darknesse in such a dark time might bee capable of Circumcision yet in the light of the Gospel our children are not capable of Baptisme till they become children of light This is a carnall reasoning not savouring of the Spirit of God or speaking the language of the Scripture For though the Spirit of God in Scripture do call the children of God the children of light in opposition to their former carnall estate whether in their Pagancy or in their unregeneracy 1 Thess 5.5 Ephes 5 8. yet God never called the children of God in the Old Testament nor the children of his children children of darknesse Neither doth hee use such a phrase as to call the children of the New Testament children of the light in opposition to the children of the Old Testament as children of darknesse Neither is it altogether a true speech that faith in Christ and grace in the new birth cannot bee where there is not first a begetting by the immortall seed of the word of life For it hath been shewed above that the grace of the new birth and so faith were not wanting in John Baptist Jeremy and others in their mothers wombe who yet had never heard the Word of life Though the hearing of the Word of life bee the ordinary instrument which the Spirit of God is wont to use in begetting the grace of the new birth in men of understanding yet the Spirit himselfe being a principall part of the immortall seed of the Word hee can beget the grace of the new birth without the Word when yet the Word cannot doe it without him And yet I will not deny that in some sense though not in yours it may be granted that the Spirit ordinarily never worketh the grace of the new birth in the children of the faithfull but by the immortall seed of the Word of life For when the Spirit begetteth the grace of the new birth it is by the Ministery of the Word of life to their Parents one of them at least For they hearing the Word of life promising grace and life to themselves and to their seed the Spirit co-working with that Word begetteth faith in them to believe for themselves and for their seed And according to their faith it is done The Spirit begetteth the grace of life as well in their seed as in themselves The greater is the danger of those infants whose Parents like you doe not beleeve the grace of Christ can reach unto your infants and so it is no wonder if your children be deprived of the grace of the new birth for your unbeliefs sake Be it therefore granted which you take for granted in your next words That for this end to wit for begetting the grace of the new birth God hath ordained in the Gospel preaching and believing to goe before baptizing Mat. 28.9 with Mar. 16.15 16. yet this only proveth that the preaching of the Gospel and the begetting of faith by the Gospel is requisite to enstate the hearer in the grace and blessing or which is all one in the Covenant of the Gospel But if the hearer be a Parent of children and so doe believe the Gospel and Covenant of grace to belong to him and to his seed both hee and they according to the order of the Gospel and Covenant of grace are rightly baptized into the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost All which persons do joyne together in making this Covenant and sealing to it to be a God to the believer and his seed And if it were not so the place which you quote out of Mark Chap. 16. v. 15 16. would utterly cut off the children of believers dying in their infancy from all hope of salvation which you said even now you were far from For if infants for want of hearing the Word in their owne persons want faith and for want of faitsh may not bee baptized then for want of faith they cannot be saved For so run the words in Marke He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved hee that believeth not shall be damned If for unbeliefe they must not be baptized for unbeliefe they must then bee damned But if by the Gospel we understand as the Scriptures meane the glad tydings of the Covenant of grace and so of redemption and salvation by Christ preached and proclaimed to believers and their seed then al such as doe believe these glad tydings to themselves and to their seed they are commanded by the Order of the Gospel to be baptized themselves and their children with them for their children are by the faith of their Parents wrapped up in the Covenant and so are become capable subjects both of the Covenant and of the seale thereof For though the infants themselves be not it may be then actually believers when their Parents are baptized and themselves with them yet God who calleth things that are not as though they were Rom 4.17 He accepteth them into his Covenant by the faith of their Parents and so they are no longer Pagans and infidells but the children of the faithfull and holy in whom God hath covenanted to worke faith and the grace of the new birth in the elect seed and to offer it and the meanes thereof unto all the seed till they utterly reject it And requireth therefore of the Parents by his Covenant to neglect no meanes of grace for the holy institution of their children And for this end the seale of the Covenant is administred to the Infants to confirme the same to their children on both parts If therefore we delighted in returning reproaches for reproaches as you say to us give the baptizing of believers to Christ and the baptizing of infants unto Antichrist so might we more truly and justly returne it to you Give the baptizing of believers and their seed unto Christ For the Covenant of Christ is to believers and their seed and the seale of the Covenant is due where the faith of either Parent is fit to receive it to their holy seed but give the denyall of baptisme of Infants to Infidels onely and out-laws from the Church where neither of their Parents being believers their children also are Infidels and outlawes like their Parents neither believers nor holy according to Covenant You need not therefore ask what advantage will it be to Infants to come before they bee called For Christ called for little children to come unto him and was displeased with such as did forbid them Marke 10.14 If calling for Infants to come will suffice they cannot bee said to come before they be called Suffer saith he little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God And they being such hee put his hands upon them and blessed them If you ask why he did not baptize them too for who can forbid Baptisme to such as are blessed of Christ and by imposition of hands set apart to a blessing and to the Kingdome of God I
breasts Psal 22.9 Esay saith in like sort The Lord hath called me from the wombe Esa 45.1 and the Lord saith the same of Ieremy I sanctified thee before thou camest forth of the wombe Ier. 1.5 Yea little children are so farre forth capable of receiving the holy Ghost or which is all one the kingdom of God for by his Spirit he setteth up his kingdom in us that our Saviour expresseth it generally that whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child to wit as a little child receiveth it for so the syntax carryeth it he shall not enter therein Mar. 10.15 What though it bee said that faith commeth by hearing so it is also said the Spirit commeth by the hearing of faith Gal. 3.2 And yet you see as some have received the Spirit that never heard of faith so the same hâ—ve received faith that never heard the word As for Iob the place which you quote Iob 31.18 argueth the like of him that hath been said of the former that Iob from his mothers wombe was indued with an indoles or inbred disposition and affection to pity and succour the fatherlesse and widow which dâ—ubtlesse was wrought in him by the holy Ghost as all other good gifts be And all other infants as well as he are capable of the same and the like gifts if the spirit of the Lord be pleased to work them Silvester I am not against any that have faith but am absolutely for all that believe whether infants or others so that their faith appeare by such effects as the word of God approveth of But whereas some say that infants are capable of the Spirit of God and of the grace of the Covenant though not wrought in the same way and by the same meanes yet the same things and by same Spirit so farre as is necessary to union with Christ and justification of life thereby else children were not elected nor should be raised up in their bodies to life I wish it may be minded that touching union with Christ three things are essentiall to the same 1. Gods revealing and tendering of Christ as the al-sufficient and onely way to life 2. An heart fitly disposed by faith to apprehend and receive Christ so tendered 3. The spirit of grace uniting and knitting the heart and Christ together And this I understand to be that effectuall and substantiall union with Christ to the justification of life which the word of God approveth of For justification to life ever presupposeth the parties knowledge of the thing beleeved Rom. 10.14 Heb. 11.6 Now let this be well examined by the rule of truth and then see how capable infants are of union with Christ and justification to life thereby As for some evill consequences which some to darken and obscure the truth doe say would follow thereupon that then infants were not erected nor should then their bodies be raised again to life c. I would first enquire of such whether infants with reference to their nonage were the subjects of Gods election Secondly if infants so considered are capable subjects of glory And if not as I suppose none will affirme then why are they any more capable of grace then of glory The word of God sheweth that he hath elected persons to the meanes as well as to the end the meanes being the way unto the end and that was the adoption of sonnes to bee called and justified by believing on Jesus Christ Ephes 1.4 5. Rom. 8.29 30. 