The Estate of Children of Church Members and their Right to Baptism, Treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 2 – Section 3
SECT II.
1. COncluſion, that Covenant, Gen. 17. 7. was a Covenant of grace, and the ſame in nature, with that Covenant of grace now held forth to us. Neither of the branches of this concluſion I think are denyed by the more judicious of our oppoſites, albebeit both have been by ſome of the more vulgar ſort, making that covenant in Gen. 17. to bee a Covenant of workes, &c. that it was a Covenant of grace, may appeare by the qualitie of the perſons, betwixt whom the covenant is made, ſcil. not God as a Creator, & men as innocent, as in that covenant of works made with Adam, but God as gratious, juſtifying ungodly perſons in the ſenſe of the Law, or ſuch as cannot become legally godly, perfect in themſelves or workers, covenanting with ſuch like non-workers, Rom. 4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. ſ…il. God and Abraham, yea God and Iſaac, yea God and the ſpirituall ſeed of Abraham to whom with him the promiſes indefinitely were made, and ſo this alſo, Gal. 3. 16. 2 By the matter promiſed on Gods part, ſcil. I will bee a God to thee and to thy ſeed, holding forth more then any legall covenant, as 1. to tender and give to them his ordinances according as they ſhould bee capable of them, as their peculiar priviledge by right of Covenant; hence theſe two coupled, Lev. 26. 11, 12. Rev. 21. 3. I will bee a God to them, I will ſet my tabernacle amongſt them; hence any without theſe or any externall right to them, are according to men ſaid to bee without God in the world, Eph. 2. 11, 12, 13. 2 That hee will dwell amongſt them, and manifeſt his ſpeciall preſence with and in his Ordinances, and providences among them; hence being a God to any and Gods dwelling with them, are coupled together, Exod. 29. 45. Lev. 26. 11, 12 Rev. 21. 3. 3 That hee will tender them deliverances as their federall right, and bee really forward to give ſuch deliverances from all ſorts of miſeries, and from the cauſes of the ſame; yea actually to worke ſuch deliverances, ſo far as is meet, and ſutable to their preſent conditions: hence God, his being a God to any, and his removing ſad mournfull thoughts from any, are joyned; Revel. 21. 4. ſee Levit. 26. 41. 42. 45. Deliverances from common providences are common to all, even Pagans; but not ſuch as ſpring from the vertue of the Covenant, Zach. 9. 11. 4 ſo as to give to ſuch an externall covenant right at leaſt; as to temporall bleſſings; hence giving Canaan, and his being a God to them joyned, Gen. 17. 5. 7. 8. ſee Pſal. 111. 5. ſo to ſpirituall mercies, as juſtification, Jer. 31. 33. 51. Adoption 2 Cor. 6. 16. 18. alſo owning after death, Exod. 3. 6. compared with Luke 20. 37, 38. and glory after all: hence as to the former, ſo to this, is joyned, God his being a God to any, Heb. 11. 6. All this is included as by vertue of Gods covenant offered to ſuch as hee is a God to, yea and as that which according to men, and as men are in charitie to judge, is with all the viſible right of ſuch. Albeit, the former two ſenſes ſuffice, to the viſible adminiſtration of the covenant, as their right; in that God doth hold forth that hee is a God to ſuch in covenant, to whom hee giveth his ordinances, and with whom hee vouchſafeth his preſence therein as their externall covenant right. 3. By the condition propounded and promiſed to adult Abraham, with whom God was now in this ſolemne wiſe to enter into this Covenant, not with him alone but with his, ſcil. the exerciſe of faith, and Evangelicall uprightneſſe or perfection; Walke before mee and bee upright or perfect, Verſ. 2. And I will make my Covenant between mee and thee, Verſ. 4. as for mee, behold my covenant is with thee, &c. this is my part of the covenant, that was thine, and Verſ. 7. I will eſtabliſh my covenant betweene mee and thee, and thy ſeed after thee in their generations, &c. Now that the ſame covenant is to us ſince Chriſts aſcenſion, appeares by the former: in that it being the covenant of grace, it is an everlaſting covenant: hence Gen. 17. 3. and Heb. 13. 20. hence too, when God would expreſſe the matter of his Covenant, ſince Chriſts incarnation, hee uſeth and annexeth the old phraſe, and forme of promiſe; I will be a God to ſuch or ſuch, 2 Corin. 6. 18. Heb. 8. 10. Jer. 31. 