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A46336
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A sermon preached in the year of our Lord 1650, January 9, at the baptizing of Theophilus (then Lord Hastings) now Earl of Huntington by John Joynes.
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Joynes, John.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing J1161; ESTC R28958
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24,411
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60
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this we Answer At that time when Christ spake these words none could be baptized that did not actually believe or at least actually profess himself a Believer But distinguenda sunt Tempora At that time there was no such thing as Children of Believers to baptize for there were no Believers except only some few in Iudea The Apostle at the 15. Verse had a Commission given to go forth into all the world and to Preach the Gospel to every creature and as many as they could convert those they were to baptize and no other Nothing so certain as that they neither would nor ought to baptize any before they were fully converted and made a profession not only of their faith but of their desire to be baptized Act. 8.96 as we find the Eunuch did But afterwards the case was otherwise when Nations came to be converted Churches setled and Christianity propagated from the Father to the Son Then Act. 2.39 1 Cor. 7.14 the promise being made to them and their Children And the Children themselves being holy as born of believing Parents and within the Covenant they are certainly not less capable of being admitted into the Christian Church as Members thereof by the right of baptism which St. Paul calls the circumcision of Christ then the Israelitish Infants were of being admitted into the Jewish Church Col. 2.11.12 by the right of circumcision He then that duely considers this passage togegether with the circumstances that ought to be considered of the time when and reason why it was spoke will I think be as inclinable to conclude any thing therefrom as that it was intended as a prohibition of Baptism to the Children of believing parents or that any such thing can concludingly be inferr'd from it A third Argument they bring against Infant-baptism grounded upon this Reason Arg. 3 There is no plain and express Precept in all the Scripture for the doing of it nor no example so manifest as to evince it was ever done therefore the doing of it is unlawful Answer To this I answer That this Proposition Whatsoever is not commanded in Gods word may not be done is not true My reason is because the contrary unto it is so whatsoever is not forbidden in the Word of God may be done for where there is no Law Ro. 4.15 there is no Transgression So then whereas they say there is no precept nor example for it in Scripture Admitting that to be true it is a sufficient Answer to that Objection to say there is neither against it And if the difference between them and us concerning this matter come to be weighed in this Ballance it would he found to stand thus They have the practice of the whole Church against them and no Scripture for them We have the practice of the whole Church for us and no Scripture against us These scales you see give it for us against them cleerly And thus having given a tast of their Objections to let you see they are answerable I shall now say something by way of positive Assertion of the Churches Doctrine and practice in this Particular Briefly then I shall endeavor to assert Assertion not only the lawfulness but the necessity of Infant-baptism by Scripture by Reason and by Universal practice and first By Scripture I do not say that there is any Scripture that does totidem verbis or in express words say That Infants are to be baptized but there is a Text that not only justifies the lawfulness of doing it but by consequence proves the unlawfulness of leaving it undone and that is Io. 3. at the 5. verse Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Whence it follows that if the want of Baptism endanger the salvation of any it must be the fault of them that deny or or keep them from it I am not the first that has urged this Text for the necessity of Infant-baptism See Land against Fisher Object 1. but to evade the force of this Argument they give two Answers First that the Text it self is to be understood of persons of mature age and therefore it is said Except a man not except a child be born again c. To this I answer that Answer This is a mistake arising from the ignorance of the original and therefore the Reply is easie It is not there Except a man as we Translate it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is an Indefinite equivalent to an Universal so that the sence is without exception of Man Woman or Child Except a person or except one be born again of water c. A second exception to the Argument drawn from this Text is this That according to the Rule of this exposition there is a necessity of communicating Children as well as of baptizing them of giving them the Sacrament of the Eucharist as well as that of Baptism for it is said Io. 6.53 Except ye eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his Blood ye have no life in you To this I answer that one Scripture is to be expounded so as not to contradict another and places that are obscure must receive light from those that are plain Now the places that speak of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper do plainly show that it is to be received only by such as have the use of reason and have understanding As oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew forth or shew ye forth the Lords death till he come And in the next verse Let a man examine himself 1 Cor. 11.26 27. and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup c. Self-examination and commemoration of Christs death are the essential and indispensible duties of those that come to that Sacrament neither of which children are capable of performing and consequently cannot be included in the latter of these Texts but must be so in the former unless some Scripture can be shown to the contrary which hitherto I presume has not been done But if they shall still persist and say that this place is not express and plain enough for them who make Scripture their Rule and go no further then they have express warrant from thence then I desire that they would please to show any authority out of Scripture for the communicating of women or the observation of the Lords Day so strong and full as this is for the baptizing of Infants My second Argument for Infant-baptism is from Reason Infants stand in need of this Sacrament and this Sacrament is effectual as to what they need and therefore in all reason they ought to be admitted to it and it is a sin to deny it them They stand in need of it in regard of the pollution of their natures by Original sin being conceived in sin and born in iniquity Psal 51.5 Now that Baptism does take away Original sin as to the guilt
