SL+RM. VII. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 1O5 circumcision was a seal in general, both ofspiritual bles- sings, and outward privileges ; Rom. iv. 11. A seal of the righteousness of faith, as, well as of the possessionof Canaan, and of the covenant of grace, as well as of the covenant of Sinai. 4. The children of christians were never cut off from this priviledge, when the fathers were received into the church, whether they were Jews or gentiles ; and there- fore they are to be reckoned at least a sort of incomplete members of the christian church also, under spiritual promises and blessings. When the Jews the natural branches were cut off from the good olive tree, their little buds were cut off with them also ; and when the gentiles by a profession of faith were grafted in as foreign branches, their little buds were grafted in with them. Christ received the children that were brought by the hands of their believing parents, and " laid his hands on them, and blessed them, and said, ofsuch is the kingdom of heaven;" Mat. xix. 13-16. The promises of the Old Testament, wherein children are included in some of the prophets do refer to the gentile church as well as the Jewish; Is. xliv. 3, 5. Is. lxv. 23. Joel ii. 28, 29. For it is the " blessingofAbraham, which reaches to his seed, that comes upon the gentiles through Jesus Christ;'' Gai. iii. 14. Rom. xv. 8, 9. " that the gentiles may glorify God for his mercy." 5. As this sort of reasoning seems to manifest the right of the children of christians to these blessings, or that they have some interest in this covenant, so there are some considerations which render it very probable that children should be admitted into the visible church, by the christian door of entrance, that is baptism. As for instance, First, That circumcision being abolished, and baptism coming in the room of it, baptism should be applied to all those who have any interest in the covenant, as cir- cumcision was. Now that baptism is come in the room of circumcision, seems plain from Col. ii. 12. where the apostle argues, that being baptized we need not to be circumcised : And besides, baptism and circumcision signify the same thing, that is, the removal of sin, one by cutting off, and the other by washing away. Again, The gospel, which is a dispensation of greater
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