Church as Invisible, will appear with full evidence. For the fame inspired Man Mofes, at the fame time, and in the fame Book, in and by which God owned them for his People under of the forefaid appellations, did from God charge them with fuch and fo much guilt, as no man can with any colour of reafon fay was confistent with an Invifible Church-state.

many

Thus in Deut. 9. Thou art a ftiffnecked People, verf. 6. From the day thou didst depart out of the Land of Egypt, even until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the Lord, verf. 7. They have corrupted themfelves, they have quickly turned afide, verf. 12. I have feen this People, and behold it is a stiff-necked People. verf. 13. You have been Rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you, verf. 24. I know thy rebellion and thy ftiff neck, shap. 31. 27. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the pot of his Children, they are a perverse and crooked generation, chap. 32. 5: When the Lord faw it,he abhorred them,

be

because of the provoking of his Sons, and of his Daughters, verf. 19. Afroward Generation, Children in whom is no faith, verf. 20. They are a Nation void of Counsel, neither is there any understanding in them, verf. 28.

These things are charged on them generally and in the grofs. And confidering fome other paffages, there is great caufe to fufpect that much the major part of them at least were thus guilty. For in Numb. 14. 2. its faid, That all the Children of Israel murmured against Mofes, and against Aaron; and the whole Congregation faid, Would God we had died in the Land of Egypt, or would God we had died in the Wilderness. And verf. 10. All the Congregation bade ftone them with ftanes. And verf. 33. Tour Children fall wander in the Wilderness forty years, and bear your Whoredoms, until your Carcafes be wafted in the Wilderness. And verf.35. I will furely do it to all this evil Congregation that are gathered together against me. And verf. 29. Your Carcases shall fall in this Wilderness; and all that are

num

numbred of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against

me.

All these things confidered, they' will not fuffer us with any plaufible pretence to say, or to think that God owned this People in the bulk of them, as his Vifible Church, for any fuch reafon, as because they feemed to be Invifibly related to him by fpecial grace. And if not, then it must be upon fome, or all of these accounts following, unless any other more likely can be thought of, which I am not able to forefee, nor to fufpect.

1. They were in fome fort holy and feparated unto God, as they were Born of Parents who were in Covenant with him. Upon which account they were called a holy Seed, Ezra 9. 2. Now the holiness of perfons always fignifies fome fuch fpecial relation to God, which is not common to all perfons as fuch. Almighty God has another kind of right to the Chil

dren

dren of fuch as are his by Covenant, than he has to the Children of thofe that are not, as indeed he is in fome fort more a God to fuch Children, than he is to the Children of others. God has a Right to all Children, and is related to them, and they to him, as he is their Creator, and they his Creatures. But he has a more special right to the Children of them that are in Covenant with him, tho fuch Parents have taken Covenant with God. And thus the Children of those Jews which were offered in Sacrifice by the Parents unto their Idols, were claimed by God as his Children, and as Born to him, Ezek. 16.20. Thou hast taken thy Sons and thy Daughters whom thou hast born unto me, and these thou haft facrificed to them to be destroy'd. verf. 21. Thon haft flain my Children to cause them to pass through the fire, chap. 23. 37. They caufed the Sons whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire. Tho thefe wicked Parents had forfeited their right to the benefits of the Co

venant in Gods part, through their defection from him to Idolatry, yet they had not thereby made void his right to them, and to their Children which he had by their having entred into Covenant with him to be his, and therefore he calls them his Children, and fays they were born untở him. And it was in this refpect in all likelihood, that St. Paul called thofe Children holy that had one believing Parent, tho the other were an unbeliever, 1 Cor.7.14. The Children became related to God in fome fort as his (for that's the meaning of their being holy) by the Parents having devoted themselves to God by Covenant. How elfé could the Females among the Jews be related to God as his, when they were not Circumcifed? By which yet the Males became Gods by right of Covenant, and fo his, as that their Children became his, and to be related to him in an inferiour degree by right of birth. And in this fence thofe words of St. Paul may be understood when he fays, If

the