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Author: Whiston, Joseph, d. 1690.
Title: An essay to revive the primitive doctrine and practice of infant-baptism in the resolution of four questions I. What are the reasons of God's appointing the token of the covenant to be applyed to the infant-seed of his people? II. What is the good or benefit they receive thereby? III. What is the duty of parents towards their children as bearing the token of the covenant? IV. What is the improvement that children as grown up to years of maturity, may and ought to make of the token, as applyed to them in their infancy / by Joseph Whiston ...
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Print source: An essay to revive the primitive doctrine and practice of infant-baptism in the resolution of four questions I. What are the reasons of God's appointing the token of the covenant to be applyed to the infant-seed of his people? II. What is the good or benefit they receive thereby? III. What is the duty of parents towards their children as bearing the token of the covenant? IV. What is the improvement that children as grown up to years of maturity, may and ought to make of the token, as applyed to them in their infancy / by Joseph Whiston ...
Whiston, Joseph, d. 1690.
London: Printed for Jonathan Robinson ..., 1676.
Subject terms:
Infant baptism.
Theology, Doctrinal.
URL: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A65668.0001.001
How to cite: For suggestions on citing this text, please see Citing the TCP on the Text Creation Partnership website.

Table of Contents
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title page
TO THE Judicious Reader.
errata
The Author hath two other Treatises Intituled,
An Essay to revive the Pri∣mitive Doctrine of In∣fant-Baptism.
CHAP. I. An Introduction to the whole ensuing Discourse. The four grand Enquiries proposed. The Reasons of God's ordaining the Application of the token of the Covenant to the Infant-seed of his People, reduced to three heads: The first (viz.) those respecting God, entred upon, three Reasons respecting God assigned. First, his own Goodness, Grace, and Sove∣raign pleasure. 2. The Reference that the Application of the token of the Covenant hath to his Glory, the Ways how it refers there∣unto, opened. 3. The reference it hath to the supportation and enlargement of the Kingdome of his Son Jesus Christ.
CHAP. II The Reasons of God's ordaining the Application of the Token of the Covenant to the Infant-seed of his People respecting the Parent from three Reasons now assigned. 1. The ad∣vantages arising therefrom to their Faith. Howgreatly their Faith is advantaged there∣by shewed. 2. It is for the advantage of their Joy and Comfort in their Children. 3. It is that God may thereby lay greater Obligations upon them to endeavour the Con∣version of their Children and their Personal Embracement of the Covenant as growing up to years of Maturity. Thy variety of Obligations lying upon Paedo-Baptists so to do above what Anti-Paedo-Baptists can appre∣hend themselves to ly under opened . How much greater ground of hope for success in their endeavours Paedo-Baptists have, than Anti-Pedo-Baptists according to their Prin∣ciple can have, shewed. The third Head of Reasons, viz. Such as respect the Seed of Believers mentioned.
CHAP. III. The second Question proposed. A brief Intro∣duction to the Answer of it. The first bene∣fit that the Seed of Believers receive by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them declared, viz. They have thereby a solemn admission into, and Membership in the visible Church, Kingdom, or Family of Christ. An Objection answered. The good redounding to them by that their admission and Membership shewed in two Instances. 1. They are comprehended in, and have an equal benefit with the rest of the Members of the Church, by all these prayers put up for the Church in general. 2. They are under that special providential care that Christ ex∣erciseth over his Church. 3. Questions re∣lating thereunto resolved.
CHAP. IV. The good redounding to the Infant-seed of Be∣lievers from their admission into, and mem∣bership in the visible Church, Kingdom, or Fa∣mily of Christ, further opened in a third in∣stance, viz. They stand nigher than the rest of Mankind to, and are the more especial Ob∣jects of the Promises of saving Grace. Some of these Promises mentioned. The full Good contained in them unfolded. That the Seed of Believers, as members of the visible Church, do stand nigher to them, than the rest of Mankind, fully proved. An exaggeration of Parents evil in rejecting their Childrens Church-membership.
CHAP. V. The second Good or Benefit accruing to the Seed of Believers by the Application of the Token of the Covenant proposed, viz. They have thereby the Covenant, with the Promises thereof appertaining to them, ratified seal∣ed and confirmed. An Enquiry made, whe∣ther the Covenant and Promises are entred with, and made to the Seed of Believers, de∣finitly or only indefinitly. The various judg∣ments of Paedo-Baptists about it. That they are entred and made definitely, proved two wayes. First, In the instance of Abraham's Seed immediatly proceeding from his own Loyns: where two Reasons are offered. Se∣condly, It is further proved by three Reasons respecting both Abraham's and all other Be∣lievers Seed. The forementioned good ac∣cruing to the Seed of Believers opened in the resolution of two Questions. The former pro∣posed, viz. What the Token of the Covenant has reference unto. That it has a twofold reference shewed. First, To the Covenant as abstractly and absolutely considered. The thing ratified, sealed and confirmed by it, as considered in that its reference, determined to be their Covenant. That the necessary re∣sult of which is proved by two Arguments to be their discharge from the guilt and condem∣ning power of Originalsin, and that both Originans and Originatum.