1 Pet. 1.2 2 Thes 2.13 14. c. And to return free obedience unto him again as Rom. 9.23 24. Ephes 1.6 12. And for the raising of infants it is the power of God that raiseth the dead and not union with Christ 1 Thess 4.16 And when any of Gods electcan by the Scriptures be shewed to dye in their infancy then it will be granted their bodies are raised to life eternall When you say you are not against any that have faith Silvanus whether infants or others so that their faith appeare by such effects as the Word approveth I demand what if their faith appeare not by the effects is it not enough if it appeare by divine testimony Christ hath said that of such is the kingdom And that all that receive his kingdom must receive it as little children doe as hath been shown above and is not his testimony of their faith as good an evidence of their faith as the effects of their faith can be As for the 3 things which you would have to bee minded as essentiall to union with Christ The first of them the revealing and tendering of Christ as the al-sufficient and only way of life if you meane the revealing and tendering of him by the Ministery of the gospel you know the Ministery of the gospel is but an outward instrumentall cause of faith and no outward instrumentall cause is essentiall to the effect whether we speake of naturall or supernaturall effects certaine it is that the spirit of God who is the principall cause of faith though he be wonted to work it by the Ministery of the Word yet he can also work it without the Ministery or else how came the Wisemen from the East to seeke after Christ and to worship him by the sight of a starre If you say that was extraordinary but you speake of ordinary meanes that will not serve for that which is essentiall to a thing the thing cannot be without it neither ordinarily nor extraordinarily a thing cannot be and be without his essence or that which is essentiall to it Besides Christ speaketh of it as no extraordinary thing for infants to receive the kingdom of God and they cannot receive it without Christ nor without faith in Christ and yet they never received either Christ or faith by their own immediate hearing of the Woâ—d And for the second thing which you make essentiall to union with Christ an heart fitly disposed by faith to apprehend and apply Christ Be not unwilling to understand that which is the truth The heart is fitly disposed by faith to apprehend or apply Christ when faith is begotten in the heart for by this gift of faith begotten in us Christ apprehendeth us and by the same gift of faith the heart is fitly disposed to apprehend Christ even in infants for when faith is wrought in infants the heart is quickned with spirituall life and made a sanctified vessell fit to receive Christ which reception of Christ though it be passive as Dr. Ames calleth it in Châ—p 26. de Vocatione lib. 1. Medullae Theologiae yet it is all one with regeneration wherein not infants onely but all men are passive which gave the Lord Jesus occasion to say That whosoever receiveth not the kingdom of God as a little child hee can in no wise enter into it Luk. 18.17 It is true in men of years the Spirit as you speake worketh faith by the hearing of the Word and by revealing and tendering Christ
to the wisdom and grace of God in Christ This doth not excuse your former harsh expression concerning infants but rather aggravate it with a contradiction to your selfe Silvanus for you disputed against it above as against the rule of truth to say That infants were capable of union with Christ and of justification to life thereby And sure if they be not capable of union with Christ how can they bee saved without Christ unlesse you conceive a salvation reserved by the wisdome and grace of God for infants which is not onely without the word but expresly contrary to the revealed word of God Act. 4.12 Again when you said soone after that you supposed none would affirme that infants with reference to their nonage were subjects capable of election nor subjects capable of glory and therefore demanded how they could bee capable of grace how can you now say you doe not so oppose infants as to exclude them from salvation Can they be saved and yet not bee capable subjects of glory nor of grace nor of union with Christ nor of justification unto life God hath proclaimed Silvester that all are by nature the children of wrath Ephes 2. And therefore I cannot believe that any are naturally born in grace and so believers from the wombe though the opposite doctrine teacheth and affirmeth the same Silvanus The opposite doctrine if you meane the doctrine of the Baptism of infants teacheth as the Apostle doth that all by nature are the children of wrath even beleevers and their seed as well as others neither did I think that any had been so ignorant as to beleeve or teach and affirm that any are naturally born in grace and so that is naturally are believers from the wombe I never heard nor read of any such before nor doe I beleeve it now All that for ought I know doe hold the Baptisme of infants they teach that by nature all Infants Christ onely excepted are born in sin and children of wrath and none of them born in grace naturally but onely by vertue of the Covenant of grace which is above nature Neither doe they say that all that are born under the Covenant are borne beleevers or partakers of faith from the wombe but that some by the blessing and grace of the Covenant are made partakers of faith and of the holy Ghost from the wombe and that all are capable of the same grace from the wombe yea and God hath promised to worke the same sooner or later in all the elect children of the Covenant absolutely in the rest according to his Covenant hee offereth to work the same in his owne time if neither their parents nor themselves reject or neglect the meanes which the Lord offereth them For as the second Commandement whereby the instituted meanes of grace and worship are established is morall and perpetuall So is the sanction or ratification of that Commandement morall and perpetuall also Now in the sanction of that Commandement as God threatned to visit the neglect of his ordinances which are the meanes of grace upon the fathers to the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate him so he promiseth to shew mercy unto thousands of them that love him keep his Commandements Exod. 20.5 6. whence it was that God promised to bring upon Abraham all the good which hee had spoken to him of which was chiefly to be a God to him and to his seed because he knew that Abraham would command hiâ— children and his houshold after him to keep the ways of the Lord Gen. 18.19 Silvester The Scripture in Matth. 28.19 being well considered and rightly understood would stop mens mouths for ever from having a word to say for the baptizing of infants This blessed commission of Christ to his Apostles was chiefly for us Gentiles saying All power is given to me both in heaven and earth Goe ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost c. As if Christ had said Goe now into all Nations and preach the gospel freely as well to one Nation as to another for the gospel shall not now be confined any more to one place or people then to another God is now a God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jewes goe therefore as well to the Gentiles as to the Jewes even unto all Nations and there preach the gospel and so make disciples by teaching them and such so taught them baptize in the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost that is into the true and orderly profession of that which they have been taught and believed So that here teaching goeth before baptizing and presupposeth understanding and faith in that which is taught this being the onely place of Christ his instituting the order of baptisme And further explained Mark 16.15 16. Goe into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved So from these Scriptures brought to prove the baptizing of infants it is clearly manifest that infants are not the subjects of baptism appointed by Christ For all the externall benefits and priviledges of the gospel are given onely to externall and visible