Kingdome of Heaven The covenant is made to them doubtless then the Seal of that covenant which is Baptisme must belong unto them Of which opinion was Tertullean who lived within less then an hundred years after St. Johns death But now Deo juvante by Gods assistance I mean to make my word good and to prove by the practice of the Primitive Fathers how baptizing Infants in the four first Centuries after Christs time and his Apostles was maintained lawful Iraeneus in his second Book and 39. against Hereticks saith Omnes venit Christus per semetipsum salvare omnes inquam qui per eum renascuntur in Deum et pueros et juvenes et seniores et parvulos et infantes Christ came to save all that were born of God even Infants born a new by Baptism This holy Writer lived sixty years after the Apostles St. Origen hear him faithfully translated Ecclesia ab Apostolis Traditionem accepit jam parvulis Baptismum dare porro air propterea baptizantur quia per Baptismi Sacramentum nativitatis sordes deponuntur The Church saith he received this Tradition from the Apostles even this to baptize Infants moreover as he asserts for this cause they are admitted to this Sacrament that thereby the foul spots in their Nativity may be washed away This Father flourished in the eighty seventh year from the death of St. John who out-lived all the Twelve St. Cyprian in his third Book and eighth Epistle thus writes A Baptismo prohibere Infans non debet qui recens natus nil peccavit nisi quod secundum Adam carnaliter natus None ought to deny an Infant Baptisme for saith the Holy Father he being new born hath no sin save the guilt of Adams to answer for This Father lived in the 158. year after the death of the Apostles St. Gregory Nazianzen next steps in to defend Infants Baptisme and to give you it in our Latin tongue more suitable to the capacity of many readers he asks the question Num Infantes Baptizemus It is answered Maxime quidem si periculum quoddam imminet melius est enim nondum rationis compotes sanctificari quam non signatos initiatos vita excedere It is the judgement of this Father that we may justifie to baptize Infants if in the danger of death yea he fully determines the controversie and positively sets down how it is better though they want the use of reason so to make them holy than to suffer them to die without this Seal of Grace and mark how by being made holy or sanctified is meant being baptized as here easily you may perceive but Doctor Hamond hath perspicuously made it appear in his answer to Mr. Tombes This St. Gregory lived two hundred and seventy years after the last of the twelve St. Jerome let us now hear what he can say Infantes baptizantur ut eis peccata in Baptismate dimittantur Infants are baptized that so they may be assoiled of their sin by Baptisme he means their birth-sin and therefore without all doubt a most needfull work we impose upon all Parents to hasten the Christening or Baptizing of their Children This Holy Father lived in the year two hundred and eighty after the Apostles St. Chrisostom is as good a witness for us as any of these we may finde his testimony recorded in his Homily de Baptizatis Hac de causa ait jam Infantulos Baptizamus ut non sint coinquinati peccato ut iis addatur sanctitas justitia adoptio haereditas fraternitas Christi ut ejus membra sint omnes We baptize young children saith Saint Chrysostom that they may not be polluted with sin that there may be added to them holiness righteousness adoption a right of heirship and to be the brothers of Christ yea to be made his members yea and by this means they are made as the Holy Father tells us the Temples of the Holy Ghost And thus you see of how high concernment it is to baptize Infants by vertue of which Sacred Ordinance they are not only assoiled of their sin by Adam but have conferred upon them Gods grace with which the Anabaptists it seems are loath at young years to be acquainted and if they continue in those damnable tenents prejudicial to all government in Church and State as hitherto they have done then I dare say that as they refused to be made visible members by Baptisme in the Church Militant it s to be feared God will never bestow on them true repentance whereby they might be ensured to be members of the Church Triumphant But to draw to an head you see how large a talent of Gods grace in the judgement of this holy Father doth Baptism put Infants into a possession of of all which Sacred Riches the Anabaptists like strong thieves labour to rob them but those who stick not to imbrew their arms up to the elbows in the blood of the Lords anointed will make no conscience to wrong one of these little ones though their very Angels as the Evangelist tells us stand before the face of their heavenly Father This Father lived in the 300. Year after the departure of the blessed Apostles St. Augustine in his fourth Book and 13. Chapt. against the Donatists speaks thus Quod tenet universitas