The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-09-01
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
BY REV. H. II. HALVES.

Our next inquiry is about privileges IN
this covenant. What constituted person
member of the covenant, and entitled him to
its token? The answer to this question will
show what entities any one to membership in
the visible Church, and to the present token
of membership, baptism. Christ's people
are certainly members of His body-the
Church. No one can deny this. Any one
processing to be Christ's is member of His
visible body-the Church. This all will ad-
nit. Now when Paul says in Gal. iii 20.
and elsewhere, that if We are Christ's, we
are Abraham's seed and heirs according to
the promise, he also in such teachings shows
that Abraham was, (as we are) member OF
the Church of Christ. In Christ, believers
are one body, one family. Abraham could
not stand as father in this family, unless
he belonged to it. This must surely be clear
to all. The idea that Abraham lived too
long ago,--that he and oar Christ have moth
ing to do with each other in the Church, is
Jewish. Christ corrected it when He said,
John viii 56.) "Your father Abraham re-
joiced to see my day; he saw it, and was
glad" And in verse 5th. and 9Th. "Before
Abraham was, l am" Abraham was SER
want of our Jesus Christ then. The Jews
rejected Christ when He came, and that was
their condemnation. They could not be con-
sidered as Abraham's seed when rejecting
Abraham's faith and Saviour. So the con-
trast is drawn "Ye seek to kill me-" this
did not Abraham. (John viii 40.) Abra-
ham could not refuse to seek Christ's death,
had he not known Him. He was believing
servant of Christ, and so a member of
Christ's Church. In his family God first
organized a separate body of people to be His
own, and to bear peculiar mark designating
them as Gods people. There is the Church
the first society of Gods people, ever form
ed on earth. 1t was a new thing in the
world. But notice here Although Abra-
ham had faith, this aOas not the reason Of has
circumcision. This token did not mark him
as a man of faith, but as member of this
Spiritual Society. His salvation was already
secure before he was circumcsed. And this
shows that the sacraments of the Church,
are not essential to salvation. But it does
not show that any one may reject them at
will. For when God commanded Abraham
to be circumcised, he obeyed. So is our
duty. The Sacraments must be observed,
though not essential, because not to observe
them is disobedience to God. Was faith
then, prerequisite to circumcision, and to
membership in this Society? Evidently not.
The child "eight days old" could not believe.
Yet God says circumcise him. 1t shall be
token of the covenant between me and
YOU" Not only so, but all males who were
of this believers household, were to be treat
ed in the same way. For Abraham and al
of his house were to be separated unto Sod
and form the foundation of His visible
Church. And we do not know that ever
one, besides Abraham had faith at the time
He had faith. He represented his house
hold. So upon the fact of his faith, the duty
of csrcumcising the others acas to@nded.-
There is the constitution of Gods visible
Church. In this way he organized it. Maj
would never have done it. But God did it
and this suffces. If we return to the though
that circumcision meant Jewish nationalit,
or Canaan's possession, Vhat part IN e'ths
did the intant Of eight days in abraham
family ever have9 The Jewish nation di'
not exist until four centuries afterwards
and it took forty years more to bring then
into possession of Canaan. So that infan
would have been long dead, without eve
having been member of the nation or pos
SCISSOR of Canaan. All of Abraham'S seed
for nearly FIVE hundred years after circum
cision was given, sojourned I" in land nc
theirs" as God said they would. Yet the
were circumcised. The idea about JEWS
nationality and Canaan'S possession is wrOn
then. But this was Gods plan The bC
! lieving parent must train his household to
{ Gods people. This was the covenant obi
CATION. When the parent affixed the cove
o nant token, he assumed that Obligation
Gods covenant was sOith him, yet not wit
g him only, but with "thy seed after thee.
o Isaac was not yet born, when circumcisic
IS was given. Yet this covenant was for hir
" as we'll as for Abraham. The son get to
= BORN was included in the covenant. Ar
# when that son was born, he aOas born witha