The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-09-22

der the Mosaic economy; ard fully brought
to light under the Gospel Dispensatlon; IS
one and the same,-the plain statements of
Scripture and of our Standards very ex-
pressly affirm. "This covenant of grace,
says our Confession of Faith, (chap. Z, sec.
5, "was differently administered in the
time of the law and in the time of the Cos
pei. Under the law it was administered by
CIRCUMCISION, the paSchal Lamb,
and other ordinances, all fore e'sig-
nifying Christ to come," &C., and is called
the Old Testament. sec. 5, "under
the Gospel, the ordinances in which
this covenant is dispensed, are the preaching
of the Word, and the administration of the
saeraments Of baptism, and the Lords Sup
per, and is called the New Testa-
ment. There are not therefore two cove
nants of grace differing in substance, but
one and the same under various dispense.
tons" The same truth is affirmed in seve-
raj other parts of our Confession of Faith,
as for instanc9 in chap. q, sec. 5, the
sacraments of the Old Testament in regard
of the spiritual things thereby signifed and
exhibited, were, for substance, the same
with those of the New" And as taught in
section 1st, "Sacraments are holy signs and
seals of the covenant of grace, Immediately
instituted by God to represent Christ and
his benefits, 4 x as also to put viS1ble
difference between those that belong unto
tbe Church, and the rest of the world
and solemnly to engage them to the service
of God in Christ according to his Word.
In accordance with these statements it is
taught in chap. 80, sec. l, that "baptiSm is
a sacrament of the New Testament, ordained
by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn ad
mission of the party baptized into the visi-
Church, but also to be unto him sign and
seal of the covenant of grace" The same
truth is most plainly and explicitly taught in
both the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
And that these are also the teachings of
Scripture will be made abundantly clear
by the Scripture proofs attached severally to
the passages in which these truths are taught
They will also be found very lucidly and full
ly presented by DIR. G. G. Jones, in his His
tory of the Church, vol. 1, PIP. 1S8, 2O1 and
223, and by DR.. Bannerman in his History
of the Church, vol. 2, page SO to IS.
1t is equally certain that the covenant of
grace as given to the visible Church, has al
ways comprehended infants within it. The
infants of the parents with whom Gods
covenant was made, were not left outside
that covenant. The promises of grace were
not given to the parents to the exclusion of
the children. Infants were not left to their
chance of unconverted mercies. On the
contrary, that INIT ~o4,, -~--rl} }'---ai
within the covenant as we'll as their parents,
the plainest statements of Scripture demon
strate. * In the inspired accounts of
the various announcements made by God of
his covenant from time to time, the terms of
the announcement are almost invariably
" yOu and yoor seed" The cove
nant of grace as here revealed to Abraham,
included infant children of eight days old;
and it has at all times been equally compre-
hensive and the same. The seal of the
covenant, as affixed to the child, when eight
days old, was the standing evidence and
memorial for two thousand years, that infants
(of covenanted parents) were included in
Gods federal promises" >" The Scripture
proof of these positions is elaborated by
Bannerman as above, and DR.. Jones. See
History, page 1S6 to 230; and by all Pres
byterian writer's on the subject.
u. S.
TO BE CONTINUED.