all which Benefits even of Heaven its self Children are capable 3. That the Baptized might be amongst Men owned and reputed as Christians and Members of Christs Church and this also Children are capable of whom it seems hard to account as Heathens when they are the Children of Christians ARGUMENT XIII Whom the Church of Christ hath ever received to Baptism may still be Baptized But the Church of Christ hath ever received Children to Baptism Therefore Children may be Baptized AS for the Church of God among the Jews it is evident that they received Children to Circumcision to which Baptism succeeds Nor hath the Church of Christ since its Institution ever denyed Children Baptism as will appear 1. In that for many hundreds of Years the Question was not moved Walkers Modest Plea p. 219. to 254. Walkers Doct. of Baptism p. 118. nor the Point doubted of as to its Lawfulness And indeed there was little Reason for such a doubt considering that Children were Circumcised under the Law and so admitted into Covenant who were equally uncapable of that as our Children are now of Baptism nor was that Covenant Repealed of Children any where excluded it or our Priviledges by Christ infringed but rather enlarged 2. Harmony of Confession The Reformed Churches who have espoused Christs Doctrine most purely have unanimously Practised it as their several Confessions attest And in our Nation in our Saxon King Ina's time Walkers Doctrine of Baptism p. 126. about 692 Year of Christ a Child was to be Baptized within Thirty days under pain of the Forfeiture of Thirty shillings 3. In the series of Scriptures History and the Practice of the Church what concerneth the Baptizing of Believers and Sinners Confessing their sins hath respect to those Adult Persons Converted from Judaism or Gentilism when the Church was first Constituting And in all Ages those who were brought up unbaptized through their Parents or others Negligence or contempt of the Ordinance Order for Baptism of those of Riper Years or are Converted to Christianity have given account of their Faith and still do in the Practice of our Church before they are Baptized But after a Church is Constituted and Persons Converted those thus in a Constituted Church had their Children ever esteemed capable of being admitted to Baptism 4. The deferring of Baptism amongst the Ancients was not from their Questioning the Lawfulness of Infant Baptism Walkers Modest Plea in Preface but from several Opinions they had about the Efficacy of Baptism as to the Pardon of Sins by it and the danger of sinning after it So that these Opinions whereof some might be erroneous cannot take away what was justly and Lawfully Practised by Gods People before Christ Walker's Modest Plea p. 219. to 254. and even from the * Philpot the Martyr Fox Acts v. 3. 607 608 609 at large Apostles time since Christ Therefore not only from Scripture and Reason but from good Antiquity Children are Lawfully Baptized This Argument drawn from Antiquity and the Practice of the Church of Christ for so many Centuries so universally by all true Christian Churches by Reformed as well as Popish Though it hath not so great force with the Vulgar who are incapable of the Rational deduction of its Lawfulness from this Practice yet to the Judicious Christian it prevails much the Practice being no ways opposite to but agreeing with Scripture easily deduced from it the receiving of the Practice by the Apostles implies its Practice in Christians and from Him and Them hath it been received and retained in the Church to our days and will be while Christ hath a Church upon Earth ARGUMENT XIV That Doctrine which introduceth many unchristian Consequences is erroneous But the Doctrine of the Anti-pedobaptists introduceth many unchristian Consequences Therefore the Doctrine of the Anti-pedobaptists is erroneous Major THE Major Proposition must be undeniably true For that Doctrine that introduceth many or any unchristian Consequences must needs err from the Rule of Christianity Minor The Doctrine of the Anti-pedobaptists whereby they deny Baptism to Infants introduceth many unchristian Consequences as appears 1. It opposeth the whole current of Scripture nullifies many Scripture Promises and Priviledges and destroys the Covenant of Grace as the premised Pages manifest 2. It reduceth the World into Gentilism or Heathemsm again and makes Christs Church always gathering never gathered always instituting and never established 3. It excludes Children the Covenant of Grace and its Seals denies their Fellowship or Membership with Christ and his Church they owning no visible Church of Christ on Earth but their own Synagogues and esteem all us who are not of their way as Persons who are not visible Members of Christ whence we may easily guess their Charity and hopes of our Salvation 4. It introduceth genuinely a despair of Salvation of our Children for we cannot have any good grounds for the hopes of Salvation of those whom we think not to belong to the Covenant of Grace so as to be uncapable of its Seal out of the Church so as to be unfit for Baptism out of the way to Salvation so as to be no Disciples of Christ nor Believers which implies our esteeming them as Unbelievers whose end is eternal Misery And though they will not say so of our Children yet I am sure some of their Teachers have said so of themselves that we are no visible Members of Christs Church nor are in