find one word or sylâ—…ble in the Scriptures that makes for the repeal â—…d abrogation of the Covenant-right and Church-membership of Believers children 3. Christ came not to put Believers and their chilâ—ren in a worse condition than they were before â—e that would not accuse the woman taken in â—dultery but asked her where her accusers â—ere John 8.10.11 Will he who is so comâ—…ssionate and tender-hearted cast all Infants â—…t of his visible Kingdom without accusation â—oubtless it is a far worse condition to be out of â—…e visible Church of God than in it For orâ—…narily what God may do in an extraordinary â—…y I question not there is no salvation to be had â—…tin the visible Church of Christ This is the family of Christ this is the house of God â—… Tim. 3.15 And the Lord is said to add to the Church such as should be saved Acts 2.47 And they that do not belong to Christs visible Kingdom are said to be Aliens and Strangers from thâ— Common-wealth of Israel and the Covenants 〈◊〉 promise having no hope and without God in thâ— world Ephes 2.12 4. The Kingdoms of thâ—… world shall become the Kingdoms of the Lord anâ— of his Christ Rev. 11.15 Which undoubtedly is meant of the visible Church of Christ in respect of visible Church-membership Ordinanceâ—… and Privileges and if so how can we otherwiâ—… think but that this Kingdom will include anâ— take in the Species of Infants as members thereof It is also prophesied Dan. 2.34.35 Thaâ— the little stone cut out without hands which 〈◊〉 meant of the visible Kingdom of Christ thougâ— it be small at first yet in the later days it shall become a great Mountain and fill the whole earth which certainly will comprehend the Infants 〈◊〉 Believers Yea and when the Jews are re-ingrafteâ— into the Olive tree their children shall be re-iâ—grafted with them and shall be as aforetime Roâ— 11.24.25 Jer. 30.20 By what I have alreadâ— said it is evident that the Covenant interest anâ— Church-membership of Infants is not abrogateâ— 5. If the children of Believers now should 〈◊〉 excluded from visible Church-membership anâ— interest in the Covenant they would be in â— worse condition than the very children of tâ—… Gentiles were before the coming of Chriâ—… For in the times of the Old Testament if aâ—… Gentile or stranger did accept the Covenanâ— and own the God of Israel not only he but his children also were admitted members of the Church and reckoned to belong to the Covenant and Kingdom of God But according to the opinion of our dissenting Brethren if now the Parent accept the Covenant he himself indeed shall be admitted but his Infant-seed shall not be admitted to a visible member-ship of the Church of Christ so that we are in a worse case in this respect than the Gentile Proselytes were in the time of the Old Testament 6. The Lord hath said Exod. 20. That he will shew mercy to thousands of them that love and obey him which certainly extends to the children of the Faithful so far as to admit and entitle them to a visible Member-ship of his Church Doth God take care of Oxen are the very hairs of our head numbered by him and will he not think you visibly own and bless the poor Infants of his people who are so dear to him 7. There are Gospel Prophecies and promises which relate to the children and Seed of the godly The Psalmist tells us that the Seed of the righteous are blessed Psal 37.26 I will pour out my Spirit saith the Lord upon thy Seed and my Blessing upon thine Offspring and they shall spring up as among the Grass Isaiah 44.3,4 The Lord speaking of his people in Gospel times saith that he will make an everlasting Covenant with them and their Seed shall be known among the Gentiles and their Offspring among the people all that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the Seed which the Lord hath blessed Isaiah 61.8.9 And again Chapter 65.17,18,19,20 The The Lord saith there shall be no more an Infant of days nor an old man that hath not filled his days for the child shall die an hundred years old but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed and verse 23. These are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them It is also prophecied Isai 49.22 of the times of the Gospel how God will lift up his hand to the Gentiles and set up his standard to the people and they shall bring their sons in their Arms and their daughters shall be carried on their shoulders And is it not evident from these and the like Prophetical expressions in the holy Scriptures that there are external visible priviledges of the Covenant and Gospel of Christ belonging to the seed of the Godly which do not belong to others Thirdly Let us consider that whosoever denies the visible Church-membership and Covenant-interest of Believers Infants and holds that the Covenant of Grace doth not visibly belong to such Infants leaves Parents without any visible ground of hope touching the justification and salvation of their Children that die in Infancy I say visible ground of hope As for Gods eternal election or the will of his purpose this is a