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

Mr. T. If this mercy here imply Church-membership to the Infants of them that love him to a thousand Generations, then it implieth it to all the Infants in the world — But there is nothing to prove that this mercy must be Church-membership, or that it must be to all the children of them that love God, or that it must be to them in Infancy — I incline to conceive this a promise of temporal mercies, chiefly to the Israelites —

Reply. 1. That it is not only of temporal mercies, the words [Love and Hate] as the qualification of the Parents, seem to prove; and the joining the children to the Parents in the retribution: And all the terms seem above such a sense: It is the revenge of a jealous God on Idolaters, and mercy to his Lovers that is spoken of: ⟨p. 136⟩And the joining this Command to the first which settleth our relation to God, with the Laws annexed in Deut. for the cutting off whole Cities (Parents and Children) that turn from God to Idols, showeth that it reached to Church-Communion and Life.

Reply. 1. That it is not only of temporal mercies, the words [Love and Hate] as the qualification of the Parents, seem to prove; and the joyning the children to the Parents in the retribution: And all the terms seem above such a sense: It is the revenge of a jealous God on Idolaters, and mercy to his Lovers that is spoken of: ⟨p. 136⟩And the joyning this Command to the first which setleth our relation to God, with the Laws annexed in Deut. for the cutting off whole Cities (Parents and Children) that turn from God to Idols, sheweth that it reached to Church-Communion and Life.