wills Men to be saved and gives them sufficient Means would not they be saved infallibly if God put forth all his Power or else his Power is but weak he is not Omnipotent 12. How can God be happy that desires and hath not his Desire satisfied and accomplished he desireth the Salvation of all say these and yet hath it not Happiness is having every good Desire satisfied Thus the other Doctrine wrongs God takes off from the Glory and Praise of the Godhead Motive 2. Take heed of the other Doctrine cleave to this if you receive the other it will corrupt you in all the great Points of Religion it influenceth you in all When the Blood is poisoned all the whole Body will soon be poisoned so here If upon Faith and Obedience Man is elected 1. Then Man is converted by Works and the Obedience of his own Will and no Man otherwise converted 2. A Man then is justified by Works Justification follows Election no Man is saved but by Works and so all that Glory and Beauty and bright-shining Vertue of Grace which God hath manifested in the Gospel vanisheth and comes to nothing for if it be of Works it is no more Grace Rom. 11.6 3. It is then to bring in another Gospel to bring in this other Opinion of Election upon Conditions now there is a Curse upon any that shall bring in another Gospel Gal. 1. Hear then are you willing in the matter of Salvation to trust to your selves and lean upon your selves Hath Christ died and laid down a Price that you might live at your own Hand and be upon the same Terms for Eternal Life and Heaven as Adam was before he fell in a Covenant of Works Then it was Do and live and so now Do this viz. Believe and persevere and live God hath given you Power to do this so he did to Adam he gave him more Power than you for you are full of Infirmities and Weakness and Failings daily but he was perfect and strong Now is this the Gospel of Grace to require as much of a poor weak fallen Man as of Adam before he fell who was perfect and not subject to Infirmities All the Duties thou dost all the Acts of Faith all thy persevering in good being done for this end that God may elect thee they are but Acts of high Pride and Arrogancy every one of them hath this Language in them I do this that I may be elected rather than another and to put a difference betwixt my self and those that shall go to Hell I do this and this and elect God at first and after I have walked on all my days to the end in good Works he will elect me for this is the Condition he hath made of my Election If I persevere to the end he will then infallibly and peremptorily set his Love upon me and chuse me Now thus God doth made a Bargain with Man barters and sells his Love as Laban his Daughter If thou wilt have my Daughter then serve seven Yeers or else thou shalt not have her So doth God sell Heaven and Glory for a Life's Perseverance in Faith and Holiness Motive 3. To make you take heed of this false Doctrine it destroys all the Fruits of Election if not elected till Death then no benefit of Election in this Life let us see the Fruits of Election and how they are brought to nothing if Election of particular Persons be made void 1. Love to God 〈◊〉 a Fruit God's electing Persons sets out the Greatness of God's Love and fills the Heart with Love to God again Thus the Soul that hath any Intimation that God hath chosen him saith God hath passed by Millions and some of my Neighbours Kindred Friends and they are walking on in Ignorance Evil Unbelief God hath called me in which I read my Election he hath chosen me before the World from Eternity not respecting any thing that would or could be in me for I was a Sinner in my Blood when he visited me and by this Love of his he will enable me to do whatever is required of me to Salvation Who can think of this free eternal Love of God and not love God again God doth therefore in Scripture speak of this peculiar special free Love as an Argument to stir us up to Thankfulness Deut. 7.6 7. God hath chosen thee to be a special People and it was not for any Qualifications in them but because he loved them Chap. 10.15 Only the Lord had a delight in their Fathers to love them What for any thing in them no Was it for fulfilling Conditions No it is over and over in Deut 9. Not for thy Righteousness sake no a base wicked People they were And what could he see in their Fathers why Abram was an Idolater Josh 24.3 and called Now this free Love is brought as an Argument to press them to love God and walk in Holiness Deut. 7. Thou shalt therefore keep the Commandments and Statutes c. Circumcise therefore the Foreskin of your Hearts c. Deut. 10.16 Deut. 14.2 you shall see the same Argument there the Lord hath chosen thee therefore thou shalt not do so and so Object None of these Scriptures speak of God's eternal Love or of singular Persons chosen out of that Love Answ The Text speaks of Love shewed to particular Persons and how that such free Love is a Motive to love God and obey him Now this Love that God had to the Jews is a Type of that Love that God bare to the Elect. Compare Isa 1.9 