A41329:137
The plea of the children of believing-parents for their interest in Abraham's covenant, their…
The plea of the children of believing-parents for their interest in Abraham's covenant, their right to church-member-ship with their parents, and consequently their title to baptism. The cause of publishing this discourse after so many learned men have laboured in this province, is declared in the preface to the reader. By Giles Firmin.
London: printed for Tho. Simons, 1683
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The great Question is, who are this Seed? my Author tells me, His Spiritual Seed: Whence I meet with this once and again, That Abraham's natural Seed was a Type of the spiritual Seed; Elect, Regenerate. Thus in answer to the question, Whether not baptizing Infants makes not the Privilege under the Gospel, less than under the Law? He answers, The natural Seed of Abraham was a typical shadowing thing— as the Antitype exceeds the Type, the spiritual birth the carnal birth; so much are we better.
The great Question is, who are this Seed? my Author tells me, His Spiritual Seed: Whence I meet with this once and again, That Abraham's natural Seed was a Type of the spiritual Seed; Elect, Regenerate. Thus in answer to the question, Whether not baptizing Infants makes not the Priviledge under the Gospel, less than under the Law? He answers, The natual Seed of Abraham was a typical shadowing thing— as the Antitype exceeds the Type, the spiritual birth the carnal birth; so much are we better.
Ans. 1. What do you mean by, so much are we better? Were none of these who were Circumcised being Abraham's natural Seed, also his spiritual Seed? Your words carried it as if not. Besides here would be a question, How the Elect-regenerate, the spiritual Seed, are Abraham's Seed; how is he a Father to them, as such? I am sure they are Christ's Seed, Isa. 53.10, 11. And we can give reasons, why they should be called his Seed. he is the meritorious and efficient cause of them, but Abraham neither way: You would have done well to have shown us this. Abraham is not so much a ⟨p. 41⟩Father to us, as Paul was to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 4.15. neither I am sure in this respect he was Father to Isaac, he did not convey Faith in his Generation of Isaac; how then is he a Father to us now? That there were Believers before Abraham, the Apostle,