he bears to his People makes this very rational yea I may say somewhat necessary It cannot be rationally supposed but that when God bears so great a love to Parents he should do somewhat more and vouchsafe greater Advantages to their Seed in a subserviency to their future Salvation than he doth for and vouchsafes to others And yet 4. This will seem less improbable if we consider that in what God doth for and vouchsafes to the Seed of his People he hath a peculiar respect to the Elect among them 'T is in special for their sakes that the Priviledges of the Seed of Believers are so great It hath pleased God to make his choice of Persons to Salvation very much in the lines of particular Persons hence he usually casts Elect Children upon Elect Parents though he hath left a liberty to himself to pass by whom he pleaseth and sometimes to take in such who are of the lines and posterity of the wicked yet his Election lies very much in and among the Seed of Elect Parents and for their sakes and in a subserviency to their Salvations he doth so much for and vouchsafes so great Priviledges to the Seed of his People in general That all the Seed of Believers should have been elected to Salvation would have been attended with great inconveniencies and that upon divers accounts as might easily be shewed yet it hath pleased God to lay his Election very much among them 'T is rare but that some one or more of the Seed of believing Parents evidence their Election by a personal taking hold of the Covenant as they grow up to years of Maturity Yea it is sometimes found that all the Seed of some believing Parents give good ground to hope they are such as God hath ordained to life Now with respect to them and for their sakes God hath done so much and vouchsafed so great Priviledges to their Seed in general so that all things considered that God should grant the Priviledges assigned to the Seed of Believers and yet after leave some of them to themselves and suffer them to forfeit their own Mercies and finally perish carries not the least improbability in it 3. For that which may yet further be pleaded viz. The improbability that any should be in Covenant with the holy Spirit and yet have no benefit by him either in regard of any saving no nor any common operations that have a direct conducency to their future Salvation To that I would say in the general that how improbable soever this may seem to be yet no sound Argument can be drawn therefrom to prove the Conclusion inferred in the forementioned Objection God may receive the Infant-seed of Believers into Covenant with himself and that universally and vouchsafe them all the Good and all the Priviledges afore assigned to them and yet it will not necessarily follow from thence that any such Operations of the Spirit should be granted to them This is evident from what hath been already said yea let me say this is no way improbable This will appear if we consider two or three things 1. What interest and hand the Spirit of God hath in all that is done for and vouchsafed to them hence it cannot be said they have no benefit by him This might be abundantly evidenced but that I should inlarge this discourse quite beyond the bounds designed for it And therefore 2. Consider the special office and work of the Spirit and thus we shall find the office and work of the Spirit more especially relate to the fitting and preparing the Elect unto Glory through their Sanctification and chearful performance of holy obedience unto God in Christ 2 Thess 2.13 with 1 Pet. 1.2 Now it is vastly more improbable that the Spirit should perform any part of that work whereunto he is designed for the preparing vessels of Mercy unto Glory upon the hearts of the Non-elect than that though in Covenant with him he should suspend the performance of that work in or upon them Especially if we consider 3. What hath been already said viz. That the Promises of the Covenant constituting a Covenant-relation between God both absolutely and personally considered and the Seed of Believers as taken absolutely and by themselves only oblige the several persons in the divine essence to act for their Good Benefit and Advantage according to the tenour of the Covenant that is according to the distinct Promises of the Covenant and the terms or conditions upon which they are made Now there being no Promise made to the individual Infants of Believers assuring them of any such Operations of the Spirit hence the Spirit is under no obligation to vouchsafe them to this or that individual Infant antecedent to their personal taking hold of the Covenant which that the Elect shall do is secured as by the Covenant between the Father and the Son so by those indefinite Promises of divine teachings and the like made to the Church in general of which before so that here is yet nothing improbable 4. And lastly That which is pleaded to countenance the Conclusion in the Objection is the reference that the Token of the Covenant whether Circumcision or Baptism had or hath to Regeneration and Sanctification And thus it is supposed by many to have such a reference as lays a sure ground for the Conclusion viz. that in case Infants have such an union with Christ and Covenant-relation unto and interest in God as intitles them to the Token of the Covenant they must be granted to be regenerated and thereby