who had entertain'd the notion of a temporal kingdom which Chrift was about to fet up, came to him with that ambitious request, that her two fons might be his chief favourites and minifters, might fet the one on bis right band, the other on his left in his kingdom; in his answer to her he not only lets her know she was miftaken about the nature of his kingdom, which was not of this world, but that the donatives and honours of it, were long fince fettled, and were to be difpos'd of by him to thofe perfons for whom they were defign'd in the Father's counsel and purpofe, and to no other. He faid, To fit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but to thofe for whom it is prepared of my father. -In the 13th ch. of Mark,our faviour fore-tells the unparalled diftrefs and defolation which would come upon the Jews, when the Roman armies fhould make a defcent upon Judea, and inveft Jerufalem, the holy city; whofe power and rage would be fo great as to make even a full end of that people, if the merciful providence of God did not interpose, to restrain and limit them. Such a remembrance of mercy in the midft of this judg ment he gives them the promise of ; but withal lets them know this favour would be fhewn them, for the fake of a chofen number; that fuch of his elect" as were

"then

"then living in their fins, and those of "them who were to defcend from the "loins of fome of that age, might be bro't "to faith and repentance; and that they "together with the already converted, "might be preferved for the propagation "of his kingdom in the world; the 19, and 20th verfes, For in those days fhall be affliction, fuch as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created, unto this time. And except the Lord had shortned those days, no flesh fhould be faved; but for the elects fake whom be bath chofen, he hath shortned the days: Our faviour goes on in the next verses, to foretell that falfe chris, and false prophets would arife at that time; fo plaufible in their pretences,fo artful in their managements, and fo induftrious to feduce, that they would deceive and draw away the very elect themfelves, were not their perfeverance in the faith fecur'd by the purpose of God concerning them, and their feduction & overthrow thereby rendred impoffible

In the 6th ch. of John, we have our blefled Lord complaining of the unbelief of the generality of thofe who had both feen his miracles, and heard his preaching; yet comforting himself, and refreshing others who wifh'd to fee his faving work go on, with the thought, that a goodly number would after all believe and be faved; even as many

as

as the father had given to him for his charge and care. The 36, 37, 38, & 39th, verfes; I bave faid to you, that ye also have feen me,and believe not. All that the father bath given me,fhall come to me: --- -for I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that fent me. And this is the father's will which hath (ent me, that of all which be bath given me, I fhould loofe nothing, but fhould raife it up again at the last day

In the 10th chap. he (peaks of his own redemption, as being of juft the fame extent with the Fathers election; reprefents himfelf as under à neceffity to bring all that belong'd to this election, into his church, and a participation of the bleffings of the gofpel, by the influences of his fpirit accompanying his word, because he cou'd not otherwife difcharge his truft, and fulfill the engagements he had enter'd into ; and fpeaks of the continued unbelief of those to whom he preach'd the gospel, as a fign they were not included in this number. The 15th, 16th, 26th, 27th, & 28th, verfes; I lay down my life for the sheep. And other Sheep I have which are not of this fold; them alfo I must bring, and they fhall hear my voice; and there fhall be one fold, and one Shepherd. Te believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I faid unto you. My Sheep bear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

and

and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither fhall any pluck them out of my band. My father which gave them me is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of my fathers hand; whofe power is also engag'd for their prefervation, and from whom I am never feparated in council and working.

It is true, The calling of the Gentiles into the church is referr'd to in what is faid in the 16th v; but to restrain all that our Saviour has here faid to the calling of them as a body, appears to be very contrary to the run of his difcourfe, wherein by the fheep which he speaks of as belonging to himself in the quality of a fhepherd, is evidently meant a felect number out of the Jews and Gentiles both. In the 13th ch. of this fame gospel, our Saviour giving an intimation to his difciples of the damning fin of Judas juft before he committed it, makes this distinction between him and the reft of the apoftles, I Speak not of you all; I know whom I bave cho(en, V. 13. The choice muft refer to falvation, and not to the apoftlefhip, for to this he was chofen, as much as the other apoftles; wherefore he fays in another place, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one

H

of

*

of you is a devil? Our Saviour, as he began, fo, he ends his miniftry with this doctrine: For his parting prayer with his difciples, juft before he left them and the world, is full of it. It is recorded in the 17th ch. of John's gofpel; and plainly fhews that as in his mediatorial undertaking, he was concern'd with a peculiar number given him by way of diftinction out of mankind in general, fo thefe only were interested in this interceffory prayer, as thofe to whom the bleffings he ask'd for and claim'd, did rightfully belong. Thefe words (pake Jefus, and lift up his eyes to beaven, and faid, Father, the bour is come; glorifie thy fon, that thy fon also may glorife thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that

*It is manifeft to me, that Chrift here means a more peculiar and beneficial election, than to the office of Apoftles; for he had chofen them all to this. But he here fpeaks of a difcriminating choice of fome of them, which did not extend to them all, and particularly to Judas: And to fhew that his knowing whom he had chofen, related not to their temper and difpofition, but to the perfons themfelves, he did not fay, I know, woes, what their qualities are, but, as, the perfons, whom I have chofen. GUYSA's excellent Paraphrase, in the margin.

be