facilitate their reception of all higher Truths and Doctrines revealed in the Scriptures 2. They are to teach and instruct them in the way of God's dealing with Man as his Creature that it always hath been and still is according to some Covenant wherein he promises somewhat of Good unto Men upon condition of their performing that duty himself hath prescribed and injoyned having always annexed rewards and punishments to the performance or non-performance of that duty For Parents to instruct their Children and make them apprehensive and sensible that this always hath been and still is the way of God's dealing with Men will greatly conduce to their more ready entertainment of what shall be shewed them concerning the several Covenants God hath made with Men and their states conditions and duties as interested in the one or the other Covenant that God hath made with Man 3. They are to teach and instruct them in and about the Covenant of Nature or the Law of Works established with Man at his first Creation and here they are to instruct them in that happy estate Man was in as under that Covenant how happy he should have been had he performed the conditions of it what penalty was annexed to the transgression of that Law how that Covenant was broken by Adam the first Parent of Mankind how far all his posterity are concerned in that breach what the penalty is that all Mankind as born into the World are under and farther subject to as involved in that breach how the guilt of Adam's sin redounds to them how their Natures are corruped and depraved how that corruption and depravation of their Natures flows from that first breach of that Covenant how they are Children of Wrath as under that guilt and as having their Natures so vitiated and depraved 4. They are to instruct them in and about the Covenant of Grace as established in the Sacrifice Death and Sufferings of a Mediator and here they are to instruct them in the Person Offices and Works of this Mediator what are the terms and conditions of this Covenant how far themselves are interested in it as the Seed of believing Parents what Good they have already granted to them by it upon what terms that Good was granted and hath been hitherto continued to them what is now required of them to the preservation of their Covenant-state 5. They are to teach and instruct them in the uses and ends of their Baptism * Doctrinam Baptismi teneant Baptizati Hild. what is signified by it how the Covenant they are received into is sealed and confirmed by it what assurance they have thereby of injoying all the Good Benefits and Blessings promised unless they forfeit them by the non-performance of that duty God requires on their parts what incouragements they have to perform that duty what obligations ly upon them to take hold of the Covenant and give up themselves to God what their sin and misery will be in case they do it not how happy they shall be in case they do it Thus the Lord commands the People of Israel to instruct their Children in the use and ends of the Passover and the same they were doubtless to do in respect of Circumcision and other Sacramental sings in use among them Exod. 12.26 27. And it shall come to pass when your Children say unto you What mean you by this service then ye shall say It is the Sacrifice of the Lord 's Passover who passed over the houses of the Children of Israel when he smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses And here we may observe the usefulness of bringing Children to the administration of Baptism to others it may occasion their enquiry after the meaning of that Ordinance but however whether they enquire or no it is the duty of Parents to let them behold the administration of it and thereupon take occasion to instruct them in the uses and ends of it But 2. For the Use and Application of all due and apt means conducing to their imbracing acting and practising according to these instructions given them And thus 1. They are to keep them as much as may be from any notice or knowledge of any Objects Principles or Doctrines as also from any such notions or apprehensions of and about earthly things as by means whereof they may be obstructed and prejudiced in their closing in with God in Christ imbracing the Covenant and giving themselves up to God according to the terms of it Preserve their minds and affections as much as may be from anticipations or pre-ingagements by means of which their imbracing acting and practising according to what they are taught would be prejudiced Thus suppose Believers to have their lot cast in places where some false God is worshipped their duty would be to keep their Children from any notice of such a God so where corrupt Principles and Doctrines whether relating to worship or manners are preached or maintained it is the duty of Parents what in them lyes to keep their Children from any knowledge of them lest their minds and judgments should be infected with them So to keep them from the sight of such things as have a tendency to vitiate their minds and excite the corruptions of their hearts For this reason Aristotle tells us a Law-giver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. lest the minds of youth should be vitiated and they should first learn to speak filthily and then to act filthily So again to keep them from any such notions or