Infancy as well as I. Shew me a reason now why my dying Infants might not have the application of Christ's Blood by the holy Spirit as well as yours As for the manner of the Spirit 's operation herein I suppose we know it both alike that is not at all Nevertheless I do believe the Father Son and holy Spirit does what is needful in their respective operations tho I know not in all Points how it is done in the case of dying Infants It is enough that we have Christ's Testimony that to them belongs the Kingdom that is to all in that state for he rejects not any one of them neither in these words nor in any other that proceeded from his sacred Lips nor from the Pens of the Writers of the Holy Scriptures And then what is Mr. Firmin that he should by this presumptuous Argument send many Millions of them to Hell because in his conceit the Holy Ghost has nothing to do with them in the business of their Salvation the Spirit 's Operations being limited by him herein to the Infants of Believers only and if you look well to his Notions there is not a few of them too who have no help from the holy Spirit for they being not all elect must be damned for all their Baptism and this is the kindness he has to write a Plea for Infants Divis 3. Wherein is considered whether the Covenant of Grace was taken from the whole World and appropriated only to Abraham and his Seed from the time of the making the Covenant of Circumcision Gen. 17. Mr. Firmin p. 20. Now I come to my Question and shall make it appear your Answer signifies nothing You tell me of a Covenant of Grace made with the whole World in the promised Seed to Adam c. I tell you while Adam Noah and Abraham lived under that Covenant made with the whole World God was pleased to make a Covenant with Abraham and with none other but Abraham to be his God and the God of his Seed and sealed this Covenant by which Covenant and Seal God did separate and divide all Abraham's Seed from the World living under the Covenant you speak of Answ 1. It is evident that either Mr. Firmin holds That the Covenant made with Adam Noah and Abraham before that mentioned Gen. 17. was not the Covenant of Grace or else that Covenant Gen. 17. was not the Covenant of Grace or that the Covenant of Grace was now taken from all the World and appropriated and restrained to Abraham and his Seed only The latter is clearly his sense that God was now only the God of Abraham and his Seed in the Covenant of Grace and of none other But this Doctrine is most false and absurd as I evidently shewed to Mr. Petto to this effect We ought to understand that Abraham and his Seed was not the only Persons in the World which were under the Covenant of Grace at that time when God made with Abraham the Covenant of Circumcision Gen. 17. For as Mr. Broughton observes Sem lived 50 Years after the Covenant of Circumcision was made with Abraham and divers other holy Men lived long after the Covenant of Circumcision was made who were all true Worshippers of God according to the Covenant of Grace Melchisedeck blessing Abraham from whence St. Paul infers that he was greater than Abraham Heb. 7. 7. yet neither he nor the rest of the Patriarchs were concern'd in the Covenant of Circumcision And as neither these nor their Infants or Posterity were liable to any loss of the Covenant of Grace by their not being Circumcised after the manner of Abraham so neither Job nor other Worthy Men that were not of the Seed of Abraham had no necessity at all to be concern'd in the Covenant of Circumcision From whence it must needs follow That God did not intend the Sign of Circumcision as necessary to entitle Men to the Covenant of Grace nor that none could be Saved who were not under the Covenant of Circumcision But certain it is the Covenant of Circumcision was appropriate to Abraham and to his Seed for very great Ends respecting special Preservation to the Family of Abraham as being now the Family from whence Christ should proceed according to the Flesh And with whom God would presence himself in a Land of Promise by a distinct way of Worship from all other Nations who were then falling very fast to Idolatry Again Mr. F. telling us That God made that Covenant of Circumcision with Abraham and none other By this he has given a fatal Blow to his Cause which he is so zealous to defend Because by this it is evident that the Covenant made with Abraham Gen. 17. considered as it was peculiar to him and his Seed and no other no not of the Patriarchs then living it was therefore at least so considered not the Covenant of Grace But it was only so considered the Covenant of Circumcision as it is also called Acts 7. 