faith And so the sealing and confirming ordinances of Christ doe even presuppose faith in the subject to seale unto and to bee confirmed So here is no ground for the baptizing of infants but the contrary For clearing this Text in Matthew Silvanus let it be first agreed what is the gospel which the Apostles are commanded to preach to all Nations then what it is to teach them and then it will more clearely appeare who are to be baptized By gospel is not meant that promise onely recorded by Mark 15.16 much lesse the curse annexed to it He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved hee that believeth not shall be damned For the gospel is glad tydings nor is the promise of salvation to believers and baptized persons glad tydings as the word signifieth as the Apostle declareth Rom. 10.15 but onely to such as doe believe otherwise to unbeleevers the curse lyeth upon them and they that groane under the want of Christ and of faith to receive him they may languish for want of comfort if all the gospel were comprehended in that promise For they will object against themselves salvation is indeed promised to beleevers but I neither doe believe nor can believe Those words therefore in Marke are not the summe of the gospel though part of the gospell be contained in them They are indeed a double motive unto such to whom the gospel is preached to urge them to receive and believe the gospel The one taken from the benefit of believing it He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved the other from the danger of unbeliefe He that believeth not shall bee damned What then is the summe of the gospel which Christ commanded his Apostles to preach to
therefore yet they were the carnall seed And he speaketh to them to whom he saith Christ was sent to turne every one of them from their iniquities vers 26. And therefore he knew no other of them nor spake no otherwise to them then as to men yet in their sins And so in that other place which you quote out of Acts 13.26 33. the Apostle plainely calleth them the children of the stock of Abraham who were the naturall seed of Abraham and whom afterward he calleth despisers vers 41. And amongst whom many of them contradicted and blasphemed his doctrine verse 45. So that from the word children it cannot be gathered that in this Text the Apostle meaneth children walking in the steps of the faith of their fathers No nor from those other words of the Text which you say import so much which speake of the promise made to you and your children and to all afarre off even as many as the Lord our God shall call for these words doe not import what you say that the promise is onely to such as God shall call and to none else as many as the Lord our God shall call is not a limitation of those remote words you and your children but of the next words immediately going before all that are afar off lest it should be thought that the promise is to all that are afarre off that is to all Pagans and infidels he explaineth himselfe in the words next following even to as many as the Lord shall call from amongst them And all they indeed from among the Gentiles whom the Lord shall call they still partake of the same promise of grace with the Jews that as the promise of grace is made to the Jews and their children so is it now to the Gentiles called and to their children there is no difference now between Jews and Gentiles in respect of any spirituall priviledges or promises The children of the believing Gentiles are now as holy as the children of the believing Jews and the promises pertaine to both alike But it is not said in the Text Silvester the Covenant is to you and yours but the promise Now we know that every promise is not a Covenant there being a large difference between a promise and a Covenant Let it then be well considered what is here meant by the promise and that is Gods sending of the Messias or the seed in whom all the Nations should be blessed and so the sending of a Saviour or a Redeemer unto Israel as these Scriptures manifest compared together Esa 11. 1 Jer. 23.5 6. with Luke 1.68.74 Acts 13.23 3.25 26. This was performed by Christs comming First in the flesh in which respect he came of and to the Jewes onely by promise as Joh. 4.22 Rom. 9.5 Matth. 10.5 6. 15.24 John 1.11 Secondly in the preaching of the Gospel by which he was held forth as a Saviour to all that by faith laid hold on him And this way also Christ was first tendered to the Jewes for a Saviour to save them from their sâ—nnes Acts 4.12 And for to be their King as to save them so into whose State and government they were to submit as Luke 19.14 27. Acts 2.36 In which sense the Apostle speaketh when he saith the promise is to you and to your children and to all farre and neare as God shall call That is the promise or the promised Saviour is come and is now according to Gods promise tendered to you by the Gospel calling you and your children and all else where the word of grace shall come to believe and receive him by faith who is now come to save you and all that believe from their sinnes Acts 3.25 26. And therefore it is said as many as gladly received or believed these glad tydings the same was sealed or confirmed to them by Baptisme Acts 2.41 according to John 1.11 12 13. By all which it is manifest that the promise Acts 2.39 is meant of the sending of the Messias or a Saviour to the house of Israel to call them to repentance and to save such as believe from their sinnes as is cleare also by these Scriptures Esa 59.20 Act. 13.23 26 32 38 39. And thus the promise is to you and your children that is the promised Saviour is offered and offereth himself freely to save you notwithstanding your crucifying of him yet now repent and believe for his promise is upon the same freely to forgive and to save you from all your sins Thus the promise is applyed to faith which is the way of preaching the gospel and not an absolute conclusion of persons to bee in the Covenant of grace and life whether they have faith or not What is this but to keep the wicked from leaving his way by promising them life This God did not in making of his Covenant at the first nor the Apostle by his applying of the same at the last Silvanus In this your long answer some things are impertinent some things false some fraudulent and some confused but one thing onely alledged out of the Context that may seeme to the purpose and that also misapplyed 1. It is impertinent to put a difference betweene the promise and the Covenant As it was before curious to put a difference betweene seede and children For though every promise be not a Covenant yet there is no such large difference as you speake of betweene the promise of God and his Covenant but that they are ordinarily put one for another The Covenant of not drowning the world any more with a floud was no more then a promise yet it is called a Covenant Gen. 9.11 and the Promise that God gave to Abraham of the inheritance of the world Rom. 4.13 was by the Covenant confirmed by the sacrifices of beasts divided asunder Gen. 15.5.9 10.17 And that which God calleth the promises Gal. 3.16 he calleth the Covenant in the next verse verse 17. Besides whatsoever difference there may be betweene the promise and the Covenant it is here pleaded altogether impertinently For if it were granted you which you plead for though there be no mention of it in the Text That by the promise is here meant the promise of sending the Messiah yet that promise is either given by the Covenant of grace or by the Covenant of workes If Christ be given and sent by the Covenant of grace then the promise that giveth him is the Covenant of grace So that if the promise of sending Christ be to them and their children as the Text speaketh then the Covenant in which that promise is given is to them and their children And so indeed the same Apostle telleâ—h them in his next Sermon Acts 3.25 26. Ye are the children of the Prophets and of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers c. Unto you first God having raised up his sonne Jesus sent him to blesse you c. the promise therefore of sending Christ was given by Covenant
