fashions the new creature with all its lineaments and members in the Souls of his Elect namely all the Graces of his Spirit but the new creature caâ—â—â— act nor move without Divine Influence no more than the Watch can go of its self and God mâ—â— take either old or young into Glory as soon as theâ—â— are regenerated and born again and never give them time to act Grace the Thief upon the Croâ—â— had but very little time to act Grace in 6. For Persons to imagine or dream of Sanâ—â—fication and Salvation by the Imputation of Chriâ—â— Righteousness and Merits without the Instrumenâ—allity of Habitual Faith to regenerate and change their Natures is meer spiritual Nonsense for Christ's Righteousness and Merits are not to be applied nor exposed in any other way nor by any other means but what God himself hath appointed and revealed unto us and therefore it is called the Righteousness of Faith but according to our Opponents Principles it is a Righteousness without Faith Pray dear Friends consider of this and be no longer deluded 7. I challenge all our Opponents every Soul of them to produce but one single Text of Scripture throughout the whole Book of God that doth give the least shadow of countenance to this kind of Doctrine of theirs namely That Elect dying Infants can be sanctified and saved without Habitual Grace of which Faith is the chief 8. That salvation of dying Infants which our Opponents stickle so strenuously for is a Salvation without Justification and Regeneration which in plain English is to save them in a state of original sin and depravation for the Antipaedobaptists will not by any means allow young Infants to be capable of receiving the Habits and Seeds of Grace to regenerate and change their Natures though Christ himself who spake as never man spake like him hath told us plainly that Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God And the Scripture also saith Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. 9. A young Infant in the Womb or in the Cradle is as much polluted and depraved by nature as the oldest and vilest sinner upon Earth and as much a child of Wrath as he and he hath as much need to be justified regenerated and sanctified as he therefore all those that deny this must deny original sin which is to overthrow the very Foundation of mans salvation 10. I never read one word in all the Writâ— of our Opponents about the Controversie that â— declared or once discovered the absolute neâ—sity of Justification and Regeneration in orderâ— the salvation of Elect dying Infants I desire thâ— to produce us the Book and Page if they oâ— where there is any such Doctrine It is true 〈◊〉 tell us fine quaint Stories of Sanctification a Application of the Righteousness and Merits Jesus Christ for the salvation of Elect dying â—fants and of their great hope and charity 〈◊〉 have for them and yet in the same breath 〈◊〉 tell us that they are not capable of receiving 〈◊〉 Graces of the Spirit by which it is to be brouâ— about and effected which knocks all their châ— and hopes for dying Infants on the head concerâ—ing their future state of Happiness for Mr. â— â— very ingenuously hath published and confessed his Book that he is not capable of understands the Notion of Habitual Faith for saith he it's 〈◊〉 fine for my uncultivated head That is His 〈◊〉 Reason cannot fathom it 11. I do positively affirm as I shall Answer at the great day of Judgment that all those 〈◊〉 will not allow Elect dying Infants to be capable receiving Habitual Grace to regenerate sanctiâ— and change their Natures do at once reprobâ— them all by their Principle and bar the Gate 〈◊〉 Heaven fast against them For 12. And lastly If the salvation of lost sinneâ— is a pure Design of preventing Grace then I 〈◊〉 affirm That a young Infant is as capable of salvaâ—on as any Adult person is whatsoever but 〈◊〉 salvation of lost sinners is a pure Design of pâ—venting Grace Therefore a young Infant iâ— capable of salvation as any Adult person is wâ—soever 1. It is a pure design of preventing Grace with a â—espect to God the Father that contrived it 2. It is so with respect to Christ the Son that accomâ—lished it 3. And lastly It is so with a respect to Man that hath the benefit of it First Grace and subsequent persevering Grace unto Eternal Salvation is all of pure preventing Grace and â—t is brought about by effectual Calling Justification Adoption and Sanctification for preventing Grace â—uns through them all As hath been most elegantly â—llustrated amplified unfolded and applied by that â—minent Divine who is worthy to be ranked among the rest of our Stars of the first Magnitude in this Hemisphere of Gods Heaven upon Earth the Church namely Mr. M. M. of Stepney from that Famous Text of Christ's wonderful preventing Grace in St. Luke 19.10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost 1. That the salvation of lost sinners is a pure Design of preventing Grace appears in these following Particulars 1. In that men by nature are spiritually dead as in Eph. 2. