010 JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN CHURCHES. very vile, and abominable. It is certain, there were very many of them who continued for some time members of the outward visible Jewishchurch, to whom John the Baptist, and our blessed Saviour, ascribed the vilest of characters relating totheir inward and real state, viz. that they were hypocrites, children of the devil, they had him for their father, for they did his works, a generation of vipers, and such as could not escape the damnation of hell. VII. When the times of the gospel came, God designed to setup a more spiritual kingdom, or visible church, in the world, which should come much nearer to his invisible church, in true and real holiness, than that of the Jews did; and of which there was frequent notice given, by the prophets Isaiah, Jere- miah, Ezekiel, and Malachi, and particularly, by John the Baptist; Mat. iii. 9, 10. " Think not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our father, for God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham : Now the axe is laid to the root of the trees ; therefore every tree, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire." If ever, there fore, you would be worthy membersof such a church, as God is going shortly to set up in the world, by introducing baptism, as the badge and seal of it, you must bring forth fruits of repent. ance, and holiness. Our Saviour, also, gives notice of the same thing to Nico- demus; John iii. 3. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. It is, as if John and Jesus had agreed, to tell the Jews, " Your beingborn of Abraham will by no means secure to you, any visible and eternal blessings, in the kingdom of God, nor will your natural and fleshly , relation to Abraham, any longer constitute you members of the visible church, or of that kingdom, which God isgoing to set up, unless you are born of the Spirit of God, unto holiness of heart and life, or appear to be so, as far as the state, of a visible church can require ; un- less you declàre that you repent and believe the gospel, and make a credible profession of it, by bringing forth fruits, &c. for God will make a clearer discovery of his 'spiritual designs, under the gospel, and that he has an invisible church which are all holy ; and he will make his visible church much more like it than they were in the days of Judaism, wherein several evident immoralities did not exclude them from church-fellowship, and the outward covenant of Abraham, if they did but perform their outward rites of religion, and, in cases of political or ceremonial defilement, fulfilled their purifications and atonements, by proper washings and sacrifices : Bitt now, the tree that brings not good fruit, mustbe,r cut down, andcast out of the vineyard. VIII. When God came to set up this more spiritual king- dom and church in the world, those among the Jews who pro- fessed that they received the Messiah, and submitted themselves
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