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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	abraham_n	covenant_n	visible_a	2,996	5	9.1781	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96995	The covenants plea for infants: or, The covenant of free grace, pleading the divine right of Christian infants unto the seale of holy baptisme. Against the rusticke sophistry, and wicked cavillations of sacrilegious Anabaptists: being the summe of certaine sermons had in the parish-church of Cranham, neere the city of Gloucester, in Gloucester-shire, with the exceptions of certaine Anabaptists against the foresaid sermons, and the authors answers thereunto. Very seasonable for weake consciences in these unsettled times of schisme and apostacie. By Thomas Wynell minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.	Wynell, Thomas, b. 1599 or 1600.	1642 (1642)	Wing W3778; Thomason E115_17; ESTC R8440	86,631	137

THE COVENANTS Plea for INFANTS OR The Covenant of FREE GRACE pleading the Divine Right of Christian Infants unto the Seale of holy Baptisme Against the Rusticke Sophistry and wicked Cavillations of Sacrilegious Anabaptists Being the Summe of certaine Sermons had in the Parish-Church of Cranham neere the City of Gloucester in Gloucester shire with the exceptions of certaine Anabaptists against the foresaid Sermons and the Authors answers thereunto Very seasonable for weake consciences in these unsettled times of Schisme and Apostacie By THOMAS WYNELL Minister of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST OXFORD Printed by Henry Hall for the Author 1642. TO MY MOST INDVLGENT mother the Famous VNIVERSITIE of OXFORD all flourishing encrease of Divine Graces and Commendable Literature be wished and multiplyed Men Fathers and Brethren I Have with a mournfull eye and a sad heart beheld the distractions of these times and seene the devill that Mille-artifex taking the opportunity as alwaies he doth to erect his throne upon our wofull miseries They say Rome must packe out of England so 't is credibly reported and now the Envious-one labours to bring-in Amsterdam The KINGS power in causes Ecclesiasticall must be taken from the Pope and reason good and now the devil labours strongly to lay it upon the people so that if the devill can do it Caesar must alwayes behold his Glory in Captivitie Ceremonies must downe and let them fall if they and the Gospell may not stand together but let not American novelties ponere obicem to the Covenant of free Grace Stand fast yee Worthies and acquit your selves like men View over this Treatise I beseech you and if it may not be to your disparagement vouchsafe it your Patronage Nay more if you thinke it may any way further the Protestant cause joyne with me I pray in presenting it to the Honourable Court of PARLIAMENT Nothing is herein for ought I know dissonant to the Orthodox faith It is the first fruits of my labours that ever saw light and I Dedicate it to my deare Mother knowing that hereby I shall have an affectionate construction put upon all mine assertions I pray let it not be thought ambition in me that I sue unto you for Patronage but accept all in favour as I present all in love What is amisse I pray correct and what is right I pray allow And thus not to retard your more weighty imployments I commit you all to the good dispose of Israels Keeper who can do for you beyond what I can aske or thinke and so I rest Your most obedient sonne THOMAS WYNELL TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Grace Mercie Peace Strength Stability and Settlednesse with a blessed encrease of all heavenly gifts from the Sanctuary by Gods Ordinances of Grace to the perfect edification of the Soule c. Christian READER HE that puts himselfe in Print in matters of Controversie doth not onely bid battell to the opposite party but also expose himselfe to the criticall censure of all beholders and standers by And by how much any VVriter seekes the applause of men in publishing his workes by so much the Righteous God makes him a looser And that worke mostly is most prosperous wherein least of fame and most of conscience is sought and aimed at This poore Treatise of mine though meane for phrase style and artifice yet needfull in these times of schisme and heresie for the subject matter thereof as that which may occasion my faithfull brethren more able to crush the insolencies of a dangerous faction the daughter of the Separation and the Mother of Libertinisme As for my call to this imployment it is this viz. There were nere unto my dwelling a company of the Separation who under tooke to erect a Church by entring into a Covenant and these carried on their resolutions hand-smooth untill they were grown into a great faction And as it is the property of that Schisme to speake at randome they began to let flie against the Church assemblies of England as false Antichristian and out of Gods way VVhereupon I began to enquire into the nature