still remain within Christs kingdom except our opposits can shew us how when and where they were out-law'd Secondly His insisting upon the Command Matth. 28. Go teach and Baptize doth not at al cross this consequence as hath been already proved therefore no consequence of ours is forc'd to oppose the new Testament Thirdly But such without which his practice is not Gospell because it shuts up the tender bowels of our Lord Jesus in a narrower compass then ever the Law did and the fancies and burthens Master Patient would put upon our shouldiers in that which they call the Ordinance would be heavier then ever the Loyns of the Law were As to that Instance he brings of Peter in Page 26. to prove consequencies against commands unlawfull because he would have disswaded Christ from suffering in these words Far be it from thee Lord Answ Instead of handling the word like a Minister he stretcheth the strings of Scripture till they crack what kind of consequence could this be or from what place of Scripture or against what command was this a consequence to say Far be it from thee Lord Surely the most any English Grammarian can make from thence is That it was a dissuasive but no consequence However by this we may Judg how feeble this mans Judgment is when he thinks God hath Chosen him as one of those that shall confound the wise of the world that doth not yet understand what a true or right consequence is Master Patient afterwards tells us that all such consequencies and books and arguments as are brought against commands to prove Infant Baptism which is cleerly implied he may say of them as Christ to Peter Get the behind mee Satan thou art an offence to me Page 6.27 Answ Alas poor man if the Physicks of truth offend his stomack which should cure him 't is a sad signe hee is near past recovery How ever take this extract from his own Instance that so far as any man shall disswade others from truth and cause them to apostatize from the ways of Christ hee Acts the Divels part Ergo This I say not Get thee behind me Satan but this I say that book by him publisht in which he so bitterly reviles the good old wav of God for the ends aforesaid The state would doe well to have all such books though in Folio put into an Index Expurgatorius amongst the whole Rabble of Erroneous and Hereticall peeces that have been printed in these Licentions book-days and so condemn them to the fire as they have done others not fit to be suffered And by this meanes all Protestant Churches through the world will know what Religion wee are of In Page the 27 he pretends to come nearer the consequence and grounds thereof but doth not close till Page â—8 And then hee tells us of the danger of the practice of Infant-Baptism that if it be maintained in all it's dimensions upon the Ground of the Covenant it will shake the very foundation of the Gospell Answ All these are but great swelling words of vanitie fit for nothing but to delude the simple of which we have been slong since foretold by the Apostles of Christ but to the busines of the Covenant at last hee comes where at length we shall find with what grosse ignorance hee gropes about to find a new way but is mistaken CHAP. VII The two Covenants answered PAge 28. In handling this consequence and to cut off the interest of Children and right to the Covenant hee reduceth the method into these four heads as before the Controversie of Baptism was into four Essentialls First To prove there are two Covenants held forth in Scripture a Covenant of Works and a Covenant of Grace Secondly That the Covenant of Circumcision was not of Grace but works Thirdly That none but beleevers ever had or shall have a right to the Covenant of Grace Fourthly To answer such objections and Scriptures as are usually alledged to defend a Covenant of life in the flesh To prove the first of these hee brings severall Scriptures the main of which is Jer 31.32.33 34. but to what purpose it will afterwards appear the words are these Behold the days come that I wil make a new Covenant with the house of Israel the house of Judah Not according to the Covenant I made with their Fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Egypt which my Covenant they brake though I was to them a husband saith the Lord. where saith Master Patient we find an old Covenant and a new Covenant the old broken therefore of works the new was not like the old therefore of Grace c. Answ Before I shall come to answer the Scriptures by him quoted I shall briefely premise what a Covenant of Grace is The Answer will be this It 's a gracious engagement betwixt God and his people upon Gospell terms requiring duties from them in promising mercy to them what that mercy and duties be and how far Conditionall shall largely appear in its due place this definition of the Covenant importing a Condition is often denied by our opposites and sometimes Granted so that to bee as a stable foundation to build upon I thought it most fit for this place And according to this definition I shall doe two things First Give a brief Epitome or Analysis of Abrahams Covenant Secondly The whole ensuing discourse with all his Scriptures that he brings will be from hence answered and so his weapons brought against us and many more added to them shall be made use of to prove Abrahams Covenant in every part thereof to be a Covenant of pure Grace which I am sure as t is the best fortification I can make to secure the truth so the incursions that shall be made from hence upon his confused and new doctrine will give a rout thereto Abrahams Covenant had two parts Gen. 17.2 4 6 7 8 9 10 14. First Gods part this consisted in blessings carried on in a way of promise and that twofold 1. Inward and Spirituall I will be thy God and thy Seeds God to give grace and Glory 2. Outward and Temporall specially in three things 1. In multiplying his seed as the Stars 2. In making them blessings to families and Nations 3. In giving them the Land of Canaan for an everlasting possession Secondly Mans part and this respected duties to be done and that twofold 1. Inward walke before mee and be thou perfect 2. Outward and this also in three things especially 1. In keeping to the seale or token which then was circumcision as now Baptism therefore in every Generation 2. In keeping the Morall Law 3. All those Typical ceremonies relating to Worship By all which we shall hereafter see 1. That here are not two Covenants spoken of 2. That the Covenant of Grace is Conditional First it hath Gods part and that consists of promises and blessings Spiritual and Temporal Secondly mans part consisting of
duties inward and outward and all this but one Covenant This Covenant was confirmed First to Abraham as a publique Father Secondly to his seed i. e. all the heirs of promises to the worlds end both Jews and Gentiles 1. By Promise 2. By Oath 3. By seale So that what was promised to Abraham was promised to al his seed and what was sworn and seald to Abraham was sworn and seald to all his seed According to this definition also we shall see a twofold admission into Covenant 1. Into the outward priviledges of the Covenant 2. Into the inward grace of the Covenant Hence also we shall have light to see first how hypocrits and wicked men did then and do now get within the Covenant Secondly how such as are within the Covenant do break it As first hee that contemned or slighted or neglected the token or seale of the Covenant to his seed hath broken the Covenant which being outward they might keep Secondly The breach of any part of the Morall Law was a breach of the Covenant and this also might have been externally kept by all that were externally within the Covenant Thirdly All those typicall Church rites might have been kept and the neglect or breach of any one in the due order or manner required was a breach of the Covenant for neglect of the first Gods wrath was so kindled against Moses that he would have kild him for breach of the second and third Israel was also punisht with death many instances thereof might be given Hence also we shall be led to an answere how the â—ovenant is call'd 1. Old and so vanisht away 2. New and so remaines 3. An administration This being briefly premised I now come to give in the Answer to the place by him quoted Jer. 31.32 which he brings to prove that there are two Covenants but grossely mistaken yet so far as we may goe without breach of faith to the truth of Christ in acknowledging two Covenants shall not deny him friendship as namely First That there hath been two Covenants made with man the one of workes before the fall in which man stood alone without a mediator under which covenant al mankind by nature lies to this day which is also materially the same with that righteous Law Morall given to Israel from mount Sinah though upon other tearmes Secondly The other of Grace made since the fall and tendred to Adam in the promise of Christ since which the Law in any part of it is not given as a covenant of workes but as the Law of Christ put in the hands of a mediator therefore Thirdly It was never intended by God either in giving circumcision to Abraham or the Law to Israel that ever Abrahams seed should enjoy Canaan by the law as a Covenant of works but only as hath been laid down in the Analysis as mans part of the covenant of grace Quest But if that was not a covenant of works given to Israel when God took them by the hand in order to bring them into Canaan what then can be the meaning of that place where the holy Ghost speaks of an old new Covenant tells us the new Covenant which he will make after those days shall not be according to the old c. The clearing of this with a Questian or two more will take in all those scriptures brought to this and therefore I further answer First The Covenant there mentioned is call'd new as the Law of love Iohn 13.34.1 Iohn 2.8 is call'd a new Commandment or Law which yet is not new in it self but the same Command as was given to Israel of old Lev. 19.18 And as the new heavens and new earth are call'd new Re. 21.1 And as the new Creature is call'd new which is not the annihilating the old and creating new but the putting of the old heavens and old earth into a new frame of Government and the old creature into a new state of grace so the new Covenant is the same that brought Israel out of Egypt and contained remission of sins and eternall life in Christ by faith with all the blessings of this life but so call'd new Secondly Because those typicall ceremonies and ordinances which were mans part of the Covenant of grace then and related to his dutie in Gods worship were by Christs coming abolisht and new ordinances under the Gospell establisht in room thereof for the promising part of the Covenant of grace from the beginning hath ever been cloathed with the preceptive Conditional part to bind up man to his dutie and walking close with God in his Ordinances of worship And therefore when Christ was held forth in the first promise immediatly sacrifices were instituted a distinction made betwixt clean and unclean creatures the Law of tithes and first fruits observed blood forbidden familie-duties required all which a diligent reader of Scriptures may easily observe from Adam to Moses before there was a publishing the Law from Sinay and so to Christ Track it from Christ again to the worlds end you have the first abolisht a second instituted and as then so still to bind man to his dutie in walking with God but not as in a distinct Covenant of works but as the terms of grace to which man is bound by the Covenant and thus those typicall ce emonies were as old clothes and are called beggerly Rudiments or Rags in which the promising part was clothed and drest The Apostle in Heb. 10. calls the exhibition of Christ in flesh in offering up his blood by once dying and such manner of institutions as should be written by him to be the new Covenant verse 15.16 and puts it in opposition to the Legall sacrifices verse 4. 5 therefore verse 19 20. the second is called the new and living way consecrated implying that as there is now a way to heaven consecrated by the blood of Christ and therefore new so there was a way to heaven before Christ came consecrated by the blood of Bulls and Goats called old by this then we see in what respect the Covenant is called new and old namely as relating to a new or old Church-state the first given as typicall by Moses to Israel as Christs kingdom the second as substantiall by Christ to the same kingdom but still in the same Covenant of grace for a Church state is given in order to a soules enjoying communion with God in his ordinances which is impossible to be by a Covenant of works since the fall thus then the bringing of Israel into a new Church-state under the Gospell is called a new Covenant which God will make with the house of Israel in those daies This gives us light to answer also that other place Heb. 8.6 7. by Master Patient quoted to prove two Covenants because Christ is called the Mediator of a better Covenant establisht upon better promises for if the first Testament had been faultless there would have been no place sought for the second but finding
Covenant was no Covenant of works but that part of the Covenant of Grace that related to mans duty therefore Gen. 17.14 t is called Gods Covenant and the neglect of mans duty in that Covenant was a breach thereof Q. But if that place Jer. 31.32 with Heb. â— 6 7. be to be understood of a Covenant of Grace and not of works then how may it be said that Israel brake that Covenant Can a Covenant of Grace be broken The Answer to this upon what is laid down in the Analysis of Abrahams Covenant is plain for there is no Covenant of Grace but hath Conditions which bind man to his duty it was so under the Law faith and repentance was the condition of the Covenant then as t is now and because faith without works is dead being alone Jam. 2.17 therefore God hath given Oâ—dinances and the Laws Moral to his people to keep faith alive and man may break his part of the Covenant so it was with Israel Rom. 4. when the Question was put What advantage then hath the Jew Much eâ—â—â—y way because to them as to all Israel was committed the Oracles and the Covenant c. Here was the Covenant of Grace externally administred to all but yet there was but a remnant saved and the greatest part of Israel were Covenant-breakers and the like we have now and is and must be acknowledged by all our dissenting friends of the dipt Societies an external and internal administration of the Covenant For their confidence is not so high as to say that all they dip are really within the Covenant for we see many of them turn Apostates from every thing that is good and prove carnal wretches as did Simon Magus Judas Hymeneus Philetus Ananias and Saphira who were all within the Covenant visibly If they say they baptize not upon the account of the Covenant at all but upon the profession of Faith I answer either they baptize as visible believers or real if visible then as visibly within the Covenant if as real then really within the Covenant so that still the Covenant lies at bottom and there is as much falling from Grace and breach of the Covenant upon their own principles as is pleaded for The like answer also is to be given to that other clause of Gods being a husband to them for the whole Nation of Israel was ingaged to God as a spouse Jer. 3.14 and so under the Law of marriage and therefore when they were divorced the whole Nation was cast off yet one of a City and two of a family were taken to Zion I such as were spiritually within the Covenant they had still communion with God v 14. so now the whole Church is visibly under a Covenant of Marriage to Christ believers and their seed and are therefore the children of the kingdom but yet we know the greatest part of a Church may be hypocrites and so the children of the kingdom may be cast out so that it is most clear a Covenâ—nt of Gâ—ace in this sense may be broken in the visib e pâ—rt thereof by the vâ—sible memâ—ers of it P. The nâ—xt I find his piece driving at is to prove the Covenant of Grace not to be made upon conditions but absolute to prove it he takes up many pages though to little purpose for what he in one place denyes in another place he affirms as in pag. 35. where he confesseth Faith and Repentance the condition of the Covenant Answ If it be the condition of the covenant then the covenant is not made without conditions For indeed to speak of a covenant absolute without conditions is to speak of that which cannot be for if it hath no conditions it is no covenant but only a tender of grace And here lyes much of Mr. Patients great mistake to take the tender of Grace for the covenant and thus he falls into the Antinomian Doctrine and therefore as faith and repentance is the condition so the covenant is not concluded betwixt God and the soul till those qualifications are wrought therefore the veins of free-grace are full of riches because as God tenders so he gives secretly the qualifications that lay hold upon the tender so he did to our first Parents 2. But besides if the covenant hath no conditions why then doth not Mr. Patient baptize all that come but they must give such a strict account of their faith as before he speaks of or why are any cast out that prove rotten will they make conditions themselves when God hath made none For the very ground of administring all Ordinances is from the covenant as it is conditional and if it be not conditional then is it made with a drunkard as a drunkard and with a whoremaster as a whoremaster with a blasphemer and Sabbath breaker as such and then to no purpose is that of Paul 2 Cor. 6.14 15. What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness light with darkness Christ and Belial together that place Jer. 32.40 had such conditions as God requires For his fear was wrought in their hearts that they should not depart from him the like also Ezek. 16.59 Thus saith the Lord I will even deal with thee as thou hast done which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenantâ— and because he afterward speaks of my covenant thy covenant therfore M P. concludes here were two covenants the one broken which was mans the other kept which was Gods But in this also there was but one covenant which had two parts Gods part and mans which was their manner of covenanting with God to make an oath to walk in his ways and when they had broken this oath they had broken the covenant second their part of the covenant see that place also Neh. 10.29 They entred into a curse to walk in the laws of God that were given by Moses the servant of the Lord The Law given was the terms God bound them to in a way of Grace and Mercy and their oath or curse declared their owning thereof so that when the oath was broken the covenant was broken therefore the deduction that Mr. Patient makes from these Texts that there are two covenants is unsound and rotten and savours of too ignorant a spirit in the covenant of Grace The like also Ezek. 36.25 26 27. I will sprinkle clean water upon you I will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh c. And ver 37. I will yet for all this be enquired of by the house of Israel is not here a condition whereas therefore Mr. Patient tells us if Gods people sin He binds himself to pardon their sins and to remember their sins no more and therefore it is impossible for a soul once in this covenant to miscarry Answ Such an application as this is fitter for a Synagogue of Libertines then a Church of Christ God never pardons the sin of a people but he makes them holy And before he pa dâ—ns their sin
unmoveable again CHAP. XIII The sixth and seventh Fundamentals maintained P. pag. 80 81 83. THis opinion destroys the doctrine and foundation of Gospel-Churches The matter thereof which is Saints by calling spiritual worshippers Ioh. 4.23 lively stones 1 Pet. 2.5 persons redeemed from a vain conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 brought out of darkness into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2.9 Now this opinion brings in a whole Nation to be a Church all born of their body their seeds seed in their generations This is a setting up the partition wall again betwixt the natural branches and those that are wild by nature 2 The manner of gathering is destroyed and the Lords baptism neglected and a counterfeit baptism set up in the room thereof A. Though this head would require a larger answer yet I shall contract as briefly as I can therefore 1 As to the matter of a Gospel Church it is believers and their seed which I thus prove the Church of Christ is his kingdom in the world to which the tenders of Gospel-Grace and mercy belongs it is therefore called the Gospel of the kingdom Mat. 13.19 before toucht upon It was so before the coming of Christ and it is so since If Grace therefore once took in children to be subjects of this kingdom who then casts them out not Grace for that is unchangeable and therby they were taken in T is the Argument of Paul If God justifies who shall condemn Rom. 8.31 34. If God be for them who shall be against them If grace makes them holy by separating them to a holy use who shall make them unclean and cut them off And that the same bowels of Grace and tender affection remains in Christ to little babes is cleer under the Gospel for of such is the kingdom he doth not say of such was the kingdom For that indeed would have been quickly made use of as a plea against us But of such is the kingdom As if he had said My Kingdome is made up of the same materials as the Kingdomes of the World are not onely of men and women but of children also of such is the kingdome would it not be ridiculous to say there may be a kingdom without children and that this is a metaphorical allusion to the kingdoms of the world is cleer not onely from the words or phrase there us'd but also from other Texts The kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of Christ And Abrahams covenant tells us how it should be namely by multiplying of Abrahams seed in all Nations so as that power at last shall naturally divolve into their hands as it is worthily observed by an eminent Minister of these times Mr Carter upon Abrahams covenant 2. Consider the foundation of this kingdom was laid in Abraham and his seed For though God had his worship before in families from the beginning upon the first promise of Christ yet it came not to a kingdom-worship till the promise was inlarged of multiplying the seed as the stars of heaven And so Isaac was taken in as a subject with his Father though but an Infant-subject and that covenant which took in them was the kingdoms covenant and the seal of the covenant was the seal of the kingdom which reaches as well Infant-subjects as their Parents If then the foundation of the kingdom were parents and children then the building upon that foundation must be also parents and children because it is not a new but a continued kingdom Mat. 21.43 This being duly weighed it will also reach to that other relation the Church stands in to Christ of being his house And so takes in the place quoted 1. Pet. 2.5 And ye as living stones are built up a spiritual house c. Look what materials therefore were laid into the foundation of Gods spiritual house of the same is it carryed up till the top-stone be laid with shoutings Grace Grace And that Gods house under the Law was a spiritual huuse and their worshippers spiritual worshippers is câ—eer because Israel were a sepa ated people from all Nations and were also to be separated amongst themselves from all moral and typical uncleanness either in persons or things in order to a spiritual injoyment of God in his worship they being then as we now to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God holy and acceptable Se 2 Cor. 6.16 18. câ—mpared with Lev. 26.22 Isa 52.11 Ezek. 37.27 ch 44.7 And the having children in that spiritual house did not at all diminish from the worship to make it the less spiritual Isa 56.7 the allusion of the spiritual house under the Gospel is drawn from the nature of Gods spiritual house under the Law My house shall be called the house of prayer of all Nations It was not so called from the walls and stones of the Temple though that also in a sense might be so called but from Israels meeting there who was the prayiâ—g people that God had then in the world and the children were also carryed up to be presented before the Lord Exod. 13.2 Levit. 12.2 6. Luke 2.22 23 24 27. Therefore what ranks or degrees of people there were in the house of prayer then the same was also the house of prayer under the Gospel in all Nations to consist of namely of men women and children therefore the Apostle calls the Church the houshold of faith in which are taken in believers seed this doth also answer that place Joh. 4. spiritual worshippers for such they were under the Law and yet their children also were included The word is there used in opposition to this or that place which they lookt upon themselves bound up to though Christ was come as also in opposition to their manner of worship which was then more carnal Heb. 9.10 Truth was also opposed to the Idol worship of the Samaritans but nothing at all can be gathered to take away the right of children or that imports children not to be fit matter for a Church kingdom or house of God especially considering it was the same covenant of Grace then that took them in as it is now and if it be an immutable covenant to believers and their seed as no sound Christian can deny then are believers seed still in the covenant And thus also children may be truely called Saints and sanctifyed persons holy because set apart to a holy use in the service of God 3 Whereas therefore he saith this opinion brings in a whole Nation of believers it is his mistake for till God brings them in the opinion and practice doth not for it is but the incorporating of the families of believers into Congregational Societies and Churches unless there be so many families as fill a Nation and then I think without offence they may be called a Nation of believers and for ought I can see not improperly a National-Church neither are we hound by Israels practice of Circumcising to their succeeding generations who had a command for it though I believe they were
