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capud him, is horo had boon an solidit incit; ut ollano
in tho impossibilit os God' foreseein any good in man, X- cepi liat se hadrars determinod o bustox by tho bono fit os hi election, he resoris noto the proposterous Oriter of lac inggood mortis es ore thei cause We have the apostle' author-it that the salvationis belle vertis o unde sololy on the decision os Divino election, and that that favo ur is no procured by Works, ut proceedis rom gratuit Ous atting. e have also livoly xhibitionis his truth in a particular eXample Iacob ait Esau are brothers, egotienis the Same parent S Stili en-closed in the fame oml, noto et rought forti into glit; ther is in ali respect re perseet equalit bet ween them et the judgniunt of God concerning them is disterent. For huta hos ne and reject the ther. The primogeniture a theo ut thing that gave ne a right os priorit to the ther. Butthat also is assed by, and n the ounge is esto wed lint is res used to the older. In ther instances, ulso, God appearsal Nay to have reate primogenituro illi designei and deci- dei contempti to ut si froni the est ali occasion of boasting. He rejeciscis mael, uni favo ur Isaac. He degrades ManaSSeli, and honour Ephraim. VI. Is it u objected that rom thes inferior and inconsiderable benefiis it must not e concluded respocting the se tocome that he who has besen ni sexto the honour os primogenitur is heres ore to e considoro as adopte to the in heritance Os heaven. - for there are mari Who paremo Paul, a thoughin his citation os Scripture testimontes h lia perverte themfroin thei genuine mean in g, - answer a besore, that theapost te has ei ther erret through in advertency, nor illinclyperverte testimontes of Scripture. ut e sam, tiat theycanno bear o consider, that God intende by an arthlysymbol to declare the spiritua election 1 Iacob, hi et Olli er-wis tu concente bellin his inaccessibi tribunal. Foruntes the primogeniture grante hun tia resere ne to the future orid, it Was a vain and ridiculous in os tessing, whiel produce him nothing ut various amictions and ad
Discerning beyon ad do ubi that God' Externat lessing was an indication of the spirituat an permanunt iussin he had prepare sor his servant in his kiugdom, aut hesitate no toargue frona the formo in proos of the lalter. t mustinis beremembered, that to the and of Canaan was annexed thepledge of th celestia residetice so that it ought no tob doubted that Jacob vias ingras ted With anguis in to tho Odyos Christ that he might be a partaker of the fame se. While Esau is rejected theres ore Iacob is elected an distinguiShed stom him by God' predestination, Without an dissererice f
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among the godly, aut declares, Tho Lord noweth thum that are his. V m Lastly by this expression aut designates
out doubi , he gathere froni Moses, fio asseris that God illbe mercisu to homine ill e mercisul though hecis speat
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VII. NON, et the supremo Mastor and Judge decide the
nation os the Futher, that e re iveri into the custodyan protectionis Christ. ere, perhapS, Ome ne ma argue in a circle, and objeci, that non ure considere a the Fathor'speculiar eople, ut hoS WhoSe Surrende ha been voluntary,
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he elseWhere iis ors, out of the worid, ' c Which e Y-chidos poni hi prayers, When he commonditiis disciplus to thes athor. It must be admitted that hen Christ asseris his knowlodg of hom he has hosen, it reser to a particular classis manliinil und that tho are distinguishod, o by the natur of thei viriues, tit by the decree i momen. Whoncei sollows that non attain an excellene by their Wn ubi tyo industry, sine Christ reprosunt himself a the author ofelection. His enumeration Os Judas among the eieci, thoughhe was a devit, ni rosors to the aposto cal office, hicli, though an illistrious instanc os the Divino savour, a Paul oseoquently acknowlod gQ in his oWn person, et oes no include tho ope of tornat salvation. Judas, heres ore, in his uias uitii sui Oxercis of the postleship might te ors than adsevit; ut of thos Whom Christinas ne unite to his ody, he Wil neve sussor ne to peristi sor in Securing thei Salu tion, he Will performoliat he has promised by Xerting the pomer of Od Who is reater than all. What he says in another place hos that thou aves me I have opi, and non os them is tost, ut the son os perdition, ' is a mode feXpression calle catachresis, but the sense is sussicienti plain. The conchision is that God creates hom e chooses to ehis hildron by gratuitous adoption that the cause of this is Whod in himself because e Xcuisivel regard his Omnsecro determination.
