W Mercy, which he had afore prepared unto Glory?. 24 Even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. 121 And with the Veffels of Mercy, to make known his Glory. [thofe,] whom he bath, by the Power of his own Sect. 20. Grace, previously prepared to Glory, that they might in the most honourable Manner be at length cal- Rom. IX.23. led to partake of it? Even us, whom he hath 24 already called into the happy Number of his People, not only of the Jews, but of the Gentiles too. Shall he make an Apology to thee, Oh Man, that he hath appointed fome of our finful Race to fuch Mercy, that he hath exercised much Longfuffering towards them, that he hath at length wrought upon them by his effectual Grace; or that, determining to deal thus mercifully with fome of Jacob's Race, he hath added to their Number others, whom he hath taken from Gentile Nations? Know thy Place, and acquiesce in humble Silence. Allow the bleffed GOD to do what he will with his own, and let not thine Eye be evil, because he is good. LE IMPROVEMENT. Ver. 14. Ver. 15 ET us learn from the memorable Section, which we have now been reading, humbly to adore the Righteousness and Holiness of GOD, in all the most amazing Displays of his Sovereignty, which we are fure are always confiftent with it. Let us own his Right to confer on whom he pleaseth, those Favours which none of us can pretend to have deserved; and adore his wonderful Goodness, in choofing to exercife Mercy and Compaffion on any of the Children of Men, yea, on many, who must own themselves in the Number of thofe, who had the leaft Claim to it. He hath of his mere Goodness given us thofe Priviledges, as Chriftians, and as Proteftants, which he hath with-held from moft Nations under Heaven. And if we improve them aright, we have undoubtedly Reason to look upon our felves, as Veffels of Mercy, whom Ver. 23 he is preparing for eternal Glory. Let us adore his distinguishing Favour to us, and arrogate nothing to ourselves. It is neither of him that wil- Ver. 16. leth, nor of him that runneth, but of GOD that fheweth Mercy, and worketh in us both to will, and to do, of his own good Pleasure. Long Destruction, but of the latter, that GOD prepared them for Glory. A Diftinction of fo great Importance, that I heartily wifh we may ever keep it in View, to guard us against Errors, on the Right-hand, or on the Left. Compare Mat. xxv. 34, 41. and the Note there. VOL. IV. 122 Sect. 20. Ver. 22. Ver. 18. Ver. 17. Ver. 20. Ver. 21. Reflections on the Righteousness of GOD in his Difpenfations. Long did his Patience wait on us; and let that Patience be for ever adored! It fhall be glorified even in those that perish: For he is fo far from deftroying innocent Creatures, by a mere arbitrary Act of Power and Terror, that he endureth with much Long-fuffering thofe, who by their own incorrigible Wickedness prove Vellels of Wrath, and whom the whole affembled World fhall confefs fitted for the Destruction, to which they fhall finally be configned. That after long Abufe of Mercy they are hardened, and perhaps after long Hardness, are at length destroyed; yea that some of the vileft of Men are exalted by Providence to a Station, that makes their Crimes confpicuous, as thofe of Pharaoh, till at length he fhews forth his Power the more awfully, and maketh his Name the more illuftrious, by their Ruin, is certainly confiftent with that Justice, which the Judge of the whole Earth will never violate. But if in tracing Subjects of this Kind Difficulties arise, beyond the Stretch of our feeble Thought, let us remember that we are Men, and let us not dare to reply against GOD. Retiring into our own Ignorance and Weakness, as thofe that are less than Nothing, and Vanity, before him, let us dread by any arrogant Cenfure to offend him, who has fo uncontroulable a Power over us. As Clay in the Hand of the Potter, fo are we in the Hand of the Lord our GOD. Let us acquiefce in the Form he has given us, in the Rank he has affigned us; and instead of perplexing ourselves about thofe Secrets of his Counfels, which it is impoffible for us to penetrate, let us endeavour to purify ourfelves from whatever would displease him; that so we may, in our respective Stations, be Veffels of Honour, fit for the Use of our Mafter now, and intitled to the Promife of being acknowledged as his, in that glorious Day, when he fhall make up his Jewels. SECT. Hofea foretells the Admiffion of the Gentiles, SECT. XXI. 123 The Apostle fhews, that the Admiffion of the Gentiles to the Priviledges of GOD's peculiar People, when Ifrael fhould be rejected, was fo far from being inconfiftent with Scripture, that it had been actually foretold, both by Hofea and Ifaiah. Rom. IX. 25, to the End. ROMANS IX. 25. 