[“They traverse all things in a circuit wherever the will of their Ruler shall lead them. To everything that he shall command them upon the face of the earth, whether in one tribe, or in his own land, or in whatsoever place of his mercy, he shall order them to be found.”] … God therefore leads his clouds, either in one tribe, or in his own land or in whatever place of his mercy, and shall order them to be found. In earlier times he conferred preachers of the Old Testament on the tribe of Judah only and rejected nearly the whole of Israel because of the wicked governing of their kings. At another time, he made these clouds to rain, even in his own land, because he recalled this same people of Israel to his former favor after correction in captivity. Then at another he wished them to shine forth from the place of his mercy when he made known even to the Gentiles, by holy preachers of the New Testament, the miracles of his power. By his sole mercy he thus freed those from the yoke of erro...
58. The one tribe of Judah is certainly meant, which is mentioned in Holy Scripture plainly and repeatedly above the rest. For it received a special gift above them all, in that it brought forth from itself the flesh of our Redeemer. But all Judaea together is called the land of the Lord. [Deut. 32, 42] Because it then produced to Him the fruit of faith, when the whole world was in error, the Gentiles having fallen under the worship of idols. But the place of the mercy of God is the Gentile world itself, for if the strict Judge were justly to punish its faults, it would never come to the reconciliation of grace. For, when it had no merits before God, it yet received the grace of reconciliation of His sole mercy. Whence it is well said by Paul, And that the Gentiles should glorify God for His mercy. [Rom. 15, 9] Whence it is written again, Which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. [1 Pet. 2, 10] God therefore leads His clouds, either in one tribe, or in His own land, or...
