Vert. 19. the Epiflle to the Romans. other but ungodly and accurfed. Se- condly, in natural] grafting the branch communicates làp to the tree, that by the fat and fruitfull fap of the good graff, the bárrenneffe and wildeneffe of the tree might be amendeed : but inthe fpirituail planting, the branch and grafi give not, but receive juice from the tree. So ale& (inners by the grace of Chrift 'to whom they are grafted, be changed so be like to himfelf, holy and righteous as heis:and this to be the end of their incorporation into Chrift, namely, to be converted and bear his Image,is proved by Epbef. 4. 23, 24. Col. 3. z o. T z M.But were all the Gentiles that were graffed into the tree of : Chrift and his Church, transformed into his Image ? S z L. No verily : fome were graffed into the Church of Chrift, by profeflìon of the mouth only : fome alto were planted into it by faith of the heart ; which diftin&ion is proved plainly by Rom.2.28.by Mat.7.2 z . 2 Ttm.3. 5. The former be not altered from their wilde and barren nature by Chrift, and there- fore may be broken offand perifh ; but the latter not fo,becaufe they paffe in- to Chrift, and by his Spirit are renewed to his own glorious likenefs,2 Cor.3. r 8. T z x. What be the parts of Paul his anfwer ti S z L. Two : firft,a concellion gran- ting the thing obje &ed fo far as it was true; Well, faith he, it is true, the branches (that is,the Jewes) be broken offin great number, and this was done, not becaufe God delighted limply in their fall, but he ufeth theirreje &ion as a means to further the graffing in, and calling of the Gentiles; this I deny not, faith Paul. The fecond part of his anfwer is a negation,whereinhe doth deny that the worthineffe of the Gentiles was the true caufe why the Jewes were reje&ed, and the Gentiles planted in; but infi- delity ( becaufe of unbelief) as if he fhould fay, not for thee nor for thy fake, but for :their unbelief are the cut off, even becaufe they proudly refufed the faith ofthe promifes and of the Go- 469 fpell, (feeking to be ju ftifaed by their own merits of works, and not by the faith of Chrift,) as before Rom, 9. 3i, 32. & zo. 3. And the caufe why the Gentiles were ingraffed into the body of the Church, was not any dignity of their own, but their faith whereby they relied upon Chrift alone for righteouf- neffe and falvation,as it is laid of them, Rom. 9.3o. and here [ Thou ffandeft by faith.] Thus in few and plain words are laid down the right caufes ofthe de- flruaion of the Jewes, and of the voca- tion of the, Gentiles ; where of the one (to wit,unbelief) is naturali and might befall both Jewand Gentile,being both born in fin and unbelief. The other, to wit [faith] is a free gift of God, de- pending upon mercy alone, and from the hand ofinercy given to the Gentiles, who therefore had no caufe to be high minded,but to fear and be humble. T r m. What is the Dolïrine which ye gather from the former part of this anfwer, [they are brakes off throughunbelief? S z t. Firft,that God is juft and moll righteous in condemning and calling away the reprobate, becaufe howfoever no man in Gods eternall counfell is refufed for fin, yet God in time doth not deltroymen but by reafon of their ignorance, unbelief,and fns; fo as man beareth in his own bofonse the root o his own ruine, he may blame nothing but his own unbeleeving heart reje&ing Gods promifes molt wickedly. Second - ly, we learn,that unbelief isa fin molt odious unto Gòd, and dangerous unto men in whom it reigneth. ,For . as it call Adam out of Paradife, and kept Mofes from entring into the prom i fed Land ; fo it deprived the Jewes of the cove- nant and promifes of falvation. Th reafon why God doth fo deteft -it, i firft,becaufe itrobbeth him of hisglory, quite taking from him thepraife of his trath,power,and mercy, which in effe& is to make no God at all, vbut an Idoli. Secondly, unbelief doth reproach God, and maketh him a lyar, which is to make him not a God but a Devil], who it the father of lyes, z job. g.zo. Third ly, becaufe as faith is the mother ofall good
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