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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

and consequently greatly wrong that learned and judicious Author How you and Mr. Danvers look upon your selves I know not but certainly I should be justly censured as a very unworthy Man should I wrest Authors words who are yet alive to countenance my own sentiments in a contradiction to their known practice before I had consulted the Authors themselves and known how they would reconcile their words and practice Will you but read the whole Exercitation and allow him the liberty that all writers whether sacred or humane use you will find he is vastly more for me than for you He is only shewing how God did preserve Abraham's natural Posterity as grown up in a visible standing under the Covenant till our Lord Christ came that the Promise made to him concerning the Messias coming of his loyns might be accomplished he meddles not with the case of Infants but supposeth them visibly in Covenant as the Seed of Parents visibly so when will you leave thus to abuse Authors whose names are precious in all the Churches of Christ But Secondly I have a few things to reccommend to your Conscience and these are of two sorts First Such as concern my self thus Page 3. where you use the Poets words so Page 5. line 10 11. Page 26. line the last Page 22. line 1 2. with others of a like nature can you prove what you have written if not what will you call these things Secondly Such as concern matter of Fact thus see what you write Page 3. where do I say Mr. Danvers Book is all forgery or leave that to the Readers observation See also Page 4. line 2. again see what you write Page 34. three last lines and compare it with my Answer Page 39. and 40. will you or any Man else deny what I there take for granted Again see what you write Page 7. line 24 25. Is the silence of the Scripture as absolutely considered my beloved Argument yea or any Argument at all I only enquire and give my Reasons for the affirmation whether supposing the Covenant was extended to the Seed of Believers under the first Testament which I judged I had formerly sufficiently proved that it was what may be truly said of the silence of the Scripture not whether the silence of the Scriptures as absolutely taken concerning the Baptism of Infants do not make it vastly more probable that they ought then that they ought not to be baptized and that supposition being granted I judge I shall have but few gain-sayers Yet again see what you write Page 50. line 1 2. and compare it with my Answer Page 117 118 119. and see whether there is any such reason given by me or no you may also reflect upon your 18th Page and consider whether what I suppose be a granting that the commission was given only with respect to the Adult Sir I cannot think you can have such a value for your Animadversions as you suppose me to have for my Book as for others I can hardly think there is any one learned Man of your own Perswasion but will blush to see such Animadversions fly abroad from the pen of any of their party Sir I have only one thing more and that is to intreat you not to complain of unmerciful dealing will you seriously review your Book you will find I have dealt gently with you and that you may not say I have wronged you if you desire it and can procure the testimony of any two learned Anti-Paedo-Baptists that they judge your Book deserves or can know that any two consciencious learned Paedo-Baptists judge it deserves a more full consideration your desire if providence interpose not shall be gratified FINIS Some Books lately Printed for and sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden-Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard THe Harmony of the Divine Attributes in contriving Man's Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ c. By W. Bates D.D. in quarto the second Edition enlarged with an Alphabetical Table XL Sermons on several occasions preached at Cambridge and elswhere By the late Reverend and Learned Anthony Tuckney D.D. in quarto Mr. Theoph. Gale's Anatomy of Infidelity octavo Idea Theologiae tam Contemplativae tam Activae c. in 12 s. Mr. J. Fladoes Quakerism no Christianity octavo Vindication of the XXI Divines A Contest for Christianity or an Account of two great Disputes between the Anabaptists and the Quakers Infant-Baptism Asserted and Vindicated by Scripture and Antiquity c. By O. Wills M.A. More Proofs for Infant Church-Membership and consequently their right to Baptism c. By R. Baxter Vindiciae Vindiciarum or Infant-Baptism Re-asserted and Vindicatrd By O. Wills A Treatise of Justifying Righteousness c. In answer to Dr. Tully and Mr. Chr. Cartwright By R. Baxter Principles made Practical or Directions for plain Christians to pray on most occasions and to prepare themselves for the Lord's Supper by the use and knowledge of the Assemblies Catechism The great Concern or a serious Warning to a timely and through-preparation for Death c. By Edw. Pearce A Beam of Divine Glory or a Treatise of God's Unchangeableness By the same Author Correction Instruction or a Treatise of Affliction By T. Case in twelves The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ By T. Hooker in twelves The worthy Communicant or a Treatise shewing the due order of receiving the Lord's Supper By Jer. Dyke in twelves with a Sacramental Catechism c. The Barren Fig-tree or the fruitless Professor's doom By John Bunyan in twelves Solitude improved by Divine Meditations By N. Ranew in octavo The Life and Death of Mr. Thomas Tregoss sometime Minister in Cornwal in octavo The sinfulness of Sin and the fulness of Christ c. By W. Bridg. The lost Sinner sought out by Jesus Christ

