332 12thly, How can that be, that God hardeneth them by his longanimity, and yet he hardeneth none but fuch as deferve it by abufing of this longanimity? thus he fhould harden them while he ufeth his patience, and yet not harden them tiil after; thus the fame thing thould be before and after itself, and he should endure none but fuch as he hath endured. An Expofition of the Epifle to the Romans. 13thly, Tho' they pretend, that according to their expofition there is no objection more fully answered than this, yet we cannot find the doubt loofed. The doubt was this; Seeing the Lord hardeneth whom he will, and this hardness is a fin, how can he find fault with one who is fo hardened? Now this doubt yet remains, for all that they have faid: For be it fo, that God hardeneth none but fuch as deferve it, yet he doth harden, and doth harden according to his will, which none can refift, and this fame hardness is a fin, as well as a punishment; and fo it may ftill yet be afked, why doth God find fault? or elfe it must be faid that he finds no fault with fuch whom he hardeneth judicially, in fo far as they are hardened. But if any fhall fay, that the apoftle's argument lieth thus; As the potter hath power over the clay, &c. fo God hath much more power to endure with longfuffering the veffels of wrath fitted to deftruction I anfwer, I know Arminius faith fo; but, i. who doubteth of this was this any queftion here? did ever any doubt but God might ufe his long-fuffering and patience towards whom he pleafed? And, 2. this being so easy a business, why did the apostle ufe fuch exclamations, Who art thou, O man? 3. What fays this to the objection, Why doth be yet find fault? Sure it is no way fuiting it, nor any anfyer thereto. 4. What likeness is in this fimilitude, The potter hath power to make of the fame lump one veffel to honour, and another to difhonour, therefore God hath power; to do what? to make one veffel Chap. IX. to honour, and another to dishonour? no fuch matters: what then? to endure the veffels of wrath with patience. It is ftrange, how men can please themselves with fuch dreams as thefe. 5. This expofition will, in many particulars, crofs the former expofition, as will appear by comparing it with our reasons against the former; and to be found, as we fhewed before. 6. When will make a reddition where there is none the objection was, Whether God can be angry justly at the hardened? it is no fet answer which he makes, to fay, it should rather have been afked, Whether he could justly harden fuch with whom he was angry? For (1.) there is no ground for this queftion; and (2.) there is some ground for the other, as we fhewed. 7. When he formeth the objection thus, He who hard. eneth by an irrefiftible will, cannot juftly be angry at fuch who are hardened: But Ergo, &c. To the major he gives this anGod hardeneth with an irresistible will; fwer, viz. That it is fimply falte; becaufe they deferve to be hardened: But this fays nothing to the point; for (1.) ftill they (2.) it is not the queftion, Whether they are hardened with an irrefiftible will: And the question is, Whether, when they are be hardened juftly or unjustly; but (3.) hardened by an irresistible will, he can find punishment for that fame hardness which fault with them, or make them liable to is inflicted, altho' deservedly? and his anfwer lays nothing to this. To the minor he giveth this anfwer, That the apoftle feteth down another way of hardening than by his irrefiftible will, viz. by enduring them with much lenity. But then, 1. they are hardened by a refiftible will; and yet the apoftle feemeth to grant that his will in this is irrefiftible. this be a way of hardening, when it is 2. How can but by accident, if hardness follow upon it? for it is at their own option, whether they will abufe God's patience or not. OBSERVATIONS. I. That way of explicating the doctrine of predeftination, which fuiteth most with carnal reason, and agrees moft with its ap prehenfions, is most to be fufpected as not being genuine, but spurious, and only the fruit of man's brain, for the apoftle's way is not fuch; as at the begining he held it forth as a mystery, fo now in the clofe of his explanation, he leaves it as a mystery, as unfuitable to carnal apprehenfions as can be: What if God willing to fhew his wrath? II. Tho' minifters ought to make the myfteries of God, which he has been pleafed to reveal in his word, as plain to the capacities of people as may be; yet they fhould fo handle them, as to give a check unto the curiofity of vain men, that they pry not too far into these depths; and alfo leave an impreffion in the hearts of their hearers, of their fublimenefs, that they may