Jefus was in the midst of them, teaching and preaching the kingdom of God.

Did Chrift treat the Jewish church in fuch a manner, or receive fuch treatment from it, as would lead us to fuppofe that he confidered it as his church, which he purchased with his own blood?

To elucidate the idea, please to examine the debate between Chrift and the leaders of this church, recorded in the eighth chapter of John. In this, Jefus declared himfelf the light of the world. The Pharifees difbelieved it, and told him plainly that he bore record of himself, and that his record was not true. (ver. 12, 13.) Chrift told them that they were ignorant both of him and of his Father. (v. 19.) Ye are, faid he, from beneath, I am from above; ye are of this world, I am not of this world. If ye believe not that I am he, ye fhall die in your fins. (v. 23, 24.) In order to evade the force of Chrift's doctrine, they pleaded their covenant privileges: We be Abraham's feed. I know that ye are Abraham's feed, replied Jefus ; but ye feek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I fteak that which I have feen with my Father, and ye do that which ye have feen with your father. They answered and faid unto him, Abraham is our father. Jefus faith unto them, If ye were Abraham's CHILDREN, you would do the works of Abraban. Chrift feems to admit that they were Abraham's natural feed, but denies that they were his children in a fpiritual fenfe. Unwilling to acknowledge themselves deftitute of religion, and to prove that they had a fair title to heaven without being indebted to him, they declared that God was their Father. Jefus faid unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me : for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myfelf, but he fent me. (v. 41, 42.) At length Chrift faid to them, Ye are of your father the devil, and the luft of your father ye will do. (v. 44.) With a view no doub to how the keennefs of their refentment at this plain dealing, they answered him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and haft a devil? Does this look like that language of love which fubfifted between Chrift and his true church? Every candid heart will reply, No.

Is it poffible to bring our minds to believe that the true church could ever treat the bleffed Saviour as the Jews treated him? They not only defpifed and held him in contempt, calumniated and abused him, but actually perfecuted him to death! Who was it that the traitor covenanted with, to fell his Lord for thirty pieces of filver? Was it to an ignorant mob, made up of Gentile libertines, and headed by fome fanatical leader? No fuch thing. Judas made his calculations with more certainty. He went directly to the CHIEF PRIESTS, the principal leaders in this church. And do you think they would let fo fair an opportunity pafs, to get into their hands a man whom they hated? Surely no. The bargain was clofed at once; and Judas was fent with a band of men to arrest him.* Who was it firft formed the defign of putting Jefus to death? The principal leaders of the Jewish church. And when the morn ing was come, ALL THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDERS of the people took counsel against Jefus to put him to death. In order to accomplish their murderous defign, he muft be delivered to Pilate the governor, to pafs fentence of death upon him. Pilate, though a Gentile, feemned to have fome sense of moral juftice, and was defirous to understand the real caufe of their complaint. But who arraigned him before Pilate's bar? Thine own nation, faid he, and the chief priests have delivered thee to me What haft thou done? Jefus at once ftated the true ground of the controverfy. My kingdom, faid he, is not of this world. The more Pilate heard and faw, the ftronger was his conviction of the innocency of Jesus. Several means had been employed to avert the sentence, but without effect. At length, recollecting that it had been a custom at this feaft to releafe a prifoner, and having two, he hoped they would choofe Jefus. But in this he was deceived. His perfuafions were all in vain. Malice had fixed the infernal purpose too ftrongly in their breafts to be fhaken by his reafonings. No, Jefus muft die. His crucifixion was determined on. Hence the chief priests and elders perfuaded the multitude that they fhould afk Barabbas, and deftroy Jefus.+ O thou infulted, + Matt. xxvii. 20.

* Matt. xxvi. 14, 15, 47.

fuffering Lamb of God! were thefe the leaders of thy church, thy true gospel church? Muft we confider them as thy friends, while manifefting this murderous oppofition to thee, merely because they defcended from the loins of Abraham? We cannot. Our hearts revolt at the horrid thought.

Nor can we believe that this was the church into which the Gentile converts were grafted. No; it was the church gathered by Jefus, and his apoftles; from among the Jews indeed, but composed only of the converts to his new doctrine; of feparates from the old Jewish church and religion. No others compofed any part of the New Teftament church. Muft we not shut our eyes against the clearest light to believe otherwise ? We certainly must.

