Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A37200
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Another essay for investigation of the truth in answer to two questions concerning I. the subject of Baptism, II. the consociation of churches / by John Davenport ...
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Davenport, John, 1597-1670.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing D356; ESTC W35681
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67,423
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96
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while they are such leaving his adult children to Covenant for themselves if he hath any such children when himself enters into Covenant 2. Adams Covenant was onely with the Lord not with any Church as the Covenant of coâ—federate Parents is and therefore if Adam had stood his posterity had not been Church-members thereby as the infants of Church-confederates 3. Nor doth the Parents breaking his Covenant make his children Heirs of Condemnation as Adams did all Mankinde So that this example of Adam is impertinently produced in this case of infants and their Parents confederating for them not as their publick person but as Undertakers for their infant-seed by Gods Institution Nor indeed is any to be accounted a publick person as Adam was but Jesus Christ for all that are in him Rom. 5.14 to 20. Nor doth their similitude of a Prince giving Lands to a man and his heirs successively while they continue loyal suit the case in question concerning Infants who cannot be visibly disloyal nor that concerning adult persons not regularly joyned to the Church as immediate Members whose Parents were godly when they covenanted for them in their infancy For they have cut off the Entail of the Covenant from themselves and their Posterity by their personal disloyalty so that nothing is given to them and theirs by their Covenant which they presume to usurp without warrant from God They say true that A member is one who according to Rule or according to divine Institution is within the visible Church But that refutes nothing that I have said concerning mediate and immediate Members for both are within the Church according to Rule and Divine Institution though both have not full communion with the Church in all Ordinances which is the priviledge of all adult persons who are immediate Members by their own personal right 1 Cor. 5.12 They frame an Objection thus Obj. If children be compleat and immediate members as their Parents are then they shall immediately have all Church-priviledges as their Parents have without any further act or qualification And they Answer it thus Ans It followeth not All priviledges that belong to members as such do belong to the children as well as to the parents But all Church-priviledges do not so A member as such or all members may not partake of all priviledges but they are to make progress both in memberly duties and priviledges as their age and capacity and qualifications do fit them for the same Reply The intendment of the Objection as I apprehend is to shew that compleat and immediate Membership as such doth infer compleat and immediate communion in all Church-priviledges But children in minority have not compleat and immediate communion in all Church-priviledges without some further act or qualification Therefore such children are not compleat and immediate Members as such Now to this their Answer is insufficient For the best Members have need to make progress in memberly duties and qualifications to fit them more and more for Church-priviledges Yet all have that communion that suits their Membership Infants in Baptism the Watch Prayers and Blessing of the Church by their Parents covenanting for them Adult persons orderly and regularly joyned by their personal covenanting for themselves in the Seals Voting and Censures which belong to them as such Members Nor doth the Scripture any where allow the Church to admit any one by personal covenanting for themselves and theirs into any other Membership then compleat and immediate But Infants are not capable of such Membership without some further personal act and qualification when they shall become adult Therefore their Infant-membership is not compleat and immediate 3. That their Membership still continues in adult age and ceaseth not with their Infancy appears 1. Because Scripture persons are broken off onely for notorious sins or incorrigible impenitency and unbelief not for growing up to adult age Rom. 11.20 Reply 1. When I affirm that their mediate Membership continueth during their minority while they are under the Institution and Government of Parents c. I deny that that Membership continues in adult age and when they are at their own disposal or have children of their own to covenant for because then the reason of their mediate Membership ceaseth they being by age capable of covenanting for themselves 2. Their first Reason doth not prove that the Membership of all baptized in Infancy continues in adult age For the Text alledged speaketh onely of such as have been received into compleat and immediate membership regularly by their personal Faith and Covenanting with the Church visibly who are broken off either by the just judgement of God as the unbelieving Nation of the Jews are or by the just Censure of the Church Whereas our question is not of such but of adult persons that break off themselves from the Covenant by profane neglect or contempt of the Ordinances or unsuitable Conversation Who ever said that any were broken off for growing up to adult age Such intimations should be forborn by godly men 2. The Jews children circumcised did not cease to be members by growing up but continued in the Church and were by virtue of their membership received in infancy bound unto various duties and in special unto those solemn professions that pertained unto adult members not as then entring into a new membership but as making progress in memberly duties Deut. 26 2-10 16.16 17. with Gal. 5.3 Reply 1. That the Jews children circumcised were bound to various duties and to those solemn professions that pertained to adult members when themselves were grown up is clear enough by the Texts alledged and sundry other Whereunto I willingly adde that Baptism also bindeth the Infant-seed of Confederates to various Gospel-duties and especially this of using all means that Faith may be wrought in their hearts unto obeying the Call of God and then holding forth their Faith unto the Church that they may take hold of the Covenant for themselves and theirs and so become compleat and immediate Members But 2. It is not proved by those Texts that when they were adult they did not enter into a new Membership rather the contrary appears in Deut. 26.17 18. For they entred into that Covenant personally and immediately not in and by their Parents as they did in Infancy Gen. 17.7 If convenanting be the Form of Church-membership which they affirm then a different form of covenanting makes a different kinde of Church-membership Immediate covenanting makes immediate Members Mediate covenanting makes mediate Members Their third Reason is Those relations of Born-servants and Subjects which the Scripture makes use of to set forth the state of children in the Church by Lev. 25.41 42. Ezek. 37.25 do not as all men know cease with infancy but continue in adult age Whence also it follows that one special end of membership received in infancy is to leave persons under engagement to service and subjection to Christ in his Church when grown up when they are fit
