corruption; the natural consequence of which is, their falling into such and such sins; (observe, God does not force them into sin; their actual disobedience being only the consequence of their not having that grace which God is not obliged to grant them ;) I say, if it be the will of God thus to leave them in time, (and we must deny demonstration itself, even known, absolute matter of fact, if we deny that some are so left,) then it must have been the divine intention from all eternity so to leave them, since, as we have already had occasion to observe, no new will can possibly arise in the mind of God. We see that evil men actually are suffered to go on adding sin to sin; and if it be not inconsistent with the sacred attributes actually to permit this, it could not possibly be inconsistent with them to decree that permission before the foundations of the world were laid.

Thus, God efficaciously permitted (having so decreed) the Jews to be, in effect, the crucifiers of Christ; and Judas to betray him; Acts iv. 27, 28. Mat. xxvi. 23, 24. Hence we find St. Austin * speaking thus; "Judas was chosen, but it was to do a most execrable deed: that thereby the death of Christ, and the adorable work of redemption by him, might be accomplished. When, therefore, we hear our Lord say, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" we must understand it thus, that the eleven were chosen in mercy; but Judas in judgment: they were chosen to partake of Christ's kingdom; he was chosen and pitched upon to betray him, and be the means of shedding his blood."

* De Corr. & Grat. cap. 7.

Pos. 3. The non-elect were predestinated, not only to continue in final impenitency, sin, and unbelief; but were likewise for such their sins, righteously appointed to infernal death hereafter.

This position is also self-evident: for it is certain, that in the day of universal judgment, all the human race will not be admitted into glory, but some of them transmitted to the place of torment. Now, God does, and will do, nothing, but in consequence of his own decree, Psalm cxxxv. 6. Isai. xlvi. 11. Eph. i. 9, 11. therefore, the condemnation of the unrighteous was decreed of God; and, if decreed by him, decreed from everlasting for all his decrees are eternal. Besides, if God purposed to leave those persons under the guilt and the power of sin, their condemnation must of itself necessarily follow: Since, without justification and sanctification (neither of which blessings are in the power of man) none can enter heaven, John xiii. 8. Heb. xii. 14. Therefore, if God determined within himself thus to leave some in their sins (and it is but too evident that this is really the case ;) He must also have determined within himself to punish them for those sins (final guilt and final punishment being correlatives which necessarily infer each other ;) but God did determinate both to leave and to punish the non-elect: therefore there was a reprobation of some from eternity. Thus, Mat. xxv. "Go ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;" for Satan and all his messengers, emissaries, and imitators, whether apostate spirits, or apostate men. Now, if penal fire was, in decree, from everlasting, prepared for them; they, by all the laws of argument in the world, must have been, in the counsel of God prepared, i. e. designed, for that fire; which is the point I undertook to

prove. Hence we read, Rom. ix. of vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, κατηργισμένα εις απωλειών, put together, made up, formed, or fashioned, for perdition; who are, and can be no other than the reprobate. To multiply scriptures on this head would be almost endless: for a sample, consult Prov. xvi. 4. 1 Pet. ii. 8. 2 Pet. ii. 12. Jude 4. Rev. xiii. 8.

Pos. 4. As the future faith and good works of the elect were not the cause of their being chosen, so neither were the future sins of the reprobate the cause of their being passed by; but both the choice of the former, and the decretive omission of the latter, were owing merely and entirely to the sovereign will and determinating pleasure of God.

We distinguish between preterition, or bare non-election, which is purely a negative thing; and condemnation, or appointment to punishment: the will of God was the cause of the former, the sins of the non-elect are the reasons of the latter. Though God determined to leave, and actually does leave, whom he pleases, in the spiritual darkness and death of nature, out of which he is under no obligation to deliver them; yet he does not positively condemn any of these merely because he hath not chosen them, but because they have sinned against him: see Rom. i. 2124. Rom. ii. 8, 9. 2 Thess. ii. 12. Their prete rition, or non-inscription in the book of life, is not unjust on the part of God, because, out of a world of rebels, equally involved in guilt, God, (who might, without any impeachment of his justice, have passed by all, as he did the reprobate angels) was most unquestionably at liberty, if it so pleased him, to extend the sceptre of his clemency to some; and to pitch upon whom he would as the objects of it. Nor was this exemp

tion of some any injury to the non-elect; whose case would have been just as bad as it is, even supposing the others had not been chosen at all. Again, the condemnation of the ungodly (for it is under that character alone that they are the subjects of punishment, and were ordained to it) is not unjust, seeing it is for sin, and only for sin. None are or will be punished but for their iniquities; and all iniquity is properly meritorious of punishment; where then is the supposed unmercifulness, tyranny, or injustice of the Divine procedure?

Pos. 5. God is the creator of the wicked, but not of their wickedness: he is the author of their being, but not the infuser of their sin.

It is most certainly his will, for adorable and unsearchable reasons, to permit sin; but, with all possible reverence be it spoken, it should seem that he cannot, consistently with the purity of his nature, the glory of his attributes, and the truth of his declarations, be himself the author of it. Sin, says the apostle, entered into the world by one man, meaning by Adam: consequently, it was not introduced by the Deity himself. Though, without the permission of his will, and the concurrence of his providence, its introduction had been impossible; yet is he not hereby the author of sin so introduced.* Luther observes, (De

* It is a known and very just maxim of the schools, Effectus sequitur causam proximam: "An effect follows from, and is to be ascribed to the last immediate cause that produced it." Thus, for instance, if I hold a book, or a stone, in my hand, my holding it is the immediate cause of its not falling; but, if I let it go, my letting it go is not the immediate cause of its falling it is carried downward by its own gravity,which is, therefore, the causa proxime effectus, the proper and immediate cause of its descent. It is true, if I had kept my hold of it, it would not have fallen: yet still, the immediate direct

Serv. Arb. c. 42.) " It is a great degree of faith, to believe, that God is merciful and gracious, though he saves so few, and condemns so many; and that he is strictly just, though in consequence of his own will, he made us not exempt from liableness to condemnation." And cap. 148. Although God doth not make sin, nevertheless he ceases not to create and multiply individuals in the human nature, which, through the withholding of his Spirit, is corrupted by sin just as a skilful artist may form curious statues out of bad materials. So, such as their nature is, such are men themselves; God forms them out of such a nature."

Pos. 6. The condemnation of the reprobate is necessary and inevitable.

Which we prove thus: It is evident from scripture that the reprobate shall be condemned. But nothing comes to pass (much less can the condemnation of a rational creature,) but in consequence of the will and decree of God. Therefore the non-elect could not be condemned, was it not the divine pleasure and determination that they should. And if God wills and determines their condemnation, that condemnation is necessary and inevitable. By their sins, they have made themselves guilty of death: and, as it is not the will of God to pardon those sins, and grant them repentance unto life; the punishment of such impenitent sinners is as unavoidable as it is just. It is our Lord's own declaration, Mat. vii. thát

cause of its fall, is its own weight, not my quitting my hold. The application of this to the Providence of God, as concerned in sinful events, is easy. Without God there could have been no creation; without creation, no creatures; without creatures, no sin. Yet is not sin chargeable on God: for effectus sequitur causam proximam.