The Axe Laid to the Root, Title page – To the reader
THE Ax laid to the Root: OR, One BLOW more at the Foundation of Infant Baptism, and Church-Membership. CONTAINING An EXPOSITION of that Metaphorical Text of Holy Scripture, MAT. 3. 10. Being the Substance of Two SERMONS lately Preached, with some Additions. Wherein is shewed That God made a Two-fold Covenant with Abraham, and that Circumcision appertained not to the Covenant of Grace, but to the Legal and External Covenant God made with Abraham's Natural Seed, as such. TOGETHER With an ANSWER to Mr. John Flavel's last Grand Arguments in his Vindiciarum Vindex, in his Last Reply to Mr. Philip Cary. Also to Mr. Rothwell's Paedo-Baptismus vindicatur; as to what seems most material.
PART I.
By BENJAMIN KEACH, Pastor of a Church of Christ, meeting at Horsly-down, Southwark.
Rom. 9. 7.
Neither because they are the Seed of Abraham, are they all Chil dren, &c.
—ver. 8.
That is, they which are the children of the Flesh, these are not the children of God.
Gal. 4. 24.
Which things are an Allegory, for these are the two Covenants.
Gal. 3. 29.
And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's Seed.
London, Printed for the Author, and are to be sold by John Harris at the Harrow in the Poultrey 16…
THE Epistle to the Reader.
WHEN I first entered on this Text, I did not intend the Publication of the Sermons; it was not at all in my Thoughts: But after I had preached Two of them, I was earnestly solicited by divers, to do it; which, at last, I consented to do. Yet, because some of the Arguments about that Two-fold Covenant God made with Abraham, being before Publish'd, in my Answer to Mr. Burkit, I was at a stand in my Mind about it: Yet meeting with Mr. John Flavell's Vindiciarum Vindex, being (as he says) a full Answer to Mr. Philip Cary's Exceptions to his Vindiciae legis & Faedoris, together with a late Treatise, wrote by Mr. Rothwell, called, Paedo-Baptismus Vindicatus, I was resolved (if the Bookseller would take the Copy) to expose it to publick view, finding no Person taking any notice of either of those late Treatises, by way of Answer. The former being so much cryed up, as a weighty Piece, I thought it was necessary to Examine and Detect the seeming Force of his chief Arguments; for tho' the Author is deceased, yet I fear his Writings on that Subject, may do some wrong to the Truth, by hindering such gracious Persons reception of it, who are willing to be informed, because he was a Man of great Parts, Learning, and (I hope) of Piety: For, by sad Experience, I perceive some People build their Faith and Belief of Infant Baptism, on the Credit, and great Veneration they have of the Asserters of it, saying, How should such Men be Mistaken? which is a poor Argument; and a great Reproach it is to such Persons: For their Faith, it seems, stands in the Wisdom of Men, and not in the Power of God, or certain Testimony of his holy Word—God may, Reader, for some Reasons known to himself, hide this and some Truths, from some of his faithful Servants, may be, as a Rebuke to them for their over-valuing of humane Learning, and to the People too upon the like account; though the Knowledge of the Tongues I esteem in its place, and could wish, if the Lord saw it good, all Gospel Ministers had the Knowledge of the Original Languages; but, (as the Apostle says) God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise, 1 Cor. 1. 27. And base things, and things that are despised hath God chosen, yea, things that are not to bring to naught things that are, ver. 28. That no Flesh should Glory in his Presence, God makes use of Men that are of no account, in the esteem of the Learned World, to confound such who are of great Repute. The Truth is, that great Author hath not missed the Mark, only in asserting Paedo-Baptism, and in his dark Notions, about the Covenant of Circumcision, but also in a Point of far greater Moment, viz. In asserting in this very Book, the Conditionality of the Covenant of Grace:
These are his Words, An antecedent Condition, signifying no more than an Act of ours, which, tho' it be neither perfect in every Degree, nor in the least meritorious of the Benefit conferr'd, nor performed in our own natural Strength; yet, according to the Constitution of the Covenant, is required of us, in order to the Blessings consequent thereupon, by vertue of the Promise; and consequently, the Benefits and Mercies, granted in the Promise, in this order, are, and must be suspended by the Donor, or Disposer of them, until it be performed: such a Condition, we affirm Faith to be, &c.
This grand Error (for so I must call it) the Learned and Reverend Mr. Chauncy (whom God hath graciously raised up to defend his blessed Truth, at this present time, and for whose Labours we have great cause to Praise the holy Name of Jehovah) takes notice of, in his late Treatise, which is newly come to my Hand, before I wrote this Epistle, tho' my Copy is at the Press, p. 128, 129.
