Anti-Paedobaptism Part 3, Chapter 37
CHAP. XXXVII. That the promise Gen. 17.7. proves not an externall priviledge of visible Churchmembership, and initiall seal to infants of Gentile believers, as Mr. M. asserts
AFter twenty pages spent about the explication of his second Conclusion, having varied it five or six times, and as I have shewed in every of them still speaking ambiguously even then when he tells us, he speaks as plain as he can possibly, I pitch upon this which is pag. 116. as his second Conclusion, Having said,
Infants of believers are made free according to Abrahams Copy, he thus expounds himself, True, according to the promise made to Abraham, I will be a God to thee and thy seed, that look as Abraham, the Proselytes and their seed upon their visible owning of God and his Covenant, had this visible priviledge for their posterity that they should be accounted to belong to Gods kingdom and houshold with their parents, so it is here. By which words it appears, thar Mr. M. took this to be Abrahams Copy (as he calls it, that according to the promise made to Abraham, I will be a God to thee and thy seed, Abraham and his seed, the proselytes and their seed upon their (the parents) visible owning of God and his Covenant, had this visible priviledge for their posterity, that they should be accounted to belong to Godt Kingdom and Houshold with their parents. 2. That so it is in the Christian Church by vertue of that promise I will be thy God and the God of thy seed, Gen. 17.7▪ Gentile believers upon their visibly owning of God and his Covenant, have this visible priviledge for their posterity, that they should be accounted to belong to Gods Kingdom and Houshold with their parents.
Concerning which Conclusion I say still Mr. M. useth ambiguities of speech, there being divers Covenants of God, to wit, the Old and the New, and divers wayes of visibly owning God, as by sacrificing, circumcision, &c. by Baptism, the Lords Supper, frequenting the Church meetings of Christians, &c. divers kingdoms and housholds of God, as the whole world, and his Church, the visible or invisible, which might occasion various senses of Mr. M. his words. But I ghesse his meaning to be thus; As the Jewes and proselytes being circumcised, their children were to be so also: so Gentile-believers being baptized, their children are to be baptized as visible Church-members; which being the same with the Antecedent of Mr. M. his Enthymeme, and the consequent, it is evident Mr. M. his argument is a meer trifling tau…ology, as I have often said. But I shall not insist on it, having in my Apologie, Sect. 10. and elswhere shewed it, That which I shall consider chiefly in his glosse on Gen. 1….7. which to me seems as (or more) absurd than the glosse of Papists, Thou art Peter, and on this Rock will I build my Church: i. e. The Bishop of Rome shall be my Vicar generall of the Oecumenicall Church. For 1. according to Mr. M. his Glosse, [Thee, that is, Abraham, to whom the words were spoken] is put for without all rule of Grammar or Divinity, or as they speak in Logick supponit by [every Jew, or Proselyte, and every believer or Christian Jew or Gentile, who doth not visibly own God and his Covenant.] 2. According to this glosse the naturall seed of proselytes though but visibly owning God and his Covenant, are called Abrahams seed, without any use of Scripture, which speak of no other seed of Abraham but 1. Christ, Gal. 3.16. By excellency so called, 2. by grace the elect, Rom. 9.7. 3. Believers, Rom. 4.1…, 12, 16, 17. Gal. 3.29. 4 By nature, Gen. 21▪12. Psal▪ …05.6. Gen. 15.13.18. Neither o… which are proselytes who do onelyonly own God and his covenant.
