, produce finful effctfts. 3. jfudlc'mUy., or in a way of 
 judgment. Prov. xxi. 1. 1 he King's heart is in the hand oj the 
 JLorJ, as the river f^ nf waters ; He turnelh it iv hither foever he 
 iLill : And if the king's heart, why not the hearts of all men? 
 L.am. iii 3S. Out of the mouth of the mofl high proceeded not evil 
 and good ? Hence we find, that the Lord bid Shimei curfe Da- 
 v:d, 2 i'am. xvi. 10. That he moved David himfeif to num- 
 ber the people, compare i Chron. xxi. I. with 2 Sam. xxi v. i. 
 Stirred up y'of-ph's brethren to fell him into Egypt, Gen, 1.- 
 20. Pofiiiveiy and immediately hardened the heart of Pha' 
 rcah, Ex. iv. 2 1. Helivcrcd up David's wives to be defiled. 
 by Abfulom, 2 Sam. xii. 11. and xvi. 22. Sent a lying fpiric to 
 deceive Ahah, 1 Kings xxii. 20 — 23. And mingled a per- 
 verfe fpirit in the midft o{ Egypt, i. e. made that nation per- 
 vcrfe, obdurate and ftifFneci<ed, Jfai. \\x. 14. To cite other 
 ioOances, would be almoft endlefs, and, after thefe, quit .... 
 necelfary ; all being fumm.ed up in that exprefs padage, Ifai. 
 xlv. 7. / make peace and create evil; I the Lord do all thefe 
 things. See farther, l Sam. xvi. 14. Pfalm cv. 25. Jer. xiii.. 
 12, 13. Ads ii. 23. and iv. 28. Rom. xi. 8. 2 Thcff. ii. \\, 
 Every one of which implies more* than a bare permjjjion of fin. 
 Bucer afferts this, not only in the place referred to below, but, 
 continually throughout his works; particulaily on Mat. vi. 
 S 2. where this is the fenfe of his comments on that petition, 
 lead us not into temptation ; " It is abundantly evident, from 
 mofl exprefs teftimonies of fcripturc, that God, occafionally 
 
 in 
 * Vid Augujiin. de Grat. & lib, Arlitr. c. %0. &ai. & B»cer\n Rom. 1. 
 feci. 7. V 
 
 /\ 
 
C 4+ ] 
 
 in the courfe of his providence, puts both elcdl and reprobate: 
 perfons into cifciimliances of temptation : by v?hich tempta- 
 tion, are meant, not only thofe trials that are of an outiuardy ^ 
 AffliSive nature ; but thofe alfo that are inward and fplrltuai ; 
 even fuch as ihall caufe the perfons fo tempted, actually to 
 turn afide from the f>ath of duty to commit fin, and in- 
 volve both themfelves and others in evil. Hence we find the 
 ele<fl complaining, Ifa. Ixili. 17. Lord, ivhy hnjl thou made 
 us to err from thy ivays, and hardened our hearts from thy fear ? 
 But there is alfo a kind of temptation, which is peculiar to the 
 non ele<St ; whereby God, in a way of juif judgment, makes 
 them totally blind and obdurate : inafmuch as they are veffeis 
 of wrath fitted to deftruiftion." See alfo his expofition of 
 Rom^ ix. 
 
 Luther * reafons to the very fame effedl : fome of his words 
 ai'e thefe ; " It may feem abfurd to human wifdom, that God 
 fhculd harden, blind and deliver up fome men to a reprobate 
 fenfe ; that he Ihould fiift deliver them over to evil, and then 
 condemn them for that evil : bucthe believing, fpiritual man 
 fees no abfurdity at all in this ; knowing, that Gcd would be 
 never a whit lefs good, even though he fhould deRroy all 
 men." And again ; " God worketh all things in all n;en ; 
 even wickednefb in the wicked: for this is one branch of iits own 
 Omnipotence." He very properly explains, how God may bc- 
 faid to harden men, &c. and yet not be the Author of their 
 fm : " It is not to be under ilood," fays he, " as if Gcdjuund 
 men good, wife and ira^lable, and then made them wicked^ 
 foolifh and obdurate; but God finding them depraved, judi- 
 cially and ppweriuUy excites ihem jull as they are (un'efs it 
 : x.^^ Will to regenerate any of them ; and, by thus exciting, 
 them, they become more blind and obllinate than they were 
 before." See this whole fubjed debated at large, in the pla-. 
 ces lafl: referred to. 
 
 Pof. 3. God, as the primary and efficient caufe of all things, , 
 is not only the author of thofe adions done by his e\t&, as 
 aSiofis ; but alfo as they are good aflious ; whereas, on the 
 other hand, though he may be faid to be the Author of all 
 the anions done by the wicked, yet he is not the author of 
 them in a moral and compound fenfe, as they zre firful ; but 
 pbyjically, Jiiuply, ^ndfenfu divifoy as they are mere adlons,. ab- 
 
 y ilradedly 
 
 • Dc Serv. Arb. c. 8. S<. I46. & J47. ufq. ad e. l6j. 
 
■ r 45 ] 
 
 ftraftedly from all confideraticn of the goodnefs or badnefs o^ 
 them. 
 
 Although there is no atflion whatever, which is not, in fome 
 fenfe, either good or bad ; yet we can eafily conceive of an ac- 
 tion, pure/y as fiich., without adverting to the quality of it : fo 
 that the di_rtin2tion between an Aitwn iij'tlf, and \i% cltnomination. 
 of good or evil, is very obvious and natural. 
 
 In and by the cled, therefore, God not only produces 
 woiks and adions, through his almighty /oaYr ; but likewife, 
 through ihefa/utary intlaences of his Spirit, firll makes their 
 perfons good, and then their actions lo too : but, in and by 
 the reprobate, he produces actions, by his power alone; which. 
 afl!ons, as neither illuing from faith, nor being wrought with 
 a view to the Divine Glory, nor done in the manner prefcri- 
 bed by the divine word, are, on ihefe accounts, properly de- 
 nominated evil. Hence we fee, that God does not, imme- 
 diately and per fe, infufe iniquity into the wicked ; but, as Z-m- 
 thcr exprcifes it, powerfully excites them to aiftion, and tvii/j- 
 hoUs thofe gracious influences of his Spirit, without which 
 every adir n is necefTarily evil. That God, either direiftly or re- 
 motely, excites bad men, as well as good ones, to adlion ; cannot: 
 be denied by any but Jtheijs, or by thofe* who carry their no- 
 tions of Free wmII and human Independency fo high, as to ex- 
 clude the Deity from all aflual operation in and among his 
 creatures : which is little fhort of Atheifm. Every .work per-; 
 formed, whether good or evil, i> done in the fuength and by 
 the power derived immediately from God himfelf, in •whom all 
 men live, move, and have their Being, Adls xvii. ^. Asj-'at 
 firft, without Him was not any thing made, which wasfmade^ 
 fo, now, without Him is not any thing done, which is done. 
 We have no power or faculty, whether corporal or intcUedu- 
 al, but what we received from God, fubfills by him, and is 
 exercifed in fubfervitncy to Hib will and appointment. M is 
 He, who created, preferves, aduates and direds all things. 
 But ic by no means follows, from thefe premifes, that God 
 is therefore the c?ufe of^;; ; for fin is nothir,' but «>',"•«, JUe- 
 ga'tty, want cf conformity to the divine law, l Jfhn iii. 4. a mer^ 
 privation of reditude : crnieqaently, being, itlclf a thing /'j^/v/y 
 negative, it can have no pofitive or iffuicnt cr.ufe, buL f^nly a 
 negative and deficient ox\Q'. as leveral learned men have oblerved. 
 
 livery adi<»n, as fuch, is undoubtedly good ; it being aa 
 adual exertion cf thofe operative powers given us by God for 
 
 that 
 
C +6 ] 
 
 that very end: God therefore may be the author of all anions, 1 
 .(as he undoubtedly is) and yet not be the author of Evil. 
 An aftion is conftituted evil, three ways ; by proceeding from 
 a wrong principle, by being' dire<Sed to a wrong etuly and by- 
 being done in a wrong manner. Now, though God, as we 
 have faid, is the efficient caufe of our aftions, as anions ; yet, 
 if thefe a«51Ions commence^nful, that finfulnefs arifes from or2r- 
 felves. Suppofe, a boy, who knows not how to write, lias 
 his hand guided by his Mader, and neverthelefs makes falfe 
 letters, quite unlike the copy fet him ; thcugh his preceptor, 
 who guides his hand, is the caufe of his writing at all, yet his 
 own ignorance and unfkilfulnefs are the caufe of his writing 
 fo badly. Juft fo, God, is the faprem: author of our aifiion, 
 abjlrudedly taken ; but our own vitiofity is the caufe of our ac- . 
 ting iimifs. 
 
 I (iiali conclude this article, with two or three obfervations. 
 And, (t.) I would infer, that, if we would maintain the 
 Doftrine c-f God's Omnipotence, we rruft infift upon that of his 
 untverfal agency: the /<:i//;r cannot be denied, without giving 
 tip ihc former. Difprove that he is almighty, and then we will 
 grant that his influence and operations are limited and circum- 
 fcribed. Luther fays,* ''God would not be a refpedtable 
 Being, if he were not almighty, and the doer of all things that 
 are done ; or if any thing could come to pafs, in which he 
 had no hand." God has, at leaftj ?L<\phyJical influence on 
 whatfoever is done by his creatures, whether trivial or impor- 
 tantj good or evil. Judas as truly lived, moved and had his 
 being from God, as Peter ; and Satan himfelf, as much as 
 Gabriel : for, to fay that fin exempts the finner from the divine 
 government and jurifdiflion, is abridging the power of God 
 with a witnefs ; nay, is razing it from its very foundations. 
 
 (2.) Ihis Dodrine of God's Omnipotence has a native ten- 
 dency to awaken in our hearts that reverence for, and fear of 
 the Divine Majefty, which none can either receive or retain, 
 but thofe who beliave him to be infinitely powerful, and to 
 work all things iifter the counfel of his own Will. This godly 
 fear is a fovereign antidote againft fm ; for, if I really believe, 
 that God, by his unintermitted operation upon my foul, pro- 
 duces adlions in me, which, being fimply good, receive their 
 malignancy from the corruption of my nature (and eventhofe 
 «/Orks that ftand oppojed to fins, are, more or lefs, infe(51ed " 
 
 with 
 • Dc Serv. Arb. c. 160. . 
 
C 47 3 
 with this moral leprofy) ; and if I confidcr, that, fhould I 
 yield myfelf a flave to adtual iniquity, God can, and julUf 
 might, as he has frequently done by others, give me up to a 
 rebrobate mind, and punifh one fin, by leaving me to the 
 -commiffion of another; furely, fuch reflexions as thefe muft fill 
 me with awful iapprehenfions of the divine purity, power and 
 greatnefs, and make me watch continually, as well againd 
 the inward rifings, as the outward appearance of evil. 
 
 (3.) This Doctrine is alfo ufetul, as it tends to infpire us 
 •with true humility of foul, and to lay us, as impotent dud 
 and afhes, at the feet of Sovereign Omnipotence. It teaches 
 UP, what too many are fatally ignorant of, the blefled Iciroo 
 of Self-despair ; i. e that, in a ftate of unregeneracy, our 
 •wifdom is folly, our llrength weaknefs, and our righteoufuefs 
 Toothing worth : that, therefore, we can do nothing, either to 
 the glory of God, or the fpiritual benefit of ourfelves, and 
 others, but through the ability whii.h He giveth ; thai in 
 Him our ftrength lieth, and from Hinti all our help muft 
 come. Suppofing we believe, that, whatfoever is done be- 
 low or above, God doeth it Himfelf; that ail things depend, 
 both as to their being and operation, upon His Omnipotent 
 Arm and miglity Support ; that we cannot evenj^/;, much 
 lefs do any good thing, if he withdraw his aid ; and that alF 
 men are in his hand, as clay in the hand of the potter ; I fay, 
 did we really believe all thefe points, and fee thejn in the light 
 of the Divine Spirit, how can it be reafonably ftippofed, that 
 we could wax infolent againft this Great God, behave contemp- 
 tuoufly and fupercilioufly in the world, or boaft of any thing 
 we have or do? Luther Informs us*, that he ** ufed fie- 
 quently to be much offended at this Doftrine, becaufe it drove 
 him to Self Df stair; but that he afterwards found, that this 
 Ibrt of Defpair was fiilutary and profitable, and near a-kin to 
 Divine Grace." 
 
 (4.) We are hereby taught not only Humility before God, 
 butlikewife Z^^/>f«^£'/.'f^ on Him, and Refignat'ion to Him. For, 
 if we are thoroughly perfuaded that, of oui felves, and in our 
 ©wn ftrength, we cannot either do good or evil ; but that, 
 being originally created by God, we are incefl'antly fuppurted, 
 moved, influenced, and direfted by Him, this way or that, as 
 He pleafcs ; the natural inference from hence will be, that, 
 , witli Cmple faith, we caft ouiftlves, entirely, as on the bofom 
 
 cf 
 • Dc 6cr\r. Arb, c. l6i. 
 
[ 48 ] 
 
 p£ his Providence ; commit all our care and folicitiide to his 
 hand ; praying, without hefitation or referve, that his Will 
 may be done in us, en us, and by us ; and that» in all his 
 dealings with us, he may confult his own glory alone. This 
 holy PaJJliienefs is the very j^ptx of Chriftianity. All the de- 
 fires of our Great Redeemer himfelf were reducible to thefe 
 iiuo ; that the IVill of God might be done, and that the Glory 
 of God might be difplayed. Thefe were the higheft and fu- 
 preme marks, at which he aimed, throughout the whole courfe 
 of his fpotlefs life, and inconceiveably tremendous fulferings. 
 i-Jappy, thrice happy that man, who hath thus far attained 
 the mind that was in Chrift ! 
 
 (5.) The comfortable belief of this Dfdrine, has atenden- 
 cy to excite and iieep alive within tas that Fortitude, which is 
 fo ornamental to, and neceflary for us, while we abide in this 
 vt'ildernefs. For, if I believe, with the Apoftle, that all 
 things are of God, 2 Cor. V. 18. I fhall be lefs liable to per- 
 turbation, when affli<5led, and learn more eafily to polfefs my 
 foul in patience. This was Job's fupport : he was not over- 
 come with rage and defpair, when he received news that the 
 Saheans had carried ofT his cattle, and (lain his fervants, and 
 that the remainder of both were confumed with fire ; that the 
 Chaldeans had robbed him of his camels ; and that his feven 
 fons were crufhed to death, by the falling of the houfe where 
 they weie fitirng ; he refolved all thefe mibfoilunes into the 
 Agency of God, his Power and Sovereignty, and even thank- 
 ed him for doing what he would with his own, Job. i. 2«. 
 If ani^ther fliould flandet me in word, or injure me in deed, 
 I fhall nnt be prone to anger, when, with Davids 1 confider 
 that the Lord hath bidden him, 2 Sam. xvi. 10. 
 
 (6.) This Ihould Rir us up to fervent and inceflant Prayer. 
 For, does God work powerfully and benignly in the hearts of 
 his Eled ? and is he the fole caufe of every aflicn they do, 
 which is truly and fpiritually good? Then it fliould be our 
 prayer, that he would work in us like wife both to will and to 
 do, of his good pleafure : and if, on ielf-examin.ition,, we 
 find reafon to truft, that fome good thing is wrought in us ; 
 it fliould put us upon thanlftdnejs unfeigned, and caufe us to 
 glory, not in ourfelves, but in Him. On the other hand, 
 does God manifeft his difpleafure againft the wicked, by 
 blinding, hardening, and giving them up to perpetrate ini- 
 quity with greedinefs .'* which judicial afls of God, are both a 
 
 pun'-Jhxient 
 
 ■^ 
 
[ 49 2 
 pun'ifhwcnt for their fm : and alfo eventual aiJd'ttions to it : we 
 iliould be the more incited to deprecate thefe tremenduous evils, 
 and to befeech the King ot he.iven, that he would not thus 
 lead us into temptation. So much concerning the Omnipotaice 
 of God. I Ihall now, 
 
 V. Talce notice of his Jujlice. 
 
 Pof. I. God is infinitely, abfolutely, and unchangeably ya/7. 
 The Juflice of God may be confidered either imtnanetitly, 2.9 
 it is in Himfelf, which is, properly fpealcing, the fame with his 
 Holinep ; or tranfienlly and relatively, as it refpecfls his right 
 conduct toward his Creatures, which is properly Jujlice. By 
 ^t former he // all that is holy, juft, and good ; by the latter^ 
 he is tnanif-fttd to be fo, in all his dealings with angels and 
 men. For thtjirjl, fee Deut. xxxii. 4. Pf. xcii. 15. for the/t- 
 cond, Job viii. 3. /y! cxlv. 17 Hence it follows, that whatever 
 God either wills or does, however it may, at firft fight, feem 
 to clafh with our ideas of right and wrong, cannot really be 
 unjuft. Ft is certain, that, for a feafon, he forely affiifled his 
 righteous fervant Job ; and, on the other hand enriched the 
 Sabeans, an infidel and lawlefs nation, with a profnfion of 
 wealth, and a feries of fuccefs : before Jacob and Efau were 
 born, or had done either good or evil, he loved and chofe the 
 former, and reprobated the latter: He gave repentance to 
 Peter, and left Judas to perifli in his fin : and, as in all ages, 
 ib, to this day, he hath mercy on ivhom he tvill, and ivhom he will 
 he hardcneth. In all which, he a(5ts moft juftly and righteoufly, 
 and there is no iniquity with him. 
 
 Pof. 2. The Deity may be confidered in a three-fold y'lew: 
 as God of all, as Lord of all, and as Jud^e of all. 
 
 [i.J As Gou of all, he created, fullains, and exhilerates the 
 whole univerfe; caufes His fun to (hine, and his rain to fall 
 upon the evil and the good, Mat. v. and is 'Z^TYi^'ravlMv ecvf^u-rut^ 
 the Prrferver of all men, I Tim. iv. 10. For, as he is infinitely 
 and fupremely good, fo alfo is he communicative of his goodnefs; 
 as appears not only from his creation of all things, but efpe- 
 cially from his providential benignity. Every thing has its 
 being from him, as creator ; and its 'well-being from him, as a 
 bountiful preferver. fz.j As Lord, or Sovereign of all, he 
 does as he tvill (and has a moft unqueftionable right to do 
 fo) "Mitlj his oivn ; and, in particul.ir, fixes and determines 
 the cverlafting ftate of every individual pcrfon, as he fees 
 £t. It is cjfetuial to abfolute fovereignty, that the fovereiga 
 
 £ • bare 
 
# r 53 J 
 
 isve it in his power to difpofe of thofe, over uhom his 
 jurifdiftlon extends, juft as he pleafes, without being account- 
 able to any : and God, whofe authority is unbounded, none 
 being exempt from it ; may, with the ftridtcft holinefs and 
 juilice, love or hate, eledl or reprobate, fave or deRroy any 
 of his creatures, whether human or angelic, according to his 
 <^wn free pleafure and fovereign purpofe. [3.] As Judge of 
 all, he ratifies what he does as Lord, by rendering to all ac- 
 cording to their works ; by punifhing the wicked, and reward- 
 ing thofe whom it was his Will to elteem righteous and to 
 make holy. 
 
 Pof. 3. Whatever things God wills or does, are not willed 
 and done by him becaufe they were, in their own nature, and 
 Jtrevioujly to his willing them, juft and tight ; or becaufe, from 
 their intnnJJcJltnefs, he ought to will and to do them : but they 
 are therefore juft, right and proper, becaufe He, who is Holi- 
 nefs itfelf, wills and does them. 
 
 Hence, Abraham looked upon it as a righteous a£lion, to flay 
 Ills innocent Son. Why did he fo efteem it becaufe the law 
 of God authorifed murder? No; for, on the contrary, both 
 the law of God and the law of nature peremptorily yir^^/^ it : 
 but the holy Patriarch well knew, that the IVtll oi God is the 
 9n1y rule of juftice, and that what he pleafes to command, is, 
 »n that very account juft and righteous.* It follows, 
 
 Pof. 4. That although our works are to be examined by ' 
 the revealed Will of God, and be denominated materially 
 good or evil, as they agree or difagree with It ; yet, the works 
 ef God himfelf cannot be brought to any teft whatever : for, 
 his Will being the grand, univerfal law, He himfelf cannot be* 
 properly fpeaking, fubjedt to, or obliged by, any law fupeflor 
 to that. Many things are done by him, fuch as chufing and 
 reprobating men, without any refpe^ft had, to their works; 
 fiiffcring people to fall into fin, when, if i^fo pleafed Him, he 
 might prevent it ; leaving many backfliding profeifors to go 
 on and perifti in their apoftacy, when, it is in his divine power 
 to fanftify and fet them right ; drawing fome by his grace, 
 and permitting many others to concinue in fin and unregene* 
 xacy ; condemning thofe to future mtfery, whom, if he plea- 
 fed, lie could undoubtedly fave ; with innumerable initances 
 of the like nature, (which might be mentioned) and which, if 
 done by wj, would be apparently unjuft, inafmuch as they 
 
 Vi'ould 
 • Compare alfo ExoL iii. %%. with Exoi. xx. 15. 
 
r 5' ] 
 
 would not fquare with the Revealed Will of God, which Is t&e 
 great and only Hife rule of our pradice. But, when HE does 
 thife and fuch like tilings, they cannot but be holy, equitablev 
 and worthy of himfclf : for, fince his Will is ellentially and 
 unchangeably juft, whatever he does, in confequence of that 
 Will, muft be jiill and good likewife. From what has been 
 delivered under \.h\sjlfth head, I. would infer, That they, who 
 deny the powci God has of doing as he will with his creatures, 
 and exclaim againli unconditional decrees, as cruel, tyrannic 
 cal, and unjuft ; either know not what they fay, nor whereof 
 they aiHrm ; or are wilful blafphemers of his name, and per- 
 verfe rebels againft his fovcreignty : to which, at laft, however 
 unwillingly, they will be forced to fubmit. 
 
 I fliall conclude this Introdudion with briefly confiderlngy 
 in the 
 
 Sixth and Laft place, the Mercy of God. 
 
 Pof. I. The Deity is, throughout the fcriptures, reprefent- 
 ed as infinitely gracious and merciful, Exod. xxxiv. 6. Nehettt. 
 ix. 17. Pfalm ciii. 8. i Pet. \. 3. 
 
 When we call the divine mercy infinite, we do not meaa 
 that il is, in a way of grace, extended to all men, without ex- 
 ception ; (and fuppofing it was, even then it would be very 
 improperly denominated infinite on that account, fince the ob- 
 je<fls ot it, though all men taken together, would not amount 
 to a multitude ftiiJtly and properly infinite) but, that his mer* 
 cy towards his own eled, as it knew no beginning, fo is it in- 
 finite in duration, and fliall know neither period nor intermifflont 
 
 Pof. 2. Mercy is not in the Deity, as it is in us, a. pajjion^ 
 or ejection; every thing of that kind being incompatible with 
 the purity, perfe(ftIon, independency and unchangeablenefs of 
 his nature: but, when this attribute is predicated of him, it 
 only notes h'xsfrte and eternal ii'iil, or pur pof e, of making fame of 
 the fallen race happy, by delivering them from the guilt and dominion 
 of Jin, and communicating himfclf to them in a loay conjiflent with 
 his o'u>n inviolable jujlice, truth and iolinefs. This feems to be 
 the proper definition of mercy, as it relates to the fpiritual 
 and eternal good of thofe who are its objeds. But it Ihould 
 be obferved, 
 
 Pof. 3. That the Mercy of God, taken in its more large and 
 indefinite ftnfc, may be coniidered, \_i.~\2t.s general, [i.'j-isfpeciaL 
 
 His general mercy is no other than what we commonly call 
 bis bounty ; by which he is, more or hh providentially good to 
 
 £ 2 ail 
 
C J* ] 
 
 all mankind, both eU&. and non-eleft: Mat. v. 45. Lule v\, 
 35. ^ctj xiv. 17. and xvii. 25, 28. By hh/jpecial mercy ^ He, 
 as Lord of all, hath, in a fpiritual lenfe, compaflion on as 
 xnany of the fallen race, as are the objrfts cf his free and eter- 
 nal favour : the efi''c(f^s of which fpecial mercy are, the reJemp- 
 tton zxifS jujltfication of their perfons, through the fatisfaiTiion cf 
 Chrift ; the effectual vocation^ regeneration and fanriification of 
 them, by his fpirit ; the infiillible and ^v.z\ prcfervation of them 
 in a ftate of grace on earth ; and their everlafting glorification 
 in hearen. 
 
 Pof. 4. There Is no contradidllon, whether real or feeming, 
 between thefe two affertions, [i.] That the bleffings of grace 
 and glory are peculiar to thofe whom God hath, in his decree 
 of Predeftination, fet apart for himfelf ; and [2.] That the 
 gofpel declaration runs, that ivhofoever nvilleth, jnay take of the 
 water of life freely. Rev. xxii. 17. Since, in ths. frfl pldce, 
 rone caji will, or unfeignedly and fpiritually defire, a part in 
 thefe privileges, but thofe whom God previoufly makes willing 
 and defirous ; and, fecondly, that he gives this will to, and ex- 
 cites this defire in, none but his own ele<a. 
 
 Pof. 5. Since ungodly men, who arc totally and finally def- 
 titute of divine grace, cannot know what this mercy is, nor 
 form any proper apprehenficns of it, much lefs by rarth em- 
 brace and rely upon it for themfelves ; and fince daily experi- 
 ence, as well as the fcriptures of truth, teaches us, that God 
 doth «o/ open the eyes of the reprobate, as he doth the eyes of 
 his eled, nor favingly enlighten their underllandings ; it evi- 
 dently follows that his mercy was never, from the veiy firft, 
 defigned for them, neither will it be applied to them : but, 
 both in dcfignation and application, is proper and peculiar to 
 thofe only, who are predeftinalcd to life; as it is written, tJ:e 
 election hath obtained, and the rfl ii'ere llinded, Rom. xi. 7. 
 
 Pof 6. The whole work of falvation, together with every 
 thing that is in order to it, or ftands in connection with it, is, 
 fometimes, in fcriplure, comprifed under the fingle term mer' 
 cy ; to fiiew, that mere love and abfolute grace were the 
 grand caufe why the eledl are faved, and that all merit, wor- 
 thinefs, and good qualifications of theirs were entirely exclu- 
 ded froni having any influence on the divine will, why they 
 fhould be chofen, redeemed, and glorified, above others. 
 "When it is faid, Rom. ix. Hr hath mercy on •luhom he ivill ha-oe 
 mercy^ it is as much as if the ApoUle had faid, " God eleded, 
 
 jranfomed/ 
 
[ Si ] 
 
 ranfnmed, jiiiKfied, regenerates, fandifies and glorifies whom* 
 he pleafes :" every one of ihefe great privileges being briefly 
 fummed up, and virtually included, in that comprehenfive 
 phrafe, " He hath mercy." 
 
 Pof. 7. It follows, th.it, whatever favour Is beftowed on us ; 
 or wrought by us, whether in Will, Word, or Deed ; and 
 whatever blelfings elfe we receive from God, from Eledlion 
 quite home to. Glorification ;. all proceed merely and entirely, 
 from the good pleafure of his IVill, and his Mercy towards us in 
 Christ Jesus. To hini, therefore, the praife is due, who 
 putteth the difference between man and man, by having com«r 
 paffion on fome, and not en others. 
 
 THE 
 
 DOCTRINE 
 
 OF 
 
 ABSOLUTE PREDESTINATION. 
 Stated and Afferted- 
 
 H 
 
 C H A P. I. 
 
 Wherein the Terms, commonly, made ufe of In ireatiag of this SuhjeCf^: 
 are dejined and explained. 
 
 ' AVTNG'confidered the ^ttriiutei of GoJ, as laid down 
 
 ; in fcriptnre : and, fo far, cleared our way to the Doc^ 
 
 trine of Predeftination; I i hall, before I enter further on the 
 fubjecf^, explain the principal terms, generally made ufe of, 
 when treating of it, and fettle their true meaning. In dif- 
 courfing on the divine decrees, mention Is frequently made 
 of God's Love^ and Haired; oi Eledion, and Reprobation; of 
 \\\z 6\v\r\Q Purpofe, Forehwwled^e ind Predeflination : each, of 
 which we liiall dillinclly and briefly confideu 
 
 E 3 I. When 
 
C 54 ] 
 
 I, When Love is predicated of God, we do not mean that 
 he is poflefled of it as ■?. pajficn, or affection. In us, it is fuch ; 
 but if, confidered in that ferie, it ihould be afcribed to the 
 Deity, it would be utterly lubverfive of iht fjmplicity, perfec- 
 Uon and independency nf his Being. Love, therefore, when at- 
 tributed to Him, lignifies, [i.J his eternal Benevolence, i. e. 
 his everlafting Will, Piirpofe and Determination to deliver, 
 blefs, and fave his people. Of this, no good works, wrought 
 by them, are, in any fenfe, the caufe. Neither are even the 
 merits of Chrift himfelf to be confidered as an^ way moving, 
 or exciting this good will of God to his eleft ; fince the gift 
 of Chrift, to be their mediator and redeemer, is itfelf an ^ect 
 of this free and eternal favour, borne to them by God tlie Fa- 
 ther, yohn iii- 1 6. His love towards them arifes merely from 
 the good plca/ure of his o<-Mn good IVill, without the leaft regard 
 to any ihing ad extra, or, out of himfelf I'he term implies, 
 (2.) complacency, delight, and approbation. With this love, God 
 cannot love even his ele<ft, as confidered in themfelves ; be- 
 caufe in that view, they are guilty, polluted fmners ; but they 
 were, from all eternity, objeifls of it, as they flood united to 
 Chrift, and partakers of his righteoufr.efs. Love implies, (3 ) 
 adual hnejicence ; which, properly fpeaking, is nothing clfe 
 than the effei:t, or accompUJhment, of the other two : thofe are 
 the caufe of this. This actual beneficence refpefls all bleil- 
 ings, whether of a temporal, fpiritual, or eternal nature. 
 Temporal good things are, indeed -indifcriminately bellowed 
 in a greater or lefs degree, on all, whether eleft or repro- 
 bate ; but they are given in" a covcr.anf ivay, and as bleff.ngs, 
 to the elefl only : to whom alfo the other benefits, refpeding 
 grace and glory* are peculiar. And this love. of beneficence 
 X)0 lefs than that of benevolence and complacency, is abfoluteljr 
 free, and irrefpecftive of any worihinefs in man. 
 
 H. When Hatred is afcribed to God, it implies, (i.) a ne- 
 gation of benevolence; or, a refolution not to have mercy on 
 fuch and fuch men, nor to endue them with any of thofe gra- 
 ces, wliich fland conneded with eternal life. So, Rom. ix. 
 Bfau have I hated, i. e. I did, from all eternity, determine 
 v.'ithin myfelf, not to have mercy on him. The fole caufe of 
 which awful negation, is, not merely the unworthinefs of the 
 perfons hated, but the fovereignty and freedom of the divine 
 Will. {'2.) It denotes difpkafure and dijlile : for. Sinners, 
 who are not interelled in Chrift, cannot but be infinitely dif- 
 
 pleafing 
 
f ss 1 
 
 pleafing to, and loathfome in, the fight of eternal purity, 
 (a.) It fignifies 2i pofittve ivill to puni/li and deflroy the repro*- 
 bate for their fins ; of which Will, the infliiflion of mifery 
 upon them hereafter, is but the necefiary cfFed, and a<51ual 
 execution. 
 
 III.. The term Election, that fo very frequently occurs ia 
 fcripture, is there taken in -ti fourfold fenfe ; (i.) and mod 
 commonly fignifies, " That eternal., fovtreign, unconditiona/y 
 parii' ular, and immutable adl of G^^d, where he felected fome 
 froai among all mankind, and of every nation under heaven, 
 to be redeemed and everlaftingly faved by Chrift." (2.) It, 
 fomeiimes, and more rarely, fignifies, " That gracious and 
 almighty a(ft of the divine vSpirit, whereby God adually ^d 
 vifibly fepariitcs bis Eledi from the world, by effectual tailing.'* 
 This is nothing but the mamfrjiation and partial fulfilment of 
 xht former election; and, by it, the cbjeds of predeuinaling 
 grace axq fevjd)ly led unto the communion of laints, and vifi' 
 bly added to the number ol God's declared, profeffing people. 
 Of this our Lord makes mention, John xv. 19. Becaufe I 
 have chofen you out of the ivorhl, therefore the world hateth you* 
 Where, it lliould feem, the chuue, i'poken of, does not refer 
 fo much to God's eternal, immanent A&. of eledtion, as his open, 
 fnanifed one ; whereby he powerfully and efficacioufly called 
 the c!ifciples forth from the world of the unconverted, and 
 quickened them from above, in converfion. [3. J By ekiftion 
 is fometimes meant, " God's taking a whole nation, commu- 
 nity, or body of men, into external covenant with himfelf, by 
 givin2[ them the advantage of revelation, or his written word, 
 as the rule of their belief and pradice, when other nations are 
 Without it." In this fenfe, the whole body of the Jewift) na- 
 tion was indifcriminately called elect, Deut. vii. 6, becaufe 
 that unto them tcere committed the Oracles of God. Now, all that 
 are thus ele(5ted, are not therefore necelfarily /aTf^; but many 
 of them may be, and are, reprobates: as ihofe, of whonjuour 
 Lord fays. Mat xxiii. 20. that they hear the -word, and anon 
 ivish j/ty receive it. Sec. And the apoiile "John, \ Epilt. chap. 
 ik 'They 'went out from ws, i. e. being favoured with the fame 
 gofpel revelation we were, they profeiled themfelves true be- 
 Jicvtrs, no lefs tlian we ; but they ivere not of us, i. e. they were 
 not, with us, chofen of God unto everlaiUng life, nor did they 
 ever, in reality, p< (fefs that fiiitli of his operation, which he 
 gave to us ',for, if they had^ in this fenfe, been of us^ they ivouUf 
 
 no 
 
r 56 3 
 
 no doubt, have continued iv'ilh us ; \.\tey would have mantfeftetf 
 the fincerity of their profeffions, and the truth of their cnnver- 
 fion, by enduring to the end, and being faved. And even 
 this external revelation, though it is not neceffarily connected 
 with eternal happinefs, is, neverthelefs, produdive of very 
 many and great advantages to the people and places where it 
 is vouchfafed ; and is made known to fome nations, and kept 
 ' back * from others, according to the good pkajure of Him., <who 
 ivorkcth all things after the C£unfe^. of his own Will. ' [4] And 
 laftly, Ehction fomelimes fignifies, 'i The temporary defigna- 
 tion of fome perfon or perfons, to the filling up fome particu- 
 lar ftdtion in the vjfible churchy or office in n'wV life." So Ju- 
 das was chofen to the apofllefhip, John vi, 70. and Saul to be 
 king of Ifrael. 1 Sam x. 24. This much for the ufe of the 
 word Election. On the contrary, 
 
 IV. /?fj!)ro3r//i(?« denotes either [1.3 God's eternal Preterit 
 tion oi fome rnen, when he chofe others to glory, and his Pre- 
 deftination of them to fill up the meafure of their iniquities,, 
 and then to receive the jud punifhment of their crimes, even 
 deflruction from the prgfence of the Lord, and from the glory of hh 
 power. This is the primary, moft obvious, and moil frequent 
 fenfe, in which the word is ufed. It may likewife lignify,. 
 [2.] God's forbearing to call by his> Grace, ihofe whom he 
 hath thus ordained to condemnation: but this is only a tern- 
 poxary preterition, and a confequence of that which was from 
 eternity, Zs2 And laftly, The word may be taken in ano- 
 ther fenfe, as denoting God's refufal to grant, to fome na* 
 jions, the light of the gofpel revelation. This may be con- 
 fidered as a kind of «fl//i>nfl/ reprobation ; which yet does not 
 imply that every individual perfon, who lives in fuch a country, 
 muft therefore unavoidably perifti for ever : any more than 
 that every individual, vho lives in a land called Chrijlian^ is 
 therefore in a (late of falvation. There are, no doubt, eleci 
 perfons among the former • as well as riprobate ones, among 
 the latter. By a very little attention to the context, any read- 
 er miy eafily difcover in ivbich of thefe feveral fenfes the 
 words" eleci and reprobate are ufed, whenever they occur ia 
 fcjipture. 
 
 V. 
 • See. Pfam cxUii. l^ a©. 
 
C 57 ] 
 
 V. Mention is frequently made, in fcripturc, of the Purfofe^ 
 ©f Gcd : which is no other than his gracious intention, from 
 eternity, of making his Lle<ft everlallingly happy in Chrift. 
 
 VI. When Fort-knoivkd'^e is afcribed to God, the word im- 
 ports, (i) that general prefcience, whereby he knew, from 
 all eternity, both wliat He Hlmfelf would do, and what his 
 trcaturety in confequence of his ejicacious and permijftve decree, 
 fliculd do like wife. The divine fore- knowledge, confidered in 
 ihis view, is abfolutely univerjal ; it extends to all beings that 
 did, do, or ever ih;>U exift ; and to all aSions, that ever have 
 been, that are, or fhall be done, whether good or evil, nata« 
 ral, civil, or moral. (2.) The word often denotes that fpe- 
 cia! prefcience, which has for its objc<5ts his own eled, and 
 them alone, whom he is, in a peculiar fenfe, faid to know and 
 
 foreknoiVy Pfal. i. 6. 'John x. 27. 2 Tim. ii. 19. Rom. viii. 29. 
 I Pet. i. 2, and this knowledge is conneded with, or rather 
 the SAME with, love favour and approbation. ^■ 
 
 VII. We come, now, to confider the meaning of the word 
 Prtelejlinatiottf and how It is taken in fcripturc. The verb 
 prtdtjUnatr is of latin original, and fignifies, in that tongue, 
 to deliberate beforehand vjith one^s feif how one Jhall aS ; andy in 
 confequence of fuch deliberation, to conflitute, forc'Crdain, and pre* 
 determine, tvhere, when, ho<w, and by luhom, any thing Jhall be 
 done, and vjhen it Jhall be done. So the Greek verb, 'f?""?'^^, which 
 
 exa<flly 
 
 • The Poapoae of God does not fecm to difur at all, from Predesti' 
 MAI ION ; that being, as well as thii, an ettrnai, free and unchangeibl*. 
 zC\ of his will. Bcudes, th- word purfoje, when predicated of Gcd in the 
 New TeOament, always denotes bis t^(Jign offaving his eicB, and that only ; 
 Mom. viii. 18. and ix. 11. Eph in. and iii. ii. z Tim. i. 9. A? does the 
 term Predeflimticn ; which, througliout the whole New-TeOament, re- 
 *tr (Ignifies the appointment of the noii-eUB to wrath ; but, fingly and 
 fi)lely the fore-appointment of the cleft to grace and glory; thcngli, • in 
 common theolojucal writings, Predenination is fpoken of as extending to 
 whatever GoJ do;.';, hoth in k way of permifTion and efficiency : as, in the 
 Btmofb feiiCc of the tetni, it does. It is worthy of the redder Vnotice, that 
 the original word, 'r^ohtri; whith we render Pttrpofc. fignifies not only aa 
 appointment, but a yo;f appointment, and fuch a f(jrc-appointment, as J^ 
 epcoikus. and cannot be cbftfuflcd, but (hall n)»ft afhntdiy ifTn* in a full 
 accompiifhmcni : which gave cccalion to the following judicious reirail< of 
 a late kained wiiter; " vr^ofm, a Faulo fipe tiforpatur in eleflionis nego- 
 th>, ad dcfignandum, conGlium hoc D' i non cfTc inanem quandam & inef- 
 ficacen vcljtitatem ; le-i confiars, dtturminatum, & imnutabilc Dei pro- 
 politiim. Vox tnim ell cjjlctui.t fumriis, ut notant grammatici veteres; & 
 fi'^'irjtc vocatur a Paulo, ^^oi'.en; rw ca ■raK/jj iM^yMi'i'^, caiifilitim illius, qui 
 efficuciter omnia operntur ex bencplii.itofuo." ToKRariN. InlHtut. Tom. t, 
 luc. 4. tjua;lt. 7. 1'. Xi. 
 
C 58 3 
 
 exaflly anfwers to the Englifh word prcdejlhiale^ and is rendered 
 by it, {JgniGes, (0 refolvSf before handy tukbtn one's felf, ivhat to do } 
 and, hejare the thing refolved on is actually eJftBed, to appoint it ta 
 fame certain ufe, and direB it to fame determinate end. The Hebrew 
 verb, Habhdelt has likewiie much ihe fame fignificatlon. 
 
 Now, none but ivife men are capable (efpecially in matters 
 of great importance) of rightly determining luhat to do, and 
 hoiv to accompiifh a proper end^ by juft, fuitable and effe<5tual 
 means : and, if tnis is, confefTedly, a very material part of 
 true Wifdom ; -vho io^t to difpofe of men and affign each in- 
 dividual his fphere of action in this world, and his place in 
 the world to come, as the all-ioife God ? and yet, alas ! how 
 many are there, who cavil at thofe eternal decrees, which, were 
 we capable of fuliy and clearly underAanding them, would ap- 
 pear to be as jvjl as they are fovereign, and as wife as they 
 are incompreheniible ! Divine Pre-ordination has, for its ob- 
 jefls, all things that are created: no creature, whether rational 
 or irrational, animate or inanimate, is exempted from its in- 
 fluence. All beings whatever, from the higheft Angel to the 
 meaneft reptile, and from the meaneft reptile to the minuteft atom^ 
 are the objetfts of God's eternal decrees and particular provi- 
 dence. However the ancient fathers only make ufe of the 
 word Predeflination, a^ it refers to angels or men, whether 
 good or evil : and it is ufed, by the apolUe Paul, in a more , 
 limited fenfe ft ill ; fo as, by it, to mean only that branch of 
 it, which refpedts God's eledion and defignation of his people 
 to eternal life, Rom. viii. 30 Eph. i. 1 1. 
 
