and covenant, for them that trust in thee before the sons of men. In the same sense the word noté is used in the New Testament, particularly in Mark iii. 14: And he, noínoe, made, or ordained twelve. And in Heb. iii. 2: Who was faithful, τ@ Tоíŋσavri, to him that made, or appointed him. Now the sense of these words is this: that all things are appointed by God for his own glory; all things, particularly respecting man, concerning his temporal estate, the time of his birth, the place of his abode, his station and condition of life, the various changes of it, prosperous and adverse, death itself, and all the means leading on to it; as well as all things respecting his spiritual and eternal state, the provision and mission of a Saviour, both as to the time of his coming into the world, and of his sufferings and death, with all the circumstances thereof, the conversion of a sinner, time, place, and means, all times of darkness, desertion, and comfort; yea, the final state and portion of all men all these are fixed and appointed by God, and, in one way or another, make for his glory; yea, even he has appointed the wicked for the day of evil, which is mentioned partly to illustrate the general proposition in the text, and partly to obviate an objection, which might be taken from them against all things being made or appointed for his glory. But,

2. It is commonly said, that it is our sentiment, and the sense we give of this text, and what may be inferred from the doctrine of predestination, that God made man to damn him; whereas this is neither our sentiment, nor is it the sense we give of this text, nor is it to be inferred from the doctrine of predestination; for there is a wide difference between God's making man to damn him, and his appointing wicked men to damnation for their wickedness, which is the meaning of this text, and of the doctrine of reprobation we assert. We say, that God made man neither to damn him nor to save him; neither salvation nor damnation were God's ultimate end in making man, but his own glory, which will be answered one way or another, either in his salvation or damnation.

We

It is asked, "What is it that they would infer from these words? Is it that God made men wicked?" To which I answer, no. know as well as this interrogator that God made man upright, and that he has made himself wicked; and abhor, as much as he, the blasphemy of God's being the author of sin, or of his making his creatures wicked. It is one thing for God to make men wicked, another to appoint a wicked man to eternal wrath on the account of his wickedness. The same author goes on to interrogate, "Is it with Dr. Twiss, that all, besides the elect, God hath ordained to bring forth into the world, in their corrupt mass, and to permit them to themselves to go on in their own ways, and so finally to persevere in sin; and lastly,.to damn them for their sin, for the manifestation of his justice on them?" This passage of the Doctor's is picked out as a very exceptionable one; though for my part, I think it fitly expresses both the sense of this text and of the doctrine of reprobation, and is to be justified in every part of it. He says, that God ordained to bring forth all, besides the elect, int、 Whitby, p. 10.

the world in their corrupt mass. And where is the hurt of saying this? Is it not fact, that they are brought into the world in this manner? Nor is it repugnant to the perfections of God to produce, bring into being, and multiply the individuals of human nature, though that nature is vitiated and corrupted with sin, which he may do, and does, without being the author of their wickedness; nor is this injurious to, or any particular hardship on, the non-elect, since the same is true, and is what we, with the Scriptures, affirm of the elect of God themselves. The Doctor proceeds to observe, that God ordained to permit them to themselves to go on in their own ways, and so finally to persevere in sin. That God does give up men to their own hearts' lust*, as he did the Israelites of old, and suffers whole nations to walk in their own ways†, as he did the Gentiles formerly for many hundreds of years, is certain; and for God to ordain, or determine, to permit them, can be no more. contrary to his perfections than the permission itself; nor does such an appointment infringe the liberty of their wills; nor can it be any injustice in God to suffer them finally to persevere in sin, since they say, we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. And, whereas the Doctor concludes that God has ordained to damn them for their sin, for the manifestation of his justice on them; this fitly expresses the sense of the text and of the doctrine of reprobation, especially that part of it which divines call predamnation. Reprobation may be distinguished into preterition and predamnation. Preterition is God's act of passing by and leaving some, who are called the rest, when he chose others to salvation; and is the effect of God's sovereign good will and pleasure, being an act over and above the fall, and without the consideration of it, or of any actual sin or transgression whatever; nor is this unbecoming the moral perfections of God, or doing any injustice to his creatures, since the objects of this act were considered in the pure mass of creatureship, were found in this pure mass, and left in it, God neither putting nor supposing any wickedness in them. Predamnation is God's appointing men to damnation, in consideration and on account of sin; not God's decree, but sin, which interferes between the decree and the execution of it, is the cause of damnation: God damns no man but for sin, nor does he appoint any to damnation but on the account of it. Now, if it is not unjust to damn men for sin, it cannot be an unrighteous thing with God to appoint unto damnation for it. These things being considered, the doctrine of reprobation will not appear so horrible and shocking as it is represented to be by our opponents. Our author goes on and observes, "or lastly, they only mean that God, for the glory of his justice, had appointed, that wicked men perishing impenitently in sin, should be obnoxious to his wrath; and then they assert a great truth." But we mean more than this, we mean not only that such persons who are left to persevere in sin, and remain finally impenitent, are obnoxious to the wrath of God, but that they are appointed to wrath; and which we believe to be the sense of this text, and the truth contained in it. Though,

