Prodigy to me that any should Assert that the Covenant that God made with Abraham was a Covenant of Works and yet Circumcision was the Seal of it for so it is expresly commanded of God to be as we have seen Did we ever read of this Seal amx'd to the Covenant of Works No in the perfect state that Man was in when God enter'd into a Covenant of Works there was no need of nor occasion for this Sacrament or Seal Let us but a little consider the Uses and Words of this Seal and we may see that that must be a Covenant of Grace to which it is affix'd as a Seal for either it holds forth our need of Grace or the merciful provision of Grace prepared for us I shall only mention a very few Particulars 1. This doth intimate unto us that vile polluted State of Sin that we were conceived and transmitted into the World in This may give us the knowledge of our undone State by Nature how God may loath and abhor us for ever The cutting off of the Fore-skin of the Flesh discovers the filthiness of our Flesh and how by Sin we have forfeited our selves and all into the hands of Justice that we be filthy and guilty Sinners 2. This sets forth the gracious Purposes and Intentions of a merciful God to wash and to cleanse and to sanctifie us by his Grace and by the Blood of Sprinkling The Blood that did follow the circumcising Instrument did clearly signifie that therefore cleansing and sanctification are set forth by Spiritual Circumcision When God doth graciously promise to wash and to sanctifie he doth promise to circumcise the Heart Deut. 30.6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul that thou mayst live Col. 2.11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ viz. By the Sanctification of the Blood and Spirit of Christ Phil. 3.3 For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit We have the inward Spiritual Circumcision of the Heart which was graciously signified by that Seal of the Grace of God belonging to that Covenant of Grace the Lord was pleas'd to make with Abraham and his Seed 3. To denote and set forth the need we have of the Blood of Christ to justifie us and that God would justifie us through his Blood And this Abraham had a special eye unto and his Faith was firmly fix'd upon after God had made this Covenant with him and his Seed and fix'd this significant Seal unto it This might be evidenced by many Scriptures Rom. 14.1 2. In many Verses in that Chapter therefore it is that Circumcision is called a seal of the righteousness of faith of that righteousness that is apprehended received and applied by faith certainly then that Covenant that hath such a significant gracious Seal added unto it can be nothing less or else than a Covenant of Grace 7. Reason To prove that this was a Covenant of Grace may be the great Result and Period of it which is no less than Heaven this is obviously implied in the comprehensiveness of this Promise we have here Gen. 17.7 I will be a God unto thee and unto thy seed after thee I will be a God unto thee and all thine Elect Seed for ever I will be a God to love thee to provide for thee to be with thee and with my self eternally to reward thee How vain and frivolous is our Challenger in Asserting that this Covenant made with Abraham was not a Covenant of Grace Because the great Promises of it were outward Blessings and the greatest of all was the Land of Promise Canaan What is not that a greater Promise for God to promise himself to be a God to Abraham and his Seed Is not an Infinitely Glorious and Blessed God better than Canaan than all the Canaans and Paradises in the World yea than thousands of Worlds But further to see the ignorance of this Man in the Scripture and in such Expressions which denote a higher good intended by God than what they themselves may import as this Promise is explained in the New Testament When God did make the Promise of an Earthly Canaan to Abraham and his Seed he did ultimately intend a better Land than this viz. an Heavenly one when the Lord doth promise this Canaan he doth promise Heaven which this was a Type of the main thing and good that the Lord design'd for his People by this Promise was Heaven and that they should be eternally saved Abraham did so understand it and others of the Fathers and so set their Hearts upon and rais'd up an Expectation of that blessed City and Country that was above that what they had here were but dark Shadows and cloudy Representations of what was to come Heb. 11.10 13 14 15 16. 8. Reason To prove that the Covenant made here with Abraham was a Covenant of Grace is viz. Because of that Obedience the Lord did both require and accept at the hands of Abraham in this Covenant There was Obedience and there was Service that the Lord did command and expected from Abraham this will determine whether this be a Covenant of Works or of Grace If it be a Covenant of Works it requires nothing less than perfect Obedience nothing short of it will or can be accepted therein as it was in the Covenant made with Adam Do this and live I but now here in Abraham's Covenant the Lord doth call for and accept of sincere and upright Obedience as in Gen. 17.1 2. And when Abram was ninety years old and nine the Lord appeared to him and said I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect viz. right or sincere And I will make my covenant betwixt me and thee Every one knows that though Abraham for Grace and walking with and obeying God was an excellent Man yet he was not a sinless perfect Man he had the perfection of sincerity but not a sinless perfection such an one as Adam had in Innocency In this Covenant Abraham did walk before God he did please God and he was accepted by God in vertue of this Covenant which could never have been had it not been a Covenant of Grace that had Christ to be the Mediatour of it in whom he believed and found acceptance Thus Beloved I promise my self that I have given you such Reasons to prove that this Covenant was of Grace which the Lord made with Abraham and his Seed for an Everlasting Covenant as cannot well be denied 2. Quest Whether some only or all the Children of Believers are in this Covenant of Grace with their Parents Whether this Covenant doth inclose and impale them all or not Answ All they that are the Seed of the Faithful the Lord takes into this Covenant with their Parents
