The Abrahamic Covenant and Baptism

"The Abrahamic Covenant, making baptism come in the room of circumcision, used to be greatly relied upon. The two covenants, it was said, were substantially the same, and Romans iv. 11 was always adduced to prove that circumcision was, as baptism now is, "a seal of the righteousness of faith." In reply, Baptists were accustomed to point out that, 1. Circumcision was a seal or pledge of certain temporal blessings to all who rightly received it; but baptism is no seal or pledge of any thing of the kind. 2. Circumcision was not a sign or seal of eternal life to all who truly and properly received it; but baptism is. 3. Circumcision was to all the descendants of Abraham the sign, not of their own faith, but of the faith "which he had," and all the blessings of which it was the seal flowed through the faith of another, i. e., Abraham; while baptism is the symbol of our own faith, and none of the blessings of which it is the seal can flow to us otherwise than through this medium. It was because the first covenant was found faulty in these respects that a better covenant was established upon better promises."