speak with divers kinds of languages What a weak support would this be if this be all the comfort contained in the Promise On the contrary if you take the Promise for the Covenant of grace for the ordinary word of promise concerning free remission of sinne by the blood of Christ sealed in the Sacrament of Baptisme there is nothing more proper then to comfort a languishing spirit by such a Promise Secondly if the Promise to you and your children be meant of extraordinary gifts how will the parts of the Text agree with each other The Apostle doth exhort them be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sinne And then he giveth this reason for the Promise is to you and your children If therefore the Promise be meant only or principally of extraordinary gifts then the Command be baptized every one of you will stand in immediate relation to such a Promise And so the matter will come to this issue that all that are baptized and particularly they that renounce their old to take up a new Baptisme they will have a promise made to them and to their children to speak with divers kinds of languages On the other side if the Promise be taken for the Promise of Christ and for remission of sinne by his blood in this case it will be easie to shew the connexion of the words For what can be more aptly spoken then this Be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus for the remission of your particular sinne for the promise of the pardon of sinne by the blood of the Christ doth belong to you and your children Thirdly if the promise to you and your children be only meant of extraordinary gifts how can the words of the Apostle be made good when he saith to all that are afar off to as many as the Lord our God shall call Will any man avouch that to as many as the Lord our God shall call the Promise shall be to them and their children to speak with divers kinds of tongues then the Promise will be to all the Saints from the comming of Christ to the end of the world that they shall speak with divers kinds of languages On the other side let the Promise be taken for that promise made to Abraham In thy seed shall all the families of the Earth be blessed this Promise at least in the general priviledges offers tenders and workings doth passe to all that do beleeve and their children whether they be near as beleevers of the Jews or whether they be afar off as beleevers of the Gentiles the Promise doth passe to all as long as they are no worse then Beleevers Children These were the reasons that moved me to affirm that the Promise to you and your children could not be meant of extraordinary gifts First this Promise alone could not comfort Peters hearers in their trouble Secondly it could not answer the word of Command be baptized every one of you Thirdly it could not be said to extend to as many as the Lord our God shall call On the other side if this be applyed to the Covenant of grace all circumstances will agree that the Promise is to Beleevers and their Children And to this doth the Apostle referre the word of Command to Fathers and Children bee baptized every one of you For the words Ye shall receive the holy Ghost I confesse they are meant of extraordinary gifts the appendant annexed to the primitive Baptisme which were peculiar to those times of the Church only For the Apostles having to do either with Gentiles to bring them out of Paganisme or with Jews to bring them out of Judaisme these extraordinary gifts were given to men for their more abundant confirmation in that Faith which they were to receive Acts 10.44 45 46. with Acts 11.15 16. This I do willingly confesse but when the Apostle saith for the Promise is to you and your children he doth point here to the grand fundamental Promise made to Abraham In thy seed shall all the families of the Earth be blessed His meaning is that if these Jews which had crucified Christ would come in and take him as the promised Seed if they would take him as the Messiah the Promise should still continue to them and to their natural seed aswell as in the former dispensation This is his meaning when he saith for the promise is to you and your Children and in relation to this Promise did he exhort them to be baptized Father and Child Thus far I went in the vindication of both propositions and in restoring of the force of my argument against the first assault On the third of Junne I delivered the substance of this reply into the hands of Mr. Everard since that time he hath been known to me and hath undertaken the matter But to say the truth I received no answer from him till the fifth of September Then I received a Paper full fraught with scornfull language and the next newes about three or four weekes after was that we had put his answer in print with a title prefixed Baby Baptisme routed In this I take my self to have none of the best usage from him First that he should put the matter publickly In print when wee were onely in a private way of inquirie Secondly that he should give his pamphlet the title of Baby Baptisme routed before we came to the tryall Thirdly that he should slight the maine body of my paper with all the inforcements and yet glory of a totall conquest when of many parts he had scarce brought one to the incounter For these reasons I think he hath not delt well with me Because his Book was lately printed for WILLIAM LEARNER at the Blackmoor in Bishops-gate street and because now it is in the hands of all men I will forbear to insert it Only my reply to the cheif particulars of his answer is as followeth The Argument of Nathaniel Stephens Minister for the Baptisme of Beleevers Children