Selected quad for the lemma: grace_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A28379
|
An essay tending to issue the controversie about infant baptism from the parity, at least, of Scripture-light concerning infant-baptim [sic] with that of women's being admitted to the Lord's Supper, shewing that there is as good grounds out of Scripture for the one as for the other : occasioned by a tender made by H.D. in his late book against infant-baptism who is willing to put the whole controversie concerning it, upon this issue : together with an answer to the most material things in that book /
|
Eremnalēthēs.
|
1674
(1674)
|
Wing B3192; ESTC R25634
|
100,950
|
243
|
Blessed be God I have heard a Child upon his dying-Bed plead this Covenant with God for his Grace to the great satisfaction of my Soul To come now to the Second part of your Answer that as Circumcision was not a Seal to Children under the Law so much less a Seal to them of the New-Covenant say you pag. 216. In stead of which in pag. 218. you say New-Testament Answ I like not the changing of your Phrases as you have done in this Question and your Answer to it You cannot but know that there lies a fallacy in this Phrase as you have applied it here and changed it Pardon my boldness I have before distinguished of the New-Covenant It may either be taken for the Covenant of Grace in opposition to the Covenant of Works or for the Covenant of Grace under the New-Testament-Dispensation as opposed to that same Covenant under a more legal-Dispensation So it is called New Heb. 8.7 8 13. It being the Covenant made with Abraham revived Gen. 17. freed from all those legal Ceremonies wherewith it was burdened before which have had their accomplishment in Christ and having only a few plain and simple Ordinances annexed to it 2 Cor. 11.3 suiting with a pure Gospel administration even as that Covenant made with Abraham had suitable to that Dispensation before the Law was given This being premised I Answer That Circumcision Gen. 17. was a Seal of the New-Covenant to wit the Covenant of Grace as it was opposed to the Covenant of Works made with Adam before his fall and also as it was opposed to the same Covenant for the substance of it under that Legal Administration at Sinai and afterwards And though there be a difference between the Administration of it in Abraham's Family and the Administration of it now under the New-Testament in some few circumstances of New Ordinances yet the Ordinances then were but few and suitable to that Administration of the Covenant of Grace then made with Abraham and his Family Circumcision then being one of the ordinary Seals of that Covenant in a Church-way dispensed and the Passeover the other For it 's useful for us to observe that Circumcision began not with the Ceremonial Law at Sinai but was long before a Sign and Seal to Abraham and the Church in his Family which was more correspondent to a New-Testament Church in Gospel-times than the national Church of the Jews was And hence saith Christ Moses gave unto you Circumcision not because it is of Moses but of the Fathers John 7.22 that is of Abraham Isaac and Jacob that were long before Moses To conclude this Circumcision we see was both a Seal to Children under the Law and a Seal of the Covenant of Grace Externally and Ecclesiastically dispensed beginning in the Church in Abraham's Family and continued all along in the Church of the Jews until Christ put an End unto it by his death I had almost slipt-over that Expression of yours pag. 218. That nothing is a Seal of the New-Testament but the Holy Spirit Eph. 1.13 and 4.30 I confess it 's a strange Paradox to me Is Believers Baptism no Seal with you Nor the Lord's Supper no Seal Alas poor Believers How have you been deluded Have you so often come to have the pardon of your sins sealed and God's love in Christ fealed unto you in the Lord's Supper and now you are told it is no Seal Ther 's none else if you will believe it but the Holy Spirit I thought it had been an External-Seal appointed by our Lord himself Surely such Assertions as these are do tend to destroy all outward Ordinances of Christ though I hope you never intended it This is like to that of some others there is no word of God but Christ and so do destroy the Authority of the Holy Scripture And like that 1 Cor. 1.12 I am of Christ and care not for Paul nor Apollos nor any Ministers whatsoever Again you say neither is Baptism more than Circumcision called a Seal it is called a Figure say you 1 Pet. 3.21 and a Sign proper only to Men of understanding c. And not as Circumcision which was a Sign not improper for Infants because it left a signal impression in their flesh to be