The Gofpel of C ircumci Eton. air You fee what the Covenant was, and what were the Principal Things and Branches of it : That, God fhould be his God, that God fhould give him a Seed, and that God fhould give an Inheritance to' him and theme You fee what the Covenant is that Circumcifion doth relate to. Now the laft thing propounded was this, What refpefl Circumcifion bath to this Covenant ? He gave him the Covenant ofCircumcifion. The reafon of this Queftion is, becaufe, altho' all the Ordinances and In- ftitutionii of thole Times, did relate to the fame Covenant : Yet every. Ordinance did fo, with fome peculiarity, with fome fpecial refpe&, and in a peculiar manner. Now, for the peculiar RefpetJ which Circumcifion bath to this Covenant Note thefe five Things. i. Circumcifion refpells the Covenant, as the Sign or Seal, or Sacrament' of Initiation into the Covenant. The Scripture ufeth all thole Words, and they are fitly ufed, Rom. 4.1 r. it is called a Sign and Seal of the' Righteoufnefs ofFaitb : And all thefixed Signs of the Covenant ofGrace are Seals alto ; there are no nuda Signa. As they are Signs to repre-. fent, fo they are Seals to ratify and confirm the Covenant of Grace, and the Bleffings of it, and alfo means to exhibit them, as you know the Nature of Sacraments is fo. So then Circumcifion was a' Seal and a Sacrament in the way of a Type : It was a. typical Sacrament. We have Sacraments now, but ours are not Typical, are not Shadows of good Things to come, and of the Gofpel and Mews- yet to be exhibited ; for theyare paft and done in our Times : But Circumcifion was fuch a Sacrament, as was to be a Type of thefuture Exhibition of the Covenant and Bleflings of it : And it was the Type, or Sign or Seal, and 'Sacrament of Initiation, or En- trance, or folemn Admifon into the Covenant : For it was to be the fr.i; it was to precede the Paflòver ; as you know'it was appointed ; and ordained in Exod. 12. Circumcifion was ftr:fl tobe adminiftred. Not that Perfons were admitted by Circumcifion into the Covenant or Church. of God; no, they were in the Covenant before; elfe they were not to be admitted to Circumcifion; they have no right to the Seals of the Covenant, who are not firft in the Covenant. It is a common Miftake in our Times, that many think that Baptifm dotty makea Perlon a Member of the Church -of God, it doth Seal tvlember- fhip, or elfe they have no Ground to have it adminiftred to them. This is the firft. 2. As holding forth the Suffering of Yefits Chriff: He is the principal Seed whereof the Covenant fpeaks.. Circumcifion was a bloody Sacra- ment, and the firft Blood that Jefus thrift filed, was in Circumcifion :
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