Of Baptism, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Wherein is diſcuſſed the third particular in anſwer to the argument drawne f…om circumciſion; ſ…. H…w we are ingrafted into Abrahams covenant, and by what title wee are call'd Abrahams children.
A Third conſideration is, how wee are ingrafted into Abrahams covenant, and by what title we are called Abrahams children.
In the 4. Rom. 16. you have this affirmed, that Abraham is the father of us all; That place ſeemes to be underſtood of all beleevers, and therefore when hee ſaith in the ſame verſe, the promiſe is of faith, to the end that it might be ſure to all the ſeede; hee makes a diſtribution, Not to that onelyonly vvhichwhich is of lavv but to that alſo vvhichwhich is of the faith of Abraham; as if hee ſhould ſay, this whole ſeede, to whom the promiſe is ſure, is either the beleeving Iewes, or the beleeving Gentiles, which have no other pretence or clayme to the promiſe, but by a like faith, even as the Iewes alſo pretend to this fatherhood, no other way but by their faith; for ſo verſe 12. And the father of circumciſion to them vvho are not of the circumciſion onelyonly, but alſo vvalke in the ſteps of that faith of our father Abraham, vvhichwhich he had yet being uncircumciſed. It is not enough to be of the Circumciſion, but they muſt walke in the ſteps of the faith of Abraham, that is, beleeve as hee did, if they would pretend to the ſonneſhip wee ſpeake of, ſo as in this 16. verſe, the oppoſition is onelyonly betweene the faithfull under the Law, & the faithfull under the Goſpel, ſo as the law and faith are not oppoſed here ſimply, but as circumciſion was an adjunct, or no adjunct to faith, that is, as true beleevers were either of the Iewes or Gentiles, and ſo theſe words are not to be taken as the 14. verſ. If they vvhichwhich are of the lavv be heires, faith is made voide, and the promiſe made of none effect. Here you ſee one fatherhood, Abraham is the father of all beleevers, whether Iewes or Gentiles; So in another conſideration you have Sarah ſaid to be the mother of all good & obedient women, who are called her children, 1. Pet. 3.6.
But beſides this, Abraham may be conſidered under the notion of another fatherhood, of which the Iewes were apt enough to bragge, namely a carnall generation, that they had Abraham to their father, as appeares by the reproofe that Iohn gave them, Mat. 3.9. Thinke not to ſay vvithin your ſelves vvee have Abraham to our father. Now in oppoſition to this fatherhood, conſidered alone, is that added verſe 17. of 4. Rom. where the Apoſtle quoting the promiſe Gen. 17.5. I vvill make thee a father of many nations, adds this, before him vvhom hee beleeved, even God, vvho quickeneth the dead, &c. As if he ſhould ſay, Abraham is the father of us all, not in reſpect of his carnall paternity, but of his ſpirituall, which is before God, vvhom hee beleeved; it is ſaid to be before God, becauſe founded in faith, by which wee are commended to God.
He adds alſo, VVho quickneth the dead, and calleth thoſe things vvhichwhich are not, as though they vvere; by which wee have all a patterne or glaſſe of our vocation, by which is propoſed a beginning or entry, not into our firſt birth, but into our hope of life to come, to wit, that when wee are called by God, wee goe out of nothing, as not having the leaſt ſparke or ſeede of good in us, which may render us capable of the kingdome of God; but on the contrary muſt dye to our ſelves, that wee may be proper for Gods call, whoſe call is ſo effectuall, as a ſimple will of his or ſigne thereof, produceth the greateſt and higheſt exiſtencies.
