SERMON XLVI. God's Election of a People for himself among Men, and giving- diem to his Son in the Covenant of Redemption. Ern. i. 3, 4, 5.Blessed be the God and Fatherof our Lord Jesus Christ itho 'lath blessed us withall spiritual blessings in heavenly places in.Christ ; according as he bath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blamebefore him in love ; Having pre- destinatedus unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, ac- cordingto the good pleasure of his will. IF we enquire who are the persons thus blessed with all spiri- tual blessings, chosen to be holy, and predestinated to become the children of God, the little word us points plainly to the apostle Paul himself, who wrote this epistle, who was a Jew, and the con- verted Ephesians, to whom hewrote, who were Gentiles. These were the persons thus favoured of God. It does not seem to me to be the design of this text; to tell us what-God chose part of the Epliesians, as well as other Gentiles to be an outward visible church, with mere visible privileges, as the nation of the Jews were of old, who were a type and figure of the church invisíble ; but that, he chose some Jews and some Gentiles to he parts of his invisible church, for they are said to be bles- sed with spiritual blessings, with the privilege of adoption, and the real work of holiness and divine love in their hearts. All the following parts of this and the next chapter seem plainly to declare this sense. If we ask how, or by what medium this gracewas exercised, we are informed, it was all in and through Jesus the Son of God ; they are blessed in Jesus Christ, they are chosen in him, and through him they are adopted, are made children and heirs. Without entering nicely into all the meanings of these words, chosen in him, I shall content myself at present in general to say, that when they were first chosen to be made holy and heirs of heaven, they were committed to the care of Christ', to have all this grace fulfilled in them, and these blessings conveyed to them. Having said thus much with relation to the text, I shall immediately apply myself to the two great branches of the subject appointed me, andwhichareboth expres- sed in the words. I. That God, before hemade the world, chose some per-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=