with Rom. 9.29 Except the Lord of Hosts had left us a very small Remnant c. this is spoke concerning the Temporal Preservation of the Jews the Apostle takes it and applies it to the Elect Isa 8.18 Behold I and the Children whom the Lord hath given me are for Signs c. this is spoken of God's delivering the Jews from their Enemies the Apostle Heb. 2. brings this and speaks it of Christ having all the Elect considered in him God's electing Persons provokes to love God to think that God freely chose thee from Eternity thy Person appointed for thee all the Means hearing c. that thou mightst be saved blessed them to thee and gave thee Faith then in the use of them this is to stir up Love to God From the other way let us hear how it promotes Love to God God hath given Means to all and left them Talents and commands to improve and manage these well Now what if any of these be saved what may Christ say to them Have not I shewed you great Love should not you love me Yea may it be answered It was great Love to come 〈◊〉 the Flesh to redeem me from my Sin in Adam to give me Means to believe and Power to believe but there is no more Love laid out for me than for them that are in the Flames of Hell Can these love Christ so well as the other in the other
the Grace that so much abounded towards him Vse I. If this be true that there are Persons particular Persons elected unto such Conditions then do not say because thou canst not find the Condition as yet that thou art not in the Election Election doth not depend upon the having of Faith It is an Act of God and it is manifested and declared when he makes thee believe this is not the Method of God Go and do thus much and when you have done thus much I will elect you and bring you to Glory but this I have passed the Sentence that you are mine and shall be mine and I will fill you with my Spirit and enable you to Obedience and bring you to Glory But suppose we find it not so we have no Faith Holiness Obedience yet say not ye are not in the Election for it depends not upon these things They are not the Causes of it and you may be in the Election for all that tho you cannot know it but by Faith You know Paul ran an ill Course in Sin he persecuted the Saints thought he ought to do so with Zeal yet saith God he is a chosen Vessel unto me Acts 9.15 yea he was in the Election then so it 's said in Acts 18.10 I have much People in this City God calls them his People before Conversion and in John 10.16 Other Sheep I have which are not of this Fold them also I must bring They are called Sheep before they are brought in And of the Jews it 's said that they were very refractory would not receive the Gospel because the Gentiles did thinking it a Breach of Promise Rom. 11.28 As concerning the Gospel they are Enemies for your sake but as touching the Election they are beloved for the Father's sake Enemies and yet beloved Now say not because thou hast nothing written in thy Heart that therefore thy Name is not written in the Book of Life thou hast no ground to exempt thy self tho thou canst not know it till Faith come thou canst not be worse than those Jews to be angry with God because he is merciful to others Who knows but God may yet give Faith to thee if thou wert to bring Faith with thee thou wert in an ill Case on a splitting Rock thou wouldst never get off But seeing thou art to have Faith as an Effect of Election it is the Gift of God he gives it to the Persons he sets his Love upon be silent then conclude nothing against they self Vse II. Doth not Election depend upon Conditions to be fulfilled then measure not God's Love to thee according to the Grace thou findest in thy self judg not of his Purpose according to the Purpose thou hast of serving him Without Faith we cannot know that we are chosen of God but by a little we may come to know it 1 Thess 1.4 5. The Apostle he knew the Thessalonians Election because the Word came unto them in Power i. e. it did prevail with them and overcome their Hearts Yet they were but newly converted and in divers Errors Signs and Tokens are to be taken from the least Degrees of Grace Altho then our Faith be low and scanty we are not received according to the Measure of our Gifts but according to his Purpose his Purpose to do thee Good is compleat tho yet thou hast by little Good in thee He worketh all things according to the Counsel of his own Will Ephes 1.11 He worketh to will and to do of his own good Pleasure Phil. 2. He doth not work a Will because we have had a Will before gives the first good Will to them that had none before to any Spiritual Good he gives a Will to do great things to work out their own Salvation If Election were upon Conditions of Grace then you might measure God's Chusing of you loving of you to eternal Life to be according to your Grace there is this practical Error in us or this Error in us practically that we hang God's Electing Love upon Conditions here is the Root and Bottom and first Seed of many Doubts and Troubles in the Saints that their Eyes are not only upon Qualifications as