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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A62867 An examen of the sermon of Mr. Stephen Marshal about infant-baptisme in a letter sent to him. Tombes, John, 1603?-1676. 1645 (1645) Wing T1804; ESTC R200471 183,442 201

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to account Infants of believers by an act of opinion according to a rule of prudence by which the Sacraments are to be administred to belong to God in facie Eccl●siae visibilis in respect of outward profession as the Catechumeni or participation of baptisme and the Lords Supper as compleat Christians And as for being accounted by an act of opinion according to a rule of charity to belong to God it hath no place in this matter For judging of mens present estate by a rule of charity is when men judge of others the best that their words and works may be interpreted to signifie according to that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 13.7 Charity believes all things But infants do not shew any thing by words or works that may signifie their thoughts and therefore in respect of them whether they be good or bad we can have no judgement but must only suspend our act of judging them But if by judgement of chariry be meant as some expresse it conceiving a thing to be so because we know nothing to the contrary then are we to conceive all infants to belong to God yea almost all men in the world by the judgement of charity because for ought we know to the contrary all may be elected Wherefore I must either here stop or else gather your meaning by your expressions in other parts of your Sermon and the expressions of those with whom I conceive you concurre in opinion and therefore if I should not exactly light on your meaning you are to thank your selfe but not to blame me This is then that which I conceive you meane That in the promise which God made to Abraham That he would be his God and the God of his seed as this promise comprehends Evangelicall blessings the infants of believers are comprehended and therefore they are foederati taken into Covenant with their Parents And yet I am at a stand whether when you say they are taken into Covenant with their Parents and that the promise I will be thy God and the God of thy seed belongs to them in respect of Evangelicall blessings you mean it in respect of saving graces or the priviledge of outward Ordinances though the latter is no more true then the former yet it is lesse dangerous and sometimes your expressions incline me to think you mean no more especially that which you say pag. 13. Secondly All true believers are Abrahams seed Gal. 3.29 These only are made partakers of the spirituall part of the Covenant neverthelesse because the most of your expressions carry it thus that you conceive that God hath promised according to the Covenant with Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed to be the God of the naturall seed of believers in respect of the saving benefits of the Covenant of grace in Christ and your proofes tend that way I shall oppose that assertion But that I may not be thought to wrong you or cum larvis luctari to fight with a vizour the reasons why I conceive you mean or at least your readers are likely to take your meaning so are these you say pa. 8. My first argument is They are within the Covenant of grace belonging to Christs body kingdome family therefore are to partake of the seal of his Covenant or the distinguishing badge between them who are under the Covenant of grace and them who are not Pag. 9. You expresse your second conclusion thus God will have the Infants of such as enter into Covenant with him to be accounted his as well as their Parents You set downe the substance of the Covenant of Grace pag. 10. to consist in those benefits and then you often say The children are in the Covenant of grace with their believing Parents and pag. 31. You reject the asserting to the Infants of believers priviledges peculiar to some and assert the priviledges belonging to the Covenant of grace which all that are in Covenant may claime which you say God made to Abraham and all his seed Besides your Texts you produce tend to prove that as Acts 2.39 c. and you say pag. 15. They shall be made free of Gods City according to Abrahams Copy I will bee thy God and the God of thy seed which in respect of us Gentiles can have no other meaning then in respect of justification sanctification and salvation p. 16. speaking of Zacheus you say Let him professe the faith of Christ and the Covenant of salvation comes to his house for now he is made a son of Abraham that is Abrahams promise now reacheth him And pag. 26. The proving of the two first conclusions gains the whole cause if the Covenant b● the same and children belong to it then they are to be owned as Cov●nanters pag. 37. The whole Covenant of grace containing all the promises whereof this is one viz. That God will be the God of believers and of their seed that the seed of believers are taken into Covenant with their parents This is a part of the Gospel preached unto Abraham and the Apostles were to baptize them that is to administer baptisme as a seal of the Covenant to all those who received the Covenant And Master Vines in his Sermon pag. 19. cals them confederates with their believing parents and Mr. Blake pag. 16. God promis●s to be a God in Covenant to his and their seed which people in Covenant have also a promise from him of the Spirit Nor do I doubt but that your meaning is agreeable to the Directory which directs the Minister at Baptisme to teach That the promise is made to believers and their seed which promi●e what it is appears by the words following make this baptisme to the infant a seal of adoption remission of sins regeneration and eternall life and of all other promises of tht Covenant of grace And the truth is although in some passages especially Mr. Blake you speak more warily as if you would avow onl● a Covenant for outward priviledges as when Mr. Blake saith pag. 14. This birth-right intitles only to outward priviledges yet in applying thos● Texts G●n 17.7 Act. 2.39 Mat. 19.14 and others you are inforced to expresse your selves as if you meant the Covenant whereby salvation is promised by Christ as knowing that those Texts you produce do otherwise speak nothing to the purpose bring pl●inly meant of saving gr●c●s and the Covenant now of the Gospel is not of outward priviledges as the mixt Covenant made with Abraham wa● and therefore if there be not a promise of saving graces to Infants they are not now under an Evangelicall Covenant of free grace and that baptism seals only the promise of saving grace remission of sins c. and therefore if there be not a promise of saving grace to infants in vain are they baptized the seal is put to a blank as some use to speak And if that there be no covenant of saving grace to no end is so much weight laid on