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Chapter 10 of Effectual Calling. Before we begin, I want to recommend 
a particular book. There are many commentaries or 
expositions on the Westminster Confession, not so many on the 
Baptist Confession. But this is not strictly a commentary 
or an exposition, but it's a very good book. It's by John Fesco. It's called The Theology of the 
Westminster Standards. the historical context and theological 
insights. As I said, it doesn't go through 
every jot and tittle of the Confession, but highlights several chapters 
in the Confession and just gives some very good information, again, 
about the historical context, and then explores some of the 
particular theology in those chapters. I have been reading 
it and have been very encouraged by it, and it really does fill 
out some things in the study of historical documents. So chapter 
10. of effectual calling. I'll read 
the chapter. and then we'll look in more detail 
at what it teaches. Those whom God has predestinated 
unto life, he is pleased and has appointed an accepted time, 
effectually to call, by his word and spirit, out of that state 
of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation 
by Jesus Christ, enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly 
to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone 
and giving unto them a heart of flesh. renewing their wills 
and by his almighty power, determining them to that which is good and 
affectionately drawing them to Jesus Christ yet. So as they 
come most freely being made willing by his grace. This effectual 
call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from anything 
at all foreseen in man, nor from any power or agency in the creature 
co-working with his special grace, the creature being wholly passive 
therein, being dead in sins and trespasses, until being quickened 
and renewed by the Holy Spirit. He is thereby enabled to answer 
this call and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in 
it. and that by no less power than that which raised up Christ 
from the dead. Elect infants dying in infancy 
are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who 
works when and where and how he pleases. So also are all other 
elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by 
the ministry of the Word. others not elected, although 
they may be called by the ministry of the word and may have some 
common operations of the spirit, yet not being affectionately 
drawn by the father, they neither will nor can truly come to Christ 
and therefore cannot be saved. Much less can men that receive 
not the Christian religion be saved, be they never so diligent 
to frame their lives according to the light of nature and the 
law of that religion they do profess. Amen. Well, as we come 
to this particular chapter, it's probably helpful to remember 
the larger context of the confession of faith. In chapters 7 to 20, 
essentially what we have is the covenant of God, the covenant 
defined in chapter 7. In chapter 8, we saw Christ as 
the covenant mediator, the one who comes to save his people 
from their sins. The covenantal setting is in 
chapter 9, man's will, man's free will, with reference to 
creation, fallen, renewed, and perfected. And now we come to 
the covenant blessings. And the first four deal with 
God's act. So what we have is effectual 
calling, justification, adoption, and sanctification. Those are 
God's acts with reference to this covenant. And then there 
are the covenant graces in terms of man's acts, faith, repentance, 
good works, perseverance, and assurance. Now certainly God 
is at work in us in each of those instances, but when we speak 
of God's acts, we speak of monergism, God alone working on the sinner. Synergism deals with God and 
man working together, but we make a clear definition or a 
clear dividing line. In justification or in salvation, 
it's God alone who brings us to that place of saving grace. 
With reference to sanctification, God is at work in us and then 
we will and do according to his good pleasure. So synergism is 
something that does take place in the Christian life, but not 
in terms of our salvation before God. And then as well, if you 
go back for just a moment to Chapter 3 in the Confession. Chapter 3 deals with of God's 
decree, the eternal decree, the plan and the purpose of God by 
which he will save his people from their sins. There is a specific 
statement in terms of the reality of God's decree and the extent 
of it in paragraph 1. In other words, God is sovereign 
and over all things. There is nothing that takes place 
in the world that takes place apart from God. God, by definition, 
is sovereign. God, by definition, is omnipotent. God, by definition, has control 
of all things. That should give no one cause 
for stumble. The thought that the Lord God 
Almighty is over all is simply God. It is what the Bible teaches. It is, I think, what men deep 
down expect. They don't want the thought that 
God is somehow contingent or God is somehow dependent or God 
is somehow controlled or constrained by outside forces. God is in 
the heavens and he does whatever he pleases. So the reality and 
extent of his decree is in chapter 3 paragraph 1. And then with 
reference to salvation, we see it stated with reference to predestination 
unto life in paragraph 3, by the decree of God for the manifestation 
of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated or or for ordained 
to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of His 
glorious grace, others being left to act in their sin, to 
their just condemnation, to the praise of His glorious justice." 
