344 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. L.
he seeth it good fur us. And he will glorify as a God ; the apostle speaks of ' a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory/ 2 Cor. iv. 17. As God is an infinite God, so he will give an infinite reward ; and as he is an eternal God, so he will give an eternal reward ; for in heaven God doth act like himself. Thus he will do all things in a divine manner, all things that are a help and not a hindrance to bring us to our everlasting state.
Secondly. Who are the persons and the people whose God is the Lord ? Ans. In regard of superiority and supremacy, God is the God of all the earth : Ps. xxiv. 1, ' The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof ; the world, and they that dwell therein.' Nay, in regard of common bounty, he is the God of all the earth, as he gives life, breath, protection, and maintenance to all creatures But then there is a peculiar people, and so it is said more especially, the visible church is God's portion and heritage : Deut. xxxii. 9, ' For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance;' 1 Chron. xvii. 24, ' The Lord of Hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel.' Mark liow distinctly the scripture speaks ; he is not only the God of Israel, in regard of supremacy, and superiority ; but he is a God to Israel, in regard of his bounty, goodness, and communicative grace. But within the bounds of the church there are a peculiar people. There may be a great deal of bran in the visible church, for the visible church is too coarse a boulter to get these people severed; therefore God useth a finer scarce : Zech. xiii. 8, ' Two parts therein shall be cut off and die, but the third shall be left therein.' There are eKKeKTOiv eKkeKrorepov, the elect out of the elect, God's own peculiar people, who have a special interest in him, and not only a public interest, as the church hath in him. Now these ])eople may l)e known (1.) By the manner of their comins: into this relation ; (2.) Bytheir manner of living in this relation.
1. By their manner of commg into this relation ; something God doth, and something they do, and so they are brought into this relation.
[1.] Something God doth to bring them into this relation. God calls them by an effectual calling : Heb. v. 4, ■ No man taketh this lionour to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.' By effectual calling God's election is put into act, and by his Spirit he taketh actual possession of the hearts of those who belong to the elec- tion of grace. And it is necessary that God should begin with us : God must choose us before we can choose him ; he takes possession of our hearts by his Spirit before we can take possession of him as our (irod : Zech. xiii. 8, 9, ' Two third parts therein shall be bcut off and die, and the third shall be left therein.' He will cut off some out of the church, and some in the church — ' And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them ; I will say, It is my people, and they shall say. The Lord is my God.' First the Lord chooseth us for a people, and then he frames our hearts to choose him for the Lord our God so Hosea ii, 23, ' I will say to them which were not my people.. Thou art my people ; and they shall say, Thou art our God.' God begins • he makes the first motion. The saints do not onlv choose God because of his alluring
VeR. 16.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 345
wt)rth, but from his attractive virtue and power, whereby he breaks m upon their hearts to draw them strongly and powerfully, yet freely ami. and willingly, to himself. He turns out the devil, and brings theui to the obedience of the gospel.
[2.] Something we must do. When God hath taken possession of the heart, we choose him for our all-sufficient portion, and reaigEj, surrender, and give up ourselves to him.
(1.) We choose him for our all-sufficient portion and chiefe«t', good : Ps. Ixxiii. 25, ' Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there- is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.' The blind world choose- the gifts of God, and the meanest of his gifts, the honours, riche.s.,. pleasures of this world ; but the saints choose God himself, in the- sense of his love, and by the power of his grace. In the sense of his' love ; they know God as he knoweth them, and so love and choose hinn as he does them. And by the power of his grace. Turning from the creator to the creature was our first parent's sin^ and corrupt nature goes on in that averseness. They that are strangers from the woml> can never return to God that made them till they have another heart put into them ; they run away from God, and are for temporal good things : Ps. iv. 6, ' Who will show us any good ? ' there is the world- ling's blind choice. They are wandering and groping about foT good ; but the children of God cry out, '' Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.' This is then* choice : they choose God for their ])ortion, his favour for their happiness, and their souls are satisfied iuy him. Naturally all men are Gadarenes, who preferred their swine lie- fore Christ ; they prefer then- lusts, pleasures, profits, carnal satisfac- tions, pleasing of their senses, gratifying their corrupt desires, before> the favour of God and the enjoyment of God. But now grace alteretk the temper of the heart, that the saints choose God for their portion,, and his testimonies for their heritage.