the Holy Trinity that doth not first profess to believe in them therefore the Chuch over taught the Catechumeni the creed first in which they profess to believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost And before they actually baptized them they asked them whether they believed in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost To which they must answer affirmatively or not be baptized And all that are baptized must first profess to believe in his Name and so to receive him and not onely promise to do it hereafter I adde that the same faith that is mentioned in the ordinary Creed in the Church is meant in the baptismal profession and to be required before baptism this will be confessed 1. Because the creed it self hath been this 1300. years at least professed before baptism 2. because the creed it self is but the 3. fundamental baptismal articles mentioned Matth. 28. 19. enlarged and explained on subsequent occasions as Sandford and Parker de Descensu have learnedly and largley proved and Grotius in Matth. 28. 19. proves out of Tertullian c. that the creed was not then in the form of words as now though the same doctrine was used in other words to the same uses Pag. 68. Argum. 3. The foregoing Argument was taken from the prerequisite profession the next shall be taken from the very work it self viz. the presenting and offering our selves to be baptized and willingly receiving baptism thus If it be the very nature or appointed use of the exâ—eanal part of baptism it self yea essential to it to signifie and profess among other things the saving faith and repentance of the baptized then true baptism cannot go without such a profession But the baptism of Infants is without such a profession therefore the baptism of Infants is not true baptism The minor is manifest by sense The antecedent which onely requireth proof I prove thus It is of the instituted nature of baptism to be in general a professing sign as well as an engaging sign de futuro for the future This I premise as granted by all Christians that I know of that have written of baptism and then let us consider of the several parts of the sign or external Ordinance with the signification of each that it is essential to it to be significant and obligatory on our part as well as on Gods part is commonly confessed And 1. the Minister doth baptize him into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and the party doth consent thereto 1. voluntarily offering himself to be bapitzed and then 2. voluntarily receiving that baptism And his offer of himself hereto goeth before the Ministers baptizing him and his reception of that baptism is essential to it So that baptism essentially containeth on his part a signal profession of consent to that which is meant in the form used by the Minister I Baptize thee into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And that is that God the Father Son and Holy Ghost be mine and I be theirs in the relations in which they are offered in the Gospel to Mankind for all confess that it is a Covenant that is here sealed and so a mutual consent which the signs are instituted by Christ to signifie Christ offereth himself to be related to me as my Jesus Christ and by offering my self to baptism and by voluntary receiving it I do actually profess my acceptance of his offer that is of himself so offered God the Father offereth himself to be my God reconciled in Christ and so my chief good and by voluntary receiving baptism I do signally profess my acceptance of him so offered The Holy Ghost is offered to be my Sanctifyer and guide and by voluntary reception of baptism into his Name I do signally profess my acceptance of him so offered So that it is a most clear case that baptism as baptism according to it s instituted nature and use doth contain the persons actual signal profession of present assent to the truth of the Gospel and acceptance of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as therein offered And it containeth as our Divines commonly maintain an actual signal profession that we there presently consecrate or devote or dedicate our selves to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost in the foresaid relations 2. Another part of baptism is the Ministers washing the person and the person first offering himself to be washed and after actually receiving it doth thereby signally profess his consent Now this washing doth essentially signifie our washing from our former filth of sin together with the guilt our putting off the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts of the flesh He that signally professeth his present consent to be washed by the blood of Christ from his former filthiness and guilt and to lay by the filthiness of flesh and Spirit doth co nomine profess saving faith and repentance But all that are baptized with the baptism of Christs institution do by the very voluntary reception of baptism so profess therefore they do thereby profess saving Faith and Repenâ— 3. Quad modum as to the manner it s commonly confessed by us to the Anabaptists as our commentators declare that in the Apostles times the baptized were dipped over head in the water and that this signifieth their profession both of believing the buâ—ial and resurrection of Christ and of their own present renouncing the world and flesh or dying to sin and living to Christ or rising again to newness of life or being buried and risen again with Christ as the Apostle expoundeth in the forecited texts of Col. 2. and Rom. 6. And though we have thought it lawful to disuse the manner of dipping and to use less water yet we presume not to change the use and signification of it So then he that signally professeth to die and rise again in baptism with Christ doth signally profess saving faith and repentance But thus do all that are baptized according to the Apostles practice Therefore c. Pag. 74. Argum. 4. If we must baptize none that profess not their consent to enter themselves presently into the covenant of grace with God in Christ Then we must baptize no Infant but the former is true Therefore c. The consequence is manifest sith it is manifest even by sense that Infants profess not their consent to enter themselves into the covenant of Grace with God in Christ The antecedent I think will be granted by many of the Papists and it is the common Doctrine of the Protestants and therefore as to them I need not prove it I confess some of the Anbaptists and some few others do question whether baptism be a seal of the covenant of grace but the quarrel is mostly if not onely about the bare word Seal for they confess that in sense which we mean by sealing and particularly they confess that we do in baptism enter into the convenant of God and that it is a professing and engaging
