More Proofs of Infants Church Membership and Right to Baptism, Letters 1 · Section 86 – Section 94,95
SECT. LXXXVI.
R. B. THe ſecond Commandment, Exod. 20.5, 6. Deut. 5.9, 10. I think is a law, and containeth a promiſe or premiant part, wherein he promiſeth to ſhew mercy to the generations or children of them that love him and keep his Commandments: of which I have alſo ſpoken elſewhere, to which I refer you. I ſee no reaſon to doubt but here is a ſtanding promiſe, and diſcovery of Gods reſolution, concerning the children of all that love him, whether Jews or Gentiles, to whom this Commandment belongs: nor to doubt whether this mercy imply Church-memberſhip: And that this is fetcht from the very gracious nature of God, I find in his proclaiming his Name to Moſes, Exod. 34.6, 7.
Mr. T. If this mercy here imply Church-memberſhip to the Infants of them that love him to a thouſand Generations, then it implieth it to all the Infants in the world — But there is nothing to prove that this mercy muſt be Church-memberſhip, or that it muſt be to all the children of them that love God, or that it muſt be to them in Infancy — I incline to conceive this a promiſe of temporal mercies, chiefly to the Iſraelites —
Reply. 1. That it is not only of temporal mercies, the words [Love and Hate] as the qualification of the Parents, ſeem to prove; and the joyning the children to the Parents in the retribution: And all the terms ſeem above ſuch a ſenſe: It is the revenge of a jealous God on Idolaters, and mercy to his Lovers that is ſpoken of: And the joyning this Command to the firſt which ſetleth our relation to God, with the Laws annexed in Deut. for the cutting off whole Cities (Parents and Children) that turn from God to Idols, ſheweth that it reached to Church-Communion and Life.
2. And that it was not only to the Iſraelites (whatever you chiefly mean) is proved both in that it is in the Decalogue, and the proclaimed name of God, Exod. 34.5, 6. and exemplified throughout the Scripture and in the Goſpel.
2. As to the extent, we can hardly expect that the world ſhould endure a thouſand Generations: Therefore it can mean but that God who boundeth the puniſhment to the third and fourth generation, will ſet no bounds to the ſucceſſion of his mercies while our capacity continueth. And whatever the mercies be, the expoſition of this continuance concerneth you as much as me.
3. As to the conditions, I doubt not but it ſuppoſeth that the child at age imitate the Parents in their Love or Hatred, duty or ſin: And that if on Repentance the Parent be forgiven, his ſin may not be viſited to the third and fourth. And if a child of Godly Parents turn wicked, the right is intercepted.
4. But the Commandment with the foreſaid expoſition ſhews, that God meaneth that his Retribu…ion to Parents that Love or Hate him, ſhall extend to their children as ſuch; unleſs they interrupt it at age by their own acts: And if to their children qua tales, then to Infants.
And it ſpeaketh ſuch a ſtate of mercy as cannot in reaſon be conceived to belong to them without, and can mean no leſs than Gods viſible favour, by which the Church is differenced from the world, when Lovers and Haters are diſtinguiſhed ſides.
And when God hath Recorded this decreed granted diſtinguiſhed mercy to the children of the faithful as ſuch in the Tables of ſtone, ſure it is a viſible notification, which will make them viſible favorites and Church-members as ſoon as they viſibly exiſt.
And the quatenus ſeemeth to me to prove that it extendeth to all the children of the faithful, becauſe it is to them as ſuch. But it followeth not that it muſt extend to them all alike, as to equal mercies, nor yet that the ſin of Parents after may make no kind of forfeiture. But of this I have ſaid more in my Chriſtian Directory.
SECT. LXXXVII, to XCIV.
R. B. IN Pſal. 102.28. It is a general promiſe, the children of thy ſervants ſhall continue, and their ſeed ſhall be eſtabliſhed before thee. It is uſual in the Old Teſtament to expreſs Gods favour by temporal bleſſings, more than in the Goſpel; but yet ſtill they ſecure us of his favour. As, I will not fail thee, nor forſake thee, might ſecure Joſhua more than us of temporal ſucceſſes, and yet not more of Gods never failing favour.
There is a ſtable promiſe to all Gods people in general that have children, Pſal. 103.17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlaſting to everlaſting upon them that fear him, and his righteouſneſs unto childrens children. And to be ſecured by promiſe of Gods mercy and righteouſneſs is the ſtate of none without the Church.
