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A83724 Eight reasons for baptizing infants born of believing parents. 1649 (1649) Wing E260; Thomason E559_18; ESTC R205950 3,138 10

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EIGHT REASONS FOR BAPTIZING INFANTS BORN OF BELIEVING PARENTS DEUT. 30.6 I will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed LONDON Printed in the Year 1649. Infants born of believing Parents are to be baptized Reasons I. THE Covenant of Grace which God made with Abram and his seed is everlasting Gen. 17.1 And extendeth to all believers and to their children Act. 2.39 hence whereas the children of unbelievers are unclean the children of believers are holy 1 Cor. 7.14 i. set apart from those others and taken into Covenant with God and belonging to the Church of Christ But being within the Covenant and the Church they have right to the Seal and Ordinance of Baptism Ergo They are to be baptized II. In the 18 ●h of Matthew Christ speaking of little children tels us That the Son of man is come to save what is lost v. 11. That it is not the will of God that one of these little ones should perish vers 14. But God preordaining to the end preordaineth to the means also And we are saved by the means of Baptism Tit. 3.5 compared with Act. 22.16 Erge Little children who are to be saved are to be baptized III. In the 19th of Matthew They brought little children or Infants Luk. 18.15 to Christ that he should put his hands upon them and pray And the Disciples rebuked them But Jesus said Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto me for of such is the kingdom of heaven v. 13 14. But except they be born again of water and of the Spirit i. unlesse they be baptized they cannot enter into the kingdom of God Joh. 3.5 Ergo That they may enter into the kingdom of heaven they must be baptized IV. In the 28th of Matthew Christ gives an universal Commission to his Apostles Go and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost Teaching them to observe al things whatsoever I have commanded you And loe I am with you to the end of the world ver 19 20. The Apostles were to baptize all Nations Ergo Children especially upon supposition of the premises That they are within the Covenant of grace and that Baptism is the Seal of the Covenant That they are of the Church of Christ and that Baptism is a Priviledge of the Church That they are to be saved And that we are saved by Baptism in via ordinaria That they belong to the kingdom of heaven and that Baptism is the entrance thereto And as Christ commanded his Disciples so doth he us to suffer little children to come unto him giving us in charge to observe whatsoever he commanded them And loe he it with us in his Ordinances to the end of the world And as when they brought little children unto him he took them into his arms laid his hands upon them and blessed them Mar. 10.16 so doth he now at Baptism for It is he that baptizeth with the holy Ghost Joh. 1.33 V. The Apostles baptized whole families Lydiabs and the Jaylers Act. 16.15.33 Ergo Their children especially upon supposition of the premises VI. Since Christ time there was never any Church which did not teach the baptizing of Infants and practise it And the Apostle himself argues from the Authority and custom of the Church upon another occasion 1 Cor. 11.16 Besides from the doctrine and practice of the Church in this case do we best understand the doctrine and practice of Christ and his Apostles and the sense of that Commission given them for baptizing all Nations c. The Church being the Pillar of Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 i. the Church holding out Gods Truths as a Pillar doth the Kings Proclamation to be read and understood by us VII For many hundred years the Catholique Church hath consisted almost onely of those that were baptized in their Infancy Ergo The Baptisme of Infants must be maintained or the Catholique Church for many hundred years hath failed and so art Article of our faith will be overthrown VIII Under the Law Infants were circumcised Ergo Under the Gospel are they to be baptized Baptism succeeding circumcision 2 Cor. 11.12 And that Baptism was appointed to be the Sacrament of Initiation in the Church of Christ as Circumcision was in the Church of the Jews appears by the Commission Teach al Nations baptizing them c. And by the practise of the Apostles thorowout the whole Book of Acts where we find that new converts were ever initiated and incorporated into the Church by Baptism And according to the known manifest and ordinary course of divine Dispensation the grace of the Covenant is first applied and the Promises of God in Christ touching Remission of sins Adoption c. are first signed and sealed to us in Baptism And so Baptism is said to be the Instrument of our Regeneration or new-birth and the necessary previous means of our salvation according to the ordinary course of divine dispensation And accordingly must we understand those afore-cited places Joh. 3.5 Tit. 3.5 The Summe of all the fore going Reasons The Summe of all is this Infants born of beleeving Parents are within the Covenant of grace and Church of Christ And Christ tels us That he came to save them and that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them and when they were brought unto him he laid his hands upon them and blessed them and commanded his Disciples to suffer them to come unto him and when he gave them their Commission for baptizing all Nations he gave them and us in charge the observing of whatsoever he had commanded them And the Apostles baptized whole Families and the universal Church of Christ hath taught the baptizing of Infants and practised it And the Catholique Church for many hundred years hath consisted almost wholly of those that were baptized in their Infancy Ergo Such Infants are to be baptized Object And as they were circumcised under the Law so are they to be baptized under the Gospel The Covenant being everlasting and the same in substance though of different administrations in the Old Testament and the new Circumcision is the seal of the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4.11 And so is Baptism that succeeded it and as the Apostle saies That Abraham beleeved and was circumcised so said Philip to the Eunuch If thou beleevest with al thine heart thou maist be baptized Act. 8.37 And accordingly our Saviour He that beleeveth and is baptized shal be saved Mar. 16.16 But Infants cannot believe Ergo They may not be baptized Sol. That place in the Romans concerns the personall Circumcision of Abraham who was 99 years old when he was circumcised Gen. 17.24 and who first beleeved the Promise and then had it sealed unto him by circumcision And if any that are grown and of years shall be converted as the Eunuch was they must first testifie their competent understanding of Christianity and professe their faith in Christ and in the Promises made to us by God in Christ and their earnest desire to be strengthned in that faith and then have those Promises sealed to them in Baptism And of such must we understand our Saviour Christ Mat. 16.16 But as Isaac Abrams son was circumcised the 8th day Gen. 21.4 So the sons and daughters of beleeving Parents may be baptized in their Infancy by Reason of the generall Promise of God Gen. 17.7 and of the special both Command and Promise of Christ Mat. 28.20 Besides their being born in the bosom of the Church is instead of an outward profession of the Gospel and ●heir Parents desiring them to be baptized is instead of their own desire of Baptism And hereto are Parents graciously invited by our Saviour himself in the aforesaid places Mat. 9. Mar. 10. Luk. 18. Nor is actuall Faith or belief of absolute necessity either to Baptism or to salvation but in those only who are capable of Instruction out of the Word Faith coming by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Ro. 10.17 It is the application of Christs Righteousnes that both justifieth and saveth us absolutely and not our actuall apprehending of it and God doth supply the defect of belief and apprehension in Infants by his Spirit applying to them the bloud of Christ in the justifying and sanctifying power whereof also they are capable as well as those that are in years and so saving and glorifying them And hence is it that Christ himself reckons Infants amongst beleevers Mat. 18.6 Who so shall offend one of these little ones which beleeve in me it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drown'd in the depth of the Sea Now they believe non actu sed effectu not having the act of faith but the effect thereof Union with Christ Imputation of his Righteousnes Justification Sanctification Adoption by the special operation of the holy Ghost And Infants being thus capable of the grace why are they not also of the seal of the Covenant And who can forbid water that they should not be baptized Act. 10.47 FINIS