A treatise of election and reprobation in vindication of the universal grace and love of God to mankind by B.L.

The Introduction.

Reciting those Scriptures so frequently Ʋrged, in Defence of Election and Reprobation, and the Inferences usually (though falsly) drawn from them; with some gross Absurdities that Doctrine naturally resolves into.

PEter the Apostle maketh this Remark upon the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, That in them are some things hard to be understood,* 1.1 which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own Destruction: And it is still so, as it was then; the things in his Epistles are the same, the difficulty in understanding them (and many others, of which some are hereafter considered) the same now as then; and the unlearned and unstable, like those of old, make the same ill use of them now, the others did then.

And which those places are, seems to appear from the many great and continued Disputes that have arisen about them, and filled the Minds of People unto this day; as these following, and some others.

Rom. 8. v. 29. Whom he did fore-know, he also did Predestinate, &c.

30. Whom he did Predestinate, them he also Called; and whom he Called, them he also Justified; and whom he Justified, them he also Glorified.

Rom. 9. v. 11. The Children being not yet Born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to Election might stand, not of Works, but of him that Calleth.

12, 13. It was said unto her, The Elder shall serve the Younger; as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

18. Therefore hath he Mercy on whom he will have Mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

22. What if God, willing to shew his Wrath, and to make his Power known, endured with much long-suffering the Vessels of Wrath fitted to destruction.

23. And that he might make known the Riches of his Glory on the Vessels of Mercy, which he had afore prepared unto Glory.

Ephes. 1. v. 4. According as he hath chosen us in him, before the Foun∣dation of the World, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love.

5. Having Predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his Will.

11. In whom also we have obtained an Inheritance, being Predestinated according to the purpose of him, who worketh all things after the Counsel of his own Will.

Before I enter upon a particular Disquisition of these Scriptures, there are a few things to be premised. As,

• 1st, That for special and eminent Services, God hath been pleased to choose out some particular Persons, as peculiar Instruments (as his choice) Prophets and Ministers, and hath attended, preserved and sup∣ported them, by his special Providence and divine Power, for those eminent Services in his Work and Ministry: As the Prophet Jere∣miah, before formed, known of God, and sanctified, before he came forth of the Womb.* 1.2 John Baptist, filled with the Holy Ghost from his Mother's Womb. And the Apostle Paul, a Chosen Vessel.
• 2dly, These and the like being granted, do not make for an ab∣solute Election, either of a certain definite number of Persons, of all that are or shall be saved; nor of a personal, absolute, unconditioned Predestination, of the greatest part of Mankind to Damnation.
• 3dly, That we oppose the Notion of Reprobation, as it opposeth Universal and Saving Grace, as come by Jesus Christ; and the Notion of a Personal Election absolute, as it is set up to limit and confine

• Saving Grace only to a few Persons, and indulge that few as secure in Sin, &c.

Which being premis'd, I observe, That these Scriptures, with se∣veral others which are herein after spoken to, seem to me to be some of those places hard to be understood, of which the Apostle made the Observation; but be it so or not, there is a great Misunderstanding of them amongst many People, who from hence,

• 1. Distinguish all Mankind into Elect and Reprobate.
• 2. The first they make but a very small Number.
• 3. The latter, an huge Number, and abundance of Infants and young Children among them.
• 4. They conclude all the first under Salvation.
• 5. And all the last under Damnation.
• 6. And that the first can in no wise miss of Salvation; nor the lat∣ter escape Damnation, by any endeavours whatsoever, they are both so fixed and unavoidable upon them.
• 7. And they also hold, That the Salvation of the one, and Dam∣nation of the other, are by an absolute Decree, without any respect to their Good or Evil Deeds.

All which resolves into this:

• 1st, That God loved but a few, and hated the far greater part of Mankind, from all Eternity, or from the Fall, or at least from before they were Born.
• 2dly, That those few, whom he loved, he ordain'd to Salvation, so positively and absolutely, as that they could never, in any wise, or by any means, miss it.
• 3dly, That that great Number, whom God hated, he ordain'd to Damnation, after the same positive and arbitrary manner, and so ab∣solutely as they can never in any wise, by what means so ever, avoid it.
• 4thly, That as God, of his own free-will and choice, loved those few, without respect to any thing in them, either Good or Evil, when as yet they had done nothing to deserve or procure it; so after the same manner he hated the other great Multitude (without any cause, or respect, but to his own Will) having yet done nothing to pro∣cure or deserve it.

Now, it is hereby intended to detect, and remedy, and to expose the Evil Tendency and Consequence of such Abuse and Misunderstand∣ing of these, and several other Scriptures, of like import.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Pet. 3.16.
• * 1.2

  Jer. 1.5. Luke 1.15. Acts 9.15.