Jonathan Edwards Selected Shor
lead thee: Rom. 6:2; chap. 8:9; Col. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:6, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice;" i.e. ought to rejoice. 2 Cor. 3:18, "We all with open face (enjoying the means of) beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are (ought to be, enjoy the means of being) changed into the same image from glory to glory." 1 Cor. 5:7, "Ye are unleavened," i.e. obligated by the Christian profession to be. Heb. 13:14, "We seek (i.e. we ought to seek, or according to our profession, we seek) a city to come." 1 John 2:12-15; 3:9; 5:4-18, and in other places. (See Taylor's Key, p. 139. No. 244 and p. 144. No.246.) This overthrows all his supposed proofs, that those which he calls antecedent blessings do really belong to all professing Christians.
33. The case was quite otherwise in the Christian church with regard to election, redemption, creation, etc. from what it was with the Jews. With the Jews, election, their redemption out of Egypt, their creation, was a national thing. It began with them as a nation, and descended, as it were, from the nation to particular persons. Particular persons were first of the nation and church of the Jews, so, by that means, had an interest in their election, redemption, etc. that God wrought of old. The being of the nation and church of Israel, was the ground of a participation in these privileges. *31* But it is evident it is contrariwise in Christians. With regard to them, the election, redemption, creation, regeneration, etc. are personal things. They begin with particular persons, and ascend to public societies. Men are first redeemed, bought, created, regenerated, and by that means become members of the Christian church, and this is the ground of their membership. Paul's regeneration, and Christ's loving him and giving himself for him, was the foundation of his being of the Christian church, that holy nation, peculiar people, etc. — whereas, David's being one of the nation of Israel, is the proper ground of his