# Herman Witsius on the later regeneration of those born within external administration of the covenant



## Reformed Covenanter (Jan 25, 2022)

... One of two things must be supposed. Either that they had been born again in infancy, but that the seed of the new birth had laid hid in the soil for many years, all but choked by the thorns and thistles of youthful lusts, till at length, through the communication of more grace, the opposing influences were vanquished and it broke forth and germinated with greater strength and beauty; or that God, who is tied down to no particular season, communicates the grace of the new birth to the elect whenever he will, and that they, although in the judgment of charity duly baptized, are often left for a considerable number of years in a state of dominant unsubdued corruption before they are renewed by the grace of his Spirit. ...

For more, see Herman Witsius on the later regeneration of those born within the external administration of the covenant.

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## B.L. (Jan 26, 2022)

Perhaps I need to read more, but does Witsius touch on the instances where infants who in the "judgment of charity are duly baptized" are not among the elect and never "renewed by the grace of his spirit"?


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## Contra_Mundum (Jan 27, 2022)

B.L. said:


> Perhaps I need to read more, but does Witsius touch on the instances where infants who in the "judgment of charity are duly baptized" are not among the elect and never "renewed by the grace of his spirit"?


"This however by no means implies that all the children of pious parents should be regarded as ordained to salvation by the divine appointment. For it is manifest, both from the indubitable records of the sacred volume and the examples there placed beyond controversy, and from the experience of everyday life, that not infrequently the offspring of the best of men grow up with the worst dispositions, wickedly bent upon their own destruction. Still God has given that pledge to pious parents that they may regard their little ones as the children of God by gracious adoption, until, when further advanced, they betray themselves by indications to the contrary, and that they may feel not less secure regarding their children dying in infancy than did Abraham and Isaac of old."

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