eternal life to themselves as the Psalmist Psalm 16. so Psalm 37.24 So the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.8 So again eternal lite is laid hold on by ardency of affection and desire by possessing our selves of the first fruits of it c. Now to lay hold on eternal life these or the like ways puts lise into Believers endeavours so to fight this good fight of Faith as thereby to come to the full injoyment of that life in Heaven When a man hath got any hold of any good for himself or his he will strive and tug hard rather than part with it Now I say Believers have some hold of the Grace and blessings of the Covenant for their Children they see their Children have some hold through the extent of the Covenant to them hence they must needs be more effectually ingaged and provoked to greater diligence in the use of means that their Children may come to the actual injoyment of that Grace those blessings and priviledges than they would be had not either themselves or Children any such hold of that Grace and those blessings and benefits 4. There is the goodness love and kindness of God in extending his Covenant to their Seed and vouchsafing the ratification and confirmation of it by the Application of the Token thereof unto them as a strong obligation upon and motive to Parents to use their utmost diligence in order to their Childrens imbracement of the Covenant and giving up themselves to God as his People as thereby the Kingdom of Christ may be inlarged and his Interest promoted in the World The love and kindness of God how or which way soever exprest either towards themselves or theirs is greatly obliging to sincere Believers to endeavour to their utmost power the promotion of the Interest and inlargement of the Kingdom of Christ in the World Love is of a constraining nature it hath a compulsive force and power in it We love him because he loved us first saith John Love begets and excites love and love is industrious and laborious hence we read of the labour of love 1 Thess 1.3 The Apostle gives it as the great reason of their so zealous preaching the Gospel that to some they seemed to be beside themselves viz. because the love of Christ did constrain them 2 Cor. 5.14 15. It is true the love that God hath exprest towards a Believer in the things he hath done for and the good he hath vouchsafed to himself as personally considered in and by Christ may and ought to have a constraining force upon him to live to him and answerably to endeavour to his utmost power according to the capacity wherein he stands to promote the Interest and Kingdom of Christ in the World But yet God's extending his Covenant to their Seed and confirming it by the Application of the Token thereof unto them must rationally greatly add to the compulsive force and efficacy that his love hath upon them and that for a twofold reason 1. Because his love to themselves is greatly heightned thereby To all he hath done for and vouchsafed to themselves there is the addition of that Grace vouchsafed unto theirs and the greater the love of God is and appears to be to a Believer the areater efficacy and power it hath to excite his love unto God and constrain him to lay out himself for the advantage of the Interest and Kingdom of Christ in the World 2. Because God's making the Seed of Believers partakers of the same Grace and Goodness vouchsafed to them makes it alike reasonable that they as they grow up to years of maturity should live to him as they themselves desire to do There is a meetness and fitness that those that partake of the Grace and Goodness of God should live to him And Parents seeing their Children made partakers of the same Grace and Goodness of God that themselves do partake of have the same Covenant extended to them that is entred with themselves and that ratified and confirmed to them the same way as it is ratified and confirmed to themselves they must needs judge it alike reasonable and meet that theirs should live unto God as well as themselves Hence they must needs be more effectually stirred up and provokt to use their utmost endeavours that they may so do So that I say the Love Grace and Good ness of God in extending his Covenant to the Seed of his People and ratifying and confirming it by the Application of the Token thereof to them is a very great obligation upon and may and ought to be improved as a powerful motive by them to provoke and ingage themselves to the utmost diligence in using all means that their Children may personally imbrace the Covenant and give up themselves to God as his People as they grow up to years of maturity as thereby the Interest of Christ is promoted and his Kingdom inlarged And yet further there are three things the consideration of which may and will still heighten and increase the constraining efficacy and force that the Love Grace and Goodness of God hath upon the hearts of believing Parents to move and provoke them to the afore-mentioned diligence 1. That it is the Interest of their Redeemer that is promoted and his Kingdom that is inlarged thereby 2. That God hath extended his Covenant and appointed the Application of the Token thereof the Seed of Believers with reference to this very end viz. the increase and inlargement of the Kingdom of Christ in the World and that in pursuance of that promise made to him that he should have the Heathen for his Inheritance and the utmost ends of the earth for his Possession 3. That they are their own Children those that came out of their own bowels towards whom they are to use the means in order to the ends mentioned The Love and Goodness of God hath a constraining power upon the hearts of Believers to do his will however revealed or whatever reference their doing of it hath But when the things whereabout his will is revealed relate to the promotion of the Interest and inlargement of the Kingdom of their Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ and the increase and inlargement of his Kingdom was designed by his expressing his love and goodness to them in the ways he hath done and they are their Children the fruit of their own bodies that are the objects of their duty which in obedience to the will of God they are to perrorm surely now the Love Grace and Goodness of God must needs have the greatest efficacy and power in it to engage yea constrain them to a vigorous and diligent performance of that their duty 5. There is the aggravation that the sin of the Seed of Believers in not accepting of the Covenant and performing the conditions of it receives from their precedent Covenant-state further to oblige and provoke Parents who own that their Covenant-state and have applyed the Token of the Covenant on the account thereof to
endeavour to the utmost of their power that they may accept of and perform the conditions of it Not to accept of the Covenant but on the other hand to reject it is a greater sin in those that have a precedent interest in it than in those that have no such interest It was a greater sin in Esan to despise his Birth-right and Blessing then the bare not taking hold of the Covenant was to those that had no such birth-priviledg To despise or reject a good granted is more than the bare not receiving any good offered Now Parents considering how greatly the sin of their Children will be aggravated in case they perform not the conditions of but on the other hand reject the Covenant and consequently that their condemnation will be greater than the condemnation of others must needs strongly oblige and more effectually provoke them to greater diligence in the discharge of their duty towards them in order to the preventing their rejection and on the other hand in order to their accepting and performing the conditions of the Covenant 6. There is the reference that Parents faithful discharge of their duty towards their Children hath to their Childrens preservation in their Covenant-state and consequenly injoying the full good and benefit thereof as they grow up to years of maturity as a farther obligation upon and motive to provoke them thereunto God hath taken the Seed of Believers into Covenant with himself as they are their Seed and continues their Covenant-state during their Infancy on the account of their Parents Faith But when they grow up to years of maturity the condition of their continuance in that Covenant-state and consequently in joying the blessings of the Covenant is devolved upon themselves they must in their own persons imbrace and take hold of the Covenant and perform the conditions of it which that they may do God requires their Parents to teach them his way and command them to walk in it which duty of Parents in teaching and commanding their Children is the first and most proper means appointed of God in order to their personal imbracement and taking hold of his Covenant and hence in case Parents fail in the discharge of their duty their Children are deprived of the first and most proper means subservient to their prefervation in their Covenant-state And though it may seem hard to say that God will not vouchsafe other means and bless them to the attaining of that end yet this I must say there is more depending upon Parents discharge of their duty than most are aware of and that God will vouchsafe other means and bless them to supply the defect of Parents duty is as I judge more than they have warrant to expect However the depriving them of the first and most proper means must needs be extremely hazardous and is usually given as a main reason of so many of the Seed of the Righteous proving wicked And did Parents but understand and seriously consider this how great an obligation must it needs be to them faithfully to discharge their duty towards their Children 7. And lastly There is the dishonour redounding unto God by Childrens rejecting the Covenant and falling off to ways of sin and profaneness yet farther to oblige Parents to a faithful discharge of their duty towards them When men hear the Covenant-interest of the Seed of Believers asserted and see the Token thereof applyed to them and yet after see them to run into the same wayes of sin and ungodliness with the Children of others they are apt to reflect upon God and to charge him with unfaithfulness in his promises or deluding the World with a shew of extending more Grace to Believers than indeed he doth And this very thing viz. the frequent apostacies of the Seed of Believers and their walking in the same ways of impiety with the Children of others though wholly groundlessly yet I conceive is no little stumbling-block in the way of those whose judgment and practice lyes opposite to what hath been pleaded for Now the preventing this dishonour redounding unto God and removing this stumbling-block out of the way of the weak is a strong obligation upon Parents to a faithful performance of their duty towards their Children And the laying these and the like obligations upon Parents to a diligent performance of that their duty towards their Children may be one special reason of God's appointing the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them And by what hath been said we may see how much greater obligations are upon Believers who own their Childrens interest in the Covenant and have the Token thereof applyed to them upon that account and how many motives are improveable by them to provoke and stir up themselves to a faithful discharge of their duty towards them than what are upon or improveable by the contrary minded according to their respective judgments and practices 2. The other enquiry is whether Paedo-Baptists or Anti-Paedo-Baptists according to what they respectively hold with reference to their Children have greater and surer ground to hope and expect that the means used or duties performed by them shall be effectual and successful or whether the means used and duties performed by the one or the other be more likely to prove effectual and successful for the accomplishing the ends aimed at Answ Now for this that the advantages ly on the side of the Paedo-Baptists will be undeniably evident by a double consideration which I shall but as it were mention because they must both be more fully insisted upon in a more proper place 1. Consider that Paedo-Baptists according to what they hold with reference to their Children have vastly more means to use in order to their conversion and imbracement of the Covenant and giving themselves up to God according to the tenour of it then Anti-Paedo-Baptists have they have many more motives arguments and incouragements to propose apply to and press upon their Children than the contrary-minded have And where the means are greater and more effectual in themselves their efficacy and success may according to the ordinary way of God's working upon men be expected to be answerable 2. They have many promises both made to themselves with reference to their Children and housholds and to their Children as under the Covenant and of the visible Church and Kingdom of Christ beyond what the contrary-minded can according to their judgments and principles apply to themselves or theirs whâ—â—â— promises though they should not infallibly secure Grace to all the Seed of Believers how careful soever they may be in the use of means and how faithful soever in the discharge of their duty towards them yet they are vastly greater ground to hope for success than there would be supposing no such promises were made either to Parents or Children But these things shall if the Lord will be more cleared up hereafter Now then let all men judge how unrighteous and unreasonable that charge laid upon Paedo-Baptism
