Certain disputations of right to sacraments, and the true nature of visible Christianity defending…

If the Children of such Parents have such Right to Baptism, it is either for their own sake (i.e. some Title or ground in themselves.) 2. or for their immediate parents, 3. or their Ancestors, 4. or some Undertakers, 5. or the Church. These five grounds are pleaded by some: And though our Question directly speaketh only of the second; and therefore if any of the rest be proved, it nothing makes against our Negative determination, because we take it Reduplicativè (of the children of such Parents as theirs:) yet we judge it most useful to our main end, that we touch upon each of these several Claims.

If the Children of such Parents have such Right to Baptism, it is either for their own sake (i.e. some Title or ground in themselves.) 2. or for their immediate parents, 3. or their Ancestors, 4. or some Undertakers, 5. or the Church. These five grounds are pleaded by some: And though our Question directly speaketh only of the second; and therefore if any of the rest be proved, it nothing makes against our Negative determination, because we take it Reduplicativè (of the children of such Parents as theirs:) yet we judge it most usefull to our main end, that we touch upon each of these several Claims.

And 1. If the Infants of such Parents have any such Right from any thing in themselves, it is either from somewhat proper to themselves and some others such as they, or somewhat common to all Infants: But neither of these; Ergo — 1. For the first Member, I know nothing said but this: [Possibly they may have some seed of Grace in them, we know not the contrary.] Answ. 1. As to us, its all one, non esse, & non apparere: we must have some Evidence of such a seed of Grace, or else we cannot discern it. 2. Else we must baptize the children of all or any Heathen or Infidel; because for ought we know, they may have some seed of Grace.

For the second Member, it is thus argued by some: God requireth nothing but Consent on our parts, to our entrance into Covenant with him, seeing it is a Covenant of free Grace: but all Infants must by us be supposed to Consent: therefore all must be supposed to have Right to Baptism.] The Major we grant. The Minor they would thus prove: It is a Rule in the Civil Law, That it is supposed that a man will be willing of his own Good; And another Rule there is, That the Law supposeth a man to be what he ought to be, till the contrary appear; therefore Infants, who make not the contrary appear, are by us to be judged virtual Consenters or Accepters of the Covenant; and consequently to be Baptized. Answ. These Rules may hold in dealings between man and man, about such things as Nature may both discern to be Good, and desire; but they cannot hold in the Case in hand;