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A93239
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Infant-baptism and church-membership proved: and also the mode of baptism to be by sprinkling &c. In answer to Mr. Benjamin Dennie's book. By Giles Shute of Limehouse.
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Shute, Giles, b. 1650 or 51.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing S3708; ESTC R231568
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45,328
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72
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No Saint of God ever was or ever will be justified neither for or by the Act of Faith and the reason is plain because that would be for a man to be justified by Works which would destroy Justification by Faith in the Righteousness of Christ which is Popery all over for there is no Justification without the Grace of Faith though not for the Acting of that Grace Therefore it is all a pure Design of preventing Grace from the Foundation to the Top-stone of mans Salvation it is all Grace Grace pure preventing Grace And therefore an Elect dying Infant is as capable of Justification Regeneration Adoption Sanctification and Eternal Salvation as any Adult person is whatsoever And thus I have proved That Habitual Faith is essentially necessary for the salvation of dying Infants as well as Adult believers None can be saved without it for there can be no Acts of Faith where there are not first Habits of Faith it is as impossible as it is for a Tree to grow and bear Fruit without a Root 8. Saith Mr. D. in page 6. It 's to be wondered at how you come to stop at Baptism and do not let children partake of the Lords-supper c. Mr. D. can see no reason why Infants should not be perfect Members of the Church visible if they are any at all To which I reply 1. Truly it is to be wondered at that such an insipid Argument should be destilled from the Brain and drop from the Pen of a Person of such natural Endowments as Mr. D. is generally taken to be But such is the unsearchable Wisdom of God to confound the Wisdom of the Wise and to entangle them in their own Devices that no flesh should glory in his presence Now I shall make good what I have said with a respect to this Argument 1. It cannot be denied but that the Jews children were perfect Members of the Church visible when they were circumcised at Eight days old for the Apostle tells us that unto them were committed the oracles of God Rom. 3.1 2. But yet notwithstanding they did not partake of the Passover and this I am sure that the Gospel of Grace and Christ the Purchaser of Grace did not at all diminish the gracious Priviledges of the children of Christian believers 2. Circumcision was instituted about four hundred and thirty years before the Ordinance of the Passover was in being and were there not perfect Members of the Church visible before the Passover was instituted which was just the Night before they were delivered out of that Egyptian Boâ—dage 3. To come nearer home All those men women and children that were baptized by John the Baptist were perfect Members of the Church visible by vertue of their Covenant-relation to Abraham who was a Type of Christ the Father of alâ— the Faithful and yet they did not partake of the Ordinance of the Lords-supper for it was impossible they should because that Ordinance was not instituted until about thirty years after for as Circumcision was instituted before the Passover so was Baptism before the Lords-supper and as the Passover was not instituted until the Night in which Israel was delivered out of the Egyptian Captivity so the Lords-supper was not instituted until the Night in which our Lord was betrayed when he Actually delivered us out of Spiritual Egyptian Bondage 3. If none are perfect Members of the Church visible until they partake of the Lords supper ther if any of their own Opinion die after they are dipped before they partake of the Lords-supper as no doubt but that many do then they dye imperfect Members of their Church visible 4. Baptism was in force long before the Passover was abolished for our Saviour Christ did eat the Passover and institute the Lords-supper both at a Meal the very Night in which he was betrayed which was the total abolition of the former and the establishment of the latter 5. Our Saviour Christ himself hath in effect declared the Infant-seed of Believers to be perfect Members of the Church visible in Mat. 19 1â— these Words viz. Then were there brought unto him little children that he should put his hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them But Jesus said Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me for of such is the kingdom of heaven That is the Church Surely the Kingdom of Heaven is not comprized and made up of imperfect Members or Subjects Thus you see this Argument is pluckt up by the Roots 9. Saith Mr. D. in page 6. Many of those you call outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace our children have as well as yours 1. We dedicate them to God by our Prayers for them as soon as born and those of the Church into which in time we hope they will incorporate 2. Our Example 3. Religious Education by catechising and by daily Prayers for them c. Here are several things worthy to come under our consideration from these Premises aforesaid 1. Mr. D. asserts and declares that their children have many of those we call outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace as well as ours but he will not allow them to be outward Priviledges c. but saith that we call them so 2. Either they are Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace or they are not and if they are not so then they are no Priviledges at all for they must be of the Covenant of Works they must be of Grace or of Works this is clear from the Scripture in Rom. 11. And if by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace But if it be of works then it is no more grace otherwise work is no more work Therefore if those we call outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace of which our Opponents children partake of as well as ours are not outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace then they are of the Covenant of Works which is no Priviledge at all thus to boast of 3. This destroys that common and unclean Nation of theirs viz. That the children of Turk and Heathens have as much Priviledge as the children of Christian Believers for Turks and Heathens do not dedicate their children to God in Christ as soon as born Which I take to be Mr. D's meaning though he will not allow them one Dram of Habitual Grace which renders it wholly invalid 4. This Dedication of their children as soon as born and Prayers for them must not pass without a strickt Examination for fear least it should prove to be but blear-eyed Leah instead of beautiful Rachel to use our Authour 's own Phrase Therefore I will bring it into the Ballance of the Sanctuary and try whether it be weight or not 1. How can Mr. D. dedicate his children to God in prayer for them as soon as born seeing he will not allow them to be capable of receiving the Seed and Habits of Grace to unite them to Christ For it is
