Chapter 16: Cases from the Former Doctrine on External and Internal Covenanting

Q. 1. If multitudes and people externally covenanted with God, though not internally, whom the Lord calls his people and chosen by him (Deuteronomy 7:6, Deuteronomy 10:15), be the rightly constituted and visible church, as Mr. Thomas Hooker grants, then kingdoms must be his visible church. Answer. No doubt, Egypt, Assyria, all nations, all the ends of the world, all the kingdoms of this world, are prophesied to be the kingdoms and covenanted people of God, and the Lord challenges them as his (Isaiah 19:25, blessed be Egypt my people; Isaiah 2:1-3; Psalm 22:27; Revelation 11:15; Psalm 96; Psalm 97; Psalm 98; Isaiah 42:10; Isaiah 49:7-8, 20-21; Song of Solomon 8:8 — Acts 13:46-47; Romans 15:8-12), and must be the visible covenanted churches of God, to whom the seals of the covenant are due. But that none in Egypt, Assyria, of all the called Gentiles, though visibly and professedly in covenant, and affirmed by the mouth of the Lord to be his people, the sister of the Jewish church, and his kingdoms, are members of the visible church, or has right to membership and seals, except men judge them to be real converts, sound believers, and so internally called and chosen, is to prefer the judgment of men to the Word of God. And since he says that kingdoms, fathers, children, are his in covenant, and chosen to be his people, in regard the Lord calls them by his Word, as he did Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 10:15; Psalm 147:19-20), they must be all visible churches in God's esteem — except he say they are not visible churches, except men also esteem and judge them not only externally, but really and internally justified and effectually called. 2. Those we are to judge in covenant visibly, whom the Lord so calls, and to these the seals do belong ecclesiastically, though we see not signs of their inward conversion — except we say that our judgment is surer than the Lord's. But the Lord calls nations, the Gentiles so, and so must Paul and church members judge all the kingdoms, and all the Gentiles real converts — else the seals are not due to them. 3. If we must judge them all really redeemed and sanctified, who are fed by pastors, as Mr. Hooker teaches from Acts 20:28 — feed the flock — then are we to esteem all the fathers who were baptized to Moses in the cloud, and in the sea, and did eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink of the same spiritual rock Christ (1 Corinthians 10:1-4), to be really redeemed, real believers, and the whole world to be really redeemed, and yet the world is not the church. Yet they were idolaters, murmurers, visibly known to be such. And John the Baptist was obliged to esteem the multitudes, all Judea who were baptized of him (Mark 1:5; Luke 3:7; Matthew 3:2-4), really sanctified and redeemed. Yes, and since there are prophecies under the Messiah, that all the kingdoms of the world (Revelation 11:15), Egypt, Assyria (Isaiah 19:25), all nations (Isaiah 2:2), all the Gentiles (Isaiah 60), shall be the confederate people of God, we must believe that all these kingdoms are visible saints, chosen to life as the Corinthians and Ephesians were (1 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:4). So argues Mr. Thomas Hooker from confederacy. 4. Let one word in Old or New Testament be given of a judicature giving judicial sentence on earth of a number that professedly are hearers, that so many are to be admitted as due members of the church, because conceived of men to be regenerated, and so many rejected, because conceived to be non-converts — or what word of Christ there is that does regulate the judicial sentence, as touching the time how long the church member has been so. 2. What motives or inducements led Simon Magus, and the generation of vipers, the multitude and all the people baptized (Luke 3:7, compared with Luke 3:2; Matthew 3:5-6; Mark 1:5) — for as many as went out to be baptized were baptized, but all Jerusalem, and all Judea went out (Matthew 3:5-6), and were baptized, says Mark 1:5 — what motives I say, led and induced them to join? For they joined but for a season (John 5:35; Matthew 21:32), and what rule of the word there is to regulate us in judging of these motives? 3. What outward marks the word gives of outward regeneration, and consequently of predestination to glory, justification, effectual calling, made visible, which we must see in others, before pastors can feed them as pastors, for the word is in all the like a perfect rule.

