A47591:1638
Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient…Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient…
Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient Britons [sic] being an answer to a book, intituled [sic] Children's baptism from Heaven, published in the Welsh tongue by Mr. James Owen / by Benjamin Keach.Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient Britains [sic] being an answer to a book, iutituled [sic] Children's baptism from Heaven, published in the Welsh tongue by Mr. James Owen / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by William Marshall, 1696
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.
3. Do not go about directly nor indirectly to deceive your Children, by making them believe they are in a good condition, by reason they are the Seed of believing Parents, and Baptized as these Men call Sprinkling, and so that way made Christians, and so from hence perhaps look for no further or other work of Grace, or regeneration; but think they by this pretended baptism are the Children of God, Members of Christ, and Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven; when 'tis in Truth no such thing, nor have you any cause to doubt but that your Infants, who die tho' not baptized are happy, as appears from what we have said, neither be you so ignorant to believe that baptism can save your Infants, or the Adult either; nor let poor Children cry out against their ungodly Parents, ⟨p. 296⟩as some of these pedo-baptists intimate they may do. Pray see what Mr. Burkitt saith in his Book. page 62. Before your Children are born, make sure as much as in you lieth, that they may be born within the Covenant, and under the promise, by your being in Covenant with God Your selves; see that the Lord be your God in Covenant with you, and then you may comfortably hope he will be the God of your Seed.
Answ. This Doctrine implies, that 'tis in the power of Men and Women to bring their Children into the Covenant of Grace, and as also it denotes that the Children of believers are not Born Children of Wrath by Nature, for are those that are born in the Covenant of Grace, born Children of Wrath? O ye Parents, know that you may be in Covenant, and your Children never in it whilst they live, nay die out of Covenant, as doubtless many Children of the Faithful do. Nor hath God made any such Covenant with any believer, and their Natural Seed as such, as he made with Abraham, who was the Father of all that believe, but so are not you nor I, tho' we are believers and in Covenant with God, and walk in Abraham's Steps. Those that are in the Election of Grace of your Seed, never fear, but God will in due time bring into the Covenant of Grace, and give all the Covenant Blessings and Privileges, but if any of them are not comprehended in the Election of Grace, their being born of your Loins, will not, cannot bring them into the Covenant of Grace, nor give them a right to the Seal thereof, viz. the holy Spirit; nor can baptism bring any into it, which is only an outward Sign of our being in that Covenant, or of that divine and spiritual Grace we received, before we were baptized as I have proved.