AN APOLOGIE OF INFANTS IN A SERMON Prouing by the reuealâ—â— will of God that children preuenâ—â—d by death of their Baptisme by Gods election may be saued By W. H. Preacher in the Tower of London Seene and allowed by Authoritie BY WISDOME PEACE BY PEACE PLENTY AT LONDON Printed by the Widowe Orwin for Thomas Man 1595. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE LORD ROBERT DEVOROX EARLE of Essex and one of her Maiesties most Honorable priuie Councel all graces fit for so worthie place and trust be multiplied THE great Messias the Lord Iesus right Honorable being on the Crosse readie to dye cast his eye aside and sawe his mother and the disciple standing by whom hee loued on whose breast he leaned and sayd to his mother Woman behold thy sonne Iohn 19.26 and to the disciple Behold thy mother This voyce then spake from the altar of the crosse on earth The same voyce seemeth to speake still from the arch of heauen the Church being grauen on the palme of his hands Esay 49.16 and her walles euer in his sight on the one side seeing the Nobles of the world on the otherside especially such Nobles whoÌ„ hee loueth on whose shoulders his truth leaneth in whose breast the loue of the trueth dwelleth He seemeth to say to the Church as to a faint weak woman of them O woman behold thy sonnes the Nobles of the earth Psal 45.16 Thou shalt haue children the PoteÌ„tates thorow the whole earth And to them O ye sonnes of the Nobles Galath 4.26 behold your mother also This mother the true Church maketh you the sonnes of God That voyce then wrought obedience he to whom it was spoken tooke it to heart and took her home So ought the Peeres and States of the world especially whom Iesus hath loued by education in the trueth to take this mother the church her sonnes and daughters the trueth and her defence home to them to surround it with their power and countenance euen as in two circles Israel with all their tribes and gouernours did hemme in the Tabernacle of God Numb 3.38 In the inmost circle Moses and Aaron on the forefront of the Tabernacle Eastward stood next to it vers 24. On the other side three families of Leui The Gersonites pitched their tents behinde the Tabernacle Westward vers 29. The Kohathites had their standing on the South side vers 35. The Merarites on the North side These were the inward lists of it In the outward wall of it so to speak Eastward did Iuda claspe it in and his associates Issachar and Zabulon Num. 2.5 On the South side vers 10. Reâ—ben fastned his standard with Gad and Simeon On the West vers 18. ioyned Ephraim with Manasses and Beniamin On the North vers 24. as closing vp all came Dan with Asher and Naptali So strongly and politically was Gods Tabernacle and Church then mannaged and conducted in so sightly manner did it march on with this alarme Num. 10.35 Arise O Lord and let thine enemies be scatrered In so puissant and stable manner did it take vp his standing with this solemnitie Returne O Lorde to the many thousands of Israel The Nobles who thus stand about Gods Church at this time and lend their shoulders for his trueth to leane vpon haue a greater place theÌ„ Naamans 2. King 5.18 the King to leane on their hands then Atlas the arch of heauen to rest vpon their shoulders they haue the honour to be the noble disciples whoÌ„ Iesus loueth on whose breasts he leaneth in whose hearts he dwelleth to whom he hauing sayd Behold your mother the Church the trueth they doe not onely take her home to them vnder their roofe dwel with it conuerse with it but enter into a strict vow and solemne protestation for this is the heroicall protestant as Ruth the Moabitish did to Naomi concerning her cleauing to the trueth and Gods people though discouraged by contrarie example of one that lay in the same woÌ„be though aboured with by the womb that bare her she sayd Ruth 1.16.17 Intreate me not to leaue thee nor to depart from thee whither thou goest I will goe where thou dwellest I will dwell thy people shall be my people thy God my God where thou dyest I will dye and there will I be buried The Lord doe so vnto me and more also if ought but death part thee and me The obedience to this voyce of God to take the loue of the trueth home to you seeing it hath dwelt in your familie and progenie long and now hereditarily resteth in your Honour and the experience of your care by whose meanes not onely the standard of the preaching of the word is lift vp in this place tanquam in arce Minerua Phidiae in the midst of captiued enemies which was not before but by whose fruites of faith also it is cherished emboldened me to present this firstling of my labors in this kind in the cause of many speechles infants to your Honour remembring what Salomons mother sayd to him Open thy mouth for the dumme in the cause of all the children of destruction Open thy mouth Pouer. 31.8 c. The argument though diminutiue and low yet parents loue to heare of the state of their childreÌ„ in this life much more of life to come specially the godly Euen graue fathers after serious matters dispatched forbeare not to vse modificatioÌ„ of speech to lispe with the little ones saying Chesippus not Chrysippus as he in Tullie Coniah Iere. 22. not Ieconiah as in the scripture But why do I seeke further Haue not these little ones the Dukes and Pecres of heauen for their Patrones Matth. 