good, and dwell for evermore. Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings, &c. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the kingdom, &c. If I do not wash thee, saith Christ, thou hast no part with me."

And to those in whose hearts the work is begun-" Look diligently to your standing, lest any of you fall from the grace of God. Abide in his goodness, that you may not fall into the hand of severity."

To unbelievers and rebellious" If ye believe not in Christ, you shall die in your sins; and where he is ye cannot come. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; and his wrath abides upon them that do not believe nor obey his Son." Thus far Quakers, so called.

Now, serious reader, judge which of these, whether the Presbyterians' or the Quakers' doctrine, tends to stir up and excite people to righteousness, to true fear and watchfulness: and whether the Presbyterians' doctrine doth not tend to beget people into a self-confidence, false security, and liberty in sin, upon a partial opinion and conceit. But the Quakers' desire, aim, and end is, to turn people from darkness,to the true light, and to true fear, diligence, and faithfulness to God.

CHAPTER V.

Concerning Election and Reprobation.

Stephen Scandret begins with an absolute false charge against me, as depraving God's truth;" whereas according to plain scripture, without any depravation thereof, I examined their partial and graceless opinion, in making God the ordainer of whatsoever comes to pass, (both as to the states and ends of men,) and their placing his decree thereof from all eternity, upon particular persons," and not upon the two seeds and conditions, wherein election and reprobation do originally consist, which in time extends to persons, only as related to the good or evil seed, and not from a partial, absolute, and mere voluntary decree and design to particular persons, as their narrow and silly opinion imports; which I opposed, and that from the scriptures of truth, testifying, 1. God's good will and grace to mankind in general. 2. The real causes (on their parts) of his severity towards them and their reprobation. I laid down the Presbyterian principle and opinion, as it may be seen in their Confession and Catechism, agreed upon by their assembly of divines, so called, at Westminster, and approved by the

general assembly of the Kirk of Scotland; as where they say in their third chapter,

"That God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.* And that by the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained unto everlasting death-and that these angels and men thus predestinated and fore-ordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished," &c. And also, upon the same principle, they add in their tenth chapter, that "all those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only he is pleased effectually to call by his word and spirit, out of the state of sin and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ, enlightening their minds, spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God," &c. And in their eleventh chapter, “God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elected; and Christ did in the fulness of time die for their sins, and rise again for their justification." The consequence of this doctrine, with a plain and scriptural answer and confutation, are laid down in the latter end of our book entitled, "The glory of Christ's Light within expelling darkness," which book yet remains unanswered by S. S. both as to this and other heads, wherein he and his brethren are concerned; though now, in order to vindicate this doctrine, he lays down the proposition thus:

S. Scandret, That God did most freely, and unchangeably, and from all eternity choose some particular persons to partake of saving grace, &c. whence it will necessarily follow, that he hath reprobated or passed by others. I must manifest this by parts."

Answer. In opposition to this partiality unjustly charged upon God, I must assert this proposition, that God's eternal election stands originally in his own seed of promise, and that grace is thereby freely tendered to all mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, and all men in the first place left free for a share therein, and that none are reprobated, but those who first reject this grace, and like not to retain God in their knowledge. His conclusion that God hath reprobated or passed by others." is very doubtful, being as much as to say, that either God hath from all

"Whatsoever" makes no exception of either good or bad actions of men ; and this is high ranterism.

Note, They place it upon particular persons, rendering God a respecter of persons.

+ Whereas he died for all men, and is a propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

eternity reprobated particular persons, or left them to reprobate themselves. It is then either God's act or the creature's, which, as appears, this man's masters (the pretended divines) could not resolve; and we do not expect him to be a more profound divine than his tutors. However, their opinion at least reflects upon God, as passing by the greater part of mankind without affording them any saving grace, or the least spiritual assistance of Divine light or life. So if he thus takes no notice of them at all, but passeth them by, they must inevitably be left to destruction and eternal. misery by this graceless and uncharitable opinion, which tends greatly to eclipse the glory of God and his free grace, and render the offers of it to mankind in general, and preaching salvation by it conditionally to all, no better than a mockery to the greater part of the world. And this neither S. S. nor his assembly of divines, have answered, nor can they clear themselves herein.

S. S. begins to vindicate his opinion by parts thus: 1. "God's act, which essentially takes in the object thereof; he hath chosen some particular persons. 2 Thes. ii. 13. God hath chosen you.' John xv. 19. I have chosen you.' Ephes. i. iv. He hath chosen us. This being directly denyed, I shall add arguments." Sect. 1.

