The great mystery of godlinesse opened being an exposition upon the whole ninth chapter of the epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans / by the late pious faithful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. Edward Elton.

As it is written, I have loved Jacob, and hated Esau.

COme we now to the testimony (of the Apostle) it self, I have loved Iacob, and hated Esau. These words we find in Malachy, Mal. 1.2, 3. And they are here brought to manifest and to shew the reason of the diffe∣rence that it pleased God to put, between the two brethren, Jacob and Esau; Jacob advanced over Esau, because God loved Jacob; Esau brought in subjection unto Jacob, because God hated Esau.

Now that we may come to the handling of this testimony; Some there be that say, this testimony of the Prophet (I have loved Iacob, and hated Esau,) concerned onely things appertaining to this life, things outward and temporal, and not things eternal, the Prophet (say they) shewing wherein Gods love did consist unto Jacob, and wherein his hatred unto Esau did consist; he saith Gods love did consist in this, in giving unto Ja∣cob a fruitful Land flowing with milk and honey; and his hatred unto Esau,

in making Esaus Mountain waste; and in giving unto Esau's posterity the Idumeans, a barren and a dry Country, and a Wildernesse for Dragons, as the Prophet speaketh; therefore (say they) the Prophet thus speaking of things appertaining to this life, outward and temporal, it cannot hence be concluded, that our blessed Apostle treateth of eternal election, and repro∣bation; (as you would make it, that this whole Chapter concerneth Pre∣destination,) Now to this we answer easily; 'tis true indeed, the Prophet in the place alledged in the 1. of Malachy, speaketh of things appertaining to this life, it cannot be denyed; but yet he speaketh not of those things onely; he speaketh of those external things, but not onely of those things: For the drift of the Apostle in that place was, to reprove the Jews for their unthankfulnesse to God; In that they did neither honour God, nor fear him; for saith God, Mal. 1.6. If I be a Father, where is mine honour? If I be a Master, where is my fear? (who had indeed loved them effectually,) and testified his love, in giving them a fruitful Land, even the Land of pro∣mise; and in the sequel, he goeth on in a further matter, and sheweth that God was angry with Esau for ever, but he would be glorified, and magni∣fied in Jacob, and in the borders of Israel, as appeareth in the fourth and fifth Verses. And therefore that testimony of the Prophet, is not to be so applyed, onely to things outward and temporal; for the Lord saith, he would be glorified in Jacob, and he had hated Esau for ever: but it con∣cerneth the matter of eternal election and reprobation, of which the Apo∣stle in this Chapter treateth. Come we now to the particular unfolding of these words, I have loved Iacob, and hated Esau. Gods love, it is essen∣tial in God, it is of the same Nature with himself; God is love, saith the Apostle, 1 Joh. 4.16. and so Gods love it is free, even as his own blessed Majestie, and it being extended and reached out unto man, it is the free and eternal motion▪ (so I may describe it) the free and eternal motion of Gods good will and pleasure; the free motion, and the eternal motion of Gods good pleasure, touching the eternal and everlasting good of man: God freely purposing and determining the everlasting good of man, out of his good will and pleasure, as the Apostle saith expresly in Ephes. 1.5. we are predestinated, to be adopted through Christ, and that through the good pleasure of his will: so then when God saith, I have loved Jacob, what is his meaning? I have freely, out of my own good will and pleasure, no∣thing moving me thereunto, I have freely and voluntarily from everlasting, decreed the everlasting good of Jacob, and his eternal salvation: And I have hated Esau, saith the text; Now here some stumble, and do think, that this was spoken, not simply, but comparatively; not simply, I have hated Esau, but comparatively: and for this they say, God indeed loved Jacob and Esau both, though he loved not Esau with the same degree of love as he loved Jacob, but with a lesse love; and therefore it is said, I have hated Esau: and they instance in Deut. 21.15. where the Lord saith by Moses, If a man hath two wives, (as in the Old Testament many of the Pa∣triarks had) the one is loved, and the other hated; this God speaketh, not that a man that hath two wives hateth either, but that he loveth the one not so well as the other: as, Jacob had Rachel and Leah, he loved Leah with a lesse love then he did Rachel, so that in comparison of Gods love to Jacob, Gods love to Esau was a hatred. But beloved, these are exceed∣ingly deceived, for the Apostle calleth those whom God hateth, in the 22. verse of this ninth Chapter of the Romans, vessels of the wrath of God, and his vengeance, and therefore they are hated simply, being vessels of his wrath to destruction. And if we look in that text of Malachy alledged, and duly consider it, we shall find upon due examination, that it will easi∣ly appear, that God hated Esau simply, Mal. 1.2. saith the Lord, I have ha∣ted Esau; and he doth exemplifie and make it appear that he hated Esau, in that he laid his Mountain waste, and a Wildernesse for Dragons; as if