18.10 Their Angels sayth Christ alwaies behold the face of God the father in heauen And he that set a child in the midst of his Apostles striuing for honour Matth. 18.3 with this charge Verely except ye be conuerted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen and he that humbleth himselfe as this child is the greatest in the kingdome of heauen knew that the case of little children their harmlesnes innocencie mildnes are matters for all sorts to meditate vpon to schoole them to GOD. In which argument Dauid so profited Psalm 131.2 that he professeth euen before the Lorde that he demeaned himself as a weaned euen as a weaned child though the court and field had been his nurse But I may not exceede the measure of a Preface The Lord ripen the good worke he hath begun in your Honour and increase it with the mightie increasings of God Your Honors in the Lord to be commanded William Hubbocke To the Reader AS the blessing of peace is great Zach. 8.8 streets full of children playing so among them to come sodainely the stroke of God Exod. 12.29 as at midnight in Aegypt Virgil. Aeneid lib 4. Si quis mihi paruulus aula Luderet AEneas Act. 20.9 1. King 17.18 Ionas 4.7 2 Sam.
12.17 in euery house a dead childe to fall dead from a windowe as Eutichus to sicken in the field and die at home presently as the woman of Sareptaes childe especially if it enioy not the next morning sunne as Ionas shade especially if it dye as Dauids child did before circūcisiō so it before baptisme the former ioy doubleth the grief sillie leauened people lift vp their voice as Agar did for hers Gen. 21.19 in a gentiles distrust as a people without hope 1. Thess 4.13 as though their babe were Ismael of Aegypt not of the Israell of God as though they were Agar of Sina engendring vnto bondage not of Sion bearing childrē vnto God moning there is no water they blame not thēselues that they keep not houres with God and his Church in regarde of gossips and outward complement breaking out as the Sareptane 1. King 17.18 O thou man of God what haue I to doe with thee Would to God they would thinke also with that good woman God in my childe brings my sinnes to remembrance that departure of children might cause departure from iniquitie For many take on piteously with God and man if their children misse Baptisme but take no care if they miscarie their owne Baptisme Math. 28.19 forgetting the fellowship of the blessed Trinitie into which they were baptized so that the water of Baptisme is not the sweet water of life vnto life Act. 8.23 but Marah as in Simon Magus A gall of bitternes still in him Christ should dissolue the workes of the diuell 1. Ioh. 3.8 but a bond of iniquitie in him still To such it should bee fearefull in their eares which is written The children which yee sayd should bee a praye Deut. 1.19 and your sonnes daughters which haue no knowledge between good and euill they shall possesse mine inheritance but as for you Numb 14.32 Your carkeises shall fall in the desart Where is he that hath Dauids hart a man after Gods owne hart he moned for feare of death 2. Sam. ◠but neuer moued to haue respite of life for circumcision which no doubt he would if it had beene so daungerous to haue dyed without it at least where is the mouth of Iob Blessed be the Lord that gaue mee children blessed bee the Lord that tooke away my children blessed is he in giuing blessed in taking away and blessed in the manner though strange of him it is sayd Iob. 1.21.22 Hee sinned not with his mouth nor charged God foolishly But thy child is thine Image and thy shadow and behold as Ionas shade it vanished from thee in a night it vanished before thou well lookedst vpon the face of it howe pitifull a thing Ionas 4 11. But the pitifull God telleth him and thee also that hee pitieth little ones that cannot discerne betweene right hands and left euen to the number of six score thousand in one citie and that in Ashur and Niniueh and is his compassion shut vp from the seede of Christians Yea but if it had beene sprinkled with water of Baptisme Iohn 5.7 When the bedridden man for 38. yeares had none to helpe him into the souereigne water Christ healed him without water saying vers 17. Though the Angell moue not alwaies the water vers 4. but at times yet saith he My Father still worketh and I also work And though the spring of Baptisme should sometime be dammed vp it followeth not infants to bee damned for as Christ said to his Disciples Gen. 21.19 Ioh. 4.32 I haue meate that you know not of so the Angell telleth Agar and all mothers of water that she seeth not and Christ here telleth of saluation which the Angell and the water wrought not Thou missest thy children in thine armes beholde they are in the hand of God they are pluckt from thy brests but are in Abrahams bosome not in thy cradle below but in the throne of immortalitie aboue How oft is it seene amōg men that friendes take a babe from a weake mother a daughter a nurse and bring it vp for their owne Exod. 2.10 as Pharaos daughter did Moses so that the parents peraduenture neuer see it or not till long after What else doth God