shall be converted in the latter dayes are no otherwise under the Covenant of grace then in respect of Gods election as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 11.28 But otherwise in respect of the actuall enjoynment of the priviledges of the Gospel such as Church-communion and the seales of that Communion be they are rejected as enemies not for their privative want of faith but for their positive rejection of the faith and of the righteousnesse of faith and of Christ himself But when they shall turne unto the Lord then the Covenant shall run along to them and to their seed as it did of old unto Abraham and to his seed For so Esay prophecyeth of those times This is my Covenant to them that turn from transgression in Iacob my spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed from henceforth and for ever Esa 59.20 21. Finally that known place in 1 Cor. 7.14 though it have beene much wrested and racked to looke and speake another way yet it cannot but beare witnesse to the truth in hand that by the faith of either Parent the children are received into a state of holinesse and so are accounted amongst Gods holy people which is by fellowship in the Covenant By the text and context it appeareth that in the church of Corinth sometimes the wife had been converted to Christianity when the husband still remained an infidell or as it is translated an unbeleever and sometimes the husband had been converted when the wife remained an infidell whereupon it grew a just and weighty doubt whether the believer were not bound in conscience to put away the unbelieving yoke-fellow And the doubt seemed to have just ground from that which might seem to be a like case in the old Testament in the dayes of Ezra and Nehemiah where such as had maried strange wives were commanded of God and covenanted among themselves to put away both their strange wives and the children begotten of them Ezra 10.2 3. Nehem. 13.23 24 25. For resolving this doubt as well as of some others the Corinthians by letter consulted with the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.1 c. And to this doubt the Apostle answereth that the believer should not put away the unbelieving yoke-fellow And for this he giveth a double reason First from the sanctification of the unbelieving yoke-fellow to the believer verse 14. Secondly from the hope or possibility at least which the believer hath of converting the unbelieving yoke-fellow to the faith verse 16. Now the former of these reasons taken from the sanctification of the unbelieving yoke-fellow to the believer the Apostle proveth it by the state of their children Else were your children uncleane saith he but now they are holy The force of this Reason standeth thus If the unbelieving yoke-fellow were not sanctified in the believer and to the believer that is if the believer had not a sanctified use of his mariage communion with his unbelieving yoke-fellow then were your children unclean But your children are not uncleane but now they are holy Therefore the unbelieving yoke-fellow is sanctified in the believer and to him Where in the assumption the Apostle putteth a manifest difference betweene the estate of the children now in the dayes of the New Testament and their estate in the Old as in Ezra and Nehemiah's time In the Old Testament as the unbelieving yoke-fellow was uncleane to the Israelites so were their children uncleane also And therefore both wives and children to be put away Why so Because then there was a partition wall between Jew and Gentile the Gentiles were then strangers from the Covenants of promise Ephes 2 12. and all communion with them was accursed Nehem. 13.25 more feare then that the infidell should pervert the Israelite then hope that the Israelite should convert the infidell But now to wit now in the New Testament now that the partition wall is broken downe between Jew and Gentile now that the Covenant is extended to every believer in each Nation and to his seed now God is a God to the seed of every believer as to himselfe God hath promised to bee a Father to his children and so they are holy by the holinesse of his Covenant And if the children bee holy then the mariage fellowship of the Parents is sanctified to the believer though the other yokefellow remaine an infidell And if the mariage fellowship be sanctified then the maried Parents may lawfully cohabite together though the one a believer the other an fidell This is the plaine meaning and scope of the Apostles words and discourse Which plainly and strongly holdeth forth that the grace of the Covenant is extended to the children of believing Parents in the new Testament as much as in the Old yea and more too For in the Old Testament the Covenant reached not to the children in case an Israelite had children by a Pagan wife whether Moabite Ammonite or Canaanite but now if either of the Parents be believers and so in Covenant let the other Pagan Parent bee of what Nation soever yet the children are in the Covenant and so holy also These Scriptures which you have brought to prove that God hath made a Covenant of grace with believers and their seed Silvester now in the dayes of the New Testament I have heard sundry exceptions made against them As first touching the place in Gal. 3.16 It is said that if the place be well considered it will helpe forward the truth against the receiving of children non-elect into the Covenant For the Apostle here speaketh of the Covenant as comprehending Christ and the seed in him elect unto everlasting life In which sense the Covenant of grace was not made to Abraham and to all his seed without exception for then all his seed must either be saved which no man will say or if they perish then must they fall out of the Covenant of grace And if neither then there were some of the seed of Abraham comprehended in the Covenant in one sense and admitted to the seale thereof whom God excepted against in another sense some of which were Ismael and Esau who in Abrahams generation signified a fleshly seed as well as Isaac and Jacob a spirituall Between which seeds God ever held forth a distinction in all generations from Abraham untill Christ who put an end to the type and the flesh to al priviledges of that nature thereunto belonging 2 Cor. 5.16 Phil. 3.3 4 5. So that now all is laid up in Christ onely for such as believe Silvanus It is a taking away from the Text I meane a straitning of the sense of it to say that Paul in Gal. 3.16 speaketh of the seed elect in Christ unto eternall life For he speaketh of all the seed in Christ now there are a seed in Christ which are not elect in Christ for
Christ himself speaketh of branches in him the true vine the fat olive tree which yet bare no fruit in him and so are cut off from him cast out and wither John 15.2 6. And such branches though they were in Christ by the fellowship of the Church and by the Spirit conveying from Christ common graces to them yet they were never elect in him to everlasting life nor united to him by a lively faith For if they had been so in him they had never been cut off from him It is true the Covenant of grace was not to all the seed of Abraham without exception that is to such of the seed as rejected the Covenant or the faith of it as Ismael and Esau did in riper years But the Covenant was to all the infant seed of Abraham without exception and to all the infants of his believing seed And the seale of the Covenant was in like sort dispensed to them all without exception to Ismael as well as to Isaac to Esau as well as to Jacob. Yet neverthelesse it will not therefore follow that some of the seed of Abraham were comprehended in the Covenant and admitted to the seale thereof in one sense whom God excepted against in another sense For hee excepted not against the infant seed of Abraham or his family in any sense but onely against the seed apostate in elder yeares In respect of which Apostacy which God fore-knoweth all the non-elect seed of Abraham will fall into though God receive all the infant-seed of Abrahams family that is of the Church into the fellowship of the Covenant and of the seale thereof yet he giveth a peculiar blessing to the elect seed even the sure mercies of his Covenant Esa 55.2 And though you say that between these two seeds God ever held forth a distinction in all generations from Adam to Christ yet that distinction was onely this the seed of all the flesh and the seed of the promise Rom. 9.8 But he excluded neither of them in their infancy from the Covenant or from the seale of it Indeed the children of the promise being the elect of God God hath not onely given his Covenant to them and the seale thereof but hath also established it unto them for ever But the seed of the flesh though the Lord gave his Covenant even unto them also and the seal therof yet he hath not established it unto them for ever whence afterward it commeth to passe that they reject the Covenant and the faith of it But when you further say that Christ hath put an end to the type and to the flesh and to all priviledges thereunto belonging so that now all is laid up in Christ onely for such as believe and for that end quote 2 Cor. 5.16 Phil. 3.3 4 5. It is readily granted you that Christ hath put an end to all types and to fleshly Ordinances and to the purifying of the flesh by the Ceremonies of the Law Heb. 7.16 9.13 But that Christ hath put an end to all priviledges either of the Covenant or of the seale of the Covenant to the seed of believers there is no word in the New Testament that teacheth us any such doctrine the places alledged opened above by me prove the contrary and those alledged by you will not make good what you say for the place in 2 Cor. 5.16 that a man regenerate knoweth no man after the flesh argueth onely thus much that a man in Christ resteth in no outward priviledges no not in seeing and knowing Christ in the flesh nor in eating and drinking in his presence nor in hearing him preach in their streets but in the spirituall and lively fellowship of his death and resurrection which maketh him whosoever knoweth Christ a new Creature And so say we too and so it was with the faithfull in the Old Testament as well as in the New It was not the outward participation of the Covenant nor of the seale of it that a sincere Israelite could rest in but in the grace of the Covenant and Circumcision of the heart in the Spirit not in the Letter But this doth not at all argue that the children of the faithfull who are yet in the flesh are not partakers of the Covenant of grace nor of the seale of it now in the New Testament as well as they were in the Old But only argueth that though before regeneration men are apt to rest and boast in the outward Letter of priviledges and Ordinances yet after regeneration they doe not acknowledge such things as their comfort and confidence John Baptist endeavoured to beat off the Jews from resting in such outward priviledges Matth. 