These premises being granted, which cannot, I apprehend, be reasonably denied, it must follow, from hence, that whatever the Great God does, as the effect of power, he designed to do it: and whatever he designed to do, he does. These are propositions selfevident, which ought not to be disputed; for to suppose God to perform any work which he did not first design to perform, is to charge him with a degree of folly, and with acting below an intelligent agent; to suppose him todesign to do a thing, which he does not effect, is to tax him with impotence. If it is an instance of the wisdom and power of man, first to design a work, and then to perfect it, the Great God, who is infinite in both these perfections, must design what he effects, and effect what he has designed.

Either God actually saves all men, or he does not; if he does, he must have designed it; if the does not, it is plain he never designed it. To assert that God designed to save all men, and yet that, in fact, he only saves some, is, in effect, to affirm, either that he changes his purpose, as to a great many, or that he wants power to execute his intentions towards them; the every supposition of either of which is false and blasphemous: For reason must tell us, that it is impossible, for an infinitely wise God, to change his mind, or to alter his purpose; and that it is equally impossible, that a Being of Almighty power should not be able to bring his purpose to effect. To this decision of reason, the sacred Scriptures bear their testimony, in the plainest and strongest assertions: when it is said, that "God is not man that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: Has he said, and shall he not do it; or has he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Num. xxiii. 19. God may seem to repent, or to do those things in his providence, which would argue repentance in man; but whatever contrariety there may be in his providences, there can be no alterations in his purposes: therefore Job, under the different dispensations of God towards him, readily acknowledged this of him; "He is of one mind, and who

can turn him? and what his soul desires, even that he does; for he performs the thing that is appointed for me," Job xxiii. 13, 14. With how much majesty does the Great Jehovah deliver himself in these words: "I am God, and there is none else; I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My council shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure," Isa. xlvi. 9, 10. To this the Church bears witness, when she says, "Our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he pleased," Psal. cxv. 3. So Solomon tells us, that there are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand," Prov. xix. 21. God works without controlor resistance; "he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say to him, What dost thou?" Dan. vi. 35. "In whom also" (says the Apostle, speaking of himself, and the believing Ephesians) "we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him, who works all things after the counsel of his own will," Eph. i. 11. Thus our doctrine stands firm upon the infinite wisdom and almighty power of God. All that God designed to save he saves; but he actually saves some only, therefore he designed only to save some of fallen Adam's children; for, if we consider God as infinite in wisdom, and of almighty power, there cannot be a more rational way of arguing than from his acts to his designs.

I might further argue the doctrine from the foreknowledge of God. God foreknows from eternity whatsoever shall come to pass in time, and particularly he foreknows all that will be saved. Now, either all men will be saved, or not; if they will not, in fact, all be saved, then God does not foreknow that all will be saved, but he only knows the salvation of those who shall eventually be saved; and therefore he foreknows their salvation, because he designed to save them. If God did, from eternity, foreknow that only some

of the fallen race of Adam would be saved, then he, from eternity, designed to save some of them only: But God did from eternity foreknow that some only would be saved, because, in fact, all will not be saved.

Nor can this be any impeachment of the justice or mercy of God, because he had been just, had he determined to destroy all Adam's sinful offspring; and it is the effect of infinite mercy if he saves any of them. Should it be said, that God designed the salvation of all men upon certain conditions: To this it may be replied, either God did design that these conditions should be performed by all, or he did not; if he did, then all would be saved; and that all will be saved, those who oppose our doctrine do not pretend to affirm: If he did not, then it must carry in it a high reflection on the wisdom of God, to suppose him to design an end, upon precarious conditions, or to decree the salvation of all men, upon the performance of conditions, which he must foreknow many of them would not perform, because it is evident in fact, that many do not perform them.

To conclude this head of argument: If it cannot be proved that all men will actually be saved, it is weak in us, and it supposes a manifest defect in God, to affirm that he designed the salvation of all men upon certain conditions; and especially it is the more so, because, notwithstanding this universal conditional decree, it is uncertain whether any one will be saved; for by the same reason that we cannot affirm the actual salvation of all men, from this decree, we cannot ascertain the certain salvation of one man. That decree which makes the salvation of all men only possible, does not assure the salvation of one man, but renders the salvation of each individual person a bare possibility.

2dly, I come now to examine what proof we have of this doctrine in the word of God.

I shall not attempt to produce any arguments which might be collected from the Sacred Writings, by comparing several Scriptures together, but shall vindicate

those particular texts which I apprehend to confirm the doctrine under consideration; and these, for the sake of variety and method, I shall digest into this order. I shall, first, produce those that prove a personal election, in contradistinction from a national one; then I shall offer such as assert an election to salvation, in opposition to those who affirm that election refers only to the means of salvation, or to Church privileges; and afterwards I shall mention those that assure the certain salvation of a chosen people, to refute the notion of a universal conditional election.

(1.) I would produce some of those Scriptures that prove a personal election, in contradistinction to a national one. That the election, mentioned in the Holy Scriptures has a frequent respect to general bodies, or communities, I will readily allow; but to affirm that it is only of such, is a bold and groundless assertion. It is very evident that our Saviour speaks of a particular, and not general; a personal, and not national election; when he says, "Many are called, but few are chosen." Mat. xxii. 14. This, say some, is only a proverbial speech; but if it was, the proverb must carry some meaning in it: These words, says one, refer to the Jews, of whom, though many were called by Christ and his Apostles to faith in him, yet few of them did or would accept of him as their Saviour, or embrace the faith of Christ; but though these words have a prime reference to the Jews, yet it will not follow that the doctrine contained in them is not of more large and general extent, and may refer to those who, in all after-ages, are under the Gospel call. Admitting that by the chosen is meant those who believe, which, however, is against the grammatical sense of the words, it is a strong proof of their election, their faith being the evidence thereof. Faith is of the elect of God, and therefore few believe, because few are elected, according to that of our Saviour; "Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep," John x. 26. The sense of the place I take to be this; Many are called, but few are chosen, i. e. many are called, externally by the Gospel, to

outward privileges, but few are externally chosen to salvation, or appear to be chosen to salvation, because few believe in Christ: But, let the meaning of the place be what it will, it is very evident, that the few who are said to be chosen, must be understood of particular persons, and not of nations or societies.

When it is said, "For the elects sake these days shall be shortened; and, if it were possible, the should deceive the very elect; and he shall send his angels, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other," Matt. xxiv. 2, 24, 31. These passages speak of particular persons, and not of nations; as the redeemed are said to be out of "every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," Rev. v. 9. When it is said, "If it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect;" by the elect some would have to be understood the persevering Christians: but this is a very absurd interpretation of the word, because, in the nature of things, these cannot be deceived; whereas our Saviour founds the impossibility of their being deceived upon the immutable decree of God, securing them as his elect from being deceived by false christs, and false prophets. If it is said, by the elect here are to be meant the faithful or believers, this will not at all enervate the argument; for men are believers because they are elected, and not elected because they are believers; and because they are elected, therefore they shall not be finally deceived.

When the Apostle says, "Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son," Rom. viii. 29. this place cannot be understood of nations, but of particular persons. So, in that famous controverted chapter, Rom. ix. though we al low, that the election of the Jews, as a nation, is to be considered as a part of the election there spoken of; yet it is beyond all doubt that a personal election is also intended. This is evident, not only from the instances of Jacob and Esau, but of Pharaoh, and the many declarations, objections, and answers, thrown about in that same chapter.