when he taketh the childe from the wombe or breast to haue it nursed in heauen lost it should haue ill bringing vp here A conflict with such dispositions vpon a like sodaine accident made mee gather against the next Lords day these remembrances touching this argument which nowe I haue more perfectly recognized Then it bred such alteration in their apprehensions and opiniōs that heard it that as once they who sayd of Paul Act. 28.4 hee was a murderer as if some should say infancieida when they sawe the reuealed glorie of God they changed their mindes These also are a holy seede Luk. 15.31 The childe that was dead to mee is aliue he that was lost is found blaming themselues as Dauid Psal 73.23 so foolish were wee euen as beastes vntill wee wēt into the sāctuary of God where we vnderstood the end euē of these little ones Math. 9. The Lord of the haruest giue blessing to this according to the riches of his glorious wisedome and teach vs to abound not with captious knowledge which by scanninges descantings comparings puffeth vp 1. Cor 8.1 But to abounde with loue which buildeth vs vp to one heade ouer all euen the Lord Jesus to whom be ascribed saluation for euer A SERMON PROOVING THAT THE VNBAPTIZED PREVENTED BY DEATH may be Gods children and by his election may be saued THE TEXT 1. Pet. 3.21 To this Arke of Noah the figure also that now saueth vs euen Baptisme agreeth not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the questioning of a good conscience to God by the resurrection of Iesus Christ. 22. Who is at the right hand of God gone into Heauen to whome the Angels and powers and principalities are subiect THis Scripture as touching my purpose at this time openeth the meanes of our saluation and that two waies touching GOD in Christ touching vs. Touching god in Christ who is the cause of it the supreme and soueraigne cause of it the cause of causes euen Christ the alone cause of our saluation The meanes of performing and purchasing it are set downe by foure actions the first his rising from the dead the second his sitting at the right hand of God thirdly his ascending into heauen fourthly his subiecting of Angels vnto him The conditiō on our part is two-fold outward the element of water in Baptisme inwarde the questioning of a good conscience to God Of the type Noahs Arke and the complement of it in the correspondence of Baptisme vnto it elsewhere hath been at large handled Now further I obserue affirmatiuely what saueth Namely Christ apprehended by faith from a good conscience as being risen ascended sitting at Gods right hand subduing Angels and all for thy
God receiueth into couenant and then sealeth Men possesse their cattel and instruments and then marke them they chuse and leuie souldiers then giue them prest money And yet as with a good landlord the right of my tenement ceaseth not hauing the promise of a faithfull man though the father should die without sealing vnto mee seeing an honest sonne commeth in place who will be a seale vnto his fathers words so though GOD the father should preuent vs of baptisme yet in that he hath promised a state of life to me and mine in his sonne hee will seale it to vs for him hath the father * Ioh. 6.27 sealed An honest souldier will venture his life in the battailes of the lord though hee had not his prest money The clayme of the owner is good though no actuall marke should bee vpon his good This is the marke of Gods children Beza confes c. 4. s 48. de bapt infant Chytreus Bern. ser 66. in Cant. Au l. 1. de peccat meritis Pet Martyr lo. com clas 4. c. 8. sect 7. Zuinglius de Baptismo pag. 68. tom 2. The Lorde knoweth who are his Nowe if children in the wombe as Iohn Baptist or before baptisme and in their infancie haue faith as diuers think or haue the spirit of God as others seeing they are partes of the Church as woe all professe and members of the body of Christ as wee all say howe can they perish none can take his sheepe nay not the least lambe of a day olde Iohn 10.29 nay not yet eaned nor brought into the world out of his hande though Sathan should stande by to deuoure it vpon the verie birth Apoc. 12.4.5 as he did once for the child the verie sonne of God which was taken vp to Gods throne And why may it not be that as in earthly paradise so in the heauenly Church Gen. 1.11.12 As there are some trees and hearbes seeding some budding some bearing fruite so in the heauenly paradise on earth the Church some of Gods seruants in the wombe some budding out some new washt as it were from the pooles If the first Adam could bring an euerlasting taint vpon them shal not the baptisme and death of the second Adam wipe it out The infant cannot reason yet it hath the seed of reason as it hath a soule though it know not so much of it selfe Thus some argue May it not haue faith shed in the heart of it Ephe. 3.17 for who can tell how God dwelleth in the heart of the elect Rom. 8.9 He that hath not the spirit of God is none of his Is not this the glorious impression and stampe of that heauenly seale that the child is assumpted into the association and fellowship of the blessed Trinitie Matth. 28.19 into whose name it is baptized Childrē must come to Christ Mark 10.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as Luk. 18.