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And it is here fuppofed, that the only condition prerequifite en the Infants part, that he may have right to this Covenant, and its bleffings, is that he be the feed of a true Believer, and dedicated in Covenant to God by the Parents will or a&t. Actual Faith is not prerequired: Seminal grace may be inherent, but 1. Not known to the Baptizer: 2. Nor prerequired as a condition; but liker to be given by vertue of the Covenant. Nothing else therefore being prerequifite as a condition, it followeth, that as the Parents dedicating themselves to God, if baptized at age, is the condition of their certain title to the prefent bleffings of the Covenant (viz. that God be their Father, Cbrift their Saviour, and the Spirit in Covenant to operate in them to fanctification, and their fins are all pardoned, and they are beirs of Heaven) even fo upon the Parents dedication of their children to God,they have right to the fame bleffings;elfe why do we baptize them, fecing Baptifm in the true nature and ufe of it,is a folemn dedicating them to God, in that fame Covenant,and a folemn invefting them in the relations and rights of that fame pardoning Covenant, and not in any other.

I do not say that all baptized Infants, so dying, are faved, be they the children of Infidels, or Heathens, and remaining their true propriety; nor those that are offered and baptized never fo wrongfully, or hypocritically; nor will I fay to dispute for what I have afferted. But 1. I exhort Chriftians believingly to dedicate their children in Covenant with God in Chrift: And 2. To believe that if they fo dye, that Covenant of Chrift forbiddeth them to doubt of their falvation.

Dire&. 4. Let your Duty be answerable to your hope: And do not only pray for your childrens fan&ification, but if they live, endeavour it by all p fible care, in a wife and godly education:

Remember that nature, and your dedicating them to God, do both oblige you to this care for their falvation. And that the education of children, is one of the greatest duties in the world, for the fervice of Chrift, and the profperity of Church and State: And the neglect of it, not the fmalleft caufe of the ruine of both, and of the worlds calamity.

Many a poor, fottish, lazy Profeffor have I known, who cry out againft ignorant, dumb and unfaithful Minifters, as guilty of the blood of foals, and are fo religious, as to feparate from

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the Affemblies that have Minifters that are but partly fush; when as their own children are almoft as ignorant as Heathens, and they only use them to a few cuftomary formal duties (while they think they are enough against forms) and turn over the chief care of their inftruction to the Schoolmafter. And are themselves fo ignorant, dumb and idle; unfaithful and unnatural to their poor childrens fouls, as that it is a doubt whether in a well-ordered Church they ought not to be denyed communion themselves. They fo little practise, Deut. 11. 18, 19. & 6.7. Ephef. 6. 4, &c.

Direc. 5. If your children live to the flesh in an ungodly courfe of life, contrary to the Covenant which by you they made, they forfeit all the benefits of the Covenant: And you can bave no afurance by any thing that you can do for them, that ever they hall be converted (though it is not past bope.) And if they be con verted at age, their pardon and adoption will be the effect of Gods Covenant, as then it was newly entered with themselves, and not as it was made before for them in infancy.

Direct. 6. Yet because that ftill while there is life, there is bope, you ought not by defpair or negligence to omit prayer, exhortation, or any other duty which you can perform in order to their recovery: And though now they have wills of their own, their falvation is not laid fo much upon you, as it was in Infancy, at their firft covenanting with God; yet fill God will fhew his love to his fervants in their feed; and faithful endeavours are not vain nor hopeless; and therefore it is fill one of your greateft duties in the world, to feek their true recovery to Chrift.

Direct. 7. If God make your children a fcourge, or a bearsbreaking to you, bear and improve it as becomes Believers:

That is ;

1. Repent of your own former fin; your own youthfull lufts; your difobedience to your Parents; your carnal fondnefs on your children; your loving them too much, and God too little; the evil examples you have given them; and your manifold neglect of a prudent, feafonable, earnest, unwearied inftructing them in godliness; your bearing with their fin, and giving them their own wills, till they were mafterless, &c. Renew your Repentance, and you have got fome benefit.

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2. Think

2. Think how unkindly and unthankfully you have dealt with a gracious Saviour, and a heavenly Father.

3. Let it take off your affections from all things under the Sun, and call them up the more to God: For who would love a world, where none are to be trufted, and where all things. are vexatious, even the children of your love and bowels.

Direct. 8. If they die impenitently, and perish, mourn fər them, but with the moderation of Believers: That is, 1. Confider that God is more the owner of your children, than you are; and may do with his own as he lift. 2. And he is more wife and merciful than you; and therefore not to be murmured at as wanting either. 3. And it is an unvaluable mercy that your own foul is fan&tified, and fhall be faved. 4. And the most godly have had ungodly children before you. Adam had a Cain, Noah had a Cham, Ifaac had an Efau, David had an Abfalom, &c. 5. And if all the godly that pray for their childrens falvation must be therein gratified, all the world would then have been faved. For Noab would have prayed for all his children, and they for theirs, and fo to the worlds end.