desirable or the things they should labour after but they are upon Qualifications as the Movers of God's first Love of Election they think because of their Sin God will repent and hath no purpose of any Good to them this wrongs the Grace of God When he took us at first his Love was not for any thing he saw in us or for any thing he knew would be in us he was resolved to make us lovely but he will so do it as you shall acknowledg his free Love and Grace Our Loveliness is not the cause of his Love tho it makes you a sutable Object to his Love And when his Love at first was pitched upon thee what a Case wast thou in then Ezek. 16. Thou wast in thy Blood cast out loathsom no Eye pitied thee When God did call thee to consider of eternal Life thou wast minding nothing but Ways of eternal Death thou wast found of him when thou soughtest not after him Did God pitch his Love upon thee at first he doth not alter in his Love his Love is fixed on thy Person still thou alterest but he changeth not thou art the same Object for him to do Good to tho thou art not the same it may be in regard of Disposition of Spirit Consider but this you that are in Christ you are loved not because you are fruitful as Leah thought and said now will my Husband love me Gen. 29.32 We are not loved because we are beautiful but loved that we may be holy and this should make us cleanse our selves and walk answerably to the Love of God Judg thy self condemn thy self for every Sin but do not think God cannot be good because thou art not good for his Love is not upon Conditions Vse III. If God hath given thee any Knowledge of thy Election rejoice with exceeding Joy So the Lord bad his Disciples above all things Rejoice that their Names were written in Heaven Luke 11.20 The Elect are a peculiar People that he hath severed from all other his Heart is to you in a singular Manner as the Heart of a chaste Husband to his Spouse forsaking Father and Mother and all else in Comparison in regard of that Relation When the King picks out from the rest one for his Favourite or one for a Pardon out of many Offenders how should it rejoice his Heart that he had not only his Pardon but the King 's special Love Know this for thy Comfort thou shalt certainly be saved the Love of God will be to thee as when we love the Person of any our Love holds and continues because upon thy Person If a Man marries for an Estate when Poverty comes his Love his gone if for Beauty when Sickness comes to blast it then no Love but if Love be to the Person
or other it may be thou wilt not commit it but thou wilt salute it it may be it hath not actual but it hath contemplative Commission the whole Act is in thy Thoughts tho not in thy Practice there is a constant breaking out of Corruption upon all Occasions Now 1 Joh. 1.6 If we say we have Fellowship with him and walk in Darkness we lie and do not the Truth i. e. as when Mens Consciences tell them that when they lie they speak not the Truth so when a Man goes about to lay hold on Assurance his Conscience tells him he cannot be assured of his Election who walks not sincerely with the Lord. A corrupt unprofitable Word will grieve the Spirit by which ye are to be sealed Ephes 4.30 3. We want it because we are not sollicitous to grow and encrease in all Graces but only in some one we neglect some Graces while we follow after others we do some Duties not others or all we know If we would make our Election sure 2 Pet. 1.5 the Apostle tells us We are to give all Diligence to add to Faith Vertue c. He reckons upon all the Cardinal Graces and Vertues of a Christian which comprehend all the rest in which our Diligence is to be not one but all We have prayed for it no question but never joined Fasting to Praying we have done both but only alone never in Company of the Saints that understand the Voice of God it may be we have done this but yet never waited upon the Lord in the Use of those Ordinances which he hath appointed his People to walk through and as Trunks by which he speaks and conveighs himself It may be thou art given to Anger Passion Frowardness and strivest against it but then art led and not a little by a covetous Worldly Spirit it may be thou art against this yet there is in thee a vain foolish Spirit following the Customs and Fashions of the Times that the World may know thou hast a Liberty I do not say that those that do such things cannot have assurance but that the allowing a Man's self in any one Sin or the neglecting of any one known Duty is the Cause many times that Assurance is not given 4. Suppose that be not the Case yet it may be thou takest not the Hints and Opportunities God gives when he would speak his Mind to thee or thou withdrawest when he hath spoken a word or two thou hast made nothing of it yet such there have been upon thy Spirit and thou hast not regarded them every Touch of God upon the Heart every Intimation is like a Character which is but a little Dash but it contains a whole Word or like some Hieroglyphicks of the Heathen a whole Story was comprehended in one Sign or