promised on Gods part this holds forth more than a Legal Covenant Is there a more gracious and a more comprehensive Promise and fuller of the Grace of God in all the Book of God than this Here the Lord doth give and make over himself yea all his glorious Attributes Names Titles Grace Love all Temporal Spiritual and Eternal Blessings here God doth give himself the Father the Son the Holy Ghost the whole Nature of God and all the Persons the Godhead with all the Attributes of that Nature and all the Offices of those Persons Thus saith Judicious Cotton in his Treatise upon the Covenant The Lord through this Covenant gives himself and all his to his covenanted People through all the Generations of the World I would willingly understand what may be the reason if there can be any given when this Excellent Promise is repeated in many other places of Scripture that it is allow'd to be of Grace and not here notwithstanding if I mistake not when this Promise is inserted in other places it is often taken from this Jer. 24.7 and 31.33 and 32.38 Ezek. 11.20 and 34.24 31. and 36.38 and 37.27 Here we have the same Promise and full of Grace and why not in Gen. 17.7 Oh! there would be great ground of fear should this be granted for then the Seal of the Covenant must follow as we shall see in the close of this Discourse This is that Covenant that Believers and their Seed be under since the Ascension of the Messiah and that we may clearly discern it God is pleased to use the old Phrase and Form of the Promise 2 Cor. 6.18 Heb. 8.10 The same Language and Dialect we have speaking of the New Jerusalem Priviledges and Glorious State Rev. 21.3 And I heard a voice out of heaven saying Behold the tabernacle of God is with men and he shall dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God There is the other Branch of the Promise here that we must by the Rule of Relatives understand If God doth give himself to Abraham and his Seed then he takes them and chuseth them to be his People and Portion for ever when the Lord is pleased to say I will be thy God and the God of thy seed this must reeds be involv'd thou and thy seed shall be my people for ever and so it is relatively exprest often in the Covenant-Language Now I pray is not all this of pure Grace 4. Reason This is a Covenant made in the Hands of Christ the Mediatour and it was confirmed in him the great Seed of the Covenant and the Head and Foundation of all those that God doth take into Covenant with him This Covenant was ratified and confirm'd by the Efficacy and Blood of the Mediatour otherwise neither Abraham nor Isaac could have been saved and hence the Blood of Christ is called the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant Heb. 13.20 Now the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the great sheperd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant c. God in making this Covenant had respect to the efficacious and meritorious Blood of his Son otherwise he could never have made such a Promise here of being such a gracious God to Abraham and his Seed for ever It is judiciously said of a Learned Authour that in this Covenant the Lord taketh the chiefest of the Seed of Abraham viz. the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Mediatour and Surety of it and so through him are all the Promises and Blessings of the Covenant convey'd unto Abraham and his Seed his faithful Seed all the World over therefore he is called the Mediatour of a better Covenant Heb. 7.22 and 8.6 And as it was made with Abraham and his Seed in the Hands of Christ so when it was translated unto the Gentiles it was by and through him and confirmed unto them by him Gal. 3.14 That the blessing of Abraham may come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith The Blessing of Abraham viz. the Covenant of Abraham Rom. 15.8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers He was the Minister of Circumcision the great Instructer of the Jews and did first confirm the Covenant to them and then to the Gentiles Ver. 9. And that the Gentiles might glorifie God for his mercy viz. for the Mercy of God through Christ by and through whom the blessed Covenant was confirmed unto them So that we may see that Christ was the Mediatour of this Covenant made with Abraham and his Seed witness those many Types of Christ which were annexed unto it viz. Their expiatory and propitiatory Sacrifices injoined the whole Congregation in case of Sin also the two Goats one for a Sin-offering for the whole Congregation and the other the Scape-goat over which all the Sins of the Children of Israel were to be confess'd by the Priests c. 5. Reason Because this is a Covenant that freely holds out and offers pardon of Sin without Works therefore then it cannot be a Covenant of Works It holds out pardon of Sin freely by believing in Christ The Covenant of Works we know holds forth no pardon of Sin no Mercy to