of the spirit and that it may be separated from it And hence was the Papists noise against him 8. Saith he As a further argument that he denied Infant-baptism may appear because he did so vehemently impugn Confirmation c. Answ 1. Here we have Fuller out of Cochleus falsly again 2. Are all Protestants against Infant-baptism that are against the Popish Sacrament of Confirmation What a prover is this man Is Dallaeus that hath written so large a disputation of Confirmation an Anabaptist And the English Nonconformists too 3. But in very deed Mr. D.'s falshood and Wickliffs opinion for Infant-baptism may very probably be gathered from that not fifteenth as he but fourteenth Chapt. of Confirmation For 1. He reprehendeth the Bishops for adding so many Ceremonies to Infant-baptism never blaming their baptism it self 2. He argueth against confirming children as superfluous because the spirit is given in baptism it self confirmatur ex hoc quod baptizatos nostros dicimus regulariter Spiritum Sanctum accipere eo ipso quo legitime baptizantur that is And it is hence confirmed in that we say that our baptized ones do regularly receive the Holy Ghost in that or by that very thing that they are lawfully baptized And he had before said that they are offered to Baptism in the Church according to Christs Rule § 11. After all this Mr. D. addeth Wickliffs opinions against Popery to the number of 29. But what all this is to the case of Infant-baptism what man besides himself can tell But let me tell him that I would not have him too easily believe bitter adversary Papists lest he forfeit the little relicts of his own credit And that it is not like that Wickliff was against enjoyning the Lords-Prayer as he citeth Yea I would not have Mr. D. come so near the Papists yet as Wickliff did How doth he like such words as these Trialog li. 4. c. 22. fol. 138. Et talis est triplex Ecclesia Ecclesia scilicet Militans Dormiens Triumphans Ecclesia Dormiens est praedestinati in Purgatorio patientes that is There is such a threefold Church The militant Church the sleeping Church the triumphant Church The sleeping Church is the Predestinate suffering in Purgatory And lib. 2. c. 10. see what he saith of Angels and adoration of them And c. 11. of Angels offices and their being virtually every where And what he saith of Kings and Matrimony quod excedit alia Sacramenta c. li. 4. c. 19 20. fol. 132 133. Nor would I say that omnia quae eveniunt de necessitate eveniunt as fol. 120. a. Or that Deus potest esse Asinus si velit ut fol. 90. b. One of the worst things I like in Wickliff is that he plungeth himself into the deepest School-subtilties or difficulties with less subtilty or diligence than the case requireth and than Schoolmen use And indeed I like not divers of his conclusions as lib. 2. c. 14. fol. 41. Quod Deus necessitat creaturas singulas activas ad quemlibet actum suum It is supposed that Hobbs by the same Doctrine overthroweth all the Christian faith And I believe that his doctrine there fol. 41. and elsewhere for merit and how temporale sit causa praedestinationis aeternae will displease some And his distinction of Mortal and Venial sin as li. 3. c. 5. fol. 52. And that he maketh final impenitence the sin against the Holy Ghost And that none can know what sin is mortal in us and what not And cap. 6. Concedi potest quod multi praesciti sunt in gratia secundum praesentem justitiam It may be granted that many reprobates are in a state of Grace according to their present righteousness Praesciti autem nunquam sunt in gratia finalis perseverantiae The Reprobate are never in the grace of final perseverance So that he held that present true grace was lost by some as Austin did which he explaineth cap. 7. And cap. 8. again he is at his Omnia eveniunt necessitate absoluta reviewing what he had said and concludeth that no man can do better than he doth but he could if God would and denieth not sin to be hereby necessitated c. § 12. Pag. 115. He again impenitently reneweth his slander of Berengarius as being against Infant-baptism Concerning whom saith Vsher de success Eccles cap. 7. p. 207. Author Actorum c. The Author of the Acts of Bruno found in the Library of the Noble Baron Carew of Clopton who saith he was at this examination saith that they some of Berengarius followers said that baptism profited not children to salvation as also Deodvinus Leodiensis first from common fame and then Guitmundus Arch. Aversanus on the credit of Leodiensis report that Bruno Andegavensis Berengarius Turonensis quantum in ipsis erat baptismum parvulorum evertisse did as much as in them lay overthrow the baptism of children But we find no charge ever brought against Berengarius concerning Anabaptism in so many Synods as were held against him Nor do they seem to have denied any thing else who are said to deny that baptism profiteth little Ones to Salvation but that Baptism conferreth Grace ex opere operato As gathering from the Apostles words He that planteth and he that watereth is nothing but God that giveth the increase So Alanus li. 1. cont haerâ—t sui temp taketh them as if they had said Baptism hath no efficacy either on young or old therefore mâ—n are not bound to be baptized And that this was the plain case is proveable