initially sanctified Answ That the Token of the Covenant hath some reference to Regeneration and Sanctification is evident from those Texts usually insisted upon John 3.5 Eph. 5.26 Tit. 3.5 but what that reference is is not agreed on by all Some say it is an outward Sign or Symbol of Regeneration and consequently an evidence of the Party 's present Regeneration to whom it is applyed and sometimes it is called by the men of this perswasion a Seal of Regeneration Others attribute the conferring of the holy Spirit to it by whom Regeneration is wrought and so they conceive the Spirit is ordinarily communicated if not by yet in a concomitancy with the Application of the Token of the Covenant by means whereof at least the Seeds and Principles of Regeneration at least some kind of disposition leading thereunto are wrought in all that have it rightfully applyed to them Now I shall not stay upon a particular discussion of these different apprehensions of Men. It may suffice to shew that the Token of the Covenant may have and hath a true and proper reference to Regeneration on the account of which those allusions to it made use of by Christ and the Apostle in the places forementioned are genuine and proper and yet the Conclusion pleaded for cannot be rationally inferred therefrom And thus we may allow the Token of the Covenant to have a twofold reference to Regeneration and Sanctification 1. It
the Promise it self distinguisheth nor are we in any other place of Scripture warranted to distinguish of the good contained in and ensured by the Promise there we are not at all to distinguish and hence as in case any of these influences and operations of the Spirit are included in and absolutely ensured by this Promise we have no reason from the Promise it self why we should not conclude that they are all included in and ensured by it so seeing it is certain they are not all included in and ensured by it we have no reason to conclude nor suppose that any are But Secondly more particularly And thus we shall find this true in respect of these influences and operations of the Spirit as vouchsafed for these several ends and purposes before mentioned distinctly considered First For those influences and operations of the Spirit vouchsafed for the effecting and producing the first Grace that these influences and operations of the Spirit cannot be included in or ensured by this Promise is evident Because in respect of the Adult they are indispensibly presupposed to an Interest in it and the Promise cannot secure to any a Good that is indispensibly required antecedent to an Interest in it for then it would secure the Good contained in it to these to whom at present it does not appertain which is impossible for then a Man must be supposed to have an Interest in the Promise before he has that which is indispensibly necessary to his having an Interest in it which is an absolute contradiction Now if this Promise does not secure these influences and operations of the Spirit to such it cannot be rationally supposed to secure them to any others and consequently they cannot be included in or ensured to any by it as taken absolutely and by it self Secondly For those influences of the Sppirit vouchsafed for the maintaining the seed and truth of Grace in the Soul wherein it is already wrought whereby its Union with Christ is maintained that those influences and operations of the Spirit are not included in nor ensured by this Promise as taken absolutely and by it self is alike evident with the former and that upon the same ground viz. the necessary precedency of the Soul's union with Christ and consequently of these influences and operations of the Spirit nècessary to the maintaining of that union at least in order of nature to its holding its interest in the Promise If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father 1 John 2.24 The remaining or abiding of the Word viz. in that effect or fruit of it habitual Grace in the Soul is the condition of and consequently must necessarily be considered as antecedent to at least in order of nature its union with and interest in both the Son and the Father Hence should these influences and operatious of the Spirit be included in and ensured by this Promise as taken absolutely and by it self it would cease to be conditional and become an absolute Promise and consequently discharge the People of God from all duty subordinate to their maintaining their Union with Christ and interest in this Promise to talk of an absolute Promise which requires duty on Man's part in order to his injoying the Good contained in it is an absolute contradiction 3. Thirdly For the third Head of the Spirit 's influences and operations viz. such as are vouchsased for the carrying on and managing the further and higher concerns of the Soul in the various degrees of Sanctification Assurance Peace Joy spiritual performance of holy duties and the like that these are not included in this grand Promise of the Covenant so as to be conserred or absolutely ensured thereby as taken absoultely and by it self to all that have an interest in it is evident from the undenyable experiences of many if not most Believers 'T is possible that true Believers may for a time be so far deserted as to injoy only such influences and operations of the Spirit as are simply and absolutely