have you from God's Word to affirm such things you give no more proof for what you assert than the Papists do for their vain Traditions and Popish Ceremonies Grace must be implanted in the Soul before Baptism or the Person has no Right to it 't is an outward Sign of an inward spiritual Grace as your Church asserts Baptism is not Grace nor conveys Grace if you can prove it does I will say no more but submit and acknowledge my mistake but if you err in saying it does do not go about to deceive your People any more You plead for making false Christian nominal Christians Christianity is another thing than what you seem to imagine The Way is narrow and the Gate is straight Regeneration is a difficult Work it requires the Mighty Power of God to be put forth on the Soul nay the same Power that God wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead Ephes. 1.19 20. As to Infants being capable of the Blessings of the Gospel so are Heathens and Pagans when God calls them and infuses Grace into their Souls I have answered all you say upon that Account in my Answer to Mr. Burkit The Commission in the largest Extent comprehends no more than such that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disciplized by the Preaching of the Gospel in all Nations the Parents must be discipled and the Children must themselves in their own Persons be discipled as well as their Parents and as their Parents were before baptized and when a whole Nation both Parents and Children are by the Word and Spirit made Christ's true and holy Disciples and as such baptized then all the Nation may be look'd upon to be Christians but we know what sort of Christians you make and your national Church does consist of that are made so by Baptism to our trouble if God does not make your Members better Christians than your Sprinkling or baptizing them as you call it hath done none of them as it appears from Christ's own words Ioh. 3.3 can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven In my former Books you may read Mr. Perkin's and Mr. Baxter's Expositions of the Commission they talk not at such a rate as you do tho' Pedo-Baptists And tho' in your late Letter to me you seem to boast as if some admire your Book and that your Arguments are invincible or unanswerable Yet that is not my Conceptions concerning it and had your Antagonist so judged of it I doubt not but he would attempted your strongest Fort before this time for I know very well his Ability to defend this Cause indeed I wonder at his silence But if you do proceed to provoke a farther Answer you may have it This which I have done was occasioned by my Preaching on this Text not intending a particular Reply to every thing you have said nor is there any need for you are fully answered already in our late Treatises yet I think the Controversie much concerns you of the Church of England and such who are for a National Church As for our Brethren called Congregational I cannot tell what they mean by contending for the Practice of Paedo-Baptism nor do I well know what their Sentiments are about it they agree as I do understand with us and other Christians that Baptism is an initiating Rite or Ordinance now if their Infants are in Covenant with themselves and are made visible Church-Members by Baptism in Infancy and until by actual Sins they violate their Rite and Privilege abide Members thereof 1. Then I would know whether they have their Names in their Church-Book or Register as Members And 2 dly Whether they ever Excommunicate or bring under any Church Censure such of their Children who fall into scandalous Sins or actual Transgressions or not 3 dly If not what kind of polluted Churches must thir's be who have not purged out such corrupt Members The truth is I see not how Infant Baptism is consistent with any Church State unless it be National and no doubt the first Contrivers or Founders of it devised that way for the Progress of that they call the Christian Religion and so opened a Door that Christ shut when he put an end to the National Church of the Iews Therefore I wonder at our strict Independants considering their Notions knowing how their Principles differ from and their Understanding or Knowledge of Gospel-Church Constitution exceeds others for Baptism does not initiate into their Churches it seems by their Practice unless their Children when baptized were thereby made Members with them It is evident that under the Law when Infants were Members of the Jewish Church they were born Members thereof tho' the Males were to be Circumcised on the Eighth day nor was the case difficult to know the Right Infants had to Circumcision it was not from the Faith of immediate Parents but it was their being the true Natural Seed of Abraham according to the Flesh or being Proselytes c. which gave them a Right to Circumcision by Vertue of God's positive Command to Abraham But now if the Infant 's Rite