So that's the statement. God has predestined. God has 
predetermined. God has foreordained. Certainly 
Armenians would not embrace this confession. Pelagians would not 
embrace this confession. A lot of people don't like this 
sort of language, but again, we understand what the Confession 
teaches in terms of the Bible's doctrine of who God is and how 
he saves, this does accurately reflect what the Scripture sets 
forth. So we have this statement concerning 
predestination unto life. Now look at paragraph 6. as God 
has appointed the elect unto glory, so he has, by the eternal 
and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means 
thereunto." So now we are studying those means. We are looking specifically 
at those things that God uses Some have called this the Ordo 
Salutis. Some have called this the Golden 
Chain of Salvation. But notice as it goes on, wherefore 
they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, 
are effectually called unto faith in Christ by his Spirit working 
in due season. are justified, adopted, sanctified, 
and kept by His power through faith unto salvation. Neither 
are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, 
adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only. So we come 
to the detailed explanation of those particular things now, 
and that's what we have in effectual calling. A couple of things that 
we ought to observe with reference to calling. The Bible shows us, 
or the Bible indicates that there are two types of calling. There is a general call. In Mark 16, 15, Jesus commanded 
his disciples to go and to preach the gospel to every creature. We need to understand that as 
we are Christians, as we are witnesses, as we are testifiers 
of God's good grace, we preach the gospel indiscriminately. 
We tell all men everywhere that there is a Savior, and His name 
is Jesus, and He lived and He died and He rose, so that all 
who look to Him in faith will have everlasting life. We don't 
have to first figure out if someone is predestined. We don't have 
to first figure out if someone is foreordained. We don't have 
to first figure out if somebody is predetermined or predisposed 
to believe the gospel. We are to preach indiscriminately 
to all men everywhere. Not that God loves them and has 
a wonderful plan for their lives, but that God has called all men 
everywhere to believe on the Lord Jesus and to turn from their 
sin. So there is a general call. It 
is published to all men everywhere. This is dealing with the effectual 
call. This is for the elect of God. Now this chapter does deal with 
the general call. Notice in paragraph four, others 
not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of 
the word and may have some common operations of the spirit, yet 
not being effectually drawn by the Father, they neither will 
nor can truly come to Christ and therefore cannot be saved." 
Now people will say, well that doesn't seem fair. Well, they 
willingly and in their own free choice reject Jesus. It's not 
like they go kicking and screaming off to hell. I mean they may 
because they don't want to go to hell, but they certainly don't 
want and they didn't want the Lord Jesus Christ. So the general 
call published to all men everywhere. That is the task and the responsibility 
of the Church and the Great Commission. So you see the confession affirms 
predestination. The confession affirms election. The confession affirms what men 
have called high doctrine. But it also confirms and highlights 
the reality that the preaching of the gospel is to go forth 
indiscriminately. The confession is not hyper-Calvinistic. Hyper-Calvinism teaches that 
if God has predestined or foreordained, then it really doesn't matter 
what we do, because the elect will be brought out of darkness 
into marvelous light. That is not the position of the 
17th century Baptists. It was not the position of the 
17th century Presbyterians or the Congregationalists. We affirm 
the reality that we are to preach the gospel indiscriminately to 
every creature under heaven. So now notice, there is a general 
overview in paragraph 1, and then some very specific issues 
are treated in paragraphs 2 to 4. Note first, with reference 
to the general statement in paragraph 1, the recipients of effectual 
calling. Again, this connects us to what 
we've already seen in chapter 3. Those whom God hath predestinated 
unto life. He is pleased in his appointed 
and accepted time effectually to call by his word and spirit. So let's look at Romans chapter 
8. Romans chapter 8. This is certainly 
the backdrop for this particular language and at least what we 
see in terms of a skeletal ordo salutis in the Bible. Romans 
chapter 8, we all know the very popular verse 28, we know that 
all things work together for good to those who love God, to 
those who are the called according to his purpose. And we certainly 
should know that verse. It's got a world of encouragement. 
Notice it's all things work together for good, not just the good things. 
This is what we need convincing of. We obviously would agree 
with Paul that when we find bags of money, these work for good 
in our lives. Or when we get promotions at 
work, these work for good in our lives. Paul wouldn't need 
to tell us that. Paul needs to tell us that cancer Paul needs 
to tell us that destitution, Paul needs to tell us that abandonment, 
Paul needs to tell us that people treating us like garbage, even 
under God's hand, even those things work for good. You see, 
it's all things work for good. We don't need to be reminded 
that good things work for good. We need to be reminded that all 
things work for good. And what is that founded upon 
and grounded upon but the sovereignty of God? We know that all things 
work together for good, not to everybody. This is not a verse 
for the unbeliever. It is to those who love God, 
to those who are the called according to his purpose. And specifically 
Genesis 50 verse 20 indicates this, doesn't it? What does Joseph 
say after that whole narrative when he's sold into slavery? 
