all those of many Nations which should afterwards beleeve and that as faith was imputed unto him for righteousnesse even so likewise it should be imputed to all beleevers whatsoever whether they were circumcised or not And that all these are and were to be the onely hâ—ires and true seed to whom the everlasting covenant and promises of life are assuredly made and doe properly and undoubtedly appertaine ver 3.11.12 13 14.16 17 18.22 23 24. And therefore you say Circumcision never was nor is any rule for baptizing Ans That the Circumcision which Abraham received was received by him is true but that the circumcision of his seed was received by him wanteth explanation it would stand more with reason to say that Abraham administred it upon his seed and that his seed received it then to say that Abraham received the circumcision of his seed upon himselfe Abraham received his owne circumcision upon himselfe and his seed received their circumcision upon themselves and so it was to each of them a signe and seale not that it was divers sorts of circumcisions because it was administred upon divers parties but the same ordinance of circumcision which Abraham received upon himselfe in particular the same ordinance of circumcision his infants received upon themselves in particular also And if you did but well consider the Texts Gen. 17.11 Rom. 4.11 you might see that it was a signe and seale of the righteousnesse of faith which went before circumcision Consider moreover what benefit the infants of beleevers which died in their infancie had by it for if you will say that it was a signe and seale of that righteousnesse which they never were partakers of or for ought we know shall never be then your owne confâ—ssion will come against you * Pag. 21. lin 31 32. where you grant that God giveth no lying signe c. Now circumcision was a true signe of that righteousnesse which they had received formerly and for confirmation of the covenant which had been made to them before and to be further and further manifested and continued to them This is cleare from Gen. 17.11.14 Rom. 4.11 as hath been shewed before And therfore you may see that I plead not that that righteousnesse came by the Law or Circumcision for they were righteous before otherwise they could not have been capable of the seale of righteousnesse The righteousnesse sealed was a righteousnessâ— before the seale was fixed And this righteousnessâ— was imputed unto them all both young and old great and small infants and aged persons It was unto them a signe and seale of righteousnesse yea unto the Infants as well as others And this righteousnesse which it sealed was not the righteousnesse of the Law Deut. 30.12 but the righteousnesse of faith and the righteousnesse of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart Who shall ascend up into heaven Rom. 10.6 7 8 9 10. that iâ— to bring Christ downe from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ againe from the dead But what sayth it the Word is nigh thee c. Wherefore it appeareth that you have not done well in inferring from the promises that circumcision is no rule for baptizing you ought rather to have concluded that it is a rule for baptizing seeing that circumcision was a Gospel seale that the Baptisme which Christ hath instituted is one and the same with it a signe of the same thing a seale of the same Covenant And therefore though circumcision is not the onelâ— â—ule for baptizing yet it is a rule which the Saints of God may strengthen themselves withall in the administration of Baptisme upon their infants Consider further What circumcision sealed to the infants of beleevers that died in their infancie what good it did doe them either it did them good or hurt It was a wound or hurt in respect of their bodies but it did not hurt their soules therfore it was some benefit to them for if it should not then God gave a thing to hurt their bodies and to doe no good to their soules The land of Canaan it sealed not unto them for they never lived to enjoy it A fleshly fatherhood it sealed not unto them for they died in infancie What did it seale then Did it seale nothing Wee will not say so they being the infants of those whose sinnes were forgiven and they being such which could not act and therefore not commit actuall sinne Surely when all commeth to all wee must confesse that this sealed unto them some spirituall thing for they having received the wound and incision and dying in their infancie it appeareth that it sealed not unto them a naturall life therefore it sealed unto them a spirituall life and a spirituall place wherein they shall enjoy that spirituall life which place is the heavenly land of Canaan God did not ayme at the hurt of the infants when he commanded them to be circumcised but at their good Wherefore this very hurt of their bodies did demonstrate some good thing which weighed downe all their former hurt And therefore seeing that infants received benefit spiritually by circumcision that benefit came from God God gave it to the fathers before Moses was borne almost foure hundred yeares * Christ said to the Jewes Moses therfore gave unto you Circumcision not because it is of Moses but of the Fathers See Iohn 7.22 And he never intended to take away this beneficiall ordinance from the infants but to plant as great a one in stead thereof and make it sure to them yea as sure as the promise