The grounds and ends of the baptism of the children of the faithful. Opened…The grounds and ends of the baptisme of the children of the faithfull. Opened…

7 He proveth and amplifieth the same by an argument à Pari, from equals, thus, As you when you were unbelievers have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: so they now not believing shall obtain mercy through your mercy, v. 30, 31, 32. Finally he concludeth all with an holy and Affectionate Admiration of the depth of the riches of the knowledge and wisdom of God in these his unsearchable Judgements and ways, v. 33. to 36.

7 He proveth and amplifieth the same by an argument à Pari, from equalls, thus, As you when you were unbeleivers have now obtained mercy through their unbeleife: so they now not beleiving shall obtaine mercy through your mercy, v. 30, 31, 32. Finally he concludeth all with an holy and Affectionate Admiration of the depth of the riches of the knowledge and wisedome of God in these his unsearchable Iudgements and wayes, v. 33. to 36.

I have the more fully opened to you the Analysis of this whole chapter, that you may the better discern both the true scope of the Apostle, and withal your own fallacy in perverting the Apostles scope to such a meaning as will not suite with his words. For you so carry the Apostles scope, as if he wholly intended throughout all this discourse to defend a remnant of faithful Jews against the general Apostasy and rejection of ⟨p. 91⟩that Nation. And lest it might appear that the Apostle had a principal aim in the latter half of the chapter, to prove (as he evidently doth) the conversion and restoring of the Nation from the state of Apostasy and infidelity unto the Faith of Christ, and his Gospel, you would have the Apostle understood to speak of the Jews in a state of faith and holiness, and the whole lump of them to be holy by faith, as their first fruits Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And lest it should be thought that God will convert and restore the Jews (as some of the Apostles Arguments carry it) out of respect to his Covenant with their holy Ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, (out of whom they descended as branches out of a root) you would have the root not to be meant, their holy Ancestors, but Christ: and themselves to be holy not by virtue of any Covenant of God with their Ancestors, (for that you see would fetch in Infants, and others of their Natural seed within the bounds and benefit of the Covenant) but by virtue of their actual Union and Communion with Christ through faith in his Name. And lest it should be humbled at (as justly it might) why the Apostle should spend so many Arguments to prove the restoring and engrafting of the Jews into Christ after y have come to enjoy Union and Communion with Christ, you would have Christ to be understood not personally (as a Redeemer and (Saviour but mystically as he is the head of the Church and one body with it, and so their restoring to be nothing else but receiving into Church-fellowship in the Order, and Worship and Government thereof. Such hard shifts the wits of men will make to seek any evasions to avoid the light and power of the truth of the word, when it will not stand with their own forestalled imaginations. But let us consider how you go about to make these imaginations of your own, to stand with the Apostles words.