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Ephean.e,Clap.
t,
lT
E R,
#,
But why) Gods decree
of
eleaion
falleth
ott
my perfon
t4
life, this he
maketh in our
power,which
is
the
chiefe
thing
here exclu
ed; for
from
that God
had, purpofed and
performed to
Jacob,
and
from
that
privi-
ledge
that
God
will at his pleafure
both
intend and manifeft
his faving
mercy and compafìïons, this
is
deduced, that
this
mercy,
elee3ing,
cal-
ling,
and
adopting onebefore
another,
is
not
in
the
will
or
indeavour
of
man,
but
in
God
freely (hewing compaffion
:
Not
to
fay, he fhould
tell
us
a
great matter,
in
concluding with
a
folemne
Epiphonema,
firth
a
point
as
this,that
man under
finne
and death, could
not
deferve, or
any
way
caufe
why God fhoulditrike thatcovenant
ofthe
Gofpel,
and
promife falvation upon
belceving,
For
the Scripture
faith
to
Pharaoh.]
The
r7.Yerfe
follo
weth: The
con-
nexion
may be diverfely conceived, either to prove
that God
fheweth
mercy at his pleafure
to fome,
fo
as
he
denieth it to otherfome
;
or
that
which went before, that
it
is
not
any
thing
in us
which maketh
us
eleéted
like lacob,or
feje&ed
as
Efätw;and
then the proofe were
thus;
the
Scripture
doth
teftifie,
that
hardning
and
denying mercy dependeth
on
Gods
meere pleafure,
no
lefl'e
then !hewing mercy
;
Or
we
may
conceive
it
as in
reference
to the
unrighteoufnef
e
formerly
objected;
for
that objection hada
double
fail
giving
occafon;God
eleéting
Jacob,
rejeding Pfau,
without any thing
that
deferved it, whence
God
might
feeme fubjeét to injuftice
in
two regards;
Firft,
for
(hewing
his grace
to
the
one before
the other, when they both were
alike.
Secondly,
in
refufing
the
one
out
of
his
meere
will,ançj
excluding him from
the
grace
(hewed
the other, when
hehad
donenothing
to
deferve
it.
Hitherto he bath anfwered the
frlt
part
of
the obje
&ion,
that
God
in
tbewingmercy
to equals, unequally
is
not
unjuft.
Now
he anlwereth
the other part.
That
which God hath done,
that
is
iqq
the freedome
of
his
will
juftly
to
doe
:
But
God
bath for
ends
df
his
glory, without
any
thing done on their parts to move him,
denied
grace
to
fome,
and
hattlned them,
which
is
plaine
in
this
example;
he
did
raife
up
Pharaoh,
not yet being, purpofed
to
harden and
punifh him:
.Ergo, as
he fheweth
mercy where
he
will, fo
he
hardneth,
that
is,
denyeth
mercy,
and fo hardens and punitheth whom
he will.
The
Affumption
is
the
example, the conclufion
followeth
it.
Armi-
Nitta is
here
(till like
himfelfe, he frameth
a
double Syllogifme,
taking
away thew
of
unrighteoufneffe
in his
decree, made with
eleElion
of
fome,
rejeEtion
of
other
fome.
That
which God juftly doth, that he
may decree
to
doe.
But he
ftirreth
up,
hardneth
Tome
ju(tly.
Ergs,
he may decree
it without injulice.
The
fecond
Syllogifine, from the
18.
Verfe.
He who
fheweth mercy &
hardneth,may
decree according
to
ele
i.
on,to
thew mercy to fome beleeving, and to
rejeft
fuch
as
leek
righte-
oufneffe in
the works
of
the Law.But
God
fheweth
mercy onwhom
he will, &c.
For