Anti-Paedobaptism Part 3, Section 61
SECT. LXI. Covenants, promises, and speeches in the Old Testament, of Israel, the righteous, prove not Mr. Bs. law of infants visible Churchmembership unrepealed.
THe promise (saith Mr. B.) to the whole people of Israel, infants and all, that they should be [a peculiar people, a Kingdome of Priests, and a holy Nation,] Exod. 19.5, 6. you cannot deny. This is a promise, and not a transeunt fact which made no promise. And the people are called to keep Gods Covenant, that they might have this promise fulfilled to them▪ Yea, if you had said, that it was a meer transeunt Covenant or promise, reaching but to the persons then existent, and dying with them, though you had spoken more sence, yet no more truth then when you denied the law and promise, and substituted a transeunt fact. For 1. it is expresly a promise de futuro to a nation. 2. Yea, and the Apostle Peter giveth the same titles to believers under the Gospel, intimating the fulfilling of the promise even to them, as the promise to Abraham was to the faithfull who were his uncircumcised seed. However, here is a Covenant granting by way of confirmation the blessing of Churchmembership to infants with the rest of Israel: For certainly, this peculiarity, and holiness, and priesthood here mentioned, containeth their Churchmembership: It is undeniable therefore, that such Churchmembership is here granted by promise or Covenant, not as a thing then beginning, but by way of confirmation of the like former grants. And it's to be noted, that though this promise is made to all Israel, yet not to be fulfilled to any of them, but on condition that they [obey Gods voice, and keep his Covenant,] ver. 5. on which conditions also any other might have then enjoyed the same blessing, and therefore so may do now,
Answ. I never denied promises to be to the whole people of Israel; but deny that they were by a promise, as the sole efficient cause, Gods visible Church, and their infants members. The promise Exod. 19.5, 6. presupposed their Churchmembership, and promiseth continuance of it in an eminent manner. The Israelites were Churchmembers without the condition of obedience before the Law was given; yea, Ahaz, Manasseh, &c. were visible Churchmembers though they were Idolaters, but they lost that peculiarity, holiness, priesthood, upon their disobedience, which was there promised; and so did the people, they lost the dominion, temple, priesthood, Urim, and Thummim, and other priviledges which are meant thereby, and should have been continued if they had not broken Gods Covenant by Idolatry. Yet no other nation could have had that state though they had been obedient and kept the Laws, God having given those laws peculiarly to that nation, and confined that honour to that people till the Messiah came. And though Peter, 1 Pet. 2.5, 9. apply these to believers, yet not in the same manner as they are meant Exod. 19.5, 6. nor is any infant now of a believer a visible Churchmember by vertue of that promise.
In Deut. 14.1, 2. The infants (saith Mr. B.) with the rest are called the children of God, and a holy and peculiar people to the Lord their God.
Answ. Be it so, yet this is not ascribed to a promise or precept, but to Gods choise of them.
And (saith Mr. B.) Deut. 26.17, 18. the Covenant is expressed [thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgements, and to hearken to his voice. And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, &c. [and that thou mayest be an holy people, &c.] Is here no promise when the promise is exprest? and is here no Covenant, where the mutual Covenant is described? And I think you grant that infants are included.
Answ. There is a promise of God to them, but that did not make their infants visible Churchmembers, though I deny not their avouching the Lord for their God (which was a transeunt fact) did shew them to be visible Churchmembers, nor do I any where deny that our Covenant or promise to God doth make us visible Churchmembers, but Gods Covenant or promise to infants upon the parents faith, as Mr. B. asserts.
Mr. B. adds. So Deut. 28.4, 9. where the promise to the nation is, that if they hearken to Gods voice and observe his Commandements, they shall be blessed in the fruit of their bodies, and the Lord will establish them a holy people to himself, as hee had sworn unto them.] Here is not only a Covenant and promise for the future, but also an oath confirming it, as annexed to the same before. Is this establishing Covenant or promise but a transeunt fact? or doth not this confirm their right to the benefit promised, which was received before by the same means?