And if they were all to be kept out of the Church, I ſcarce think that Children would be called an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb his reward, Pſal. 127.3. nor the man happy that hath his quiver full of them. Nor would the ſucking children be called as part of the ſolemn aſſembly to the humiliation, Joel 2.16. 2 Chron. 20.13.
There is a ſtanding promiſe to all the juſt, Prov. 20.7. The juſt man walketh in his integrity, his children are bleſſed after him. There is no ſort of men without the Church that is pronounced bleſſed in Scripture. A bleſſed people are Gods people, and thoſe are the Church ſeparated from the curſed world. One lower bleſſing will not denominate a man or ſociety, a bleſſed man or ſociety.
If it were a good argument then, Deut. 4.37. becauſe he loved thy fathers, therefore he choſe their ſeed after them, then it is good ſtill as to favour in general. So Deut. 10.15. Pſal. 69.36. Prov. 11.21. The ſeed of the righteous ſhall be delivered. In Pſal. 37.26. there is a general promiſe to, or declaration of the righteous, that his ſeed is bleſſed, and then they are Church-members.
In Iſa. 61.8, 9. it is promiſed I think of Goſpel times, I will make an everlaſting Covenant with them, and their ſeed ſhall be known among the Gentiles, and their off-ſpring among the people: all that ſee them ſhall acknowledge them, that they are the ſeed which the Lord hath bleſſed. And cap. 62.12. They ſhall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord: and thou ſhalt be called, ſought out, a city not forſaken. Goſpel promiſes then extend to [people and cities,] whereof Infants are a part. Iſa. 65.23. they are the ſeed of the bleſſed of the Lord, and their off-ſpring with them. This is plain, and full, and durable.
What is neceſſary to be ſaid in anſwer to the common objections, as [that experience tells us all the ſeed of the righteous are not bleſſed] with the like, I ſuppoſe already done in my book of Baptiſm. All the ſeed of the righteous are bleſſed, though not all with that bleſſing which cannot be loſt and caſt away by themſelves when they come to age.
Mr. T.'s Anſwers all contain the difficulty of diſcerning the fulfilling of theſe promiſes, and ſo denying that they infer viſible Church-memberſhip: and he ſaith [That without the Church a perſon may be pronounced bleſſed, is apparent from Iſhmaels bleſſing, Gen. 17.20. when he was excluded the Covenant and caſt out.]
Reply. He was excluded the Covenant of peculiarity, but not the common Covenant of Grace made with mankind in Adam and Noe: And the Church was larger than the Iſraelites Nation. The reſt I leave to the Reader.
SECT. XCIV, XCV.
R. B. IF you ſay that the word [ſeed] doth not neceſſarily include Infants. I anſwer, Infants are part of the ſeed of the righteous, yea all their ſeed are firſt Infants. If therefore God have made general promiſes as to age and perſon, who is he that dare limit it, without juſt proof that indeed God hath limited it? Doth God ſay, that the ſeed of the righteous are not bleſſed till they come to age? If he pronounce the ſeed bleſſed, they muſt be bleſſed, when they are firſt ſuch a ſeed: And if any one age might be more included than another, one would think it muſt be that wherein they are ſo meerly the ſeed of ſuch as that they ſtand not on any diſtinct account of their own actual faith or unbelief. For the ſeed of the righteous, as ſuch, have a promiſed bleſſing: But the ſeed of the righteous turning themſelves to unrighteouſneſs, do turn from that bleſſing, and become accurſed.
I ſuppoſe I have already been more tedious than you expected: I will therefore add no more of theſe paſſages of Scripture, having ſaid that which ſatisfieth me formerly to the ſame purpoſe, and having yet ſeen nothing that leaves me unſatisfied. And alſo becauſe one text either containing ſuch a Law or Covenant as you call for, or declaring to us that God did make ſuch a Law or Covenant, is as good as a thouſand in point of authority.
Mr. T. Mr. B. not holding children in the womb unborn to be viſible Church-members, all this may be retorted: They are part of the ſeed of the righteous.
Reply. The whole ſeed (in the womb and born) are taken into this relation to God which implyeth his bleſſing on them as ſeparated from the wicked, according to their capacity: An Infant in the womb is viſibly ſeparated to God, if you denominate viſibility from the notoriety or viſibility of Gods promiſe that doth it: But the perſon is not viſible to you, though ſenſible to the mother. As Chriſt was the Head in the womb, ſo far Infants are members; the Parents then privately devoting them to God: I told you before, the viſibility of our ſtate hath ſeveral gradations. To quibble thus on all Gods promiſes to the children of the faithful by queſtions and exceptions about embryo's, abortives, &c. is vanity.