The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-10-06
toR raE CENTRAL PREsB4TERIAS.
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT.
BY REV H. H. HALVES

The continuance of the covenant gives
perpetuity to the visible church. The visi
bic church must have visible means of grace
and ordinances. The very fact that this
covenant had visible token TO be applied
in each succeeding generation, is proof that
Godintended it and the Church thus marked,
to continue In Gen. xvii, we see that God
selected man already possessed of faith,
and made his family the germ of this visible
organization. He prescribed visible sign
for this man, and commanded him to give
this sign to his infant seed and to his house
hold. By the authority vested in Jesus
Christ as Head of the church, He changed
this sign to baptism iu the new dispensatiOn,
and enlarged its application to all classes
and sexes. We shall see more of this point
hereafter. 1t may be proper to state just
here what the significance of this covenant.
token is. A careful examination of the
Scriptures leads to the following conclusions;
l. The token applied to one who by birth
or otherwise has not stood in covenant rela
tions to God, is the inltiatOry rite, marking
his entrance into such relationship. Gen.
xvii: Il, 13
2. Applied to one born within the mem
bership of the visible church, it is the recOg
nition Of the child's standing before God.-
The token is his bir,h-right, marks him as
belonging to God; and declares bis duty to
live for God. Gen. xvii 1T. Rom. TX: 8.
8 Applied to an adult. or one already ex-
ercisiDg faith, it is "a seal Of the righteous
ness of the faith" Rom. iv; IL.
The special significance of this token is
that we are sinners, By nature the children
of wrath, and need Saviour; that We are
By nature unclean, and need the Great Sane
tifer. The outward token always breaches
the necessity of inward grace. 1t was at
first, by command of God, applied to Abra-
ham in the form of circumcision, to his male
infants at the age of eight days, and to all
male adults whom God called into covenant
at the time,-namely, all those Of Abraham's 5
household, sc. Thus applied to a believer,
to infants, and to adults not said to possess
faith, its significance is determined by the
condition of the subject of it.
The visible body of Gods prOfessed peO-
pie is thus seen to have been formed, and its
perpetuity was provided for by thus sealing
all adults selected in the first organizing,
and by the extension of the token to their
infant seed So the law was given in the
beginning of this visible church existence
A faithful obedience to this law would of
necessity secure the perpetuity of the body.
As to later ages, the law of adult admis-
sion is with all the law by which Abraham
was admitted to the visible church. The
adult not in covenant with God, or not bear
ing its token in baptism, enters upon his pro-
fession of faith, and receives the token. He
is then, as Abraham was, bound By the con
stitution of the Church, as God gaze 1t, ID
hare the token giUsn to those represented "a
him. The one difference is that now VIZ
must proceed upon the fact of credible pro
fession of faith in such cases. We csnnO
knOw that real faith is present. If We ssy
that faith must actually exist in this person
we are halted right there by our inability Il
read bis heart, and SO cannot administer tn
token to him, or to any one else. God Sc
lected man of faith He has left US to re
ceive those whom we believe make credibl
profession. And we can do no more. Thu
every adult to vhOm the gospel comes for tn
first time, and not already IN the covenant
was of old, and is aOV accepted and sntsrs
upon he's personal profession of faith, and re