mentum Juris' is God's covenant, grant, or gift. As it is his precept that constituteth our duty, so it is his promise or deed of gift which is our title to the benefit.

2. And we are agreed I hope, that this promise, or grant from God is conditional; for if church-membership and privileges be absolutely given, then it is to all, or but to some: not to all : for then the church, and the world are all one; and then it is not Ecclesia cœtus evocatus;' and then Heathens and Infidels have right; which are things that no Christian, I think, will grant. If it be but some that have title, then there must be some note to know them by; or else the some will be equal to all, or to none. And if they be marked out, then it must be by name or by description : not by name; for we find the contrary. Scripture doth not name all that have title to church-privileges. If it be by description, it is either by mere physical or by moral qualifications that they are described: the former, none doth imagination, that I hear of. If they are moral qualifications, then either they are such as are prerequisite to our right and privileges, or not: that they are prerequisite all must confess that read the promise, and all do confess that they are prerequisite to all the following privileges: and if prerequisite, then either as means or no means. The latter none can affirm, without going against so much light, as ordinary Christians have still ready at hand to confute them with: and if they are required as means; then either as causes or conditions. And I think you will sooner yield them to be conditions than causes, though either concession sufficeth to the end that is before

us.

But of this we need to say no more, both because it is commonly confessed, and because that the words of the promises are so plain, and undeniable, being uttered in conditional terms. Nor is this either inconsistent with, or any way unsuitable to an absolute decree; for as a threatening, so the conditionality of a promise, are instruments admirably suited to the accomplishment of an absolute purpose or decree. He that is fully resolved to save us, or to give us the privileges of his church, will deal with us as men, in bringing us to the possession of the intended benefits; and there

b G. Cassander Consult. de Confirm. Hujusmodi sane Institutionem seu Catechismi explicationem in pueris fieri debere, et Veteres præcipiunt, et Recentiores quoque ex utraque parte consentiunt. Vide August. Serm. 116. in Ramis palmarum, et Wallafridum de rebus Ecclesiast. cap. 26. et quae scripsit Ruardus Tappenus Lovan. tom. 2. ad illud Calvini Instit. c. 17.

fore will by threats and conditional promises excite us to a careful performance of the condition in us; and that grace which is resolved to effect the very condition in us, is also resolved to make a conditional promise, yea, and a threatening the instrument of effecting it.

3. Note, that the great question, Whether all the infants of true believers are certainly justified, or whether some of them have but lower privileges, is not here to be determined, but in a fitter place: and therefore I determine not what privileges they are that will cease, if our infant title cease; but that according to the tenor of the promise, the continuance of them, with the addition of the privileges proper to the adult, are all laid upon a new condition.

4. Note also, that when I call it another or different condition, I mean not that it is different in the nature of the act, but in the agent or subject. It is the same kind of faith which at first is required in the parent, for the child's behoof, and that afterward is required in ourselves. But the condition of the infant's title is but this,-that he be the child of a believer, dedicated to God; but the condition of the title of persons at age is, that they be themselves believers, that have dedicated themselves to God. The faith of the parent is the condition of infant title: and the faith of the person himself, is the condition of the title of one at age.

That their own faith is not the condition of an infant's title, I think I need not prove: For (1.) They are incapable of believing without a miracle: (2.) If they were not (as some Lutherans fondly think), yet it is certain that we are incapable of discerning by such a sign. I think no minister that I know, will judge what infants do themselves believe, that he may baptize them. (3.) And I think no man that looks on the command, or promise, and the person of an infant, will judge that he is either commanded then to believe, or that his believing is made the condition of his infant title.

But that a personal believing is the condition of the title of them at age, is as far past doubt; and it is proved thus:Arg. 1. The Promise itself doth expressly require a faith of our own, of all the adults that will have part in the privileges; therefore it is a faith of our own that is the condition of our title. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not, shall be damned." (Mark xvi. 16.) "And the Eunuch said, See here is water, what

doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest." (Acts viii. 36, 37.) Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins," &c. (Acts ii. 38. 41.) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized. Acts x. 44. 47, 48; xvi. 14, 15. 30. 32, 33; Rom. x. 13—14, with many other texts, do put this out of doubt.

Arg. 2. We were engaged in our infant baptismal covenant to believe and repent, when we came to age, as a means to our reception of the benefits of the covenant, proper to the adult; therefore we must perform our covenant, and use this means, if we will have the benefits.

Arg. 3. If another condition were not of necessity to the aged, beside the condition that was necessary to them in infancy, then Turks, Jews and Heathens, should have right to church-membership, and privileges of the adult; but the consequent is notoriously false, therefore so is the antecedent.