in that it was just the case of Wickliff and the Waldenses who were said to do as much as in them lay to cast out Infant-baptism because they thought that every wicked Priest did not sanctifie them ex opere operato and infallibly convey Gods grace to the unprepared But his proofs are 1. The Magdeb. tell us that Berengarius maintained his heresies which they set down to be denying Transubstantiation and Baptism to little ones under five heads which Lanfrank Arch-Bishop of Canterbury answers at large in his book called Scintillaris and as to that of denying Infant-baptism he answers by saying he doth thereby oppose the general Doctrine and universal Consent of the Church Answ 1. I have not the Magdeb. at hand but he hath little to do that will ask Illyricus and Gallus and Amsdorfius what Lanfrank writeth if he have his book before him The publisher of Lanfranks book against Berengarius giveth us notice of no other Trithemius de script Eccles knew of no other but this which is in Bibl. Patr. Tom. 6. p. 190. And I have lookt over every line of it such labour do these men put us to and I find not one word where any such thing is mentioned by Lanfrank but only his accusations of Ber. about Transubstantiation He never once chargeth him as denying Infant-baptism nor mentioneth it See Reader into what hands the poor seduced ones are fallen § 13. His
ut secundum Christi regulam baptizetur et deficiente aqua vel requisitis aliis stante pia intentione totius populi interim mortuo naturaliter nutu Dei videtur grave damnationem Infantis hujusmodi definire specialiter cum nec infans iste nec populus peccavit ut taliter damnaretur Vbi est ergo misericors liberalitas Christi Dei si talis proles fidelium propter illud quod non est in potestate eorum damnabitur cum Deus secundum principia Theologiae communia sit pronior ad praemiandum homines quam ad dammandum et specialiter merito et passione Christi tantum sua tentoria dilatante Which is thus Englished And first let us see where Baptism is stablished in the Gospel For read Mat. 28. how Christ commanded his Apostles Go Teach c. And hence Philip Baptizing the Eunuch first instructed him in the Faith Act. 8. And because of this form of Christs words Mat. 28. Our Church bringeth Believers answering for the Infant who had not attained to discretion And such God-fathers commonly make the children whom they take from Baptism to be instructed in the Lords Prayer and the Creed And others that had attained to discretion while they are instructed in the faith of Christ before their Baptism are called Catechumeni And this Sacrament is so necessary to a viator that Christ saith to Nicodemus Joh. 3. Except a man be born again of water c. So that by so great authority of Scripture belief the faithful are generally Baptized And the Church hath ordained that in the point of necessity every faithful person may be Baptized Nor is it material whether they be dipped once or thrice or the water be poured on their heads but it must be done according to the custom of the place where one dwelleth as well in one as in another lawful rite For it is certain that corporal Baptism or washing little availeth unless there be a washing of the Mind by the Holy Ghost from Original or Actual sin For this is a principle in this belief that whoever is rightly Baptized Baptism blotteth out whatever sin it findeth in the man to be Baptized And because satisfaction is necessary to the blotting out of sin and satisfaction for sin cannot be made but by the death of Christ therefore saith the Apostle that as many of us as are Baptized into Christ are Baptized into his death ALITH But tell me plainlier I pray you how Christ who so much hateth sensible signes hath put so great necessity of salvation in this washing For it seemeth to derogate from Gods liberality and power that God cannot by all his merit and passion intercede to save an Infant or an adult beliver unless he be Baptized by an old Woman or some other viant commonly an Infidel so also when the Infant of believers is brought to the Church that ☞ according to Christs Rule he may be Baptized and for want of water or other requisites the peoples pious intention continuing he is dead in the mean time naturally by the will of God it seemeth hard to define that such an Infant is damned specially when neither the Infant nor the people have sinned that he should so be damned Where then is the merciful liâ—erality of Christ-God if such a child of believers shall be damned for that which is not in their power when God according to the common Principles of Theologie is proner to reward men than to damn them and specially when the merit and passion of Christ have so far stretched out their tents To this Wickliffe answereth 1. In this Chap. that â—ome things he speaketh assertively and some things reputatively and so revieweth the case And 1. saith that Christ approveth outward signs but not the abuse of them That is 1. When the signs of the old Jewish Law are kept 2. By an inmodest espoâ—sing them and preferring them before Gods Decalogue 3. By burthening the Church with them which Christ would have free even more than the Jewish Church was burthened And thus the Religious now saith he abuse them the two last wayes And in the Twelfth