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 Iacob, and hated Esau.

LEt us now proceed unto farther matter offered unto us from this testi∣mony of the Prophet, I have loved Jacob, and hated Esau, here cited by the Apostle: and here we see, that God did not onely love Jacob for the time present, but also loved him from everlasting: hence I observe thus much briefly,

[Doctrine.] That Gods chosen they were alwaies beloved of God, there can be no time given, wherein Gods chosen were not beloved of God; God loved his chosen before they had a being in the world, yea before the world was, and we cannot possibly prescribe a time when God loved not his chosen, or when he began to love his chosen; no, his love was from everlast∣ing.

[Reason.] For as all other things were ever present unto God, things past, things present, things to come, they were all present unto him from everlasting; he did look upon them (uno intuitu, with one full sight,) so were his cho∣sen,) as many as belonged to his election) he loved them before the foun∣dations of the world was: so that no time can be given, wherein God be∣gan to love his chosen.

[Object.] I, but some may say, doth not the Scriptures point out, that though Gods children be now beloved of God, yet there was a time when they were enemies of God, as in Rom. 5.10. yea, doth not the Apostle say in the

Ephes. 2.3. that they were children of wrath; how can it be then, that no time can be pointed out, when they were hated of God?

It is true indeed, the Scripture doth note out this unto us, [Answ.] that they are by nature children of wrath as well as others, and we are to believe it to be a truth, That Gods chosen before their effectual calling and conversion, are enemies to God, and God is an enemy unto them, before their effe∣ctual calling and conversion, in respect of sin, and because of sin, which is opposite and contrary to good, and to God himself which is good, yet even then Gods chosen are beloved of God, in regard of election, and even then God loveth his elect before their effectual calling, as his elect uncall∣ed, and with that degree of his love, which he beareth to his elect uncalled; yea, God maketh it appear manifestly, that he loveth them as his elect un∣called, in that he giveth unto them in time, true repentance; for if he did not love them, he would not give them repentance, and therefore they were then beloved of God, as his elect, in time to be called, and he doth work upon them in time, saving grace, true conversion, true faith and san∣ctification, which are things tending to life and salvation; and doth he give these to reprobates? as testimonies of his love to them he loveth not? no certainly he doth not: and therefore certainly we may resolve upon this, That God loveth his elect from everlasting, and no time can be given when he loved them not.

Upon this ground it followeth, that the Anabaptists, and other such [Ʋse 1] erring spirits are deceived, in that they hold this, as their tenent, that God doth purpose and decree the salvation of some before the world was, but God doth onely then actually choose them, when he seeth faith and re∣pentance in them: For if this were true, surely then God loveth not any sinner to life and salvation, till he seeth repentance in them, which is clean contrary to the truth of God now delivered, That no time can be given, wherein God loved not his chosen.

This being so, that no time can be given wherein God loved not his cho∣sen, [Ʋse 2] surely then upon this ground we may conclude to our comfort, we being such that belong to Gods election, that Gods love shall be continu∣ed unto us for ever: as Gods love unto us, unto life and salvation, hath no beginning, but is eternal, so also it shall be without end; as we cannot point out the time of beginning, no more can we of the continuance; but as God hath loved us from everlasting, so doubtlesse he goeth on not only within his own blessed Majestie, but in his love to us he goeth on conti∣nually, without alteration, or shadow of changing, Joh. 13.1. whom he lo∣veth, he loveth unto the end: so that this may be a ground of sweet and ex∣cellent comfort to as many as find themselves wrought upon by the Spirit of God, and find Gods love shed abroad in their hearts; that Gods love is everlasting for the beginning and continuance of it.

