the foundation of the world, in order to our being afterwards made holy and blameless before him in love, Eph. i. Of course, whatever truly and fpiritually good thing is found in any perfon, it is the fpecial gift and work of God: given and wrought, in confequence of eternal, unmerited election to grace and glory. Whence, the greatest faint cannot triumph over the most 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 graciously made him to differ from that world which lieth in wickedness. Such being the tendency of this bleffed doctrine, how injurious, both to God and man, would the fuppreffion of it be? Well does St. Auftin argue; "As the duties of piety ought to be preached up, that he, who hath ears to hear, may be inftructed how to worship God aright; and as chastity should be publicly recommended and enforced, that he, who hath ears to hear, may know how to poffefs himself in fanctification; and as charity, moreover, fhould be inculcated from the pulpit, that he, who hath ears to hear, may be excited to the ardent love of God, and his neighbour: In like manner, fhould God's predeftination of his favours be openly preached, that he who hath ears to hear, may learn to glory, not in himself, but in the Lord*."

IV. Predeftination should be publicly taught and infifted upon, in order to confirm and ftrengthen true believers in the certainty and confidence of their falvation. For, when regenerate perfons are told, and are enabled to believe, that the glorification of

* De Bono Perfever. cap. 20. + Our venerable reformers, in the 17th of our xxxix articles, make the very fame observation, and, nearly, in the fame words :-" The godly confideration of predestination, and our election in Chrift, is full of fweet, pleasant, and unfpeakable comfort to godly perfons; because it doth greatly eftablish and confirm their faith of everlasting falvation, to be enjoyed through Chrift, &c.

the

the elect is fo affuredly fixed in God's eternal purpofe, that it is impoffible for any of them to perish; and when the regenerate are led to confider themfelves as actually belonging to this elect body of Chrift; what can eftablith, ftrengthen, and fettle their faith, like this? Nor is fuch a faith prefumptuous; for, every converted man may and ought to conclude himself elected: fince God the fpirit renews those only, who were chofen by God the Father, and redeemed by God the Son. This is an hope which maketh not afhamed, nor can poffibly iffue in difappointment, if entertained by thofe into whofe hearts the love of God is poured forth, by the Holy Ghoft given unto them, Rom. v. 5.

The holy triumph and affurance, resulting from this bleffed view, are exprefsly warranted by the apostle, Rom. viii. where he deduces effectual calling, from a prior predeftination; and infers the certainty of final falvation, from effectual calling: whom he did predeftinate, them he alfo called; and whom he called, them he alfo juftified; and whom he justified, them he alfo glorified. How naturally, from fuch premifes, does the apoftle add, Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? Who, and where is he that condemneth them? Who, and what, fhall feparate us from the love of Chrift?--In all these things we are, and fhall be, more than conquerors, through him that hath loved us: for I am perfuaded [ua*, I am most clearly and affuredly confident], that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, fhall be able to feparate us from the love of God, which is in Chrift Jefus our Lord. So, elsewhere, The foundation of the Lord, i. e. his decree or purpose, according to election, ftandeth

Certus fum, Ar. Montan. Certâ fide perfuafum mihi habeo, Erafm. Victa omni dubitatione, Bengel. I am affured, Dutch vergon.

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fure;

fure; having this feal, The Lord knoweth them that are his which is particularly noted by the apostle, left true believers might be difcouraged, and begin to doubt of their own certain perfeverance to falvation, either from a fenfe of their remaining perfections, or from obferving the open apoftacy of unregenerate profeffors, 2 Tim. ii.-How little obliged, therefore, are the flock of Chrift, to thofe perfons, who would, by ftifling the mention of predeftination, expunge the fenfe and certainty of everlafting, bleffednefs from the lift of Chriftian privileges !

