as to the age of the Subjects And is it not more modest and safe to live quietly in a Church of that frame as all the Saints of Heaven lived in till the other day as a few Anabaptists did attempt an Alteration Q. XLIII V. p. 160. Whether considering Christ's own Infant-membership and his kind reception of Infants and his chiding those that would have kept them off and his offers of taking in all the Jewish Nation Matth. 23.37 and that they were broken off by unbelief V. p. 143. and consequently the Seed of Believers not broken off from the Church Universal and that whole Housholds are oft said to be baptized and that Paul pronounceth Believers children holy and that Christ expresly Matth. 28. commandeth his Ministers as much as in them lieth to disciple all Nations baptizing them and that it is prophesied that the Kingdoms of the World shall be made the Kingdoms of Christ and there is no Nation or Kingdom on Earth that Infants are not Members of whether in all this and much more there be not a plain notification of God's will that as he never had a Church which excluded Infants so neither doth he now exclude them And if any will take him for Antichrist that taketh Infants into the visible Church V. p. 305. whether it will not prove to be Christ himself Q. XLIV V. p. 209 In summ whether 1. God would not have Parents devote their children to him and enter them according to their capacity in his Covenant 2. Whether also he doth not accept into his Covenant all that are faithfully thus devoted to him and be not peculiarly their God that such children are holy 3. Whether they are not as certainly Members according to an Infant capacity of the visible Church as they are of all Kingdoms under Heaven 4. Whether there be not far more hope of their Salvation than of those without 5. Whether the Covenant doth not make their Salvation certain if they so die 6. Whether the Investiture and Solemnization of their Covenant with Christ should not be made in Infancy Whether ever it can be proved V. p. 233. that granting Infants visible Church-membership yet they are not to be baptized and that Baptism was appointed for initiating none but adult Members Whether Baptism be not the common entrance into the Church and the plain Law of Christ Matth. 28.19 and the Exposition of the Universal Church doth not stand on Record to confute such an Opinion Q. XLV Preface p. 4. How inconsiderable a part of the Universal Church do the Anabaptists hold Communion with And do they not unchurch almost all the Churches on Earth may we not think that they rob Christ of more than nine parts of ten of his Kingdom or Church Universal V. p. 305. Q. XLVI Preface ib. Whether they can possibly hope that ever the Church on Earth will unite upon their terms of rejecting all their Infants from the visible Church and renouncing all our Infant Rights and Benefits conferred by the Baptismal Covenant of Grace Q. XLVII Preface ib. And whether if they continue to the World's end to separate from almost all the Churches and unchurch them their employment will not be still to serve the great Enemy of Love and Concord against the Lord of Love and Peace and against the Prosperity of Faith and Godliness and against the welfare of the Church and Souls and to the scandal and hardning of the ungodly Q. XLVIII V. p. 189. Whether too many well-meaning but weak Christians are not disaffected to lawful and warrantable things in the Worship of God meerly because they see such as are ungodly use and own them And whether if God should but let us have a King and other Rulers that were against Infant-baptism and singing of Psalms c. and would make Laws for their own way and impose it on others so that the ungodly multitude should fall in with them it would not presently cure many that are now for such Opinions Q. XLIX Whether Mr. Baxter in the second and third part of that his second Defence of our Infants Rights have not sufficiently detected the great and notorious Untruths in Fact and History wherewith Mr. H. D. Treatise of Baptism and Reply to Mr. Willes is fully stuffed Q. L. V. p. 228 229. Whether the Anabaptists Schism or Separation from Communion with our Churches be not worse yet than their simple Opinion And whether it be not desirable and possible that some way be found out and terms layd down in which good and sober men on both sides would agree and hold Communion As v. g. If the Anabaptists would consent to and profess as followeth or to this sence Though we judge Infant-baptism dssonant from Christ's instituted Order yet finding that God hath made many Promises to the Seed of the Faithful above others and that Christ expressed his readiness to receive little Children when they were brought to him for his Blessing and knowing that all Christian Parents should earnestly desire that their Children may be the Children of God through Christ and should devote them to him as far as is in their power and knowing that there are difficulties about the extent of this Power and Christ's Promises we do here solemnly profess that we thankfully desire all those Mercies for this Child which God hath promised to such in his Word and that we heartily offer devote and dedicate this Child to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as far as he hath given us power to do it beseeching him accordingly to accept him And we promise faithfully to endeavour to educate him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and as we are able to perswade him when he is capable to believe in Christ and solemnly devote himself to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in Baptism If thus much were done in the Church or so openly as may satisfie the Church that they are not despisers of God's mercies nor of their Childrens Souls And much more if those that profess that they cannot satisfie their Consciences in their Infant-baptism V. p. 230. 