VIII. ut it ill bo nid, Ambrose Origen, and eromebo ouod that God dispensos his grace amon men accordin tollis foret noWledge of the good usu hicli ver individual Willmali oscit. Augustine ulSo was Once of the Same sentiment; but hen he had made a greator proficienc in Scriptural knowledge, he no orat retracted, ut pomersuli consuto it Andaster his retractation, rebul in the Pelagians for persistin inthis error, e says, ho ut mus Wonde that his ostingenious ense liould scape the postle FO aster propo-Sin What a calculate to Xcite Stonishment respectingitiose childron et unt,orn, he stariodo himself, by Way of objection, the fossoWin questio Q What, then, is herem right- eousnos With God It was the place for him to ansWer, that God forosa tho morit os ach of them; et e say nothingos his, ut rosoris to the decroos und more os God. V An in another place, after uvin discarde ad mortis antecedent to
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morited. V or sine the Lord alloWs his to contemplate nothingin lection ut his more goodnesS, the deSire os any one to See any thin more is a reposterou dispOSition. ut is, weruincti ne to a contentionis subtilay, Q hould e alio os tores ut this peti Sophism Os Aquinas. e contend that gloryis in a certa in sense predestinatet for the elec accorditi tothei meriis, ecause Od predestinates to them the grace bywhicli glor is morited. What is , On the contrary, reply, that prodestination to grace is sub ordinato to election to lise, an attendantipon to that graue is prodestinate to thos toWhom the possession Os glor has been alaeady assignex be- causerit leasos tho Loryto conduci his hildren frona electionio justification For heuce it,ill follow that prodestination toglor is ather the cause os prodestination to grace thun thecontrary. ut tot iis disinis these controversies the areunnecessar With those ho thini the have isdom nough in tho ord of God For it a trul remarked by an ancient ecclesiastica writer, That the who ascribe God' election tomeritS, re iser hun the ought to e.
X. It is objocted by sonio that God ill e inconsistent With himsol cis he invites ali mei universallyrio come o him,
a famine os doctrino, I lays himselfinder no positive obligation to callisl mon alitio And 0 ho, sorbidding aut topreach the ord in Asia, and sussering him noto go into Bithynia, calis him into Maeodonia, g demonstrates his rightto distributo his troasuro to hom e plenses. In Isaiah hest id moro suli doctares his destinationis the promise Os Salvation exculsivol for the loci sor of them oti ly, and notindiscriminatet os ali manliind, he declaros that the shali 0 his disciplos. h Whunc it appears that hen the doctrineos Salvation is offere to ut so thoi effectual bono fit, it is a
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a strangor ill the no folio , for the lino no tho voice os StrangerS. V . Whonco arises his disseretico, butae auso theirear are divinei penetraled For no man malles himsol a Sheep, ut is created Such by heavent grace. ence also the Lord proves the perpetua certaint an securit Oftur Salvation,
monios Phave citest, eing Xpressive os perSeVeran D, re Soman declarations of the invariable perpetuit os election. XI. O , illi respecto the reprobate, hom the apOSile introduco in the fame places as Jacob, Without an merit et acquired by good Wortis, is made an object O grace, O Sau, While et unpolui ted by an crime, is accounte an Objec os lintred. s Is, turn ur attention to ortis, e insuit thea poSile, a thoughine a no that hicli is clear to Us. O , that he a nono, is evident, becula Sele eXpressi asseri the ne
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Wug the human in hears these things, it petulancebrealis est restraint, an it discoversos serious and violent agitation ascis alarmed by the ound os a martia trumpet. Many indeed, ascis the Wishedo avor odium rom God, admit election in such a Way a to den that any one is reprobated. ut his is puerile an absurd, ecause election itself could no exist Without be in opposedo reprobation God is
sal to separate those homine adopis to Salvation. TO SVthat ther obtain by chance or acquire by their Wn efforis, that hicli election alone confer on a se , ill e OrSe than absurd. Whom God passes by theres ore, e reprobateS, and 1 rom no ther causo than his determination to excuid themfroin tho inhoritalico hicli e prodestines for his hildren. And the petulanco of men is intolerablo, is it refusus to e restra ined by the ordis God, hicii reat os his incomprehen- Sibi eounset, adored by anget themsel Ves. Hut O We haveherer that hardo in procoed from the Divine pomer and Will, a muel a mercy. Unlike the person I have mentioned, Paul neve Strive to excuse God by salse allegations he only