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A85311 The answer of Giles Firmin, to the vain and unprofitable question put to him, and charged upon him by Mr. Grantham, in his book, entituled, The infants advocate : viz. whether the greatest part of dying infants shall be damned? : Which advocate, while he shuts all infants out of the visible church, and denies them baptism, opens heaven to all dying infants, justifying those of his party, who admit them all as he doth, into Heaven without regeneration. Firmin, Giles, 1614-1697.; Grantham, Thomas, d. 1664. Infants advocate. 1689 (1689) Wing F954A; ESTC S122452 14,558 22

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conceived in sin 51 Psal 5. It may have some truth in respect of Adam's Sin by which Death passed upon all and Judgment came upon all 5 Rom. 12.18 But Original Sin is not without us Fifthly You tell me Infants have no Seminal Vnbelief p. 25. nor Impenitency in them Answ No wonder since they have no Seeds of any Sin then I hope they can easily believe and embrace Christ upon Gospel-terms when they come to Understanding They can easily Repent if they should chance to Sin. They are all born with Hearts of Flesh God need not take away the Heart of Stone from them But for all your Commendations of Infants we do not find them so ready to believe and repent when they grow up Sixthly Whereas we say That which will be a Thorn will soon prick So we find how quickly this thorny corrupt Nature in Infants begin to prick and shew itself in actual Sin so far as they are capable in Revenge Envy Pride Rebellion against Parents which lately I observ'd to my sorrow These Acts you excuse p. 26. and give to the example of ill Tutors But I pray whence is it they are so apt to learn Pelagius indeed would have Sin come in by imitation not propagation But Tully that Learned Heathen tells us Tusc l. 3. Simul ac Editi sumus in Lucom c. As soon as ever we are born we are presently exercised in all manner of Evil. Vt paene in lacte Nutricis Errorem suxisse videamur As if we sucked down Errour with the Nurses Milk. Compare this Heathen with Mr. Grantham the Christian B. Austin's Observation of Envy in a sucking Child you slight But that Godly Learned Father could judge of Envy as well as Mr. Grantham As for the Scriptures you produce to clear Infants from sin 1 Pet. p. 25. 2.1 2. Like new born Babes i. e. to lay aside all malice guile c. Answ You do mistake the Text it is As new Borns desire the sincere Milk c. it is the Milk and the Babe it is not as new born Babes lay aside Malice c. If Infants have no malice guile c. in semine how should they lay aside what they have not You will make Infants guilty by your Interpretation For the 1 Cor. 14.20 in wickedness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be ye Children What do the Apostle mean he would have them as Children in your sence without the Seeds of Corruption Unbelief Impenitency and so cross himself in the 7 Rom. and 2 Ephes 3. and cross the Apostle John 1 Joh. 1.8 cross to David 51 Psal 5. and to our Lord 3 Joh. 6. nor is our Lord cross to himself in that 18 Mat. 3. I resolved for brevity else I would have spoken to these Texts more But what before I spake of the Thorn I may apply it to this Tho' the Thorn will prick and shew itself at first yet it is not so bad then and apt to hurt as it will do two years after when it runs into a Man's flesh So the sins of these little ones tho' cross to the holiness of the Law yet they have not that degree of evil and guilt with the same acts in adult Persons I said Mr. Grantham is very unsound or he must contradict himself How to reconcile his former sayings with what he writes page 13. I know not If this be your sence Children polluted by Original Sin so under Condemnation before they can come to Heaven must be cleansed from these pollutions I agree then you are on my side aginst your own Sect whom yet you justifie But the question is Whether they cannot be cleansed from Sin without they have Faith and Repentance You mistake Mr. Grantham the question was Whether God Regenerates any Infants which your Sect denied It was your Disciple that told me That Faith and Repentance are the two parts of Regeneration From his telling me thus I argued They that are Regenerated have Faith and Repentance they that have the whole have the parts this is his Doctrine But all Infants saved are Regenerated say I from Christ's words 3 Joh. 3.5 Therefore all Children saved have Faith and Repentance i. e. seminally To this you answer for him pag. 11. He that granted this extends it only to the Adult of whom these are required So that this is but a meer Caption unbecoming a grave Disputant It seems he wanted your Wit to express himself plainly But as for you who thus help him according to your Doctrine then there are two Regenerations one for Infants another for Men when their Beards are grown I pray do you define these two Regenerations and shew us how they differ then bring forth the plain Scriptures upon which you ground these and prove your two Definitions I never read but of one Regeneration in the Holy Canon for your two Regenerations I suppose you must fetch y our proof from 23 Revel 19. That Infants saved must be Regenerated the Text is clear 3 John 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an indefinitive word limited to no age Infant or Adult Infants are born once but whoever are generated and born after the ordinary course of Man if saved must be born twice or again Nicodemus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the fourth verse tells us how Christ's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the third verse is to be translated so must Infants else no Heaven Secondly That which is born of the flesh is flesh 3 Joh. 6. So are all Infants then they must be born of Water and the Spirit ver 5. else no Heaven for Infants Besides the other Scriptures I mentioned before I should define Regeneration thus It is a work of the (a) 3 Joh. 5. Spirit of God in fallen Man dead in sin (b) 2 Eph. 1. whereby infusing a principle of Spiritual Life (c) 2 Eph. 5. causing an habitual Conformity of all the Faculties of the Soul to the Image and Will of God (d) 4 Eph. 24. all the Faculties are inclined actu primo to live the Life of God (e) 4 Eph. 18. by the same Spirit acting (f) Phil. 13.1 Phil. 11.15 Joh. 5. this first Grace they do actu secundo bring forth the fruits of Spiritual Life and by the (g) 2 Tim. 1.14 Rom. 11. 1 Pet. 15. 1 Cor. 1.8 Indwelling and continued acting of that good Spirit they continue so to do till Man comes to Glory Mr. Grif. told me he did not say God could not Regenerate Infants but God doth not Regenerate But I say if God can do it then according to his revealed Will he must do it if Infants be saved And as for the first part of the Definition God can do and doth work it in all Infants in which to use the Metaphor are sown the Seeds of Faith and Repentance as well as of any other Graces For what difficulty there should be in sowing the Seeds of