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A34049
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A companion to the altar, or, An help to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper by discourses and meditations upon the whole communion office to which is added an essay upon the offices of baptism and confirmation / by Tho. Comber ...
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Comber, Thomas, 1645-1699.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing C5450; ESTC R6280
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319,234
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511
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believing Persons thereby 3. And it is the more probable that we shall prevail when we ask this mercy because that Our Lord himself was pleased to honour this Ordinance by causing it to be Administred to himself by St. John in the River Jordan Math. 3.17 And He was Baptized saith St. Ambrose not that he might be cleansed but that he might cleanse the Waters that they themselves being washed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin might have a right to be used in Baptism ever after Ambr. in Luc. 3. and the grace which it received from him it pours upon us Christians idem Serm. Domin 6. post Pentec Yet we must not fancy as Tertullian and St. Ambrose note that this Sanctification was derived only to that one River whereupon some of old would be baptized no where but in Jordan For the Blessing was communicated say they to all Water that should ever be used to this purpose Now if the great end why Jesus was baptized were to Hallow the Water to this use we may the more chearfully present our Petition that the Party to be baptized may find supernatural effects from this holy Laver. 2. The Petition therefore advanced upon these Premises is First For Gods general Pitty to be expressed towards this infant because it is miserable by nature and liable to his wrath 2. Particularly that he will please to wash and purifie it from all its Natural Pollutions by the living Water John 7.38 even his holy Spirit o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl in Johan 3. which alone can cleanse the Soul and which gives the power of cleansing to this Water We pray that he who gave so many illustrious Types of Baptism before its Institution and at its first Original dignified it with the presence of his own Son that he will now look with Compassion on the original misery of this Child and wash it wholly away by his Spirit 3. And we ask this the more fervently because there will follow so blessed an effect upon our being heard viz. 1. Privative if it please him so to wash away the Sin of this Child it shall be delivered from Gods wrath Math. 3.7 since his wrath doth not remain on those whose Sins are pardoned but when the iniquity the cause is gone the wrath is removed also 2. There will follow also positive effects even the Seeds of Sanctifying Graces which will manifest themselves in due time The sum is that if it be washed with the Spirit it shall not be left to perish in the general deluge but be taken into the Church as Noah into the Ark p Ecclesia est arca figurata Tertul. de bap In illa mirandae capacitatis arca Ecclesia figuratur Ambros de voc gen l. 2. c. 4. and so be saved from the common destruction and although this Child as the Ark q Navicula illa figuram Ecclesiae praeferebat quod in mari id est seculo fluctibus id est persecutionibus tentationibus inquietatur Tert. of old be tossed a while upon the troublesome Waves of this World yet if Faith be the Pilot Hope the Sails and Charity the Lading no boisterous Billows shall be able to overwhelm it but it shall triumphantly and joyfully ride over these Surges until they have conveyed it safe to the Port of Immortality All these Graces are the fruits of that One Spirit so that if here it be received all these happy effects will be the consequents thereof §. 4. The second Collect for the Child Almighty and immortal God the aid of all that need c. To express our earnestness and importunity we do again renew our Address and in this second Prayer we request First That this Child may be pardoned and regenerated Secondly That it may be adopted and accepted by Almighty God both which are enforced with their proper motives 1. The first Petition is ushered in by a solemn Invocation wherein we call upon God by all those Attributes which do express his Power and Mercy we confess him to be Omnipotent and immortal 1 Tim. 6.16 the reliever of the needy Psal 10.16 69.33 the helper of those that fly to his Protection John 6.37 He giveth Eternal Life to Believers and raiseth those that are Dead John 11.25 and therefore he is the fittest to be sollicited in behalf of a weak and helpless infant dead in trespasses and sins Yea we esteem our selves happy that we have so great and so good a God to come unto in its behalf for here we do present him with an object suitable to his Might and his Mercy and since this poor Creature is so miserable but yet can neither apprehend its own misery nor speak in its own behalf we our selves become its spokesmen that it may be born again in this Laver of Regeneration and have all its Sins both pardoned and removed and doubtless so Charitable a Prayer from so many Hands presented to such a God for so deplorable an object cannot return empty 2. The next Petition proceeds further and craves that when the sin is removed and the nature renewed it may be most favourably received by God and adopted for his own Child And herein we seem to imitate that antient custom prescribed by the Roman Law in that kind of Adoption which was called Adrogation r Arrogatio autem dicta quia genus hoc in alienam familiam transitûs per Populi rogationem fit Au◠Gellius noc Att. 5. 19. Et Justinian instit l. 1. titul 11. de Adop Sect. 1. whereby a Child being to be adopted into a better Family was admitted by the approbation of the High Priest and at the Intercession of all the people in a publick Assembly Thus we who are already Citizens of Heaven do all join in requesting there may be one more added to our number and received into the Houshold of God And the motive to this Petition is no less than Gods gracious Promise by Jesus Christ Math. 7.7 that if we ask we shall have which St. Luke applies to the giving of the Holy Spirit Chap. 11.13 and some of the Antients refer this promise to this very mystery Nor can this promise be urged more properly For we have brought this infant to Heaven Gate but we cannot make it the Child of God nor let it in so that all we can do is to ask and seek to him to open the Gate and to receive it who hath promised to hear the Prayers of his Church The External washing is but a temporal priviledge and only makes this Child one of the number of the visible Church But the Heavenly washing of the Soul ſ Aquâ enim corpus abluitur Spiritu animae delicta mundantur Ambros in Luc. 3. Quod incorporale est invisibilitèr abluatur idem is an Everlasting Blessing and doth purifie the Soul and fit it for Eternal Life t Foelix Sacramentum aquae nostrae quâ abluti delictis pristinae caecitatis