Question 2. What is the first principal and only proper subject of the promises of special note, in the mediator, of the promise of a new heart, of the styles, properties and privileges of special note; that is, to be called the body of Christ, the anointed ones, and such as shall never fall away (Jeremiah 32:39-40; Jeremiah 31:35-36)? Answer. Only the Invisible and mystical body of Christ, for a promise of a new heart, of the law engraved in the inward parts, of the anointing (Jeremiah 31:33; Isaiah 54:13; Hebrews 8:10), of perseverance (Jeremiah 31:35-36; Isaiah 54:10; Isaiah 59:20-21; Jeremiah 32:39-40; John 10:27-29) are promises of special note in the mediator. And if any say that the visible church as such, as visible, of which Simon Magus is a member, is the first principal subject of these promises or of privileges of special note in the mediator, they must join (it may be mistakenly) with Arminians. Mr. Thomas Hooker did not so candidly as need were, refute this thesis of mine, as he ought to have done, but framed another of his own, and refuted it, to wit, which is not owned by me. The Invisible Church is not the prime and only subject of the seals, that is, of the external seals. I grant all the external seals is not a privilege of special note in the mediator, for it is a privilege of Ishmael, Magus, and of all profane hypocrites. And it is not to be said that hypocrites and graceless men, Ishmael, and Esau, have a command of God to receive the seals, and a warrant from his Word to require them, as that pious and grave man Mr. Thomas Hooker says in his Survey, Part 1, Chapter 3, page 41-42. For (says he) there can be no better right than God's command to enjoin, and his Word to warrant us to challenge any privilege. The command of God is a good warrant to the church and ministers to confer the seals to Ishmael, Simon Magus, Judas, though no Word of God warrants us judicially to sentence them to be regenerate, before the ministers can confer the seals, as Mr. Hooker and his teach — but that the command of God is a good right and warrant to Esau, and Simon Magus, to require and to challenge the seals is not written in the Scripture, with the good leave of that pious man, no more than usurpers have warrant to challenge that to which they have no right, or a robber has warrant to require the purse of an innocent traveler. Can the sorcerer Magus say, there can be no better right than I have to challenge baptism and the Lord's Supper? Why? I have the command of God. In fact, an answer is soon returned to the witch: the church of Samaria has God's warrant to confer the seals, so long as the witch's skill fails him not to act fairly the part of the painted professor, but the conditional command of an externally preached covenant is not the best right, in fact, no right at all for him to challenge the seals, except he come believing and discerning the Lord's body, and mourning for sin, and fulfill the condition. Indeed, if the Lord had commanded Magus and all the visible members, with an absolute command, Come and receive the seals whether you profess, know Christ, or believe and repent, or not — that command should warrant all to challenge, but I trust Mr. Hooker will not stand to such a command. And therefore distinguish between jus activum, an active right in the church to confer the seals, and jus passivum, a passive right in Magus to challenge. The latter requires that Magus have right as a believer, and in foro Dei, both to the seal and interest in Christ, by the grant of adversaries; else he has no right, no command of God to challenge the seals. And therefore we must distinguish between the Covenant of Grace, qua factum et initum, et qua annunciatum, the Covenant, I say, as made with some, and yet preached to all. And whereas Mr. Hooker says, pages 38-39, that he cannot see how the will of purpose, and the will of revealed command, do not contain apparent contradictions. This godly man hated Arminians, when he saw them in daylight. I cannot now insist to answer him and Papists and Arminians who object the very same thing. It is clear they differ much, but they are not contradictory, more than the decree of God, and the moral obligation of men are contrary. Hypocrites and such, are only visible members and no more, and have no true and internal right and interest in the seals according to the inward grace signified or the promises of a new heart, which are absolute and made to the Elect and believers, who are the only principal, prime and proper subject of such promises of special note in the mediator.

Question 3. What are these principal real covenanters to whom only the new heart is absolutely promised, and how are they known?