as Circumcision was the door of entrance to all the Members of the former even so Baptism is now the door of entrance to all the Members of the latter Thus you see all the Arguments to prove the contrary are confuted notwithstanding Mr. D's saying that the male children of Abraham's natural Posterity were only to be circumcised and his wondering that from this Covenant should be devolved a Right on the Gentile Church to baptize their Children both males and females is brought to nought 6. And lastly I shall humbly offer some Reasons why the male children were to be circumcised and not the females 1. It was to praefigurate the death and sufferings of Christ who was given for a Covenant of the People and was to be cut off and die for the Sins of his People Therefore as St. Paul saith in another case Was Paul crucified so say in this viz. Was a female to be crucified for the sins of the People I think there are none but will deny that 2. This also was the reason why the Paschal Lamb for Sacrifice must be a male of the flock without blemish and not a female which did likewise praefigurate Christ's Incarnation and Crucifiction For 1. He must be a man and not a woman 2. He must be a man without sin 3. He must be taken out of the flock of God namely the Tribe of Judah 4. And lastly He must be offered up without spot to God for the sins of his People 1 Cor. 5.7 Therefore for these Reasons the male children were circumcised and not the female But yet notwithstanding the female seed of Abraham were as much in the Covenant of Grace and shared as much in the Redeeming Love of Christ as ever the male children of Abraham did 3. The Token of the Covenant was and still is to be on the flesh because all flesh had corrupted its way therefore nothing short of the death and sufferings of Christ could appease the Wrath of God and reconcile him unto us and retrieve us from that lost and condemned state of sin and misery into which the Fall of Adam had involv'd us But Christs Deity did not suffer for it was impossible it was only the Humane Nature of Christ that suffered and was cut off but not for himself but for the sins of the People Dan. 9. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off There was the Antitype or end of Circumcision for he suffered both in body and soul Isa 53.11 His soul was made an offering for sin Thus I have proved That the female seed of Abraham were interessed in the Token of the Covenant as well as the males and so are all the seed of Believers now and have all a Right to the Ordinance of Water-baptism the successive Token of the Covenant of Grace For as Circumcision of the Heart and Baptism of the Holy Ghost both signifieth one and the same thing even so Circumcision in the Letter and Baptism with Water signifieth one and the same thing namely Regeneration and Sanctification by the death merits and Spirit of Christ 3. Mr. D. hath positively asserted That the Covenant God established with Abrahnm and his Seed was a Covenant of peculiarity viz. a Covenant made peculiarly with Abraham and 〈◊〉 Natural posterity but this I shall make appear to be a very gross mistake for several Reasons 1. Because it was not a new made Covenant with Abraham which never had a being before as appeareth by the very words in Gods Declaration to Abraham viz. for thus saith the Lord And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee c. Though it is true that it was new to Abraham and his seed because they were never in it before 2. This Covenant which God calls my covenant which he established with Abraham and his seed is the same which God made first with Adam and his seed after the Fall Gen. 3.15 and secondly it 's the same which God established with Noah and his seed after the Floud for God used the very same frame of Speech with Noah as he did with Abraham as you may see Gen. 9.9 And I behold I establish my covenant with you and with your seed after you That was with Noah and his Houshold and their Posterity Gen. 7.17 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee 1. Behold I establish my covenant c. 2. And I will establish my covenant c. What difference is there between these Two establishments of the Covenant Even none at all Then it must be one and the same Covenant nay God telleth us so for both to the one and to the other God calls it emphatically my covenant So it was not a Covenant made peculiarly to Abraham and his natural posterity 2. Let us address our selves to Gods frame of Speech concerning the Tokens of the one and of the other 1. In Gen. 9.12 And God said This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you That was Noah and his Houshold 2. In Gen. 17.11 And ye shall circumcise thâ— flesh of your fore-skin and it shall be a token of 〈◊〉 covenant betwixt me and you But it may be Objected What congruity or agreement is there between these two Tokens of the Covenant to the Rain-bow and Circumcision Why there is a very sweet agreement between them both 〈◊〉 in effect it 's one and the same for they are boâ—â— Tokens of God's Love and Grace primarily anâ— especially unto his own covenanting people 3. Persons may as well say That the Rain-bow is the Covenant as to say that Circumcision is the Covenant being both but Tokens thereof 4. The Covenant of Grace had its beginning at the Fall of Adam for had our First Parent stood in their primitive state of innocency theâ— would have been no room for the Exercise oâ— Grace and Mercy for misery in a sense may be said to beget Grace and Mercy for in Gen. 3. â— there came in all our misery and in verse 15 there came in Gods free preventing Grace aâ— Mercy which is his Darling Attribute for Mercy is his delight 5. The Covenant of Grace ran down in a â—neal Descent from Adam and his posterity 〈◊〉 Noah and his and took in Job Melchizedec Eliâ—â— and Abraham Isaac and Jacob Moses Davâ—â— and all the Patriarches and last of all it â—â—volved upon the Gospelized Gentiles and all thâ— posterity and this only is the Covenant of Grace for was it not great Grace that God should 〈◊〉 only spare Man when he first broke out into opeâ— Rebellion against him but found out a Ransoâ— for him 6. All those that are or have been or may be in the Covenant of Grace are not nor new may be in the Covenant of Redemption but aâ— that are in the Covenant of Redemption 〈◊〉 go through the Covenant of Grace to Glory 7. All the Elect of God are in the