Of Eleflion. ~Which yet fome have gone about to divert, by contending the Scope of both BOOK I., to have been folely in refpectto Temporal Things;and that in their Pofierities ~alfo. And furely, if many of the feveral Paffagesio either Chapter be compared together, this Eled:ion we contend for, Wtthout refped: to the forefeen Con. dirions, will appear to have been the Subjed: in both, if in either of them : They both fpeak ad idem, unto the fame thing. This for the Interpretation of '• l, ~.5,6, and 7th Verfes of the Eleventh Chapter. I lhall now proceed to the Infiance alledged by the Apofile of an Eled:ion and Non-eled:ion, in Etiah'sdays, among rhe People ot that Nation: Or t; an Interpretation of the third, fourth, and fifth Verfes of the Eleventh Chapter. Verf. ~· Lord, they have kitJed thy Prophets, anddigged down thine At. tars, midI am !eft atone; a11dthey fuk my !Jfe. Verf. 4· But what [f;ith the A11[wer of God unto him? I hJJve referved to my{elf Seven thot<ftmd Mm, who have not 6owtd the Knee to the Image of Baal, · Verf. 5· Even (o thm at this prefent time al(o, there is a Remna11t accord– iiJg to the Ete8io11 of Gracr, The Allegation of this finglc Infiance for All other, Is to confirm his Affer. tion , viz. That there WM tm Ete81on: For fo he clofeth it at lafi, in Verf )· Evm fo then at thu pre{ent time alfo, there u a remnant according to tht Etd1ion of Grace : Alfo to Confirm what he had lafi faid, That God hadnot cajl away !.Jupeople whom htforrknew:But had a~ Eled:ion ofGrace concinu~d in that Nation of the Jews, when yet the Face of the Generality of thac Na– tion were Apofiates from God , and his true Worlhip: And that yet God had a people, whom He foreknowing, had referved to himfelf; whom the pro– mifcs made to that Nation had ral<en hold of : And with an Eye, aAd ref. ped unto whom , and tor whofe fake , rhe Nation had the Promiffes indefi. nitely given to Them : (Even as in Chap. 9· in the forepart thereof, He had in like manner difcourfed:JAnd his Infe rence from thence atcordingly is, Ver[. S'. And therefore it Jollowed not, that becaufe the generality ot that Nation believed not in P tlul's time, but were hardened; that therefore Chrifi Jefus whom the Apofile preach'd , WJS not the true Chrifi; becaufe it had n; greater Effed: upon the multitude of that Narion, who were in Profellion, and in the Style of the Old Covenant, the outward People of God; whil!l: yet God had a very confiderable Number that had embraced <i:hrifi, and the Promifes made in Him, and were the true People of God; that is, whom Godforektuw , fays He, fiwuld be exifient in thofe days: Even as there were feven Thoufand in Eliahs time in God's Lifi and Catalogue, wf.;ich were enough then to make this good; That though the generality of that People were left to unbelief , yet God having a Number, though bur of fome, whom Eled:ion had faved, and preferved from a froward Generation ; That God had not cafi away his People now, when Chrifi was preached to them; not now, when fo few believed: For Ood had farr fewer in Elia"hs time among the Ten Tribes: For fiill God had them, and as many of them, for a People to him, Embracing his Son; whom he foreknew, and had cho– fen for His: And this was fuflioient to break the force of the Obje&ion they made. But why God foreknew fo few among.•them in that Age, rhis the Apofile refolves into Gods good pleafure, and foreknowledge. . This is a pat and pertinent I nfiance to this purpofe; and in many particulars Parallel to the fiate of things in the Apontes days; which is likewife the· A· pontes Scope, befides the former: As theApafilesone. words in the applyz ing of the lnfiance lhews, Evenf• -then 11ljo at .tfm 1ime, llhall therefore· compare them in a few things.· . • • [tl'
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=