2

rejected; as Jeremiah also and John the Baptist are chosen in the womb, and the Apostle Paul himself is predestinated to the Gospel before he is born. But nothing satisfies us, except what is belonging to the Church, and we are not afraid to speak of publicly in the church. . . . Let us therefore speak as well as we can, and following in the steps of the Apostle's will, let us not depart from his sentiments even a point or the breadth of a finger, as the saying is. He had wept above, and had called upon the Holy Spirit to witness his sorrow and conscience, that his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh, that is the Israelites, had not received the Son of God: "to whom pertained the adoption and the glory, and the covenants, and the law, and the word of God, and the promises"; from whom also Christ Himself was born according to the flesh of the Virgin Mary: and he is so tortured by the constant grief of heart that he wishes himself to be accursed from Christ, that is, to perish alone, lest all the nation of the Israelites should perish. And because he had said this, he immediately foresaw a question which would be brought in opposition. What then do you say? Have all who are of Israel perished? And how have you yourself and the rest of the Apostles and an infinite multitude of Jewish people received Christ, the Son of God? Which he thus solves: In the Holy Scripture Israel is mentioned in a twofold manner and is divided into two sons: into one which is according to the flesh, and into another which is according to the promise and the Spirit. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac; Ishmael, who was born according to the flesh, did not receive the inheritance of his father: Isaac, who was born of Sarah, according to the promise, is called the seed of God. For it is written, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called"; that is, they who are sons of the flesh, are not the sons of God; but those who are the sons of promise, they are reckoned in the seed. And we prove that this happened not only in Ishmael and Isaac, but also in the two sons of Rebecca, Esau and Jacob, one of whom was rejected and the other chosen. And he says all this that he may show that the people of the Jews were rejected in the two elder brothers, Ishmael and Esau; but that in the two younger, that is Isaac and Jacob, the Gentiles were chosen, or those of the Jews who were about to believe in Christ."

5 Omnis quidem ad Romanos Epistola interpretatione indiget: et tantis obscuritatibus involuta est ut ad intelligendam eam, Spiritus Sancti indigeamus auxilio; qui per Apostolum hæc ipsa dictavit: sed præcipuè locus hic, in quo quidam volentes Dei servare justitiam, ex præcedentibus causis dicunt, electum in utero Rebecca Jacob, et abjectum Esau, sicut et Jeremias, et Baptista Johannes eliguntur in utero; et ipse Apostolus Paulus prædestinatur in Evangelium antequam nascatur. Nobis autem nihil placet, nisi quod Ecclesiasticum est, et publicè in Ecclesia dicere non timemus. . . Dicamus igitur, ut possumus, et apostolicæ voluntatis sequentes vestigia, ne punctum quidem (ut dicitur) atque unguem transversum, ab illius sententiis recedamus. Fleverat supra et dolori suo et conscientiæ testem invocaverat Spiritum Sanctum, quòd fratres

The sacred history relates that as a type of the Synagogue and the Church most elders were reprobated by the Lord and the youngest were elected. Thus Cain the elder is rejected while Abel the younger is chosen; thus Ishmael, the son of Abraham, is an alien from his father, while Isaac, the younger, receives the inheritance. Of the sons of Isaac, likewise, Esau, the elder, is a hunter and wanders in the forests, while Jacob, the younger, dwells simply at home. Hence it is written in Malachi, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. And truly, according to the Apostle, while yet in their mother's womb they had done neither good nor evil, nor had they either merit or offence, so that the one should be elected and the other rejected, except as we have said in a type of the Synagogue and the Church, the elder is cast aside, and the younger taken. 1

AUGUSTINE.

But He foreknew what their bad will would do; He foreknew it indeed and because His prescience is infallible, the bad will is not on that account His, but theirs. Why then did He create them whom He knew would be such? Because as He foresaw what evil they would do, so also He foresaw what good He would Himself produce out of their bad actions. For He so formed them that He left them the means of doing something by which, whatever they should choose, even blameably, they would find Him working laudably concerning them. For they have the bad will from themselves, but from Him both a good nature and a just punishment. 2

