Promise further made to his House for so long a time to come 2 Sam. 7.18 19. So for God not only to promise to be a God to Believers themselves but to make their Children and that as such Fellow-heirs with them of the same Promise might have even non-plust their Faith had he not expressly ratified and confirmed that branch by the Application of the Token to their Seed The glory of the Covenant might have overcome a weak Faith had it not been sutable confirmed But 2. The other endand use of the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Seed of Believers is the ratificatio and confirmatiou of the Promises as made unto them and consequently for the more full securing of the good promised to them and it ought to be so lookt upon and improved by them as they grow up to years of Maturity of which more hereafter Now then to bring what hath been said to our present purpose we may see what advantage Believers have to their Faith as to be acted with reserence to their Seed or the good promised to them by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them they have not only that part of the Covenant respecting their Seed ratified and confirmed to themselves but they also see the Covenant as entred with and the Promises as made to their Seed ratiried and confirmed unto them How far Faith is to be acted by Parents with reference to their Seed will appear when we consider what Promises are made unto them with the good contained in them and consequently conveyed to and setled upon them by those Promises But how far or in what Sence soever Faith is to be acted we see Believers have no little advantage for it By the Application of the Token of the Covenant to their Seed they have not only the Promises as made to themselves with reserence to their Seed confirmed to themselves but those Promises as made to their Seed confirmed unto them 2. Another reason may be that God hereby might provide for and lay a sure foundation unto the joy and comfort of his People in their Children according to what Faith Believers can act with reference to their Children and the advantage they have to that their Faith so will their joy and comfort in them be Children are great Blessings choice Mercies and peculiar Comforts unto Men We see how Jacob looks upon the gift of Children he accounts it a gracious Gift when Esau seeing his Wives and Children puts the question Who are these saith he They are the Children that God hath graciously given me Gen. 32.5 He accounts his children as an effect or great Grace and Mercy to him So our Lord Christ tells us a Woman when she is in travel hath sorrow because her hour is come but when she is delivered of a Child she remembers no more her anguish for joy that a Man is born into the World John 16.21 The joy that a Man is born swallows up the remembrance of her sorrows Children are Parents joys and comforts But now were it so indeed that Infants I mean such as are born of believing Parents have no interest in the Covenant nor any security thereby from thedreadful effects of their natural states and conditions the apprehension and consideration of what their states and conditions are must needs greatly allay if not utterly destroy the joy and comfort of Parents in them For Parents to see the fruit of their bodies is matter of joy but when they reflect upon their Natural conditios and remember they are Children of Wrath this must needs greatly weaken or rather utterly destroy that joy And it is no little matter of admiratio how any that know and believe the Scriptures declaring how the whole race of Mankind are involved in the guilt of Adams sin as being virtually and seminally in him as also how humane Nature is vitiated and corrupted with sin and so propagated from Parents to Children and consequently how all as born into the World are guilty before God and children of Wrath I say how any that know and believe these things can have any joy or rake any comfort in their Children unless they have some hope that through the Covenant of Grace they are freed from the guilt and under at least a probability of security from the dreadful effects of that their state As for that supposition of some that only Natural death was threatned against Adam in case of sin and consequently that no other kind of death is come upon all Mankind through his fall and hereupon that that is the only kind of death that Infants are subject to Or that supposition of others that the guilt of Original sin is wholly de facto taken away from all Manking by Christ and consequently that all are born in a state of Peace with God and under the same Love and Favour that Adam was under in his state of Innocency what relief soever the one or the other yields can only arise from the darkness and errour of the understanding and judgment having no true foundation in the Word of God neither were they granted would they contribute in the least degree so much to they joy and comfort of Parents in their Children as the Covenant if truly underst od will do And as for those which fetch their relief from the Doctine of Election though that Doctrine be certainly true and may be improved as a considerable relief against that sorrow and grief that must rationally arise to believing Parents from the apprehension of the natural states and conditions of their Children yet I doubt if all things be well weighted