Book 11• . Chap. 1. Sett.~. he was EleCt; and if Jacob had died in the ~radle, hehad been f~ved. Hfnce_Bdie• ying Parents may comfort their Souls concernmg thofe Clitldren that early die, tn that they may be EleCted, and by tonf<quence eternally faved. . . 2 • Some Infants are within a Covenant of Grace; and thJs fpeaks yet mo~e mcou– ragement. Indeed, *e dnnor look in;o the Book of Cife which is mHeaven ; 1 -and thereby know that the names of our dymg lntants are wncten there; ~et may we !oak into the Covonant of Grace, and fatislie our [elves as in the effeCt o! rhetr Elcctton : Are not the children of Believing Parents the reputed Members of Jefus Chnll? Is not the fame·promi!e made eo the children chat is made to the ~orenis, for rceeiving both ., Members> I am thy God, and the God of thy Seed, fatd the Lord to Ab;~ham; Gen.IJ· -7·1 alld the promife iJ tt> Y'~· and to your children, And toall that are afar off.'· r..~. Pmr Att••• 39· to the Jo;,ws. God is in Co\tenant wlth our Infa~ts as foon as they· are hvmg l'l _die womb, and-God is S1eramentally and folemnlfmgaged to our Infants m B1pttfm, as foon almofl as chey ate b<>rn into the world : nor cloth it hinder; that fuch Infants were {hapen ininiquicy, and conceived'in fin 1 for that is fir£\ which is Natural, agd then that which is Spiritual: the D, vil fir£\ reigns in them ashis SubjeCts, and t~en the Lortl paf!ing by, and fuin~ them in their blood, hefaith ta them in tbei( blood, live.;_Jea, he Ezek.t6.6;7,t faith to them in tb<ir blood, live ; that time i1 aJ a tinle of love, and therefore the £ ord jpreads hiJ 1kjrtJ over them , ,,d cover! their nak$dnefi, anil[wtari to them (in B1ptifm) . ande;rterf into .z C ·ven.:znt witb theon , and fo they becomB hi1. But when i; it that Infants dying in the Womb or in their Infancy , are entred into this Covenant of Grace> I anfwer.-'-- • 1 • Externally, thelnfmts of Church·Mcmbers ar~ in Covenant {o Coon as they are quickned in the Womb. · · • · 2 • Internally, they are ia Coven1nt fo foon as by the intervention of the Spirit they :ue wrou\\ht on !lvingly and effectually: now this may be either in the Womb ; and fo godly Parent• may comfortably hope of all their Infants as die in the Womb, before they lee this Worlds light; or after Birth, at any time, before theybecome adult: Only as we will not limit the Spirit, [owe cannot but probably think, that the-time of the Spirits Regenerating is ordinarily in this cafe, the very time of th:ir B•ptifm. 1hus . a modern [peaks ' Alth;rtgh G"d be not bound to hi1 Ordinance of B,ptifm , fo aJ to give Mr. Fml ;;; GrAce to all Eleel Children at the inflant of tl>eir B'pti[m, yet[eeing S'<rarnentJ ;are n.r his Infa~t- . o>t/y bare Sign1 and SeaiJ of ti>C Coven,nt, buJ Cond~<itJ of the Gr.ice of the Coven.nt, Bartifm. ,.,bei., and ilf what nza>tner G d.i; pie.fed todijpence it; I Jtnow not why the Sacrdment of Baptifm to fome E/e[/ Children , I mean t• th {t that die in I.fancy, "'") not be indeed the Laverof Regtner,tion, and ;hey receive tbe grace of Baptifin witb the jign: For nopcrfon can enter into the Kingdomrf Heaven, except hiJ Perfon be juftifted, ~nd hi< Nature fan· [lifted, and God ufeth to azJPwfe thefe GNCeJ ili fome Odinancc or other; and feeing fuch Infant! live not to be cupable of any other Ordinance, why fhould l not believe them Rege· imated inBaptifml 1f this Opinion may be thought of any to fa veur the Papacy, that holds the Sacrament to be effdtual, ex opere operatb: He anfwers folidly, that his Opinion !lands at a great diCtanee from theirs; fo r that by their Doctrine they make no difference between Good and lhd, EleCt or ~on-Elect, in ihe parcicipltion of ihofe Benefits: They hold chat in Baptifm all Infants that receive it a.re actually Regetierate; whereas he rttlrains the Efficacy of that Ordinance only t<r-tile E1eet; and he admits not all of them ntither, for he excludes chafe of the EleCt thlt afterwards live to comd under the means of Regeneration; only he fuppofeth a poilibility and probability; that in fame EleCt Infants (viz. thofe that die in Infancy) che feafon of G'ods doing that, whicb all Chrifiians acknowledge, is done at one time or other before the feparation of SoulandBody, (fc. their Renov•tion, Jullification,atid Sanc~ification) is ra· ther the time of B•ptifm, rhan any other time. Ifa_nydemand,howcan Infants in the Womb, or in tbeiilnfancy be i'!llified and fancbtied? Is not Ju!lification b'c£\owed on believing? ana is not SanCl:ifi,ltion c0n· veycd to us in the attendance u·pon theoutwarrt and ordinary means? The anfwer is; that God jufiities them upon another account , and fanctities them in another way, than thofe that are of Age: and for this my Author cites another; fayin~ , Af in the bodily life , oNe Organ i1 ihe inJirumcnt of nourij/JJnettt to the Cbild i"u the Womb, ano· . tbtr whw born; fo in the conveyance ofJPiritttal life , 'tiJ one way to a Child, another to one of ycau : For tbiJ i1 110t the mo(t zmiverJ.:ll Protofttion of the Gojpel [he that believei/1 foal/ be faved, J bill ibi;, [hctb.<t bath the Son hith life, and he tb>t lwh not Jht !i011 b~th o~ n11
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