two things 1 Open the meaning of the Text. 2 Propound the reasons 1 What is meant here by holinesse The Answer is Federall holinesse not the holinesse of sanctification but confederation that holinesse which is part of sanctification is that which is spoken of Epehes 4.24 And put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse But so it is not here used but for arelative holinesse whereby they were knit ' to God and he to them they avouch him to be their God and he avouches them to be his people One place he complaines Ezra 9.2 They have mixed the holy seed with the people of the Lands c. The holy seed is the Jews they mingled with the common people that is such as were not free Burgesses in the Church that is they were mingled among the heathen all the people of the land were not sanctisted but they were holy in this way that it is federall holinesse appeares sanctification is never conveyed by the Father to the Child this is from the Spirit of God he workes as he sees fit therefore two in one bed one taken and another left so two in one belly one taken and another left but this is by succession If the root be holy so are the branches if the first fruits be holy so is the whole lump the root and first fruits and from him is the conveyance Abraham did covenant for his as well as for himself wee may scoin the 17 verse sanctification cannot be lost but the branches are broken off that came of Abraham and proved a vagabond people they may be cut off but sanctification cannot be lost they lost their confederate holines but they that are sanctified shall be glorified Hence we may see the growing of these branches is not the growing of saving faith but federall holines it is not the growing to Christ by faith for then they should never be broken off from faith to say so is a falshood for if a man be called he shall be glorified we are made one spirit Eph. 5.32 This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and his Church if Christ should lose one he should be unperfect Eph. 1.23 The fulnesse of him that filleth all in all things Christ is compleat but if he want one member he should not be compleat This is cleare saving grace cannot be lost 3 That holines agrees with the body of the Gentiles they are brought into a visible covenant as in the 17 verse they are brought into a covenant of grace that is the root and the fatnes is the priviledges the body of the Gentiles had not sanctification Secondly what is meant by first Fruits and Lump one is from the Ceremoniall Law among the Jewes Lovit 23.14.17 You shall eat neither bread nor parched Corn nor green eares untill the selfe same day you have brought an offering to the Lord your God This shall be a law for ever in all your dwellings And in the 17. verse you shall bring out of your dwellings for a shake offering two loaves of two tenth deals of fine flower c. When they had received in their Corne it was unlawfull to spend it till they had first offered the two loaves for a shake offering and then all the whole lump was sanctified for their use according to the allowance of God So by way of resemblane Abraham is the first fruits he being in covenant with God all his posterity are in the covenant God accepts of both him and his posterity the Father being in covenant with God they become a holy people You your wives and little ones so their federall holines is to all that come of Abraham as his seed and this is the meaning 2 If the Root be holy so are the Branches What is meant by Root and Branches We shall find out the root by the true Olive here is the Church of the Jewes the Root was Abraham because the first covenant was made with him all came from him it was made to him and from him it came to his posterity they are the naturall branches the posterity born of him so he is as the head of the covenant to them Abraham being holy to God he brings forth a holy seed and Nation having federall holinesse Abrahams posterity by birth are all a holy seed but the Gentiles are ingrafted by profession and subjection the priviledges and the fatnesse comes to them by being ingrafted the place is spirituall I will describe the wilde Olive and the Branches and then you may know the true Olive it will help you to understand it the better The Gentiles the body of them are wild not by originall sinne for so the Jewes were as bad as they and had as much of that as they Whence is their wildnesse then because God left them in their naturall corruption without the help of those meanes that might help them and therefore they grew wild as a tree in the wildernesse growes wild so they were left without any interest in any means of help and so they grew wild for God had not ingaged himselfe to them Acts 17.30 In the times of ignorance God regarded not but now he admonisheth all men every where to repent that is now all the nations of the earth ran riot it is the same with that in Acts 6.1 the Widowes were neglected that is God left them as Trees in the Wildernesse God did not care for the Gentiles in giving them meanes for their good therefore now they grow wild