the true God to comply and fall in with and chuse that God to himself whether it be true or any false God that is first presented to his mind or that is first proposed to him under the notion of a Deity Hence it is that the same God is imbraced and worshipped as their God by several Nations successively from one Generation to another Hath a Nation changed their God It is not often found that they have Children usually fall in with and worship that God their Parents have done and from hence it is that the true God is owned and worshipped successively from one Generation to another in Nations and Places where the Scriptures are received and the Christian Doctrine imbraced They own and worship him not as being convinced that he is indeed the true God by rational demonstrations much less as being savingly taught and inlightned by himself but he is that God that is first presented to their minds and that they first apprehend under the notion of a Deity and this though it is true through the subtilty of Satan and corruption in the hearts of Men too often is utterly useless to them in order to their eternal Happiness yet in it self hath a singular subserviency thereunto and would be of no small advantage to Men were it well improved Yet further the true God is not only first presented to the minds of the Seed of Believers but he is presented to their minds as standing in a Covenant-relation towards them and consequently they find themselves in a Covenant-relation with him for Covenant-relations are always mutual Hence as they find him obliged by Covenant to be theirs so themselves obliged to be his which must needs have a potent tendency as to check any Inquiries that they would otherwise be prone to make after so to keep them from attending to any proposals that might be made by others of any false god and also from the choice of any false god by themselves To have the true God first presented to the mind is of no small advantage to prevent Mens inquiring after and attending to the proposal of any false god to them especially considering the suiteableness of those discoveries God hath made of himself in his Word and as revealed therein he is supposed to be presented to their minds to those notions of a God in the general that are either found ingraven upon the minds of Men as born into the World or are taken up by the free use of the rational powers and faculties of the Soul Now for Children so soon as capable of reflecting upon themselves and acting rationally with reference to their own future welfare and welbeing to find an antecedent mutual relation between this God and themselves wherein he stands related to them as their God and they stand related to him as his People Subjects and Servants will add greatly to the more effectual prevention of their ingaging in any ways of Idolatry they as Youth is are prone to comply and fall in with that God that is first presented to the mind or that the mind hath the first notice of so the notion under which the true God is presented to their minds suiting so well with those antecedent notions they have of a God in the general will greatly conduce to their compliance and falling in with him and his worship and service But when they find a mutual relation already established between him and them that will yet further their compliance and consequently their inquiries after or attendance to what may be proposed or offered to them concerning any other God will be obviated and prevented And though this may seem of small importance to Children born in Places and Nations where the true God is only owned worshipped and served there being no danger of their first ingaging in any ways of Idolatry in such Places and Nations yet we must remember that God in the establishment of his Covenant had respect to his People and their Seed not only as inhabiting such Places and Nations but as inhabiting Places and Nations where false gods are owned worshipped and served 2. God's being under an obligation to communicate himself to and act for their good according to the tenour of the Covenant will give them assurance of a fulness of Blessedness and Happiness in their alone cleaving to worshipping and serving him whence they may be easily convinced of the unnecessariness of either applying themselves to the worship of any false god or to the World or any ways of sensuality for the gaining that Happiness they find themselves capable of but insufficient unto as of themselves Man so soon as capable of reflecting upon himself or taking any account of his own case and condition finds himself utterly destitute of a self-sufficiency sees himself capable of more good than he is furnished with and subject to variety of evils which of himself without some extrinsecal aid he cannot secure himself from nor deliver himself out of hence he is forced to look without and cast about him to find out which way or from whence he may be supplyed with that good he finds himself defective in and delivered out of or secured from that evil he finds himself under or subject to and according to various circumstances that Men are under so they betake themselves to and ingage in various ways and courses yet with reference to the same general end viz. the gaining of Happiness and Blessedness Now Children if left to the mere conduct of nature as now corrupted will certainly and unavoidably betake themselves to one or other of the aforementioned ways which must needs be greatly obstructive and prejudicial to their imbracement of the Covenant of Grace But now for the Seed of Believers to find God under such a precedent obligation to communicate himself to and act for their good as he hath put himself under towards them must needs have a powerful tendency to obviate and prevent their ingaging in any such way because they will find their Happiness Blessedness fully secured by that obligation supposing them not to reject but actually to own the Covenant established with them 3. The Covenant under the bond of which they already are strongly obligeth them against applying themselves to or ingaging in any of the ways mentioned But of this more hereafter So that we may see how great a tendency the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Infant-seed of Believers upon a precedent Interest they have in the Covenant it self hath to the obviating and preventing their ingaging or fixing in any ways obstructive and prejudicial to their imbracing of the Covenant as they grow up to years of Maturity those ways they are naturally prone to ingage in their ingagement in which would oppose their imbracing of the Covenant are hedged up When God hedgeth up the way of his People after their Lovers then they resolve upon returning to and seeking him Hos 2.6 7. So for Children to have
