Queffions,andCafes ofConscience Chap t of whom Ifhmaeland Efate were types, Ga1.4. 22, c7'c. Such as are only holy byan external Profefhion, Gal. 4.29. That God will have the Infants offuch as enter into Covenantwith him to be counted his, is proved. Thus it was in the timeof the Jewes, Gen. r7.9if9'i and fo it is Will, Afls 2. 3s,39. Luke x9.9. Rom.Irro,eac. tCor.7.r4. That thePeale of initiation is tobe adrninif }red unto themwho enter into Co- venant with God is clear. Circumcifionwas to the Jewes Infants, and therefore Baptifme is, both of thembeing the fame Sacrament for the fpiritual part of them. None might be received into the Communion of the Church of the Jews till circumcifed, nor of the Chriflians till baptized, that Baptifme fucceedsin the room of Circumcifion is clear, Col. 2.1 1,12. That Infants amongfi the Jewes were to be initiated, and fealed with the figne ofCircumcifion, which though a&ualiy applied to the males, yet the fe- males were virtually circumcifed in them. Hence the whole Church of the Lewes are called the Circumcifion. And Exod. 12.48. nouncircumcifed per- fon might eat of the Paffeover, whereof women did care as well as men. Ob. But Cires mcifion was not afeale of the fpirttual part of the Covenant of grace, but of fame temporal and earthly hidings, as of then right to Ca- naan, v c. A fw. That Circumcifion was a frgne of the Covenant of grace is plain, Ron:. 4. r 1. Abraham received Circumcifionfor afgne of the righteosefneffe of faith, (7c. That the Priviled`es of believers under the Gofpel is more large, honourable and comfortable, appears, Deb. 8.6. 2. Cor.3.to. Ga1.4.1,trc. Now 1. Howuncomfortable a thing is it to Parents, to take away the very ground of their hope for the falvationof their Infants. For we have noground of hope for any particular perfon, till he be brought under the Covenant of grace. z. How unwilling alfo mull Chriflian Parents be to part with their childrens right, to the fealeof the Covenant, this their right to the Covenant being all ground of hope that believing Parents have that their Infants that die in their Infancy, are faved, rather then the Infants of Turks or Pa- tans. Ob. But there is neither `Precept, Prefdent, nor expreffe Intl-itution in all the New Teftumentfor the Baptifme of Infants? Anfre. I deny the confequence, that if in fo many words it be not command- ed, it is not to be done : There isno expreffe reviving of the Lawesin the New Teflament, concerning the forbidden degrees of marriage : nor againft Poly- gamic : orfor thecelebration of a weeklySabbath : nor for womens receiving the Lords Supper. No expreffe command for believers children when grown up, to be baptized, nor exampleof it, though there wasfor the inflru&ing and baptizingJewes and Heathens : But we have virtually, andbyundeniable confe- quence fufficient evidence for the Baptifine of children, both commands and examples. As Gods command to Abraham, as he wasthe father of all Cove- nanters, that he fhould feale his children with the feale of the Cove- nant. Again, t_Mer.16.15. Chrifi commands hisdifciples to teach all thingswhat he had commanded them, i. e. the whole Golpel containing all the Promifcs, whereofthis isone, I will be the cIod of believers, and of theirfeed: that the feedof believers are taken into Covenant with their Parents. And <..Mat. 28. Teach all Nations, baptizing them, &c. Now as they were to teach the afore- faidPromifes, fo they were to baptizethem: the perfons towhom they were to do this, wereall Nations, whereasbefore the Church was tied to the Jewes only ;
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