recruited and vindicated from the exceptions of Mr. Robert Everard in his book intituled Baby-Baptisme routed GOod Sir since the arrivall of your answer I have taken it into consideration and so far as I apprenend it may be conveniently divided into three parts First you endeavour to prove that my Argument hath no ground from the words of Peter Secondly you would bear me in hand that the structure of it is not good and that the premises do not hold due proportion with the conclusion Thirdly you do lay down terms of consent how far we agree and terms of dissent how far we disagree And so state the Question in the close of all Sir This is a strange kind of method that hath been in part the cause of your Wilde Discourse Yet neverthelesse as the course of the matter doth require I will only take the liberty to lay down the state of the Question as you your self do expresse
acknowledge that I have received two answers the one upon the first of May and the other upon the fifth of September And I could wish that the last Answerer which was one Mr. Robert Everard had not been so hastie to put his Answer in Print but rather that he and I had gone on in the way we were in to try the matter by writing each to other Sure I am by this friendly and private way of enquiry he and I might have gained very much at least the one might have come forth more ripe for the publick veiw What his secret reasons were I know not His way of life being itinerary from place to place it is a question whether such a narrow and set disquisition of truth would not have fixed him too long to one place Or whether according to the title of his book he did inwardly beleeve that he had given a totall rout to the Baptisme of Infants Or whether it were to ease his own shoulders of the burden and to call in more of the party to his assistance For my own part I beleeve the matter being now brought into Print I am not now to deal with this or that particular man but with the whole nation of them that are against a Precept for the Baptisme of Infants And this I take to be no small number For I beleeve the piety of former times as they then called it was not greater to set up high altars then it is now to divide into new Churches And therefore to a man who maketh it one of his cheif designes to set up a new Church to erect a new Ministery and to cast all into a new mould what better principle can he have to begin withall then a new Baptisme I do expect therefore when I go about to shew a Command for the Baptisme of Infants that I shall not want exceptions against me both from principles of conscience and from principles of interest However I am resolved being cast upon it to put the matter now by the Lords assistance unto publick triall One member of the disjunctive must needs be true either there is a Precept for the Baptisme of Infants or there is not For my part I beleeve there is and therefore I shall be the more willing to shew the grounds on which I build If any one be of opinion that the world is too full of books in this kinde and that little more can be said then hath been already I would intreat such a one to look upon the doubts that are in the Consciences of godly men every where and to consider the present necessities and divisions of the Church And I beleeve when he hath done so he will have small reason to complain of too much water seeing all is on fire For that speech of the wise man The thing that hath been it is that which shall be and there is no new thing under the Sunne Eccles 1.8 I acknowledge that there is a truth in it yet not as it is too ordinarily applyed For I can avouch by experience and I speak the words of truth and sobernesse that in many hidden Prophesies and in some subtill controversies when I have read all on both sides the truth hath not so clearly appeared unto me as when I came to canvasse the Scriptures to dive into the sense of them by meditation and to compare Scripture with Scripture This hath some way happened in the present controversie It may be then that which hath been to mine own may by the blessing of God be satisfactory to the conscience of another man Reader thou hast now the reasons that moved me to this work Thus desiring the help of thy prayers that the thing I labour in may tend both to the clearing of the truth and as much as may be in these times of division to the preserving of the peace of the Church I rest Thine in the Lord NATHANIEL STEPHENS Fennie Drayton Novemb. 19. 1650. The Generall heads contained in this Treatise HOw the Precept is proved from the words of the Commission Matth. 28.19 Teach all Nations baptizing them How the Children are comprehended under the word them pag. 1. How the Precept is proved from Acts 2.38 39. For the Promise is to you and to your Children Whether the Argument be of force the word of Promise is to Beleevers and their Children therefore the word of Command is to baptize Father and Child pag. 13 How the Precept is proved from John 3.5 Except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit c. Where it is shewed how far forth it is necessary for the Children of Beleevers which are borne in Originall sinne to receive Baptisme the seal of Regeneration pag 18 What the particular Argument was which the Author gave to the partie of the separation to prove a Precept for the Baptisme of Children pag. 28 What their first answer was to the argument ibid. How it was renewed again in both the parts and in the whole sense because the children of Beleevers have a right to Baptisme by the word of Promise they must have a right by the word of Command ibid. How it was particularly renewed