it will be found greatly wanting as to the yielding that plenary relief that it hath been useuslly endeavoured to be improved unto in as much as Election neither secures any from death in their Infant-state nor can be looked upon according to any Scripture-ground as a security against the dreadful effects of that state and condition in case of death in that state However this seems evident that the relief to be fetcht from thence is alike to unbelievers with respect to their Children as to Believers with respect to theirs Set aside interest in the Covenant and the Promises thereof and a Believer hath no more assurance from Seripture that his Seed belongs to the Election of Grace than any other man hath or suppose he sehould yet that such as die in their Infancy do belong thereunto he hath rather ground to fear than to hope yea the ground he hath to fear they do not is vastly greater than the ground he hath to hope that they do And for Believers to have a clearer knowledg and apprehension of the lost estate of their Children as born Children of Wrath than others have and yet to have no other ground of hope concerning them than others have muse needs greatly allay their comfort and joy in them yea they must rationally have less joy and take less comfort in
Baptism than what I have made use of only this I must say I cannot at present see how we can maintain the former and not grant the latter 'T is true the good Benefits and Advantages I have assigned them are great and glorious but the serious consideration that it is a Covenant of Grace that is extended to them and taking due measures of the unsearchable Riches of the Grace of God the shewing forth and illustration of which is designed by his entring Covenant with Man will be of no small use unto any that shall pursue the enquiry I have entred upon 'T is certain 't is a most glorious expression of the Grace of God that be should extend his Covenant to the seed of his People with themselves and grant so much good to them thereby Yea I think it may be said t is one of the most glorious expressions God hath made of his Grace to Men next to that unspeakable Gift the Son of his Love But seeing 't is a Covenant of Grace and God the Author of it is so unsearchably rich in Grace why should the Glory of it obstruct our belief Why should it seem incredible that God should extend his Covenant to Infants and grant them all that good that hath been assigned freely though themselves are utterly uncapable of performing any duty antecedently as the condition or consequently immediately by way of gratitude when where he doth impose a condition as in respect of the adult yet himself gives it and what fruit of gratitude he receives is found as the Prophet Hosea speaks in himself It 's true some of our opposers to the prejudicing of their own minds and for the laying stumbling-blocks in the way of others have pretended that we hold the same conditions are incumbent upon Infants even in their Infant state that are incumbent upon the Adult only that Parents are taken as proxies to perform the condition in the room and stead of their Children A great mistake We say the Covenant is wholly free to Children during their pure Infant-state and that no condition at all is incumbent upon them only that they be the Seed of Believers Hence when we speak of the condition of Childrens Covenant-Interest we mean no more but that it is necessary that they be the Seed of Believers the promises being to Abraham's Seed and such confessedly true Believers are in their Generations And why the greatness and glory of that Good and those Priviledges and Benefits assigned to them should stumble any I can see no just reason if it be considered that it is the Covenant of Grace that is extended to them and due measures of the Grace of God be-taken and both considered in conjunction with his design in establishing his Covenant with and granting all the Grace and Blessings of it unto Men. Though truth as its Author neither needs nor is much advantaged as to its entertainment by those whose care it is to receive the Law from the mouth of the Supreme Law-giver by the testimony of Men yet when any Man hath a Call to expose to publick view what he conceives to be so which carries an appearance of dissonancy from the known sentiments of the generality of Orthodox Divines contemporary with him to evidence the correspondency thereof with the Principles and Judgments of former Divines of equal repute for Orthodoxy and Soundness in the Faith may be useful both as a means to secure himself from the censure of singularity and what be exposeth to view from rejection before a through-enquiry be made into it As for what I have asserted I am willing it should undergo the most severe Scrutiny by all unbyassed and judicious lovers of Truth and answerably that it should be rejected or embraced according to the Evidence it carries along with it Neither shall I make much search after the Judgment either of ancient or modern Divines neither have I as the Case at present stands with me a convenient opportunity to do it Yet this may be said in the general 't is well known to all that have any considerable acquaintance with their Writings that the generality if not the universality of the Fathers living in the first Ages did grant yea assert the full of what I have done and as most think somewhat