The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…

Only this I may say, the Christians, ⟨p. 274⟩who were baptized in their Infancy, upon the account of Gods Covenant with his People and their Seed, have generally (I speak of good Christians) made so little improvement of the Covenant and their baptism, that it is no wonder, though some men rise up against the baptizing of Infants, God thereby giving a check to their negligence therein: But Christian, if thou hast not been so good a husband as thou shouldst have been, wilt thou therefore cut off all the seed of believers for thy sake, and deny them that privilege and advantage the Lord hath given them? If you say, what advantage is this to them? If you do not know, I will tell you what some have found, when in the time of their temptations, and darkness, they have been beaten out of all, and could not tell what promise to apply or fasten upon as theirs, then they remembered, God was my Fathers God, my Mothers God, in Covenant with them, and with their seed, Lord, I hold to my Fathers Covenant, or my Mothers Covenant; I choose thee for my God, as thou wert my Fathers God, or my Mothers God (if one be a believer, 1 Cor. 7.14.) thou hast given me the Seal in my baptism: I hold to the Seal: the things thou didst there signify and seal, I prize, I embrace, I plead for, that blood of Christ that may purge my Conscience from dead works, that I may serve the living God, Heb. 9.14. that thou wouldst pour that clean water upon me that I may be clean from all my filthiness, and from all my idols, that thou wouldst cleanse me, Ezek. 36.25. If thy Institutions have any thing in them, (as it were vile profaneness, to imagine thou shouldst set up any vain thing in thy Church) then I bless thee, that thou hast prevented me thus in my infancy, and hast given me an advantage so lay hold upon thee, which now I desire to improve and plead; here have some found footing, this it is hath brought in stay and support, with resolution to cleave to the Lord in this Covenant and Ordinance, when they could not tell where else to fasten: So that I conceive, as they do very ill, that mind not this their privilege, nor improve it, so they do ill, that cut off their Children from this privilege, that ⟨p. 275⟩