INFANTS BAPTIZING Proved lawfull by the SCRIPTVRES Objections against it resolved and removed MAT. 18. 6. Whosoever shall offend a little child which beleeves in me it were better for him that a mil-stone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea Aug. 24. 1644. Imprimatur JOHN WHITE LONDON Printed by George Miller dwelling in Black-Friers 1644. The Printer to the Reader Reader PErceiving some Pamphlets to be sent abroad against Baptizing of Infants to corrupt the people I thought it my duty to the Church of God to publish this short discourse which came to my hands to give some check to the spreading of Anabaptisticall fancies untill some Learned penne shall more fully and largely evince the truth in this controversie consider thou seriously what is said in it and be established in the present Truth and not carried off from thy stedfastnesse with every wind of Doctrine shew thy selfe to be sollid wheate and not slight chaffe in the garner of God Farewell INFANTS BAPTIZING Proved lawfull by the SCRIPTURES COnsidering the present strange and dangerous spreading of the old Error of the Anabaptists That children are not to be baptized which in all ages of the Church under the Gospell hath been condemned whensoever it hath beene stirred and is now againe revived and pressed by the workings of Satan who hath prevailed to the infection of many therewith even among those that pretend unto holinesse and have obtained a good degree in the Church of God I could not be satisfied in my selfe till I had searched into first the title and claime of Infants unto this ordinance of Baptisme and then into the barrs and pretences brought against it and finding the claime of Infants to be by the Scriptures strong and cleere and the batteries raised against it weake and slight my spirit was at rest and setled in the truth and justice of the constant and generall practises of all the Churches in it and did not so much as think of making any of my thoughts and meditations concerning these things legible till by occasion of some debate I had with some Ministers I reverenced and of a Letter sent unto me by one of them I addressed my selfe to set downe in writing solutions and answers to those things which I perceived to stick with them whereby it comes to passe that in this following discourse there is no methodicall handling of the controversie as it well deserves but the stating of the question and proofe of Infants baptisme falls in by parcels as the objections against it gave occasion And whereas one basis upon which the Infants right is founded is suggested by the Anabaptists to be a promise proper to Abraham and not to extend to all professors of the Gospell nor to any of them I begin with that namely GEN. 17. 7. I will be the God of thee and of thy seed THis is a double Promise First I will be the God of thee Secondly I will be the God of thy seed The first promise is no peculiar of Abrahams but is common to every beleever under the Law and Gospell a branch of the new Covenant Jer. 31.33 The second being the same Promise signifying and carrying in it the same things and in termes the same only varying the subject extended to seed his seed as related to him must be of as large extent as the first and common to every beleever with Abraham and this is plaine and manifest by the Grammaticall construction of this Promise Secondly It is farther evidenced by comparing this with other Scriptures Deut. 28.4 The righteous shall be blessed in the fruit of their bodies where blessednesse is promised to their seed as theirs in reference to them Deut. 30.2 6. God promises to the true penitent to circumcise their heart and the heart of their seed to love him Isa 44 3 I will powre out my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thy off-spring Isa 59.21 My Spirit and my words shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor of thy seeds seed for even Mat. 19.14 and Luk. 18.16 Jesus Christ declares his mind concerning the children of the members of the Church he would have them brought to him he blesses them and saith that of them is the Kingdome of God Acts 2.39 The Apostles speaking to converted Jewes and Gentiles penitent beleevers affirmeth that the Promises belong to them and to their children Thirdly That the said Promises were no peculiars of Abraham appeares by that of the Apostle Gal. 3.16 that the Promises made to Abraham were made to Christ and so to Abraham as interessed in him in whom Abraham and all the nations of the earth are blessed All promises of grace are made to Christ and to Abraham and to beleevers under the Gospell in him in respect of our interest in him In him are the promises yea and Amen unto us Abraham was an antecessor in the faith whose steps the faithfull follow Rom. 4 12. but neither father of our persons nor of our faith God honoured him to be the first to whom this promise was expresly made after the same made in the beginning to Jesus Christ the seed of the woman and so he was a father and not