I deny not, but that may be part of the meaning: yet so, as not to exclude the Infants, or children of the Faithful, from the number of the children of the Church. For the same Prophet speaking of the same Church,1 fetcheth in Infants among the blessed ones of the Church, and blessed with such spiritual light, and life from Christ, as if they had lived an hundred years in the Church.2 Esa. 65.20. There shall be no more (saith he) thenceforth an Infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days. For the child shall dye an hundred years old, but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. How shall the child dye as at an hundred years old, but that he is so well instructed and enlightened by Christ, and thereby as capable of entrance into heavenly glory, as a grown disciple of an hundred years old? The Allegorical sense which some force upon Infants (as if by them were meant young Converts, though of riper years) the Text will not bear it. For the Text maketh an express opposition between these Infants, in the Church, and sinners of an hundred years old. Where the two extreme periods of mans life, old age of an hundred years, & Infants being set one against another, Infants cannot be fitly meant of any but those of fewest days, even Infants of a few days, of a year or two old. And besides, the Holy Ghost in the Text giveth a Reason of this Grace (together with some other like favours) unto Infants in the Church above Sinners of an hundred years old, taken from the Covenant of their blessed Ancestors v. 23: For they are (saith he) ⟨p. 7⟩the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their off-spring with them. And evident it is, that the Apostle Peter reckoneth Infants of the Church for Disciples. For in Acts 15.10. reproving the way of false Teachers who would have put Circumcision upon the Gentile Churches, and their seed, Why tempt ye God, saith he, to put a yoke upon the neck of the Disciples? If the Infants of the Church had not been Disciples, the false Apostles could have pretended no power to have put that Ordinance upon them. And Peter rejecteth it, not because Infants were no Disciples, but acknowledging them to be Disciples as well as their Fathers, the yoke of Circumcision was now too heavy for them, as drawing upon them the yoke of the Ceremonial Law.
I deny not, but that may be part of the meaning: yet so, as not to exclude the Infants, or children of the Faithfull, from the number of the children of the Church. For the same Prophet speaking of the same Church,1 fetcheth in Infants among the blessed ones of the Church, and blessed with such spirituall light, and life from Christ, as if they had lived an hundred years in the Church.2 Esa. 65.20. There shall be no more (saith he) thenceforth an Infant of dayes, nor an old man that hath not filled his dayes. For the child shall dye an hundred yeares old, but the sinner being an hundred yeares old shall be accursed. How shall the child dye as at an hundred yeares old, but that he is so well instructed and inlightned by Christ, and thereby as capable of entrance into heavenly glory, as a growen disciple of an hundred yeares old? The Allegoricall sense which some force upon Infants (as if by them were meant young Converts, though of riper yeares) the Text will not beare it. For the Text maketh an expresse opposition betweene these Infants, in the Church, and sinners of an hundred yeares old. Where the two extreame periods of mans life, old age of an hundred years, & Infants being set one against another, Infants cannot be fitly meant of any but those of fewest dayes, even Infants of a few dayes, of a yeer or two old. And besides, the Holy Ghost in the Text giveth a Reason of this Grace (together with some other like favours) unto Infants in the Church above Sinners of an hundred yeares old, taken from the Covenant of their blessed Ancestors v. 23: For they are (saith he) ⟨p. 7⟩the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their off-spring with them. And evident it is, that the Apostle Peter reckoneth Infants of the Church for Disciples. For in Acts 15.10. reproving the way of false Teachers who would have put Circumcision upon the Gentile Churches, and their seed, Why tempt ye God, saith he, to put a yoake upon the neck of the Disciples? If the Infants of the Church had not been Disciples, the false Apostles could have pretended no power to have put that Ordinance upon them. And Peter rejecteth it, not because Infants were no Disciples, but acknowledging them to be Disciples as well as their Fathers, the yoake of Circumsion was now too heavy for them, as drawing upon them the yoake of the Ceremoniall Law.
- 1Sylvester.Silvester.
- 2Silvanus.
