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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	act_n	faith_n	justify_v	11,290	5	9.0946	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93239	Infant-baptism and church-membership proved: and also the mode of baptism to be by sprinkling &c. In answer to Mr. Benjamin Dennie's book. By Giles Shute of Limehouse.	Shute, Giles, b. 1650 or 51.	1695 (1695)	Wing S3708; ESTC R231568	45,328	72

No Saint of God ever was or ever will be justified neither for or by the Act of Faith and the reason is plain because that would be for a man to be justified by Works which would destroy Justification by Faith in the Righteousness of Christ which is Popery all over for there is no Justification without the Grace of Faith though not for the Acting of that Grace Therefore it is all a pure Design of preventing Grace from the Foundation to the Top-stone of mans Salvation it is all Grace Grace pure preventing Grace And therefore an Elect dying Infant is as capable of Justification Regeneration Adoption Sanctification and Eternal Salvation as any Adult person is whatsoever And thus I have proved That Habitual Faith is essentially necessary for the salvation of dying Infants as well as Adult believers None can be saved without it for there can be no Acts of Faith where there are not first Habits of Faith it is as impossible as it is for a Tree to grow and bear Fruit without a Root 8. Saith Mr. D. in page 6. It 's to be wondered at how you come to stop at Baptism and do not let children partake of the Lords-supper c. Mr. D. can see no reason why Infants should not be perfect Members of the Church visible if they are any at all To which I reply 1. Truly it is to be wondered at that such an insipid Argument should be destilled from the Brain and drop from the Pen of a Person of such natural Endowments as Mr. D. is generally taken to be But such is the unsearchable Wisdom of God to confound the Wisdom of the Wise and to entangle them in their own Devices that no flesh should glory in his presence Now I shall make good what I have said with a respect to this Argument 1. It cannot be denied but that the Jews children were perfect Members of the Church visible when they were circumcised at Eight days old for the Apostle tells us that unto them were committed the oracles of God Rom. 3.1 2. But yet notwithstanding they did not partake of the Passover and this I am sure that the Gospel of Grace and Christ the Purchaser of Grace did not at all diminish the gracious Priviledges of the children of Christian believers 2. Circumcision was instituted about four hundred and thirty years before the Ordinance of the Passover was in being and were there not perfect Members of the Church visible before the Passover was instituted which was just the Night before they were delivered out of that Egyptian Bo●dage 3. To come nearer home All those men women and children that were baptized by John the Baptist were perfect Members of the Church visible by vertue of their Covenant-relation to Abraham who was a Type of Christ the Father of al● the Faithful and yet they did not partake of the Ordinance of the Lords-supper for it was impossible they should because that Ordinance was not instituted until about thirty years after for as Circumcision was instituted before the Passover so was Baptism before the Lords-supper and as the Passover was not instituted until the Night in which Israel was delivered out of the Egyptian Captivity so the Lords-supper was not instituted until the Night in which our Lord was betrayed when he Actually delivered us out of Spiritual Egyptian Bondage 3. If none are perfect Members of the Church visible until they partake of the Lords supper ther if any of their own Opinion die after they are dipped before they partake of the Lords-supper as no doubt but that many do then they dye imperfect Members of their Church visible 4. Baptism was in force long before the Passover was abolished for our Saviour Christ did eat the Passover and institute the Lords-supper both at a Meal the very Night in which he was betrayed which was the total abolition of the former and the establishment of the latter 5. Our Saviour Christ himself hath in effect declared the Infant-seed of Believers to be perfect Members of the Church visible in Mat. 19 1● these Words viz. Then were there brought unto him little children that he should put his hands on them and pray and the disciples rebuked them But Jesus said Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me for of such is the kingdom of heaven That is the Church Surely the Kingdom of Heaven is not comprized and made up of imperfect Members or Subjects Thus you see this Argument is pluckt up by the Roots 9. Saith Mr. D. in page 6. Many of those you call outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace our children have as well as yours 1. We dedicate them to God by our Prayers for them as soon as born and those of the Church into which in time we hope they will incorporate 2. Our Example 3. Religious Education by catechising and by daily Prayers for them c. Here are several things worthy to come under our consideration from these Premises aforesaid 1. Mr. D. asserts and declares that their children have many of those we call outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace as well as ours but he will not allow them to be outward Priviledges c. but saith that we call them so 2. Either they are Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace or they are not and if they are not so then they are no Priviledges at all for they must be of the Covenant of Works they must be of Grace or of Works this is clear from the Scripture in Rom. 11. And if by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace But if it be of works then it is no more grace otherwise work is no more work Therefore if those we call outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace of which our Opponents children partake of as well as ours are not outward Priviledges of the Covenant of Grace then they are of the Covenant of Works which is no Priviledge at all thus to boast of 3. This destroys that common and unclean Nation of theirs viz. That the children of Turk and Heathens have as much Priviledge as the children of Christian Believers for Turks and Heathens do not dedicate their children to God in Christ as soon as born Which I take to be Mr. D's meaning though he will not allow them one Dram of Habitual Grace which renders it wholly invalid 4. This Dedication of their children as soon as born and Prayers for them must not pass without a strickt Examination for fear least it should prove to be but blear-eyed Leah instead of beautiful Rachel to use our Authour 's own Phrase Therefore I will bring it into the Ballance of the Sanctuary and try whether it be weight or not 1. How can Mr. D. dedicate his children to God in prayer for them as soon as born seeing he will not allow them to be capable of receiving the Seed and Habits of Grace to unite them to Christ For it is

