his Disciples to baptize he laid his hands upon them and blessed them and by those actions did as it were consign them unto baptism mark them for and deliver them up to his Disciples to baptize and that according to the former and then present manner of receiving even Infants as well as elder persons unto Proselytism by Baptism § 24. And thus when we read of a whole City as Samaria or a Family as the Jaylors and Crispuses and Stephanas's baptized though none be expressed to be baptized but those that believed yet what other can be thought but that even the children aâ—so of those Believers if they had any in their town or family were baptized Since it was agreeable with the Jewish Baptism wherein our Saviours was founded and from which in that particular it is never said in the least to have differed to receive to Proselytism by Baptism the Infants of those that were converted and baptized as well as the Converts themselves And if in so many whole Families as are reported in Scripture to have been baptized there was never a child which yet cannot be saâ—d and 't is hard to believe yet sure in Samaria a great City there were some And why any that were converted and baptized themselves should not desire baptism for their children as well as for themselves since their children were by the Institution of Christ as capable of it as themselves were is not easie to say And on the contrary that those that were converted did desire the baptism of all theirs as well as of themselves is most evident because we read of the baptizing of whole Houses consequent to the conversion of the single Master or Mistress of those Houses for instance the Jaylor and Lydias Acts 16. § 25. And touching this latter the house of Lydia it may not be amiss to make one observation before we pass namely that though it be said that the houshold of Lydia was baptized yet it is not said that they or any of them beside Lydia her self believed professed or ever so much as once heard the Gospel preached to them Now hereupon I would ask our Adversaries whether we may receive any thing as a Divine Truth that is not written in the Divine Word or we may not § 26. It is their interest to say we may not that being the main if not the whole of all the strength they have against our Plea for Infants Baptism that it is not said in the Scriptures that Infants should be baptized or were baptized whence they weakly infer that Infants Baptism is not either in the Doctrine or Practice of it to be received Now if in pursuance of their Interest they shall say we may not then I shall infer from the same ground that it is not to be received as a Divine Truth that the Houshold of Lyâ—ia dâ—d ever believe profess or hear the Gospel preached to them before they were baptized because no such thing is written of them And so here will be a Scripture Example of Persons baptized without any either belief or profession or knowledge or so much as hearing of the Gospel their believing professing knowing or hearing of it being not to be received as a Divine Truth because it is not written in the Divine Word And then a Persons not believing professing or knowing the Gospel will be no hindrance to his baptizing And so our Infants cannot be denied baptism upon that account Why man not our Infants be baptized though they neither believe nor profess nor know the Gospel upon the undertaking of believers for them as well as the House of Lydias was who for any thing that appears in Scripture to the contrary nei her believed nor professed nor had any the least knowledge of the Gospel before they were baptized but as it may be supposed were admitted to baptism through the Mistress of the Familie's undertaking for them and becoming a Godmother as it were unto them § 27. If to avoid the sorce of this Inference they say we may receive something as a Divine Truth which is not written in the Divine Word then I infer on the other side that it can be no hindrance to our receiving Infants Baptism as a Divine Truth that it is not written in the Scripture For if we may receive it as a Divine Truth that the Family of Lydia had both heard and did believe and at least make a profession to believe the Gospel before they were baptized and if they did not then let the Antipaedobaptists tell us if they can upon what account or ground they were baptized though no one syllable of all this be written of them in the Divine Word then may we as well receive it as a Divine Truth either that there were Infants among those baptized ones or that the Apostles did baptize other Infants though their baptizing be as much passed over in silence and unmentioned as the hearing believing or professing of Lydias Family before they were baptized here is especially being there are such other positive grounds as we have shewn whereupon to receive it § 28. And here I must profess my self too short sighted to