still look upon them as myfteries, and be humble; as the apostle doth here, What if God, willing to fhew his wrath? He speaks of it all alongst as a mystery, and as a mystery which none must curiously pry into beyond what is revealed. how we, willingly and freely, without any compulfion or external force, do tranfgrefs his laws, we should fee just cause why the Lord should be angry with us, and punish us according to justice, notwithstanding of any ftanding decree determining the event, which confifteth well with the liberty of man's free will, yea, and rather helpeth than pincheth the fame; for this is the laft answer unto the objection, Why doth he find fault? that man doth finfully and wil lingly abufe God's goodness, and turn his grace into wantonnefs: this is clearly held forth, in that he fays, he endured with much long-fuffering the veffels of wrath; he extended much patience, but all in vain.. IV. The ferious confideration of God's abfolute fovereignty, and freedom to do what he thinks fit for the glory of his own name, and the glorious manifeftation and declaration of his attributes, should for ever ftop the mouths of all perfons whatsoever, who feem to be discontented with the matter of predeftination; and though thereby we should imagine that God was doing us wrong, yet the thoughts of the Lord's holy intention fhould for ever check us; feeing he is driving at his own honour and glory in all that bufinefs, and hath conIII However the Lord hath a holy, fe- trived it fo, as that thereby he shall have cret and efficacious hand in the actual hard- the glory of his attributes: therefore fays ening of the hearts of the reprobates; yet he, What if God, willing to fhew his his external difpenfations, whereby he fhew-wrath, and to make his power known, &c. eth how good a God he is, and which what can we object to the contrary? fhould win their hearts home, and whereby he makes offer of the gofpel, and of Chrift in it, a mean whereby the hearts of others are melted and softened, and whereby their hardness would be cured alfo, if it were not their own fault; thefe external difpen fations, I fay, being abufed, and thefe offers being flighted, they cannot but have their mouths ftoped before the Lord, and cry Guilty: And would we not pry into the fecret will of God, which is out of our fight, and not revealed but by the event, and look to his revealed will, whereby our duty is pointed forth, and then confider, No V. V. God, for his own holy ends, hath foreordained fome to everlafting life, and others unto everlasting death; for we hear of fome veffels of wrath fitted to destruction, and fome veffels of mercy before prepared unto glory. VI. The Lord was not moved to elect any to life eternal and glory, by the confideration of faith or good works, or any thing in them, or to be in them; nor did he ordain any unto everlafting death becaufe of their evil deeds forefeen; for the veffels of wrath are said to be fitted to defiruction, before they abufed the patience 3 C and and longanimity of God; and the veffels of Chap. IX. nal deftruction and overthrow of the repro- and a fpeech favouring ill, to fay, that God VII. Albeit the Lord was not moved to reprobate any, and appoint them unto death, by the forefight of their finfulness; yet in that act he did not exclude all thoughts of fin, as tho' he had appointed fo many to death and deftruction whether they were finners or not; but, as he ap-created man for this end and purpose, that pointed that certainly fuch and fuch fhould perish, fo he appointed that certainly they flou perish through their own finfulness and evil defervings: for though the veffels of wrath were fitted to deftruction, yet before the actual execution of this decree, he endured them with much long-fuffering; he endured with much long-fuffering the veffels of wrath fitted to deflruction. VIII. The Lord certainly knoweth who are the elect and who are the reprobate, in particular; for the one are faid to be fitted to deftruction, and the other prepared unto glory. IX. As the holy One of Ifrael did foreordain his elect unto life, as that in due time he effectually wrought, to the actual bringing about of the fame; fo did he ordain others unto death, fo as that certainly the fame individual perfons condefcended on fhould actually and inevitably perifh: for, as the veffels of mercy are faid to be prepared unto glory, fo the veffels of wrath are faid to be fitted to deftruction. The Lord has a holy hand in bringing that bu finefs about, and an active hand alfo, tho' it be a mystery to us. X. Tho' the Lord did from all eternity elect fo many unto life, and purpofed effectually to bring them to the poffeffion of glory; yet