Cornelius his house and all with him were baptized, ⟨p. 84⟩Acts 10.33▪ 47. Three thousand at once, Acts 2.39, 40, 41. The Jailer and his house, Acts 16.33. servants and friends. The household of Stephanas, 1 Cor. 1.16. was Baptized. And this 3. is holden forth as the Church,1 as the household of Narcissus which are in the Lord, Rom. 16.11. Aquila and Priscilla, and all the Church at their house. v. 5. The Church at the house of Philemon, Phil. v. 2. which teacheth that the Covenant holiness is of societies and houses under the New Testament as in Abraham's house, and as Abraham's house was Circumcised, so are whole houses under the New Testament Baptized. 4. Paul aptly calls it the holiness of the lump, or Nation, and the first fruits, root-holiness, the holiness of the root and the branches. Of the Olive Tree and the branches, Rom. 11.16, 17. (5.) The special intent of God in sending the word of the Covenant must evidence this; he sends not the Gospel unto, and for the cause of one man, to bring him in, but to gather a Church and his elect ones, by a visibly and audibly Preached Covenant to a society, to a City; to Samaria. Acts 8. To the Gentiles, Acts 13. To all Nations, Mat. 28.19, 20. that they and their children may have right to salvation and to the means thereof, and to the Covenant, and therefore we are not curiously to inquire whether the faith of the father be real or not, if the Gospel be come to the Nation, to the House, to the Society. The Lord in one Abraham, in one Cornelius, in one Jailer, (whom he effectually converts as far as we can gather from the Scriptures) choices the race, house, society, nation, and gives them a Covenant-holiness, the mans being born where the call of God is, does the turn, as much as the faith of the Parent. For by the root is not necessarily meant the Physical root the father. For Abraham was not the Physical root and father,2 nor Cornelius of all the servants and friends in the house. But if a friend be in the house, or society, and profess the Gospel, he and his obtain right to Baptism and the means of salvation. But as touching real holiness, it is not derived from a believing father, to make the son a believer, Scripture and experience say the contrary. Nor 2. is internal and effectual confederacy with God, that, by which one is a son of promise, Rom. 9. and predestinate to life, a national favour. For 1.
Cornelius his house and all with him were baptized, ⟨p. 84⟩Acts 10.33▪ 47. Three thousand at once, Acts 2.39, 40, 41. The Jayler and his house, Acts 16.33. servants and friends. The houshold of Stephanas, 1 Cor. 1.16. was Baptized. And this 3. is holden forth as the Church,1 as the houshold of Narcissus which are in the Lord, Rom. 16.11. Aquila and Priscilla, and all the Church at their house. v. 5. The Church at the house of Philemon, Phil. v. 2. which teacheth that the Covenant holinesse is of societies and houses under the New Testament as in Abrahams house, and as Abrahams house was Circumcised, so are whole houses under the New Testament Baptized. 4. Paul aptly calls it the holinesse of the lump, or Nation, and the first fruits, root-holinesse, the holinesse of the root and the branches. Of the Olive Tree and the branches, Rom. 11.16, 17. (5.) The speciall intent of God in sending the word of the Covenant must evidence this; he sends not the Gospel unto, and for the cause of one man, to bring him in, but to gather a Church and his elect ones, by a visibly and audibly Preached Covenant to a society, to a City; to Samaria. Acts 8. To the Gentiles, Acts 13. To all Nations, Mat. 28.19, 20. that they and their children may have right to salvation and to the means thereof, and to the Covenant, and therefore we are not curiously to inquire whether the faith of the father be real or not, if the Gospel be come to the Nation, to the House, to the Society. The Lord in one Abraham, in one Cornelius, in one Jayler, (whom he effectually converts as far as we can gather from the Scriptures) choises the race, house, society, nation, and gives them a Covenant-holinesse, the mans being born where the call of God is, does the turn, as much as the faith of the Parent. For by the root is not necessarily meant the Physicall root the father. For Abraham was not the Physicall root and father,
- 1What federal holiness is.What federal holines is.
- 2The being born where the Gospel sounds, of that nation & race, is the ground of Covenant-holiness as well as the faith of the nearest parentsThe being born where the Gospel sounds, of that nation & race, is the ground of Covenant-holines as well as the faith of the nearest parents
