Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 11 · Verse 7
VERSE. 7. What then? Iſrael hath not obtained that which he ſeeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the reſt were blinded.Or hardned.
IN theſe words, and ſo to the end of the 10. verſe is the laſt part of Pauls anſwer, which is the determination of the queſtion in hand, namely, that God hath caſt away onelyonly the reprobate Iewes, but the Elect obtaine the promiſes: God caſteth away the chaffe, but loſeth not one kernell of good corne.
Paul enters vponupon this in this 7. verſe, by a Prolepſis; for thus ſome Iew might obiect. If God caſt not away the Elect, and yet they obtaine ſaluation; not by workes, but onelyonly by free grace: Then Paul, you make a faire hand; what, I pray you, ſhall become of all our zeale and ſtudie in the Law? Paul anſweres, as if he ſhould ſay, I will tell you what becomes of it: it is not al worth a ruſh, for Iſrael hath not obtained that which he ſought, but the Elect hauehave obtained.
Ob. Why then, doe you thinke all Iſrael damned?
Anſ. No, ſaith Paul, Iſrael is taken equiuocally. Elect Iſrael is ſaued, Reprobate Iſrael is damned.
Heere are two parts. 1. A propoſition, Iſrael hath not obtained that which he ſought.
2. The explication of the terme Iſrael: this is taken two wayes, as the name Chriſtian, there are ſome elect, ſome reprobate, ſome reall, ſome nominall: thoſe hauehave obtained, theſe are caſt way.
What then? that is, what ſhall we ſay then? namely this: Iſrael hath not obtained, &c. Iſrael, the people of God: not ſo indeed, but outwardly and in ſhew.
Hath not obtained that which he ſought: What is that? Iuſtification in the ſight of God, and ſaluation: Why hath hee not obteined? Becauſe he ſought theſe things in and by his owne righteouſneſſe. Though he ſought buſily, againe and againe; as the word imports, yet his labour was loſt.
Hath not obteined: foreignthe word ſignifieth hath not hit the marke: he aimed at the marke but ſhot wide: put himſelfe to a great deale of paynes to no purpoſe.
The election hath obtained: foreignhath hit the marke and got the prize, which is iuſtification.
The election: that is, the elect: the abſtract for the concrete; as ſeeing a proud man, we ſay, there goes pride it ſelfe. So circumciſion for a Iew &c. He thoſe to ſpeake thus to note a ſecret: namely that whoſoeuer are ſaued, obteine it not by any thing but by the meere grace of God. For election, which is the foundation of iuſtification and ſaluation, is of grace.
The reſt were blinded or hardened. The reſt, that is the reprobate: were blinded in the paſſiue; to note the ſuffering of the iuſt iudgment of God: for beſide their naturall hardnes, God caſteth another hardneſſe vponupon them as a puniſhment of their naturall, leauing them to themſelues and giuing them vp to the diuell to be blinded. The Antitheſis requires that hee ſhould hauehave ſaid, the reſt hauehave not obtained, but he ſpeakes this of purpoſe to ſhew the cauſe of their not obtaining: which is their hardneſſe or blindneſſe of minde. Reprobation is not the cauſe of damnation, as election is of ſaluation: nor a cauſe at all, vnleſſe you ſay a deficient cauſe, as the ſunne is the cauſe of night. Damnation followes reprobation, but the cauſe of it is ſinne not Gods decree.
The Iewes then are caſt away not all, but onelyonly the reprobate.
doctrine No elect caſt away, no reprobate but caſt away. Rom. 11.2. Ioh. 6.37.39. Ioh. 17.9. 2 Theſ. 2.13. Reu. 21. vlt.
Vſe 1.There is election, and reprobation.
Vſe 2.Certainty of ſaluation followes election.
Vſe 3.A man may be the Iſrael of God in ſome ſence, and yet be damned: examine thy ſtanding.
Vſe 4.As the Iewes are diſtinguiſhed into elect and reprobate, ſo is all mankinde: there is not a third to be found. There are two Captaines; God and the diuell: two armies; the elect and the reprobate: two Citties; heauen and hell: two manner of weapons, righteouſnes and vnrighteouſnes: two kinds of wages, ſaluation and damnation: ſee thou be on the cunning ſide, which is Gods.