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What children Little ones they that are come to little reason but that they abuse in trifling yet theirs is the kingdome of God If theirs be the kingdom of God then are they cleane Apoc. 21.27 for no vncleane thing maye come in his pure sight Now what maketh cleane but faith and Gods spirite their hearts being purified alike by faith Act. 15.9 The working of Gods spirite is like the insensible pearcing of the winde Ioh. 5.8 which getteth in no man knoweth how And may it not get in into the hearts of little children if their children bee holie who can sanctifie them but the sanctifier 1. Cor. 6 11. why may not Gods spirite his winde get into them and if they bee sanctified then not damned Wherefore these speeches of the childe vnbaptized It is an heathen an infidell it is damned I would not haue my child in the like case for millions are speeches indeede heathenish full of infidelitie of rash iudgement vncharitablenes not onely by damnatorie speeches against the dead but against the liuing God that hath taken them away as he would Doth not the spirit speake better things Luk. 6.37 Iudge not and thou shalt not be iudged condemne not and thou shalt not be condemned nay acquite assoyle deliuer and thou shalt haue a measure of such mercifull construction measured vnto thee not as thou vsest to doe sparingly streight by the brimmes of the measure but with a measure pressed downe shaken together and running ouer And yet Protestants speake so So naturall a thing is Poperie so quickly doe wee drinke in error before wee bee taught it Ephe. 4.20 Haue we so learned Christ are his lawes so ful of ruefulnes Of Draco the lawgiuer it is written that al his lawes were death death if thou doe this death if thou doe not that still the fatall noyse of death ended the lawe Therefore they note the pen to drop crueltie the inke and writing to bee bloud But Christ is no Draco a Dragon Ioh. 1.29 He is a lambe that takes away the sinnes of the whole world a world of sinnes much more this lambe of God to heale these little lābes of his flocke His lawes are not lawes of Draco they speake peace Heb. 12.24 his bloud crieth better things then the bloud of Abel for that crieth vengeance vpon Cayne his brother Gen. 4.10 But Christs bloud crieth with a strong voyce as of a mightie Angel my bloud for all bloud Rom. 5.10 my bodie for all sinne euen of mine enemies This were to make Christ an Herode for Herode sent out his men of warre to sley and murder most butcherly infants from two yeares old downward Matth 2.16 among whom were some vncircumcised then Rachel in Rama lifts vp bitter voyces of lamentation no cōfort they are not Indeede if Christ were not a Herauld of peace rather then a Herod and that hee sent out his messengers of warre as death and graue to deuoure the diuell and hell to damne the vnbaptized then indeede might Rachel lift vp her voyce put on her mourning weede then euery mother and father sister and brother might howle and weepe and answere one an other with dolefull ecchoes and remediles complaints no comfort no consolation because they are not nay because they are that is they are in endles sorowe for better it were not to bee at all But blessed bee God who hath sealed a better couenant Gen. 17.7 With thee and thy seede I make my couenant blessed bee God who hath cleared our comfort 1. Cor. 7.11.14 Esay 9.6 Your children are holy Blessed be God that concerning the childe borne in Esai hath caused heauen and earth to heare a better melodie from an armie of heauenly souldiers Luk. 2.14 Glorie to God on high peace on earth belowe good will towards men Doe I speake this alone doe not likewise the generall voyce and language of Canaan Nehe. 13.24 Esay 19.18 I meane the Israel of God speake so
for Austen it is true that hee in the matter of the sacraments necessitie yea in both of them made it an exigence of necessitie both to be performed so that as vpon this place he groundeth though falsly as vpon a foundation of water the necessitie of Baptisme so vpon the next place Ioh. 6.53 Vnles ye eate the flesh of the Son of man and drinke his blood yee haue no life in you Not only hee but Innocentius al that age almost ground a necessitie of the Supper insomuch that they gaue it to infants contrary to the rule of Paul Let a mā examine him selfe c. the meaning of this place which is of the spirituall receiuing of Christ and incorporating into him by the spirite in generall and in particular by the meanes of the spirite working in the worde in Baptisme or in the Supper or in whatsoeuer Fitly is it sayd to this purpose by Saint Hierome in Psalm 147. When we heare the worde of the Lorde the flesh of Christ and his bloud is powred in at our eares Let vs now come to the vse The third and last part comfort ende and necessitie of Baptisme which though it be not absolutely simply necessarie yet in his due place and time if it may bee had according to Christs institution cannot bee neglected without great sinne For herein of diuers men there are diuers extremities as of the most of the Papists who make it absolutely necessarie so of the Manichees on the other side who generally cut