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death_n	eternal_a	jesus_n	life_n	9,949	5	4.6444	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B23662	The controversie about infants church-membership and baptism, epitomized in two treatises the first, shewing the certainty of the salvation of all dying infants, against the doctrine of the Pædo-baptists, who deny salvation to all infants that die unbaptized, either directly, or by the natural consequence of their arguments : the second, being a plain confutation of Mr. J.B. his second book of more than 60 queries, about infants church-membership and baptism, by a proportionable number of antiqueries : being an essay towards a more Christian accomodation between the Pædo-baptists, and the baptized believers, published for that happy end / by Thomas Grantham.	Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692.; Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692. Querist examined.	1680 (1680)	Wing G1529	50,899	65

* The Law entered that Sin might abound but where Sin abounded Grace did much more abound That as Sin hath reigned unto Death even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord. You can no more exclude any from the Justification of Life as having abounded towards them by Christ than you can exclude them from the Condemnation which abounded towards all Men by the First Adam For tell me How many came under Condemnation by the Sin of Adam Is there any or any Infant that can plead Impunity Why even so saith the Apostle the Free-gift came upon all Men to Justification of Life And may we not now safely conclude that had Mankind never been guilty of any other Sin but that I say upon a supposition that Adam and his Posterity had from the time of the Promise Gen. 3. 15. lived holily and done no Iniquity would you not conclude with me that none should have perished in Hellish Torments And if you grant this then we must either find some Man SO concern'd in the Covenant of Grace AS that if he sinned against it his Posterity is condemned with him Eternally as all Adam's Posterity were exposed to Condemnation for his Sin Or else we must hold that no Infant shall die eternally for Adam's nor for any other Persons iniquity If you name any Man thus concern'd in the Covenant of Grace you can name none so apt for the purpose as Adam seeing we were all in him when that Covenant was made with him and there is no doubt but that he sinned after the Covenant was made Gen. 3. 15. Yet where do we find any Sin which he afterward committed imputed to any part of his Posterity And seeing we cannot prove an Universal Resurrection from 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. unless Mankind be equally concern'd in the Death of Christ We must necessarily believe whole Mankind to be interessed in him and as they are interessed in Christ they are saved of the Lord and in him they are as clearly interessed in God's Mercy as they were Objects of his Wrath by the first Man So being justified from the guilt of Adam's Transgression who shall lay any thing to the charge of poor Infants that may justly cast them into Hell Fire sure 't is but meet Men should be able plainly to Convict them before they thus Condemn them Yea you that hold the Eternal Damnation of Infants ought you not to bring substantial Proof for so dreadful a Doctrine And when you have done your worst that way you have only destroyed your own certainty of Comfort concerning your dying Infants for I am persuaded you are not so unwise to think whatever you make others believe that your Infants are therefore saved because of your pretended Church-Membership and Baptism seeing 't is too evident that many attain to that Estate and yet are unlikely to be saved SECT V. J. B. pag. 13. To assert the Salvation of all that die in Infancy seems to imply that God's destroying the Old World and Sodom c. were eminent Acts of God's Mercy rather than of Justice c. help me over this Difficulty Answ Although it is not unjust for God to take Infants out of the World yet his Justice in destroying the Old World and Sodom lay not against the Infants as I proved in the Section next before but in Justice he punished those wicked Parents in putting a period to their Posterity Did not God in the days of Noah destroy all Beasts and Fowls almost yet who so weak to think he was offended with them was the Lord angry with the Beasts of the Field God was just in taking away David's Child 2 Sam 12. 