The like diſtinction of a double paternity & ſonneſhip, to wit, after the fleſh, and after the ſpirit, that is, by carnall generation & by faith, yee have Rom. 9.6.7.8. Not as though the vvord of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Iſrael, vvhichwhich are of Iſrael, neither becauſe they are the ſeede of Abraham, are they all children; but in Iſaac ſhall thy ſeede be called, that is they vvhichwhich are the children of the fleſh, theſe are not the children of God, but the children of the promiſe are counted for the ſeed. Where the Apoſtles intention is to make it appeare, that notwithſtanding the great defectiō of the Iewes, yet the truth of the divine promiſe is not diminiſhed, For they are not all Iſrael, ſayes hee, vvhichwhich are of Iſrael, becauſe they are not the children of the promiſe, but of the fleſh, and can pretend title onelyonly to Iſrael their father by a carnall generation, verſ. 7. Neither becauſe they are the ſeede of Abraham are they children, that is, the like may be ſaid alſo of Abraham; It is not their carnall generation (of which they are apt to boaſt) that gives them a true notion of ſonneſhip, in reſpect of the ſpirituall promiſes made to Abraham (for ſo onelyonly by faith they gave the title of Abrahams ſeede as before;) But in Iſaac ſhall thy ſeede be called; this he explaines verſ. 8. that is they vvhichwhich are the children of the fleſh, thoſe are not the children of God, but the children of the promiſe are counted for the ſeede.
The ſence is, That promiſe of God made to Abraham, by which hee made ſo great a difference amongſt his children, that, Iſhmael laid aſide and rejected, onelyonly the poſterity of Iſaac ſhould be called his ſeed; ſaying in Iſaac ſhall thy ſeede be called; teacheth us thus much, that neither they all, nor onelyonly, are to be reputed for the true ſeede of Abraham, which according to the fleſh are iſſued from Abraham, but thoſe which are the ſonnes of the promiſe, that is, which are regenerated according to the ſpirit by faith, according to that promiſe, In thy ſeede ſhall all the nations of the earth be bleſſed.
Here you have a diſtinction as it were of two Abrahams, a begetting Abraham, and a beleeving Abraham, and alſo of two ſeedes, the children of the fleſh, that is by carnall generation onelyonly, and the children of the promiſe.
This allegory hath its foundation in that which the Apoſtle ſaith Gal. 4.22.23. For it is vvritten, Abraham had tvvo ſonnes, the one by a bond mayd, the other by a free vvoman; but hee vvho vvas of the bond-vvoman, vvas borne after the fleſh; but he of the free vvoman vvas by promiſe; where hee affirmes that Iſhmael was borne according to the fleſh, but Iſaac according to the ſpirit; that is, he onelyonly by a naturall power of generation, but Iſaac not ſo much according to the fleſh, but miraculouſly as it were, by the reſtoring of a generative vertue to Abraham, for the making good of the promiſe.
Now, ſaith hee, thoſe onelyonly, which according to that of which Iſaac was a type, are borne by promiſe, thoſe and thoſe onelyonly are counted for the ſeede, Rom. 9.8. They vvhichwhich are the children of the fleſh, theſe are not the children of God, but the children of the promiſe are counted for the ſeede. According to which is that which is affirmed Gal. 3.7.9. Knovv yee therefore that they vvhichwhich are of faith, the ſame are the children of Abraham; and verſ. 9. So then they vvhichwhich be of faith, are bleſſed vvith faithfull Abraham.
In the firſt of thoſe verſes, out of the former reaſonings, he bids them conclude & take it for granted, that not thoſe which are of workes, which hold by that tenure, but thoſe which are of faith, the ſame are the children of Abraham.
Againe hee perſtringeth the Iewes, who gloried in their carnall generation, that they were Abrahams ſonnes according to the fleſh; the 9. verſe is a reaſon of the 8. where hee ſayes, that the Scripture (that is, the ſpirit that writ the Scripture) foreſeeing that God vvould juſtify the heathen through faith, preached before the Goſpel unto Abraham, ſaying, In thee ſhall all nations be bleſſed; that is, either in thy ſeede which is Chriſt, who onelyonly is apprehended & made ours by faith, or (as many of the antients expound this place, and Calvine is of the ſame judgement) In thee, that is, according to the imitation and after the ſimilitude of thee: hee being, as Calvin ſayes, in this the patterne & rule of us all, and therefore is called our father, as being the primitive patterne made by God; and this interpretation the words of the 9. verſe ſeeme to imply, So then they vvhichwhich be of faith, are bleſſed vvith faithfull Abraham; which is an illation or inference of the foregoing reaſon: in this verſe the principall Emphaſis lyes in the word faithfull, where the former mentioned diſtinction is againe intimated, there is a begetting Abraham, and a beleeving Abraham, it is with the beleeving Abraham, the faithfull Abraham, that all nations are bleſſed by being as hee was of faith; the word bleſſing however diverſly taken in the Scripture, yet here it is taken as Calvin expounds it for our adoption into the inheritance of life eternall.
