3 °4 The .Firth- Priviledge and Covenant-holineffe Ch.38 2 To have made up his argument., he fhould have taken in by way of aflìimption, The Jewes in their fall from Church- fellow- fhip cannot be laid to be rejeeted, hardened, given to a fpirit of flumber, or that their eyes are darkened, or that they have Plum- bled ; And that for their call into Church- fellowfhip , neither Election, or Grace Thal! have any hand in it : This muff be his rea foning, if there be any Phew of reafon in this heap of words, and then all amen will admire Mailer Tombes, while he is in his admira- tion of Mailer Marf all. I fay no more, but that he is very weak both in Divinity and Logick," that cannot prefently upon the first. fight difcover the weaknefle, and returne a fatisfying anfwer to this 1?ourifh of words. Mailer Gerce difiinguifhing of a general mercy to make mem- bers of a vifible Church and a fpeciall to mike members of the invifible , and affirming that their unbelief was not only want of laving Faith, but Hiftorical Faith to profeffion, which later if they had had they had not been fpoken of , and therefore they that have it are ingrafftd into their rooms, to en- joy that vifible ffanding, which for want of is they loft. Mafter- Tombes replies: Be it that there is a general mercy, as well as a f ecial , and unbelief ù a l rivation of an Eiftorical Faith, and mot onelf' of laving; yet here the (hewing of mercy, being oppofecl to their former hardening, the unbelief, the not beleeving or obeying God in times paft, which was a want of laving faith in toe Gentiles, who were, as it it laid, Ephef: 2. 12. without Chrift, without God, without hope; god 'butting up all in unbelief, that he might have mercy on all, occafoned the exclamation, O altitude ! ver.33. It is well that Mailer Tombes yeelds fo much, and being now imbar- lued in this bulïneffe, if he did not plus confulere fame qu/ ne con- fcientia, he would yeeld more, and freely confefle that the mercy'; here is no other, nor no more then that which is gencral,and that the faièh here is Hiflorical, and not laving; I am fure there is e- nough to convince, but it is God alone that muff perfivade. His reafon to aflcrt it to be meant of laving faith, is worthy of con - tideration, being oppofed (faith he) to their former hardening d-c. vide J prd. And is there not a hardening that reaches fo high to hold men frorrfo much as Faith Hiftorical and , Dogmatical as well as there is an hardening to hold men from that which is la- ving? The vaile is(as the Apoille tells us) on the heart of the yewes to
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