A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Part 1 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
NO ſooner had our Lord Jeſus paſſed the Pains of his Birth (which Naturaliſts Affirm, is as much to Infants as the pains of Death to them; 'tis as painful to ſuch to be Born and come into the World, as it is at that time to Dye and go out of the World, but within a few Days after, He muſt alſo endure the Pains of his Circumciſion, wherein he muſt ſhed ſome Drops of Blood, wherewith the Bond of the Covenant was ſealed for his ſhedding all the Blood in his Body for us. The Evangeliſt tells us, that Chriſt was Circumciſed upon the eighth Day, Luke 2.21. and the Apoſtle tells us, That he was made of a Woman (not of Bread Kneaded by the Baker through the Tranſubſtantiating Mouth of a Popiſh Prieſt) and not only ſo, but made under the Law alſo, Gal. 4.4, 5. therefore would he be Circumciſed, whereby he made himſelf a Debtor bound to do the whole Law; All which he faithfully fulfilled, to free us who were under the Law; and though he punctually and perfectly performed the whole Law in his Active Obedience, yet Suffered he the Curſe of the Law for us, in his Paſſive Obedience. Thus Chriſt began betimes to bleed for us, even when but eight Days old, that he might Redeem us, or buy us off (who were in worſe caſe than the Turks Gally-Slaves Chained to an Oar, and that we might Receive the Poſſeſſion of our Adoption, the full Injoyment of our Inheritance, Eph. 1.3, 5, 7, 11, 14, 18. Concerning Chriſt's Circumciſion theſe things are very conſiderable. Firſt, The Preparation to it. He muſt be eight Days old according to the Law of its firſt Inſtitution, Gen. 17.12. Before this Sacrament was celebrated upon him. Till then, he (as our Surety) was preparing for it. This was done to ſignifie (1.) That all Infants under the Jewiſh Paedagogy, lay under the Uncleanneſs of their Blood for ſeven Days, according to Moſes Law, Lev. 12.2. & 22.27. & Ezek. 16.4, 5, 6. The very young Cattel that were not accounted meet Meat for Man, till ſeven Days had paſſed over them, were likewiſe (till then) doomed unfit Offerings for God, but legally Impure, and in their Blood. Thus likewiſe were Infants deemed, who (as Auſtin phraſeth it) Antequam natiſunt Damnati. Are Condemned as ſoon as they are Conceived, to ſhew the Corruption of Man's Nature from the firſt being, Pſal. 51.5. Yea the Blind Heathens have ſome ſight and ſenſe of this Original Uncleanneſs, for this cuſtom is obſerev'd among the Grecian Midwives, They take the Born Child when it is five Days old, and run with it about a Fire (made for that purpoſe) to purifie it from its uncleanneſs. Thus the Jewiſh Infants were accounted unclean for ſeven Days. (2.) This eighth Day for Circumciſing the Child made the Jews conceit, that the perfection of the Creature depended upon the Sanctification of one Sabbath-Day at the leaſt. Hence, they ſay God ordained Circumciſion then, That at leaſt one Sabbath might paſs over the Child to prepare it for the Ordinance.
Thirdly, Yea this Eighth Day was ſo preciſely obſerved, that if it did fall upon the Sabbath-Day, yet they Circumcis'd the Child; from thence came their vulgar ſaying [Circumciſio ſabbatum pellit,] Circumciſion drives away the Sabbath, and upon this Chriſt made ſome reflections ſaying [Ye on the Sabbath Day do Circumciſe,] John 7.22. Intimating thereby [If you may wound a man on the Sabbath day, (for that was done in Circumciſion) Why may not I heal one?] And if you may heal one Member of the Circumciſed on the Sabbath-Day, why may not I make a man every whit whole thereon? If you be at ſome pains to cure the Circumciſed Member with your Hand; why may not I (without any pains) cure this man with my word only? May not my Miracles as well as your Sacraments, Glorifie God on the Sabbath-day.
