More Proofs of Infants Church Membership and Right to Baptism, Letters 1 · Section 70,79
SECT. LXX, to LXXIX.
R. B. WE come next to the Promiſe made to Abraham, which I ſhall ſay the leſs to, becauſe you confeſs it. But again note, that whereas your ſelf make the beginning of Gods taking the Jews to be his people, and ſo of Infants to be members of the Church, to be at Abrahams call from Ur; 1. There is no one word of that in the Text. 2. Lot came out of Ur with Abraham, yea, and from Haran, and lived with him: were not Lot and his Infants Church-members then?
3. The chief note I intend is this, that there is no more ſaid then to prove Infants Church-members, than what we have ſhewed was ſaid long before, and is ſaid after of the Gentiles Infants, no nor ſo much. If therefore the paſſage of Abraham out of Ur, yea, or the promiſe made to him in Haran, Gen. 12.2, 3. will prove Infants Church-memberſhip, then have we as good proof of it to the Gentile Church as to the Jews.
And here I note further, that in the beginning before the command for Circumciſion, you plainly yield that Infants Church-memberſhip is a thing ſeparable from Circumciſion, and begun not with it, but before. And indeed I have evinced that to you in my Book of Baptiſm. Abraham himſelf was not made a member by Circumciſion, but circumciſed becauſe a member of Chriſts Church by faith. Iſhmael was a member before, and ſo was Iſaac, and the Infants born in Abrahams houſe.
Whether there were any promiſe or precept of this (but a meer tranſeunt fact) let the Text laſt mentioned, and the following bear witneſs. Gen. 12.2, 3. In thee ſhall all families of the earth be bleſſed, and, Gen. 17.7, 9, 10. And I will eſtabliſh my Covenant between me and thee and thy ſeed after thee — and I will be their God. And God ſaid to Abraham, Thou ſhalt keep my Covenant therefore, thou and thy ſeed after thee in their generations. This is my Covenant which you ſhall keep between me and you, &c. to verſ. 15. In all this let theſe things be noted, 1. That here is an expreſs promiſe or Covenant to Abraham and his ſeed after him. 2. That it is not only de praeſenti, but for the future, called an everlaſting Covenant. 3. That this promiſe or Covenant doth manifeſtly imply and include Infants Church-memberſhip (as you confeſs.) 4. That yet here is not the leaſt word that intimates an inſtitution of it de novo, but rather the contrary plainly intimated. The promiſes before Gen. 17. are mainly about the multiplication of Abrahams ſeed. What is that to Church—memberſhip? (except what intimates the promiſed ſeed, of which anon.) Hagar hath a promiſe alſo of the multiplication of Iſhmaels ſeed. And the very precept of Circumciſion is only one part of the Infant members, viz. the males, and therefore it cannot be foundation of their Church-memberſhip, which leaves out half the members. 5. Note that the promiſe that God will be their God, doth expreſly contain the Church-memberſhip of the ſeed. 6. Note that this is more than a tranſeunt fact, Ergo, being an everlaſting Covenant. Had it been a natural tranſeunt fact, that had left no permanent title behind it in the obligation of the Covenant, then it had been null and void as ſoon as ſpoken: then the word of God is but a bare ſound and of no further force. 7. Note that the Apoſtle (as is ſaid) Rom. 4.10, 11, 12, 13. doth fully manifeſt to us, that this promiſe was made to Abraham as a believer, and that Circumciſion was a ſeal of the righteouſneſs of faith which he had, yet being uncircumciſed: and therefore that the chief part of the Covenant of having God for our God, and his taking us as his peculiar people, belongs to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. 8. And he oft ſheweth that the faithful are Abrahams ſeed, and therefore the chief bleſſings of the promiſe belong to all the faithful. But one of the bleſſings was, that their Infants ſhould be comprehended in the ſame Church and Covenant, Ergo, the Infants of the faithful who are the heirs of the ſame promiſe, muſt be comprehended in it too.
9. I think it is not to be made light of as to this matter, that in the great promiſe, Gen. 12.3. the bleſſing from Abraham in Chriſt is promiſed to all the families or tribes on earth, all the families of the earth ſhall be bleſſed, as the Heb. Samar. Arabic. or all the kindreds as the vulgar Lat. and Chald. paraph. or all the tribes as the Sept. foreign. And doubtleſs it is by Chriſt that this bleſſing is promiſed, and ſo a Goſpel bleſſing (Ergo, the Syriac. adds and in thy ſeed, and the Arab. hath by thee.) And the Apoſtle fully teſtifieth that. So that as tribes, kindreds, families, do moſt certainly comprehend the Infants, and as it was to ſuch families that the promiſe was made before Chriſt as to the Jewiſh Church, ſo is it expreſly to ſuch families or tribes that the promiſe is made as to the Gentiles ſince Chriſt.