231. would but do as the Liturgy doth by those whose Baptism is uncertain If thou be not baptized I baptize thee and so would say Being uncertain whether my Infant-baptism be valid if it be not I now receive that which is And when they have satisfied their Consciences would live quietly in the Love and Communion of the Church who would not receive them though we approve not of their way And should not we be willing to give satisfaction by such an answerable profession as this Though it be our Judgment that Infants have ever been Members of God's visible Church since he had a Church and there were Infants in the World and do believe that Christ hath signified in the Gospel that it is his gracious will that they should still be so and that he hath made Baptism the regular orderly way of solemn entrance into a visible Church-state and therefore we devote this Child to God in the Baptismal Covenant yet we do also hold that when he cometh to age it will be his duty as seriously and devoutly to make this Covenant with God understandingly himself and to dedicate himself to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as those must do that never were baptized in Infancy And we promise to endeavour faithfully as we have opportunity to instruct and perswade him so to do hoping that this his early Baptismal Dedication and Obligation to God will rather much prepare him for it than hinder it Whether might not some such Professions put off the chief matter of Offence and Exception against each other as to the ill consequents of our Opinions and would not sober good men by such a mutual approach be more disposed to live together in Love and Holy Peace which we should all pray for and what in us lieth as far as possibly we can promote FINIS
FIFTY QUERIES Seriously Propounded To those that QUESTION Or deny Infants Right TO BAPTISM By J. B. an hearty well-wisher to their Souls and to the Churches Peace LONDON Printed for Nevil Symonds at the Princes Arms and Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lyon in St. Paul's Church Yard 1675. Men and Brethren THough many of you are exceeding zealous and confident in your Way yet I hope you do not think your selves infallible or to be as sure that you are in the right here as you are that there is a God or that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God Now granting that it is possible you may be under a Mistake in denying our Childrens Interest in the Covenant and Right to Baptism methinks it concerns you to enquire and examine again and again whether you be not indeed mistaken seeing if the Truth lieth in the Affirmative that Children have such a Right which you oppose then you must needs be found very ungrateful unto God in denying so much of his Grace and Favour injurious to our poor Infants in depriviving them what in you lieth of their Birth-right and of the Blessing and very troublesome to the Church of Christ in raising so great a busle there and making so great a Breach And therefore I cannot but earnestly request this of all of you that have any seriousness and tenderness of Spirit that you would not take up your Opinion upon Trust but make some further Search and enquiry after the Truth It may be safe for you let it not be grievous to you to view over these Queries Of which yet I must say as the Young Prophet said of the Axe 2 Kings 6.5 They are but borrowed being collected out of a seasonable and useful Piece of a Worthy Authour Entituled more Proofs of Infants Church membership and consequently of their Right to Baptism I would hope that these Lines will lead and direct you to the Book it self being as an Index to it Some of the Questions put here I am sure are such as you should be prepared to answer unto God and Conscience Consider of these things and the Lord give you Understanding Farewel Reader IF thou wouldest have fuller Satisfaction that it is the undoubled Will of God that Infants be Members of his Visible Church as verily as they are Members of Kingdoms Cities and Families and that they are as capable of it and that Christ was in his Infancy the Chief Member of the Church even the Head its Prophet Priest and King though yet he did not Teach Sacrifice Rule or Intercede actually and that God never had a Church on Earth since there were Infants in the World of which Infants were not Members except any did congregate that had no Infants or a few singular Persons in the end of the World have upon mistake refused the Priviledge and that the Gospel hath clearly acquainted us that Christ hath not