of their Covenant and told them that if it were a Covenant of first entrance into the true visible Church of Christ then of necessity the parties so entring must have the seale of first entrance imprinted upon them which under the Gospell is Baptisme For if the Ministery which they leave be false in the very constitution thereof then the Sacraments by them administred must needs be nullities and so now they having a lawfull ministery constituted and set in Christs way they must begin all anew Baptisme and all Thus by way of arguing I spake unto diverse of them which did so puzzle them that not long after some of them fell upon this practice of sealing their covenant by Baptisme renouncing their Baptisme in their infancy as a nullity and an Idoll and being demanded by the Magistrates of the City of Gloucester before whom they were convented who it was that advised them unto this practice they nominated mee to be the first that put them upon it whereas I was so farre from it that I held that the dangerous Covenant of the Separation would necessarily lead unto this And moreover one Walter Coles of Painsewicke a Taylor a man of good behaviour a long time and well esteemed by the godly and best Christians This man I say fell off first to the Separation where he had his bane And God having given him another child he refused to have it baptized untill it could answer for it selfe This matter fell into debate in Mr Wels his Congregation at Whaddon Pastor to the Separation there where the said Coles was a member Now Mr Wels and the Church-officers of his division foreseeing the ill consequence of this businesse had resolved to determine against the said Walter but this being perceived by the said Coles he desired to goe out of the company And happy had it beene for him if hee had returned to his former godly and profitable courses of doing good But he goes further and turnes plaine Anabaptist And so making a journey to London hee brings downe one Thomas Lambe a chandler as it is reported and one Clem Writer a Factor in Blackwell-hall London both Anabaptists into this Countrey And I being in London these two travellors by Walter Coles his directions came on the Lords-day to Cranham where I did and doe serve in the worke of the Ministery and there the said Lamb being in a grey-suit offers to preach in publike but being disappointed by Gods good providence of his wicked purpose he retires to a private house in Cranham abovesaid and by Preaching there he subverted many And shortly after in an extreame cold and frosty time in the night season diverse men and women were rebaptized in the great river of Severne in the City of Gloucester And so at length returning from London I found the face of things much altered and many strangely leaning to the heresie of the Anabaptists

of the Ordinances the same as the mortification of the flesh and the renuing of the creature to Gods Image in Jesus Christ 6. The subject's the same as a people in Covenant with God to yeeld obedience to the faith 7. The end Cujus the same as the glory of Gods mercy to His Elect and the unexcuse of the Reprobate 8. Finally the end Cui the same as Good workes here in this life and the immortality of the soule and eternall blessednesse in the life to come Onely Gods manner of ministring Christ unto man for his eternall salvation is diverse according to the diversitie of Christ state viz. as not incarnate and to come or incarnate and already come and so the ministration is diverse in the Ordinances of Grace Before Christ was come in the flesh all the Ordinances of Grace directed the eyes of the faithfull unto Christ to be exhibited for their salvation redemption And therefore all the Ordinances of grace must needs be typicall And this did quiet their consciences and filled their hearts with joy And since Christ is come all the Ordinances of Grace serve to confirme the faithfull in this point and minister Christ exhibited in the flesh unto us And this causes us to rest in Him for Redemption and salvation and to expect no other Saviour Now if Infants under the typicall ministration of Christ were capable of the initiall seale of this Covenant because borne under this Covenant in their very infancie when they could declare no right they had unto it but their birth then Infants of Christians under the Gospel borne under the same Covenant of Grace are capable of the present initiall seale of this Covenant though they can shew no right they have unto it but their being born of such parents as are Christians The manifestation of faith is no more requisite to the administration of Baptisme unto such as are borne Christians than it was to the administration of Circumcision unto such as were born Jews But as such as were made Jewes had Circumcision administred unto them because they testified faith in the Messias and such as were borne Jewes had it by birth as children of parents in covenant So such as are made Christians are to