that barest not the covenant of grace is become fruitful in all Nations and therefore Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all and that us or we i. e. members of the Primitive Church be formed â—rom above by faith in a promise From hence it is plain there were no carnal babes in the Church but when Christ the true seed of grace was persecuted by the Jews he seed of the covenant of works the Gospel doth plentifully hold forth the abolishing thereof and casting out those bond-children out of the Church of God Rep. To shew the vanity of all this we must track him by due parallel by which we shall see the mysterious depths of confusion he is un into after which I shall briâ—fly cleer up the Apostles intent from â—hat Scripture 1 If Abraham stands here as a type of God and his two wives as type of the two covenants then as Hagar bâ—ought forth Ishmael to Abraham a type of God So must the covenant of works bring forth by strength of nature children unto God and those children are as â—uely the sons of God as those born by promise as Ishmael was as â—uely son to Abraham as Isaac 2 As Abrahams affection was that Ishmael might be the son of promise so is it Gods desire that the seed of the covenant of works should be the seed of promise 3 As Hagar and Sarah lived together in Abrahams family a type of God till Ishmael scoft Isaac so shall the two covenants and their seeds dwell together in heaven till the covenant of grace be scoft at by Hagars seed P. Secondly When he comes to explain himself then saith M. P. God made a covenant of grace which proved barren and then a covenant of works which proved fruitful as Abraham had first Sarah then Hagar A. Did not God know the covenant of Grace would prove barren 2 Because that covenant proved barren therefore the other covenant was given to God that he might have seed as Hagar was given by Sarah to Abraham that was the type of God 3 To make Abraham a type of God here is to make him a creator tâ—at as God made the two covenants which were to be as his two wives so Abraham made Sarah and Hagar I hope when M. P. comes to review his work and to consider what gross wickedness follows in maâ—ing Abraham the type of God he will blush at his own boldness blindness and ignorance P. Thirdly When Christ the true Isaac was named i. e. came nto the Ministery then the Scribes and Pharises persecuted Christ â—pon which the free-woman or covenant cast out the bond-woman and her sons i e. the covenant of works and her children by nature which was the National Church of the Jews A. All this while he hath carryed on the parallel of the two covenants till he hath cast out all the Jews and their off-spring that pleaded a right to Abrahams covenant in the flesh but M. P. forgets that the Apostle tells us there was some never broken off nor never cast out when as some of the branches were broken off Rom. 11.17 and he forgets that the natural branches i. e. the Jews and their children shall be taken in again ver 24 25 26 27. which must be therefore into the oâ—d flock or root which remains P. Fourthly the free-woman or covenant doth now testifie that the bond-woman i. e. the covenant of works and her children shall never remain in Gods Church now but onely the children of the free-woman shall remain in Gods house A. By children of the free-woman he understands real and true believers so that the inference riseth thus that in the Gospel-house and Church of Christ there shall be none that belongs to the covenant of works that 's abolisht and the seed cast out that now thâ— Churches are all Saints are all heirs all free-born no hypocrites and thus what Paul writ to the Romans Galatians Philippians and tells us that in those Gospel-Churches there were many under that covenant and yet Church-members is by M. P. reproved for falshood for the free-free-covenant of grace had cast out the covenant of works and her seed long before P. Fifthly Now rejoyce then barren that barest not the covenant of Grace is become fruitful in all Nations therefore Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all i. e. of us the primitive Church born by faith in a promise A. The Reader may remember he hath often before told us that the spiritual covenant of grace as it did not run upon intail so was it made indifferently to all Nations and that it was not confined to the Jews For in that spiritual covenant all Nations had a like share and benefit in thy seed all nations are blest Now if that be true then this is false For what cause hath the barren covenant of Grace to â—ejoyce now more then it had of old for she had her seed in all Nations then according to the intent of promise or if this be true what he hath said before is false so that take it which way you will he is judged out of his own mouth 2 To that other part consider how many hypocrites there were in the primitive Church Judas with his followers ofâ—en mentioned were these born from above by faith in a promise thus then his own Conscience may by this time tell him he hath been deceived and deuded in the opening of Sâ—r ptures Abraham was no type of God in this Gal. 4. but held forth as the father of the Church-seed v. 22. And so Hagar brings forth children to Abraham as well as Sarah the â—ree intent of this place appears to be this The Apostle in this chapter brings this Allegory to convince those Galatians which having imbrac'd Christ were fallen back to the Law Ceremonial and to seek for justification by works And therefore he calls them fools and tells them they were bewiâ—ched to fall back from Gospel Oâ—dinances to the Law from the spirit to the flesh from liberty to bondage ch 3.11.5.1 2 3 4. and having used many pressing Arguments in the preceding chapter he at last comes in with this example of Sarah and Hagar to shew that as Hagar when she thought to mistress it was cast out of Abrahams family so So the Law ceremonial when made a covenant of works and the Law moral also in that abusive sense was to be cast out of the Church of God both under the Law and under the Gospel But as Sarah was contented to have Hagar dwell with her a servant so in that sense did the law ceremonial moral attend grace being in truth the Law of Christ But as a covenant of works it could not make one heir of promise Therefore it was but a foolish thing for the Galatians to think by works to merit heaven for there was never any man saved by works ch 3.11 But if your heart and affections be set that
Sacraments although it be but for a day this is lookt upon as a sufficient warrant to make such a person fit for the work and thus the practice thereof shall run in the vein of Discipleship one baptising the other which is expresly against the very nature of the Ordinance and all Scripture examples and presidents Look upon John the Baptist a Prophet a man sent by God the Disciples of Christ all by himself called and Commissioned and so they were to administer baptism in a way of Office to the end of the world and not onely the Apostles but their successors also Pastors Teachers Which are as well given to the Church as the Apostles Prophers Evangelists Eph. 4.11 and do and shall continue so long as the Commission remains till the worlds end had it been given equally alike to all the Church Disciples he would not have singled out persons in Office so Philip an Evangelist called by a voice from Heaven Ananias called by a vision from God Act 9. Obj. But Baptism is an Ordinance that belongs to the Church and it is in their power to give the keys as they shall judge fit Answ The Church can do nothing against the truth but for the truth nothing without the rule If granted that all the males have their votes yet the administration of the keys lies in the Office or Angels power for administration of the Seals Rev. 21.12 Ezek. 44.5 11. Thirdly Consider yet further how shall we know who is enabled to bring down God to the soul and the soul up to God Conversion is an act of Grace and not in the Creatures power and though a Minister may be truly called to the work by God and man yet we know the word may not work for many years but like seed may lie hid in the ground yet must not this man baptize any by this rule though converted by others because the success of his own labour lies hid so as that he is not able to say he hath been instrumental in that kind to the souls of his hearers In pag. 7. He strikes down our Ministry at a blow and indeed opposeth diametrically what before he affirmed That though a Minister do preach so as to convert and bring down God to the soul yet if he be ignorant of this practice of dippping which he calls the true way of dispensing the Ordinance and a fundamental he is no justifiable Minister that in stead of dipping shall sprinkle carnal ignorant Children By which we may see that the foundation of a true Ministry in his sense lies more in the water then in conversion For he denies any true Gospel Ministry but those of his own stamp So that when the Apostle Paul affiâ—ms the truth of his Ministry was evidenced by that Seal the seal of my Apostleship are ye in the Lord 1 Cor. 9.2 This Author would have it run The seal of a justifiable Minister are ye in the water and thus he destroys not onely the present Ministry of Christ in this world but also that of the Apostles themselves For as I shall afterwards prove they were all strangers to this practice of dipping their manner being by pouring water on the subject If Jesus Christ shall then justifie our present Ministry in sealing their labors it is too bold an act for a man of such a feeble practice to condemn them Thus the Reader may see his result on both hands when the Argument is brought against our practice then no man is a lustifiable Minister except he know how to plunge and doth so practice when he comes to shew what a lawful administrator is in his sense then he that can bring down the soul to God so that we may from hence see what a Babel Ministry this man of contradictions would set up in the world If I should here ask the Author of this new Baptism under what Ministry he was converted no doubt but his answer would be very favourable to those whom he here opposeth Remember then your third Doctrine That 't is the disposition of such that have the beginning of saving light to desire more and that from them whom God hath spoken to their souls by Or else you may question whether you have any light at all But because 't is to speak a word for the truth in opposing error let me therefore return him Talion Law 1. He that takes the Covenant of Grace for a Covenant of Works can be no Gospel Minister because ignorant of the Gospel in the fundamentals thereof 2. He that affirms a Believer at one time may be under two Covenants of Works and Grace he is no Minister of the Gospel 3. He that denies the extent of the Covenant of Grace to be as large and compleat under the Gospel as it was under the Law can be no Minister of the Gospel 4. He that is not lawfully Ordained to the work of the Ministry he can be no lawfull Minister because like the false Prophets he runs before sent 5. He that shall by his Doctrine and Practice put greater burthen and yoaks upon the necks of Christians then ever the false Teachers did by Circumcision Acts the 15. he is no warrantable Minister But such a one is this Author of the Doctrine of Baptisms ergo The Minor I shall make appear through this whole discourse given in as an Answer to his Book Lastly as to that contempt and reproach which he casts upon the seed of Believers who are Abrahams children calliâ—g them carnal ignorant as though they were uncapable of any good Let him that rails know that he that casts off Abrahams seed when infants as not fit matter for worship doth keep them out as an unclean thing And so though God hath separated them to a holy use they are made unholy and kept off as execrable and so accursed Which the Lord no doubt foresaw when he gave Abraham that promise Gen. 12. I will curse him that curseth thee I say this this word of the Lord will at last reach such and pull them down if their â—est were built as high as the stars of heaven Therefore hear and fear and do no more so wickedly all ye that hope for the blessing of Abrahams Covenant CHAP. III. His second Essential relating to the manner of Baptisme by Dipping answered THe second Essential he so calls in this Doctrine of Baptismes is the manner thereof by Dipping not sprinkling To prove which though he say the word is rendred to Dip Dous Drown or Plunge in this he speaketh with a hood-wink'd understanding and must shake hands with the Roman Tribe that acts from an implicite faith believing as learned men tels him though yet he can hardly afford them a good word or charitable censure As for the place he brings 2 Kings 5.14 where the Prophet bids Naaman go wash in Jordan seven times and he dipt himself Answer Though washing is sometimes by dipping yet not alwaies yea but seldom A man may properly be
truth by us maintained Now then to sum up all the premisses considered and that upon the advantage the Spirit of God puts into our hands in explaining what is meant by the word house himself who is a better Expositor then Mr. Patient or any else We see the whole Catalogue or Cloud of Family-Witnesses and Examples in Scripture do give in their Light and Testimony to Abrahams Infant-seed And that when the Scripture speaks of Housholds baptized it is meant Parents and Children and when a Master of a Family was converted and became the son of Abraham as Zacheus though a Gentile his Seed or House also were taken visibly into Covenant Luke 10 3 6. So that by this time we see the vanity and self-confidence of this Author to speak such bitter words of Gall and Wormwood as he doth in page 23. against a world of people who as he saith from Custom and Tradition run headlong after this Idol of mans invention By which it is evident That whosoever embraceth not this new doctrine of dipping which hath already been proved not Apostolical he is no otherwise look'd upon or esteemed then yea called an Idolater And thus not onely the Truths of God and Priviledges given to all Gods people suffer but also the Powers and Authorities of these Nations come to be undervalued slighted and contemned for practising or countenancing such Idolatries Thus the dark-side of the Cloud by this appears onely to such spirits when the Israel of God i e Abrahams Seed have light within their dwellings Ye therefore who have upright hearts to God and his ways that have been hitherto led in these untrodden paths and so have lost the way enquire after the footsteps of the flock and have more pity to your own bowels Cut not off their entail to Grace by losing your visible right and title to the Covenant in which the invisible part thereof is conveyed What though they are born in sin and iniquity yet the Promise reaches them whilst yong as it reached Isaac when a Childe If you are not wanting in your duties your children have a Gospel-right the Seed of the Jews had it yea they shall have it again to the same Covenant Take heed least your Children cry our against you at the last day and say their cruel Parents took away their Bread and gave away their birth-right for nought Let me therefore say with the Prophet It hath and shall be for a lamentation to see Christians kick against their own mercies And let me leave this with you Mr. Patient Ro. 2.22 thou that abhorrest an Idoll doe not commit sacriledg by stealing away a Church ordinance from those to whom God hath given it Thus far his four Essentialls are weighed over which we may write that superscription Daniel 8.15 Mene Mene tekel vpharsin thou art weighed in the ballance and found too light CHAP. VI. Page 23. 24. Is a preludium to the subsequent chapter touching the Covenant WEE are now come to view that passion of Weakness that lies in those two Pages and first of his distinction given of Idolatrie which though I grant to be good yet he still mistakes in application for hee comes again to tell us that in the room of this precious Ordinance of God the dipping of beleevers which Christ hath confirmed by his blood is set up an Idoll of mans invention namely the sprinkling of Carnall poor infants and doubtless if there be an Idoll in the world now set up amongst men this must needs be one in his sence because he hath learnt this to be an Idoll either the worshipping a false God or the true God in a false manner c. Answ Let any reader Judg whether this man of the waterie element doth not speak with as high a piece of confidence as if he had a spirit of infallibilitie to judg our practice by hee tells us that dipping of beleevers was an ordinance confirmed by the blood of Christ therefore sprinkling of Children must needs be an Idoll his Allegatitions have been examined in all the parts thereof and we still find notwithstanding any thing he hath said to the contrarie that Childrens Baptism remains an Ordinance That dipping is not the way of the Gospel and therefore I must tell him that dipping was never confirm'd by Christs blood Ergo He speaks untruths in the name of the Lord neither is it an Idoll of the first or second magnitude no Image of Baptism set up in the room thereof by mans invention which are terms by him used to bespatter the truth But the contrary is proved The Administrators Right a person qualified and ordeined the manner by sprinkling or pouring out water Right the form of words Right and the subject Right And therefore an Ordinance that shal stand mauger al the malice of men as a pretious Ordinance of Iesus Christ so long as the Sun Moon endures And therefore instead of your appealing to men since there hath been enough said If you and I had never written let us appeal to God and let all those that own their childrens right in the Covenant say Amen In Page 25 he concludes again that Infant Baptism is corrupt in the four Essentialls aforementioned Answ First then by his own words t is not anihillated but onely Corrupted and that a person though corruptly Baptiz'd ought not to be Baptiz'd that being already prooved But Secondly He reckons without his host and therefore must come to a new accompt They are not Essentialls nor any of them as laid down by him but whimsies of his own brain therefore The next thing we are to follow him in is the business of the Covenants with its distinctions and extent from which he undertakes to prove that Infants are not subjects of Baptism Though we have hitherto built upon a good Foundation yet if hee shakes down his main pillar it will be time to forsake the house But before wee can come to his Arguments we must passe by many falsitis and prolocutions and goe through many impertinencies which must be born withall amongst the Patrons of Error The first thing he deals with is A pretended false consequence which he saith wee draw from scripture to maintain Infant-Baptism It runs thus The Covenant of Grace is made with beleevers and their seed Therefore the seale of the Covenant belongs to them To disprove which he tells us 't is against the Law of the new Testament Answ The new Testament is Christs last will to his Church in which hee shews forth more love then he did in his first Testament which was made to the same Church and the Covenant of Grace in the spirituall part thereof is the same in both If therefore in the old Testament which was his first Legacie hee took Children into his kingdom and yet now his bowels should be shut against them who are not then called into libertie but a greater bondage then before But grace in the Covenant being unchangeable therefore Children
Covenant PAg. 42. The next general head by him laid down to prove is That Circumcision is no covenant of grace but of works called a covenant in the flesh Gen. 17.13 but before he comes to his Arguments he opens the meaning of the word everlasting which is to be understood of the ever of the Law especially when it comprehends with it their seed in their generations and this he lays down as a maxim to prove which he brings Lev. 16. Num. 25.13 Exod. 40.15 ch 30.20 21. all which places speak of the Levitical Priesthood either of the line in which it should run or the way by which they were instated into their office by anointing or the manner by which they approacht constantly into the Tabernacle or of the manner of their atonement for the people all which should remain as an everlasting statute in their generations A. That by everlasting we are to understand the ever of the Law onely is no sound maxim for though it be so to be understood in the places quoted because it related to the Priesthood and Tabernacle worship yet if that covenant in Gen. 17. Which Circumcision sealed then upon which God promised the Land of Canaan as a type of heaven remains still as an everlasting covenant then his maxim is broken see therefore that parallel Text Psal 105.6 to Gen. 17. O ye seed of â—braham his servant he is the Lord our God he hath remembred his covenant for ever the word which he commanded to a thousand generations which covenant he made with Abraham and his oath with Isaac and confirmed the same to Jacob for a Law and to Israel for an everlasting covenant saying To thee will I give the Land of Canaan c. From which it appear that the word everlasting is to be understood to a thousand generations i. e. to the worlds end because the giving Israel Canaan was a type of heaven and from Abrahams days to Christ was but forty two Generations Therefore this difference is to be observed that when he speaks of statutes everlasting to be observed in their generations 'T is meant of those Statute Laws that God gave to Israel for worship and so as Mr Patient observes it is to be understood for the ever of the Law But when the Holy Ghost speaks of a covenant everlasting as in Gen. 1â— 15 'T is such a covenant that is to continue so long as the heavens and earth shall continue so Paul calls it Heb. 13.20 The blood of the everlasting covenant And this in Gal. 3.17 was that covenant that Christ confirmed to Abraham and his seed 430 yeers before the Law and called everlasting in that place of Genesis befo e quoted which everlasting covenant â—oâ—k in an everlasting seed and is called a Gospel-preaching to Abraham Gal. 3.8 and by John Rev. 14.6 is also explained to be an eveâ—lasting Gospel from hence also it is that Paul in Heb. 6. when â—e speaks of Gods blessing Abraham and multiplying his seed which he c lls â—he hâ—rs of promise calls it his immutable Counsel as relating to both the covenant and the seed of the covenant Now if there be an everlastingness in the covenant which takes in such a seed as it did to Abraham then must it continue longer then the Law or else there must be a mutability So again if the persons row covenant ng were changed i. e. If God were not the same to believers and their seed now as â—e was tâ—en or if believers should now covenant onely for themselves and leave out their seed then there is a mutation of the covenant therefore David in Psal 102.26 27 28. before quoted speaking of the infant seed of the Church tells us that though the heavens and earth should wax old and perish as a garment which words are quâ—ted by Paul Heb. â— 1 to a Gospel-â—h rch yet that Church sâ—ed should continue so also Psal 103.17 18. from everlasting to everlasting and that by vertue of t at everlasting covenant therefore what feeble maxin s this new Doctor teacheth and how ill he compares Texts we may here see Pag 4â— The next thing he opens is these words I will be thy God and thy seeds God and that two ways the oâ—e b a covenant of Grace the other by a covâ—nant of Works the first absolute the second conditional and so God gave himself to be Abrahams God by a conditional câ—vâ—nant of Works A. That this is strange Divinity that God should be a peoples God by a Covenant of Works since the fall I doubt not but it will appear to sound Ch istians from what hath been already said I shall therefore pass it to come to his confused Arguments some of which I have contracted into form to take the better prospect thereof P. Hâ—s first Argument runs thus That covenant that runs upon conditions is a covenant of Works but so doth Circumcision therefore A. To which I answer The first proposition is denyed and dâ—sproved and it is by him confest that faith and repentance is a condition of the covenant So that by this he affirms pro and con and may as well say plainly that the covenant of grace is a covenant of works because it hath conditions therefore his foundation is too weak and rotten for such a building P. In pag. 45. he would prove the land of Canaan to be given to Abraham and his seed by a covenant of works and so would be their God and then his Argument runs thus If God gâ—ve the Land of Canaan to Abraham and his seed upon the condition of Circumcision and keeping the Law then he gave the land of Canaan by a covenant of works but God gave the land to Abraham upon condition he would circumcise his seed Therefore A. This hath been already cleared that circumcision and keepâ—ng of the law was mans part of the covenant of Grace in which the Church was to walk with God being bound up to visible duties then as it is now and that Canaan was not g ven Israel by works my answer to the preceding head makes clear to which I refer the Readâ—r yea it is directly against these Scriptures before quoted Deut. 9.4 5 6 7 8 ch 10 11 12 13 16. Exod. 3.24 Heb 3.18 ch 4.1 2. ch 11. 8 9 10. yea so to affirm is to put an affront upon God himself and to make him ashamed of that title of being Abrahams God Heb. 11.16 See also the twelve Scripture-considerations before mentioned P. In pag 45 46. he brings several Scriptures to prove that Circumcision bound to the keeping of the Law But not one of all those places by him quoted speaks that they were bound to keep it as a covenant of works but as the Law of Christ and so Israels Gospel in which Justification was conveyed and therefore when we read of the Primitive revoltings from Gospel-Ordinances to Circumcision and the works of the law as the Church at Rome and Galatia