1. ſpoken in reference to our times: So when ſpeaking of the Jewes and their children, which hereafter are to come into Church eſtate actually he uſeth the ſame phraſe, Ezek. 37. 25. 27. compared. Hence the ſame language in mentioning new Jeruſalems condition & priviledge, I will be a God to them, I will ſet my tabernacle among them, Revel. 21. 3. The Covenant then of the Goſpell, hath outward priviledges of Gods tabernacle annexed, as well as Abrahams Covenant, yea in that it's the ſame with it. By this which hath been ſaid, it appeares how ſhort and unſafe the ſpeech of Mr. B. is, who in anſwer to the argument from Gen. 17. ſaith that Gen. 17. the new Covenant is promiſed but not covenanted, even as it was before to Abraham, Gen. 12. 3. bringing Jer. 31. 35. where God ſaith, not I have made, but I will make a new Covenant, which was made good at the death of Chriſt as the Apoſtle makes it appeare, Heb. 8. 9, 10. I confeſſe I have met with ſuch a notion in Cameron de triplo foedere, Theſ. 20. diſtinguiſhing of faedus gratiae promiſſum et promulgatum, or ſancitum, proving it by Gen. 3. 12. 15. But with reverence to ſo worthy a man bee it ſpoken; I cannot readily ſubſcribe to his notion, and proofe thereof; in that the covenant made with Abraham, is called both by the name of promiſes made to him, Verſ. 16. and the covenant confirmed before of God in Chriſt, that mediator of the new covenant, Heb. 12. 24. 430. yeers before the Law; which exactly conſidered referreth us to Gen. 12. 3. ſo that though God ſaid, Jerem. 31. Not I have, but I will make ſuch a covenant, this proveth not, that it was firſt made good, or verified, in Heb. 8. 10. &c. For it was confirmed in Chriſt long before, ſaith Paul, Gal. 3. In reſpect of the vertue and efficacy of Chriſts blood, in which it was ratified; elſe neither Abraham nor Iſaac had been ſaved, ſee Heb. 13. 20. and Revel. 13. 8. albeit actually and fully accompliſhed afterwards, hee had not made it, in ſo many words expreſly, as Jer. 31. noteth, but in ſubſtance hee had both, Gen. 12. 3. and 7. 7. and Deut. 30. 6, &c. thoſe particulars in Jer. 31. being branches: 1. Of being bleſſed in Chriſt. 2. Of God his being a God unto them. 3. Of circumciſing their hearts to love him, &c. He had not made that covenant in that way in Sinai, upon their comming out of Egypt, which is there hinted, Jer. 31. 32. but that hee made no more Evangelicall a covenant, then at Sinai before or after with the Jewes, it followes not: not according to the covenant made with your fathers, when I tooke them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt; not according to it, ſcil. for externall diſpenſations with thunder and lightnings, and in the former of the ten words, &c. but hee ſaith not, that it ſhould not bee according to that Covenant with Abraham, for the matter which, or ſorts of perſons, to which it was diſpenſed, or as if hee had made no covenant of grace with them before their comming out of Egypt, in Abrahams covenant, &c. or that the covenant made with Abraham, was not the covenant of grace, which was made with him above foure hundred yeers before that time Ieremy ſpeakes of, Gal. 3. 16. Exod. 19. 1, 2, 3. 20. 1, &c. and 12. 2. 6. 40, 41. and Gen. 15. 13. and 21. 9. and 12. 3, 4. compared together. A. R. is alſo too preſumptuouſly bold with Chriſt, that faithfull and true witneſſe, when not content to vent his owne unſound notions, but hee will needes father them upon Chriſt himſelfe and bring him in as ſpeaking thus to the Jewes, from Iohn 8. You ſee then how the Covenant of Circumciſion, made with Abraham, and you his naturall ſeed, was to bee an everlaſting covenant in your fleſh, to wit, in mee, who was to come of your fleſh, Gen. 17. 13. And to this end, to this covenant of circumciſion, was that covenant of the Law added, &c. by which you plainely ſee, how that circumciſion, was to you naturall Jewes, both a covenant, and yet alſo but a ſigne of another covenant, Gen. 7. 