Answ. It doth, but the benefit promised v. 4. is not infants visible Churchmembership, but encrease, health, strength, such a blessing as they had in their cattel as well as their children, as Psal. 127.3, 4, 5. & 144.12, 13, 14, 15. and many more places is expressed. And v. 9. though their Churchmembership was established according to Gods Covenant and oath, yet the establishing was not the Covenant, oath, or promise of God, but a transeunt fact of providence in preserving, teaching them, continuing his worship among them, and such like acts.
And, saith Mr. B. Ezra 9.2. They are called the holy seed.
Answ. Not all the seed of Israel are called the holy seed, but those onelyonly who were legitimate, that is, begotten by lawfull marriage according to Moses law: the rest were termed the mixed multitude, Neh. 13.3. whom they separated from the rest, Ezra 10.3. as being no Churchmembers, that is, part of the congregation of Israel according to the law, Neh. 13.1. Deut. 23.3. & 7.3. Exod. 23.32. of which more is to be seen in the first Part of this Review, sect. 25. So that those Ezr. 9.2. are termed the holy seed, not barely by Covenant upon the parents faith, nor as all visible professors, as Dr. Hammond, in his Defence of Infant Baptism, pag. 78. but as begotten by an …sraelite on an allowed wife by the law of Moses.
Mr. B. proceeds▪ Of that in Deut. 29. I have formerly spoke enough. It is called a Covenant. All Israel with their little ones did enter the Covenant and the oath with God, and which he made to them. It was a Covenant [to establish them for a people to himself, and that he may be to them a God, as he had before said and sworn.] It is a Covenant made even with them that stood not there, whether it be meant onelyonly of the successive Israelites (and then it's not a transeunt Covenant) or of all people whoever that will accept of the same terms (and then it's not proper to Israel.) It's a Covenant not made to them as meer Israelites: but as obedient to the Covenant terms, and Covenant breaking would cut them off, v. 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26. Is not Churchmembership contained in [Gods being their God, and taking them for his people thus in Covenant?] Doth not the promise give them an established right in this blessing? Is all this then no promise, but a transeunt fact?
Answ. What hath been spoken of Deut. 29. by Mr. B. in the Dispute at Bewdley, and in his Book of Baptism, part 1. ch. 14 & 17. and his Corrective, sect. 5. will be examined in that which follows. For present, 1. it is sufficient to shew the impertinency of this Text, to prove that there the Covenant or promise of God upon condition of parents faith is the sole efficient of infants visible Churchmembership, in that the Covenant being then put, even with the children unborn, v. 15. yea and the parents then believing, yet the children unborn could not be then visible Churchmembers, as Mr. B. himself grants of Baptism, pag. 250. They that were not, could not be members visible or invisible. For the sole efficient cause being actually put (as the Covenant and the parents believing are, Deut. 29. even according to Mr. B.) the effect must be in act: but it is not so in the unborn, therefore the Covenant and parents faith are not the sole efficient. 2. The Oath or Covenant of God is a distinct act from his establishing them for a people unto himself, and being a God to them, which are the consequent upon it, and are by transeunt acts consequent upon the Covenant. So that though the Covenant give a right to a blessing, yet it doth not make actually visible Churchmembers without some other transeunt fact consequent upon it. The Covenant assures a future existence, but suppposeth a present absence of the thing covenanted, and consequently without a further act consequent on it makes not any in present being visible Church-members. So that as yet I find no Text of Scripture setting down the law and ordinance of infants visible Churchmembership by Gods promise upon parents faith or dedication commanded as the sole efficient unrepealed. L…t's view the rest.
