An Antidote Against the Venom Regarding Richard Baxter, Section 5
SECT. 5. Of the Text Deut. 29. 10. 11. 12. Alleaged to prove our Infants to be viſible Church-members.
THe next Text Deut. 29. 10, 11. 12. was alleaged to prove that our Children are viſible Church members. becauſe the little ones of the Iſraelites entered into Covenant with God, that he might eſtabliſh them to be his people, and this a Goſpell Covenant Deut. 30. 6. 11. 12, 13. 14. To this I anſwered 1 that [thou] v. 12. doth not neceſſarly comprehend the little ones. This Mr. Baxter in the diſputation turning himſelfe to the people told them was to contradict the Text expreſſely, and he ſought to ſuggeſt to them as if it were my impudence, and ſaid; that if it the Papiſts had as plaine expreſs Scripture as Deut. 29. 12. was to prove that all even little ones did enter into Covenant, he would turne Papiſt. But for all Mr. Baxters haſt, I preſume he would be better adviſed, if he did conſider, v. 14. [you] are diſtinguiſhed from them that ſtand there before the Lord &c. v. 12. [thou] only is ſaid to enter into Covenant, and therefore though all v. 10. are ſaid to ſtand, yet it is not without ſome likely hood that [thou] v. 12. notes only ſome that entred into Covenant in the behalfe of the reſt. And if the paſſing into Covenant were as Piſcator in his Scholie, that thou mayeſt paſſe through the parts of the divided living creatures in teſtimony of the Covenant, (to which Ainſworth notes the phraſe to allude, ſurely, neither the little ones, nor all the reſt did paſſe between the parts of the beaſts divided, but ſome inſtead of the reſt. 2. But were it granted that the little ones are ſaid to enter into Covenant, yet this doth not prove them to be viſible members. For. v. 15. it is ſaid that Moſes made that Covenant and Oath with him that was not there with them that day, that is their poſterity not yee borne, as lackſon, Piſcator, Ainſworth, Grotius the new Annot: &c, ſhall it therefore be ſaid that the poſterity unborne were viſible members of the Jewiſh Church in the wilderneſſe? 3. It muſt be and was granted by Mr. Baxter in the diſpute, that this entring into Covenant was not by their owne act but by their Parents for them. But ſuch an entring into Covenant doth not make a viable Church member in the Chriſtian Church, however it did in the Jewiſh Church, there being a different Church ſtate or frame in the Chriſtian Church which was gathered by the preaching of the Goſpell from the Iſraelites Church ſtate & frame made by the Authority of Abraham & Moſes without teaching of the perſons gathred.Mr. Baxter in the Se…- everlaſting reſt pag. 224. Hee ſent out Miniſters and not Magiſtrats to bring in the world. And pag. 3 he ſaith, the Nation of the Jewes, and all proſelyted Gentiles were holy before 4. Be it that the Covenant were to eſtabliſh them to be a people to God and that he may be a God to them, yet this doth not prove the Covenant to be a pure Goſpel Covenant, not including peculiar benefits to the Jewiſh Nation: For there is a plaine reſtriction in the words, as he hath ſaid unto thee, and as he hath ſworne unto thy Fathers to Abraham, to Iſaac, & to Iacob, which undoubtedly comprehended their ſettling in Canaan, which was proper only to them as Iſraelites, which may be proved out of many paſſages following, as Deut, 29, 21. 28. Deut. 30. 1. 4. 5. 9, &c. Yea Ainſworth v. 15. notes that the Covenant was made with their poſterity, with exception of the new Covenant in Chriſt, ſo that by him this Covenant and the Covenant in Chriſt are not all one. As for that which is alleaged out of Deut. 30. 14. that it is the Goſpell Covenant, becauſe it is ſaid Rom. 10. 8. This is the word of faith which we preach, I Anſwer, the words v. 8. 10. 11. ſpeak expreſſely of the word of Command & v. 14. the word is nigh to thee that thou mayſt do it, which is not meant of a promiſe but a command of the Law: nor will it prove that then the Appoſtle allegeth it inpertinently: for it is frequent with the Apoſtle to accommodate words to his purpoſe, that have a different ſenſe in the places whence they are taken from that, to which the Apoſtle applieth them, as Rom. 10. 18. &c. Laſtly if it did containe promiſes purely Evangelical, yet the Covenant in reſpect of them cannot be meant of all and every of the Iſraelites that God would be a God to them, that is ſanctify, juſtifie, adopt them to be Heirs of eternall life. For then Gods promiſe to them ſhould not be true, For with many of them God was not well pleaſed 1 Cor. 10. 5. Heb. 3. 17 19. but only of the elect. As for that Deut. 30. 6. I confeſſe it is a promiſe of ſpirituall grace, but to the Jews after their captivity upon condition of obedience, and to them indefinitely, which was never performed to all their ſeed, but only to the elect among them, and therefore muſt be ſo limited, as the promiſe, Iſai. 54. 13. is by our Lord Chriſt, Iohn 6. 45. and the promiſe Gen. 17. 7. is by the Apoſtle Rom. 9. 6. 7. 8.