necessary to the maintaining the life of Grace in them and that in the very habit and seed thereof which could not be in case these influences and operations of the Spirit vouchsafed for these higher ends and purposes were included in and absolutely secured by this Promise as taken absolutely and by it self so that the truth affirmed is sufficiently evident in this first instance None of the saving influences or operations of the Spirit are included in this Promise of God's being a God to his People so as by it as taken absolutely and by it self to be conserred upon or absolutely ensured to any interested in it Obj. But possibly some may object that this Promise seems to be called the Promise of the Spirit Gal. 3.14 And therefore sure it must necessarily include at least some of the saving influences and operations of the Spirit and consequently secure them to all that have an interest in it Answ That any of the saving operations of the Spirit are included in this Promise cannot be concluded from that Scripture will appear by a brief view of the several interpretations that it will admit of and are put upon it by our best Interpreters Thus some conceive that a distinct Good is intended in this Promise of the Spirit from that blessing of Abraham said to come upon the Gentiles through Christ By the blessing of Abraham we are to understand the Good contained in this grand Promise of the Covenant viz. That God would be a God to him and his Seed but then by the Promise of the Spirit they conceive a further consequential Good is intended viz. the indwelling presence of the Spirit with those saving influences and operations that are consequential thereunto * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom And for the right understanding of this we must observe that the Apostle here speaks to Adult Believers and tells them that the blessing of Abraham was come upon them through Christ they were made Heirs of this Promise as the Seed of Abraham they were now under this Promise of God's being a God to them and their natural Seed as he was to Abraham and as consequential to their interest in this Promise they were under another Promise viz. that of the Spirit So that the Apostle speaks here of the Promise of the Spirit as appertaining to Adult Believers consequential to Abraham's blessing being come upon them Of this Opinion were Chrysostom of old and Beza of late but others suppose that one and the same Good is intended in both parts of the Verse and answerably that by the Promise of the Spirit is meant the blessing of Abraham said to be come upon the Gentiles And taking the words thus a twofold sense may be given of them First This blessing of Abraham may be called the Promise of the Spirit only to denote the nature or kind of that blessing promised 't
and have their accomplishment in that some have had a power of working Miracles or in that such a power hath been exerted in the Church though possibly not in the fulness of it by any one particular Believer So in our present case the Covenant as made with and Promises as made to the Church or House of Israel as a Collective Body being indefinite they do not infallibly secure the good contained in them to every individual Member only such a good to the Church in general and answerably every individual Member stands night to and is a more especial object of them than those that are without And yet for the farther clearing up and confirming of what hath been said we may observe that that twofold Good before mentioned intended in these Promises is distinctly promised to the Church as a Collective body 1. First For the outward means of Grace thus in that Psal 147.17 He hath shewed his Judgments unto Jacob and his Statutes unto Israel he hath not done so to every Nation I conceive we are to take these words not barely as Historical of what God did for the Church of the Jews but Promissory wherein God does graciously ingage himself to vouchsafe such outward means to his Church throughout all ages as shall be sufficient through the concurring operations of the Spirit to convey the saving knowledg of himself in Christ to and work Grace in the hearts of the several Members thereof however this seems evident that the Psalmist speaks not of God's shewing his Judgments to Jacob and Statutes to Israel as a Priviledge peculiar and proper to the Jewish Church but as the Church of God and answerably declares what is one of the great Priviledges of the Church throughout all ages viz. to injoy the Oracles of God or the outward means of Grace And hence it is that the Apostle tells the Jews as then not unchurched that it was necessary or of necessity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Gospel should be first preached unto them Acts 13.46 and why was this necessary or of necessity but because they yet appertaining to the visible Church should while they so continued have a sufficiency of outward means whereby the saving Knowledg of God in Christ and a work of Grace might be communicated to and wrought in them God having granted that to his Church as one of her great Priviledges here upon earth 2. Secondly For the effectual operations of the Spirit with their inseparable Fruits and sffects and thus our Lord Christ hath promised the constant and perpetual presence of the Spirit in and with his Church