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
but also with reference to their children eyâ—…g the Covenant of Grace as comprehending both â—hemselves and their Infant-seed And accordingâ—… they have improved and pleaded the Covenant â—ith God when they have made their addresses to him this godly parents have formerly done and this we ought to do still For the proof and confirmation of this point take a few instances out of Scripture 1 We find David 2 Sam 23.5 pleading Gods Covenant made with him not only for himself but for his house and children though my house saith he be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant it being usual in Scripture when housholds are spoken of to intend the children though they be not particularly mentioned Gen. 30.30 Gen. 45.11,18,19 Exod. 4.1 2 Sam. 27.3 Prov. 31.15 Luk. 12.42 Yea the children are chiefly intended by the houshold 1 Sam. 20.15 2 Sam. 9.9 1 Kings 17.12.13.15 Psal 127.1.3 Prov. 12.7 Isai 31.2 Hos 1.4 Hab. 2.9,10 1 Tim 3,4,5 and 1 Tim. 5.4,8,14 compared with 2 Tim. 1.16 children being the ordinary instruments to continue and uphold the house as in natural and civil so in religious and ecclesiastical respects And hence they are builden of the house both ways as the hebrew radix signifies from which the word used for sons and daughters is derived And hence also we have that phrase of Gods building the women houses Exod. 1.21 And here in this instance of David that godly man where he saith although my house be not so with God yet c. he exerciseth faith in the Covenant which was a gracious Covenant with respect unto his house and therefore it is said to be all his salvation and all his desire not only touching himself but his house and children also When he reflected upon the great disorders and miscarriages which were amongst them 2. To go up far highâ—… 〈◊〉 higher than Davids time Our great Grandmother Eve also did thus eye and improve the gracious promise of God as made not only with reference to Adam and her but to their Infant-Church seed Abel being slain and Cain having rejected the grace of the promise when her Infant Seth was born she believed that God had for his coveâ—ant's sake looked graciously upon her in that Inâ—ant of hers and she called his name Seth for saith â—…e God hath appointed me another seed instead â—f Abel whom Cain slew Gen. 4 25. This she spake â—f him not as a meer natural child born accordâ—ng to the course of nature but as of a Covenant â—nd Church-seed and therefore she compares him â—o Abel and not to Cain and calls him by such a â—…me as signified her faith touching the Covenantâ—ate and interest of this Infant nor did she thereâ—… fail of her faith and hope as appears vers 26. â— This was likewise the practice of other parents â—embers of the Church of God Lamech when â—oah was born looking to the promise of God â—…ve his Infant the name of Noah Gen. 5.28.29 â—…lieving that that Child should be as it were a â—…ot to the Church and people of God though the â—…rrupt wicked world should be destroyed 4. â—…s for Abraham the father of the faithful there 〈◊〉 no question to be made but that he exercised â—…th in Gods Covenant both for himself and his â—…d the covenant being expresly renewed with 〈◊〉 and his Infant-seed Gen. 17.7,8 c. Which â—…s an everlasting gracious covenant And this â—…venant did comfort and support Abraham in reâ—…ence to his posterity and made him put up that â—…ly wish and prayer mentioned ver 18. O that Ishmael might live in thy sight But yet long before Abraham was born this was the practice of the servants of God even in dark times when the Covenant and promises were not so clearly revealed and much more ought it to be our practice now 5. It is further evident that the Saints of old did exercise faith touching the Foederal estate or Covenant-interest of their children by comparing Psal 102.25,26,27,28 with Heb 1.10,11,12 which referrs to Jesus Christ the Surety and Mediator of the Covenant in whom they pleaded with God and expected a Blessing from him for their children and that by vertuâ— of Gods Gracious Covenant Nor was it meerly a temporal vanishing good to their children which they looked for and expected but thaâ— their children might be established before Goâ— in the Spiritual Blessings of the Covenant aâ— you may see in that Psalm 102. Verse 25 26 27 28. compared together And there is the liâ—… ground for the exercise of our Faith in the Câ—venant touching our Infants now under tâ—… New Testament Administration For the fuller satisfaction herein I will lâ—… down these five Propositions Propos 1. That children are so comprehendâ—… and involved in their Parents by the dispenâ—…tion of God that the Parents act is counted tâ—… childrens act and the Parents neglect thâ—… neglect as we may plainly see in the case of Câ—…cumcision That Soul shall be cut â—ff that is 〈◊〉 circumcised for he hath broken my Covenant saâ—… the Lord Gen. 17.14 And yet the Infant hiâ—self was not capable of a personal neglect And though our Saviour required personal Faith in grown ones as to their own bodily cure yet as for their children it was accepted when their Parents believed on their behalf John 4.50,51 Mark 9. v. 12. to 18. Matth. 15 22. to 29. Not that the Parents Faith is meritorious only this we say That upon a Believers accepting the Covenant for himself and his Seed there doth result in the sence formerly expressed not only a personal right to a mans self but a parental right also to his children so as to render them capable of some privileges of the Covenant Propos 2. That this is one part or branch of the Gospel of Christ which is to be preached in the extent and latitude of it Namely that the Infants of Believers are Confoederates in and with their Parents being taken into one and the same Covenant together with their Parents What is the Gospel of Christ I pray you but good News Glad Tydings a Joyful Message And is it not good news that God hath made a Gracious Covenant with us and our children And that God owns and hath respect not only to us but also to our little ones As when one conveys or makes over a House or a piece of Land to a man and the Heirs of his Body it is a far greater privilege and more acceptable to the Grantee than if it were only made over to the man himself And in this latitude and extent the Gospel or Covenant of Grace was eyed and improved by the faithful from the beginning of the world as I have shewed And so it shall be in the purer times of the Gospel towards the end of the world when the power of Antichrist is destroyed and when all the Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of Christ Rev. 11.15 When nations shall flow into