Transgressors that violate and break the smallest point of it Gal. 3.10 Deut. 27.26 I but this Covenant doth it holds out pardon of Sin to the vilest and worst of Sinners to those that did barbarously and maliciously pour out the Blood of the Mediator of this Covenant Exod. 2.37 38 39. This is a Covenant that did freely offer remission and pardon of Sin without the Works of the Law Abraham himself through this Covenant by believing in the Mediatour and Testator of it was justified and pardoned read Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5 c. That must surely be a Covenant of Grace that brings in remission of Sin and Justification by Christ through Faith God did promise to be a God to him and his Seed a God to pardon 6. Reason Because of that Seal the Lord did command to be affixed to this Covenant which was Circumcision Who can deny but that the Lord did command this Seal Sign or Token to be set to the Covenant to confirm and establish it Gen. 17.10 This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee Every man-child among you shall be circumcised This God did Institute as the Initiating Ordinance by this they were to enter as visible Persons into this Covenant or to be visibly discovered and own'd such that were in covenant with God and in a covenant way devoted and given up unto him Let me here ask this Question Did not this Seal of the Covenant denote that that Covenant it did appertain unto to be a Covenant of Grace It is next to a
visibly declare and set them out to be such Christ hath declared them to be of the Kingdom of Heaven that is of his Church and Parents ought by this Ordinance to represent and openly to declare them to be such This is a visible incorporating of them into this body and a listing them under the Banner of Christ to serve and to cleave unto him They must be put into Christ's List and brought under his Banner though they do him at present but little service Thus we find in the Scripture when God hath called his People solemnly to enter into covenant with him to love him to serve him to obey him they have appeared before the Lord with their Little Ones with them Deut. 29.10 11 12 13. Children that are brought under the Bonds of the Covenant and Listed for the Lord it is their Duty when they attain to understanding to be very sensible of the same and to do and manage themselves accordingly for God will require their dedication and Parental obligation at their Hands 4. By this way Parents do shew their right understanding of and do give a good testimony unto the covenant which the Lord has been pleas'd to gratifie them withal Thus did Abraham by his immediate complying with the Lord in the Seal of it by this they do openly declare their well liking of and their great pleasure they take in the covenant and how joyful and ready they are that their Children should obtain and be made the happy partakers of the Blessings and Priviledges of it and be the open and visible Proprietors with them in it methinks Parents should commend and set out the excellency of this covenant and what sweetness and comfort they have had in it by being very willing and desirous that their children should be within the compass of it and as they have done partake of the rich and eminent Blessings of it Pious Parents do not know how to live in any condition without the covenant and the suitable and seasonable Promises of it and how can they chuse then but be very solicitous and desirous that their children should succeed them in such an Enjoyment and Tenour 5. By this they do testifie their belief of the Truth and of the Faithfulness of God and the Veracity of all the gracious Promises comprehended and lodg'd in the Covenant Indeed the Seal and Token is to assure and to confirm all therefore when the Lord was pleased to establish his Covenant with Abraham and his Seed there was Circumcision as the Seal affixt to be a great Incouragement unto the Faith of Abraham to believe and expect the Accomplishment of all the Covenant-Promises that God had made with him and his Seed for ever Now when Parents that be in covenant do suddenly by this Seal devote and give up their Children to God they do signifie and declare their firm and unboubted Faith in all that God hath promised to them and their Children and in this Matter they put up their Requests to God exercising Faith in the Promises for their Children and so also after in their frequent Requests for Covenant-Mercies for them 6. By this means Parents do as they ought to do lay great Obligations upon themselves unto the greatest care and diligence that may be that their Children may partake of the Internal Part and saving Blessings of the Covenant What a strict Tye and Bond must this be to Parents to be greatly concerned for the Souls and Eternal Salvation of them They have given them up unto God as his Children in a Covenant-Obligation and have ingag'd for them now they must look to their Charge and Trust that the Souls of their Little Ones do not perish through their default by their carelesness and negligence in their discharge of their weighty and incumbent Duty that the Living God in this gracious Covenant hath imposed upon and injoined them Abraham had a great respect unto this which caused the Lord to give him this commendation Gen. 18.19 For I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment It was but in the Chapter before this that he did enter into covenant with the Lord for himself and his Oh! said God I know that he hath a sence of his Covenant-Obligation upon him that he hath lately received from me and he will observe it being careful of