tion 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.". .I beg leave to ask, In what words could the Holy Ghost have revealed the doctrine more clearly than he hath done in the above passages? And, I confess, it has often been a matter of astonishment to me, in reading these Scriptures, and many others, how any, who profess to believe the truth of the Bible, can deny the doctrine of eternal and personal election.

is all that the Calvinists understand by the doctrine of election.

Thus, brethren, have you not in your own bosoms very satisfactory proof of this doctrine? If you have any good evidence that you have been born of God, that you are new creatures in Christ, that your stony heart has been taken away, and that you now possess hearts of flesh, all this must have been of God. And in regenerating you, and making you new creatures in Christ His Son, God must have acted according to a previous and eternal design; and His doing these things for some sinners, according to His eternal purpose, is the very election the Calvinists contend for.

But you have often heard dreadful things said of this doctrine-that it is a soul-murdering doctrine; that it makes God a liar, unjust, cruel, and everything that is bad. But I beg you will consider what harm election (as it is held by Calvinists in general) has ever done to any one. It has never caused the destruction of any, but has secured the salvation of thousands. It keeps none from Christ, but draws many to Him. When seven thousand were saved from the almost general apostasy in Israel, in the days of Elias, by the election of grace, election did infinite good to the said seven thousand that were saved, and it did no harm to the rest. When many thousands of the Jews were saved in the same manner, in the days of Christ and his apostles, election did unspeakable good to as many as were saved, while it made the circumstances of the rest no worse. (Rom. xi. 4, 5.) Therefore, if election does such unspeakable good to so many, while it injures none, why are such hard things said respecting it? Here is certainly great reason to wonder, and say with the apostle, "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!" But here is no room to find fault.

For a proof of this doctrine, I would also appeal to the experience of all real Christians. Whence is it, brethren, that you differ from others? You yourselves were once God's enemies, but are now reconciled to him, and become his friends. You see many thousands of your fellowcreatures in the same unhappy state in which you yourselves lately were. Whence is it that you are now in a better state than they? You delight in the paths of holiness and peace, while they delight in the paths of sin and misery: you are walking in the narrow way which leadeth to heaven, while they are walking in the broad way which leadeth to hell. Whence is it that your state is so much better than theirs? Who hath made you thus to differ? Will you ascribe this to your own distinguishing goodness, or the distinguishing goodness of God? I am fully persuaded you will not, for one moment, ascribe this to yourselves. By the law of faith, which you are now under, boasting is for ever excluded. But if you will not ascribe this difference to yourselves, you must ascribe it to God. It was He who created you anew in Christ Jesus: it was He who, according to His abundant mercy, hath begotten you again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And if it was God who thus made you to differ from others, He must have acted herein either according to a previous design or It is a fact that God saved Saul the without a design. To say that He acted persecutor, plucking him as a brand out without any design, would be infinitely of the burning; as a God of infinite perunworthy of God, and little less than fection, He must have done this according blasphemy. But if He acted according to to the election of grace. This was to a design, this design must have been Saul an act of infinite mercy; and there eternal; for with God there is no change, could be nothing unjust and cruel in it, as nor shadow of turning. Now, His making God herein injured no man living, either some sinners to differ from others, by in this world or the next. And if there bestowing on some, and not on all, re- was nothing unjust and cruel in God's generating and sanctifying grace, ac-actually saving Saul in time, there would cording to His eternal design or purpose, have been nothing unjust or cruel in His

designing to save him in eternity. The same observation will hold good respecting every one that shall stand at last at the right hand of the Judge. God's decree of election is no more than His gracious and eternal design to do good, in saving myriads of sinners from everlasting misery; and surely there could have been nothing unjust and cruel in God's designing to do good.

He make every man a new creature in Christ ?-does He give to every man a new heart? He certainly does these things for some men; and if He does them for some, and not for every man, He does more towards the salvation of some than He does towards that of others.

Those who maintain, that God from eternity loved all men alike, and, consequently, that He does the same in time I desire you will further consider, what towards the salvation of every man, caneffect the sovereign good pleasure of God, not go even so far as the Pharisee. His in bestowing the knowledge of salvation language was: “God, I thank Thee that I on some, and not on others, had on the am not as other men are; extortioners, mind of Jesus Christ. "In that hour unjust, adulterers, or even as this publiJesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank can. But when those of the above senthee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, timents see extortioners, adulterers, or that thou hast hid these things from the any other profligate sinners, their lanwise and prudent, and hast revealed them guage must be, "We thank ourselves, unto babes : even so, O Father, for so it that we are not such as they are: God seemed good in Thy sight." (Luke x. from eternity loved us no more than He 21.) Here you see that the sovereign loved them; and consequently, he did goodwill of God unto some, and not unto no more in time towards our salvation others, which amounts to the same thing as than He did towards theirs ; and therefore, election, was matter of joy and praise to that we are so much better than they, is Jesus Christ. .. Surely, if there had | not, owing in the least to any distinguishbeen any injustice or cruelty in this, the ing goodness in God to us, more than to compassionate and holy Saviour never them, but to our own distinguishing goodwould have rejoiced and thanked God on ness, which has made us to differ so much such an account. Is there not much rea- from them." How exceedingly unbeson to fear, that those who speak so disre- coming would such language be in the spectfully of election and the sovereign mouth of a Christian! how contrary to decrees of God, are very far from being the whole tenor and tendency of the of the same mind as Jesus Christ? Gospel, which is designed to humble the You frequently hear Arminians say, sinner, and exalt the Saviour! But I "that God from eternity loved all men rejoice, there is great reason to hope that alike." If this be true, it must be granted many thousands are to be found among that He does no more in time, towards the Arminians who would be very far the salvation of some, than He does from using such language. They are towards the salvation of others; it must often heard to confess before God, with be granted, I say, that He does the same great humility and self-abasement, that towards the salvation of all men. I de- the enmity of their heart was such, that sire, however, you will consider whether they never would have come to Jesus this be a fact. Did He do no more towards Christ, except it had pleased the Father, the salvation of Jacob than He did of His sovereign and eternal love, to towards that of Esau? Did He do no draw them. With these I desire to spend more towards the salvation of Moses than a happy eternity, joining in a new song, He did towards that of Pharaoh? Did and singing to the glorious Lamb in the He do no more towards the salvation of midst of the throne, "Thou art worthy: Peter than He did towards that of Judas? for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us If God does the same towards the salva- to God by Thy blood out of every kintion of every man, those at the right | dred, and tongue, and people, and hand of the Judge, at the great day, will | be under no greater obligation to God than those at His left hand. When the Arminians say, as they often do, both in preaching and writing, "that God gives one talent or more, of saving grace unto every man," I confess I do not know | what they mean : therefore, I would ask, does God regenerate every man?-does

