Now,
this twofold Predestination, of some to life, and of others to death,
(if it may be called twofold, both being constituent parts of the
same decree) cannot be denied, without likewise denying, 1. most
express and frequent declarations of Scripture, and, 2. the very
existence of God: for, since God is a Being perfectly simple, free
from all accident and composition; and yet, a Will to save some and
punish others is often predicated of Him in Scripture; and an
immovable decree, to do this; in consequence of His will, is likewise
ascribed to Him; and a perfect foreknowledge of the sure and certain
accomplishment of what He has thus willed and decreed, is also
attributed to Him; it follows, that whoever denies this will, decree,
and foreknowledge of God, does, implicitly deny God Himself: since
His will, decree, and foreknowledge are no other than God Himself
willing and decreeing and foreknowing...
We
assert, that, as all men, universally, are not elected to salvation;
so neither are all men, universally, ordained to condemnation. This
follows from what has been proved already: however, I shall subjoin
some farther demonstration of these two positions.
(1)
All men universally are not elected to salvation.
And
first, this may be evinced a posteriori: 'tis
undeniable, from Scripture that God will not, in the last day, save
every individual of mankind – Dan. 12:2; Mat. 25:46; John 5:29.
Therefore, say we, God never designed so save every individual:
since, if He had, every individual would and must be saved, for, “His
counsel shall stand, and He will do all His pleasure.” …
Secondly, this may be evinced, also, from God's foreknowledge. The
Deity, from all eternity, and consequently, at the very time He gives
life and being to a reprobate, certainly foreknew, and knows in
consequence of His own decree, that such an one would fall short of
salvation: now, if God foreknew this, He must have predetermined it
because His own will Is the foundation of His decrees, and His
decrees and the foundation of His prescience: He therefore
foreknowing futurities, because by His predestination, He hath
rendered their futurition certain and inevitable. Neither is it
possible, in the very nature of things, that they should be elected
to salvation, or ever obtain it, whom God foreknew should perish: for
then the Divine act of preterition would be changeable, wavering, and
precarious; the Divine foreknowledge would be deceived and the Divine
will impeded, all of which are utterly impossible. Lastly, that all
men are not chosen to life, nor created to that end is evident in
that there were some who were hated of God before they were born
(Rom. 9:11-13), are fitted for destruction (vs. 22), and made for the
day of evil (Prov. 16:1).
But,
(2)
All men universally are not ordained to condemnation.
There
are some who are chosen (Mat. 20:16):An election, or elect number,
who obtain grace and salvation, while the rest are blinded (Rom.
11:7), a little flock, to whom it is the Father's good pleasure to
give the kingdom (Luke 12:32), a people whom the Lord hath reserved
(Jer. 50:20), and formed for Himself (Isa. 43:21), a peculiarly
favored race, to whom it is given to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of Heaven; while, to others, it is not given (Mat. 13:11), a
remnant according to the election of grace (Rom. 11:5) whom God hath
not appointed to wrath, but to salvation by Jesus Christ (1 Thess.
5:9) – in a word, who are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
an holy nation, a peculiar people, that they should shew forth the
praises of Him, who hath called them out of darkness into His
marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9), and whose names, for that very end, are
in the book of life (Phil. 4:3) and written in Heaven (Luke 10:20;
Heb. 12:23). Luther observes, that, in the 9th, 10th,
and 11th chapters of the Epistle to the Romans, the
apostle particularly insists on the Doctrine of Predestination.
“Because,” says he, “All things, whatever, arise from, and
depend upon, the divine appointment; whereby it was pre-ordained, who
should receive the word of life, and who should disbelieve it; who
should be delivered from their sins, and who should be hardened in
them; who should be justified,a d who condemned.” (Pref. to Rom.)
The
decrees of election and reprobation are immutable and irreversible.
Jerome
Zanchius – Absolute Predestination
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