I mean, you think you've got a difficult family? Joseph's 
brothers threw him into a pit and he was bought by slave traders 
and then, you know, was treated terribly. Don't, you know, be 
slow to to argue or complain about how bad your family is. 
Look at Joseph. Dare to be a Joseph in the midst 
of a difficult family situation. But he says in Genesis 50, you 
meant this for evil, but God overruled it for good. There 
are things that people intend to do against us that God ultimately 
overrules for good. The second glorious example, 
of course, is the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified 
by godless hands, but it was according to the predetermined 
plan of God to save his people. Now notice, verses 29 and 30, 
for whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to 
the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among 
many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, 
these he also called. Whom he called, these he also 
justified. And whom he justified, these 
he also glorified. So it shouldn't surprise us that 
in paragraph 1 of chapter 10, we are reminded of predestination. Those whom God has predestinated 
unto life, he is pleased and is appointed in accepted time, 
effectually to call by his word and spirit. So we see the recipients, 
those predestined, the elect of God. Chapter 3 and chapter 
10 here indicate that it's the elect and the elect only. So 
again, we are not suggesting that persons that have not been 
predestined are going to be affectionately called by God. Those whom the 
Father has given me shall come to me, and the one who comes 
to me I will certainly not cast out, John 6.37. No one can come 
to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise 
him up on the last day, John 6.44. Nevertheless, we preach 
the gospel indiscriminately to all creatures. Notice the author 
of the effectual call. Those whom God hath predestinated 
unto life by his word and spirit. Notice in paragraph two, this 
effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone. So this 
is monergism. This is one working. This is 
not us co-working with God. It is not us cooperating with 
God, but rather it is solely and alone the grace and power 
of God Most High. William Ames says, the calling 
does not depend on the dignity, honesty, industry, or any endeavor 
of the ones called, but only upon the election and predestination 
of God. You see, we can't forget the 
background to what we've already seen, or what we've already seen 
prior to this chapter. We've dealt with man in sin. 
Man is dead in his trespasses and sins. He cannot choose for 
Christ. He cannot respond to God. He cannot do that which commends 
himself to God. There is nothing, to use the 
language of Ames, that is not our dignity, honesty, or industry 
that commends us to God, but God's election and predestination. And then notice the occasion. He is pleased in his appointed 
and accepted time effectually to call. There are seasons in 
the Christian's life, or there are prior to our Christian life. We were engaged in sin. We still 
are, but it's remaining sin. But you look back, right? There 
was a time, definitively, in your life where God called you 
out of darkness into His marvelous light. You might ask the question, 
why didn't He do it sooner? It would have spared me from 
a lot of heartache. Why didn't He do it sooner? Because I wouldn't 
have done these things. It is His appointed time. Do 
you realize that everything we go through under God is ultimately 
for His glory and for our own well-being? And that experiences 
that we had, even when unconverted, God in the midst of the saving 
of a sinner can use those things for the benefit of others. I 
mean, that's just the way that it is. He is pleased and is appointed 
and accepted time effectually to call. And then it's efficacy. It's by his word in spirit. We 
cannot resist that spirit when he comes. You perhaps heard the 
fourth point of Calvinism, irresistible grace. The Holy Spirit, when 
he works upon a man, a woman, a boy or a girl, they cannot 
resist that. They cannot stay the hand of 
the Spirit. He is powerful. He is omnipotent. glorious and merciful. But He 
doesn't bring us kicking and screaming. He changes us from 
the inside out. He changes the heart. He renews 
the will. He gives us that compliance and 
that desire to close with Christ. It really is. A beautiful situation 
that God has orchestrated for the salvation of His people. 
So it is efficacious, it is dependent upon, in terms of means, His 
Word and His Spirit. If we don't have the Word, then 
we are not going to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. 
That is made abundantly clear in this chapter, specifically 
in paragraph 4. It's made abundantly clear in 
the Scriptures as well. General revelation, the light 
of creation, teaches us that there is a God. But it does not 
teach us that there is a blood atonement on Calvary's tree. 
