Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient…Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient…
Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient Britons [sic] being an answer to a book, intituled [sic] Children's baptism from Heaven, published in the Welsh tongue by Mr. James Owen / by Benjamin Keach.Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient Britains [sic] being an answer to a book, iutituled [sic] Children's baptism from Heaven, published in the Welsh tongue by Mr. James Owen / by Benjamin Keach.
Benjamin Keach 1640–1704London: printed by William Marshall, 1696
xxxi, [1], 320 [i.e. 334] p. · 141k words · Wing K75 · ESTC R32436
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.
And as the Term were the same, so were the Promises; that which was the great Promise of the Covenant of Circumcision, was the Land of Canaan, and God to be their God, in fulfilling that Earthly Promise to Abraham's Natural Seed, upon the Condition of keeping that Covenant on their parts.
That which Mr. Flavel hath said in his last Reply (in his Book, called, A succinct and seasonable Discourse) to Mr. Cary, is mainly to prove that there is but one Covenant of Works p 217, 218, &c.
To which I answer by way of Concession; yet you must say, that Covenant had several Ministrations, and Additions, as had also the Covenant of Grace; because the Covenant of Works was made with Adam, by which he stood in the time of his innocency justified and accepted by virtue thereof.
Could not God give such a second Ministration or Transcript of his righteous and holy Law, tho not to Justification, yet to aggravate his Sin, and to his just Condemnation? And doth not St. Paul assert the same thing? Rom. 3 1•, 20, compared with
. Nay, I will […] always when the Scriptures of the New Testament speak of the old Covenant, or first Covenant, or Covenant of Works, it passes by in silence the Covenant made with Adam, and more immediately and directly applies to the Sinai Covenant, and to the Covenant of Circumcision, as all careful Readers, who read the Epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and to the Hebrews, may clearly find. But to proceed; Tho we say there is but one Covenant of Grace, yet it is evident there were several distinct Ministrations of it, or Additions to it; and we say, the Promise of the Gospel, or Gospel-Covenant, was the same in all Ages, in respect of things promised, with the nature and quality thereof, which is a •ree and absolute Covenant, without Works, or any Conditions or foreseen A••s of Righteousness, or any thing to be done by the Creature,
. The Substance and Essential Part of this Covenant is Christ Faith, a new Heart, Regeneration, Remission of Sins, Sanctification, Preservation,
⟨p. 57⟩
and Everlasting Life. Yet this Evangelical Covenant had divers Forms or Transcripts of it, which •ified those things, and various Sanctions by which it was given forth and confirmed. To Adam the Promise was made, under the Name of the Seed of the Women bruising the Head of the Serpent; to Enoch, Noah, &c. in other Forms; to Abraham, under the Name of his Seed, in whom all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed; to Moses; by the Name of a great Prophet of his Brethren like unto him; and it was also signified to him under dark Shadows and Sacrifices: unto David under the Name of a Successor in his Kingdom: In the New Testament in plain words, We all, with open face, beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord; 2 Cor. 3. 18.
Could not God give such a second Ministration or Transcript of his righteous and holy Law, tho not to Justification, yet to aggravate his Sin, and to his just Condemnation? And doth not St. Paul assert the same thing? Rom. 3 1•, 20, compared with Rom. 7. 13. That Sin by the Commandment (or Law) might become exceeding sinful: So Gal. 3. 19. Nay, I will 〈…〉 always when the Scriptures of the New Testament speak of the old Covenant, or first Covenant, or Covenant of Works, it passes by in silence the Covenant made with Adam, and more immediately and directly applies to the Sinai Covenant, and to the Covenant of Circumcision, as all careful Readers, who read the Epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and to the Hebrews, may clearly find. But to proceed; Tho we say there is but one Covenant of Grace, yet it is evident there were several distinct Ministrations of it, or Additions to it; and we say, the Promise of the Gospel, or Gospel-Covenant, was the same in all Ages, in respect of things promised, with the nature and quality thereof, which is a •ree and absolute Covenant, without Works, or any Conditions or foreseen A••s of Righteousness, or any thing to be done by the Creature, Rom. 4. 5. The Substance and Essential Part of this Covenant is Christ Faith, a new Heart, Regeneration, Remission of Sins, Sanctification, Preservation, ⟨p. 57⟩and Everlasting Life. Yet this Evangelical Covenant had divers Forms or Transcripts of it, which •ified those things, and various Sanctions by which it was given forth and confirmed. To Adam the Promise was made, under the Name of the Seed of the Women bruising the Head of the Serpent; to Enoch, Noah, &c. in other Forms; to Abraham, under the Name of his Seed, in whom all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed; to Moses; by the Name of a great Prophet of his Brethren like unto him; and it was also signified to him under dark Shadows and Sacrifices: unto David under the Name of a Successor in his Kingdom: In the New Testament in plain words, We all, with open face, beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord; 2 Cor. 3. 18.
But now, because there were so many Additions of the Gospel-Promise and new Covenant, are there so many new Covenants? This being so, Mr. Flavel hath done nothing to remove Mr. Cary's Arguments, but they stand as a Rock. Take another of them.
Arg. 8 That Law or Covenant which is contradistinguished, or opposed to the Righteousness of Faith, could not be a Covenant of Faith, or a Gospel-Covenant.
Ergo, The Law or Covenant of Circumcision was not a Gospel-Covenant. And from hence Mr. Cary argues thus, By the way, saith he, let it be observed, in reference to the two foregoing Arguments which I have already proved, that that Covenant that is not of Faith, must be a Covenant of Works, there being no Medium betwixt them, and consequently must be the same for Substance with that made with Adam, and that on Mount Sinai with the Children of Israel.
Arg. 9. That Covenant that is plainly represented to us in Scripture as a Bondage-Covenant, in and by which there was imposed such a Yoke upon the Necks of the Jews, which neither those in the Apostles time, nor their Fathers were able to bear, could be no other than a Covenant of Works, and not of Grace.
But the Scriptures do plainly represent such was the nature of the Covenant of Circumcision, Acts 15. 10. Gal. 5. 1, 2, 3. Ergo, The Covenant of Circumcision was not a Gospel-Covenant, but a Covenant of Works. Thus Mr. Cary argues also: And thus we have proved from God's Word, and sound Arguments, that the Covenant of Circumcision was not a Gospel-Covenant.
Answ. I answer, I doubt not but God might comprehend them in-that glorious Covenant or Compact made between him and, our Surety in the Covenant of Redemption: But, as I said before, secret things belong to God.