off al signes Aug. in Faustum lib. 19. because they making God not to be the author of these sensible and earthly things thereupon inferred that the worship by these earthly things could not bee gratefull to him So the Cathatists who because God is a spirit and men must worship him in spirit reiected all helpe of earthly meanes And last of all Aug. haer 88. the Pelagians who because they exempt men from originall sinne doe thinke Baptisme needles to purge that which is not wherein you may first see the notable wilfull and spitefull malice of the Rhemists who in Iohn 3.5 ioyne the Caluinists and Pelagians together as both promising alike life eternall to children dying without Baptisme when as they differ as hell and heauen in the causes of saluation For Caluin acknowledgeth children to bee vnder originall sinne Pelagius did not yet Caluin thinketh not the elect of God to perish if in some case they bee preuented of outward Baptisme Lastly of Anabaptists who would not haue infants baptized but them of yeares against whom at this time beside that which is sayd aboue this may be sufficient that seeing childrē haue sin they ought to be washed and seeing they belong vnto GOD they ought to bee sealed As for the Manichees seeing wee acknowledge the same Lord Creator of heauen and earth one God maker of both the same almightie and most holie spirite to haue made the greatest Angell and most despised worme and that hee made al things good and to a most excellent end that therefore both against them and the Catharists 1. Tim. 4.8 though it be true that bodily exercise profiteth little as washing by water taking of bread and wine much reading much repeating of prayer much hearing and sitting by it to heare much preaching also vnles the spirit also concurre and our inwarde desire yet as God made bodie and spirit and therefore must be glorified in both so seeing he made both visible and inuisible things both spirituall and corporall things both serue for his glorie both are helpers of our faith if first wee remember that we vse them when wee haue the expresse word of God for them As because the Lorde biddeth vs baptize with water therefore in doing so we build vpon the rocke and we thinke wee should tempt GOD if when he should teach vs the washing away of our sinnes in Christ by the powring on of water wee should refuse such a comfortable and liuely representation and deserue to heare the check that K. Achaz had Esai 7.11.12 who being in weaknesse of faith when Ierusalem was besieged would not aske a signe when the offer was made in Christ but was reproued as one not that despised the minister and bringer of the signe but had grieued the God of the minister and author of that signe Is it a small thing to grieue men Esay 7.11 but you must also grieue my God sayth Esay The defeating of Baptisme seemeth to come three waies one by open contempt and despising of Gods wisdome in it Heathenish and prophane men cannot tell what to make of the sprinkling of water nor of the blessing of it in the name of the blessed trinitie as the Infidels and Atheists and Paynims doe vnto this day being ignorant that Christ Matth. 28. when he ordained Baptisme sayd Al power in heauen and earth is giuen vnto me goe and baptize I am with you for euer So that here is not naked water or the bare clemēt or a few words repeated but here is the power of God with it his wisedome to establish it his constancie to auowe it his holines to sanctifie it his mercie to blesse it so that as an odde thing or new thing they which despise it despise not mās aduise but Gods counsel against them selues Luk. 7.30 as did the Pharisies And hee that will not followe Gods counsell how shall he thriue though all the heads in the world should deuise for him Another disappoyntmēt of Baptisme commeth by negligence as in the people of Israel intermitting circumcision for 40. yeares Exod. 4.24 as in Moses who no doubt acknowledged Gods ordinance for circumcision and yet either hauing learned Aegyptian or Midianitish manners or to please his wife deferred to do it so that God had like to destroyed him in the Inne for it Which I would haue parents consider that defer their childrens baptisme from Lords day to Lords day and from one time of assemblie to another for no end but to get such and such witnesses such and such furniture of their houses and such other complement and outward circumstances till death strike their children which sinne though the Lord may remit thē yet their comfort cannot be so great as if they had taken the due time which the Lord offered them seeing by their meanes it commeth to passe whē Minister and place and time and all did concurre they only were wanting by the sinne of omission which thing gouernours Ecclesiastical are to looke vnto lest that if euery man by this example should defer if death should intercept Anabaptistrie might creepe in and scarse any child be baptized The Primitiue Church suffered them to want an honourable buriall Concil 1. Braccar who deferred their baptisme Of the third defeatement of Baptisme by vnauoydable necessitie wee haue spoken at large when either the child is preuented by death in the wombe or out of the wombe either by negligence or contempt