knowledge and consideration unto the world, how rich above measure his remunerating grace and bounty is towards those whom, by his long-suffering and gracious applications of himself otherwise, he shall bring to repentance, and so prepare and make them meet beforehand, or before their death, for salvation; if he shall, I say, for these or the like ends, mercifully, and with much long-suffering and patience, entreat obstinate and obdurate sinners who are already, by means of an abundance of guilt contracted by a long-continued course in sinning, sufficiently, or above the ordinary rate even of sinners, fitted for destruction, is he not at liberty, hath he not a lawfulness or right of power, to do it? Hath any man any colour or pretext of reason to blame his dispensations in this kind? For otherwise than by enduring sinful men "with much long-suffering" and patience he hardeneth no man; nor is any man by this means upon any such terms hardened, but that he both might have prevented his hardening by repentance, yea, and all along the course and time of this his hardening have repented, and so have prevented his destruction. Neither is that will of God, by which men are hardened, in any such sense, irresistible; but that, this notwithstanding, had they been studious or careful of the things of their peace, they might not only have escaped all hardening in this kind, but even have recovered themselves also from under their greatest hardening, however true it is that very few do recover themselves in this case. For the will of God concerning the hardening of men, as appears by the manner and method of his hardening, namely, by enduring them "with much long-suffering," is not absolute or peremptory, but conditional, not enforcing, not constraining, not necessitating any man to be or to become hardened, but only upon a supposition of his own voluntary neglect or contempt of the gracious applications made by God unto him. This being the case of men's hardening by God, evident it is, that when he finds fault with those who are hardened, he neither insults over their impotency to help themselves, nor acts contrary to any principle of wisdom, reason, or equity, in such a case. For reproofs are in no case more proper than when men, through their wilful foolishness, have incurred any great inconvenience or danger; and especially, when having power and opportunity in their hand to redeem themselves, they shall, notwithstanding, neglect to do it.

24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews

only, but also of the Gentiles.

Amongst those "vessels of mercy," which God by his grace bringeth to repentance and holiness, and so prepares and makes meet for the glory of heaven, before he confers the same upon them, whom also he intends to reward most munificently, as he gives both them and all men to understand by his great kindness and patience towards those who most of all provoke him, are we, whom he hath effectually called and prevailed with to believe in Jesus Christ. Nor are we all, whom God hath thus made "vessels of mercy," the children of Abraham by natural descent and propagation, as the Jews more generally suppose all those must needs be who are in grace and favour with God, but many of us are Gentiles by birth, and upon this account persons on whom they look as men with whom God never meant to have any thing to do in any way of favour or respects of grace.

25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called the children of the living God.

of us
who are called

But what I affirm in this, that many into grace and favour with God are Gentiles, is nothing but what is consonant enough with many prophetical predic. tions, owned by the Jews themselves, and particularly with several passages of the Prophet Hosea; as first, where he exhibiteth God himself speaking to this effect, that when time should be, he would give the honour and happiness of being a people, in special manner related unto him, unto those who before had neither part nor fellowship in such a business. And again, that he would show great love to such a people, on whom he had frowned before with great indignation. And yet once more, that he would so interpose by his grace and power that, in the land of Judea, where, under the seventy years' captivity, the people remaining were, by reason of their poor,

low, and miserable condition, esteemed by the nations round about them as a people deserted and forsaken by their God, they, with their brethren returning from the captivity, and their posterities, should be a nation so prosperous and flourishing, so abundantly blessed by him, that the world should not but acknowledge them for a people highly honoured and respected by God. For though these passages, and others like unto them, do properly, directly, and in their letter, speak of that great and happy change which God, when time was, promised to make in the state and condition of the Jews, when it was very low and, in outward appearance, helpless; yet the nature and spirit of them plainly signify and import that God acteth but like unto himself in former times, and consequently that there is no strangeness or incredibleness in the thing, in case he makes such a wonderful alteration in the spiritual estate of the Gentiles, that, whereas they have been formerly, for many generations, a people in whom he took no delight, nor ever revealed himself unto them after any such manner as he did unto the Jews, yet now he should look graciously upon them, place his holy name amongst them, and take of them a people holy to himself.

27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.

28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: Because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha. And in case my countrymen the Jews shall object, that from my doctrine of justification by faith it followeth that far the greatest part of them and their nation, who reject and abhor this doctrine, must be excluded from the love and favour of God, they may please to remember and consider, that neither is this any strange or new thing with God; I mean, to reject and cast out of his sight the main body and bulk of their nationFor even their great and royal Prophet Isaiah spake it aloud,

D

when time was, in the ears of their forefathers, that though they were a nation numerous and populous above the rate of any other nation under heaven, yet, since they had so highly provoked their God, as generally they had done, he was resolved to make such havoc and desolation of them by their enemies, the Assyrians, that a very small number of them, comparatively, should escape; inasmuch as he was resolved to make thorough and quick work with them, and to declare and make known unto the world the incredible numbers of transgressors and wicked persons amongst them, by a proportionable extent and comprehensiveness of his severe judgments executed upon them; not sparing any, save only those who were righteous amongst them, and, possibly, some few others for their sakes, and to be subservient unto them. Yea, the same Prophet had, in like manner, informed his nation not long before, that, unless God, who hath the sovereign and absolute command of all strengths whatsoever residing in his creatures, had, when the swords of Rezin, King of Syria, and of Pekah, the son of Remaliah, raged against the inhabitants of Judea; and again, when Shalmanezer made that fearful work we read of, 2 Kings xvii., amongst the ten tribes;-had not, I say, God very graciously and somewhat out of course interposed with his providence and power on their behalf, to save a remnant of them alive, out of whose loins this their nation might again in time spring and recover itself, their desolation had been as absolute and universal as the destruction of those great sinners, the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha, of whom not so much as a small remnant was suffered to remain.

30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

What now may we clearly infer and conclude from all that hath been argued concerning the pre-mentioned oracles; the one delivered by God unto Abraham, namely, that in Isaac his

seed should be called; the other, unto Rebekah, concerning her two sons, Esau and Jacob, namely, that the elder should serve the younger; together with the answers given to such objections as we met with in opposition to those arguings; what, I demand, may we plainly deduce and infer from all this? Doubtless this, namely, that upon the Gentile world, in several of their members, though they little or not at all minded or looked after any such business, as how or whereby they might be justified before God, yet, notwithstanding this blessedness is come, they are justified in the sight of God with that justification which is obtained by believing in Jesus Christ, inasmuch as they, that is, many of them, as hath been said and is commonly known, have thus believed; this being the only way or means sanctified and approved by God for the justification of men. And, on the other hand, that the Jews, who most zealously pursued such a way, means, or course, for their justification, whereby they confidently expected to obtain it, yet prospered not in their way, were not justified by the course which they steered in order hereunto.

32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: And whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

If you ask me, "But why or how it cometh to pass, that the Jews, who were so zealously diligent in the pursuit of a justified estate before God, did, notwithstanding, miscarry, and lose that prize of blessedness for which, with so much earnestness and contention of mind and soul they ran ?" my answer clearly is, That the true and sole reason of their sad miscarriage in this kind was, because they ran in a by-way of their own, pleasing themselves with a conceit that somewhat like to an observation of Moses's law would justify them; so turning aside from the way of believing, which is the only way opened and established by God for the justification of men. But they, miserably blinded and deluded men, were offended at the great humility and abasement of Him who was their Messiah, upon this account disdaining and rejecting him, and obdurately refusing