 But, that we may more juRly apprehend the import of this 
 word, and the ideas intended to be conveyed by it ; it may be 
 proper to obferve, that the term Predeflination, theologically 
 taken, admits of ■& fourfold definition : and may be confidered 
 as, (i.) " That eternal, mod wife, and immutable decree of 
 God, whereby he did, from before all time determine and or- 
 dain 10 create, difpofe of, and dired t© fome particular end, 
 every perfcn and thing to which he has given, or is yet to give, 
 Being ; and to make the whole creation fubfervient to, and 
 declarative of, his own glory." Of this decree, Adual Pro.- 
 •vidence is the execution. (2.) Predeftinaticn may be confide- 
 red, as relating generally to mankind, and them only : and, in 
 this view, we define it to be, " The eveilalting, fovereign, 
 and invariable purpofe of God, whereby He did determine 
 within himfelf, to create /idam in his own image and likenefs, 
 
 a:id 
 
[ 59 ] 
 
 und then to permit his Fall ; and to fufFer him, thereby, t» 
 plunge himfelf, and his whole pofterity," (inafmuch as they 
 all finned in him, not only virtually but a\fo farhrally and re- 
 frefentat'ively) " into the dreadful abyfs of fm, mifery and 
 death." [3.] Confider Predeftinalion as relating to the elect 
 only, and it is " That eternal, unconditional, particular, and 
 irreverfible ad of the divine Will, whereby, in niatchlefs love, 
 and adoreable fpvereigniy, God determined within himfelf to 
 deliver a certain number of Adam's degenerate * offspring, out 
 of that finful and miferable eftate, into which, by his primi- 
 tive tranfgreflion, they were to fall:" and in which fad con- 
 dition they were equally involved, with thofe who were not 
 chofen : but, being pitched upon, and fingled out, by God 
 the Father, to be veflels of grace and falvation (not for any 
 thing in tliem, that could recommend them to his favour, or 
 entitle them to his notice, but merely becaufe he luould fhevr 
 himfelf gracious to them), they were, in time actually redeem- 
 ed by Chrift : are effedually called by his fpirit, juftified, a- 
 dopted, fanflified, and preferved fafe to liys heavenly kingdom. 
 The fuj>reme end of this dtcree, is the manifeftation of his own 
 infinitely glorious and amiably tremendous perfedions : the 
 inferior, or fubordinate end, is the happinefs and falvation of 
 them who are thus freely elefled. [4.! PredeQination, as it re- 
 gards the reprobate, is " That eternal, mcft holy, fovereign, 
 and immutable ad of God's Willj vi'lierefcy he hath determi- 
 ned to leave fome men to perilh in their fins, and to be juftly 
 punifhed for them." 
 
 C H A P. II. 
 
 Wherein the Docttine of FmnESTiNArios is e:<plainedf as it relates 
 in general to All Men. 
 
 THUS much being premifed, with relation to the fcrlp- 
 ture terms commonly made ufe of in this controverfy, we 
 
 Ihall 
 
 • When we Tay, that thcdecree of Pre<It(lination to life r.nd death rcfpeOs 
 man as fiilleit, we do not mean, that the full wis a{\vaVy antecedent to 
 that decree •: for the decree is truly and properly eternal, as all Gods imma- 
 ntnt afls uiidouhtedly arc ; whereas the foil took place in lime. What wc 
 intend, then, is only this, viz. that Got, (for reafonf, without doiiht, 
 worthy of hiir.ftlf, and of whith we are, by no means, in this life compe- 
 tent judges) having, f^)ni everla fling, peremptorily ordaintd to fuffcr the 
 fail of AduRi ; did, likewifc, from tvcrlading, conlidcr the human race as 
 
 fallen : 
 
C 60 ] 
 
 fiiall, now, proceed to take a marer view of ihis high and 
 myfterious aticle, And, 
 
 I. We, with the fcriptures, a/Tert, That there is a Predef- 
 tination of fome particular perfons to life, f^r the praife of the 
 glory of divine grace; and a Predeflinatton of other particular 
 perfons to death: which death of punifhment they fliall inevi- 
 tably undergo, and that juftly, on account of their fins, [i.] 
 There is a Predejlinal'ton of f/me particular perfons to life. So, 
 Mat. XX. 15. Many are called^ but few chofen ; i. e. the gofpel 
 revelation comes, indifcriminaiely, to great multitudes ; bitt 
 few, comparatively fpeaking, are fplrltuaVy and eternally the 
 better for it : and thefe few, to whom it is the favour of life 
 Unto life, are therefore favingly benefited by it, becaufe they are 
 the chofen, or ele6t of God. To the fame efFeft are the fol- 
 lowing paifages, among many others : Mat. xxiv. 22. * For 
 the eledls fake, thofe days fhall be fhortened.' Ads xiii. 48. 
 * As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.' Rom. 
 viii. 30. ' Whom he did predeRinate, them he alfo called.' 
 And, verfe33, ' Who (hall lay any thing to the charge of God's 
 eled ?' Eph. i. 4, 5. * According as he hath chofen us in Him, 
 before the foundation of the world that we (liould be holy, Iffc. 
 Having predeftinated us to the adoption of children, by Jefus 
 Chrift, unto Himfelf, according to the good pleafure of his 
 Will.' 2 Tim. i. 9. ♦ Who hath faved us, and CiUed us with 
 an holy calling, not according to our works, but according 
 to his own purpofe, and grace which was given us, in Chrift, 
 before the world began.' [2.] This eledion of certain indi- 
 viduals unto eternal life wzafor the praife of the glory of divine 
 jrace. This is exprefsly aflerted, in fo many words, by the 
 apoftle, Eph. i. 5, 6. Grace, or mere favour, was the impul- 
 five caufe of all : It was the main fpring, which fet all the in- 
 ferior wheels in motion. It was an a(5t of grace, in God, to 
 chufe any ; when he might have palled by all : It was an act of 
 fovereign grace, to chufe this man, rather than that; when 
 hath were equally undone in themfelves, and alike obnoxious to 
 his difpleafure. In a word, fince election is not of ivorhs, and 
 does not proceed on the leaft regard had to any ivorthinefs in 
 its objedls ; it muft be of free, unbiased grace : but eleftion 
 
 is 
 fallen : snd, out of the whole mafs of mankind, thus viewed and fore- 
 known as impure, and otmoxious to condemnation, vouchfafed to fclcS 
 ■<bme particular perfons, (who, colleftively, make up a very great, though 
 yrecifcly determinate, number) in and on whom He wonld make known the 
 lacitable riches of his mere/. 
 
[ 6. ] 
 
 IS not of works, Rom. xi. 5, 6. therefore, It is fold 7 of grace. 
 [3] There is, on the other hand, a Precfejl'tnation of fome parth- 
 rular Perfons to death. 2 Cor. iv, 3. * If our gofpel be hid, it 
 is hid to them that are loft.' i Pet. ii. 8. * Who Rumble at 
 the word,- being difobedient ; whercunto alfo they were ap- 
 pointed,' E Pet ii. 12. ' Thefe, as natural brute beafts, made 
 to be taken and deftroyed.' Jude ver 4. * There are certain 
 men, crept in unawares, who were before, of old, ordained 
 to this condcmna'.ion.' Rev. xvii. 8, • Whofe names were 
 not written in the book of life from the foundation of the 
 world,' But of this we Ihall treat profcffedly, and more at 
 large, in the fifth chapter. r4-] This future death theyjlmll 
 inevitab'iy xmdirgo : for, as God will certainly fave all, whom 
 he wills flinyld be faved ; fo he will as furely condemn all, 
 whom he wills fhall be condemned ; for he is the Judge of the 
 whole earth, whofe decree ilrall ftand, and from whofe fen- 
 tence there is no appeal. * Hath He faid, and fhall he not 
 make it good ? hath He fpoken, and fhall it not come to pafs?* 
 And his decree is this ; that ihefe, i. e. the non eleiH', who 
 arc left under the guilt of final impenitence, unbelief, and fin," 
 Jhall go /Tzvny info ever I, ij} trig punijlmctit ; and the righteous, 5. c. 
 thofe who, in confcquence of theil- eleiStion in Chri-(\, and uni- 
 on to him, are juftly reputed, and really ccnjlitutcd fuch, fhrJl 
 enter into life eternal., Mat. xxv. ^6. (5.) The reprobate fhalt 
 nndergo this punilhmenty'?//?/)', and on account of their fins. Siil 
 is the meritorious and immediate canfe of any m.an's damnation.' 
 God condemns and punifties the non-clcil, not merely as men,. 
 but disfuiners : and, had it p^ean.;! Lhe great Governor. of the 
 univerfc, to have entirely prevented fin from havirtg any en- 
 trance into the v.'o:ld, it fliould feem as if he could not^- con- 
 ■fidently with his known attributes, have condemned any maa 
 at all. But, as all fin is properly mevltcriou.': of eternal death ; 
 and all men are finners ; they, who aie condemned, arc con- 
 demned mod juflly, and thofe who are faved, are faved in a 
 way of fovcreign me:cy, through the vicarious obedience and 
 death of Chrift for them. ' " 
 
 Now, this twofold Predeftination, of fome to life, and (^ 
 others to dea'.h, (if it m'ly be called tnofoW^ bfcth hf:hgcon/tiliient 
 parts of the/zwu-decrt-e) rar.not be denied, witliout likewife de- 
 nying, I. moft r.xprejs aiififrerfueTitdec/ara!icns'offcripture,znd, 
 2. the very exigence, of God : for, fince God is a Being perfctflly 
 Jimpky free liom all accident and ccmjioftticn ; and ve;:, z. JViU 
 
 F ^ ID 
 
[ 62 3 
 
 to fave fome and punifii others is very often predicated of 
 Him in fcripture ; and an immoveable decree to do this, in 
 confequence of his Will, is likewife afcribed to Him ; and a 
 ■pzrieSi fore- knowledge f of the fure and certain accomplilhment 
 of what he has thus willed and decreed, is aUb attributed to 
 him ; it follows, that whoever denies this IViU, Decree, and 
 JFore hnoivleJge of God, does, implicitly and virtually, deny 
 God Himfelf : fmce his IViH, Decree, and Fore- knowledge are 
 no other than God Him/elf willing and decreeing and fore- 
 knowing. 
 
 II. We afTert, that God did, from eternity, decree, to make 
 man in his own image ; and alfo decreed to fuffer him to fall 
 from that image in which he fhould be created, and, thereby, 
 to forfeit the happinefs with which he was invelled : which de- 
 cree, and the confequences of it; were not limited to ^idam 
 only ; but included, and extended to, all his natural pofterity. 
 Something of this was hinted already, in the preceding 
 chapter: we fhall now proceed to the/ri9o/"of it- And, [i.] 
 That God did make man in his own image, is evident from 
 fcripture, Gen. i. 27. L2.J That he decreed from eternity fo to 
 .make man, is as evident; fince, for God to do any thing 
 •without having decreed it, or fixed a previous plan in his ov^'n 
 mind, would be a manifeft imputation on his nuifdom : and, if 
 he decreed That now, or at any time, which he did not al- 
 ivays decree, he could -not be unchangeable. ["3.] That man 
 aciually did fall from the divine image, and his oiriginal happi- 
 ■nefs, is the undoubted voice cf fcripture. Gen. iii. And, [4.] 
 That he fell in confequence of the divine decree*, we prove 
 thus : God was either fwilUng that Adam (hould fall ; or un- 
 milling; or inatfferent about it. If God was unwiUingy that 
 jfdam (hould tranfg'-efs, how came it to pafs that he did ? Is 
 man Jlronger, and is Satan wifer, than he that made them ? 
 Surely, no. Again ; could not God, had it fo pleafed him, 
 have hindered the tempter's accefs to paradife ? or have created 
 man, as he did the ele<ft angels, with a will invariably deter- 
 mined to good only, and incapable of being biafled to evil ? or, 
 at leaft, have made the grace and ftrength, with which he in- 
 dued Adam, adually efedual to the refilling of all folicitations 
 to ftn ? None, but atheifts, would anfwer thefe' queftions in 
 the negative- Surely, if God had not tuilled the fall, he could^ 
 
 and 
 , •: See this nrticle judicioufly dated, and nervoufly aflcited, by Wi isius, 
 in his OaoaA, l. cap. 8. f. 10—25. 
 
[ 63 ] 
 
 and no doubt ivouU, liave prevented it : but he did not prevent \i\ 
 trgoy he ivUlecl it. And, if" he -juilledit, he certainly decreed it : fo^ 
 the decree of God is nothing elfe but the feal and ratification of 
 his Will. He does nothing but what he ^rri-^J; and he decreed 
 nothing which he did not will : and both will and decree are ab^- 
 folutely eternal, though the execution of both be in Time. The 
 only way, to evade the force o/ this reafoning, is, to fay, that 
 *• God was indijjerent and unconcerned, whether man flood or 
 fell." But in what a Ihameful, unworthy light does this re- 
 prefcnc the Ueity ! Is it poffible for us to imagine, that God 
 could be an idle, cavelejs fpeclator, of one of the moft impor- 
 tant events that ever came to pafs ? Are not ' the very Hairs 
 of our head all numbered V or does ' a fpariow fall to the 
 ground, without our heavenly Father ?' If, then, things, the 
 moft trivial and worthlefs, are fubjeft to the appointment of 
 his decree, and the controul of his providence ; how much, 
 more is Man, the matter-piece of this lower creation? and, 
 above all, that man Adam, who, when recent from hia Ma» 
 ker's hands, was the living image of God hirrifelf, and very, 
 little inferior to angels ! and on whofe perfeverance, was fuf- 
 pended the welfare, not of himfelf only, but likewife That of 
 the whole woild. But, {o far was God from being indifferent 
 in this matter, that there is nothing whatever, about which he 
 is fo ; for he tvorketh all things, without exception, after the 
 tounfel of his cwn Will^ Eph. i. II. confequently, if he pofitive- 
 ly nxiills whatever is done, he cannot be indifferent with regard 
 to any thing. On the whole ; if God was not unwilling that 
 Adam Ihould fall, he mud have been ivilling that. he fjiould ; 
 fince, between God's willing and nilling, there is no medixilXii 
 And is it not highly rational, as well as fsriptural ; nay, :is ic 
 not abfolutely nectffary, to fuppofe, that the Fall was not coni 
 trary to the Will and determination of God ? fmce, if it Was, 
 his^Will (which the apoftle rcprefents as being irrejlflible, Rom. 
 ix. 19.) was apparently y}v//?/-rt/f£/, and his determination rea- 
 dered of worfe than none tffed. And how di/Jjomurable to, 
 how inconjiflent wiih, and how notorioufly fuhverfive of, the 
 d'gnity of G'od, fuch a blaf[jhemous fuppofition would be, and 
 how irrcconcileable with every one of his allowed Attributes, 
 is very eafy to obferve. [5.] That man, by his fall, forfeited 
 the happincfs with which he was invelled, is evident, as well 
 . from fciipture, as from experience; Gen.m. 7, lo, 16, 17, 
 iSj «9» 23* 24. Rom. V. 12. Gal.'m, 10. He firft finned, 
 
 F 2 (and 
 
[ 64 ] 
 
 (and the eflence of fin lies in difobedience to the command of * 
 God) and then, immediately became m'lfurahlc ;, mifery being, 
 through the divine appointment, the natural and infeparable 
 concomitant of fin. l6.] That the fall, and its fad confe- 
 quences, did not terminate folely in Adam, but affVdl his whole 
 pofterity, is the do<5tiine of the facred oracles : PJ\ li, 5. Rom. 
 V, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19. I Cor. XV. 22. Epb. ii. 3., Befides, 
 not QX\\y fpirilual and eternal, but likewife temporal death is the 
 ivages ojjln, Rom. vi. 23. James i. 15. And yet, we fee that 
 fnillions of Infants, who never, in their onvn pcrfons, either did 
 or could commit fin, die continually. It follows, that either 
 God mud be unjvji, in pwnjloing the innocent ; or that thefe in- 
 fants are, fume way or other, guiliy creatures : if they are not- 
 fo in themfelvesy (I mean actually fo, by ihtir own commijjion r f 
 fin) they mufl be fo mfome other perfon ; and who that perfon 
 is, let fcripture fay, Rom. v. 12, 18. i Cor. xv. 22. And, I 
 afk, how can thefe be, with equity, fnarers in Adam's Punt/}}' 
 ment, unlefs they are chargeable with his Jin ? and how can 
 ihey be fairly chargeable with his fin, unlefs he was thtw fad:' 
 ral head and reprefentative, and aih'd in their name, and futiain- 
 ed their perfons when he fell ? 
 
 III. We aflert, that as all men, univerfally, are not eleded 
 to falvation ; fo neither are all men, univerfally, ordained to 
 condemnation. This follows from what has been proved al- 
 ready : however, I fhall fuhjoin fome farther demonftration rf 
 thefe two pofitions. [1.3 All men utiiverfatly are rot eletied to 
 falvation. And, Jirjl, this m.ay be evinced a pojitriori : it is 
 undeniable, from fcripture, that God will not, in the lad day, 
 fave every individual of mankind ; Dan. xii. 2. Mat. xxv. 46. 
 John V. 29. Therefore, fay we, God never dejigned to fave 
 every individual: fince, if he had, every individual would 
 and mud be faved, for- • his couniel Oiall dand, and he will 
 do all his pleafure.* See what we have already advanced, on 
 this head, in the fird chapter, under the fecond article, Pofi- 
 tion 8. Secondly, this may be evinced, alfo, from God's /(jr<f- 
 hnoivledge. The Deity, from all eternicy, and, confcquently, 
 at the very time he gives life and btiiig to a reprobate, cer- 
 tainly foreknew, and knows, in confequence cf his own de- 
 cree, that fuch an one wosld fall fiiort of falvation: now, 
 if God forekneiu this, he mud have prcdetei mined it; be- 
 caufe his own Will is the foundation of his decrees, and his 
 decrees are the foundation of his prefciencej'he therefore fore- 
 knowing 
 
[ 65 J 
 
 »:nowinj» fatiiritiey, becaufe, by his prededmatlon, he KatH; 
 rendered their fulurition certain and inevitable. Neither is it 
 poflibls, in the very nnture of the thing, that they flinuld be 
 defied to falvation, or ever obtain it, whom God foreknew 
 ftiould perilh : for then the divine aQ of preterillon Vfo\\\d be 
 changeable, uavering and precarious ; the divine Forehnoiv- 
 IrJge would be deceived ; and the divine IVill impeded. All 
 which are utterly impofiible. l-aJUy^ That all men are not 
 chofen to life, nor created to that end is evident, in that there 
 zxtfome who were hated of God, before they were born, Rom, 
 ix. II, 12, 13. ^rejiiled for (lejirudiati, verfe 2a. and made for 
 the day of evil, Prov. xvi 4. 
 
 But, (2.) j^ll men universally are not ordained to condemna- 
 tion. I'here are feme who are chofen. Mat. xk. 16. An elec" 
 ticn, or eleifl nnmber, who obtain grace and falvation, while 
 the refl are blinded, Rom xi. 7. a little flock, to whom it is the Fa-^ 
 ther'i good pieif tire to give the lingdo?n, Luke xii. 32. A people 
 whom the Lord^haih refirved, Jer. 1. 20. and formed for him- 
 felf Ifai xliii. 2i. A peculiarly favoured race to whom it if 
 given to knotv the myfleries of the kingdom of Heaven ; while, to 
 others, /'/ is not given. Mat xiii. i\. a remnant according to the 
 ehSion of grace, Rom. xi. 15. whom God haih not appointed id 
 iL'rath, but to obtain falvation by jfefus Chrifl, \ ThefT v. 9. la 
 a word, who are a chofen generation, a royal prieflhood, an holy 
 nation, a pecvUar people, that \hey fhould/hetu forth the praifes of 
 Him, ivho hath called them out op darknefs, into his marv$llous 
 light, 1 Pet ii. 9. And ivhofe names, for that very end, are 
 in the book of lije, Phil. iv. 3. and nuritttn in Heaven^ Luke x. 
 20. Hebr. xii. 23. I^uther * obferves, that, in the 9th, 
 loth, and iith chapters of the epiftle to the Romans, the 
 apoflle particularly infifts on the Doflrine of Predeftinatlon ^ 
 " Becaufe," fays he, " All things, whatever, arife fi om> and; 
 defj^nd upon, the divine appointment; whereby it was pre- 
 ordained, who fhould receive the word of life, and who fliould 
 dilbelieve it ; who Ihould be delivered from their fins, and' 
 who fhould be hardened in them ; and who fliouJd be juftified 
 and who condemned." 
 
 IV. We affert, that the number of the ele8, and alfo of the 
 reprobate, is (o fixed and determinate, that neither can be au^men^ 
 ttJ or diminifhed. 
 
 F 3 It 
 
 • In PrKfat. ad cpift. ad Rom, 
 
C 66 3 
 
 It is written of God, that He telleth the number of -the Jars, 
 and calleth all them by their names, Pfalrn irxlvii. 4. Now, it is 
 as incompatible with the infinite wifJom and knowledge of 
 the all comprehending God, to be ignorant-of the names and 
 number of the rational creatures he has made, as that he fliould 
 be ignorant of ihejlars, and the other inanimate prodmfts of his 
 almighty power: and, if he knows all men in general, taken 
 in the lump ; he may well be faid, in a more near and fpecial 
 fenfe, to hioiv them that are his by e\e&\on, 2 Tim. ii. ig. And, 
 if he knows who are his, he muft, confequently, know who 
 are not his, i. e. luhom, and hotv many, he, hath left, in the 
 corrupt inafs, to be jiillly punrthed for their fins. Grant thi?, 
 (and who can help granting a trioth fo felf evident ?) and it 
 follows, that the number, as well of the eleifl, as of the re- 
 probate, \sjixed and ceKtain : otherwife God would be faid to 
 inow that which is not true, and his knowledge muft be falfe 
 and dehdfive, and fo no knowledge at all: fince that v.hich is, 
 in itfelf, at be ft, h'^t precarious, can never be the foundation 
 Gi Jure and^in/altible knowledge. Bur, that God does indeed 
 precifely know, to a man, who are, and are not, the ohjeds 
 of his eleding favour; is evident from fuch fcriptures as thefe, 
 Exod. xxxiii. 17. ' Thou hafl found grace in my Hght, ^nd I 
 know thee by name.' Jer. i. 5, * Before I formed thee in the 
 belly, I knew thee.' Luke x." 20. * Your names ari written 
 in Heaven.' Luke xii. 7. • The very hairs of your head are 
 all numbered.' John xiii. 18. ' I kriov;- whom I have chofen.' 
 John X. r4. * I know nrry fiieep, and am known of mine.' 2 
 Tirp. ii. 19. ' The Lord knoweth them that are his.* Arid, ^ 
 if the number of thefe is thus aiTuredIyyi/?//f<:/and exadly Inoxvtif 
 it follows, that we are right in afrc;rting. 
 
 V. That the Decrees of elecTcion and reprobation are inimu- 
 talk and irreverfible. 
 
 '■-. Were not this the cafe, [t.] God's Decree v:o\i\6 be prefa- 
 rious, frujlrable, and uncertain ; and, by confeqvjence, no De- 
 cree at all. [2.] His Forehnonvhdge would be loavering, inde- 
 terminate, urtdVip.ble to difappointment; whereas, it. always has 
 its accomplifi^ment, and neccllarily infers the certain futurity 
 of the thing or things foreknown;- Ifa. xlvi. 9, 10. * I am 
 God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the 
 beginning, and, from ancient timer, the things that are not: 
 yet done ; faying, My counfel firall ftand, and I will do all 
 my pleafure.' [3 ] Neither would his word be true, which 
 
 declares. 
 
[ 67 ] 
 
 deciarei> that, w iih regard to the eleifV, tht gifts and caU'ing of 
 God are xvUhout repentance^ Rom. xi. 29. that iihoin he predefli. 
 nated^ them he alfo glorified, chap. vili. 30. that v-hom he lovcth, 
 he loveih to the end, John xiii. 1. with numberlefs pafl'ages to the 
 fame purpoie. Nor would his word be true, with regard to 
 the non-eleifl, if it was pollib'.e for them to be faved : for it is 
 there declared, that they ^lxq Jilted for defhu^ion, &c. Rom. ix. 
 22. Fcrc-omained unto condemuailori, Jude 4- '.\nd delivered over 
 to a reprohote mind, in order to their damnation. Rom. i. 28. 2 
 Thef li. 12. [4.3 It, between tlie ektfl and reprobate, there 
 was not a great gulph fixed, i'o that neither can be otherwife 
 than they are; then, the JVill rf God (which is the alone 
 caufe why f-nie are cholen and others are not) would be ren- 
 dered ineiiicacious and of no clff*ft. [5.] Nor could tlie juf- 
 tice of God (land, if he was to condemn the elctfl, for whofe 
 fills he hath received ample fatisfadion at the hand of Chrift; 
 CT if he was to fave the repiobate, who are not interefted 
 in Chiift,»as the elecft are. [6.] Tht power of God (whereby 
 the eicd are prefcrved from falling into a ftate uf condemna- 
 tion, and the wicked htld down and (hut up in a ftate of 
 death) would be eluded, not to fay utterly abolilhed. {_^•^^ 
 tioT wouXdGoiiht unchangeable, if they, who were once the peo- 
 ple of his love, could comnicnce the obje(fls of his hatred; or 
 if the vellijls of his wrath could be faved with the velTels of 
 grace. Hence that of St Austin;* " Brethren," fays he, 
 " let us not imagine, that God ''puts down any man in his. 
 book, and then erazes him : for, if Pilate could fay, auhal I 
 have ivriiien^ 1 have ivrilten ; how can it be thought, that the 
 GREAT God would write a perfcn's name in the book of life*' 
 and then blot it out again r" And may we not, with equal 
 reafon, alk, on the other hand. How can it be thought, that 
 any of the reprobate fliould be written in that book of life, 
 which contains the names of the eledt only ? or, that any 
 £hould be inferted there, who were not ivritten among the living 
 from eternity ? I fliall conclude this chapttr with that obfer- 
 vation of Luther f, '* This," iiiys he, •' is the very thing 
 that razes the doiftrine of free-will from its foundations; to 
 wit, that God's eternal love of fome men, and hatred of others, 
 is immutable and cannot be reverfed." Both one and the 
 other will have its full accompliftiment. i, 
 
 CHAP. 
 • Tom, 8. in Pfaloi 68. col. 738. f De Setv. Arbitr. cap. 168. j 
 
i: 68 3 
 
 ^' C H A P. HI. 
 
 Cottcerntng Election unto Life ; or Predeflinatlon, as it refpeSi 
 the Saints in particular' 
 
 _|r AVING confideied Predeflination, as it regards all men 
 X in general ; and briefly fliewn, that, by it, fome are 
 oppoinL'd to wrath, and others to obtain falvation ly "Jefus Chrtjiy 
 1 'Thef, V. 9. I now come to confider, more diftindly, that 
 blanch of it, which relates to the Saints only, and is common- 
 ly (Hied EitEcrioN. Its definition I have given jlready, in 
 the clofe of t\\ejirjl chapter : what 1 have further to advance,, 
 from the fcripiurcs, on this important fubjtd, 1 iliali reduce 
 to feveral Pofuions j and fubjoin a ihorl explanation and con- 
 firmatfon of each. 
 
 Fof. I. Thofe, who are ordained unto eternal life, were 
 not fo ordained on account of any worthinefs forefeeu in them, 
 or of any good woi ks to be wrought by them ; nor yet for 
 thevr future faith : but, purely and folely, of free, fov^ereign 
 grace, and according to the mere pleafuie of God. This is 
 evident, amo^g other coniiderations, fiom this; that faith, 
 repentance and holinefs, are no lefs the free ^ifts of God, than 
 eternal life itfelf. Eph. li. 8. • Faith — is not of ycurfelves, it 
 is the gift of God, Phil. i. 29. • Unto ycu it is given to be- 
 lieve.' A&.i V, 31. • Him hath God exalted with his right 
 band, for to give repentance.' Afls xi. 18. ' Ihen hath GoJ 
 alfo to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.' In like 
 manner, holinefs is called the fanSiJication of the Spirit, 2 ThefT. 
 ii. 13. becaufe the divine Spirit is the eflicient of it in the foul,, 
 and, of unholy, mahs us holy. Now, if repentance and faith 
 are the gifts, and fandtification is the worl: of God; then thefe 
 are not the fruits of man's free will, nor what he acquires cf 
 himfelf ; and fo can neither be motives to, nor conditions of, h\^ 
 cleftion, which is an aA of the divine mind, antecedent to, and 
 irrefpedi'ue of,, all qualities, whatever, in the perfons eledled. 
 Befides, the ApolUe afferts, exprefsly, that eleftion is ' not 
 of works, but of him that calleth ;' and that it palled, lefore 
 the perfons concerned had * done either good or evil,' Rom. 
 ix. It. Again, if faith or vvorks were the caufe of eleflion,. 
 God could not be faid to chufe us, but we to chufe Him ; 
 contrary to the whole tenour of fcripture ; John xv. 1 6. 
 * Ye have not chofen me, but I have chofen you,* i John 
 iv. 10, ij. * Herein is love, not that we loved God, but 
 
 that 
 
C 69 ] 
 
 that he loved us. We love him, ^rcaufe he firft lo- 
 ved us.' Ele<ftlon is, every where, aflerted to be God'^ a<5l 
 and not m/jn\\ Mark xiii. 20. Rom. ix. \']. Eph. i. 4. i Thef. 
 v. 9. 2 Thef. it. I j. Once mere, we are chofen that we might 
 he holy, not becauie it was forefeen we would be fb, EpL. i. 4. 
 therefore, to reprefent holinefs as the reafon why we were 
 eleifled, is to make the effcd antecedent to the caufe. The 
 ApoRle adds, verfe 5. ' having predellinated us according to 
 the good pleafure of his will;' rtioft evidently implying, that 
 God faw nothing extra fi, had no motive/ro7« luithoui, why he 
 fhouW either chufe any at all, or this man before another. 
 In a word, the eledt were * freely loved,' Hof. xiv. 4. * freely 
 chofen,* Rom. xi. 5, 6. and * freely redeemed,' Ifal. lii. 3. 
 they are * freely called,' 2 Tim. i. 9. ' freely judified,' Rom. 
 iii. 24. and fhall be * freely glorified,' Rom. v. 23. The great 
 AuGUSTiN, in his book of Retrudions, ingenuoufly acknow- 
 ledges his error, in having once thought, that faith forefeen 
 was a condition of eledtion : he owns, that That opinion i-s 
 equally impious and abfurd ; and proves, that faith is one of" 
 the /rw/Vj of election, and confequently, could not be, in any 
 {zuis, a caufe of it : *^* I could never have aflerted," fays he, 
 " that God, in chufing men to life, had any refped to their 
 fai:h, had I duly confidered, that faith itfelf is his own gift.'* 
 And, in another treatife of his, * he has ihefe words ; " Since 
 Chrift fays, ye have not chofen me, &c. I would fain afk, whe- 
 ther it be fcriptural to fay, we rauft have faith, before we are 
 eletfted ; and not, rather, that we are ele(51ed in order to cur 
 having faith !" 
 
 PoJ. 2. As many as are ordained to eternal life, are or- 
 dained to enjoy that life in and through Chri/i, and on account 
 cf his merits alone, i Thef. v. 9 Here let it be carefully ob- 
 ferved, that not the merits of Chrift, but the fcvereign love of 
 God only, is the caufe oi Eltdion itfelf: but then, the merits of 
 Chrift are the alone procuring caufe of thai falvation, to which 
 men are defied. This decree of God admits of no caufe out 
 of Himfelf : but the thing decreed, which is the giarificoiion of 
 his chofen ones, may and dues admit, nay, nectilatily requires^ 
 a nicritorious caufe; which is no other than the obedience and 
 death of Chrift. 
 
 Pof 3. Thev, v.ho are predeftinated to life, arelilewife pre- 
 deiHnatcd to ail ihofe means, which are indifpeufably necelTary 
 
 in 
 
 • Dc Piidcft. cap. 17. 
 
» 
 
 in order to their meetnefs for, entrance wpcn, and enjoymenf of, 
 that life : I'uch as repentance, faith, fanftitication ; and per- 
 feverance in thele to the end. 
 
 Adls xiii. 48. • As many as were ordained to eternal life, 
 believed.* Eph. i. 4. ' He hath chofen us in Him, Before the 
 foundaiitn of the world, that we ihould be holy, and without 
 blame before Him in love.' Eph. ii. 10. 'For v/e' [i. e. the 
 fame ive, whom he hath chofen before the foundation of the 
 world j * are his workman'hip, created in Chrifl Jefus unto good 
 works, which God hath fore-ordained that we (hould walk in 
 them.' And the ApoRle aifures the izxrxQTheJJaloti'mnst whom 
 he reminds of their ele8ion, and God's everlafting appointment 
 of them to obtain falvation, that this alfo was his Will con- 
 cerning them, even theW fanSli/icaiion, i Thefl" i. 4. and v. 9. 
 and iv. 3. and gives them a view of all thefe privileges at once, 
 2 Thef ii. 13. ' God hath, from the beginning, chofen you 
 to falvation, through fanclification of the Spirit, and belief of 
 the truth.* As does St Peter, i Ep. i. 2. * ELECT — through 
 fandtification of the Spirit, UNTO obedience, and fprinkling 
 of the blood of Jefus ChriR .* Now, though faith and holinefs 
 are not reprefcnted as the cau/e lohtrefore the ele(5t are faved ; 
 yet, thefe are conftantly reprefented, as the v\eans through which 
 they are faved, or as the appointed nvay wherein God leads 
 his people to glory : thefe bleffings being always beftowed pre- 
 vious to that. Agreeable to all which, is that of Austin : * 
 Whatfoever perfons are, through the riches of divine grace, 
 exempted from the original fentence of condemnation, are un- 
 doubtedly brought to hear the Gofpel f ; and when heard 
 they are caufed to believe it; and are made likewife to endure 
 to the end, in the faith which works by love: and fhould they, 
 at any time, go aftray, they are recovered and fet right agaiT\." 
 A little after he adds; " All thefe things aie wrought in ihi^m 
 by that God, who made them veflels of mercy, and who, tuy 
 the cleflion &f his grace, chofe them, in his Son, before tl^ 
 ~t\'Or]d begin." ^. 
 
 Pof. 4 Not one of the eled can perifh, but they mufl alf 
 tiecefl'arily be faved. The reafon is this; becaufe God fimply 
 and unchangeably wills, that all and every one of ihofe, whom 
 he hath appointed to iiie, lliould be ecernally glorified : and, 
 '"' " as 
 
 ~ ^ * De Coirept. & Grat. rsp. 7. 
 
 ■ + We muft nndt;rftiiul ihU, in a qualified rcfiie; as intending, that all 
 thofe of the tle(f>, -who live where the i htijliait dij pcTifilioti obtains, are, focn.r 
 ^yAter, brought to hear xht gofpel, and to believe it. 
 
C 71 ] 
 
 as was obferved toward the end of the orccedlng chapter, all 
 the divide Attributes are concerned in tMRicconipliljiment o£ 
 this his Will. His iv'ifdom^ which cannot err ; his knoiuledge 
 which cannot be deceived ; his truth, which cannot fail ; his 
 hvCf which nothing can alienate ; his jujllcc, which cannot; 
 condemn any, for whom Chrift died ; his poiuevy which none 
 can refiR ; and his unchangeabhvefs, which can never vary : 
 from all which it appears, that we do not fpeak at all impro- 
 perly, when we fay, that the falvation of his people \%necejfary 
 and certain. Now, that is faid to be ncctjfaryy quodncquit al'iter 
 effe, which catinot le other-iv'ife than it is : and if all the perfec- 
 tions of God are engaged to preferve and fave his children, 
 their fafety and falvation mull be, in the flri^efl fenfe of the 
 woxd necejary. See Pfalm ciii. 17. and cxxv. 1,2. Ifa'iah 
 xlv. 17. and liv. 9, 10. Jer. xxxi. 38.andxxxii. ^o. jfohnv'i. 39. 
 and X. z'S, 29. and xiv. 19. and x'vii. 12. Rom. viii. 30, 38, 39, 
 and xi. 29. I Cor. i. 8, 9. Phil. i. 6. 1 Pt;t. i. 4, 5. 
 
 Thus St. Austin * : *' Of thcfs, whom God hath predef- 
 tjnated, none can peri/h, inafmuch as they are his own ele<5t.'* 
 And, lb. "They are the elecl:, who arepredeliinated, foreknown, 
 and called according to purpofe. Now, conld any of thefe 
 be loft, God would hz d'Jfappohited of his will and expeflations;, 
 but he cannot be fo dilappointed : thereiore, they can never 
 perilh. Again, could they be loft, the power of God would 
 be made void by man's fin ; but his power is invincible, there- 
 fore, they are fafe." And again, cap. 9 " Tlie children 
 of God are written, with an unlhaken ftability, in the book of 
 their heavenly Father's remembrance." And, in the fame 
 chapter he hath thefe words ; " Not the children of promiie, but 
 the children of perdition (hall perifh: for the former are the Pre- 
 deftinaied, who are called according to thedlvinedetermination ; 
 notone of whom Ihall finally mifcarry." So likewife LuTHtR;f 
 ** God's decreee of Predeftinationis firm andcertain; and.the ne- 
 ceflltyrefultingfromit, is, in like manner, immoveable, and can- 
 not but take place. For, we ourfeKes are fo fet ble, that if the 
 matter was left in our hands, very few, or rather none, would 
 be faved : but Satan would overcome us all." To which he 
 adds : '• Now, fince this ftedfaft and inevitable purpofe of 
 God cannot be reverfed nor difanulled by any creature what- 
 ever ; We have a molt afFured hope, that we fhall finally 
 
 triumph 
 • Tom. 7. De Corr. & Grat. cap. 7. 
 f In pra.fat. ad Epift, ad Rom. 
 
 # 
 
•» 
 
 C .72 J 
 
 triumph over Hn, ^■jviolently foever it may, at prefyit, rage ^ 
 in our mortal bod^/' ~ j 
 
 Pof. 5. Th.Qfah;al'wn of the ele<5t was not the only, nor yet 1 
 ^t principal end of their being chofen ; but God's grand end, ; 
 in appointing them to life and happinefs, was, to difplay the 'j 
 riches of his own mercy, and that he might be glorified in and 
 by the perfons he had thus chofen. 
 
 For this reafon, the eleft are ftiled vefj'eU of m;rcy ; becaufe 
 they were originally created, and, aftei wards, by the divine 
 Spirit, created aneiu^ with this defign, and to this very end, 
 that the fovereignty of the Father's grace, the freenefs oS. his 
 love, and the abundance of his goodnefs, might be roanifefted 
 in their eternal happinefs. Now, God, as we have already, 
 more than once, had occafion to obferve, does nothing in 
 time, which he did not, from eternity, refolve within him- 
 felf to do : and if he, in time, creates and regenerates his 
 people, with a view to difplay his unbounded mercy ; he muft, 
 conlequently, have decreed, from all eternity, to do this, with 
 the fame view. So that the final caufes of eleftion appear to 
 be ihefe two : i. and principally. The * glory of God; 2. and, 
 fubordinately, The falvation of thofe he has eleded : from 
 which \\\z former arifes, and by which it is illuftrated and fet 
 off. So. Prov. xvi. 4. ' The Lord hath made all things for 
 himfelf.' And hence that of Paul, Eph. i. ' He hath chofen 
 us to the praife of the glory of his grace.' ' 
 
 Ppf. 6. The f/iJ of eleflion, which, with regard to the eleft 
 thenifelvcs, is eternal life ; I fay, this end, and the means con- 
 ducive to it, fuch as the gift of the Spirit, faith, &c. are fo 
 infeparably conneded together, that whoever is poffelTed of 
 thefe, (hall furely obtain tlxit ; and none can obtain that, who 
 are not firft poffcffed of thefe. Afls xiii. 48. ' As many as 
 were ordained to eternal life,' and none elfe, ' believed.* Ads 
 V. 31. *■ Him haih God exalted— ^to give repentance unto If- 
 
 rael, 
 * I^et it be c.^refnlIy obferred, that, when, with the fcriptures, we af- 
 iert the glory of God to be the u!tin)atc end of his dealings witli aiigcls and 
 men, we do not ^fpcak this with itfpecfl: to his f^«/;<?/ gloiy, whicii he 
 has as God, and which, as it is irtfinite, is nd. fiifceptible of addiihv, r.or 
 capable of'^iwiuulioa : but of tjiat gtory which is furely rnnnifejiutjve, and 
 which MiRCKOftLius, in his I.exic. Fhilif.ph. col. 4 , 1 .'dtilnes to he, " Clara 
 rci, cum laude' iiotitia; cum, >riempe, ipfa ilia eBiinentiu eft magna, au- 
 giifta, et confpiciia " A!«d the acruratc Mas'irig^it, Cclebrato, ecu mani- 
 fcftatio, (qua; mag's propiie glorificalio, q'.'iatn gloria, ajipcllatur) qtia ag- 
 n\ti hitus eiaiiientia, ej-.ifqiie congrua aftimatio, propalatiir & cxtolUli • 
 7'heotog. lib. a, cap. az. f. 8,. 
 
[ 73 ] 
 rael, and rerriidion of fins :' not to all mgj|, or to thofe who 
 were not, in the counfel and purpofe of God, fet apart for 
 himfelf ; but to Ifrad, all his chofen people, who were given 
 to him, were Tanlomed by him, and IhaUbe faved in him with 
 an everlalling T.<!vation. Tit. i. i. • According to the faith 
 of God's tXzii ;' fo that, true faitli is a confequence of ekdion, 
 is peculiar to the elecl, and fliall ilfiie in life eternal. Eph. i. 
 
 ' He hath chofen us that we might be holy ;' therfore, all, 
 
 who are chofen, are made holy, and none but they : and all, 
 who are fanclified, have a right to believe they were eleded, 
 and that they Ihall alVuredly be faved. Rom. viii, 30. * Whom 
 he did predeftinate, thsm he alfo called ; whom he called, them 
 he alfo jufliiied ; and whom lie joQified, them he alfo glori- 
 fied.' Which ftiews, ihat effeiflual calling and juftification are 
 indillolubly conneded with election on one hand, and eternal 
 happinefs on the other: that they are a /ro-?/' of the former, 
 and an earnejl oi the latter. John x. 26. • Ye believe not, be- 
 caufe ye are not of my flieep;' on the contrary, they, who be- 
 lieve, therefore believe, becaufe they are of his flieep. Fv^ith, 
 then, is an evidence of eki^ion, or, of being in the number 
 of CliriiVs fhecp ; ccifequently, of falvation : fince all his 
 flieep fhall be flived, John x. 2S. 
 
 Pof. 7. The eletft may, through the Grace of God, attata 
 to thi knowledge and ojfuraiue of their PredeRination to life ; 
 and they ought to leelc afler it. The Chrillian may, for in- 
 Rance, argue thus ; ' As many as were ordained to eternal 
 life, believed:' through mercy, I believe: therefore, I am 
 ordained to eternal hfe. ♦ He that believeth, fiiall be faved:* 
 I believe: therefore, I am in a favcd date. ' Whom he did 
 },-rede!Vu)ate, he called, jufHiied, and glorified:' I have reafon 
 f) trurt, that he liath called and juftified me : therefore I can 
 aifuredly look backward v,r\ mj'eternal predeftination, and ybr- 
 ivarJ to my certain gloti'ncationv To'all which frequently ac- 
 cedes the immediate teiKmony of thfc divine Spirit, •witnejpng 
 with the belie vet 'i ccnfcience, that he is'a'child of God, Rom,' 
 viii. 16. Gal. iv. 6. i John v. 10. Chrift-forbids his Iktle flock 
 to fear, inafrauch as they might, on good and folid grounds, 
 relt fatisfied and afTared, that ' it is the I'-ather's Unalterable 
 good pleafure togive them the Kingdom,' Luke xii. 32. And 
 this was^the faiih cf the apoftle, Rom. \n\. 38, 39. 
 