arises only from the True and Real Faith of their Parents the Child when grown up may doubt if its Parents or Father or Mother were not true Believers whether they had a Right to it or not or may see cause to question whether either of them were in truth in the Covenant of Grace or no for who knows who are in a true spiritual Sence in Covenant with God especially if their Parents should fall away or Apostatize and become vicious which may demonstrate they were not true Believers and so not the Elect of God themselves and if so their Children had no more Right to Baptism than the Children of open and prophane unbelievers Children have The truth is what I have said in these Sermons may serve to reprove such who set up a new Wall of Partition like that which Christ Abolished by the Blood of his Cross and so cause Enmity to rise between the Seed of Believing Gentiles and the Seed of unbelieving Gentiles by making the Children of ungodly Ones to say Our Parents were wicked and not in Covenant with God and tho' we were baptized yet had no Right to it we cannot but envy your Privilege you are the Children of believing Parents and are in Covenant c. nay and it may cause too to trust to that Birth-Privilege and so destroy their Souls by looking out for no other Regeneration but that which they had in Baptism in their Infancy Some Reflections on Mr. Exell's new Treatise Entituled A serious Enquiry into and containing plain and express Scripture-Proofs that John Baptist did as certainly Baptize Infants as the Adult REader just as I had closed with all I intended to have added to this short Tract a Gentleman brought me another Book newly Published called Plain Scripture-Proof that John Baptist did certainly Baptize Infants as the Adult This Book is written by one Mr. Exell who calls himself
THE Ax laid to the Root CONTAINING An EXPOSITION of that Metaphorical Text of Holy Scripture MAT. 3.10 PART II. WHEREIN Mr. Iohn Flavel's last Grand Arguments in his Vindiciarum Vindex to prove Circumcision a Gospel-Covenant are answered Also a brief Reply To Mr. Rothwell's late Treatise Intituled Paedo-Baptismus vindicatus as to what seems most material To which is Added â—ome short Reflections by way of Confutation of a Book Newly published by Mr. Ioshua Exell Minister of the Gospel Intituled A Serious Enquiry into and certain producing of plain and express Proofs that John Baptist did as certainly baptize Infants as the Adult JOB 6.25 How forcible are right words but what doth your arguing reprove â—â—ndon Printed for the Author and are to be sâ—â—â—â—y Iohn Harris at the Harrow in the Poultrey â—â—â—â— ERRATA PAg. 2 line 39. r. disprove p. 4. line 26 for ordinal r. original p. 4. l. 32. for the Law r. this p. 11. l. 12. for 12. r. 2. p. 13. l. 14. for Rite r. Right in p. 29. l. 33. for Circumcision r. Commission p. 13. l. 28. for usurb'd r. absurd p. 16. l. 2. blot out against p. 20. l. 12. a false point r. Covenant-Holy blot out the Interrogation Point and put a Colon after Holy p. 24. l. 29. for Abraham r. God p. 34. l. 12. for Rite r. Right p. 34. l. 34. for Rite r. Right p. 38 l. 10. for rom r. from p. 39. l. 10. for weighty r. mighty p. 41. l. 39. for prophaned r. prophane p. 39. l. 40. for prophaned r. prophane p. 43. l. 5. for penitent r. penitents p. 43. l. 6 for must r. might p. 46. l. 25. for internals r. internal p. 47. l. 37. blot out Truth p. 48. l. 26 blot out the. THE Ax laid to the Root c. Sermon III. PART II. MAT. III. ver 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 Beloved I Have already opened the Scope and Coherence of this Place of Holy Scripture as also the Parts and Terms and then took notice of one or two Points of Doctrine That which I have largely Prosecuted is this viz. Doct. Now the Dispensation is changed to be of the Natural Root viz. Of the National Church of the Iews the Seed of Abraham or Children of Believers according to the Flesh is no Ground for Church-Membership 't is no Argument to be admitted into the gospel-Gospel-Church or to Gospel-Baptism We have proved that there were Two Covenants made with Abraham â—ne with him and his natural Seed as such signified by Agar the Bondâ—oman the other made with him and his spiritual Seed as such signified 〈◊〉 Sarah the Free woman and also have clearly made it appear That â—â—e Covenant of Circumcision did not appertain to the Covenant of â—race but that it was a Rite of the Legal Covenant We shall now proceed to Answer the other Objections having the last Day only insisted upon One. 2. Obj. Circumcision was the Type of Baptism 1. Answ. If the Circumcision of the Heart was the Antitype of Circumcision in the Flesh then certainly Baptism was not could not be the Antitype thereof but this the Holy Ghost fully intimates was the Antitype of it see 1 Col. 2.12.13 Rom. 2.29 See Dr. Taylor as recited in Rector Rectified p. 9 10 11. 