Paul's answers, which are the only and strongest bulwarks of the Holy Ghost about this doctrine! Object. 1. is in ver. 14. Is there unrighteousness with God? Did God love Jacob, and hate Esau, before they had either dene good or evil? ver. 11, 12, 13. Where is the righteousness of this? Jacob had done no good to deserve love; Esau had done no evil to deserve hatred. How does the apostle answer it? 1. By an abhorfence of the charge: God forbid. If we cannot see into the depth of God's counsels, let us still justify God, as Jer. xii. 1.; and admire and adore the depth we cannot fathom, Rom. xi. 33. 2. He answers with a reason taken from God's old saying to Moses, ver. 15. Now, if Paul had been of some mens mind, he would have answered, That God foresaw, that though Jacob had done no good when he was in the womb, yet that in time he would be a holy man, a wrestler with God, and a great believer; and therefore God loved him, and therefore there was no unrighteousness with God. And so as to Esau, he would have said, God foresaw that he would prove a profane man, would sell his birth-right for a mess of pottage, grieve the hearts of his godly father and mother by his marriage, and hate to the death his godly brother Jacob; and therefore God hated Esau, and therefore there was no unrighteousness with God. But Paul, instead of hinting any thing like this, gives an answer inconsistent with, and subversive of this notion. In ver. 15. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. See the apostle's inference from, and application of this word of God, ver. 16. So then, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mer

cy.

And on the case of reprobate Pharaoh, ver. 17. he again infers, ver. 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy; and whom he will, he hardeneth. He plainly layeth the sovereign will and pleasure of God, as the fixed foundation of the counsels of God about men's eternal state. Object. 2. In ver. 19. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? for who hath resisted his will? A plausible strong-like objection, in every natural man's heart. How doth he answer it? ver. 20. Noy, but, O man, who art thou that re

had the power of death, that is, the devil, Heb. ii. 14. He must be made under the law, that he may redeem them that were under the law, Gal. iv. 4, 5. He redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, Gal. iii. 13. He must make an entrance to the holiest of all for us, by his blood; he must consecrate the way for us by his flesh, Heb. x. 19, 20. He must enter into the holy place by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us, Heb. ix. 12. Thus, by our Lord Jesus Christ, all the gates of hell are shut on the elect, and none can open them; and all the gates of heaven are opened, and none can shut them on them that are given him.

3. All the parts and pieces of salvation are in Christ's hand, and do come to us by him. The acceptance of our persons, is in and through this beloved, Eph. i. 6. The forgiveness of our sins is through his blood, Eph. i. 7. Our quickening, when dead in sins, our rising, and sitting in heavenly places, is with Christ and in him, Eph. ii. 4, 5, 6. Our title and right to heaven is singly owing to him. What right hath a sinner to heaven? No more, and no other, than he hath to Jesus Christ. If he be united to Christ by faith in him, he is an heir of God, an heir of glory, and a joint heir with Christ, Rom. viii. 17. Nay, our sanctification, which is begun glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18. is but a beam of this Sun of Righteousness darted in upon our souls. Unless Christ had been made sanctification to us, there had never been a sanctified man or woman in the world.

4. The actual possession of the kingdom is owing to Jesus Christ. We have a right to it in him; our charter for it is sealed by his blood; we have the earnest of it by his Spirit; we are kept to it, and it kept for us, by his power; and at last we receive it out of his own hand, John x. 28. I give unto them eternal life. It is too great, and too good a gift, to be given by any but blessed Jesus.

I would conclude with a few words of APPLICATION. 1. Learn to see with wonder and adoration the high spring of the well of life and salvation for It is in the Father's giving of men to the Son. Nothing is before it, and

poor men.

all the blessings of grace and glory flow from it.

From hence

is the creating of the world, that these men might be born

in it; from hence came the permitting and ordering of Adam's fall, that the Redeemer might be needful; from this Christ comes into the world, to redeem them; from this comes the gospel, as a light to seek those lost ones; from this cometh the Spirit, to make the gospel effectual, that they who are ordained to eternal life, may believe, Acts xiii. 48.

2. Labour to see your own concern in this giving to the Son. It is but a deep and dangerous speculation without this eare. Many poor questions are in people's heads, and manypoor ways of answering them are in men's hearts. Some would fain know if they have any grace and true holiness; others go farther, and they would fain know if they have faith, the spring of holiness; some would fain know their title and right to heaven. There is an allowed room and place for these inquiries, and the like. But how few, even of true Christians, ask this question, Was I given by the Father to the Son? It is a question that may be made, and may be answered to satisfaction. Christ tells his disciples it, Luke x. 20. Paul knew it, 1 Thess. v. 9. Peter bids us give diligence to make our calling and election sure, 2 Pet. i. 10. But because there is some difficulty and danger in managing this inquiry, I would offer a few things about it.

