If God promised his creatures eternal life before the world began, will they not obtain it?  They will for this passage says that he cannot lie.  But says the objector, he has not promised it to the unbeliever.  We would then inquire, what is it that constitutes him an unbeliever?  Why do you call him an unbeliever?  Do you say because he disbelieves the truth of God’s promise?  Then you must, of course, admit the truth of God’s promise to him.  If so, it must stand, for God cannot lie.  You cannot call upon a sinner to believe, until you admit the existence of that very truth, you wish him to believe, God’s promise of eternal life in Christ, is the gospel we are called upon to believe with a sincere heart.  If you contend that it is promised to an elect number only, and not to the reprobates, then if they should all be brought to the knowledge of the truth, what would they believe?  Ans.  The elect would believe the promise of eternal life was made to them, the reprobates would believe right the reverse of the elect, and all would be believers.  No, says the objector, the reprobates ought to believe just as the elect do.  But in this case, they would believe that they also have the promise of eternal life.  This would be believing a lie, because you say that God has not made them that promise?  How would you preach to such persons?  If you called upon them to believe the truth of the gospel, which is eternal life, you would call upon them to believe a lie.  How can you extricate yourself from this difficulty?  But inquires the objector, how do you know that God has promised eternal life to all?  Ans.  Because the scriptures do call all men either believers, or unbelievers, in view of the promise that God has made.  Take away that promise and belief or unbelief respecting it can no longer have an existence—­ Believers and unbelievers would be no more.

But says the objector this is not proof that eternal life is promised to an unbeliever.  Well I am surprised at this assertion of my opponent!  First, I ask, what do you call a believer?  Ans.  One who believes that God has promised, and given him eternal life in Christ before the world began.  Then, of course, an unbeliever must be one, to whom God has also promised and given eternal life in Christ before the world, but will not believe it.  But says the objector this cannot be.  I would then ask whether eternal life was not promised, and given in Christ to the believer before he believed it?  Certainly.  It must have been the truth before he could believe.  Well, what was he at that time?  An unbeliever of course.  Then eternal [life] is promised to all, because it is the lack of faith in that never failing promise of Jehovah that constitutes an unbeliever.  But says the objector—­a man “must do so and so,” or he cannot be saved.  This is not correct; he must believe, or he cannot be saved.  We are saved by faith in the promise