make all proper and possible allowances in their favor, even all that they can reasonably desire; for grace will look on their exercises and conduct in the most favorable light. They have, therefore, all possible encouragement to exert themselves constantly, and strain every nerve in doing their duty to their children, that they may be faithful, and come up to the condition, knowing that no advantage will be taken of them for their many imperfections and defects, which they constantly confess and lament, if they be laborious and faithful in any good degree answerable to the importance of the case, and the motives and encouragements which are set before them. And their not knowing whether they have come up to that degree of exercise, care, and faithfulness, which is the condition of the promise, and fear that they have not, will be a constant spur to them to greater care, watchfulness, and diligence, that, if by any means, they may obtain the promised blessing to their children. And the greater and more constant their care and exertions are, and the more strongly they find their hearts turned unto their children in the practice of parental duty toward them, the more comfort they will have in the hope and confidence that the heart of their children will be turned to them, and that God will bless and save them; while they are still constantly and with importunity looking to him for grace and assistance to do their duty to their children, and that they may be blessed indeed.

QUEST. 3. Is not this a legal scheme? Salvation, according to this, is given to children for the good works of the parents; or, the children are saved by the obedience, and good and meritorious deeds, of the parents. Is not this directly contrary to salvation by free grace?

ANS. 1. It is certain, from Scripture, that God has given blessings to children out of regard to the obedience and faithfulness of their parents and ancestors. There are many instances of this in Scripture, which the attentive readers of it must have observed. Abraham, Caleb, and David are instances of it. Yet these blessings were as much of free grace as if they had not been given in this way.

ANS. 2. Many and great blessings, both in this world and in heaven, are promised and given to men as a reward of their obedience; and yet these blessings and rewards are as much the fruit of free grace as they could be if given in any other way, because they are really no more deserving of the blessings and rewards they receive than if they had not obeyed.

ANS. 3. The obedience and faithfulness of the parents in keeping covenant does not render their children more deserving

of blessings than if they had not obeyed. Holiness and salvation come to the children as much a free gift, and there is as much free grace in this gift to them, as if it did not come to them in this way in connection with the obedience of the parents; and the parents' obedience has not the least merit or desert of such blessings. Therefore, the promise made to them of saving blessings to their children, on condition of their obedience, is a gracious promise, wholly the fruit and expression of free, undeserved grace, as much as if their obedience were not the condition; and the parents depend on free, sovereign grace for a heart and assistance to perform the condition, so that it is all of free grace from beginning to end, from the foundation to the topstone. The covenant of grace is, therefore, hereby enlarged, and contains more grace by the promise of saving mercy to the children of those who keep the covenant than if it contained no such promise. The parents who have been in this way the instruments of bringing salvation to their children, will forever admire and adore that infinite free grace which so constituted the covenant of grace as to include their children with them, and given them grace to be faithful in the covenant, and perform the condition on which the promise of salvation to their children was made, and by which it has been conveyed to them. The children who are saved in this way will forever celebrate and adore that sovereign grace of God, exercised towards them in constituting such a gracious covenant, and ordering that they should be born of such pious parents, by whom they were brought into covenant and dedicated to God, and in giving their parents a heart to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and in this way giving them holiness and salvation. This is, therefore, so far from being inconsistent with salvation by free, sovereign grace, that it serves to display it, and instead of curtailing, it enlarges the covenant of grace.

QUES. 4. How are the children who are thus in covenant, and holy, in the sense explained, to be treated by the church?

ANSWER. Before they come to years of understanding, so as to be capable of acting in matters of religion for themselves, they are not to be admitted to receive the Lord's supper, because they are incapable of receiving any benefit by it, or of attending upon it in the manner and for the ends prescribed by Christ, viz., to do it in remembrance of him; but when they shall be able to act for themselves, the church of which they are members is to expect and require that they conduct as pious Christians, and profess and appear to understand the doctrines and duties of Christianity, and to be willing to obey Christ, in keeping all his commandments, and attending on all his insti

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tutions, to which they are to be admitted, and treated in all respects as the disciples of Christ. But if they be immoral, or neglect the duties of Christianity, and refuse or neglect to make a Christian profession, and attend upon the Lord's supper, the church is to use proper means to reclaim them, and bring them to their duty; and if they still neglect and refuse to hear the church and comply with their duty, they are to be rejected and cast out of the church, and treated in all respects as any adult persons are to be treated, who have been members of the church, and are rejected for disobedience to the laws of Christ.

As soon as the children are capable of being taught, they are to be instructed and told what their standing is, what has been done for them, what will be expected and required of them when they come to act for themselves; that if they do not then say "I am the Lord's," and subscribe with their hand to the Lord, and comply with all the institutions of Christ, they will fall under the censure of the church, and be cast out, as unworthy of the station into which they were brought by their parents; and this is constantly to be held up to their view, and urged upon them.

