Selected quad for the lemma: land_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
land_n	abraham_n	canaan_n	possession_n	1,451	5	8.0596	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A47391	The ax laid to the root, or, One blow more at the foundation of infant baptism, and church-membership. Part I containing an exposition of that metaphorical text of Holy Scripture, Mat. 3. 10. : being the substance of two sermons lately preached, with some additions, wherein is shewed that God made a two-fold covenant with Abraham, and that circumcision appertained not to the covenant of grace, but to the legal and external covenant God made with Abraham's natural seed, as such : together with an answer to Mr. John Flavel's last grand arguments in his Vindiciarum Vindex, in his last reply to Mr. Philip Cary, also to Mr. Rothwell's Pædo-baptisms vindicatur, as to what seems most material / by Benjamin Keach ...	Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704.; Rothwell, Edward, d. 1731. Paedobaptismus vindicatus.	1693 (1693)	Wing K47; ESTC R39052	37,123	40

Membership by vertue of the Covenant made with Abraham let all Men consider See Heb. 8. 13. Therefore from hence I argue that whatsoever external Rights or Privileges the Jews had under the old Covenant it signifies just nothing to us under the Dispensation of the Gospel even no more then a Legacy bequeathed in a former Will is pleadible which is left out in the last Will and Testament confirmed by the Death of the Testator I would have all Men consider that whether there is any more ground for Men from thence to plead for Infant Church-Membership then for others to plead for Ministers to have the first Fruits and the Tenths of every Man's increase or for me to argue thus Every Child of a Christian is born a Member of the Christian Church because under the Law every Child of the Jews were born Members of their Church and it must needs be so then because theirs was a National Church or for every Ministers Son to plead for a Right to the Ministry for evident it is that all the Sons of the Priests under the Law had a Right to the Priest-hood tho' they were not to enter into the Ministry untill such an Age Also particularly to dedicate all our first-born to the Lord because the Jews were required so to do Nay I may say more by the Covenant of Circumcision Abraham's Natural Off-spring had a Right to possess the Land of Canaan shall we from thence say all our Seed have an equal Right to that Promise if we could persuade our selves of this we may think of another Holy War and get our Seed their Rightfull Possession the like as touching our keeping their Sabbath Lastly And evident 't is all that were Circumcised had an undeniable Right to eat the Passover which they that assert Circumcision was a Type of Baptism say also was a Figure of the Lord's Supper and if so then it follows by the same Argument and Parity of Reason all our Children that are admitted to the Ordinance of Baptism may nay must be also admitted to the Ordinance of the Lord's Supper as indeed they were by the Ancient Fathers who first brought in the Practice of Infant Baptism and so it continu'd for some Hundred of Years see Exod. 12. 45. All the whole Family had a Right to eat the Passover except Foreigners and Hired Servants But in a word The Ax is laid to the root of the trees all these Jewish Rights and Privileges are gone with their national external Church State for as the First Covenant i. e. The Bond woman is cast out so are all her Children also Obj. How can this be that the Children of Abraham and so the Children of Believers who are Abraham's Seed should not have Right to Gospel Privileges and Baptism seeing you cannot deny but that it was the Covenant of Grace that God made with Abraham Answ. I have told you already that there was two Covenants made with Abraham the Covenant of Grace was that Covenant which is called the Promise which God made with him and nothing can be more clear then that the fleshly Seed as such tho' they proceeded from Abraham's Loins were not concerned in that Covenant or free Promise of Grace 〈◊〉 since this is doubted of by some and utterly denied by others viz 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was a Two-fold Covenant made with Abraham I shall endea 〈…〉 ke this very plain and evident tho' indeed what I have already sa 〈…〉 be sufficient to unprejudiced Persons But to proceed I shall shew what Promises and Privileges appertained to the natural Seed as such and what Promises appertained to his true Spiritual Seed and none else First I will begin with that Covenant made with Abraham's natural Seed as such I never yet heard but that the Covenants take their denomination from the Promises and the Promises are of Two sorts quite different in their Nature i. e. some Domestick and Civil Promises especially and absolutely respecting the House and natural Seed of Abraham and policy of Israel Others only respecting those that are Believers in Christ or Evangelical belonging to them the Gospel Covenant belongeth 1. The First that belonged to Abraham's natural Seed as such that I shall mention is that of his multiplying his natural Seed by Isaac 2. The Birth of Isaac by Sarah his Wife Gen. 17. 16 19. 3. The Continuation of his Covenant with all that should proceed from Isaac according to the Flesh Gen. 17. 6. 