Obje&. Ob but my conscience telleth me, that it is my own fin which bath had a band in their undoing.

Anfo. Suppofe it be fo; it is certainly a pardonable fin. Do you then repent of it, or not? If you repent; as you mourn for your relations; fo you should rejoyce that God hath forgiven you. For repented fin is certainly pardoned to you, and pardoned fin to you, is as great cause of joy, as unpardoned fin in your relations is caufe of forrow. Therefore mourn with fuch moderation, and mixed comfort and thanksgiving, as becometh one that liveth by faith. The affli&tion indeed is neer and great ; and heavier than any calamity that could have befallen their bodies, and is not to be flighted by an unnatural infenfibility? But yet you have a God who is better to you than a thousand children; and your cross is but as a feather, if you fet it in the ballance against your bleffings, even the Love of God, and your part in Chrift, and life eternal.

CHAP.

CHAP. XXIV.

Ho by Faith to order our Affections to publick Societies, and the unconverted world.

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Direct. 1.Ake beed that you lofe not that common Love which you owe to mankind, nor that defire of the increase of the Kingdom of Chrift, which must keep up in you a conftant compaffion to the unconverted world, viz. Idolaters, Infidels, and ungodly Hypocrites.

It is pittiful to obferve the unchriftian fenflefnefs of moft z:alous Profeffors of Religion in this point: Though God hath purposely put the three publick Petitions firft in the Lords Prayer, to tell them what they must first and most defire, that is, the ballowing of his Name, and the coming of bis Kingdom, and the doing of bie Will on Earth as it is in Heaven; yet they fcem not to understand it, or to regard it: But their thoughts and defires are as felfish, and private, and narrow, as if they knew nothing what the World or the Church is, or cared for neither. Their mind and talk is all of their own matters, for body or foul, or of their feveral Parties, and particular Churches; or if any extend his care as far as this fpot of Land in Brittain and Ireland, or fome of the Reformed Churches, they go further than their companions; their felves, and their fide or party is almost all that moft regard: Perhaps the poor fcattered Jews have a few words in the prayers of fome; but the miserable cafe of the vaft Nations of the Earth, who seem to be forfaken of God is neglected by them. Five parts in fix of the earth are Heathens and Mahometanes: and of the fixth part, the Proteftants are but about a fixth, compared with the poor ignorant Abbaffines, Armenians, Syrians, the Greek Churches, and the Papifts; (to fay nothing what the most of the Protestants themselves are.) Yet are almoft all thefe put by, with a word or two, or none at all, in the daily prayers of moft Profeffors: And it is rare to hear any to pray with any importunity for their converfion. Is this mens love to mankind? Is this their love to the Kingdom of Chrift? or to God and Godliness? Is God of as narrow a mind as you? Are you and your party

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all the world, or all the Church? or all that is to be regarded and prayed for?

Dirce, 2. Do not only pray for them, but study what is with. in the reach of your power to do for their converfion. For though private men can do little in comparifon of what Chriftian Princes might do who muft not be told their duty by such as I.) Yet fomewhat might be done by Merchants and their ChapBains, if skill and zeal were well united; and somewhat might be done by writing and translating such books as are fitted for this ufe: "And greater matters might be done, by training up fome Scholars in the Perfian, Indoftan, Tartarian, and "fuch other languages, who are for mind and body fitted for "that work, and willing with due encouragement to give up "themselves thereto. Were fuch a Colledge created, natives "might be got to teach the languages: and no doubt but "God would put into the hearts of many young men, to devote themselves to fu excellent a fervice; and of many rich men, to fettle Lands fufficient to maintain them; and many "Merchants would help them in their expedition. But whether thofe that God will fo much honour, be yet born, I know not.

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Dirca. 3. Pray and labour for the Reformation and Concord of all the Chriftian Churches; as the most probable means to win to Chrift the world of Heathens and Unbelievers.

If the Proteftant Churches were more pure and peaceable, more holy, and more unanimous and charitable to each other, it would do much to win the Papifts that are near them: And if the Papifts, and Greeks, and Armenians, and Abaffines were more reformed, wife and holy, it would do much to win the Heathens and Mahometanes round about them. They would be the falt of the earth, and the lights of the world, and the leaven which must leaven the whole lump: The neighbouring Mahometanes, and Heathens, would fee their good works,and glorifie God, Matth. 5. 16. A boly, barmiefs, loving conversation, a Sermon which men of all languages can understand: Thus as Apoftles we might preach to men of feveral tongues, though we have but one. O that the fanctifying Spirit would teach Chriftians this art, and reform and unite the Churches of Chrift, that they might be no longer a fcandal, to hinder the

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