he had offered to restore to his favour every soul among them who would accept it in his Son's name ; but would account all who should reject this overture as having added pride and ingratitude to all their other sins, and make them answerable for this their augmented guilt : is there one of us that would conceive God to be acting with severity towards them ? Is there one who would not regard this as a stupendous effort of love and mercy, and acknowledge, that all who should despise this proffered mercy would deserve their appointed doom ?
But there is another evil, which the despisers of the new covenant are guilty of: they invariably "mock" and deride those who found all their hopes upon it. They may not, in- deed, be open scoffers, like Ishmael ; but in their hearts they do of necessity " mock at the counsel of the poor, who putteth his trust in God0." At this hour, as well as in the Apostle's days, it may be said, " As, then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.'" How then can it be supposed that these con- temners of God's people should be made heirs together with them? or, what severity can there be in refusing to them a portion which they so wantonly despise? The sentence, as denounced by Sarah, might have been deemed severe ; but, as inflicted by the Most High God, it is merited in its full ex- tent : for not even Satan himself was ever guilty of rejecting a Saviour, and pouring contempt on redeeming love.]
3. Of partiality —
[It is not persons, but characters, that are rejected of God : nor is it from descent, but from choice, that they fall short of the promised inheritance. In this respect, the parallel be- tween the history and the doctrine established by it must be drawn with a due attention to all the circumstances, and must not be pressed too far. That was but a shadow ; and we must distinguish between resemblance and identity. Ishmael shadowed forth those who are born after the flesh : Isaac represented those who are born after the Spirit : the former therefore characterizes all of us in our natural state ; the latter, those who are regenerated by the Spirit of God. The latter, it is true, owe all their happiness to God's electing love : but the former can never ascribe their misery to any decree of absolute reprobation. The blessings of salvation are offered equally to all : the sins of all were equally borne by the Lord Jesus Christ in his own body on the cross : for " he is a propi- tiation, not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world." " The Lord laid on him the iniquities of us all." Though born of the bond-woman, we may by grace become
0 Ps. xiv. 10.