Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
faith_n	covenant_n	seal_n	seal_v	4,393	5	10.3434	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31663	An impartial account of the Portsmouth disputation with some just reflections on Dr. Russel's pretended narrative : with an abrigdment of those discourses that were the innocent occasion of that disputation / by Samuel Chandler, William Leigh, Benjamin Robinson.	Chandler, Samuel.; Leigh, William.; Robinson, Benjamin, 1666-1724.	1699 (1699)	Wing C1933; ESTC R24745	96,620	125

have more Reason to hope the promises will be made good to them than others The vein of Election frequently runs in the Channel of Believing Parents and their seed 5. They are put into a new Covenant Relation As Abraham receiv'd the sign of Circumcision as a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith to himself and seed Rom. 4.11 So this ordinance of Baptism shall be a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith to Believers and their seed 6. If they dye during their Infant State they shall be saved Our Saviour useth this Argument for the proof of the Resurrection I am the God of Abraham Mat. 22.32 Now for God to be the God of any is to distinguish them from others by his rewards he did not do thus for Abraham and his Family in this World therefore there is another Heb. 11.16 Now when God is said to be a God to Believers and their seed the meaning is he will be a rewarder of them therefore if they dy in their Infant State they have a promise to rely on that God will receive them to Salvation Whereas others must leave their Children to the unfathomable depths of Divine Mercy as they do the Heathen World 3. The Practical uses of Infant Baptism beyond that of Years This I do the rather to take off the Common Objection that Infant Baptism is an useless Ordinance 1. By Baptizing our Infants we practically own our Original Pollution Those Baptiz'd at R●per Years own themselves Sinners by Practice but do not necessarily own that there is a Fountain of Sin within But when we offer our Children to be Baptiz'd we acknowledg that we have been Instruments of conveying polluted Natures to our Infants and that they need washing by the Blood and Spirit of Christ. Thus the Prophet sets forth our sinful State by the Pollutions of a new born Infant Ezek. 16.4 2. Hereby we practically acknowledg the Necessity of Gods free Grace in order to our recovery As an Infant cannot contribute to his Baptism but is purely passive So we can contribute nothing by any Work or Merit of our own towards obtaining the Grace of God and Regenerating Influences of his Spirit It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth Mercy Rom. 9.16 3. Hereby we practically own Christs universal Headship that he is Lord of all of all Ages Sexes and Conditions Those that deny their Children to be in Covenant with God hereby deny them to be Visible Members of Christ And thus rob him of a great part of his Subjects and indeed rob themselves of that comfort they might enjoy they look upon their Infants as in the same case and State with the Heathen World If Christ save them it is by a Prerogative of Mercy and not as his Members or Covenant Children but for this cause Christ both Died ●●d Rose and reviv'd that he might be the Lord of the Dead and Living Rom. 14.9 and as Christ whilst an Infant himself was head of the Church so he is pleas'd to admit of Infant Members in Covenant with him 4. Infant Baptism lays stronger Obligations on Parents to train up their Children for God Certainly t is a mighty Obligation on a Parent to consider 1. I have Solemnly devoted my Child to God Solemnly promis'd before the Minister and in the Face of a great Congregation that I will Endeavour by hearty Prayers Serious Instructions and a Religious Example to train up my Child for God the vows of the Lord are upon me and I shall add perjury to the rest of my Sins if I Neglect them The Prophet makes it a great Agravation of the Israelites Sin that they had taken their Sons and Daughters that they had Born unto God and Sacrafic'd them to Idols Ezek. 16.21 and it follows Thou hast slain my Children God calls them his Children as born in his Family and Solemnly devoted to him So the sin of Christians will be highly aggravated if they bring up their Children for the destroyer and Neglect those Parental Instructions they have oblig'd themselves to 5. Infant Baptism Engages Children to acquaint themselves with the Terms and Tenour of the Covenant When Children are told by their Parents how Solemnly they were enter'd into Covenant with God this engages them to enquire betimes what they are by Nature what they may be by Grace and to understand all the Principles of Religion in order to that end 6. Infant Baptism Engages us against Sin Betimes We are prepossess'd with a happy Prejudice against Sin in our Early Years and this is a great advantage When Hannibal was but 9 years Old his Father made him la● his hand upon the Altar and Swear that he would be an Irreconcilable Enemy to the Romans And this was the Reason he would never admit of any Peace with them My Friends we were Engaged for God against Sin and the