more but therein I doubt not but they will be acknowledged by those I have now a special respect unto to have exceeded the bounds of Truth and consequently that what they have allowed beyond what I have asserted must be reckoned inter naevos That wherein it is true they have declared their Judgments most clearly and fully in and about is those two Benefits I have assigned to the infant-Seed of Believers viz. Their discharge from the guilt and condemning power of Original sin and a right to future Salvation and consequently their infallible enjoyment of it in case of their death in their pure Infant-states But they that have granted them these two Benefits cannot be rationally supposed to deny the third viz. Their interest and propriety in God seeing pardon of sin and propriety in God are inseparable And yet that they did universally assert the necessity of their personal Faith and closure in with the Covenant when come to years of maturity is undoubted So that I conceive it will be readily granted that the Judgment of the generality if not the universality of the Primitive Fathers lies on my side and that wherein I dissent from them they themselves dissented from the Truth Indeed it must not be denied that at least too many seem to possibly some really did ascribe these things too abstractedly to Baptism not having that regard to the Covenant that they ought to have had but that all yea or the major part especially in the purer Ages of the Church did so is not only more then can be proved but the contrary may be rationally concluded from variety of passages scattered up and down in their Writings As for our modern Divines especially those of the present Age I shall readily grant they have been and still are as to the major part of them otherwise minded Their mistakes I humbly conceive need rectifying in order to a through establashment of the minds of Men in the practice I in common with them plead for and therefore their bare testimonies ought not to be improved against me Yet I am not wholly singular some in this present age and more in the ages last foregoing have sufficiently declared their Judgments in a nigh if not exact correspondency to what I have affirmed The 17 Article of the Synod of Dort in their first bead of Doctrine viz. Predestination come up fully to part of what I have affirmed and therefore I think meet to transcribe it It is this Quandoquidem de veritate Dei ex verbo ipsius nobis est judicandum quod testatur liberos fidelium esse Sanctos non quidem naturâ sed beneficio foederis gratuit in quo illi cum
Will that the token of the Covenant should be applyed to the Insant-seed of his People did no reasons of that his Will appear would be sufficient warrant for our practice and ought to oblige all men to a complyance therewith yet to make some inquiry into the rationality of that practice or the reasons of Gods injoyning of it will be greatly useful as to the establishing the practice it self so to Believers chearsul walking therein and honouring God thereby The reasons then may be considered either with respect unto God instituting or the Parents to whose Seed the Token is to be applyed or the Seed to whom the Application is to be made 1. For the reasons respecting God and thus a threefold reason may be assigned 1. His own Goodness free Grace and soveraign good pleasure One special reason of all divine Institutions yea of all that God hath done or doth whether as Ligislator or Benefactor with reference to the benefit of faln man must be resolved into his Goodness free Grace and soveraign Will and pleasure Thou art good saith the Psalmist speaking unto God Psal 119.68 and doest good God doth good because he is good He worketh all things according to Councel of his own Will saith the Apostle Eph. 1.11 As the mere goodness of God is the Fountain and original Spring of all the good he communicates to or any way expresseth towards the children of men so he worketh in the various communications and expressions thereof after the alone Counsel of his own Will Hence as the vouchsafement of the Covenant with a Sign and Token so the commands requiring the Application of this Token to Infants as well as to the adult must be ascribed both to his Grace and Goodness and also to the pleasure of his Will The Protomartyr Stephen enumerates the giving unto Abraham the Covenant of Circumcision among the various expressions of the goodness and kindness of God to him Foedus Graetia quod obsignavit ei Circumsione Piscator in loco and his seed for it was given to him not only for himself but for his seed also Acts 7.8 He gave unto Abraham the Covenant of Circumcision the Covenant sealed and confirmed by Circumcision For God to give to Abraham and his Seed the Covenant was a glorious expression of his goodness to him and them but to add an outward Sign for the confirmation of it was an aggravation of that his goodness The confirmation of the Covenant by an outward Sign adds to the value of the Covenant it self and is a higher expression of the goodness of God both to his people and their seed Hence for Patents to accept of and apply the Covenant with the Sign and Token thereof onely for and to themselves but to refuse to do the like for or to their Seed is to reject no small part of that goodness he designed for them and had by the true tenor of the Covenant granted to