otherwise more then any other beleever There was also another speciality in this Promise to him that of his naturall seed should proceed a people that should have the honour till Christ came to be the only visible Church on earth but the Scriptures make this rather a peculiar of Isaack then of Abraham and made to him in Isaack and not generally Gen. 17.19 Rom. 9.7 The Promise to Abraham comprehended Ishmael also whereupon the seale of it was given to him by Gods appointment cleerely declaring the extent of that Promise to all in the visible Church and so it belonged to Ishmael till for his mocking of Isaack by which he forfeited it he was justly excommunicate Fourthly Another thing manifests this truth namely that God gave Abraham the seale of the Promise not as Abraham nor as a Jew but for and in respect of the righteousnesse of faith he had before circumcision instituted in his uncircumcision by that it appeared he was in Christ capable of the Promise and intituled unto it and this is common to Christians of the uncircumcision as well as to Abraham that received circumcision Rom. 4.11 Fifthly This further appeares by the thing contained in this Promise namely the appropriation of God to beleevers by a free Covenant of peculiar grace above and before others and this grace as believing is either outward for and concerning visible Church priviledges to be members of the visible Church partakers of Baptisme * The visible Church is called Christ 1 Cor 1â— 12. And the Kingdome of Christ Mat. 13. c. or inward and meerely spirituall which none but true Saints in whom the new creature is formed have Covenant-right unto Cleerely all the naturall seed
of Abraham while they continued members of the visible Church and were not excommunicate had Covenant-right to Church-priviledges for them and their children and though some of them had not true faith and so attained not an interest in the invisible grace of the Covenant yet that unbeliefe made not the Covenant and faith of God without effect Rom. 3.1 2 3. So it is under the Gospell Vbi eadem ratio idem juâ— de similibus idem est judicium And lastly This is further evinced by the whole tenour of the Scriptures in the a Contrâ—â—iorum eadem est ratio contrary which is the portion of the wicked and of their children that are not in the Covenant of grace or being once within the outward and visible grace thereof deprive themselves thereof by becomming degenerate and prophane and are justly therefore excommunicate The curse is alwayes extended to their seede as well as to them Deut. 28. 18. Exod. 20.5 and though this be not executed upon all their seed but that free election manifested by their regeneration restores them to be vessels of mercy yet that makes not the curse of God of no effect neither doth the generall revealed will hinder the operation of the secret free grace of Gods election or of reprobation Abrahams seed Rom. 4.16 is distinguished into the seed which is of the Law and the seed which is of faith and neither excluded but both included within the Promise And Rom. 9.6 the distinction is betweene the naturall and the spirituall seed among the naturall as well as others and none of them are excluded from interest in the Covenant but first all are included in the outward grace of the Covenant vers 4. all Israelites to whom pertained the adoption and the glory and the Covenant and the Promises Secondly Some are excluded the invisible grace of the Covenant by the secret counsell of divine preterition as others were included by election vers 6 11. all which further confirmes and cleeres what I have said and both parts of the Covenant are free grace even the outward Psal 147.19 20. God shews his word statutes and judgements to Israel he hath not dealt so with others Ob. It is objected by one That this Promise is made to Abraham not as any believer but as a person chosen by God freely Sol. To which I answer That which is spoken to Abraham as a believer is common to all believers because they all are subjects capable of it they all are persons chosen by God freely and have the same hand of faith to receive it and there is no colour to assert that God is not the God of every believer as well as of Abraham or that the children of every believer are not beloved for their fathers sake as well as Abraham And it is a Promise made not to believers as a species but to individuals beleevers as acted with faith The Promises of God are not notions nor predicable of universals but actuall but whatsoever generall Promise is made to any man as a believer is made intended and applicable to all to every to any believer That they are beloved for the fathers sake is true of every believers children as well as of Abrahams for if the roote be holy so are the branches Rom. 11.16 28. though some of them be broken off by personall unbeliefe as it was with Abrahams seed vers 17. And that God doth sometimes make particular promises of particular grace which is not applicable to all believers to some persons