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins The sinner being dead is not able to quicken nor raise himself but God doth it you hath he quickened c. that is God Therefore it is preventing Grace 2. If the sinner be lost and God is found by him when he sought him not then it is pure preventing Grace but so it is as you may see in Rom. 10. I was found of them that sought me not I was made manifest to them that asked not after me Compare with Isa 65.1 3. In Ezek. 16. thou wast cast out in the 〈◊〉 field to the lothing of thy person in the day that thâ— wast born And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast iâ— thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live 4. Man by nature is not only in a state of separation from God but also in a state of Enmity against him and until that Enmity be slain and the Soul united to Christ which is done by Habitual Faith instrumentally there can be no hope of Reconciliation nor Eternal Salvation I say again God will as soon save the Fallen Angels as save any Fallen sinner old or young in the Womb or out of it that dyeth in a state of separation and Enmity against God as all Mankind by nature are Psal 51. Rom. 3.11 12 23. It must be Habitual Faith instrumentally that must justifie the sinner by taking hold of the Righteousness and Merits of Jesus Christ and applying it to the sinner by the manuduction of the holy Spirit for God is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith 5. In the fifth and last place to conclude this Head
submit to the discipline of Baptism Thus I have proved Infant-baptism and Church-membership to be of divine Institution and therefore have a right to the Ordinance of Baptism by vertue of Christs command and the Apostles argumentative mandatory Exhortation and also their covenant interest 1. Therefore I challenge all our Opponents to prove that ever the children of believing parent were once denied the Ordinance of Baptism is our Saviours time or his Apostles 2. I also challenge them to prove by any one Text of Scripture that none but adult believerâ— were to be baptized 3. Let them give us but one single Instance among all those Housholds which were baptized that any one child was exempted 4. And lastly Let them prove that Infant-baptism is any where forbid in the holy Scripture But if they can do neither of these as I am sure they cannot where then is divine Right which they so highly boast of and so confidently laâ— claim unto Why it appears clearly to be on our side and not on theirs and the Reason for it is undeniable For nothing can be of divine Right that is repugnant to the holy Scriptures But to deny the Infant-seed of Believers to have an Interest in the Covenant or Promise of God which intitles them to Baptism is repugnant to the holy Scriptures and therefore cannot be of divine Right as is clear from Acts 2.38 39. 1 Cor. 7.14 and Gen. 17.7 5. Some of those that are against Infant-baptism have publickly and confidently asserted in print that the children of Turks and Heathens have as much priviledge as the children of believing Christians but Mr. D. seems to be of another mind if he had but held tightly to it for saith he in page 2. Many of those you call the outward priviledges of the covenant of Grace our children have as well as yours Pray note by the way Mr. D. saith we call these Priviledges so he doth not own them to be really so and yet at the same time he saith their children have them This is a contradiction in it self for it is to have and enjoy that which they hold is not in being 6. I will prove that the children of believers have a far greater priviledge than the children of Turks and Heathens 1. First of all when the ungodly World was drowned and all destroyed all those children whose parents were not in the covenant were destroyed with their parents not so much as one of them escaped Pray take notice I do not judge nor meddle with their future estate But holy Noah and all his Houshold were saved Heb. 11.7 not one of his children perished in the Flood because they were all in the Covenant of Grace 2. When Sodom and Gomorah were destroyed by Fire from Heaven all those children whose wicked parents were not in the covenant perished with them in that conflagration but righteous Lot who was in the Covenant of Grace was saved and all his own children 3. Where is the chapter or verse to be found in all the Book of God that doth declare that the children of Turks or Heathens are holy children as it doth the children of either believing father or mother in 1 Cor. 7.14 4. And lastly Where is it said in Scripture to Turks and Heathens while such that The promise is unto you and to your children as in Acts. 2.39 Thus you see I have proved That the children of Christian believers have a far greater priviledge than the children of Turks and Heathens by which I have utterly destroyed that carnal ignorant presumptious Assertion of theirs 6. Saith our Opponents What benefit is it for a child to be baptized To which I Answer thus So might proud carnal Reason and natural Affection much more have queried in the time of the Mosaick Law What good doth this smarting Ordinance do to our children Or what benefit is it for them to be circumcised at eight days old which the Apostles themselves counted to be an intolerable yoke which they were not able to beaâ— Acts 15.10 and yet in Rom. 3. he counts it a very great priviledge and advantage for saith he What advantage then hath the Jew or whâ—â— benefit is there in circumcision Much every way chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God Here you see the Apostles Answer is very compatible to this Query but saith he farther For what if some did not believe shall their 〈◊〉 belief make the faith of God without effect Here you see those eight-day disciples were capable of receiving the Oracles of God or else they would not have been committed unto them 6. Saith Mr. D. in p. 3. The primitive Fathers for six hundred years after Christ had a far different Medium to prove Infant-baptism by viz. The necessity of it to salvation Your notion of covenant-right from Abraham and habitual faith is not to be found in their Writings To which I Answer We are not bound to sail by their Compass if the Fathers were mistaken must we be so too I can produce