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AFP END I X
A DISSERTATION
O N
BAPTISM,
INTENDED
To expofe the Fallacy and Absurdity of the
Ideas of the Baptlfts concerning Circumcifion and
Baptifm ; the two churches of the Old and New
Teftaments ; the two Covenants and t^^'o Seeds of
Abraham ; — containing a full anfwer to all tliat
MefTrs M'Lcan and Booth have advanced on
thefe fubje6ls :
A Series of Letters addreffed to Mr M'Lean, of
Edinburgh.
By A L E X A ND E R^P I Px. I E,
Pallor of a congregational Church in Newburgh,
GREAT MEN ARE NOT ALWAYS WISE THEREFORE
I SAID, HEARKEN TO MK; T ALSO WILL SHEW
TFIEE MINE OPINION. ElIHU,
PERTH:
Printed for the Author,
l^l;DCC,LXXXVH.
P R E F A ^C E.%*5
THE Author of the DissERTi^r^N dU- Bap-
tism is happy to find that his perfortnance ha§ met
the approbation of the more fenfible a^d' impartial
part of his readers. None feem to have oppofed it
fave the ignorant who cannot, or the bigot who will
not underftand it. In confequence of this, accord-
ing to promife, he has now pubHfhed the folloAving
thoughts on the important fubje6ls, mentioned in
the Preface to the Diflertation : and as the writings
of the Baptills, and many felf-inconfiftent Pedo-
baptifts, have long tended to throw a veil over both
teftaments, darkening the council of God with wordsL
without knowledge, fetting the divifie difpenfations
at variance, and robbing the feed of Abrahara of
the rights derived from their father — it is hoped an
attempt to remove this unhallowed veil from the
Jfecred records, that the glory of the divine plan
appear unveiled, will not be unacceptable to the lo-
vers of truth.
The Diflertation, as might have been expefted,
filled the Baptifts with rage and indignation. Of
this the author had a ftriking proof. Soon after
its pubhcation, a preacher of that way from Edin-
hurgh made a vifit to Newburgh, with a view to
obviate
W PREFACE.
obviate the imprefiions fuppofed to be made by that
heretical performance. Preaching from A6ls xvi.
he declaimed againft the author and his performance
with all the virulence natural to the worded party.
He did one thing, however, very clever. To
fupport the favourite idea, a river muft be had to
plunge the Jailor and his houfehold in — a conveni-
cncy which both nature and art had denied to Phi-
lippi. This difficulty, which would have puzzled
a weaker head, he removed at once. Canal-dig-
ging is the fafhion of the times. He cut a canal
in a minute between the prifon and the houfe of the
Jailor, in which the converts were* decently dipped ;
and that with no labour, fave that of the lungs ; and
at no expence, fave that of the truth. — Pity it is
he had not tried his lliill on a late occafion in the
prifon of Edinburgh ; that a believing prifoner
might not have rtm the riik of damnation by dying
pnbaptized.
A fhort time ago the fame gentleman paid us a-
nother vifit, bringing to us the gofpel of his king-
dom ** No inifants ought to be baptized, orad^
« mitted into the kingdom^of ^od opened to the
a Apoilles." — A gofpel not jLQ^bejQimd_in_^^^
facred records. Jefus laid his hands on little child-
^^JTandbiefl^ them, and thus adminlftered to them
an ordinance of the fame kind with baptifm, (Heb.
vi, 2.) faying— Forbid them not to come to me,
for
PREFACE. V
for of fucK is the kingdom of God. Forbid them,
fays tlie IJaptift, for while they live they are to be
viewed as of the kingdom of the devil, although
when they die I graciouHy allow them the kingdom
cf heaven.
It is highly probable that the Baptift-ideas will
prevail. Dipping is a novelty in this country.
Mankind, too, are fond of a fhowy, ritual religion,
chiefly if it points out an eafy way to heaven. Such
is that of the Baptifts. What more fho\yv and fpe-
cious than theirrite_of it\\nigrlion, in which thejy
fecm to place almoil all that is importantjfl chriili-
anity ? And what at th£jamej:jm£j]nore^
canjbe_ buried and rife againjvvith ChrifWn a^Qj,
ment, without being crucihed" with^lijjiu Then
heaven is opened, and all its glories are difplayed.
The weak, the fplenetic, the fancHulTThefbnd of
novelty, the lovers of pleafure mull naturally em-
brace fuch a religion. The Socinians or half-Dei{l3
alfo, are moftly Baptifts in principle. Thefe two
ideas combined will probably, in a fiiort time, form
the reigning religion. When the Son of Man comes
fhall he find faith on the earth. Wh£2-JB£B-iX?
tau^jU^tQ^conjiderjLlae_^ child
of old Adain, diveiled of djyinitY, their faith in
him for a refurreCtion and hfe_etcrnal can neither be
* ■■ ~ ' '~' ~^ ^ . ».
flrong nor laftin^ Axcording]yjhe_Socinian^
us already that if there be a refurredion, it will be
ticcoiiiplifhed
Ti PREFACE.
a£compl£hed^byjhcJaws_ofj[^^
power of Chriil. When, too, chriftians are taugllt—
to view their children as fonsof the devil, having—.
no connedJon^with_jli^ who
will teach them the laws of Chrift jjav^^s with whiiLL
theyJiaA^£notlnn^_t^ — Add to thcfe the prac-
tice of inofl: parents, who baptize their children_and_
think no more of the matter, and we fee every thing
tendinis touring m the infidelity, which will ifliie
in' the deilru^ion^of the world.
r<_. I have not the vanity to think that any thing I
can fay fliall reach convidion to the Baptifts. The
lUufions of fancy are not eafily diffipated by reafor^-
jng- and argument. The moment thefe people arc
dipped in water, they too often (hut their eyes a-
gainft the light of truth — to be opened no more :
while the ear can liften with attention to nothing,
but the cry of the party — Plunge and be faved.
When the young difciple has been taught to exclaim,
againft infant-baptifm, whichjie calls Roman-fprink-
ling, and to cry what can infants do ? Can an in-
fant believe ? He hasjearned his_ whole leiron, and
is dubbed an jidej)t in chriftian knowledge^ He
muft not know that the Greek-plunging has jufl as
little godhnefs in it as the Roman fprinkling ; or
that an adult can tio no more to obtain a place in
the kingdom of God than an infant of days. In
Yain you bid him liften to the iuftru(5tion8 of Jefus
telHng
PREFACE. vii
telling him, that " iinlefs he receive the kingdom
" of God as a little child, he can by no means en-
** ter therein." This doclrine believed would ftain
the pride of his glory, and call down the high thing
in the heart, which exalts itfelf againfc Jefus. So
hard a faying cannot be received by thefc, " who-
** truft to themfelves and defpife others."
As the Baptiils, however, are conftantly repeat-
ing their pubHcations in fupport of fo dangerous
and fatal deliifions, it cannot be deemed improper
to vindicate the honour of truth, from time to timcj.
in the fame public manner, by manifefting her e-
vldence to every man's confcience, as in the fight
of God. This, if it fails to open the eyes of the
Baptiil, will at lead render him lefs excufable in
the day of the Lord ; while others may be thereby
warned to avoid the fnares of deception, fo artfully
laid " by the Height of men, and cunning crafti-
** nefs, whereby they he in wait to deceive."
Although the following thoughts are addreffed
to Mr M'Lean only, yet as Mr Booth's late piece
entitled " Pedobaptifm examined" fell into my
hands of late, I have animadverted alfo on that volu-
minous work. The novelty of fome ideas, and their
oppofition to the fentiments of many reputable wri-
ters In the Pedobaptift line, may tend to render
this work lefs popular. Convinced however, that
he has truth on his lide, the author is not afra'dto
publifh his views and to fubmit his caufe to the de-
cifion of the public,
SERIES of LETTERS,
ADDRESSED TOi'Vo V"*^ '%'tV
Mr M'L I3\U^^.r: ^> ^
LETTER I.
SIR,
I HAVE perufed your LeUers to Mr Glas^
and alfo your Defence of Believer-baptifm t
in both of which pamphlets you have difplayed
talents for controverfial writing of no inconfi-
derable luftre. An acute difcernment quali-
fies you for fpying out the weaknefs of your
adverfaries ; while a clear and accurate ex-
preffion affifls you in expofing them to public
view in the ftrongeft point of light. A con-
fcioufnefs, too, of fuperior abilities, fo appa-
rent in your performances, prompts you to treat
your antagonifl: with contempt, and to bring
forward your own conceptions with fuch an af-
furance; as throws an air of confidence around
A ftU
2 -/'LETTERS.
all you fay ; making the verleft fliadow of ar-
gument pafs with the unwary for folid reafon-
ing, and mere afTertion for truth. When to
thefe qualifications wc add your profelTed zeal
for the purity of the divine inftitutions, and
ycur avowed indignation againfi: all who corrupt
thefe facred ordinances, expreffed in the mofta-
nimated dicflion, it muft be allowed that you pof-
{t'i'i an alTemblage of talents, which qualify you
in an eminent degree as the leader of a party.
If we except MefTrs John Wefiey and Adam
Gib, the prefent age docs not feem to furni{l:i
another thampion equally qualified for the ar-
duous taflc.
In the matter of infant-baptlfm, appearances
WouM feem to- indicate that you have gained a
complete victory over your opponents, as they
have retreated and left you mafter of the field.
Many, indeed, feem to think that you. have
flated their arguments with fairnefs, and re-
futed them with evidence. Perhaps, how-
ever, this viflory may be accounted the more
cafy, in that your antagonifts have unwarily fur-
nlfhed you with weapons againft themfelves.
From the premifes they advance, your condu-
iion feems unavoidable. This circumftance
has
y. LETTERS. ^
has doubtltfs contributed to the fuccefs of your
caufe ; and on the blunders of your adrerfaries
you have endeavoured to found your claim to
the honours of a triumph.
But you know who faiJ, " If a man firiveth
"for mafteries, he is not crowned, unlefs hd
** ftriveth laivfiilly.''^ Your Victory would havd
been honourable, nor fnouid I have vvKhed to
tear a fingle laurel from your brow, had the
weapons of your warfare been drawn from the:'
armoury of truth. The man who has his qui-
ver filled with thefe may fpeak unblufning to'
his foes In the gate. Rnt 2.S, on the contrary,
error and miftaken views of the fcripture Teem
to me to have furnifhed you with the keeneft
{hafts of argument, your_v]&^ry^ is unfairly
£urchaied, and__Ju(Uce_cannot award you the
.crown. This you may think a very heavy
charge ; but as it appears to me to be well
founded, I hope your love of truth will difpofe
you to allow me the fame freedom you ufe
with others, in expofing the falfity of the prin-
ciples on which your reafonings depend — prin-
ciples which feem to me void of truth, and al-
together repugnant to the do<n:rines of the
Apoftles and prophets of Jefus Chrift.
A a What
4 -5; L E T T E R S. /^
What I propofe in this introJu«£lory epiftle
is only to examine your ideas with refpedl to
the appearance^of^^hnCi^s kingdom _in this
yorld^ On this head you fay ** We cannot
** fay how great a multitude may be faved, that
** are net included in the appearance of Chrift*s
*' kingdom in this world, both infants and
*' adults. It_Js^^ivobablethe_^eat^^
** of his fubje^ts are not included in that appear^
If by the kingdom of Chrifb you mean the
baptift churches, the above aflertions are un-
doubtedly true : no man can fay how great a
multitude will be faved, who never adopted
the baptift principles. But by the appearance
of Chrlft's kingdom in this world, is certainly
meant all who profefs to believe and obey him f .
In this view, I would afk you, on what do you
found this opinion ? furely on fome unwritten
tradition, and not on fcripture. We know
where Jefus has faid, " Whofoever Ihall con-
** fefs me*before men, him will I alfo confefs
** before my father." But the fame Lord has
added,
. * Defence, &c. p. "jz. 73.
f Or as you exprefs it *' fuch as confefs the faith, and
*'give evidence to their ftllow-nicn that they know the
♦^ truth."
(7^
S: L E T T E R S. /^ t
added, " Whofoever ftiall be aihamed of me
** and of my words before men, of him will I alfo
" be afLamed, &c." Chrift's fheep are repre-
fented as following him and fuffering for his
fake. ^ So fays Jefus ; but what fay you? By
farthe^greateft njimber of Chrifi:':? difciples n^-
ver^£rofer3 his_ faith or obey him. Is^diisjhe.
man, who expreiies fuch zeal againfc ethers
fbra^tingwith^^
inba£tizhi_g_Jnfarr^ while he himfelf dired^ly
CO,ntradifcsjhg mofl: exprefs teftimony of Jefii^
Chrift ? he who will be T.y difciple, fays .Jgfug*
mufl: confefs me before men. No, fays one^of
his minifiers, you wi]l confefs many before thg
father, many adults, wjiojTeyerconfeiTfd ycu
or^our w^ords before mem Manyjhall__rei^
with you who never fufferedjvith you ! ! ! A
dangerousjtenet_this.! It tends to perfu de men
that they need not cxpofe themselves to inconve-
niencies and fufferings in prL^tifing ihe faith of
Jefus. Though they deny him, or be afham-
ed of his words before men, yet if they have
alecretjaithin^^^
This is the damnable doftrine fo g^;nerally be-
lieved in the world, and forry am I, that one,
profeiling reparation from the world, fhould
A3. .. attempt i
5 ^ fc E T T E R S. / ^^
atteiTTpttofupport^^
injts^rcfd.
With refpecl to infants, you profefs that
you are " much inclined to judge favourably of
** the fta^^^of_aUjn^nts_d^lngJ]^^ To_
this^ I re^, " Have you charity for them?
** HaveJt_ftilJ ; bji^JeMt_be_th£^jiantj[_ofj^
*'^truth." But on what part of the^ truth^
' this charijy foundec[ ? Jeflis fays. " Hejthat_be:L
** lleveth and is baptized fliall be faved/^ But^
your charity fays, he that neither beheyes nor is
baptized fhall be faved. Your br^nher DlAn-
vers_alio_fays, th^t^jirfaojiL^e^iiJjif^Lpa^
*' regeneration." Yet they may bjjayed ! The
birth of the flefli,^Uien)_|t feemsjs fufficient
to form us for heaven ! What Qrange^head^
fome nign havej_*
But
* The notions of the baptifts witli refpecl: to their infants
put one in mind of the ideas of the ancient Romans. Many of
their Emperors while alive were corfu'ered as devils, and
that too juftly ; but afibou as they died, they were deified
or ranked among the gods. This gave occafion to that fa-
mous faying of Vefpafian when dying. — ^lamncinu^aketi
J am going to be a god. — In like manner, the baptifts view "^
their infants while living as children of the devil; but the /
moment they die, they are dubbed faints. Death, it feentis 1
U the principle of fandificatigu! f — -^ "~ ^ ^
;^ L E T T E R S. / ^ 7
But you will fay, when our Lord fpe^iks of
believing and being baptized as neccflary to
falvation, \\tjTiS^^X}%j\i^^^^^M^^S^^SM^^
adults notjnjnf^rUs^S Right: this is_certain!]
true. TWMi£tl^_do_y qujee where this ^vin^l^adl
you. It robs you of your favourite arguments
againfl infant baptifm. If Jefus, in this text,\
fpeaks of this method of faving adults, while
he does not exclude infants 5 by the fame rule
of interpretation, when he fays " Go teach and
*' baptize tbe nstions," h^milyjnakesjnftruc-
tion jieceiTary to the baptifm of adiihs, while J
he does_not exclude infants from that inftitution.
If the one text does not exclude infants from
falvation, I^\vnIj£no\v not by what rulgjhc
other can_^be_explained as excluding infant^
frorn^baptifm. Thus die, arj>u men t ftill holds
good. VTrTTrs^elHblinied prerequiSl^^
falvation of adults will not hold with refpecl: to
the falvation of infants -, neither will the prg^
reqmfi^tesrequir^ to adult baptifm hold with
refpect to the baptifm of infants^ This rea-
foning I imagine, muft be obvious to every im-
partial mind.
There is another thing ftrikcs me in your
reafoiilngs concerning infants. You admit
that
% !? L E T T E R S. / r
tl^truejnvifiblcjcingdora of God has infanyi
injt, \vhjle_you wiU not allowjhat there^arg.
any fuch^irrthe churches j)fjhe_Jaint8j which' '
conj\;tute_his jMjlblekmfidoi'n on earth. A
ftran^e afn^rtion indeed ! You admit that the'
churches belong to \\\t appear an ce oi Chrift's'
kingdom, or that they are vifible reprefentati-'
ons of his invirible kingdom. Now what kind
of a picture muft it be, that wants a principal
feature of the original ! As nearly half of man-
kind i\\t in nonage,' all which, acc2rilmg_Jo'
your charity, are of theeledtion, far morethan
the half of the true, invilible kingdom of God,
is made up of_infants. Ir is iiiipoffible, then,
that a baptift church, having no infants in it,"
can be a figure of th^t kingdom, of which in-
fant falvation is the principal feature.
Yourj^hajM^foHn^
Iftheydie, it afii^nis them^j)lace_mjieaven ;
ifthejjivej, it ranks then^^wjth the children^oT
wrath. It fliuts them out froir. the church
below, but allows them the kingdom above.
It gives the greater privilege, but withholds
the lefler. In fhort, it will allow them any_
thing but water- baptifm. So__jvlumfical a
thing
55; L E T T E R 5.V'' 9
thingis your charity ! It will be hard to re-
concile her with herfelf ; and
I may add, it is as diiiicult to reconcile her
with the truth. The fcrlpture fays " Few are
<* chofen" : but your charity avers, that at lead
the half of the human race are chofen to falva-
tion. This looks very like a lie, at ieaft. — A-
^in , fhe fp£aksof_ele£i: infants as among the
unkr.czvnjXtCt. How are_they unknown, w^hea
{he knows all that die in nonage are^ele^ed ? _
When I read your argument in fupport of
the eledlion of infants, I know not whether to
be moft furprifed at its intriniic weaknefs, or
the air of confidence with which it is produced.
Jacob was ele<fled before he vyas born, Rom .
ix. II. yea, " before the foundation of the
** world, £ph : i, 4. fo that there mufl: be e-
" \tCt infants*." But what was Jacob elected to ?
Why, to be thejarhfr pf ^hej>edjn whom the
promifes were made. Could he be fo while an
infant ? Surely no. Again, if this argum.ent
means any thing, it will prove that Efan was
a reprobated infant, as it is equally faid of him
that he was hated before he was born. Now
to what was he reprobated ? Why ta_lo{e__the_
birth-right,
♦ Defence of believer baptifm. p. 73.
10 y LET T E R'S.
birth-right. Dijl h£ tbis whjl^anjnfant ? >^o :'
henDM_itvvhen_an^^ by eledb
infants, you mean " that part of the ele£l who
^5_^^_diejr^nfancv.'' Did Jacob and Efau die in-
infancy ? If not \ to what piirpofe is your ar-
gument ? Jacob\s election to obtain a privilege"
when become a man, can never prove the elec^
tjon of^fuch as die jn infancy. — Again, if you
concUide from this texr, that there are ele£b
infants, dying in infancy ; you muflalfo con-
clude that there are reprobate infants, who die
in infancy, fince it is as exprcfsly faid of Efair
that he was hated, as of J?.cob that he was lo-
ved, before he was born. Injhis cafe_you__niii{L
give_up that jjiarity, which inclines you " 1q_
*' jud^e fav^purably of_.the_flate_QralI infanta
** dying in infancy." — I m.ay add^ this argument
will prove too much. The ele£t were chofen
before the foundation of the world, /, ^, whert
as yet they were not. Hence you muft con-
clude, that fince we were all nothing before
we were infants, there muft be ele£t nothings.
A very odd argument indeed !
But you add, " there muft be ele<rc infants,
'* elfe there would be no ele<St at all, for all
*' mankind are infants before they become
'« adults.'*
/. L E T T E R S. II
f^ adults." Fine rcafoning ! It is as If you had
faiJ, there miiftbe manu^^ifturing infants, elfe
there would no manufafhirers at all, for all
manufacfturers are infants before they become
adults ! Whether is this ranting or reafoning?
The truth is, your argument has no founda-
tion in the text, quoted. ^From God's electing
us to do or enjoy any thing when come to man-
hood, we cannot infer, that he has chofen us
to do or enjoy that thing in infancy. Befides,
your interpretation oppofes every thing the
fcripture fays concerning elecftion. Paul tells us,
F-om. vii. 29, 30. " Whom he did foreknow
** he alfo did predeftinate- — who.cu he did pre-
^' deftlnate them he alfo called, &c." Now can
infants be called ^ Or does he fay any are pre-
deftinated, who are not called ? Again^ " God,
** has chofen you to falvation, throughfondu-
^y fication cf the fpirit and belief ofjh^e truth ;**
and can infants believe it ? Such is the fcrip-
ture-do(^rine of ele<flion ; and, to ufe your
own words " I lay it down as an axiom, which
** L^imconfident n^one__can_overthrow^^^
none are faid to be elected to falvation but
-ihrough the faith which iA\'Q%,
12 /,L E T T E R S.
The laft proof you adduce is — " oufler little
" children to come to me, for of fuch is the
*' kingdom of God." This is no proof at all on
your interpretation of it. If infants literally
taken were here meant, this text would be
much to your purpofe, yea it would amount to
a full proof: but in your view, " our Lord by
** thefe words does not fo much intend the
** perfons of little cliildren, as thefe who refem*
** ble theni in difp^futons^^ How then, does
this prove that the perfons of little children
dying in infancy (hall be faved?
l^i^Jrudi^is^Jn^nt-^^ is an abfurdity
inyour fyftem. You_a\^that^tJi£piWHfgjBn
tvhidi^ba£tifm^^ to children but^to
believing adults. Now all the grace of God
bringing falvation is contained in that promife,
Acls, ii. 38, 39. iii, 25^If the promife, then,
doesTiot~extend to infants, how is it polfible
that infants can be faved ? -
iy, Other denominatl^frtelieve the dodlrine of
infant- falvation ; but they hold it confift-
ently with other parts of their fyftemJ^ While
they admit infants to a place in the kingdom
above, they at the fame time allow them a
placeinjhe_kingdom of God below : whereas
your
/^LETTERS. T3
[rniir pra^Vlce^slies jyour principle. "Why does
n otyour^charit^ ex^^ f a n t s as well
as dead ones ? You cannot fay of any infant
when born, that it
pot die^ in infancy.
Why then have you not charity for it, till it
By v/hat I have written, I only mean to ex-
pofe your weaknefs in perverting the fcripture
to prove a^doclrine tctally liic.aaiii]Lent with your
fyftem. I do not mean to fay that infants dying
in infancy are not faved. Saved they may be.
For who can fet bounds to the grace of God,
who faves whomjiewills. As he commanded
the infants of believing parents to receive the
Ggn of the everlafting covenant, there can be
not-liing improbable in the fuppoiition, that he
propofes to convey to them the grand bleffing
of that covenant, even life eternal : and as they
die through the fin of Adam, it is probable
they will bemade alive, through the righte-
oufnefs of Jefus Chrift. But that all infants
dying in infancy fiiall enjoy this falvation, i^s_a_
^£H£LL.?'^^Z^^4^£LX£Lii2HB43 fcripture. To
affert it then Is to encroach on the fovercignty
of God, who " has mercy on whom he will
[[ have mercy," and has power to make one
B Teflel
14 LETTERS.
** one veflel to honour and another to difJio-
f nour.*' I am,
S I R,
Yours, &c.
I
LETTER n.
Now proceed to examine the foundation,,
on which all your reafonings againft Infant-
Baptifm arc b^uilt^ ThdFalTlland upon a ve-
>ry quertionable hypothefis — That the Old and
NewTeftament Churches arijotally diftindl the
one from the^othcn/ Thefe focieties, you ima-
gine, are different, ift. In their conftitution
and deftgn^ — the former being a iype^ of which
the latter is the antitype ; 2dly. In the cove-
nants on which they were eftablilhed — the one
upon the 0/J covenant, the other upon the A^i?^;
3dly. With^reipe^ \9^}^ feeds, who were mem-
bers of thefe churches, and to whom thefe co-
venants were given, the Old Teftament church
being made up of the carnal or jlejioly feed of
Abraham, who were only typically holy, as the
Nev/ Tedament church confifts of iht fpi ritual
^nd truly holy feed of Abraham ; Thefe differ
with
-? L E T T E R S. i^"
with Iregard to the manner of admilliori to their
communion ; feeing thej^^^/y birth entitled men
to the privileges of the formerj whereas the Jpiri-*
tual birth or faith in Chrlft Jefus can only enti-
tle any to a place in the church of the New
Teftament. — Thefe are the leading id^as of jour
fyftem : let us fee if they be to be found in the
fcriptures of truth.
ift. You view the Old Teftament church as
of an earthly, carnal conftitution, having carnal
ordinances, and fo only typical of the Nc^iv^
Teftament church, which is wholly fpiritual,
the antitype of the other. — One part of this af-
fertion is true : The Mcfaic church had carnal
ordinances, and a worldly faniftuary. Her
whole fyftem of facrificature j her laws and
government, were fh ado ws of good things to
c6me. Thus flie was a type ; but where flie U
faid to be a type of a New Teftament church,
fl^i(Stly fo called, I cannot find.
There is a 'church, indeed, mentioned in
the New Teftament, which is called " the ge-
** neral aftembly and church of the firft-born,
*' which are enrolled in heaven: the whole fa-
" mily in heaven and earth j the one body, ha-
J^'ving the one fpirit," whereof Chrift is the
B z head.
1^ LETTERS,
head. This fociety is the true church or king-
dom of Jefus Chri ft, into which no hypocrite
nor unclean thing can enter — A church unfeen
as yet by mortal eyes, but will be viiible, when
Chrift comes the fecond time, to gather all his
faints into one place. Of this church the Mo-
faic one was a figure : >but this is not the New
Teftament church or kingdom, as we find A-
braham, Ifaac and Jacob in it, who furely lived
under a former difpenfation. When we come
to this church we come to the fpirits of juft
men made perfetSt, Heb. xii. 23, 44. and fit
down with Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob in the
kingdom of God. This church, then, exifis
under both Teftaments, and fo cannot be cal-
led either the Old or New Teftament church.
She is a kingdom prepared before the founda-
tion of the world, to the promife of which all
true believers have been coming from the be-
ginning to this day— A kingdom, to which the
prophets and apoftles bear witnefs, which fhall
sppear, v/hen the prefent flate of things is
paft. This church is wholly fpiritual *, her
members are the truly holy feed, heirs of e-
verlafting and heavenly privileges. — But the
New Teftament church ftridly fo called, means
thcfe
2yf L E T T E R S. 17
tltefc focieties, which the apoftles phntedj called
churches of the faints, profeffing the faith and
keeping the commandments of Jefus. Every
fuch fociety or church, youjuftly call " a viji'
*' his reprefentatiofj of that one body which is in-
*« vifible" in its prefent ftate. A church of this
kind is not wholly fpiritual, as you admit that
** hypocrites and unbelievers may enter into"
her. •
V/as the Old Teftament church, then, a
type of a churcl; of this defcription ? It is ab-
furd to fiy fo. Since every New TeRament
church is by your own account, a vifible repre"-
fentauon or la txpe^ how can (he be the antitype.
It feems the Mofaic church was the type of a
type, and the New Teflament churches both
type and antitype ! What nonfenfe will men
fpeak when they do not think !
The truth is, both thefe churches a're of the
fame kind — both are viiible — both types or vi-
fible reprefentations of the unfeen and heaven-
ly kingdom — both are fchcois, in v/hicli the
children of God are born, nurfed and trained
up into a meetnefs for the everlafting inheri-
tance. If the one had carnal ordinances, the
other fiill has foms fuch. If hypocrites and
B 3 . unbelievers
18 LETTERS.
unbelievers were found in the antient churcb
many ^Ifrael who were not Ifrael, fo it is in the
New. Chrifc will not gather out of his king-
dom all things that offend, and all that do iniqui-
ty until he come again — In none of thefe rcf-
peds, then, can thefe two focietiv^s be diftin-
guifiied from one another. Both arc inclu(le>_
in the appearance of Chrift's kingdom in this
world. In all the ftates of this kingdom, he is the
king, the judge and lawgiver — the ruler of tlie
fear of God. ** Noiu is my kingdom not fron^
^Mience" — ^^tbis fuppofesthat he had a kingdom
before noiv,
V/here then lies the difference between thefe
two churches ? — Paul tells us — *' Lite and Im-
" mortality is bi^ught to light by the gofpel,"
the gofpel has thrown a fuperior luilre around
the doctrines of life and immortality—" YVe are
** not ccme to Sinai but to Zion," not to hear
the voice of terrible words, but the milder
found of lo7e — '* AVe have not received the
** rpirit of bondage again to fear, but the fpi-
'' rit of adoption crying Abba, father, the fpi-
** rit of love and of a calm mind. " The
•^ priePchccd being changed, there mud of nc-
** ceffiiy be a change of the law we have got
^nether high pried, who has other fons, and
confcquentl^
^LETTERS. 19
cenfeqiicntly all the laws extxuted by, and con-
nected with the pji^rthood of Levi, the public
ordjnnnces of worlhip, order and difcipline,
muft be^ ck^^LS^^j^- ^^^ ^^^ come nearer the
heavenly Jerufalem, that of the living God, as
the gofpel affords us brighter profpetils of her
glories, (o^that^^our^Jaidi__^^
unfeen*- Every canie of enmity between Jow
and Greek is flain by the crois, fo thnt Gentiles
are no more called ftrangers and foreigners, but
gno\V2burgefies3Jth_^^
hou(eiKdd_oLGj2il. — In tli^efe and fuch like ref-
pefts, the New Teftament church difrcrs from
the Old.
arrtTrey~^o"l^otaiiier as the vihole or typi-'
:al and true or fpiritual kingdom of Jefus
C(
inir.
true invhible kingdom, confifts
t:
cf real believers, worQiipping God In Tpirit,
has exifted in both, and has ahvays been the
true ftaminal partof e^ch. It. has had and iVilI
has i:s feat in the heart, unfeen of men : and
with reu>3ct to viiibili.v;^ ^^s__jct ro come^
Chr'.ft's kingdom vvill only appear when he ap-
pears himfelf ; he " fnall judge the quick and
** deaJj" fays Paul, " at his appearing, and his
jeft
20 LET T E R'S.
jt;(rt of hope under both Teftaments : " The
" reftitution of all things 'God hath fpoken, of
" by the: mouth of Iii., holy prophets, fince the
"world began." If Peter uys we look for a
new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwel-
leth righteoufnefs, Ifaiah fays the fame thing.
The patriarchs looked for an heavenly country
as- well as the apoftles. This heavenly king-
dom is not yet come : Paul only faid " The Lord
" will bring me to his heavenly kingdom ;" and
Peter tells us that an abundant entraiice fliall
be miniftred to us inro the evcrlafting kingdom"
of our Lord and Saviour Jefas Chrift — How,
then, it has entered the brains of mortals to'
fay thaf a New Teftarnent church is the true
fjpiritual, everlafting kingdom ofChrifc, is fur-
prifmg. A church of this kind is only an ap-
pearance, likenefs or figure of this kingdom,
in her vifibie capacity j and is the fame with'
that of Ifrael in a different drefs or under dif-
ferent modifications. jf^TnTFead of faying the
Old Teftament and New Teftarnent church, it
\h more proper to fay the Old Teftarnent and
^JewJTef^ament flate of the church. ^In both
ftates ilie is a viable fociety, having many hy-
pocrites snd unbelievers mixed with the few
chofeia
^^LETTERS. 21
diofen In her. Abraham is the ,(ather o^F hot h.
The promife given to him, even the cverlaft-
ing covenant is the ** root and fatnefs^f this
",^_oli££," asjiisjeedjias^beenjierjt^ braU"
ches in both ftates. The Jews were the firft/
calkd both under the law and under the gofpel.)
The apoftlcs as well as the prophets were Jews
by birth. The Gentiles are_only^^ild felons
in^raffed intojhjs olive. To this church how-
beit, tl^J}axe..^d:2^v^__had_accefs ; at firfl in
the cl'.aradler of ** {lran^ers_arKl^Jorei^^
but now as ** fellowrgitizens, fellow-heirs and
*' of the fame body." — In both flates flie is a
figure, a vifible reprefentation of the coming
or everlafting ftate of the kingdom of Chrift.
