Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	circumcision_n	righteousness_n	seal_n	13,716	5	9.8320	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28341	The birth-priviledge, or, Covenant-holinesse of beleevers and their issue in the time of the Gospel together with the right of infants to baptisme / by Thomas Blake ...	Blake, Thomas, 1597?-1657.	1644 (1644)	Wing B3142; ESTC R12167	41,905	40

Priviledge that they transmit a Covenant-Holinesse to their Issue even to their whole posterity Neither is it to purpose to object Object that contradictions here are joyned to produce one and the same effect An holy and unholy person to bring forth holy Issue This was the doubt which the Corinthians objected Answ and the Apostle solves seeing the unbeleever whether husband or wife is sanctified so that they joyntly make one Root for to bring forth an holy branch And thus it was though the contrary be objected in the time of the Law Object Answ one parent being within the Covenant the childe was circumcised And therefore Paul circumcising Timothy whose father was a Greeke the reason given is that his Mother was a Iewesse Acts 16.1 And the Example of putting away of those that were borne of strange wives from Ezra 10. is strangely by some here objected seeing the wives themselves were there put away and here the Apostle they know orders otherwise If they see that St Pauls rule accords not in the one how is there a necessity that it should accord in the other Something there was in that Example speciall and extraordinary as there was in Mordecai's not bowing the knee to Haman whether it were that now they were anew as it were to forme their Church upon their return from Babylon and were not willing to admit such a mixture especially so many offending as to make a considerable partie or whether the Nations with whom they had joyned themselves were of those particularly forbidden them Deut. 7. or under any speciall curse as Amalek was which some conceive was the reason that Mordecai refused to give that honour to Haman an Amalekite Certain it is that it agrees not with other presidents we have examples of Marriages not a few with Heathens which though it was their sin yet there is no sentence of nullitie passed nor were the wives or Issue rejected And the Corinthians case was yet fairer their Marriage was without sin seeing they had not elsewhere to joyne themselves in marriage being then both parties heathens and one partie being converted the marriage by the Apostles sentence still holds and the Issue to be reckoned with the beleeving parent Neither is here that which is proper to regeneration Object given as some object to naturall generation 1. It was so with the Iewes as is confessed Answ they had this Birth-priviledge of Covenant-Holinsse and yet that which was proper to Regeneration was not then given to naturall generation either of both births have from God and among the people of God their proper right 2. The Holinesse which we here maintaine is no fruit of Nature so it could not have been proper to the Iew but common to the Gentile but from the Covenant of free grace to all in the faith and their seed Regeneration workes gration qualifications 1 Iohn 5.4 This birth-right only entitles to outward priviledges Regeneration therefore is not at all here wronged nor naturall generation over-highly advanced let those that frame the objection take heed lest themselves run upon this Rock denying all corruption of nature or birth-sin they make Regeneration of no use If all were right in the first birth there needed not another to follow as the Apostle speakes of Covenants Heb. 8.7 so I may say of births If the first had been faultlesse there should no place have been sought for the second Hence it necessarily followes by way of Consectary Consectary that the infants of Christian parents are debarred of their right if they be not in infancie tendered and admitted unto the Ordinance of Baptisme Of Infants Baptisme by necessary inference They are God's and we must render them to God Christ hath interest in them they must therefore be dedicated to him They are of the number of those that are holy and therefore they are to be received and inrolled in the number Baptisme is a distinguishing note between the people of God and those who are strangers from him They are His and they must therefore be thus distinguished The force of this consequence the adversaries doe no lesse then acknowledge forcing the Scriptures which evidently evince this Covenant-Holinesse unto strained interpretations on purpose to avoid it Upon this ground infants under the law were circumcised and upon the same infants now are to be baptized so that it is not barely the Analogy betweene Circumcision and Baptisme by which we inforce the baptisme of infants but the grounds of both Circumcision and Baptisme What is objected against one concludes against both Col. 1.11 12. Circumcision and Baptisme are therefore by the Apostle promiscuously taken there being the same principall and maine end of both What can Baptisme signe and seale but the righteousnesse of faith This circumcision did signe and seale to Abraham and his posteritie Rom. 4.11 Reade that which the Apostle observes of Abrahams circumcision and compare it with the history of the Eunuches Baptisme and see where you can finde them differ Faith was reckoned unto Abraham for righteousnesse How was it reckoned saith the Apostle in circumcision or in uncircumcision Rom. 4 9 10 11 not in circumcision but in uncircum-saith which he had yet being uncircumcised The Eunuch on his journey with Philip comming to a certain water saith See here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized Act. 8.36 37 38. And Philip said If thou beleevest with all thine heart thou maist And he answered and said I beleeve that Iesus Christ is the Son of God And he commanded the chariot to stand still and they went down both into the water and he baptized him May we not make the same observation of this Baptisme as the Apostle doth on Abrahams circumcision He received the signe of Baptisme a seale of the righteousnesse of the faith which he had being yet unbaptized So that the main end and use is the same in both All appertaining to this faith were circumcised and their seed All appertaining to this faith are to be baptized and their seed Strengthened by Scriptures Hence it is that St Peter on this ground of the Promise made to beleevers and their seed encourages his Converts unto Baptisme Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes and ye shall receive the holy Ghost Acts 2.38 39. for the promise is made to you and your children and to all that are afarre off even as many as the Lord your God shall call Whence I reason in the same latitude as the promise is laid downe the encouragement is also urged to receive the signe and seale of it But the promise is laid downe in that latitude to comprehend Converts and their seed Converts therefore and their seed are to be baptized Can there be any reason given why the seed should be mentioned in the Motive or Encouragement to receive Baptisme Acts 16.15 if

