A practical discourse of God's sovereignty with other meterial points, deriving thence.

Quer. In the 1 John 16. it is said, That to them which Received Him, He gave power to b••come the Sons of God: which seems to put their believing before their Sonship.

Sol. Albeit, that Faith goes afore the Manifestation of our Sonship, yet not afore our Sonship it self: The Adoption of Sons is That we were Predestinated-to, before the foundation of the World, Eph. 1. 4 and 5. That (therefore) in John, must be understood with that of Moses, when he pleads with God for His presence with His People; So shall we be separated from all the People that are on the face of the Earth: Not, that this Separation was Now to be made; It was done afore, Levit. 20. 24. But, his meaning is, That by the Lord's going with them, this their Separation should be Manifested. The same sense of the word, ye have in Mat∣thew 5, Love your Enemies, Bless them that Curse you; That ye may be (that is, that ye may appear to be) the Children of your Father which is in Heaven: In like Manner We be∣come the Sons of God by Faith: Gall. 3. 26.

The budding of Aaron's Rod, was not the Cause of God's Choosing him to the Priesthood; Nor the falling of the Lot upon Saul, and afterwards upon Matthias, the Reason Why God designed them the One to the Kingdom, and the other to the Apostleship; They were both ap∣pointed before, and those Events were but the Effects of that their fore-appointment, and Evidences of it. So, the Giving of the Spirit is that which follows Election; Be∣cause Sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts. Although the Manifestation of our Adoption, and our actual enjoyment of its privileges, are in time; yet, the Thing it self is from Everlasting.

Pursuant to this, our Saviour manifests the Father's name to the Men He had given Him out of the World; And These receive it: The Sheep hear his voice, and follow Him: Of o∣thers he saith expresly, Ye believe not, because ye are not of my Sheep: He that is of God, heareth God's word; ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. The same Reason

He gives for His different Ministration towards His own, and Others; To the One it was [given] to know the Myste∣ries of the kingdome of God; To the other, it was [not] given: And therefore, having ended His parables, He dismisses the Multitude, as having noe more for them; but to His Disciples He expoundeth every thing in private: and ye see, He puts it upon Election, as that which had invested them with this prerogative above the Rest, [To you it is given] i. e. It belong'd to them by God's Donation and appointment: They are first Saints by Election, Then Saints by Calling.

When Christ appeared to Paul going to Damascus, they that were with Him, were all in a Maze; A voyce they heard, but knew not what it spake: Why so, since they were as likely to yield as he? Truly, it was not intended for them; and therefore, their Ears were not boared, Nor the speech directed to them, but to Paul; and to Paul by Name: But why to Paul above the Rest, since he was the Ringleader and Chief Persecutor in the Company? Paul was a Chosen Ʋessel; And this, in brief, was the Reason of it, as you have it recorded in Acts 22. 14, The God of our Fathers hath chosen thee, [That thou shouldest know His will.]

The Jews had many Means of knowing the Messiah, and Inducements to believe in him, which the Gentiles had not; And yet, These embrace the Gospel, whiles the Jews Reject it: Those who sought after Righteousness, fell short of it; when Those who sought it not, attain'd it: For the bottom-Reason of which different Dispensation We are referr'd to Election, Rom. 11. 7, The Election hath obtained, and the Rest were blinded.

How variously are several Men affected in hearing the same word! The Sheep and the Rest, have both the same Outward means: One Neglects it; (attends not at all, or Regards not what he hears:) A second quarrels it; (as the Jews often did:) A Third is perswaded almost; (as Agrip∣pa was, and those that would hear Paul agen of that Mat∣ter:) A Fourth is Pricked in the heart, and called effectually:

It's a stumbling-block to some, Foolishness to Others, And to some 'tis the Power of God; And these [some] are such as were Elected; of Those to whom the Promise was made; and are therefore termed The Called according to His Pur∣pose, Rom. 8. And agen, in 2 Tim. 1. 9, They are said to be Called according to His own Purpose and Grace which was given them in Christ before the World began: They are first Chosen, and then Caused to approach unto God.

There is almost no end of Scriptures to this purpose: I shall instance one more, & so close up this Particular. All the blessings which the Saints are blessed with in time; are all bestowed according to God's Decree of Election, before time; as is manifest from Eph. 1. ver. 3, 4, 5. Where I ob∣serve, 1. That Election goes afore the Actual Donation of Spiritual blessings; For, These are given in time; That was afore time; And That which comes After, cannot be the Cause of That which went Afore it: One Effect may be the Cause of another; but not the Cause of That which caused it self. 2. That the Actual Donation of Spiritual blessings, is [according] to Election: i. e. Election is the Rule by which the Dispensation is guided: It is Adequate with Election, and Answerable thereto, even as the Im∣pression is to the Printing-Types; Or, as the fashion of Davids body, to the platform thereof in God's book; and the Tabernacle to the patern shewn in the Mount; Accor∣ding to which, all things were made, as well in respect of Number Weight and Measure, as Form and Figure. Spi∣ritual blessings are not given to One More or Fewer, or in other manner, but just as Election hath laid it forth: Which also is further confirm'd by Rev. 21. 27, Where we finde, That None are admitted into the Holy City, but whose Names were written in the book of life; And Whoso∣ever was not found written in that book, was cast into the lake of fire, chap. 20. 15. Which shews, That at the latter day, it will be taken for granted, That as many as were or∣dained to Eternal life, believed; And that all and every One without the list of Election, dyed in Unbelief; That the Election obtained, and the Rest were blinded. Therefore,

Faith and Holiness are not the Cause, but the Certain effect and inseparable Consequent of Election.

Notes

• Exod. 33. 13.
• Deut. 7. 6.
• Matth. 5. 44.
• v. 45.
• Numb. 17. 5. Acts 1. 24, 26.
• Gall. 4. 6.
• Eph. 1. 4, 5, 9, 11
• Joh. 17. 6, 8. ch. 10. 26, 27.
• ch. 8. 47.
• Mat. 13. 11.
• Rom. 10. 20.
• Acts 2. 39.
• Rom. 8. 28.
• Ps. 65. 4.
• 2 Tim. 19.
• Acts 13. 48.
• Rom. 11. 7.