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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	baptize_v	jesus_n	john_n	3,386	5	6.8394	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77739	A confutation of the Anabaptists, and all others who affect not civill government; proving the lawfullnesse of it: and a full answer to all their cavills, that are, or can be made against it. With a nut-cracker for an unnaturall nut, whose shell is as hard as the scales of Leviathan, and the kernell of his heart as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone, Iob 41.15.24. yet the hammer of Gods word that breaketh in pieces the rocks, Ier. 23.29. will break this nut, that all may see the devillish kernell that is in it. Also arguments against the Anabaptists, proving that infants borne of Christian parents ought to be baptized: with a full answer to all their cavills that are (or can be) made against it. Imprimatur Ja. Cranford.	Bakewell, Thomas, b. 1618 or 19.	1644 (1644)	Wing B530; Thomason E51_20; ESTC R209932	98,225	89

great famine and terrible siege were more cruell to their sucking Infants then the sea monsters or like the Estridges in the wildernesse Lam 4.3 The pretious sons of Sion comparable to fine gold were esteemed as earthen pitchers vers 2. So these men when Christ highly commends and greatly delights in young Infants these cruell parents think them not worthy of their society in divine ordinances how doe they know but they were sanctified in the wombe as well as Ieremiah Jer. 1.5 And how do they know but they were filled with the holy Ghost even from their mothers wombe aswel as John the Baptist Luke 1.15 But was Iohn sanctified from the wombe who was the first Minister of the Sacrament of baptisme what is this but to informe Iohn that Infants from the womb are fitted for baptisme And again Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost to sanctifie Infancy aswel as any other age that none may be excepted against then how dare these men make exceptions where Christ makes none then may Infants be sanctified in the wombe and receive the holy Ghost from the wombe Then saith Peter can any man forbid that these should be baptized that have received the holy Ghost aswell as we And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Acts 10.47 48. Fifthly the Apostles did baptize them that did but in a generall way confesse that Christ was the Son of God Acts 8.37 38. And they baptized Simon Magus many in Samaria when as yet the holy Ghost was fallen upon none of them onely they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Then they laid their hands on them and they received the holy Ghost see Acts 8.15 16.17 And the Apostles finding certaine Desciples said unto them have ye received the holy Ghost since ye beleeved that is have ye received the speciall gifts and graces of the holy Ghost since ye beleeved with a generall faith but say they we have not so much as heard whether there be any holy Ghost and he said unto them unto what were ye baptized and they said unto Johns baptisme Acts 19.1 2 3. Here you see them baptized that can make but a weake account of their faith why may not Infants born of Christians be baptized much rather then these 6. Iohn baptized them with water unto repentance but saith he he that commeth after me shall baptize you with the holy Ghost Mat. 3.11 That is when Christ by his spirit shall make that baptisme by water effectuall by the inward working of the holy Ghost and yet all this but one baptisme Ephes 4.5 And Paul speaking to those that were baptized with water and yet were ignorant of the holy Ghost saith Iohn baptizeth unto repentance and saith to the people that they should beleeve on him that should come after him that is on Jesus Christ And when they heard this they were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus and Paul laid his hands on them and the holy Ghost came on them Acts 19.5.6 Now this was not another Baptisme but onely the inward baptisme of the holy Ghost as Iohn had told them before how that he which came after him should baptize those with the holy Ghost which then only received the outward forme Mat. 3.11 Then if this be so why may not Infants of Christians now be baptized unto repentance aswell as these But our Anabaptists will have Christ to be the forerunner of Iohn to baptize them first with the holy Ghost and then Iohn shall baptize them with water and so Christ shall prepare the way for Iohn and not Iohn for Christ But the spirit is like the wind and we cannot tell whence it commeth ●●r whither it goeth John 3.8 That new name written no man knoweth but he that hath it Revel 2.17 Then t were a vaine thing to wai●e for that we shall never know in mother so then to children borne of Christian parents we are to doe our duty in baptizing them and let the Lord alone to take his own time to make it effectual to them we must not tye the Lord to convert them to any limited time of their age some the Lord converts in the first houre and some not till the last houre of their life Again it is said when Christ was baptized and went out of the water then the spirit of God descended upon him and a voice from heaven came saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased Mat. 3.16.17 Then if we would see the work of God appear upon our children let us first baptize them and then we may looke for it and not before Seventhly we may take notice of the two Sacraments of the Jewes compared with ours and their agreement together first concerning their Passeover it was required that they should know the thing signified by it and that they should sanctifie and cleanse themselves before they did receive it and when King Hezekiah supposed that some of severall Tribes had not sufficiently prepared themselves and yet had been at that Sacrament he prayed for them saying The good Lord pardon them and the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people 2 Chron. 