to tbe E P H E S I A N S. 5) in a word or two to confute this Opinion, that this fhould not be the meaning~ of the place: And to takeonly fuch Arguments as the Text itfelf affords, (for~ that is proper to an Expofiuon.) . Firfi therefore If the meamng were, that God choofeth men tU Believers in Cimfl, or (which cometh all to one) choofeth upon. Faith rorefeen, he fhouli:l not choofe Perions but Graces; the pnnc1pal ab)eel: m Gods EleCl:1on fhould be Propofitions, not Perfons, whereas in this verfe, and •11 the three next verfes, the primary objeCl: IS the Perfons of men, He bath chojm tu zn hzm, and fo onv .5,6, t:ipd choofeth n?t Propolitions, as,he that 6elieveth /hall be Javed. That i'ro– poGtion indeed 1s the confequent of EleCl:IOn, and fo declared to us, becaute it makes EleCl:ion vifible to us. God declarerh •that and fuch hke Propofit10ns to be true, but !till the objeCl: of his choice is the Perfon ; for 'tis out of love, pure love. Nor did Chrifi die for Propofitions, but for Perfons. Secondly,Ag•in,the Apofile had faid in the verfe before, v. ~· That God bath !Jtefftd us with aOfpiritual UeJlings ifl Chrifl_; and then he fubjoyns Jlere, Ac– cording tU ht bath ckofm tu"' hnJJ: fo makmg thrs of EleCl:1on one mfiance of a Spi'ltual 6/e.fling. m verfc ~· Now, I ask th1s Qyefhon! Whether u .a ma~ 61tffed wuhfr~~th zn Chrift>.J•ea on10, tU one of thofe 6/e!fmgs wherewzth w~ are[aid to 6e 6lefftd i11 him1. If t.hey fay, Te-', then a man mufi be fupj>ofed ~o be in Chnfi before he bath fa1th, (m fome fenfe or other;) for Fanh Jtfelf IS one of the blellings comprehended in that [All] of blellings. And fo, if all be given us in G'hrifl, then Faith alfo, as we are confidered already chofen in Chrijl; yea otherwife, a~ the times when we have the blelling of Faith given to us, we are confideredout of Ghrijl aCl:ually when it is firfi given us, if that is it which makes us to be tlrfi in Chrifi, according to the Apoflles fcope of it there: There mufi therefore be fome fenfe or other intended, whereby we are in Chrifi, before we have faith. That is the fecond Argument. And then Thirdly the Apoflle faith , He chofe tu in him [that we fbouldh holy and without 6l'!me 6efore him i11 love,f§i:.] and the fame Reafon will carry it, That he as wellmte'!ds t.hat ~e chafe us to tlus end, that wejl10uldbelieve on him, And the Reafon hes m th1s, Look as he doth not choofe betaufe we are hoiJ in love, or that he forefeeth We will be holy in love; but he ehoofeth us that we jhoutd 6e holya11d withottt.6tamt in love, In like mahner it maybe faid, He choofeth unto Faith; for there IS the fame reafon of the one that there is of the other. Befides, that Faith may be conlidered as a part of SanCl:ificatiorl, 1]oh.p. Whofoever believeth that Jeftu is the Chrzjl, is bortt of God, f§c. In the 2Thtff.2. ~·both Faith and Holinefs are put in the llketelat!on; as to EleCl:ion 2nd we are faid to be ordained to the one, as to the other; and therefOre if w; are chofen to be holy, (as here) as being a fruit of EleCl:ion ; then to 6dievt alfo is a like fruit of EleCl:ion; for obferve but the words there, and compare them with thefe here, It is there fa id, He hath appoi111td tu unto falvmion thro11gh [mtctificatiotJ and belief of the Truth. Hotittefs (you fee) and Faith are put both together, as being Graces unto which we are alike ordained. Ancf Acts q.48. As many M Were ordai11ed to tlfr11al life, 6dieved, So that this is not the meaning of the words; and that is the firfi Interpretation. The Popifh Divines and Interpreters give another Expofition, [He hath cto[en tts in Chri(l] That is (fay they) for the Merits fake of Chrifi, forefeeing his Death and Pallion. And yet the befi of them that fay it, put but a [forte J an [it may be]upon it, as I remember S11arez cloth. . Now this cannot be the meaning neither. We read indeed, that we l1ave Redtmptio" through the Blood of Chrifi: (over. 7• l11whom we have Redtm– ption through his 6tood, and the forgivnufs of ji11s. But we no where read, that we have Election through the Blood of Chrifi, no not in the whole Book of God. Why ! what is the reafon of it? Becaufe EleCl:ion is the firfi foundation of our Salvation; it is the firfi ACl: of God's going forth in intentions to fave us, and hath nocaufebut the Pleajurt of his w z/1, fo the Text faith,,ver.r. and t he f'Y<Ii(e of the glory of his grace, fo ver. 6. Hence therefore, although the Mentsof Chn~ are the.caufe of.our Salvation, yet they are not the caufe of our berng ordarned to falvation. They are the calJfe that purchafeth all thing• · decreed
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