11. ſcil. of that everlaſting covenant, made with Abraham, and all his ſpirituall ſeed. But how dareth A. R. to father ſuch unſound things upon your faithfull Prophet of the Church, as theſe are; firſt, that by that your fleſh is meant, him, or Chriſt who was to come of their fleſh; whereas the context ſpeaketh thus of all and every male in their generations, ſtranger or o…her, borne in their houſe or bought with money amongſt them; yet this ſhould bee his covenant in their fleſh: that is Chriſt, who was to come of their fleſh even of Iſhmael and Eſau and of the ſtrangers of other countries; will Chriſt owne this as his doctrine at the laſt day? Yea reſtraine it: of your fleſh, that is of you Jewes of all the Tribes, when yet Chriſt came of the tribe of Judah onelyonly: Would Chriſt ſpeake ſo heterodoxly? Secondly, that there were three diſtinct covenants, beſides that covenant of nature made with Adam in innocency, and ſo foure covenants, beſides that with all the creatures, Gen. 9. and beſides theſe there are three diſtinct covenants here mentioned; firſt, that of Circumciſion, ſecondly, that ſuperadded of the Law, thirdly, that everlaſting covenant unto which Circumciſion was but a ſigne, will this doctrine be owned by Chriſt? Nay doe not theſe ſayings croſſe each other? ſcil. That the covenant of circumciſion was to bee an everlaſting covenant in their fleſh Chriſt: and yet it was not that covenant. The Text ſaith, for my covenant ſhall bee in your fleſh, &c. that is, as here Chriſt is ſaid to affirme the covenant of circumciſion: This covenant then of circumciſion being in their fleſh, ſcil. Chriſt: it ſeemeth there is ſome other covenant ratified in Chriſt then that which is the covenant of grace; even this covenant of circumciſion, which this Pſeudo-Chriſtus affirmeth to bee another covenant diſtinct from the everlaſting covenant, ſcil. the covenant of grace. I dare not ſee the Lord Jeſus Chriſt thus abuſed. Thirdly, that was plainely to bee ſeene, that circumciſion was to them a Covenant, and yet but a ſigne of another covenant, ſcil. that of grace. As if theſe two expreſſions were as wide as a covenant, which circumciſion it ſelfe was, and a ſigne of another covenant; when every one that hath read catecheticall doctrine will ſay, that when in one verſe it's ſaid of circumciſion in their fleſh, that it was his Covenant in their fleſh: it is a uſuall Metonymy in ſpeaking of Sacraments to call the outward ſacramentall ſigne and ſeale, by the name of the thing ſignified and ſealed. As the cup is called the teſtament of Chriſts blood, 1 Cor. 11. 25. that is, the viſible ſigne or ſeale of it. The bread is called Chriſts body, ver. 24. So in mentioning that extraordinary ſacrament, the rock is called Chriſt, 1 Cor. 10. and here in Gen. 17. 11. Circumciſion is called a token or ſacramentall ſigne of the covenant, in Rom. 4. 11. The ſeale of the righteouſneſſe of faith, where the Scripture ſpeaketh plainly, and explicitely. Yet here A. R. will have Chriſt himſelfe to hold forth other doctrine then is uſuall in ſpeaking of Sacraments. Fourthly, that God made with Abraham and thoſe Jewes another Covenant diſtinct from that everlaſting covenant, ſcil. that covenant of circumciſion. And yet alſo made with Abraham and his ſpirituall ſeed that other everlaſting covenant, of which the circumciſion of Jewes was a ſigne; as if God at one and the ſame time made with one and the ſame perſon Abraham two diſtinct covenants, one which was not the everlaſting covenant or covenant of grace, namely the covenant of circumciſion, as 'tis called; and the other which was that everlaſting covenant it ſelfe: And likewiſe that circumciſion was given by God who ſaid it ſhall bee a ſigne to them, to bee a ſigne of a covenant made, not between God and them that by his appointment were thus circumciſed, but of a covenant made betwixt God and others: when the letter of the Text is thus, Gen. 17. 11. It ſhall bee a token of the covenant between mee and you. What covenant was that? was it that Verſ. 10. where it's ſaid, This is my covenant which you ſhall keep between me and you and thy ſeed after thee? nay, that was a dutie and condition of the covenant rather, which they were to keepe or obſerve, as it followes: this is my covenant, every manchild amongſt you ſhall bee circumciſed, Verſ. 11. yee ſhall circumciſe the foreskin of your fleſh: So then circumciſion is but a branch of the covenant or a condition of the covenant on their part, which in the ſacramentall nature of it is a ſigne, not of that mentioned which was their dutie in being circumciſed, and ſo circumciſing their fleſh, Verſ. 11. ſhould bee a ſigne of being circumciſed, Verſ. 10. which were abſurd; But rather it is a ſigne of the covenant of God, even