in the first part by shewing the convertibility between the word of Promise and the word of Command in the Sacramental action pag. 29 How it was renewed in the second part by shewing that the Promise to Beleevers and their Children is not meant of extraordinary gifts but of the Covenant of grace pag. 30 What their second answer was to the argument forealledged pag. 31 How the argument is vindicated from the exceptions of Mr. Everard the Author of the last answer pag. 33 How it is shewed to be truly grounded upon the words of the Text. pag. 35 How it is evidenced to be right in the frame of it pag. 58 How the Children may be said to professe in their Parents that do undertake for them And therefore there is no danger of tearing the words be baptized every one of you Father and Child from the words Repent and be baptized pag. 36 How Mr. Everard by denyall of Infant-Baptisme doth tear the word of Promise from the word of Command pag. 43 Whether Peters hearers were true Beleevers when he exhorted them be baptized every one of you and so consequently whether their Children were capable of the Seal pag. 46 Of the maine Objection of Mr. Everard viz. Then the whole nation of the Jewes ought to be baptized because the Promise was made unto them and to their Children pag. 47 What the answer to this Objection is by shewing that not a right to the Promise in generall but a right that Beleevers and their Children have to the Promise in the last exhibition doth bring a right to baptisme ibid. What are the three exhibitions of the Promise and how in each exhibition the Promise doth still hold to Father and Child pag. 48 The question is resolved in speciall that a true Beleever of the heart
the Children of Beleevers have a right to be baptized by the word of Command And so consequently there is a word of Command in the New Testament to baptize Beleevers and their Children The connexion is proved from the convertibility and mutuall relation between the word of Promise and the word of Command and therefore if the Children of Beleevers have a right to be baptized by the one they must have a right to be baptized by the other The consequence is clear and for the assumption it is proved by St. Peters own words For the Promise is to you and your children This is my argument To this on the first of May I received a certain Paper by way of answer the substance of which was briefly this For the convertibility of the word of Promise and the word of Command they said I took it as granted I had affirmed it only but had not proved it therefore there was no such mutuall relation And for the assumption they said that the Children of Beleevers have no right to be baptized by the word of Promise seeing that the Promise is meant only of extraordinary gifts vers 16 17. Seeing that Infants in these our dayes are not capable of such gifts they knew no right they had to be baptized by vertue of that Promise This was the substance of the Paper which they sent to me on the first of May. And my returne to them on the third of June was briefly this Whereas they did deny the convertibility between the word of Promise and the word of Command I did endeavour to prove it by these reasons that follow First from particular examples in the Sacrament of Circumcision the word of Promise is I will be thy God and the God of thy seed in relation to this Promise the Lord did command Abraham to circumcise all his Males Gen. 17.7 8 9. In this institution there is a mutuall relation and convertibility between the word of Promise and the word of Command For as many as had a right to be circumcised by the word of Promise had a right to be circumcised by the word of Command Again as many as had a right to be circumcised by the word of Command had a right to be circumcised by the word of Promise there must needs be then a convertibility between these two in the Sacramentall action Again in the Institution of the Passover the Lord was pleased to make a gaacious promise to the children of Israel When I see the blood I will passe over you and the plague shall not be upon you when I smite the land of Egypt Exod. 12.13 In relation to this Promise the Lotd commanded them to take the blood and to strike it upon the two side-posts and upon the upper door-posts of the houses where they should eat the Lamb. This was a Type of Christ where his blood is there will be deliverance from wrath Now in this as in the former institution there is a Convertibility between the word of Promise and the word of Command For as many as had a word of Promise to escape the plaguing Angel had a word of command to strike the blood upon the door-posts And as many as had a word of Command to strick the blood upon the door-posts so many had a word of Promise to escape the plaguing Angel The convertibility between these two might be further proved from such Promises which it hath pleased the Lord to signifie to the sons of men by outward signes and figures But these are sufficient Secondly This is made manifest by the generall nature of Covenants between men and men There must needs be a convertibility between these two parts that do contract as may appear by the Indentures between them If this be so in the general nature of Covenants it must necessarily hold in the Sacramental Covenant betwixt God and man There must needs be between the word of Promise which is Gods part and the word of Command that doth contain the duty of man in the Sacramentall action there must needs be I say between these two a near relation Thirdly this is evident from the very definition of a Sacrament For the form and being of a Sacrament by and