Selected quad for the lemma: sense_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sense_n	abraham_n	covenant_n	seed_n	2,017	5	9.1132	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79489	A Christian plea for infants baptisme. Or a confutation of some things written by A.R. in his treatise, entitutled, The second part of the vanitie and childishnesse of infants baptisme. In the answer whereof, the lawfulnesse of infants baptisme is defended, and the arguments against it disproved, by sufficient grounds and forcible reasons, drawn from the sweet fountains of holy Scripture. S.C.	Chidley, Samuel.	1644 (1644)	Wing C3836A; Thomason E32_2; ESTC R11383	164,121	171

that Abraham was a father of many Nations and so was Noah and that not onely according to the flesh but also spiritually He was a father of many Nations according to the flesh because he was the father of Abraham * See Luk. 3. who was the father of many nations according to the flesh Spiritually Noah was the heire of Justice and Abrahams father as Abraham is sayd to be our father and the father of all those who walke in his steps And seeing that Christ came of Abraham and Abraham of Noah therefore Christ came of Noah so that it may be sayd in this respect of Noah as of Abraham that in his seed which is Christ all the Nations of the earth are blessed Further you say * Pag. 18. at lin 24. A. R. Therefore although the Covenant and promises were made to Abraham and his seed yet the consequence will not follow that the covenant is likewise made with all beleevers and their seed for beleevers onely are the seed and the seed onely and none of them a father in the Gospel sence nor any other save onely Abraham to whom and his seed the covenant and promises are made Ans That the covenant and promises were made to Abraham and his seed you cannot denie that the Proselytes and their seed were heires of the same covenant as well as Abraham and his seed the Scriptures are cleare Gen. 17.9.12 Exod. 12.48 Isa 56. So when Zacheus beleeved and so became the sonne of Abraham he had the same priviledges which Abraham had namely that the same time salvation was come to his house * Luk. 19 8 9. Therefore seeing that he was the sonne of Abraham his infants were in the covenant of Abraham And this is according to what the Apostle sayth Gal. 4.28 Now wee brethren as Isaac was are the children of promise if now the brethren are as Isaac was then their Infants are as Isaacs infants were and are to have the same priviledges of the covenant as Isaacs infants had But the former is true from the Apostles Testimony and therefore the latter is true also And therefore Baptisme being one of the priviledges of the covenant of God which they are as capable of as of circumcision they ought to be baptized as Isaacs infants were to be circumcised And seeing the same Covenant which was made with Abraham was made with Isaac and his seed and that beleevers are as Isaac was the children of promise The consequence then that the covenant is likewise made unto all beleeving parents and their holy seed is very true Whereas you tell us that Beleevers onely are the seed and the seed onely and none of them a father in the Gospel sence nor any other save onely Abraham I tell you that if Abraham had not been a beleever he could not have been the seed much lesse a father spiritually unto those who walke in his steps neither could Isaac the childe of promise have been as he was 2. Though Christ is the root of David * Rev. 5.5 yet he is also the off-spring of David * Rev. 22.16 so is he the root and the off-spring the father * Joh. 8.58 and the sonne of Abraham * Mat. 1.1 so that Abraham was Christs seed spiritually as all the Proselytes were and in this respect Abraham is our brother But you tell us Beleevers onely are the seed and the seed onely and none of them a father in the Gospel sence save onely Abraham but you should know that Noah was Abrahams father both spiritually and temporally and a beleever and so were the holy Patriarkes before him therefore they were the seed and yet wee will not say they were the onely seed in the largest extent for I thinke that all the Saints which are or have been are not yet the onely seed for there are no doubt many yet to come Now if by the onely seed and the seed onely you mean that God never accepted of any seed but such as they were spiritually I grant the same that such are the seed indeed and in truth and such a one was Isaac in his infancie and such are the Infants of beleevers now as those infants which Christ took up in his armes Mar. 10.16 and layd his hands upon and blessed And though the infants are not fathers but faithfull children of the faithfull yet they have the blessing of Abraham which lighted upon Isaac in his infancie and those that are blessed with faithfull Abraham are the seed of Abraham and children of the promise but the infants of beleevers are blessed with faithfull Abraham therefore they are the children of the promise Moreover You should not be ignorant that Enoch Noah S●m Abraham Isaac and divers others were fathers spiritually But you would have Abraham to be the onely father for you say None of them is a father in the Gospel sence save onely Abraham so that you exclude all beleevers from the beginning unto this present yea to the end of the world from being fathers any of them in the Gospel sence But you should know that all beleeving fathers who have holy children are fathers in the Gospel sence and as they are holy so are their infants who have no more childrē then Isaac had in his infancie yet seeing they are heires of the Covenant which was made with Abraham they have his blessing So Paul termeth the children of beleevers holy * 1 Cor. 7.14 and so Peter sayth The promise is unto you and to your children c. which implyeth fathers and surely I thinke this is Gospel sence * Act. ● 39 if not Gospel it selfe Further you say Wherefore to affirme that every beleever hath now the same Covenant and promises made to him and his seed A. R. Pag. 18. at lin 30. as Abraham had to him and his seed is very absurd and is all one as to say that now every beleever by his beleeving doth immediately become a father of the faithfull as well as Abraham To which I answer as before that beleevers are in the same Covenant and therefore both they their seed have the same priviledges of the Covenant as the Proselytes and their seed had in former time And you should know that Abraham was not the father of Noah but Noah was the father of Abraham and he was before Abraham and therefore was not onely the father of Abraham but also the father of all beleevers after him spiritually Now though Abraham was not the father of so many beleevers as Noah was father of yet Abraham had the same priviledges in respect of the new covenant as Noah had Abraham sojourned in the land of Canan as a stranger but his seed did inherite it yet the promise of salvation was equally made both to him and his seed as it is to us and our seed So Jacob though he was not the father of so many beleevers w c● Abraham was father of yet had

