A80622:476
The grounds and ends of the baptism of the children of the faithful. Opened…The grounds and ends of the baptisme of the children of the faithfull. Opened…
The grounds and ends of the baptism of the children of the faithful. Opened in a familiar discourse by way of a dialogue, or brotherly conference. / By the learned and faithful minister of Christ, John Cotton, teacher of the Church of Boston in New-England.The grounds and ends of the baptisme of the children of the faithfull. Opened in a familiar discourse by way of a dialogue, or brotherly conference. / By the learned and faithfull minister of Christ, John Cotton, teacher of the Church of Boston in New-England.
London: printed by R.C. for Andrew Crooke, 1646
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.
Two things let me here answer you.
1. It implieth a contradiction to say, the blessing of Abraham is given to believers, and only to believers, and to none else, intending thereby to exclude the infants of believers. For what is the blessing of Abraham? Is it not this promise of grace, that God will be a God to him and his seed? If this blessing then come upon believers, then this promise cometh upon them; That God ⟨p. 137⟩will be a God to them and their seed. You must therefore either deny the blessing of Abraham to come upon believers; or else you must grant the promise of grace to come upon them and upon their seed also. Yea, (say you) upon their believing seed, such as succeed them in the same faith and truth, not upon others. If that were the meaning of the promise, it could not be said with any congruity of speech, that the promise cometh upon the seed of believers at all. For when the children of believers come to be believers, the promise cometh not to them at all as the seed of believers, but as believers themselves. The children of Pagans when they come to believe, may as well claim the promise to belong unto them, as may the children of believers, when themselves do believe.
1. It implyeth a contradiction to say, the blessing of Abraham is given to believers, and onely to believers, and to none else, intending thereby to exclude the infants of believers. For what is the blessing of Abraham? Is it not this promise of grace, that God will bee a God to him and his seed? If this blessing then come upon believers, then this promise commeth upon them; That God ⟨p. 137⟩will be a God to them and their seed. You must therefore either deny the blessing of Abraham to come upon believers; or else you must grant the promise of grace to come upon them and upon their seed also. Yea, (say you) upon their believing seed, such as succeed them in the same faith and truth, not upon others. If that were the meaning of the promise, it could not bee said with any congruity of speech, that the promise commeth upon the seed of believers at all. For when the children of believers come to be believers, the promise commeth not to them at all as the seed of believers, but as believers themselves. The children of Pagans when they come to beleeve, may as well claim the promise to belong unto them, as may the children of believers, when themselves doe believe.