It has been observed, that if the laws given by Moses to the congregation of Israel were strictly observed, no child who was disobedient to his parents, and refused to serve the Lord, could be suffered to live among them, for all such were to be put to death; and that this law was suited to have a constant and mighty influence on parents, to awaken and excite them to the greatest care, prudence, and faithfulness in educating their children; and on the minds of children, from their early days, to lead them to hearken to their parents and obey them, and to make it their great concern to fear and serve the Lord.

The Christian institution, now under consideration, is suited to answer the same end, and to have a salutary effect on the minds both of parents and their children. Though, under the milder dispensation of the gospel, no one is to be put to death for rejecting Christ and the gospel, even though he were before this a visible member of the Christian church, yet he is to be cut off, and cast out of the visible kingdom of Christ; and every child in the church, who grows up in disobedience to Christ, and in this most important concern will not obey his parents, is thus to be rejected and cut off, after all proper means are used by his parents and the church to reclaim him, and bring him to his duty. Such an event will be viewed by Christian parents as worse than death, or only to have a child taken out of the world by death, and is suited to be a constant, strong motive to concern, prayer, and fidelity respecting their

children and their education; and it tends to have an equally desirable effect on the minds of children, and must greatly impress the hearts of those who are in any degree considerate and serious.

QUES. 5. According to this plan, if children grow up and continue in a state of sin, and a course of disobedience to Christ, it must be owing to the parents' neglect and breach of covenant; must they not, therefore, be censured and excommunicated by the church, as well as their children, as covenant-breakers?

ANSWER. This question must be answered in the negative, for the following reasons:

1. Though it be evident that parents have not done their duty to those of their children who grow up and continue in disobedience to Christ, and refuse to walk in the way in which they should go, yet if no course of actions, nor any particular overt act contrary to their duty, nor any gross, known and designed neglect of their duty to their children can be proved or alleged against them, there can be no ground of public

censure.

2. Though it could be proved, and were known, that they had been guilty of many mistakes, much imprudence, and great neglects in the education of their children, and were far from doing their duty, and complying with all that is implied in bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and so had broken the covenant between God and them with respect to their duty to their children; yet this may be consistent with their being true believers or real Christians, and, therefore, cannot be a sufficient ground of censuring them, and casting them out of the church; for nothing can be the proper ground of such censure, but those overt acts, or that neglect of duty, which, if persisted in, is inconsistent with a person's being a real Christian. It has been observed, that a person may be a true believer, and be entitled to the blessings of the covenant of grace as to his own person, and yet not perform the condition of the covenant, as it respects his children; therefore, though the latter may be proved, this is no evidence against him, with respect to the former; consequently is not a ground of rejecting him as no Christian.

QUES. 6. It is a known truth, and often mentioned, that parents cannot give or convey grace to their children by any thing they can do. Is not the doctrine now advanced, which teaches that the holiness and salvation of children is the certain consequence of their parents' doing their duty to them, contrary to this truth?

ANSWER. It is true, that holiness is wrought in the heart by

the power and energy of the Holy Spirit, and cannot be communicated to children by any means or endeavors used by parents, but is wholly effected by divine influences. In this view and sense, parents do not convey grace to their children: this is wholly out of their power; it is the work of God. But it does not follow from this that God has not so constituted the covenant of grace that holiness shall be communicated by him to the children, in consequence of the faithful, commanded endeavors of their parents; so that, in this sense, and by virtue of such a constitution, they do, by their faithful endeavors, convey saving blessings to their children.

In this way they give existence to their children. God pro duces their existence by his own almighty energy; but, by the constitution he has established, they receive their existence from their parents, or by their means. By an established constitution, parents convey moral depravity to their children; and if God has been pleased to make a constitution, and appoint a way in his covenant of grace with man, by which pious parents may convey and communicate moral rectitude or holiness to their children, they, by using the appointed means, do it as really and effectually as they communicate existence to them. In this sense, therefore, they may convey and give holiness and salvation to their children.

This is a maxim often mentioned by parents, when the faithful education of their children is brought into view and urged, that parents cannot give grace to their children, however faithful they are in their education. This is not true, in the sense now mentioned, if the covenant of grace contains a promise that their children shall be holy, if they will use all proper and commanded endeavors to this end, by which there is a constituted connection between such means and the end. And whether this has not been proved from Scripture, the reader will judge when he has considered what has now been offered on this point. There is reason to fear, and even to believe, that the above maxim is too often mentioned by parents in order to exculpate and excuse themselves from fault, when their children grow up ungoverned, ignorant, and vicious. In this view it is desirable it should be laid aside.

QUES. 7. If this be a doctrine plainly taught in Scripture, and explains and points out the meaning, design, and importance of the baptism of the children of believers, why has it not been understood and believed in all ages in the Christian church, but remained in the dark, and unknown till this time?

ANS. 1. It was taught by Christ and his apostles; as they said things which do necessarily imply it, as has been shown.