Devil as our Irreconcilable Enemies not at 9 Years Old but in our Infant State and this obliges us to maintain a constant Enmity against them for ever 7. Infant Baptism is a great Encouragement for Faith in Prayer with Respect to our Children Those that have dedicated their Children to God in Baptism may pray to God with larger Measures of Faith and Hope than such as have Neglected this Duty They may say Lord I have resign'd them up unto thee Brought them to thine Authoriz'd Representative to be listed into thy Family consented for them to the claims of thy Covenant and the token of thy Covenant hath been apply'd to them let the Promises of thy Covenant be made good to them They are call'd by thy Name do thou receive them They are Visible Members of thy Church Oh give them the Favours that belong to thy Children A Visible Relation to God is a good Encouragement for Faith in Prayer We are call'd by thy Name Thou bearest not Rule over them Ier. 14.9 Those that have not thus dedicated their Children to God can only say Lord be Merciful to them tho' they are not call'd by thy Name and make them thine But we have a better Plea and can say Lord they are call'd by thy Name 8. Infant Baptism adds to the Parents comfort They may comfortably hope as to their living seed that if they are Faithful in training them up for God he will according to his promise Is. 44.3 pour out his Spirit and Blessing upon them and as to those that die in an Infant State they have Reason to Believe and hope that they are happy because God hath promis'd to be a God to them and to their seed Whereas those that Neglect this ordinance have no more Reason to hope for the Salvation of their Infants than the Heathens must only leave them to the unfathomable depths of Gods Goodness having no promise to rely upon 4. I shall answer some Principal Objections against this Truth 1. There is no Precept nor Example for Infant Baptism in all the New Testament This is

then Incourages them to hope they should again be receiv'd into Favour with God And says he the promise will be made good not only to you but to your Children too And to the Gentile World also Even to as many as the Lord our God shall call Thence I argue 1. This promise was the great promise to Abraham Some pretend it is only that promise in Ioel 2.8 Gods giving extraordinary gifts of the Spirit That their Sons and Daughters should Prophecy But this cannot be because that promise was not fullfill'd to all afar off Have all the Gifts of Tongues Do all Prophecy The promise signifys the great promise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Abraham I will be a God to thee and to thy seed Gen. 17.17 Therefore this is call'd the promise Gal. 3.14 That the blessing ' of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles thro' Iesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit thro' Faith The Blessing of Abraham That great Blessing that God would be a God to him and his seed Now if this great Blessing come to the Gentiles Then they and their seed ought to receive the token of the Covenant the Children of the promise ought to have the Seal affixed to it 2. The Apostle useth these words to comfort the Iews that had Imprecated Divine Vengeance on themselves and their Children Infants as well as others a curse that lies on the unbelieving Iews to this day His blood be upon us and our Children no doubt but many of those that were prick'd at the heart at Peters Sermon joyn'd with the rabble in that Loud cry Crucifie him Crucifie him and were concern'd not only for themselves but their Children too therefore the Apostle uses this Argument if you penitently return to God by faith in Christ the curse shall be taken off from you and your Children you and yours shall be admitted again and not only so but those that are afar off the Gentile World when call'd 3. If the words were to be restrain'd only to those that believe and repent themselves and concern not their Infants this would be an Argument to perswade the Iews to continue in the Synagogue still rather than to come into the Christian Church While Synagogue worship stood before Christs coming God had promis'd happy Priviledges to themselves and Children but now if afterwards their Children must be cast off and look'd on as no other than Heathens and strangers to the Covenants of promise this would incline them rather to continue in the Synagogue than enter into the Christian Church A Third Scripture is in Rom. 11.15 25. In those verses these following things are containd 1. The Apostle speaks of breaking off from and grasfing into the Visible Church that the Unbelieving Iews were broken off from that Visible Church to which they were related before by their positive unbelief and rejecting Christ and that the Gentile Believers were graff'd in and so partook of those Priviledges from which the Gentiles were broken off 2. Some only were broken off the rest that Believ'd injoy'd the same Priviledges they did before v. 17 th Now this was a great Priviledg that God would be a God to them and to their seed Therefore they still injoy'd the same 3. What Priviledges the Iews left the whole body shall be restor'd to when