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…

Now this Covenant we grant thus made with Abraham, is one and the same with the Covenant of Grace; but what does this signify to the Infants, or Fleshly Seed of Believers, as such? And thus I shall pass to your next Argument.

You say, the Children of the Faithful are in God's Covenant, because Christ is the Mediator of a better Covenant, which was established upon better Promises, Heb. 8. 6, &c. But, say you, if the Children of the Faithful are excluded from the Covenant, then the Covenant is worse, and not a better Covenant? It was a great Prerogative of Children being in Covenant, Rom. 9. 4. for the Promises of God belonged to them; but if the Covenant be shortened in Privileges, how is it a better Covenant? &c.

Answ. 1. I answer; It is granted by us that the Children of the Jews, whether they were believing Jews, or unbelieving Jews, godly Persons or ungodly Persons, they were in that external Covenant God made with Abraham's Natural Seed, as such, or with the whole House of Israel under the Old Testament, or old Covenant: But the Promises and that Covenant then ran not to the Seed of believing Jews only, but if they were Abraham's Seed, I mean his Natural Seed, whether Believers or Unbelievers. Circumcision belonged to the Male-Infants, as such, and all other external Privileges, but the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham ran only then as it runs now, viz. to all the Elect only, not to their Carnal Seed, as such, but to their Spiritual Seed. If you are a Believer, you are in the Covenant of Grace; and if your Child in Infancy be one of God's Elect, that decretively is in the same Covenant of Grace, but not actually until it doth believe, and has actual Union with Christ by Faith, and partakes of the holy Spirit, which is the Bond of that Union, and Seal of the Covenant of Grace. No external Rite can be the Seal of the Spiritual Covenant. If therefore Circumcision was a Seal of any Covenant, it was the External and Legal Covenant: tho Abraham, 'tis true, received it as the Seal of the Righteousness of his Faith, even of that Faith he had being uncircumcised; and in that sense it could be a Seal to no other Person but to Abraham only: for who besides him had the Righteousness of Faith before they were circumcised, and that they should be Fathers to all