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

wickedly Christ 't is true dyed for Sinners but you have no True Faith in him he dyed to save Sinners from their Sins and that they might live to him See my Text now the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees if you believe not on Christ if you are not made new Creatures 1 Cor. 5. 17. the Ax will cut you down and that with Vengeance and Wrath will at last cast you into the Fire you must learn to know the way of Salvation and how the Mercy of God shines forth in a Mediator Christ hath satisfied his Justice and by him you must come to God out of Christ he is a consuming fire Abused Mercy O Sinner will be turned at last into Fury except you obtain an Interest in Jesus Christ you are undone for the Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men Rom. 1. 3. Or are you Self-righteous Persons Do you build on your own Righteousness like the Jews and hypocritical Pharises you may be think your States Good because you are not Swearers Drunkards c. may be you read pray and hear Sermons and give to the Poor and do much good but if you build your Hopes of Heaven on these Things down this Ax will cut you also Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharises you shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5. 20. nay you must be found in the Righteousness of Christ all ours is but dung Phil. 3. 8 9. you must in a word bring forth good fruit every Soul of you or perish and this you cannot do till your Hearts are changed and so you become good Trees make the tree good and then the fruit will be good an evil Tree cannot bring forth good fruit c. all Works of unregenerate Persons yea their Religious Duties are but dead Works not good fruits nor can they bring forth good Fruits unless they are planted by Faith into Jesus Christ nay I must tell you that Gospel-Holiness will not save us it must be the Righteousness of God by Faith Sermon II. MAT. III. 10. And now also the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees every Tree therefore that bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewn down and cast into the Fire THE Proposition I am to prosecute you may remember is this considering the Context viz. Now the dispensation is changed to be of the natural root or the Seed of Abraham according to the flesh is no ground for Church Membership or no Argument to be admitted into the Gospel Church or to Gospel Baptism You say you have Abraham to your Father or you are the Children of Believers or you have believing Parents Well but what of this as if John should say this will do you no good now this will stand you now in no steed this will give you no Right to Gospel Ordinances nor particularly to Gospel Baptism ' tho' it did to Circumcision and Legal Ordinances and Jewish Church Membership For Hager and her Son are cast out that are the Old Covenant and the Fleshly Seed this old Root and Right now in Gospel Days is struck at The Ax is laid to the Roots of the Trees i. e. To your old standing on the Old Covenant Root as you are the lineal Seed of Abraham The time is come now that the Old Covenant and Covenant Seed are to be rooted up the old House and Constitution pulled down God is now about to build a new Temple and a more spiritual House a spiritual Temple of living Stones and rather then he will want Materials he can of these Stones raise up Children unto believing Abraham and so make good the Covenant of Grace or Gospel Covenant made with him Now you must be united to a living Foundation i. e. Believe in Christ whose way I am come to prepare and make ready fit Matter for this new Building namely the Gospel Church which is not to be by natural descent from Abraham as such but only those who have the Faith of Abraham yea that Faith he had not in Circumcision but in Uncircumcision or before he was Circumcised You must grow out of a spiritual Root i. e. Be Married to Christ your first Husband i. e. The Law or Old Covenant is Just at the point of Death that so ye may bring forth Fruit to God Rom. 7. 4. But to proceed I shall prove this Proposition viz. That the Dispensation is now changed to be of that natural Root or National Church of the Jews or the Seed of Abraham according to the Flesh is no ground for Church Membership no argument for admittance into the Gospel Church or to Gospel Baptism 1. Because 't is positively said that there is a change of the whole Law i. e. The Levitical Priesthood legal Ordinance legal Church and legal Church Membership are changed and gone that so the betterCovenant and more spiritual Church and Church Membership might be established For the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change also of the Law Heb. 7. 12. 'T is so changed as 't is abolished to make way for this as the late Annotators observe the mutation of the Priesthood indispensably requireth the change of the legal Covenant which hereafter I shall prove was not the Covenant of Grace but is directly called the Old Covenant the Covenant of Grace is but one and that never changeth This was made necessary by the Decree of God as they note who determined that both the Priesthood and Law should expire together like say I as an old Will or Testament doth when the Testator hath made and confirmed his Last Will and Testament When Christ the Gospel High-Priest had saith our Annotations in his own Person and Work perfected all of it in Heaven he roots out that Order of Priesthood and demolished the Temple and City to which he confined the Administration and scatters the People which would cleave to it so as all Designs and Endeavours of Jews or of Apostate Christian to repair or restore it hath been ineffectual to this Day What can be more clear Sirs then this that the Old House or Right of Church-Membership is overturned at the very Root for If the Covenant for Incovenanting the Fleshly Seed is changed or abolished and no new Law or new Precept is given forth for the bringing them in again What Ground is there left for any wise seeing and faithful Man to Plead for Infants Church-Membership but it is evident the former is true i. e. that Covenant by virtue of which they had Right to Circumcision and Church Membership or out of which Root that sprang is gone changed and abolished for ever and no new Law or Precept is given forth for the bringing them into the Gospel-Church as such To this Text let me add another which farther confirms it 2. For if that first Covenant had been faultless then should no place have been sought for

