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lifting him up, to expose him to the deeper reproach, and sets him forth as the more notable object of contempt.

ANSW. III. Concerning the tendency of this way of confining baptism to professors of godliness and their children, to promote irreligion and profaneness; I would observe, First, That Christ is best able to judge of the tendency of his own institutions. Secondly, I am bold to say, that the supposing this principle and practice to have such a tendency, is a great mistake, contrary to scripture and plain reason and experience. Indeed such a tendency it would have, to shut men out from having any part in the Lord (in the sense of the two tribes and half, Josh. xxii. 25) or to fence them out by such a partition wall as formerly was between Jews and Gentiles; and so to shut them out as to tell them, if they were ever so much disposed to serve God, he was not ready to accept them; according to that notion the Jews seem to have had of the uncircumcised Gentiles. But only to forbear giving men honors they have no title to, and not to compliment them with the name and badge of God's people and children, while they pretend to nothing but what is consistent with their being his enemies, this has no such tendency: But rather the contrary has very much this tendency. For is it not found by constant experience through all ages, that blind, corrupt mankind in matters of religion, are strongly disposed to rest in a name, instead of the thing; in the shadow, instead of the substance; and to make themselves easy with the former, in the neglect of the latter? This overvaluing of common grace, and moral sincerity, as it is called; this building so much upon them, making them the conditions of enjoying the seals of God's covenant, and the appointed privileges, and honorable and sacred badges of God's children; this, I cannot but think, naturally tends to sooth and flatter the pride of vain man, while it tends to aggrandize those things in men's eyes, which they, of themselves, are strongly disposed to magnify and trust in, without such encouragements to prompt them to it, yea against all discouragements and dissuasives that can possibly be used with them.

This way of proceeding greatly tends to establish the negligence of parents, and to confirm the stupidity and security of wicked children. If baptism were denied to all ohildren, whose parents did not profess godliness, and in a judgment of rational charity appear real saints, it would tend to excite pious heads of families to more thorough care and pains in the religious education of their children, and to more fervent prayer for them, that they might be converted in youth, before they enter into a married state; and so if they have children, the entail of the covenant be secured. And it would tend to awaken young people themselves, as yet unconverted, especially when about to settle in the world. Their having no right to Christjan privileges for their children, in case they should become parents, would tend to lead them at such a time seriously to reflect on their own awful state; which, if they do not get out of it, must lay a foundation for so much calamity and reproach to their families. And if, after their becoming parents, they still remain unconverted, the melancholy thought of their children's going about without so much as the external mark of Christians, would have a continual tendency to put them in mind of, and affect them with their own sin and folly in neg. lecting to turn to God, by which they bring such visible calamity and disgrace on themselves and families: They would have this additional motive continually to stir them up to seek grace for themselves and their children: Whereas the contrary practice has a natural tendency to quiet the minds of persons, both in their own and their children's unregeneracy. Yea, may it not be suspected, that the way of baptizing the children of such as never make any proper profession of godliness, is an expedient originally invented for that very end, to give ease to ancestors with respect to their posterity, in times of general declension and degeneracy?

This way of proceeding greatly tends to establish the stupidity and irreligion of children, as well as negligence of parents. It is certain that unconverted parents do never truly give up their children to God; since they do not truly give up themselves to him. And if neither of the parents appears truly pious, in the judgment of rational charity, there is not in

this case any ground to expect that the children will be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, or that they will have any thing worthy the name of a Christian education, how solemnly soever the parents may promise it. The faithfulness of Abraham was such as might be trusted in this matter. See Gen. xviii. 19. But men that are not so much

not.