The reason of the consequent is evident; because a man that hath believing parents may turn Turk, (as is known in thousands of Janizaries), or Jew, or Pagan; and therefore, if it were enough that he was the child of a believer, his title to church-privileges would still continue. And so among professed Christians, the child of a believer may turn Heretic, or notoriously profane and scandalous, and yet have title to church-privileges, if his first title still hold, and a personal faith be not a necessary condition of his right. Add to these, the many arguments tending to confirm the point in hand, which I have laid down on another occasion in my "Disputations of Right to Sacraments." But I think I need not spend more words to persuade any Christians, that our parents' faith will not serve to give us title to the church-privileges of the adult, but we lose our right even to church-membership itself, if when we come to age, we add not a personal faith, or profession at least, of

our own.

I only add, that this is a truth so far past doubt, that even the Papists and the Greeks have put it into their Canons. For the former you may find it in the Decrees, part 3. dist. 3. p. (mihi) 1241, cited out of Augustin in these words, ' Parvulus qui baptizatur, si ad annos rationales veniens, non crediderit, nec ab illicitis abstinuerit, nihil ei prodest, qoud

parvulus accepit.' That is, an infant that is baptized, if coming to years of discretion, he do not believe, nor abstain from things unlawful, that which he received in infancy, doth profit him nothing.

And for the Greeks; that this is according to their mind, you may see in Zonaras in Comment. in Epist. Canon. Can. 45, cited ex Basilii Mag. Epist. 2. ad Amphiloch, thus, ‘Siquis accepto nomine Christianismi, Christum contumelia afficit, nulla est illi appellationis utilitas:' that is, if any one having received the name of Christianity, shall reproach Christ, he hath no profit in the name. On which Zonaras added, 'Qui Christo credidit, et Christianus appellatus est, cum ex Divinis præceptis vitam instituere oportet, ut hoc ratione Deus per ipsum glorificetur, quemadmodum illis verbis præcipitur, sic luceat Lux vestra coram hominibus, &c. Siquis autem nominatur quidem Christianus, Dei vero præcepta transgreditur, contumeliam irrogat Christo, cujus de nomine appellatur, nec quicqueam ex ea appellatione utilitatis trahit:' that is, Seeing he that believed in Christ, and is called a Christian, ought to order his life by the commandments of God, that so God may be glorified by him; according to that "Let your light so shine before men, &c." If any one that is called a Christian, shall transgress God's commands, he brings a reproach on Christ, by whose name he is called; and he shall not receive the least profit by that title, or name. This is somewhat higher than the point needs, that I bring it for.

And indeed it were a strange thing, if all other infidels should be shut out of the privileges of the church, except only the treacherous covenant-breaking infidel; (for such are all that being baptized in infancy, prove no Christians when they come to age;) as if perfidiousness would give him right.

PROP. 5. As a personal Faith is the Condition before God of Title to the Privileges of the Adult; so the Profession of this Faith, is the Condition of his right before the Church; and without this Profession, he is not to be taken as an Adult Member, nor admitted to the Privileges of such.

THIS proposition also, as the sun, revealeth itself by its own light, and therefore commandeth me to say but little for the confirmation of it.

Arg. 1. The church cannot judge of things unknown; 'non entium, et non apparentium eadem est ratio:' not to appear, and not to be, is all one as to the judgment of the church. We are not searchers of the heart, and therefore we must judge by the discoveries of the heart, by outward signs.

Arg. 2. If profession of faith were not necessary 'coram Ecclesia' to men's church-membership and privileges, then Infidels and Heathens would have right, as was said in the former case, and also the church and the world would be confounded, and the church would be no church; but these are consequents that I hope no Christians will have a favourable thought of; and therefore they should reject the antecedent.

Arg. 3. It is a granted case among all Christians, that profession is thus necessary. The Apostles, and ancient Churches admitted none without it; no more must we. Though all require not the same manner of profession, yet that profession itself is the least that can be required of any man, that layeth claim to church-privileges and ordinances proper to adult members; this we are all agreed in, and therefore I need not add more proof, where I find no controversy.

But yet as commonly as we are agreed on this, yet because it is the very point which most of the stress of our present disputation lieth on, it may not be amiss to foresee what may possibly be objected by any new comers hereafter.

Object. Perhaps some may say, 1. That we find no mention of professions required in Scripture : 2. It is not probable that Peter received a profession from those thousands whom he so suddenly baptized: 3. Our churches have been true churches without such a profession, personally and distinctly made; therefore it may be so still. To these I answer briefly, yet satisfactorily :

1. The Scripture gives us abundant proof that a plain profession was made in those times by such as were baptized at age, and so admitted, by reason of their ripeness and capacity, into the church; and to the special communion and privileges of the adult at once. To say much of the times of the Old Testament, or before Christ, would be but to interrupt you with less pertinent things; yet there it is apparent, that all the people were solemnly engaged in covenant with God, by Moses, more than once ; and that