Baptisme we know the answer that he had If thou beleevest with all thine heart thou maist And Calvinists denying actuall faith to be found in Infants their Adversaries the Lutherans come in with their argument ad hominem making against us say they though not against the thing it selfe Every Sacrament without faith in him that uses it is a vaine Ceremony But the Baptisme of Infants is a Sacrament without the faith of him that useth it A speech directed to a man of yeares and without any title to the Covenant other then his actuall faith did confer upon him is ill applyed to Infants within Covenant that otherwise have title to it Answ 1. This exception carries equall strength against Infants circumcision Answ 2. There is no more faith in the Infauts of Iewes then there is in the Infants of Christians And faith is no lesse necessary in the circumcised then in the baptized There was an equall necessity of the ingrediency of faith in every one in that age as in this yea in the ages more ancient then that of circumcision as appeares by the Apostles argument Heb. 11.6 Their capacity to receive the signe answers their capacity to receive the thing signified they are passive in the receiving of Christ and any interest in him and so also they are and circumcised Infants were in taking the signe And so the Lutheran proposition being understood of any thing wherein we are active is a truth but applied to Infants uncapable of action in the Sacrament where they are only passive it is to be denied If Infants have the like gift intitling to and interesting in the priviledge of baptisme with beleevers then they withstand God who deny their baptisme This is the Apostles argument brought for his own defence Acts 11.17 which I wish were more seriously considered And let it not be objected that the gift there specified is a gift extraordinary peculiar to those times It is enough to make the argument of force that it is alike in them with that which now intitles growne beleevers Now the want of those gifts extraordinary doth not disable grown beleevers The want of these doth not then disable Infants And that they have the like gift intitling to and interesting in the Sacrament of baptisme is plaine A Covenant-holinesse unquestionable Inherent qualitative holinesse hopefull is a like gift to that which growne beleevers are able to produce But Infants have Covenant-holinesse unquestionable inherent qualitative holinesse hopefull A beleever by the profession of his faith is able to make good his title to the outward Covenant and so can the beleeving parent the title of his Infant A beleever can make good such a title to the inward Covenant that none can say thou hast no part or portion in this thing And because it cannot be denied though absolutely and infallibly it be not affirmed it is to be presumed This a beleeving parent can make good in the behalfe of his Infant and this is sufficient this is a like But it will yet be said Object An institution is wanting we have no precept we have no president of the baptizing of Infants The institution is Goe teach all nations Mar. 28.19 baptizing them c. We must baptize those whom by teaching we have discipled to the word signifieth I answer First That which hath beene said doth conclude that they are within the verge of an institution being such that have so full title I have heard one of the most learned and reverend that ever I knew or heard of that was of that way more then once professe with no small solemnity that if he knew an Infant to be sanctified as he acknowledged John Baptist was such a one he would baptize And that the particular infants whom Christ was seene for to blesse might have beene baptized Those then that are thus intitled through want of an institution are not to be excluded and how farre and fully Infants of beleeving parents are intitled we have heard 2. The place quoted hath not in it the Institution of that Sacrament Baptisme was appointed of God before those words were uttered He that spoke them was himselfe before baptized Mat 3.16 Ioh 4.6 Mat. 10.5 They to whom they were spoken had baptized others It is only an enlargement of their Commission for the exercise of their Ministery being before confined unto one Nation now it is enlarged to all Nations 3. The words there comprize infants they are no more excluded then men of yeares serving to make up a Nation as well as parents The Infants of Niniveh did make a considerable party of the City of Niniveh The Infants of any Nation make up a part of the Nation and the Nation where they came was to be discipled And that Infants are here comprehended further appeares by this argument * This argument hath strength frō that of the Apostle Act. 3.25 As it was with the kindred of Abraham in respect of covenant holinesse so it is with all kindreds of the earth they iointly make one party in the Covenant But infants of Abrahams kindred were in the Covenant and of the nation in respect of Covenant-Blessednesse Ergo c. In the same sense and latitude as Nation was taken in respect of the Covenant of God when the Covenant and Covenant-initiating-Sacrament was restrained to that one only Nation where their Commission was first limited In the same sense it is to be taken unlesse the text expresse the contrary now the Commission is enlarged This cannot be denied of any that will have the Apostles to be able to know Christs meaning by his words in this enlarged Commission But Nation then as is confessed did comprehend all in the Nation in respect of the Covenant and nothing is expressed in the text to the contrary therefore it is to be taken in that latitude to comprehend Infants Object Will it be said that an exception of Infants is implied in that all of the Nation must be discipled before they be baptized but Infants are not capable of being discipled and so they are made uncapable of Baptisme I answer 1. Here is rather implyed that they are of capacitie to be Disciples Answ 1. in that Christ sends to disciple Nations and they serve to make up the nation 2. It is the way of the Scripture Answ 2. speaking of an universality of a people in a land expressely to except infants in case they be to be excepted As we see in the judgement that befell Israel in the wildernesse to the cutting off of those that came out of the land of Egypt Numb 14.31 And in the Covenant entred by the body of the Nation of all degrees and sexes at their returne from Babylon Nehem. 10.28 and an exception could be no where more usefull and necessary then here to let us know that it is otherwise with Gentiles in this particular then it was with the Iewes that the Nations