Romans 9

And as a man that refuses his food murders himself, so he that refuses to work out his salvation does destroy himself. The vessels of mercy are said to be prepared to glory (Romans 9:23) — how are they prepared, but by being sanctified, and that cannot be but in the use of means…

Before I proceed to the questions, I shall lay down three positions: 1. Adoption takes in all nations: At first adoption was confined to the people of the Jews; they only were grafted in to the true Olive, and were dignified with glorious privileges (Romans 9:4). Who are Israeli…

Which of these two is fittest to take place, God's Justice or man's reason? (Romans 9:20) Who are you, O man, that dispute against God? The plumb line of our reason is too short to fathom the depth of God's Justice, (Romans 11:33) How unsearchable are his Judgments!

God's power is a glorious power (Colossians 1:11). 1. It is an irresistible power (Romans 9:19). Who has resisted his will.

Objection. It is said, Christ died for all; he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, (John 1:29). How does this consist with God's truth, when some are vessels of wrath? (Romans 9:22). Answer. 1. We must distinguish of world.

1. It is to be preferred before life; we pray, Hallowed be your Name, before we pray, Give us this day our daily bread. 2. It is to be preferred before salvation (Romans 9:1): God's glory is more worth than the salvation of all men's souls. As Christ said of love (Matthew 22:37)…

Resp. The party baptized has, (1.) an entrance into the visible body of the Church. (2.) The party baptized has a right sealed to the ordinances, which is a privilege full of glory (Romans 9:4). (3.) The child baptized is under a more special providential care of Christ, who app…

(5.) God's will is an irresistible will; we may oppose it, but we cannot hinder it. The rising of the wave cannot stop the ship when it is in full sail; so the rising up of our will against God cannot stop the execution of his will (Romans 9:19). Who has resisted his will?

And where there was none in public calamities, that did voluntarily devote themselves, the people were wont to take some obnoxious person, to make him execrable, and to lay on him according to their superstition, all the wrath of their gods, and so give him up to destruction. Su…

Romans 1:3. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, Romans 9:5. Whose are the Fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came.

Isa. 6:1, 2, 3. I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up and his train filled the temple; above it stood the Seraphims, each one had six wings, with twain he covered his face, with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did flye: and one cryed to anoth…

And then was glorified with that glory which he had with the Father before the world was (John 17:3). And as this dispensation was needful to the accomplishment of the whole work which as our Mediator he had undertaken, so in particular, he who was in himself the Lord of Hosts,…

Q. How may it be proved that Christ is God? A. By sundry places of Scripture, wherein he is expresly so called (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:6; 1 John 5:20). Q. How else?

Q. What was the cause of God's decrees? A. The cause that moved him to decree was nothing foreseen in the creature, but his own will and good pleasure (Romans 9:11, 18; Matthew 11:25, 26). But since some are appointed by the decree of God to damnation, if his will be the cause o…

So likewise on the contrary, darkness and distress of conscience is but a temporal chastisement as outward crosses are, differing from them only in the subject matter — the one being conversant about things of the outward man, this about the inward, namely, a man's spiritual sta…

Fourthly, if God wills that all men, as they are men, be saved: in like manner he wills that all sinners, as they are sinners, be damned; which is absurd. Fifthly, that will which cannot be resisted, is absolute: but God's antecedent or first will cannot be resisted (Romans 9:19…

The former concerns the end, the latter concerns the means tending to the end. This the holy Ghost seems to me to have taught very evidently (Romans 9:11): that the purpose which is according to election might remain. Here we see that Paul distinguishes God's eternal purpose and…

From where it is that Lumbard the Master of all the Schoolmen says, that God has rejected whom he would, not for any future merits which he did foresee, but yet most righteously, though we cannot conceive the reason thereof. And Jerome long before him does thus expound the place…

For the first: Abraham was called, the son of Terah: but neither his father Terah, nor his brother Nahor were called, but Abraham alone. But it may worthily be demanded, why God should not call his Father and his kindred: there can be no answer but this, that the Apostle gives,…

As it is said of Abraham, and in him, of all the faithful; The blessing of Abraham came on the Gentiles, through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the spirit, through faith: Galatians 3.14. Further observe, the Holy Ghost setteth down that particular promise whi…

Nay, such is the power of love to God when it is fervent, that it makes a man so zealous of God's glory, that if there were no other way to glorify God, than by sufferings; the child of God would rather yield himself to endure the torments of the damned, than suffer God to lose…

And for the defects the people of Israel and Judah committed in their worship, so long as they continued in their integrity, the high priest went once every year into the Holy of Holiest, and that not without blood, to offer up for himself, and for the errors of the people (Hebr…

To works of creation there needs no preparation; the almighty power of God calls them to be his people, that were not his people (1 Peter 2:10). And by calling them to be so, he makes them to be so (Romans 9:25, 26): "As he says in Hosea, I will call them, My people, which were…

But the mistake is evident, for the will of God here intended is not at all opposed to the legal sacrifices, but only as to the means of the accomplishment of it, which they were not, nor could be. The sovereign will and pleasure of God, acting itself in infinite wisdom and grac…

And notwithstanding all the provocations and injuries he had received from them, he gave on all occasions the highest demonstration of the most intense affection towards them; never opposing them nor reflecting on them with any severity, but only then and wherein they opposed th…

3. It was so obscurely represented to them, as that the Law arose up in a competition with it, or rather against it, in the minds of the generality of the people. They looked for righteousness as it were by the works of the Law (Romans 9:32), and on this rock of offence, this st…

