blinds their minds yet more and more, lest light should break in unto them, Eph. iv. 18; Psalm 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 consequences 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 disobe dience, 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. 6, 7; 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 that of Enoch, verses 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 foretells by his prophecy 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, 1 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 consequence of which, they shall be brought to the day of wrath, which God has appointed 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 heaven, 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 judgments on him, and his followers, here and hereafter: if it is a righteous thing with God to render tribulation to them that trouble his people, and so to them that commit any other sin, it must be agreeable to his justice to appoint them to indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish; even every soul of man that does evil, if he pleases. Nor is this act contrary to his goodness; all persons and things are his own, and he may do with them as he pleases, without an impeachment of this or any other perfection of his ; Is thine eye evil, says he, because I am good? Matt. xx. 15. What distinguishing grace and goodness has been exercised towards fallen man, when no degree of sparing mercy was shown to fallen angels! and what goodness has been laid up, and wrought out, for many of the sons of Adam, though others have been rejected! and even on them that are rejected, what riches of providential goodness have been and are bestowed on them, in the most plentiful and liberal manner! with what lenity, patience, forbearance, and long-suffering, has God endured the vessels of wrath, fitted to destruction, fitted by themselves! Rom. ii. 4, and ix. 22. This act of God is neither contrary to the mercy, nor to the wisdom of God, nor to the truth and sincerity of God, in his promises, declarations, calls, &c., nor to the holiness and justice of God; as I have elsewhere made abundantly to appear.

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2. The moving, or impulsive cause of God's making such a decree, by which he has rejected some of the race of Adam from his favour, is not sin, but the good pleasure of his will: sin is the meritorious cause of eternal death, wrath, and damnation; wrath is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, and comes upon the children of disobedience, whom God leaves in it; the wages, or demerit of sin, is death, even death eternal: but then it is not the impulsive cause of the decree itself; not of preterition, because that, as election, was before good or evil was done, and irrespective of either; nor of pre-damnation, God, indeed, damns no man but for sin; nor did he decree to damn any but for sin; but yet, though sin is the cause of damnation and death, the thing decreed, it is not the cause of the decree itself; it is the cause of the thing willed, but not the moving cause of God's will; for nothing out of God can move his will; if it could, the will of God would be dependent on the will and actions of men; whereas, his purpose, whether with respect to election or rejection, stands not on the works and will of men, but on his own will and pleasure besides, if sin was the cause of the decree itself, or of God's will to reject men, then all would be rejected, since all fell in Adam; all are under sin, all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; all are, by nature, children of wrath, and deserving of it: what then could move God to choose one and reject another, but his sovereign good will and pleasure? that then is the sole moving and impulsive cause of such a decree; when we have searched the Scriptures most thoroughly, and employed our reasoning powers to the highest pitch, and racked our inSee the Cause of God and Truth, part 3, chap. 1, 2.

vention to the uttermost; no other cause of God's procedure in this affair can be assigned, but what Christ has expressed; Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight; as to hide the things of his grace and gospel from some, and reveal them to others; so to decree and determine within himself, to act in this manner, Matt. xi. 25, 26.

3. The final cause, or end of this decree, is his own glory; this is the ultimate end of all his decrees and appointments, and so of this, appointing the wicked for the day of evil; it was for this purpose he raised up Pharaoh, and decreed all he did concerning him, that he might show his power in him, his sovereignty and dominion over him, and that his name and glory might be declared throughout all the earth: and the same view he has with respect to all the vessels of wrath, namely, to show his wrath, and to make his power known, in their destruction, which is of themselves; it is not the death and damnation of the sinner, in which he delights not, that is his ultimate end; it is his own glory, the glory of his perfections, and particularly the glory of his justice and holiness, Prov. xvi. 4, Rom. ix. 17, 22.