nation. (Rev. v. 9.) I cannot, however, help thinking that their experience as Christians, and their professed sentiments as Arminians, very ill agree.

They admit, however, that there are some whom God loves with a distinguish-ing love; and they describe them, according to John xiv. 21-such as fear God, love Jesus, and keep His commandments;

that is, such as are really godly. But the question is, How do sinners become godly?-is it of God, or of themselves? If it be of God, did He not love them with a distinguishing love before He made them godly? And was not His making them godly the effect of His distinguishing love? I appeal unto all who have felt the love of God shed abroad in their hearts-whence is it, brethren, that you delight in the ways of holiness, while others delight in the ways of sin? Is it of God, or of yourselves? I am sure | the language of your heart this moment is, "Not unto us, not unto us, but unto God be all the glory of this work; with everlasting love hath He loved us, therefore with loving-kindness hath He drawn us." Then you acknowledge with thankfulness, that it was of God's distinguishing love to you He made you godly. You love Him, because He first loved you.

Calvinists than it does the Arminians, to show how it is not consistent with the justice of God. We are sure that God is just. "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are judgment; a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He." All the actions of God, from everlasting to everlasting, must be consistent with His justice. And if the Scriptures represent it as a fact that God has, in sovereign mercy, elected some sinners to everlasting glory, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, we may rest assured that He is infinitely just herein, though we should not be able to show how He is just. God, in all His glorious attributes, as well as in His Divine decrees, is infinitely above our comprehension. Let it be your great concern, brethren, to believe whatever God has been pleased to reveal in His Word, and feel the humbling, comforting, Such Scriptures as John xiv. 21, "He and transforming influence of every Divine that hath my commandments, and keep- truth in your own minds; then you may eth them, he it is that loveth me: and he look forward, with the greatest composure that loveth me, shall be loved of my and joy, unto the great and glorious day, Father, and I will love him, and will when Christ Himself shall descend from manifest myself unto him," are very pre- | heaven, and summon all intelligent creacious portions of God's Word. But they tures to stand in His presence. In that do not refer to God's love to His people day He will abundantly manifest, to the from eternity, or unchanging purpose of satisfaction of all, that the judgments of saving them, but to His delight in them, God are according to truth. and the sweet experience they shall have of his love shed abroad in their hearts when they are enabled by grace to walk in the ways of His commandments. For instance, God's purpose of saving David was the same when he grievously offended in the matter of Uriah as it was before he had committed the offence; yet, as a God of infinite holiness, He could no less than be exceedingly displeased with his sin, and, as an offended Father, He chastised him for it. If God's dear children forsake His laws, and walk not in His judgments-if they break His statutes, and walk not in His commandments they shall not have sweet manifestations of His love, but He will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes: yet His loving-kindness shall not be taken from them, nor will He suffer His faithfulness to fail.

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Though we confess that the thoughts of God are very deep, and His decrees far above our comprehension, yet we are able, in some measure, to comprehend that there is no injustice in God's bestowing His undeserved favour on whom He pleases. Arminians profess to believe, as well as Calvinists, that all men are sinners, and, consequently, that all deserve everlasting punishment: "For the wages of sin is death." And as this is allowed by both sides, there could have been no injustice with God had He not saved any of the fallen race of Adam, but reserved them, as He did the angels who sinned, in everlasting chains, under darkness, to the judgment of the great day. Therefore, if it be a fact that all deserve to perish for ever, it is of infinite grace that any are saved.

The doctrine of God's sovereignty in You have observed, that, when Ar- bestowing His favours, without any minians endeavour to disprove the doc-regard to worthiness in the receivers, is trine of election, they do not so much attempt to show that the Scriptures do not teach it, as that it is not consistent with the justice of God. But remember, if it can be proved that the Scriptures teach this doctrine, it no more concerns the

far from being discouraging to those who are convinced that they deserve only everlasting misery. If you were about applying to some superior for an undeserved favour, and should his character be represented to you as a person who never

bestowed any favours on the undeserving, | full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable would you not be greatly discouraged to comfort. apply? But if, on the other hand, he should be represented to you as a person who always bestowed his favours for his own sake, without any direct regard to worthiness in the receivers, you would be greatly encouraged to make application, and hope to succeed. God is a sovereign who bestows His favours altogether for His own sake: "He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy." Though unworthy, cast yourself at his feet, and pray that He would glorify His grace in saving you; and you shall certainly find that He delights in mercy.