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.

Notwithstanding it cannot be, that the Word of God of should take none effect, for all they are not Israel, which are of Israel.

OBserve we here, that the Apostle doth not barely affirm thus much, That though the Jewes might object, that if they were rejected, then the promise of God were frustrate, and void, and of none effect; he doth not onely affirm it, that this cannot possibly be, but he doth further strengthen it with a reason, why it cannot so be, namely thus; because all they are not Israel, which are of Israel; because all they which came of Abraham, of Jacob, and of Israel, by natural generation all they are not Gods Israel, the Israel of God, Abrahams chosen seed, unto whom alone the Promise was made, so that the promise of God is firm and sta∣ble; so then you see, it was from a misconceiving, and misapplying of the promise, that the Jewes thought that the promise of God was void, which was made unto Abraham, if they were rejected, the Jews applying the pro∣mise to the carnal seed of Abraham, unto the seed of Abraham accord∣ing to the flesh, and therefore they forced this false conclusion; but the Apostle telleth them plainly, that all they that came of Israel, by carnal generation, they are not the true seed of Israel; so that their misapply∣ing, was the cause of their false collection: hence then note we thus much.

[Doctrine.] That the words of Gods promises, being mis-understood, and mis-apply∣ed, it is not truly comfortable, it is not a true ground of comfort to those that so mis-understand it, and mis-apply it: Or we may put this down in the general, thus;

That the Word of God either promising mercy, or threatning judgment, or teaching any duty, being misunderstood, and misapplyed, is not the true, profitable, and comfortable Word of God, to those that so misunderstand it, and mis-apply it: in 2 Tim. 2. we find, that the Apostle having exhorted

Timothy to a constant undergoing of the labour of the Ministery, and to a patient bearing of the Crosses that came by reason of the execution of his office: then in the seventh verse he concludeth, Consider what I say, and the Lord give you understanding in all things: as if he had said; Consi∣der duly, what I stirred and exhorted thee unto, and the Lord give thee, that thou mayest both rightly understand, and rightly apply it: and so in 2 Pet. 3.16. The Apostle telleth us, that the holy Scriptures being wrest∣ed and perverted, and mis-applyed, they are so far from being comfort∣able, that they tend to the destruction of them that mis-understand and mis-apply them; they are so far from being comfortable, when men do pervert them; and turn them which way they list; that they tend to their own destruction.

And indeed, though the Scripture be in it self, the Will and Wisdome of God revealed unto us, and though it be true, that God speaketh unto us in and by the same; yet the Word of God mis-understood and mis-ap∣plyed, it is not the word of God, neither doth God speak unto us; (and as One saith well,) the word of God foolishly perverted, and understood, it is not the word of God to him that so understandeth it, and therefore cannot be truly profitable; and comfortable unto him: for the Applica∣tion.

It concerneth us then, in the first place, that are Ministers and Messen∣gers [Ʋse 1] of God, that take upon us to handle the holy Word of God, and to deliver it unto Gods people, to be careful of it, that we rightly understand, and rightly apply the word of God, and that we deliver unto our hearers Gods word, and out of Gods word, Gods mind and meaning, that they may say, God speaketh in the Preacher. 1 Cor. 14.25. so must we deliver the mind and word of God. And then onely shall we find the blessing of God upon the Word, we handle, and then we shall draw men to a holy course of life; or at least convince them of their sins; if we deliver it so, as God may be said to speak in us, or by us, then we may look for a blessing upon it, to the working of grace; and to convert them to a holy life: for if it be not rightly grounded, either upon the Word of God, or derived thence, surely take it for a truth, it is not Gods Word: Though it be a sound Orthodox, and a true point of Divinity; yet if it be not grounded upon the Word of God, we handle, or by necessary consequence, it is mans word, and not Gods Word.

Again, this being so, That the word of God is not the true, profitable, [Ʋse 2] and comfortable Word of God, being misunderstood, and mis-applyed; it then concerneth every one of us all that are hearers of the word of God, to look unto it, that in hearing and reading the holy word of God, we labour to understand it aright, and to make a right application of it: and we are to take heed how we wrest the word of God, by wronging and per∣verting of it, to make the Word of God to serve our fantasies: as the Usurer will seek out a place of Scripture to defend his Usury, a foul and a fearful sin, to make the word of God to speak according to our fantasies and conceits; for this is the seed of all heresies whatsoever, and therefore we must labour to understand the word aright.

But here may some object [Object.] and say, What would you have me to do, that am a poor and unlearned man? alas how should I come to a right understanding of the word of God? and come to make a right applicati∣on of it? Many Scholers, and many Divines, are not able to reach into the Depth of it; can I then that am a simple and unlettered man or woman?

