yea, very possibly to-morrow: But if so, he who is a child of God to-day, may be a child of the devil to-morrow. For, 4. God is the Father of them that believe, so long as they believe. the devil is the father of them that believe not, whether they did once believe or no. But 30. The sum of all is this. If the scriptures be true, those who are holy or righteous in the judgment of God himself; those who are endued with the faith that purifies the heart, that produces a good conscience those who are grafted into the good olive tree, the spiritual, invisible church; those who are branches of the true vine, of whom Christ says, I am the vine, ye are the branches; those who so effectually know Christ, as by that knowledge to have escaped the pollutions of the world; those who see the light of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, and who have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, of the witness and of the fruits of the Spirit; those who live by faith in the Son of God those who are sanctified by the blood of the covenant: may nevertheless so fall from God, as to perish everlastingly. Therefore let him that standeth, take heed lest he fall. 1. I Predestination Calmly Considered. 105 TRACT VI. PREDESTINATION CALMLY CONSIDERED. That to the height of this great argument, And justify the ways of God with man. MILTON. AM inclined to believe, that many of those who enjoy the faith which worketh by love, may remember some time, when the power of the Highest wrought upon them in an eminent manner; when the voice of the Lord laid the mountains low, brake all the rocks in pieces, and mightily shed abroad his love in their hearts, by the Holy Ghost given unto them. And at that time it is certain, they had no power to resist the grace of God. They were then no more able to stop the course of that torrent which carried all before it, than to stem the waves of the sea with their hand, or to stay the sun in the midst of heaven. II. And the children of God may continually observe, how his love leads them on from faith to faith with what tenderness he watches over their souls; with what care he brings them back if they go astray, and then upholds their going in his path, that their footsteps may not slide.They cannot but observe, how unwilling he is, to let them go from serving him; and how, notwithstanding the stubbornness of their wills, and the wildness of their passions, he goes on in his work, conquering and to conquer, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. III. The farther this work is carried on in their hearts, the more earnestly do they cry out, 'Not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name give the praise, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake.' The more deeply are they convinced, that by grace we are saved; not of works, lest any man should boast: that we are not pardoned and accepted with God for the sake of any thing we have done, but wholly and solely for the sake of Christ, of what he hath done and suffered for us. The more assuredly likewise do they know, that the condition of this acceptance is faith alone; before which gift of God no good work can be done, none which hath not in it the nature of sin. IV. How easily then may a believer infer, from what he hath experienced in his own soul, that the true grace of God always works irresistably in every believer? That God will finish where ever he has begun this work, so that it is impossible for any believer to 'fall from grace? And lastly, that the reason why God gives this, to some only, and not to others, is because of his own will, without any previous regard either to their faith or works, he hath absolutely, unconditionally predestinated them to life, before the foundation of the world. V. Agreeable hereto, in the Protestant confession of faith, drawn up at Paris, in the year 1559, we have these words: (article 12.) "We believe, that out of the general corruption and condemnation, in which all men are plunged, God draws those whom in his eternal and unalterable counsel, he has elected by his own goodness, and mercy, through our Lord Jesus Christ, without considering their works, leaving the others in the same corruption and condemnation." VI. To the same effect speak the Dutch divines assembled at Dort, in the year 1618.Their words are: (Art. 6. et. seq.) "Whereas in process of time, God bestowed faith on some, and not on others, this proceeds from his eternal decree-According to which, he softens the heart of the elect, and leaveth them that are not elect in their wickedness and hardness. “And herein is discovered the difference put between men equally lost, that is to say, the decree of election and reprobation. "Election is, the unchangeable decree of God, by which, before the foundation of the world, he hath chosen in Christ unto salvation, a set number of men. 'This election is one and the same of all which are to be saved. "Not all men are elected, but some not elected: whom God in his unchangeable good pleasure hath decreed, to leave in the common misery, and not to bestow saving faith upon them : but leaving them in their own ways, at last to condemn and punish them everlastingly, for their unbelief, and also for their other sins.And this is the decree of reprobation." VII. Likewise in the confession of faith, set forth by the assembly of English and Scotch divines, in the year 1646, are these words.chap. 3.) "God from all eternity did unchangeably ordain whatsoever cometh to pass. "By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death. "These angels and men, thus predestinated and fore-ordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished. "Those of mankind that are predestinated unto life, God before the foundation of the world hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory-without any foresight of faith or good works. "The rest of mankind God was pleased-for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath." No less express are Mr. Calvin's words, in his Christian Institutions, (chap. 21. sect. 1.) "All men are not created for the same end; but some are fore-ordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation. So according as every man was created for the one end or the other, we say, he was elected, i. e. predestinated to life, or reprobated, i. e. predestinated to damnation." VIII. Indeed there are some who assert the decree of election, and not the decree of reprobation. They assert, that God hath by a positive, unconditional decree, chosen some to life and salvation; but not that he hath by any such decree, devoted the rest of mankind to destruction. These are they to whom I would address |