Cause of Offence that those of the contrary Perswasion have taken against Infant-Baptism For what wonder is it if that be counted a Nullity that there is so little good use made of And to what purpose is the sprinkling or washing Children with Water if there be no care taken to instil into them and to bring them up to that Christian Purity in Heart and Life that is signified thereby They are bound indeed afterwards however when they come to Understanding to reflect upon the Obligations that in their Infancy they were brought under But there can be little Expectation ordinarily as we see by sad Experience that ever they will do it if their Education and Instruction be neglected in their younger Years Indeed it is to be doubted that the Baptism of Infants with many is turned into a meer Formality And the Charge that is so solemnly and particularly undertaken by Godfathers and Godmothers is never thought of afterwards to any purpose But many Parents think that they do their Duty sufficiently if they bring up their Children to some Art or Trade or provide Portions and Estates for them whereby they may be able to live in the World And Godfathers and Godmothers if they do but give them something as a Token of their Respect in some small Gift But that they may be brought to lead a truly Christian Life that they may deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and live Godly Righteously and Soberly in this present evil World which is the great End of Baptism Ordinances Gospel and Life it self How little is that reflected upon by many as if it were none at all of their Concern and Duty A right practical Improvement of our Infant-Baptism by our selves and a Religious Care taken in the Education of our Children sutably to the Obligations thereof will be a better Vindication of the Usefulness of Infant-Baptism than all the Arguments that can otherwise be brought for it tho never so good which will seem all but Noise and Sound to many unless the Practical Influence and Power of it be made more to appear in real Benefit and Fruit. Now the God of Peace which brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus Christ that great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant make us perfect in every good Work to do his Will working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen AN APPENDIX Wherein is shewed That it is not necessary to baptize by Dipping HAving dispatch'd the Controversy of Infant-Baptism I shall here add a few Words of the Manner of Administration of Baptism and shew That it is not necessary that Baptism should be administred by Dipping or Plunging or Dowzing into the Water If it be necessary that Baptism should be always administred by Dipping this Necessity must arise from the Will and Intention of our Saviour some way declared to us in the Institution of Baptism or in the Administration of it left to us in Scripture And there must be some Notices or Evidences by which this Intention or Will of our Saviour may be made manifest to us from which we may necessarily infer or conclude that this particular Form of Administration is determinately prescribed by him And this I think can be collected no otherwise but by one or other or all of these three ways viz. Either from the Use and Signification of the Words by which this Ordinance is express'd or from the Examples of the Administration of it that are left us in Scripture or from the Nature and Ends of the Ordinance it self And if it cannot be necessarily inferred from all or either of these Considerations that it was our Saviour's Will and Intention that Baptism should always be administred by Dipping then I suppose it will be allowed that Dipping is not essential to Baptism Now I shall endeavour to prove that it cannot be necessarily inferred any of these ways I. Not from the Use or Signification of the word Baptize which is not used to signify Dipping but washing or cleansing by Water which way soever it be For 1st It is to be observed That whenever the Holy Ghost in the New Testament hath occasion to mention the Act of Dipping it is never expressed by this word that signifieth to Baptize but by another Not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we have but four times in the New Testament viz. Luk. 16.24 Joh. 13.26 Mat. 26.23 Rev. 19.13 But whenever the Act of Baptizing is exprest it is always exprest by another word J. G 's Catabaptism p. 47. and not by that which is commonly used to express the Act of Dipping From whence we may probably infer a difference in the Signification not a Sameness For if they were both of the same Importance or Signification it is most likely that they would be used promiscuously 2dly I say the word Baptize or Baptism is often used to signify any kind of washing or cleansing by Water by the Application of Water any way to the Thing and not only by dipping of it into Water which in some cases was not customary nor likely As when it is said Mark 7.4 The Pharisees eat not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except they wash In the Greek it is Except they be baptized And Luke 11.38 the Pharisees marvelled that our Saviour had not first washed before Dinner In the Greek likewise it is that he was not first baptized Now the manner of washing in that case seems usually to have been by Aspersion of Water on the