網頁圖片
PDF
ePub 版

PART II. By Path on Jer. 31ft. and Heb. 8th. obviated. 169 low that all true believers now, have the fame faith that Abraham had, and the fame bleffings, to far as they are in the fame condition he was. All that have families, and children; are in that refpe&t, in the fame condition with him. And if they are bleffed with Abraham, and have the fame faith, it will unavoidably follow, that God does promise to believers now, to be a God to them, and to their children; and they believe it; and in like manner it will follow, that he does require of them, to apply an outward token, of this promife and covenant to themfelves and their children; and they believe this alfo ; and do it accordingly. It has been abundantly proved in the foregoing pages, that baptifm is in the place of circumcifion. There. fore, if they have the faith of Abraham; they will bring their children to baptifm, as Abraham did his to circumcifion; and it will be the true proper Believer's Baptifm.

Another By path I have noticed, is, the mifunderstanding of thofe places of Scripture, Jer. xxxi. 31,32,33. and Heb. viii. 8, 9, 10. Where God fays, "The days come, when he will make a new covenant with the house of Ifael and the houfe of Ju dah; not according to the covenant he made with their fathers, in the day when he took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt." But he fays, "This is the covenant I will make with the houfe of Ifrael after thofe days,-I will put my laws in their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they fhall be to me a people." This feems to be fuppofed by fome, to be an abrogation, or difannuling of the covenant with Abraham; fo that now baptifm cannot ftand upon that covenant; or be in lieu of circumcifion. But it must be a great miftake, to fuppofe that this

P

170 By Path on Jer. 31. and Heb. 8th. obviated. PART II. promife of God vacates the covenant with Abra ham; it rather establishes it. For this new covenant, which God faid he would make, is effentially, and about literally, the fame he made with Abraham. There God faid to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 7. "I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, in their generations, for an everlafting covenant; to be a God to thee, and thy feed after thee." So here in Heb. I will be to them a God, and they fhall be to me a people. The word people, always effentially contains parents and children. But this covenant God made with Abraham, he established for an EVERLASTING COVENANT; therefore it could not be abrogated; it was the covenant of GRACE, founded on the eternal covenant of REDEMPTION; for it promifed that divine feed, in whom all the families of the earth fhould be bleffed; and thus the Apostles taught, that all the bleffings of the Gospel were promifed and contained, in that covenant with Abraham; If ye be Chrift's, then are ye Abraham's feed, and heirs according to the prom. ife. But if that covenant was difannuled, the promife was at an end, and being heirs according to it, futile and of no value. But according to the Apoftles, and the general tenor of Scripture, that covenant and promife holds good to the end of time; it is an EVERLASTING COVENANT; therefore, does not end with time; of this the Scriptures are exprefs, for God abundantly ftiles himfelf in covenant with Abraham, after he had been in heaven many hundred years. This covenant with Abraham, therefore, never could wax old and vanifh away; but is always NEW; and Chrift God manifeft in the flefh, who was the fubftance of that covenant, was the New Covenant fpoken of in the

PART II. By-Path on Jer. 31ft, and Heb. 8th. obivated. 171 above texts; being new in relation to that old cov. enant of types and fhadows, made at mount Sinai. And this fubftance of the covenant with Abraham, is that new and living way which the Apoftle (peaks of Chap. x. verfe 20th of this Epiftle.

Moreover, there must be a very great overfight in fuppofing that thofe texts in Jer. and Heb. vacate or in the leaft impair the covenant with Abraham; for they do not mention that covenant, or refer to it in any fuch fenfe; but they exprefs the covenant, God made with Ifrael, when he took them out of the land of Egypt; which was 430 years af ter the covenant with Abraham, and could not dif annul it, Gal. iii. 17. Now if the covenant with Abraham could not be difannuled, by the making the law of types and fhadows at Sinai; then certainly the taking away that law of fhadows, could not difannul that covenant. And further it is worthy of notice, that the Apostle plainly fhows in the beginning of the next Chap. that it was the Sicai law or covenant of types and fhadows, which fhould be fuperceded by that New Covenant, God faid he would make, and not the moral law or covenant, which was alfo given at the fame time; that was not to be vacated or impaired by this New covenant; but thereby, put in their mind, and written in their heart. And by the whole fcope of what the Apostle fays; it appears that this New Covenant, which God faid he would make, was Chrift God manifeft in the flesh, his fufferings and exaltation, whom God gave for a covenant of the people : He was a perfect teacher, and pattern of the moral law, and completely fulfilled it. Therefore, all who accepted of him, and were united to him; would become effential partners in this New Covenant. And Chrift being the eternal substance, all

172

What good to baptize Infants ?

PART IT

But

types and fhadows were done away in him. Sacraments were not abolished; though the fhadow part of them must cease; but Sacramental Seals and Tokens of our relation to God, are as neceffary as ever; fo that the covenant with Abraham, with its ratifying feal, is fo far from being ab. rogated by this New Covenant, which God faid he would make; that it is thereby ratified, and confirmed, by the finishing ftroke, of the Gofpel of Chrift; even that fame Gospel which God preached to Abraham..

I now proceed to confider an obftruction, which I have known advanced with great triumph, as a pofing queftion, viz.

What good can it do your little baby, to baptize it? Or put a little water on its face?

Though this queftion is generally put conjuctive-. ly; yet it is evidently the two great questions, both as to the Subject and Mode. And requires to be confidered diftinctly.

As to the Subject. What good can it do to bap tize Infants? The fuppofed force of this, confifts in the Idea, that infants know nothing about it; therefore it can do them no good. This Idea can be grounded upon nothing else, than a fuppofition, that nothing of a religious nature, can do a perfon. any good, unless he knows, and underftands the matter. And this fuppofition flands as Data, or felf evident, to build the whole argument upon. This propofition then, which in the fenfe of the. queftion, is affumed as felf evident, and undenia ble; ftands as a direct impeachment of the divine wifdom, and goodness of God, in appointing, and requiring circumcision, a very painful ordinance, to be adminiftred to infants, who neither knew nor underflood about that, any more than about bap

PART II. What good to put a little water on Infants face. 173 tifm. And it cannot be denied, that circumcifion was of a religious nature. Though I fuppofe it is fully proved, in the foregoing pages, that baptifm is in the place of circumcifion; yet that is immaterial here; for the whole queftion here is, whether any thing done to an infant, of a religious nature, can do it any good? The propofition afferts, it cannot. And this is fo high an impeachment, of the wisdom and goodness of God, as inftituting a painful and moft futile ordinance, for his friends to obferve that it can hardly be fuppofed, that any one will feriously avouch it, when he fees the confequence.

As to the other part of the question, viz. Or what good to put a little water on its face? Which refpects the mode. This fo far as I could ever understand; is defigned as a contemptuous or dimin utive epithet, upon the mode of applying the water, to fo fmall a part of the body, as the face: when it is defigned to denote the cleanfing the whole man. This reflection, equally lies against the propriety, or confistency, of taking away fo fmall a part of the fkin, as in circumcifion; to denote the putting off the body, of the fins of the flefh! And the fuppof ed decifive argument, from analogy; that the water ought to be applied all over the body, in order properly to fignify or denote clean fing the whole man Equally argues, that in circumcifion, the perfon ought to be fkinned all over; in order, pro. perly to fignify, or denote the putting off the body, of the fins of the flefh! This way of arguing alfo, at leaft equally reflects on the wifdom of God; and reproaches his conduct; in placing the deftny of mankind, in this whole world, to turn on fo fmall a thing, as Adam's eating a little fruit; perhaps only a mulberry! We are not told what fort.

« 上一頁繼續 »