To this I answer, [Answ.] Be thou careful (thou that thus pleadest for thy self,) to use the means that God hath set up in his Church, for the opening and unfolding of his Word, and for thy guidance and direction in the way of truth, and of love, both towards God and man: be careful in these means,

that is, be careful in frequenting, and using the ordinary meanes of the word, the Ministery that God hath set up in his Church, for thy directi∣on, Prov. 8.33. be thou careful to attend at the gates of wisdome; be frequent in hearing the VVord of God opened and expounded, and be sure to come to the hearing, and reading of the Word of God, with an humble heart, that thy heart be not lift up with a conceit of thy own understand∣ing, but be emptied of all self-conceit, and pride, in respect of the preg∣nancy of thy own wit, and to this joyn earnest and hearty prayer unto the Lord, be attentive to the means that serve to open the word, come to the hearing and reading of it with an humble heart, and also be instant in in∣vocation, and calling upon the name of the Lord, that the Lord would open thine eyes and ears, and give thee the Spirit of Revelation, of un∣derstanding: do as David did, Psal. 119.18. Lord open mine eyes, that I may behold the wonders of thy Law. It is a worthy saying of an Ancient Divine, (saith he) though there be many things in the Scripture, hard to be under∣stood, difficult to reach into the depth of them, yet whatsoever is neces∣sary and needful to be known to salvation, it is plainly set forth in the Scri∣pture, and easie to be understood to them that will read diligently, mark attentively, pray heartily, and judge humbly; come without any self-con∣ceit of thine own wit, come even as a fool to the Word of God, in com∣parison of the wisdom of God revealed in it, and then by this meanes we shall come to a right application of the Word of God, and effectually un∣derstand and apply it.

Come we now to the Apostles reason, all they are not Israel, that are of Israel, that is, all they are not the true Israelites, and elect and chosen seed of Abraham, that are descended of Israel according to the flesh: hence we are plainly taught thus much,

[Doctrine.] That indeed all are not true Israelites, that bear the name of Israelites; or thus, all they are not true Christians, that have taken upon them the name of Christ, and bear the name of Christians: or thus, all they that are in the visible Church, and are of the visible Church, yet they are not members of the true Church of God: And for the further manifestati∣on of this, if we look in the Book of God, we shall find, that in all ages from the beginning, there hath been some in the visible Church, and of the visible Church, that were not true members of the Church of God. Thus it was in the dayes of Moses, in the dayes of Christ, and of the Apo∣stles, yea when the Church of God was in one Family, in Abraham, in Isaac, and in Jacobs Family; in Abrahams Family was an Ishmael, as well as an Isaac; in Isaac's Family, an Esau, as well as a Jacob; and so in all ages: and hence it is, that Christ compareth the Church to a field, that hath not onely good wheat, but tares, Matth. 13.26. and in the 47. and 48. verses. Christ speaketh of some that said they were Jewes and were not, they were Jewes by birth and nation; but they were the Synagogue of Satan: and in Revel. 3.9. he saith, some called themselves Jews and were not, they were in the visible Church, and yet they were not the true Church of Christ.

[Reason.] Because all they that live in the bosome of the visible Church, and make open profession of it, they are not all such as God hath set apart to life and salvation, though they be in the visible Church, and of the visible Church, and make the same profession, yet indeed they are not true members of the Church; 1 Joh. 2.19. where John saith, they went out from us, because they were not of us; they did not truly believe in Christ, and if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but by this it appeareth, that they were not of us, because they have made a disjunction from us: now to apply this.

[Ʋse.] First of all, this truth now delivered, beareth witnesse strongly against the foolish conceit of the Separatists; (and what is their opinion?) They

hold and teach, That the visible Church is the body of Christ Jesus, and all the members of the visible Church, they are members of the mystical body of Christ, they are partakers of the Spirit of Christ, of the life of Christ, and the grace of Christ; Surely then it must needs follow, that all the members of the visible Church are Gods children, and heires of salva∣tion, yea then Cain, and Ishmael, and Esau, and Saul, and Judas, they were the children of God, and have obtained salvation. If this were true, that all that are partakers of the visible Church, are members of Christ, and heires of salvation, it were easie to prove, that these men were in the visible Church, and of the visible Church, and therefore by this reason are saved: but how false it is, to think that these men have obtained salvati∣on, any man that hath been exercised in the truth may easily see it; they are mistaken in the Tenent, and the ground of their error is this; Whatso∣ever they find in Scripture spoken of the invisible Church, the Catholike Church, (seen by the eye of faith,) they apply to the visible Church; as it is said, that the Church of God is a holy Nation, a peculiar Priesthood, they apply it to the visible Church; and their definition is a hoch poch, a mingling of the properties of the invisible Church, and the visible Church together, and an appropriating of them to the visible Church; this is common both in their Writings and Conferences.