30.18.19.20 And saith Moses concerning some that were defiled and had not cleansed themselves therfore they could not keep the Passover on that day Num. 9.6 Now to this Passover our Lords Supper doth well agree which requires examination and knowledge of the thing signified and a remembrance of the death of Christ till his comming againe 1 Cor. 11. But for the other Sacrament of the Jewes was nothing required of them if so be they were but children of circumcised Jewes and baptisme is come in the place of it why then should more be required of our children then was of the children of the Jewes let them answer if they can But suppose they should require some qualification in our children why may we not answer that children are the heritage of the Lord Psa 127.3 then why should they be kept from this ordinance of baptisme Again children were in the Temple and sang Hosanna to the sonne of David to the astonishment of the Priests and Scribes yet to the great approbation of Jesus Christ who said to the Priests have yee not read that cut of the monthes of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise Mat. 21.15 16. Psa 8.2 But doth Christ here acknowledge an Evangelicall perfection to be in the praise of babes and sucklings then who dares to keep them from the ordinance of baptisme Again Christ saith of such is the Kingdome of Heaven then who dares to make question of that which Christ affirmes and he kindly embraced them which he would not have done if they had not beene part of his Kingdom neither could he be deceived because he knew their hearts and he prayed for them Mat. 19.13 and his prayers were alwaies heard Luke 11.42 neither would he pray for the world but only for those that were given

baptized of us till after confession whereby he may so satisfie the Church 15thly they object from the institution of baptisme that Christ sending out his Apostles to all Nations commanded them first to teach and then baptize them Mat. 28.19 And so in the last of Mark it is said he that beleeveth and is baptized shal be saved nence they conclude saying that teaching must goe before baptis●ne by the expresse command of Christ to his Apostles and say they hee doth assigne baptisine to be a state after faith and say they Christ shewed us an example of himselfe which would not be baptized till the thirtieth yeare of his life I answer from the first of these that the Apostles after they have baptized any then they are charged to teach them to observe all things whatsoever Christ commanded them Mat. 28.19.20 Hence I gather frō their own exposition thus that although they do as Christ did who lived 30 years before that he was baptized al that time have bin taught to reform their lives yet by their own expositiō they must not observe do what Christ here commands them till they be baptized because observation reformation are set downe after baptisme in this place Then seeing they fall thus foule upon their own exposition that they must not observe practise till they be baptized in my judgmēt it were good to have thē baptized betime that they may begin reformation betime that they may not only be taught 20 or 30 years but they may observe and practise what they have been taught But here all may see what unprofitable hearers they make of their children who shall heare before baptisme because that teaching is set downe first but they must not observe and practise till after baptisme because that is set down last neither will they baptize them that they may observe and practise Here I may repeat againe what I said before that the Apostles were sent amongst heathens that are out of the Covenant but we are Christians in the Covenant and they were men of age but ours are Infants not capable of teaching But do they stand so much upon this that teaching is set down first although observation be set down after baptismein the same place then let us to this joyn another Io. 3.5 see Acts 22.16 where Christ doth not say except ye be born of the spirit first and then of water afterwards ye cannot enter into the Kingdome of heaven but contrary he saith except ye be borne of water and then of the spirit shewing that baptisme must give them admittance into the visible Church of God here and they must be borne of the spirit that is regenerated before that they can come into God heavenly Kingdom and we know that many were baptized before that they had the gifts and graces of the holy Ghost given them Acts 8.16.17 Again they being sent to teach those that were capable of teaching then to baptize them but will it follow hence that Infants must be first taught and then baptized because Abraham was ninety and nine yeares old when he was circumcised must Isaac be so too a pretty conclusion But I have answered it already and proved it too weak an argument to debar Infants born of Christians from the seale of baptisme but further let me cleare this by a similitude the Apostle saith this we command you that if any will not worke neither should they eat 2 Thes 3.10 will they hence conclude that the Apostle will suffer none to eat but such as worke then what shall our aged people and Infants doe and our sick and weak and lame people doe shall we starve them all because they cannot worke this is our Anabaptists divinity who make that a generall