3.9 And so did the Prophets before Christ Jerem. 9.25 26. as well as Paul after him both in this place of the Corinthians and that other which you quote out of Phil. 3.3 4 5. When you say that now all is laid up in Christ onely for such as believe If you meane all spirituall blessings of life and salvation you say true but nothing to the question For so it was in the Old Testament as well as now But as it was then the seed of believers partaked of the outward dispensation of the Covenant and of the seale of it so is it still unlesse you could shew us some Scripture whereby they are more excluded now then in the old Testament Silvester Now first in Christ by faith and then to the Covenant and priviledges thereof Gal. 3.29 None by the Gospel are approved to be the seed of Abraham but onely such as walke in the steps of his faith For as none invisibly before God are by him approved at all to have right to any priviledges of grace but onely as he looketh upon them in his Son no more are there any before man visibly to be approved of so as to have right to the same but as they appeare to be in Christ by some effect of faith declaring the same And so much the more in that God excludeth all from his holy Covenant so as to have right in the outward dispensation thereof but onely such as believe Rom. 11.20 Heb. 3.18 4.1 2 3. 11.5 6. Rom. 9.7 8. Gal. 3.22 26 29. Silvanus Surely in the old Testament the children of believers had first Christ by Covenant and then faith also to receive him For in the Covenant with Abraham when God gave himselfe to be a God to him and his seed the Father gave himselfe to bee their Father the Son to be their Redeemer the holy Ghost to bee their Sanctifier when yet the children were unborn without life and therefore without faith And surely in the New Testament God hath not changed this order of his blessings For in rehearsing the Covenant which continueth in the New Testament he giveth the writing of the law in their hearts by Covenant Heb. 8.10 Amongst which laws surely the law of faith is one and indeed the chiefe of all other laws And therefore
government was not expressed in the Covenant given to Abraham but in the Covenant and blessing of Iacob It was Iacob that blessed his son Iudah with a scepter Gen. 49.10 But to Abraham it was foretold that his seed should bee a stranger and a servant and in an afflicted estate 400 yeares And though the Lord did not deny them civill government yet neither did he expresly promise it to his seed And as was said above it is the blessing of Abraham that is come upon us and not of Iacob so far as that of Iacob exceeded the blessing of his progenitors Answ 2. It is more then can be proved that the Covenant of Abraham and his posterity after Christ doth not comprehend a civill State for the prophecy of Daniel promiseth that after the destruction of the four Monarchies the Kingdom and the Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High c. Dan. 7.27 Answ 3. Civill State and Government is but an accessary to the Covenant And though the people of God in the new Testament should never enjoy it which is not to be granted yet what is this to the maine promise of the Covenant That God will bee a God to his people and to their seed throughout all generations The seventh and last difference which you put is as little pertinent to the cause as all the former For what if that Covenant held forth Christ in the flesh to an heart vailed And this holdeth him forth in the Spirit to a face open 2 Cor. 3. Yet this argueth onely a different dispensation of the Covenant by Moses and by Christ But the Covenant of Abraham which was given 430 yeares before the Covenant of Moses did not so vaile nor darken the face of Christ but that Abraham saw Christ though afarre off yet clearely and rejoyced Iâ—hn 8.56 And so did all his spirituall seed after him more or lesse as well as wee But what if the dispensation of the Covenant had been more vayled in all the times of the Old Testament to all the seed then indeed it was yet what is this to the maine promise of the Covenant that God will be a God to a believer and his seed throughout all generations Silvester But let the differences of the Covenant before or since Christ stand or fall as they may yet it is no good consequence from the Covenant that as infants were in that Covenant then and circumcised so infants are in the Covenant now and to be baptized For let these foure things be well considered and they will cleare the contrary 1. What the Covenant is 2. What is that which admits into the Covenant 3. Who are the true approved subjects of the Covenant 4. Whether all have not one and the same way of entrance into this Covenant Silvanus What doe you take the Covenant to be Silvester The Covenant it selfe is a Covenant of grace and salvation by which God of his grace takes a person or a people to himself above all others to be their God and to manifest upon them the riches of his grace and glory And the manner of this is in effect Gods calling of a man to an agreement with himself in his Son wherein he promiseth to be his God and to give him life and happinesse and all things in Christ and that he shall believe and rest upon his faithfullnesse and truth and so take him for his God c. So that the Covenant consisteth of 3. Essentialls 1. The persons two or moe disposed to agree 2. Something to agree upon 3. Their mutuall consent which is the agreement it self Silvanus As the heavens are higher then the earth so are the wayes of God higher then our wayes Esa 55.9 and in speciall the wayes of his grace and of the Covenant thereof with men indeed mutuall agreement and consent is necessary to a Covenant but with God Gods appointment maketh a Covenant whether the creature consent to an agreement or no. God sometimes made a Covenant and established it not onely with Noah and his seed but also with the Fowles and Beasts and every living creature that he would never send a flood to destroy them from off the face of the earth Gen. 9.9 10 11. And this Covenant was onely an appointment of God it did not require any consent or agreement of man much lesse of other creatures to make it a Covenant It is therefore a manifest error to make the agreement or consent on mans part essentiall to a Covenant between God and man It is a second error that in describing the Covenant of grace you omit the seed of believers exclude them from the fellowship of the Covenant as being unable to expresse their consent and agreement to the Covenant Let it be considered in the feare of God whether ever God made any Covenant with any man or people which did not comprehend their posterity also God made a Covenant with Noah did it not reach his posterity also Gen. 9. God made a Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17. did it not reach his posterity also God made a Covenant with the people of Israel Exod. 19. did it not reach their posterity also God made a Covenant with Phinehas Numb 25. did it not reach to his posterity also God made a Covenant with David Psal 89.28 did it not reach to his posterity also If then the Scripture never hold forth any Covenant which ever God made with any of the sons of men but it did reach and comprehend his posterity also why should the Covenant of grace be conceived to run a different course from all the rest of Gods covenants namely to reach unto believers but not to their posterity We are shallow and narrow our selves and so we measure the grace of God and the Covenant thereof according to our owne scantling our narrow capacity Proceed then to declare what is the second thing you wisht might bee well considered to wit what is that which admits into the Covenant That which admits any into the Covenant Silvester and giveth right to enter thereinto is the promise of God in Christ and faith in the same as Nehem. 9.8 The Covenant hath these essentiall parts and visible branches 1. Grace in the agent God 2. Faith in the subject Man 3. An uniting or closing of these together which is that mutuall consent and agreement by faith in the same grace revealed by the gospel which is the word of reconciliation So that it is the blessed word of life and faith in the same that giveth right and admitteth into Covenant with God We deny not that faith in the subject doth admit into the Covenant rightly understood to wit faith in Christ Silvanus and in the word of reconciliation admitteth not onely the faithful person but his seed also though yet wanting faith into the Covenant The text which you quote against it
