370 The Birth- .Friviledge and Covenant- holineffe Ch, 42 bath againfl me He tells the Ephefians, that when they were gentiles in the flefb, at that time they were without Chrifi, be- ing Aliens from the Common - wealth of Iliad and firange,s i from the Covenants of Promife having no hope Without god in the world,. Epb. 2 X 2. yet when they were elé&ed, and the price of their Redemption was paid, and there were promifes by way of Prophecie of their call, though not yet brought home, and yet the Apoftle faith, '[bey were firangers from the Covenants of Promife, and we heare of no fuch complaints againfl: him. To come in the lati place, to (peak a word or two to his Reafon, which we may foon difpatch, it being not fo long - winded as his pa ftìon, page 335 3+ of his Examen, page t r a, i 13 . of his Apo, logy, he fpeaks to it more foberly, and all that I can finde is one and the fame to refuge, to prerogative in both ; Thi; is my judge. ment (faith he) that God will have us to fufpend our judgement of this matter, and refit on the Apof les determination, Rom, o, i$. For fatisfa&ion of which I need to adde no more then what I have faid, page 15. of my Anfwer, teeing it refs, and not one word yet replied to it. f he text of Scripture (which we have o- ver and over) is,that rod will have mercy on -whom be will have mercy, telling Mr. Marfhall, that it is bad to fay that god doth not _Ave pro bene placito, which no adverfary of his will deny. But God is pleated in his word to make known the way of the difpen- fation of his mercy, otherwife the vilefl perfon againfl whom in his miniflerial way, he denounceth Gods judgements may reply that his hope of falvation is as good as the belt, for God faves ex bene placito, and bath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and the bell foul, in a cafe of defertion, will take off all his applicati- ons ofcom fort, with the clofe of that Scripture, And whom he Will he bardeneth, Rom. 9.18. And to the Jewes even in their reja- &ion, (of which the Apofle fpeaks fo largely,) being cut off by unbelief, might have pleaded their hope of fálvation, as well as in a beleeving condition; we muff therefore not look to the fe- cret Will of God, of which no reafon can be given, but his good pleafure ; but into his revealed Will, where he is pleated to make kuown the-difpenfation of this will and good pleafure of bis, and fo we fhaili learn: nIt to carry our hopes beyond his promife. To that text of the Apoffle, kph, 2. i a, in which all out of Co- venant are concluded to be without hope, he fayes, For though the
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