he thought fit to contrive the bufinefs fo, as that, in their falvation and glorification, free grace and mercy fhould fhine forth confpicuoufly: hence the elect are called veffels of mercy; and much mercy do they get on this fide of time. XI. As the Lord purpofeth to manifeft and declare his vindictive juftice, in the fi he might deftroy him; yet this is truth that God created man and permited him to fin, and to go on in his fin, and because of his fin punished him with death; or purpofed and decreed to do all this for the glory of his vindictive wrath and justice: being willing to fhew his wrath, he endured with much long-fuffering the veffels of vessels wrath. God to appoint fome of his own creatures XIII. The ultimate end which moved to everlasting life, and others to everlasting death, was the glory of his own name allenarly; and that he might make his dicourfe, and for this end he contrived the vine attributes to fhine forth, he took this whole business, and appointed the whole carrying on of the fame, both as to the elect and reprobate, fo as might most conduce for the manifeftation and declaration of his attributes: this is his end, and all the reft are but as one complete mean for this end: What if God, willing to fhew his wrath, and to make his power known, &c. wretches enjoy much pleasure and contentXIV. Howbeit the wicked reprobate think, yet their end fhall be inevitable ment in the earth, and a fweet life as they ruin and deftruction; for they are fitted to destruction. XV. Tho' the chofen children of Go fide of time, and meet with many fad an may have a hard and bitter life on thi bitter difpenfations; yet the upfhot of a fhall be glory, and they at length fhall b prepared unto glory. put in poffeffion of glory; for they ar XVI. Albeit the Lord who is eve diately cut them off for their wickedne but beareth long with them in patience, yet their imaginations are but groundless, for not withstanding thereof God may have thoughts of evil towards fuch, even fuch as God endureth with much long-fuffering may be veffels of wrath, for all that. way perfect, even perfection itself, be free of all paffions whatsoever, and fo cannot be properly faid to be angry, as it is a paffion and a human frailty; yet is he really difpleafed at fin, and doth that in effect to impenitent finners which men, when angry, ufe to do to thofe they are angry at; therefore we hear of his wrath, or his vindictive justice. XVII. The Lord gets the glory and honour of his vindictive juftice in hate ing and punishing fin, when he actually fends the reprobate to deftruction, and for this caufe he took this courfe, being willing to fhew his wrath. XXII. Albeit that graceleis wretches may imagine, that becaufe the Lord doth not cut them off in the very act of their fin and iniquity, that therefore either he doth approve of their courfes, and fo will not take courfe with them according to juftice; or elfe, if he hate and abhor their ways, is not able to execute his wrath upXVIII. As he gets the glory of his on them; yet they are fools in fo reafonjuftice and difpleasure against fin, by pu-ing, for that is the high way for the Lord nishing the rebellious and obftinate finners; fo he gets the glory of his power in laying them low; for notwithstanding of all their power and grandeur he can bring them down, and lay them in the duft: for it is added, and to make his power known. XIX. Albeit the Lord purposed to fhew forth his power and vindictive juftice in taking vengeance on the workers of iniquity; yet he thought fit, not immediately, upon the back of their tranfgreffion, to execute his vengeance and wrath, but to forbear many of them, and to exercife much patience and longanimity towards them; therefore he endures with much long-fuffering many of the veffels of wrath. XX. Whatever patience and longanimity God be exercising towards the reprobate, and whatever favour or courtefy he be fhewing them, yet fuch is their natural pravity and wicked difpofition, that nothing of that kind will gain them, but they will prove still more and more obftinate and perverfe; for notwithstanding that the Lord endures them with much long-fuffer ing, yet thefe veffels of wrath are fuch as God will certainly bew his wrath upon. XXI. However the wicked may dream that God carrieth great love and affection towards them, and has a purpofe to fave them for ever, becaufe he doth not imme to manifeft both his wrath and his power; and the more patient he has been, and his patience abused, the more will his wrath and power appear; for that he might bewu his wrath, and make his power known, he endured with much long-fuffering the veffels of wrath, &c. XXIII. As in the reprobate