14 yet who so rash to say That God did this in point of Justice against the Child Or that God was angry with the Child much less that the Child was damned David was far from any such opinion for though that Child was conceived and born in Sin and Iniquity as much as well could be and doubtless had the imputation of Original Sin as much as any yet David nothing feared that Child's damnation but rather intimates his confidence of its Salvation when he said I shall go to it For had it gone to Hell Torments he would not have comforted himself with thoughts of going to it I cannot make your speech to agree with the Justice of God where you say That Infants perish not purely for another's Sin but for their own contracted For though I can hear Men talk big words against Infants as if they were little better than Devils yet I never saw any proof that any Infant had any Sin of its own for which you would here make them perish or at least some of them The Scripture saith Sin is the transgression of a Law and tells us also that where no Law is there is NO TRANSGRESSION You must therefore either shew some Law to be given to Infants or else you cannot make them guilty of any Sin of their own And though I have not seen Mr. Baxter's Book to which you refer me yet I do not deny Original Sin for I know it is come upon all Adam's Posterity and Death passeth upon them for that all have sinned in him Howbeit I do believe that all Infants are as clearly justified from the condemning power of Sin in respect of Damnation as any Saint whatsoever which I think I have also proved from John 1. 29. and other places And seeing you now grant that none shall perish purely for another's Sin it remains for you to shew what Sin excepting Adam's is come upon any Infant to render him subject to Damnation You talk of their Contracting Sin of their own but I am to learn how this can be truly said of them that neither Act nor consent to Sin at all and surely such Scriptureless Notions are fitter to be exploded than embraced And though you seem to have some Charity for those and their Seed that only come up to the Covenant of Grace made with Adam and Noah though they never heard the Gospel whilst you say you do not rank them with Infidels Yet this is but a slender kindness you do not say they shall be saved And you are positive in this That Infants are not saved by the Covenant of Grace if they neither be Believers nor the Seed of such Page 17. How this Doctrine will stand with the justice of a Gracious God I cannot conceive when I consider that God hath neither given to Infants a capacity to believe nor any liberty to chuse whether they will be the Seed of Believers or Unbelievers Will you yet say the most High will be more harsh in the Acts of Justice than the Rules will bear which he hath given to Men Deut. 22. 25 26 It is not the part of a wise Legislator saith a learned Man of the Church of England to recede from his own Laws much less to destroy them by acting contrary

to them It must be a fault then in you thus to represent the God of Justice Is the Covenant of Grace set upon such a tickle point as that the greatest part of Infants cannot possibly have any benefit by it So you teach who affirm they cannot be saved by the Covenant of Grace unless they be Believers or the Seed of such Why call you a Covenant made on such terms a Covenant of Grace to Infants Sure impossible Terms in a Covenant are not very gracious You would condemn this in Men you would not accept such terms of Man especially when the non-observance of such Terms took away the benefit of the Covenant yet thus you make many believe that God deals with the greatest part of Infants But I shall return to your former Instances of God's Justice against Infants as you would have it to wit the destruction of the Old World and Sodom SECT VI. The taking away by Death the Infants in the Old World and Sodom is neither an instance of Justice nor Mercy in the main to Infants any more than the taking away thousands of Infants daily by death throughout the World For when ever they die they are taken away from the evil to come and so it is always a Mercy and so it was a Mercy to the Infants of the Old World and the Innocents in Sodom But when ever they are taken away we know it is for Sin even that of Adam and sometimes their death is hastened for the Sin of the Parents as in the case of David's Child before mentioned as well as the Old World c. and thus their being taken away is always a Judgment And the Judgment lieth much in this that Mens Posterity is hereby either quite cut off or greatly weakened and thus the Old World and Sodom were punished in that they were deprived of all Succession And though it be true as you urge That if these Infants in the Old World and Sodom had lived to Age many of them might have been Damned for wickedness Yet to ballance that it is as true that a far greater Multitude in a few Generations both of Infants and others which might have proceeded from them might have been saved so that though we have no ground to doubt of the Salvation of the dying Infants in the Old World and Sodom yet we may see a most just Judgment of the Lord executed in both Of the same consideration is your Instance of Countries and Cities Destroyed and Depopulated by Tyrannical Princes Pag. 14. For what it the French King as you write should destroy all the Infants of the Pagans with the Adult it neither follows that here is not a Judgment from God in all this neither yet that God hath no Mercy for those Infants But pray consider whilst we all condemn such a Tyrant as should so barbarously Murther so many Innocents we may by no means say or think that a Gracious God will now when the Tyrant hath murthered them take and cast them into Hell-fire for he is a God that delights in Mercy But here you cry out Had the World your Light and Knowledg they ought not to be sorry for the spoiling of their Countries but rejoyce that all their little Ones are saved But this is a non-sequiter For no Man may do Evil that Good may come and let us not murmur against God who when Men have done their worst he knows how to prevent that which might be far worse than the worst they can do to Infants And though I may be satisfied that my dead Child or Friend is gone to Heaven yet I may lawfully be sorry for his Death SECT VII J. B. Pag. 15. And what shall we make of Ephes 2. 