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VII. However the hope of the hypocrite fball perish, and fuch as without warrant lay hold on promises which belong not to them, and build their hopes thereupon, may and fhall be difappointed; yet God, who is truth itfelf, will not fail in one word which he hath promifed unto his own chofen ones, but whatever he hath promised fhall in due time be accomplished, feeing he is God who changeth not, Numb. xxiii. 19. Rom. xi. 29. James i. 17. and is fully able to make good all his words; therefore this should stand as an unmoveable rock, that it is impoffible that the word of God fhould take none effect, as fome read these words, Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect.

that they could not believe they were reject | Jews, yet the fpecial promises of God did ed, when indeed they were. not fail, is here in these verses. They ight have faid, How can that be, that alb are not Ifrael, who are of Ifrael, and these special promifes do not belong unto all the pofterity of Jacob? Was not the covenant made with Abraham? and did not God fay to him, I will be thy God, and the God of thy feed after thee? Now we are the feed of Abraham, and therefore the promises made to him, being made to him as the head of the family, do belong to us; and fo it will yet follow, that if we be caft off, his promises have failed: therefore he addeth, Neither because they are the feed of Abraham, are they all children; as if he had faid, You think because you are lineally defcended of Abraham, and fo are externally in covenant, that therefore you have right to all the fpecial and fpiritual promifes in the covenant; but this is your mistake again, for all those who are the carnal iffue of Abraham are not the children to whom thefe promises do belong; intereft in thefe fpecial promifes doth not arife from this external relation unto Abraham: and this he cleareth from the example of Ifaac and Ishmael that did first fpring out of Abraham's loins. Though Ifhmael was nearer to Abraham than you are, being his firft-born, yet he had no interest in thefe fpecial promises, and therefore all that are carnally defcended of Abraham are not fimply upon that score heirs of these promifes; and therefore you hat are farther off from Abraham than Ishmael was, can far lefs challenge fuch an intereft, upon this fcore. Now that it was thus he proveth out of Genefis, mentioning two fcriptures, recorded in the ftory of Abraham, verfes 7. and 9. The first is that which is fet down, Gen xxi 12. In Ifaac fhall thy feed be called: In which the Lord declared, that altho' Ifhmael was his feed, yet the covenant in its fpecial mercies fhould not run down that line, but Ifaac's line; he fhould be his heir, and only heir, in thefe prime promifes: and this

VIII. Whatever truth be delivered by us, we fhould by any means take heed that, in the least appearance, it do not rub on God's glory, or give any occ.fion to think finiftroufly thereof: God's glory fhould be fo dear to us, that we fhould by all means guard against what may feem to give ground to any to speak against it: therefore the apoftle speaks to this objec tion in the first place, and is fo full in the clearing of it, and vindicating God's fidelity and conftancy, faying, Not as though the word of God had taken none effect. For they are not all Ifrael, which are of Ifrael.

VERSES 7. 8. 9. Neither because they are the feed of Abraham, are they all children: but in Ifaac fhall thy feed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, thefe are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the feed.

For this is the word of promife, At this time will I come, and Sara fhall have a fon.

TH

HE next argument, whereby the apostle proveth, that notwithstanding of the rejection of the most part of the

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An Expofition of the Epifle to the Romans.

Chap. IX. thefe are counted for the feed; these are to himself as his own, as he did Ifaac: the proper heirs of these promises who are felected, chofen, and fet apart as Ifaac that promife which God made unto Abra. was. And therefore, verfe y. he citeth ham concerning Ifaac, Gen. xviii. 1o. in words, At this time will I come, and Sarah the fame fenfe, with a little variation of the ball have a fon; citing only what made for his purpose.