8. without any such adjunct as the Covenant of Grace as if all that were not in that peculiar Covenant throughout the World must be damn'd without Mercy No no God had his tender Mercies for others tho this Covenant was peculiar to Abraham God was no such respecter of Persons when he made the Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17. But in every Nation from the beginning even to the end of the World all that feared the Lord and wrought Righteousness found acceptance with him This old Truth Peter himself being tinctured with this Notion that God had no Grace for any but Abraham's Seed could not perceive till God by Miracle did reveal it to him no tho his Commission Mat. 28. 19 20. did oblige him to teach all Nations and to preach the Gospel to every Creature yet till now he durst not preach to the Gentiles Acts 10. And therefore it is the less strange that Mr. Firmin and such as he who take themselves to be Abraham's Seed because they are born according to the Flesh of such as they take to be Believers should be so cruelly dark in this glorious Truth that God is no respecter of Persons Nor do I see any thing more liable to puff Men up with Pride than this that they were in the Covenant of Grace from their Infancy because their Parents were Believers or at least one of them or their Grandfather c. was so as Mr. F. words it This Opinion undid the Jews generally and I doubt it has spoiled many of the Gentiles Our blessed Saviour John 8. has a long Disputation to deliver the Jews from this their vain Confidence which they built upon their being Abraham's Seed And St. Paul bent his Stile against the same thing Rom. 2. 26 27 28 29. and Chap. 3. ver 19. to the end But the more they laboured to undeceive these deceived Jews the more they were hated by them and if we meet with the same measure we must bear it For indeed scarce any
Original the Chaldee Paraphrast Junius c. which sheweth that it must be understood of them that are Adulti and not of Infants If Infants be not circumcised it is the Parents fault as may appear in the Example of Moses whom the Lord punished and not the Child for neglecting it 3. Concerning Baptism I do believe it to be a very solemn Ordinance and also very useful in the Church of God yet I do not find that it is the Hand of the Spirit to convey Grace to the Heart of any Infant seeing what it conveys it doth it by Faith and by its Figure representing the Death Burial and Resurrection of Christ and ours with him c. of all which Infants know nothing being sprinkled as I formerly shewed very often when they are fast asleep and if awake they know nothing of the Mystery of Baptism But Mr. F. brought three Scriptures to prove his Doctrine we shall now consider them Ephes 5. 26. Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of Water through the Word I allow Baptismal Water to be here meant but then we see it does not cleanse but by or through the Word nor doth the Word profit unless it be mixed with Faith in them that hear it Heb. 4. 1 2. The Church is purified in obeying the Truth through the Spirit 1 Pet. 1. 22. And Baptism saves us as it is the answer of a good Conscience towards God by the Resurrection of Christ And to this agree his other two Scriptures Tit. 3. 11. 1 Pet. 3. 21. Now Infants being uncapable of being cleansed by Baptism according to the sense of these Scriptures we may in no wise apply them to Infant-Baptism Divis 2. And because it may be most convenient to treat of Regeneration in this place we will here consider Mr. F's Arguments to prove that Infants have Faith and Repentance His first Argument is as followeth Arg. 1. If all even adult Persons are passive in the work of Regeneration then Infants are capable of Regeneration But the Antecedent is true Answ 1. Here we are told that grown Persons are passive that is they do nothing at all in the work of Regeneration this is the meaning of his Antecedent Now if this be true as he says it is then if they do nothing they neither hear the Word nor believe it nor repent nor hate nor turn from Sin for these are at least some of the parts of the work of Regeneration Now I would fain know who is active in all this if the Party regenerate be not St. Paul tells us With the Heart Man believeth unto Righteousness and with the Mouth Confession is made unto Salvation Rom. 10. 10. When Peter shewed the Jews their Sin and preached Christ to them they were pricked to the Heart Now observe they came to hear the Word they gave Audience they gave Credit to it God blessed the Word with Power Now they cry out What shall we do Peter exhort them to repent c. and they gladly receive his word and had the washing of Regeneration the same day Now let God have the Glory of this and all Conversions who is the first Mover in it and the Efficient Cause of it yet he is absurd that will say Man is as passive as an Infant that can neither hear nor receive any Instruction at all And therefore I deny his Antecedent it is not true the Adult are some way active in the work of Conversion yea all that know the work do know what wrestling with Corruption is and how unable they are to overcome in the Conflict with Satan and Flesh without Supernatural Strength or Aid from Heaven but yet They act and wait for help in all their actings 2. Men are commanded to hear that their Souls may live Isa 55. If they hear and obey not they sin against God Rom. 10. 