to justify men by faith; as, on the contrary, by causing Ishmael, with his mother, to be cast out of Abraham's family, he taught the world that they who expected justification and salvation by works should be rejected by him. (1 Cor. x. 11; Gal. iv. 23 -25, &c.)

2. From the same words, "But in Isaac shall thy seed be called," this also is observable, that God without acceptation of persons may advance one branch or line of the same family above another, not only in outward things, but in spiritual privileges and accommodations also. Ishmael was Abraham's son, as well as Isaac; yet Isaac and his posterity had a better share of the good things promised unto Abraham and his seed, settled and conferred upon them, than Ishmael and his. Acceptation of persons hath place only in judiciary awards, not in dispensations of grace or bounty. (1 Sam. xvi. 12, compared with verses 7, 8, &c.; 1 Kings ii. 12, compared with verses 23, 24, &c.)

3. These words, "That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God," (verse 8,) exhibit this doctrine, that God's counsel or purpose concerning the way wherein, or terms upon which, he will justify and adopt men are not suitable to the carnal thoughts or imaginations of men. (Isaiah lv. 8, 9; 2 Cor. x. 18; Rom. ii. 29.)

4. From the same words this also may be observed: That as contrary as men's thoughts are to the counsel of God, about the great business of justification and adoption, yet very confident men are of their congruity or conformity thereunto. This the Apostle supposeth in opposing this conceit of the Jews, that the "children of the flesh," that is, seekers of justification by the law, must needs be the "children of God." (Gal. v. 7, 8; Rom. x. 3; John ix. 39, 40.)

5. From these words, "But the children of the promise are counted for the seed," this doctrine putteth forth: Amongst men capable, through years, of believing, those only are the true sons of God, so esteemed by him, and heirs of salvation, who receive their spiritual being from, and are begotten of, the gracious and free promise of the Gospel. (2 Peter i. 4; Gal. iii. 16.)

6. From these words, "For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son," (verse 9,) this doctrine showeth itself: God frequently maketh promise of such great things which he graciously intendeth unto men some

time before he actually confers or performs them. (2 Peter iii. 13; Rom. i. 2; besides other places without number.)

7. And lastly: Upon the latter part of the words, "At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son," the fruit of this doctrine groweth: That by means of a special divine interposure sometimes things are brought to pass above and beyond expectation. "Who would have said unto Abraham," said Sarah herself, "that Sarah should have given children suck ?" (Gen. xxi. 7.) Yet, by God's coming to her, as we have heard, it so came to pass. (Isaiah lxiv 3; 1 Sam. i. 19, 20; with other places.)

10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth

12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the

younger.

13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau

have I hated.

Having proved, from what had been done in Abraham's family, and had passed between God and him about his son Isaac, that God's pleasure and purpose was to account only those for Abraham's seed, or persons justified and in a capacity of inheriting the true Canaan, who, after the manner of Isaac, should be children of the promise, that is, true believers, in the verses now mentioned he prosecutes the same argument, by insisting upon another special dispensation of God in the family of Isaac, whereby he discovered himself, only with more significancy and plainness, to the same purpose. This elliptic clause,

μovov de, frequent in the writings of this Apostle, here translated, and not only this, plainly showeth, 1. That the Apostle continueth and goeth on with the argument or subject of his former discourse; and, 2. That what he is now about to add unto that lately spoken is of somewhat a more pregnant and considerable import that way. The words, according to the original, only signifying, but not only, stand in need of some

what to be added to them to complete their sense. The substance of what is to be added upon this account is easy enough to be conceived by the exigency of the context, which clearly shows that the Apostle's meaning in them, with that which follows, was this, or to this effect, that God did not only discover his mind or counsel unto Abraham by saying unto him, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," who or what manner of persons they should be whom he would estimate or call Abraham's seed; but he made a more full and clear discovery of the same counsel of his also, in the family of Isaac, in saying unto Rebecca, when she "had conceived by one," "the children being not yet born," "The elder shall serve the younger;' as if he had said, God did not only at first discover unto Abraham, somewhat more darkly and obscurely, who and who only should be reputed his seed, that seed of his whom he intended to make heirs of the world, but soon after he made the same discovery, only more lightsomely and plainly, unto Rebecca also. The knowledge and due consideration hereof will help us to keep a straight course in interpreting and understanding the Apostle's meaning all along the context in hand; wherein otherwise we may soon be bewildered and so entangled that we shall scarce be able to make either head or foot, sap or sense, of any thing delivered herein. And this is that which hath befallen the generality or greatest part of our interpreters in their expositions of the place.

