not upon all fuch as are within the visible church, fufficient grace for converfion, for that is not fufficient which doth not work the work; altho' his outward difpenfations be fufficient to render them without excufe, lia. v. 3. 4. What could have been done more jor my vineyard, that I have not done? VII. Whatever excellent endowments and qualifications man at the begining had, when created after God's own image, Eph. iv. 24. Col. iii. 10. yet now there is not only darkness upon his understanding, Eph. iv. 18. and v. 8. 1 Cor. i. 21. Rom. i. 21. and diforderliness in his affections, but allo his will is perverted, his heart being deceitful, and defperately wicked, Jer. xvii.. 9. and all its imaginations evil, Gen. vi. 5. fo that they are opposite to all that is good, Rom. viii. 7. and bent to all wickednefs. Job XV. 16. Prov. ii. 14 Rom. vi. 17. fo that they can do nothing in fpiritual actions without grace, John xv. 15. Rom. v. 6. 2 Cor. iii. 5. yea, they are wholly fet against God. John V 40. Pfalm lxxxi. 11. Luke xix. 14. Mat. xxiii. 37. and hate him, Rom. i 30. John xv. 24.; and therefore in the act of converfion they are wholly paffive, and they contribute nothing thereto, yea, it is impoffible they fhould do fo, Jer. xiii. 23.: Whom he preelinated, them he called; it is not faid, whom he predeftinated, these came in to Chrift willingly, and of their own accord, ad thro' their own ability, but were called. VIII. Albeit in this work of effectual calling and converfion, God doth not vio lently wreft and turn the wills of men contrary to their own nature, or come upon with fuch an overflowing violence, fub. duing and compelling it to what it is not inclinable; yet he doth not work only by moral fuafion, and fo alluring and per fading them by propofing fome defirable end, otherways man fhould be faid to make Lumfelf to differ from another, contrary to 1 Cor. iv. 7. but by an immediate, inward, onderful work, Eph. i. 9. and ii. 10. Izek. xxxvi. 26. whereby the habit of ath is infufed, the will really changed,

and made to turn itfelf toward God; yea, the very act of believing and turning is wonderfully produced, John vi. 66. Phil. i. 29. and ii. 13. fo as the liberty of the will is preferved and ftrengthened, seeing hereby the will is made to will freely, John viii. 36. 2 Cor. iii. 17.; fo that hereby the will is not left in fufpenfe, to act or not as it pleafeth; nor doth this effect of grace depend upon the act of our freewill, nor is it in free-will's power to resist and oppofe the powerful and effectual operation of the Spirit of God, when he is purpofing and intending to convert; but the Lord fends forth fuch an unconquerable efficacy of grace, as always and infallibly produceth its effect, when he is dealing with his elect, and intending to convert them; and powerfully changing the will, and making it willing to run, John vi, 37. 2 Theff. i. 11. Deut. xxx. 6 A&ts xvi. 14.: Whom he predeftinated, them he called, and. fo called as that juftification followeth.

IX. Tho' the preaching of the gospel, and other common allowances, whereof the reprobate do partake, flow from special love to the elect; yet this is the first diftinguifhing grace, and the first thing whereby election kytheth, and whereby a man is made to read his own election, even this effectual calling, which is fometimes called a quickening, Eph. ii. 1. John v. 2 1. fometimes. a new birth, John iii. 5. 7. 2 Cor. v. 17. 1 Pet. i. 23. fometimes a refurrection, Col. ii. 12. and this is a preventing grace, Ifa. lxv. 1, 2. Rom. x. 20 a tirring grace, Eph. v. 14. and operating. Phil. ii. 13. Eph. i. 11.: Whom he predejiinated, them he called. See 1 Cor. i. 26. 27. 28.

X. Notwithstanding of this eternal and unchangeable love of God to his elect, yet this being his purpose, and a pure act of his will, which is immanent and eternal, and fo produceth no outward effect or change in the creature, concerning whom it is immediately, the creature is not exempted from that condition of being liable to wrath because of fin, and of needing juftification,

of they are no lefs guilty than the reprobate, Rom. iii. 9. 10. 19. and obnoxious to wrath, Eph. ii. 3. bondage under Satan, Heb. ii. 14. are under the curfe, Gal. iii. 13. and fo ftanding in need of juftification: Ibom be calied, them be juftified.

XI. Predeftination, or election, is fo far from juftling out juftification in and thro' Chrift's merits, that it is the ground and root thereof; fo that none elfe are juftified but fuch as are predeftinated, and all fuch fhall be juftified in God's own time; and the fountain cause of all is his predeftinating love; Whom he predeflinated,---them he juftified.

XII. Whatever purposes or thoughts of good the Lord hath towards his own chofen ones from eternity, yet are they not then actually juftified; nor from the time that the Lord Jefus Chrift made a perfect and complete fatisfaction, nor before they be actually united unto Jefus Chrift in their effectual calling, and fo joined to him by faith; for before they are justified they are effectually called: Whom he called, them he justified.

XIII. There are none who have truly fled in to Chrift, and are united to him by faith, but however their fins ftare them in the face, and they are ready to look upon themfelves as unjuftified, and are liable to God's curfe and vengeance; yet they are really juftified before God, and all their iniquities are actually pardoned in and thro' the merits of Chrift; for, whom be called, them he justified.

