15.4 5 6 7. Rom. 4.11 and received Circumcision as a Seal of his Faith whence undeniably follows that Circumcision was not absolutely Necessary to the Visibility of Gods Church among the Jews 2. Neither Circumcision nor Baptism are absolutely Necessary to the Being of a Church because a Visible Church may be without them and yet be a Church Visible as in the Instance of the Israelites whom we proved to be forty Years together Uncircumcised in the Wilderness and yet were they all that time the Visible Church God had on the Earth 3. If Persons be not Church-members before Circumcision or Baptism and be so after it will infer an Operation from the Ordinance not allowable for then these being Circumcised or Baptized would entitle the Heathens to be Members of the Church of God and Christ 4. The Jews did first Proselyte or Teach the Nations the Rudiments of their Law before they Circumcised them and so owned them to be received amongst them So that they were Proselytes and Members as such of their Church before they were Publickly declared and owned to be so by Circumcision According to which our Saviour Adviseth his Disciples in the Text Mat. 28.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Going to Disciple all Nations Instruct them in the Principles of my Religion and then being Disciples Baptize them So that there is a Discipleship and Visible Church-membership pre-existent to Baptism And indeed the premising the word Disciple implies none to be capable of Baptism who are not Disciples of Christ and Members of his Church which also in due time Infants will be proved to be 5. If Baptism be absolutely Necessary to Church-membership that none belong to Christs Visible Church but who are Baptized what shall we think of that innumerable number of Professing Christians dispersed over the Face of the whole Earth and scattered amongst Heathen People whose Princes and Governours will not permit this or any other Christian Ordinance to be Practised among them Shall we unchurch these or count them as Heathens What will then become of that Article of our Faith The Belief of an Holy Catholick Church Do not the Anabaptists herein imitate others who while they believe a Catholick Church confine it to their own Synagogues not considering the Catholick Church of Christ comprehensive of all Christian Professors through the whole World nor weighing the sad Consequents of denying Persons to be Visibly of this Church of Christ making them thereby Visible Members of Satans Kingdom and exposing those Persons in their Thoughts to Eternal Ruines which Thoughts are too severe to entertain of those who Profess the same God and Christ but are not Baptized because probably the Ordinances are not permitted in the Territories wherein they Reside 6. If Baptism give a Visible Form to Church-membership Wills against Danvers p. 50 51 52. then must it be often repeated even as often as any Person is Excommunicated or else Baptism is nullified for it being the Christian Practice of the Apostles and their Successors even to our Ages 1 Cor. 5.4 5. to exclude their Assemblies and Excommunicate Persons which was termed a giving such over to Satan who were guilty of scandalous Offences 2 Thes 3.6 Mat. 18.17 till by their Humiliation they had Evidenced their Repentance and so were received again into their Assemblies If that Excommunication can Exclude the Person from being a Member of the Church as it ever did then it nullifies Baptism or else Baptism is not Essential to the Form of Visible Church-membership because it would then follow that the Person even Excommunicated is still a Member of the Visible Church which is a contradictory Solecism or else that his Baptism is nulled and then must Rationally be repeated at his Reception into the Church again and so as often as any being guilty of a Crime is for it Excommunicated and afterwards received into the Church again so often must he be re-baptized Ephes 4.5 which is opposite to the Scriptures Assertion of but One Baptism Thus have I endeavoured to prove Baptism contended for to be not so absolutely Necessary to Salvation or Church-membership as that none can be saved or be of Christs Church unless they be Baptized to remove the unchristian Censures the Anabaptists have of us But Lest on the other side I should detract from the Ordinance and its due worth by rendring its use needless I proceed to prove that the Practice of Baptism is very Necessary as an Ordinance of Christ in any Church of his where it may be had Prop. 3. and that the slighters and contemners of it are really Culpable Which I prove thus 1. Christ hath Commanded its Performance in his Churches under the Gospel to the end of the World Mat. 28.19 And all his Ordinances and Commands ought by us to be Observed 2. Christ himself was subject to it Mat. 3.16 Acts 10.47 and therefore none can pretend to be above it though they have already received the Holy Ghost 3. The Apostles Practised it Mat. 3.1 St. John from hence was called