We must hear the Word. We must preach the Gospel. This 
is why it's certainly abominable when churches do not proclaim 
the truth of the Gospel. When the preacher preaches himself, 
or the preacher tells stories, or the preacher coddles people, 
or the preacher gives them life tips on how to be a better them, 
that is an abomination. It is to not love men, but it 
is to despise them. Because if we love them, we're 
going to tell them the truth, that Jesus said, I am the way, 
the truth, and the life. and no one comes to the Father 
except through me. This is not popular today. It 
is not politically correct. It shows or betrays, at least 
in the minds of the world, that we are prejudiced and bigoted, 
but we are following our Lord Jesus and the exclusivity of 
the Christian message. If the Word and the Spirit are 
not present, then sinners go to hell. This is the means that 
God has ordained. It is the proclamation of His 
Word. Watson says, the preaching of the Word which is the sounding 
of God's silver trumpet in men's ears." I love reading the Puritans. 
As a preacher, they bring you a lot of encouragement. I mean, 
they were preachers, and I don't know if they were writing these 
things only to stroke their own egos, but just trying to commit 
or commend to the people of God how important the agency of the 
Word is. And then he also wrote this, 
that in every sermon preached God calls to you and to refuse 
the message we bring is to refuse God himself." Now there he's 
talking about the general call, the call of the gospel that goes 
forth to all men, to all creatures. To refuse the message we bring 
is to refuse God Himself. So we need to proclaim the truth. It's by His Word and Spirit. Testimony is good. It's great 
to tell someone, you know, I was blind, but now I see. I was dead, 
but now I'm alive. I was lost, but now I am found. 
All of that is wonderful, but you need to tell them why that 
is the case. Because Christ was crucified 
and Christ was raised. It is the Lord Jesus in whom 
there is salvation. James 1.18, for of his own will, 
by the word of truth, he brought us forth. It's not for by his 
own will, by the word of your testimony. We need to speak the 
truth. You've probably heard that famous 
saying. I just saw it on Twitter a few days ago. It makes the 
Twitter rounds quite frequently. I'm not sure who the original 
author of this saying was. For some reason, I want to say 
St. Francis of Assisi, but I could be wrong. But it's, you know, 
preach the gospel all the time. And if necessary, or when necessary, 
or when able, use words. The idea being is that your godly 
Christian life is the gospel. That is not true. I'm sorry to 
tell you the gospel is the record of Christ's redemptive work. As holy as you may think you 
are, as virtuous as you may display yourself to be, as beautiful 
a human being as you put out there for everybody to see, the 
knowledge of your virtue will never save a man. It is the knowledge 
of Christ and Him crucified, Christ and Him raised, Christ 
and Him alone. So brethren, do not think that 
it's about, you know, preach the gospel by your actions and 
when possible, use words. No, always speak the truth. That's what God uses to save 
sinners. I have said before, and this 
would probably shock a lot of people, I'd rather hear the truth 
from the devil's lips than a lie from a pious man. I would rather 
have the devil tell me that Jesus died and rose again than to have 
a virtuous man not tell me such a thing. Not that I actually 
want to talk to the devil. That's not the point. But the 
issue is it's by his word and spirit. And if that's the case, 
how about we to pray on a Sunday morning? How do you pray before 
church on a Sunday morning? We want sinners to be saved. 
I trust that, especially his parents and his grandparents. 
We want those little sinners that we know and love and esteem. 
We want them to be saved. So what do we pray for? We pray, 
God, bless the preaching of the Word. Send the Spirit. We can't 
save our children. We can't save our grandchildren. 
We can't argue them into the Kingdom of Heaven. We can't guilt 
manipulate them into the Kingdom of Heaven. It must be the Word 
and it must be the Spirit. I think this ought to frame how 
we pray on a Sunday morning. God, please, we're going to church 
today. And yes, I want my batteries 
charged. And yes, I want to have fellowship. 
And yes, I want to be an encouragement to others. But first and foremost, 
bless the preaching of the word, so that the gospel comes with 
power, and so that the spirit is there, and so that of your 
will, by the word of truth, you would bring forth sinners to 
close with Jesus Christ. This ought to affect us if it 
is God that affectionately calls sinners. We have the very ear 
of God through the mediation of our Lord Jesus and we come 
to Him and we lay these petitions out to Him. Lord God save. Lord God send the Spirit. That's 
what we ought to be about when it comes to a Lord's Day worship 
service. Notice what God does in terms 
of the means. He enlightens their minds spiritually 
and savingly to understand the things of God. You see, we were 
dead in our trespasses and sins. We didn't understand the scripture. I'm sure that I've used this 
illustration before. I remember being in high school 
and there was a heavy metal band that had released a particular 
song and in that song there was a quotation from Revelation chapter 
13 concerning the number of the bees. Well, having listened to 
this particular song and having heard the recitation of this 
particular verse, I had a bit of interest, so I opened up to 
the book of Revelation and I remember very specifically reading this 
and it making not only no sense to me, but just looking like 
I was reading the phone book. In fact, reading the phone book 
would have probably been more profitable because I can connect 
with numbers and names and things like that. I remember looking 
at the book of Revelation and just thinking, man, what a Well, 
this is just... I can't even believe people read 
this. What happens after conversion? 
