3. Because it agrees not with the freedom of God's will. "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." Rom. ix. 15, 16.

It must be fully admitted that election is founded upon grace or the good pleasure of God's will, and this in strictness is the only original cause and motive of election. But though there be no other cause or motive of election than the good pleasure of God's will, and it is founded only on grace, so that nothing foreseen in man moved God to proceed to election, yet God may well, according to the good pleasure of His will, fix upon foreseen obedience and faith as the conditions upon which He would elect. For though election always supposes an arbitrary power to select whom He will, in Him choosing, yet when an all-wise, just, holy and perfect God is the Person making the choice, it is only reasonable to infer that He will elect according to His ways, not for their ways or works which they have done as the meritorious cause of election, yet according to them as the equitable rule that His good pleasure forms to Himself in proceeding in election.1 Election is still the proper and sole act of God, however His procedure in that act may be upon a foresight of obedience and faith or of fitness for the work of the Lord.

It is not likely that the Apostle would have spoken as he does of election had it originated in the worthiness of the chosen. It would not have been the cause of thanksgiving which it was had it rested on any such basis as foreseen worthiness. In the New Testament it is made a pre-eminent cause of thankfulness to God, for our election like our redemption is a work of pure grace-of undeserved favour. "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation." "We give thanks to God always for you all, knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." And again, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace."

It has been thought that the difficulty might be partially solved

1 "Faith foreseen" and "from faith foreseen," as the annotator to the Theses of Mr. Thos. Parker justly observes, "is one thing. The 'foreknowledge of faith,' and according to that foreknowledge,' is another (1 Pet. i. 2). For faith is an act of our duty. Prescience or foreknowledge is an act of Divine perfection. From faith foreseen' marks the cause; according to faith foreseen' marks the order. We deny that God's intention of the end or of our reward depends upon faith foreseen as upon the cause, but we affirm, with the sacred Scriptures, that it is formed according to the Divine prescience or foreknowledge."

2 2 Thess. ii. 13.

3 1 Thess. 1, 4.

⚫ Eph. i. 6.

by regarding the ecclesiastical election as an election of grace and the election of those who finally persevere in their baptismal grace and make their calling and election sure as an election of justice. For one is initial salvation—that is, in the one we are placed in a condition of salvation: the other regards the end, eternal life, as the result of salvation.

But this is hardly satisfactory. Clement of Alexandria and Jerome were not very consistent in the cause they assigned for election, regarding the Church as they did as the election-the congregation of those placed in a condition of salvation. And this inconsistency Arminius avoided by holding election to be of individuals directly to eternal life.

Mr. Faber1 argues, that as many who are admitted within the pale of the visible church fall away from grace and die impenitent and unholy, therefore, the impelling cause of election of such unfit and unholy persons cannot be God's foreknowledge of their future fitness and holiness; for a foreknowledge of the fitness and holiness of those who are permanently unfit and unholy would be direct contradiction. The Pseudo-Ambrose saw this difficulty and attempted to evade it by a division into two classes-one class elected permanently into the Church, the other class not permanently. He follows Clement of Alexandria in stating that God elected those whom He foreknew would be devoted to Him, or whom He foreknew would possess a fitness for their election, yet he says that God has elected some individuals into the Church permanently, because He foresaw that they would persevere in holiness and would thus attain eternal life; while other individuals He has elected indeed into the Church but not permanently, because He foresaw that through inaptitude they would not persevere in holiness and would thus fail of eternal life. This is the first hint we find in the fathers of the modern doctrine of the visible and invisible Church as distinct, a doctrine we have already considered.

This does not properly meet the argument of Mr. Faber above, but the reasoning of the latter gentleman is itself not quite satis1 "The Primitive Doctrine of Election," p. 279.

Hi autem secundum propositum vocantur, quos credentes præscivit Deus futuros sibi idoneos; ut antequam crederent, scirentur. Nam, quos præscivit, et prædestinavit. Istos, quos præscivit futuros sibi devotos, ipsos elegit ad promissa præmia capessenda; ut hi, qui credere videntur et non permanent in fide cœpta, a Deo electi negentur: quia, quos Deus elegit, apud se permanent. Est enim, qui ad tempus eligitur, sicut Saul et Judas, non de præscientia, sed de præsenti justitia. Quos autem prædestinavit, illos et vocavit; et, quos vocavit, ipsos et justificavit ; quos autem justificavit, hos et magnificavit. Hoc dicit quod supra, quia, quos præscivit Deus aptos sibi, hi credentes permanent, quia aliter fieri non potest; nisi, quos præscivit Deus, ipsos et justificavit; ac, per hoc, et magnificavit illos, ut similes fiant Filio Dei. De cæteris, quos non præscivit Deus (scil. futuros sibi aptos), non est illi cura in hanc gratiam, quia non (scil. ita) præsciit. Ac si credant aut eligantur ad tempus quia videntur boni, ne justitia contempta videatur, non permanent ut magnificentur, sicut et Judas Scarioth, aut illi septuaginta duo, qui electi, post scandalum passi, recesserunt a Salvatore. Com. in Rom. viii. in Oper. Ambros. p. 1846-1847.

