except those who love God. But equally true is the statement of John that we begin to love God only when he precedes us with his own unmerited love.… The word purpose clearly excludes everything that might be imagined as devised among men. Thus Paul denies that the causes of our election can be sought anywhere except in the hidden good pleasure of God. This is even clearer in the first chapter of Ephesians and the first of II Timothy, where the contrast between God’s purpose and the righteousness