The Word of God is living. It's powerful. It's active. It cuts to the very marrow of 
a man. You read it and it's alive. You 
read it and it's God speaking to you. That's what the confession 
is highlighting. Enlightening their minds spiritually. and savingly to understand the 
things of God. Have you ever talked to somebody 
that has passed from deadness to life? Or have you ever talked 
to somebody that has come out of darkness into light? It's 
a different ballgame. It's a different scenario. It's 
a whole different way. Because now they see. Now they 
understand. Now their minds have been enlightened. 
They have savingly understood the things of God. And what at 
one time was very confusing, and very odd. Why would you weird 
Christians sing, there is a fountain filled with blood drawn from 
Emmanuel's veins? You say, that sounds very odd 
that you would sing such a thing. But when you get the remainder 
of the verse, where sinners plunge beneath that flood, lose all 
their guilty stains, it now makes sense. Oh, now I understand why 
you sing of the blood. Now I understand Ephesians 1.7. Now I understand why the Apostle 
emphasizes the blood of Jesus. Because I as a sinner lost all 
my guilty stains. My mind has been enlightened. 
I spiritually understand the things of God. I've passed from 
death into life. Brethren, this is what the Spirit 
does and it's truly amazing. Notice, they go on to say, it's 
operation, the specific things that go on here. Enlightening 
their mind spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, 
taking away their heart of stone and giving unto them a heart 
of flesh. Renewing their wills and by His 
almighty power determining them to that which is good and effectually 
drawing them to Jesus Christ. Now, this is the first covenant 
grace that we've looked at. We haven't looked at justification, 
adoption, sanctification. We haven't looked at all those 
things yet. There's enough in this paragraph to cause the saint 
of Christ to sing forever, amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that 
saved a wretch like me. Look at what God does. He enlightens 
our minds that we savingly understand the things of God. He takes away 
the heart of stone. He gives unto us a heart of flesh. 
He renews our wills by His almighty power. He determines us to that 
which is good, and He affectionately draws us to Jesus Christ. And 
He does all this, yet so as they come most freely, being made 
willing by His grace. We don't come kicking and screaming. 
We don't come arguing and complaining. We come confessing that Jesus 
Christ is altogether lovely. and chief among 10,000." Note 
the language that is employed in this statement, taking away 
their heart of stone and giving unto them a heart of flesh. That's 
from the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel 36, a promise of the 
new covenant where God says, through the prophet, I will take 
out their old stony hearts and I will put in a new fleshly heart. 
I will write my law on their hearts. They will be my people 
and I will be their God. It's interesting. The confession 
does not have a chapter on regeneration. This is regeneration, effectual 
calling and regeneration. go hand-in-hand, such that Ames 
can say that it, effectual calling, is also called regeneration, 
or the very beginning of a new life, a new creation, a new creature. Regeneration is what Jesus teaches 
Nicodemus in John chapter 3. You must be born again. Right? And remember Nicodemus 
didn't get it. Nicodemus said, how can a man 
when he's old go into his mother's womb a second time? Remember 
when Jesus says, are you a teacher in Israel and you don't know 
this? Why does Jesus say that? Because a teacher in Israel should 
have known Ezekiel 36. He should have known the doctrine 
of the new birth. He should have understood regeneration. Jesus' 
statement shouldn't have been enigmatic to him. It shouldn't 
have been a conundrum. It shouldn't have been surprising. 
In light of the fact that man is deceitful above all, or his 
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, 
in light of the fact that man is dead in his trespasses and 
sins, in light of the fact that to do wicked is like sport to 
a fool, in light of that reality, should it surprise us that God 
has to take out the old stony heart and put in a new fleshly 
heart so that we will see Christ and by God's grace, believe on 
him and turn from our sin. That's why Jesus upgrades Nicodemus, 
because as a teacher of Israel, the doctrine of regeneration 
should have been something that was in his mind and heart, something 
he shouldn't have struggled with. When Jesus says, unless you were 
born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. And Jesus is 
not teaching there that this is Jesus not giving a command 
on how to be born again. Billy Graham, bless his heart, 
has a book called How to be Born Again. That's not what Jesus 
is teaching in John 3. How to be born again makes it 
sound like there is a formula or something that the sinner 
does in order to be born again. That's not what the text in John 
3 says. It's a passive verb. Jesus says 
something from above must happen to you or you will not enter 
the kingdom of God. He's not saying, go do these 
five things and then you will be born again. No, unless you 
are born again by the power of the Spirit, through His Word, 
with what has been stated in a chapter like this, or in a 
paragraph like this, you will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. 
