Sn M.whiflon P•<· 53· (As Ahrab.1•n as~ fingle pcrfon May Infants Grace be loft ~ againfi his word ) on whom he will have mercy. But I fay that he thai conudmt h the waful un– faithfulnefs and neglect of moll Parents, c:v~n the R~ligious, in the Great work of holy educating their Children, may take the blame of then ungodlmefs on thcmfelvcs, and not lay it on Chrili m the fpirit who was in Covwam with them as their fan6tifier, fecing he pfomifed but conditi– onally to give them thefanfrifying Hea~enlyinfluences of his Life,'Light, and Love, in their jull ufe of his appointed means, a::cord1ng 10 thcu abthucs. in Covenant · :was to acreptof and perform the conditions of th_c C?venJQt --- foJs a. Paren~ be h:ad fomething. of .duty incumbent on him witb reference to his ( !mmedi:~.tc ) f~ed: And ~s hJs. fauhful performa~ceof th.:t.t duty Incumbent .on .him m hu fingle ~apacizy, ( 0 his per• forming that dury Incumb~nt on hzm a~ a Parent m nference to b1s feed, was :tbfolutely necdl:ary m orde~ t~ his tnJ,oJing the ~ood pro· mifcd,witbreferencetohunfelf :tndhJs fecd=.~rove<IGm.I1 r. &18.19 .. ] I:Ic provet.h th:artbe prom1~e IS conditional, and that as to the continuance of the Covenant Hate the conditions are, J, The Parents upngbt hfe. 2, HIS duty to hu Chtldren weU done: 3· The Chi!~ drcns own duty as they are capable. • •3· Alfo as foon as Children come to a little ufe of Rtafon, thty lland conjundly on their Parents WiUs and on tkeir own. As their Parents arc bound to teach and rule them, fo they are bound to learn of them and be ruled by them for their good. And though every tin of a Parent or a Child be not a total forfeiture of grace, yet, both their notable actual fins, may jufily be punifhed with a denyal of fame further help of the fpirit which they grieve and quench. ' I J. And now I may feafonably anfwer the former quefiion; whether lnfanis Baptifmal faving grace may be loll, of which I mull: for the moll: that is to be fai'a rcferr the Reader ro DavtntJn, (in Mr. Bedfords Book) on this fubjed, and to Dr. Sam. Ward joyned with it, (Though Mr. Gatak.!rs anfwerS are very Learned and confiderable:) And to my fmall Book called, My Judge– ment of Per{tverancc. Auguflint who fir£\: rofe up for the doctrine of perfcverance, againfl its Advcrfarics, carried it no higher than to all the Elell as fuch, and not at all to all the SanCtified ;but oft aflirmeth that fome that were jufiified, fantl:ificd and Love God, and arc in a fiate offalvation, are not elea-, and fall a. way ; But fince the Reformation, great rufons have been brought to carry it further lO all the truly fancti– fied; of which caufc Zancbiur was ·one of ths firfi Learned and zealous Patrons, that with great di– ligence in long difputations maintained it. All that I have nt>w to fay is, that I had rather with D•vm••• believe that the fore-ddi:ribed Infant llate of falvation, which came by the Parents, may be loll by the Parents and the Children, (though fuch afanditied renewed nature in holy Habits ofLove as the adult have, be never loll ) than believe that no Infants ate in the Covenant of Grace and to be baptized. Obj. But tht Child onct ill pojftffionfoaU not bt puHijhed for tht Partnts fi•· Anfw. 1. This point is not commonly well underllood. I have by me a large Difputation proving f,:om the current of Scripture, a {tcondary original fin, bdidcs that from Adam, and. a [tcond~ry pu– nijhmrnt ordinarily infliCl:cd on Children for their Parents fins, bcfides the common punilhment of the World for the firfi fin. 2 . But the thing in queflion is but a lofs of that benefit which they receiv– ed and hold only by another. It is not fo properly called a punillunent for anothers Sin, as a non~dtlivcranu, or a non·conlinut~nce of their deliverance, which they were to receive on the condition of anothers duty. • Obj. But the ChNrch retainttb them as her members, and fo their right is Hot loj! by the fault ., apofta{it of the Parent!. Anfw. 1. Lofi it is one: way or other, with multitudes of nuc Chrifiians Children, who never !hew any figncs of grace, and prove fometimes the worfl of men. And God breakcth not his Covmant. 2·· How doth the Church kctp the Greeks Children that are made Janizarics? 3• No man fiayeth in the Church without tide. If the Church or any Chrifiians take them as their own, that's another matter: I will not now flay to difcufs the quef\ion, whether Apofiate's Ba.. prized Infants be fiill Church-members ? But what I have [aid of their right before God, feemeth plain. ' . ,. 4 • And mark, that on whomfoever you build an Infants Right, you may as well fay, that he may fuffer for other mens default: For, if you build it on the Magillrarc, the Minifi<t, the Church, the God-fathers any of them may fail : They may deny him Baprifm itfelf: They may fail in.hisedu– c;:ation : Sh;ll he fuffcr then for want of baptifm, or good education when it is their faults? Whoever a Child or man is to receive a benefit by, the failing of that perfon may deptive him of that benefit. More objections I mufl pretermit, to avoid prolixity. • Q£eft.
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