apprehensions of and about earthly things as tend to ingage their affections to them Parents are not a little prejudicial to their Children to appland their bravery on the account of fine clothes and the like so by insinuating the worth and excellency of Mony Estates Honours and the like they should rather endeavour to convince them of the nothingness insignificancy and vanity of these things When Childrens minds are prepossessed with notions and apprehensions of a worth and excellency in such things their desires run out after them and they begin to promise to themselves a kind of felicity in them whence they soon ingage in a pursuance of them to the neglect of Christ and that inheritance above they are born Heirs unto 2. Frequent repetitions and inculcations of the same things greatly conduce to the ends mentioned Children as they receive but little at a time so they need frequent repetitions and inculacations of the same things their understandings are weak their memories slippery and what impressions may be made upon their hearts and affections soon wear off again hence the same things must be often repeated and inculcated upon them Indeed repetitions and inculcations of the same things are useful to the Adult To write the same things to you saith the Apostle to the Philippians to me indeed is not grievous but for you it is safe Phil. 3.1 Men it is true are desighted in variety and in the newness of things proposed but saith the Apostle
Promise further made to his House for so long a time to come 2 Sam. 7.18 19. So for God not only to promise to be a God to Believers themselves but to make their Children and that as such Fellow-heirs with them of the same Promise might have even non-plust their Faith had he not expressly ratified and confirmed that branch by the Application of the Token to their Seed The glory of the Covenant might have overcome a weak Faith had it not been sutable confirmed But 2. The other endand use of the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Seed of Believers is the ratificatio and confirmatiou of the Promises as made unto them and consequently for the more full securing of the good promised to them and it ought to be so lookt upon and improved by them as they grow up to years of Maturity of which more hereafter Now then to bring what hath been said to our present purpose we may see what advantage Believers have to their Faith as to be acted with reserence to their Seed or the good promised to them by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them they have not only that part of the Covenant respecting their Seed ratified and confirmed to themselves but they also see the Covenant as entred with and the Promises as made to their Seed ratiried and confirmed unto them How far Faith is to be acted by Parents with reference to their Seed will appear when we consider what Promises are made unto them with the good contained in them and consequently conveyed to and setled upon them by those Promises But how far or in what Sence soever Faith is to be acted we see Believers have no little advantage for it By the Application of the Token of the Covenant to their Seed they have not only the Promises as made to themselves with reserence to their Seed confirmed to themselves but those Promises as made to their Seed confirmed unto them 2. Another reason may be that God hereby might provide for and lay a sure foundation unto the joy and comfort of his People in their Children according to what Faith Believers can act with reference to their Children and the advantage they have to that their Faith so will their joy and comfort in them be Children are great Blessings choice Mercies and peculiar Comforts unto Men We see how Jacob looks upon the gift of Children he accounts it a gracious Gift when Esau seeing his Wives and Children puts the question Who are these saith he They are the Children that God hath graciously given me Gen. 32.5 He accounts his children as an effect or great Grace and Mercy to him So our Lord Christ tells us a Woman when she is in travel hath sorrow because her hour is come but when she is delivered of a Child she remembers no more her anguish for joy that a Man is born into the World John 16.21 The joy that a Man is born swallows up the remembrance of her sorrows Children are Parents joys and comforts But now were it so indeed that Infants I mean such as are born of believing Parents have no interest in the Covenant nor any security thereby from thedreadful effects of their natural states and conditions the apprehension and consideration of what their states and conditions are must needs greatly allay if not utterly destroy the joy and comfort of Parents in them For Parents to see the fruit of their bodies is matter of joy but when they reflect upon their Natural conditios and remember they are Children of Wrath this must needs greatly weaken or rather utterly destroy that joy And it is no little matter of admiratio how any that know and believe the Scriptures declaring how the whole race of Mankind are involved in the guilt of Adams sin as being virtually and seminally in him as also how humane Nature is vitiated and corrupted with sin and so propagated from Parents to Children and consequently how all as born into the World are guilty before God and children of Wrath I say how any that know and