unto them as it was unto Abraham And so it was with the Proselytes their seed as with the Jewes and their seed And though this be a most evident truth yet you say it may in no wise be granted that the Covenant is made with all beleevers as with Abraham yea though they have the like spirituall priviledges as Abraham had yet you resolve not to grant it and it is not materiall whether you grant it or no. Now that they are all fathers as Abraham was I will not take upon mee to prove but this I know that they are in the same covenant and have the same spirituall priviledges which Abraham had As for your affirmatton that all these are the seed and the onely seed and children of Abraham For explanation I answer as before that if Noah was Abrahams father Abraham was not his father and therefore Abraham was not the father of all those beleevers that were before he was borne for Noah Abrahams father was a beleever And to this agrees your owne words for you say beleevers are the seed yea all beleevers and onely all beleevers are the onely seed and the seed onely and therefore you may see that Abraham though he were a father yet he was part of the seed for I thinke you will not deny him to be a beleever Whereas you say that if it were otherwise then must they be comprehended Gen. 17.7 8. under the tearme thee and then the rest of the phrase to wit and to thy seed would be in vaine and superfluous which to thinke were very irrationall I answer That this which you have sayd will not stand with reason for you should know that if the covenant did appertaine to Abrahams s●ed in no wise as to Abraham then the rest of the phrase to wit and to thy seed would be in vaine and superfluous which to thinke would be very irrationall indeed And the like wee may say concerning Peters application of the promise unto beleevers and their children that if it is bound up onely in the parents then Peter might have rested at those expressions concerning the parents particular persons and onely have sayd thus Act. 2.39 the promise is unto you and not have added these words and to your children Abundance of testimonies of sacred Scripture might be cited where the seed and generation of the faithfull are declared to be in the promise with their parents but this may suffice which hath been spoken that wee may not exclude the holy off-spring and blessed issue of the blessed but whensoever wee happen upon any such place of Scripture where the seed is said to be in the blessing with the parents especially considering that the Scripture affecteth brevitie wee ought then to mind that if the blessing be bound up from the infants in the parents then the words are in vaine and sup●rfluous where their children seed off-spring and issue are mentioned But seeing that the promise to the seed is not vaine nor superfluous nor ever was it is irrationall to thinke that God is not the same God in extending his grace and mercy to the seed of beleevers as to themselves Next you say Lin. 32. Put the case it be granted them to be fathers as they doe desire to be like to Abraham then must they be fathers of onely such as beleeve and not untill they beleeve for according to the tenor of this new Covenant and in the Gospel sense Abraham himselfe is father of none other nor otherwise Ans Though in some respects we desire to be fathers as Abraham was yet far be it from us to desire to be fathers as he was in every respect You shall not father such a thing upon us Wee desire to be fathers as Abraham was though not in every respect and it is lawfull for us so to do yea our duty not only to desire it but to strive to imitate Abraham in instructing our families and teaching them the way of life according as every one of them is capable to receive instruction But though some of our children doe degenerate as some of Abrahams children did yet it maketh not the promise uneffectuall to the rest no more then it did to the rest of the children of Abraham who w●s a father of them in the Gospel sence as wee are fathers of the●e our children who abide in our righteous steps And wee are fathers of our own infants otherwise then wee are of the unbeleeving Jewes and Turkes for ours wee know are in the cov●nant but the other wee know are not untill they doe beleeve But wh●n they doe beleeve then have they as great priviledges for their infants as Isaac had for his infants And these are as those were and therefore as it was warrantable for those to be sealed then so is it warrantab●e f●r these to be sealed now But hence you affirme That Publicans and Harlots may be the seed A. R. and have as much right to Baptism● as any beleevers seed or as any of Abrahams owne naturall seed for all and every of these must first repent and then be baptized Act. 2.38 Ans If this be forcible against beleevers infants it is of force against themselves and if such a reason could have bin strong against Abrahams infants then against Abraham himselfe for the Heathens then might become converts as well as now Moreover I tell you that it is not to the poynt for us to look what persons may be or may have right unto but what persons are or must be judged to be and what they have right unto and therefore this position of yours is very impertinently brought against Infants right to the covenant or Baptisme especially considering that the infants of beleevers are neither publicans nor harlots nor to be ranked with them or their infants till the publicans and harlots cease to be so and God create in them a new spirit as he doth in the infants of the faithfull and so circumcise their hearts and make them new creatures and give them the same blessing which Christ gave unto the Israelites in●ants whom he took up in his armes and imposed his hands upon and blessed Whereas you further adde that Vpon the same tearmes may any yea the most wicked in the world and their seed be baptized Ans It is true that the infants of those who are penitent and in Gods covenant though they were formerly wicked are to be baptized as well as their parents But note this that Baptisme is a confirmation of their being in Covenant as Circumcision was to Abraham and his infants and to the Proselytes and their infants Touching your reason for this which you annex * Pag. 20. at lin 4. to wit that the partition wall is now broken down and that the Gospel knows no difference between any but is to be preached to every creature in the world and so you cite Mar. 16.15 16 Mat. 28.19 Gal 6.15 8.29 I answer That though the former