God's coming, to fulfil his promife in caufing Sarah to have a fon; the other, of the fet time, when he would thus come, plainly evince Ifaac to have been a fon of promife, conceived and born, by virtue of that peculiar promife, both Abraham and Sarah, believed in order to his conception. Take notice, that Ifaac is not brought, in this Chapter, as a type, or example of perfons perfonally, elected by God from eternity; but as a type of that generation of men, how few, or how many foever, that fhall be juftified by God, counted his children, and judged meet to inherit his kingdom. Here is not the leaft hint of any decree of God, by which Isaac fhould from eternity, be peremptorily elected: but the manner of his conception and birth, with the reasons of both, are laid forth by the Apoftle, as typifying the purpofe of God concerning juftification and spiritual fonship; and fhewing what manner of perfons they must be, who fhall receive Justification and Adoption from him, viz. fuch as fhall fpiritually refemble Ifaac in his birth, and be begotten, not of the Law, or the works thereof, but of the free promife of God, and Faith therein. This is coherent with the main scope of the Epiftle all along, which is to prove, in oppofition to the Jewish confidence, that Juftification is not to be obtained by the works of the Law, but by Faith; whereas a difcourfe concerning an Election and Reprobation of perfons from eternity, would be altogether wide of his bufinefs, and neither make for his Do&rine, or way of Juftification, nor yet against the Doctrine, or way of his Adverfaries. And as Ifaac is neither here, nor elsewhere, held forth as a type or example, of perfons peremptorily elected to life from eternity; fo neither was Ifhmael, either type, or example, of perfons peremptorily reprobated from eternity; but only a type of perfons feeking Juflification by the Law, whether they come to repent of this error, and feek it by Faith, or no. Nor doth God's chufing Ifaac before he was born, to make him a fon of promife, any ways prove his election of him from eternity

unto

unto falvation; but only his defignment of him for a type of thofe, whom he intended to juftify, and of that way, or means, by which his purpose was to juftify the world.

And not only this, but when Rebecca alfo had conceived by one, even by our father Ifaac, (for the children not being yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to Election might fiand, not of works, but of him that calleth,) It was faid unto her, The elder fhall ferve the younger, As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated. Ver. 10, 11, 12, 13.] And God did not only discover his counsel to Abraham, by fhewing what manner of persons they fhould be, whom he would call Abraham's feed; but he made a more full difcovery of the fame counsel, in the family of Ifaac, in saying to Rebecca, when he had conceived by onethe children being not yet born-The elder fhall ferve the younger. q. d. God did not only difcover to Abraham, fomewhat darkly, who, and who only; fhould be reputed his feed, that feed of his, whom he intended to make heirs of the world; but foon after he made the fame difcovery, more plainly unto Rebecca also.

For 1. Evident it is, that the two perfons here mentioned, Jacob and Efau, are not confidered in their meer persons, nor (indeed) fo much (if at all) in their perfons, as in their pofterities, or as perfons together with their respective pofterities, conftituting two feveral bodies of men. This is plain from the words in Genefis, the fubflance whereof the Apoftle here expreffeth. And the Lord Jaid unto her (Rebecca,) Two Nations are in thy womb, and two manner of People fhall be fparated from thy bowels: and the one People fhall be stronger than the other People. Gen. xxv. 23.

2. As evident it is, that these words, the elder fhall ferve the younger; as likewife thofe of Malachi, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated, are cited by the Apoftle to prove (according to their typical fignification) that the purpose of God, according to election, doth, and will stand, not of works,

but

but of him that calleth: i. e. That the purpose of God, which is the ground of that election, which he maketh amongst men, unto the honour of being Abraham's feed, might appear to remain unchangeable in him, even the fame, which he had declared unto Abraham.

That Jacob ever exercifed any power over Efau, or that Efau ever became fubject unto him, is not only befides, but even contrary to, what we find written. Jacob was rather in fubjection to Efau, and was forely afraid of him, and first by his meffengers, and afterwards by himfelf, acknowledgeth him, and this over and over, for his Lord, and himfelf his fervant. Gen. xxxii. 4, and xxxiii. 8. 13.

From hence it appeareth that neither Efau nor Jacob, nor their pofterities, are here brought by the Apostle, as inftances of any perfonal Reprobation from eternity. For certain it is, that very many, if not far the greatest part of Jacob's pofterity were wicked, and rejected by God; and not lefs certain, that fome of Efau's pofterity were partakers of the Faith of their father Abraham.

