sign of Circumcision as a seal of faith if not of that faith of which he treats For wheras it might be objected that if Abraham were justified by beleeving before he was circumcised as is said v. 3. 9. 10 then what needed hee after to haue been circumcised The Apostle answers v. 11 that hee received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousnesse of faith vvhich he had yet being uncircumcised which faith v. 9 vvas reckoned to him for righteousnesse that by it the covenant of grace between God him might be confirmed as covenants among men formerly agreed upon are by the seals thereunto annexed Lastly who endued with common sense and modesty can deny that by the righteousnesse of faith wherof Circumcision was a seal is meant the righteousnes which is by faith as v. 3 Abraham beleeved God and it vvas imputed to him for righteousnesse and v. 9 faith vvas reckoned to Abraham for righteousnesse which righteousnesse of faith in this whole discourse he opposeth to the righteousnesse of works by the Law as is expresly to be seen v. 3. 14. 15. 16. But now what say our Adversaries to these things as men in a maze and not knowing how to finde the way out goe sometimes backward sometimes forward and sometimes leap unorderly from one place to another so doe they in expounding this Scripture In their out-leaps about Abrahams fleshly children I shall not need heere to follow them Where after they say that Circumcision was a seal of Abrahams faith in beleeving God that he should be the father of many Nations and that this was imputed to him for righteousnesse they say as much as we do or desire they should But where they say in the very same place that hee received not circumcision to seal up his faith in the Messiah they goe backward most dangerously to bring in a faith to justification imputed for righteousnesse which yet is not in the Messiah Was righteousnesse ever or is it imputed to any for justification but by faith in Christ then promised now exhibited The reason insinuated by them is a pleasant one namely for that Abraham had faith in the Messiah 24 years before he was circumcised Whereas on the contrary it could not haue been a seal of such faith except hee had had the faith before whether longer or lesser time it matters not but is as it pleaseth him who bestowâ—th both the one and other Signes and Seals are not to be set to blankes neither doe they make things that were not before to be but serv onely to confirm things that are These things thus cleared the Reader must be requested not to measure our arguments from Abraham and Isaaks circumcision to the Baptism of Infants by the crooked line which these men draw between them but by the right rule of sound reason applyed as followeth in three particulars First that the Covenant unto which Circumcision was annexed was the Covenant of the Gospell and not of the Law and old Testement as they take it For then it could not haue been to Abraham the seal of the righteousnesse of faith any way but of unrighteousnesse and condemnation every way for righteousnes is not by the Law which worketh wrath and by which sin revives and becomes exceeding sinfull And surely it is more then strange that any beleeving the Scriptures should beleev that the Lords Covenant made with Abraham and so with Israel in him by which he took them to be his peculiar people from among all other peoples because hee loved their father and them by which they were a blessed Nation having Iehovah for their God in remembring of which covenant with Abraham c. he so often shewed them mercy and did them good and in time gaue his Son Christ to saue them from their enemies and lastly by which Covenant they shall again be called when the fulnesse of the Gentiles is come in and so all Israel shall be saved as it is written There shall come out of Syon a Deliverer and shall turn away ungodlinesse from Iakob For this is my Covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins As concerning the Gospell they are enemies for the Gentiles sake but as concerning the election they are beloved for the fathers sake for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance that this covenant of loue and mercy making them blessed which are taken into it and procuring the giving of Christ and of salvation should be the covenant of the old Testament and Law Of the Law I say and old Testament which is the ministery of death the letter that killeth which worketh wrath was added for transgression by which sin reviveth and all die and are accursed What is this else but to bring the currant of gracious mercy into a channell of severe justice and to curse where God blesseth as Balaam purposed to haue done Secondly we conclude hence that the Church of the Iews and Church now is one in substance though diversly ordered one Uineyard in which there are both grown trees and yong plants one Kingdom which was taken from them and given to us the branches of one oliue tree holy in the same holy root Abraham from which most of them were broken off for unbelief and we by faith planted in their place one body and therefore having Infants in it now as then and the same therefore to be baptized there being also one Baptism as one body as they were circumcised of old Baptism as elsewhere I haue