believe these things can have any joy or rake any comfort in their Children unless they have some hope that through the Covenant of Grace they are freed from the guilt and under at least a probability of security from the dreadful effects of that their state As for that supposition of some that only Natural death was threatned against Adam in case of sin and consequently that no other kind of death is come upon all Mankind through his fall and hereupon that that is the only kind of death that Infants are subject to Or that supposition of others that the guilt of Original sin is wholly de facto taken away from all Manking by Christ and consequently that all are born in a state of Peace with God and under the same Love and Favour that Adam was under in his state of Innocency what relief soever the one or the other yields can only arise from the darkness and errour of the understanding and judgment having no true foundation in the Word of God neither were they granted would they contribute in the least degree so much to they joy and comfort of Parents in their Children as the Covenant if truly underst od will do And as for those which fetch their relief from the Doctine of Election though that Doctrine be certainly true and may be improved as a considerable relief against that sorrow and grief that must rationally arise to believing Parents from the apprehension of the natural states and conditions of their Children yet I doubt if all things be well weighted it will be found greatly wanting as to the yielding that plenary relief that it hath been useuslly endeavoured to be improved unto in as much as Election neither secures any from death in their Infant-state nor can be looked upon according to any Scripture-ground as a security against the dreadful effects of that state and condition in case of death in that state However this seems evident that the relief to be fetcht from thence is alike to unbelievers with respect to their Children as to Believers with respect to theirs Set aside interest in the Covenant and the Promises thereof and a Believer hath no more assurance from Seripture that his Seed belongs to the Election of Grace than any other man hath or suppose he sehould yet that such as die in their Infancy do belong thereunto he hath rather ground to fear than to hope yea the ground he hath to fear they do not is vastly greater than the ground he hath to hope that they do And for Believers to have a clearer knowledg and apprehension of the lost estate of their Children as born Children of Wrath than others have and yet to have no other ground of hope concerning them than others have muse needs greatly allay their comfort and joy in them yea they must rationally have less joy and take less comfort in
real work of Grace may greatly apostatize from the ways of Grace and Holiness and sometimes be found walking and that for a great while how long 't is hard to say in the ways of sin and ungodliness is past all rational doubt in variety of instances as that of Solomon and others And if so be this supposition that God has wrought Grace in this or that Infant be a sufficient ground to apply the Token of the Covenant to them in their Infancy why may not the same Judgment of Charity be exercised towards the same Persons as grown up though at present greatly apostatized from the ways of Grace and Holiness and supposing the Promises alike appertaining to them as they did in their Infancy and the same Judgment of Charity to be exercised towards them as may be exercised during their Infant-state Though it be granted their case be more doubtful yet I say it will be hardly proved by Scripture that they ought not to have the Token of the Covenant applyed to them and yet to grant them this priviledge their case being as now put will be attended with no small inconveniency 3. If the Promises are made only indefinitely to the Seed of Believers then they seem evidently to appertain alike to their mediate as to their immediate Seed In Abraham's case 't is undeniable that as taken in an indefinite notion they did equally and alike appertain to his Seed and Posterity mediately descended from him as to his immediate Seed neither had his immediate Seed any other interest in them then his mediate Now the Apostle tells us expressly that the blessing of Abraham is come upon believing Gentiles or suppose we can from any Scripture-warrant limit the Promises as made only to the immediate Seed of Believers under the New Testament yet seeing we cannot limit them to Abraham's immdeiate but must grant them equally and alike to respect and be extended to his mediate as to his immediate Seed it will certainly follow that all the Seed of the Jews to this very day have an equal and alike interest in the Promises that Isaac and Jacob and the rest of both Abraham's and Isaac's Children had And if so I conceive no reason can possibly be assigned why the same Judgment of Charity may not be exercised towards these as was exercised towards them and consequently they would be as due and proper Subjects of the Token of the Covenant as they were and ought to have it applyed unto them And if so be we cannot limit the Promise to the immediate Seed of Believers as I much think we cannot in case we grant them to be only indefinitely made to Abraham's natural Seed then there will be laid a fair ground