of falvation: for, the people of Antioch, both in Syria and Pifidia, and the people of Lyftra and Derbe, and the Philippians had already received the Gofpel, and the Apoftles had acquainted the brei thren at Jerufalem with the converfion of the Gentiles, Acts 15. 3, before ever Paul preached the Gofpel at Theffalonica, as appears from the Acts of the Apostles. Nor do I think, the learned person was unacquainted with this; and therefore he faid, the Theffalonians were almost among the firft; which diminutive particle does not a little weaken the force of the expreffion from the beginning. 4thly. Much lefs can' it be faid, that the Theffalonians were feparated from the beginning of that falvation, which Jefus publifhed; which beginning Paul makes prior to the confirmation of the Gofpel made by thofe, who heard it from the mouth of Jefus himself, that is, to the preaching of the Apostles, Heb. 2. 3. For it is plain, Chrift was the minifter of circumcifion, and did not preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Nothing therefore appears more easy and solid, than that explication, we have already given.

lection

XXIV. Having faid enough concerning the God's Eeternity of election, let us now confider its FREENESS; moft free. which confifts in this, that God, as the absolute Lord of all his creatures, has chofen, out of mankind, whom and as many as he pleased; and indeed, in fuch a manner, as that no good, which he forefaw in any man, was the foundation of that choice, or the reason, why he chofe one rather than another. This appears. ft. Because the Scripture afferts, that the moft free will of God was the fupreme reafon or cause of election, Mat. 11. 26, even fo, father, for fo it seemed good in thy fight. Luke 12. 32, it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Above all, the Apoftle is full in vindicating this abíolute power of God, Rom. 7. Where among other things he fays, v. 21, Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the fame lump to make one VOL. II.

C

velfel

And pre

veel unto honour, and another unto difhonour? 2dly. At the fame time alfo, that the Scripture refuses the confideration of any good forefcen in man,it maintains this most free and gracious good-pleasure of God, Rom. 9. 11, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth &c. 2 Tim. 1. 9, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose. 3dly. Neither fuppofes faith, nor holiness, nor any thing truely good can no good be confidered in man, unless bestowed out of divine in man. grace, Phil. 1. 29, unto you is given to believe on Chrift, Eph. 2. 8, faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. But the bestowing of this favour can proceed from no other caufe than the election of grace, and the benevolent good pleasure of his will. And confequently thefe benefits cannot be But itfelf prefuppofed as preparatory to divine election. 4thly. the fource The Scriptures exprefsly declare, that we are ofevery chofen to faith, holinefs, and to perfeverance in benefit. both, which being the confequents and fruits of

It is alfo

election, cannot be the antecedent conditions of it, Epb. 1. 4, he hath chofen us, that we should be boly and without blame, or have it begun on earth, and confummated in heaven, John 15. 16, I have chofen you and ordained you, that you should bring forth fruit. I have chofen you from eternity, called and ordained you in the appointed time, 2 Theff. 2. 13, God bath from the beginning chofen you to falvation, through fanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Election is as well to the means, as to the end. All these paffages, and many others of a like nature have been, fo fully and folidly, defended by our divines against the objections of the remonftrants, that I have scarce any thing to add.

XXV. This courfel of God, as it is free, fo it is immuta- alfo IMMUTABLE from eternity, ft. Immutability belongs to all the decrees of God, in general Is. 14. 27, the Lord of Hofts hath purpofed, and who fhall

ble.

difannul

difannul it? Is. 46. 10, my counsel fhall ftand, and I will do all my pleasure. Rom. 9. 19, who hath refifted bis will? To affirm with Crellius, that these things are to be understood of the abfolute decrees of God not of his conditional, is begging the question. For, we deny, that any decree of God depends on a condition: if the thing decreed be fufpended on a condition, the condition it felf is at the fame time decreed. These texts fpeak nothing of Crellius's diftinction, nor lay any foundation for it: and even reafon is against it. For, if any decree of God could be changed, it would be, because God either would not, or could not effect the thing decreed, or because his latter thoughts were wifer and better than his firft: all which are injurious to God. You will anfwer; God, indeed, wills, what he has decreed, to be done, but on condition the creature alfo wills it, whofe liberty he would no-wife infringe. I anfwer, is God fo deftitute either of power, or of wisdom, that he cannot fo concur with the liberty of fecond causes, which he himself gave and formed, as to do what he wills, without prejudice to, and confiftently with their liberty? God is far more glorious, in our opinion, and more to be had in reverence, than for us to believe any fuch thing of his power and wisdom. And here the very heathen poets and philofophers themselves, who, at times, have spoken more devoutly of their Gods, may put the Hereticks to the bluth: for thus Homer introduces Jupiter, faying,

