he raised him up (or created him?) Why this amounts to just the same thing. If you believe Pharaoh, or any other man upon earth, was created for this end, to be damned, you hold all that has been said of Predestination. And there is no need you should add, that God seconds his decree, which is supposed unchangeable and irresistible, by hardening the hearts of those vessels of wrath, whom that decree had before fitted for destruction.

7. Well; but it may be, you do not believe even this. You do not hold any decree of reprobation. You do not think God decrees any man to be damned, nor hardens, nor irresistibly fits him for damnation. You only say, "God eternally decreed, that all being dead in sin, he would say to some of the dry bones, LIVE, and to others he would not. That consequently, these should be made alive, and those abide in death: these should glorify God by their salvation, and those by their destruction."

8. Is not this what you mean by the election of grace? If it be, I would ask one or two questions. Are any who are not thus elected, saved? Or, were any, from the foundation of the world? Is it possible any man should be saved, unless he be thus elected? If you say, no, you are but where you were. You are not got one hair's breadth farther. You still believe that in consequence of an unchangeable, irresistible decree of God, the greater part of mankind abide in death, without any possibility of redemption; inasmuch as none can save them but God: and he will not save them. You believe he hath absolutely decreed, not to save them and what is this, but decreeing to damn them? It is, in effect, neither more nor less: it comes to the same thing. For if you are dead, and altogether unable to make yourself alive; then if God has absolutely decreed, he will make only others alive, and not you; he hath absolutely decreed your everlasting death; you are absolutely consigned to damnation. So then, tho' you use softer words than some, you mean the self-same thing. And God's decree concerning the election of grace, according to your own account of it,

amounts to neither more nor less, than what others call, "God's decree of reprobation.'

9. Call it, therefore, by whatever name you please, "Election, Preterition, Predestination, or Reprobation," it comes, in the end to the same thing. The sense of all is plainly this, "By virtue of an eternal, unchangeable, irresistible, decree of God, one part of mankind are infallibly saved, and the rest infallibly damned: it being impossible that any of the former should be damned, or that any of the latter should be saved."

10. But if this be so, then all preaching is vain. It is needless to them that are elected. For they, whether with preaching or without will infallibly be saved. Therefore, the end of preaching, "To save souls," is void with regard to them. And it is useless to them that are not elected, for they cannot possibly be saved. They, whether with preaching or without, will infallibly be damned. The end of preaching is, therefore, void with regard to them likewise, so that, in either case, our preaching is vain, as your hearing is also vain."

11. This then is a plain proof, that the doctrine of Predestination is not a doctrine of God, because it makes void the ordinance of God: and God is not divided against himself. A second is, that it directly tends to destroy that holiness, which is the end of all the ordinances of God. I do not say, "None who hold it are holy." (For God is of tender mercy to those who are unavoidably entangled in errors of any kind.) But that the doctrine itself, "That every man is either elected or not elected from eternity, and that the one must inevitably be saved, and the other inevitably damned," has a manifest tendency to destroy holiness in general. For it wholly takes away those first motives to follow after it, so frequently proposed in Scripture, the hope of future reward and fear of punishment, the hope of heaven and fear of hell. That "these shall go away into everlasting punishment, and those into life eternal," is no motive to him to struggle for life, who believes his lot is cast already : it is not reasonable for him so to do, if he thinks he is un

alterably adjudged either to life or death. You will say, "But he knows not whether it is life or death." What then? This helps not the matter. For if a sick man knows that he must unavoidably die, or unavoidably recover, though he knows not which, it is not reasonable for him to take any physic at all. He might justly say, (and so I have heard some speak, both in bodily sickness and in spiritual,) "If I am ordained to life, I shall live; if to death, I shall die: so I need not trouble myself about it." So directly does this doctrine tend to shut the very gate of holiness in general, to hinder unholy men from ever approaching thereto, or striving to enter in thereat.