have Baptisme ministred unto them upon the testimony of their faith but such as are borne Christians are to have it by birth as children of parents in Covenant with God and of his houshold and family For as it was a rule of old that nemo circumcidendus quà Infans or quà adultus but quatenus foederatus So now nemo baptizandus quà infans or quà adultus but quatenus foederatus Now if infants of Christians appeare unto us to be foederati as they do then we are to administer baptisme unto them in their infancie Baptisme herein answering to Circumcision And so the fond quaere of the Anabaptists is groundlesse What say they shall we seale a blanke But this question implies this blasphemie namely that Gods written Covenant is a blanke for Gods covenant is written upon the children of parents in covenant as Christian parents are in covenant And if so then their infants are in covenant otherwise the parents are not in covenant For though it follows not children are in covenant with God therefore their parents are in covenant with God for Abraham was in covenant with God but his father Terah was not yet it follows undeniably parents are in Covenant with God therfore their Infants are in Covenant with God Now then the Infants of Christian parents have the Covenant of Grace written upon them by birth because children of such parents And because their being in Covenant in their infancy appeares unto the Church therefore the Church is to baptize them in their infancy for when persons appeare unto the Church to be in Gods Covenant of Grace then the Church is to put the Covenant under seale unto them and t is their due and the Churches duty And so in the businesse of paedo-baptisme wee are not to looke to the righteousnesse inherent in the parents nor to the righteousnesse in the infant for of neither of these can we have certaine and infallible knowledge but to the righteousnesse of the Covenant or to the free grace of God in Christ as Rom. 4.11 where Circumcision is called the seale of the righteousnesse of faith And therefore the seale of imputative righteousnesse And hence is the grosse mistake of our Anabaptists They thinke that the efficacy of Baptisme is grounded on the practicall righteousnesse of the creature manifested in words or works which stinkes of Popery all over but orthodox Christians in the businesse of paedo-baptisme doe look to Gods Covenant of free Grace and so present their children unto Gods mercy and Fatherly love in Jesus Christ our Righteousnesse Covenant and attonement And albeit our infants have no inherent righteousnesse manifested unto us by their words or actions yet God hath righteousnesse to be imputed by vertue of His Covenant of Grace saying I will be thy God and the God of their seed in their generations And therefore we dedicate our children unto God in their infancy by Baptisme Now our Popish Anabaptists cannot endure to heare of Circumcision as if that should be to the Jewes before Christs incarnation the same with baptisme unto Christians since Oh they labour to cry downe this as the grossest absurdity that ever was uttered by the tongues of men But this is no new thing for the old heretiques heretofore did lead upstart punies in the right way how to fasten themselves to their owne errors and Popish pride But I pray what difference between these two save in the outward ceremony For was not Circumcision as sacrament of entrance into the true Church of God before Christs incarnation And is not Baptisme the same unto us Christians since Christs Ascension Why doth the Apostle call baptized Christians circumcised Christians and Baptisme by the name of Circumcision Col. 2.11 14. Was not Circumcision a seale of the same justifying faith as Baptisme is now unto us Rom. 4.11 And in a word did not Circumcision signifie the mortification of the flesh and the renewing of the mind and so bind over the Jewes unto the obedience of Gods will Rom. 2.28 29. Gal. 3.21 And doth not Baptisme the same now Rom. 6.3 11. 1 Pet. 3.21 Now shew us any substantiall difference between these two Sacraments for if there bee no substantiall difference then without controversy there is a substantiall union You say there is a wide difference for the one was the cutting off of the fore-skin of the flesh and the other is a washing with water So say we but this difference is but ceremoniall but as an initiall seale how differ they or in any other spirituall effect necessary unto salvation When we look upon Sacraments we doe not look upon them by halves as you Anabaptists doe and detaine our senses in the bodily part of them We look upon

