his first and second Appearance But as the Apostle saith Heb. 1.1 2. God who at sundry times and divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed Heir of all things The New Testament which was given forth by the Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles doth take off the Vail from the Old and as to that part of it which concerns the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ is an Exposition of it Our Lord tells the Woman of Samaria John 4.23 But the hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him Under the times of the Old Testament the Worship of God lay much outward the Body being greatly exercised in it they had killing of Sacrifices they had material Fire to burn the Sacrifice withal and material Salt to season the Sacrifice But under the New Testament the Worship most of all concerns the Soul it is so far spiritual that the Spirit of God must be the Unfolder of it and calls at the first glance for the Soul to apprehend the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Person held forth in it For without a Heart true unto him no acceptance of the Worship neither the Worshipper The Salt which our Worship must be season'd withal must be inward Sincerity the Fire inward Zeal engaging the Heart with God when exercised in the worshipping of him which will not fail to keep the Body in a decent Posture with it How low doth the Apostle go when he speaks of the Old Testament Worship Heb. 10.1 For the Law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very Image of the things can never with these Sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the Comers thereunto perfect By the Law the following words shew he intends the Ceremonial Law which was appointed by God during that Dispensation to typify out that which is with such Clearness presented unto us in the New Testament And in comparing of these together the Apostle doth not vouchsafe to grant unto the Ceremonial Law to be an Image of the other but a Shadow a Shadow is not so much as an Image nor an Image so much as the thing it self It is a Metaphor taken from Painting Painters are wont with Chalk or a Coal to draw out the thing which they propose to themselves to express Which rude Picture is call'd a Shadow for the obscure Representation Then with the Pencil they bring on the lively Colours that it may be a distinct and express Likeness of a thing which is properly call'd an Image There being so vast a Difference in the Matter of the Worship betwixt the Old and New Testament it is very strange to me to see holy Men run back to the Old Testament to warrant their Practice for such things which they want a Warrant for from the New Having found out the nature of the Publication of the Gospel under the New Testament it will not be very difficult to find out what fort of Persons are the visible Members of the Church which leads me to the next thing to be handled What is required to be admitted a Member of the Church according to the Rule laid down in the New Testament And that is a laying hold of the Lord Jesus Christ by Faith and of that rich and free Grace which is extended to Sinners from God the Father through him accompanied with an outward Profession of their Faith before those to whom they join themselves in Church-fellowship and an outward Declaration of their sincere desire to walk with the Church as Members of it according to the Rule of the Word They first saith the Apostle gave their own selves to the Lord and to us by the Will of God It is impossible but Hypocrites and Formalists should creep into the Church because Man judgeth only by outward appearance it is God alone that can behold the Heart However the admittance of them depends upon the Church's Judgment and the Church receives them as sincere and not as Hypocrites or Formalists for if either of these were discoverable before admittance the Church would not accept them Acts 8.13 Then Simon himself believed also and was baptized By believing must be meant an outward Declaration of his believing for it doth appear that his Heart had not laid hold of the Lord Jesus Christ for if it had he would not have been so ignorant how the Gift of the Holy Ghost was given so as to think to procure it by Mony but being discovered the Apostle Peter tells him Thy Mony perish with thee ver 23. For I perceive thou art in the Gall of Bitterness and in the Bond of Iniquity That is notwithstanding thy outward Profession of Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ thou art in a state of Sin and Impenitency which if continued in will at last bring forth the Bitterness of eternal Punishment To prove that the New Testament doth require a Work of true Conversion upon the Heart as that which qualifies or fits a Person to be a Member of the visible Church and that no pretence of fleshly right as being of believing Parents will do it I shall offer these following Reasons First Because the Entail which gave the fleshly Seed right of Membership to the Church ended with that Old Testament Church-state for altho the grievous and abominable Sins of the Israelites did cause the Lord to bring very heavy Judgments upon them and often to send them into Captivity before the face of their Enemies yet they were not unchurched neither was the Worship of God taken from them for their Wickedness and given to another People and the great Reason was because it was by an Act of Grace that this Favour was granted to the Seed of Abraham that they should be separated from the rest of the Nations and have the Worship of God set up amongst them And the same Grace that extended this