THE PLEA OF THE CHILDREN OF BELIEVING-PARENTS for their Interest in Abraham 's Covenant their Right to Church-Member-ship with their Parents and consequently their Title to BAPTISM The Cause of publishing this Discourse after so many Learned Men have laboured in this Province is declared in the Preface to the Reader Baptizandos esse paruulos nemo dubitet quando nec illi hinc dubitant qui ex parte aliqua Contradicunt August de verbis Apostoli Serm. 14. It will surely be rewarded by Christ at the latter day as a work of more then ordinary Charity to have pleaded and maintained the Right of these poor Members of his who want a Tongue to speak for themselves Dr. Tho. Goodwin in his Preface to Mr. Cotton of Infant-Baptism By GILES FIRMIN 1 Cor. 7.14 Else were your Children Vnclean but now they are Holy LONDON Printed for Tho. Simons at the Princes Arms in Ludgate-Street near Ludgate 1683. THE PREFACE TO THE READER IF the Reader demands a reason why after so many Books written by other Men far more able then my self upon this Subject that now I should appear my answer is ready I had as few thoughts of writing as any Man could have of reading any thing of mine upon the Subject But hearing of a Book against Infant-Baptism very much cryed up and observing some discourse about Anabaptism this Spring more in the Town then ever I heard before I sent to borrow the Book I took a brief view of it and the Book was sent for again To spend the Lord's-Day so much as one Exercise upon any Controversie I did much dislike it yet I thought I was bound to say something to it and did borrow a little time before I went on my other course About 〈◊〉 Weâ—ks after I had done comeâ— down an Anâ—â—aptist from London to a Town Seven 〈…〉 Miles distant from me and writes me â— Letter informing me That he was one that â—â—d walk in Gospel-Communion with Col. Danvers sometimes he stiles him Esq Danvers then writes to me thus You have cast the Odium of Falshood and Fergery upon his Book to your Auditory If it was to deter your Hearers from reading his Book it doth demonstrate the badness of your Cause in that you are not willing it should be inspected If you design thereby to degrade the Gentleman as infamous though unknown you have therein greatly erred therefore I request you on the behalf of Col. Danvers that you be pleased to do him the common Justice as to publish to the World in Print what you have spoken in your more private Meetings by way of detection of his Forgery and not only to Print what you have traduced him with but also any other new things you have Preached that will lend any assistance to your Infant-Baptism that this Gentleman doth endeavour to throw down as a spurious thing several of your own Party have written against him but he with others have so answered them that they have set down silent under The Collonel hath a better Character than you give of him he hath a large Portion of this Worlds goods c. Thus he runs on in commendation of the Collonel and ends it in such a way that neither I nor others that read the Letter could understand his meaning As to this Letter the Reader may please to understand the Book which I borrowed had in the Title Page only H.D. I could not tell whither D. stood for Den whose name I had seen or Dell or Danvars of whose name only I had heard but never saw any thing of his but whoever was the Author I found fault with him 1. For his Falshood in the Historical part which if my Memory fails me not took up above half his Book 2ly His fraudulent dealing 3ly His raising a dust upon the Scriptures he quotes to trouble his Reader 4ly For his Logick But for any other Opinions or any thing concerning his Conversation I speak not one word for how could I when I knew nothing of him and only heard three times as I remember there was one Collonel Danvers an Anabaptist and that was all nor was I certain the Book was his It was never my intent to answer every particular in his Book partly because I would not spend the Lord's Day in Controversies and partly because Catechizing was the thing I intended being far more necessary so that I did grudge the time I spent about this Book out of which I only wrote the most material things and the Book was sent for away For the new things this Epistoler would have me publish Doth he mean new Scriptures or new Arguments or both 1st Why new since the old are not yet answered it is one thing to write against Men another to answer them 2ly Why new since my Author borrows so much old out of Mr. Tombes's Book which I look upon as instar omnium and is the only Anabaptist Book I have 3ly Why new since my Author opposes old Texts and I must take the part of a Respondent 4ly Why new my Epistoler should tell me what Controversies are there which have been handled so long by very able Divines as this hath been that he that comes last hath wrote all new 5ly To conclude then as to these