This the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the Flesh (Romans 8:3). And therefore those who pursued and followed after it with the most earnestness for this End, never attained thereunto (Romans 9:31, 32). This End therefore is principally to be considered in this Law…

It was this covenant that raised and ruined them, it raised them to glory and honor when given of God; it ruined them when abused by themselves, contrary to express declarations of his mind and will. For although the generality of them were wicked and rebellious always, breaking…

And it was with respect to those, of this sort among that people, that the Covenant was promised to be made with them. See (Romans 9:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33; chapter 11:7). But in respect of the outward dispensation of the Covenant, it is extended beyond the effec…

[in non-Latin alphabet] is originally of as large a signification as [in non-Latin alphabet], and denotes any service whatever. But it is here, and constantly in the new Testament, as is also the verb [in non-Latin alphabet], restrained to Divine service (John 16:2, Romans 9:4,…

And when God threatened to deprive them of that Land, he said he would disinherit them (Numbers 14:12). And this inheritance consisted not only in the Land itself, but principally in the privileges of holy worship and relation to God which they enjoyed therein (Romans 9:5). But…

The Cherubims, that represented the glorious presence of God himself, as he dwelt among the people. So the Apostle reckoning up the privileges of the Hebrews (Romans 9:4), affirms that to them appertained the adoption and the glory. And therein not the Ark is intended, although…

For now when the full accomplishment was declared, and innumerable persons came in to a participation of it, those to whom it was peculiarly made, neither would be, nor were sharers of it. This great objection against the truth of the Promise our Apostle lays down (Romans 9:6),…

[⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], is God purposing or determining. So is the same act of God expressed by [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩] (Romans 9:22), what if God willing to show his wrath; that is, purposing or determining so to do. And this [⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩], as it respects [⟨in…

(4.) The time and season did manifest itself to them. For whereas the body of that people were to be cut off, and cast off, as the Apostle expressly declares (Romans 9:10, 11), this could not be done until a sufficient tender of the Gospel and of grace by Christ Jesus were first…

And it is laid down as a universal rule, that no man has any thing in this kind but what he has freely received, nor does any man make himself to differ from others (1 Corinthians 4:7). For, (1.) God lays the foundation of all spiritual differences among men, in his sovereign de…

It was not contrary to the nature of God, but God had decreed that so it should not be (1 Samuel 15:28, 29). But the decrees of God respecting persons in particular, and not qualifications in the first place, they cannot be here intended; because they are free acts of his will,…

In the designation and contrivance of it. So preparation is sometimes used for predestination, or the resolution for the effecting any thing that is future in its proper season (Isaiah 30:33; Matthew 20:23; Romans 9:23; 1 Corinthians 2:9). In this sense of the word, God had prep…

It may be some find not themselves much concerned in this laborious accurate dispute of the Apostle, wherein so much occurrs about pedigrees, priests, and tithes, which they think belongs not to them. But let them remember, that in that great day of taking down the whole fabric…

This is that which he aimeth to accomplish thereby, and therefore his will and purpose herein is that which gives rule and measure to the actings of his providence concerning it. Wherever there are any of his Elect to be called, or in what time soever, there and then will he cau…

And in like cases, though not by express command yet by his secret providence he takes off the hearts of his people from them whom he has designed to ruin for their sins. And we may observe, that our Apostle himself who a long time laboured with unspeakable zeal and most fervent…

Indeed there is a difference — some die more easily than others do. [illegible] say, that every man naturally is alive to the Law, that is, he seeks life by the Law, as they did (Romans 9, penult). Many times persons don't know that they do thus; they may profess, and protest ag…

And here consider these things. 1. Every man, one as well as another, is inclined naturally to seek righteousness, by the works of the law, as they did (Romans 9:31, 32 and 10:3). Men are not at any time more addicted to their vile lusts, which they hardly part with, than to thi…

Nor is it easily proved, that a grown person, who was admitted in minority, and is now qualified as the Proposition expresseth, that such a grown person is now a stranger from the Covenant, and without the Church, and without God in the world, and this in respect of his external…

Nor did they ever dream that men are by the want of internal gracious qualifications cut off from membership in the visible Church, without any church-censure. It is well known, that they reckon hypocrites and secretly unregenerate persons (as well as heretical apostates, or the…

Saint Paul counted Gold and Pearl but dung for Christ, Philippians 3:8. Yea, he was so inflamed in love to God, that he could have wished himself accursed from Christ, for his Brethren the Jews, Romans 9:3. Not that he could be accursed from Christ; but such was his fervent love…

Hence again we learn, that they which persuade themselves that they are in the favor of God, because they live at ease in wealth and prosperity, are far deceived. For saint Paul says, God suffers with long patience the vessels of wrath prepared to destruction, to make known his…

In the next place, how aptly these blessings are suited among themselves; first mercy, then peace, and then love; mercy does not differ much from that which is called grace in Paul's Epistles, only grace does more respect the bounty of God, as mercy does our want and need: by me…

Oh then what manner of persons ought you to be! You have many eyes over you: the omniscient eye of God that searches the heart and minds (Revelation 2:23); the vigilant eye of Satan (Job 1:7-8); the envious eyes of enemies that curiously observe you (Psalm 5:8); the quick and ob…

The Apostle says far otherwise, that God gave Christ to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is his Body; which the Syriack readeth more plainly, And him who is over all, he gave to be the Head to the Church. He is a Head to none but the Church: but he who is Head to…