Acts 14.16 who in times past suffered all the Gentiles to walk in their own wayes Israel had lawes to walk by but it was not so with other Nations and therefore they were wild and strangers from the common-wealth of Israel Ephes 2.12 they had not an interest in the covenant of the Jewes but were wild sinners and not under the dressing of God for their good and so were all those that came of them Pagans of Pagans such Children of such Parents under the curse of God in sinne and not looked after having no meanes the Fathers ignorant and so were the Children And this is the meaning of that Rom. 11.24 For if thou were cut out of the Olive Tree which was wild by nature and were grasred contrary to nature into the right Olive Tree c. What nature is meant corrupt nature No for the Jewes were corrupt as well as they the Jewes were as deep in originall sinne as they not onely contrary to corrupt nature but they were wild by nature that is they were under such a dispensation that God was not ingaged to them and so the children of them were under the like condition they were in such a course as they had not the meanes to mend them nay they had no ingagement of God but they were under the curse of God without meanes but now the true Olive that grew not wild not that they had not as many sinnes by nature and as
well said all that they have said When they 〈◊〉 the mountain burning their consciences began to be awakned and this made them speak wall but oh that there were such a heart in them but their heart would not hear to submit sometimes men hear for novelties and that prevailes But we sâ—e Joshua when he was to take his leave of the world and to draw near to his death Jâ—sh 〈◊〉 15â— he saith If it seem evill unto you to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve c. the answer is the Lord sorbid that wee should serve other Gods for he brought us out of the land of Egypt c. So heâ—e was a convicting conscience and sometime God honouring of them makes them say we will serve the Lord but yet they would not doe what they said Thus we see this outward covenant is more large and may arise from false grounds Hosea 2.13 though she was marryed to God yet her heart was not with him so in Deutr. 29.4 Yet the Lord hath not given an heart to perceive nor eyes to see nor ears to hear unto this day Here may be a question whether the Covenant of grace be the same in the time of the Gospel with that in the time of the Law Answer In regard of the substance it is the same though it may differ in some outward ceremonies or circumstances yet there is no difference in the substance of it Now the Anabaptists to overthrow it call it a carnall covenant in regard of this that is now but as one hath said it is a carnall conceit in them that think so but this is too fulsome and therefore the wisest of them will not own it but doe it mincingly because they would avoid the dint of it they stoope because they have not power to make good the ground 1. That the covenant made with Abraham and with us is the same we may see the text for it is plain if we look Galat. 38. The scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Gentiles through Faith preached the Gospel unto Abraham saying in thy seed c. so it was Gospel he preached to Abraham therefore it is a Gospel covenant and not a carnall covenant God did foresee the frailty of poor ignorant men that would call the gospel a new covenant and therefore he having declared this to be gospel in thy seed shalt all the nations of the earth be blessed the same that is now with the gospel that covenant abides for ever Thus the scripture foreseeing of their folly hath made this plain 2. This is the main scope of that in the 4 of the Romans and in the beginning he makes good this doctrine the Apostle in the three former châ—pâ—ers he had indeâ—voured to prove justification by Faith here he brings in the example of Abraham he proves it to be in the same manner as to Abraham he is called the father of the faithfull not by naturall generation for so he was not a father to the Gentiles but by imitation as is said of the Jews their father was an Amorite and their mother was an Hittite so all the faith full may be said to be justified as he was all the Saints of God may say so it is cutious in the 11 and 12 verses he disputes the reason why he did receive it that he might be the father of all them that believe the question was when Abraham did receive it it was before hee was circumcised Genes 17. This was the reason he is called the father of them that believe though they were not circumcised and after he received circumcision the scope and aym of God was not to hinder any but he that was circumcised was saved by Faith and he that was uncircumcisied should be saved by Faith all should be saved one way there is one way to all in Christ if we atend the 22 23 24. verses we shall see there is no hole unstopped it was not imputed to him alone but for us also so that the scope of God is one to all that believe for that it is imputed to us also as to him in the same way so that what was to him