as it usually falleth out maketh strongly for it the words are plaine thou foundest his heart faithfull before thee and madest a Covenant with him to give to his seed the lâ—nd of the Canaanites And your self with your Leaders doe easily acknowledge that in the old Testament the Covenant of Abraham admitted his carnall seed into the fellowship of it And doubtlesse Nehemiah speaketh of Abraham and of his faithfull heart and holy Covenant as it stood in the dayes of the Old Testament How commeth it then to passe that his faithfull heart whereby he received the Covenant to himselfe and his seed should be alledged to prove that the faith of Abraham admitted him into the Covenant but not his seed But proceed to your third thing which you woulâ— have to bee well considered and consider I pray you how far off it is from concluding your purpose Silvester The third thing to be considered is who are the approved subjects of this Covenant and they are onely such as believe For God in his Word approveth of none in Covenant with him out of Christ nor of any in Christ without faith Nay God denyeth his approving of any in fellowship with him that doe not believe as John 3.5 6 36. Heb. 11.6 Nor doth he approve of any subjects of his gracious Covenant but onely such as hee hath elected and chosen in Christ and so appearing by some fruits and effects of the same as these Scriptures with many other witnes Rom. 8.9.29 30. Rom. 11.7 Ephes 1.4 5 6. 2 Thes 2.13 14. 1 Pet. 1.2 Acts 2.47 13.48 Silvanus There is a broad difference between these two who are the true approved subjects of this Covenant and who are approved to be the true subjects of this Covenant For it is certain and your selfe admitted it above that God approved all the seed of Abraham even his carnall seed to be admitted as subjects of the covenant and of the seale thereof But it as certain that God never approved such true subjects of the Covenant whom himselfe never elected nor themselves ever received the gift of faith without which it is impossible to please God Many are truly called to the fellowship of the Covenant and of the seale thereof who were never elected nor approved in their spirituall estate as heires of salvation It is in the same sense that Paul speaketh Rom. 2.28 29. He is not a Jew which is one without neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh but hee is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the heart in the Spirit whose praise or which is all one whose approbation is not of men but of God But dare any man therefore inferre that God did not approve it that any should bee admitted unto the Covenant of Abraham or unto the seale thereof Circumcision unlesse he were a Jew or Israelite within and circumcised with the circumcision of the heart To what purpose then are all the texts of Scripture alledged by you which prove no more then wee acknowledge that by naturall generation all men are carnall that without faith it is impossible to please God that whom God electeth hee calleth that the election obtaineth what they seeke for that the elect are chosen to be holy and partakers of the sprinkling of the blood of Christ that the elect are brought on to faith But what is all this to prove that such as are carnall by naturall generation cannot be holy by the grace of the covenant or that it may not please God to admit them to the outward dispensation of his Covenant whose inward spirituall estate hee is not pleased with Surely all the Israelites in the wildernesse were sometimes admitted into Covenant with God yet with many of them God was not pleased 1 Cor. 10.5 What though those whom God elcteth he calleth to wit by an effectuall calling according to his purpose yet may hee not yea doth he not call many to place in his vineyard the Church yea to office also whom he hath not chosen Matâ—h 20.16 What though the elect obtaine what they seek for the sure mercies of the Covenant and the rest come to be hardened May not therefore the non-elect partake in the outward dispensation of the Covenant and yet afterwards bee hardened in hypocrisie What though the elect onely come on to believe though not with a justifying faith yet with an historicall and temporary faith May they not bee holy by Covenant who yet are not holy by the Spirit of Regeneration May they not be sprinkled with the blood of sprinkling unto the common graces of the Spirit Heb. 10.29 who yet are not sprinkled therewith to the remission of their sins Finally what though it bee said the Lord added to the Church daily such as should bee saved Acts 2.47 were not Ananias and Sapphira added also and Simon Magus too who yet for ought that appeareth were none of them saved Proceed wee theâ— to the fourth thing which you wiâ—h might be well considered and see if there be any more weight in that The fourth and last is Silvester whether that all persons now in the Gospel have not one and the same way of entrance into the covenant let the holy Word of God bee judge and I finde the Gospel of Christ to approve of none in the Lords holy Covenant of grace but such as believe nor any approved of to be in the way of life but such as are in Christ by Faith And therefore no other way of comming into the Covenant of grace and salvation but onely by Jesus Christ for in him are all the promises confirmed and made over onely unto such as doe believe as 2 Corinth 1.20 Rom. 10.4 1 John 5.11 12. Rom. 8.9 You now labour againe of the same fallacy which was noted in you before It is readily granted you that the Gospel of Christ approveth of none in the Lords Covenant but such as believe Neither did the Old Testament approve any in the Lords Covenant but such as believed But as hath been said it is one thing to approve them in the Covenant another thing to approve them to be in the Covenant See it in a similitude God did never approve either Saul or Jehu in the Kingdome of Israel yet hee did approve it that both of them should be admitted to the kingdome So is it here God did never approve Ismael in Abrahams house nor Esau in Isaacs And yet he approved it that they should be in their Fathers houses and also bee admitted to the Covenant of their Fathers and to the seale thereof till their own prophanenesse cast them out And therefore what though there bee no other way of comming into the Covenant of grace but only by Jesus Christ And what though in Christ all the promises are confirmed and made over onely to such as believe Yet neverthelesse Christ hath opened a way for the comming of the Covenant and promises through himselfe not
Ancestors and to their seed According to which God is more readily inclined to poure out the Spirit of his grace upon the seed and off-spring of his covenanted people then upon strangers and aliens But take away the Covenant of grace from believing parents to their children and truly this difficulty of the more easie conversion of naturall branches will prove as the former did inexplicable Moreover there will yet bee another difficulty and as hard as both the former how to make good sense of the Apostles Argument whereby he proveth the conversion and holinesse of the Jewes in future ages from the holinesse of their godly Ancestors in times past and yet deny as your Bookes doe the continuance of the Covenant of grace from believing Parents to their naturall children now in the dayes of the New Testament The Apostle in Rom. 11.11 and so forward declaring the ends of the rejection of the Jewes hee made this to be one the reconciliation and salvation of the Gentiles to be a meanes to provoke the Jewes to emulation that at length they also might come on to salvation by the example of the Gentiles which he further declareth will bee a great advantage to the Gentiles And that he proveth verse 15. by an argument from the lesse to the greater if the casâ—ing away of the Jewes was the reconciling of the world what saith he shall the receiving of them bee but life from the dead And that there shall be such a receiving of them he proveth from the holinesse which by the institution of God is derived from the first fruits to the whole lumpe and by the Covenant of God from the root to the branches ver 16. For saith hee if the first fruits be holy so is the whole lumpe and if the root be holy so are the branches The force of this Argument dependeth upon the force of the Covenant of