some that were mistaken in a paraelel case long before their time and some of Mr. D's own Opinion that have been mistaken also in this Point in our Time 1. Some of those Jews that were converted to the Christian Faith in the Apostles time who were Teachers of others Acts 15. And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved Here those men laid a very great stress upon the very manner of circumcision it must not be after the manner of Abraham but Moses 2. I have heard of some even in our Time that are against Infant-baptism that have held the same thing in effect for say they No baptism no salvation and they hold That there is no Baptism but that of dipping which is to reprobate all those who are not for dipping in baptism and all their own children also that die before they are dipped which is to place an Ordinance in the room of Christ's Righteousness But my good Friend It is safer relying upon Thus saith the Lord than upon Thus say the Fathers 2. I shall in the second place prove that the mode of baptism is by sprinkling or pouring water on the subjects in baptism and this I shall do partly to satisfie my much esteemed friend Mr. B. D. who gave me a strict charge on the Royal Exchange so to do though I have been very large already on this subject in my Replication to Mr. B. K's Book 1. I shall begin and make some Observations from Acts 2. where we find a great number that were baptized at one time but we do not find that the Apostles did lay any Injunction upon them to change their Rayment to be baptized in 1. They did not command the men to strip themselves and put on other Garments proper for the Ordinance and then come and be baptized neither did they say unto the women and
when the unbelieving Jews and their Children were â—â—st out the believing Jews which remained in the Church their Children remained in the Church with them and God did take the Adult Elect Gentiles and their Children into the Church together he did not take in their Parents and shut out and exclude their Children as is clear from Acts 2.39 Rom. 11.17 3. The Church state which is the Kingdom of Heaven is the same now as it was in the Beginning in Adam's Time after the Fall and ever will be to the End of the World and the Covenant of Grace is the same in whiâ—h all the Matter Form Laws and Ordinances of Worship and Subjects are contained though some of the unbelieving Jews and their Châ—ldren were cast out especially of those who were actually concerned in condemning our Saviour Christ by which they intailed a Curse upon their Posterity when they said His blood be on us and on our children Mat. 2â— 25 4. And lastly The state of the Church is and ever was indissolvable though it is locally mâ—table God may and he hath taken it from one place and fixed it in another and remove it from one People of Nation and bestow in upon another 2. I shall also prove the Church state is the same now as it was under the Old Testament and the Frame the same substantially but in a more glorious Dress as farther appears from the Apostles Doctrine in Eph. 2. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and forreiners but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the houshold of God And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone In whom all the building fuly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord In whom you also are builded together for an haâ—itation for God through the Spirit Here are several Things to be observed 1. Those whom the Apostle Preached this Doctrine unto were the then called Gentiles who were come from the East and West and were sat down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven and the Children of the Kingdom viz. The Reprobate Jewes and their Children were cast out 2. The believing Jews which kept their station in the Church were these Citizens and Saints 3. That the Gentiles before their Conversion were Strangers and Forreiners to this City but were then Fellow-citizens with the believing Jewes and their Children the Citizens aforesaid 4. They were taken into the Family Royal of Heaven the Houshold of God who before were Gentiles in the flesh with out Christ being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel aâ—â— strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world Eph. 2.12 5. These Gentiles as miserable and vile as they were 〈◊〉 that Time were not only made Fellow citizens with the Saints but also fellow heirs with them of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel Now thiâ— was spoken to the Gentiles by name as in Eph. 3.6 6. The foundation of the Church of Christ was to be 〈◊〉 in the Doctrine of the Prophets in the Old Testament which â— the same with the Apostles Doctrine in the New Testament and Christ himself is the chief Corner-stone in whom all the Building is joined exactly together and groweth unto an holy Temple in the Lord an Habitation for God 7. And lastly All the believing Hebrews and all their children and all the believing Gentiles and theirs maketh but 〈◊〉 Mystical Body which is the Church Eph. 3.6 4. The Church under the Law was a Golden Candlestick Exod. 25. And thou shalt make a candlestick of puregold c. Zech. 4. What seest thou And I said I have looked and behold a candlestiâ—k all of gold c. This was the Gospel-church in the Old Testament-Times 1. Gold to signifie the Mattâ—â— and Subjects of it 2. Pure Gold to signifie the holiness and purity of it 3. A Candlestick to signifie the Form of it 4. And lastly A Candlestick to signifie the usefulness of the Church for as a Candlestick is to set up a Light in even so â—â— the Church It is a City built upon a Hill 2. Compare this with the Churches in the New Testament in Rev. 1. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me Aâ—â— being turned I saw seven golden candlesticks and the seven golden candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches Now I would fain know of our Author where lyes the difference for my part I can see none but this namely There was but one Candlestick of pure Gold in the Old Testament thâ—â— was but one Church or Congregation which was all the Nation and there are seven in the New Testament which is a certain number set for an uncertain but all of Gold under both Dispensations viz. all Gospel holy Churches 3. And lastly The Gospel Church in the Old Testament lived upon the same Food as the Gospel-Churches of Christ do now in the New Testament and as these Churches are baptized Churches so was that one Church in the Old Testament for all the Members of it men women and children were baptized Hear is a clear Scripture-proof for it let who as will or dare deny it 1 Cor. 10. Moreover brethren I would not that 〈◊〉 should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea And did all eat the same spiritual meat And did all drink the same spiritual drink For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock waâ— Christ On this Rock the Church was built immediately after Adam's Fall and on this Rock it hath stood ever since and ever will to the end of the World and the gates of Hell shall never be able to preva l against it for Christ doth watch over it and keep it Thus I have proved what the Prescription of the Church in the New Testament is though Mr. D. was not so kind as to do it and also of the Old Testament and demonstrated the Matter Form Laws and Ordinances of Worship and the subjects also and I find them joined together and so I leave them for I dare not part them asunder For though this Dispensation is more glorious than that of the Old Testament was yet it is the same for substance 1. It was made of the same Mettle viz. Gold 2. It was of the same quality fine Gold 3. The same Subjects viz. Parents and Children 4. The Church was of the same Form viz. a Candlestick 5. It was of the same use viz. it was for Light for the Laws and Ordinances of Worship are for Light Indeed Satans Kingdom is a Kingdom of Darkness but Christs Kingdom is a Kingdom of Light 6. And lastly They lived upon the very same Food as the Churches of God now do And thus I have proved the Title of this my Book For Infant-Baptism and Church-Membership is of Divine Institution and the Mode of Baptism I have also proved to be by Sprinkling for it is one of the Heavenly Things POSTSCRIPT HAving finished my Discourse at this time concerning the Infant-seed of Christian Believers I now come in the first place to address my self in particular unto my loving Friend Mr. B. D. who hath said in p. 8. as followeth For many Years I have attended to see what could be made of this Argument of the necessity of Baptism to Infants and could I have found it proved I would not have been an Hour out of your Tents Now Sir you have seen it proved to be of as much necessity as Circumcision was under the Law to the Eight-day Disciples for the Infant seed of Believers are fixed in the same station in the Church now as the Jews Children were then for they were never excluded 2. It is necessary it should be so for you see I have fully proved that God commands it 3. It is a Badge of Honour and Token of Gods Covenant-Love and Grace to the Seed of believing Parents who are stiled holy Children 1 Cor. 7.14 4. And lastly Circumcision was the Type of Baptism which is 〈◊〉 Heavenly Things Now my good Friend if you dare veâ—â—â— There was no necessity for those Things aforesaid then you â— that there is no necessity for Infant-Baptism for you see thâ—â— proved Infant-Baptism and Church-Membership 1. From â—ample of John the Baptist 2. From Christs Command 〈◊〉 the Apostles Argumentative Exhortation or Mandamus 〈◊〉 lastly From their Covenant-relation to God who hath proâ— be the Believers God and the God of his Seed and of hâ— Seed Psal 105.8 9 10. Whereever God layeth his Coâ— there is an absolute necessity of Obedience Now Sir I expect you should comply with your Prâ—mâ— make haste and delay not to come into our Tents or shew cause in Print why you will not for I humbly yet boldly longe you to do one or the other either to confute it or of it 2. I address my self to all you that are of this Opinion iâ— not read our Books about this Controversie but pass a deâ— Sentence upon them and condemn them without Book 〈◊〉 Popish Priests and Jesuits do for they judge and câ—â—deâ— Books and Doctrines to be heretical and charge the People hear them on pain of damnation But methinks noâ—â— that are called Protestants should be found guilty of imitaâ— Papists Pray for the future either forbear that ungâ— christian Practice of yours which some of you are guilty â— knowledge by their own confession of judging Books withouing them And if you cannot coâ—fute them then compâ— them It is a greater Honour to recant and renounce 〈◊〉 when detected than to cleave to it Lastly Do not meâ— Truths of God by the Passions and Infirmities of the Inâ—iâ— which God makes use of to declare them for Martin Lutâ— an Eminent Saint in his Day yet very passionate And that is perfectly clear of this Sin cast the first stone at â— thus condemn Thus I leave a Challenge with you all to Answer this my â— the Lord give you spiritual skill and understanding in these â— Covenant-Mysteries that we may all embrace the Truth aâ— Jesus and be of one Heart and one Mind fervent 〈◊〉 serving the Lord with one Consent And so dear Friends to you all FINIS