First Proposition premised. Let it be considered, that the Apostles perceiving the weakness of the Jews who believed in Christ, to take them off gradually from Jewish Observation of days, and other legal Rites and Ordinances, did admit of the Practice of some of them for a time, till they were better instructed in the Truth as it is in Jesus, the nature of the new Creation, and the change of the whole Law, viz. the utter abolishing of all things Ceremonial, or that were Signs and Shadows of things to come, and the removing the ministration of all Moral Precepts from Moses as Lawgiver, into the hand of Christ as Mediator, in which capacity he had all Power delegated to him in Heaven and Earth as our only Lord and Lawgiver.1 Thou seest, Brother, how many thousands of the Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the Law; Acts 21. 20. Hence Paul complied with them to purify himself, and to shave his Head, v. 24. and on the like account, in compliance with their weakness, he circumcised Timothy. I might from hence by the way note, that had we such a Passage that Paul kept one Jewish Sabbath, as we have here of his circumcising Timothy, I suppose our Brethren would make no small advantage of it, that it is our Duty from thence to keep it; but that might have been on the same account and no better ground, than it would be for us to plead for Circumcision, and be circumcised, as Tillam, ⟨p. 16⟩Skip and Coolly were (as I am informed) who called themselves the Ministers of the Circumcision.
First Proposition premised. Let it be considered, that the Apostles perceiving the weakness of the Jews who believ'd in Christ, to take them off gradually from Jewish Observation of days, and other legal Rites and Ordinances, did admit of the Practice of some of them for a time, till they were better instructed in the Truth as it is in Jesus, the nature of the new Creation, and the change of the whole Law, viz. the utter abolishing of all things Ceremonial, or that were Signs and Shadows of things to come, and the removing the ministration of all Moral Precepts from Moses as Lawgiver, into the hand of Christ as Mediator, in which capacity he had all Power delegated to him in Heaven and Earth as our only Lord and Lawgiver.1 Thou seest, Brother, how many thousands of the Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the Law; Acts 21. 20. Hence Paul complied with them to purify himself, and to shave his Head, v. 24. and on the like account, in compliance with their weakness, he circumcised Timothy. I might from hence by the way note, that had we such a Passage that Paul kept one Jewish Sabbath, as we have here of his circumcising Timothy, I suppose our Brethren would make no small advantage of it, that it is our Duty from thence to keep it; but that might have been on the same account and no better ground, than it would be for us to plead for Circumcision, and be circumcised, as Tillam, ⟨p. 16⟩Skip and Cooly were (as I am informed) who called themselves the Ministers of the Circumcision.
- 1Mat. 28. 18, 19, 20.