Ecclesiae cum parvuli Infantes baptizantur qui certe nondum possunt corde credere ad justitiam ore confiteri ad salutem c. Et tamen nullus Christianorum dixerit eos inaniter baptizari That which we have received meaning as an Apostolicall Tradition the whole Church of God approveth of that is That our young Infants ought to be baptized who neither can be known by outward appearance to believe and confess Yet in his time he professes none denied them Baptisme or said in vain it was administred to them Yet more in Serm. 14. he avoucheth Quod consuetudo Matris Ecclesiae in baptizandis parvulis non spernenda est How the custom of baptizing Infants is not to be contemned Habet enim ista parvula aetas magnum testimonii pondus He tells us that little age in which the Church suffered sad Persecution we ought to honour her Testimony as she that did maintaine this Church Doctrine in the time of a Fiery Trial. This Doctor of our Church lived in the 330. Year And now I must tell you that since baptizing Infants is at this Day the practice of all Nationall Churches Christian nay more since Tertullian Iraeneus St. Cyprian Gregory Nazianzen St. Jerome St. Chrisostome and St. Augustine all living in the time of the Primitive Church assert it to be a Tradition Apostolical this makes me admire how so much impudence should possess the Sons of Disobedience as to send a Defiance to the Church Catholique for granting Infants that Sacramentall Privileoge of which they have been in possission ever since the Apostles time But I sleight the contest with such Adversaries who when they cannot maintain their Quarrel with men
also all the now Papists and Conformist Protestants and the Presbyterians all concuring in the necessity of Baptizing children building the Structure of their Salvation in part upon this Foundation 2. We take John 3. ver 5. to be a good Scripture ground for Baptizing of Infants where is said Verily verily except a man be born of water and the Spirit be cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Not without the one into the kingdom of Grace not without both into the kingdom of Glory I speak so far as is revealed to us we dare give no farther a warrant then God a precept and must tye our selves to the revealed means though not our God at all times to such tearms as he hath revealed himself to us But this place of Scripture the Anabaptists tell us is to be understood of men of years not of Children who are of less age then the tenth of one year As a reverend Doctor writes they might as well put in an Exception against women no more named then Children This they dare not that they ought not for our Saviour in that place speaks of man Specifice I mean of mankinde of every person sprung from Adam which since the youngest is defiled as well as the eldest as appears by Psal 51.5 therefore Infants while Infants ought to have the Medicine Baptisme administred to them as well as if elder people especially considering it is the onely Church cure to free such who are conceived in sin and born in iniquity from the guilt of Original sin of which Ordinance I take new born Babes to be capable though not Activè yet Passivè for in all the work they are passive being prayed for and belessed and washed and none can doubt but capable of this Seal of grace at those young years as well as the children under the old Law were capable of Circumcision at eight dayes old And this is that Murus Aheneus that Brazen Wall which all the Anabaptists are never able to leap over not yet lay flat but under this Analogy our Children will finde a perpetual shelter for baptisme in the greatest storm of Anabaptists 3. Acts 16. 33. wintnesses how the Jaylor was baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all that were his his children then were not to be excluded or if they had been to have been debarred doubtless our Apostle would have entred his Caveat against Infants Baptisme and as he said 1 Cor. 1. 14. I thank God I baptized none of you save Crispus and Gaius as also the houshold of Stephanus so â—ere he would have told us how all of the Jaylors household he had baptized but the young ones but his non-exception is a sure confirmation that old and young were there and then baptized 4. I answer how the Anbaptists can bring no express place of Scripture commanding us to give the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to women or for changing the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week nor finde they the Creed word by word in Gods word nor yet the words Trinity and Unity and Unity in Trinity and yet they acknowledge a Trinity in Unity believe the Creed observe the Lords day and give the Communion to Women why then not Baptisme to Children for which we have fair evidence how it belongs unto them And now the premises considered how that many things are approved of for Divine Truths not exprest at large in so many lines of the Text. Secondly since whole