Wesley Corpus

“Many indeed (thinking to excuse God) own election, and yet deny reprobation; but this is quite silly and childish. For without reprobation, election itself cannot stand; whom God passes by, those he reprobates.” (Calv. Inst., b. 3, c. 23, sec. 1.) Friend.--Pray explain what you mean by election and reprobation. Pred.--With all my heart. “All men are not created for the same end; but some are fore-ordained to eternal life; others to eternal damnation. So according as every man was created for the one end or the other, we say he was elected or predestinated to life, or reprobated, that is, predestinated to destruction.” (Ibid., c. 21, sec. 1.) Friend.--Pray repeat your meaning. Pred.--“God hath once for all appointed, by an eternal and unchangeable decree, to whom he would give salvation, and whom he would devote to destruction.” (Ibid., sec. 7.) Friend.--Did God make any man on purpose that he might be damned? Pred.--Did not I tell you before? “God’s first constitu tion was, that some should be destined to eternal ruin; and to this end their sins were ordained, and denial of grace in order to their sins.” (Zanchius de Natura Dei, p. 553, 554.) Friend.--But is not God’s predestinating men to life or death grounded on his foreknowledge? Pred.--“So the vulgar think; that God, as he foresees every man will deserve, elects them to life, or devotes them to death and damnation.” (Calv. Inst., b. 3, c. 22, sec. 1.) Friend.--And do not you think that reprobation, at least, is grounded on God’s foreknowing men’s sins? Pred.--No indeed: “God of his own good pleasure ordains that many should be born, who are from the womb devoted to inevitable damnation. If any man pretend that God’s foreknowledge lays them under no necessity of being damned, but rather that he decreed their dammation because he fore knew their wickedness, I grant that God’s foreknowledge , alone lays no necessity on the creature; but eternal life and death depend on the will rather than the foreknowledge of God. If God only foreknew all things that relate to all men, and did not decree and ordain them also, then it might be inquired whether or no his foreknowledge necessitates the thing foreknown.