ftantly be hurled into hell. These intelligent fpirits must be fully perfuaded that the diftinction refults from the fovereignty of their Creator; and even this fovereignty they adore. In this confifts the perfection of thefe "minifters of his," that they" do his pleasure s." And this very perfection are we taught to pray for, as the highest honour of our nature. Our Lord therefore taught his difciples to fay; "Thy will be done on earth, "as it is in heaven h." 8. God manifefted his fovereignty, in choofing Ifrael as a peculiar people. Both in the choice itself, and in the circumftances of it, may we clearly perceive the difplay of this perfection. Let us attend to the choice itfelf. Is not God the common father of men? Are not all equally his offspring? Hath he not " made of one blood all "nations to dwell on the face of the whole "earth?" Is there any nation, however remote from others, however barbarous, to which he can fay, Ye are not the work of my hands? Yet here we find him selecting one nation from all the reft, to enjoy the honours and privileges of a peculiar people. Were they to be more efpecially under the care of his providence? Was he to favour them with a more fertile land, richer harvests, a more abundant increafe? Was he to give them greater fuccefs against their enemies, or to make them more diftinguished for wisdom, and proficiency in arts and fciences? All this had been little. He chose them to the enjoyment of the means of falvation, while he excluded every other nation nation under heaven from this privilege. "He "fhewed his word unto Jacob, his ftatutes and his judgments unto Ifrael. He hath not dealt "fo with any nation; and as for his judgments, they have not known them i." 66 Many, indeed, in order to draw a veil over divine fovereignty, attempt to depreciate this mercy; as if it were to judge hardly of God, to fuppose that he left all the nations, that were deftitute of revelation, to perish for eternity. But the Ifraelites were affured that this was their diftinguishing mercy; that they were "a bleffed peo"ple who knew the joyful found;" that where there was "no vifion, the people would perish ;" and that God would "pour his fury on the hea"then." It is the harmonious voice of Scripture, that thofe who are " aliens from the com"monwealth of Ifrael," being "ftrangers to the covenants of promife," have therefore" no hope," and are "without God," or "atheists in the world k." 66 46 If this were not the cafe, I fhall venture to fay that the Ifraelites, fo far from being more highly favoured than other nations, were treated with far greater feverity. If God did not difplay his fovereignty in choofing them to the enjoyment of privileges neceffary to falvation, he undoubtedly displayed that fame perfection, though in a very different way, in fubjecting them to a bondage from which all other nations were free, while they were not to be any better for it. For the i Pfal. cxlvii. 19, 20. k Eph. ii. 12 law law was “a yoke, which," an apostle fays, "nei"ther our fathers nor we were able to bear 1." Whence, then, could God exercife fuch a power as this? Whence is it that we have no right to impeach his juftice? It is becaufe, being the Sovereign LORD, he may " do according "to his will among the inhabitants of this earth." 66 Now, what God did to the literal pofterity of Jacob, was typical of his conduct to fpiritual Ifrael. Did he choose them to be externally holy? This choice was figurative of the election of his people to be holy and without blame "before him in love?" Hence, as has been formerly obferved, the Spirit of God applies to them that very language, which is primarily used concerning the type: "Ye are a "chofen generation, an holy nation, a peculiar "people"." What was originally extended to all the defcendants of Jacob, is here reftricted to those who are "elect according to the foreknow"ledge of God the Father, through fanctification "of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of "the blood of Jefus Chrift "." If we attend to the circumftances of this choice, the fame character will appear to be equally impreffed on it. Were they entitled to this diftinction, from any fuperior worth on their part? If this was the cafe, they must have poffeffed this recommendation, in refpect of origin, dignity, wealth, extent, wifdom or goodnefs. Were they better than other nations as to origin? What ever 1 Acts xv. 10. m Exod. xix. 6. na Pet. ii. g. o Chap. i. 2. ever they might themselves imagine, they had no pre-eminence, according to the eftimation of God. Thus he addreffes them : 66 Thy birth, and thy "nativity is of the land of Canaan, thy father "was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite P." Nay, thus he commands them to address him, when appearing before him with their oblations; "A Syrian ready to perish was my father 9." In their folemn approaches, they muft ftill remember the meanness of their origin, and acknowledge that, in this respect, they had no ground of boafting before God. 66 Could the temporal dignity of their fituation, when God feparated them to himself, entitle them to this diftinction? Were they not aliens in Egypt? For several centuries they were ftrangers in a land that was not theirs. Yea, they were faves. Had God regarded national dignity, he would undoubtedly have preferred the Egyptians, who were not only their mafters, but a very ancient people, and distinguished as a nation long before the name of Ifrael was known. They could boaft as little of their riches. They had no poffeffions of their own. That Syrian, their father, from whom they received their name, fojourned in Egypt." Abraham had no higher character. Wherever he was, whether in Canaan, or in Egypt, he was ftill a fojourner. His only estate was a burial-place, as if God meant to teach him, that he fhould have no reft but in the grave. What riches they had, when they left p Ezek. xvi. 3. q Deut. xxvi. 5. Egypt, r Gen, XV. 13. Egypt, were given them by God, as the reward of their past labours. Did their extent as a people recommend them to God? So contemptible were they in this refpect, that, had he judged after the manner of man, they would have been the laft nation that he would have felected. Obferve how Mofes addreffes Ifrael on this head. "The LORD did not "fet his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people, (for "ye were the feweft of all people)." This was to be an article in their folemn confeffion, already referred to: "Thou fhalt fpeak, and fay be"fore the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to pe"rifh was my father, and he went down into E 46 66 gypt, and fojourned there with a few "." God promised them all the good which he afterwards conferred, when they were defpicable as to numbers. He faid, "Unto thee will I give the land "of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance: when they were but a few men in number: yea, very few, and ftrangers in it "." 66 46 But perhaps their fuperior wisdom procured this distinguishing honour. On the contrary, in respect of human wisdom, they were greatly inferior to fome other nations. They were far furpaffed by the Egyptians. Their conduct, in a variety of inftances, fhews their deficiency as to divine wifdom. Had they not been formerly enamoured with the brutish worship of Egypt, would they ever have thought of making a calf? Had they not * Deut. vii, 7. u Ibid. v Pfal. cv. 11, 12, |