families were baptized our Apostle telling us whom he did not baptize but entering no Caveat against Infants Baptisme Thirdly Since Scripture tells us this is the way for man or mankinde to enter into the kingdom of Heaven by being born of Water and the Spirit this water charter being granted by the God of heaven to all men of what age of sex upon earth Fourthly since our Saviour assures us heaven belongs to our young children and that at their years there is no way to free them from their birth-sin and ensure them heaven but by Baptism with these few smooth stones taken out of the bag of the shepheard of our souls we have knockt in the forehead the Anabaptists great grand Goliah argument and made it of as little force as Samson when his locks were shaven And now to pass from our adversaries most material Objections to our Arguments which are as so many Champions to defend the baptizing Infants and my first is this This salve was never forbid us to apply to our Infants sores who are all over wounded with original sin by Adam let the Anabaptists point out where God forbids it and we will leave it methinks it had been time enough to cry out of us for baptizing children when they had shewed us Christs prohibition but where there is in Scripture so universal a silence I know no cause why they should make so open an out-cry we much desire they would cease to quarrel with us on earth till the God of heaven declare for them They tell us how we have no express place in Scripture to justifie what we do we tell them how they have not the least appearance in any text in Gods word which contradicts what we do it were wisdome in them to let us without disturbance baptize our Infants till they finde a Law to condemn us or a Gospel to forbid us The second Argument Our second Argument to justifie baptizing Infants is this Our Doctrine is Catholick and was practised both in the Primitive Church as also till this day in all Nationall Churches Christian You know what is said 2 Thes 2.15 Hold fast the Traditions which I have delivered unto you whether by word or our Epistle Now this Church Doctrine of baptizing Children being an Apostolical Tradition we hold it warranted by Gods word and a Doctrine not to be oppugned especially considering God hath promised to be with his Church unto the end of the world And though the Churches of Asia have their golden Candlesticks removed and are fallen from the Faith yet the Universall Church never erres and of this judgement are all our Learned Divines nor dare our Adversaries make the least Mutiny against it if the question seriously and soberly be propounded to them And now the Task I have undertaken is to prove Infants Baptisme a Church Tenet all the time of the Primitive Church for since it is undeniable for practised by the Greek and Latin Churches witness the Churches in all Graecia where there are Christians as also in Syria in India in Muscovia in Ethiopia And as for the Churches in this part of the world what I have delivered will appear to be truth by the confession of the English Scottish and Irish Churches by the practice of the Romish Church to which I may adjoyne as supernumerated up to my hand the Augustine Confession the Bohemian the Belgick the Helvetian the Saxon with many moe all asserting Infants Baptism for of such as saith our Saviour are the
the excellent knowledge of Christ Iesus This is that unum necessarium one thing onely needful to know Christ Jesus Iohn 17.3 his birth death resurrection ascention and his for ever making intercession for us This must be subjectum basis praedicationis the subject of our sermons Christ Jesus and the reason is given by St. John the Evangelist who said Haec est vita aeterna this is life eternal to know God and whom he hath sent Christ Jesus O what a plentiful Harvest is here I wish we had had more time to inn this divine grain But as we must reach you to know verbum Christum the word Christ so verbum Christi the word of Christ two places I will press upon you one threatning judgement without repentance Matth. 3.10 where it is said And now also the ax is laid to the root of the tree and every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewen down and cast into the fire The other place promising salvation to all that confess and believe Rom. 10.9 the words be these who so confesseth with his mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in his heart that God hath raised him from the dead shall be saved I cannot give you a less Manuel of the Law and Gospel the one place steering you off the rock Presumption the other preserving you from being crushed upon the rock Despair while the one threatning punishment the other promising salvation and now betwixt these two the Lord grant we may sail in safely to that haven the kingdom of heaven And so I pass along from the quid to the quomodo how we must teach the people of God the good Word of God Quoad se Quoad nos Quoad