a visible way to Salvation 5. This Doctrine is injurious to Christ and renders him a kind of Impostor who hereby is made not a Mediator of a better Covenant than that with the Jews before him And while he Promiseth to admit the Gentiles to equal Priviledges through him to what the Jews had before him makes both the Jews and our Priviledges less by the excluding the Children of us and of all Converted Jews the Covenant and debarring them the Seal of it Baptism when as the Jews before their Conversion had their Children reckoned in the Covenant and received to its Seal Circumcision 6. It equals the Children of Christians with the Children of Turks and Heathens and then sure this Doctrine must be Erroneous The Form and Subject of Baptism being hitherto considered and the Christianity and Rationality of Infant Baptism declared together with the Anabaptists corruption in respect of the Form and the absurd Consequences of their Doctrine as to the subject of Baptism being detected I proceed to consider The Mode of Baptizing laid down by our Saviour Third Part of Text. and expressed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Baptizing them whence the Anabaptists Plead solely for dipping and account that no Baptism which is not so performed And our Church admits indifferently of either dipping or sprinkling I shall therefore shew 1. The Indifferency and Lawfulness of each Mode in Baptism 2. The unreasonableness of that Absolute necessity of that dipping the Anabaptists have espoused 3. The Reasonableness of
Gods Ordinances Christ though without sin and the Converts who had received the Holy Ghost we have premised to have submitted to Baptism Rom. 6. the wilful Refusal and Contempt of which where in an Establish'd Church it may be had is a Contempt of Christ and his Precepts and as much as lyeth in us a depriving of our selves or Children of the Benefits of the Covenant of Grace and a reducing us into a state of Heathenism or at best an unwillingness to be owned as Christians 7. It serves as an Oath and Obligation on Souls to be and continue Christs Faithful Souldier and Servant to our Lives end Our Life is often in Scripture called a warfare wherein we are engaged to fight against the World Flesh and Devil to engage us against whom the Lord of Hosts the chief General of the Field and Christ the Captain of our Salvation List all their Souldiers the Members of the Church Militant here on Earth to Fight under their Banner till they have their Writs of Ease by Death and have their Quarters removed from the Church-Militant on Earth to the Church Triumphant in Heaven Into which Militia this Ordinance is the Publick way of our Admission and is as it were our Matriculation or taking the Oath of Allegiance to our God Col. 2.6 7. thereby discriminating us from Rebels and Traytors and engaging our Fidelity to our Lives end 8. The uncircumcised Child was to be cut off from Israel which Punishment respects either its Exclusion from the Church of Christ Gen. 17.14 and so its cutting off from the Israel of God Or else a punishing of the Child by Death and so taking it away from among the People Or Lastly it signifies an Eternal Excluding it from Heaven and a cutting it off for ever from Gods People and their Portion Now though probably the Punishment in the Text on the Uncircumcised Child may not denote its being thereby Miserable to Eternity for what it could not help Yet to engage the Parents care to observe the Covenant and Gods Ordinances in having the Child Circumcised it might be punished both the other ways which could not but be a great trouble to the Parent whose remisness or neglect of the Ordinance might cause himself in his Child to be Punished either with his Childs Death or if it Lived by its being esteemed not of the Church of God but to be looked on as an Heathen And so under the Gospel although the Child shall not probably for the want of Baptism it being guilty of no contempt of it suffer Eternally Walkers Modest Plea p. 147. yet may the Parent justly fear to be severely Punished for slighting and contemning the Sacred Ordinances of God and Christ commanded to be Observed Thus are the Enquiries premised considered and the Necessity of Baptism stated I proceed more closely to adhere to the Exposition of the Parts of the Text. 1. Part of Text. 1. Form Wherein we Observed 1. The Form or Essence of Baptism Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And I esteem this the Form or Essence of Baptism because though there be a subject capable of Baptism and Water be used to Baptize yet is the Baptism Null unless in the Name of the Trinity according to Christs Commission in the Text which is never Repealed in any part of the New Testament As for the Baptizing Persons into the Name of Christ mentioned sometimes Acts 2.38 Acts 8.16 that doth not derogate from Christs Commission in the Text those places not relating to the manner of Administring the Ordinance but to the end of Baptism for the Jews who were pricked in their hearts for the Crucifying of Christ whom St. Peter had proved to be the Messiah and enquired what they should do to be saved The Apostle Exhorts them to believe on a Crucified Saviour and to be Baptized in Acts 4.12 Acts 10.48 or into his Name as a Token of their owning him as their Messiah and Saviour without whom no Salvation was attainable And those other places mentioning the Baptizing in the Name of the Lord or in the Name of Christ have the like respect denoting the Converted Jews and Gentiles being by Baptism received into the Name or Religion of Christ And they do not in the least infringe our Saviours Commission of Baptizing in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And therefore the Anabaptists seem to be blame-worthy Article 11. 