Christianismus primitivus, or, The ancient Christian religion, in its nature, certainty, excellency, and beauty, (internal and external) particularly considered, asserted, and vindicated from the many abuses which have invaded that sacred profession, by humane innovation, or pretended revelation comprehending likewise the general duties of mankind, in their respective relations : and particularly the obedience of all Christians to magistrates, and the necessity of Christian-moderation about things dispensible in matters of religion : with divers cases of conscience discussed and resolved / by Thomas Grantham ...

SECT. II. Of the state of Infants in general, that dying so they are happy.

That we may remove (if possible) all prejudice out of the minds of Men, touching our nonadmission of Infants to the participation of Gospel Ordinances in the visible Church in her Gospel frame, This is that which we hold of Infants generally without doubting, from the words of our Lord, Mat. 19. 14. Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven; that Infants are happy Persons, there lying no sentence of eternal con∣demnation against them, but the contrary is here averred concerning them indefinitely by Christ himself: As also by the Apostle, Rom. 5. For as in Adam they die, so in Christ shall they be made alive, the sin of Adam therefore being taken off, as to any future condemnation (for in respect of temporal death they still suffer for it,) and they having no other sin chargeable against them (that we read of) must needs be justified by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ from wrath to come. And further it is also avouched by our Saviour, of Infants indefi∣nitely, that their * 1.1 Angels do always behold the face of God in Heaven, Matth. 18. 10. and not only so, but he saith expressly, vers. 14. It is not the will of the Heavenly Father that one of these little ones should perish, and this may very fairly be understood of Infants, seeing God hath declared elsewhere, that he wills not the death of a Sinner, and that the Son shall not bear the iniquity of the Father, which (as hath been shewed) can only be true in respect of eternal death. Great cause there is why all Infants should be indemnified in that respect, sith they were no way accessory to any sin at all, and never rejected the Grace of a second Life, which is the cause of death eternal to those that are damned, as our Saviour teacheth, Joh. 3. 19. Mar. 16. 16. And hence we conceive ariseth sure ground of comfort concerning all Infants dying such, nor are we alone in this our Doctrine, some of our Adversaries being constrained to avouch it, and particularly Mr. Baxter, who though he hath made a great noise in the World, as if Parents could have no ground of hope for their dying Infants, unless they be baptized, &c. yet to the utter confutation of that con∣ceit, he plainly tells us otherwise, in that Piece called More Proofs, &c. Pag. 88, 89. We hold (saith he) that all Mankind is brought by Christ under a Covenant of Grace, which is not vain, nor repealed by God, but as their abuse of the Grace of the Covenant may cast them out; for as a Co∣venant of intire nature or innocency was made with all Mankind with inno∣cent Adam, so a Covenant of Grace was made with all Mankind in lapsed Adam, Gen. 3. 15. in the promised seed, and renewed again with all Man∣kind in Noah. No man can prove either a limitation of this Covenant to some (till the rest by violating it become the Serpent's seed at least) nor yet that God did ever abrogate it, as it was made to all the World, — for those 4000 years before Christ's Incarnation, the mere decree and promise did serve for mans salvation, &c. Thus far Mr. Baxter. And indeed for

any to hold that God will damn any Infants, is such a Doctrine as is repugnant to the nature of God, who hates cruelty; but what can be named that looks more like cruelty, than to make Infants, and then cast them into Hell torments, to punish them as much as the Devil himself or the greatest of sinners; shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right? will he punish the innocent Babe with the Devil and his Angels? God forbid, for he delighteth in Mercy, and hath said it is not his will that one of these little ones should perish, and there∣fore gave his beloved Son to seek and save them in their lost condition, Matth. 18. 14. In his gracious hands therefore will we leave the state of Infants in general, who as Irenaeus rightly saith, * 1.2 was made an Infant that he might sanctifie Infants; and shall now consider the state of the Infants of Christians in particular, with respect to such advan∣tage as may pertain to them as such, especially for that great out∣crys have been made against us, as Persons injurious to Infants of Christians, as being rendred by us to be in no better condition than the Infants of Infidels; howbeit this exclamation will be found in∣jurious to the truth and to us: For,