sooner actually and explicitly recognizing the Covenant and giving up themselvs to God in Christ according to the tenour of it and fears of that will render this consideration of little use to them That Objection shall be answered by and by Obj. If it be yet said That what incouragements soever they have to believe and take hold of the Covenant yet they will soon find by experience their own inability to do it they will find they cannot do it without the special Teachings and Operations of the Spirit and what incouragement have they to hope for these Teachings and Operations beyond what others have To that I add in a fifth incouragement that they have above others and that is this They stand nearer than the rest of Mankind to and are the more especial Objects of the Promises of saving Grace This I have spoken so largely to already that I need add no more But besides all those other incouragements they have to believe may be improved as a help to their hope for Grace to inable them thereunto Surely then finding themselves in a state of Peace with God remembring what a mutual Friendship and Love there hath been between God and their Parents considering what he hath already done for them as a signal signification of his good will towards them and having a particular Promise to assure them in particular that as God at present is so he will continue to be a God to them unless by their voluntary rejecting the Covenant they disanul that their Interest may not only be choice incouragements to them to believe and take hold of the Covenant but to hope that God will readily vouchsafe them the Teachings and effectual Operations of his Spirit to inable them so to do they waiting upon him in his own way But to put a close to this second Question We now see how great Good what glorious Benefits and Advantages the Seed of Believers have by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them and from all we may conclude that Infant-Baptism is a practice well worthy enquiring into and contending for by all Parents that have any respect to the spiritual and eternal welfare of their Children CHAP. X. The third grand Question proposed The duty of Parents towards their Children reduced to two Heads Their duty to be performed immediately and directly towards them again reduced to two Heads What they are to teach and instruct them in and about As also what means they are to use for the rendring Instructions given them opened Some rules for their right management of them in the performance of their duty laid down Their duty to be performed immediately towards God on the behalf of their Children shewed Some Motives to press them to a faithful performance of their duty urged Quest 3. WHat is the duty of Parents towards their Children as under the bond of the Covenant and bearing the Token of it Answ This and the next Question being frequently and largely treated of by others I shall speak the more sparingly to them For this Question then the duty of Parents is considerable two ways 1. First As to be performed immediately and directly towards their Children 2. Secondly As to be performed more immediately towards God but with reference to and on the behalf of their Children they are to deal with their Children in the Name and on the behalf of God and to deal with God with reference to and on the behalf of their Children First For their duty immediately and directly respecting their Children the Apostle summarily comprehends it under these two terms Nurture and Admonition and both must be of the Lord Eph. 6.3 And ye Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Though the Apostle here speaks expressly only unto Fathers yet Mothers are not exempted but included As they are alike interested in their Children with their Husbands so they are to joyn with them in the holy education of them and says the Apostle bring up your Children in or with the nurture and admonition of the Lord as if the Apostle should say to your seeding cloathing and providing necessaries for their bodies and a comfortable subsistance in this life add the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Here I shall do two things 1. Briefly open their duty 2. Add some Rules for a more successful performance of it 1. For the first under these two terms we are to comprehend two things in the general 1. First Instruction 2. Secondly The Use and Application of all due and apt means subserving or conducing to their imbracing acting and practising according to instructions given them * Hortatur ut eos educent cum institutione commonefactione Domini hoc est ut eos instituant erudiant in Doctrinâ Christianâ subinde piis commonefactionibus ad officia pietatis forment Pisca in loco so that the duty of Parents towards their Children consists in two things in the general First In teaching and instructing them And though they are to teach and instruct them in their whole duty both towards God and Man yet I shall only instance in five things wherein they are in a peculiar manner to instruct them 1. First They are to teach and instruct them in the knowledge of God acquaint them with the Being of God endeavour to convince them that there is a supreme Being whom we call God who is the Creator and Governour of all things from whom themselves have originally received their Beings whose they are and upon whom they depend whom they must worship and who will judge them at the last day and then reward them according as they have obeyed or disobeyed his Commands And as they are to instruct them in the Being of a God so to acquaint them with the manner of his Substence and Nature as revealed by his Names Titles and Properties as they are able to bear it And we find Children soon comply with the notions of a Deity and not altogether unreadily entertain especially such notions of and about his Nature as are discoverable by and agreeable to the light and dictates of Nature Some have observed that all Religion is ingraffed upon the stock of Nature God hath left somewhat of those Original Principles of Religion implanted in the Nature of Man at his first Creation which facilitates the reception of the first fundamental Principles upon which all Religion is built as a brand sooner inkindles than the green wood that hath never been in the fire Hence Parents are to begin with the revival of such principles and Notions as are not utterly obliterated and blotted out of the Nature of Man and such are these concerning the Beeing of God his Nature and Relations towards Man as his Creator and Governour c. Let but these Principles and Notions be throughly revived and more fully fixed and reveted in the minds and Consciences of Children it will greatly
parentibus comprehenduntur pii parentes de Elections salute suorum liberorum quos Deus in infantiâ ex hâc vitâ evocat dubitare non debent Which seems necessarily to require as might easily be made out considering their judgments in all those five controverted points that they should hold the full of what I do And as these worthy Divines expresly declare their Judgments to be for the Election and infallible Salvation of all the Infant-Seed of Believers dying in their Infancy So I shall quote one famous in his day to let pass particular Divines of that Synod exactly concurring with what I have said concerning the discharge of all Infants we now speak of from the guilt of Original Sin that is famous Ursin His words are these Peccatum Originale in Baptismo formale tollitur sed materiale manet that is as himself expounds tollitur quoad reatum manet quoad pravitatem Some others of the same mind with me as to the main Good Benefits and Priviledges assigned to the seed of Believers might be mentioned and a further search into the Judgment of Authors concerning that way I have proceeded in to secure my self from those Rocks bordering upon it was intended but an unexpected Providential removal of me from my study when I was about to put the last hand to the ensuing sheeets prevented by means whereof the Book appears more naked than otherwise it might have done But to hasten The Reader may take notice that the first draught of the solution here given of the two first questions was drawn up about four or five years since but I was not without some hopes that some abler Pen might have performed this Work and when I saw a call to it I was willing rather to go gradatim than run that I might tread more securely Vpon both which accounts with some others my first promise hath been so long unperformed and now at last it being performed I must say two things greatly check my expectations as to the desired effects of this my undertaking The first is the cursory reading and overly perusal of Books by the generality of Readers How few shall we find that will be at the paines or allow themselves sufficient time throughly to weigh and well digest what they read and with the noble Bereans search the Scriptures daily whether the things they read be so How do most cursorily read Books coming to their hands and if any thing appear to correspond with their precedent sentiments they readily embrace that or if any thing disagree therefrom they as suddenly reject without a due weighing of what is written and comparing one thing with another But alas Divine Truths especially that lie more towards the bottom of those Golden Mines contained in the Scriptures or are obscured by the different sentiments and reasonings of Men will not be found out or discerned in themselves and distinguished from errors at so easy a rate The second is those gross neglects that Parents are generally guilty of towards their Children Oh the murders even of their own Children that most Parents will be found guilty of I mean it not of their Bodies but of their Souls Causa Causae est Causa Causati is a sure maxim The Apostacy of Children is the cause of their Death but the neglect of Parents is the great cause of their Apostacy Parents will possibly catch at what makes for their comfort with reference to their Children especially such of them as have been either carryed from the Womb to or taken out of the Cradle and laid asleep in the Grave yet I much fear but few will be stirred up and effectually moved to a vigorous performance of their duty towards those whose lives are prolonged and that arrive to that ripeness of age that capacifies them for the performance of the conditions of the Covenant themselves Let but Parents throughly study their Childrens Priviledges as Confederates with themselves and faithfully apply themselves to the discharge of their duty towards them and it will give good ground of hope that both he that hath sown and they that reap viz. both Parents and Children shall have a time or rather an Eternity to rejoyce together Thine in the Service of Christ for thine own and thy Childrens Souls Jo. Whiston December 14. 1675. The Principal Errata's PAge 42. Line ult for in read on p. 64. l. 32. for visible r. invisible p. 107. l. 5. for sense r. love p. 112. l. 10. for assured r. offered p. 134. l. 5. for not r. at p. 165. l. 11. for it r. he p. 189. l. 4. for or r. are p. 194. l. 25. for for r. or p. 199. l. 29. after be add the. The Errata's of least Concernment Pag. 8. l. 1. for yet p. 23. l. 16. for is r. was p. 25. l. ult for four r. three p. 39. l. 12. blot out of p. 111. l. 3. for application r. explication p. 112. l. 16. for usu r. esse p. 151. l. 1. for by r. has Errata's in the Contents of the Chapters Pag. 110. l. 2. after Covenant add state p. 132. l. 6. after all add that p. 162. l. 2. for impossibility r. improbà bility The Author having not seen the first and the three last sheets 't is probable some faults are there escaped which the Ingenuous Reader is desired to pardon or amend The Author hath two other Treatises Intituled I. Infant-Baptism from Heaven and not of Men Or a Moderate Discourse concerning the Baptism of the Infant-feed of Believers Whereunto is prefixed a large Introductory Preface preparing the Readers way to a more profitable perusal of that Treatise II. Infant-Baptism from Heaven and not of Men the second Part Or an Answer to Mr. Danvers's Treatise of Baptism Wherein as the vanity of his Authorities are though briefly yet sufficiently detected so his Doctrinal Part is especially examined and confuted and Infants Right to Baptism further confirmed Both sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden-Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard An Essay to revive the Primitive Doctrine of Infant-Baptism CHAP. I. An Introduction to the whole ensuing Discourse The four grand Enquiries proposed The Reasons of God's ordaining the Application of the token of the Covenant to the Infant-seed of his People reduced to three heads The first viz. those respecting God entred upon three Reasons respecting God assigned First his own Goodness Grace and Soveraign pleasure 2. The Reference that the Application of the token of the Covenant hath to his Glory the Ways how it refers thereunto opened 3. The reference it hath to the supportation and enlargement of the Kingdome of his Son Jesus Christ THat all Ordinances and Institutions that are indeed of Divine Original have a direct reference to the glory of God and are signally expressive of his good will unto Men is above all controversie among those that bear the name of Christians yet wherein their reference at least of some of them to that end and of what use and