deprived Infants of this Benefit but more fully given and confirmed it and that he hath instituted Baptism to be the initiating Sacrament and Solemn Investiture of Visible Church-members And yet that we may hold Loving and Comfortable Communion with those that by unwilling Error do think that Infants should not be baptized if they will but profess that they heartily consent that their Children be Christ's as far as he will accept them and with them that to satisfie their doubting or mistaking Consciences are rebaptized and when they have done will live in Love and Communion with others And that those few of the Ancients that were for the delaying of the Baptism of Infants a while did not dream of denying or delaying their Covenant-interest and Church-membership according to their Infant Capacity but only the Baptismal Solemnization and Investiture that it might be more powerfully obligatory as Kings are oft crowned long after they are Kings All this and much more you may see fully proved in the Book from which these Queries are collected lately Printed and in the Authors former Treatise of Infants Church-membership and Baptism These Queries more are here further offered to every conscientious Doubter Whether it be at all credible that those Jews that were so quarrelsome with Christ and tenacious of their Legal Rights would never have quarrelled with Christ or his Apostles for shutting all Infants out of the Visible Church if he or they had done it And whether those Jewish Christians that were so loath to let go Circumcision would have let go even their Infant-Membership and Covenant-right without one Word of Exception What considerate Person can believe this 2. Yea when Christ offered to gather all Jerusalem and her Children as a Hen gathereth her Chickins and the Jews were broken off but by Vnbelief whether the Children of the Believing Jews then were broken off 3. And when the Kingdoms of the World becomes Christ's Kingdoms are Infants no part of the Kingdoms Some Sober Queries gathered out of Mr. Baxters more Proofs of Infants Church-Membership and consequently their Right to Baptism seriously offered to such as are taken with the unthankful Error of denying and rejecting of their Infants Rights and Blessings Q. I. WHether under the Covenant of Works V. p. 77 79 112. if Adam had not sinned Infants should not have been holy to God and so Members of the Innocent Church or Kingdom of God Q. II. V. p. 112. Whether God was any more obliged to order it so that the Children of Righteous Parents should have been born with all the perfections of their Parents and enjoyed the same priviledges than he was obliged in making the Covenant of Grace to grant that Infants should be of the same Society with their Parents and have the Immunities of that Society Q. III. V. ibid. Whether we have any reason when the design of Redemption is the magnifying of Love and Grace to think that Love and Grace are so much less under the Gospel to the Members of Christ than under the Law to the Members or Seed of Adam as that then all the Seed should have partaken of the same Blessings with their righteous Parents and now they shall all be turned out of the Society whereof the Parents are Members Q. IV. V. p. 79 80. Whether though our Innocency be lost parents be not parents still and have not as much Interest in children and whether God have ever reversed this natural Order and if God change not his order therein whether parents be not as capable of consenting to Grace for their children as they were of being innocent for them Q. V. V. p. 81 83. Whether Infants be not included in the first Edition of the Covenant of Grace made with Adam Gen. 3.15 Whether unless it can be proved that Insants are none of the Womans Seed we must not take that Fundamental promise to extend to Infants V. p. 96. And was she not thereby obliged to list her self and all her Infant-progeny in the
children to God by Circumcision And did not many of the people in Hester's time become Jews V. p. 24. Hest 8.17 who yet were not under their Government And is it not well known that this was to be circumcised they and their little ones as the Proselytes were and so to keep the Law of Moses And whether the circumcised Servants of Israel sold away to another Nation V. p. 145. and so separated from the Civil State of Israel did eo nomine cease to be Church-members though they forsook not God And so of the Infants if they were sold in Infancy And so whether Infants might not be Church-members that were not of the Jews Commonwealth Q. XVI V. p. 26. Were not the Israelites Children Members of the universal visible Church as well as of the Congregation of Israel As he that is a Member of the City is a Member of the Kingdom V. p. 146. and a part of a part is a part of the whole so was not every Member of the Jews Church also a Member of God's Universal Church Q. XVII V. p. 27. Was there ever any true Church or Ecclesiastical worshipping Society appointed by God in all the World since the Fall but the Church of Christ Were not Infants therefore either Members of Christ's Church or of no Church of God's Institution Was not Moses Christ's Usher and Moses Church and Christ's Church one according to God's