The Estate of Children of Church Members and their Right to Baptism, Treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 1
CHAP. III. Sect. I. The Explication of Gen. 17. 7, &c.
ANother Scripture holding forth the former doctrine of the Federall holineſſe of ſuch children is Gen. 17. 7. a place that in theſe later dayes, hath been through mens diſtempers like Iſaacs well, an Eſek for contention about the waters in it. Touching which, and ſo the whole doctrine of Federall holineſſe propounded, let us make uſe of a few diſtinctions, and then ſet downe ſome few concluſions, and withall take off what is brought to the contrary. The Covenant of grace is conſidered either nakedly, or as inveſted with a viſible politicall Church-covenant, if not explicite, yet implicit. Wee are to conſider this place, Gen. 17. not ſo much in the former, as in the later ſenſe; God making of it with reference to the Church, which was to remaine in the poſteritie of Iſaac, verſ. 18, 19, 20, 21. albeit at preſent it bee to bee contained in Abrahams owne family, whence alſo hee ordaineth an initiatory ſeale, and way of reſtipulation, to which they ſubmitting together, as one ſelected body, collectively, and as members thereof, diſtributively, they did implicitly make confeſſion and promiſe to God, and bind themſelves in a nearer religious tie one unto another. Hence often renued, Deut. 29. 2 Chro. 15. and 30. and 34. Nehem. 10. Ezek. 16. 8.
Againe, that Covenant of grace is conſidered either in it ſelfe, or in its adminiſtration; to which purpoſe circumciſion is called the Covenant, partly, becauſe it was the ſigne and ſeale of the Covenant of grace, Gen. 17. 11, 12, 13. Partly too, becauſe it was the Covenant of grace in the adminiſtration of it, Jer. 13. 11. and Eſay 24. 5. and Zach. 11. 10. hath reference to the Covenant of grace both as inveſted with Church-covenant, and in reſpect of Church-adminiſtration thereof.
Concerning perſons being in covenant, ſome are ſaid to bee in the covenant intentionally, ſo children of the Church, which are yet unborne, Deut. 29. 15. ſo thoſe afarre off, the promiſe was to them at that time, Acts 2. 39. ſo the Jewes alſo which yet were to come in, were in Pauls time holy Federally, Rom. 11. 15, 16. or actually, ſo were the Jewes holy which were not cut off in Pauls time, Ibid. ſo Deut. 29. 14. we attend rather to the later then the former in this diſcourſe.
Perſons actually in covenant, are either internally and ſavingly in covenant, as are all true beleevers, and their children which belong to Gods election: and as were many of thoſe included in that phraſe, Rom. 11. 16. and as were Iſaac and Jacob, which were not onelyonly children of the promiſe, intentionally, before they were borne, Rom. 9. 9, 10, 11. but actually, as ſoone as borne; God revealing his mind of covenant-grace in ſuch ſort, as never reverſing the ſame, after they were actually borne, hence that Gal. 4. 23. 28. compared, albeit many of the Galatians were but ſuch, in point of viſibilitie, as appeareth. Or they are ſuch as are onelyonly externally in the covenant, thus even Iſhmael was, for circumciſion was even to him alſo Gods covenant or viſible ſeale thereof. This diſtinction is the Apoſtles, Rom. 9. 4. hee ſpeakes of ſome to whom the promiſes belonged, ſcil. onelyonly externally, and of others to whom they belonged, in reſpect of the ſaving efficacy thereof, Verſ. 6, 7, 8.
Such as are externally in covenant are either ſuch as are ſo upon their owne perſonall right meerely, as many proſelytes, Exod. 12. 44, 45. Deut. 29. 10, 11. even thoſe Gibeonites: ſo were the ſoules in Abrahams houſe which hee gained to his religion, according to Ainſworth, Gen. 12. 5. ſuch as hee had commanded to feare God, Gen. 19. 19. as appeares by their free ſubmiſſion to that ridiculous painefull ordinance to fleſh and blood, Geneſis 17. 27. Or ſuch as withall are externally in Covenant, ſo conſidered as inveſted with Church-covenant, in their parents right: as the Jewes and Proſelytes Children, Deut. 29. 10, 11. God accepting the actuall owning of his Covenant by the grown part, and parents inſtead of the children alſo. So of all collectively is that ſpoken, not onelyonly that God that day avouched them to bee his people, Deut. 26. 18. both parents and children, as alſo Deut. 30. 16. and 29. but thou haſt avouched the Lord to bee thy God, Verſ. 17. thou collective Iſrael, yet it was acted but by the growne part in their own, & in their childrens ſtead. Abrahams ſeed is either taken for the head and principall as was Chriſt, and ſo rather intended, Gen. 12. 3. and 22. 18. or for the head and body together even Chriſt myſticall, ſo Gen. 22. 15. Thy ſeed ſhall poſſeſſe the gates of thine enemies, and ſo Gal. 3. 16. Jew and Gentile but one ſeed with Chriſt the head of the Church. Again, Abrahams ſeed is either taken collectively, or diſtributively; collectively, either his ſeed by propagation, or proportion. In the former ſenſe the Jewes in their generations, were the ſeed mentioned, Gen. 17. 7. that is, parents and children, for they are ſeed in their generations: ſeed by proportion, were the Proſelytes of old in their generations, and viſible inchurched beleevers in their generations, ſcil. parents and children together. And both againe are conſidered ſpecifically, or individually: ſpecifically, ſo ſome of that ſort of parents and growne perſons and ſome of that ſort of children are as well internally and ſavingly in the covenant as externally: albeit many individuall perſons of both ſorts are onelyonly externally; thus, Deut. 29. 14. with [him] that is here and with [him] that is not here: him, not them, as noting a collection; yea a certaine ſpecies, or ſort of perſons growne or babes, and of babes borne or unborne: according to a different reſpect of Gods making his covenant with them. So in Gen. 17. to thy ſeed indefinitely, God abſolutely covenanting thus, as Verſ. 7. with them in their ſpecies and ſorts: conditionally in reſpect of the individuall perſons of each ſort. Or more briefly, the ſeed of Abraham, are either his choyce ſeed in ſpeciall, or his Church ſeed indefinitely, wee conſider herein the later and not ſo much the former.