doth abundantly clear, that it doth not follow, that because they are the feed of Abraham they are all children. God cf his own good pleasure made choice of Ifaac, and rejected Ishmael, and made the fpiritual promifes to the one and not to the other; and fo tho' the one, and his iffue alfo, was rejected and put from the inhe ritance, it doth not follow, that the word of the Lord failed, feeing there was another line in whom it was verified; and fo neither will it follow, tho' now the most part of the Jews are rejected, that therefore the word of God is of none effect, feeing there are fome left, according to the election of grace, to whom these promises fhall have effect. But then because they might have faid, Well then that makes for us, for we belong not to the offspring of 1fhmael, but are of the stock and lineage of Ifaac, in whom Abraham's feed were called: therefore he added, in the 8th verfe, That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promife are counted for the feed: As if he had, When the Lord faid, In Ifaac fhall thy feed be called, he did not fignify his mind to be, that all the carnal and natural iffue of Ifaac fhould be ferved heirs to the fame fpiritual promises with himself, and none fhould be excluded from thefe fpecial promises, except the generation of Ishmael; but, world he fay, there is fome further mystery in the bufinefs; and if we will more narrowly confider the ftory, there will be another thing found out, and we may draw another purpose out of these words, viz. that it is not the carnal iffue of Ifaac that can claim any just title to these special promifes, but fuch as are adopted as Ifaac was, for they which are the children of the flesh, that is, begoten in a carnal and natural manner, these are not the children of God; these are not the perfons to whom God hath freely made these gracious promifes, but the children of the promife; that is, fuch as God has out of his free grace fet his love upon, and chofendom, fet down his mind in his word, after

mife be fuch as indeed in due time do beSo then albeit the children of the prolieve in Chrift, and accept of that way of falvation through him, and many of the children of the flesh, fuch as do indeed flee to their own works, and reject the right think that this is all that is here to be way of falvation; yet it is a mistake to understood, because then the ftory concerning Ifaac had not been appofitely brought in; for altho' it be true, that Ifaac was one who had fled in to the promifed Meffiah, and fo gripped the promise, yet this cannot be the ground why he is here brought in as a child of the promife, gard that there is a far other ground given and made as it were a type of fuch, in reby the apostle here, viz. the promise made to Abraham concerning him, and fo he was was no appearance that Abraham fhould a child of promife; because when there have a son of Sarah, the Lord made him a free promise, that Sarah should conceive a fon, and this fon fhould be heir and fo he is rather a fit type (if fo be he must be a type) of fuch particular individual perbefore all time, and made heirs of fuch fons, on whom God has fet his affection fpecial promifes as fhould certainly be accomplished, and that as diftinguished from the reft, even though enjoying never fo bers and external covenanters. many external privileges, as church mem

OBSERVATIONS.

I. As the Lord hath, in his deep wif

various

various manners, fometimes by feting down hiftories, and fometimes by prophecies, and fometimes by special directions, &c. fo there is no part in his word, but is able to yield us abundant matter of inftruction, and is useful, (as is the whole, 2 Tim. iii. 16. 17.) for that end; for here the apoftle makes ufe of an historical part for confirming of truth, faying, But in Ifaac hall thy feed be called.

II. Such is the unfpeakable riches of this mine, that tho' it be dangerous and unwarrantable for us to make use of any of his word as typical or allegorical, according to our frothy conceits, except where the Spirit of the Lord doth warrant us, and cuteth out our way, as Gal. iv. 24. yet there is much more in it than we can readily perceive at the first view, which would require diligent and painful ftudy, with humble and clofe dependence on the Fountain of light; for out of these words, In Ifaac fhall thy feed be called; and at this will I come, and Sarah fhall have a fon, we see what the apostle doth gather and conclude.

III. So pure and unmixed is this word of truth, that there is nothing which can but be gathered from it by juft and neceffary confequence, but it is undoubted truth alfo; for this place made ufe of by the apoftle will not prove his purpose in fo many words, but only by just and neceffary confequence: In Ifaac fhall thy feed be called; and this is the word of promife.

IV. As always we should, after the example of the apostle, confirm what truths we deliver unto people by the word of the Lord, wherewith only a confcience will reft fatisfied; and fhould be loth to vent the imaginations of our own brain, and father it upon the Lord as his mind; fo especially, when we are loofing the grips of carnal prefumptuous perfons from the promises of special note, which they are fo loth to part with, and discovering the vanity of their prefumptuous conceits, and the fandinefs of the ground they build up

on, left otherways all that we can fay prove useless; as the apostle doth here.