Οὐ γὰρ ἐμὸν παλινάγρετον εδ' απατηλόν,

Ουδ' ατελέυτητον ὅτι κ' εν κεφαλῆ κατανέυσω,

Nec enim mutabitur unquam

Quod capite annuero, nec falfum fine carebit.

Nor is it mine to recal, nor to be falfe in, nor leave unfinished whatever I shall have fignified by my awful ned. And Maximus Tyrius, who quotes thefe words

To be blotted

out of the

book of life, ex. plained.

of Homer, Differt. 29, adds of his own in the following differtation; to be changable, and to repent is unworthy, not to fay, of God, but even of an honest. man. And he argues much in the fame manner, as we. 2dly. More efpecially the Scriptures afcribe immutability to the divine election: Rom. 9. 11, that the purpose of God according to election might Stand; 2 Tim. 2. 19, The foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this feal, the Lord knoweth them who are bis; Ifa. 49. 15, 16, Can a woman forget her fucking child, that fhe fhould not have compaffion on the fon of ber womb? Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee. Behold! I have graven thee on the palms of my bands; Rev. 3. 5, I will not blot out his name out of the book of life; Ifa. 4. 3, And it shall come to pass, that be that is left in Zion, and be that remaineth in Ferufalem, fhall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerufalem. Our adverfaries have scarce any thing to oppose to fuch exprefs paffages, but their ftale mufty diftinctions, of election peremptory and not peremptory, and the like, which are contrary both to the glory of God, and to the fimplicity of the fcriptures.

XXVI. But we muft fay fomething on Pf. 69. 28. Where the Lord Jefus denounceth a curfe against the Jews, the obftinate defpifers of his grace, and his fworn enemies; let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. And it cannot be doubted, but this imprecation of our Lord had its full effect: and hence it is concluded, that fome are blotted out of the book of the living. But we have already, fett. 6 and 7, fpoke fomewhat largely on this head, which may throw no fmall light on this paffage. For, ift, By the book of life, here we may very well underftand the lift of thofe, who live on earth with refpect to this animal life. For, the wicked Jews were blotted out of that book, by the tremendous judgment of God, when, in their last wars with the Romans, many my

riads of them were flain in a fhocking manner; whofe number Lipfius de Conftant. lib. 2. c. 21, has collected to amount to twelve hundred and thirty thousand, who were cut off in less than full feven years. 2dly, By the book of the living may be understood, the book of God's covenant-people, out of which the Jews were erafed, when God publickly disowned and rejected them; and it was faid to them lo-Rubama and lo-Ammi, according to the prophecy of Hofea. 1. 6, 9. This was done, when the Gospel, which the Jews rejected, was preached to the Gentiles, and eagerly received by them; and the wretched remains of the Jews were difperfed among the nations. 3dly, If we fhould understand it of the book of election, it may be faid, they were blotted out of that book, as to that writing, by which they prefumptuously wrote themselves down therein, falfely boafting, that they were the dearly beloved children of God and of Abraham; our Lord Jefus juftly imprecates against them, that this their boasting may be found actually vain. 4thly, But if this blotting out is to be abfolutely understood of the writing of God himself in the book of election, we fhall fay, that the blotting out was not privative but negative, and that the latter part of the verfe is an explication of the former: fo that the blotting out is a declaration of their not being written down. Kimchi, among the Jewish doctors, alfo obferved this, who writes; the verfe is double, the same sense being propofed in different words. And he adds, LET THEM BE BLOTTED OUT, fignifies, let them not be written in the book of life. From which it appears, that our adverfaries argue falfely from this paffage, against the im mutability of God's election.

know

certain of their elec

XXVII. As this is fixed and fettled with refpect to The elect God, fo the believer may alfo attain to a certain af- may be furance thereof, and, from infallible marks, that he is one of the chofen. If it was not fo, had, to no purpose, admonished believers, to heir calling and election fure, 2 Pet. 1. 9. 10.

& 3

Peter tion.
make

That

is,