Otherwise Christ should be lesse faithfull in his house then Moses for Moses was so faithfull that he durst not nay would not presume to lay such sacrilegious hands upon Circumcision Gods holy iâ—stitution as to bereave infants of circumcision and disanull it by his old law which came long after it yea the Apostle expressely declareth that the Law could not disanull the covenant and wee know it did not disanull the signe and seale of that covenant neither did Christ ever disanull it or bereave holy infants of the benefit of it but did take off the old garment and put on a new I mean changed onely the circumstantiall part of the signe of his covenant but the substance remained still though under another element And as a man which hath one day one manner of apparrell another time another sute of apparrell of another colour and more excellent then the former is still the same man though in another habite so the ordinances of Christ which are equivolent one with the other are the same though the latter excell the former So the seventh day was the same with the first day of the weeke as it was a Sabbath though not as it was the seventh day yet as wee may take a ground for the keeping of a Sabbath from the old Testament leaving out the circumstance not tying our selves to the
hath said as he liveth that he desireth not the deâ—th of a sinner neither shall the sonne die for the fathers iniquitie but every one shall beare his own iniquitie q Ezek. 18. Shall every one beare his owne iniquitie Then the iniquitie of the righteous parents that is remitted is not visibly imputed to any of their children in their infancie Therefore those infants are to be accounted righteous For the m râ—y of Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him and his righteousnes unto childrens children to such as keep his Covenant c. Psal 103.17 18. For to say that the sinne of the parent that is remitted is imputed to his childe that never sinned actually is an arguing that the sonne shall die for the father yea and for the sinnes of the righteous father A flat contradiction both of the Scripture and Reason it selfe But it may be some will say that the best beleevers on earth doe sin daily yea and that in their best actions Shall all these sinnes be remitted and not be imputed considering that sinne is daily committed by them Ans If they sinne they have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Chrâ—st the righteous r 1 Ioh. 2.1 2. and through him the beleeving parents who die dâ—iâ—y unto sâ—nne have their sinnes so quelled and crushed that there is no power in the same whereby to condemne them for as the Brazen Serpent was lifted up in the Wildernes so is Jâ—sus Christ lifted up for them Å¿ Ioh. 3.14 15. so that the fiery Messengers of Sathan though they sting them yet cannot destroy their soules and this being remitted to the parâ—nts to all beleevers shall not be imputed to them because still upon the renewing of sinne they renew their repentance and so doe cut the cords of sinne by godly sorrow t 2 Cor 7.10 11. But a wicked person that is not penitent hath the iniquities of his fathers imputed unto him and his mothers sinne is not blotted out all this is remembred with the Lord continually u Psal 109 14 15. and laid upon the sinner that is not justified by Jesus Christ But the infants of beleevers as hath been observed before are from under the guilt of originall sinne their parents sinne is not imputed unto them but both the originall sinne and actuall sinne is fully remitted and the infants cannot be taxed with actuall sinne they are cleare they never acted sinne Wherefore by all this it appeareth that the Lord spake not in vaine when he bid the parents choose life that both they and their seed might live for though God visiteth the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those that â—â—te him yet he sheweth mercy to thousands of those that love him and keep his Commandements * Exod. 20.5 6 Seeing then it is so apparent that the infants of beleevers are freely justified and saved by Jâ—sus Christ through his righteousnesse they are under this promise mentioned by Peter Act. 2.39 And therefore are to have Baptisme the seale of the same promise administred upon them And this conclusion is agreeable to your own position * A. R. second part pag. 6. lin 37 38 39. which is that that which availeth to justification doth according to the rule availe to Baptisme c. Whereas you further say * Pag. 2. lin â—0 that by children are meant sonnes and daughters which should prophecie This I denie not But that it is onely meant of them I doe deny for all are not Prophets x 1 Cor. 12.29 Jeremia was not a Prophet till God called him And though he was not set about the work till he was capable to understand and apprehend y Ier. 1.6.10 11 12 17 18. yet he was sanctified in the wombe and therefore the promise appertained unto him then before he could prophecie even so the promise is really made to the infants of the faithfull though they can neither prophecie nor speake with tongues Wherefore it appeareth by what hath been said in answer unto you that your argument is quite overthrowne and the drift thereof hath no weight in it to edifie the soule nor any strength to prove what you undertooke * Pag. 2. lin 21. namely that by children no infants are meant in this place of Acts 2.39 And although it be said that the