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brought forth into life, and spend it under very different natural circumftances, in the apostle's sense of the word nature. Thus Rom. ii. 14. He fays, when the gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, and v. 27. Shall not uncircumcifion, which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, &c. He here plainly fpeaks not of an internal frame, conftitution, or powers, or what we call a nature, which the gentiles had, different from that of the jews; but of their external, moral, and religious ftate and circumstances, as deftitute of the inftructions and affiftances of the law of Mofes, by which they were much below the jews. Again, in the remonftrance which he tells us he made to Peter, we find these words, Gal. ii. 15. We who are jews by nature, and not finners of the gentiles; when certainly he doth not mean to intimate that the jews had a different fort of nature, or internal conftitution, whereby they were jews; but only we who are natural-born jews, and have all along enjoyed the privileges of that people. So kewife in the text under confideration, having spoken of the Ephefians, as formerly dead in trefpasses and fins, wherein, in time past, ye walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of difobedience; he adds, v. 3. among whom alfo we all had our converfation in times past, in the luft of our fefb, fulfilling the defires of the flefb

flesh and of the mind. Obferve, hitherto he speaks of external condition and circumftances, and of perfonal character and actual vices, and not at all of internal constitution, or a nature corrupted by the effects of Adam's fin. He adds: and were by nature children of wrath, even as others. i. e. (conformable to his use of the word nature in other places) in confequence of our birth and fituation among children of difobedience, where we were kept ignorant of the truth, deceived by false principles, and mifled by bad examples, we ourfelves were children of wrath, as others about us were, and many still continue. By children of wrath I apprehend the apoftle does not mean here objects of the wrath and difpleasure of God, but only defcribes further the perfonal character of thofe whom he fo denominates. As in the clofe of the former verfe he had mentioned children, or fons of disobedience, i. e. difobedient children, (and Peter, 1 Ep. i. 14. fpeaks of obedient children, in the original it is children of obedience) fo here he mentions children of wrath, i. e. wrathful, furious, malignant, and mifchievous perfons. In a ftriking and beautiful figure, he reprefents difobedience and wrath under the perfons of two fruitful mothers, whofe offspring they had been. Accordingly, when the apostle comes in the beginning of the fourth chapter to exhort the Ephefian chriftians to a converfation conformable to the vocation wherewith they were called, and quite

the

the reverse of the defcription he gives in this verfe of their former character and conduct, he begins with defcribing it thus, v. 2, 3. With all lowlinefs and meeknefs, with long-fuffering, forbearing one another in love. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He alfo concludes the chapter thus; Let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you with all malice. And be ye kind And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Chrift hath forgiven you. Do we not fee a greater propriety and force in thefe exhortations, when we confider them as addreffed to perfons who had formerly been children of wrath?

III OF ELECTION AND REPROBATION.

Rom. ix. 11, Etc. For the children being not yet barn, 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, it was faid unto her, The elder fhall ferve the younger; as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated. What Shall we fay then, is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid; for he faith to Mofes, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compaffion on whom I will have compaffion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that fheweth mercy, &c.

These

Thefe verfes, and the whole of this chapter, relate not to the election of particular perfons to eternal life, but to the calling of the gentiles, and the rejection of the jews from the privileges of the gospel; and it is manifeft that the apoftle is not speaking in this place of the final ftate, or indeed of the perfons of Efau and Jacob, but of their pofterity, and that only with a view to temporal privileges and prerogatives.

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The whole body of chriftians, confifting of jews and gentiles, are frequently filed the chosen, and elect of God, on account of their external privileges, as the whole jewish nation had been fo named before, on the fame account. This is an easy and plain fenfe of election, reflects not at all on the perfections of God, is confiftent with the offers and exhortations of fcripture, and preferves a harmony between the language of the old and new teftament.

It must be acknowledged, however, that in order to vindicate the divine conduct in the calling of the gentiles, the apostle alledges fome facts, in which not whole nations, but particular perfons are spoken of, and which feem to imply, that their minds were under fupernatural influence in forming bad as well as good refolutions; and there are other paffages of fcripture which at first fight feem to look the fame way.

The

The hardness of Pharaoh's heart, Exod. ix. 16. Rom. ix. 17. the obftinacy of Sihon king of Heshbon, Deut. ii. 30. and the unbelief of many of the jews, If. vi. 10. Mat. xiii. 14. Mark iv. 12. Luke viii. 10. John xii. 40. Acts xxviii. 26. Rom. xi. 8. are all afcribed to the purpose, act, or decree of God, who had important defigns to answer by means of these blameable determinations of men. On the other hand, when perfons believe and obey the gospel, it is afcribed to the divine influence upon their minds.

Mat. xi. 25. I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou haft hid these things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unte babes. Even fo, Father, for fo it feemed good in thy fight, John vi. 27. All that the Father giveth me fhall come to me. See alfo John 17. Acts xvi. 14. And the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she attended to the things that were spoken of Paul. Moreover, every thing of this nature is exprefsly referred to the arbitrary difpofition of God, in Rom. ix. 18, 23. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt fay, then, unto me, Why dotb be yet find fault, for who hath refifted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou, that thou repliest against God? Shali the thing formed fay unto him that formed it, why ha thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the fame lump to make one vessel unto ho

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