Rom. iii. 25. Whom God bath fet forth, posdelo, fore-ordained to be a pro pitiation. 1 Pet. i. 20. Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world; that is, to be the Lamb flain. See chap. ii. 4. Luke xxii. 29. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father bath appointed unto me. Acts xvii. 31. Because he bath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he bath ordained. See alfo chap. x. 42. Ifa. xliii. 1. Behold my fervant whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my foul delighteth. See Matt. xii. 18. Luke xxii. 22. And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined, but wo unto that man by whom he is betrayed. Acts ii. 23. Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God, ye have taken, &c. Chap. iv. 28.For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. Secondly, Angels alfo are the objects of predestination, good and bad; the bleffed angels are chofen unto life, and to continue in their happy state to all eternity: and their perfeverance therein, and eternal felicity, are owing to the eternal choice of them in Chrift their head; I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the elect angels, that thou obferve these things, 1 Tim. v. 21. The evil angels are rejected of God, and left in that miferable eftate their apoftacy brought them into, without any provision of grace and mercy for thêm: they are delivered into chains of darkness, to be reserved to the judgment of the great day; and everlasting fire is prepared for them, according to the determinate counsel and will of God, 2 Pet. ii. 4. Matt. xxv. 41. Thirdly, Predeftination which the scriptures chiefly treat of, is what respects men, and confists of two parts, election and reprobation; the one is a predestination unto life, the other unto death. I. Election, which is a predeftination unto life, is an act of the free grace of God, of his fovereign and immutable will, by which from all eternity he has chofen in Chrift, out of the common mafs of mankind, fome men, or a certain number of them, to partake of fpiritual bleffings here, and happiness hereafter, for the glory of his grace. 1. The objects of election are fome men, not all, which a choice fuppofes; to take all would be no choice; called therefore a remnant according to the election of grace, Rom. xi. 5. These are a certain number which though unknown to us, how many, and who they are, are known to God; the Lord knows them that that are bis, 2 Tim. ii. 19. And though they are in themselves a great multitude, which no man can number, Rev. vii. 9. yet when compared with those from whom they are chofen, they are but few; many be called, but few chofen, Matt. xx. 16. Thefe are chofen out of the fame common mass of mankind, be it confidered as corrupt or pure; all were on an equal level when the choice was made; hath not the potter power over the clay of the fame lump, to make one vessel unto bonour, and another unto difhonour? Rom. ix. 21. thefe are not whole nations, churches, and communities, but particular perfons, whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life; Jacob have I loved, &c. falute Rufus chofen in the Lord: according as he hath chofen us in him, &c. Rom. ix. 13. and xvi. 13, Eph. i. 4. not a fett of prepofitions, but perfons; not characters, but men; or not men under fuch and fuch characters, as believers, holy, &c. but men as having done neither good nor evil; before they had done either, Rom. ix. 1.1. I.I. 2. This act of election, is an act of God's free grace, to which he is not moved by any motive or condition in the object chofen; wherefore it is called the election of grace; concerning which the Apoftle's reasoning is ftrong and invincible; and if by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwife grace is no more grace; but if it be of works, then is it no more grace; otherwife work is no more work, Rom. xi. 5, 6. It is according to the fovereign and unchangeable will of God, and not according to the will or works of men having predeftinated us unto the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift to himself, according to the good pleasure of bis will, Eph. i. 5. and again, ver. 11. being predeftinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will; hence it ftands immutably firm and fure, even the purpofe of God according to election, not of works, but of him that calleth, Rom. ix. 1. 3. This act of election is irrefpective of faith, holiness, and good works, as causes or conditions of it; faith flows from it, is a fruit and effect of it, is fecured by it, and is had in confequence of it: as many as were ordained unto eternal life, believed, Acts xiii. 48. hence it is called the faith of God's elect, Tit. i. 1. and though holiness is a means provided in the act of election, it is not the cause of it; men are chofen, not because they are, but that they should be boly, Eph. i. 4. good works do not go before, but follow after election; it is denied to be of them, as before obferved, and it paffed before any were done, Rom. ix. 11. and xi. 5, 6. they are the effects of God's decree, and not the cause of it: God bath fore-ordained them, that we should walk in them, Eph. ii. 10. 4. The 4. The act of election was made in Christ, as the head, in whom all the elect were chofen, and into whofe hands, by this act of grace, were put their perfons, grace, and glory; and this is an eternal act of God in him; according as he hath chofen us in him before the foundation of the world, Eph. i. 4. and fo the apostle tells the Theffalonians, 2 Theff. ii. 13. God hath from the beginning chofen you unto falvation; not from the first preaching of the gospel to them, or from the time of their converfion by it; but from the beginning of time, even from all eternity, as the phrase is used in Prov. vii. 23. hence nothing done in time could be the caufe or condition of it. 5. What men are chofen unto by this act are, grace here, and glory hereafter; all spiritual bleffings, adoption, juftification, fanctification, belief of the truth, and falvation by Jefus Chrift. Salvation is the end proposed with respect to men ; fanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth are the means appointed and prepared for that end. Eph. i. 4, 5. Hath chofen us in him, that we should be boly and without blame before him in love: Having predeftinated us unto the adoption of children, &c. 2 Theff. ii. 13. We are bound to give thanks to God alway for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord; because God bath from the beginning chofen you to falvation, through fan&tification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. 1 Pet. i. 2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through fanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and Sprinkling of the blood of Jefus Chrift. 