his Houshold that they may perform the Duties and injoy the Blessings of the Covenant What a close and strict Engagement is this to Parents that they bring up their Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord How doth this call upon us to prayer to educate carefully and to instruct our Children in the knowledge and fear of the Lord 3. Improve this great Blessing of the Covenant for the Encouragement of your Hopes as to the Spiritual Birth of your Children This is the great Concern of pious Parents about their Children so soon as they see that they be once born that they may be born again that they may not only be born of the Flesh but also of the Spirit that they may not only have a Natural but also a Spiritual Birth It is for this that godly Parents do groan and travail You that are thus concerned for your Children 't is the Covenant of Grace that must be your great Encouragement in besieging the Throne of Grace for them your Fangs for the New Birth in your Children must be covenant Ones it is the Covenant and the Mediatour and Blood of it that must animate quicken and support your Hopes in this great Affair you must put the Promise in suit and plead them with that God of Infinite Grace Love and Faithfulness that hath put you and yours into this Feederal Compact You may humbly go to God and tell him that he hath promised to be your God and the God of your Seed to teach you and your Children and to circumcise your Heart and the Heart of your Children to love and to fear him that he hath promised to pour out his Spirit upon your Off-spring and that your Children shall be taught of God Gen. 17.7 Deut. 30.6 Ezek. 36.26 27. Isa 44.3 and 59.21 and 54.13 And many such Golden Promises of rich Grace comprehended in the Covenant as Food for the Faith of Parents that make conscience daily to pursue and wrestle with God for the renewing and sanctifying of their Children Wherefore go to God and plead his Covenant after this manner Hast thou not promised to be a God to me and mine Is not the Promise to me and my Children Thou hast shewn abundance of Mercy in giving them all Natural Parts of the Body and Endowments of Mind Ay but Blessed Lord thou hast confer'd greater Mercy than this upon them Thou hast put them in thy Covenant and hast planted them in thy House and Family they have a Standing in thy Church Lord be pleased
highly from Our Brethren the Anabaptists affirm That Abraham's natural Seed had only a Covenant of temporal Promises that the natural Seed had no part in the Covenant of Grace but only the Spiritual the Followers of Abraham's Faith But we affirm That by Children here are meant the natural Seed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such as were begotten of you and did spring and proceed from your Loyns As when the Covenant was renewed at first with Abraham God would be a God to him and to his Seed that Seed that was to be circumcised so the terms of the same Covenant are here repeated by the Apostle The promise is to you and your children Christ would make good his Promise to all Believers This is that which I hope I shall evidently prove in its proper place 3. Quest But if the natural Seed be here meant as having an Interest in the Covenant with their Paâ—â—â—ts whether is not their Right and Title limited and restrained by the following Expression The time of their calling as many as the Lord our God shall call and none but such and never till then Answ There have been so many Learned Divines that have gone before with such clearness of Light in this Controversie that little can be added or need to be spoken something consonant to what they have said and agreeable to their Answers I shall offer We are to distinguish about Calling for Calling is either effectual and saving or only external Calling 1. There is an effectual and saving Calling that which appertains to the Elect of God by which by the external Call of the Word and the inward efficacy of the Spirit they be throughly Called out of all Sin unto God To urge a necessity of this without which no Benefits of the blessed Covenant of Promise can be obtained or challenged is a palpable Error against which there may be many Clouds of Witnesses produced to testifie In every Age of the Church and propagation of the Covenant there have been many Hypocrites and formal Professors that have had a standing in the Church which is a Priviledge of the Covenant yet had no effectual Calling so it is now and will be at the coming of Christ when he shall find amongst the Virgins as many foolish as wise Mat. 8.12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Isa 33.14 The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprized the hypocrites who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Hypocrites that are in the Church and externally in Covenant shall possess the hottest place in Hell Will our Adversaries that apply the Seal and take into Covenant their way be so bold as to say that all those they admit to Baptism are true Believers and Gospel-penitents Do not many of them prove Apostates And are not many of them cast out of their Churches and delivered over to Satan And may they not have cunning Hypocrites among them that enjoy many Priviledges with them and such as they thought to be effectually Called 2. If they say that an outward Call be urged as necessary to the obtaining an Interest in the Promise then the natural Seed of Believers enjoy this Calling virtually in and with their Parents with whom they are confederate which they are Called to do as Deut. 29.10 11 12. Where we have a solemn way of the People visibly standing