Confirmation and Restoration Necessary Means, Proposition 1 – Proposition 3
Prop. I. It is here ſuppoſed, that the Infants of Believers ſhould by Baptiſm be admitted into the Church, and ſo be partakers of Infant Priv…ledges.
THeir ſinne and miſery is come upon them without any actual conſent of their own, by the will of others; and the Remedy muſt be applyed to them accordingly, not by any actual conſent of their own (which is as impoſſible) but by the will of others, as the Condition, and by the Gift of God as the Cauſe. In his dealing with mankind; God is not ſo much more prone to wrath and vengeance then to Mercy, as to put Infants into the Comminatory terrible part of the Covenant, with their Parents, and not into the Remedying part; and to condemn them for their firſt Fathers Covenant-breaking, and give them no help from their gracious Parents Covenant-keeping; and to fetch weight from Parents ſinnes to weigh down the ſcale of Vindictive Juſtice, and to put nothing from the gracious Parents into the other end. Yet is it not to Infants as the meer Natural Iſſue of godly Parents, that God extendeth this Grace. But 1. As they are Naturally their Own, the Parents have a Power of them to diſpoſe of them for their good. 2. Every man that is Sanctified, hath devoted himſelf, and in Generall, all that he hath to God; according to the ſeveral capacities of what he hath, that every thing may be for God in its proper Capacity. 3. Virtually then the Children of the Godly, even in the wombe are thus Devoted unto God. 4. It is the revealed Will of God, that Infants ſhould be Actually Dedicated and Devoted to him. 5. He that requireth us to make this Dedication, doth imply therein a promiſe of his Acceptance of what is Dedicated to him by his command. For his precepts are not vain or deluſory. 6. He hath alſo expreſsly ſignified this in Scripture Promiſes, extending his Covenant to the ſeed of the Faithfull, and telling us that his Kingdom is of ſuch. 7. This Dedication is to be made by Baptiſm, the Ordinance which God hath appointed to that End; and in which he is ready to ſignifie his Acceptance, that ſo there may be a mutual ſolemn Covenant.
The Servants of God before Chriſt's coming were enabled and required to enter their Infants into the Covenant of God, ſometime (and ordinarily) in Circumciſion, and ſometime (as in the wilderneſs, Deut. 29) without it. And they have the ſame Natural Intereſt, and as large a diſcovery that it's the W…ll of God, for the Dedicating of their Children, to God, and Chooſing for them, and entering them into the holy Covenant, now as then. If then a Child that had no exerciſe of its own will, might by the Will of his Parents chooſe the Lord, and be entered into Covenant with him, it is then ſo ſtill. God hath no where reverſt or abrogated that Command, which obliged Parents to enter their Children into Covenant with God, and Devote them to him. Nay Chriſt chid thoſe that would keep them from him, becauſe his Kingdom, that is, his Church, is of ſuch. A place that doth purpoſely and plainly expreſs the continuance of his Love to Infants, and yet the Goſpel entertaineth them as readily as the Law or Promiſe before did. Oft and again doth Chriſt ſignifie to the Jews that he would have gathered them wholly to his Church, and not have broken them off, if they had not by unbelief been broken off, and in the ſame Olive hath he engraffed the Gentile Church. Infants are members of all Commonwealths on the face of the earth, though they know not what a Commonwealth is, nor yet what ſoveraignty or ſubjection mean. And he that ſhould ſay they are no members, becauſe they are Imperfect members, would but be laughed at. And Chriſt hath not caſt them out of his family or Commonwealth, nor ſhut the door againſt them.