did it was upon the like mistake of this Author who thought the law had been given them as a Covenant of works which was not so intended and by this means they came to rest in the law and are condemned for it by the Apostle Rom. 2.13 17. Gal. 5.1 2. 2. Consider that Baptism now binds as much to keep the law Moral and Gospel-Ordinances as Circumcision then did bind Israel to keep the same moral law with the legal Ordinances and he mâ—ght with as much evidence of truth argue That because Baptism binds to keep the law therefore the Churches of Christ now are under a covenant of works P. page 47 he winds up thus Abraham as if God should say I will be thy God and thy seeds God to protect defend deliver and bless thee with the blessings of Canaan in the fruit of the womb in thy basket and store and with all outward blessings upon condition that thou wilt be circumcised and keep the law as a covenant of works A. A poor Argument was it not to prevail with Abraham when he might have replyed Lord there are many that do possess a far greater portion in the world yea thou hast said that my son Ishmael shall have twelve Princes rise from him and that he shall be a great man in the earth yet none of them are bound up to such strict obligations And when thou gavest a covenant of works to Adam he should have had heaven and eternal happiness and glory And shall I be content with an earthly portion upon such hard terms And upon this account it is the Author to the Hebrews doth so argue That God would have been ashamed to be called Abrahams God which yet Mr Patient is not ashamed to tell the world in print that he was Abrahams God by a covenant of Works Horrid stuffe The like answer is to be given to that place Jer. 11.2 3 4 5. cursed be the man that obeys not the words of this covenant which I commnnded your Fathers When I brought them from Egypt saying Obey my voice so shall ye be my people and I will be your God that I may confirm the oath which I sware to your Fathers to give them a land flowing with milk and honey the Land was given by grace and the covenant he speaks of was a covenant of grace not of works but as faith leads to works so the covenant leads man to hâ—s duty in keeping the commands of God it was so then and so it is now and in this sense that place is true Psal 6. he rewardeth every man according to his works not for his works And we are at this day Gods people and be our God upon the same terms of works as then See 2 Cor. 6.17 18 come out from amongst them and be ye separate and touch not the unclean thing and then I will be your Father and ye shall be my sons and daughters so that God becomes ours upon conditions still and yet by no covenant of works P. Page 48. The last thing with which he concludes this first Argument if such it be is this Abraham had a covenant of Grace made with him twenty four yeers before that covenant of works and his happiness with all his spiritual seed was in that absolute covenant A. Had M. Patients memory been good he would not so have contradicted himself For first this covenant of works he hath made to begin from Adam and so descended to Abraham For he hath long before proved that the Law which was given from Sinai was in force before the days of Noah how then is that like to hold with this that the covenant of works was not given to Abraham t is twenty four yeers after that of Grace 2 If he make Circumcision the covenant of works that he means then it implyes that Abraham had two covenants of works one by descent and the other made afterwards 3 Where he tells us the happiness of his spiritual seed lies in the absolute covenant I answer what spiritual seed had Abraham if it was not Isaac And yet Isaac was the line in which the covenant of Circumcision was to run and not Ishmael Gen 17.21 So that look what happiness the promise gave him of Gods being his God was conveyed in that covenant and either Mr Patient must say it was no happiness to him to have God to be his God or else if it was a happiness then he must acknowledge it in that covenant Thus we see how sadly he is be error'd certainly had this Doctrine been brought in the Apostles days he would have lookt upon it as another Gospel â—nd it is a sad curse that he gives to the preachers thereof P. A second Argument though very improperly so called to prove circumcision a covenant of works is because it was a national covenant in the flesh A. The prudent Reader may easily observe what a poor shift this is to maintain Circumcision a covenant of works as if a covenant of Grace could not be national and though what hath been said to prove Circumcision a covenant of pure Grace be sufficient yet I shall briefly add If the promise made with Abraham was a Gospel promise in wh ch were contained national blessings in thy seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed If the Jews shall be re ingraffed as they were cut off If by the stone cut out of the mountains that shall fill the world be to be understood the Church and kingdom of Christ If the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas If there shall be a new heaven and a new earth wherein shall dwell righteousness If the kingdom of God was taken from the Jews and given to another Nation If the Church now coming out of the wilderness holds parallel with the Church in the wilderness under the Law If the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of the Lord Christ if that Commission Mat. 28. in order hereunto be to teach all Nations c. If that Nation and kingdom that will not serve Christ shall be cut off Isa 60.12 Then are the blessings of a covenant of Grace national blessings and what God intended in Abrahams covenant was national I need say no more P. In pag. 49 50 51 52. he runs into a large field of discourse and over-runs the old Scriptures again as it is usual with him to prove that though the Jews had the covenant of Circumcision given them by entail yet as to matter of Justification they were as far off as Pagans and heathens and what Justification Abraham had was while he was uncircumcised and yet withal granting That the Jews had the advantage of other Nations by having those Eminent tenders of the Gospel held out amongst them And notwithstanding that covenant in the flesh yet they were all sinners and therefore there is but one way of Justification which is by faith in his blood therefore Circumcision
seed and what God therefore sealed to Abraham he sealed also to his seed All which was to shew the immutability of his Counsel to the heirs of Promise not only to such as were heirs under the Law but to the worlds end as the Apostle tells us before in the place quoted II. His next reason or Argument why it sealed onely to Abraham is because it is said he received it that he might be the Father of all that believe Which could not be said of Isaac because he was but a child A. Though Abraham was made the Father of the faithful by having that seal given him yet he could not have been such a father without such a son because they are relatives not onely in the natural relation but in the promise for though Ishmael was born thirteen yeers before Isaac was promised yet had God given him circumcision then Abraham had not been the Father of the faithful because Ishmael was not a faithful child So that that which was required to make Abraham a father of a faithful son was required in Isaac to make him such a son of a faithful Father Therefore that seal that was given to Abraham as a father was given to Isaac as a son III. His third Argument to prove it a seal onely to Abraham is Here is the spirit of God affirming the sealing use of Circumcision to Abraham onely upon a reason special to him therefore where the Scripture hath not a mouth to speak we must not have an ear to hear A. The spirit of God speaks no such thing but the spirit of M. P. for where is it said it was a seal to him onely no such Text is to be sound in all the Scriptures for as is before said what it sealed to him as a father it sealed to Isaac as a son of that Father for the covenant related to posterity I may therefore say of him as the Prophet said of the false Prophets who said the Lord saith it as here M P. doth when indeed the Lord hath not spoken therefore the Scripture hath a mouth to speak if he had an understanding heart to know when and what it speaks let such therefore who have ears to hear hear what the spirit speaks to the Churches IV. P. A fourth ground or reason he gives that Circumcision sealed onely to Abraham is drawn from Rom. 4.13 The promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to him and his seed through the Law i. e. saith M. P. through the covenant of Circumcision But through the righteousness of Faith For if they that be of the Law be heirs then Faith is made void A. 1. He here again supposes that which is denyed and the contrary proved i. e. That Circumcision was not a covenant of works 2. When it is said the promise of his being the heir of the world was not made to Abraham through the Law The Apostle means that it was not to be confined and shut up to the generations of the Law onely and so it was not to his seed through the Law onely but through the righteousness of Faith that is his Patrimony came upon such high tearms as would reach to a thousand generations Psal â—05 even to the Gentiles under the Gospel to the worlds end and that this is his meaning is clear by the following words For if they which are of the Law be heirs i. e. They and they onely but heirs they were Faith is made void That is the faith which Abraham had by which he did believe the multiplying of his seed in all Nations upon the grounds of the Promise that faith is quite frustrated because it went no further then the generations of the Law And therefore it is of faith that it might be by Grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed and then he fully explains what he said before Not sure to that seed onely which were of the Law where the word onely doth suppose it was sure to the legal seed therefore it cannot be meant of a covenant of works for so the promise was never sure to any from the Creation to this day or ever shall be 3. If the place were to be understood in his sense namely of a covenant of works Then it confutes in direct terms wâ—at he hath so much pleaded for in his book As that Canaan should be given by a covenant of works For the promise that he should be the heir of the world in which that land was included was not to him and his seed through the Law i e. saith Mr P not by the covenant of Circumcision but through the righteousness of faith And if the Apostle saith not by that covenant then why doth Mr P. so often affirm elsewhere it was Thus we see there is nothing in all he hath said that proves Ciâ—cumcision either a covenant of works or seal to Abraham onely but enough to prove it a seal to all the heirs of promise even whilst they are infants All ye therefore that belong to the covenant of Grace fear not to give your infant-seed that Ordinance which now is the seal of the covenant P. The last Scripture he here brings to prove Circumcision a covenant of works is Gal. 4. latter end where the Apostle compa es the two covenants to Sarah and Hagar the covenant of Circumcision is held forth to be the bondwoman ch 5.1.2 3. ch 6.13 whâ—ch place doth prove the covenant made in the fleshly line of Abraham is a covenant of Works And that which the Gospel is set in opposition to For the covenant of Grace is I will put my Law in their hearts but the covenant of Circumcision is not in the heart but in the flesh A. The diligent Reader may easily observe the palpable contradictions that are here to be found Hagar types out the covenant of works Sarah types out the covenant of grace and the flâ—shly covenant of Circumcision as he calls it which is typed out by Hagar is made in the fleshly line of Abraham which must be Ishmael And then he contradicts what he hath been all this while maintaining i e. that the fleshly line is Isaac and Jacob in which the covenant of Circumcision was to run and so also he opposeth the Apostle Gal. 4 23 But he that was born of the bondwoman was born after the flesh but he of the free-woman was by Promise so that what Paul calls the children by promise he calls the children of the flesh Thus men leaving truth making wise God leaves them to publish their own folly That place Gal. 1.2 3. is already answered they were such that were falling back from Grace to be justified by works through their gross mistake thinking as Mr P. doth that the Law had been given for a covenant of works Lastly Though God hath promised to write the new covenant in the heart yet the seals of that covenant are written in the flesh so it was then
be sanctifyed in the husband and the husband in the wife a strange word to be used amongst heathens that every marryed couple were sanctifyed one to another so likewise to put the word Holy in opposition to uncleanness of birth is too high a tearm and such a way of speaking as is not to be found in Scripture Adding this likewise that the holy Ghost would have spoken so as not to be guilty of tautology for then the words must have run thus Else were your children bastards and there it would have broken off because the next words had been superfluous but now they are holy so that by this we see what an unseemly unbecoming interpretation he gives and what indignities he puts upon the spirit of God whereas if we look upon the words in that other sense wherein is implyed a federal holiness by Abrahams covenant which ever hath taken in Parent and childe it is a strong Argument inducing to imbrace the Gospel and carries with it a full sail of comfort to godly parents Else were your children unclean but now they are holy Thus also this place stands immoveable notwithstanding any thing he hath said or can say to the contrary If therefore children are holy by vertue of Abrahams covenant then you that are believers get into the fold of Christ that your children may receive the seal of the covenant baptism which is the mark of the flock CHAP. XVI Rom. 11. vindicated from false glossings Pag. 110. THe next place he opens is Rom. 11.16 17. but with what evidence of truth will be seen when it hath undergone the Test If the first fruits be holy the lump is also holy if the root be holy so are the branches P. He grants that by root is meant Abraham but yet in a double capacity Abraham as considered in the covenant of works And so working Abraham is the root of all the natural branches and so legally holy as Abraham was who was the first-fruits and the natural lump was all Israel so holy till that covenant of works was abolisht by the death of Christ and then this covenant being put an end to it must needs be that such branches who were onely natural must be broken off 2 Abraham is to be understood a root considered as believing Abraham in a spiritual covenant and so in this sense holy and thus onely the spiritual branches are said to be holy and by lump also must be understood all the spiritual seed in this spiritual covenant these distinctions duly noted will inlighten the soul to understand the place Rep. These are wild notional distinctions and not to be found in Scripture it hath been already proved that Abraham as a believer had never two covenants made with him nor is there the least word of two covenants in the chapter any farther then that gross mistake of the Romans who were looking after a justification by works as thinking the Law had been given by God to make men righteous legally these distinctions therefore of believing Abraham and working Abraham a spi itual root a carnal root Abraham in a covenant of works Abraham in a covenant of Grace a carnal and spiritual lump instead of inlightening the soul to understand the place rise like a dark smoak out of the pit of error that the truth is not to be seen in them therefore I may say of him as it was said of Reuben Thou art the first-born unstable as water thou shalt not excel the vanity of such stuff will appear by this that follows 1 If Abraham in a covenant of works be the root from whence the natural branches are broken off then the Gentiles that are ingraffed are put into a covenant of works because the Apostle cleers it that such who are ingraffed are put into the same stock from which the other were taken ver 17. and calls it a graffing in amongst them So ver 19. they were broken off that we mâ—ght be ingraffed 2 Then also when God shall re-ingraff the Jews they must be put into Abraham considered in a covenant of works and so the covenant of works must continue till this day because there cannot be an ingr ffiâ—g where there is no stock ver 24. 3 If the covenant of works be made the root or Abraham in that covenant then the casting off the Jews from that covenant could never be called the reconciling of the world because the world could not be reconciled by a covenant of works and that the world was reconciled by that covenant is cleer ver 11. 4 If the covenant of works now be câ—ast since Christs coming as he implyes the Gentiles could not be ingraffed into the spiritual part of the covenant till that was taken away which indeed he having confest in page 114. doth hereby contradict himself in what he hath before affirmed pag. 91. with many other places that Job and Jobs friends were all in the sâ—iritual covenant which was made as well to all nations as the Jews and they had as much benefit thereby as had the Jews 5 If the ingraffing of the Gentiles be to be understood onely of the spiritual lump as he saith then also is that spiritual lump ingâ—affed into a covenant of works from whence the naturâ—l branâ—hes were cut off For none of that spiritual lump of Israel were ever câ—â—â—ff as himself confess th thus we may briefly see what exâ—crable stuff he introduceth by such wild notional d stinctions P. In pag. 15 he explâ—ins Isai â—5 23 They are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off spring with them which saitâ— M. 〈◊〉 meâ—nt one y of the righteous off-spring i. e. such as are in the â—piritual covenant A. It is strange that a man should be so wilfully ignorant to gâ—ve a sense of Scripture so directly contrary to the Scope and Anaâ—ysis thereof For by off-spring is to be understood Inâ—ants as wi l aâ—pear by viewing the scope of the place which speaks of the conversion of Israel into that Gospel-state that shall be called the new Heavens and new Earth when they shall be brought to re-inhabit their own land under the Messias and enjoy the fruit of their labours And gives this as the reason why they should rejoyce with God and God with them Because they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them As if he had said though you and your off-spring have been discovenanted and cast off from being a people scattered upon the face of the earth yet as you and your off-spring were the seed of the blessed of the L. i. e. of Abr. to whom all blessings were given so you and your off-spring shal be as much ingraffed in all the blessings of Abraham as you were before For they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them which place doth fully parallel Rom. 11. when God shall ingraff the Jews again as natural branches into their own Olive-Tree P.
well as an Isaac Isaac had Esau as well as Jacob and so through the Scripture God brings forth a generation of wicked from the godly and a generation of godly from the wicked indefinitely A. That we have good grounds to judge their parents godly hath before been made appear but if this were all the difference methinks a sober is more becoming then a censorious judgement By kingdom of God we are to understand the visible Church most properly of such is the kingdom For otherwise it had not been a suitable reproof for their offence in that it lyed in their not suffering children to be brought to him to receive an outward favor and blessing They could not have hindered them from the kingdom of glory but from the visible Church they might therefore Christ takes them up roughly Suffer them to come unto me and forbid them not In which there is a double command implying much heat of spirit against such an action and much love and tender affection to the babes as if he had said do you that are my disciples reject them because they are children I would have you know for time to come they are as capable of blessings as your selves For of such is the kingdom of God my church kingdom is made up of such as well as of men and women Methinks Christ here looks with a chiding countenance upon the Anabaptists of our times who are guilty of the same offence II. P. But how wide is that which remains from the business where he saith the greatest number of believers seed never belonged to Gods kingdom when as we know the very instances by him cited do sufficiently prove that the seed of believers though they have proved vile and wicked yet they did belong to the visible Church and kingdom till by casting out they were discovenanted Did not Cain belong to the Church as well as Abel see Gen. 4.3 4 5. Heb. 11.4 So in Noahs Family were not Ham and Japhet as well baptized in the Ark and so members as well as Shem was not Ishmael as well a Church-member in Abrahams family as Isaac so Esau the like as well as Jacob These are his own examples by which we see from the very first preaching of the Gospel the seed of believers have ever had a visible right of Church-membership till cast out and of such was the kingdom and saith Christ of such is the kingdom so that if the kingdom was of such and is of such then for shame acknowledge them to be subjects P. If children be admitted into the kingdom of God by vertue of a covenant of life made by faith and generation then this crosseth the doctrine of the New-birth Joh. 3.5 A. The contrary hath been already proved for if that were true how came that doctrine of the New-birth to be taught in Israel by the place cited and yet their seed were then admitted Church-members as now I refer the Reader to my former Answer to the third fundamental As for the making a covenant of life by birth we abhor it as hath been often said it is onely a visible right we plead for and that which they ever had P. p. 135. The place before cited is explained by Mat. 18.3 4 5 6. He that offends one of these little ones that believe in mâ— where it is spoken of children in grace and whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein that is such like in grace as these in nature A. That the words are spoken of Infants is cleer for Christ took a little child and set in the midst of the disciples and tells them that such did believe 2 The resemblance cannot hold for children are pettish cross and froward by nature therefore that example had been very unsuitable but Christ shews the right such little ones had to the kingdom because they had faith And whosoever receives not the kingdâ—m of God as a little child that is as a little child receives it cleerly implying that such children are capable of receiving admission into the kingdom Therefore it doth not at all relate to a parity P. And whereas he afterwards tells us to expound it of believers adult is most agreeable to the Analogy of saith and that the whole Word of the Lord disclaims the contrary as destructive to Gods truth A. The Analogy of faith hath ever taken in children into the Church and kingdom therefore his high language is but like a flash of lightning and fitter to take with children and boys then with men of Reason and Conscience What he hath said hitherto hath been examined and not a word in Gods book makes against it But the whole tenor of Scripture with much pleasant harmony doth agree to give believers seed a name in Gods house And whereas he saith such a practice destroys the truth of God it hath been also sifted and it pleads to his Charge Not guilty CHAP. XIX The Word Administration carpt at by M. P. justifyed and Gal. 4. answered and cleered Obj. p. 137. BVt this which you call a covenant of Works consisting of temporal Promises Laws and Statutes is to be understood of a form of administration of the covenant of Grace and not a distinct covenant of Works P. I know this Objection some bring but if it be well weighed it is inconsistent with their own Arguments for if that be true then was there no covenant made with Abrahams seed but onely the administration of a covenant therefore ill do they affirm that the covenant was made with them therefore the Administration This Objection is false and groundless as appears by several express Texts of Scripture which do evidently prove it two distinct covenants A. He here quarrels with the word administration because he understands it not for though it be so cald by reason the spiritual part runs therein yet it loseth not the name of a covenant because it is mans part of the covenant and called Gods covenant and yet it is Gods administration to man For his grand mistake is in that he thinks the covenant of grace hath no conditions but absolute the contrary to which is before proved The Rainbow in the clouds is called Gods covenant Gen. 9. As here circumcision is called his covenant but surely M P. will not deny but it is an administration wherein Gods favor to the world is manifested how else can it be called a token of the covenant and a sign thereof as a so is circumcision called a sign and seal and token of the covenant And when God saith this is my covenant he means not a distinct covenant from the other but that part of the other which related to mans duty And so it was Gods Administration Office to the world I need not stand much upon this because it is so fully spoken to before in proving circumcision no covenant of works For the leprosie that overspreads all his book ariseth from that I
CALEB'S INHERITANCE IN CANAAN By GRACE not WORKS AN ANSWER To a Book Entituled The Doctrine of Baptism and distinction of the Covenants lately published by Tho. Patient Wherein a review is taken I. Of his four Essentials and they fully answered Ergo II. Dipping proved no Gospel practice from cleer Scripture III. His ten Arguments for dipping refuted IV. The two Covenants answered and Circumcision proved a Covenant of Grace V. His seven Arguments to prove it a Covenant of Works answered VI. His four Arguments to prove it a seale onely to Abraham answered and the contrary proved VII The seven Fundamentals that he pretends to be destroyed by taking Infants into Covenant cleered and the aspersion proved false VIII A Reply to his Answer given to our usual Scriptures For Infant-subjects of the kingdom in all which Infant-baptism is cleered and that Ordinance justifyed By E. W. a Member of the Army in Ireland Joh. 1.46 Can any good thing come out of Nazareth come and see Rev. 16 15. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his Garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Zach. 13.4 5. And it shall come to pass in that day the Prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision and he shall say I am no Prophet I am a husband-man For man taught me to keep cattle from my youth London Printed for George Sawbridge at the sign of the Bible upon Ludgate-hill 1656. The Author to the Christian Reader especially such who are his Comrades and Brethren in the Armies of this Commonwealth I Shall tell thee no long story of experience to draw on thy belief to embrace either truth or error nor do I think that an Argument sufficient to perswade men besides their reason and Conscience T is that which Gods word condemns in that boasting Church who to intice and allure others cryed out she was rich and indued with substance and wanted nothing when yet she was poor and miserable and blind and naked He that hath faith in this sense let him have it to himself before God and happy is he that condemns not himself in the things he allows These are boasting days wherein men in false ways under false Ordinances pretend to have much communion with God A day is coming when their works will be manifest whether wrought in God or not when wood hey and stubble will be burnt up the work is already on the wheele and a poor doubting Christian then wil lye neerer Christs heart then fleshly boasters it is not mens pretences to be acquainted with the depths of God that will make them sound Christians such there were in the first times of the Gospel that would be talking of depths but the holy Ghost calls them Satans depths I could heartily wish that the Author of the new Doctrine of baptism had no cause to doubt of the currantness of his coin I mean of his principles for heaven but this I am bold to say that did I pretend to be such a master in the school of experience I should not onely question all my teaching but learning also especially when it comes with such high swelling words against the ways of God and let me tell thee though I have no cause to boast of any thing yet in this I will lay my experience against his rejoyce and boast with much confidence and assurance that those Ordinances which he calls counterfeits and cryes down for error c. and stamps such a black brand of reproach upon throughout his whole book shall stand and triumph as the glorious truths of Jesus Christ in matter of worship when all his mists and fogs shall be dispelled with the son of righteousness The Reasons of my undertaking this task are these which follow 1 First Because I thought men of parts and abilities as they would look upon the piece to be weak feeble and inconsiderate and to deserve no answer so their time was better imployed then to spare it to such a work 2 Secondly Lest any on the other hand out of ignorance should think it unanswerable as I hear many that cry it up who are ready to mis judge that our silence gives consent thereto 3 Thirdly Because most of his Arguments I perceive are such as I have lately seen in pieces long since publisht therefore the answer of him doth answer others of the same strain 4 Fourthly Because the standing for this truth for the interest of Infant Church-seed in the covenant is a sprig of generation work as the holy Ghost witnesseth Gen. 17.9 which yet is opposed by our dissenting friends I have therefore used this Trowel with those in Nehemiah 4. 5 Fiftly And to let good men know there are a few names in Sardis that have not defiled their garments who are apt to think the contrary 6 Sixthly And to give a hand to pull them out that are fallen into Rivers to reclaim their practice by informing their judgements or at least to cause them to make a halt and to go no further in error but remember from whence they are fallen and repent 7 Because the name T. P. is lookt upon as the chief in this moist clymate that bears away the bell and therefore fittest to be answered his name being so well known amongst us as also because though there hath been never so much said yet if it comes not forth as an Answer by name there is but few that will vouchsafe to give it the reading As if the most part of that judgement were resolved to act from implicite Faith or to bolt out the truth and shut out the light that shines in so many choice and learned pieces that are publisht both touching the covenant and baptism I cannot but think there are many censorious spirits who will be ready to smite with a reviling tongue because they are even ready to call the Master of the house Belzebub much more therefore a mean servant It is the common language of the children of Belial in these days that if a man do but speak a word for the Ministery and servants of God imployed in that work of double honor as I am here necessitated to do there goes a Priest-ridden fellow All I shall say to such is to remember what Paul saith of scoffing Ishmael Gal. 4.29 30. The spirit by which his book was penned I shall speak little to it here because occasion will be offered to meet with it so fully in the Answer onely this I will say that from one end to the other I have not met with one Scripture by him quoted but hath been most shamefully abused either in Explication or Application and if that large story of his experience were right vvhich he speaks of in his Epistle it is strange that a man so pretending should not hit the right mark of any one Text. God direct us to understand his Minde and Will that so vve may knovv the truth and hold it fast in erring days vvhen there are so many deceitful
