Book III
The infinity of grace in God s choosing us, proved from the nature of election, hath simply considered in itself, and also compared with that other act of reprobation.
CHAPTER I.
The grace of electing us simply considered, and the greatness of it proved from the greatness of the benefit.
I. LET us consider, it is the election only. Critics will put upon it a meto nymy in rhetoric, as the creation for the creatures; but in God s book and rhetoric it speaks and denotes a grandness put upon the persons chosen.
To such, ELECT is the greatest word can be asked of us. One of Christ s most eminent titles, Isa. xl. 1, mine elect (speaking of Christ) ; and even the Pharisees, apprehending that the Messiah should be some emi nently eminent person, expressed it by this, The Christ whom God hath chosen, Luke xxiii. 35.
II. Let us consider, Who hath chosen ? God : 1 Thes. i. 5, Knowing your election of God. In all choices the person choosing puts a value on the chosen, and upon the act. To be made choice of by a king unto such an office-employment, or by a whole state that are wise and honourable ; how doth it dignify a man ! It is one of Titus s commendations : 2 Cor. viii. 19, who was also chosen of the churches, &c. ; but that the great God, the blessed and only potentate, the only wise God, who hath glory, immortality, majesty, and dominion, and power, should choose so poor, contemptible, weak, and * For ye see your calling, bre foolish a thing as thou art : 1 Cor. i. 26, 27, thren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called : but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty ; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are : that no flesh should glory in his pre sence. And as the emphasis is put upon Christ s choice, the Christ whom God hath chosen, so it is put upon ours also,
* the elect whom God hath
chosen, Mark xiii. 20.
III. And these two put together
: 1, elect, or chosen ; and then, 2dly,
4 whom God chose. And it speaks, 1, all worth, honour, and excellency the chosen of God must needs be choice, it makes them such. If elect, then precious, 1 Pet. ii. So of Christ ; then again of us. Take God s eminent saints, what is their highest title and honour ? Moses the chosen of God, Ps. cvi. 3 ; Aaron the chosen of God, Ps. cv. 16 ; Paul a chosen vessel, Acts ix. 15 ; Ye are a chosen generation, a peculiar people, 1 Pet. ii. 9, that is, elect. He had begun his epistle with, To the elect, &c., chap. i. 2 ; and that phrase, Xdog si$ vtei KoiriGiv, as the rest there mentioned, is taken out
CflAP. I.] OF ELECTION. 151 of Exodus v., where it is a peculiar treasure to me, says God, above all people. It imports all that is dear and precious to God : Isa. xliii. 4, * Since thou wert precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable ; that is, since I have chosen thee, and loved thee, as it follows, and thereby becamest precious in my eyes, that hast been> and art, and shall be honourable in mine, so in all the whole creation s esteem ; this did put the preciousness. Men s choosings are out of whom they find the choicest : 1 Chron. xix. 10, Joab chose out of all the choice of Israel ; but God s choosing makes them choice.
2. It speaks all blessedness, and the fulness of it. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, Ps. Ixv. 4 ; yea, he is most blessed, Ps. xxi., or, as the Hebrew hath it, set for blessings, set apart, and appointed for bless ings. He hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in things heavenly, according as he hath chosen us, &c. It is the womb, the treasury fountain of all blessedness.
3. Let us consider unto what he hath chosen us : unto the nearest approach to God, that is, to the highest communion with himself; and that is founded on his choosing us to the nearest union with himself.
4. Let us consider the time since when he chose us. Of old ; of old, even from everlasting were we ordained unto this salvation. Paul dates it from the beginning, 2 Thes. ii. 13. God hath loved us ever since he was God, and whilst he is God he will continue to do so. The eldest date of his being God is from everlasting, and his continuing to be God is to everlasting
Ps. xc. 2, Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world : even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. And his love to us is as old : Jer. xxxi. 3, * I have loved thee with an everlasting love ; and Ps. ciii. 17, The mercy of the Lord is from ever lasting to everlasting. And as it is a love as ancient as God himself, he hath loved thee ever since he was God, so it is a love that hath fixedly con tinued ever since eternity ; it hath been constant ever since the very time God chose us, even unto the moment of our being called. This I take to be * The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, the genuine aim of Jer. xxxi. 3, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. The true aim or sense of that Scripture lies in this : it is a true dialogue between God and his church;* God had begun, ver. 2, Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword, found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The church now in desertion interposeth her complaint and scruple, The Lord hath indeed appeared of old unto me ; that is, in former ages, which is a concession to God s speech in the fore going verse, what he had been to her of old. The people in the wil derness found grace, &c. True, say [they], the Lord hath appeared in former times : Oh, but now, what answer doth God return to this ? Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love. (The word saying is not in the original, and its being put in hath marred the scope.) As if he had said to her, Again dost thou speak of my appearances of old to thee, and as if now
I had left thee ? Yea, my love is of an ancienter date by far, than my appearances unto thee, which thou sayest are of old ; ? . e. those appearances you speak of were but a thousand years ago in the wilderness, &c., but my love in my heart to thee hath been from everlasting, &c. Everlasting is opposed to old ; hidden love, unknown love from everlasting, unto appear-
That which hath diverted this interpretation is, that our translation hath made the forepart of the verse to be God s speech, as well as the latter, The Lord hath appeared of old, saying, whereas saying is not in the Hebrew ; and therefore the first is the church s speech, and the other God s reply. Vide Junium el Tremellium.
152 OF ELECTION. [BOOK III. ances. It hath suffered no ellipsis, no interruption, no pauses between ; to ratify which, God sets his great yea, or his amen. Yea (says he), I have loved thee with an everlasting love ; which to be all one, that of the apostle shews, 2 Cor. i. 20, All the promises of God are yea and amen. It is a great yea this ; and set to the greatest thing that ever God did concerning us, which you may see how himself accounts of by it ; and it comes in the way of a most punctual answer unto the greatest doubts and thoughts his people use to harbour. And further, besides his own yea or asseveration, he gives this evidence that he had borne such a continued love unto them : There fore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee, ver. 2. Now consider, what should it be that moved me so to do, when you had nothing but enmity in you against me ? Certainly, it could be nothing but my own mere lovingkindness borne towards you before, that must move me to it : it must be some aforehand purpose; and when, or at what time, think you, did that kindness first begin in me, or that loving fit first take me ? Was my love ever nay, and then after a time become yea ? No, says he ; here I am an everlasting God, and I have no new purposes, that are of yesterday, but which are as of old as myself am ; for then I should have an alteration or change made in me, as you creatures have ; new thoughts to-day, which I had not yesterday ; and to be sure, in my love towards you, of all things else, I have not such ; for I love like God, like the great God, where I love.
Neither could there be anything but such a love so borne to you, that could ever move me to call you, for there was nothing in you to draw on my love ; for the truth is, I was forced to draw you, you were so backward and utterly averse. And now, after I have called you, I am a God that changeth not : Mai. iii. 6, For I am the Lord, I change not : therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. And so my love is from everlasting to everlasting
Ps. ciii. 17, But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, upon them that fear him : and his righteousness unto children s children.