and so are made visible Members of Christ's Church But for the farther clearing of this point let us compare †Circumcision and Baptism are Seals of the same Evangelical Covenant the former given by God to Abraham the latter given by Christ himself Circumcision and Baptism together as they respect those two things viz. 1. Matter of Fact 2. Matter of Right Now it cannot be denied but Circumcision was the Seal of the ‡ Of the promised Messiah to our Father Abraham who was to come Evangelical Covenant and was not that a Covenant of Faith yea doubtless We have the Authority of St. Paul for it who calls it Rom. 4.11 the Seal of the Righteousness of Faith And were not I pray you Children capable of receiving this Seal of Faith given to Abraham You answer Yes tell me then why not Children of Believers now or were Infants under the Old Testament more capable of receiving the Seal of Faith then than Children are now under the Gospel or was the Seal of this first Covenant of Faith more privilegial and extensive in favour to Abrabam and his natural Seed than the second Seal of the same Covenant is in and through Christ to all those who are of the Faith of Abraham Who will presume to affirm this I 'm not ignorant what a Noise the Anabaptists make about the Commission our Saviour gave his Apostles in reference to the Sacrament of Baptism Go teach all Nations Mar. 28.19 Baptizing them in the Name of c. They 'll tell you Persons must be taught before they are baptiz'd but with their Favour this is not always to be taken in their meaning but only in the case of adult Persons For if we consider the Etymology and real Signification of the Word Teach in the Original it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which according to very learned Expositours signifies also discipling and then the Commission runs thus Go ye and by Baptism make disciples To what end That they may be taught and instructed in the Duties of the Christian Faith as will plainly appear if you take the Commission mentioned in the 19th ver together with what follows in the 20th and it is thus Go ye Disciple all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching 'em to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you They 'll answer we are only for the literal Sense of the Word I reply discipling is also as true a meaning of the Word if the Original must be judge but if they do not understand it or will not believe it I cannot help that And now that we are upon Christ's Commission let us examine it a little farther as to the extent of it Go ye Baptize all Nations c. Ask'em what this means and then they 're against the literal Meaning for we say this Authority must needs reach the Baptism of Infants if Children are part of the World and there cannot be all Nations if they are excluded No such matter say they this Commission extends only to adult Persons of all Nations who are first to be taught and then to be baptized When we urge farther that of the Apostle St. Peter The promise is to you and your children they answer as before This is to be understood to you and your Posterity as when Moses speaks of the Children of Israel is meant all Persons of that Stock and if we agree to this how then Are not young Children I pray ye part of that Stock Truly there are not many Families in comparison without them and if it was otherwise there would soon be left but few or no Nations at all From the extent of the Commission let us go the Execution of it and see if that can help to reconcile us Well then from Scripture we tell 'em of whole Families that were Baptized together as Lydia and her houshould the Jayler of Philippi he and all his straitway and how St. Paul affirms that he baptized the houshould of Stephanas 1 Cor. 1.16 And are they sure there were no Children in these Families But farther there is one thing more I must observe unto you before I leave the Authority of the Scriptures as to this point that there were three ways of Proselyting among the Jews namely Circumcision Baptism and Sacrifice The first belonged only to the Males the two latter to all Men Women and Children and all the Rabbins do with one coment affirm that Persons of all Ages and Sexes were admitted into the Church by Baptism In the Gemara it is thus expressed If with a Proselyte his Sons and his Daughters are made Proselytes also that which is done by their Father redounds to their good and again in the Babylonian Talmud They baptize a little Proselyte according to the Judgment of the Sâ—anhedrim that is as the Gloss renders it If he is deprived of his Father and his Mother brings him to be proselyted he is baptiz'd according to the Custom which was this there was to be three Men present at his Baptism who were accepted instead of a Father to him From hence I observe That the Custom of Baptism being a thing so common among the Jews when they sent Messengers to John the Question was not Why dost thou baptize which in all likelyhood had been the first Question had not Baptism with them been so usually a way of discipling no but they demand the Authority of the Baptizer and they asked him and said unto him Why baptizest thou then if thou be not the Christ nor Elias John 1 25. neither that Prophet Hence