Favour to them above the rest of the World was pleased that an Entail to secure the continuance of the Favour granted until the coming of the Messiah should be a part of the Grant it self as appears from the words of Jacob Gen. 49.10 The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Lawgiver from between his Feet until Shilo come He speaks it with a shall not to shew that altho their Sins might bring other Judgments upon them yet this Judgment was reserved to fall upon them for their slighting the Messiah The Lord Christ lays this before the Jews in the Parable of a Housholder planting a Vineyard Mat. 21.33 Hear another Parable There was a certain Housholder which planted a Vineyard and hedged it round about and digged a Wine-press in it and built a Tower and let it out to Husbandmen and went into a far Country This Housholder is God the Fathers this Vineyard
of Election and answers the Designs of it doth further appear from Rev. 13.8 And all that dwell upon the Earth shall worship him whose Names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World Here are some by eternal Decree secured from falling into Idolatrous Worship here is the Death of the Lord Jesus Christ taken in by the Decree as the means appointed by the Decree to secure them from falling To sum up this Chapter If the Redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ be comprehended in the Decree of Election as the means appointed to answer that part of the design of the Decree which was the satisfying the Conditions of the Covenant of Works that so the Elect might be delivered from the Penalty of it it will appear to any unprejudiced Christian that the Covenant of Grace and Redemption are but one Covenant CHAP. III. Of the Mediatorship of the Lord Jesus Christ in two parts First In procuring and sending of the Spirit to fit for the publishing of the way of Salvation Secondly For the Spirits accompanying the outward Declaration by opening the Heart and so leading into the way and keeping the Saints in it subservient to the Decree of Election and answering the Designs of it IF we consider the state of the Elect as they come into the World which by reason of the natural Pollution that doth attend them doth make them wholly unfit for Communion with God it is necessary that they should have one to be their Head who doth partake both of the Nature of God and of the Nature of Man as the Person that was to stand betwixt them and God He must be Man of kin to the Nature offending that he might satisfy the Justice of God for the Righteousness of God did require that the same Nature which had committed Sin should undergo the Penalty due to Sin And he must be God that so his Justice Goodness and Righteousness being every way infinite and eternal might make the Sufferings of that Nature to which it was united of no less force than eternal Torment in others to the satisfying of Justice for whom he suffered And altho the eternal Word did not actually take our Nature on him that he might discharge the Elect from the Penalty of the first Covenant until his appearance in the state of his Humiliation yet he stood as the Head of the Covenant and through his Undertaking Mercies were conveyd to the Elect and Judgments prevented from falling upon them We have several Instances in the Old Testament upon special occasions of his appearing in Man's Nature and that as Mediator upon the account of the Elect Gen. 18.1 2 3. And the Lord appeared unto him in the Plain of Mamre and he sat in the tent-door in the heat of the day And he lift up his Eyes and looked and lo three Men stood by him and when he saw them he ran to meet them from the tent-door and bowed himself toward the ground and said My Lord if now I have found favour in thy sight pass not away I pray thee from thy Servant That one of these three was the eternal Word in Man's Nature appears ver 20 21. And the Lord said Because the Cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their Sin is very grievous I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the Cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know That his Eye was upon the Elect in Sodom doth appear ver 32. And he that is Abraham said O let not the Lord be angry and I will speak yet but this once Peradventure ten shall be found there that are righteous And he said I will not destroy it for tens sake Compared with Chap. 19. and the former part of the 22d Verse Haste thee escape thither for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither The Son of God who is the Head of the Elect hath searched after the number of the Righteous in this place and hath found them in it who belong unto him they must be removed before the wicked can be destroy'd A second Scripture for the confirming of what I am treating of is Gen. 32.24 And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a Man with him until the breaking of the day That this Man is the eternal Word in Mans Nature will appear ver 28. And he said Thy Name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel for as a Prince hast thou Power with God and with Men and hast prevailed The Son of God sympathizes with his poor afrighted Member who was in danger to be destroy'd by his cruel Brother Esau Hosea 12.4 Yea he Jacob had power over the Angel of the Covenant and prevailed he wept and made Supplication Having opened the way into this Chapter by the foregoing Introduction I come now to clear up the Matter containd in it and I shall confine my self to the times of the New Testament which affords us the greatest Light in these Truths And first I shall shew that the sending