Answer. The scriptures are not denied by me, as is here falsely insinuated; but I deny that these prove their propisition of a personal election or reprobation from all eternity. I also deny, that "God from all eternity did unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass," as they most grossly assert, or that his decree or act, is so absolute from all eternity to particular persons, as strictly eyeing and unchangeably designing each person to his end; a certain definite number unto everlasting life, and others to everlasting death. This I still oppose, and find this man's vindication of it very feeble, and his proofs impertinent. For in quoting 2 Thes. ii. 13, he has left out the following words, "through sanctification of the spirit, and belief of the truth," which clearly explain how they were chosen to salvation, according to the conditions on which God's act of choosing them depends, to wit, "sanctification of the spirit, and belief of the truth." So this makes clearly against my opposer's opinion: for they were not capable of this belief of the truth and sanctification, before they had personal beings, which surely they had not from all eternity. And so seeing that the way and act of God's choosing men, must be through sanctification of the spirit, and belief of the truth, (which condition answers this decree,) he hath not designed nor ordained the contrary condition of his wrath against man, sin and unbelief, though they are come to pass upon many, whose repentance and return God rather willed, than their death or destruction.

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But had S. S. pleaded a little further from the words, "God hath from the beginning chosen you," and had he insisted on the words from the beginning," I might answer, that does not signify from all eternity; much less that he hath had your particular persons in his eye, unchangeably designing you to salvation, merely as particular persons, without having relation to any such conditions or qualifications as faith, sanctification, &c. which may be rejected by man. The words from the beginning," are so far from signifying" from all eternity," that in this place they do not reach so far as to the beginning of the creation; but rather to the time of their first reception and belief of the truth, as they import in divers other places. 1 John iii. 11, 60 This is the message that ye have heard from the beginning;" and 2 John v. Though "beginning" in the highest sense, relates to Christ, as the divine Word, who is the beginning and the end. And also note, that S. S. deals with John xv. 19, as he does by the other, leaving out both the foregoing and following words, which still make against him; setting down only "I have chosen you," whereas Christ said thus: "Because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." And then it is plain, they were both of and in the world, before they were chosen out of the world; for could they be chosen out of that which they were never in? So that Christ's choosing his out of the corrupt ways and spirit of the world through faith and sanctification, is the reason why the world hates them, which it did not while they were conformable to the world. By the world" is here understood, those who are in the natural, unbelieving state, and also such as hate the true believers and disciples of Christ. Whence it follows, that you Presbyterians, how highly soever you conceit of yourselves, as elect persons from all eternity above others, are not in the election of Christ, nor in a state of election, so long as envy and the spirit of persecution rule in you; as they have largely showed themselves in many of your leaders and chieftains. And to Ephes. i. 4," He hath chosen us in him ;" these words “in him,” to wit, in Christ, S. Scandret hath left out, like one that both shuts his own eyes, and seeks to keep others in a blind belief of his partial principle: the very ground and principle of election being in Christ, which the man overlooks. God hath chosen us, (the true church, which is elect,) in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." Ephes. i. 4. For as we are in him, and become so well qualified in holiness, and thus nearly related to him, as to be without blame, in due time we show forth the effects and fruits of that elect seed and principle, wherein our life and ground of election stood before the foundation of the

world, not merely as we are "particular persons," or natural men; but as his living and royal offspring, his church and peculiar people sprung from his own seed, now in due time chosen by bim out of the world and the corruptions thereof, through sanctification of the spirit, and belief of the truth.

S. S. Argu. 1. "Particular persons in time, receive mercy, are converted, made to persevere, and are saved therefore God did decree this beforehand; for God worketh according to the counsel of his own will." Ephes. i. 11. Sect. 2.

Answer. Particular persons in time receiving mercy, being converted, and persevering in grace, doth not argue that mercy was only proffered and shown to a few particular persons;" nor yet that it is so absolutely and eternally decreed of God, that all to whom mercy and grace are shown, shall so inevitably persevere in it, that there is no possibility of their declension and falling from it after the time of their receiving grace, while yet unestablished. For 1. He hath concluded all under sin, that he might show mercy upon all. 2. Those particular persons who sincerely receive mercy and goodness, he will have mercy upon, both in a way of continuance and increase, and unto them goodness who abide in his goodness. Rom. xi. 20, 21, 22.

It is true, that God worketh all things after the counsel of his own will; his gracious and good will counsels him to show forth goodness and mercy to all in the first place, and severity or damnation to none without cause. And his will is also believers' sanctification, in order to which he graciously counsels and persuades men by his Spirit, to forsake sin, and be converted. Which manner of working in man by his counsel, is not an inevitable or forceable act of his will; for counsel and force are very different, as is an absolute decree to act himself alone, and a persuasion of the creature to act with him, by the power and assistance that he gives it. So the persuasion on men to repentance, and perseverance in faith and grace, cannot be an irresistible forcing them thereto; for what reward can men expect of God for any thing they are unwillingly forced to, as by some supposed? Whereas God works upon that reason and conscience which he hath placed in man, to persuade, induce, and move men to forsake sin, from a real sense of the evil of it, that they may leave iniquity from a true zeal and hatred, stirred up by the true light, against it. "I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love," &c. Hosea xi. 4.

S. S. Argu. 2. "God hath made absolute promises of the first saving grace. Ezek. xx. 25, 26. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean; a new heart will I give you,' chapter xi. 19. 20; also Jeremiah xxxi. 33, and Isaiah liv. 13, All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.' These promises are but a declaration of his decree, and they