also I farther observe that Pedobaptism being so common and known a Custom in the Jewish Church when Multitudes flock'd to John's Baptism who dare positively affirm they did not bring their Children along with them to be baptized As to our Adversaries alledging where is it said Go Baptize Infants I answer What need was there to strengthen Baptism with any particular Precept when it became an Evangelical Sacrament for that our Saviour took it as he found it this only added that he promoted it to a more worthy End and to a larger Use to be a Seal of the Covenant of Faith as Circumcision was before and to be also the Laver of Regeneration not only to the Natural Seed of Abraham but to all those who should be of the Faith of our Father Abraham and that there is in some Measure * An outward or foederal Holiness an imputed righteousness of Faith as well as an actual one seems to me very plain from St. Paul when he thus argues The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife 1 Cor. 〈…〉 and the unbelieving wife by the husband else were your children unclean but now are they holy I cannot tell what can be meant by this Holiness but that the †These necessitate cogente may have private Baptism but the other I think cannot without Sponsors be
is no Original Sin and this takes away the Merit of our Saviour's Intercession and the Satisfaction that he made on our behalf They excluded Infants out of the Grace of the Covenant contrary to our Lord's command denying them Baptism which is a Means whereby we receive the same and a Pledge to assure us thereof They held it lawful for a Man to have more Wives than one and this shews their Continence and Chastity that the godly was to inherit the Earth and Oaths not to be kept with the Magistrate and this discovers their Principles of Civil Government That any Person might take upon him the Ministerial Office and this invades our Saviour's Authority he left with the Apostles and their lawful Successours in this behalf But enough of the Doctrines of this new way I went on 3dly And shewed that the present Methods our Adversaries usually take in managing their Cause argues that the same is naught for that they are always inveighing against the Doctrines or Practice of others instead of proving from Scripture and Reason the Truth and Goodness of their own way To this add the great Confidence without Reason they have of their Cause and that being buoy'd-up with Ignorance and Prejudice what a noise and pother they make in promoting it as if they were so many Goliath's in arguing that none could stand before them Witness the late confident and presumptuous Challenge they made at Epworth to enter into a publick Dispute with the Reverend Mr. Wesly the present Minister thereof who is indeed the Effect of his good Nature too civil to them and too much forbearing of their insolent Behaviour in confronting the establish'd Religion in Opposition and open Defiance to the wholsome Laws of the Land made and provided for the Honour and Security of the same But let me tell them They who do not value the Peace of the Church will never regard the Peace of the State But we desire no more of their Munster-broyls occasioned by their seditious Disputations therefore 't is good for them not to use their liberty for a cloak of Maliciousness for if they will so far tread in the steps of their first Reformers as to intrench upon the Authority and kind Indulgence of the Magistrate they must be let understand that he beareth not the Sword in vain And as for their Goliath's Arguments let them not produce them as is their common usage in a seditious and tumultuous manner where noise shall prevail above Truth and Reason but in a manly and christian way and we fear them not for I do not doubt but when their Locks of Pride and Ignorance where their boasted Strength lies are lop'd off they 'll be found in Argument like other Men and those of the meanest Rank too Thus Neighbour if you will but seriously consider the Men or their Principles or their manner of spreading and abetting of them I hope you will think it most adviseable to keep to your old way until a better than this before us is shewn you to walk in and thus we might as I told you stand our ground and act only defensively But being 't is the Cause of God and Truth and the design of this Letter being not so much to assail our Adversaries as to satisfie your Scruples which if not solid are at least I believe well meant I put the Cause still to a fairer Issue and laid before you the Strength of our Adversaries in the two main Objections 1st As to the Objects of Baptism 2dly As to the manner of its Administration As to the first Objection I shew'd you the Stress of it lay in this That Faith and Repentance shou'd precede Baptism which Children not being capable of are not to be baptized and that none of the force of the Objection should be lost in the handling of it I took it in pieces and spoke severally to the Branches of it And first as to Faith I shew'd you by way of parallel that Circumcision in the old Testament being a Seal of the righteousness of Faith of which Infants were then capable it must needs follow by parity of Reason that Children of Believers under the Gospel must be