OS The Old and New Covenant. Chap.2 8, 6tit in the fame We may finde fame truly Be1eevers, Medul. lib. r. cap. 32. fe &. 8. The Apoftle tells ùs of the Faith once delivered to the saints, Jude 3. the Do &rive of Faith, as is agreed on all hands ; all that profeffe that Dottrine are Saints: no other Com- ment can be put upon it, then upon the Apoftles words, Rom,3,i. To the leases were committed the Oracles of cod; Saint then is a name of diftin&ion to fet out thole that take the way, not of Jews, or Heathens,but the way of Chriftians; and Saints are meni in Covenant, For the terme Difciple, enough hath been fpoken before. This argues an intereft in the Covenant,as well as the former of Saints, and Beleevers, and whole Nations are in capacity to be Difciples, Matth. 28,19. to be put into a way of Salvation (as fometimesi the Nation of the Jews was) in the fruition of Ordinances; and the Kingdornes of the earth, being made. the Kingdoms of the Lord and his Chrifts, by a vifible profeflion they are Difciples. lucias is called a Difciple, c.i1:tatth. r o.1, 4. as well as Simon ¿U.. gzu is called a Beleever. Saul breathed out threatnings againft the Difciples of the Lord, Acls9. r. in cafe you will know who the Holy Ghoft there meanes; fee verf. z. all that Saul could finde of that way. He made it not his work to enquire after their Regeneration, or inward work of San&ification ; we may well; think he underftood as little of that as Nicodernus : It was enough to him that they made fuch a profeffion. Complaint is made, Aels! 15. r o. that thofe that urged the neceffity of Circumcifion , put1 ayoke on the necks of the Difciples , Which neither they nor their fa- thers were able to bear ; they urged it upon all in vifible profefli- on, and not upon Regenerate ones alone. Let that one Text (peak for all in what latitude the word Difciple is taken , and in how large comprehenfion it is ufed, John 'Z. 66, From that time many of his Difciples went back., andwalked no more with him. For the laft of thefe termes, Chriftiani,it flands in the fame lati- tude as the other, where we first heard of it, we finde it the fame with Difciples, Ads 1 r. 26. And the ßifcipleswere firft called Chri- ftians in Antioch. And in what acceptation through-all ages it bath paft, is.alfomanifeft. All of tilde imply an intereft in the Cove- nant, and thefe are given to unregenerate perfons. Here that oour Saviour is objected, Luke 14. 27, 33. If any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother, and Wife, and children, tlurebenerate perforas, as to the name and l outward privi' ledges.are ciples, tinregenerate perfims, -as .10 A: name and outward privi. eP'. , are Clar.i.frjans.
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