Wesley Corpus

The infants of believers, the true children of faithful Abraham, always were under the gospel covenant. They were included in it, they had a right to it and to the seal of it; as an infant heir has a right to his estate, though he cannot yet have actual possession. The covenant with Abraham was a gospel covenant; the condition the same, namely, faith, which the Apostle observes was “imputed unto him for righteousness.” The inseparable fruit of this faith was obedience; for by faith he left his country, and offered his son. The benefits were the same; for God promised, “I will be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee:” And he can promise no more to any creature; for this includes all blessings, temporal and eternal. The Mediator is the same; for it was in his Seed, that is, in Christ, (Gen. xxii. 18; Gal. iii. 16,) that all nations were to be blessed; on which very account the Apostle says, “The gospel was preached unto Abraham.” (Gal. iii. 8.) Now, the same promise that was made to him, the same covenant that was made with him, was made “with his children after him.” (Gen. xvii. 7; Gal. iii. 7.) And upon that account it is called “an ever lasting covenant.” In this covenant children were also obliged to what they knew not, to the same faith and obedience with Abraham. And so they are still; as they are still equally entitled to all the benefits and promises of it. 5. Circumcision was then the seal of the covenant; which is itself therefore figuratively termed the covenant. (Acts vii. 8.) Hereby the children of those who professed the true religion were then admitted into it, and obliged to the conditions of it; and when the law was added, to the observance of that also. And when the old seal of circumcision was taken off, this of baptism was added in its room; our Lord appointing one positive institution to succeed another. A new seal was set to Abraham’s covenant; the seals differed, but the deed was the same; only that part was struck off which was political or cere monial.