curs only, the fins of us Jews, but also for the fins of the whole world, the Gentiles. Nothing is more common in the Jewish writings, than to call the Gentiles by, the world; and aby ba, the whole world, and bin, the nations of the world: Hence the apoftle Paul calls them κόσμος, the world, in Rom. xi. 12, 15. It was a controverfy agitated among the Jewish doators, whether, when the Meffiah came, the Gentiles, the world, fhould have any benefit by him; the majority was exceeding large on the negative of the question, and determined they should not; only fome few, as old Simeon and others, knew that he Thould be a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as the glory of the people of Ifrael. The reft concluded, that the moft fevere judgments and dreadful calamities would befal them; yea, that they fhould be caft into hell in the room of the Ifraelites". This notion John the Baptift, Chrift and his apoftles, purpofely oppofe, and is the true reafon of the ufe of this phrafe in the fcriptures, which fpeak of Chrift's redemption. Thus John the Baptift, when he pointed out the Meffiah to the Jews, reprefents him as the lamb of God, which taketh away the fin of the world, the Gentiles as well as Jews

Talmud, Rabbot & Zohar. Vid. Jarchi in Ifa. liii. 3.
Vid. Shemot Rabba, fol. 98. 3. & 99. 4. Shirhath.

Rab. fol. 24. Jarchi & Kimchi in Zech. ix. 1.

for

for by the blood of this lamb, men are re deemed to God, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. When our Lord was difcourfing with Nicodemus, one of their Rabbies, he lets him know, that God fo loved the world, the Gentiles, contrary to their rabbinical notions, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whojaever of them that believeth on him, should not perish; as they had concluded every one of them should, bur have everlasting life; and that God jent not bis Son into the world to condemn the world, the Gentiles, as they imagined, but that the world through bim might be faved. When the Samaritans believed in Chrift, they declared him to be the Saviour of the world, the Gentiles, and fo of themfelves, who were accounted by the Jews as Heathens; Chrift fets forth himfelf as the bread of life, preferable to the manna, among other things, from its extenfive virtue to the world, the Gentiles: And here the apostle John says, that Chrift was not only the propitiation for the fins of the Jews, but for the fins

the whole world, the Gentiles. This puts me in mind of a paffage I have met with in the Talmud, a faying of Rabbi Jochanan, Wo, fays he, bin MIDINS, to the na tions of the world, who are loft, and they

John i. 29. and iii, 16, 17. and iv. gt, and wi 141 John ii. 2. Succa, fol. 35. 3.

know not that they are lost ; whilst the fanAtuary food, the altar aton'd, or was a propitiation for them; but now, who shall be a propitiation for them"? Bleffed be God, we know who is the propitiation for us, the nations of the world, one that was typified by the altar, and is greater than that, even the Lord Jefus Christ.

NUMB. LVIII. Jude ver, 21.

Keep your felves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Christ unto eternal life.

T'

'HESE words are thought to reprefent the faints continuance in the love and favour of God, as conditional, depending on their obedience, care, and keeping of themselves; and that there is a poffibility of their falling from it, and confe quently that they are not abfolutely elected to everlasting life. To which I reply;

I. That the faints continuance in the love and favour of God, does not depend on their obedience, or on any thing done by thems fince his love to them is an everlasting one, which commenced from everlasting, and

→ Whithy, R87, 398, 421, 422, 458.

will continue to everlasting; is prior to all their obedience, was in his own heart towards them, and expreffed by feveral acts before they had done either good or evil; and continued, notwithstanding all their disobedience, in an unregenerate state, and is the fource and spring of all their love and obedience to him; nor is there any thing in their best works that can entitle them to his favour, or fecure the continuance of it; fince, when they have done all they can, they are but unprofitable fervants. Nor is there any poffibility, or danger, of real Taints falling from the love and favour of God. They may, and fometimes are, left to do thofe things which are difpleafing to him, and, was he a man, or should he act as men ufually do in fuch cafes, would at once, and effectually, turn them out of his favour; but the cafe is, he is the Lord, and not man, and changes not in his affections as men do; and therefore the fons of Jacob are not confumed. In his fevereft providences towards his people, his love atways remains the fame, as when he hides his face from them, or chides and chaftifes them in a fatherly way; fhould it be other wife, his love would not be everlasting, unchangeable, and from which there is no feparation, as the fcriptures reprefent it;

Mal. iii. 6.

and

and befides, would be contrary to the affu rances he has given of the continuance of his love, both by word and oath, Isaiah liv. 9, 10.

II. By the love of God, in this text, we are not to understand the love which God bears in his own heart to his people, or with which they are loved by him, but rather that love with which they love him, and of which he is the object; fee Luke xi. 42. which is a sense fome interpreters " on the other fide of the queftion, readily allow of; and then the meaning of the exhortation, keep your felves, kave 18, one another, as it may be render'd, in the love of God, is, that though this grace of love cannot be loft, yet, inasmuch as the fervour of it may be abated, and the faints grow cold and indifferent in their expreffions of it, it becomes them to make ufe of all proper means to maintain, increase, and inflame it, both in themselves and others; fuch as are mentioned in the context, as converfing together in an edifying way, about either the grace or doctrine of their most boly faith, praying either feparately or together, under the influences of the Holy Ghost, and looking forward for the mercy of Chrift unto eternal life. All which, with many other things, by the bleffing of God, may ferve to maintain and revive the grace of love, and blow Vorftius & Grotius in loc.