Institution Q. XVIII V. p. 124 125. Whether was Abraham made a Member of the Church by Circumcision or circumcised because a Member of the Church The like of Infants born in his House And how can the ceasing of Circumcision prove Infants Church-membership ceased V. p. 127 128. any more than it can prove their Church-membership began with Circumcision or that Women were not Church-members because not circumcised or that all Israel was unchurched in the Wilderness when they were uncircumcised for forty years Q. XIX V. p. 126 Whether the blessing of Abraham consists not chiefly in this that God promised to be a God in Covenant with him and his Seed And how are the Believing Gentiles blessed with faithful Abraham and Heirs of the same Promise if their Infants are not also comprehended in the same Covenant Q. XX. Whether in that great Promise V. p. 126 127. Gen. 12.3 Tribes Kindreds Families do not most certainly comprehend Infants As it was to such Families that the promise was made before Christ as to the Jewish Church What warrant have we to understand Families or Tribes otherwise when the same promise is made to the Gentiles Q. XXI Whether the second Commandment V. p. 135. Exod. 20.5 6. doth not contain a standing promise and discovery of God's Resolution concerning the children of all that love him whether Jews or Gentiles to whom this Commandment belongs V. p. 136. Whether God meaneth not that his Retribution to Parents that love or hate him shall extend to their children as such unless they interrupt it at Age by their own Acts and if to their children quà tales then whether not to Infants And when God hath recorded this decreed granted V. p. 137. distinguishing mercy to the children of the faithful as such in Tables of Stone whether it be not a visible notification which will make them visible Favourites and Church-members as soon as they visibly exist Q. XXII V. p. 138. Whether any without the Church are secured of God's mercy by promise And whether mercy be not promised to the Children of the Faithful as such See Psal 102.28 and 103.17 Prov. 20.7 Isai 61.8 9. and 65.23 c. Q. XXIII V. p. 143. Whether these Promises in the making of them were limited to a certain time when they were to cease Or whether they have been since revoked Q. XXIV V. p. 146. If it was on the Jews rejection of Christ that they were broken off from being God's people were those thousands of Jews that believed in Christ so broken off If not then whether were not the Children of all believing Jews Church-members in Infancy Or otherwise was it not somewhat else than Unbelief that brake them off Q. XXV V. p. 146 147. Were not the Infants of the Christian Jews the day before their conversion Members of the Jewish Church and of Gods universal Church of which the Jews were but a part and doth it not sound strangely that such Infants as were the day before Members of the Jewish Church and of God's universal Church should be put out of the Jewish and the whole visible Church by the Faith of their Parents or without Unbelief Either it was a mercy to be a Member of the Church or not If it was no mercy then will it not follow that the unbelieving Jews lost nothing by being broken off If it was a mercy how did the Christians Children forfeit it Q. XXVI V. p. 147. Whether it be credible that he who came not to cast out Jews but to bring in Gentiles breaking down the partition-wall and making of two one Church would have a Church of so different form and constitution that the Church at Jerusalem should have Infant-members and the Church at Rome should have none That the Jews Infants should be Members and not Gentiles If the Jews were broken off by unbelief V. p. 147. should they not be graffed in again upon their Repentance of Faith And so should not every repenting believing Jews Infants be Church-members Or otherwise how would their graffing in answer to their breaking off Should they be but in part graffed in Q. XXVII Was not Christ's Church V. p. 148. Spiritual before his Incarnation when it took in Infants and gathered in a spiritual way was not the visible frame of the Jewish Church set up and erected by the Father of Spirits and were not Spiritual Duties commanded then upon promises of Spiritual Blessings even life eternal How will any prove that it was a Blemish to the old frame V. p. 148. that Infants were Members What was the Church the worse for Infants Rights If it be no blemish why must it be done away Q. XXVIII V p 149. In what regard were the new frame better supposing the casting out of Infants which were in the old How doth Infants relation detract from its Spirituality Do not the adult come in by the same kind of consent for themselves as they make for their Infants And do not the Adult blemish the Church with more carnal sins than Infants do Would any Kingdom be more excellent if all Infants were disfranchised Does not Nature teach all Kingdoms on Earth to take them for Members though but Infant-members Q. XXIX V. p. 149 150. Whether any Jew at age was a Member of the old Church without professing Faith in the Articles then necessary to Salvation Repentance and Obedience And wherein the supposed new call and frame doth in this differ from the