grace and the continuance thereof from parents to their naturall children even now in the dayes of the New Testament as well as of the Old For by the tenor of the Covenant God is a God to holy Fathers and to their seed after them And if God be a God to their seed it reacheth forth a twofold blessing to their seed that all their seed are holy by Gods adoption Rom. 9.4 and so by their appropriation and relation unto God till themselves doe reject him Secondly that some or other of them God will ever reserve to wit all the elect seed to be called effectually to the fellowship of his holinesse and to the holinesse of their holy Ancestors And these blessings being presupposed and granted by Covenant the Apostles argument is plaine and strong That if the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob be holy who were the first fruits and the root of the house of Israel then as all the house of Israel were an holy people till they obstinately rejected the Lord Jesus So will God reserve an elect seed of them to be called and received to the fellowship of his holinesse and the holinesse of their Ancestors in his due time But if you abrogate the continuance of the Covenant of grace from holy Parents to their naturall children now in the dayes of the New Testament it will bee a difficulty in my weake judgement past all resolution how the Apostles Argument can be of any force to prove the conversion of the Jews unto holinesse from the holinesse of their Ancestors seeing their Ancestors are no first fruits and root unto them till they come to bee converted and being converted doe believe as well as their Ancestors And whether ever they will come to bee converted or no is as uncertain for all their relation to their holy Ancestors and for all their Ancestors Covenant with God as is the conversion of any other Infidels The Gospel holdeth forth Abraham for a root of Jews and Gentiles Silvester and that is onely in respect of his faith and faithfulnesse and so is hee the patterne and Father of the faithfull that resemble him in the same So that Jews and Gentiles are Abrahams branches onely as they spring out of the same root by faith which declares them to be his true naturall branches so farre onely as they appeare to bee of the same faith as hee was But now for the Jews that they were broken off it was onely for want of their actuall believing the Gospel as Rom. 11. and opposing the same Acts 13.46 And so were the Gentiles received in onely upon their actuall believing and receiving the same For as the Word condemneth none but with respect to actuall sinne no more doth the Word justifie any Jewes or Gentiles but with respect to actuall Faith And as every one 's own faith inrighteth to life so everyones own faith inrighteth to the priviledges of life Silvanus It is true the Gospel holdeth forth Abraham for a Father and so for a root both to Jews and Gentiles that believe Rom. 4.11 12. But in Rom. 11.16 the Apostle holdeth forth Abraham as the root of the Jews who were his naturall branches not by faith as you would have it but by naturall generation through grace borne under his Covenant in opposition to the Gentiles yea to the believing Gentiles For he maketh the rejection of the Jews a meanes of the conversion of the Gentiles and the conversion of the Gentiles a meanes of the conversion of the Jewes at last and the conversion of the Jewes a meanes of awakening and reviving of the Gentiles verse 15. And this he proveth from the holinesse of their root Abraham and thereupon inferreth the calling on of the Jews unto holinesse verse 16. And though for the present the Jews be as branches broken off through their infidelity and the Gentiles by faith received into their place verse 17. yet he exhorteth them not to boast against the Jews verse 18. nor to be high minded in themselves verse 20. For if the Gentiles which had been branches of the olive tree wilde by nature were contrary to nature graffed into the good olive tree then much more shall the Jewes which are the naturall branches be graffed into their owne Olive tree verse 24. which argueth evidently that he speaketh of the Jewes as the naturall branches of Abraham and that not by faith for then why were they broken off as it is said God spared not the naturall branches verse 21. but by naturall generation borne through grace both of the Ioynes and Covenant of Abraham and so their conversion is inferred to proceed more kindly and naturally then did the conversion of the Romans and other Gentiles For they were not cut off from the wilde olive as the Gentiles were but onely broken off from the good olive for a season that they might much more readily and freely bee graffed into their owne olive againe to wit with much more liberty and free passage of grace in the channell of the Covenant Again it is not true that you say that
is called a vine a root and foundation Answ I know no reason why the root in this Text should bee meant not onely their believing parents their holy Ancestors but Christ also as hath been touched afore Onely it seemeth you were afraid that if believing Parents or holy Ancestors were brought in as any means of the conversion of their posterity unto faith and holinesse it would establish the vertue and continuance of the Covenant of grace from Parents to children now in the dayes of the New Testament the which you carefully shun And therefore though you cannot but see that the first fruits and the root are used and applyed in one and the same sense and to the same purpose and so are forced to confess that as by the first fruits so by the root is meant believing Parents yet you will have the root to be meant not onely believing Parents but Christ and indeed you bring such arguments for Christ as doe seeme to restrain it wholly to Christ and in a manner to exclude believing Parents But all in vaine for neither will your Arguments evince Christ to be here expresly intended by the Apostle but onely by consequence neither will we deny that Christ and fellowship with Christ is intended in their fellowship with the root though by the root bee here expresly meant their holy Ancestors It is true Christ is called in Scripture phrase the vine the root the foundation and so indeed he is primarily and eminently But neverthelesse the Church also is called a vine Esa 5.1 Psal 80 8. And Abraham called a root Mat. 3.10 and the rock out of which the house of Israel was hewed Esa 51.1 And the Apostles are called foundations Ephes 2.20 Rev. 21.14 yea every righteous man is called an everlasting foundation Prov. 10.25 And therefore it is not the name of a root that will cast the root to be here meant of Christ and not of Abraham Yes say you for first Christ is here the root or olive tree ouâ— of which the Jews are cast and the Gentiles graffed in Rom. 11.17 19 23 24. Answ The Church is called an olive tree as well as a vine yea and the branches of it are said to be broken off Jer. 11.16 And when the Axe is said by John Baptist to bee laid to the root of the treeâ— Mat. 3.10 It is his meaning to threaten the Jewes that God is about to cut them off from the Covenant of their father Abraham of whom they were the off-spring and the branches And thereby he confirmeth his admonition to them in the former verse vers 9. thinke not saith hee to say with your selves wee have Abraham to our Father for God is able even of these stones and so of stony hearted Gentiles to raise up children unto Abraham And lest they might object that themselves were the children of Abraham rooted in him not onely by naturall generation but by an everlasting Covenant he strengtheneth his admonition with this threatening verse 10. Now is the Axe laid to the root of the trees to wit to cut off barren branches from the Covenant of Abraham every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire And therefore it is proper enough according to Scripture phrase to interpret the root to be meant of Abraham and surely as fitly in this place of Paul as in that of Matthew but whether more proper wee shall see anon Secondly say you it appeareth Christ here to bee meant the root in that the Apostle chargeth the Gentiles that if they boast in themselves against the Jewes Thou bearest not the root but the root thee v. 18. that is say you thou appearest not to have the truth of grace and so not to have the true nature of the root and life of Christ in thy heart but onely an outward form of thâ—â—â—ofession of him Job 15.2 Answ This interpretation the words of the Text will not bear for if this were the meaning of the Apostles words Thou bearest not the root but the root thee that is thou appearest not to have the truth of grace and so not the true nature of the root and life of Christ in thine heart Then it will follow that if the Gentiles did not boast but had indeed the truth of grace and life of Christ in their hearts then it might be said to the Gentile the root beareth not thee but thou bearest the root which is indeed contrary