that of Lydea Acts 16.14 15. And a certain woman named Lydea a seller of Purple of he City of Thiatira which worshipped God heard us whose heart the Lord opened that she attended c. And when she was baptized and her houshold she besought us saying If ye have judged me faithful to the Lord come into my house and she constrained us Which Family Mr. Patient saith were all Believers Verse 40. which Paul and Sylas went to visit Answ The consideration of the words preceding the Text and the several circumstances will give a clear light to finde out the truth by him and many Scribes of a late edition of that party obscured and darkned First The persons that were met together were onely women Secondly Of all those Women met we finde onely Lydea converted Thirdly Upon her conversion we finde her houshold baptized and that at the same time By which it is apparent that she took with her her family to the place of worship for thus the words run And when she was baptized and her houshold she besought us saying If you have judged me faithful to the Lord come with me c. Both she and her houshold were baptized before they went home by which also we may very lawfully gather 1. That there were no men at the meeting 2. That therefore those Brethren afterwards mentioned could not be then at that time converted because had there been men and they wrought upon the Holy Ghost would not have overslipt them to take notice onely of the Female Therefore it is evident That those Brethren spoken of Verse 40. were either some of the Family afterwards converted or some other of the City then met at her house which were after Lydea's conversion wrought upon because we finde Paul and Sylas were committed to prison and it is likely it was upon that converting work which the Gospel made amongst them accordiâ—g to the voice that called them come over and help us Or 3. they might be believing Brethren from other parts that came to buy Purple because we finde the Spirit of God taking such exact notice of her profession Vers 14. But that those Brethren were converted at that time when she and her houshold were baptized is against the express Letter of the Text as any observant Reader may see This Text therefore makes against Mr. Patient for if Lydea and her houshold were baptized when we finde onely Lydea converted And if by house is meant Children as I shall afterwards prove it is then it is â—greeable to the very minde of God to say That her believing gave her Children aright to Baptism because we do not finde any that believed but her and yet we finde all her houshold baptized Thus then this place breaks forth with much clear light dispelling those foggs of error that scribbling pens have cast upon it Secondly The next place hee brings is the Jaylor and his house Acts 16. who rejoyced in God with all his house hee beleeving For so the words are truly rendred by which it doth not appear the whole house beleeved but the whole house rejoyced and yet both he and his whole house were Baptized Secondly 't is observable the exhortation given the Jaylor runs in the very strains of Abrahams covenant Gen. 17. walke before me And I will bee thy God and the God or thy seed so here beleeve and thou shalt be saved and thy house so Acts 2. when they were prickt in heart as this Jaylor was Repent and be Baptized the promise is to you and your Children so here verse 33. hee was Baptized he and all that were of him A fuller expression could not well be used to set out his Children by who may properly be said to bee of their Parents and none but they Therefore if the Jaylor and all that were of him were Baptized when onely the Jaylor beleeved though all rejoyc'd then he and his Children were Baptized unless any man can be so unreasonable as to say that those that were of him were not Children which to affirme will but rather discover weakeness then Eclipse the truth Thirdly A third example which holds forth a clearer light to the preceding is that of Zacheus Luke 9 who was a Gentile-Publican yet upon Christs calling him hee useth this argument to day I must abide at thy house and in verse 9. this day is salvation come to this house For as much as hee also is a Son of Abraham In which word also the very covenant of grace made with Abraham and his seed is confirmed to him and his house though a Gentile that had no relation to Abrahams seed by birth yet thou also though a Gentile art the son of Abraham and therefore salvation is come to thy house Note-worthy are the collections of faithfull Sydenham from this place whose little peece hath made their water-workes totter and remains not onely unanswered but unanswereable though the spattering of a scratching pen hath given a late attempt to little purpose His collections are these first that assoon as Zacheus beleeved Christ applyed Abrahams promise to his house And it there had not been something more in it he would have said onely salvation is come to thee For the spirit of God doth not put a syllable more in the Scriptures then is usefull and necessarie Secondly Hee opens Abrahams covenant not onely to him but his house and argues the priviledg from his being a son of Abraham though a Gentile shewing that Abrahams covenant hath as large an extent amongst the Gentiles as it had amongst the Jews to a beleever and his seed otherwise it had been enough to have said salvation is come to thee but to mention his house with himselfe and to bring them into the blessing and give this as a reason because thou also art a son of Abraham is as much as to say that the priviledges of Abrahams covenant are the same to thee a Gentile and thy house as they were to Isaac for as much as thou also art a son of Abraham as well as hee Now for Christ to speak in this dialect and to tell them of their houshold and his favour to them and that in the beginning of the Gospells planting and yet at the same time to exclude their infants from all outward signes of the promise which they ever had in darkest dayes of Grace is a strange policie unsuitable to the simplicitie of the Gospell These are such plain examples that I marvell what kind of conscience men pretend to have when they shut out the sun that shines in these scriptures and cry out they are full of darkness Fourthly The next place and example brought by this Author is the house of Stephanus whom Paul Baptized A Triumphant place so thought to prove that there was no Children in those houses mentioned 1. Cor. 11.6 chap 16.15 the words run thus I beseech you brethren you know the houshold of Stephanus that it is the first fruits of Achaia that
they have addicted themselves to the ministerie of the Saints That yee submit your selves to such and to every one that laboureth with us where saith Master Patient wee see they were all ministers and men that laboured with the Apostles therefore not Babes or Children Answ The Apostle doth not say they were all Ministers or such as laboured in the word and doctrine as he did himselfe But they are so said to Minister because they addicted themselves to the ministring to the Saints in a way of Hospitalitie for so the word is taken for releeving the Poor and so the same chap. refers to 1 Cor. 16. namely a free liberall and charitable collection for the poor Saints verse 1.2.3 and 2 Cor 8.4 chap. 9.1 now as touching the Ministring to the Saints 't is superfluous for me to write c. In which places the same word is used as here in this example of Stephanus and his house who addicted themselves to the Ministerie of the Saints by which it appeares that as the Apostle had boasted of others in the former chap. so in this also hee commends the freeness and Hospitalitie of Stephanus because in such actions there is much heart-sinceritie to be seen in entertaining poor Christians This being so Then t is no hard matter to know who is meant by the house of Stephanus which Paul Baptized For though the servants 't is likely might be gracious and full of love to poor Christians yet by the word house is property meant Parents and Children and 't is very unlikely the servants of the house should be so free and hospitable of their Masters goods And as for the Children they were taken in by their Parents Actions and so the whole house is commended For the hospitalitie of Stephanus and his yoakfellow as 't is usuall in such causes to say such a house is noble and free when 't is meant onely of the heads and chief of the family and these were the persons that Paul presseth the Church to honour and esteem and to submit to such And not to such onely but to every one also that helpeth with us and laboureth But 't is a stretcht inference to say that because his house addicted themselves to the ministrie of the saints therefore they were all preachers and such as laboured in the Gospell and the Church was to submit themselves to all the houshold i. e. servants and all as ministers therefore no Children The like also the Apostle prest them in the following verse to submit to Fortunatus and Achicus who came with a seasonable and refreshing releef and supply to their wants therefore acknowledg ye them that are such verse 18. i. e. such who minister releef to Christians in necessitie So Matth. 8.15 't is said that Peters Wives Mother ministred to Christ Master Patient surely will not be so far besides himselfe to think that she preacht to Christ as a minister from what then hath been also said to this instance 't is abundantly clear to any sober spirit who is willing to search after truth and not take things barely upon the count of Master Patients word Our opposites have not so honestly quitted themselves in al their writings in interpreting this text to lay a snare or decoy to intrap or intice people into the lake of error by saying that here was none but Adult-beleevers in this house when as the tenor of those Scriptures hitherto which related to housholds hath still run to the children upon the parents beleeving Quest But how shall I know whether when the Scripture speaks of house there were any Children for the word is not exprest they might be housholds and yet no Children Answ 'T is the common way in finding out the mind of God in Scriptures to compare them that so what is darke in one may be cleard by the other And since the spirit of God at the first tender of the Gospell did delight to speak to Jew and Gentile in the Old Testament Dialect as to say of Lydea She and her House the Jaylor and his House Cornelius and his House Stephanus and his House Zacheus and his house so Crispus believed in God with all his house the house of Aristobulus the house of Narcissus it is as if he had said If you would know what I mean by this word house then look back to my First will and Testament for what it was then it is now Therefore when upon review we shall finde in the Old Testament there were Children mentioned and chiefly included It will be then an undoubted truth to say and maintain That in all these houses mentioned to be baptized there were Children which properly gave the denomination and they all baptized whilest little ones upon the Belief or Covenant-right of their Parents See Gen. 12.3 In thee shall all the families of the Earth be blessed Who are so properly the Family as Children Chap. 30.30 And when shall I provide for my own house also Who was that house that Jacob was bound to look after and provide for but his Wife and Children And Chap. 45.18 19. Then said Pharaoh Say unto thy Brethren take your Father and your Houshold and come unto me And Verse 19 it is explained to be heir little ones Wives and Fathers So Num. 3.15 2 Sam. 23.5 Josh 24.15 So the Apostle He that provides not for his own house i. e. His Children is worse then an Infidel and hath denied the Faith 1 Tim. 5.8 What denying the Faith can this be for such as profess Christ if it be not the Faith of that Covenant of Grace into which Believers and Professing-Christians with their Seed are admitted The neglect of a Heathen-Parent in not providing for his Children cannot be called a denying the Faith but the denying the Law of Nature But the neglect of Christians in not providing for their Children is a denying the Faith because visibly within the Covenant Exod. 1.1 Prov. 31.11 1 Sam. 20.15 2 Sam 9.3 9. 1 King 17 1â— 13 21 22 23. Psal 127.1 3. Prov. 12.7 Hos 1.4 1 Tim 3 4 5. 5.4 8. 2 Tim. 1.16 A full Text also is That where the Prophet speaks of Israels conversion and gathering under the Faith of Christ yet to be fulfilled Jer. 1.1 At that time saith the Lord will I be the God of all the Families of Israel and they shall be my people A Text so remarkable that it is enough to convince any man that look what God was to Israel and the Families of Israel in blessing them as their God i. e. aged in Covenant with them and their â—eed so he will be the same God again to Israel and their Families in Gospel-days Which â—ime is near at hand and they and their Seed whilst Babes shal be his people so that either our opposits must oppose that doctrine of the Jews conversion when both they and their Children shall be brought into the Faith of Christ or else of necessity they must acknowledge the
fault with them hee saith behold the day is come when I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and verse 13. In that he saith a new Covenant he hath made the first old now that which waxeth old is ready to vanish away By which tearms old and new first and second better and worse he would needs understand two Covenantâ— one of works the other of Grace Answ In this 8 Chap. the Apostle comes to apply what he had treated of before in the former Chap. verse 1 now of the things which we have spoken this is the summe â—n the former Chapter the Apostle had been speaking of the Levitical Priesthood and Law i. e. the Law of Ordinances and therefore verse 18. he tells us the Commandement going before i. e. before Christ came was disannull'd because of the weakness and unprofitableness of it and gives the reason in verse 19. because the Law i. e. the Law of ceremonies made nothing perfect in comparison but the bringing in of a better hope did by which we draw nigh to God by which he means the Gospel-Ordinances of worship called better because opposed to the Ceremonies of the Law which therefore are implyed to be wrote And that by this better hope is meant Gospel-Ordinances is evident because the Apostle useth it as an Argument to the Church of the Hebrews to perswade them to hold fast their profession which they were revolâ—ing from â—elling them If they should cast of the Ordinances of worship they could not then draw nigh to God because they would then cast off also the High-Priesthood of Christ so ch 3.6 Whose house are we if we held fast the rejoycing of the hope to the end And ver 14. We are made partakers of Christ if we hold fast the confidence to the end He here calls that the confidence which before he called the Hope and Confidence and ch 10.35 Cast not away therefore your Confidence As if he had said If you cast away the Ordinances of worship you stand no longer related to Christ as his house nor have you any hope or ground of hope to draw nigh to God So ch 7.19 the Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did by which we draw nigh to God So that the Ordinances of drawing â—igh to God under the Gospel are called a better hope as they stand opposed to â—he Ordinances of worship under the Law which albeit they did approach to God in them yet they were kept thereby at a greater diâ—â—ance ch 9.6 7 8 9. So Again let us review this chapter further because the cleering up of chap. 8. depends upon it And these Scriptures being fully answered we shall not have much to do with the rest we have already seen hat the O diâ—ances of the Gospel are opposed to those of the Law And hat this is so see v. 11. If perfection was by the Levitical Priesthood For under it the people received the Law what need was there of another Priesthood to rise after the order of Melchizedek What law â—as this the people received ver 12. 'T is such a law as was changed â—pâ—n the change of the Priesthood which cannot be meant of the Moral Law for this is still the sâ—me and not changed but the Law of the Altar which in ver 16. is called a carnal commandment which in ver 18. is disanulled by reason of the weakness of it and ver 19 for the Law made nothing perfect and the reason is given ch 9 9. Because iâ— was a figure for the time present in which were offered gifts and Sacrifices that could not make him that did it perfect And ch 10.1 The Law bring but a shadow of good things to come can never with those Sacrifices which they continually offered make the comers there to perfect for then they would not have ceased and in ver 8. when he speaks of Christ coming to be offered he draws this result from the premisses he takes away the first that he may establish the second Now in this 8 chapter he draws towards a conclusion and in the first verse of the things which we have spoken this is the sum he had before spoken of the Law of Ordinances and weakness thereof and therefore in this 7. v. of c. 8. he calls it the first Covenant for if the first Covenant had been faultless Why wherein was it faulty The Apostle had before told them it was faulty because it was weak and unprofitable and had it not been so that law of Ordinances would have made the worshippers perfect And then no place would have been sought for the second Covenant So then by the first Covenant 't is cleer is meant the Ordinances of the Ceremonial worship and therefore finding fault with them he speaks in the plural number them Ordinances not Covenants ver 8. unless Mr Patient will make two Covenants of works then he saith behold the day is come when I will make a new Covenant referring to Jer 31 3â— with the house of Israel i. e. new lâ—was of worship Not according to the Covenant I made with their Fathers c. And verse last in that he saith a new covenant he hath made the first old c. And therefore whereas Mr P. tells us that God gave Israel a Covenant of works to enjoy Canaan by It is most absurd as by their following particulars further apâ—ears 1. Had those typical Ordinances been a Covenant of Works given at Mount Sinai to Israel then it had not been put in the hand of a Mediator For where God gives a people a Mediator is supposed he intends them Grace thereby When Adam was put into a Covenant of Works he was left to stand or fall by himself without help since that no Covenant of Works was ever made Gal. 4. Moses is called the Mediator of the first Testament Now a Will or a Testament is an act of Grace purely 2. Had it been a Covenant of Works by which they were to possess Canaan there had not been one man that ever had entred into that rest For it was impossible for them to fulfil it because the power of doing so as to answer a Covenant of works was lost in the fall 3. What favour had this been to Abraham Isaac and so to all the seed of Promise to have such a flourishing promise to possess such a fruitful Land by a Covenant of Works when many of the Nations of the world did possess a more fruitful Country and were never put to such labour and toyle such difficulties and dangers that Israel were put to 4. 'T is against the Nature of a Covenant of Grace which God made with Abraham first to put him into a Covenant of Grace for spirituals and then twenty four yeers after should put him into a Covenant of Works for Temporals So that either believers must fall from Grace or else stand under two Covenants at one time 5. Had it been a
Covenant of Works made with Abraham Isaac and so along as this Author affirms then how came the bond-womans son a type of that Covenant to be exempted from that Covenant of Works and Isaac which wes Sarahs son a type of the Covenant of Grace and a child of Promise to be put under that Covenant It could not be for any outward distinction in outward enjoyments for I shmael had more of the glory of the world then Isaac Gen. 17.21 6. Had the mercy intended Israel related onely to externals in giving them a fruitful Country in blessing their corn wine and oyle the fruit of their bodies their basket and store as Mr. Patient affiâ—ms and this to be enjoyed by a Covenant of Works then as a worthy Divine well observes in somewhat the like case how could Esau have been charged for a prophane person for selling his birth-right For there had been no prophaneâ—ess in that because prophaneness supposeth a contempt or neglect of something spiritual which is therfore to be enjoyed upon a spiritual account and not by works 7 What the Prophet speaks Jer. 31.22 and the Apostle Heb. 8. 9. of Gods taking Israel by the hand to bring them out of Egypt is by the Prophet Hos 11.4 interpreted compared with Mat. 2.15 to be an act of a tender Father who owned Israel as a son for as a father in tender love and respect to his young child takes hâ—m by the hand to teach him to go so did God deal with Israel when a child The like be did to Ephraim ver 3. I taught Ephraim also to go taking him by the hand so when he destroyed Sodom Gen. 19.16 Whilst Lâ—t â—â—gered as being unwilling to leave Sodom the Text saith he laid hâ—ld upon his hand and brought him forth And the reason is given because the Lord was merciful to them So that what God did to his people in this kind is most cleer was from a pure Covenant of Grace and Mercie not by a Covenant of Works 8. What God did to Israel in giving them rest in Canaan was as Canaan was a Type of Heaven Isa 65.9 and of the Churches state under the New-Testament Jer. 3.18 Psal 105.6 For so the promise of Abraham in giving them Canaan is by the Prophet David interpreted to be to a thousand generations which therefore must needs extend to the end of the world For so 't is called a Covenant for ever And had his seed injoyed Canaan from Abrahams days yet from thence to Christ was but forty two generations Mat. 1. So that if Canaan was to be possest as a type of heaven then it was not to be possest by a Covenant of works but by faith so Abraham possest it Heb. 11.8 9 10. By Faith he sojourned in the Land of promise as in a strange Country dwelling in Tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob heirs with him of the same Promise For he looked for a City which had foundations whose builder and maker was God And ver 15 16. he sought a better Country a Country whereof that was but a type Now what promise werâ— Isaac and Jacob heirs of Why that of the Covenant of Grace Gen. 17.8 To thee will I give the Land of Canaan And this the Apostle tellâ— us was possest by Faith as a type of heaven therefore not by a Covenant of Works 9 It further appears by comparing Gen. 17.7 I will be thy God with Heb. 11.16 Whâ—refore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a City Where the Apostle thus argues that had the grâ—at proâ—â—se to â—braham been onely of an earthly Canaan which this Author affirms was to be enjoyed by a Covenant of Works God would have been ashamed to be called his God t is evident therefore that for men to affirm such Doctrines as this is to put an affront upon God himself 10. It still further appears that Abrahams seed injoyed Canaan by a Covenant of Grace because what â—oses and Ioshua did who were their câ—nductors was done by faith and tiâ— also applyed to all Israel Heb 11.27 28 â—9 By faith he forsook Egypt by faith he kept the passeover by faith they past through the red Sea So when Joshua led them over Jo dan it was an act of faith yea the very conquest of the enemy there was an act of Faith ver 30. therefore for him to affirm tâ—aâ— fi st Covenant beâ—ore largely opened to be those typical ceremonies and so mans pâ—rt of the Covenant of Grace to be â— Covenant of Works by which they were to live happâ—ly in Canaan is such notâ—rious stuffe that he might blush to name it 11â— Sâ—ch â— doctrine directly opposeth these Scriptures Deut. 9.4.5 6 7 8 speak not thou in thy heart saying for my righteousness the Lo d hath brought me in to possess this Land and ver 5. not for thy righteousâ—ess dost thou possess this Land And ver 6. not for thy righteousness for thou art a stiff-necked peâ—ple and ver 7 fâ—rget not how thou provokedst the Lord to wrath in the wilderness and from the day that ye came out of Egypt even to this day until ye came to this place ye have been rebellious against the Lord and ver 27. he refers back to Abrahams Covenant and makes use of it as an argument to prevail with God in Prayer because he had promised to give them Canaan by grace and not by their works so also ch â—0 11 12 13 16. Exod. 2.24 ch 3.6.8 and ch 6.8 Numb 14.23 12. That rest the Apostle speaks of Heb. 4.1 is meant of a like rest to that of Canaan which Israel was cut short off for want of faith Heb. 3.18 to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not this promise of rest is by the Apostle called a pâ—eaching â—he Gospel Heb. 4.2 For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them implying cleerly that what was spoken in that promise of giving Israel rest in Canaan was a preaching the Gospel to them So that as the spiritual part of the Covenant which conveys justification by Faith is by Paul called a Gospel preaching Gal. 3.8 â—o the temporal part of the same Covenant Gen. 17.8 which this â—uthor would fain make a Covenant of works thereby to maintain his errors the same Apostle tells us it was a Gospel preachâ—ng also By what therefore hath been said hitherto t is a shining truth that Abrahams Covenant in all parts thereof relating to spirituals and temporals was a full and compleat Covenant of Grace to which circumcision was annexed as a seal not as a distinct Covenant of works in order to the possessing of Canaan because as hath been proved by these twelve considerations as there hath been no Covenant of works given since the fall so Israel injoyed Canaan by a Covenant of Grace it follows therefore that Circumcision and all those legal Ordinances called the first
