holy People unto the Lord thy God the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special People unto himself above all the People that are upon the Face of the Earth Which are the Appellations that are likewise given to the Members of the Christian Church in the New-Testament-Times by the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.9 Ye are a chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People that ye should shew forth the Praises of him who hath called you out of Darkness into his marvellous Light which in time past were not a People but are now the People of God So that these Titles being given to the Jews import their like Covenent-relation to God in a Church-sense as they here belong to Christians in the same Sense Now the whole Body of the People of the Jews being called by God into this holy Covenant-relation to himself are stiled by the Prophet Israel his called Isa 48.12 And as thus he chose and called them so he chose their Seed after them Deut. 4.37 The great Design of this Election and Call of God being to preserve pure Religion among them which was extinguish'd in the rest of the World and therefore he took and adopted their Seed likewise to be as a Nursery to the Vineyard of the Church And therefore as the Psalmist saith Psal 78.5 He established a Testimony in Jacob and appointed a Law in Israel which he commanded our Fathers that they should make known unto their Children that the Generation to come might know them even the Children which should be born who should arise and declare them to their Children According to Deut. 4.9 and chap. 6.7 the great Care and Design of God being to raise up an holy People to himself among the Nations to preserve the true Religion in the World and it being of great Import to this to have Children and little ones well educated and brought up in the Belief and Owning and Worship of the true God he therefore ordered them a visible Admission or Partnership and Membership in his Church that they might be also owned and received as his People and Children that their Parents and Guardians might be obliged to take the more Care of their Education for the promoting the great End of the Covenant Thus the Adoption and the Promises as the Apostle tells us Rom. 9.4 pertained to all Israel amongst whom the young Children also were included they being all God's Chosen and Called and so continued till they were rejected and cut off through their own actual Apostacy and Rebellion against God and then they were discovenanted both they and the Children of those that were guilty of this Apostacy But for others that continue still in a profess'd Adhesion to God and persist in the Profession of the true Religion this their Church-state and Covenant-relation to God as his peculiar People is continued still both to them and their Seed and was never taken off from either unto this Day Which is the second thing I am now to come to shew 2. I say that this Adoption of the Infants or young Children of his Covenant-People into this near Relation to himself as the Children of God and so their Partnership or Membership in the visible Church of God was never abolish'd or taken away by God but is still continued and rather confirmed For how indeed can it be imagined or supposed that now in the Gospel-Administration which is an Administration wherein there is a greater Extensiveness and Enlargement of God's gracious Respect to the World in respect of spiritual Privileges and Mercies than there was before that his Goodness and gracious Respect should be more restrained in reference to Infants and young Children than it was formerly For the Infants of Jews and Proselytes formerly were taken into the Number of God's Covenant-People and Children and had the Seal of the Covenant applied to them for the Confirmation thereof And if this Privilege and Benefit should be now taken away their Condition after Christ would be worse than before and they should be Losers by the World 's becoming Christian This one would think none should ever imagine Neither when we speak thus do we complain against God but against them who would exclude whom the Lord hath not excluded For we do not find that ever God hath repented of any Grace or Favour that he hath shewed to the little ones of his Covenant-People in respect of their being to be reckoned of his Church But in those Prophecies which we find in the Old Testament concerning the future Discoveries and Declarations of his Favour we find that there was the same Grace and Kindness foretold and intended to be shewn to the Children as to the Parents So that in this manner the Church should be propagated from Parents to Children and so the true Religion preserved in this way as the most proper means for it Thus in that Prophecy which hath relation to the Calling of the Jews in Gospel-times as appears by the Apostle's quoting some part of it to that purpose Rom. 11.26 viz. Isa 59.20 As for me this is my Covenant saith the Lord My Spirit that 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 Seeds Seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever And so in like manner it is a Prophecy of Gospel times Isa 44.3 I will pour Water upon him that is thirsty and Floods upon the dry Ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed and my Blessing upon thy Offspring And they shall spring up as among the Grass as Willows by the Water-Courses And Ezek. 47.22 The Tenour and Intendment of God's Favour to little ones is always the same as it ever was in reference to their being of his Church and People nor is there the least Indication of any Design of the Dissolution or Alteration thereof For first for clearing of this Matter let us consider that when God first shewed this Respect to Abraham and his Infant-seed to take them near to himself as his peculiar People God's Election and Call of them to this peculiar Covenant-relation to himself as his Children and People and so his giving them a Partnership or Membership in the Abrahamical Church was not with Respect merely to their Proceeding by natural Generation from Abraham but from Abraham as a Believer and Worshipper of the true God there being a fair Prospect upon this Account that Abraham would take care to train them up and educate them in the true Religion Whereas the Children of Heathens where there was no such Prospect had no such regard shewn them by God This seems to be much upon God's Heart as we may express it in his treating with Abraham and giving of him those great Promises Gen. 18.19 For I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall
thou and thy Seed after thee in their Generations And then follows the Institution of Circumcision ver 10 11. And ye shall circumcise the Flesh of your Foreskin and it shall be a Token of the Covenant between me and you And he that is eight Days old shall be circumcised among you Because God had chosen them and taken them into Covenant and into a near Relation to himself as his peculiar People so that they were thereby separated and distinguish'd from all the rest of the World therefore he appointed that they should have Circumcision as a Badg and Mark of this Call and Distinction and for a Seal and Token of the Covenant between God and them And when God hath continued the same Respect and Privilege to some Children now under the Gospel and hath appointed the Ordinance of Baptism to the same Ends and Purpose which all those that are his People and called Ones should partake of is it not reasonable to infer that Children who are called to the same Privileges and have the same Respect from God should partake of Baptism as the common visible Badg of his chosen and peculiar People and as a Mark and Seal of God's Covenant now as they did formerly partake of Circumcision which was the Token of the Covenant for the time being If Baptism be of the same Use and to the same purpose now as Circumcision was then is it not a reasonable Conclusion that Infants should now partake of Baptism to the same end to which formerly they did partake of Circumcision there being the same Ground for this as there was for that viz. God's Election of them into the Number of his peculiar People and his Covenant with them For the Covenant as we have heard is the same for Substance both then and now and there are the same Parties in the Covenant now as there were then as hath been proved likewise and Baptism is the Seal of that Covenant now which Circumcision was a Seal of then and the Church is radically and fundamentally the same both then and now and Circumcision then and Baptism now the Sacraments of Initiation into it And what though the Token be changed as long as the Covenant Church Church-members and Parties in it are the same and little Children are of the Number it is reasonable sure that they should partake of that Mark and Token now which is for Initiation into the visible Church and for Confirmation of the Covennant as they did of that which was then so for the time being and so that now Children should be baptized as then they were circumcised there being the same Ground and Reason for the Administration of either of the Signs viz. their being alike Church-members and Parties in the same Covenant The Apostle tells us that Circumcision was a Seal on God's Part of spiritual Benefits to Abraham and so consequently to all Believers then Rom. 4.11 And he received the Sign of Circumcision a Seal of the Righteousness of the Faith which he had being yet uncircumcised that he might be the Father of all them that believe though they be not circumcised that Righteousness might be imputed to them also Just as Baptism is now of the Remission of Sin and the taking off the Guilt of Death which cleaved to it and so of Justification which is the same in other Terms with that Righteousness of Faith then imputed to Abraham And so Circumcision was a Sign on the Part of Abraham and his Seed of their Covenanting and Obligation to be the Lord's and to labour after the Circumcision of the Heart as Baptism is now a Mark or Seal of Obligation to the Service of Christ Hence Moses exhorts the People Deut. 10.16 Circumcise the Foreskin of your Hearts and be no more stiffnecked as being that which was signified by the outward Circumcision And so the Prophet Jeremy in like manner chap. 4.4 Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the Foreskins of your Hearts This being that it seems which the Circumcision in the Flesh obliged them to And for this God's Assistance is promised them in the same Form of Words Deut. 30.6 The Lord thy God will circumcise thy Heart and the Heart of thy Seed to love the Lord thy God c. So that Circumcision then was for circumcising them to the Lord that is for the Dedication of them to his Service as their God Just as Baptism is now for the like solemn Dedication and Consecration of them to the Service of Christ and to depart from all the Filthiness of Sin and a Sign of Obligation and Engagement of Christians to the same Yea the Apostle shews that as the chief thing in Baptism now is not the putting away the Filth of the Flesh but the washing of Regeneration which is signified thereby so the Circumcision of the Heart was the principal thing intended in Circumcision without which that in the outward Ceremony was of no Value Rom. 2.28 For he is not a Jew that God will accept as the Seed of believing Abraham which is one outwardly only in the Ceremony neither is that the acceptable Circumcision which is outward in the Flesh but he is a Jew accepted by God as his Peculiar which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose Praise is not of Men but of God who searcheth the Heart In a word the Apostle intimates to us elsewhere that Baptism is now in all these Respects of the same Use and Significancy with Circumcision then so that what Circumcision was then Baptism is now and there is no need of Circumcision now to these Ends because Baptism doth fully serve to the same Ends and therefore is enough without Circumcision This is the Apostle's Argument Col. 2.10 11 12. Ye are compleat in him that is Christ In whom also ye are circumcised with the Circumcision made without Hands in putting off the Body of the Sins of the Flesh by the Circumcision of Christ and have the outward Seal thereof too in Baptism being buried with him in Baptism So that you have no need now of the literal Circumcision having both the inward Grace of it by Christ and the outward Seal of it likewise in Baptism as ye had before in the literal Circumcision And therefore hereupon the believing Jews might well be satisfied with the Abolishment of Circumcision when Baptism served to the same Ends and Purposes And it is no wonder therefore that the Jewish Believers that had a right Understanding of things acquiesced in having the Ordinance of Baptism to the same Use as Circumcision was and so that they made no Debate nor Quarrel about the want of an outward Sign to their Seed because they took Baptism to be of that Use that Circumcision was before which their Children likewise might to the same purpose partake of Whereas when Circumcision was abolish'd which they were so fond of because it was the Token of the Covenant