Chapter he proceedeth to answer the rest Videtur mihi probabile quod Christus satis posset sine lotione hujus infantes spiritualiter baptizare et per consequens salvare unde dicitur communiter quod triplex est baptismus Ecclesiae viz. baptismus fluminis baptismus sanguinis baptismus flaminis et quilibet eorum comparibus sufficit ad salutem Nec audeo asserere quod Infantes occisi pro Christo sint damnati Baptismus autem flaminis est bapt sp sancti qui est simpliciter necessarius cuilibet homini si salvetur Ideo duo baptismi priores sunt signa antecedentia et ex suppositione necessaria ad istum tertium baptismum flaminis Ideo absque dubietate si iste insensibilis baptismus ad fuerit baptizatus est à crimine mundatus Et si iste defuerit quantumcunque adsint priores baptismus non prodest animae ad salutem Ideo cum recte sit insensibilis tantum nobis ignotus videtur mihi imprudens praesumptio taliter salvationem hominis vel damnationem ex baptismo definire Reputamus tamen absque dubietate ☞ Quod Infantes recte baptizati flumine sint baptizati tertio baptismate cum habent gratiam baptismalem Non enim licet fidelibus supponendo baptismum flaminis baptismum fluminis omnino relinquere sed necesse est data opportunitate circumstantiae ipsum accipere Et cum omnia quae eveniunt de necessitate eveniunt dici potest quod talis homo non potest salvari sine tali baptismate Thus Englished It seemeth to me probable that Christ can sufficiently Baptize Infants spiritually without this washing and by consequence can save them Whence it is commonly said that there is a threefold Baptism of the Church that is the Baptism of water the Baptism of blood and the Baptism of the Spirit And every one of them to the meet sufficeth to salvation Nor dare I assert that the Infants Mat. 2. killed for Christ are damned But the Baptism of the spirit is the Baptism of the Holy Ghost which is simply necessary to every one that he be saved Therefore the other two Baptisms are antecedent signs and suppositively necessary to this third Baptism of the spirit Therefore without doubt where that insensible baptism is the Baptized person is cleansed from his sin and if that be wanting let the former be never so much present Baptism profiteth not the soul to salvation Seeing therefore this is insensible and so much unknown to us it seemeth to me imprudent presumption so to define mens salvation or damnation by their Baptism But yet we hold without doubting that Infants rightly Baptized with water are Baptized with the third Baptism when or seeing they have Baptismal grace For it is not lawful for the faithful on supposition of the Baptism of the spirit to cast off
their own then as if they had never been baptized they cannot be saved What hurt then as to this doth their Infant interest do them 2. Yea doubtless it is a great help For 1. To be in the way of Gods Ordinance and Benediction is much 2. And knowing you deny that I add to be conscious of an early engagement may do much to awe the minds of Children yea and to cause them to love that Christ which hath received them and that Society to which they belong 3. If Children till Baptized have any thoughts of dying according to you they must have little hopes of mercy And God accounteth not the spirit of bondage best no not for Children They cannot well be educated in the Love of God who must believe that they are damned if they die and that God hath not given them any promise of life 4. Experience of many Moors servants among us and in our Plantations besides ancient history assureth us that delaying Baptism till age tendeth to make people delay repentance and think I am but as I was and if I sin longer all will be pardoned at baptism and I must after live strictlier and therefore as Constantine and many more they will be baptized Christians when there is no remedy 5. And experience assureth us that it were the way to work out Christianity and restore Infidelity in any Nation For had not Christ early possession and were not Nations discipled and baptized Christians were like to be almost as thin as Puritans now and the multitude being Infidels from a cross interest such as divisions cause would be ready on all occasions as they did in Japan and Monicongo to root them out I take this to be a very concerning consideration whether in reason Infant Baptism be like to do more good or harm The not calling men to serious Covenanting at age doth unspeakable harm To have a few good words about Confirmation in the Liturgie and such as Doct. Hammonds writings of it will not save ignorant ungodly souls nor the souls of the Pastors that betray them I have said my thoughts of this long ago in a Treatise of Confirmation But I must profess that it seemeth to me that if Christ had left it to our wills it is much liker to tend to the good of souls and the propagating Christianity and the strength of the Church for to have both the obligation and comfort of our Infant Covenant and Church state and as serious a Covenanting also at age when we pass into the Church state of the Adult than to be without the former and left to the expectation of adult baptism alone SECT LIII to LVIII R. B. THe law of nature bindeth Parents in love to their children to enter them into the most honourable and