More proofs of infants church-membership and consequently their right to baptism, or, A second…

Reply. About 23 and 24 years of age I was my self in doubt of Infant Baptism: But had I read such a Writer as this against it, I think he would have easily resolved me for it. 1. The Covenant to Abraham's family was a Covenant of Evangelical Grace, he saith, (And surely so was that to Adam, and Noah before.) And it included Infants, but only as Elect in the Church invisible. But the conditional Promise or Covenant is confessed to include the Non-elect at age: And what! None of them in Infancy? Reader, How can this be called a Covenant, for God only to say [I will save all such Infants as I elect] and yet offer Salvation to none of them in the world on any condition, nor give a title to any person that can be known by themselves or others? They confound the Decree of God with his Covenant. If God had made no other Law, Promise or Covenant, with the adult, but [I will save whom I will save] who would have taken this for a Law or Covenant? And what right or hope doth this give to Christians for their Children more than Pagans?

Reply. About 23 and 24 years of age I was my self in doubt of Infant Baptism: But had I read such a Writer as this against it, I think he would have easily resolved me for it. 1. The Covenant to Abrahams family was a Covenant of Evangelical Grace, he saith, (And surely so was that to Adam, and Noe before.) And it included Infants, but only as Elect in the Church invisible. But the conditional Promise or Covenant is confest to include the Non-elect at age: And what! None of them in Infancy? Reader, How can this be called a Covenant, for God only to say [I will save all such Infants as I elect] and yet offer Salvation to none of them in the world on any condition, nor give a title to any person that can be known by themselves or others? They confound the Decree of God with his Covenant. If God had made no other Law, Promise or Covenant, with the adult, but [I will save whom I will save] who would have taken this for a Law or Covenant? And what right or hope doth this give to Christians for their Children more than Pagans?

And, Reader, if God have given no condition or character antecedent, as a differencing reason or qualification of those that he will save from those that he will not, but only told us that he will save whom he list, this maketh Infants no subjects of his Kingdom, under no Law, and so liable to no judgement, nor to stand in judgement with the rest of the world, but only to be used as beasts or stones, by Divine natural motion as he will. And then, how can you say that any Infants shall be damned, or not saved? Or that it shall be one of a million at least that shall not? For if there be no Law that giveth Right to Pardon and Salvation to any one Infant in the world, and yet many are saved, it will follow, 1. That God is (as the profane say) better than his word, and will save many to whom he never gave right to it by promise. 2. And will not the ungodly put in for the like hopes? If besides those that Gods Laws condemn or justify, God will save many in a neutral state, why may he not, saith the ungodly, save me also? for Infants once deserved punishment by original sin: And if God pardon them without any reason in themselves, he may do so by me. 3. Or at least he may save all the Infants in the world for ought you know, that die in Infancy.