16 17 18. We grant that the Power Converting is not of the Creature We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves All our Faculties are given us of God. It 's our duty to put these Faculties into Act to hear repent and believe is Man's Duty It is not the Duty of Infants to hear repent believe c. therefore they are not regenerated this way What you urge from the Shunamite's Son and Lazarus being both dead and so equally passive as to rise from Death is wholly impertinent and being put into Argument is false for thus you must argue if you say any thing Infants dead are as capable to rise as the Adult being dead Ergo They are as capable of hearing beleiving and repenting as the Adult The Consequence is false many Instances we have of the Adult who hear believe and repent but no Instance of one Infant ever regenerated this way 3. As for your captious Demands about our being quickned c. you may well spare them till you give better Evidence of your own Conversion for your Books do evidently shew that a jeering idle Spirit has dominion in you Howbeit this we say The Original Cause of our Conversion is the Love of God The meritorious Cause is the Blood of Christ The ministerial Cause is the Evidence of Truth or the Word of Truth The efficient Cause is the Power of God's Grace John 1. 12. The formal Cause is believing and obeying the Truth through the Spirit The final Cause is God's Glory and our Salvation to the obtaining of which all our Faculties of Hearing Understanding Will and Affection are given us of God to be put into Act. This is not required of Infants and how they are sanctified by the Spirit God only knoweth 4. But now saith Mr. Firmin I will not have him for my God who cannot most omnipotently make me both will and do what he will. But I reply These are great swelling words of Vanity and nothing to the purpose We dispute not what God can do for he can of a Stone in the Street make a better Man than either of us And we deny not but God hath sometimes and may still if he please convert some by miraculous Operations But to say that all Conversions are miraculous as Mr. F. does is very false Paul was converted miraculously so was not Lydia What I say upon Ephes 1. 19 20. is mistaken by you for I extend it further than to the Resurrection of the Body for I expresly say he has power to do whatsoever he pleases and so to raise us up c. but if I was short or obscure this is my meaning The Faith of Christians is agreeable to the power which God shewed in Christ when he raised him from the dead and I think 1 Pet. 1. 3. doth very well explain Ephes 1. 19 20. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant Mercy hath begotten us again to a lively Hope by the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead Mr.
THE Infants Advocate AGAINST The cruel Doctrine of those Presbyterians who hold That the greatest part of Dying Infants shall be DAMNED In Answer to a Book of Mr. GILES FIRMIN'S entituled Scripture Warrant c. By THO. GRANTHAM Exod. 32. 32 33. Yet now if thou wilt forgive their Sin and if not blot me I pray thee out of thy Book which thou hast written And the Lord said unto Moses Whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my Book Matth. 18. 10 11 14. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little Ones for I say unto you that in Heaven their Angels do always behold the Face of my Father which is in Heaven For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which is lost Even so it is not the Will of your Father which is in Heaven that one of these little Ones should perish London Printed by J. D. for the Author 1688. The PREFACE Honest Reader I Could not have thought that a Man reputed wise an old Professor and one who so bears himself upon his Father's Covenant whom he will have to be a Son of Abraham and so himself to be Abraham's Son also could have given such evident Proof of the contrary as by his Book he has brought forth Sure I am I answered his two Questions in much Love and Faithfulness according to my Ability being thereunto desired by some of his Neighbours And I hope no Impartial Reader will censure me to be a Scoffer as Mr. Firmin does But truly I think he was pleased to throw that Dirt that he might have some pretence to give scope to his ill Spirit to exercise it self that way I confess I use these words upon the occasion of his talking so high of his Father's Covenant that it