of the Spirit to fit for the publishing of the way of Salvation dependeth on his Intercession as Mediator betwixt the Father and the Elect and that the Spirit 's accompanying the outward Declaration and opening the Heart to receive the Truths held forth in the Gospel Declaration dependeth likewise upon him Secondly That the keeping of the Saints in a way of Salvation dependeth likewise upon him And under this Head I shall endeavour to shew the nature of that Work which the holy Spirit carries on in the Hearts of the Saints Thirdly and lastly I shall shew how it is all subservient to the Decree of Election and answers the Designs of it And first I shall shew that the sending of the Spirit for the publishing of the way of Salvation dependeth upon the Intercession of the Lord Jesus I shall divide this Head into two parts and first treat of the extraordinary Qualification wherewith the first Publishers of the Gospel were indued Secondly the ordinary Qualification without which a Person can have no real Satisfaction to his own Soul that he is call'd of God to that great Work and Service And first I shall treat of that extraordinary Qualification wherewith the first Publishers of the Gospel were endued The Lord Jesus Christ after he was risen from the dead bids his Disciples stay for the Qualification wherewith they should be fitted for the dispensing of the Gospel in these words Luke 24.49 And behold I send the Promise of my Father upon you but tarry ye in the City of Jerusalem until ye be endued with Power from on high Compared with Acts 2.1 2 3 4. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they that is the Disciples were all with one accord in one place And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty Wind and it filled all the House where they were
when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the Land of Egypt because they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not saith the Lord. The Apostle in these words doth refer us to the bringing the Children of Israel out of Egypt the imbodying of that People into a Nation and God's setting up his Worship amongst them which the 17th Chapter of Genesis and the Covenant there mentioned carried in the Womb of it the Insufficiency of which Covenant lay not only in the unvailed Administration of Gospel-Grace which was darkly typified forth in the times of the Old Testament but chiefly in the want of internal Grace from having a share of which Grace the greatest part of the Seed of Abraham were excluded not the Elect who were of his Offspring but those which were put off with Earthly Enjoyments which they by their Rebellions in process of time forfeited the Forbearance and Patience of God being wearied out Having by way of Introduction opened the way to that which I intend to treat of in the following Discourse I shall lay down these three Heads to enlarge on First That the Seed of Abraham were in Gen 17. taken into Covenant with God unto which Covenant temporal Mercies were annexed and Circumcision given as a Seal of the performance of it on God's part Secondly That as the Covenant mentioned Gen. 17. carried in the Womb of it the imbodying of the Seed of Abraham into a separate Nation in order to have that Old Testament Church-state set up amongst them so their Deliverance out of Egypt and the appointing the Paschal Lamb was to shew them that God was actually on the accomplishing what was contained it the Covenant Thirdly Where internal Grace did accompany these Ordinances and other parts of that Old Testament Worship the Elect Seed were brought to have spiritual Mercies convey'd to their Souls through it First That the Seed of Abraham were in Gen. 17. taken into Covenant with God unto which Covenant Temporal Mercies were annex'd and Circumcision given as a Seal of the performance of it on God's part doth appear as it is laid down from ver 4 to v. 15. extending it self not only to all his Seed that should descend from him by Generation but likewise to those that were born in his House or bought with his Mony And the uncircumcised Manchild whose Flesh of his fore-skin is not circumcised that Soul shall be cut off from his People he hath broken my Covenant That all the Persons that were brought into this Covenant had inward Mercies convey'd to their Souls crosseth the words of Abraham ver 18. And Abraham said unto God O that Ishmael might live before thee If he had understood that this Covenant into which Ishmael was going to be taken by the initiating Ordinance of Circumcision had been the Covenant of Grace he needed not have doubted of that there being a sincere performance of what was required of Abraham's part on the behalf of Ishmael But we find by God's Answer that there was not that intended by that Covenant for him but as the Covenant promised an Earthly Canaan so Ishmael tho he had not that Land yet he should have other Earthly Greatness which should carry with it the performance of what was held forth by the Covenant unto the natural Seed of Abraham ver 20. And as for Ishmael I have heard thee Behold I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly twelve Princes shall he beget and I will make him a great Nation This is that which the Covenant intended for him and doubtless Abraham did so look upon it or otherwise he would have interceded farther for Ishmael Evident it is that Ishmael was taken into this Covenant contain'd in Gen. 17. for Abraham did circumcise him as the Covenant required yet we find the Apostle Paul making Agar and Ishmael to represent the Covenant of Works Gal. 4.22 23 24. For it is written that Abraham