se purè integrè Purè purely not teaching for Doctrine the Traditions of men God will not be pleased that we preach what we please the gold must all of it be fined and refined which we hammer upon that anvil the Pulpit we have no licence to disburse any other Peters pence unto Gods people save such as have been delivered to our hands out of the Treasury of the Scriptures And therefore our sacred Bellows have in them no winde to blow and bouy up a people into rebellion against their Sovereign we know better how to interpret that Text Curse ye Meroz then some have done who for I had almost said their unpardonable sin conscience enjoyned a publique penance Again you may long be hearers of Orthodox Divines before they give the least encouragement for a Civil State to rob Christs Church Nor yet hear till that they approve of those numberless Locusts the Enthusiasts who being taught by a white devil pretend Gods Spirit to destroy Christs Gospel No we honour the gospel of Christ Jesus praise God for those that bring purple and fine blue to adorn the Sanctuary and preach ever since we have heard of the mutinous angels obedience to the Sovereign Power under whom we have lived for many years a godly and peaceable life And thus having winnowed out the chaff we feed you with the kernel of the Scripture the Babes with Spoon-meat milk the strong men with Manna meat for Angels neither must we be spiritual niggards but integrè wholly impart and make known unto you the Gospel of Christ Jesus we must endeavour to imitate the Apostle who sayes I have hid no nothing from you What shall we think then of such Ministers that have hid the truth in unrighteousness who many years have concealed while not read the Ten Commandments in our Churches surely these are those new kinde of Ministers that would have their hearers forget their duty to God and charity towards their neighbours What shall we think of those Teachers sprung up of late like Mushrums who have hid while hindered their Parishioners for many years from receiving the Holy Communion Had the good people detained their Tythes when these Mungril Ministers first refrained giving Communion I will warrant you ere they would have wanted the Pig and Goose they would have given you the Bread and the Wine What shall we say now to those Preachers who deptive poor Infants of their jus divinum I mean Baptisme but of this I shall make a large discourse to the Anabaptists shame and our Mother the Churches renown These are the Preachers who have detained from Infants their due and also stoln from us Christs Legacy while instead of peace they have cryed up war in the room of Subjection voted up Rebellion in the stead of Religion brought in Atheism nay their false Doctrine so commonly ventilated hath made as fearful a rent in our Church and State as was at the death of the King of Salem in the Temple of Jerusalem As our sins have brought upon us this misery so none can help us but the King of glory Now Lord for thy ancient mercies sake for thy Son his merits sake be good unto Zion and build up the breaches in the walls of our Jerusalem And thus having prayed for our selves let us look quoad nos at our selves and take into consideration how we the Ministers of Christ Jesus ought to preach the Gospel this must be done with a quick speed deliberate discretion with a constant continuance to joyn all together Haste without discretion is like wings without eyes discretion without haste is like eyes without wings both without constancy is like feet and eyes without an heart First we must hasten to our business and teach saith St. Paul I conferred not with flesh and blood when it pleased God to send me to preach his Son among the Heathen Gal. 1.16 And to shew what speed all the Apostles were to make they are commanded to salute none by the way Remember what Solomon saith As vinegar is to the teeth and smoak to the eyes so is a sluggard to them that send him Prov. 10.26 Remember Peter and John were at the Temple at the third hour of the day Secondly Discretion is mightily required in teaching to make our spiritual receipts we stand in need to be inspired with Gods Spirit and all this to know how much oleum and how much acetum we must pour in 3. We are to hold on teaching for 't is said Cursed is he that puts his hand to the plough and pulls it back A Ministers work is never at an end for as we make the Devil mars we must therefore to our work again as we sowe the wheat the envious man sowes tares when therefore tilth time is past preaching the Law seed-time past preaching the Gospel The weeding time comes in and never ends till our end till you Gods harvest be inn'd into that common barn the grave Here is work for us then all our lives you finde us work a long life-lasting work 't is an hard case to work so long for no wages for small wages nay more for all our pains to be scourged out of the Temple plundered of all our goods as Iob was by the