4. The Coming of Christ out of Isaac 5. The bringing the natural Seed of Abraham by Isaac out of Egypt 6. The Promise of giving his natural Seed the Land of Canaan for their Possession Gen. 15. 8. Now pray note Two Things First That as the Covenant of Grace bears the Name of the Promise of God not a conditional but an absolute Promise so likewise say I these Promises distinct from that free Promise contain the legal Covenant made with Abraham's natural Seed If you well mind the Nature of these Promises I have mentioned you can't so much as once in the least imagine any of them were made to his spiritual Seed as such I mean that any of them do or can concern us Gentile Believers Secondly But to put the Matter out of doubt pray observe that the Law of Circumcision is expressly called Gods Covenant tho' I know some to strengthen their bad Cause would have it be so called only by a certain Figure pray read Gen. 17. And God said unto Abraham thou shalt keep my covenant therefore thou and thy seed after thee in their Generations vers 9. This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee every male child among you shall be circumcised vers 10. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your fore-skin and it shall be a Token of the Covenant betwixt me and you and that to this Covenant was promised the Land of Canaan 't is expressly said in vers 8. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I will be their God So in Gen. 15. 8. In that same day God made a covenant with Abram not Abraham saying unto thy seed have I given this land from the River of Egypt unto the great River Euphrates This Covenant and these Promises I assert cannot belong to the spiritual Seed of Abraham as such but were Blessings that belonged only to his carnal or natural Seed and directly agree with the Covenant made with them by Moses viz. The Land of Canaan Riches Peace Plenty and all other Temporal and Earthly Blessings if they kept God's Covenant with their Church State and visible Worship of God among them Now the New Covenant it could not be because that is established upon better Promises and no other People had any Right to those outward Blessings nor were they made only to the Elect Ones who were of his natural

is to separate all True Believers and all their natural Seed tho' some of them are the worst of Men i. e. vile and ungodly from all other People in the World in a Church State If they should affirm this then the Gospel Church for ever ceases to be Congregational but must be National as the Jewish Church was which is contrary to the Doctrine of the Church of England whatever her Practice is Doth not she say The Church of God is a company of Godly Christians among whom the Word of God is truly preach'd and the Sacraments duely and truly administred and do not the Godly Independants say the same Did Christ ever under the Gospel constitute any one Nation consisting of Believers and their carnal Off-spring some godly and some ungodly into a Church read over the New Testament and see whether the direct contrary is not apparent for they were only such who believed were converted and professed Faith in Christ and so were Baptized that were added to the Church and of such only doth the Gospel Church consist 2. But observe the other part of this Argument i. e. Circumcision was a token to Abraham's natural Seed of God's giving unto them the Land of Canaan see Gen. 17. 7. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations c. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger all the land of Canaan c. and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your fore-skin and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you vers 11. The Gospel Covenant the Apostle tells us is established upon better Promises not an Earthly Canaan but Heaven it self What tho' Canaan was a Type of Heaven that will not mend the matter for then it follows that it belonged to the Old typical and shadowing Covenant Moreover if that Covenant was the Gospel Covenant our Children have an equal Right to the Land of Canaan with the natural Seed of Abraham as I said before and then how did that Promise viz. The Possession of Canaan belong then to the Jews as their peculiar Right only Arg. 2. Because there were some to whom the Covenant of Grace or Gospel Covenant did not belong were nevertheless commanded to be Circumcised as Ishmael Esau c. Doth the Gospel Covenant appertain to Scoffing Ishmaelites and to prophane Esau's No God told Abraham his Covenant should not be with Ishmael As for Ishmael I have heard thee behold I have blessed him but my covenant will I establish with Isaac Gen. 17. 20 21. Also there were others who might be in Abraham's Family who no doubt might some of them be in the Covenant of Grace that were not required to be Circumcised nor did it belong to them viz. 1. All his Male Children who dyed before Eight Days old 2. All his Female Children 3. There was also some other godly Men in the Days of Abraham to whom Circumcision of Right did not belong as Melchisedec Lot Job c. Doubtless had Circumcision been a Law or Precept of the Covenant of Grace all these would God have required to have been Circumcised as well as the others but the Truth is being in the Covenant of Grace gave no Right at all to any no not to the Male Children of Abraham to Circumcision but only God's express and positive Command to him Arg. 3. 