he will make them smart and cry out under the stroke of his hand how did David roar under the wrath of the Almighty the whole book of Psalms shews us so Heman and Ephraim Manasses yea all the examples in Gods word and the experiences of Gods people they all speak out the truth Heb. 7.2 that Christ is first a King of righteousness before a King of Peace Therefore let such as fear the Lord remember the covenant of grace hath conditions such as God will whip his people into and if the Rod will not do his shepherds crook shall be laid on with strong blows by this way had David comfort Psal 23. And therefore tells us Psal 89.37 If Gods people sin and transgress his Law he will visit their transgressions with a rod and their iniquities with stripes and though everlasting love is their portion yet that is the way he takes to breed them up to bring them to covenant conditions And though the Elect of God shall never finally fall away yet they may and do break and fall from the visible part of the covenant too often though they are brought in again and others fall off finally as did those primitive Apostates already mentioned So that place must be understood Joh. 15.2 4 5 6. which distinction Mr Patient must admit of and can never evade it All the rest of those scriptures by him brought to prove the absoluteness or sureness of the covenant or two covenanâ—s do bear the same interpretation take those two for instance Isaiah â—5 3 heaâ—ken to me incline your ear hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant c. So Heb. c. 17 18. wherein Gâ—d willing to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed the same by oath to Abraham that by two immutable things in which it was impossible foy God to lye we might have strong consolation And though Mr Patient from thesâ— places concludes the covenant-mercy of David to be sure and so iâ—mutable yet there must be an inclining the ear and hearkening to the voice of God even of such as are really within the covenant and to such onely the covenant is sure But now there were many of the Church of the Hebrews that we have ground to judge were but visibly in covenant and so onely pretended heirs of promise and such were they that wer falling from Ordinances that forsook the assemblies sold their birth-right as those also already mentioned So that we still see the distinction holds some are really some onely visibly seemingly within the covenant P. Pa. 24 He afterwards brings many places to prove that the condition of the covenant which before he denyed is faith and repentance and they are wrought in the soul by God Answ That the condition of the covenant is so wrought is by us confest but yet we may here see how whiffling erroneous spirits are sometimes he affirms the covenant to be absolute sometimes that it is conditional that so he might have a starting hole to flye out at and let me remind him here that if he keeps to this principle that faith and repentance is the condition of the covenant he must according to the Scriptures admit of a visible being in the covenant as well as of an invisible in order to the communion of Saints in the world for there are many pretenders to those conditions and qual fications which yet by vertue of their profession cannot be denyed the seals of the covenant because they visibly submit to the terms thereof as is before proved P. The next thing he grâ—sly errs in is page 37 where in his explaining that Text Gen. 3.17 of the seed of the woman he tells us it is meant of Christ That God would infuse or put into the womans seed his created gifts of holiness and purity Answ We may see what old Springs of error this book of hâ—s bubbles up withal For by this he makes Christ only a compleâ—t and perfect man as Adam before the fall with infused qualifications and by this made an unspotted Sacrifice by which the divine nature of Christ is taken away that he was not God as well as man and the Hypostatical union as Divines call it is by this dâ—stroyed contrary to the whole current of Gods word and directly opposing Joh. 1.1 2 3 10 14. And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us ver 18. So Heb. 1.2 3. 1 Joh. 4.14 15. ch 5.1.7 10 1. multâ—tudes o Texts might be added Arius thy error struggles to live whâ—n thâ—n â—rt dead 2. When God saith I will put enmity betwixt thy seed and her seed we are not to understand it meerly of Christ but of the Infant-Châ—rch seed For so Eve by faith understood the promise Gen. 4.5 when Sâ—th was born God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew Which Infant-seed of the Church is as truely in covenant was and shall be to the worlds end as Adult believers and Satans malice is as much against them as the other in all ages as appears by Cains bloody Murther with Exod. 1.10 16. Mat. 2.16 Rev. â—2 2.13.17 Therefore Mr Patient in his often endeavours to cast out this seed of the Church by confining the Church either to Christ personally or Adult believers which so often he cals the spiritual seed doth but strive to do that now which if he will but read those places cited He may know who it was that studyed the same practice in former ages P. The 28 page tells us that the new covenant was never entailed upon any fleshly line or generation as the covenant of circumcision was but was still confirmed of God in Christ and to such onely in Christ as you finde in the promises to Abraham Gen. 12.3 In thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed In which there is no respect of persons in their blessings to life but all Nations in Christ as well one as another are blest and all out of Christ are accurst Answ It hath been befo e proved that the new covenant or covenant of grace hath a twofold part or branch the one invisible the other visible and both are the covenant The one relates to the grace of the covenant the other to mans duty in the use of Ordinances And this second part hath from the beginning run upon intail to believers and their seed even from the days of Adam to Christ and so since yea the promise which relates to the spiritual seed runs for the most part upon intail also though I do not say that all the seed of believers are so children of the promise For as the intail visibly took in all the seed of Abraham Ishmael as well as Isaac so Esau as well as Jacob Cain as well as Abel Ham and Japhet as well as Shem yet the seed by promise comes in by way of intayl to the children of promise As the covenant was entayled from
Adam to Seth Enos Kenan so to Noah Shem Arphaxad and up to Abraham and then to Isaac Jacob and his twelve sons but so in Judah it continued to Christ see Luke 3. to the end compared with Mat. 1. to 17. where you shall finde a spiritual entail by promise and were it not so what incouragement could it be to believers to be Stoickt in family duties had they not a promise to rest upon as touching family blessings Which place in Luke 3. is so cleer that Mr Patient to evade the strength and dint of Scripture makes this whole line to run in a covenant of works the contrary whereto is already proved that no such covenant is made with man since the fall therefore see these Texts which prove an intail Deut. 4 37. Because he loved thy fathers therefore he chose their seed after them So ch 10.5 the Lord had a delight in thy Fathers to love them and he chose their seed after them even you above all people compared with Rom 11.28 as touching the Election they are beloved for their fathers sake * Dâ—ut 30.19 Therefore â—huse life that both thou and thy seed may live Hence it is that we finde the Parents saith drawn forth to believe their seeds interest in the covenant Thus did Eve in the place before mentioned believe the covenant-state of Sâ—th as soon as born And therefore she calls him another seed instead of Abel The like also we find of Lamech Gen 5.28 29. who concludes that though God would destroy and curse the earth yet upon the birth of Noah he should be a comfort to the Church Thus was David drawn forth to believe That because of that Everlasting Covenant God had made with him he should in time have his house to flourish though yet God made it not to grow Psal 89.29 34 35 compared with 2 Sam. 23.5 The like ground of believing is to reâ—ch to these days and to the worlds end concerning the seed of believers right to the covenant as Psal 102.28 the children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee How long was this seed to continue See ver 26 27 So long as heaven and earth should remain Hence it is that God hath promised to be the God of all the families of Israel Jer. 31.1 Isa 65.23 That they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off spring with them Which blâ—ssedness relates to more then externals as by that 102 Psal appears For the heaven and earth was to be folded up as a garment and to wax old but the seed and off-spring of his children should remain and have greater blessings That place Gen. 1â— 3 Mr Patient doth acknowledge to be Gospel but in such low and general terms that in â—ffâ—ct he denyes it For saith he all Nations that are in Christ are blessed When yet he will not acknowledge that ever any Nation were so blest no not the Jews hemselves but onely a remnant And the reason of hiâ— mistake â—s because he considers not that there is a vâ—sible being in Christ â—s in that plâ—ce Joh. 15 41. Abide in we and I in you he that abideth not in me is cut off as a branch So that he confines the meaning of â—â—e promise in thee and in thy seed to Christ onely contrary to tâ—e due some of the wâ—rds F r by thy seed is also meant believers and so Ch â—st myst â—dly in head members is to be understood Gen 13.5 look towards heaven and tell the stars if thou art able so shall thy seed be Mr Patient I hope w ll not make so many Christs and ch 17.7 I will establish my covenant betwixt me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations so if Abraham had a seed in every generation which were to be a blessing thereto So Gen. 22.17 In blessing I will bless thee and will multiply thy seed and thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies meaning the conquest of Canaan which could not be in Christ personal because the Land of Canaan was conquered many hundred yeers before he came and since t is destroyd So in thy seed all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed ver 8. i e. in the multiplying of Abrahams seed as the stars they should at last come to be a blessing to all Nations by all which places it is cleer that the word seed which he confines to Christ is meant of all believers to the worlds end and indeed to deny this sense of the place is to deny that Abraham had any Gospel preacht to him as any judicious reader may easily observe for that which the Apostle Rom. 3.18 speaks of Abrahams faith to justification is referred to Gen. 15.5 So shall thy seed be that is as the stars of heaven for multitude which Abraham believing it was imputed to him for righteousness This Exposition therefore being granted the other will appear but lame and maimed 3 The covenant saith Mr Patient is not intailed as circumcision was Answ Though there hath been enough said to satisfie men of reason yet I shall here as in many other places be forced to repeat what before hath been spoken If therefore Circumcision be not a covenant of works then it must be the visible part of the covenant of Grace and then it must run upon entail as Mr Patient here grants Therefore let the Reader observe it hath been already proved The covenant had two parts one for spirituals the other for temporals in giving Israel rest in Canaan and all the good things thereof the first part is proved to be Gospel from Gal. 3.8 and that the second also is Gospel see Heb. 3.18 compared with ch 4.1 2 to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not speaking of the rest in Canaan which Israel was cut short of in the wilderness And ch 4 1. Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us We also fall shâ—rt For unto us is the Gospel preached as well as to them From whence it is cleer that Israel never had rest in Canaan by works but by grace and therefore it follows If Israel did not injoy Canaan by a covenant of works and yet they did injoy it by the covenâ—nt of Circumcision then Circâ—mcision was not of works but of grace so that we see our opposites must be forced to acknowledge the visible part of the covenant of Grace to run upon intail to believers and their seed Thus we have done with this first head and have answered all his material Scriptures which indeed doth also answer the next following or any tâ—ing material in his book and though I have undermined his foundaâ—ion so as that the whole structure is fallen yet because I would separate the stones from the other rubbish I shall therefore come to his next general head CHAP. VIII An answer to the second general head touching the
must needs be a covenant of works for if it had been a covenant of Grace it would have administred Justification with it This is the full sense as neer as I can collect out of such stragling discourses Though the Scriptures he brings in these pages to prove what he asserts were before omitted yet I shall here take them in as most fit in this place because the running over things so often would otherwise make the Answer so bulkish and therefore A. Though he saith Justification by faith was not given by Circumcision i. e. by the act done as neither is it now given by Baptism yet Justification was given in that Covenant of Grace which Circumcision sealed and so the Elect did obtain it Rom. 4.11 He received the sign of Circumcision a seal of the righteousness of Faith that he might be the Father of all that believe though they be not Circumcised So that Circumcision was the covenants seal and not the seal of his faith out of which the Gentile Nations were excluded till that Jewish Church was cast off so that the Jews were neerer then Pagans and Heathens notwithstanding any thing he affirms because the one was under the call of the Gospel and the tenders of Grace when the other was a far off Aliens and strangers Eph. 2.11 12 13. But when the Gospel came amongst them also then they were made nigh by the blood of Christ The Heathens in New England will any sober understanding Christian say they are as neer to a state of Justification as those that are born and bred up and dwell under the sound of the Gospel yea Mr. P. himself doth contradict what he in this affirms in acknowledging that the Jews were priviledged before other Nations in having such precious tenders of the Gospel p. 49. so that we see he doth not stick fast to his own judgement in any thing But wherein these precious priviledges should lye or how the Gâ—spel should be tendred if they were not visible under the covenant of Grace and so neerer then Heathens I cannot see nor I am sure he himself for had not Justification run in the Jewish Ordinances more freely then it did to the Gentiles that had them not they had instead of being priviledged been more in bondage and slavery then any Nation in the world 2. There is not any one place or Text or syllable in the 2 3. or 4 to Rom. or in 12 15 17 18 22. of Gen. or 3 4 5. Gal. that saith Justification by faith was not given in the covenant of Circumcision or that Justification by faith is opposed to Circumcision or that because Abraham was Justified before circumcised therefore Circumcision is a covenant of Works But this the Texts say that justification is to be had in the covenant of Circumcision which were it a covenant of works would not there be found Rom. 3.1 2 3 30. But 3. And because he tells us in pag. 55. That there is no Text in all the Scripture more cleer to prove the covenant of Circumcision to be a covenant of works then this 4. Rom. setting Faith and Circumcision in opposition shewing that Abrahams spiritual seed had their justification in another covenant and not in circumcision I have therefore taken it into this place because one answer will serve both To cleer this place therefore from this cloud of error cast upon it I shall stay some time to search into it The words are these What shall we say then that Abraham our Father as appertaining to the flesh hath found For if Abraham was justified by works He hath whereof to glory but not before God but Abraham believed God c. And how was it then reckoned when he was in Circumcision or in uncircumcision not in Circumcision c. A. By comparing this with the preceding chapter as also with ch 5 6 7 8. we finde the Roman Church that had imbraced the Ordinances of the Gospel were then falling back into the works of the Law and those legal Ordinances in them to gain justification And therefore they would be listening after those false Teachers that preacht up Circumcision after the manner of Moses which was the prevailing error in that Church and is at this day it being so fallen that they maintain good works do justifie Now the Apostle to bring them off from this error bids them look upon Abraham whom they acknowledged to be the father of the faithful and see how the case stood with him how he was justifyed secretly implying that if he that was the Father of all believers was not justifyed by works then it would be unreasonable in his children to think that they were and therefore it was their duty to follow him by which we see Abraham is held forth as a publick person in the Gospel to which Gospel-Churches are to have recourse to rectifie errors in doctrines of Faith and if upon search they found that Abraham was justifyed in urcircumcision then they should not think that Circumcision was of absolute necessity to justification and therefore tells them it was their mistake the Law was never intended by God to justifie any but ch 3.9 both Jew and Gentile are all under sin and ver 20. therefore by the deeds of the Law no flesh can be justifyed for all have sinned and are therefore justifyed freely by his Grace without the deeds of the Law ver 28. upon which the Romans make this Objection Rom. 4.1 What benefit or advantage then hath Abraham found to whom the covenant was made The meaning is because Abraham had not his justification by circumcision therefore they could not see any Gospel-benefit that came by that Ordinance at all so much is implyed in the words the like also ch 3. what profit then is there of Circumcision and it is the same objection in effect that M. P. makes onely a little changed For thus his runs If Abraham was not justified in the covenant of Circumcision then is Circumcision a covenant of works both which the Apostle answers that though Abraham and his seed were not justifyed by the Law as a law or covenant of works yet there was a considerable advantage the Jews had by circumcision and chiefly because unto them were câ—mmitted the oracles of God and ch 9.4 who are Israelites i. e a peculiar Nation inclosed by God himself from all the Nations of the world to them appertains the adoption and the Glory and the Covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the Promises whose are the Fathers and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came As if he had said all this heap and bundle of benefits came in to the Jews and that Nation which no Nation under heaven had besides and yet for all this there were many that did not believe ch 3.3 For what though some did not believe shall their unbelief make the Faith of God without effect God forbid as if he had said The end for which
God did so much priviledge them above others was that all his might believe but yet some did not implying that some did i. e. many of them were justifyed Tâ—erefore ch 4. 9. he draws tâ—wards a result cometh this blessedness then upon the Circumcision onely or upon the uncircumcision also how was it then reckoned i. e. If Abraham was justifyed in uncircumcision then the righteousness of Faith comes not upon the Circumcision onely and ver 12. To them who are not of the Circumcision onely and ver 16. Not to that seed onely which is of the Law And then the Apostle concludes ver 23. that it was not written for Abrahams sake alone that righteousness was imputed to him but for us also i. e. Rom. and all other Gentiles if they believe to whom Abraham is as well a Father as to the Jews So that this triumphant place gives not the least continuance to his opinion either that Circumcision was a covenant of works or that it stands in direct opposition to saith or that God gave a covenant of works to Abraham to seal a covenant of Grace as he consequentially affirms p. 53. Therefore such an interpretation as he hath given of this place is most unsound The like answer is to be given to that place Phâ—l 3.2 3 4. which he brings in pag. 55. as an Appendix to this second Argument the Philippians were also revolting to seek after Justification by the works of the Law the teachers of which Doctrine the Apostle calls dogs and evil-workers And if any had cause to boast of the law of Works he had more yet to him it was but dung and dogs meat all his priviledges of being a Jew a Pharisee Circumcised one that concerning the Law was blameless All this saith Paul I can boast of but what is this as to matter of justification which is by faith alone in Christ The like plain answer also is and may he given to that other place Gal. 3.3 which Church also were back sliding into the same error and therefore he calls them fools and tells them they were bewitched ch 5.1 And if they would be seeking Justification by works they should find they were mistaken For as many as sought to be justifyed by the works of the Law were under the curse And that no man by the works of the Law was ever justifyed is evident because the just shall live by Faith ver 10 11. And therefore he sends them also to Abrahams covenant For to Abraham and his seed were the promises made And ver 18. he shews them the ill-consequence that would follow if they thought to be justifyed by works For then the inheritance must be by works that is the inheritance of Abrahams promises both for the Land of Canaan and all other spiritual blessings If it were by the Law then it is no more of promises But God gave them to Abraham by promise And not by a covenant of works remember that Mr P. upon this again comes with the old Objection Wherefore then serveth the Law If a man may not be justifyed and saved by the works of the Law to what end and purpose then was it given The answer is it was added because of transgression that is to make sin look like sin and thereby to ingage Gods people then to walk close in the duties thereof and in ver 21. The Apostle directly confutes Mr. Patients Doctrine Is the Law then against the Promises or in opposition to the Promises God forbid By all which it appears that the Law was no covenant of Works nor is Circumcision or any part of the Law opposed to Faith as he would make us beheve but this was the great mistake of many in Primitive Churches by false teachers means And so of all Israel as it is also of Mr P. that the Law was given to the Church of the Jews as a covenant of works which God never intended to any such end or purpose CHAP. IX The next thing we come to is the several Arguments he brings in p. 53. to prove Circumcision onely a seal to Abraham answered I. FIrst because the righteousness of Faith which it sealed Abraham had it before the seal was given but his posterity could not be said to believe at eight days old Therefore it was a seal to him and not to them A. The seal was not annext to Abrahams Faith as Abrahams but to Gods covenant made with Abraham therefore it is called the seal of the righteousness of Faith So that what it sealed to Abraham was as he was an heir of the same Promises with Isaac and Jacob Heb. 11.9 therefore what it sealed to him as an heir it sealed to Isaac and Jacob and so to all believers as co-heirs of the same inheritance Heb. 6.17 2. If it was a seal of Abrahams Faith onely then it must be either as it was a weak faith or strong faith 1 It could not be the first because Abrahams faith is by the Apostle said not to be weak Rom. 4.19 20. 2. If it had been given as a badge of honor to Abrahams Faith as I have seen it affirmed in a piece or C. B. as a strong faith then it should have been given to Adam and Noah who had as strong faiths as Abraham and less Gospel-light then Abraham had to work it 3. There was no necessity to have Abrahams justification sealed more then Adams Seths Noahs or any of his predecessors especially if it be considered what M. P. himself grants that he was justifyed twenty four years before this seal was given therefore 4. Had it not been a seal to Isaac as well as to Abraham and so not onely a seal of Abrahams faith it might have been given upon the birth of Ishmael and Abraham need not have staid for a son of promise for it would have sealed as much then to Abraham as it did after if it was not the covenant-seal 5. Had it not been a seal to Isaac and so a part of the covenant then Isaacs not being circumcised had been no breach of the covenant directly against that place Gen. 17.10 For a seal the Apostle calls it and a sign God calls it So that had it onely been a seal of Abrahams Faith the covenant had not come sealed to Isaac because the seal reacht onely the Faith of Abraham and when he dyed the seal was broken off Therefore 6. It is a cleer truth that as the blessings of the covenant were made to Abraham by Promise and to his seed so Gods main drift being to make those covenant-blessings sure to all the heirs of Promise Heb. 6.17 he therefore deals as a man that would be believed First he promiseâ— secondly he swears to confirm that Promise Thirdly he seals what he hath promised So the seal becomes the covenant-seal as the oath is the Covenants oath and what God promised to Abraham he promised to his seed and what he confirmed by oath to Abraham he confirmed to his