secret thing and secret things belong to God but revealed things belong to us and our Children Deut. 29.29 If we hold not that the species of Infants do visibly belong to the Covenant and Church of God It will then follow that there is no visible ground of hope concerning them No man woman or child doth or can appear to us to be a member of the invisible Church and mystical body of Christ unless it be declared by God in his word or else by the visible profession and conversation of the party that he or she belongs to the visible Church of Christ In the prosecution of this three things may be noted 1 That sound hope and charity are regulated and guided by Judgment they must be grounded upon the Rule of Gods word and our judgment must have some Scripture evidence to proceed on or else it is but rash and blind Now where there is not so much as an outward appearance or visibility of Church-membership there is no evidence for us to build upon and consequently no right judgment or well grounded hope If therefore the Infants of Believers do not so much as visibly and externally belong to the Covenant and Kingdom of God then they are not visibly in a state of Grace and Salvation and so there is no visible ground of our hope touching their salvation 2 Our hope must rely on a word of promise or else it is but vain hope it must have a word from God to bottom upon as you may see in these Scriptures Rom. 15.4.13 Eph. 2.12 2 Thess 2.16 1 Tim. 1.1 Heb. 6.18,19 1 Pet. 3.15 Rom. 4.18.20 Now take away the visible Church-membership and Covenant-interest of Believers Infants and there is no
the Church of Christ And the mountains of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills Isaiah 2.2,3 Parents then shall not only offer up and dedicate themselves but their children to the Lord And shall not only plead the Covenant for themselves but for their children also before the Lord. Propos 3. This being the true Gospel in the full latitude and extent of it our Blessed Saviour did accordingly command his Disciples to preach and publish it to the Nations They must go and teach all nations Baptizing them Matth. 28.19 Compared with Mark 16.15 Gal. 3.8,9 Rom. 1.16,17 They were to open and declare the whole Covenant in the largeness and extensiveness of it Namely the Covenant that was made with Abraham whereof this was the chief branch I will be a God to thee and to thy seed after thee And this they were to teach all nations whereas before the Church was limited to one nation now their Commission was extended to all nations teaching and baptizing them whoever in the Gentile nations shall take hold on the Covenant they and their children ought to be admitted members of the visible Church of Christ and baptized In the times of the Old Testament only one nation of the Jews were visibly the people of God in Covenant with him but now other nations are taken in likewise according to that Gospel promise Isaiah 19.23,24,25 And indeed in every nation the children make a considerable part of the nation and are always included under every Administration to the nation whether Promises or Threatnings Privileges or Burthens Mercies or Judgments unless they be particularly excepted Children were included and taken in with their Parents under the former Administration as hath been clearly demonstrated And there is no Scripture which proves that the Infants of Believers are excepted or left out in the New Administration of the Covenant nay it appears from divers Texts of Scripture that the Infants of Believers do visibly belong to the Kingdom School and Family of Christ And whereas some of our dissenting Brethren object that it behoved the Lord to give a Precept for putting Infants into the New Administration of the Covenant if he had intended they should have been included it may be easily answered that they always had a right to be reputed as belonging to the visible Church and Kingdom of God and therefore there needs no new putting in by any new Grant seeing there is no Barr made in Scripture against their visible Church membership Once they were in and where find we that ever they were put out or excluded Propos 4. As Christ commanded the Gospel or New Covenant to be thus preached as extending to Believers and their Seed So it was accordingly preached and held forth by the Apostles in their Ministry The New Covenant being good news and glad Tydings not only to the Believer touching himself but touching his children also As it was glad tydings to David not only that God had promised mercy to himself but to his House also for a great while to come 2 Sam. 7.19 That the Gospel was thus preached by Christ and his Apostles doth plainly appear when Zacheus was become a child of Abraham to wit by Faith the Lord Jesus promised Salvation to him and his House Luke 19.9 This day Salvation is to this house So it may be rendred And the Apostle Peter Acts 2.38.39 Exhorts his hearers to repent and be baptized and makes use of an Argument to perswade them thereunto taken from the benefit that should redound to their