propriety that God hath in them with the consideration of their being intrusted with them for him is a strong obligation upon them so to do Sure it must be grievous to tender hearts to think that God's own servants should prove enemies to him especially this being through any neglect on their part that those that God hath designed for himself should rebel against him through a failure on their part in respect of their duty towards them But 2. There is the Parents own act in dedicating theirs unto God and ratifying and solemnizing that dedication of them by the Application of the Token of the Covenant They are not only God's by vertue of his choice but by vertue of their Parents resignation and dedication of them to him which dedication they have made of them to God they have also ratified and confirmed in an outward and solemn way by applying the Token of the Covenant to them and that must needs supposing them to understand what they do more strongly oblige and more effectually move then to bring them up for God They give them up to God to be his under their own hands and seals as I may so speak Now Parents thus dedicating and giving up their children to God doth necessarily imply and include a purpose to bring them up for God otherwise their giving them up to him would be mere hypocrisie and deceit And therefore when Elkanah and Hannah had dedicated Samuel unto God to serve him in the Tabernacle from his very Child-hood they bring him up betimes to the Tabernacle probably before he was capable of perfoming any service there It was immediatly as he was weaned therefore he is said to be young 1 Sam. 1.24 a child a child as the Hebrew * Hebraei cum superlativis careant pro iis geminatione utuntur is that is a very young child and the reason of their bringing him up so early is conceived to be that he might be instructed in the Law and thereby fitted and prepared for future service having given him up to God they were careful to bring him up for God to bring him up so as he might be fitted for his service And this sincerity and uprightness in the dedication that Parents made of their Children unto God doth indispensibly require I know Abraham saith God that he will command his Children and his boushold after him Gen. 18.19 as if the Lord should say I know him to be a faithful and upright man hence having given up his Children and Houshold to me he will use the means that they may serve me So when Jepthah had vowed that whosoever came first out of his door to meet him should be the Lords though it proved to be his daughter and she his only Child yet he will give her up to God according to the intendment of his vow what that was I determine not and he gives this reason I have opened my mouth to the Lord and I cannot go back Judg. 11.35 His own act in dedicating his daughter though it was but an implicite dedication of her in particular is to him an indispensible obligation to give her up to God So Parents actual dedication of their Children unto God especially having ratified and solemnized that dedication by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them adds greatly to the obligation that they are under to bring them up so as that they may be the Lord's may give up themselves to serve and honour him when they grow up to a capacity so to do 3. There are the great advantages that their Children are under in order to the injoyment of all the grace benefits and blessings of the Covenant as a further obligation upon and motive to believing Parents diligently to use the means and perform their duty subservient thereunto What these advantages are shall if the Lord will be shewed hereafter At present I say for Parents to see their Children under special advantages in order to their injoyment of the Grace benefits and blessions of the Covenant must needs strongly oblige and powerfully move as well as incourage them to endeavour that they may come to the actual injoyment of them When a man either seeth himself or his Children in a fair way and under special advantages to injoy any good he is thereby provokt to greater diligence in the use of means that either himself or his child may injoy that good This was that which at least in part quickned Moses to so great importunity that he might go over Jordan to see the good Land viz. Canaan because God had begun to shew him his greatness and his mighty hand Deut. 3.24 Oh Lord saith he thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness and thy mighty hand I pray thee let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan as if he should say thou hast brought me through all the difficulties and dangers of the Wilderness thou hast begun to make way to thy Peoples entrance into and possession of this good Land and must I now when so nigh unto it and in such a fair way with the rest of thy people to come to the possession and injoyment of it yet be cut off and never come to it The loss of falling short of a mercy when a man comes nigh to it and is under peculiar advantages for the injoyment of it troubles more than the non-injoyment of the same ot like Mercy when a man is under no probability or hath no peculiar advantages ever to in joy it Hence to be nigh to or under peculiar advantages for the injoyment of any mercy quickens to diligence in the use of means that we may not then fall short of it but may actually injoy it And this holds true whether the mercy respects a mans self or his Children or near Relations Now I say the Children of Believers are near to and under more peculiar advantages for the injoyment of the Grace benefits and blessings of the Covenant than the Seed of others are Parents have as I may so speak some kind os hold of that grace and those blessings and benefics for their Children and Children have some hold for themselves and when a man hath any hold of a good for himself or his he is loth to let it go Saith the Apostle to Timothy and in him to all Christians Fight the good fight of Faith lay hold on eternal life 1 Tim. 6.12 The latter branch of this exhortation viz. To lay hold on eternal life may be taken as directive to Christians what to do more effectually to ingage and quicken themselves to a vigorous prosecution of their Spiritual Warsare they are to lay hold on eternal life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle which may be done by Christians while in this life There are several wayes whereby Believers may lay hold on eternal lfe while in the World as by an applicatory Faith whereby they apply and appropriate the promises of
People and their Seed successively from one generation to another To those that consider the nature of these Promises or that they are tobe interpreted and understood not in a definite but in an indefinite notion and do impartially observe the way of God's procedure in the dispensation of his Grace towards men any endeavours to vindicate the Faithfulness of God in their performance would be needless and superfluous for though some have contemned that observation that others have made viz. that that Seed that God hath reserved out of the posterity of fallen man to serve him is in a considerable measure raised out of the Families of the Faithful yet it is indeed of great weight and so evident to unbyassed Observers that it may be no little confirmation of the sense and meaning now given of these Promises and is an abundant vindication of the Truth and Faithfulness of God in them And as it hath in all ages past given so still gives him the just Name and Repute of a God keeping Covenant and Mercy for ever But to put a close to this third Benefit that the Seed of Believers have by their Membership in the visible Church I say they are thereby brought nigher to the Promises of saving Grace than the rest of Mankind are they are os that Collective Body or Society of men unto whom these Promises do in the general appertain and not only so but are that special part of or species of Members in that Body or Society to whom these Promises in a more especial manner do belong they are nigh to the Promises as they are of the visible Church but they are yet nigher as they are specified and pointed out to be the Persons peculiarly intended in them and according to their nignness to these Promises so especially when Parents are faithful in their duty towards them is their injoyment of the good â—romised How rarely is it found when Parents with Abraham are faithful in instructing and commanding their Children to walk in way of the Lord but if not all yet some though sometimes more sometimes sewer according to the number they are blessed with are found through the blessing of God accompanying of those instructions walking in these ways yea how many instances might be given of Parents so performing their duty who can walk in the World as in a strange land with comfortable hopes that all theirs are heirs with them of the same Promises Now then how strange is it that believing Parents should have their understandings so far darkened and their Judgments so far blinded to make that which sometimes was the Gentiles and is now the Jewes misery viz. to be far from God and strangers to the Covenants of Promise their choice though not for themselves yet for theirs and should what in them lies set them at the utmost distance from those Promises that are the great grounds of hope to fallen Man that he may Obrain an exchange of his Sin and Misery for Grace and Glory and leave them to take their Lot among those that are afar off We may well call to the Heavens to be astonished at this and to the Earth to be moved out of its place But to pass from this first Head of Benefies accruing to the Seed of Believers From the application of the token of the Covenant to them they have admission into and become Members of the Church visible and God by commanding the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Seed of his People speaks to them with respect to their Seed as Jacob to Joseph with reference to his two Sons Bring your Children near to me that I may bless them bring them into my House and Family and as they then shall have an interest in all the Prayers put up for it so they shall have the special providential care of my Son over them he shall give his Angels a charge concerning them they shall come into a nigher capacity to injoy Grace promised than the rest of Mankind and be you faithful in your duties and I will be faithful in my Promises Now shall any reject such a Gracious Invitation how justly may Children cnrse the day they were ever brought forth by such Parents CHAP. V. The second Good or Benefit accruing to the Seed of Believers by the Application of the Token of the Covenant proposed viz. They have thereby the Covenant with the Promises thereof appertaining to them ratified sealed and confirmed An Enquiry made whether the Covenant and Promises are entred with and made to the Seed of Believers definitly or only indefinitly The various judgments of Paedo-Baptists about it That they are entred and made definitely proved two wayes First In the instance of Abraham's Seed immediatly proceeding from his own Loyns where two Reasons are offered Secondly It is further proved by three Reasons respecting both Abraham's and all other Believers Seed The forementioned good accruing to the Seed of Believers opened in the resolution of two Questions The former proposed viz. What the Token of the Covenant has reference unto That it has a twofold reference shewed First To the Covenant as abstractly and absolutely considered The thing ratified sealed and confirmed by it as considered in that its reference determined to be their Covenant That the necessary result of which is proved by two Arguments to be their discharge from the guilt and condemning power of Originalsin and that both Originans and Originatum 2. THe second Good or Benefit that the Seed of Believers have by the Application of the Token of the Covenant is this viz. They have thereby the Covenant with the Promises thereof appertaining to them sealed and confirmed to them But before I proceed to a particular unfolding of this Good or Benefit it may not be unuseful but seems necessary that I should give a brief account of the different apprehensions of Poedo-Baptists themselves about the nature of the Covenant and Promises as entred with and made to the Infant-seed of Believers for that they are not all of one mind and judgment about that must be granted And according to their different apprehensions about the nature of the Covenant and Promises they are differently perswaded as to the Good accruing to Infants by their Covenant-interest and their having the Token of the Covenant applyed to them which I shall also briefly take notice of as I go along 1. First Some concerve that the Covenant is entred with the Seed of Believers only indefinitly and anfwerably that the Promises appertaining to them are to be interpreted and understood in an indefinite notion that is as having a respect to them as generally and collectively considered but not made to any of them in particular And of those that go this way some conceive that the Covenant and Promises appertain only to the Elect and secure to them only the future injoyment of all the saving Fruits and Benefits purchased by Christ but do not necessarily convey to or confer
is significative of both as the way through which the Elect are prepared for and brought into Glory Hence that Allusion requires not that Regeneration antecede nor yet that the Spirit be conserred by or in a concomitancy with the Application of the Token of the Covenant it only supposeth the Token to be of such use viz. to signifie and represent the way through which God doth bring his Elect to Salvation and it is only a Sign of present Regeneration to the Adult as the Application of it to them doth suppose them Heirs of Salvation that way viz. through Regeneration and renewing of the Spirit but in respect of those that are Heirs another way viz. through the Promise made to them as the Seed of such Parents it only signifies and represents the way how they shall supposing them ordained thereunto be brought to Salvation but whether they are already regenerated or yet to be regenerated cannot be determined from that Allusion 2. The Token of the Covenant refers to Regeneration as it is a seal and confirmation of the Promises of Regeneration but then it can only seal and confirm those Promises according to their nature and tenour and consequently the Promises being only indefinite respecting the Seed of Believers in general as Members of the visible Church the sealing and confirmation must be answerable And thus it shall be granted that God by the Token of the Covenant as applyed to the Seed of his People doth seal and confirm unto them those Promises of divine teachings putting his Laws in the minds and writing them in the hearts of their Seed Hence the Promise Deut. 30.6 is expressed in that phrase I will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy Seed plainly shewing that Circumcision and the same is true of Baptism hath some reference to the Conversion and Regeneration of their Seed and that was this it did seal and confirm the Promises concerning the Conversion and Regeneration of their Seed which Promises being as I have said only indefinite the sealing must needs be proportionable So that though we grant yea affirm that the Infant-seed of Believers have all that Good and all those Priviledges afore exprest vouchsafed to them yet it will not necessarily follow neither can it be certainly concluded from thence that they are or shall be truly regenerated or sanctified God may proceed so far in the expressions of his Grace and Love to them and yet there is no necessity he should proceed to their Regeneration or Sanctification nor yet oblige himself thereunto As for those preparatory Operations of the Spirit whereby some kind of predispositions towards a work of Grace or a posse agere are wrought in them though I conceive they may be granted without prejudice to those great Doctrines of special Grace and Perseverance seing it is certain thore are many common works of the Spirit granted to those that never attain to true Grace yet I conceive it is not