also capable of Baptism which is the Seal of the New Testament unless they will suppose that the first Seal of the Covenant given to Abraham was more privilegial and extensive in favour than the second Seal given by Christ I shew'd farther as matter of Fact That Children as well as Men and Women were always discipled by Baptism in the Jewish Church and that Children were included in our Lord 's general Commission they being part of all Nations And that the manner of executing this Commission in all Nations wherever the Christian Faith hath spread it self ever since the Apostles Days and in all probability in their time also doth ascertain the matter of Fact as to the baptizing of Infants beyond all denial For matter of Right I shew'd you that Infants have an unquestionable Title to the thing signified of such being as our Saviour saith the Kingdom of Heaven who can question their having a right to the sign besides that the Promise is to you and your Children and that the promissory Grace in the Sacrament is no ways letted by the personal Incapacity of the Recipient for that a King may be crown'd in a Cradle and become really King though he knows not of it and many Kindnesses may be actually done to Infants by their Parents Friends or Guardians though they are not privy to it and however at the least Children now of believing Parents are every whit as capable of the Seal of Baptism as the Children of the Jews were of the Seal of Circumcision as was before declar'd and for the Reasons there alledged As to the second branch of their first Exception Repentance I shew'd you very plainly that it concerns adult Persons only for Infants having not been guilty of actual Sins there is no occasion for their actual Repentance and as for Persons of riper Years if they 're not baptized till then we do agree they ought first to believe for it would be most unreasonable to admit an adult Person Christ's Disciple who did not first believe in him and acknowledge him for his Saviour and that there is also in these a necessity of Repentance for such having been also guilty of actual Sins they ought and must repent of them before they are capable of this Sacrament which is the Laver of Regeneration and he that puts on Christ must become a New Creature I came then To the second general Objection relating to the Mode of Baptism and did so far agree that Dipping was probably the manner of baptizing in the Jewish Church and that the same was likely so too in John's Baptism but then I shew'd you there was at that time a particular Reason for this Mode of baptizing for that the Persons then to be baptized had as it were a visible or outward
against their Adversaries than in the Merits of their own Cause And this to me seems an Argument of a bad one when a Man by way of Subterfuge is forc'd to fly in his Adversaries face when he has little to say in his own defence And for once the Party must not take it ill if I serve 'em in their own sawce Well then I must ask them How they can with any face of Authority call themselves a Church for pray whence had they their Ministery for as the Apostle argues Rom. 10.15 How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him on whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent and in Hebr. 5.4 the same Apostle declares with respect to the Ministerial Function that no man taketh this honour to himself but he that is called of God as was Aaron 'T is plain our Saviour first chose twelve Apostles and gave 'em Power by Prayer and Imposition of hands to ordain others after them for the supplying the several Orders and Offices in the Church to all future Ages This St. Paul affirms Ephes 4.11 And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers and for what end we are given to understand in the next Verse viz. for the perfecting the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the Body of Christ And the three Ministerial Orders of Bishops Priests or Presbyters and Deacons so often mentioned in St. Paul's Epistles have been happily preserved in the Church ever since the time of the Apostles and were rightfully and lawfully continued in the Church of England at the time of our Reformation from Popery Quest But pray then Where had the Anabaptists their Authority of Ordaining Ministers Who gave the Laity the right of Imposition of hands to Ordain Bishops Priests and Deacons Answ The Answer is I 'll warrant you They have an inward Call of God This is plainly Buckhold and Knipperdoling And thus far however they will own their first Reformers At this rate they may have as many Teachers as People for every one that has but enough of Confidence or blind Zeal may set up when he will his Call is good But I wish such Pretenders wou'd consider the Danger of offering strange Incense and also what befel Corah Dathan and Abiram for usurping the Priest's Office Numb 16.10 31 32. Quest And now I 'm doing I must ask 'em another Question or two If they have no lawful Ministers where is their lawful Ministery and then Where are their Sacraments if they have not proper Persons to administer them And now my Friend the Consideration of this matter alone would sufficiently startle and keep me off from going to this Sect which is in deed