V. Without the doctrine of predeftination, we cannot enjoy a lively fight and experience of God's fpecial love and mercy towards us in Chrift Jesus. Bleffings, not peculiar, but conferred, indifcriminately, on every man, without diftin&tion or exception, would neither be a proof of peculiar love in the donor, nor calculated to excite peculiar wonder and gratitude in the receiver. For instance, rain from heaven, though an invaluable benefit, is not confidered as an argument of God's fpecial and peculiar favour, to fome individuals, above others: and why? because it falls on all alike: as much on the rude wilderness, and the barren rock, as on the cultivated garden, and the fruitful field. But the bleffing of election, fomewhat like the Sibylline books, rifes in value, proportionably to the fewnefs of its objects. So that, when we recollect, that, in the view of God (to whom all things are, at once, prefent), the whole mafs of mankind was confidered as juftly liable to condemnation, on account of original and actual iniquity; his felecting fome individuals, from among the reft, and gracioufly fetting them apart, in Chrift, for falvation both from fin and punishment; were fuch acts of fovereign goodnefs, as exhibit the exceeding greatnefs, and the entire freenefs, of his love, in the most awful, amiable, and humbling light. In order, then, that the fpecial grace of God may fhine, predeftination must be preached; even the eternal and immutable predeftination

deftimation of his people to faith and everlafting life. "From those who are left under the power of guilt," says St. Austin, “the person, who is delivered from it, may learn, what he too must have fuffered, had not grace stepped 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 goodness. Some, however, call it unjuft, for one to be delivered while another, though no more guilty than the former, is condemned: If it be just to punish one, it would be but juftice to punish both. I grant, that both might have been juftly punished. Let us, therefore, give thanks unto God our Saviour, for not inflicting that vengeance on us, which, from the condemnation of our fellow-finners, we may conclude to have been our defert, no less 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 ftrictness of juftice, to fin; and, on the other hand, had none of the fallen race been ranfomed and fet at liberty, how could divine grace have difplayed the riches of its liberality*?" The fame evangelical Father delivers himself, elsewhere, to the fame effect: "Hence," fays he, "appears the greatnefs of that grace, by which fo many are freed from condemnation and they may form fome idea of the mifery, due to themfelves, from the dreadfulnefs of the punishment that awaits the reft. Whence, thofe who rejoice, are taught to rejoice, not in their own merits (que paria effe vident damnatis, for they fee that they have no more merit than the damned), but in the Lord." Hence refults,

VI. Another reafon, nearly connected with the former, for the unreferved publication of this doctrine: viz. That, from a fenfe of God's peculiar,

* Epift. 105. ad Sixt. Prefb.

De Predeft. Santor. lib. 1.. cap. 9.

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eternal,

eternal, and unalterable love to his people, their hearts may be enflamed to love him in return. Slender indeed will be my motives to the love of God, on the fuppofition that my love to him is before hand with his to me; and that the very continuance of his favour, is fufpended on the weather-cock of my variable will, or the flimfey thread of my imperfect affection. Such a precarious, dependent love, were unworthy of God; and calculated to produce but a fcanty and cold reciprocation of love from man. At the happieft of times, and in the beft of frames, below, our love to God is but a fpark (though fmall and quivering, yet ineftimably precious, becaufe divinely kindled, fanned and maintained in the foul; and an earneft of better to come): whereas, love, as it glows in God, is an immenfe fun which fhone without beginning, and fhall thine without end. Is it probable, then, that the fpark of human love should give being to the fun of divine? and, that the luftre and warmth of this, fhould depend on the glimmering of that? yet, fo it must be, if predeftination is not true: and fo must be reprefented, if predeftination is not taught. -Would you, therefore, know what it is, to love God as your Father, Friend, and Saviour; you must fall down before his electing mercy. Until then, you are only hovering about, in queft of true felicity. But you will never find the door, much less can you enter into reft, until you are enabled to love him because he hath firft loved you, i John

iv. 19.

This being the cafe, it is evident, that, without taking predeftination into the account, genuine morality and the performance of truly good works, will fuffer, ftarve, and die away. Love to God is the very fuel of acceptable obedience. Withdraw the fuel, and the flame expires. But the fuel of holy affection (if Scripture, experience, and obfervation, are allowed to carry any conviction) can only

be