remembred all their days but so cannot Baptism be to any Infants say you p. 218 For Answer That Circumcision was a Seal and that also to Infants hath been proved and your self have acknowledged it to be a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith to Abraham though you deny it to be so to all others And though Baptism be no more a Seal than Circumcision was yet I hope you will allow it to be as much a Seal as that was The Gracious Lord hath made a Covenant of Grace and is willing his people should be confirmed of the Truth of it And hath he put no Seals to it to confirm it Certainly this is a new and strange Doctrine which the Faithful knew not in former Ages You say Baptism is called a Figure and a Sign c. 1 Pet. 3.21 I Answer The Apostle there speaking of the Souls saved by water in Noah's Ark tells us that Baptism was a Figure or Type 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like to that Type Cui nunc respondens exemplar vel Typus Baptismi saith Beza The Ark born up by the Water wherein Noah and his Family were was first a Physical and Instrumental-cause and means of their Temporal preservation of the saving of their lives Secondly God appointed it to be a Type and Sacrament to them to signify and Seal Eternal Salvation to them through Believing in Christ without whom no Salvation is to be had Now saith the Apostle Baptism is a Type Answering that Type signifying and sealing Externally Salvation to all those and only those that are or shall be in Christ by Faith But say you it is a Sign and Figure proper only to Men of Understanding representing Spiritual things and not as Circumcision c. I Answer first The want of the Use of Reason and Understanding in an Infant is no Essential Defect or Impediment as to the External Susception of Baptism no more than it was heretofore of Circumcision which was a Seal of God's Covenant as hath been proved and signified the same things as to the main and substance of them that Baptism now doth By your Argument therefore no Infant should ever have been Circumcised 2. The God of Grace in the External administration of the Covenant of Grace to the Infants of Inchurched-Parents is before hand with them I will be the God of thy Seed Gen. 17.7 and will Circumcise the heart of thy Seed Deut. 30.6 put 's his Seal to it for their assurance and encouragement to seek God for Converting-Grace And they are to be instructed in it when they come to understanding 3. Hence the Infants of Inchurched-Parents are engaged to the Lord and Circumcision of old and Baptism now doth Seal that engagement
judg the Baptism a Nullity dispensed by the Papists notwithstanding it were clogged with divers humane Inventions and therefore they require not a Renouncing their Baptism as Null but Repentance for what hath been amiss therein To your seventh They Baptize the Children of Inchurched-Believers because they are Externally and Ecclesiastically in the Covenant of Grace and not because they have true sanctifying Grace in them from which alone they hold that a man cannot fall from the other he may fall and be rejected and yet their Doctrine of not falling from Grace stand firm This Argument I must again return upon you for you Baptize a professing Believer because you count him Savingly in the Covenant of Grace but afterwards he appears not to be so and you reject him It is you therefore that hold a falling from Grace and not we For we Baptize because they are Externally in the Covenant and that we can know but you Baptize because they are Spiritually and Savingly in the Covenant else you would not Baptize them and afterwards you come to see they are not so Therefore you Baptize upon uncertainties and your Tenet holds falling from Grace Nor doth the Baptizing of Inchurched-Infants make the Traditions of Men of equal Authority with the Law of God In this we are accounted down-right Pharisees Nor doth it overthrow the Covenant deriving a Title by Natural-Generation but on the Contrary it is according to the Covenant made with Abraham Gen. 17.7 9. Thee and thy Seed after Thee in their Generations that is Abraham and his Church-Seed as well as his Spiritual-Seed now in these Gospel-days The blessing of Abraham being come upon us Gentiles Gal. 3.14 And that Blessing of Abraham must of necessity be a Covenant-Blessing Nor doth it make Religion to lie in the deed done This is for Formalists and Papists who rest in opere operato and doth not of it self follow from Paedo-Baptism Did Circumcision of Infants of old of its own Nature and per se make Religion to lie in the deed done It is the personal sin of formal Parents and Children when grown to abuse their Baptism and take occasion thence