Doth not God the Father love believers as his chosen, even as he loves Christ? Then surely he will never cast them off again, as he will never cast off Christ. There are some whom God chooses out of a common love, to common privileges and advancements, whom in the issue he rejects again: he repents that he hath chosen them to such a dignity, place, and office, and so he even casts them off again. And thus he dealt you know with Saul and Judas. But he chose Christ out of a special and peculiar love, never to be reversed again. And just so he chose us in and by and through Christ, out of the very same love, and with the very same intentions (in reference to revocation) that he chose Christ. And what will God cast away his people, whom he hath foreknown from everlasting? whom he hath chosen in his Son Christ, before the foundation of the world was laid, as the Apostle speaks, Eph. 1:4. No, no: his choice of us, is as unalterable as his choice of Christ himself. And when he casts away Christ, then and not til then (my brethren,) will he cast away us.
George Newton, An Exposition with Notes, Unfolded and Applied on John 17th (London: Printed by R. W. for Edward Brewster, and are to be sold at the Crane in Pauls-Church-yard, 1660), 488.
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