3. Circumcision, by the Doctrine of St. Paul, was a Privilege if they kept: the Law: For Circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keepest the Law; but if thou be a Breaker of the Law, thy Circumcision is made Uncircumcision, or a Nullity, and ⟨p. 59⟩profiteth thee nothing; that is, if thou keep not the Law perfectly. And thus speak our late Annotators on the place, If thou [Jew] keep the Law perfectly, to which Circumcision obligeth, Gal. 5. 3. If otherwise thou transgressest the Law, thy Circumcision availeth thee nothing, it gives thee no Privilege above the uncircumcised. What is now become (this being so) of that mighty Privilege Abraham's Seed (as such) had by Circumcision, if the chief Profit or Privilege was, because unto them the Land should be given, which could not give Life, but was a Covenant of Works? then the chiefest Profit lay not in it, as it was an Ordinance of Initiation into the Church: sure, had Paul been of the Judgment of Pedo-baptists, he would have rather past by that Privilege, when he spoke of Circumcision, which he calls the chief, and have said, chiefly in that it was a Seal of Church-Membership. But since he speaks the quite contrary, who shall we believe, you, or the great Apostle of the Gentiles? And evident it is, he confirms the same Doctrine, Gal. 5. 3. For I testify to every Man that is circumcised, that he is a Debtor to keep the whole Law. And hence 'tis said to be a Yoke of Bondage which neither they nor their Fathers could bear, Acts 15. because it obliged them to universal Obedience, or to keep the Law perfectly, and brought them under a Curse if they did not, Gal. 3. 10.
3. Circumcision, by the Doctrine of St. Paul, was a Privilege if they kep: the Law: For Circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keepest the Law; but if thou be a Breaker of the Law, thy Circumcision is made Uncircumcision, or a Nullity, and ⟨p. 59⟩profiteth thee nothing; that is, if thou keep not the Law perfectly. And thus speak our late Annotators on the place, If thou [Jew] keep the Law perfectly, to which Circumcision obligeth, Gal. 5. 3. If otherwise thou transgressest the Law, thy Circumcision availeth thee nothing, it gives thee no Privilege above the uncircumcised. What is now become (this being so) of that mighty Privilege Abraham's Seed (as such) had by Circumcision, if the chief Profit or Privilege was, because unto them the Land should be given, which could not give Life, but was a Covenant of Works? then the chiefest Profit lay not in it, as it was an Ordinance of Initiation into the Church: sure, had Paul been of the Judgment of Pedo-baptists, he would have rather past by that Privilege, when he spoke of Circumcision, which he calls the chief, and have said, chiefly in that it was a Seal of Church-Membership. But since he speaks the quite contrary, who shall we believe, you, or the great Apostle of the Gentiles? And evident it is, he confirms the same Doctrine, Gal. 5. 3. For I testify to every Man that is circumcised, that he is a Debtor to keep the whole Law. And hence 'tis said to be a Yoke of Bondage which neither they nor their Fathers could bear, Acts 15. because it obliged them to universal O•edience, or to keep the Law perfectly, and brought them under a Curse if they did not, Gal. 3. 10.