rule for all which is spoken only of some for say they because men of yeares must be instructed before they be baptized therefore Infants must be so too and because men growne in health and strength must worke or else they must not eat therefore infants must doe so too or else they must not eat Now for the example of Christ who they say was not baptized till he was 30 years of age I hope they will not say that he wanted fitnesse till he was of that age to be baptized for when be was but twelve yeares old he disputed with the Doctors in the Teme pl and all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers Luke 2.42.46.47 Then the reason why Christ was not baptized till the middle of mans age or till he was 30 years of age was because he was minded then with his Doctrine to institute baptisme and that he might procure the greater authority to his institution he sanctified it with his owne body who was baptized to sanctifie that ordinance unto us and he sent out his Apostles to baptize all Nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost Mat. 28. Though Iesus himselfe baptized not meaning with water because saith Iohn the Baptist he that commeth after me shall baptize you with the holy Ghost Mat 3.11 Thus Christ did then to many as also now when he make to that ordinance effectuall to the cleansing of their foules from sin but if they stand so much upon the thirtieth yeare why then did they suffer Gervetus one of their great Masters to begin at the age of one and twenty years to boast of himselfe to be a prophet and they suffered him to take the place of a teacher before that he had been a member of their Church 16 they object that if Infants be baptized they may aswell receive the Lords Supper I answer no that will not follow for the Scriptures shew us a large difference betweene those two baptisme is a signe of admission whereby they are numbred among the people of God it is a signe of spirituall regeneration whereby wee are born again the children of God whereas on the other side the Lords Supper is given to men growne in years and therefore able to beare stronger meat and whereas the Scripture never saith that any infants born of christian parents are unfit for baptisme yet none must receive the Lords Supper but such as discerne the body and blood of the Lord and are able to examine their owne conscience and able to declare the Lords death the Apostle exhorteth that every man should prove and examine himselfe and then eat of that bread and drinke of that cup therefore examination must go before which were a vaine thing to looke for from infants againe he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe not discerning the Lords body But if none can partake worthily but they that can discerne the Lords body why then should we give to our tender children poyson in stead of lively food Again the commandement is that ye shall doe it in remembrance of me and that other sentence as often as ye eat of this bread and

him 17.9 and he blessed them but who are blessed of Christ but they whose sinnes are forgiven Psa 32.1 And Christ was displeased with those that kept them from him which plainly shewes his tender affection to them and he gave his Apostles a double charge that they should neither forbid those that brought them nor drive way but freely give them admittance into his presence and saith Christ Hee that receives not the Kingdom of Heaven as a litle child he shal not enter therein and saith he their Angels are in heaven beholding the face of my Father which is in heaven that is they stand ready and hearken for a command from God to bee sent for their good Psa 103.20 But the angels are ministring spirits onely for the 〈◊〉 of salvation Heb. 1.14 they incampe about those that feare the Lord Psa ●4 7 Then why should Infants be debarred from the Sacrament of baptisme who have so f●re a Title to the Kingdome of heaven But they will say those in the Gospell are to be understood babes in Christ or young converts To this I answer when they brought them to Christ he tooke them up in his armes when he blessed them Mat. 10.16 which she wes plainely that they were litle children Secondly the Disciples call them young children and litle children ver 13. and Luke saith they brought unto him Infants Luke 18.15 And when Christ called a litle child unto him Mat. 18.2 he set him in the midst of them which argues plainely that he had him in his armes but see Mar. 9.36 there you shall see in plaine words that he took that very child in his armes and spake unto them Thirdly Christ saith unto his Disciples who were strong Christians except ye be converted and become as litle Children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but now will those men who say this place is meant of babes in Christ or young converts will they I say make their inference thus that strong christians must become weak in faith yea the Apostles must become as babes in Christ their strong faith must become weake againe or else they cannot enter into heaven these men declare their folly as Sodom delareth her sin Isa 3.9 For doth not Christ often blame a weak faith see Mat. 8.26.14.31 and doth he not highly commend a strong faith Mat. 8.10.15.28 Rom. 4.20 Then the true meaning is this the Disciples had beene reasoning who should be the greatest Mat. 18.1 Mar. 9.34 then Christ tooke a young child in nature up in his armes to convince their pride and envy as the Apostle saith in malice be ye children but in understanding be ye men 1 Cor. 14.20 So here in pride and envy Christ would have them to be as children saying except yee bee converted from your