3. It is observed*, that the words should be rendered, the Lord hath made all things to answer to themselves, or aptly to refer to one another, even the wicked for the day of evil. But, supposing that the word is derived from y, to answer, it should not be rendered to answer to themselves, but to him, since the affix to it is singular, and not plural, and the meaning will be, that the Lord has made, or appointed all things to answer to himself, that is, to his own will and pleasure, and to subserve the ends of his own glory. Agreeable to this sense of the phrase the Jewish writers interpret it. R. Sol. Jarchi† explains it

for his will למען חפצו ורצונו for his praise. R. Isaac by בשביל קילוסו by

and pleasure. R. Jonah by ryb, for the thing in which he takes pleasure. R. David Kimchi thinks it may be rightly explained by, for himself, or for his own sake. All which confirm our sense of it. Nor is the meaning of the words, that God has made the wicked man to be the executioner of evil to others; though this is sometimes the case, and is such a sense of the words, as is no ways subversive of the doctrine of reprobation. But, the plain meaning of them is, that God has appointed all things for his own glory, and which he will secure even in the destruction of wicked men, to which for their sins they are justly reserved; and this sense of them is confirmed by the Targum, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions.

SECTION II.

Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias had said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.-JOHN xii. 39, 40.

It is said, that "this text is cited to prove the decree of reprobation, or preterition; and, that the inference made from it, contains this strange and uncomfortable doctrine, viz. That the infidelity of God's own people is to be resolved, not into the perverseness of their wills, or the evil dispositions of their hearts, but into the divine predictions, or into a judicial blindness and obduration, wrought by God upon them; which renders it, though not naturally, yet, morally impossible for them to believe." But,

Î. I do not find that these words are cited by any of our writers to prove the decree of reprobation, or preterition, or any eternal purpose of God to blind the eyes, and harden the hearts of men, by any positive act of his, with a view to hinder their conversion, and that his decree of condemnation might take place. The Contra-Remonstrants §, indeed, make use of them to prove, that the gospel is preached to many who do not believe, and who cannot believe; because it is not attended with an internal, powerful operation of divine grace, and that very rightly; which is exactly agreeable to the Whitby, p. 11, 94; ed. 2. 93.

+ Vide R. Sol. Hammelec. in loc., and R. David Kimchi, in Sepher Shorash, rad, y. § In Coll. Hag., art. iii. and iv. p. 209, 242.

Whitby, p. 11, 12.

words of Isaiah, cited in the preceding verse, Who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? And, which stand in close connection with these, Therefore, they could not believe, &c.

2. It would be strange and uncomfortable doctrine, indeed, should any make an inference from hence, containing this in it, that the infidelity of God's own people is owing to divine predictions, or judicial blindness, wrought by God upon them, which renders it morally impossible for them to believe. Seeing God's own people are not spoken of in the text, nor are there any predictions in Scripture respecting their final unbelief, nor are they ever given up to judicial blindness and hardness; but, being ordained unto eternal life, are enabled, by divine grace, to believe in Christ to the saving of their souls, notwithstanding the perverseness of their wills, and the evil disposition of their hearts.

