is founded upon a grand mistake, viz. That faith is common to all, whether elect, or non-elect, although Paul styles it," the faith of God's elect," as before; and Christ tells the Jews, "Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep."* He argues in the third place, from St Luke's. unacquaintedness with the secrets of God. It was not in his power to tell who of that company were elected, who not; therefore by his Terayμ-: vo, he must not be conceived to have understood such as were in that sense ordained to eternal life. I answer, although the penman did not, the inditer, viz. the Holy Ghost, did exactly know whose names were written in the book of life, and whose were not. Now, he it was that in the history of the Acts, suggested and dictated to his secretary both matter and words. $9. The second product of election is happiness hereafter. Accordingly the objects of this decree, are those whom "God hath not ap-: pointed unto wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."+ Salvation is that which they are said to be chosen to ; and that wherein their names are written, called, "The book of life." For as in military affairs, commanders: have their muster-rolls, wherein are contained the names of all the soldiers whom they have listed, whence the phrase of conscribere milites; and in commonwealths there are registers kept * John x. 26. 2 Thess. ii. 13. + 1 Thess. v. 9. § Phil. iv. 3. wherein are recorded the names of such as are chosen to offices of trust and other preferments, whence the title of Patres conscripti ascribed to the senators of Rome. So the scripture condescending to our capacities, and speaking of God after the manner of men, attributeth to him a book of life, wherein it supposeth a legible writing and registering the names of all those persons whom he hath irreversibly predestinated to life everlasting. I say irreversibly, for if that of Stoics be true, In sapientum decretis nulla est titura, In the decrees of wise men there will be no blotting and blurring; how much more may it be asserted concerning those eternal decrees of the only wise God? If it became Pilate to say, σε What I have written I have written,"* it would certainly misbecome the great God to blot so much as one name out of the Lamb's book of life written by himself before the world was. We may take it for granted that this book will not admit of any deleatur, or of any expurgatory index, whatever some pretend to the contrary, whose arguments have been elsewhere sufficiently answered. I shall only here propound and endeavour to satisfy another objection, whereof no mention is there made. Paul knew himself to be " a chosen vessel," for Ananias had told him so from Christ's own month: yet speaks of quent. * John xix. 22. See my Tactica Sacra. lib. 3. cap. 2. § 9, 10, 11. et se Acts ix. 15. himself as of one in some danger, at least in some possibility of becoming a reprobate, in these words," I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway," or, as other translations have it, a reprobate. Ergo, The decree of election is not irreversible. * Resp. To prepare the way for a full answer; let it be considered, 1. That the places cited in the objection are not fitly opposed; because the former is not necessarily to be understood of election to salvation, but may probably be limited to Paul's being chosen an Apostle; neither is the latter infallibly meant of that reprobation, which is contradistinct to the said election, but of some what else. Yea although it be true, and may strongly be inferred from other texts, that Pauk knew his own election to life eternal, the reprobation spoken of in the end of the verse is not to be taken in the most rigid sense, but in a milder. 2. That our Apostle, (according to his custom in sundry epistles) was in the end of this chapter fallen upon the use of terms agonistical, borrowed from the Olympic and other Grecian games in that age; as appeareth in the foregoing verses. in a race, &c. Know ye not that they who run Every man that striveth for the mastery, &c. I so run, not as uncertainly. So fight I, not as one that beateth the air. And * 1 Cor. ix. 27. +1 Cor. ix. 24, 25, 26. 229 that in the last verse he hath no less than four allusions to these exercises. One in WTIα to cuffing, wherein the combatants were wont with their blows to make one another livid under their eyes; so did he by acts of mortification beat himself as it were black and blue. A second in Saywy to the exercise of wrestling, wherein the antagonists mutually strove to cast each other to the ground, and to keep them under. So he, the better to subdue his body of sin, was careful to keep down his body of flesh, which if pampered, is apt to rebel. A third in «pisas. We read in the second epistle to Timothy, chapter second verse fifth, of their striving lawfully, that is, according to the rules and laws, prescribed for that game respectively, in which they were to strive for the mastery. The officer by whom these laws were propounded to the combatants was called ungu, Paul in allusion thereunto saith, of himself angusas, because in the discharge of his apostolical office he had acquainted them with the rules and laws of Christianity. A fourth in adonios, unapproved, a term of disgrace put upon those whom such as were to judge and pass sentence upon the combatants disallowed. Whereas those whom the judges rewarded were called žudomo, approved ones. 3. That this unapprov-, edness may either relate to God himself, or to good men. If to God the supreme judge, then whosoever carrieth himself amiss in any particular course of living, offendeth the Lord, falleth under his fatherly displeasure, and is as to this would certainly have put an end to altercations, and silenced disputes in these points; but that corrupt reason is extremely talkative, and the wisdom of flesh direct enmity against God,* and therefore such as will never yield till its corruption be removed; for enmity cannot be reconciled, the enemies may. Whence that excellent speech of Melancthon, worthy to be had in everlasting remembrance, Dulcescet nostra de predestinatione sententia, ubi impiæ rationis judici um Spiritus Dei stultificaverit. Then and there only will our doctrine of predestination have a sweet relish, when and where the Spirit of God shall have befooled the conceits of wicked reason. That which Paul celebrateth as the true cause of our election is, 1. The good pleasure of God's will, ac-: † cording to which he disposeth both of persons and things arbitrarily, as himself liketh best. And in this our reason would better acquiesce were it throughly defecated by grace: That of Christ, which never had any corruption in it,. fully did; as appeareth by that famous address of his to God the Father; "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." * Romans viii. 7. Matthew xi. 25. 26. Η Ευδοκια θελήματος. |