that covenant mentioned Verſ. 7. ſcil. of Gods becomming a God to them: which is eſſentially the very everlaſting covenant of grace. And whereas A. R. his Pſeudo-Chriſtus ſaith, that circumciſion in their fleſh was to bee an everlaſting covenant in their fleſh, and yet to bee but a ſigne of that everlaſting Covenant, &c. grounding upon that Verſ. 13. my covenant in your fleſh ſhall bee for an everlaſting covenant: As if it ſhould meane, that that eternall covenant was not made with them that had that ſigne of the covenant at the preſent, but yet it was to bee made with others, when yet the ſame phraſe uſed in mentioning the ſigne is uſed in expreſſing the forme of the covenant it ſelfe, Verſ. 7. I will eſtabliſh my covenant between mee and thee, and thy ſeed after thee in their generations foreign in faedus ſeculi, unto or for a covenant of perpetuitie, to bee a God to thee and to thy ſeed after thee. Here the phraſe for an everlaſting covenant evidently noteth, not any future covenant, which is not here held forth, but the qualification rather of that covenant, which God ſaith hee will eſtabliſh at preſent with Abraham and his ſeed; for having mentioned the covenants, hee expreſſeth the qualifications of the covenant it ſelfe, that it is of no temporary but of an everlaſting nature. And then ſetteth downe the matter of his Covenant thus made with him and his ſeed, ſcil. that hee will bee a God to them, and that verſ. 13. is but a Sacramentall phraſing of the ſame thing.
SECT. III.
Conclu. 2. THat the covenant of grace in Gen. 17. is to be conſidered as inveſted with Church-covenant, and therefore mention is made of this covenant as to bee kept by them, verſ. 9. which is further expreſſed in one particular thereof, verſ. 10. Not as if this were all which God required of Abraham and of his ſeed, but becauſe this was the firſt initiating condition, and that which did as an initiatory ſacramentall ſigne, in a more peculiar way, incorporate him and them into one inſtituted Church-body at preſent, which ſhould more fully bee carried on for after time in Iſaacs time, ver. 19. 21. and 21. 12. Beſides, this made them further capable afterwards of partaking of other Church ordinances. Hence alſo if others deſired to partake of that Church ordinance of the paſſeover, albeit they might bee otherwiſe godly, yet they might not bee admitted to the ſame, unleſſe by circumciſion initiated into their Church body, Exod. 12. 44. 48. Hence when the Scripture would ſpeake of the Jewiſh Church, it ſets them forth by that name, thoſe of the circumciſion, Act. 11. 2. Rom. 15. 8. and 3. 30. Gal. 2. 17. But verily in requiring circumciſion many other duties lay upon them virtually. As firſt, the knowledge of their owne undone eſtate by nature: as being perſons whoſe blood not of one member of their body alone, but even of their whole man, the life of body and ſoule might in juſtice bee required of them, and this not ſo much in regard of actuall ſins of their owne, as in regard alſo of Adams ſinne derived to them by propagation; if they had no more guilt then that they deſerved to die. Secondly alſo, knowledge of their extreame need of Chriſt, whoſe blood as the blood of the principall ſeed of Abraham, was to bee ſhed in fulneſſe of time, and by virtue whereof that covenant was at preſent ratified, Gal. 3. 4. 17. Hence alſo faith was required of them to apply that benefit of Chriſt and his blood, Rom. 3. 30. Thoſe of the Jewiſh Church had faith required of them to juſtification, as well as the baptized Gentiles; all duties and branches and acts of repentance and mortification, were therein required alſo, of perſons admitted to the ſeale of circumciſion; hence ſuch exhortations thereon grounded, Deut. 10. 16. All inward acts and branches of renovation and ſanctification were therein alſo involved as that which they were bound to endeavour and attaine, Rom. 2. 29. And all outward obedience of faith to the Law as a rule of life, was therein alſo required. Whence that, Rom. 2. 25. The profitable uſe of circumciſion is to keepe the Law, the righteouſneſſe of it: What, as that whereby they ſhould be juſtified? No verily, God gave it not to them for that end, but ſuch a keeping thereof as the godly gentiles, who being not circumciſed but baptized, it ſhall bee all one as if they had beene externally circumciſed, Rom. 2. 26, 27, 28.