the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in v. 25. therefore their Infants shall be restor'd to the same Priviledges th● injoy'd before 4. The Believing Gentiles are admitted to the Priviledges the Iews injoy'd before gra●fed into the same Olive-Tree v. 24. S●eing Iewish infants w●re interested in the Church and Covenant of God the Inf●●ts of Believing Gentiles are also in Covenant and consequently ought to have Baptism the Seal applyed to them 4. A Fourth Scripture is in 1 Cor. 7.14 Else were your Children unclean but now are they holy Hence I argue If the Children of Believers are holy then this ordinance ought to be Administer'd to them The only difficulty here is to understand what is meant by holiness in this place 1. Internal Holiness cannot be ascrib'd to all the Infants of believers Because we find by sad experience that many of them shamefully Apostatize from God and thereby plainly shew the Seed of Grace was never in them 1 Iohn 3.9 2. Neither can it be understood of bare Legitimacy as our mistaken brethren pretend For 1. The Word is never us'd in this sense in all the Scripture 2. The Children of Heathens if begotten in Lawful Wedlock are Legitimate as well as of Believers therefore this can be no distinguishing mark as in this place 3. The Apostle's Argument would be weak and unconcluding if he should only prove that they were Lawful Man and Wife because their Children were Lawfully begotten The Question propos'd to the Apostle was this Supposing a believing Wife Marry'd to an unbeliever or e contra whether the believer should dwell with the unbeliever or part one from another The Apostle Answers If the unbeliever be willing to abide let them do so For the unbelieving Wife is sanctified by the Husband and else were ●our Children unclean but now are they Holy Because one Parent is a believer therefore their Children are peculiarly related to God and in Covenant with him Now if bare Legitimacy were intended then the Argument would run thus You have no Reason to question whether you are Man and Wife because your Children are Lawfully begotten Can any believe any could question the one and yet grant the other 4. This would not answer the Corinthians Scruple They did not question whether co-habiting with Unbelievers expos'd them to Fornication but whether it would expose them to Irreligion or at least great Temptations Now says the Apostle How Knowest thou O Man but thou may'st save thy Wife However your Children are holy because one is a believer 3. By holiness is meant Relative or Federal Holiness That the Children of Believers are Separated to God enter'd into a new Relation to him by vertue of his Covenant Thus the Israelites are said to be a holy People because Separated to God as his peculiar Treasure Deut. 14.2.26.19 the Infants of Believing Parents are thus holy as related to God and enjoying distinguishing marks of Favour therefore ought to have this distinguishing ordinance apply'd to them 2. What Priviledges are the Infants of Believers Invested in by Baptism 1. They are solemnly admitted into the Visible Church no longer strangers to the Covenants of Promise but more nearly related to God than the Infants of Heathens 2. Peculiarly interested in the Churches Prayers we are bound indeed to pray for all Men but more peculiarly for the Church of God Gal 6.16 3. Have a Title to Gods peculiar care God gives his Angels a charge over them Mat. 18.10 4. They stand nearer to and are the more especial Objects of the promises of Grace Is. 44.3.59 Infants are call'd by Gods Name therefore tho' Gods Grace is free yet we

Parents faith As the Infants of Believing Iews so are the Infants of Christians nor is this at all unreasonable For as Infants contract Guilt from their Parents why may they not also partake of Mercy on account of their Parents except God be more inclin'd to Acts of Justice than Mercy As many were heal'd of their Bodily diseases by the faith of their Parents Math. 15.28 So why may they not be admitted into Gods Church on the same account As the Iewish Infants Covenanted with God in and by their Parents Deut. 29.11.12 So why may not Christian Infants Covenant in and by them As Children are said to come to Christ being brought in the Arms of their Nurses or Parents Luk. 18.15.16 So why may they not be said Spiritually to come to Christ in the Arms of their Parents Faith As Parents enter their Childrens Names in Leases and Covenants and the Children are oblig'd to stand to these Covenants and do Injoy these Priviledges when they come to Years So why may they not enter their Childrens Names into the Covenant and Church of God tho' at present they are uncapable of Personally Engaging themselves 2. Infants are oblig'd to these duties as soon as they are capable and their Early Engagements in Baptism lay the more strong and forcible Obligation upon them to do so If afterwards they revolt from God their Sin will be more highly aggravated as adding Perjury and Apostacy to the rest of their Sins and this may be one Reason why sometimes the Children of Believers are worse than others because they Sin against greater Light and Love and stronger Engagements than