we shall see the necessity of the labours which he used, to break down the middle wall of partition. And this is the way in which the Epistles to the Romans, Ephesians, &c. were understood at the time. The gentiles were encouraged and emboldened to flock as doves to their windows; and the believing Jews received them as fellow heirs of the same precious promises.

I say, this appears to have been the understanding of the passages alluded to, at the time; because such was the effect, and the doctrine of election and reprobation as now held, did not become obvious till several hundred years afterwards.

The Jews had been a peculiar people; because to them had been committed the "Oracles of God," and many favours, designed not only for their benefit, but for the benefit of the whole human race. And now the time for the general diffusion of these benefits had arrived. At the same time, these favours, or this election, (for they were chosen,) did not secure salvation to the individuals of the Jewish nation-far from it. Many, very many of them, lay under a heavy load of condemnation; and finally, even the nation, as a body, was rejected. Nor did these peculiar favours to the Jews, even during the continuance of that dispensation, exclude the gentile world from the saving love of God. The apostle bore testimony that "the work of the law was written in their hearts:" that there were glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the gentile; for there is no respect of persons with God." Rom. ii. 15, 10, 11. The apostle has not left the subject without a sufficient guard against misconstruction. In the Epistle to the Romans, and in the part of it in which he treats of election (chap. xi.) he thus clearly asserts, that it is not unconditional: "Thou wilt say then, the branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.' But this idea he corrects, by telling them: "Because of unbelief they were broken off;" "and thou standest by faith." Here it was the unbelief of the Jews, and not the secret will of God, that was the cause of their being rejected. To the (elect) gentiles, he was equally explicit : Be not high minded, but fear." But why tell them to fear, if their salvation and every thing connected with it, were fixed beyond the possibility of change! The apostle tells them: "For

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if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he spare not thee.' He does not give them any reason to believe, that it made no difference whether they took heed or not; which must have been the case, if the doctrine of unconditional election and reprobation were true. Behold, therefore the goodness and severity of God! on them which fell, severity;" (because their fall was their own act, and not his ;) "but towards thee goodness, if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." But this was without object or utility, unless there had been a possibility both of their continuing in his goodness," and of their being "cut off." "And they," said he, directing his attention to the Jews, "if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in; for God is able to graff them in again:" All this would have been without meaning, if an irrevocable decree had rendered it impossible for them to believe and be accepted. He might, with much composure of feeling, have resigned both Jews and gentiles to the operation of the “eternal necessity,' Fate," or " decrees," whichever we may call them. The apostle mentions the exercises and self-denial into which he was led, "lest that, by any means, when he had preached to others, he himself should become a castaway." 1 Cor. ix. 27. How much below the dignity of the subject, and the character of the apostle, must such expressions have been, if the thing itself had been impossible! Imagine, for a moment, the ideas we should form of a man, who should surround himself with candles at mid-day, lest the light of the sun should become extinct; or an inhabitant of the mountains, who should employ himself in building towers like Babel, lest the ocean should break in upon him; or a mariner at sea, who should hide himself below deck, lest the rocks of invisible mountains should fall upon him. And yet, if the doctrine in question be true, the whole strain of admonition and caution, which has run through every dispensation of God to mankind, is equally inconsistent with the condition of man. Why should we use precautions, lest impossibilities should happen! The proposition carries its own refutation with it; and we only need to see it in its simple, genuine character, to reject it.

It must be borne in mind, that whenever the apostle makes use of the terms, election and reprobation, these are

not to be understood as unconditional, or wholly independent of the faithfulness or unfaithfulness of the individual, when they relate to individuals, or have reference to a future state of existence; for the terms are often applied to nations or national concerns.

Thus, the Jews were chosen, that through them the knowledge of the true God should be preserved, through a dark and idolatrous age. The Law, the Prophets, and the Messiah, came through them. This was an election. But they were individually and nationally judged according to their obedience. On the coming of the Messiah, it pleased Divine Goodness to call in the gentiles, to an equal participation of the light of the gospel. This also was an election ; but the gentiles stood by faith and faithfulness, as evidently appears from the passages already quoted from the Epistle to the Romans.

The apostle Peter also establishes the same important truth, in that short but comprehensive admonition to the -believers: " Give diligence to make your calling and election sure:" which is predicated on the clear understanding, that their election was not sure without this diligence on their part

With these sentiments of the apostles before us, as directly applied by them to the term election, it is easy to understand what is intended by the expressions—“ According to the election of grace"- "The purpose of God, according to election," &c. as it is evident that this is conditional. And why should any find a difficulty in the idea of conditional election; since election is nothing more than a choice? And who is there that cannot comprehend so simple a proposition, as that we cannot become the chosen of God, and obtain communion and fellowship with him, but in obedience to him? For if obedience is indispensably necessary, then obedience must be a condition on our part. This is further illustrated in the parable of the supper; for we may remember that the invitation was given, without ambiguity or counteracting arrangements. No secret impediments were created by him. He sent the invitation. There was no moral or physical impossibility in the way. Nothing prevented the attendance of those first called, but their own voluntary choice. They chose to be " excused;" one went to his farm, and another to his merchan

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dize.” They were, therefore, justly left to their own choice, and thus entered into the state of reprobation.

The general strain of scripture promises, both in the Old and New Testaments, is conditional: “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." Gen. iv. 7.

“Behold! I set before you this day a blessing and a curse :—a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; and a curse if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.” Deut. xi. 26, &c.

“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high, above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God: Blessed shalt thou be in the city; and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.—The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy store-houses, and in all that thou settest thy hand unto.-The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways."

“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city; and cursed shalt thou be in the field; cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.- -And the heaven that is over thy head shall be brass; and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.”

I have taken only a few verses out of this chapter, (Deut. xxviii.) but it is entirely filled, though it contains sixtyeight verses, with blessings and curses, all conditionally promised and denounced.

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Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened." Matt. vii. 7, 8.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord! shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." ib. 21.

But why need we multiply passages to prove this point! We can scarcely read a chapter in the bible, without finding this important truth incorporated in the precepts, or illustrated by the facts recorded in it.

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Much stress has been laid on that passage in the Epistle to the Romans : Jacob have I loved; but Esau have I hated." Rom. ix. 13. And by blending this with a part of the 11th verse of the same chapter-" For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, &c." an idea is conveyed, that this related personally to Jacob and Esau, the one loved and the other hated, previously to their being born, or doing any good or evil.

But by taking the texts as they stand in the scriptures, and bearing in mind the great objects for which the apostle was labouring, we shall find that the doctrine in question will receive no support from these passages.

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In the first place, it may not be improper to quote the language of the apostle; and in doing this, to remember that he quotes two texts-one from Gen. xxv. 23, and the other from Mal. i. 2, 3, &c. The apostle, after expressing his earnest desire for the salvation of his brethren, and alluding to the high privileges which had been bestowed upon them, adverts to the ground on which they had miserably stumbled: For," says he, "they are not all Israel which are of Israel; neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."-In these verses he breaks in upon their vain confidence in an outward and lineal descent from the patriarch, and their expectation of receiving the promises through that claim. He then proceeds, in connexion with the latter part of the passage just quoted, to point them to the true ground of acceptance, which is in Christ; of whom Isaac was a lively type; and who is very appropri