had two Sons the one by a bond-maid the other by a free-woman But he that was of the bond-woman was born after the Flesh but he of the free-woman was by Promise Which things are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants the one from the Mount Sinai which gendereth to Bondage which is Agar Mr. Edward Leigh in his Annotations upon the New Testament doth speak so fully to the Truth that I shall insert his words at large Ver. 23. Born after the Flesh That is by a bare natural Power of Generation By Promise That is not so much by the natural strength of Parents as by virtue of God's Promise which bound his Truth to set his Omnipotency at work above Nature Ver. 24. Which things are an Allegory That is being the things that they were signify the things that they were not a Figure of some other thing mystically signified by them that is they represent or signify the two Covenants For these are the two Covenants That is distinct Covenants of Works and Grace first and second Covenant not the Covenant of Grace differently administred in the Old and New Testament Ishmael was not under the Covenant of Grace in any sense Isaac and Ishmael represented all Men regenerate and unregenerate all which are under the Covenant of Works and Grace Mount Sinai Which came thence being there published and promulgated the Law and Covenant of Works To Bondage That is begets not Children of a free and ingenuous Spirit loving God and out of Love doing him Service and meerly of his Grace Love free Favour and Promise expecting their Reward but Bondslaves which out of a fear of Punishment or hope of Reward do Service and expect the Reward for the worthiness sake of their Works This Covenant is Hagar That is signified by Hagar so called for a double respect First For its Condition because it begets all Children to Bondage Secondly For Subordination Sarah's Maid the Law is a Servant to the Gospel and Gospel Ends. If as Mr. Leigh saith Ishmael was not under the Covenant of Grace in any sense I do wonder how he can as he doth in other places make it the Covenant of Grace and Circumcision the Seal of that Covenant for of it was Ishmael made a partaker Gen. 17.23 24. And Abraham took Ishmael his Son and all that were born in his House and all that were bought with his Mony according to the appointment of the Covenant ver 13. every Male among the Men of Abraham 's House and circumcised the Flesh of their fore-skin in the self-same day as God had said unto him A second Proof for the Confirmation of what I have laid down under this first Head that the Covenant mention'd in Gen. 17. did only hold forth Earthly Things to be enjoy'd by the Seed of Abraham by the Seed of Abraham I intend the great number of his fleshly Seed as separated from the Elect which were amongst them That this Covenant did only hold forth Earthly Enjoyments
and that Circumcision was only a Seal of these things to be enjoy'd by them will further appear from that account which the Scriptures give us of Esau If the Covenant mentioned in Gen. 17. unto which Circumcision is annexed be the Covenant of Grace and the Infant-seed of Believers by virtue of their Parents Faith have a right to new Covenant-Mercies and ought to be sealed with the Seal of the Covenant how doth this agree with Gen. 25.23 And the Lord said unto her that is to Rebekah Two Nations are in thy Womb and two manner of People shall be separated from thy Bowels and the one People shall be stronger than the other People and the elder shall serve the younger Compared with Rom. 9.12 13. It was said unto her that is to Rebekah The elder shall serve the yopnger As it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated What shall we say then is there Vnrighteousness with God God forbid He as an absolute Soveraign over the Works of his hands may dispose of Persons and Things as pleaseth him But to return to the matter in hand here is Esau the Seed of believing Isaac and so without controversy he had a Covenant-right to what was intended by the Covenant to the Seed of Abraham as such yet even while in the Womb excluded from any share in new Covenant-Mercies it must then follow that this Covenant did not convey new Covenant-Mercies but was a Covenant of Peculiarity to the natural Seed of Abraham others se there is a failure in the Covenant but it is the highest Wickedness to imagine there should be any on God's part in performing what he covenants to give But if we look upon the Covenant here as intending Earthly Blessings there was no failure of these Blessings either to Ishmael or Esau or to the natural Seed of Abraham from Jacob after they were imbodied into a Nation and had that Church-state set up amongst them until by aggravating Sins and Rebellion they forfeited their right to these Covenant-Mercies Secondly As the Covenant mentioned in Gen. 17. carried in the Womb of it the imbodying of the Seed of Abraham into a separate Nation in order to have that Old Testament Church-state set up amongst them so their Deliverance out of Egypt and the appointing of the Paschal Lamb was to shew forth to them that God was punctual in the accomplishing what was contain'd in the Covenant Altho God in Gen. 17. did enter into Covenant with Abraham and with all his natural Seed yet the accomplishment of what was contain'd in the Covenant in respect of the gathering the Seed of Jacob into a National Church was not accomplished until many hundred years after Exod. 2.23 24 25. And it came to pass in process of time that the King of Egypt died and the Children of Israel sighed by reason of the Bondage and they cried and their Cry came