he had said, I have spoyled Esau of all his goods, stripped him and turned him out naked, and I have given his fair palaces, and goodly houses, for to be a den for Dragons; if there had been any hope of Esau's coming to his habitation and palace, and ancient possession, then it may haply seem, God did not hate Esau simply, but comparatively, but go on with the text, Mal. 1.4. saith God, Though Edom say, we are impoverished, and cast out, and undone, but we will return and build the desolate places, yet, saith the Lord of hosts, they shall build, but I will destroy, and they shall be called, The border of wicked∣nesse, and the people with whom the Lord is angry for ever, that is, against whom he proceedeth in wrath, and Judgment for ever. Oh see, is this hatred but in comparison? (the Lord setting himself so purposely and professedly against Esau,) no, it is simply.

Now for the simple meaning of the words, I have hated Esau, we must know, hatred in Scripture, applyed unto God, it is not a disordered, inve∣terate, and distempered passion, as it is in us: but hatred, (applyed unto God in Scripture) it signifieth three things,

First, It signifieth a negation, a denial of Gods love, that God loveth not, and chooseth not some to life and salvation; that is the first significa∣tion of it.

Secondly, hatred in Scripture applyed unto God, it signifieth a just de∣creeing of punishment for sin, and an inflicting of punishment for sin, yea he hateth the wicked themselves, Psal. 5.5. thou hatest all the workers of ini∣quity.

Thirdly, it signifieth Gods utter abhorring and disliking of that which is directly against Gods holy and righteous Law, and so God is said to hate iniquity and sin, as the breach and transgression of his most holy law; so then the meaning of God in these words is this; I have loved Jacob, and hated Esau, as if the Lord had said, I have, and that out of my good will and pleasure decreed, and from everlasting purposed, the eternal good of Jacob, and his salvation; and I have not, out of that good will and plea∣sure of mine from everlasting, so purposed and decreed Esau's eternal good; nay, I have before the world was, in my secret counsel, rejected him, and have cast him off, and refused him.

Come we now to such things as are observeable from hence: and first of all observe, the Apostle here maketh the ground of the advancement of Jacob over his brother Esau, to be Gods love to Jacob, in that he was pre∣ferred before Esau: hence we may gather this conclusion,

[Doct.] That Gods free and eternal love, is the cause of all the good that cometh unto Gods chosen, both here in this world, and hereafter in heaven, all the good things in this life, and the life to come, even from a bit of bread, to the glory of heaven, they come from the good will and pleasure of God, Jer. 31.3. the Lord saith unto his people, Israel, I have loved thee with •• everlasting love, then presently he subjoyneth, therefore with mercy have I drawn thee. And hence it is that the Lord maketh known, that the good things he hath bestowed upon his chosen from time to time, they have issu∣ed and sprung from that ever springing fountain of the free love of God, Exod. 19.4. he carried his people upon Eagles wings, he did favour and do them good from time to time, and so in Deut. 30.10. he chose Jacob, and the seed of Jacob, and brought his seed out of Egypt by a mighty power: and Deut. 4.37. he turned the curse of Balaam to a blessing. Numb. 23.5. when Balaam thought to curse the people of God, God turned it to a bles∣sing: so I might instance in many particulars, how the Lord manifested his love unto his people, one for all, Joh. 3.16. where Christ saith, God so loved the world, or his chosen in the world, that whosoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life: the free love of God was it that moved God to send his Son to be a Saviour unto them. Indeed I grant, that Gods chosen, now believing in Christ, they have the pardon of their sins, and

they have all good things vouchsafed unto them, for Christ his sake; even for Christ his sake God is pleased to vouchsafe unto them pardon of sin, and all other dependents thereon; for we must know, that though God out of his free love decreed to make Christ a means, and a Saviour, by whom, and through whom, men should have pardon of their sins conveyed unto them, that he should be the conduit and person, that they should receive it by; yet the fountain, and chief ground is Gods eternal love; so that the first cause, the first ground of all good things that come unto Gods chosen here, and hereafter in heaven, it is Gods free love, and his free good will and pleasure, though Christ be the means of conveyance.

Because God being most free, (as he is liberrimum agens,) he will not have [Reason 1] any good thing come from any thing out of himself.

Because no good can be given above the good will and pleasure of God, [Reason 2] Christ himself saith so, that we have nothing but the free and eternal plea∣sure of God; so that this plainly sheweth Gods free love is the ground of all good things.

