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

Answ. 1. It giveth both Justification and visible membership; that is, Right to both and many other Covenant benefits. 2. It belongeth Conditionally to all, and Conditionally gives union with Christ and his Church, and Pardon and life to all: But actually to none, till the condition be performed; which is a believing Parents consent, and regularly his Baptismal dedication.

Mr. T. If there were a Covenant to the faithful and their seed, to be their God, yet this would not prove their Infants Christian visible Church-membership: As he is the God of Abraham, of Infants dying in the wombs of believers at the hour of death—

Answ. It's true, if they be not the Children of visible believers; because they are not visibly capable subjects. But it being such that we speak of, your three instances are abusive. 1. Abraham is a visible Church-member of the Church Triumphant where he is. I will not believe you if you deny it. 2. Infants of visible Christians dying in the womb, are in that degree visible Church-members as they are visible persons: that is, It is a known thing that they are the children of God according to their capacity. 3. One visibly believing at the hour of death is a visible Church-member: One not visibly believing belongeth not to our case.

Answ. A mere quibble. 1. Before he is born I tell you as far as he is visibly the child of a visible Christian, so fa• he is a visible unborn member: But as to that degree of visible membership which is proper to born baptizable Infants, two causes are wanting to the unborn: 1. Gods consent or donation: For though the Promise as a donative Instrument was existent a thousand years before, it effecteth not the gift till the subject be Receptive or capable: God may promise a thousand years before in diem or sub conditione, which signifieth his consent that so and then it shall be due, and not otherwise or before. These easy things should not be thus ⟨p. 174⟩winked at. 2. The Parents consent is wanting: For though the Parent dedicate the child in the womb to God by promise, yet he doth not deliver him up in the baptismal Covenant as a visible person till he is born.

Answ. A meer quibble. 1. Before he is born I tell you as far as he is visibly the child of a visible Christian, so fa• he is a visible unborn member: But as to that degree of visible membership which is proper to born baptizable Infants, two causes are wanting to the unborn: 1. Gods consent or donation: For though the Promise as a donative Instrument was existent a thousand years before, it effecteth not the gift till the subject be Receptive or capable: God may promise a thousand years before in diem or sub conditione, which signifyeth his consent that so and then it shall be due, and not otherwise or before. These easie things should not be thus ⟨p. 174⟩winked at. 2. The Parents consent is wanting: For though the Parent dedicate the child in the womb to God by promise, yet he doth not deliver him up in the baptismal Covenant as a visible person till he is born.

Mr. T. reciting my answer elsewhere saith [It deserveth a smile: For I make Christ by his Law or Covenant-grant the only cause efficient] The rest of his words are 1. To tell us that Justification &c. hath a further efficient after the Covenant; which causeth Justificability, but not actual Justification without mans faith. 2. That I err in taking visible membership to be a Right, and moral effect.

Answ. I take not that for the picture of the wisest man, whom the Painter draweth laughing or smiling. And I am now confirmed in that fancy. 1. A Testament or Deed of Gift in diem which saith At seven years end that land shall be yours] may be the only efficient Instrument, long before existent, and yet give you no right till the time; and then give it▪ Because it effecteth but by signification of the Donors will. Must the Christendom of Kingdoms be impetuously questioned by men that know not such rudiments as these? 2. That Justification which is given us at our believing, which is [our Right to Impunity and Life] is the Immediate effect of the Covenant Donation; and mans faith is no efficient but a Recipient cause of it (As even they confess that call it a Receiving Instrument:) And yet we have it not till we believe or consent. Who would have thought that such a m•n as you had ⟨p. 175⟩taken your own faith to be an efficient cause of your own Justification, and so that you justify your self? And what if one give land to you and your heirs? It is none of theirs till they are in being: And yet their birth is no efficient cause, but only the cause of the subjects receptive capacity. I am ashamed that you put me thus to catechize you.

Answ. I take not that for the picture of the wisest man, whom the Painter draweth laughing or smiling. And I am now confirmed in that fancy. 1. A Testament or Deed of Gift in diem which saith At seven years end that land shall be yours] may be the only efficient Instrument, long before existent, and yet give you no right till the time; and then give it▪ Because it effecteth but by signification of the Donors will. Must the Christendom of Kingdoms be impetuously questioned by men that know not such rudiments as these? 2. That Justification which is given us at our believing, which is [our Right to Impunity and Life] is the Immediate effect of the Covenant Donation; and mans faith is no efficient but a Recipient cause of it (As even they confess that call it a Receiving Instrument:) And yet we have it not till we believe or consent. Who would have thought that such a m•n as you had ⟨p. 175⟩taken your own faith to be an efficient cause of your own Justification, and so that you justifie your self? And what if one give land to you and your heirs? It is none of theirs till they are in being: And yet their birth is no efficient cause, but only the cause of the subjects receptive capacity. I am ashamed that you put me thus to catechize you.