them which supposing it may not be interpreted such a despising of his goodness as the Apostle upbraids the Centiles with and by which as he tells them in Rom. 2.4 5. They treasured up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God yet it comes fo nigh to and participates so much of it as should make all tender Conscientious Christians greatly cautious of it We see how much God was provokt by Ahaz in refusing a Sign when offered for the confirmation of a particular promise How much more provoking may it be when Parents not only refuse the Sign of his Covenant but his Covenant also though not for themselves yet for their 'T is above question to me that it is less dangerous to err on the right hadd and would be vastly less displeasing unto God for Parents to claim the Covenant for their Children and apply the Token of it to them upon a supposal of their interest therein supposing the one not to extend nor the other to appertain to them than to reject and refuse the one and the other supposing the one doth extend and the other appertains to them Favores sunt ampliandi Favours are to be inlarged 'T is certainly more dangerous to narrow and straiten the savours of God to men than to overamplify them in cases that are dark and doubtful though here I conceive the case is not so but I speak upon supposition that it were indeed so The undervaluing or refusing any expression of the Grace and goodness of God unto men is greatly provoking to him Esau to this day bears the brand of a profane person for parting at so low a rate wich his birth right Heb. 12.16 'T is dangerous either to have our eye evil because God is good to others or to undervalue or reject any expression of his goodness to our selves or ours but that 's by the way Now I say it is from the goodness and free Grace of God guided in the various expressions thereof by the alone Councel of his own will that he hath extended his Covenant with an ourward Sign and Token annexed either to Believers or their Seed so one special reason of the one and the other must be assigned thereunto But then secondly The next reason respecting God is the reference and subserviency that the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Infant-seed of Believers hath to his own glory he is greatly glorified thereby and that several wayes 1. His Goodness Grace and Love in extending his Covenant unto them is made more manifest and conspicuous unto men As in the administration of the Lords Supper the death of Christ is openly shewn forth as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye openly declare preach or shew forth the Lords death saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.26 and consequently both the Grace and Love of the Father in sending his only begotten Son and the Grace and Love of the Son in giving himself to be a Propitiatory Sacrifice for the sins of men is publickly manifested and made after a sort visible unto men So by the Application of the Token of the Covenant whether to the adult or to Infants the Covenant between God and them is publickly solemnized and thereby his Goodness Grace and Love in entring it with them respectively is openly declared and made more conspicuous unto men And consequently as God's extending his Covenant to the Infant-seed of his People is a further and higher expression of his Goodness and Love than his entring it only with themselves so by the Application of the Token to them there is a further manifestation of that his Goodness Grace and Love made unto them and by how much the more clearly and openly any of the Attributes of God are manifested unto men by so much the more meet objects they become for their acknowledgments admiration and adoration and consequently such a manifestation of his Attributes hath a direct reference to his glory
having those Promises made to them have not the Good afore exprest then the Covenant would be no security to any of them nor any ground of hope to their Parents as to their future happiness in cafe of their death in their pure Infant-state before they have personally taken haold of the Covenant themselves but the Covenant is some security to the Insant-seed of believing parents and may be some ground of hope to their Parents as to their future happiness in case of their death in their pure Infant-state Ergo. If the Seed of Believers have neither a discharge from the guilt of Original sin nor any Propriety or Interest in God nor Right to Salvation by the Covenant and Promises thereof entred with or made to them how is it possible that either the Covenant or any Promise of it should be any security to them or any ground of hope to their Parents that they shall be saved in case of death in their pure Infant-state and if they have no security nor their Parents any ground of hope as to their future happiness from the Covenant then the Covenant and Promises would be wholly insignificant and of no use or advantage at all either to Parents or Children in respect of all those that die in that state and how considerable a part of the Seed of Believers as well as of others die in that state is known to all men But now it seems to be altogether unreasonable to imagine that God should extend his Covenant to the Seed of his People and seal it by an outward Sign or Token and yet neither the Covenant nor any one Promise of it be of any use or