the Baptist And whenever the Gospel was Preached to the Gentiles and unconverted Jews Acts 10.48 Acts 2.38 41. Acts 16.31 32. Acts 16.15 1 Cor. 1.16 and received by them The General way whereby the Apostles owned the Converts was Baptism and we find not only single Persons but whole Families Baptized 4. It is a Seal of the Covenant of Grace which when made to received by Abraham he also received Circumcision as a Seal of it And Baptism succeeding Circumcision denotes probably our greater Priviledges by Christ than the Jews had before Christ Rom. 4.11 who was of the one Sex and derived our Nature from the other by this Sacrament admitting both Sexes to equal Priviledges that of Circumcision only belonging to the Males And Baptism may as significantly be a Seal of the Covenant of Grace as Circumcision Acts 2.38 Gal. 3.27 Rom. 6.3 4 c. the Person Baptized being said to put on Christ which Phrase implies his being Invested with a Right to the Priviledges of Christians and the Benefits of Christ And thus it is of great Use 5. Many of the Converts to Christianity have soon after their being Baptized received the Holy Ghost Acts 8.16 17. to whose Baptism this seems precedaneous and preparatory And Gods usual way of working in an Established Church and Ordinances Baptism being a Publick Sign manifesting the Persons Baptized to be Publickly owned as Members of Christ and Children of God to which this Spirit of Adoption is promised Gal. 4.4 6 7. 6. This serves as a distinguishing Mark in a settled Church to know Professors of Christianity from Jews Turks and Heathens so that all who would manifest themselves to be of Christs Church should desire to partake of and submit to this Ordinance of Baptism And all Christian Parents ought to desire it for their Children since none beneath Heaven can be above
Salvation is annexed to Faith and Damnation is the Punishment of Unbelief Baptism therefore is not absolutely necessary to Salvation nor its want absolutely exposing Souls to Damnation 3. This would be to tye God to means and to make it in Mans Power to Save or Damn whom he pleased For if it be impossible any should be saved without Baptism then would it follow that it is Baptism more than Gods free Grace that saves Ephes 2.8 and that it is in the Power of the Minister by Baptism to save whom he please and by denying it to damn whom he will Yea then this Ordinance will be supposed to confer Grace Ex Opere Operate which Assertion detracts from Gods Glory disagrees with Truth and is injurious to Souls who may be hereby brought to rely rather on a Creatures Baptism than their Creaton Mercy for Salvation 4. Then all Children and those who dye unbaptized must be supposed not to appertain to Christ nor to be saved by him which to believe of all Infants is dreadful whom I cannot implead of sin in not being Baptized being not capable of desiring it And though I cannot but think the Parent highly to Offend in slighting the Ordinance where it is to be obtained yet cannot I suppose it to be by God imputed as a sin to the Child so dying for which he will damn it which is the Genuine though Dismal Consequence of that Position That Baptism is absolutely necessary to Salvation 5. The Baptism contended for is but an outward sign of that inward Grace which Entitles the Soul to Heaven John 3.5 and to which Glory is annexed the sign then cannot be so Essential as that they who have received the things signified and inward Grace without Baptism should still be excluded Heaven because they are not Baptized Acts 10.47 Which is as much as to assert that though a Soul should partake of all Christs Benefits to be bestowed on a Worthy Communicant yet unless he actually Eat the Bread and Drink the Wine which are the External Elements in the Lords Supper and Representatives of those inward Benefits yet he could not be saved A Thesis deservedly to be exploded Rubric 3. after Comm. 〈…〉 as nullifying Christs Merits to Idolize External things And our Church is clear against it 6. By this Assertion it would follow that many Thousands of Christians shall be Damned who duly and perhaps more circumspectly walk in Obedience to God than we in and amongst the Turks and Pagans who probably by Reason of their Persecuted Condition or the non-settlement of a Church and Ordinances amongst them are and so dye unbaptized But how sad this would be to a Christians Eat I leave every one to judge 7. When ever Baptism is taken as so necessary to Salvation in Scripture it hath respect to the Internal thing signified by it so St. John 3.9 John hath chiefly respect to the Baptism of the Spirit whereby the Soul is Regenerated and reduced to a state of Grace nor can the Baptism we contend about be there meant this being not Instituted till after our Saviours Resurrection which was some Years after these words were spoken by our Saviour And this Baptism of the Spirit is other where called A Baptism by Fire Mat. 3.11 denoting the cleansing and purifying Nature of the Graces of