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CHAPTER 12.

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

The glorious doctrine of God's particular electing grace, when rightly and scripturally understood, reflects the highest glory on the majesty, wisdom and goodness of God our Saviour; and at once animates our souls with wonder, mingled with the sweetest delight, raising the once dormant hopes of man, to the highest pitch of the most pleasing expectation. For we discover by the clear revelation of divine truth, that God for his own highest glory, and the best good of all his offspring, hath in the eternity of his own exclusive being, purposed a fuli display of his adorable perfections, through the means of an admirable plan concerted by his infinite wisdom, according to the foreknowledge of God, which plan of free abounding grace was foreordained in the hands of his Almighty power, and by the resistless sway of this omnipotent attribute of his beattific being, to be fully executed and carried into perfect effect in all its parts, whether hidden or revealed.

The ultimate object of this so well concerted plan of God, is a full display of his own unblemished Glory, in the best good of all created intelligences. He hath therefore, wisely chosen all the distinct, or individual and collective means, perfectly well adapted to the blessed end and object of infinite wisdom. Hence, according to the foreknowledge of God, and his own good pleasure, he hath foreordained the particular election of certain individuals, as well as whole bodies of moral beings, to fill particular places according to the plan of his universal grace. And those thus elected of God to any distinct station in his kingdom of grace, are chosen to the exclusion of all other beings, as no more particular means of grace are needed than what God has seen fit

to choose, and those thus elected under the unclouded discernment of infinite wisdom, being chosen for the benefit of all other moral beings, that God might make known the divine riches of his goodness and mercy towards all moral beings, through their special instrumentality; they are therefore called vessels of mercy; because in the elect, is manifested God's boundless mercy to the whole, both elect and non-elect. But if Jehovah had designed to aggravate the torment of the non-elect in a gloomy state of unavailing woe and misery; then in that dreadful case it would have been more proper to have called the elect vessels of wrath and cruelty; in as much as they are some of the chosen means to bring about whatever end infinite Wisdom had in view. But. the untarnished Majesty of heaven, I presume never concerted a plan unworthy of his revealed character. For the best good of the whole creation in the final end, stands based on the unblemished and refulgent glory of God the Creator. Therefore Jesus, the desire of all nations, comes as it is written of him.

However, it is a sacred truth and well attested in divine revelation, that as certain as the true and living God, gives out a common call to all men to look to him for salvation, just so certain those who are in the decree of election, receive from the same merciful source, a special call to enter into the work allotted to them in the prudent economy of God. But the first is true as shall be proved by the word of God, therefore, also the last, as shall be plainly proved by the same word of God. Isa 45--22, "Look unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved, for I am God and there is none else." 56 chap 12-13. The first being proved we will prove the second. Rom. 8, beginning at the 28th verse. Reader, now please to turn to your bible and read to the end of the chapter, compared with what goes before. I shall transcribe but two verses in this place, as follows.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies" Now

if the attentive reader would wish to know the revealed purpose of God, according to which the elect are called let him turn to the same Apostles words on this subject Eph. 1st chapter, read the whole especially verses 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. And you will find that the purpose of God's will in his special call and election is universal mercy in the end. For further light on this most sublime subject of the special election of a few, for the best good of the whole let us go back to the beginning, and then let the mind, from thence travel through the different ages of antiquity and so on down to the present day. And I think, if we take a careful view, though brief, yet I hope we shall discover a real beauty and divine harmony in the plan of election according to the extensive riches of grace mercy and truth. Now for an even honest start at the beginning of the creation of God. In his own unborn eternity. will dwell, does dwell and ever has dwelt, amidst the unsullied glory of his own incomprehensible perfections, that God, who is the august sire of all intelligences; whose all penetrating eye surveys the wide spread universe, and whose boundless wisdom comprehends all the systems of universal nature. So that to him there is no new thing comes into being. For the great Jehovah in the perfection of knowledge, saw from the bosom of his own eternity, the finite beginning and final end of all that appertains to time or a temporal mode of being. Yes, he saw with one comprehensive view, all intellgent beings and the whole mode of being as one present object, even while the whole in itselt considered slept in unconscious embryo: Yet God foresaw the active being of the great whole. So that according to his foreknowl edge the plan of election dwelt in the mind of God, and to be revealed to man in due time, through Jesus Christ, who stood as the first on the alphabet in the tables of eternity as the elect of God, to be the only mediator between the infinite Father, and finite man. Through whom as a medium, man should be awakened to a sense of his own moral existence and finally to a sense of per fect telicity? God the Father who dwelt in the regions

