Of IJ3irtb.pri"Viledge a1zd nE111nl dedicatio11 of Infants. 813 ·~·----=~--- ------ ·- Q£ell:. 37. .fire 13eliewrs Cl>ildren certainly in [ownant before their 13ap• tijin, and thereby in a ftate of Sal1Jatio11 ~ Or not till they are baptizsd ~ Anfw. DHHngui!h between I· Heart-Covcnanting) and_Mouth-Covenanting: 2.Betwc:en being in Covenant before God, and Vifibly before the Church. r. No perfon is to be baptized at age, whofe Imvard Heart Confent before •profeffrd, giveth him not Right to baptifm. Therefore all the adult mufi be in Covenant, that is, Crmfent on iheit part to the Covenant, before they are baptized. 2 , Therefore it is fo with the feed of the faithful, who muf\ Confcnt by their P..rents, before <hey have right: Oeherwifc aU O.ould have right, and their baptifm be dfentially ano<hcr bapeifrri, aS fealing fame othCI Connant, or none. 3 .1f there be no promife made to the feed of the faithful more than to others, they have no right more than others to baptifin or falvation. But if there be a prornife rnade to them as the feed ofbclicvcrs,then arc they as fuch within that promifc,that is, pedOtmers of irs conditions by their Pa– rents, and have right to the benefit. 4 . If th<l Heart Confent or faith of the Adult, do put themfclves into a !late of falvation, ~efori their baptifm, then it doeh fo by their children : But &c.--- 5• But this Right to falvarion in Parents and Children upon Heart Confent before baptifm, is only before God. for the Church taked) no Cognizance of fccret heart~tranfactions : But a man rhen only conG:meth in the Judgement of the Church, when he openly profel[eth it, and ddireth to fignifie it b being b>ptized. 6 ,,d even before God, there is a necef!iw pr.tctpti obliging us to open baptifm after heart ccn– {i:nt : And he that heartily confentcth, cannot refufe Gods way ofuttering it, unlcfs either through ignorance he know it not tO be his duty, (for himfelf and his child,') or through want of ability or opportunity cannot have it. So that while a man is unbaptize:d, forncwhat is wanting to rhe·com– pleatnefs of his right to the benefits of the Cwcnant, 'Viz.. Areception oflnvcfiiture and poffcJfion in: Gods appointed way ; though it be not fuch a want, as !hall frufiratc th< folva.tion of thofe thlt did truly confc.nt in heart. · . 7· I take it therefore for certain, that the children of true believers, Confcnt to the Covenant by their Parents, and arc as certainly favcd if they dye before baptifm, as after .io Though thofe that de– fpife bapeifm when they know itto bea duty, cannot be thought indeed to believe or <Onfent for their children or thernfelves. ~ell. 38. Is Infants title to IBattiJm and tl>e [ownant,benefits giwn them by God i11 his Prornif'e , 11po11 any proper Moral Condition , or onry 11pon tl!e Condition of their Natural Relation ' tiJat tl>ey be the Seed of the Faithful? . Anfw. THat which is called a meer Natur•l Condition is properly in Law fcnfe no condition at oil ; nor doth make a ConrraCl: or Promife •to be called Condition•! in a Moral fenfe. But it'is matters ofMorality and not ofPhyficks only that we arc treating of; and therefore we fuulltake the terms in a Moral ftnfe. For aPhyficsl Condition is either p11jf; or pre{eut, or fut#rt, or Hot-futurt : If. it be paft or prefo?t, the propo~(ion ma~ indeed be hypothetical, but it is ~o fuCh co~ditioita.l pro:... mife as weare fpeakmg of: For mllance, 1f you fay, [If thou wall born m fuch a City, or1f thy name be J ohn, I will give thee fo much J Thefeare the words of art uncertain promifer; but the Promife is already either equivalent to an Abfolutt Gift, or NuU. So if the Phyfical <ondition be de futttro, e. g· [If thou be alive to rnor,row, I will give t~cc this or that ; or if the Sun Chioc to mor– row, &c. J This indeed fufj>enderh the gift or event ; but not upon any Moral being wliich is in the power of the Receiver, but upon a Natural Contingency or uncertainty. And God harh no fuch Conditional Covenants or promifes to be fealed by baptifm. He faith not, If 1ho" ~e the child •f [ucb or fuch a man, thoH jha/1 be faved, •s his n•tur.l offfpring only. If the Papifis that accufe us for holding that the meer nawral progeny 'of believtrs art [aved ai {fch' did wen undedland out doCtrine, they would perceive that in this we differ not from the undetfianding foJt among them or at leafi, that their accufations run upon amifi:ake. , I told you before that there are three things difiinelly to be confidered in the title of Infants ta baptifm and falvatioit. 1. By what right the Parent covenanteth foi his •hil<l? •· What rigbt tHe Llllla ohild '-
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