Image So if thou hast been able to have construed or expounded that Touch of God upon thy Heart it would have told thee the Love of God from Eternity and would have shewed how it hath waited on thee and done thee good in several Estates as in the knowledg of Duty And if a Man would know his Duty he must take the least Motion and Intimation of it and the least Light must be made much of if he will grow up to know the Mind of God fully So it is also in the knowledg of our State thou must begin with Principles to know thy Duty thou must begin with Intimations to get Assurance God begins after that manner with his People whereas Presumption is all at once and comes by Violence Lastly If that be not the Case it may be thou dost not go on with the Trial of thy self it may be when thou art sick or in imminent danger or to do some hazardous Duty then thou goest about it diligently else desistest Now Suits in Law hang long come not to an end because they are not followed As he that would have a true understanding of any Science must traverse the Principles clean through so he that would have Assurance must go on the next day where he left off before Thou dost not make it the Work of every Grace and every Prayer to search into thy Heart nor the Work of every Day but now and then when thou art in some imminent danger or special Service Let us know this to encourage us there is nothing God takes more Pleasure to reveal than his electing Love tho it pass thy Knowledg yet as the Apostle saith Ephes 3. Christ and the Spirit dwelling in thy Heart by Faith will make you see into all the Heights and Depths Lengths and Breadths that pass Knowledg And tho it be the Weakness of a Christian to analise and go from the Effect to the Cause yet unto this Men should endeavour and labour that they come to know the Cause and Fountain whence all their Good comes and God hath given you two Lights in this Firmament for the revealing of it 1. Your Faith 2. Your Love As the Sun doth sometimes make another Sun in the Firmament so doth the Love of God work in us a Love of electing him again That you may read all the whole Heart and Frame of God's Intentions towards you in the Reflection of your Heart towards him make it your Work to make your Election sure He is a happy Man that knows the Causes of things and he is the wise Man that doth know things by their Causes There is nothing more pleasant and delightful than for you to drink of the Fountain a little of the Knowledg of God's electing Love will be like the Spirit of Wine like a Spring within you like a strong Motion The Saints do much by the Power of Grace but much more by the Power of Love and aspecially by that Love that hath ordained all those things to be given so freely to them even the Love of Election And if it were for nothing but for this that you may come to know your Estate abhor Conditional Election which puts you to work but gives you no Certainty nor Security of your Condition but only by your Walkings as they say themselves which are changeable and that Doctrine will bear it that he that lived forty or fifty Years in a holy way and all things ready to go to Heaven yet hath his Will so changeable and slippery that in one moment he may turn off from God and lose all he hath done and never be remembred but perish eternally were there nothing but this to make a Man stand at a distance from that Doctrine it should do it However it may seem to the Flesh to keep a Man cautious and wary in what he doth yet notwithstanding a Man can have no Knowledg in this World how it shall be with him to Eternity whereas our Doctrine calls up to the Mount and bids us there sit down and read our Names in the Book as they are made known by the effectual workings of the Spirit If you would know whether you be
elected or no 1. Look after your Faith 2. Whether the Love of God be in you through Jesus Christ Beside these I shall propound no more for tho there be a great help oft-times in the number of Signs and Marks as many Stars make the Darkness Light yet it comes to pass oft-times that being weak in Understanding and not well able to manage them we are more perplexed by Number He that hath many Notions and is not able to master them is but the weaker for them so he that hath many Signs and Marks and hath not his Mind truly instructed that is not able to go into the bottom of them grows but into more Doubts and Perplexities and as I instance but in two so in these two because they are such as are in all Christians every one that is born of God believes on him and loves him And I may truly call these two to be as the two great Lights that God hath given to the Souls of Men in this Business like the two great Commandments all that can be said on any other Head hangs on these take what you will as a Sign what Duty you will if it comes not from Faith and Love take what Graces you will if they be not all turned upon these two Hinges Faith and Love they will give no Assurance at all if you can find Faith and Love you may be sure there are other Graces for they are