proved at large to their silencing in that point comming in the place of Circumcision Thirdly that all their disputes against Infants Baptism because they cannot manifest faith and repentance are but the same quarrels which might haue been picked of old against Infants Circumcision That there was something in Abrahams circumcision extraordinary is true for he first received it for his posterity and for the Proselytes with them which joyned themselvs to the Lord so was there also in his faith as he was the father by example to all that should beleev after him Their prophane assertion that faith was required of none to wit men of years for circumcision I haue formerly disproved How can it come into the hearts of reasonable men that the Lord in whose eies the prayers sacrifices and all other services of ungodly men were so abominable should like of their circumcision Lastly for Abrahams children of the flesh according to their misunderstanding of them they were by nature children of wrath as well as others and had thereby no more right to circumsion then the Infants of Sodom It was of grace and not of nature that they were within Gods Covenant Of Gal. 3. and Rom. 9. we haue spoken at large formerly and of their misconstructions of the Apostles meaning Lastly we neither run as they say nor goe to the old Testament Law or Moses for the baptizing of Infants but to
store-house of earthly good things and figure of heavenly These men therfore in this place unskilfully transform the fulfilling of an old promise into the making of a new Which they also confesse in effect in the very same place in saying that the promise that is the Covenant on Gods part was made to Abraham Gen. 17. The word everlasting Gen. 17. I urge not further to proue the Covenant with Abraham perpetuall then as the nature of the same Covenant carries it It was that by which God became Abrahams God and more he is or can be to none and that which Christ himselfe extends to the very resurection of the bodies of Abraham c. whos 's God the Lord was and is Two reasons I will annex to justifie mine exposition of the Prophet Ieremy and Apostle after him and to proue that by the old Covenant they meant the Covenant of the Law given on mount Syna The former from the opposition between the old and new Covenant expresly made in the generall and particularly insinuated in these words I will write my Law in their hearts and will forgiue their iniquity and remember their sins no more which was not according to but most unlike to the old Covenant or Law given on mount Syna written in Tables of stone and by which sin and transgression was not forgiven but quickned and encreased A second reason is for that the old and first Covenant opposed to that in Christ had ordinances of divine worship and a worldly Sanctuary or Tabernacle wherein was the Table and Candlestick c. which no man that beleevs the Bible can make doubt to be meant of the Law and Covenant given on mount Syna to and by Moses By the old Covenant is meant that of the Law by Moses on mount Sina unto which the other is opposed Their exception that Abrahams children of 8 daies old could make no covenant nor agreement is too childish to exclude them from it and that by which they should haue been in no covenant at all with the Lord nor hee with them new nor old Legall nor Evangelicall for they could make none It is not required that every one comprehended in a Covenant should actually stipulate or promise Witnesse the Covenant with Noah in which both all his seed and every living creature both foule and cattell were included It was therefore sufficient to bring Abrahams seed into the Lords Covenant that God in grace made and Abraham by faith received the promise that he would be his God and theirs That every faithfull man and his seed is as Abraham and his seed the Scripture proue in teaching that every beleever is of the faith of Abraham and walks in his steps For if Abraham did by faith receiv the promise that God would be his God and the God of his seed without which no promise had belonged unto them then where the same faith is for substance there is the same promise for substance to every beleever though a son of Abraham as following his example yet as Abraham himselfe in beleeving as hee did And this is most manifest in that by this very covenant God was not onely the God of Abraham and his seed Isaak but of Isaak and his seed Iakob and of Iakob and his seed the Patriarks and so successiuely not by fleshly descent of the children from their parents as they absurdly cavill but by spirituall and divine promise of grace which they ungraciously despise for their children because they cannot be doing something to God again by their free-will to require him withall Next comes to be examined that notable place Rom. 4. 