that believe is nothing materiall or pertinent to this question as the Promise to Phineas concerning the Priesthood Num. 25.13 and the Promise of the Keyes to Peter Mat. 16.17 18 19. For first the Promise to Phineas was not made to him as a zealous man for then it would have been common to all zelots though God tooke occasion from his zeale and in reward thereof to make that Promise unto him but God made it unto him as a Priest in which respect only he was capable of it and by the matter it selfe appeares it was peculiar and not common but to be the God of his people is common and communicable to all believers as our Promise now in question so far are these cases from similitude as they have no resemblance And so the Promise to Peter is not of a thing common to all believers as the Promise in question but of a matter intrusted unto the Ministers of the Gospell and made to Peter as such not as a believer and though made to Peter is applicable to all Ministers of the Gospell and common to the rest of the Apostles And whether the inferring of such instances to prove the promise in question to be a peculiar of Abrahams be not cavilling rather then candid arguing or seeking the truth let the Reader judge And it is apparantly a like meere cavill to say that Isa 59. 20 21. is not applicable to all believers and all times because the Apostle Rom. 11. 26. applies it to the Jewes for by the context of the originall place it is a generall promise made expressy and extended to all to whom the Redeemer shall come and the applying thereof to the Jewes a branch only of them to whom he came is so far from limiting it as applying animal rationale to John to prove him a man limits it to him alone excluding all other men when that instance confirmes it to all of like case and condition and declares it appliable to them also and upon the same reason And Exod. 20 6. That God will shew mercy to thousands of them that love him is cleerely a Promise to the believer and his children who though not expresly yet by the antithesis of the context comparing it with the former verse upon which it depends and is inferred are necessarily included and it is a Promise to every believer as generall as the curse in the former verse which extends to all that hate God extending to all that love him and not matter contingent but certaine to them And so Psal 112.2 The Promise that the seed and generation of them that feare the Lord and delight in his Commandements shall be blessed is not made to John or Thomas only but in common to all that feare and delight in God and both these Promises are as large as blessednesse including Heaven as well as earth Ob. But it is further said That the childrens obedience is alwayes expressed or implied Psal 103.17 18. Sol. To which I answer That God promising blessednesse to my children a Isa 54. 13. All thy children shall be taught of the Lord. undertakes their faith and obedience b Isa 49.25 I will save thy children without which they cannot be spiritually blessed These two are some of the good things included in the Promise and Covenant and performances thereof and are implied as effects not as motives or causes of the promise which is most freely made by the Lord.
seale of the Covenant being meerely passive in the administration of it both in respect of the outward element and inward grace of it and it is a strong ingagement of them to devote themselves unto God when they attaine discretion that from the beginning they are consecrated unto God and have such excellent promises c 2 Cor. 7.1 sealed unto them and what then hinders them to be baptised It is yet further objected That baptising of children hath no foundation in Scripture To which I answer There is a two-fold testimony of Scripture expresse in termes and that is not to be had for some principall truths Secondly by necessary cleere deduction from cleere Scriptures and such grounds Scripture abound withall for Pedobaptisme and some of them I have above opened and cleered Ob. It is further said and but said That Baptisme cannot be administred Infant baptisme to infants as John the Baptist and the Apostles did administer it Sol. To which I answer That it may be and that sufficeth in an answer expecting the proofe of the objection But because I desire to drive the adversary of this truth out of all his coverts and seeming strengths I answer further That in the administration of Baptisme according to the institution of it and the use of it by John and the Apostles and others recorded in Scriptures there are some things essentiall and necessary in all cases and some things accidentall that are not necessary nor usefull in all but only in some cases The essentials are three only first a Minister of the Gospell to administer it Mat. 28.19 they only have commission and authority for it Secondly A person that hath right unto it either by his own personall profession of faith and repentance d Mat. 3.6 Acts 8.37 or otherwise upon whom it is to be conferred Thirdly To baptise in the