Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
love_n	act_n	faith_n	grace_n	4,322	5	5.9067	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41329	The plea of the children of believing-parents for their interest in Abraham's covenant, their right to church-member-ship with their parents, and consequently their title to baptism. The cause of publishing this discourse after so many learned men have laboured in this province, is declared in the preface to the reader. By Giles Firmin.	Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.	1683 (1683)	Wing F960; ESTC R216413	52,287	130

with them Believers in the Messiah to come by Gods Covenant with them and the Church Constituted of them So now Believers in Christ come their Seed are Reputed with them Musculus whom my Author hath put in his Catalogue of Authors hoc com p. 603. which makes the ignorant Anabaptist think he is on their side but rancks the Anabaptists in a second or lower degree of Hereticks for denying Infant-baptism and an Oath In answer to an Argument of the Anabaptists there was a Command for Circumcising but no express Command for Baptising Thus writes Facit hoc non contra nos sed pro nobis c. ibid. 338. This doth not make against us but for us saith he the sum of his answer being too long to transcribe all is this Since God hath plainly declared his Will that the Infants of Believers whose Father Abraham is should be Partakers of the Grace and Sign of the Covenant and no where do we read that this Will of God is Repealed what necessity is there after such a clear expression of his Will to desire another Command in the New Testament Since therefore Christ gave no special Command what should be done with the Infants of Believers he did sufficiently intimate to his Apostles who were Jews and brought up among the Jews that he did not take away that Grace by which God declared himself to be the God not only of Believers but also of their Seed and that he will have them Sealed with the Sign of his Grace To which do but add Matth. 19.13 14 15. we may see Christ hath not taken away this Grace from them This Answer of Musculus is full and clear and runs upon that I have been calling for an Infallible proof of God's Repealing of Abraham's Covenant I have rather wronged Musculus by not Transcribing the whole Paragraph for brevities sake I desire the Reader to view him For my part I do not yet see any absurdity if I should say as in the fourth Commandment the morality of it being that a seventh part of time be set a part for the Worship of God therefore let God please to change the day yet that Commandment binds us to sanctify that day So when God shall please to make a Gracious Covenant with Believing Abraham and his Seed and gives Command to have that Covenant Sealed and never declares his Repealing of the Covenant and its Sealing the Covenant standing still in force though God may please to change the Seal and bring in another Seal under a new dispensation yet God's former Command may well warrant us to administer the Sign and Seal of the Covenant to Abraham's Seed as before Sure I am this express Command the Anabaptists require for Baptising Infants will cast out the Lord's-Day and Magistracy out of a Christian Common-wealth Women from the Lord's Table For though there were divers Women attended Christ Luke 8.2 3. yet there was not one of them with him at his Institution of the Lord's Supper nor do we read expresly that Women were at the Lord's Table in their Churches For him that would prove it from the words 1 Cor. 11.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there tell us That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is of the Epiceen Gender and includes Male and Female I answer If 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did alwaies signify Male and Female and not the Male only then it were a good proof but I told twenty places in Matthew's Gospel I looked no further where it signifies only the Male. Besides what Gender is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which is joyned with it Nor can we have ground to Excommunicate Women if they walk impenitently scandalous in the Church Partly upon their Principle who call for express Command and partly because the casting out of the Seed of Believers and Repealing the Covenant are so strange that it cannot be proved by any Consequence I have yet met with therefore I call for Srciptures as clear at least as express Commands or signification of God's Will To return to Infants They must be regenerate and have Faith some way else they must all perish what should make the thing so impoisible they should have the Habit or Seed of Faith and of all saving Graces in them I hope it is not because Christ is known only by Revelation I pray what Act of Faith in God what Act of Love to God or Fear of God c. did Isaach or John put forth towards God when being Infants they were Circumcised yet I am confident they had the Seeds of all these at that time they were sanctified then and why not then a Seed of Faith in Christ had not John it when he leaped c. In the first Synod held in New-England this was one question discussed Whether we be justified by the Habit or the Act of Faith Arguments were brought pro and con some were for the Habit of Faith then why not Infants justified by a Habit of Faith Dr. Ames in his proofs for Infant-baptism makes this his first Argument That in the very beginning of Regeneration the Soul is a meer passive the Infant is as capable of a passive reception of Christ and Grace as another Man but Baptism Seals to our Regeneration modul theal c. 4. th 12. Got. of grace p. 27. c. Socin pro. flig p. 781. That servant of Christ Mr. Tho. Hooker proves that Children may have Faith and hath a pretty large discourse upon it The Socinians say it is a Dream if they mean Actual Faith who do not say it Caelonius in answer to them proves by ten or eleven Arguments that Children may have Faith to be sure we may observe that they whom the Holy Page Records to be Godly except Menasseh were so from their Child-hood Isaac Jacob Samuel Hezekiah Josiah David Obadiah Jehoshaphat where do you read of the Saints first running a course of wickedness and then Converted How many Children may we observe that we may say as Dr. Thomas Goodwin said are sanctified from the Womb. What is the matter then that all Infants are cast out of the Church and must not be Baptised Object If you say If you could tell which they are they should be Baptised Answ Can you tell who have saving-Faith and Grace though they make Actual Profession and tell you they have it they who you say are Dross Chaff Canaanites no true Israelites in your Baptised Congregations they told you they had Faith when you Dipped them but you were mistaken 2. If that be yielded that Infants may be Regenerate may have Faith and Grace Seminally then this Text which you do so talk of does not cut them off from Baptism 3. By Abraham's Covenant let the Parents be visible Believers by their competent knowledg of Christ profession of their Faith in him and Conversation in some measure becoming Christians giving up themselves to the Ordinances and Rules of Christ's House prove themselves thus to be visible Christians and we can as