In both her office-bearers, ordinances of wor-
iliip and pla'ce of aflembly are enrthy, typical
and temporary. In both her candleftick is vifi-
ble and can be removed out of its place. Rev.
ii, 5. Her table of ilicw-bread, and laver of
wafhing, is the fame, all are Jigfis of fpiritual
and heavenly things, but are not the heavenly
things themfelves. Only at the end of this
Aate of things is the New Jerufalem to come
down from God out of heaven. The former
ftate of the church, then, is not fo properly
called
22 L E TT E R S.
called a type by figure of the prefent^ as of the '
unfeen and coming kingdom or church of Je-
fiis. The Mofaic church had " an example
** and (hadow of heavenly things patterns of
" things in the heavens," but thefe heavens,
we are told by Paul, are the place into which
Chrift has entered, " now to appear in the
" prefence of God for us'*« Thcfe heavens,
then, are not on earth.
There are fome of thefe things prefigured by
the law already come. TJie^ incarn^^ionj^^liir
fenn^s^eath^ Jbuml^xe^ afcenfion
andglori^cation of_Qhj-ifl: are paft ; but the af-
fembly or church of which the Old Teftament
one was a figure is not yet come. Thefe fa6ls
did not take place in a NewTeftament church,
although a profefHon of faith in them entitles
us to a place in a church of that defcription.
Thefe glorious fa<^h are exprefiTed in the ordi-
nances of that church, and recognized as al-
ready p:ift, in accomplifliment of the antient
promifes. Yet this makes no material diffe-
rence in the conftitution of the church vifible.
Formerly flie exhibited or reprefented thefe
fa6\s as about to ccme^ in all her ordinances ;
now (he recognizes them in all her institutions"
as
;^ L E T T E R S. 1,2
as come^i yet in both dates fhe looks forward
to a new ftate of things, the new heavens and
the new earth, to appear at. the time of the
reftitution of all things ; and in both (lie is .a
figure of the church of the firft-born to be ga-
thered together on that glorious occafion.
But did not Chrift fay " The kingdom of
heaven is at hand ? And does he not mean
. thereby the gofpel church ? — I anfwer, as the
gofpel church is nearer in point of time to the
coming kingdom, which (he has a more clear
revelation, and a more fure and viiible ground
of hope laid in the refurrecVion of Chrift from
the dead-^as alfo flie has far lefs of an earthy
and carnal nature in her laws and ordinances,
the fpiritual intention of which is more eallly
nnderftocd, — As, finally, fhe has no earthly
kingdom between her and the heavenly one,
to engage her attention to this world, or inter-
cept her views of future things, — fhe may be
called the kingdom of heaven with refpedl to
the former ftate of the church. Yet flill the
true kingdom is the obje<Sl of hope, and will
only appear with her lord. The church now
;is in the wildernefs, where, like Ifrael, fhe
ibeks
U LETTERS,
feeks a city to come, and a kingdom that can-
not be fhaken.
The true model, platform or pattern of thefc
focieties, called chriftian churches, is to be
fought for, not in the Mofaic conftitution of a
church, but in the fynagogues of the Jews, c-
re<Sted after the return from Babylon. Thefe
aflbclations or churches were many in number,
iimilar with refpe^St to office-bearers, laws of
difciplinc, order and worfliip, and each having
an independent authority, or a power in itfelf
over its own members in matters of govern-
ment, fo that no member of one fynagogue
was amenable to the jurirdi(fl:ion of any other
fynagogue whatever. Moreover, all of them
confidered themfelves as members of the gene-
ral aflembly meeting at the old Jerufalem, to-
wards which they always worfliipped, even in
the moft diftant regions, and to whofe laws
they were all refponfible. — This is the moft ex-
a6t model of the chriftian cburches. Thefe
borrowed from the fynagogue, their ofSces,
office-bearers with their names, general laws
of order, and independency in point of autho-
rity. In profeffion they are all members of
J« the general aflembly, the church of the firft-
born''
^LETTERS. 25
** born** meeting in heaven, to which all their
worfhip is direftcd, and to whofe laws every
man is accountable. — As the Meffiah had pro-
pofed to eftablifh this model or plan of govern-
ment and order in his New Teftament king-
dom, the ere6li6n of fynagogues fo long before
was a meafure pregnant with wifdom. Thus
the prejudices of none were fhocked with no-
velty; but the mind of all were prepared to
fubmit to a fyftem, which made no material
alteration in the plan already eftabliflied a-
mong them.
The tabernacle of Mofes, indeed, was a fi-
gure, not of any vifible church in the prefcnt
ftate of Meffiah's kingdom, but of that king-
dom at large, including heaven and earth.*
The moft holy was the figure of the heavens,
into which Chrift has now entered to purify
the heavenly things with his own blood. Be-
fides this there was the holy place and the
court of the tabernacle. In the former ftood
the altar of incenfe, the candleftic and the ta-
ble of fliew-bread ; in the latter, the altar of
burnt-ofiering and the laver, where the bull-
nefs of facrificature and wafhing was perform-
ed. Between thefe alfo a feparating vail hung.
C This
26 LETTERS.
Tills was a figure, for the time then prefenf,
of the ftatc of things in the church on cartii.
Into this church men have always entered h^ ,
baptWm with jarater and faith ln_the blooLLgf^
atonejuentj./ The altar of facrilice and i!ie Li-
ver were placed over againft the door in the
outer court of the tabernacle. So men entered
while the law ftood *, fo we enter under the
gofpel. Formerly men faw but the figurative
prieil: and facrifice. Now the_UTie prieft has
offered the true facrifice, and that in tlie_ ex-
tern alpart of the clvurcjiin Review of J<'w and
j^entile. Tjie crofs is.expofed to the view of
al l-~Thns_wgj£e_aJiettpr farrifirp 7\ni\ a b^^tpi*
prieft ; but ilill thej^are in the external cmmt^
and this court is given to be_trodden__uiid£JL^
foot of the Gentiles. Men prophaned the exter-
nal fervices of religion under the law: they do
fo flill. The crofs, its doclrines afid facrifice
have been abufed to the moft pernicious pur-
pofcs. Speculating on thefe fubje<5ls, to the
Jew they have been a ftumbling-block, and to
the Greek foolifhnefs. Both have trampled
under foot the Son of God, and counted the
blood of the covenant an unholy thing. In
many forms, other priefts and other facrifices
have
^^ L E T T E R S. 27
have been fet up in this place, to the difpa-
ragement of the true One.
:Y1U
Yet ftiU the true Ifraelite muft enter the ,
Moufe of God by this door— by faith in the fa- ^
'_rifice and the laver of wafliing. This is the '
ilabUQied plan of heaven. By external ordi-
?.nces we enter into the holy place, the place
'f enjoyment, the place of eating with God,
■.talking in the light of the candlefticks or church-
eating the facrince and ihew-bread, and of-
i'ng up the incenfe of prayer and praife, fet
on fire by a fpark of love from the crofs of Jc-
fus.— The outer-court is the place of fpcculati-
on J the internal, the {ccno^ijrijopTmiU
By the above view is not meant, that the
real difciples of Jefus fliould join in religious
f^Uowfhip with fuch as abufe and pervert the
external iervices of chriAianity — who corrupt
the faith or worOiip of the gofpel. Falfe Ifra-
clices fet up idols in the houfe of God of old,
and offered facrifices which God abhorred.
Some joined the worfhip of Jehovah with the
worfhip of idols j profeffing to fear the Lord,
yet ferving their own gods. Heathens, too,
broke into the temple, defiling it by their falfc
worfliip. With fuch no true Ifraelite svas al-
C 2 lowed
28 LETTERS.
iowed to join in fcllowiLip : from fuch he muft
turn away. In like manner, even in the apof-
tollc age of chriftianity, many corrupters of the
faith and worfhip of the gofpel fprung up ;
from whole religious fellowfliip Paul charges
the true difciples of Jefus to turn away. He
foretels a ftill greater apoftacy in the latter
times under akind of profeffion of chriftianity.
Yet /liil he does not allow us to give up with
an open profeffion of the faith of Chrif): or to
forfake the obfervation of the external ordinan-
ces of worQiip or difcipline, he has inftituted.
This is to be done, indeed, in a way of fepara-
tion from the corrupters of that faith and of
thcfe ordinances : yet flill it mufl: be done ;
and wherever a few are thus met together to
worfliip in the fpjrit and according to the truth
of the gofpel, there Jefus has allured us he
will be with them to blefs them.
In my next I Hiall review your ideas of the
two covenants, on which, you fuppofe, thefe
two churches were founded. I am,
S I R,
Yours, Sec,
Letter
LETTERS. 29
LETTER III.
I
N your 7th letter to INIr Glafs you divide
the Abrahamic covenant in two parts, the ons
called the Old co'venar.ty \.\\c other the New,
The former " was only a temporal relation bc-
tv/ixt God and a particular nation, which is
now dojie awa^ and come to an end. It was
carnal "d^nd e.irthy — in \xs ivorJJyip—facrifices —
mediator — priejls—fancluary — promijes 2X\dfuh'
jecfs ;" whereas " the new covenant is an e-
ternal relation betwixt God and his people
from among all nations, and is therefore cal-
led an everlajling covenant, ^ \iJSiyJpjf2i^ i^li.
heavinl^j,\n^^rts J^:^2Xjld4lx^jMXJf'SIjy^^^
irjeJU S^'£l^' -^ ^'J T P ^^'^^'' ]i^ s_a n d Jn hjccJi, The_
old j: Q V ^ n an ij_ vvjth^ a 1 1 its^__ty£ical^^conomy,
was founded on the temporal promifeniade
to A/braharn^co^
62. Tills is called the Old covenant^ on ac-
count of the temporal relation betwixt the
Lord and that' nation, which is now done a-
way. — The lavj^ on account of thehw there-
C 3 *Mn
3€ LETTERS.
<* in given to them. — And thefirft tejlament on
*' account of the typical adoption and the tem-
*' poralinhentance^^^ On the contrary,
^'Whcn the fulnefs of time was come,
" and God proceeded to fulfil the fpiritualt
" promife, he did it by means of another co-
** venant, with Abraham's fpiritual feed of all
^^natjjQins^ This is callea the Ntiv covenant^ in
*< reference to the other, which was made Old,
Y'" and the new fpiritual relation betwixt God
" and that new nation, made up from am^ong
** all nations, kindreds and tongues. — The
l\e'w tejlament, on account of the true adop-
" tion and the heavenly inheritance, of which
*^ ChriH: the firfl-born is both teftator and heir."
Such is your account of the two covena'nts ;
and it muft be owned, it is more juit than ma-
ny other given on that fubje(fV. Yet in my
view it 15 ftill highly imperfe;^:, — inaccurate in
fome parts, in others unjun:. — It gives no dif-
tin<51: idea of the word covenant — It makes the
two covei":ants totally dill;in6l in all rerpe<n:s — It
makes the right of the native Jew to the land
of Canaan ceafe at the commencement of the
new covenant — It excludes the fpiritual feed
from any claim to the promife of the earth —
It
J5- LETTERS. 31
It makes the two feeds, to whom the promifes
were made and the covenants given, totally
diftina.
If we would have juft views of this import-
ant fubjecTt -, we muH: attend to the matter of
the Abrahamic covenant, and trace it up to its
origin. The /w^/.Vr, or thing conveyed by that
covenant, is a bleinng. Thou fhalt be a blef-
ling, fays God to Abraham, and when the
Gentiles are taken into that covenant, the
bleffing of Abraham is faid to come upon them.
Gal. iii, i4.y'TKTsbreI!rngwarirrft revealed to
man in Eden, when to fupport the hope of the
* trembling finner, God afiured him that a feed,
of the woman fiiould appear, in due time', to
, deftroy the Devil, the murderer of mankind,
\ and to aboliih all his works, even iin and death
and woe.<?^This promife was called God's co-
I venant fo early at leaft as the days of Noah,
iince God fays to him ** with thee will I eAa-
bliih my covenant." Gen. vi. 18. It was ac-
^ cordingly eflablinied in thejine^of Shem^ thro*
whom it defcended to Abraham, Ifaac, Jacob,
Judah and David. — Here I ft^all make the fol-
lowing obfervations.
32 L E T T E R S,
iR. Although this promifc'Jtt flrft feemed
entirely fimpie, refpeaing one bkfling only;
yet, in its conrfe, it unfolded itfelf into two
capital bleffings, which p?rted 3{^?»in i-nto jlill
lefler iubdivif it
was ample in us or-m, y^i aUiL-; iroai the
garden, it divided itfelf into various heads. It
was never deteiaiined lo contine its influences
to a nation: no; by it all the families of, the
earth were to be bleffed. Nor did it contain
only fpiritual and heavenly bleflings, as is com-
monly imagined, but all temporal and earthly
toa. Paul's account of Godlinefsever was and
ever will be true — It " is profitable unto all
*^ things, having promife of the life that now
** is, and of that which is to come."
As is the cur/f or condemnation fo is the h/e/'-
fing. The curfe v/as twofold, extending to the
life of man and the earth by which his life was
fupported. The free gift, then, or the blerilng
muH: have extended both to the earth and to the
life of man ; othervvife it could not have been
commenfurate with the curfe ; whereas Paul af-
fures us that it does not only reach as fi^,r as the
condemnation, but it " much more abounds.'*
Before the days of Noah, fuch as believed the
promife
Jj^'L E T T E R S. 33
promlfe had not only their fpirits fupported by
the hope of life and immortality through the
feed, or enjoyed friendly intercourfe with God,
walking with them in the inftitutions fymboli-
cally exhibiting the way to life; but earthly
bleffings were alfo given them. Outcafts from
the church were made fugitives and vagabonds
in the earth, unhappy even in the prefent life,
othcrwife why is it confidered as a curfe to be
driven out to the land of Nod. The covenant
ever was given to eftabliih the earth : and when
unbelief in and contempt of that covenant had
filled the earth with violence, fo as to deftroy
its conftitution by the flood, it was renewed by-
virtue of the covenant edablifhed with Noah.
However fmiple, then, the promife might
appear before Noah's time, yet in his days it
was obviouily divided into two heads. The co-
venant eftabiiflied with Noah contained, firfl^
a promife of life and hsppinefs to man, furnifli-
ing him with provifion for the fupport of the
individual and the continuance of the fpecies ;
afluring him, at the fame time, that he would
require an atonement for the life of man, firft
by the blood of beafts and then by the blood
of him, who is every man's brother, who, by
dying
34 LET T E R S.
dying fhould deftroy the devil, the fhedder of
man's blood, the murderer from the beginning :
— Afarthcr explanation of the manner, in which
the feed of the woman fhould bruife the head
of the ferpent. Secondly^ This covenant con-
tained a promife of bleflings to the earth, ta-
king off the curfe from the ground, and fecu-
ring the regular interchanges of the feafons,
while the earth remains. Thus, according to
his father's prediO;ion, Noah comforted man-
kind << concerning their work, and the toil of
" their hands, becaufe of the ground, which
** the Lord had curfed." — Both parts of the
promife are briefly dcfcribed in Gen. ix. ii.
" I will eftablifh my covenant with you ; nei-
** ther fhall all flefh be cut off any more by the
" waters of a flood, neither fliall there be a
" flood any more to deftroy the earth."
Thefe two promifes, branches of the great
original, like two ftreams, run through the
whole earth, diffufing bleflings among all na-
tions— peace on earth and benevolence to men.
From thefe proceeded all the light, the know-
ledge and happinefs of mankind in fucceeding
ages. — The one had its fign, taken of fecurity
in the clouds 5 the other in the fan^ftuary. The
rainbow
3-\ E :; T' I-^ R S. 35
rainbow was the pleo.;. ;;y for man's
natural !ife and for the fci vili-v of the earth;
the blood of facri facial beafts was the (ign of
God's determined purpofe to take vengeance
on the murderer of man by deftroying him and
his works, fin and death, until the feed fhould
come, whofe blood iLould give the full alTu-
ranee of faith in this purpofe, on which all the
hope of men depends. — Thus all the nations
knew God, although they did not continue to
glorify him as God, nor liked to retain him in
their knowledge. — Thus he was, not the God
of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles alfo ; all
having an equal revelation, not only of his pow-
er of creation and prefervation of the univerfe,
but of his power to falvation.
The earthly and temporal part of the promifc
was evidently the mofb vifible and eafily under-
fiood. Every thing concerning the prefent life
of man and the fertiuty of the earth is perfect-
ly obvious, as its accomplifluTient was juil: a-
bout to begin. But as the coming of the feed
and of the falvation in him was then at fo vaft
a diitance, this event is revealed in figurative
and darker language. The method of atone-
ment by the blood of beafis is pretty clearly
marked
36 LETTERS,
marked, as this was already itl ufe, and was
foon to be more explicitly and fully eftabliflied
in the line of them : but the atonement by the
blood of Jefiis is exprefTed in terms more ambi-
guous— by {bedding the blood of the murderer
of man by man, even by the hand of him, who
is every man*s brother.
i/v But the principal dream of this river of blifs
was deftined to run in the line of Shem. In
his veins the fluid, the feed conveying falvati-
on, did flow, and through his generation it
muft flow for many ages. Hence, full of this
idea, the fpirit of infpiration in Noah faid in
term^ of rapture, " Blefl!ed be Jehovah, the
" God cf^Shem'!!
Accordingly, when it had proceeded in its
courfe to the time of Abraham, the God of
the promife appears to him, afluring him that
the bleflin? was in him. Now when we fee it
making its appearance in him, fl:ill it contains
atwofold blefling, the one earthly and tempo-
ral, the other fpiritual_and eternal — ** To thy
** feed will I nive this land- — In thy feed (hall
" aUjji^Jamilic^^
Both thei[e_j>ratpii£.s^vej:e confined to the feed,
of Abraham, and tj\at_in the J[ine of Ifaac.
^^ L E T T E R S. 37
The feed of IfaaC; the chjldren^of the proniife,
inherited Q!M^?,^x\ \ and of hira ai--£oncei^riipj^
the iieili the {^zA came^ to whoinjh£_£rorrii{cs
were all madcj a\id in whoju the nations^juie.
bleflecL ^
While fo large a portion of the earthly blef*
fing continued in connedlion with the fpiritual
and run parallel with it, a (ld^;:brancli_cfjhat
'ftream diverged towards^Arabia t^o bleiWilima^
el and his defcendents, where it has run and
fliali continueto flow wliHe the earth remains.
— ** Alfo of the Ton of the bond- woman will I
** make a great nation, becaufe he is thy feed."
Gen, xxi. iii 183..,^^ ^„-— —
In the time of Ifaac another part of the tem-
poral promife was conveyed to Efau, "Behold/*
fays his father, " thy dwelling flxall be the fat-
^* nefs of the earth, and of the dew of heavea
" from above." This blefling continued with
the defcendents of Efau or Edom, till the Edo-
mites were finally fo incorporated v/ith Ifrael,
that they were no more a diftlncSt people.
^ 2diy, From the above detail, I think it Is e-
vldent, That the tempo i:al blefling never was
j^jioUyJeparated^ ixom^J^ _ fpiritual ^ but the
promife of earthly bleflings, in all its branches,
D has
\.
38 LET T E R S,
has ever had a radical connection with, and Its
orl^injn, the promife of the Saviing_See_^
Thefe two Iiave been always ^ohl^c^tw]neJ_Jii^
gether asjie\^er_to_be feparated. In proof of
this, w« never find any earthly bleiung convey-
ed to any, but by or througli him, in whom
the feed was forjh,eJLirnej3r€jem Thus when
a blefiing was given to the earth and every li-
ving thing upon it, it was difponed through
Noah, in whomjthe ^ged^atthattime was. In
him God eftabliflied his covenant. If Iflimael
received a bleifiing, it was becaufe he was Ab-
raham's fe edo(T^^^airTra3"TTTeIlTn g d il^^oned
him, b^iUjt^wasdiJTti^^
was the feed of the promife. None but the
fathers of w ho m C h r ift w as to come, could con-
vey the blefiing to their children ; and in eve-
ry fuch conveyance we find boththepromhes
united : the fame teftator conveys bothy^Thc
promife of the feed, indeed, was of fuch a na-
ture that it could not be divided : one fon of a
family only could be progenitor of the Mefli ah.
ut the eartlilypromjie^coLuldJjei andaccord^
ngly was divided. Iihn.ael'?fccl^a^ fliare^fjtjie
iut£uiJ.njTi_asjwcU.,jisJLii^ •, Efau as
^vell as Jacob; and all the twelve fons of Jacob
' "^ " 1h^
i^/y
39
"^.LETTERS. ^^
liad each his portion of Canaan afll^ed himj Yet
sU thefe were raiUcally connecled with the {ecd,
and the^^rincipal branch of the ftre.arn of earth-
h blifs was never repaj^2led_jVgm_jhat_famjlxiri
xvhorn^thejeed was.y 0£J\jdah_wa£JhiIoh toj ^
come, and Judah had the moil diftin^uiihc
portion in^the hojy land^^ David, for the fame
reafon, was raifed to be king over Ifrael, and,
had the royalty entaijcd on lus family, y The
Moftjiigh had his abode where- the feed waSt
and tlicre_the river united its flreams of eartl-L-
ly andjmritual blifs t2_nial5e__glad the city of
Go4« /Thus it muft have been j for Paul af-
fures us thai to thef feed even Chrifl:, all the
promifcs v/erc made; and ccnfequently he a.-
ione had a right to difpofe cf them.
3dly, Hence arifes the propriety of calling
Jcfus Chrift the covenant of the people. The
blefling has been always lodged in him, and fo
connected with him, that it cannot be fcpara*
ted from him. Men have been, and fhall ^e
blefied in himi: and all connedlions between
Godand men haf^ been founded in him. __ l_
But to obtain juft ideas of this fubje<n: we
muil attend to the fcripture account of the
D 2 word
40 L E T T E R S.
word rendered covenant^ and of the phrafe ma-
king a covenant between God ami man.
'*'>s Tht prcmi/e on which the covenant is efta-^
bliflied is fometimes called covenant; as in Pf.
105. 8, 9, 10, II. There God is faid to mak<
a covenant with Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob ;\
and the covenant is — " Unto thee will I give'
•* tlie land of Canaan, the lot of your inheri-
*^ tance.'' — Again the /aw eftablinied on the
promife is called tlic covenant. Thus the hxf
xvritten on flones is called the covenant and ta-
Ijesofdie covenants Riven to IfrjLel at Sinaj.^
Deut. V. 3, 9, 15. In this fsnfe Paul ufes
the word in his epiflles to the Hebrews. By
the old covenant he means the law written on
ilones*; bvthenevv^ij^e_Jaw__^^
lieart. Hcb. viii. 9, 10. — Fmally, the ieal qrj
that which ratifies the covenant is called the-'
covenant.y^^Thus circunicifi^on iscalled the co-^
•enant in Abraham's fiefh. Gen. xvii. 11, i3<
I, too, of thejacrjfice flain to ratif.e
the covenant at Sinai is called *^ the blood of
the covenant." Exod. xxiv, 8.
S • Thf whole law of Mofes is faid to be written oa Ooi
^i. the t^a foundation-articles of thiU law were Co wri:Un„
^^ L E T T £ R S. 41
The foundation of thefe different ideas mufl
be nought for in the original word Berith,
rendered ccvemmt in our verfion. This word
is evidently derived from.BARR, to fcleEt cr
chufe^ to purify or male clea?i. Sin is the pollu-'
tionof the world ; and^j\s.^jG£^djiv2]X)^^
take it away by_ a facrifice, ^very facriiice for.
i\ n is_ca I led^ B e r i t h , thejMjirifier. The blood
of JefuS) the Son, clean^s__us from all fin,
Hencehe is called- God's. Berith j and as e-
very (licrifice was fclected or choien of God for
tliat pnrpofe, hence the word denot^ the cho^
Jtfjij^ andj^fusj^jnoli^-ipha^^^
chofbn, as felecled and appointedfor the great
pur££Ji-^L£lHI!J/^5 ^''C^'i "^ uririghteoufnefs.
He is given as a Eeridi to the pecr.le.
This
facrifice is God's covenant. Hence God is
laid to give or make a covenant with any, by
Ihedding the blood of a facrifice, .snd people
are faid to enter into covenant with him, by.
having the blood of the facrifice fprinkled on
T^iuTaTrTTodV f a i n 1 3 arelaiJ'to'T^^
covenant by facrifice. Pf. I. 5. There
never was any other way appointed of God by
which men could enter into his Berith, or
take hold of his covenant: ar^d &11 v/ho are
^"""^ ^^^l"^^ Iprmkled
42 LETTERS.
fprinkled with the blood of the covenant are
faid to be fan<ftified, called faints, or fet aparti
) for holy purpofes. God's Berith is the foun-
tain of holinefs.
It is eafy now to fee the reafon why the pro-
mife is called Berith, as the promifes or the
bleffings are all in Chrift Jefus, the true Be-
rith or purifier. So when God gives his pro-
inife or covenant to Abraham he expreiles it
thus — *' I will give my Berith between me
*^ and tltee,"_ Gen, xvii. 2. To ^ive Chriil: in
his feed was to fccure the bleffings prcrni fed to
him and his feed. — Again, He who was to be
God's Berith to the people was alfo to be a " lea-
*' der and commander to the people *, a )udge,
*< lawgiver and king" to dire<^t the fanOified,
fuch as had entered into God's Berith, in the
way! e adin^ to the promijj^ inherit aiKg^ Tljis^
he could not do but by a law : and hence the
llaw is called Berith or j^vena^t^^as ohedj^^
to it rifes from faith in the_jerith as flaiti to^
Vonfirm the promifes, all the bleffings of w hie hi
bre lodRedjn^h]m^_3d^conv^^
P What we tranflate " making a covenant" is
>5n the original Carat Berith, cutting of the pu»
rifitr. By cutting gff the facrifice from the
^ — -" ' ^^^ ^^^ "^^TauJ"
^, LETTERS.
land of the living, the promiled bleiiingis fecu-=
red, and all who are fprinkled with the blood
are engaged thereby to yield the obedience of
faith to him who has bcught them with his
blood, and fo is their Lord and fole lawgiver.
So exj)!^{HveJs,thej)hn\reologv of fcriprure j_
From what has been faid it iseafy to fee that
God's covenant is very difi^^rent from that fo
called among men-, even a deed of two or
more parties agreeing mutually on certain terms
and condhions. Here both parties are on a le-
vel j both having rights, which they can either
alienate or not at pleafure. But^God alotie
rnal^^s^or gives his covenant — *^ I will Rrve_my
*' covenant between me and thee/^ So when the
New Teftament fpeaks of God's covenant, it
employs a word (diatheke) which always fignl-
fies the deed of a fingle perfon making a con-
veyance of his property to another in fuch a
way as he fees proper. '£bjsniay_be_done_b£^
grant , djf^ofinonor^jx^
propofed to convey his propertyjtq men by the
deatlTorhis fon, who is hence called a teftator
the deed of conveyance Is hence called a tefia-^
wait by Paul. — This teilament^ not only con-
tains ^ free and fcvereign grant of privileges^
but
44 letters:
butalpj a_]aw exprcflijig. the tenure by which
they hold poireflion of thcfe privileges, I'jiij^
law rcfuhs (rom the veryjnatureof the tlung.
Faith in theccvenantj and a wiUingnefs to hold:
or receive its privileges as a free gift mufl: be
necefH-ry to the receiving thcile benefits, ajid.
gratitude or love toj1}e_^jverjirurt_be_^^
tiveJ^jilLoiLikiiJiilil* Hence, as love natu-
iekis obedience, love is (aid to be thefiilr'
of tlie law. yTFo defpife the covenant,
was tfTdefpife the bleffing, and this naturally"
cut of the dtfpiCer from all the enjoymeiit of
ih
Having afcertained the fcripture-idea of the
word ccvenantj I fhall in my next examine more
particularly your idea of the Abrahamic cove»
na-nt. I am,
S I R,
Yours, 8;c.
LETTERS. 45
LETTER IVe
X OU have faid that the Abrahamlc cove-
nant confifts of two covenants — the eld and
neiv. What thefe two covenants are, Paul tells
us clearly in the 8th of the Hebrews : but
where he calls tliefe Abraham's' covenants, or
covenants made with Abraham, is not fo clear.
Neither of tl^e^covenajits vyere made in Abra-
ham's time. By the old covenant he evidently
means the law given by Mofes, chiefly the Le-
viticnl law, the law of a carnal commandmentj
having ordinances of divine fervice, and a world-
ly ran<fi:uary, — r?.ll ferving unto the exampler
and fliadow of heavenly things. This cove-
nant v/as eftablifhed upon earthly promifes,
and fo decayed' and waxed old. But the apof-
tle tells us at the fame time, that God made
this covenant with the fathers of the Jews in
the day v>'hen he took them by the hand to
lead them out of the land of Egypt. Heb. viii.
9. And tills was 4 jo years after the covenant
had been connrmtd of God in Chrifi: to Ab3-
rahaiD;
4^ LETTERS.
raham^__GaJ^iii^^ Confcquently near 400
years after Abraham's death. Itieems very mIT
then to caU a fyftem Abraham's covenant,
which had no exiftence till fo long a time af-
ter his death.
"With refpecl: to the new covenant, it is atfo
obvious that it is not faid to be made till the 0-
ther " waxed old and was ready to vanijh a-
" way." Under the law God indeed promiftd
that he would make it in the^laft days, or " af-
** ter thoTe days," "the days of the firft cove-
nant, Heb. viii, 10. BHiJi££5ll^iiil£J^2_E^H!Il
re a fo n i ng it was not jiTaJe^tiH jChrifLil^LlIL^ i"
the fleHi, who is__jts_mediator, pridl^and_facri-
fice. Conie^uenilythis covenant was not tnikdc
till 1 Booyears aJjerAJMaliani \vas-^thered to hls^
Let us then fee what the Abcahamic cove-
nant really was, and. what relation the old .and
new covenants had to it.
To underftand this, we muft ever keep in
mind vyhat is called God's covenant. or Berith.
The matter of it is a bleffing, propofed to ex-
tend to the eartli and to the life of man \ v jijc h
bl e i^]£|gjp ^ Uitsp^-tswas^lodp,ed i.n_lhe^<^d^
Chrifi: Jtfus, and fo hid up in hin: that ■£ can^
not
-^, LXT T E R S. 47
not be conveyed to any but throiifih him. This
f^cd was dediaed to run through the veins of
many generations in a dire6i line from AJam
to the Virgin Mary, in whom he was made of
the Cctd of Abraham and fo appeared in flefh,
fraught with -all the blefTings of heaverv^/j-n
whomfoever, -then, the feed was for the time
then prefent, there was the. bleffing ; fo that
it could be faid ofjhat perfon« thou_" fliahiie
'* abkffing.'' Now as God had purpofed__La__
convey this blefiing through the death of his
fon, tlj_e feed, he made the coniing of his foil
a n d t h eJ^IelTi njr . i n_h im , tiie fubject of a pro-
m i\ ' ^ ' " '
'which^^rjjm^iiejvas^
ly God with an oath, often__by^a_jacrifice, und
Iways contained the rule or meafure of the di-
vine condudl towards men, and alfo the rule
W^rneafure of their conduct tow^ards God.
Thus in its fimple form it is a pj:QmUe flricUy
fo callec?; v^d^en^fvvorn it becanie an oath ; when
confirmed by a facrifice it is a covenant ; or ra-
ther teftament and as containing rules of cQn°
ductjrTs"~calTed 2ijaw. -^J^od's covenant, then,
in its^perject^foi'm means— H is free grant, pro-.
mif?, or deed of conveyance of a blefling to a-
ny, confirmed by his oath, ratified by a facrl-
fice.^
48 I. E T T E R S.
fice, and having a rule or law annexed to it,
or elVabliflied upon it, which rule is at once
the meafure of condu«5l to the granter and to
fuch as receive the grant^
/ In the grant given to Abraham, we have a
/ plain inftance of each of the above forms. The
J bleiling was firft given him in the form of pro-
( mife. Gen. xii. 2, 3. The fame promife v;^as
/ confirmed by oath j Gen. xxii. 16, 17, i3.