Fourthly, Others ſay, the eighth Day was appointed for Circumciſion, becauſe the Life of a Child is very uncertain all the firſt ſeven Days, and certainly leſs able to undergo the pain thereof, therefore was it deferred till that Day, which may ſerve to convince thoſe that think God hath ſimply tyed Salvation to Sacraments; for it might have been accounted Cruelty in God to forbid Circumciſion till the eighth Day, had Salvation depended upon it, becauſe the Infant might dye before: The Covenant indeed is abſolutely neceſſary to Salvation, but the Seal thereof is not ſo, but reſpectively only; as the Sacraments are the Counſel and Command of God, they ought not to be rejected, Luke 7.30. The want of them is therefore dangerous, but the contempt of them is (in the Fathers Phraſe) plainly Damning.
Laſtly, The Sentiments of the Antients (Ignatius, Cyprian, and Auſtin) concurr in this, that the firſt Day Sabbath or Lord's Day, was wrapp'd up in the Inſtitution of this eighth Day for Circumciſion (as well as intimated by the number of eighth Perſons ſaved in Noah's Ark, and by the Title [Shemenith, which ſignifies eight] ſet upon ſeveral Pſalms) to ſignifie, that the eight Day (next to the ſeventh or Jewiſh Sabbath) or firſt Day, ſhould be the Day of our Lord's riſing both to revive us, and whereon to beſtow Spiritual Circumciſion upon us: When the Shadow ceaſed, the Truth and Subſtance (prefigured thereby) did take its place: The Jewiſh Synagogue and Sabbath ceaſed at the entrance of the Chriſtian Church and Lord's-Day. See more of this Point in my Chriſtian-walk, and Chapter upon the Lord's-Day-Sabbath, &c.
The Second Thing conſiderable is, the performances of it, to wit, the Act of Circumciſion, which was a cutting away the Praeputium round the Inſtrument of Generation: When God intended to root out the curſed Canaanites, and to plant his People in their Place, the Covenant was, that they ſhould fear the Lord, and not walk in the ways of thoſe Nations, Lev. 20.23. So the ſign of that Covenant was ſuch, as had reference to thoſe Sins of the Fleſh, wherein the Canaanites had wallowed, Lev. 18.24, 25, to the end: Therefore the Amputation of the [foreign] ſuperfluity of Naughtineſs (ſo call'd, James 1.21.) was commanded the People of the God of Abraham, leſt their Ʋncircumciſion ſhould uſher in their utter Exciſion: This Circumciſion of the Foreskin ſignified, that they had better be flayed, and have their Skin quite ſtripped off, than to have it as a Skin-bottle hanging in the Smoak of filthy Deſires, land blown full of unclean Motions with the breath of Beelzebub. Hence Eſau was call'd prophane, becauſe He was the firſt that drew forth the Foreskin after he was circumcis'd, whereby He denyed God and the Character of God's People, ſaith Epiphanius: This Act of Circumciſion had a fourfold Uſe. 1. A Political, to diſtinguiſh the Jews from the Gentiles. 2. A Moral Ʋſe, to mind them of mortifying their Sins. 3. A Theological Ʋſe, to remind them, both of God's Holy Covenant with them, and of their being an Holy Seed to God. And 4. An Eternal Ʋſe, in the thing ſignified by it: The Myſtery that this Hiſtory Points at is, that Circumciſion of the Heart, which (Origen deſcribes) is Purgatio animae & abjectio vitiorum. And the Apoſtle calls it, the putting off the Old Adam with his Actions by the Circumciſion of Christ, that is, through his Merit and Spirit, Col. 2.11. Rom. 2.28, 29. The true Circumciſion is made without hands, and is that of the Heart in the Spirit, not of the Letter, &c. Oh how honourable is the work of Mortification, to be call'd foreign, as if equal with a Manſion of Glory not made with hands, 2 Cor. 5.1. yet this wonderful Work of the Spirit is wrought by the Word upon the Hearts of Chriſtians at their firſt Converſion, when they are let blood in the Heart-Vein, as thoſe were Acts 2.37. whereby Corruption of Nature (that ſink of Sin) is wounded, beloved Sins caſt away with Sorrow, and the Sinner received into Everlaſting Communion with God and his People. The Word Gnorlah, Praeputium or Foreskin, is applyed to the ſtoppage of the Mouth, Exod. 6.30. of the Ear, Jer. 6.10. and of the Heart, Lev. 26.41. Iſa. 6.10. Acts 7.51. hindring the Operation of all theſe to good: Oh pray, that Chriſt may thruſt his Holy Hand into thy Boſom, and pull off that abominable Foreskin: Sin is the Devil's Vomit, the Soul's Excrement, and the very Garbage of the World, therefore muſt it be caſt away into Kidron or Town-ditch as Hateful to God, and hurtful to Man, James 1.21. The Duty is ours, Deut. 10.16. but the ability for doing it is God's, Deut. 30.6. in the former God bids us Circumciſe our Hearts, in the latter he ſays, He will do it for us: Urge him with his Promiſe, and doubt not of his Power, jubendo juvat, while God gives out the command, He gives Power to obey as to the Man with the wither'd Hand: Stretch it out, &c. Mark 3.5.
