Of Eletlion. them me; and as it is in Pjal. 16. 6. Lo, I have a goodly hentage. ~ There is nothing that is or can fo truly be accounted our ow11, as our Chi!- Chap. r. dren ; <Hher things are but external Appurtenances, but rhefe are as Branches~ to the Root, yea, they are our felves multiphed: Therefore God who is in Covenant with us, doth (as our Children do inl.erit our goods) become Heir of them himfeH; and owns them for his Inheritance, toproteCl: and dwell upon, and with, for ever. And furely the EleCl: Children of godly Parents in covenant with him, may in this rcfpeCl: more peculiirrly be called God's Inheritance, than others of his Children chofen by him: For their Parents being Servants to him, and he their God ; their Children therefore do by a natural right of Inheritance fall unto him, as the Children of Servants born i~ tht Houfe, did unto their Ma!ters by the Law, Exod. 21. 4· But however, whether this were the meaning of thefe words or no, this we may re(\ confident to have been the Pfalmin's drift; That Children when they arc holy, and fo God's Eleel: and Chofen Inheritance, are to be lookt upon by their Parents, as the choice!t and freen gife (as Inheritances ufe to be ) the riche!t reward and ble!ling, that on Eartll can be benowed upon them: And this we fee confirmed to us, from what eneem both A6raham our Father (rhen when his heart had been newly enlarged from the highen communion with God) did put upon fuch a Ble!ling; as alfo from what e!teem God did put up– on it to him, by promifiog of this ble!ling then, when his heart was drawn out to the large!t expre!lions of his Love. Gm. 15, r. God €ame to Abraham in a Vifioa, and faid unto him, [I am thy txcudi11g great reward] here was rhe deepe!t and mon comprehenfJve expre!lion of love, that God ever made unto any man ; and Abraham takes the advantage of this, and improves it, (for how could he now out-ask what God had promifed l) and fays to God; [What wilt thottgive me, [eei11g I am Childlefj ?J So that, a Child (next to his own Salvation) was the gift nod ble!ling in A6rahrzm's ddires and thoughts ; upon this hint of Abraham, God promifeth him a Son (even Jj£z.1c) and that J.is Seed fhould /;eM the Stars ofHeavm, and this Son to be an Heir, not of his Goods only, asvtr(t4. but of his God alfo; and indeed, when God renews the Covenant, he fo expreily enlargeth it, Chap. 17. Vtrfe 7· and fo God pro– mifeth to take his Seed to be his own Inheritance, as well as to be Heirs of A– braham : Lo from this in!tance alfo fuchChildren (as the Pfalmin hear fpeaks) are at once, both the inhrritance of the Lord, and a very great Reward; even tbe greatefi of all Rewards, next t0 God himfelf becoming a Reward to us. Now this great Ble!ling and Inheritance, in which God bath thus mutually e!tated both thefe Parents and their Children, is to be the main SubjeCl: of the enfuing Difcourfe, even to confirm and efiabli!h the Faith both ofChi!Jren and Parents en both fides; to the end that godly Parents hearts may be r.ifed up to the expeCl:auon ofthe highe!t comfort and reward in their Children; that they, next a!Turance of their own Salvation,can be filled with: (which notWithnaod– ing they too much negleCl: and undervalue;) and that their Children alfo (who are the mo!t of God's EleCl:,) may be provoked to make fearch, and diligmr– ly to look out for that Inheritance (here, ofthe Lord himfelf) which by agni– cious Entail, God hath fetled on many of them loag ere they were born, and of which they are often ignorant. That my Scope may by all be fully undernood, I have fhut up the-full Sa m and Argument of the whole, into this one Propofition : That Th~ Children of BdieViiJgParr1Jts (at ltafl, their 11txt and immediate Seed) even of U< Gwtiles now under the Go{pel , are i1JC/11ded6y God with. in tht Covenant of Gract; as well as Abraham's, or David's Seed within that Covmant of theirs. Both the proof and explication ofwhich great Point will run along together, Ddd 2 !
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