Deut. 30.19. saith he, there is a law and promise [choose life, that thou and thy seed may live.] This is the same Covenant which Asa caused the people to enter, 2 Chron. 15. and if there had been no law for it, there would have been no penalty, and then he would not have made it death to withdraw. It is the same Covenant which Josiah caused the people to enter, 2 Kin. 23.2, 3. 2 Chron. 34.31, 32. Of Levit. 25.41, 54, 55. I have spoken elsewhere, and of some other Texts.
Answ. 1. There is a law and promise Deut. 30 19. but not such as Mr. B. asserts as the sole efficient of infants visible Churchmembership. The life there is not visible Churchmembership, but a prosperous being in Canaan, v. 20. And the distinction between [thou and thy seed] proves that Deut. 29.12. [thou] notes the Captains, Elders, Officers, men of Israel, v. 10. distinct from the little ones, wives, strangers, v. 11. though represented by them, and that my speech so much exagitated by Mr. B. of Baptism, p. 57, 249. was justifiable. 2. The Covenants, 2 Chron. 15. & 34.31, 32. 2 Kin. 23.2, 3. of Asa and Josiah were Covenants of Israel to God, there's no mention of Gods promise or Covenant to them as then made, and therefore it is not that whereby infants are made visible Churchmembers according to Mr. B. and so is impertinent to the point in hand. 3. The futility of Mr. Bs. argument from Levit. 25.41, 54, 55. is shewed in the 2d. part of this Review, sect 14. It follows in Mr. B.
The second Commandment, Exod. 20.5, 6. Deut. 5.9, 10. I think is a law, and containeth a promise or praemiant 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 Churchmembership: 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.
Answ. If this mercy here imply Churchmembership to the infants of them that love him to a thousand generations, then it implies it to all the infants in the world, which cannot be true without such limitations as take away the certainty of any infants Churchmembership existent. But there is nothing to prove that this mercy must be Churchmembership, or that it must be to all the children of them that love God, and are obedient, or that it must be to them in infancy, sith it may be true of other mercies, as preservation, provision, &c. to some onelyonly, sith the speech is indefinite in a matter not necessary, and those persons at age, and loving God as their ancestors, without which the promise is not made good; and therefore Mr. B. had occasion enough to doubt whether this mercy implies visible Churchmembership of all infants of visible professors or true believers, yea, he had cause to assure himself that it doth not, sith then it were not true in thousands of Noahs, Abrahams, and other holy mens posterity. Wherefore all things considered, I incline to conceive this a promise of temporal blessings, chiefly to the Israelites, to whom God intailed mercies more then to other people; and if it be extended to higher mercies, and to other people, yet with reservation to himself of his free election, not without conditions and limitations as the event and other Scriptures make necessary to be included, which will make it unserviceable for Mr. Bs. purpose.
He adds. In Psal. 102.28. It is a general promise [the children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee▪] Its usual in the Old Testament to express Gods favour by temporal blessings, more then in the Gospel; but yet still they secure us of his favour. As [I will not sail thee, nor forsake thee,] might secure Joshua more then us of temporal successes, and yet not more of Gods never failing favour.
Answ. The words are not a promise of God, for they are directed to God, as the expressions [thy servants, before thee,] besides what is said before, v. 24, 25, 26, 27. shew, and therefore are not of the same rank with Gods words to Joshua, Josh. 1.5. yet they express such assurance as came either from a promise or a prophe…ical instinct. But whether the promise were general, or particular to some; whether of temporal, or eternal blessings, is uncertain. The occasion seems to intimate this sense, From thy continuance, though we be now very low, yet we assure our selves that thou wilt not utterly cut off our children, but that thou wilt raise them up, notwithstanding our present desolations and captivity, or thou wilt re-ingraff them (if meant of the conversion of the Jews to Christ, as hath been conceived) and they shall continue either here as thy people a long time, or be thine for ever upon their calling again. Either way, though they may intimate Gods favour, yet not general to all his servants children, but to the Jews; nor to them do they intimate infant visible Churchmembership, or to any other, but such a stability of their posterity in Gods favour, and their obedience as is quite different from meer infant visible Churchmembership, and may be without it.
