To suppose the promises of this covenant conditional, is to suppose, that at the time they were made, there was no security that one of them would take effect. It is to suppose there was no certainty that God would establish his covenant with Abraham's seed at all; that he would ever give them the land of Canaan; or that in his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed.

If any one should imagine that the initial language of this covenant, "Walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee,” implies, that the promises of the covenant are suspended upon a condition, a recurrence to what has been said will surely correct his mistake. This was simply a direction which respected Abraham personally; the observation of which was indeed his duty. But this duty was so far from being a contingence upon which the covenant was suspended, that it was secured by the promise of it. It was the determined way in which it should take effect. That promise which assured that God would be the God of Abraham, his shield and exceeding great reward, assured, that Abraham would dutifully maintain this relation. The promise that secured a seed, to whom God would be a God, secured the holiness of that seed. Law, though always obligatory, is never against the promise. Grace and duty are perfectly coincident. If any doubt remains with the reader respecting the doctrine now advanced, that the promises of the covenant of circumcision were all absolute, it is presumed none will remain after he has progressed a little farther in this analysis.

IV. The next thing to be ascertained, in regard to this covenant is, who the covenantees are. Respecting Abraham the father there is no doubt. To him the promise is expressly addressed as its immediate object. But the convenant was not only to be established with him; but also, and as unfrustrably, with his seed. God promised to Abraham a seed, that he would establish his covenant with that seed, and be their God. Whom are we to understand to be here intended by the seed? To settle this question rightly, is of the

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est consequence; and, as contrary theories have spread a good deal of obscurity over it, requires a patient investigation, Beyond all doubt, if we will impartially follow the light of scripture, we shall find this question determined conclusively. That we may proceed with certainty, it seems necessary to premise, that the term seed has both a literal, and a figurdtive meaning. The literal meaning is one thing, and the figurative meaning is another. Christ says to the unbelieving Jews, John viii. 37, "I know that ye are Abraham's seed, but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in' you." And again, verse 39. "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." Here, though a different term is used, the two senses are brought into view. The former is the literal; the latter is the figurative sense. In the first passage, Christ acknowledges that the Jews were what they claimed to be, lineal descendants from Abraham. But he denies the conclusion, that they were of his character, and partakers with him of the blessing. In the second passage he speaks of them, as not being children of Abraham in character. If they were, he tells them, they would do the works of Abraham. If these Jews had been disposed to do Abraham's works, they would have proved themselves his true seed, his seed in both respects, morally considered, as well as by lineal descent. The term seed is used by Paul in the figur. ative sense, Gal. iii. 29. "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." The term seed is here applied to converts from the Gentile world. These converts were not Abraham's seed, by natural descent. They were his seed, only as they were of faith, and blessed with him, or par takers with him of promise.

These two entirely distinct meanings of the term seed, cannot be confounded. They are as distinct, and remote from each other, as if they were exact contraries. It is true, that in two or three instances, and the examples have been already introduced, the term seed is extended to the saved from the Gentile world,

in connexion with natural descendants. Still, in almost every case in which the term is used through the scripture, it is used in the literal sense, as meaning appropriately natural descendants from Abraham. When it

is used as extending to both, they are primarily intended. The reader will see this confirmed as we proceed. I say they are intended, as natural descendants, in the literal sense; a sense by which they are entirely distinguished from Gentile believers.

It is evident, that, by the seed, in the covenant of circumcision, must be meant, primarily, and in the literal sense, natural descendants from Abraham, as such; or believers generally, must be meant, without any respect to a descent from him. Let it here be carefully noticed, that if a natural seed are primarily intended, they may be a seed in character also. The covenant may be actually established with them. Whereas if a spiritual seed simply is intended, without any special respect to a descent from Abraham, then, though the covenant may be established with them, it may be, that not one descendant from Abraham shall be found among them. I mean for ought that can be learned from the covenant.

Now, that a seed literally, or according to the flesh must be primarily intended, and intended under that description, will, I apprehend, be evident from the following considerations.