But come we now to lay the truth delivered a little nearer to our selves; Is it so, that all that live in the bosome of the Church, are not members of the true Church of God? Upon this ground learn we to take heed of a strong delusion, that deludeth thousands in the world: Many in the world have this conceit, and are strongly possessed with it; that (because they have been bred and born in the visible Church, they breathe in it, and joyn with it, and make the same profession that we do, they partake in the holy Ordinances of God, they come to the Ministery of the Word, they have been partakers of the holy things of God, the Word, the Sacraments, they come to the Table of the Lord,) therefore certainly they are true Members of the Church of God, they are Christians, true Christians, and who shall say to the contrary? and yet we shall find these men that thus believe their phantasies, they are ignorant of God, and of the truth of God, and of the Word of God; yea many of them, though they be old men and women, understand not the grounds of Catechisme, nor the Fundamental points of Religion; their hearts are full of unbelief, and of Covetousnesse, and of disordered passions, of pride, of lust, of envy, and anger, they perform good duties in publick, carelesly both in publick and in private, never care to examine how they thrive in grace, and goodnesse; no not so much as perform the duty of prayer; or if they do, they per∣form it customarily, and with dull and dead hearts, they are asleep in hearing the Word, and very untoward in performing of holy duties, and yet they hold themselves to be in very good case, they are good Chri∣stians; why? do they not come to the holy Word and Sacraments? and yet are ignorant of the grounds of Catechisme.

The truth now delivered, maketh known unto you, that you are in the wrong, yea, in the case of Judas and Saul, they were in as good case as thou art: men may joyn themselves to the Church, even to the visible Church of God, and may participate in all the holy Ordinances of God, and yet be no true members of the Church of God; and therefore take we heed of deceiving our selves, and be stirred up to labour not to rest in this formality; labour to find your selves not only in the visible Church, and professe the same truth, but that we find our selves to be true Chri∣stians, such as know God, and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ; for the Apostle telleth us, 2 Thessal. 1.8. that Jesus Christ shall come in flaming fire, rendring vengeance upon all that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of

our Lord Jesus Christ: yea let us never rest untill we find we be such as Nathaniel was, Joh. 1.47. that we are true Israelites, in whom there was no guile, no coverers, nor clokers of sinnes, but that we are upright hear∣ted, both in regard of good things, and also in regard of sinne; for here∣in we must shew that we are upright and sound hearted, if that in doing of good things we seek not the pleasing of men, or of our selves, to avoid the danger of the Law, and such Sinister and by-respects; but in a simple obedience unto God, because God commandeth them; and with a due respect to the glory of God: And also in respect of sinne, labour we to be sound hearted, that there be no regarding of sinne, Psal. 66.18. If I re∣gard wickednesse in my heart, the Lord will not hear me; if I cleave unto it: so that there must not be in us any regarding of sin, and cleaving unto it, as by favouring of it either in our selves, or in others, or by lessening and cloking of sin, or a little extenuation of sin, oh we are guileful and de∣ceitfull hearted, if we do thus extenuate and lessen, and cloke sin, account some sins little, and trifling, but to resolve against it, accounting them to be vile, and odious, yea we finding our selves to be guilty, to be for∣ward in the acknowledgment of our sin, without covering, and cloking of sin, with God, but soundly, and freely, and throughly, acknowledging and confessing our sins, and with a resolution to leave it, and to break it off, and confesse it with grief of heart, if we be thus upright hearted, we are true Christians, and true members of the Church of God, without this we can have no assurance that we are in the favour of God, we may have a conceit that our sins are done away, and that we are in the favour of God, but we must labour to be sound hearted, therein standeth the assu∣rance of the pardon of our sins, Psal. 32.1, 2. saith David, Blessed is the man whose sinnes are forgiven, and whose wickednesse is covered; and then he sub∣joyneth, as a qualification, he is one that hath no guile in his heart, Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile; whereby we may demonstrate, that we are in the number of those blessed people, if there be no guile in our hearts.

Oh then labour we to perform holy duties, not to please men, or to please our selves, but out of obedience to God, not to cloke and cover sin, and to say, for breaking the Sabbath, what? is it so great a matter to set things in order against the next day? On these are not sound hearted, therefore if we would have comfort to our soules, labour to be true Mem∣bers of the Church.