Yet again saith Mr. B. 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.
Answ. The promise must be understood of so many a…d such mercy and righteousness as that it may be true. But it is not true of all the children of them that fears God, that they are visible Churchmembers, surely not of abortives and still-born children; nor that they are partakers of saving mercy and righteousness, for Ishmael, Esau, &c. were not so: And therefore it must be understood of such temporal mercies, and so indefinitely as may agree to some out of the Church, to whom God often shews mercy and righteousness of performing promises of preservation, increase, &c. which he shews not to others for their parents sake.
And, saith Mr. B. 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.
Answ. Children may be an heritage of the Lord, and his reward, though they be not visible Churchmembers, as the land of Canaan was an heritage, Psal. 135.12. and he may be happy that hath many of them, with that happiness which is mentioned in the forepart of the 15th. v. of Psal. 144. though they be no Churchmembers: And yet the infants of the Israelites I acknowledge were members of that Church or people, and that the Psalmist speaks of them. And so do the Texts, Joel 2.16. 2 Chron. 20.13. though the assembling of them do no more prove them visible Churchmembers, then the cloathing of beasts with sackcloth, Jonah 3.7, 8. doth prove the beasts Churchmembers, it being usual in such national fears and humiliations to have all whatsoever to be among the mourners, whether Churchmembers or not; as the men of Tyre were forced by Nehemiah, ch. 13.19. to rest on the Sabbath.
Mr. B. adds. 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.
Answ. It is a standing promise or observation: But that all his children are blessed, or that they are visible Churchmembers, much less that there is a promise or law that all visible Churchmembers infants should be visible Churchmembers cannot be thence inferred. That without the Church a person is pronounced blessed is apparent from Ishmaels blessing, Gen. 17.20, 21. when he was excluded the Covenant and cast out.
Yet more saith Mr. B. 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.
Answ. It is no good argument, Because God loving the fathers of the Israelites chose their seed after them, therefore he chooseth the seed of every righteous man to be his people, or that he sheweth favour to them. The contrary is manifest in Lot, Job, and others, whose posterity God shewed not favour as he did to the posterity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whereof the former is termed Gods friend, James 2.23. and it is certain from Rom. 9.4, 5. & 11.28. that God did and will shew them that favour that he never did nor will shew to the posterity of any the most godly persons of other nations. What is said, Psal. 69.36. is said onelyonly of the obedient Israelites; and if it be extended to others, it can be meant onelyonly of those tha… love the Name of God, and therefore makes nothing for the visible Churchmembership of infants of believers either by profession or real. Whether it be read, delivereth himself, as Junius, or shall be delivered, it is neither universally true, as is manifest in the posterity of David, Josiah, and others; nor is any whit to the point of infants visible Churchmembership, which may be without it, and that may be without it. Nor is Mr. Bs. inference good, In Psal. 37.26. there is a general promise to, or declaration of the righteous, that [his seed is blessed,] and then they are Churchmembers: For the Text neither speaks generally of any righteous man, but of him that is mercifull and lendeth, and the v. before sheweth it plainly to be meant of outward blessing, as in freedome from extream want of bread, and the like, which must have its limitations that it may be true; there's not a word of their infant visible Churchmembership.
There's yet a reserve of Mr. B. which he thus marshals. 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.