3. ver 12. And were by Nature Children of Wrath even as others That at that time you were without Christ without Hope If there be no ground to doubt the Salvation of their Infants is there not some hope Answ I grant that all Adam's Posterity with himself were Children of Wrath and take that Wrath in as large a sence as you please it hurts not my Cause at all seeing it is evident that Christ abolished that Wrath and Death and brought Life and Immortality to light by the Gospel which he preached to whole Adam Gen. 3. 15. and then took whole Adam into his Grace and Favour so that till they or any of them become the Serpents seed they stand in a state of Favour and Grace which shall deliver them from Wrath and Death And it is most certain no Infant is the Serpent's seed it being out of his power to beget them to be his Off-spring seeing they are out of the reach of his Temptations during Infancy Howbeit this place Ephes 2. is best interpreted of the Adult or grown Persons For those of whom it is said They were without Hope c. it is said they were dead in Trespasses and Sins and walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air which now worketh in the hearts of the Children of Disobedience such as had their Conversation in the lusts of their Flesh fulfilling the desires of the Flesh and of the Mind and SO were by Nature the Children of Wrath. But what is all this to the innocent Babes of the Gentiles they were not thus the Children of Wrath No nor out of the Covenant of Grace as made with Adam having never abused the Grace of that Covenant so that here was Hope or ground of Hope concerning the dying Infants of the Gentiles whether their Parents understood it or not but no hope concerning themselves considered in their wicked Courses Neither could the Hope of these Gentiles when they believed concerning their Infants stand upon the same grounds on which their own Hopes was founded seeing these were saved through Faith and built up an Habitation of God through the Spirit Only this is very true They now understood the riches of God's Grace to Mankind and that God had pity for them when they were dead in Trespasses and Sins and therefore they could not rationally doubt of his good will towards their dying Infants for still his unwillingness to destroy the actual Sinner is argument enough that he will never destroy the innocent Child eternally What hope there is of all Infants entering into Heaven however it may be hid from the Pagans is evident enough from our Saviours Speech Except ye be converted and become as little Children ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Now suppose I take the Infant of a Jew or Pagan for my pattern and labour that my Conversion may answer to such a president in point of Innocency Humility and Simplicity will not this as well accord with the intent of our Saviour's Words as if I took the Child of a Christian for my pattern Certes it would and indeed our Saviour here speaks as much for our comfort concerning all little Childrens

the Decree made by the African Council † The words of the Council are these All that affirm young Children receive Eternal Life albeit they be not by Baptism renewed they are accursed c. where Augustine was present and President Wherefore remove but this Error and the other will presently vanish SECT X. The Sum of this Controversy I will finish this Discourse by setting down certain Propositions which contain the whole Controversy and which I hope will carry so much Light and Evidence in them as may tend much to the satisfaction of the Reader The thing to be cleared is this viz. That no dying Infants are Damned or all dying Infants are Saved Which will thus be made good 1. Because they cannot damn themselves And it is most certain God will not Damn any to Hell Torments who do not first Damn themselves in sinful Courses This is evident by his unwillingness to destroy those that had so destroyed themselves Hos 13. 9. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help If then our God be thus unwilling to destroy those that have destroyed themselves as that he will help and save them how should it enter into the Heart of a Christian to imagine that the same God will Damn poor Infants who never destroyed themselves neither can they do it 2. No Man can damn Infants This is evident because if any Man have power to damn Infants every Man hath the same for it cannot be proved the peculiar power whether good or bad of any Man And if any will say that every Man hath power to damn his Children he speaks presumptuously there is nothing in the Word of God to countenance such a Doctrine for the contrary is plain Jer. 31. 