before the Lord to enter into Covenant with him and they had their little ones with them as confederates with their Parents and so part of those that were separated and Called to be the distinct People of the Lord Members of the Church in covenant with him 2. Answ And what I judge the fullest That that Restriction As many as the Lord shall call pertains only to those that are afar off and hath no respect to these here spoken unto or to their children If we consider the Apostle doth add this partly to discover the glorious Intention of the Grace of God in carrying over the Promise and the Covenant of Grace under the new administration unto the Gentiles who were accounted afar off and also to give those he spake unto the greater and the more ample encouragement to accept of and close in with his Exhortation to repent and to believe As thus If God will be so gracious to them that are afar off as upon their repentance to admit them and their children into covenant with him why do ye doubt and fear Both you and your children are in covenant with him already They that trouble us with the Dust of their false Glosses to blind the Eyes of the Simple and to darken clear Scriptures by all means would have that Clause to be applied to all the three Subjects viz. They their children and those afar off when Called then the Promise is theirs but that the Apostle meaneth and restraineth this only to those that are afar off I shall evince by several Reasons which if ponderously thought upon may give good satisfaction herein 1. Calling of Persons supposeth such that are at a distance off therefore it must peculiarly and only belong to them that were afar off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In this Channel runs the Stream of Expositors those that be afar off they mean the Gentiles in opposition to the Jews that were nigh Thus the Scripture doth distinguish between the Jews and the Gentiles Isa 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is afar off and to him that is near Here is a blessed Promise of the Grace of God in reference unto the Calling of the Gentiles that were said to be afar off in opposition to the Jews that were nigh They were nigh to God and they and their children were in covenant I but said the Lord I will create the fruit of the lips peace to those that are afar off viz. the Gentiles Eph. 2.11 12 13 17. Wherefore remember that ye being in time passed uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands that at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise and without God in the world But now in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ This was the state of the Gentiles they were far off I but the Jews at that time were nigh And came and preached peace to you which were afar off and to them that were nigh viz. the Jews Children of the Covenant God was their God and the God of their Children I but the Gentiles were Strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel not in covenant with God and afar off they be called as we see in the Scripture those that be remote and distant and must be meant in this Text. 2. What rational account can be assigned or can any give why
God doth not take some or many but all they be all in Covenant with the Lord until they eject themselves When the Lord made this Covenant and took Abraham into it he took all his Seed with him Cain was in covenant as well as Abel and Ishmael as well as Isaac though some have from Electing Love and Special Grace a greater Blessing from the Covenant than others as you will see presently This Covenant runs to Abraham and his Seed and to his Seeds Seed Let not us curtail and contract Gods Covenant and confine it to narrower bounds than ever the Lord design'd There be some Men that talk great Words of the Grace of God and yet in the mean time are great Enemies to the copiousness and amplitude of it largely expressed in his Covenant 3. Quest Some may say How can that he that the natural Seed of such that be in covenant should be in covenant too Do not we see by sad experience that many of the Children of pious Parents prove very profane and wicked What do you hold falling from Grace Here is a Rock that many mistaken Persons do split themselves upon in respect of falling into Errour in this Affair and many through ignorance do stumble upon Answ More generally we must know that as to the Posterity of Abraham there are two sorts of them though both in corenant There is a Seed according to the Flesh a carnal Off-spring and Generation and they were the Seed of Abraham and did highly value themselves upon this and boasted much upon it Mat. 3.9 And think not to say within your selves We have Abraham to be our father Bear not too much upon this think not that this will excuse you you may be the Seed of Abraham and yet Enemies to the Messiah for it was the Seed of Abraham that did hate persecute crucifie and slay him Acts 2. So there is a Seed after the Spirit that be pious and holy and walk in the Steps of Abraham and in the Paths of the Faith of Abraham There is a double Paternity there is the begetting Abraham and a believing Abraham so there is a twofold Sonship Children according to the Flesh and Heirs according to the Promise Rom. 9.6 7 8. Not as though the word of God had taken none effect For they are not all Israel which are of Israel Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children but in Isaac shall thy seed be called That is They which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed Viz. In short though all that be in covenant are Children in a proper sense yet all are not the