GOD'S GOODNESS VINDICATED. 595 dead, buried, rose again, &c., do yet receive all the aforesaid mer- cies by him, and not by any other name or mediation, nor yet without his purchasing mediation. 14. And if, besides all the mercy that God showeth to others, he do antecedently and positively elect certain persons, by an ab- solute decree, to overcome all their resistances of his Spirit, and to draw them to Christ, arid by Christ to himself, by such a pow- er and way as shall infallibly convert and save, them, and not leave the success of his mercy, and his 'Son's preparations, to the bare uncertainty of the mutable will of depraved man, what is there in this that is injurious to any others ? Or that representethGod un- merciful to any but such whose eye is evil, because he is good, and as a free benefactor, maygive more mercy to some than others of equal demerits? If they that hold no grace but what is univer- sal, and left, as to the success, to the will of man, as the determin- ing cause, do think that this is well consistent with the merciful- ness of God ; surely they that hold as much universal grace as the former, and that indeed all have so much as bringeth and leav- eth the success to man's will, and deny to no man any thing which the other give, do make God no less merciful than they ; but more, if they moreover assert a special decree and grace ofGod, which, with a chosen number, shall antecedently infallibly secure his ends, in their repentance, faith, perseverance, and salvation. Is this any detraction from, or diminution of his universal grace? Oi rather a higher demonstration of his goodness? As it is no wrong to man that Godmaketh angels more holy, immutable and happy. 15. And what if men cannot here tell how to resolve the ques- tion ' Whether any, or how many, are ever converted and saved, by that mere grace which we call sufficient, or rather necessary, and common to those that are not converted; and whether man will ever make a saving, determining improvement of it ;' must plain truth be denied, because difficulties cannot easily be solved ? And yet in due place 1 doubt not but I have showed, that this question itself is formed upon false suppositions, and is capable of a satisfactory solution. 16. I,conclude in general, that nothing is more sure, than that God is most powerful, wise, and good, and that all his works, to those that truly know them, do manifest all these in conjunction and perfect harmony; and that, as to his decrees and providences, he is the cause of all good, and of no sin in act or habit, and that our sin and destruction is of ourselves, and of him is our holiness and salvation ; and that he attaineth all his ends as certainly as if men's will had no liberty, but were acted by physical necessita- tion; and yet that man's will hath as much natural liberty as if
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