mentioned in the former of the answers we are now considering; in which
it is said, they are _wise_, _free_, and _holy_. This is very evident,
from the wisdom, sovereignty, and holiness, which appear in the
execution of them; for whatever perfections are demonstrated in the
dispensations of providence, or grace, these God designed to glorify in
his eternal purpose; therefore if his works, in time, are wise, free,
sovereign, and holy, his decree, with respect thereunto, which is
fulfilled thereby, must be said to be so likewise. These things we shall
have occasion to speak more particularly to, under a following head,
when we consider the properties of election, and particularly that it is
wise, sovereign, and holy; I shall therefore, at present, only add, that
whatever perfections belong to the nature of God, they are demonstrated
by his works, since he cannot act unbecoming himself; for that would
give occasion to the world to deny him to be infinitely perfect, that
is, to be God. If we pass a judgment on creatures by what they do, and
so determine him to be a wise man, who acts wisely, or a holy man, who
acts holily, or a free and sovereign agent, who acts without constraint,
certainly the same must be said of the divine Majesty; and consequently,
since whatever he does has the marks of infinite wisdom, holiness, and
sovereignty, impressed upon it, it is evident that these properties, or
perfections, belong to all his purposes. If all his works are performed
in wisdom, as the Psalmist observes, Psal. civ. 24. then we have reason
to admire that wisdom which appears, from hence, to be contained in all
his purposes relating thereunto, as the apostle doth, Rom. xi. 33. _O
the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!_ If he be
_righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works_, Psal. cxlv. 17.
and therein demonstrates a divine sovereignty, as acting without any
obligation, or constraint laid upon him to bestow the favours he confers
on mankind; then we must certainly conclude, that his eternal purpose
which is executed hereby, is free and sovereign. This leads us to
consider,
III. That intelligent creatures, such as angels and men, with respect to
their present or future state, are the objects of God’s eternal decree,
or purpose, which is generally called _predestination_. And this, as it
relates to the happiness of some, or misery of others, is distinguished
into election or reprobation, which is a very awful subject, and ought
never to be thought of, or mentioned, but with the utmost caution and
reverence, lest we speak those things that are not right concerning God,
and thereby dishonour him, or give just occasion to any to deny or
reproach this doctrine, as though it were not founded on scripture.
Hitherto we have considered the purpose of God, as including in it all
things future, as the objects thereof; and now we are to speak of it in
particular, as it relates to angels and men. When we confine the objects
of God’s purpose to those things that come to pass, which have no
dependence on the free-will of angels or men, we do not meet with much
opposition from those, who are in other respects, in the contrary scheme
of doctrine; for most of them, who are masters of their own argument,
and consider what may be allowed without weakening their cause, do not
deny that God fore-ordained whatever comes to pass, nor that he did this
from all eternity, if we except what respects the actions of free
agents. Thus they will grant that God, from all eternity, determined to
create the world, and then to govern it, and to give laws to men, as the
rule of government, and a free-will, or power to yield obedience
thereunto: but when we consider men’s free actions, as the objects of a
divine decree, and the final state of men, as being determined by it,
here we are like to meet with the greatest opposition, and therefore
must endeavour to maintain our ground in the following part of this
argument.
The decree of God, respecting intelligent creatures, is to be considered
as containing in it two branches, namely, _election_ and _reprobation_:
the former of which is contained in those words, that God, out of his
mere love, for the praise of his glorious grace, hath elected some to
glory in Christ, and also to the means thereof; and as for reprobation,
that is described in the following words; that according to his
sovereign power, and the unsearchable counsel of his own will, he hath
passed by, and fore-ordained the rest to dishonour and wrath, to be, for
their sin, inflicted, to the praise of the glory of his justice. Both
these are to be considered; and,
_First_, What respects the doctrine of election. To elect, or choose,
according to the common use, or acceptation of the word, signifies the
taking a small number out of a greater, or a part out of the whole; and
this is applied, either to things or persons.
(1.) To things. As when a person has a great many things to choose out
of, he sets aside some of them for his own use, and rejects the others,
as refuse, that he will have nothing to do with.
(2.) To persons. As when a king chooses, out of his subjects, some whom
he will advance to great honours; or when a master chooses, out of a
number of servants offered to him, one, or more, whom he will employ in
his service; this from the nature of the thing, implies, that all are
not chosen, but only a part, in which there is a discrimination, or a
difference put between one and another.
But we are more particularly to consider the meaning of the word
_election_, as we find it in scripture, wherein it is used in several
senses.
