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A37200
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Another essay for investigation of the truth in answer to two questions concerning I. the subject of Baptism, II. the consociation of churches / by John Davenport ...
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Davenport, John, 1597-1670.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing D356; ESTC W35681
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67,423
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96
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for it and have most need â—f it Reply 1. Those Relations of born Servants and Subjects in the Text alledg d have d fferent respects That Lev. 25. was typical figurin the time of Grace whereby now Christ hath freed u f o the servitude of Sin and Satan 〈◊〉 8.32 36. Râ—â— 6.14 18. to bâ—come the Servants of God in Christ Rom. 6 22. 1 C r. 7.23 Parents and children so far aâ— they have inâ—â—râ—st in the Redemption wrought by Christ as they are freed by him from other Lord so they are bound thereby serve him all the dayeâ— of their lâ—fâ— Luke 1.74 75. Therefore this relatâ—on doth not cease with infancy but continueth in adult age But this doth nothing concern the thing in question concerning M diate Membershi The other Text in Ezek. 37.25 is a Prophecy of the calling of the Elect Nation of the Jews and of the state of the Church under the New Jerusalem the difference between which and the Chrâ—stian Gentiles now I have formerly shewn so that neither doth â—hat fit the question But 2. I grant though not as following thence That one special end of membership received in infancy is to leave persons under engagement to service and subjection to Christ in his Church when grown up when they are fittest for it and have mâ—st need of it The engagement is strong both on the Parents To train up their children from their Infancy in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Eph. 6.4 and upon the Children To know the God of their Parents and to serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde 1 Chron. 28.9 and upon the Church To exercise their Watchfulness that both Parents and Children do their duty helping them also therein with their Instructions and Prayers and Power which is given for Edification as the case may require Yet when all this is done neither can the Parents nor the Church give Grace unto the Children that when they become adult they may be spiritually fit for personal and immediate Membership and to bring them into it without such fitness visibly is to profane the Ordinances and to pollute the Lords Sanctuary Reas 4. There is no ordinary way of cessation of membership but by Death Dismission Excommunication or Dissolution of the Society none of which is the case of the persons in question Reply This enumeration is insufficient there is another ordinary way of cessation of Membership i. e. Desertion Thus Esau's Membe sh p ceaâ—ed and so may the Membership of others though they abide in the place where the â—hurch â—s yet if being adult they regard nâ—t to joyn with the Church by their personal â—nd immediate Confederâ—tion nor to fit themselves for it these despise the Chuâ—ch of God And if that is sufficient to deprive thâ—se of all hurch priv ledg s who were before in personal and immediate Church fellowsh p when they forsake it 1 Job 2.19 much more those who never had such Membership nor have approved their Spirituâ—l fitness for it to the Churches charitable judgement nor truly desire and end aâ—our so to do What can the mediate Membershâ—p whâ—ch such had in Infancy advantage them for continuing thereby still in Membership when being adult they live in the breach of that Covenant whereby they were left under engagement in their Infancy unto service and subjection to Christ in the Church Reas 5. Either they are when adult Members or Non-members if Non-members then a person admitted a Member and sealed by Baptism not cast out nor deserving to be may the Church whereof he was still remaining become a Non-member and out of the Church and of the unclean world which the Scripture acknowledgeth not Reply A Freemans childe suppose of London or any other Corporation was free-born and might in his minority trade under his father yet being grown up he must personally enter into the common Engagement of Freemen and be accepted of the Company as his father was unto all Duties and Liberties of that Society in his own person else he may not trade for himself If it be said Why so either he is a Freeman or a Non-freeman It will be readily answered He is a Non-freeman and that by his own defaulâ— If it be said He was Free by his Fathers Copy and is not dis-franchised by any publick Censure nor hath deserved so to be may such an one the Society whereof he was still remaining become a Non-freeman and out of that Society c The answer will easily and readily be given He hath lost his Freedome by not entring in his own person into the common Engagement of Freemen to the Duties whereunto all Freemen are personally bound So and much more justly it is in this case An adult person makes himself to become a Non-member as to priviledges by not performing the Duties whereunto he was bound by his Parents Covenant for him in his minority and by his not regularly covenanting as his Parents did And his is according to Scripture which tells us that Circumcision received in Baptism may become by his own fault being adult no Circumcision Rom. 2.25 Those Texts in Rom. 11.16 1 Cor. 7.14 Gen. 17.7 are not applicable to the adult persons in question but onely to Infants and Children in minority Propos 6. Such Church-members who either by death or some other extraordinary Providence have been inevitably hindred from publick acting as aforesaid yet having given the Church cause in judgement of charity to look at them as so qualified and such as had they been called thereunto would so have acted their children are to be baptized Reply This Proposition may not be granted For 1. It granteth the priviledge of Church-membership to such as are not actually and regularly Church-members which is contrary to Christs Ordinance whereby Baptism being a publick Church-Ordinance is due onely to them who have a publick state and Interest such are onely the Members of the publick Ecclesiastical Body the Church Hence 1. An ordinary Minister cannot orderly perform an act proper to his Office in reference to church-Church-communion to any that are not regularly and actually Members of the visible Church without great usurpation as if a man do a work proper to Magistracy to one that is not under his Magistratical Power he is an Usurper So it is in this case of a Minister To administer Baptism is an act of his Office-power If he administer Baptism to children whose Parents are not regularly in Church-order in so doing why may not the Lord say He is an Usurper Suppose an unbaptized person professing his Faith and qualified according to the description in the sixth Proposition yet deferring for some probable causes to adjoyn himself to the Church for the present should desire Baptism of any of these Ministers who framed this Proposition Should they administer it to him and so do a proper work of their Office upon him If yea if they admit him to Baptism why not to the Lords