Having therefore at large opened thoſe places, which give light to this cōſideration, & made good out of the Scripture, that double fatherhood of Abraham, the one carnall by his begetting, the other ſpirituall by his beleeving, there remayneth nothing to add, but this in a word, that we can pretend nothing of ſonneſhip to Abraham, by the firſt tenure, ſcil. of begetting, by which tenure the Iewes partooke of circumciſion, but by the other of beleeving, that is, after the example and imitation of Abraham, who, for that he ſo antiently and ſo eminently beleeved in God, carryes the title of the father of all beleevers, who do the like, as Sarah his wife doth of the mother of good women; and this faith, not carnall generation, is that that intitles us to Chriſtian ordinances.
And to make this laſt which is the ſumme of all, a little plainer, I ſhall add this, that by vertue of the parallel of circumciſion, that onelyonly qualifies for ordināces that is derivable from parents to their children by generatiō; for neither was Iſaac circumciſed, becauſe hee was borne after the ſpirit, nor Iſhmael debard from it, becauſe as a type he was borne after the fleſh, but both the one and the other had it by vertue of their naturall and carnall generation, by which they were made of the houſhold and family of Abraham: Now wee pretending to be Abrahams children by faith, not by carnall generation, cannot pretend to ordinances by carnall generation as the others did.
And ſecondly, foraſmuch as by carnall generation, wee our ſelves cānot derive faith, which is that which qualifies for our ordinances, therefore no fatherhood of ours can derive a right for ordinances, unles wee underſtand ſuch a fatherhood as Paul pretended to, when hee calls Oneſimus his ſon, ſaying, Hee had begotten him in his bonds, Phile. 10. Or when he tells the Corinthians 1. Corinth. 4.15. Though yee have ten thouſand inſtructors in Chriſt, yet have yee not many fathers, for in Ieſus Chriſt I have begotten you through the Goſpel; and ſo we may be the father as well of other mens children as of our owne: Now then if we cannot pretend to be Abrahams children, and ſo conſequently to partake of ordinances, by the way which the Iewes did, which was carnall generation, but by a way quite of another kind, namely a way of perſonall beleeving.
And ſecondly, if wee cannot pretend to a fatherhood to others in deriving by carnall generation, the qualification of ordinances, which is faith, it muſt then of neceſſity remaine, that the Iewes partaking of circumciſion by vertue of having Abraham to their father, and deriving that title to their poſterity, by the ſame way of carnall generation, is no preſident or patterne to us, of either being Abrahams children, & ſo qualified for baptiſme, in ſuch a way, or of our deriving to our poſterity any ſuch qualification, either for that or any other ordinance by the like way of carnall generation.
And indeed in the Goſpell notion we all are children, and there is no father but Abraham; for to gayne the title of father, there muſt be either a generative power, which remaynes onelyonly in the ſpirit, of whom as Chriſtians wee are borne, Not of fleſh, nor of blood, nor the vvill of man. Or there muſt be the eminency of an example or coppy, and ſo wee uſe to ſay the firſt in every kind is the rule of the reſt. Now it hath pleaſed God to give this honour to Abraham, who for the eminency and antientnes of his faith, is ſtyled by God, and will carry that title to the worlds end, of the father of us all.
Let us be content therefore to be children, and glory in that, and let Abraham injoy his priviledge; or if wee will needs be fathers alſo, let us imitate Paul, and be vve vvorkers vvith God, and labour in Ieſus Chriſt to beget men through the Goſpel.