A just vindication of the covenant and church-estate of children of church-members as also of their right unto bastisme : wherein such things as have been brought by divers to the contrary, especially by Ioh. Spilsbury, A.R. Ch. Blackwood, and H. Den are revised and answered : hereunto is annexed a refutation of a certain pamphlet styled The plain and wel-grounded treatise touching baptism / by Thomas Cobbet.

SECT. III.

THe Olive tree, some take it of the Fathers also in opposition to the other wilde Olive tree out of which the Gentiles were cut, vers. 24. scil. Their wilde ancestors, or ancestors estranged from the covenant, Ephes. 2. 12. The Jewes indeed are cut out of these fa∣thers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as covenanting in respect of any present actuall benefit of the covenant, but yet are not cut out of those fathers as begetting, as it is evident, they are still Abrahams stock; which by the way observe against that distinction, by which some use to avoid our arguments in this businesse; They say Abra∣ham, Isaac and Jacob were onely a root to the body of the Jewes, as naturall and begetting fathers, and not as spirituall and beleeving fathers, or fathers by faith imbracing the covenant made with the Jewes also. Surely such men would frustrate the ground of the Apostles discourse here, supposing so sad an exclusion of the Jewes from a former sweet and sappy Church estate, yea such as into which the Gentiles could not come but by a preter-super, yea con∣tra-naturall way, vers. 24. if they were in those fathers as begetting fathers onely, so are they still their naturall children, and then

not cut off from them at all, contrary to this expresse Scripture. Others would have the Olive tree, to bee meant of the visible Church distinguished from the root, vers. 17. see Jer. 11. 16. spoken of the Jewes in their Church, as well as civill relation: into which as into their owne Olive, by that generall covenant right, Rom. 11. 16. 24. they shall bee re-ingraffed, in so farre as they are federally holy, vers. 16. scil. intentionally, in so farre is a Church right their owne; with which latter respect of the Olive I fully close; but of this more afterwards.

By [ingraffing into the Olive] seemes to bee meant, an actuall interesting, and instating into the visible Church, or into those covenant fathers in reference to the Church, whence also ariseth the actuall fruition thereof. By Olive fatnesse mentioned, vers. 17. must needs bee meant such covenant or Church blessings, priviled∣ges, and ordinances, &c. whereof all sorts of Church members, even such as may bee fatally cut off, may partake of as well as others: which are not the graces of the Spirit, for they flow not immediat∣ly from the Olive the Church, nor from any of the best of the sons of men, but rather they are the seales and other Church ordinan∣ces visibly dispensed to persons according as they are capable of them. These are the instrumentall causes of the bright shining, at least in visible profession of Christ, unto the whole Candlestick, and all the greater or lesser branches and parts of it, Zach. 4. 2, 3. 11, 12, 14.