Spiritual Seed for we see here that the Carnal and Spiritual are called the Seed of Abraham ver 7. yet do not all walk in the Steps of Abraham nor partake of the special Grace that Abraham did The Apostle doth here tell us that we must not think that the word of God had taken no effect because not all nay not compacatively many that are the Seed the natural Seed of Abraham did believe and embrace it therefore he doth distinguish of the Seed of Abraham them that be under the Purpose of God to Salvation and are chosen to Eternal Life they do and shall believe and become the holy the spiritual and peculiar Seed Abraham had two Sons Ishmact and Isaac and both taken into covenant I but the Line of Election was to run through the Lines of Isaac That we may something more fully open this Matter to your satisfactions and that you may rightly understand how any may be said to be in this Covenant of Grace and yet in a State of Nature and in the First Adam I shall distinguish herein this well understood would contribute greatly to put an end to this Controversie Some may say the Covenant is full of gracious Promises and what right can any have unto the same that be but the natural Seed Are they Promises of saving Grace or outward Priviledges or temporal Mercies Or what are they How is this to be understood that the Promise is to the Children of those that are in covenant if by Children are meant the natural Seed Answ By Promise I understand the Covenant of Grace as I have said call'd also the Covenant of Promise Eph. 2.12 and because of this they that be in it are called the Children of the Promises Now the Promise or the Covenant is taken two ways and so there are two ways of being in the Covenant 1. Strictly And that which Divines call Foedus Internum or Pars Foederis Interna the Internal Covenant or the spiritual part of the Covenant that which doth contain Promises of spiritual Blessings and saving Graces such as Justification Reconciliation Regeneration Adoption Persevetance and Glorification or Eternal Life and hence we read that God will give a new Heart that he will take away the Stony Heart out of the Flesh and will give a Heart of Flesh that he will circumeise the Heart to love and fear him that he will write his Law in their Hearts and they shall never depart from him that he will sprinke clean Water upon them and they shall be clean and from all their filthiness and Idols will he cleanse them that he will blot out all their Iniquities and cast their Sins into the depth of the Sea and remember them no more This is the Internal and spiritual part of the Covenant These be the Excellent Promises of Special Grace that God will accomplish and fulfil to all the Elect both Adult and Infants that die in their Infancy 2. Sometimes it is taken more largely which Divines call Foedus Externum or Pars Foederis Externa the External Covenant or the External part of the Covenant they being both in truth but Branches of one and the same Covenant This External Part contains Promises of many choice Mercies and Priviledges which God out of the bounty of his Grace bestows upon People that be in covenant with him which he does not bestow upon the rest of the World which be not taken into covenant with him One may be in covenant and partake of many precious and eminent Promises and yet have no saving and special Grace or Interest in God So it was with a Multitude of the Jews yea with the greatest part of them and that when our Lord and Saviour himself was amongst and conversed with them Rom. 2.28 29. For he is not a Jew that is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Viz. He is not internally and savingly a Jew he is but only an external one partaking of the external Blessings of the Covenant injoying the circumcision of the Flesh not that of the
doth abundantly testifie of this in many Scriptures we have the Old Testament Phrase and Way Mat. 8.11 Many shall come from the east and from the west and shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven By the Faith of the Centurion Christ takes an occasion to touch by way of prediction of the calling of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Jews and the bringing of the Gentiles into the Covenant made with those Fathers and Patriarchs I do not know how to forbear the inserting of an excellent Observation that a Judicious Man makes upon this Text thus Quare non sine admiratione hoc additum fuit domesticos regni Dei haeredes fore qui tunc extranei erant neque id solum sed foedus salutis mox publicandum esse ut totus orbis in unum Ecclesiae corpus coalesceret dum Gentiles qui ad fidem accedunt ejusdem cum Abram Isaac Jacob salutis participes fore dicit Luke 19.9 And Jesus said unto him This day is salvation come to this house forasmuch as he also is the son of Abraham Here our Lord Jesus did preach the Covenant and upon the Faith of this good Man Abraham's Covenant entred into his House himself and whole Family were taken into covenant Exod. 16.31 32 33. This was the happy State of this Man so soon as he did believe God took him into covenant and his whole House and all of them in the same Hour of the Night did partake of the Seal of the Covenant after this Example we practice v. 14 15. This was the case of Lydia upon her believing she and all her House were Baptized 'T is strange if that in all these houses there might not be one Child there might be children in several of them however children be a part and a choice part of housholds So that here is a Rule for us to walk by that when the Master or head of the house doth imbrace the Faith that was never Baptized before both he and his are to receive the token of the Covenant as upon their believing they do enter into it with God This is the right way to be observed that Parents entertaining the Gospel that were never under the bond of the Covenant neither partakers of the Seal of it must be baptized and their Children that are Foederally received with them by God must be also with them Rom. 4.16 Therefore 't is of faith that it might be by grace to the end the promise or the Covenant might be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the law but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham who is the father of us all Viz. He is the Father of all that do believe both Jew and Gentile Eph. 2.13 14. