Venning's remains, or, Christ's school consisting of four classes of Christians, I. babes, II.…

And that this is the Apostles meaning, as to the Hebrew-Babes, is clear from the context and the scope of the whole Epistle, which is to show the excellency of Christ the High-Priest after the order of Melchisedee (the Lord our righteousness) beyond that of the Law which made none perfect nor righteous. He begins, Vers. 10, 11. with this High-Priest after the ⟨p. 178⟩order of Melchizedek, which is the Word of righteousness and strong meat, and the sum of all which he had to say, as he speaks in Chap 8.1. where he reassumes the discourse and goes on with it, telling them that this is more excellent and better, which word (better) he useth of Christ and the Gospel dispensation at least thirteen times. This their weak stomachs could not concoct, and therefore he calls them Babes: to this purpose Jac. Capelius speaks clearly and fully, Qui typorum ceremonialium ita particeps est, ut iis indigere see putet, a• •es ut cibum suum amplectatur, is sermonem justitie, foedus Evangelicum, in quo vera justitiae doctrina traditur, capere non potest; repuerascit enim, adeoque jam redit ad infantiam, eamque prior deteriorem. In short, he that thinks he needs the ceremonial types and makes them his meat, cannot take in the Word of righteousness, the Evangelical Covenant, for he is a worse Babe than they were of old. The Galatians also were guilty of this babishness and were not past the Spoon; they were receding and going back again to the Law, or at least blending and mixing it with Faith for righteousness; for which Paul calls them foolish, the same with Babes and unskilful, as appears by the whole Epistle, and the scope and design thereof takes up hereabout: yea he travels again for them, to bring them out from the Law to a more perfect knowledge and Image of Christ, Chap. 4.19. So then, this is the Babes defect that he is unskilful in the Word of righteousness, that and how Christ is our righteousness. The Christian ⟨p. 179⟩Jews were many of them but Jewish Christian• they were not easily brought to lay Moses an• his Law aside; and the Christian Gentiles were too much but Gentile-Christians, they could hardly part with their old acquaintance, the Law of Nature and works.