A47399:130
[The axe laid to the root, or, One blow more at the foundation of…[The ax laid to the root, or, One blow more at the foundation of…
[The axe laid to the root, or, One blow more at the foundation of infant baptism and church-membership containing an exposition of that metaphorical text of Holy Scripture, Mat. 3, 10].[The ax laid to the root, or, One blow more at the foundation of infant baptism and church-membership containing an exposition of that metaphorical text of Holy Scripture, Mat. 3, 10].
London : Printed for the author, and are to be sold by John Harris, 1693
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.
Let therefore the Jews Covenant, standing before they were broken off (from being any more a Covenant People) be what it would, I am sure no Gentile is graften into Christ, nor Jew neither, but by Faith; nor can any be grafted into the Gospel Church, without the Profession of such a Faith.
The Jews, 'tis true, were broken off by their Unbelief, and were also now no more a Church; nor is there (as I said once before) any such kind of Church, constituted under the Gospel Dispensation, as theirs was, viz. A National one: For they, amongst the Jews, who were True Believers, (or the spiritual Seed of Abraham) who receiving Jesus Christ by Faith, were planted a new into the Gospel Church; and between them, and Gentile Believers, there is no difference, since the middle Wall of Partition is broken down, Eph. 2.14. Jew, and Gentile, stand now by Faith, and not by external, relative Covenant Holiness. Thou standeth, (saith Paul) by Faith: O Believer! (mark it) not by Birth, Privileges, but by by Faith; (as worthy Mr. Gary observes) Thy standing is by Faith, yet not thy Seed by thy Faith, But thou thy self by thine; and they, by their own Faith▪ Faith is that, by which (thou standing, and not thy Seed) hast Right to stand in the Church, and not thy Seed; but if thy Seed have Faith, and thou hast none, then they have Right in this Church, and thou shalt be excluded. And, although under the Law, we deny not, but that the natural Seed, or Progeny of Abraham, were all Holy, with an External, Ceremonial, Typical Holiness; and consequently, they were then admitted to an external Participation of Church Privileges; yet now 'tis otherwise, Old things are passed away, and all things are become new; now we know no Man after the Flesh, 2. Cor. 5.16, 17. That Old Church State is dissolved, and manner of Admission into it, by external Birth, Privileges, or •••••ive Covenant Holiness; and 'tis very evident this was effected by the Death of Christ: See