I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever John 14.16 We are not to understand this as a Promise to particular Believers though in whomsoever the Spirit of God doth dwell he dwells and abides for ever yet of that indwelling presence of the Spirit in the hearts of particular Believers I conceive our Lord Christ does not here speak but of his presence in and with his Church in general in which sense Christ is said to walk in the midst of the golden Candlesticks Now the great end of the Spirit 's presence in and with the Church is to make effectual by his internal operations the external means of Grace for the ends whereunto they are vouchsased so that we see the Promises of saving Grace both of the external means whereby that Grace is wrought and of the Spirit by whose operations those means are made effectual do in a particular and special manner appertain to the visible Church and consequently the Seed of Believers being Members thereof they must needs stand nigher to and be more especially the Objects of those Promises than the rest of Mankind who are Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and surely it can be no small benefit or advantage to stand in so nigh a capacity to these Promises to be of that Body or Family to whom they do belong though the good contained in them be not infallibly secured to every individual To be of any Body Politick Corporation or Society unto which any peculiar Grants do belong is looked upon as a great Priviledg and Advantage though the Good granted be not infallibly secured to every individual Member yet every one in particular is in a nigher and greater capacity to injoy that Good than those that are not of such a Body Corporation or Society the case is the same here 2. But secondly and more particularly And thus we shall find that these Promises do yet in a more especial and peculiar manner belong to that part of or species of Members in the visible Church that consists in the Seed of Believers the Adult are supposed already to have the first Grace and therefore these Promises at least as they hold forth the first Grace have a more especial respect to the Seed of Believers Hence we shall find Promises of that twosold Good before mentioned expressly and particularly made unto them thus Isa 44.4 5. Sayes the Lord I will pour out my Spirit upon thy Seed and my blessing upon thy Off-spring Seed and Off-spring here are synonimous terms they intend the same Subjects and by both the natural Seed of Believers is intended as is evident in as much as that term Off-spring is never used in any other sense than to signify natural Children or Posterity and by Spirit and Blessing the same good is intended only the latter term is explicative of the former I will pour out my Spirit and Blessing is as much as to say I will pour out my Spirit who as poured out upon shall be a blessing to them and in this promise of the Spirit is implyed the vouchsafement of the outward means through and by which God does pour out his Spirit upon his People The Doctrine of the Gospel as some way communicated unto men is the ministration of the Spirit to them 2 Cor. 3.8 And hence the Promise of the Spirit does necessarily imply and include in it such a communication of the Gospel as through which according to the ordinary way of God's dealing with men the Spirit may be ministred to those to whom the Promise doth appertain and as the Spirit is here expressly promised to the Seed of Believers and the outward means of Grace implyed therein so in Isa 59. ult this twofold good is exprefsly and in terminis promised My Spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy Seed nor out of the mouth of thy Seed's Seed from henceforth and for ever saith the Lord. It is a promise made to the universal Church and declares the way and means how and whereby God does uphold maintain and perpetuate his Church in the World it is by vouchsasing his Word or the outward means of Grace and his Spirit in a concurrence with them to his
bring them to Glory according to his ordinary way viz. through Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth called thereunto by the Gospel than that he should go out of his ordinary way and regenerate them immediately by his Spirit without the subserviency of any outward means especially considering what inconveniencies would attend through the corruption of Men a supposition of his so doing and consequently that believing Parents if they must not mourn as those that have no hope yet they could not but mourn as having but little hope But now according to the way that I have proceeded in allowing the Covenant and Promises to be entred and made to the Seed of Believers definitely and allowing them to have all that Good assigned to them by vertue of their Interest in the Covenant and Promises thereof and yet bounding that Good as I have done unspeakable Good accrews to them by that their Covenant-interest and the Application of the Token of the Covenant and yet none of these inconveniencies ensue thereupon From the whole of what hath been said as we see it cannot be rationally concluded that in case God goes so far in the expressions of his Love and Grace to the Seed of his People as to grant them that Good those Priviledges and Benefits as hath been declared he doth that then he must necessarily go further