Of EleUion. wealth, thefc Jews were bidden to put away fuch Wives, and the Children lo '""-A/\ begotten on them as uncle>n: Even upon the fame ground were thefe Coriu. Chap. 4· thums and other Gentile C iuiflians, tor the prefervation of the Peace of Gen. ~ tile States and Commonwealths, to keep them, and not to put them a~ way. Then fecondly, The Apoflle withal takes into confideration the priviledge of Believers Marriages; and therein we may confider three things. 1. The !toya! Pm•iledge God had endowed Behcvers Marriages with ha– ving fanctifiod them,and lanctitied them to this end,to convey theCoven;nt to their Children; that fo he might continue to himfelf a holy Seed out of rhem ; which Priviledges continue to them under the Gofpel,as founded not only upon a corref!'qndency to the Jews Covenant, but even to the f•me Primitive Law cnncermng Marriage from the beginning, even under the Law of Nature; when God, as he ordained Marriage to Men, to propagate Men, fo to holy Men, to . propagate a holy Seed: T hereforeMalacbi argues it from the Inflitution of Marriage at fir{\, only with this difference, that in Innocency it was by Nature, or by a Natural Covenant, but now by a Free CovenantofGrace, drawing his EJect through the ir loins; yet with a like Covenant thereunto : God refolved to keep to the Law given at firfl; only now, out of Grace. That as holy A · dam lhould have a holy Seed; fo holy Men lhould propagate a Seed to God. And this I take it is the Reafon why Malachi urgeth the fin of it upon the Jews, ( verfe 11.) from the example of the firfl Marriage. Thus immediate· ly atier the Fall, God calls out Seth to propagate a holy Seed, Gnzef. 5'. '· And t herdore Seth his Seed are called So11s ofGod, as the Seed of Cain were called Sons of Mm. For Marriage to them was ordained to propagate Sons to God, a' <0 the other to propagate Mankind, or So11s to Mm : But how this is to be underltood I lhall fl1ew anon. Aod feconaly be declares withal, That this Priviledge is fo prevailing in the behalf of the Elect, and for the believing Parents fake, that it takes place a– gainfl the curfe and defilement, which elfe would come upon the Marriage and the Childre~, from rhc unbelieving Party. The goodnefs of God herein he declareth to be fuch, and his grace nod love fo prevailing, tP&t this his Co– venant towards Believers, holds not only when both Potties are fuch; but pre– vails again(\, and eountervails the Unbelievers unfandifiednefs and curfe ( in this Cafe propofed) and carries it from him, fo as, he is fanctilied in her, and the not defiled by him; and the Children are holy through her Covenant , ra– t her than unclean by his defilement; Partw [equitur meliorem partem: The I!Iue takes alter the better part; through Grace, which prevails in this again{\ fin, even as in other things it doth, in and towards the Elect. So in the works or actions that come from us which are the fruit of our Souls , it prevails to m:>ke the action accounted holy, notwithflanding the defilement of the un· regenerate parr. And thus in like manner in thefe, the fruit of our Bodies it prevails to convey the Covenant , and to make the Child accepted , notwith· fianding the Fathers Curfe. And luch is the Law of Priviledges among Men, Favor<s funt amplia~di, Favour5 granted are always to be interpreted as ex· tended to the utmofl, efpecially God's Priviledges of Grace, which then lhew themfelves to be mol! of Grace, when they hold and prevail againfl fin and the Curfe moll, for then Grace abounds moft. Efpecially, l· In fuch a Cafe as this was, for when one being Married be– fore, is afterward converted (for that wasche Cafe of thefe Cori11thimu ) if then God by the Law of Nature holds them {\ill to the Marriage, which through their Ignorance ti<ey entred imo, and by his Providence were found in when Called, then by the Law of Grace (and yet of free Grace) he w,ll not withold the Priviledge of Believ-ers Marriages, but will fanctifie it unto them os if both were Believers; for none lhall ever lofe by any inconvenient necel!ity they arc cafl into, inobedionce to hi• command, And thus to bind and hold Ilelievers, to continue in fuch unequal yoaks, and not to take the liberty of Divorce, which the Rommz Laws did give them, mufl needs be to them full of manifold inconveniencies. God therefore graciouOy refolves to recompcnce this; and feeing that primitive Law ol Marriage thouId biod them to abi:de G gg With
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