the Holy Ghost which purifies the Regenerated Soul from its Corruption and burns up its drossie Lusts In comparison of which Baptism St. John accounts his of Water the Subject of our present Controversie so mean as only to have a Relation to it as Precedaneous not as Competitour Again Ephes 1.26 27. St. Paul joyns the Word of God with this Baptism in order to the Purifying Christs Church that acting on the Soul and this terminating on the Body And St. Peter's Assertion is clear 1 Pet. 3.21 that it is not the Water Purifying the Flesh but the Answer of a good Conscience towards God that saveth us And indeed the Trope of using the sign for the thing signified is not unusual in Scripture 8. The All-wise God hath determined the Controversie in that He in divers places of his revealed Will Asserts Gal. 6.15 1 Cor. 7.19 that neither Circumcision nor Uncircumcision avail any thing but a New Creature It is not the being an unbaptized Person that will expose any one to Condemnation for there is not one Woe denounced against any as such Nor is there one Promise in all the Divine Writ Infallibly annexing Salvation to Baptism 2 Thes 1.8 9. John 3.16 All Threats of Misery are to those who believe not and Obey not the Gospel of Christ And all Promises of Eternal Mercies are to those who by Faith close with Christ and live the life of Christians So that I dare not say all who are Baptized shall be saved and all who are not Baptized shall be damned But I dare affirm that whosoever remain and dyeth in unbelief shall be damned though he be Baptized And whoever believes truly on Christ and lives answerably to that Faith though for some Persecution or other Causes he cannot be Baptized he shall be saved Whence will appear That Baptism is not absolutely Necessary to Salvation so as that one cannot be saved without it As I have hitherto endeavoured to remove the great Censure of the Anabaptists of our being in no visible salvable way because not Baptized after their Mode by giving my Reasons why Baptism is not so absolutely Necessary to Salvation So I proceed to prove That Baptism of Water is not absolutely Necessary to Church-membership Prop. 2. so as that they cannot be Members of Christs Church unless Baptized Which will appear thus 1. Wills against Danvers p. 49. There was ever a Church before Baptism or Circumcision were Administred They being both External signs to be acted on visible Professors and Church-members in the Church of Christ there is necessarily presupposed an existence of a Church containing Members to be Circumcised or Baptized and Persons to perform these Offices So that these signs are not the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse of a Church or the Essential Constituents of its visibility Noah Seth and those Holy Patriarchs before the Flood who Lived some hundreds of Years before the Institution of Circumcision Gen. 17.24 were doubtless Members of Gods Church And Abraham also doubtless before he was Circumcised which was in the 99th Year of his Age and about the 2107 Year of the World was a True Believer and a Member of the True Church And if it be alledged they were Members of the Invisible Church we may grant them a Membership in the Visible from that known Axiom Omne majus in se continet minus Their being of the Invisible Church being greater than their being Members of the Visible Church Yea it is apparent the Promises were made to Abraham above Twenty Years before Circumcision was Instituted which Promise he believed Gen.
Lawful and Honest or else to lose the Benefits that might accrue to them by Observance of that Covenant 2. As to Spirituals Parents are Obliged to take the greatest care imaginable of their Childrens Souls Ephes 6.1 4. for their Education in the Fear of God who also hath commanded the Parents to engage their Children in Covenant with him and to bring them up in his Service 2. God esteems Children capable of engaging in Covenant with him Deur 29 11 12 14. Rom. 10.5 to 10. Deut. 30.11 12 13 14 and gives command for all the Little Ones to stand before him to be entred into Covenant with him who were as capable of being engaged in Gods esteem and were as much engaged as those Captains Men and Women that stood with them and were not engaged in Covenant as was once impertinently urged to me by our Adversaries from a Critical Observance of the Particle Thou as if one alone in the stead of all others had been engaged To which Criticism I returned besides the premised Argument of Childrens being equally capable of being engaged as all the others who being present were not engaged and that the engagement of one in stead of all did no more infringe the capability of Children then it did that of those Captains Men Women who were by and not engaged that I thought the Particle Thou might reasonably refer to every individual Captain Man Woman and Little One who I suppose to have been particularly concern'd and the Commandments were instanced in which concern all yet are given in the same second Person singular Nor was this Covenant any other than a Covenant of Grace the same Covenant now remaining as to its substance only freed from the encumbring Ceremonies and altered as to its External Administration of its Ministry Sacrifices Baptism c. as hath been proved and the Marginal Citations compared will manifest 3. 