Is there amiddle Claftis of [bwciMIZembers between Infants and tomrnmzicams. 845 mufi confider of ir, and come with fame fuitable affections. Aman may have right to go a jour~ ~ ncy that wants a Horfe; or may have aHorfe, (hat is not fad led : He: that hath clothes mull put them on, before he is fit to come into company: He that hath right to write, may want a pen, or have a bad one : Having of Gracious habits, may nc~d the addition, of bringing them imo fuch aCh, as arc fuirablc to the work in hand. Qyeil:. 70. Is t/,ere any fuel, t:J,iu,g i11 the C/mrch, .as a rank or Clafos, or Spe– cies of (/JUrch members at age, who are not to be admitted to the Lords Table; b11t onry to ],taring the Word azzd Prayer , betJveezz Infant' members, and ad11lt confirmed ones f An[w.. sOme have ~xcogitated fuch a cla~s or [pccits or order, for con~c~ience , as a prudent . necctfary thmg< Becaufe ttb idmu aD to the Lords Table they thmk dangerous onone fide ; And to cafi all that are unfit for it out of the Church, they think dangerous on the·other fide, and that which the people would not bear. Therefore to preferVe the reverence of the Sacramenr, .and to prefervc their pwn and the Chur(hes peace; they have contrived thi.s middle way or rank. And indeed the controverfie fee{rleth to be more about the ~itle ( whether it may be called a middle order of meer Leuncrs and ·Wodh.ippers,) than about the ~atter• . I have Qccariona}ly written more of it than I c1n here tlay to recite: Attd the accurate handling of it rcquireth more words, than I will .here ufe. This breviateth~cfordhali be all. r. It is certain that fuch'Catcchumcns as are in mfer rpreparatit~n to faith, repentance and baptiGn, · itC no Churcb-membtrs .orCIJrijli.tJ1fl at all ; and fo in none ofthc:fc ranks. · 2· Baptifrn is the onty ..ordinary regular door of cn.terance into the vifible Church ; and no mm ( unlefs in extraordinary c>fcs ) is to be taken for a Church-member . or vifible Chriftian till .Baptized. · Two O~jecrions arc brought againft thi<. t.'the Infants of Chrijlians ore Church-members as focb, before baptifrn, and fo are· btlicveljr: fl'hey are bql{~ir,.ed becaufe member!, an4 nat mcmberJ by b•ptifm. Anfw. ·.This ~afe hath no difficulty : r. A Believer as ,fuch, is a member of Chri!l and the Church Wh>t m1kes a invijible, but not of the vi]iblt Cburch, till he be an9rtkrfy_Prqfrffttr' of that belief. And this Profef vifib!e mem: ,fion is npt 1 lcfr to every man~ will ho.w ft fhtl~ bemat\e, buc Chrifi· hatb '"'prc:fcribed and infiitutcd a ber? cenain way and ""'"""of prof<giOn, 1 which !hall be tqe only orpinary fymbol or badge., by which the Churc~ !hall know vi[lblt mrmbm; and that is bapti[m. 0 Indeed jVhen baptifm cannot be had, . an open·profdlion withodt.it ma,y f~rve: For Sacraments are made f9r Mr1n, and not M.m for Sa~ . cromrntJ. , But when itm~y pc l)ad, it is,<:;hrifts a~poinr,ed Symbol, Tcffiri ana Church-door. And till a perfon be biptiud, he is but Irregularly and initially a Profrffor\ As an Embrio in the Womb ris a man ; Or as·a'Connarit beforethe.,.Yri~ing, fcaling .an{:~ deliycrjcg ·is initially a Covenant; or as '-pcrf9ns privately contralted "!ithout (~Iemn M.1trimony are manied ; or as a man is aMinifter upon ElcC\ion and Tryal before Ordination :. ,He bath only in all thefc cafes, the beginning of a .titl.e, wh1ch IS not compleat ;-.!ll()r at all fHffi,r;i~:nt in foro.EcclefZJe, to' make a man Vifibly and Lc:gally, A ,·rnarried,man, a M<niU;qand. fo here .a G:h1iftian. f or quill hath oho!Cn his own vifible baslge, by .whifhdti>O:burch-Jl)erobers..muQ b.~ ~DQ)Vp, • 2. And the fame is.to.rbcJiid -of rhe ,Ip{ant-title of the children of believers: They have but an -ini•i•l :rigbt. h•f,.~boptilin, ,,nd 1111t !lte.J>a~g~ of vifib]F Chri'lljans. For there are three difiincr gra– ,.<Juim>S to.make .up th'ar· y,i[lbJe (:hriJ)ijniiY· 1-Becaufe they are th1ir o,.n, (and as it were parrs of themfelves ) therefore Believers have porrer and o~ligarion to ded)catF their children in Co– . ven~nt wiih Gnd. 2·1Bfc'ayfe evcry:II!Jie¥tr 1 )s himfclf,dedicated to God, wirh all that is his own, : ( ~ccanling to jts cap.~ci.r.y1 )!.tll.mfore 'I' lldievcrs c\l)lq is ~ppofed to ~e vPirtu~Uy ( n\\t actually) ·.d.cdicataLtd God imhis·on>» ;<\cqica\i<l!J P! 9Jvenant, 1 as too~ as his child hath a being. 3· Being thus Virtually and Implicitly firft dedicated, he ·IS after ,11/}uai/Y,a'!li regu~arry dedicated in Ba~tifm an_d Sacramcntally receivcth the i>a<lgc, efdl~.e'G:hurch; ,A.nd this .rnakelh hi.m ·a vifibli: ~ember or Chriliian, to which the two firfi were but inttodultory, as Co1tctptiDn ·is .toilumane N~Zti-vity. OJ:.>jc:d. 2· But tiJt feed of BtlieverJ M [ucb are in tbt Covenant; antl tbertfore Church-mtmbtT/. An!"'· The word Covenant here. is ambiguous : Either it fignifieth Gods Ltw of Grace, or pre... fctibed terms for {ilvation, witH. his immediate offer of the benefits to acceprers, called the fihglt Covtnant ofGod; or it fignific:th this with mans Con[tnt , called the Mutual Covenant where both j:>a<U<'Covenant. In the former fepfc, the Covenant only offereth Church-membtrjhip, but maketh no . man...aChurch-mc:mbcr, till Confc:nt. It is but G~ds conditional prornife, If thou believe thou rhalt be f•ved, &c. If thou give up thy fclf and children to me, I will be your God, and you !hall be my people. But it is only the A'lutual Cr~venant that maketh a Chrifiian or Cburch-membcr. Objeti. 1/Je promi[t is to us and sur children as ourt. A•fw. That is, that you and your children dedicated to God,, !ball be received into Covenant ; Ppppp2 b'ut
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=