parentibus comprehenduntur pii parentes de Elections salute suorum liberorum quos Deus in infantiâ ex hâc vitâ evocat dubitare non debent Which seems necessarily to require as might easily be made out considering their judgments in all those five controverted points that they should hold the full of what I do And as these worthy Divines expresly declare their Judgments to be for the Election and infallible Salvation of all the Infant-Seed of Believers dying in their Infancy So I shall quote one famous in his day to let pass particular Divines of that Synod exactly concurring with what I have said concerning the discharge of all Infants we now speak of from the guilt of Original Sin that is famous Ursin His words are these Peccatum Originale in Baptismo formale tollitur sed materiale manet that is as himself expounds tollitur quoad reatum manet quoad pravitatem Some others of the same mind with me as to the main Good Benefits and Priviledges assigned to the seed of Believers might be mentioned and a further search into the Judgment of Authors concerning that way I have proceeded in to secure my self from those Rocks bordering upon it was intended but an unexpected Providential removal of me from my study when I was about to put the last hand to the ensuing sheeets prevented by means whereof the Book appears more naked than otherwise it might have done But to hasten The Reader may take notice that the first draught of the solution here given of the two first questions was drawn up about four or five years since but I was not without some hopes that some abler Pen might have performed this Work and when I saw a call to it I was willing rather to go gradatim than run that I might tread more securely Vpon both which accounts with some others my first promise hath been so long unperformed and now at last it being performed I must say two things greatly check my expectations as to the desired effects of this my undertaking The first is the cursory reading and overly perusal of Books by the generality of Readers How few shall we find that will be at the paines or allow themselves sufficient time throughly to weigh and well digest what they read and with the noble Bereans search the Scriptures daily whether the things they read be so How do most cursorily read Books coming to their hands and if any thing appear to correspond with their precedent sentiments they readily embrace that or if any thing disagree therefrom they as suddenly reject without a due weighing of what is written and comparing one thing with another But alas Divine Truths especially that lie more towards the bottom of those Golden Mines contained in the Scriptures or are obscured by the different sentiments and reasonings of Men will not be found out or discerned in themselves and distinguished from errors at so easy a rate The second is those gross neglects that Parents are generally guilty of towards their Children Oh the murders even of their own Children that most Parents will be found guilty of I mean it not of their Bodies but of their Souls Causa Causae est Causa Causati is a sure maxim The Apostacy of Children is the cause of their Death but the neglect of Parents is the great cause of their Apostacy Parents will possibly catch at what makes for their comfort with reference to their Children especially such of them as have been either carryed from the Womb to or taken out of the Cradle and laid asleep in the Grave yet I much fear but few will be stirred up and effectually moved to a vigorous performance of their duty towards those whose lives are prolonged and that arrive to that ripeness of age that capacifies them for the performance of the conditions of the Covenant themselves Let but Parents throughly study their Childrens Priviledges as Confederates with themselves and faithfully apply themselves to the discharge of their duty towards them and it will give good ground of hope that both he that hath sown and they that reap viz. both Parents and Children shall have a time or rather an Eternity to rejoyce together Thine in the Service of Christ for thine own and thy Childrens Souls Jo. Whiston December 14. 1675. The Principal Errata's PAge 42. Line ult for in read on p. 64. l. 32. for visible r. invisible p. 107. l. 5. for sense r. love p. 112. l. 10. for assured r. offered p. 134. l. 5. for not r. at p. 165. l. 11. for it r. he p. 189. l. 4. for or r. are p. 194. l. 25. for for r. or p. 199. l. 29. after be add the. The Errata's of least Concernment Pag. 8. l. 1. for yet p. 23. l. 16. for is r. was p. 25. l. ult for four r. three p. 39. l. 12. blot out of p. 111. l. 3. for application r. explication p. 112. l. 16. for usu r. esse p. 151. l. 1. for by r. has Errata's in the Contents of the Chapters Pag. 110. l. 2. after Covenant add state p. 132. l. 6. after all add that p. 162. l. 2. for impossibility r. improbà bility The Author having not seen the first and the three last sheets 't is probable some faults are there escaped which the Ingenuous Reader is desired to pardon or amend The Author hath two other Treatises Intituled I. Infant-Baptism from Heaven and not of Men Or a Moderate Discourse concerning the Baptism of the Infant-feed of Believers Whereunto is prefixed a large Introductory Preface preparing the Readers way to a more profitable perusal of that Treatise II. Infant-Baptism from Heaven and not of Men the second Part Or an Answer to Mr. Danvers's Treatise of Baptism Wherein as the vanity of his Authorities are though briefly yet sufficiently detected so his Doctrinal Part is especially examined and confuted and Infants Right to Baptism further confirmed Both sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden-Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard An Essay to revive the Primitive Doctrine of Infant-Baptism CHAP. I. An Introduction to the whole ensuing Discourse The four grand Enquiries proposed The Reasons of God's ordaining the Application of the token of the Covenant to the Infant-seed of his People reduced to three heads The first viz. those respecting God entred upon three Reasons respecting God assigned First his own Goodness Grace and Soveraign pleasure 2. The Reference that the Application of the token of the Covenant hath to his Glory the Ways how it refers thereunto opened 3. The reference it hath to the supportation and enlargement of the Kingdome of his Son Jesus Christ THat all Ordinances and Institutions that are indeed of Divine Original have a direct reference to the glory of God and are signally expressive of his good will unto Men is above all controversie among those that bear the name of Christians yet wherein their reference at least of some of them to that end and of what use and