Advice 1. Lay it down as a fixed persuasion in your heart, that satisfaction in this matter would be of great advantage to your souls. 1. This would bring you to the top of the mount. As Moses on the top of Pisgah saw the earthly Canaan; so you, from the sight of your election-grace, may find it both an easy and a comfortable thing, to view all the streams of grace and mercy towards you. You would then see whence they spring, and whither they run. 2. This sight would keep you low and humble. The most humbling thought is this, "I was of mere sovereign grace given by the Father "to the Son." A false pretender to this blessing may be proud; but the true believer of it is always humbled by it. Whence is it that there is so much pride amongst Christians? why are they puffed up so soon and so much? Is it not always on the account of what they do, are, or receive? Here is a blessing, where none of those puffing-up things are; a blessing that hath no sort of respect to what we are, have, or do.

3. The knowledge of this blessing of electing love, is of great use in extreme trials. We are called to lay our account with them; the Lord brings them on us; and we need all the armour of God against them, Eph. vi. 10.; and the hope of sal vation is a helmet in the evil day, 1 Thess. v. 8, 9. And this knowledge that we are appointed to salvation, is the ground of this hope. Christ comforts the hearts of his people with this, Luke xii. 32. Fear not, little fuck, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Christ tells Ananias, that Paul was a chosen vessel, who was to do and suffer much for his name, Acts ix. 15, 16.; Ananias tells it Paul; and Paul repeats it, in the midst of his sufferings, in a great assembly, Acts xxii. 14, 15.

Advice 2. For as great advantages as this knowledge hath in it, think not, attempt not the attaining of it by a sudden leap; but you must ascend to it by degrees. It was a good saying, I think, of the blessed martyr Mr Bradford, "No "man should go to the university of predestination, till he be "well trained up in the grammar-school of faith and repen. "tance." If this, or the like method, be neglected, no good can, but much hurt will ensue. God's decrees are some way like the mount that must not be touched; but you must first worship at a distance, and then make a reverend and awful approach. This is not only holy ground, but it is unsearchable by us. Now know, that though electing love hath no cause nor ground for it without God himself, yet it hath great and noble fruits; and in the decree of the end, salvation, there is a wise design of fit means and ways to compass this end: 2 Thess. ii. 13. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because G.d hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through the sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth; and 1 Pet. i. 2. Elt secoraing to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto c'edience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. There is a work of faith, and labour of love, and patieace of hope, whereby the election of Gal may be known, 1 Thess. i. 5, 4. You must not bap immediately up to the purpore of God, but climb up theto by the steps he Luth prescribed in his revealed will.

Advice 3. You must be at great pains about this. This knowledge of your own concern in this giving to the Son, is not easily acquired; wherefore the apostle saith, 2 Pet. i. 10. Give diligence (and verse 5. Give all diligence) to make your calling and election sure. God's part in your calling and election is sure enough; and needs none of your labour to make it surer. But to make it sure to yourselves, and to make the knowledge thereof sure and clear to you, diligence is needful, and diligence will do it. Alas! who bestow any diligence about this greatest concern? Search out the fruits and marks of election: and when you find any of them, then, and not before, climb up this high tree of the Father's giving you to Jesus Christ.

Advice 4. Be not discouraged if it doth not yet appear to you, that you were given by the Father to the Son.

It may be, though you do not see it. Many of the given do not for a long time know it; yea, I see no great danger in saying, that not a few of the given to the Son may be in darkness, and doubts, and fears about it, till the last and brightest day declare it, and till the last sentence proclaims it, Come, ye blessed of my Father, (blessed by this giving), inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, Matth. xxv. 34. It is wisely ordered by the Lord, that all that are given to the Son, do not (though they should endeavour, it) know that they were given; and that they that are not given, cannot know it; that the book of life is not always legible to all believers, and that the book of death cannot be read by any unbeliever. It would be a miserable world, if the reprobate could be as sure of their being past by, as the elect may be of their being chosen to salvation. If therefore any of you be in the dark about your own election, be not discouraged; it may be, though you do not know it. And to such discouraged souls I would speak a few words.

Object. It may be some of you may say, that this is strange doctrine.

Ans. I am sorry that this doctrine is so rarely taught; and I am sure, that it is not only the doctrine of Christ, and of his apostles; but that the work of the gospel in conversion of sinners, and in the edification, growth, and holiness of saints, VOL. II.

C