Εικόνες σελίδας
PDF
Ηλεκτρ. έκδοση

he is warning against a partial regarding the rich, and defpifing the poor, he fhews this to be very contrary to God's method in difpenfing fpiritual favours. The 2d

ch. 5th v. Hearken my beloved brethren, bath not God CHOSEN the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he bath promised to them that love him?

The apoftle Peter will not leave this. fubject untouch'd. Writing to the chriftians driven by perfecution from their own country into places where they were strangers, he addrefles them in this ftile, ELECT according to the fore-knowledge of God the father, thro' fanctification of the spirit unto obedi ence, and fprinkling of the blood of Jesus. He diftinguishes between them and others, in the next ch. at the 8th and 9th verses ; Others, he says, took offence at Chrift, and ftumbled at his word, being disobedient,where-. unto also they were apointed; but these were a CHOSEN GENERATION, a PECULIAR PEOPLE,

to fhew forth the praises of him, who bath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light. And in his next epiftle, the ift, ch. the 10th v. he exhorts them to give dilligence to make their calling, and therein their election fure; i. e. fure to themselves, with refpect to their own comfortable knowledge of it, as it was already fure with refpect to the decree and purpose of God.

The

The teftimonies fhall finish with John, as his writings close the book of God. He was especially the difciple of love, and his epiftles, as well as his gofpel, breath the electing love of God. In his firft epiftle the 14th ch, the 19th v. He makes the antecedent eternal love of God to us, not only the incentive, but the rife and spring of the believers love to him; We love him, because he first loved us. And he infcribes his fecond epiftle,to an honourable matron, whom he calls the elect Lady; not only a choice one, but one chofen of God

Nor is the book of the Revelation which Jefus Chrift made to him filent about this truth. There we are told, That all that dwell in the earth shall warship the beaft, and be deceived by fatan, either in doctrine or practice, to their perdition, excepting those whose names are written in the lambs book of life from the foundation of the world; 13th ch. 8. v. 17. ch. 8. And in the 14th verle, the followers of the lamb have this defcription and character given of them, they are called, and chofen, and faithful Finally, we are told in the 21 ch. 27th v. Who shall gain admiffion into the new Ferufalem, the Jerufalem which is above, the city of the livingGod; that there fhall in no wife enter any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but

THEY

THEY WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S

BOOK OF LIFE. This expreffion frequently occurs in the facred ftile. Of fome particular faints we read, ( Phil. 4. 3. ) their names are in the book of life. And the whole body of them are ftiled, (Heb. 12. 23.) The church of the first-born written in beaven. All which places refer to the common usage among men, of keeping books of record, in which are entred the names of perfons admitted into their community, and all elections to offices among them: And fo in this metaphorical way of fpeaking, the fcripture reprefents the great difcriminating favour of eternal election.

It appears from all, that the doctrine we are treating of, is no fcatter'd, fingle, or independent article ; but runs along with the stream of the bible. "We have "not this truth as the fmall drop of a bucket, "but as the found of many waters. If thefe

texts do not mean what we are maintaining, to me they mean nothing at all. And however one or two of them may be artfully evaded, or turn'd to another fenfe by the flight of any; † yet they who deny our

+ If any would fee a number of the fcriptures we have mention'd refcu'd from the strange and unnatural interpretations of Hammond, Whitby,

doarine must fight with an exceeding great army of fcriptures, and contend with Mofes and the Prophets, CHRIST and his Apostles. And thus we see what we have aflerted, ftrongly establifh'd by the authority of the holy fcriptures.

II. We may argue this truth from the divine perfections; particularly, from the infinite wisdom, and certain fore-knowledge. of God.

1. From the infinite wisdom of God, in conjunction with his power. Whatever God does, he must be fuppos'd to have before determin'd to do: This must be allow'd or elfe it wou'd argue him defective in wisdom. And whatever he determines to do he must accomplish,or it wou'd argue him defective in power. I find this tho't fo well purfu'd by a late rational and found Di. vine, that I will take the liberty to use his words, with but little variation.

*

"It must be allow'd that whatever perfection or excellency is to be found in any creature, the fame must be eflential to the

Whitby, and others; let them confult, Doctor.
Edwards's VeritasRedux, and the late Doctor
Ridgley's Body of Divinity.

* The Rev. Mr. Sladen.

moft

moft high God, and that in the most eminent and tranfcendent degree. For, if every creature derives its being from God, as the firft caufe, then no creature can poffibly be poffefs'd of any excellency, but what muft, in the higheft and moft abfolute fenfe, belong to God. Now, no one can deny that it is an excellency in any creature to be wife and powerful; wife to lay a fcheme of what he intends to do, and powerful to perform and accomplish what he defigns. For a rational being to fet about a work, without firft forming in his mind a model of what he intends to purfue, is to difcover a defect of wildom; as not to be able to accomplish the plan he hath laid down, bewrays a want of power. These premises being granted which indeed cannot be denied, it must follow, that whatever the great God does he defign'd to do and whatever he defign'd to do he does. For, to fuppofeGod to perform any work which he did not before defign to perform, is to charge him with a degree of folly, and with acting below an intelligent agent; as to fuppofe him to defign a thing which he does not effect, is to tax him with impotence. If then it is an inftance of the wifdom and power of man, first to defign a work, and then to perfect it, the greatGod, K who

« ΠροηγούμενηΣυνέχεια »