Ch. 3 9 of the ifate of Beleeiers°. 331 better then thole Ifrael ices, and being not able to determine, their fcruple remained. SECT, III. Containing an enquiry into feveral heterodoxal interpreta- _ tions of this text with their refutation. Here have beetle variety of interpretations of this text in Ancient and Moderne Writers, moli of which are generally exploded, and therefore I think not fit to trouble the Reader at all with them. Two there are which now appear efpecially in competition with this here delivered, which I Iball hold forth in this place, that the Reader may judge of each. The firft fets up parent and childe, root and branch too high ; The fecond laies the iffue too low. The firft is, that the beleever here mentioned is an elea regenerate man, not only a Profeffor of the Faith, but a man endowed with the grace of Faith, not only of the Church vifible, but of the Church invifible likewi(e ; That the holineffe here mentioned is a reali holineffe, an holineffe of regeneration, and the iffue of one or both regenerate perlons is all() filch regene- rate. The ilfue of the unregenerate is (as they fay) unregenerate lilcewife, an interpreration as farre from the Apofiles minde as that which is farthefi, and the do&trine fetched from it as untrue as that which is untrueft. The Beleever here is the man that is not an Infidel, one that is taken off from Gentilifme to the profeffion of Chriftianity. Pacs- linsr ('whom Hierom fo much admired) interprets it (as Hierotn relates his words, Ep, z 5 3.) abaptized perfon. The Corinthians never quAtioned the marriage betweene one party in whom the power of godlineffe appears , and another profefl.ïngly of the fame faith, though not in that fincerity. There was never fuck a fcruple made, but the marriage betweene a profeffor of Chriftian religion,and a Pagan;Neither is the iffue of-a regenerate man,be- caufe his iffue regenerate; Habits, neither infufed, nor acquired, are thus communicated from parent to childe, neither will it help to fay that this propofition is not univerfal,but indefinìte,which holds Liu a The firft in. te-pretationfet Ling up parent and childe too high, examin- ed.
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