Mr. T. 5. If visible Church-membership be antecedent to the interest a person hath in the Covenant, then the Covenant is not the cause of it. But &c. Ergo —

Answ. The word [Interest] may signify the Interest that fallen mankind hath in the Covenant as conditional antecedent to mans consent: And thus I suppose neither you nor I here speak of it. But if by my Interest you mean, that I am the person to whom the Covenant giveth a present Right to its benefits, I answer, Some benefits follow long after: but when I consent, then I am the person to whom the Covenant giveth a present Right to union with Christ, in the first instant and consequently with his Church or body in the second: so that here is no such thing as your feigned membership before Covenant interest, that is, before a Right to that Relation by Gods donation. And as […] former dream that this is not a Right an• moral effect but a physical, it was your self and not I that subjected you to the shame of such an assertion, which I will no more confute.

Answ. The word [Interest] may signifie the Interest that fallen mankind hath in the Covenant as conditional antecedent to mans consent: And thus I suppose neither you nor I here speak of it. But if by my Interest you mean, that I am the person to whom the Covenant giveth a present Right to its benefits, I answer, Some benefits follow long after: but when I consent, then I am the person to whom the Covenant giveth a present Right to union with Christ, in the first instant and consequently with his Church or body in the second: so that here is no such thing as your feigned membership before Covenant interest, that is, before a Right to that Relation by Gods donation. And as 〈…〉 former dream that this is not a Right an• moral effect but a physical, it was your self and not I that subjected you to the shame of such an assertion, which I will no more confute.

Mr. T. 6. If the Covenant &c. be the only […] bought Orphans of Turks, ⟨p. 176⟩wholly at our dispose, are no visible members, &c.

Mr. T. 6. If the Covenant &c. be the only 〈…〉 bought Orphans of Turks, ⟨p. 176⟩wholly at our dispose, are no visible members, &c.

Answ. No friend of truth will run into the dark with a controversy, and argue à minus notis. Many judicious Divines think that Gods Covenant with Abraham's Infants born in his house, proveth that two things go to make up the capacity of an Infant for baptism: 1. That he be his own and at his dispose who offereth him to God. 2. That he be offered or dedicated by a Consenting Owner. Now their reason is because if they be our own, we have the dispose of them for their good, and our wills are theirs. But the case is most clear about those that by Generation are our own, and darker about those that are by Adoption or purchase our own. Now here you do nothing but deny the darker (which you cannot disprove) and thence the plainer which we have fully proved.

Answ. No friend of truth will run into the dark with a controversie, and argue à minus notis. Many judicious Divines think that Gods Covenant with Abrahams Infants born in his house, proveth that two things go to make up the capacity of an Infant for baptism: 1. That he be his own and at his dispose who offereth him to God. 2. That he be offered or dedicated by a Consenting Owner. Now their reason is because if they be our own, we have the dispose of them for their good, and our wills are theirs. But the case is most clear about those that by Generation are our own, and darker about those that are by Adoption or purchase our own. Now here you do nothing but deny the darker (which you cannot disprove) and thence the plainer which we have fully proved.

Mr. T. 7. If the Covenant o• Law with the Parents actual faith without profession, make not the Parent a visible Church-member, neither doth it the child. But — Ergo.

Answ. I grant both major and minor: He that is not known to have faith, is not a visible adult member: And he that is not known to be the (justly reputed) child of a professed believer, is […] an Infant Church-member. And what's this […] our controversy? Heart consent maketh a mystical or invisible Christian and member, and Professed belief (that is, Believing Consent) maketh a visible member of the parent, and is necessary to the visible membership of the child: If I may call that Making them, ⟨p. 177⟩which is but the Disposition of the material Receptive constitutive cause. It's pity we should have need to talk at this rate.

Answ. I grant both major and minor: He that is not known to have faith, is not a visible adult member: And he that is not known to be the (justly reputed) child of a professed believer, is 〈…〉 an Infant Church-member. And what's this 〈…〉 our controversie? Heart consent maketh a mystical or invisible Christian and member, and Professed belief (that is, Believing Consent) maketh a visible member of the parent, and is necessary to the visible membership of the child: If I may call that Making them, ⟨p. 177⟩which is but the Disposition of the material Receptive constitutive cause. It's pitty we should have need to talk at this rate.

Mr. T. 8. If persons are visible Church-members and not by the Covenant of Grace, then it is not true that Christ by his Law or Covenant is the sole efficient of visible Church-membership. The minor is proved in Judas and hypocrites.

Answ. 1. They are not the sole efficient; Gods Love and mercy also is efficient.

2. You profess your self that the name [Christian and Church-member] are equivocal as to the sincere and the hypocrites: If they be not the same things, no wonder if they have not the same causes. That Donation or Covenant may be the sole nearest Instrumental efficient of True membership, and yet not of Equivocal.