be Crowned so fully a King or a man and woman so fully maried till it be solemnized in the congregation in this sense they say the same that I am proving men must be first Disciples by the professed consent before they are declared such by the seals or publick sacramental solemnization And that onely the professors of saving saith are Disciples may appear by a perusal of the texts of Scripture that use this word and it will not onely by found that this which I maintain is the ordinary use of the word which should make it so also with us but that no Text can be cited where any others are called the Disciples of Christ For the major and minor both observe Piscators definition of baptism on Matth 28. 19. Baptismus est sacrimentum novi testamenti quo homines ad ecclesiam pertinentes ex mandato Christi cultui veri Dei qui est Pater Filius Spiritus sarctus per ministros verbi consecrantur in fide remissionis peccatorum spe vitae aternae confirmantur Baptism is a Sacrament of the New Testament by which those men who belong to the Church by the command of Christ are consecrated to the worship of the true God which is the Father Son and Holy Spirit by the Ministers of the word and are confirmed in the faith of remission of sins and of hope of eternal life And he proveth this description per partes by parts 1. That is a Sacrament 2. That it belongeth to those that pertain to that Church and that onely must be baptized qui ecclesiam fuerit ingressi ac fidem Evangelii prosessi who are entred into the Church and have professed the faith of the Gospel Which he proveth from Mark 16. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Vult ergo saith he ut prius constet de alicujus fide quam baptizetur unde Act. 8. Philippus Evangelista non prius baptizare voluit eunuchum illum Ethiopem quam is professus esseâ— fidem Christi He wills therefore that his faith be manifested before he be baptized whence Acts. 8. Philip the Evangelist would not baptize the Ethiopian Ennuch before he had professed the faith of Christ Calvin in loc. upon the place saith Baptiâ—â—ri Jubet Christus qui nomen Evangelii dederint sâ—que professi fuerint discipulos partim ut illis baptismus siâ— vitae aeternae tessera coram Deo partim apud homines externum fidei signum quem ad modum gratiam suam Deus hoc sigillo nobis confirmat ita quicunque se ad baptismum offerunt vicissim quasi data syngrapha obstringunt sâ—am sidem Christ commands them to be baptized who have given up their names to the Gospel and have professed to be his Disciples partly that baptism might be to them a sign of eternal life before God partly an external sign of Faith before men and as God confirms his grace to us by this seal so whosoever offers himself to baptism doth reciprocally engage his faith as it were by his bond And after verum quia docere prius jubet Christus quam baptizare tantum credentes ad baptismum vult recipi videtur non rite administrari baptismus nisi fides pracesserit But because Christ commands first to teach then to baptize and onely will have believers to be received to baptism it seems that baptism is not rightly administred unless faith doth precede So that it is Calvins judgement that this very Text which is the most notable copy of the Apostolical commission for the baptizing of the Disciple nations doth appoint that saving faith be professed before men be baptized Paraeus in locum from Mark 16. 16. sheweth that the order is â—redere baptizari to believe and to be baptized I agree with him and the rest in the main that justifying Faith must be an act of the Will embracing or accepting an offered Christ as well as of the understanding and that the profession of it must go before baptism But I shall further prove the minor from some other texts of Scripture viz. that they are not Christs Disciples that profess not saving Faith Luke 14 26 27 33. If any man come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brothers and Sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple and whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be my Disciple This is spoken of true Disciples in heart the first significatum by him that knew the heart From whence I argue thus If none are Christs Disciples in heart nor can be but those that value him above all and will forsake all for him if he require it then none can be his Disciples by external profession but those that profess to esteem him above all and to be willing to forsake all rather then forsake him But the former is proved by the Text the consequence is clear in that the world hath hitherto been acquainted but with two sorts of Christians or Disciples of Christ the one such sincerely in heart and the other such by profession and the later are so called because they profess to be what the other are indeed and what themselves are if they sincerely so profess And it is the same thing professed which makes a man a professed Christian which being found in the heart doth make a man a hearty Christian John 13. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another Here Christ giveth a certain badge by which his true Disciples may be known If onely those that love one another are true Disciples in heart then onely those that profess to love one another are Disciples by profession Joh. 8. 31. If ye continue in my word then are ye that is you will approve your selves my Disciples indeed If onely those are Christs Disciples indeed as to the heart that have the resolution of perseverance then onely those are his professed Disciples that profess a resolution to persevere But therefore all this I have said is no more then we have ever practised when in baptism we renounced the world flesh and devil and promised to fight under Christs banner to our lives end Saith Piscator in John 13. 35. Si pro Christianis id est Christi Discipulis haberi volumus oportet ut nos mutuo quam ardentisaime diligamus c. If we will be accounted Christians that is Christs Disciples we ought most ardently to love one another Object Any one is a Disciple that is willing to learn of Christ Answ. No such matter in an improper sense you may so call them but not in Scripture sense where 1. A Disciple and a Christian are all one Acts 11. 26. but every one that is willing to learn of Christ is not a Christian therefore not a Disciple 2.
