that partly blindnes is happened is Israel / as if he wolde saie / not vpon all / not for euer. And afterwarde he saieth / when the fulnes of the gentyles ys comme / thẽ all Israell shalbe saued: vnto that ende therfore the lorde saueth / and preseruith them vnto this daye. And that thou sholdest not thincke that this place is to be vnderstanded allegorically of the spirituall Israel / Paule teacheth it as a mysterie / ãd dothe recite the prophecie of Esaie /
in which it is sayd: That then all the iniquite of Iacob shal be taken awaie. Besids this they are called ennemies / but yet beloued for the fathers.
And Augustine expoundinge the historie of the prodigall sonne / saieth / that he dothe represent the gentiles /
for as he went into a farre countrie / so the gentyles dyd departe so farre frome God / that they worshipped Idolls as by a publike order and custome cõmenlye receyued: But the elder sonne / by whõ the people of the Iues is signified / went not farre awaie / but was in the felde / not in his fathers house verylie / which is the church / but in the fielde / for the Iues are occupied / and cõuersaunte aboute the letter of the scriptures / they vnderstãde them whith an earthly and fleshy mynde: And therfore it is sayde / that he was in the felde: At the begynning he wẽte not into the house / but at the last he shall entre / and be called also:
And alwaies Augustine bringith this sentence to persuade men to suffer the Iues / which is writẽ in the 58. psal.
as he nõbred the Psalmes. Sley them not / lest my poeple do forget / but scater thẽ abroade. &c. The sonne of God praieth the father / that the Iues mighte not be vtterlie slayne and destroyed but scatered abroad throughe the worlde. Other countries and nacyõs / being subdued of the Romaynes receyued their lawes and rytes / and so became Romains / but the Iues although that they also were ouercomme of the Romaines / yet were they neuer made Romaĩs / neither ĩ ordinaũces / lawes / nor religiõ. They do kepe their own lawe (so farre as they cã) euẽ vnto this daye: They wander aboute dispersed and scattered abrode / neither do they forget the lawe of Godd / the haue it / not to obserue it indeede / but only they do reade yt / ãd they do also reteyne certeyn signes / as Circũcisiõ and other ordinaũces / by which they are knowẽ from others. But they offer no sacrifices / for to sacrifice was lawfull only at Hierusalẽ. And thus it semeth that the lorde hathe sett vppon them a signe / as he dyd vppon Cain / which slewe his brother Abell.