EpißleofS. Paul to Titus. CHAP.3 5 Obie5. But they want faith ? Anfw.t. They want indeede aé}uall 64; faith, which prefuppofeth hearing, vnderfiauding, &c. neithercould it Fairh of infant, be that ifthey had at thát time fuch an habituall faith, that they fhould what. fovtterly loofc it, as neuer after tomake fhew of it, vnleffe it be attai- ned by new infiration. Secondly, they want not all faith, Chrifl himfelfe reckoneth them a- I mongbeleeners,Matth.t8.6. whofoeuer ofrfendeth oneof thefe little ones which beleeue in mee: in which refpeet circumciton which was ad- minifired to infants, was called afeale offaith. Thirdly,whereas force diuines thinke that this faith of theirs is no o- ther then the faith ofthe párencstthe truth is,chat the faith oftheparents . is fo farre theirs, as that it giuech them right to the couenant:for the co- uenant is made to Abraham and his feede, and to the faithfull and their feed:and the beleeuing parent alto iaiethhold on the couenant for him.. {-cite arid his feede,thereby intitling his child to the right of thecouenant as well as himfelfe: euen as in temporall things he can purchafe land for himfelfeand hic heires. This truth confirmeth the Apofile, Ifthe root be holy, (o are the branches: and the one parent beleeuing,t he childrenareho- 1.e r.entor y: to this purpofe faith c.í`Ylufculm, that childrenmay be called faithfull fid aes lice: although they haue no faith. nondumlmbuti Cunt fidc.MuCe. Fourthly, but becaufe this may feeme not lo proper a faith, beeing ,nMatth.t& wholly imputed. t. in that all children faued are not of beleeuingpa- rents ; yea we may in charitie 'prefume of Tome perhaps without the Church, whome the Lord.rnercitully faueth out of moll wickedproge- nitors for many generations : and z. becaufe the iuft fhallliue byht: Drone faith: It is veryprobable that eleóted infants haue a foirit sffaith, that is, spiritumfidei. the fpirit of God working inwardly and fecretly; but diuer(ly in in- Zanohadeph. [ants dying before difcretion, and chofe which (hall furviue: to the for- mer gluing thatfpirit which worketh either faith, or fomething propor- tionable for their iuflification, regeneration,fanó?;ification,and falciati- on : in the latter working the feeds or inclination offaith, which in due semen fide; time (hall fru6iifie vino eternal' life. And hereunto the Scriptures glue infinuation,in (hewing how after a maruellous and fecret manner, the rn infsnribus Lord can and bath effeótually wrought in infants euen in the wombe, as 4ni adhuc pet m cr in IacoU,Ieremy,Iohn Bapti(l, andothers:neithcr cloth it any thing hio- nun xrate p..Rn cdere t, 'der that infants haue no fenfe of any filch thing, no more then it proo- iPir usanáts ueth them not tohue, becaufe they know not that they doe fo. And not d bus 6de.v:aa onely the Scriptures, but that auncient and commondifliniion of bap- Zépm ;h?ate. tifine,t.into that ofwater, a,holyGhofl,;.martyrdome,feemethto him' Sapirmu Bn that well confidereth toglue Tome ground of it. Howfoeuer it be,íf w e faugutnis. cannot attaine the manner ofthis fecret working in infants , we knowe, S f t that 1 4
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