 Pof. 8. The true believer ought not only to be thoroughly 
 eftabiiflied in the point of his own ele^Sion j but Ihould like- 
 
 G viij 
 
- C 74 ] 
 
 ■wife believe ihe eleftion of all his other fellow Tjelievers and 
 brethren in Chrift. Now, as there are moft evident and indu- 
 bitable marks of eledion, laid down in fcriptuie ; a child ofi 
 God, by examining himfelf, whether thofe marks are found 
 on him, may arrive at a fober and well-grounded certainty of 
 his own particular intereft in that unfpeakable privilege : and, 
 by the fame rule, whereby he judges of hhnfelf^ he may like- 
 wife (but with caution) judge of others. ' If 1 fee the external 
 fruUs and criteria of eleU'ion^ on this or that man ; I may, rea- 
 sonably, and in a judgment of charity, conclude fuch an one 
 to be an elect per/on. So, St Paul, beholding the gracious 
 iruits, which appeared in the believing Thejalonians^ gather- 
 ed, from thence, that they were elected of God, i Thtff. i. 4, 5. 
 and knew alfo the eledion of the ChrTllian Epheftans, Eph. i. 
 4, 5. as Peter alfo did that of the members of the churches in 
 JPontus, Galat'ia, &c. I Pet. i. 2. It is true, indeed, that all 
 conclufions of this nature are not now infallible, but our 
 judgments are liable to miftake : and God only, whofe is the 
 book of life, and who is the fearcher of hearts, can abfolutely 
 know them that are his, 2 Tim. ii. 19. yet, we may, without 
 a prefumptuous intrufion into things not feen, arrive at a mo- 
 ral certainty in this matter. And I cannot fee, how Chriftian 
 love can be cultivated ; how we can call one another brethren 
 in the Lord ; or, how believers can hold religious fellovvfhip 
 *and communion with each other, unlefs they have fome folid 
 and vifible reafon to conclude, that they are loved with the 
 ■ fame everlafting love, were redeemed by the fame Saviour, 
 ; are partakers of like grace, and fliall reign in the fame glory. 
 But, here, let me fugged one very necelfary caution ; viz. 
 that though we may, at leaft very probably, infer the election 
 of fome perfons, from the marks and appearances of grace, 
 •which may be difcoverable in them; yet, we can never judge 
 . any man whatever to be a reprobate. That there are reprobate 
 ' perfons, is very evident from fcripture (as we (hall prefently 
 Ihew) ; but luho they are, is known alone to Him, who 
 ^lone can tell who and what men are not ivritten in the 
 Lamb's book of life. I grant, that there are fome particular 
 perfons, mentioned in the divine word, of whofe reprobation 
 no doubt can be made ; fuch as Efau and Judas : but, now 
 . the canon of fcripture is completed, we dare not, we muil 
 not pronounce any man living, to be nonele<51, be he at pre- 
 fent, ever fo wicked. The vilefl, finner may, for aught we 
 can tell, appertain to the eledicn of Grace, and be, one daf, 
 
 wrought 
 
[ 75 J 
 wrought upon hj tlie Spirit of God. This we know, that, 
 thofc who die in unbelief, and are finally unfanflifiecJ, cannot. 
 be fs-'ed; becaufe God, in his word, tells us fo, and has re- 
 p.viftiited thefe as ni^jks of reprobation : but, to fay that /z/f-6 
 zr\d fuch individuals, whom, perhaps, we now fee dead in lins, 
 fli.tll never be converted to Chrift, would be a moll prefump- 
 tuou:. alfertion, as well as an inexcufable breach of the charity 
 which hopeih all things. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Of Reprobation; or Prede/linalion, as it reJpeSs the Ungodly.. 
 
 FROM what has been faid, in the preceding chapter, con* 
 ccrning the Ekction of fome, it would onavoidably fol- 
 low, even fuppofing the fcriptures had been filent about it,- 
 that there mull be a Rejection of others ; as every choice does,, 
 moft evidently and necellarily, imply a refufal z for, where; 
 there is no leaving outy there can be no choice. But, befide 
 the teltimony of reafon, the divine ivord is full and exprefs to 
 our purpofe : it frequently, ^nd, in terms too clear to be raif- 
 under flood, and ioojlrong to be evaded, by any who are not 
 proof againft the mod cogent evidence, attefls this tremendous^ 
 truth, that fome are, of old, fore ordained to condemnation, f 
 (hall, in the difcuffion of this awful fubjeft, follow the method- 
 hitherto obferved, and throw what I have to fay into feveral 
 diftirxft Po/itiotts, fapported by fcripture. 
 
 Pof 1. God did, from all eternity, decree to leave fome o£ 
 j^dam\ fallen pofterity in their fins, and to exclude them froin 
 the participation of Chrift and his benefits. 
 
 For the clearing ol this, let it be obferved, that, in all ages,, 
 the much greater part of mankind have been deftitute even of 
 the external means of grace ; have not been favoured with the 
 preaching of God's word, or any revelation of his will. Thus,, 
 ancienil)-, the jfcius, who were, in number, the feivefl of all 
 people^ were, never thelefs, for a long fcries of ages, the only 
 nation, to whom the Deity was pleafed to make any fpecial 
 dilcovery of himfelf : and it is obfervable, that our Lord him- 
 feif principally confined the advantages of his public miniftry 
 to that people ; nay he forbad his difciples to go among any 
 others, Mat. x 5, 6. and did not commifiion them to preach - 
 the gofpel, indifciiminately, to Jews and Gentiles, till after 
 his refurre*5lion, Jlfari xvi. 15. Luie xxiv. 47. Hence, m^ny 
 nations and com.aiunititi never had the advantage of hearing 
 G 2 the 
 
[ 76 ] 
 
 the Xvord preached ; and, confequently, were ftrangers to the 
 faith that cometh thereby. It is not, indeed, improbable, but 
 fame individuals, in thefe unenlightened country?, might belong 
 to the fecret election of grace; and the habit of faith might be 
 wrought in thefe : however, be that as it will, our argument 
 is not affeded by it ; it is evident, that the nations of the 
 ■world were, generally, ignorant, not only of God liimfelf, but 
 likewife of the way to p!ec:fs him, the true manner of acceptance 
 with him, and the means of arriving at the everlafiing enjoy- 
 ment of him. No»v, if God had been pleafed to have fwoed 
 thofe people, would he not have vouchfafed them the ordinary 
 means o{ falvation ? would he not have given them all things 
 neceffary in order to that end ? but, it is undeniable matter of 
 faft, that he did not ; and to' very many nations of the eaith, 
 does not, at this day. If, then, the Deity -can; confiUently 
 ■with his Attributt^s, deny, to fome, the nwans of grace, and 
 fhut them up in grofs darknefs and unbelief; why (hould it be 
 thought incompatible witli his immenfely glorious perfevftions, 
 to exclude fome perfons from ^§-r^^ ^tfi^lfi and from ihTiX eternal 
 life which is conneifted with it-? e'lpecially, feeing he is equally 
 the Lord and fovereign difpofer of the end, to which the means 
 lead ; as of the means, which lead to that end ? both one and 
 the other are his ; and he moft jaftly may, as he moil alTuredly 
 luill, do what he pleafes with his cv.n. 
 
 Befides ; it being alfo evident, that many, even of them 
 who live in places where the gofpel is preached, aswell as of 
 thofe among whofn it never was preached, die Grangers to 
 God and holinefs, and v/ithout experiencing any thing of the 
 gracious influences of his Spirit: vv'e may reaTonably and ii.'i^- 
 iy conclude, that one caufc of their fo dying, is, becaufe it was 
 Tiot the divine ivill to communicate his grace unto them : lince, 
 had it been his will, he v/ould aftually have made them par- 
 takers thereof; and, had they \it^VL partakers of it, they could 
 not have died nuilhout it. Nov/, if it was the will of God, in 
 lime, to refufe them this grace; it muft have been his will 
 from eternity : fince his wfil is, as Hiinfclf, the fame, yejler day, 
 to day, and for ever. 
 
 The actions of God being thus fruits of his eternal purpofe, 
 we may, fafely, and without any danger' of miftake, argue 
 from them \.o that ; and infer, that God therefore does fuch 
 and fuch things, becaufe he (hcreed to do them ; his own Will 
 being the fole caufe of all \-\\^.iujrks. So that, from his actually 
 
 leaviri':; 
 
[ 77 ] 
 Uav'wg feme men In final impenitency and unbelief, we aiTurcd- 
 ly gather, lh:it it was his everlafting determination Co lo do i 
 and, confcquently, that he reprobated fome, from before the 
 foundation of the world. 
 
 And, as this inference is Jlrictly rational^ fo is it perfectly 
 fcriplural Tims, the Judge will, in the laft day, declare, to 
 thole on the left hand, / nev.r hnetv you. Mat. vii. 23. i. e. 
 " I never, no, not from eternity, loved, approved, or ac- 
 knowledged you for mine :" or, in other words, " I always 
 hand >ou." Our Lord, in John xvii. divides the whole hu-- 
 man race into /w5 greac claii'es : one \\t cz\\% the world ; the- 
 Olher," the vun who •were given him cut of the ivorld. The latter^ 
 it is faid, the Father loved, even as he loved Chrift himfelf 
 (verfe23.): but he loved Chrift before the foundation of the 
 iL'orldy verfe 24 i. e. from everialling : therefore, he loved the 
 ele<5l fo too : and if he lov^d t/)efe from eternity, it follows, by 
 all the rules of Aniithefis, that he b<2ted the others as early, 
 So, Kom. ix. ' The children not being yet born, neither ha- 
 ving done good or evil, that the purpofe of God,' &c. From- 
 the example of the twins, Jacob and Efau^ the apodle infers 
 the eternal elecflion of fome men, and the eternal rejection 
 cf all th.e reil. 
 
 Fcrf 2. Some men were, from all eternity, not only, nega< 
 tivily, excepted from a participation of Chrifl: and his falvation; ; 
 but, pofith-fly, ordained to continue in their natural blindnefs,.. 
 bardnels of heart, &c : and that, by the juft judgment of God. . 
 fee Exrjd. ixi i Sam. ii. 25. 2 Sam. xvii. 14. 7/<z vi. 9, 10, ii^ 
 2 Thrjf. ii. II, 12. Nor can thefe places of fciipture, with- 
 many others of like import, be underftood of an invcluntaryi 
 pcnuijfwn on the part of God : as if God barely fuffeved it to be; 
 fo, qunfi invilus, as it were by conftraint, and againit his will; for 
 he permits noihing, which he did not refolve and dclermine ta* 
 permit. lrl\s peruuffion is z p'.fti've, determinate a8 of his IVill f 
 as Austin, Luther, and BuctR., juUly obferve. Tlierefore, if 
 it be the ivill of God, in time, to permit fuch and fuch men 
 to continue in their natural ftate of ignorance and corruption;, 
 the natural confequence of which is, their falling into fuch and 
 fuch fms (obfcrve, God does not force them into fin; their ac- 
 tual difobedience being only the corfequence oi' tht'n not hav- 
 ing that grace which God is not obliged to grant them) ; I fay 
 if it be the will of God thus to leave them in time (and ire 
 muft deny deraonllration itfelf, even known, afolute matter of. 
 
[ 78 ] 
 fa>5t, if we deny that feme are (o left), then it muft have been 
 the divine intenllon, froin all eternity, fo to leave them : fince, 
 as we have already had occafion to obferve, no tu-io Will can 
 poffibly arife in the mind of God. We fae, that evil men a8u- 
 ally are fufFered to go on adding fin to fin : and if it be not in- 
 confiftent with the facred attributes aUually to permit this; it 
 could not pofTibly be inconfirtefit with them to decree that per- 
 miflion, before the foundations of the world were laid. 
 
 • Thus, God eff.cacioufcy penn'itted (having fo decreed) the Jews 
 to be, in effeft, the Crucifier.s of Chrift ; a.x\d. yudas to betray 
 Him; J^s iv. 27. 28. JWat. \xvi. 23,24. Hence we find 
 St ylufiin * fpeaking thus ; *' "Judas was chofen, but it was 
 to do a rrioO: execrable deed ; that, thereby, the death of 
 Chrift, and the adorable work of Redemption by him, m'ght 
 be accompiifhed. When therefore, we hear our Lord lay, 
 
 * Have not I chofen you twelve, and one of you is a Devil ?' 
 wc mud underfland it thus, that the eleven were chofen in 
 mercy ; but Juda? in JLidgment : t/:ey were chofen to -partake 
 of Chrift's kingdom ; /je v/as chofen and pitched upon, to be- 
 tray him, and be the means of iWlding his blood." 
 
 Pof. 3. The non-ele(5t werepredeTlinated, not only to continue 
 in final impenitency, fin, and unbelief; but were, likewife, for 
 fuch their fins, righteoufty appointed to irifernal death hereafter. 
 
 This pofilion is alfo felf evident : for it is certain, that, in 
 the day of univerfal judgment, all the human race will not be 
 admitted into glory, but fame of them tranfmitted to the pl?.ce 
 of torment. Now, God does, and will do, nothing, but in 
 confequence of his own decree Pfalm cxxxv. 6. Ifai. xlvi i i. 
 Eph. i. 9. 1 1, therefore, the condemnation of the unrighteous 
 was decreed oi God; and, if decreed by him, ^^c-Qtd from ever laf- 
 Ung : for all his decrees are eternal. Beiides, if God pur- 
 pofed to leave thc'fe perfons under ihc guilt and the po<iver of 
 fin, their condemnation muf^, of itfclf, neceffarily follow: 
 iSince, \v\\.\\o\x\jvj}ifical'ioR m\dfamlijicalwn{vie\\.\\tx of which blef- 
 iino-s are in the povver of man) none can enter heaven, John 
 xiii. 8. Hebr. xii. 14. Therefore, if God determined, within 
 himfelf, thus to leave fome in their fins (and 'it is but too evi- 
 dent that this is really the cafe) ; He muil alfo have determi- 
 ned within himfelf to /an//^ them/o/- thofe fins (final guilt and 
 final punijhmeuf being correlatives which ncceffirily infer each 
 cliaei): but God J/i? determinate both to leave, and to pvmjh 
 
 * De Corr. & Grat. cap. 7, 
 
•C 79 ] 
 
 the nonelefl : therefore, there was a rcprobritionof fome from 
 eterniij'. Thu«, Mat. xxv. • Go, ye curled, into everlafting 
 fire, prepared for the devil and his angels ;' for Satan and all 
 his melTengers, emifTiiries, and imitators, whether apoftatc 
 fpirits, or apolhite men. Now, if penal ^/Fr^ was, in decree, 
 from eveilalling, prepared for them ; they, by all the laws of 
 argun:cnt in the world, muft have been, in the counfel of Gcd- 
 frepureif, i. e. defigned, for ihstjitr: which is the point I un- 
 dcrtot k'to prove. Hence we read, Rom'w. of vij/e/s of 'wrath 
 FITTED to dejlruclion, y.ecry.cliffi^vja. «,,- KvuXiiaM , put together, made up 
 formed ox ftjhicned, for perdition : who are, and can be, no other 
 than the lleprnbate. To multiply fcriptures on this head, 
 would be aimoft endlefs : {or a fample, confult Prov. xvi. 4. 
 1 Pet. ii. 8. 2 Pet ii. 1 3. Jiuh 4, Rev. xiii. 8. 
 
 Pof. 4. As the future faith and good works, of the ele^, 
 were not the caufc of their bjeing chofen ; fo neither were the 
 :"i!tuje fins of the reprobate the caufe cf their being pafi by : but 
 b^-th the choice c/f the former, and ihe^'decretive omjjfon oi the 
 latter were, owir^g, merely and entirely, to jhe fovereign 
 vill and determinating pleafure of God 
 
 We cirtinguifh htiv:':tx\ prcterition, or bare non ehdion., which 
 is a purely negative thing; and cfjudimnaUcn^ or afpointmetit to 
 pinyhmcnt : the zvill cf Gcid was the caufe of the former; the 
 fins rf the non elt(ft are the reafons of the latter. Though 
 God determined to leave, and adually does leave, whom he 
 pleafes, in the fpiiitual darknefs and death of nature, out of 
 which he is under no obligation to deliver them ; yet he 
 does not, pofiiively, condemn any of thefe, merely becaufe he 
 hath not chofen them, but becaufe they have /"//wtJ againft him: 
 fee Rom. i. 21 — 24. Rotn. ii. P, 9. 2 The/f. ii. 12. Their pre*- 
 tcritiop, or ron infcriplion in the bock cf life, is net vnjujl, on 
 the part of God ; becaufe, out of a world oi rebels, equally in- 
 volved in giiilr, God, (who might, without any impeachment 
 of his juilice, have pafl'ed by all, as he did the reprobate an- 
 gels) was, mod unqueflionably, at liiierty, if it fo pltafed him, 
 to extend the fceptre of his ckmer.cy to fonie i and to pitch 
 upon luhom he would, as the objects of it. Nor was this ex- 
 emption oi'fome, any injury to the non-elefl ; whole cafe would 
 have been jull as bad as it is, even fuppofir.g th(; < :!iers had 
 not h:n choftn at all. lAgain, the condemnation of the ungodly 
 (for it is MVidtr that charader alone, that are the fubjedts of 
 punilhment, lind were crdained to it) i» not uHjJbft, feeing It 
 
 ^^' , is. 
 
[ 8o ] 
 
 is for Jin, and only for fin. None are or -will be pumfhed, but 
 for their hiiquilies ; and all iniquity is properly meritorious of 
 puniflirr.ent : where, then, is the fuppofed unmercifulnefs, ty- 
 ranny, or injullice, of the Divine procedure ? 
 
 Pof. 5. God is the creator of the w/Vif//, but not of their 
 vo'tckfdncfs : he is the author of their beings but not the infufer 
 of 'Cc\'{\xfin. 
 
 It isj mod certainly, his will, (for adorable and unfearch- 
 able reafons), to permit fin ; but, with all pofllble reverence 
 be it fpoken, it fhould feenr), that he cannot, confiRently with 
 the purity of hisnai;ure, the glory of his attributes, and the 
 truth rf his declarations, be, himfelf, the author of it. Sin, 
 fay^s the Apr file, entered into the <world by one man, mean- 
 ing, by Adam: confequently, it was notintroduced by the 
 Deit) himfelf. Though, without the permiill ^n of his will, 
 and the concurrence of his providence, its introdufiion 
 had been impo{lible;.yet is he not, hereby the auther of fm fo 
 introduced. * Luther obferves, {^De Serif. Arb. c. 42.) " It 
 is a great degree of faith, to believe, that God is merciful and 
 gracious, th''>ugh he faves fo few, and condemns fo many ; 
 and that he is (hiiftly juft, though in confcqacnce of his own 
 will, he made us not exempt from liablenefs to condemnation." 
 And cap. 148. Although God doth ;)ct make fin, neverthelefe 
 he ceafes not to create and multiply individu.ils in the hu- 
 man nature, v.hich, through the withholding of his fpiiit, is 
 corrupted by fin : juO; as a fkilfulartil-t may foim cuiious fla- 
 tues ou't of bad mater i-^ls. So, fuch as their nature is, fuch 
 are men tbenifelves ; God forms them out of fuch a nature." 
 
 Pof. 6. The condemnation of the reprobate is neceffary and 
 inevitable. 
 
 Which 
 
 • It is a known and very jiifi: maxim of the fclVools, EffcRus fcquitur cnu' 
 Jam proximam : " An cfi't^t follows from, and is to he afcib'd to, the lalT, 
 immediate caufe that produc-d it." Thus, for ir.ft.Tnce, if I liold a book, 
 or a (Vone, in my hand, my !^ok'ing it is the immediate caufe of it's not fal- 
 ling; hut, if 1 let it go, my letting it go is not the imitdijle caufe of its 
 ftrjfmg : it is carried downward by its own gravity, which is, thsrefore, the 
 caufa proxime effecfvi, the proper and imnsediaie cai:f^ of its defcent. It is 
 true, if I liad kept my hohi S)f it, it would not have fallen; yet ftill, the 
 immediate, d'netl cauie of it:- fail, is, its own weight, not my quitting my 
 hold. The application of this, to the Providence of God, as concerned in 
 finful evei'ts, is cafy. Without Gud there could have been no creatiott ; 
 without creation, no crci-iiirrs ; iwithout creature?, r.o Jin. Yet is not iira 
 chargeable on God": for ejfcBusfc^i^itur cauj^m proximam. ■ 
 
[ 81 ] 
 
 Wl)ich we prove thus : It is evident, from fcripture, that ■ 
 the reprobate Ihall be condemned. But nothing cornea to 
 pafs (much lels can the condemnulion of a rational creature), 
 b'Jt in corifequence of the will and decree of God. There- 
 foie the non-c!cct could not be condemned, was it not the 
 divine pleafure and determination that they Ihould. And, if 
 God wills and determines their vcondemnation, that condem- 
 nation is necefl'.iry and inevitable. By their fins, they have 
 made themfelves ^'a/zy of death : and, as it is' not the will of 
 God to j*(7rAn thofe fins^'and grant them repentance unto life ; 
 ihe punilliment of fuch impenitent finners is as uuazcic/alk zs 
 it is JuJI. It is our Lord's own declaration, Mat. vii. that a - 
 corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit :' or, in other words, 
 thit a depraved finner cannot produce in himfelf thofe gracious 
 habits, nor exert thofe gracious a<fts, without which no 
 adult peifon can be faved. Confequently, the reprobate muft, 
 as corrupt, fruitlefs trees (or fruitful in evil only), be ' hewn 
 down, and call into the fire,' Mat. iii. This, therefore, ferves 
 as another argument, in proof of the inevitability of their 
 future punifhment : which argument, in brief, amounts to 
 this ; They, who are not faved from fin, mult unavoidably 
 perilh : but the reprobate are not faved from fin; (for they 
 have neither will nor power to fave themfelves, and God, 
 though he certainly con, yet he certainly 'will not fave them) : 
 Therefore, their perdition is unavoidable. Nor does it follow, 
 from hence, that Go6 forces the reprc'bate into fin, and there- 
 by into mifcry, againft their wills ; but that, in ccnfequence 
 rt their natural depravity (which it is not the divine pkafure 
 ■ to deliver them out of, neither is he bound to do it, nor 
 jire they themfelve's fo much as defirous that he would), they 
 arc voluntarily biafcd and inclined to evil: nay, wh.ich is worfe 
 dill,- they hug and va'ue their fpiritual chains, and even 
 greedily perfue the paths of fin, which lead to the cham- 
 bers of death. Thus, God does not (as we are flanderouf- 
 ly reported to alnrm) compel, the wicked to fin, as the 
 rider fpurs foiwai^ an unwilling hoife : God only fays, 
 in effcft, that tremendc-us word, Let them alone, Mat. xv. 
 14. He need but Jltulen llie reins of piovidtniial**^e- 
 raint, and i^'ithhold the influence of faving gtace ; and 
 apoilate man 'ii;!!!, too foon, and too furely. of his own nc-* 
 ccid, fall by hifiiniqutiy : he will prefently be, fpjritUally fpeak- 
 irg, '^Jtlo di J'e\ and, wiihcut any ether efficiency, lay violent 
 
 hands 
 
C 82 -2 
 
 hands on his foul. So that, though the condmenation of the 
 reprobate is unavoidable ; yet the necefficy of it is fo far from 
 making them rricre machines, or involuntary agents, that it 
 does not, in the leaft, interfere with the rational freedom of 
 their wills, nor fcrve to render them lefs inexcufable. 
 
 Po/. 7. The punifhment of the non eled was not the ulti- 
 mate end of th^ir creation ; but the glory of God. 
 
 It is frequently objeded to us, that, according to our view 
 of Predeflination, •' God makes fome perfons on purpofe to 
 damn them :" But this we never advanced ; nay, we utter- 
 ly rejed it, as equally unworthy of God to do, and of a ra- 
 tional Being to fuppofe. The grand, principal end, propofed 
 by the Deity to himfelf, in his formation of all things, and of 
 mankind in particular ; w^as. The manifeftation and difplay of 
 his own glorious actributes. His ultimate fcope, in the crea- 
 tion of the Elect, is, to evidence and make known, by their 
 falvation, the unfearchable riches of his power and wifdom, 
 mercy and love : and, the creation of the noti-ehct, is for the 
 difplay of his juftice, power, fovereignty, holinefs, and truth* 
 So that nothing can be more certain, than the declaration of 
 the text we have frequently had occafion to cite, Prov. xvi. 
 * The Lord hath made all things foi himfelf, even the wick* 
 ed for the day of evil.' On one hand, the vejeh of wrath are 
 Jittedfor dejlruciion, in order that God xaz^ Jheiv his 'wrath, and 
 make his pQ-wer known., and manifeft the greatnefs of his pa- 
 tience and long fujffering, Rom. ix. 32. On the other hand, h& 
 afore prepared the eled to falvation, that, on them, l)e might 
 demonflrate th2 riches of his glory and mercy, verfe 23. As, 
 therefore, God himfelf is the fole author and efficient of all his 
 own adions; fo is he, likewife, the fupreme end, to which they 
 lead, and in virhich they terminate. ' 
 
 Befides, the creation and perdition of the nngodly anfwer 
 another Purpofe (though a fubordinate one], with regard to 
 tlie elect themfelves ; who from the reje<5tion of thofe, learn, 
 ( I.) to admire the riches of the divine love toward themfelves, 
 which planned, and has accomplifhed, the work of their fal- 
 vation : while others, by nature on an equal level with them, 
 are excluded from a participation of the fame benefits. And 
 fuch a view of the Lord's diftinguil"hing mercy is, [2.] a mod 
 powerful motive to thanhfulnefs, that, when they too might juf- 
 tly have been condemned with the world of the noneled, they 
 were marked out as heirs of the grace, of life. [3.] Hereby 
 
 they 
 
C 83 ] 
 
 they are taugbf, ardently to k-oe their heavenly father ; [4.] 
 to tniji in him afl'uredly, for a corjtinued fupply of grace while 
 they are on earth, and for the accomplifhment of his eternal 
 decree and proroife, by their glorification in heaven ; and, 
 [5 ] to Uve, as becomes thofe, who have received fuch un- 
 fpeakable merciers from the hand of their God and Saviour. 
 So BucER fomevvhere obferves, That the punifhment of the 
 reprobate " is ufcfal to the eleft ; inafmuch as it influences 
 them to a greater fear and abhorence of fin, and to a firmer 
 reliance on the goodnefs of God." 
 
 Pof. 8. Notv/ithllanding God did, from all eternity, irrc- 
 verfibly chufe out and fix upon fame to be partakers of fal- 
 vation by Chrlft, and rejefled the rejl) who are therefore terir- 
 ed by the apoflle, "'< ^^.t^, the refufc^ or thofe that remained and 
 were left out) ; a<5ling, in both, according to the good plea- 
 fure of his own fovereign will : yet, he did not, herein aft an 
 viijujly tyrannical, or cruel part ; nor yet (hew himfelf a rejpecttr 
 of perfcns. 
 
 , 1. He is not urjvjl, in reprobating fome : neither can he be 
 fo ; for * the Lord is holy in all his ways, and righteous in all 
 hi3 works,* Pfulm cxlv. But falvation and damnation are 
 works of his : confequently, neither of them is unrighteous 
 or unholy. It is undoubted matter of fa<5l, that the Father 
 draws fome men to Chrill, and favcs them in him with an 
 everlafting falvation ; and th.^.t he neither draws nor faves fome 
 others : and, if it be not unjuft in God, actually to forbear fa- 
 ving thefe perfons after they are hern ; it could not be unjuft 
 in him to determine as much, before they were born. What is 
 not unjuft for God to do in time; could not, by parity of argu- 
 ment, be unjurt in him to refolve upon and dtcree from eterni- 
 ty. And, lurely, if the apoftle's illuftration be allowed to 
 have any propriety, or to carry any authority, it can no 
 more be unjuft in God 10 fet apart fome, for communion with 
 himfelf in this life and the next, and to y^/ -t/Wc others, accord- 
 ing to his own free pleafure ; than for a potter, to make, out 
 q( the fame rnaft of dTiy, fome vcffeh (oT honorable, and others 
 for inferior ufes. The Deity, being abfolute Lord of all his 
 creatures, is accountable to none, for his doings ; and can- 
 not be chargeable with injuftice, for difpoflng of his own as 
 he v'lU. 
 
 Nor, 2. is the decree of reprobation a tyrannical cne. It 'is, 
 indeed, ftriilly fovereign ; but lawful fovereignty and lawlefs 
 
 tyranny 
 
f 84 ] 
 tyranny are as really diftind, and difFerent, as any two r^ppo- 
 lites can be. He is a tyrant^ in the cominon acceptation of 
 that wcrd, who, [i.j either ufurps the fovereign authority, 
 and arrogates to hinifelf a dominion to which he has no 
 right: or, [2. J who, being, originally, a lawful prince, alu- 
 fes his power, and governs contrary to law. But who dares to 
 lay either of thefe accufations to the Divine charge ? God, as 
 creator, has a moft unquefiionable and unlimited right over the 
 the fouls and bodies of men; unlefs it can be fuppofed, contrary 
 to allfcripture and common fenfe, that, in making of man, he 
 made afet of beings fuperior to himfelf, and exernpl from his jurif- 
 didion. Taking it for granted, therefore, that God has an 
 abfolutc right of fovereignty over his creatures; if he fiiould 
 be pleafed (as the fcriptures repeatedly alfure us that he is) 
 to manijcjl and dijplay that right, by graciouOy faving fome, 
 and juftlypunifliing. others for their fins — Who are we, that 
 we fliould reply agawjl God? 
 
 Neither does the ever bleffed Deity fall under \\\t fecond no- 
 tion of a tyrant ; namely, as one who abufes his power, by 
 adling contrary to law: for, by what exterior law is HE 
 bound, who is the fupreme lawgiver of iha univerfe ? The 
 laws, promulgated by him, are defigned for the rule of our 
 condud, not oi His, Should it be objed'ed, that *' His own 
 attributes of goodnefs and juflice, hoiinefs and truth, are a 
 law to himfeli ;" I anfwer, that, admitting this to be the cafe, 
 there is nothing, in the decree of reprobation, as reprefented 
 in fcripture, and by us from thence, which c!a(hes with any 
 of thofe pe!fc<51ions. With regard to the Divine goodnefs, 
 though the non-elect are not obj^s of it, in the fenfe the 
 eled are ; yet, even they are not wiioUy excluded from a par- 
 ticipation of it. They enjoy the good things of providence, 
 in common vi'lch God's children, and, very often, in a much 
 higher degree. Belides, goodnefs, confido/cd as it is in God, 
 would have been jiifl the fame infinite and glorious attribute, 
 fuppofing no rational beings had been created at all,. or faved 
 when created. To which may be added, that the goodnefs 
 of the Deity does not ceafeto be infinite in rtfclf, only becanfe 
 it is more extended to fome objedls than it is to others : The 
 ijifinity ot tliis perfc«5tion, as refiding in God and coinciding 
 with his elfence, is fafiiciently fecured, without fuppofing it 
 to reach, indifcriminately, to all the creatures he has made. 
 For, was this way of reafoning to be admitted, it would lead 
 
 us 
 
[ 85 ] 
 ns too far, and prove too much : fince, if the infinity of his 
 gnodnefs is to be eftimated, by the number of objefls, upon 
 which It terminates ; there mull be an abfolute, proper infi- 
 nity~of reafonable beings, to terminate that goodnefs upon: 
 confequently, it would follow, from fuch premifes, either. 
 That the creation is as truly infinite, as the Creator ; or, if 
 otherwife. That the Creator's goodnefs could not be infinite, 
 becaufe it has not an infinity of objeds to make happy*. Lajl- 
 ly, if it was not incompatible with God's infinite goodnefs, to 
 pafs by the 'whole body of fallen angels^ an3 leave them under 
 
 H lefs 
 
 • The late mort learned and judicious Mr Charnock has, in my jiidge- 
 inent at Icaft, proved, moll clearly and faiisuftorily, that the exclujton of 
 fome individual perfoiis, from a participation of faving grace, is ptrfefliy 
 confident with Clod's unlimiled goodncls. He obftrve?, that " The good- 
 nefs of the Deity is Infinite, and circumfcrihed by no limits. The exerdfcoS 
 his goodncfi may be limitei by himfclf ; hut h\s goodnefs, the. principle, can- 
 not ; for, fince his eflcnce is infinite, and his goodnefs is not dillinguiflied 
 from his eflcnce ; // is infinite alfo. Gud is ncceij'arily good, in his nature ^ 
 but/rrr in his communications of it. He is nccellarily good, ajfe8ivc, in re- 
 gard of his nature ; but freely god, cftBive, in regard of the effluxes of 
 it to this or that particular fuiijeft he pitcheth upon. He is not neccffarily 
 communicative of his goodnefs, as the fun of its light, or a tree of its cool- 
 ing (hade, which chufes not its objtdts, but enlij;!.t. 'is all indifferently, 
 without variation or diflindlion : this were to make God of no more un- 
 derftanding than the fun, which Ihines, not where '.t plcafes, but where it 
 muj}. H'i is an underflanding agent, and hath a fovcrei^n right to chufe 
 his own fiibjerts. It wnuld not be 3. fiipreme, if it were not a voluntry gooi- 
 nefs. It is agreeable to the nature of the Highefb Good, to be abiohitelT 
 free; and to difpenfc his goodnefs in what mcthcds and incafures he pkafcs, 
 according to the fiee determii^ations of his own will, guided "by the wifl 
 dom of his mind, and regulited by the holinefs of his nature. Hs will be 
 good to -whom he ■will be good. When he doth aft, he cannot but aft v/ell: 
 tjo far it is necefary : yet he may adl ih':s good or that good, to this or that 
 degree: So it is free : As it is the pcrp.Bion cf his nature, it is neccffary: as 
 it is the cemmuni.aiion cf hih bounly, it is voluntary The eye canwA but fee 
 if it be open ; yet it may ghince on this or that colour, fix upon this or 
 that obji-ft, as it is conduced by the -will. What nectffity could there be 
 xn Gad, to rcfolvc to communicate his goodnefs [at all?] It could not be to 
 make himfclf better by it; for he had [before] a goodnefs incapable of any 
 additio:i. What obllgatiun c niLl there be from the creature? Whatever 
 fparks of goodnefs any creature hath, are the free- cfufi^ns of God's bounty, 
 the ofTvpiing of his own inclination to do -a ell, the fimple favour of the Jal 
 ■nor, God is as unconjirained 'n\ his liberty, in all jiis communications as 
 [he i,] infiiiitexn his goodnefs, th.e f nintain of them." Chaf.ngck's Work's 
 vol i. p. 583, &c. With whom agrees the cxceilcnt Dr Ba tes (fiinamcd| 
 for hise'oqucnce, the filver-tcngucdj ; and who, if he had ajilvcr-tcno^ue, had 
 likewiic i j^oldcn pa: " God." f.)she, " is a wife-and free ageift ; 'and, 
 as he is infinite in goodnefs, fo the t'xcrcife of it is voluntary, and only (g 
 C»r«s he pl.ifes," Harm, cf Div. /If.rih. chap 3, 
 
C 86 ] 
 
 itfne guilt of their apoftacy ; tducIi lefs can it clafti with that 
 attribute, to pafs by fame of fSllen mankind, and refolve to 
 leave them in their fms, and punifii them for them. Nor is 
 it inconfiftent with the Divine JtijTice, to iviihhold faving grace 
 from fome ; feeing the grace of God is not what he owes to any. 
 it is 2. free gift i to thofe that have it ; and is ««?/ due, to thofe 
 that are without it : confcquently, there can be no injuftice, 
 in not giving what God is not hound to beftow. 
 
 There is no end of cavilling at the Divine difpenfations, if 
 men are difpofed to do it. We might, with equality of reafon, 
 when our hand is in, prefume to charge the Deity with parti- 
 ality, for not making all his creatures angels, becaufe it was in 
 his power to do fo ; as charge him with injuftice, for not elec- 
 ting all mankind. Befides, how can it poffibly be fubverfive 
 of his juftice, to condemn, and refolve to condemn, the non- 
 eleft, for their fins ; wh;;n thofe very fins were not atoned for by 
 Chrift, as the fins ©f the eled were ? His juftice, in this cafe, 
 is fo far from hindering the condemnation of the reprobate ; 
 that it renders it nece/fary and indifpenfible. Again, is the 
 decree of fovereign preterition, and of juft condemnation for 
 fin, repugnant to the Divine hoUmfs ? not in the leaft : fo far 
 from it, that it does not appear how the Deity coidd he holy, 
 if he did not hate fin, and punilh it. Neither is it contrary to 
 his truth and veracity. Qijite the reverfe. For, would not 
 the Divine veracity fall to the ground, if the finally wicked 
 were 7iot condemned ? 
 
 3. God, in the reprobation of fome, does not adl a cruel 
 part. Who ever accufed a chief magiftrate, of cruelty, for 
 not fparing a company of attrocious malvfadors, and for let- 
 tmg the fentence of the law take place upon them by their eie- 
 cution ? If, indeed, the magiftrate pleafe to pity fome of them, 
 and remit their penalty; we applaud his clemency : but the 
 funifhment of the reft is no impeachment of his mercy. Now, 
 \vilh regard to God, his meicy is free and voluntary. He 
 may extend it to. and withhold it from, whom he pleafes, 
 Rom. \s.. 15, 18. and it is fad indeed, if we will not allow the 
 ^Sovereign, the all- wife Governor of heaven and earth, the 
 fame privilege and liberty, we allow to a Supreme magiftrate 
 below. 
 
 Nor, 4. is God, in chufing fome and rejedting others, a re- 
 fpfcier of pcrfons. He only comes under that title, who, on ac- 
 'count of parentage, country, digmty, wealth, or for any o- 
 
 thcr 
 
C 87 3 
 
 ther* external confideration, ihews more favour to one pefi- 
 fon, than to anoiher. But that Is not the cafe with God. Hc^ 
 confiders all men as finners by nature ; and has conipafTion 
 not on periims of this or that fed, country, fex, age, or ftation 
 in life, becaufe they are fo circumftanced, but on ivhom, and 
 w H 2 becaufe, 
 
 • '!r^'>irui'ro>.r,->^ix, Personae AccEPrio, quum magis htiic favemus, qumir 
 tin. ob chcumjiaiittniti (iliqunm. ecu qualkatem, extcrnam, ei aihxrenlem ; put* 
 gtr.tis, dignitatem, opes, patriam, Sc- Scm'ula, in voc. 
 
 So that elegant, accurate, and learned Dutch divine, Laurentius : Hac^ 
 vera [i. e. VQo<ru'ro>.>jyp,a.'] eji, quando perfaua pcrfonx prxfertur ex cauja indeVtta : 
 put a, fs judex alj'olval ream, ve! quia dives eji, vcl quia potens, vel quia magij^ 
 tratus ejl, vel quia amicus & prcpinquus cJl, &c. " That is re/pen- ofper/otis, 
 when one man is preferred to anotlier on fome finillor and undue account; 
 as when a judge acquits a criminal, merdy becaufe he is rich, or powerful, 
 Oj- is liis frien.i, or rehtion, 8:c." Comment, in Epift. 'Jacob, p-yi- 
 
 Now in the matter of election and preteritlon, God is influenced by no 
 fueh motives: nor, indeed, by any exterior inducement, or any motive, 
 extra I'e, out of himfelf. He does not, for inrtance, condemn any perCons, 
 on account of their poverty : b^it, on the reverie, hath chofen many, who 
 arc poor in this world, Jam. ii. 5. Nor does he condemn any, for being 
 rich/ for Come, even of the mighty and noble, are called by liis grace. 
 I ior. i. 16. He does not refpedt any man's parentage, or country ; for the 
 elett will he gathered together from the four win.is, from under one end of heaven 
 to the other. Mat. xxiv. 51. and he lath redeemed to himfelf a CcU(X number, 
 tut of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, Rev. v, 9 and vii. y. 
 So far is God iirom bei;i,^, in any fenfe, a refpeHer of perfons, that, in Chrift" 
 Jeuis, tliere is neither Jew nor Greek, bind nor free, male nor jemale. Gal. 
 iii. 28. He does not receive one, nor rejeft another, merely for coming, 
 or not coming, under any of thtfe charafters. His own fovereign will, and 
 not their external or internal circumdances, was the fole rule, by which 
 lie proceeded in appointing fome to falvation, and decreeing to leave others 
 in their fins : So that God is not, herein, a refpe^ltr of their ferfms, but 
 a rcfpe(!>er of himfeif, and his own ghry. 
 
 And as God is no rcfpefker of perfons, becaufe he chufes fome as chjefls 
 of his favour, and omits others; all Icir.g on a perfcB equality ; fo neither 
 docs it follow, that I'e is fnch, from his aOaally csw/irr/i!^ fpiritual and 
 eternal liklTingson the former, and dcnyin? them to the latter: Seeing,, 
 thcte bU/Iings are abfolutely his own, and \Vhieh he may, therefore, wilh- 
 rut injudice, give, or not give, at his pleafure. Dr JVkithy hiaifelf,^though 
 fo (trtnuous an adverfary to eviry thing that looks like Predertination, yet' 
 very julfiv obferves (and fuch a conceffion, from fucb a pen, merits the 
 reader's uticntiori), I.icum non habit [fcil. v^oTu'reXr,:}'ia] in bonis mere liheris' 
 V graltiitis ; iicquc i.iiis, in quibin, unum ultcri prefer re, nofiri arbitrii aut- 
 privilcgii eJl. Lthic Compend I. 1 05. feci. 9. i- e. " The bertowing" 
 y [and, confequcntly, the ■withholding'] " of fuch benefits, as are merely gra- 
 tuitous and undeferved, does not argue refpe(ft of perfons; neither is it re- 
 Ipi^'of p»-fons, to prefer one httoie another, when we liave a right, aod 
 it is our pleafure fo to do." 1 (hall only add the leftiniony of Thomas- 
 A'juiNAs ; a man of fome genius, and much application : wlu), though, in" 
 
 very.- 
 
 % 
 
C 88 ] 
 
 lecaufe^ he wiU have compafflon. Pertinent to the prefent 
 purpofe, is that pafTage of St Austin :* " Forafmuch as fome 
 people imagine, that they muft look en God as a refpeSer of 
 perfons, if they believe, that, without any refptd had to the 
 previous merits of men, he hath mercy on whom he will, and 
 calls whom it is his pieafure to call, and makes good whom 
 he pleafes : The fcrupuloufnefs of fuch people arifes from their . 
 not duly attending to this one thing, namely, that damnation 
 is rendeied to the wicked, as a matter of debt, juftice, and de- 
 fert ; whereas, the grace, given to thofe who are delivered, is 
 free, and unmerited : fo that the condemned finner cannot al- 
 ledge that he is unworthy of his punifhment ; nor the faint 
 vaunt or boaft, as if he was worthy of his reward. Thus, in 
 the whole courfe of this procedure, there is no refpefl of per- 
 sons. They, who are condemned, and they, who are fet at 
 liberty, conftituted, originally, one and the fame lump, equal- 
 ly infeded with fm, and liable to vengeance. Hence, the juf- 
 tified may learn, from the condemnation of the reft, that would 
 
 hvive 
 
 very many things, a laborious trifier ; was yet, on forne fubjeOs, a clear 
 rcafoner, and judicious writer. His words are, " Duplex ert datio; una 
 quidem ptrtinens ad juftitiann ; qua, fcilicet, aliqui.^ dat alicui quod ei dc- 
 iitur: & circa tales dationes atttnditur perfctiarum accepiio. Alia eft datio 
 ad Uleralitatem pertinens; qua, fcilicet, gratis daiur alicni quod ei non de- 
 bttur. Et talis ert Collatio rnunerum gratis:, per quae peccatorcs afTumun- 
 tur a Deo. Et, in hac donatione, non hahet locum perfmirum acccftlo ; 
 quia quiiibet, abfque injufiitia, potert dc f;to dare quantum vult, & cut vult; 
 fecundum iilud. Mat. xx. Annon licet miki. quod volo, faccrc? tolk quod 
 tuum eft, & vade." i e. " There is a twofold rendering, or giving : the 
 one a matter of juftice, wl-ereby that is paid to a man, which was due to 
 him. Here, it is poffible for us to aft partially, and with reipecl of per- 
 sons :" [Thus, for example's fake, if I owe money to two men, one of 
 whom is rich, the other poor; and I pay the rich man, hecaufe he has it 
 5n his power to fue me, hut defrcud the ether, becaufe of his inability to 
 do himfelf jnftice ; I fhould be a rtfpefter of perfons. But, as Aquinas goes 
 on] " There is a f«rond kind of rendering, or giving; which is a branch of 
 mere bounty and lihcrnhty: by which That is tretiy bellowed on any man 
 which was not due to him : fuch are the gifts of grace, whereby finners are 
 received of God. in the befiowment of grace, lefpcft of perfons is abfo- 
 iutely out of the queft:icn : becaufe eveiy oi e n ay, and can, without the 
 Jeaft flindow of injuftice, give as mich ;,f his own, as he will, anJ to ivhom 
 he will : according to that pafTage in Mat. xx Is it not lavful for me t9 
 dc ivhat I U'i/I [•with my oivn] ? take up V ihit -which is thine, and go thy -way."^ 
 jiquin. Summ. Theol. i — ids Qn. 63. A. i. 
 
