Chonoyterion he Sion. The refinement of Zion: or, The old orthodox Protestant doctrine justified, and defended against several exceptions of the Antinomians, methodically digested into questions, wherein many weighty and important cases of conscience are handled, concerning the nature of faith and repentance, or conversion to God: of his eternal love, and beholding of sin in his dearest children: of justification from eternity, of of [sic] preparations to the acceptance of Christ, of prayer for pardon of sin, and turning to God: of the gospel covenant, aud [sic] tenders of salvation, on the termes of faith and repentance. For the establishment of the scrupulous, conviction of the erroneous, and consolation of distressed consciences. By Anthony Warton, minister of the word at Breamore in Hampshire.

Object. 2. Gods love is not offered to all equally and indifferent∣ly, or to all absolutely.

[Object. 2] Secondly, He alledgeth also these sayings of holy Scrip∣ture against us, as if they excluded all preparation to Faith, God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, Rom. 5.8. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be∣lieveth in him might not perish, but have eternal life. John 3.16. And this offer, is an offer of Gods love wherewith he loved us from everlasting. [Answ.]

So he: but to the contrary, I say, That Gods eternal love is not here offered to all, as he would have it; there can no such thing be deduced and drawn from either of these places: for in the former St. Paul sheweth, what manner of persons believers were in themselves, when Christ out of his love died for them, they were not righ∣teous, but sinners; in the latter, our Saviour himself sheweth, what it was that moved God to give his Son to death for us; it was his surpassing, and incomparable love, and nothing else.

Now, how Mr. S, will frame an Argument, either from the Apostles, or from our Saviours words against

preparations before Faith, I know not, unlesse it be thus. God loved all equally, loved them to make them partakers of Christ, and of salvation by him; therefore in preaching the Gospel, nothing is to be required of any, but all are to believe, that they shall be saved by Christ, whether they be penitent for sin, or rejoyce and delight in sin; and whether they purpose, and resolve to leave sin, or to live in sin. Now I grant indeed, That this Conclusion were to be admitted, if the antecedent whence it is deduced were true, that is, if God did love all absolutely unto their eternal salvation, and had no purpose to work any change or alteration in them, while they live here. But this is palpably false, for whom God loveth eternally, and before all time, they receive in time through the gracious operation of his Spi∣it, the necessary effects of this his love, that is contriti∣on and compunction of heart for sin, Faith in Christ for the forgivenesse of sin, conversion to God from all sin, and all other saving graces, to the accomplishment of their their salvation. It's false therefore, that sinners are only to believe, that God loveth them, and that they are reconciled unto him by Christs death, as Mr. D. and Mr. S. do teach, and that nothing else, but such a bare Faith is to be required of them, that they may thereby know, and be assured, that they are justified, and partakers of Christ. For God loveth not all unto salvation; but the Elect on∣ly, whom in time he bringeth by degrees to the possession of that salvation, by preparing them for it in that man∣ner, as the Gospel teacheth, and letteth none lie still rot∣ting in their sins, without any true Faith, or Repentance, but only wicked reprobates, whom he suffereth to walk in the broad way, that leadeth unto destruction.