fashions the new creature with all its lineaments and members in the Souls of his Elect namely all the Graces of his Spirit but the new creature ca●●● act nor move without Divine Influence no more than the Watch can go of its self and God m●● take either old or young into Glory as soon as the●● are regenerated and born again and never give them time to act Grace the Thief upon the Cro●● had but very little time to act Grace in 6. For Persons to imagine or dream of San●●fication and Salvation by the Imputation of Chri●● Righteousness and Merits without the Instrumen●allity of Habitual Faith to regenerate and change their Natures is meer spiritual Nonsense for Christ's Righteousness and Merits are not to be applied nor exposed in any other way nor by any other means but what God himself hath appointed and revealed unto us and therefore it is called the Righteousness of Faith but according to our Opponents Principles it is a Righteousness without Faith Pray dear Friends consider of this and be no longer deluded 7. I challenge all our Opponents every Soul of them to produce but one single Text of Scripture throughout the whole Book of God that doth give the least shadow of countenance to this kind of Doctrine of theirs namely That Elect dying Infants can be sanctified and saved without Habitual Grace of which Faith is the chief 8. That salvation of dying Infants which our Opponents stickle so strenuously for is a Salvation without Justification and Regeneration which in plain English is to save them in a state of original sin and depravation for the Antipaedobaptists will not by any means allow young Infants to be capable of receiving the Habits and Seeds of Grace to regenerate and change their Natures though Christ himself who spake as never man spake like him hath told us plainly that Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God And the Scripture also saith Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. 9. A young Infant in the Womb or in the Cradle is as much polluted and depraved by nature as the oldest and vilest sinner upon Earth and as much a child of Wrath as he and he hath as much need to be justified regenerated and sanctified as he therefore all those that deny this must deny original sin which is to overthrow the very Foundation of mans salvation 10. I never read one word in all the Writ● of our Opponents about the Controversie that ● declared or once discovered the absolute ne●sity of Justification and Regeneration in order● the salvation of Elect dying Infants I desire th● to produce us the Book and Page if they o● where there is any such Doctrine It is true 〈◊〉 tell us fine quaint Stories of Sanctification a Application of the Righteousness and Merits Jesus Christ for the salvation of Elect dying ●fants and of their great hope and charity 〈◊〉 have for them and yet in the same breath 〈◊〉 tell us that they are not capable of receiving 〈◊〉 Graces of the Spirit by which it is to be brou● about and effected which knocks all their ch● and hopes for dying Infants on the head concer●ing their future state of Happiness for Mr. ● ● very ingenuously hath published and confessed his Book that he is not capable of understands the Notion of Habitual Faith for saith he it's 〈◊〉 fine for my uncultivated head That is His 〈◊〉 Reason cannot fathom it 11. I do positively affirm as I shall Answer at the great day of Judgment that all those 〈◊〉 will not allow Elect dying Infants to be capable receiving Habitual Grace to regenerate sancti● and change their Natures do at once reprob● them all by their Principle and bar the Gate 〈◊〉 Heaven fast against them For 12. And lastly If the salvation of lost sinne● is a pure Design of preventing Grace then I 〈◊〉 affirm That a young Infant is as capable of salva●on as any Adult person is whatsoever but 〈◊〉 salvation of lost sinners is a pure Design of p●venting Grace Therefore a young Infant i● capable of salvation as any Adult person is w●soever 1. It is a pure design of preventing Grace with a ●espect to God the Father that contrived it 2. It is so with respect to Christ the Son that accom●lished it 3. And lastly It is so with a respect to Man that hath the benefit of it First Grace and subsequent persevering Grace unto Eternal Salvation is all of pure preventing Grace and ●t is brought about by effectual Calling Justification Adoption and Sanctification for preventing Grace ●uns through them all As hath been most elegantly ●llustrated amplified unfolded and applied by that ●minent Divine who is worthy to be ranked among the rest of our Stars of the first Magnitude in this Hemisphere of Gods Heaven upon Earth the Church namely Mr. M. M. of Stepney from that Famous Text of Christ's wonderful preventing Grace in St. Luke 19.10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost 1. That the salvation of lost sinners is a pure Design of preventing Grace appears in these following Particulars 1. In that men by nature are spiritually dead as in Eph. 2. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins The sinner being dead is not able to quicken nor raise himself but God doth it you hath he quickened c. that is God Therefore it is preventing Grace 2. If the sinner be lost and God is found by him when he sought him not then it is pure preventing Grace but so it is as you may see in Rom. 10. I was found of them that sought me not I was made manifest to them that asked not after me Compare with Isa 65.1 3. In Ezek. 16. thou wast cast out in the 〈◊〉 field to the lothing of thy person in the day that th● wast born And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast i● thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live 4. Man by nature is not only in a state of separation from God but also in a state of Enmity against him and until that Enmity be slain and the Soul united to Christ which is done by Habitual Faith instrumentally there can be no hope of Reconciliation nor Eternal Salvation I say again God will as soon save the Fallen Angels as save any Fallen sinner old or young in the Womb or out of it that dyeth in a state of separation and Enmity against God as all Mankind by nature are Psal 51. Rom. 3.11 12 23. It must be Habitual Faith instrumentally that must justifie the sinner by taking hold of the Righteousness and Merits of Jesus Christ and applying it to the sinner by the manuduction of the holy Spirit for God is the Author and the Finisher of our Faith 5. In the fifth and last place to conclude this Head