11. Abraham received the sign of Circumcision the seal of the righteousnesse of the faith which he had being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all that beleev though uncircumcised that righteousnesse might be imputed to them also ADVERSARIES THeir evasion is that by faith here is not meant faith in the Messiah by which he was and we are justified but say they Circumcision sealed up Abrahams fatherhood of the faithfull that is was a seal of his faith in beleeving God that he should be the father of many Nations DEFENCE AND this faith say we was the faith of the Gospell and faith in the Messiah which the Apostle expresly saith was imputed to him for righteousnesse and by which he was justified as is plain from v. 17 I haue made thee a father of many Nations compared with v. 22 where he infers therupon even upon that faith And therfore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Which also that it was the same in substance with ours now the words following manifest Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but to us also to whom it shall be imputed if we beleev in him that raised up Iesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our sins c. v. 23. 24. 25. This will yet the more clearly appear if we consider what is meant by these promises I haue made thee a father of many Nations and so shall thy seed be recited by the Apostle for the purpose in hand In these words I haue made thee a father of many Nations he opposeth many Nations to that one Nation of the Iews Of these many Nations hee was the father even of all that beleev though uncircumcised v. 11. And how a father By way of example that as hee was justified by faith in the promise of God and of the promised seed Christ even when he was uncircumcised So they beleeving the same promise of God in Christ now come of him though uncircumcised should in like manner be justified as he was Which is yet further confirmed where it is said that he is the father of all them though not of the circumcision that walk in the steps of the faith of Abraham which he had yet being uncircumcised Whence I gather that if we be justified by the same faith that Abraham was justified by and that he was justified by faith in that promise that then that promise was made of and in the Messiah Christ the blessed and blessing Seed as it is said So shall thy seed be and Abraham beleeved and he counted it to him for righteousnesse And again In thee shall all Nations or families of the earth be blessed Now of this faith the Apostle here speaks and of it he testifies circumcision to haue been a seal to Abraham It cannot be denyed but that the Apostle in this whole discourse speaks of faith to justification proving partly by the example of Abraham and partly by the testimony of David that we are justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the Law And to what end or with what order should hee thrust in an impertinent discourse of any other faith To affirm this is no better then to defame the Holy Ghost with equivocating Or to what purpose should he mention the
hoping to come in time to some dore or window A second is that the terrours of conscience accusing them for sin should haue caused them to seek after God with earnestnesse for reconciliation And to this we assent also A third is that it is not Gods fault but their own that they are ignorant of the means of reconciliation and salvation And of this also we are perswaded as they so far as there is a fault But now what did those Heathens in this case They became vain in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were full of darkenesse so as they turned the glory of the incorruptible God to Idols satisfying themselvs in their own inventions And this also as consonant to the Scriptures we willingly admit of And what then God for this say they delivered them up to a reprobate minde that they never knew more for what should he that is not faithfull in a little be trusted with more Luk. 16. 10 and gaue them up to their own hearts lusts and so they became past feeling And to consent with them herein also the Scriptures leade us very directly But what now follows of all this for conclusion Namely that all Nations Citties houses c. that is every particular man and woman hath had the mercy of God in the offer of Christ affoarded them that all were bidden to the marriage Nay the plain contrary and that all were not bidden but that many in stead of this mercy to be bidden were in justice left to themselvs and given up to their own vain imaginations the Lord suffering all the Nations to walk in their own waies as the Apostle saith and refusing as themselvs confesse to trust them with much which had not been faithfull in a little so as they never knew more And whereas they cunningly shuffle in now and then that men might haue had Christ given unto them or offered them and that Christ might haue been manifested to every one if they had would how congruously to the Scriptures they speak therein we now dispute not is not onely besides the matter in controversie which is what was and is and not what might haue been done but to their own prejudice feeing that which onely might haue been is not specially that bar being put by mens own default which effectually hinders the being of it as in this case Having thus shewed that these men either fight busily with their own shadows in proving at large things never called into question by us or may easily haue their weapons turned upon themselvs in the main matter I will even now proceed after that I haue briefly observed some particular mistakings by them And first they both add to the Text and err in applying that which is written Rom. 11. 