profitable society if they have but leave so to do But here Parents have leave to enter them into the Church which is the most honourable and profitable society Ergo That they have leave is proved 1. God never forbad any man in the world to do this sincerely the wicked and unbelievers cannot do it sincerely and a not forbidding is to be interpreted as leave in case of such participation of benefits As all laws of men in doubtful cases are to be interpreted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the most favourable sense So hath Christ taught us to interpret his own When they speak of duty to God they must be interpreted in the strictest sense When they speak of benefits to man they must be interpreted in the most favourable sense that they will bear 2. It is the more evident that a not forbidding in such cases is to be taken for leave because God hath put the principle of self-preservation and desiring our own welfare and the welfare of our Children so deeply in humane nature that he can no more lay it by than he can cease to be a reasonable creature And therefore he may lawfully actuate or exercise this natural necessary principle of seeking his own or childrens real happiness where-ever God doth not restrain or prohibit him We need no positive command to seek our own or childrens happiness but what is in the law of nature it self and to use this where God forbiddeth not if good be then to be found cannot be unlawful 3. It is evident from what is said before and elsewhere that it is more than a silent leave of Infants Church-membership that God hath vouchsafed us For in the forementioned fundamental promise explained more fully in after times God signified his will that so it should be It cannot be denied but there is some hope at least given to them in the first promise and that in the general promise to the seed of the woman they are not excluded there be no excluding term Vpon so much encouragement and hope then it is the duty of Parents by the law of nature to enter their Infants into the Covenant and into that society that partake of these hopes and to list them into the Army of Christ 4. It is the duty of Parents by the Law of Nature to accept of any allowed or offered benefit for their children But the relation of a member of Christs Church or Army is an allowed or offered benefit to them Ergo c. For the Major these principles in the law of nature do contain it 1. That the Infant is not sui juris but is at his Parents dispose in all things that are for his good That the Parents have power to oblige their children to any future duty or suffering that is certainly to their own good and so may enter them into Covenants accordingly And so far the will of the Father is as it were the will of the child 2. That it is unnaturally sinful for a Parent to refuse to do such a thing when it is to the great benefit of his own child As if a Prince would offer Honours and Lordships and Immunities to him and his heirs if he will not accept this for his heirs but only for himself it is unnatural Yea if he will not oblige his heirs to some small and reasonable conditions for the enjoying such benefits For the Minor that this relation is an allowed or offered benefit to Infants is manifested already and more shall be And this leads me up to the second point which I propounded to consider of whether by the light or law of nature we can prove that Infants should have the benefit of being Church-members supposing it first known by supernatural revelation that Parents are of that society and how general the promise is and how gracious God is And 1. It is certain to us by nature that Infants are capable of this benefit if God deny it not but will give it them as well as the aged 2. It is certain that they are actually members of all the Common-wealths in the world perfecte sed imperfecta membra being secured from violence by the laws and capable of honours and
meerly because he elected them some will say why may he not do so also by the Parents at least renewing them all in transitu § 15. If you say that He giveth them freely his sanctifying grace and giveth them right to Salvation as sanctified though he tell us not who are sanctified I answer 1. Take heed lest you teach the presumptuous to say the same of Infidels Heathens and almost all that God may in the passages when they are dying sanctifie and save them all 2. Still this giveth no positive hope of any particulars nor more to Christians for their Children than they may have of the Children of Infidels nor any promise of the spirit and sanctification as Believers have § 16. I take it therefore for the soundest Doctrine that Gods taking the Children of the Faithful into Covenant with him and becoming their God and taking them for his own doth signifie no less than a state of Grace and pardon and right to life eternal and that they are in this state upon their Parents Consent and Heart-devoting them to God in Christ before baptism but baptism is the solemnizing and investiture which openly coram Ecclesia delivereth them possession of their visible Church-state with a sealed pardon and gift of life For it is not another but the same promise and Covenant which is made to the faithful and their feed And all Gods promises to