Now, when he has thus laid down his therefore brings in the places thus, And propofition, That effectual calling belong-he faith in Ofee; as the Lord speaketh in that prophecy.

From verfe 24. OBSERVE,

I. Though we fhould not conceal any thing of the truth of the Lord, which he warranteth us to make known, whoever be difpleafed thereat; yet there is a holy prudence to be ufed even in the very time

not to do it when, in all likelihood, it will but exafperate the people, but when they are fo broken to the truth, by hearing of fomewhat before fpoken, upon another occafion, and clearly held forth, which will abundantly confirm that which is to be faid, and against which they cannot except; then to come in with the truth when the ice is fairly broken, and the hearers as it were fettled, as the apoftle doth here, upon the back of his doctrine touching election and reprobation, he brings in the matter of the calling of the Gentiles, and cafting off of the Jews, faying, Even us whom he hath called, &c.

eth to the 'Gentiles no lefs than to the Jews; he confirmeth it by two proofs brought out of Hofea: the firft is out of the laft verfe of chapter ii. where the apoftle followeth the Seventy with a little change, and fuitable enough to the origiBal; for thus it runs, I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy, or apon Lo-ruhamah: and the feventy rendering of the delivery of thefe truths, and it thus, I will love her whom I had not loved: but all is one, for the verb fignifieth both, he hath mercy, and he loved heartily, intimately, with bowels of affection. The next is out of chapter i. 10. In which places, tho' the prophet does not nane the Gentiles; yet the apoftle doth rightly alledge thefe teftimonies: for the prophet being threatening fad and terrible judgments against Ifrael, for their idolatry, is mixing in, and adding fome fweet and comfortable promises, (according to his ufual manner) for bearing up of the hearts of any truly godly among them; and (as is not unufual with the prophets of old, to do, when about to comfort the truly godly in their days) propheficth of the enlarging of the kingdom of Jefus Chrift in the latter days, when the number of the true Ifrael fhould be as the fand of the fea (which was never verified of thefe ten tribes, which were taken away by the Affyrians) then fill the Gentiles, that were not beloved, but Lo-ruhamah, be ftiled, the beloved of God; and these who were Lɔ-ammi, be ftiled, my people; and in the place, even out of the land of Judea, where it was faid, Ye are not my people, there hall they be called the chil dren of the living God. And so there is here a clear prophecy of the inbringing of the Gentiles, and fo a clear proof of the apostle's affertion; and his expreffion, in alledging these places, is obfervable; for he would not have them looking on the matter as only afferted by him, but as the mind of the Lord; and

II. The Lord's everlafting love and goodwill, which he hath to the veffels of mercy, whom he hath foreordained unto glory, lieth under ground, and the firit breaking up of it is in effectual calling; when this electing love first appeareth, it warmeth the heart of the poor foul, and draweth him in to Chrift powerfully and irrefiftibly: even us whom he hath called.

III. The elect being as wicked and malicious by nature as any, being dead in fiu, Eph. ii. 1. flaves to the devil, Eph. ii. 2., and to their own corruptions, Tit. iii. 3. no less than others, and having as ftrong an enmity at Chrift and his ways as the reft; neither will, nor can come in to the Lord Jefus of themfelves, but ly ftill in their natural condition, and take complacency therein, refolving never to change; till God come and work a change, who only can prevail with stubborn people, and make them willing in the day of his power,

tile: Even us whom he hath called, not the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles.

VIII. Tho' under the law, the Lord made particular choice of the feed of Abraham, to be his peculiar people, excluding the body of the Gentiles; yet at length in the latter days, when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, all nations shall flow unto it, Ifa. ii. 2. and there is an open door made to all nations, the partition wall being taken down, Eph. ii. 14. and the Gentiles, who were before accurfed, are taken in, Eph.

Pfal. cx. 3. and fendeth forth his word, and quickeneth them. It is a work peculiarly belonging to the Lord, to draw his own home to Chrift, John vi. 44. therefore it is faid, Even us whom he hath called. IV. Whofoever the Lord has elected from eternity, and fet his love upon, thefe he fo draweth and worketh upon, as that not only they become profeffors of Chriftianity, and members of his vifible church; but alfo being convinced of their own loft condition by nature, and of a remedy only by Chrift; and being perfuaded of Chrift's willingness to embrace fuch, are con-iii. 6. therefore fays he, Not of the Jews frained to lay hold on him, having faith only, but also of the Gentiles. wrought in their hearts, and fo to obey the call of the gofpel: for the veffels of mercy are fuch as he will foon or late call; Even us whom be hath called.

V. Believers in Chrift may win to the affurance of their intereft in the Lord's electing love, and know that they are one of the veffels of mercy prepared unto glory: for the apostle puts in himself among the reft, faying, Even us whom he hath called.

From Verfes 25. 26. OBSERVE,

I. In confirming the truths which we bring forth unto people, as we would produce teftimonies out of the word of the Lord, which is only able to fatisfy; fo we fhould alledge fcripture, fo as the people we have to do with may fee that it is not our word, nor us, they have to do with, when we reprove their fins, point forth their duties, or clear queftioned truths, but the Lord alone who is speaking fo and fo in his word: therefore fays the apoflle, As he (that is the Lord) faith alfo in Hofea.