proves that the sacramentall signe of circumcision was given to the Jewish Infants in vaine also for they could not discerne that signe as a Sacrament for though they had bodily feeling of the cutting off of their flesh yet they could not in the present act of administration discerne the signe as sacramentall and so our Infants have bodily feeling of the water too And so your quarrell is against God as well as against us But as such as were borne Jewes were to have the initiall seale of the present ministration imprinted on them in their infancy to seale up the Covenant under which they were borne unto them though they could have no such discerning as you seem to require in the present act of administration so such as are borne Christians are to have the intiall seale of the present ministration imprinted on them in their infancy to seale up the Covenant under which they are borne unto them though they can have no such discerning as you require and yet the ordinance effectuall unto them too I thought that Baptisme had been a continuall act of Gods mercy and grace and that the saving efficacy and benefits thereof had not depended upon the Act of the receiver but upon the operative mercy of God and Merits of Christ But it seems your Divinity shewes me a new way But why must Infants of Christians discerne the signe of water in Baptisme in the present act What Because water leaves no impression upon the body but shortly after the act is over the body is as dry as if it had not been washed at all And when the child is come to yeares hee findes no visible mark upon his body to assure him that he is sealed into Gods peculiar Oh! Is this it I pray what mark is there left upon your flesh since you were washed in Severne though you were duckt over head and eares Is a mark in the flesh and a sensitive discerning of the signe the excellencies of circumcision and Baptisme When the Iewes came to yeares of discerning God called not for the circumcision of their flesh but for the circumcision of their hearts It was the mark of circumcision upon the heart that God looked upon for many had the mark of the flesh which were as bad as Ethiopians So for us Christians when wee are come to yeares of discretion it s the mark of the Spirit and of the blood of Christ upon the heart that God calls for and looks upon For a man may have the signe of water and discerne the signe in the very act with the eye of his flesh and yet be a vile Anabaptist deny originall sinne in Infants deny the Christian Sabbath and set up the Iewish deny Christs taking flesh of the Virgin MARY deny the power of the Magistrate and a 1000 such like abominations and a man be baptized in his infancy and want your discerning and yet when hee is come to yeares of discretion he may be an holy and mortified Christian sound in judgement regular in all his practices and sincere in all his aimes And therefore this your rotten stuffe will not serve to make a sorry garment for to cover your shame But you have a third thing to alleadge I pray speak on that we may consider that also Anabaptist Thirdly they differ in the subjects for the subjects of circumcision were all Abrahams lineall seed according to the flesh and strangers bought with his money too And why Because God had promised Abraham a temporall inheritance for him and for all his lineall seed as they were borne and circumcision was the signe thereof But the subjects of Baptisme as are set forth to us by Commission are only beleevers and none else as wee finde and therefore we may not dare to cast off the Commission of Christ and practice of the Apostles for to set up inventions of our owne as an ordinance of Christ where we have neither precept nor president for it in all the book of God Againe ut infra Answer For the subjects of circumcision and Baptisme I know no substantiall difference for persons as in Covenant with God are the proper subjects of them both Now men are brought into Gods Covenant either by instruction or borne under this holy Covenant as the seed of persons in Covenant with God Thus Abraham and his Proselytes became the subjects of Circumcision by profession of their faith in the Messias But the seed of circumcised Abraham and of the circumcised Proselytes were such by birth as children of parents in Covenant So when the Apostles in primitive times planted foundations of the Christian faith among the Pagans These Pagans were made subjects capable of Baptisme by instruction but the seed of these baptized Pagans were capable of Baptisme by birth as joint heires with their parents of the same holy Covenant and that Covenant under which they were borne was to bee put under seale unto them So then as Abrahams seed and the Proselites seed were to be circumcised when and while Infants for Christians children are to be baptized when and while Infants such Infants being not Infidels ergo beleevers as afterward you shall see in due place And so the baptizing of Christian Infants is no invention of man but grounded on the Covenant of God with parents and their children And this the book of God warrants every where And whereas you say that the promise to Abraham and all his lineall seed was of a temporall inheritance and that circumcision was a signe of that That is false if you meane only or chiefly of a temporall inheritance