for the Application of the Token of the Covenant which now is Baptism to all Infants universally as may be easily shewed if necessary But I shall not inlarge upon this These reasons convince me past all rational contradiction that the Covenant and Promises thereof neither were entred with nor made to either the natural Seed of Abraham or any other Believers in a mere indefinite notion but however God might have and still has a more general respect both to Abraham's and all Believers Seed mediately descending from them respectively yet as entred with and made both to his and their immediate Seed so they are to be interpreted ad understood in a definite notion reaching and taking in each one of their Seed in particular This Question being resolved I shall now proceed to the Application and unfolding of this second Benefit assigned to the Infant-seed of Believers by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them and here two things are to be enquired into 1. What the Token of the Covenant has reference to or what it is that is ratified sealed and confirmed to Infants thereby 2. Wherein the Good Benefit and Advantage of having that whatever it be that the Token of the Covenant hath reference unto ratified sealed and confirmed by an outward Sign and Token does consist 1. For the first And thus the Token of the Covenant has a double reference First To the Covenant it fels as more generally and absolutely considered Secondly To the particular Promises contained in it 1. I say the Token has reference to the Covenant it self as absolutely and more generally considered And hence that which is firstly and primarily ratified sealed and confirmed to Infants and the same is true of the Adult by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them is the Covenant it self as more generally and absolutely considered and consequently and as the immediate and necessary result thereof that which is Ratified and Confirmed is their Covenant-state They are as I may so speak solemnly invested and sealed in a Covenant-state with God they are absolutely de presenti removed from under the first Covenant entred with all Mankind in Adam and solemnly invested with and initiated into a new Covenant-state Hence Circumcision and the same is true of Baptism is said to be the Token of the Covenant as absolutely considered Gen. 17.11 as the one had so the other has a first and primary respect and reference to the Covenant as absolutely taken and consequentially to the state of those that are taken into Covenant they are thereby solemnly put and setled in a new Covenant-state and relation Godward though I deny not but that the new Covenant or Covenant of Grace is conditionally made with all or rather offered to Mankind there is an offer and tender of Christ with all his Benefits to all men upon condition of Faith and Repentance Go says Christ preach the Gospel to every Creature he that believes and is baptized shall be saved but he that believes not shall be damned in that Mark 16.15 16. But condionale nihil ponit in usu A conditional Covenant though it makes a great alteration in the cases of Men they are not now under a necessity of standing or falling according to the tenour or terms of the first Covenant yet that does not change their state they are yet Heirs of the curse denounced in case of the transgression of that Covenant they are yet Children of wrath the wrath of God abideth upon them John 3.36 * Non dixit ir a Dei veniet ad eum sed ir a Dei manet super eum Omnes qui nascuntur mortales habent secum iram Dei. Quam iram Dei quam excepit primus homo Adam August in loco But the Seed of Believers are actually received into the Covenant of Grace solemnized ratified and confirmed by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them and from this change in their states I conceive a discharge and immunity from the condemning power of Original sin whether originans or originatum does necessarily arise and result unto them How far or in what sense Mankind in general is freed from the sanction of the first Covenant by the new Covenant as made
God and Abraham and his Seed in their generations Behold saith God I establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy Seed after thee in their generations Now if so be the Covenant of Grace had been afore established with all Mankind here had been no new Priviledge or no Priviledge beyond what was common to Man in general granted unto Abraham or to any of his Seed The establishment of the Covenant with Abraham and his Seed in their generations as contradistinguished from the rest of Mankind evidently proves 't is not established with all Mankind for then the establishing of it with him and his Seed had been a mere superfluous and insignificant thing seeing it had been afore established with him and his Seed as of the number of Mankind and that in the same sense and with the like advantage both to him and them as now it is How far the Covenant is conditionally made or rather offered to all Men concerns not our present purpose seeing as so made or offered it actually conveys not the Good promised to any untill themselves have performed the conditions of it But that it is actually made or entred with all Mankind as such is not only destitute of any proof from Scripture but is directly contrary to the whole tenour of