 On the whole, it is evident, that rcfpcci of perftus czv. only have place in 
 ■matters of juftice, and is but another name for pcrverfion of juflice: confe- 
 quently, it has nothing to do with matters of mere goodnejs and bounty, as 
 all the blelTings of grace and lalvation are. 
 
 * Tom. i. Epift. joj. ad 5wr?<;u Prefb. 
 
[ 89 ] 
 i!£ve been their civn punifhmeiit, had not God's free grace 
 Uepped in to their lefcue." 
 
 Before I conclude this head, I will obviate a fallacious ob- 
 jt«Sion, very common in the mouths of our opponents: 
 *' How," fay they, " is the do<ftrine oi reprobation reconcileable 
 with the dodirine of -a future judi^ment ?^' To which I anfwer, 
 that there need no pains to reconcile thefe two, fince they are 
 fo far irom interfering with each other, that one follows fronn 
 the other, and thzfonnsr renders the latter abfolutely necefTar^.- 
 Before the judgment of the great day, Chrill does not io 
 much a(fl as the judge of his creatures, as their abfolute Lord' 
 and Sovereign. From the firft creation, to the- final confum- 
 mation, oi all things; he does, in confequence of his own. 
 eternal and immutable purpofe (as a Divine perfon), gtaci- 
 oufly work in and on his own ele<51, and permiffively harden 
 the reprobate. But, wlben all the tranfaJlions of providenc<2 
 and grnce are wound up in the lalt day; he will ihtn proper ly 
 lit zi J^u./oe ; and o\)tn\y piihli/h, and folemnly ratify, if I may 
 fo fay, his cverlalling decrees, by receiving the eled, body 
 and Ibul, into glory, and by pa(rmg fentence on the non eleft. 
 (not for their having done what they could not help, but) for 
 their 'zuilful ignoranct of divine things, and their di/Iinate utile- 
 iicf; for their omijfions of moral duiy^ and for their repeated i«i»- 
 quities and iraifgnjfions. 
 
 Pof y. Not.viihllanding God's ^edeftination is mod cer-- 
 tain and imaltcrable, fo that no elec'l perfon can perifh, nor- 
 anj reprobate be faved ; yet it does not follow from thence,, 
 that \\\\ precepts, reproof, and exhortutior.s, on the part of God,, 
 or prayers on the part of man, are ufelefs, vain, and iafignificant. 
 
 (i ) Thefe are not unlefs, iiJith regard to the eleS ; for they 
 are neccfTary means of bringing them to the knowledge of the- 
 truth at firft: afterwards, o't flirring up \.hc'\r pure minds by: 
 •way of rtmerubrance, and of edifying and eftablilliing them 
 in faith, love, and holinefs. Hence that of St Aujlin:*- 
 " The commandment will tell thee, O man, what thou-', 
 oughteft to have ; reproof will fhew the^ wherein thou art: 
 wanting; and praying will teach thee from whom thou, 
 mull receive the fupplies which thou wanted." Nor, [2, J 
 are thefe vain with regard to the reprobate : for, precept, re- 
 proof, and exhortation, may, if duly attended to, be a means- 
 of making ihem careful to adjuft their moral, eitcrnal con* 
 
 H 3 du<a,. 
 
 • Di; Corrept. <.*< Grat chap. 3,, 
 
[ 90 3 
 duft, according to the rules of decency, jutlice, and regula- 
 rity ; and thereby, prevent much inconvenience to ihemfelves 
 and injury to ("ociety. And, ab for prayer^ it is the duty of 
 all., without exception. Every created \>(:\x\^ (whether eled or 
 reprobate matters not, as to this point) is, as fuch, dependent 
 on the Creator for all things : and, if dependent, ought to have 
 recourfe to Him, both in a way of fupplication and thanl<f- 
 giving. 
 
 But, to come clofer ftill. That abfolute predeftination 
 does not fet afide, nor render fuperfluous, the ufe of preach- 
 ing, exhortation, &c. we ^Tovcfrom the examples of Chr'tjl him- 
 felf and his /Ipojlles : who, All, taught and infifted upc n the 
 article ot predejl'mation ; and yet took every opportunity of 
 preaching to finners, and enforced their miniftry with proper 
 rebukes, hivitatiovs, and exhortations, as occafion required. 
 Though they (hewed, unanfwerablyj that falvation is the free 
 gift cf God, and lies entirely at his fovereign difpofal ; that 
 men can, of tl'.emfelves, do nothing Ipiriiually good.; and 
 that it is God, who, cf his own p'eaiure, "works in them both 
 to luiU and to do: yet, they did not negle<5t to addrefs their 
 auditors, as beings poffeffed of reafon and confcience, nor 
 'omitted to remind them of their duties as fuch ; but fhewed 
 them their fin and danger by nature, and laid before them the. 
 appointed way and method of I'alvation, as exhibited in the 
 gofpel. Our Saviour hfrnfelf, exprefsly, and tn terminis, af- 
 fures us, that no man CA^ come to him, except the Father draw 
 him : and yet he fays. Come unto me, all ye that labour, &c. St 
 Fetcry in the 2d oi A8s, told the Jews, tliat they had fulfilled 
 the determinate counfel and foreknoivkdge of God, in putting the 
 Melhah to death; and -^tlfoarply rebukes them for it. St Paul 
 declares, // is not of him that ivdleth, nor of him that runneth; 
 and yet exhorts the Corinthians, yi to run, as to obtain the prize. 
 Ke afiures us, Rom. viii. that tve knoiv not it-hat to pray for 
 as tve ought ; and yet, l 1 hef v direfls us to pray without cea^ 
 Jtng. He avers, l Tim. ii. that xht foundation, or decree oj the 
 Lordjlandeth fure ; and yet cautions him, who thinks hejlandsy 
 to take heed, lejl he fall. St James, in like manner, fays, that 
 Every good and perfeS gift cometh down from above ; and yet ex- 
 horts thofe, who want wifdom, to ajl it of God. So, then, 
 all thefe being Means, whereby the eka are frequently enligh- 
 tened into the knowledge of Chrili, and by which they are, after 
 they have believed through grace, bulk up in him; and aie 
 
 means 
 
3 s^i ] 
 
 mtans of their per fever ance to the end ; thefe are fo far from be- 
 ing vain and inli2;ni[icant, that they are highly ufeful and ne^ 
 eelfary, and anfwcr many valuable and important ends : with- 
 out in the leall Ihaking the doflrine of predeiiinaticn in parti- 
 cular, or the analogy of faith in general. Thas St ^ujiin. • 
 ** We muft preach, we muft reprove, we muft pray; becaufe 
 they, to whom grace is given, will hear, and a<ft accordingly; 
 though they, to whom grace is not given, will do neither." 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Shelving, that the Scripture doSfrine of Fs.trt'ESTitiArioti JhouIJ Se 
 openly preached and injijled on : and for nvhat Reafons. 
 
 UPON the whole, it is evident, that the do(5lrine of God*s 
 eternal and unchangeable predeRination Ihould neither 
 be \k\\q\\)- fupprcfj'ed ■i,Vi'^i.\2^\d, afide ; nor yet be eonfned to the 
 difquifition of tne li-ain^-d and fpeculative only ; but, likewife, 
 fhould \)& publicly laught ficm the pulpit and the prefs ; that 
 even the meaneii ot the people may not be ignorant of a truth, 
 which Te9e\5>s fuch glory on God, and is the very foundation 
 of happinefs to man Let it, however, be preached with 
 judgment and difcretion : i. e. delivered, by the preacher, as it 
 is delivered in fcriptvre ; and no otherwife. By which means, 
 it can neither be abufed to liceniiournefs, nor mifapprehended 
 to defpair ; but will eminently conduce to the knowledge, ef- 
 tablilhment, improvement and comfort of them that hear. 
 That predellination ought to be preached, I- thus prove : 
 
 I. The Go/pel is to be preached; and that not partially, and 
 by piece meal, but the -whole of it. The commifijon runs, Go 
 forth and preach the Gospel; the gofpel itfelf, even all the 
 gofpel, without exception or limitation, for, fo far as the gof- 
 pel is maimed, or any branch of the evangelical fyrtem is fup- 
 prefled and palfed over in filence, fo far the gofpel is mt 
 preached. Befides, there is fcarce any other diliinguifhing 
 do(flrine of the gofpel can be preached, Ln its purity and con- 
 fiftency, without This of predellination. EleSion is the golden 
 thread that runs through the whole chriliian lyftem ; it is the 
 leaven, that pervades the whole lump. Cicero fays of the va- 
 rious parts of human learning, " Omnes artes, quce ad hu- 
 inanitatem pertinent, habent quoddam commune vinculum, 
 Ic quafi cognatione quadam inter fe continentur : i. e. The 
 
 whole 
 • Dc Bon, Perfev. cap. 14, 
 
[ 92 ] 
 
 fwhole circle of arts have a hind of mutual bond and conneBlon ; and^, 
 iy a fort of reciprocal relat'tcnfhip^ are held together, and inter ivo- 
 ^en nvith each olher.'^ Much '.he fiime may be laid, of this im- 
 portant doifirine: it ib the bond, which connects and keeps to- 
 ■ gether the whole chriftian f) ftem ; which, without this, is like- 
 a fyftem of fand, ever ready to fall to pieces. It is the cement^, 
 which holds the fabric together; nay, it is "(lie very feui that 
 animates the whole frame. It is fo blended and ijiterwoven 
 with the entire fcheme of gofpel dodrine, that, when theybr- 
 7ncr is excluded, the latter bleeds to death. An ambafTador" 
 is to deliver the 'who/e mefi'age with which be is charged. He- 
 is to otnit no part of it ; 'but muft declare tl>e mind of the fo- 
 verelgn he reprefents, fjlly and without referve. He is to 
 fay neither more nor lefs, than the inilrutSions of his court re- 
 quire. Elle, he comes under difpbafure ; perhaps lofes his 
 head- Let the minifters ol Chrill weigh this well. 
 
 Nor is the gofpel to be preached only, but preached to every. 
 creature:-i. e. to reafonable Beings, prcrnifcoully, and at large; 
 to all, who frequent the chriUian miniiiry, of every itate 
 'and condition in life ; whcthc?r high or low, young or old, 
 learned or illiterate. All, who att<;nd on tiie Jiiinill rations of 
 Chi ill's ambailadors, have a right to hear the gofpel fully,, 
 clearly, and without mincing. Freac-h it, fays Chrirt, A^arA 
 xvi. i^-Kii^u'i'ci:, puhltfJj it abroad ; be its cryers and heralds j pro- 
 tlaim it aloud ; tell it out ; keep back no part of it ; fpare not; 
 ■tift up your voices like trumpets. Now, a very confiderable 
 branch of this gofpel is, The dodrine of God's eternal, free, 
 abfolute, and irreverfible ele<Slion of fome perfons, in Chrift, 
 to everlarting life. The faints were hngled out, in God's 
 eternal purpofe and choice, ut crederent, to be endued with- 
 faith, and thereby fitted for their dellined falvation. By 
 their interefl: in the gratutlous, unalienable love of the 
 blelfed Trinity, they eome to be, fubjedively, faints and be- 
 lievers : fo that their -whole falvation, from the firft. plan of 
 it in the divine mind, to the confummation of it in glory, is, at 
 once a matter oi mere grace, and oi abfolute certainty. While they, 
 •who die without faith and holinefs, prove, thei;eby, that they 
 were not included in this eledl number, and were 720^ -written in the 
 book of life. The jull;ice of God's procedure herein is unquef- 
 tionable. Out of a corrupt mafs, wherein not one was better 
 than another, he might (as was obferved before) love and 
 chufe luhom and as many as he pleafed. It was, likewife, 
 
 without . 
 
C 93 3 
 
 without any (hadow of injuftice, at his option, nvhom and how 
 man^, he would pafs by. His not chufmg them was the fruit 
 of his foveretgn will ; but his condemning them, after death, 
 and in the laft d;iy, is the fruit (not of their noneled'ton^ which 
 was no fault of theirs ; but) of their own pofuive tranfgref- 
 fions. The eledt, therefore, have the utmoft reafon to love 
 and glorify God, which any Beings can pnflibly have : and 
 the fenfe, of what he has done for them, is the ftrongeft mo- 
 tive to obedience. On the other hand, the reprobates have 
 nothing to complain cf ; fince, whatever God does, is juft 
 and right : and fo it will appear to be (however darkly mat- 
 ters my appear to us now), when v^tjee him as he is, and hnow 
 him evfri ns tve are knoiun. 
 
 And now, why (hould not this dodlrine be preached and 
 infifted upon ia public ? a dodrine which is of exprefs revela- 
 tion ; a dodrine that makes wholly for the glory of God j 
 which conduces, in a mofl peculiar manner, to the conver- 
 fion, comfort, and fandification of the eled ; and leaves even 
 the nngoldly themfelves without excufe ! 
 
 But, perhaps, you may ftill be inclined to queftion, Whe- 
 ther predeflination be indeed a fcripture dodrine. If fo, let 
 me, by way of fample, beg you to confider the following de- 
 claration?, I. of CHRIST, 2. of his Jpojiles. 
 
 Mat. xi. ' If the mighty works, that have been done in thee, 
 had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented,* 
 &c. whence it is evident, that the Tyrians and Sidonians ?Li\zz^ 
 the majority of them, died in a ftate of impcnitency ; but that, 
 if God had given them the fame means of grace, afforded to 
 Ifrael, they would not have died impenitent : yet thefe means 
 were not granted xhtm. How can this be accounted for? only 
 on the Tingle ptinciple of peremptory predertination, flowing, 
 from thefovereign will of God. No wonder, then, that our 
 Lord concludes that chapter, with thefe remarkable words, 
 , I thank thee, Holy Father, Lord of heaven and earth, be- 
 caafe THOU haft hid thefe things from the wife and prudent, 
 and haft revealed them unto babes : even fo, Father ; for 
 so IT SEEMFD GOOD IN THY SIGHT.' Where Chrift thanks the 
 Father, fordoing that very thing, which Arminians fsc^/a/w 
 againft as unjuft, and cenfure as partial! 
 
 Mat. xii. * To you it is given to know the myfteries of the 
 kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given. 
 
 Mat. 
 
C 94 ] 
 
 Mat. XX. 23. * To fit on my right hand, and on my left, is 
 not mine to give, «>-^' «V yf^'y-^n::! 'vro t>s ^ra^j®" /xa, except to them 
 for wh®m it hath been preo^tred by my father :' q. d= Salva- 
 tion is not a precarious thing : the feats in glory were difpofed 
 of long ago, in my father's intention and deftination : I can 
 only affign ihem to fuch perfons, as they were prepared for, 
 in his decree. 
 
 Mat. xxii. * Many are cal'tJ, but few chofen :' i. e. All, 
 ■who live under the found of the gofpel, will not be faved ; 
 but thofe only who are elected unto life. 
 
 Mat. xxiv. ' For the eleift's fike, thofe days fliall be (hort- 
 ened.' and ibid. * If it were polfible, they fhould deceive the 
 very elefl :' where, it is plain, Chrift, teaches two things ; [ (.3 
 that there is a certain number of perfons, who are eleSied to 
 grace and glory ; and, [2.] that it is abfolutely impojj'ible for 
 thefe to be deceived into total or final apoRkcy. 
 
 Mat. XXV. * Come, ye blefied of my father, inherit the 
 kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' 
 
 Mark xi. ' Unto you it is given to know the myftery of the 
 kingdom of God ; but, to them that are without,' i. e. out 
 of the pale of eledion, * all thefe things are done in parables ; 
 that, feeing they may fee, and not perceive ; and, hearing, 
 they may hear, and not underftand : left, at any time, they 
 fhould be converted, and their fins (hould be forgiven them.' 
 
 Luke X. ♦ Rejoice, becaufe your names are written in heaven.* 
 
 Luke xii. • It is your Father's good pleafure, to give ydu 
 the kingdom.' 
 
 Luke xvii. • One (hall be taken, and the other fhall be left.' 
 
 John vi. * All that the Father hath given me, fliall come 
 unto me :' as much as to fay, Thefe (hall, but the reft cannot. 
 
 John viii. * He that is of God, heareth God's words ; ye 
 therefore hear them not, becaufe ye are not of God ;' not cho- 
 fen of him. 
 
 John X. ' Ye believe not, becaufe ye are are not of my fheep.*' 
 
 John XV. • Ye have not chofen me, but 1 have chofen you.* 
 I come now, 2. to the Apoftles. 
 
 •^John xii. 37, 40. * They believed not on him", that the 
 faying oi Efaias the prophet might be fulfilled which he fpake ; 
 Lord, who hath believed our report ? and to whom hath the 
 arm of the Lord been revealed ? Therefore they could not 
 believe, because Efaias faid again. He hath blinded their eyes, 
 and hardened their hearts; that they fhould not fee with their 
 
 eyes. 
 
C 95 ] 
 
 eyes, nor underftand with their hearts, and be converted, and 
 I fhould heal them ' Without certain Frrfcience, there could 
 be Xio prophecy ; and, without predtjl'tnat'wn, no certain prefci- 
 encc. Therefore, in order to the accompHlhnient o{ prophecy^ 
 frefc'unce, and prefiejitnation, we are exprelsly told that thel'e 
 pexlbns could NOr believe; >i» rH-jva^io, they ivere not able ; \t 
 was out of their poiver. In Ihort, there is hardly a page, in St 
 jfohn^s gofpel, which does not, either exprefsly or implicitly, 
 make mention of elecftion and reprobation. 
 
 Sc Peter lay^, ct Judas, Ads i. ' Men and 'brethren, the 
 fcriptures must neldj have been fulfilled, which tlie Holy 
 Ghofl, by the mouth of David, fpake before, concerning Ju- 
 das.* So, verfe xxv. * That he might go to his own pjace :' 
 to the place of punilliment appointed for hirn, 
 
 A<fls ii. * Him, being delivered by the determinate counfel 
 and foreknowledge of'God, ye have taken, and, with wicked 
 hands, have crucified and flain.' 
 
 Acts iv. * Herod and Pontius Pilate, and the Gentiles, and 
 the people of Ifrael, were gathered together, for to do what- 
 foever thy hand and thy counfel deterniined before to be done: 
 ir^ouaivt ymff^ai, predeftinated fhould come to pafs.' 
 
 Aifls xiii. ' And as many, as were ordained to eternal life, 
 believed : rirxf/^ivn, defigned, deftined, or appointed unto life.* 
 
 Concerning the ApoRle Paul, what fliall I fay f every one, 
 that has read his epiftles, knows, that they teem with pre- 
 deftination, from beginning to end *. I Ihall only give one 
 or two parages : and begin with that famous chain, liom. viii, 
 * whom he did foreknow (or fore-love, for, to know often 
 fignifies, in fcripture, to love) he alfo did predeflinale to be 
 conformed to the image of his fon, that he might be the firll- 
 born among many brethren :' that, as in all things elfe, fo in 
 ths hnCinek of e/eif ion, Chnft might have the preheminence ; 
 J^e be'\ng Jirji chofe, as a Saviour, and they in him to be faved 
 by him : ' moreover, whom he did predellinate, them he alfo 
 
 called ; 
 
 ^ • A friend of mine, wliohas a large property in Ireland, wasconvtrfing, 
 one day, with a popifli tenant of his, upon religion. Aniotg other points 
 they difcufTcd the praclicc of having public prayers in cm ttnhiKmn tcr.guc. My 
 friend took down a new teltament trom his Ixjok-cafe, and read part of 
 I Cor. xiv. Wlieii he lia<l finilhed, the poor, zealous papift rofe up from his 
 chair, and faid, with great vehemence, " / verily believt St PaiJl -was an 
 herctick." 
 
 (Jan the perfon, who carefully reads tlie epiftles of that great apoftlf, 
 douLt of Ills having Ijccii a thorough paced PaEDtsn.sABiAN i 
 
C 96 ] 
 
 called ; and whom he called, them he alfo juftified, and whom 
 
 he juftified, them he alfo glorified. 
 
 The 9th, icih and 1 ith chapers of the fame epiftle are pro' 
 fejfed d'llferlaUons on, and illuftrations of, the doctrine of God's 
 decrees; and contain, likewife, a folution of the principal ob- 
 jedlions brought againft that dodrine. 
 
 Gal. i. * \X^ho feparated me from my mother's womb, and 
 called me by his grace.' 
 
 The finl chapter of Ephefiam treats of little elfe but eledllon 
 and predeftination. 
 
 2 Theff. ii. After obferving, that the reprobates perifh will- 
 fully ; the apodle, by a ftriking tranfition, addreffes himfelf 
 to the ELECT Thejfalonlanst faying: ' But we are bound to give 
 thanks unto God, always, for You, brethren, beloved of the 
 Lord, becaufe God hath, from the beginning,' chcfen you to 
 falvation, through fandification of the fpirit and belief of the 
 truth.' 
 
 2 Tim. i. * Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy 
 calling, not according to our works, but. accoiding tohis own 
 purpofe, and grace which was given us, in Chrift, before the 
 world began.' 
 
 St jfude, on the other hand, defcribes the reprobate as ' un- 
 . godly men, who were, of old, fore-ordained to this condem- 
 nation.' 
 
 Another apoftle makes this peremptory declaration ; * Who 
 ftumble at the word, being difobedient, whereunto alfo they 
 were APPOINTED: but Y£ are aCH03LN generation 
 [ysvfl,- ixXtxrov, an ele(^ race"", a royal priefthcod, an holy nation, 
 a peculiar people, xa@" £'5 cn^i-rer/nrrj, a people pui chafed to be his 
 peculiar property and pofleffion, i Pet, ii. 8, 9. To all which, 
 may be added. 
 
 Rev. xvii. 8. ' Whofe names weie not written in the book 
 of life from the foundation of the world.' 
 
 All thefe texts are but as an handfj! to the harveft : and 
 yet are both numerous and wcigl :y tixugh to decide the 
 point, with any who pay the leait defe.ence to Scripture au- 
 thority. And let it be obferved, that Chrift and his Apcllles 
 delivered thefe matters, not to fome privileged perfons only, 
 but to All, at large, who had ears to bear, p.nd eyes to rcad» 
 Therefore, it is incumbent on every fiiiihful minifter, to tread 
 in their ileps, by doing likewiie: nor is that minifter a faith- 
 ful one, faithful to Chrift, to truth, and to fouls, who keeps 
 
 back 
 
C 97 ] 
 
 bnck afy pari of the counfel of God, and buries thofc doflriiieJ 
 in filence, which he is comm.in-dcd to preach upon the houfe tops. 
 
 Tnt great Sc /lu^tn in his valuable treatife De Bono Per/ever. 
 edi-aiKilly obviates the obj-aions of thofe, who are for bury- 
 ing the doflriae of Predellination in filence. He fliews, that 
 t ought to \)t publicly iaught ; defcribes the tieceji^y, and uft;ful- 
 vfs, of preaching i: ; and points out the laanner of doing it to 
 eiitication. And fince fome perfon? have condemned St ^uf' 
 till, by bell, book, and candle, for his ftedfaft attachment to, 
 and nervous, faccefsful defences of, the decrees of God, let 
 us hear what Luther^ that great light in the church, thought, 
 refpeifling the argument before us. 
 
 Erafrn.is (in mofl other refpet^ts, a \ery excellent man) af- 
 fe^fted to think, that it was of dangerous confequence to pro- 
 pagate the doctrine of Predf/Hnaiton, cither by preaching or 
 writing. His words are thefe : *' Whit can be more ufelefs, 
 than to publifh this paradox to the world ? namely, that what- 
 ever we dT, is done, not by vircui of our own free will, but 
 in a way of neceirity, &c. What a v/ide gap does the publi- 
 cation of this tenet open among m°n, for the commiilion of 
 all un'o llinefb ! What wicked perfon will reform his life ? 
 Who will dare to believe hirafelf a favourite of heaven ? Who 
 will fight againll hii own corrupt inclinations? Therefore, 
 where is either the n?ed, or the utility, of fpreading thefe no- 
 lions, from whence fo many evils feem to fl )w?" 
 
 To which, Luther replys : " li, my Erafmus, you con- 
 flict thefe paradoxes {as you term them) to be more than the 
 iiventions of m:n ; .why are you io extravagantly heated on 
 the occafion? In that cafe, your arguments aiTed not me: for 
 there is no perfon, now living in the world, who is a more 
 avowed enemy to the doSrines of men than myfelf. But, if 
 y')u brieve t!ie doflrines in debate between us, to be (as in- 
 deed they are) the docliines of God : you mull have bid adieu 
 to all th'i fenfe of flume and decency, thus to oppofe them. 
 •1 will not afic, Whither is the modejiy of Erafmus fled ? but, 
 w!)ich is much more important. Where, alas! are your y><2r 
 and reverence of the Dei'y, when you roundly declaie, that 
 this branch of truth, which He has reve iled from heaven, is, 
 at bell, ufelefsy and unnecefTary to be known? What! fhall 
 the glorious Creator be taught, by you his creature, what is fit 
 to be preached, and what to be fupprerted ? Is the adorable 
 Ojd fo very defe(5live in wifdom and prudence, as not to know, 
 
 I Ull 
 
t 98 ] 
 
 ti]\ you inftriKft him, what would be ufeful, and what pernici- 
 ous ? or could not He, whofe underftanding ib infiriite, fore- 
 fee, previous to his revelation of this doflrine, what would be 
 •the cofiJeque7iccs of his revealing it, till thofe confequences were 
 pointed out h^ you? You cannot, you dare not fay this. If, 
 then, it was the divine pleafure to make known thele things 
 in his word ; and to bid his mefiengers publifli them abroad, 
 and leave the confequences of their fo doing to the wifdom 
 and providence of Him, in whofe name thev fpeak, and whofe 
 jneiTage they declare ; 'who art thou, O Erafmus, that thou 
 Jhouldejl reply againjl God, and fay, to the Almighty, What doejl 
 thou? St Paul, difcnurfing of God, declares peremptorily, 
 Whom he iv'tll he hardeneth : and again, God ivill'ing to Jhetu his 
 fwrath, ,&c. And the Apoftle did not write this, to have it 
 ftifled among itvf perfons, and buried in a corner; but wrote 
 it to the chriflians at Rome: v^hich was, in effeifl-, bringing 
 this doflrine upon the ftage of the whole world ; ftamping an 
 imlverfal Imprimatur upon it; and publifiiing it to believers at 
 large., throughout th? earth. — What can found harfher, in the 
 uncircumciled ears of carnal men, than thofe words of Chrift, 
 Jlfany are called, but fe-w chofen ? and elfewhere, 1 1 new nvhom 
 J have chofen. Now, thefe and fimilar afTeilions of Chrift and . 
 his Apoftles, are the very pofuions, which you, D Erafmus^ 
 brand as ufelefs and hurtful. You objeft, If thefe things are fo, 
 ivho ivill endcOHjrur to amend his life ? I anfwer ; Without the 
 Holy Ghoft, no man can amend his life to purpofe. Refor- 
 mation is but varnlflied hypocrify, unlefs it proceed from grace. 
 The eleiSl: and truly pious are amended by the Spirit of God ; 
 and thefe of mankind, who are not amended by Him, will 
 
 jjevifli. You aik, moreover, V/ho tuill dare to believe himfelf a 
 
 favourite of hea'ven? I anfwer; It is not in man's own power 
 to believe himfelf fuch, upon juft grounds, till he is enabled 
 from above. But the Elecft (luill be fo enabled : they fhall be- 
 lieve themfelves to be what indeed they are. As for the reft, 
 Svho are not endued widi f^iith, they fhall perifli ; raging and 
 blafpheraing, as you do now. Bur, fay you, Thefe do£lrines 
 open a door to ungodlinefs. I anfwer ; Whatever door they may 
 open to the Impious and prophane ; yet, they open a door of 
 Tighteoufnefs to the eUa and holy, and fhew them the way to 
 heaven, and the path of accefs unto God. Yet~ you would 
 have us abflain from the mention of thefe grand dotStrines, and 
 •ieave our people in the dark, as to their eledion of God : the 
 
 confequence 
 
[ 99 D 
 
 confequence of which wculd be, that every man would bolfter 
 hirnielf up'jvitba delufive hope of fliare in that falvation, which is 
 fuppofed to He open to all; and, thus, genuine humility, and the 
 pradical fear of God, would be kicked out of doors. This would 
 be a pretty way indeed, o^Jloppingupthegap^ Erafmus complains, 
 of! Infiead of clofing up the door of licentioufnefs, as is falfely 
 pretended ; it would be, in fjft, opening a gulph into the nether- 
 moft liell. Still you urge, JVhere is, either the necejfityt vi utility, of 
 preaching pre(]i^Tniation ? God himfclf teaches it, and commands 
 us to teach it : and that is anfwer enough. We are not to ar- 
 raign the Deity, and bring the motives of his will to the tefl: 
 of human fcrutiny ; but (imply to revere both Him and It. 
 He, who alone is all wife and alljull, can in reality (however 
 things appear to us), do wrong to no man ; neitlier can he do 
 any thing unuifely or ralhly. A:id this confideration will 
 fuffice, to filence all the ohjedions of truly religious perfons. 
 However, let us, for argument's fake, go a iiep farther. £ 
 will venture to affign, over and above, 'Tivo vqtj important: 
 reafons, whythefe dofliines (hould be publicly taught : i. For 
 the humiliaii'jn of our pride, and the manifellation of divine 
 grace. God hath alfuredly promifed his favour to the truly 
 humble. By truly humble, I mean, thofe who are endued 
 with repentance, and defpair of faving thtmfclves ; for a man 
 can never be faid to be really per.itent and humble, till he is 
 made to know that his falvation is not fufpended, in any mea- 
 fure whatever, on his own ftrength, machinations, endeavours, 
 free-will, or works ; but entirely depends on the free pleafure, 
 purpofe, determination, and efTjcicncy of another ; even of 
 God alone. Whill^ a man is perfuaded, that he has it in his 
 power to contribute any thing, be it ever fo little, to his owa 
 lalvation ; he remains in carnal confidence: he is not ^felf Je* 
 fpairer, and therefure he is not duly humbled before God : fo 
 iar from ic, that he hopes fome favourable jundure or oppor- 
 tunity will offer, when he may be able to lend an helping 
 hand to the bufinefb of liis falvation. — On the contrary, who- 
 ever is truly convinced that tire whole work depends fingly 
 and abfolutely on the will of God, who alone is the author and 
 Jinifier of falvation ; fuch a perfon defpairs oi -aW felf-ajjijance : 
 he renounces bis ovvn will, and his own (Irength : he waits and 
 prays f -r the operation of God : nir waits and prays in vain. 
 For the EUtrs fake, iherefote, thefe do^tines are to be preach- 
 ed ; that the chofea of God, being humbled by the knowledge 
 
 1 2 ' (£ 
 
C 100 ] 
 
 ©fills truths ; felf- emptied, and funk, as It were, into notliing 
 in his prefence; may be faved, in Chiift, with eternal glory. 
 This, then, is one inducement to the publication of the doc- 
 trine ; that the penitent may be m.ade acquainted \v\th the pro- 
 Jmife oi gr-ize, plead h in prayer to Grd, and receive it as their 
 own. 2. The nature of the Chrijlian faith requires it F/i!lh 
 has to do with things not feen. — And this is one of the high* 
 eft degrees of faiih, ftcdiafi-y to believe that God is infinitely 
 merciful, though he f?ves (corrparativeiy ) but few, and con- 
 demus fo many ; and that he hJIrictlyji/J}, though, of hisj_own 
 Will, he makes fuch niiiribers of mankind neccffarily liable to 
 damnation. Now, thefe are fome of the unfeen things, where- 
 of faith is the evidence. Whereas, was ii in my power to 
 ccmprehetid them, or clearly to make out, hoiu God is both in- 
 violably juft, and infinitely merciful, notwiihftanding the dif- 
 play of wrath and feeming inequality in his difpenlations re- 
 fpedting the reprobate : faith would have little or nothing to 
 do. But now, fmce thefe matters cannot be adequately com- 
 prehended by us, in the prefent fiate of imperfedion ; theie is 
 room for the exercife of faith. The trutlis, therefore, refpec-- 
 Un^^ Predejination in all iisi^rantfhes, ftiould be tnught and pub- 
 liflied : they, no lefs ihan-the other myfterics of ChiiHian doc- 
 trine, being proper objefis of faille, on tlie part ct Goct's 
 people." * 
 
 With Luther the excellent Bucer agrees: psTticularly, on 
 Eph. i. where his wcids are, " There are fome, who affirm, 
 that EleSion is not to be mentioned pnUlicly to the people. 
 But they judge wrongly. The bkffings, which God beTtows 
 on man, are not to be fupprefTeo, but infilled and enlarged 
 upon: and, if fo, furcly, the hlsSiv.^; cf prcdefination ur.tbjfe, 
 Vihkh is the greate/I hlefling of all, iLould not be pafled over." 
 And, a little after, he -adds, " Take away the remembrance 
 and confideratirn of cur eledtion, and then, Good God ! whut 
 weapons have we left us, where'v.ith to refift the temptations 
 
 cf Satan? As often as he ailiults our faith (which he is 
 
 frequently doing), v.'e m.uR, ccinfhintly, and without delay, 
 have recourfe to our elcdion in Chiift, as to a city of refuge. 
 Meditation upon the Father's appointment of us to eternal 
 life, is the bed antidote againfl the -evil fuVmihngs of doubt- 
 fulnefs and remaining unbelief. If we :ue entirely void cf all 
 hope and aflurance, reipefting our intereft in this capital^ pri- 
 vilege, 
 • LuTHEROS, Dc Serv. Arhitr. in rffponj. ad ult part. pi*fu-t, Err.jmi- 
 
vilege, what folid and comfortable expedlation can "we entfr^ 
 tain, cf future bleflednefs ? How can we look upon God as 
 our gracious Father, and upon Chrift as our unchangeable^ 
 Redeemer? without vhich, I fee not how we can ever truly 
 love God : and if we have no true love towards him, how can ■ 
 we yield acctpt:ible obedience to him ? Therefore, thofe perfons 
 are not to be heard, who would have the do(5irine of eledioa 
 laid (as it were) aflcep, and feldom or never make its appear- 
 ance .'.1 the congregations cf the faithful." 
 
 To what thcfe great men have, fo nervoufly, advanced ; per- 
 mit me to add, that the doiflrine cf Predellination is not only 
 ufeful, but ahjolute'ynecejjliry to be taught or known. For, 
 
 I. Without it, we cannot ic\m juj} and becoming ideas of Cod, 
 Thus, unlefs he certainly foreknows, and foreknevv' from ever- 
 lading, ail things that ilimild come to pafs ; his underllanding 
 would be infini'.e : and a Deity oi limited underftanding is tio- 
 Peity at ail. Again, we cannot fuppofe him to \va.yQ foreknown 
 any thing, which he had not previo-afly decreed ;■ without fet- 
 ting up a feries of caufes, extra Ddunif and making the Deity 
 defenduit, for a great part of the knowledge he !ias, upon the 
 will and works of hit creatures, and upon a combination of 
 circumilances fx/tr/or to himfelf. Therefore, his determinate 
 plan, counfel, and purpofe, (i. e. his oviv\ predcfiirHdion of cau- 
 fes and eifi^s), i?. the only bafis of his, fcrfkrwzvkdge : which; 
 foreknowledge could neillier be certain, nor indepcndtnt, but as 
 founded on his own at.teeedent decree. 2. He alone is entitled 
 to the naire ci True God, who go'werns all things, and with- 
 out whofe ijuill (either efficient or permiffive) nothing is or 
 can be done. And fuch is the God of the fcriptures ; againft 
 whofe will, not a fparroiv can die, nor an kair fall from cur^ 
 Leads, Mat. x. Now what is predeflination, but the determi- 
 ning WILL of God ? I defy the fubtlleft femipelsgian in the 
 woild, to form, or convey, a juft and 'vorthy notion of the 
 Suprcrrxe Being, without admitting him to be the great cayfe of 
 all eaufes elfe, himfelf dependent on none : who willed from e- 
 terr.ity, how he would aft in time ; and fettled a regular, de- 
 ter min ate /./jiv?/^ cf what he would do, and permit to be done 
 from the beginning to the confummation of the world. A. 
 contrary view of the Deity is as inconfifient with reafon Ilfelf, 
 and with the very religion of nature, as it is with the decifi- 
 ons oi revelation. Nor can we, rationally, conceive of an In- 
 dependent, Allpeifed Firft Cau.'e, without allowing "him to 
 
 1 2 be 
 
[ IC2 J 
 
 be, (3.) unchangsahk in his purpnfes. His decrees and his ej- 
 fence coincide: confequently, a change in thofe, would infer an 
 alteration in thit. Nor can that Being be the true God, who' , 
 will is variable, fluifluating, and indeterminate : for, his iv/ 
 is Himfelf tu'd'ing. A Deity without decrees-, and decrees with- 
 out tmmutabdity, are, of all inventions that ever entered the 
 heart of man, the moft abfard. (4) Without predeftinati'in 
 to plan ; and, without providence to put that plan in execution ; 
 ■what becomes of God's Omnipolence ? It vaniQies into air. It 
 becomes a mere non- entity. For what fort of Omnipotence 
 is that, which may be hajlcd and defeated, by the very crea- 
 tures it has made ? Very different is the idea of this atliibute, 
 iuggeftcd by the Pfalm'i/I, Pfalm cxlii. ' VVhatfoever the Lord 
 willed, that did he, in heaven and in earth, and in the fea, 
 and in all deep places :' i. e. He rrnt oiily made them when he 
 would, hxxX. orders ihtm. v/hen made. (5.) He alone is the 
 true God, according to fcripture reprefentation, who faves, by 
 his mere mercy and voluntary grace, ihofe whom he hath 
 chofen ; and righteoufly condemns (for tlieir fins) thofe whom 
 he thought fit to pafs by. But, without predeftination, there 
 could, be no fuch thing, either a; fovere'ign mercy, or voluntary 
 grace. For, after all, vihat is. prcdtjt'mciio.i, but hh decree, to 
 fave Jome, of his mere goodnefs : and to condemn others, in his jtiji 
 'judgment ? — Now, it is moft evident, ihat tiie fcripture doflrine, 
 of Predetermination, is the cleared mirror, wherein to fee 
 and contemplate thefe eilenthil attributes of God. Here they 
 all ihine forth, in their fnlnefs of harmony and luftre. Deny 
 predertination, and you deny (though, perhaps, not intention- 
 ally,, yet by neceffary confeciuence) the adorable perfe<5tions of 
 the Godhead : in concealing That, you throw a veil over 
 Thefe; and, in preaching That, you hold xx^^ Thefe, to the 
 comfort, the eftabliOiment, ano the admiration of the belie- 
 ving world. 
 
 II. Predeftination is to be preached, becaufe the Grace cf 
 God (ifaich ftands oppofed to all human worthinefs) cannot he 
 inaintained.ivtthoui it. The excellent St ylajlin maizes ufe of this 
 very argun.ent. "If," fays he, " thefe two privileges'* 
 [narneliT, faith itfelf, v.wA final psrfevcrance in faith] *' are the 
 gifts of God ; and if Go^ forekneiv on whom he would bedow 
 tiiefe gifts ; (and who can doubt of fo evident a truth t) it is 
 neceffary ior pndefdnation to be preached, as the fure and in- 
 vincible 
 
C 103 2! 
 
 vincible bulw:irk of lh;it true grace of GoJ., which is given to 
 men without any confi :leration of merit." * Thus argued St 
 /i'ljlhu againll the Pelagians, vrho taught, That grace is offer- 
 ed to all men alike ; Tliat God, for his part, equally wills the 
 falvation of 'all ; and. That it is in the power of man's free- 
 will to accept, or rejeifl:, the giace and falvation fo offered. 
 Which llring of errors do, as AujTm juftly obferves, centre in 
 this grand point, graham fecundum nofira nieriSa cl.tri ; that 
 God's gracfe is not free, but ihe fi uit (/f man's defert. Now 
 the doilrine of predeflinaticn batters down this delufive Babel 
 of free-ivill and merit. It teaclies U5, that it we do indeed will 
 and defire to lay hold on Chrift and falvation by him ; this 
 will snd defire are the effefl o{ Godh fecrt't purpofe and e^L-tlual 
 operation : for He it is, 'u/jo nvorkclh in us, bulb to <tuili and to 
 do, of his oivn good phafure ; that he lliat ^^OiAtihy Jhould glory 
 iu the Lord There neither is, nor can be, any medium, be- 
 tween predijiinniing grace, and fali)ation by human merit. We 
 mufl beiiete and preach one, or the other: for they can never 
 ftand together. " No atterr.pt', to mingle and reconcile thefe. 
 two incompalible oppofiies, can ever fucceed ; the apoftle 
 hinifeif being j'^dge : ' II, fays he, it' [namely Election]. 
 * b2 by grace, then is it no more of works ; oiherwife grace is 
 n^ more grace; bur, if it, be of works then is it no more 
 grace; otherwiCe, work is no more woik,' Rom. xi, 6. Ex- 
 actly agreeable to which, is that of St /lujlin : " Either pre- 
 dcltinalion is to be preached, as exprefsly as the fcripiutes de- 
 liver it, viz. That with regard to ihofe whom he hath chofen^ 
 the gifs and calling of God are luithout repentance; or we mud 
 roundly tieclare, as the Pelagians do, that grace is given ac- 
 cording to merit." ■\ Moft certain it is, that the doclrine of 
 gratuitous 7M/?//firj/w; THROUGH ChriR, can only be fup- 
 ported on tliat ot gxz\.\i\\o\\% predejiination IN Chrill : fmce the 
 kilter is the caufe and foundation of the former. 
 
