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fingle fermon; three or four difcourfes, if God give us the opportunity for them, will be little eno' for my purpose. And now, myHearers,let me crave, and, as I speak in the name of Chrift, I may demand your reverend and ferious attention. Let me entreat you to lay afide prejudices, if you have entertain'd any, against this doctrine, and to receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to fave your fouls. Let me defire you to ftop all cenfures till I have finish'd the subject, if, thro' the good hand of our God upon us, I may be allowed to do fo. And let me further ask you, before I proceed, to lift up your heart to God, in fome fuch fecret petition as this, "Lord! If this doctrine be according to thy mind and will, fuffer not my mind to be prejudiced against it; but help me to receive it in the love of it, and to improve it to all thofe holy faving purposes for which thou haft reveal'd it in thy word! If any will not do thus, let me tell them, their minds are not rightly difpos'd to hear, nor can they be look'd upon to be fincere enquirers after truth.

And now the method in which, thro' divine affiftance, I would purfue the fubject is this,

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I. I

I. I would represent and ftate the truth, to fhew you what we intend by the doctrine of Election, or Predeftination unto life.

II. I will endeavour to prove it, and fhew that the doctrine fo represented and ftated, is really the doctrine of the gospel.

III. I shall attempt to answer the objections commonly bro't against it, and to clear the doctrine of fome difficulties wherewith its enemies have loaded it.

IV. I fhall expofe a few of the abfurdities which follow upon the denial of this doctrine, and mention fome difficulties of which the contrary fcheme labours, and with which they are embarrass'd who are on the other fide of the queftion.

V. I fhall open the importance of the doctrine, and fhew of what confequence it is in the chriftian fcheme.

Laftly, I fhall endeavour to improve it to the great ends of ferious religion, and practical godlinels.

I. I am in the first place, to represent and fate the truth, and fhew what we intend by the doctrine of Election, or Predeftination

deftination unto life. And I chufe to defcribe it to you in the terms of the 17th among the famous articles of the church of England, which are fubfcrib'd by all the allow'd clergy of the nation. "Predefti

nation unto life, fays that article, is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby before the foundation of the world was laid, he hath conftantly decreed by his counsel, fecret to us, to deliver from curfe and condemnation, thofe whom he hath chofen in Chrift Jefus out of mankind, and to bring them by Chrift unto everlafting falvation, as veffels made to honour. " With this article agree the confeffion of faith fet forth by the aflembly of Divines at Weftminster, and alfo their Catechisms, both the larger, and the fhorter which we receive and teach. This truth fo aflerted in our publick standards, I fhall explain in feveral diftinct propofitions.

1. Predeftination unto life refpects only fome of mankind. It can't refpect all, inafmuch as all the children of men will not be finally fav'd. As there are evidently two forts of perfons in the world now, good and bad, fo we are fure from the word of God there will be found two very different forts of perfons at the great day, who will be dealt with after a very differ

ent

ent manner; the righteous and the wicked. Thefe fhall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. * "And if all mankind are not finally fav'd, to be sure they were not originally predeftinated unto life; for the decree of God can't be fruftrated. He hath faid, My counsel fhall ftand, and I will do all my pleasure. | There is a remnant, fays the apoftle, according to the election of grace, Rom. 11. 5. and a remnant can't be all. So in the 11th v. The election bath obtain'd it, and the rest were blinded. The common diftinction therefore of the elect, and non-elect, is juft and neceflary. When fome are chofen out of many, the reft muft of confequence be left, or the very notion of election is destroy'd.

2. These were perfonally chofen and pitch'd upon in the purpofe and decree of God concerning them. Some will have the election the fcripture fpeaks of, to be only of qualifications, and not of perfons; but this is meer evafion and trifling. The fcripture plainly speaks of an election of perfons. Whom he did fore-know, fays the text, them he did predeftinate. These our faviour ftiles † the men that the father had

* Mat. 25. 46. || Ifa. 46. 10. † Joh. 17. 6.

given him out of the world, and their names are faid to be written in the book

*

of life from the foundation of the world.

3. Those who are predeftinated unto life and happiness as the end, are alfo predeftinated unto faith and holiness as the way. When God chufes perfons to an end, he alfo determines the means to that end. The fame decree that predeftinates any perfons to falvation, afcertains the means of attaining that falvation. Thefe, according to the conftitution of the gospel, are faith and holiness; and fo they come under the fame decree by which any are predeftinated unto glory. The elect are not predeftinated unto life,provided they perform the conditions of falvation, do believe in the LordJefus Chrift, and are holy, in which they are left entirely to their own will and choice. No; the predeftination we are fpeaking of, is no fuch conditional uncertain thing as this makes it to be. The objects of it are by one determinate decree appointed to a certain falvation, which they shall obtain thro' faith and fanctification, which are given them in consequence of the decree, So the Apostle tells the

* Rev, 17. 8.

believing

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