That's just the way it is. Dead men will not enter into 
heaven. It must be the case that God 
makes us alive. It must be the case that God 
regenerates us. It must be the case that God 
then enables us to believe and repent. You see, regeneration 
precedes faith and repentance. We don't believe and repent and 
then are we regenerated. I suspect that that's what Billy 
Graham's book will say. You need to believe and repent, 
and then you will be born again. No, the idea in the scripture 
is that you must be born again so that you may believe and repent, 
so that you may respond to the Lord Jesus Christ, so that you 
may close with Him, so that you may have everlasting life. You 
must be born again first, and the first actings of that new 
life is to close with Christ by faith and with repentance. 
So it truly is monergistic, it truly is the power and the sovereignty 
and the majesty of God working on those whom he has predestinated 
unto life. They highlight specifics in paragraph 
2, this effectual call is of God's free and special grace 
alone, in case you didn't get that. Case you missed that. Case you're still tampering with 
synergism when it comes to salvation. You need to be reminded this 
effectual call is of God's free and special grace. Notice this 
alone. There's one thing that differentiated 
the Protestants from the Catholics during the time of the Reformation 
was the word alone. Alone. Alone, alone, alone. It's by grace alone, through 
faith alone, in Christ alone. It's not a cooperation. It's 
not a hand-to-hand, let's do this together sort of thing, 
God. You know, this Jesus is my co-pilot thing? That is not 
what the Bible teaches. It is Christ who is sovereign 
and possesses us. You know, this whole idea that 
God is in the seat next to me and He's helping me navigate. Thankfully isn't true. Praise 
God that he's not in the seat next to us, that he's in the 
heavens, that he does whatever he pleases, and he is covenanted 
to do his people good. Specifically, look at what they 
go on to say. Not from anything at all foreseen 
in man. It's not because God looked down 
the tunnel of time and saw that you were going to be a wonderful 
chap, or that you were going to be a faithful chap, or that 
you were going to repent from your sins. But it's because of 
God's free and special grace alone. The Baptists add the next 
clause. This is not in the Westminster. 
or in the Savoy. Again, just in case you miss 
this, nor from any power or agency in the creature co-working with 
his special grace. You can see the goodness of this, 
or the virtue of adding this, because the Papists would say, 
yeah, God affectionately calls, God initiates, God is sovereign, 
God shows his grace. What's the sinner cooperating? 
Pelagians like cooperation. Arminians like cooperation. Papists 
like cooperation. The Baptists underscore, not 
that the Westminster divines and not that the Savoy divines 
didn't embrace this, but the Baptists particularly highlight, 
no pun intended, Baptists particularly, nor from any power or agency 
in the creature co-working with his special grace. You see in 
Salvation, it's not cooperation. So I'm caught doing 98% and we 
throw in our 2, 99.999. And we throw in our point, whatever, 
whatever, whatever, what? There's no formula here. It was 
Pi Day yesterday, wasn't it? National Pi Day? I mean, just 
amazing to me. People get more worked up about 
Pi Day than they do about the Lord's Day. I saw more tweets 
about Pi Day. 314, that's why it's Pi Day? 
It took me a while. I'm not the brightest bulb in 
the chandelier, but even I figured that out. But you know, that's 
a mathematical formula. People approach salvation that 
way. My part is pi. I'll throw in 
3.14. God will do the rest and that 
will bring... That's what the divines are saying does not happen. Nor from any power or agency 
in the creature. Co-working with his special grace, 
the creature being wholly passive therein. being dead in sins and 
trespasses. Now certainly the creature eventually 
believes and repents. That's not passivity, but that 
initial working of God's effectual call. He comes upon us and it 
is passivity, because we're dead in our trespasses and sins. There 
is nothing in us to commend us to God. There is nothing in us 
to reach out and accept the gift. You've heard it presented that 
way. God's handing you this gift. You just need to reach out and 
take it. God puts it into your hand. God raises you from the dead. 
