to any number of Christians, or to any single Christian, throughout the New Testament. St. Peter tells the "strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia," that they are "elect, according to the foreknowledge of God (%);" and "a chosen generation, a peculiar people; that they might. shew forth the praises of him, who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light (a)." It is evident that the Apostle here refers to the calling of these men to the knowledge of the Gospel, which, like every other circumstance relative to this gracious dispensation, was foreknown by God; and that by denominating the Christians of these five extensive countrics, indiscriminately, "elect" and "a chosen generation," he did not mean to assert that they would all be saved; but that they were admitted to the marvellous light" of the Gospel, while other nations were still wandering in the "darkness" of heathenism. And to put this beyond all doubt, the same persons, whom in his first Epistle he addresses as "elect according to the foreknowledge of God," in his second Epistle he addresses as "them that have obtained like precious Faith with us, through the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ:" (x) 1 Pet. c. I. v. 1 & 2. (a) 1 Pet, c. 2. v. 9. Christ (b)" to be elect, and to be a believer in Christ, are therefore the same thing. The whole tenor of these epistles plainly proves, that St. Peter did not consider that the persons to whom he writes must necessarily be saved; for among other precepts and exhortations he says, "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure (c): for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall, for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (d): " therefore the Salvation of these elect, of this chosen generation, was so far from being certain, that it depended upon their own "diligence;" their "not falling" was so far from being infallibly decreed, that their "entrance into the everlasting kingdom of Christ" depended upon their doing those things which the Apostle commanded: and he even predicts, that "false teachers, who would bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord that bought them, should make merchandize of some of them (e);" that is, should seduce them from the true Faith in Christ, and consequently defeat their Salvation: some therefore of these elect persons were not saved. At the close of his first Epistle, St. Peter says, (b) 2 Pét. c. I. v. "The (c) Election in .the Calvinistic sense includes an infallible decree; but the Apostle could not call upon the Christian converts to make an infallible decree sure. I. (d) 2 Pet. c. I. v. 10 & 11. (e) 2 Pet. c. 2. v. 1-3. "The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you:" here the Apostle calls the whole church of Babylon also elect, which again proves that the word is applied generally to collective bodies of Christians, to all who in one or more cities or countries professed Christianity, without any discrimination; and that it is not confined to individuals who must necessarily be saved, or who were predestinated by God to certain Salvation; or even to those who will actually be saved. St. Paul begins his Epistle to the Ephesians in this manner, "Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the Saints which are at Ephesus, and to the Faithful in Christ Jesus: grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will:.... Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself:.... in Christ also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated accord ing ing to the purpose of him, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will (f)." The election and predestination here spoken of, relate to God's eternal purpose to make known to the Ephesians the mystery of his will in the blessings of the Gospel, and he calls them "Saints" and "Faithful," because of the firmness and constancy with which they hitherto held fast the profession of their Faith: but still, instead of representing their Salvation as certain, he earnestly exhorts them to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they were called (g);" guards them against those deceits which bring down "the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience (h);" and commands them "to put on the whole armour of God, that they may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (i) :" it was therefore possible for those, who were "Saints," "faithful," "chosen," and "predestinated," to walk unworthily, to incur the wrath of God by disobedience, and to yield to sinful temptations, and consequently to fail of salvation. "Jesus (This does indeed express God's taking such methods to answer his purposes, as he knows will in fact be successful. But it does not prove any thing like an overbearing impulse on men's minds, to determine them in such a manner as to destroy the natural freedom of their volitions, and so to prevent their being justly accountable to God for such actions." Doddridge in loc. (g) C. 4. v. 1. (h) C. 5. v. 6. ́ ́(i) C.6. v. 11. "Jesus knew from the beginning who should betray him... Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve (k):" Jesus called, chose, elected these twelve to be his peculiar disciples, his Apostles, his constant companions; his friends. He gave them power to work miracles, to preach the Gospel, to become witnesses of, and sharers in, his glory, to sit upon twelve thrones in his kingdoin, judging the twelve tribes of Israel-Yet one of these men he declared to be a devil; one of them he knew would betray him; one of them he knew to be "the son of perdition (1)," about to suffer such punishment, that it "had been good for him if he had not been born (m)." Since then Judas was one of the chosen, one of those "whom God gave to Christ (n)," and since "Jesus knew from the beginning that he should betray him," and consequently be rejected and "lost (o)," it is clear that the chosen may deprive themselves of the advantage of "this excellent benefit (p)" of being placed in a state most favourable for the attainment of Salvation, and that foreknowledge does not imply control (k) John, c. 6. v. 64. 70 & 71. (1) John, c. 17. v. 12. (n) John, c. 17. v. 12. (m) Matt. c. 26. v. 24. |