1. It is a good and an established rule of interpretation, that the primitive, literal meaning of a term should always be taken, unless the subject treated of be such as to make it necessary to take it figuratively.* Without the use of this rule, words will be always indeterminate. If the figurative sense be designed, the sub. ject itself must clearly determine that it is so. But. surely, in this case, there is nothing in the subject which makes it necessary to take the term seed in the mere figurative sense. There is in fact every thing

"The literal sense is always to be preferred to the figurative, unless there appears plain and good reasons to the contrary." Hemmenway on Baptism.

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against it. To apply the figurative sense will make all these covenant transactions, not only ambiguous, but wholly inexplicable. It will be impossible to find the objects in whom several of these promises were fulfilled. We are at the outset then, presented with a very strong presumption, that by the term seed are meant, primarily, natural decendants from Abraham's body.

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2. It is evident Abraham himself could receive no other idea from the term, as it was used, in the several covenant transactions, which took place between God, and him. His separation had a family design. eral of the promises made to him were such as to oblige him to apply them to his natural descendants. The promise, "I will make of thee a great nation, and kings shall come out of thee; must have had respect to a natural posterity. The promise that his seed should be as the stars in heaven for multitude, was equivalent with the promise just mentioned, and primarily to be taken in the same sense. The promise that his seed should possess the land of Canaan, could apply to natural descendants only. To them, and to them only, has the promise been fulfilled. But if the term seed, in these promises, be certainly to be taken primarily, in its literal meaning; beyond a question, it is so to be taken in the whole of the covenant. meaning of the term cannot be supposed to be changed when the subject is not. The following promise was superadded to that which immediately respected the seed. "And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Here the diffusion of spiritual blessings beyond the limits of Abraham's naturaly posterity is in view. But the objects of these blessings are not intended primarily by the seed. This is undeniable. For it was in Abraham that all these families of the earth were to be blessed. They are only spoken of. He is the immediate covenantee. But how were they to be blessed in Abraham? Not in him personally only,. but especially in his seed. He is identified with his seed. This Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians clearly illustrates. 3 Chapter 15. verse. "That the bles

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sing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith." Jesus Christ was the seed naturally. He was a lineal descendant from Abraham. "Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came," Romans ix. 5. He was eminently the seed. For the apostle adds. "Now to Abraham, and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds as of ma ny, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ."* Christ certainly was not of the spiritual seed, i. e. of the seed in the mere figurative sense. He was not one of those whom God's gracious covenant contemplated to save from their sins. He was the seed, merely as a natural descendant from Abraham. "He took on him the seed of Abraham." Heb. ii. 16, the seed of the woman, of the Virgin Mary, that seed, which was to bruise the serpent's head; and in whom all the promises of God are yea, and in him amen. Then by the term seed is undeniably meant a natural offspring. This thought, that Christ is the seed, not as one of the saved; but as lineally descended, the reader is requested to keep in remembrance. For it will go far towards elucidating several other parts of our subject,†

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3. The use of the term generations in the covenant, constrains us to understand the term seed, as applicable to natural descendants from Abraham as such. "And thy seed after thee in their generations for an

The promise was originally made to Abraham as the immediate covenantee. It was made to the seed as a subject of promise, and standing in covenant connexion with Abraham, Christ was eminently, not exclusively, this seed. All of the posterity of Abraham, who were connected with him as brethren in the covenant, came jointly with him under this denomination. In this view he appropriates the common relation indicated by the term seed. "I ascend to my father, and to your father; to my God, and to your God." He is accordingly said to be "the first born among many brethren." Exactly comporting with which is the passage, Heb. ii. 11, 12. “For both he who sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, faying," &c. +A Mr. Samael Manning, in a late pamphlet, which I am credibly informed came from the press under the inspection and patronage of one of the ableft Baptist writers in this Country, tells us, page, 27, that the promise mentioned in the above argument, made to Christ as Abraham's seed," ultimately respected Christ, as God." Then Christ was Abraham's seed as God. Then, when Christ took on him, the feed of Abraham, he took on him god head. This is certainly worse than transubstantiation. For it is not only a war with common sense, but a denial of express divine teftimony.