230 Chriji the Teflator.. · who, upon ·the hearing of it, Gen. x. iii. 15. believ.. ed, an.d fo were put in poifeffion of their legacies~ And thus. it will be, to the end of the world ; fai th · will come by h8aring of the tefiament, Rom. x. 17. Gal. iii. 2. Neither is h the elect: for howbeit in them only is the tefiament effectual, yet it is ,not ,to them ohly the legacies are left ; they are not they on– ly perfons, in whofe favou'r the refiament was made. For elect,ion, being a fecret not to be known by u~ un ... til once we believe, cannot be the ground and warrant of believing, or embracing the te!l:ament, and claiming the .legacies. Befides, at that rate unbeJievers conti– nuing fo to the 'end, could not be jufily reckoned re- ,fufers and lli&hters of Chrifi's teil:ament, as having no portion nor·concern in it; more th~n. fallen angels. :But the general defignation of the legatees in Chrifi's tefiament, is mankind.-finners indefinitely ;. to thefe of the family of Adam are the legacies left, to be claim'd and poifetl: of th.em by faith. Pr6v. viii. 4• ' Unto you, 0 men, I call, and my voice is to the fons of men;' Rev. x:~ii. ·17 ' Whofoever will" Jet him take the water of life freely.' john vi. 37· 'Him that cometh unto me I will in noways cafi out.' Put the cafe, that a rich ma].l ·fhould, for the love ;md favour he bears to a particular family, leave his fubficmce to them by tefiament, to 'be divided among them :"' in this cafe 'tis evident, tha~ however nume1 rous that family be, . all and every one pf them are this man's legatees, howbeit their names are not parti- . ' cularly exprefi in the tefi.ament; and they need no more to clear their claim, each to· his ihare of the Jegacy, but that they are of that £-miily. And upon, the exe– Cll~<?[~ making lawful intimat~on to' that family, that fuch a tc~ament being made m f:·wour of them, they <wme, claim, and get their legacies, in the method of tl)e tefiament: it is manifdt·, that all of them, who accordingly c01~1e and make their claim, as members of that family, will obtain a fnare of the legacy: but in
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=