proper if that be true of the Custome â—hereof there is no cause to make question for the use at present any man I think knows how to inform himself For that of elder times I can produce two pregnant and notable testimonies one of the Jews and people of God another of the Gentiles The first you shall finde in the 16. Chapter of Ezekiel where God describes the poor and forlorn condition of Jerusalem when he first took her to himself under the parable of an exposed Infant As for thy Nativity saith he in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all no eye pitied thee none to do any of these things unto thee to have compassion on thee but thou wast cast out in open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast born Here you may learn what was wont to be done unto infants at their nativity by that which was not done to Israel till God himself toâ—k pitty on her cutting of the Navel string washing salting swadling upon this place S. Hierome takes notice but scarce any body else that I can yet finde that our Saviour where speaking of Baptism he says Except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God alludes to the custome here mentioned of washing Infants at their Nativity The other testimony and that most pertinent to the application we make I finde in a story related by Plutarch in his Questiones Romanae not far from the beginning in this manner Among the Greeks if one that were living were reported to be dead and funeral obsequies performed for him if afterwards he returned alive he was of all men abominated as a prophane aad unlucky person No man would come into his company and which was the highest degree of calamity they excluded him from their Temples and the sacrifices of their Gods it chanced that one Aristinus being fallen into the like disaster and not knowing which way to expiate himself therefrom sent to the Oracle at Delphos to Apollo beseeching him to shew him the means whereby he might be freed and discharged thereof Pythia gave him this Answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What women do when one in childbed lyes That do again so maist thou sacrifice Aristinus rightly apprehending what the Oracle meant offered himself to women as one newly brought forth to be washed again with water from which Example it grew a custome among the Greeks when the like misfortune befell any man after this manner to expiate them they called them Hysteropotmi or Postliminio nati How well doth this befit the mystery of Baptism where those who were dead to God through sin are like Hysteropotmi regenerate and born again by water and the holy Ghost These two passages discover sufficiently the Analogy of the washing with water in Baptism to regeneration or new birth according as the text I have chosen for the Scope of my discourse exppesseth it namely that washing with water is a signe of spiritual Infancy for as much as Infants are wont to be washed when they came first into the world Hence the Jews before John the Baptist came amongst them were wont by this rite to initiate such as they made Proselytes to wit as becoming Infants again and entring into a new life and being which before they had not That which here I have affirmed will be yet more evident if we consider those other rites anciently added and used in the celebration of this mystery which had the self same end we speak of to wit to signify spiritual Infancy I will name them and so conclude as thâ—t of giving the new baptized milk and hony ad infantandum as Tertullian speaks ad infantiae significationem so S. Hierome because the like was used to Infants New born according to that in the 7th of Isay of Immanuels infancy A virgin shall conceive and bear a son butter and honey shall he eat that he may know to refuse evil and choose good Secondly that of Salt as is implyed in that of Ezekiel thou wast not washed with water nor salted with salt That of putting on the white garment to resemble swadling all these were anciently especially the first used in the Sacrament of our spiritual birth out of reference to that which was done to Infants at their natural birth who then can doubt but the principal rite of washing with water the only one ordained by our blessed Saviour was chosen for the same reason to be the element of our Initiation and that those who brought in the other did so conceive of this and from thence derived those imitations Thus for Mr Mede From whom we learn these truths 1. That it not lawful to assigne significations to sacramental Types of our own heads without warrant from the Scriptures 2. That in every Sacrament there is the signe and the thing signified res terrena res caelestis 3. That in Baptism there is an Invisible and caelestial thing signified 4. That though the blood of Christ is the fountain and cause of all that grace and good we receive in Baptism yet it is not the thing signified by the water in Baptism but the spirit cleansing the soul from sin in the work of Regeneration according to Tit. 3.5 5. That in the Baptism of Christ the mistery of all our Baptism was visibly acted 6. That God says to every one truly Baptized as he said to Christ in a proportionable sence thou art my beloved son in whom I am well pleased 7. That there is a plain Analogy between water and the spirit confirmed by divers Scriptures But not so between the water in Baptism and the blood of Christ 8. That the Fathers and primitive Church did not suppose any other correlative to the water in Baptism but the spirit though they did allude to Christs blood for illustration thereof 9. That in our Liturgy the water in Baptism is made to signifie the holy spirit in our Regeneration But not the Blood of Christ 10. That there was no such thing as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or sprinkling used in the Apostles times nor many ages after 11. That the Analogy between washing with water in Baptism and Regeneration appears from the custome of washing infants from the pollutions of the womb when first born according to the practice of Jews and Gentiles 12. That the Fathers and ancient Church did use to give the new baptized Milk and honey and put white garments on them to signify their spiritual birth out of reference to that which was done to infants at their natural birth From all which you see that baptism is not so much a sign of purging our sins by the bloud of Christ though that concurs by way of merit and efficacy but is not the thing there signifi'd or figured then to what purpose are infants baptized Thus you