is to me there is the same way of justification to all that is clear here 3. If the summe of the Gospel be contained in the Law and the Prophets then it is the same to us as it is to them but that it is so the proof is Acts 26.22 Paul did preach what Moses and the Prophets did say should come that Christ should suffer and rise from the dead c. so as this was the summe of Pauls preaching that they had spoken 4. If there be one Mediator then there is one covenant he in whom the covenant is made and he by whom the covenant is performed but so it is we have one Mediator also Rom. 3. â—9 Is God the God of the Jews onely is he not the God of the Gentiles so as all is of God so he will save the Jews by Faith and the Gentiles also by Faith so they are all saved by one and the same manner and Isa 49.6 It is asmal thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and raise up the desolatioâ—â— of Israel I will also give thee a light for the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation to the end of the world so that we see it is through him it is performed so that as it is the same God and Christ so there is but one covenant with them And now 5. The covenant of Abraham dos contain the perfection of all spirituall and saving grace that belongs to the Saints of God Matt. 23.32 Christ disputes about the Resurrection of the dead he saith He is the God of Abraham he is not the God of the dead but of the living he disputes from the perfection of the covenant it includes 〈◊〉 the rest This may suffice to shâ—w the covenant of grace is the same 2. Difference is in the manner of the dispensation therein it differs in regard of the circumstances of it 1 In regard of the Ordinance it is divers from Baptisme in that there was cutting away here is washing away that was to the male this is to all that was to be done on the eighth day this may be on any day But these things doe not make another Sacrament though the manner be divers in administration of them that lookâ— at Christ to come that he should be incarnate was sealed by that but by baptisme is sealed that Christ is come and hath suffered and is raised and set at the right hand of God 2 Hence the outward dispensation was in many types and ceremonies Christ being to come the ordinances went before in types and in their ordinances they had many types nay the very nation and their land was typicall the nation of the Jewes was a type of Gods elect and Gods calling and chusing them from among other nations was
to himselfe although he had no right nor reason so to doe So that if they be left to them selves they would prophane them 2 There will be a confusion on the holy things of God and therefore it is that God hath given them lawes and hath committed these to a community of men and hath left it to them according to the rule of rationall charity to judge whom they will admit and to those they do admit to become subject to those Lawes and Rules and live accordingly so as it is committed to them for that purpose to whom and when they please Thus it was in the time of the Law and thus it is in the times of the Gospel and so it shall be to the comming of Christ 1. Thus it was in the time of the Law they must be in covenant the people of the Jewes were taken in from the world and hee gave them lawes he hath not dealt so with any Nation Psalm 147.20 The treasury of his Lawes were committed to them And Romanes 3.1 all the spirituall priviledges were committed to the Jewes What is the priviledge of the Jewes Much every way c. And Jer. 13.11 For as the girdle cleaves to the loynes of a man so have I â—ied to me the whole House of Israel c. But they would not hear that they might be people to God and then have that honour This is the reason in Nehem. 9.38 he speak thus Now because of all this we make a sure covenant and write it and our Princes and our Levitse and our Priests seale unto it Hence it is that all the choyce priviledges are the Legacies of the Jewes And Exodus 12.43 No stranger shall cat thereof And therefore they must be in the compasse of a visible Church Circumcision is the proper name and livery of Gods people Ephes 2.11 You were Gentiles and called uncircumcision of them that were called Circumcision c. and that were the Jewes and they were the people of God to whom it was left to judge of them that were fit to be made parâ—akers of these priviledges 2 It is thus also in the time of the Gospel they must be ingaged in the covenant and the Seales and Officers and Ordinances of the Church are their propriety As for the Officers Christ when he asconded he gave gifts unto men and ordained some to be Apostles and some Prophers c. Hee spake of some part for the whole therefore in an ordinary way it must be a visible Church the invisible do not meet to chuse but the officers are by the choyce of such a people in such a particular Church and God does set them in a particular Church and the Officers are to dispense the things of God to that Church and therefore a Minister without a people is as a husband without a wife And therefore all the sâ—alâ—s must