Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/61

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and often repeated in this second breaking forth of the Covenant. Gen. 17. 3, 4. and 18. 18. and 22. 18. In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed: which cannot be understood of the seed collectively but singularly, scil. of Christ, as the Apostle expressely proveth, saying, Now to Abraham and his seed was the promise made, he saith not to the seeds, as speaking of many, but of one who is Christ. But we must not conceive the Apostles argument to be taken from the Grammaticall use of the word Seed: for that is often put collectively in the singular number: but from the quality of the blessings there promised, which could not be accomplished in any other but in Christ alone. And this is evidently holden out to be the literall sense in other places. Acts 3. 24, 25. But where shall we find mention of the passion of Christ in this expressure of the Covenant unto Abraham, which in the first manifestation was clouded in the phrase of bruising his heele: and is essentiall to the Covenant of Grace in any overture of it, as containing the price and ransome by which all hinderances are removed, as the Apostle saith, Christ was made a curse for us, that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles. Some answer, that this is thrice put on in the passage of this Covenant with Abraham; first, in the federall confirmation by the figments with the smoaking fornace, and burning lamps, which passed between those pieces, Gen. 15. 8, 9, 17. which howsoever it typified the dividing of Abrahams seed in Egypt with their fiery labours and sorrowes: yet primarily the type expresseth the torment and rending of Christ Abraham his prime seed, and by the fornace and fiery lampe, the wrath of God that runneth betwixt, and yet did not consume the rent and torne nature. Secondly, they conceive this perpession of Christ was expressed in the bloud of the Circumcision. Gen. 17. 10, 11. For they be of opinion, that where God commands shedding of bloud in any his ancient Ordinances, it doth fully reach unto the bloud of Christ, and his everlasting Testament. The bloud which was shed in the signes ordained to seale the Covenant of Promise, what did it signifie but the bloud of Christ, whereby the Covenant was to be sealed. Lastly, we may find a full expression of his passion in the resolved sacrifice of Isaac, which was typicall the death of Christ, and the Ramme in his stead: wherein is set forth an Embleme of Gods love unto the world, in that he hath truly sacrificed his only Sonne Christ to take away sinne. Joh. 3. 16.