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sin_n	law_n	transgress_v	transgression_n	5,886	5	10.8651	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97212	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, cleeered; 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.	Warren, Edward, Member of the army in Ireland.	1655 (1655)	Wing W956; Thomason E856_2; ESTC R9139	117,844	134

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 covenan●s do bear the same interpretation take those two for instance Isaiah ●5 3 hea●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 G●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 thes● places concludes the covenant-mercy of David to be sure and so i●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 gr●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 h●s bubbles up withal For by this he makes Christ only a comple●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 d●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. mult●tudes o Texts might be added Arius thy error struggles to live wh●n th●n ●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-Ch●rch seed For so Eve by faith understood the promise Gen. 4.5 when S●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. ●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

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 G●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 c●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 T●erefore ch 4. 9. he draws t●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 Ph●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 promise● 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

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

P. to say Christ should not be minded or known in that Covenant is as much as to say that Jesus Christ is not to be minded as Mediator for there is no other Covenant that he is Mediator of but that and if this be not a bird of prey that flyes in the Region of blasphemy Let God Almighty and his people judge Thus we may see what work ignorant men will make in preaching that have onely a little Conscience a great deal of Confidence and a great Concordance This place also notwithstanding any thing he hath said doth vote for the ingraffing of believing Gentiles and their seed into the covenant made with Abraham from which the believing Jews and their seed were cast out therefore Job 38.2 who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge CHAP. XVII 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3. with many other Texts cleered from his corrupt interpretation P. Pag. 120. THe next Scripture he faceth as intending to relieve it out of our hands is 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3. Moreover brethren I would not have you ignorant how that all our Fathers were under the cloud and were all baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea and did all eat of the same spiritual meat and did all drink of the same spiritual drink For they drank of that rock that followed them and that rock was Christ This is another Scripture made use of to prove a covenant of salvation to run in the flesh Rep. This Text was never pleaded to prove a covenant of life in the flesh for as we never affirmed such doctrines so is this Text impertinent for such a purpose but this we say that this Scripture is by us brought to prove the manner of baptising not to be by dipping so that we see he hath mistaken the door like a blind man groping in the dark therefore I shall wave much like stuff that follows upon it P. Pag. 120. 121. Israel was baptized to Moses a typical Mediator not to Christ which is a main passage to be noted and the covenant that Mose was Mediator of was a covenant of works and then he shews how the Law did type out in that administration our deliverance from sin death hell the devil and what resemblance it had of these things c. A. Though Israel was not baptized into Christ exhibited yet as Moses was a type of Christ so they were baptized into Christ Act. 3.22 2. The Apostle holds forth Israels Baptism as a Sacrament and brings it in with the Manna and the Rock which was Sacramentally Christ And compares these two to the Sacraments of the Church of Corinth who did eat the same spiritual meat and drink the same spiritual drink So that Christ was as truly held forth in Israels Baptism Sacramentally as in the Church of Corinths baptism and as much in the Rock and Manna amongst Israel as in the bread and wine in the Supper amongst the Church of Corinth 3 The Apostle by telling the Church of Corinth of Israels S craments and deliverances they injoyed from God they were all baptized and did all eat compares them with this Gospel-Church as an equal parallel to let them know that as they had equal priviledges so the same since in a Gospel-Church would bring down the same judgements as it did already begin to work for their unworthy receiving the Supper Now their priviledges being compared as equal and yet Israel being all baptized Sacramentally into Christ men women and children doth cleerly import that the infant-seed of that Church to whom this example is brought were also baptized into Christ or else the parallel could never hold so that what was done in baptising Israel ●o Moses as a typical Mediator was but a prefiguration of what should be done to Gods people Israel i. e. men women and children under Christ the true Mediator therefore this which he lays down mainly to be observed that Israel was not baptized to Christ is observed to be untrue And as for the manner of baptising either by sprinkling or powring forth water it is as fully held forth in this Text as before proved as that they used wine in the Supper But of this he speaks but little though indeed it is the main thing for which this Text is so often cond P. As to that where he tells us Moses was a typical Mediator of a covenant of works A. Then is Christ a Mediator of a covenant of works and then he contradicts what he affirmed in pap 127 where making Abrahams covenant to be of works he tells us that Christ was not now to be considered or eyed as a person interessed in that but a better covenant And how a covenant of works can stand with a Mediator or a Mediator with such a covenant is to me a paradox and not to be known I am sure on this side the water P. Those Teachers mentioned in Act. 15. that would impose a yoak upon the disciples necks were much like to those now who plead for Infant-baptism For they had no warrant for what they did A. He appears mistaken for our Ministers now neither plead for Circumcision nor Justification by works which was the main rock those primitive Churches by reason of the false teachers were like to split upon yea it is a thing note worthy that in all those primitive revolts from the truth the false Teachers did usher them in by preaching up Circumcision after the Law of Moses by which means they made rents and divisions in all Churches so that had not Infants been Church-members that were strongly riveted in their Parents affections it could have been no taking Argument to Parental-members to fall back to Judaism or any probable ground of hopes to incourage the false Teachers in their works for upon the strain of Anabaptists they might have done as they pleased with their children Circumcise or Paganize them for they were not to be of the visible Church til they were adult believers and so converted to the Faith by the word preacht And the very Text it self doth imply that children in the Primitive times were called Disciples or else how should it be called a putting a yoak upon the necks of the Disciples after the manner of Moses It was the childrens necks that bore the yoak Zipporah knew it right well so that it is apparent what he saith of our Ministery in comparing them to those false Teachers is but his usual way of reproaches in which he shakes hands with those false Teachers mentioned whose main work hath ever been to smite the shepheards that the sheep may be scattered and to extinguish their light that so their glow-worm shining may be seen in the dark But I hope the light of these times with the barking of the wolves now abroad will sufficiently discover them to be beasts of prey though they go mantled in sheeps cloathing P. p. 124. This being premised that Moses was a Typical Mediator and their baptism and the