new things I am forced to take up the old Texts because of my Author 's opposing them I do but touch other Texts and not insist upon them where others have been before me for other Mens Arguments I borrow but one from Mr. Baxter and tell you whose it is and improve it my way If I have hit upon other Mens notions it is unknown to me as I see I have upon Mr. Wills in answer to the old Britains but I had given the answer in the Congregation and wrote it in my Coppy before I saw Mr. Wills For his crying Victoria telling me our Divines sit silent under the Answers the Collonel and his Party have given them If this Epistoler read Mr. Baxter's Second Defence of Infants c. he may read a full answer to this and the reason of their silence p. 211. We may allow some Honour to a Collonel but why do they sit silent not because the Collonel or any other Anabaptist have put them to silence by Arguments from Scripture by Truth in History or Strength of Learning the contrary appears to judicious Readers but who will care for dealing with unreasonable Men They have other work to do of higher concernment Let the Anabaptists indulge themselves in their Opinions and Practises Redgness 24. August 1682. if they please I have performed that common Justice my Epistoler requires of me only for brevities sake I left out several things I would have added if this may do the Church of Christ any service I shall have my end and bless God G. FIRMIN THE PLEA OF THE CHILDREN OF Beleiving-Parents c. THE Right of the Children of Beleiving-Parents to Church-Membership with their Parents and consequently to
by these I will never believe it God is gracious God is faithful what ever we think of him in our dark hours I will rather believe they did not follow close their improvement of these for I meet but with very few even good Christians tho' they hate Anabaptism that do improve them as they ought No wonder then tho' Men cry out Abrahams Covenant is Null and Infant-Baptism Null when they never improved them so found no good by them and now turn Anabaptists I know Christians that lie under some Temptations may and do expect more from the Covenant Promise and Sacraments than God intended or the Scripture holds forth they would make one Scripture contradict another If God gives in but a little and will suffer us to lie under our Temptations but yet will supply us with so much from his Covenant that we are able to hold up our hands in the day of Battel that our Hearts are kept close to him and do not in the least depart from him If we cannot get the fatted Calf and Musick c. Luke 15.23 which some Christians have if we can but get a Kid and have a Father to own us at last 't is worth our Beleiving Praying and Writing What it was that Woman a noted Midwife I knew expected to find at the Lords Supper I know not but it seems she found it not whereupon she forsooke the Lords Table with this blasphemous Speech A Man may find as much good by a Loaf in the Bakers Shop as by the Bread in the Lords Supper for she had been often there and could find no good Hearing of this Speech I inquired after her by those who had been long acquainted with her I know not whether I saw her after I heard it they took her alwaies for a civil Woman but did not think she was acquainted with the work of Regeneration but that made me to wonder the more for such persons commonly take up their Priest in the work done in above partaking of the Ordinance If Christians be at this Point we expect so much from Promises so much from Ordinances or we have nothing then we may do as she did throw off all Ordinances and Promises too Tho' I am far from attaining what I have sought and desired yet I bless God so much I have attained from my understanding and improving of Abrahams Covenant and my Infant-Baptism that I have but a light esteem of all the Anabaptists Books against them they signifie nothing with me but of this more hereafter Disputing without experiencing signifies little in Divinity to a tempted Soul But this I doubt not to affirm Did Christians set in earnest to their work and labour to improve Abrahams Covenant and their Infant-Baptism they should find as much profit advantage and support to their Souls as any Anabaptists do by their Dipping when Adult But if Ordinances be not improved how can Men expect any good by them When God made that Covenant with Abraham to be the God of him and his Seed and appointed the seal of his Covenant to be Administred to the Infant on the eigth day Might not ought not all the Jews and did not many of them when they came to years of discretion and were taught the meaning of them improve them to their Souls advantage why then may not we as well improve the same Covenant and our Infant-Baptism when we are come to years of discretion to our Spititual advantage when we understand them by our Pastors and Parents teaching If there be such an advantage