312 The Birth-Priviledge and Covenant- holinejje Ch. 38 `c people which were once the Ele& people of God , and ingraffed " into the invifible Church ; becaufe the generality , or greater " number were fuch among that people are broken off from E- " leetion and the invifible Church. For a People or Nation is " not a cofiftent being, but a fluent being ; as a River , which is " the fàrne River mill, though not the fame water; and there- " fore as when Cyrus turned Euphrates from his own Channel, he " C may be faid to have turned away the fame River Euphrates that " was created at firft though it were not the fame numericall " water. So when God rejected the Jewes from being his Elea " beleeving people, he broke off the fame people that were the " true branches of Abraham,the true root in the invifible Church; " and yet no one particular perfon who was Ele&, or in the in- " vifible Church by Faith broken off, which is the Arminian " Doctrine. Sol, Here is taken for granted. 1, That the whole vifible body of Chriftian Nations , are truely ingraffed into the Church in- vifible. 2. That in after -ages the fame body, though not the fame per. Eons, may be caft off; and yet no particular perfon rejected. The fiat is falfe upon the firft fight, and needs no refutation, I can - not think that there is a man that yields to fuch a diftin&iòn of a Church vifible and invifible of his opinion : This Church vifible confifts of many Nations each Nation of many particular, Churches ; all of thefe Churches are fimilar and homogeneal, not diff7milar orheterogeneal with the whole. The fecond mutt be examined; This Church thus cut off, either continues in the in- vifible body as before , or elfe is degenerate by the death of thofe numerical perlons that made up a body invifible , and fucceffion of others that are no more then vifible Members. If it continue in the invifible body till the time of breaking off, then Matter Tombes is not holpen with his diftin &ion of a cofift- ent and fluent being, nor with his fimilitude of Euphrate ; for fo a Church invifible is Dill broken off and reje&ed, and falling a- way is maintained. If it be degerate, then (c.) They fall off themfelves , and are not broken off by God; their own fir,then fhould be noted, not Gods a& as their punifh- ment : But their breaking off, or reje&ion is the a& of God Laying wafie his Vineyard,. Ifa. 5. Taping away his. Kingdome, Match.
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