Hands And therefore this is to express the Office of a Servant to his Master 2 Kings 3.11 Elisha poured Water on the Hands of Elijah And the same word is used to express their frequent Ceremonial Washing of Beds or Tables as likewise it is in that Text Mark 7.4 In the Original it is the Baptism of these things And it is no way likely that this should be ordinarily done by Immersion or putting them all into or under Water but rather by pouring Water upon them and thereby to cleanse them And Heb. 9.10 we read of divers Washings that they had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the Greek divers Baptisms many of which were Sprinklings Therefore there can be no Argument for Dipping c. solidly grounded upon the bare Signification of the word Baptize because that is used to signify any kind of Washing without Dipping as well as by it 3dly It is sometimes to be observed that the Act of Baptizing is so exprest that it would be very uncouth and improper to understand it of Dipping As when it is express by baptizing with Water not by baptizing into Water or under Water as Luke 3.16 I indeed baptize you with Water And so Acts 11.16 it would be very uncouth and improper to say that a Man is dipp'd with Water 4thly Again this same word that is used to express Water-Baptism or baptizing with Water is
29. For the Gifts and Calling of God are without Repentance He will never repent of any Favour that he hath ever by Promise conferred upon any of Abraham's spiritual Seed or their Children So that when those Jews that are now Unbelievers and so cast out and broken off from the Church shall at length be brought to believe they shall then partake of the same Privileges and Benefits as they have ever done that continued in it and as they should have done if they had so continued and so also their Children For ver 16. If the first Fruits be holy the Lump is also holy and if the Root be holy so are the Branches Where the Parents are in Covenant or Church-Members so are the Children till they sall off through their own Unbelief So that here is no Alteration diminishing or repealing of any Church-privilege or Promise that ever did belong to the rightful Subjects of it And this is further clear from the Apostle Rom. 15.8 9. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision for the Truth of God to confirm the Promises made unto the Fathers and not to lessen or abolish them And so also a Saviour through his Mercy to the Gentiles that the Gentiles might glorify God also for his Mercy because partaking of the same Benefits and Privileges that were confirmed unto the Jews So that as the Apostle saith Eph. 2.12 13. they that were Aliens from the spiritual Commonwealth of Israel and Strangers from the Covenants of Promise and were sometime afar off are now in Christ Jesus made nigh And Eph. 3.6 the Gentiles are now Fellow-heirs and of the same Body with the believing Jews and Partakers with them of God's Promise in Christ by the Gospel So that belonging to the same Church and partaking of the same spiritual Promises and Privileges those that did belong to Jews and the Jewish Church and their Seed formerly do likewise belong to Christian Believers now and so in the same Extent and Latitude to their Children also there being no Alteration made in that respect more than in any other As the spiritual Seed of Abraham were ever holy and God's Covenant-People so were their Children and so it is now still with Gentile Believers and their Seed To this purpose speaks the Apostle concerning the Seed of Gentile Believers even where but one of the Parents are such 1 Cor. 7.14 For the unbelieving Husband is sanctified by or to the Wife and the unbelieving Wife is sanctified by or to the Husband that believes to the holy Use of such an one in the Sight of God for to the Pure all things are pure else were your Children common or unclean as the rest of the World are now in their Heathenism to whom therefore God hath no Regard as to his Children but now are they holy relatively and of a Religious Consideration before God as separated and dedicated to God and so are part of his Covenant-People It is not a Matrimonial Holiness that the Apostle intends or that the Children of Believers are therefore holy because they are no Bastards for the Children of Pagans are as well holy in that Respect that were born in Wedlock though the Parents neither of them were Believers So that this Interpretation would make the Apostle speak impertinently and untruly It is a relative or federal Holiness therefore that the Apostle must intend and by this he shews that such Children are of an holy Consideration in the Sight of God and are of the Number of his Holy and Covenant-People So that we can no where find any Dissolution or Discontinuance of the Church-membership of Infants under the Gospel which they once had but it still remains the same as ever and is rather more confirmed It being the same Church Covenant spiritual Privileges and Members as ever and these still keeping by the same Grant the same Place and standing in the Church as ever they did And as this therefore was once the Privilege of Infants of Abraham's spiritual Seed to stand in an holy Relation to God as his peculiar Covenant-People and Children so it is still But for a further Confirmation and clearing of this Matter we may observe also from our Saviour some such Indications of the same Respect had to them in choosing calling and esteeming of them as ever To this purpose we find Mark 10.14 They brought young Children to him that he should touch them or as St. Matthew hath it Matth. 