as visibly godly, upon what grounds are they to be trusted? How can it be reasonably expected, that they should faithfully bring up their children for GOD, who were never sincere. ly willing that their children or themselves should be his? And it will be but presumption, to expect that those children who are never given up to God, nor brought up for him, should prove religious and be God's children. There is no manner of reason to expect any other than that such children ordinarily will grow up in irreligion, whether they are baptized or And for persons to go about with the name and visible seal of God, and the sacred badge of Christianity upon them, having had their bodies, by a holy ordinance, consecrated to God as his temples, yet living in irreligion and ways of wickedness, this serves exceedingly to harden them, and establish in them an habitual contempt of sacred things. Such persons, above all men are like to be the most hardened and abandoned, and most difficultly reclaimed: As it was with the wicked Jews, who were much more confirmed in their wickedness, than those heathen cities of Tyre and Sidon. To give that which is holy to those who are profane, (or that we have no manner of reason from the circumstances of parentage and education, to expect will be otherwise) is not the way to make them better, but worse: It is the way to have them habitually trample holy things under their feet, and increase in contempt of them, yea, even to turn again and rent us, and be more mischievous and hurtful enemies of that which is good, than otherwise they would be.

OBJECTION XX.

SOME ministers have been greatly blessed in the other way of proceeding, and some men have been converted at the Lord's supper.

ANSW. Though we are to eye the providence of God, and not disregard his works, yet to interpret them to a sense, or apply them to a use inconsistent with the scope of the word of God, is a misconstruction and misapplication of them. God has not given us his providence, but his word to be our governing rule. God is sovereign in his dispensations of providence; he bestowed the blessing on Jacob, even when he had a lie in his mouth; he was pleased to meet with Solomon, and make known himself to him, and bless him in an extraordinary manner, while he was worshipping in an high place; he met with Saul, when in a course of violent opposition to him, and out of the way of his duty to the highest degree, going to Damascus to persecute Christ; and even then bestowed the greatest blessing upon him, that perhaps ever was bestowed on a mere man. The conduct of divine providence, with its reasons, is too little understood by us to be im proved as our rule. "God has his way in the sea, his path in the mighty waters, and his footsteps are not known: And he gives none account of any of his matters." But God has given us his word, to this very end, that it might be our rule; and therefore has fitted it to be so; has so ordered it that it may be understood by us. And strictly speaking this is our only rule. If we join any thing else to it, as making it our rule, we do that which we have no warrant for, yea, that which God himself has forbidden. See Deut. iv. 2. Prov xxx. 6. And with regard to God's blessing and succeeding of ministers, have not some had remarkable experience of it in the way which I plead for, as well as some who have been for the way I oppose? However we cannot conclude, that God sees nothing at all amiss in ministers, because he blesses them. In

general, he may see those things in them which are very right and excellent; these he approves and regards, while he overlooks and pardons their mistakes in opinion or practice, and notwithstanding these is pleased to crown their labors with his blessing.

As to the two last arguments in the Appeal to the Learned, concerning the subjects of the Christian sacraments, their being members of the visible church, and not the invisible; the force of those arguments depends entirely on the resolution of that question, Who are visible saints? Or what adult persons are regularly admitted to the privileges of members of the visible church? Which question has already been largely considered: And, I think, it has been demonstrated that they are those who exhibit a credible profession and visibility of gospel holiness or vital piety, and not merely of moral sincerity. So that there is no need of further debating the point in this place.

I might here mention many things not yet taken notice of, which some object as inconveniences attending the scheme I have maintained: And if men should set up their own wit and wisdom in opposition to God's revealed will, there is no end of the objections of this kind, which might be raised against any of God's institutions. Some have found great fault even with the creation of the world, as being very inconveniently done, and have imagined that they could tell how it might be mended in a great many respects. But however God's altar may appear homely to us, yet if we lift up our tool upon it to mend it we shall pollute it. Laws and institutions are given for the general good, and not to avoid every particular inconvenience. And however it may so happen, that sometimes inconveniences (real or imaginary) may attend the scheme I have maintained; yet, I think, they are in no measure equal to the manifest conveniences and happy tendencies of it, or to the palpable inconveniences and pernicious consequences of the other. I have already mentioned some things of this aspect, and would here briefly observe some other.

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