Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	scripture_n	speak_v	14,888	5	5.2608	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87257	Infants baptizing proved lawfull by the Scriptures: objections against it resolved and removed. Aug. 24. 1644. Imprimatur, John White.		1644 (1644)	Wing I162; Thomason E8_31; ESTC R15802	13,658	16

The revealed will of God in this Covenant concerning the good of my children is the rule to the Church and me what to beleeve hope and expect concerning them and what to doe to and for them to prepare and enter them as much as in us lies into and for the whole good of this Promise The secret counsell of God how my children shall prove in the end belongs not to us is no rule for us to walk by towards them till it be revealed And this Promise holds out unto us First A ground comfortably to believe and hope that God will fulfill the whole of the Covenant unto them whence we have as cleere a ground to expect their spirituall as their temporall good and upon this promise we may ground a prayer of faith for both for the children Secondly This Promise binds us to use in faith all meanes that the children are capable of for the interessing of them in the good of this Covenant and among other to baptise them Infants are capable of grace to such belongs the Kingdome of Heaven and for ought we know the Spirit hath sanctified the believers children and from this promise we have ground to hope that it is so they being within it expressely and this Covenant gives them a right to the seale of it and this revealed will is the rule by which the Church and we are to judge leaving secret things to God and therefore without incurring the guilt of infidelity and breach of the command included in this promise of using meanes and without manifest injury to the children and contempt and slighting of this great mercy and kindnesse expressed and assured in this Covenant to believers neither the Church nor they can withhold Baptisme from their children Hence it appeares that this Objection is cast in impertinently to trouble the cleere waters of this sweet Promise and weaken our faith in it What God hath undertaken it being his work and not ours we are to rest upon his truth and faithfulnesse in accomplishing it and not trouble our hearts or heads about it but doing our duties believe in his truth revealed and submit to his soveraignty the exercise whereof is unknown unto us when he shall reveale it It is true that the election only obtaines the invisible grace of this promise as the Apostle saith of Abrahams seed but what is that to us before God manifests who are in his election and who not It ought not being secret to impeach our faith in this Promise nor withhold us from using all meanes to our children for the obtaining of that grace Ob. It is further objected That Baptisme requires a spirituall use and children cannot make such spirituall use of it and by experience it is cleere that many baptised in Infancy after deny it Sol. To which I answer That the spirituall use of Baptisme is either by the Spirit of God and that that is done in the children of believers we have from this Covenant good ground to beleeve or by the Church and parents in bringing the children unto this ordinance in faith which is done in the right administration of it or lastly by the children themselves who being passive in this ordinance it is not necessary that at present they expresse the fruits of it in any activity of theirs no more then in circumcision but this is to be beleeved and expected that God who hath promised will produce it in time And though it fall out that some denie their Baptisme afterwards as some did their circumcision that is not materiall in this question being secret and therefore not considerable in the dispensation of the outward visible grace and priviledges of this Covenant which such children have Covenant-right unto Which also is by this further manifested that though many of them that receive Baptisme at full age after deny it and declare by their apostacy that they are in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity as Simon Magus yet that hinders not the Church to administer Baptisme to others of full age upon their profession of faith and repentance For we are to walke by the revealed will of God and not be hindred by future events which being secret are to be left and referred to God And we are incouraged so to doe in the case in question not only from the Covenant of God but also from the experience of his gratious performance thereof who hath made good this promise to the children of beleevers and professors in the uttermost extent of it specially where there hath been no fault in the believers either in not beleeving this gratious promise or not using the meanes sanctified for the obtaining of the performance of it Ob. It is further objected That religious parents have no other priviledge concerning their children then from the meanes of knowledge for them which unbeleevers have not Sol. To which I answer It is plaine by what I have said that the Scriptures speake great and excellent things of the seed and generation of the godly which it not only excludes the seed of the wicked from but speakes sad and dreadfull things of them of the seed and children of beleevers the holy Scriptures testifie that God is their God will circumcise their hearts to love him poure out his Spirit and blessing upon them will shew mercies to thousands of them they shall be blessed the promises belong unto them and the Kingdome of Heaven they are holy beloved for the Fathers sake c. but of the children of unbelievers they speake no good but contrarily that they are cursed God will visit the iniquities of their fathers * Num. 14.18 Deut. ● 9 Ier. 32.18 Iob ●● 19. upon them unto the third and fourth generation that they are a ● Cor. 7. ●4 uncleane the seed of the serpent farre from safety Job 5.4 God will make their plagues wonderfull Deut. 28.59 c. And by this appeares that there is a broader difference between the children of beleevers and of unbeleevers then that beleevers have the meanes of knowledge for their children Besides many unbeleevers as Papists and open profane persons among us have the meanes of knowledge for their children and so between them and the children of beleevers is no difference nor the condition of the children of beleevers better then of unbeleevers Into what a bottomlesse pit of absurd opinions doth the spirit of error hurry men that turne from the truth and forsake it Ob. It is further objected That this ordinance is not appointed for children Sol. To which I answer First That God includes the children of beleevers in the Covenant Secondly To whom the Covenant belongs the seale belongs b They ●hat have the th●●g signifi●● may not be denied the signe ●f capable of it 〈◊〉 47. A●t ● 7 They hav●ng the lik● 〈◊〉 and promise as we to deny th●m baptisme is to withstand God all Gods Covenants are sealed Covenants Thirdly The children of beleevers are capable of this