The promise is to you and to your children, can have no other sense then,1 the promise and word of the Covenant is preached to you and to your children in you▪ and this is to be externally in Covenant, both under the Old and New Testament. If it have another sense it must be this, the Lord hath internally Covenanted with you the 3000. who have heard the word and with your children, and you are the spiritual seed, and sons of promise, predestinate to life eternal: as Rom. 9. they expone the seed in Covenant: But 1. Were all the 3000. Ananias and Sapphira and their children the spiritual and chosen seed? for he commands all, whom he exhorts to repent, to be baptized: And 2. Now to Simon Magus and Demas, and numbers of such, Peter could not have said, the promise is made to you and to your children; if it be only made to real and actual believers, as they say, Peter therefore must own them all whom he exhorts to repent, as the chosen seed. But if the former sense be intended (as how can it be denied?) to wit, the word of the Covenant is preached to you, an offer of Christ ⟨p. 88⟩is made in the preached Gospel to you. Then it cannot be denied, but the promise is to all the Reprobate in the Visible Church whether they believe or not, for Christ is preached and promises of the Covenant are preached to Simon Magus, to Judas and all the Hypocrites who stumble at the Word, to all the Pharisees, as is clear,2 Math. 13.20, 21, 22, 23. Acts 13.44, 45. Acts 18.5, 6. Math. 21.43. 1 Pet. 2.7, 8. (3.) The promise, I will be your God, and ye shall be my people, must be one way expounded in the Old Testament, to wit, you are externally only in Covenant with God. But in the New Testament, it must have this meaning, I will be your God, 2 Cor. 6.16. that is, you are all predestinate to life, and the sons, by promise, and the spiritual seed, to whom I say, I will be your God: But so it may well be said, there were no internal Covenanters in the Old Testament, and there be none but only internal Covenanters in the New Testament, so that when the Lord sayeth, Rev. 11.15. The Kingdoms of the earth are mine, and my sons. He must say, the Kingdoms, Egypt, Assyria, Tyre, Ethiopia, &c. are chosen and the spiritual seed, and these Covenanted Nations and the Kingdoms of the Gentiles are all internally and effectually called, and there are no Visible Churches in the New Test.
The promise is to you and to your children, can have no other sense then,1 the promise and word of the Covenant is preached to you and to your children in you▪ and this is to be externally in Covenant, both under the Old and New Testament. If it have another sense it must be this, the Lord hath internally Covenanted with you the 3000. who have heard the word and with your children, and you are the spirituall seed, and sons of promise, predestinate to life eternall: as Rom. 9. they expone the seed in Covenant: But 1. Were all the 3000. Ananias and Saphi•a and their children the spirituall and chosen seed? for he commands all, whom he exhorts to repent, to be baptized: And 2. Now to Simon Magus and Demas, and numbers of such, Peter could not have said, the promise is made to you and to your children; if it be only made to reall and actuall believers, as they say, Peter therefore must owne them all whom he exhorts to repent, as the chosen seed. But if the former sense be intended (as how can it be denyed?) to wit, the word of the Covenant is preached to you, an offer of Christ ⟨p. 88⟩is made in the preached Gospel to you. Then it cannot be denyed, but the promise is to all the Reprobate in the Visible Church whether they believe or not, for Christ is preached and promises of the Covenant are preached to Simon Magus, to Judas and all the Hypocrites who stumble at the Word, to all the Pharisees, as is clear,2 Math. 13.20, 21, 22, 23. Acts 13.44, 45. Acts 18.5, 6. Math. 21.43. 1 Pet. 2.7, 8. (3.) The promise, I will be your God, and ye shall be my people, must be one way expounded in the Old Testament, to wit, you are externally only in Covenant with God. But in the New Testament, it must have this meaning, I wil be your God, 2 Cor. 6.16. that is, you are all predestinate to life, and the sons, by promise, and the spirituall seed, to whom I say, I will be your God: But so it may well be said, there were no internall Covenanters in the Old Testament, and there be none but only internall Covenanters in the New Testament, so that when the Lord sayeth,
- 1The sense of the words, the promise is to you and to your children.
- 2If all be really believers that are in Covenant with God, under the New Testament▪ all the Kingdoms of the world, which are the Lords and Christs, Rev. 11.15. must be believers & internally in Covenant with God.If all be really believers that are in Covenant with God, under the New Testament▪ al the Kingdomes of the world, which are the Lords and Christs, Rev. 11.15. must be believers & internally in Covenant with God.