of the World Math. 28.19 It is true our Saviour hath not prescribed any more in this Sacrament neither than the essential and necessary part leaving the Rites and Circumstances of Administration to the Determination of the Apostles and the Church Yet without doubt the form of Baptism was very early agreed upon because all the Christians in the World e Quod universa tenet Ecclesia nec Conciliis constitutum sed semper retentum est non nisi Autoritate Apostolicâ traditum rectissimè creditur August in Donatist l. 4. c. 23. almost do practise it much after the same manner The latter Ages had made some superfluous Additions but our Reformers have removed them and certainly restored this present office to a nearer Resemblance to the antient model than any other Church can shew We have three several Offices of Baptism 1. For Infants in publick 2. For Infants in danger of Death 3. For those of riper years But because the first is now most used and the other two differ very little from it we shall make that the measure of the rest and only treat of that in particular but first we must speak something to each of the three in general before we conclude this Introduction Of the publick Baptism of Infants § 2. As Baptism was appointed for the same end that Circumcision was and did succeed in the place thereof so it is most reasonable it should be administred to the same kind of Persons and as God commanded Infants to be Circumcised Gen. 17.12 so doubtless he would have them to be baptized Nor is it necessary that Christ should particularly name Children in his Commission Math. 28.19 it is sufficient that he did not except them nor forbid to baptize them for that supposeth he intended no alteration in this particular but that Children should be initiated into the Christian as well as into the Jewish Religion Besides if the Apostles had left Children out of the Covenant and not received them as Members of the Church it is certain the Jews who took such care to circumcise them would have made this a great objection to the Religion and have been highly scandalized thereat Wherefore since Infants are a part of all Nations and we read of whole Housholds baptized Acts 16.15.33 1 Corin. 1.16 it is highly probable that the Apostles themselves baptized Infants only the Baptism of Men and Women converted from Paganism being more for the honour of Religion and more illustrious did obscure the Infant Baptism which being done with less solemnity and at the same time with the Parents it sufficed to note it in general words This we are sure of that all Antiquity affirm that the Apostles did teach the Church to baptize Infants f Pro hoc Ecclesia ab Apostolis traditionem accepit etiam parvulis baptismum dare Origen hom in Rom. 6. Idem Hom. 8. in Levit 12.13 Hom. 14. in Luc. 2. Cypr. Epist 59. c. Consuetudo matris Ecclesiae in baptizandis parvulis nequaquam spernenda est Aug. l. 10. de gen c. 23. by Tradition as they did the change of the Sabbath and other things g Quas sine ullius scripturae instrumento solius traditionis titulo deinde consuetudinis patrocinio vindicamus Tert. de Coron Mil. c. 3. which the Church doth observe as Religiously as if there were a written command for them Besides the Antient Constitutions do command it h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Constit Clement And about 200. years after Christ St. Cyprian with 66. Bishops in Council with him determined that the Church had allowed of it and therefore Children had rather better right i Quod cum circa universos observandum sit atque retinendum tum magis circa infantes ipsos recens-natos observandum putamus Cypr. Epist 59. to Baptism than Elder persons And the Orthodox Fathers did press the Pelagians who denied Original Sin in Infants with this Question viz. Why the Church did baptize them The II. Canon of the Council of Milevis to which St. Augustine subscribed finally pronouncing an Anathema against those who denied That Infants were to be Baptized for the Remission of Sins Since which time it hath been universally practised in all Churches until some wild Enthusiasts of late revivers of old Heresies presumed to oppose it But it is not the giddy attempts of such unstable Persons can shake this Holy Practice which is so reasonable and so antient so beneficial to the Infants so comfortable to the Parents yea and so great a security to Religion by binding these future hopes of the Church in early Vows of Piety and that it may be carefully performed and in due time we shall next shew the necessity thereof Of private Baptism of Infants in Cases of Necessity § 3. Our Saviour himself hath said that Except a Man be born again of Water and of the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God John 3.5 and Mark 16.16 he makes Baptism as well as Faith necessary to Salvation whereupon the Antient Christians did constantly affirm that there could be no Salvation in an ordinary way without Baptism k Tertul de bapt cap. 12. Ambros de Vocat gent. l. 2. c. 8. and whosoever died without it their Estate was believed doubtful unless it were in such a Case as that of Valentinian the Emperour whom St. Ambrose hopes might be saved l Ambros de obitu Valentin by the desire of Baptism because he had no opportunity Upon the stock of this Principle grew that great care that no person might die unbaptized insomuch that it was allowed in danger of Death to baptize them who had not past through all their Preparations Provided that they should answer more fully if God restored them m Qui in agritudine constituti baptisma perceperunt facti sani Fidei symbolum dâ—ceantur ut noverint quâ donatione digni sunt habiti Concil Laodicen Can. 47. Anno 364. The like care hath our Church taken of little Children for though the require according to the 59. Can. of the 6. Council at Constantinop That they should be speedily and publickly Baptized in the House of God yet in Cases of extremity she admitteth of that which is done in private Houses even without Ceremony upon condition there may be added more of the solemnity afterwards when it is published in the Church And that it may not be neglected we are taught That it is certain by Gods word that Children baptized dying before they commit actual sin are undoubtedly saved For it is certain by Gods word that Baptism is appointed for remission of sins Acts 22.16 Chap. 2.38 and it is also certain that all they whose sins are forgiven are undoubtedly saved Psal 32.1 But Infants have no other sin but their Original Corruption which being remitted in Baptism they are undoubtedly saved And it is plain the first Christians believed the same Doctrine For if the most notorious offenders