be dispensed by the Officers of the Church and by none else as appointed by God so to do And therefore the treasury of the Church must be dispensed by faithfull men chosen by the Church Acts 6.3 Chuse you men of honest report and full of the holy Ghost c. If they must be so that must order the treasure of the Church much more the seales which are the speciall treasures of the Church they must be men that have gifts chosen the Sacraments are the seales of the Covenant one with another we are all one bread 1 Corinth 10.17 For we that are many are but one bread And if there be no Officers but in the Church and they that be Officers are to administer onely to the Church they must needs be a company gathered in a Church How a man must be fitted to come into a Church belongs not to me now 3 This must continue till the comming of Christ Rom. 11.17 And though some of the branches be broken off and thou being a wild Olive tree wert grafted in for them and made partaker of the root and fatnesse of the Olive tree Where hâ— speakes of unchurching of the Jews and Churching of the Gentiles If the branches be cut off and thou art grafted in and made partakers of the fatnesse of this Olive tree So as the Gentiles are made partakers of the fatnesse of the Olive the Olive tree is the Church and the fatnesse of the Olive tree is the priviledges that appertain thereunto so as alwayes they must be ingrafted into the Church before they can have the priviledges belonging thereunto and this shall be to the end of the world When the Jews are converted they shal come into a Church of God this is the first they shall enter into a Church and then the fatnesse followes to the branches in the Olive Secondly they covenant for their children as well as for themselves Deut. 29.10 You stand this day every one of you before the Lord your God your Children your wives c. which shewes they may receive the covenant When he speaks of the covenant in the breadth of it then he takes in their little ones and therefore parents covenant as well for their litle ones they undertake for all that shall be born of them they are in their parents loynes all of them are under their power and they have authority to impose the law of God upon them So in Genes 17. 10 11. Let every man child be circumcised and this shall be a token between me and you of my covenant every male shall be circumcised This is the cause why Joshua when he was to depart the world said to the people Chuse you whom you will serve but I and my house will serve the Lord. Every believer hath power to bring his children into this covenant it was a speciall prerogative to Abraham Mr Spilsbery saith If this be to every believing Parent as to Abraham then every beleever must be the father of the faithfull as Abraham was But I deny the consequence for it will not follow if we looke at Abraham as a pattern of believers hence the priviledges and covenant are entailed upon Abraham to all the nations of the world visibly to be dispensed to all the nations of the world and they shall know and imitate him and God will save them He is the Father of the faithfull by imitation the covenant is made after Gen. 12. he is called and the root is stated upon him Although there was a covenant with Noah and Shem yet it was stated upon Abraham and not upon them so as the consequence fails But if we look to his personall faith he hath power to his children onely But No Spilsbery in the 14th page 13th 14th lines if it be meant to all his children he conceives he had many children by Keturah Genes 25. c. which he conceives was not within the covenant for they were not partakers of the seales This will follow for Keturah was not worse then Hagar for she was a Concubine as well as Keturah yet Abraham did circumcise
the end in Christ they are proved subjects of the kingdom of Heaven what is meant by root Christ mysticall Christ conveys living grace to his living members of his body and the branches are those that are planted in Christ by faith and the spirit for faith he mysticall Christ is the Church for the Church are not a mixt company in the 20 23 24. lines I will answer in two things to clear the place 1. It is unfound and does not suite the Apostles meaning 2. If we grant it it will not help his cause to hinder from the baptising of Infants 1. It is unfound were Gods elect of a visible covenant if that onely were the first fruits then Abraham could not Adam Abell Noah and Shem were the elect of God and these were before Abraham therefore this will not hold out that he faith but as the covenant of grace was set upon Abraham so he is the first fruits 2. It hath been proved out of the text as holinesse to the lump so God intends it as a means not that elect people are able to convey saving grace to the lump of all the Jewes in any case 3. If the elect were onely the members he contradicts his own course for those that have a right to baptism are invested into all the priviledges but Gods elect people are not the onely subjects of baptisme for when Iohn Baptist did baptise all those that came to him in