Now proceed we further, I have loved Jacob, and hated Esau; here we see that as Gods love to Jacob, was the cause of Jacobs advancement, and pre∣heminence; so Gods hatred to Esau, was the cause of Esau's servitude and subordination: hence I might stand to shew, that Gods hatred is the so∣veraign and chief cause of all evils, of punishments that befall the wicked in this life, and hereafter; though sin be the next and subordinate cause, yet the soveraign, the main, the chief, the grand and Mother cause, is Gods hatred: but this I will not stand upon, but rather note out the par∣ticular application of Gods hatred against Esau; and observe we to that purpose, it is here said, God hated Esau, that particular person Esau, which being understood as before expounded, affordeth unto us this conclu∣sion,

That God hath from everlasting certainly decreed the rejection of some particular persons, among men, even of Esau, and of such as Esau was: [Doct:] as God from everlasting decreed the election of some to life and salvation,

so hath he also decreed certainly the rejection and refusing of others, for even as he loved the one, so he hateth the other: And this ground of truth hath evidence and proof of it in other places of Scripture, in the 1 Thess. 5.9. saith the Apostle, he hath not appointed us to wrath, but that we should obtain salvation by the means of Jesus Christ, thereby im∣plying, that some are appointed of God to wrath, and in his eternal coun∣sel, God hath appointed that some shall never come to life and salvation; and in 1 Pet. 2.8. the Apostle affirmeth that some there are that stumble at the Word of God; (which is indeed a common stumbling block, Gods children walk evenly with an even foot, in the waies of God according to the will of God,) but some there be that stumble, being disobedient, unto which, before the world was, they were appointed and ordained: so in Jude 4. verse, The Apostle speaketh of some, that were of old before the world was ordained to condemnation, denying the Lord Jesus, the Lord of life and glory. Indeed the Scripture is not so plentiful, in this matter of reprobation, as it is in the matter of election; and why so? surely be∣cause the purpose of the Holy Ghost in the Scripture is principally to make known unto Gods chosen, Gods eternal good will, and his eternal love, to manifest and to signifie Gods good will and good pleasure to his cho∣sen, and the main and chief drift of the Holy Ghost, in the written Word of God, is to bring Gods chosen to certain hope of life and salvation, 1 Pet. 1.3. that they may be begotten to a lively hope, yet though this be spa∣ringly set down in the matter of rejection and reprobation, yet it is set down plainly and sufficiently, that God hath certainly refused some, and cast them off for ever. And beloved, this being a high mystery, that we may not misconceive, or misunderstand it, we must know that there is a difference to be put, and a distinction to be made, between Gods decree of rejecting of some, and the execution of his decree; God hath decreed absolutely from everlasting, and before the world was, without respect to any thing in them, or any thing he did foresee would be in them, their re∣jection: Now the execution of his Decree, is with the respect of sin, the decree is absolute, but the execution is with respect had to sinne; and for sin doth God execute his wrath in time, upon those that were rejected before time, for their infidelity, and their sin foregoing, which is the pro∣per cause of damnation, and no man is damned but for sin.

[Object.] I but, some will say, if God hath thus decreed the rejection and casting off of some for ever, surely such persons cannot possibly be saved, they can never come to heaven, and so consequently they must needs sin, that they may be damned, and therefore they sin of necessity.

[Answ.] To this I answer; Such as are rejected of God, they do indeed sin ne∣cessarily, but how? by necessity of consequent, not of antecedent; by necessity of certainty, and infallibility, not by necessity of constraint, or compulsion; they being rejected of God, God leaveth them to themselves, and to the cursed corruption of their hearts, and so they sin willingly and freely by the necessity of infallibility; yet Gods decree doth not compell them to sin, but it cometh from their own cursed corruption, as the proper cause of it. And so we are still to clear God, that we do not make him the author of sin, as the Anabaptists say we do: now this being cleared, come we to the use of it.

