| 526 righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quencned [quenched] the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were make [made] strong, waxed valiant in fight, and turned to flight the armies of the aliens; these all died in the faith having kept the commandments of the Most High, having obtained the promise of a glorious inheritance, and are waiting the fulfilment [fulfillment] of the promise which they obtained, [Heb. xi, 40] God having provided some better thing for us, that they, without us should not be made perfect.
The prophet Alma bears similar testimony to the other prophets concerning eclectic in his 9th chapter [Book of Mormon] saying, this is the manner after which they were ordained: being called and prepared from the foundation of the world, according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceeding great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with, that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such; and thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while if it had not been for this, they might have had a great privilege as their brethren. Or in fine; in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the the atonement of the only begotten son; who was prepared; and thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they might also enter into his rest, this high priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things.
Rom. ix. 11, 12. For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth; it was said unto her, the elder shall serve the younger. As we have before shewn [shown] why God chose Abraham to be the father of the faithful, (viz.) because he knew he would command his children and his household after him; so now we see by this why the purposes of God according to election should stand, and that for his oath's sake. Gen xxii, 16, 17, 18. By myself have I sworn saith the Lord; for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. Here the Lord Jesus, coming through the seed of Abraham, is again referred to, through whose sufferings and death, or in mwho [whom] all the nations of the earth were to be blessed, or made alive as they had died in Adam. [1 Cor. xv, 22.] In this election is made manifest, for God elected or chose the children of Israel to be his peculiar people, and to them belong the covenants and promises; and all the blessings received by the gentiles; come through the covenants to Abraham and his seed; for through the unbelief of the Jews [Rom. xi, 17] they were broken off, and the Gentiles were grafted in; but they stand by faith, [Rom. xi, 20] and not by the oath of election; therefore it becometh them to fear lest they cease quickly to bear fruit, and be broken off [verse 21] that the Jews may be grafted in again for they shall be grafted in again [verse 23] if they abide not in unbelief.
The Gentiles became partakers of the blessings of election and promises through faith and obedience, as Peters says, writing to the strangers scattered abroad, [1 Peter 1st chap,] who were the Gentiles, the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience: [1 Peter ii, 9] for ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew [show] forth the praises of him, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, [verse 10] which in time past were not a people but now are the people of God; which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. TO BE CONTINUED.
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