sui et cognati secundùm carnem, id est, Israelite, Dei Filium non recepissent: quorum fuit adoptio, et gloria, et testamentum, et legislatio et cultura et promissio: ex quibus etiam ipse Christus secundùm carnem de Maria generatus est Virgine: et tam continuo cordis dolore torquetur; ut ipse optet anathema esse à Christo, id est, solus perire, ne omne Israeliticum genus pereat. Et quia hoc dixerat, statim venientem è regione prævidit quæstionem. Quid ergo dicis? Omnes, qui ex Israel sunt, perierunt? Et quomodo tu ipse, et cæteri Apostoli, et infinita Judaici populi multitudo, Christum Dei Filium recepistis? Quam ita solvit : Israel in Scripturis sanctis dupliciter appellatur, et in duos dividitur filios: In unum qui juxta carnem est; et in alterum qui juxta repromissionem et spiritum. Abraham duos habuit filios, Ishmael et Isaac, Ishmael, qui secundùm carnem natus est, hæreditatem patris non accepit; Isaac, qui de repromissione generatus ex Sara est, semen Dei appellatur. Scriptum est enim: In Isaac vocabitur tibi semen, id est, non qui filii carnis, hi filii Dei; sed qui sunt filii repromissionis, isti existimantur in semine. Et hoc non solum in Ishmael et Isaac accidisse convincimus; sed etiam in duobus Rebecca filiis, Esau et Jacob, quorum alter abjectus, alter electus Et hoc totum dicit, ut in duobus prioribus fratribus, Ishmael et Esau, populum Judæorum abjectum esse significet: In posterioribus autem, hoc est, in Isaac et Jacob, electum populum Gentium; vel eos qui ex Judæis in Christum credituri erant. Hier. Hedib. Quæst. x.

est.

Sacra narrat historia, seniores plurimos fuisse à Domino reprobatos, et juniores electos, in typum Synagogæ et Ecclesia. Senior Cain abjicitur ; et Abel junior eligitur : Ishmael, filius Abraham, alienus à patre est; et Isaac junior hæreditatem accepit. Filiorum quoque Isaac, senior Esau venator est, et vagatur in saltibus: junior Jacob simpliciter habitat domi. Unde scriptum est et in Malachia: Jacob dilexi; Esau autem odio habui. Et rectè, juxta apostolum, nihil, in matris utero constituti, boni vel mali fecerant; nec habebant meritum aut offensam, ut alter eligeretur, et alter abjiceretur: nisi in typo, ut diximus, Synagogæ et Ecclesiæ, senior repellitur, et assumitur junior. Hieron. Com. in Ezech. lib. viii., xxvii.

Sed præsciebat quid eorum factura esset voluntas mala. Præsciebat sanè, et quia falli non potest ejus præscientia, ideo non ipsius, sed eorum est voluntas mala. Cur

Nothing happens in this world by chance. This being established, it seems to follow, that whatever takes place in the world takes place partly from the appointment of God, partly from our own will. For God is by far and incomparably better and more just than the best and most just man. But a just Being ruling and governing the universe, suffers no punishment to be inflicted undeservedly upon any person, and no reward to be given undeservedly.1

CHRYSOSTOM.

But as many of a dull mind and perception say things of this kind, that because He has chosen some and loved some and hated others, therefore some are wicked and others good, He persuades by facts correcting the opinion of each of these and producing a proof from works; and He declares even before the thing takes place, that such a man will be virtuous that they may understand His attribute of prescience, and He brings the proof by facts lest any absurd person should say that a man became such as he was through the prediction. Observe how Paul shows this, 'For the children being not yet born, 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 said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger.' 2 For it was not necessary to wait for the event of things, but beforehand He knew who would be wicked and who would not be such."

ergo eos creavit, quos tales futuros esse præsciebat? Quia sicut prævidit quid mali essent facturi, sic etiam prævidit de malis factis eorum quid boni esset ipse facturus. Sic enim eos fecit, ut eis relinqueret unde et ipsi aliquid facerent, quo quicquid etiam culpabiliter eligerent, illum de se laudabiliter operantem invenirent. A se quippe habent voluntatem malam, ab illo autem et naturam bonam et justam pœnam. Aug., de Genesi ad. lit. lib. xi. cap. 9.

1 Nihil igitur casu est in mundo. Hoc constituto, consequens videtur, ut quidquid in mundo geritur, partim divinitus geratur partim nostra voluntate. Deus enim quovis homine optimo et justissimo longe atque incomparabiliter melior et justior est. Justus autem regens et gubernans universa nullam poenam cuiquam sinit immerito infligi, nullum præmium immerito dari. August. lib. de diversis Quest, octoginta-tribus Quæst. χχίν.

