Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient…Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient…

The Jews, 'tis true, were broken off by their Unbelief, and were also no more a Church; nor is there any such kind of Church constituted under the Gospel as theirs was, viz. a National Church; for they amongst the Jews, who were the true Spiritual Seed of Abraham, receiving Christ by Faith, were planted into the Gospel Church, and between them and Gentile Believers: Now there is no difference, Jew and Gentile stand in the Church now by Faith, not by external Covenant, Privilege, Right or Holiness. Thou standest by Faith, O Believer, Mark! not by Birth-Privilege, but by Faith (saith one) yet not thy Seed by thy Faith, but thou thy self by thine, and they by their own: Faith is that by which thou standing (and not thy Seed) hast right to stand in the Church, and not they: But if thy Seed have Faith, and thou hast none, then they have right in the Church, and thou shalt be excluded. And tho under the Law we ⟨p. 143⟩deny not, but that the Natural Seed or Progeny of Abraham were all holy, with an External, Ceremonial or Typical Holiness; and consequently they were admitted to an external Participation of Church-Privileges; yet now 'tis otherwise, old things are past away: now we know no Man after the Flesh, 2 Cor. 5. 16. That Church-state is dissolved, and manner of Admission into it, by external Birth-Privilege, and that this Text doth not help you. I shall further open this place of Scripture.

1. 'Tis evident the Apostle is in the 9th and 10th Chapters to the Romans treating of the Election of Grace, and of that Covenant of Grace God made with Abraham; these were his People which he had not cast away, Chap. 10. 1. and of this sort God had 7000 in Elijah's days, ver. 4. Even so, saith he, at this present time also there is a Remnant according to the Election of Grace, ver. 5. Hence he says, What then? Israel hath not obtained, &c. but the Election hath, &c. ver. 7. He further shows, that abundance of the Natural Seed of Abraham were broken off. How are they broken off? Why by their Unbelief, they not receiving Christ, but rejecting the Gospel and new Church-state, were broken off. But that the Gentiles might not boast over them, the Apostle shows there is ground left to believe all those that belong to the: Election of Grace, shall in God's due time be brought in, and so partake of the Blessings of the Gospel-Covenant, or Covenant of Grace made with Abraham; and to prove this, in ver. 16. he lays down an Argument, For if the first Fruit be holy, the Lump is also holy; and if the Root be holy, so are the Branches, ver. 16. by the Root I understand is meant Abraham, Root and Father signifying here the same thing, Abraham being the Root or Father, as God represents him, of all the Elect, or of such who believe, or the Root of all his true Spiritual Seed.