"that every one which seeth the Son, and be"lieveth on him, may have everlasting life; and "I will raise him up at the last day."-" No man "can come to me, except the Father which hath "sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at "the last day. It is written in the prophets, And 'they shall be all taught of God: every man therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of "the Father, cometh unto me." "No man can "come to me, except it were given unto him of my Father."1 "Other sheep I have, which are "not of this fold;" (evidently meaning the gentiles who should believe in him;)" them also "must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and "there shall be one fold and one shepherd."-" Ye "believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as "I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and "I know them, and they follow me: and I give "unto them eternal life, and they shall never "perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my "hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." 2 "As thou hast given him power over "all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as

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many as thou hast given him.” "I pray for "them; I pray not for the world; but for them "whom thou hast given me."-Neither pray I for "these alone, but for them also which shall believe "on me through their word." 3 "The election

"hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. "4 But let this suffice.

'sinners in general;' that is, he will not save men whether they believe and obey or not. Now, supposing all who believe and obey to have been 'chosen, in Christ out of mankind,'' by the coun'sel of God secret to us; and, in consequence, to have been called according to God's purpose by 'his Spirit, working in due season; and that ' through grace obey the call, &c. '1 then the doctrine of personal election is as consistent with the general intention of Christ's coming to save sinners, as the doctrine that only those who believe and obey shall be saved. And to explain the general design in any other sense would bring in universal salvation. On our principles also, the impenitently wicked alone are excluded from the 'blessed hope of everlasting life, which God has given us in Jesus Christ our Saviour:' for we consider none as non-elect, but those who die im penitent and unbelieving, not by necessity, or in any other way than by being left, without renewing grace, to the effects of their wicked dispositions and actions-How far the following texts may be considered as instances in which the scripture thus restrains the object of Christ's incarnation, the reader must judge. "All that the Father "giveth me, shall come to me; and him that "cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. For "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own

will, but the will of him that sent me and this "is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of "all which he hath given me I should lose no

thing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me ;

'Art. xvii. See also Art. x.

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"that every one which seeth the Son, and be"lieveth on him, may have everlasting life; and "I will raise him up at the last day."-" No man can come to me, except the Father which hath "sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at "the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God: every man therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of "the Father, cometh unto me." "No man can "come to me, except it were given unto him of my Father."1 "Other sheep I have, which are "not of this fold; " (evidently meaning the gentiles who should believe in him;) "them also "must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and "there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”—“ Ye "believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as " I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and "I know them, and they follow me: and I give "unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my "hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them "out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are 66 one." 2 "As thou hast given him power over "all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as

many as thou hast given him." "I pray for "them; I pray not for the world; but for them "whom thou hast given me."-Neither pray I for "these alone, but for them also which shall believe

on me through their word." 3 "The election "hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." 4 But let this suffice.

1

1 John vi. 37-40, 44, 45, 65. John xvii. 2, 9, 20.

2 John x. 16, 26-30.

* Rom. xi. 7.

'Calvin considers the fall of Adam, and all the 'corruption and depravity of the human race, as the necessary effects of an eternal decrce of God.

Those, however, who admit the authenticity of 'the scriptures, must acknowledge, that God com'manded Adam not to eat of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."....And can we believe that God forbade the fall, which by an ' antecedent decree he had rendered inevitable? 'that he gave a commandment to Adam, which 'by his original formation he was absolutely un' able to obey? that he made the possession of paradise, and the continuance of his innocence ' and happiness, to depend upon a condition which 'it was physically impossible for him to fulfil ?'1

God, by a positive law,' forbade Adam to eat the fruit of a certain tree; and certainly he forbade the Jews, by positive law, to crucify their holy Messiah: yet he foresaw, and predicted, and consequently had decreed, " in his determinate "counsel and foreknowledge," the crucifixion of the Messiah: and he might secretly determine to leave Adam to himself, for most wise and holy purposes, and yet forbid him to eat of the fruit of that tree. But as nothing express is spoken concerning such a decree, however it may seem to follow from the other doctrines which we do hold, it is presumptuous in us to deduce unrevealed conclusions from revealed truths, even though Calvin himself did it.-Calvinists in general do not hold, that Adam by his original formation was absolutely unable to obey; or that the continuance of innocence and happiness depended Ref. 245, 246.-On necessary effects, see B. I. c. ii. § 4.

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' on a condition, that he was' either' physically' or morally' unable to obey;' nay, they maintain the contrary: but God alone is immutable; and a creature, however exalted and excellent, must be changeable; and Adam changed, and fell, by his own wilful and aggravated crime. The entrance, however, of wickedness and misery, into the creation of an Omnipotent God, who is Love, or even the existence of them, is a difficulty which the scripture has not removed, and which man's reasonings never can remove; but which will, no doubt, be cleared up at the day of " the revela"tion of the righteous judgment of God." It is an undeniable fact, on every supposition, and bears equally upon the sentiments of all men, except avowed Atheists: yet it is the grand difficulty of all; and, if any man could satisfactorily solve it, all others might be more easily removed. But, though the "judgments of God are a great deep, "his righteousness is like the strong mountains."

'It was indeed a decree of God, to create man ' and to endow him with free agency; but the 'bad actions of men, which arose from the abuse ' of this free will, are not to be considered as the 'decrees of God. All which can be said of them 'with reference to God is, that they are the consequence of his decree. It is indispensably 6 necessary to distinguish between those works 'which are done by the immediate will and ope'ration of God, and those works which are done

by free agents who derive their free agency from 'him. The former may very properly be said to 'be the decrees of God, because "known unto