Name of the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost And that such personall confession is not necessary where it is otherwise apparant the person to receive it hath right unto it is plaine by Johns baptising of Jesus Christ who had Covenant-right unto it and could not confesse sinne Mark 1.9 and by Ananias baptising Paul without confession of sinne or profession of faith Acts 9.15 18. God telling him he had a right unto it being his chosen vessell and Peters baptizing the Centurions friends upon whom he saw the Holy Ghost in extraordinary gifts to fall without their personall confessions Acts 10.47 and yet those extraordinary gifts were not certaine evidences of election to eternall life And by Pauls baptising of all Lydias houshold * Act 16 1â— meerly upon their submitting willingly unto it without distinct personall confessions for ought appeares and so the Jaylors a Act. 16.31 33. houshold and Stephanas b 1 Cor. 1. â—6 his houshold and it cannot be reasonably imagined that there were no children among them And 1 Cor. 10.2 All the children of the Israelites being within the Covenant were baptised in the cloude and in the sea as well as those that were of full age Ob. But it is further objected That by what I have said children are to partake in the Lords Supper also being another seale of the Covenant and by it Infant-Communion may be as strongly inferred as Infant-Baptisme Sol. To which I answer the case is wholy unlike and followes not for there is in the institution of the Lords Supper required necessarily and as essentiall unto it such things as Infants are not capable of and are not required in Baptisme In Baptisme the Sacrament of regeneration the receiver is passive both in the outward and inward administrations thereof But in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the Sacrament of corroboration and increase the partaker of it must be active An infant cannot examine and judge himselfe discerne the Lords body doe it in remembrance of Christ all expresly required in the receiver of the Lords Supper 1 Cor. 11.25 26 28 29 31. But an Infant can receive the sprinkling of water and is capable of the Spirit of life and grace and if he be a child of a beleever and member of the visible Church nothing in the institution of Baptisme excludes him and the Covenant includes him expresly which is to be sealed by it Some other arguments are brought against Pedobaptisme but because they are from humane testimony negatively a way of arguing exploded by all Logitians I will not mispend pretious time in dealing with them but leave them as of no weight or value But I shall subjoyne some few considerations of some further absurdities and mistakes of the opinion of those that deny Baptisme to the children of beleevers by which the truth in this question will more cleerely appeare Besides that by their opinion the children of beleevers under the Gospell are in as bad a case as the children of infidels strangers from the Promises and Covenant of grace strangers from the wombe which is the condition of the wicked Psal 58.3 so as one observes Gods holy lambes should live like straies not marked with his brand ordained to distinguish his from those he will not owne which is expresly against the Scriptures as I have above cleerely evinced But they be also in a worse case then the children of the Jewes under the law were they were within the Covenant of grace and had the seale of Circumcision a Sacrament the same in substance with Baptisme of the same spirituall use and end in the place and stead whereof Baptisme succeeds which is also cleerely against the Scriptures which informe us that better things are reserved for us under the Gospell a better condition then they had under the Law Heb. 11 40. Yea the children of the Christian Jew are by their opinion put in a worse condition then the children of the Jew before Christ were in and yet they grant them to be within the said Promise made to Abraham first above-mentioned The children of the circumcised Jew might have the seale but the children of the Christian Jew may not whereby the comming of Christ is made to turne to the disparagement of the children of the Christian Jewes to depose them from the hereditary dignity they had under the Law contrary to the Scriptures Heb. 7.19 22. â— 6 which testifie that Christ Jesus hath brought us a better hope a better testament and his Ministery to be more excellent and established upon better promises Secondly These men would have the Church and the Ministers of Christ refuse and refuse to blesse those whom Jesus Christ himselfe in person received embraced and blessed as those to whom the Kingdome of Heaven belonged contrary to the Scriptures Ephes 5.1 Be ye followers of God as deare children and the Scriptures call upon the children of the Church even those that suck the brests to partake in the extraordinary duties of the Church namely fasts Joel 2.16 Ezra 10.1 for which they are more unfit then for Baptisme Thirdly These men