Of B/eflion. wan infinite Grace manifelled by this common condition of us with others. And BooK Ill. although thefe things are fpoken of them, of what they were ar, and afore the ~ time olrh'eir Calling, and m their Unregemerare condition : Yet this Act of Election we are now upon, that had Man fain for its Object, and the common condition thereof did take men, and viewed us at and afore calling them, they are found to be in and of this Act. The Rule certainly holds, that look what a•ealling God found us to be, m,rhat•E!ection V·iewcd us. ·Which that1pa'if~ge 1Cor,,, 26, 27. (For ye feeyour. callzng Brethren, bow that not many wzfr men after the jfefh, not many mzghty, 11ot many noble art caO~d: 'But God hatb chofm the foolifh thingsoj>the .World, toconfotmdthewzfe; and God bath chojm the weak •thmgs .of the World, to confound the things which are mighty. ) evidently !hews, :rhofe words, But God bath chojen,-&c. come in.as an Explanation.:or Confirmation ofthe.fGrmer words, Tou fu ,your cal– ling. As ifhe bad fatd, Look what thofe w~re whom Calling fingles out and what they are after Calling in Paucity ; the fame they were therefore fo; ·their conditions, whom God chofe•.and in his view fuch to be. ll, And here let us, 2 . Now add to the Confidcration ofthis·common Condition, the infinite Number ofthofe [other!] whcm God hath laid afidc in this fain Condition, in comparifon offo very ajrw, who together wzth tf?y Jelj, were Ele{led out of them; which the event doth manitcllly declare the multitude ofthofe left, and the paucity, or fewnefs ofthofe whom God fets his heart upon; and unto what a fiupendious infinity will this enhaunce the Grace of that Election towards thofe few. Though the Number oftht Chil– drm of lfrael, 6t as the Jand of the Sea, a Rem1tantjhaO 6e ji1Vtd; and that Remnant is that ofElection, Rom. 1 '• 5· A Remnmzt according to the Ele– flion of Grace. A Remnant, fignifies afmallnumbcr, in comparifontothe whole: As alfo his comparifon, Ver f. 29. !hews, Vnltfs Godh"d left tts a Seed we had 6enz as Sodom, and bun made lzke u11to Gomorrha. That no.te; their fewnefs, being but as when the mofi <>fa mans Crop is fold and ea– ten, there is but a very final! part referved for Seed againfi the next Harvefi. The like unto· this, doththatcomparifon of thejirfl Fruit! .in James, and in .the T ype import. Now the paucity of men enjoying any Pfiviledge, magnifies it the more; as in the cafe ofNoah1 .Prefervation and Salvation, forementioned in the Third Chapter of the Fir!l of Pettr, It is exprefly noted, that jtw with himwtrt (aved, that is, 6ut tightperfoni, faith he, u11to the whole World. Ver[, 20. Likewife Luh the 12th. Say1 €hrtf/, theft thi11gs do the Natiovs Juk, Verj: ~o. Vzz. The thzng1 ofthu World; and God gives them to them, but in op– polltion thereto, Verf. 32. Fear not little Floc·k, for it uyour Father! good pleajitre togiveyou the Ki1tgdom. ( q. d.) He bath referved thntofthe King· dom for you. And his fcope is withal, to !hew that hereby it is rendered the greater mercy, and that fo few ofyou lhould be preferred unto fuch favours, whilfi the reil are left to feek other things, as their befi and only pon ion. The Old Law;,. dividing the Land! by lnherita11ct to the people of llrael, had this Rule given them, Thou}haltgive the more btheritance unto many; Aud rmto Jew thott jha/1 diminijb, orgive the ltfs lnheritmrce, Numb. 26. S4• But this Inheritance ol Heaven, and of himfelf, God took 2 few ofMankind, and gave the whole of that Inheritance to all, and each ofthem. 'Tis faid, 'Deut. 32. 8. That when God divided the Inheritance to the Nations, he [tt their 6otmds accordi11g to the num6eroftht people of lfrael, Sevfllty Nation> (as Gen. 1 o,)according to the number but ofjevtnt} Soul!, which was th<ir whole number when they came out of.A!.gypt, Gen. 46.17. A fmall propor– ton of70 men, to 70 whole Nations of others, ofone man to a whole Nation. But then what did God referve for thefe Seventy men, and thofe of their Seed which he had chofen ? it follows in the fame place of Vtut. Verf. 9· The Lords portio11 il hu people, Jacobu tht lot of hu lnheri!ance: whom he referved for himfelf, to be his Inheritance, and he to be thm Inheritance, as you often find. And this only becaufe (as in the fame 'Dttzt. Chap. 10, H ·) Only tbt Lordhad adtlight in th.J Father! to love them, andhe chofe thtir Sttd after them,
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