1660 given to our present King who in their Printed Principles give Order indifferently to Baptize in the Name of the Trinity or in the Name of Christ alone which Practice is directly contrary to this Precept of our Saviour by which the Person to be Baptized was Baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into the Name Profession and Service of the Sacred Trinity The Acknowledgment of the ever Blessed Trinity and the Grounds of the Souls hope of enjoying all the Promises and Benefits of Christs Death Regeneration and Grace being thereby Ratified and Scaled to the Soul Epl. es 5.1 who is also thus engaged to act as a Child of God 1 Cor. 6.18 19 20. Rom. 6.11 a Member of Christ and a Temple of the Holy Ghost The Form or Essence of Baptism being Proved 2. Part of Text. Subject we come to consider the Subject of Baptism 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all Nations which in Scripture is spoken either 1. Exclusively as to the Jews and Inclusively only of the Gentiles who were through Christ to be received into the Church of God Ephes 2.2 12 13 19. and be made Members of Christ were admitted to partake of the Benefits of a state of Grace through Christ and by him also were made Heirs of Glory So that through Christ they were admitted to equal Priviledges with the Jews Acts 2.3 7 9. Acts 10.34 35 49. which thing though it caused an astonishment to the Jews yet was in Remarkable Evidences verified so that now all the ends of the Earth have seen the Salvation of God who is become God of the Gentile as well as Jew Rom. 3.29 and without Respect of Persons hath Respect to all those whether Jews or Gentiles who truly serve him 2. Inclusively of the Jews also for that Christ who was so long before his manifestation Promised as a Messiah and Saviour to the lost sheep of the House of Israel Mar. 10.5 6. would not when manifested exclude them but being to Collect a Church to himself Mark 16 16. Acts 26.17 18. Acts 13.46 47. Acts 28.28 he did Personally and by his Apostles first promulgate the Gospel to the Jews and they rejecting it he Commissioned his Apostles to go to the Gentiles as well as Jews who discharging their Office prevailed with great Numbers of both to accept of Christ to shew the equality of Christs proceedings and the freeness of Gods Mercy to both Jew and Gentile that of
Lawful and Honest or else to lose the Benefits that might accrue to them by Observance of that Covenant 2. As to Spirituals Parents are Obliged to take the greatest care imaginable of their Childrens Souls Ephes 6.1 4. for their Education in the Fear of God who also hath commanded the Parents to engage their Children in Covenant with him and to bring them up in his Service 2. God esteems Children capable of engaging in Covenant with him Deur 29 11 12 14. Rom. 10.5 to 10. Deut. 30.11 12 13 14 and gives command for all the Little Ones to stand before him to be entred into Covenant with him who were as capable of being engaged in Gods esteem and were as much engaged as those Captains Men and Women that stood with them and were not engaged in Covenant as was once impertinently urged to me by our Adversaries from a Critical Observance of the Particle Thou as if one alone in the stead of all others had been engaged To which Criticism I returned besides the premised Argument of Childrens being equally capable of being engaged as all the others who being present were not engaged and that the engagement of one in stead of all did no more infringe the capability of Children then it did that of those Captains Men Women who were by and not engaged that I thought the Particle Thou might reasonably refer to every individual Captain Man Woman and Little One who I suppose to have been particularly concern'd and the Commandments were instanced in which concern all yet are given in the same second Person singular Nor was this Covenant any other than a Covenant of Grace the same Covenant now remaining as to its substance only freed from the encumbring Ceremonies and altered as to its External Administration of its Ministry Sacrifices Baptism c. as hath been proved and the Marginal Citations compared will manifest 3. 2 Chron 20.13 Joel 2.16 Deut. 31.11 12 13. The Jews Children were formerly concerned in the Duties of the Covenant as in Fasting Prayer and God accepted of them as capable of entring into Covenant of Hearing Learning Doing his Will surely then we may esteem so 4. Our Children are as capable now as the Children of the Jews were then nor can an Objection be against ours but it is equally valid against theirs and if God accepted theirs we have the same Covenant and God of Mercy and so the same Reason to believe he will receive ours and then why should we esteem them uncapable of being engaged in Covenant with God by Baptism ARGUMENT VI. Those who are Members of Christs Church ought to be Baptized But Children are Members of Christs Church Therefore Children ought to be Baptized THIS Argument hath no small force in it as will appear by considering each Proposition distinctly Major