Gen. xxv.

23.

SERM. the one PEOPLE fhall be stronger than V. the other PEOPLE, and the elder shall Serve the younger. And finally, that noted paffage, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated, speaks only of the distinction which God, in his providence, made between the race of Jacob and Efau, with respect to temporal and outward advantages. For the words, of which St. Paul quotes only the general fubstance, stand thus in the prophet Malachi ; I have loved you, faith the Lord, yet ye fay, wherein haft thou loved us? Was not Efau Jacob's brother? yet I loved Jacob, Mal. i. 2, and I hated Efau ; --but how!--and laid his mountains and his heritage wafte.

3.

Having fufficiently answered the first objection, the apoftle comes to another, verfe the 14th. What shall we fay then? is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. "Is it any injuftice in God to

chufe one people before another, to "confer upon them extraordinary fa"vours? By no means." This he argues, with the Jews, from feveral paffages in their own Scriptures: And in

the

the text, and some following verfes, (up-SERM. on which I fhall give you the excellent V. paraphrafe of the great Mr. Locke) he argues the fame point from the reafon of the thing. Nay, but, O man, who art thou that replieft against God? Shall the thing formed fay to him that formed it, "Shall the nations that are made great, "or little, shall kingdoms that are raised,

or deprefs'd, fay to him in whose "hands they are to difpofe of them as " he pleases," Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the fame lump to make one vessel to honour, and another to dishonour? What if God willing to fhew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured, with much long-fuffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to deftruction? And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the veffels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory? "What if God willing to

punish the finful people of the Jews, "and to do it fo as to have his power known,and taken notice of in the doing it, bore with them a long time, even

"after

SERM." after they had deferved his wrath, as V. " he did with Pharaoh, that his hand might be the more eminently visible "in their deftruction? And that alfo

at the same time he might, with the "more glory, make known his goodness " and mercy to the Gentiles, whom, ac"cording to his purpose, he was in a "readiness to receive into the glorious "ftate of being his people under the gofpel ?"

I hope it appears, from what has been faid, that this whole chapter, which has been fo confounded and darkened, relates only to God's dealings with nations and collective bodies of men; and not to his favour or displeasure towards particular perfons, and determining abfolutely, without any regard to their actions, their eternal ftate hereafter. The argument then, that St. Paul purfues, is only this, that God might difpenfe his extraordinary favours as he faw fit; and, confequently, eminently diftinguish one nation, and pafs by others, without the least injustice; and that to cenfure fuch a way of proceeding, in

V.

the proprietor and fovereign difpofer of all SERM. things, was arrogant and prefumptuous. And from hence we learn to what questions the words of the text may be properly and justly applied, viz. to fuch as these ; why God vouchsafes a revelation of his will to fome nations, and not to others?—why, for example, he has not made the chriftian univerfal?why does he permit moral, and natural evil?--why has he not made all creatures of the highest order, and communicated to all equal degrees of perfection and happiness? nothing of this can be shewn to be contrary to justice, because they are, all, favours, which his creatures have no right to claim: And therefore in these, and all other cafes of a like nature, where juftice is not concerned; which have no appearance of malice or cruelty, but are confiderations of wisdom only; 'tis very pertinent and rational to fay to an objector, nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? We learn from this discourse,

ift. How neceffary 'tis that we confider the uses to which paffages of fcrip

VOL. I.

I

ture

SERM. ture are applied, and don't argue generally V. from what is only adapted to a particular cafe. This is one reason why texts have been so abominably perverted, and ftrained to fuch abfurd and unnatural fenfes, as are not only contrary to their true defign, and the general fcope and tenor of the revelation, but ftrike at the foundation of all religion.

2dly. Let us cultivate in our minds the highest reverence of God, especially the most honourable apprehenfions of his moral character; and being perfuaded that all his counfels are the refult of infinite wisdom, and that his will is ever determined by the highest reafon, let us humbly acquiefce in all the methods of his providence. Survey the work of God, the exquifite beauty and harmony of the whole, the admirable connection and fubferviency of the feveral parts; ́ nay, furvey thy own frame, the curious and aftonishing structure of thy body, the noble faculties and capacities of thy mind; and from the furprizing marks of wif dom and goodness, which thou canst diftinctly