and their Pofterity, are in All refpects to be bleffed, as believing Abraham was;] which, fay you, is Abfurd. And well you may (fay fo;) for indeed, Abraham had peculiar Bleffings appropriated to his Perfon; as to be the Father of all the Faithful, and particularly, of believing Gentiles, (the Father of many Nations;) and therefore, inftead of Abram, he was called Abraham. But though All the Bleffings believing Abraham had, did not defcend on his Spiritual Children, or his Seed, the believing Gentiles; yet, if Any Bleffing of believing Abraham's did defcend, as That of the Promise did, it must be understood, (that) the Obligations and Duties arifing from the Nature of the Blessing, (which did defcend) or that are annexed to it, (if there be any Such) must descend too: And fo, that the Seed, in that refpe&t in which it is equally bleffed with believing Abraham, must be equally obliged with him, to all the Duties and Incumbencies, that are the Confequents and Results of that Bleffing. Your Second Miftake is, That you apprehend me to conceive, ["That every Child "of a believing Parent, by vertue of his "Birth, Priviledge, and as he is a Natural "Defcendant of fuch a Father or Mother, is a true Child of Abraham, or a Believer, (for that I mean) or, in your own "words, That the Natural Pofterity of Be"lieving Gentiles, barely as fuch, are all "of them the Spiritual Seed of Abraham, "(or Believers) and confequently fuch as "are entitled (on the Account of being his "Spiritual Seed, or Believers) unto Abra"hain's Covenant and Bleffing. And in Oppofition unto This, you much enlarge; fhewing the many great Abfurdities, and ill Confequences of it, even to Fifteen: Arguments, which truly as to any other who hath Senfe I think, and I am fure as to my self, are all needless, and might all have been fpared. Certainly, I demand not half fo much to enforce the Argument I used; I think not every Child of a Believer to be a Believer himself in any Senfe; much lefs, that Saving Grace is as Original as Sin, or that it comes by Traduction. All I poftulate to build my Argument, is, That the (true) believing Gentile doth not forfeit, by believing, his natural Right to his Child; but that the Children of True Believers now, under the Gofpel, are as much theirs, and in the fame Right, as the Natural Children of Abraham were his. This is all the Question that I beg, and this fure you will not deny me. B 3 Only, Only, by the way, I pray you to make no more of my Conceffion, than I intend it for; for when fome Pious and very Learned Men have argued for Infants Baptifm, from the Children of Believers their being Abraham's Spiritual Seed, they mean not, I fuppofe, by calling them Abraham's Spiritual Seed, as I do, and as you do; that they are Actual Believers, and confequently Children of the Faith of Abraham; but only, that they are Perfons of a Religious Confideration, and (in fome fenfe) Holy, and related to God. And meaning but Se; though I acknowledge Children not to be Abraham's Seed in the Senfe I mentioned, as Abraham's Seed is taken for Actual Believers, and you have proved by Fifteen Arguments that they are not, nor can be Abraham's Seed in this Senfe; my Conceffion gives you no advantage, nor do your Arguments fignifie any thing against Them; who, ufing the Expreffion in Another Senfe, are nothing concerned; for if They take Spiritual Seed in One Senfe, and You in your Arguments take it in Another, you do not really oppofe them, though you may think you do; nor are your Arguments pertinent; and the Difpute between you, as to that, is indeed but Strife about Words. Thus Thus I have, with all the Clearnefs and Fairnefs imaginable, let you fee your Two Miftakes about the Argument I urged; and therefore, feeing you do not apprehend aright the Grounds on which I go (in it,) I am only obliged to you for your charitable Endeavours towards my Satisfaction; but not (in the leaft) for any Effect of those Endeavours. It now remaineth, that I perform what I promised in the Second Place; which is, To lay out the Argument for Pedobaptifm, as it is founded on the Covenant, or Blef fing of Abraham, in all its Force and Evidence; which, to do to fome purpose, I will demonftrate, Firft, That the Covenant of Abraham, which is called the Bleffing of Abraham, or the Promife of the Spirit, is ftill in being; and is that Covenant of Grace the true believing Gentiles are under. Secondly, That in respect of that Covenant of Promife, which is called the Bleffing of A braham, and the Promife of the Spirit, or the Spiritual Promife, all the Seed that bath the Benefit of it, are under equal Obligations to the Duty and Incumbence arifing from it, with Abraham himself. Thirdly, I will fhew, That the Duty and Incumbence to which Abraham was obliged, arifing from the Covenant, or Bleffing given to him, was, by way of Reftipulation, to dedicate and give himself, and all his to God; and, in token of that Dedication of himself, and of all that was his, to wear himself the Signe of the Covenant, and put it as a Cognizance, and Badge, and Mark of God upon all his that was capable of it. Fourthly, I will alfo fhew, That from Abraham's Dedication of himself, and of all his to God, there arifes a Diftinction of Holinefs into Internal and External, Abfolute and Relative; and that this Diftinction (of Holiness) is Evangelical. And having evidenced thefe Four things, I will then proceed, in fhort, to form ny Argument, In order to the evidencing of the First Particular, which is, That the Covenant of Promife made to Abraham, which is called the Bleffing of Abraham, and the Promife of the Spirit, or the Spiritual and Evangelical Promife, (that this) is fill in being, and is the Covenant of Grace, into a Participation of which, the (true) believing Gentiles are taken: I only Premife, That That is the Covenant of Grace the believing Gentiles are under, Which is the true Ground and |