Third. ‘And the Lord said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger’ (Gen 25:23).
These words, after Paul’s exposition, are to be understood as justification in the sight of God, according to the purpose and decree of electing love, which had so determined long before, that one of these children should be received to eternal grace; but mark, not by works of righteousness which they should do, but ‘before they had done either good or evil’; otherwise, ‘the purpose of God according to election,’ not of works, but of him that calleth, ‘could not stand,’ but fall in pieces (Rom 9:10–12). But none are received into eternal mercy but such as are just before the Lord by a righteousness that is complete; and Jacob, having done no good, could by no means have that of his own, and therefore it must be by some other righteousness, ‘and so himself be justified from the curse, in the sight of God, while a sinner in himself.’
Fourth. The same may be said concerning Solomon, whom the Lord loved with special love, as soon as he was born into the world; which he also confirmed with signal characters. ‘He sent,’ saith the Holy Ghost, ‘by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah because the Lord loved him (2 Sam 12:24–25). Was this love of God extended to him because of his personal virtues? No, verily, for he was yet an infant. He was justified then, in the sight of God, from the curse by another than his own righteousness.
Fifth. ‘And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou was in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou was in thy blood, Live’ (Eze 16:6).
The state of these people you have described in the former verses, both as to their rise and practice in the world (vv 1–5),. 1. As to their rise,. Their original was the same with Canaan, the men of God’s curse (Gen 9:25). ‘Thy birth and thy nativity are of the land of Canaan’; the same with other carnal men (Rom 3:9). ‘Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite’ (Eze 16:3). Their condition, as shown us by this emblem, was that they had not been washed in water. (2.) They had not been swaddled. (3.) They had not been salted. (4.) They brought filth with them into the world. (5.) They lay stinking in their cradle. (6.) They were without strength to help themselves. Thus, they appear and come by generation. 2. Again, as to their practice—(1.) They polluted themselves in their own blood. (2.) They so continued till God passed by—’ And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood;—’ in thy blood, in thy blood; it is doubled. Thus we see they were polluted born, they continued in their blood till the day that the Lord looked upon them; polluted, I say, to the loathing of their persons, &c. Now this was the time of love—’ And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou was in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou was in thy blood, Live’ (Eze 16:6).
Question. But how could a holy God say, ‘Live,’ to such a sinful people?
Answer. Though they had nothing but sin, he had love and righteousness. He had love to pity them; and righteousness to cover them—’ Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love (Eze 16:8). What follows? (1) ‘I spread my skirt over thee’; and (2) ‘Covered thy nakedness’; yea, (3) ‘I swore unto thee’; and (4) ‘Entered into covenant with thee’; and (5) ‘Thou became mine.’ My love pitied thee; my skirt covered thee. Thus, God delivered them from the curse in his sight. ‘Then I washed thee with water after thou was justified; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and anointed thee with oil’ (v 9).
Sanctification, then, is consequential, justification goes before. The Holy Ghost by this scripture set forth to the life, and free grace to the sons of men, while they are sinners. I say, while they are unwashed, unsaddled, unsalted, but bloody sinners; for by these words, ‘not washed, not salted, not swaddled,’ he set forth their unsanctified state; yea, they were not only unsanctified but also cast out, without pity, to the loathing of their persons; yea, ‘no eye pitied them, to do any of these things for them’; no eye but his, whose glorious grace is unsearchable; no eye but his, who could look and love; all others looked and loathed; but blessed be God that hath passed by us in that day that we wallowed in our own blood; and blessed be God for the skirt of his glorious righteousness wherewith he covered us when we lay before him naked in blood. It was when we were in our blood that he loved us; when we were in our blood he said, Live. Therefore, ‘men are justified from the curse, in the sight of God, while sinners in themselves.’
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