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

the second but finding fault with them he saith Behold the days come saith the Lord when I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and the House of Judah Heb. 8. 7 8. It was not faulty in it self but Holy Just and Good it requiring perfect Righteousness of him that would be Justified and therefore could not give Life the Creature being weak and unable to perform the Requirements of it and therefore Paul saith What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh Rom. 8. 3. It discovers Sin and condemns for Sin but could not justifie the Sinner in God's sight from Sin He that kept it not perfectly yea continued not in doing all Things written therein was cursed by it He that was Circumcised was bound to keep the whole Law that Rite obliged them it seems to perform perfect Obedience and yet some affirm it was a Precept of the Gospel Covenant but more of this by and by But say some Was not Circumsion a Priviledge Did it not Profit them The Apostle answers this Question For Circumcision verily profiteth if thou keep the Law but if thou be a breaker of the Law thy Circumcision is made Uncircumcision See how the Apostle brings in Circumcision vers 23. Thou that makest thy boast of the Law through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God He it is evident shews That Circumcision appertained to the Law to the Old Covenant or Covenant of Works for Circumcision profiteth if thou keep the Law c. No Profit no Advantage by Circumcision unless the Circumcised keep the Law That is saith the late Annotations perfectly to which Circumcision obligeth Gal 5. 5. Now this being so the First Covenant being weak and faulty i. e. through the insufficiency and weakness of the Creature he being not able to answer its just Demands God in his infinite Mercy sent his own Son in our Nature and Stead to fulfill the Righteousness thereof he sought and found out the Second Covenant and the First is gone which brings me to the Third Proof of the Point 3. Heb. 10. 9. He took away the first that might establish the second There is a First and Second Covenant or an Old or a New the First must not be confounded with the Second nor the Second with the First because quite different in their Nature Design and End The First Covenant was made 't is true primarily with the First Adam and all Mankind in him that was the First Original or Beginning of it and then to him it did give Life whilst he stood by his Obedience to it but that Ministration of it of which the Apostle speaks and calls the First Covenant was that which God gave to Abraham's Seed according to the Flesh by Moses and to assure Abraham that unto his Seed should be given that Law or the Oracles of God c. he gave him the Covenant or Precept of Circumcision Rom. 3. 1 2. It served as a Pledge of the Law and obliged them to keep it therefore under this old Covenant or First Covenant 't is evident came in Circumcision and the Policy and National Church of the Jews and all other legal and external Rights and Privileges whatsoever both the National Church and Church-Membership but when the Root was struck at i. e. The First Covenant was took away all its Rights Laws Privileges and Appurtenances whatsoever went with it so that now we saith the Apostle know no man after the flesh 2. Cor. 5. That is we prefer or esteem no Man better then others upon the score of the First Covenant or Fleshly Privileges i. e. being of the Seed of Abraham or of the Church of Jews Old things being past away and all things being become New all Types Sacrifices Priest and Priesthood legal place of Worship legal time of Worship legal Ministers and legal maintenance of those Ministers the legal Church and legal Church-Membership were all taken away when the Covenant was took away and thus the Ax is laid to the root of the trees by the establishing the Gospel Dispensation the Anti-Type being come and the Heir come to full Age God deals with us now no more as with Children in Non-age but as with Men who are come to Knowledge and Understanding This I desire may be considered that whatsoever was a Type or Shadow did appertain to the Old Covenant and a great Error or Mistake 't is for any to say the Shadows of the Ceremonal Law were Gospel because they pointed to the Gospel which Mistake I shall farther clear up hereafter and proceed to the Fourth Proof Gal. 4. 30. Cast out the Bond-woman and her Son What is meant by the Bond-women Agar and Ishmael her Son you may see if you read vers 23 24 25. It is written that Abraham had two sons the one by a bond-maid the other by a free woman vers 22. But he who was born of the bond-women was born after the Flesh but he of the free woman was by promise By being born after the Flesh is opposed to him that was born by the Promise the meaning is Ishmael tho' he was Abraham's Seed or Son according to the Flesh yet he was not his Seed nor Son according to the Promise or Covenant of Grace God made with Abraham Which things are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants the one from Mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage ver 24. An Allegory is that by which another thing or things are meant or it hath a mystical Signification more is to be understood then is expressed litterally i. e. Agar held forth the first Covenant God made with Abraham's fleshly Seed and Ishmael the Children of the first Covenant Sarah signified the Gospel or the New Covenant and Isaac the Children of the New Covenant Nevertheless what saith the Scripture Cast out the Bond-woman and her son for the son of the Bond-woman shall not be Heir with the son of the free woman ver 30. The Drift and Scope of the Spirit of God in ●his place is as I conceive First To shew that there were two Covenan● made with Abraham which no doubt he himself who is called the Friend of God well understood one with his natural Seed as such the other with his spiritual Seed as such Secondly That the casting out of the Bond-woman shews the Abrogation of the first Covenant and all the external foederal and fleshly Rights and Privileges thereof and the casting out of the Seed of the Bond-woman shews the utter rooting out and rejection of the external and political Church-State of the Jews Thirdly That none of the fleshly Seed as such should be Heirs and Partakers with the true spiritual Seed of Abraham under the Gospel or have a Being in Abraham's true spiritual House or Gospel Church These Things being so what reason there is for any to plead for Infants Church