of the Church yet he hath given my Seed a better mercy both my self and my children if they could speak would say We would not be under Abraham 's Covenant with our Parents nor Church-Members with our Parents as we were before Christ came for Christ hath left us Infants a better Blessing in the room As it was a great favour to the Israelites that God gave his Oracles to them Psalm 147.19 28. That God was in Covenant with them Ephes 2.12 But God will null that Covenant Heb. 8.13 It shall vanish away But God will make another Covenant new a better Covenant having better Promises in the room of that old vanishing Covenant So that if Israels eyes be opened they would say they would by no means be under the old Covenant this new is so much better Thus let the Anabaptists tell us what God hath left better for the Infant-Seed of a Jew now believing in Christ that now it would not be Church-member with the Parents nor under Abraham's Covenant nor would now be baptized as before Christ they were circumcised For my part I can conceive nothing keep to the state of the Question 9. There is so much evil in this Doctrine and Practice of the Anabaptists that we must have clearer Scriptures than ever were produced as yet to prove it and clear it from that evil As 1. For the blessed God How doth 〈◊〉 dishonour him in straitning his Love and Grace now under the Gospel over it was under the Law Moses tells the Jews Deut. 4.37 The Lord loved thy Fathers Chap. 7.8 chap. 33.3 So it appears that he would not only take the Fathers but their Children also into Covenant and constitute his Church of them also But now whatever the Gospel saith of the Philanthropie of God Tit. 3.4 and God so loving the world Joh. 16.3 when that Seed promised to Abraham is come in whom all Nations shall be blessed he nulls the Covenant with his Seed cast them out of the Church and leaves no blessing for their Infants when their Parents believe in the promised Seed come Before the Lord calls the little children under the Covenant and in the Church Mine Ezek. 16.20 21. But now the Jews believe in Christ God calls none of their Children Mine though now they do more gladly bear them unto him than they did before 2ly It dishonours Christ He took upon him indeed the Seed of Abraham Heb. 2.16 and turned the Seed of Abraham out of the Covenant and out of the Church if the Anabaptists Doctrine be true Though he seemed to have an affection to Children and was much displeased with his Disciples when they rebuked the Parents when they came to seek his blessing for their Babes Mark 10. 13 14. and bad them bring their children to him and told them of such is the Kingdom of Heaven If our sweet Lord meant as he spake and we believe he did then they are still Members of the Church he doth not shut the Door against them now he is come But the Anabaptists tell us a contrary Tale to the dishonour of our blessed Saviour When the believing Jews now carry their children to Christ Dedicate them to him with earnest Prayer in Baptism and ingage to bring them up for him the Anabaptists forbid them and tell them the Kingdom of Heaven doth not consist of such little Ones Per absurdum vero est ut per Messiae adventum imminutum sit foedus sanctu Vossius Gen. 17.7 That the blessed and blessing Messia by his coming should null the Covenant with Abraham it is not only absurd but very absurd a great reproach is cast upon Christ Doctor Thomas Goodwin pleading the Infant 's case against the Anabaptists saith In a manner half the Church of God the purest part of it Elect Infants die in their bud and infancy and grow not up to partake of the dews and influence of any other outward Ordinance and were they deprived of this i.e. Baptism should go out of this world into which God only sent them to receive that which should make them meet for the common Inheritance of the Saints without any outward owning them or visible way of blessing from him c. yea and the other half that grow up to glorifie God in their riper years whereof many also are holy from the Womb these also should during their years of nonage want an outward badg and any outward acknowledgment of what they are even Fellow-heirs of the Kingdom with their Brethren which even in the Infancy of the World whilst all were under Tutors and Governours was their priviledge Thus this Gospel-Divine speaks and that to the purpose 3ly As to Parents be they never so godly what grief must it needs be to them if their children die out of the Covenant and visible Church what hopes can they have of their Salvation more than an Indian hath of his being both in the same state An Indian-child may be Elected as well as a sound Believer 2ly nor can a believing Parent pray for his children upon any grounds more than an Indian the Covenant and Promisies scattered in the World to the Godly and their Seed they cannot plead upon them 3ly Whereas the Covenant and the Engagement of the children to God in Baptism is the Infant 's Circumcision might be Arguments to whet upon their children and encourage them now no such Arguments are in date 4ly The Jews before Christ came in the day of their circumcising their Infants did use to give thanks to God and bless him for Abraham's Covenant and his Ordinance of Circumcision the Seal of his Covenant but when the Jews believe Christ's come now Thanksgiving and blessing of God cease for the Govenant is nulled children cast out of the Church 4ly As for the Children of believing Parents if they come to years of discretion and God bless Parents instructions so as to keep Conscience awake though they play the wretches and have cause to be humbled all their days yet I say if Conscience be kept awake and God begin to open their Eyes more and make them in earnest to mind the Salvation of their Souls then they will understand what a wretched Doctrine this Doctrine of the Anabaptists is by denying that to them by which they may take hold of God in the time of their fears Quare patet non prorsus vanum esse atque inane ex pio genere nasci saith Peter Martyn Hoc Com. p. 8. It is not a vain empty thing to be born of godly Parents this is true which he saith Here tho' it was far from my thoughts to speak much less to write what benefit I have experimentally found from a Parental-Covenant and Infant-Baptism yet because the Lord's Providence hath engaged me in this Controversie which I never intended and because it may be a help to others Children of good Parents I shall declare God blessed my godly Parents Education of me to keep my Conscience awake as