Foreknowledge of God

According to the foreknowledge of God the Father. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world, says the Apostle James. He sees all things from the beginning of time, to the end of it, and beyond to all eternity, and from all eternity He foresaw them. But this foreknowledge here relates peculiarly to the elect. To 'know' in Scripture sometimes denotes love. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous. And again, You only have I known of all the families of the earth. And in that speech of our Savior, relating it as the terrible doom of reprobates at the last day, Depart from me, I know you not--I never knew you.

So then this foreknowledge is none other than that eternal love of God, or decree of election, by which some are appointed unto life, and being foreknown or elected to that end, they are predestinated to the way to it. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. It is most vain to imagine a foresight of faith in men, and that God in the view of that faith, as the condition of election itself, has chosen them: for:

1. Nothing at all is future to God, or can have that imagined futurity, so to speak--but as it is, and because it is, decreed by God to be. And, therefore (as says the Apostle James in the passage before cited) Known unto God are all his works--because they are His works in time, and his purpose from eternity.

2. It is most absurd to give any reason of Divine will outside of Himself.

3. This easily solves all that difficulty which the Apostle speaks of; and yet he never thought of such a solution, but runs high for an answer--not to satisfy caviling reason, but to silence it, and stop its mouth. For thus the Apostle argues, You will say then to me, Why does he yet find fault? For who has resisted his will? No but, O man, who are you who reply against God? Who can conceive where this should be, that any man should believe unless it has been given him of God? And if given him, then it was His purpose to give faith to him; and if so, then it is evident that He had a purpose to save him; and for that end He gives faith.

4. This seems cross to these Scriptures, where they speak of the subordination, or rather coordination, of those two: as here,foreknown and elect, not because of obedience, or sprinkling, or any such thing--but to obedience and sprinkling, which is by faith. So God predestinated, not because He foresaw men would be conformed to Christ--but that they might be so: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate. And the same order, And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved. Also,And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

This foreknowledge, then, is His eternal and unchangeable love; and that thus He chooses some, and rejects others, is for that great purpose, to manifest and magnify His mercy and justice. But why He appointed this man to salvation, and not the other; made Peter a vessel of this mercy, and Judas of wrath--this is because it seemed good to Him. If this is harsh, yet is Apostolic doctrine. Has not the potter (says Paul) power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? This deep we must admire, and always, in considering it, close with this: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!