be able to foresee what shift our Adversaries can find out to evade and avoid the force of this Dilemma by which their whole way of arguing against us a non scripto from our having as they pretend no Scripture for what we profess and practice in this case seems to be broken and overthrown § 29. And by this time hope it is evident to every one that not onely by the Constitution of this particular Church but also by Prescription from the Custom and Practice of the Catholick and Primitive Church and also by the Institution of Christ himself our Infants have a Right to be baptized And if so then they cannot without injury and injustice to them not to say also disobedience to the Order of this present and particular Church Separation from the practice of the Catholick and Primitive Church disagreement with the institution of Christ and resistance to the Command of Christ be denied Baptism For what else can it be to hinder those from coming to him whom he hath commanded to be suffered to come § 30. And so I have dispatcht the Fourth and last Branch of my Argument for Infants Baptism and have said all I intended to say by way of Confirmation of the Point What remains to be said will be matter of Use and Application CHAP. XXXI Infants Baptism Lawfull though there were neither Command for it nor Example of it § 1. BY what I have said in the former part of this Discourse I hope I have sufficiently evidenced the Lawfulness at least of Infants Baptism I will now go on to consider and answer Objections against it and that will still be a further confirmation of it and that being but obtained the Need they have of it and the Benefit they may have by it will be sufficient inducements to their baptizing
forth in the love of it Open blind eyes soften hard hearts that they may discern the Truth when it shall be proposed to them and have kindly impressions made by the power of it upon them Remove from them all prejudicate opinion and self-conceit all passionateness and worldly interest and every thing that may hinder the operation of thy grace in the declaration of thy truth upon them And make this Treatise effectually instrumental to the confirmation of such as stand in the truth to the satisfaction of thâ—se that doubt of it and to the restauration of such as are fallen from it that so it may turn to the glory of thy Name and the benefit of thy Church in the healing of breaches and saving of souls Grant this O God for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son and our Saviour Amen The Litany That it may please thee to give to all thy people increase of grace to her â—eekly thy word and to receive it with pure affection and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit We beseech thee to hear us Good Lord. That it may please thee to bring into the way of truth all such as have erred and are deceived We beseech thee to hear us Good Lord. That it may please thee to strengthen such as do stand and to comfort and help the weak hearted and to raise up them that fall and finally to beat down Satan under our feet We beseech thee to hear us Good Lord. Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us Our Father which art in heaven c. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen ERRATA PAg. 3. l. 15. read Infants to make p. 48. l. 24. especially being ly p. 51. l. 12. for him p. 62. l. 25. Christ's is p. 75. Sect. 4. marg l. 4. adde Sedul p. 83. Sect. 5. marg l. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 84. marg l. 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 93. l. 29. he p. 103. l. 5. very grace p. 108. marg l. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 122. marg l. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 136. marg l. 1. vitium deprâ— p. 144. l. 20. neglect it p. 146. marg l. 2. pertinere l. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 146. l. 7. was in our p. 156. l. 6. as by a means p. 157. marg l. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 158. marg l. 4. nativiton l. 22. per ejus virt l. 26. virginem p 180. l. 9. baptizing few or no. p. 185. l. 25. done by either p. 199. mar l 8. Matth. 28. 19. p. 207. l. 16. old who p. 208. l. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 marg l. 8. relinquere p. 213. l. 9. that will have p. 237. l. 23. Frisingensis p. 271. marg l. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 273. l. 14. nor are p. 310. l. 29. initiation p. 327. l. 8. Jaylor's 399. l. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 409. l. 22. r. Hâ—terodox p. 415. m. l. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 419. marg l. 10. tulisse p. 421. marg l. 3. adoleri p. 423. marg l. 14. Ac ne A MODEST PLEA FOR Infants BAPTISM CHAP. 1. The Text. The Occasion of the Words The Doctrine gaâ—hered from it and proved LUKE 18. 16. Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not § 1. THese words were spoken by our Saviour to his Disciples The occasion of them was this Certain Persons came and brought their Children also to Jesus desiring that he would touch them v. 15. that is as St. Matthew relates it put his hâ—nds upon them and pray Matth. 19. 13. This action of theirs was so far disliked of by our Saviours Disciples that they rebuked them and would have chid them away But this carriage of his Disciples towards them our Saviour did very much dislike of Indeed St. Mark tells us that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was much displeased thereat Mark 10. 14. And in that displeasure when he had called the Infants unto him he spake unto his Disciples these words Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not § 2. So that the words are an Oblique Rebuke given by our Saviour unto his Disciples for going about to hinder the coming of little Children unto him and a direct command to permit their coming unto him for the future and that Command backt with a direct Prohibition forbidding their ever after hindring of them to come And they brought unto him also Infants that he should touch them but when his Disciples saw it they rebuked them But Jesus called them unto him and said Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God From whence I gather this Point That little children are to be suffered to come unto Christ and ought not to be forbidden coming unto him § 3. This Doctrine is so near the very words of our Saviour and those recorded by three Evangelists and that with so great concord that in the Original there is no difference among them save in the order of the words and in the variation of a Tense St. Matthew using 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Aorist whereas St. Mark and St. Luke use 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Present Tense which difference in shew is really none indeed the Aorist being ordinarily used for the Present Tense that it will not be much needful to prove it by any other medium than what the Text it self will afford and that is this What our Saviour commanded should be permitted and forbad should be hindred that ought to be suffered and ought not to be forbidden But our Saviour commanded that little children should be permitted to come and forbad they should be hindred from coming to him Therefore little Children are to be suffered and ought not to be forbidden to come unto Christ § 4. Yet for the opening of the Point three things I shall endeavour to clear 1 What we are to understand by the Children that are to be suffered to come unto Christ 2 Of what children it was that our Saviour gave command that they should be suffered to come to him 3 What coming of those children unto Christ it is that is to be suffered and ought not to be hindred CHAP. II. Of the Children that are to be suffered to come to Christ Infants § 1. FOr the First the little Children that are to be suffered to come to Christ it is evident that they are Infants Insantem autem accipimus septem annis minorem haec enim aetas quicquid videt ignorat Wesenbecii Parat in Pandectas Juris civilis Digest lib. 48. Tit. 8. The Original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Rome by whom for some certain hundreds of years they had been constraind to suffer their children to be baptiz'd § 7. So that it is needless to appeal for further evidence to the Conference at Mompelguâ—t * Anno 1529. or the Articles of Smalkald †Anno 1536. or book of Concord * Anno 1580. much less to the testimonies of single persons though men of note and eminence in their generation such as Luther Melancthon Calvin Zanâ—hy or any other of the many writers on this Subject in that Age. Who were by so much the more moved to write on this Subject in regard of an Opposition then made to Infants Baptism by the Anabaptists who as Melancthon saith were then Melancthon loc Comm. de Bapt. nuper nati newly come up whereas before there was great quietness in the Church about that Point § 8. Yet to shew that Infants Baptism was not the practice of the more Western parts of Europe onely but of the Eastern too and of those that followed the Greek Church as well as those that followed the Latine I will give two or three evidences of thâ—s practice among the Russians Ruthens and Moscovians § 9. In an Epistle written to David Chytraeus dated 8 Kal. Aug. Anno M. D. LXXVI De Russorum Moscovitarum Tartarorum Religione pag. 240. the Author relating the manner of baptizing among the Russians saith the Priest useth to pour a whole gallon of water upon the Infant Alexander Gaguin saith of Ib. pag. 232. the Ruthens that they baptize their Infants by immersion These receiving the Faith about the year 942 and retaining it firmly ever since are an Instance of Infants Baptism not for this Century only but for all the time from their first conversion And the same is