2. If Baptism and Circumcision were both in Force together for some time then Baptism is not the Antitype of nor did it come in the room of Circumcision but that they were both in Force together for some time I shewed before Iohn and the Disciples of Christ Baptized Ioh. 4.1 2. sometime before Circumcision was nailed to the Cross or did cease Can one thing come in the room or place of another till the other is actually and legally removed and took away Why now since these Two Rites had a Being together I affirm as I have formerly done one could not be the Type of the other A Type can abide no longer then till the Antitype is come therefore Circumcision was not the Type of Baptism 3 dly and lastly As to this I see not indeed how one Thing that was a Figure could be the proper Shadow or Type of a Figure sure no Wise Man has Reason so to think all may see that Baptism it self is called a Figure 1 Pet. 3.21 And this is sufficient to remove the Second Objection 3. Obj. The Third Objection I mentioned is this viz. Infants were once in Covenant and never cast out therefore they are in still See Mr. Rothwell's Paedo-Baptism Answ. I Answer Tho' Infants were in Covenant under the Law in the Legal Church of the Jews and that by God's Appointment Gen. 17.7 which is not denied Yet what of this their being once Members of the Iewish Church doth not prove them to be Members of the Gospel Church They had then many outward Privileges which we under the Gospel have not they went all off when the Ax was laid to the Root i. e. When the Old Covenant was abâ—ogated and the Old Church State cut down then their Old Church Members fell likewise The Branches cannot stand when the Tree is cut down or rooted up 2. We have proved the Covenant for in Covenanting of Infants under the Law was no Gospel Covenant and therefore this Objection hatâ— nothing in it to hurt us unless it can be proved they were taken a-new into the Gospel Church or Gospel Covenant which we positively deny and they can't disprove For according to that Maxim Omnis Privati intimat babitum you know that every Dispossession implyeth a Possessâ—â—on Infants therefore cannot be cast out of the Gospel Covenant or Goâ—â—pel Church unless they had been first received into it therefore they muâ—â— prove if they can they are in the Time of the Gospel taken in as Meâ—â—bers if so I will not undertake to prove them cast out but I am sure at the Dissolution of the National Church of the Jews they lost their Right of Church Membership and God hath not constituted another National Church under the Gospel to bring in the carnal Seed again but the Church is now purely Congregational God's Spiritual Temple is built up with spiritual and lively Stones 1 Pet. 2.4 5. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. Obj. 4. Circumcision was part of the Ceremonial Law Thus I find Mr. Iohn Flavel expresses himself in his Vindiciarum Vindex in Answer to Mr. Philip Cary pag. 214. viz. If Circumcision be part of the Ceremonial Law and the Ceremonial Law was dedicated by Blood and whatsoever is so dedicated is by you confessed no part of the Covenant of Works then Circumcision can be no part of the Covenant of Works c. But it is so Ergo. Answ. 1. I Answer It argues these Men are hard put
gave him the Covenant of Circumcision This they cannot deny nay and not only to himself but to be the God of all his true spiritual Seed and that also before he entered into the said Covenant of Circumcision with him and his natural Seed see Gen. 12.3 Gen. 15.1 I am thy shield and thy exceeding great Reward see ver 5. and then 't is said he believed in the Lord and it was accounted to him for righteousness ver 6. Therefore 2 dly 'T is for ever to be noted that this special Interest in God he obtained through Faith in the Free Promise which is the Covenant of Grace God made with him And the Apostle plainly shews in Rom. 4.9 10. That this Blessedness he in the Negative received not in the Covenant of Circumcision but in Uncircumcision How was it then reckoned when he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision Not in circumcision but in uncircumcision ver 10. I cannot but wonder at the darkness of those Men who affirm That Abraham received special Interest in God in the Covenant of Circumcision whereas the Holy Ghost positively denies it or affirms the contrary His main Business being there to take them off of Circumcision and so to distinguish between Circumcison and the Covenant of Faith but in direct Opposition to the Apostle's Design these Men go about to magnifie Circumcision by ascribing it to that 3. And let it also be noted That the same Apostle excludes Abraham's natural Seed as such with whom the Covenant of Circumcision was made from this special Blessing of special Interest in God in Rom. 9.5 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect for they are not all Israel which are of Israel neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all