tain privileges gradually difplaying the riches of his grace and goodness, in a variety of fucceffive difpenfations. The first gracious intimation is recorded, Gen. iii. 15, where it is promised, that "The feed of the woman fhall bruise the serpent's head." It pleafed God more fully to reveal this glorious defign to Abraham. With him he eftablished a gracious covenant; a covenant which contained certain promifes. To him he alfo granted certain bleffings and privileges, both for his natural and fpiritual feed, (Gen. xvii. 7.) Upon this I shall hereafter have occafion to speak more fully. -God thus conftituted him the Father of the Faithful. He thus eftablished his covenant, that they should not only pattern his faith, but that all his fpiritual feed or children fhould alfo inherit the spiritual bleffings and privileges of the covenant of promise. This the apostle, more than once or twice, exprefsly afferts in our context. "Know ye, therefore, that they which are of faith, the fame are the children of Abraham. And the fcripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, faying, In thee fhall all nations be bleffed. So then they which be of faith are bleffed with faithful Abraham. That the bleffing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jefus Chrift; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. For ye are all the children of God by Faith in Chrift Jefus."* Then he fums up the whole in our text. "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's feed, and heirs according to the promife." That the promise here mentioned, contained fpiritual bleffings and privileges; that God

* Verses, 7, 8, 9, 14, 26.

granted these to Abraham as the Father of the Faithful; that it was one of those bleffings contained in this covenant of promife, that infants were to be received with their parents into the church, and have the feal of the righteoufnefs of faith administered to them-that this bleffing, or privilege of Abraham, is now come upon the Gentiles, through faith in Chrift, as is afferted in the 14th verfe and that all who are Chrift's, are Abraham's feed and heirs according to the promise as expreffed in our text, feem to be inconteftible truths. The doctrine inferred from the words of our text, in this connexion, as the subject of the enfuing difcourfe, is,

That believers under the gofpel difpenfation have a right to baptifm for their infant children, or that the infants of fuch are to be baptized.

To illuftrate and establish this doctrine, it is propofed by divine affiftance to fhew,

I. That God did gracioufly grant unto Abraham, as the father of believers, that infants fhould be received into the vifible church with their pa

rents.

II. That God commanded, that the feal of the righteousness of faith should be administered unto them.

Or

III. That this great privilege is, under the gofpel, confirmed and continued to believers. that the infant children of believers are to be baptized.

I. I am to fhow, That God did graciously grant unto Abraham, as the father of believers, that infants fhould be received into the vifible church with their parents.

That the truth of this may clearly appear, feveral things command particular attention.

1. At a time when religion was very low in the world, and when the vifible church was almost extinct, God called Abraham out from the wicked world, in order to fet up his church and kingdom in his family.*

2. When God had tried and proved Abraham's faith and obedience,† he established his covenant with him as an everlasting covenant, and fet up his church in Abraham's houfe. Here we fee certain commands enjoined on Abraham; certain inftitutions for him to obferve, and certain bleffings and privileges granted to him for himself, and for his feed. These bleffings were to continue in the church, and to descend to his children through fucceeding ages. This was an everlasting covenant. "I will be a God to thee, and to thy feed after thee."

3. Let it be strictly obferved, that the fpiritual bleffings contained in this covenant, were granted to Abraham as a father to the faithful. They are fummed up in these emphatical words; "I will be a God to thee, and to thy feed after thee." The Jews themselves understood it in this view, but confined the bleffings, both spiritual and temporal, to Abraham's natural feed through the law. This grofs mistake the apoftle corrects, in the chapter containing our text, by clearly fhewing, that they were defigned for his fpiritual feed alfo, through the gofpel, whether Jews or Gentiles. The true ftate of the matter was this-The vifible church at that time was almoft fwallowed up in a deluge of

* Gen. Chap. 12.

+Chap. 15, 16. + Chap. 17. H

idolatry, and wickednefs-but God was pleafed to call forth Abraham, and begin a new difpenfation of grace to his church. To difplay more fully his glorious defign, he gave richer promises, and granted more ample privileges.

This was to be an everlasting covenant, Gen. xvii. 7. "And I will eftablish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and thy feed after thee."

4. In this difpenfation of his grace to his church, he expressly granted unto Abraham this great privilege, that infants fhould be received into the vifible church with their parents; and he ordered that the fign of the covenant should be administered to every male child at eight days old. The fame day, in obedience to the divine command, was Abraham circumcifed, and his fon Ifhmael.*

Here, my brethren, was fomething new and glorious-Abraham, through this covenant, no doubt, faw Chrift, the glorious head of all his fpiritual feed, and was glad, as our bleffed Saviour obferves.t

Under this difpenfation you fee that God appointed and commanded, that infants fhould be received into the church with their parents. Infants, by circumcifion as an initiating ordinance, were admitted into the church. Thus the apoftle fays, Acts, vii. 8. "And he gave him the covenant of circumcifion. And fo Abraham begat Ifaac, and circumcifed him the eighth day," &c.

It is very evident that the church once poffeffed this inestimable privilege of giving up their children to God in the covenant of promise; and it is

* Genefis, xvii. + John, viii. 56.

as evident that by the special command of God, the faithful, in the only true church, enjoyed the fame through fucceeding ages. They alfo had many precious promifes for their children recorded in the facred oracles, all which are yea and amen in Chrift Jefus to believers.Of this I fhall have occafion to fpeak more freely in another place.

II. I propofe to fhew, that God did command, that the feal of the righteoufnefs of faith fhould be administered to infants. To prevent a difficulty from arifing in your minds, I would here observe, that no fign nor feal, which is wholly legal, and respects only temporal bleffings, can, with any propriety, be called a feal of the righteousness of faith. Thofe who believe the facred fcriptures, cannot doubt, that God commanded circumcifion to be administered to infants of eight days old.*

It is commanded, that not only Abraham must circumcife his own children, but it is exprefsly commanded, that his feed after him muft be circumcifed in their generations. So ftrict was the command, that every uncircumcifed male child was ordered to be cut off from God's people, because he had broken the covenant. Some, perhaps, may fay, that this is nothing to the purpofe, for circumcifion was a carnal, legal, bloody ordinance. They may fay, that it was a covenant of works, and could have no refpect to Chriftian baptifm. As for fuch, let them take heed left they be found to oppose the apostle, and contradict the fpirit of infpiration. But, my hearers, let your minds be calm and attentive. Circumcifion was a feal of the righteoufnefs of faith. The very fame circumcifion which

* Genefis, vii. 10-12-14.