cifion; but it does not appear, that he approved the manner of it. XIV. The day appointed for circumcifion was the eighth from the birth. Though the principal reason of this is, the will of him who commands; yet other reasons are likewise probably. added. Ift, That thus a regard might be had to the tender state of infants, who, before the eighth day, are scarce able to bear the pains of circumcifion, under which grown perfons themselves almost sink, Gen. xxxiv. 25. 2dly, Because infants juft born, are with their mother, accounted unclean till the eighth day. This reafon R. Simeon, the fon of Fachi, gives in Pefikta, fol. 16. col. 3. Why has the law appointed circumcifion on the eighth day? Circumcifion is put off, till the woman in child-bed be cleanfed from her uncleannefs," Lightfoot ad Luc. 2. 21. And this reafon feems to be grounded on Lev. xii. 2, 3. Certainly the infant was initiated by circumcifion, and offered up, as it were, to God by the fhedding of his blood. And it was after the feventh day, before God admitted of any facrifices from among brute animals, Exod. xxi. 30. Lev. xxiii. 27. 3dly, This was fo appointed, that we might not imagine falvation depended on an external fign; for otherwife a good and gracious God would not have deferred it till the eighth day, before which time many muft needs have died. Upon this account also Abraham himself was justified in uncircumcifion, Rom. iv. 10. XV. I will not fay with fome (who yet, I own, can defend themselves by the authority of Cyprian and fixty-fix bishops affembled by him in council. See Cyprian's epiftles, lib. 3. Epift. 8. which in Pamel's edition is the 59th) that this mystery prefigured the day of Chrift's refurrection, which in the order of the days is the eighth, and on which the true circumcifion and our falvation were entirely completed and perfected. 1ft, Because Christ is no where faid to have rifen on the eighth day, but either on the third from his death, or on the first day of the week. But this day, with refpect to circumcifion, is no more the eighth than any other day. Nor is it ufually called the eighth from the first day of the preceding week, as the week is clofed with the feventh day; from which the first of the new week is reckoned. 2dly, Becaufe circumcifion was not a type fo much of the refurrection, as of the fufferings and death of Chrift; as we fhall directly fhew. 3dly, Neither does it feem an accurate way of fpeaking, to fay that the true circumcifion and our falvation, were entirely completed and perfected on the day of Chrift's refurrection. For, as to the impetration or purchase of our falvation, that indeed was per Ii2 fected fected by the death of Chrift. The complete application of the purchased falvation not only requires the refurrection of Chrift from the dead; but his afcenfion into heaven, and waits for his return to the general judgment. There is therefore no reafon, why these days ought not, as much as the day of his refurrection, to be prefigured. We are carefully to be on our guard, not to run into extremes in allegorizing. XVI. The fpiritual fignification of circumcifion is as excellent, as the fign itself feems mean and almoft shameful. In general it was a "fign of the covenant of God with Abraham,” Gen. xvii. II. And therefore, by a facramental phrafe, it is called the covenant itself, ver. 1o, 13. Nay it was not only a fign, but also a feal: for not only Paul has declared this, Rom. iv. II. but alfo the Jewish mafters, Lightfoot ad Mat. 28. 19. Whofe words, from the Jerufalem Talmud, Tract. Berachot are as follows: Bleffed be he, who fanctified the beloved from the womb, and put a fign in his flesh, and fealed his fons with the fign of the holy covenant." God promifed to give the Meffiah, and with him all manner of bleflings, earthly, fpiritual, heavenly, to Abraham and his feed, and that all these should come from his feed. God required of Abraham by covenant, that he should walk before him. Circumcifion was the fign and feal of this covenant; fo that all, who duly fubmitted to this, according to God's prefcription, were folemnly declared by God himself to be partakers of the promises made to Abraham: and, at the fame time openly avowed, that, by a lively faith, they received the promised Meffiah, and expected from him bleifings of every kind. And thus circumcifion became to them a feal of the righteousness of faith, Rom. iv. 11. And the circumcifed perfon was faid to enter, and to