Children that is by way of special Interest in God so as to have God to be their God by vertue of the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham But in Isaac shall thy seed be called ver 7. That is they which are the children of the flâ—sh these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed ver 8. None can deny but that those whom the Apostle calls the Children of the Flesh whom he denies to have any Interest in God as such the Covenant of Circumcision did belong unto and was made with as well as it was made with the true spiritual Seed therefore I may from hence with the greatest boldness imaginable affirm That in the Covenant of Circumcision God did not make over himself to be Abraham's God so as to give him or to his Seed special Interest in himself Obj. But 't is positively said That God did promise in the Covenant of Circumcision to be a God to him and to his seed after him in their Generations when he promised them the Land of Canaan Gen. 17.8 9 10. Answ. I do not deny it but not by way of special Interest that is the thing we differ in so he was not the God of his Seed as such according to the Nature of the Covenant of Grace and that for the Reasons before urged therefore it behoveth us to consider in what respect we are to understand the Holy Ghost I do not say neither that ever God made himself over to Men to be their God by way of special Interest upon the Terms of the Sinai Covenant that was impossible for them to Answer nor can I believe notwithstanding what Mr. Flavel has affirmed that my Reverend Brother Mr. Philip Cary will assert any such thing the Inheritance was not by the Law 1. Therefore we are to consider That God may be said to be the God of a People in a Covenant way Two manner of ways 1 st By the Free Promise or Covenant of Grace in a spiritual Gospel Sense which gives special and Soul-saving Interest in him as all Abraham's Spiritual Seed i. e. True Believers have or 2 d. God may be said to be the God of a People by entering into an external legal Covenant with them And thus he gave himself to be the God of Abraham and his natural or fleshly Seed i. e. He took them into a visible external Covenant Church-State and separated them from all other People and Nations in the World to be a peculiar People in that Covenant unto himself and in this sense he was said Foederally or by Covenant to be married to the whole House of Israel as so considered and to be an Husband to them See Ier. 21.31 God there makes a Promise to Israel and Iudah that he would make a New Covenant Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt which covenant they break although I was an husband to them saith the Lord ver 32 In this Covenant God gave them their Church State and many external or earthly Blessings Laws and Ordinances and they formerly struck Hands as I may so say with God and promised Obedience Exod. 24.3 7 8. And he took the book of the Covenant and read in the audience of the people and they said all that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient And thus God became as an Husband to them i. e. He fed them and took special care of them and to lead them with great Bowels in the Wilderness and bestowed the Land of Canaan upon them with other Temporal Blessings according as it was promised to them in the Covenant of Circumcision Like as a Husband cares for and provides for the Wife so did God care and provide for them and preserved them so long as that Law I mean the Law of their Husband did continue But that Law is now dead Rom. 7.4 and God now is no longer such a Husband to them nor hath he Married in that Sense any other external Nation or People of the World but now God in the Gospel Covenant is an Husband indeed to them he was but a Typical Husband and their God in an external Faedoral Relation And thus he was the God of all Abraham's natural Off-spring for in him he first espoused them as a National Church and People and gave them the Covenant of Circumcision as the Sign or Token thereof with many Ecclesiastical and Civil Rites And this is further confirmed by a Reverend and Learned Writer Howbeit from the strict Connexion of this 7th verse with the 6th and the Assurance here given that God will establish his Covenant with Abraham's Seed to be their God It is evident saith he that the Number of Abraham's carnal Seed and the Grandeur of their Civil State is not all that is promised nor yet the Principal Blessing bestowed on them therein but rather the forming them into a Church State with the establishing of the Ordinances of publick Worship among them wherein they should walk in Covenant Relation to God as his peculiar People Understand it still saith he
