3 32 The Birth- Priviledge and Covenant-holineffe Eh.39 ad plrerimum,but not.alwayes; The Apofiles propofition univerfally holds, now are they holy, not in the opinion of charity, but certain - ty,.where neither are holyathe iffue not only ad plurimum, but cer- tainly unclean, not as to the judgement of our fears, but for his, prefent fo infallibly. That atfertion to help thisout, that' God draws regeneration through the loines of the Elea, at leafs for the molt part, few Elect ones but their children are regenerate,1 is fuck a paradox that I fuppofe very few will receive ; And thence to inferre the lawfulneffe of the Baptifme of all of fuch birth, be- caufe fome are regenerate (and as they furmife the molt even in the womb, and from the birth) is a bottome that will not bear it; one without any name bath publifhed a Treatife of Baptifine, and in it impugnes with all his ftrength Infant - baptifine. He takes notice of this and like po(itions of this nature, as our ground of it and then endeavours the battery of it. It bath paired fome iteres without any anfwer, that I know. I could with that thole that maintaine it on there grounds, would take upon them a refu- tation, His reafons to me (the doctrine Co grounded ) are above anfwer. I have often Paid,, if f be brought to there mens premifres, I (hall then conclude with the Antipædobaptifis.- Info much more concernes thofe, in that the Author (as I hear ) was one of their difciples, and they fee how frequently their members that are prin- cipled againft Covenant-holineffe,, and borne in hand that the Gofpel strips us of it, do betake chemfelves from them into thefe mens tenents. The fecond interpretation laies the iffue too low, and will have the holineffe mentioned, to have no refpe& to their fpiritual or, Church- ftate, but only their legitimation; They are not baftards but legitimate, Matter TombcJ is the chief Champion that appears for this interpretation. This he delivers in his Exercit. FRg, to. where he faith, This text loth not fpeak of federal holineffe, but of holineffe that I may fo call it matrimonial, fo that the fenfe is, your children areholy, that is, legitimate; there adding whether any in the ages before the age laft paft expounded it of federal holineffe, as they call it, I am not yet certaine, defends it in his Ex- amen, and oppofes other_ interpretations, page72. &c, and 'faies fotnethingin the.Pofilcript of his eflpology about it , and now in thisr work fpeltds above twenty fheets of paper in it, in which he is ambitious to be above anfwer, not in ftrength, but in bulke; not over
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