the temporall inheritance was theirs not as temporall neither but as typicall for 1. Circumcision was a signe and seale of the righteousnesse of faith in the Messias 2. The Proselytes with their children were circumcised to whom right unto that temporall inheritance of the land of Canaan did not appertaine 3. Neither did it belong unto all Abrahams lineall seed as before we have shewed And so all this is as it is unsound so fallacious and absurd Anabaptist Againe the Infants might be more capable of circumcision in their infancy then when they were of riper age because they here to be only patients in the act be they great bee they small there was not any act required in them as we finde but only to receive the signe upon them But in Baptisme they must bee agents acting faith in the action Againe ut infra Answer Abraham and the Proselytes who were to be first received into the Covenant were to be agents acting faith in the Action of administring Circumcision as well as Pagans at their first receiving into the Church were to be agents acting faith in the Action of administring Baptisme unto them And as no such thing was required of the seed of circumcised Abraham nor of the seed of the circumcised Proselytes but circumcision was administred unto them in their infancy as the holy seed being borne of such parents so no such

is the same with the Pagan-Gentiles I know no reason why we so long as we remaine in our naturall condition should have greater priviledges then they unlesse the holy Ghost had any where given commission for is in Scripture And therefore untill you can prove a difference between them and us by nature you in effect as good as say nothing Answer Here as a man more then confident of his cause you seem to grant your antagonist more then is required Here you have found out an argument which in your opinion is more then demonstrative And oh how happy is your Church in having so mettalsome a champion that is able to say something that your Apostolicall fraternity be not troden down of the Idolatrous paedo-baptists But however your words may passe in your Church as oracles yet wee the maintainers of Gods Covenant judge your assertion in all this prattle to be but an aspersion And either make your charge good or else we will look upon you as an agent for the devill and not for Christ Prove that all the children of beleeving parents are open and professed enemies to God Shew where the Scripture so termes Infants of Christian parents seeing such are borne Christians and called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saints I Cor. 7.14 You shew your selfe to be an open and professed enemy to the holy seed in casting so soule a reproach upon persons that God hath so highly honoured And as much may be said of the Infants of the Jewes namely that they were borne in originall sinne yet the Scripture termes them no where open and professed enemies to God though you say the promises made unto them were but temporary Nor did this estate debarre them from being sealed into Gods peculiar in their infancy by the seale of His holy and eternall Covenant Now if you say that infants in their infancy must not be baptized because they cannot understand the meaning of that mysticall Ordinance nor have saith to apply the promises therein held forth by the same reason the Infants of the Jewes should not have been circumcised for circumcision had in it the same essentiall mystery with Baptisme though held forth in a type And so your argument blames God Himselfe for preposterous dealing in prescribing the seale of the righteousnesse of faith to be imprinted on persons before they manifested or could manifest any faith at all by profession or practise And circumcision was a seale of the same righteousnesse of faith which we Christians build our eternall salvation upon and that is faith in Jesus Christ Rom. 4. and Rom. 5. Ob. But there was a speciall command for circumcision in the time of infancy Sol. But your reason I say blames God for that command because Infants of Jewes were as much in the state of nature as Infants of Christians So then the same reason that you alleadge to blame us for our practise doth blame God for His command Againe we answer that there was such a command for the circumcising of such Infants in their infancy whose parents were under Gods seale but no such command for Infants whose parents were not Profession of faith was needfull unto such whose parents were not under Gods foederall seale And so Abraham in whom the Church of the Jewes began had saith before hee had the seale for being uncircumcised or before circumcision hee had the righteousnesse of faith Rom 4.11 But no such thing afterward required of Abrahams seed but the contrary commanded namely that his seed should be circumcised in their infancy So for baptisme under the Gospell For such whose parents are not under the seale of Gods Covenant are not to be baptized but first to manifest the