would even make a well Man sick to see what pitiful work he makes of it And here I will give thee an account of it and then judg of me as thou pleasest Saith Mr. F. When I could not tell where to lay hold meaning in his dismal Temptations my Parental Covenant and Infant Baptism was a support to me So that I bless God 1. For Abraham ' s Covenant 2. I bless God that I had Godly Parents 3. I bless God my Parents were no Anabaptists c. Only a word some may think you had Godly Parents mine were not so It may be I had a Godly Grandfather or a Mother Had you so no doubt but you may improve the Covenant from him The second Commandment will help you others may say Baptized I am but my Parents bad enough Well art awake and art in earnest for Christ and the saving Blessings come by him you may improve your Covenant A Woman putting a Question how she might know whether ever she had these Qualifications Mr. F. tells us that whilst he was troubled about making out these Qualifications there comes a Motion into my Mind saith he What say you to your Father's Covenant you know your Parents were Godly will you stand to your Father's Covenant Here my Qualification was the choice of my Father's God who was mine before by an external Covenant But now to have him my God my Portion by an internal Covenant and Efficacy here I was pent up Will you chuse or refuse him c. Now whether this Discourse will not almost make a well Man sick I mean a serious Christian troubled to hear a wise Man talk at this rate And whether he does not lay his Foundation upon his Qualification for by that saith he was the choice of my Father's God. And does he not also set up his Will as high as ever any did in chusing or refusing God to be his God his Portion by internal Covenant and Efficacy Sure he doth Mr. F's great business is to abuse and disgrace me by false and foolish Stories which have been told him by others which I pass by as unworthy observation And then he falls in with the Papists against me in the case of abstaining from or eating Blood justifying himself and them in the latter Tho he confesses the believing Gentiles were forbidden to eat Blood by that Decree Act. 15. 29. And when these Decrees were repealed he cannot tell and whilst he makes us for observing them such as do not believe the Blood of Christ to be our Atonement and that we hold some things to be unclean of themselves he condemns also the Primitive Christians who religiously abstain'd from Blood for several hundred Years after Christ and makes himself wiser than the Apostles for had they known such to be the consequence they would not have made them nor have deliver'd them to be kept as they did Acts 16. 4. We know that that which goes into the Man defiles not and therefore Blood defiles not but acting against God's Word defiled Evah even by eating that which was good for Food and so may Mr. F. defile himself for he says he will eat Blood Puddings S. A. by which he means Sir Anabaptist and indeed a scornful Spirit breaths in many Pages of his late Books He is pleased to throw Dirt upon me very freely about an escape of the Pen or Press I am not sure which and yet he being a Scholar and acquainted with such over-sights could not but discern unless Malice blinded him that it was an oversight The Passage is about the time when Transubstantiation came into the World and the Book which he quarels has it thus How rigidly do they impose the Decrees of the Trent-Councils Where note the word Councils being plural he might easily have supposed Lateran which was wanting for thus it stands in the Catechism of the Papists of which I give notice Pag. 55. The Lateran and Trent Councils and from thence I took the date of Transubstantiation Not but that I have read the same in other Authors But here he brands me with gross Ignorance and I grant I am not so well read as himself if that will please him And my rejoycing is this that in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity I wrote that Book which he despises and I hope God will bless my Endeavours in which I trust I have no other scope but his Glory and the good of all Men heartily desiring that all Truth were restored to its Primitive Purity and Simplicity As to his three first Chapters I shall say little to them at present being very well satisfied with my Answers to his two Questions notwithstanding all that he has said to render them invalid The chief thing which I design in this Reply is to maintain what in me is the Mercy of God to all dying Infants against Mr. F. and others whose cruel Doctrine sends them by Millions to Hellish Torments as appears by this Book of Mr. Firmin's p. 8. If all dying Infants shall be saved there will be Millions in Heaven saith he in whom the Spirit of God had nothing to do in their Salvation I say to maintain the Salvation of