promise is to their children yet you deny that the Text speaketh of their children in Covenant * Line 41. by saying that this objection that these children were in Covenant hath no colour of footing in the Text for proofe whereof you bring your own former speeches * Line 42. and adde for further demonstration saying * Pag. 3. lin 1.2 3 4 5. that first the promise is made equally to them and to their children and to them that are afar off But these which are afar off are not within the Covenant by the promise untill they beleeve the same To which I answer that if it be not meant of their children in Covenant then is it meant of their children out of Covenant But you should know that those who are out of Covenant are not within the promise of life and salvation None have right unto the tree of Life but those that are in Covenant with God z Rev. 21.7 8. 22.14 15. and those that abide not in Christ they have no part in him or his * Ioh. 15.6 But the infants of beleevers are in Christ and in the promise and God is faithfull a 1 Thes 5.24 and therefore will not breake his promise with those whom he hath effectually called to the fellowship of his Sonne Jesus Christ And it appeareth by the Apostle Peters words that these children mentioned in Act. 2.39 were such whom in visibilitie the Lord had so called in Christ Jesus for the Apostle speaketh of them in the time present The promise is to you sayth he and to your children but when he speaketh of those afar off he hath relation wholly to the future time saying and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call And so by this he shewed that God would be a God unto all those whom he so calleth Now this calling I doe not understand to be a bare publication of the Gospel or generall invitation which appertaineth unto all b Mar. 15.15 2 Tim. 1.9 but such a calling which is appropriated unto those whom the Lord accepteth in the Covenant of the Gospel and fellowship with his Sonne Jesus Christ That the infants of beleevers have fellowship with Jesus Christ is evident Suffer them sayth Christ to come unto mee and forbid them not for of such is the kingdome of heaven c Luk. 18.15 16 17. Seeing then that they are declared to be in Jesus Christ who is made a d Isa 42 6 7. Covenant to the people they are not out of
free grace of God Now to say that God hath not ordained sufficieÌ„t means * Mr Spilâ—â—ury sâ—â—â—h â—hâ—t the Wâ—â—â— of God shews that he hath elected pâ—rsons to the means as well as to the end being the way unto the sâ—â—â—e And that was the Adoption of sonnes and to be callâ— justified â—y beleeving in Iesus Christ See his Treatise of Baâ— pag 3. lin 41 42 43 44. for their recovery is in effect to cast them all downe to hell and so to hodwinke â—he eyes of Charitie and sâ— to place them with dogâ—â—â— and whoremongers without or else to judge they are saved without the means and that they so enter into the kingdome of â—â—aven even without Ch i st without saitâ— without â—â—linâ—s â—ea without râ—generation which to affirme is contrary unto the Scripture for Christ J sus is the onely way and doore of enterance to God the Father He is the ladder of life by which all the Saints must ascend unto their mansion-houses Christ is the onely light who giveth light unto all that abide in him Who being the brightnâ—s of his Fathers glory and the exprâ—sse Image of his person freely distributeth those gifts which he hath freely received of his Father and doth not in the least lessen the Saints priviledges but in his rich mercy bestoweth his rich gifts upon his Saints for their good and benefit though by nature they are rebellious unto him Thou hast sayth David received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell among them * Psal 68.18 for as much then as the Lord Jesus hath received gifts for the rebellious that God might dwell amongst them and that the infants of beleevers are rebellious by nature Surely God never ordained though they die in their infancie that they should be saved without the gifts there spoken of which are necessary for them and therefore we must confesse that they are the creatures comprehended in the generall Commission given by Jesus Christ when he ascended up on high when he said Goe teach all nations baptizing them c. Goe pâ—â—ach the Gospel to every creature He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved c. Hereby is meant that the generall offer of the Go pâ—l should be tendred to all and that those rebellious persons who were coÌ„tent to subj ct themselves unto the yoke of Jesus Christ shouâ—d have the Goâ—â—â—l appâ—yed unto them and also the seale of the Covâ—nant thereof and so all belâ—eving parents and their infants though rebâ—llious by nature should all receive the same precious priâ—ilâ—â—ges and pâ—â—rogatives as were granted to Abraham and his infaâ—ts in whom the Lord did Evangelically declare that all the families of the earth should be blessed * Gen. 12.3 Gal. 3.8 9. Gen. 17. Exod. 12.48 and â—o this Christ Jesus alluded when he applyed the Gospel to Zacheus his familie house or houshold saying This day is salvation come to this house for so much as he also is the sonne of Abraham For the Sonne of man is come to seeke and to save that which was lost * Luk 19 9 10. And this was written for our sakes * Rom. 4.23 24. To the intent that wee should know that every believer is the childe of