V. Tho' the children of fuch as are within the visible church, and in covenant with God, are advanced to greater privileges than the children of fuch as are aliens from the commonwealth of Ifrael, A&ts ii. 39. yet it will not avail a man to falvation, that he is fprung out of the loins of such or fuch godly parents; godly parents may have ungodly iffue: Neither because they are the feed of Abraham are they all child

ren.

VI. The Lord, who feeth not as man feeth, 1 Sam. xvi. 7. in his making choice of any nation or perfon before another, hath not refpect unto their carnal prerogatives, or any fuch dignities, but prefereth whom he will, of his own good pleasure, without refpect had to any excellence or worth in the one beyond the other: therefore fays he, Neither because they are the feed of Abraham, are they all children; but in Ifaac fhall thy feed be called. See

I Cor. i. 26. 27.

VII. Albeit the minifters of the gofpel be allowed and commanded to preach Christ, and to make offer of all the fpecial promifes in Chrift, unto all within the vifible church, upon condition they will be accepted; yet in the Lord's hid and fecret intention, these belong only to his chofen generation: and yet we must not think that the Lord is mocking the rest unto whom he is making the offers; but rather, by holding out the promises unto them upon the fame terms as he doth to others, they may be convinced of their impotence, which was finfully contracted, and wherein they have complacency, and fo of God's juftice in condemning them. This ground the apostle walks on, when he fays, Neither because they are the feed of Abraham, are they all children, and therefore thefe prime promises do not pertain to them; but the children of the promise are counted for the feed.

VIII. So ready are folks to deceive Y y them

themfelves with vain imaginations, that it is a matter of no fmall difficulty to get fuch as are honoured with external church privileges, thoroughly convinced of a necefity of having fome thing befides thefe to look to for falvation; and therefore the apostle must come over it again, and tell them, that they which are the children of the flesh, thefe are not the children of God. IX. Let folks dote upon outward priviliges as they pleafe, yet it will still be found a truth, that none fhall ever be accounted by the Lord as his true fons and daughters, and heirs of glory, but fuch as the Lord did from eternity fet his affection upon, and accordingly in time beget them unto a new life, by the promises of the gofpel, offered, and laid hold on by faith; for the children of the promife are only counted for the feed.

VERSES 10. 11. 12. 13. And not only this, but when Rebecca alfe had conceived by one, even by our father Ifaac, (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpofe of God according to election might Stand, not of works, but of him that call eth)

It was faid unto her, The elder shall ferve

the younger.

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated.

I

er.

this example, brought out of Abraham's family, prove the point, but alío, when Rebecca had concerved by one, even by our fa ther Ifaac, &c. in Ifaac's family we will find another example, against which there can be no juft exception: For, 1. whereas fome might fay, It was no wonder that Ifaac was prefered before Ifh nael, feeing Ihmael was the fon of Hagar an Egyptian, one of a curfed kind, and a bond-woman too, Gen. xvi. 1. 2. and fo no lawful wife to Abraham; but Sarah was his lawful wife, and Ifaac his lawfully begoten fon. In this example, this exception is taken a way, for Jacob and Efau are both lawfully begoten by Ifaac, and that upon his lawful wife, who was mother to them both, even Rebecca, a free woman, and a pious, modeft, and grave matron; and yet it was faid to her, The elder shall ferve the young2. Some might fay, There was good reafon why the Lord fhould have made choice of Ifaac, and not of Ishmael, becaufe Ifhmael was a wicked profane perfon, and a mocker; therefore this is helped in this example: for this difference was made by God, not for any thing of that kind, but before they were born; and fo there was nothing in the one or the other to have moved God to have prefered the one to the other, and made any choice but as he pleafed; for not only were they alike as to their very conception, being twins, but the children being not yet born,---it was faid to her, The eider fhall ferve the younger; even though they had done neither good nor evil, not ing either meriting election, nor procuring rejection. And again, 3. fome might alledge, That which the Lord faid to Rebecca, viz. The elder ball ferve the younger, fhould be underftood only of external flavery; and fo the meaning fhould be, that the pofterity of Efau fhould become flaves unto the pofte rity of Jacob, according as it was fulfilled in David's days, 2 Sam. viii. 14. who fubdued the Edomites, and they were ftill keep d in bondage until the days of Joram, 2 Kin s