advantage at all either to Parents or Children in respect of so great a part of their Seed From all I conceive it will undeniably follow that the Infant-seed of Believers and that universally have as received into Covenant and having these two grand Promises of it in special made unto them as the Seed of such Parents the whole Good afore declared as for their state they are actually under the Covenant of Grace and have and absolute discharge from the guilt of Original sin as the inseparable effect and consequence thereof they have a present actual propriety in God he is their God and as such under an obligation to make good unto them the whole Covenant according to the true tenour of it they have a present Right to future Salvation and answerably under an infallible certainty of injoying it supposing their non-forseiture of that their Right which during their pure Infant-state they are incapable to do But to proceed Secondly Wherein does the Good of having the Covenant with the Promises thereof appertaining to them ratified sealed and confirmed to the Infant-seed of Believers by an outward Sign or Token consist As previous to the resolution of this question two things may be observed in general First That Adult-Believers are equally and alike concerned in it with Infants inasmuch as whatever Good the Adult have by the ratification sealing and confirmation of the Covenant and Promises thereof unto them the same Good have Infants by the sealing ratification and confirmation of the Covenant and Promises thereof by an outward Sign and Token unto them and so vice versa Secondly That to have the Covenant and promises of it ratified sealed and confirmed by an outward Sign and Token is a Good is sufficiently secured by the very Institution of a Sign and Token for that end and purpose taken in conjunction with the Wisdom and Goodness of God instituting and Infinite wise and good God would not institute an outward Sign and Token for such and end and purpose did it not as serving to that end and purpose conduce to the Good and Benefit of his People whether Infants or Adult so that it is a Good is certain though we should not fully apprehend wherein that Good does consist But more particularly and directly to the question The great Good of having the Covenant and promises raâ—ified sealed and confirmed by an outward Sign or Token I conceive consists in the additional assurance given unto Men thereby of their injoyment of that Good granted to and setled upon them by the Covenant and promises for though it is certain the verity and faithfulness of God is a full and infallible assurance unto Men of their injoyment of whatever Good is covenanted and promised to them supposing the performance of what duty is required on their parts he is a God that cannot lye but yet the ratification and confirmation of the Covenant and Promises by an outward Sign is quoad homines an additional assurance to them that they shall enjoy that Good The case is one and the same both in respect of the confirmation by a Seal and Token and by an Oath the Promises as absolutely considered were as sure and certain before the Oath of God was given as after yet the Apostle tells us that God confirmed his Promise with an Oath and shews the Good designed to us thereby viz. That we might have more strong Consolation Heb. 6.16 17 18. God deals with Men after the manner of Men and with respect to their present state of Imperfection Now the addition of a Seal does add to the confirmation of any Promises or Contracts among Men and gives greater assurance of the persormance of them and consequently of their injoyment of the Good promised to whom or with whom such Promises and Contracts are made than they would do were there no Seal annexed hence we may say that the Covenant and Promises of God as taken absolutely in themselves without consideration to their Author are strengthened and confirmed by the Seal or Token annexed and consequently the Seal or Token is a further assurance to those with or to whom they are made that they shall injoy the Good covenanted and promised and besides while the People of God are in this state of Imperfection their Knowledge and Faith are imperfect they are apt to frame their notions of God by what they see and experience among Men hence the adding of a Seal or Token to the Covenant is of great advantage to their Faith Object If any shall say It 's true to have the Covenant and Promises thereof sealed and confirmed by an outward Sign or Token is in this respect a great Good to Adult-Believers who have a capacity to reflect upon the Sign or Token and improve it for the advantage of their Faith but what does this concern Infants who can make no such use or improvement of it as applyed to them and then what Good is it to them or wherein does the Good of its being applyed to them consist Supposing the Promises to appertain to them they of themselves are an infallible security to them as to their injoyment of the Good promised and as for the Sign and Token as they have no Faith to strengthen so had they any yet they are utterly incapable of making any
