More Proofs of Infants Church Membership and Right to Baptism, Letters 1 · Section 24,25
SECT. XXIV.XXV.
R. B. 2. GOD hath expreſly called that act a Covenant or promiſe by which he conveyeth this right: which we ſhall more fully manifeſt anon when we come to it.
The ſecond Propoſition to be proved, is, that [there was a Law or Precept of God obliging the Parents to enter their children into Covenant and Church-memberſhip, by accepting of his offer, and re-engaging them to God.] And this is as obvious and eaſie as the former. But firſt I ſhall in a word here alſo explain the terms. The word [Law] is ſometimes taken more largely, and unfitly, as comprehending the very immanent acts or the nature of God, conſidered without any ſign to repreſent it to the creature. So many call Gods nature or purpoſes the Eternal Law: which indeed is no law, nor can be fitly ſo called. 2. It is taken properly for [an authoritative determination de debito conſtituendo vel confirmando.] And ſo it comprehendeth all that may fitly be called a law. Some define it, [Juſſum majeſtatis obligans aut ad obedientiam aut ad poenam.] But this leaves out the premiant part, and ſome others: So that of Grotius doth, Eſt regula actionum moralium obligans ad id quod rectum eſt. I acquieſce in the firſt, or rather in this, which is more full and exact; [A law is a ſign of the Rectors will conſtituting or confirming right or dueneſs.] That it be a ſign of the Rectors will de debito conſtituendo vel confirmando, is the general nature of all laws. Some quarrel at the word [ſign] becauſe it is logical and not political: As if Politicians ſhould not ſpeak logically as well as other men! There is a twofold due: 1. What is due from us to God (or any Rector;) and this is ſignified in the precept and prohibition, (or in the precept de agendo & non agendo.) 2. What ſhall be due to us; and this is ſignified by promiſes, or the premiant part of the law, and by laws for diſtribution and determination of proprieties. All benefits are given us by God in a double relation, both as Rector and Benefactor: or as Benefactor Regens; or as Rector benefaciens: though among men that ſtand not in ſuch a ſubordination to one another as we do to God, they may be received from a meer benefactor without any regent intereſt therein. The firſt laws do ever conſtitute the debitum or right: afterward there may be renewed laws and precepts to urge men to obey the former, or to do the ſame thing: and the end of theſe is either fullier to acquaint the ſubject with the former, or to revive the memory of them, or to excite to the obedience of them: And theſe do not properly conſtitute duty, becauſe it was conſtituted before; but the nature and power of the act is the ſame with that which doth conſtitute it, and therefore doth confirm the conſtitution, and again oblige us to what we were obliged to before. For obligations to one and the ſame duty may be multiplied. 3. Some take the word [law] in ſo reſtrained a ſence as to exclude verbal or particular precepts, eſpecially directed but to one; or a few men; and will only call that a law which is written, or at leaſt a well known cuſtom obliging a whole ſociety in a ſtated way. Theſe be the moſt eminent ſort of laws: but to ſay that the reſt are no laws, is vain and groundleſs, againſt the true general definition of a Law, and juſtly rejected by the wiſeſt Politicians. That which we are now to enquire after, is a precept, or the commanding part of a law, which is [a ſign of Gods will obliging us to duty,] of which ſigns there are materially ſeveral ſorts, as 1. by a voice, that's evidently of God: 2. by writing: 3. by viſible works or effects: 4. by ſecret impreſſes, as by inſpiration, which is a law only to him that hath them.
Mr. T. I aſſert, 1. There is no ſuch offer, promiſe or Covenant: 2. That though there are precepts for Parents to pray for their Children, to breed them up yet they are not bound to believe this, that upon their own faith God will take their Infant Children to be his, and will be a God to them, nor to accept of this pretended offer. 3. That though Parents may enter into Covenant for their Children — as Deut. 29.12. they do not by this make them partakers of the Covenant or promiſe that God will be their God.
Reply. What a deal of the Goſpel and the Churches mercys do theſe men deny? 1. The very nature of our own Holy Covenant is, that in it we give up to God our ſelves and all that is ours according to the capacity of that all. And as our Riches are devoted hereby as capable utenſils; ſo our Infants as capable of Infant Relation, Obligation and Right. What is it that a ſanctified man muſt not devote to God that is His? If you except Liberty, Health, Life, you are hypocrites: And can you except Children? It's true; this is but ſo far as they are our own, and we ſay no more: when they have a will to chooſe for themſelves, they muſt do it. 2. I have fully proved Scripture commands for Parents to offer their Children to God, and that ſignifieth his will to accept what he commandeth them to offer. And his promiſes to ſhew mercy to them as theirs are plain and many, which I muſt not tire the Reader with repeating.
Mr. T. addeth, That if there were ſuch a promiſe and duty of accepting the pretended offer and re-engaging, yet this neither did then nor doth now make Infants viſible Church-members.
Reply. Reader, are not the Anabaptiſts ductile men where they like, as well as intractable where they diſlike, that they will follow ſuch a Leader as this? Promiſe and Duty of accepting and re-engaging aggravateth the ſin of Rebels that reject it; but if theſe performed, even viſible mutual covenanting, make not Church-members viſible, what doth? You ſee what he hath brought the ancient and later Church-memberſhip, Circumciſion and Baptiſm to? I think to nothing: As formal Pontifician Church-tyrants when they have mortified ſome ordinance, and turned it into an Image, make an engine of it to trouble the Church, and ſilence the Preachers and ſerious practiſers of the Goſpel with. Theſe men make nothing of Church-memberſhip, and then reſtleſly trouble the Church-about it.