it was his Liberty for some Reasons to do it But those Christians corrupted by false Teachers did not believe That Circumcision and other Legal Rites were abolished but that they were in full Force as ever and therefore he tells them granting it was as they believed if they were Circumcised they were obliged to keep the whole Law tho' his great Design was to take them off from seeking Justification by Works Therefore 3. 'T is evident Paul did not Circumcise Timothy in Obedience to the Law given by the Lord but for other Politick Reasons in complying with the weakness of some Jewish Christians After the same manner he submitted to some other Rites also of the Ceremonial Law as shaving the head and purifying himself which was then also abolished tho' not deadly say Expositors then though those Ceremonies were dead and so nothing in them Act. 21.24 Circumcision was alas dead and this Paul knew therefore could not hurt Timothy But those to whom he wrote thought it was alive and therefore it would not only hurt but destroy them or be destructive to them upon the Account of the Obligation it lay them under if it was as they conceived This being so What is become of Mr. Flavel's Argument which he makes such boast of as if unanswerable pag. 231. Obj. 10. The Root is Holy therefore the Branches that is as Abraham was Holy so were all his Seed and as Believers are Holy so are all their Children and as the natural Branches of Abraham was broken off for their Unbelief so the Gentiles are grafted in in their stead and succeed in their Privileges and so their Seed are Holy with an external relative Covenant Holiness Rom. 11.16 and therefore may be Baptized and have Right to Church Membership Answ. There is a Two fold Holiness spoken of 1 st An external foederal Holiness 2 d. A True spiritual inherent Holiness Now the Children of Believing Gentiles are not Holy with an external relative foederal Holiness nor have they a Right to Baptism nor Church Membership for Two Reasons First Because Baptism is of mere positive Right nothing but a Command Example or some well grounded Authority from Christ that can give them a Right thereto Secondly Because the Gospel Church is not constituted as the Jewish Church was 't is not National but Congregational it consisteth not of the carnal Seed as such but only of the spiritual Seed i. e. Adult Persons who believe Where do we find in all the New Testament That the Children of Believers as such were Baptised and taken into the Church as being in an external relative Covenant Holy Mr. Tho. Goodwin as I find him quoted by a Learned Writer in a Book called Two Treatises p. 6â— saith In the New Testament there is no other Holiness spoken of but Personal or Real by Regeneration about which he challenged all the World to shew to the contrary I have shewed you The Ax is laid at the Root of all external relative foederal Holiness which qualified under the Law for Jewish Ordinances and Church Membership But 3 We will now come to examine this Text of Holy Scripture Rom. 11.16 There are various Interpretations of what is meant by the Root in this place 1. Some understand it of the Covenant 2. Some of Christ. 3. Some of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. 4. Some of Abraham only I now agree with the last and say Abraham is the Root spoken of here But pray observe as he was a Two-fold Father so he was a Two-fold Root First The Father or Root of all that believe Secondly The Father or Root of all his Natural Seed as such but this place referrs to him as he was the Root of all his True spiritual Seed and if so the Holiness of the Branches is real spiritual and internal and not external foederal Holiness for such as is the Holiness of the Root as meant here such is the Holiness of the Branches but Abraham was believingly personally spiritually and internally Holy Ergo such are all the Branches spoken of here And indeed for want of Faith and spiritual Holiness that was in the Root were many of the Natural Branches broken of from being any more a People in an external Covenant Relation with God for this is the Covenant I have shewed The Ax is now laid at the Root of viz. the External Covenant The Jews were broken off or cut down by their Unbelief their Old Church State and Covenant being gone they not believing in Christ and so united to the True Olive and the Gentiles by Faith were grafted in they having obtained the Fatness of the Root oâ— Faith and Righteousness of Abraham and of the Covenant of Grace made with him who is called The Father of all that believe A Learned Writer says 1. The Holiness here meant is First in respect of God's Election i. e. Holiness personal and inherent in God's intention 2. It is also a Holiness derivative not from any Ancestors but Abraham not as a natural Father but as a spiritual Father or Father of the faithfull and so derived from the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham From hence it appears There is nothing in this illustrious Scripture for what these Men bring it who think hereby to prove a Holiness which the New Testament knows nothing of