and consequently greatly wrong that learned and judicious Author How you and Mr. Danvers look upon your selves I know not but certainly I should be justly censured as a very unworthy Man should I wrest Authors words who are yet alive to countenance my own sentiments in a contradiction to their known practice before I had consulted the Authors themselves and known how they would reconcile their words and practice Will you but read the whole Exercitation and allow him the liberty that all writers whether sacred or humane use you will find he is vastly more for me than for you He is only shewing how God did preserve Abraham's natural Posterity as grown up in a visible standing under the Covenant till our Lord Christ came that the Promise made to him concerning the Messias coming of his loyns might be accomplished he meddles not with the case of Infants but supposeth them visibly in Covenant as the Seed of Parents visibly so when will you leave thus to abuse Authors whose names are precious in all the Churches of Christ But Secondly I have a few things to reccommend to your Conscience and these are of two sorts First Such as concern my self thus Page 3. where you use the Poets words so Page 5. line 10 11. Page 26. line the last Page 22. line 1 2. with others of a like nature can you prove what you have written if not what will you call these things Secondly Such as concern matter of Fact thus see what you write Page 3. where do I say Mr. Danvers Book is all forgery or leave that to the Readers observation See also Page 4. line 2. again see what you write Page 34. three last lines and compare it with my Answer Page 39. and 40. will you or any Man else deny what I there take for granted Again see what you write Page 7. line 24 25. Is the silence of the Scripture as absolutely considered my beloved Argument yea or any Argument at all I only enquire and give my Reasons for the affirmation whether supposing the Covenant was extended to the Seed of Believers under the first Testament which I judged I had formerly sufficiently proved that it was what may be truly said of the silence of the Scripture not whether the silence of the Scriptures as absolutely taken concerning the Baptism of Infants do not make it vastly more probable that they ought then that they ought not to be baptized and that supposition being granted I judge I shall have but few gain-sayers Yet again see what you write Page 50. line 1 2. and compare it with my Answer Page 117 118 119. and see whether there is any such reason given by me or no you may also reflect upon your 18th Page and consider whether what I suppose be a granting that the commission was given only with respect to the Adult Sir I cannot think you can have such a value for your Animadversions as you suppose me to have for my Book as for others I can hardly think there is any one learned Man of your own Perswasion but will blush to see such Animadversions fly abroad from the pen of any of their party Sir I have only one thing more and that is to intreat you not to complain of unmerciful dealing will you seriously review your Book you will find I have dealt gently with you and that you may not say I have wronged you if you desire it and can procure the testimony of any two learned Anti-Paedo-Baptists that they judge your Book deserves or can know that any two consciencious learned Paedo-Baptists judge it deserves a more full consideration your desire if providence interpose not shall be gratified FINIS Some Books lately Printed for and sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden-Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard THe Harmony of the Divine Attributes in contriving Man's Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ c. By W. Bates D.D. in quarto the second Edition enlarged with an Alphabetical Table XL Sermons on several occasions preached at Cambridge and elswhere By the late Reverend and Learned Anthony Tuckney D.D. in quarto Mr. Theoph. Gale's Anatomy of Infidelity octavo Idea Theologiae tam Contemplativae tam Activae c. in 12 s. Mr. J. Fladoes Quakerism no Christianity octavo Vindication of the XXI Divines A Contest for Christianity or an Account of two great Disputes between the Anabaptists and the Quakers Infant-Baptism Asserted and Vindicated by Scripture and Antiquity c. By O. Wills M.A. More Proofs for Infant Church-Membership and consequently their right to Baptism c. By R. Baxter Vindiciae Vindiciarum or Infant-Baptism Re-asserted and Vindicatrd By O. Wills A Treatise of Justifying Righteousness c. In answer to Dr. Tully and Mr. Chr. Cartwright By R. Baxter Principles made Practical or Directions for plain Christians to pray on most occasions and to prepare themselves for the Lord's Supper by the use and knowledge of the Assemblies Catechism The great Concern or a serious Warning to a timely and through-preparation for Death c. By Edw. Pearce A Beam of Divine Glory or a Treatise of God's Unchangeableness By the same Author Correction Instruction or a Treatise of Affliction By T. Case in twelves The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ By T. Hooker in twelves The worthy Communicant or a Treatise shewing the due order of receiving the Lord's Supper By Jer. Dyke in twelves with a Sacramental Catechism c. The Barren Fig-tree or the fruitless Professor's doom By John Bunyan in twelves Solitude improved by Divine Meditations By N. Ranew in octavo The Life and Death of Mr. Thomas Tregoss sometime Minister in Cornwal in octavo The sinfulness of Sin and the fulness of Christ c. By W. Bridg. The lost Sinner sought out by Jesus Christ