received was not that of fear (of death, they being delivered from the bondage of that fear by the death of Christ, Heb. ii. 15.) but the Spirit of adoption,' which declared them heirs of God,' and such as were to be glorified with Christ after their sufferings, (Rom. viii. 15, 17.) who would raise their mortal bodies. (verse 11.) (2.) That this future glory was sufficient ground of patience under all their sufferings; it being that which would entirely deliver their bodies from corruption, and translate them into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.' On which account, saith the apostle, "I reckon that the sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed.' (verse 18.) (3.) That whilst they continued in this afflicted state, patiently waiting for this glory, they had the Spirit of God, to help their infirmities, and to enable them to intercede for it with silent groans, according to the will of God; and knew that all these sufferings should work together for good to them who love God, and were called according to his purpose' of making them like to their head, Christ Jesus, who was made 'perfect by sufferings." And so it was with his own beloved people, styled the people

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goέу WHICH HE FOREKNEW.' (Rom. xi. 2. Amos iii. 2.) He determined that they should first be afflicted four hundred years. (Gen. xv. 13.) He humbled these 'his sons and his first-born,' before he called them out of Egypt, and after he had called them thence 'he humbled and chastised them as a man chasteneth his son.' (Deut. viii. 5.) But all this he did for their profit, that he might do them good in their latter end.' (verse 16.) After these sufferings he justified them, that is, he approved and owned them upon all occasions as his peculiar people, and defended them, and pleaded their cause against all their enemies, and at the last he rendered them a glorious people in the eyes of all nations, dožασe, HE GLORIFIED Israel before them,' (Isa. iv. 5. xliv. 23.) especially by causing his glorious presence, or his Shechinah, the emblem of the Holy Spirit, to rest among them. (Hag. ii. 5.) And so we may rest assured he will now deal with all those who truly love him, and whom he hath chosen before others to be his church, and his peculiar people.

VIII. ARGUMENT FOURTH. "If God knoweth who are his, then hath he a select number whom he hath chosn to be his; but God knoweth who are his'.” (2 Tim. ii. 19.)

ANSWER. The text, which is the foundation of this argument, runneth thus, Hymenæus and Philetus have erred from the truth, saying, that the resurrection is past already, and have overthrown the faith of some. (verse 18.) But the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth who are his, and let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (verse 19.) Where observe,

First. That by "the foundation of God," we are to understand the doctrine of the resurrection, which is the foundation of the church, it being built upon this promise,-that the gates ́of hell shall not prevail against it,' or that the living members of Christ's body shall after death obtain an happy resurrection. This also is the foundation of our faith and hope; (1 Cor. xv, 19. 1 Thess. iv. 13, 14.) and therefore it is styled "a foundation" in these words, Let us not lay again, rò bɛμémov, . THE FOUNDATION of the doctrine of the resurrection.' (Heb. vi. 1, 2.) This is "the faithful saying" mentioned, verse 12. By denying of it, the christian faith, saith the apostle, is overturned, verse 18. Now to this fundamental doctrine, God, saith he, hath set his seal, for confirmation and assurance of it, viz. 'the Lord knoweth who are his,' that is, (i.) He loveth and approveth of them, and kindly stands affected to them: So God knew his people Israel, (Deut. ii. 7. Amos iii. 1.) and so God, he is known of God.' (1 Cor. viii. 3.) So God knoweth the way of the righteous,'(Psalm i. 6.) and so 'Christ knows his sheep,' (John x. 14, 27.) as to give unto them life eternal; (verse 23.) so that though they die, they shall not perish, but he will raise them up at the last day.' (John vi. 39, 40, 54.) And in this sense these words are commonly taken, as promising a reward to all good christians at the resurrection.-But,

if any man love (i.) To reward them:

Secondly. It is observable that these words are taken from Numbers xvi. 5, where Corah, Dathan, and Abiram rise up against Moses and Aaron, declaring they took too much upon them,'the one to be their prophet and God's vicegerent over them, the other to be their high-priest, whom God had consecrated to his peculiar service, above all others of the house of Levi. Now to this imputation, saith the Septuagint, Moses replies, yvw ó ☺eòs TÈS ÖVTas aÚTE 'GOD KNOWETH WHO ARE HIS,' and by him separated to his service, and will maintain their cause and calling

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against all opposers; as in that instance he did in a wonderful manner, causing the earth to open and swallow them up; so also will God own us his apostles and ministers, against Hymenæus and Philetus, against all that set up against us and our doctrine. As therefore Moses said then to the Israelites, Depart ye from the tents of these men, and be ye separated, naì èpésnoav, and they departed;' so say I now to all christians, let them depart from iniquity,' and so from these pernicious doctrines, which ‘increase to ungodliness, and cause men to make shipwreck of faith and a good conscience.' So that this text, taken in either sense, hath no relation to the doctrine of absolute election. In fine, Theodoret thus descants on these words, προείδε Θεὸς καὶ τὰς πιςεύοντας, καὶ της τῇ ἀληθείᾳ προφανῶς πολεμήσαντας, “God foreknoweth both them that believe, and those who openly fight against the truth?'