3. It is evident that the words are to be understood of the unbelieving Jews, who rejected the Messiah, though they heard his doctrine, and saw his miracles, whereby the predictions of the prophet Isaiah were fulfilled; which, though they had no such influence on the wills of these men*, as to lay upon them a co-active necessity, or force them to do or answer to the things foretold, yet were to have, and had, an infallible event or completion; otherwise, the foreknowledge of God, and the authority of the prophetic writings, could not be maintained: wherefore the Evangelist observes, that though he (Christ) had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him, that the saying of Esaias, the prophet, might be fulfilled, &c. Also, Therefore, they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, &c.

4. It is certain, that the impossibility of their after-believing, is to be resolved into the judicial blindness and hardness of their hearts, to which they were justly left, having contemned both the doctrines and miracles of Christ. It is of no great moment whether the he, who is said to blind and harden, be God or Christ, or whether the words be rendered, it hath blinded, &c. that is, malice or wickedness hath blinded+, or be read impersonally, their eyes are blinded, &c. Since God, or Christ, blind and harden, not by any positive act, or putting in blindness or hardness, but by leaving and giving men up to the blindness and hardness of their hearts, and denying them grace; which was the cause of these Jews, so as never to be converted, or turned even by external repentance and reformation, that they might be healed in a national way, or be preserved from national ruin. which is consistent with God's command +, and Christ's exhortations to them to believe, which were antecedent to the judicial blindness and hardness of their hearts, and were, with the miracles and doctrines of Christ, aggravations of their unbelief; and therefore, they might be justly objected to them by the evangelist as their great crime, as it certainly was; being owing to the perverseness of their wills, and the evil dispositions of their hearts.

*Whitby, p. 14.

Ibid. p. 16; ed. 2. 15.

Ibid. p. 12,

14.

All

SECTION III.

And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them that stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed.— 1 PET. ii. 8.

THESE words are spoken of the reprobate Jews, to whom Christ was a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, in his birth, parentage, and education, in the mean appearance he made in his own person and in his apostles, in his ministry, and the audience that attended it, and the company he kept, in his doctrine, miracles, crucifixion, and death; who stumbled at the word of the gospel, despised, and rejected it, being left to the prevailing infidelity of their corrupt hearts; all which was not casual and accidental, but pursuant to a divine purpose and appointment. This passage, in connexion with the words preceding, plainly shows, that as there were some, whom God had appointed and fore-ordained to believe in Christ, on whom he determined to bestow true faith in him, to whom he is the elect, precious corner-stone; so there were others, whom he determined to leave as children of disobedience, in the infidelity and unbelief in which the fall had concluded them; through which disobedience or infidelity, they stumble at Christ, and his word, and in consequence thereof, justly perish. This also appears from the antithesis in ver. 9, where God's elect are opposed unto, and distinguished from, these persons, but ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, &c. But,

1st. It is said, "That this Scripture, to be sure, cannot signify, that God absolutely ordained the unbelieving Jews, els ameibelar, to disobedience;" when,

"1. As yet they were not, and therefore were not disobedient." I reply, this scripture certainly signifies, that these persons were appointed to stumble at Christ and his words through unbelief, which is all one as not to believe in him; or, to express our sense and meaning, and also the sense and meaning of this text more fully, God absolutely willed the fall of man, which brought all mankind into a state of infidelity; in which God has determined to leave some, and not give them that grace which can only cure them of their unbelief, whereby they stumble at Christ and his gospel, being disobedient to the divine revelation. Now such a determination, or appointment, did not require their present actual existence, only their certain future existence, much less that they should be disobedient, previous to this appointment.

2. It is added, as another reason against this sense of the text, "That then their future disobedience was purely a compliance with the divine ordinance or will, and so could not deserve the name of disobedience; because it could not be both a compliance with, and *Whitby, p. 20.

+ Ibid.; Remonstr. in Act. Synod. circ. art. i. p. 208.