have a fafe ftation, under the wings of the divine majefty. And by the fame act, they also bound themselves to the fincere obfervance of the whole of religion, and confequently of all the precepts of God, as became thofe in covenant with the fupreme being. It is not to be doubted, but from the remains of ancient piety is that prayer, which the Jews, at this day, ftill ufe in the circumcifion of their young infants, Buxtorf. Synag, Judg. c. 2. "As thou haft made this young child to enter, or haft received him, into the covenant of Abraham our father; fo make him enter into the law of Mofes, into the state of matrimony, (which Selden de Jure Nat. lib. 2. c. 2. renders, into protection or fafe-guard) and into good-works." XVII. More efpecially thefe three principal heads of the whole of our religion are held forth by the figure of circumci fion namely, our misery, our redemption, and our returns of gratitude. XVIII. Man's mifery confifts partly in fin, partly in the punfhment of fin. Both thefe are fignified by circumcifion. For the forefkin, that is the extreme pellicle of the generative member, which was to be cut off by circumcifion, denotes that vicioufness or corruption of the whole man, inherent in him from his very firft origin, and frequently in fcripture is called the foreskin of the heart, or an uncircumcifed heart, Deut. x. 16. Jer. iv. 4. Lev. xxvi. 41. Jer. ix. 26.. And the painful cutting away of that fleshy part fignified, that the whole man deserved. to be separated for ever from the communion of God and all his faints, with exquisite and intolerable torments both of foul and body. XIX. Here the Redeemer and the redemption of men are no lefs clearly discovered. For, this facrament fignified and fealed, Ift, That from Abraham, now circumcifed, was to arife Ifaac, Gen. xvii. 16. the father of that bleffed feed or of the Meffiah, who was to take upon himself, and to expiate, all our fin and all our guilt. 2dly, That this Meffiah was to fhed his blood for men, without which the covenant of grace could never be fealed, and to commence his fufferings from the very beginning of his life. 3dly, That he was to partake of the fame flesh and blood with us, Heb. ii. 14. to be cut off from the land of the living, Ifa. liii. 8. in order to the preservation of his body, the church, Eph. v. 23. as in the carnal circumcifion a part of the body was to be cut away, that the whole man might not be cut off from his people. 4thly, That he would freely enable us to cut away and to put off the fins of the flesh, by regeneration and fanctification, which are perfected in glory, Col. ii. 11. This, I imagine, was the meaning of the ancient Jewish doctors, when they faid, that, whenever one becomes a profelyte, he is like a newborn child. This being fo very common in the mouths of their masters, Christ justly replied to Nicodemus, when he fo impertinently inquired about being born again, "art thou a master of Ifrael and knoweft not thefe things?" John iii. 10. They taught, that a new foul, which came under the wings of the divine majefty, and was received into the embraces of the fupreme Being, dropt down from fome heavenly palace on him, who was circumcifed. By fuch dark and mysterious expreffions it is probable, the ancient Jewish doctors defcribed fpiritual regeneration; which, not being understood by the more modern, was by them changed into mere empty found: fee Selden, de jure nat. lib. 2. c. 11. XX XX. Laftly, By the use of this facrament, they were put in mind of the duties of a becoming gratitude. 1ft, That they were to apply themselves to internal, secret, and spiritual piety, juft as circumcifion was performed on a fecret member of the body, which is to be vailed, Rom. ii. 28, 29. 2dly, To mortify their members, which are upon the earth, Col. iii. 5. that is, to renounce their lufts, even those that formerly were most dear to them, and beloved by them. 3dly, To have no longer any intimate friendship with the world which lieth in wickedness; as the defcendants of Abraham were separated by circumcifion from other nations, and renounced their friendship: as appears from the open declaration of the fons of Jacob, Gen. xxxiv. 14, 15. Though indeed they spoke this from an evil intention, yet what they faid was right: compare Acts x. 28. A circumcifed perfon, fay the Jews, has withdrawn himself from the whole body of the nations. And indeed, circumcifion was a great part, and as it were, the foundation of the middle wall of partition. 