The Birth Privilege, Title page – To the reader
THE BIRTH-PRIVILEDGE: OR, Covenant-Holineſſe of Beleevers and their Iſſue in the time of the Goſpel. TOGETHER With the Right of Infants to Baptiſme. By Thomas Blake Mr of Arts.
PSAL. 127.3.
Loe, children are an heritage of the Lord.
ISAIAH 49.22.
Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and ſet up my ſtandard to the people: and they ſhall bring thy ſons in their arms: and thy daughters ſhall be carried upon their ſhoulders.
ACTS 11.17.
Foraſmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who beleeved on the Lord Ieſus Chriſt: what was I that I could withſtand God?
LONDON, Printed by G.M. for Tho. Vnderhill at the Signe of the Bible in great Wood-ſtreet. 1644.
To his dearly affected and beloved the Bailiffes and Burgeſſes of the antient Borrough of Tamworth in the Counties of Stafford and Warwick together with all the Inhabitants of the ſaid Pariſh.
LOud and piercing are the cryes and groanes under the burden of thoſe preſſures which the hand of God hath brought upon his people: The yoke of their tranſgreſſion is bound by his hand, they are wreathed, and come upon their neck: Theſe need not to be preſented to your eyes or eares. The frequent changes which you have ſeen, and viſits of men skilfull to destroy, have given you abundant and wofull experience: yet I account it among one of Gods mighty works that your ſorrowes, by his over-ruling providence, are ſo ſtinted, that the rage of men hath not brought them to a greater height: While you have taſted of Juſtice, you are not ſhut out from mercy and compaſſion: when I might not ſpeake to you, I have held it my dutie to ſpeake for you: In the midſt of all,Ier. 18.20. this muſt be our reſt, That the Lord of hoſts is with us, Pſal. 46.11.the God of Jacob is our refuge. Having a Covenant of Grace to plead, we may ſay as Iſrael of old, See we beſeech thee, we are all thy people. Iſai. 64.9.And as poſteritie is not the leaſt of our care, to ſeek a right way, Ezra 8.21.as for our ſelves, ſo for our little ones, that a generation to come, Pſal. 102.18.a people that ſhall be created may praiſe the Lord: So it is of the greateſt of our comforts, that poſteritie, our little ones, and thoſe that ſhall be born, are bound up of God in the ſame promiſe, And that, in one and the ſame plea, we may ſeek to the Throne of Grace, for more then one age at once. When God had ſpoke to David of his houſe for a great while to come, revealing it to him, that he would build him an houſe; 2 Sam. 7.19, 27.Therefore hath thy ſervant (ſaith he) found in his heart to pray this prayer to thee. The promiſe was the ground, on which his prayer was bottom'd. Take off the promiſe of God to your houſes for time to come, and the foundation of your prayers for poſteritie is ſhaken. This was the endevour of ſome among you, who are of thoſe that lye in wait to deceive, ſcattering in the dark ſuch doctrines that will not beare the light; which occaſioned theſe preſent meditations, which you once heard delivered in your eares, and now are preſented with ſome advantage (for more full conſideration) to your eyes: I had encouragements to make them publike, eſpecially by the fruit, with which (through Gods mercy) I have underſtood, they were crowned in a way, that I leaſt expected, and being of right your due, as a free-will offering then tendered I could ſeek no other, nor greater Patron. I am more ambitious of your happineſſe, then the favour of thoſe that are placed higheſt. I have ſerved you for Chriſt a double apprentiſhip of yeares almoſt compleat; which time hath ſeemed to ſome to have added more then a third to the yeares of the dayes of my pilgrimage; This is to me the ſtrongeſt engagement of affections, and ſhall ſo remaine. If there have been but one new born, or ſo much as a cubite added to the ſtature of any towards the meaſure of the fulneſſe of Chriſt, I have ſufficient; And having not another Legacie, I muſt commend to you, or rather you unto the Word of Gods Grace, which is able to build you up, and give you an inheritance among all them which are ſanctified; ſtill praying that the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, the great Shepheard of the ſheep, through the bloud of the everlaſting testament, make you perfect in all good works, to doe his will, working in you that which is pleaſant in his ſight, through Jeſus Chriſt, to whom be praiſe for ever and ever. Amen.
