8. Were any ever damned that did what they could in the use of all Means under the Light of the Gospel, to be saved? Brethren, God (may justly and) will condemn Men for their not improving their one Talent. Nor will it be a good Plea for such to say, I 1knew thou were an hard Man, reaping where thou hast not sown, &c. Thus some Men seem to charge God, I am not Elected. There is an Election of Grace, of special and distinguishing Grace, and Man hath no Power in his own Will; and God doth not give me Power to believe, and will he damn me? Doth he expect to reap ⟨p. 176⟩where he hath not sown, and gather where he hath not stromed? Such shall have no Excuse, as our Saviour shows, at the Great Day. The Lord of that Servant shows, the Fault lay in his own Sloth and 2Wickedness; and his dread of his Lord's Severity, (as our Annotators note) was but a frivolous Pretence and unreasonable Excuse; for if he had feared any such thing, he should have done what he could; he should have put out his Money to the Exchange, and then he should have received his own with increase. Thus God may as justly another Day reply upon those who think to excuse their lewd and wicked Lives, their unbelief and contempt of his Word, from their not being Elected, and not having Power of themselves to believe and repent, not receiving his efficacious Grace; O ye wicked and slothful Wretches. May he not say, did ye suspect or fear you were not elected? Why did you not then give all diligence to attend upon the Means, and to make your Calling sure, as all they do that are elected? Do you plead the Power of your own Wills, to repent one while, and that you wanted Power at another time, and that I gave you not my special Grace? But had you not Power to keep from Taverns and Alehouses, to keep from Lying, Stealing, Swearing, and other profane Deeds of Darkness? Had you not Power to read, to hear my Word, to pray? If you had done your uttermost in improving of the Talent I gave you, would I have been wanting to you? But since you did not that, why should I trust you with more? Brethren, are these Mens Eyes Evil, because God's Eye is Good? Is he unjust in giving effectual Grace to some, because he doth not bestow it upon all? Had he not took hold of a few, the whole Lump of Mankind would have destroyed themselves, and none would have been saved.
8. Were any ever damned that did what they could in the use of all Means under the Light of the Gospel, to be saved? Brethren, God (may justly and) will condemn Men for their not improving their one Talent. Nor will it be a good Plea for such to say, I 1knew thou were an hard Man, reaping where thou hast not sown, &c. Thus some Men seem to charge God, I am not Elected. There is an Election of Grace, of special and distinguishing Grace, and Man hath no Power in his own Will; and God doth not give me Power to believe, and will he damn me? Doth he expect to reap ⟨p. 176⟩where he hath not sown, and gather where he hath not stromed? Such shall have no Excuse, as our Saviour shews, at the Great Day. The Lord of that Servant shews, the Fault lay in his own Sloth and 2Wickedness; and his dread of his Lord's Severity, (as our Annotators note) was but a frivolous Pretence and unreasonable Excuse; for if he had feared any such thing, he should have done what he could; he should have put out his Money to the Exchange, and then he should have received his own with increase. Thus God may as justly another Day reply upon those who think to excuse their lewd and wicked Lives, their unbelief and contempt of his Word, from their not being Elected, and not having Power of themselves to believe and repent, not receiving his efficacious Grace; O ye wicked and slothful Wretches. May he not say, did ye suspect or fear you were not elected? Why did you not then give all diligence to attend upon the Means, and to make your Calling sure, as all they do that are elected? Do you plead the Power of your own Wills, to repent one while, and that you wanted Power at another time, and that I gave you not my special Grace? But had you not Power to keep from Taverns and Alehouses, to keep from Lying, Stealing, Swearing, and other prophane Deeds of Darkness? Had you not Power to read, to hear my Word, to pray? If you had done your uttermost in improving of the Talent I gave you, would I have been wanting to you? But since you did not that, why should I trust you with more? Brethren, are these Mens Eyes Evil, because God's Eye is Good? Is he unjust in giving effectual Grace to some, because he doth not bestow it upon all? Had he not took hold of a few, the whole Lump of Mankind would have destroyed themselves, and none would have been saved.
- 1Mat. 25. 27.
- 2Annotators.