and actually regenerate and sanctifie them either in their Infancy or as they grow up to years of Maturity So that it is very rational to suppose that he should go so far as hath been exprest and yet should go no further but should reserve a liberty to himself as to regenerate and sanctifie whom he pleaseth so to do it when and by what means himself pleaseth And from all I conceive an Argument might be drawn an answer unto which would if I mistake not be clogged with no small difficulties both to prove the Covenant-interest of the Seed of Believers and the dueness of the Application of the Token thereof to them upon the account thereof and also to confirm their injoyment of all that Good and all those Priviledges and Benefits affirmed to accrew to them But I shall not stay upon it I conceive both are sufficiently done already Let me rather excite all Men to admire the Goodness and Wisdom of God in doing so much for the Seed of his People and yet providing for the free exercise of his own Soveraignty over and among them as well as others and his Justice in condemning none but such as wilfully sin away their own Mercies Obj. 1. It will be said 'T is true the Infant-seed of Believers and that universally visibly appear to us and may be hoped according to a judgment of Charity to have all that Good and all those Benefits and Priviledges afore assigned to them as they are the Seed of such Parents conferred upon and ensured to them by the Covenant as confirmed by the Application of the Token thereof to them but that they have all that Good and all those Benefits and Priviledges really and truly actually granted to and conferred upon them in their pure Infant-state is more than we can affirm inasmuch as secret things belong to God but things revealed to us and our Children Answ I confess most that have pleaded for Infant-Baptism upon this ground viz. their Interest in the Covenant do too commonly express themselves to this purpose but it seems past all rational doubt and is so to me that what they visibly appear to have by vertue of their Interest in the Covenant that they have in reality and truth Hence as they do not so much as visibly appear to have a real work of Grace upon their hearts there being no Promise securing that to them so for all the Good and all the Benefits and Blessings afore assigned to them they have them in reality and truth This is evident from a double Consideration 1. First That they are the Seed of true Believers such as have truly and really performed the conditions of the Covenant of Grace and consequently are really and internally in Covenant themselves 2. That the Seed of Believers Interest in the Covenent and having all that Good and all those Benefits granted and conferred upon them thereby depends not at all upon any qualifications in or any act or duty performed by them themselves but flows merely from the Promises of the Covenant appertaining to them as the Seed of such Parents Hence in case they only visibly appear to us to have all that Good and all those Priviledges before mentioned granted to and conferred upon them it must be either because the Promises only visibly appear to us to appertain to them or that all that Good and all those Blessings only seem or visibly appear to us to be containd in granted and conferred by those Promises or lastly because the Promises of God do but seem or visibly appear to us to be true and faithful but seem or visibly appear to us to grant to or confer upon those that are truly and really interested in them that Good that is really contained in and intended by them None of which things can be granted Not the first for I have before proved that the Promises do appertain to all the Seed of Believers I mean it still of true Believers as Abraham was and that definitely to each one or to every one of them in particular Not the second for undoubtedly God intends that very Good the Promises mention Not the third for the Promises are true and faithful they do really and truly convey or confer an actual right to the Good contained in them to those to whom they do really and truly appertain And from hence it will unavoidably follow that there is no place for a judgment of Charity to be exercised immediately and directly towards Infants It 's true where we can only exercise a judgment of Charity towards Parents there we can only exercise the same judgment of Charity towards their Children but where Parents are known to be true Believers as in the instance of Abraham there a judgment of Charity hath nothing to do with reference to their Seed And we speak of the case of the Seed of Believers according to what their Parents are in deed and in truth or are known to God to be A judgment of Charity can only be acted towards Men with reference to or in regard of their having performed the condition of the Promises and consequently to their right to those Promises But in the case of the Infants I speak of both these are certain Hence undeniably what they visibly appear to have they have in reality and truth Obj. 2. It may be objected That to grant the Infant-seed of Believers and that universally all those Benefits and Priviledges afore assigned to them in truth and reality will greatly weaken if not utterly overthrow the Doctrine of Saints Perseverance For we must then grant that some who had a