Supper and to the choice of Officers and to the Censures of the Church either actively or passively for all these are Actions and Ordinances of one general nature and it is meerly his want of Church-order that debars him from them 2. The Church may not receive into any priviledge of Church-communion such as Baptism is whatever cause they seem to have in the judgement of charity to think them fit for Church-membership and such as had they been called would have so acted until they be actually in publick Church-order no more then the children of every good Subject of the King may be admitted into the special Prerogatives of a Corporation whereof themselves or their next Parents are not regularly free All things must be done in order 1 Coâ— 14.40 whereunto what is more contrary then that he who is not regularly and personally of a publick Society should have Fellowship in a publick Priviledge proper to that Society Yet they say this which the Proposition holds forth is manifest 1. Because the main foundation of the right of the childe to priviledge remains viz. Gods Institution and the force of his Covenant carrying it to the generations of such as are keepers of the Covenant i. e. not visible breakers of it c. Reply The Parents of the children in question are visibly breakers of the Covenant which was sealed to them by Baptism in their Infancy and obliged them to service and subjection to Christ in his visible Church having confederated personally and regularly for themselves and theirs as their Parents did before them If they do not this they are out of that order by their own fault wherein they might have given their children right to Baptism according to Christs Institution That right which Parents have nor for themselves unto Baptism if they were unbaptized they cannot â—e to their children They who are not Members in their own personal and immediate right cannot give a right of membership to their children And though their Membership in Infancy was distinct from their Parents yet being onely mediate by their Parents covenanting for them it ceaseth when they become adult by their own fault in that they were not orderly joyned to the Church immediately by their personal covenanting for themselves and theirs regularly 2. Because Parents not doing what is required in the fifth Proposition is through want of opportunity which is not to be imputed as their guilt so as to be a barre of the Childes priviledge Reply 1. It hath been already proved in our examining the fifth Proposition that more is required to fit one that is adult for Church-membership then is there expressed viz. Faith in Christ made visible to the Church without which they are not regularly Church-members Now Baptism administred by ordinary Church-Officers to such as are out of Church-order is profaned as Circumcision was by the Shechemites and would have been by the Ishmaelites and Edomites and the posterity of Abraham by Keturah if it had been administred to their children when their Parents were not joyned to the Church of God or abode not in it in the Families of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. For 1. One end of Baptism now as it was of Circumcision then is to seal Church-communion 1 Cor. 12.13 it is a publick Testimony of the Admission of the party baptized into the Family of God The Father Son and Holy Spirit into whose Name he is baptized Mat. 28.20 either immediately if he be adult by his personal Covenanting for himself and his seed or mediately if in his minority by his next immediate Parents Covenanting for him This the Parent in question hath not done Hence the want hereof is a bar to his childes Baptism 2. The regular and lawful use of Bâ—ptism now as of Circumcision of old presupposeth both Gods Promise and his Faith who is to use it either upon himself or upon his Infant Therefore he that presumeth to use it being not so qualified visibly viz. not having before the Promise of Christ and Faith for Justification with Abraham doth he not treacherously usurp the Great-Seal of the King of Heaven and Earth If not surely it had need to be soundly cleared 3. God reckoneth that as done in his service to which there was a manifest desire and endeavour albeit the acting of it be hindred c Reply We must distinguish between private and publick Service in a publick state and order 1. In private Service God accepts the will for the deed when the actâ—ng of it is hindred either by God himself as Abrahams sacrificing his Son and Davids building the Temple or by the parties inability to do so much as he would as in that case 2 Cor. 8.12 and the like 2. But in publick Service in a publick state and order he doth not accept of that as done which is not done so far as to bring them into that state and order whatsoever their desires and endeavours have been for this were to overthrow and subvert that Order which God hath by his Institution established and to bring in Confusion Will God accept a man in doing acts of Office power proper to a Minister of a Church because he desired and endeavoured to be a Minister when he is not actually and regularly in Office Or may a Church receive unto Fellowship of the outward Seals of the Covenant such as are not actually and regularly joyned to the Church because they desired and endeavoured to be of the Church albeit their joyning with the Church was hindred To be baptized in voto will nothing advantage any to Church-fellowship though a Martyr in voto is accepted of God as a Martyr because though God searcheth and knoweth the heart yet the Church doth not De occultis non judicat Ecclesia secret things belong to God but revealed things to men and things are not manifested to the Church otherwise then by congruous actings nor in this case can they or theirs have a right to Church-priviledges otherwise then by actual joyning with the Church 4. The terms of the Proposition import that in charity that is here done interpretatively which is mentioned to be done in the fifâ—h Proposition expresly Reply 1. It 's an unwarrantable charity that makes such an interpretation for it is without warrant of any Rule in Scripture or in good Reason 2. If that which is mentioned to be done in the fifth Proposition expresly is here done interpretatively both being put together will not avail to put the Parent regularly into Church-fellowship in any sense and to give his Infant a right to Baptism thereby For by Christs Ordinance onely adult persons who have true Faith in Him and Holiness are adult Members of the invisible Church and the same persons making holy Profession thereof outwardly in the order of him appointed may be Members of the visible Church and they onely can give their Infant-seed a right unto Baptism For seeing without faith it is impossible to please God in matters of