First of all, this Doctrine doth put down a main difference, plain and [Ʋse 1:] manifest, between Gods love unto us, and our love unto others; we love others in respect of some good, some worth we see, some good quality, some excellent and worthy thing in them, which doth attract, and draw our love unto them, we see some beauty, some wit, some learning, some strength, or the like, that draweth our love unto them, and knitteth our hearts unto them; and indeed we are bound so to do, to love others, in respect of their beauty, wit, learning, and the Image of God in them in any manner. Now with God there is no such matter, our love is bounded and grounded and set upon some excellency or worth in the creature, even our very enemies, but with God there is no such matter, his love is not stirred up, nor caused by any good worth or excellency in us, or any goodnesse in us, no not by any thing out of himself. Indeed I grant, God loveth his own Image, being renued in us, and the more we are renued of God, the more holy, the more religious, the more pleasing to God, and the more dear and pretious to him: God loveth his own Image in us actually, but the cause of that is his eternal free love; so that though the Lord love us, we being renued, and holy and righteous, yet the cause is his eternal free love, which proceedeth not from any thing out of himself, but onely his free good will and pleasure.

Is this so, that all good things in this life, and the life to come, do pro∣ceed [Ʋse 2] from the good will and pleasure of God? Upon this ground we must learn then to indeavour in every good thing we enjoy, yea in the good things of this life, that we have and possesse, to see Gods love unto us in them, to see in the bread we eat, the apparel we clothe our selves withal, and the good things we enjoy, to see Gods love unto us: It is not suffi∣cient for us to know that the outward good things of this life are good things in themselves, blessings of God, a man may go so far by the very light of nature, to know, that meat and drink, and maintenance is a bles∣sing of God, and there is no comfort in this knowledge; no, we must be able to know that these good things come out of Gods free and eternal love, and to be blessings unto us in particular, and that they flow out from Gods free and eternal favour, wherewith he had loved us before the world was, and that they coming thus, we may use the Apostles form of thanksgiving, Ephes. 1.3. blessed be God our heavenly Father, who hath blessed us with all heavenly, and with all temporal good things, with this health, with this wealth, this apparel: but some may say, how is that to be done? I answer, Labour thou in the first place, to get thy part in the blood of Jesus Christ, labour thou to apprehend and apply the merits of Christ his death and obedience to thine own soul, by a true saving faith, and never rest untill thou hast a true and a saving faith to apply and to ap∣prehend

the merits of Christ to thy soul; for in Christ alone is the spiri∣tual right and title of all good things applyed to Gods chosen. Secondly, having gotten this, labour thou to find, that the outward good things of this life, they do stirre thee up and provoke thee forward to love God, to fear God, to walk humbly before the Lord, and to be thankful unto his holy Majesty; the outward good things of this life, thou hast a true right and title unto them, and are means to help thee forward in the wayes of God, and to walk humbly before the Lord, thy meat, thy drink, thy appa∣rel, are means to help thee forward to thy salvation, and to further thee in the way of salvation. And it is not with thee after the manner of the men of the world, to abuse the good things of this life, to vanity and pride, to set out their hearts, in pride of apparel, garishnesse of attire, riot, and ex∣cesse, (as some do) that a man may say, and easily discern, there is a proud person; (however you will say, under a russet coat may be a proud heart,) yet a man may say, where there is smoke, there is fire: It breaketh out in their foreheads, and foretops, and in their long shag'd ruffian-like hair, and in their exteriour parts, a man may say they are clothed with cruelty, and pride hangeth as a chain about their necks,* 1.1 and their houses and lands are priviledged places, for all manner of abomination, impiety, and un∣godlinesse, and no man may speak against them, especially being men of place and authority, great men, their greatnesse doth priviledge their places and houses, for all manner of impious and abominable courses; Oh take heed thou use not thy wealth as they do, but the more bountiful the Lord is, in pouring his blessings upon thee, the more humble thou art, the more holy thou art, the more thy heart is inlarged with righteousnesse, and in walking before God, and in all thankfulnesse, yea thereby thou art made ready and fit for every good work, thy heart is not lock't up to choak the seed of the Word in thy heart, but they open thy heart and thy hand, and make thee ready to every good work, to reflect upon the poor mem∣bers of Christ, the more thou hast, the more abundant thou art in good works, then certainly thou mayest conclude, that God hath blessed thee with thy wealth, and they are testimonies of Gods love to thee, and God hath manifested his love unto thee, which he bare before the world was, and thou mayest certainly conclude God loveth thee indeed.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Psal. 73.6.