necessary that we do hold them to be granted to all the Infant-seed of Believers no not to all yea or any of the Elect among them God may take the Infant-seed of his People into Covenant with himself together with their Parents and thereby set them free from the condemning power of Original sin put himself under an obligation to act as a God towards them according to the tenour of the Covenant into which they are taken appoint the Token of the Covenant to be applyed to them and thereby admit them into the Church or Kingdom of Christ as visible and vouchsafe them all those Priviledges of his Church aforementioned and yet not vouchsafe them any Operations of the Spirit whether special or common 2. That it is very rational to suppose that though God hath expressed his Grace and Love to the Infant-seed of his People in all those glorious vouchsafements before expressed yet that he should not proceed to their universal Regeneration and Sanctification but should leave to himself a liberty savingly to work upon whom he pleaseth in a complyance with his eternal Purpose and Decree and that when and by what means he pleaseth as himself sees meet This will appear from a threefold Consideration 1. First That it is altogether unreasonable to suppose yea morally impossible that God should constitute a conditional Covenant between himself and Men whether Infants or Adult and yet should include the condition required of Men in and thereby secure their performance of it by any Promise that is of the essence and substance of the Covenant as so considered This is evident from what hath been already said for this would quite alter and change the nature of the Covenant it would not then be a conditional and consequently any Covenant at all in a proper sense but an absolute Covenant or rather a compendium or synopsis of absolute Promises And besides persons must be supposed to have an Interest in the Covenant before the condition of their Interest is performed by them which as I have said is an absolute contradiction Hence it will undeniably follow that the Promises of the first Grace are not of the essence of the Covenant as conditionally made with particular persons but appertain to the Covenant as made with the Church or House of Israel collectively considered and secure to the Elect the Grace required on Man's part to his admission into or continuance in the Covenant as conditionally made with particular Persons 2. Consider how rational it is to suppose that God should as it is certain he doth require something of duty from Parents towards their Children or something of duty from Children themselves if not from both upon the performance of or failing in which he should continue or discontinue their Covenant-state when they grow up to years of Maturity The rationality of this supposal appears from the conformity and agreeableness of his so doing to his dealings with all those he either offers his Covenant to or enters Covenant with Take it of Unbelievers to whom the Covenant is offered there is something of duty required on their parts in order to their reception into Covenant they are to take hold of it Take it of Believers with whom the Covenant is actually entred thus There is no good promised but something of duty is required on their parts in order to the injoyment of it and upon their non-performance of that duty they may be and usually are deprived of it And why should it not be alike rational that God should require somewhat of duty from them towards their Children upon the non-performance of which he should withhold the Good promised or should not bring upon them as God speaks concerning Abraham the Good promised Yea in order to the continuance of that Covenant-state between God and themselves there is somewhat of duty required on their parts the performance of which it 's true is secured to them another way but however duty is required on their parts upon their non-performance of which
their ingaging in any destructive ways obviated and prevented highly conduceth to their taking hold of the Covenant and applying themselves to the worship and service of God II. The Covenant-relation wherein the Seed of Believers stands Godwards as solemnized ratified and confirmed by the Application of the Token subserves their personal imbracement and taking hold of the Covenant and answerably giving up themselves to God in Christ according to the tenour of it by way of obligation they hereby become under the strongest obligation to do it and we may observe a fourfold obligation that they are under beyond what the Children of others are 1. First There is all that Love Grace and Goodness of God exprest in the extending the Covenant with the Sign and Token thereof unto them and granting them all the Good aforementioned as an obligation upon them As this Grace Love and Goodness of God is a powerful ingagement to Parents to endeavour the conversion of their Children and bring them to a personal imbracement of the Covenant so it is alike powerful ingagement to Children themselves to imbrace it and give up themselves to the worship and service of God according to the tenour of it How great Grace Love and Goodness God hath exprest to the Seed of Believers in his extending his Covenant unto them with the Token thereof hath been already declared Now when they become capable of understanding and reflecting upon that Love Grace and Goodness the apprehension and consideration of it hath a potent tendency to excite their love to and ingage them to take this God for their God and to worship and serve him Love hath a constraining power and Children are capable of receiving early impressions from their apprehensions of what Grace and Love is exprest towards them as well as grown persons 2. There is their Parents acceptation of the Covenant for them and their entring them into it and giving them up to God according to the tenour of it as another obligation upon them Parents acts on the behalf of or with reference to their Children are an obligation upon them to comply with and stand to what is done by their Parents on their behalf and with reference to them Hence Samuel complyes with Hannah's vow and gives himself freely to serve the Lord in his Tabernacle according to the dedication she had made of him Yea Jepthah's daughter complies with her Father's vow though as most think it was to be offered up in Sacrifice My Father saith she if thou hast opened thy mouth to the Lord do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth Judg. 11.36 As Parents have a power to dispose of their Children in a subordination unto God so Children are obliged to comply with that disposal they make of them And as the confidence Nature it self reacheth them to have in their Parents as to their prudence love c. so their duty towards them obligeth them so to do Hence their Parents having accepted of the Covenant for them and answerably entred them into it they are under a powerful obligation to comply with what their Parents have done and answerably personally imbrace the Covenant and give up themselves to God in Christ to worship and serve him 3. There is the Token of the Covenant as applyed to and born by them as a further obligation upon them One use and end of the Token of the Covenant whether Circumcision or Baptism according to divine Institution was and is to oblige and ingate the Persons to whom it was and is applied to cleave and adhere to God in Christ his worship and service The Token of the Covenant is equivalent to Press-mony given to Souldiers God by it obligeth his People to himself and to serve under Christ the Captain of their Salvation From this use or end of the Token or Seals of the Covenant they seem to have received their denomination of Sacraments which word is conceived to be borrowed from the ancient Romans among whom it was used to signifie the oath by which together with certain rights and a prescript form of words Souldiers did ingage themselves or were ingaged to do whatsoever the Emperour or General should command and not forsake their Colours till the Wars were ended Tertullian is supposed to be the first that brought the word into the Church and applied it to a spiritual use But however the Word is not improper nor unfit it fully expressing this end and use of the Tokens of the Covenant they were and are for the ingaging men to God in Christ God by them ingageth and ties his People to himself Now the Seed of Believers when they come to years of Maturity finding themselves under this bond and that as put upon them by Divine Institution must needs be more strongly obliged to take God in Christ as their God and give up themselves to him to be his to worship and serve him according to the tenour of the Covenant God's having pressed them as I may so speak into his own service and obliged them to himself by such a solemn right is a strong obligation upon them to serve him and give themselves to him Hence we read of the Martyr who to all his temptations to deny Christ makes no reply but this Baptizatus sum 4. There is the great aggravation that their sin in rojecting the Covenant they had as the Seed of such Parents admission into and forsaking God and his ways above that the sin of others in neglecting to take hold of the Covenant doth admit of and consequently the greatness of their condemnation above the condemnation of others in case they should so do as a further obligation upon them to imbrace the Covanant and walk in the ways of God they are afore-obliged to Their sin in rejecting the Covenant into which they were taken admits of variety of aggravations beyond what the sin of others in not taking hold of the Covenant admits of which they being made sensible the apprehonsive of hath a potent tendency strongly to oblige them to imbrace it But of this I may touch more again hereafter But 3. And lastly The interest that the Seed of Believers have in the Covenant as ratified sealed and confirmed to them by the Application of the Token highly subserves their personal imbracement of it by way of incouragement they have peculiar incouragements thereunto beyond what others have To instance in some few of them 1. First They find themselves already in a state of peace with God Their work is not so much to gain or make peace with God as to maintain it Their peace is already made by being received into the Covenant of Grace the Law hath nothing to charge upon them to their condemnation they are not under the Law but under Grace they are discharged from the condemning power of whatever guilt might hitherto be charged upon them And how great an incouragement must that needs be to them to close in with
to write the same things is safe for you yet the same things may be written or spoken in variety of phrases and different expressions and so to do is useful to prevent tediousness and loathing but to have the same things frequently repeated and inculcated if not in the same yet in different phrases and expressions is exceeding safe for grown Christians and much more for Children yea to repeat the same things in the same words and expressions supposing purdence be used is useful for them The Lord speaking of the Commandments Statutes and Judgments he had given his ancient People gives them this charge about them that they should teach them diligently to their Children Deut. 6.7 and what he means by teaching them diligently he explains in the following words thou shalt talk of them viz. to thy Children when thou sittest in thy house and when thou walkest by the way when thou liest down and when thou risest up as much as to say thou shalt be frequently talking of and inculcating them upon thy Children The capacities of Children require a frequent repetition and inculcation of the same things as in respect of their natural sood As they can receive and digest but a little at a time so they must be frequently fed So in respect of instructions which are the food of their souls they must be frequently instructed in the same things 3. The intermingling Exhortations Perswasions Intreaties Commands c. with Instructions tends greatly to render those Instructions more effectual it is not enough to inlighten the understanding and inform the judgment but the affections and passions must be wrought upon and excited We find the working upon and exciting of the affections and passions in grown persons is highly serviceable to their conversion imbracement of and stedfastness in the ways of God and much more must it be so in Children Now the aflections and passions are wrought upon by the means now mentioned These Exhortations Perswasions Commands c. are conceived to be included in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we translate admonition Parents are to bring up up their Children in the admonition as well as nurture of the Lord so saith God of Abraham I know Abraham that he will command his Children and his Household and what the issue of that shall be he tells us they shall keep the way of the Lord Gen. 18.19 of which more by and by Such Perswasions and Exhortations Intreaties and Commands are expressive of the affections of Parents towards as well as their authority over their Children and the more Children are sensible of their Parents affection towards and authority over them the greater efficacy will their Instructions have upon their hearts Their Parents are present with them and visible to them God is out of their sight their apprehensions of him can be supposed to be but low and confused they live by sence and not by Faith Hence an affectionate Exhortation or Intreaty from their Parents may and possibly will do more with them than the bare Commands of God however such Exhortations and Commands c. from their Parents added to the Exhortations and Commands from God in his Word must needs rationally be more effectual There is their Parents affection answered by a natural storge and filial affection towards them and Paternal authority answered by a natural kind of instinct or inclination to obey superadded to the efficacy of those dawnings of Light let into their understandings by Instructions given them and of those morning-apprehensions they have of God more effectually to induce and ingage them to act and practise accordingly Hence this intermixture of Exhortations Perswasions Intreaties and Commands must needs greatly further their conversion and imbracement of the Covenant 4. Good Examples