3. The promise of God to be a God to Abrahams seed is thus expounded, The naturall seed of Abraham and the naturall seed of Proselytes, and of Gentile Christians visibly owning God and his covenant, shall have this visible priviledge, that they should be accounted to belong to Gods Kingdom and Houshold with their parents. In which paraphrase I note what he calls to be accounted to belong to Gods Kingdom a visible priviledge. Now [to be accounted] I must refer to some person who doth so account, and the accounting must be either an act of opinion, or science, or faith, and then to be accounted to belong to Gods Kingdom, is not a visible priviledg, but invisible, it being in the thoughts of anonother, and the sense should be, I will be a God to thy seed, that is men as v. 9. administrators shall in their thoughts take proselytes and their children to belong to my Kingdom, or it is some outward trans…unt act, and then it is an initial seal, or I cannot conceive what it should be: if an initial seal either of Circumcision or Baptism, if either of these, then this promise [I will be thy God and the God of thy seed] hath this sense, I will bring it to passe that thou, thy seed, proselytes, believers of the Gentiles and their seed, even infants, shall be circumcised or baptized. If any can make any other sense of the words, I shall be his debtor. And if this be the sense, then the promise is made a pre…iction of infant-Circumcision and Baptism, which whether it be not a ridiculous exposition, I leave it to any considerate man to judge. The Apostle, Rom 9.6, 7, 8. where he expounds this very Scripture, understands being a God, of saving grace according to election, and by Abrahams seed the elect onelyonly. Rom. 4 11, 12.13, 16 justifying of believers by faith, Gal. 3.16.29. inheritance and blessing to believers thro…gh Christ Jesus. Our Lord Christ, Luke 20, 36, 37, 38. Of being the children of God and of the resurrection. Mr. M. his self in his Sermon, pag. 7. makes these words a promise of salvation to the infants of believers dying in their infancy. pag. 10. he saith, The substance of the Covenant on God… part was to be Abrahams God, and the God of his seed, to be an all-sufficient portion, to be an all-sufficient reward for him, to give Jesus Christ to him, and righteousness with him, both of justification and sanctification, and everlasting life: And this he distinguisheth from the administration of the Covenant. Yea in his Defence of his Sermon, pag. 98. he conceives the right allegation of an expression of Cameron, That Circumcision did seale primarily the temporall promise, sanctification secondarily, to have an untoward look, as being inc…ngruous to a covenant of grace in Christ to ratifie temporall blessings, which they may have that shall have no portion in Christ. Hath it not then a more untoward look to make this pretended visible privilege to proselytes children though but visibly owning God and his covenan…, of having an initiall seal Circumcision and Baptism communicated to them, meant by the promise, I will be thy God and the God of thy seed ▪ Gen. 17.7. Much more to call this the Copy of Abraham the Father of believers? Not that I deny temporall promises in that Covenant, which I have proved to be mixt, but I allege these passages onelyonly to show the inconsistency of Mr. M. his speeches. Besi…es, the promise were not true so expounded; for if this were the sense; I will be the God of the posterity of proselytes owning God and his Covenant, that they shall be accounted to belong to Gods Kingdom and his Houshold with their parents, then God doth promise that visible privilege to them (for the words are a promise of an event, not a declaration of a right, and show what God would do, not what they might claim) which in many he performs not, there being may of the seed of proselytes, that never had the privilege, and many of the children of Christian gentile believers, who never had the visible privilege of being accounted to belong to Gods Kingdom, whereas the word of God must be so expounded that it do not fall, as about this very text the Apostle resolves, Rom. 9.6.
Mr. M. Defence part, 3. pag. 127. saith, It was not a personall privilege to Abraham, no nor to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to have their posterity taken into covenant by vertue of that promise, I will be the God of thee and thy seed, and p. 129. This I add to make it more clear, that that promise Gen. 17. I will be the God of thee and of thy seed, is a Gospel promise, which from age to age holds forth some benefits even to the naturall seed of believers.
