Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	church_n	head_n	visible_a	2,242	5	10.0238	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65668	An essay to revive the primitive doctrine and practice of infant-baptism in the resolution of four questions I. What are the reasons of God's appointing the token of the covenant to be applyed to the infant-seed of his people? II. What is the good or benefit they receive thereby? III. What is the duty of parents towards their children as bearing the token of the covenant? IV. What is the improvement that children as grown up to years of maturity, may and ought to make of the token, as applyed to them in their infancy / by Joseph Whiston ...	Whiston, Joseph, d. 1690.	1676 (1676)	Wing W1690; ESTC R38586	159,793	270

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 ●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

upon them any of those Fruits or Beaefits for the present and consequently that by the Application of the Token of the Covenant only Jus ad rem not Jus in re is sealed and confirmed But others conceive that as the Covenant and Promises thereof have only an indefinite respect to the Seed of Believers so that at least some of them have those saving Benefits and Blessings actually granted to and conferred upon them and consequently that they are actually regenerated and have a full and compleat Union with Christ the Remission of sins the Love and Favour of God c. And some having there Benefits and Blessings actually conferred upon them in their Infance we are to presume it may be so with each one in pqrticular and on that ground are to apply the Token of the Covenant to them universally And this Opinion could it be clearly proved from Seripture would free the Controversie about Infant Baptism from many difficulties it must be confest it is otherwise attended with And on that account I should readily comply with it but for the reasons after to be given I cannot but at present lay it aside cum pace tantorum virorum 2. Secondly others conceive that the Covenant is entred with the Seed of Believers definitely and answerably that the Promises appertaining to them are to be interpreted and understood in a definite notion and consequently that as the Covenant as at first established with Abraham did extend to Ishmael as well as to Isaac so is still continued to all Believers and each one of their Seed in particular And some of these that go this way conceive that all the Infants of Believers have true Grace in particular true Faith wrought in them either antecedent to the Application of the Token of the Covenant or at the time of its Application if not by yet in a concurrence with it But this opinion necessarily inferring a possibility to lose and fall from the truth of Grace is rejected by the generality of Protestants especially that bear the denomination of Calvinists Yet some grant yea assert some kind of supernatural Operations of the Spirit to antecede at least accompany the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them whereby at least a posse agere or some dispositions facilitating their saving acting of Grace are wrought But others distinguish of the Covenant it is say they internum out externum it is either Internal or External by the Internal Covenant they seem to mean the Covenant as really and truly entred with the Elect ensuring to them Grace and Glory by the External Covenant they seem to mean the Covenant as visibly appearing to be made with Men whether Infants or Adult when as it is not indeed really entred mutually between God and them This latter way of God's entring Covenant with Men whether young or old is expressed by some by entring Covenant with them in or according to an Ecclesiastical Dispensation that is as they express themselves in a visible Church-way Again others and sometimes the same Men distinguish of the Good contained in and conveyed by the Promises of the Covenant appertaining to the Seed of Believers it is say they either Spiritual and Saving or else only External and Ecclesiastical as Membership in the visible Church a right to the outward Ordinances and Priviledges of the Church and the like And they conceive that the Covenant as containing saving Spiritual Mercies only appertains to the Elect but as containing External Ecclesiastical Priviledges it appertains to all the Seed of Believers hence they call it as entred with them a Covenant of Priviledges This latter Opinion concerning the definiteness of the Covenant I take to be according to truth though to distinguish either of the Covenant or the good contained in it as entred with or extended to Infants I see no ground neither do I think it is at all necessary but I say as to the nature of the Covenant I doubt not but that it is entred with and extended to the Infant-seed os Believers definitely and answerably that the Promises appertaining to them are to be interpreted and understood in a definite notion as appertaining equally and alike to each one in particular I speak of the Covenant and Promises as entred with and made to the Seed of Believers merely as such There are it 's true some Promises of the Covenant appertaining unto them which are to be interpreted and understood in an indefinite notion as has been afore declared but those appertain not to them merely as the Seed of such Parents but as Members of the visible Church as was there shewed But now for the Covenant as extended to them as the Seed of believing Parents so it is extended to them definitely and answerably the Promises of the Covenant appertaining to them are to be interpreted and understood in a definite notion Infant Baptism from Heaven Book 1. Chap. 2. This I have in part proyed already yet I shall add somewhat morefor the further confirmation of it And it may be as I conceive proved two ways 1. In the Instance of Abraham's natural Children proceeding immediatly from his own Loyns 2. By some further Reasons equally respecting Abraham's and all other Believers Infant-seed 1. Let us see it in that particular instance of Abraham's Infant-seed and thus I shall only offer these two reasons beyond what I have given in the Treatise forecited 1. Unless the Covenant had been entred definitely with Abraham's natural Seed immediatly proceeding from his own Loyns there had been no rational ground for Ishmael's Circumcision That Circumcision was the Token of the Covenant is expressly asserted by the Lord himself and answerably that the Application of it did presuppose the Subjects to whom it was to be applyed to be in Covenant at least according to visible appearance or according to arational Judgment of Charity is above any rational doubt evident This I have also proved elsewhere But now unless the Covenant did extend unto Ishmael in particular there was no appearance at all of his being in Covenant but an undenyable discovery of the contrary and that from the mouth of God himself By promising Abraham a Son of Sarah and that as the Mother of that Son she should be a Mother of Nations he did set aside Ishmael and exclude him from the number of those that should inherit the Good promised and was so understood by Abraham which was the groud of his prayer for him and is accordingly interpreted by the Apostle in that Rom. 9.1 Hence had not the Covenant extended to Ishmael in particular there had been no ground for the Application of Circumcision to him especially under that notion viz. As the Token of the Covenant under which notion it was yet applyed to him he could not be lookt upon as an Heir designed to inherit the Good of the Promise now made much less to have true Grace already wrought in him seing he was excluded by God