From the premises, the true fenfe of the words immediately following, cited from the prophet Malachi, by way of confirmation of what he had now cited concerning the two brother-nations in Rebecca's womb, the elder, and the younger, fully appeareth: As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated. Mal. i. 2, 3. q. d. These words, As it is written, import, that what he had already cited from Mofes, concerning the two Nations, filed by the names of their refpe&tive heads, Jacob and Efau, was but the fame (in fubftance) with what was fpoken many years after by the prophet Malachi.

The unthankful Jews, had in Malachi's days, either in words or in their hearts, expoftulated with God, and demanded of him wherein he had loved them, i. e. declared any love unto them? I have loved you, faith the Lord, yet ye fay, wherein haft thou loved us? Mal. i. 2, 3, 4. To this the Lord

anfwereth,

anfwereth, Was not Efau Jacob's brother? yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Efau, and laid his mountains, and his heritage wafle, for the dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom faith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the defolate places: Thus faith the Lord of Hofts, They fhall build, but I will throw down; and they fhall call them the border of wickedness, and the people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever. And your eyes fhall fee, and ye shall fay, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Ifrael.

1. It clearly appears from these paffages, that the Prophet doth not speak at all of the perfon of Efau, (neither the perfon of Jacob,) but of their refpective pofterities. For it was not Efau in perfon that faid, We are impoverished, neither were his mountains or heritage laid wafle. Now if the Prophet speaks neither of the perfon of the one, nor of the other, but of 'their pofteritics only, certain it is, that neither doth the Apoftle fpeak any otherwife of them.

2. If neither the Prophet, nor Apoftle, fpeak of the perfons of Jacob, or Efau, but of their pofterities, evident it is, that neither that love of God to Jacob, nor hatred of Efau, were fuch, according unto which, the eternal flates of men, either in bleffedness or mifery, are determined. And to my best remembrance, I never read, or heard, that fo much as any of the Fathers concluded from thefe paffages, either Efau's Reprobation from eternity, or his eternal condemnation in time. And certain I am, that neither could they, nor any other, have any fufficient ground, to found fuch a conclufion upon. Because,

1. As hath been proved from the exprefs words, of Scripture, Efau is not here mentioned under any perfonal confideration, but only as the head of his pofterity.

2. It is the confeflion of all, and may be evinced from Scripture, that all Efau's pofterity were not reprobated; neither all Jacob's pofterity, elected.

3. Neither doth that fervice, or fubjection unto Jacob,

which the Divine Oracle impofeth upon Efau, any ways import fuch a Reprobation; in as much as the fervant may be, and oft-times is elected: yea, fometimes when the master is in a flate of Reprobation.

4. Were it granted, that fervitude did import fuch a Reprobation, yet certain it is, that Efau in person, never served Jacob.

5. Neither doth that hatred of God against Efau, (mentioned by Malachi) import any fuch Reprobation of the perfon of Efau. Because it related not unto Efau personally confidered, but to his pofterity.

6. The fcope of the Apoftle in the context, doth no ways require, that Efau fhould be perfonally reprobated from eternity, but only that in his pofterity, he should be fet forth, as a fignificant type of the eternal mifery of all thofe, that should feek Juftification by the works of the Law, or in a way of their own devifing, and not fubmit unto the counfel, and good pleasure of God, who hath confecrated the way of Faith in his Son, as the only means whereby Juftification is to be attained.

7. His cordial reconcilement to his brother fo fully expreffed, Gen. xxxiii, after that great and deep offence taken at him, upon occafion of his ftepping in between him and their father's bleffing, is no light teftimony of his own reconciliation with God. For if ye forgive men their trefpaffes (faith our Saviour) your heavenly Father will alfo forgive you. Mat. vi. 14. Therefore there can be no competent ground affigned of his damnation, much lefs of his perfonal reprobation from eternity.

8. It is no ways probable, that he fhould inform fuch parents, who had found fpecial favour in his fight, that he had reprobated from eternity any of their children, and this whilft they were yet unborn. A meffage of fuch a fad and horrid import as this coming from the mouth of God immediately to a weak and tender woman, whose hour of travel,

and