applying the Holiness and Insection to outward Dispensation only in the visible Church which is meant of Saving Grace in the invisible and make every believing Parent like Root to his Posterity with Abraham to his Seed which we deny Let therefore the Jews Covenant standing before they were broken off from being any more a Covenant People be what it would I am sure no Gentile is graften into Christ nor Jew neither but by Faith nor can any be grafted into the Gospel Church without the Profession of such a Faith The Jews 't is true were broken off by their Unbelief and were also now no more a Church nor is there as I said once before any such kind of Church constituted under the Gospel Dispensation as theirs was viz. A National one For they amongst the Jews who were True Believers or the spiritual Seed of Abraham who receiving Jesus Christ by Faith were planted a new into the Gospel Church and between them and Gentile Believers there is no difference since the middle Wall of Partition is broken down Eph. 2.14 Jew and Gentile stand now by Faith and not by external relative Covenant Holiness Thou standeth saith Paul by Faith O Believer mark it not by Birth Privileges but by by Faith as worthy Mr. Gary observes Thy standing is by Faith yet not thy Seed by thy Faith But thou thy self by thine and they by their own Faith Faith is that by which thou standing and not thy Seed hast Right to stand in the Church and not thy Seed but if thy Seed have Faith and thou hast none then they have Right in this Church and thou shalt be excluded And although
under the Law we deny not but that the natural Seed or Progeny of Abraham were all Holy with an External Ceremonial Typical Holiness and consequently they were then admitted to an external Participation of Church Privileges yet now 't is otherwise Old things are passed away and all things are become new now we know no Man after the Flesh 2. Cor. 5.16 17. That Old Church State is dissolved and manner of Admission into it by external Birth Privileges or â—â—â—â—â—ive Covenant Holiness and 't is very evident this was effected by the Death of Christ See Eph. 2.14 For he is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us Having abolished in his flesh even the law of commandments contained in ordinances for to make in himself of twain one new man so making Peace vers 15. The Legal External Covenant made with the Jews whilst it abode was a Wall of Separation or Partition between them and the Gentiles and caused Enmity in them both in the Jews because they contemned the Gentiles as a People Unclean and Abominable not being Circumcised they Hated them And the poor Gentiles they seeing themselves out of the Covenant and so deemed Strangers and Foreigners and without God in the World they envied the Jews But now Jesus Christ has broken down this Wall of Partition and slain the Enmity that was between them which was the Ceremonial Law and Covenant of Circumcision and all other external Privileges as they were God's peculiar Covenant People and these being abolished and gone now both Jew and Gentile are made one in Christ and become one new Body or Church viz. A Christian Gospel Church And hence he adds And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Cross ver 16. That is The outward Wall of Jewish Rites and Privileges being gone Christ thereby designed to bring both Jew and Gentile viz. all the Elect unto God and both into one Church State no Person nor People now having any external Privilege above others by the Gospel Covenant And if the Jews external Birth-Privileges were a Wall of Partition between them and the Gentiles let Men take heed how they set up another like Wall of Partition among them who are Believers and their Seed and Unbelieving Gentiles and their Seed lest that prove a ground and cause of like Enmity between believing and unbelieving Gentiles as the Old Rites and Covenant Privileges did between Jews and Gentiles But to open that Text Rom. 11.16 a little more fully as I have formerly done 't is evident the Apostle in the 9th and 10th Chapters to the Romans is treating of the Election of Grace and of the Covenant of Grace God made with Abraham These were his People which he had not cast away chap. 10.1 And of this sort God had 7000 in Elias's Days ver 4. Even so saith he at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace ver 5. Hence he says What then Israel hath not obtained c. but the Election hath obtained and the rest were blinded ver 7. He farther shews That abundance of the natural Seed of Abraham were broken off How were they broken off Why for their Unbelief they not Receiving Christ but Rejected Him and the Gospel And the New Church State were broken off but that the Gentiles might not boast over them the Apostle shews There is ground left to believe all those that belong to the Election of Grace shall in God's due time be brought in again and so partake of