The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience Discussed and Mr. Cotton's Letter Examined and Answered, by Roger Williams CHAP. CXIII. Peace. Oh! that the steersmen of the nations might remember this, be wise and kiss the Son, lest he go on in this his dreadful anger, and dash them in pieces here and eternally. Who are now the true seed of Abraham. Truth. I therefore, thirdly, add, that only such as are Abraham’s seed, circumcised in heart, new-born, Israel (or wrestlers with God), are the antitype of the former Israel; these are only the holy nation, 1 Pet. ii. 9; wonderfully redeemed from the Egypt of this world, Tit. ii. 14; brought through the Red Sea of baptism, 1 Cor. x. 2; through the wilderness of afflictions, and of the peoples, Deut. viii., Ezek. xx., into the kingdom of heaven begun below, even that Christian land of promise where flow the everlasting streams and rivers of spiritual milk and honey. The people of Israel all holy in a typical holiness. Fourthly, all this people universally, in typical and ceremonial respect, were holy and clean in this their separation and sequestration unto God, Exod. xix. 5. Hence, even in respect of their natural birth in that land, they were a holy seed, and Ezra makes it the matter of his great complaint, Ezra ix. 1, 2,—The holy seed have mingled themselves. But where is now that nation, or country, upon the face of the earth, thus clean and holy unto God, and bound to so many ceremonial cleansings and purgings? All nations now alike since the coming of the Lord Jesus. Are not all the nations of the earth alike clean unto God? or rather, alike unclean, until it pleaseth the Father of mercies to call some out to the knowledge and grace of his Son, making them to see their filthiness, and strangeness from the commonweal of Israel, and to wash in the blood of the Lamb of God? This taking away the difference between nation and nation, country and country, is most fully and admirably declared in that great vision of all sorts of living creatures presented unto Peter, Acts x.; whereby it pleased the Lord to inform Peter of the abolishing of the difference between Jew and Gentile in any holy or unholy, clean or unclean respect. The children of Israel a figure of the Israel, or people, of God only under the gospel. Fifthly—not only to speak of all, but to select one or two more—this people of Israel in that national state were a type of all the children of God in all ages under the profession of the gospel, who are therefore called the children of Abraham, and the Israel of God, Gal. iii. and Gal. vi. [16.] A kingly priesthood and holy nation, 1 Pet. ii. 9, in a clear and manifest antitype to the former Israel, Exod. xix. 6. Hence Christians now are figuratively, in this respect, called Jews, Rev. iii. [9.] where lies a clear distinction of the true and false Christian under the consideration of the true and false Jew: Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan that say they are Jews and are not, but do lie, Rev. iii. [9.] But such a typical respect we find not now upon any people, nation, or country of the whole world; but out of all nations, tongues, and languages is God pleased to call some, and redeem them to himself, Rev. v. 9; and hath made no difference between the Jews and Gentiles, Greeks and Scythians, Gal. iii. [28.] who by regeneration, or second birth, become the Israel of God, Gal. vi. [16.] the temple of God, 1 Cor. iii. [17.] and the true Jerusalem, Heb. xii. [22.] The people of Israel different from all the world in their figurative and ceremonial worships. Lastly, all this whole nation, or people, as they were of one typical seed of Abraham, and sealed with a shameful and painful ordinance of cutting off the foreskin, which differenced them from all the world beside: so also were they bound to such and such solemnities of figurative worships. Amongst many others I shall end this passage concerning the people with a famous observation out of Num. ix. 13, viz., all that whole nation was bound to celebrate and keep the feast of the passover in his season, or else they were to be put to death. But doth God require a whole nation, country, or kingdom now thus to celebrate the spiritual passover, the supper and feast of the Lamb Christ Jesus, at such a time once a year, and that whosoever shall not so do shall be put to death? What horrible profanations, what gross hypocrisies, yea, what wonderful desolations, sooner or later, must needs follow upon such a course! Israel, God’s only church, might well renew that national covenant and ceremonial worship, which other nations cannot imitate. It is true, the people of Israel, brought into covenant with God in Abraham, and so successively born in covenant with God, might, in that state of a national church, solemnly covenant and swear that whosoever would not seek Jehovah, the God of Israel, should be put to death, 2 Chron. xv. [12, 13.] whether small or great, whether man or woman. But may whole nations or kingdoms now, according to any one tittle expressed by Christ Jesus to that purpose, follow that pattern of Israel, and put to death all, both men and women, great and small, that according to the rules of the gospel are not born again, penitent, humble, heavenly, patient? &c. What a world of hypocrisy from hence is practised by thousands, that for fear will stoop to give that God their bodies in a form, whom yet in truth their hearts affect not! The hypocrisy, profanations, and slaughters which such imitations now in the gospel produce. Yea, also what a world of profanation of the holy name and holy ordinances of the Lord, in prostituting the holy things of God, like the vessels of the sanctuary, Dan. v., to profane, impenitent, and unregenerate persons! Lastly, what slaughters, both of men and women, must this necessarily bring into the world, by the insurrections and civil wars about religion and conscience! Yea, what slaughters of the innocent and faithful witnesses of Christ Jesus, who choose to be slain all the day long for Christ’s sake, and to fight for their Lord and Master Christ, only with spiritual and Christian weapons!