Abraham * Gal. 3.7 that every beleeving parent hath the same precious priviledges as Isaac had * Gen. 17. Isa 56. and his Infants the same precious priviledges as Isaacs infants had * Isa 22.23 24 Psal 112.1 2. who though they were by nature the Children of wrath yet by grace they were the Children of God in his Covenant * Gen. 17.7 and his Church * Exod. 12 48. Children of the promise counted for the lâ—â—d * Rom. 9.8 Gen. â—1 1â— and called by his name Whereas you say because there may be infants in the houshold that thence they conclude that infants may be baptized I ans I never did heare any so conclude from this bare argument or may be which you have here specified But to this argument you make answer that there might be no infants there To which I reply that there might be infants there for who should controle or forbid the parents from keeping their owne Children as well in infancie as after Whereas you say your Negative is as good as their Affirmative What affirmative doe you mean and who are the persons you here intend If you meane the bare conclusion from infants being in the houshold that therefore infants may be baptized I think such an Affirmative is somewhat like your Negative though it be not the same but peradventure those some others you mention besides Seperates were the authors hereof But to make your Negative as good and more probable then their Affirmative which you say is without any proofe you adde these words For it is said Act. 18 8. That Crispus the chiefe Ruler of the Synagogue beleeved on the Lord with all his houshold and that many of the Corinthians hearing it beleeved and were baptized And it is said of the Gaoler who was baptized and all his Act. 16.32 That Paul and Sylas first preached the Word unto him and to all that were in his house And in the 33. verse it is said that he with all his houshold beleeved in God So then say you it is plaine that they first beleeved and then were baptized and although it be barely spoken of Pauls baptiâ—ing the houshold of Stephanus 1 Cor. 1.16 And of the baptizing of Lydia and her houshold Act. 16.15 yet it cannot reasonably be imagined but that he did baptize these according to the Commission and as he did baptize the Gaoler and his house which was first preaching to them and bringing him and all his house to the faith as is evident by the Text and those other places which are more silent must be expounded and understoâ—d by this which is more plaine and not this by those To which I answer that all this which you have here rehearsed doth not prove the thing for which you brought it to wit that your Negative is as good and more probable then their Affirmative I pray you tell me Doth any of these Scriptures tell you that there was no Infants in these families or that according to your former Conclusion it is more probable there was none then that there was any Surely such a thing cannot be gathered from any tittle of Scripture or necessary consequence therefrom neither doe these Scriptures alledged by you nor your following Conclusion from thence which you have here set downe contradict the Baptisme of Infants in the least wherfore it will not serve your turne to vindicate what you have said before in opposition of the truth That which we ought seriously to minde is that the infants of beleeving parents are blessed with their faithfull parents * Isa 65.23 Their iniquities are forgiven and their sinnes are covered * Psal 32.1 2. and
is of force against the infants of beleevers to prove them also not to be in the new Covenant nor to be baptized But this is very weak against such parents Therefore it is of no force against their infants Seeing it is so you may plainly perceive that I have just ground to except against your conclusiō Pag. 4 l. 22 23 that because all the children of beleevers are not saved Therefore the infants of beleevers are not in the Covenant now on foot nor ought to be baptized Such an excuse as this might as well have served informer time for the children of Israel that they might not onely have neglected Circumcision but also all other Ordinances But such arguing bringeth large liberty tending to Athisme destruction and ruination of the foundation of Christian Religion Rom. 3.1 2 3 4. But what saith Paul when he declareth that the Jewes had the Oracles of God committed unto them what if some did not believe shall their unbeliefe make the faith of God of none effect God forbid yea let God be true and every man a lyar c. The Apostasie of Cain could not hurt Adam nor hinder Abel from eternall life For though Cain and his seed perished yet God was still good unto his Church unto Israel to those that were of an upright heart Furthermore for to maintain errour you bring errour false things to prove a falshood like two false witnesses that stand one for another for to prove your own false affirmation that infants are not in the Covenant outwardly nor have that holinesse whereby to be admitted now to the outward ordinance of baptisme as infants were then to Circumcision in the time of the Law and state of the Jews You say That the state or Church of the Jews were under the old Covenant and Law Pag. 4. l. 29. and stood not by faith and circumcision of the heart as this Church of the Gospel doth but stood meerly upon nature and circumcision of the flesh and accordingly had their outward and fiderall holinesse and outward