other men and therefore justly provoke the Holy Spirit to forsake them The Levites of a Month Old are said to keep the charge of the Sanctuary because they were devoted to this Office and bound to it when capable Num. 3.28 So the Infants of Believers are devoted to the Service of God And bound to Believe repent confess their Sins and gladly receive the word as soon as capable 3. These Texts therefore only shew what was requir'd of grown Persons when Baptism was first appointed in the Christian Church Those Persons were either Iews or Heathens before and therefore must Renounce their former Errors and profess the Christian Faith but this is no Prejudice against Infants who are to be admitted with them As when Abraham was Circumciz'd he first Believ'd in God and Submitted to this Ordinance but afterwards the Infants of the Iews were Circumciz'd in their Infant State● So if we were to Preach to the Indians we must first perswade them to Believe and Repent before Baptism but when once they had Believ'd their Infants would have the same right with themselves 4. As to Mar. 16.16 because many are apt to insist on the order of the words and argue that Faith is put before Baptism and therefore ought to preceed it I Answer The order of the words is not always to be exactly regarded For confessing ●f Sin is put after Baptism● Matth. 3.6 Besides this would condemn all Infants for if because they cannot Believe they ought not to be Baptiz'd then for the same Reason they must all be damn'd 'T is not positively said he that is not Baptiz'd shall be damn'd Baptism is not of Absolute Necessity to Salvation But it is positively said he that Believeth not sh●ll be damn'd If the latter part of this verse be Interpreted of Grown Persons so also must the● former As for Grown Persons Faith must go before Baptism But it doth not follow that Infants are hence excluded from Baptism no more than from Salvation Our Saviour doth therefore here only give a general direction to his Apostles to Preach the Gospel to every Creature and admit the Gentiles to the same Priviledges with the Iews and shews them the Issue of the Execution of their Commission that those Iews or Heathens that would renounce their former Idolatry and be●●eving y submit to the Ordinance as a Solemn Entrance into the Church should be saved bu● those that wilfully persisted in unbelief shou'd be damn'd So that this is no Preju●ice to Infants who are still in Covenant with God thro their Parents Faith and were never cast out I proceed to the 2d General Question After what manner the outward Element in Baptism ought to be apply'd whether by dipping or plunging the whole Body under Water or whether pouring Water on the Face be not sufficient To which I Answer 1. It is not Absolutely Necessary that this Ordinance should be administred by dipping or plunging the whole Body under the Water There are many mistaken Brethren lay too great a stress on this but it proceeds from their ignorance of the Scriptures 1. The Holy Ghost never uses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which most frequently fignifys to dip but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now why should the Holy Ghost consecrate a new World for this Ordinance if dipping had been the only way of administring it Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is always us'd where dipping is signify'd Mat. 26.23 Ioh. 13.26 He that dippeth with me in the dish Luk 16.24 dip his finger Rev. 19.13 with Garments dip'd in Blood 2. The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is us'd in a differing sense in Scripture Thus you read Mar. 7.4 The Pharisees eat not except they wash oft Now the way of washing among the Iews was this a Servant was ready to p●ur water on his Masters hands hence Elisha is thus describ'd 2 Kings 3.11 Here is Elisha that pour'd Water on the hands of his Master Eli●ah So we read of washing of cups and pots Brasen Vessels and Tables or Beds Mar. 7.4 the Greek word is Baptizo Surely they did not carry them out to a River and dip them there but pour'd water on them and so made them clean Again Heb. 9.10 we read of divers washings Baptisms in the Greek Now what were these Baptisms but v. 13.21 Moses's Sprinkling the Book and all the People with the Blood of Calves and Goats and Water So that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signify the same thing Let not Injudicious People therefore pretend that ours is only Rantism when we find in Scripture that Rantism and Baptism are us'd promisc●ously for the same 3. There is no certainty that dipping was ever usd in Scripture times All those Scriptures that are commonly urg'd to this purpose may be easily apply'd another way If we begin with Iohn the Baptist he is said to Baptize not in but with Water as Christ with the Holy Ghost and Fire Luk. 3.16 Now how did Christ Baptize with the Holy Ghost and Fire but at the day of pentecost when the Holy Ghost was pour'd on them Acts. 10.45 I know the learned Casaubon's witty Criticism that in Acts 2. when the Holy Ghost came upon them it is said There came a ●ound from Heaven as of a rushing might● wind and it fill'd the House So that they were as