righteousnesse of faith And here as in Abraham the righteousnesse of faith must goe before the initiall seale but when parents as Abraham are once under the seale of Gods Covenant their seed as the seed of Abraham are to bee sealed unto God in their infancy by vertue of their Christian birth-right for by birth they are under Gods Covenant and that Covenant under which they were borne is to bee put under seale and ratified unto them as joint confederates with their parents and of Gods peculiar people with them For the expresse words of the Covenant are I WILL BEE THY GOD AND THE GOD OF THY SEED And therefore when God doth put the initiall seale upon the parents He doth enright the seed of such parents unto the Covenant and initiall seale thereof in their infancy as the Lord hath clearely resolved the case when He put His Covenant under seale with Abraham And therefore you Anabaptists are destroyers of Gods Covenant and will have it to terminate in the party baptized and not to extend to his or her seed as their Christian jointure by birth So then the Covenant that God makes with us Christians is not I will be thy God and the God of thy Seed jointly But I will be thy God and not the God of the seed untill they manifest faith in practice and profession and then I will be the God of thy seed also And so this Covenant will be no priviledge unto children of Christian parents at all for the children of Turkes shall bee received by Baptisme when they testify faith in christ and and repentance towards God And so Gods Covenant of Grace must alwayes terminate in the party baptized and goe no further And is not this mad Divinity that the children shall be excluded when God hath joyned parents and children as joint-partakers of the same Covenant and inheritance And are not you herein the devills attournies sent of purpose to wrangle children of Christian parents out of the spirituall inheritance unto which they are borne as Christians by birth The Lord plead the cause of His Covenant against these perverse disputers maintaine the inheritance of our seed and of-spring against the cursed machinations of these sacrilegious theeves and robbers which steale from God from us and from our children But you call for a difference beteeen us Christians and the Pagan-Gentiles by nature unles this be shewed nothing in effect is spoken against you or for us By nature that is by naturall generation this I beleeve is your meaning a notion indeed high enough for Anabaptists who look upon all Gods ordinances like sensuall beasts But upon that naturall generation of procreation of seed you may behold the Covenant of Grace established and set up had you any sparke of spirituall discerning in you for so did St. Paul Ephes 2.3 4. c. And had you learned the language of the Scriptures you might truly say that the children of Christians are Christians by nature and not sinners of the Pagans as the Apostle speakes of the Jewes saying we are Jewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles Gal. 2.15 Here Jewes by nature and sinners of the Gentiles are opposite members But how were they Jewes by nature Surely as St. Peter speaks because they were the

the children of the Jewes were holy by vertue of the holy Covenant with their parents so also are the children of the Gentiles holy by vertue of the same holy Covenant with their parents an argument never too often to be inculcated And now having spoken of that text of 1 Cor. 7.14 already in our former discourse we will say some what for the sense and meaning of Rom. 11.16 which text must needs bee understood and meant of Abraham and his branches only Now the question is who are meant by Abrahams branches Well the point there to prove is that as Abrahams children among the Jewes were partakers of the priuiledges of the Covenant so among the Gentiles children engrafted into Abraham are partakers of the Covenant as well as the naturall branches of Abraham the Jewes And hence I inferred that as the Jewes receiving the faith of Abraham were circumcised so Gentiles receiving the faith of Abraham are to be baptized And as the Jewes that were not internally and inherently godly as long as they did not renounce Abrahams faith had a right to circumcision so the children of the Gentiles receiving the faith of Abraham were by Baptisme as Jewes by circumcision to bee admitted into the enjoyment of the priviledges of the Christian Church Peter tels the Jewes that the promise is unto them and their children Acts 2.39 Now the promise was not made to their seed because they did beleeve but the seed did beleeve because they were under the promise viz. I will be thy God and the God of thy seed If this must be restrained thus viz. I will be thy God and the God of thy seed too when thy seed shall beleeve then no more is promised to this seed then to the seed of the Gentiles for when the seed of any Gentile should make prosession of his faith in the Messias he was to be circumcised