/ ** By myfelf have I fworn, faith Jehovah, that
I " in bleffing I v/ill blefs thee," &:c. It was rati-
fied by facrifice, Gen. xv. 8 — 17, and then
it is called a covenant or Berlth. v. 18. " In
** that fame day Jehovah cut a Berith with Ab-
<* raham." In Gen, xvii. we find the grant
extended in full form; and then it contains the
law or commanclment_ofcircun-icifion, v. ix,
X, xi. " This is my covenant, which ye (hall
*' keep between n.e and you, and thy feed af-
f* ter thee; every man child among you ftiall
" be circumcifed." — We find this grant recei-
ving all thefe epithets alfo in Pf. cv. 8, 9, 10,
II, 42- — We may add, Paul calls it a tefla-
ment (diatheke.) Gal. iii. 17. As it conveyed
an inheritance, and that through the death of
the teftator.
Wc
>>;,LETTERS. 49
We have traced tlie progrefs of this promirg_
or granj^ofCod from its rife in Eden tQ__tIie
time of Abraham. Weh^v£JeenitexpandJ^
ft if into a twofold bleglng-— the^ne refpejling^
the earth and the life that now is — the other
refperiinsi the iifb and world to come. It has
ienToff a variety of ildc-branches in its courfe,
not only to fertilize the ground, that (lie may-
produce food for the fupport of man and beafb,
while the earth remains, but alfo to fupport
the hearts of the fmner withjhe^Iicpe of a«
tonementjand£onrequent]yofj>ardon and llfej,
So juftly is it called a pure riverof_watv;r^
me\ iiTuing^ from the throne of God.
-The
miin dream of this river, howbeit, is now de-
ftined to blefs the faaiily of Abraham, through
whofe race it was propcfed to run for many
coming ages, until fiie glorious period fhould
come, when -all nations rnould be made equal
fharers of its benign influtnces^^
A^cordin^lvjJlLfexa ni]r^^
Abraham, we iindjt_ containing both earthj^a
and fpiritual blcflingg. lnjhQ_di^oJhk^^
we have^^y? a right grant ed_to_thg_land ojjCa-
naan — " Unto thy feed_w]ll_I give this land •,"
econdly^ a feed promifed, and__th£j^w}^/^j£/j
50 L-ETTERSe
Jing to all nations in him, to whom the inhe-
ritance of Canaan is difponed — " Sarah fhall
*' bear a fon — In Ifaac fliall thjjfeed_Jbe_called
** — In thy feed fhall all the famUie^^o£ the
** ear't^r^?"5l£^d?^^^^A~vlflb^^
truth of each of thefe pronij^fes was alfo gi .'*-a
to Abraham ; a facrlfice. of God. Appoint-
ment confirmed his faith in the former ; and
the feal or fign of c'ircumciiion ratified thelaN
ter. Gen.^ xv. and xvii^_^.^ha2ters.- — This^gr^nt^
was renewed to Ifaac, then to Jacob, and fi-
nallydiftribiye^^
At lad the time came for fulfilling the firft
part of the grant, — " Unto thy feed will I give
** this land," In terms of thispromifet the
fcvcrei^n proprietor orders the charter to be
written_out, orext ended in form^. upon ftojiag^
b^L-Miife ancl gives Ifraej a^^/£A[g_jjr..,infeft^
ment by the Jymbol of facrifice,* t|^e infliniLed
nTodeof entering on the promifed inheritance*
This charter, as all "bthers, fpedfies the man-
ner of holding the pofiefiion, and the reddendo^
or duty owing by the vafial to the royal fuperi-
or. In this refpecl it is called the law^ as the fu-
. periorprcfcrlbesthe manner of holding the inhe-
ritance
>^^ L E T T E R S. 5$
ritance difponed, and the duty, or all the acts
of gratitude, by which the vaflal muft expreft
his dependance upon his lord. — By having the \
blood of the facrifice fprinkled on them, Ifra-
cl entered on the pofleffion of the inheritance,
or had their right fully conftituted, and conie-
quently became bound to hold the pofTefiion
by the tenure, and to perform the facrifices
prefcribed in the chartei\^^^^_
This grant is called by Paul the Old Tefta-
mcnt or^lifpoiition, and was evidently intend-
ed to fulfil the promife made to Abraham, by
putting his feed in pofleffion of the promifed
inheritance. Yet thisdeed_was notjthe Abra--
hamic covenant ; as Paul aiTures us " God gave
*' the inheritance to Abraham by promllk, and
" that the promife that he fliould be heir of
** the world was notthrou£hjhe law." The
law was only added to the promife or difpofiti-
qn confirmed by God unto^ ChriiLin the time
of Abraham. This free grant was the origi-
nal tenure by which the feed was to hold the
land, and this deed, promulged by royal autho-
rity, could not be reverfed by a law given 430
years afcer. Thus the law, or covenant at Si-
nai, might wax old and vanlfli away, while
E 2 ' the
52 ' LETTERS.
the promife on which it was founded flill re-
majned firtn^X Firmand furelF mu{rberior7
it was given to Chrift at firft, nor can it poflil>-\
Ij be feparated from him, for <* the gifti and cal-
** iJ51^f_2L2£l3^ without repentance, y Such
as are Chrifl's have a right to the inheritance
difponed to Abraham's feed, totally indepen-
dent of the law : a right confirmed 430 years
before the law was given. They that are
Chrift's are Abraham's feed, and heirs,' not ac-
cording to the law, but ** according to the
*' promife." ^_________11
Th isjeads. me^^o £bjer ve^^that the JamLnf
Canaan, prorni fed to the feed of Abraham, was
meant to be a figure of the heavenly inheri-
tance, and a kind_of_earneftof it._ Not only
fo •, but it had been certainly revealed to Ab-
raham himfelf in that light ; otherwife how
could he have fought after another country,
even the heavenly, in confequence of the pro-
mife of the land of Canaan given to him ? In
Heb. xi. 9 — 16. the apoftle tells us, that A-
braham fojourned in the land of promife, as in
a ftrange country, dwelling in tabernacles with
Ifaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the
fame promife j and that they fought " a better
*' countryj
6^
^, L^ETTERS. J J
" tountry, ^ven an heavenly." Nov/ how
could they feek a better country, if God had^
not promiied it to them- ?^ A_nd nnce .we read'
of no proniife of a country ^iven them, bat
that ofCanaan, v\^e mufi: nectiTarily conclude^' ■
from hence, that God had opened to theii^
minds ajTior£extenxive view of that promife aa-
inehidicg the heavenly country^ .
Thus the promifed inheritance was lodged
in Chrift Jefus — the right to it was given to
him, and frill remains with him. ■ Even the
figurative Canaan, the earneft cf the heavenly^
could not be held but- by faith in him. Eveiir
the law itfclf was not disjoined from, but -
" added to the promifej" fo as to fubverfe it?
purpofes. The carnal ordinances it contained
were all fhadows of good things to come — the
whole fyflem was divinely appointed to be a
fchool-mafler to lead men to Ch'riil, that they
might be jullined by fa!th.-~The Old Teaa^
ment,- then, was never feparated from the Newj.
but was euaolimed upon it, and fubferyierit to
it.
With refpeft to the new covenant or teft^-' .
ment— As Paul calls the law of Mofes, v/ritten
^n^ones, the old teftament j fo be plainly calls .
2^ 3 . ,^-^^« -^
54 -^^ LETTERS.
^he kw of Chrifl:, the fpirit or end of the law
of rvlofes, written in the heart, and founded^
on better promifes, even_ the^ knowledge of
Ood^_j)ardon_ofal^^
herkance^ — the New Tcftament, Heb. viii. lo,
Ti, 12. The ^rant, or difpofitive part_of_tbis
charter, \v^smade_Jn_th£_tija^^
and lodged with him ^mLJi[§_ib£dj in^Jii^ie^
words, '* In thy feed fiiall ail the nations of
...CJ>!l^.££l!iL^L_y£i?5^*'* put it^was_j2pt ex-
tended in full form ^ nor its full jmport reveal-
ed,^tUl__t!-ie proniifed feed came. Then the
right was written at large, and confirmed by
the blood of the facrifice, offered by the medi-
ating prieft, while the nations receive the fym-
bol Q^ fdfine and infeftmetit by the fpr inkling of
the facrificial Llcod upon them iri^b^piifbi, —
** Be baptized for the remiffion of your fins,'^
that is, as afymbol of y^urentering on the
poffeiTion of the privileges ,difp_oned_in the New
^Teftament, even the for^iv^nds^^fjin^^
htrUance among them that are ianclified. —
Tills grantwhen^ given in tlie iimple forni
of a promife to Abrahamjjs called a covenant
orteftament ; biU J^ is only called the Nenu
Teftament. when fully e^^tcnUcd and ratiiicd b]
facrif-ce.
L E T-T E R S. 5^
I fliould now confider whether the promiie
on which the olJ covenant ftood be done away
wirh that covenant-, as alfo, whether, as you
aver, the churches of the Old and New Tefta-
ments were really eftablillied upon different
covenants. But before a proper anfwer can be
given to thefe queftions, it is necefiary to exa-
mine your ideas concerning the two feeds to
whom the promifes and covenants were made.
I am,
S I R,'
Yours, Sec,
LETTER V.
I
N your 7rh letter to Mr Glas (p. 65. 66.)
you aflert '* that the old covenant was carnal and
<* earthly, in hsfuhjecis, or people covenanted,
" they being the fie (lily feed of Abraham,
** children of the temporal prcnui'e, related ta
l[ God as his typical people, and to Chrifl as
"hi5
S6 LETTERS.
" his kinfmen according to the fieih : which
^* typical and flefhly relationavailed them much?
•* for the enjoyment of the typical and earthly pri*
** vilegesof this covenant rbutasHagar the bond-
*' woman wascaftout with her Ton born after the
** fleilijfo the covenant itfelf being an-tiquated,it9
" temporal typical privileges vaniihed, its fubjc^ls
** were caft out and di{inherited,"&c. Whereas
** the new covenant is fpiritual and heavenly-—
** in Its fubj eel J J they being the fpiritual feed of
*^ Abraham, typified by the flelhly feed ; being
** chofen in Chrift before the fouadation of the
** world, predeftinated to the adoption of chil-
" dren and redceijied by the blood of Ghrlft—
" By their faith they appear to be the kcd of
" Abraham, children of the free woman and
" heii*s according to the promife," &c.
By this account, the two promifes and co-
venants were totally dil'tin<ri: from, and oppofed
to one another, in their fubjects, even the uvo
feeds of Abraham, the one flefhly and typical,
the other fpiritual, and born from above 5 the
former known by the flefh, the latter by their
faith. — Let us fee whether or not this account
accords vfith the Standard of Truth.
The
'\P
rf^LETTERS, 57
The_foundaUoii of jj^e diftinfi:lon_between
tbe feeds of Abraham, is laid in the AojX-Qf
lihmael and Ifkagj Thefe differed in their
birth : the one was born after the fleih, tbe o
^her_bj_prGirui£.. — IQimael was an unbeliever,
a perfecutor of the child of promife, or a def^
pifer of Chrift j Ijaarjv^s a heli^ver., a child of
faith, the offspring not_of the iiefli fo gro^griy^
as o£ faith in the promijjL::— Iflimael was not
called a child of God, nor counted as the feed
of Abraham, whereas in Ifaac was his {^td. cal-
led.— The Son of the bond-woman had no
right to any of the promifes made to Abraham \
/ buTT]^cjwasJie[r^rT?oFh Only the
children of the promife could have a right to
inherit tji^ejomife. SoJaxi_Paul^ " whiLaifi^
" Ifraelites to whom pertain the covenants —
*' and the ^romifes/^Rom. ix. 4.^
Thefe two feeds were vifible in Ifaac's own
family : Efau was a mere child of the fiefli ; Ja-
cob had the promifes^yxn after-periods this
diftinction always exiiled in Ifrael, although it
)vas not always vitible. Unbelieving, profane
perfons, like Efau, defpifing the prcmifed feed
were always among the Ifraelites, and very
frequently difcovered theml<:ives openly. Un-
belief
58 LETTERS.
belief, that root of bitternefs, fpringing up,
troubled the church of Ifrael. It continued to
be fo when the promifcd Seed came. The un-
believing Jews, who rejccfled and perfecuted
the Mefiiah are exprefsly faid to be the feed of
the bond-woman, like Ifhmael, as all, who had
faith in the promife as fulfilled in Chrift, are
called children of the free-woman, Abraham's
feed and heirs according to the promife. Gah
iv. 21 — 31.
Even in the New Teftament ftate of the
church, Paul forewarns us this would be the
cafe. Many unbelievers mingled with the real
faints in theapoftolic churches. Hence the
advice — " Take heed left there be jn__any_Qf_
" W|£_aneyjMieaTt_jDf^
^^ from the jjving_God — Left there be any for-
" nicator, or profane perfon, as Efau, who for
"^one morfel of meat fold his birth-right."
From the above defcription of the two feeds
of Abraham the following truths are evident,
jtjl^l^t byjAbralKim*$_fle{hly feed the_Jbdp-
$ure means fuch as are fprung of h\s__^Jli_o?i/^
while they areunbelievers^^ a£i-4siBi^
fers of the promifed bleflings^ 2dly, That
all who have Abraham's faith in them^are
counted
i^I
, LE T T E R S. S9
crmnted his true fpiritual feed, and that this.
has been always thejcafe fince the birth of I-
faac ; 3dly, That__the,..offering of Abraham's
body, niay be counted for the (c^^ provided
they had his faith ; although not their connec°
tionwMdiJii^flefh, but with his faith, ga^e them
a title tothjs^£ithet.; 4thly, That none of the
promifes were given or madejo__the_unbeliev-
ijng carnal feed of Abraham; onljjhe^ ^ at
were of faith were blefied with faithful Abra=-
bam. Iftimael received -none of the promifes
nor had any title to the promifed blefiings.
The fame may be faid of Efau, and of all the
unbelieving Ifraelites. Such as belTeved not
the promife, but defpifed the promifed land,
** could not enter in becaufe of unbelief/^/'An
unbeliever among Ifrael had no more title to
enter the promifed land, or continue in it when
there, than a Moabite had ; 5thly, That the
fleflily, i. e. the uTibelievinj^ feed of Abraham
never were, norcould be typical of the fpiri-
tual feed. Ifnmael never was coniidered as a
type of Ifaac, nor Efau of Jacob, nor the ^car:^
pal Ifraelites of ihe fpkJluaL On the contra-
ry, the one is always contrafted with the o-
tker 5 and the carnal feed fet up asa beacon to
warn
^"^
<30 LETTER S.
warn profefTors of the faith of their danger,
left thef (hould fall by the fame example of
In this g!afs, Sir, you may plainly fee the
diilimilarlty between your defcription of the
two feeds of Abraham and that which the fcrip-
tures exhibit. I am much miftaken if a fingle
feature in the pi(!?:ure you have drawn will cor-
refpond with the original.— Let us examine
them and fee.
id. You fuppofe that the whole Ifraelitifli
nation, the defcendents of Jacob, are called
the fleflily feed as oppofed to the children of
the promife. The old covenant eftablifhed in
the temporal promife was made with aJL-thg
people of Ifrael ; and you fay that it w^sjuaiig^
wiih^e fleflily feed ojlAbraiiarn aP'^l "Ot wjth
the fpirituah This certainly fuppofes that the
whole nation are called the children of the flelh,
or at leaft, if any of the fpiritual feed were un-
der thatcovenant, they were under it only ac-
cording to the ilefli. This is directly oppofite
to the NeiyJTeftament ideas of this matter.
Paul tells us that in the Jewifli nation " they
** were not all Ifrael^ vyho were of Jn'MUl ^^.J£i_
rael he means believers in the_ promife ; by
*■ — '^ " thefc
i(5jLETTERS. 6i
thefe, who^ were i?nly of Ifrael, the children
of the ^e{h_ofiI^ as^is clear from whatjie adds^
' " They who are the children of the flefli,
<* thefe are not the children of God : but the
" children of the promife are counted for the
« feed." Rora. ix. 6, 7, 8. Ho\v abjurd, then,
jsitto call thatjnationjthe r.arnal •fiel'hly feed.
of Abraham, when it confifted of both. The
u nbelievers among Ifrael were called the child^
ren of the flefh, as believers were calkd_child«
ren ofthe_prpmi(^. Nor is it lefs abfurd to
fa/,
2ndiy. That^the fl^LThly^feed were ty4)ical of
the fpiritual. Was lihmael a_t^e of Ifaar ?
orlfaacofjacob ? orthe unbelieving Ifraelites
of the believing ? — Or, on thej)tlier hand>
was the fpiritual feed a figure of^tfslLf — The.
fcriptures no where fay fo : and indeed, to an-
fwer_either of tjh^ffij^ngilip"'' ^'" ^hgJl^^lI^^f^^r
would _be_cqually_un(criptural and irrational.
That the difpenfation the Jews were under was
figurative is evident — That the tabernacle and
all its ordinances of divine fervice were typical,
or ferved to the exampler and fhadow of heaven-
ly things is no lefs clear — and that all the zCis
of God towards that people in feparating thejn
F frona
62 LETTERS.
from the nations, and taking them into a pe-
culiar relation to himrelf, through his Berith,
was all a fifiure_pf what he^woulvl do in a fu-
ture periodjs abundantly laaijiffiilj. But that
as children of the flelh they were types of th©
children of promife is manifeftly falfe, ' Such
as beUevcd in God and obeyed him were pat-
tcrns to belie versin future ages. Thefe, who
walked in the fleps of Abraham's faith, were
the children of Abraham. So it was then;
and fo it is ilill : for he is the father of them
that believe in all di (pen fat ions. But the con-
duct and actions of his fleihly feed, as oppofed
to the believing, was fo far from being a type
of the temper and conduct of the children of
faith, that it is fet forth as a b£L3con or caveat|>
that_all_grofeirQrs of his faith majjtvoid it.
** All thcfe things happened unto tkem for
" typfs : and they are written for our admoni-
«* tion, upon whom the ends of the world are
« come." 2. Cor. x, ii. Stephen informs us
of whom the unbelieving carnal feed under
the law were types—" Ye do always refift the
<« Holy Ghoft j as your fathers did, fo do ye/'
A£ls, vii. 51. But
3dly. You aver, that a fleflily relation to
Abraham
«^^ L E T T E R S". 63
Abraham and to Chrift as his kinfmcn accord-
ing to the Hefli " availed the Jews rauch for
the enjoyment of the typical and earthly privile-
ges of this covenant." The enjoy^neat of Ca-
raan is certainly the privilege you here intend,
as this is tlie fubje<Sl of the promife : butjhat^
fiethl^ rehtion to any prrfor <--">i?ir:^l one to that
enjoyment, I cannot find in fcripUux^Why did
fuch multitudes of Ifrael fall in the "Wildernefs ?
"VYas it becauf^ they had no fleflily reia^on_tQAb-
raham ordoes notPaulalTure us that <*jheycould
'* not enter in becaufe of unbelief:'^ not be^
caufe they wanted thejf^ buMhe^^-//.^ of Ar
braham. Again, why do not the Jewilh nati-
on fkill enjoy Canaan ? Or why were they caft
out of it, when it was given to them ** for an
" cvcrlafting pofieflion ?" Are they not ftili
the children of the fiefli ? Paul ^ives the an-
fwer — " Becaufe of unbelief they were brokeiL
** off.^ ^^'iJV-^l^l^l As foon as any man de-
nied the faith of Abraham, he forfeited every
claim to Canaan and its privileges: no flffhly
birth could avail him any thing. This is To e-
vident, that you are forced to recant the abore
aiTertion in your defence cfheliever haptifm^ where
(p. 78) you allow that <* the flefldy birth did
** not entitle to the temporal privileges of the
F 2 " earthly
<>4 LETTER S.
"earthly kingdom. Old Ifrael^ obtained the
" earthly inheritance by the covenant made
" with their father Abrahaai, Gen. xv, 8. jtb-
** fe^^tjroip this they had no claiijt to it upon
** the footinjj^cf^lteir bjixh or rip^htcoufnefs
** more than any other j^gmjle.'' So far you
fay right yet Oill you err in the main point, i-
iTiagining that on account of the faith of their
father and of the promife made to him>. the
children had a riglit to the inheritance, whe-
ther they held the faith of their father or not.
Hereyouerr not knowin£theJcn£tures^
inform Ifrael, that_although_LdKiyahJbved
their fathersandthj^schofe their feed after
them to inherit Canaan, yet hehad chofen
them to be a holy peo^ple, to fear theJLtord
their God, to w a Ik J n h is w a ;s_a n d to^ lo v e h i oi ,
and to ferve him with all their heart. *< Cir-
** cumcife therefore the forefMin ofjour^
** heart and be nc^ more ftiff necked. But
*' if thine heart turn away, fo that thou wilt
** not hear, but (halt be drawn away,, and wor-
** fhip other Gods and ferve them *, I denounce
" unto you this day, that ye fliall fuj'ely perifli >
** ye fliall not prolong your days upon the land
■ ** whither thou palieft over Jordan, to go to
" poflefa
^ , L E T T E R S. 6s
** P^flg^s it." No flelhly connection availed the
difobedient Ifraelrte ; nor did it avail him
that his father had believed, while he him-
felf did not walk in the fteps^of his faith._^
4thly. You aHlrt, that the old covenant
had not the ipiritual, but the carnal or unbe-
lieving Ifrael for its fubje<Sts*. A grofs mif-
take indeed ! The very contrary is the truth.
The Icripturcs inform us that both covenants
were given to the very fame people cren the
Jews- — ** To whom belonged the covenants
•' and the promifes." Rom. ix. 4. The fame
apoftlc tells us, that the New covenant has the
fame fubjeets with the Old. Heb. viii, 8. 9,
10. ** The days come faith the Lord, when I
** will make a Hew covenant with the houfe of
** Ifrael and with the hcufe of Judah : not ac-
** cording to the covenant, that I made withi
** their fathers." Thus both covenants were
made with the fame people, the one with the (
fathers, the other with the children: accord-
ingly, the very fame identical people, even the
native Jews, who received the lirft teftament
jit Sinaij received alfo tlie new. The firft Nevr
Teftament church coniifted of the very fame
"'^ F 3 "people
* Sec tl\e (j^viptation in the beginning of thh kitcr.
€6 LETTERS.
peoj)le wjioJi^adj3eea.rDenibers^of the Old Te(- )
tament^^clwch^ Hence Peter addrelTmg the/
old covenant fubj^^Sls, tells the^B that they arc )
alfo fubje^ts of the new — '* Ye are the children k
" of the prophets, and of the covenant which )
** God made with our fathers, faying to Abra- 1
*' ham, and in thy (ttd fliall all the kindreds '
** of the earth be blelTed." — Thus both cove-
nants and promifes were primarily given to the
fan^ie people : nor is there the remoteft hint gi-
ven either in the texts quoted or any where
elfe in the facred records, tliat they were given
t o different feedsj^ --^ — - ^ — '
That the fplritual or believing feed were fub-
jecls of the Sinai covenant and promi.fe will ap-
pear farther evident from what Paul fays in
Gal. iv, I. 2. Sec. " Now I fay, that the heir
<« as long as he is a child, differeth nothing
«« from a fervant, though he be Lord of all;
'^ but is under tutors and governors, till the
*^ time appointed of the fatlier. Ev^n fo we,
<' when we were children, were in bondr.ge un-
<* der the elements of this world." That by
the heir Paul means the fpiritual ^tt^^ is clear
from thcforegoing verfe (c, iih 29.) " If ye be
*' Chrift's then ijre ye Abraham's feed, and
«< hilrs accorJlrg to the proD^ifc.
^ Bat
S^L E T T E R S. ^67
But to underftand this point fully, it is ne-
ceiTary to obfcrvc what Paul fiiys concerning
theleed_jo^jivlmm_^it]^ promjfes were madc^
Gal. iii. 16. ** To Abraham and his feed were
" the promifes made. He faith not, and to
*' feeds as of many ; but as of one, and to thy
" feed, which is Chrift." From this text it is
evident, that all the promifes were made, or
the bleilings dlfjx^ned to^one fccdrven Chrift :
and that not only the promife of all fpiritual
bleffin^,sis here intended, but aifo the promife
of the inheritance of Canaan in its full extent,
the following verfs leaves us no ground to
doubt — *iFcr if the inheritance be of the law,
*' it is no more of promife : but God gave^ it
" to Abraham bypromife.'' The proniifc, tl.ea
i nboth^j^s^_^J23x>£^li!l^ anJ^jphJraal^ wns_
made to Chrift at firg^haiid. 'Fhe J^- cr ^difi
poned to. him the kingdom ; and con:eqii':nt_iy
no man could have any title to any part of the
blefiing^ but through Chrid", to whom thepr(>
mifes were ajlrnade^ and wlio alone has the
power of difpoung of them> to v-.ihcni and in
what meafure he fees pro^)£r. New the fcrip-
ture alTures us that fuch' as are Chriil's can a«
lone
61 LETTERS,
lone have a right to the privileges ^iven to A«
brabam^ml his feed — ** If yej>e Cbrlft's then,
** arc ygAbraham's Cetdy andjheirs according
•' to^thc proiriife/^ Nor is it lefs certain, that
none are Chriit's but thcf'e, to whom it_ is gi>
ven to believe — Ye are all the children of God
** ^y fna/j in ChrifJ: Jefus ^*' and ''thej^jwhi^ji
*' ^^^jUfj^^^^ bleffed with faitJ^jid Abraham."
No connection with Abraham's fielh, then, en-
titled to any bleffing given to that patriarch.
Even tlie kiu^Jom of Canaan belonged to
Chriit. This he difponed to Jlraej, to all inch
of t he defcen dants ofJacob_asj2rofcfleiljta_be-
lieve ?.nd obey him. To all fuch be gave in-
feftment and f^iine of the inheritance^, in tfae_
moft folemn form j but at the rame_Ume,_ the
preamble and whole tenor of that deed of con-
veyance (licws thecii that they could only re-
tam or hold the poUeflion by uich a faith in
him as works by love. " l^liiS^^ilLiiHI^^
*' to the voice of Jehovah thy God — Love Te-
** hovah thy God with all thine heart~-believg.
'« andjhoiTji^U bej:ibtbmiied.^' This is jhe
doiSirine of the la\y : this t h e d ojbjne_of_xhe
.^oftjel. " If je were Abraham^s chi^ldrent_xg_
** would do the works of Abraham ;" ye v^ould
believe
^L E T T E R S. ^9
believe and obey. Every unbeliever, in the
*. — ^. ,-, ,,'>_ ->-^— *—'■>— — '« -~_ ^ —
houfehold of Abraham, is like Ifhmael : to him,
none of the promifes belong ; bejng the fiave of_
fin, he '^ ablJeth not in the houTe for ever^^
but fliall be caft out.
Thus I think it evident to a demonftration
that both pron^.ifcs or covenants were given to
the fame feed, and that none had a claim to
^^^^"^ ^}}}j3..li^S.jl^j}.iStSihlJ^ or by faith in
his name ; and confequently all that you have
faiu concerning the two i^^s to '.vhom the
promiies were iuudc: is one co^itiimcd feries of .
blundering._
It is furprizing that your own reafonings did
not lead you to the truth. Speaking of the
promife of Chrift and fpiritual bleffings, you
fay*. "-It appears that the promifes, madeun-
** to the ]Qw\i\\fochersy had a primary refpe<Sl:
** unto their children ; yet not unto all tlieir na-
*' tural children as Juch^ for therj that whole
" nation behoved to be faved ; but only unto a
** remnant of them according to the eicdtion
" of grace." Now from the fame promifes
will it not alfo conclude, that the temporal pro-
mife was not made to all -the natural children
of
* Defence of beHcrer-LaptifiB. p. ir.
70 LETTERS.
oi ]zcoh as fuch ; for then that whole nation
muil have enjoyed Canaan, as all were equally
related to the f^cfh of Abraham, Ifaac and Ja-
cob ? Whereas their hiftory informs us, that all
above 20 years of age at the Exodus from E-
gypt, h\t Caleb and Joihua, fell in the Wil-
derne/s, and " could not enter in bccaufe of
" iinbeiief." XJ}iLJ^I^^!}lli£>_.^^^^"» onjy ref-
pectedjjie^elleving feed of Ifrael, for ifjtxef^
peeled the natural feed <3j-^^^, then the pro-
mife of God bath failed^ and his word ** narh_
** taken no effect." The word preached g/?/j>
prolited, when " it was incorporatedJby_faithL
** ^^[2!i-iiicm^thaJtJi^^
But you will fay, were there rot many un-
bclieyers in heart to he found in poflelTion of
the land of Canaan and its privileges ? To this
I anfwcr, many of that defcription were taken
into the covenant at Sinai, and many fuch af-
terwards appeared in Canaan, in fuccecding a-
ges. But thc^were admittej at Ji ritj^ndcon-
tinued afterwards in the pofTeflion, only
on the^SrolHlIoircf faUhL-V^-Jlil-SbLejiklKg^ So
foon as thevj;eje^jed_the_fkitli»^,and forfook
the_God of thel^fatherSj^they wereeitlier de-^
ftroyed immediately, or thixatcncd_whii^jic-__
Aru<ftio]i.
LETTERS. 71
[Ion. They were not all Ifrae!, who were
of Ifrael. This is precifely the ftate of things
alfo in the New Teftament church ; yet, I hope
you will not iay, for this reafon, the proinifes
of that Teftanicnt arc made to hypocrites' and
unbelievers.
In my next, I propofe to fhew the ccnne^Sli-
on between thefe two covenants and wherein
they differed the one from the other. In the
mean time, I am,
SIR,
Tours, &:c.
LETTER VI.
SIR,
[ JaTANKIND arc favcd by hope in all ages,
land this hope has been always founded on a
/ divine promife. This promife was given to
^an, oa the entrance of fin into the world,
"" the
72 LETTERS.
the promlfe of the feed, containing all the blef? \
fings which men can need, or God has propo- )
ied to beftow to the ages of ages. This is the/
cvcrlarting covenant, on which all the divin
difpenfitions are founded, and to fubfcrvc the
purpofet of which all contribute. It was pro
mulged to Abraham in the form of a royal c-
dicl, more unalterable than the laws of the
Medcs and Perfians, and no finner, none of the
race of Adam, could entertain any ratfonal
\ hope of falvation from fin and death, or of the
' enjoyment of eternal life, but through faith in
\ this promife. Since, then, this promife is
confirmed by the oath of God, and has been
and is ftill the eftabliflied conftitution of hea-
ven, we may be fure that God has never re-
vealed or appointed any law, covenant or deed
of conveyance of any kind, either unconnec-j
V ted with it or oppofite to it^_ ._
''TrTwhaTlIght, then, mufi: we view the law
of Mofes ? Did it point out another plan of
falvation than through faith in the promife j or
" Is the law againft the promife of God ?" God
forbid j fays Paul. Had there been a law gi-
ven, intending to convey eternal life, righte-
- oufnefs muft have been by that law. Tbeja^
of
^.
LETTER S.
73
of Mo(£SW^lSJTOt^^
To was no r i vjUoj^ t lie prom'i fe.— Nor was the law
unconnefleJ wj^h the proaiifejit was made to
be fubfervient to it. It was a fchool-mafler to'
bring men to C'nriit, that they might be jufti-
fie<J by faith. So far iVom propofing ar.y other
plan of falvation, it lliut nicri up unto the
faith which was afterwards to be re\eaied.
The law of PJofes feerns to have been ap-
pointed for (everal purpofes, fuited to the two
promifes given to Abrahairij and eftrbliflied
with Ifrael. ift, It was intended to give fa'lia
and infeftmcnt of the land of Canaan to the
Tons of Jacob, by the fynibols of facrifice and
fprinkling of blood.^^iliis failln was given in
conrequ:ncc of the difpoiltion or charter given
to Abraham, one cluufe of wliich fliid — " Un-
" toj^^yj^'g^^^ I give this land." By a fym-
bol of this fame kind Abraham had been en-
tered heir to the fame promife. Gen. xv. 2nd-
b'> 'r]l£j33i_JlijcyyJo_calledj_vva^
ment of theocracy^_or__dmn£goven^
mcng Ifrael as a nation, propcQn^jnaxiavs
andTiiles of conTIucI to th^tpeople, calculated
to promote national happin^fs, and fanctioned^
by temporal rewards and punidin-ePits. This
G incention.
74 LETTERS.
intention of the law is Co obvious that it ne^ds
no illuftration. 3^dly, It was intendeclto juj>.
