The Infants Advocate of Circumcision and Baptism, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. The Grand Objection anſwered, drawn from the Incapacity of Jewiſh Infants to Covenant at eight dayes old.
THE Goliath-Objection, generally brought againſt the Jewiſh children bing Covenanters, is taken from their ſeeming inability to perform the ſtipulation, or counterpart of a Covenant. Is not a childe called foreign in Greek, from foreign not a word in his mouth, and Infants in the ſame ſence from a negative in and fando ſpeaking? Yea, ſo much as a childe can ſpeak, and ſo much as may be conjectured by his outward carriage, he maketh uſe of his negative voyce, and remonſtrates againſt the Covenant, as unwilling to receive the ſame, ſeeing every Infant may probably be preſumed to cry as forced from him by the pain of Circumciſion.
In anſwer hereunto, firſt in generall; It is enough to ſatisfie a ſober ſoul, and content a modeſt minde herein, that God hath appointed ſuch children at eight dayes old to be Covenanters, and that alſo nomine poenae in caſe the ſame be omitted. That God, who never calls any to any employment, but ever inables them for the ſame, at leaſtwiſe with ſuch a degree of ſufficiencie which he is pleaſed to accept. Such as queſtion the truth hereof, do tacitly, and interpretatively, charge God with want of wiſdome in his proceedings. Let them whiſper no longer, but plainly ſpeak out, that He lacks diſcretion to manage his matters, Iſai. 40. 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counſeller, hath taught him? The proud objecters might well give him their adviſe, hereafter to chooſe wiſer parties with whom to make a Covenant, then children of eight dayes old.
What Charter hath this whole World to ſhew for its being, other then Gods bare fiat, Let it be. I have bleſſed him, (ſaith Iſaac of Jacob, Gen. 27. 33.) yea, and bee ſhall be bleſſed. God hath made eight-dayes-old-children Covenanters, and they ſhall be Covenanters.
More particularly, to come to the Objection: I conceive the ſoul of an Infant may fitly be compared to the cloud which went before the Iſraelites, Exod. 14. 20. dark on the one ſide, but light on the reverſe thereof. That part of the Infants ſoul expoſed to humane eyes, is dark and obſcure, no abilities at all diſcoverable therein; whileſt the bright ſide of Infants ſouls is objected to Gods eye, beholding in them what wee cannot perceive.
No wonder if men be non-pluſt about the actions of Infants ſouls, when every Infant is an heap of riddles caſt together, whereof the leaſt and loweſt is too great, and high for man to underſtand. David ingenuouſly confeſſeth, Pſal. 139. 6. that he was fearfully and wonderfully made. The faſhioning of the members of his body being ſo ſtrange a work in nature, that the knowledge thereof was too wonderfull for him, and ſo high that he could not attain unto it. If he was poſed with the caſk, the caſe, and the ſhell, the admirable ſtructure of a babes body, let it not ſeem ſtrange to us to be puzled with the operations of an Infants ſoul, how the ſame is able to covenant with God.
It paſſeth the ſkill of the greateſt Divine, to clear and evidence the entrance of Originall ſinne into an Infants ſoul: Whoſe ſpirit, coming immediatly from God, muſt needs be pure, and perfect like the maker thereof. Nor can this ſoul, thus pure in it ſelf, be infected from the body, which being but a liveleſſe lump of fleſh is incapable of ſin, eſpecially ſo as to make an active impreſſion on the ſoul. Soul, and bodie of Infants, thus being ſeverally ſinleſſe, who can conceive that the union of two clean things, can produce one unclean? I mean, originall corruption. Yet we all ſee by wofull experience, that Infants from their conception are infected therewith: That it is there we know, but how it came thither, God knowes.
If we cannot perceive the manner of ſins poiſon, no wonder if we cannot conceive the method of graces antidote in Infants ſouls. Let us allow heaven to be as incomprehenſibly miraculous in healing, as hell hath been inſenſibly ſubtile in hurting the ſame. And, ſeeing God hath expreſſed thus much, that Infants are called by him to be Covenanters, let us with humility, and modeſty beleeve them, to be enabled with a proportion of grace, to diſcharge their covenant in relation, though it tranſcend our capacity to clear all doubts, and difficulties, which may be multiplied about the manner thereof.
In further clearing this Objection, know, that beſides ſuch graces which wee are bound to beleeve in Infants hearts, they have three things elſe which aſſiſt them in this Covenant.
1. Their Parents faith tendring them to God.
2. Gods goodneſſe accepting the tender.
3. Their own actuall performance of the Covenant, if living to years of diſcretion.
Firſt, their Parents faith in tendering them. Appliable to this purpoſe is that expreſſion recorded by three of the Evangeliſts, brought in a bed by four, who finding no door in the ſide (ſuch the preſſe of people) made one in the roof of the houſe, and let him down by cords into the room where our Saviour was. Jeſus ſeeing their faith, Matth. 9. 2. When Jeſus ſaw their faith, Mark 2. 5. And when hee ſaw their faith, Luke 5. 20.
Two things herein are conſiderable; firſt, that the faith of the bearers was a motive, and inducement to our Saviour the more ſpeedily with favour to reflect on this ſick man. Secondly that the words their faith, are taken incluſively, taking in a fift faith to the former four, namely the faith of Him, who lay ſick on the Bed. However, here we ſee that the beheſte of friends, concurred to the expediting of his Cure, and (though let down but by four cords) he was lifted up into Chriſts favour with a five-fold Cable of faith, which cannot be broken.
Nearer is the Relation betwixt Parent and childe, then friend and friend. When therefore a pious Father, Mother, or (beſt then, when) both, ſhall with the armes of their faith, offer an Infant (who indeed is a part of themſelves) to God in Circumciſion, this muſt needs bee a main Motive (through Gods mercy, and no otherwiſe) to induce Him graciouſly to behold the Preſent tendred unto Him.
Thus the faith of Abraham and Sarah advantageth Iſaac into Gods love, the faith of Iſaac and Rebeccah recommended and preferred Jacob at his Circumciſion into Gods favour.
Secondly, at Circumciſion the childes weakneſſe to covenant is aſſiſted by Gods acceptance thereof. That is well ſpoken, which is well taken. How ſimple and ſlender ſoever a childs performance is at Circumciſion, how low and little ſoever his faith is, God ſtoops (ſuch his gracious condeſcenſion) to take it up; He makes, (as I may ſay) a long arm, to reach a ſhort one, and ſo both meet together.
Laſtly, this ſtrengtheneth the Covenant then made by the childe, that afterwards, if arriving at years of diſcretion, he publikely ratifieth, and confirmeth the ſame with his own actuall faith, evidenced to others in his pious converſation. Men uſed to ſay of Plato his Scholers, That their Masters Precepts, did freez in them, till they were about fifty yeers old, and then began to thaw in them, till the day of their death, meaning that the good counſels he gave them made no viſible impreſſion on the amendment of their manners, till the heat of their youth was overpaſt, and they come to their reduced age. Circumciſion, may be ſaid to freez in Infants, as to any eminent outward effect thereof, during their Minority, the vigor and vertue thereof is dormant, and ſeemingly dead in them, but when come to the vſe of Reaſon, then it raiſeth and rouzeth it ſelf, namely when the Party makes good the Covenant, made by him before, and then the ſtrength of that Sacrament had a powerfull influence on their ſouls all the dayes of their lives. And although there ought to be no iteration of outward Circumciſion, which done once, is done for ever, yet inwardly to circumciſe their ſouls, was the dayly taſk of all devout Jews, and ought to be our conſtant imployment, and a word or two briefly of the nature thereof.