testified of them by Johannes Sacranus Canon of Cracow Ib. pag. 193. who writing his Book in the year 1500 is a witness in this case as well for the foregoing as present Century And Johannes Faber writing to Ferdinand King of Ib. pag. 176. the Romans Anno 1525 concerning the Moscovites who as themselves say received their religion from St. Andrew and are very firm to what they have once received saith that they baptize their Infants by a threefold immersion if he be strong else by pouring on of water Now this Relation if true and why it may not be so I cannot tell speaks not only for the Century the Relator writ in but for time before how much 't is uncertain but for ought I know for all the time since their first conversion which reaches up to the very Apostles days § 10. And to shew that Infants baptism was not the practice onely of Europe but of other parts of the world and so hint at that which some other better read in History may be able sully to make out a Catholickness of it in respect of Câ—unâ—ries professing Christianity as well as Times I will give you a brief tast from Mr. Brerewoods Enquiries how it was about this Century and God knows how many Centuries before whether from the beginning or no in this Point with the Eastern and Southern parts of the world where Christianity is professed And to begin with the Christians of St. Thomas so called as being supposed to Chap. 20. have been by his preaching converted to the Christian Religion inhabiting in India in great numbers about Coulan and Cranganor Maliapur where St. Thomas is supposed to lie buried and Negapatan These baptize their Infants though not indeed till they be forty days old except in danger of death Next the Jacobites are a sort of Christians who inhabit in Chap. 21. Syria Cyprus Mesopotamia Bâ—bylon Palâ—stine and under other titles are said to be spread abroad in forty kingdoms And these all baptize their Infants signing them first with the sign of the Cross which they imprint into their face or arm with a burning iron Then the Coâ—hti or Christians in Aegypt where Religion was planted Chap. 22. in the Apostles days these baptize their children though not afore the fortieth day â—o not in case of death The Habâ—stine Christians inhabiting the Chap. 23. midland of Africa do also baptize their Infants but their Males not till forty days after their birth and their Females not till eighty except in peril of death The Armenian Christians are spread in Chap. 24. multitudes over the Turkish Empire but chiefly in the Armenia's the Greater and Lesser and in Cilicia And these also baptize their Infants Lastly the Maronites are a sort of Christians inhabiting Chap. 25. Aleppo Damascus Tripoli of Syria Cyprus and mount Libanus And these too baptize their Infants but their Males not till forty days after their birth and their Females not till eighty days after it So that from all the Quarters of the world where Christianity is professed witnesses come for Infants baptism § 11. But not more fruitful was this Century for Testifiers to this Truth then some of the foregoing are barren not from the rarity of the practice or opinion of men against it but from the scarcity of Writers in those Ages whose works are extant and from the little or no opposition made to it Yet in the barrenest and darkest of Ages we shall find a sufficiency of light and evidence to carry up this Practice through them to the Primitive Times § 12. In the middle of the Fifteenth Age about Anno 1452 we find Nicolaus de Orbellis giving his testimony to this Truth Yist 4. 4 Libri Sent. qu. 5. For to the question whether the effects of baptism be alike in all he answers by way of Distinction sayâ—ng that the Baptized are either Infants or Adult and that if the Comparison be of an Infant with the Adult the effect is unequal the advantage on the Adults side And upon the question whether the Infants of Infidels may be baptized against the Ib. qu. 7. wills of their parents he determines that though a private person may not compell in that case yet a Prince may And also he gives reasons why the Infants to be baptized Ib. qu. 8. should be Catechized though they be not able to apprehend any instruction which is a sufficient indication both of his opinion and of the Churches Practice in that age As for the Catechizing he speaks of that none trip at that it is nothing but the asking and answering to the questions solemnly used in bapti in by the Godfathers For he tells ye what the Godfather means when in the Person of the Infant he answers I believe And the Reasons for this he draws partly from the Church partly from the Godfathers and partly from the Infants § 13. Towards the latter end of this Century about the year 1487 flourished Gabriel Biel and he as the Author newly mentioned Omnes parvulirite baptizaâ—i rem Sacramentum sus cipiunt sed Sacramentum tantum qui fictè sine