19.13 that he should put his Hands on them and pray and his Disciples rebuked those that brought them but when Jesus saw it he was much displeased and said unto them Suffer the little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God And he took them up in his Arms put his Hands upon them and blessed them All which sheweth Christ's good Will and Respect and dear Affection to them as Members of his Church and part of his Kingdom And which way soever the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven as St. Matthew expresseth it be here taken which they are said to be of either for Heaven it self or the Church on Earth their Church-membership in the visible Church will hence be concludable For if it be meant of the Church on Earth as that Phrase is often taken for that then it is the next and immediate Sense of the Words of our Saviour Or if it be to be understood of Heaven properly yet then it will follow from it For if the Kingdom of Heaven receive them and they have a Portion in that the visible Church on Earth then may not exclude them For none are of the Kingdom of Heaven above that are not first of the Church on Earth Acts 2.47 There were daily added to the Church such as should be saved And our Saviour's Reason here for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven sheweth that he meant this of such Infants properly taken and not only of Men like them in Humility For that could be no Reason why they should be brought unto him because others that are like them in Humility are of the Kingdom of Heaven unless they are also of the same And his pronouncing this as a Reason why they should be brought unto him and his imbracing them also in his Arms and his laying his Hands upon them and blessing them sheweth a great deal more Respect to them than what was required for the healing them of any bodily Distemper for neither was this Reason nor all that Demonstration of Affection to them needful for that when if they had not been of the Kingdom of Heaven they should no doubt have been healed by him if they had been brought unto him and when they had been brought a Word or a Touch would have effected that without so much imbracing praying and blessing them So that what can we conclude from all this but a more than ordinary Respect of our Saviour to little Children
as to his Members and Proselytes of his Kingdom and that for this Cause he kindly treated them thus as if on purpose because he foresaw how little Regard would be had to them in this latter Age of the Church And thus again Luke 9.48 He took a Child and set him by him and said unto them Whosoever shall receive this this individual Child in my Name receiveth me But how can little Children be received in Christ's Name if they belong not visibly to him and to his Church If they must be received in Christ's Name so that whosoever receiveth them may be said to receive Christ they must be spiritually related to Christ as those are that are of his Body the Church And this receiving them into the Church must needs be the most proper way of receiving them in Christ's Name as those that are spiritually related to him By all this that hath been said we may plainly see the like Continuance of God's gracious Respect to little ones as ever without the least Abatement or Alteration thereof so that being once chosen and called and esteemed by God as his Children and peculiar People as well as any of the Adult are and so being reckoned therefore as Members of his Church and as having a share in the Covenant as others we must conclude from these continued Indications of his Favour and Kindness to them that they stand in the same Relation to him still and accordingly we are so to own and receive them II. I now proceed to that which was in the second Place proposed for the strengthning of our Argument viz. that Infants or little Children being to be owned and reckoned by us as the Children of God and Members of the Church of Christ to whom the promised Blessings of the Covenant belong they are therefore to be baptized The Rightfulness and Reasonableness of which Consequence I shall now endeavour to make out 1. From the Nature and Ends of Baptism which is appointed by Christ to be the Ordinance of Initiation into the visible Church to be the Badg and Character of the Children of God and of the Members of the Church of Christ and for a solemn Dedication and Engagement of them to the Service of God and for the sealing of the promised Blessings to them Now God having shewn such Respect to little Children as to choose and call them out from the rest of the World and to take them into his own Family and to reckon them amongst his People together with others that are adult may we not reasonably infer that when there is a visible Badg or Ceremony appointed by God by which others that are called by him should be known and distinguish'd from the other People of the World and have the Promises of the Covenant confirmed to them that little Children partaking of the same Favour and Respect with them should have the same visible Badg or Character