1 Theff. v. 9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain falvation by our Lord Jefus Christ. 6. Both means and end are fure to the chofen ones, fince this is an act of God's immutable will; thefe are redeemed by the blood of Chrift: he died for their fins, and made fatisfaction for them; they are juftified by his righteoufnefs, and no charge can be laid against them; they are effectually called by the grace of God; they are fanctified by his Spirit; they perfevere to the end, and cannot totally and finally be deceived and fall away, but shall be everlastingly glorified: Rom. viii. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that juftifieth: Who is be that condemneth? that is, the elect. It is Chrift that died, that died for them. Rom. viii. 30. Whom he did predeftinate, them be alfo called: and whom he called, them be alfo justified: and whom he justified, them be alfo glorified. Matt. xxiv. 24. For there fhall arife falfe Chrifts, and falfe Prophets, and shall fhew great figns and wonders, infomuch that if it were poffible they fhall deceive the very elect; but that is not poffible. 7. The ultimate end of all this, with refpect to God, is his own glory; the glory of all his divine perfections; the glory of his wifdom in forming fuch a fcheme, in fixing on fuch an end, and preparing means fuitable unto it; the glory glory of his juftice and holiness, in the redemption and falvation of these chofen ones, through the blood, righteousness, and facrifice of his Son; and the glory of his rich grace and mercy exhibited in his kindness to them through him; and the whole of it is, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein be bath made us accepted in the beloved, Eph. i. 6. This now is the scripture doctrine of predestination, or that part of it which is called election; from whence it appears to be abfolute and unconditional, irrespective of any thing in man as the caufe and condition of it. Mr WeДley believes, that, "election is a divine appointment of fome men to eternal happiness;" so that he owns a particular and perfonal election, and calls it an eternal decree; but believes that it is conditional: but if it is conditional, the condition is to be named; let him name the condition of it; let him point it out to us, and in what paffage of fcripture it is; this lies upon him to do, and I infift upon it, or elfe he ought to give up his unfcriptural notion of conditional election. Mark xvi. 16. is no expreffion of this decree, but a declaration of the revealed will of God; and points out to us what will be the everlafting state of believers and unbelievers: But believers, as fuch, are not the objects of God's decree; it is true, indeed, that they who are real believers, are the elect of God; but then the reason why they are the elect of God is, not because they are believers, but they become believers because they are the elect of God; their faith is not the cause or condition of their election, but their election the cause of their faith; they were chofen when they had done neither good nor evil, and fo before they believed; and they believe in time, in confequence of their being ordained unto eternal life, from eternity: faith is in time, election before the world was; nothing temporal can be the cause or condition of what is eternal. This is the doctrine of the fcriptures; if Mr Wesley will not attend to these, let him hear the articles of his own church; the seventh of which runs thus: "Predeftination to life is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (be"fore the foundations of the world were laid) he hath constantly decreed by "his counfel, fecret to us, to deliver from curfe and damnation thofe whom he "hath chofen in Chrift out of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlafting falvation, as veffels made to honour. Wherefore they which be en"dued with fo excellent a benefit of God, be called according to God's purpose "by his Spirit working in due feafon : they through grace obey the calling: "they be justified freely: they be made fons of God by adoption: they be "made like the image of his only begotten Son Jefus Chrift: they walk re ligiously ligiously in good works, and at length by God's mercy, they attain to ever"lafting felicity." This is an article agreeable to the Scripture; an article of his own church; an article which he as a true fon of the church, has treacherously departed from; an article which Mr Wesley must have fubfcribed and Sworn to; an article which will flare him in the face as long as fubfcriptions and oaths ftand for any thing with him. The doctrine of election, as above stated, ftanding in fo glaring a light in the facred scriptures, and appearing with fuch evidence, as is impoffible for all the art and fophiftry of men to fet afide; the other branch of predestination neceffarily follows, which we deny not, but maintain. Mr Welley would have an election found out which does not imply reprobation; but what election that can be, the wit of man cannot devife; for if fome are chofen, others must be rejected; and Mr Wesley's notion of election itself implies it; for if, as he fays, election means a divine appointment of fome men to eternal happinefs;" then others must be left out of that choice, and rejected. I proceed therefore, II. To the other branch of predeftination commonly called Reprobation; which is an immutable decree of God, according to his fovereign will, by which he has determined to leave fome men in the common mafs of mankind, out of which he has chofen others, and to punish them for fin with everlasting destruction, for the glory of his power and juftice. This decree consists of two parts, a negative and a positive; the former is by fome called preterition, or a paffing by, a leaving fome when others are chofen; which is no other than non-election; the latter is called pre-damnation, being God's decree to condemn or damn men for fin. First, Preterition is God's act of paffing by, or leaving fome men when he chose others, according to his fovereign will and pleasure; of which act of God there is clear evidence in the facred fcripture; as well as it is neceffarily implied in God's act of election, which has fuch clear and incontestable proof. Thefe are of Amos, the rest, thofe that remain unelected whilst others are chofen, the election bath obtained it.; or elect perfons obtain righteousness, life, and salvation, in confequence of their being chofe; and the rest are blinded, Rom. ix. 7. being left, they remain in their native darkness and ignorance, and for their fins are given up to judicial blindness and hardness of heart. These are they that are left out of the book of life, whilst others have their names written in it; of whom it is faid, whose names are not written in the book of |