them are saved, by the abundant mercy and grace of God, through Christ. But to go on,

1. I shall prove that there is a non-election, or rejection of some of the sons of men, when others were chosen; and, indeed, from the election of some, may fairly be inferred, the non-election of others. Common sense tells us, that of persons or things, if some are chosen, others must be left: if there is a rémnant of the sons of men, according to the election of grace, then there are others not included in it, which are left unchosen, and are called the rest. The election, that is, elect men, hath obtained it, righteousness and eternal life; and the rest were blinded, Rom. xi. 5, 7. Our Lord says, I speak not of you all; I know whom I have chosen, John xiii. 18. plainly intimating, that all were not chosen, and it is certain one was not, and whom he calls the son of perdition; one, not only deserving of it, but appointed to it; for though chosen to an office, as an apostle, yet not to grace and glory, John xvii. 12. and how many such there be, no man can pretend to say but; it is evident there are some, and who are generally described by negative characters; as not known by God and Christ; the elect are God's people, whom he knows; they are elect, according to his fore-knowledge; which carries in it love and affection to them; but of others Christ says, I never knew you; he knew them by his omniscience, but not with such know. ledge as he knows the elect of God; he never knew them as the objects of his Father's love, and his own; he never knew them as the objects of his Father's choice, and his own; he never knew them in the gift of his Father to him, Matt. vii. 23. hence they are represented as not loved, which is meant by being hated: Esau have I hated; that is, had not loved him, as he had Jacob; for it cannot be understood of positive hatred, for God hates none of his creatures, as such, only as workers of iniquity; but of negative hatred, or of not loving him; which, in comparison of the love he bore to Jacob, might be called hatred: in which sense the word is used in Luke xiv. 26. Moreover, they are spoken of as not being given to Christ; for if there are some that are given to him out of the world, then there must be a world which are not given, and for whom he has not so much concern as even to pray for them, John xvii. 6, 9. they are frequently described, as not having their names written, and not to be found written in the Lamb's book of life, Rev. xii. 8. and xvii. 8. and xx. 15. Now as election is signified by the writing of names in the book of life, non-election is expressed by not writing the names of some there; and if those whose names are written there, are the elect, then those whose names are not written there, but are left out, must be non-elect: to which may be added, that our Lord says of these persons, Ye are not of my sheep, and gives this as a reason why they bebelieve not in him, John x. 19. But the goats he will place on his left hand, pass sentence of condemnation on them, and send them into everlasting punishment, Matt. xxv. 33-46.

Moreover, from the effects of election not having place in some persons, it may be concluded, that there are such who are non-elect. Vocation is a cer

tain fruit and effect of election; Whom he did predestinate, them he also called, Rom. viii. 30. not only externally, but internally, with an holy and heavenly calling, to grace here, and glory hereafter. But are all called in this manner? No; there are some who have not so much as the outward call by the ministry of the word, have not the external means of grace; but as they sin without law, perish without it, Rom. x. 14. and ii. 12. Those who are chosen, are predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ; they are chosen to holiness, and through sanctification of the Spirit. But are all made like to Christ, and conformed to his image? do not many bear the image of Satan, imitate him, and do his lusts? are all men made holy, or have they the sanctification of the Spirit? Whom God predestinates he justifies, by the righteousness of his Son. But are all men justified? No; for though he justifies some of all sorts and nations; as the circumcised Jews by faith, and the uncircumcised Gentiles through faith, yet not every individual; yea, there is a world that will be condemned, and consequently not predestinated to life, I Cor. xi. 32. They that are chosen, are predestinated to the adoption of children, and enjoy both the grace and inheritance of children. But are all children and heirs? is there not such a distinction among men, as children of God, and children of the devil; between whom there is, and will be, an eternal difference? 1 John iii. 10. and therefore there must be an election, and a non-election among them. Moreover, whom God has predestinated, or chosen to life and happiness, these he glorifies, Rom. viii. 30. they obtain the glory of Christ, which his Father has given him for them, and to which they are chosen and called, John xvii. 22. 2 Thess. ii. 13, 14. But are all glorified? do not some go into perdition, even into everlasting punishment? and therefore must be considered as non-elect, Rev. xvii. 8. Matt. xxv. 46. To all which may be added, that those that are given to Christ, which is but another phrase for being chosen in him; these, says, shall come to him, and he will in no wise cast them out; yea, that they are his sheep, whom he must bring to his Father, to himself, to his fold, to grace and glory, John vi. 37. and x. 16. But are there not some whom Christ will drive away from him, and to them say, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, Matt. vii. 23. and xxv. 41? All this put together most clearly and fully proves, that there are some who are not chosen of God, but rejected by him.