Scriptures The Gentiles are said to be strangers to the Covenants of Promise antecedent to their Faith in Christ and thereby becoming Abrahams Seed The Promises are said to be made to Christ and consequently appertain to Men only as in him Hence taking hold of the Covenant is made necessary to a right to the Promises But to insist upon this may well be accounted superfluous as being a denial of what no body hath affirmed Now then if so be the Covenant of Grace wherein all the Good aforementioned is contained be not actually entred and established with all Mankind as such then neither all nor any part of that Good can be come upon all Men merely as such by the Covenant of Grace 2. Have they it by vertue of any other Covenant or Promise contradistinct from or independent upon the Covenant of Grace That cannot be because no such Covenant or Promise is to be found throughout the whole Scriptures Let any such Covenant or Promise be shewed and it shall be attended to The only Scripture so far as I can call to mind that gives the least countenance to this supposal is Rom. 5.15 16 17 18. But to that I shall only say two things First That the Apostle's bare using of the universal Particle all is too weak a ground to lay such an Assertion upon especially when no Covenant or Promise can be found by or according to which the gift there spoken of is conferred upon all Men And seeing it is evident that that term is sometimes used when yet it is to be interpreted and understood in a limited sense I need not cite places to those that are at all acquainted with the Scriptures Secondly I answer that the Apostle's design is not to shew that the free Gift by Christ is of equal extent in the Donation of it with the condemnation arising from Adam's sin but his design is to compare Adam's sin and the purchase made by Christ in regard of their respective efficacies or in point of their respective causalities or power to produce their different effects In brief his design is only to shew that seeing the offence of one Man viz. Adam's was effective of the condemnation of all his Posterity then the Grace of God and the Righteousness of Christ who is not merely Man but God-Man must needs be more effectual for their Justification and Life who have an Interest in and Union with him That this is the Apostle's design appears two ways First From his assignment of a preheminence or superabundance to the Grace of God and this free Gift by Christ above what is predicable of the Offence of Adam which must needs respect the power and efficacy of the Grace of God and the free Gift by Christ to justifie and save and of the Offence of Adam to condemn for if so be we consider the Persons upon whom condemnation is come by Adam's Offence and the persons upon whom the free Gift is come unto Justification of Life no such assignment of a preheminence and superabundancy to the Grace of God and the free Gift by Christ could be made inasmuch as that condemnation is come upon all by Adam's Offence and the free Gift can come but upon all And where the Objects and Persons concerned are of equal extent no preheminency can be assigned with respect unto them Secondly This appears from the Apostle's variation of his phrase from many to all and again from all to many which plainly shews he had not so much respect to the Persons upon whom either Condemnation or the free Gift is come as either to the things come upon them or to the causes and means from whence or whereby those things are come upon them respectively Thirdly I answer Though the Apostle tells us the free Gift is come upon all to justification of Life yet he tells us not how or in what sense or upon what terms it is come He may only mean it is come upon all in respect of the conditional offer and tender of it So we may understand that of the Apostle Tit. 2.11 The Grace of God hath appeared bringing Salvation to all Men for so the Greek exactly runs The Grace of God hath brought Salvation to all Men in regard of the offer and tender of it Preach the Gospel to every Creature See the like passage Rom. 3.22 The Righteousness of God is revealed to all So here the free Gift is come upon all that is in respect of the offer and tender of it For the Apostle may suppose the condition already performed and only intend its being come upon all them that believe according to that of the Apostle before mentioned The Righteousness of God is manifiest unto all and upon all that believe and there is no difference So here the free Gift is come upon all to justification of Life viz. upon all that believe and there is no difference From the whole we may evidently see this Scripture will not prove what is affirmed viz. That all Mankind and that universally as born into the World are freed from the condemnation of the Law and restored to a state of Favour and Life by Christ So that as the Covenant of Grace is not entred with all Mankind in general so there is no other Covenant or Promise recorded or mentioned in the Scriptures by vertue of which any one much less all Mankind can have the Good assigned to the Infant-seed of Believers granted to or setled upon them Thirdly Have they it by a mere resultancy from Christ's undertaking and performing the work of Mediation Sure the grossness of such a supposition renders any reply to it superfluous It would be a mere loss of time