whose head it was to reft by the divine determination, he acquies'd in the will of God, tho' it contradicted his own apprehenfion and affection; and was fo far from reverfing what he had done that he repeats it and paffionately affirms it, † I have bleffed him, yea, and he shall be bleed. And tho' Jacob acted a difhoneft and finful part, (of which he was afterwards no doubt made fenfible, and bro't to repentance for it, and fo mercifully pardon'd of the free grace of God thro' the promifed Meffiah) yet Ifaac in his bleffing him, and not reverfing it, was under the conduct and influence of the divine Spirit; for we told, Heb. II. 20 By faith Ifaac blessed Jacob, and Elan, concerning things to come. Here Jacob is put firft by the apoftle, tho' the younger, as having the precedency, and a better bleffing. It is indeed a strange ftory! And if the defign and meaning of it be enquir'd after, the apoftle explains it thus, in Romans the 9th ch. 1I V. That the purpofe of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. i. e. fays Mr. Henry on the place, "That this great truth may be eftablish'd, that God chufeth fome, and refufeth others, as a free agent,

+ Gen. 27. 33°

are

by

by his own abfolute and fovereign will, dipenfing his favours, or withholding them, as he pleaseth.

And if we look to the pofterity of Jacob, the Ifraelites, this people the Lord chofe in Abraham, four hundred years before he publickly own'd them. They are exprefly term'd an elect nation, as being diftinguish'd from the rest of the world; an boly, ipecial, and peculiar people unto God. When he

divided to the nations their inheritance, and feparated the fons of Adam, He took these for his own portion, the lot of his inheritance; † tho the earth was his to chufe a people out of to his name. And their hiftory, from the time of their being firft form'd into a people, abundantly fhews the special and peculiar love of God to them, above all other people in the world. Because they were precious in his fight,and honourable, therefore he gave men for them, and people for their life, when their prefervation and interefts call'd for it; yea, he gave Egypt for their ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for them. * And why did the Lord take these? What was there to intitle them to this diftinguishing honour? Did he chufe them because they were a better people, or a greater nation?

+ Deut. 32. 8, 9. * Ifa. 43. 3.

No

No fuch matter. Mofes tells them, Deut. 7. 7, 8. The Lord did not fet his love upon you, nor chufe you, because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people. And as their number was fmall, fo their difpofition was bad and their manners ill. They were a peevish and humourfome people,froward and perverse, obftinate and incorrigible; ftrangely addicted to the idolatries of Egypt, and other nations. The Lord fore-law this before he chose them; for he tells them by the prophet, Ifai. 48. 4. 8. I knew that thou wouldest deal treacherously, and wast called a tranfgreffor from the womb. I knew that thou waft obftinate, thy neck an iron finew, and thy brow brass. I have even from the beginning declared it unto thee; before it came to pass I Shewed it thee. Therefore the only reafon affign'd why God fet his love upon them as he did, is this, because he loved them. All was from free favour, to manifeft his fovereignty, and because he had his elect among them, in a ftill higher and more ap propriate fenfe. So God faid to Mofes, Exod. 33. 19. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy to whom I will fhew mercy.

If we go on to name David,He, the moft unlikely among the fons of fee, was chofen to be the king of Ifrael.

He was the

youngest

youngeft of the family, employ'd in the meaneft fervice, to keep the fheep, ; fcarce reckon'd as one of the family, for he was not bro't in amongst the reft, when Samuel was fent to anoint bim whom the Lord bad chofen. But when all the other had been refus'd as they país'd before Samuel, tho' feveral of them ftood fair in the eye of the prophet, and David was at last fetch'd; as foon as he appear'd the Lord faid, Arife, anoint him, for this is be. † The peculiarity of the divine choice appearing in this inftance, the pfalmift fings of, Pía. 78 70, 71. He chofe David alfo his fervant, and took him from among the sheep-folds; from following the ewes great with young, be bro's him to feed Jacob his people, and Ifrael bis inheritance.

Another remarkable inftance was Cyrus. This man was defign'd in the purpose of God for great and noble work; to destroy a mighty monarchy, release God's people out of captivity, and rebuild his temple. It was foretold what great things should be done by him, more than an hundred years before he was born; and he was called by bis name too: And this not from any worthyness in himself, for 'tis faid he did not fo much as know the Lord. This famous

t

I Sam. 16. 12.

man

man and his wondrous actions, were prophefied of fo long before hand, by the prophet Ifaiah, in the latter part of the 44th, and the beginning of the 45th chapters of his book. Thus faith the Lord, that confirmeth the word of bis fervant, and performeth the counjel of bis meffengers; that faith to Jerufalem, thou shalt be inhabited, and to the cities of Judah, ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: That faith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure; even faying to Jerufalem, thou shalt be built, and to the temple, thy foundation shall be laid. Thus faith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whofe right hand I have bolden, to fubdue nations before him and I will loose the loins of kings to open before him the two-leav'd gates, and the gates fhall not be shut. I will go before thee, and make the crooked places ftraight; I will brake in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in funder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of fecret places; that thou mayst know, that I the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Ifrael. For Jacob my fervants fake, and Ifrael mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name; I bave even fir-named thee, though thou hast not known me.

The prophet Jeremy was likewife ordain'd to great things before he was born. To him God faid, Jer. 1. 5. Before I formed

thee