To elect or choose, according to the acceptation of the word, does not
connote the particular thing that a person is chosen to, but that is to
be understood by what is farther added to determine the sense thereof;
as sometimes we read of persons being chosen to partake of some
privileges, short of salvation; at other times, of their being chosen to
salvation; sometimes it is to be understood as signifying their being
chosen to things of a lower nature, at other times their being chosen to
perform those duties, and exercise those graces that accompany
salvation; and we may, very easily, understand the sense of it by the
context.
Again, it is sometimes taken for the execution of God’s purpose, or for
his actual providence, making choice of persons to fulfil his pleasure,
in their various capacities; at other times, as we are here to
understand it, for his fixing his love upon his people, and purposing to
bring them to glory, making choice of some out of the rest of mankind,
as the monuments of his discriminating grace; we have instances of all
these senses of the word in scripture; and,
1. It is sometimes taken for God’s actual separation of persons, for
some peculiar instances of service, which is a branch of his
providential dispensation, in time: thus we sometimes read in scripture,
of persons being chosen, or set apart, by God, to an office, and that
either civil or sacred: thus, upon the occasion of Saul’s being made
king, by God’s special appointment, Samuel says, _See ye him whom the
Lord hath chosen_, 1 Sam. x. 24. so it is said elsewhere, _He chose
David also his servant, and took him from the sheep-fold; from following
the ewes great with young, he brought him to feed Jacob, his people, and
Israel his inheritance_. Psal. lxxviii. 70, 71.
It also signifies his actual appointment of persons to perform some
sacred office: thus it is said, concerning the Levites, that _the Lord
had chosen them to carry the ark, and to minister unto him_, 1 Chron.
xv. 2. and our Saviour says, to his disciples, _Have not I chosen you_,
namely, to be my disciples, and as such to be employed in preaching the
gospel, _and one of you is a devil_, John vi. 70.
2. It is sometimes taken for God’s providential designation of a people,
to be made partakers of those external privileges of the covenant of
grace, which belong to them as a church, which, as such, is the peculiar
object of the divine regard: thus the people of Israel are said to have
been chosen, or separated, from the world, to enjoy the external
blessings of the covenant of grace, as Moses tells them, _Because the
Lord loved your fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them_,
Deut. iv. 37. and elsewhere, _Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy
God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth_, chap.
vii. 6, 7. And, in many other places in the Old Testament, the word
_election_ is taken in this sense, though something more than this seems
to be included in some particular scriptures in the prophetic writings,
in which the Jews are described, as God’s chosen people, as we shall
endeavour to shew under a following head.
3. It also signifies God’s bestowing special grace on some, who are
highly favoured by him, above others, as having called, or set them
apart for himself, to have communion with him, to bear a testimony to
him, and to be employed in eminent service, for his name and glory in
the world. Thus it seems to be taken, in 1 Cor. i. 26, 27. where the
apostle speaks of their _calling_, which imports some special
privileges, that they were made partakers of, as the objects of divine
power, and grace, to whom Christ was _made wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption_; which therefore signifies the powerful,
internal, effectual call, and not barely the external call of the
Gospel, as appears, by the foregoing and following verses, ver. 24.
compared with 30. and they, whose calling he speaks of, are said to be
chosen: _You see your calling, how that not many wise men_, &c. _are
called_, but _God hath chosen the foolish things of this world_, &c. so
that to be chosen, and effectually called there, seem to import the same
thing.
And sometimes it is taken, for some peculiar excellency, which one
Christian has above another; as that hospitable, or public-spirited
person, to whom the apostle John directs his second epistle, is called
by him, _The elect lady_, ver. 1. as an excellent person is sometimes
styled a choice person.
But, though the word is taken, in scripture, in these various senses
above mentioned, yet it is not confined to any, or all of them; for we
shall endeavour to make it appear, that it is often taken, in scripture,
as it is expressed in this answer; for God’s having fore-ordained
particular persons, as monuments of his special love, to be made
partakers of grace here, and glory hereafter, as it is styled, their
being chosen to eternal life, and the means thereof. This is what we
shall endeavour to prove, and accordingly shall consider the objects
thereof, namely, angels and men, and that it is only a part of mankind
that is chosen to salvation, to wit, that remnant which shall be
eventually saved; and that these are chosen to the means thereof, as
well as the end; and how this is said to be in Christ.
The objects of election are _angels_ and _men_. A few words may be said
concerning the election of angels, as being particularly mentioned in
this answer; we have not, indeed, much delivered concerning this matter
in scripture, though the apostle calls those who remain in their state
of holiness and happiness, in which they were created, _elect angels_, 1
Tim. v. 21. But, had we no mention of their election in scripture, their
being confirmed in their present state of blessedness, must, from the
foregoing method of reasoning, be supposed to be the result of a divine
purpose, or the execution of a decree relating thereunto; though there
is this difference between their election, and that of men, in that the
latter are chosen unto salvation, which the angels are not subjects
capable of, inasmuch as they were never in a lost, undone state; neither
are they said to be chosen in Christ, as men are.