to be circumcised at Age are 1. Those that were at years at its first Institution 2. The Proselytes that were made from time to time 3. The Jews in Joshuah's time circumcised after 40 years discontinuance of it in the Wilderness Now as to the first We find no other qualification required to entitle them to Circumcision but to be Jews or Abraham's natural Seed nor any mention made that Belief was a condition sine qua non nor any excluded for want of it Yea Ishmael was Circumcised though not in the Covenant when 13 years of age for God said verse 21. My Covenant will I establish with Isaac which phrase is brought by an Antithesis to Ishmael excluding him though born of Abrahams body and we find the numerous Family of Abraham circumcised immediately without any examination of their Faith And whether Mr. Whiston or the Scripture be to be the sooner believed is easie to be determined 2. As to Proselites he says he remembers not any particular instance of any such that were circumcised but concludes some were Circumcised and that as Believers because they kept the Passeover to the Lord Exod. 12.48 which indeed proves that strangers when Circumcised may keep the Passeover but not any thing to his purpose For if all that kept the Passeover be Believers how come the Jews that kept and do still keep it to be rejected by Christs Law for their Unbelief Or is the Faith he pleads they had some other Faith not sufficient in Gospel-dayes if so then that Faith that 's insufficient for their admission to Christ is not sufficient to intitle them to Gospel Ordinances ordained by Christ But what do's Mr. Whiston think of the 10 Tribes in Jeroboam's dayes when they fell to Idolatry and Worshipped the Calves for 200 Years Were there no Proselytes all that time if so were they when Circumcised considered as Believers Or were the Sechemites after the Rape of Dinah Believers when Circumcised Gen. 34 Were the Servants bought with money Believers or those Proselytes the Pharises compassed Sea and Land to gain Christ says they made them two-fold more the Children of Hâ—ll But this is a fine new Toy and let Mr. W. take the credit of its first promulgation 3. Those that were Circumcised in Joshua's time 5 chap. of whose Faith we find no Enquiry they were Circumcised because God commanded them so to be and if they were to be excluded upon the want of Faith 't is certain that among such a multitude there were many Unbelievers We read of an Achan in the 7 chap. that was stoned and the 36. that were smitten at Ai for the accursed thing though Circumcised a little before and numbers of them fell in Rebellion against the Lord afterwards So that upon the whole the Scripture tells us of no qualification that intitled to Circumcision save to be a natural Jew or such as were Proselyted or bought with money And to invent others is point blank arrogance So that our conclusion is firm viz. that to be the fleshly Seed of a Jew or bought with his money was enough to qualifie for Circumcision no profession of Faith being pre-required of either Gen. 17.12 And he that is eight dayes old shall be Circumcised c. not he that believes or is a Believers Child c. And what advantage the extravagant round-abouts in which Mr. Whiston so abounds has got him I cannot yet perceive I am sure it convinces me that he is in extream poverty of argument when he is forced to have recourse to such Forreign and Remote Projects to uphold his tottering cause As to the trouble he is in about the promises made to Abraham Whether they belong to the Covenant of works nature or grace or no Covenant at all concluding thus If our Author will help us out here he shall have hearty thanks for his pains To which I say that I doubt Mr. W. dissembles egregiously for I cannot conjecture how he can be so ignorant But the perplexity he involves himself in is a needless impertinent one and whoever goes to pluck him out is as idle as himself But yet if he be really at a loss and to deserve his thanks if it be not a complement I shall adventure to direct him where he may learn what the promise made to Abraham was and how to be understood in relation to both Natural and Spiritual Seed Let him turn to Dr. Owen's 6 Exercit. on the Hebrews page 55 56. c. where he will be informed the Doctor exactly agreeing with us and fully speaking our sense in that point and therefore quoted by me at large in my Treatise And I hope Mr. Whiston cannot suspect the partiality of the Informer And for his interpretation of Gal. 3.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if ye be of Christ or appertain to Christ were it admitted it is no disadvantage to us it being the same in sense with our Vulgar Translations And if Believers Children as he says be of Christ it must be in respect of Calling or Election the former is not to be alledged and the later may be true for ought we know but that 's no ground for any Gospel-administrations which are dispensable only according to appearance and since no Faith or Signs of Election appears and that de non apparentibus de non existentibus eadem est ratio we according to Scripture-warrant and example suspend our Baptizing them till they can give some evidence of their right to it and if a supposing them to be Elect be a good ground to baptize then the children of Unbelievers have a good plea because some of them are Elect. As to what he offers in order to remove the absurdities charged by Mr. Danver's upon the practice of baptizing Infants and his essay to vindicate the practice of Sprinkling for Dipping they are fully and clearly as to the substance of them already so blaâ—led by Mr. D. himself that I shall pass them and shall only conclude that consideration with the words of Dr. Martin Luther in his Book de Baptismo Tom. 1. p. 71 72. speaking of the signification of the word Baptizmus Graecum est latine potest verti mersio cum immâ—rgimus aliquid in Aqua ut totum tegatur Aqua Et quamvis ille mos jam aboleverit apud plerosque debebant tamen prorsus immergi statim retrahi Et sane si spectes quid Baptismus significet idem requiri videbis that is Baptism is a Greek word and may be interpreted an Over-whelming when we plunge any thing into the Water that it may be covered all over And although that custome is now out of use with many yet they ought truly to be dipt and presently lifted up again And certainly if you consider the nature of the thing you will see that to be necessary which being the true signification of the word we find cause rather to adhere to it than follow Mr. Whiston's unscriptural Dictates As to what he