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II. The parts of this decree, concerning the rejection of men; these are commonly said to be preterition and pre-damnation.

1. Preterition is God's passing by some men, when he chose others: and in this act, or part of the decree, men are considered as in the pure mass of creatureship, or creability; in which state they are found, when passed by or rejected, and in which they are left, even just as they are found, nothing put into them; but were left in the pure mass, as they lay, and so no injury done them; nor is God to be charged with any injustice towards them: in this act sin comes not into consideration, as it does in a following one; for in this men

are considered as not created, and so not fallen; but as unborn, and having done neither good nor evil, Rom. ix. II. And this is a pure act of sovereignty in God, and to his sovereign will it is to be ascribed; who has the same sovereign power, and greater, than the potter has over his clay, to make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour, Rom. ix. 19-22. This being expressed, as before observed, by negative phrases, is, by some, called negative reprobation.

2. Pre-damnation is God's appointment, or pre-ordination of men to condemnation for sin; and is what is spoken of in Jude 4. There are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation; and who are described by the following characters, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into laciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and, or even our Lord Jesus Christ; which, when observed, is sufficient to clear this decree of God from the charge of cruelty and injustice: and this, by some, is called, positive reprobation. The word xpiju, translated condemnation, in the above-quoted text, some render judgment, and interpret it of judicial blindness and hardness of heart; which appeared in the persons embracing and spreading false and pernicious doctrines spoken of; and this is, indeed, what they are foreordained, or appointed to, as a punishment of former sins; for this hardness, &c. presupposes former sins, and an obstinate continued course in them; either against the light and law of nature, which they like not to walk according to, and therefore God gives them up, pursuant to his decree, to a reprobate mind, to do things not convenient, Rom. i. 24, 28. or against divine revelation, precepts, counsels, and admonitions, like Israel of old, hearkening not to the voice of the Lord, in his word, nor paying any regard to his instructions; and therefore he gives them up, as he determined to do, to their own heart's lusts, and to walk in their own counsels, Psal. lxxxi. 11, 12. and this is the sense of the word in John ix. 39. God hardens some men's hearts, as he did Pharaoh's, and he wills to harden them, or he hardens them according to his decreeing will; Whom he will he hardeneth, Rom. ix, 18. this he does not by any positive act, by infusing hardness and blindness into the hearts of men; which is contrary to his purity and holiness, and would make him the author of sin: but by leaving men to their natural blindness and hardness of heart; for the understanding is naturally darkened; and there is a natural blindness, hardness, and callousness of heart, through the corruption of nature, and which is increased by habits of sinning; men are in darkness, and choose to walk in it; and therefore God, as he decreed, gives them up to their own wills and desires, and to Satan, the god of the world, they choose to follow, and to be led captive by, who blinds their minds yet more and more, lest light should break in unto them, Eph. iv. 18. Psal. lxxxii. 5. 2 Cor. iv. 4. and also God may be said to harden and blind, by denying them that grace which can only cure them of their hardness and blindness, and which he, of his free favour, gives to his chosen ones, Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. but is not obliged to give it to any; and

because he gives it not, he is said to hide, as he determined to hide, the things of his grace from the wise and prudent, even because it so seemed good in his sight, Matt. xi. 25, 26. Hence this blindness, hardness, insensibility, and stupidity, are represented as following upon non-election; not as the immediate effect of it, but as consequencss of it; and such as neither judgments nor mercies can remove; and bring persons to a right sense of sin, and repentance for it, Rom. xi. 7-10. The sin and fall of Adam having brought him into a state of infidelity, in which God has concluded him: and he does not think fit to give to every man that grace which can only cure him of his unbelief, and without which, and unless almighty power and grace go along with the means they have, they cannot believe; whereby the decrees, predictions, and declarations of God are fulfilled in them, John xii. 37-40. yea, as Christ is said to be set, or appointed, for the fall of many in Israel, Luke ii. 34 so many are appointed to stumble at the Word, at him, the Stone of stumbling, and Rock of offence, being children of disobedience, and left as such; when, to those who are a chosen generation, he is a precious Corner-Stone, and they believe in him, and are saved by him, 1 Pet. ii. 7-6. hence we read of some, who, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved, to them are sent by God strong delusions, and they are given up to believe a lie, that they might be damned; not that God infuses any delusion or deceit into them, but because of their disbelief of, and disrespect to him and his Word, he suffers their corruptions to break forth and prevail, not giving restraining grace to them; so that they become a prey to them that lie in wait to deceive; and being easy and credulous, they believe lies spoken in hypocrisy; which issue in their damnation; whilst others, beloved of the Lord, and chosen from the beginning to salvation, obtain the glory of Christ, 2 Thess. ii. 10-14. But though all this is a most certain truth, and is contained in the decree we are speaking of, yet condemnation, or everlasting punishment, seems to be meant in the passage quoted; or however, this is what some men are foreordained unto.