'T is apparent that the Jews who were comprehended in that legal and external Covenant made with Abraham's natural Seed and were accordingly Circumcised were nevertheless denyed Gospel Baptism and their Plea we are Abraham 's Seed was rejected by John Baptist's Now had Circumcision been a Gospel-Covenant I see no Reason why John should not admit them nay and 't is plain also that some godly Ones of Abraham's natural Seed who were Circumcised were nevertheless Baptized What had they Two Seals of one and the same Covenant for Circumcision was in force at that time when many of them were Baptized for many subjected to that Ordinance before Christ dyed and abolished that Rite with the Old Covenant 1. From hence it appears that Circumcision was no Gospel Law nor did it appertain to the Covenant of Grace but was part of the Old legal Covenant which the Ax was laid to the Root of and is gone 2. It also follows from hence that the Covenant of Grace was not the adequate Reason of Circumcision but the mere positive Command of God to Abraham for the Reasons and Designs before-mentioned From whence I argue thus That Covenant that was made with or did of Right belong unto the fleshly Seed of Abraham as such even to ungodly Ones as well as to the godly was not the Covenant of Grace but the Covenant or Law of Circumcision was made with or did of Right belong unto the Fleshly Seed of Abraham as such even unto ungodly Ones as well as to the godly Therefore the Covenant of Circumcision was not the Covenant of Grace I have shewed you that Circumcision did belong to Ishmael and to Esau and to all Isaac's natural Seed tho' ungodly and to their Male Children also and I need not tell you what wicked Men sprang from Isaac's Loins according to the Flesh but let them be ungodly and not have one dram of New Covenant Grace in them yet they were obliged to Circumcise their Male Infants This is enough one would think to convince our Brethren and all that differ from us that Circumcision did not appertain to the Covenant of Grace or was no Gospel Covenant Also let them take heed who plead for Pede-Baptism from the Covenant of Circumcision how they any more deny to Baptize the Children of ungodly Parents since the Male Infants of ungodly Parents were Circumcised The Truth is it was not to be enquired Whether the Parents were Believers or not whether they had Abraham's Faith or not were godly or not before their Children were to be Circumcised but were they the natural Seed of Abraham that was enough it was that according to the express and positive Command of God to Abraham that gave their Children if Males a Right to be Circumcised Arg. 4. That Circumcision was no Gospel Law or Covenant appears yet further because all in the Gospel Covenant 't is expresly said shall know the Lord Jer. 31. 31. Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them out of the land of Egypt which my covenant they break although I was an husband to them saith the Lord. ver 32. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall

bear up the National Church of Israel and all the Trees i. e. Members or Branches thereof as a common natural Root doth the Tree or Trees that grow out of it 2. And as by Root may be meant that Covenant made with Abraham and his natural Seed from whence the National Policy and Church of the Jews sprang and was born up and from whence it grew and was to abide untill the Gospel Dispensation came in and was established so also by the Root may be intended the Foundation of all their Hopes Confidence and outward Privileges For that they I mean the natural Off-spring of Abraham had great Confidence in the Flesh by means of that legal or external Ministration they were under cannot be denied and had many outward Rights and Privileges also above all People then in the World and if so I mean if this be granted which I am sure cannot be denied then it follows there was some Root Ground or Foundation which they had and upon which they built and laid Claim to those outward Ecclesiastical and Civil Rights and Privileges and that the Ground Root or Foundation of all this was that Covenant God made with Abraham and his natural Seed is apparent to all who are not willingly Blind for before those Covenant-Tranctions with Abraham we read not that the People from whom Abraham sprang had any such Rights or Privileges granted to them and what outward Privileges God promised them afterwards by Moses 't is signify'd in divers Places to be upon the Account of the Covenant made with Abraham c. And according to the exact Time told by the Lord to Abraham God brought his natural Seed out of the Land of Egypt This from the Scope and Coherence of the Words therefore I must affirm is Primarily and Chiefly intended by the Root of the Trees in this Place But Thirdly By Root in a more remote Sence may be meant the state and standing of every Ungodly Unbelieving and Impenitent Person let their Hopes Expectation and Confidence be what it will if he be not a good Tree a Believing and True penitent Person his Root or Foundation on which he builds let it be what it will cannot secure him for down he must go with all his vain Hopes Works Expectation and Confidence whatsoever with him For now is the Ax laid to the Root of the Trees Secondly By Trees are meant Men and Women but chiefly the Seed of the Stock of Abraham according to the Flesh