through which it is defined doth stand in the analogie proportion correspondence mutuall relation between the outward signe set forth in the word of Command and the inward grace contained in the word of Promise Now then if there be no mutuall habitude and relation between these two we shall take away the very being and form of a Sacrament Fourthly this doth appear from the weaknesse of that which is usually alledged to the contrary and therefore though it may be true as some say that a Promise may be without a Seal Yet when men have once put their Seal it is necessary that there must be a correspondence between the Seal and the Covenant In like manner it is not absolutely necessary that the Covenant of grace or the word of Promise should be set forth by outward signes that appear to the sences yet the Lord having once in the word of Institution appointed the outward sign to signifie the inward grace in such a case as this is it is necessary that there should be a mutuall relation between the word of Promise and the word of Command They that deny this to my understanding do not only go against the experience of Beleevers but also against the common sense of men Now to gather up all into one summe it is clear First from particular examples Secondly from the general nature of Covenants Thirdly from the definition of a Sacrament standing in relation Fourthly from the weaknesse of that which is usually alledged to the contrary From all these it is evident that there is a mutuall relation between the word of Promise and the word of Command And so I came to confirm the union of the copulative proposition If the children of Beleevers have a right to be baptized by the word of Promise they must have a right to be baptized by the word of Command The consequence is firme and there is a necessary union between both parts And thus I did endeavour to prove to the Brethren of the Separation the truth of that which I did affirm I came to the assumption Secondly whereas they say the promise to you and your children is meant principally of extraordinary gifts and Infants in our dayes are not capable of these For the more effectuall proof of the point I did endeavour to show that this Promise could not only or principally be meant of extraordinary gifts but in a positive sense it pointed to the Covenant of grace and was the very promise made to Abraham The arguments which I did alledge were these First If the promise to you and your children be only and principally meant of extraordinary gifts let any man show what kind of comfort this would minister to men of a troubled spirit that they should
teach all Nations baptizing them c. I might bring more places to prove that the children together with their parents doe make a beleeving nation And for such also that shall say that the children cannot be members in the Gospel Church-state I might alledg the ensample of the Jewes at their call in the last times For according to the prophecies it is cleare as they have been cast out and their children so at their call they shall be received and their children in a glorious manner But these few instances may serve to parallel the Commission and to shew that the children are maintained in the word them teach all Nations baptizing them Now I come to instance the absurdities in case the Children be excluded Thirdly If beleevers children be not contained in the word them teach all Nations baptizing them these absurdities will ensue First whereas in the two former dispensations father and child entered into the Church together in this last best and most large edition of the Covenant the parents shall be taken in and the children shut ouâ— Secondly If the children be not contained in the word them teach all Nations baptizing them there will be a change in the extent of the Covenant as to the particular of infants and in respect of the subject the Lord Christ will varie from the usuall way of administring the seal and yet give no warning of so great a change Thirdly If the Children be not contained in the word them teach all Nations baptizing them what difference will there be between the children of such that professe the Christ come in the flesh and the Christians of Turks his absolute enemies For if we take it as granted that the children in the last dispensation have no right to Church priviledges nor to the seale let any shew the difference between the children of beleevers and the Children of out-casts of the Covenant If they differ not in inward graces nor in outward Priveledges in what then do they differ Fourthly If the children be not contained in the word them teach all Nations baptizing them what shall we say in speciall by those of the Jewish Nation that were brought to the faith by the preaching of the Apostles will it not necessarily follow that such as did beleeve and receive the Christ come in the flesh by their beleeving the promise in the last exhibition bring losse to their Children Will it not necessarily follow that the Children formerly Church members shall come to be spoyled of Church membership the Children formerly Sealed shall come to be devested of the Seal the Children formerly in the Covenant shall come to be expunged out of the Covenant And all these dammages will follow upon the Jew his beleeving the Christ come in the flesh Fifthly If the Children be not contained in the word them teach all Nations baptizing them what will become of the comfort of Beleevers in this last dispensation There is no true Beleever in these times but he doth look upon his Children as borne in Originall sin where is then His comfort His comfort is in