God gives you new life. God gives you the graces of faith 
and repentance so that you can close with Jesus Christ. It's 
all of His free and special grace alone. And then it goes on to 
say, until being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he 
is thereby enabled to answer this call. The Westminster and 
the Savoy have this clause. Until being quickened and renewed 
by the Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call and 
to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it. And then 
another Baptist addition is at the end. And that by no less 
power than that which raised up Christ from the dead. That's 
Ephesians 1. That's what the divines are highlighting. The fact that God raises Christ 
from the dead. He uses that effectual power 
to raise us from the dead. That's a beautiful statement. 
Again, it comes from Ephesians 1. beginning in verse 19, where 
Paul says, I want you to know what the power of God looks like. 
And he displays it first in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 
And he displays it secondly in Ephesians 2, 1-10, in the salvation 
of individual souls. And he displays it thirdly in 
Ephesians 2-11, to the end of the chapter, in the salvation 
of Jew and Gentile, and making them one new man in Christ Jesus. This is a display of the efficacy 
of God's power and His sovereignty in the salvation of sinners. 
So that is a particular reference to the agency involved. Now, 
the specific issues that come up in paragraphs three to four. 
First, the issue of the mentally incompetent. The mentally incompetent. Some would say, why did they 
include this particular paragraph? The Bible doesn't speak to the 
mentally incompetent. And in this case, elect infants 
and those who are perhaps mentally handicapped. Look at what the 
statement says. Elect infants, dying in infancy, 
are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who 
worketh when and where and how he pleases. So also are all other 
elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by 
the ministry of the Word. You see the rub. If the divines, 
with the Bible, emphasize the reality that it's by Word and 
Spirit, we consider the implications of Romans 10, 17. Faith comes 
by what? It comes by hearing. Right? Comes by hearing the word of 
truth. I'm sorry, faith comes by hearing, 
and hearing by the word of God. So we need the scriptures, Ephesians 
1, we need to trust the gospel of our salvation. James 1.18, 
of his own will, by the word of truth he called us forth. 
But what about people who don't understand the truth? What about 
infants who die in infancy? What about that person that you 
know in your life or your family member that is mentally incompetent? 
And they have trouble with, you know, basic facts. They can't 
understand the implications of a crucified and risen Savior. 
Why would the divines put this in there? Because it's an order 
of theology. It's an issue that will come 
up. It's very pastoral. Notice, they address the situation 
consistent with what they say in Chapter 5 in Divine Providence. God usually works through ordinary 
means, doesn't he? God typically works through ordinary 
means, but he is free to work outside of those ordinary means. In Chapter 5, Paragraph 3, God 
in his ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to 
work without, above, and against them at his pleasure. That's 
what's called a miracle, right? You're all with me here, okay? 
We're tracking, we're alive, we're well, it's good. Sunday, 
we ought to have more fervency on a Sunday, Lord's Day, than 
on Pi Day. We ought to be filled with desire 
to know the truth of God's Word because this is where we live. 
This is our lifeblood, the scriptures, good theology. When we relate 
to other people, we need to know the truth so that we can stand 
firm for the truth and do what Jude actually commands us. You 
know what Jude says in Jude 3? Brethren, you are to contend 
earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to 
the saints. He doesn't say pastors. He doesn't 
say doctors. He doesn't say, you know, the 
really special people in the church. He says brethren. Every 
brother must be able, and sister too, contend for the faith that 
was once for all delivered to the saints. We meet with people 
that have questions about these issues. I think the confession 
is simply highlighting the reality in this particular statement 
that God is good. God is merciful and while you 
look at the reality that an infant dies in infancy or that you have 
a mentally Incompetent or and I don't mean that in a derogatory 
way or a mentally handicapped person that can't understand 
the gospel Does that automatically mean they're going to hell? No, 
it doesn't It doesn't mean that. Notice it's elect infants. Some 
Baptists have not liked that. In fact, I think the edition 
that Spurgeon published in his church, he took out the word 
elect. So you have infants. That seems to mean all-inclusive, 
every infant everywhere. I think this particular reference 
is more judicious. Elect infants dying in infancy. Now, certainly people have differing 
opinions on the death of infants. Do all of them go to heaven? 
Do some of them go to heaven? Do none of them go to heaven? 