the Blessings of the Gospel Covenant or Promise of Grace made to Abraham's spiritual Seed and to prove this he in ver 16. lays down an Argument For if the First-fruits be Holy the Lump is also Holy and if the Root be Holy so are the Branches By the Root I understand as I said before Abraham is meant Root and Father signifying here the same thing Abraham being counted the Root or Father as God represents him not only of his own natural Off-spring but of all that believe or the Root of all his true holy and spiritual Seed and so intended here By the First-fruits may be meant Isaac Iacob and all the Holy Patriarchs for they were given to Abraham as the First-fruits of the Covenant of Grace or Free Promise of God to him and these were Holy with a true spiritual personal and inherent Holiness Also Thirdly By the Lump may be meant and doubtless is the whole Body of the Elect or spiritual Seed of Abraham from the time the First fruits were given to him untill the Gospel Days or whole Lump of God's true Israel who also were all Holy as the Root and First-fruits were Holy Fourthly by the Branches he means the true spiritual Seed of Abraham or the Elect Seed that then were living at that present time as ver 5. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the Election of Grace And these were Holy likewise even as all the rest both as the Root First-fruits and Lump or whole Body were Holy that is all the the spiritual Seed of Abraham were like himself viz. Holy in a Gospel Sense with a personal and inherent Holiness Now observe he speaks of some Branches that were broken off these seemed to be Branches or Children of Abraham And so they were according to the Flesh but were like those Branches in Christ who bear no Fruit Joh. 15.2 3 4. and therefore taken away he alludes to the natural Seed of Abraham to whom he stood not as a spiritual Father or Root but as a natural and legal Father as they were a National Church and sprang from him as such to whom the external legal Covenant was made and these as such for rejecting of Christ were broken off 1. Not broken off from the Election of Grace for to that they did not belong 2. Nor were they broken off of the Gospel Church for they never were grafted into that but 3 dly they were broken off from being any more a Church or People in Covenant with God the whole Old Church State and Constitution being gone by the coming in of the Gospel Dispensation and they not closing in with Christ in the Covenant of Grace and Gospel Church but utterly rejected him and the New Church State For this they were broken off as a lost People because not re-planted or implanted into Jesus Christ and the true Gospel Church the Old being gone quite rased and taken away They have now no Root to stand upon having lost their Legal standing and Privileges as Abraham was their Father upon that very Foot of Account and they not appearing to be the true Branches or Seed of Abraham as he was the Father of all the Faithful or of all the Elect Seed they must of necessity from hence be broken off from being the People of God or belonging to any Common Head or Root in any
Covenant Relation to God at all The Dispensation being changed the Old House pulled down Agar and her Son cast out Old things past away and all things being now become New But this New State New Blessings and New Church Privileges they rejected and so were the natural Branches broken off and the Gentiles who were wild by Nature that is never were in any visible Covenant State with God nor in any sense related to Abraham as a Root were grafted into the True Olive Jesus Christ and into the Gospel Church and so Partakers of the sap and fatness of the Root and of the Olive that is of the spiritual Blessings of Christ and of the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham and Privileges of the Gospel Church and this they received and partook of us as being first grafted by saving Faith in Christ and so united to his Mystical Body But since there are a great Number of the natural Branches that are beloved for their Father's sake that is for their Father Abraham's sake as the Root and Father of all the Elect Seed they shall in due time be grafted in again and so become a People visibly owned of God and in Covenant with him as the True Seed now actually are and formerly were And if this be considered What doth this Text do to prove the natural Seed of Believers are in the Gospel Covenant or are externally relatively and foederally Holy for if the natural Seed of Abraham can lay no claim nor have any Right to Gospel Precepts or Privileges as such but are broken off What ground is there for us to think within our selves that we or our natural Off-spring as such should be taken in and so another Wall of Partition and cause of Enmity set up between believing and unbelieving Gentiles and their Seed as such The Apostle speaks not of Branches or of being