CHAP. IV.

Containing arguments against this doctrine of an absolute election to salvation, and consequently to the means which shall inevitably and unfrustrably produce it.

I NEED not multiply many arguments in confutation of this opinion, seeing it will effectually be done in all the subsequent discourses; for,

FIRST. By proving that Christ was sent into the world to be the Saviour of the world, and that he tasted death for every man, even for them that perish; it will be extremely evident, that God could not decree absolutely the saving of some few persons elected to it from all eternity; since then it is impossible he should design the salvation of any other by the death of Christ.

SECONDLY. By proving that all men to whom the knowledge of the gospel is vouchsafed are put into a capacity, and have sufficient means, of obtaining the blessings promised, and avoiding the evils threatened, in the gospel, and that none shall be able to plead at the last day, 'I never was in a capacity of obtaining 'that salvation, for the neglect of which I am condemned, or of 'avoiding the misery to which I am sentenced;' it clearly follows

that God cannot have absolutely decreed to afford the means necessary to salvation to some few only, and withhold them from all the rest, even of those to whom the gospel is vouchsafed. But to make this still farther evident, I argue thus,

I. ARGUMENT FIRST. He who would have all men, to whom the gospel is vouchsafed, sincerely to believe in Christ, to come to repentance, and yield sincere obedience to his will revealed to them, hath not prepared this saving grace only for some few christians, leaving the rest under a necessity of perishing for the want of it; for to all such persons he hath promised that they shall not perish, saying, "He that believeth in me shall never perish; repent and turn yourselves from all your iniquity, so iniquity shall not be your ruin; to him who by patient continuance in well-doing seeks for glory and immortality, shall be eternal life." These are the means by him appointed for the remission of their sins and their salvation, as in these words, "Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out; believe to the salvation of your souls; blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life." And he who wills that they should use the means, can never be unwilling, at the same time, they should obtain the end,—salvation and exemption from eternal ruin. Now that God seriously wills that all to whom the gospel is vouchsafed, should repent, believe, and yield sincere obedience to his laws, is evident beyond all possibility of doubting. For,

First. The scripture very frequently and most expressly hath declared the doing of these things to be the doing of the will of God, and the neglecting of them to be the neglecting, and even resisting, of his will. It is his will they should believe, because "this is his commandment, That we believe in the name of the Son of God." It is his will they should repent, because he hath commanded 'all men every where to repent." It is his will they should obey him, if that be necessary to be proved, because that is in scripture styled, the doing of the will of our Father which is in heaven.' And seeing the Apostles were sent to preach salvation to every creature that believed, to call all men to repent for the remission of sins, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance,

that they might escape the wrath of God; how can we reasonably think that the same words spoken to all that heard them as God's message to them, and as if God did beseech them,' by their mouth, should not be looked upon as God's commandments to all to whom they spoke, that is to the whole world, to every rational creature? And why else do they say 'he that despiseth us, thus speaking, despiseth not man, but God?' Doth not the whole christian world agree in this, that it is the will of God that they should do what he commands? Do they not look upon his precepts as a sufficient indication of his will and pleasure? Are not all men obliged to believe God would have them to do what he requires of them? And can they be obliged to believe this if it be not true? Do not all nations conclude from the commands of their superiors, that what they require, they would have done,—and what they forbid, they would not have done? And shall it only be otherwise in the commands of the Great Ruler of the world? Deny this to be any certain declaration of God's will, and you can never shew that even the elect can know it is God's will they should repent, believe, and obey him; since they can never know they belong to the election of God, but from their faith, repentance, and obedience. If then, by doing of these things, the wicked would perform the will of God, must it not follow that he is willing they should believe, repent, and obey? Would not God approve their doing of these things, or can he be supposed to approve what he would not have done? Doth he not say expressly concerning the wicked and impenitent, that they 'do the things which he would not have done?' And why are they so oft said to set at nought and reject God's counsel,' will, and good intentions toward them, if it were not his will they should believe and come to repentance? Why doth the wisdom of God say of them of old, that " they had set at nought his counsels;" and of the Scribes and Pharisees, that "they rejected the counsel of God concerning them, being not baptized with the baptism of John; which was the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;" and of the unbelieving Jews, that they did 'put salvation from them and judge themselves unworthy of eternal life? Surely from all these places it is very evident that it was primarily the

e 1 Thess. iv. 8.

d Isa. lxv. 12. lxvi. 4.

e Prov. i. 25.

f Luke vii. 30.

g Aets xiii. 46.