But it may be demanded how it can, from the passage before us and the words hereof, be proved that the Apostle herein intended at all to show or prove who or what manner of persons they are whom God accounteth for Abraham's seed, in the sense declared; and, 2. How such a point or doctrine as this can be conceived to be more emphatically, and with more effectualness of proof, argued and demonstrated in this passage than in the former.

Concerning the former, not to re-mention the argument drawn for the proof of this from the words, "And not only this," which are clearly connexive of the two passages or contextures of Scripture, this and the former, as was hinted, 1. Evident it is that the two persons here mentioned, Jacob and Esau, are not considered in their mere persons, nor, indeed, so much, if at all, in their persons as in their posterities, or as persons together with their respective posterities constituting two several nations

or bodies politic of men. This is plain from the words in Genesis, the substance whereof the Apostle here expresseth: "And the Lord said unto her," Rebecca, "Two NATIONS are in thy womb, and two manner of PEOPLE shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one PEOPLE shall be stronger than the other PEOPLE; and the elder" people "shall serve the younger." (Gen. xxv. 23.) And whereas our English translators in the passage of the Apostle before us have, without warrant from the original, inserted the word "children;""For the CHILDREN being not yet born," &c.; they might, I conceive, as well and with as good, if not better, agreeableness unto the Apostle's mind have supplied the word "nations;" "For the NATIONS not being yet born," &c.

From hence, by the way, it evidently appears that Jacob and Esau are not here propounded, either as types or examples of a mere personal, but of a certain specifical or national, election and reprobation; that is, of men invested with such or such a qualification, whosoever, how many, and how few soever, they shall be found to be. Which typical representation or service doth not necessarily require or suppose either the election unto, or reprobation from, eternal life, either of the persons themselves, Jacob and Esau, nor yet of their posterities, in whom this representation is made. Some of our best expositors, as was formerly in part, and may further be showed in time, plainly grant and affirm that the eternal rejection of Esau from the love and favour of God cannot be evinced from this place. And that very many of Jacob's race were not elected to eternal life, and some of Esau's race not reprobated from this life, are things too evident from the Scriptures to be denied or questioned; nor are they questioned, I presume, or denied by any.

2. As evident it is as the former, that these words, spoken by God under such circumstances as are here specified, "The elder shall serve the younger;" as, likewise, those of the Prophet Malachi, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," are cited by the Apostle to prove, according to their typical signification and import, "that the purpose of God according to election" doth and will" stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;" that is, that the purpose or counsel of God, which answereth or correspondeth with, and which is the ground and cause of, that election which he maketh amongst men, unto the honour and dignity of being reputed Abraham's seed,

in the sense declared, for there is no ground to imagine that he here speaks of any other election,-might appear to remain unchangeable in him, even the same which he had declared unto Abraham, and in him unto the world, in that oracle delivered unto him, lately mentioned and explained; the tenor or effect of this purpose or election of his being, not to elect or choose to that dignity, upon consideration of men's works, or observations of the law, which unto men seems most reasonable and equitable, but according to his own will and pleasure, as having an unquestionable right to make his terms in this kind what he pleaseth, inasmuch as he is he who "calleth," that is, who freely setteth or holdeth forth the great price of justification, or sonship unto Abraham, inviting the world to contend and run for it. As he that, at his own cost and charges, builds a hospital, alms-house, or the like, ought in all reason and equity to be at liberty to constitute and appoint the laws, terms, qualifications, or conditions, by and according unto which persons shall be admitted to partake of the benefit of either, and not to have terms obtruded or put upon him in this kind by others; and as in the Olympic games of old, he that was the aywvolens, that is, the person who, at his proper charge, bestowed and set forth the prize or reward by which men were invited to try masteries in those games, was always allowed to nominate and prescribe the laws or rules by which these exercises were to be performed, and according unto which the prize set forth by himself was to be awarded and given ;* in like manner, saith the Apostle in effect, God freely, of his mere grace and bounty, inviting and calling men to the high prize and privilege of justification, or sonship unto Abraham, and not being necessitated hereunto by any obligation or rule of justice, most reasonable and meet it is, that he should please himself, not men nor angels, in appointing the terms and conditions upon which this blessed investiture should be actually conferred upon men. And what his good will and pleasure is in this kind, I mean concerning the law or terms upon which he will justify men, or own them for Abraham's seed, as, namely, that he will confer these privileges upon men, not for or according

The Apostle, in 2 Tim. iv. 5, plainly relateth hereunto, writing thus: "And if a man also strive for masterios, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully;" that is, unless in his striving he submits unto and observes the laws prescribed by the master of the exercise, or of him that bestows the crown.