Holy with an external relative Covenant Holiness but of such a spiritual Gospel Holiness that was in the Root viz. Abraham who believed in God and it was counted to him for Righteousness And thus all his true spiritual Seed who are actual Branches and in Covenant are Holy and also all the Elect of Abraham not yet called are discretively Holy or in God's sight so who calls things that are not as if they were they are all Holy in his Account and beleved for their Father's sake with whom the Covenant of Grace was made for himself and all his spiritual Seed And 't is from this Argument the Apostle argues for the calling of the Iews and grafting them in who belong to the Election of Grace Therefore there is no ground for Infants Church Membership or Baptism from hence and those who make every Believer a common Head or Root of their natural Off-spring as Abraham was either way know not what they affirm nor what they say see Rector Rectified Moreover the Jews who were broken off are still the natural Seed of Abraham and if therefore this Holiness was an external relative foederal Holiness they are still in that Sense Holy as far forth as any Child of believing Gentiles as such can be said to be but 't is evident this is not that Holiness of which the Apostle speaks nor is there any such Holiness under the Gospel Dispensation spoken of as to that Text in 1 Cor. 7.14 Else were your Children unclean but now are they Holy this is so fully answered in that late Treatise Entituled The Rector Rectify'd c. that I shall speak nothing now to it for from the Scope of the place 't is evident the Apostle speaks of Matrimonial Sanctification and of the Holiness of Legitimation see pag. 134. to 140. so that there Mr. Rothwell hath his Arguments answered touching Infants faedoral Holiness under the Law c. Obj. 11. If the Children of Believers as such are not now under the Gospeâ— in Covenant with them and so to be admitted Members of the Church as formerly then the Privileges of the Gospel Covenant and Membership are straitned and fewer than they were under the Law Mr. R's Paedo-Baptismus pag. 2.3 Answ. 'T is not once to be supposed but that the External or Temporal Privileges of the Iews under the Law were more and larger as well as Church-Membership than those we have under the Gospel Dispensation since their Church was national and their Promises and Privileges consisting in earthly Blessings as they were a People considered in that old Covenant Relation for the Jewish Teachers or Priests of God had many external Privileges which no Gospel Minister can once pretend unto Minister's Sons had all a Right to the Ministry they had a Right to the Tenths of all their Brethren's Increase and first Fruits and a multitude of other Advantages besides viz. they had a Civil Government of their own Power to punish Capital Offenders with Death their Temporal Rulers were among themselves but Christ hath not set up such a Gospel political Church-State nor given such Power and such a Government to his Church under the Gospel what will be in the Kingdom of Christ in the last days we know not They had a lovely and fruitful Land given to them for their Inheritance that flowed with Milk and Honey they were promised outward Peace Riches and gathering of much Wealth so are not we they had a glorious external Temple and what not also all their natural Off-spring were born Members of their Church But none of these Privileges can we lay claim unto all that are to be admitted into the Gospel-Church have only a Right by Regeneration by the second Birth and not by the first Birth we are to expect Persecution and trouble in the World and not Peace and Prosperity Poverty and Want and not Riches or earthly Fulness yet our Privileges are better and greater under the Gospel than theirs were under the Law the Gospel Covenant being established upon better Promises Our Children when grown up sit under the clear and glorious Light and Preaching of the Gospel which they and theirs had then held forth but in dark shadows moreover the Parâ—ition Wall being now broken down the Gospel Church is not confin'd to the one People or Nation only but now all in all Nations of the World who believe and embrace Christ by saving Faith whether Iews or Gentiles are Joint-heirs together and have Interest in like spiritual Blessings now greater Infusions of the Spirit Alas what Privileges had the poor Gentiles under the Law and their Children Is not the matter well amended with us Sir this being so what is become of your Rational Arguments for Infant Baptism p. 2 3. Obj. 12. Circumcision in the very direct and primary End of it teached Man the Corruption of his Nature by sin and the Mortification of sin therefore 〈◊〉 Covenant of Works or Condition of it to this purpose Mr. Flavel speaks pag. 231. Answ. I answer though it should be granted that Circumcision had such an End yet that that was the direct