10. Note that as Infant Church-memberſhip is here clearly implied in Infant Circumciſion, ſo they are two diſtinct things; and as the ſign is here commanded de novo, ſo the thing ſignified (I mean the duty of engaging and devoting to God as their God in Covenant) is commanded with it, though not de novo, as a thing now beginning as the ſign did. So that here is in Circumciſion not only a command to do the circumciſing outward act, but alſo to do it as a ſign of the Covenant, and ſo withal for the Parents to engage their children to God in Covenant as their God, and devote them to him as his ſeparated peculiar people. So that here are two diſtinct duties concurrent. The one external newly inſtituted, the other internal not newly inſtituted. And therefore the former may ceaſe, and yet the later ſtand: and it is no proof that the later (Covenant engagement of Infants to God) is ceaſed, becauſe the ſign of Circumciſion is ceaſed; no more than it proves that ſuch Covenant engagement did then begin when Circumciſion did begin; or that women were not Church-members ſeparated, engaged, dedicated to God in Infancy, becauſe they were not circumciſed. And no more than you can prove that all Iſrael was unchurched in the wilderneſs when they were uncircumciſed for 40 years. So that here you have a command for entring Infants as Church-members. And ſo you ſee both promiſe and precept in Gen. 12.3. & Gen. 17.
And when I conſider the Parents, breeding and manners of Rebekah, I think it far more probable that ſhe was a Church-member from her Infancy, than that ſhe was entred afterwards at age, or that ſhe was a heathen or infidel when Iſaac married her.
And as here are before mentioned ſtanding Covenants, ſo it is to be noted how God intimateth the extent of the main bleſſing of them to be further than to Abrahams natural ſeed, not only in the expreſs promiſe of the bleſſing to all the nations or families on earth (of which before) but in the aſſigned reaſon of the bleſſing which is common to Abraham with other true believers. For Gen. 22.16, 17, 18. it is thus alledged [becauſe thou haſt done this thing, &c. And in thy ſeed ſhall all the nations of the earth be bleſſed, becauſe thou haſt obeyed my voice.] And Gen. 26.3, 4, 5. the Covenant is renewed with Iſaac, and the ſame reaſon aſſigned, [becauſe that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my ſtatutes and my laws.] How mans obedience is ſaid to be a cauſe of Gods bleſſing, I am not determining; but taking the words as I find them in general, I may conclude, that they are here given as a cauſe or reaſon of it ſome way or other? And though a ſpecial mercy may be given on a common ground or reaſon, yet where there is no apparent proof of the reſtriction, we are to judge the bleſſing common where the reaſon is common: At leaſt, if a ſpecial bleſſing be ſuperadded to Abrahams ſeed (upon the freeneſs of Gods grace, or the eminency of Abrahams obedience,) yet there goes with it a mercy common to all where the reaſon of the mercy is found. It being therefore the caſe of every true believer to be faithful and obedient, yea, to prefer that before his own life, and not a ſon only, it may be hence gathered, that God who bleſſed Abrahams ſeed on that account, will bleſs theirs on the ſame, with the ſame bleſſings in the main (as to his favour and acceptance of them) though not with the ſame in the variable ſuperadditionals or overplus of external things.
In Exod. 12.48. there is a law for the circumciſing of all the males of ſtrangers that ſojourn in the land, that will keep the paſſover: which comprehendeth their Church-memberſhip, as is ſhewed.
Reply. To all this neither do I find any new thing calling for any anſwer, but what the conſidering Reader can eaſily make: His repeated ſayings, that if [Admiſſion be by Baptiſm I muſt make Parents Miniſters to baptize] a child may well anſwer. There are more Parties that act in baptiſm than one: God by his Miniſters expreſſeth his Covenant-Gift and Conſent, and delivereth it ſealed to the Receiver by the inſtituted inveſting ſymbol: The party receiving expreſſeth his conſent, and this the Parent hath power and truſt to do for the child, as you may take a Leaſe for your Child: Cannot the Parent do this, and ſo be a Cauſe of Reception without being a Miniſter?