of his own indescribable glory saw as it were all intelligencies plairly before him. But who was the selected candidate for a mediator between God and man. No mere angel would do to fill the mediatorial chair, no mere man would do to fill that highly exalted station But the election of choice tell on the only begotten Son of God: It was the voice of infinite wisdom made this choice to the exclusion of all other intelligencies, all but the Son of God are non-elected to that office and must eternally remain non-elect as it relates to that office. And yet God be praised, the Son was elected for the best good of the non-elect; he was chosen to be their head and Saviour. Here perhaps the reader will be ready to ask me to prove that Jesus is ever alluded to in the holy scriptures as the elect of God. See Isa. 42. 1," Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I have put my spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." 1 Pet. 2. 6. Behold, I layan Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious." Yet the Son of God, is the chief of the elect, the head of every man; the head of creation; the first born of every creature. Therefore the first elect of God. "God created all things by Jesus Christ.” Therefore we come to a knowledge of our moral existence, through the medium of the first elect of God.

Now, as it was in the mete fitness of things, that all should come to a saving acquaintance with the chosen head of the whole creation, he must have a regular introduction into the world, which must take all effect in due time. Therefore we find other branches of election brought to light, in subordination to the first as means of his introduction. And to this glorious end, we find the Israelitish nation early manifested as an elect people of God to the exclusion of all other nations; in this nation God was pleased to plant his adorable name in those early ages of the world. While all other nations stood as non-elected to that exalted privilege; and yet even that nation was chosen for the good of the whole world, elect and non-elect, in as much as the desire of all nations was to come of the house of israel.

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I shall next attend to distinct branches of election in the house of Israel for the preservation of the nation. The tribe of Levi was elected and distinguished, to the exclusion of all the other tribes, for of this tribe the priesthood was to arise, tor the good of the nation although the other tribes were non-elected as to the priesthood. And even in this favored tribe, we see both elect and non-elect as to several offices. Moses was chosen to legislate and Aaron to be high priest to the whole nation, while all the rest of the tribe remained non-elected to those two distinguished offices. Yet both nonelect, and elect partook of the blessing derived from that choice. After Moses and Aaron, other branches of election in the house of Israel are manifested, Caleb and Joshua were elected in preference to all others (Moses and Aaron not excepted) to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. In this place we tice that both elect snd non-elect who came out of Egypt, fell together in the wilderness, except Caleb and Joshua. And we are informed they fell through unbelief, and could not enter into the promised land. After this,was manifested other branches of election and nonelection, in the house of Israel; such as judges and leaders, to the exclusion of others. And among the rest, chosen prophets and seers, and also kings to rule the people. For when the people asked for a king; Saul was introduced as the elected candidate to be annointed king over Israel for a time; but when he acted unworthy of his office he appears then non-elected; and David the son of Jesse is elected and annointed in his stead. Here let us stop a moment, and behold a singular case; we behold in the person of Saul, as it respects his being king, both the character of elect and non-elect He is first made king as elected of God to that office; and next we see him deposed as being non-elect, and afterwards slain in consequence of his disobedience. From this case, and that of Moses and Aaron, we are taught that those who are elected servants of God, are not exempted from punishments, in case of disobedience, any more than the non-elect: when the prophets

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