bestow a reward on him, who according to the law hath deserved it;' as Grevinchovius speaks: which words of his, indeed, Corvinus strives to temper, but all in vain, though he wrest them contrary to the intention of the author; for with him agree all his fellows: the one,' only, absolute cause of election, is not the will of God, but the respect of our obedience,' saith Episcopius. At first they required nothing but faith, and that as a condition, not as a cause; then perseverance in faith, which at length they began to call obedience, comprehending all our duty to the precepts of Christ; for the cause, say they, of this love to any person, is the righteousness, faith, and piety, wherewith he is endued, which being all the good works of a Christian, they, in effect, affirm a man to be chosen for them; that our good works are the cause of election, which whether it were ever so grossly taught, either by Pelagians or Papists, I something doubt.

And here observe, that this doth not thwart my former assertion, where I shewed, that they deny the election of any particular persons, which here they seem to grant upon a foresight of their faith and good works; for there is not any one person, as such a person, notwithstanding all this, that in their judgment is in this life elected; but only as he is considered with those qualifications of which he may at any time divest himself, and so become again to be no more elected than Judas.

The sum of their doctrine in this particular, is laid down by one of ours in a tract entitled 'God's love to mankind,' &c. A book full of palpable ignorance, gross sophistry, and abominable blasphemy, whose author seems to have proposed nothing unto himself, but to rake all the dunghills of a few the most invective Arminians, and to collect the most filthy scum and pollution of their railings to cast upon the truth of God, and, under I know not what self-coined pretences, belch out odious blasphemies against his holy name.

The sum, saith he, of all these speeches (he cited to his purpose) is, That there is no decree of saving men, but what

Electionis et reprobationis, causa unica vera et absoluta non est Dei voluntas, sed respectu obedientiæ et inobedientiæ. Epis. disput. 8.

⚫ Cum peccatum pono causam meritoriam reprobationis, ne existimato e contra me ponere, justitiam causam meritoriam electionis. Armin. Auteperk.-Rem. Apol. p. 73. t God's Love, pag. 6.

is built on God's foreknowledge of the good actions of men.' No decree? No, not that whereby God determineth to give some unto Christ, to ingraft them in him by faith, and bring them by him unto glory; which giveth light to that place of Arminius," where he affirmeth, 'That God loveth none precisely to eternal life, but considered as just either with legal or evangelical righteousness.' Now to love one to eternal life, is to destinate one to obtain eternal life by Christ; and so it is coincident with the former assertion, that our election or choosing unto grace and glory is upon the foresight of our good works; which contains a doctrine so contradictory to the words, and meaning of the apostle; Rom. ix. 11. condemned in so many councils, suppressed by so many edicts and decrees of emperors and governors; opposed as a pestilent heresy, ever since it was first hatched, by so many orthodox fathers and learned schoolmen; so directly contrary to the doctrine of this church, so injurious to the grace and supreme power of Almighty God, that I much wonder any one in this light of the gospel, and flourishing time of learning, should be so boldly ignorant or impudent, as to broach it amongst Christians. To prove this to be a heresy exploded by all orthodox and catholic antiquity, were to light a candle in the sun; for it cannot but be known to all and every one, who ever heard or read any thing of the state of Christ's church, after the rising of the Pelagian tumults.

To accumulate testimonies of the ancients is quite beside my purpose; I will only add the confession of Bellarmine, a man otherwise not over-well affected to truth: Predestination,' saith he, 'from the foresight of works, cannot be maintained, unless we should suppose something in the righteous man, which should make him differ from the wicked, that he doth not receive from God; which truly all the fathers with unanimous consent do reject.' But we have a more sure testimony to which we will take heed, even the Holy Scripture pleading strongly for God's free and undeserved grace.

First, Our Saviour Christ; Matt. xi. 26. declaring how

Deum nullam creaturam præcise ad vitam æternam amare, nisi consideratum ut justam sive justitia legali sive evangelica, Armin. artic. perpend. fol. 21.

Vid. Prosp. ad excep. Gen. ad dub. 8, 9. vid. Car. de ingratis. c. 2. 3.

* Non potest defendi prædestinatio ex operibus prævisis, nisi aliquid boni ponatur in homine justo, quo discernatur ab impio, quod non sit illi a Deo, quod sane patres omnes summa consensione rejiciunt. Bellar, de grat. et lib. Arbit. cap. 14.

