Mal. 3. 6. lames t. 1.6 ,v,v S. opened. C AP.11: 4: 4s5 and fwift deftru&ión, when others fhall be invefted with all the eminent 33 Mercies, which the Lord Chrift brings alongWithhim, leaft thetrue Sonnes 'ofJacob fhould be terrifyed with the dread of the approaching Day,andfay, as David did, when theLordmade a breach upon 7Jzzah,who canJtandbefore 14. 54.4,54: fo holy aGod ? Shall not we alto in the iffue be confumed ? He difcovereth to them the Foundation of their prefervation. to the end, even the Vneeban- geableneffeofhis owne nature and being,whereunto his Love to them is con- formed: Plainely intimating, that unleflè himfelfe andhis everlafting Deity be fubjeí't and lyableto Alteràtioh and Change (which once to imagine, were , what lyeth in us; to cat} him downe from his Excellency,) it could not be,that they fhould be caft offorever, and confirmed. Thefe are the Tribes of Jacob and the Preferved ofIfrael , which Jefus Chrif} was lent to raile up, Ifaiah go. 6. The Houle ofJacob, which he tithesfrom the womb, and carries unto oldAge, unto hoary andforfàkethnot Ifaiah 46.3,4. This is confirmed, fames 1.16,17,18, Doe not erre my beloved brethren,eve- $. 4 ry Good Guift and everyperfe fguift cometh downe from the Father ofLights; withwhom is no variableneffe, norfhadow ofturning:O f hisowne will begathe us with the wordoftruth; He begetsus of his owne will by the word of truth: For whatfoevermen doe pretend, we are borne againe, not ofblood nor of the will oftheflefli,nor thewill ofman, but the will ofGod,john 143. Now her- in faith theApofile, we doe receive from him goodand perfoll Guifts: Guifts diftinguifhed from the common endowments ofothers: Yeabut they are fail- ing ones perhaps? Suchas may Ilourith for a feafon, and be but Childrenof a night like Jonas Gourde. Though God bath begottenus ofhis ownewill, and beftowed good &perfect Guifts uponus,yet he maycaft us offfor ever.Doestot erre my beloved Brethren, faith the Apottle,thefe thingscomefrom the Father ofLights: God himfelfe is the Fountaineofall LightsofGrace,which we have received; and with him, there is no variableneffénor fhadowof Turning, not the leaf} appearance ofany change or Alteration. And if the Apofile didnot in this place Argue from the Immutabilityof theDivine Nature, to the Un- changeableneffeofhis Love, towards thofe,whom hehath begotten,and'be- flowed fuchLight and Grace upon,there were no jut} Reafonof mentioning thatAttribute andProperty there: Hence Rom.11.29. The guilts and callingof God are laid to be without .5^ Repentance: the guilts ofhis effe&uall calling ( tie has ,miry) fhall never be re- ' pented of:They are from him,withwhom there is no change. Thewords are added by theApof}le,to give Affuranceof thecertain Ac- complifhment ofthePurpofeofGod towards the Remnant ofthe Jewes, ac- cording to the ElellionofGrace.What the principle mercies were,that were in Gods intendment to them, and whereof by their effe&uall calling they {hall bemade partakers, he tells us v.2647. The Deliverer or Redeemer,which comes out ofSinn, fhall, according to the Covenant of Grace, turne them from um- godlineffe, the Lord takingaway their finne. San&ification and Juftification by Chrift,the two maineBranchesofthe NewCovenant:(rerem. 31. 42.Ierera. 32, Ezek, 36. Heb:8. r 3,14.chap: Iö. í7,18. )doe make up the Mercy purpofed for them. Thecertainty oftheCollation ofthis Mercyupon them, notwith= ftanding the interpofition of any prefent oMtru&ion (among{{ which their Enmity to the Gofpell was moil eminent,and lay ready to beobje&ed) the Apofile argueth fr6 the Unchangeableneffeofthe LoveofEleaion,wherewith theLord embraced them from Eternity; as touching theÉletlion they are belo- ved: and farther to manifef} on that account, the fulfilling, ofwhat he is in theproofe andDemonftration of, viz, that 'though the major part of Ilrael according to the fleffi, were reje&ed, yet the Election fhould obtaine, and all F Ifraell
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