For God writ the new covenant in the heart under the Law and yet circumcision was no covenant of works But a figure of what God did within Deut. 30.6 Rom. 2.28 29. by which places we may see Circumcision had the same promises attending it then to believers and their seed as baptism hath now And it may with as much evidence of truth be said that baptism is a covenant of Works because it is administred upon the flesh as Circumcision was then Therefore all his Arguments and Scriptures he hath brought hitherto to prove Circumcision a covenant of works have been ill drawn and worse applyed CHAP. X. Wherein his 3 4 5 and 6 Arguments are answered to prove Circumcision a covenant of Works III. P pag. 58. WE are now come to his third Argument and that is because there is no promise of eternal life in it but only a temporal blessing in the Land of Canaan as protection and provision and the like to prove this he quotes Heb. 8.6 Jer. 11.2 3. Deut. 7.12 13 30 13. A. 1. That Circumcision had no promise of eternal life attending it is false for eternal life was promised in Gods telling Abraham he would be his God it is such a blank that a believer may write what happiness he will in it God could not say more nor a believer desire more 2. It had the promise of the heart-Circumcision in order to prepare a soul for heaven as the places above cited prove Therefore it had the promise also of eternal life 3. If it had not had the promise of eternal happiness but onely an earthly Canaan and protection therein then in vain doth S. Paul say God was not ashamed to be called Abrahams God Heb. 11.16 And in vain also did he with Isaac and Jacob walk as Pilgrims in that land expecting a better Country i. e. a heavenly Heb. 11.8 14 16. 4. As to those Texts he mentions there is not one of them proves that God only promised Abrahams seed prosperity in Canaan though that also was included upon their obedience to Gods covenant which was of Grace not works as hath been before largely proved We see therefore how well he hath distinguisht the Covenants P. IV. His next Argument to prove Circumcision a covenant of works is becaus a man by laying out a little mony might have bought a heathen into this covenant and have interessed him into all the priviledges thereof A. The covenant had two parts one external relating to mans duty in forms of worship The other spiritual relating to communion with God in those forms as hath been often mentioned into the first of these all the persons born in Abrahams house or â—ought with mony were to be admitted and the reason is because all Abrahams family so qualifyed were the visible Church and such a taking into his family was a taking into the Church which also wâ—s a type of the purchase that Christ should pay by his blood For the Gentiles we e to be brought into Church-communion of which that was the first fruits both to them and â—heir seed for doing whereof Gods command did bear him out And this was to be a standing rule to Israel when they came to be a kingdom because the foundation of the kingdom was laid in Abrahams family Therefore 2. When he saith that all so bought were purchac'd into all the priviledges of the covenant it is a gross untruth for justification and salvation were the choice priviledges of that covenant whâ—ch they could not be bought into and in that sense Peters answer to Simon Magus Thy mony perish with thee had been properly applyed though yet in the other consideration what he did was an Ordinance of God V. P. His next Argument is because men out of this covenant might be saved and such as were in it might be damned A. Here is still the same distinction to be noted as before for those that went to hell were never interessed in the spiritual part of the covenant but onely into the external forms of worship the lâ—ke instance we have in the Apostles days Judas Simon Magus with the rest of those hypocrites and Apostates were all interessed in the external part of the covenant and yet went to hell this likewise was the condition of the foolish virgins who because they had lamps lighted thought themselves well enough and there rested in this sense also are the words of Christ to be understood The children of the kingdom shall be cast out I would a little return this Argument to M P. How many dipt Apostates have fallen quite away from all grace and goodness of late yeers both from them and us Surely it cannot be denyed but they were visibly once in the covenant therefore all those Scriptures and examples by him brought in pag. 62 63 64. are by this distinction answered and the false varnish by him put upon them is hereby washt off that so they may be seen in their glory and splendor 2. It also appears that it was the same covenant of Grace that justifyed Lot Job and all Jobs friends that were godly though dwelling in another Country that justifyed Abraham and his seed for though they had not the seal of the covenant because Abraham was the person pitcht upon to whom it should be first administred yet they were worshippers of God in a solemn way of sacrificing the like we may charitably think now that many in the world who have not the same means of Gospel-Ordinances may yet have sincere hearts to God and be as a scattered seed of some gracious predecessors and yet not be within the visible pale of the covenant This also duely considered is a full answer to the rest of those instances of Davids sons and Abrahams sons with the whole lump of Israel of all which many were damned because onely in the visible part of the covenant We may therefore see hitherto what feeble Arguments Mr. Patient brings to prove Circumcision a covenant of works VI. P. His sixth Argument for the ends abovesaid is because this covenant of Circumcision may be broken Gen. 17.14 A. Still the former distinction kept makes the answer easie and plain for such who broke the covenant broke but the external part thereof the other part could not be broken and in this sense also the covenant in Gospel days is broken and as God unchurcht Israel for breach of covenant so he doth still when a Church or people do apostatize from his Ordinances The Apostle tells us so Heb. 3.6 Whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and rejoycing of the hope firm to the end his meaning is we are his house if we keep to the Ordinances of worship implying That if a people once cast off the Ordinances they have broken the covenant and stand related to Christ no longer as his house I am sure that the extent of this Explication will reach Mr Patient who hath broken the covenant of God by casting
out of his seed And upon this very hinge it was That all those examples of Gods judgements upon Israel are given when they revolted from God and brake this covenant then God plagues them and cuts them off and when they renewed their covenant fasted humbled their souls and repented God shewed Mercy all which agrees to that remarkable place which proves the covenant of Grace conditional Gen. 18.19 For I know Abraham will command his children and his houshould after him and they shall keep the Way of the Lord to do Justice and judgement That the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him cleerly implying that if Abrahams seed did not walk close in their duties they should fall short of their expectations as we afterwards finde Israel did Therefore whereas M. P. saith it is impossible the covenant of Grace should be broken it is false For the external part may be broken which is part of the covenant but the inward part of it can never be broken P. Pag. 67. He comes to answer this distinction of the covenant as an Objection but so poorly that it seems he would gladly favour his own opinion persons saith he may profess outwardly to be in Christ and so in the covenant of Grace by profession but because it was but a profession onely and not in truth therefore they profess to be in that wherein they never were A. We are now speaking of persons being in the covenant as the Scripture holds them forth to be within it And as men may in the judgement of Charity believe persons to be in it in order to Communion of Saints in the world If therefore the Scriptures tell us there is a twofold being in it then persons are in the covenant that are within the visible part of as hath been sufficiently proved and as his own practice doth acknowledge so that in his answer to the Objection he rather works like a ferryâ—man then a preacher he seems to look towards an answer but rows the other way therefore whereas he saith we have an infallible rule to judge Abraham and his seed to be within the covenant of Circumcision because God saith it and the Objection before is groundless A. It hath bean already cleared that Circumcision was part of the covenant of Grace and therefore by this he confesseth that persons are visible within it because the infallible rule of the word of God saith it and so was the seed he speaks of infallible as he calls it within the Covenant The like now all that by profession are admitted into Gospel-Churches We have the same rule to judge by That they are as really within the covenant as the seed of Abraham was then By which we may see the Objection stands in force notwithstanding those puffs of wind he hath given at it 2. Neither doth his bringing in that great Catalogue of Israels sins at all help him For though it is not denyed but the most part of them were wicked and prophane yet as a separated people God had chosen out from the rest of the world to be a Church to whom he committed his Oracles in that sense they were a people in covenant and so stood till they were divorc't and cast off from being a people For which see Rom. 9. at large And the reason why they were so wicked and profane may be gathered from that place before mentioned Gen. 18.19 because they kept not up family duties grew carnal and loose in their Judgements and therefore looseness in practice and conversation followed a needful Item to all Gods people in these days The like answer is to be given to Joh. 8 40 44. by all which then it appears that not one Argument he hath hitherto brought proves Circumcision to be a covenant of works we are now arrived at his last Argument and that drawn from the many inconveniencies that will follow if it be maintained a covenant of Grace therefore so to understand Scriptures as to cross any fundamentals cannot be agreeable to the mind of God CHAP. XI Contains a vindication of the First Second and Third Fundamentall P. pag. 71. IF the covenant of Circumcision made with Abraham and his seed and those also that were born in his house or bought with mony amongst the families of Israel were a covenant of Grace then it interessed all persons by nature or practice into the choice priviledges of Adoption sonship justification the inward work of sanctification all which iâ— asserted by those who hold Infant-baptism And then this fundamental in Religion is denyed That all mankinde by nature are children of wrath and that all men are not charged under sin both Jews and Gentiles and that none is righteous no not one But saith Mr P. be it known to you it was a truth through Israel in their Generations and then he brings in many Scriptures to prove that men by nature are children of wrath c. A. 1. And be it known to you again That this fundamental truth is such that we all vail to and therefore it is not so much as toucht much less rooted up by our Doctrine or practice in maintaining Circumcision a Covenant of Grace which I now come to make appear and still by the former distinction Therefore I shall desire the Reader to give me his hand that we may not break company till the storm is over 1 There is a twofold Adoption and therefore 2 A twofold sonship 3 A twofold Sanctification 4 A twofold Justification These and all these outward and inward so that by vertue of the extent of the covenant made with Abraham persons are born into those outward priviledges though not into the spiritual part thereof and thus were Israel adopted Rom. 9.4 For it is one of the first priviledges that St. Paul reckons Israel had to whom pertained the Adoption and the glory c. By which we see that the Adoption appertained to all Israel that is God made choice of them to make them his peculiar sons and people by taking them into the visible pale of the covenant of grace when all the Nations of the earth besides were past by So that no people or Nation in the world could say God was their father but the Jews which is the benefit of Adoption in either respect But inward Adoption runs more spiritually therefore called the spirit of Adoption Rom. 8. Thus also all Israel were the sons of God for which the Scripture is so cleer That such who deny it do but discover much ignorance See therefore these Texts Hos 4.1 ch 11.1 Joh. 8.41 Ezek. 20.21 And thus they are called the first-born Exod. 4.22 23. And they had all the service of sons to do to God in the wilderness The like also of sanctification when persons are by Gods appointment separated and set a part to a holy use of which divers instances might be given before and since Christ so also Justification outward before men as well as
inward or how else should there be any communion of Saints on earth Thus Hagars son though by nature born under a covenant of works was a Church member And he could call Abraham father as Isaac could though not under such a spiritual consideration for still the in-works of Adoption Sonship Justification and Sanctification have run by promâ—se in a close hidden and spiritual way woâ—king upon and changing the heart And though Isaac Jacob and the rest of the line were all born in sin as well as Ishmael and Esau yet the Promise takes time to work and brings in the Elect of God some later some sooner yea let us bring down this again to a parallel and compare it to the practice of M. P. Sure I am he cannot say that all he and others with him plunged upon their profession of faith are the real Adopted sons of God or realâ—y holy or really justifyed or sanctifyed that is spiritually But this they may say they are visibly such and some may be such also spiritually but who they be is unknown to man and yet all were alike by nature born in sin and children of wrath 2. And thus all those Scriptures Ephes 2.2 by nature children of wrath Rom. 3.9 none righteous no not one are answered This was also the equal condition of Paul David and the rest born and conceived in sin and yet as Abrahams seed they were interessed in the covenant then as believers and their seed are now We may then see how his heap of chaff cast upon the truth begins already to be blown away II. P. The second fundamental which he proclaims to the world that our practice overturns is stability in a covenant of eternal life for if all Israel were born in the covenant of Grace then all should be saved but there were but a remnant of Israel saved all the rest damned Isa 10.22 23. Rom. 9.22 And if so born they must needs fall away from Grace A. As stability in Grace is a glorious truth so neither doth this touch it For it onely makes the outward part of the covenant instable That is a falling away from their visible being in the covenant for as hath been said a man may be in the covenant yet not in the Grace of the covenant Thus Israel and all those Gospel hypocrites mentioned fell away but the election still remained so the branches that were in Christ Joh. 15. that bare not fruit were cut off and withered and thus all those Texts that speak of a falling away are to be understood The like now though many Apostates fall from the ways of God yet the covenant remains stable and the same for ever III. P. The third foundation he pretends to be shaken is the necessity of conversion and regeneration which is a Doctrine eminently confirmed by Christ in the Gospel for which he brings several Texts of Scripture but to hold a covenant of life to run upon the carnal seed of believers opposeth this for then when Christ said Except a man be born again â—e cannot enter into the kingdom of God Israel might answer that 's not true we have an interest in the covenant of Grace already and except ye believe that I am he ye shall dye in your sins they might say again that 's not true for we know another way â—o heaven then by believing and 1 Joh. 5. He that hath not the Son hath not life This error replyes there be thousands interessed in life without having Christ by carnal generation Thus far he with much more of the like stuffe with which he fills three pages together A. Neither doth it at all intrench upon this Doctrine as falsly suggested therefore to cleer this we are to consider first the ground of this mistake of his from whence it riseth as any man may easily see namely that the Doctrine of Conversion Repentance and Regeneration is to be preacht onely to such as are without the Church and Kingdom of Christ for his argument runs as taking it for granted that such as are the subjects of the kingdom are such in reality when as by the former distinctions it is most apparent that some are such visibly onely and some really 2. Therefore consider the Doctrines mentioned are part of that Gospel which is the kingdoms Gospel as Christ calls it and hath been ever preacht to the subjects of the kingdom so it was to Israel of old and though believers and their seed were taken into the covenant already proved to be of grace yet this Doctrine of the new birth was preacht to them which is abundantly cleer from Christs words to Nicodemus Joh. 3. a place by himself quoted Art thou a Doctor in Israel and knowest not what the doctrine of the new birth means implying That he shewed himself very ignorant when he knew not that which was preacht amongst Israel adding this also That the Ordinance of Circumcision so frequently used was but a Type of the Circumcision upon the heart yea the whole tenor of the old-Testament runs in such terms that cleerly shew their blessedness lies in repenting and turning to God in pardon of sin in setting their delight in the Laws of the Lord trusting in God and setting their hope in God the book of Psalms is full of it So also in those primitive Churches planted by the Apostles themselves who in admission of members had a better insight to the truth of grace upon the heart then any since and yet this Doctrine they preacht to the Church 2 Cor. 5.17 Rom. 2.29 ch 6.11.8.10 Gal. 5.19 Eph. 4.23 therefore such as think the Doctrines of Repentance New-birth c. should be preacht to the world onely may hence see their mistakes amongst which number Mr P. is one I shall still draw down the parallel to his practice which I judge to be a good way to convinâ—e our dissenting friends of their error can he think that all that runs in the same ra e with him I mean into the water that they have no need of preaching Repentance or the new-birth amongst them surely if that be his judgment he discovers more ignorance and weakness then ever Nicodemus did Therefore 3. Let us glean up his Scriptures The reproof that John gave the Pharisees was not for pleading a title to Abrahams covenant as his seed for it is evident he baptâ—zed upon that accompt for had not the Pharisees claimed the Ordinances as Abrahams seed because the rest did so the reproof given them had been little better then non-sense but he checks them for their wickedness in not walking as became Abrahams children So also Joh. 8.32 The like also Luke 16. a place M. P. much delights to name thinking it makes for his opinion because Dives in hell owned Abraham as a Father and Abraham owned him as a son but yet for all that saith Mr. Patient he was damned A. There is none denyes but Abraham had more children damned then saved yet nevertheless such as
were saved were Abrahams children and saved by Abrahams covenant And it is impossible that M. P. himself should ever be saved out of that covenant though at present he so much slights it The reproof therefore that was given to Dives was not because he called Abraham Father as one of his sons but because he lived as an Epicure and a glutton as the whole parable makes evident And methinks Abrahams Charity should be a sufficient reproof to Mr. P. for his want thereof whereas therefore he tels us we have found out a newer way to heaven then by the Doctrine of regeneration it is but a taunt wherein he discovers by what spirit he writes and speaks Let therefore such ingenious spirits to whom he makes his appeal judge righteous judgement CHAP. XII Wherein the fourth and fifth Fundamentals are maintained IV. P. pag. 79. THe next Fundamental he tells us we destroy by maintaining Circumcision a covenant of Grace Is the Doctrine of the new covenant the nature of it and the manner of Gods making of it with the soul in which he writes his Laws in the heart and pardons their sins infuseth Faith binds himself over to be their God without any condition in the creature And thus and no otherwise doth God make a new covenant with the soul whereas this dream would make us believe that a whole Nation may be in the new covenant and yet have no work of Grace wrought upon the heart A. That the new covenant hath conditions hath been already proved God neither pardons saves nor justifies any man without the condition of the covenant which ever was is and will be Faith and Repentance which two are of a large extent and brings in a close walking with God in his Word and Ordinances and leads to a holy life without which none shall ever see the face of God Look back to Abrahams covenant was it not made with him as a believer Rom. 4.3 what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness Had not Abraham been a believer righteousness had not been imputed to him and that this is a condition the Apostle makes it cleer ver 23 24. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him But for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe So that faith is cleerly held forth as the condition both to Jew and Gentile Isa 56.6 He that keepeth the Sabboth from polluting it and taketh hold on my covenant Him will I make joyful in my house of prayer For my house shall be called the house of prayer of all Nations what covenant is this that a man must lay hold of but that of free-grace which relates to his house of prayer in all Nations For his Gospel-house with whom that covenant is made is as well called the house of prayer as the Temple so that look how far the house of prayer goes to that people and Nation both the Sabboth and Covenant goes also so as they must keep the one and take hold of the other Obj. But saith the opponent though Faith be the hand yet it is God that gives the hand so that still the Covenant is without conditions Ans This is still to argue pro and con For if Faith be the hand and condition of the covenant then it is on the creatures side that it is so and not on Gods And the covenant is not made with any creature till they have a hand to receive it And though it be given by free-grace yet when it is given it is the creatures hand as the hand and eye of my body it is free-grace that gives them but when they are given they are my hands and my eys And thus the Apostle argues it is of faith that it may be by grace and hereby grace doth abound that God should give the Gospel and Covenant upon conditions and when these conditions are wrought by his Grace yet he should look upon them as ours yea Mr Patient hath before acknowledged That faith is the condition of the covenant and therefore whereas he here tells us God infuseth faith and binds himself over to the soul without conditions it is a meer contradiction because that faith so infused is that condition which takes hold on the covenant and by this new covenant were Abraham Isaac Jacob Joseph David Solomon Nathan and all the people of God under the old-Testament justifyed and saved into the visible part of which covenant all their seed was taken yea the whole Nation of Israel And that they shall be so taken in again see Rom. 11. at large compared with Jer. 31.1 therefore for him to call it a dream is not onely a discovery of his shallowness but also an affront put upon those holy worthies before mentioned by which he doth manifest it to the world affirming that the Covenant of Grace hath no conditions that he is a high Antinomian as well as an Anabaptist V. P. pag. 80. His next Fundamental is the doctrine of Justification by Faith which this opinion of Circumcision to be a covenant of Grace destroys in that it holds forth another way to obtain Justification by then faith which is by carnal birth of believing parents For if a soul be admitted into a covenant of life thereby I hope you are not ignorant that justification by faith is the great priviledge of the new covenant and really the portion of all that are in that covenant A. He here affirms two direct untruths But what 's that when there is nothing else to be found in his whole book 1 He tells us we hold another way of justification then faith by carnal birth c. which we abhor 2 Another gross untruth is That Justification to life is the real portion of all within the covenant of Grace Therefore let the former distinction be still minded and then it is apparent that we affirm no more but that believers seed have right to the external part of the covenant of grace which Circumcision was a part of as hath been proved as for the spiritual part of the covenant namely that justification by faith which he speaks of it hath ever been conveyed in a secret way of the spirits working upon the heart from which it is evident that persons may be visibly within the covenant and yet have no real work of Grace in their souls so as to be justifyed as those examples beforementioned do abundantly prove for then Judas had been really justifyed Take in also the parallel then al the members of their dipt societies would be really justifyed had we nothing else to plead but the sensible experience of these times it would be enough to shew the falsity of such an assertion for how many not onely of them but of others also have fallen away to diabolical delusions Thus far therefore we see those foundations by him pretended to be shaken remain notwithstanding his high swelling language untoucht and