God revealeth the gospel unto some, which is hidden from others; a special fruit of election, resteth in his will and good pleasure, as the only cause thereof: Even so, O Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight;' so comforting his little flock, Luke xii. 32 he bids them fear not, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom;' his good pleasure is the only cause why his kingdom is prepared for you, rather than others. But is there no other reason of this discri mination? No; he doth it all, that his purpose according to election might stand firm;' Rom. ix. 11. For we are predestinated according to the purpose of him, who worketh 'all things after the counsel of his own will;' Eph. i. 11. But did not this counsel of God direct him to choose us rather than others, because we had something to commend us more than they? No; The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you because you were more in number than any people, but because the Lord loved you;' Deut. vii. 7, 8. He hath mercy, on whom he will have mercy, yea, 'before the children were born, and had done either good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger; as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated;' Rom. ix. 11, 12. In brief, wherever there is any mention of election or predestination, it is still accompanied with the purpose, love, or will of God; his foreknowledge, whereby he knoweth them that are his; his free power and supreme dominion over all things of our faith, obedience, or any thing importing so much, not one syllable, no mention, unless it be as the fruit and effect thereof; it is the sole act of his free grace and good pleasure, that 'he might make known the riches of his glory towards the vessels of mercy;' Rom. ix. 23. for this only end hath he saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given in Jesus Christ before the world began;' 2 Tim. i. 9. Even our calling is free and undeserved, because flowing from that most free grace of election, whereof we are partakers before we are. It were needless to heap up more testimonies, in a thing so clear and evident. When God and man stand in competition, who shall be accounted the cause of an eternal good, we may be sure the Scripture will pass

the verdict on the part of the Most High. And the sentence, in this case, may be derived from thence by these following

reasons.

First, If final perseverance in faith and obedience be the cause of, or a condition required unto, election, then none can be said in this life to be elected; for no man is a final perseverer until he be dead, until he hath finished his course and consummated the faith; but certain it is that it is spoken of some in the Scripture, that they are even in this life elected: 'few are chosen;' Matt. xx. 16. for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened;' Matt. xxiv. ' and shall seduce, if it were possible, the very elect;' ver. 24. where it is evident that election is required to make one persevere in the faith; but nowhere is perseverance in the faith required to election. Yea, and Peter gives us all a command that we should give all diligence, 'to get an assurance of our election even in this life; 2 Pet. i. 10. and, therefore, surely it cannot be a decree presupposing consummated faith and obedience.

Secondly, Consider two things of our estate, before the first temporal act of God's free grace (for grace is no grace if it be not free), which is the first effect of our predestination, comprehendeth us: First, Were we better than others? no, in nowise; both Jews and Gentiles were all under sin;' Rom. iii. 9. There is no difference, for we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God;' ver. 23. Being all dead in trespasses and sins;' Eph. ii. 1. Being by nature children of wrath as well as others;' ver. 3. 'Afar off until we are made nigh by the blood of Christ;' ver. 12. We were enemies against God;' Rom. v. 10. Titus iii. 3. And look what desert there is in us with these qualifications, when our vocation, the first effect of our predestination, as St. Paul sheweth; Rom. viii. 30. and as I shall prove hereafter, separateth us from the world of unbelievers; so much there is in respect of predestination itself; so that if we have any way deserved it, it is by being sinners, enemies, children of wrath, and dead in trespasses; these are our deserts; this is the glory whereof we ought to be ashamed.

But, secondly, When they are in the same state of actual alienation from God, yet then, in respect of his purpose to save them by Christ, some are said to be his, 'Thine they were, and thou gavest them unto me;' John xvii. 6. They were his

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before they came unto Christ by faith; the sheep of Christ before they are called, for he calleth his sheep by name;' John x. 30. before they come into the flock or congregation: For other sheep,' saith he, 'I have which are not of this fold, which must also be gathered;' John x. 16. To be beloved of God before they love him, 'herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us;' 1 John iv. 10. Now all this must be with reference to God's purpose of bringing them unto Christ, and by him unto glory; which we see goeth before all their faith and obedience.

Thirdly, Election is an eternal act of God's will,' He hath chosen us before the foundation of the world;' Eph. i. 4. consummated antecedently to all duty of ours; Rom. ix. 11. Now every cause must, in order of nature, precede its effect; nothing hath an activity in causing, before it hath a being: operation, in every kind, is a second act, flowing from the essence of a thing, which is the first; but all our graces and works, our faith, obedience, piety, and charity, are all temporal, of yesterday, the same standing with ourselves, and no longer, and, therefore, cannot be the cause of, no, nor so much as a condition necessarily required for, the accomplishment of an eternal act of God, irrevocably established before we are.

Fourthly, If predestination be for faith foreseen, these three things, with divers such absurdities, will necessarily follow: First, That election is not of him that calleth, as the apostle speaks; Rom. ix. 11. that is, of the good pleasure of God, who calleth us with a holy calling, but of him that is called; for, depending on faith, it must be his whose faith is, that doth believe. Secondly, God cannot have mercy on whom he will have mercy, for the very purpose of it is thus tied to the qualities of faith and obedience, so that he must have mercy only on believers, antecedently to his decree. Which, thirdly, hinders him from being an absolute free agent, and doing of what he will with his own; of having such a power over us, as the potter hath over his clay, for he finds us of different matter, one clay, another gold, when he comes to appoint us to different uses and ends.

Fifthly, God sees no faith, no obedience, perseverance; nothing but sin and wickedness in any man, but what himself intendeth graciously and freely to bestow upon them, for