1. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call (Rom. 8:30, 11:7; Eph. 1:10–11), by His Word and Spirit (2 Thess. 2:13–14; 2 Cor. 3:3, 6), out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:2; Eph. 2:1–5; 2 Tim. 1:9–10); enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God (Acts 26:18; 1 Cor. 2:10, 12; Eph. 1:17–18), taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26); renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good (Ezek 11:19; Phil. 2:13; Deut 30:6; Ezek. 36:27), and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:19; John 6:44–45): yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace (Song 1:4; Ps. 110:3; John 6:37; Rom. 6:16–18).
All those and only those. The triune God does not work at variance with Himself in the work of salvation. Those predestinated unto life are the same who are called. They are called because God is pleased to do so, and is pleased to do so when and how He has determined. In other words, it is not just the salvation of Smith which pleases Him, but also the manner and time in which Smith comes. One constant is the fact that God calls by His Word and by His Spirit. Those saved are called out of their natural state, which is one of sin and death, and they are called into grace and salvation. Of course, all is done through Jesus Christ.
The result of this call is that their minds are enlightened so that they might understand the things of God. God takes away their stony heart, and gives them a new heart. It is worth noting yet again that if a man could repent and believe with his old heart, he doesn’t really need a new one. This bears repeating. What is the point of a new heart if all the evangelical duties (repentance and faith) can be performed with the old heart? God gives eyes, and afterwards we see. He does not give us new eyes as a reward for having seen with the old sightless eyes. God gives life and then we live. God renews and quickens their will, orients them to the good, and efficaciously draws them to Christ. But the fact that God draws them efficaciously does not mean that they are made into robots or puppets. They come most freely, genuinely wanting the salvation which God gave them the desire for.
This is not a true desire, some might say, if God gives it. Is desire for food true desire? Who gives that? Is desire for sex true desire? Who gives that? Thirty seconds of reflection should show that all our desires are given to us by God. We are creatures, after all.
2. This effectual call is of God’s free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in man (2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 3:4–5; Eph. 2:4–5, 8–9; Rom. 9:11), who is altogether passive therein, until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 8:7; Eph. 2:5), he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it (John 6:37; Ezek 36:27; John 5:25).
No trickery may be used to get around the supremacy of God in this, and no intellectual time travel either. God does not look down the corridors of time, see people choosing Him, and then choose them as a consequence. This effectual call is all of God, and man has no part in it—other than to benefit from the gift of it. Man is altogether passive until after the gift is given. Once the Holy Spirit quickens and renews him, he is then able to respond to the gift. Consequently, the order is effectual call, regeneration, repentance, faith in the gospel, and salvation. The order is “Jesus speaks, and then Lazarus comes out of the grave.”
3. Elect infants, dying in infancy, are regenerated, and saved by Christ, through the Spirit (Luke 18:15–16; Acts 2:38–39; John 3:3, 5; 1 John 5:12; Rom. 8:9), who worketh when, and where, and how He pleaseth (John 3:8): so also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word (1 John 5:12; Acts 4:12).
With a great deal of practical wisdom, the Confession says nothing about the state of infants who die as infants, other than to say that some of the elect are found among them. Where the Bible is silent, so should we be. Such infants (and others, like those severely retarded) are regenerated and saved by Christ, through the Spirit, even though we cannot see how the outward ministry of the Word relates. In this, as with all things, God remains King and Sovereign.
4. Others, not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word (Matt. 22:14), and may have some common operations of the Spirit (Matt. 7:22; 13:20–21; Heb. 6:4–5), yet they never truly come unto Christ, and therefore cannot be saved (John 6:64–66; 8:24): much less can men, not professing the Christian religion, be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the laws of that religion they do profess (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; Eph. 2:12; John 4:22; 17:3). And to assert and maintain that they may, is very pernicious, and to be detested (2 John 9–11; 1 Cor. 16:22; Gal. 1:6–8).
The non-elect who hear the ministry of the Word cannot patch together their own salvation from those things which they hear and experience. They may even experience some common operations of the Spirit, and yet still not be saved. If this is the case, still less can someone patch together a code of conduct from the light of nature and whatever Tao they may happen to possess. Their diligence in patching this together will be revealed in the last day as no diligence at all. To surmise that men can be saved apart from the declaration of the gospel is, our fathers tell us, a mischievous error, and a detestable one.