Secondly, The article affirmeth that it is constant, — that is, one immutable decree; agreeably also to the Scriptures, teaching but one purpose, but one foreknowledge, one good pleasure, one decree of God, concerning the infallible ordination of his elect unto glory; although of this decree there may be said to be two acts, — one con-
i " Electio non est ab aBterno." — Rem. Apol.
2 " Electio alia completa est, quse neminem spectat nisi immorientem. Electio pcremptoria totum salutis complementiim et consummatioiiem decernit, ideoque in ob- jecto rcquirit totam consummatam fidei obedientiam." — Grevinch. ad Ames. p. 136, passim, dis.
^ " Non agnoscimus aliam prtedestinationem in evangelic patefactam, quam qua Deus decrevit credentcs et qui in eadem fide perseverarent, salvos facere." — Rem. Coll. Hag., p. 34.
* " Electionis fructum aut sensum in hac vita nullum agnosco." — Grcvincli.
66 A DISPLAY OF ARMINIANISM.
ceraing the means, the other concerning the end, but both knit up in the " immutabiHty of God's counsel," Heb. vi. 1 7. " The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his," 2 Tim. iL 19; " His gifts and calling are without recalling," not to be repented of, Rom, xi. 29. Now, what say our Arminians to this? Why, a whole multitude of notions and terms have they invented to obscure the doctrine. " Election," say they,^ " is either legal or evan- gelical, general or particular, complete or incomplete, revocable or ir- revocable, peremptory or not peremptory," with I know not how many more distinctions of one single eternal act of Almighty God, whereof there is neither " vola nee vestigium," sign or token, in the whole Bible, or any approved author. And to these quavering divisions they accommodate their doctrine, or rather they purposely invented them to make their errors unintelligible. Yet something agreeably thus they dictate: ^" There is a complete election, belonging to none but those that are dying ; and there is another, incomplete, common to all that believe: as the good things of salvation are incomplete which are continued whilst faith is continued, and revoked when that is denied, so election is incomplete in this life, and revocable." Again: " There are," they say in their Confession, ^" three orders of believers and repenters in the Scripture, whereof some are beginners, others having continued for a time, and some perseverants. The first two orders are chosen ver^, truly, but not absolute prorsus, absolutely, but only for a time, — so long as they will remain as they are ; the third are chosen finally and peremptorily: for this act of God is either continued or interrupted, according as we fulfil the condition." But whence learned the Arminians this doctrine? Not one word of it from the word of truth ; no mention there of any such desultory elec- tion, no speech of faith, but such as is consequent to one eternal irrevocable decree of predestination: They " believed" who were "or- dained to eternal life," Acts xiii. 48. No distinction of men half and wholly elected, where it is affirmed that it is impossible the elect should be seduced, Matt. xxiv. 24, — that none should snatch Christ's sheep out of his Father's hand, John x. 28, 29. What would they have more? God's purpose of election is sealed up, 2 Tim. ii. 19, and therefore cannot be revoked; it must stand firm, Rom. ix. 11, in spite of all oj)position. Neither will reason allow us to think any
* Episcop. Thcs., p. 35; Epist. adWalach., p. 38; Grevinch. ad Ames., p. 133.
* " Electio alia coniplcta est, qua; ncmincm spcctat nisi raorientcm, alia incomplcta, qua; omnibus fidelibus connnunis est ; ut salutis bona sunt incompleta qua; continu- antur, fide continuata, et abncgata rcvocantur, sic electio est incompleta in hac vita, non pereniptoria, icvocabilis." — (rrevinch. ad Ames.
3 " Trcs sunt ovdincs credcntium et rcsipisccntium in Scripturis, novitii, crodcutcs aliquandiu, porseverantcs. Duo priovcs ordincs crcd<>ntium eliguntui" vove quidom, at non piorsus absolute, ncc nisi ad tcmpus, puta quamdiu et quateuus talcs suut," etc. — Ivcin. Confess., cap. xviii. sect. G, 7.
PREDESTINATION CORRUPTED BY ARMINIANS. 57
immanent act of God to be incomplete or revocable, because of the mere alliance it hath with his very nature. But reason, Scripture, God himself, all must give place to any absurdities, if they stand in the Ai-minian way, bringing in their idol with shouts, and preparing his throne, by claiming the cause of their predestination to be in themselves.
Thirdly, The article is clear that the object of this predestination is some ■particular men chosen out of mankind; that is, it is such an act of God as concerneth some men in particular, taking them, as it were, aside from the midst of their brethren, and designing them for some special end and purpose. The Scripture also aboundeth in asserting this verity, calling them that are so chosen a " few," Matt. XX. 16, which must needs denote some certain persons; and the " remnant according to election," Rom. xi. 5 ; those whom " the Lord knoweth to be his," 2 Tim. ii. 19 ; men "ordained to eternal life," Acts xiii. 48 ; " us," Rom. viiL 39 ; those that are " written in the Lamb's book of life," Rev. xxi. 27; — all which, and divers others, clearly prove that the number of the elect is certain, not only materially, as they say,^ that there are so many, but formally also, that these particular persons, and no other, are they, which cannot be altered. Nay, the very nature of the thing itself doth so demonstratively evince it, that I wonder it can possibly be conceived under any other notion. To apprehend an election of men not circumscribed with the circum- stance of particular persons is such a conceited, Platonical abstraction, as it seems strange that any one dares profess to understand that there should be a predestination, and none predestinated ; an election, and none elected ; a choice amongst many, yet none left or taken ; a decree to save men, and yet thereby salvation destinated to no one man, either " re aut spe," in deed or in expectation. In a word, that there should be a purpose of God to bring men unto glory, standing inviolable, though never any one attained the purposed end, is such a riddle as no OEdipus can unfold. Now, such an election, such a predestination, have the Arminians substituted in the place of God's everlasting decree. " We deny,"^ say they, " that God's election extendeth itself to any singular persons as singular persons;" that is, that any particular persons, as Peter, Paul, John, are by it elected. No; how, then? Why, *" God hath appointed, without difference, to dispense the means of faith; and as he seeth these persons to believe or not to believe by the use of those means, so at length he deter-