116 exaIstsAu IIArYten. be no such express and plain commandsor examplesof it wrïtteñ in scripture as we might have expected, yet there are several inferences to be drawn from what is written, which afford a just andreasonable encouragement to this practice, and guard it from the censure ofsuperstition and will-worship. This has been a long and troublesome dispute indeed among the churches since there- formation : I shall not pretend to debate it here, but only rehearse a few hints of argument, which are commonly used to vindicate the practice of baptizing children, viz. 1. That ever since God called the family of Abraham, and settled his visible church in it, he has never suffered it to fair. It was an everlasting covenant that he made with Abraham to be. his God, and the Godof his seed; Genexvii. 7, 8. that he might be the Father Moth ofJews and Gentiles, who were brought into the church, as in Rom. iv. 11=16. 2. The Jewish and the christian church are but one and the same visible church in a continued succession, though under dif- ferent administrations and ordinances. The same spiritual pro- mises and blessings which belónged to the church under the Old Testament, belong also toit under the New ; Acts ii. 39. 2 Cor. i. 20. Abraham is represented as the root or stock of the visible church; Rom. xi. 16, 17, &c. The Jewish church are the natural branches of it, the Gentiles are ingrafied into the same stock, vertes 17-24. andpartakeof the blessings ofit. 3. The children of the Jews were visible members of the Jewish churchunder the covenantof Abraham, and as such they were recognised, acknowledged and received into it by circum- cision, as the door of entrance : Now circumcision was a seal in general,both ofspiritual blessings and outward privileges ; Rom. iv. 11. A seal of the righteousness of faith, as well as the pos- session of Canaan, and of the covenant of grace, as well as of the covenant of Sinai. 4. The children of christians were never Cut off from this privilege, when the fathers were received into the church, whe- ther they were Jews or Gentiles : and therefore they are tobe reckoned at least a sort of incompletemembers of the christian church also, under spiritual promises and blessings. When the Jews the natural branches were cut off from the good olive tree, their little buds were cut offwith them also; andwhen the Gentiles by aprofession offaithweregrafted inasforeignbranches, their little buds were grafted in with them. Christreceived the children that were brought by the hands of their believing parents, and " laid his hands on them, and blessed them, and said, of such is the kingdom of heaven ;" Mat. x. 13 -16. The promises of the Old Testament, wherein children are included in some of the prophets do refer to the Gentile church' as well as the Jew-
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