never alone 1. Faith is a Sign of a Man's Election and that I take to be the meaning of all those Scriptures which make Calling and Conversion to be the Fruit and Mark of Election the out-going of Election 2 Tim. 1.9 Who hath called us according to his own Purpose 1 Thess 1.4 5. Knowing your Election for our Gospel came not unto you in Word only but in Power And Calling and Conversion is put sometimes for Election 1 Cor. 1.26 You see your Calling Brethren ver 27. But God hath chosen c. All these prove that Faith is a Sign of Election By Faith we answer God's Call He that hath heard and learned of the Father comes to me Joh. 6.45 The Gospel comes unto Men in Power when it is the Power of God to make Men believe Rom. 1.16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Power of God to Salvation to every one that believeth the meaning is not that first Men have Faith and then the Word of God is the Power of God to Salvation for that implies a Contradiction he that believes hath Salvation and a Power whereby he may come to Eternal Life but it is the Power of God to Salvation to every one that believes i.e. by making every one that shall be saved to believe whether they be Jews or Greeks But to make it more clear 1. Faith is in no Person but one that is elected that particular Person is elected which hath Faith therefore the Apostle describes Faith by the Subject of it and calls it the Faith of God's Elect i.e. the Faith which the Elect and only the Elect have Tit. 1.1 Act. 13.48 As many as were ordained to Eternal Life believed For the opening of which you must know that the Apostle doth not mean by ordaining to Eternal Life Mens disposing of themselves or being in a good Disposition or Aptness to improve and make use of the Means of Eternal Life and whatever be meant by ordaining Faith doth follow upon it certainly but it doth not follow upon Mens disposing of themselves till such time as Men do believe they are natural and what can that which is natural do to that which is supernatural We neither by Nature are able to resist the Temptation of Satan nor are able to ingenerate in our selves a Principle of Faith no more than a Beast can do the things of a Man or a Man the things that belong to the Being of an Angel By ordaining the Apostle means God's ordaining and they and they only believed so the words as many are to be understood As many he doth not mean that all that were in that place believed but only those were ordained Faith is a meer Fruit of Election there had been no such Grace but for Election other Graces are necessary to make a Man innocent other Graces come from God's Holiness and the love of his Creation God cannot but make Man good if he will make Man at all but Faith comes from God's Love to save Man and it is nothing else but only a Soul 's reposing it self for Life being guilty and liable to Condemnation upon God the Father through Jesus Christ this Adam had not this God would not have bestowed but that he would throw a Cord from his Love for sinking Man to lay hold on that he may be saved 2. It is a Sign of Election for where God begins it he never leaves it till it be grown up from the least degree to Perfection till the small Mustard-seed become a great Tree This is the Character of all things that come from Election that God never repents of them Rom. 11.29 for the Gifts and Calling of God are without Repentance he sets out the Certainty of God's Election by this God never repents of the Work of Faith But he that believes shall have Eternal Life As in Joh. 6.35 He that believes shall never thirst Ver. 37. He that comes I will in no wise cast out Every one that believeth on him shall have Eternal Life Ver. 40. This is the Will of him that sent me that every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have Everlasting Life and I will raise him up at the last day These words are put in because Men will be apt to say Death and the Grave will devour and how can this sinful Dust scattered into all the Corners of the Earth ever come to be Partakers of Glory Take you no care for that my Father hath said I have Power enough to do it it shall be my Work I will raise him up at the last Day Ver. 47. he saith it and he saith it with an Oath Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath Everlasting Life Rom. 10.11 For the Scripture saith Whosoever believeth on him shall not be confounded So 1 Pet. 2.6 Behold I lay in Sion a chief Corner-Stone elect precious and he that believeth on him shall not be ashamed This might be brought as a Sign of Election because it is of such Power with God as to prevail with God for every thing Mat. 21.22 And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in Prayer believing ye shall receive it Object If any say that the Scripture speaks of many that believed and yet perished and therefore how do you say Faith is the Gift of Election and is only in those that are elected What was Simon Magus and those in Joh. 2. that Christ would not commit himself to them Answ They are called Believers after the manner of