1[ervejhe grand^^romUe^ theje^
fpiiMtualjydBngsin^^ it did byoi-'
joining circumcillou. t];e token oj" the cove-
nant of the feed as about to come of their fiefli ;
by commanding them to believe in him when
]^ fliould come — " him fhall ye hear in all
^things/' while that part of it called the Le-
vitical law, with its whole fyftem of ordinan-
/ces, was intended to prefigure that feed with
all his fpiritual bleffings, — to keep alive the
knowledge of the plan of the remiflion of fins
through faith in the blood of atonement, — to
convey to them an earneft of the fpiritual blef-
fings in the promife, by admitting them to a
delightful fellowfliip with God in the fan£\ua-
ry, the figure of Chrifl: — and, in fhort, by fliut-
ting them out from all hope of juftincation inK
anyother w^aybut by faith in atoning bloocL-— (
So properly does Paul %Xi_^i^l^^55^^-iLil°^ ^"
gainft, but added to the promjfej ap^i_t2_£?t
a full view of this important fubje(Sl it will be
neceflary to attend to that apoftle*s illufkratjons
ofTtT ~"~''
— In
^LETTERS. 75
In the end of the third and through the
whole of the fourth chapter of his epiftle i6
the Galatians he fets this matter in a ftrong
and full point of view, jft, " It was idded
/** hecaufe o£ tranfgrellions." As neither pe-
nitence, nor prayers, nor pious rcfolution?,
nor good deeJ* of any kind could procure p^.r-
don for a finner by the law, unlefs he brought
the lacriljce for his fin, and had it offered by
t!:e priclt according to the law, this method
of acceptance with God w,^s obvicufly intend-
ed to prevent men from tranfgrefling, or go-
Tne lavv' contained precepts fo numerous, and
fo impoffible to be obferved even for a iing]^
day, that it made every man a finner ; and as
no {inner could draw nigh to God but through
a pricft and a facrifice, this effecVuaHy exclud-
ed all dependance on works of rigiiteoufnefs
the finner could do to conciliate his maker's re-
gards, and ** fliut him up to the faith," or to
live by faith in th^itficrifice, which was for e-
ver^_toj)er^£^^jhe_fm£^ T h u 5 he ha d
daily fet before his eyes the truth of IIabak«
kuk's maxim — " He, who is righteous by faith
G 2 andly,
T6 letter S.
2ndly, V<.u\ views the bw as a rchool-mafter,
including the idea of a teacher and a governor^
inftrucling the children of God's family in the
elements of divine knowledge, and keeping
them in fervile awe and dread by temporal pe-
nalties, until the time appointed of the father.
Such was the ofiic^^fli^nedjjie^J^aw^^^
ilLii^^i£Hi£ii-££iA_^IliLis it poflible, then,
that the law could be intended to teach the
children difobedicnce to their parent? Yet this
the law muft have done, if it taught them to
attempt to live in oppolition to the plan efta-
blilTied and publiflied in an irreverfible decree
by the LGrcl^_of^ UveJan2ily._4?o years before
^this fame pedagogue had any office afli^ned him
jn^^the houfehold. — The ordinances and in-
fiitutions of the law were the a]ph^-£t_ofO}r]£-
tianity or the rudiinemsjo£j];ie_^oJpxl: and it
was the office of the law to teach the children
the pozver cf thefe elementary characters, and
to form them in fuch combinations, as when
properly arranged, "like wowls forming a fen-
tence, fhr uld point out fom^nidi_of_the_jot
P£l •, iornejwt of the charaL^.er__Qr office_c_f Je-
fiisChrrft, whois the end ojLlhe la\vJoTjighg
tcoufnefs. As the fchohrs, however, were
generally
^LETTERS. 77
generally dull of hearing, and the characters . -
themfclves, being of the hieroglyphic kind,
numerous and difficult to be underflood, the
progrefs in learning them was flow at all times.
At lail, tji£jcey to 0j2en^ thefe characters be--
ing loO, the vanity Q£imafiinr.tian put a fenf^;
on them, far more favourable to the pride ct
K, -«i .. . , _^ — — "*■
the human heart, a Tejrdej3^^_wh[di the la^a: -
was t r uW_ajain{lth^ c m i fe. It taught them
to fay, that the governor of the uiiiveife put
oti:' the cliara£ler of creator and, in condefcen*-
iion to the favoured nation, of Ifrael, alTumed
th.e form of a moral gqvenicr, propofiiig to
give his creatures eternal life on condition o^f"
their performing obedience to a certain fet of
external rules propounded in the law. Thus
men were led to reft on the morphofis, the
mere form antl letter of the law, iii oppoiition
to the true fpirit or fenfe of ir^ Tl^.is is tlie
idea which enflamedthe oppotitioij^ to IMcfiiah,
w]\en lie came ; this is the fource^of.jjil^oppoj]ti-
on tojlte gofpel_ftiU. I>lHled by this falfe.conv.
mentai;jj_j^^jmd_j5^any^_niod^ of no meaji^
nanie, have iiuerpreted^UieJaw_i5_-i^^
The^ojpeh. According to yen, the law was n
^*ere covenani of peculiarhies, made with the
G 3 carnal
^^ L .E T T E R S.
carnaj^ (eed of Jacob, _£ro£olin^ii3t|QnalJi?^
nefs as the reward of exreiral obedience. O- "
thers view it as a covenant of works, annexing
eternal life to perfe<rt obedience to what they
rail the moral law; and thus dire<^l:!y oppofe
the law to the promifc, averring that there was
a law given that could have given life — A com-
mentary not unworthy of that great genius^
the fiv{\ commentator on fcripture, whofe com-
ment we have recorded in the third chapter of
G.enefis. In this fenfe Paul, indeed, fomc-
times fpeaks of the law, contrafring the right-
roufnefs of the law with that of the gofpel :
but it is only when sddrelnng Jews, who un-
derftood the law in this fenfe, or cautioning
chriftians againli any reliance on the law in the
JewiQi fcnle of it, as in that view it direftly op-
pofed the gofpel. It is evident^Ji^wbeKjjrtdi^
he gives his own view of it, he Oie\\;s_tjhat_the
gofpel was the fpirit o^jjie law, ajul thaj_lt is
impofTible^to obey^ t he_ la wjvjthou t beJieym^jn^
him who isjhe_erKl_of_tJ}e_J^^
nefs, fincc this^s the exp£ejs_aigitBAnd ofthe^
}avv — " Kim fnall ye hea^jn_all_tliings^ what-
«' foever he HiaU fay unto you." But
^ L E T T E R ^. 79
3d]y, The conne<Stion arul difference between,
thcle two covenants will be belt underftcod by'
attending to the allegory recorded. Gal. it.;
2 1 — 31. There the fajnU^of Abraliam is con-)
fidered as a lymbol of the family of God from
the time of the giving of the law at Sin^i to'
the end of the world ; or of the Aat_e__ofljj
church under both teftan.ents — Anallegor^
ftrangfly mirunderftood by you and manyo^,
ther writers on this fubiect. Hj^^r^ indeed,"
ftands in the allegory in the pjr^xej;f the .Si_nai«»
tic covt-nant, as S.irah reprejenrs the Zion or
X new covenant, but it has not been attended to
that H^gar in the allegory does not reprefent
the covenant or law given at Sinai as defigned
or intended by God, but the law as^ex£udned
by the unbelieving_Tews iri Paul's time. As
thefe Jews oppofed the gofpel they interpreted
their law fo as to oppot'e the gofpel alfo. Thus
Paul docs not fay, that Hagar and Sinai an-
swer to the Jcrufahm which was before Chrift
came ; for then fhe muft have filled Sarah's
place as v^ell as her own, as Sarah was in that
Jerufaleni as well as Hagar, the prrroife as well
as the law \ — but he fays, Hagaranfwers to the
Jferufalcm, or cburcli of the uribeiieving Jews,
■whi^h
8o LETTERS,
which new /V, and is in bondage with her chil-
dren. The neceiTary confc-qTaence of this \s—
Ifhmael was not a figure of, or does not an-
fwer to, the feed to whom the covcnr.nt at Si-
i\\ was g^iven, or to Ifrael under the law be-
fore Chriit, otherwiTi he fills Ifaac's place ah'b,
fince the heir of the promife was like wife un-
der tlie law during that period, Gal. iv. i — 4.
Iihiiiael, then, in this allegory only reprejeati
the unbelievingJced^of^AJjraham^ c]iih]xen_of_
that Jerij^falem which^ in the time of Paul, per-
fecuted the free- woman and her feed. So mil-
taken is your idea, that Ilagar and her Ton re«-
prefented the old covenant and its fubjcifts, all
of whom, you fiy, were caft out at the com*-
niencem'snt of* the new covenant.
To underfland this allegory properly, it muil
be obferved, that Sarah was the true wife and
y^iirtrefs of Abraham's family long before Ha-
gar had a place in it : and even wlien Hagar -
was admitted to it, fiic was introduced in the
chara<Si:er of an handmaid, not toopp^fe but
to ferve Sarah. It was Sarah that faveher to
Abram to be his wife ; and hence her fen was
confidered as tlie fon of Sarah and not fo pro-
perly of Hagar. <* Go in unto my maid," fays
Sarah
LET T E R S. 8l
Sarah, " it may be I may obtain children by
" her." Gen. vi. 2. When Ifaac was born,
Ifhmael was ftiU confidered as a clulcl of the
family. Hagar was ftill the fervant of Sarah
and entirely in her power: both lived in one
houfe, as did their two fons alio. Ifaac and
lihmael were c-on(idered as fons of the fame
family : both had the lion of the fame cove-
rant in their flefh, and both lived peaceabJLia
the fairc houfehold as brethren, iintjrthe_iiiiig
of the weanirigof^n3ac^_jjTajLJs,,as_^^
tors feen to^allow^ wh^en^jlaac^was about_fivje
years of aj^e^^
Such was the fir ft ftate of Abraham's familj?\
— a fine picfture of the ftate of the family of
Ifrael from the time of the giving the law at
Sinai until the coming of Meftiah. The pro-
mife had been in that family lonr^ before the_
law, ajid was the true mother and nu4"irds^ of
the houfehold. At laft the law was added,
not as a rival to oppofe her, but a fervant to
obey her. The children born under the lavr
were all confiJered as the children <^>fGodj
and heirs of the promife. All j.ad tlie fame
iign of the coven.int in their ficihj_ the Teal of,
the righteoufnefs of the f«ith j nor was there,
*--^'" ' ' ~~ any
82 LETTER S.
anyextern^l bad^e of diftint^ion amonfi them;
All profefled the fame faith, wor [hipped at the
fame place and according to tire fame ritual.
During that ftatc of minority, ail were equally
fubjecSbed to the fevere difcipline of the law, in-
fpiring a fpirit of bondage to feiir, while they
learned the elements of this world under the
lafh of the angry pedagogue. " The heir,
**jyhile a c^^^^\> is_no betterjLhan a flave ; tho*
** he be lord of all." Some, indeed, (erved God
only from fervile cuftom or a fpirit of fear ; o-
thers from faith in the promife. The[e_Yi^x^
born by promifes ; thofe of the i^t fh» But their^
bUJi was fecret, not publiilied as yet^ lo ^the
^orld. Each too, had his own ncurifhment :
the one imbibed the fpirit of fervility; the o-
ther fucked the breafts of the confolations of
the promife. This, hcvrever, was invifiblc,
they both cat the fame vilible bread, and drunk
tlie fame viable cup. * Both lived togetiier as
brethren of the fame family, and in the fame
houfe, until the time appointed of the fnher
for emancipating the heir of the promife from
the difcipline of the pedagogue and weaning
him from the breafts of » ceremonious ritual.
Sometimes
/^L E T T E R S. 83
Sometimes before this,* the feed of the bond-
-^'oniati had interpreted the law as a covenant
of works, promiiing rigbteoufncrs and eternal
life to all her fons on_account of their fijflily
connedlion with' Abraham, and on condition
of their performing the mere external works
or deeds of- the law, without regard to thr..
end^ and fpirit^ofji. If they ferved God ** in
** the oldnefs of the letter," they laid in their
claim to life eternal, and the poileffion of the^
promifed^inheritance. T-ms Kagar had be-
come a rival to Sarah ; the^niijtrofs inftead of
tjiejervant j thejaw_was truly ?£ainfl: the pro.
miiej)f GoJ. Thus the bond- woman and her
feed pcrfecuted the free*v/oman and her feed
with " cruel mockinp^s/* This_j>roduced a
change in the family.. The bond-\toman and
her fon, having forfaken their ftation in the
hcufeJ^oId and become open enemies Inftead
ef friends, Sargh in the figure had faid " caft
*' out this bond-woman and her Ton : for the
'^ fon of this bond-woman (liall not be heir"
*' with my fon, even with Ifaac.'* This was__
ipoken^^s^^prophjcv of what_would happen
'.n an after-period of the Abrahamic family.
84 LETTER f5.
This is tlie Hi^gar of whom Paul fpeaks ;
this the Jerufal^m, which then wns, and was,
asfheftilHs, inbonch)gc_jftith_Ji£Ti_cI^^
jWhile the covenant of Sinai, or the law, kept its
flation afllgned it in the houfc of GoJ, it was
no ihfgrace to be under it; more tlian it ig
flianiefiil for the child of a nobleman to be in
the nurfery, under the tutorage of an handmaid.
In this view, the law was fpirlttial, holy, juft
and good; coinciding with and fubferving the
dsifigns of the promUe^Tri'lliTIiTI^^
of the free woman ftill remember her kind
oiSces with gratitude, and r^coIleO: the inftruc-
:ions of their ancient nurfe and tutor with
)rofit, as enforcing the precepts and throwing
a luftre around the n^axims of their paj^ei
But as foon the law fet up a-s a rival to the
protiiife, pretending to be the true mother of
the family, and claiming the inheritance in
her own right, independent of, and exclufive
of the promife, ihe was not only ufelefs but
hurtful in the fitnily, and was tjedled accojrd-
ingly with^aUJ^er fons.
It is now clear, that Paul does not oppofe
the Jerufalem of old, or the church as confti-
tuttd at Sinai, to the Jerufalem from above,,
or
i^^ L E T T E R S. 85
or the church under the New Teftament. He
only contrafts thfe law as explained by the un-
believing Jews in his time, and the Jerufaleni
or church conflituted on it in that view, with
the promife and church or children adhering
l2^^Jl'^ P^^^'%--^^-^^^^--^^-^^^^^£-^^"^ all.
>The law, indeed, was always dijlmci from the
promife, as the hand- maid from the miftreff,
and fo could be put away at thepleafure ot
the head of the ^mn)vyHence the fault of
the true fons or believers of the promife in the
days of Paul, who would be ftlU under the
tutelage of the dry-nurfe, even after their fa-
ther had difmifTed her from his fervice — would
be under the difcipline of the pedagogue, when
the father had declared them to be of age.
This^ was highlyjundutiful. Bjit^jhe^_condu£c
of the unbelieving Jewwinountedj^^
beUioTK/ They avowed the law as their true
'niother, and defpifed the promife, perfecuting
her {t^^ and refufuig to hold the inIi£ritaiKc/
butjolelyjn^jjb^^ of theja^^v The ori-
ginal right came by promife ; but they v^ould
[not fubmit to the righteoufnefs of God, and
hence they have not attained to righteoufnefs,
but have fallen from grace, as every one muft,
who claims the inhcriujice in risht of law
H I
85 LETTERS.
I may add, that when Ifhmael was eje£led
from Abraham's houfe, he had a place of re-
fuge provided for him by God, and a promife
that he fliould dwell there in the prefence of
all his brethren, and even increafe fo as to be-
come a great nation ; and that becaufe Jhe_was_
Abraham^ feed according to the flefh. Gen. xxi,
13. — The unbelieving Jews have been treated
in the fanie manner." TheY^areJjeloyed for the_
*^ father's fake ;" and although cafl: out of his
houfe and inheritance, yet God has afliired
them of an_ajylum in all places whitlier he has
fcattered them ; where they fhall increafe and
(^ multiply, dwelling in the prefence of all their
brethren, fo that it ihall not be in the power
of all the nations, combined together, to ex-
tirpate them. " I will not make a full end of
*• thee." How pun(5lually has this promife
been accomplilhcd ! This has certainly come
forth from the Lord of hofts. I am,
S I R,
Yours &c.
LETTER
LETTERS. 87
LETTER VII.
S I R,
I
HOPE you will now fee what anfwer muft
be given to the qiiefiion propofed in the end
of my 4th Letter, viz. v^rhether, as you aver,
the churches of the old and new teOamenti
were really eftabhdied upon different cove-
nants. The promijeof the feed with the uni-
verf^tl blcflio^^ inhiin was the real foundation
of both churches. Faith_in the promife as a»
^ II I ■
bout to be accompHfhed was the mother of
the children of God froin^the beginning un-
till Chrift came. . " The hope of the promife
*' made of God unto our fathers •," fays Paul,
** unto which, our twelve tribes inftantiy fer-
" ving God, day and night, hope to come '*
Acts, xxvi. 6, 7. Peter, too, addreiHng the
Jews, fays — ** Ye are the children of the co-
** venant, which God made with our fathers,
** faying unto Abraham, and in thy feed iliall
H2 "all
S3 LETTER S.
A<n:s. iii. 25. This he fays to the Jews who
had not yet believed in Jefus of Nazareth as
the feed of the promife, and fo were ftill un-
der the Old Teiiament, hoping for the pro^
yj(£' The^ church, then, under both tefta«
J^^entsjyerc^Jounded on the fame_promifc—
the Old Teflament church on the promife as
about to be accompHfhed ; thejCew Teftament
church on the promife as already fulfiHed i n
Jefus of Nazsreth. The law or old covenant
ferved in the former as a tutor, hand-maid or
Tiurfe, like Hagar in the family of Abraham,
but was not the mother of the family, and
hetice has been difcarded from her ftation, the
time of her fervice being ended. Since the
Faith if. come, we are no more under a tutor or^
fchool-mafter. This, howbeit, has made no
Riaterial alteration in the family : Sarah and I-
faac are the con ft itutional parts of it^ and re-
xnnmCo'f when Hagar and herfonare_e jelled.
Had the church of old been eftablifhed u-
pon the old covenant or the law of Mofes, then
Paul's reafoning (Rom. xi. 16 — 25) is not on-
ly mconclufive but abfurd. He confid.er; Gentile-
behevers as branches of a wild clive^ £jJlfi£J-
among
Xl E T T E R S. 89
among the Tewifh'believers, the branches
ot' tlie true^ollve^ partaking_with them ILaL
the root and fatnefs of the olive." ' The un..
believing. Jews, though natural branche", had
been broken off, to make room for the.ingraff-
mcnt of the believing Gentiles, thefe branches
of the wi'd oli_ve. Here, then, is a Aock from
which believers in Chrifl among the Jews were
not broken off, and ijito which the chofen
from amonn the Gentiles were in^raffed. This
cannot be the old covenant, as that v/axed old
ar^d wras ready to vanllh away in Paul's tirae,
JQ^thaL neither Tew nor Greek had any thing,
f.-.rther to do with it. It is a n:ock in which
ail the branches ** ftand by faith." What then
can it be but the ^rqmjj^eoi the_/CW and the
bleiiing in him, \vith wliichno man can have
any connection without bel'.eving it ? Of this
prcmife the Jews were the children : for its
fake they were allborn and enjoyed all the pri-
vileges they had been fo liberally bleffed with.
By faith in the fame nroLnife we Gentiles too
beconie jo^^s— We**are_ all the chiidren o£
/« God by faith in Chrift jelus.,:!
This not only fhews us, that both~ churches
Were four^deU en the fame covenaiit; but that
H 3 byih
5)0 LETTERS.
both_^rcj^adically one and^the^me church.
The believing Jews were not broken off from
their old ftock, but we were grafJVd in among
tl^em, and with them partake of the root and
fatnefs of the olive ; or of all the privileges
•virtually ijiclujed irLtliepromife ftiven to Al>
raham^ The Jews were the fbm-inal b£anches
cf the church under the law^ and ofjliem alfo-
the firfi: chriftian churches were wholly coi^f^i-
tnted. We are but advenjjti^ousjcions^ graf»;
fc-d in contrary to nature, and would _jia.well
r»ot to be hifdi-mlnded, h^X ffri'' -
This leads me to correct a very common
iT'.iflake on fpeakingon this fubjedl. You and
many others call th-e New Tjt/lament church
the Gentile church, in- on-polltion to that under
the law J forgetting that " we are built upon the
*' foundation of the apoftles and prophets, Jefus
*^ Chrifr hinifelf being the chief-corner ftone,""
a!l of whom were Jews. Our Saviour and falvat Ion
are of the Jtws^ All the apoltles, who preach-
'd the gofpel, and planted the firfl new tefta-
ment churches were Jews by birth. To the
Jews the gofpel was firft preached; and of
th^m the firft churches^in Chjjft were confti-
**ul too has affured us, that although
bccaufc
VL E T T E R S. 91
b^caufe ox urtbelief many of that people ar«,
broken off, yet God is able to graff them in
again. Not only fo, but he will gr^ff them
in ; for " thefe have now not believed, that
** through our mercy, tkey alfo may obtain mer"
« cy" Yes : " Row much .more . fhajl . tUefc,
«< which be the natural branches be grafFed into
** th'eir own olive tree" ? — Is this properly a
Gentile-church ? " Boaft ngt againil the bran;
**chesjl_
** But by far the greateft number of the
<* members of the new tePcament churches con-
** fill _of Gentiles." Very true : but were
there no Gentiles in the old ten-arnerUchurchj
Abraham's family was the radical church of If^
rae], and was not by far the greateft part of
that iittle fociety made up of ftrangerg^ /. e.
Gentiles ? Did not even the conftitution at^U
n ai make o ne law in religious matters for Jew
and Gentile? Did^ it noj^ fay, " as ye are, fa
** fhall all the (Vrangers beJ3efore the Lord. One
** law and one manner fiiall be for yoU| and
*^ for the ftranger that fojourneth with you ?"
Numb. XV. 14, 16. This ordinance too conti-
nued through all the generations of that ftate :
in confecjuence of wui^h, multitudes of G^n-
tiks
92 L E T T E R S. , ^
tiles became Jews in after-periods, fo that the
temple had a court of the Gentiles as well as
of the Jevvs. Not only in the profperous days
of Solomon but even during the captivity at
Babylon, ** many of the people of the land be- ~
** came lews." Lfth. viii. I7»
% til ^11 1 ""I - 'i -ii - —
Where, then, lay the (iiiJcrencet in thii^ref*
pedt, betwixt theoht and New-jCglhuB-ent dates
of the cb urchJ-~This_deferves^arti£ular at*
tent ion. — The Gennjes, \ve have feen, were
admitted to both ; but notion the fame footing.
The civil polity or law of the ftate did rot ad-
mit Gentiles to become paaturaiizcd Gabje^s of-
the Jewish commonwealth. Canaan, by the
law, was divided among the tj-jbes of Hrael ac-
cording to their families, and whatever portion
of the land was afligned by lot to a family, it
was^ hereditary in tbatfaniiiy, fo that it could
not be alienated, even to a brother-Jcvv, but
for a time •, much kfs could it become the pro«
perty of a Aranger 5?L?^ir»— P'* cXlCLJi'^ ^ ^"''
gle day. Gentiles, then, could only be ad-
mitted an-iong Ifrael in the char;i6ler of ftran-
gers and ibjourners, ijicapable of^being fellow-
heirs, or__ofJioldhj^_hnde^
tbem. Servants they miglu be acccrding to
" " the
/.LETTERS. 93
the law, or they might trade with the Jews
o^cafionally ; hu^_brethren jhej^£oi^^
So high, fo ftrong was the wall of partition rear-
ed by the political law of that nation between
Jews and Gentiles.
With refpedt to the ceremonial or religious
law ; as Gentiles were excluded by the law of
the ftate from fulfilling any office in the depart-
ment of government, fo by the laws^regulatin^
the offices of religion they wereequallyjnca:^
P3£itated_for officiating in any order of the
Erieflhood. In this refpe^l, however, they
were only ugon the fa^me foot with eleven tribes
of Ifrael, a£ the facerdotal officeswere the fole
prerogative of the fons of Levi. But with re-
gard to all the ordinary fervices of religion, aS/
bringing facrifices, worfhipping at, and praying
towards Jerufalem, there was one law and one
manner appointed for the Ifraelite and for the
Granger fojourning whh him. The ftranger,
profeffing faith in the promife given to Abrg
Iiam, v/as admitted to the church by the fame-
rites which admitted an Ifraelite., In this rei^
pe-ct the people of the- heathen landsmight be^
4-ome Jews, and worfliip the Lord of hofts at
Jerufaicm. Accpjrdinglx_we read ^Adls, ii.
lO.)
94 LETTERS.
10.) of profelyt es as welj^as_Jews afTenTbled at
JeruTalern tokeep the %al^of Fentecoft, whtiT'
had come from rery dlihint reoiom for tljat
purpofe. In the fecond temple, indeed, there'
had been a wall of partition ere^ed between
the outer court where the Jews were admitted
and the court of the Gentiles, in which profe—
lytes alTembled for worfliip ; but_that thij was
A ofjJivinc_ap£ointmemJs^io_w^
\^ure.
From the above review, then, it feems evi-
dent, that the laws from Sinai, dire(fting reli-
gious fervices, did not, properly fpeaking_forn>
a v/all of partition between Tew and Gentile.
They were direcTced to^he Jgw firft, indeed;
but they all had a fecondary refpetSl to the
GemTie^ Thejanig^ is alfo truejyich_ refgeifl
to the gorpel-inftitutions^^^ "V\[jiatevcrjjie gol>
pel fays, it fays it " tothej£wJirft_^d then
^"^o the Greek." Rom. i. 16. ii. 10. Gentiles
are bleiTed in Chrm ; bu£jhcjews_were_jb_
^rjl Untojhem firjl_God_havjn^j-a[(ed_j^
his fon, lent him 1 0 J)ldsJL]l£m^
gutthe civil_orJ^a^e4aws,oiUfcagUP^ ^^
cffeOuaHejiai^tii^^ 3*
we have fcen already. No lleafKen, or one
V'LETTERS. 95
> not of Abraham*s{eed^_jcouI^^
with ifrael, hold landed property in Canaan,
or be a fellovv-he[r and of the fame body, ha-
ving a tide to the pnvllegcs of the common-
wealth of Ifrael. A Gentile was only a ftran-
ger and foreigner in the eye of the ftate even
when admitted to all the inftitutions of the
church. — Thiswall_ of X^paration tbe_gofgel
has demolifhed ;_fQ that Gentiles are no more
ftrangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens,
fellow- burgefles with the faints and of th^
houfeliold of God.
Here, then, Ues the true difference between
the two churches, with refpe^l: to the admiifi-
,on of the Gentiles. Even when brethren in
the Old Teftamen^ churchy they were ftill
viewed as **^liens^from^ the commonwealthjjf
** Ifrael, and ^ftr3ngers_to_the__covena^^
** promife :"pthey had^no title to thepromifed I
inheritance nor to have the feed of the promifej
defcendnig from Them.yBut now the ^fe is
totally altered. J[ews_and_^_Gent]Ie3_ar€^b^^
ren in all refpe£ls : " fellow-heirs^and of the fanie
body, partakers of the fanie_Kr:groife.^' The
new covenant includes both equally ; giving
them both tHe fanie right to the inheritance,
and
96 LETTERS.
and_to.3lM£iritua^
'Chrift. The Gentiles have their part and lot \
with the Jews in the inheritance of the gofpelj /
jhat^ere is_ no di^re.nce^ — ^.
This is what Paul calls " fellowfhip of the^
** myftery," or the myfterious fellowfhip. That
the Gentiles (liouid be admitted to church-
memberflup with the Jews was no myftery at /
all. The law itlelf had enjoined this union,
prefcribing one law and one manner of wor-
ihip to Ifrael and to the ftranger fojourning^
with them. But that the Gentiles ftiould be
fellow-citizens, joint-heirs of the fame inheri-
tance with them *, of the fame polity or com-
monwealth, wasai]m^fterjM^ Tjie law
had mentioned no fuch thing. It made ti
Q^ntiles aliens and ftrangers. The prophecies,
indeed had given obfcure hints of this fellow-
fhip ; but the go^pgl alone has revealcd_jlifiL
myftery, which was hid in God from ages^nd^
generations.
I Ihall now confider the other queftion pro- '
pofed in the end of my 4th letter — " AVhether
** the promife, on which the old covjuiajit
** ftood, be done_away wjtli that_oovenan t.*!^
-—According to your ;. r. the vulgar opinion,''
botk
■ VL E T T E R S. 97
both vaiiiilied away together, both being ful-
iilled and antiquated. Perhaps this is a mil-
take let U5 confult the unerring articles and fee*
.( That the old covenant has waxed old and \
jvanilhed away, is a point indifputably evident s/
^ but that the promife, on which it was founded,
is fulfilled and fo done away as of no more fc^[££>_(
' is not jb.cieai\/^y this promil'e Abraham's feed
had a title to the land of Canaan — *' Unto thy
" feed will I give this land." This pronilfe
was originally unconnected with the law, or
what Paul calls the old covenant •, " for the
** promife that he fliould be heir^of the v/orld
** was not to Abraham, or to his feed through
" the law, buJ__throuRh the righteoufnefs of
<* faith." If then the right to the inheritance
came not by the law, the abolition of the law-
could not deftroy that right : and flnce Paul
afTures us that the right came by faith, or,
what is the fame thing, byp^omife, it^^would
feem, evident that the right ftands as valid,.^^
ever^ and ^hat nothing can exclude his feed
from thepofTefiion of that inheritance but their
unbelief of the promife m.ade to their_fathei:.
This idea agrees exactly with the original grant
*— "Twill givT untolheeTanJ to thy feed —
98 LETTERS.
** an^dieJajidoiXanaar^qr_an everlaflin^ poj.
^^feJUotrr Gen. xvii. 8. You tell us, incleetl,
that Canaan is called an everlafting pofleflion,
becaufe though given to Ifrael for. a iliort time
only, >:etjhg_tlujn^Jl^mfied_byJi^
This idea throws fuch an air of uncertainty a-
roujid the fcripture, that it is impoflible to_af«
certain their true fenfe. If the term everlojlingy
when applied to Canaan, means only a tempo-
rary duration, how can we be aflured that it
has another fenfe, when applied to the hea-
venly inheritance ? — The truth is, the original
word, rendered everlajlwg has always thejame
idea annexed to it : it unifgrm]y_denotes_a_pe-
riod including aUthe^_a£es_of Mefllah*s king-
d^m— tjiedurat^^
c X t e n d i n gto the time, when ^1 e fli ajijhalj, de-
liver up the kingdom tothc father, and God
ill all be all in sll^ This kingdom fhalljnot
end in ti-me, or give place to another \ but it
fl^all beloij: in eternity. With the duration
naan is cojpmenfurate ; for ^* the gifts and^ cal-
<* lin^sof God_arejvithoTatjrepem^Mce." God
gave Canaan to jfraelj^and although the a(flu-
al polTclIion of that land depend^uj)onjtheir^
faith
:^L E T T E R S:.
fa-ith and the obedience connecled wich it]
their right ftands fo tirDi,-that even in Baby
- ion, they could rtilj_call [uJea their owiLiiiiid
'rhecafe is thie r^i-n^JlJlL By unbelief, rejec-
'sing the Meffiah, they have been long fcatter-
e J like vagabonds among the nations, yet ^RIc-
fes affures them, that if they returned to the
Lord their God, and (liould obey his voice, hs
would return and gatherjhem fromalI_thena?
tions, whither he had fcattered them. Not
only fo, but he adds, " If any of thine be drU
** ven out unto the outmofl parts of heaven,
" from thence will the Lord gather thee — and
" will bring thee to the land whieh thy
* ' fad-ier_pofIHl£d^nd__tliou - fhalt poilefs . i t."
Deut. XXX. 1 — 6. Here k no time limited;
but if at any time, during"the exiftence of that
people, they Ihall obey the voice of their God,
their rcftoration to Canaan is certain : and that
this (liall happen in a yet future period is in-
difputably evident. Mofes, in his fong, (Deut.
xxxii,) fpcaks of the ftate of the Jews, after the
coming of MefEah and the calling of the Gen-
tiles, for fo Paul explains verfes 21ft and 43d
in Rom. x. rp. xv. 10. There Mofes fore-
tells their fcattered and wretched (late, during
I 2 the
loo LETTERS,
the times of the Gentiles •, but concludes wltli"
a predi(flion, that at the laft God *< will be
>*' merciful to liis land and to his people."
