October 15th, 1942

In our last issue we again promised to try to write more on the above subject, So we will try to carry out the promise. Before we proceed, we wish to say that the article on this subject in the last issue was numbered wrong. It should have been marked “Article No. 7.” And the article in September 17 was also numbered
wrong; it should have been marked “Article No. 6.” If you are keeping your papers, find those issues and mark the articles correctly. We regret the error. We will here  call attention to what Paul said in (Romans 9:7-16): Neither, bemuse they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children; but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebeca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, chat 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 it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness  with God? God forbid. For He saith to Moses. I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy. Here is text enough for more than we will be able to write for this issue. The first thing we wish to call attention to is the fact that Isaac was a promised child, and
that he was born contrary to nature. Abraham was old and Sarah was past the age of child-bearing. But God made promise that at a certain time He would come and that Sarah should have a son. That son was Isaac. Ishmael was born of Hagar, and Ishmael was not the promised heir. He was born after the flesh. His mother was a type of the law covenant, and he was not to be heir with the child of the free woman. Isaac was a child of promise; and so is every child of God a child of promise. “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.” - (Galatians 4:28). Turn to the book and read the chapter, especially from (Galatians 4:21 to the end of the chapter). “And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” -(Galatians 3:29). This is a clear and positive demonstration of the choice and purpose of God. The efforts of
Sarah and her handmaid did not result in the birth of the promised child; but resulted in the birth of a mocker. Even so to this day-the efforts of all the societies in the world and the works of men do not result in the spiritual birth of one into the heavenly family. God comes, as He did then, in the power and might of His Holy
Spirit, and the promised child is born into the heavenly family; and Jerusalem which is above, and is free, is the mother. This Jerusalem is the covenant which is everlasting, and is ordered in all things and sure. They were embraced in that covenant before they had existence, “when as yet there was none of them.” Here
is the doctrine of election, God's choice, and God's purpose clearly demonstrated.

Then the apostle refers to Rebecca, the wife of Isaac To Rebecca and Isaac two boys were born, and they were twins. It seems that Paul was not satisfied to demonstrate and show forth the doctrine of God's sovereign choice and His predestination by the use of Isaac and Ishmael, so he now brings cut two more
boys -twin boys, who had the same father and the same mother. Though they were twins, yet Esau was born first. Under the law the family blessing was always to go to and be bestowed upon the elder, or the oldest boy. But God had not so chosen in this case. Before the boys were born the Lord told their mother that “the elder shall serve the younger.” The word elder literally means the greater and the word younger literally means the lesser. Here is a promise of God concerning these boys before they were born. God made choice of the lesser, or the younger-Jacob-that he should serve the greater, or the elder-Esau. Here is a display of God's choice in the matter; and it was not the law by which it was manifested or done, but it was a display of His mercy and grace and His sovereign choice. God loved Jacob and bestowed the blessing upon him. God hated Esau, He did not love Esau, and passed him by and bestowed the blessing upon Jacob. This was not done because Jacob had done good and Esau had done bad, for it was before they were born, and neither of them had done any good or evil. “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.” -(Romans 9:11). Here the apostle positively and unequivocally declared that in this is the doctrine of election and God's purpose or predestination set forth. Why try to “wrest” this to try to make it teach something else? When and if one does that, is it not a clear demonstration of the fact that he is not satisfied with the teaching of God's Book? Years ago a lady said to us, “I do not believe that doctrine; I do not care if it is in the Bible.” Why not be candid about the matter, and do as that lady did, just say positively that you do not believe the Bible? God made choice of Jacob, and Jacob was a type of all God's people. “When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.” - (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). Jacob, then, represented the Lord's portion, the Lord's people, the Lord's inheritance. God loved Jacob before he was born; and He loved His people before they existed. He loved  them from everlasting, and will love them to everlasting. His love is eternal. He loved them from eternity, and made choice of them, and purposed to save them in eternal glory; to deliver them from the curse of the law-to save them from their sins. Just where the Lord found Jacob is where He finds all His people-in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness. And as He did with Jacob, so He does with each one of them. “He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.” Is there unrighteousness with God because He does all this? Some people think so; for some will tell us that if God thus makes choice of one and saves that one without conditions upon his part, and does not give all the others a chance, that He is unjust. We have even heard some say that if He does this He is meaner than the devil. But the inspired apostle did not thus view the matter. He asks the question, in anticipation of what some say about the matter, even in this so-called enlightened day, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?” Then He answers the question in positive language, “God forbid.” It is God's sovereign prerogative to make choice of a poor sinner and deliver that sinner from eternal destruction from His presence-from eternal suffering in an endless torment. Hence “He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” In His declaration to Moses He declared His sovereign choice of sinners and His purpose to save them. He saves whom He wills to save. He has compassion on whom He wills to have compassion. He has mercy on whom He wills to have mercy. And it is alone the mercy of God by which a poor sinner is saved,and not what the sinner does. And God bestows that mercy upon whom He wills to bestow it. He has made choice of them, and saves them according to that choice and purpose. He made choice of them, and predestinated to save them. Hence He bestows His mercy upon those He has chosen and predestinated to save. Hence the salvation of the sinner is “not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” The unregenerate sinner has a will, but his will is wrong; he runs, but he runs in the wrong way. The will the sinner has, and the running which he does, has nothing under heaven to do with his salvation. “It is of God that sheweth mercy.” His salvation is all of God, and not partly of God and partly of his own will or work, or running. Have you learned and felt this truth in your own heart? If you have, you have been taught of God. God was your teacher in bringing you to know this great truth. And if God has been your teacher, then you are a child of God; for the prophet said, “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” -((4:13) (Isaiah 54:13). Everlasting peace is yours beyond this world of turmoil and war. So by experience I do know There's nothing good that I can do; I cannot satisfy the law, Nor hope, nor comfort from it draw. My nature is so prone to sin, Which makes my doing so unclean, That when I count up all the cost, If not free grace, then I am lost. May
Heaven's blessings rest upon you, is our prayer. Pray for us. We will try to write some more on this subject for next issue. C. H. C.