ransomed ones, and

sustenance? Oh, no. their water shall be

made no provision for their

Bread shall be given them; made sure. Though the

lions should be hungry, they shall lack nothing that is good. To such as seek first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness, all other things shall be added. Whether Paul or Apollos er Cephas, or the world, all is yours, and ye are Christ's. Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Do these appendages alter the spiritual and everlasting privileges of all the saints? Do these temporal benefits embraced in the covenant charter destroy the grace of the dispensation under which they live? Certainly not. If these do not destroy the grace of the covenant with which the faithful generally are fa vored, why should they do so in respect of Abraham, the father of the faithful? Oh! I see. The reason is obvious. If that was the covenant of grace, then circumcision was its seal, and his posterity were its subjects. Why should not ours? Then where goes the plea of the Anabaptist?

Let us next consider the seal of this covenant. The seal of any covenant is that mark and impress, whereby the parties themselves, and others may recognise the instrument to be theirs, and whereby the consent of the covenanters is formally and legally exhibited. It has always been used by great men, when vouchsafing any particular favour, especially grants of sovereigns to their subjects. Esther iii. 10, 12. When the persons of

the parties are particularly respected in the covenant, the seal is put upon the persons. Esth. viii. 2. Thus the bridegroom betroths or marries the bride by putting on her finger a ring. This is a token of endless attachment-a pledge of mutual possession and permanent kindness in the circle of their intimate union. So the seals of the covenant of grace plight the faith of our divine husband, that he will be ours in an everlasting covenant, on our part we set to, thereby the seal of our consent to his overtures, and persuasion of his truth. We bind ourselves to be constant and chaste in our affection, and punctual and diligent in the observation of his ordinances and statutes. He who is our maker binds himself to be our loving and faithful husband, and we bind ourselves to be his chaste, obedient wife. Circumcision was such a seal, for by it, the Apostle reasons, that men were bound to keep the whole law. It was also the seal of the righteousness of faith..

In times of more patriarchial simplicity and purity, it was not hazardous to discern the mode of this rite's performance.

The times are now too licentiously delicate to admit of such description. We must, therefore, refer the reader to inspired documents, and to aneient histories of Jewish ritual.

It is well known that circumcision was a bloody rite performed upon the generative organ of the male. It alluded, no doubt, to the tragic story of our fall in our first parent, and also to the glorious mystery of godliness, God manifested in

He

the incarnation and passion of Jesus Christ. The time of his passing by was a time of love. said when we were in our blood; live. This cominand could not take effect without satisfaction paid to divine justice. "Without the shedding of blood there could be no remission." Foras. much therefore as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he himself also took part of the same, that through death he might destroy death. Thus, when there was no eye to pity, nor hand to help, he laid help upon one that was mighty to save. God sent forth his Son to be made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the ancption of sons. It is no objection to this interpretation that females were not personally subjects. They were considered in and represented by the males. Had they not been considered of the circumcision, the Israelitish males in being forbidden to marry the uncircumcised, would have been prohibited marriage altogether. More. over, had this not been the case, it would have been impossible, according to the carnal, secular and superficial way in which our opponents consider this rite and seal, for women to be heiresses of land in the Jewish commonwealth: This was given to the circumcised and belonged to them, yet the daughters of Zelophe had who had no male representatives, could enjoy fast property.

The truth is, females were then, except in a case of this kind, not known; they were viewed either in their fathers or husbands, as their rep、

resentatives. Although it was a sign and a seal of seperation from the natural, and of incision or inoculation into the supernatural stock, it did not effect either of these by any immediate agency. Hence Abraham was a sincere believer before he was circumcised, and no doubt many were converted after this rite had been performed. As the scripture says, He received the sign of circumcision. "A seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised." Rom. iv. 11. So closely, however, was the seal connected with the covenant, that the one is sometimes put for the other. for the other. Gen. xvii. 10. "This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee: Every man child among you shall be circumcised." It is explained in the next verse-"and it shall be a token between me and you, and he that is eight day's old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations.-And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.” The subjects of this ordinance were adult descendants of Abraham and, their infant male seed ;; proselytes and their male offspring. Nay, not only their immediate descendants, but all of their households of whose education they had a charge.. v.. 23, 24, 25, 26. And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised, &c. chap. xviii. 19, For I know him, that he will command his children and household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord.

The great promise of this covenant we have already in part considered. "And I will be their God." It is evident that this embraces every thing. They are a blessed people whose God is Jehovah. It must embrace immortality, for God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. It is trifling to say that according to this reasoning all the circumcised would necessarily be saved. Try this reasoning with relation to baptism as administered upon any subject and in any mode. Circumcision only profited when the thing signified was by grace present. Circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law, if otherwise, circumcision became uncircumcision. Those who had been circumcised in infancy, and acted according to that vow, fulfilled the moral and religious rites, to which they were by that early honour and privilege bound. It was profitable to them. They were visibly in covenant with God, and had a right, of course, to the fellowship of the Church; if otherwise, they lost their right to this gracious promise. I will be your God. This promise is evidently a running or current promise. I will be their God. Are there any who may now claim an interest in this covenant promise? Under what covenant are they? Doubtless under the covenant of Grace. But why should not Abraham be considered under that same covenant of grace, unto whom this promise was first given? Its permanency is also evinced from the extent of its application. Gen. avii. 3,4. And Abram fell on his face; and God