ing temper and action, upon receiving fuch a truft? Would it not naturally have a good influence on the conduct of the parent, with regard to his child; difpofing him either to refign it more chearfully, if taken from him by death; or to train it up more religiously if its life be continued? And might it not be hoped, that GOD would graciously accept and reward the piety of fuch a parent, with peculiar bleffings on fuch a child?

But, from this general view of the several dispenfations of religion with respect to Infants, from which their right to Baptifm may be ftrongly prefumed. We proceed farther to establish it by clear and direct proofs.

ARGUMENT

ARGUMENT I

The first argument shall be presented under the following propofitions.

I

T is an inconteftible fact, that the INFANTS of believers, were, in former difpenfations or ages of the church, taken together with their parents into covenant with GOD; and had, by his exprefs command, a facrament or rite given them, as a token that JEHOVAH was their GOD; and that in confequence hereof; HE counted them for His children, and as ftanding in a peculiar relation to himself. Gen. xvii. 7, 10, 11, 12. Deut. xxix. 10, 11, 12. Ezek. xvi. 20, 21. See thefe fcriptures already cited, pag. 4,

6.

II. When thefe INFANTS of believers were thus taken into COVENANT, it was certainly, a great PRIVILEGE, a favour or grant most thankfully to be received.

For, by this token, the MOST HIGH obliged himself and covenanted to be THE GOD of that Infant. And what that implies, fee before explained, pag. 4, 5. Now

III. If this great PRIVILEGE was once granted by GOD to his church, it is a privilege STILL fub

fifting,

fifting, and is Now in actual and full force, if it has not been revoked. But

IV. This privilege or grant has NEVER been REVOKED. No fuch revocation, nor any shadow of it, appears in the whole book of God. Therefore

V. The INFANTS of believers having STILL a right to their antient UNREPEALED privilege, of being admitted with their parents into covenant with GOD, and of having its token applied to them; it hence neceffarily follows, that they have right to Chriftian Baptifm; for Baptifm is now the ONLY appointed token or ceremony of admiffion.

These propofitions, it is humbly apprehended, amount to a demonstration of the point in debate. Which of them can be denied? Will any man fay. 1. That the Infant of believers, in the former ages of the church, were not taken, with their parents into covenant with GOD; had not, by his express command, a facrament or rite given them in token that JEHOVAH was their God; and that, in confequence of this, they were not confidered and treated as being in a peculiar manner His? This no man will affirm. Will it then be faid, 2. That this, though it was granted to the Infants of good men of old, was really no privilege nor favour to them. Neither durft any man affert this. Can it be urged then, 3. That this privilege, though granted antiently to the church, and enjoyed by it many ages, does not, Now, continue to it; nor ought, Now, to be enjoyed by it; though it be at the fame time acknowledged not to have been repealed? Abfurd to imagine! Will it be faid then, 4. That this antient privilege or grant has, indeed, been repealed? Let the REPEAL be fhewn, and

the

the point fhall be given up. There appears no fuch REPEAL, nor any thing like it, in the whole facred fcriptures on the contrary, there appear many things, as will presently be feen, abundantly to confirm this invaluable privilege; and to Strengthen and enlarge it. And, indeed, it were the height of abfurdity to imagine, that JESUS CHRIST came to cut short the privileges of the church, in any fingle point; and to caft the children of believers out of God's covenant, who before were taken into it.

It being impoffible to deny, then, that the Infants of believers have STILL a right to their antient UNREPEALED privilege, of being admitted with their parents into God's covenant, and of having its token applied to them.-The conféquence is inevitable. That they have then a right to Baptifm, the appointed token of God's covenant, and the only initiatory rite by which perfons are now admitted into it.

The point is farther proved thus.

ARGUMENT II.

From the ABRAHAMIC Covenant.

THE

E covenant which God made with Abraham, and with HIS SEED, Gen. xvii. (into which bis Infants were taken, together with himself, by the rite of circumcifion.) That covenant, I fay, is the very SAME which we are now under, even the chriftian or gofpel covenant; and ABRAHAM, in that tranfaction, acted and is confidered under the character of OUR FATHER, the Father of us believing Gentiles: the original grants, therefore, and pri

D

vileges

vileges of that covenant muft neceffarily belong to us, believing Gentiles, HIS SEED.-Now it was an indifputable grant or privilege of that covenant, that INFANTS fhould be received, together with their parents, into it; and folemnly pafs under its facrament or feal. This grant, therefore,, or privilege, in behalf of our INFANTS, we, believing Gentiles, may now confidently claim.

That WE, believing Gentiles, are the SEED really included and intended in that covenant; and that Abraham, in that tranfaction, was confidered as OUR FATHER-is a point actually, and most clearly, determined by St. Paul. For in two feveral epiftles (Rom. iv. and Galat. iii.) where he is explaining the nature and extent of the chriftian or gofpel covenant, he quotes THIS covenant made with Abraham (Gen. xvii.) refers to it, and reafons from it, and fetches arguments thence to prove, that BELIEVERS from among the Gentiles are, under the chriftian difpenfation, to be fellow-beirs with the Jews, and are the REAL SEED of Abraham intended in that covenant. See Rom. iv. 9.-particularly ver. 16, 17. Therefore IT (i. e. the bleffednefs, or juftification, of the Abrahamic covenant) is of FAITH, that it might be by grace; to the end THE PROMISE might be fure to ALL THE SEED; not to that only which is of THE LAW, but to that also which is of the FAITH OF Abraham, who is the FATHER OF US ALL, (i. e. of believing Gentiles as well as Jews,) as it is written (Gen. xvii. 5.) I have made thee a FATHER of MANY NATIONS.

Exprefsly to the fame purpose, the Apostle alfo affures us, Galat. iii. 7. That they who ARE OF FAITH (Believers) the fame are THE CHILDREN of Abraham. And ver. 29. If ye are CHRIST'S (i.e. Believers) then are ye ABRAHAM'S SEED, and beirs according to the promife. And again ver 16, 17.

that