God, to leave the whole body of apoftate angels, for ever; in an incapacity of loving, fearing and obeying him; though he requires these things of them, and they would be grateful to him if done, it cannot be contrary to the perfections of his nature, to leave, and to determine to leave, even the greatest part of mankind, and that for ever, in fuch an incapacity.

5. 'Tis a mifreprefentation of the decree of Reprobation, that God has ordained that men should not be holy, righteous, kind and merciful, for want of any thing on his part requifite to make them fo. Since, though by this decree God has determined to deny them his grace to make them fo, yet he has not by it ordain'd that they should be unholy, unrighteous, unkind and unmerciful; only has determined to leave them to themselves, and the freedom of their own wills, which iffues in their being fo; wherefore their being fo, is not to be afcribed to the denial of his grace, much lefs to his decree to deny it, but to their own wickednefs: nor is his command, even under the penalty of his fevere difpleasure, that they be holy, righteous, kind and merciful, inconfiftent with his leaving them, or his determining to leave them in an incapacity of being fo; fince, as has been fhewn, that incapacity is from themselves.

II. The decree of Reprobation is reprefented & as contrary to the mercy of God, and as charging him with cruelty and want of compaffion to the greatest part of mankind. The mercy of God is either general or fpecial. The general mercy of God reaches to all his creatures; his tender mercies are over all his works". From a fhare in this, the decree of Reprobation does not exclude any man; reprobates may have a larger share of providential mercies and goodness than others: wherefore the decree of Reprobation is not contrary to the mercy of God in general. The special mercy of God, as it is guided by the fovereign will of God; for he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will be hardneth; fo it is, indeed, limited to the elect, who are ftiled veffels of mercy, in distinction from the non-elect, who are called vessels of wrath. This mercy, which lies in doning fin, in regenerating mens hearts, in their final perfeverance and compleat falvation, the decree of Reprobation denies to the objects of it; with fuch a mercy, difpenfing these bleffings of grace to all men, the decree of Reprobation cannot ftand, we freely own; but then it does not appear

par

Remonftr. A&t. Synod. Circ. Art. i. p. 242. Curcellaeus, p. 370. Limborch, p. 339. Pfal. cxlv. 9. Rom, ix. 18.

to us, that there is any fuch mercy in God, difpenfing pardoning, regenerating and perfevering grace to all men; for there are fome, that be that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will fhew them no favour *. Could it be proved that there is fuch a mercy in God, preparing for, and giving the fpecial bleffings of grace to, all men, the decree of Reprobation must at once be exploded. But though this decree is oppofite to any fuch mercy in God towards thofe who are included in it; yet it is no ways contrary to the mercy of God fhewn to the elect: wherefore we cannot but conclude, that our doArine represents God as merciful, yea, more merciful than that which is oppo fite to it; fince, according to our doctrine, God, of his abundant grace, and mercy, has determined to give pardoning, regenerating and perfevering grace to a certain number of men, whereby they fhall be infalliby faved, when he denies it to others: whereas, according to the contrary scheme, God has not abfolutely chofen one fingle perfon to falvation; but his choice proceeds upon their faith, repentance and perfeverance; which alfo are left to the power and will of man: fo that, at most, the falvation of every man is precarious and

* Ifa. xxvii. II.

uncer

uncertain, nay, I'll venture to fay, entirely impoffible. I proceed to confider the particular inftances of the cruelty, and unmercifulness of the decree of Reprobation.

1. The Supralapfarian scheme is greatly found fault with; and it is afked', "What can be fuppofed more cruelly of God, than that he should, of his mere will and pleafure, appoint men, nondum confideratos, ut condendos, not yet confidered as to be created, much lefs, as finners, to the everlasting torments of hell." I obferve, that this learned writer greatly mistakes the Supralapfarian fcheme; which confiders the ob jects of Election, and Reprobation as men either already created, but not fallen, or to be created, and in the pure mafs of creatureship, but not as men not yet consider'd, whether they should-be created or no. Be fides, he confounds, as thefe men ufually do, the decree of negative with positive Reprobation, or the decree of preterition with that of damnation: whereas the Supralapfarians, though they think men were not confider'd as finners in the act of preterition, or paffing by fome, when others were chofen; yet they always fuppofe men to be confider'd as finners in the decree of damnation; and that God appointed none but finners, and no man, but for fin, to

1 Limborch, p. 339.

everlasting torments; and where's the cruelty of this doctrine ?

2. The Sublapfarians are reprefented as thinking unworthily of God; "Who knowing that all the lapfed fons of Adam were equally the objects of his pity and compaffion, equally capable of his mercy, and equally his offspring, and fo no more unworthy of it than the reft, believe that his decrees of governing and difpofing of them, are wholly founded on fuch an abfolute will, as no rational or wife man acts by; fo that he determines, of the everlasting fate of the fouls he daily doth create, after the fall of Adam, without respect to any good or evil done by them, and fo without refpect to any reason why he puts this difference, or any condition on their parts; and yet afterwards, in all his revelations, made in order to the regulating of their lives, fufpends their everlasting state upon conditions." I reply; That all the lapfed fons, of Adam, are equally the offfpring of God, as men, and equally capable of his mercy, as being miferable, and equally unworthy of it, as having finned against him; and therefore the reason why he fhews mercy to one and not to another, can be no other than his fovereign will and pleasure; who hath mercy on whom he will