cleansings all which are abolished with that state and no such holinesse or distinction is now between any persons in the world as you say shall be further declared by and by To which I answer That the Church of the Jews were in the old Covenant and Law is true But that they stood not by faith and circumcision of the heart as this Church of the Gospel doth but stood meerly upon nature and circumcision of the flesh is not true for the Church of the Jewes had the new covenant * Mr. Spilsbery granteth the Covenant made with Abraham and the Covenant now to be the same in substance See his treatise pag. 8 line 10. that was confirmed to Abraham * Gen. 17. Gal. 3.16 17. before of God in Christ which covenant the Law which was foure hundred and thirty yeares after could not disanull that it should make the promise of none effect* The Jewes were Gods holy speciall a Deut. 7.6 and peculiar b 26.18.19 people who were not constituted of a visible mixt multitude of prophane persons and holy beleevers and Infidels good and bad together c 29.18 32.9.12 Esay 5.1 2. but were a people called d 41.1 2. 43.1.7 Mat. 12.2.13 and separated e Ps 135.4 148.14 125.2 Deut. 33.29 14.1 2 from other Nations God brought them out of Egypt f Ex. 12.41.42 and baptized them in the cloud and in the sea g 1 Cor. 10.1 2 and went before them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire h Ex. 13.21 22 and at the great and victorious deliverance which they had over the Egyptians they beleeved his Words and sang his praise i Ex 15.1 Ps 106.12 then God led them through the wildernesse k Ex. 15.22 and made the bitter waters sweet for them l ver 25. that they might trust in him who healed them m v. 26. and he fed them with Manna which neither they nor their fathers knew to the intent that they might know that man could not live by bread only but by every word of God n Deut. 8.3 and he made the flinty rock a fountain of waters o Ps 114.8 Num. 20.8.11 that they thereby might quench their thirst Yea The Lord came from mount Synay and rose up from Seir unto them he shined forth from mount Paran and he came with ten thousands of his Saints from his right hand went a fiery Law yea he loved the people p Deut 33.2 3 they were therefore to trust stedfastly in God the sword of their excellencie q ver 29. and to look continually for eternall life of him and cleave unto him r 10.20 who was their life and the length of their dayes ſ 30.19 20. whom they were commanded to fear and to love and to serve with all their heart and with all their soule t Deut. 10.12 so the Lord was with them they with him and as he had commanded them so they were still to be a holy people to the Lord their God even as he was holy u Levit. 11.44 19.2 20.7 By all which it appeares that there was a manifest difference put between them and the prophane of the world as is between Christ and Antichrist In brief as their Church was the Church of Christ a See Cant. and the Covenant b Rev. 21.3 which they had c Gal. 3.16 17. the Covenant of Christ so the Commandement d Deut. 30.11.12 13 14. Rom. 10.6 7 8 9 10. or word which was not hid from them was the Gospel which they were not to enquire after as though it were some strange thing afar off or beyond the seas c. for it was nigh unto them in their mouth and in their heart that they might doe it even the Gospel of Christ the same word of faith which Paul preached yea further they had not onely the Gospel of Christ but Christ himselfe his presence in a speciall manner amongst them though he were not then manifested in the flesh Esay 63 9. Wherefore I would have you to consider and revoke those rash speeches that this heavenly society and blessed fraternity stood not by faith but meerly upon nature and circumcision of the flesh It is an infidelious opinion to judge them to be Infidels in the Jewes state whom God did so call and separate which had his Oracles and Ordinances whom he called his holy people his chosen e Deut. 10.15 and peculiar people f Cap. 14.2 his beloved ones g Cap 7.7.8 to whose seed he promised life as to themselves h Cap. 30.19.20 whose hearts he promised to circumcise as also the hearts of their seed i Deut 30.6 as he hath promised to his people in the last dayes which thing
not amongst the living in Jerusalem but the dead in Palestina And therefore by the same rule if any of his male children who were at yeares of discretion would not be content to come in with his father as his father was to reckon him among the uncircumcised so was he not to circumcise him nor compell him to be circumcised till he submitted voluntarily yet if this Prosolyte had male infants borne of her that was sanctified to him though she did not sanctifie him he was to circumcise them and to rank his holy infants both male and female among the circumcised Salemites and to put such a reall difference between them and his disobedient children as between holy and prophane as between members of the Church and not of the Church as between circumcised Israelites and uncircumcised Philistines And so the holy Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 7.14 teacheth all beleevers to esteem such Children holy and directly opposite to those Children whose unbeleeving parents are not so much as sanctified to any beleever for procreating a holy seed and therefore the Infants of one or both beleeving parents are to be esteemed holy and it is