Answer. 1. What Mr. M. means by Taking into covenant, is somewhat doubtfull to me by reason of his using the term Covenant sometimes for the outward covenant or administration, sometimes for the promise of God, and confounding these terms [taking into covenant, being in covenant, belonging to the covenant, being covenanters, entring into covenant] sometimes meaning these terms of the promise of grace, sometimes of the initiall seal termed by him the Covenant, and taking into covenant, being in covenant, belonging to the covenant, sometimes being understood, (as they should always be) in order to Gods act, who alone takes into covenant, and puts a man into covenant with himself; but frequently, though abusively, by another mans act, a… the administrators act of Circumcision and Baptism, very seldom of being in covenant, or belonging to the covenant by the circumcised or baptized persons own act of promise, though in respect of it onelyonly, in right speech, a person is said to be a Covenant…, or to enter into covenant. Of which thing I have often, though in vain complained, it causing obscurity which a man who is a teacher of others should avoid. But concerning the promise, Gen. 17 7. I will be a God to thee and thy seed after thee in their generations. 1. I deny that Abrahams naturall posterity were taken into covenant, that is, circumcised, (as I conceive he means) by vertue of that promise, as I have often proved, and is in effect confessed by Mr. M. Defence pag 182. when he saith, The formall reason of their being circumcised, was the command of God. 2. I deny that under the term [Thee] is meant any other than Abrahams individual person. 3. I deny that under the term Thy Seed, is ever …eant in Scripture the naturall seed of proselytes, or Christian believing Gentiles. 4. I deny that by the promise, I wil be the God of thy seed, can be concluded that which Mr M. asserts, That th…s promise Gen. 17.7. I will be the God of thee and of thy seed, is a Gospel promise, w…i…h from age to age holds forth some benefits even to the natural seed of believer, or that this was Abrahams Copy, That upon his and the proselytes visibly owning God and his Covenant, their posterity should have this visible privilege, that they should be accounted to belong visibly to Gods Kingdom and his Houshold with their parents. Nor doth Mr. M. prove this sense of that promise, Gen 17.7. either from the words, or their coherence, or by comparing it with any other Scripture as yeelding that exposition of it elswhere: but saith something pag. 127, 128. of his Defence, to which (though I have answered it sufficiently in my Postscript to Mr. Blake, Sest. 6. pag. 119.) yet I repeat it with addition, because much of pleading of Paedobaptists is hence.
First, saith he, though Abraham was the Father of the faithful, and so in some sense [the root as you elsewhere call him] yet the Covenant was made with him for his faiths sake, and believers are his children, and heires, and pertake of those priviledges and promises which were made to him: and therefore look as Abrahams faith justified him before God, and gave him interest in the spiritual graces of the Covenant, and none but himself, yer it was so beneficial and advantagious to his children, that for his sake they should be accounted to belong to Gods Kingdome and houshold, and partake of the external priviledges of it, and thereby be trained up under the discipline of it, and so be fitted for spiritual privledges and graces which God doth ordinarily confer upon them, who are thus tra… ned up, so shall it be with them who become followers of Abrahams faith,
Ans. 1. Privileges of Abraham in that promise [I will be thy God and the God of thy seed] are either Evangelical belonging to Abrahams spiritual seed, that is elect persons or true believers; or domestick and political, as that of multiplying his seed, the birth of Jsaac, continuation of his church in and from him in his inhereting posterity till Christs comming. the birth of Christ, deliverance out of Egypt, possession of Canaan, these belong to Abrahams natural seed, yet not to all but to the inheriting, not to Jshmael, nor the sons of Keturah. The former all are partakers of it who follow the faith of Abraham whether Iews or Gentiles, but none are in refference to these promises reckoned Abrahams seed, but those who are real believers in Christ. A Proselyte owning barely God and his covenant vissibly is not either Abrahams seed or partaker of the spiritual priviledges of sanctification, justification, salvation. The latter sort of promises belonged to Abrahams natural posterity, yet not to all but to the …eed inheriting, nor to all of them, but to the Iewes, and in them for one of them to the line from whence after the flesh Christ came. None of these were made to the bare vissible Proselites and their children, though I grant their children where taken into the polli…y of Israel, and were to be circumcised and to eat the Passover, yet neither did this priviledge belong to them by vertue of the covenant, but the command, nor for their faiths sake as the immediate adequate reason (for then these shou…d have belonged to pr…selites of the gate who beleived in God as Cornelius the Centurion, who was a believer, but they did not, for he was not Circu…cised, nor to be circumcised with his