And remaining yours in all bowels of affection, Thomas Blake.
TO THE Chriſtian impartiall Reader.
O ƲR Reſpect to Infants in our tender of them to Chriſt hath been challenged as over-large: The firſt that appeared on that part to denie their acceſſe were his own Diſciples: The firſt that ſtood up for vindication of their right was Chriſt himſelfe: An errour then ſuppreſt, as ſoon as conceived, I would we could make like ſpeed with ſuch heterogeneall fancies, that they might prove ſuch untimely births. Reforming-times have ever been found this way unhappily fruitfull; In which Satan acts the first part, endevouring evill in an equall meaſure to that good which he ſuſpects is comming to a Nation. The pride of man followes cloſe after: Every one thinkes he muſt be doing, and bring one ſtone at least to the work, which if it be not poliſhed in ſome new way the workman is at loſſe of all his honour; And the lower he is in place and ſeemes in parts, the more is his renowne heightened in ſo great atchievements. This makes way for an argument of an immediate call, and ſome what like at least to divine Enthuſiaſmes:Amos 7.14, 15. which not a few now doe challenge; who being demanded by what authoritie they enter upon the work of the Stewards of the Myſteries of God, they ſtraight hold forth the Apoſtles for their Preſidents, but the ſignes of ſuch Apoſtles we want in them. When Paul had not a calling from man, Gal. 1.1.he could produce it from Jeſus Chriſt, and when he received it not from men, nor was taught it, he could inſtance in the Revelation of Jeſus Chriſt: Gal. 1.18.Which way ſoever it comes to paſſe, the work is much retarded, and the way of truth ill ſpoken off. 2 Pet. 2.2.But there is one rule to which we muſt appeale: The Law and the Teſtimonie. Iſa. 8.20.This triall thoſe of immediate and Divine Call did not decline,Acts 17.11. yea Chriſt himſelf did deſire.Ioh. 5.39. 2 Pet. 1.19. And Peter when he had a voice from heaven to give in, yet he esteemed a word of Prophecy as more ſure for his people. And when we give this honour of Covenant-holineſſe and Covenant-ſeals to Infants, there is all reaſon that we give the world an account of our practiſe, especially ſuffering that Affront, which thoſe in the Goſpel met with in their tender of Infants. Here is ſomewhat produced to that end, and left to thy Judicious cenſure. The Authour hath ſpared all invective language, and intreats like dealing from any that differs in opinion. Some will complain of a naked Margin, to which much might be ſaid, The Authour was with books, when it was compiled for the Pulpit, but taken from them when it was fitted for the Preſſe. So that uſe of Marginall References muſt have put him upon the borrowed copies of others, and a new pains for quotation of Chapter & Page. Beſides the quotations deſired muſt either have been friends, and ſo their Evidence would be challenged; or elſe Adverſaries, which perhaps might provoke ſome perſonall offences and diſtaſte, which the Authour ſtudiouſly profeſſeth to avoid. We all muſt ſtand or fall to our Maſter, Rom. 14 4.and this diſpute must ſtand or fall according to his ſentence which is the Voyce of Scriptures. Iohn 12.48.If this put no end to the difference, the diſpute will be everlasting. Witneſſes from the dead are in vain muſtered,Luke 16.31. Epheſ. 3.20. when Moſes and the Prophets, Prophets and Apoſtles cannot be heard. If by this candle from thence lighted thou ſeeſt any thing, to make more clear this title, to thy ſelfe and poſterity, let God have the praiſe, and the Authour thy prayers.