this we Answer At that time when Christ spake these words none could be baptized that did not actually believe or at least actually profess himself a Believer But distinguenda sunt Tempora At that time there was no such thing as Children of Believers to baptize for there were no Believers except only some few in Iudea The Apostle at the 15. Verse had a Commission given to go forth into all the world and to Preach the Gospel to every creature and as many as they could convert those they were to baptize and no other Nothing so certain as that they neither would nor ought to baptize any before they were fully converted and made a profession not only of their faith but of their desire to be baptized Act. 8.96 as we find the Eunuch did But afterwards the case was otherwise when Nations came to be converted Churches setled and Christianity propagated from the Father to the Son Then Act. 2.39 1 Cor. 7.14 the promise being made to them and their Children And the Children themselves being holy as born of believing Parents and within the Covenant they are certainly not less capable of being admitted into the Christian Church as Members thereof by the right of baptism which St. Paul calls the circumcision of Christ then the Israelitish Infants were of being admitted into the Jewish Church Col. 2.11.12 by the right of circumcision He then that duely considers this passage togegether with the circumstances that ought to be considered of the time when and reason why it was spoke will I think be as inclinable to conclude any thing therefrom as that it was intended as a prohibition of Baptism to the Children of believing parents or that any such thing can concludingly be inferr'd from it A third Argument they bring against infant-Infant-baptism grounded upon this Reason Arg. 3 There is no plain and express Precept in all the Scripture for the doing of it nor no example so manifest as to evince it was ever done therefore the doing of it is unlawful Answer To this I answer That this Proposition Whatsoever is not commanded in Gods word may not be done is not true My reason is because the contrary unto it is so whatsoever is not forbidden in the Word of God may be done for where there is no Law Ro. 4.15 there is no Transgression So then whereas they say there is no precept nor example for it in Scripture Admitting that to be true it is a sufficient Answer to that Objection to say there is neither against it And if the difference between them and us concerning this matter come to be weighed in this Ballance it would he found to stand thus They have the practice of the whole Church against them and no Scripture for them We have the practice of the whole Church for us and no Scripture against us These scales you see give it for us against them cleerly And thus having given a tast of their Objections to let you see they are answerable I shall now say something by way of positive Assertion of the Churches Doctrine and practice in this Particular Briefly then I shall endeavor to assert Assertion not only the lawfulness but the necessity of infant-Infant-baptism by Scripture by Reason and by Universal practice and first By Scripture I do not say that there is any Scripture that does totidem verbis or in express words say That Infants are to be baptized but there is a Text that not only justifies the lawfulness of doing it but by consequence proves the unlawfulness of leaving it undone and that is Io. 3. at the 5. verse Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Whence it follows that if the want of Baptism endanger the salvation of any it must be the fault of them that deny or or keep them from it I am not the first that has urged this Text for the necessity of Infant-baptism See Land against Fisher Object 1. but to evade the force of this Argument they give two Answers First that the Text it self is to be understood of persons of mature age and therefore it is said Except a man not except a child be born again c. To this I answer that Answer This is a mistake arising from the ignorance of the original and therefore the Reply is easie It is not there Except a man as we Translate it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is an Indefinite equivalent to an Universal so that the sence is without exception of Man Woman or Child Except a person or except one be born again of water c. A second exception to the Argument drawn from this Text is this That according to the Rule of this exposition there is a necessity of communicating Children as well as of baptizing them of giving them the Sacrament of the Eucharist as well as that of Baptism for it is said Io. 6.53 Except ye eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his Blood ye have no life in you To this I answer that one Scripture is to be expounded so as not to contradict another and places that are obscure must receive light from those that are plain Now the places that speak of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper do plainly show that it is to be received only by such as have the use of reason and have understanding As oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew forth or shew ye forth the Lords death till he come And in the next verse Let a man examine himself 1 Cor. 11.26 27. and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup c. Self-examination and commemoration of Christs death are the essential and indispensible duties of those that come to that Sacrament neither of which children are capable of performing and consequently cannot be included in the latter of these Texts but must be so in the former unless some Scripture can be shown to the contrary which hitherto I presume has not been done But if they shall still persist and say that this place is not express and plain enough for them who make Scripture their Rule and go no further then they have express warrant from thence then I desire that they would please to show any authority out of Scripture for the communicating of women or the observation of the Lords Day so strong and full as this is for the baptizing of Infants My second Argument for infant-Infant-baptism is from Reason Infants stand in need of this Sacrament and this Sacrament is effectual as to what they need and therefore in all reason they ought to be admitted to it and it is a sin to deny it them They stand in need of it in regard of the pollution of their natures by Original sin being conceived in sin and born in iniquity Psal 51.5 Now that Baptism does take away Original sin as to the guilt