Posterity for the promise is to you and to your children If the Jews that are near or the Gentiles that are afar off obey the call of God and own the Covenant in the new Administration thereof then the promise is not only made to them but to their children also And thus Paul and Silas did preach the Gospel to the Jaylor Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thine house Acts 16.31 And this is the same Gospel in substance which God preached long before to Abraham when he promised to be a God to him and his Seed This was that Covenant which was confirmed of God in Christ long before the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai Gal. 3.16,17 Which Covenant being so confirmed is no other than the Gospel of Christ which is come upon the Believing Gentiles Gal. 3.13,14 Where the Apostle tells us that the Blessing of Abraham which extends to Believers and their Seed is come upon the Gentiles Propos 5. It is therefore a sinful neglect and undervaluing of the Grace and Salvation and great privileges held forth in the Covenant when Christian Parents do not believe the promises that are made not only to themselves but to their Seed That Salvation which the Lord Jesus himself and his Apostles preached and which those neglected Heb. 2.3 It was not barely Salvation it self but the Covenant and Promise holding the same forth for so we find Acts 28.28 That the Salvation to be preached to and heard by the Gentiles was the Gospel-Covenant and Promises which contain and hold forth that Salvation And this is that Mercy Riches and Salvation which is come upon the Gentiles Rom. 11.11,12,17,19,30 Gal. 3.14 So likewise Gods Salvation in Isaiah 51.6,8 Is his Covenant or Promise on which their Salvation doth depend as Calvin observes upon the Text So David speaking of the Covenant in reference not only to himself but to his House saith This is all my Salvation and â—ll my desire though he make it not to grow 2 â—am 23.5 This Covenant contained all his â—alvation which you see referrs not only to â—im but to his House and it hath been the â—…ivilege and practice of the Saints all along â—…us to plead and improve the Covenant which 〈◊〉 the fourth Consideration that I have now done â—…ith Fifthly Consider I beseech you that the Saints priviledges under the new and better administration of the Covenant are many ways augmented and enlarged of what they were in the times of the old Testament whereas the opinion of those brethren who deny the Covenant-interest and Baptism of believers children doth exceedingly straiten and diminish the priviledges of believers It being a great and comfortable priviledge to us that not only we but our children do belong to the visible church and kingdom of God and have a visible right to and interest in the Covenant of Grace whatever is pretended to the contrary let these four things be diligently and impartially weighed by our brethren 1. Would it not have grieved the believing Jews exceedingly to have had their poor babes excluded from the outward priviledgeâ— and administration of the Covenant since the coming of Christ when they were sure that their children had relation to and interest in the covenanâ— and Church of God before the coming of Christ not only themselves in their own persons but theiâ— children also were
THE Covenant-Interest AND PRIVILEGE OF BELIEVERS and their INFANTS Clearly Demonstrated IN A LETTER TO A RELIGIOUS LADY By a Minister of the Gospel LONDON â—…inted for and sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lyon in S. Pauls Church-yard 1675. â—ADAM THe Proposition which I shall lay down and prove to you out of the Sacred Scriptures is this That the Covenant of Grace under the new Administration of it comprehends visible Believâ—… and their Infants Or thus The Covenant â—…endeth not only to the believing Parent but 〈◊〉 his or her Infant seed also That we may â—…vent mistakes we must here distinguish beâ—…ixt foedus internum and externum Or thus 〈◊〉 may apprehend it The Covenant of Grace â—…y be either strictly considered as an absolute â—…mise of saving Grace and so none but the eâ—… are in Covenant with God Or the Covenant â—…y be considered more largely in respect of â—…ernal Administration or outward priviâ—…ges and so the Covenant in a true Scriptureâ—…e may be said visibly to comprehend and beâ—…g to many persons that shall not be infallibly â—…d visible Believers and their Infants do â—…s belong to the Covenant or the Covenant beâ—…gs to them All that are members of the viâ—… Church of Christ have a visible right and â—…est in the Covenant of Grace the Covenant â—…ongs to them in facie visibilis Ecclesiae Now â—…y are members of the visible Church of â—…ist who are not real members of the mystical invisible body of Christ Many are branches of Christ the Vine in outward appearance Joh. 15.2 who wither and are cut off thus it was with Judas Simon Magus Demas and those of whom the Apostle John speaks They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us But they went out that they mighâ— be made