30. Every one shall die for his own iniquity This is meant or is most true of Eternal Death because we all die the first Death for the Sin of another to wit Adam and though this saying be true of the Adult yet it is the more to our purpose because if God be so gracious to actual Sinners as not to damn them for the Sin of another there is all the ground imaginable to believe that he will be as gracious to Infants 3. The Devil cannot damn Infants This is evident because Infants are out of the reach of Santan's Temptations seeing they know not to chuse the Good or to refuse it they know neither Good nor Evil they know not their right Hand from their left Jer. 7. 16. Jonah 4. 11. Whom Satan cannot Tempt them he cannot Damn 4. God will not damn Infants God will not suffer Men to punish any Person for that which they cannot help Deut. 22. 25 26. If a Man find a betrothed Damsel in the Field and force her and lie with her then the Man only that lay with her shall die but unto the Damsel shalt thou do nothing there is in the Damsel no Sin worthy of Death For as when a Man riseth up against his Neighbour and slayeth him even so is this matter The Mercy which God sheweth in this case may suffice to convince us that in the Judgment of the Almighty there is no Sin in Infants worthy of Damnation seeing what Sin soever is upon them i● was impossible for them to avoid it Wherefore he will not d●●● poor dying Infants 5. Christ will not damn poor Infants When Christ denounceth the Damnation of Hell he dir 〈…〉 speech to Hypocrites and incorrigible Sinners Mat. 23. 3 〈…〉 Generation of Vipers how can ye escape the Damnation of Hell But he hath better things in store for Infants for he saith of such are the Kingdom of God which being spoken of Infants or little Children indefinitly shews his Gracious Judgment of them all And he that came not to Condemn the World but to Save the World how shall this be true if he came to Condemn any Infants Seeing there are no Persons in the World who do less deserve Damnation than Infants No not his own Disciples who are therefore sent to little Children to know how to enter the Kingdom of Heaven Mark 10. 15 Verily 〈…〉 you whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a litt 〈…〉 shall not enter therein What Believer can think himself 〈…〉 Heaven than an Infant Hath he not some Actual Sin 〈…〉 no Infant Hath Christ freed the Believer from Original Sin 〈…〉 e he hath done for all Infants Rom. 5. As in Adam all d 〈…〉 in Christ shall all be made alive John 1. 29 Behold the 〈…〉 God which taketh away the Sin of the World There i 〈…〉 Sin can so properly be called the Sin of the World as Origin 〈…〉 because perhaps a third part of the World dies having no other Sin at all This is the case of Infants this Sin being taken a 〈…〉 hrist how shall Christ their merciful Judg pronounce them 〈…〉 Hell 6. Christ died 〈…〉 Infants therefore they shall not be damned Christ died 〈…〉 Infants Because he gave himself a Ransom for all 1 Tim. 2. 6. He tasted Death for every Man Heb. 2. 9. He bought them that deny him 2 Pet. 2. Therefore certainly he was as gracious to Infants as to those who deny him Seeing then it cannot be denied but he bought them he either bought them to save them or to cast them to Hell Not the latter no by no means The primary end of Christ's dying is Life and Salvation Infants never forfeit this Grace but are just Persons that need no Repentance if there be any such in the World 7. All dying Infants are written in the Book of Life from the Foundation of the World therefore no dying Infants are Damned The Omniscient God knew as well the Date of all Mens Lives as that they should be born or live at all and therefore did he know who would die in Infancy as well as who would live to years of Knowledg Admitting then their opinion to be true That hold a certain number ordain'd to Life from the Foundation of the World yet we doubt not but to make good this Proposition and that by the Text Rev. 20. 12. as expounded by themselves For by the Books out of which the Damned are judged is understood the Actions of Men even the most secret which shall then be laid open Now these Books cannot concern Infants they having done neither good nor evil Here is therefore another Book opened which say they represents the everlasting Election to Life and Glory in Christ In this Book must all dying Infants either be found written or else be Judged without Book The Book of Conscience will not accuse them therefore the Lamb's Book of Life must needs acquit them 8. All dying Infants are in the Covenant of Grace therefore no dying Infant shall be Damned When we say Infants are in the Covenant of Grace we mean it as God hath vouchsafed to interess them in his Mercy by Christ That as Condemnation came upon them by Adam's Sin so