32. The Scripture is God hath concluded them all in unbeliefe that he might haue mercie upon all they add of their own every person whereas the Apostle neither speaks of every person but onely of the Gentiles indefinitely at one time and of the Iews at another which he there opposeth the one to the other neither speaks he of the offering of grace and mercy onely as they deem but of the actuall conferring of it upon all of whom there he speaks who beleeved and obtained mercy the other remaining in unbeleef And this both the drift and words of the place expresly manifest v. 30. 31. 32. Neither doth that other place alledged Tit. 2. 11 speak of all and every particular person but of persons of all sorts servants as well as masters or any others The Apostle v. 9 10 provokes beleeving servants to obedience to their masters rendâ—ing this reason of encouragement v. 11 for the grace of God which bringeth salvation unto all hath appeared as if he should say that even they though poor bond-slaves if they continued in faith and faithfull obedience should haue their part in the salvation of God as well as any others Secondly as I will not simply deny that God punished the Heathens other sins with the want of preaching Christ unto them so is it certain that greater sinners and deeplyer drowned both in idolatry and other lusts none in the world were then the Corinthians Athenians Ephesians and others to whom Christ was preached and faith thereby given to many unto salvation The Lord tels the Prophet that though the house of Israel to whom he was sent would not hear yet if he had sent him to the Heathens surely they would haue heard him So the Lord Iesus upbraids the cities of Chorah Bethsaida and Capernaum where he both preached and wrought most of his mighty works that they were deeper in the contempt of God and further from all disposition to use aright the means of salvation then the Heathenish Cities of Tyre and Sâ—don yea of Sodom it selfe unto whom yet he vouchsafed not the means of repentance and revelation of grace which he did to the former By which it doth appear that the Lord doth not observ the order prescribed unto him by these men for the dispensing of his favours this way in trusting them with most who are of their faithfull in a little that is wholly faithlesse indeed but as the wind blows where it lists so doth he by the sweet gusts of his Gospell and spirit according to the good pleasure of his own will and not according to the good pleasure of mens will in their use of naturall light and conscience dispense supernaturall grace both for means and efficacy Lastly as they here contradict their main ground of universall calling in supposing some Nation to haue no means of knowing Christ so I would learn of them how the Gentiles wholly voyd of faith could rightly examine all things touching the offence of God an accusing conscience and the satisfying of Gods justice as they would haue them or in so doing could promise to themselvs the revelation of Christ by one means or other as they liberally undertake for them They tell us He that seeks shall find Math. 7. But we answer them that Christ there speaks not of a seeking by blind and unbeleeving Gentiles but by his faithfull Disciples Now albeit the eternall and unchangeable election of God doe not manifest it selfe in time in the bare outward calling of the so elected common to many others with them but as the same hath joyned with it the effectuall work of true faith and repentance in the heart peculiar to them alone Yet seeing these adversaries labour upon presumption of an universall grace offered to all in the preaching of the Gospell to establish an uniuersall election of all that is in truth to overthrow all election I will here annex to the things formerly laid down two or three plain testimonies for thâ—â— further conviction The first â—s from the Psalm He shewed his word unto Iacob his statutes and his judgements unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any Nation and as for judgements they
he that the Spirit makes a materiall print in the soule as a seal doth in Wax Or not this onely that it helps to confirm and comfort a Christian inwardly in the loue of God and hope of salvation And are not the Sacraments outward helps of comfort and confirmation of a beleevers heart in the same loue of God and hope of glory Vpon the same ground that the Apostle cals it a seal inwardly we call them seals outwardly ADVERSARIES TO shew that the Covenant in question was the Covenant of the Law and old Testament and not the covenant of salvation and so Circumcision the seal thereof and not the sign and seal of life and salvation they discourse at large upon Gal. 4 and of the two seeds of Aoraham the one after the flesh unto which the covenant appertained whereunto circumcision was annexed DEFENCE FIrst they err greatly in denying the very Covenant of the Law to haue been the Covenant of life and salvation For the commandement was ordained to life And the man that doth the workes of the Law shall liue in them And if the Law promise not life and salvation then neither doth it threaten death and condemnation The Covenant then is of the same things but the condition divers The Law exacting perfect obedience of and by our selvs the Gospell requiring true faith and repentance