II. We never look right upon the fcriptures, nor ufe them edifyingly, till we fee and perceive the Lord fpeaking and point

VI. The way to know, whether we be elected or chofen of God, or not, is not to go fearch into the fecret and hid cabinet of God's counfel at the firft; but by fearching, whether or not we be effectually called, and the offers of Chrift in the gofpel have been heartily welcomed by us: effectual and inward calling is the best charac-ing out unto us what is there held forth; ter and fureft mark of a chofen veffel of grace; for the apoftle would have us hereby trying our election, in faying, Even us

whom he hath called.

VII. The Lord, in feting his electing love on finners, and in making the fame to appear in due time, is not carried by external motives, nor doth he fhew more refpect to fuch as are privileged with external advantages and church-privileges: fuch do not fway his eternal love and affection, but he fets the fame upon whomfoever he pleaseth, be they Jew or Gen

and whatsoever is there fet down, is the real mind of God, being uttered by his fervants, who were infpired by him, and fpoke as they were acted by the Holy Ghoft, 2 Pet i. 25. therefore faith he, As he faith alfo in Hofea.

III. The Lord may have thoughts and purposes of good towards a people, long and many a day before he begin to make the fame to appear; and notwithstanding of any long delay which he maketh, or of multitudes of impediments that come in the way, fo as it feemeth many a time to

flefh

nefs have been abufed long, he wil put an end to his controverfy which he has been pleading with them long, and will now enter into ftrict judgment with them, and contend with them in anger, and will therefore fend a confumption, a decreed confumption, a judgment that fhall certainly and inevitably come to pafs; and fhall overflow like a flood the whole land, and that in righteoufuefs; that is, in his juft and righteous judgment; and fo he will make a fhort work, or a short account of the bufinefs, thro' the whole land. Again, he fays, And as Efaias faid before, viz. chapter i. 9. Except the Lord of zabaoth, that is, the Lord of hofts; the apoflle ftill followeth the Seventy, who keep the word fabaoth, as being then commonly used; had left us a feed, or, as it is in the Hebrew, a very small remnant, a handful, as the feed in comparison of the whole crop: we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha; we fhould have been utterly ruined and confumed, as thefe cities were, Gen. xix. 24. 25. Now, by thefe two places, the apoftle abundantly proveth, that it is no uncouth thing to fee the Jews in fuch a condition; that notwithstanding of all their carnal enjoyments and privileges, there fhall be but a remnant of them that fhould meet with mercy, the bulk and generality being cut off; and thefe external deliverances being types of a ipiritual delivery in and thro' Chrift the true Meffiah, fheweth, that there fhould be only a remnant, and a feed left, and faved, the generality being- unchurched for their rejecting of the Meffiah.

and becaufe they had a prejudice against him, and looked upon him as a profeffed enemy of their nation; therefore he ufeth a holy art in carrying on his point: For, firft, he will not fpeak of this truth in the first place, left he fhould imbitter their fpirits, but after he has cleared the inbringing of the Gentiles: And next, he fheweth the fame not to be any doctrine of his, fo much as the mind of the Spirit of the Lord; and therefore he brings in the prophet Ifaiah, fpeaking of this long before, and thereby tacitely checketh them for their ignorance of the truth revealed by the prophet, and unacquaintednefs with his mind; Efaias alfo crieth, faith he: this expreffion he ufeth, to waken their attention, and alfo to fhew, that the prophet was earnest and ferious in holding forth this truth of old; and that their predeceffors, with whom Ifaiah was dealing, had a prejudice against that truth, no leis than they. So, to this purpose, the apostle citeth two places out of Ifaiah; the one is, chapter x. 22. 23. .the other is, chapter i. 9. In the first he followeth the Seventy's interpretation, which was then the most usual verfion, tho' it varieth from the original Hebrew, and feemeth rather to render the fenfe, than the words in the original, because that did nothing hinder his purpofe; feeing the main thing for which it was cited, which is here fet down, verfe 27. and Ifa. x. 22. is right ly rendered. So then, in the first place, the prophet declareth, that God was to bring fuch a judgment and plague upon them by the Affyrians, that fhould leave few of them behind, even though their number were as the fand of the fea; a hyperbolical, proverbial fpeech, pointing I. When people, thro' prejudice at the forth an innumerable multitude, as we fee, minifter, are in hazard to reject truth to Judges vii. 12. Ifa. xlviii. 19. A remnant their own ditas vantage; minifters fhould fhould be faved; or but a remnant, and be careful fo to lay out truths, as that the that because the Lord will finish the work, people mi ht fee they had God immediand cut it fort in righteoufnefs; and a ately to deal with; as the apoftle doth here, Short work will the Lord make upon the faying, Efaias alfo crieth; as if he hed earth; that is, after his lenity and good-faid, It is not 1 that tay this, but Ifaiah

OBSERVATIONS.

the