the Covenant But what if the Children must not be baptized What if they have no right to the Seal of the Covenant Can he presume that they have a right to the Covenant it self and to Salvation by vertue of the Covenant Where there is no title to the Seal especially in such a dispensation where a Seal is annexed to the Covenant what title is there to the Covenant it self Sixthly If the Children be not contained in the word them teach all Nations baptizing them there will be a change in the heart of Christ by his last words he will exclude them from the Seal and Church-membership of whom he said in his former exhortations Suffer little Children to come to me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 19.14 These and many other absurdities may be alledged in case Infants be excluded from Baptisme Now then if this be so what will become of those ordinary speeches of the adverse partie We want a precept we have no word of Command from Christ c. To them I may reply that they make their case worse then it is they have a word of institution to baptize Parents and Children When our Saviour saith Teach all Nations baptizing them the Children living under the Christian education are inclusively contained in the word Them We have proved this First from the remarkable circumstances of the Text Secondly by comparing the Commission with other Scriptures Thirdly by shewing the absurdities in case the Children are not contained collectively with their Parents in the Word Them Teach all Nations baptizing them Now I proceed to answer some Objections Object 1. If they say that the Word ethne Nations being a newter cannot be substantive to autous Them a word of the Masculine gender Sol. They that shall so reason let them peruse the Originall in the Old and New Testament and they shall every where find this Enallage or change of Gender To let passe all that might be brought let them consider that one Scripture concerning the loosing of Satan to seduce the Nations And he shall go forth to deceive ethne the Nations that are in the four quarters of the Earth God and Magog to gather autous them together to battell And they went up in the bredth of the Earth and compassed the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City and fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured autous them And the Devill that deceived autous them was cast into the lake of fire c. Rev. 20 vers 8.9 10. Now here it is plain that the word autous them is three times together set in relation to the word ethne nations From whence I gather in the sence of the Commission that the word autous them must by the like reason necessarily answer to the word ethne nations and this is the naturall construction of the words Object 2. Secondly If they shall object that then the Nations as Nations will be the lawfull subject of Baptisme Sol. Not so neither It will necessarily follow that the Nations as discipled as taught as beleeving as professing Nations in this sence will be the proper subjects of Baptisme All Nations as Nations since the breaking down of the partition wall have a generall interest in preaching the Gospel Mark 16.16 compared with Matth. 10. vers 5.6 but this generall interest doth not intitle to Baptisme All Nations have a right to the Gospel preached as Nations but they have a right only to Baptisme Parents and Children so farre forth as they are under discipling and teaching and do yeeld to discipling and teaching Object 3. Thirdly if they alledge that the Commission is to be expounded by that place Joh. 4.2 Jesus made and baptized more Disciples therefore a Disciple actually made is the only subject of Baptisme Sol. That such a one is the lawfull subject of Baptisme I do willingly
do erre in the other extreme For the hope of Salvation doth not lye so much in the Seal as in the Promise to which the Seal is annexed Indeed the Lord having made a Promise to Beleevers concerning their Children born in Originall sinne That he will be their God and the God of their seed in this case they must beleeve his word and where he hath ordained a Seal for the confirmation of their Faith they must take heed how they neglect to apply it they must not as more then too many do in these dayes think it a superfluous or an idle figure All that we plead is this that there is a necessity that lyeth upon beleeving Parents to baptize their Children born in Originall sinne But how the necessity is not absolute but conditionall In case the Child dye before Baptisme he may be saved by the Covenant and by the Promise of God yet I think such a Parent that doth carelesly omit his duty he will very hardly answer his neglect to God himself his Church and I think at last to his own conscience Secondly To my understanding also they go too far whosoever they be that do conclude that Baptisme doth Regenerate or that it doth confer grace by the work done It is a difficult point rightly to divide the matter between two extremes If therefore I may deliver my thoughts concerning this matter I do beleeve that as the Word preached so the Seals administred according to the minde of Christ in this they are the conduit pipes to carry the Spirit into the soules of men But how not alwayes in all men and at all times but only when it pleaseth the Lord to work by them But as to the particular of Baptisme what that Ordinance doth conferre we will resolve in answering these severall Quaeries Quaer 1. What doth Baptisme conferre to the pardon of Originall sinne in Infants Answ It is certain all that are born in the ordinary way since the fall of Adam are born in the guilt of Originall sinne Rom. 