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition Now by the blood of Christ the parting Wall that was between the Jew and the Gentile is taken away and both of them that believe are inclosed in one Covenant The Gentile that was afar off being out of Covenant and the Jew that was nigh being in Covenant Now in the New Covenant all our Spiritual and Eternal blessings come swimming to us upon the blood of Christ which blood for ever runs thro' the Covenant We have no other way of remission of Sin of renovation and Regeneration or of Eternal life then Abraham had in the Old Testament John 8.56 Neither doth the Lord require any other obedience from us then he did from Abraham therefore we are to walk in the steps of our Father Abraham 10. Demonst God doth challenge the Children of his people that be in Covenant with him to be his Children There is a special Interest and propriety that God layes claim to have in the Seed of his they be more his children then their's they are brought forth for him and by the Seal of the Covenant are and ought to be devoted and dedicated to God Ezek. 16.20 21. Moreover thou hast taken thy Sons and thy Daughters whom thou hast born unto me and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured That thou hast slain my children This is brought in as a great aggravation of their sin in their cruel and wicked Idolatry because their Children were those that God had a propriety in tho' they were their Parents children by generation yet they were his by Adoption and Federal assumption To offer any Creature to an Idol is a great sin but to offer Children is far worse and to offer Gods Children that is worst of all What greater Sacriledge can there be than this to rob God of his Covenant-Seed brought forth unto him and to cast them away upon Idols May not they be said to rob God that endeavour to rend and tear his Children out of the Covenant and refuse by the Administration of the Seal to give them up unto God 11. Demonst Shall be taken from many gross I wish I might not say wicked absurdities that follow the denying Infants interest in the Covenant of grace with their Parents That Doctrine cannot be of God that is cloathed with or attended upon with many absurdities I do find that those that are great zealots in casting Children out of their hold which the great Lord Proprietor hath given them in the Covenant are not apprehensive what absurd things do attend them The Livery of this Doctrine discovers it to be of no good Family its retinue may render it very questionable yea very unsound The truths of Christ admit of no absurdities of no gross Inferences you can infer nothing from any Doctrine of the Gospel but what is pure and precious Men to support their Errors may endeavour to extort and wrest the holy Scriptures to speak their filthy Language and to give countenance to their odious Tenents This is one of the Worst abuses and hellish Rapes that can be offered to the word of God Satan himself hath an exquisite skill herein and he hath taught many of his Disciples a dextrous knack in this black Art Did but the Adversaries of this my Doctrine consider into what absurdities they chase their Game and how the pretended beautiful face of their opinion is scratcht and torn it would make them a little more modest and moderate in their assertions and conclusions I shall touch upon some few of that multitude of absurdities that do inevitably follow shutting Infants out of the Covenant of grace they are included in with their Parents 1. This doth impose a great restraint upon the blessed Covenant contracting the large and copious grace of God that is involv'd in it This clips the wings of the love grace and mercy of God that doth dilate and amplifie themselves in a Covenant way Men may boast and vaunt that they are the great admirers and
that here might be some Women Ay but that must be drawn by consequence Certainly we must not doubt but that in the Churches of Ephesus Philippi Coloss and all the Churches of Asia had Baptism among them yet this must be concluded by consequences or no way as I understand According to the Analogy of Faith Evangelical Duties are not alwayes grounded upon Express Commands either in Old or New Testament but from consequences drawn from either as the Duties of praying Morning and Evening in the Family and also in the Closet alone daily reading of the Scriptures and prefix'd time of Meditation setting apart a Time or Day to seek God by Prayer in a more than ordinary manner Many more things might have been mentioned and improved in this Affair How can any Man that is so prove himself to be a Minister of Christ Or any serious and pious Christian that he hath an Interest in Christ that he hath Saving and Special Grace and is an Heir of Heaven but by consequence How many Arguments do the Anabaptists found upon consequences to prove their Believers Baptism When they