a sinne to rank them with those infants whose parents are not any one of them in Covenant with God or at least so to be esteemed for wee have nothing to doe with secret things which belong only unto God but things revealed wee are to look into and so to judge of the tree by the fruit and in doing thus we shall not doe amisse or commit sin because we so judge though things fall out afterward contrary to our former expectation since those persons declare themselves otherwise then before they did or that God discover them unto us to be otherwise then wee were formerly to esteeme them But to this objection * Pag. 5. lin 34 A. R. That they are here termed holy and are so to be esteemed You answer * Pag. 5. lin 36 37 38. That so were the unbeleeving Jewes when they were broken off Rom. 11.16 and so is the unbeleeving wife in this place yet neither of these are to be baptized for their being tearmed holy and therefore not Children for their being here tearmed holy To which I answer that you doe not observe the scope of the Apostles words for he would not have us to judge that those are holy in visibilitie who are visibly Apostated and are cut off for the Apostle speaking of the Apostate Jewes sayth What shall their receiving be but life from the dead * Vers 15. For sayth he if the first fruits be holy so is the whole lump and if the root be holy so are the branches * Vers 26. Intimating that those branches are visibly holy which abide in the Vine and Olive tree and receive nourishment from and are borne up of the root Ver. 17. And the Apostle declareth that those unbeleeving Jewes were broken off and were not then partaker of that benefit which the beleeving Gentiles had by being grafted in in stead of the Jewes and so made partaker of the root and fatnesse of the Olive tree Ver. 18. yea further the Apostle declareth the cause of the Jews cutting off namely unbeliefe Through unbeliefe they are broken off Ver. 19. and therefore he exhorteth the beleeving Gentiles not to be high-minded Ver. 20. but to feare Ver. 21. and to take heed and to behold the bountifulnes and severitie of God Toward them which have fallen Ver. 22. Severitie but sayth he towards thee bountifulnes if thou coÌ„tinue in his bountifulnes or els thou shalt be cut off And they also Ver. 23. if they abide not still in unbelief shal be grafted in for God is able to graft them in So then it appeareth that the Apostle doth teach us that their abiding on the Olive tree doth demonstrate them to be holy in the appearance of men Howbeit those are holy in the sight of God who shall be saved though they are not knowne unto men to be holy but ought to be esteemed unholy in visibilitie So the incestuous person of the Church of Corinth when he was cut off from them was by the Church to be esteemed unholy in visibilitie but afterward when he repented he was then to be esteemed holy by those persons who formerly and rightly according to visibilitie esteemed him unholy even at the time when he fell from his steadfastnesse And so it is sayd * Isa 4.3 that he that is left in mount Sion and in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written amongst the living in Jerusalem So it appeareth that till we see them to be of the number of those who are in mount Sion and in Jerusalem wee are not to esteeme them holy What they are in Gods secret account his sacred Majestie knoweth but the revealed will of God hath directed us not to call those visibly holy who are visibly unholy as all visible unbeleevers are nor are we to esteeme those unholy outwardly who are outwardly holy as all visible beleevers are for the Apostle putteth a difference between branch and branch between visible beleevers and visible unbeleevers as we must doe between the members of the visible Church and those that Apostate therefrom and are cut off But the holy children of beleevers in their infancie cannot justly be said to Apostate from God or to degenerate froÌ„ that heavenly state and holy olive tree in which they are by faith ingrafted and therefore well might the Apostle teach us that we are to esteem them holy Whereas you say so is the unbeleeving wife in this place I Ans It is not so The Apostle sayth not that the unbeleeving wife of the beleever is holy but sanctified but he declareth that the children are holy And as for the baptizing of such branches that are broken off before they are grafted in againe or the unbeleeving wife before shee be a beleever we plead not but alledge the contrary for they are not visibly holy as you would inferre but they are unholy in visibilitie and are not to be esteemed as written among the living in Jerusalem but as dead in sins and trespasses till they repent and beleeve and live thereby and so the Apostle sayth Rom. 11.15 What shall the receiving of the unbeleeving Jewes be but life from the dead But so long as they are spiritually dead they are not to be esteemed holy nor reckoned among the living in Jerusalem * Rev. 22.15 For as such unbeleevers were not meet to be members of the visible Church in the time of the Law no more are they meet to be members of the visible Church in the time of the Gospel for as the Church of God both was and is a spirituall holy Church so it hath refused and doth and ought to refuse all those persons that aâ—e not living stones holy and spirituall for holinesse sayth David becometh thine house O Lord for ever