Those who are Members of Christs Church ought to be Baptized as appears 1. Because this is the usual way of Solemn Admission into Christs Church Acts 2.37 38 and the Apostles usually Practised thus Administring Baptism upon their receiving any into the Church of Christ 2. If Baptism be not Administred at the Admission of Persons into Christs Church then must it be done after or not at all The last is not true Christs Ordinance ought not to be neglected and there is no Instance or Precept in Scripture what time after a Persons Conversion and becoming a Church-Member it should be done Therefore it must be done as the Apostles Practised it at the Receiving any into the Church of Christ 3. Our Adversaries the Anabaptists acknowledge none Members of a Visible Church of Christ but those who are Baptized and Baptize as they call it those whom they receive as Church-members at their first Admission whence directly follows from their own Practice that those who are Church-members ought to be Baptized 4. Christs Church is to be Purified with the washing of Water by the Word Ephes 5.26 If then Children are of his Church they ought to be Baptized Minor And that Children are Members of Christs Church appears as to their Membership of his Invisible Church from our Adversaries granting them Eternal Life and all Priviledges belonging to such Members and that they are also Members of Christs Visible Church will appear thus 1. The Children of the Jews were with their Parents Church-members under the Law Baxter's Infant Church-Memb p. 26. Deut. 31.11 12. which Law is not yet Repealed by Christ 2. The Children of the Converted Jews lost not their Priviledges but still remained Church-members for Christ did not infringe but rather enlarge the Priviledges of his People And St. Peter seems to use this as a great motive to induce the Jews to close with Christ Acts 2.37 38 39. that though they had Crucified the Lord of Life their Promised and Expected Messiah yet they Repenting and being Baptized might be saved and might find Mercy for themselves and their Seed also for the Covenant and Promise is still to You and to your Seed 3. The Gentiles are through Christ admitted to equal Priviledges with the Jews Rom. 11.11 15 25. Eaxter p. 20. the Children of Parents who did not believe were Excluded therefore the Children of Parents believing were received 4. The Jews shall with their Children be recalled into a state of Church-membership at their Conversion Rom. 11.25 26 27. therefore doubtless the Children of Believing and Converted Gentiles are Church-members 5. Children are either Members of the Visible Church of Christ or else are visibly of Satans Kingdom There is no Medium between these two all appertain either to Christ or Satan Now let them and us consider how dismal a Doctrine theirs is which makes all the Children of the World of the Visible Kingdom of Satan and so denies us any good grounds for the hope of their Salvation And how strangely their Thoughts are linked together in granting Children all the Priviledges of Church-members as Pardon of sin and Eternal Life and so esteem them of Christs Invisible Church and yet Excommunicate them out of his Visible Church Art 11. of their Principles Grantam's Works l. 2. p. 67. c. 5. and to countenance this they calumniate Scripture and say the Old Testament-way of bringing of Children into the Church is cast out and that Children are not mentioned as received in the New Testament about which the Author Cited spends some leaves which Calumny may easily be wiped off and his leaves blown away as to the force of their Arguments against us for it can never be proved that Children are in any place by Christ rejected and excluded the Covenant Discipleship and Church-membership and it is fully proved and must be granted they were in the Covenant were Disciples and Church-members before Christ But if by the Old Testament-way of bringing in Children into the Church being cast out They mean not to infringe the Priviledge of Children the Subject of this Argument but to shew the way of their Admission
or leap or however not containing so much Water as might fit it to dip or plunge over Head and Ears so many as were in those days Baptized 4. The expression of much Water being thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying many Waters denoting the confluence of those two Springs or Waters Jordan and Jalor causing rather some Stream rather than so much as might suffice to dip or plunge Persons in for it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie there was much Water And had it been so expressed according as our Translation renders it yet a little Stream may be esteemed much Water in that hot and dry Countrey whose Famous River Jordan was not Navigable and therefore it self almost incapable of serving to the dipping of so many as were Baptized 5. Supposing it to be a place of much Water and that it was fit for Persons to be dipt or plunged in it yet there being no mention at all of such a dipping or plunging but only that St. John Baptized there it can give no colour to the Anabaptists for their dipping whom they Baptize Nor can it be deduced from thence the force of their Objection lying in there being there much Water only denotes the fitness of the place to Baptize the many Converts in and gives an equal Latitude for Baptizing them by pouring water on them at the River side as it