Answ. Be it so, yet is it all impertinent to Mr. Bs. purpose. If Isai 61.8, 9. be a promise of a thing to be fulfilled in Gospel times, yet it cannot be meant of infants, sith it is affirmed that the seed shall be known among the Gentiles, that is, saith Mr. Gattaker in his Annot. They shall so grow and multiply, thrive and prosper, that they shall become very conspicuous, Matth. 5.14, 16. and that it shall evidently appear to all that see them, that there goeth a blessing of God along with them, Acts 5.13. Which are spoken of the Apostles and their preaching, not of infants and their Churchmembership, Isai 62.12. is said of Zion and Jerusalem, v. 1.11. and is thus by Mr. Gattaker in his Annot. paraphrased. And men shall call them (to wit Sions sons or those that belong to her, and shall now again people her, vers. 5.) The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord] Such as God by rescuing and delivering them out of the hands of so powerful adversaries, in so strange a manner, hath shewed that he owneth for his. Sought out] or, sought unto, or sought after, as one had in high estimation and regard; whom out of respect and regard men repair and resort unto. See Psal. 111.2. Contrary to that which was formerly said of thee in the time of thy low and dejected estate, Jer. 30.17. A City not forsaken] as she seemed to be formerly in the time of her captivity. See v. 4. Which shews these things are meant of the Jews safety and honour after their return from captivity, not of infants visible Churchmembership under the Gospel. Yet if it were a prophesie of the Gospel times, it followes not infants shall be visible Churchmembers because Cities comprehend infants. For in the Gospel sense, Nation, House, City, comprehend onelyonly believers, and not infants of believers, as such, as appears from these and other texts. Gal. 6.10. Ephes. 2.18, 19. 1 Pet. 2.5, 9. Isa. 65.23. is a prophesie of the welfare of the Jews after their return from captivity, as v. 21, 22. before shew, and the meaning is as Mr. Gataker, Diodati and others expound it, they shall not bring forth children as formerly to be consumed by war, pestilence and such evils, because Gods blessing, which makes rich, healthy, safe, prosperous, is with them and their children: which sense is quite wide from Mr. Bs. conceit of a law of infants visible Churchmembership in the time of the Gospel.
He yet adds, What is necessary to be said in answer to the common objections, as [that experience tels 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.
Answ. What is said in his Book of Baptism, will be examined when I come to it. For present it is but Mr. Bs. dictate that all the seed of the righteous are blessed, the indefiniteness of the Scripture expressions the matter being contingent, experience and the Apostles exposition of the promise Gen. 17.7. Rom. 9.6, 7, 8. are against it; yet if it were true, …t followes not it must be visible Churchmembership, it might be some other blessing, of which God hath store, yea it is certain it canno… be visible Churchmembership, sith abortives and still born infants, though the seed of the righteous, are never so blessed, and the children of the holy seed Ezra 9.2. begotten on prohibited women were to bee cast out of the Jewish Church.
Mr: B. adds, 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 then another, one would think it must bee 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.
Answ. Mr. B. not holding children in the womb unborn to be visible Churchmembers all this may be retorted, they are part of the seed of the righteous, all their seed are such, how dare then Mr. B. limit the general promises to infants born? The seed is blessed, and so must be visible Churchmembers when they are first such a seed, which is as soon as they are conceived in the womb, then they stand not on any distinct account of their own actual faith or unbelief. What Mr. B. replies to this will answer himself. However I deny that without just proof it is to be so limited I limit the promises, that if God pronounce the seed blessed, they must be blessed when they are first such a seed, for then if the blessing be justification, glorification, they must be justified, glorified, afore they believe, or are obedient, which Mr. B. condemns in Antinomians. And if infants stand not on any distinct account of their own actual faith, they are not Christian visible Churchmembers, for all such are in their own persons first believers. Nor is it true that the seed of the righteous as such (taking it reduplicatively) have a promised blessing. For then all and onelyonly such should have it, and at all times, the contrary is manifest in Cham, Esau, &c. Mr. B. concludes.
I suppose I have already been more tedious then 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.
Answ. It is true Mr. B. hath been more tedious then was fit, considering the impertinencie of his allegations, yet not much more then I expected, knowing it to be his course especially in this controversie, to heap many texts impertinently. That he is satisfied with his former writings, especially after the answering of the chief parts by me and others, shews either his injudiciousness or his heedlesness, or unwillingness through prejudice to see his errour. That there is not one text for his purpose brought in his Letter to me, is made manifest by this answer, the rest shall be examined after the answer to the remainder of his Letter if God permit.