are great furtherances to Childrens falling in with and imbracement of the ways of God and indeed neither instructions nor the use of any other means can be rationally expected to be successful without this example conduce to the rendring Instructions effectual two ways 1. They reallize to Childrens apprehensions the things they are instructed in and about for Parents to speak of a God infinitely holy and a perfect hater of sin to speak of God infinitely just and a severe avenger of sin c. and yet not express any fear towards him themselves nor take heed of what is sinful will signify little Children will quickly apprehend the inconsistency between what is spoken of or concerning God and their Parents ways and actions Now how can Parents expect their Children should believe what their own ways and actions declare themselves believe not 2. Examplies induce and provoke to Imitation Exempla magis movent quà m documenta is peculiarly true as applyed to Children we see how prone they are to Imitation their manners are much formed by example * Aristotle would have youth kept even from the sight of all Pictures of any Limner excepting of such an one who 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 represents the honest manners of worthy Men. hence good examples not only from Parents but others highly further their falling in with and imbracing of the ways of God 5. To put Children upon and inure them to holy exercises will greatly further the ends aimed at hence Parents should put their Children upon the practice of what they have taught them thus they are to cause them to joyn in holy duties both publick and private It is prejudicial to Children to be excluded from Family duties at least when they are capable to joyn in them without causing distractions and let me say for Parents to plead Children will be troublesome when the fault is in themselves in not bringing of them under their command will be but a bad excuse at the last So again Parents should inure them to holy exercises themselves as Reading and Praying and direct them in a right performance of that duty we find both our Lord Christ and John Baptist instructed their Disciples in performance of that duty and probably betimes Luk. 11.1 Let them know that all Good must come from God and put them upon the seeking for it from him let them know their continuance in a Covenant-state depends upon their performance of the conditions themselves but let them know withall that it is God must give what himself requires 6. The adding of due Correction as the case may require will yet promote the same ends the Rod is the Child's ordinance hence so frequently recommended by Solomon Though correction conveys not Grace to nor can it work Grace in the soul yet it highly subserves their gaining of Grace 2. But secondly Let me just touch upon some few Rules that may be of use unto Parents in their right and successful performance of their duty towards their Children 1. By grave and serious dealing with them about the concerns of God and their souls with a gravity and seriousness becoming matters of such an importance It is said of a Bishop he must be one
who ruleth well his own house having his Children in subjection with all gravity 1 Tim. 3.4 the same is the duty of all Christian Parents though eminently required in the Ministers of the Gospel Some deal with their Children in soul-affaires as though they were rather in jest than earnest and no wonder though Children are neither serious nor in good earnest in â—â—â—ending to or practising such instructions Parents should labour to carry it so in all their words 〈…〉 as that their Children may perceive the weight and importance of the things they deal with them about Instructing and chastising Children requires the utmost gravity and seriousness 2. Shew as much love to God as also as much affection towards your Children but as little of self and passion as possibly you can the more Children are apprehensive of these things and quickly apprehensive they will be the more weight will instructions have upon their hearts the less of God and the more of self appears in any Instructions Counsels Perswasions or Commands the less will they be attended to and regarded sic vice versâ 3. Exercise Wisdom and Prudence Wisdom and Prudence is required hardly in any thing if in any thing at all more than in the education and bringing up of Children yet I shall not attempt to give any Reles in this case neither is it in the power of any man to give such Rules and Directions as may sufficiently furnish all Parents with that Wisdom and Prudence necessary to the right managing of themselves in the discharge of their duty towards their Children they must have it from God or after all they will be greatly defective therein I shall only intimate some Cases wherein special Wisdom is requried 1. In beginning with such Instructions as those principles connatural to them will subserve their imbracement of to kindle the brand if I may so speak where it hath the greatest disposition to take fire 2. Again Wisdom is required in so repeatîng and inculcating Instructions as that they may be most useful for the inlightning their minds and working upon their affections and yet may not beget tediousness or slightness of spirit 3. Again much Wisdom is required in intermingling such instructions and so administring them as may keep up their love to and delight in Religion with such instructions as may keep up a holy awe and fear in their hearts Godward 4. Again Wisdom is required in keeping up their incouragements and yet preventing their presumption and formality 5. Once again much Wisdom is required in dealing with Children according to their different tempers and constitutions some are more easily wrought upon by love others by fear some by gentle others by more severe means some need more of the rod others less and variety of the like instances might be given This is certain the success of Parents discharge of their duty towards their Children very much depends upon the Wisdom they are indued with and do exercise therein 4. Begin with your Children betimes Chasten thy Child betimes saith Solomon so instruct him betimes Parents should endeavour were it possible to anticipate Satan and put a check to the very first buddings forth of corruption Quò semel est imbuta recens c. 'T is the folly of most Parents to leave themseles only an after-game to play they sow not till the thorns have got such rooting as that they check the seed sowen their Childrens minds are so vitiated that their in structions meet with stronger opposition than otherwise they would do therefore begin with them betimes In the morning sow they seed 'T is applicable to our present purpose Children have ears to hear before they have tongues to speak That may be received by the ear and eye which the tongue cannot express hence Parents should not forbear instructions till their Children are capable of returning answers But 2. The duty of Parents more immediately respects God yet to be performed on the behalf of their Children and thus their great duty is Prayer and two things in the general they are to pray for 1. The bestowment of such endownents upon themselves as may capacifie them for the due performance fo their duty towards their Children And of all gifts and endowments they ought to be peculiarly importunate for Wisdom and Prudence He that gives wisdom to the Husband-man for the casting in the Fetches and scattering the Cummin c. when he hath plowed his ground and made plain the face thereof must teach Parents wisdom to manage their duty aright towards their Children Lower abilities managed with wisdom prove more effectual than greater without it What encouragement parents have to be importunate for this gift the Apostle James shews us Jam. 1.5 2. They are to pray for a blessing upon the performance of their duty towards their Children with the concurrence of the Spirit to make all means used effectual Prayer and Instruction yea Prayer and Correction ought to go together The most faithful diligent and wise discharge of duty will leave Children graceless unless God add his blessing Now though a Covenant-state be hereditary yet Grace is not so that 's from God given to whom he pleaseth in a cpmpliance with his eternal Purpose and Decrees But these being secret hid in the breast of God are not to be parents rule in the performance of their duty they are to perform it equally and alike unto all Let me add the more Faith there is in Prayer the more prevalent it will be and how far Faith may be acted with reference to Children may be gathered from what hath been already said Among other things they may believe that the promises of the first Grace do appertain to them indefinitely as members of that Collective Body to which those Promises are made And hence though they cannot positively believe that these Promises shall be made good to every one of their Children yet they may and ought to believe the truth and faithfulness of God and answerably act a dependance upon him with a comfortable hopethat the Good promised shall be givent to each one of their Children I shall only add two or three Motives to press Parents to a faithful discharge of their duty and so pass from this third Question 1. Consider the manifold obligations lying upon you to be faithful consciencious and diligent therein and to pass by all others an account of which I have already given let me only remind you of and a little press upon you that reference and subserviency that your discharge of your duty hath to your Childrens imbracement of the Covenant and consequently to God's bringing upon you in vouchsafing unto them the Good promised That passage of God's concerning Abraham cannot well be too often inculcated upon believing Parents Gen. 18.19 There are two things peculiarly remarkable in this Scripture 1. To mention that in the first place which is set down in the latter part of the Verse the subserviency of Parents faithful
performance of their duty to God's bringing upon them the Good promised viz. with reference to their Children That the Lord may bring upon him what be hath spoken of him as if God could not keeping exactly to the terms of the Covenant vouchsafe the Good promised to Children unless that Parents be faithful in the performance of their duty towards them It seems at least very probable to infer an absolute necessity of Parents performance of their duty in order to God's giving them the Good promised in pursuance of the Promise made to them on the behalf of their Children however this must be said that Childrens forfeiture of their Covenant-state and all the Good annexed thereunto is greatly hazarded by Parents failing therein It 's true God may extend Mercy to them and answerably supply the neglect of Parents by the vouchsafement of tother means as he doth to others born of unbelieving Parents unto whom he is under no obligation by vertue of any peculiar Promise made to them But it may seem that Parents neglect of their duty dischargeth God from that obligation the is under by his Promise made to them on the behalf of their Children and that must needs extremely hazard their ever injoying the Good of the Covenant Now surely if any thing will cause sorrow or allay the joy of believing Parents at that day against which joy is sowen for the Righteous and gladness for the upright in heart this will do it to miss their Children in that day of Triumph and that through their own desault in point of duty towards them Let me say Is all the Good of the Covenant of so small a value as that a sond affectio shall supersede the discharge of your duty towards your Children Or is everlasting separation from the presence of God and the glory of his Power so small a matter as that rather than you will put your selves to a little pains or impose any difficulty upon your Children you will hazard that Will their roaring in Hell be a less evil than their crying under the smart of the Rod Alas what do Parents think of Heaven or Hell that they will hazard their Childrens loss of the one and undergoing the other upon such trivial accounts 2. Consider what excellent incouragements you have to a vigorous faithful and consciencious performance of your duty towards them which is the other thing remarkable in the forementioned Scripture viz. the issue and fruit of the discharge of your duty They shall keep the way of the Lord implying at least the usual concurrence of a blessing from God with the discharge of your duty and concurrence of the Sapirit to make the means used effectual God would not assert the efficacy of the means but upon a supposition of his concurrence with them by his own Spirit and Blessing It may possibly seem strange to some should I say whether ever any of the Seed of the Righteous apostatize from the ways of God and thereby forfeit their Covenant-state but upon a failure in Parents in the due discharge of their duty is a question of more difficult determination than is usually apprehended or appears at the first proposal of it But besides the incouragement you have from this Scripture how much more means have you subserving the conversion of your Children than others who either are unbelievers themselves or deny their Childrens Covenant-interest have how many Motives have you to press upon them what incouragements to preopose to them and consequently what ground have you to hope for success that you shall not labour in vain These things I had sometimes intended to have inlarged upon but for some reasons I shall contract You may be sufficiently furnished with incouragements from what hath been already said And therefore 3. Consider how great a good your Childrens conversion will be to your selves as well as unto them Doth not the comfort of your lives depend much upon the welfare of your Children will it not highly advance your comfort to be able to live in the World as in a strange Land as Heirs your selves and as seeing your Children Joynt-heirs with you of an everlasting ingheritance in Heaven would it not be your joy to see the Kingdom of Christ upheld his Church continued and propagated by those that proceed out of your own loyns Besides converting Grace will make them useful and serviceable unto you both in temporals and spirituals See Philemon 11. Will it not doubly strengthen your weak hands and feeble knees when old age comes to have them