Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	circumcision_n	covenant_n	seal_n	7,337	5	9.8059	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65669	Infant-baptism from heaven, and not of men, or, A moderate discourse concerning the baptism of the infant-seed of believers whereunto is prefixed, a large introductory preface, preparing the readers way to a more profitable perusal of the ensuing treatise / by Joseph Whiston.	Whiston, Joseph, d. 1690.	1670 (1670)	Wing W1691; ESTC R38588	165,647	346

Ordinance that can with any shew of probability be supposed to be it I shall therefore only instance in a fourfold use and end whereunto Circumcision as the Sign and Token of the Covenant was appointed and whereunto it did serve and then shew the agreement of Baptism with Circumcision in regard of those uses and ends The first and two last I shall do little more than mention and a little insist upon the second First Circumcision as the Sign and Token of the Covenant was the solemn Rite or Ordinance whereby persons were admitted into and incorporated in the Jewish Church and by the reception of which they became actual Members of that Church and consequently was that solemn Rite or Ordinance whereby persons were incorporated in and united to the mystical Body of Christ as visible The proving of this I suppose is needless 't will surely be denyed by none And therefore Secondly Circumcision was to seal and assure to the Subjects of it their enjoyment of the good things benefits and blessings promised in according to the true tenour of the Covenant to the administration of which it was annexed See this in a particular Instance viz. Remission of sin or the Righteousness which is of Faith Circumcision was a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith that is it did seal and assure to the due Subjects of it the non-imputation of their sin or the imputation of righteousness to them upon condition of their Faith Thus it is said of Abraham He received the sign of Circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had being yet uncircumcised Rom. 4.11 The Apostle here shews us one special use and end of Circumcision respective to all to whom it was duly applyed Object But here it is objected That to have Circumcision a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith was a priviledge peculiar to Abraham the Father of the faithful and was not of that use nor appointed for that end to all to whom it was rightfully applyed therefore it is said He received the sign of Circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith that he might be the Father of all that believe And hence it may seem that he receiving Circumcision under that notion and consideration upon a reason and ground peculiar and proper to himself the priviledge was peculiar and proper to him and not common to any other with him there not being the same reason and ground of their receiving of it under the same notion and consideration To that I answer two things First Those words That he might be the Father of all them that believe depend not only upon the words immediately foregoing but upon the tenth verse taken in conjunction with the former part of v. 11. he did not only receive Circumcision as a Seal that he might be the Father of all them that believe but he both had righteousness imputed to him while in uncircumcision and also received the Sign of Circumcision as a Seal that he might be the Father of them that should believe whether circumcised or uncircumcised So that he did not receive Circumcision as a Seal of the righteousness of faith upon any reason peculiar and special to himself any more than he had righteousness imputed to him upon a reason peculiar and proper to himself And consequently upon the same account that our Opposites appropriate circumcision as a Seal of the righteousness of faith to Abraham himself and deny it to be of the same use to his Seed they may appropriate the imputation of Righteousness through Faith and Circumcision it self to him alone and deny that any of his Seed had Righteousness imputed unto them or ought to have been circumcised Secondly I answer That the Apostle here rather speaks of the finis cui than the finis cujus of Abraham's receiving Circumcision as a Seal My meaning is this Abraham received circumcision as a Seal not barely for the sake of that relation of his being a Father of them that should believe as it was a good benefit or priviledge to himself but he received it under that notion and consideration In eorum gratiam qui credituri sint for their sake to whom he should sustain the relation of a Father And so the meaning is He received the Sign of Circumcision as a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith not barely that he might sustain the relation of a Father to all that should believe as that was a good to himself but that he might as a Father or common person be a pattern to all that should sustain that relation of Children to him in regard of the good which they as his Children should receive Now then having removed this Objection I shall offer two or three Arguments to prove that Circumcision was appointed for this use and end viz. to seal and confirm the whole Covenant to all to whom it was according to the will of God to be applyed The first shall be taken from the end of Abraham's receiving of it as here declared by the Apostle And thus I argue If Abraham received Circumcision as a Seal of the Righteousness which he had through Faith that he might be the Father of and as the Father of a pattern to all that being circumcised should believe then to all that being circumcised did believe their circumcision was and ought to be looked upon and improved by them as a Seal of that Righteousness they had through Faith But the former is true therefore the latter For the Consequence in the Major proposition I suppose that will not be denyed it being past all rational doubt that if Abraham received Circumcision under that very notion and consideration as a Seal that he might be the Father of and as the Father of might be a pattern to all that being circumcised should believe as he did Then look of what use it was to him or to what end he received it it must needs be of the same use and appointed for the same end unto them to whom he was a pattern as receiving it And therefore 't is only the Antecedent that can be questioned which yet is so evident that to understanding and unprejudiced persons the proving of it may seem wholly superfluous That Abraham received Circumcision under this very notion as a Seal of the righteousness which he had through faith that he might be the Father of all them who being circumcised did believe is expresly affirmed by the Apostle all that can be doubted of is whether he was in regard of the use and end of it as received by himself a pattern to all to whom he was a Father But now this is undeniable in as much as his paternity or fatherhood as I may so speak in part if not principally confisted in his being a pattern and example to all tow hom he was a Father This title of a Father is in a peculiar and special manner given to and predicated of Abraham in this very regard that he was set up

