Wesley Corpus

3. “When love is predicated of God, it implies, (1.) His everlasting will, purpose, and determination to save his people.” (Mr. Toplady’s Tract, chap. 1.) I appeal to all men, whether it is not a natural consequence, even of this, that “all these shall be saved, do what they will.” You may say, “O, but they will only do what is good.” Be it so: Yet the consequence stands. “Election signifies that sovereign, unconditional, immu table act of God, whereby he selected some to be eternally saved.” Immutable, unconditional / From hence then it undeniably follows, “these shall be saved, do what they will.” “Predestination, as relating to the elect, is that irreversible act of the divine will, whereby God determined to deliver a certain number of men from hell:” Ergo, a certain number shall infallibly be saved, do what they will. Who can deny the consequence? “Not one of the elect can perish, but they must all necessarily be saved.” (Chap. 3.) Can any assert this, and yet deny that consequence,--“therefore all the elect shall be saved, do what they will?” unless you would say, it is the proposition itself, rather than a consequence from it. 4. So much for the former part of the question: Let us now consider the latter:-- “Hatred ascribed to God implies a resolution not to have mercy on such and such men. So, “Esau have I hated;’ that is, I did from all eternity determine not to have mercy on him.” (Chap. 1.) In other words,-- I by my dire decree did seal His fix'd, unalterable doom; Consign'd his unborn soul to hell, And damn'd him from his mother's womb. Well, then, does it not follow, by unavoidable consequence, that such and such men, poor hated Esau in particular, “shall be damned, do what they can 7” “Reprobation denotes God’s eternal preterition of some men, and his predestination of them to destruction.” And is it possible for them, by anything they can do, to prevent that destruction? You say, “No.” It follows, they “shall be damned, do what they can.” “Predestination, as it regards the reprobate, is that immut able act of God’s will, whereby he hath determined to leave some men to perish.” And can they avoid it by anything they do? You affirm, they cannot.