doth for dipping them in the River for which Practice the Anabaptists are wholly destitute of Scripture Precept or President and are therefore blame-worthy to Separate from our Church without Cause Baptism being rightly Administred by us according to that due form on that fit Subject and after that Lawful manner Christ appointed Thus have I performed the design of the Text and discovered the Necessity Form Subject and Manner of Baptism It remains Lastly that I Answer those Enquiries made by the Anabaptists as Objections against things pertaining to our Practice As Enq. 1 If Infant Baptism was Lawful Christ or his Apostles would have Commanded and Practised it And if Lawful why is it not mentioned in Scripture To this I Answer Answ 1. Christ is expresly said to have Baptized none John 4.2 John 3.22 nor must that in John 3. oppose this so as to render it untrue for Christ did Baptize as he Ordered his Apostles to do it and did it by them but in his own Person himself Baptized none yet did Christ grant to Children what was greater than Baptism the Holy Ghost and Eternal Life and admits them to the Ordinance of Laying on of Hands which presupposeth their being Baptized as hath been largely proved 2. The Consequence is invalid a non dicto ad non factum John 21.25 for St. John acquaints us many things were done by Christ and his Apostles that are not written and so might this be Practised though not expressed 3. As great Essential matters to the Church of Christ are not expressed either by way of Precept or Practice in Scriptures The whole Scriptures afford not one Instance of a Womans Receiving the Lords Supper or of the Apostles themselves being Baptized or of any Children of Believers or Converts being at any Age Baptized but it solely relates the Baptism of Heathens when Converted to Christ or of Jews embracing Christ as their Messiah But yet we believe on good grounds that Women ought and may partake of the Lords Supper and that the Apostles of Christ were Baptized and that Baptism is as necessary to be Practised by and upon the Posterity Seed and Children of Believers and Professing Christians as it was upon the new Converted Jew or Gentile though these and other things as material be not mentioned in Scripture 4. The Anabaptists who put this Enquiry to us as if nothing ought to be done but what is the express Precept of or President in Scripture do themselves Practice Baptizing by Dipping without any Scripture Precept or Example 5. Gen. 17. It was largely Commanded in the Old Testament that the Children of Gods People should be and they were also admitted unto the Seal of the Covenant Circumcision and Christ abundantly manifests our Priviledges to be as great as theirs Ephes 2.13 19. Heb. 8.6 whence as we have proved at large directly follows our Childrens Right to Baptism 6. There needed no new Command for it Christ being a Saviour to Jew as well as Gentile and admitting both to equal Priviledges would not did not abrogate any of the Jews Priviledges they enjoyed before his coming nor did Christ speak one Syllable against their Childrens Baptism but only gave Precepts for the Collecting a Church of both Jew and Gentile by Believing in him and being Baptized into the Faith of him And the Covenant between God and the Jews through their Messiah to come being un-repealed by him when come still gives the Children of the Converted Jews and Gentiles they having equal Priviledges right to Baptism which is warrantably Practised nor can it be unlawful it being against no Law and so not an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 7. 1 Joh. 3.4 Mat. 19.13 14 15. All the Spiritual and Eternal Mercies the Covenant of Grace contains and Baptism Seals are expresly Promised and applyed in the Scriptures of the New Testament to Children 8. It is more than probable that Children were Baptized in that we Read of several whole Families Baptized by the Apostles and that only on the account of the Parents or Masters Professing the Faith Abraham Believed and he and all his Gen. 17. Acts 16.15 31 34. 1 Cor. 1.16 Ishmael and Isaac c. were Circumcised The Jaylor Lydia Stephanas c. Believed and presently they and their whole Families and Housholds are Baptized whence we have Infant Baptism tacitly implyed in Scripture 9. And Lastly Scripture is silent as to a Precept for Infant Baptism under the New Testament Dispensation because it was the Practice of Jews to Baptize their Proselytes both Parents and Children as we have proved though not Sacramentally till Christs Commission for it So there needed not a New Command to promote an Old Practice continued from Abraham's time to Christ and no ways by him or his Apostles spoken against only there needed a Precept and Commission from Christ to make those Baptismal washings to be a Sacrament of his Gospel Church Mat. 28.19 20. which was done by our Saviour in the words of the Subject of this Discourse as appears in that it was not a Precept to Administer Baptism save only as to the Gentiles because it was Practised upon Christ and by St. Mat. 3.17 John 1.25 26. John 4.1 2. John on several others before this Commission was given though by this Precept and Commission it became first a Sacrament to both Jew and Centile And these Reasons may suffice why Infant Baptism is not expresly Commanded in Scripture And this small Treatise will prove the great Reasons Scripture gives us to receive them to