N thefe verfes the apoftle is profccuting his former purpofe with a new argument; and as he cleared his point, and fhewed, that although at this time many of the Jews were rejected, yet God's fpecial promifes were ftill fulfilled, there being fome particular perfons peculiarly felected, and chofen of God,. unto whom they were made, and will undoubtedly be accomplished, both in Abraham's family and in Jacob's; fo now he cleareth the fame in Ifaac's family; and from thence he bringeth a stronger argument: and therefore fays he, Not only this; not only will,

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Viii. 20. He cleareth the meaning to be otherways, and that thefe words do import another thing than Efau's fervitude to Jacob, or his lofs of the birth-right, or yet his lofs of his heirfhip of the promised land; even that they held forth his lofs of the kingdom of heaven, whereof Canaan was a type, and his exclufion from the bleffing and the covenant, and that in God's everlasting purpose and decree; and for this caufe he cites a paffage out of Malachi, chapter i. 2. 3. faying, As it is written, Jacob have I loved, and Efau have I hated: whereby he cleareth, that the dominion of the younger over the elder flowed from love and good-will, and that the fubjection of the elder to the younger flowed from hatred; and thus did clearly prove election of the one, and reprobation of the other. In the place cited, the prophet is chiding with his people for their ingratitude, and for this caufe is manifefting his great love towards them, in choofing their father Jacob, as the root out of whom the church fhould spring, leaving Efau, his elder brother, and his pofterity, into a state without the pale of the church; giving to Jacob their father, and to his pofterity, the land of Canaan, which was a type of heaven, as a special fign of his favour; and to Ifh-them whom he hath foreordained unto mael, and his pofterity, a mountainous, barren country, as a fign of his difrefpect and hatred of them and fo the prophet cannot be understood as fpeaking only of temporal bleffings and curfes, but also of the rife and root of both, viz. his eternal love and hatred, electing the one and reprobating the other; befide, that to be taken in as God's people, and to be rejected as not his, are not temporal mercies. But, however, tho' we fhould look upon both the paffages as holding forth tempo al bleffings allenarly, they would ftrongly, a fortiori, confirm the apoftle's thefis, and prove, that the Lord prefered Jacob before Efau in his love, without any refpect had to the goodness of the one, or the

evil of the other; for feeing without any fuch refpect had to their doing good or evil, he had, before they were born, alloted good things to the one, and evil things to the other, much more may he allot life to the one, and death to the other, without any refpect had to their goodness or evil, as moving God to do fo.

Finally, there is fomething added in the end of the 11th verfe which ferveth to clear this bufinefs more, in these words, that the purpose of God, according to election might fiand, not of works, but of him that calleth: He made choice of Jacob and rejected Efau long before they were born, even from eternity, and not for their works. good or evil, either done or forefeen; for before they had done either good or evil, he prefered the one to the other, that his purpofe, decree, and refolution, whereby he choofeth fome, leaving others, might be fixed, conftant, and permanent, and not fluctuating or changeable, according to the various ups and downs of fickle man; and therefore it is not of works, nor because of works, but of him that calleth; that is, which floweth allenarly from the goodpleafure of him who in due time puteth the fame in execution, effectually calling

life; and it was faid to her, that his purpofe might appear to be firm and fixed, &c.

Hence alfo it appeareth, how ground. lefs that fore-mentioned expofition of the Arminians is, that fay, that all which the apostle faith here, is only to prove, that God hath purposed to fave all believers in Chrift, who are typified by Jacob, and to condemn or reject all fuch as feek righteoufnefs by the works of the law, who are typified by Efau, from these two teftimonies. For,

ift, It makes Jacob and Esau such sypes, without any warrant from the word, lefs or more; and to fay, that it is confirmed by thefe words, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of Y y 2

works,

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