as well as the seed of Abraham But more was due by this promise to the seed of Abraham then to the seed of a Gentile therefore the seed of Abraham was under the promise in a peculiar manner and not the seed of a Gentile uncircumcised yea among the Jewes a parent who was orthodoxall in judgement albeit he shewed no proofe of justifying faith in his life yet he was put under the Covenant for him and his seed And the children of such had as much right to circumcision as the children of David So then externall subjection to the doctrine of faith doth entitle the parent and his seed to the right of the externall benefit of the Covenant The summe is that as Jewes were born Jewes so the seale of circumcision was their due not to put them under the Covenant but to seale up the Covenant under which they were borne So say I Christians children are borne Christians and a right to the Covenant is not given them by Baptisme but that right which they had by birth is put under seale The very Covenant under which a Christian Infant is born stands good unto him and bindes him to faith obedience and so albeit Anabaptists like so many enraged devills doe what in them lies to cancell the hand-writing of Almighty God by withholding Gods owne seale from Infants of Christian parents upon whom Hee hath engraven His Covenant and written His promises of grace and mercy by virtue of their being born of such parents A wickednesse so heinous so horrible so full of impiety and hellish cruelty that I want a parallel I want words to expresse it unto my reader yet Gods Covenant I say stands good unto them Now the Lord make you to understand what I have written and give you a sight of your wickednesse And thus you have my first reason vindicated Which is that Infants of Christians are Christians borne and therefore are to be baptized in their infancy The second Reason Anabaptist Againe your second reason is that children are capable of Baptisine and your ground is from circumcision Because children were circumcised therefore they may be baptized in their infancy Answer If children because borne under the Covenant before Christs incarnation were therefore capable of the initiall seale even by the sentence of Almighty God because born under that Covenant then children of Christians borne under the same Covenant of grace since Christs incarnation are capable of the initiall seale and 't is their due by virtue of their Christian birth-right Now that the Covenant before Christ with the Jewes and since Christ with the Christians is the same Covenant namely A Covenant which concernes mans deliverance from misery by sinne and mans restitution unto happinesse by Jesus Christ we have shewed before we will now instance only in three things Viz. 1. The Covenant of God with the Jewes before Christ caused the godly in Covenant to seek for immortality after death in heaven as their country and abiding city for ever Heb. 11.13 14 15 16. Acts 26.6 7 8. 2. All the ministrations of Gods Covenant with the Iewes tended to the debasement of nature and to the advancement of Gods free grace in the whole work of mans Redemption though in types 3. All the promises that God made to the Iewes looked towards Iesus Christ as the only Mediatour in whom all Gods promises are yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 cum Heb. 13.8 and Gen. 3.15 Christ was the subject of Moses and the Prophets writings Job 1.45 And the Iewes were justified in the sight of God by the same righteousnesse of faith as we Gentiles are justified by Rom. 4.3.13 And this justification hath essentiall connexion with eternall salvation Rom. 5.9 10. And is not our Covenant the same for substance reducible to these three heads Quest Why then is the Covenant said to bee a better Covenant and established upon better promises Heb. 8.6 Ans It 's better only in regard of the ministration and permanency of which wee shall bee necessitated to speak more fully afterwards in due place Now if the Covenant be the same and the manifestation of this Covenant upon persons unto the Church bee the Churches warrant to minister the initiall seale unto them then if the Covenant manifested by God unto the Church to be upon Infants of persons in Covenant under the law was their warrant to administer the initiall seale that there God did appoint to be used then the like manifestation is a warrant for us to administer the initiall seale unto Infants under the Gospell whose parents are in Covenant But let 's consider your exceptions against this reason Anabaptist But we deny the sufficiency of this reason to prove Infants Baptisme and that upon this ground 1. They differ in the institution 2. In the signes 3. In the subjects 1. They differ in the Institution for the Institution of circumcision was that infants should be circumcised even all Abrahams lineall seed as well the seed of the bond woman as the free but the Institution of Baptisme is that they should first be taught