You hear much talk of Gods eternal, & everlasting election, and we are too apt to rest on this, that if we are elected to salvation we shall be saved, and if not, we shall be damned; troubling our selves with Gods work of Predestination,1 whereas this works no change in the party elected, until it come unto him in his own person. What is Gods election to me, that he chooses the godly, and refuses the wicked? Its nothing to my comfort, unless I my self am actually elected. We are to look to this actual election. The other is but Gods love to sever me. But what is my actual election? Its that, when God touches my heart, and translates me from the death of sin, to the life of grace. Now there are certain times which God appoints for this election, wherein he uses the means to work on us, and of which he can say, what could I do more then I have done? Now if it be thus in the point of election, what must we think of the point of reprobation? May there not be actual rejection as well as actual election? And mayst thou not fear since thou hast lived thus long under the means of grace; That God hath waited these, not only three but many years, the dew of heaven continually falling on thee, and that yet thou shouldst remain unfruitful. Doest thou not fear, I say, that dismal sentence, cut it down, why combreth it the ground? Gods grace is ⟨p. 36⟩not to be dallied with, as Children do with their meats, if we do thus slight him, he may justly deprive us of all. See a terrible place to this purpose, Heb. 6.7, 8. The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but that which beareth thorns and briers, is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. Consider these places, God calls us where the droppings of his grace are; consider then, do we bring forth that fruit which is meet for the dresser, answerable to those continual distillings and droppings on us? If our consciences witness for us, happy are we, but when there have been these showers of grace out of Gods Word flowing down upon us, and yet we have received so much grace in vain; O what can we then expect, but a curse in this life, and eternal death in the world to come? What can we look for, but the fig-trees curse which was barren? The tree was not cut down but withered:
You hear much talk of Gods eternal, & everlasting election, and we are too apt to rest on this, that if we are elected to salvation we shall be saved, and if not, we shall be damned; troubling our selves with Gods work of Praedestination,1 whereas this works no change in the party elected, until it come unto him in his own person. What is Gods election to me, that he chooses the godly, and refuses the wicked? Its nothing to my comfort, unlesse I my self am actually elected. We are to look to this actual election. The other is but Gods love to sever me. But what is my actual election? Its that, when God touches my heart, and translates me from the death of sin, to the life of grace. Now there are certain times which God appoints for this election, wherein he uses the means to work on us, and of which he can say, what could I do more then I have done? Now if it be thus in the point of election, what must we think of the point of reprobation? May there not be actual rejection as well as actual election? And mayst thou not fear since thou hast lived thus long under the means of grace; That God hath waited these, not only three but many years, the dew of heaven continually falling on thee, and that yet thou shouldst remain unfruitful. Doest thou not fear, I say, that dismal sentence, cut it down, why combreth it the ground? Gods grace is ⟨p. 36⟩not to be dallied with, as Children doe with their meats, if we do thus slight him, he may justly deprive us of all. See a terrible place to this purpose, Heb. 6.7, 8. The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but that which beareth thornes and briers, is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned. Consider these places, God calls us where the droppings of his grace are; consider then, do we bring forth that fruit which is meet for the dresser, answerable to those continual distillings and droppings on us? If our consciences witnesse for us, happy are we, but when there have been these showers of grace out of Gods Word flowing down upon us, and yet we have received so much grace in vain; O what can we then expect, but a curse in this life, and eternal death in the world to come? What can we look for, but the fig-trees curse which was barren? The tree was not cut down but withered:
- 1What use to make of Election and Reprobation.
