The light and heat of the sun, as well as the falling of the rain, are beautiful emblems of the life-giving love of our heavenly Father.  He freely imparts the power to every one who hears the words of gospel grace, to love and obey him if he will; to turn from his sins, and walk in newness of life.  It is the goodness of God that leads men to repentance; and repentance is neither more nor less, and nothing else than a change of one’s love or will from evil to good; from the love of self and the world to God supremely.

Thus briefly have I sought to prepare your minds for a few remarks I propose making on the doctrine of election.

Election simply means a choosing.  It is an undeniable fact that our Lord Jesus Christ elects, chooses, accepts every one that truly repents or turns his heart from evil to good. “Him that cometh unto me,” says he, “I will in no wise cast out.” “He that believeth and is baptized, SHALL BE SAVED.”  “WHOSOEVER WILL, let him take of the water of life freely.”  TRUTH is the broad platform on which the elect of God forever stand; and LOVE is the golden chain that first drew and forever binds them there.

PREDESTINATION.

There is not a living thing upon the face of the earth but is predestinated to a certain end.  The horse, in his very creation, is predestinated to be the horse in kind, and to serve the end of his creation; and his nature and characteristics as such admit of no change.  Predestination is one of the essentials of God’s eternal order.  If the horse, or the ox, or anything else which God has created, could be changed from the nature and order of its creation, confusion would be the inevitable result.

I do not wonder that Paul wrote what he did upon predestination, because it implies the immutable, eternal order of God’s love and wisdom.  Heaven and earth may pass away, but Christ’s love shall never pass away from the lowliest and poorest soul that loves and obeys him.  His love to Christ is the seal of his predestination to eternal life.

“He that believeth the Son hath life; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”  This is the sum of election and predestination.  God’s eternal love has given to man the way of man’s salvation.  All who choose that way are on that very account elected and predestinated to eternal life in heaven. Elected, because this fits them for heaven:  predestinated, because it is God’s eternal purpose to save all such.  Predestination applies equally to the impenitent; because, according to the same plan and the principles involved in it, they must be forever lost.

Nothing can be more reasonable than that God’s elect, the people of his choice, should be holy and without blame before him in love; that they should be followers of God as dear children, and walk in love.  This is both the cause and the proof of their election to eternal life.