2 90 The Birth-Priviledge and Covenant- holinef Ch. 3 S he is a father to them that Wally in the fleps of our father Abraham, which he had yet being uncircumcifed. A root not by communica- tion, but example ; an ingraffing not to have any thing commu- nicated from the root, but to imitate it , is fuch a Catachrefis as may well make all Khetorick afhamed of it ; and if the Sun ever faw a more notable piece of non - fenfe , I am to feek what fenfe is. A root is too low in the earth to have its examples followed, and fyens fucks in juice, but knows not how to imitate. And whac kinde of root foever-Mafter Tombes can make it ; the root menti- oned by the Apofile in that Chapter, is a root by communication, verf. 17. If ¡eme of the branches be broken off, and thou being a wilde Olive-tree Wertgra f fed in amongff them, and with them par - take/t of the rot and fatne ffe of the Olive -tree. The root here com- municates fatneffe to the branches, and the branches receive from the root. It is then a communicative root , and doth communi- cate that which makes the branch one with it. Abrabem is in- deed called a father , as well as he is called a root ; but thefe two are not full Synoyma's , in the maine they agree. Both. Meta, phors aptly felting forth what the branches as from a root the children as from a father receive, namely their title to the Cove- nant from him ; and therefore as to Abraham, fo to all l freel ap- pertained the Covenants and the Adoption, Rom. 9: 4, 5 And fo to all thofe that are become children and with them. The title father is yet extended to a greater latitude , as he doth I impart to his iffae, (as before) fo be is a pattérne and example, as even naturali parents are likewife, according as Rom. 4. 12. (quoted by Mafter ï` on;bes) it is fet forth , yet that place is too palpably by him abufed. The fteps of the Faith of the Father Abraham, is the doetrine of Faith which Abraham beleeved or the profeffion of Faith which he made. All that were profeffedly Jewes, and all that were profeffedly Chriftians, walk in the fteps of that Faith. All circumcifed Beleevers had not that Faith that ¡unifies nor yet all the uncircumcifed ; and Abraham is a Father of both: He could be exemplary as a patterne to be followed only in that which is external his Faith gna ¡unifying could not be feen to be imitated. And the like he path page78. I make Abraham WI y the root, ei he u only the Father of Beleevers exemplarily ; and that which,made him the Father of Beleevers , was not the Covenant, bw-
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