children if, he had any, nor blamed for defect of it) but meerly (so far as is exprest in Scripture) because it was Go…s w…l… to have it so. Now Mr. M. brings not a word to prove either that the children of prosylites vissibly owning God and his covenant, or the natural post…ri…y of christian pro…essors of the Gentiles are either Abrahams seed, or have such an Interest in ex…ernal church privileges as Mr. M. asser…s by vertue of that promise, or tha… wha… agrees to Abraham in respect of ex…ernal church privileges for his faiths sake must agree either to only vissible prosylites, or christians, or real believers, but speaks like a dictator not a disputer. Nor is there any good consequence in this, what, agreed to Abraham for his faith's sake agrees to every believer, For then every believer should be Father of the faithful as Abraham was for his faith's sake. It is true that if the truth of Abraham's f…ith were the immediate adequate reason of external privileges as i… was of justification, it would follow them, what ex…ernal privileges agree to Abraham for his faith's sake should agree to every believer, but such believers then must be true real believers as Abraham was, not bare vissible prosy…i…s or christian professors. But surly Mr. M. means no more by [for Abraham's faiths sake] but this, that Abrahams faith was the motive or occasion God took to enter into covenant with him, nor was it simply his real true faith, but his remarkeable exemplary faith described Rom. 4.18, 19. which was the motive or occasion of Gods entring into covenant with him, which is not verefied of every true believer, and the motive or occasion was not barely the truth, but the eminent degree of his faith. In my Postscript Pag. 119. I gave a like instance Matth. 16.18, 19. the keyes of the kingdome of heaven, binding and loosing were given to Peter for his confession sake, yet it follows not the keyes are given to every one that makes the same confession as he did. And the reason because the confession was eminent and exemplary at a special time, and it was but the occasion, not the immediate adequate reason of that gift to him▪ for that was onelyonly the special grace and purpose of Gods will.
2ly, saith Mr. M. had it been a perculiar privilege to Abraham's natural seed prosilites of other nations could never by vertue of their becomming followers of Abraham's faith have brought their children into covenant with them so as to have a visible Church-member-ship, as we know they did.
Answ. I do not know that the proselytes natural seed had the visible church-member-ship Mr. M. Mentions by vertue of the promise Gen. 17.7. and their parents faith, but of Gods command Exod 12 48.
3ly saith he, And we know also that this promise of being the God of believers and their seed was frequently renewed many hundreds of years after Abraham, Jsaac, and Jacob, were dead and rotten, as Deut. 30.6. so Esa: 44.2, 3. so likewise Esay 59.21. and this last promise your self acknowledg Pag. 54. to be intended chiefly of the nation of the Iewes, at their last calling in: And whereas you use to elude these texts by saying these things belong onelyonly to the elect. when they come to believe, and reach not to any privilege which is external; I reply, by the same answer you might cut off the seed of Abraham, Jsaac, and Jacob, for to believers then as well as believers now were these promises made.
Answ: That which I say is no elusion of the texts, but so plain and evident, that Paedo-baptists of note do concur with me. Mr. Rich. Baxter. in his letter to Mr. Bedford in the friendly accommodation between them. To this and that which followeth I answer; 1. These following arguments perswade me that you erre; 1. no such promise (tha… give…h certainly Cornovum or the first effectual grace to all the rightly baptized or to all the children of believers) can be shewed in Scripture; I will circumcise thy heart and of thy seed, seems to me to be none such 1. because els it should not be the same circumcision that is promised to the parent of the child: but there is no intimation of two circumcisions in the texr: one to the father, being only an increase or actuating of grace; and the other to the child being the giving the first renuing grace: 2. the text seems plainly to speak of [their seed] not in their infant state but in their adult Deut. 30. For. 1. v. 2. The conditon of the promise is expressly required, not onelyonly of the parents, but of the child…en themselves by name. 2. And that condition is the personal performance of the sam acts which are tequired of the parents viz: to returne to the Lord and obey his voice with all their heart and soul. 3. The circumcision of heart promised is so annexed to the act that it appeareth to be meant onelyonly of those that were capable of the act v. 6. The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God So that it is not ment of those that are uncapable of so loving, And after, A new heart is given to the elect onelyonly. By this doctrin you feign a new heart not to be proper to the elect, which is contrary to all the Anti-arminians that I know of. Out of which it plainly appears that Deut. 30.6. Speaks not of an external privilege, but a spiritual grace proper to the elect, nor can be meant of the seed of believers in their infant sta…e, but in their adult.
