A41329:277
The plea of the children of believing-parents for their interest in Abraham's covenant, their…
The plea of the children of believing-parents for their interest in Abraham's covenant, their right to church-member-ship with their parents, and consequently their title to baptism. The cause of publishing this discourse after so many learned men have laboured in this province, is declared in the preface to the reader. By Giles Firmin.
London: printed for Tho. Simons, 1683
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Object. If you say, If you could tell which they are, they should be Baptised.
Answ. Can you tell who have saving-Faith and Grace, though they make Actual Profession, and tell you they have it? they who you say are Dross, Chaff, Canaanites, no true Israelites, in your Baptised Congregations, they told you they had Faith, ⟨p. 92⟩when you Dipped them, but you were mistaken.
2. If that be yielded, that Infants may be Regenerate, may have Faith and Grace Seminally, then this Text which you do so talk of does not cut them off from Baptism.
3. By Abraham's Covenant, let the Parents be visible Believers, by their competent knowledge of Christ, profession of their Faith in him, and Conversation in some measure becoming Christians, giving up themselves to the Ordinances, and Rules of Christ's House, prove themselves thus to be visible Christians: and we can as regularly Baptise the Children of such Believers, as you Baptise your Adult persons, though as to the reality of saving Faith, we are mistaken, and so are you.