CHAP. VI. The second reference of the Token of the Cove∣nant declared, where two Questions are re∣solved. Frist, What Promises appertain to the Seed of Believers as such. These de∣termined to be only two. First, That God will be a God to them. Secondly, That they shall be saved. The second Question, (viz.) What is the Good contained in these Promises. The Good contained in the lat∣ter more briefly shewed. The Good contain∣ed in the former, more largely insisted upon. A twofold Good determined to be contained in it. First, A Covenant-relation is consti∣tuted by it between God and the Seed of Be∣lievers. Secondly, God by it has put him∣self under an obligation to communicate him∣self to, and act for their Good and Benefit. Those communications of himself to, and these actings for their Good and Benefit that God has obliged himself to, shewed to be limited three ways. Where it is shewed, that this Pro∣mise of God's being a God to his People, whe∣ther Infants or Adult, does not, as taken abso∣lutely and by it self, either for the present confer, or for the future absolutely ensure, any particular Good contained in any of the Pro∣mises of the Gospel upon, or to any interested in it; but is only an obligation upon God to make them all good according to their true tenour, and upon supposition of their conditi∣on being performed by man. This proved more generally by one Argument. That confirm∣ed in the several branches of it.
CHAP. VII. That the foremenioned Good, and that only, is contained in that grand Promise of the Co∣venant, further confirmed in some particular Instances. The first Instance proposed. No special or saving influences or operations of the Spirit are included in this Promise, so as by it, as taken absolutely and by it self, to be con∣ferred upon, or absolutely ensured to any in∣terested in it. The several uses and ends of these influences and operations, declared. What is affirmed, proved. First, more ge∣nerally. Secondly, more particularly. One Objection answered. A second Instance pro∣posed: where it is proved, That no Love that is peculiar and proper to the Elect, is exprest or ensured in or by this grand Promise of the Covenant, as taken absolutely and by it self, to all interested in it. This largly insisted upon. What may be pleaded against it, an∣swered. A brief Recapitulation of that Good redounding to the Seed of Believers, as recei∣ved into Covenant with their Parents, and having these two Promises appertaining to them. That Good summed up under four Heads. That the Seed of Believers have all Good, proved by four Arguments. The second Question for the unfolding this second Good or Benefit arising to the Seed of Believers from the Application of the Token of the Co∣venant, proposed: where it is shewed wherein the Benefit and Advantage of having the Co∣venant with the Promise of it ratified, sealed and confirmed by an outward Sign or Token, does consist. What hazard is run by the neglect of the Application of the Token of the Covenant, shewed.
CHAP. VIII. Several Objections answered. The first raised from the impossibility that God should do so much for the Seed of Believers, and yet not regenerate them. That answered, and the contrary thereunto shewed to be highly ratio∣nal. The second is, that what they have is only according to a visible appearance, but not in reality and truth. That answered, where it is shewed what they appear or seem to have, they must needs have in reality and truth. The third raised from the inconsi∣stency of granting the Infant seed of Belie∣vers so much with the Doctrine of Saints Perseverance. That fully answered. The fourth raised from the inconsistency of gran∣ting so much to all the Seed of Believers with the Doctrine of Election. That fully answered. The fifth is, that the Infants of Believers have nothing beyond what the Seed of others have. That briefly answered.
CHAP. IX. The third Benefit accrewing to the Seed of Be∣lievers by the Application of the Token of the Covenant to them, proposed. A threefold subserviency thereof to their imbracement of the Covenant, as they grow up to years of Ma∣turity, shewed. First, Such Pre-ingage∣ments as would obstruct that their imbrace∣ment of the Covenant are obviated and pre∣vented. What Pre-ingagements Children are subject to. The spring of them discove∣red. How obviated by the Application of the Token, declared. Secondly, Their imbrace∣ment of the Covenant by the Application of the Token subserved by way of Obligation. The several Obligations that the Seed of Be∣lievers are under, as bearing the Token of the Covenant, to imbrace the Covenant, opened. Thirdly, The same end subserved by the Ap∣plication of the Token of the Covenant by way of Encouragement. What Encourage∣ments the Seed of Believers have to imbrace the Covenant, shewed.
CHAP. X. The third grand Question proposed. The duty of Parents towards their Children reduced to two Heads. Their duty to be performed immediately and directly towards them again reduced to two Heads. What they are to teach and instruct them in and about: As also what means they are to use for the rendring. Instructions given them, opened. Some rules for their right management of them in the performance of their duty, laid down. Their duty to be performed immediately towards God on the behalf of their Children, shewed. Some Motives to press them to a faithful performance of their duty, urged.
CHAP. XI. The fourth grand Question proposed. The im∣provement that the Seed of Believers may and ought to make of their Covenant state, as ratified by the Application of the Token of the Covenant, opened in four particulars. That great Question, how long the Covenant∣state of the Seed of Believers is continued to them upon their Parents account, answered so far as is necessary to prevent such fears as either Parents or Children are subject to, as to the forfeiture of their Covenant-state in their Child-hood.
POSTSCRIPT.
Some Books lately Printed for, and sold by Jonathan Robinson at the Golden-Lion in St. Paul's Church-Yard.