and in truth according to the Doctrine of our Saviour and his Apostles no Church at all Pray then good Neighbour be not so conceitedly foolish as to strain at a Gnat and swallow a Camel And thus I 've paid 'em in their own Coyn hoping that hereafter they 'll let our Church alone for they have work enough at home if they will but look to it to keep their own House clean they having neither Doctrine Discipline nor Worship as matters are with them truly Apostolical If what has been said will not dissuade you from running after those People I shall however have the inward Satisfaction of doing my Duty as the Prophet Ezekiel speaks Chap. 3. v. 19. Since I have given you warning if you die in your Sins as doubtless Heresie is a grievous one your blood must lye at your own door And now Neighbour I think I might conclude having already exceeded the usual Limits of a Letter But forasmuch as the matter I 'm upon is the Cause of God and of Truth is concerning the Welfare of your Soul and the Peace of my dear Parishioners I hope you 'll excuse me if I go on farther and examine some Objections made by the Anabaptists against our Mother the Church for I would not willingly leave one Stone in your way that should in the least make you stumble in your Return home to that Profession of Faith you have been brought up in which is built upon the Doctrines of the Apostles Christ Jesus being the chief Corner-stone The chief Objections then of our Adversaries for so I must term them so long as they prevaricate with the Gospel of Christ are chiefly two which they seem the most to insist on in proselvting or gaining Disciples both these concern the Sacrament of Baptism Obj. 1. That we are mistaken in the Subjects of Baptism in baptizing of Infants Obj. 2. That we are wrong in the manner of Administration in sprinkling instead of dipping I shall speak to these two Objections severally but forasmuch as my Letter is swoln already too big if therefore my Answer herein proves not satisfactory as being too brief give your particular Reasons of your Dissatisfaction and if they 're not already answered by the Assistance of Almighty God you shall not long want another Answer to such Objections as you shall make if of any weight or moment wherein I shall argue the matter with you more at large I begin with their first Objection theirs I say not yours for you do the Cause of your Mother the Church great wrong should you be on the offensive side when you ought to be on the defensive 't would be even unnatural to arraign her when you ought to plead in her behalf to join and engage your self with the adverse Party when in Duty and Prudence you should stand against it for what will all your Brethren my Parishioners and all other indifferent Persons say of you shou'd you so shamefully give up the Cause wherein both your Conscience and your Credit are concern'd before the same is fairly heard and try'd But I must go on with the Objection and as they put it the strength of it lies in these two things That there ought to be Faith and Repentance before Baptism the one say they Children cannot have the other they cannot perform and so are not capable of receiving this Ordinance Now to set the matter in question in a true light I shall examine the two Branches of the Objections separately 1. As to Faith I answer If thereby they mean an actual or outward Profession of Faith is necessary in Children before they can receive the sign of the Covenant this I deny and it lies upon them to prove it but then I affirm that Children of believing Parents have such * I mean an outward or foederal Holiness such as the Jewish Children had an imputed Righteousness of Faith as is requisite to entitle them to the initiating Covenant and so have a right to the Sign or Seal of that Covenant namely Baptism whereby they 're discipled or initiated into the Christian Profession
through Christ with a thankful Remembrance of his Death and to be in charity with all men So that whether we respect the Conditions qualifying a worthy Communicant or the end of his receiving that Duty cannot be expected from babes but from those who are Proficients are grown up in the Knowledge and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ And this I hope you will take as a sufficient Answer to this Objection and we may therefore go on Having then shewn both from matter of Fact and matter of Right that Infants ought to be baptized let us make forward to the second branch of the first Exception against the baptizing of Children namely Repentance the Scripture saying Repent and be baptized This I hope will not take us up much time so pray Neighbour let us to it Obj. Thus then object our Adversaries and argue upon it Repentance ought to precede Baptism but Infants cannot repent and therefore should not be baptized I answer There are two kinds of Sins generally speaking Original and Actual As to the first I say the Obedience of the second Adam is as extensive as the Prevarication of the first Adam and that there are no other means revealed unto us to wash off this stain in Infants but Baptism and so most reasonable and necessary that they should as you have heard before be Partakers of this Sacrament but of actual Sins they being