for it and have most need â—f it Reply 1. Those Relations of born Servants and Subjects in the Text alledg d have d fferent respects That Lev. 25. was typical figurin the time of Grace whereby now Christ hath freed u f o the servitude of Sin and Satan 〈◊〉 8.32 36. Râ—â— 6.14 18. to bâ—come the Servants of God in Christ Rom. 6 22. 1 C r. 7.23 Parents and children so far aâ— they have inâ—â—râ—st in the Redemption wrought by Christ as they are freed by him from other Lord so they are bound thereby serve him all the dayeâ— of their lâ—fâ— Luke 1.74 75. Therefore this relatâ—on doth not cease with infancy but continueth in adult age But this doth nothing concern the thing in question concerning M diate Membershi The other Text in Ezek. 37.25 is a Prophecy of the calling of the Elect Nation of the Jews and of the state of the Church under the New Jerusalem the difference between which and the Chrâ—stian Gentiles now I have formerly shewn so that neither doth â—hat fit the question But 2. I grant though not as following thence That one special end of membership received in infancy is to leave persons under engagement to service and subjection to Christ in his Church when grown up when they are fittest for it and have mâ—st need of it The engagement is strong both on the Parents To train up their children from their Infancy in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Eph. 6.4 and upon the Children To know the God of their Parents and to serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde 1 Chron. 28.9 and upon the Church To exercise their Watchfulness that both Parents and Children do their duty helping them also therein with their Instructions and Prayers and Power which is given for Edification as the case may require Yet when all this is done neither can the Parents nor the Church give Grace unto the Children that when they become adult they may be spiritually fit for personal and immediate Membership and to bring them into it without such fitness visibly is to profane the Ordinances and to pollute the Lords Sanctuary Reas 4. There is no ordinary way of cessation of membership but by Death Dismission Excommunication or Dissolution of the Society none of which is the case of the persons in question Reply This enumeration is insufficient there is another ordinary way of cessation of Membership i. e. Desertion Thus Esau's Membe sh p ceaâ—ed and so may the Membership of others though they abide in the place where the â—hurch â—s yet if being adult they regard nâ—t to joyn with the Church by their personal â—nd immediate Confederâ—tion nor to fit themselves for it these despise the Chuâ—ch of God And if that is sufficient to deprive thâ—se of all hurch priv ledg s who were before in personal and immediate Church fellowsh p when they forsake it 1 Job 2.19 much more those who never had such Membership nor have approved their Spirituâ—l fitness for it to the Churches charitable judgement nor truly desire and end aâ—our so to do What can the mediate Membershâ—p whâ—ch such had in Infancy advantage them for continuing thereby still in Membership when being adult they live in the breach of that Covenant whereby they were left under engagement in their Infancy unto service and subjection to Christ in the Church Reas 5. Either they are when adult Members or Non-members if Non-members then a person admitted a Member and sealed by Baptism not cast out nor deserving to be may the Church whereof he was still remaining become a Non-member and out of the Church and of the unclean world which the Scripture acknowledgeth not Reply A Freemans childe suppose of London or any other Corporation was free-born and might in his minority trade under his father yet being grown up he must personally enter into the common Engagement of Freemen and be accepted of the Company as his father was unto all Duties and Liberties of that Society in his own person else he may not trade for himself If it be said Why so either he is a Freeman or a Non-freeman It will be readily answered He is a Non-freeman and that by his own defaulâ— If it be said He was Free by his Fathers Copy and is not dis-franchised by any publick Censure nor hath deserved so to be may such an one the Society whereof he was still remaining become a Non-freeman and out of that Society c The answer will easily and readily be given He hath lost his Freedome by not entring in his own person into the common Engagement of Freemen to the Duties whereunto all Freemen are personally bound So and much more justly it is in this case An adult person makes himself to become a Non-member as to priviledges by not performing the Duties whereunto he was bound by his Parents Covenant for him in his minority and by his not regularly covenanting as his Parents did And his is according to Scripture which tells us that Circumcision received in Baptism may become by his own fault being adult no Circumcision Rom. 2.25 Those Texts in Rom. 11.16 1 Cor. 7.14 Gen. 17.7 are not applicable to the adult persons in question but onely to Infants and Children in minority Propos 6. Such Church-members who either by death or some other extraordinary Providence have been inevitably hindred from publick acting as aforesaid yet having given the Church cause in judgement of charity to look at them as so qualified and such as had they been called thereunto would so have acted their children are to be baptized Reply This Proposition may not be granted For 1. It granteth the priviledge of Church-membership to such as are not actually and regularly Church-members which is contrary to Christs Ordinance whereby Baptism being a publick Church-Ordinance is due onely to them who have a publick state and Interest such are onely the Members of the publick Ecclesiastical Body the Church Hence 1. An ordinary Minister cannot orderly perform an act proper to his Office in reference to Church-communion to any that are not regularly and actually Members of the visible Church without great usurpation as if a man do a work proper to Magistracy to one that is not under his Magistratical Power he is an Usurper So it is in this case of a Minister To administer Baptism is an act of his Office-power If he administer Baptism to children whose Parents are not regularly in Church-order in so doing why may not the Lord say He is an Usurper Suppose an unbaptized person professing his Faith and qualified according to the description in the sixth Proposition yet deferring for some probable causes to adjoyn himself to the Church for the present should desire Baptism of any of these Ministers who framed this Proposition Should they administer it to him and so do a proper work of their Office upon him If yea if they admit him to Baptism why not to the Lords