the judgement of Iohn they were approved subjects of Gods grace Yet I suppose no man will say though they were men of yeâ—res that were baptised that they were all the elect of God and that they were approved subjects and yet they did not onely apply the seale to themselves for their good but they did abuse the seals and yet they were approved of Iohn to be made partakers of it although some of them were Apostates and Reprobates in a word those that are in the covenant of Gods grace that are elected are really partakers of the work of the spirit inwardly but for the outward we see they are approved which is that of which we now speak not the elect onely but others in the federall holinesse and Abraham was the first fruits by way of covenant 2. That the root here is not Christ mistically conveying grace to his branches and sending nourishment from the head as it is the visible covenant against this I say 1. The Root here meant is that from whom the Branches ingrafted may be broken off that is the Jewes they were broken off from the Church and are at this day but no Branch that is ingrasted into Christ by faith can be broken off First we may see it in the Text Secondly we may see it in Reason he that is in Christ cannot be broken off For whom he called he justified and whom he justified he will glorifie And those that come to Christ he will not cast them away for it is the will of the Father to give them eternall life and no man can take them out of his hand so as the case is cleare 2. The Root is meant the body ingrafted as in the 15. verse If the casting away of the Iews shall be restored the body of the Gentiles 24. 25. verses all the body shall be saved but the body of the Gentiles are not ingrafted into Christ mystically to be belivers so the root is not here and this shews the unfoundnes 3. The reason Mr. Spilsbery uses is against his cause in his 17. page and the last and the beginning of the 18. they carry not the weight of a feather that Christ is the Olive and the Jews are cast out and the Gentiles are grafted in I desire no better reason against him for the Jews are not cast out of Christ mysticall out of this root because it is the Church of Christ where many hypocrites are because they may be cast out 1. In that the Apostle charges the Gentiles for boasting the root bears thee and yet thou have no saving grace but a naked profession and expression in the 17. verse it is a false mistake out of that place boasting is not saving grace for it is a pang of pride God hath no people but have their weaknes of grace Josephs brethren they sold him and would see what would become of his dreams and the Corinthians they did boast one was of Paul another of Apollo but did all these want saving grace No but it is as a caveat given them to pull it down it is not to say they all want saving grace it is false 2. In that the Apostle charges the Gentiles for boasting it is against the argument 3. Thus if the Gentiles be ingrafted in want of grace therefore Christ must be the head the consequence destroyes the conclusion the root is meant as he faith the ingrafted and the want of grace the body butso is no member that is in Christ mystically therfore the root is not meant Christ for the want of grace cannot be in Christ mystically so he destroyes his cause now we shew you the meaning of the text the scope is they should not list up themselves for the Jews were cut off he reasons thus It is groundlesse to boast against the Jew because they receive all from the Jew therefore they should sit down for if they have any right they have it from him for Abraham is the root how by covenant with him Abraham bare by a visible covenant therefore the Gentiles may thank Abraham for it and therefore they have no cause to boast for it was said to him in thee shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed so the truth is cleared the children are holy but not by a spirituall holinesse but a federall holinesse 4. If we grant him his interpretation it will be no help to his cause if the first fruits and lump be the elect the children are elect also if they be vessels of glory upon the same ground children are elected as well as they and let Christ be the head of those that be ingrafted then children and infants are the branches of this head and so to be judged in charity and if they shall be saved they are members Ephes 5.26 Children shall be saved by Christ they he his body he hath gotten nothing here but we have gained that children have federall holinesse against all opposition The 4th Proposition is Although the ground be not the same yet there is as sure a ground to evidence to judicious charity that children are in covenant as well as parents if they be believers the ground is â—t good to the one as it is to the other to a Rule of judicious charity it is alike to both There is not the same ground altogether because the parents are of yeares of discretion and so they are able to expresse the speciall or common good and therefore they can give a reason of the hope that is in them and ingâ—ge themselves to walk