Of Elef1ion. The Apoftle therefore to c<;mfirm t,liat d1lti,ndion or lJis, ot an ],;ldhon, trom~ the common lfrat!Jte ; ,He inftaoceth ,to that ,end, in the Perfons ofCilap. ~·, ljhm<Jei and Jfaac; and then Ejlll, and 1ac~6 :, 'Wh1ch Infiances do manifeft~~ ly declafe, Firft, that the Prom1fes of God. to ,4br"h"'!'' That God wotttd 6t the God ofhi< Seed, Gen. 17· were hm1ted m ,their Intent to the Perfons of Ifaa c, and fo to .7acd6, as leading Examples ~n,to)he rel1,ofthat Seed ofhis thatlhould be Children of the Prom1fe; In affirmtng <?f ,thefe 10 particular, That they were in Gods Foreknowledge, the only ,c;hildren of the Promife, and not thofe other, eitht!' Ej(:lU, and ljhmaei; only with this d,(l'ercncc from others of the Elect to follow, That ljaac, "JJd Jacob, wer~ definitely and by Name declared Children of the Promife , whereas the Eled Seed which were to come after, are but indefinitely fpoken of in the Promife to Abraham. I will be a God'[ of thyJerd] not naming Who, and yet not intending All of his Carnal Seed , are therefore indefinitely delivered, and uttered, and fo are to be underftood ; Yet fo, as in that I ndetinitc promulgation ofthem, God did intend within Him(elf( who alone knows Perlonally who are HIS) thofe very individual Perfons, whom he had Chofen, and thefe only: And they only are the Children of Promife, even as lj{Mc, and 1aco6; are faid to be. Only Ijaac and Jacob came by Name to be mentioned in perfonal Promifes ofthem, but tlje other of the Seed Elect. Their Names are concealed, yet fiill {o as the Promifts are only theirs, and they only Children ot the Promife, as well as Jf<MC and 1acob were. All the indefinite Promifes of Salvation, are but the expre!Iions of Election, and its intendments, indelinirely declared as touching the Perfons; Yet tl10fe perfons were fixed upon by God, and for their fakes, thofe Promifcs are given. And this is ev.dently the !cope ofrhe Ap'ofiles Ar; gument there, ro prove that all are nor I[r<J:t,, tiJar are ~f l(rad; Nor all Children ofthe Promtfe ; Or elfe hts proofof tiltS lrom thofe tnftances had, not held. Though the Promifes were, becaufe indefinite, to be promulged to all, that none knowing but t hat himfelfmight be a Perfon Intended, as well as any other,'llight be moved to feek for an affured interefi iri the Promife, by effectual Calling, and Convedion. And becaufe ofthis general promulgatio n, it is, that 'Prttr Exhdrts the ,Jews in that manner as he doth, At1s ~- 25,z6, u ar~ the chitdrm ofthe Prophets, a11d of the, Covmant which God made with our F:tthers, faying tmlo Abraham, attd in tlqy Sredjha/J a/J the Ki11dreds oftht Earth be blrjfed. ,V~ttoyou {irfl, God h<Jving raif•dup hu Son ]efus,jmt him to /;J e/S you, wlttrning aw,'Y evay otu ofyou from /m iniquities. Now as the Apoftleprovss 'by thefe two pair of lnfiances ofJfaac and Jjh– ma•t, &c. That this was a leading cafe oft be like difference among th'e Peo' ple oflfi·,ut to come; So he as plain! y refolves this difference pu,t berweeri them, (and fo in their Example ampng others) into Gods Election, who having pitcht his Eye and Grace on fome, doth in the forelight arid in tu ltion ~~them, effcdually deiigned by him, give forth and utter thofe Pron1ifes of Salvation, which are but the very Declaration ofan Election amongft the Sons of Men, and the matters, or things that are promifed tl·erein are bui what Ele– ction did deiign, only declareth them as to us, but indefinitely as to Perfons; Sothat ftill the le Elect only are th• chJidmt ofthe promtfe intended, whic!1 that they are fo, is in the end difcovered by effectual Calling, and Converiion \Vrought in them, and not in others. T lrat all this is So; (and it is agreat Jo) is evident by the r r th. Vtrj. that follows in that gth. Chapter, For tht childrw CName! y, ,E(au, and I(aac) beittg >~Of)'et borrt, >Jtithtr hflving dont mry Good o1· Evzt, That tb, Purpo{e o[God,accordi11g to E!et1ion mightJland, tJot of Worls, but o[btm tb,zt cditnh, , 'Tis clearly refolvcd into Gods purpofe by Election, and !hews how thal Eled10n dcfcovers irs felf upon the Children ofPromire, by caufing the Pro• m1fes,ro take hold by 1\•orking Faith in the hearts oftlrofc who are intended by God tn the Prorri1fe, and arc only the true Chddr~tt uf tbe promt{es, Sons of praa, as Chnft aforehand, when he fent his Apoflles to Preach the Gofpel of Peac~, enfhles them; ;'lnd rhus it was that Election manifefied itfelfin Ifa•c, and Jaco6. And Election manifefied it felfin the effectual Callin!\ both·of Ijiz- , acarid ofJaco/1. As the !aft word's in Ver(. 11. That tht purpoje of God acF cording
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