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CHAPTER IV.

THE IDEALITY OF ELECTION AS PROPOUNDED UNDER THE LAW.

THE phraseology of the Gospel greatly depends upon the phraseology of the Law: for the ancient Levitical Church was the appointed type and exemplar of its successor the Christian Church.

Accordingly, the terms Elect or Chosen are, in no wise, peculiar to the Gospel under the Law itself, they occur, perhaps, quite as frequently; though, from the circumstance of our translators generally employing the term Elect in the New Testament while they generally employ the term Chosen in the Old Testament, a less vivid impression is, I believe, made upon the mind of the cursory reader of the more ancient Scriptures.

I. In order to ascertain the sense, wherein the terms (or rather, to speak more accurately, the term) Elect or Chosen must be viewed, as having been used by the sacred writers under the Law: let us attend to some of the many passages, in

which their IDEALITY, according to the view taken of it by those writers, is plainly and distinctly set forth.

I shall simply give the passages themselves, before any remarks are made upon their drift and purport.

1. The Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him A PEOPLE OF INHERITANCE, as ye are this day. - Because he loved thy fathers, therefore he CHOSE their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt

*

2. I am the Lord your God, which have SEPARATED you from other people.-Ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have SEVERED you from other people that ye should be mine t.

3. Thou art AN HOLY PEOPLE unto the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God HATH CHOSEN thee to be A SPECIAL PEOPLE unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth ‡.

4. The Lord thy God hath avouched thee this day to be HIS PECULIAR PEOPLE, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep his commandments; and to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise and

* Deut. iv. 20, 37.

† Levit. xx. 24, 26.

Deut. vii. 6.

in name and in honour; and that thou mayest be AN HOLY PEOPLE unto the Lord thy God*.

5. Thou art AN HOLY PEOPLE unto the Lord thy God and the Lord HATH CHOSEN thee to be PECULIAR PEOPLE unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth †.

6. Thy servant is in the midst of THY PEOPLE which thou HAST CHOSEN: a great people, which cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude ‡.

7. The Lord said: I will remove JUDAH also out of my sight, as I have removed ISRAEL: and I will cast off THIS CITY JERUSALEM which I HAVE CHOSEN, and the house of which I said My name shall be there §.

8. Thou art the Lord the God, who DIDST CHOOSE Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham ||.

9. Blessed is THE NATION, whose God is the Lord; and THE PEOPLE, whom he HATH CHOSEN for his own inheritance T.

10. He remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant: and he brought forth HIS PEOPLE with joy, and HIS CHOSEN with gladness; -that they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws **.

* Deut. xxvi. 18, 19.
1 Kings iii. 8.

|| Nehem. ix. 7.

+ Deut. xiv. 2.
§ 2 Kings xxiii. 27.
¶ Psalm xxxiii, 12.

** Psalm cv. 42, 43, 45.

11. Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto THY PEOPLE; O visit me with thy salvation: that I may see the good of THY CHOSEN, that I may rejoice in the gladness of THY NATION, that I may glory with THINE INHERITANCE *.

12. The Lord HATH CHOSEN unto himself JACOB; even ISRAEL, for HIS PECULIAR TREASURE †. . 13. For the Lord will have mercy on JACOB; and ISRAEL he yet WILL CHOOSE: and he will set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob ‡.

14. But thou, ISRAEL, art my servant; JACOB, whom I HAVE CHOSEN; the SEED OF ABRAHAM my friend: thou, whom I have taken from the ends of the earth; and called thee from the chief men thereof; and said unto thee: Thou art my servant; I HAVE CHOSEN THEE, and not cast thee away §.

15. I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to MY PEOPLE, to MY CHOSEN. This PEOPLE have I formed for myself: they shall shew forth my praise ||.

16. Yet now hear, O JACOB my servant; and ISRAEL, whom I HAVE CHOSEN: thus saith the Lord, that made thee and formed thee from

* Psalm cvi. 4, 5.
Isaiah xiv. 1.

+ Psalm cxxxv. 4. § Isaiah xli. 8, 9. Isaiah xliii. 20, 21.

the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O JACOB my servant; and thou, JESURUN, whom I HAVE CHOSEN *.

17. For JACOB my servant's sake, and ISRAEL mine ELECT, I have even called thee by thy name : I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known met.

18. Hear ye this, O HOUSE OF JACOB, which are called by the name of ISRAEL, and are come forth from the waters of JUDAH; which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth nor in righteousness.-Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver: I HAVE CHOSEN THEE, in the furnace of affliction +.

19. I will bring forth A SEED OUT OF JACOB, and OUT OF JUDAH AN INHERITOR of my mountains and MINE ELECT shall inherit it, and MY SERVANTS shall dwell there. build; and another, inhabit plant; and another, eat. For,

tree, are the days of MY PEOPLE

They shall not

they shall not as the days of a

and MINE ELECT shall long enjoy the work of their hands §.

20. Considerest thou not, what this people have spoken, saying THE TWO FAMILIES, which the Lord HATH CHOSEN, he hath even cast them off. Thus have they despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

* Isaiah xliv. 1, 2.
Isaiah xlviii. 1, 10.

† Isaiah xlv. 4.
§ Isaiah lxv. 9, 22.

Jerem. xxxiii. 24.

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