The Third Thing conſiderable is, the Reaſons why Chriſt was circumciſed, ſeeing He needed it not upon accounts aforeſaid: The Reaſons were theſe.
Firſt, That He might ſhew himſelf a Member of that circumciſed People, John 1.11.
Secondly, To teſtifie that He was our ſurety, and took our Sins upon himſelf ſo as to ſatisfie for them, Gen. 44.22. Pſalm 119.122. and Heb. 7.22.
Thirdly, To ſignifie that he was a Debtor to the Law, and came fully to fulfil it on our behalf, Gal. 5.3. and Matth. 3.15. and 5.17. Rom. 2.17.
Fourthly, This was a part of his Humiliation, and bleeding Paſſion.
Fifthly, Chriſt was both Circumciſed and Baptized to teach us; that 1. The whole Efficacy of the Sacraments depend wholely and ſolely upon him. 2. That he was the Mediator of Mankind both before and under the Rigour of the Law, as well as under the Grace of the Goſpel: 3. That he is the Knot and Bond of both Covenants. 4. That all kind of Sinners (both Jews and Gentiles) might have all kind of Comfort in Chriſt as in an abſolute and alſufficient Saviour to all ſorts.
Sixthly and Laſtly, To denote that Chriſt's Circumciſion muſt take off our Ʋncircumciſion, pulling off that wretched Foreskin from our hearts, as our Malady came by the firſt Adam, ſo our Remedy comes by the ſecond. Hence are we alſo ſaid to be buried with him in Baptiſm, which ſucceedeth in the place of Circumciſion, Col. 2 11, 12. and is alſo to us, as it was to the Jews, a Seal of the Righteouſneſs of Faith, Rom. 4.11. Circumciſion (of it ſelf) avails nothing, Gal. 5.6. where the Heart is not Circumciſed (unregenerate Iſrael was to God as Aethiopia, Amos 9.7.) And Men be not a Button better for their Water-Baptiſm: If they have not that of the Spirit alſo, and be Baptized with the Holy Ghoſt, &c.
The Fourth Thing conſiderable is, the Commemoration: It was the Time of Chriſt's taking his Name Jeſus, Luke 2.21. The Romans gave names to their Children on the ninth Day, the Athenians on the tenth, and other Nations on the ſeventh, as the Jews here upon the eighth. Theſe Tertullian calls Nominalia, naming Days; but Chriſt, having abrogated both Jewiſh and Heatheniſh Rites, hath not confined us to a Day, either for Naming or Baptizing our Children. As Names were given at Circumciſion, ſo now at Baptiſm, for three ends. 1. For Diſtinction 'twixt Man and Man. 2. For minding us of the Names writ in the Book of Life. And 3. That we carry as God's adopted ones, having his Name put on us as his proper Goods. This Name Jeſus is famous in Heaven, Hell, and Earth, 'tis as Ointment poured forth to Saints. Cant. 1.3. Auſtin pray'd, Remember thy Name O Jeſu, and be a Saviour to me, &c.