IV. The date of this decree is as ancient as eternity itself; wicked men are before of old said to be ordained to condemnation, Jude 4. Some who would have the word rendered, before written, as already observed, suppose the text refers to a written prophecy, concerning the condemnation of those men, and that regard is had to a parallel place in 2 Pet. ii. 1-3. So Grotius. But if Jude had had that in his view, he would never have said that they were of old, a long time ago, before written, and prophesied of; since, according to the common calculation, that epistle of Peter was written in the same year that this of Jude's was: the date of election and rejection must be the same; Esau was hated, as early as Jacob was loved, or rejected when he was chosen; and both were done before they were born. If men were chosen from the beginning, that is, from eternity, to salvation; then those that were not chosen, or not ordained to eternal life, were foreordained as early to condemnation; and so is the Syriac version of the text in Jude, were from the beginning ordained; the same date that is given of election in 2 Thess. ii. 13: and indeed there can be no new decree, appointment or purpose, made by God in time; if the decree of election was from eternity, that of rejection must be so too; since there cannot be one without the other; if some were chosen before the foundation of the world, others must be left, or passed by, as early; and, indeed, those whose names are left out of the book of life, are expressly said to be not written in the book of life, from the foundation of the world, Rev. xvii, 8. And from the whole,

v. The properties of this decree will appear to be much the same with those of the decree of election, and need be but just mentioned; as,-1. That it is an eternal decree of God. This did not arise in the mind of God in time, as no new act does, but was made before the foundation of the world.-2. That it is free and sovereign, owing to his own will and pleasure, not moved to it by any thing out of himself; He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth, Rom. ix. 18; and so he determined to do.-3. It is immutable and

revocable; it is expressed by a decree, a pre-ordination; all the decrees of God are unalterable, there is an immutability in his counsel, let it be concerning what it may. Is it expressed by a writing or a forewriting, as in Jude 4? It is such a writing as ever remains in full force. Did Pilate say, What I have written, I have written, signifying it should remain without any alteration? John xix. 22. Then it may be concluded, that what God has written shall remain, and never be revoked; for he is in one mind, and none can turn him.-4. It is of particular persons; it does not merely respect events, characters, and actions; but the persons of men; as they are persons who are chosen in Christ, and appointed, not to wrath, but to obtain salvation by him; so they are persons who are foreordained to condemnation, whose names are left out of the book of life, whilst others are written in it.— 5. It is a most just and righteous decree; and no other but such can be made by God, who is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

OF THE ETERNAL UNION OF THE ELECT OF GOD UNTO HIM.

THE union of God's elect unto him, their adoption by him, justification before him, and acceptance with him, being eternal, internal and immanent acts in God; I know not where better to place them, and take them into consideration, than next to the decrees of God, and particularly the decree of election; since as that flows from the love of God, and is in Christ from everlasting, there must of course be an union to him so early; and since predestination to the adoption of children, and acceptance in the beloved, are parts and branches of it, Eph. i. 4-6, they must be of the same date. I shall begin with the union of God's elect in Christ.

I shall not here treat of any time-acts of union; as of our nature to the Son of God by his incarnation, when he became our brother, our near kinsman, flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone; and we and he were of one, that is, of one nature, Heb. ii. 11-16; nor of the vital union of our persons to him in regeneration, when we are quickened by the power and grace of God, Christ is formed in our hearts, and we become new creatures in him, and are in him as living fruitful branches in him, the living vine; which is our open being in Christ, in consequence of a secret being in him from everlasting by electing grace; see Rom. xvi. 7, 2 Cor. v. 17 and xii. 2. Nor of the more open and manifest union of the saints to God hereafter; who being once in Christ, are always found in him; die in union to him, rise from the dead by virtue of that union; and who will then, in soul and body, be one in God, Father, Son, and Spirit; as the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father; whose union to one another is the pattern and exemplar of theirs; and for the open manifestation of which Christ prays, John xvii. 21, 23.

But I shall consider the union of the elect to God, as it is in its original, and as an eternal immanent act in God; and which is no other