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Show tbt Lord for ever, Deuc. 23. 1, 2, 3· Againfl which La": the Lord comforceth them with this promife of the Gofpel, that ~n th~ new Teftament neither their EttnuchicaU eflate, nor the alzenatum or pr.JTtgerneffi of aqy Nation, lhallbe ap impedimen~ unto their en-trance into th~ Lor<!s !toufe, whic)} i51 the c;~u:ch• ; , • , The joyning (there fpo~en of) is not thet~ joymng to the Lord and his ~ople as.Profe!Jtu_ of the Ch?rch ; for t~m~g.h th~y were joyned to the Lord, yet fhey complamed of their dis)oynmg and feparating from th~ Lordi people, , but ~e Lore\ comfo~teth thqn with this p;-o~pii'e, t)l.at fuc4 M ar,e,jP.Jjne~ tq:fke. :f;o~d, he will he,reafter bring tqeip fO ~u boHJe_; no ~tly mftrmme,(as that ofthe~tlnuch) nor national! poPattorl( as effie of [orne Jlra:zger.r) lhould hinder their admittance jnto his Chtjrch? on'ely this the Lord rcqui· ,reth both of the Eunuche.r, ver. 4-,and of the JlrangerJ, ver. 6 •. who , had joyned themfelves to the Lo':4f>afo;~,that they .doe alfo take bold oflm Crr11ena'!t (as antecedent to their ee~rante Into Church-fcl· lowfhip,)to wi.t, rake hpld ~fit by {a~rw1f profijfmn of their accep· tance ofit, and of their fubjeccion to it. · Obje8. 2. It is not credible that the Lord would ever Ceparate or debarre fuch from Church-fcllowfhip a& were·joyned to him· felfe by faitp, w~o can thinke it ? wh,at rc~fon can yoo give for it? · · · .Anf.v. The text is plaine, that EunucheJ, Moabite.r ,and Ammo· niw, were feparated from the Church or Congregation of Ifrael for ever, without exception of godlineffe or tlflgodlinejfe. Sot;Je in· deed make a doubt whether the Law againft .iltfoabiw and AnJmonite. r reached to the women of thole .Nations ; but again ft men the Law is cleare.But if the Law had excluded them onely upon point of their own ungodlinejje, that was no fingular curie to them. No Nation under heaven could expect admiflion into the Church of Ifrael, unleffe they beleeved in the God of lfrael. What reafon God might have for~ excluding the EUR1tcbeJ,wee leave to his foveraigne wifdo~e. But yet him.fclfi: giveth a plaine reafon for it againfl the Moabzt~J and AmmomteJ,taken from their malignant emnitie againft Gods people, Deut. 23. 4> 5, 6. Againft the Eunuche.r he giveth no expreffe reafon; the autboritie of the Law-giver is reafon {itfncient! ~ho can tell whet?e! God would not thereby type out the debar· nng of barren Chri Jlzam from Church-fellowfhip ? • Obj~f1. 3. The word{eparation, implyeth they had been (ornetime of the Church; fodtcannot be faid in common fenfe, that any can be fefi~rated from that focietie of which they never were. - A'Ifw. Wlly,not? What isfepatate&bmfevered? May not Engl~ d be fevered from Scotland by the. river of'tweed?and from Fr4f/Cf and Germl'n) and HaY an!, by the.Sea? ~hough they were never joyned to any of thofe Nanons? Dtd not God make the Starres to Jeparate between the d19 and the night? (for it is the fame word in the Originall, Gm. 1. 14· ) and yet day and night were qever joy-ned in one fodetie. ) , So that from the place in Ifaiah, wee have two pa!fages of our practiCes in admitting Church-~mbm, witnelfed unto and confirmed by the Lord. 1. That thole whom the Lord joymth to the Chwch in the new ;Teftament, are fuch as have been joyncd to himfelfe, to love. him, and to ~rve him, and keep his Sabbaths.. . , · r 2 1 That tbey doc alfo tak.!, hqld of hit (J~ptnant with 1m Clmrch, before he bring them into his holy Mom;taine which is hi< Cburcb. .-, Bot~ which are the more to be obferved in this place,becaufe the place ~sa :praphefie of what the Lot'd wiY tifr,J.n the dayes of the new 'J!Jiament, to• wit, wheh his houfe fhali-hi3:alled an boufe. of pri)'er "_fllo a~ NatiOIU, ver. 9· which is proper to the timu oft be Gojjc!. • ·• qh]eU. 4· But the Covcnam here fpoke_a_.of,hath nothing to do~ Wtth the Church Covmam, for the Covenant. is the L?rdJ betwem hit¥ ~d bU. people , but the CIJHrcb CO?Jen;mt u between the lnem/;en .flfJ!;e Cb.it!c/l,one to~·ards anbthcr. . r. tl • .Anfiv. This•objcEI:ion W<l~ prevented before in the lid! point ; fqrwhen the Lord entreth into Co'venant wjth his people that is with his Church, his Cht1rch either expre!ly,or by filen~ confen~ covenanteth with him, and alfo one with an.other, to yeeld profeiJCd fubjet(jon tQ him, ai .hath been lhewed above .. But though this place propberying of tbe dayu of the new 'Tejlament fpeak exprefly of t,al{jng h91d ofibe Covenant before entring into th~ <;-hurch,yet let no man wonder why there is [o little exprelfementtonofthe peoples taking hold of the Covenant in the newTeftament, when this promife commcth to be aecomplifhed. In the old '(efi~m_mt~ w?er~ the Churcb ~mf Com.mon-wealt~ grew up together Ill diVIne rnftltutlon and adrrumfirauon, there IS tJ(prcffc mention of |