4thly, They were cheerfully and willingly, at the command of God, and for his glory, to fubmit to every thing however difficult, grievous, and painful, and however improper, foolish, and ridiculous, in the eyes of the world: not to account their reputation, nor even their life dear in comparison thereof. XXI. God has determined the duration of circumcifion in thefe words, Gen. xvii. 13. " and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant." This is not to be understood of a perpetual duration even to the end of the world. The diftinction is well known of my, of this age, as they spoke formerly, which comprised the whole economy of the Old Teftament, and of x, of the age to come; which by the Apostle, Heb.ii. 5. is called ὁ μέλλῶν αιων, the age to come, οι οικεμένη μέλλεσα, the world to come, to which age belong the days of the Meffiah. But the prophecies conftantly fay, that what was inftituted for the covenant of the former age must not be extended to the latter age, whofe face or ftate and economy were to be quite different. XXII. Moreover, that circumcifion was to be abrogated in the days of the more joyful difpenfation of the covenant may thus appear. Ift, Because it is a part of thofe fhadows, which, because they prefigured the body that was to come, ought now to give place to it, fince it is come, Col. ii. 17. 2dly, Because it was a great part of that middle wall of partition which feparated the Jews from the Gentiles, and whose enclosure was to be broken down by the death of Chrift, "having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances: for to make in himself, of twain, one new man, fo making peace," Eph. ii. 15. It was certainly foretold of old time, that the Gentiles were to be fellow-heirs, and of the fame body with Ifrael, and partakers of the fame promife, Eph. iii. 6. see Deut. xxxii. 43. Ifa. xix. 24, 25. and Ifa. lx. 3, &c. But this concorporation, or being of the fame body, was not to be brought about by enclosing the Gentiles with Ifrael, within the fame enclosure of rites and ceremonies (for that enclosure was appointed to establish a separation and enmity) but by destroying the fame: " for in Jesus Christ, neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but faith which worketh by love," Gal. v. 6. They which are of faith, whether circumcifed or not, the fame are the children of Abraham, Gal. iii. 7. 3dly, Because circumcifion plainly fhewed, that the blood of the New Teftament was not yet shed, that the Meffiah was not yet born of the feed of Abraham, or at least not yet cut off for the falvation of his mystical body. But when the world was made to know, by the preaching of the gospel, that these things were done; it was neceffary, that what teftified they were not yet done fhould be abrogated; leaft any inftitution of God fhould be found to bear witness against the truth. To this purpose is that of Paul, Gal. v. 2, 3, 4. "Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcifed, Chrift fhall profit you nothing: for I testify again to every man that is circumcifed, that he is a debtor to do the whole law." The meaning is, whoever fubmits to circumcifion, as a neceffary part of God's inftituted worship, or as a mean of juftification thereby renounces Chrift. 1ft, Because he would have that fign to be ftill neceffary, which teftifieth, that every thing is not yet accomplished by Chrift. 2dly, Because, as circumcifion cannot be feparated from the reft of the ceremonial law, to which it was as the porch, fo he who submits to circumcifion, thereby binds himself to the obfervance of the whole ceremonial law. But that is in effect to deny the coming of Chrift, and the time of reformation and liberty. 3dly, Because, as the righteoufnefs of man before God, muft either depend wholly on his own works, or wholly upon Chrift, and these two cannot be conjoined, Gal. ii. 21. and Gal. iii. 12, 18. whoever feeks for righteoufnefs in circumcifion, as his own work, is fallen from the righteoufnefs of Chrift; and fo, if he would obtain falvation, it is neceffary, that he keep the whole law: which being impoffible for him to do, he knows, he is cut off from all hopes of falvation. XXIII. But the abrogation of this rite of circumcifion had its feveral degrees. It was firft in a languishing state, then it was dead, and at last became pernicious. 1, It began to languish at the circumcifion of Chrift, who by fubmitting himself to |