in Adult-Baptism over there is in Infant-Baptism what is the matter that some of them could say they found no such good by it and I do believe them by their Conversation but especially what is the reason that so many hundreds of them cast off both Infant and Adult-Baptism and deny Baptism altogether for which they were sometime so zealous if there had been such advantage in it they would not have done so wickedly to cast away such an Institution of Christ Secondly A second thing which might occasion this is That so many Children of Godly Parents who were Dedicated to God in Baptism in their Infancy and Parents have bestowed great pains in their Education yet prove wicked The deeper the wounds of such Parents and the sorer the damnation of such Children without Repentance But first We may observe the greatest number of visible yea true Christians in the visible Church consist of the Children of such Parents Since the Flood of Iniquity of late years brake in upon this Nation it hath risen so high that it hath flown into the Houses of Godly Parents more than ever it did since England knew the Gospel This is a Lamentation Secondly Was it not so in Isaac's Family where but two and one naught Thridly We never understood that when God made that Covenant with our Father Abraham and his Seed that he intended to make all his Seed Godly but we understand such a Priviledge in it that neither Parents nor Children who have their Eyes opened will part with it let the Anabaptists write what they please against it Fourthly But do this Disping None deny that Regenerate persons are the subjects of Baptism he must say only else he opposed not us Christins Scrip. pract of Int. c. p. 147 148. and Re-Baptising of Adult persons help it are they all Godly If the Elect and Regenerate be the only Subjects of Babtism as my Author tells me I am sure they are not of Anabaptism to my knowledge unless drunkenness and uncleanness be Notes of Regeneration we shall not need to go to Germany to inquire England will afford proof enough Mr. Baxter hath given us a sad account of some of them enough to make a serious Christian afraid of the Opinion By a serious Christian who came from New-England we are informed That a Sea-man as I remember one being Baptised how long the Baptist held him under Water I know not but so soon as his Head was above Water he wrapt out an Oath so I heard it what do you make account to drown me Thirdly Another is this The great Adversary of Christ and his Church seeing how earnestly the Spirits of good Christians were set for the Reformation of the Church in all Points according to the Holy Scriptures which we profess to hinder this work by dividing of Christians and raising Animosities one against another used this for one Engine Baptising of Infants of Beleiving Parents being the Opinion and Practise of such Christians they must now be thrown by because in the Scriptures we can no where read that Christ gave command to his Apostles to Baptise Infants While I was answering this Book word was sent me That there was one who would Dispute with me in the Congregation expecting his coming and knowing he had thrown away Water-Baptism for an Introduction to my work I laid down Ten Arguments to prove that Water-Baptism was still an Institution of
Observing how my Author and Mrs. Tombs insulted over Mr. Baxter and he that gave me the Challenge to Print telling me All my Party were silent and I living in a Country small Town and not hearing what Books came forth I could not tell what to think of it but when I wrote my Copy for the Press I left here a space till I wrote to Mr. Baxter to know whether he had met with any Arguments to change his thought I thank him he sent me down his Book in answer to them both Then one lent me Mr. Wills I heard also of Mr. Whitston but I saw none of these Authors till my Copy was written but I see they have answered Mr. Danvers to purpose discovered his gross falshood and forgery Another Divine I met with that knows Mr. Danvers though he hath not written against him yet he hath so traced him that he told me never did Jesuites abuse Authors in their Quotations more than he hath done That the Jesuites practice lies this way we may see in Bellarmine who quotes Ten of the Fathers to justifie his Doctrine of Christs preaching to the Spirits in prison 1 Pet. 3.19 when as Six of them I may say Eight of them give that Interpretation of the Text which Bellarmine himself condemns See saith that pious and learned Reignolds With what Conscience these Jesuites handle the Controversies of Religion which may well be applyed to Mr. Danvers abusing so many Authors as he hath done Reignold Praelec 86. de lib. Apochr p. 1044. See him again p. 1083. SECTION III. Leaving then the Historieal part by which Infant-baptism is much confirmed Let us come to the holy Scriptures out of which our Divines who have laboured in