which it also worketh in the elect Secondly it is most untrue that Circumcision was the sign or seal of the old Testament or Law taking it properly as they doe The Apostle expresly cals it the seal of the righteousnesse of faith opposed to the righteousnesse of works or of the Law of which more hereafter else where shewing that the same Law was given foure hundred and thirty years after the covenant or promise to Abraham and his seed confirmed before in Christ through the peaching of the Gospel that they which are of faith might be blessed with faithfull Abraham How preposterous are these mens waies who will haue the seal so long before the Covenant Thirdly Circumcision was the seal of that Covenant by which Abraham and his posterity became the Lords peculiar people seperated from all the uncircumcised heathen unto him for his inheritance and therein blessed For blessed is the nation whereof the Lord is God the people that he hath chosen for a possession to himself and blessed is the people whose God is Iehouah Now will these gainsaying spirits have men blessed by the law whether God will or no Saith not the scripture that by the law all are accursed and that as many as are of the works of the law are accursed as being unable to keep it The Covenant then by which Israel became Gods people and therein blessed of which Circumcision was a sign and seal was not the Covenant of the law but of the gospell and so of grace and salvation by grace Lastly how wyde and wilde are they in expounding the allegory of Abrahams two sons Gal. 4 makeing Abrahams children after the flesh the Infants of the faithfull never considering the Apostles generall scope unto which the particulars are to be applyed Doth he in that place deal against the Infants of the Galatians or against the men of yeares though children in knowledg who had begun in the spirit but would be made perfit in the flesh that is would be justified by the law specially by circumcision in the flesh by which they made Christ of none effect and fell from grace Were they Infants to whom he saith Tel mee ye that desire to be under the law c. So where he addeth He that is born after the flesh persequutes him that is born after the spirit doth he mean that Infants are persequuters Or is not his meaning plain that such as glory in the flesh and in circumcision and other fleshly prerogatives and so despise the free promise of grace in Christ and them that rest under it as Ismael did both in truth of person and type of others are these persequuters at all times to be cast out with Ismael as having no right to the inheritance of grace or glory Are the Infants of beleevers to be cast out for their persequutions Out of what I marvail and for what persequutions These men in opening this Allegory or Parable verify that of the Wise-man As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard so is a Parable in the mouth of fooles That the Covenant Gen. 17. whereof circumcision was a sign was the same which we haue now in the Gospell we haue not onely said as they say we haue done but proved by so clear arguments as that had they onely set them down there had needed no further confirmation of them notwithstanding any thing that they could haue excepted But they haue cunningly passed them by in silence as if no such thing were in the book and doe onely repeat over and again the same things with great irksomnes specially to those that haue formerly confuted them ADVERSARIES BVT they tell us that the Covenant under the Gospell is a new and better Covenant then the old c. DEFENCE WE grant it but affirm withall that the Covenant with Abraham was not the Covenant of the law or old testament as they mean The Covenant with Abraham was confirmed of God in Christ that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles thorow Iesus Christ. The Covenant of the Law or old Testament was 400 and thirty years after and was added for transgression til the seed should come to whom the promise was made that is to detect and manifest mens sins and cursed state thereby that so they might fly the more earnestly to the promise of Christ the blessed and blessing Seed made formerly to Abraham Neither do the Scripture in this matter ever oppose Abraham and Christ but Moses and Christ. The Law was given by Moses but grace and truth by Iesus Christ. So Hebr. 10 the Law of Moses and Covenant of the Son of God are opposed and Moses made the Mediator of the old testament and Covenant established in the blood of bulls and goats and Christ the mediator of the new by his own blood And I would know of these men where the law is ever called the law of Abraham as it is every where the law of Moses which law or old testament opposed to the new was written and engraven in Tables of stone and had therefore not Abraham but Moses the mediator of it Lastly for the ceremoniall part of the Law old Testament or Covenant the Authour to the Hebrews makes it plain that it was received under the Leviticall Priesthood having a worldly sanctuary and ordinances and divers washings for the purifying of the flesh but not of the conscience from dead workes whereas by the promise and Covenant to Abraham and his seed the blessing of justification came both upon the Iews in their time and Gentiles