-- CHAPTER III: A comparing the 1 Cor. 7:14, with the fore-cited Rom. 11:16.
CHAPTER III
A comparing the 1 Cor. 7:14, with the fore-cited Rom. 11:16.
Now, for a more full confirmation of this point, I shall proceed to compare this place, Rom. 11, with that other, 1 Cor. 7:14, and by both set together we shall find this point in hand yet more clear, namely, that our seed now is included in the covenant of grace, as the Jews' seed was in that of their fathers. For look what we have heard said of the Jews, Rom. 11:16, in respect of their fathers and their covenant; the very same we find spoken of our children, in that place of the Corinths, in their relation unto us their parents, being believers. The apostle, in that place to the Romans, arguing for the Jews' converson in future times, says, 'If the first fruits be holy, the lump is also holy; if the root be holy, so are the branches.' And in like manner, in that 14th verse of the 7th to the Corinthians, speaking of the children of believing Gentiles, he says, 'they are holy;' and that in respect of their relation to their parents, as believers, as will anon appear. And so these two places serve most fitly to interpret one the other, and I allege this latter, not only as a new confirmation of the point itself, but further also of that interpretation of Rom. 11, which in the former chapter I have given. Now, in that speech of his, Rom. 11, he speaks not of outward, but of true, inward, real holiness; not of their ancient, Jewish, legal, and typical holiness, which was in all the nation, but of their evangelical holiness. For it is given as a reason of their future conversion, as ver. 15, which we one day look for; which will be an evangelical holiness, not typical. Neither speaks he this in a promiscuous sense of the whole nation, that they were holy from the better part, as namely, because some elect should be found among them, but the speech properly refers to those very elect, and to them only who shall then be called; for if compared with ver. 15, immediately foregoing, it appears his scope to be to shew what manner of persons, at their receiving and grafting in again (as ver. 15 and 24), they shall then be. And that by reason of their father's
covenant: 'For if the first fruits be holy,' says he, 'so is the lump;' and ver. 27, he explains it out of Isa. 59, 'This is my covenant, when I shall take away their sins,' both by a real justifying and sanctifying of them, as by comparing Heb. 10 is evident. And he speaking this of that great and true conversion and sanctification of the elect of that nation to come, as that particle 'When I shall,' &c., imports, no other than real and gospel holiness can be meant or intended; for then, if ever any in any age were holy, they shall eminently be such. Yea, and therefore he must needs prophesy this with an aim to those individual persons in that nation who shall then be holy and converted, that are elect and 'beloved for their Father's sakes.' And yet because the generality or the most of that nation shall be then converted, for, ver. 26, he says, 'All Israel shall be saved,' therefore he useth the word lump. And I have thought, that that outward typical holiness of the whole nation before under the law, might be intended as a type of the great and large extent of real holiness of that whole nation under the gospel, in comparison of all nations else, which is one day yet to come. And with this suits also the apostle's phrase of speech, 'When it shall turn unto the Lord,' 2 Cor. 3:16, speaking there also of the conversion of this nation, as in this Rom. 11.
Now, then, if true real holiness be promised and intended in that Rom. 11:16 to Abraham's seed, to come almost four thousand years after Abraham, by reason of their father's covenant, and we be there said in the mean time to succeed them in their covenant, or rather come in as surrogates, why should we not think that the promise and declaration of God about our next children (which in this other place of the New Testament we meet with, 1 Cor. 7, where it is as expressly said that they are holy), should there also be meant in the very same sense, especially seeing the same ground or reason is given in both, namely, the parents their being believers is given as the reason why the children are holy; so 1 Cor. 7, even as here in Rom. 11. This is the reason given why Abraham's seed shall be converted, for 'if the root be holy, so are the branches,' especially seeing that we Gentiles are here said to partake of the same covenant and privilege of that root of roots, as I may call him, Abraham, as ver. 17, which certainly is