likewise put upon them that is put upon the rest of his People that they may be visibly owned and received as his in like manner with them and so there may be Care taken about their Education in the true Religion and in the Knowledg and Service of that God to whom they are so solemnly dedicated Baptism being a Mark or Rite appointed by God to this purpose surely it is highly reasonable that Infants should be baptized as well as others seeing they are chosen and called to this Dignity and Privilege of being the Sons of God and Members of his Church and Partakers of the Blessings of the Covenant as well as others are Our Saviour appointed that all his Disciples should be baptized in his Name and thereby solemnly dedicated and engaged to his Service Mat. 28. Go disciple all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father c. Now to be Disciples or Children of God or of the Church of Christ are all Terms that are equivalent in Signification or do mutually infer one another And therefore by the foregoing Discourse Children will come into the Number And when our Saviour hath appointed little Children to be brought unto him and to be received in his Name Matth. 19.13 14. How can we otherwise conclude but they ought to be baptized when Baptism is a sacred Rite appointed by him for such a solemn receiving of those that do belong to him And how can we better express our selves than in the Words of the Office of Baptism that seeing our Saviour hath shewn such Affection to them as to imbrace them in his Arms and to lay his Hands upon them and bless them doubt ye not therefore but earnestly believe that he favourably allows this charitable Work of ours in bringing Infants to his holy Baptism And if when they are brought to us to this End we should refuse to receive them we might well look for his Displeasure and Censure as those were rebuked and blamed by him then that would have kept them from him The Apostle argues with the Jews to bring them to be baptized that the Promise or Covenant did belong to them and to their Children and so also to the Gentiles that were then afar off when they should be called and so consequently to their Children Acts 2.38 39. Repent saith he of your crucifying the Lord of Life which must needs include or suppose a precedent Faith in him repent for Remission of this and other Sins which shall then be forgiven to you and be baptized for the sealing of this Remission and ye shall partake of the Gift of the Holy Ghost likewise for the farther sanctifying of you and the enabling you to perform what ye are called unto For you are God's Covenant-People to whom the Promise is made and to your Children likewise and believing Gentiles when they shall be called into the Church and their Children also And then they shall partake of your Privileges so that as you are baptized for the Sealing and Confirmation of them so shall your Children too This Argument to them both with respect to themselves and little ones must needs be of great Force Repentance must go before in them that had thus grievously sinned before they could partake of the Benefits of the Covenant or have them sealed to them in Baptism but upon their Repentance and Faith the Covenant is confirmed to them and to their Children likewise and so by Baptism might be sealed to them and to their Children also 2. The Justice and Reasonableness of the Baptism of Infants upon the Grounds aforesaid may appear from the Analogy of the Administration of Circumcision to little Infants among the Jews which was the first Token of the Covenant that God appointed upon the very same Ground and Consideration as may be seen Gen. 17.7 I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy Seed after thee in their Generations for an everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy Seed after thee And ver 9. Thou shalt keep my Covenant therefore
manifested to us in his dying for us and thereby purchasing and obtaining so great Benefits for us This being the chief End of that Institution as appears by our Saviour's own words Do this in Remembrance of me Now all this requires great Knowledg and Consideration and pious Reflections upon what we are about which Infants are uncapable of Nor is there the like Scripture-ground for the Administration of the Lord's-Supper to Infants as we have seen there is for Baptism Nor is there the same Parallel of it or Pattern for it from the Practice of the Jewish Church as there is for Infant-Baptism in their Administration of Circumcision to Infants for a Token of the Covenant betwixt God and them and likewise in their baptizing the Infants of Proselytes Whereas the Children of the Jews were not admitted to the Passover which is that other Jewish Ordinance which may seem to answer most to the Christian Eucharist till they were old enough to enquire about the meaning of the Service and were capable of understanding the Nature of it as it was done in Remembrance of their Deliverance out of Egypt Exod. 12.26 27. And so agreeably to this therefore neither should the Children of Christians communicate at the Lord's-Supper till they are capable likewise of understanding the Nature and Ends of it as it is a Sacrificial Feast in Remembrance of Christ's Death and Passion and of our Deliverance from Sin and Death which we have thereby And this indeed may