But we shall proceed, to that which more immediately concerns us, to
consider men as the objects of election. This is variously expressed in
scripture; sometimes it is called their being _appointed to attain
salvation_, or being _ordained to eternal life_ or their _names_ being
_written in the book of life_; and it is also called, _the purpose of
God, according to election_, or his having _loved them before the
foundation of the world_, or his having _predestinated_ them, (who have
been blessed with all spiritual blessings, in heavenly places in Christ)
_unto the adoption of children_, by him, according to the good pleasure
of his will. That the scriptures speak of persons as elect, and that
this is always represented as a great instance of divine favour and
goodness, is not denied: But the main thing in controversy is, whether
this relates to the purpose of God, or his providence; and whether it
respects particular persons, or the church of God in general, as
distinguished from the world; and, if it be supposed to relate to
particular persons, how these are considered in God’s purpose, or what
is the order and reason of his determination to save them.
That election sometimes respects the disposing providence of God, in
time, has been already considered, and some particular instances
thereof, in scripture, referred to; but when they, on the other side of
the question, maintain, that this is the only, or principal sense in
which it is used therein, we must take leave to differ from them. There
is a late writer[185], who sometimes misrepresents, and at other times,
opposes this doctrine, with more assurance and insult, than the strength
of his reasoning will well allow of; and his performance on this head,
and others, that have some affinity with it, is concluded, by many of
his admirers, to be unanswerable; and the sense that he has given of
several scriptures therein, as well as in his paraphrase on the New
Testament, in which he studiously endeavours to explain every text, in
conformity to his own scheme, has tended to prejudice many in favour
thereof; and therefore we shall take occasion sometimes to consider what
he advances against the doctrine that we are maintaining; and
particularly, as to this head of election, he supposes, “1. That the
election, mentioned, in scripture, is not of particular persons, but
only that of churches and nations, or their being chosen to the
enjoyment of the means of grace, rather than a certainty of their being
saved by those means; that it does not contain any absolute assurance of
their salvation, or of any such grace, as shall infallibly, and without
any possibility of frustration, procure their salvation. 2. That the
election to salvation, mentioned in scripture, is only conditional, upon
our perseverance in a life of holiness[186]; and he attempts to prove,
that election, in the Old Testament, belongs not to the righteous and
obedient persons only, but the whole nation of the Jews, good and bad;
and that, in the New Testament, it is applied to those who embrace the
Christian faith, without any regard had to their eternal happiness.”
These things, ought to be particularly considered, and therefore we
shall endeavour to prove,
1. That though election oftentimes, in the Old Testament, respects the
church of the Jews, as enjoying the external means of grace, yet it does
not sufficiently appear that it is never to be taken in any other sense;
especially when, there are some of those privileges which accompany
salvation mentioned in the context, and applied to some of them, who are
thus described; or when there are some promises made to them, which
respect more than the external means of grace; therefore if there were
but one scripture that is to be taken in this sense, it would be a
sufficient answer to the universal negative, in which it is supposed,
that the Old Testament never intends by it, any privilege, but such as
is external, and has no immediate reference to salvation. Here I might
refer to some places in the evangelical prophecy of Isaiah, which are
not foreign to our purpose; as when it is said, _Thou Israel, art my
servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen_; and _I have chosen thee, and not
cast thee away_, Isa. xli. 8, 9. that this respects more than the
continuance of their political and religious state, as enjoying the
external means of grace, seems to be implied in those promises that are
made to them, in the following words, which not only speak of their
deliverance from captivity, after they had continued sometime therein,
but their being made partakers of Gods special love, which had an
immediate reference to their salvation: thus it is said, in the
following, _Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy
God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold
thee with the right hand of my righteousness_; and elsewhere God,
speaking to the Jews, says, _I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy
transgressions for mine own sake, and I will not remember thy sins_,
chap. xliii. 25. and, _Israel shall be saved in the Lord, with an
everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded, world
without end_, chap. xlv. 17. There are also many other promises, which
seem to import a great deal more than the external privileges of the
covenant of grace, which many very excellent Christians have applied to
themselves, as supposing that they contain those blessings which have a
more immediate reference to salvation; and it would detract very much
from the spirituality and usefulness of such-like scriptures, to say
that they have no relation to us, as having nothing to do with the
Jewish nation, to whom these promises were made.
_Object._ To this it may be objected, that these promises are directed
to the church of the Jews, as a chosen people; and therefore to suppose
that there were a number elected out of them to eternal salvation, is to
extend the sense of the word beyond the design of the context, to
destroy the determinate sense thereof, and to suppose an election out of
an election.