Of this I am confident, that I never heard or read in the Works of those of our way, that any ever held or maintain'd such a position, that Infants of Christians have no advantage above the Infants of Heathens, in respect of Gospel Mercies, but the contrary is to be seen in the Wri∣tings of divers learned Assertors of our Principles, as here I shall shew. Mr. Fisher pag. 218. of his Christianismus Redivivus, hath these words, Those [Infants] of Christian Parents [I look upon] as having in some sense a prerogative of Seed, so far as t••ey may be a Seed of Prayers, more than others, and in some sense too a holiness above others, as they may be sanctified to their Parents as blessings — as well as being more likely to be discipled into the way of holiness and life, by their Godly education of them. Also Mr. Tombs in sundry places of his Antipaed. Part 3. speaks to the same effect, as in Pag. 406, 407, 415, 419, 453, 455, 479, 480, 481. it shall suffice to set down that passage, Pag. 464. and leave the Reader to consult the residue at his own convenience, That the Infants of believing Gentiles, no Members of the visible Church Chri∣stian, are not in a worse but better condition, in respect of any real Evange∣lical blessing, than the Hebrew Infants were with their Churchmembership. 1. Because the spiritual blessings of Regeneration, indwelling of the Spirit, Justification, remission of Sins, Adoption, Gods favour, Protection, Provision, Eternal Life, are as much assured to them in Infancy without visible Churchmembership, as they were with it. 2. They do actually enjoy sooner those Mercies, — and in more ample manner without Jewish visible Church-membership, than they did with it, the Spirit being now more poured out, the Gospel cleared, the Church enlarged, &c. — The Mercy to the Catholick Church is a Mercy to Believers Infants, 1. In that it frees them from legal Burthens. 2. In that there is a near capacity and probability of the best good for them remaining in their Parents or other godly Families. Thus far Mr. Tombs, who also in the Pages cited above, doth frequently allow a further benefit to the Infants of Chri∣stians

than others, in respect of their timely dedication to God by Prayer or Vow, and Thansgiving, which certainly are all Blessings and Privi∣viledges redounding to those Infants through the blessing of the Go∣spel, which the little ones of Infidels are deprived of, being dedicate rather to Idols than to the Lord; and upon this account it may be said, that the Infants of Christians are holy by prerogative of Seed, being the Children of sanctified Persons who also dedicate them to God, and design them to Christianity, and in this sense may be said to be related to the visible Church, being in a more visible state of Beati∣tude, as being thus given to God in the Name of Christ from the Womb, who again doth strictly bind the Parents to bring them up (as it were for him) in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Howbeit, from all this, it doth not follow that the Infants of Chri∣stians are to be brought to particular duties in the Church, as Baptism, the Lords Table, &c. as is fully granted even by the Poedobaptists themselves in every thing, save only their sprinkling and crossing of Infants, which they wrongfully call Baptism, which shall more fully appear in our Defence, God permitting, in the mean while let it be considered what we have granted. And certainly had Christians contented themselves in doing to their Infants as Christ did to those which were brought to him, either by praying for them themselves, if capable, or by presenting them to Christ's Ministers that they might do it for them in the most solemn manner, I think this would not be opposed by the baptized Churches; and it is to me a wonder how those that pretend so much care for Infants should wholly omit the doing to them as Christ did, and presume from Christs carriage towards Infants to do quite another thing, which Christ neither did nor commanded to be done. And certainly in this case there hath been a very great mistake, which calls for some careful and speedy reformation, that so the purity of the use of Gospel Ordinances may be attained, according to the usage of the first Churches, in which we only find actual Believers (by Profession at least) admitted to the religious observation or practice of Christs Commands, and not so much as one Infant in those Churches any way concern'd in the duties of the New Covenant, which we shall plainly demonstrate, by a particular enquiry into the state of every Church mentioned in the New Testament, and let the best antiquity (even that of the Holy Scripture) carry the cause, as being the best note by which the true Church may be known, from all such as unduly claim that honourable Title.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Some do restrain these words to Belie∣vers only, which would exclude all Infants, (as well as some) from the bles∣sing of such hea∣venly Protectors or Guardians, yet Calvin de∣nies not this place to refer to Persons in their Infancy, Calv. Inst. l. 1. c. 14. §. 7.
• * 1.2

  Irenaeus, Et Infantibus In∣fans factus, sanctificans In∣fantes.