A Discourse of the Covenants, Title page – Errata
A DISCOURSE OF THE Covenants That God made with Men before the Law.
Wherein, The Covenant of Circumciſion is more largely handled, and the Invalidity of the Plea for Paedobaptiſm taken from thence diſcovered.
By NEHEMIAH COXE.
Search the Scriptures,
Joh. 5. 39.
Printed by J. D. and are to be ſold by Nathaniel Ponder at the Peacock in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alſop at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry. 1681.
THE PREFACE TO THE READER.
THE uſefulneſs of all divine Truth revealed in the holy Scriptures, with the great Importance of what particularly concerns thoſe Foederal Tranſactions which are the Subject of the enſuing Treatiſe, will not leave me without Apology for an Eſſay towards the Diſcovery of the mind of God in them.
As for that part of the Diſcourſe (which is moſt controverſal) concerning the Covenant of Circumciſion, I have been the farther engaged in it, upon occaſion of Mr. Whiſton's Treatiſes about Baptiſm, eſpecially his laſt, entitled Infant Baptiſm plainly proved: For, obſerving the main Hinge of the Controverſie about the right Subjects of Baptiſm, to turn upon Gen. 17. I concluded the only way to clear this great Point, muſt be to make a diligent ſearch after that Account, which the Scripture gives us of the Nature and Ends of the Covenant there recorded: And tho' I have declined the handling theſe things in a Polemical way, and therefore have not undertaken to return a particular Anſwer to every thing that hath been aſſerted in Oppoſition to my Sentiments; Yet, I hope, the judicious Reader may obſerve ſuch a Regard had to what hath been urged againſt thoſe Principles which I proceed upon, as will excuſe me from the Charge of crudely re-aſſerting thoſe things that have been already anſwered or refuted, without giving any new Inforcement to them, or endeavouring to remove the Ground and Occaſion of thoſe Miſtakes which I ſuppoſe in others.
To the holy Scriptures I refer my ſelf for the Tryal of what is written, and do ſincerely deſire that nothing may paſs for Truth, but upon their Teſtimony; And if I ſometimes walk in an untroden Path, it is not from any Affectation of Novelty, but in purſuance of that Light which they afford me; And, poſſibly, ſeeing thoſe things which at firſt may ſeem New, are for the moſt part deduced from a plain Record of Matters of Fact, they may, upon ſecond Thoughts, gain an aſſent to their Truth ſooner than Opinions ariſing from more nice Speculation.
That Notion (which is often ſuppoſed in this Diſcrourſe) That the Old Covenant and the New do differ in ſubſtance, and not in the manner of their Adminiſtration only, doth indeed require a more large and particular handling, to free it from thoſe Prejudices and Difficulties that have been caſt upon it by many worthy Perſons, who are otherwiſe minded; And accordingly I deſigned to have given a farther account of it in a Diſcourſe of the Covenant made with Iſrael in the Wilderneſs, and the State of the Church under the Law. But when I had finiſhed this, and provided ſome Materials alſo for what was to follow, I found my Labour for the clearing and aſſerting of that Point, happily prevented, by the coming forth of Dr. Owen's 3d Vol. upon the Hebrews, where it is largely diſcourſed, and the Objections that ſeem to lie againſt it, fully anſwered (eſpecially in the Expoſition of the 8th Chapter) whither I now refer my Reader for Satisfaction about it, which he will there find anſwerable to what might be expected from ſo great and learned a Perſon.
That the Publication of this little Tract, hath been ſo long delayed, was partly occaſioned by thoſe Perplexities which the reſtleſs Plots of the Papiſts, and their bold Attempts to overwhelm us with the worſt of Miſeries, have cauſed, which I thought would ſcarſely give leiſure for the Conſideration of was might be offered in this kind; and partly by my own Averſion from any thing that looks like the moving of any Controverſie with thoſe that love the Lord Jeſus, and ſincerely eſpouſe the Protestant Intereſt, tho' differing in Principle and Practiſe from me in ſome controverted Point; there being nothing that my Soul more longs for on Earth, than to ſee an intire and hearty Union of all that fear God, and hold the Head, however differing in their Sentiments about ſome things of leſſer Moment; and together with theſe things a ſence of Inſufficiency to perform my undertaking with that Advantage to Truth as is to be deſired, had its ſhare: Howbeit, after I had weighed all Circumſtances, the Satisfaction I have, that no Man is by me provoked by any undecent Reflections, or any Occaſion given to uncharitable and unchriſtian Contention; with the Hope that what is here offered, may inform ſome, and give others Occaſion of more accurate Thoughts in a farther Diſquiſition of the Truths pointed at, prevailed with me at length to caſt in this my Mite into the Publick Treaſury.
This only I ſhall add, That in the whole, my Aim hath been to ſpeak the Truth in Love; and to take my Notions from the Scriptures, not grafting any preconcieved Opinions of my own upon them. Where the Evidence of Truth appears, let it not be refuſed, becauſe offered in a mean Dreſs, and preſented under the diſadvantage of a rude and unpoliſhed ſtile; But conſider rather the reaſon of what is ſaid; and, with the noble Bereans, ſearch the Scriptures, to ſee whether theſe things be ſo or not; and the Lord give you Underſtanding in all things.
N. C.
The Reader is deſired to correct the following ERRATA.
IN the marg. Note in P. 18. line 3. read judieantis. P. 48. l. 9 for if read of. P. 63. l. 2. del. now. P. 71. l. 15. read as tho' they wore. P. 75. marg. Note read by us …s. P. 79. l. 2…. read promiſe ſecond to. l. 28. del. as.
Other litteral Eſcapes and Errors in Punctation of leſs Moment are left to thy Candor to correct in reading.