Of EM/ion. ~ought thofc that had been converted by Chrifi's Mmiftry in thofc Citie; ( and BoOK Ill. fo ought we) to 1ave celebrated God's Eleding Grace, in his having revealed ~ thofe things to them inwardly and etfedually. The very outward manifeftation of which to thofe T)•rums, t:i5c•. in former Ages,would, if they had known them, have brought forth fome Frum ol Repentance, as the Nwevites had alfo done: And thefe Babes he lpeal<s of, upon Chri(\'s Speech, and after his Example they rn1gl)t have fatd, We, whom our Lord bath thusconverted, and God forc-chofen, had yet as hard and tmpemtent hean s·os any in Caperflaum and Btthfoida had, unttll God, by hts m1ghty Power, inwardly revealed his Son to us; yea, and they were fome of the Nauons that were our Neigh– bours in former Ages, that were farr lefs !inners than we , and of more noble and ingenuous Sp~rits, more readily to have entertained the Gofpel (as ofthe Btrums it is faid ) and God paft by them, but bathReve~led it unto us. Uri– fpeakable mercy! What caufe have we then to blefs God in tbe fenfc thereof for this his difcriminaring good pleafure towards us, And if Chrifi involve; and wraps in the Examples and Infiances of thefe into his thanksgivings, as matter of tbankfullnefs, then howought we? But we need not go by Inferences thus to make good the Truth of this Branch; for God h~th more plainly and explicitly reJolved this difference of greater and lelfer !inners, f!lc. into his Electing Grace, 'Deut. 1 o. rs, 16. 0 11 ty the Lord had a deltght m thy Father> to lovt them; _a11d he chofe thtirfttd after thtm, even you above att People, M tt u thu day. C:rcumci{e thereforethefonfkzn of fOUr Heart, afldbe 110 more f/iffnecked, When he fays [only] that fccludes all other Motives and Confiderarions, and thews God barely and !imply chafe thee out of Love above all Nat ions elfe , not for thy Righteoufnefs, He fpeaks it in a Comparifon with other Nations, and not !imply alone; for be there brtngs and pref~nts them to a vie w of other Nations , and fo the fcope runs thus:That they were no more righteous than other Nations whom he refufed, nor did he refufe other Nations upon that account; and not only fo, but that they were worfc than other Nations , as that additional, Be 110 more flijf-11ecktd tmports : lnfinuating thereby the fpecial Obduration of that Nation above any other; 'tis a comparative Speech that too. And with that Charader God frequently Brands and upbraids them as more peculiar to them, as in l:."xod. p . 9· I the Lord[aid u11to Mofes I have [em thu people~ m;d ~thold, it u a Jliff-•ucked people. · And in Ch~p. 33· 3· )· And Mo(es tn hts ume had fatd the fame of them, Ex od. 34· 9. which in 'Deuteronomy he repeats again and agam to them , as upon his confiant Experience of them; And tells them, though the Nations that were cafi out were very wicked, and for their wickednels cafi our, that yet they them– fel ves were in a more eminent manner, a fiiff-neckcd People : Compare for this 'Dtttt. 9· ; , 6.Under(land therefore, that the Lord (hy Godgiveth thee flot thugood lofld to poffeflit for thy righteM<jiufl, for thou art a (liff-•ucked People. This was that Brand and black Mark of them, by God himfelf, which M o(es terms hardnefl: Look ~Jot to tht HA R 'D NE J' S of thu People , and their wickednefl, 'De11t. 9· 27. Which God forcfaw , yet he chofe them; yea, he faith it of them , whil1t he isa telling them , he chafe them , above all people, as thofe Places lhew ; in!inuating alfo thereby,that as he chafe them above all, fo that they were fiiff-necked above all. V. Particular. Thou mayfi compare tby Condition with others, whom God hath wrought great and mighty works upon, that yet fall lhort of fa– ving Grace: As thofe in He6r. 6. +• 5• That have been rvhightned, ta{led thegoodwordof God, rmdthe Power of the World to come, and y et j aUa– w ay , as Verj: the 7th in a way of fuppo!ition he there inrimateth; and Expe– perience hath lhewn in Multitudes in our days ~foreour eyes, And as in the third Particular, I bid thee there lingle forth the h1ghefi and•worft of !inners, and magnifie the Grace of God towards thee, in that thou mightfi ,and wouldfi of thy felf, have been like to them , yea the fame; fo now I fend thee to the Befi of Sinners (as I may fo term them, for, for a time they are fuch) that have by a work of the Holy Ghoft been elevated and rai(ed up to rhe higbefi pitch of Gifts( I cannot fay Graces) which brought them neer the Kingdom of God
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