of whom the National Church of the Jews was made up and did consist as also all wicked and unbelieving Persons whatsoever who embrace not the Offers of Grace in the Gospel or believe not in Jesus Christ. For as the Church of God is compared to a good Tree and godly Men in particular are called good Trees so is the adulterated Church of the Jews compared to an evil Tree and wicked and ungodly Persons called Evil and corrupt Trees Yet it might be here noted that they are in this Place compared to Fruit Trees tho' to such that bring not forth good Fruit as by the Prophet the Jewish Church is compared to a Vine and an Olive Tree tho' she brought forth sowre Grapes Isa. 5. Thirdly As to the Ax we all know an Ax is that Instrument used by Men to cut down Trees at the Pleasure or for the Profit of the Owner thereof by the Ax here may be intended divers Things by which God may be said to cut down impenitent Sinners or unfruitful Churches or Bodies and Souls of Men. For cutting down may refer 1. To the Souls of Men c. 2. To their outward Rights and Privileges 3. To their Bodies and Souls both 4. To their external fleshly and corrupt Church State First To the Souls of Sinners which is done by an Act of God's Justice when he cuts them off from profiting by the means of Grace giving them up to unbelief and hardness of Heart And thus he in Judgment dealt with the Jews 2. By giving them up to blindness of Mind when they have Ears and hear not Eyes and see not Hearts and understand not God utterly leaving them to a seared Conscience or gives them up to their own Heart's Lusts and to walk in their own Counsel Then they in respect of their Souls may be said to be cut down in Wrath for ever 3. Or when he takes away the Kingdom of God from them i. e. The Dispensation of the Gospel Therefore shall the Kingdom of Heaven be taken from you and given to another People c. Secondly It may referr to the cutting down their Religious and Civil Rights and Privileges 1. When God takes away all the external and spiritual Immunities Blessings and Favours a People once enjoy'd No Gospel more preached to them no Ministers to preach it the Hedge of Protection and Preservation pluck'd up and ravenous Beasts let in to devour them like as God threatned the National Church of Israel Isa. 5. The Sun to shine upon them no more nor the Clouds to rain upon them This is a dismal cutting down Thirdly Their Bodies left to be destroyed by mercyless Enemies or cut down by Famine or Pestilence as this very People were dealt with when God brought in the Romans upon them and their Souls cut off for their final Unbelief and Impenitency Fourthly It may referr to the cutting down of their Church-State Sacrifices Priest-hood Sabbaths Temples and all taken away and overthrown and another People another Seed and more spiritual Church constituted and established in the room thereof And thus God dealt with this People i. e. the Church of the Jews also they were broken off or cut down and the Gentiles were grafted in as the Apostle shews at large Rom. 11. The Ax by which they are cut down may be First The Dispensation of God's Providence or Time Time is pictured with a Sythe but then Man is compared to Grass but it may be pictured with an Ax since Men are compared to Trees a Syth is no fit Instrument to cut down Trees Men as you have heard are here compared to Trees and when once the Time 's set for the Jewish Church to stand or abide in the World was expired Time or the Dispensation of God's Providence like an Ax cut it down for ever and so will the prefix'd Time appointed by the Lord when 't is come even cut down at the Root the bloody Idolatrous Church of Rome when the Beasts 1260 years are expired down she shall go with Vengeance and unless Time lays The Ax at her Root and at the Root of all other Corrupt and National Churches there will be no cutting them down nor will there be any then able to save her or them the standing of all Humane and Ecclesiastical States and Constitutions are determined by the Almighty who works all Things according to the Counsel of his own Will 2. The Ax also may referr to the Gospel The Word of God is an Ax

Off-spring but to his fleshly Seed as such as well as they upon that Condition they kept the Covenant of Circumcision and conformed themselves to the Law God gave them which they were obliged to do by the Covenant of Circumcision as I shewed before Secondly I shall now shew you what those Promises were that respect the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham and his true spiritual Seed as such 1. I have made thee a Father of many Nations meaning Gentile Belie 〈…〉 2. In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Gen. 12. 3. Observe here what the Apostle speaks And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through faith preached the Gospel to Abraham saying In thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed Gal. 3. 8. Nay and 't is for ever to be noted That the Holy Apostle endeavours to do the very same thing in Gal. 3. 16. which I am now about viz. To prove That the Covenant of Grace was not made with Abraham's fleshly Seed as such read the Text Now to Abraham and to his seed was the promise made he saith not to seeds as of many meaning his fleshly Seed as such but to thy seed which is Christ. And then in vers 29. he concludes And if ye be Christ's then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the Promise You must not reckon from Abraham but from Christ He must be blind that can't discern from hence that there were Two Covenants made with Abraham Compare these Texts with that in Rom. 9. 