_Answ._ Since the word _election_, denotes persons being chosen to enjoy
the external means of grace, and to attain salvation by and under them,
it may, without any impropriety of expression, be applied in these
different senses, in the same text; so that Israel may be described as a
chosen people in the former sense, and yet there might be a number
elected out of them, who were chosen to eternal life, to whom this
promise of salvation more especially belonged, who are distinguished
from the general body of the Jewish nation, who are called, in the other
sense, God’s elect; as when it is said, _I will leave in the midst of
thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of
the Lord; the remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies_,
&c. Zeph. iii. 12, 13. So that as Israel was an elect people, chosen out
of the world to enjoy the external privileges conferred upon them, as a
church, which they are supposed to have mis-improved, for which they
were to be carried captive into Babylon; there was a remnant chosen out
of them to be made partakers of the blessings that accompany salvation,
such as are here promised; these are not considered as a church,
governed by distinct laws, from those that Israel was governed by; and
therefore not as a church selected out of that church, but as a number
of people among them whom God had kept faithful, as having chosen them
to enjoy better privileges than those which they had as a professing
people; or as a number elected to be made partakers of special grace,
out of those which had been made partakers of common grace, which they
had miserably abused, and were punished for it.
2. Our Saviour speaking concerning the final destruction of Jerusalem by
the Roman army, and a great time of distress that should ensue hereupon,
tells them, in Matt. xxiv. 22. that those days should be shortened _for
the elect’s sake_, that is, those who were chosen to eternal life, and
accordingly should be converted to the Christian faith, not from among
the heathen, but out of the Jewish nation; for it is to them that he
more particularly directs his discourse, forewarning them of this
desolating judgment; and he advises them to pray that their _flight be
not on the Sabbath-day_, ver. 20. intimating thereby, that that nation
deemed it unlawful to defend themselves from the assaults of an enemy on
the Sabbath-day, though their immediate death would be the consequence
thereof; therefore this advice was suited to the temper of the Jews, and
none else: No people in the world, except them, entertained this
superstitious opinion concerning the prohibition of self-defence on the
Sabbath-day; from whence it may therefore be inferred, that our Saviour
speaks of them in particular, and not of the Christians, which were
amongst them; upon which account it seems probable, that these are not
intended by _the elect_, namely, that small number for whose sake those
days of distress and tribulation were to be shortened;[187] therefore
there were an elect people whom God had a peculiar regard to, who should
afterwards be converted to Christianity, namely, a number elected to
eternal life out of that people, who were elected to the external
privileges of the covenant of grace. And this farther appears from what
follows, where our Saviour speaks concerning _false Christs, and false
prophets, that should shew great signs, and wonders, insomuch that, if
it were possible, they should deceive the very elect_, Matt. xxiv. 24.
Now it cannot be supposed of them that are called false Christs, that
they would attempt to pervert the Christians, by pretending to be the
Messiah; for that would be impracticable, inasmuch as they did not
expect any other to come with that character since our Saviour; whereas
the Jews did, and many of them were perverted thereby to their own ruin;
but it is intimated here, that the elect people, which was among them,
should be kept from being deceived by them, inasmuch as they were chosen
to obtain salvation, and therefore should believe in Christ by the
gospel.
There is also another scripture, which seems to give countenance
hereunto, where the apostle shews, that _God had not cast away his
people_, Rom. xi. 2. to wit, the Jews, that is, he had not rejected the
whole nation, but had made a reserve of some who were the objects of his
special love, as chosen to salvation; and these are called, _A remnant
according to the election of grace_, ver. 5. and this seems still more
plain from what follows, ver. 7. _What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for_, that is, righteousness and life, which they
_sought after, as it were, by the works of the law_, which, as is
mentioned in the foregoing verse, is inconsistent with the attaining it
by grace; _but the election_, that is, the elect among that people _have
obtained it_; for they sought after it in another way, _and the rest
were blinded_, that is, the other part of the Jewish nation, which were
not interested in this privilege, were left to the blindness of their
own minds, which was their ruin.
To this let me add one scripture more, Rom. ix. 6, 7. where the apostle,
speaking concerning the nation of the Jews, distinguishes between the
natural and spiritual seed of Abraham, when he says, _All are not Israel
that are of Israel_, that is, there was a remnant according to the
election of grace, who were chosen to eternal life out of that people,
who were in other respects, chosen to be made partakers of the external
privileges that belonged to them, as God’s peculiar people. The sum of
this argument is, that though, it is true, there are some scriptures
that speak of the church of the Jews, as separated from the world, by
the peculiar hand of divine providence, and favoured with the external
means of grace, yet there are others in which they are said to be chosen
to partake of privileges of an higher nature, even those which accompany
salvation; therefore election, in the Old Testament, sometimes signifies
God’s purpose, relating to the salvation of his people.