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are in the book of life." These names are written in heaven, in the book of life, and their record is on high, Job xvi. 19.

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This number cannot be augmented. all that dwell upon earth shall worship him [the beast], whose names are not written in the book of life, of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire," Rev. xx. 15. "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

This number cannot be diminished. " It is not the will of your Father that one of these little ones should perish." "I give unto them [my sheep], eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hands. My Father is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." They are saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; they shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end, Isaiah xlv. 17. They shall be delivered every one that is found written in the book, Dan. xii. 1. They shall return to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their head, Isaiah xxxv. 10. "Whom he [God] did foreknow he also did predestinate; and whom he did predestinate them he also called; and whom he called them he also justified; and whom he justified them he also glorified." Whom God predestinated he glorified: it is God that jus

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tifieth, who is he that condemneth? God is for us, who can be against us; who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect; who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

This number can neither be augmented nor diminished. "I know, that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it; and God doeth it [not that men should dispute the point of sovereignty with him, but] that men should fear before him.” The elect number of God's family is determined, there is no room left for augmentation or diminution: "He is the Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: A God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he." In the business of election there is no work that free will or free thoughts, head or tail, branch or rush, may do, Isaiah xix. 15.

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Reprobation comes next among this troop of free thoughts: The rest of mankind were passed by, or left in the ruins of fallen nature; and as Christ did not die for them, they must perish; these consequently are called reprobate,' Page 2.

This is brought in again in page 64: On this 'supposition, can the sentiments vindicated do any injury to mankind at large? Whom can they hurt? not the elect, they are secure; not the reprobate, 'for they are secure also; for on the principles opposed, the elect must be saved, do what they will; and the reprobates must be lost, do what "If any man speak let him speak as

they can.'

the oracles of God." That God has chosen in Christ Jesus a certain number by name is already proved; and a choice implies some left, or not included in the choice; these are chosen from the rest of mankind; they are chosen of God; "And except the Lord had shortened those days [of affliction], no flesh should be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days," Mark xiii. 20. They are chosen in Christ, they are chosen from among them that perish, they shall never perish; they are chosen out of the world, and the world hates God's choice of them, and them on account of the choice. This chosen number is but few when compared to the rest they were chosen from. It will be hard to prove that one half of the human race ever heard the gospel call; and those that really have are a large number when compared to the elect; "Many be called, but few chosen." This chosen number are couched in the promise made to Christ; "A seed shall serve him, it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation." This promised generation is well known to God, and to him only, until he makes it known to the seed whom by grace he enables to make their calling and election sure. Who shall declare this generation; Isa. liii. 8. Why Mr. Skinner has; he declares it to be all the offspring of Adam; but the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; and so far from all Adam's offspring being included, all Abraham's seed are not included; neither because they

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are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called; "That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed," Rom. ix. 7, 8; which Peter applies to the elect; "But ye are a chosen generation;" to whom in Christ the promise of life was made: "My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever." These chosen ones are called the faithful seed of Abraham, God's friend; heirs of promise, called in Isaac not in Ishmael: "Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise." They are called the Israel of God, the seed of the spiritual Jacob, whom God hath cho

Isa. xli. 8; on which account God styles himself the God of Abraham, whom he called alone and blessed; the God of Isaac, in whom the seed was to be called; and the God of Jacob, the father of every subject of mercy, or son of peace: "Peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." This God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, doth not call himself the God of Terah, the God of Ishmael, nor the God of Esau; he is not the God of the dead; not a covenant God to those who were not ordained to eternal life, but the God of those to whom he gave life in Christ Jesus before the world was; not the God of the dead in

law, called the bond-woman and her children: she is desolate, she is not the married wife; she is Ruhamah, not my wife, saith the Lord, Hosea ii. 1, 2; nor is he the God of the dead in sin, who stand in the first Adam, for in Adam all die; these are the children of the flesh, these are not the chil dren of God, Rom. ix. 8. The ministry is a savour of death unto death to these; God works a work that they shall in no wise believe, Acts xiii. 41; he is therefore not the God of the dead, but he is the God of the living; namely, of all that he predestinated to the adoption of sons; all that he ordained to eternal life; to these, and to none else, he gives gospel faith; "And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."

Thus Jehovah is not the God of the dead but of the living; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of Abraham, who is the father of us all, who considered not his own body dead though an hundred years old; he is the God of Sarah the free woman, the mother of us all, whose children we are, at whose deadness Abraham staggered not, but by faith surmounted the deadness of Sarah's womb, on which account the elect are commanded to look to Abraham their father, instead of Adam, and to Sarah that bare them, instead of Eve, And when God styles himself the God of Isaac, Ishmael is excluded; and when he styles himself the God of Jacob, all his seed are not included : "They are not all Israel which are of Israel; neither because they are the seed of Abraham are

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