eternal life to themselves as the Psalmist Psalm 16. so Psalm 37.24 So the Apostle 2 Tim. 4.8 So again eternal lite is laid hold on by ardency of affection and desire by possessing our selves of the first fruits of it c. Now to lay hold on eternal life these or the like ways puts lise into Believers endeavours so to fight this good fight of Faith as thereby to come to the full injoyment of that life in Heaven When a man hath got any hold of any good for himself or his he will strive and tug hard rather than part with it Now I say Believers have some hold of the Grace and blessings of the Covenant for their Children they see their Children have some hold through the extent of the Covenant to them hence they must needs be more effectually ingaged and provoked to greater diligence in the use of means that their Children may come to the actual injoyment of that Grace those blessings and priviledges than they would be had not either themselves or Children any such hold of that Grace and those blessings and benefits 4. There is the goodness love and kindness of God in extending his Covenant to their Seed and vouchsafing the ratification and confirmation of it by the Application of the Token thereof unto them as a strong obligation upon and motive to Parents to use their utmost diligence in order to their Childrens imbracement of the Covenant and giving up themselves to God as his People as thereby the Kingdom of Christ may be inlarged and his Interest promoted in the World The love and kindness of God how or which way soever exprest either towards themselves or theirs is greatly obliging to sincere Believers to endeavour to their utmost power the promotion of the Interest and inlargement of the Kingdom of Christ in the World Love is of a constraining nature it hath a compulsive force and power in it We love him because he loved us first saith John Love begets and excites love and love is industrious and laborious hence we read of the labour of love 1 Thess 1.3 The Apostle gives it as the great reason of their so zealous preaching the Gospel that to some they seemed to be beside themselves viz. because the love of Christ did constrain them 2 Cor. 5.14 15. It is true the love that God hath exprest towards a Believer in the things he hath done for and the good he hath vouchsafed to himself as personally considered in and by Christ may and ought to have a constraining force upon him to live to him and answerably to endeavour to his utmost power according to the capacity wherein he stands to promote the Interest and Kingdom of Christ in the World But yet God's extending his Covenant to their Seed and confirming it by the Application of the Token thereof unto them must rationally greatly add to the compulsive force and efficacy that his love hath upon them and that for a twofold reason 1. Because his love to themselves is greatly heightned thereby To all he hath done for and vouchsafed to themselves there is the addition of that Grace vouchsafed unto theirs and the greater the love of God is and appears to be to a Believer the areater efficacy and power it hath to excite his love unto God and constrain him to lay out himself for the advantage of the Interest and Kingdom of Christ in the World 2. Because God's making the Seed of Believers partakers of the same Grace and Goodness vouchsafed to them makes it alike reasonable that they as they grow up to years of maturity should live to him as they themselves desire to do There is a meetness and fitness that those that partake of the Grace and Goodness of God should live to him And Parents seeing their Children made partakers of the same Grace and Goodness of God that themselves do partake of have the same Covenant extended to them that is entred with themselves and that ratified and confirmed to them the same way as it is ratified and confirmed to themselves they must needs judge it alike reasonable and meet that theirs should live unto God as well as themselves Hence they must needs be more effectually stirred up and provokt to use their utmost endeavours that they may so do So that I say the Love Grace and Good ness of God in extending his Covenant to the Seed of his People and ratifying and confirming it by the Application of the Token thereof to them is a very great obligation upon and may and ought to be improved as a powerful motive by them to provoke and ingage themselves to the utmost diligence in using all means that their Children may personally imbrace the Covenant and give up themselves to God as his People as they grow up to years of maturity as thereby the Interest of Christ is promoted and his Kingdom inlarged And yet further there are three things the consideration of which may and will still heighten and increase the constraining efficacy and force that the Love Grace and Goodness of God hath upon the hearts of believing Parents to move and provoke them to the afore-mentioned diligence 1. That it is the Interest of their Redeemer that is promoted and his Kingdom that is inlarged thereby 2. That God hath extended his Covenant and appointed the Application of the Token thereof the Seed of Believers with reference to this very end viz. the increase and inlargement of the Kingdom of Christ in the World and that in pursuance of that promise made to him that he should have the Heathen for his Inheritance and the utmost ends of the earth for his Possession 3. That they are their own Children those that came out of their own bowels towards whom they are to use the means in order to the ends mentioned The Love and Goodness of God hath a constraining power upon the hearts of Believers to do his will however revealed or whatever reference their doing of it hath But when the things whereabout his will is revealed relate to the promotion of the Interest and inlargement of the Kingdom of their Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ and the increase and inlargement of his Kingdom was designed by his expressing his love and goodness to them in the ways he hath done and they are their Children the fruit of their own bodies that are the objects of their duty which in obedience to the will of God they are to perrorm surely now the Love Grace and Goodness of God must needs have the greatest efficacy and power in it to engage yea constrain them to a vigorous and diligent performance of that their duty 5. There is the aggravation that the sin of the Seed of Believers in not accepting of the Covenant and performing the conditions of it receives from their precedent Covenant-state further to oblige and provoke Parents who own that their Covenant-state and have applyed the Token of the Covenant on the account thereof to