In the text Jsai. 44.2, 3. speaking of Gods pouring his spirit on the seed of Jacob his servant. And Ieshrim whom he had chosen (whom he bids not to fear) and his blessing on his off-spring and that they shall spring up as amongst the grass &c. the terms Jacob and Jeshurim are taken not personally (for it were in vain to bid Jacob dead long before not to fear) but Collectively either for the nation of Israel, or the church of God called the Jsrael of God. Gal. 6.16. In the former acception the seed and off-spring must be ment of the children of Israel, that is the Israelites by natural generation, and then the sense is (as Mr. Gataker in his Annot. on that text) my spirit, that is my blessing (the one expoundeth the other) whereby they and their state should thrive and flourish, and mul…iply, and increase, that had been almost clean exhaust and exceedingly impaired in a manner beyond al hopes of recovery before ch. 26.19 Ezek. 37.3. 11, 14. So of their land ch. 32.15. and of their …eed ch. 61.9 He followeth still the comparison taken from grounds well watered as ch. 58.11. and the seed sown in soil ch. 32.10▪ In the latter … he, it is a type o… that spiritual growth and increase of Gods church, and the members … under the Messiah, by the graces and comfort… o… his spirit Acts. 9.31. E…hes. 4.12.15. Col. 2.19.2 …et. 3.18. S…e ch. 2….6. and 37.3…. and 61.9.21. Take it either way it makes no…hi…g for a… external vissible privilege from age to age belonging to the natural seed even o… … believers: but in the first acception it n…es a future multiplying of the Jewes then much wast…d, in the la…ter spiritual graces and comforts to ….
And for the last t…xt Ames. Coro… ▪ Acts. 5 c. 2… versum vicesimum, quem in hanc partem Remonstrantes trahunt, in alteran part…m accipit Apostolus Paulus Rom. 11.27. promissionem absolut…m & electorum propriam in eo Contineri manifestis verbis confirmans: Exterm…n nihil son…t spiritus meus qui est in …. …eminis etiam inculcatio solos electos & …caciter vocatos notari docet Apostolo sic hunc citulum interpretante Rom. 9.…. Gal 3.16. & 4.28. Mr. Gataker annot: on Esai. 59 21. thy seed] the faithful the seed according to the promise Deut. 30.6▪ Rom. 9.6, 8 Gal. 3.16.29. Se Dr. Owen of Perseverance ch. 3. Sect. 41. ch. 4. Sect. 3. ch. 5. Sect. 9. ch. 7. Sect. 23.
And for what Mr M counts absurd I yeild i… that my answer cuts off Abraham's Isaac's and Iacob's natural posterity from these promises except they be elect. And as for Mr. M. deprehending me in absurdity and trifling such as I cenceive in Mr. Cottons… words, I tell him that his discourse runs upon a mistake of my words and meaning (which he doth almost in every thing he repea…s of m…n… and censu…es out of hast to frame his book as I am willing to conceive.) For where do I say that which he ascribes to me, and from which he would infer like triflin… and absurdity as was in Mr. Cottons speech, that God made this promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be the God of them and their seed in all generations? And yet if I had said it, such trif…ing as Mr. Cotton used, would not have follow…d on those words ascribed to me, unless I had said also, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were put for every believer and [ …heir seed] had been meant in …hat proposition ascribed to me, of their spirituall seed by faith. And for the close of that discourse in which he tells me, Thus by your own argument you cut off all the Jewes but such as were elect and inwardly holy, as much as you do the Gentiles from having any visible communion in externall privileges, I say Mr. M. fathers on me his own brats, first a proposition I deliver not, then an argument which was none of mine as he makes it, and then a conclusion I never owned, nor would follow on that proposition or that argument he would father on me. For if it were granted that I asserted that God promised to Abrahaham, Isaac, and Jacob, to be the God of them and their seed in all generations, and that my reasoning on Mr. Cottons words would prove this proposition must be meant onelyonly of the elect, and inwardly holy (as Mr. M. falsly imagines) I do not cut off the Gentiles from having any visible communion in externall privileges, unless I had said the elect Jewes or Gentiles onelyonly had visible communion in externall privileges by vertue of that promise, Gen. 17.7. whereas I never said that externall privileges, as v. 9. of the initiall seal of Circumcision was proper to the elect, and inwardly holy, or derived it from the promise, Gen. 17.7, but onelyonly from the command, v. 9.10.