The Covenant of Grace Opened

p. 1THE Covenant of Grace opened in severall Sermons.

And Abraham took Ishmael his sonne, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abrahams house, and Circumcised the flesh of their foreskin, in the self-same day, as God had said unto him.

THe scope of this Chapter is to shew the establishment of the Covenant with Abraham, by adding the seal of Circumcision, and it's instituted by the cutting off the fore-skin of every male in his house; where we may see the obedience of Abraham, he does it without any neglect upon all the males in his house: The occasion of this is, because there are a generation of Anabaptists that do go about secretly to seduce persons, and lead them into errour; and s◊◊resie is a mark they are known by. Ephes. 4.14. That we be no more children carryed about with every winde of Doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftinesse whereby they lye in wait to deceive: the word is taken from Cheators, that by cunning deceive men; and therefore to clear the coast, and so prove the lawfulnesse of the Baptizing of children against such deceivers.

Doctr. There is no weaknes of Faith in persons received into the p. 2Church, nor want of years in those that are born of them that should hinder them from receiving the ◊◊◊l of the Covenant of grace.

You may see here Abraham and all his family circumcised, now you may judge in your selves, whether in such 〈…〉 Abraham had, it be not likely there were some weal so 〈…〉, and some, if not many doubting, being clouded b◊ reason of f◊◊, and were ◊◊◊lesse; in which regard, they might have bin hindred: & also it may be thought there were many children in the family, being so large, for he had 300. when he went to rescue Lot, and this was some good space of time after; and the text saith, All were circumcised, none were hindred: and what was said of Abraham in this truth, the same way be said of all truths of the same kinde; this is the point.

Now for the opening of it, p. 21. what this Covenant of Grace is, whether it be the same that Abraham had, that we have now in the times of the Gospel?

2. What are the seals of this Covenant, or are they of the same nature now as they were then?

3. The Parties and subjects fit to receive these seals; all the men and children in a family; whether they are not the same at this day?

4. In case some should be unworthy; yet if they walk so, as in the judgement of charity, there do nothing appear that make them unworthy; whether may not the Church in that case give them the Seals?

5. We will shew you the reasons of the point.

First, What is meant by the Covenant of Grace? this Covenant of Grace, so much as serves my turn at this time, it is the 〈…〉 ◊◊◊ munication of God to a people, that he will choose such, whereby 〈…〉 ingages himself to be their God, and to make them to 〈…〉 people.

I adde that, to make them to be his people, because that is it, that bears up the Covenant and confirms it.

Secondly, When God gave a covenant to Adam, it was doe and live; and if he had improved that, he and his posterity might have had life thereby: but now in the covenant of grace it is otherwise now, God gives himself freely to his, and makes them to be his people, so that he will be our God, and make us to be his people; this is the covenant of grace, and it may be considered in a double notion: I finde a double covenant, an inward, and an outward.

1. Inward, standing in a spirituall institution of it between God and man▪ wherein God cals a people, and makes them answer his call, and makes himself really their God by Faith, and so they have p. 3uninterest in God, and he performs it in them, and makes himself theirs by Faith; so that the work is his▪ and those 〈…〉 are partakers of this covenant shall never ◊all; but this is to his 〈…〉

2. There is an outward covenant, and this is tho◊e large; the dispensation of this, God gives on his part to Christians, and then ingagement on their part, is subjection to him; and by this, God does advance a people: by outward dispensation he declares himself to be their God, and thereby takes them to be his people in a choice manner, and peculiar to himself. Exodus 19.5◊◊ Now a handfore, if you will hear my voice indeed, and keep my covenant◊, 〈…〉 you shall bee my chiefe treasure above all people, though all the 〈…〉 mine. He will discover himself to them, and impropriate them unto himself: hence they are called the lot of his inheritance, Deutr. 32.9. and God is said to know them above all the Nations in the world; Amos 3.2. He doth ingage himself unto them, and if they answ◊◊ the outward priviledge, he will make them a choice people, and own them in that ingagement, and improve himself for their good; if they yeeld their Allegiance to him, he will enlarge himself to them in his dispensations to them; and doth avouch himself to be theirs, as they avouch the Lord to be their God; Deutr. 26.17.118. This is done by the outward covenant, and it is if they keep his command◊◊tents; hence, when they imbrace the ordinances, God is said to draw neer to them, Deutr. 4.78. and they neer to him: all nations may be said to be farr from God that want these outward covenants, and he from them; and therefore he is said to dwel among them, and they to dwel with him, Ps. 84.10. A day in thy Courts is better then a thousand: God takes speciall notice of them, and he w◊ere 〈…〉 every moment, and keeps them night and day: hence they are said to come under the wing of God, that is under the speciall expressions of his favour.