Mr. Flavel (saith he) was a worthy Man, but it may be, not without some Hay and Stubble: I wish it do not prove an attempting at another Foundation, besides Christ, &c. You tell us (saith he) what an Antecedent Condition is, That it signifies no more than an Act of ours, and such is Faith. I suppose you and he mean, in distinction from a consequent Condition, the Antecedent gains the Estate, the Lawyers reckon it the Purchase-Money; the Consequent Condition keeps it, and it's the Quit-rent; which, if it be not duely paid, the Lord can enter and take the Estate; so that Faith you'll have, to be the Antecedent: Money, deposited and laid down, before you have any of your Spiritual Estate; and you say, it signifies no more than an Act of ours. I pray, Whose should it be but ours? if the Condition be to be performed by us; and, Why is this put in? it signifies no more, unless the meaning be, that Christ's Righteousness should be shut out, and it should be reckoned, under the Nature of this Condition, merely as an Act of ours, without Respect to Christ, the Author of it, and Christ the true Object of it: —See him at large.
Again (he saith) Every faedoral Condition is Ex pacto Meritorious, so that you may challenge your Bargain upon Performance, if it be but 20 Guineys to purchase an 100 l. per Annum, so that we have only your Word for't, that it is not meritorious, when it's so in reality: the nature of the thing speaks it to the understanding of all Men of Sence. No, no, do not think to wheedle Christ out of his Merits, and God out of the Honour of his Free Grace, and us, out of the Comfort of both: You say, it's not performed in our natural Strength: No; and yet a Condition of a Covenant made with Man: a most unreasonable Thing, to require a Condition of a Covenant of one, that we know hath no Strength to perform it. If a Rich Man should offer an Estate of 1000 l. a Year to a poor Man, that he knew was not worth a Groat, provided he fetched him 20 l. of his own Money, this Act would be reckoned a mocking, and ridiculing this poor Wretch. God did not require that small Condition of Adam, but that he actually had strength to perform it; you will say, God will give him ability to perform: So he did to Adam, previous to the Covenant, &c. See his farther Answer, p. 130. God will, in due time, bring down and abase the Pride of Man; O what a Doctrine do some Men preach! 'tis time, indeed, now to lay aside our lesser Differences, and make Head against such capital Errors. The Foundation seems now to be struck at—
Reader, since I preached these Sermons, I met with Reverend Mr. Cotton on the Covenant, who confirms the same thing, concerning the Ax being laid to the Root of the Trees, Speaking of that Text, Mal. 4. 1. The Day cometh that shall leave them neither Root nor Branch: There are two Things in the Root, (saith he)
1st. The First is the Root of Abraham's Covenant, which this People much trusted upon, and that is it of which John the Baptist speaks, Now is the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees, &c. This is spoken in Mat. 3. 9. after he had said, Think not to say within your selves, we have Abraham to our Father, ver. 8. So that all their Confidence they had in Abraham's Covenant, Temple, and Tabernacle, and such Things, is burnt up, and so they have no Root left them to stand upon: But,
2dly, There is something more in it; for, with this Spirit of burning, the Lord, by the Power of this Spirit, doth cut us off from any Power of our own natural or spiritual Gifts, whereby we thought to lay hold on Jesus Christ, and we are cut off hereby from all Confidence that we have in our own sufficiency, &c. For there is an usual Confidence that we have in our own state, tho' the Lord hath cut us off from the righteousness of our Parents, and from boasting of his Ordinance; yet we think there is some Power left in us. Cotton's Treaty of the Cov. p. 177, 178. Again he saith, It is spoken of the Ministry of John the Baptist, which did burn as an Oven, and left them neither the Root of Abraham's Covenant, nor the Branches of their own good Works. He cutteth them off from the Covenant of Abraham; and so by cutting them off from the Root, he leaveth them no ground to trust to, Pag. 21, 22.
I hope, if this Text be well considered, and our Arguments, in the ensuing Treatise, no wise and impartial Person will find there is any ground for Men to plead for Infant Baptism, from the Covenant God made with Abraham. I shall say no more, but leave what I have said to the Blessing of the God of Truth (who is coming forth to shake all false Foundations and States; yea, both Heaven and Earth, that that which cannot be shaken, may remain) and rest thy Servant in the work of the Gospel,
From my House near Horsly-down, Southwark, this 6th. of March, 1693. BENJAMIN KEACH.
Reader, My Answer to Mr. Flavel and Mr. Rothwell, I find will not come into the first Part; but the Second is going to the Press, where you will have it.