and consequently greatly wrong that learned and judicious Author How you and Mr. Danvers look upon your selves I know not but certainly I should be justly censured as a very unworthy Man should I wrest Authors words who are yet alive to countenance my own sentiments in a contradiction to their known practice before I had consulted the Authors themselves and known how they would reconcile their words and practice Will you but read the whole Exercitation and allow him the liberty that all writers whether sacred or humane use you will find he is vastly more for me than for you He is only shewing how God did preserve Abraham's natural Posterity as grown up in a visible standing under the Covenant till our Lord Christ came that the Promise made to him concerning the Messias coming of his loyns might be accomplished he meddles not with the case of Infants but supposeth them visibly in Covenant as the Seed of Parents visibly so when will you leave thus to abuse Authors whose names are precious in all the Churches of Christ But Secondly I have a few things to reccommend to your Conscience and these are of two sorts First Such as concern my self thus Page 3. where you use the Poets words so Page 5. line 10 11. Page 26. line the last Page 22. line 1 2. with others of a like nature can you prove what you have written if not what will you call these things Secondly Such as concern matter of Fact thus see what you write Page 3. where do I say Mr. Danvers Book is all forgery or leave that to the Readers observation See also Page 4. line 2. again see what you write Page 34. three last lines and compare it with my Answer Page 39. and 40. will you or any Man else deny what I there take for granted Again see what you write Page 7. line 24 25. Is the silence of the Scripture as absolutely considered my beloved Argument yea or any Argument at all I only enquire and give my Reasons for the affirmation whether supposing the Covenant was extended to the Seed of Believers under the first Testament which I judged I had formerly sufficiently proved that it was what may be truly said of the silence of the Scripture not whether the silence of the Scriptures as absolutely taken concerning the Baptism of Infants do not make it vastly more probable that they ought then that they ought not to be baptized and that supposition being granted I judge I shall have but few gain-sayers Yet again see what you write Page 50. line 1 2. and compare it with my Answer Page 117 118 119. and see whether there is any such reason given by me or no you may also reflect upon your 18th Page and consider whether what I suppose be a granting that the commission was given only with respect to the Adult Sir I cannot think you can have such a value for your Animadversions as you suppose me to have for my Book as for others I can hardly think there is any one learned Man of your own Perswasion but will blush to see such Animadversions fly abroad from the pen of any of their party Sir I have only one thing more and that is to intreat you not to complain of unmerciful dealing will you seriously review your Book you will find I have dealt gently with you and that you may not say I have wronged you if you desire it and can procure the testimony of any two learned Anti-Paedo-Baptists that they judge your Book deserves or can know that any two consciencious learned Paedo-Baptists judge it deserves a more full consideration your desire if providence interpose not shall be gratified FINIS Some Books lately Printed for and sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden-Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard THe Harmony of the Divine Attributes in contriving Man's Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ c. By W. Bates D.D. in quarto the second Edition enlarged with an Alphabetical Table XL Sermons on several occasions preached at Cambridge and elswhere By the late Reverend and Learned Anthony Tuckney D.D. in quarto Mr. Theoph. Gale's Anatomy of Infidelity octavo Idea Theologiae tam Contemplativae tam Activae c. in 12 s. Mr. J. Fladoes Quakerism no Christianity octavo Vindication of the XXI Divines A Contest for Christianity or an Account of two great Disputes between the Anabaptists and the Quakers Infant-Baptism Asserted and Vindicated by Scripture and Antiquity c. By O. Wills M.A. More Proofs for Infant Church-Membership and consequently their right to Baptism c. By R. Baxter Vindiciae Vindiciarum or Infant-Baptism Re-asserted and Vindicatrd By O. Wills A Treatise of Justifying Righteousness c. In answer to Dr. Tully and Mr. Chr. Cartwright By R. Baxter Principles made Practical or Directions for plain Christians to pray on most occasions and to prepare themselves for the Lord's Supper by the use and knowledge of the Assemblies Catechism The great Concern or a serious Warning to a timely and through-preparation for Death c. By Edw. Pearce A Beam of Divine Glory or a Treatise of God's Unchangeableness By the same Author Correction Instruction or a Treatise of Affliction By T. Case in twelves The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ By T. Hooker in twelves The worthy Communicant or a Treatise shewing the due order of receiving the Lord's Supper By Jer. Dyke in twelves with a Sacramental Catechism c. The Barren Fig-tree or the fruitless Professor's doom By John Bunyan in twelves Solitude improved by Divine Meditations By N. Ranew in octavo The Life and Death of Mr. Thomas Tregoss sometime Minister in Cornwal in octavo The sinfulness of Sin and the fulness of Christ c. By W. Bridg. The lost Sinner sought out by Jesus Christ