strengthned and supported by the gracious words of your own Children And surely seeing Mothers have usually most need of comfort from their Children they should be peculiarly careful to perform their duty towards them CHAP. XI The fourth grand Question proposed The improvement that the Seed of Believers may and ought to make of their Covenant state as ratified by the Application of the Token of the Covenant opened in four particulars That great Question how long the Covenant-state of the Seed of Believers is continued to them upon their Parents account answered so far as is necessary to prevent such fears as either Parents or Children are subject to as to the forfeiture of their Covenant-state in their Child-hood Quest 4. WHat use and improvement may and ought the Seed of Believers make of the Token of the Couenant applyed to them in their Infancy as they grow up to years of Maturity Answ The use and improvement they may and ought to make of it is great and of unspeakable advantage to them To instance in some few particulars 1. They may and ought to improve it as a help to their understandings that they may better and more clearly apprehend and conceive of the means and way through and by which they have the pardon of sin peace with God and must come to the actual injoyment of Salvation which as the Seed of such Parents they were born Heirs unto which are the Blood of Christ as applyed to them for the purging away the guilt of sin and the Spirit of Christ as granted for the renovation of their natures The Sacraments or Seals of the Covenant present to the eye what the Word presents to the ear and they are for the mutual illustration the one of the other Now as this way and these means are considerable under different notions so they are shadowed and represented by different symbols or signs The Blood of Christ as purging away the guilt of sin was represented in Circumsion as to be shed but it is represented in Baptism as already shed and applyed to the party baptized The body of sin was represented in Circumcision under the notion of a superfluity to be amputed and cut off 'T is represented in Baptism under the notion of a defilement or pollution which is removed by washing But the use of the one and the other in general was and is the same namely to represent to the mind that way and
made to them yet the good contained in them redounds to and is injoyed by theirs Thus when God promiseth to be a God to Abraham's Seed aster him the promise is first made to Abraham himself though the good contained therein redound to and is injoyed by his Seed And the same is true of the Promises as continued to Believers they are firstly made to Parents Saith God concerning Abraham I know him that the will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Judgment and Justice that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him that is that which he hath promised to him Gen 18.19 Now what was it that God had spoken of or Promised to Abraham why not only that he would be a God to him as personally considered but a God to his Seed or Houshold after him and would give unto them the Land of Canaan for an everlasting Possession This twofold good of God's being a God to his Seed and giving them the Land of Canaan for an everlasting Possession though injoyed by his Seed yet was firstly promised to him with reference to and on their behasf Children stand at so little a distance from Parents that they are said to be the Parents themselves multiplyed Parents do after a sort subsist in their Children and answerably the good or evil of Children is accounted both in Scripture and according to the di ctates of Nature the good or evilof their Parents Have mercy upon me saith the Syrophenician when she came to Christ for cure for her afflicted Daughter Matth. 15.22 She accounts her Daughter's affliction her own and the Daughter's cure would be the Mother's Mercy Hence promises of good to and thâ—â—â—â—tnings of evil against Children are frequently firstly made to or denounced against the Parents themselves as a good or evil unto them So here the Promises of the Covenant respecting the Seed are particular and distinct branches of the Covenant as established with Believers themselves But 2. These Promises may be considered as made to the Seed they are not made only to their Parents but also to their Seed with them and hence Parents and Childaen are to be lookt upon as Joynt-Confederates with God Hence saith the Lord to Abraham I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy Seed after thee in their Generations Gen. 17.7 The Covenant was established with Abraham's Seed as well with Abraham himself and Seed here includes his immediate Children as well as mediate and hence again the Promise is said to be to the Children of Believers as well as to Believers themselves The Promise is to you and to your Children Acts 2.39 And Children as they grow up to years of maturity may and ougth to lay claim to the Promises as made to themselves as well as made to thier Parents on their behalf Now according to this twofold consideration of the Promises of the Covenant there is a twofold use and end of the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Seed of Believers 1. Thereby that part of the Covenant entred with Parents respecting their Seed is ratified sealed and confirmed to the Parents Hence in Gen. 17.10 saith the Lord This is my Covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and thy Seed after thee every Man-child among you shall be circumcised You in the former 〈…〉 the Verse intends both Abraham and his Seed as distinguished from his and their respective Natural Childre This is said to be the Covenant that they should keep between God and them viz. that every Man-child among them should be circumcised Hence it is evident that the Circumcision of their Male children was the Covenant to be kept by them And how was the Circumicision of their Children said to be the Covenant between God and them to be kept by them why partlyas that is in part the restipulation of the Covenant required on their part and partly as it is the Ratification and Confirmation of the Covenant made with them viz. that part of the Covenant respecting their Seed so that Circumcision of their Male children was in part their duty or a part of the restipulation to be performed by them and also a confirmation of the Promises viz. those respecting their Seed made unto them And what is here said of Circumcision is true of Baptism in as much as Circumcision is here spoken of as confidered under that general notion viz. the Token of the Covenant And what is spoken of Circumcision as confidered in that general notion is alike applicable to Baptism It succeeds Circumicsion in that notion and there is a very great aptness and fitness in the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Seed to seal and confirm unto Believers this part of the Covenant entred with them on the behalf or with respect to their Seed when God shall add to his Promises a Token to be applyed not only to Believers themselves but to their Seed that must needs have a very great aptness and fitness further to confirm and establish the Promises to them respecting their Seed And a twofold reason may be assigned of Gods ratifying and confirming to Believers this part or branch of the Covenant respecting their Seed by the Application of the Sign or Token of the Covenant to them 1. That the Sign or Token of the Covenant might be proportionable to the Covenant of which it is the Sign or Token The Covenant entred with Believers consists as I have said in two branches The first respects themselves The second their Seed Now the Sign or Token as applyed only to themselves though it is true it doth ratifie and confirm the whole Covenant yet it hath a peculiar respect to that branch respecting themselves There is nothing in the Token as applyed to themselves signifying their being blessings to their Seed and consequently that branch of the Covenant would not have been confirmed at least so expressly and clearly as was necessary for the help and advantage of their Faith by the sole Applicatin of the Token to themselves because then the Token had not been fully proportionate to the Covenant Hence that the Token might be proportionate to the Covenant and answerably more fully advantageous to the Faith of Believers God hath ordained the Application of it to the Seed as well as to the Parents themselves 2. The great addition that by these Promises of the Covenant respecting their Seed is made to the good of the Covenant seems to make such a superadditional confirmation necessary So great an addition is made to the good of the Covenant as entred with Parents by the extension of it to their Seed that the Promises might have even non-plust their Faith had not this superadditional confirmation been given Wee see how David stands even amazed as not knowing what to say when he not only reviews what God had already done for him but confiders the
their Children than others have or do take in theirs But now the Covenant as entred with Believers extending to and taking in their Children with them and that as sealed and confirmed by an outward and visible Sign or Token both to them and their Seed is a precious ground of hope to them concernign their Children and may if not wholly yet in a great measure relieve them under that sorrow and grief that other wise would arise from the consideration of their Iost states by Nature Now they may rationally rejoyce and take comfort in them as will appear more fully hereafter To have had a bare promise belonging ot their Children would have conduced greatly to their comfort and joy in them but to have the Promises confirmed and that such various ways must need s greatly surther their joy and comfort And God is willing that his People should have the full joy and comfort of the Mercies and Elessings he gives them and in particular of their Children they being to be reckoned among the choisest of those Mercies and Blessings This made Isaac and Jacob the one his own child the other his grand-child so gract comforts to Abraham viz. that he could look upon them as Heirs with him of the same Promise Could Parents only look upon their Children as children of Wrath alas what comfort or joy could they take in them But now seeing them Heirs of the same Promises with themselves and these Promises alike sealed and confirmed to them as to themselves now they may rationally rejoyce and take comfort in them and that may be one reason why God hath not only extended his Coventant but appointed the Application of the Token thereof to them that they many have solid comfort and joy in them 3. God may have appointed the Applicatio of the Token of the Covenant to the Infant-seed of his People that he might thereby lay a greater obligation upon them and more effectually provoke them to a diligent use of all those means and a vigorous performance of all those duties himself hath directed them to subservient to their Childrens embracement of the Covenant and giving themselves up to him according to the tenour thereof as they grow up to years of maturity The multiplication of the Seed of Abraham and thereby the supportation and increase of the Kingdom of Christ the reductio of faln Man from the power of sin and Satan unto himself and thereby delivering them from the Wrath to come and bringing them to eternal happiness and blessedness to the praise of his own Grace are the great ends of God both in extending the Covenant to the Seed of his People and ordaining the Application of the Token thereof unto them the attainment of all which ends is greatly subserved by the Application of the Token of the Covenant as thereby Parents become under a greater obligation to bring them up as the Apostle speaks in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This I shall the rather infist upon because the late Author whose Treatise hath been afore examined hath seen meet upon what grounds he declares not to charge our Practice of Infant-Baptism as laying a foundation to Ignorance and Profaneness though himself a little after as was there observed sufficiently insinuates or rather plainly confesseth the injustice and unreasonableness of that charge and whether our Judgment and Practice or our opposers be thore justly chargeable with that mischief shall now God willing be inquired into only premising these two things 1. First That that cannot with any shew of reason be charged upon any Practice or Doctrine as a mischief attending the one or the other which is noly consequential of some particular mistakes of particular persons owning that doctrine or walking in such a Practice Let it be granted as I shall not deny but some Paedo-Baptists have faln into and maintained such gross mistakes about the uses and ends of Baptism as have a too evident tendency to further Ignorance and Profaneness among those that profess the Christian Doctrine Yet two things may be observed 1. That they are only the mistakes of some particular men that can be justly charged to be of that tendency 2. That those mistakes respect Baptism in general and not as applyed to Infants rather then to grown persons And what an unrighteous charge that is when that is imputed to the practice of Infant-Baptism which may only possibly ensue from the mistakes of some particular men and those respecting the Baptism of Infants no more then the Baptism of grown persons is obvious to all Such Doctrines and Practices as indeed lay the strongest obligations upon men to their duty either towards God or Man may through the mistakes of some about them seem not only to countenance the neglect of that duty but be taken to give an absolute discharge from it yea to incourage to the direct contrary fins and impieties To give instances is superfluous But to charge such Doctrines or Practices with the mischief of laying a soundation to such fins and impieties against which they most strongly oblige which only through the mstakes of men about them have been improved by some to such an ill purpose is most irrational and absurd 2. It must also be premised that mens living in the neglect of their duty or in sinsand impieties lying opposite thereunto is no safe rule according to which to judge of the tendency of their avowed Judgments and Practices Thus to make the actions or carriages of some owning the Doctrine and Practice of Infant-Baptism towards their Children the rule according to which they judge of the tendency of that D ctrine and Practice is not only unsafe but altogether unreasonable 'T is possible that some that own that Doctrine and Practice may not understand how great an obligation lyes upon them thereby to the unmost care and diligence in the education of their Children And it is alike possible that others that do understand that obligation may greatly neglect that duty they know themselves obliged to And let me say I cannot but think that there are few of our opposers will be very forward to have the actions and carriages of Parents towards their Children made the Tecmerion or test of the soundness or unsoundness of their or our Judgment and Practice neither will they be willing that the controversie shall be determined by that rule It is too notorious that some have prosessedly declared their judgments to be against Catechizing and the likewayes of instructing Children in the Mysteries of the Gospel and against an authorative requiring them so much as to use and attend upon the means appointed by God for the working of Grace in the hearts of Men as well as against the Baptism of Infants And how evident a foundation is laid thereby to Ignorance and Profaneness is not difficult to apprehend neither dare any of our opposers as I suppose affirm that the generality of Anti-Paedo-Baptists go beyond the generality of