and contempts as these are cannot be offered to such an Ordinance as this is by any Ver. 19. without treading under foot the son of God who ordain'd it nor without counting the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctifyed the Benefit of which is consign'd to him in this Sacrament an unholy thing and without doing despite to the spirit of Grace Not only the Jew but the Gentile not the old Synagogue alone but the old Pagan world shall rise up in Judgment against this generation of prophane Saints and condemn them for they were true to the Religion they profest and held all that related to it sacred and worthy of their highest veneration 'T is true the Pagan Religion and Rights thereof were impious and idolatrous but they looking upon it as divine and knowing no better if they should have trampled upon the Temples Sacrifices and Rights of those that they held for true Deities they ought to have been look'd upon in all reason not so much for Idolaters as Atheists To despise the sacred Rites of Christianity which are the known and confest Institutions of Christ can proceed from nothing else then a Tincture at least of the spirit of Atheism which is notoriously known to have been very predominant in some of the Apostles of that Sect. Secondly Vse 2 since this Ordinance of Christ has so high holy and beneficial an influence upon all that are ingrafted into him thereby Since therein Heaven is opened the Holy Ghost is given and the grace of Adoption conferred It highly concerns all those who know themselves to have been incorporated into the Church Col. 2.24 which is the Body of Christ by this means to consider the obligagation that lyes upon them to labour to walk worthy of this vocation wherewithall they are called Think what a horrible Apostacy it is after we have sworn Allegiance to God to revolt to the Devil 2 Cor. 7.21 Consider what zeal what care what vehement desire to use the Apostles words we ought alwayes to have to correspond with this Vow and Obligation of ours yea what Indignation and Revenge we ought to entertain against our Sins which are the deleteryes and defacers of our Baptismal Innocence Every single Act of Sin is a Receding from this Vowe But a confirm'd Habit therein unsettles our calling disascertains our condition as being a Relapse and Apostacy from our Allegiance a treacherous Revolt from our Leige Lord and Soveraign and a running over to his open and profest Enemies a divorcing the Dove to espouse the Serpent which must needs throw us into great and horrible if not sometimes into irrecoverable dangers 'T is better in the judgment of St. Peter not to have been washed then after they have been so to return with the Sow 2 Pet. 2.22 to her wallowing in the mire Let all of us then that have been made partakers of this Grace see that we walk circumspectly 2 Pet. 1.10 redeeming the time and giving diligence to make this our high calling and holy election sure by adding to Faith Vertue to Vertue Knowledge to Knowledge Temperance to Temperance Patience Vers 5 c. to Patience Godliness c. that we may not be barren and unfruitful members but may go on from strength to strength and from virtue to virtue that so our Adoption through Grace may have its consummation in glory and that in the day of the Restitution of all things we may be own'd by the character imprinted upon us in the day of our entrance into the body of Christs Church and communion of the Faithful Lastly with respect unto the occasion of our present meeting I shall onely add That since it is the acknowledg'd duty of all Christians as being all baptized into the same hope and thereby made fellow Members of the same mystical Body to have a fellow-feeling and Christian sympathy in each others concerns whether of weal or wo to rejoyce with them that rejoyce and to weep with them that weep Ro. 12.15 I conceive it no less then the duty of all that fear God here present to joyne in their Gratulations and to offer up their thanksgivings unto God for this his great mercy and signal favour at this time bestowed upon this noble Family in that he has been pleased to give them beauty for ashes Isa 61.3 and the oyl of gladness for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness so that now they may invert those sorrowful words of Job Deus dedit Deus abstulit which was all that lately they had to comfort themselves withal The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken Job 1.21 blessed be the name of the Lord. And now Blessed be the name of the Lord Deus abstulit Deus dedit The Lord has taken and the Lord has given For one and that then an onely Son lately taken into the Kingdom of Glory he has given them another this day to be admitted into the Kingdom of Grace Which we being now solemnly going to do give me leave solemnly to move and beseech you all That since the Prayers of the faithful are the means of Gods own appointing and hallowing for effectuating through the merits and Intercession of Christ Jesus of this his own Ordinance and for procuring the sacred energy and influence of the Holy Spirit to the pouring forth of those various graces convey'd in the Administration of this Holy Sacrament you would joyn in the contribution of your unanimous and hearty prayers that God would be pleased to open at this time the Heavens so as that the Holy Ghost may descend to sanctifie these waters to hallow this Infant to wash away his original guilt and stains to enrol him for a Souldier of Christ and a Son of God And further that if God in his infinite mercy shall please to prolong his life and give him length of dayes and we pray that his dayes may be many and happy that he would throughout his whole life prevent him with his goodness pouring out upon him those Graces that may be needful for the holy and happy conduct of it through the waves of this troublesome world till such time as he arrive at the land of everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. That He may never break or recede from this his Baptismal Vow but that being stedfast in faith joyful through hope and rooted in Charity He may grow from Grace to Grace and strength to strength till he become as eminent in his moral and religious as he will be if God bless him with life in his civil and politick capacities And may these our Prayers upon Earth be ratified in Heaven by God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ To whom with the holy Ghost in the unity of the same Godhead be all Honour Praise and Thanksgiving world without end Amen The End