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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38578	Anabaptism considered Wherein the chief objections of that sect against infant-baptism, and the manner of baptizing by aspersion, or sprinkling, are fairly stated and answered; and reasons given why dipping is not to be taken as the essential or necessary mode of administration. In a familiar letter of advice to a parishioner inclining that way. By William Eratt, M.A. and minister of Hatfield near Doncaster.	Eratt, William, 1655 or 6-1702.	1700 (1700)	Wing E3220; ESTC R200374	28,824	40

longer Here I might very justly lay down my Pen and at present say no more the Authority of the Church I mean not of England only but all or most Christian Churches in the Western and Northern parts of the World now using the Sprinkling or Pouring Water upon Infants at the time of their Baptism instead of Dipping of them is methinks sufficient Satisfaction to me and ought to be so to any indifferent or unprejudic'd Christian until the contrary is made appear viz. That there is an essential necessity in the very Nature of the Sacrament of Baptism that Immerging or Plunging be the only Mode of Administration Yet on second Thoughts when I consider I am not disputing against an Adversary as to whom I ought to take all reasonable advantage in the way of Argument but that I am writing to a Parishioner and a Friend and am endeavouring to satisfie one under my Charge in some Scruples of Conscience which is a Duty incumbent upon my Office upon this Consideration Neighbour I shall be free'r with you than otherwise I had need to have been and so will give you some Reasons why I think Dipping not essentially necessary in the Administration of Baptism And 1st For that I look upon it there 's a vast difference to be made betwixt a legal washing and a sacramental one John indeed in his Baptism doth seem to conform to the Jewish Mode of Immerging and this Symbol might truly better comport with the then present Circumstances of those his Disciples who were polluted with an outward and as it were visible Stain as well as an inward one either of * Being grown very corrupt by their Superstititious Traditions Judaism or Heathenism but now thank God the case is far otherwise the very name of a Jew or an Heathen being among us in the Country a strange thing the Subjects of Baptism generally speaking are now the Off-spring of Christian Parents and to it there is a promisory Right or Title included in the Grace of this Covenant Acts 2.39 The promise is to you and your Children in whom there remains no legal or outward Impurity But now to come to the point in question why should not a little Water as well as a great deal represent the inward washing of the Spirit to Infants at their Baptism who are after a sort clean before as being of the stock of Believers So the Apostles Else were your children unclean but now are they holy For instance herein by way of Simile Was I to sign you a Bond would not the impress of a little Wax the bigness of my finger's-end make the Condition of the Bond as good and as sure unto you to all intents and purposes as if it had been stamp't with a Seal ten times as big Now in the reason of the thing Why should not a little Water be as good a Seal of the Covenant of Baptism as a greater quantity and why is not the inward washing of the Spirit as virtually represented in a small quantity of Water as well as Christ's Body and Blood in a little quantity of Bread and Wine The excess herein was the Fault of the Corinthians and justly condemned by the Apostle but I never understood 't was a Crime to eat or drink sparingly at the Lord's Table for that the food there is sacramental and the strengthening and refreshing of our Souls by the Body and Blood of Christ is to be lookt at and not the strengthening of our Bodies by the Bread and Wine should any think otherwise I must stop their Mouths with St. Paul's Question 1 Cor. 11.22 Have you not houses to eat and drink in or despise you the Church of God c. So in the other Sacrament we are not so much to look at the outward Circumstances of it viz. how much or how little Water is necessary towards its due Administration as to consider the Design and End of it and not the outward washing of the Body of the Person baptiz'd the putting away the filth of the Flesh as St. Peter speaks which might require more or less Water for its Purification according to the Stature Age or Uncleanness of the Person to be wash'd For the use of Water in this Sacrament is symbolical and representative of the inward washing of the Spirit at the time of Administration Church Cat. It is an outward visible sign of an inward spiritual Grace given unto us and ordained by Christ himself as a means whereby we receive the same and a pledge to assure us thereof and so a little Water doth as virtually represent the Operation of the Spirit in the new Birth as well as a little Bread and Wine doth represent unto us in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper the Operation of the same Spirit in exhibiting to us spiritually the Body and Blood of Christ in order to strengthen and confirm in us the new Birth that we may thereby be enabled to walk in newness of Life 2dly To this add * Vpon this very account the Anabaptists in Holland do only pour Water upon or dip the Head The reasonableness of this Custom being alter'd from Dipping to Sprinkling even necessity herein compelling for in our cold and Northern Climates shou'd all the Children and those are the most who want baptizing now be dip't well truly they might be said in a literal sense to be buried with Christ in their Baptism the washing 〈◊〉 of Regeneration might be the cause of sending them to their Graves But God loves and delights in Mercy more than in Sacrifice and therefore that Commission which our Saviour gave in order to the health of our Souls we cannot without manifest prejudice to the gracious intention of the Lawgiver suppose he wou'd have so executed as to indanger the health of our Bodies Upon this very Account also we read that the Sanhedrim of the Jews was petitioned that Dipping in their Female Purgations might be taken away For what Cause For that the Women of Galilee by reason of the Cold they then got became barren Did the Galileans pity their menstruous Women and shall not Christ have compassion of his poor Babes to whom when on Earth he made such kind Promises gave such tender Embraces and his Divine Blessing and was so angry they should be kept from him In fine I shou'd never condemn any Person for desiring to have his Child dip'd but shou'd he stand upon it as of the Essence of the Sacrament sine quâ non that I think would argue his hankering too much after the legal and Judaical Washings his putting too much stress on the outward Element of Water which is but the visible Sing and his slighting the thing signified viz. the inward invisible Grace the secret Washing and Purification made by the Spirit at the time of Administration I shall conclude this Point with the Judgment of an Ancient Father when consulted upon this very account his words are these That Immersion

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