footsteps of the flock have gone before us whereas if the blind lead the blind they both tumble into a ditch or River And thus both the matter and form of a true Gospel-Church is maintained by our doctrine and practice VII The last head of Fundamentals which he saith our doctrine and practice destroys is P. That persons may have a right to a covenant of life without an in-being in Christ by faith and is it not therefore a sad thing that persons that profess themselves Ministers and to have knowledge in the Gospel should be so blinded as to mislead people in so weighty a point as this is and that they should endeavor to leaven thousands of people with such a sad error as opposeth it self against the substance of the Gospel c. A. It hath been the main policy of Satan in all times of Reformation to endeavor the subversion of the Ministery of Christ and by all means to make them fall as stars from heaven because he then knows how to carry on his kingdom works of darkness And if Israel cannot be overcome when they are united to one God in one way in one Commonwealth he will then divide them because then he knows his work will thrive in the hands of Jeroboams Priests We may here see what a heighth the false Prophets of this Commonwealth are come to that they can without check smite the Prophets of God upon the face with reviling words dragon-like casting a flood of waters out of their mouths that so their may not escape we may doubt such words are but preludiums to a remaining Tragedy I speak the more in this because I have also seen a piece called the Kings of the East which may be rather called the devils pleading for a Pulpit in which when he speaks to the Ministers for licence to make use of them he tells us if they will not give leave they shall be prayed down and pulled down But I hope they rage the more because they have but a short time But to come to the answer What he hath here said is of the same nature with what he hath spoken before and so hath been already answered Before he charged our baptism to be a counterfeit baptism and here again our Ministers are blinde and misleade thousands to oppose the substance of the Gospel What taunting bold language is this and how unfit for a man of his thred-bare knowledge and profession I hope the reader will excuse me because it is to speak a word for those choice leaders of Christs flock who are as sheep dumb before the shearers of our times 2. The former distinction of the covenant must be still minded and then it is apparent that the charge put in against our Ministery is false I have been one of their followers above this 12 yeers I bless God I never heard such a doctrine delivered That propagation gave an in-being in the spiritual part of the covenant of Grace which is that M. P intends by the covenant of life Therefore what the Prophet said to Ahab is not mis-applyed to him It is he and such like as he That are the troublers of Israel That leavens the Nations with errors That run before they are sent for he whom God hath sent speaks the things of God he speaks not the things of God because he understands them not as hath been made appear hitherto he understands not the covenant of Grace from works what the new covenant is the extent thereof how to baptize or whom to baptize And therefore with the false Prophets he teaches to revolt from God and his ways The Reader may by this time see what wood hay and stubble he hath built that not one Argument hitherto either to prove our practice to overthrow the forenamed Fundamentaâ—s or Circumcision a covenant of Works hath been made good Therefore it is evident That they remain unmoveable and untoucht notwithstanding those horrible outcryes wherewith he chargeth our doctrine and practice withal pag. 83. CHAP. XIV The Third general head answered P. THe third head propounded to be proved by him was that none but believers had or shall have a right to the covenant of Grace to prove which he tells us that so soon as the seed of the woman was promised to our first Parents after the fall the Lord immediately made an outward covenant of Works which was typical and intayled upon the flesh out of which Christ was to come which was more dark till Abrahams days then till Moses more cleer and then from Moses it brake forth cleerly and so continued till Christ in whom it ceas'd and ended A. That those typical Ceremonies by him called a covenant of works was part of the covenant of Grace hath been fully proved Therefore le ts keep the old distinction and hold fast the form of sound words to cast off which is of as dangerous a consequence as to strip the Barke from the Tree and then let the other grow if it can Besides note what must necessarily follow I. God made a covenant of works with Adam which he broke II. God made a covenant of Grace after he fell III. God made again another covenant of Works so that here is implyed either 1 That the covenant of Gâ—ace was incompleat and had not a Table sufficiently furnisht to accommodate all parts of man And therefore he must be left to a covenant of works for temporals so to help out what the other wants or 2 That mans happiness in a state of Grace was so imperfect and unstable that he fell back into a covenant of works or 3 That God after he had made a covenant of Grace with man upon better consideration took that away and re-stated him in a covenant of works or 4 That a believer as before observed may be in two covenants at once or 5 That God had rather all men should be damned then saved And 6 That upon Christs coming the conditions of the covenant of Grace by him called of works being abolisht as such a covenant Therefore now man either stands loose or free from all Ordinances and Sabboths or else the observing the Sabboths or keeping to them must be a new covenant of works Thus it is apparent what a rock of error and heresie we should at last split upon by imbracing such fantastical notions as this patron of plunging would dowse us into Therefore let the Reader observe that Heb. 11. and he shall finde the typical worship was then made acceptable to God by believing as our Ordinances are now which had it been a covenent of works it would have stood directly opposed to faith therefore it was of faith that it might be by grace But when he speaks of a covenant of works then If it be of works it is no more of Grace otherwise Grace is no more Grace And take also a brief touch of the parallel of that administration which was the old covenant and so of works Then as
before the Gospel-administration must be a new covenant of works And so what M. P. doth though onely a pretender to Gospel-rule in wading into mill-pools and Rivers must be as indeed it is a branch of such a covenant of Works Therefore not of Grace P. pag. 87 88. The reason why God made choice of Abrahams family and not Lots or any of the rest of the godly families in the world it was not because Abraham was any more a believer or his Family for then Lot and his family and the rest had been taken into the covenant of Circumcision because they did believe as well as Abraham For this is a sure rule If God gives a promise or command to a person as a believer then whosoever believes that command and promise belongs to them and for this he brings the example of Joshua I will not leave thee which the Apostle applyes to the Church Heb. 13.5 now the covenant made with Abraham was therefore to shew the world that Christ must come out of his flesh c. A. Though I grant that Abraham was not pitcht upon as a believer barely yet had he not been a believer he could not have been the father of the faithful 2 If that had been all to point out to the world from whence they might expect the Messias then Cirâ—umcision might as well have been given to Seth Enos or Shem c. and so have distinguisht the whole race yea God must afterwards have given some distinct sign to Judah because all Jacobs twelve sons were circumcised So that the world would be at as great a loss to know in which of al these twelve the line was to run Therefore if we do but look into the grounds of the Promises we shall finde there were many other main and choice ends as namely By the multiplying of believers as the stars of heaven who also are called the seed they might thereby become blessings to families and Nations For as Jesus Christ was the great blessing so every believer was also to be a little blessing According to the promise I will bless thee and thou shalt be a blessing and by this means God makes use of believers to be as his leaven to leaven the whole lump so that in this way Christs kingdom shall at last spread through the earth 2 To make Abraham a publike Father to the believing Gentiles and their seed since the coming of Christ as he was to the Jews and their seed before Christ came 3 To seal the possession of Canaan to him and the heirs of Promise as a type of heaven and to give them possession of that Land in a way of conquest Gen. 22.17 Luke 1.73 4 To shew the immutability of his counsel and purpose to the Gentiles Heirs with him of the same promises that so we in Gospel days might have ground of consolation in all straits and extremities that the heirs under the Gospel might meet with because they also have a wilderness to go through Rev. 12.6 and Canaanites to subdue and conquer Gen. 9.27 And a like rest with that of Canaan to possess Heb. 4.1 Therefore Abraham is held out as a publike Father to look at thereby to see and behold Gods variety of dealings with him and with his seed after him either in war or peace prosperity or adversity hereby to strengthen Faith in the like case that so as David saith one deep may call out to another at the noise of Gods water-spouts when the billows overflow These and all these and more then these were the ends for which God made choice of Abraham to give the Promises unto with the oath and seal all which do substantially continue to this day being by Christ handed over to the Gentiles with the old seal taken off which as Lord of all he had power to do and a new seal added in the room thereof to the same covenant which amounts to no more then the taking off a seal of red wax from a covenant and putting a seal of white wax in the place thereof yet the covenant still remains II. To that which he saith that if a command or promise be given to a believer as a believer it then as a sure rule belongs to every one that is a believer A. That 's no true rule therefore not a sure rule because a promise that suits to one mans condition as a believer doth not therefore suit with every believers condition neither doth the end of God in giving one believer a Promise reach to the same end in all believers unless so circumstantiated as for instance God gave Abraham Circumcision as a believer And his end was to make Abraham a publike Father yet this did not therefore reach to all believers For he did not intend to make any more publike fathe s then one the like we may say of that instance he gives of Joshua The command and Promise given to him was as a Captain General and believer and so it could not reach to all believers upon those terms for though he was commanded to be of a good courage c. and fight and he should not be forsaken yet that command doth not reach to all believers because we see many believers have fallen in the wars and their enemies have been the conquerors yea such a command would then reach to women because they are believers And the reason why that promise was applyed to the believing Hebrews is because one promise hath several aspects And so suits to several conditions it being as a sprig of the whole bundle that suits all conditions So the several cures that Christ wrought upon persons as believers and some in a way of promise doth not therefo e instate all believers in such a promise that they shall so be cured when the holy Ghost tells us the prayer of faith shall save the sick doth this give al believers an interest into the direct intent of that promise there is therefore much Christian prudence to be observed in chusing and applying promises to pick out such as are suitable to a believers condition The Reader may therefore see how sadly confident and ignorant this man is who yet is lookt upon as the Nicodemus of that party P. pag. 86. For many pages he goes on to shew that the whole line by promise mentioned in Luke 3. it was onely an external election into a covenant of works and Cain Ham Ishmael Esau were therefore outwardly rejected from that covenant A. It hath been already proved that all the line by promise are more then externally elected yea so to affirm is strongly to suppose that some of that elect line might be damned because thousands so elected are never saved and some of those so rejected might go to heaven though t is expresly against the scriptures the naming of which methinks should be a sufficient confutation As to the six sons of Keturah which he speaks of in page 90 which were Abrahams seed and sent away into
the east Country The answer is plain that so long as they were in Abrahams family and Circumcised they were all Church-members and visibly in the covenant as their brother Ishmael was but being turnd out of the family they lost the Church priviledges as not being heirs of promise as for their being gracious we have no ground to think they were but the contrary And had Ishmael Esau and Keturahs sons been kept within the covenant there had then been no partition wall betwixt Jew and Gentile For the whole Nation of Israel came onely from the line of Isaac P. pag. 91 92. He tells us that all the Nations of the earth were to be blest alike in him i. e. saith Mr Patient in the spiritual covenant And Circumcision was but a chusing of one Nation into a Church covenant for matter of worship A. He cleerly confounds Abrahams covenant and blessings for if all Nations were equally alike blest as to the spiritual part of the covenant To what end then should God pitch upon any people or Nation to walk in his Ordinances when the spiritual part of the covenant was not to be conveyed in them or if it was yet upon such terms that other Nations without such Ordinances did injoy as much and then to what purpose should Israel be at such pains cost and charges in their Offerings or spend time to hear read pray or keep the Sabboths if all these were but as shel s without a kernel yea had it not been a burthensom yoak and might not Gods people have said why shall we spend so much time and take so much pains and be at such costs to worship God when other Nations that do none of all this yet they injoy as much of the spiritual covenant and so of Justification and salvation yea as much of the world as we I appeal to the Consciences of all our dissenting friends whether this be not to preach up revolt Apostasies and backslidings from the ways of God and to make the hearts and spirits of Gods people to disrelish them as an unsavory dish yea such a doctrine as this tells the world that where God gâ—ves Ordinances they prove a curse and not a bâ—essing whereas that holy Apostle tells us Eph. 2.12 That at â—hat time we were without Christ aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel strangers from the covenants of Promise having no hope without God in the world And so David Psal 147.19 20. he hath given his word to Jacob his Statutes to Israel he hath not dealt so with any Nation Therefore when God tells Abraham that in him all Nations of the earth should be blest he intends a time and order for this blessing to work and not in all at once nor in all parts at once And so the Apostle after argues To you first God hath sent his son to bless you and if the Jews first then the Gentiles afterwards yea when it came to the Gentiles there was a divine order in conveighing this blessing falling like the showrs of heaven sometimes in one Country sometimes in another First it spreads about Jerusalem then it Coasts up in Africa by means of the Eunuch then the light grows dark and out it breaks in Europe Spain Italy Greece afterwards again when Popery had overspread the earth then it breaks out in France Germany Bohemia Netherlands Denmark Sweden England Scotland and Ireland all which tells us that Gods Ark of worship is Ambulatory not fixt to any place by reason of the wickedness of a people as Christ tells the Jews Mat. 21.43 The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to another Nation that shall bring forth the fruits thereof the Lord grant we finde it not true in these Nations by sad experience for there are sad symptomes and chiefly when reproach and contempt is cast upon the Ministers of Christ without check or controle thus then we may see what desperate errors are like to come in at this watergate if it be not kept shut and all for want of a right understanding of the covenant made with Abraham I shall not meddle with his typical election because it runs upon the same foot with the former already answered that place by him quoted 2 Cor. 3. of the ministring of the spirit meets also with the like quarter by his false interpretations of the rest for I must profess I have not seen throughout his whole book any one Text brought but hath been either falsly opened or falsly applyed In pag. 91. He tells us that Jacob in the womb was no more the seed of a believer then Esau which shall be easily granted if his ingenuity will but grant also that Jacob was more the seed of Promise then Esau which is a sufficient answer P. Pag. 92.93 He again harps upon the old string thus Circumcision was not given to Abraham and his seed considered as a believer but to shew us that the Messias was to come from Abraham not from Lot from Isaac not Ishmael from Jacob not Esau therefore here you may nakedly see how grosly they mistake that think the covenant was made with Abraham and his seed considered as a believer and believers seed therefore if a national covenant was made with Abraham and his seed upon this reason before then you cannot conclude that Abrahams covenant belongs to any Gentile because when Christ was come and the ground upon which the covenant was given ceasing the covenant also ceaseth so that now to defend a covenant in the flesh is a doctrine virtually to deny that Christ is come and hence therefore we may conclude that there was no covenant of grace made with any but such as did and do believe that objection therefore that spiritual priviledges under the Gospel are not less then they were under the Law is hereby answered A. I have here taken in the matter of these pages without mangling as neer as I could because this eclipse will make truth break ouâ— more glorious and instead of seeing the naked truth we may see rather his nakedness and so his shame Therefore 1 If the covenant had not been made with Abraham as a believer then it had not been made with him at all as already proved and so the Apostle tells us he received the sign of Circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had c. implying that if Abraham had not enjoyed that righteousness he could not have enjoyed the seal of it 2 Had it been given him barely to proclaim Christ to the world as to come from him and so nothing else to be expected from that covenant then as before there must have been another mark found out to shew in which of Jacobs twelve sons the line was to run For notwithstanding Circumcision M. P. would be to seek had it not been for Mat. 1. and Luke 3. therefore 3 We have it laid down before that Abrahams covenant in the blessings thereof had many other choice
branches which reaches into Gospel-days since the exhibition of Christ to the worlds end For which cause Abraham is called the Father of believers under the Gospel which could not be that we should be Abrahams children If the blessing of Abrahams covenant reacht onely to Christ as pointing at him for so we must have been Christs children not Abrahams 4 Then the Apostle knew not what he said Gal. 3.14 when he tels the Church That Abrahams blessing is come upon the Gentiles through Christ For if it were onely meant of Christ then it would lose the title of Abrahams blessing But though Christ be come yet the blessing is Abrahams blessing still yea Christ is come that he may conveigh the blessing from the Jews to us as heirs with them and not distinct from them and what blessing it should be called Abrahams which Christ should hand over to us if not the blessings of the covenant in all the veins thereof is not to be understood Therefore 5 As the promise oath and seal were joyned together to make the blessings of Abraham sure so were they all conveyed to us intirely to shew the immutability of his counsel and purpose to us as it did to the Jews Heb. 6.18 that so the heirs of Abrahams promise under the Gospel might have strong consolation And upon this account it was the Apostle in Rom. 4. bids them cast an eye back upon Abraham their father to see how he was justifyed which had it not been so they would have been sent to Christ as a pattern not to Abraham He should have been called their father not Abraham so when he tells the Galatians ch 4.28 in order to rectifie their judgements in the like mistake of Justâ—fication now ye brethren as Isaac was are the children of the promise It had been to no purpose unless Isaacs promise had remained for they could not be children of that which was not From all which we see into what mistakes he is got and how sadly bewildered with his own notions upon what sl ght promises he draws so high conclusions to make his ware vendible For notwithstanding any thing he hath spoken as Abrahams blessings and covenant do not cease though Christ be come so neither do we deny by this opinion of ours that Christ is come or do we expect another Christ to come as he suggests It therefore appears the covenant of grace is of such extent that it takes in thousands into the visible part thereof that shall never be saved so that still the objection which he saith is answered remains in full force and vertue that the priviledges are not straitned more then they were under the Law therefore as children were then in covenant and received the seal so are they still in covenant and the Gospel seal is their due and cannot be denyed them P. Pag 94. The new covenant was confirmed of God in Christ onely Gal. 3.17 therefore it cannot belong unto any souls out of Christ 1 Cor 11.25 This cup is the new Testament in my blood If the New Testament be in Christs blood then what hath any carnal unbelieving wretch to do with this Testament that hath not faith in his blood A. These Texts makes full against him For that place Gal. 3.17 tells us that Abrahams covenant which was 430 yeers before the Law was confirmed in Christs blood Therefore the Law coming after could not make the Promises of God of none effect If then Abrahams covenant in which children were included were confirmed in that blood this new covenant being the same with Abrahams as himself confesseth and confirmed by the same blood Infants are still within the same covenant For the covenant is in Christ Yea and Amen to all the persons included in the covenant As there is a double being in the covenant internal and external so a double being in Christ Joh. 15.3 4 which being well distinguisht will cleer all such doubts Some of the seed are onely in Christ externally as Ishmael Esau and others Internally also as Isaac Jacob and so in the covenant whether Adult or Infants the like to be said to 1 Cor. 11.25 That cup is the New Testament or a seal of the New-Testament to all that are within that Testament As Christs blood typically sealed the first Testament to Abraham and his seed so Christs blood seals the New-Testament to believers and their seed of which that cup is the Sacramental remembrance the like also to Mat. 3 17. my son in whom I am well pleased i. e. as God was well pleased with Abraham his seed by promise that were in the covenant co firmed by Christs blood so is he now well pleased with believers and their seed by promise in the same covenant confirmed by Christs blood The same answer is to be given to all the rest of those places by him quoted with which he fills many pages to prove that none can be in the covenant of Grace except he be first in Christ P. In pag. 95. He condoles the sadness of these times That when the means of grace and knowledge of the Gospel is so plentifully held forth yet we must be forc'd to bestow such pains to prove that men cannot be in a state of salvation and acceptation before God in a covenant of Grace without union with Christ by Faith A. Alas poor man he would fain be pittyed for the pains he takes but who is it that puts him to it but his own erring spirit which makes him afraid of his own shadow Is there any of us that affirms so wickedly that acceptation is to be had in God without union with Christ If not he deals the more deceitfully to suggest such things as if our Ministry did it Therefore 2 Whereas he saith the means of Grace hath been plâ—ntifully held forth It seems it is not by his opposites the publike Ministers For how can such hold forth the means of Grace that shall affirm such an acceptation is to be had without such an union which he affirms to be the principles of those that plead for infant-baptism but blessed be God If you have no better warrant to justifie your irregular and unnatural practice withal and condemn ours then such calumnies the experience of these days speaks aloud who it is that have held forth the means of Grace and glorious light of the Gospel It is evident enough from the budding and fructility of Aarons rod of whom it may be said they preach with Authority and not as the Scribes for their rods are dry and barren because they preach not conversion but subversion I shall touch upon a Scripture or two more leaving the rest for the Reader to answer in his own thoughts For indeed not one of them proves any thing he asserts Joh. 14.6 Mat. 7.14 He that hath Christ hath life he that hath not Christ hath not life we say the same but he that hath not Christ spiritually may have a visible right to the
covenant of Grace as those hypocrites had so often mentioned So in their own P. So he quotes Joh. 16. that Christ calls the unbelievers in the national Church of the Jews the world I have chosen you out of the world and their being circumcised freed them not from being justly so called A. The answer is The words are directed to the Disciples as a people that acknowledged Christ exhibited and so were Gospel worshippers And the unbelievers amongst the Anabaptists may as well be called the world if the comparison relates to one that truely believes as the Jews were called the world when Christs words related to his real believing Disciples For the denying of Christ to be the Messias was that which distinguisht because such a denyal led them to keep up a form of worship that did directly oppose the Gospel P. Another Scripture Rom. 4.16 It is of faith that it might be by grace but if the covenant was made to the seed it could not be of faith and so not of grace A. Here is sad work made in his interpretations was it not of Faith to Abraham that it might be by Grace to him and his seed for shame abuse not the Scripture so grosly It was of Faith that it might be by grace to the end the Promise might be sure to all the seed and who this seed was he tells us little children if we may draw it from Isaacs being a child in Isaac shall thy seed be called And because the Gentiles shall know that the word seed reaches them therefore he adds not to that onely which is of the Law c. So that as it was to Abraham by faith that it might be of Grace to his seed So is it now of Faith to a believer that it might be of Grace to his seed So also he quotes Act. 15.4 He put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith A. If God put no difference how durst he do it then P. So Gal. 3.2 4. we are all one in Christ Jesus A. How then can he answer it before God to make us twain For as Abraham and his seed through the Law were in covenant so are believers and their seed now or else we are not all one in Christ but two seeds P. As for that opposition he gives page 99. That a temporal election into a temporal covenant was a type of the spiritual election into a spiritual covenant A. It is a whimsey of his own brain that can never be made good and therefore it shews a giddy spirit after notions P. Again Heb. 11.6 without faith it is impossible to please God therefore none can be in a covenant of Grace but such as believe So Abel A. We please God by Faith now as those worthies in that chap. mentioned did then for therefore the Apostle brings in them for an example so the answer is still the same Look how Abraham our Father pleased God in circumcising his seed as in the covenant in which there was an act of Faith and how the contrary in Moses neglecting the seal displeased God so are believers to please God by sealing their seed and the neglect hereof provokes the wrath of God as it is evident from this example by which we see that if we would please God as Abraham did we must then walk in the steps of Abraham and it is agreeable and not opposite to faith or grace to seal our Infants Thus Christian Reader thou maist see all the Scriptures by himself quoted to maintain his opinions they do like the stars of heaven in their courses fight against this Sisera P. The last place is Rev. 21.8 The fearful and unbelieving shall have their portion in the lake of fire A. Is not this well applyed to the thing in hand or doth he with one blast of his Nostrils turn all children to hell The Lord rebuke him even the Lord. CHAP. XV. The 2 Act. 3.1 Cor. 7.14 vindicated in answer to his last general head Pag. 101 102. WE are now come to his last head to examine the answer he gives to our Scripture Allegations and accordingly to reply The first Scripture he quarrels with is Act. 2.39 The promise is to you and your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call P. To which he saith the promise is just to so many as God shall cal and by Promise he opens the remission of sins and gift of the holy Ghost and then he makes this flourish I pray take notice how evident the Text makes against this error That the covenant of Grace should be made with the fleshly line of believers and to confirm the meaning of the word call in his sense he brings Rom. 8.30 and Heb. 9.15 and 1 Pet. 2.9 All which speaks of an effectual Call Rep. We are here to consider to whom the words were spoken 1. namely to the Jews who were troubled in spirit about their condition such who had crucifyed Jesus Christ that had wisht his blood to be upon them and their children Mat. 27.23 The promise is to you and your children this promise cannot be meant of the gifts of the holy Ghost by tongues and miracles for that would have been no solid cure to a wounded conscience as theirs was Judas had such gifts but they could not mâ—ke his conscience whole who was guilty of the same sin 2 This Promise was to relate to them afar off that is the Gentilâ—s it could not be therefore such Gifts for they ceast in that age and the Gentiles afar off never had them though yet the Gentiles did repent and were baptized therefore by this promise called the promise must be meant such a promise which they well knew and were acquainted with and therefore must be that of Abrahams covenant made to him and his seed So the Apostle Gal. 3. To Abraham and his seed were the promises made ver 16. not seeds as of many but as of one i. e. the Jewish seed and Gentile seed make but one seed i e. Christ mystical in his political body 1 Cor. 12.27 So here again the promise is to you and your seed Quest But what was there in Abrahams promise to cure a wounded Conscience For such were the persons mentioned therefore the salve must be suitable A. All good things were in it that related to Grace or Glory I will be thy God what could be said more what promise will cure a wounded Conscience if this will not T is a salve most proper to the ground of their distemper they had crucifyed God the son And this promise tells them he was theirs notwithstanding For the words I will be thy God imply personal promises so the father saith I wiâ—l be thy God and the Son I will be thy God and the Holy Ghost I will be thy God a promise sufficient enough to bear up a sinking world suitable to Gal. 3.14 explained v. 8. before to be in