the Lord gets the glory of his vindictive justice and wrath; fo in the elect he gets the glory of his goodnefs, mercy and free grace, which is glorious every way and excellent, being free, matchlefs, and incomparable, standing at no impediment, but coming over all mountains of fin and provocation: And that he might make known the riches of his glory; that is, of his grace and goodnefs, wherein he fheweth himself glorious and excellent: See Eph. i. 12. XXIV. God's grace and free love which he makes known towards the veffels of mercy, is an incomprehenfible ocean, and an inexpreffible fountain, which is fufficient for paffing over all the tranfgreffions and iniquities of his people, how great and heinous foever they be, and that not of one or two, but of all the elect without exception; for it is here called the riches of his glory, as being an everlafting treasure. XXV. The Lord hath, an active hand 3 C 2 of of providence about fin, and it falleth not out against his will, whereby he determineth of events, but according to his permiflive will, and he hath decreed that it fhould exift thro' his permiffion; for, 1. the vessels of wrath are faid to be fitted to deftruction; and certainly they cannot otherways be fitted but by fin, and fo when God fits them he must have an active hand about it. 2. The elect are called vefels of mercy, and this fuppofeth fin. And, 3. he propofed fuch ends to himself as could not be effectuated if fin had not existed; and fo feeing he drove at fuch ends, not uncertainly, it must needs follow, that as he willed the end, fo he willed the means to exist, viz. by his permiflion, whereby that end might be attained. Now, the end was () that he might make known his wrath; vindictive juftice cannot be made known unlefs fin exift. (2.) That he might make known his patience; and this requireth fin alfo: And (3) the riches of his glorious grace, in pardoning; and pardoning mercy doth always prefuppofe fin. VERSES 24. 25. 26. Even us whom he bath called, not of the Jews only, but alfo of the Gentiles. As he faith alfo in Ofee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her, beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was faid unto them, Ye are not my people; there hall they be called, The children of the living God. THE apoftle being now about to fpeak of the rejection of the Jews, and of the taking in of the Gentiles, upon the occafion of an objection mentioned in the begining of this chapter; and because both thefe truths were fuch as the Jews had a great prejudice againft, and could never hear with good-will, therefore the apoftle walketh more warrily, and handleth the fore tenderly and therefore, as we hewed at the begining of the chapter, he was both directly and positively to have afferted their rejection, fo now (after he has removed that which feemed to be the ground of their prejudice, both against the one and the other, viz. their carnal privileges through, and intereft in, Abraham, which the apoftle has fhown to be null, and that without any impeachment of God, his juftice and truth,) he comes to fpeak of both their rejection, and the taking in of the Gentiles, more exprefly; and fill he walks tenderly and prudently when he toucheth this harsh and unpleasant string, both in the way of handling of it, as we will fee, and in the timeing of his difcourfe. For having abundantly cleared the Lord's fupreme authority and power over all flesh, to make them veffels of wrath, or cf mercy, as he thinks fit, for his own glo. ry, they could not but fee it most clear, that fecing he has power to appoint fome to everlafting life, and others to deftruc tion, much more has he power to unchurch a people, and derude them of thefe external privileges which once they enjoyed, and privilege others with them; now he thinks fit to ftrike in, and upon this occafion to mention the matter: and because the matter of their rejection was what they ftumbled moft at, therefore he leaves that laft, and fpeaks firft to the taking in of the Gentiles, and that with kniting thefe verfes to the former difcourfe, Even us whom he hath called, rot of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles: As if he had faid, You fee that the Lord makes choice of tome to be veffels of mer. cy, and prepares them for glory, for the manifeftation of the riches of his grace, and all this according to his own good will and pleafure: And if you ask, who thefe are, or how they fhall be known? they are fuch as he calleth both outwardly and inwardly, be they Jews, be they Gentiles; he is not tied to the Jewish nation, but taketh fome of the Gentiles alío, and fome of the Jews, according as feem eth good in his eyes. Now, |