pride and envy yee cannot be saved that is your pride and envy must be mortified crucified which makes you affect high places he that would be first the same shal be last servant of all Mar. 9.35.36 So then the Disciples were already converted from the state of nature to the state of grace but yet they were not sufficiently converted from their pride envy so then you see all these testimonies of Christ to be concerning young children in nature and not of young converts being growne in age therefore infants having such approbation and testimony from the mouth of Christ I say againe who dares hinder them from the ordinance of baptisme Eightly from the ends of baptisme which are these First it is a pledge unto us in regard of our weaknesse to assure us of all the graces and mercies of God especially of our union with Christ and of remission of sins and both mortification of them and vivification to arise from them to newnesse of life Rom. 6.3.4 For he that is baptized into Christ hath put on Christ Gal. 3.27 The second end of our baptisme is to distinguish Christians from Tuckes and Pagans for it is a signe of our Christian profession against all the enemies of Jesus Christ as Circumcision was a token of the Covenant saith the Lord between me and thee Gen. 17.11 Christians may say as David did Thy vowes are upon me O God I will render praise unto thee Psal 56.11 The third end of our baptisme it is a meanes of our entrance or admission into the visible Church of Christ for saith Christ Except a man be borne of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God John 3.5 The Kingdome of God here hath a double signification answerable to the double qualification sometimes it is meant the visible Church so then except a man be baptized with water he cannot enter into it it is also meant heaven it selfe and so a man must be borne of the holy Ghost or else he cannot enter into it The fourth end of our baptisme it is a meanes of our unity with the Church and people of God For we are all baptized into one body 1 Cor. 12.13 There is one body and one spirit and one hope of our calling one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and Father of all who is above and through all and in you all Ephes 4.4 5 6. Then would you have a pledge of Gods love to you in regard of your children that they are united to Christ and their sins forgiven and mortified and that they are risen with Christ to the life of grace then let them be baptized And would you have them distinguished from the enemies of Christ and to have a signe and a badge of their Christian profession before the world then let them bee baptized And would you have them to be admitted into the Visible Church of Christ then let them be baptized And would you have them to enjoy the priviledges of the Church and to be at peace and unity with the people of God then let them be baptized But some will here demand whether baptisme be of absolute necessity to salvation or not I answer to make covenant with God and to be in the said covenant is of absolute necessity to salvation for unlesse God be our God in Covenant and we his servants we cannot be saved now baptisme is the seale of this Covenant and therefore necessary but in part 1. In respect of Gods command who hath enjoyned us to use it 2. In respect of our weaknesse that have need of all helper that may confirme our faith yet baptisme is not absolutely necessary to salvation For the want of baptisme doth not condemne the children of beleeving Parents if they dye before baptisme when it cannot be had for they being holy theirs is the kingdome of God although they dye before baptisme the thiefe upon the crosse and many other holy Martyrs dyed before baptisme that are now in the Kingdome of heaven and those parents that slighted this ordinance so that their children dyed without it if they repent of that sin it may be forgiven and their

soules may be saved for all that yet it is of very dangerous consequence to slight or contemn any ordinance of God it is damnable of it selfe without repentance There was a law in Israel that the uncircumcised man-child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised that soule shal be cut off from his people the reason is rendred because saith the Lord he hath broken my Covenant Gen. 17.14 Now it was not the Infant that despised or slighted the Covenant but it was the parents that sinned by slighting or despising the ordinance of God and did procure this judgment upon their child also the childe when he came to age refused to be circumcised and so hee broke the Covenant of God and therefore he was cut off from the people and why may not this be a just judgement of God upon the Parents neglect of the ordinance of baptisme which is come in the place of circumcision And if the Lord were so severe with those that were not circumcised which was a heavy burden for Infants to beare see Ezod 4.26 How much more now baptisme is come in the place of it which is far easier But wash and be cleane 2 Kings 5.13 Then let them take heed how they neglect this ordinance of God for when they expect to have them answer for themselves they may justly answer with contempt and despise the ordinance of God and so for ever be cut off from his people and from the visible Church and so by that meanes debard from the ordinary means of salvation For the Lord addeth to his Church daily such as shal be saved Acts 3.47 Yet I grant that place is chiefly to be understood of the Invisible Church into which who soever shall enter being the Kingdome of grace shall without faile come to the Kingdome of glory for ever But except