this Controversie have produced so many that I know not how more can be well added where therefore others have been large I will be brief One man I knew though I had no inward acquaintance with him about fifty years since a Mechanick and Head of a separate Company in those days he had none but his Mother-tongue but a very good head in Polemical Divinity This Doctrine of Anti-paedobaptism then being propounded to him he rejected though he had other Arguments against it yet I took notice of this I observe saith he ever since God had a people upon the earth he made a difference between the families of his servants and of wicked men even before the flood Gen. 6.2 There is not only truth but strength in it what-ever the Anabaptists scribble against it Two Texts especially my Author pitch upon because he thinks we build much upon them Gen. 17.7 1 Cor. 7.14 and so we do these he labours to take from us That the children of the Jews were Church-members with their Parents the Anabaptists acknowledge Then they were made so by this Covenant of God with Abraham and with his Seed and the Commandment to Circumcise them here then we must begin From the 17. Gen. 7. I lay the Argument thus A gracious Covenant made signed and sealed by God with a believing Person and his Seed and never repealed by God that Covenant remaineth in force and is to be signed and sealed unto his Seed But that Covenant of God with Abraham to be his God and the God of his Seed was such a Covenant and never repealed Therefore This we premise There is a great difference between the outward Administration of an Ordinance and the inward Efficacy This is clear in the Lords Supper preaching the Word and so in Baptism the Scripture is plain for this and the Anabaptists cannot deny it Or if you please to take Mr. Tho. Hooker's distinction There is an Inward and an Outward Covenant Cov. of Grace p. 2.3 Inward standing in a spiritual Institution of it between God and man When God calls a people and with his Call gives them Faith to answer his Call So that now he is indeed their God becomes theirs by Faith and they who are thus in Covenant with him shall never fall 2ly The outward Covenant is more large The Dispensation of this God gives on his part to Christians and their Engagements on their part is Faith in him subjection to him He doth engage himself to them and if they answer the outward Priviledge he will make them a choice people Exod. 19.5 Deut. 26.17 18 c. too long to transcribe By vertue of this Covenant God was said To know them above all the Nations in the world Amos 3.2 God set up his Tabernacle amongst them and dwelt amongst them Exod. 25.8 Psal 135.1 Chose Israel for his peculiar treasure Psal 135.4 Gave them his Ordinances Psal 147.19 20. God wrought for them wonderfully and though they provoked him exceedingly yet he bare with them and did not for Abraham 's sake cast them out of his presence as yet 2 King 13.23 Thus was he a God to them the whole visible Church of the Jews by it God gave them a great advantage to lay hold upon God to become their God in an outward Covenant in Efficacy as well as in outward Administration This I say by vertue of this Covenant with Abraham till they dealt most wickedly with God in Covenant rejecting Christ the promised Seed in Abraham's Covenant in whom they should be blessed then God brake Covenant with them and cast them off Zech. 11.10 14. As a people may besaid to be Gods people so God their God 1. When they acknowledge God to be the onely true God and their God 2. When they worship him with his own Worship onely 3. When they profess his Truths Doctrines and take his Word for their Rule 4. When they do Covenant and engage themselves to God Yet among these may be many Hypocrites and but formal Christians as Branches are said to be in Christ John 15.2 My Author moves six Questions here to raise a dust and trouble the Reader when things are plain he might have reduced them to Three what is considerable in the rest I shall touch First I call it a Gracious Covenant We read of several Promises God made to Abraham Gen. 12.2 3 7. and Chap. 13 14 15 16. and Chap. 15.1 4 5. But the word Covenant we read not of till this 17th Chapter here we have it several times and this Covenant between Abraham and his Seed being the last branch of the Covenant for Canaan in the next Verse was promised three times before God now adds a Sign verse 11. which the Apostle calls a Seal Rom. 4.11 So that now all the former Promises God binds them up and seals them up in a Covenant The great Promise of all Chap. 12.3 In thy Seed shall all the Nations be blessed is not mentioned in this Chapter since God began to speak of a Covenant but this was a part of the Covenant the Apostle Peter tells the Jews Acts 3.25 Ye are the Children of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers saying to Abrabam And in thy Seed shall all the Kindreds