professing of such a believing by which both he and his houshold might be saved as is before shewed And so of all others in those times Pag. 163. Argum. 19. If we once admit men to baptism without their own personal profession we shall be utterly confounded and not be able to give any satisfactory resolution whose profession may be a sufficient qualification to entitle to baptism and so never be able to practice the Doctrine of Paeâ—obaptism as being utterly uncertain what Infants to baptize This might be manifest by considering the several conceits of Paedobaptists some whereof make the faith of the Church sufficient some the faith of albelieving Nation some of any ancestors some of the sureties some of the next Parents some of the Parent inchurched some of the Parent or Proparent and this they claim by a covenant which they can extend to no other then the Parent who is believer not onely by Profession but also really before God which can be known to no administrator of baptism ordinarily Paedobaptists speak so much and purposely of this point particularly Master Baxter of baptism Part. 1. chap. 29. that one would think we may expect an exact resolution of this point from him if from any man and yet he is uncertain what to fix upon and if he resolve on any thing it is without proof as is shewed by Master T. Review Part. 1. Sect. 35. 37. Exercit. Argum. 9. 11. Review part 2. Sect. 10. 12. 17. Part. 3. Sect. 50. c. And I perceive that the stress of the differences between Master Baxter and Master T. did rest much in this and no wise man will leave his grounds till he see where he may have better especially when the grounds are so plain as those of the Antipaedobaptists are from Christs institution Matth. 28. 19. Mark 16. 15 16. and the Apostles practice which Master Baxter hath here so amply proved to be of the baptizing onely of persons who themselves profess a saving faith unless he mean to be for nothing or of no Religion No man can tell where to fix nor what we must consent to to procure a title if we once forsake the present ground of the Persons own profession of saving faith who is to be baptized What is said to the contrary is answered in the books forenamed and it is not meet to be still writing for those lazie Readers that had rather erre then be at the pains of reading what is already written None are Disciples upon the account of your other faith but of either saving faith or the profession of it none are Christians on the account of your lower kind of faith but onely of saving faith or the profession of it Once for all I let you know that I take saving faith to be the constitutive or necessary qualification of a real or mystical member and profession of that faith to be the qualifying condition of visibility of membership I confess still that the sealis to others besides believers but though the promise be conditional we must not seal to any but those that profess consent to the conditions and therefore not to any but those that profess to be true believers Pag. 190. I find by sad experience to my sorrow that a considerable part of some Parishes or Villages are ignorant of the Fundamentals I have spoken with abundance that that know not Christ is God or man or either but they say he is a Spirit nor that the Holy Ghost is God nor why Christ died nor that any satisfaction is made for our sins or any thing done or necessary to their pardon but our own repentance and amendment and with some that know not that the soul goes to heaven before the resurrection nor that the body shall ever rise again Now I would know of Master Blake whether all the children of these Parents must be baptized again or not For certainly these have not a Dogmatical faith which is the thing that he saith entituleth to baptism And then what certainty have we that any of our ancestors had a true Dogmatical faith And I would know of Master Baxter whether such children are not to be baptized agian Sure if he say no how can he allow that baptism which is without a Profession of saving faith If he say yea how can he assure himself that any of our ancestors had right baptism Me thinks few that hold Master Baxters Tenets should allow of the baptism of the greatest part of English People who are no better then those Master Baxter mentions and yet neither Master Baxter nor other Paedobaptists do baptize such when they come to profess understandingly the faith of Christ Pag. 195. My Twentieth and last Argument is drawn from the constant practice of the universal Church of Christ It hath been the constant practice of the Catholick Church from the Apostles practice till now to require that profession of saving faith and repentance as necessary before they would baptize therefore it must be our practice also But it is otherwise in Infant baptism as experience shews therefore the practice of it is not right For the proof of the Churches practice 1. I have already said enough about the Apostles own practice and the Church in their days 2. The constant practice of the Church since the Apostles to this day is undoubtedly known 1. by the very form of words in baptism and 2. by the history of their proceedings therein 1. It is certain that the Church did ever baptize into the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And as I have proved before the voluntary seeking and reception of that baptism containeth the actual profession of saving faith 2. It is certain that the persons to be baptized if at age did profess to believe in the Father Son and Holy Ghost 3. It is also certain that they did profess to renounce the Flesh the World and the Devil 4. And it is certain that they promised for the future to live in new obedience and thus they publickly entered the three stipulations Credis credo Abrenuncias abrenuncio Spondes Spondeo Doest thou believe I believe Doest thou renounce I renounce Doest thou promise I promise It was the constant doctrine of the Fathers and the Church then that faith and repentance given in vocation did go first and that Justification Adoption and Sanctification followed after And so they took this justifying faith and repentance to be prerequisite to baptism therefore they ever required before hand whether they believed in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and renounced the Flesh the World and the Devil as is aforesaid and caused them to profess this before they would baptize them And as it is true of the ancient Church that they never baptized any without the profession of saving faith and repentance so it is true of all the Christian Churches in the world that I can hear of to this day The Papists themselves do use the same words in baptism as