difference betwixt the baptism of John and the baptism of our Saviour by the confession of John himself John did indeed baptize with water unto repentance Mat. 3.11 but our Saviour did baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire i.e. did together with his Baptism confer the quick active and operative Gifts of the Holy Ghost resembled for that reason to Fire In short thus Johns baptism did signifie unto men that Repentance and purity of Life was their duty Christs baptism did really regenerate and purifie them Thus much of the View and Review of these words I should here have put an end to this Discourse were it not for a certain Scruple that calls and an Exception that clamours for satisfaction The Scruple Scruple in short is this That since it is now the custome of the Church to baptize Children in their Infancy how they can be capable of those Benefits of Baptism above mentioned or indeed of any other Do they then receive Remission of their Sins Divine Illumination c Answ To this I answer They do not indeed receive a Remission of their actual sins for they need it not nor any actual Illumination for they are not capable of it But they really receive at that time both Sanctification and Remission 1. Sanctification in that their persons are then consecrated and dedicated to God Their Natures regenerate they being born anew of water and the Holy Ghost And secondly Remission of Sins by spiritual Regeneration the guilt of Original sin being so wholly taken away by Baptism that if they die before they commit any actual crime they are undoubtedly saved This is the avowed Doctrine of our Church who therein grounds her self upon the Word of God as appears from those words by way of Rubrick subjoyn'd to the office of Baptism It is certain by Gods Word that Children which are baptiz'd Rub. in fin◠Baptismi dying before they commit actual sin are undoubtedly saved Further they then receive the Gifts of Adoption as has been said being received into the bosome of the Church as the Children of God and enrolled into the number of the faithful Then do they receive the seeds of those graces which in a visible manner spring up afterwards provided that they themselves do not obicem ponere or put in something in Bar. The baptism of the Spirit will in due time become as visible as that of water if they do not do those things in the mean time that infallibly grieve and quench the Spirit To prevent which the Church takes all possible care enjoying the use of Confirmation which is intended for the corroboration of baptismal Grace being as one calls it the suppletory of early Baptism and a Rite certainly of Apostolical both Institution and Practice wherein we give our selves up unto Christ by our own free and voluntary choice no less then if we had been actually baptized at that instant ratifying in our own persons that vow and making good that promise which in the person of others we engag'd to perform at our Baptism Thus much in answer to that Scruple The Exception which some put in against Infant-baptism Exception it self not onely as impenitent and frivolous but as unlawful and abominable is not so easily at least not so soon answer'd We are fallen into times wherein contentious spirits have assum'd the liberty not onely to oppose the Doctrine but to disturb the peace of the Church as about others so particularly about this point of baptizing Infants from the rebaptizing of which they themseves I mean the sect have received their name and are baptiz'd Anabaptists Being then that we are met upon such an occasion as this viz. to dedicate an Infant to God by Baptism it may seem not onely seasonable but in some sort necessary to say something in justification of the Churches Practice in this Particular and to do what we can as every true Son of the Church and every good Christian is bound to do to put a stop to the careir of that opinion which in a short time if it should prevail would put an end to Christianity in Christendom by making it consist of no other but unbaptized persons or if I may so speak of Unchristen'd Christians This I shall endeavour to do in as short and as satisfying a way as I am able First by answering some of the chief of their Arguments Secondly by a positive Assertion of the point it self Both these as briefly so as fully as the latter end of a Sermon will permit referring them that have the mind and the leisure to engage in such a task to the no few nor small volumes that have troubled the world upon this occasion The Arguments they bring against paedobaptism Arg. 1 are either drawn from Scripture or Reason Of the first sort that drawn from the words of the Institution of baptism they look upon as unanswerable Go and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father of the Son Mat. 28.19 and of the Holy Ghost From whence they argue that none are to be baptized but such as are first taught or as they are pleased to criticize upon the Greek first made Disciples 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When men throughly understand Christianity or the way of Christ and are willing to own and profess it then they may be baptized not before So they To this I Answer That if this Proposition had been found in Scripture either in express words or by undeniable consequence they had said something But to lay so great a weight upon so sandy Foundation as that of the casual placing of these words shewes no more but that as sinking men are willing to lay hold upon any thing so they were glad to make use of this Argument for want of a better That the placing of these words is without any such design as that any such inference ought or might be drawn from them is evident from this That in the same period Teaching is put after Baptizing as well as before it Go and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you V. 20. c. So that an Argument drawn from these words for Baptizing before Teaching is as good as for one drawn for Teaching before Baptizing and nothing more sure then that these words were not marshall'd and plac'd thus as an intended foundation of this Doctrine for doubtless if so it would have been built upon long before these destructive Builders thought of Building their Hay and Straw and Stubble upon it Erroneous and groundless Deductions from Scripture being at the best no better A second Argument is drawn from Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized Arg. 2 shall be saved Whence they conclude that Baptism is for Believers only Before that none can be capable of it nor can it benefit any Answer To
