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Scripture God's Elect, the Gospel; saved; why are Ministers his reproand wherefore are they directe nuance and teach all nations, or to go istall the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature? Why are injunctions to repent and believe the Gospel so often repeated, if men are not able to believe and repent of themselves, or by the exercise of those means and powers, which they either possess or may possess if they please?"

The first answer is; God hath appointed and commanded all this, and much more of the same kind, and therefore it must be RIGHT. We have no allowance, as creatures, to call into question the propriety of his rules and determinations; but we are to acknowledge, that, as his thoughts are far above our thoughts, the clear and known decisions of the Lord respecting persons and things, though they may perplex our short and darkened under

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who presume to justify unbelief or disobedience by God's decrees, of which they know nothing, will one day find, that their own natural aversion to God's truth, and their innate love of sin, were the real motives of their own resistance, and, consequently, that the whole blame will rest with them selves. Men are not publicly called, as elected persons; but as guilty, perishing, sinners. Nor can any man prove his election of God, but by his acceptance of pardon freely

freely set before him in the Gospel; nor determine fairly about his reprobation but by the obstinate continuance of a proud and rebellious heart, in resist ing, to the end of his life, the grace of the Holy Spirit, as proposed in the declarations of the word. If a man, therefore, shall venture to encourage himself in sin and unbelief, from the conceit of an outstanding decree of which he is entirely ignorant, he cer tainly does prove, that at present his heart is in a hardened state, that he lives in defiance of the just judgements of God clearly announced to all such, and that he is ready for himself to take the worst alternative of God's determination, which is a curse upon unrepented sin; and all this, only for the poor gratifications of the pride or lust of his animal nature in this transitory and miserable.world. Let him but deal fairly with his own conscience; and he will probably find, that

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poor and melancholy motives are at the bottom of the whole. has chosen for himself really, though perversely; nor can he fairly charge the Almighty with the just consequences of his own wish and his own way.

17. If we take this matter in anothe point of view, we may safely say, after the Scriptures, that the Lord hath certainly a right to do with his own, as he pleases; and that, if he had left all to perish, instead of some, because of the sinfulness, which he never placed, but which is now found through a far different channel, in the nature of all, he would have been an infinitely merciful and holy, as well as just, Being, beyond the possibility of defect or impeachment. Yet there are those, who inconsiderately and daringly say, that, if the doctrine of election be true, the great Author of all good must also be the author of all

sin, and that he made multitudes of beings, both angelic and human, only for the express purpose of damning them. How grossly can man's corrupt reason pervert God's most serious and salutary truths! But let these people for a moment apply a case, which "comes home to their own business and bosoms." God hath been pleased, in his wise and just providence, to distinguish some amongst themselves with honours, rank, prosperity, and various endowments of mind and body, in many degrees above others. But do these complain of any excessive partiality or indulgence in the case? Do they believe, that they themselves have particularly too much of any thing that is good; that they have too much wisdom, learning, riches, honour, superiority, or happiness? Do they ever murmur against God, that other men are neither wise, nor rich, nor honourD 2 able,

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