[Both Canaan and Ifrael, then, have ftill a pe-
culiar relation to God — the cne is flill his land,
and the other /^/V-neo^le : and mercy is referV'
UyCd ^oj^o^h^'W^i^^^nd h^ fjiall this hap«
pen ? IMeaanfWers, " Ifrael flvall_abide many
* * daysjvlthout^ikin^^
<* — afterward fhall the children of Ifrael^jrg::
** turn, and feek the Lord their God, and Da-
*rvid their king; and (hall fear the Lor d^ and
*' his goodncfs in the Ir^tter days." Hof. iii.
4, 5. Zechariah alfo informs us that at that
time Jerufalem (hall ** be lifted up and abide
U in her place : the jufl fhall dwell in it, and
*^ there fliall be no more curfe, and no more
** the Canaanite in the houfe of the Lord of
** hofts." Zech. xiv. 10, n, 21. Then, fap
God, " I will rejoice in Jerufalem^ , and joy^
" hiniy people ; and the voicej^weepingJIiaU
" be no more heard in_beTa nor^the voice^
<« of crying/* If. Ixv. 19. TIm^^£eriodj__the
time of the reftitution_of_anj]ii^^ Js_not yet
come: but come it fhall, Jehovah will haften
It in Its time.
Of
7'
LETTERS. lox
Of this period all the prophets fince the be-
ginning of the world have fpoken. We. may
explain away the plain obvious fenfe of. thefe
prophecies as we will, to fait our fyftems, ae-
commodating themto events whick have already
happened, but ail in vain. While the NewTefta-
ment writers (Rom. xi. 2. Pet. iii. 13. Rev.
chap. 2ifi: and 22d) alTure us that this period
is ft'.U future, it is vain for us to perplex our-
felves in- wrefting the fcriptures. For this pc-
riod Ifrael are preferved a dittinct people^ fe^
parated from all the nations, whither thej;_are,
fcattered in theevil day. God has (hut__th£m
up in uabelief, only that they may obtain mer°-
cy.
helrprophecies concerning the humble^
fuifcring ftate of Meiliah are hid from the
minds of the Jews. Here lies their error:
hence when Meffiah came to his own, his own
received him not. But all their ideas of his
glorious appearance are jufb and accurate. We
laugh at the expectations of Ifrael j but their
hopes fliall not be difappointed. They expeft
Meiiiah to appear in glory, in the clouds of
heaven, that they (liall fee him and know him ;
that he will come for their falvation and toJ
^"^^ — J 3 ^^^i^g j
lis e-N
0^
102 LETTERS.
ring them to their own land, while all hi
ncmies ihall be deftroyed. ^the^rophecies^
fy thefe expeiSlations^^" They lliall look upon
(^ ** him, whom they have pierced and they {hall
" mourn," as Saul their pattern did, when he
faw him. Then God " will avenge the blood
•* of his fcrvants, and will render vengeance
** to his adverfaries, and will be merciful
•* unto his land, and to his people.'* When
the redeemer comes to ZIon to turn away
( ungodlinefs from Jacob, then " all Ifrael fhall
** be faved." lam, ,„- . — »-^
S I R,
Yours, &c.
LETTER VIIL
SIR,
X KEATING on the two covenants, the
earthly and the fpiritual, you confider the fub-
je<^5
LETTERS. 103
jciSts of the latter as having no right to the
promifes of the former. Earthly blellings
were promifed to the Jews only, in which pro-
mifes New Teftament believers have no inte-
reO:. The promifes of the old covenant, you
fay, were " carnal bleflings in earthly places,
** refpe(Sling only a profperous life in the earth-
** ly Canaan •, tj}e_fubje6ts, ofl^hjch were the
« flefhly feed of Abraham." Letters, &c. p.
^4> ^5* "While the promifes of the new
<« covenant are fpiritual bleflings in heavenly
" places."
This idea Is very common : let us fee whe-
ther it be juft. We have feen the two promi-
fes, or the two great branches of the original
promife, conveying earthly and fpiritual blef-
fings, both fo connected together that they
have never been feparated, from the beginning
of die world to the firft appearance of Mefljaha^
In Jefus Chrift all the promifes were originally
laid : and Paul tells us, that when he came,
'^ jnhim aU^the promifes are_jea and ajnen."
'The promifed blellings, then, muft be all in
him ; and hence one would be apt to conclude
that believing in Chrift, we are ftill heirs of
the promifed blefling?, whether earthly or fpi-
yitu|i^B"eli€Ying ia Chriil; Abraham had the
promife
104 LETTERS,
promife of being heir of the world : but It
feems now this promife is long ago fully accom-
plished, and is no more to be looked for in
Chrift i although Paul aflures us, that they
that are Chrift's are Abraham's feed, and fo
heirs acccrding to the promife.
The promife that Abraham fhould be heir
of the world feeips to be much miftaken^. ift,
It is imagined, that the country promifed to
him was only the jarid_of_Canaan) properly fo
called^i and doubtlefs this land was not obvi-
oiifly included in the grant, when God faid to
him " I will give to thee, and to thy feed af-
" ter thee, th^knd oftliy fojoumin^s^ all the
" jandof Canaan." In this refpedl the promifs
was fulfilled in tlie days of Jofhua, when Ifra-
el got pofiefTion of Canaan. Yet this was but
a fmall part of the inheritance intended in the
grant. In Ex. xxiii. 31. God fays " I wjU
*' fet thy bounds from the red fea even wntQ,
** the fea ofthe Philiftines, and fromjhede-
** fart untotheriv^ i" /, e. thydominions
ih alTextendJronObeJRed.^^
terranean on the weft unto, the Euphrates on
the eaft. This promife wasj^t accompliflied.
until the days of Solomon^ who, we are toU^
*^ reigned
<^"l E T T E R S. ^ 105
'* reigned over all kingdom?, from thg river
■ *' (Euphr.Ues) uiuo the landofjhe PhiljjVine?,
" andj3^ino the border of Egypt." i Kirgs,
iv. 21. — Yet even this dominion, exteniive as
it was, is but an earneft or fpecimen oT the
purchafed poflclTion, or of the land conveyed
jy; promjfe. Paulfajs_jhat_Abrahai^^
hejt' of the world ^ and not o nlyof_^a_Jima U
country in it : and that the whole garth was
intended by th e^grant^ which God_gave him,
is clear from the interpretation of it given jQ
h|s Jfeed^ Chri{l_ Jefus. When he rofe frora
the dead, the fure decree was declaredto him>
orhe got the fiire mercies of David. A part
ofthat^decree, or of David's mercies, wejiavg
inPr._lxxii. S^ " He^fhajj^ha\Lg dominion al-
*^ fo from Tea to fea, and from the river unto
*' the ends of the earth." ^Solomon enjoyed a
part of tliis, but Jcfiis got the whole: as it is
^y^:itten in Pr ii. 8. Szc. " Afk of me and
" I will give thee the heathen_foi' thjne inhe-_
** ritance, and the uttermoft parts of the_earth
''"FoTa^^Jcflcfi^^ Thus the whole omh^^
given to the feed of Abraham. .
ThuTthTland ofCanaan, ftriaiv fo called,
was but an «arnefl: or fmall fpecimen or fample of
the
ic6 LETTERS.
the inheritance given to Abraham and his -feed
by promife. Salomon had a far larger donriiniori
given him; and Chriil: is made Lord cf^ the
whole earth.
This_ isjiot aH. iVb ra h a m^x plained the
£romUe^asji^ea4i£^^Jai^^ ^%_YiSWi.4
it asj^pix>mife_o£_a^better country even an hea-
venly_one. Such a country he and the other
patriarchs fought, as v;e are cxprefsly told,
Heb. xi. 10, 15, 16. They fojourned in the
land of promife, as in a ftrange country, look-
ing for a City which hath foundations, whofe
buUder and maker is God. Thls^cirg^was not
i n Jjie_^Qanaan j jvhich Ifiael^ inherited of old •,
for we are informed it_ was prepared Jor theni
in that country they de fired, evcn_2hejieavcri-
Jyi„JIuJ-fc~ Ascertain proof tliat_the heavenly
^ountj'yiyasincUided in the promife. Abra-
ham fought this country by faith ; and this
faith was lratab?lief^fthe proi^^
If this country, then, had not been meant in
the promife, his faith_could avail nothing.
2dly, This promife is explained__as_meant to
be accomplilhed tohis feed^j_nQt Jo_hIjmfelf^
inpcrfon^ This fcems not^ja-taljy_with the_
terms of the grant — " I will give unto tbeey and
*■ ■ ' — ^^^ »<^unU)
<f?L E T T E R S. IC7
<* unto thy feed after theg, tl^e land of Canaan."
Gen. xvii. 8. FauU^^oJnjbnn^usj^
ham was railed to go out unto a rJace, "which
** ht fJjDidd afterreceivefoi' an biheritaTice.^^ Heb.
xi. 8. But this land to which he went out at
the call of God, he has net yet received in
perfon for an inheritance, even an everlafting
pofllflion j £onfequeiuIy he jnufcjreceive it in
a future period^of which I fliall treat in a lit-
tle.
3dly, It is averred, that the earthly promife .
belonged only to the carnal, and not to
the fpiritual feed of Abraham. That the
Uml-~^£^Qansan__,was- only given to the be-
1 i e vjng feed , de{cended__fiwi_thatji^^
patriarch according _to^the flefli, and__notjLQ
the children of Jiis jaith amongjhe Gentiles
[s abundantly evident. AtJ^aft to^thcjornaer
only it was Riven . before Chrifi: came. But
we have feen that the promife to Abraham
made him heir of the whole world, when un-
derftood in its full latitude, yea it extended to
heaven itfelf. In this view, all the feed of A-
braham, "all that are ChrifVs, whether Jew or
Gentile by nature, have an equal title to the
inheritance promifed to their father. This is
fo evident from Paul's reafonings iu his fourth
chapter
io8 L E T T E R S.
chapter of the epiftle to the Romans, that it Is
furprizing hov\r men would mifs his meaning.
In V, xiii. We are told that " the promife
'<. thar he ihould be heir of the world was not
** to Abraham, or to his feed through the law,
** but through the righteoufnels of faith. For
** if they which are of the law be heirs, faith
** is made void, and the promife made of none
" effe<rt. Therefore, V. i6, it" i. e. the pro-
mife that he fhould be heir of the world,
as no other is here mentioned, *' ^is^offaith,
** that it might bebygrace ; to the end that
" the promife might be fare jo, all ths ie^d/*
and left we fliould dream that this inheritance
belongs only to the feed of the circumciflon,
be adds " not to that only which is of the law,
"bat to tha^t alfo which is of theJaUh^^fAb-
'^ rah am, who is tjie father^f jis all." It is
certain, then, that the promife of the world
given to Abraham is given equally to^all his
believmg feed^ Such as were of the law had
poiTcffion of a part of' it, but the whole of it
belongs to fu ch as beheye. As the inheritance
was not of the law, the law could not diveft us
of our right : and the gofpel or new covenant
IS fo far from cutting off our title to the earth,
that
^LETTERS. TC9
that it lilultrates aad confirms our claim*, r.fTu-
iMn^iistjKit_allth^^ amen
in Ci^j^^fttojiU the ked.
This is the exj^rcfsjJoch-iri^QJ^tl^^ T:>i-ophets
and of the atSoftles of Chrift. That the meek >
( ftiall inherit the earth, when the wicked fhalL
be cut off is foretold again and again in David's
Pfahiis : and that the "whole earth fliall be
given them for a pofTeflion is clearly expreflld
inDan. vii. 27. " The kingdom and dominion,
*' and the greatnefi of the kingdom under the'
\ *' whole heaven, Ihall be given to the people of
^ *' the faints of the mofi: high, whofe kiiigdoni
\j^ ij
" ij an everlaftin^ kingdom^^^^his fhali hap-
pen, we are told, when *^ the judgment fiiall
*'' fit, and they fhall take av/ay his dominion,"
the dominion of the bead, " to confume and
<• to deftroy it to the end." This is the beail
of whom Paul fays, 2. Thef. ii. 8. " whom
" the Lord will confums with the fpirit of his
" mouth, and deitroy with the brightnefs of
*^ his coming," — Such is the kinjzdom given to
the faints, according to the GId Teuament
prophets. Nor is the New Teftam.ent lefs ex-
plich^ in afcertaining our title to the earth.
When our Lord isopeninghis mouth toproclaim
no LETT E R S.
the blcfTings of the gofp-l, he does rot Htr
that his friends fliall fojourn on the earth as
Grangers, or even have a refidence in it only,
but " blefled are the meek: for they ihall in-
herit the earth/y^MattTv. 5. This predic-
tion we know is not verified in the prefcnt
ftate of things, as all, even the bcft, are but
Grangers and pilgrims on the earth. But Pe-
ter informs us that this happy ?era will com-
mence atthe dfflpjmion ofjhe pjefent fyflem \
when God will create a new heavens and a new
earth, a£corduTg^jtoJ}]s^j)r£m^, If. Ixv. 1 7.
Ixvi. 22. This is the hope, not of fuch as fliall
be born at that period only, but of all the faints
All are reprefented by Peter as " looking, for /
" and hafting the coming of the day of the Lord,
*' whereinthc heavens being on fire fliall bedifol-^
** ved, and the elements fhall melt with fervent
** heat, the earth alfo and the works that are
** therein fliall be burnt up." This, however,
fhall not make void the promife of God, for
*' ncv^rthelefs ive^ according to his promife,
*^ look for a new heavens and a nev*r earth,
<« wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs." This was
the hope of cliriftians even in Peter's time,
ipr he^adds ** wherefore, beloved, feeing that
s
<9 L E T T E R S.
look for fuch things, &c." 2. Pet.
Ill
:; ?
This hope is coinnion to all the re-
deemed : and hence is made the fubjedl of their
fong. Rev. v. 9, 10. ** thou haft made us to
** our God kings and priefts : and ive Jhall
** r^i^jT^ the earth.^^ This niuft be in the
new hea-^ens and the new earth, according to
ithe prophecy of Ifaiah. c. Ixvi. 21, 22. — So
true is it, that of " the time of the reflitution
1" of all things God hath fpoken by the mouth
^* ofjjiUiisjiQly^i'ophets, fincethe_\vorId began .*^
Thus ti'.e church of God has, in all periods,
a title to earthly as well as to fpiritual privi-
lege?, an earth as well as a heaven. Edeu
v/asjliit^owenjojj^^^ : and Edea
tlien was a f^y^cjnien of what the vvhole eartli
fhall be in the ;:rocers of Aoes. Therpiritual
bldnngs man enjoyed therein made it alfo an apt
figure of the new heavens, as well as_of the new
ear t Ik ^Ehe throne of G06, the river and tree
of life^_thej3]tffiri^s_£f_jh^e_j^^ all
defi. ribcd in terms obvioufly borrowed from
tlie riate of thiiigs in Eden. — -The fame may
be faiJ of Canaan. This land was difponed to
I fracl, both as ajjiec^men and figu^re_of_llig^
new heavens and new earth. The Terufalem
K 2 built
112 LETTER S.
bulk ill it was a fi.^ure of hgavcnly thin^p^ or
cf that new Jcrufuk'm, wliicli fluH corr^c down
TFom God out crTTcavcn, to be the glory cf
THc new earth. Rev. xxi. lo, ii. Then the
tabernacle of God fliall be with men, and he
iliall dwell with them ; wl^en he fhall have
made all thins* new. This new Terufalem i^
preparing in. heaven — it is referved i£J_Jhea^^
for us ; and hence is called the heavenly Jeru-
ialem, a cityno!^^o£ this, bniluing ; but at laft
flie fhall come down from God out of heaven,
that the nations of them that are faved may
walk in the lij^hj^tji_ereof. Then all the king-
doms of this world iliall become the kingdom
of the Lord and cf his Chrift, and the_ faints
in all r e i g n\ v i t h h i mjg n t h e ea rtii . This king-
dom, perhaps, fhall at firft only extend to the
utmoil lines of the Roman empire, v/here the
papal authorityhas been acknowledged. This
i t .-isprcbable^^
the faints flir.U reign with_QlirifL a ll;ouiancl
years •, while the civil powers or beafts beyond
that boundary, in the four quarters of the
world, fnall be in perfect fubjet^tion to Jtfus,
being awed by the .fword proceeding out_of_his
mouth, or by the terrors of hisauthority^ This
feems
(iOl E T T E R S. 113
feems to agree with Danlci's_dercription, c. viii.
II, 12. When the judgment lits and the
books are firft opened, v. 10, only the Ro-
man beaO: is flain, and his body deflroyed, and
given to the burning flame j while his kingdom
is givenjo the^Taint^ cf the molVHj^i, v. 27.
yet after this we are told, that as to " the reft
" of the bcafts they had their donriinion taken
" away; yet their lives were prolonged for a
" feafon and a tiiiie," oj,tiiUh£jhourand years
\v£reeA£|rech_Rev. xx. 7,8. Durjng this pe-
riod all jFiefe^doniinions fl^all ferve and o-_
bey Chr^ii>, Dan, vii. 27. fo that ^^jhere^OiaiL
*' hi one Lord and his name Qnc>" Zech. xiv.
9. Again, at the end of this feafon and time,
the rebellion cf thefe other beafts or nations
fliall bring en the general judgment, the final
deftru£i:!on of the world cf the ungodly; and
the new heavens and new earth fh all appear in
full perfection, when " the finner fhall be con-
*' lumed from the earth, and ill men fliall no
'^ more be." Pf. civ. lafr. Thus he will drive
out the Canaanites before us by little and little,
until " there fhall be no more the Canaanite
" in the houfe of the Lord oi hofls."—- This is
the cverh'ling kingdom of quv Loy£j7^
K ^ Chriil
114 LETTERS.
SliiB^^Jlli^J^iislL?" abundant entrance ftiaU
be iTiinnn-ed to all tjiejaints of God.
|3utjrou^UMJj^^ will not pro\;e that
believei;_s ij[LChj;iil: Jhave an}- prefent ri.^ht to^
an eartl^ly inheritance. To this I rejjjy — The
earth is ..^iven to Chriil: for a poniiTionT and
tonfcquemly to hisj)C0£h? ; for hehas dir^oned
to theni a kingdom evenas_tlie f.uher has dif-
]Toncd it to him. But^here is ajlifference be*
t'weciiar^j6/and^^ AUthekingdcnx
on earth belong to Chrifc by rieht, but he fuf-
fers Ills enemies t op 0 fie fs tji^m ^^refenty un-
till the time appointed by the ..father. His
f<unts, then, cannot inherit the earth untill their
I^ord Ihall take, to him his great power and
reign J for they canonljj[xign_j\j^^^ In
the meantime they mufl: be in fubjetTiion to
the powers that are, andjli_at by^heir Lord*s
authority. He is prince of the kings of the
earth ; ruling in the kingdom of men, he gives
it to whcmfoever he wills. His people, tiien,
haveno bufinef? to oppofethefe, to whom their
Lord has been pleafed to give the kingdom' of
men. Yet fiiir this kirigdorn is difponed to
them, and tliey Jl^all poflefs it r>t Chrlff s ap*
f carance and his kingdom.
' ^ ^ " To
4^. L E T T E R S. 115
To uncierfhind this fully, we nuifl: att(=nd to
the caic of Abraham and his iti:d. He had
the grant of the land of Canaan given to him
and his feed, when he came out of his native
land, yet when he came to th'e land of promife,
he was but a flranger and pilgrim in it, having
not a foot of property fave a burying-place for
himfelf and family ; nor did his feed get actual
poflcfiion of that inheritance, till 430 years
after the right was confirmed by God jn Chriil,
In like manner they that are ChriiVs and fo
Abraham's feed, muft fojourn as firan^ers in
the earth ; they muft ferve, likeljrael^ the Pha-
raohs and Nehudiadnezzars of the world, who
have now aflii6led and opprefTed them for,
many centuries. The chains of the fpiritual
'Eabylon and Egypt have, indeed, been broken,
and liberty proclaimed to Ifrael for fome time
paft, yet ftill the wiidernefs is before them,
wliich they m^ft pafs before they can enter
the promifed inheritance^ Sucli the prefent
ftate of things is to the chriftian : and fuch the
coming fcenes wiihbe, until JJie^time of the
reftitTjtion of all things. Then " evil doers
" fiiall J)e cut off; Jerufalemjliall be built on
«' her own hill, the joy of all the earth. The
meek
ii6 LETTERS.
" meek fliall inherit the earth ; and ftiall
" delight thenifelves with tlic abundance cf
TVusjh£2»2]^j^lJ|£^^^
\vi<h faithful Abraham. V/'c are heirs \vitli
him of tli_eJanie^_£romjr'", and lltall Jit down
with him in tlie kingdom_of God. He mud
enjoy Canaaninperj^ ; fe^l^^ojijiii " unto
" theejvnil^ivejh]^^ 'rhe^Jame pro-
"IliiiiiiklXi-^iiiLU^^^^ik^* Tlie promire^is^iu
Chrill, and in liim we obtain the inhcrit;\nce»
Not an Inheritance in the prefcnt conflitution
of the earth, referved for fire, and foon to be
melted with fervent heat. Neverlhelefs we^
according to his promife, look for a new heavens
and a new earth, whereia dwelleth righteoui^
nefs : and^all^ fliall have^^^thejr^dwelling there^
who^ love L'is bkfiedname ; each flanding in
his ov/n happy lot at the end ofj^he daj^
O let me feek the city's facred heiglit,
Whofe walls eternal, on foundations firm,
No gnlphs e'er threaten, and no florms can fliakc !
Whofe gates are glory, and falyation ilrong
Ker tow'ring bulwark. ^ Where for ever ftines
The Light himfelf, ador'd ^ and on the jufl
Four?
LETTER S. J I?
Pours an imfading hc^m, jeompkating dl
The prpphet'i pi^mnife, and the patriargh's hope.
I am^
S I R,
Yours Sec,
LETTER IX.
S I R,
XxAVING examined the Abrahamic cove-
nant and found that its two promifes are but
branches of the great original promife of the
fi^d j that both are lodged in Chrift, in whom all
the believing Iced have a right to both, and
that in all the ages of meafured duration, un-
til the kingdom fliall be delivered up to the
father — I propofe now to review your ideas of,
what the fcriptures call " the token of that co-
*' venant," even circumciiion.
In
! i 8 LETTERS.
In your 7th letter to Mr Glas, yon have ex-
prelTed your views en that point clearly enoiif,li.
** (r;fCun:>ci{lcTi was hereditary, to the old Ifra* ♦
*l£l> ^"^ ^y God's appointment entailed on
*' ^i€ir^_^fli]j_f£ed--T,h5^^^
** born of the flefli^ — The ordinance of_clrcurnj
*' cifion belonged only to^the tempoxaL^pro*
*' n^ife, ?.nd tiiej£n^oj^_tj:^ca^l__j;eh^ be-
** twjxt GodandAbraham^s feed according^J^o
"Th?lS^^IlTl^r~fle'fliIy birth iuffi£i£ntlxjii&r
" tinguifhcd the rubje<5ls of circumcirion— To
** parta!^^of t1Ttr''pnvil£g£^ it wa2._il£n^^3JXi-
«< they (hould be the ikOdy ktd of Abraham.^'
p-Tpsr —^ - " '
Such is your opinion : and it mufl: be own-
ed it isv neither /7C'y^/ nor ^/;^w/jr. Mr Booth
has quoted a multitude of celebrated author?,
all agreeing with you, on tlie whole, in your
ideas of the Abrahamic covenant and its token.
Error, however, cannot plead prefcription •,
nor can all the writings in the world change
a falfeliood into truth.
ift. According to you, circumcifion belong-
ed only to Abraham's feed according to the
fielh-, which llelhly birth fufiiclently diftin-
guithed the rubje<3:s of circumciuon.— Here a
- variety
,f)l. E T T E R S. 11^
Tariety of difficulties occur. Did Abraliam be-
g>et Eliezer of Damafcus, and all the fervants
of his houfehold, born in it, or bought with
his money ? Yet were not all t]\efe command-
ed to be circumcifed at the f:.me time with
, - ^-— - ■ — ■ ■ -— ^ V
himlelf and his feed ? G».^n. xvii. 12, 13, 27. ]
Now as we xre told, (Gsn. xiv. 14.' thatjip :
h^daneaft3i8 men-fervants trained for war,
befides children, all fons of the ilranger. not
V. ' _ • ' ~ ■
of his feed, is it not evident that dejcent froin
Abraham'-s flelh cave no exclufive title to cir-
^^mcifion ; y_ea that one onjy of his feed was^
cTrcumcifed at iirft, while above fcur^hundred
Gcntllcs received the fame token of^the cove-
rant ? Again, every profelyte from among the
Gentiles to the faith of Abraham was circum-
cifed in all the ages of the Jewiili ftate ; fo
that many thoufands received the token of the
covenant, who had no flefldy_conn_e6tjon_with
Abraham. Every fuch^profeljte too^ had _a>
right to circumcife his cl^ild. Was this by
defcent from Abraham's fiefh ? Befides, was
anyfTranger of any nation, Amaltk and afew
others excepted, excluded fiora the congrega-
tion of the Lord on profeilin^ the faith ? Or,
-£«>uld they be fidmittcd to thr.t congregation
without
120 LETTERS.
witl\out clrcumcifivon ? IF nof^Jhow diJ << the
** fleflily birth fuiTiclentlydiftihguilhthe jubjeds
" of tiii-^ infrituticn :'/ — What abfurdity fo big
*' tl^at prej-'dke cannot fwallow !
2ndly, You fay, That *' circuaicifion was
*' hereditary to old Ilrael and entailed by God's
" appointn^.ent on their fleOily feed.'* — How
then did Ifiir.iiel partake of it^ who was -not of.
Ifrael at all ? How couwl Abraham g'-ve3_ or
400 (Irangers an equal iliare 'nj^jv]tih his own
fon ? The fame thing was done by his pofteri-
tv in future ages. It Teems Ilrael niuft have
been complaifant indeed, when they admitted
ftrangers fo readily to fhare with them in an in-
heritance entailed on them by divine appoint-
ment! MoreoveVi if they inherited b^^entail,
the privilege was unaliena^lvjfixeiljn^the^^
fons. How came they then to lofe it ? Thej
are Abraham's flelhly feed ftilli yet Paul tells
them they are now the conciftm only, and not
the circuuiciiion at all. Philip, iii. 2, 3. Now
believers in Chrill: only are the circumcifion.
Again, Efau loll his birthright, for himfelf
and his oiTspring, and confequently all title
to circumcilion as a fign of right, to the
temporal promife •, yet was not he and his fons
of Abraham's flelhly feed as well as Jacob ?
c^LETTERS. 121
3dly, Xgu^avery That circumcifion " didln^
** guillied the flelhly feed^of Abraham :" yet
we hav€ Teen multitudes circumcrfed, andthat
by divine appointment, who were not of Abra-
ham's feed. How could this badge diflirguifh
Ifaac and Ifhmael from the fervants of the
houfehold, bought with money, or begotten
by flaves ? The Egyptians, Ethiopians and fome
others prartifed circumcifion alfo. Mud: they
too be fi>t-un2 from Abraham ? Yea, anyiruii,
ofanyjiation had a divine title to circnmfiilo^i
on profeffing the faith of Ifrael : could t\\\i_
make him the offspring of Abraham's fl-jih ?
4thly, You confider circumcirion as a (iga
or token of a right to thetemporal pron-.ife, or
inheritance of Canaan. It was certainly then
the fign of a He. Iflimael was circumcifed by
divine appointment, and yet at thefametime
God excluded him from any title to Canaan,
or any temporal privilege of Abraham's
covenant/ Tlie fan-ie is true of Efau and
all his pofterity: they were circumcifed, but
had no inheritance in Canaan, Prcfelytes,
too, were circumcifed, as were the flaves and
fervants of Ifrael, yet this rite conferred no
right on them to inherit the land given to If-
L rae].
122 LETTERS.
rael, as I have already demonftrated. — Your
afiertion, then, is Co paradoxical, that I know-
not how to make either fenfe or truth of it.
5thly, Circumclfion, you fay, wa^jJign__Q£_
the- old covenant, or*'belonged2othe^^
* ' ^^^ promife" — ^the promife of the temporal
pofTefiion of Canaan. — This is a leading prin-
ciple in your fyflem, andasHochjiieritsj^p^
ticular confideration. "What renders it at leaft
doubtful is, that Paul tells us the old covenant
was not made tUl4^oj3rs_after_th2^ whgl£-_
of circumclfion was the tokcn^ andjusjn^iker
informs us that circumcjfiaa-^iagj^not of hlo^
" fes but of the fathers."' — Add to thTs,^wgen^
the old covenant was ratified no perfon was
circumcifed at all ; yea for 36_year3 after thisj
circumclfion was in defuejudg amon^^ vj-p^j
until they had arrived at Canaan.^^lt is not
cafy to fee, then, how this rite could be the
token of that covenant, fince it was not per-
formed, neither at the ratification of it nor fo
long after.
The truth is, this matter hitherto has been
altogether miftiaken. The temporal promife
given to Abraham, which was the bafis of the
Sinai covenant, is to be found in the 15th'
chapter
\
._ ^LJE T T E R S. 123
chapter of Gt;neiis. There we read of a gr^it
or covenant God gave to Abram, faying ** un^
" to thy feed will I give tliis land/' marking;
out iit the fame time, the boimdciries of that
tcniporiil poflefiion vvitji tlie utmofi: accuracTa
and afcerraining the period of entry to the pof-
felnon of the promifed inheritance, v. 13 — 21.
Oj^thjs grant Abrann defireda token, faying»
** Lord God) wl'>ereby ihall I know th^t_I^
" fliall inherit it ?" v. 8. On this occafion
God fliewed him the token, the fymbol of ra-
tificanon, in a yifion.^ A facrifice of beafts is
ordered, that Abram might fee by vj\\ztfymbcl
his feed was to take infeftment of the land,
when the promife fhould receive its final rati^
fication at Sinai. Here is not a word of cir«
cumcifion but of facrifice.. The blood ofbcaf^Sj
not the blood of circumcificn, v/as the token
or feal of that old covenant.
.V - _ -
The covenant, whereof circumcifion was the
ft^fj^ is recorded in the 17th Chapter of Gen.
This you call the old covenant, which has
now vanilhed away with it^fymhol. AlTertions,
however, avail nothing : Let us examine its
contents, that we may fee what it really is,
L 2 ift,
124 LETTERS.
I ft. The prcmife or grant here given by
God to Abram is — " Thou fhalt be a father, cf
" many nations — I will make nations cfrhee.'*
T. 4, 5, 6. Now, whatever reference this may
have to the numerous ifllie of his body, yet Paul
ailares us this was not the principal bicfling in-
tended in the promife. He quotes this very pro-
mife in Rom. iv. 17. and explains it in the moft
unequivocalterms. Abraham ** received theji^ji
•' ofcircumciiion — thathemlght^be the father
** ofallthemthatbelieve, whetj^ercircumcifedor
** uncirVamc^^d^—Who is the fatherofjis_al]^
** as it is written, I haveinadetheeafather
«* of many nations." v. 1 1 — 17. By this grant,
then, he is not m2d^^^_hthcr_oi_3,^czrr^^
believing feed, but of a believing; feed among
all nations, even of all who waJ^jiLllvcJleps of
bisjaith. This promife ftands to all generati-
ons, and is moft fully accomplifhed under the
pew teftament difpenfation. Is it pofiible,
then, that this can be the covenant or grant,
which waxed old and vaniflied away in Paul's
time, while Paul aiTures us, that it^onlx-had.
begun to receive its fuU a^ccompliOiment in rhrit
very period. — This grant, then, is not the lame
with that in Gen. xv. as this laft relpedhonTjr
his
^LETTERS. I2S
his natural feed, who {hould beiieve, convey-
ing to them a temporal iiiheritance : whereas^
tiie promife under review reipecSts all that be^"
lieve, whether Jew or Greeks This promife,.
then is the fame with that recorded, Gen. xii.
3. " In thee fhall all the families of the earth
" bebleiieJ"; and confequently is the bafls of
what Paul calls the NewTellament or Diatheke,
2ndly, In this grant we find aUo the promife
of the land of Canaan, v. 8. " I will give to
" thee, and thy, feed after thee, the land of
" thy fojournings, evenVd the land of Canaan."