well require more Years over their Heads before Children will be capable to come to the Understanding thereof than what might capacitate the Jewish Children for the understanding the nature of the Passover because that Mystery is greater but this is meerly accidental But as soon as our Children are capable of understanding the Design of this holy Communion and of performing those Acts that are required with respect unto it we hold it their Duty likewise to participate in it Case of Infant-Baptism the Conclusion And then as for the Practice in Infat-Communion in the Christian Church we have not near the like Evidence of the Practice of it from Antiquity either as to the Antientness or the Generality of the Practice of it as we have for that of Infant-Baptism There being none of the most antient Writers Ireneus Origen Tertullian that speak any thing of it as they do of Infant-Baptism and Origen particularly as a Custom or Tradition derived from the Apostles nor near so many in the following Ages mentioning it as there do Infant-Baptism And many of those that owned the Necessity of Infant-Baptism as the Pelagians yet never owned the Necessity of Infant-Communion And as for the Practice of Infant-Communion therefore the Western Churches have long ago relinquish'd it as apprehending it to be a Mistake grounded neither upon any Text of Scripture nor Apostolical Tradition and being in the Nature and Design of it improper for Infants but yet have still retained Infant-Baptism as being in all respects well grounded and most aptly to be accomodated to them It was an easy and charitable Slip which the Ancient Church was suffered to fall into amongst other things to give the Lord's-Supper to Infants as they used to do to grown Persons presently after their Baptism that they might partake of all the visible Seals of Divine Grace and Favour Rather than deprive them of any they would give them all This tho a Mistake yet was a Matter of no dangerous Consequence in Religion as the Anabaptists pretend that of Infant-Baptism to be in the highest degree as introducing a meer Mock-Christianity and a Mock-Church and Ministry into the World Now it is not imaginable that God should suffer such a Church-destroying Corruption so early to prevail in that Church that was so famous for Miracles Martyrdom and true unaffected Holiness as the Antient Church was But for such a harmless and innocent Mistake as that of Infant-Communion it is no strange thing that their Charity should a little be let alone to over-biass their Judgment And I should much rather choose to join with them in their Charity than with these Duri Patres Infantum that are so unkind to deny that to Infants which God hath been pleased in his great Grace and Kindness so freely to vouchsafe unto them and to instate them in The CONCLUSION THus have I endeavoured with all convenient Brevity and I hope with Perspicuity to manage the Argument I have taken in hand And I do not know that I have balk'd any considerable Argument or Objection that seem'd to me to be of any force against it And I have desired to follow the Apostle's Direction to speak the Truth in Love without any bitter Reflection upon the contrary-minded whom notwithstanding their Dissent I shall respect as Brethren But as for the way that they have taken up considering what I have said in Defence of our own I can no otherwise esteem of it than as a very culpable Schism If the Denial of Infant-Baptism had been a simple Error I should have less concerned my self about it But when there is such a Train of dismal Consequences following at the heels of it as the unchurching all Churches that are not of the like Communion and the denial of all other Ministry and Ordinances besides their own which must needs naturally be accompanied with many fierce Animosities and unbrotherly Contentions to the destroying of Christian Love and Peace it seems to me to look with a frightful Aspect Therefore they must excuse me if out of a Love to Truth and Peace I have endeavoured to rectify the Mistaken Judgment of those that have gone astray and to settle those that have need of Establishment in the way of Catholick Verity Love and Union But that the Doctrine which I have defended may be more effectually vindicated from that Contempt and Scorn that is poured upon it by those of the contrary Perswasion it is our part to make that good and holy Improvement of the Baptism that we have received as is sutable to the Nature of it And you that are Parents and Godfathers and Godmothers pray consider your Charge and Trust that is committed to you and remember as it is excellently exprest in the Exhortation after Publick Baptism That it is your Parts and Duties to see that the Children be taught so soon as they shall be able to learn what a solemn Vow Promise and Profession they have made by you And that they may know these things the better to call upon them to hear Sermons and provide that they may learn the Creed the Lord's-Prayâ—r and the Ten Commandments and all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to his Soul's Health and that they may be vertuously brought up to lead a Godly and a Christian Life It is the Carelesness of Parents and Godfathers about the Education of Children and their Neglect to inforce upon them their Baptismal Obligations that hath been one great