to, and educated in the fame Reli gion which he himself was of; and fo were his Childrens Children from Generation to Generation.

And thus has it been in calling Perfons to be of the Chriftian Religion. At the firft erection of the Church as Chriftian, men were extraordinarily called by the Preaching and Miracles of the Apostles and others; they were called and converted from the Pagan and Jewith Religion, to own the Chriftian Religion. But fince the times of firft planting the Gofpel up and down in the World, Gods ordinary and common method of calling men to the profeffion of the Chriftian Religion has been by their Chriftian Parents educating them in it. And indeed their being born of Parents in an efpecial Relation to God, is in it felf a Providential Call which qualifies them for the priviledge of being fo reJated alfo. For upon that account they are both in the Old Teftament and the New, filed a holy Seed, that is, a Seed feparated from the Infidel

World

World to God: And by this the Females of the Jews became ChurchMembers, and by this were their Males qualifi'd to enter into Covenant with God by Circumcifion, at eight days old. But of these things further mention will be made in the process of our Inquiries.

QUERY III.

What may that be by which People are made Visible Church-Members?

That by which People are conftituted compleatly Visible ChurchMembers, is a mutual Covenanting between God and them, between Chrift and his Vifible Members. In which: Covenant, God on his part, promiseth to be their God in Chrift, to pardon them, and to confer eternal life on them, upon condition they take him only for their God, and Chrift Jefus for their Lord and Saviour, by be-1 lieving in him, and obeying him. And

men

men on their part Covenant to perform the Condition of Gods Covenant in taking him for their God,and Christ for their Lord and Saviour, by believing in him, and obeying him. Thofe words, I will be to them a God, and they fhall be to me a People, contain the fubftance of the Covenant of Salvation, both on Go is part, and mans part, Heb. 8. 10. The mutual Covenant between God and his I'rel of old is thus defcribed: Thou hast avouched this day the Lord to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his Statutes, and bis Commandments and his judgments, and to hearken to his Vo.ce. And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar People, as he hath promiled thee, and that thou koullest keep all his Commandments, Deut. 26. 17, 18.

This mutual Covenanting is the Copulative, or Bond by which the conjunction is made between the Head and his Members, Chrift and his Body the Church: For the nature of it, is to Unite the Parties Covenanting,and

to

to convey a mutual interest in each other. I entred into Covenant with thee, and thou becameft mine, faith God, Ezek. 16.8. And this tying or knitting together by Covenant, is called the Bond of the Covenant, Ezek. 20. 37. I might multiply places, to fhew, that mens being joyned to the Lord in the common notion of Scripture, is by Covenanting with him to be his People. Thus Jer. 50. 5. Come let us joyn our felves to the Lord in a perpetual Covenant, never to be forgotten. Alfo Ifa. 56. 6. The Sons of the Stranger, that joyn themselves to the Lord, to ferve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his Servants, every one that taketh bold of my Covenant, &c.

That this Union is thus made by Contract and Covenant between God and men, we may the rather believe, and the more eafily conceive, because the Holy Scripture delights to resemble and illuftrate the Union between God and his People, Chrift and his Church, by the Union that is between Men and their Wives, which

A

is an Union by mutual Contract and Covenanting, the one to take the Woman for his Wife, the other to take the man for her Husband, with promise to deport themselves towards each other, according to the nature of the mutual relation between them, Ephef. 5. 28: Ifa. 54.5. Jer. 31. 31. Hof. 2.19. And those who were Strangers to the Covenants of promife, were faid to be without God, and without Chrift; that is not related to him, nor he to them, as his Church and People, Ephef. 2. 12.

And here let it be obferved and remembred once for all, that the fame thing which Unites men to Chrift, Unites them to thofe alfo who are already one with him by Covenant. Union with the Head, is the Reason of Union with all thofe Members which make the body of that head; like as a man by becoming a Covenant Servant to a Master, becomes a Member of that Family, and a Fellowfervant to all the reft of the Servants of that Master.

QUERY