12. As directly does this doctrine tend to destroy several particular branches of holiness. Such are meekness and love: love, I mean, of our enemies, of the evil and unthankful. I say not, that none who hold it, have meekness and love: (for as is the power of God, so is his mercy.) But that it naturally tends to inspire or increase a sharpness or eagerness of temper which is quite contrary to the meekness of Christ, as then especially appears when they are opposed on this head. And it as naturally inspires contempt or coldness towards those whom we suppose outcasts from God. "O," but you say, "I suppose no particular man a reprobate." You mean, you would not, if you could help it. You cannot help sometimes applying your general doctrine to particular persons. The enemy of souls will apply it for you. You know how often he has done so. "But you rejected the thought with abhorrence." True; as soon as you could. But how did it sour and sharpen your spirit in the mean time! You well know it was not the spirit of love which you then felt towards that poor sinner, whom you supposed or suspected, whether you would or not, to have been hated of God from eternity.

13. Thirdly: This doctrine tends to destroy the comfort of religion, the happiness of Christianity. This is evident as to all those who believe themselves to be reprobated, or who only suspect or fear it. All the great and precious promises are lost to them. They afford them no ray of

comfort: "for they are not the elect of God, therefore they have neither lot nor portion in them." This is an effectual bar to their finding any comfort or happiness, even in that religion, whose ways were designed to be "ways of pleasantness, and all her paths peace."

14. And as to you, who believe yourselves the elect of God, what is your happiness? I hope, not a notion, a speculative belief; a bare opinion of any kind: but a feeling possession of God in your heart, wrought in you by the Holy Ghost; or "The witness of God's Spirit with your spirit, that you are a child of God." This, otherwise termed, "the full assurance of faith," is the true ground of a christian's happiness. And it does indeed imply, a full assurance that all your past sins are forgiven, and that you are now a child of God. But it does not necessarily imply, a full assurance of our future perseverance. I do not say, this is never joined to it: but that it is not necessarily implied therein; for many have the one, who have not the other.

15. Now this witness of the Spirit, experience shews, to be much obstructed by this doctrine: and not only in those, who, believing themselves reprobated, by this belief, have thrust it far from them: but even in them that have "tasted of that good gift," who yet have soon lost it again, and fallen back into doubts, and fears, and darkness, horrible darkness that might be felt. And I appeal to any of you who hold this doctrine, to say between God and your own hearts, whether you have not often a return of doubts and fears concerning your election or perseverance? If you ask, Who has not? I answer, very few of those that hold this doctrine. But many, very many of those that hold it not, in all parts of the earth; many of those who know and feel they are in Christ to-day, and "take no thought for the morrow;" who "abide in him" by faith from hour to hour, or rather, from moment to moment; many of these have enjoyed the uninterrupted witness of his Spirit, the continual light of his countenance, from the moment wherein they first believed, for many months or years, to this day.

16. That assurance of faith which these enjoy, excludes all doubt and fear. It excludes all kinds of doubt and fear concerning their future perseverance: though it is not properly, as was said before, an assurance of what is future; but only of what now is. And this needs not for its support, a speculative belief, that whoever is once ordained to life, must live. But it is wrought from hour to hour, by the mighty power of God, "by the Holy Ghost which is given unto them." And, therefore, that doctrine is not of God, because it tends to obstruct, if not destroy, this great work of the Holy Ghost, whence flows the chief comfort of religion, the happiness of christianity.

- 17. Again: How uncomfortable a thought is this, that thousands and millions of men, without any preceding offence or fault of theirs, were unchangeably doomed to everlasting burnings! How peculiarly uncomfortable must it be to those who have put on Christ! To those, who, being filled with "bowels of mercy, tenderness, and compassion,” could even "wish themselves accursed for their brethren's sake!"

18. Fourthly: This uncomfortable doctrine directly tends to destroy our zeal for good works. And this it does, first, as it naturally tends to destroy our love to the greater part of mankind, viz. the evil and unthankful. For whatever lessens our love, must so far lessen our desire to do them good. This it does, secondly, as it cuts off one of the strongest motives to all acts of bodily mercy, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and the like, viz. the hope of saving their souls from death. For what avails it to relieve their temporal wants, who are just dropping into eternal fire ? Well; but run and snatch them as brands out of the fire.' Nay, this you suppose impossible. They were appointed thereunto, you say, from eternity, before they had done either good or evil. You believe it is the will of God they should die. And "who hath resisted his will?" But you say, "you do not know, whether these are elected or not.” What then? If you know they are one or the other, that they are either elected, or not elected, all your labour is void and vain. In either case, your advice, reproof, or exhort

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