Some will have it, that this refers to something forewritten, as they choose to render the word; to some prophecy concerning the condemnation of those persons, and particularly to that of Enoch, verse 14, 15. but it is not certain that that prophecy was ever written; besides, a prophecy, or prediction, of any thing future, is founded upon an antecedent predetermination and appointment; God foretels by his prophets what will be, because he has determined it shall be; if, therefore, the condemnation of those persons was foretold in any written prophecy, it was because God had decreed it should come upon them, or they be brought into it. It seems to have the same sense with God's appointing men unto wrath; which though not in so many words expressed, is manifestly implied; as when the apostle says, God hath not appointed us to wrath, who yet were children of wrath, and deserving of it as others; but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ: It suggests, that though he had not appointed them, yet he had appointed others to wrath, and who are therefore called, vessels of wrath,

fitted for destruction, by their own sins and transgressions, r Thess. v. 9. Rom. ix. 22. With which agrees what is said of some wicked men, who are reserved, in the purposes and decrees of God, to the day of destruction; in con- . sequence of which, they shall be brought to the day of wrath, which God has ap pointed for the execution of his wrath; and hence the casting of the fury of his wrath, in all the dreadful instances of it, is called, the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him of God, Job xxi. 30. and xx. 23-29. and this is the sense of Prov. xvi. 4. for the meaning of the text is not, nor is it our sense of it, as some misrepresent it, as if God made man to damn him; we say no such thing, nor does the text; our sentiment is, that God made man neither to damn nor save him; but he made him for his own glory, and he will be glorified in him, in one way or another: nor that he made man wicked, in order to damn him; for God made man upright; men made themselves wicked, by their own inventions; which are the cause of damnation: but the true sense of the passage is, that the Lord hath made, that is, has appointed all things for himself, for his own glory: and should it be objected, that the wicked could not be for his glory; it is added; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil; that is, he has appointed the wicked for the day of evil, to suffer justly for their sins to the illustration of the glory of his justice.

III. I proceed to consider the Causes of this act.

1. The efficient cause is God; it is the Lord, that makes all things for his own glory, and the wicked for the day of evil; it is God that appoints to wrath and foreordains to condemnation; what if God willing to shew his wrath, &c. Prov. xvi. 4. 1 Thess. v. 9. Rom. ix. 22. And, it is an act of his sovereignty, who does what he pleases in heaven and in earth; he does according to his will in the armies of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth; as he does all things, so this, according to the counsel of his will; for though it is sovereign, it is not in such sense arbitrary as to be without reason and wisdom; it is a wise counsel of his, for his own glory. The objector, introduced by the apostle, supposes this, that it is an act of his sovereign will; and therefore says, Why does he yet find fault? for who hath resisted his will? and which the apostle denies not, but reasons upon it, and confirms it, Rom. ix. 19—22. It is agreeable to his justice: the same apostle treating on this subject asks, Is there unrighteousness with God? that is, to love one and hate another, to choose one and not another, before they were born, or had done good or evil; and he answers, God forbid; since in his act of passing by one, when he chose another, he left him as he found him, without putting, or supposing any iniquity in him; without any charge of any sin, or laying him under a necessity to commit any. In the act of pre-damnation, he considers him as a sinner, and foreordains him to punishment for his sins; and if it is no injustice in God to punish men for sin, it cannot be unjust in him to determine to punish for it: if the judgments of God on antichrist are true and righteous, and display his holiness and justice, it cannot be unrighteous in him to decree to inflict these