be thought unreasonable If God is pleased to own and adopt little ones for his why should our Eye be evil because his is good Or why rather should we not rejoice in his Mercy and Grace in behalf of our little ones If Infants may contract Guilt or lie under an Obligation to Death by the Sin of their Parents why may it not likewise be supposed through the Grace and Goodness of God by Christ that they may be invested with a Right and Title to certain Privileges and partake of the Mark and Seals of them through the Faith of others So that as God visits the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him so he may also shew Mercy to Thousands of them that love him and keep his Commandments Mat. 8.13 Mark 9.23 John 4.50 And as some were brought to be healed by Christ and were healed through the Faith of others so why should we not think that Infants may partake of the Favour of God through Christ and of the Badg or Sign of this Favour with respect also to others Faith So that the Faith of their Parents may be said to be their Faith whilst they are in their Infant-state they being as Parts of their Parents and having no Use of Power Understanding or Will to provide for themselves till they come to Years of Discretion As the Parents Act in taking a House or making a Bargain or Covenant may be called the Child's Act as no less beneficial and obliging to the Child than to the Parent and binding the Child to the Performance of the same Conditions And what indeed is more common than for such things to be required of Parents before they be admitted to certain Privileges that when they are admitted to belong alike to their Children though they could not do those things Thus those of a foreign Nation must take the Oaths of Allegiance required to a Prince before they become his naturalized Subjects or partake of the Privileges of such but after they have taken the Oaths and are admitted to the Privileges of Naturalization their Children also are admitted to the same Privileges though they cannot take the Oaths so that their Parents Act is imputatively theirs or to their Benefit or Advantage And so why may it not likewise be here And as those that are born of Parents that are admitted into a Corporation shall partake of the Privileges likewise of that Corporation which those that are born of other Parents shall not so if such be the Grace and Goodness of God may the Infants of Covenant-Believers likewise partake of their Privileges which the Infants of Heathens and Aliens are to have no Right unto And yet all this while the Infants understand nothing of the Matter but are vested in these Benefits before they come to Understanding 2. Therefore I say as to those things that are said to be pre-required to Baptism that either they have no need of them at all in their Infant-state and so may be baptized without them or by virtue of God's Grace and Covenant they have the same Benefit without them to qualify them for Baptism which others have by them and therefore may be baptized without them though others cannot As for Regeneration in the most common Sense of the Word it would be very rash in any to say that they cannot have it in the Seed or Root of it For who can tell what the Operations of the Holy Spirit are or can be upon them But though they should not or could not have it in that Sense that we commonly take it viz. for an internal Change and Sanctification of Heart and Mind yet they have that which may denominate them regenerate Persons and so they may be mark'd and signed as such as being brought into a new and saving State by the Death of Christ which they shall not fail of the Benefit of unless they fall from it by their own actual Rebellion afterwards They may be said to be delivered from the Death of Sin or from the prevailing Power of that Death which Sin brought in there being the Forgiveness or Dissolution of that Death to them And so they may be said to be quickned together with Christ and so to partake of a new Birth by being put into a new State wherein they have through Christ as immediate a Right and Title to Salvation as those have that have been regenerate in the common Acceptation of the Word And why may they not then be qualified for the Sign or Seal hereof For how can there be any more required to qualify for the Sign than for the Thing signified which they possess or have a present Right to And though they have not Faith properly speaking yet being brought into the same Condition of Sonship and put into as immediate Capacity for Salvation as adult Believers are through Faith why should they not partake of Baptism which is the Seal of these Blessings as they do For though they have no Faith properly speaking yet being by Christ redeemed from Death and put into a State of Sonship and Life as actual Believers are though without actual Faith till actual Sin takes place they may be numbred in respect of the Benefits of Faith with Believers And if Believes are baptized to seal the great Grace of Adoption to them through Faith why should not they likewise be baptized for the Sealing and Confirmation of the same Grace seeing in that respect they may well be reckoned with Believers as partaking of the same Favour with them through the Grace and Covenant of God in Christ towards them For what Faith is to adult Persons through the Covenant and Grace of God in Christ that the Covenant it self is to Infants without Faith And so what Baptism is to adult Persons upon their Faith that it may be to them without Faith through God's Covenant with them alone by the Blood of Christ So that upon the Account hereof they may full as well be baptized as those that do believe because they have the same Privileges without Faith as Believers have by their Faith It being not Faith it self or Profession of Faith that is to be the immediate Ground of Baptism but that Sonship or Relation to God of which Faith is the Means or Evidence and when this can be evidenc'd without Profession of Faith there being no necessity of that Profession to qualify for Baptism as was shewn before in Cornelius and his Company And then as for Repentance while they are in their Infant-state they have no need of it and therefore may be baptized without 〈◊〉 they have no need of Repentance for Sin because they have no actual Sin to repent of and therefore their want of Repentance can be no Bar to their Baptism To those indeed that have actually sinned Baptism is a Baptism of Repentance signifying it already to be in some measure and obliging to it farther But where there