up unto God by reason of the Bondage And God heard their groaning and God remembered his Covenant with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob. And God look'd upon the Children of Israel and God had respect unto them He remembred what he had promised in Gen. 17. and so remembers it as to take in hand the accomplishment of it Exod. 3.17 And I have said I will bring you up out of the Affliction of Egypt into the Land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites unto a Land flowing with Milk and Honey This the Apostle calls the entering into Covenant with the Israelites when he brought them out of the Land of Egypt which was the accomplishing of what was contain'd in Gen. 17. the faultiness of which Covenant lay in the Promise of Earthly Enjoyments which were fading and liable to be lost and the want of inward Grace by which God comes to be enjoy'd and new Covenant-Mercies presented to the Soul That the Apostle in Heb. 8.7 8 9. compared with ver 10 11 12 13. doth thus lay it down is plain to every Person that hath not a mind wilfully to shut his Eyes against the Truth For the further Confirmation of what is said look into Deut. 29.1 2 3 4. These are the words of the Covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Children of Israel in the Land of Moab beside the Covenant which he made with them in Horeb. And Moses called unto all Israel and said unto them Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your Eyes in the Land of Egypt unto Pharaoh and unto all his Servants and unto all his Land the great Temptations which thine Eyes have seen the Signs and those great Miracles Yet the Lord hath not given you a Heart to perceive and Eyes to see and Ears to hear unto this day Notwithstanding this Chapter does contain in it a renewal of the Covenant to bring them to the accomplishment of the Covenant Gen. 17. yet we find not in the whole Chapter a promise of internal Grace without which no Person can be said to be brought into the new Covenant for notwithstanding the wonderful Trials that they went through and the Soul-amazing Deliverances which they received from God the holy Spirit being wanting inwardly to fasten these upon their Hearts and to soften their Hearts before God these great Appearances of God on their behalf quickly wore off their Hearts and they forgot all his Benefits That the gathering the Seed of Israel into a Nation and the appointing of the Passover led to point unto the natural Seed the fulfilling of what was contain'd in Gen. 17. which was the enjoyment of Earthly Inheritances will appear in that the admittance unto the Passover run to the same Persons to whom Circumcision was granted Gen. 17.13 And that it was to be a Sign to the natural Seed of God's performing his Promise in bringing them to the enjoyment of the Earthly Canaan which was but a Type of that Heavenly Canaan reserved for the spiritual Seed doth appear from Exod. 12.25 26 27. And it shall come to pass when ye be come to the Land which the Lord will give you according as he hath promised Gen. 17. that ye shall keep this Service And it shall come to pass when your Children shall say unto you What mean you by this Service that ye shall say It is the Sacrifice of the Lord 's Passover who passed over the Houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians and delivered our Houses And they bowed the Head and worshipped It is clear from a multitude of Scriptures that from the first giving forth of the Covenant in Gen. 17. until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the Seed of Abraham from Jacob downwards were made Partakers of many outward Privileges even those of them that were strangers to internal Grace which no other People that stand in the outward part of the Worship of God in Gospel-times can lay claim unto
and a share in the Worship of it But the time of the Old Testament Church-state being expired the aim of the New Testament being to gather together the spiritual Seed of Abraham the fleshly Jew must be broken off and the believing Gentile must take his place that so the Church in the times of the New Testament may consist of the spiritual Seed and if he spared not the natural Jew because there was a want of the Qualification be not high-minded but fear for if thou wantest the Qualification thou hast not long to continue a Member of the Church of Christ in the times of the New Testament I have in treating of this Covenant contain'd in Gen. 17. gone from the common Opinion of Expositors and through Mercy I can appeal unto the Lord that I have desired sincerely to follow the leadings of his holy Spirit in his Word If I have varied in any thing from the holy Scriptures which I desire to follow as my Rule and Guide if any can shew me my Error and will do it in the Spirit of Meekness I shall be greatly obliged to them I must desire the Reader 's favour to overlook the weakness of the Stile in which these Truths are laid down and to look at the Truth it self which shines the clearest when it appears in its own native Beauty If it agree with thy Experience bless God for it for thou mayst see in reading of the Appendix which contains the Author's Experience and Advice to his Children that the Author hath nothing to glory in before the Lord It was by rich and free Grace alone that he was brought to see the Truth and to give Obedience to it It is through rich Grace that he receives strength to walk in it and it is by Grace alone that he hopes to come to that eternal Blessedness that is held forth by it CHAP. IV. Of the New Testament Church and what is required to be a Member of it