as the great pattern according to which God would act towards and deal with all that should after believe or be admitted into a covenant-relation with himself Hence in this very place the Apostle tells us that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness which is all one as to say righteousness was imputed to him through faith when he was in uncircumcision that he might be the Father of the uncircumcised that righteousness might be imputed to them also viz. according to the pattern set in Abraham himself So again Gal 3.7 Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness Mark the design of the Apostle is to prove that righteousness is through faith from the first pattern set in Abraham Now sayes he verse 7. Know ye therefore that they which are of the faith are the children of Abraham and then closes verse 9. So then they which are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham that is as they are blessed with him with the same blessings so they are blessed with him after the same manner viz. through faith Now as Abraham had righteousness imputed to him through faith that he might be the Father of all that believe and as a Father a pattern to them in regard of the imputation of righteousness So he received Circumcision as a Seal of that righteousness that he might be the Father of them that should believe of the circumcision and as a Father a pattern to them in regard of the use and end of Circumcision which both he and they in common received So that it is evident that ircumcision was of that use and appointed for that end viz. to be a Seal of the righteousness of faith not only to Abraham himself but to all his Seed during the continuance of that institution Secondly That Circumcision was of this use and appointed for this end with reference to the temporal benefits promised in the Covenant is evident from hence because it could be of no other use nor appointed for any other end with reference to some of them Hence I argue If Circumcision had some reference to the temporal good things promised in the Covenant it was annexed to and could have no other reference or respect but as a Seal assuring the injoyment of them then that must needs be its use and end with reference to those good things promised but the former is true therefore the latter The Consequence in the Major proposition cannot be denyed for if Circumcision had some reference to the temporal good things promised in the Covenant and it could have no other reference but as a Seal or Sign assuring the injoyment of them then that must needs be its use and end respective unto them this will not be denyed Secondly For the Antecedent that consists of two branches First That Circumcision had some reference to or was of some use and appointed for some end respective to the temporal good promised this is evident from the indefiniteness of the expression The Token of my Covenant 't was the Token of the Covenant absolutely taken not of some part of the Covenant but of the whole Covenant and therefore must needs in its use and end have some reference to the whole good promised in the Covenant But this I suppose will be granted by our Opposers they generally affirming that the special if not the only use and end of Circumcision did refer and relate to the temporal part of the Covenant or to the Covenant as it was a temporal Covenant And therefore secondly That it could have no other reference or could be of no other use with reference to these Promises but only this viz. To seal or assure the injoyment of the good promised Take it of the Land of Canaan for what use and to what end could Circumcision be instituted respective to that Promise but to seal or assure the injoyment of the good promised upon condition of the observation of the Articles of the Covenant Whence the Conclusion is undeniable So that I say Circumcision was the Seal of the whole Covenant we see it First In respect of the spiritual good promised as pardon of sin the righteousness of faith Secondly In respect of the temporal good promised and that Circumcision did seal the temporal part of the Covenant is not only evident from Scripture and Reason but is the general acknowledgment of our Opposers themselves therefore I shall take it for granted and upon that Supposition infer a third Argument to prove that it was of that use and appointed for that end viz. To be a Seal or an assuring Sign of the whole good whether temporall or spirituall convey'd and made over by the Covenant and consequently was a Seal of the Covenant absolutely taken And therefore Thirdly If Circumcision as the Token of the Covenant was a Seal of some Promises contained in it then it was a Seal of all the Promises of it But the former is true therefore the latter That this Covenant now entred with Abraham and his Seed was a spiritual as well as a temporal Covenant or did consist of spiritual as well as temporal Promises hath been already proved Now that Circumcision was the Token of the Covenant is expresly affirmed by God himself This is the Token of my Covenant and that as the Token it was of that use and appointed for that end with reference to the temporal part of the Covenant hath been before proved and is granted by our Opposers and therefore must needs be of that use and appointed for that end respective to all the Promises of the Covenant Vbi lex non disting uit non distinguendum est Let any reason be shewed why it should not be a Seal or an assuring Sign of the spiritual part of the Covenant as well as of the temporal part till which be done the indefiniteness of its reference to the whole Covenant exprest by that indefinite phrase The Token of my Covenant is an undoubted warrant to take it as of the same use and appointed for the same end respective to all the Promises of the Covenant that it was to any from all we see that Circumcision was a Seal or an assuring Sign or Token and that 's the second use and end of Circumcision the former Token of the Covenant Thirdly The use and end of Circumcision was to oblige and ingage the person receiving of it to keep exactly to the Articles of this Covenant hence is that passage Jer. 4.4 Circumcise your selves to the Lord But this I suppose is granted on all hands I shall not at all stand upon it Fourthly and lastly The use and end of Circumcision was to be a visible badge to distinguish the people of God from all other people and to be a visible Sign of their covenant-relation or to be a Sign whereby they did visibly appear to belong to God in Christ in a contradistinction from the rest of the world Secondly That Baptism doth agree with