1.13 nor of the will of Man but of God The same overshadowing power which formed his Humane nature reformeth ours and the same Spirit assureth us a remission of our sins which caused in him an exemption from all sin He that was born for us upon his Incarnation is born within us upon our Regeneration Lastly What Christ Promises and the Church Professes to believe we find was really and actually perform'd in the Apostles age in a visible and perceptible manner At the nineteenth Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles we are told that S. Paul coming upon a time to Ephesus Act. 19.1 2 c. he found there certain Disciples that having onely received the Baptisme of Iohn had not so much as heard whether there was such a thing as the Holy Ghost or no. Hereupon Paul takes them and baptizes them in the Name of the Lord Iesus Ver. 5. And immediately the Holy Ghost fell upon them Ver. 6. and they spake with Tongues and Prophecyed It is said indeed that upon the Imposition of St. Pauls hands they received the Holy Ghost Now whether this Imposition of hands was in or after Baptisme is not certain nor much materiall However it was 't is most certain that upon their being baptized in the Name of the Lord Iesus they received the Holy Ghost which before in the Baptisme of Iohn they had not received nor so much as heard of 'T is true those Gifts of the Holy Ghost there mentioned are miraculous and extraordinary which are not to be expected now because the reason why they were then given is now ceased Miracles are Signes and Signes are for unbelievers Those extraordinary dispensations of the Spirit were in order to the Conversion of Nations 1 Cor. 14.22 In converted and setled Churches there is no need of Miracles and therefore there the Gifts of the Holy Ghost and dispensations of the Spirit are not visible and extraordinary or by way of prodigy or ostent but the Spirit in a silent and invisible yet real and effectual manner bloweth where Joh. 3.8 and as it pleaseth As those Disciples at Ephesus did upon their being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus receive the Holy Ghost in Gifts miraculous and extraordinary so doubtless they did receive those more ordinary but more necessary gifts and graces which by the Holy Ghost are poured forth upon all those that really and truly have given up their names to Christ which then as now and now as then are shed forth in Baptism according to what S. Peter undertakes to those new Converts of his Act. 2.38 Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost The Gifts of the Holy Ghost at that time poured forth together with the water of Baptism besides those extraordinary which onely fell upon some such as Tongues Miracles and Prophecy c. were ordinarily these three Illumination Justification and Sanctification 1. Illumination Heb. 10.32 Call to mind says the Author to the Hebrews the former dayes in which after ye were illuminated ye suffered a great fight of afflictions The Ancients understanding this place of Baptism do sometimes in their writings call Baptism it self by the names of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Illumination and the Font 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Illuminatory This no doubt with regard of the Baptized's being then admitted into the knowledg and participation of those mysteries of God in Christ which as the Apostle speaks had been hid from Ages and Generations but now made manifest unto the Saints Col 1.26 The faith and belief of which mysteries was the gift of God by the operation of the Holy Ghost without which we can neither rightly love God or know Christ No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost So the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 12.3 And in another place Rom. 5.5 The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us 2. Justification by which I understand Remission of sins and Reconciliation with God Being justified by faith we have peace with God Now that Baptism is an instrument of conferring Remission of sins is an Article of our Creed Rom. 5.1 I believe one Baptism for the Remission of sins Nicene Creed which as all other Articles ought to be is founded upon Divine Revelation or express authority of Holy Scripture Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for Remission of sins so S. Peter Act. 2.38 And the Counsel that the devout Ananias gave S. Paul as he relates the story himself Act. 22.16 was That he would make haste to be baptized and wash away his sins calling upon the name of the Lord. Upon which grounds we may safely conclude that all those first converts to Christianity who upon the preaching of the Apostles renounc'd their Idolatry and sinful life and embrac'd the faith of Christ did upon their Baptism receive a full free and instantaneous pardon of all their sins and were saved by Baptism as S. Peter speaks 1 Pet. 3.21 or by the washing of Regeneration as S. Paul Tit. 3.5 3. Sanctification For which the place now mentioned in Titus is most express He saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewng of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us most abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour And in 1 Cor. 6.11 speaking what kind of persons some of the Corinthians had been before their Baptism he tells them there How by it they were washed and sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of God And the Chuch in her preface to the office of Baptism does not onely exhort the Congregation to pray that the Child may be baptiz'd with water and the Holy Ghost but prayes her self in these words We beseech thee for thine infinite mercies that thou wilt mercifully look upon this Child wash him and sanctifie him with the Holy Ghost c. And that when she prayes thus she prayes in faith you may be satisfied from her profession afterward Seeing now dearly beloved that this Child is regenerate and grafted into the body of Christs Church c. Which profession she makes not to men onely but to God and that in a most solemn and publick manner as appears from those words in the Thanksgiving immediately following We yield thee hearty thanks most heavenly Father that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this Infant by thy Holy Spirit c. They then that do not believe that the Holy Ghost does accompany this Ordinance of Christ do not believe as the Church believes nor as the Scripture teaches The descent of the Holy Ghost upon our Saviour in a visible shape was one of those miraculous effects that hapned at his baptism which miraculous discent at that time was no less