 1 1 1. By the preaching of predeftination, Man is duly humbled, 
 and Gov alone is exalted: Human pride is levelled; and the 
 Divine glory Ihines untarnilhed, becaufe unrivalled. This 
 the facred writers pufitively declare. Let St Paul be fpokef- 
 man, for the reft {Eph. i. 5, 6.) Having prulejlinated us ■ 
 To 'the praise of the glory ok his Grace. But how is 
 k poUible for us to render unto God ihe praifes due to the glo- 
 
 ''J 
 
 • De Bono Pei fever, cip. 2X. 
 
 •{; De Bono Perfevtr. cap, i6. 
 
I 104 ] 
 
 ry of his grace, without laying this threefold foundation ? [i.J 
 That whofoever are, or fhall be faved, are faved by his alone grace 
 in Chrift, in confequence of his eternal purpofe, paffed before 
 they had done any one good thing [2. J That what good 
 thing foever is begun to be wrought in our fouls (whether it 
 be illumination of the underftanding, reSitude of will, or purity 
 of affeiftionf,) was begun altogether of God alone ; by whole 
 invincible agency, grace is at firft conferred, afterwards main- 
 tained, and finally crowned. [3 3 i'hat the work of internal 
 fahafion (the fweet and certain pi elude to eternal glory) was 
 not only begun in us, of his mere grace alone ; but that its 
 contitiuance, its progrefs., avid increafe, are no lefs free, and to- 
 tally unmerited, than its firft original donation. Grace alone 
 makes the eled gracious ; grace alone hecps them gracious j, 
 and the fame grace alone will render them everlaftingly ghri^ 
 ous, in the heaven of heavens. 
 
 Converfion and falvation mufl, in the very nature of things,' 
 be wrought and effeifted, either by out fives alone $ — or, by 
 
 surjelves and God together ; — or, solely by GOD himself. 
 
 The Pelagians were for the Firft. The /Jrminians are for the 
 Second. 'True Believers are for the Laft ; becaufe, the lafl 
 hypothefis, and That only, is built on the ftrongeft evidence 
 ei fcripture, reafon, and expi'-ience : It, moft effeclually, hides 
 pride from man ; and fets the crown of undivided praife upon, 
 the head, or, lather cafts it at the feet, of that glorious Tri. 
 UNE GOD', who nuorketh all in all. But this is a crown, which 
 no finners ever yet caft before the throne of God, who were 
 not firft led into the tranfporting views of fiis gracious decree 
 to fave, freely, and of His oivn IVill^ the people of His eternal lovt. 
 Exclude, therefore, O Chriftian, the article of Sovereign. 
 pRFDfcSTiNATioN, from thy miniftry, or from thy faith ; and 
 acquit thyfelf, if thou art able, from the charge of robbing God, 
 When God does, by the omnipotent exeition of his Spirit^. 
 efFedually ra// any of mankind, in time, to the adlnal know- 
 ledge of Himfelf in Chrift ; when He, likewife goes on to 
 fandify the finners he has called, making them to excel in all 
 good works, and io perfevere, in the love and refemblance of 
 God, to their lives end 'r the obferving part of the unawaken* 
 ed world may be apt to conclude, that the converted perfona 
 might receive fuch meafure of grace from God, becaufe of 
 fome previous qualifications, good difp-fitions, or pious dejires, 
 and internal preparutiotiSf difcovered in iheflj by the All-feeing 
 
 eje.: 
 
 % 
 
C I05 3 
 
 eye: which, if true, would indeed transfer the praife from 
 the creator, and confign it to the creature. — But the dodrine 
 of PREDESTINA riON, abfolvte, free, vncondit'ional Pre- 
 DESTINATION, here fteps in. and gives GOD His own. It 
 lays the axe to the root of human boa{lin';>, and cuts down 
 (for which reafon, the natural men hates it) every legal, every 
 indrpvndent, every felfiighteous imaginaiinn, that would ex- 
 alt itfjlf againft the grace of God and the glory ot Chrift. It 
 tells us, 'Ihat Gou bjth hh'JJ'eil us ivith all jpiritual hhjfiiigs in 
 His SON; according as He hath CHOSEN'us in Hi-M, before 
 the frjunclalion of the tvorld, in order to our being afterwards 
 made holy and blamelefs before Him in love, Eph. i. Of courff, 
 ■ whatever truly and fpiritually good thing is hiucd in any per- 
 fen, it is the fpecial^//? and worl: cf God: given and wrought, in 
 confequence of eternal, unmerited eledion to grace and glory. 
 \yhence, the greateft faint cannot triumph over the mod 
 abandoned finner ; but is led to refer the entire praife of his 
 falvation, both from fin and hell, to the mere good will and 
 fovereign purpofe of God, who hath gracioufly nia^e him to dif' 
 fr from thai 'world ivhich lieth in ivickednefs. ij.uch being the 
 tendency of this blclfed doiflrine, how injurious, both to God 
 and man, wc.uld the fuppreflion of it be ? Well does St ^uf- 
 t::i argue: '* As the duties cf PitTY ought to be preached up, 
 that he, who hath ears to hear, may be ii,fliu<51td how to 
 worfhip Gob aright ; and as CuAsriTv (hould be publicly re- 
 commended and enforced, that he, who hath ears to hear, 
 may know how to poflefs himfelf in fancTiHcaiicn ; And as 
 Charity, nioreovtr, (hould be inculcated fif,ni the pulpit, 
 that he, who hath ears to hear, may be excited to the ardent 
 love cf God, and his neighbour; In like manner, fhould God's 
 PREDESTINATION of his favours be rpenly preached, 
 tiiat he who hath ears to hear, may learn to glory, net in him- 
 leif, but IN THE LORD. *" 
 
 IV. J^rededination fhould be publicly taupht and irfiftcd 
 lipnn, in order \o confirm and flrergihcn true believers in the cer- 
 lainty and co.'ifidince of lheir.fahuUcn.-\ For, when legercrate 
 
 peifons 
 
 • De Eoro Perfever. rap ao. 
 
 t Ow v'cncvriM': Rcfortnt.: s, i:> tiic i;ih of our xxxix. ar'.icki, makes 
 
 t!ic very fame cbCcrvati 'n, and, .nearly, in the fame wurds : " The 
 
 goJiy ccnjidcratiti; ••[ Prcthjlinntkiu am! our e'lcSkn in ChriJ}, h full of fwcet^ 
 plcjfuit (iud uiifpCikablc ccnifjii to godly pcifcns /—'cccarfe it dolh^rcolly isi a- 
 
 bLIMI \NI) tONHKM THUR fAlia O F tVt tH.AS TIN S.ALVA i lO.N, t» tc , 
 
 enjoyed th.oii^h Chriji, &c." 
 
C io6 ] 
 
 perfons are told, and are enabled to believe, that the glorifi- 
 cation of the eledt is fo afl'uredly fixed in God's eleinal pur- 
 pofe, that it is impoffible for any of them to perifh ; and v.'hen 
 the regenerate are led to confider themfelves, as adtually be- 
 longing to this ele(5l body of Chrill ; what can eltablifh, 
 ftrengtben, and fttlie their faith, like this ? Nor is fach a faith 
 prefumptuous ; for, every converted man may and ought to 
 conclude himfelf eLfded : (ince God the Spirit renews ihofe 
 only, who were chosen by God the Father, and rudehmed by 
 ■ God the Son. This is an hope luhich maketh not ajhamed, nor 
 can poffibly ifTue in difappoinlment, if entertained by ihofe 
 into ivhofe hearts the love of God is poured foithy by the Holy Ghojt 
 given unto thcniy Rom. v. j. 
 
 The holy triumph and affurance. refulting from this blef- 
 fed view, are exprefsly warranted by the apoftle, Rom. \\\\, 
 where he deduces cfflilual calling, from a prior predejlination ; 
 and infers the certainty oijinalfahation, from effectual calling: 
 fVhom he did PRVDEsriNATE, them he alfo called; and nvhom 
 he called, them he a^o just ified ; and ivhom he jujli/ied, them he 
 alfo GLCRtFiED. Hoiu natuially, from fuch premiles, does the 
 apoftle addj V/hofhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elcS ? 
 Who, zrid Vihtxt is he that condemneth xh&m\^IVho, and what, 
 Jhall feparate us from the love of Chrifl ? — In all thefe things lue 
 >are, and fliall be, more than conquerors, tbrough HIM that hath 
 loved us : for I am perfuoded ^jiri'^ruafiM* / am moji clearly and 
 ajfuredly confident'^, that neither death nor Ife, nor angels, nor 
 principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come^ 
 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, Jloall be able to fepo' 
 rate us from fhe love of God, ivhich is in Chrifi Jefus our Lord.. 
 So, elfewhere, 'The foundation oj the Lord, i. e. His decree or 
 purpofe, according to eleOion, ^an^f//j y«r^; having this feal, 
 The Lord knoweth them that are his : which is particu- 
 larly noted by the apolile, left true believers might be dif- 
 couraged, and begin to doubt of their ovi-n certain perfev-e- 
 rance to falvation, eiiher from a fenfe of their remaining imper- 
 fe<5lions, or Irom obferving the open apoftacy of unregenerate 
 profefTors, 2 Tim. ii. — How little obliged, iheiefore, are the 
 flock of Chrift, to thole perfons, who would, by ftifling the 
 mention of predeftinalion, expunge the fetfe and certainty of 
 everlajling hlejfednefs from the lift ot Chriftian privileges. ! 
 
 V. 
 
 * Ccrtusfum, Ar. Montan. Cert fde ferfuafum tnihi habeo, Ekasm.- 
 fi^a onini duhitationc, BtNGti.. I am afurcd, Durcuverfion. 
 
[ 107 ] 
 
 V. Wiihout the dodlrine oi predijlinat'ton, we cannot enjoy d 
 lively fight and &xpcr\ence of God's fpecial love and mercy toivardt 
 usin Christ Jtsus. Bleffings, not pecvliar, but conferred, in- 
 difcriminately, on every man, without dirtinflion or exception ; 
 would neither be a proof of peculiar love in the Donor, nor 
 calculated to excite /i^ct///^r wonder and gratitude in the Re- 
 ceiver. For inftance, rain from heaven, though an invaluable 
 benefit, is not ccniidcred as an argument of God's fpecial and 
 peculiar favour, to fome individuals, above others : and why ? 
 becaufe it falls on all alike : as much on the rude wildernefs, 
 and the barren rock ; as on the cultivated garden, and the 
 fruitful field. — But the bleffing of Election, fomewhat like tie 
 Sibylline books, rifes in value, proportionally to the yc'wniy} of its 
 objeifls. — So that, when we recolle<^, that, in the view of 
 God (to whom all things are, at once, prefcnt), the whole 
 mafs of mankind was confidered as juftly liable to condemna- 
 tion, on account of original and adtual iniquitjo His feledting 
 fame individuals, from among the reft, and gracioufly fetting 
 them apart, in Chrift, for falvaticn both from fin and punifti- 
 ment ; were fuch a<5ls of fovereign goodncfs, as exhibit the ex- 
 ceeding greatnefs, and the entire freenef<;, of his love, in the 
 moft awful, amiable, and humbling light. In order, then, 
 that (ht fpecial grace of God may fhine. Predestination muft 
 be pleached : even the eternal and. immutable predeftination 
 of his people to faith and evtrlajling life. " From thofe who 
 are left under the power of guilt," fays St Aujlin, " the per- 
 fon, who is delivered from it, may learn, what he too muft 
 have fuffered, had not Grace ftept in to his relief. And, 
 if it was grace that interpofed, it could not be the reward of 
 man's merit, but the free gift of God's gratuitous goodnefs. 
 Some, however, call it unjufl, for one to be delivered luhile ano- 
 ther f though no more guilty than the former, is condemned : If it he 
 jufl to punij]} one, it wcvld be but jvjlice to puni/h Both. I grant, 
 that Both might have been juftly punifiied. Let us, therefore 
 give thanks unto God our Saviour, for not infliifiing that 
 vengeance on us, which, from the condemnation of our fel- 
 low finners, we may conclude to have been our defert, no lefs 
 than Theirs. Had they as well as We, been ranfomed from 
 their captivity ; we could have framed but little conception of 
 the penal wrath, due, in ftridtnefs of juftice, to Sin : and, on 
 the other hand, had none of the fallen race been ranfom'd and 
 fvt at liberty J how could divine grace have difplayed the 
 
 richea 
 
[ ic8 ] 
 
 tiches of its in^erality *?" The fame evangelical Father delivers 
 himfelf elfewhere, to the fame effedl ; '' Hence," fays he> 
 *' appears the greatnefs of that Grace, by which fo many are 
 freed from condemnation: and they may firm fnme idea of 
 the mifery, due to themfelves, from the dleadfulnefs of the 
 punifhment that awaits the relt. Whence thofe who rejoice-, 
 are tanght to rejoice, not in their own-merits [qua: par'ia effe vi- 
 dcnt damnatts, for they fee that they have no more MtRit 
 THA>J THE damned), but in the Loidf" Hence refults, 
 
 Vt. Another reafon, nearly connefled with the former, for 
 the unreferved publication of this dcdtrine: viz. That, from a 
 fenfe of God's peculiar, eternal, and unalterable Love to Hi5 
 people, their hearts may be enjlamcd to hve HIM in return. Slen- 
 der indeed will be my tnotives to the Love of God, on the 
 fuppofition thai my love to him is bifore hand with His to me ; 
 and that the very continuance of his favour, is fufpended on the 
 leather cock oi my variable will, or the flimfy //jrc.i^/ of my 
 imperfect affsfftion. Such a precarious, dependent Love, 
 Xvere unworthy of God ; and calculated to produce but a 
 fcanty and cold reciprocation of Love from man. — At the hap- 
 pleft of times, and in the bed of frames, below; oar- Love 
 to God is but a f park (though fmall and quivering, yet inef- 
 tlmably precious, becaufe cUvinely kindled, farmed and main- 
 tained in the foul ; and an Earneft of better to come): where-, 
 Si.s, Love, as it glows in GoD, is an immenfe Sun, which 
 flione without beginning, and (hall ftiine without end. Is it 
 probable, then, that xhtfpark of human love (hould give Be- 
 ing to the Sun of divine? and, that the LuQre and Warmth 
 of This, ihould depend on the Glimmering of That? yet, (o 
 it mud be, if PREDESTINATION is not true: and fo it muft be 
 • i-eprefented, if PredeiUnation is not torvj/j/.— Would you, there- 
 fore, know what it is, to love God as your Father, Friend, and 
 Saviour ; you muft fall down before his Electing Mercv. 
 Till then, you are only ho'/ering about, in y//£/^ of true felici- 
 ty. But you will never Jin d the Door, much lefs can you enter 
 into Reft, 'till you are enabled to love Him BECAUSE Ht 
 hath FiRSr loved '^ov, i John iv. 19. 
 
 This being the CA{i, it is evident. That, without taking 
 Prcdeft'ination into the account, genuine MORALITY and 
 the performance of truly GOOD'WORKS, wlUfuffer, ftarve, 
 
 and 
 
 » Epift. 105. ad .<?«/. Prefb. 
 t De Predeft. Sanftor. lib. X. cap. 9. 
 
C '09 3 
 
 and die away. Love to God is the very/rW of acceptable obe- 
 dit;ncc. Withdraw the fuel, and the flame expires. But the 
 i'ael of holy afFciSlion {\{ fcrlpiure., experience^ and olfcrvaihn^ 
 are allowed to carry any conviction) can only be cherilhed, 
 niaiotained, and increafed in the heart, by the fenfe and ap- 
 prehenfion of OoA'^ predejllnattng love to US in Christ Jesus. 
 Now, our obedience to God will always hold proportion to 
 our love. If the one be relaxed and feeble, the other cannot be 
 alert and vigorous. And, elctlivg gooJneJs being the very life 
 and foul of the former ; the Uaury even good works, mult 
 ilourilh, or decline, in proportion as election is gloritied, or 
 obfcnred. Plence arifes a 
 
 Vllth Argument for the Preaching of Predejl'mat'ton : name- 
 ly, that, by it, we may be exrited to the praSice of univcrfat 
 goJlhufs. The knowledge of God's love to jo«, will make yoii 
 an ardent lover of God : and, the more love you have to God, 
 the moie will you excel in all the duties and ojfices of love. — 
 Add to this, that the fciipiure-view of Predeftination includes 
 the means, as well as the end. Chrift.ian Predeftinarians are foi' 
 kecking t(/gether what God hzih joined. He who is for attaining 
 the end, without going to it through the means, is a felf-delu- 
 ding enihuflajl. He, en the other hand, who, carefully and 
 confcientiouily, ufes the Means of falvalion, as Steps to the 
 End ; is the true Cahinijl.' — Now, eternal life being That, ta 
 ivhlch the eledt are ultimately d^ftined ; faith (the cfFed of 
 fdving grace), and fintlification (the eiFeft of faiih), are 
 blellings, to which the elect are' intermediately appointed.— 
 * According as he hath chofen us in him. before the fomida" 
 tion of the world, that we Ihould be HOLY and without 
 blame befire him in love,' Eph. i. 4. < We are his workman- 
 fliip, created in Chi ill Jefus unto GOOD WORKS, which 
 God hath before ordain'id, tliat we iliouid walk in them,' Eph. 
 >U". IQ. — ' Knowing, brethren beloved, your Election of God : 
 ;r-rYetecanie FOLLowtRs of us and of the LORD,' i Thelf. 
 ' i. 4, 6. — ' Gjd hath chofen you to falvation, THROUGH 
 Kanctification of the .Spirit and Beliuf of the truth,' 2 ThefT. 
 ■.i. 13. — Ele(5l. according to the foreknowledge [or, Ancient 
 Love} of God the Father, through faniflllication of the Spi- 
 lit, UNTO OBEDIENCE,' i Pet, i. 2. 
 
 Nnr \i falvation (the appointed end of elctflion) at all the 
 \t£s fecure '\n iifelf (but the moie io) for ftandiug n»rfv/ivriA> 
 coruiech-d with the intervening means : feeing, boill Toejt aqd 
 
i tio ] 
 
 "Yhaf are wfeparahiy joined, in order to the certain accomplifli- 
 •Inent of That through Thefe. It only demonftrates, that, 
 •without regeneration of heart, and purity of life, the ele<5t them- 
 -felves are not led to heaven. But then, it is inconteftable, 
 -from the whole current of fcripture, that thefe intemiecMtt 
 hlt^mgsJhaU wojl infallibly be vouchfafed to every eled perfon,^ 
 in virtue of God's abfoUue Covenant, and through the efFec- 
 •tual agency of His Almighty Spirit. Internal Jandification con- 
 ftitntes our mectnefs for the kingdom, to which we were pre- 
 dcftinated ; and a cntirfe of external righteoufnefs is one of the 
 ^rand evidences, by which we make our eledion fare to our 
 own prefent comfort and apprebenfion of it* . 
 
 VIII. Unlefs Predejlination be preached, we fhall want one 
 ^reat inducement to the exercife of brotherly kindnefs and charity. 
 
 When a converted perfon is affured, on one hand that 
 ALL, whom God hath predefiinated to eternal life, fhall 
 infalliably enjoy that eternal life, to which they were cho- 
 •fen ; and, on the other hand, when he difcerns the Jigns 
 of eleHion, not only in himfelf, but alfo in the reft of his 
 fellow-believers; and concludes, from thence (as, in a 
 judgment of charity, he ought), that they are as really 
 eleded, as himfelf; how mud his heart glow with love 
 to his Chviftian brethren ! How feelingly will he fympathize 
 with them in their diftreffes ! how tenderly will he bear with 
 their infirmities! How readily \v\\\ he relieve the former, and 
 ■how eafily overlook the latter ! — Nothing will fo eifectually kt»t 
 i:ogether the hearts of God*s people, in time, as the belief of 
 their having been written, by name, in one book of life, from 
 -everlafting : and the unfhaken confidence, of their future ex- 
 altation to one and the fame flate of glory above, will occa- 
 ilon the ftiongeft cement of affeftion below. — This was, pof- 
 fibly one end cf our Saviour's fo frequently reminding hts 
 apoftles, of their election : namely, that, from the fenfe of fuch 
 
 an 
 
 * 1 Pet. I. lO. Give diligence to tnaie your cnlling and cUBion fiiSeeiav, un' 
 -cloultcd ; i e. to get foine j'olid and inconteftable evidence of your Picdcflr- 
 nation to Life. — " Bsfa/®^, is de quo fiducia concipitur ; is dc quo nobis nlijiiid 
 ccrto pcrjuadcnuts. Unde apud Thuc. 3. (iiSici!§r ufii, nfjo ■^oiij<rtiv certa fides 
 haiclur mibi, hoc f.^Ul■.r^nn nie ejfe. — Biiaiui, ccrto explcrato BtSscm/nai, fidem 
 facto; pro compcrto haleo." Scap. — So, o.vi; SLdam is an undou''ting hfe, 
 4 Cor. i. 7. And ,GsSa«r;f(S^ >.«y©" IS a more ajfurcd and uiqti eft ion able luord. 
 :.pf^roJ>hecy,, 7,y^t.i. 19. 
 
[ MT } 
 
 an unfpeakable bleffing, in which they were all equally inte* 
 reded they might learn to ' love one another, with pure hearts^ 
 fervently ;' and cultivate, on earth, that holy friendlhip, whicli, 
 they well knew, from the immutability of God's decrees,, 
 would be eternally matured, to the higheft perfedion and re- 
 finement in heaven. — iJt Paul, likewife, might have fome re- 
 fpctft to the fame amiable inference, when treating of the. 
 faints coUei^ively, he ufes thofe fvveet and endearing exprelh- 
 ons, he hath choftn US ; — he hath preJeJl'mated US, &c. that be- 
 Hevers, confidering themfelves as e-trnxx-yriai, or co- elect in Chrift, 
 might be led to love each other with peculiar intenfenefs, as. 
 the fpiritual children of one eleding Father; brethren in grace» 
 and joint-heirs of glory. — Did the Regenerate, of the prefent 
 age, but pradically advert to the everlading Nearnefs, in which, 
 they ftand relaied to each other ; how happy would be th& 
 c£Fea! 
 
 Hence it appears, that, fince the preaching of Predeftina- 
 tion is thus evidently calculated to kindle and keep alive the 
 two fold, congenial flame, of Love to GOD, and Love to MANi 
 it mnft, by neceffary confequence, conduce, 
 
 To the advancement of univerfal obeJlencs, and to the perfor- 
 mance of every foetal and religious duty* : which, alone, was there 
 nothing elfe to recommend it, would be a fiifficient motive to 
 the Public Delivery of that important doflrine. 
 
 Lafily, without a due fenfe of Predeftination, we fhall want 
 the fure(t and the moft powerful inducement to Patience, Re- 
 
 K 2 fignatian, 
 
 * Our excellent Bi(hop Davenant inftances, particularly, in tifc great 
 religious duty of Prayer. " The conpMraiion of Ele3icn," fays this lea-.n- 
 ed and evangelical prelate, " doth Jit r up the faithful to coiijiancy in prayer i 
 for, having Itarnt, that all Good, tending to folvation, is prepared Jor them out 
 of God's good pleafure ; they are, hercly, encouraged to call for, and, as it tucre^ 
 to draw down from heaved, by their prayers, thcje good things, -which, from cter- 
 
 tiit^, -were ord:iii<ed for the elect. Moreover, ) he fome Spirit of Adoption, 
 
 ivria kirdk ivilnefs to our fpirit , that we arc God's chofen children ; is alfo the 
 fpirit of prayer and fiipplicfifion, and en fimeth our hearts to call daily upon our 
 heavenly fa) her. 'I'hfc, therefore, xvho, jrom the ccriainty of Predejrination, dtr 
 pretend, that the duty of pi oyer ii fuperfiuons ; do plainly fttcv, that they are Js 
 far from having any certui'ity of their Predeftination, thnt they have not the leafi 
 
 fenfe thereof. 'lo be flack ai:d (juggifl: in prayer, is net the property of thoje, 
 
 ■who, by the tijlinmiy of (Jod i Spb it, have got 'ajhrance of their Elefiion : but, 
 rather offuch as have, either r.one, or very f ma! I apprehenjlon thereof. For^ 
 asfoon as any one, by llelieving, doth ccnceive himfelf to be one of God's EleH 
 children ; ke carneftly deftrcth to procure unto himfelf, iv praier, thofe good 
 things, -which he belie leth that God prepared for his children before the founda- 
 t:cn of the world." Bp. D.ivenant'% ANiMADvagsioNs on an Arminiun trc^ 
 life, eatitlcd Gcd's Love to. Mankind, p j i6, & fecj. 
 
Jignatton^ and Dependence on God, under every fpirttual and tempo- 
 ral /tfflialon. 
 
 How fweet inufl: the following confiderations be, to the dif- • 
 trefTed Believer! i. There molt certainly exiQs an Almighty, 
 All-wife, and infinitely gracious GOD. — 2. He has given 
 me, in times pafl, and is giving n-ie at prefeiit (if I had but 
 eyes to fee it), many and flgnal intimations of his love to me 
 both in a way of providence and grace. — 3. This love of his 
 is immutable: he never repents of it, nor withdraws it. — 4. 
 Whatever comes to pafs, in time, is the* refult of his Will 
 from everlafting, — Conftquently, 5. My affl'clions were a 
 part of his 07-iainal Plan, and are, all, ordered, in number, 
 weight and meafure. — 6. The very hairs of my head, are eve- 
 ry one, counted by Him: nor can a fmgle hear fall to the 
 ground, but in confeqnence of his determination. Hence, 7. 
 My diftrefTes are not the refult ci chance, accident, or a fortvi- 
 touT combination of circumUances : but, 8. The providentialjac- 
 complifhment of God's purpofe ; and, 9. Defigned to anfwer 
 fome wife and gracious ends. Nor, 10. Shall my afRiftion 
 continue a moment longer, than God fees meet 11. He, who 
 brought me to it, has promifed to fupport me under it, and to 
 carry me through it. 12. All fhall, moft afluredly, work to- 
 frether for his glory and my good. Therefore, 13. 'The 
 cup, which my heavenly Father hath given me to drink, fhall 
 I not drink it?* Yes: I will, in the ftrength he irrparts, even 
 rejoice in tribulation ; and, ufing tlie means of pofTible rcdrefs, 
 •which he hath, or may hereafter, put into m.y hands, I will 
 commit mjfelfund the event to HIM, whnfe purpofe cannot be 
 overthrown, whofe plan- cannot be difconccrted, and who, 
 wliether I am refigned or not, v/ill liill go onto ivori all things 
 ^ after the coutfel of his own 'will.* 
 
 Above 
 
 • ♦ TIie lesrnerf Lipsius thus Miite? to an unrrar'ietl fiieiid, who appears 
 «.o have referred hi'Tifelf tc hi;, judg-ncnt atid di'-ection : " Stve t'xcr duci- 
 tur, Jive omittitur, &c. Whether you marry, cr lu'C finale, yon will ftill 
 have fomething or other to moltft- vomT noi does the wliuk cou'Tt ol mans 
 prefcnt fublunary life, afibrd him a 'fiP.pk dr;'.'.'ght of jov, with(,iit a mistine 
 of wormwood in the cap. This is the univtril! a'-d iuimiitable lavi-: wUii h 
 to reGrt, were no !efs vain, than finfi:! and rthclli^.iis. As the vrtOlcrs of 
 old had their refpeOive antigonifts alftgned -hem, nut hy tlicir o\vr> thoice, 
 ■but by rrecellury lot; in ilk-j'manp.cr, each oi'the hn:ran rare has bis pc- 
 c»iiar deOiny allotted to him by PioviJence. To conquer th's, is to tn- 
 dureit. All our ftrengvh, in this warfare, is to U[id':rgo the irevitai^le 
 
 prtuaie 
 
Above all, when the fufFerlng Chrlftlan tikes hh ekSIfon in? 
 to the account ; and knows, that he was, by an eternal and 
 immutable Adt of God, appolnled to obtain falvatlon through our 
 Lord Jejns Chr'ijl ; that, oi" courfe, he hath a city prepared for 
 him above, a buihUng of God, an houfe, not made ivllh hands^ 
 hnt eternal in the heavens ; and that the heavieft fuffcrings, of 
 the prefent life, are ' not worthy to be compared with the Glory, 
 which (hall be revealed' in the faints ; — what adverfity can po- 
 fllbly befall us, which the alTured hope, of ble flings like thefcj. 
 will not infinitely over balance ? 
 ** ^ comfort, fo divine y 
 
 " May trials well endure.'* 
 However keenly affl dlion? might wound as, on their firft api' 
 cefs ; yet, under the impreflion of fuch animating Views, we 
 fhould quickly come to ourfelves again, and the arrows of 
 
 tribulation would, in great meafure become pointlefs Chrii- 
 
 K 3 tians 
 
 prefTire. It is vi£>ory, to yitld ourfelves to Fate." Lips. £piji. mifielL 
 cent. I. ep. 4,. oper tcm. 2. p. 54. Edit. P'efalieiis. 1675. 
 
 Al.out two years aft^r, this celebrated CliriOian Seiieea wrote, as followy, 
 to tiic fame perf.tn (Tkcoflore Leciuius,) who had married, and juft loft his 
 wife in childhi-d : " ^c;?!- fatum quid? yletenti, an atanw, in atcrr.vnTy 
 Dei Lex : what is fa i ;: ? God's everlafling ordinance : an ordinance 
 w.lich he fettlvd in eternity, and for eternity: an ordinance, which he caa 
 revcr repeal, dir;inr:U.-l, orfetafide, either in whole or in part. Now tt 
 this his (itcrec be e'.crnal, a retro, and immoveable, qtiondftiliiritm: wKy 
 doLs/oli^ man Hruggle an.) figh: agair.ft that which muft be? Efpeciaily, 
 feeing fate is thus Cue offspring of God, why does impious man miirmer and 
 «,-)nip!ain ? yen cannor, jufi'Iy, find f.iult with any thing determined or done 
 by Him, as though it were (.vil or fcvcre : for he is a!I gocdnSfs r.nJ bene- 
 volence. Was you to define his nature, you could not do it more fnitabfy 
 than in thofe terms. — Is, therefore, your wife dead .'' detuil : it is right file 
 (hould be fo. But w<is it riglH, that jhc fiould die, and at that- -very time, and 
 li tfxit very kind of death ? Moft certainly. Lex itn Inta: the decree fu 
 «rdahicd it. The rcltlefs acumen of the human mind may fift and canvafs. 
 Ihs appoinmtcnts of fate ; but cannot alter them. Were we truly wife 
 wc (hould he implicitly fiibmiffive, and endure, with wiliingnef:, what we 
 muft endure, whether we be willing or not. A due Ctr\ft of our inability 
 to rcverfe the difpofals of providence, and the confequent vanity of refil)* 
 ing them would aciminiiler foIiJ repofe to our minds, and (heathe 'if not 
 rcmova, the anguifh of aflPii^lion. And why lliould we even -vip> to rcfifl ^ 
 Fate's fupreme ordainer is not only the all wife God, but an iiU-rracions 
 father. Embrace every event, as good and profperoiis : though it , nay 
 for the prefent, carry an afpeft of the reverfe. 'J'hink you nxt, that he 
 tov-'s and caveth for us .' more and better than we^or ourfelves. But as 
 the tendered parent beJow, doth, oftentimes, crofs the indinati'ons of his 
 children, with a view to do them good ; and obliges them both to d) and 
 Xoundergo many things, againll the bent of thcir wills; fo 4«cs tbe great 
 Pwcnt otail." Jbid. epsll. Oi. p. 83. 
 
lians want nothlrg, but alfolafe reJJgnatlcn, to render them 
 perJeSly happy, in every poffible circnmftunce: and abfolute re- 
 iignation can only flow from an abfolute belief of y and an ahfo- 
 lute acquiffcence in, God's abjolule providstice, founded on alfohi'.e 
 predcfi'inciwn. — The apoftle himfelf draws thefe conclufions to 
 our hand, in Rom. "viii. where, after having laid down, as 
 moft undoubted axioms, the eternity and inimutabiliiy of God's 
 purpofcs ; he thus winds up the whole: ' What fliall we fay, 
 then, to thefe things ? if God be for u?, who can be againft 
 "US ? — who fhall feparate us fiom the love of Chrift ? fhall tri- 
 bulation or diflrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or nakednefs, 
 or peril, or fword ? — nay: in all thefe things we are more than 
 conquerors, through him^ that loved us. 
 
 . Such, therefore, among others, being the USES, that arife 
 from the {■3!\\}a.{v\ preachhig and the cordial reception of Predt s- 
 TiNATioN ; may we not venture to aiBrm, with Luther, hac 
 IgTiorala doSrina, neque JicJcm^ ncqve vllum Dei ciihum, CHnfJler;B 
 pcjfe? that " Our faith, and all xiglit worfnip of Gnd, depend, 
 in no froall degree, upon our Icnouledge of that dcfrrine*?" 
 
 The excellent MtLANCTHON, inliis ^\\SS. common places (which 
 received the fanftion o{ Luther's exprei'^ a'pprnbation), does, in 
 the firft chapter, which treats profefTct'lv of Free ivill and Fi:e- 
 deflinalion, fet out with clearing and eftablifliing the dodrine of 
 God's decrees ; and, then, proceeds to point out the neccffity, 
 2iX\d manifold ufefulnefs of averting and believing it. He even 
 goes fo far, as to affiim, roundly, that " A right fear of 
 God, and a true corjideme in him, can be learned more af- 
 furedly, from no other fource, tjiat from the dofirine of Pre- 
 de/Iination." But, Melancthon's judgment of thefe matters 
 will beft appear, from the whole palTage ; which the render 
 •V^ill find, in the book and chapter juft referred to. 
 
 " Divlna Predef}inatio*\ 'fays he, " Libertatem hotnini adimit ; 
 X)ivine Predeftinatiort quite (irips man ot his boaftcd liberty : 
 for, all things come to pafs according to God's lore- appoint- 
 ment ; even the internal thoughts of all creatures,, no lefs than 
 their external works. Therefore, Eph. i. the apollle gives us 
 to underdand, that God ' pcrformelh all things according to 
 the connfcl of his own will.' And our Lord himfelf afics, 
 Mat. X. ' Are not t\vo fparrows fold for a farthing ? yet "on* 
 cf them falleth not to the ground, without your Father.* 
 Pra^^ wbut can be more full to the point, than fuch a decl.a- 
 
 ration ? 
 • D^Serv. AWr cap. io. 
 
r n5 } 
 
 ration ? — So, Slomon, Prov. xvi. * l"*he Lord bath made all' 
 things tor himlelf ; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.' 
 And , in the xxth chapter, ' Man's goings arc of tiie the Lord: 
 how then can a man underlland his own way :" To which the 
 prophet Jeremiah does aho let his feal, faying, cliapter x. ♦ O 
 Loru, I know that the way of man is not in hinifelf ; it is 
 not in man, that wallceth, to dire<5^ his own (leps.' The His- 
 torical patt of fcripture teaches us the fame great truth. ^r>f 
 Gen. XV. w<: read, that the iniquity of the Amorites loas not yet 
 full. In I Sam ii. we are told, Eli's fons harkenednot to his 
 reproof, hecavfe the Lord ivouldjlay them. What could bear a 
 (Ifongcr refemblance to change and accident, than Saul's calling 
 upon Scimuji^ only with a view to feek out his father's aifes 
 (l Sam ix.)? yet, the \'\f\l was fore-ordained oi God, and de- 
 fignedto anlVer a purpofe iitue thought of by Saul, i vSam. 
 ix. 15, 16." L^^^ ''^''^' ^ mo[\ remarkible chain of Predejlina' 
 ted events, \c\ reference loSrul, and foretold by the prophet, 
 I &]m. X. 2, 8.] " In ptirfuance of the divine preordination, 
 there went with Saul z band of men, ' whofe hearts God had 
 touched,' 1 Sam. x. 26. — The h.nfiinefs of king Reholoam's 
 &nfv.-cr to the ten tribes, and the fubftquent revolt of ihofe 
 tribjs from his dominion, are, by ihe facred hiilorian, exorefs- 
 ly f-fcribed to God's decree : ' wherefore, the king heaikened 
 Ti<n unto ihe pe'ple : for tlie caule was from the Lord, that 
 he might perform his faying, which ilie Lord fpake, by Ahf- 
 j th ih^ bhiloniie, unto J.-r' boam-the Ton of Nsbra,' i Kin^s 
 xn. I 5. — VVliat is the dnlt ul" the aptiiUe Paul, in the 9th and. 
 I 1 th (W Romans, (/uam vt omnia, qua Jiunt, in dejlinatiuncm divi- 
 nam refrut ? but to refoive all things, that come to pafs, in- 
 to God's cellination \ the judgment cf the fl.lh, or of mere 
 unregenerate rcafon, ufually ftatts back, fiorjn this truth, with 
 horror: but on the contrary, the judgment of a fpiritual mRD 
 will embrace it with afFeclion. Neque enim vel timorem dei, vel 
 Jlduciam in acum, certius aliunde dfces, qnam ubi iinbueris atiimutti 
 hac de prcdcjlinaiione fententiu : You will not liarn, either 
 
 THE Ff.AR. OF GoD, OR. AfFIANCE IN HiM, FROM A SURKR 
 SOURSE, THAN FROM GETTING YOUR MlND DEEPLY TINCTU- 
 RE D AN l> S EASO?»iJD WIT H THIS Doctrine oe,PREDESTJNA- 
 'i'lON. Does not Solomon, in the book oi Proverbs, inculcate 
 It, throughout; and jullly : for how, elie, could he dire<fl 
 men 10 far God and trufl in him? the fame he doe?, in the 
 book of Ecclcfiaflts ; nor had any thing fo powerful a tendency 
 
 10 
 
C i>6 ] 
 
 to reprefs the pride of man's encroaching reafon, and to lower 
 the fjA'ellirtg conceit of his iuppofed difcrcUon, as the firm belief 
 quod a Deo jiunt omnia, that all things are from God. 
 What invincible comfort did Christ impart to his difciples,. 
 in afluring ihem that their very hairs ivere all numbered by the 
 Creator? — Is there, then (may any objedor fay), no Juch thing 
 as Contingency ? no Juch thing as Chance, or Fortune ?■ — No. 
 Omnia necejfario evenire fcriptura docent ; the do(5lrine of fcripture 
 is, that All things come to pass necessarily. Be it fo, 
 that, to you, fome events pern to happen contingently : you, 
 neverthelefs, muft not be run away with, by the fuggeftions 
 of your own narrow- fighted reafon. 5'o.Won hi mfe'.f, the wifeft 
 of men, was fo deeply verfed in the doftine of infcrutabla 
 Predeftination^ as to leave this humb'.ing maxim on record ; 
 * When I applied my heart to know v/il'doni, and to fee the 
 bufmefs that is done upon the earth ; — then I oeheld all tha 
 work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is 
 done under the fun : becaufe, though a man labour to feek 
 k out, yet he (halll not find ; yea, further, though a wife man 
 think to know it, yet ihall he not be able to find it, Ecclef» 
 viii. 16, 17." 
 
 Melancthon profecutes the argument much farther : but 
 this may fuftice tor a fpecimen. And it is not unworthy of 
 notice^ that Luther fo highly approved of Melancthon'' s- per- 
 formance, and efpecially of the firfi: chapter (from whence the 
 above extract is given); that he iLuiber"] thus' writes of.it, in 
 iiis epiftle to Erafmus, pretix'd to his book De Serv. Arh, 
 That it was worthy of everlafting duration, and to be received 
 into the ecclefiaftical canon." L,et'it, likev/ife, be obferved, 
 that Melancthon never, to the very lalt, retraded a word of 
 what he there delivers : which a perfon of his piety and inte^* 
 grity would moft certainly have done, had he afterwards (as 
 ibme have artfully and falfely infinuated) found reafon to 
 change his judgment on thefe heads. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
A N 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 CONCJERNING 
 
 The fate of thr ANCIENTS. 
 
 From the Latin of JUSTUS LIPSIUS.* 
 
 I7»ATE (fays /Ipuleius)^ according to Plato, is That, " Per 
 quod, inevltabiles cogitationes Dei atque inccpta com- 
 plentur ;" ivherehy the purpofes ami lUfigns of God are accoiipl'iJhetU 
 Hence, the /'/a/wfVj conlidered Providence, under a three- 
 fold diflinflion : i. The Provldtnt'ta prima, or that which gave 
 birth to all effefls ; and is defined, by them, to be t» 5r(;»';« Qx 
 f'>i<n;, the Iiitentioji, or 1^111 of the Supreme God. 2. The Pro- 
 v'ldentia feruuda, or aftual agency of the fecondary or inferior 
 beings, who were fuppofed -to pervade the heavens, and, from 
 thence, by their influence, to regulate and difpofe of all fub- 
 lunary things ; and, efpecially, to prevent the extindion of any 
 one fpec'tes below. 3. The Providentia tertia, fuppofed^TO' be 
 exerted by the Genii; vvhofe office it was, to cxerciie fl'parti- 
 cnlar care over mankind : to guard our perfon?, and dired our 
 a«5tions. 
 
 But the STOICAL view of Providence, or Fate, v^s abun- 
 dantly more fimple, and required no fuch nicety of diftinftion. 
 Thefe philofophers did, at once, derive all the chjin of caufes 
 and eJfeSls, from their true and undoubted Source, the WILL of 
 the ONE LIVING AND TRUE GOD. Hcnce, with thefe Sages, 
 the words DEirv, Fate, Providence, were frequently red' 
 prorated, as terms fynonymus. Thus Seneca, fpeaking of God ; 
 " Will you call him Fate? You will call him rightly : for all 
 things are fufpended on him. Himfelf is caufa caufarum, the 
 . CHufe of canfes befide." The laws of the univerfe are from 
 God ; whence the fame philort)pher, elfewhere, obferves, 
 " Omnia certa 5c in xternnm c\&.a lege decurrere ; All things 
 go en, according to a certain rule or decree ordained for coer :** 
 meaning in the law of Fate. SoCicbRo: " All things c&me 
 to pafs, according to the fverdgnly oj the eternal laix.-." And 
 
 • Vitlc Lipsii rhyj'.olo^. Stoi,: Lit). I. DiiTcit. xii. 
 
 Pindar 
 
[ "8 3 
 Pindar, probably, had an eye to this, where he fays, ^»f^r 
 
 wavjati fiscfiXix, 9-vccruv ti x.xi a('avi>;7c»/i', tivai. That T/j£ lillU ruletk ally 
 
 vjhether gods or mortals. Manlius nioft certainly had : 
 
 Sed nihil in iota magis eji rairabile mole. 
 
 ^lam Ratio, Cfj" certis quod LiV.Gihvs omnia parent. 
 Where, by Ration is eviJently meant, the decreeing mind oi God; 
 and, by Leges, is meant Fate, or that feries of caufes and ef- 
 fefts, which is the ciFspring of his decree. 
 