5.12.13 14. Now this is the comfort to Beleevers that in Christ the promised Seed there is pardon of this sinne to their naturall Seed Therefore if the Children of Beleevers dye before Baptisme there is hope of their Salvation by the Promise But if they dye after Baptisme the hope is not only grounded upon the Promise but it is also ratifyed by the Seal Therefore the Infants that dye unbaptized the hope of their Salvation is by Promise but the baptized Infants of beleevers have hope of Salvation both by Promise and by Seal Thus far as I conceive Baptisme doth conferre to the pardon of Originall sin in Infants Quaer 2. What doth Baptisme conferre to the pardon of Actuall sinne in men of ripe years Answ It is a sure rule that Baptisme doth not only Seal the pardon of Originall but also the pardon of Actuall sinne Ananias said to Paul Why tarriest thou arise and be baptized and wash away thy sinnes calling upon the name of the Lord. Act. 22.16 So then if the person baptized continue after Baptisme in clensing and purging out of sinne in judging and condemning himself daily for sin he may be fully assured that the Lord will continue a daily pardon of sinne As sinne is daily confessed so it shall be daily pardoned upon true confession If any doubt should arise in the Conscience concerning the continuation of pardon by the blood of Christ whether the Lord would continue to pardon such sinne as is committed after justification the Apostle saith If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and to clense us from all unrighteousnesse 1 Joh. 1.7 8 9. Why doth he say that he is faithfull and just to forgive sinne This doth imply that he hath somwhere bound himself by Promise to forgive sin to them that truly repent It is true he hath bound himself to the Person baptized at the time of Baptisme to forgive and to pardon sinne so far forth as sinne is repented of The Person baptized may say I am assured of this I have had it Sealed to me fourty fifty sixty years ago at the time of my Baptisme Where the Conscience doth make a question whether God will continue to pardon sinne the washing of Baptisme doth Seal the assurance thereof Quaer 3. What doth Baptisme confer to the taking away of the pollution of Originall sin in Infants Answ Though the Pelagians of old and Mr. Everard pag. 127. of late do strongly dispute that Children have no naturall pollution derived from Adam yet in this we cannot yeeld to them It is plaine from the Scope of Scripture that assoone as men have a being they have a polluted and a sinfull being In case therefore they die in infancie how is this pollution done away In this we leave them to the extraordinarie grace of God He can clense them in an extraordinarie way whom he will not suffer to come in the ordinary way to Salvation And this is all that we will say of that Question Quaer 4. What doth Baptisme confer to the taking away of the pollution of Nature in men of ripe years Answ It is plaine by experience that all that are baptized are not Regenerate Therefore we cannot look upon Baptisme but only as on a Seal of Regeneration Forasmuch as the Lord for his part doth promise to give his Spirit to the Person baptized that he may be regenerated The Person baptized for his part doth solemnly ingage himself that he will look for the Spirit which the Lord hath promised to give that so he may come to the inward washing In this as I conceive the efficacy and the use of Baptisme doth principally stand It doth principally stand in the agreement betwixt God and the Beleever the Lord for his part in the first place under his Seal doth promise to give inward grace to the clensing away of the pollution of Nature and the partie baptized doth set to his Seal that he will endeavour to clense and wash by the power and help of grace received The reason that moveth me so to think is this When the Lord saith Circumcise the foreskin of your hearts and be no more stiff-necked Deut. 10.16 Here if you go strictly to work how could he require the circumcising of the heart as spirituall and supernaturall duty how could he require this to be performed by weak and sinfull men To speak truly in all the time of that administration he did never require them to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts by their own naturall ability but he required them to look to the Promise sealed to them in the outward Circumcision of the flesh Because he required them to circumcise the foreskin of their heart in the word of Command He doth say I will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed in the word of Promise Deut. 30.6 And therefore the Psalmist finding by experience that he was conceived in
sin and born in iniquity he did pray to the Lord that he would create in him a clean heart and renew within him a right Spirit Psal 51.5 10. In this he did but pray for the inward circumcision of the heart according to the word of Promise to which he had already obliged and bound himself to look after in the time of his outward circumcision The like reason may be given of the times of the New-Testament where the Lord doth command us to be renewed in the spirit of our mindes to wash to clense our selves from all pollution of flesh and spirit In this case we are not to take it as though we had an inward power to wash or clense our mindes but we are to consider when the Lord doth lay such a Command upon us it is in correspondence and relation to the Promise sealed in the Sacrament of Baptisme Because he hath promised to give his Spirit inwardly to wash and clense our Natures when we receive the outward washing we for our parts do oblige