Is not this, you wHTlay, the old covenant ;
the lame with that mentioned in Gen. xv. 1 8
— 21 ? I anfwer, It is not. Thejeed there
fpoken__of^is_evjden^ the natural feed orAb-
ram, and none elfe,— a feed who were to ferve
l^Egyptiang, and^ agicled 400 years ;j^^
ter which they (hould come out with great fub-
ance, and enter Canaan in the fourth genera-
"i5.— iiuTthe leed Tn
tion^v. 13—16.— ij-j_t the; fegng^nrrrrTth
diapt'eiMncludesaH believers ; to all whoni_A^
raham is here conftituted a father, as we jiave,
^a^^^eadyj^en. — The Canaan, too, defcribed ia
chapter 15th is the land which was given only
tolirael after the Udh ; partly in the days of
1 3' T^hii^,,
226 LETTERS.
J[ofhua, andjjie_remainderjijj rcign of Da-
v^d and Solomon. This was but a pledge and
figure of the land promifed in Chapter 17th.
The^Can^anjdifponed here is an inheritance
fcetoalUhe believn^^ So.
Paul explains it — "The promife that he fliould
** be heir of the World is of grace, to the end
** that the promife may be fure to all the feed»
** not to that only which is of the law, but to
** that alfo which is of the faith of Abraham^
**^[ho is the father of us alL" Rom. iv. i?»
j6. Now jf ajl the ^believing fg^d (hall inhe«
rit that^Canaan i this cannot take place till thefe«_
cond appearance of Mdjiah^ as they will not
^ — ~ ■ ~~ —
be all born before that perJQ^. When he
comes men will be marrying and giving in
marriage. Confequntly, the land here pro-
xnifcd is the inheritance refcrved in heaven for
us J a_kjn£doniwhich ihaU appear jyifh Chri{\
inthe new heayens and ne^^arth. — In this
fenfe Abraham himfelf underftood this pro-
mife ; for he fought " a better country, even
«* an heavenly :" and if his God had not pro-
mifed him fuch a country, how could he feek
it in faith ?
Id
^L E T T E R S. 127
In correfoondence with this view of the_prQ;^
miicd land, it is faid to be piven " for an ever-
^^ laftin;' jDoileilion.'^ v. 8. and Xu^ -^rant dij^^,^
pofing it " an everlaftina covenant." No fuch _
epithet is conferred on the covenant in Gen.
15. as it only granted the temporal poiieflion
of a fmall p^rt or fpecimen of Abrahaai's in-
heritance. — To get rid of this argument you
aver, that " this covenant is called everlafting
*[ vyith refj^f^ to the antitype." — How jejune
and evaiive this comment ! h overthrows the
, faith of chriftians. The new roven^rft ir. ral.
led the everlafting covenant. This by your in«
terpretanonmeans a covenant of fhort durati-
on. Faresvel, then, ye fweet hopes of the
gcfpel ! — Poetry may admit of fuch liberties of
expreiiion, but law requires words and phrafes
of the moft afcertained and unequivocal fenfe.
Now the grant before us is written in the ftyle
cflav/j and confequently in terms of no ambi-
guity.— A mercv it is you was not made a law-
yer ! Every Chart er, conveying property In fee
Jlmple or for evermufl have been explained by
you_ as a Tach of limited duration.! Or are the
words bf God kfs accurate than theie of men I
128 LETTER S.?^
3dly, The antients only got -a- ;;^-ia nam?,
when cxalted^to higher ofri<S;es,.j;e.laiJons or
honours, ot when fome new re-Hwr-iwble event
had befallen them. Herc-Aiaraham receives a
new name, exprtfTive ofthe new dip^nity con-
ferred on him, as iianding In the relation of a
father to believers in Chnil of all nations. _A^
certain evidence, that this is a new covenant
far more honourable than that granted him in
the i5thCha£tefr
'4rmy, In this grant Cod fays ** I will be a
'* God to thee, and to thy feed after thee — I
« will be their God." v. 7, 8- This promife
fays, I ft. That he would prepare for them a
heavenly city. So Paul explains it, Htb. xi.
16. " They defire a better coentry, an hea-
** venly : v/herefore God is not afiiamed to be
" called their God ; for he hath prepared for
*' them a city." The feed mentioned in the
grant is all the believing~feecrPwhg never can
meet in any one city in the prefent world. 2dly,
It means the refurrecTtion from the dead to life
eternal, that they msy eiijoy the eternal inhe-
ritance. So our Lord explair^ it, Luke, xx.
37, 38. ** Now that the dead are raifed even
** Mofes (hewed at the bufh, wh^n he calleth
^, L E T T E R S. 12^
" the Lord the God of Abraham, Ifaac and
** Jacob. For he is not a G-od"'df the dead,
*' but of the Hving." All, ftTXT^^^' Jehovah
is a God mufl: be'raifed from the dead; for
he is net a God of the dead, but of the living.
— This is the promife our Saviour has promi-
fed us, even eternal life. Thisjhen is the co-
venant of better hopes.
5thly, It deter ves obfervation, that God chills
this grant by the diftinguiflied epithet, my^jove^
nant_. Thus he called it when he eftablifhed it
\yith_^Noah^ Gen, vi. i^. " With thee will I e-,
Qablifn my covenanjt.'* Thus he calls it when gi-
ven to Abraham-^— " Behold my covenant is wijh.
thee. Gen. xvii. 4, 7, q, io, i^^ i^. Thus al{a-
when he fettled it in the time of Ifaac. He
had blefTed lihmael, and promifed to make him
a great nation, v. 26. But, adds he '^ n]v_.co_-
*"* venant uUTT eftablifli with Ifaac." v. 21.
This muft be the blefiing God gave by promife
_to Adam, the fv^ed Chrift^ whom God calls
hi^Beritli, given to the people. He isjliecentre
of all bleilings, and the channel through which
all flowto the Tons of men. To givehimallthings
then, i^s t-QRive all things with him. V»^ are in- _
formed by Paul, that the promifes were alliiri6Hy
.'Tpeakirg,
130 L E T T E R S.- •
Tpeaking, made to him, and that in him they zre
all yea and amen. Sothat v/herever he was,
there were all the promifes. Ace o r d i nglvwe
find^the whole grant, recorded irL.this chapter,
jummed up in the BTQ^'ylk-^sIjLf^"? ev^^^ ^^^^^^'
with whom God propofes to eftabliih his co-
venant J or, in other words, to make ^cod all
his promifes by fending his Ton on the line of
Ifaac, of whom as concerning the flefli Chrift
^came. — This is what Paul calls preaching the
gofpel to ABrohamT This^Abrahani beheved^
andjt was cou n t ed to h imjorj^iglvteoulne^
As this patriarch's faith mufb have corref-
ponded with the revelation God gave him, we
can eafily fee what were the articles of his be-
lief. He believed, ift,Th^thefhould_Ji^vo
a fon in his old age, evenJUaac; 2ndly, That in
his Hne the Maliah, the feed of^tiig^proiiiye*
fliould take fidli •, 3dly, That this feed fliould
be made heirof the world, or of all things ;
4thly, That alljhe families of Uie earth fnould
be bleifed in him with a part or_lot in that in-
herijance ; 5thly, That he and all who belitved
this record of God in every nati^n^fhould in-
hv."rit thefc promifet^ and conjeqiiently b^rajjed^
from the dead for that purpof^.— Such was the
^'^-' '^^-'""TSR'
^LETTERS.
i<i
faith that faved before Chrift came : -fmrh -is:-
^ - ■' ■« - — *- ■■ . I.- — — .- — ■ '^—^ —
the faith tjiat f;we?; ftil|. Abraham ^believej.
thiit tlie proaii'fes Would be acconiplirned: we
beheve that the feed is come, and that all the
promifes in him either have been, or flialj__be__
fulSfled in their time. Thus there is but a cir«
cumflantial difference betwixt the faith of be-
lievers in all the ages of time. ^
\ This, then, it is manifeft, is the conftitution
I'of which Paul fpeaks, Gal. iii. 17. " Thus I
** fay the covenant that was confirmed before of
*' God in or unto Chrift, the law which'was
*^ 430 years after, cannot difannul, thatitj
** (hou!d make the promife of none effe^t/yTlie
plan of heaven for the falvation of niai]fejid_
was made known by a royal edifV, ^30 years .
beiorelhe law, or bindi conftitution, was made,
and was never intended to be altered by the.
law of Mofes. What' Jeremiah and- Paul call
and /q/ff7e given, in term s'-pf the difpofiticn
lodged with Abraham, 'to' thefe^ \vho beli£a£d.
in allnations. The_j;eceivifig of the promife
oTthe fpirit through faith, writing the law_
on the heart, is the principal part of this neg^
" covenant
132 LETTERS.
r¥ant ; and this 'is exgrejU^ called " The
** bleffing of_Abraham cogye on the Gentiles
*^ throngh Jeflis Chrlfl." Gal, iii. ^4^
Such is the covenant, of which circumcifion
was the Jigfj or token ; not a conflitution which
waxeth^^old) but a covenant_^\vhlch flandsjp a
thoufand generations. — The only argument
you adduce in fupport of your opinion is, that
circumcllion is enjoined in the law of Mofes,
(Lev, xii. 3,) from whence you conclude, that
itnuift be the fi^^n of the^Sinai-cpvenant. A
ftrange argument this ! In thejame law we
have another command " Circumcifejhejore-
** ikin of your heart : and ^be_no more HifF-
" necked/' Deut. x. iQ. This is a law of Mo-
fes: conrecjuently by y.our argument, it . to^
mufi: be a f:gn of the old covenjmt ! The taith
is, circumcifion isno \vh»re called the fign or
token of the Sinai-covenant j^ nor is- it-fo-much.
as mentioned when the people were taken into
that covenant. Tiw4>kK)d of bulls was the fole
lignpf lirael's en-te^4t-ig into that temporary
conftltution of thin<;s.- Ex^xx'^v.
Let us, then, take Paul's plain account of
this inftitution, and we may be afTurcd it will
bear the ftrideft fcrutiny — " He received the
" figa
LETTERS. 133
•^^ fign of circumcifion, a feal of the ri.^hteouf^
** ncfs of the faith, which he liad being uncjr-
** cumcifed " Rom» iv. 11. It was a fiPn and
feal, not of thejric^hteournefs of the law, of cf
any r/'z^t to privileges ^gonferred by the law^
but of the rigjiteoufneis of the faith, or in o-
ther words, of a ri^t of pure grace. — Xhis ^
ihall be the fubjecl of my next. In the mean
■time I remain,
SI R,
Yours, &c.
LETTER X
S I R,
JL HILOSOPHERS and wits of the infidel-^
clafs have long confidered circumcifion as a y
fabjeiH: of derifion. An operation, fo indeli-\
cate and To needlefs in their view, muft be un- )
M wortlij-
'34
worthy of Infinite wifcfom : and indeed if thj)
end and defign of that appointment be not pro--
perly attend^djOj^eyen thejvire_aruJ good muil
be^puzzled^ j^n accounting for its propriety.
Your ideas on this^ head feem to me:jverYL_ab«
furd — calculated only to darken the fubje^l.
Indeed if human- autliorities^could juftify your
miftakes, you can produce an abundance of
that kind. Your brother Mr Booth has per-
formed this fervice for you, in his Padobaptifm
fxamined, Sec; in which fifty eminent authors
are quoted in fupport of your opinion, whofc
ideas on this point I now propofe to examine.
ifi:. By your opinion, circumcifion was in-
tended to be ** afign^^of__£^m2/^j£^Cvi[X^' or oT
defcent from the flefh of Abraham: — If_tlus
was the intention of God in ^pointing cir-
cumcifion, it never did no^ could^anTwer its
end. Even Ifaac by this mark could not afcer-
tain his defcent, as all the numerous mal^fer-
' vants of the houfehold worejthe fame badge.
' Any man of any nation might become a profe-
lytc to Abraham's faith ; and every fuch pro-
fely t e waj circumcifed. Was- tjiis_a_b adge_of
carnal defcent? Com man fenfe will make a pro-
2ndly,
/<? L E T T E R S.
US
Sndlv, It was a mark of nat'wtial diflirMlof
or a (JiAinoulfhing ■charaBer of judaifnh — A
Grange blunderjj'iis ! How^^could_jiii]s^
guifh irratWjwi_the_Arabs, Egyptian^, Edo-
mites, INloabites jn^d Ammoriites,— all of which
pra^ifed circumci{ion. "^The circumcifed pro*
felyte, too, was not ccnfidered as a riatiye_o£
Judea, but was ftill called_<* ajlraiigcrjbjoiirn-
** ing with Ifrael." — A^certainjevidence tliat
this rite was pever intended as a mark of nati-
<^ »< — — —
onal diRinction.
3dly. You conilder it as a fign of a right to
the tcrreOrial inheritance and temporal bleff-
ings promifed to Abraham, If To, it muft have
been fuch a token to Khraael and the fervants
of Abram's houfehold ; and confequentjy was
the fign of a Ik ; asjh£j]iromHe^ jhe_^^
pofTeiiion of Canaan was confined to Jfaac and
his_ddcendajnts. Tenjhoufand^orelytes, too,
were circumcifed y none of whom had any
claitn_byj)romire to the temporal inheritance
difponed to the feed of^faac in the old cove^
n^nt. ^0 abfurd are all your ideas on this
££intj^ So dargerous is it to leave the plajij
tract of fcriptiire; and to follow the deviouj__
M 2 paths
136 LETTERS.
paths of Hypothefis — an j^msj'at uusje J uc i>i g
us m^^oji_£iia^^mire_c^
We have feen that circumcifion was made
tlie iign or token of the everlaftiiig covenant,,
given to Abraham. Its defign in general, then,
mufl have bsen to confirm the faith of Abra-
ham and his feed in the truth of the promife,
and of right which they had by faith to all the
romifed bleflinps.
ut to obtain a full view of this fubje^l it is
neceffary to undcrftand, ift, What in thi^s co»
ye£a2it_circumcifi^^ 2ndly, What,
it fignified or fealed with rerpe<fi: to God ; 3d-
ly, \^Qiant^£X2refied
ciied ; — attending at the fame time to the pyg-
^r/^-^^ofjliisjgn for anrwerin^_the{e_Jeveral
purpofeg.
1. The leading pr^mjfe ji;iven jo__Abraham
was thit of Meiliah, the feedjo^whom all the
^projnifes are made, tal^^ng flefli_of_Jiis feed ;
and as this was the principal part of the cove-
nant, we may be fure circumcifion was chiefly
intended to exprefs or /v:^-.>2//ythat ^orious facfV,
This is what Abraham believed, when it was
reckoned to hjp-ijorjiglueoufncfs^^
3 — 7, And Paul tells tis that circumcifion
* ^ ' was
JfPr, E T T E R S. 137
wasareal^of j^Iie rLghtepuriiers_Qf the faiths
\Yhich he had before he was circumcifed ; con«
fequemly it was a fign of this very fa£l, which
believed produces the fame effscV, a fenfg_of^
riRhteouffielsor acceptance with God, in the
hearts of all the children of the promife. In
this view, how proper was the fign of circurn-
cifion ! S£^led in ^ the hill of _the foreikin/'
th^ appointed vehicle for convej^ngjhe elements,
of human exiftence, it lively exprefTed theje_
Uaths, Meffiah was to be a man and that he
y'ould take flcfli of the feed of__Abrahani. —
Wifdom herfclf could not have chofen a morg,
exprefiive fiizn.
2. CuUm^^off^heJorefK: in this Tle\7, e-
vident]2;^^exprdl£dt in which the
3\ldliah, the {zt<\ of Abraham, fhould convey
the promifcd bleilings to niaiskind \ even by
bcin^ _^"^ ^Q death in the flefn, cut off from
" 'iHJ^^^*^ of the living, or by the blood of his
*liI2Hx ^NotT^^MTblrtir^
by jhe blood of his cutting off^ orjj^ the cir^
cumcHioncf his liefh by death, does the blef-
£ng of Abraham come on all the fpiritual feed,
nJence his blood is called *' The blood of the
> " New Teaah^cnt," the true feal of the Tefta-'
jr*€nt given to Abraham in its new ftate^ where-
138 LETTERS.
^J3Jiiil£Si3.£!3I?JiU!X-^nainiik^ to all, the_
children of the promife.
3. Through this blood of Mefiiah's death,
or cutting offj the body of the fmsof our fiefh
is cut off alfo, or " our old man is crucified
** w'lth him." Rom. vi. 6. Believing that he
was put to death in the fiefh, we arm ourfelves
with the fame mind, and are difpofed to give
up this mortal body with all its lufts into the
hand of God, that it may be deftroyed, that
henceforth we o^^^Jjot fgrve fin. That^^kr
ciimcifion was intended jo^be_a fign of thisj 15
iitteficd both by Mofes^and Pauj. " Circum-
.^_^-0' cife or cut off," fays_Mofe3, " the^foreildn of
^ j !<' ^mjriiearts?_Deut. x. j6^ " In^ whom
I ^ '■«« (in Chrifi) alfo ye are circujiicijed with^tjie
L 1^!** circulTlciil^n^^deJ^^^ *IL£^yi5^
I I V^ off the body.ofj^eJins_oLthe_%fh, bj^the.
\J, J^" circumcifion of Chrift," fay s Paul, CoLJu_
^X^ii. .Here it is evident, tliatj^utting off ihe
V ' ^- > bodTinwhich fin dwells is the thin^fignifieJ
V^'^ |by circumcifion^^djhat this is e^aedJLbyL
vv \^l»^^^Tg7i7^^^ ofChria," or b^isjieajh^
K \%'^' ''^^ is repre^Tented both_ by^circumcifioji_ai^
^%ba?.tirm. It is alfo plain from thefe texts that
'i I^^^T^ofes calls '' the fordkm of theheaiV*
vNi
/'^LETTERS. 139
Paul_ca]IsJt_^Mh£boc^^
" — our old man.'^ This- outward man muft
be pat off, that the inward man may exert
Ivimfclf in all the delightful exercifes of divine
love. The heart, eullaved by the fl'efli and
its lufts, cannot love God. Hence, fays Mo-
**' heart to love the Lord thy God with all thine
'* heai;t, and with all thy foul Z<z'' Dcut. xxx.
6. — In^this vie'Vj_ how expreilive was x.\\t fi^n
ofjcircumcHion ! So obvious and ftriking is tl^ie
?.nalogy, that I need not enter on parti_culars.
11. "With re_rpe(5i to Go-J, thij^inftitution
figmJiedj^^^CiJeal^ hi£_firm_£urpQ(e_to fulfil all
that he had promiled; that he would jendjhii
fbn of Abraham*s feed accordm^_to^he fieflij
2nd that all t he other bk f Ungs^gro niife d_ni£ul^
be conne£led with and conveyed^
hrcugh hii
Moreover,^ by giving this fign to Grangers, not '^^^ t
of Abralianij^ feed by nature, he evid-ently in-'^^X^
dicated his intention to confer the b! effing of H fc ^
*_^— ^ — — ^ ^— It I >^
Abraham on the Gentiles as well as the Tews, K\ %.
-— InJ^erms of the promife, in tlrvJeecWljjjj. J j^^
afuhTfamiii^^ Alfc? g^^X
by beftowing it^n infants^ he fliowed, that f
«^ of fuch is tlirkbsdoiirS~G7d/^ r^^¥^|->l
140 LETTER S.
III. With regard to the perTjns circumclftd ;
every adult by fubmitting to this operation
profefTed faith in the accomplifliment of the
promifes made to Abraham, thatjhe_SaviouE_
were conn e^^ed with him. In this rcTpe^ the
circumcifer J^^^_the_circumci|ed_jft^^
'he rite itfelf was a fign and.feal of the right- ]
feoufnefs of the faith, or of our juftiiication by /
f a i t h . y\Iu s_it^_fi^nifij;^^
!lij^"_^ .to his houfeholj. It is not prob\ble,
that any adult would have fufFercd Abraham
to perform fo painful an operation upon him^
had be_n_ot bejieved_in^h.£ divinity of its in-
, ftitution, and been inflru^Tted jt lea ft in its^
principal defign.
.^ But you CT^ji " circumcifion is indeed called j
^'" a fcal of the righteoufnefs of the faith j but '
'* it was a feal only to Abraham ofJjia_^wn _
4*^ith/^He received circumciiiGn as a " fa-
** thsr to his natural feed as fuch." p. 60, 6t,
So you and many bejore you have faid. But-
let us hear Paul — " He received die iifin of
*' circumcifion — thai he might be the father of
" ^// them that hilieve'l ^Vulwefpe6Llo_cir-
cOmciiion, then^ as well as ungircum9ifion,-he
/A L E T T E R S. 141
W3S a father only to them that believed. Now^
did his natural children as.fuch believe \ if not,
how could circunicinpsi ligiiify that he was a
father to his natural feed as [uch] Since it only
denoted him to be ^he father of believers ?.
This circumcifion evidently pointed out — tell-
ing his natural offspring that they could not
be counted as Abrahani's feed, unlefs they be-
lieved in the feed of the prbmife ; m__confe-
quence o£ _wh ich^elief_he himfelf had been
circumcifed. Not as a natHral btft- as a hejte^
vin^ father did Abraham receive the fign of
clrcumchion : confequently none could be his
children in that refpecl in v^hich he vv'as cir-
cumcifed, but fjch as^-eljeved^s he did. — Thjs_
13 the uniform dcclrine of Pauly^^Ie aUures
the Jews, that where faith in the Meffiah is
wantirig, outward circumcifion cannot denote
any man to bj the feed of Abraham •, as it
was originally intended to be a feal of the
righteoufnefs of the faith. Ke never was a
Jew who v/as only fuch outwardly. — This is
com.mon feiife y _^ , ^ —
EuMiow abfli^rd is your liypothefis ! If Ab-
raham received circumcifion as ^ natural hthxr,
T»hy did he cTrcun\cife th« fervants of his houfe-
hold,
142 LETTER S.
A^^I}> i£yGuridea be Juft, the blcflin^s of tlig
covenant whereof circumcifioiL-was the fign
!?}HJLJ1^Z5J£^"^-H^I^^JH1J^ entailed on Abra«
bam*s pofterity as yj^r^^wjiethcr they believed
or not. Why then, did God exclude Ifhmael
and Efau from thefe privileges ? Why did mul-
titudes of Ifrael fall in the virilderners, and
came fhort of the promifes ? Why exclude all
the unbelieving Jews from all thefe privileges
for 1 700 years ? Are they not Abraham's na-
tural feed ? Your hypothefis can furqifh you
with no anfwer : butwmildj^ouftoop^o^
Paul, he vv^ould tell you, no pr o f c fi edjin bel ie^
ver had any title to circumciflon or the bleflings
it fealed. Hence Iflimael was caft out becaufe
he perfecuted the child of the promlfe with
cruel mockings ; Efau, becaufe he dcfpifed the
promifed Ctcd ; Ifrael in the wllde^nefs, " be-
** caufe they believed not God, nor truAed ia
*^ his falvation j" the Jews after MefQah came,
becaufe they beljeved not that Jefus of jJaza-^
rethwa2d2£_?liEiiii, ^"^ ^'^'^^> " This is the
** heir, come let us kill him." Thefe have prac-
tifed circumciiion, but ic is of theEg^^^li^^il-
kind, not Abraham's j the concj/tGn, a
mangling
/^/LETTERS. 143
mangling of the fldh, not: a fign of the right-
eouinefs of the faith, which was the circum-
ciilon given to Abraham.
.^Bij|,tj:^iJLidlJLx£|2l; — Where are wfi toM tjiat
Abralj^ni^ fervantj believed \,<sr coulcLdllM^-^
ren of eight days old believe? Yet thefe were,'
circumcifgd. How^ th^gn»_was this rite a fign
of their^ejig v i n g \ ^
The fcripljjie^frords us a full and plain an-
fwejr to thefe quefiions. ** Jehovah faid,\
** fhall I hide from Abraham the thing whicl^
«* I do: feeing that Abraham fliall furely be- (
" come a great and mighty nation, and all the \
*•' nations of the earth fliall be blefled in him ? )
** For I know him that he will command his (
** children and his houfehold after him, and
** they {hall keep the way of the Lord, to do
•*jnfl:ice and judgment; that the Lord.jmay'
•* bring upon Abraham that which he hath fpo«
<* ken of him." Gen. xviii. 17, 18, 19. Here it is
I evident, ifl:, That the promife given to Ab-
[ raham was conne»5led with his faith, and that
I it was to be fulfilled to him only through his
^ fidelity in teaching his children and houfehold
the way of the Lord, and commandingthem
v,'to v/aikjn ity^ndiyTAscircumcifion t\'as tlic
T44 LETTERS,
/■leal of tills Yerypromife, it muftalfo have been
/ conne(5lecl with this faithj_jn_all^ that received.
X it. X3dly, As inimael the Son was now thir-
j teen years of age, he and all the fervants of
/ the houfehold muft have been inftru£led in the
/ way of the Lord and v/alking in it at leaft by
external profeflion : "I know," fays Jehovah,
I ** tliat lie will command his children and his
'** houfehold, and thej^JhalLkeej)_Uiejway_of
^^ die Lord/* Confe<]uemlj^ey received cir-
cumcifi^na^ of his faith, and not, as
you and your brethren aver, wlietlier they be*
lievedjorjiotr The fame was the cafe with re-
gard to all the Grangers in the houfeholds of
Ifr^el afterwards: none of them were permit- \
tedtoprofei^ idoIatry^/"^fuiTy7 Infants were
[Commanded to be circumclfed not fimply^on
account of the^farth of their parents^ .^^^LJ^
caufe the education ofthe children in that faith
made it certain that this would be tlveJlaith of
the children. y/!rhat the faith of the parent
will be the faith of the child while in youth, is
ss certain as that a believing parent wilTteach^y
the faith to his childreny^^llence^wexan call
an infant_or;a_behe^e£^_belieyln^^
niuch propriety as v.'e can call it a rational
' ~ creature.
/^LETTERS.
"tD
creature. That it will believe,
profefs the faith is as certain as that it w:
. know and
rei-
to circumcifehis infant-ieeJ, not becaufe they
»„,-—*« — -— ■ .— - . .
were his natural feed, but bscaufe he kne^T
»i " • — "* ■■ -. ■ ^ —
that he would command his chiluren, ^nd
theyjhould keep the way of_theX^QrJj to do
j u itice and judamfnr^
'he houfehold of Abraham was an houfe-
hold of faith. None could receive its privile-
ges or continue in the houfehold but on 2. fnp-
pofithn of or^pr^/ej^ion_o{jh^_j2^ The cafc_
ori(limaePputsj:his beyond all doubt. While
he profelledjDr_didjK)t dem^ie faith he was
retained in the houfehold : but the inftant he
began to difcovcr jiis inficlent2_by_Jco^ng_at
the leed in whofe line the premise was about
to be fulfilled, and fo mocking at the faith ^
Abrajiamj_h£_w^scaft_ou^ family with
indjgnation, and circumcilion became to him
as uncircumcifion.
2ndly, Abraham's circumcifing the Grangers
in his houfehcld, and their fubmitting to be
clrcumcifed, was_an_obyigiisJ/o-;/, on the part
cf^oth, thatthey believed that Tews and Gen-
tlleslisd an eqv.al claim to the bkiTings fealed
N
by
14^ LETTERS.
by cjrguniclfion. This at leaft was the megtt-
i£^_of_th5^_a6tioii. The promifed blefling was
that Abraham fliould be the father of many
nations, 0£ that in hjs feed of the line of Ifaac
al^l the familiej gi_ tlig^ earth Jhguld be bleiT^d.
CHLjJbJf-CI!Z£II2!lL rirriimrifinn wa<; t\}e f^f^^
and how properly did it exprefs the thing lig-
nified, beings adminiftered at the fame time
to__"[ew and G^nlile ! So_gla]n|y_wiis_-this_iJd=t
lowfhip of Jew_and Gentile pointed out jn the
pnmaryjnftit^^ It was af-
terwards^ loft indeed _by^jhe_|)ride^ and igno-
rance of the Jews; and_^fo_becaiii_e._a^my{^^
hid from ages and ggngrajionij. u£til_it was a-
gain manifeftedjo the apoftles of Chrift^
3dly, Submitting to be circumcifed, as Ab-
raham was, was a^^«^of^yjg^on_to,d2£)L_as
he did. Abraliam's faith in the promife dif-
pofed him to obey every command of God ad-
drefled to him : and our Lord tellsthe Jews
<« Ifye were Abrahanys chjldren, ye would do
<* the works of Abraham.'^ Hence when the
Mofaic law was added 430 years_after^thist cir-
cumcinondenoted their obli£;ationjo obey this
alfo^. It was added to the promife, and fub-
ferved the accomplidiment of what God had
' fpoken
/jf)^LET TE R S. 147-
fpoken to Abraham concerning the feed about
to come and the bleffint^ in him. This it did
by commanding men " to keep the way of the
" Lord and to do juftice and jugdment." In
this view Paul teftiiies " to every one that is
** circumcifed, that he is a debtor to do the
" whole law." Gal. v. 3. — l£^th]sj-ef£e6t_cir;
cumcifion was connected with the law o£_Mo-
n the above view of things, the ends and
purpofes of circumcifion indicate, the higheft
v/ifdom and defign^ — Worthy to come forth,
from the Lord of hods, who is wonderful in
counfel : whereas all your conceptions of that
fubjecl are triflins;, abfurd and inconfiftent.
Before I conclude, I cannot help animad-
verting with fome acrimony on anotlier com-
mon idea of the defign of circumchion, as if
the fupreme Lord had intended thereby to fix
a ftigma of infamy upon the appetite, organ
and adV, by which he had propofed to carry on
his procefs of creative power in the continua-
tion of the human fpecies. Every perfon of
common underftanding, attending to what has
been faid, will eafily fee, that the very reverfe
is; the fa(^. That which itr.pedes the joy and
N2 effed
148 LETTERS.
tffcOi of this procefs was indeed Aigmatized
with infamy, being cut off in circumcifion ;
but the/f//;/ left by tliat operation, — was cvi--
dently intended as a fign of honour, — of no lefs
honour than that reiidting frorn^ conneclion
with_that feed of Abrahani,_on whom the hap-
pinefs of mankind depends for eternity. Had
God corninandelmiis mark to be imprinted on
the heathen, there might have been fome a-
pology found for the above opinion ; but to i-
magine that when he intended to confer the
higheft honour that ever was given to man, the
honour of beinigthe father of that feed in whom
all the bkffings of heaven were lodged, that
he at the fame time, as a fignofjlijs_ dignity,
£xed a mark of infamy upon the very vchii/e
and'''^g^by\\jhlch he pro£ofed_Xo accgmplilh
this glorious purpofe, o£^^to^onyeyjhis_bleffir^^
to man, — is certainly the fpawn of monat\ic
celirium, hatched in the darkefl: cell of fuper-s-
ft in on— a frenzy happily unknQ\vn in Ifrael,
v.'ho viewed it as their hi|Jtiefl: honour, to have
zn ciTspring, numerous as the fand on the fea-
{Ivcre, — as the liars of heaven for multitude.
I am,
S I R,
Yours Sec.
LETTER .
LETTERS.
145^
LETTER XI.
I
SIR,,
PROPOSE in this epiftle to review your
ideas of baptifm, and the objecSlions you and
your brethren produce againft the argument,
taken from circuincifion, in fiipport of infant-i
baptifm. .
In p. 66. of letters to Mr Glas, you tell us.