 Homer cannot begin his liiad, without afierting thl^ grand 
 truth : A;(^ V fliXufio fitXn. The counfel or decree of Jtipiter was 
 fulfilled. The divine poet fets out on this exalted principle: 
 he puts it in the front of the nobleft poem in the world, as a 
 teftimony both of his lulfdom and his faith. It was as if he 
 had faid, •' I fhall fing of numberlefs events, equally grand, 
 entertaining, and important: but I cannot begin to unfold 
 them, without laying down This, as a firft, fundamental axiom. 
 That, though brought to pafs by the inilrumental agency of 
 men, they were the fruit of God's determining Will, and of 
 his aU-dire<fting Providence." 
 
 Neither are thofe minuter events, which, feemingly, are the 
 refult of chance, excluded from this law. Even thefe do not 
 happen, but come to pafs, in a regular order of fucceffion, and 
 at their due period of time. •' Caufa pendet ex caufa : piivata 
 ac publica longus ordo rerum trahit," fays Seneca } *• Caufe 
 proceeds from caufe : the long train of things draws with it 
 all events, both public and private." Excellent is that of 
 Sophocles; (Aj. FlagsU.J 
 
 'E.fLi jAiit Kv KKi Tccuja, Hat ra 'Ttiivf «s<> 
 'Orxi J: u>) TCti' s^iv. ill yvcAiy.n p>-%, 
 
 i. e. " I am firmly ©f opinion, that all thefe things, and what- 
 ever elfe befal us, aie in confequence of the Divine purpofe ; 
 Whofo thinks otherwife, is at liberty to follow his own judge- 
 ment ; but this will ever be mine." 
 
 The Longus ordo rerum, mentioned by Seneca, is what he 
 elfewhere ftiles, Caufarum implexa feries, or a perpetual implica- 
 tion of caufis. This, according to Laertius, was called by 
 the Stoics, «"■'* ■^"^ o>7'yv u^of^ir/i, an involved, or concatenate caufuality 
 of whatever has any exiflence : for, £'^^^<S^ is a chain, or tmplicate 
 connection. Agreeably to this idea, Chrysipfus gives the fol- 
 lowing 
 
C »'9 3 
 
 lowing definition of Fate : ''Eift/t^fiivr.t umi, (pvfiKr.i tri/'lahv ra* IXui, 1$ 
 aiiiv, ra/t iTie».-» raii il'.^oi; fraKaXafy'luv, afif!a?o?.ii xxi utrctauZcilH ntrr,( tjjj 
 
 rtiauir.i ffvfi-r>.:ixr.s. «< Fate is that natural, eftablifhed order and 
 " conftitution of all things, from everlafling, vrhereby they 
 •' mutually follow upon each other, in confequence of an im- 
 ** mutable and perpetual complication." 
 
 Let us examine this celebrated definition of Fate. i. He 
 calls it a natural irvfiah;-. meaning by nature, the great No' 
 tura Prima, or God: for, by fome Stoics, God and Nature 
 are ufed promifcuoufly. But, becaufe the Deity muft be fup- 
 pofed both to e/ecree and to act with iv/fdetn, intelligence, and de- 
 Jign ; Fate is fcimetimes mentioned by them under the name 
 of i^oy&, or Reafon. Thus they define Fate (Laert. in Zen.) 
 
 I'lucc^/i'.vy.y, Xoyev, r.u.f li h Kory.&' 'Siihiy!'irtr tO bc that fuprcmc " Rca- 
 
 " fon, whereby the world is governed and direded." or, more 
 
 minutely, thus : f^oyov, xa.f Lv ?a fat yiyctoja yiyivi, rx Oi Xvioii'.ia ymiTcci, 
 
 rx ?i y:v/,trc/z'.vz yv.r^aiTxt. «< That rcafou, whercby the things that 
 have been, were ; the things that now* are, have a prefent ex- 
 iftence ; and the things that are to be, fhall be. Reafon, you 
 fee, or Wifdom, in the Deity, is an antecedent caufe, from 
 whence both Providence and inferior Nature are derived. It is 
 
 added, in StobaUS, f'iTaXc:/Lit/xni ei t» /.'/p, T>;y a.\ri:itf.v, t-/,:- aiTiav, t»i» 
 
 (fus-iv, ry.v avccfkr.f. i. e. that Chrysi FPUS fomctimei varies his terms; 
 and, inrtead of the word reafon, fubftitutes the words irut&f 
 caufe, nature, necejftty : intimating, that Fate is the true, natu- 
 ral, neccifary caufe of the things that are, and of the manner 
 in which they are. — 2. This Fate is faid to be ti' «'S.«, yrowi 
 everlafling. Nor improperly : fmce the confiitution of things, 
 was fettled and fixed in the Divine mind (where they had a 
 fort of ideal exiftence) previous to their aftual creation : and, 
 therefore confidered as certainly future, in his decree, may be 
 faid to have been, in fome fenfe, co-eternal with himfelf. — 
 3. The immutable and perpetual complication, mentioned in the 
 definition, means no more, than That reciproca'. involution 
 of caufes and effetSs from God downwards, by which things 
 and events, pnfttis omnibus ponendis, are neceffarily produced, 
 according to the plan which infinite wifdon defigned from the 
 beginning. God, the Firft Caufe, hath given Being and Ac- 
 tivity to an immenfe number of fecondary, fubaltern caufes ; 
 which are fo infeparably linked and interwoven with their ref- 
 pe(f^ive efftds (a connexion truly admiiable, and not to be 
 comprehended by mao in his prefent (late), that ihofe things 
 
 which 
 
[ 120 ] 
 
 >?vhi<:Jj do, in reality, come to pafs neccjfar'ily, and by ine'uUabi: 
 dejliny ; feem, to the fuperticial obferver, to come to pafs in 
 the common courfe of JSlaiure, or by virtue of human reafon- 
 ing and freedom. Thii is that ir.fcrutable method of Divine 
 wifdom, " A qua" (fays St /Uti/l'm) " eft omnis modus, om- 
 nis fpecies, omnis ordo, menfura, numerus, pondus ; a qua 
 funt femina formarum, forraas feminum, motus fcrninum at- 
 cjue formarum." 
 . NECESSITY is the confequence of Fate. So Trismegis- 
 
 ^gatoia Si i^i, aJlHTiX'/); Kof'^ th 1-^iss'ti.ia O-x. ot>o }• T<^■;'* a'St'^(puiis cmay.ns, 
 
 KMapi/s Kcu huri^fiivK- \. c. " All thing? are brought ^bo'ut by Nature 
 find by Fate : neither is any place void of providence. Now, 
 providence is the felf perfcd reafon of the fapcr celeftial God: 
 from which reafon of his, iffue two native powers, Necellity 
 and Fate," Thus, in the judgment of the wifer Heathens, 
 effeSls were to be traced up to their producing canfes ; ihofe 
 producing caufes were^ to be firther traced up to the ftill 
 higher caiifi'iy by which they were produced ; and thofe higher 
 caufes, -to God, the caufe of them. Perfmsy things, circum^ 
 
 Jiances, events, and conftquences, are the effccHis of Necessiiy : 
 Neceffity is the daughter of Fate: Fate is the ofTbpring of 
 God's infinite Wisdom and fovereign Will. Thus, all things 
 are ultim.ately refolved into their great Primary Caufe ; by 
 whom the chain was originally let down from heaven, and en 
 
 . whom every -link depends. 
 
 It mull be owned, that y/// the fatalifts of antiquity, (par- 
 ticularly among the Stoics) did not conftantly exprefs theni- 
 felves with due precifion. A ChriRian, who is faviht;ly taught 
 by the Word and Spirit of God, mult be pained and difguft- 
 ed, nox. to iay, fhocked ; when he reads fuch an a.Tertion as 
 
 fibly avoid his dtjViny (Herodot. i.) or that of the pcet 
 rhdemon : 
 
 'O &■& avKpcr,;. 
 
 Common men are fervants to kings ; iitigs ai'e fervants to the 
 Gods ; and God is a fervant to neceffity. So Spnega : *' Eadem 
 receflitas & Deos alligat : irrevccabills Divina pariter atque 
 humana cuifus vehit. Ille ipfe, omnium conditor ac rcftor, 
 fcripfit quidem Fsta, fed fsquitur. Semper paiet : Semel 
 j-jflit." The felj fame neceJTuy binds the Gads themfdves. All 
 
 thivgsy 
 
[ 120 ] 
 
 things, riiv'ine as ivell as human, are carriid foriitard hy one iJetf' 
 t'lcal and overpotvering rap'ulUy. The fitpreme Author and Gover- 
 nor of the un'tvcrfe hath, indeed, written and ordained the Fates ; 
 but, having once ordair.cd them, he ever after obeys them. He com- 
 manded them at Jirjl, for once : but his conformity to them is perpe- 
 tual. This is, without donbr, very irreverently and very in- 
 cautioufly exprefled. — Whence it has beeu conrimon with many 
 Chriftian writers, to tax the Stoics with fatting up a Fird 
 Caufe, fuperior to God liimfe-f, and on which he is dependent. 
 
 But, I apprehend, ihefe philofophers meant, in reality, no 
 fiich thing. All they defigned to inculcate, was, that the 
 Will of God, and his Decrees, are unchangeable: That 
 there can be no alteration in the Divine Intention ; no new 
 an arife in his Mind; no reverfion of his eternal plan ; All 
 ht\i\g founded m adorable Sovereignty; ordered by infallible 
 Wisdom; ratified by Omnipotence; and cemented with Im- 
 Mi'TABiLiTV. Thus /vwraw .•'^-' 
 
 Finxit in leternttm caufas ; qua cunBa coercetj 
 
 Se quoque lege tenens. 
 And this, not through any imlecilUty in God, or as if he was 
 fubjeB to Fate, of which (on the contrary) himfelf was the or- 
 dainer ; bat becaufe it is his pleafnre to abide by his own decree. 
 For, as Seneca obferves, * Imminutio majeflatis fit, & confefllo 
 erroris, mutanda feciff;. Neceife eft ei eadfem placere, cui nifi 
 optima placere non po/Tiint:' " It would detraft from the 
 " greatnefs o{ Go J, and look as if he acknowledged himfelf 
 " liable to miftakes, wa? lie to make changeable decrees : his 
 " pleafure mull necefTirily be always the fame ; feeing, that on- 
 *' ly, whith is bell, can at any time, pleafe an allperfed being. 
 *' A good man (adds this philofopher) is under a kind oi plea- 
 *''f"'S necefHty to do good ; and, if he did not do it, lie could 
 •' not be a good man. 
 
 ♦ Magnum hoc argtimentnm ed firmx voluntatis, ne mutarc 
 quidem po/fe :' " It is a ftriking proof of a magnanimous 
 " will, to be abfolutely incapable of changing." And fuch 
 is the will of God : it never Huiftuates, nor varies. But, on 
 the other hand, was he fufcepiible of change ; could he, 
 through the intervention of any inferior caiTle, or by fome un- 
 toward combination of external circumftances, be induced to 
 recede from his purpofe, and alter his plan ; it would be a mod 
 inconteflible mark of iveahnrfs and dcpendtnce : the force of 
 which a'-gumer.t made StN'CA, though a heathen, cry out, 
 
 1- A • Non 
 
C IM ] 
 
 « Non externaDeos cogunt ; fed fua illis in legem aeterna vdlufl- 
 tas eft :' " Outward things cannot compel the Gods ; but their 
 *' own eternal will is a law to themfelves" It nriay be ob- 
 jected, that this feems to infer, as if the Deity was ftill under 
 £ome kind of rejlrahit. By no means. Let Seneca obviate this 
 cavil ; as he effedually does, in thefe admirable words : * Nee 
 Deus ab hoc minus libar aut potens eft ; IPSE £nim est NE- 
 CESSITAS SUA;' " God is not hereby, either lefs free, or 
 ** lefs powerful; for He Himself is his own Necessity." 
 On the whole, it is evident, that when l^e Stoics fpeak, even 
 in the ftrongeft terms, of the ohllgation of Fate on God himf^lfy 
 they may and ought to be underftocd, in a fenfe worthy of 
 
 the Adorable Uncreated Majefty. Ir ihus interpreting the 
 
 • dodrine of Fate, as taught byjhe genuine philofophers o{ the 
 Portico^ I have the great St Aujlin cmi my fide ; who, after can- 
 v?.fling, and juftly rojc6ling the baftard, or ajlrologlcal Fate i 
 thus goes on : * At qui omniuv^^i^fmneciionem feiiemque cau- 
 farum, qua fit omne quod ft, Futi noniine appellant; non 
 jYiultum cum eis, de verb! controven'ia, certandum atquelabo- 
 randum eft : quandoquidem ipfuni caufarum ordinem, & quan- 
 dam connciTtionem, sv 'mi JDh tribuunt voluntati:' i.e. 
 ** But for thofe pliilofiipilers [meaning the Stoics] who, by 
 ** the word Fate, mean chat regular chain, and feries of caufes, 
 ** to which all things that come to pafs, owe their immediate 
 •' exiPcence ; we will net eameftiy contend with thefc perfons, 
 *' about a mere term: and we the rather acquiefce in^ their 
 •• manner of exprtflion, becaufe they carefully afcribe this fix- 
 *• ed fucceffion of things, and this mutual concatenation of 
 « caufes and effeas, to the WILL of the SUPREME GOD." 
 Auji'in adds m.any obfervations, of the fame import ; and proves, 
 from Scjicca himfelf, as rigid a Stoic as any, that this was the 
 cioclrine and the meaning of his Philofophic Brethren. 
 
 FINIS.- 
 
A Caveat agahifl unfoiind DoSlrineSi. ■ 
 
 BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF A. 
 
 S E R M ON 
 
 PREACHED IN THE 
 
 PARISH CHURCH 
 
 O F 
 
 St ANN, BLACKFPvYARS 
 
 On SUNDAY, April 20, 1770. 
 
 By AUGUSTUS TOPLADY, A. B. 
 VICAR OF BROAD HEMBURY, DEVON. 
 
 Seeing, then, that "we have fuch hope, ive ujc great plainnefs of Speech. 
 a Cor. iii. la. 
 
 THE FOURTH EDITION; 
 
 PERTH: 
 
 PRlNtED BY R. MORISON JUNIOR, 
 
 FOR R, MORISON & SON, PERTH; J. GUTHRIE, EDINBURGH J 
 
 AN& VERNOR & Ho6d, LONBON. 
 
 «',ncc,XCm. 
 
u4 D r E R r I S E M E N T. 
 
 THE enfuing Dlfcourfe was, firfl, preached at St MaitheWf 
 Bethnal Green, April 2 2. Some Perfons, then prefent, to 
 ■whofe Judgment and Requeft I pay the higheft Deference, 
 defired me to retrieve as much pf it as I could, the Sunday 
 following, at St y^n/i's ; with a View to its being taken in 
 Short-Hand, and published. - 
 
 The Lofs of my neareft Relative, foon after this Sermon 
 •was preached ; and the many Avocations, occafioned by that 
 lamented and unexpt(5!ed Event; account, but too well, for 
 the Delay, with which the Publicaiion has been attended. 
 Having, however, tranfcribed it, at kvi, from the Notes of 
 the Perfon who penned it at the Time of its Delivery ; I now 
 tranfmit it to the Prefs, moft affetftionately and refpedlfully in- 
 fcribed to my Dear London Friends ; whofe Favours, equally 
 great, numerous, and unmerited, I have no other public Way 
 ©f acknowledging. 
 
 London, JvJy 3, 1770.. 
 
I T I M O T N V i. I O. 
 
 . ^nd if there be any other Thing that Is contrary to found 
 
 DoSlrine, 
 
 ST Paul is commonly, and mofl probably, fuppofed to 
 have written this Epiftle about A. D. 6^. that is, about 
 two Years, before his own Martyrdom, and about //i/V/y on.- af- 
 ter our Lord's Afcenfion — He addreffed it to Timothy : who, 
 though a very * young Man, had been feme Time in the Mi- 
 nlftry, and was then enirurted with the Overfigbt of the 
 Church zxEphefus. In the Ellimatlon of unprejudiced Reafon» 
 Honourable /'fge is not that 'which Jlanddh in Length of Time, nor 
 that is me:ifiir£d by number vf Tears : but JVifdotn is the. Grey Hair 
 unto Men, and an unfpotted Life is old Age ,-}-. 
 
 But Timothy, though young, was far from robufl. He 
 was o\\\y Jlrong in the Grace that is in Chrijl Jefus, His rege- 
 nerate, .heaven born youl dwelt in a fickly, infirm Body^ 
 Whence we read of his ■avy.^a.t ac-lvmai, % Tim. v. 23. or frequent 
 Indfpqfitions: arifing, perhaps, originally, from a natural Deli- 
 cacy of Conftitution ; and, certainly, increafed by a rigid Ab- • 
 
 ftemioufnefs, and conilant Courfe of miniHerial Labours 
 
 Thus our hcavwly Father, gracioufly fevere, and wifely kind,-. 
 takes Care to infufe fome' falutsry Bitter into his Children's 
 Cup below: fince, v.'ere they. Here, to tall e of Happinefs,, 
 abfolute and unmingled ; were not the Gales ©f Piofperity 
 whether fpiritual or temporal, ccunterpoifed, more or lefs by ■ 
 the needful Bailaft of A rili(flion : His People (always imper- 
 fed here) would be enriched to their Lofs, and liable .to be 
 overf-t, in thdr Way to the Kingdom of God. V/hereforej^ 
 confummate Felu'tfy, withont any mixture of Wormv/ood, is re-, 
 ferved for our Erjoyment, in a State, -whtxt perfeB Sanciifica^ 
 tion will qualify us to poifefs it. In Heaven, .and there only^ . 
 the Inhabitant Jhall no more fay,, ivi any Senfc whatever, I am ■ 
 JukX. _ 
 
 St Paul, in the Opening of his Apoftolic D'iredions lo Ti- 
 ll y, adopts the fame fimple, majellic, and Lvangelicai Ex- 
 —lam, wiih which the reft of hi* Lfiiftles ufually begitu 
 
 A 2 fcmi . 
 
 * Ti-u, iv. l». f Wipd. u, S, 9. Jjai. xsxlii. 24. 
 
 ..t 
 
[ 4 ] 
 Paul an jlpojik of Jefus Chr'ijl ; ordained and Tent Vn.ith by the 
 Head of the Church, the iupreme Mailer cf the fpiritual 
 Vineyard : without whoCe internal, authoritati%'e Commir- 
 fion, none have a real Right to minifter in facre.l Things, or 
 to thruft the Sickle into God's Harveft. For, /fow can Men 
 ■preach to Furpofe, fo as to be Indruments of Convidion, Corn- 
 fort and Sanftlfication, except they he finl * of God, and own- 
 ed of Him ? whence the Apoftle adds. By the Commandivcnt f 
 of God cur Saviour, and the Lord 'Jefus Chrijl, ivho is our Hope. 
 As an Englipy Nobleman, who travels to fome foreign Court, 
 cannot reafonably exped to be received as the Reprefentative 
 of his Sovereign here, unlefs charged with an aflual Delega- 
 tion, and able to produce the Credentials of his Miflion ; no 
 more is any Individual authorized to arrogate to him/elf the Ho- 
 nor of a Divine Ambaffage, Lut he that is called of God^ as rujas 
 ufaron^. A fufficient Degree of Gofpel Li^ht and Krwvjhdge; 
 an ardent Love Ol Souls, and a difmtereiled Concern for Truth i 
 a competent Meafure of njinlfterial Gifts and jdbilUies ; and, 
 above all, a Portion of Divine Grace and Experience ; a faving 
 Change ci Heart, and a Life devoted to the Glory of Got:. 
 are eilential Prerequifites to an Evangelical Difcharge of the 
 facred Function. 
 
 The ift Verfe may be read thus: Paid an Jpofle of Jesus- 
 Christ, a:}CDr(ting to the exprefs or authoritative Defgnation of 
 Jesus Christ our GcD, Saviour, and L.o'^.-d'^. So the paf- 
 iage may be rendered : and fo, perhaps, it ought to be un- 
 iJerftood, in its natural and moft obvious Conftrudion. Now,, 
 cvenfuppofing that the Apoflle had not the Divinity of Christ 
 immediately in View, at the Time of his w^riting thefe Word'^; 
 yet, you mud either give up his Infpiration, or believe that 
 Christ is, with the Father and the'Spirir, Gov>. over all, hhf- 
 fed for ever : fircc, on a Subject of fuch unfpeakable Confe- 
 <]uence, it would have argued a degree of negligence, little 
 fhori of criminal, had the Apollle expreffed himfelf in Terms 
 palpably liable to MIfapprehenficn. I therefore conclude, 
 that, both as a Scholar, and as a ChriRian ; as Gamalid^s Pu- 
 pil, and as an infpired Apoftk; our ficred Penman would 
 have delivered iilmfelf in a far more guaided Style, had not 
 the Sbn of God been indeed God the Son. Either Jesus is 
 
 the 
 
 * Rom- X. 15. f K&r' t^/'aj/jiv, according to the fofitive Injun ^t0»/kit 
 txpif/s Dd'igiutizn. I Meb. v. 4. § K«t' t^rljccy/iii Qm "Xu-Tr,!^ '■}fi^s/.t 
 
C 5 ] 
 the God, Saviour and Lord of his People ; or St Pnul wat 
 guilty of fuch inexcuf.ible In.xccuracy*, as every Writer, of 
 common Senfe and common Honelty, would be fure to avoid. 
 
 He goes on to ftyle the bleiled Jesus, our Hope. Afk al- 
 moft any Man, •' Whether he hopes to be faved eternally ?" 
 He will anfwer in tlie AfHrmative. But enquire again, " On 
 tiuhat Foundation he reRs his Hope ?" Here, too many are fad- 
 ly divided. The Pelagian hopes to get to Heaven by a moral 
 Lite, and a good Ufe of his natural Powers. The Armtman^ 
 bv a Jumble cf Grace and Free will, human Works and the 
 Merits of Christ. The Detji, by an interefted Obfervance 
 of the focial Virtues. TJius Merit- mongers, of every Deno- 
 mination, agree in making any Thing the Bafis of their Hope, . 
 rather than that Foundation, which God's own Hand hath 
 laid in Z'lon. But what faith Scripture ! It avers, again and 
 again, that Jesus alone Is our hope ; to the E^clufion of all 
 other.-;, and to the utter Annihilation of human Defervings. 
 Beware, therefore^ of reRing your Dependence, partly, on 
 Christ, and, partly, on force other Bafis. As furely as 
 }ou bottom your Reliance partly on the Rock, and partly on 
 the Sand; fo certainly, unlefs Goo give you an immediate 
 Kepentar.ce to your Acknowledgment of the Truth, will 
 your fuppcfed Hrnife of Defence fall and bury you in its Ru- 
 ins, no Icfs than if you had raifed it on the Sand alone. 
 Christ is the Hope of Glory *. Faith in his Righteoufnefs, re- 
 ceived and embraced at our fole judifying Obedience before« 
 God ; and the Love oi Chriil (an iiifepatable EflFetft of that 
 Faith) operating on our Hearts, and Ihining in our Lives; 
 aie the mofl folid Evidences, we can have below, of our Ac- 
 ceptance with the Father, and of our being faved in Jesus 
 with an everlafling Salvation. 
 
 ♦ Unii» TiMcihyy my own Son in the Faith ; Grace, Mercy, 
 and Peace, fron) Gob. our Father, and from the Lord Jesus 
 Christ.' Some have thought, that Timothy wa.i> not converc- 
 ted undef the Miitiilry of St Paul: and they ground their 
 Gonje<5^nr^ on Ads xvi. i, 2. where Tirncthy is mentioned as 
 a Dij'cipU, ri-.d a Perfon uell reported of by the Chrillians at 
 Derbe and L^flra, previous to St Paid'a Viiitation of thofe Pla- 
 ces. 'I'hat finiolhy was a nominal ProfeJJ'or of Religion, and 
 a Ycuth of circumfpec^ Behaviour, arc evident from that Paf- 
 iiige : which cxitiual Fcim of Godlinefs was, probablyt the 
 
 • Colifmi i. 1 7. 
 
[ 6 ] 
 
 EfFe61: of the religious * Education he had the Happinefs ter> . 
 receive from his earlieft Childhood. But, from St Paul's ' 
 Compellation of him as ♦ his own Son in the Faith ;' it may, 
 I think, be reafonably inferred, that the young Pifciple was 
 led from the outer Court of mere external Piofeffion, into the 
 Sanctuary of heavenly and fpiritual Experience, either by the 
 private Labours, or under the public Miniftry, of this Apoftle. 
 And none but thofe Minifters, w-hofe Endeavours have been 
 •bleft tcT the Converfion of Souls; and thofe Perfons, who have 
 been born of God, by their Inftrumentality ; can form any 
 Idea of that fpiritual Relation and unfptak.ably tender Attach- 
 ment, which fubfift between fpiritual Fathers and l/:e Children 
 of Grace luhom God halh given them. 
 
 Timothy had been a. true Believer, fome confiderable Tim.e 
 before St Paul wrote this Epiftle. Confequently, by the 
 * Grace, Mercy, and Pc;ice,' whjch, he prayed, might be the 
 Portion of his beloved Converts ; we are to underftand, net 
 the firft Vouchfifement, but a larg^e hureafe, of thofe fpiri- 
 tual Bleflhigs and Comforts ; that he might have repealed Dif- 
 coveries, and continued Mar.ifejfations, of the Faihei's ele(5ling 
 Grace \ of Christ's Redeeming Mi-rcy ; and experience that 
 fweet Peace and Joy in believing, which are Fruits of the Ho- 
 ly Spitit's Influence, and flow from Feilowfhip. -with Hiri«, 
 Privileges, ih^fe, v/hich unawakened Men will always ridi- 
 cule ;~ but to which, every real ChnLlian will arden-ily afpire. 
 Time u'onid fail me, fhould I attempt to confider all the 
 intervenient Verfes. 1 find myfelf at a Lofs, nnt what to fay, 
 but what to leave unfaid. However, I (hall obferve, as brief- 
 ly as I can, that one grand Reafon- of St Paul's writing this 
 EpIRle, .was, to put Timothy on his Guard againd the Diifem-. 
 inaition of corrupt Doflrines, and the infidions Arts of cor« 
 rupt Teachers, with which the Church of Ephefus^ where Ti- 
 ' mothy was now ftatiohed, feems to have be«n particularly in- 
 ' fefted. Unregenerp.te Minifters are much the fame, in all 
 Ages, and in eveiy Country : An unconverted Preacher in 
 England, and an unconverted Preacher in Italy, fofaras Mat- 
 ters merely fpiritual are concerned,, (land nearly on a Level., 
 Thefe, all, are, what the Ephefian Schifmatics were defirous 
 to be. Teachers oj. the La'VJ, or legal Teachers. And all un-- 
 converted People, whether their Denomination be Prptefiant. 
 er Popijh, defire to be Plearcrs of the Law, and are difpleafed. 
 
 • %^ limQthj iii. XJ. 
 
[ 7 ] 
 U'hen tliey hear any Thing elfe. We are, naturally, fond of 
 that very Law, which, unlefs the Righteoulnefs of CHatsT is 
 ours, is the M'lr.'iftration of death, pronounces us accurfcdi and 
 bir.ds us over to everlafting Ruin. The pernicious Error, a- 
 gainft which Timoiky was directed to guard his Flock, was, 
 a Dependence on the Law, and the Works of it, for Salvation. 
 Ar.d tl)e R^albn, why this dellrudive Tenet was taught and 
 enforced by fome Preachers of that Day, and has been taught 
 by their Siicceil'ors ever fince, is affigned by the Apoflle ; who 
 obferves, that thofe blind Guides ' iindeilland neither what 
 they faid, nor whereof they ailirir.ed :' For, it they had un- 
 derftood any Thing of God's inviolable Holinefs ; of the Law's 
 inflexible Reftitude, Extent, and Spirituality ; of Man's total 
 Inability to fulfil it perfedly (and without perfed Obedience 
 the Law cannot juftify); they would, at once, have ceafed 
 to be Teachers of the Law, and finnply pointed Sinners to that 
 Saviour alone, who ' is the End of the Law for Righteoufnefs 
 to every one that believelh *.' 
 
 Falhionable as the Doiflrine of legal, conditional Juiflifica- 
 tlon is, we may fay, to every Individual that embraces it, 
 * There is one thit condemns you, even Mofesy in whom you 
 truil f ,' and the very Law on which you reft : for it's Lan- 
 guage is, ' He that breaketh me only in ONE Point, is guUiy 
 of All J : Jndy Curfed is every Man that continueth not in 
 All Things that are written in the Book of the Law to do 
 ihem' §. Shew me the Man who has never offended in one 
 Point : who hath centinued in all Things prefcribed by Jeho- 
 vah's perfed Law; who loves the Lord with all his Heart, 
 ■and his Fellows creatures as h'mfelf ; (hew me the Man, who, 
 ^om the firft to the laft Moment of his TJfe, comes up to 
 this Standard: And THEN you will (laewme a Man who can 
 be juftified by Works of his own- 
 But, If no fuch Perfon could ever be found, Jesus Christ 
 ihc Righteous fine'y excepted ; St PauVs Condufion [irthds. 
 nn(haken, that they, who teach or hold Juftlfication by any 
 other Obedience than that of Christ, • neither know what 
 tbey fay, nor whereof they affirm.' 
 
 Yet, notliwithrianding we neither are nor can be juftifyed by 
 the Law; fiill, the L^fj of the Law are numerous and im- 
 pcrtant : whence the Apoflle takes Care to add, that The 
 
 Lata 
 * komSW] yL, f,. 7 -J-jbilV. 45. \ ycnfes ii. 10. § Galstians iii. 10, 
 
C 8 ] 
 
 Law Is good, or anAs'crs feveral valuable Purpofes, if a man 
 ufe It lanvfiilly . Nothing can be more . evident, than that, by 
 the Law, in this Place, is meant the Moral Law. The Ceri- 
 mon'ial could not poffibly be intended ; becaufe it is not now 
 to be adheared to, and is no longer in Force: Whereas the A- 
 poftle fpeaics of a Law vi'hich is, to this very Day, unrepealed^ 
 and of Handing Ufe: The Imiv IS good, if a Mam USE /,' 
 lawfully. Of this Law, there is a two-fold Ufe : Or, rather 
 an Ufe and Ahufe. The Ufe of the Law is, among other 
 Things, firft, to convince us of our utter Sinfulnefs; and then, 
 fecondly, to lead u^ to Christ, as the great and only Fulfil- 
 ler of all Righteoufnefs. Now, the L^ does not anfwer 
 thefe important Ends, dlreSly, and of ifclf; but in a Sub- 
 ferviency to the Holy Spirit's Influence* ; when that, adora- 
 ble Perfon is pleafed to make the Law inftrumental to the 
 Converfion of a Sinner. In which Cafe, having f-haken us 
 out of cur Self-righteoufnefs, and reduc'u us to an happy Ne- 
 cefiity of Ciofing with the Righteoufnpfs of Christ ; the Law 
 has ftill another and a farther Ufe, no lefs momentous : For, 
 thirdly, It, from that Moment forward, ftands as the great 
 Rule of our praflical Walk and Converfation : Seeing a true 
 Believer is not withoui Laiv, {^auu.:;, a lawlefs Perfon) totuards 
 God: but is svi.i>,«»;, nvithin the Bond of the Laio to Christ •}■: 
 Not exempted from its Controuly as the Standard of moral Ac- 
 tion ; though delivered from its Power and Execration, as a 
 Govenant of Works. 
 
 Thefe are the three grand, lawful Ufes, of the Law. On 
 the other Hand, if any of us are fo deplorably loft to all Senfe 
 of Chriftian Duty and Gofpel Privilege-, as to fuppofe, 
 thati by our own partial Conformity to the Law, how ftnccre 
 
 foever 
 
 • " A gracio.'JS Sight of our Vilenefs," ftys one of the ablefl and moft 
 afeful Writers of the laft Century, " is the Work v,\ C'HKisr only, by His 
 Spirit. The Law is, indeed, a Looking-glafs; (7i'4' toTeprefentthe Filthi- 
 nefs of a Perfm : But the Law gives not £y«, to fee |hat Filthineft. 
 Bring a Looking glals; and fet it before a Liind Jvlan : he i<:.t% no more 
 Spots in lis Fate, than if he had none at all. Tliongh the Glafs be a 
 good Giufs, fliil the Glafs cannot give Eyes: Yet, if he had Eyes, he 
 would, in the Glafs, fee his B!emi!hes. The Apoihe 'James comparts the 
 Law to ct Looking- glafs ; and a Faculty to reprefcnt, is all the l^aw pofTef- 
 feth : But it doth not impart a Faculty to fe what it reprefents. It is 
 CaiasT alone, who opens the Eyes of Men to behold tlicir own Vilenefs 
 and Guilt. He opens the Eyes, =f,d then, in the Law, a Maniees what 
 
 f I CorrrjhiafiS IX., 21. 
 
[ 9 ] 
 
 foever it be, we can work out, and work up, a Righteoufnefs 
 for ourfelves, wherein to ftand before the Tribunal of God, 
 and for wliich to obtain any Favour at his Hand ; we ufe the 
 Law unla-u'fully ; We fadly miftake the very End for which 
 the Law was promulgated, which was, that under the Effica- 
 cy of Grace, and the Teachings of tlie Blefied Spirit ; it might 
 bring us to a Knowledge of our * Guilt, and a Senfe of our f 
 Dan^er ; convince us of our ;j: Helplelfnefs, and, ■A^.i^SchcolmaJler, 
 bring us to Christ, that lue may be jujlif.i'd by Faith, and NOT 
 hy the Works of the Laiv : For, by the IVorks of the La'U), as 
 performed by us, fhall no Flefh be jufiified§. 
 
 That grand Error of the Heart (for it is an Hearlcxror, as 
 well as an v/ZiTfl^/ error, deeply rooted in our corrupt Nature, 
 as well as pernicioufly pleafing to unafllfted Reafon,) which 
 mifreprefents Juftification as at all fufpended on Caufes or 
 Conditions of human Performance ; will, and mud, if finally 
 perfirted in, tranfniit the Unbeliever, who has Opportunities 
 of better Information, to that Place of Torment, * where the 
 Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched.' 
 
 -■The Apoflle goes on: ' Knowing that the Law is not made 
 for a Righteous Man, but for the Difobedient,' fee. The 
 Phrafe, a Righteous Man, means, in its ftridly. Evangelical 
 Senfe, one that it iu Christ; or, who is righteous before GoD 
 in the Righteoufnfes of His Son, apprehended by Faith. Now, 
 the Law, /. e. the Damnatory Sentence of it, was net defigned 
 for fuch a Perfon. Weak Believers have, fomelinles, a good 
 deal to do with the Law, and are apt to hover about Mount 
 Sinai; but the Law has nothing to do with them: any more 
 than a Creditor, who has received ample Payment from the 
 Hand cf a Surety, can have any remaining Claim on tlie ori- 
 ginal Debtor. The Law took, as it were, our Heavenly 
 Bondfman by the Throat, faying, * Pay me that t^iou owell,' 
 And Jtsus acknou'ledged the Demand. He paid the double 
 Debt cf Obedience and Suffering, to the ulmoR Farthirg. So 
 that, as feme render the Words under Confideraiion, * the 
 Law lyeth not againft a righteous Man' !| : ,it J Claims are fa- 
 tisfied : its Sentence is fuperfeded ; its condemning Power is 
 aboliflied. And whoever have been enabled to fly for Refuge 
 to the Righteoufnefs of Christ, and to lay hold on the Hope 
 
 ftt 
 
 • Rom,w^ iii. 20. f Deuteronomy yiww. 2 Htlrcivs xii. 18, I9, 20, ai. 
 '' Pfa'r.i cxix._^6. Roir.r.r.i vii 3. § Galjtians iii. lJ{, and li. 16. 
 Jk iiiKtuo iey.es a Kfirtu, 
 
[ lO ] 
 
 fet before tliem; may depend on this, as a moft certain Truth, 
 that ' Christ hath redeemed them from the Curfe of the Law, 
 having been, hhnfclf, made a Curfe for them *.* Such are not 
 under the Laiv, whether as a Covenant of Works, to be faved 
 by; or as a Denunciation of Wrath, to be condemned by j 
 lut they are under Grace \'. under that fweet Difpenfalion of 
 everlafting Love, which, when made tnown to the believing 
 Soul, at once enfures the Praftlce of univerfal Godlinefs, and 
 refers the entire Praife of Salvation to the unmerited Grace of 
 Father, Son and Spirit. I faid, that the Difpenfation of 
 Grace enfures the Practice of univerfal Godlinefs : . for, confidered 
 ■ as a Rule of moral Condufl, the Law mort certainly IS defign- 
 ed for Believers. And, indeed, only Believers can yield real, 
 acceptable Obedience to the Law : for, * Without Faith, it is 
 impofilble to pUafe God:' J and • Whatever proceedeth not 
 from Faith, is Sin.' (J Therefore, if God hath not wrought 
 living Faith in your Heart, you have never performed one 
 truly good Work in your whole Life. 
 
 St Paul next proceeds to draw a Catalogue of Sins, againft 
 which the Denunciations of the Law are moft eminently le- 
 velled : clofing the Lift with the Words firft read, ♦ And if 
 there be any other Thing that is contrary to found Dodlrine.* 
 A plain Intimation, that Error, in Principals fundamental, 
 has a very unfavourable Lifluehce on Practieals; and that, in 
 Proportion as the DoSrines of God are diAielieved, the Com- 
 fnandmenfs of GoD will be difobeyed. Dodrinals, therefore, 
 are not of that fniall Significance, which the Injudicious and 
 the Heterodox afted to give out. For, though Matters of 
 Dodrine are, by fome, confidered merely as the Shill of Reli- 
 gion, and Experience only as the Kernel ; yet let it be remem- 
 bered, that there is no coming at the Kernel, but througli the- 
 ^hell : and, wliile the Kernel gives Value to ihe Shell : the 
 Shell is the Guardian of the Kernel. DeQroy 'That, and yoa 
 injure This. The Apoftle, in the Words before us, ftamps 
 the Evangelical Do(5trines with the Seal of Dignity, Ufeful- , 
 n'efs, and Importance : as is evident from the Epithet he makes 
 wfe of. He calls the Syftem of Gofpel Truths, Sound Dot- 
 trine : iy<«'v«£^>< l^c:;x.cc>.tcc, filutarj, healih-glvu-g Doctrine ; not only 
 tight znd,foun4 in ilfelf, but conducing to the fpiritual Strength 
 and Health of thofe that receive it : Dotftrine, ihat operates 
 Irke fome efficacious Reftorative 6n an exhauftcd Conftitution-} 
 
 that 
 * -Ga/. ili. 13, t Ro»n, Vi, I4. \ Hck xh 0. § Eini. xiv. i;^ 
 
C XI 3 
 
 that renders the finfick Souls of Men healthy, vigorous and 
 thriving : that caufes them through the Bleffing of Divine 
 Grace, to ' grow as the Lilly, and to caft forth the Root as 
 Lebanon, to revive as the Corn, and to flourifti as the Vine, 
 to difFufe their Branches, and rival the Olive-Tree,' * both in 
 Beauty and Fruitfulnefs. 
 
 On the other hand, unfound Doflrine has the very oppofite 
 EiFeds. It impoverifhes our Views of God; withers our 
 Hopes ; makts our Faith languid ; blafts our fpirilual Enjoy- 
 ments ; and lays the Ax to the very Root of Chriftian Obedi- 
 ence. We may fay of it, as the Jeiuijh Students faid, on ano- 
 ther Occafion, thsre is Death in the Pot. If you eat it, you are 
 poifoned. With the utmoll Attention, therefore, (hould we 
 attend to the Apoftle's Caveat, and avoid every Thing • thac 
 is contrary to found Dodtrine.' 
 
 Many fuch Things there are. I have not Time even to re- 
 cite, much lefs to expatiate on them all. I fhall, therefore, 
 cnly endeavour, as God may enable me, to point out a few 
 very common, but very capital Errors, which are totally in- 
 confiftent 'Wixh. found Doctrine. 
 
 Previous to my Entrance on this Part of the Subjeift, I 
 would premife Two Particulars: 
 
 1. That what I am going to obferve, does not proceed 
 from the leaft Degree of Bittertiefs againft the Perfons of Any, 
 from whom I differ ; and, 
 
 2. 'That I am infinitely remote even from the fli^htefl Wifli 
 of erefling myfelf into a Dictator to others. 
 
 The Rights of Ccnfcience are inviolably facred^ and Liber- 
 ty of private Judgment is every Man's Birth right. If, how- 
 ever. Any, like ii/ia, have fold their Birth-right for a Mefs 
 of Pottage, by fubfcribing to Articles they do not believe, 
 merely for the fake of temporal Profit or Aggrandifement ; 
 they have only themfclves to thank, for the little Ceremony 
 they are entitled to. — With Regard to myfelf, as ont whom 
 God has been pleafed to put into the Miniftry; above all, in- 
 to the Miniftry of the bed and pureft vifible Church in the 
 whole World; I fliould be a Traytor to God, to Christ, to 
 the Scriptures, and to Truth — unfaithful to Souls, and to my 
 own Confcience, — if I did not, without Fear or Favour, de- 
 clare the entire Ccunfd of GoD, fo far as I apprehend myfelf 
 led into the Knowledge of it. Inconfiderable as I am, many 
 
 B . of 
 
 • H'f. xir. 
 
C 12 ] 
 
 of you are> no Doubt, acquainted with the Variety of Repofts 
 that have been fpread (efpecially fince this Time of my being 
 in Town) concerning Me, and the Dodlrines by which I hold 
 it my indifpenfable Duty to abide. I deem myfelf, therefore, 
 happy, in ha\'ing one more Opportunicy to teftify the little 
 that I know, concerning tliat * Myftery of the Golpel, which 
 God ordained, before the World for our Glory.' And I de- 
 lire, in the moft public Manner, tothank the Great Auihor 
 of all Confolation, for a very particular Inftance of his Favour, 
 and which I look upon as one of the mod felicitating Circum- 
 ftances of my whole Life : I mean, my ear/y Acquaintance 
 •with the Doflrines of Grace. Many great and good Men, 
 who were converted late in Life, have had the whole Web ©f 
 their preceding Miniftry to unravel, and been under a Necef- 
 fity of reverfing ali they had been delivering for Years before. 
 But it is not the fmalleft of my'diftinguifhing Mercies, that, 
 from the very Commencement of my unworthy Miniftrations, 
 I have not had a fingle Doftrine to rctraft, nor a fingle Word 
 to un-fay. I \\2LVt Juhfa-'tbed to the Articles, Homiiies, and 
 Liturgy, ^/-Df feparate Times ; and that from Principle; nor 
 do I believe thofe Forms of found Words, becaufe I have fub- 
 fcribed to. them; but I therefore fubfcribed them, becanfe I 
 believed them. I fet out with the Gofpel, from the very firft ; 
 and, * having obtained Help from God, 1 continue to this 
 Day witneffing both to fmall and great, faying no other Things 
 than Mofes and the Prophets,* * Jesus and his Apoftles, have 
 faid before me. And, in an abfolute Dependence on the Di- 
 vine Power and Faithfulnefs, I truft that 1 ftall, to the End, 
 be enabled to count neither Health, Wealth, Reputation, nor 
 * Life itfelf, dear to me, fo I may fint{h my Courfe with Joy, 
 9XiA fulfill iht Miniftry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, 
 to teftify the Gofpel of the Grace of Goo.' f 
 
 " Carelefs (myfelf a dying Man) 
 
 " Of dying Men's Efteem ; 
 «* Happy if thou, O.God, approve, 
 
 " Though all befide condemn." 
 