3 Ante p. 188.

factory. There is in both a confounding between election as evidenced in baptism and as it exists in the mind of God from all eternity. It does not follow that because God knows that a man will ultimately be unfaithful, therefore he is not to be received into the Church on earth. The Lord might and no doubt does wisely ordain that the Gospel net shall catch both good and badand He has a purpose to work even in and by those who of their own perversity fall away and apostatize. This is a matter which must rest entirely with God, we, His finite creatures, cannot enter into His counsel here, but we may readily acknowledge that He has a purpose, yea a purpose of mercy too, to perform by the adoption of children who ultimately turn out to be reprobate.

Melancthon, in opposition to any fatalising scheme which denies altogether any exercise of free-will, asserts that although, in the strict and higher sense, man's worthiness is not the moving cause of his primary election, yet in a lower sense the cause of his secondary or complete election may be said to be in himself, since will or inclination on the part of the person elected must concur with the efficacious influence of the Holy Spirit, and since those alone are elected who by faith apprehend God's mercy and who do not ultimately cast away that confidence. There is much in this, and it is probably a very near approach to the truth.

God has not thought fit to reveal distinctly the reasons for His proceedings in the matter of election. It may be that He considered that such a revelation would not be conducive to the happiness of the creature nor be beneficial to him. His election, especially its cause, is to a certain extent a mystery: but are there not thousands of other mysteries to which we have no clue? Why was this world chosen as the spot wherein God was to create a being in His own likeness and image? Why was this spot in the Universe chosen for the Son of God to die and rise again? How will the resurrection be effected? How can bodies which have mouldered into dust centuries since, become instinct with life? How can the same body be raised again? Will children be raised as adults-young men as old men, or all as of a certain age ? God has not thought fit to give us light on these subjects, and we may rest assured that it is best for us that we should remain in darkness. Let us rest confidently in His righteousness-His unspeakable justice and unfathomable love and mercy, and learn to be thankful for what He has revealed making the best use possible of this.

(b) Testimony of the Old Testament.

As in the case of the subjects of Election, so in the case of the moving cause, it is clear that the cause of the election of the Jews

as the chosen or elect people must find a parallel in that of the elect in this dispensation, and hence the importance of seeing whether under the Old Dispensation the cause of God's election is revealed.

Deut. iv. 37.

Because He loved thy fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought thee out of His sight (or with his presence) with His mighty (or great) power out of Egypt.

Deut. vii. 6-8.

For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special (or peculiar) people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people(s); but because the Lord loved (or loveth) you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn (or sware) unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt.

Deut. ix. 4-6.

Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath cast (or thrust) them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this land, but (or whereas) for the wretchedness of these nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprighteousness of thine heart dost thou go (in) to possess the land; but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that He may perform (or establish) the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers (to) Abraham, (to) Isaac, and (to) Jacob. Understand (or know) therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.

Deut. x. 15, 16.

Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you above all people(s), as it is (or as at) this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

1 Sam. xii. 22.

The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake; because it hath pleased the Lord to make you His people (or a people unto Himself).

Psl. iv. 3.

The Lord hath set apart him that is godly for Himself.

Psl. 1. 23.

To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

Psl. ciii. 17, 18.

But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children's children to such as keep His covenant and to those that remember His commandments (or precepts) to do them.

Isai. xlviii. 9-11.

For My name's sake will I defer Mine anger, and for My praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. cut thee not off. Behold I have refined thee, but not with (or as) silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. For Mine own sake, (even) for Mine own sake, will I do it: for how should My name be polluted (or profaned?) and I will not give My glory unto another (or and My glory will I not give to another).

Jer. xxxi. 3.

I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

Ezek. xx. 5-11.

Thus saith the Lord God: In the day when I chose Israel and lifted up Mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob I made Myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up Mine hand unto them saying, I am the Lord your God: in the (or that) day (that) I lifted up Mine hand unto them to bring them forth (out) of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them flowing with milk and honey which is the glory of all lands; then said I (or and I said) unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will (or would) pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I wrought for My name's sake that it should not be polluted before the heathen (or profaned in the sight of the nations) among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. Therefore (OR 80) I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness, and I gave them My statutes, and shewed them My judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

Hosea ii. 23.

I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not My people, Thou art My people, and they shall say, Thou art my God.