| 539 the truth of our mission, or concerning the doctrines which we preach; we would, therefore, call upon all those who are sincere searchers after truth, to act according to the apostles' advice-"Prove all things-hold fast that which is good." And the Savior says, "With what judgment we judge, we shall also be judged-and with what measure we mete, it shall be measured to us again."
Election and Reprobation.
Concluded.
Why were they a peculiar people? Because God had chosen that generation of Gentiles, and conferred on them the blessings, which descended through the priesthood, and the covenants unto the house of Israel, or grafted them into the good olive tree; [Rom xi, 17] and thus the house of Israel became ministers of salvation to the Gentiles; and this is what the house of Israel was elected unto, not only their own salvation, but through them salvation unto all others. [John iv, 22] for salvation is of the Jews; [Rom. xi, 11] and through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles. Among the promised seed, we find Jesus Christ neither last nor least, but the great high priest and head of all, who was chosen to lay down his life for the redemption of the world, for without the shedding of blood there could be no remission of sins. [Heb. ix, 22].
[Deut. vii, 6, 7, 8, 9.] Moses bears a similar testimony with Peter and Paul to the principles of election; for 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. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people, but because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your father's hath the lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the had of Pharoah king of Egypt.-Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations, which proves the long continuance of the blessings of this highly favored people.
And the Lord said unto her, (Rebecca, Gen. xxv, 23] the elder shall serve the younger. And why? Because that Isaac, the father of Esau and Jacob, the husband of Rebecca, and the son of promise to Abraham, was the heir; and as Esau was the elder son of his father Isaac, he had a legal claim to the heirship; but through unbelief, hardness of heart, and hunger, he sold his birthright to his younger brother, Jacob. [Gen. xxv, 33.] God knowing before hand that he would do this of his own free will and choice, or acting upon that agency which God has delegated to all men, said to his mother, the elder shall serve the younger; for as the elder son, Esau, has sold his birthright and by that means lost all claim to the blessings promised to Abraham, those blessings and promises must have failed, if they had not descended with the purchased birthright unto the younger son Jacob, for there was no other heir in Israel's family; and if those blessings had failed, the purposes of God according to election must have failed, in relation to the posterity of Israel, and the oath of Jehovah would have been broken; which could not be, though heaven and earth were to pass away.
Rom. ix. 13,-As it is written Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Where it is written? Malachi, i, 2, verses. When was it written? About 397 years before Christ, and Esau and Jacob were born about 1773 years before Christ, [according to the common computation of time in scripture margin,] so that Esau and Jacob lived about 1376 years before the Lord spoke by Malachi, saying, Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated, as quoted by Paul. This text is often brought forward to prove that God loved Jacob and hated Esau, before they were born; or, before they had done good or evil; but if God did love one and hate the other, before they had done good or evil, he has not seen fit to tell us of it, either in the Old or New Testament, or any other revelation; but this only we learn that 1376 years after Esau and Jacob were born, God said, by Malachi, Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated; and surely that was time sufficient to prove their works, and ascertain whether they were worthy to be loved or hated.
And why did he love the one and hate
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