 ' If the moft accomplifhed and fefpeitable Perfon of all ilea- 
 
 ^^tn Antiquity, could declare, that he " would rather obtain 
 
 ''the fingle Approbation of Cato, than have a Triumph voted 
 
 to hini by the Senate," much more will a ChnlVian Mmifter 
 
 prefer 
 
[ 13 ] 
 prefer the Approbation of GOD, to all tlie evanid Eclates 0^ 
 an applauding Univerfe. 
 
 I Ihall arm myfelf, this Afternoon, with a twofold Weapon: 
 with the Bible, /in one Hand ; and our Church Articles, in tlic 
 oilier. I Ihall appeal at once, for all 1 have to fay, to the 
 Authority of God's unerring Oracles ; and to their faithful 
 Epitome, ihe Decifions of the Church of England. They 
 who, perhaps, fet light by the Scriptures, may yet pay forac 
 decent Deference to the Church : And they, who, it may be, 
 pay little Attention to Churcli-Deteiminations, will render 
 implicit Credit to the Scriptures. So that, between the Bible 
 and the Thirty-nine Articles, I hope I ihall be able to carry 
 my Point, and, as far as my Suhjed leads me, enter a fuc- 
 cefsful Caveat againft whatever Things are contrary to found 
 Dodrine. In attempting this, I dial 1 fix my Foot upon All- 
 MINIANISM; which, in its feveral Branches, is the Gan- 
 grene of the Pioteftant Churches, and the predotninaut Evil; 
 of the Day. 
 
 What think you, 
 
 I. Of Conditional Eka'ton ? We have, indeed, fome, who de-- 
 ny there is any fuch Tiling as Election at all. They ftart at 
 the very Word, as if it were a Spsdre, juft come from the- 
 Shades, and never feen before. I ftrall wafte no Time on 
 thefe Men. They are out of the Pale, to v>'hich my allotted 
 Plan confines me at prefent. They cannot be Church of Eng» 
 land Men, who profcribe a Term that occurs fo frequently in 
 her offices and Standards of Faith ; nor can they even be 
 Chriftians at large, who cafliier, with aifeded Horror, a Word, 
 which, under one Form or other, is to be met with between 
 forty and fifty Times, at leaft, in the New Tcflament only. 
 
 My Bufinefs, now, is with thofe who endeavour to fave Ap- 
 pearances, by admitting the JVord, while, in Reality, they ana- 
 thematize the Thing, Thefe profefs to hold an EUSion : But 
 then it is a conditional one, and founded, as they fuppofe, on 
 fc^me good Quality or Qualities forefeen in the Objects of it. 
 Thus, bottomuig the Purpofes of God on the precarious Will 
 of apoftate Men ; and making That, which is temporal, the 
 Caufe of That which was Eternal. " The Deity," fay Per- 
 fons of this Caft, " foreknowing how you and 1 would be» 
 have, and fortfecing our Iniprovements and our Faithfulnefs, . 
 and what a proper Ufe we Ihould make of our Free-will ; or- 
 
 B 3. daiasd. 
 
[ H ] 
 
 dained us, and all fuch good Sort of People, to everlafthiff 
 Life." 
 
 Nothing can be more contrary to found DoSrine, and even to 
 found Reafon, than this. It proceeds on a Suppofition, that 
 Man is beforehand with God, in the Bufinefs of Salvation ; and 
 that the Refolutions of God's Will are abfolutely dependent on 
 the Will of his Creatures : That he has, in fhort, created a 
 Set ot fovereign Beings, from whom he receives Law; and 
 that liis own Purpofe and Condufc are ftiaped and regulated 
 according to the prior Self-determinations of independent Man. 
 — What is this, but Atheifm in a Mafic \ for, where is th^ Dif- 
 ference, between the Denial oi a Firft Caufe, and the Aflig- 
 Jiation of a Falfe one ? 
 
 Quite oppofite is the Decifion of Infpiration, Romans xi. 6, 
 •where the Apoftle terms God's Choice of his People, zn Elec- 
 lion of Grace, or a gratuitous Eleftion : And obferves that, 
 * If it be of Grace, then is it no more of Works ; otherwife 
 Grace were no more Grace : But, if it be of Works, then is 
 it no more Grace ; otherwife. Work were no more Work.* 
 Conditional Grace is a moll palpable Contradid:lon in Terms. 
 Grace is no longer Grace, than while it is abfolute and free. 
 You might, with far greater Eafe, bring the two Poles toge- 
 ther, than efFecfl a Coalition between Grace and V/arks in the 
 Affair of Eleiflion. As far, and as high, as the Heavens are 
 above the Earth, are the imminent Acfts of God fuperior to a 
 Dependence on any Thing wrought by finful, perifhable Man. 
 
 Confult our feventeentb Article, and you will clearly fee, 
 whether conditional Eledion be the Doflrine of the Church of 
 ^England, " Predeflination to Life is the everlasting Purpofe 
 of God, nvherely before the Foundations of the World 
 WERE LAID, He hath conflantly dicrked, by his Connfel fecret to 
 us, to deliver from Curfe and Damnation ihofe whom he hath cho- 
 sen in Chrifl out of Mankind, and to bring them by Christ, /o 
 everlafiing Salvation, as Vessy^s made to Honour." Is 
 there a Word about ComUlionaUty, here ? On the contrary, is 
 not EletSlion, or Predeftination unto Life, peremptorily decla- 
 red to be God's own " everlajllng Purpofe, Decree, Qounfel, and 
 Choice?'^ The YX<i€i are faid to be brought to Salvation, not 
 as Perfons of forefeen Virtue and Pliablenefs ; but, fimply 
 and merely, " as FeJJ'els mads to Honour." Add to this, that 
 the Article goes on to ftyle Eledion a Benefit, or Gift} 
 <• Wherefore they that be endued 'cuith fo excellent a Benefit" — 
 
 But 
 
C '5 I 
 But how could Predtftination or Blefledncfs be fo termed, if 
 it were fufj.ended on the Forefight of lomething to be wrought 
 by the Ptrl'on predeftinated ? For, a Condition, in Matters of 
 fpiritual Concein, is analogous to a Priie, iu Matters of Com- 
 rnerce : And a purchafed Gift is juft as good Senfe, as condi- 
 tional Grace. 
 
 Our venerable Reformers were-too well acqunlnted with i/js 
 Scripturesy and with the Fewer of God, to err on a Subject of 
 fuch unutterable Moment. Whence, in the Article now cited 
 they took Care to lay God's abfolute and fovereign EleBion as 
 the Bafis of Sandification ; fo far were they from reprefenting 
 Sar.flirication as the Groundwork of Ele«nion. Our modern 
 Inverters of Chrift'anity, the ylrmininns, by endeavouring to 
 found Eledinn upon liuraan Qualifications, refemble an Infant. 
 Aichitedt, who, in stteifipting to raife an Edifice, fliould make 
 Tilts and Laths the Foundation, and referve his Bricks and 
 Stents for the Roof ^joi funt Hondnum Virtutes^ totidem funi 
 Dd Dcna, faid the learned and excellent Du Aloulm: and, if 
 San<^tiKc;:lion be God's Gift, Men's Goodncfs could not pof- 
 I'ibly be a Motive to their Elcaion : unlefs we can digeft this 
 enormous Abfurdity, vir.. that Ggd's Gifts may be conditional 
 and meritorious one of another. Do you imiagine, that God 
 could forefee any Holinefs in Men, which himfelf did not de- 
 cree to ^f«y^ them? You cannot fuppofe it, without believingj, 
 at. the fame Tin e, that God is not the Author of aU Good 5 
 and that ihere sje, or may he, feme good and perfe^ Giftf, 
 which do NOT defcend frvm the Father of Lights ; and that the 
 Apoftle was widely miltaken, when he laid down this Axionij 
 that * it is God, who of his own good Pleafure, worketh in us 
 both to WILL and to do.' 
 
 According to our Church, God's Elenlon leads the Van; 
 ^nnification forms the Centre; and Glory brings up the Hear:*" 
 *♦ Wherefore^ they thai be indued laithfo excellent alenefit of G Oil 3 
 be CALLED, according to God's Purpose, by his Spirit iu or ling. 
 ia due ')eafon : they, through Qrace, odey tfxe Calling : they be 
 Justified freely : they be made the Sons of God hyPinov- 
 TiON." Hitherto, gooa Works are not fo much as mention-- 
 ed. Why fo ? Becaufc our Reformers were /Intincniians, and; 
 exploded or defpifed moral Performances? by no means* 
 Thofe holy Perfons were, themfelvei, living Confutations of 
 fo vile a Suggefiion. The Tenor of their Lives was as blarne- 
 
 Aft. xvii. 
 
[ i6,3 
 
 lefs as their Doarine, But they had learned to diftinguifh 
 Ideas, and were too judicious, both as Logicians and Divines, 
 to reprefent EffeEls as prior to the Canfes that produce them. 
 They were not aftiamed to betake themfelves to the Scriptures 
 for Information, and to deliver out the Living Water of 
 found Doftrine, pure and unmingled, as they had drawn it 
 from the Fountains of Truth. Hence, Ehaion, Calling, Juf- 
 i'lfication, and Adoption, are fet forth, not as caufed hy, but as 
 the real and leading Caufes of, that moral Change, which, 
 fooner or later takes Place in the Children of Goi>. For thus 
 the Article goes on ; " They be made like the Image of his only 
 begotten Son Jesus CHRisr: they ivalk religioufly in GOOD 
 Works : and, at length, by God's Mercy, they attain to everlaf- 
 ting Felicity." • 
 
 This, then, is the order : l. EleBion ; 2. EffeRual Calling: 
 3. Apprehenfive Jufiification ; 4. Manifeflative Adoption; 5. 
 SanUiJi cation ; 6. Religious Walling in good IVorks ; 7. Continue 
 aniT^ in thefe to the End: which laft Bleffing mull, of Ne- 
 ceffity, be included, becaufe the Article adds, that thefe ele(5l, 
 regenerate Perfons attain, at length, to evtrlajlitig Felicity / 
 which ihey could not do, withoutjfwa/ Perfevernnce, any more 
 than you or I, upon our Departure from this Church, could 
 arrive at our refpedlive Homes, if we Finally j^opjljort of them 
 by the Way. — Such, therefore, beii o; the Chain and ProceG 
 of Salvation J how impiovs, and how fruitlefs, muft any attempt 
 be, either to tranfpofe, or to put afunder, what God has, £0 wife- 
 ly, and infeparably, joined together / 
 
 Unlefs we take abfolute Election into the Account, we 
 mud either fuppofe, that God faves no Man whatever; or 
 that thofe, He faves, are faved at random, and without De^- 
 iign. But his Goodnefs forh\dsi the j^r/l ; and his IVifdom ex- 
 cludes the latter. Abfolute Eledion, therefore mu(l be ta- 
 ien into the Account ; or you, at ox\ct,'ipfo faSo, ftiike off 
 either Goodnefs, or IVifdom, from the Lid of Divine Perfec- 
 tions. — That Scheme of Dodtrine mu ft, necejfardy, be untrue, 
 which reprefents the Deity as obferving no regular Order, na 
 deterniinate Plan, m an Affair of fuch Confequence, as the 
 everlafting Salvation of his People. I cannot acqtait of Bla{- 
 phemy, that Syflern, which likens the Deity to a carelefs Of- 
 trich, which, having depofited her Eggs, leaves them in the 
 Sand, to be hatched or crufhed, jiilt as Chance happens. 
 Su7ely, HE, who numbers the very Nairs of his People's 
 
 Heads 
 
[ 17 3 
 Heads, does not confign their Soulsy and their eternal Trite 
 refts, to precan us Hazard ! the Bleffings of Grace and Glo- 
 ry are too vuluaile and important, to bc/lt/JIe(i<it\d dealt out 
 by the Hand oi' C/?-<i;/cf.—B; fides, \{ one Thing comes to pafs, 
 either nvitlout, or contrary to, tlie Will o! God; another Thing, 
 nay, all rticngs, may come to pafs in the fame Manner; and 
 then, good b\e to Providence entirely. 
 
 Wheiv Lyrnndtr the Spartan, pf?id a Vifit to King Cyrus (at 
 Corinth^ if 1 miflake not); he was particularly ftruck with 
 the Li'3gance and Order, the Variety and Magnificence, of 
 Cyrui's Gardens. Cyrus, no lefs charmed with the Tafte and 
 Judgement of his Gueft, told him, with vifible Emotions of 
 pleafure : " Thefe lovely Walks, with, all their Beauty of 
 Difp'ifuion and Vaftnefs of Extent, were planned by Myfelf ; 
 and almoft every Tree, Shrub and Flower, which you be- 
 hold, was planned by my own Hand." — Now, when we take 
 a View of the Church, which is, at once, the Houfe and Gar- 
 den of the Living God; that Church, which the Father lo- 
 ved — for which the Son became a Man of Sorrows — and 
 which the Holy Spieit defcends from Heaven, in all his 
 Plentitude of converting Power, to cultivate and build anewj 
 when we furvey this living Paradife and this myftic Edifice, 
 of v/hich fuch glorious Things are fpolen *, and on which fuch 
 glorious Privileges are conferred ; Mull we not acknowledge ? 
 Thy fovereign Hand, .O uncreated Love, drew the Plan of 
 this fpiritual Eden! Thy Hand, Almighty Power, fet every 
 living Tree, every true Believer, in the Courts of il>e Lord's' 
 Houfe. Thy converted People are all Righteous ; they fhall in- 
 herit the Land for ever, even the Branches of thy planting, the 
 Work of thy Hands, that Thou may eft be glorified ■\. 
 
 Admitting Ele(Sion to be thus a com.plete, eternal, imma- 
 nent Aft in the Divine Mind, and, confequently, irrefpeflive of 
 any Thing in the Perfons chofen; then (may fome fay) '* Fare- 
 well to Gofpel Obedience : all good Works are deftroyed." 
 If, by deftroying good Works, you mean, that the Do<5lrine 
 of Unconditional Eledlion deftroys the Merit oi good Works^ 
 and reprefents Man as incapable of earning or deferving the 
 Favour and Kingdom of God; I acknowledge the Force of 
 the Ohjeftion. Predeftination does, moft certainly, deftroy 
 the Merit of our Works and Obedience, but not the Perform 
 
 manct 
 * PJdm Ixxxv. %. \ Jfai, Ix. %u 
 
C i8 J 
 
 manes of them: fmce Holinefs i3,-itfelf, one End oi Eleiflion *,. 
 and the Elrd are as much chofen to intermediate SanSifica- 
 tion, on their Way ; as they are to that ultimate Glory, which 
 crowns their Journey's End f : and theie is no coming at the 
 One, but through the Other. So that neither the Value, nor 
 \,h^ Neceffity, nor the PraSice of. good Works is fuperfeded by 
 this glorious Truth : our Afts of Evangelical Obedience are 
 no more than mardialled, and configned to their due Place : 
 retrained from ufurping that Praife, which is due to tho^alons 
 Grace of God; and from arrogating that Ojics, which only 
 the Son of God was qualified to difcharge. 
 
 That Eledtion, as taught by the Scriptures (and from thence 
 by our Reformers), not only carries a favourable Afpect on 
 tJniverfal Piety and Holinefs, but even enfures the Pra^flice of 
 both ; is evident, among many other Paifages, from that of 
 the Apoflle, 2 Thejfalcnions ii. 13: ' We are bound to give 
 Thanks, always, to God tor you Brethren, beloved of the- 
 JLoRD, becaufe God hath, from the beginning,' i. e. from 
 cveriailing, * chofen you to Salvation through' [not for, but 
 through^ ' Sanqtifjcation of the Spirit and B^uief of the 
 Truth.' How very oppofite were St PauVs Views of the 
 Tendency of this Doflrine, from thofe cf the Pelagian and 
 ^rm'tn'tan Obieftors to it! They are perpetually crying out, 
 that it " ruiiis Morality, and opens a ready Door to Eicen- 
 tioufnefs." He, on the contrary, rcpreft-nts the believing 
 Confideralinn of it as a grand Incentive to the Exercife cf cur 
 our Graces, and to the Obfeivance of Moral Duty. Let 
 us, fays he, <who are of the Day, who are enlightened into 
 the Knowledge of this bleffed Privilege, and can read our 
 Names in the Book of Life ; ' Let us, who are, thus, of the 
 Day be sober ; putting on the Breaft-plate of Faith and 
 Love, and for an Helmet, the Hope of Salvation: FOR, 
 God hath not appointed us to Wrath, but to obtain Salva- 
 tion 
 • Eph. i. 4. 
 •j- " Becaufe we deny Salvation by our own Deeds,"' fays one of our 
 Good old Divines, " the Papifls cliarge us with being Rjiemies to good 
 Works. But aiTi I an Enemy to a Nohlcman, becaufe I will not attribute to 
 him ibofc Monoui's, which are due only to the King ? If I fay to a common 
 Soldier in an Army, You cannot lead that Anny againft the Enemy / will he 
 therefore fay, Then I may be gene ; there is no need ofrne? or, if 1 fee a Man 
 at his Day-lahoi'.r, and fay to him, Tou luiU'riever be Me to purchafe. an Ef- 
 tatc of lo.oool. per /luivjm, by -working iu that Manner; will he therefore 
 give over his Woik, and fay Ijeis difcouragcd ;" Mr Pakr's Comra. on 
 ^enituii, Y>. ITT' ^ 
 
[ '9 ] 
 
 ti'on by our Lord Jesus Christ.' i TheJfalomanSi v. 8, 9. 
 Now, if Eleflicn fecnres the Performance of good Works, 
 and, upon its own Plan, renders them indifpenfably necef- 
 fary ; I Hiould be glad to know, how good Works can fuffer 
 by the Dcdrine of Eledlion ? You may as well fay, that the 
 Sun, which now Oiines into this Church, is the Parent of Froft 
 and Darknefs. No ; it is the Source of Light and Warmth. 
 And you and I want nothing more, than a Senfe of God's 
 peculiar, difcriminating Favour, • flied abroad in our Hearts 
 by the Holy Ghoft given to us *,' to render us more and 
 more fruitful in every good Word and Work.' As an excel- 
 lent Perfon f obferves, " That Man's Love to God will be 
 without end, who knows that God's Love to him was with- 
 out Beginning." 
 
 II. What think you of that fafhionable Tenet, (o contrary to 
 found Doctrine, concerning the fuppofed Dignity and Rectitude 
 of Human Nature in its fallen State? A Dodiine, as totally ir- 
 reconcilable to P^eafon and Fad, as if an expiring Leper fliould 
 value himfelf on the Health a -id Beauty of his Perfon ; or a 
 •ruined Bankrupt fhould boaft his Immenfity of Wealth. 
 
 iis foon as we are born, wc go ajlray. Nay, I will venture 
 Scripture-authority, to cairy the Point higher ftill. All Man- 
 kind are Guilty and depraved BEFORE they are born. * Be- 
 hold I was SHAPEN in Wickednefs, and in Sin did my Mother 
 CONCEIVE mej. A Thunder-bolt to human Pride, and a Dag- 
 ger in every Heart of natural Excellence ! Thus fpeaks the 
 Bible; and thus Experience fpeaks. Our own Church, like- 
 wife, delivers Her Judgment in perfeft Conformity to both. 
 ARTICLE 9. 0/Original, or BjRTH-5/n. 
 
 '* Original Sin flandelh not in the folloiuing^* [or Imitation'] " of 
 Adaniy as the PtLACiANS || do vainly talk ; but it is the Fault" 
 
 [by 
 
 • Jiomans v. 5. f Dr Arronfmith. \ Pfaltn li. 
 II In this Aiticle, cxpiefs Mention is made of the Pelr.giani\ but nothing 
 is. by Name, faid of the Arminians. 'Ihe Reafon is plain. At the Time, 
 when our Articles palTtd tlie two HoiHes of Convocation, in the Year ■.56a; 
 jiimiiiius, who was then only t-^'o Years of Age (for he was born, A. D. 
 IJOO), had not begun to fow his Tares : he was no more than a Schijiualic 
 ill Embryo. — Ai minianifm is a Mufliroom of latter Date, th;m the Re-cfta- 
 blifliment of the Church of Kngland, by EUzahcth. It was not till the lat- 
 ter End of her Reign, that Anninianijtn had any great Footing feven in 
 HoUaiid; the Seat of its Nativity. I fsy, in Holland: For, /AtTf this grand 
 Corruption of the Reformntion began ; and /><?»; thence it found its Way to 
 England. It W3« a Dutch Wind, that blew Aiminianifm over to thislflanii. 
 
C 20 ] 
 
 [by Imputation']^ " and. Corruption" [by internal, heredi- 
 tary Derlvation~] " of the Nature o/" every Man who natural- 
 ly is engenchred of the Offspr'mg o/" Adam : IV her el y Man is very 
 far gone from original litghteoufnefs, and is , OF his own Nature, 
 inclined to Evil ; fo that the Flejh lujleth always contrary to the 
 Spirit, yliid therefore, in every Person born into this fVorld, 
 It" [namely, Original, or Birth-Sin] " d/ferveth Gov*sWka.th 
 and Damnation." 
 
 Now, what becomes of thofe plaufible, fophiflical Similies, 
 which compare ihe natural Mind of Man to a Sheet of 'white 
 Paper ? Or, to a Pliant Ozier, which you may bend, with 
 Eafe, this Way, or that ? Or, to a Balance in tequilihrie, which 
 you may incline to either Side, according as you ihiow more 
 or lefs Weight into the Scale ? Or, to a Wax Tablet, on which, 
 you may ftamp what Impreffions you pleafe ? Alas ! the Im- 
 preflion is already made. The Thoughts and Purpofes of 
 •Man's Heart, previous to Regeneration, are (fpiritually con- 
 fidsred) osly evil, and that conrisv ally *. Whenconvert- 
 ing Grace lays hold of us, thefi is not only an Heart of Fle/h, 
 to be given, but an Heart of Stone, to be tahen away^. Goa 
 mud not only ivrite his own Law on the Minds of his People, 
 but mud obliterate the Law of Sin and Death, which has a 
 prior Footing in every Man that naturally is engendered of the OJf- 
 fpring 0/ Adam. So much, for the Spiritual and Moral Rec- 
 titude of Man, while unregenerate — What think you, 
 
 III. Of Conditional Redemption? Another modifti Tenet; 
 and no lefs contrary to Reafon and found Doctrine, than the 
 preceding. V/e are gravely told by fome, that " Christ did 
 
 indeed 
 
 many Years after onr Articles were re-fettlcJ as we now liave them. There- 
 fore it is, that only Pelngianifm is mentior.ed. However, though Armini- 
 ««{/'w is younger, by about IIOO Years, than Pc'agianijm; its Nature and 
 Tendency are rniich the fame in Faft. The feemino Difference hes in lit- 
 tle more than this : Pelagiui fpokc oui.; J'^an hannin (common)y called y^r- 
 miniiis), with more Art, hut lefs Hor.tfty, qualified and dirguired tKe Fo:-' 
 ion, that it might not be quite fo alarming. Somewhat like what a gocd 
 Man remaik'd, long ago, concerninig the Leaven, or falfe Doflrincs, of 
 the Pharijees : " Christ," fays he, " compares the Eri-orsof the Pharifees 
 to Leaven. Why fo .' becaufe of its fccret Mixture with the wholefome 
 •Bread. You do not make your Bread all cf Leaven; for then, nobody 
 would eat it : But you jniujle if JkilfuUy, and, by that Means, both go 
 rfown together. Thus, our Lord intimates, that the Pharifees inixcd their 
 Errors with fome Truths; and therctore he diiefts them to beware, lc(V, 
 witli tlie Truths, they fwallow the Erorrs alfo." Gurnall's Chr/Jlian ar- 
 mour j Vol. I. p. 104. OffrtvivEdition. 
 
 • Ceuefii vi. j. f £zekicl xxxvi. 26. 
 
[ 2^ 3 , 
 
 indeed die, but he did not die abfoluteJyy nor purcliafe Forgive* 
 nefs and Eternal Life for us certainly : His Death only puts 
 us into a falvable State ; making God placable^ and Pardon 
 poJible.'\ 'I'he whole Efficacy of his. Sufferings, according to 
 thcfe Perfons, depends on our beginning towardly and comply- 
 ing : Which if we are, we then come in for a Share in the 
 fubfidiary and Jupplanentary Merits of Christ; having firft 
 qualified ourfelves, for his Aid, by a Performance of certain 
 Cond'ihons required on our Part, arid entitled ourfelves to the 
 Favour and Notice of God. — According to this Scheme 
 (which is only the Religion of Nature fpoiled — fpoiled by an 
 injudicious Mixture of nominal Chriftianity), the adorable 
 Mediator, inftead of having adually obtained Etsrnal Redemption* 
 for his People, andy^rH/v^ the Blelfings of Grace and Glory 
 to thofe for whom he died : is reprefented as beciuealhing lb 
 them only a few fpiritual Lcitery-Tickets which may come up, 
 Blanks or Prizes, juft as the Wheel of Chance and human 
 Caprice happens to lurn. Our own Righteoufnefs and En- 
 deavours mufl, firfc, make the Scale of Eternal Life prepon- 
 derate in our Favour; and Then, the Merits of Chris r ara 
 thrown in, to make ni^good IVeight. The Mefliah's Obedience 
 and Sufferings ftand, it feems, for mere Cyphers; till our own' 
 Free-will is fo kind as to prefix the Imlial Figure, and render 
 them of Value. — I tremble at the Ihocking Confequences of a 
 Syftem, whicli (as one well obferves) confiders the whole Me- 
 diation of Christ as no more than " a Pedejlal, on which 
 human Worth may ftand exalted ;" nay, (loufe the Language 
 of another) which " finks the Son of GoD^iowiliall I fpeak 
 it ?— into a fpiritual ^wf|y?fr, who, having purchafed certain 
 Bieffings of his Father, fells them out afterwards to Men up- 
 on Perms and Conditions." 
 
 But, my Brethren, • I hope better Things concerning You ; 
 even the Things that accompany Salvation.' We have not, \ 
 trult, fo learned Christ : or, rather, fo mis-learned Him, and 
 tlie Work he came from Heaven to accomplHii. God forbid, 
 that toe fhould be found in the Number of thofe, who adopt 
 a Principle fo highly derogatory from the Glory of Divind 
 Grace, and io deeply difhonourable to the Great ^Saviour of 
 Sinners. To the Laiv,, and to the Tejlimouy. How fpeaks St 
 Pxiul? He avers, that Jhsus, * By tlie one Offering of Him- 
 itJf, hath PERFECTED VO& EVER the Salvation of them that ar8 
 
 fa nd I lied.* 
 • Hehr ix. I«. 
 
fanflified.' * And our Lord exprefsly declared, in the mod 
 folemn Prayer that ever afcended from Earth to Heaven, 
 * I have FINISHED the Work which Thou gaveft me to do.' f 
 Who, then, art thou, O Man, that dareft to tack an imagi- 
 nary Supplement of thy own, to the finifhed Work of Christ? 
 Such a Condudl, were to charge Incarnate Truth with utter- 
 ing a Falfehood ; and would be equivalent to faying, " No ! 
 Thou didft noijini/lo the Work of Redemption which was given 
 thee to do: Thou didll, indeed, a Part of it; but I rayfelf 
 muft add fomething to it, or the Whole of thy Performance 
 will Hand for nothing." 
 
 * He appeared once in the End of the World,' or at the 
 Clofe of the Je'w'>Jh Difpenfation, — to do what ? to render Sin 
 barely pardonable, on the Sinner's Fulfilment of previous 
 Terms ? Nr. : but, aftually ' to put away Sin by the Sacrifice 
 of himfeir.' J The Apoftle's Expreflion is, that Christ ap- 
 peared, E;; afirvtirtv uuafiia:, unto the Utter Abolition of Sin : fo lhat» 
 by Virtue of his perfeft Oblation, Sin fhould neither be charged 
 upon, nor eventually mentioned to, Thofe, for whom he was of- 
 fered up. ' The Iniquity of IJrael fhall be fought for, and 
 there fhall be none ; and the Sins of Judah, and they fhall not 
 be found : for I will pardon them v/hom I referve.' (| In a 
 Word : either the Death of Christ was not a real and perfect 
 Satisfaflion for Sin : or, if it was, then upon every Principle 
 of Reafon and Juftice, all That Sin muft be actually forgiven 
 and done away, which his Death was a true and plenary Sa- 
 tisfadtion for — On the Suppofition that ^lis Redemption was 
 not abfolute ; it vanifhes into 710 Redemption at all. Go over, 
 therefore, fairly and fquarely, to the Tenets of Socinus ; or 
 believe that Christ is ' the Lamb of God, who,' in Deed and 
 in Truth, * beareth and taketh away the Sins of the World.' § 
 
 How fpeaks the Church of England, concerning this impor- 
 tant Matter ? I refer you to her 
 
 31ft ARTICLE, " Of the one Oblation of Christ, tinished 
 upon the Crofs. 
 
 *• The offering o/" Christ, once made, is that PERFE.cr Redemp' 
 tiottt Propitiation and Satisfaction, for all the Sins of the whole 
 World, both Original ar.d Actual : and there is NO OT,mVi Sacri- 
 fice for Sin but that alone. 
 •^ -^ Do 
 
 f Heh X. 14. t John xvii. 4. | Heh. ix. a6. [1 JerA. 20. 
 
 * § Jobii \. 29, 
 
C 23 D 
 
 Do not let that Expreflion, Thi "juhok Worlds ftumble you. 
 You remember what our Te Deum fays " When thou hadjl over- 
 come the Sharpnefs of Dcaihy thou didjl open the Kingdom of Hea^ 
 ven to ALL BbLiEVERS." So in the above Article; — The Ob' 
 lat'ion cf Christ once made for all the Sins of the whole World, 
 i. e. the whole World of Believers : for God's Eleft are a 
 World avithin a World. The zvhole World h a Scripture-Term; 
 and the compilers of our Articles did well in adopting it. 
 But do you imagine that every Individual c( Mankind is meant? 
 furely, no ; for, were Redemption thus univerfal, Salvation 
 would and muft be of equal Extent: otherwife, either God 
 the Father would be unjaft, or the Blood-lhedding of Christ 
 could not be (wliat our Ariicles affirm it to have been) z per^ 
 fea Satisfu£lion for All Sin. Let unlimited Redemption be once 
 proved; and 1 will take upon myfelf to prove unlimited Sal- 
 iMtion, 
 
 There are many Scripture Paffages, where the Phrafes 
 World, and tuhole World, are and mull be underftood in a re- 
 flri(f\ed Senfe. So, where St Paul thus addrefles the Roman 
 Converts : ' Your Faith is fpoken of, or celebrated, through- 
 our the whole World,' i. e. throughout the whole believing 
 Woild, or Chtii'lian Church: for none but Believers would 
 applaud and celebrate the Remans for their Faith in Chrift, 
 Rom. {. 8. — * We are of God,' fays the Apoftle yohn, * and 
 the whole World lyeth in the wicked (jne, John v. 19. 
 Where, if ihctuhole World denote every Individval of Mankind, 
 It would follow, that both the Apoille himfelf. and the Chrif- 
 tians to whom he w.-oie, were, at that very Time, in .he Wic- 
 ked One ; and confequently, that he was guilty of a Self con- 
 tradidion, in faying, ive are cf God. — In the Book of Revela- 
 tions, Satan is ftiled the ' Deciiver of the whole Woild,' chap, 
 xii. 9. and * the whole World' j^?e faid to ' wonder after the 
 Bealt,' cliap. xiii, 3. meaning, a coifiderable Part of the World. 
 
 Nay, even in the daily Conveifation, it is cuftomaiy with 
 us to make ufe of the word Jl'orld, in a limited SignificalioD. 
 So, when We fpeak cf the Learned ff^t,r/d, the Bnfy World, the 
 Gay World, the Pclile World, tbe Religious World i we do not 
 -mean that every Man in the World is learned, bufy, gay, polite, 
 or religious : we only mean, Thofe in the World, who are {o. 
 
 To clofe this Head. Upon the SuppoOtion of a random 
 Redemption, and a precarious Salvation ; St Paul's Inference, 
 *' Who ihall condemn? it is Christ that died;" rjight be 
 
 C eafily 
 
C H 3 
 
 <afily anfwered and overthrown : fince, if the Arminian Hy- 
 pothefis be true, Millions of thofe, for whom Christ died, 
 ■will be condemned ; and, what heightens the Abfurdity, con- 
 demned on Account of thofe very Sins for which Christ did 
 <3ie. A Suppofition,, exploded by the Apoftle, as impcifible. 
 — Surely, Christ knew for nvhat, and for ivhom, he paid the 
 Ranfom-price of his infinitely precious Blood ! nor would the 
 Father purchafe to himfelf a Church of Eled Perfons, for his 
 own peculiar Refidence ; and then leave Satan to run away 
 with as many of the Beams and Pillars as he pleafes. Equally 
 contrary to fovnd Do8rinef is, 
 
 IV. The Tenet of Jujl'tfication iy Works. 
 
 All human Righteoufnefs is imperfedl : And to fuppofe, 
 that God, whofe Judgment is always according to Truth, will, 
 fcy a paltry Commutation, which he every where difclaims, 
 and which the Majefty of his Law forbids; be put off v/ith 
 not only a defeSlive, but even 2^ polluted Obedience, and juflify 
 Men by Virtue of fach a counterfeit (at moft, si fariial) Con- 
 formity to his Commandments ; to imagine, that the Law ac- 
 commodates itfelf to human Depravation, and, Chamaeleon 
 like, aflumes the Complexion of the Sinners with whom it has 
 to do ; — is yfntinomianifm of the gro/left Kind. It reprefents 
 the Lattf as hanging out falfe Colours, and infifiing on Per- 
 fefticn, while, in Fa<51?, it is little better, than a formal Patent 
 for Licentioufnefs ; and degrades the adorable Laivgroer 
 liimfelf into a Conniver at Sin. 
 
 Add to this, That, if God can, confiftently with his ac- 
 Icnowledged yittribules, and his avowed Dechirations, fave guil- 
 ty, obnoxious Creatures, without their bringing fuch a complete 
 Righteoufnefs as the Law demands ; it will necelfarily follow, 
 that God, when his Hand is in, may fave Sinners without atiy 
 Ricrhteoufnefs at all, fince, the fame Flexibility, which (as the 
 Arminians fuppofe) induces God to difpenfe with Part of his 
 Xaw ; nlay go a Step farther, and induce him to fet afide the 
 >Whole — Moreover, if our Perfons may ht jujified, without a 
 legal (t. e. a perfeaj Righteoufnefs ; it will follow, on the 
 fame Principle, that our Sins may be pardonedy without an 
 Atonement; and then, farewel to the whole Scheme of Chrif- 
 lianit) at once. 
 
 Tliere .ire Tivo grand Axioms, which enter into the very 
 -Foundalion of jR.cveakd Religion ; 
 
 _ I. That 
 
C 25 ] 
 
 t. That the Law will accept no Obedience, fliort ofpetfe^, 
 as the Condition of Juflification : and, 
 
 ■ 2. That, ever fince jidam's firft Offence, Man has, and ca& 
 have, no fuch Obedience of his own. 
 
 What, then, muft a Sinner do to be faved ? He muft believe 
 in, and lej} upon, that Saviour, who was, by gracious Im- 
 putation, ' made Sin for us, that we,' by a fimilar Exchange, 
 * tr.ight be made the Righteoufnefs of God IN HIM.' * If 
 This be the Golpel Scheme of Salvation, the Apoftle's AlFer- 
 tion will be inconteflible : ' As many of you as are juftified by 
 the Law,' or feek Jultification on the Footing of your owa 
 Works, * are fallen from Grace^'f revolted and apoftatized 
 from that G'fpel- Syflem, which teaches, that Men are julli- 
 fied by the Grace of God, flowing through Christ's Righte- 
 oufnefs alone. X Alas ! how hardly are we brought to accept 
 Salvation, as a Gift of mere Favour ! We are for bringing a 
 Price in our Hands, and coming with Money in our Sack's 
 Mouth : notwithdanding the celeftial Direction is, * Buy Wine 
 and Milk, WITHOUT Money and WITHOUT Price ;' Jl 
 /'. e. take as abfolute Poficflion of Pardon, Holinefs and eternal 
 Life, as if they were your own by Purchafe ; but remember, 
 that yoU; neverthelefs, have them gratis, without any Defert, 
 nay, contrary to all Defert, of Yours — We did not bribe God 
 to create us : and how is it poflible, that we fhould pay hin», 
 any Thing (or faving us ? 
 
 Zeuxis, the celebrated Grecian Painter, ufed, tov>?ards the 
 latter Part of his Life, to give aivay his Pidures, without 
 deigning to accept of any pecuniary Recompence. Being afk- 
 ed the Reafon, his Anfwer was, " I make Prtfents of ray Pic- 
 tures, becaufe they are too valuable to be purchafed. They are- 
 above all Price" — And does not God {rcz\y give us a Part in. 
 the Book of Life, an Intereft in his SON, and a Title to his 
 Kingdom ; nay, does he not make us a prefent ot HIMSELF 
 in Christ ; becaufe thefe Blefilngs are, literally, above all Price? 
 too great, too liigh, too glorious, to be purchafed by the 
 Works of Mail ? Becaufe we cannot merit them, God is gru- 
 cioufly pleaftd freely to bellow them. 
 
 It is equally fad, and aftonifliing, to obferve the IngreSunts 
 
 ol that Foundation, on which Self-Jufticiaiies build their 
 
 Hopes of Heaven. Firft, there's a Stratum of Free-lVill ; 
 
 then, of good lyifpfttions ; then of" legal Performances : next a 
 
 C 2 Layer 
 
 • 7.Cor.v. f GjL V, 4'. * IlQm.v.ll. ^ I/aLh, I. 
 
C 26 ] 
 
 Layer of what they term Divine Jids and yljjijlances ; ratified 
 and made efFedlual by human Compliances ; then a Httle of 
 Chr'tft's Merits ; then Faithfulnefs to Helps received ; and, to 
 finifti the Motley-Mixture, n. Perfeverance of their own fpinning. 
 At fo much Pains is a Pharifee, in going shirt to ejlablijh his 
 •w« Righteoufnefs, rather than embrace the Bible-way of Sal- 
 vation, hj Jubmitting to the Righteoufnefs of Goo the Son. * 
 
 Now, what fays the Church of Erglavd, concerning the 
 Caufe and Manner of our Acceptance with the Father? Thus 
 ihe fpeaks ; and Thus all her real Members believe : 
 
 ARTICLE IX. '' Of the yuflification of Man. 
 
 " IVe are accounted Righteous before GoD ONLY for the 
 Jiferits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." One would 
 imagine. This might have been enough to eftablifh the Point . 
 but, utterly to preclude Self Righteoufnefs from all Poffibili- 
 ty of Accefs, the Church immediately adds, " ^nd NOT for 
 OUR OWN Works or Defervings." 
 
 Here, the old Queftion naturally recurs, ** What, then, be- 
 comes of good Works ?" The plain Truth is, that, till a Man 
 is juftified by Faith, he can do no good Works at all. 
 
 ARTICLE XIII. " Of Works %ne before juflification. 
 
 ♦• Works done BEFORE the Grace o/'Christ, and ihe Infpi- 
 ration of His Spirit, are not pleasant to God:" and, if fo, 
 how is it poffible, that he ^oxAd. jufify us on Account of them? 
 — But WHY are they not pleafmg to God ? " Forafmueh" 
 adds the Article, " as they fpring not from Faith in Jesus 
 Christ." 
 
 " Well but," may fome fay, *' admitting that Works done 
 before Juftification do not properly recommend \m to God, they 
 may, at leaft, qualify us fcr Believing ; and thereby, be re- 
 motely, a Condition, fine qua non, of Ju'.iiHcation." The Church 
 will not allow even of this. For, treating, in the above Ar* 
 tide, of Works prior to Juftification, She adds: neither do tbey 
 7nake Men meet to receive Grace." This clinches the Nail; 
 and cuts up Self- Righteoufnefs, Root and Branch. — But does 
 the Church ftop here ? no : to put the whole Matter as far be- 
 yond Doubt, as Words can place it. She clofes her Decifion 
 thus J *' Tea, rather, for that they are not done as GoD hath •will- 
 ed and commanded them to be done, ive doubt not but they have the 
 Nature of SIN." Now, if Works, wrought previous" to Jufti- 
 fication, are Sin; it is abfolutely impofilbie ihcit we (houid be 
 
 juftified 
 ii&in X. 3. 
 
C 27 }• 
 
 juftihed by Works : uiilefs Sin can be fuppofed to recomnrenJ; 
 us to God's Faiwur. Which, to imagine, were Antinomian- 
 iim outright. — What think you, 
 
 V. Of the Doclrine of Uneffcdval Grace? A Doatine, 
 which reprefenls OMNiPOTENCt iifelf as luijhlng and trying^ 
 Hnd Jlrivinj, to NO Purpofe. According, to this Tenet, God 
 in endsavourtng (for, it feeras, it is only an Endeavour) to con- 
 vert Sinners, may, by Sinners, be foiled, defeated, and dif- 
 appointed :■■ — He may lay clofe and long Siege to a Soul, and. 
 that Soul can, fr?.m ihe Citadel of impregnable Frce-Will> 
 hang out z Fhig of Defiance to God himfelf, and, by a con- 
 tinued Obitinacy of Defence, and a few vigorous Sallies of 
 Free-Agency, compel Iiim to raife the Siege. — In a Word j 
 the Holy Spirit, after hiving, for Years, perhaps, danced At- 
 tendance on the Will cf Man, may, at laft, like a difcomfited 
 General, or an unfucceisful Petitioner, be either put to igno- 
 minious Fiirht, or contemptuoufiy difmiiled. Re infecta, with-- 
 oat accon.piifhing the End, for which he was fent. 
 
 Can, then, The Lord and Gives, of Life ; can he, who,, 
 like the adorable Son, is God cf God and God taUb God ;^. 
 ftall the BlcfTed Spirit ot Grace, who is, in Glay, equal, cndy. 
 in Maji^fly, cj denial, with the Other Two Perfons of the God- 
 liead, and has all Power both in Heaven and in Earth ; — fhall.> 
 he, * who hath the Key of David; who openeth, and no man Ihut- 
 teth, and fhutteth, and no man openeth* j' fuall :rE knock at the: 
 Door of the human Heart, and leave it at the Option of Free- 
 will to infiilt him, from the Winduw, and bid him p'o from: 
 whence he came I Surely, Men's Eyes muft be blinded in- 
 deed, before they can lay down fuch a ftiocking Suppofition* 
 for a religious Aphorifm ; and even go fo far as to declare,.. 
 that, nniefs Goi> is 'vr.riqui/ljuble by Man, *' There can be nO' 
 foch Thing as Virtue or Vice, Reward or Punilhment, Praiie 
 or Blame !" 
 