Paedo-Baptists in care and diligence in iustructing their Children or using the means subserving their conversion and taking hold of the Covenant as they grow to years of materity Let us then set aside the mistakes of some and wilful neglects of others on the one and on the other side and inquire whether the Doctrine and Practice maintained by us or by them as truly stated may be more deservedly charged with the mischief aforementioned And here two things offer themselves to our enquiry 1. Whether Paedo-Baptists or Anti-Paedo-Baptists according to their respective Judgments and Practices ly under the greater obligations and have the more effectual motives to provoke and stir them up to the diligent use of all means and faithful performance of all duties subserving their Childrens conversion and personal embracement of the Covenant as they grow up to years of maturity 2. Whether have they greater and surer ground of hope or are under a greater probability that their use of means and performance of duty shall be effectual to the ends mentioned That it is the duty of all men to endeavour the conversion of their Children and use of all means in order thereunto and that the success and efficacy of all end eavours of that nature and use of means for that end depend upon the blessing of God is at present taken for granted Our only enouiries are whether Parents of the one or the other perswafion have the stronger obligations and more effectual motives to provoke and stir them up to the use of means and performance of their duties subserving the forementioned ends and whether have the greater ground to hope for success therein and consequently whether the one or the other's use of means and performance of duty may be rationally concluded to be ordinarily more effectual and successful To begin with the 1. First Which how it ought to be refolved will easily appear by a double consideration 1. That whatever obligations Anti-Paedo-Baptists can plead or pretend themselves to ly under or whatever motives they can according to their judgment and practice rationally improve to provlke and stir up themselves to the diligent use of means and performance of their duty in order to the conversion of their Children the same obligations ly upon and the same motives may as rationally be improved by Paedo-Baptists for the provoking and stirring up themselves to alike diligent use of means and performance of their duties in order to the conversion of their Children I can at present call to mind only two things that can with any shew of reason be pretended to ly as obligations upon and be improved as Motives by Anti-Paedo-Baptists for the purposes mentioned beyond what confessedly ly upon or may be improved by Paedo-Baptists The 1. Is their professed owning and acknowledging their Children as such to have no interest in the Covenant or right to the Token thereof Now it may be said those that professedly disclaim their Childrens having an interest in the Covenant and right to the Seal thereof and answerably apprehend them to be in the same condition with the rest of Mankind who are yet strangers to the Covenants of Promise must rationally be under a stronger obligation to endeavour their conversion that so they may come regularly to an interest in both the Covenant and token thereof than those who take their Children to be already in the Covenant and answerably have applyed the Token of the Covenant to them Can a man that conveives his Children to be already in Covenant with God and hath answerably applyed the Token of the Covenant to them apprehend himself under such an obligation to instruct them and use the means for their conversion as a man must needs apprehend himself to be that utterly disclaims any present interest that they havei in it and anserably suspends the Application of the Token to them But to that I answer It is true the judgment and praactice of Auti-Pedo-Baptists lays no small obligation upon them to use their utmost endeavours after the early conversion of their Children Those that suppose their children to have no interest in or benefit by the Covenant as descended from them sure are greatly concerned to use all means the Scriptures direct them to whereby they may be brought into Covenant with God through their own personal performance of the conditions of it themselves And it is well if the men of that perswasion would seriously consider the obligations they are under and how they acquit themselves with reference thereunto But let it be observed that to endeavour the conversion of their Children and that they do personally take hold of the Covenant equally concerns Paedo-Baptists as it doth Anti-Paedo-Baptists though not with reference to one and the same end Anti-Paedo-Baptists are to endeavour the conversion of their Children and their personal imbracement of the Covenant that they may come under the benefits and blessings of it Paedo-Baptists are to endeavour the conversion of their Children and their personal imbracement of the Covenant that their Covenant-state may be continued to them and consequently that they may enjoy the blessings and benefits of the Covenant So that both are equally obliged to seek and endeavour their childrens personal imbracement of the Covenant only the one in order to their coming into the other in order to the continuance of their Covenant-state It 's true in the imagination of the late Author it is a contradiction to hold the Doctrine of Perseverance to baptize the Children of Believers as including them in the Covevenant of Grace and yet after teach them conversion to keep to his phrase But this imagination ariseth merely from ignorance about the Covenant as entred with the Seed of Believers Their Covenant-state simply and absolutely of it self infallibly secures not their Regeneration or a saving work of Grace upon their hearts during their pure Infant-state The condition of their Covenant-interest is wholly without them viz. in their Parents but as they come to years of maturity it is devolved upon themselves and there is a necessity of a saving close with Christ and sincere resignation of themselves to God in him as his on their parts in order to the continuance of their Covenant-state which that they may do their Parents are to endeavour in the use of all means God hath directed them to And the necessity hereof is an equal obligation upon Parents to use those means in order thereunto that the necessity of such a close with Christ is upon those who disclaim their present interest in the Covenant to use the means in order to that their closing in with Christ that they may be brought into Covenant with God So that I say both Paedo-Baptists and Anti-Paedo-Baptists are equally obliged to seek and endeavour the conversion of their Children or to bring them to a saving personal close with Christ though the one doth it that his Children may have an interest in the Covenant which before he apprehended
them to want the other that their Children may be continued in Covenant and answerably injoy the sull benefits and blessings of it That which so strongly obligeth Parents to endeavour their Childrens interest in the Covenant is their injoyments of the benefits and blessings of it and continuance in Covenant is of equal necessity unto that as the first admission into it is Hence the obligation in the general is one and the same on all Parents be their judgments for or against their Childrens interest in the Covenant and right to the Sign and Token of it to endeavour and answerably use all means in order to their Childrens conversion and saving close with Christ only the one doth it that his Children may have admission into the other that they may be continued in a Covenant-state 2. The other thing pleadable as a greater obligation upon and motive to Anti-Paedo-Baptists to provoke and ingage them to a diligent use and performance of all duties in order to their Childrens Faith and Repentance is their denyal of them to have as such any Membership in the Church and any right to the blessings priviledges and benefits attending the necessity of Regeneration Faith and Repentance in order to their admission thereinto and injoyment of those benefits and blessings Now it may be said sure those who are of this perswasion must needs be more strongly obliged and have more effectual motives to provoke them to endeavour the conversion of their Children than those that conveive their Children already members of the Church and answerably are already interested in those benefits and blessings To this I shall only say as before that the obligations upon and motives to the one and the other to endeavour the conversion of their Children are one and the same though the ends are different for to wave that question whether Infants are admitted into the universal or into a particular Church this is certain that the want of Faith and Repentance when grown up to years of maturity disannuls all right Coram Deo to their Membership in the Church be it universal or particular and forefeits their right to all the blessings benefits and priviledges that as admitted thereunto they had a right to and interest in Now it is a right to and injoyment of those blessings and priviledges that is the obligation and motive to Parents to endeavour the conversion of their Children Church-membership absolutely considered siguifies nothing 't is interest in and the injoyment of the aforesaid benefits blessings and priviledges that makes Church-membership a good unto men whether old or young Now I say Conversion Faith and Repentance are as necessary to the continuing an interest in and actually injoying them to those who are already Members of the Church as they are for their first admission thereinto and thereby coming to an interest in and the injoyment of them who afore were Aliens as the Apostle speaks from the Common wealth of Israel or wholly out of the Church So that the obligations upon and motives ingaging Parents to endeavour the conversion of their Children or bring them to true Faith and Repentance as they grow up to years of maturity are the same to all men whether of the one or the other perswasion But then 2. The other consideration I would offer is That there are several obligations lying upon and several motives improvable by Paedo-Baptists beyond what those of the contrary perswasion can apprehend themselves under or can be rationally improved by them to provoke them diligenly to use all means and vigorously perform all duties they are in the Scriptures directed to in order to their Childrens conversion Faith and Repentance 1. First There is that special interest and propriety that God hath in their Children God lays claim to a special propriety in the Seed of his People they are his Hence he aggravates the sin of his ancient People in offering up their children to Idols by the consideration of his own propriety in them Ezek. 16.20 and 21. Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters whom thou hast born unto me and these bast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured viz. to their Idols is this of thy whoredoms a small matter that thou hast slain my children They were theirs by Generation but his by Adoption To offer any sacrifice to Idols is exceeding bad but to offer humane sacifices is worse but to offer their children that proceed from their own bowels is yet a higher aggravation of their sin There was not only cruelty but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that even in the highest degree And yet further that which greatly aggravated their sin was that those they sacrificed were not in their own power they were God's children that they sacrificed and answerably here was the highest injustice I may call it Sacriledge a robbing God to honour their Idols But this we see God claims a peculiar interest and propriety in the Seed of his People and they are not only his as all Creatures are but they are his by special choice of them for his own use and service therefore Believers including their Seed are said to be a chosen generation I Pet. 2.9 and according to a special relation they stand in towards him they are called his servants Levit. 25.41 Now this interest and propriety that God hath in the Seed of his People is a strong obligation upon them to bring them up for God for his use and service that they may answer the relation wherein they stand towards him God gives his People children and intrusteth them with them but it is to bring them up for him Hence to neglect the holy education of Children is not only to transgress a command but to be unfaithful in a trust which aggravates the sin A trust lays a peculiar obligation upon men to be faithful in it It is required in Stewards that a man be found faithful saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.2 when a man hath intrusted his child with another to be educated and instructed by him in any Art or Science he expects faithfulness in him and the very consideration of the child's being intrusted with him for such an end or purpose would strongly oblige him thereunto Thus the Seed of Believers are God's he claims propriety in them and intrusts them with Parents to be brought up for himself and both Justice and Faithfulness requires that they do bring them up accordingly The Apostle improves it as an argument to ingage Believers to glorifie God both with soul and body because both are his 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Now as they are to glorify God both with foul and body so they are to endeavour after such a fitness and disposition of both that they may be more apt and meet to glorifie him with both So their Children being the Lord's they ought to endeavour after their fitness and meetness for his use and service and answerably to educate and bring them up And that interest and
