ed from those of whom the Apostle had been speaking, in the foregoing context; not as chosen to the external means of salvation, for, in this sense, the others were chosen as well as them, but as chosen to eternal life. Election cannot properly be universal; the very nature of the act supposes a refusal of some. There being some elect, certainly infers some non-elect; There is a remnant, (says the Apostle, Rom. xi. 5.) according to the election of grace; and a remnant can never be all.

(2.) "When God chooses persons to an end, he also determines the means to that end." The same decree, that designs any person to salvation, ascertains the means for the obtaining of that salvation: And these are declared to be faith and holiness; for "he who believes not, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him," John iii. 36. and "without holiness, no man shall see the Lord," Heb. xii. 14. "God has chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." God has chosen you to salvation, and therefore he has sanctified your spirits, or rather has given you his Spirit, to sanctify you, and make you to believe the truth of his Gospel. Faith and holiness are not the causes of election, but are the necessary means by which the elect enjoy that salvation, to which God chooses them, and may properly be said to be a part of the salvation decreed, if there is any justice in the distinction of salvation into initial and final.

If faith and holiness were the causes of election, then it would not be of grace, according to the Apostle Paul's way of reasoning; "If by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace; but if it be of works, then it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more work; but the election is of grace," Rom. xi. 5, 6. If faith and holiness were the causes of election, God could not be said to choose us that we might be holy; for holiness cannot in the same respect, be both cause and end: We cannot be chosen to it and for it both, but God chose men that they might be holy, Eph. i. 4. If faith and holiness were the causes of

election, then God could not be said to choose us first, but we rather to choose him first; whereas, our Saviour tells his disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit," John xv. 16. If faith and holiness were the causes of election, then there would be no room for that objection of the non-elect; "Why does he yet find fault? for who hath resisted his will?" Rom. ix. 19. Nor would the answer the Apostle gives to the objection be pertinent; "Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured, with much long suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; and that he might make known the riches of his glory, on the vessels of mercy, which he hath before prepared to glory? Even us whom he has called not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles," Rom. ix. 20—24. "So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy," chap. ix. 16.

(3.) "Election is an eternal purpose of God to save." The Socinians and Remonstrants assert it to be only a temporal act, and so confound election with effectual calling; whereas the Scriptures speak of them as distinct things, asserting our vocation to be a temporary act, and our election to be an eternal purpose of God: Thus when our Saviour says, Many are called, bnt few are chosen, Mat. xx. 16. and when the Apostle Paul says, Whom he predestinated, them he also called and speaks of persons as called according to the purpose of God; here is a plain distinction between being called, and being chosen and predestinated: So, when the Apostle, in the text and context, talks of being "chosen in the beginning to salvation, and of being called by the Gospel;" and, in another place, of God's pose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, le

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fore the world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. he plainly declairs to us, that, though our vocation is temporary, our election is an eternal act of God. This is demonstrable from the pre-ordination of Christ to be a sacrifice; who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested in these last times for believers; 1 Pet. i. 20. and who was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Rev. xiii. 8. I might add to these, that text, where Christ's people are said to inherit a kingdom, prepared for them from the foundation of the world, Mat. xxv. 54. All which Scriptures do abundantly prove to us, that election is an eternal purpose of God to save, and so to be distinguished from our actual salvation, both in whole, and in part.

(4.) "To be chosen of God to salvation, is matter of great thankfulness." This is a greater blessing than to be chosen, as Israel of old was, to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey; or as David, to be chosen a king; or as Jeremah, to be a prophet; or as John to be a fore-runner of Christ; or as Paul, to be an apostle of Christ. It is a greater blessing than to be chosen universal monarch of the world: This is the very fountain and foundation of all blessedness.

Before I enter upon what I particularly design, from these words of the text, I would beg leave to lay down a few premises, which may serve to direct us in judging of and censuring the doctrine of election. As,

1. The doctrine of an election is so fully and clearly revealed in the Word of God, that Christians of all persuasions profess to believe it, though they differ widely in their sentiments about the nature and extent of it; wherefore the doctrine ought not to be condemned in the gross, and itbetrays great weakness and egregious folly to take offence at the very word.

2. There is no doctrine, though ever so plainly laid down in the sacred Scriptures, but what subtle and selfish men have formed some objections against.

3. We ought not to deny, or to be staggered in our minds about a doctrine we have received, because of some objections raised against it, which, it may be, we

caunot, at present, answer; for, if so, there is no doctrine but what we should be tempted to deny, at one time or other.

4. In order to a settled belief of any controverted doctrine of faith, we ought carefully to weigh and consider the several arguments and objections for and against it, and to be determined on that side of the question where the chief strength lies.

5. In our inquiries after revealed truths, we should have an immediate dependence on the Divine Spirit, to enlighten our minds, and to lead us into a knowledge of saving doctrines; otherwise we can never be sincere inquirers after truth.

6. Persons should not censure a doctrine as damnable, unless they are able to prove that it is false, and then the belief of it is hazardous to salvation. This I particularly mention, because many persons have been very lavish in throwing the black epithets of unmerciful, destructive, and damnable, upon this doctrine of special determinate election.

Having laid down these rules, by way of premise, I proceed now to the main thing I intend, from the words of our text, and that is according to the province assigned me, in this Lecture, to open and vindicate the great and important doctrine of special election. And the method which I propose, through Divine assistance, to pursue in this affair, will be this:

I. I shall state the case in hand, and explain what I take to be meant by this doctrine.

II. I shall produce positive proof to confirm it. III. I shall consider the arguments and objections brought against it. And,

IV. I shall make some application.

It cannot be expected that I should discuss this doctrine in all its parts and properties, in the narrow compass to which I am confined: I shall therefore chiefly apply myself to what I take to be the main controversy of the present day, as to the article of election; and that is, whether there is such a thing as a personal ab

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solute election to salvation, in contradistinction to a general national election to church priveleges, or to the means of salvation, and to a conditional indeterminate election to salvation.

I. I am to explain the doctrine. And here I would give the various senses of the word election, especially in the Book of God; and then lay down the different opinions of persons about the doctrine.

and

1st, As to the different acceptations of the word. Sometimes it has respect to excellency; and thus it is referred both to persons and things: to persons, such as have any uncommon or peculiar excellence, are said to be chosen, or choice persons; and that whether it refers to superior stature, and external appearance, as in the case of Saul, who was called "a choice young man, because, from his shoulders and upwards, he was higher than any of the people," 1 Sam. ix. 2. or to any excellency of art, "as the seven hundred lefthanded men are called chosen men, because every one could sling stones to an hair's breadth and not miss," Judges xx. 16. or to uncommon courage might as where it is said, 2 Chron. xiii. 3. Abijah set the battle in array, with an army of valiant men of war, even four thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him, with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour." Thus the word is applied to persons. find it also applied to things that are excellent: Thus we read of chosen chariots, Exod. xiv. 7. and of choice sheep, Neh. v. 18. Whatever is excellent, is said to be elect or chosen, in the style of the Hebrews, because when persons choose, they generally pick out the best, and most valuable, from among the rest.-Sometimes the word election signifies a choosing to a particular of fice and employ, whether civil or sacred: Thus Saul is said to be chosen to be a king, 1 Sam. x. 24. and Judas is said to be chosen to the apostleship, John vi. 70. -Sometimes it signifies a choosing to external pivileges, and this not of private and single persons, but of

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