a man be borne of water that is baptized with water he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God here which is the visible Church and he that is entred into it is either in the invisible or in Gods way to it which is nothing else but heaven begun and heaven is nothing else but grace perfected We al with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even by the spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 But they will object and say that Infants cannot be knowne to us that they are indeed the children of God and if they be not say they we may not to baptize them I answer the same may be said of men of yeares for we know not certainly whether they be the children of God or no therefore by this argument we may not only exclude Infants from baptisme but men of years yea all sexes and ages from both Sacraments and so admit of none at all into the Church of God But to come a little nearer to them do they beleeve that the patents are the children of God and in Covenant with him then they ought to beleeve the same of their children till they manifest by their wicked life to the contrary For is God the God of the Parents and not the God of their seed this is flat against the tenor of the Covenant Therefore if the child have a right to the Covenant he must needs have a right to the seale of it Secondly they object that Infants have no faith and therefore baptisme is of no use to them I answer they may have the seeds of faith and regeneration although we know it not For without faith it is unpossible to please God Heb. 11.6 And he that beleeveth not shal be damned Mar. 16.16 But howsoever they have an infolded faith because that their parents by their faith receive the promise of God both for themselves and their children so that the faith of the Parents is also the faith of their children And th●●● to be born of Christian parents and in the Church of Christ is in stead of the profession of faith and so it wil be usefull and profitable for Infants to be baptized Thirdly they will object that Infants know not what is done when they are baptized I answer no more did those Infants that were circumcised yet it was usefull to them and their parents both to have the Covenant sealed unto them and is it not the same also to Christian Infants many benefits come with it it is a meanes to admit them into the fellowship of the visible Church and by that meanes made right members of it For as the Father makes a purchase for himselfe and his children and they being Infants at the time of the sealing of it and so not able to know what was done yet the purchase is not in vaine for them but as those Infants grow to understanding they can rejoyce that they have an interest in their Fathers purchase so will Infants baptized when they come to understanding they will rejoyce in the great love of God that should vouchsafe to take them into Covenant and seale so many gracious promises unto them in the Sacrament of baptisine which will be an engagement to them all their days to endeavour to keepe the conditions of it Fourthly they will object that the weaknesse of the Infant is such that the coldnesse of the water to be dived into it may be the death of the Infant therefore say they it were better to let them grow to more strength and to take the warmnesse of the Summer season rather then to endanger the life of the Infant I answer it is true that dipping the child doth more resemble our spirituall washing for saith the Apostle we are buried with him by baptisme into his death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walke in newnesse of life If we be planted in the likenesse of his death we shal be in the likenesse of his resurrection Rom. 6.4.5 But there is no necessity of dipping the Infant to endanger the health and life of it in these cold countries when as the word baptizing signifies not only such a washing that is by diving of the body into the water but that also which is by sprinkling water upon it and the Lord saith by the Prophet speaking of these times under the Gospell Then will I sprinkle cleane water upon you and ye shal be cleane from all your silthinesse Ezek. 36.25 Therefore without all question in these cold Countries sprinkling is accepted Again Gods word teacheth modesty see Deu. 23.13.25 ●● 12.1 Co. 11.6.14 But what modesty were it for a man or woman grown of age to go naked into the water to be baptized whether it be before one man or before the whole congregation saith Paul let all things be done decently 1 Cor. 14.10 Again we are taught to pray the Lord to keep us out of temptation and we have the example of David's fearfull fall into adultery and murder by

word of God preached unto them yet they may have a work upon them by the holy Ghost which makes them to be in the Covenant and to have right to the seale of it which is baptisme Tenthly they object other differences to small purpose betweene baptisme and circumcision they say that baptisme hath relation to the first day of our spirituall battell but circumcision to the eighth day when mortification is ended and by by they fall soule upon themselves and break the neck of their owne argument saying that circumcision is a signe of the flesh to be mortified and baptisme they call buriall into which none can be put till they be already dead so that it is enough and sufficient to confute them in naming their owne contradictions but let them know that ●ortification is a continued action all the dayes of our life and the more we ●●●●ease ●n knowledge the more we increase in sorrow Eccle. 