p. 116. This Text Ro. 11. doth fully make against any fleshly coveâ—ant or fleshly line of believers because from ver 20 to 24 the Gentiles come to be Abrahams spiritual seed and so branches onely by faith in Christ the fat Olive And if the Gentiles are graffed in contrary to nature then it cuts off all Gentile-seed who came in by nature And though the Jews were cut off for unbelief yet this opinion doth ingraff the carnal seed of the Gentiles into the midst of that unbelief A. That by natural branches is to be understood the Jews and their children and by branches wild by nature the Gentiles and their children hath been already proved See the answer to pag. 82. And that the cutting off and graffing in related to Parents and children hath been also cleered To which I refer the Reader onely adding Jer. 31.1 Isai 65.23 therefore to interpret by natural branches only adult believers and by branches wild by natu e the Infants of believers is to restrain and eclipse the intent of the Holy Ghost in the place cited and supposeth strongly that all such adult believers are really ingraffed into Christ When as Christ himself tells us there may be some branches in him cut off and withered Joh. 15.2 4 5 6. And that Infants are all damned because all wild by nature 2 Where he tells us of ingraffing into the midst of their unbelief is â—â—lse for we ingraffe into that stock Abr. from which they were cut â—ff for unbelief And if what he asserts in this were true then those believing Jews and their children which were not cut off remain in the midst of their unbelief that were cut off And thus we may sâ—e a man in his nakedness and yet without shame I see I must pass over many of his absurdities and reiterations because they come so fast upon me In pag. 118 he again runs retrograde P. If any hold believers and their seed within the covenant of grace it is a denying of Christ to be come in the flesh and therefore he must needs be a high Antichrist Rep. This hath been already answered and his vain confidence so to affirm hath been manifested that it is apparent if the Reader will but take pains to view the answer to his 93 page it is no denying of Christ to be come in the flesh to maintain Infants right to the Covenant of Grace yea it is a strong Argument to prove Christ is come because the blessing of Abraham is by Christ handed over to the Gentiles Gal. 3.14 which could not have been if Christ had not been exhibited in flesh because the wall of partition could not have been broken down therefore M. P. lies under self-condemnation because to deny the blessing of Abrahams Covenant to be handed over to the Gentiles and their seed is to deny Christ exhibited as that place of Paul proved Gal. 3.14 so that M. P. proves himself an Antichrist Let no man therefore dislike the truth for this Bears skin which this Author of dipping hath cast upon it For it is the devils policy now Antichrist is falling to cry down all Gospel-truths for Antichristian that so they may fall also but mauger all the malice of hell the interest of Children in the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham shall stand and triumph as a glorious truth of the Gospel when Antichrist and his children all petty Antichrists shall tumble together P. Pag. 118. He quotes 2 Cor. 5.16 Henceforth we know no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet henceforth we know him so no more which he explains thus men were known and approved as priviledged persons in Gods Church after the flesh but henceforth we know no man no not Christ himself as interessed in the covenant of Abraham he being a Minister of a better covenant then that of Circumcision grounded upon better promises c. therefore we know no man after the flesh no not Christ himself A. As all other places of Scripture hitherto brought have been abused by false explications and applications so is the intent and meaning of this Text much wrong'd and clouded I shall therefore briefly cleer it The Apostle is telling the Church of Corinth that the Jew had no more benefit by the death of Christ then the Gentile for both Jew and Gentile were all under sin and were therefore all dead If one dyed for all then were all dead It seems many of them thought that because Christ came from the Jews therefore he did bear more love to them then the Gentiles and so it was good being a Jew To which Paul answers True if we that are Jews should judge after the flesh according to our natural affection to our own Nation then we should say so too but the love of Christ constrains us to judge otherwise that is he did not look upon the benefit of this or that Nation peculiarly but this Christ had in his eye Jew and Gentile were all dead and upon this account did Christ die For if one dyed for all then were all dead as if he had said Christ did not intend this Jew should be more priviledged then that Gentile though himself were a Jew therefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh That is we do not now look upon the Jew to have any more priviledge then the Gentiles yea though we have known Christ after the flesh that is though we have known him to be a Jew and to receive the seal of their priviledges only yet henceforth we know him so no more that is we have no more priviledge now by Christs coming from us then the Gentiles nor hath Christ any more income of priviledges from us then he hath from the Gentiles ours is alike from him and his is alike from us and no difference And that this is the true intent of the words see v. 17 18 19 20. Old things are past away i. e. old priviledges that we claimed in Christ before others they are all now conveyed over to the world and therefore he hath committed to us the Gospel of reconciliation to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself i. e. It was onely our Nation that was reconciled before Parents and children called his sons spouse off-spring heirs the blessings of the covenant were ours onely But now all this is tendered to the world Therefore we as Embassadors in Christs stead beseech you to be reconciled And thus you have this innocent Text which hath been turned against Abrahams seed though it harbors not a harsh syllable to babes wrested out of the paw of the Lyon 2 Let us view the second part Christ himself should not be minded as at all interessed in Abrahams Covenant he being now a Minister of a better Covenant c. A. It hath been already fully proved That Abrahams Covenant in all parts thereof was a full and compleat covenant of Grâ—ce and not of Works Therefore M.
shall briefly touch upon this word administration to shew the propriety thereof as used in the Objection The Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 12. useth the same word in the same sense there are differences of administration that is one legal the other Gospel but the same Lord. He is there shewing the different estate that was betwixt Jew and Gentile in the things of God and therefore when he speaks to the Corinthians in ver 2. he speaks so as that he would have them understand the difference betwixt true and false worshippers ye know brethren that ye were Gentiles carryed away to these dumb Idols even as you were led But afterwards having shewed that Christ was to have a mystical Church-body in the world which was to consist of Jews and Gentiles he tells us that in the compleating of this body there are different administrations yet so as that both Jew and Gentile are baptized by one spirit into this one body So that those words different administrations can relate to no more sorts of people but Jew and Gentile and therefore can be but two namely the Jewish or legal Administration and the Gentile or Gospel-Administration and the baptism of the Holy Spirit of God working in both of them and yet so as that the Jews and their children and the Gentiles and their children make up as one seed this one body of the mystical Church ver 12 13 38. Gal. 3.14 16. compared and this different Administration came from Christ as Lord therefore called the same Lord implying that Christ as Lord gave Israel that typical Administration and so Christ as Lord changed it and set up a Gospel-Administration and in this sense is Christ called the Lord also of the Sabboth-day cleerly implying that what change hath been made of Sabboth-seals or any other Ordinances it was done by the Prerogative-Royal of Jesus Christ as Lord thereof for the use of that one body and Lordship of his the Church by which we see there are two and but two Administrations which therefore as it may satisfie M. P. in the significancy of the word and yet remain as a covenant also so doth it meet with that licencious rotten abuse of this word in making as many several administrations as there are new opinions in the world P. p. 138. He brings many Scriptures to prove that Circumcision is cald a covenant not an administration Gen. 17.7 13. Heb. 8.6 7 8. c. A. Though God calls it not an administration but a covenant yet it becomes a covenant made with man by vertue of administration and the meaning is no more but this that Grace to man runs through those Ordinances If Circumcision be a covenant it must have an administrator or else the covenant ceases If it be a covenant to Isaac then Abraham must administer it so baptism is an Ordinance yet had it no administrator it would cease to be an Ordinance it is true there may be a neglect of an Ordinance as there was of Circumcision and yet the Ordinance continued for they wanted not an administrator 2 Though God called it not an administration in Gen. 17. yet Paul called it so in 1 Cor. 12. as is before proved and surely M. P. will not deny but that Paul spake by the spirit of God when he so called it 3 T is also called an administration in reference to the care and pains Gods people are to take in administring for their Fathers estate left in a way of Will and Testament which is to be made sure into that administration-office of Gods Ordinances both then under Law and now under the Gospel according to 2 Pet. 10 11. For so an entrance shall be administred abundantly into the everlasting kingdom By all which therefore we see the word is proper full and significant only carpt at out of ignorance that it remains to be a covenant i. e. on mans part and an administration i. e. the way God hath appointed to convey justification to life and both these reaches Parents and children As for all those Scriptures he here brings to prove two covenants and therefore one of works they have been already answered to which I refer the Reader onely I shall take in one or two Scriptures in which he hath made sad work that have not been so fully answered before because I intended it for this place The first is Pag. 140. Gal. 4.21 Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law Do ye not hear the Law For it is written that Abraham had two sons the one by a bond-maid the other by a free woman but he who was by the bond-maid was born after the flesh but he of the free-woman was born by promise which things are an Allegory i. e. by these things other things are meant For these are the two covenants the one from Mount Sinai in Arabia which gendreth to bondage and answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children But Jerusalem which is above is free which is the Mother of us all Now we brethren as Isaac was are children of the promise but as then he that was after the flesh persecuted him that was of the spirit even so it is now but what saith the Scripture cast out the bond-woman and her son for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free so then brethren we are not children of the bond-woman but of the free P. From hence observe that Abraham is here a type of God and his two wives Sarah and Hagar with their two children are a type of the two covenants and the two seeds in those covenants and both continued in Abrahams house together for a time But when Isaac was born and Ishmael was found sâ—offing then Sarah the free-woman will have Hagar and her son live no longer in the house with her and her son Again Abraham had first the free woman and last the bond-woman the free-woman was sometimes barren in Abrahams house the bond-woman was fruitful the mystery of all is this First God made a covenant of Grace which proved barren Secondly He made a covenant of works in his Church which proved fruitful that had abundance of seed which became his by nature without Faith all which time the covenant of grace and works agreed well together in Gods house but when the true Isaac was born i. e. Christ without strength of nature but by faith in a promise yet still grace and works as two covenants dwelt together but when Christ is weaned i. e. come into the Ministery then all the â—ons of Hagar the old covenant i. e. the Scribes Pharisees persecuted Christ and all those in him whereupon the free-woman or covenant of grace dothtestifie that the covenant of works with her seed shall no longer remain in the Church of God but onely the children of the free-woman born by faith in a promise must for time to come remain in Gods house therefore now rejoyce thou barren
way it genders to bondage and makes you fruitful to hell so leaves you under the curse of God v. 24 25. look upon Jerusasalem and her children that is upon all those amongst them that lived under the works of the Law and were mistaken as you are Are they not all in bondage and doth not Gods wrath lye upon them at this day ver 25. Then again look the other way See to Jerusalem which is above the Church in heaven or the Church that hath her conversation in heaven she is free she got heaven by faith and was justifyed by faith and not by works she is our mother ver 26 so before was not Abraham our Father justifyed by faith And here Is not the Church our mother got to heaven by faith And what shall we think to be justifyed by our works No saith Paul it is a mistake for the desolate i. e. the Gentile-Church shall have more children then the warryed wife i. e. the Jewish Church therefore let the Gentiles rejoyce rather and be thankful that God hath made them more fruitful then to fall back to a covenant of works and then again he brings in Isaac Look to him For as he was we are children of promise As if he had said we are to look to Abrahams covenant and how the promise was made with him and his seed The present condition of this Church resembles that family though he had many children yet there was but one Isaac to whom the covenant was conveyed therefore away with this Justification by works cast it out it will not make you heirs so then brethren we are not children of the bond-woman but of the free Thus you have briefly the natural meaning of the places after all those unheard of parallels and confused constructions wherewith it hath been intangled to make it speak for a knocking of that little nail of Infants out of that sure place of Gods house The next Scripture that falls in to be considered is Act. 13 45 46. when the Jews saw the multitude they were filled with envy and spake against those things that were spoken then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said it was necessary the word of God should be first spoken to you but seeing you put it away and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life Lo we turn to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded us P. From this Text it is cleer that when Christ the true seed was persecuted by the Jews and the Gospel rejected all those children of the covenant of works were cast forth of Gods Church the Apostles hâ—ving left them A. Though Paul and Barnabas had left the Jews yet Peter James and John who were the Apostles of the circumcision Gal. 2.7 8 9. had not left them but continued therefore this proves nothing at all for the discovenanting of children 2 Suppose they had been wholly left by the Apostles and so were all in bondage with their children as that 's the drift of his words then their rejecting the Gospel which caused the Apostles to leave them was the ground of theirs and their childrens falling into bondage The Apostles bringing that Gospel to the Gentiles supposeth that upon the imbracing of that Gospel they and their children were freed from such a bondage or take it in his own phrase though the covenant of works and her children were cast out of the Church yet the covenant of Grace and her children are still remaining in Gods Church P. Therefore whereas M. P. tells us in pag. 145. that the forementioned Objection is answered and that we have no ground in Gods word for Infant-baptism A. He hath not given the least shew of an Answer to the Objection but it still stands in force as is by this manifest and notwithstanding all his vain distinctions workings and counterworkings of Scriptures to make them speak a word of comfort to his practice doctrine and opinion and of confutation to us they still cry out in the behalf of childrens right to the seal as those little ones did who met Christ with branches of Palm-trees Blessed is he that cometh to us in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest Reader we are run through the main body of all his Arguments and Scriptures what remains behind is very little onely heats of spirit against such as will not follow him to the Rivers side and so like those blind men Christ speaks of follow a blind guide till they both tumble into the water But because the temper of his spirit shall be seen I shall therefore briefly touch upon the remainder as it comes to hand CHAP. XX. Contains the Answer to many Scriptures by him abused to the end Pag. 145. HE quotes Ezek. 14.2 3 4 5. The word of the Lord came to me saying Son of man these men have set up their Idols in their hearts and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces should I be inquired of by these c P. In which place you see when souls set up an Idol in their hearts God doth answer them according to that Idol Therefore such as defend Infant-baptism from a covenant of Grace in the flesh they defend and maintain a dangerous error and consequently it must be rotten and false A. Well argued Sir is it not who is it that hath set up an Idol in his heart what all the Churches of Christ throughout the world Surely were not your heart swell'd with pride though yet pretending a voluntary humility to catch souls into your snares you durst not speâ—k such condemning words to abuse the way and Word of God P. Pag. 146 He gives another result childrens baptism hath no ground from the word of God either command or example but only a consequence so that it is meerly a tradition of mens setting up in the room and place of the commands of God to wit baptism of believers and thus they make void the commands of God Mar. 7 7 and thâ—s is the very sin of those that plead for Infant-baptism when Gods word sâ—ith Repent and be baptized and arise why tarryest thou be baptized These and many more are made void by christening of children and thus poor souls are nurst up in ignorance c. A. It had been far better to have overturned our pract ce by dint of Aâ—gument Scripture and Reason and to have left cut all such superfluity of naughtiness which tendâ— onely to reviling these Texts have been already answered and our practice hath appeared to be warranted from the covenant of Grace and the pleasing consent of Scriptures which is undenyab e to any man that is not partinacious in his errors it is an Ordinance that the Churches of Christ stand possest of and doth he think to perswade good men from their Religion Râ—ason and Conscience by telling us it is a teaching for Doctrines the Traditions of men He must therefore come to a new result and tell us when the Tradition began
in what age or time who was the first Author it was not set up by Antichrist he is little more then of 1200 yeers standing And as M. Cobbet in his answer to Denn and Blackwood with several others who have laboured to finde out the first rise cleers it to be the practice of the Churches for hundreds of yeers before Antichrist rose to conclude this if it be a Tradition it was received from the man Christ Jesus who tells us of such is the kingdom P. Pag 147. He brings Lev 10.1 2. and compares Infant-baptism to their offering strange fire to God which he had not commanded for which God burnt them with fire from heaven A. T is a very good lesson well learnt but by that rule he would be put by as a person not fit for a Minister of the Gospel how much strange fire hath he cast up and down these Nations such by which he hath at least endeavoured to burn down whole Churches And how much strange water hath he overwhelmed poor weak Christians by to the dishonor of God and his ways God is gentle in driving his flock and the tender Lambs he carries in his bosom and gives them rest and tells them his yoak is easie but his opinion and practice is to perswade the people of God that they serve a hard Master c. That be they never so weak and tender yet must they stoop to a destructive practice and that in the sharpest seasons as if men and women were made of some other mettle and not flesh and blood But methinks the Scripture he brings should make him see his error If Nadab and Abihues sin was offering up such fire which he commanded not then it seems God expected they should pick out his meaning by comparing things rationally together for they had no express command not to offer such or what fire they should offer but fire they were to offer by which we see if God gives but the hint of a truth he will have his children to finde out the whole so that had we onely the hint of Gods minde touching Abrahams covenant how it took in believers and their seed under the Old-Testament and it being a covenant of pure grace and therefore unchangable reaching to the Gentiles and such an example as he gave in Zacheus a Gentile calling him a son of Abraham and therefore salvation was come to his house I say such hints as these had we nothing else to say were enough for us Gentiles to pick out the rest that if they had Abrahams covenant and blessing given then in the same extent and surely the seal must follow I onely touch this by the by It hath been before cleared that every part and parcel of Gods word is for us to justifie our practice of Infant-baptism But suppose his own sense of this place were to be understooÌ„d concerning Nadab and Abihu as a reproof to us for practising things without a command in so many express words or syllables then also it is offering up strange fire in his sense for Christians under the Gospel to keep the Sabboth because it is not so expresly commanded in the New-Testament which without any peradventure must upon the account he pleads be his judgement and were it not for a curbing power I doubt would quickly be his practâ—ce But take heed M. P. that your heart be not rotten in this lest strange fire or strange water make you a like example with those persons before mentioned P. Pag. 148. He applyes these Texts to our practice Jer. 9.13 14 15. 1 Sam. 13.12 13. Jer. 8 9. Because they have forsaken my Law and walked after the imaginations of their own hearts therefore I will give them to feed on wormwood and give them the water of Gall to drink and will consume them Again therefore the wise are dismayed and ashamed they have rejected the word of the Lord. Therefore will I give their wives to others c. They have built the high places of Tophet in the valley of the son of Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire which I commanded them not A. What could thâ—s Author say more and how could the Scriptures be more abused and the powers of the Nations be more strook at his voice speaks nothing but Gall and Wormwood and consumings and giving our wives to others and telling us we sacrifice our children to devils offer them to our own inventions set up our posts by Gods posts and our selves in the room of God Is there not think you a young Pope sprung up in these Nations who begins to throw fire out of his sleeve to terrifie the world Magistrates are you all a sleep I am sure you are not all Anabaptists you own the Ordinance of Infant-baptism Why will you suffer it to be reproacht and Christ therein Do you not see the language he gives you for offering your children to God which he calls to the devil for such are Idolaters devil-worshippers Rom. 9.20 1 Cor. 10.19 20 21. Deut. 32.17 Psal 106.36 37. is Satan ever the more to be hugged in the bosom for his bringing of Scripture when it is onely to hide the Serpents sting in the tayl Awake awake put on strength O thou Arm of the Lord. Consider what your duty is touching the first Table and remember honest New-England P. The Scripture by M. P. quoted against us is 2 Cor. 26.14 15. of Vzza who fearing the fall of the Ark put his hand to it to bear it up without a command and King Vzziah who medled with burning Incence without Authority from God And being wroth with the Ministers of God the leprosie rose up in his forehead and Gods wrath brake forth upon him A. If these Texts by him cited are not applyed to his own heart it is a sign he is obdurat and some sad judgements are like to befal him for the places are directly parallel to his own practice what did Vzza do that M. P. doth not Hath he not put to his hand to stay up the Ark of God without a command or call to the Ministery yea rather is he not endeavouring to his utmost to pull it down What did Vzziah do that he doth not It appertaineth not to thee Vzziah to burn Incence to the Lord Go out of the Sanctuary for thou hast sinned And it shall not be for thine honor from the Lord God ver 18. Did God punish a King and shall it be unpunisht in a mean man who not onely intrudes but also strikes the faithful Ministers and servants of God with his Censor I mean with a reviling tongue but it shall not be for his honor from the Lord God Remember the judgement of Vzza and Vzziah and apply it inwardly P. He comes now again to appeal to such as fear God and advise them to take heed of such an Idol And to any that is not blinded with the stumbling block of their iniquity by reason of Satans subâ—ilty to