and bind our selves inwardly to wash by and through the supply of his holy Spirit Therefore to shut up all though Baptisme doth not confer Regeneration yet by that Ordinance the Lord doth bind himself to give his Spirit toward that inward Regeneration so far forth as we do and shall endeavour to look after his Promise And thus far I have gone in clearing the Text from two great mistakes I do not plead from the words except ye be born of Water and of the Spirit an absolute necessity of Baptisme by the outward Element of Water but only a conditionall I do not plead that all who are outwardly baptized are inwardly Regenerated But that the Lord doth enter into Covenant with them to give his regenerating Spirit so far forth as they look and wait for it in the use of those means which he hath appointed This is all that I do desire to speak concerning this matter and I do it the rather because I would not give offence I hope then that I shall be more willingly heard when I prove a precept both for the Baptisme of Infants and for the necessity of their Baptisme from this Scripture The probation of the Precept doth lye in two particulars First by Water is meant the outward water in Baptisme as it doth referre to the inward washing of the Spirit Secondly because children are born in Originall sinne there doth lye a necessity upon the Parents to bring them to Baptisme the Seal of their Regeneration That the outward Baptisme of Water is here meant the reasons that move me so to judge are these First the generall consent of all antiquity together with many late Writers agree in it that the externall elementarie Baptisme is here intended as a Seal of the inward washing Secondly it is more immediate to the words of the Text to take the washing of water as the outward signe and the washing of the Spirit as the inward grace Thirdly other places of Scripture do carrie but one and the same sence The washing of Baptisme is called the washing of Regeneration Tit. 3.5 And the reason is this because the inward washing of the Spirit in Regeneration is sealed with the outward washing in Baptisme Now is this all one with the birth by Water and by the Spirit But if any man shall stand in it that these and many other Scriptures cannot be meant of water-Baptisme then I would intreat him to show me the reason why the work of Regeneration in the New Testament is so often called by the title and by the name of washing There is a purging by fire so mettalls are refined Mal. 3.3 There is a purging by wind so the corn is clensed Math. 3.12 Why then is the clensing and purging and the inward renewing of the heart so frequently set forth by the washing of water I think all will easily agree in it because the outward washing is appointed as a Seal of the inward washing of the new birth If this be so the birth by water must needs refer to the water of Baptisme as to the outward signe Fourtly that which hath moved some late Writers to depart from this interpretation for the reason that hath moved them we can clearly make it appear that other Scriptures have the like show of dfficultie of which no question is to be made but they speak of outward Baptisme If some of them apprehend that the present text Except a man be borne of water and of the spirit cannot be meant of outward baptisme because then the baptisme of water would be absolutely necessary to salvation He that is troubled with this difficulty let him consider that place He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved Mark 16.16 In these words no man doubteth but the Lord Christ doth point to the outward baptisme by water and in a sort he doth say that this baptisme is necessary to salvation How then are the words to be expounded We must take them in this sence that faith is more absolutely necessary to salvation yet in a sort it is true that baptisme is necessary as the outward meane Why else should our Saviour say He that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved We may in the present case give the same exposition According to the manifest course of divine dispensation we come to salvation by the new birth and in the ordinary way so farre as it may conveniently be had the outward washing is a seale of the inward washing of the Spirit These and many more reasons might be brought to prove that the outward Baptisme is intended in the words Except a man be borne of water and of the Spirit But in so plaine a case these shall suffice Now we come to prove the Precept First If it be granted that the outward elementary baptisme is here intended I think it will easily follow in the conscience of every beleeving parent that there is a necessity lyeth upon him to bring his child to baptisme For if the Lord Christ that giveth salvation doth require the outward baptisme of Water and the inward baptisme of the Spirit both these as the ordinary meane to salvation in such a case for a parent that is mindful of the salvation of his infant it is not for him curiously to dispute whether an Infant unbaptized may be saved But it lyeth upon him to do that which is required and so to avoid the danger But let us more particularly insist upon the Baptisme of Infants the word of command must necessarily be applyed because of the pollution of their natural birth The scope of the text is chiefly concerning these three particulars First that all by nature are defiled with Original sin Secondly there is a necessity of the new birth Thirdly the outward washing in baptisme is a seale of the inward washing This being laid as a ground that the Infant is borne in Original sin and that the outward baptisme is a seale of