Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

What merit can be discovered in the Gentiles? There is something of Justice in the case of the Jews rejection, nothing but Sovereignty in the Gentiles reception into the Church. If the Jews were bad, the Gentiles were in some sort worse: The Jews owned the One true God without mixture of Idols, though they owned not the Messiah in his appearance, which they did in a promise; but the Gentiles owned neither the one, nor the other. Some tell us, it was for the merit of some of their Ancestors. How comes the means of Grace then to be taken from the Jew, who had (if any people ever had) meritorious Ancestors for a plea? If the merit of some of their former progenitors were the Cause, what was the reason the debt due to their merit, was not paid to their immediate progeny, or to themselves, but to a posterity so distant from them; and so abominably depraved as the Gentile World was, at the day of the Gospel-Sun striking into their Horizon? What merit might be in their Ancestors (if any could be supposed in the most refined rubbish,) 'twas so little for themselves, that no Oil could be spared out of their Lamps for others. What merit their Ancestors might have, might be forfeited by the succeeding Generations. 'Tis ordinarily seen, that what honour a Father deserves in a State for public Service, may be lost by the Son, forfeited by Treason, and himself attainted.

What merit can be discovered in the Gentiles? There is something of Justice in the case of the Jews rejection, nothing but Soveraignty in the Gentiles reception into the Church. If the Jews were bad, the Gentiles were in some sort worse: The Jews own'd the One true God without mixture of Idols, though they own'd not the Messiah in his appearance, which they did in a promise; but the Gentiles own'd neither the one, nor the other. Some tell us, it was for the merit of some of their Ancestors. How comes the means of Grace then to be taken from the Jew, who had (if any people ever had) meritorious Ancestors for a plea? If the merit of some of their former progenitors were the Cause, what was the reason the debt due to their merit, was not paid to their immediate progeny, or to themselves, but to a posterity so distant from them; and so abominably depraved as the Gentile World was, at the day of the Gospel-Sun striking into their Horizon? What merit might be in their Ancestors (if any could be supposed in the most refined rubbish,) 'twas so little for themselves, that no Oyl could be spared out of their Lamps for others. What merit their Ancestors might have, might be forfeited by the succeeding Generations. 'Tis ordinarily seen, that what honour a Father deserves in a State for publick Service, may be lost by the Son, forfeited by Treason, and himself attainted.