— " The fpiritual ittd of Abraham are heirs
according to the promife, to whom belong all
fpiritual privileges, baptifmjjnon^^^^
Had you profeiled Qijakerifm this propofition
would have been entirely in character. If bap«
tifm^byjjie^Iol^vSpirit, exclufive of water, be.
the whole baptifm inflituted by Chrift, then
undoubtedly baptifm is a fpiritualjbleffing in-
deed. But as baptifm with water is the onm
fubje(Sl of difpute between you and your oppo-
nents, it is hard to conceive what idea you an-
»€X to the above words. ^^/You conlefT^thaF^
^3 ' baptifm
i^o LETTERS.
baptifm means^itmnerfion in water. If fo^ I
own I am too dull t^^ppr^h^nd anyjpiritualir^
ckher in the water^orL_iiU^ie,a£L-of immerfing
}n it. If the fpiritual bleflings conferred by
Jefus Chrift be all of a piece with this, they
vnJUvaibusJM^. Simon Magus was baptized,
who was ftill in the bond of iniquity, deftitute
cTtheJ^im. The law had diverfe baptifms,
yet thefe Paul calls <<^cai^ial^_oniinaiK£LJl
Wh£njyater^or_di2Eln£jnJiL^^ fpiritual,
I_knowjTot . -—]ij2}i^^^Y2-b2j^u{mJ^^^
aldejl^nj (o had all the vvaihings appointed by
the law ; in_ which refpedl the lavv^is faid to be
fpjritual. Evej-y fuch v/arning_pointed to the
office of Pvleliiah, whofe bufinifs_Jt is to give
tlvejpirl^ cleaniir^^
parated fromtlie^rpirit, asjt is in innumerable
inllances, baptifm now is no lefs carnal than
any one of the wafbings^jniiituted__by the law.
— So great is your m'flake with j^efpe;^: to_the_
nature of baptifm. Yet^his_falfe notion^_to-
gether with your^miiconcc^tlo^^
the defign both of circumcilion and_ba^liibi^ is_
jhc foundation- of all_joui^ arguments againft
the idea of the fucceiilon of baptifm to circum-
■^"^ ^ ~ " ^lUon i
>y L E T T E R S. 151
clfion J or that baptirrn ferves the fanie_[^urpo-
fes in the Ngw-Teflarnent iiate of the church
.» which circumciilmi aniwered in the old.
Your arguments on this fubje<rt I now pro-
pofe to confiJer : nor (hall I here confine my
enquiries to yours only, but fliall alfo animad-
vert on thofe of your brethren Mr Booth, D'-
Anvers, Venema, &c.
I ft, You aver^ tliat baptifm belongs to the
true Ifrael, the fgiritual feed, whereas circum-^
ciiion belonged to tjie ^jpj^^jjjf^^li Lett. 7. p.
57. A grols ni[itake indeed ! By the typical
ITrael you mean the unbelieving IfraeU bornjof
thcjiefh, andjo fiefh g/;/v^; inapjpQrition to_Ii^
rael born of the fpirit. hjcertainly, then, djd^
not belong jo Abraham, for he J^eHeved Cod
and i^cdved^ircunKifiorLasa fign of this faith.
Norcouldjtbelong to Ifaac, who v.ras born by
gromhe. But I need net infift on an abfurdi-
tj) io_^funy_e2^Qled in the prececling flieets. —
The Jrmlws^ircumcifio^ to none
but to the houiejiold of fauh^ anxj io in_this_
rcfpecl: differs nothing from baptifm. ^
andly, Circumciiion, you fay, belonged to
the old covenant, but baptifm to the Jiew. —
In thJg you err^ not knowing the fcriptures. I
have
1^2 LETTER S.
have fully proven, that although clrcumclfiorv
** was re-injoined in the law o( Mofes, it was not
** of Mofes but ofthejathers." It was not a fiftn
or feal of the lawgiyen at Sinai, but of the_gofpel _
preached to Abraham. I add^ ^u may as well
fay thatbaptifmjwas a fign of the old covenant,
fince, although it was not of Mofes but of the fa- .
thers, yet it was taken into that ceconomy, the
law confifting " of diverfe bapii£tns/^ \Vith_ref-
pedl to its nature and generaUmport^ ba£drmhas_
been the famein_all_ages. None dared to ap^ ,
proachjGQd_witl:iout waflung in water under_
the oldcecpnomy inore^ than^ under _the
new. There is a difference between an infti*
tution connedled with the old covenant for si
time, anda^w_££6\v/igr to it. If you infec
that circumcifion was peculiar to the old cove--"
nant becaufe enjoined in the law of Mofes, you
muft alfo conclude by the fame confequence
that " Tjioujhalt_loye^the Lord_Lhj God witU
" all thine heart*^ was alfo peculiar to that con-
ftitution.
3dly, You, Mr Booth, aiid many authors
quotedbyhim, a^ree that 3/>//j of_the fefi gave
a claim to circumcifion \ \\^hereas_^W/4_or_
regeneration
^^L E T T E R S. 153
rf£Cfi£rati:n onlY_rurnirh a title to baptlfm*
Hence it is concluded, with an air of triun^ph,
that baptifm has a defign totally different from
circumcifion. It is truly aftonifhing with what
infolence you and your brethren talk on this
f u bj e cc . Mr Booth (Pedobaptifm^ p. 3^^^.^—
averSt that x'ibraham^s male infants^ a^.d even
adults,- were entitled to c!rrnpi^;irinn, " niere^-
*' IZJi^ v^^J^^^ of their carnal defcent. This_right
'* they enjoyed independent of ran(StifYJn^^ grace
"either in themfelves or their parents ; and
" even detached from every idea of a pjietenfc^.
" on to it, in the one or the other. Nay, the
" domeflics of Abraham, whether born in his
** houfe, or bought with his money ; whether
** in a carnal or- a regenerate ftate j were as
" fully intitled to this rite as their venerable
riafter>l^— impious aiTertions, though pro-
duced by p'ous writers ! — Was circumcifion ap-
£C^inted without refp^Ji: to Abraham's faith?
Does not Paul fay that he received it as " a
^' Teal of the righteoufnel^s of the faith ?" Hov/
then could his feed j-iave a ri^ht to tliis rite
" indep'^ndent of faith cither ia themlelves or
" their parents, and even detached from every
** idea ct a pretennon to ir^, in the one or the
other
154 LETTERS.
** Slhp^ •'*" Dj<J not Abraham receive thisjSgn,'
that he might bejLhg jather of all them that.
believed in the circumcifionj, mnrenvprj JL if
indifputably evident from what I have faid
above, that none of his'ofFs2rrng.w;ere circum-
cifed without rerpe<g:_jojheirJaitlu If any of
them apoftatized from the faith they were com-
manded to be cut off from among the people.
^^^f^S!J^£I!_^^^!}iiP^£J IP keep ^h^e thef
jfaiih of the coming of Meffiah, the great prg-/
[mife to which it was annexed^ Withou t_thi 1:
Itwasjjncircuni^^
reafoningS) Rom, ii. The unbeliever, who did-
not keep the law, or the fpirit and defign of
the law, as a pedagogue leadings to Chrifi:^ ne*
ver was a Jew. The very infants^ were cir-
cumcifed wkh refpe^l to their faith. ** For I
** know," fays God, " he will command his
" children to keep the way of the Lord." The
fame is faid of his houfehold. ^hey were en-
titled to this rite as profefling the faith of Ab-
raham. None but fuch were allowed to dwell
in his houfe. *' I know him, that he will com-
" mand Ms hcufeholdy and they fhall keep the
*' way of the Lord, to do juftice and judgment.
His houfehold was the houfehold of faith : fo
^ ^ ~ loon
/^LETTERS. 15^^
'foon as luimael profefTed unbelief, he was caft
out from the houfehold and all its privileges.
Birth, m that refpe^, availed him notIiin£^:^r^
So evident is it, that the fle{hdj^_birth_n^veiL-.
gave any a title to circumcifion^
With refpecc to the defign of baptifm you
alfo greatly err — <vTnfnnndjin£r_t^Q things very
■^jHlMm^— ^ adminidra-
tion of it. Ba£tj{mMnJtielf, hjs .admitted is
a lign, as you fay, " of tiie remiilion of fins
<^Ty7h^e_blQod of Chrift ;" and in fum— " ofthe
*^ /pirit'ua/y etermdy and hvlfible hie [fin ^s of his
** kingdom." Th]s_j^cu_Jiave_jlii^^
great propriety, particularlyjn_ a late publica*
tion. But xou_miftake its figniiication with
reflect to the.pe^rfon baptized — i£iagini£g_that
it demotes his real faith or regeneration ; or
that^h^e is a real member of the church J^i;?^^
hkj^ partaking_of^aU her fpiritual, eternal and.
inviiible bleilinss.. On this abfurd idea, you
aver that^*' there is not the leafr hint given in
** all the fcripture, tliat baptifrn is appointed to
** be a^g/? and token of a perfon's belonging;
*' to the_ kingdom of God^sit appears in this
'** world^'* £°£i££lH£B!ly_^^i£l|^i5_^iif^^
"* Defence bf Belierer- baptifm. p. 15.
166 LETTER S.
chiircji.y If {oy then baptifm is appointed to
)eTRe /^^« of a //V, as in innumerable inflances
'even of the apoflolic baptifm, it was adminif-
tered to perfons in the ^all of bitternefs and
bond of iniqult^^J^When adrainiftered to Si-
mon Magus, was it zjign of his regeneration ?
You^wiIljiot_rav fo. What_then becomes of
your view of_[t3 iignification ? — You have a
flrange idea of Chrill:, thathe iftftitutes aa
ordinance tvhich cannot anfwer his purpofe !
According to your fchcme, you cannot ad-
inijriifter__^ba2Ufn^^
They muft not only appear to be of the king-
dom of God but berfa/UJo^ How then can
I you baptize at all ; unlefs you profefs to fearch
the heart and try the reins of the children of
men ? Mr Booth eliabiiilies the fame abfurd
idea — profefling with his favourite Fenema^ p.
274. that " it is not lawful to baptize 2iV\y one if
" he is not reallj a believer.y^T\\Q meaning is,
the apoRles and difciples of Chrift were daily
a6ling unlawfu'lyi in adminiftering baptifm to
multitudes, who afterwards drew back to per-
dition. Alfo, Jefus Chrift has laid his dif-
Viples unier a neceiTity to break his laws, by
commanding
^LETTERS. 157
Acommanding them to baptize none but real be- I
'* lie vers, while he withheld from them the pow- \
er of judging men's hearts — a power indif- )
penfibly neceiTary to fulfil his law.-yError h
always inconiiftentwith itfeTf, aluT always blaf-
phemes the condudl of Chrift and his apoftles.
The truth on the contraryis confiilent and
quite obvious. Baptifm belojngs to the vjftbjf
cluircJT^ and a vifihle fociety mud proceed 011
a vifihle footing in the adminiflration of her
ordinance. Real believing makes a member
of the inviiible church, but while this Is un-
known he is not a member of a vifihle church :
whereas a profeffion of faiths whether lincere
ornot^ makes it lawful for a vifible church to
adminifler thevifible baptifm. Thus the apofiles
aded, and they furely underflood their com-
miflion. By_d2e_ba2t]fm^^f_tjie_fpirit we_be--_
come members of the invifiblejcburcjbjnot ^o
byj^he baptifm of water. This_lafc is a fign
tliat the perfon baptized has profefTed the faith,
and fo is a fign of his admiiTion to the com-
munion of that vifible fociety, into which he
has been initiated. As the church loves the
truth he has profefTed, they mufl love him for
the truth's fake, fo far as they fee it dwelling
O . in
ISS LETTERS,
in him. Yet Chrift never commanded us to
believe that every perfon profeffing the fJt\\
and baptized is real/y a member of the invifible
kingdom of God, he has only commanded us
to treat him as fuch, till he evidences the con-
trary chara<ft^r\__ ,. — —
Thus circumcifion and baptifm have been
adminiftered on the fame footing, even a profef-
^/lon of the faith of Abraharru^ ^.
4thly, In conformity with your fyftem, Mr
Booth fays (p. 305.) "Baptifm is an appcint-
i-nent/>wr^/v religious, and intended for purpofes
eniirely fpiritual : but circumcifion had a poli-
tical afpedl, being a fign of carnal defcent, a
mark of national diftindtion, and a token of
intereft in thofe temporal bleffings that were'
promifed to Abraham.--*' That baptifm is an
in{Htution purely religious is_granted \ but that
circumcifion had any{uch_^g////'r^/ afpetl as 13
above mentioned is falfe, as I have atreadyj^roj-
V e d . It was , i n d ec d , 3_inark_jifL-diiliaci j on
between believers and heathens ; but_diiejiiiie_.
is true ofba2nfin. It was no markjofjiation- .
aj diflindtion, as many nQt_of that nation re-
ccivcd ir.. Nm; \vd,SA^^c/?aracIen/Iic o^ judaifm
(as Dr Erikiae pbrafcs it) in any_other_fenfe
thaa
>/ L E T T E R S. 159
than that m wl^ich baptirm is a characlcrift c
of clvj-iftiaiiity. No man was confidered as a
Jew who was not clrcnn-;ciied ; nor can any bs;
baptized, or at, lead is ready to fubmit to baps-
tifai. If the DG6U)r_irieans, that bapti(jn_is,
not a certain fign of real chriiVianity ; it is e-
qually true that circumcidon was not a certain
fign ofrgg/ - Judaifai. *^ For he is a Jew that
** is one irmardly, and circumcifion is that of
*< the fpirit.",
Bui, fays the Dodlor, " Circumcifion \vc\^
** preir^d an abiding mark: wh£reas__b34iuiin
** |mj>rdlesjio_abiding mark." This certainly
means, that th.is abidin^^ mark ferved to afcir;^
tain Ills defcent, both to himielf wl-.en r^rowg.
up__a£d 2i\(o to others. Thus D' An vers ex-'
plains it, and adds — By^thismark one knows
not only that b.e was a Tew, but that he had
-I - -<■ . •
a ri^iit to his father's temporalites. Strange i-
dcas thefc ! the daugh.ters of Zelophehad, I
^-2£poJ£>_were at no lofs to know their defcejit
or their right to their father's inheritance, aU:.
fnoiigh^hey had_liQ iuch marE As^ many
neighbouring nations, alfo, praaifed circumci-
Con, no man, merely by infpecling this mark
" aT~ hT
j6o letter S.
inj}i£ flefh, could_be certain whether he jvas^a
Jew by birth or not. In vainj^too, would the
ion of a profelyte have produced thjs marlr in
a plea of right to an inherijUnce-ia, Canaan. -rri
^o~evIdent is it that, by this_niarkj^ jig_jTian_
could afcertain his dsfcent either to himfclf or
to others.
"^njKI^j-dpe^V^then^^circumcifion had no
pre-eminence above baptifm. One^could^now
that he had beeji_circumcifed in infancy by_a_
1 ewjjpnl y by_£ji r ey i ous knowje d o, e^_of his dcC-
cent and by the teftiir.ony ofJj^edatorSi.. In
the fa m em an n ercai}_on^s_ba£tHm_jr^
be ascertain ed. The parochial regifter, with
the tcftimony of his parents and other witnef-
fes, renders the faft indubitably certain : where-
as although baptifm had imprefTed an abiding
mark on his flefh, he could not b^e 'certain
whether he had been baptized into the faith
ofChrift or not, as many pagans pra(Stife in-
fant-baptifm.
5thly, Venemay as quoted by Mr Booth,
fees a propriety in ** imprinting this mark of
** circumcifion in memhro genitalia as a fign of
*' a numerous offspring and of temporal bejie^"
** fits conne^cd with their very nattvity -," and
hen ce
>5^. L E T T E R S. i6t
hencelnfers that there Is no analogy betweeri
clrcumcifion and baptifm. — But did not many
Jews die in infancy without ifiue ? and of fuch
as grew up to manhood many hr.d few children
and others none at all. If circumcifton, then^
was to be a fij^n of a nurrierous offspring, jt__
was, in m^ny inftances the fign of a liej A--_
gain, what temporal benefit was connefled with
the nativity of a fLave, or the Ton of a profe-^
lyte ?_NQne at all.— So a^urd are the ideas of
Mr Booth's learned and^iudicious profeiTnrl.
Butvie\ving this mark as align of the diving
purpofe to raife up to Ifrael a Saviour of_lhg>
feed of Abraham, we at once fee an obvious
x_— — — '■ ■ _— — — - -
l^ropriety in imprinting it ^emtali membro.
Hence alfo we can eafilyfegjvhy no fuch mark
j^j_2pP2l£!l^- nosv.^ j(''TET^^rth^_jndicated by
circumcinon is already produced, and has open-
ly appeared to men. While the Son of the
promiie was yet the feci-ei Oncy the mark of
Taith mnhis appearance might well be worn in.
the moCx fecret part of the body ; but now he
is publicly manifefted his fervants muft wear •
his mari^ in xht'w foreheads,
^6Mjj^MrJgoo\\x^z^^s^^ baptifm fucceed^-
<' ed in the place of circumciiion^ how cam.e
"1X3" ~ " *^ ll:
i62 LETTERS.
** it about that both of them were in full force
" atthe fame time ; that is, fro^n__t^he__xaDis
** mencement of John's Miniftry ^c> the dgath
** of Chrill: V\ A more^abfurd queftion was nc;
yer put ! This author admits that the chriftian
bapt^fm was^not inftk^uted till after the reftir.
reflion of Chrifi: : how, then, coiild it be in
full force before his death ? I]he baptifm of
John was not Chrift's. — Of thefame^ kind is_
the queftion he adds — " Again : admitting the
•* fucceflion pretended, how came it that Paul
** circumcifed Timothy, af^r he had been bap-
** tized ?" I anfwer. If Paul had cir^urr]rifpr|:
Timotliy by divine authority, or h^d inioincd
the obfervation of that rite on all chriftians,
this queftion would have had fome foundation r
but we are exprefsly told, that he performed
this ceremony, not from confcience towards
God, but from maxims of prudence, " be"_
•* caufe of the Jews, which were in thofe
** quarters." ^^^y ^v^* 3*
T^hly^ D'Anvers^ays^baptjfm_does not an«
fwer the^nds of circumcifion,, rftl^ becaufe
" circumcifion was a fign of Clirifi: to come in
*\ the^flerh ; and baptifm. that he was already
<* come in the flefh, witneffing to his incarna-
"""^ <« tion
/^^ LETTERS. \6i
*^ tion, death, burial and refurreflion." — So,
far as it goes this is a jufl: enou^^h account of_
the defign of thefe ordinancei; but if the ar^u-
merit founded on it be jufl:, we muft^ alfo con-
clude that the apoflohc gofpeljiges^not anAver
the end of the Rofpel preached to Abraham,
^ . — — - — — —
becaufe this declares that Chrifl was to come
in the fleih •, and that teftilies that he is already
come, ^^.-^v^
2ndly, ** Circumcifion wns to be a partition
"wall betwixt Jew and Gentile ; but baptifm^
" teflified the contrary,." I anfvver, if this was
the deiign of circumcifion^ \vas^ not Qrange
that God, at its firfl: inftitution^ ordered at
ka{\ an hundred Gentiles toi?e circunicjfed for
one Jew ? An odd kind of partition this ! The
truth is, circumcifion was only a partition be-
twixt pro fefTors of Abraham^s faith and the
heathens ; and fuch is baptifm IVdh But as a-
ry man of any nation, profelyted to the faith,
has now a title to baptifm \ fo ha^d he of old
to circumcifion. . — -
3dly, He adds " circumcifion Initiated the
** carnal feed into the carnal churchy and gave
** the ma rifiht tothe carnal ordinances j but
<* baptifm gives the fpiriiual feedjxn entran^e_tQ_-
^- — - — ' " ' ""■ ^T^hT
I 64 LETTER S.
" the fpjritjm/ chur^h^ and a rjght to partake
* ^^ of \.\vt/pintual_grdina}n-iis, .' ' — TMs is all over
a mitlah?. Cii^cumcifion initiated men to the
Abrahamic churchy which ftood entirely by
faith. Was this a carnal church ? Had it been
intended as a fig^n of initiiition to the Mofaic
church, conftitutcdatSinai^ it would have
certainly been performed at the giving of the
la\y^ asnunibers of infants had been born fince
the Exodus from Egypt : yet this w^as fo far.
from being the cafe, that circumcinon was al-
together omitted during the forty years* journ«
cy in the wildernefs. S^prinklin^ with the blood
of bulls w^as the llgn of entring into the Sinai- ^
X^ constitution i as <:'■ retime iiion was the token of
faith in the promife. The law was added to
the promife, and the C\gx\ of the law to that of
the promife. — Again^Ifcirciimci^ in-
tended to initiate the carnal feed y Ifhmael and
his feed only had^__right to it. as they were
born after the flefli. Ayiij circumcife the fa-
ther of the faithful, and Ifaac the fon of th_
promife ? Surethey were not the carnal feed. —
Th e triUh_is^jrcunicifion_a^ were _
both inftituted fo initiate the profeflbrs of the
faith of Abraham into the vifthk church of God,
' ^ a?
//LET T E R S. i5f
as a fign oi ri^lu to tV.e yi/Jbk ordinntices. Thefe
ordinancss, though carnal or earthly in their
nature, were fpiritual_to ihe fpiritual under the
]^\ astheyallhad a fpiritual dengn. This is
ftill true under the gofpel. — To call I.frael the
carnal feed and members of vifible churches^
«- ^ — " — - — ■ — " — - ^
now the fi:>iritual, isjLlie higheft abfurdity.
Writing to the Corinthians, Paul fpeaks " not
** to them as to fpiritual ; but as to carnal^ and
'* babes in Chriil." Inftead of eating the
Lord's Supper, he tells them, they only eated
their own Supper, and not the Lord's. Was
this to thsm a fpjritual ordinance ? — Befides,
are not Ifrael called a holy nation ; and did
they not all eat the fame fpiritual mest and all
drh^kthe f^^mt fpiritual drink P ^S[\\tvt then
Iresjhe difFerejQcej^
4thly, *' Trees and fruits were capable of
" circumcifion.'* — It is ftrange what abfurdities
men wiU prodjace in fupport of a iavourite o-
pinion ! Was circumcinon of trees and fruits a
token of the covenant ? Were they circumci-
fed_*<in the fiedi of the forefkin r" Or did
God command Abraham to circumcife trees cr
fruits ? [f not, then fuch circumcincn was no
rtligious a^ or ngn of intereit in the covenant
, -_^
i66 LETTER S.
^ of .Abraham. — Trees and fruits are juA as cspa-
^^^bleof bnpt i Cm as of circumciiion.
Ican_on]y find one other argument proJu-
cedtodirprove the analogy between circumci-
iion and b?:ptirm. The for me r,^^^?;.-.*?;,-? fays,
was a type oiilv, where.">s the luiicr is -^ pled p-e or
earneft_oflwh'at jt^reprefents.,, Wl^ere he finds-
this diflinclion I know not. The very reverfe
feems to be the truth. Circumcifion was a
.figfi of ^< the putting off the body o£ the_iln3-
**^of tlie flefh i" andwasr)ot_amrt_^
ry body, as a pledge or earnellafjthc_wh»ole,
a^ually put oil in circumcifionj^ Baptifm is a.
fign or fi;;ure of the raaie thin:?: but wafhing
the body does r.ot cr.t off any jjart of it ; and
conPtquently in baptiim we have no pledge or
earncfi: of the thing fu'.nincd, but an exurdHxg,
fign orfigure. — If you fay, remifficn of_JH3S.
is connected with baptifm as a pledg* of_aUfpi-
riuual bleffings — What remidion oLiins had
Simon Ma.g.uS) who after baptifm was yet ia
the gall of bitternefs and bond of inJquitjLi—
ThusI have examined your ideas of circum-
cifion and baptifm, and alfo all the arguments-
produced, by Baptifts and felf-inconliftent pc-
do«baptixU~
' //I. E T T E R S. ,67
dobaptifts, in refutation of the idea of baptifm
as fiicceeding circuir.cifion, with refpea: to its
•ends and purpofes, in the church of God : and
I hope you now fee that the whole is one con-
tinued fyftem of abfurdity, founded on the
mod: falfe and millafien views of fcripture, that
ever ignorance prefumed to publiih to man-
kind.
When it is jaid, however^ that h^tiim fuc-
^edj_circumcifionMn_the Ne^v Teftamcnt
church^it is not meant that this is the fcle of-
fice of biptifai. As an initiatory fymbol or
t^okcn^^Qf^fniiTion to the vifible churck-jif
on^ divine appointment; but this is not all.
Injiiy^miei^atim^ on Baptifm, I liave jliewed
that''g^dfar^:;^r^oim
the houfe and ferv;ice of God. It was fo be-
^,2IlJ^hB}^:^.^L^^^^ : jt_was fo injba^ law,
^}l^!lJo.MiiJl£>^vs3 male and female, ^^oun^
.^"^ 9^^', By this too all profeljites to the
^!'^^^ ^!j^^^^"-^ ^yg^e admitted to the
r^ceived^ Tojhjg^^^^j^
^ed the fpTii^kih^f blood, ^^^h was alfo
adminiftered
168 LETTERS.
^dminiftered to all. By this €j^ietbaptlijn_is
alfbcalled. — Now what can be concluded from
all this ; but that baptifm not only fills the
•fame place, in the New Teftament church,
which it had in the old, l^Jt has alfo^juperred*
cd circumcifion and the ij^rin k 1 1 n^of blood-,
anfwenng the Umc ends i>ow which they Tub-
Served of old .^TKe confequenccj'sjvi^^ and
Jnevitable: infants had a iliare in each of thefe
rites formerly ;_ and Co cannot be excluded from
this claim, unlefs by divine authority. Ijen^e^
as Jefus ChriO: made no alteration in this rei^
pefl, to diveft infants of this right, is to act
Trom caprice, not from refpeiSl to the laws of ^
ligion. /
I know, indeed, what your brother Mr
Booth has obJ€<5ted to the praiTtice of baptifm
under the Old Tef^ament ; and I am aftonifh-
ed to find him calling it " a Rabbinical cuftom,
** Rabbinical baptifm, Talmudical bathing" &c*
intimating that fiich a practice had no exiftence,
but in the reveries of the Talmud. On this
fuppofition he fays many fevere things ; only,
however, to difplay his own weaknefs and the
power of prejuaiceover the belt. — In narrating
this fa;^ we have every reafon to believe that
the
/^LETTER S,
the Rabbins fpeak truth : es : ■
Wx'itersj^^^ree, both withj;efpe\^:
i6g
tl:e Tewifli
nee, and circiiryil>ance3 of this p-.'::,CrT.f.._sidij
cut a jarring vote. INIoreoverT had Jt^ be-^r^ a.
falfehood, it could^not have l:^n invent :J hy
the Rabbins, the moft invej^^rrte enemies of
Jefus Chriil. It is well known, that the prin-
cipal objection of the Jews againft Jeius wa?,
that he chani^ed the law and cuj\cms of Mo-,
fev^rJow John Baptift and J.fus Chrift prac-)
tiled profelyte baptifm ; which pra(^ice wa$
made a fl:andin^_j_a_w in the £!irH)ian chjirch J
In this the ordinances of our Lord correfpond-j
€d with the law of Mofes, fuppofing the afler-
^tiono£^he_R^ibbinsj^^bejx^^ and is it cre-
dible, that his moO: malignant enemies would/
have invented a ftory, which, they thenifelves
muft have known, reflected no fmall honour
on the chara<rter of Tefus of Nazareth ?
But our faith in this matter does not depend
on the veracity of the Rabbins, butjon^the_
word ofjSo J . ^^^T^rael were taken intoTHe^co^
yenant by circumcifion, bapttfm and fprinkling
of blood ; andftrangers_alfo were permitted
to take hold of that covenant. Nor is
certain that the divine law faid ^* one
^p—
is it kf|_ /
law and_/
one
lyo L E T T E R S.
" P"g manner fhall be for you and forithe
* ^ ftr^nger that fojourneth with you : as ye are,
** fo {hall the ftranger be before the Lord." _j
Nurnb^^^cy^^j_£^_j6^^^
that Ifrael at any time obeyed the law of God«
we are certain that profelytes were admitted to
the^fe^Venant of Abraham^ in__thej/ery man-
ner narrated by the Rabbins^ whether they ha4
told u_s fo or no_t. Shall we difcredit the Rab-
bins bccaufe they fpeak according to the fcrip-
turesJ^When they fpeak of pIungwgiheY/
ImmediateTy^mibbed oracles of truth : let
/ftenTlpea^^^oTlnfant-baptifmY'They, like theA
Cretans, are always liars ! — So inconfiftent withy
k]yfjs_yie_Jpirit__^^
Nor does it avail to tell us, that this practice
** is not fo much as ofice mentioned in the re-
<* cords of inijpiratjon/'jC'"^^Ve^7ead of rnany^
peoplcBecoming Jews, under the Mofaic oeco- }
nomy, yet, during all that period, we do not
^nd the mcnner of their admiflion fo much as
\ once mentioned in the OldJTeflamen^^
^i-nu{Fwe"'th erelore conclude that they be-
came Jews without circumcifion ? Or if you
Idmir^iaTTlrael pra^ifed profelyte-circum-
cifion, merely, on the amhority of their un-
infpired
//^ L E T T E R S. in
infijired hiftorians and the probability of the
cafe, why not admit their pra£liung profdyte-
baptifm on the hme evidence ?
I know no fet'of people Co inconfident as
you Baptift-writters. Qppofing the Quakers
yoa ftrenuoully inilft on immerfion in water,
with acrimonious exa^lnefs, as eiTential to
chriftianity^ Writings againjl_ the Pogdobap-
tifts, again, wc hear you fpeak of nothing but
•difpiritual feedy fpiritual church and fpiritual cr-
dinances : even baptifm becomes 'wholly fpiritual \
^'and corviequTntlyhas not any thing carnal,
jueh as watei-injt at all. It is a fpiritual blef-
fing you fay, -and does not put away^^he^ldX
of the flefh — the very argument_of_jbe QjJ^"
kers again ft tiie ufe of water J^n__bafiLilxo.
WTTyTrTerT'Iuch a potherabout water, which
in itfeif can only reacl-i_di^ flefh ?
.gain, fpeaking of our Lord's commiffion ;'
to baptize, you argue thus,
Onlyhe that is taught or believes is to be
baptized ; — an infant cannot believe ; and
therefore is not to be baptized. ^^—
Kut commenting upon Mark, xvi. 16. *' He
** that believeth ihaU be faved" — you admtt
that infants, dying in infancy, are faved, not-
P Z withftanding
172 LETTERS.
witliflanding the connexion fo expresfly frated
in this text between believing and faWation.
So'that your meaning is,
He that believeth iliall be hvcd ;
Infants, cannot believe ; yet
Infants, dyinj^ in infancy, ihnll be ra\^ed.
Is not this fine Logic ! Since you have al-
lowed •' all fpiritual blefiings'* to infants,, I
humbly think you might have added — "and
l^aptifm among the reft." If the fecond text
admits tliem into heaven without faith, I can-
not fee, how the firft: can be conflrued as ex-
cluding them from baptifm. — You may un-
ravel thefe inconfiflencies at your leifure. I am,
SIR,
Yours, &c.
LETTER XIL
S I R,
x\.TTENDING to what has been faid in
the two preceding epiflles, I hope ycu now fee
the
LETTERS. 173
the weaknefs of your argument againft infant-
baptifm, as if it proceeded upon the footing of
a_flejhly conneiUpn^with a parent, or at leaft.
fuppofed that the fubjedls of the kingdom of
God are to' be diftinguifhed by the faith of a-
nother. — We have feen, that circumcifion pro-
ceeded on no fuch footing. God made known
his covenant to Abraham, -and put the token
of it, not onjy in_Jiis ^wn flefh, but jn^jtjh^t
of his^chjldren, becaufe I_kno^A;. fays^Ggcl,
** that he will command his children, and
" they iliall keejP^the way of the Lord.'* The
faith of the parent is here rationally conlider-
ed as the faith of the child, as nothing can be
more certain, tJTanjthat_a^diild_^iUj^ece^^
firft ideas fromJiis^parerUs, whetherjn_religL-
on or in any thing elfe : nor is it lefs certain
that a believing parent will train up his child
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ; Co
that from a child he may know the Tcripture,
which is able to make him wife unto falvation.
Thus the church, in adminiftering baptifni
to a child, confiders him as of the faith : (he:
is certain that he \till profefs the faith during
non-age. He may afterwards, indeed, make
P 3 Ihlpwrt'ik.
174
LETT
fliipwreck of the faith j but f'Q_rpr.y one bi^p-
^Ized inj^dult years.
( Hence alfo you may fee the propriety of ad-j
\ minillering baptifm to the infants of believing<(^
I parents. Only a believer can be fuppofed toj
[_ediicate his_childjn^\e faUlyof Chrirt.j^^It
would be folly to imagine that an infidel will
do fo J and he rice ^sb^^^tUVn is a chriftian in-
fiitution, it cannot be adminilterecl rationc\lly,
but to fuch as are fuppoR^d to be of the houfe-^
hold of faith.