Vſe 5.A man may hauehave a deſire to be ſaued, ſeeke it, vſe meanes and yet be damned, as here it is ſayd of Iſraell.
Obiect. But Chriſt ſayth ſeeke and you ſhall find.
Anſw. True, if thou takeſt Chriſts meaning, that is ſeeke well, or as I direct you: otherwiſe a man may ſeeke and miſſe. This word (well) is but a few letters, but of great operation; for it is the forme of all arts. As Rhetoricke is the art of ſpeaking well, Logike the art of diſputing well, Magiſtracie the art of gouerning well, Chriſtianitie the art of liuing well: not eueryevery Magiſtrate gouernes wel, nor eueryevery Chriſtian liues well, nor eueryevery ſeeker ſeekes well and therefore many (as the Iewes) take great paynes & find nothing, as Peter fiſht all night and tooke nothing. EueryEvery ſeeking then, and deſire ſhall not obteine.
There is in eueryevery man a naturall deſire of ſaluation: the verieſt reprobate when he dyes, had rather goy to heauen then to hell. Content not thy ſelfe with a bare deſire of ſaluations thou muſt deſire and ſeeke it by the meanes and in the way that God hath appoynted. Many aſke and hauehave not, becauſe they aſke amiſſe. And eueryevery one that ſtriues for maiſteries, is not crowned, except he ſtriue lawfully. So many ſeeke ſaluation, and are not ſaued; not becauſe they ſeeke, but becauſe they ſeeke amiſſe. To ſeeke that we may find, foure things are to be obſerued. Firſt the time. Secondly the place. Thirdly the paynes. Fourthly the continuance.
1 Seeke firſt the kingdome of God and his righteouſnes. If thou ſeekeſt it not firſt but at all leaſures, its a thouſand to one thou ſhalt neuer find it. Vſually men poſt off this to their age: in their youths they may not heare of religion, for dulling their wits; then nothing but pleaſures: old mens heads muſt not be ſet on young mens ſhoulders: but when they come to be old and ly vponupon their death bed, then ſend for the miniſter. Is this enough? I ſhould maruell, if God ſhould be content with the branne and dregges of thy life, when the diuell hath had the flower, and firſt broaching of the Goſpell, Theres an old ſaying. He that neglecteth the occaſion, the occaſion will neglect him; as it appeareth by the example of the fiue fooliſh Virgins. To them which neglect the time is that ſpoken. You ſhall ſeeke me, but you ſhall not finde me, and where I am can you not come
He that hath loſt a ring, and ſeekes a mile from the place where he loſt it, is not like to finde it. Obſerue the place, and ſeeke ſaluation where it is to be found: that is in Chriſt, in whom are all treaſures. The Iewes ſought it in themſelues and miſſed of it. Beware Papiſt. But where is Chriſt to be found? Reſort thou to the houſe of God; If Chriſt be any where to be found, its there, not in an alehouſe, and the meetings of profane men.
3 Seeke painfull, not ouerly, as the woman for her groat. Luc. 15.Seeke as for ſiluer; ſearch as for gold. prov. 2.4.The mine of gold lyes not in the firſt ſpade: it lyes deeper: its well if after all paynes, we find it at the laſt.
4 Continue ſeeking: hee that continues to the end ſhall be ſaued: its worth all our paynes though all ſhould ſeeke a thouſand yeares: giuegive not ouer till thou haſt found.
Iſrael ſought for ſaluation, in the obedience of the law, but found it not: what ſhall then become of our wicked profane wretches which ſeeke not at all? What ſhall become of them which ſeeke only vanityes? Which fly not, but ſeeke the corruption which is in the world: that care for nothing but backe and belly: if God reiect the righteouſnes and will of the Iewes, what hope canſt thou hauehave which neuer thinkeſt of God but to blaſpheme him? Which delighteſt only to wallow in abhominable ſins? I muſt tell thee that ten thouſand thy betters are in hell. Euen ſuch which hauehave rapt hard at heauen gates, which hauehave beſtowed many howers in prayers, much mony vponupon the poore &c. If ſuch as ſeeke, miſſe, for ſeeking amiſſe, much more thoſe which ſeeke not at all, or the contrary.