to the truth of Religion yea to the principles of grace The absurdity of this interpretation may give good light to shew that indeed Christ is not properly meant to bee the root here spoken of For if Christ were here intended to bee the Root the Apostle would not apply this as a check to the arrogancy of the boasting Gentile the root beareth thee For it is no check but a comfort yea the greatest comfort and safety of a true and humble believer not so much that he beareth Christ as that Christ beareth him But take the Apostle to meane Abraham to be the root of the Jewes as the context carryeth it and then his admonition is grave and weighty against the arrogancy of the boasting Gentile If some of the branches be broken off and thou being a wilde olive tree wer 't graffed in among them that is among the Jewes boast not thy self against the branches But if thou boast take this for a check thou bearest not the root Thou art not the stock or root into which they were engraffed but theirs is the root into which thou art engraffed For salvation is of the Jews John 4.22 thou receivedst it from them not they from thee Hierusalem as a mother bare Rome not Rome Hierusalem Abraham as a father by his faith begot thee as a root by his Covenant he beareth thee not thou him nor the Church of his Covenant But thirdly you argue from the consideration of that which the Jewes refused and the Gentiles received that it is Christ in his mysticall Order and Government amongst his Saints that is here the root and olive tree who by hâ—â— Spirit in his Ordinances issueth forth sap and fatnesse of life and comfort into every very believing heart as a branch of the same Answ The weaknesse and fallacy of this Argument will easily appeare if you cast it into the forme of an argument thus it proceedeth That which the Jews refused and the Gentiles received that is the root here spoken of to wit that root which being holy the branches also are so too But Christ mystically considered is that which the Jewes refused and the Gentiles received And therefore Christ mystically considered is the root here spoken of which being holy the branches are also so too But here the Major or former Proposition is justly denyed For though Christ himselfe be a root which the Jewes refused and the Gentiles received yet hee is not that root here intended whose holinesse inferreth and concludeth the
infant to be solemnly presented and offered to him in that seale of the Covenant till the seven dayes were fulfilled However it was certaine it is that the limitation of the eighth day was not a morall appendant to the Covenant of grace And therefore the Infants of believers both in those former times and in these now partaked in the Legacies of the Covenant of grace as well before eight days as after Nay say you in the New Testament as the last Will of Christ the Legacies therein contained as the Priviledges and blessing of Abraham are given onely to such as believe and to none else Two things let me here answer you 1. It implyeth a contradiction to say the blessing of Abraham is given to believers and onely to believers and to none else intending thereby to exclude the infants of believers For what is the blessing of Abraham Is it not this promise of grace that God will bee a God to him and his seed If this blessing then come upon believers then this promise commeth upon them That God will be a God to them and their seed You must therefore either deny the blessing of Abraham to come upon believers or else you must grant the promise of grace to come upon them and upon their seed also Yea say you upon their believing seed such as succeed them in the same faith and truth not upon others If that were the meaning of the promise it could not bee said with any congruity of speech that the promise commeth upon the seed of believers at all For when the children of believers come to be believers the promise commeth not to them at all as the seed of believers but as believers themselves The children of Pagans when they come to beleeve may as well claim the promise to belong unto them as may the children of believers when themselves doe believe The second thing that I would answer you is that all the places which you alledge to prove that the priviledges of the Kingdom of Christ doe belong only unto believers they onely speake of saving priviledges flowing from faith All which wee readily grant you as a point out of controversie doe all of them belong to believers and not immediately to the children of believers till they come on themselves to believe likewise But this wee further claime in the behalfe of the children of believers which wee have proved before though you are willing to take no notice of it that the children of believers doe come on themselves to believe by reason of the Covenant of grace which God hath made with believers and their seed for by that Covenant hee hath promised to write the law of faith as of all other saving graces in their hearts that they also may come in Gods time and way to enjoy all the other saving priviledges of the Covenant as did their Fathers before them To take a short survey of the places which you quote that Text in Gal. 3.22 holdeth forth that the promise to wit the promise of eternall life of which he spake in the next verse before is given by faith to them that believe So is also the righteousnesse of faith given to them that believe as the other places you quote shew Rom. 4.11 12. Gal. 3.6 7. So likewise the inheritance of glory is given to sonnes even the regenerate sonnes of God who have received the spirit of adoption as your other place sheweth Rom. 8.17 But what doth all this prove That no Legacies of the New Testament no priviledges of the Covenant of grace no blessing of Abraham belongeth to the children of believers It proveth indeed that the righteousnesse of faith and eternall life and glory doe belong to believers and to such as are regenerate by the spirit of adoption But what thinke you of faith it selfe and the spirit of adoption Are they not also Legacies of the New Testament Are they not the Priviledges of the Covenant and of the blessing of Abraham And these when they are first given they are not given to believers who have them already but to such as have them not And therefore the children of believers are capable of these Legacies and priviledges by the blessing of Abraham in the new Covenant For this is a promise of the new Covenant they shall all know mee from the least of them to the greatest of them Jer. 31.34 And that knowledge is faith upon which sinnes are forgiven Isa 53.11 And this is another promise of the same Covenant I will poure my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring Isa 44.3 If then the Spirit and Faith be given by the New Testament or which is all one the new Covenant then all the Legacies and priviledges and blessings of the Covenant are not given onely believers but some also to the children of believers that they may receive the spirit and faith also It is therefore a slender evasion to alledge as you doe that the children and off-spring of believers are such onely as succeed them in the same faith and truth and so are called the generation of the righteous For they did not succeed them in the same faith and truth and righteousnesse till it was given them and given them it was by a legacy of the New Testament when they were onely the children of the faithfull and had neither faith nor truth nor righteousnesse in them The other places which you quote do shew that men of yeares as well as children are sometimes called the seed of the Church And that the godly ones amongst them are begotten of the immortall seed of the word and are regenerate by the spirit of grace have a seed of God dwelling in them are maligned by the carnall seed are approved of God and acknowledged as heires of the Kingdome of glory All which are truths out of question But none of all the places doe exclude the Infants of believers nor their growne naturall children from being subjects of this grace of the Covenant to have the Spirit of grace and faith poured upon them by vertue of the Covenant One onely place of all the rest might seem to look that way which you quote out of John 3.5 6 where it is said that the carnall seed as being flesh and destitute of the spirit cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And indeed if by the Kingdome of God were meant the Church as oftentimes it is the objection would bee more difficult to resolve But the truth is in that place by the Kingdome of God is plainly meant the Kingdome of Glory not the Church For Nicodemus did not scruple his Church estate nor enquire how hee might enter into the visible Church but how hee might bee saved and inherit the Kingdome of Glory And therefore Christ directeth him to Regeneration and to beleeve in his Name that hee might attain unto everlasting life Joh. 3.5.14 15 16. And though hee speak of water as co-working with the Spirit in Regeneration