not guilty of those they have no occasion to repent So that the Exhortation of St. Peter Repent and be baptized does not at all concern Infants but adult Persons and this will be undeniable if we observe the occasion and purport of the Discourse preceding the same So it was that the Feast of Pentecost being come and vast numbers of People residing then at Jerusalem to keep the Feast both Jews and Proselites of divers Nations as Parthians Medes Elamites c. the Apostles being met there also and assembled together in one of the upper Rooms of the Temple as their daily custom was whilst they were performing divine Service Vid. Dr. Hammond on Acts 1.13 compared with cap. 2. ver 1. it pleased Almighty God at that time to pour down upon them the miraculous Gift of the Holy Ghost hereupon they began immediately to speak unto the People in their Master's Name and upon his Business in their several Tongues and Languages The Rumour of this brought a mighty Concourse to them at the Temple Now the People finding it even so as it was told them whilst Peter and the rest of the Apostles expounded unto them the Doctrines of the Christian Faith many of them were convicted in their Consciences at what they had seen and heard and therefore cried our of a sudden Men and Brethren What shall ue do Answer was made by Peter and the rest of the Apostles Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins And this plainly shews that Repentance here required before Baptism was of adult Persons whether Jews or Profelites for in this case they are all one that they shou'd be heartily sorry for all the actual Sins they had been guilty of resolve to become new Men and to believe in the Lord Jesus that so they might be qualified for Baptism the initiating Seal of the Covenant of Faith This is therefore the Apostolical Doctrine touching the baptizing of adult Persons they ought to repent and believe to qualifie them for receiving the Seal of the said Covenant And so far our Mother the Church doth agree with the Anabaptists if this is their Doctrine as may be seen in her Office of Baptism of those of riper Years Thus the Exhortation before it runs Save your selves from this untoward Generation for that Baptism doth now save not by the putting away the filth of the Flesh but the answer of a good Conscience And the Rubrick expresly requires That due care be taken for the Examination of such Persons as are to be so baptiz'd and that they prepare themselves with Prayers and Fasting for this holy Sacrament I need say no more on this Head and I hope this Point will give you no occasion to leave the Church Having then agreed thus well in this matter I shall be glad if we can close so well in the next Objection and that is as touching the Manner or Mode of Baptizing Second General Objection That Dipping not Sprinkling is the essential and necessary Mode of the Sacrament of Baptism Answer In Answer to this Objection I 'll not deny any thing herein that Scripture or Antiquity seems to favour as to the custom of Immerging or Plunging under Water Persons to be baptiz'd 'T is confess'd then the Jews in their proselyting or making Disciples by Baptism used I believe generally to put the Persons to be baptized all under Water being conformable to their legal Purgations Thus Maimonides speaking of their manner of baptizing If any Person saith he washes or dips himself all over but the tip of his little finger he is yet in his Uncleanness And if any one had much Hair on his head that was also to be washed else the Person was reckoned unclean Suppose farther that in conformity to the Jewish Custom the Mode of John's Baptism was after this manner too as seems to be inferred from his baptizing in Jordan and Enon Joh. 3.23 because there was much Water there and suppose farther that this Custom continued in the Church for some time after Christ and his Apostles in the hot Countries where Dipping of Children might be safe as to Cold and if it be so in these places pray ye who 's against it What! The Church of England That she is not for in her Rubrick about the Baptizing of Infants it is thus ordered That after the Naming of the Child the Minister if they shall certifie him the Child may well endure it shall dip it warily in the Water saying I baptize thee c. So that you see Neighbour you or any other Person might have your Child dipt at its Baptism openly at the Font in the Church if the same is desired here is therefore no Plea left for your separating from our Church upon this account unless Dipping in the River * A River in the Isle of Axholm in Lincolnshire famous for Dipping Torn by a Lay-man shall be lookt upon to answer better the end of Baptism than Dipping in the Font by a lawful Minister But they 'll tell you that Dipping is Essential to Baptism and therefore those that have not been dipt have not yet been duly baptized but this I deny and let them prove it if they can and till then in all reason you ought to stand to your former Baptism And I make this fair Offer Do but continue of our Communion till the Anabaptists shall be able from Scripture Antiquiquity or Reason to make appear that Dipping is essentially necessary to baptism sine quâ non and I shall desire your Conformity no