And that in this Infant ſtate they are capable of many Priviledges is apparent. They have Original ſinne, which muſt be pardoned, or they are loſt. Moſt of the Anabaptiſts that I hear of, do hold that all the Infants in the world are pardoned by Chriſt, and ſhall be ſaved if they die in Infancy, and run in the downright Pelagian road. But this is not only utterly unproved, but contrary to Scripture, which telleth us, that ſinne is not pardoned by the bloodſhed of Chriſt, till men be brought into Union with him, and participation of him, and for all his bloodſhed, no man ſhall have pardon by it, till it be given him by the Act of Pardon in the Goſpel. Now the Goſpel no where gives out Pardon to every Infant in the world: Nay it frequently and plainly makes a difference. The Parents Will doth Accept the offer, and chooſe for them that cannot chooſe for themſelves. For others, what ever God will do with them, doubtleſs they have no promiſe of Mercy. And it's ſtrange that they ſhould deny Baptiſm to Infants that deny not Salvation to them, yea that think (though ungroundedly) that they are all in a ſtate of Salvation. For either Infants have Original ſinne, or not: If they have none, then they need no Saviour, and muſt be ſaved without a Saviour; for the whole need not the Phyſician, but the ſick. If they have Original ſinne, and that it is pardoned to them by Chriſt, then how can men deny them the ſign and ſeale of pardon, or the ſolemn inveſting means. If they are ſure that they are waſht with Chriſt's Blood, how can they deny to waſh them with that water, that is appointed to ſignifie and inveſt?
Moreover, Infants are capable of many other Priveledges; and of being the Adopted Sonnes of God, the Members of Chriſt, the Heirs of Heaven, as having Right thereto; and being the members of the Church, and being under the Special Protection and Proviſion of God, and in a ſpecial ſort partakers of the Prayers of the Church, with divers more. As in the Commonwealth, an Infant is capable of having Honour and Inheritance in Right, though not Actally to uſe them; and of the protection of the Laws for Life, Reputation and eſtate; and of being Tenant, and obliged to pay a certain Rent and Homage when he comes to age, and in the mean time to have Proviſions from the Eſtate that he hath Title to.
But all this I have fuller expreſt elſewhere: And I have altely read Mr Tombes's laſt and large Reply, to part of my Book, and many others; and muſt needs ſay that it leaves me ſtill perſwaded that it is the will of Chriſt that the Infants of his Servants ſhould be Dedicated to him in Baptiſm, and members of his viſible Church; and though upon the review of my Arguments I find that I have uſed too many provoaking words, for which I am heartily ſorry, and deſire pardon of God and him, yet I muſt ſay, that I am left more confident then before, that the cauſe is Gods which Mr Tombes oppoſeth: Of which if God will, I intend yet to give ſome further account: In the mean time I deal with this but as a Suppoſition that is already ſufficiently proved, though all men, yea all good men ſee not the ſufficiency of the proofe.
Prop. 2. There are many Priveledges belonging to the Adult Members of the Church, which Infant members are not capable of.
THis is true both of Natural and Moral Capacities: The Priviledges which I mean are, the pardon of many actual ſinnes, committed ſince they are Adult; the exerciſe of all Holy Graces; Knowing God; Loving him; Truſting him; Serving him; the Communion that we have with God herein; as particularly in Prayer, in holy Praiſes and Thankſgivings, in Heavenly Meditations; The Peace and Joy that followeth Believing, and the Hopes of Everlaſting Life; the Communion which we have with the Church of Chriſt in hearing, praying, Praiſes, the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Chriſt, in diſtribution by giving and receiving, and an endearing holy Love within: Theſe and many more Priveledges are proper to the Adult.
That Infants are not Naturally capable of theſe, is as needleſs to prove, as that they are Infants: And then that they are not Morally capable, is an inſeparable conſequent. For though Natural Capacity may be without Moral, yet Moral cannot be without Natural: In point of Duty, Infants are not bound to the work; as to Hear, Pray, Prayſe, &c. beyond the Natural Capacity of their Intellects and bodies: And ſo in point of Benefit, we muſt have more ſobriety, then to ſuppoſe God to make over any Benefit to them which they are not capable of. All this is plain.
Prop. 3. The Continuation of Priveledges received in Infancy, is part of the Priveledges of the Adult; or the Reſtoration of them if they be loſt.
IF the cauſe diſcontinue, the effect will ceaſe. Adult Priveledges comprehend the Infant Priviledges, partly as that which is Perfect comprehendeth the Imperfect, and partly as the whole comprehendeth the parts; and partly as the thing Continued is the ſame with the thing Begun. Infant Priviledges would all ceaſe with Infancy, if the Cauſes or Conditions ceaſe, and there be no other Cauſe for their continuance. God never took Infants into his Church and Covenant, with a purpoſe ſo to continue them, without any other Condition then that upon which they were admitted. This is paſt denyal, and will be more cleared in the next.