%_ — . — -«>_— — w.
I now proceed to obviate an obj^flion, which
I know will arile in your mind againfl: my i-
deas of circumcifion. If circumcifion v/as a
fcal of the rigliteoufnefs of the faith, or of the
everlafting covenant given to Abraham, and
not of the law or old covenant, h^wcamejhat^
rite to be abolKhed when the faith came, or^
t li ! s ever 1 a u i r. g coven_>^^nt \vas ratificd_by the
blood of Tefus ? Why alfo was not baptifm
made void at the fame time. WhjJieUUL'^il^
enforce the latterj_ju2cWacate J;h£^lig?ilon_oX^
the for in cr ?
In anfwer to thefe queftions, we muft ob-
ferve, thatcirxumcifio^
ed to be a iign cfthejromii£2 ^hat^jv^'ffiah^
ihould,
y>?. L E T T E R S. 175
{liouldtake fielli of thejced of Abrsharn,ju2d
that in him all nations J}iiouId_be bkiTcd. • jri_
this vie^v, circiimdiion ferved as a memoriaLof
thepromile, and tended to keep alivejhe Jiope
of^believers, and to fupport their fa|th_jn_thc^
accomplifhment of the^romife in due time«
But when the feed came, and the promife was
fulfilled, it is eafy to fee, that circumcifion,
the fign of his being about to com.e, could__an-
fvv£rnopiir£G{e. "^To^^omimj^^the^jra^^ of
circumciiicn after this, would rot only h?.£e
been ul^eleTs, a merernangling of the fjefii to.
no manner of purpofe; b'-Jt it muft haMg.. a-
ni QuntedjQ a dfnial of the truth, oXtlie pofpel ,
t h at thej^romife is fulfilled in Jefus of Nr.za-
reth. In this cafe, what was the iign of faith
before Chrifi: came, mud now be theniofl ol>
vious token of unbelief. Hence Paul boldly
tell$ the believing Jews in the Galatian church-
es, that whofoever is circumcifed is a debtor
to do the whole law : that is," if any man inilfts
upon circumcifion as necellary under the gof-
Ipd difpenfation, he tacitly_denies that Mefllah
is comeintheflefh, and fo is yet under that
law which was intended to continue in for^e
till the faith fhoukl come, Circumcifion had
its end and accoBiplifhrnent in the incarnation
an(
17(5 LETTERS,
and death ofjefus^ Chrill, and confeqhently
mufl: have vanifhed a\vay of itfelfu- It is now,
then, a mere letter without the fpirit ; not on-
ly diverted of divine authority, but contrary to
it ; a refuiing to fubmit to the rlghteoulnefs of
God by faith in Jefus Chrift, and an attem£t^
to obtain falvation J3y amere work_of pretended
righteoufnefs, which a man can do. With
great propriety, then, does the apoftle fay,
that if a man be circumcifed with this view
** Chrifl: fliall profit him nothing" — Seeking
to be juftified by the law, a mere external rite,
** he has fallen from grace j" and cannot de-
ferveeven the name of a chriftian.
But with refpeft t^ba^tifni, the cafe_was
very different. iL-WT'S never in_tended to figni-
fythedefcent of Mefiiah from AP£fhamj_and
hence it did not receive its end and'accotn^
plilliment by his incarnation, or taking ilej7i
of AFraham^. It was not properly a /ign of
the coming of Chriil: in flefb ; but a iign of
what he would do when he came. It teftifi-
d that he would waili us from our fins in his
wn blood, that we might be kings and priefts
to God, being cleanfed from all fihhinefs of
the flefh and fpirit. This_l^ his^work flilh ^
anU-
ySLETTE R S. 177
and conrequenrlyit is proper that the fi^n of
this aiftion Jlioukicontinu-3 to_b^ aJminiltered
to all who believe in Chrift for the remjffioa
»- — r^^^ — 7- -^ -^
of nns. Accordinsfiy it is continued in the
^— — • '
church ftill, and is the fign of the fame blef-
fing now as formerly ; only under the new dif-
penfation it has fomething added to its iignifi-
cation, — It teAlfies that the purifier has come
to fulfil his^romife, or to ^^ fanctify the peo-
** pie with his own blood."
You now fee the propriety of abolifliing cir-
cumcifion and retaining baptifin under the
New Teliament admin ifi ration. — I fliall here
add, that v/hen itis (aid Baptifm fucceeds cir-
cumcifion, it is not meant that the former an-
^ — -* -^i '■ - _. I ^ I.. ■« . ^ -
fvvers every purpofe now, which the latter fub-
ferved before Clu-iO:_came^y^ To prefic^rijfv_our
LordVtakIng flefli of the feed of Abr^diam
was the peccliar province cfcircumcinon ; jnL„
v/hich ofiice it had neitl;er colleague noj
fuccefimv/ But coxjfidered as a bad^r of the
houfehold of faith ; a Jign of initiation into
a fociety pofiefiuig the bl filings prcmifed to
Abraham, and a token of the putting ofi the
body of the fips of the fle{h by the circumcifi-
cn of Chrill, baptiun ferves the fame purpofe
or
178 LETTERS.
or fignlfies the fame thing_w h li^drcumcijion ;
and {o in thefe refpe^Sls may be faid to have
fu^j^^ecjed It.
I fhall now conclude this eplOolary correl-
pQndence with a few mifcellaneous obfervati-
ons on what you have faid in your defence of
BeUever-Bapttfm, In a note of the bottom of
p. 27, 28. you reafon thus — ** As the Lord's
Supper is among the all things^ which the bap-
tized difciples muft be taught to obferv^e, it is
plain, that none are proper fubjecSts of baptifiu
but fuch as may immediately after receive the
Lord's Supper. This is as if you had faid,
The paffbvcr was amon^the f?//^i6/V;^ which a
Jew was bound to teach his ^Mldren_diiigentl^
to'^brerve^ none, therefore,_were proper Tub-
je6ls of circumcifion, but fuch as miglit imme-
cfiateiy receive the pafiover. Is rK)t__tJxis fine
rcaioaing ! Every circumcifed child ha<l a
right to eat the pajJQv;£r> ^J foon as he was
capable^of it ; but canjvejVomJi^^
thaj^hc was bo^nd_to_eat it_jvj}eji_^2£hL--d3^
old ? — Again^_ymi__adcl, " Baptirrn is th£ fign
" of the new birth, and the Lord's Supper of
** feeding upon Chrift the true breaclj^ and^JiL,
*' the connection between thefe two ordinances
*« and
V^/ L E T T E R S. 179
<^' and the things fignified by them is as in'^medi-
** ate and neceffary, as that betwixt a perfon ha^
" vw^ life 2iX\diy\s tak'fig focd to preferve it."
Hence you conclude it abfurd to deny the
Lord's Supper to luch as are baptized, or born
into the church. Let us fee now where this
argument win lead us. — God gave fiefii to man
for food, to fupport 'the animal life in man.
Now when a chiki is born into the world, he
has the animal life ; " and fo the connefiion
*' betwixt his birth and eating flefli is as im-
** mediate and neceffary, as betwixt a perfon
^' havln;^ ll^e and his takii)£j(QOiLla.^ef£rveJi,!L
Is not this an immediate and neceffary conclu-
fion from the premifes you have laid down ?
What then think you of your argument ? Paul
tells us, milk is for bab^si_but f^rojig meat
for men of riper years. In the fame manner,
although the Lord's Supper is a part of the
food allotted for the children of God, yet as it
is not the only vehicle for conveying the fpiri-
tual rK^urlfhment, we cannot conclude from
hence, that every baptized perfon mufl imme-
diately eat the Lord's Supper. Every circum-
cifed child had a right to eat the pafToverj but
this he was not bound to do, till arrived at
i8o LETTERS,
a certain age-, although in the meantime he
was to be carefully inftrufted in the nature,
defign, and obli.^ation of this ordinance. So
every baptized child has a right to eat the Lord*s
Supper : but as it is required of every obferver
of this inftitution, that he difcern the Lord*s
body in its obfervance, none are bound to keep
it till capable of fach difcernment. There is a
great difference between a right to a privilege,
and a capacity of immediate enjoyment of that
privilege. It is incumbent, however, on fuch
as have the charn;e of the education of fuch in-
fants to confider them as ?Vz the lordy and to
train them in the knowledge and difcipline of
Chrifl:, that from childhood they may knojy
the fcripture, which are able to make them
wife to falviuion.
In a note at the bottom of p. you aim a
ftroke at a certain preface-writer, and through
him at all congregational churches, who admit
members to their communion, orWh£_ba£tHm
they received in the national^ or fuch as would
be national churches ; and it nmlL^be^Q^vnfd.
your arguments agr.inil: this practice feem
fomewhat [>lau{VbIej ift, Miniftcrs,._ofLiilch_
churches have no ri^ht from Chrifi; to bap*
"^ ' tize
/Z^ LETTERS. i8c
tizc * 2nd!y, Infantsjnjhde^ch^^
confiJered as the offipring of believing parents^
— Perhaps
"* The Baptifts themfelvcs hare now furnifacd other
cengregational churches with a fufficient anfwer to this oh-
jedton. Of late a young man, excommunicated by the
Baptifts and who never had been verted with office-power
in any church, took a fancy that he had a divine right t.>
baptize. Dapcd by his pretenfions, three people in New-
burgh, without calling for his. credentials, fubrr.itted to be
plunged by him in the water of Tay. Soon after, however.,
doubting the validity of their baptifm, they applied for
admiilion to the Baptift-church in Dundee; who agreed to
fortain their baptifm as valid, and admitted thefe three
candidates to their communion accordingly. Now as this
fame young man is confidered by the Baptifls as a child of
the devil, or at leaft, as an heathen and publican, with
whom they will not eat even a common meal, with what
confiftency can they exclaim againft other, congregational
churches, for admitting members to tlieir feilowfhip on the
baptifm received in a national church. Minirters in cur
national church have certainly as good a right to baptize as
a man of no church, an heathen and publican. They fcof-
fing'y talk, indeed, of antichriftian-fprinkling ; but 1 lutn:-
bly think tliis is as good as heathen-plunging. But it fceir.s
if the devil took a fancy to plunge men in the name of Jc-
fus, his baptifm mufi: be good chrifl^ian baptifm. He once
plunged a herd of fwine in the water; and, alas, many a
fow has been walhed fince, which has foon returned to her
To
i82 LETTERS.
—^Perhaps, however, the following thoughts
may ferve to invalidate the force of thefe ob-
jeclions
To give the devil his due, however, he feems to pay a
greater deference to church-order and the name of Jefus
Chrifl than fome chriftlans do. In Paul's time, we are
told of certain vagabond Jews, who claimed a right to cad
out devils, and in performing the cer&mony they did it ex-
aftly after Paul's mode, i. e. in the name of Jelus. Adj,
xix. 13, 14, 15, 16. *' Then certain of the vagabond Jews,
".exorcifts, took upon them to call over them which had
" evil fpirits, the name of the Lord Jefus,- faying, we ad-
*' jure you by Jefus whom Paul preacheth." But was the
devil fo weak as to admit their claim to fo facred an office ?
No; he called them fcoundrels to their face — "Jefus I
*• know, and Paul I know, but who are ye ?" Nor did he
flay to difpute the cafe, but inftantly .the man, in whom
the evil fpiiit *' was, leapt on them and overcame them,
*' and prevailed againft: them, ia that they fled out of that
** houfe naked and wounded." Any Son of Sceva now,
howbeit, if he but dips> in the name of Jefus, may claim au-
thority to walli away the fm of the world ; and the validity
of his claim be fuftained.
That one's being baptized himfelf entitles him to bap-
tize others has no authority from the fci ipture. John Bap-
tift was never baptized himfelf: nor had any of the difci-
plcs afTeitiblcd on the day of Pentecofl: ever been baptized
in the name of the Lord Jefus. Thefe had a commiffiyn
to baptize others, but no onler to be baptized themfelves.
A divine commiffion alone qualified them for this office.
V^:, L E T T E Z^ S. 183
jCv^cions, and to vindicate the conuuiTc of ccn-
ni'CPjUiondl churches in this matter.
The twelve U-Jbes^f Ihra^lhadbeen fepara-
tcd froni idols to maintain the knowledge and
worlhip of the true God. But in the days of|
Rehoboam king of Judah, ten of thefe tribes,
lunder the conduct of Jeroboam the ion of Ne-
ibat} apoftatized from the true faith and wor-
fliip of Jehovah ; fetting up calf-gods at Dan
and Btthel as obj^^cls of worfhip, and making
priefts for facrifice, not of the order of Aaron
— All in expr^fs contrddiftion to the law of_
God,
Rerew.is a very corrupt church, fub-
J€^ to a mere king of this world, pretending a
right to make laws for the better government
of the church of God, as many have done fince
his time. Yet corrupt and antichriftian as this
V-— i -N.. — ■ . ■ .
church was, fhe frems Hill to have practifedcir-^
cumciilon, according to the law of Mofcs ; a<rt-___
ing in this refpect, like other churches of the
kind, who retain as much of the divine bw^
as l£ems"~To lult their political views. Now
when any perfonjfbdrcimicired returned from
the error of his ways, and joined himfelf to
the faithful tribes, woriliipping the Lord of^
iiofts at Jerulalem, do^ we ever read that the^
0^2 validity
184 LETTER S.
validity oF his circumclfion \vas_c«>Ued_lD_£ViieftU
on ? So fara£jij^jgai^nts_jiad a£tc^d according
to the divinejaia:., fo fsr thelr^conjiui^ wa5 ^^w^
ful and^commendable. Hence we do noc find
them condenmed for cin umcifing their chil-
* — _— .i._____— - — ~ — —
dren ; nor are the children condemned as un-
circumcifed, provided they kept the lavy_of
God vvlien they had arrived at nnaturer_agg«.
Yea, even among that people, God raifed up
Prophets, whom he honoured to vindicate his
truth, and that in times of the deepeft apofla-
cy. Does he any v\rhere call thefe Proplietsjm^
circumcifed?/
This ftate of things, I hope you will allow,
was a figure of the ftate of the church called
chriftian, during the great apoftacy fo clearly
predicted in the New Teftament writings. In
this cafe, as the conduct of the apoflate church
is ftrongly marked, that we may avoid the
communion of any church we now fee of the
fame charaderiftic, fo the conducl of the
church of the faithful mufl be alfo fet before
us as a pattern for our imitation : and confe"
quenTly iinceprofelytes from among the apof^
tatc tribes were admitted to the fellowfhip of
the faithful at Jerufalcm, without a gueflion
about
y^ LETTERS. 185
about the validity of their circumcifion, I owg
I cannot fee the inconfiftency of admitting a,
m^^n to the pure ft church on eanh_without^
queftion anent the validity of the baptifm he
received in an apotlate church, fuch as that
of Ifrae!. At leait I lliall retain this opinion,
•»—__— *, .^ _.^___^— __— — — ■■ ■*■ — - — •
till I tind it proved to oe contrary tQ_the jjc;
tates of inrpiraticn. But if any man thinks
that he has not received the baptifm of Chrifi:,
I blame not your fociety, nor any other chrif-
tian church, for receiving him into communion
by baptizing him in the name of the Lord Je-
fus. For my own part, although I do not ap-
prove of national efrablifliments of religion, yet
23 I know I v/as baptized, under fuch an efta-
bliihment, only in the way Chrift has appoint-
ed by walhing with water in the name of the
Father, Son and Holy Ghofi, without the ad-
dition of any inftttuted circumfbances, I feel
the obligation of that ordinance on my confcLs.
ence, engaging me to walk_with hjmjn new-
nefs of jife. yyi-Iad Jefus commanded his difci-]
pks to be re^^aptized^I Jh^j^kj^^ fubJ
/ii^t to his appointment : but as I cannot find
arj ji:chcon-.rr.and in the facred records, I re(l|
f:;ti5iied with his one baptifm. /If my parent
X 85 LETTERS.
c^meunder^anyjinla^^ that pc»
caiion, with thefe I have no concern. I ap-
PSI£ °^ ^"^ ^^ performed on mc, and am
^o^^jgjous of the obligations Chrift has annexed^
^o it : and fmce he has not appointed a fe»
c^nd baptifm withjvv?£erj I.do not fu^^ofe-tJiaJL
^__woukl_Jeelthe obligations to walk in him
more forcible on my heart, although I fhnnl^j
be re-baptiaed a thoufand and athoufand times. .
'FhQ Doruiti/h, the nioH: haughty, cjHiel and
f^ottecl fe(ft of antiquity, rebaptized every prof(
lyte to their opinions from any other chriftian
les.,
^
i't€t. This taught the convert toj^aife commo-
tionsintheftate, and to perjecute andanathema-^'
tize his fellow-chriftiansofojher denominations.
Like our more modern ^/wri/^^T-Anabaptifm, it
put the fword of fteel in his hand, but did not
add a iingle grain- weight of .godUnefs to his
heart. What Jefus has notappoi^ited in religj.
on can only tend to more un^^odlinefs^
'^u- muft feek for
the firfl: precedent for yciir prefent pra(5lice.
It is yainj[Qjearchjhe New; JTejiament for a^
By fuch example. There v/e find none c£-bap»
tizf.d, who had oncebeen baptized in tl-tepi^n-iff
cf Chrift. In the 3d century we lind a difpute
jn
y^ L E T T E R S.
in the church of Rome about the validity of
Novatian's baptifm, who had been fprinkled
or anointed but not immerfed. Yet it merits
^obrervation, that It never entered the minds of
even the moil zealous advocates for immerfioa
_to defire his re-'baptifnT^.J^Suciran idea was left
to be hatched by the Donatifis and their oQ^»i
fpr i n g — the Anabaptills of later times.
The Greek church to this day is of the Bap-
t'ld kind — She pra(flifes immerlion, and that
of the triple kind. Take a vcyage to Ruffia,
and you wid find millions of BaptiAs, all dipped
with the moft ceremonious exa^tnefs.. Yet
they have notjhe eifrontery to tell us, that im-
merfion_H_eflential to the baptifm of Chrill.
Prpfelytes to their faith from among the hea-
then are generally admitted by immerlion in a
river. If however the perfon fhould be of too
weak a conftitutlon to undergo fuch a violent
initial h/7y a^^barrel fuH of water is poured ovey
his head tjj^ree times. Where then fhall we
look for an example of that furious ze.d for irn-
merdon which agitates the prefent Baptifts?
Water is a ragjng element ; Lfee few rife out
of it in the fpirit of the lamb. When the
winds of contcntica bloW; ho\Y many a wild
beail
i88 LETTERS.
bead has rifen out of the Tea ! — The Difciples
of the Biptiil: ftill come up out of the waters
with his rough garment of hair. The oar-
pient of Chrift is humility, love, mecknefs and
gentlene-Ts : and *' as many as have been bap-
tized into Chrifl: have /«/ en Chr'yl.
I fhall now add a remark on your criticifm
on the word Baphfma. This you fay denotes
total immerfion ; and hence you boldly aver,
'.that any thing l^fs than a total immerfion .of
the body in wattr is not an ordinance cf Chrift,
neillier in name nor thing, but a mere liuman
ordinance. Let us fee where this reafoning
will lead you. The chriftran ordinance of bread
and wine is exprefied in Greek by the vyord
deipmny which in all the Dictionaries of that
language fijgnifies 2ifull meal and often a fiajl*
In this fenfe the church of Corinth underftood
k, when they eat and drunk and were drunk-
en in their religious afiemblies : and indeed on
your plan cf argument they were entirly in
the right. Pity it is you was not then born !
When Paul re<f roved the Corinthians in fo fe-
vere terms, telling. them, " this is not to eat
the Lords fupper but their own," as Jefus .on-
ly gave one piece of bread to be diArfbuted in
fmall
/7, L E T T E R S. 189
fmall morfels among his difciples, and a Cup
in the fame manner — you would have reafon-
ed him down with criticirms on the Greek
deiphon. A thoufand times you would hav€
told him this word lignifies a full meal, a feaft,
and confequently any eating fhort of a belly-
full is not the ordinance of Chrift, either in
name or thing but a mere human invention.
Thus, you mufl have argued, or elfe you muft
give up with that idle gibberifh you have fo
long deceived the fimple with, in criticizing on
the word baptifm. If dtipnon, denoting a re-
ligious ordinance^ does not denote a full meal,
but ufing a fmall portion of bread and wine, I
defy you and all the baptifts in the univerfe to
prove, that hnpii/ma, taken in a religious fenfe,
iignifies total immerfion j or that a partial ap-
plication of v/ater to the body in tlie name of
Chrift is not the baptifm, which he appoint-
ed.
I muft be allowed, alfo, to exprefs my ab-
horrence at your pradHce, in v/riti:^g and fpeak-
ing of the action of fprinkling or pouring water
upon the initiated into the church of Jefus
Chrifi:. Thefe aflions you Eapiifls treat with
fcorn and contempt— a pra^ice I muft call
blafphemy
rpa LETTERS.
blafphemy^againfl the wqrds ofjheHolx_G]ioft.
Is not the baptifnvof the fpirit called cxprefsl/
the p'Atring out of the fpirit? Acb, x. 45,
xi. 19. — Speaking of the wafhing of regenera-
tion, the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, Joes
not God fay — " Then will I fprinkh clean wa-
** ter uporv you and ye fhall be clean ?" Ez.
xxxvi, 25;. What, then, fhall we thinkofafet
of puny mortals, who can fet their mouths a-
gainfl: the heaven in their blafphemous talk,
treating with fcorn and ridicule the language
of the divine fpirit. " How long ye fools,'*
will ye love fcorning ! Furious for the baptifm -
of John, may God grant you repentance unto
life, and baptize you with the Holy Ghoft- —
a baptifm which you feem feldom to think of!
Then ye (hall no more utter great fwelling
words of vanity, but fpeak forth the words of
truth and fobernefs. Then you will no more
deceive the hearts of the iimple, teaching them
to truft in a ceremonious immerfion in water
— a fan<5l:ificaticT-:, which reaches only to the pu-
rifying of the flefh. You will tell them, that
** by one fpirit we are all baptized into one
" body." — that they cannot be <' buried with
**Chrift" till they be " crucified with him:'*
for
/I L E T T E R S. 165
for " as many as are baptized into Chrift, a;rc
*' baptized into his death." I am,
SIR,
Your friendly reprover,
Ncwburgh, November 7
20, I 7 8 7. 5
ALEXR. PIRIE.
CONCLUSION.
,S a friend, on reading letter 4th and
5th of the above performance, has propofed
objections againfl: the doctrines therein advan-
ced ; and as fimilar difficulties may occur to
other readers, I have judged it proper to offer
the following thoughts, with a view to obviate
thefe objections.
ift, It is afked, " was the earthly Canaan m
** figure of the heavenly inheritance only as to
" be polTeiied in a future ftate ; and not alfo as
^^ prefentl'j entered into by believers under the
*^* gofpel, .as the apo file to the Hebrews, c. 4.
" feems
ipi L E T T E R S.
'* feems to teach ?'* I anfwer, Paul docs not
fcem to, me to confider chriftians in this world
as in any aiftual pofTeflion of the heavenly Ca-
naan at all. He views them as in a ftate limi-
lar to that of Ifrael in the wildernefs. " Here**
fays he ** we have no abiding city ; but we feek
** one to come.*' The reft he fpeaks of, c. iv.
is only in the promife v. i. of v/hich we may
feem to come (liort. He does not fay we have
entered into it already, but " let us labour
*« to enter into that reft." v. ii. He fays
" indeed we who believe do enter into reft/'
but this only defcribes the character of fuch as
fhall finally obtain the promife. In the wil-
dernefs Ifrael had the promife of reft ; yet only
fuch as believed the promif« entered on the
pofteffion of that reft. In like manner believ-
ers now enjoy the promife in faith and hope,
but not in actual pofleftion. — Canaan, then, was
only a figure of our future inheritance.
2ndly, ** The infeparable conne(ftion made
between the pofielTion even of the earthly Ca-
naan and faith in Chrift feems to be very ob-
« jcdionable." I anfwer, Paul exprefsly tells
us that fuch as id\ in the wildernefs " could
<^« not enter in becaufe of unbelief j" and that
fucli
/^ LETT E R S. 193
fuch as believed entered in : confequently no-
thing but unbelief could exclude any Ifraelite
from that reft. But here it muft be obferved,
that the object of that unbelief was not only
the promife of Chrift, but the promife of the
temporal inheritance, or any other fubordlnate
promife connedled with thefe two leading ones.
Thus when Ifrael murmured and rebelled a-
gainft God in the wildernefs, it was becaufe
" they defpifed the pleafant land — they believed
** not in God, and trufted not in his falvation."
Every act of difobedience originates in unbelief.
Ifrael's not believing the temporal promife was
a certain evidence of their not believing the
promife of the Melliah. Had they believed
the one they would alfo have believed the o-
the^i^^^^^Ks to the cafe of MoTesand Aaron, Tl
was of a lingular kind. It would fecm they
fell in the wildernefs chiefly to ferve fome ty-
pical purpofes, of which I cannot now fpcak
particularly: yet ftili they feH onaccount of a
particular a(Sl: of unbelief, which prevented
their entering Canaan at that time, although'
it will not hinder their entering on the pofTef'
Hon of it in its heavenly ftate. Numb, xx. 12.
-—The truth is, we can infer nothing concern-
194 LETTERS.
ing the eternal ftate of any Ifraelite from his
falling In the wildernefs.
Again " If Ifrael held pofleffion of Canaan
•' by faith, how came the believing remnant
** to be caft out at laft with the unbelieving
** multitude ?" I anfwer, the believers among
Ifrael were not caft out of Canaan, but they
went out, at the call of their mafier.^TTIftory"
informs us, that not a chriftian was found in
Jerufalem, when it was taken and deftroyed by
Titus. All of this defcription had left it, in
obedience to the words of Jefus. " When ye
** fliall fee the abomination of defolation, fpo-
** ken of by Daniel the prophet, ftand in the
** holy-place, then let them that be of Judea^
<*^ee into the mountains."
But to have juft views of this matter \re
muft obferve, That Canaan as a country dif-
tindt from all others, and feparated to be the
refidencc of the holy feed, was never intended
to be continued in that ftate after Meffiah
came. Canaan as pofTefTed by Ifrael before
Chrift came was but a figure, fpecimen or
fample of the Canaan given to Chrift and the
believing Ifrael under the gofpel. The Canaan
of Joftiua extended froia the Mediterranean
•^ — — •^~ " " '"' '"" ' "^ " S^
/^, L E T T E R S. ' 195
Ijeajojordan ; the Canaan of Solomjon from
Jordan to the river Euphrates. This was
the Canaan^^^romifgALija-^hraham in the firft
covenant given to him and his feed after the
EoIh^iJen. XV. But this Canaan, in its
utmoft extent, was trifling when compared
with Canaan promifed to him in the fecond
covenant for an everlafting poflcflj^uii^Gen. XTii.
By this grant heBecame " heir of the world,"
and not of a particular country only in it *, a^
, pixiinHejti3__^e^julfillec^^
Chrifi: •, of him it is faid " Hisdominions fhall
* ^^gxtend froni_thej'iyer (Euphrates) to the u t-
*^ moft ends of the eartji^"
Canaan, then, in its firft ftate, was only pro-
mifed as a pofTeflion to Ifrael till Meffiah fhould
come, confequently when that period arrived,
neither the carnal nor believing feed of Abra-
harri had any more a claim to poflefs it, as^n__
holy or feiperated land. _Qhriitianity laid the
ancient Canaan on a Ievel_with every othef .
country on the earth •, all of which now be-
longs to Chrift, the feed of Abraham, who
takes all the nations for his inheritance,
according to the promife, and propofes to give
all the believing feed a portion with him there-
in.
1^6 LETTERS.
iiyAfThus the believing Jews never were caft
out of the Canaan promifed to Abraham as to
be poflefTed by his feed according to the ever^
lafking covenant. They were only called out
from Canaan as the figure of the true, as an
expreflion of their faith in the feed's being
come, to whom was given the promife of Ca-
naan in its full extent, and as an everlafting
Here, however, it muft be carefully obferv-
ed, that although the whole earth is given to.
Chriffc as well as heaven, yet he has not as yet
brought it into that ftate, in which he has pro-'
mifed it as an inheritance to his feed. The
Canaanite and the curfe ftill dwell in the land.
But Ifrael cannot inherit it till there be no
more the Canaanite in the houfe of the Lord
of hofls, and every curfe (hall ceafe. This can
only be in the new flate of the heavens and the
earth, which the gofpel teaches us to expe£l,
:omi
fe.
In the mean time, chriflians are on the earth
as Ifrael were in the wiidernefs. In the wil-
dernefs, the defer tso^^Arabia^jLV^^
promife of an inheritance, the qbjedl of hope^
not oFpofTellioji. There they had no conti-
nuing
/^^ L E T T E R S. 197
»ulng abode : they were but- fojourners, feek-
ing a place of reft in a better country. In
terms of like import does Paul defcribe the ftate
of chrlkians in the prcfent world — " Here we
"#iave no abiding city ; but we feek one to.
" come. The Lord will bring me to his hea*
** venly kingdom."
The fcripture fets our prcfent flate ia an-
other point of view^ Abraham and his family
were long in the land of Canaan ; but he '' fo-
" journed in the land of promife, as in a
" ftrange country j" and had not a foot cf
property in it, fave a burial-place, he purcbafed
with his mon-ey. Such is the ftate of his be-
lieving^ feed under the gofpel. Canaan was
f.rft to Abraham the land of fojournings, al-
though he was afterward to receive it for an in-
heritance : and earth is fuch to his believing
feed in their prefent ftate. The earth as well
as heaven is promifed to them j — ** the meek
" {hall inherit the earth :" yet it is only after-
wards to be received by them as an inheritancer
At prefent they confefs with their fathers that
they are ftrangers and pilgrims on the earth,
feeking a better country, even an heavenly,
where God has prepared for them a city— a
Jerufale^
198 LETTERS,
Jerufalem, which fliall in due time come down
from God out of heaven. Then fhall they
have it in fure poflcflion, and all (hall dwell
therein, who love his blelTed name.
Lajiljy It has been thought that I lofe fight
of the connection between the temporal and
fpirituai promife, after the coming of Cbrift
in the Hefli ; whereas Paul fays that " Godli^
*^ nefs is profitable for all things, having the
** promife of this life and that which is to
■** come." ^[ili£ELSL^5Jj^l£>_lJi2^LL!l^^^
fcrved, that chriilians under the .^ofpel are in
tlie fame Rate with Abrahju5^v;heri_ajoiouiiir
cr in Canaan and Ifrael in the wildernefs. Ab-
raham had both promifes, although he died,
not havingreceived the things promifed. Thefe
were the objects of faith, not of immediate
polTefAon. His faith, however, was a prefent
good : it gave a rellih to all the enjoyments,
and fupported him amidft all the afflictions of
life. Moreover, he had the promife of the
divine prefence to be with him in the mean
time, to furnifh him with all the neceflaries
of life, to prote<St him from dangers and to
comfort, him in trials. This excited in his
he:^rt fenfations of blifs, to which the Canaan-
it es
.^LETTERS. 199
ites were utter ftrangsrs. This made the
pilgrim far more happy than the poflefTors of
the land. — The fame is true of Ifrael' in the
wildernefs. While God w^s their fhepherd,
they could net want either aliment or protecti-
on. Trufting in the promife of the future in-
heritance, they were aiTured they fhould not
lack any good thing for the prefent enjoyment.
" — This is the cafe_of^j^riftians ftill. ~ Seeking
firft the kingdom of heaven and its righteouf-
nefs, their Lord has promifed to add to them
every thing conducive to prefent happinefs.
Confcious that their God will not leave them,
nor forfhke them, having food zvA raiment
they can be there-rith content. The bleffing
of the Lord makes happy, and^dds^nojorrow.
The allured hope, too, of future glory fills
them with peace and joy ; and teaches them to
rejoice not only in profperity but in tribulations
alfo— It is thus godiinefs has the promife of
this life: yet this is not the promifed inhe-
ritance. Our faith ftill looks beyond the grave,
and is the evidence of unfeen things. Earth
is now the fcene of our pilgrimage ; but the
Jiappy day approaches when Chriii fliall ap-
pear
200 L E'1' T E R S.
pear with his kingdom. Then the meek
fhall inherit the earih, and ihall dehght thea>
felves in an abundance of peace.
FINIS.
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