A Christian Directory

Answ. That which is called a mere Natural Condition is properly in Law sense no condition at all; nor doth make a Contract or Promise to be called Conditional in a Moral sense. But it is matters of Morality and not of Physics only that we are treating of; and therefore we must take the terms in a Moral sense. For a Physical Condition is either past; or present, or future, or not-future: If it be past or present, the proposition may indeed be hypothetical, but it is no such conditional promise as we are speaking of: For instance, if you say, [If thou wast born in such a City, or if thy name be John, I will give thee so much] These are the words of an uncertain promiser; but the Promise is already either equivalent to an Absolute Gift, or Null. So if the Physical condition be de futuro, e. g. [If thou be alive to morrow, I will give thee this or that; or if the Sun shine to morrow, &c.] This indeed suspendeth the gift or event; but not upon any Moral being which is in the power of the Receiver, but upon a Natural Contingency or uncertainty. And God hath no such Conditional Covenants or promises to be sealed by baptism. He saith not, If thou be the child of such or such a man, thou shalt be saved, as his natural off-spring only. If the Papists that accuse us for holding that the mere natural progeny of believers are saved as such, did well understand our doctrine, they would perceive that in this we differ not from the understanding sort among them, or at least, that their accusations run upon a mistake.

Answ. THat which is called a meer Natural Condition is properly in Law sense no condition at all; nor doth make a Contract or Promise to be called Conditional in a Moral sense. But it is matters of Morality and not of Physicks only that we are treating of; and therefore we must take the terms in a Moral sense. For a Physical Condition is either past; or present, or future, or not-future: If it be past or present, the proposition may indeed be hypothetical, but it is no such conditional promise as we are speaking of: For instance, if you say, [If thou wast born in such a City, or if thy name be Iohn, I will give thee so much] These are the words of an uncertain promiser; but the Promise is already either equivalent to an Absolute Gift, or Null. So if the Physical condition be de futuro, e. g. [If thou be alive to morrow, I will give thee this or that; or if the Sun shine to morrow, &c.] This indeed suspendeth the gift or event; but not upon any Moral being which is in the power of the Receiver, but upon a Natural Contingency or uncertainty. And God hath no such Conditional Covenants or promises to be sealed by baptism. He saith not, If thou be the child of such or such a man, thou shalt be saved, as his natural off-spring only. If the Papists that accuse us for holding that the meer natural progeny of believers are saved as such, did well understand our doctrine, they would perceive that in this we differ not from the understanding sort among them, or at least, that their accusations run upon a mistake.