is viz. that it lays a foundation to Ignorance and Profaneness and how much more justly that charge may be laid upon the contrary judgment and practice We see Paedo-Baptists are under vastly greater obligations to a diligent use of means and performance of duty in order to the conversion of their Children and their personal imbracement of the Covenant than the contrary-minded can according to their judgment look upon themselves as under and have vastly more ground to expect that their use of means and performance of duty shall be successful than they have But let that suffice for the reasons of Gods appointing the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Infant-seed of his People as they respect the Parents to whose Seed that Application is to be made 3. The reasons respecting the Children themselves to whom the Token of the Covenant is to be applyed and thus the great reason is their good benefit and advantage But that brings me to the second grand enquiry From what hath been said we may evidently see that the rationality of this Institution is not only secured to us by the infinit wisdom of God instituting but sufficient reason for it lyes obvious to all serious considerate minds CHAP. III. The second Question proposed A brief Introduction to the Answer of it The first benefit that the Seed of Believers receive by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them declared viz. They have thereby a solemn admission into and Membership in the visible Church Kingdom or Family of Christ An Objection answered The good redounding to them by that their admission and Membership shewed in two Instances 1. They are comprehended in and have an equal benefit with the rest of the Members of the Church by all these prayers put up for the Church in general 2. They are under that special providential care that Christ exerciseth over his Church 3. Questions relating thereunto resolved Quest 2. WHat are the Benefits and advantages arising to the Infant-feed of Believers from the Application of the Tokens of the Covenant to them or what good do they receive thereby Answ That all Ordinances of Divine Original are a signification and signal expression of the good will of God unto men and consequently aim at and tend to the good and benefit of those that are the due and proper subjects of them hath been intimated already and may be alike infallibly concluded from the goodness as their rationality from the wisdom of the Institutor As for that special Ordinance under our present consideration the Apostles answer to much the same question put with respect to Circumcision is applicable to and may be given as a more general solution of the question now put respective to both Circumcision and Baptism as applyed to Infants the advantage they have thereby is much and that every way What that good and advantage is and wherein it doth consist is now to be inquired into and in general or as to the sum and substance of it it 's threefold 1. First They thereby are solemnly admitted into and incorporated in the visible Church Kingdom or Family of Christ and thereupon become to use the Aposltes phrase Fellow-citizens of the Saints and of the Houshold of God That Baptism now is as Circumcision of old was a solemn right for the initiation and admission of all those that are rightful Subjects of it into the visible Church or body of Christ is agreed on on all hands which that the Infants we now speak of are hath been already proved and is now taken for granted which being granted that they have this good and benefit by it will receive a ready acknowledgment from all and indeed that to have a Membership in the Church or to be Fellow-citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God is a good or advantage unto men cannot be rationally questioned by any though wherein the good and advantage of it in the case of Infants does consist is not obvious unto all And therefore must now be more throughly searched into and declared But before I proceed to that one objection must be removed out of our way which seems in the judgment of some strongly to oppose Infants injoyment of that priviledge and consequently their right to that Ordinance appointed for the solemn admission of men into it And it is this Object It may be said that it may seem that Infants as such cannot rightfully be admitted into or incorporated in the visible Church or body of Christ or be of his Houshold and Family as visible and that for this reason Because membership in the visible Church Body or Kingdom of Christ does presuppose membership in his invisible Body seeing to be a member of his visible Body is nothing else but visibly to appear to be a real member of his invisible Body that distinction of visible and invisible not being distinctio rei sed tantum nominis only a distinction of one and the same Church à duplici modo unionis communionis cum Christo capite still interno externo so that the Church by these terms of visible and invisible is only distinguished of in regard of a certain adjunct viz. The manner or kind of union and communion that the several members it is constituted of have with Christ the head viz. internal and real or only external or appearing Hence all that are or ought to be received as members of the visible Church they are and ought to be such as visibly appear to have real internal Union and Communion with Christ Now it will be said that Infants as such seem incapable of any such Union and Communion with him or suppose them simply or absolutly capable yet whether any actually have especially which of them in particular have such a Union and Communion with Chist is wholly unknown to us and then how can they be said visibly to appear members of the invisible Body of Christ which they must do in case they have a right to membership in his visible Body Answ In answer to this Objection I would say these three or four things 1. First That the difficulty of resolving some doubts that may arise with reference to persons right to or injoyment of Gospel-priviledges ought not to be pleased for the overthrowing or disanulling their right to them when God hath evidently declared them in his Word to have such a right to or to have had by his own approbation the actual possession and injoyment of them God may have plainly revealed their right and yet more darkly revealed many things relating to that their right Instances would not be wanting would I insist upon them of Gospel-priviledges that the Scriptures evidently declare persons so and so qualified to have a real right to and to have the actual possession and injoyment of and yet doubts of no easie resolution may be raised with reference to their right to them and the way and manner of their coming
facilitate their reception of all higher Truths and Doctrines revealed in the Scriptures 2. They are to teach and instruct them in the way of God's dealing with Man as his Creature that it always hath been and still is according to some Covenant wherein he promises somewhat of Good unto Men upon condition of their performing that duty himself hath prescribed and injoyned having always annexed rewards and punishments to the performance or non-performance of that duty For Parents to instruct their Children and make them apprehensive and sensible that this always hath been and still is the way of God's dealing with Men will greatly conduce to their more ready entertainment of what shall be shewed them concerning the several Covenants God hath made with Men and their states conditions and duties as interested in the one or the other Covenant that God hath made with Man 3. They are to teach and instruct them in and about the Covenant of Nature or the Law of Works established with Man at his first Creation and here they are to instruct them in that happy estate Man was in as under that Covenant how happy he should have been had he performed the conditions of it what penalty was annexed to the transgression of that Law how that Covenant was broken by Adam the first Parent of Mankind how far all his posterity are concerned in that breach what the penalty is that all Mankind as born into the World are under and farther subject to as involved in that breach how the guilt of Adam's sin redounds to them how their Natures are corruped and depraved how that corruption and depravation of their Natures flows from that first breach of that Covenant how they are Children of Wrath as under that guilt and as having their Natures so vitiated and depraved 4. They are to instruct them in and about the Covenant of Grace as established in the Sacrifice Death and Sufferings of a Mediator and here they are to instruct them in the Person Offices and Works of this Mediator what are the terms and conditions of this Covenant how far themselves are interested in it as the Seed of believing Parents what Good they have already granted to them by it upon what terms that Good was granted and hath been hitherto continued to them what is now required of them to the preservation of their Covenant-state 5. They are to teach and instruct them in the uses and ends of their Baptism * Doctrinam Baptismi teneant Baptizati Hild. what is signified by it how the Covenant they are received into is sealed and confirmed by it what assurance they have thereby of injoying all the Good Benefits and Blessings promised unless they forfeit them by the non-performance of that duty God requires on their parts what incouragements they have to perform that duty what obligations ly upon them to take hold of the Covenant and give up themselves to God what their sin and misery will be in case they do it not how happy they shall be in case they do it Thus the Lord commands the People of Israel to instruct their Children in the use and ends of the Passover and the same they were doubtless to do in respect of Circumcision and other Sacramental sings in use among them Exod. 12.26 27. And it shall come to pass when your Children say unto you What mean you by this service then ye shall say It is the Sacrifice of the Lord 's Passover who passed over the houses of the Children of Israel when he smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses And here we may observe the usefulness of bringing Children to the administration of Baptism to others it may occasion their enquiry after the meaning of that Ordinance but however whether they enquire or no it is the duty of Parents to let them behold the administration of it and thereupon take occasion to instruct them in the uses and ends of it But 2. For the Use and Application of all due and apt means conducing to their imbracing acting and practising according to these instructions given them And thus 1. They are to keep them as much as may be from any notice or knowledge of any Objects Principles or Doctrines as also from any such notions or apprehensions of and about earthly things as by means whereof they may be obstructed and prejudiced in their closing in with God in Christ imbracing the Covenant and giving themselves up to God according to the terms of it Preserve their minds and affections as much as may be from anticipations or pre-ingagements by means of which their imbracing acting and practising according to what they are taught would be prejudiced Thus suppose Believers to have their lot cast in places where some false God is worshipped their duty would be to keep their Children from any notice of such a God so where corrupt Principles and Doctrines whether relating to worship or manners are preached or maintained it is the duty of Parents what in them lyes to keep their Children from any knowledge of them lest their minds and judgments should be infected with them So to keep them from the sight of such things as have a tendency to vitiate their minds and excite the corruptions of their hearts For this reason Aristotle tells us a Law-giver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. lest the minds of youth should be vitiated and they should first learn to speak filthily and then to act filthily So again to keep them from any such notions or apprehensions of and about earthly things as tend to ingage their affections to them Parents are not a little prejudicial to their Children to appland their bravery on the account of fine clothes and the like so by insinuating the worth and excellency of Mony Estates Honours and the like they should rather endeavour to convince them of the nothingness insignificancy and vanity of these things When Childrens minds are prepossessed with notions and apprehensions of a worth and excellency in such things their desires run out after them and they begin to promise to themselves a kind of felicity in them whence they soon ingage in a pursuance of them to the neglect of Christ and that inheritance above they are born Heirs unto 2. Frequent repetitions and inculcations of the same things greatly conduce to the ends mentioned Children as they receive but little at a time so they need frequent repetitions and inculacations of the same things their understandings are weak their memories slippery and what impressions may be made upon their hearts and affections soon wear off again hence the same things must be often repeated and inculcated upon them Indeed repetitions and inculcations of the same things are useful to the Adult To write the same things to you saith the Apostle to the Philippians to me indeed is not grievous but for you it is safe Phil. 3.1 Men it is true are desighted in variety and in the newness of things proposed but saith the Apostle