the whole law Secondly God promised to be a God to Abraham and his spiritual seed such as walk in his steps that is believers whether Jews or Gentiles in giving unto them an eternal inheritance Heb. 9.15 incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away purchased by the blood of Jesus and reseved for them in heaven of which the earthly inheritance in the land of Canaan was but a type So there is a twofold seed of Abraham a fleshly and a spiritual typed out by Ishmael and Isaac and a two-fold inheritance an earthly and a heavenly But the heavenly inheritance was not given to the fleshy seed but only in Types offered to them and confirmed to the spiritual seed who are therefore called the heirs of promise Heb. 6.17 Neither was the Covenant made with Abraham a pure Gospel Covenant but a mixt Covenant consisting partly of promises of temporal blessings of which Isaac who is said to be born by promise was the true and proper heir And partly of promises of spiritual blessings of an heavenly inheritance and of these Jesus Christ was the true her and Antitypical Isaac for as Ishmael the child of the flesh had no right with Isaac in the outward Typical promise so Isaac himself by vertue of his fleshly descent had no right nor Interest in the heavenly inheritance and Gospel priviledges Rom. 9.7 any otherwise then he came to have an interest in Christ And therefore we find the Apostle in Gal. 3.16 expounding the word of promise i. e. I will be a God to thee and thy seed sheweth that the Gos-promises of Abrahams Covenant were not made to any ones fleshly seed no not with the meer fleshly seed of believing Abraham himself but the promises did all run to Christ the inheriting seed to whom they were made and when Christ was come they all center in him see and consider the text Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ to Isaac in the type but to Christ in the Antitype and in him are all the promises yea and Amen Having thus followed the promises down along from Abraham to Christ and found them all to center in him let us now see to whom they came forth again And it is not to any ones fleshly seed whatever but from Christ they all flow forth again to believers and only to believers and that by vertue of their union with Christ and therefore says the Apostle If ye be Christs then are ye Abrahams seed and heirs according to the promise for there is no other way to partake of the promise but by faith in Christ Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe where two things are observable first to whom the promise is given viz. to them that believe secondly by what means they come to partake of them and that is by the faith of Christ so in verse the 26. you are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ and if ye be Christs that is by faith then are ye Abrahams seed and heirs according to the promise So then it seems all promises run to Christ and from him flow forth again only to believers Which being impartially considered is a full answer to all Arguments drawn from the Covenants and the promise made to Abraham and certainly and unavoidably cuts off Infants Church membership in the days of the Gospel unlesse the Poedobaptists can finde a new institution for it But for a further illustration of this and that you may see that this is not my opinion alone I shall present you with some select passages that the judicious and eminent divine Dr Owen hath upon this subject it is in his Exercitations upon the Epistle to the Hebrews tom 1. p. 55. c. to which the Reader is referred which by another hand may be shortly improved In the mean time take these few instances Two Priviledges did God grant unto Abraham upon his separation to a special interest in the old promise and Covenant First that according to the flesh he should be the father of the Messiah the promised seed who was the very life of the Covenant the fountain and cause of all the blessings contained in it That this Priviledge was temporary having a limited season time and end appointed unto it the very nature of the thing it self doth demonstrate For upon this actual exhibition in the flesh it was to cease In pursuit hereof were his posterity separated from the rest of the world and preserved a peculiar people that through them the promised seed might be brought forth in the fulnesse of time and be of them according unto the flesh Rom. 9.8 Secondly together will this he had also another priviledge granted unto him namely that his saith whereby he was personally interested in the Covenant should be the pattern of the faith of the Church in all generations and that none should ever come to be a member of it or a sharer in its blessings but by the same faith that he had fixed on the seed that was in the promise to be brought forth from him in the world On the account of this Priviledge he became the father of all them that do believe for they that are of the faith the same aere the children of Abraham Gal. 3.7 Rom. 4.11 as also heirs of the world Rom. 4.13 in that all that should believe throughout the world being thereby implanted into the Covenant made with him should become his spiritual children Answerable unto this twofold end of the separation of Abraham there was a double seed alloâ—â—ed unto him A seed according to the flesh separated to the bringing forth of the Messiah according to the flesh and a seed according to the promise that is such as by faith have an Interest in the promise or all the elect of God Not that these two seeds were always subjectively divers so that the seed separated to the bringing forth of the Messiah in the flesh should neither in whole or in part be also the seed according to the promise or on the contrary that the seed according to the promise should none of it be his seed after the flesh Our Apostle declares the contrary in the instancos of Isaac and Jacob with the remnant of Israel that shall be saved Chap. 9.10.11 But sometimes the same seed came under diverse considerations being the seed of Abraham both according to the flesh and promise and sometimes the seed it self was divers those according to the flesh being not of the promise and so on the contrary Thus Isaac and Jacob were the seed of Abraham according unto the flesh separated unto the bringing forth of the Messiah after the flesh because they were his carnal Posterity and they were also the seed of the promise because by their own personal