the many Generations of them in the second Commandment and many other Texts cannot mean any such little blessings as consist with a state of damnation and the possession of the Devil And all the ancient Churches in baptizing of Infants were of this mind whom I will not despise And Abrahams case perswadeth me that the Children of Natural and Civil Parents truly their Owners have this right before they are baptized But the former natural Parents have plainer evidence than the later which is a darker case But as for them that think either that all Infants are saved or all baptized Infants â—ure vel injuria though no Parent or Owner consent or dedicate them heartily or openly to God or though they are hypocrites and truly consent not for themselves or theirs let them prove it if they can but I must say it is past my power § 17. I know the grand difficulty is that then this Infant-Grace is lost in many that live to riper age I have said so much of this in my Christian Directory that I will refer the considering Reader thither only adding 1. That far greater absurdities will follow the contrary opinion and the greater are not to be chosen I am loth again to name them 2. That the universal Church as far as by any notice we can know did for many hundred years grant the conclusion and take it for no absurdity but a certain truth yea much more Austin and his followers themselves thought more at age were truly justified and sanctified than were elected and did persevere And some hold that not all that have the sanctifying spirit but only certain confirmed Christians have a certainty to persevere And others hold that as the spirit of Christ is promised to Believers though men believe not without the spirit so that measure of Grace which causeth men only to believe as antecedent to that promised spirit of Power Love and a sound mind is but such as may be lost as Adams was and that it is the spirit following it as the rooted habit which cannot be lost And others come yet lower and say that the Grace which giveth faith it self cannot be lost because such have the promise of the spirit but yet the grace which only enableth men to Repent and Believe called sufficient may be lost before it produce the Act Accordingly some think of Infant-Grace The last sort think that they have real pardon of original sin and right to life and have real Grace but being Infants that grace is but such as will enable them to believe if they come to age and not infallibly cause it and that this may be lost And so I might run over the opinions of the rest And among all these the judgement of Davenant Ward c. of the loss of an Infant-state of Grace as by them opened is not so hard as I think the contrary way will infer And it seems by Art 1. c. 17. that the Synod of Dort was of their mind § 18. Our darkness about the future state of Infants Souls hath occasioned some diversity of thoughts about their present state Indeed they will neither in Heaven or Hell have any work for Conscience in the review of any former actions good or evil And it seemeth by Nazianzene before cited Orat. 40. that some Ancients thought as most Papists do that unbaptized Infants have neither the joys of Heaven nor any punishment but the loss of these But what state then to place them in they know not To think that they shall remain in a meer potentiality of understanding and shall know no more than they did here is to equal them with bruits and to encourage the Socinians who say the like of the separated souls of the adult And if they can allow understanding to those that died baptized why not to the rest And if they understand they must have grief or pleasure But who can know more than God revealeth § 19. In sum 1. That God would have Parents devote their Children to him and enter them according to their capacity in his Covenant as I have elsewhere proved is a great truth not to be forsaken 2. And also that he accepteth into his Covenant all that are faithfully thus devoted to him and is peculiarly their God and such Children are holy 3. That they are certainly members according to an Infant capacity of the visible Church as they are of all Kingdoms under Heaven These are all clear and great truths 4. And that there is far more hope of their salvation than of those without 5. And I think the Covenant maketh their Salvation certain if they so die 6. And it seemeth to me that the investiture and solemnization of their Covenant with Christ should be made in Infancie from Matth. 28.19 20. and the exposition of the universal Church 7. But if any should think with Tertullian and Nazianzene that the time of investiture and solemnization is partly left to prudence and may be delayed in case of health yea or should think that Infants are not to be solemnly invested by baptism but only the adult so they confess Infants relation to God his Covenant and Church I would differ from such men with love and peace and mutual toleration and communion CHAP. I. The Occasion of this Writing § 1. AS I was by great and long importunity unwillingly engaged at first to meddle publickly in the Controversie of Infant Baptism with Mr. Tombes so I then resolved to meddle no more with it unless I found that necessity made it an apparent duty § 2. Accordingly when Mr.