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I. THE QUALITIES OF THE ELECT OF GOD.

1. They are chosen and separated from the world to serve God according to the discipline of the gospel (Ephesians 1:4). It is this that Moses represented to ancient Israel the type of the new (Deuteronomy 26:18). They who boast of being elected but lead a godless life mock God and man. Election is ever accompanied by conversion and sanctification. No one knows of his election but by its effects.

2. They are holy — all of them. Paul is not of Rome's opinion that none are saints but the canonized. In the Creed, the Church, which is the body of all true Christians, is called holy, and the communion of saints. No man can be a Christian who is not a saint (Romans 8:9). This quality obliges us to the following virtues which are parts of holiness (Leviticus 11:44; Leviticus 20:26).

3. Beloved of God. This obliges us to love God, the effect of which is —

(1)  Obedience, which includes every virtue (John 14:15).

(2)  Transformation into the thing loved; so that God being charity, justice, and holiness, if we love Him, we shall put these on.

II. THE GRACES OF THE ELECT.

1. Mercy is a tenderness which causes us to commiserate the miseries of others as if we took part in them ourselves. "Bowels of mercies" is a Hebrew expression signifying that the real virtue is one which moves the heart, and is not merely a face expression. The gospel has no affinity with stoicism, which holds compassion to be an infirmity (Luke 6:36; 1 Peter 3:8; Romans 13:15), and is exemplified in Christ (Hebrews 5:2; Hebrews 4:15).

2. Kindness is a goodness of nature that takes pleasure in obliging and avoids injuring. We are obliged to this by our stewardship of God's manifold grace.

3. Humility is the mother of patience and the nurse of charity. It is a difficult virtue to proud man, and its difficulty arises out of our ignorance of ourselves and our relation to God. Could we know this pride would be impossible.

4. Meekness is gentleness, the most amiable ornament of life, which receives every one with an open heart and pleasing countenance, takes things in good part, and is proof against self-injurious irritations.

5. Patience is the sister of gentleness, and undergoes affronts under which gentleness might break down. 6:For the better clearing of these Paul adds —

(1)  Forbearance (Matthew 12:20).

(2)  Forgiveness (Matthew 18:35).

III. THE EXEMPLAR OF THE ELECT (Ephesians 4:32). What stronger reason could he urge? Christ being the image to which we ought to be conformed, how shall we be His living portraits if we have not the goodness He has shown to us? (Matthew 18:32-33). We were His enemies, and His treatment of us must be our inspiration and model in our treatment of our enemies.

(J. Daille.)

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KJV: Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

WEB: Put on therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;