This, however, is one of the main pillars on which Pædobaptifm refts, That this old Jewish church and the New Teftament church are the fame. This is Mr. Edwards's potent argument, with which he has affailed the Baptifts, and laid them (in his imagination) heaps upon heaps, as Samfon did the Philiftines with the jaw-bone of an afs. But with all his zeal to maintain the fameness of the Jewish and Chriftian churches, his confcience compelled him to make one very just conceffion. His confcience, did I fay? No, I rather think he was a little off his guard. Speaking of the Jewish people collectively, he fays; "As to their character, it is certain that, a few only excepted, they were upon the whole the DEADLY ENEMIES OF CHRIST and his doctrine." (p. 62.) Reader! paufe a moment, and reflect upon this declaration. That the Jewish church, a few, a very few, excepted, were the deadly enemies of Chrift and his doctrine! And yet, if there be any truth in Mr. Edwards's argument, this was not only a fample of the gospel church, but the church in reality! the fame with that under the gofpel difpenfation. A little altered indeed in "diet" and "drefs," but identically the fame.* And was this one of Mr. Edwards's "candid reafons for leaving the Baptifts," because they do not believe Chrift's church to be principally made up of

* Vid. p. 46, 48.

his deadly enemies? The Baptifts entertain no fuck horrid idea. If he believes his own reafoning, it was certainly a very fufficient one for his leaving a community who think very differently: For how ean tro walk together, except they be agreed?

We have thus briefly ftated a few facts which ferve to how the temper and feelings of the Jewish church. towards our bleffed Redeemer and his doctrine, and alfo what treatment he received from them.

We will now inquire, whether the apostles of Jesus Chrift agreed in fentiment with the advocates for infant baptifm, with refpect to the famenefs of the Jewish and Chriftian churches.

Immediately after the afcenfion of the Saviour, we are prefented with a view of his little flock; this new gofpel church in a company by themfelves. Here we find a body of difciples, amounting to about one hundred and twenty, affembled in an open room at Jerufalem. Thefe all continued with one accord, in prayer and fupplications, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jefus, and with his brethren. Here were no fcribes nor pharifees intermixed. No one who retained his ftanding in the Jewish church, nor any who felt unfriendly to the interefts of Jefus. The traitor himfelf no longer obtruded his unhallowed prefence among them. They were all united in love.* When the day of pentecoft was fully come, we find them again together, with one accord in one place. Here the apoftles experienced the fulfilment of what had been predicted by John, and promifed by Chrift. They were all baptized with the Holy Ghoft and fire. No fooner was this noised abroad, than a vaft multitude collected. Some were struck with wonder and amazement; others mocked, and faid thefe men are full of new wine. But Peter stood up and addreffed the multitude in a difcourfe peculiarly adapted to the occafion, and to the circumftances of his audience. His preaching was attended with a marvellous difplay of divine power. He concluded in the following words; Therefore let ALL the house of Ifrael know affiiredly, that God hath made that fame Jefus, whom YE HAVE CRU

* Acts i. 14.

CIFIED, both Lord and Chrift. Here the house of Ifrael or Jewish church collectively, is charged with having taken the Son of God, and with wicked hands crucified and flain him. The word delivered by Peter became fharper than a two-edged fword! And they were pricked in their heart, and faid unto Peter, and to the rest of the apofles, Men and brethren, what fall we do? Then Peter faid unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you the name of Jefus Chrift, for the remiffion of fins, and fball receive the gift of the Holy Ghoft. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God fball call.*

in

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What fhall we do? was the language of thofe wounded-hearted finners. Repent, faid Peter, and be baptized every one of you. He commanded none to be baptized, but what he firft commanded to repent. The promise of remiffion of fins, and of the gift of the Holy Ghoft, was not made to all indifcriminately, but was predicated upon their repentance and baptifm, upon their being called by the Lord, and not upon the baptifm of impenitents. The promife quoted by the apoftle, as an encouragement to them and to their children to repent, must also be understood with this limitation.

*The apofle here no doubt alluded to the promife recorded by the prophet Jeremiah. Bebald the days come, faith the Lord, that I will make • NEW COVENANT with the baufe of Ifrael and with the boufe of Judah : not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they brake, although I was an busband unto them, faith the Lord. But this fall be the covenant that I will make with the boufe of Ifrael; After thofe days, faith the Lord, I WILL PUT MY LAW IN THEIR INWARD PARTS, AND WRITE IT IN THEIR HEARTS, and will be their God, and they foall be my people. And they fall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, faying, Know ye the Lord; for they SHALL ALL KNOW ME, from the leaft of them unto the greatest of them, faith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their fin no more t This new covenant was established upon better promises than those contained in the covenant of circumcifion. God did not engage in that, the renewing influences of the Holy Spirit, to put his law in their inward parts. That covenant was outward in the flesh; this is inward, the law written upon the heart. In this new covenant, the very least knows the Lord. In that, many who were the greatest in office and power, knew not the Lord.

↑ Jer. xxxi. 31-34