[Ʋse 1] This being so, that God hath from everlasting decreed the rejection of some, and casting off for ever; In the first place learn we to know this, as a holy, divine, and eternal truth of God: and we must be stirred up upon this ground, to a holy reverence, and holy admiration, of the wonderful and unspeakable power of God over his creatures; and take heed we cavil and reason not against it, and labour not to bring this high mystery and point of divinity within our shallow brains, and consider that we are but creatures, and we may not presume to prescribe a law of Justice to the

Creator; we are creatures, silly worms, we must not take upon us to say, Oh it is unjust, cruel, and hard for God so to do; for he is Justice it self, and whatsoever we imagine or think to the contrary; yet Gods will ma∣keth the thing willed, to be good, just, and holy, because it is willed of him, who cannot will amisse, though it be hard and harsh to our corrupt reason, God hath willed the rejection of some: and this thing willed by God is good, for God cannot will amisse.

This being a truth, Oh then it concerneth us to look unto it, and to [Ʋse 2] take heed that we see to our selves, whether we stand in the mercy of God or no, and have hope of Gods mercy vouchsafed to us: Oh labour we to find our selves, not in the number of those whom God hath rejected, and cast off for ever; (for some such there are) but labour to find, that we be in the number of those whom God hath received to mercy. And consi∣der, howsoever Gods mercy is infinite, and endlesse, yet Gods mercy ad∣mitteth of a limitation, and a restraint in respect of man, for it shall not be reached out and extended to all men in the world, without exception, no, nor to many that make full account of it, in their own imagination, and flatter themselves, that Gods mercy belongeth unto them. And therefore in the fear of God, take heed we do not (in this case) deceive our selves; labour we to find our selves to outstrip and go beyond a reprobate, and to find in our selves that that cannot possibly be found in a reprobate; this is that we should chiefly aym at, and intend to reach to: and never rest untill you come to find such things in your selves, that cannot possibly be in one whom God hath cast off.

But you will say, [Quest.] What are those things that cannot possibly be found in a Reprobate? (a needful question.)

Beloved, they are many; [Answ.] yet I will onely commend unto you two spe∣cial things that cannot possibly be found in a Reprobate. What are those? The first is, a thorow and true change, both of the heart and life, from evil to good: (as you heard not long since) Gods eternal election bring∣eth forth an alteration; so the first thing must be this, a sound, thorough, and true change wrought in the whole man, not in the memory, the under∣standing, or the tongue onely, but in the rest, and throughout; not as ma∣ny that have onely left some sins, as the beastly adulterer, for want of ability to follow it, but they are changed throughout, and have the power of grace wrought in them by the means of grace, the Word, Prayer, and the Sacraments, they have true grace wrought in every part of their body, and power of the soul, by the use of the means; for howsoever God is not tyed to means, (he can work without means,) yet God doth ordinarily work, where he vouchsafeth means: And they that live under the meanes, and have not grace, they are in a fearful case.

The second thing that cannot be found in a Reprobate, is a groaning under sin, and that because it is sin; not for fear, or shame, or by-respects, and especially under such sins, as no eye of man can take notice of, to see or know, but onely God, and a mans own heart and conscience; a groan∣ing under inward and spiritual sins, a groaning under unbelief, hardnesse of heart, deadnesse and dulnesse in performing holy duties, pride of life, pride of heart, self-love, (which no man can discern,) a groaning unto God in secret, to remove these things. Now then if thou findest these things, that thou hast a true and thorough change, by the work of Gods Spirit, thou art able to stand against thy best pleasing and darling sinnes; and the more grace thou hast, the more careful thou art to use the meanes: thou doest not think the time tedious, in hearing the Word, or repeating of Sermons; the more thy love to the means increaseth, and the more thou groanest under such evils and sins, as no eye of man can take notice of, no not the devil, and thou accountest it thy greatest misery to bear the

burthen of sin, thou couldest endure any torture in thy body, rather then sin, certainly thereupon thou mayest conclude that thou art one belong∣ing to Gods election, and hast outstripped and gone beyond a reprobate; Oh then hereby try and examine your selves, labour to find this change wrought in thee by the power and means of grace, and then this will yeeld thee sweet and heavenly comfort indeed.

Notes

• Two things which are ne∣ver found in any Repro∣bate.
• Psal. 38.3. Rom. 7.24.