LQ DISPLAY of antiquity, were to light a candle in the fns ; for itcannot but be known to all and every one, whoever heard or read any thing of the fiate of Chrifi's Church, after the rifrng of thePelagian tumults (a). To accumulate tefiimonies of the ancients is quite befide my purpofe, I will on- ly add the confellion of (b) Bellarmine, a man otherwife not over -well effefted to truth : PredÇrnation, faith he, from the firfight of works cannot be maintained, unlefs we fhould fseppfe fomerbing in the righteous man, which fhould make him deer from the wicked that he doth not receive from God, which truly ,ail the fathers Leith unanimous con- fine do rojeft. But we have a more fore tefìimouy to which we will takeheed, 'even the holyfcriptúre pleading Strongly for God's free and undeferved grace. 1. Our Saviour Chrift, Ninth. xi. 26. declaring horn God revealeth the Gofpel unto fome, which is hidden from others; a fpecial fruit of eleftion ; refteth in his willand good pleafare as the only caufe thereof; Even fo, O Father! for fo it feemed good. in thy fight, fo comforting his little flock, Luke xii. 32. he bids them fear not, for it isyour Father's good pleafure to give you the kingdom. His good pleafure is the -only caufe why his kingdom is prepared for you, rather than others : but is there no other reafo.i of this difcriminution ? No; he dots it all, that his purpofe according to eleilion might fand firm, Rom. ix. e,. For ave are predeflinated according to the purpofe of him, whoworketh all things after the counfel of his eras will, -Éphef i. es. But did not this cóunfel of God direkt him to choofe us rather than others, be- caufe we had fomething to commend us more than they ? No ; 7 he Lord did stet fat His love upon you, nor choofe you, becafe you were more in number than any people, but becaufe the Lord loved you, Deut. vii. 7, 8. He hath mercy, on whom he will have mercy, rea, before the children were born, and had done either good or evil, that the purpofe of God according to elelfion might fond, not of works, but of him that esalleth. It was faid unto her, the elder foal fern the younger, as it is roritten, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated, Rom. ix. a 1, e z. In brief, where ever there is any men- tion of elektion or predeilination, it is frill accompanied with the purpofe, love or will of God; his fore-knowledge, whereby he knoweth them that are his, his free power and fupream dominion over all things; of our faith, obedience, or any thing importing fo much, not one fyllable, no mention, unlefs it be ase the fruit and effeft thereof; it is the fore aft of his free grace and good pleafure, that loe might make known the riches of his glory towards the veffels of mercy, Rom. ix. 23. for this only end bath he faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, bur owes to his purpofe and grace, which was given in ifs aryl before for world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. Even our calling is free and undeferved, becaufe flowing from that moft tree grace of elation, whereof we are partakers before we are. It were needlefs to heap up more tefeimonies, in a thing fo clear and evident. When God and man Band in competition, who Shall be accounted the taufe of an eternal good, we may be fare the fcripture will pafs the verdit on the part of the moft high. And the fentence in this cafe may be derived from thence by thefe following reafons. (e.) If final perfeverance in faith arid. obedience be the caufe of, or a condition required unto elation, then none canbe Paid in this life to be elefted; for no man is a final perfeverer until he be dead, until he hath'finifhed his courre andconfum- mated the faith ; but certain it is, that it it is fpoken of tune in the furipture, that they are even in this life elekted, Few are chfen,. Match. xx. 16. For thedelis fake chafe days fall be fhortned, Match. xxiv. And Pall feduçe if it were pn(fble the very c- left, ver. 24. where it is evident, that eleCion is required to make one perfevere in the faith ; but no where is perfeverance in the faith required toelektion.. Yea, and Peter gives us all a command, that we fhould give all diligence to get an affurance of our elektion even in this lite, 2 Per. i. ea. and therefore furely.it cannot beade- cree prefuppofngconfummated faith and obedience. (2.) Confider two things of our of -ate, before us. Es.] The temporal aft of God's free grace (for grace is no grace if it benot free) which' is the firft effekt of our predeftination?C'mprehendeth us. Werewe better than (a) Vid. Profp. ad excel. Gen. addub. S. 9. vid. Car. de ingrates. C. 2. 3. (i) Non potek aerendi prwdeltinatio ex operibus prwvifis, rift aliquid boni ponatur inhomme júlto, quo difcernatur abimpio, quad non fit illi a Deo, quad fane patres omnes fumma cunfeutione rejiciunt, Bello. degnat. ES lib. arbil. sap. 14. others':
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