manifest that they were not all of us â—… John 2.19 This is a point that some Professors of the Gospel seem to startle at namely That Infants should be reckoned and reputed tâ— have a visible interest in the Covenant of Gracâ—… and to be members of the visible Church oâ— Christ and to receive the Seal of their membeâ—ship in their Infancy But there are otheâ—… and my self amongst them that look at thâ— Covenant of Grace as far more desireable anâ— comfortable in this respect because it extendâ— not only to Believers but to their Infants For the better clearing and confirming tâ—… Covenant-interest of Believers Infants I shall prâ—pound some serious Considerations First Consider I beseech you that evâ—… since God made a Covenant with his people Iâ—fants were included and comprehended in tâ—… Covenant with their Parents and were repuâ—… and reckoned to belong to the Family and Kinâ—dom of God in opposition and contradâ—stinction to the rest of the world which is tâ—… Kingdom of Satan For indeed either the Iâ—fants of the Godly do visibly belong to tâ—… Kingdom of God or they visibly belong to tâ—… Kingdom of Satan there being no other visibâ—… Kingdom besides these two which they can â—elate unto In those Covenants which concern â—ivil affairs it is an usual thing to include chilâ—ren though the children themselves do not â—ctually seal or give their actual consent to â—…ch a Grant or Lease together with their Paâ—ents where hath God at any time made a Covenant with any of his people but that Coâ—enant did also comprehend their children and â—osterity The Lord made a Covenant with Noah Gen. 9. and that Covenant did also reach â—is Posterity he made a Covenant with Abraâ—am Gen. 17. and that Covenant did also reach â—is Posterity he made a Covenant with Phineâ—…s Numb 25. which did also reach his Posteâ—ity God made a Covenant with David Psal â—…9 28 and this also did extend to his Posteriâ—y Yea it is evident that the Parents owning â—…e Covenant was reckoned not only as owning 〈◊〉 for themselves but also for their children â—…ough the children themselves whilest Infants â—id not actually consent to the Covenant in their â—wn persons Secondly Consider further that the Infants of â—elievers were once reckoned and reputed to â—elong visibly to the Covenant and Church of â—od and did receive the Seal of their admission â—…to the Church of God I speak not here â—…ly or chiefly of a particular visible Church â—…t of the universal visible Church The â—…ost ingenious and judicious of our dissenting â—…ethren will acknowledge this that Infants â—…d once visibly belong to the Covenant and Kingâ—om of God well then the Infants of Gods people were once visibly in Covenant and members of the Church of God Now where do wâ— find that this foederal or Covenant-interest and Church-membership of Infants was ever repealed or made void by the constitution of God It concerns those that dissent from us to provâ— that it is made void we have the Negative herâ— let our Brethren prove the Affirmative if theâ— can Namely that the Species of Infants is caâ—… out of the Covenant and Church of God Ceâ—tainly Infants are now as capable of a visibâ—… Covenant-interest and Church-membership 〈◊〉 they formerly were and it is no priviledge 〈◊〉 a Believer to have his children cast out of Goâ—… visible Family and Kingdom That I may confirm this to you and silenâ—… the contrary objections let us observe these sâ—… or seven particulars 1. If there had been suâ—… a repeal of the Covenant-interest and Churcâ—membership of Believers Infants now in tâ—… days of the New Testament doubtless it wouâ—… have been mentioned in the Scriptures of tâ—… New Testament seeing it is clearly held forâ—… in the Old Testament that Believers Infaâ—… were sometimes visibly in Covenant with Goâ—… and members of his visible Church I will bâ—… God to thee and to thy Seed Gen. 17.7 Aâ—… God entered into Covenant not only with tâ—… Parents but with their little ones as plainly aâ—pears Deut. 29.10.11.12 Where we find tâ—… children taken into Covenant with their Parentâ—… Let not any pretend that this was a priviledâ—… proper only to the Jews and their children undâ—… that paedagogical Administration for Infaâ—… were Church members long before Circumcision was instituted and they were so in the Wilderness when Circumcision was omitted yea and this privilege of Church-membership did not only belong to the natural Jews and their children but also to the Gentile Proselytes who owned the God of Israel to them and their children 2. If this privilege were abrogated â—nd taken away from the Infants of Believers â—urely God would have bestowed as good or â—etter in the place of it But where do we find â—n the Book of God that he hath done so Inâ—eed we find that some of the Branches to wit â—…e Jews they and their children were broken â—ff by unbelief from the visible Church Rom. â—1 17 But it was not all the Jews For as â—…uching the believing Jews and their children â—…ey were not broken off but did still remain in â—…e Olive tree nor do we