Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world,

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!

III. The connection of these we are now take notice of; that effectual calling is inseparably tied to this eternal foreknowledge or election on the one side, and to salvation on the other. These two links of the chain are up in Heaven in God’s own hand. But this middle link of effectual calling is let down to earth into the hearts of His children; and they, laying hold on it, have sure hold on the other two, for no power can sever them. If therefore they can read the characters of God’s image in their own souls--those are the counterpart of the golden characters of His love, in which their names are written in the book of life. Their believing writes their names under the promises of the revealed book of life, the Scriptures; and so ascertains them, that the same names are in the secret book of life which God has by Himself from eternity. So that finding the stream of grace in their hearts, though they see not the fountain from where it flows, nor the ocean into which it returns--yet they know that it has its source, and shall return to that ocean which arises from their eternal election, and shall empty itself into that eternity of happiness and salvation!

Therefore much joy arises to the believer: this tie is indissoluble, as the agents are, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit: so are election, and effectual calling, and sanctification, and justification, and glory. And therefore, in all conditions, they may, from the sense of the working of the Spirit in them--look back to that election, and forward to that salvation. But those who remain unholy and disobedient, have as yet no evidence of this love; and therefore cannot, without vain presumption and self-delusion, judge thus of themselves--that they are within the special love of God. But in this, Let the righteous be glad, and let them shout for joy, all who are upright in heart.

It is one main point of happiness, that he who is happy knows and judges himself to be so: this being the peculiar good of a reasonable creature, it is to be enjoyed in a reasonable way; it is not as the dull resting of a stone, or any other natural body in its natural place; but the knowledge and consideration of it is the fruition of it, the very relishing and tasting its sweetness. The perfect blessedness of the saints is awaiting them above; but even their present condition is truly happy, though incompletely, and but a small beginning of that which they shall have in eternity. And their present happiness is so much the more, the clearer their knowledge and firmer their persuasion they have of it. It is one of the pleasant fruits of the godly, to know the things that are freely given to us of God. Therefore the Apostle, to comfort his dispersed brethren, sets before them a description of that excellent spiritual condition to which they are called.

If election, effectual calling, and salvation, are inseparably linked together, then by any one of them a man may lay hold upon all the rest, and may know that his hold is sure; and this is that way by which we may attain, and ought to seek that comfortable assurance of the love of God. Therefore make your calling sure, and by that your election; for that being done, eternal glory follows of itself. We are not to pry immediately into the secret eternal decree, but to read it in the performance. Though the mariner sees not the pole-star, yet the needle of the compass which points to it tells him which way he sails: thus the heart that is touched with the magnet of Divine love, trembling with godly fear, and yet still looking towards God by fixed believing, points at the love of election, and tells the soul that its course is heavenward, towards the haven of eternal rest. He who loves God, may be sure he was loved first by God; and he who chooses God for his delight and portion, may conclude confidently that God has chosen him to be one of those who shall enjoy Him and be happy in Him forever; because our love and electing of Him is but the return and repercussion of the beams of His love shining upon us.

If you find within you sanctification by the Spirit, this argues, necessarily, both justification by the Son, and the election of God the Father. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. He called those He has elected; He elected those He called. Where this sanctifying Spirit is not present, there can be no persuasion of this eternal love of God: those who are children of disobedience can conclude no differently of themselves, than that they are the children of wrath. Although, from present unsanctification, a man cannot infer that he is not elected—for the decree may, for part of a man’s life, run, as it were, underground—yet this is sure, that that state leads to death, and unless it be broken, will prove the black line of reprobation. A man has no portion among the children of God, nor can read one word of comfort in all the promises that belong to them, while he remains unholy. Men may please themselves in profane scoffing at the Holy Spirit of grace, but let them nevertheless know this, that that Holy Spirit, whom they mock and despise, is that Spirit who seals men unto the day of redemption.

If any claims to have the Spirit, but turns away from the straight rule of the Holy Scriptures, they have a spirit indeed, but it is a fanatical spirit, the spirit of delusion and giddiness; but the Spirit of God who leads His children in the way of truth, and is for that purpose sent to them from heaven to guide them there, squares their thoughts and ways to that rule: and that word whereof He is Author, which was inspired by Him, sanctifies them to obedience. He who says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Now this Spirit within us who sanctifies, and sanctifies to obedience, is the evidence of our election, and the pledge of our salvation. And whoever are not sanctified and led by this Spirit, the Apostle tells us what their condition is: If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Let us not delude ourselves: this is a truth, if there be any in religion—those who are not made saints in the state of grace, shall never be saints in glory. The stones which are appointed for that glorious temple above, are hewn and polished, and prepared for it here; as the stones were wrought and prepared in the mountains for building the temple at Jerusalem. This is God’s order. He gives grace and glory. Moralists can tell us that the way to the temple of honor, is through the temple of virtue. Those who think they are bound for heaven, yet live in the ways of sin, have either found a new way untrodden by all who have gone before, or will find themselves deceived in the end. We need not then that poor scheme for the pressing of holiness and obedience upon men, to represent it to them as the meriting cause of salvation. This is not at all to the purpose, considering that without it the necessity of holiness to salvation is pressing enough; for holiness is no less necessary to salvation, than if it were the meriting cause of it; it is as inseparably tied to it as the purpose of God. And in the order of performance, godliness is as certainly before salvation, as if salvation wholly and altogether depended upon it, and was in point of justice deserved by it.

Seeing, then, there is no other way to happiness but by holiness, no assurance of the love of God without it, take the Apostle’s advice; study it, seek it, follow earnestly after holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.