2 Rom. ix. 11, 12.

* Επειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ παχύτεροι τὴν γνώμην ὄντες, καὶ ἀναίσθητοι, πολλὰ τοιαῦτα φθέγγονται, ὅτι τὸν δεῖνα ἐξελέξατο, καὶ τὸν δεῖνα ἐφίλησε, καὶ τὸν δεῖνα ἐμίσησε διὰ τοῦτο ὁ μὲν πονηρὸς, ὁ δὲ φαῦλος ἐγένετο· ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πείθει, τὴν ἑκάστου τούτων διορθούμενος γνώμην, καὶ παράγων εἰς μέσον τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἀπόδειξιν, καὶ ἀποφαίνεται μέν, καὶ πρὸ τῶν πραγμάτων, ὅτι ἐνάρετος ὁ δεῖνα, ἵνα μάθωσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν προγνωστικὴν δύναμιν· ἐπάγει δὲ καὶ τὴν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων πληροφορίαν, ἵνα μή τις τῶν ἀνοήτων εἴπῃ, ὅτι διὰ τὴν πρόρρησιν ὁ δεῖνα τοιοῦτος ἦν. Ορα γοῦν καὶ ὁ Παῦλος πως τοῦτο δηλοῖ, λέγων Μήπω γὰρ γεννηθέντων, μηδὲ πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν ἢ κακὸν ἵνα ἡ κατ' ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις τοῦ Θεοῦ μένη, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος ἐῤῥέθη αὐτῇ, ὅτι ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δεῖται ἀναμεῖναι τῶν ἔργων τὸ τέλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τούτων οἶδεν αὐτὸς τὸν φαῦλον, καὶ τὸν οὐ τοιοῦτον ἐσόμενον. Chrysostom, Psalm cxxxviii. § 1.

CHAPTER IJI.

THE OBJECT OF ELECTION.

(a) Generally.

No election of God has been for the exclusive blessing of those elected; it has been invariably for the blessing of others. By reason of the conduct of mankind generally an election has almost become necessary, so to speak, that God's purpose of blessing all might be best carried into effect.

Three great elections are mentioned in Holy Scripture-the election of Seth, the election of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the election of the Christian Church. All have arisen from the apostacy of the greater numbers, all have been for the ultimate blessing of mankind generally, and to work out the more effectually that marvellous scheme of mercy and Divine grace which is the delight of both the angels above and of God's children below.

In the first election of Seth we see this: When the wickedness of Cain and his descendants was manifest, God chose Seth and his descendants, he being the appointed seed instead of Abel; then it is recorded,1 when a son was born to Seth, "began men to call upon the name of the Lord." This election was to preserve the knowledge and worship of the true God which Cain and his descendants had perverted. It was not with the idea of excluding from salvation all others who were not of the seed of Seth, but that God's name might be preserved among the nations that His promise of the true seed, the great Deliverer, should be kept alive in the hearts of His people; in short, that a way of abundant blessing might ever be open to those who would turn from their evil ways, and call upon the name of the Lord.

Though the hand of God was thus stretched out to His people in His mercy, still apostacy increased, and in the days of Noah all save eight persons perished in the watery deluge. Even after the deluge wickedness again increased in the world, and in the time of Abraham had come to a crisis. The nations had "changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to four-footed beasts and to creeping things." The blessed message of forgiveness and of promise had been buried out of sight. Then it became apparent that unless some measures were adopted for preserving the name and purpose of God among the nations, they would soon have been utterly lost sight of and

1 Gen. iv. 26.

ness.

ingulfed in the apostacy then threatening to swallow up every truth of God. Diffused and dispersed over the whole earth, the Divine light had been all but quenched in the surrounding darkThe scattered rays, therefore, were intended to be collected and concentrated into one focus. The truth, which had become intermingled with vain imaginations, and been corrupted to serve the purposes of a vitiated course of life, must be gathered up and placed under some guardianship. It must be appropriated, so to speak, to some people who must regard it as their peculiar treasure -as their precious trust. God accordingly chose a people singularly adapted to His gracious purpose. He selected a people to guard the common truth-the world's truth, conferring upon them for the rest of the world peculiar honours and peculiar advantages. We read the Lord said unto Abraham, "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house, into a land that I will shew thee. And I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; and I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." What could more plainly express God's intention of blessing others in the election of Abraham? "Thou shalt be a blessing," and "in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." When there was a fear that all true knowledge both of God and of a promised Saviour would be lost in the wild superstition which had taken hold of the nations of the earth-when the apostacy had so acquired the upper hand that there seemed a possibility of the very name of God being blotted out from their remembrance, the Lord in His mercy chose out Abraham and his family, that in his seed all the nations of the earth might be blessed. 2

1

So the words of the Lord to Isaac when he was chosen out of the family of Abraham were that "in his seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed." It was the same also with Jacob when he was chosen out of the family of Isaac; the Lord's words were that in him and his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed. +

However backsliding and perverse the chosen people were through successive ages, they kept alive in the midst of the nations the knowledge of the true God, and shed a light, however dim, on the heathenish darkness with which they were surrounded; and God's purpose was accomplished by a faithful remnant. "For they were not all Israel who were of Israel."5 Those were the true Israelites who held fast the promise and continued steadfast in the covenant. These were the type of the

1 Gen. xii. 3; xviii. 18.

2 Gen. xxii. 18.

3 Gen. xxvi. 4.

* Gen. xxviii. 14.

5 Rom. ix. 6.