XIV. There are none that can bring forth the fruits of holiness, until first they be united unto Chrift their head and root; the tree must be good before it can bring forth good fruit, and without faith it is impoffible to please God, Heb. xi. 1. and without Chrift we can do nothing, John xv. 5. for before any are initially glorified, or fanctified, they must be effectually called: Whom he called,---them he glorified.

XV. Whatever carnal men, weded to

walking, as an exercife below them, yet it is truly glorious and excellent, being the renewed image of God, Eph. iv.23. 24. and the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. yea, it is glory begun and in the bud, and fo called glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18.: Whom he justified, thefe he glorified; that is, fanctified, and inchoated glory in them.

XVI. There is no entering into the full poffeffion of glory, until a foul be first reconciled to God, and abfolved from all his guilt, (for justice must first be satisfied) and fanctified by the Spirit of God thro' the whole man, feeing nothing entereth into the new Jerufalem, which defileth, Rev. xxi. 27. xxii. 14. and without holiness no man hall fee God, Heb. xii. 14.; for it is these who are justified that he glorifieth; Whom he justified, them he glorified.

XVII. However fuch as are effectually called, and juftified by faith, may fall into confcience-wounding fins, Pfalm xxxii. 3.4. and grievous fcandals, 2 Sam. xii. 14. and thereby provoke God, 2 Sam. xi, 27. and wrong themfelves, Pfalm li. 8. 10. 12. Rev ii. 4; yet there being fure promises made by God of their perfeverance, Jer. xxxi. 33-34. Matth. xvi. 18. John xiv. 16. iv. 14. v. 25. and vi. 37. 39.44. 57. Pfalm CXXV. 1. and God actually protecting them, 1 Cor. i. 8. 9. and x. 13. 1 Theff. v. 23. Phil. i. 6. and Christ praying for them, John xvii. 15. 20. compared with John xi. 41.42. and preferving them, John vi. 27. 39. and xvii. 22.. Eph. v. 23. Jude 1. 2 Tim. i. 12. and they being fealed by the Holy Spirit, 2 Cor. i. 21. Eph. i. 13. 14. and iv. 30. cannot totally and finally fall from that ftate of grace, but fhall certainly perfevere therein to the end, and be eternally faved; for whom he justified, them he glo. rified. See Phil. i. 6. 1 Pet. i. 5. 9. 2 Pet. i. 10. John x. 28. 29. 1 John iii. 9.

XVIII. Amongst other grounds of this rare and excellent benefit of perfeverence to the end, the eternal act of predeftination is one; fo that it doth not depend up

on

on man's free-will, but upon the immutability of this decree, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God; therefore predeftination is the root of all, And whom he predeftinated,thefe be glorified. See Jer. xxxi. 3. 2 Tim. ii. 18. 19.

VERSE 31. What shall we then fay to thefe things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

IN this verfe there is a fixth motive fet down, to prefs them to a chriftian deportment under afflictions, which the apostle bringeth in as following upon, and flowing from that excellent and perfect plot of falvation, mentioned before; and thus by his own example he teacheth them how, from that noble and wonderful device, they may gather ground of holy triumphing over all difficulties; and as a roble leader courageously and valiantly breaks through the throng of adverfaries, yea, and, to speak fo, cafts the glove to, challenging and daring them, with a holy exclamation, being filled with chriftian valour and fortitude; and thus by expreffing his chriftian boldness and magnanimity, holdeth forth, how couragious and magnanimous all Chriftians ought to be, in encountering with afflictions, and difficulties of all kinds, and fo breaks out, faying, What shall we fay then to these things?--who can be against us? Not as if they would meet with no oppofition, or there were none to breed them any trouble or moleftation; but thefe are the expreffions of a magnanimous Chriftian, undervaluing and contemning all adverfaries, as not to be feared or regarded, accounting all their enemies as no confiderable body: and fo it is as if he had faid, What can they do who are against us, be it the devil or the world, or whatever it be, they can effectuate nothing to our prejudice. And what is the ground of all this? It is in these words, If God be for us; not as if he were doubting of this, but it is as if

he had faid, feeing God is for us: God's being propitious and favourable unto believers, is a prop to fupport them in adverfity, and is that which maketh them as a brazen wall unconquerable, and as an immoveable rock against all the waves and blafts of perfecution or diftrefs. So then the argument lieth thus: It becometh fuch who are in favour with God, and are under his protection and tuition, who ruleth heaven and earth, to be valiant and courageous in all diftreffes and dangers, and with an undaunted courage to withstand the worst of difficulties: But fo it is that God is with us, favouring and protecting us; therefore we fhould not faint in adverfity, but ftoutly and gallantly go thro' all adverfity whatfoever.

OBSERVATIONS.

I. Christians may have excellent grounds of encouragement for a time of adverfity at hand, and yet be in hazard of fainting thro' defpondency of fpirit, thro' being ftrangers unto, and ignorant of the right way of improving these grounds for animating and heartening of themselves; therefore the apoftle muft here teachi them, what ftrength and encouragement to gather from that excellent ground laid down before, and fay, What hall we fay then to these things?

II. The noble plot and excellent defign and contrivance of the falvation of poor worms, and of the way how certainly it is brought about, to the glory of the riches of the wisdom and mercy of God, is fo comfortable a ground of encouragement, that were it well improven by fuch as knew of their intereft in that grand device, it might fo animate and embolden them, that they might triumph over all adverfity, as the apoftle doth here, faying, What shall we fay then to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

III. It becometh the minifters of the gofpel, by their gallant and magnanimous carriage in adverfity and affliction, as tri

umphing