make for them then they can cleave to them and make the utmost Improvement but when they make against them then they be of no use or validity but they cry out Give us plain and positive Proofs and an absolute Command for such Infant-sprinkling as reproachfully they phrase it which my Antagonist is wonderfully subject to One great Reason why many well-minded Christians run away with their Notion of rejecting Infants Baptism is their not wisely considering and pondering upon what I have though in much weakness said of the Covenant and of the new Administration of it in the Times of the Gospel An Excellent Specimen we have of it in our Text where the Gospel that never was before in its recent Administration is preached and believed by those that never were before baptized there the Adult do enter into covenant with their Children and both ought to be baptized and afterwards this is confirmed by whole Families that were so Alas it followeth not that because we read that those that were never under the Gospel Administration were never baptized before but many were Heathens and Gentiles and were upon their Faith and Repentance admitted into covenant and received the Seal of it that therefore their Children that enter into the same Covenant must be excluded the same Token or Seal of the Covenant but the quite contrary is true for still the Promise runs to you and your Children 7. This Doctrine doth inform us that Children are capable of sundry Blessings of Baptism and that because they are with their Parents graciously taken into Covenant most certainly the God of Grace would never have conferred this priviledge in vain this Seal is not for blanks God hath great Grace and Mercy to bestow upon them therefore he is pleased to impale them in this inclosure that he may be gracious unto them I need not stand upon this for I have largely discovered to you what singular Blessings of the Covenant they be capable of and what exceeding great and precious Promises are made unto them of which if they are not capable then God hath promised in vain and deluded the faith and hopes of good Parents that are built upon them But who dare be so bold as thus to accuse God I have shewn you how that to Infants God hath made Promises of the Gift of the Holy Ghost of Remission of Sin of Renovation and Regeneration of being taught of God of having the Law of God wrote in their Hearts though they be not capable of Mans teaching yet what cannot the Lord do for them He can as easily by his Spirit frame and fashion the New Creature in them as he could curiously form and fashion them in their Mothers Womb and so it must be otherwise dying Infants can never be saved We have a late confident Writer Mr. H. C. who hath transmitted such things into the World that plainly declare that Infants are not capable of the Blessings of this Ordinance and so by consequence not of the Kingdom of Heaven I will give a few of his bold Sayings very fatal to poor Infants He saith This Ordinance speaking of Baptism cannot concern Infants but Believers because it is a testisication of the Remission of Sins and Salvation to the worthy Receiver and Subject of it What doth he mean by his testification but a Sign and Seal of it then it must inevitably follow that Children are not capable of Habitual Faith nor of the Pardon of Sin for here Believers and Remission of Sin are set in opposition to Infants if what he saith should be true as not capable of either Again he saith That Baptism is a lively representation of Regeneration therefore can only affect Believers meaning adult Believers that he is pleading for to be the only subject of Baptism The Apostle said he alludes to Baptism when he speaks of the washing of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 his meaning is that the Ordinance is a lively body symbol and sign of Regeneration It is very true 't is so but mark how this is brought in and upon what account it is viz. to prove that Believers that is adult ones that profess their Faith Baptism can only affect them it is such a sign body and symbol of Regeneration and the New Birth only So that here Infants are shut out of Regeneration and the New Birth they must not be Baptized because they are not capable of them which is the unavoidable consequence of this desperate Doctrine Again he tells us that in Luke 18. where we read of Infants that were brought to Christ which he took up into his Arms and blessed that the Greek word signifieth a Child capable of teaching Surely if he notwithstanding his flourish of Learning had been able to have examined the Greek word he would not have been so confident as to have spoke thus It is great pride for Men to pretend to have such Learning they never had any Education nor Opportunity to attain unto I have shewed before the proper and true meaning of the Greek word in that place and that from good Authority unto which I refer you and the same that we have in Timothy Let this Man talk of his Learning among those that are not acquainted with his Education and from what his immediate access was to the Pulpit Again he saith If it be their Duty who believe to be Baptized then I infer that those that are not capable of this Grace of Faith are under no Divine Obligation nor their Parents neither to Baptize them it is only a piece of Will-Worship which God never required He speaks of the Grace of Faith in general and denies that any Infants are capable of it no not so much as Habitual Faith if so then I understand no hopes given to their Parents of their Union with Christ Justification Remission and Salvation Again he saith That Infants