1.18 For wee ●ayly find more sin to be mortified and circumcision was not deferred till the ●th day because that should be the last day of mortification but God in great mercy to the infant did forbeare the first seven dayes because they are held to be most dangerous as also that it may have a litle more strength to undergoe so hard a service and also it was to typifie our Saviours resurrection Another filly cavill they would make that if we thus compare baptisme with circumcision then say they none but males ought to be baptized and yet say they you baptize females I answer circumcision being in the generative part it is all one as if both were circumcised so that if but one of the parents were in the Covenant as I said concerning baptisme the children are holy 1 Cor. 7.14 Thus then we see the agreement between circumcision and baptisme in the inward mystery and in the promises in the use and in the efficacy of them Then why may not infants now be baptized aswell as they were circumcised it being far easier to them to beare it 11thly they object that infants understand not the thing there signified which is their spirituall regeneration this say they cannot be in their tender infancy therefore they are to be taken for no other then the children of Adam till they bee growne to age meet for a second birth I answer if they have the seeds of faith and regeneration wrought in truth by the spirit of God in their soules although the knowledge of it be hidden both from themselves and from us it is too weake an argument to deprive them of the ordinance of baptisme for sometimes the strongest Christian may thinke himselfe a cast-away and that he for the present hath not one dram of true saving grace as yet wrought in him but must we judge him to be so because he himselfe for the present cannot see it to be otherwise so then must wee judge all Infants to be in old Adam because they themselves are not capable to understand their own condition If they be in old Adam they are in the state of death and damnation And if they should then dye they must needs be damned for in Adam all dye 1 Cor. 15.22 But will these men leave them in that condition what is this but as I said before to esteem the precious sons of Sion comparable to fine gold to be but earthen pitchers These are more cruell then sea monsters to their young ones like the Estridges in the wildernesse Lam. 4.2.3 She is hardned against her young ones as though they were not hers because God hath deprived her of wisedome and hath not imparted unto her understanding Job 39.16.17 Christ calleth them unto him because he is life and that they might have life in them and these people drive them from him and adjudge them to death Neither will they bring them to Christ that they may have life they will not use the means to have them ingrafted into Christ that so they may be delivered from the bondage of death they deprive them of all salvation in debarring them from the ordinance of baptisme But they will demand how Infants can be regenerate which have neither knowledge of good nor evil I answer God is able to work the seeds of grace in them although we see it not and in this thing we must beleeve more then we see or else we shal condemn all those infants that die before they be capable of knowledge and so David shall go to hell to his departed Infant for saith he I shall goe to him 2 Sam. 12.23 And how can it be avoyded For we are all shapen in iniquity and in sin we were conceived Psa 51.5 We are all by nature children of wrath then those Infants that dye must be freed from the wrath of God and from the guilt of original sin or els they cānot be saved But here is our comfort God can sanctifie Ieremiah in the womb he can give Iohn the Baptist the gifts of the holy Ghost from the womb and why not our Infants aswel as they Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost in the wombe that he might sanctifie his elect in every age aswell at the first hour of their life as at the last if he please so then elect children shall be made holy and regenerate before they depart this life And although the word preached be the immortall seed to regenerate men of years it is not so to Infants neither hath the Lord so tyed himselfe only to that means but he may use some other in case that cannot be had as among Turkes and Pagans nor received by Infants yet we must not limit the holy one of Israel nor ty him to ordinary means in extraordinary cases 12. But they object that baptisme is a Sacrament of repentance and of faith which cannot be in Infants and we ought to beware lest they being admitted to the communion of baptisme the signification of it be made voyd I answer it is evident by Scripture that Circumcision was a signe of repentance yet Paul calls it the seale of the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4.11 So then if Infants among the Jewes had faith to seale why may not Infants of Christians have the like I mean the seeds of faith therefore baptisme is not void and of no effect to them Again if circumcision was commanded baptisme is implyed that is come in the place thereof and signifies the same thing and instituted by the same authority Then let them take heed how they rage against the ordinance of God and although Infants that were circumcised had no actuall repentance yet they were truely Circumcised into the mortification of their corrup and defiled nature in which mortification they should afterwards exercise themselves when they were grown to riper age and saith Iohn I baptize you with water unto repentance Mat. 3.11 And others that were baptized had not received the holy Ghost for as yet he was faln upon none of them only they