to place their Religion in the deed done Suppose some that are Baptized in your way take occasion thence to place their Religion in the deed done as some have Reason to suspect too many do you will not I presume lay the blame upon the Ordinance it self but upon them for abusing it You will say It is accidental to the Ordinance and would no doubt blame them that would destroy the Baptizing of professing-Believers upon that Ground And why then should the Baptizing of Infants be cried down upon the same Ground I suppose you have seen that people seriously-Godly do not through Grace rest in the deed done what-ever Hypocrites may do but do ply the Throne of Grace with Prayers and Tears that God would Baptize their Children with the Holy-Ghost and are careful to train them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord. And do not Children themselves to whom God begins to bless instructions seek him for the Grace of the Covenant and of the Seal of it I have known it I bless the Lord. And how then must it needs be a placing Religion in the deed done Again it doth not revive Judaism and Ceremonial Typical-Holiness of the natural Seed which you have so much spoken-of which did end at Christ's coming No but it keeps alive that Ancient-Covenant-Interest of the Inchurched Seed of Abraham promised to him Gen. 17. and such Judaism we shall not be ashamed to own It 's said Gal. 3.9 They that are of Faith are blessed with faithful Abraham And the great Blessing of Abraham was that God would be his God and the God of his Seed to wit not only of his Spiritual Seed Savingly but of his Church-Seed Ecclesiastically Those then that are of Faith are thus blessed with faithful Abraham God is the God of them and of their Seed in both senses respectively as he was to Abraham and his Seed then Again in v. 16. when he saith To Abraham and his Seed were the Promises made by Seed there is meant Christ as considered not personally but Mystically Christ with his Body the Church Beza in Loc. The name Christ being the proper name of that whole collected-Body whose head and Life Christ is and the Members of it are the faithful gathered together partly of the Jews and partly of the Gentiles And Christ being the bond of the Members of that Body it 's no wonder that he calls it Christ himself by which name he denoteth not only the Head but also the Members conjoined with the Head Now Christ being the Head not only of his Church considered as Invisible but also as Visible in which there be some only Externally and that are not true Believers indeed Hence Hypocrites and also the Children of Inchurched-Parents are Abraham's Church-Seed to whom there are Promises made So that here is not one word to prove that the Natural-Seed of Inchurched-Believers which indeed are the Church-Seed of Abraham were excluded at Christ's coming or afterwards or that the Holiness of the Natural-Church-Seed of Abraham was Typical or that Paedo-Baptism revives Judaism If it be said that Christ is there taken for the Church of Jews and Gentiles considered only as Invisible consider then where you will rank your Inchurched-Hypocrite who made a new External performance of the consent and was Married to Christ in his Visible-Church for base Ends. I suppose you held his Marriage good or else you would not have Baptized him Yet he failed both in the Manner for he professed the consent of his Will to Marry Christ but did lie and in the End also for he had no Sanctifying and saving Grace neither before nor in that Ordinance of Baptism And as for Acts 10.28 and Eph. 2.14 15. They indeed shew that the Ceremonial Law was now abolished and way made for the Gospel and Salvation thereby to come among the Gentiles which plainly proves an enlargement of the Grace of God and not a straitning and therefore that the natural Seed of Inchurched-Parents are not excluded by Christs coming Neither doth the Baptism of Infants destroy separation keep us upon the Old bottom or make us symbolize with the Church of Rome Let the experience we have of reformed Congregational Churches that keep close to their Rule speak for us whether Infant-Baptism destroys such a separation as the Gospel requires Children are Mediate Members of a distinct kind and species from their Inchurched-Parents And this Membership though it intitle them to Baptism which is the Seal of their ingrafting into the Visible Body and Church of Christ yet it cannot entitle them to those Church-Ordinances and Priviledges which are peculiar to Adult and Immediat Members If therefore they would enjoy them they must profess their Faith and Repentance to the Church and come and Marry the Church by their Solemn entring personally