BEfore I come to the matter contained in this Chapter I shall speak of the Church of Christ in general and so it comprehends the whole Elect Body from the Fall to those that shall be living at Christ's second Personal Appearance Ephes 3.14 15. For this cause I bow my Knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Of whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named Some of the Family are gotten to their rest others are conflicting with the World and some have only their being in the Decree of God to appear at the time appointed for them The Church so considered is the Body of Christ which he hath redeemed by his pretious Blood not having Spot or Wrinkle or any such thing when presented to the Father at the Last day But of the Church thus considered are many Members who are not brought to be Members of a gathered Church constituted according to the Rule of God's Word That Lot Job and his Friends were of the Body of Christ and so Members of the Church I think no Christian will deny yet it doth not any where appear that those were Members of the Old Testament Church who never imboided together and so became thereby visible to the Nations round about them As Christ in the times of the Old Testament had many Members who were not brought into the Church so hath he likewise in the times of the New Testament The idolatrous Church of Rome hath assumed to her self the name of the Church or the Spouse of Christ and so was owned for many Ages by the great Ones of the World while the Members of Christ were not visible to the World and in many places not one unto another In not distinguishing the Church as it is here laid down some Persons have driven on strange Designs against God's Children by their Cry That out of the Church there is no Salvation Which is true if we consider the Elect Body to whom Christ was given as a Saviour but will not hold true to any particular gathered Church for many Members of Christ are so scatter'd in the World that for many Ages it hath been and at this time is morally impossible that they should be gathered into a Body according to the Rule of the Word Of the Church as taking in the whole Body of the Elect do I reckon Elect Infants Whether only all Believers Infants or Unbelievers Infants likewise be so to whom Grace is applied by the Holy Spirit I leave as a Secret which God is pleased to reserve unto himself But that they are uncapable of Membership in a visible gathered Church in the times of the New Testament and have no Right to the two Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper will appear in the prosecuting of this and the next Chapter if regard be had to the Holy Scriptures as a Rule and Guide unto us By holding forth the Purity of the Church I do not thereby unchurch those several sorts of Protestants that differ from the poor despised Baptists in many things yet do hold with them the Foundation the Lord Jesus Christ as Redeemer and the one Mediator betwixt God and Man in opposition to the many Mediators brought in by the Idolatrous Church of Rome Yet if regard be had to the Holy Scriptures as a Rule many of the Protestant Churches will appear to have been building upon the Foundation Wood Hay and Stubble they have retained in their several Churches something that hath been handed down unto them from the idolatrous Papists and not from the Authority of the Holy Scriptures Although God hath born with these Churches several Ages as he bore with the Churches of Asia yet it is visible that his Presence is greatly withdrawn from them and may end in the unchurching of them when the Church comes wholly to be delivered out of her Wilderness State if there be not a hearty and speedy return unto him Having by way of Introduction open'd the way into what remains chiefly to be consider'd in this Chapter I shall lay down these two general Heads as that which may take in the whole matter First Treat of the Nature of the Publication of the Gospel under the New Testament Secondly What is required to be admitted a Member of the visible Church according to the Rule laid down in it First I shall treat of the Nature of the Publication of the Gospel under the New Testament and that is in a different manner from the Publication of it in the times of the Old Testament The Lord Jesus Christ was then held forth under such Types and Figures that the end for which they were instituted in the Church was beheld with great difficulty so that the Saints themselves that were waiting for his coming were ignorant of the manner of it and the nature of that Deliverance that should be wrought by him being much upon the expectation of a visible Kingdom in this World and outward Glory attending of it not being brought clearly to distinguish betwixt
which he plants is his affording the People of the Jews the Privilege of having his Worship set up amongst them and hedged it round about for distinction to shew that it was a Favour granted only to that People for the rest of the Nations had not that Privilege granted to them and digged a Wine-press in it that is appointed such Ordinances as were the instrumental Means in the hand of the holy Spirit to bring the Elect that were amongst them into Communion with God built a Tower that is the glorious Temple and let it out to Husbandmen and went into a far Country that is gave forth a Grant with an Entail that they should enjoy it for many Generations until the ruining of their Church and State for their grievous Sin in crucifying the Lord Jesus Christ Ver. 38 39 40 and 43. Therefore say I unto you The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof By the Kingdom of God he means his Worship which is the instrumental Means to fit for the Kingdom of Heaven The Old Testament Church-state being ended that which secures the continuance of the New Testament Worship amongst any People is the improving of it to God's Glory and the good of their immortal Souls God's removing of his Worship from Asia into Europe from one Nation of Europe to another from one City to another is a sufficient Evidence to us upon what terms his Worship is continued amongst us When the Churches in Asia were threatned with a Dissolution no mention of a Covenant made with their believing Fathers or their being saved by their Parents Faith Rev. 2.5 Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first Works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Candlestick out of its place except thou repent So that it is plain that it is not by any Right descending from believing Parents to Children that they are admitted Members of the New Testament Church or have the Worship of it continued amongst them I do foresee that this will go to the quick with a great many Persons whose Cries are if the Children of believing Parents be not admitted to be Members of the New Testament Church you make their State and Condition to be worse under the New Testament than under the Old To which I answer that I do not straiten the Privileges of Believers Children for I shew'd before that Salvation doth not wholly depend upon Church-Membership or upon the admittance to outward Ordinances for many of God's Children were saved who were not admitted to be Members of a visible Church yet I do still own it is a great Privilege where it hath its Warrant from the Word of God for then they may expect his Blessing upon it to answer the end for which he appoints it Some Persons do say that believing Parents Children are not admitted to Membership into a visible Church but God with the believing Parent doth take their Infant-seed into the Covenant of Grace But they do not consider that Infants admittance to the Ordinance was by virtue of a right of Membership as Members of the visible Church under the Old Testament That Believers Childrens Privilege is better than theirs that are Unbelievers doth appear in this that those of them that die in Infancy have the Prayers of their believing Parents put up for them in the Name of him through whom rich Grace hath been extended unto them and I think a Heart drawn out to wrestle with God by the believing Parent on behalf of a dying Infant and a Heart enabled to leave the dying Infant to the rich Grace of God which flows through the undertaking of the blessed Jesus will yield a more abiding Comfort to the Parent than a pretended federal Holiness will afford them the Parent many times at the same time being under the sense of inward Corruption And as to these Children of believing Parents that are grown to years of Understanding and are not as yet admitted to be Members of the visible Church if the Parent be found in the discharge of his or their Duty to them they will in Truth and Faithfulness lay before them what is required to their orderly admittance and will seek to the Lord for them that they may enter in at the right Door for the Heart comes not to the Enjoyment of God neither to receive Comfort from Ordinances but as it first is brought into a right frame and hath its Warrant from the Word of God that it is in the way of his Appointments the Worship must be in Spirit and in Truth Secondly A second Reason why the New Testament doth require a Work of true Conversion upon the Heart as that which qualifies or fits a Person to be a Member of the visible Church is because without it the Duties required from one Member to another cannot be discharged as they are concerned in one and the same Interest on the behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ so there is a holy Watchfulness required over one another in order to the faithful discharge of these Duties which their Lord requires of them And saith the Apostle if one Member suffer all the Members suffer with it or one Member be honoured all the Members rejoice with it Where a Church is imbodied together according to the order of the New Testament our Lord hath left us an excellent Rule to walk by that so these things that may tend to bring Dishonour upon the Church may be stopt when they first begin to break forth or otherwise that things may be managed in such a way as that the Church may free themselves of the Offender Mat. 18.15 16 17. Moreover if thy Brother shall trespass against thee go tell him his fault betwixt thee and him alone if he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy Brother But if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word may be established But if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the Church and if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto thee as an Heathen Man and a Publican If thy Brother do thee any wrong or else sin against God and thou be privy to it for that Sin may be said to be against us which is against God in respect of that common Interest that such Persons are engaged mutually in If a sinning Member have his Sin laid before him by that fellow Member that is privy to it and he bear to be told of his fault so as to be brought to an acknowledgment of it before the Lord and to repent of it and return from it then that Member is gained but if he be stubborn let him be again admonished before Witnesses not one only but two or three Witnesses that so it may appear that means are made use of for the reclaiming of the Offender But if