 The main Root of the Error confifls, greatly^ in not dif- 
 tinguifning, between the C-vf pel of Grace and the Grace of the- 
 Goffcl. The Gofpcl of Grace may be rejccfied ; but the Grace 
 of the Gofpel cannot. God's luritten Meifage in the Scrip- 
 tures, and his ivr^fl/ Mefiage by his Mlniflers, may, or mav' 
 not, be lirtcned to; whence it i> recorded, * All the Day lon^ 
 have I ftretchcd forth my Hand to a difobedient and gain- 
 faying Peoplc'f. But when God hi mff comes, and takes the.- 
 ^ 3 He^rtv 
 
 • Bcv. iiii. 7. ^ Rtm, x. %t. 
 
[ 28 ] 
 
 Heart into his own Hand ; when He fpeaks, from Heaven, 
 to the Soul, and makes the Gofpel of Grace a Channel to con- 
 vey the Grace of the Gofpel; the Bufmefs is effecftually done. 
 • If God makes a Change, who can turn him away'* ? What- 
 (bever he doth, it fhall be for ever ; nothing can be put to it, 
 nor any Thing taken from it : and God dolh it, that Men. 
 Should fear before him'f, and acknowledge, that the Excellency 
 ^Converting Power is of HIM, and not of Us J. 
 
 A modern Schifmatic, nov/ living, thought he both fhewed 
 his Wit, and graveled his Opponents, in faying, that, accor- 
 ding to the Do(5trine of our Church, " The Souls of Men can 
 .no more vanquilh the Saving Grace of God, than their Bo- 
 dies can refifl: a Stroke o1 Lightening." I w^ould afk the Ob- 
 jedor, whether he ever knevv of any Lightening, like That 
 ■which flafhed from the Mediator's Eye, when he turhed and 
 hoked upon Peter ? And fomething fimilar is experienced by 
 every converted Perfon. The Lord turns and looks upon a 
 Sinner ; who then relents, and cries out, with his vi-hole 
 Heart. • O Lord, my God, other Lords, befides Thee, 
 have had Dominion over me:' l^iii no-^, hy Thee, through the L- 
 nergy of thy renewing influence, * will I make Mention of 
 Thy Name only.*^ — Whom have I in Heaven, but Thee? 
 and there is none upon Earth that I defire, in Comparifon of 
 Theell-' — When God fays to the Heart, Seeh thou my Face: 
 the Reply is, and cannot but be. Thy Face, Lord, will I 
 feek ^. For, God, who, in tlie Beginning of the Creation, 
 commanded the Light to Jlnm out of Darknefs, hath, by an Exer- 
 tion of Power, equally invincible, and as certainly elfetftual, 
 tinned into our Hearts, to give us the Light of the Knowledge rf 
 God, as it is manifelled in the Perfon and Grace of ftfus 
 Chrift. * Wherefore, then, do Men fay. We are Lords, and 
 tve will come no more unto Thee,-\ except we ourfelves chufe 
 it? Alas, Alas I did the Matter reft with us, we fliould ne- 
 ver chufe to come to God at all. If he did not firll change 
 c-ur Wills, we Ihould never even will that great Change, that 
 internal Regeneration, without which, no Man can fee the 
 Kingdom of Heaven, i God, I am bold to declare, would 
 not have been Lord of any Hearts, now under this Roof, had 
 he not, by the conirraining Power of his own Love, efftdlual- 
 
 • See the Ma'gtnal Tianflation of Joh xi. ro. + Eccl. iii. T4. 
 
 \ 4 Cor. iv.7. § Ih'i, xxvi. 15. U Pfalm Ixxiii. 15. H Pj'alm 
 
 xxvii. 8. * a Cor. vi. 6.. f J^'cm, li- 31.. | John iii. 3.. 
 
C 29 ] 
 
 ly gained them over, and invincibly attached them to hfs 
 Bielfed Self. The Glorious and Independent Creator made 
 us, at firft, without our Leave; and yet, according to the 
 modern Syftem, he mud a^k and wait for our Leave, before 
 he can make us anczv ! 
 
 Do you defire to know the Judgment of the Church, upon 
 this Point? You have it, in her i7lh Article ; where, fpeak- 
 ing of Gcd's Eledt People, bhe afferts, that " They are call- 
 ed, accorJing to his Purpoje., by his Spirit working in due Sea- 
 fon'" and immediately adds, that " 'They, through Grace^ obey 
 the Cailing." God's converting Call therefore, is fuch as pro- 
 duces Obedience to it : i. e. it is triumphantly efficacious ; and ren- 
 dered fuccefsful, not by- the Will and Towardlinefs of the Per- 
 f'.n Called, but by the Power and Grace of Him that Calleth, 
 Nay, fo far is the Efiicacy of Divine Influence from being 
 fufpended on any internal or external Ability of the Creature, 
 that in our loth Article, concerning Free ivill, the Church 
 expreifes herfcJf thus ! " The Condition of Man, Jince the Jail of 
 Adam, is fuch, that he cannot turn, nor, even prepare him' 
 felf, by his oivn natural Strength and good ll^orisj to Faith and. 
 Calling upon God " 
 
 VI. What think you of Aniinomianifm P 
 By Antinomianifm, I mean. That Di;<5liine, which teaches, 
 " That Believers are releafed from all Oblig ition to obferve- 
 the Moral Law, as a Rule of External Obedience: That, in 
 Confeqiience of Chris r's having wrought out a juftifying 
 Righteoufnefs for us, we have nothing to do, but to lit down, 
 eat, drink and be merry : Tiiat the Meillah's Merits fuperfede 
 the necetlity of perfonal, inherent San«ftification ; and That all 
 our Hvjlinefs is in Him, not in ourflvcs ; That the Abound- 
 ings of Divine Grace give Sandion to the Commiffinn of Sin; 
 aird, in a Word, That the whole preceptive Lav/ of God is 
 not eftablillied, but repealed and fet ahde, from the Time we 
 believe in Christ." This is as contrary to found DoHrine, as 
 it is to found Morals :• and a Man need only ad up to thefe 
 Principles, to be a Devil Incarnate. It is impoffible, that ei- 
 ther the Son of G<jd, who came down from Heaven, to per- 
 form, and to make known, His Father's Will; or that the 
 SPIRIT of God, fpeaking in the Scriptures and a<51ing upon 
 the Heart; Ihould adminiiler the lead Encouragement to 
 Negligence and Unholinefs of Life. Therefore, That Opi- 
 nion, which Suppofes perfonal San«ftificaiion to be unneccf- 
 
 fary 
 
[ 3« 1 
 
 fary tn final Glorification, ftands, in diredl Oppofition to eve- 
 ry Didlate of Reafon, and to every Declaration of Scripture. 
 Indeed, the very Nature of Eledion, of Faith, and of all 
 Covenant- Grace whatever, renders Holinefs abfolutely indif- 
 penfable : forafmuch as, without a fpiritual and moral Re- 
 femblance of Ggd, there can be no real Felicity on Earth, 
 nor any future Enjoyment of Heaven. — Suppofe, we appeal 
 to Experience? I (peak now to You. who knoiu In 'whom ye 
 have beite'ved : to You, who have received the Atonement, and 
 who have been fenfibly reconciled unto Gonby the Death of his- 
 Son. If, at any Time, ye have been off your Guard, and' 
 fuifered to lapfe into Sin ; Hov/ have ye felt yourfelves after- 
 wards ? ye have gone with broken H_"arts and with Broken 
 Boms *. Ye hive found it to be indeed • an evil and a bitter 
 'Thing, to dep.irt,' though ever fo little, * from the Lord.'' 
 Ye know, by difmal Experience, tliat ' The Way of Tranf- 
 greflion is hard ;' and that Sin, like E^ehiel's Roll, is written, 
 within and without, ' with Lamention and Mourning and' 
 Woe.' The Gall of biUerr.efs is infeparable from the Bond of 
 Iniquity, Upon the P:incipie, therefore, o\ mere Self Interejl 
 (to go no higher), a true Believer cannot help afpiring to Ho- 
 linefs and good Works. 
 
 Heaven muft be brought down into the Human Soul, be- 
 fore the Human Soul can be fitted for Heaven. There muft, , 
 Rs the School, men fpeak, be " a Congruity and Similitude be- 
 tween the Faculty and the Objedt," i. e. there muft be anintvard- 
 Meetnef for the Vifion and Glory of God, wrought in you by- 
 His Holy Spirit; in order to render you fufceptible of thofe ex- 
 alted Pleaiures, and the Fulnefo of Joy, which are in his Pre- 
 fence, and at His Right Hand, for ever. Was thy Soul, O' 
 unconverted Sinner, to be, this Moment, feparated from thy 
 Body, aijd even admitted irito Heaven (fuppofing it was pof- 
 fible for an Unregenerate Spirit to enter there; Heaven would 
 not be Heaven to Thee. You cannot relilh the BlefTednefs of- 
 the tVetv Jerufdem, unlefs Gor^ in the mean while, make you 
 Pertaker of a nexu Nature. The Father chofe His People to- 
 Salvation ; The Son purchafcd for them the Salvation, to 
 which they were chofen : and the Blefted Spirit^/??j and qua- 
 hjiis them for that Salvation, by his Renewing Influences : 
 for, as a Dead Man cannot inherit an Eftate, no more can a- 
 Dead Soul (and every Soul is fpiriiually dead, till quickened' 
 
 and- 
 
[ 3' 3 , 
 and born again of the Holy Ghoft) inherit the Kingdom of 
 God. Yet, Saniflificalion and Holinefs of Life do not con- 
 ftiiute any Part of our Title to the Heavenly Inheritance; any 
 more than meie animal Life entitles a Man of Fortune to the 
 Eitate he enjoys: Me could nor, indeed, enjoy his Eftate, if 
 he did wollive ; but his Claim to his Eftate arifes from fome 
 other Quarter. In like manner, it is not our Holinefs, that 
 entitles us to Heaven; though no Man can enter Heaven, with- 
 out H-olinefs. God's gratuitous Donation, and Christ's 
 meritorious Righteoufnef?, conllitute our Right to future Glo- 
 ry : while the Holy Gholt, by infpiring us with fpiritual Life 
 (of which fpiritual Life, good Works are the Evidences and 
 the Actings) puts us into a real Capability of and Fitnefs for 
 That Inheritance of endlefs Happinefs, which, other wife, we 
 could never, in the very Nature of Things, either pojfefsy or 
 enjoy. 
 
 ♦' Let it be obferved," fays ore of the moft learned and 
 judicious Writers of this Age, " that Christ's Adlive Obedi- 
 ence to the Law for Us, in our Room and Stead, does not 
 exempt us from Perfonal Obedience to it ; any mote than His 
 Sufferings and Death exempt us from corporal Death, or from 
 Suffering for His Sake. It is true, indeed, we do not fuffer 
 and die in the Senfe He did ; to fatisfy Juftice, and atone for 
 Sin : fo neither do we yield Obedience to the Law, in order 
 tT5 obtain Eternal Life by it. By Christ's Obedience for us, 
 we are exempted from Obedience to the Law, in this Senfe : 
 but not from Obedience to it, as a Rule of Walk and Conver- 
 fation, by which to glorify God, and exprefs our Thankful' 
 nefs to Him for His abundant Mercies." — Travellers inform 
 MS, that, in T'ur/fy the Partifans, of the feveral Denominations 
 there, are dilHnguilhed by the Colour of their Shoes : fo that 
 if you meet any Perfon in the Streets, you need only look at 
 his Feet, to knnw of what Religion he is. And may not the 
 Truth of Grace be difcerned, to, at leafl, an high Degree of 
 Probability, by the Life and Converfation of thofe who make 
 a Religious Prefeffion I The Man, who fays that he knows 
 God, and in Works denies Mim ; who calls Christ, Lord 
 Lord, but does not the Thing tlu-t He enjoins ; Whofe Voice^ 
 indeed, is 'Jdcoli's Voice, bat his Hands are the Hands of* 
 
 EJau i 
 
 • A very capital I'.;intcr, in London, lately exhibited a Piece, reprefen- 
 tiiig a fryi:r^ hal.itcd iu his Canonicals. Vitw the Painlirg at a Dilbrce, 
 
 and 
 
r 32 1 
 
 Efau ; refemblesour Saviour's Perfecutors and Murderers, o^^ 
 old, who bowed their Knees, and cried, ' Hail King of the 
 Jews!' while they /pit in His Face, and. fmote Him with the 
 Palms of iheir Hands. The Hypocrite's Profeffion is dark and 
 opaque : but that of a real Saint is pellucid and tranfparcnt. 
 The Rays of Grace, in a genuine Believer, pervade his whole 
 Behaviour, and are tranfmicted tluough all the Parts of his 
 Pracftical Walk. Though every Moral Man is not therefore 
 a ChriiUan, yet every Chriftian, is neceffarily, a Moral Man. 
 
 When Flamlnius, the Roman General, did at the Ijlhm'ian 
 Games, announce FREEDOM to Greece^ in the Name of 
 the Senate and, People of Rome ; the tranfported Greeks re- 
 ceived the glorious News with fuch Acclamations of Gratitude, 
 and Thunder of Applaufe, that fome Ravens, which were 
 flying over the Stadium, dropt down to the Earth, ftunned 
 and fenfelefs : The very Games and Exercifes were negleded, 
 and notliing, but burfting Eclats of admiring Joy, engrofled 
 the Day. — So, vrhen the Holy Spirit of Confolation announces 
 Gofpel- Liberty, and Eternal Redemption, to the Souls of the 
 Awakened; the Love of Sin, and the Ravens of detefted 
 liufl?, fall before His facred Influence. Both the Toils and 
 the Plsafure's of the World are regarded as infignificant, when 
 fet in Competition with the One Thing needful. Holy Won- 
 der, Love, and Joy, quite engage the Powers of the Believer's 
 Mind, during the Spring-tide Confolations of his firft manifef- 
 tive Efpoufals ; and a fure Foundation is, from that Moment 
 laid, for the Performance of all thofe good Works, . which are 
 Fruits of Salvation by Grace. While Faith is in Ejcercife, a 
 and a Senfe of Divine Favour js warm upon the Heart ; 
 Child of God is as much fteeled to the Allurements of Sin, as 
 OSavius was cool to the meretricious Charms of Cleopatra. 
 
 Thus, confcientious Obedience, though neither the Caufe 
 nor Condition of our Juftification in the Sight of God, nor of 
 our Admittance into His Glory ; is, neverthelefs, an effential 
 Branch both of Privilege and Duty, as well as a neceffary /«• 
 dication of our Acceptance in the Beloved. This is the Point 
 
 of 
 
 gnd yon would think the Fryar to he in a pray'ng Attitude : his Hands are 
 clafped together, and held horizontally to his Breafi ; his Eyes meekly de- 
 mised, like i'hofe ot the Publican in the Cofpcl ; and the good Man ap- 
 pears to be quite abforbed in humble Adoration and devout RecoUertion — 
 But take a »ejrtr Surrey, and the Deception vanifhes: the Bcok, which 
 feemed to lye before hiirij is difcovered to he a Punch-boivl, into whicli, the 
 Wretch is, ail the While, in Reality, only fquee^ing a Lemon. -^-^How. 
 lively, a Reprefcntation of an Hypocrite ! 
 
c 33 : 
 
 of View, in which oiir Church confidcrs Good IVorh : viz not 
 as preceding Conditions of Salvation, bui as I'ubfequent Tef- 
 timonics and Marks of Salvation already obtained. 
 ARTICLE XII. ♦« Of Good IVorks. 
 
 " Albeit that Good Worksy ivh'ich are the ¥ruits oj" Fuitk, and 
 FOLLOW AFTER 'Jujl'tjicationy cannot put aivay our Sim, and en- 
 dure the Severity of God's yt/dgment ; yet are they ph.:Jing and ac- 
 ccptnhle to Gob in Christ, and do spring out, neceJJ'arily, of 
 a true and lively Faith : infimuch that, by than, a lively Faith 
 may be as evidently knowk, as a Tree difcerned by its Fruit.** 
 
 Vn. What think you, concerning the Tenet of Sirdefs Per- 
 fection ? which fnppofes, that the very Inbeing of Sin may, on 
 Earth, be totally exterminated from the Hearts of the Re- 
 generate ; and that Believers may, Here, be pure as the An- 
 gels that never fell, yea, (I tremble at the Blafphemy) — Holy 
 as Christ Himfelf To hold iliis Herefy, is the very Quintef- 
 feiice of Delufion ; but to imagine oiirfelves really in the State 
 it defcribes, were the very Apex of Madnefs. Yet, many 
 fuch there are : fome fuch, I myfelf have known. 
 
 Indwelling Sin and unholy Tempers do, moft certainly, 
 receive their Death's M^'ound, in Regeneration : but they do 
 not quite empire, till the Renewed Soul is taken up, fiom Eaith 
 to Heaven. In the mean Time, thcfe hated Remains of De- 
 pravity will, too ofien, like Prifoners in a Dungeon, crawl 
 toward the Window (though in Chains), and (hew themfelves 
 through the Grate. Nay, I do not know, whether the Striv- 
 ings of inherent Corruption for Mallery, be not, frequently, 
 more violent in a regenerate Perfon, than even in One who 
 is dead in TrefnrJies : as wild Bcafts are, fomeliroes, the 
 more rampant and furious for being wounded. A perfon of 
 the ampleft Fortune cannot help the harboring of Snakes, 
 Toads, and other venomous Reptiles, on liis Lands; but they 
 'will breed, and neftle, and crawl about his Efiate, whether 
 He will or no. All he can do, is, To purfue and kill them, 
 ■whenever they make their Appearance ? yet, let him he ever 
 (o vigilant and diligent, there will always be a Succeflion of 
 thofe Creatures, to exercife his Patience and engage his In- 
 duftry. So is it with the true Believer, in refpeci of indwel- 
 ling Sin. 
 
 Would you fee z perfect Saint ? you ' muft nteds go out of 
 the World,' then ; you muft go to Heaven, fiT the Sight : 
 forafriiuch as There only are * The Spirits of juft Men made 
 
 perfeil' 
 
i: 34 ] 
 
 perfe<5\;' *. This Earth, on which we live, never bore but 
 7hree Sinlefs Perfons : our firft Parents, in the fhort State of* 
 Innocence: and Jesus Christ, in the Days of His Abode 
 below. Of the whole Human Race befiJe, it always was, 
 and ever will be true, that there * is rot a juft Man upon Earth, 
 who doeth good and finneth not. The moft forward and 
 towering Profeilbrs are not always the Hrmeft and moft folid 
 Ghriftians. Naturalifls tell us, that the Oak is a full Century, 
 in growing to a State of Maturity : yet, though, perhaps, the 
 floweft ; it is one of the nobleft, the (frongeft, and moft ufeful 
 Trees in the World. Hov/ preferable to the flimfy, watery, 
 ftioucing 'Zi'i//o'3y/ 
 
 Our Church enters an exprefs Caveat aginft the peftilent 
 Dodrine of Perfe<^ion, in her J5th Ari'icle^ entitled, " Of 
 Christ alone luhhout Sin :" where Ihe thus delivers her 
 Judgment; 
 
 " Christ, in the Truth of our Nature, ivas made lihe unto us in 
 all Things, Sin only except^ from 'which He 'v>as clearly void, hath 
 in His F'e/]} and His Spirit, He came to be a Lamb ivithout Spot^ 
 tvho, by Sacrifice of himfelf once made, fbould take aiuay the Sins 
 of the World; and Sin ^ as ^l John faith, ivas not in him. But 
 -All We, the Refl (although Baptised and Ban again in Christ) 
 yet oJ)e7id in many Things : and, if 'we fay ice hwve no Sin, ive de^ 
 ceive curfelves, and the Truth is not in Us." 
 
 So, it is declared, about the Middle of the 9lh Article, , 
 that the " Infection of Nature doth remain ; yea, in Them that 
 be Regenerated." — Let me juft mention. 
 
 Vni. One m.ore Particular, contrary 4o found Doflrine : I 
 mean, the AfTertion of fome, who would fnin perfuade us, 
 that it is impoffible for us to receive ' Knowledge cf Salvation 
 by the Remifilon of Sin.' Such a Denial is very oppofite to 
 the Ufual Tenor of God's Proceeding with His People in 
 all Ages. The Beft Believers, and the Strongt-H, may, in- 
 indeed, have their Occafional Fainting- Fits of Douhttind Dif- 
 fidence, as to their own particular Intereft in Christ: ncr 
 fliould I have any great Opinion of that Man's Faith, who 
 was to tell me That he never had any Doubts at all. But 
 -ftill, there are golden Seafons, when the Soul is on the mount 
 of Communion with God ; when the Spirit cf Hi.; Son fhines 
 into our Hcat^ts, and gives us Bohlnefs and Accefs with Con- 
 
 Adente 
 
 ', • Rth- xi'. 43. 
 
[ 35 ] 
 
 JiJence by the Faith nf Him ; * and when Sunt fine Nule Diets 
 may be the Chrlllian's exulting Motto. Moreover, a Perfon, 
 who is at all converfant with the Spiritual Life, knoius as cer- 
 tainly, whether he indeed enjoys the Light of God's Counts- 
 nancef, or whether he ivaiis in Darknefs ;X as a Traveller 
 knows, whether he travels in Sun-lhine, or in Rain. And, as 
 a Great and Good || Man obferves, " It is no Prefumption to 
 read what was God's gracioiis Purpoie toward us of old, when 
 He, as it were, prints His lecret Thoughts, and makes them 
 Legible, in our EfFecftnal Calling. In this Cafe, we do not gm 
 up into Heavetit and pry into God's Secrets ; but Hcaiien comes 
 dotvn to Us, and reveals them." 
 
 It may, indeed, be objefled, that the Scripture-Doftrine of 
 /ijfurance, when realized into an actual Poirellion of the Privi- 
 lege, " may tend to fofter Pride, and promote Careleftiefs.** 
 It cannot lead to Pride ; for All, who have * tafted that the 
 Lord is gracious,' know by indubitable Experience (and one 
 Fad fpeaks louder than an Hundred Speculations J^ that Be- 
 lievers are then loweft at God's Footftool, when they are 
 higheft on the Mount of AlRirancc. Much Indulgence from 
 Earthly Parents, may, indeed, be productive of real Injury to 
 their Children : but not fo are the Smiles of God ; for the 
 Senfe oi His YnvcnT/aniffes, vvhillt it comforts. — Nor can the 
 Knowledge of Intereft in His Love tend to relax the Sinews 
 of moral Diligence, or make us heedlefs how we behave our- 
 felves in His Sight. During thofe Exalted Moments, whea 
 Grace is in lively Exercife ; .when the Difciple of Christ ex- 
 periences. 
 
 ♦' The Soul's Calm Sun fine, and the Heartfelt Joy ;" 
 Corrupt Nature (that Man of Sin within), and every vile Af- 
 feftion, are ftricken, as it were, with a temporary Apoplexy: 
 and the Believer can no more, for the Time being, commit 
 wilful Sill, than an Angel of Light would dip his Wings in 
 Mud. * No : it is when we come down from the Mount, and 
 mix again with the World, that, like Mofes, we are in Danger 
 of breaking the Tables of the Law. " But is it not Entlmfafm, 
 to talk of holding InUrcourfe with God, and of Inotoivg our- 
 ftlves to be the Obje<5ls of His Special Love :',' No more En- 
 thafiaUical (fo we keep within Scripture- Bounds), than it is 
 for a favourite Child to converfe with his Parents, and to knpw 
 
 ^ that 
 
 • £pk Hi. M. t .rplm Ixxxix. rj. .| Ifji, 1. ,0. 
 
 II Coiu\.\i.L; Vol I. p. IJ7. 
 
C 36 ] 
 
 that they have a particular JJhaion for him. Neither, in the 
 ilridell Reafon and Nature ot Things, is it at • .crjrd, to 
 believe and expei^, Fhat CJOD can, and dees, ai._ v\'iilj corr.mu- 
 tiicats His Favour to His People, and ' rr..'.r-*'""^ )'.iiiifelf to 
 Them, as He does not to the World' * at 
 
 Yet, though God is thus gracioufly inc . /of 
 
 His People (I believe, to all of them, at foiii .■ Ynu^:. or i tner* 
 between their Converfion and Death) ; rtill, rf ihey irefpafs 
 againft Him, He will not let their Offences pafs unnoticed 
 nor uncorre(5led. Though Grace itfelf is inadmiffible, the Com- 
 fort of it may be finned avray. Salvation is fure to All the 
 Hedeemed; but the Joy of it may be loft. Pfalm li. 12. 
 • Great Peace have They that love Thy Law ;' and they only. 
 Holinefs and Confolation, are, wifely and intimately, connedted. 
 In Proportion as we are enabled to live near to God, to walk 
 humbly and clofely with Him, and to keep our moral Garments 
 cl6an ; we may hope for Freedom of Intercourfe with Hin^ 
 and to ajfure our Hearts before him f like the happy Believers 
 of old, concerning whom it is faid, that they ivalled at once 
 in the FEAR of the Lord, and in the COMFORT of the Holy 
 
 GhoJiX- 
 
 Let not, however, what has been obferved concerning the 
 Blefling of Aflurance, ftumble or Difcourage the Feeble of 
 God's Flock, on whom, for Reafons wife and good, it may 
 not, hitherto, have been His Pleafure to beftow this imfpeak' 
 able Gift. The Scripture, plainly, and repeatedly, diftinguifhes 
 between Faith ; The Jffurance of Faith ; and the Full -^'Hfu- 
 rance of Faith : and the Firfi may exift, where the other Ttu» 
 are Not. I know fome who have, for Years together, been 
 diftreffed with Doubts and Fears, without a fingle Ray of fpi- 
 ritual Comfort all the while. And yet, 1 can no more doubt of 
 their being true Believers, than I can queftion my own Exift- 
 ence as a Man. I am fure, they are pofitired, not only of Faith 
 in its lowed Degree, buc of That which Christ Himfelf pro- 
 nounces GREAT Faith : \\ for they can, at leaft, fay, « Lord, 
 I am not worthy, that thou Ihouldft come under my Roof; 
 but fpeak the Word only, and thy Servant fliall be Healed.' 
 Paith is the Eye of the Soul ; and the Eye is faid to fee almoft 
 every Objeft but itfelf: fo that, you have real Faith, without 
 >being able to difcern it. Nor will God de/j>i/e the Day of fmall 
 
 Things 
 
 * J«bn%v(, %\t az. t fbtd. in. 19. \ Acfs ix. }u 
 
 ■" J Ma!th, vlii, 8, lo. 
 
[ 37 ] 
 
 Thinjrs. Little Faith goes to Heaven, no le(s than great Faith f 
 though not fo comfortably, yet altogether as furely. If you 
 come, merely as a Sinner, to'Jfisus; and throw yourfelf, at 
 all Events^ for Salvation, on his alone Blood and Righteouf- 
 nefs, and the Grace and Promife of God in Him ; thou art as 
 truly a Believer, as the moft Triumphant Saint that ever livedo 
 And, amidrt all your Weaknefs, Diftrefles and Temptations, 
 remember, that Goo will not ca^ out nor caft off the meaneft 
 and unworthieft Soul that feeks Salvation only in the Name of 
 Jesus Christ the Righteous. When you cannot follow ike 
 Rocky the Rock (hall follow Tou : nor ever leave you, for fo 
 much as a fingle Moment, on this Side the Heavenly Canaan. 
 If you feel your abfolute Want of Christ, yon may, on all 
 Occafions, and in every Exigence, betake yourfelf to the Co- 
 venant Love and Faithfulnefs of God, for Pardon, Sandifica-- 
 tion and Safety ; with the fame FuUnefs of Right and Title, 
 as a Traveller leans upon his own Staff, or a weary Labourer 
 throws himfelf upon bis own Bed, or as an opulent Nobleman 
 draws upon his own Banker for whatever Sum he wants.— I 
 fhall only detain you farther, while I warn you ; . 
 
 IX. Again ft another Limb of Arminianifm, totally * con- 
 trary to found Dodlrine :' I mean that Tenet, which affertc 
 V^<r PeffihilUy of falling finally from a State of real Grace. 
 God does not give, and then take away. He does, indeed^ 
 frequently refume what He only lent ; fuch as Health, Riches, 
 Friends, and other temporal Comforts : but what He gives^ 
 He gives /or ever. In a way of Grace, * the Gifts and Call- 
 ing of God are without Repentance :' * He will never repent 
 of beftowing them ; and every Attribute, He has, forbids Him 
 to revoke them. The Blefllings of his Favour are, ' That 
 Good Part, which fliall not be taken from' thofe that have it f . 
 
 A Parent, of moderate Cirrcumftances, may give his Child- • 
 Ten fome thing to fel up with in the World, and addrefs them 
 to this Effeft ; " I have now done for you all that is in my 
 Power to do, and gone as far as my Circumftances will al- 
 low : you mull, from henceforward, ftand on your own Feetj . 
 and be good Hufbands of the old Stock. The Prefervation and 
 Improvement of what I have given you, muft be left to Chance 
 and yourfelves." In this very View does /Arminianifm reprefent 
 the Great Father Almighty. But how does Scripture repre- 
 fent Him ? as faying, • I will NEVER leave thee, or forfake 
 
 thee 
 
 • Jicm. xj. 29. f Luk( x. 41. 
 
C 38 ] 
 
 thee*:— Even to your old Age, I am He; and even to hoary- 
 Hairs will I carry you ; I have made, and I will bear, even 
 I will carry and will deliver youf — My fhe&p hear my Voice, 
 and I know them, and they follow me: and 1 give unto them 
 eternal Life, and they (hall never peVilh, neither fliail any 
 pluck them out of my Hand' ;{:. In a Word: If any of God's 
 People can be finally loft ; ic mull be occafioned, either by 
 ihelr Departing from God, or by God's Departure from Them. 
 But they are certainly and efFe(51:ually fecuie againft thefe 'Tivo^ 
 and thefe only poffible, Sources of Apoftacy* For, thus runs 
 the Covenant of Grace ; ' I will make an everlafting Cove- 
 nant with them, that I will not turn away from THEM, 
 to do them good ; and 1 will put my Fear in thfir Hearts, 
 
 that THEY SHALL NOT DEPART EROM ME, Jer. XXxii. 4O. 
 
 Now, if God will neither leave them, nor fuffer them to leave 
 Him: their final Perfeverance in Grace to Glory muft be cer- 
 tain and infallible. 
 
 Having greatly exceeded the Limits I defigned, I fhall for- 
 bear to adduce the Atteftations of the Church of England to 
 the Doflrines oi AJfurance and Perfeverance : efpecially, feeing 
 I have done this, fomevrhat largely, elfewhcrc |1.'~I mud 
 not, however, conclude, without obferving. That Irreverfible 
 "J ujl'tf cation, on God's Part and fubjesflive /ffurance of Inde- 
 
 fedibility 
 
 • Heir. xiii. 5. f Ifat xlvi. 4. 
 
 \ John X. 28. True.-faid an A«-minian Sdiifrnfaic, grown grey'in the 
 Service of Error, and who dill jow up and doiun, fowing his Tti\s, fediiig 
 ivhm he may devour^ and cofnpslling Sea and Land to make Profclytei-' True 
 -Christ's Sheep "cannot be plucked ^arc\^.\y out of his Hand, by others: 
 tut they Mfw/f/z^w may y?f^ //«U'r_^^ his Ha;ii!s, and fo tall into Hell, and 
 be eternally loft." They may ^L'.P, may thev ? as if the Mediator, in 
 prefervingiiis People, held only a Parcel of-£f/i by the Tail! Is not this 
 a fiiamelers Way oi flippbi^ through a plain Text Jt' .Scriplure i" But I would 
 fain a(k X.\\ii Jlippcry Sophi'itcr, how we ars to undetdand t!-.at Part of the 
 laftcited Paflage, which exprefsiy declares, concerning Chrift's Pcop'e 
 that they pall never pcrijlj ? fmce, perijh they nerectlTanly wk/, and cer- 
 tainly ■woiild,-i{ eventually feparated from Chrift; whether they were to 
 be plucked mt of his Hand?, or whether they were only to flip through 
 them. I conclude, then," That the Promifc made to the Saints, that they 
 Ihsll never pcrijli, fecures them, eciually, againft tl-e Pofilhility of being ei 
 thei- ivrefted from Chrift's Hand, or of their own fallhig from it : fince 
 could. One or Other be the Calc, perijh they muft. and Chrift's Prom/' 
 would fall to the Ground 
 
 H In a Pamphlet, enai-Ied, the Church of Eng'and vindicated from tne 
 Charge of At minia>nfm\ where, concerning th« l^o^rine of AJfurance, fee 
 Page 135. 116 ; and,-concernin£ the Dodrinc of Ferjevercinjc, fee Page 
 127-^150., 
 
 :i- 
 
 ife\ 
 'ke ^ 
 
[ 39 ] 
 
 fecHibilil)', on ours; do by no Means inveft an Offending Chrif- 
 tian with fmrnunity from Suffftings and Chaftifement. Thus, 
 Nathan faid to David, * The Lord hath put away thy Sins; 
 , thou (halt not die;' yet was he i'sveTe\y fcourged though not 
 f difjnherited, for his Tranfgreffions. The Tenor of God's 
 * immutable Covenant with the Meduxh, and with His People 
 in Him, is This : * His Seed will I make to endure for ever, 
 and His Throne as the Days of Heaven. If His Children 
 iorfake my Law, and walk net in my Judgments ; it they 
 break my Statutes, and keep not my Commandments ; then 
 will I vifu their Tranfgreffion with the Rod, and their Iniqui- 
 ty with Stripes : neverthekfs, my Loving Kindnefs will I 
 not utterly take fronri Him, nor fuffer my Falthfulnefs to fail. 
 My Covenant will I not break, nor alter the Thing that is 
 gone out of my Lips. I have fworn, once for all, by my Ho- 
 linefs, that I will not lie unto'' Jesus the Anti-typical David, 
 by fuffering any of his Redeemed People to perifti*. Hence, 
 as it is prefently added, \.\\ty fiall be ejlahl't/!:iecl for ever, as the 
 Moon ; and as the faithful Witnefs in Heaven : nay, they fliall 
 ftand forth, and fhine, when the Suu is turned into Darknefs, 
 and the Moon into Blncd ; when the Stars fhall drop from 
 their Orbits, and the Powers of Heaven fhall be fhaken. As 
 an excellent Perfon fcmewhere obferves, *' Our own Unbe- 
 lief, may, cccafionally, tear the. Copies of the Covenant, gi- 
 ven us by Christ; but Unbelief cannot come at the Cove- 
 nant Itfelf. Christ keeps the original Deed in Heaven with 
 Himfelf, where it can never be loft." 
 
 Upon the Whole : Are thefe Things fo ? Then, 
 
 1. How great and how deplorable, is the general Depar- 
 ture from the Scripture- Doclrines of the Church of England, 
 and the firft Principles of the Reformation ! 
 
 2. How bleffed are the Eyes, \\\xx.fce -, how happy are the 
 tliC Hearts, that/^J; the Propriety and the Energy of thefe 
 inellimable Truths ! And, 
 
 3. How ought fuch to demonflrate their Gratitude by 
 a pradical GloriHcation of God, in their Bodies, and in their 
 Spirits <which are His I Retimble Thunder, in your Boldncfs 
 for God, and your Zeal for Truth : but let your Lives Ihine 
 as Lightening, and flaih Co«ivi(flIon in the Faces of thofe who 
 fifely sccufe your good Converfation in Christ, and as falfely 
 charge the Dodrines of God with a licentious Tendency.— — 
 
 • PJalm Ixxxix. Z9 — 35. 
 
 J 
 
C 40 ] 
 
 But let not your Zeal be of the inflammatory Kind : let it be 
 tempered with unbounded Moderation, Genileneff, and Bene- 
 volence ; and (bine forth, as the Sus, tv'ith Healings in its 
 IVings. Remember Who it is, that hath tnade you do di^er from 
 others ; and that * a Man can receive nothing, except it be 
 given him from Heaven,* jfohn iii. 27. 
 
 Not unto Us, therefore, U Lord, not unto Us, but to THY 
 Name alone, be the Praife of cveiy GiFt, and of ever j" Grace, 
 afcribed j^yir thy Loving Mercy, and for thy Truth's Sake. Amen* 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 TO THE 
 
 Parl/hionen of St Matthew, Bethnal Green* 
 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 EFORE the preceding Sermon could get through the 
 Prefs, the Rev. Mr Haddon Smith who, it feems, ferves 
 You as Curate, has thought proper to publifti a Difcourfe, 
 which he delivered, in Oppofition to This, the Sunday after- 
 I bad the Honour of Preaching it before You. 
 
 It would render that Unthinking, but, I would hope, well- 
 meaning Gentleman, much too confideraWe, were I either to 
 addrefs him by Name ; or defeend to canvafs a Performance, 
 wherein Heat and Scurrility endeavour to fupply the total Va- 
 cuity of Argument. — For Mr Smith to enter the Lifts, with 
 fuch exceeding Fiercenefs, againft a Sermon, which he did 
 not hear, and which, hitherto, he has had nopofljble Oppor- 
 tunity of reading ; difcovers a Weaknefs and Temerity in him, 
 which fink him as low beneath my Notice, as the Eftabliihed 
 Dodlrines of our Excellent Church rife fuperlor to his Impo- 
 tence of Cenfure. — When the Gentleman fkall appear to have 
 at all con/idered the Important Articles of Faith, on which he 
 has prefumed to animadvert ; when the Sails of his^ furious 
 Sl^eal fhall be counter baMafted by fome little Degree of Judg- 
 jpent; and when he has learned to exprefs himfelf, if not with 
 
 Chriftian : 
 
C 4» 3 
 
 Chriftian Decency, yet with common grammatical Propriety ; 
 Thfn, an-J noi iiU then, ftiall 1 deem him a proper Objed of 
 Aueatiun. 
 
 Yi u. Gentlemen, can teftify, that I never once appeared, 
 in Yoav Pmpit, but at Your own particular Requeft : a Re- 
 qu'.lt •» hich I could not, pofflMy, have any intereiled Motives 
 f' ''pb''"S with, as I never accepted of che fmallefl Gra- 
 
 tuiL for my .Arttndance. Is it for This, that the Enraged 
 Curate has repeatedly, traduced me from the Pulpit, and. Now, 
 infults me from \\\c Piefs ? 
 
 For my own Part, I am fo far from entertaining any Re- 
 ientment againfl Mr Smith (with whom I do not remember to 
 have exchanged five Words in my Life, and whom I Ihould 
 not even know at Sight), or from being deterred by his un- 
 merited Abufe ; that, fliould I live to fee London again, I 
 ftiall always deem myfelf happy to wait on You, as ufual, 
 whenever either Your own Defire, or the Intereft of Your 
 public Charity, may command. And, as fo many of Yot^ 
 have favoured me with uncommon Civility and Attention, I 
 am encouraged to offer one Requeft ; a Requeft, not in Be- 
 half of Myfelf, but of Mr 6'/72/V/» .• t/s. that his ill-judged and 
 unbecoming Warmth may not fo far alienate Your AfFedion 
 irom his Perfon, as to make You perfift in withdrawing thofe 
 ufual Proofs of Your Beneficence, which formerly, you have 
 favoured him with, and which, I am forry to be informed 
 have, of late, through his Defeat of Candour and Humility, 
 been confiderably leffened. 
 
 My Sermon, and His, are now before the Public. The 
 Rafhnefs, and feeming Malignity, wich which he appears de- 
 firous to plunge into the Depths of an unequal jContell, might, 
 in the Opinion of fome, juftify Me in the ampleft Severity of 
 Animadverfion. But I fpare him. I cannot prevail with my- 
 felf, to lender * Evil for Evil, or Railing for Railing.' On 
 the contrary, I wifli, and Pray that Divine Grace may caufe 
 him to paitake of the Mind ivhich -was in Chr[st Jesus ; and 
 that he may, by the fame Almighty Influence, be made to 
 experience, to believe, and to preach, the ineftimable Truths 
 of that Gofpel, which Jesus taught. 
 
 Mr John IVeJley (on whofe Plan of Doiflrine, Your Curate 
 
 feems, in great Meafurc, to have formed his own) is the only 
 
 Opponent, I ever had, whom I chaftlfed with a ftudious Dif- 
 
 . regard to Ceremony. Mor do I, in the leaft, repent of the 
 
 Manner, 
 
C. 4^ 3 
 
 Manner, in which I treated him. To have refuted the For 
 geries and Perverfions oi fucb an AiFailant, tenderly, and wit? 
 Meeknefs falfely fo called ; would have bsen like rtiooting a 
 an Highwayman with a Pop gun, or like lepelling the Swort 
 of an Af^iffin with a Straw. I rather blame myfelf, on s 
 Review, for handling Mr IVtJley too gently ; and for not ac 
 quainting the World with all I know, concerning the Man am 
 his Communication. I only gave him the Whip, when he defer^ 
 ved a Scorpion. 
 
 But, as to Mr Smith, he, hitherto, amidfl; all his Ignorance 
 and Unguardednefi, meiits a milder Treatment. Want o 
 Talents, and of Thought, appear in every Paragraph of hi; 
 Sermon : but I am willing to believe him not wholly deftitutt 
 of Integrity. Though he oppofes the Dotflrines of the Church 
 of England., with Virulence ; yet, he feems to do fo fr'.ym Prin- 
 ciple. Under this Perfuafion, I, at prefent, give him Hope 
 Hereafter, (hould he rife into any Thing, like a refpectabUi 
 Antagonift: I may, perhaps, hook him, and pull him in — 
 Till then, I take my Leave, both of the Curate and -of his 
 Preachment, with that juftly admired Line, which is, at once, 
 equally pifturefque of his Behaviou<r, and expreflive of my fix- 
 ed. Determination ; 
 
 ..^^Tu loquetis Lapides : Ego ByJJina Verba reponam. 
 
 I am, with much Refped and Regard, 
 
 Gentlemen, 
 
 Your Obliged and Obedient Ser-.ant, 
 
 Broad Hemb CRY ; 
 Align ft 31, J 7 70. 
 
 AUGUSTUS TOPLADYc 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 this Work is now presented to the Public. There arc in it 
 al Matter, which is distinguished from the rest of the text by 
 
 has been undertaken not for gain, nor upon speculation, 
 *ement of Christ's cause, and for bringing before the Christian 
 us voliune of the last century, it is hoped that those Christians 
 ir will endeavour to promote the circulation of this Work, 
 jr. There is almost no religious publication more fitted to be 
 ik than this. It. is a noble history of the mighty acts of the 
 •ous works among our fathers in the days of old. It is a glorious 
 ones in every age. It is a wonderful testimony to the truth.and 
 it's work, as well as to the power of the Gospel of Christ. 
 
 STAND STILL, THAT I MAT REASON WITH YOU BEFORE THE LORD 
 8 ACTS OP THE LoRD WHICH He DID TO YOU AND TO YOUR 
 
 7. 
 
 344. 
 

I 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
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 CAYLORD 
 
 
 
 PRINTED IN US A. 
 
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