26 And it fhall come to pafs, I ROMANS IX. 25. HAVE been remonftrating as to the Un- Sect. 21. reasonableness of quarrelling with the Divine Difpenfations, in diftinguishing one Creature Rom. IX.25. from another, by his Favours, or one Sinner from another, by appointing him to peculiar Severities of Punishment, not exceeding the Demerit of his Offence. I will now venture, without farther Referve, to fay, that in what I have been writing, I had fome peculiar Reference to God's calling fo many of the Gentiles by the Grace of his Gofpel, and his appointing the impenitent Jews to be Monuments of Wrath. And let me now addrefs myself to the latter, and fay, who gave thee, Oh Jew, an Authority to queftion and dispute with thy GoD on this Occafion? Yea, is there on the whole any Reafon for thee, who haft the Scriptures of the Old Teftament in thine Hands, and profeffeft fuch a Regard for them, fo much as to be furprized at this, when there are so many Hints of it in thefe Divine Oracles? As particularly in Hofea, where he hath spoken of calling Ifrael Loammi, as difowning them for their Wickedness, and bath alfo faid, (Hof. i. 10.) "I will call them my People, who were not my People before, and her beloved, which was not "for a long Time beloved (a); And it shall 26 "" come (a) Call them my People, who were not my People.] It feems very evident from the Connection of these Words in Hofea, that they refer to God's Purpose of reftoring the Jews to the Priviledges of his People after they had been a while rejected of him. But it is obvious, they might with great Propriety be accommodated to the Calling of the Gentiles; and Q 2 indeed 124 Sect. 21. Rom. IX.26... pass, that in the Place where 27 Efaias alfo crieth conNumber of the Children of cerning Ifrael, Though the Ifrael be as the Sand of the Sea, a Remnant fhall be And Ifaiah, the Rejection of the Jews; 28 "cut off. fee but a little Remnant, which preferved the whole People from being utterly confumed: So that it is no unexampled Thing that the main Body of the Jewish Nation fhould fall into a Revolt from GOD, and become the Object of his 30 Displeasure to the most dreadful Degree. What Shall we then say, in the Conclufion of the whole Argument? Surely this; that the Gentiles, who pursued faved. Work, and cut it fhort in 28 For he will finifh the 29 And as Efaias faid beSabbaoth had left us a Seed, fore, Except the Lord of we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto 30 What fhall we fay then? That the Gentiles which indeed that great Event might with fome Probability be inferred, partly from the temporary (b) Cutting fhort his Account in Righteoufnefs. Mr. Locke would tranflate it, for the Lord, 31 But Ifrael, which folfowed after the Law of tained to the Law of Righ Righteoufnefs, hath not at teousness, 125 Which was, because they fought Righteoufnefs by the Law. which followed not after pursued not after Righteousness, who had a little Sect. 21. Righteoufnefs, have attained while ago no Knowledge or Expectation of it, to Righteoufnefs, even the Righteousness which is of and no Defire after it, have now, to their own Rom. IX.30. unspeakable Surprize, and that of the whole World, attained to Righteousness, that is, to the Profeffion of a Religion, whereby they may be juftified and faved; even the Righteoufnefs, which is by Faith in the Gofpel, and confifts in humbly. committing the Soul to Chrift in the Way that he hath appointed.. But while Ifrael was pur- 31. fuing the Law of Righteousness, and expecting to obtain Righteoufnefs by legal Obfervances, it hath not attained to that, which is indeed moft properly to be called the Law of Righteoufnefs, that is, to the Bleffings of that Difpenfation, by which alone Righteoufnefs and Life is to be fecured. And wherefore did they mifs thofe Bleffings? Because they never heard of the Way to Divine Favour and Acceptance? Nay: but becaufe [they did] not [purfue it] by Faith, whereby alone in this fallen State of our Nature it is to be obtained; but merely, as if it was to be gained by the Works of the Law. For they in Fact ftumbled and fell at that Stone of Offence, which lay. in their Way. As it is written in thefe ever 33 memorable Words, (Ifai. viii. 14. Chap. xxviii. 16.) "Behold I lay in Zion, that is, I exhibit " in my Church, what, tho' fo well fitted to be "a Foudation of their Happiness, fhall in Fact prove a Stone of Stumbling, and a Rock of Offence, that is, an Occafion of Sin and Ruin to 66 many, thro' their own Prejudice and Perverfe"nefs: And every one who believeth in bim fhall "not be afhamed, fhall not be brought under a 32 Wherefore? Becaufe they fought it not by Faith, but as it were by the Works of the Law: For they ftumbled at thatStumbling-ftone; 33 As it is written, Behold I lay in Sion a Stumbling-ftone, and Rock of Offence: And whofoever believeth on him, fhall not be ashamed. How Neceffity of feeking his Refuge elsewhere, in helpless and hafty Confufion, to which all they "who flight him fhall at laft be reduced." IMPROVEMENT OW can we Sinners of the Gentiles ever fufficiently acknowledge the Goodness of GòD to us, in calling us to that full Participation of Gospel-bleffings, which we enjoy! That in our native Lands, where the 32 |