That is a big debate out there and a big issue. This is a judicious 
comment that says elect infants dying in infancy. They are elect 
and they die in infancy. Before that place where they 
could hear the gospel and they could believe the gospel, we 
can trust that nevertheless God will bring them safely home to 
their heavenly inheritance. It is a judicious statement to 
indicate that God is merciful, God is kind, God is sovereign. It doesn't say all infants and 
it doesn't say none infants. There are some who teach that 
all infants go to heaven. There are some who teach that 
all infants go to hell. Be mindful of that reality. There 
are persons out there that affirm that all infants go to hell. 
I was reading one particular guy this morning on this paragraph. He thinks it's wrong. Don't put 
it in there. If somebody doesn't hear the gospel, they don't believe 
the gospel, then they're going to hell. I'm sorry, brothers 
and sisters. I much prefer what the divines 
thought back in the 17th century rather than what some wingnut 
in the internet says concerning this particular edition. It is 
a judicious statement that gives encouragement to the people of 
God with reference to their beloved little babies who die in infancy 
or to those who are mentally handicapped to the point where 
they cannot understand the truth. God is powerful. Beautiful. And then notice, with 
reference to the non-elect, beginning of paragraph 4, others not elected, 
although they may be called by the ministry of the word and 
have some common operations of the spirit. Hebrews 6, 4 to 6, 
indicates what those common operations of the spirit are. Okay? Hebrews 6, 4 to 6. We don't have 
time to look at this right now. We need to finish up. But what 
we have here is that although they may be called by the ministry 
of the word, remember, the general call, preach the gospel to every 
creature, Mark 16, 15, that general call will go out this morning 
to everybody in the church. That doesn't mean everybody is 
effectually called. They may have some common operations 
of the Spirit, they get close to believers, they get close 
to people of God, they have some effect for a time, they like 
preaching for a time, they like this or they like that, but then 
they fall away. According to Hebrews chapter 
6, what he's describing, there is apostasy. Yet not being affectionately 
drawn by the Father, they neither will nor can truly come to Christ 
and therefore cannot be saved. And then it deals with the issue 
of the heathen. Much less can men that receive 
not the Christian religion be saved. And that probably sounds 
like a pejorative term when we say heathen or when we say pagan. It simply means those outside 
of the Christian religion. It's not meant to be derogatory. 
It's not meant to be unkind. It's not meant to be harsh or 
bigoted or prejudiced. But it is the reality that there 
are those outside of the Christian religion. And here's what the 
confession says. Much less can men that receive 
not the Christian religion be saved, be they never so diligent 
to frame their lives according to the light of nature and the 
law of that religion they do profess. You see, there is a 
natural religion. Man by nature knows that God 
exists. But because of his sin, he suppresses 
truth and unrighteousness. And instead of worshiping God 
who is glorious and worthy above all, he exchanges the glory of 
God for corruptible things. He worships himself, he worships 
fools, he worships false gods, he worships money, he worships 
the sect, he worships whatever it may be. But he has taken the 
true knowledge of God, he has suppressed it, and he has turned 
and become an idolater. So man, by nature, knows that 
God exists. But it says, be they never so 
diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature 
and the law of that religion they do profess. And interesting, 
the Baptist did clip off a statement that both the Westminster and 
the Savoy attach here. They say, and to assert and maintain 
that they may, the idea being that the heathen may come to 
a saving knowledge through their own natural religion or their, 
yeah, their natural theology or their natural religion, to 
assert and maintain that they may is very pernicious and to 
be detested. You see, we don't ever want to 
tell a heathen and we don't want to tell anybody, well, you know, 
you're doing the best you can with what you've got. Well, God's 
going to accept you for that. You know, we don't tell the Muslim, 
you know, you're monotheistic, and that's good. God's going 
to receive you. We don't tell those involved in Judaism, well, 
you're a monotheistic religion, and therefore, everything's going 
to be good. It must be through Christ. He is the way, the truth, 
and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through 
him. Do you understand that? No one. 
Not even the pious heathen. Not even the pious Muslim. Not 
even the pious Jew. not anyone apart from the redemptive 
work and power of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's why this word 
is most crucial to be preached and why we need the Spirit to 
take and apply these things. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for this doctrine. We thank You that You've employed 
it in our hearts and lives, that You have called us out of darkness 
into marvelous light, that You have renewed our wills, that 
You have enlightened our minds, that You have given us understanding, 
saving understanding into the things of God. I pray today that 
as we gather for worship, Your Spirit would be present I pray 
that he would bless the preaching of the word. I pray for those 
outside of Christ that today would be the day of salvation. 
That you would reach down in mercy and in free grace alone 
and save to the uttermost. Do this for your glory and do 
this for the well-being of your church. And we pray through Christ 
our Lord. Amen.