6 7 8. Obj. But the Jews might object they not seeing nor understanding this Twofold Covenant if we are rejected of God and rooted out God is unfaithfull and his Promise made of none Effect to Abraham and 't is his seed 1. Answ. The Apostle Answers They are not all Israel which are of Israel vers 6. 2. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all Children ver 7. That is though they be all the Seed of Abraham according to the Flesh yet they are not all his spiritual Seed according to that Covenant of Grace made with Abraham all the true spiritual Seed are the Children of God as Isaac was being begotten and brought forth as the product of Almighty Power as fruit of God's Free Promise I will come and Sarah shall have a Son see the Apostle's further answer That is they which are born after the Flesh these are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise are counted for the Seed vers 8. Martin Luther confirms the same great Truth we contend for Paul therefore concludeth with this Sentence saith he that they that are of Faith are the Children of Abraham that corporal Birth or carnal Seed make not the Children of Abraham before God as if he would say there is none before God accounted as the Child of Abraham who is the Servant of God whom God hath chosen and made Righteous by Faith through carnal Generation but such Children must be given before God as he was a Father but he was a Father of Faith was justified and pleased God not because he could beget Children after the Flesh not because he had Circumcision under the Law but because he believed in God He therefore that will be a Child of the Believing Abraham must also himself believe or else he is not a Child of the Elect the believing and the justified Abraham not the begetting Abraham which is nothing else but a Man conceived and born and wrap'd in Sin without the Forgiveness of Sins without Faith without the Holy Ghost as another Man is and therefore Condemned Such also are the Children carnally begotten of him having nothing in them like unto their Father but Flesh and Blood Sin and Death therefore these are also Damned this glorious boasting then we are the Seed of Abraham is to no purpose Thus far Luther on Gal. 3. p. 115. Thus Mr. Perkins speaks also The Seed of Abraham saith he is the Seed not of the Flesh but of the Promise and this Seed is first Christ and then all that believe in Christ for these are given to Abraham by Promise and Election of God moreover the Seed is not many as Paul observeth but one It is Objected That the Word Seed is a Name Co-elective and signifies the whole Posterity of Abraham Answ. It doth sometimes saith he but not always for Eve saith of Seth God hath given me another Seed Again he saith this one particular Seed of Abraham is Christ Jesus here the Name Christ first and principally the Mediator and then Secondly all Jews and Gentiles believing that are fit and grafted into Christ by Faith St. Paul saith The Children of the Flesh those are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise are the Seed of Abraham Thus Mr. Perkins 2. Now nothing is more evident then that by the Promise is meant the Covenant of Grace the Children of the Promise made with Abraham are Children of the New Covenant and so generally owned by all our True Protestant Writers and this Promise or Covenant we find was only made with Abraham's spiritual Seed as these Two famous Writers and many more positively affirm 3. Yet also it is plain there was a Covenant made with Abraham's natural Seed and that they were taken into an external national Church State and Covenant relation with God and had divers peculiar Immunities and Privileges granted to them as so considered all which fully evinces that there was a Two-fold Covenant made with Abraham Certainly none can suppose but that their Church State and Legal Rights were Covenant Blessings and that they begun in Abraham and that too by those Covenant Transactings God made him is so clear that nothing need to be said more unto it and I cannot but wonder that our eminent Writers should confound and jumble these Two Covenants together as indeed I find generally they do Obj. But some will still Object that tho' this which I have said be granted i. e. That there were Two Covenants made with Abraham yet say they Circumcision was a Gospel Covenant or did appertain to the Covenant of Grace Answ. I answer and positively affirm That the Covenant of Circumcision was part of that legal old and external Covenant which is done away And this in the next place I shall fully prove 1. Because the Law or Covenant of Circumcision was it appears made in the Design and End of it to separate the natural Seed of Abraham in their National Church standing from all other Nations of the World and to give them the Land of Canaan and to keep themselves Pure from mixing among the Pople from whom Christ according to the Flesh was to come And hence it was that they were not to mingle themselves with the Heathens nor suffer any to join themselves to them unless first Circumcised Will any say that the Covenant of Grace or Gospel Covenant in the Design of it