2 Chron 20.13 Joel 2.16 Deut. 31.11 12 13. The Jews Children were formerly concerned in the Duties of the Covenant as in Fasting Prayer and God accepted of them as capable of entring into Covenant of Hearing Learning Doing his Will surely then we may esteem so 4. Our Children are as capable now as the Children of the Jews were then nor can an Objection be against ours but it is equally valid against theirs and if God accepted theirs we have the same Covenant and God of Mercy and so the same Reason to believe he will receive ours and then why should we esteem them uncapable of being engaged in Covenant with God by Baptism ARGUMENT VI. Those who are Members of Christs Church ought to be Baptized But Children are Members of Christs Church Therefore Children ought to be Baptized THIS Argument hath no small force in it as will appear by considering each Proposition distinctly Major Those who are Members of Christs Church ought to be Baptized as appears 1. Because this is the usual way of Solemn Admission into Christs Church Acts 2.37 38 and the Apostles usually Practised thus Administring Baptism upon their receiving any into the Church of Christ 2. If Baptism be not Administred at the Admission of Persons into Christs Church then must it be done after or not at all The last is not true Christs Ordinance ought not to be neglected and there is no Instance or Precept in Scripture what time after a Persons Conversion and becoming a Church-Member it should be done Therefore it must be done as the Apostles Practised it at the Receiving any into the Church of Christ 3. Our Adversaries the Anabaptists acknowledge none Members of a Visible Church of Christ but those who are Baptized and Baptize as they call it those whom they receive as Church-members at their first Admission whence directly follows from their own Practice that those who are Church-members ought to be Baptized 4. Christs Church is to be Purified with the washing of Water by the Word Ephes 5.26 If then Children are of his Church they ought to be Baptized Minor And that Children are Members of Christs Church appears as to their Membership of his Invisible Church from our Adversaries granting them Eternal Life and all Priviledges belonging to such Members and that they are also Members of Christs Visible Church will appear thus 1. The Children of the Jews were with their Parents Church-members under the Law Baxter's Infant Church-Memb p. 26. Deut. 31.11 12. which Law is not yet Repealed by Christ 2. The Children of the Converted Jews lost not their Priviledges but still remained Church-members for Christ did not infringe but rather enlarge the Priviledges of his People And St. Peter seems to use this as a great motive to induce the Jews to close with Christ Acts 2.37 38 39. that though they had Crucified the Lord of Life their Promised and Expected Messiah yet they Repenting and being Baptized might be saved and might find Mercy for themselves and their Seed also for the Covenant and Promise is still to You and to your Seed 3. The Gentiles are through Christ admitted to equal Priviledges with the Jews Rom. 11.11 15 25. Eaxter p. 20. the Children of Parents who did not believe were Excluded therefore the Children of Parents believing were received 4. The Jews shall with their Children be recalled into a state of Church-membership at their Conversion Rom. 11.25 26 27. therefore doubtless the Children of Believing and Converted Gentiles are Church-members 5. Children are either Members of the Visible Church of Christ or else are visibly of Satans Kingdom There is no Medium between these two all appertain either to Christ or Satan Now let them and us consider how dismal a Doctrine theirs is which makes all the Children of the World of the Visible Kingdom of Satan and so denies us any good grounds for the hope of their Salvation And how strangely their Thoughts are linked together in granting Children all the Priviledges of Church-members as Pardon of sin and Eternal Life and so esteem them of Christs Invisible Church and yet Excommunicate them out of his Visible Church Art 11. of their Principles Grantam's Works l. 2. p. 67. c. 5. and to countenance this they calumniate Scripture and say the Old Testament-way of bringing of Children into the Church is cast out and that Children are not mentioned as received in the New Testament about which the Author Cited spends some leaves which Calumny may easily be wiped off and his leaves blown away as to the force of their Arguments against us for it can never be proved that Children are in any place by Christ rejected and excluded the Covenant Discipleship and Church-membership and it is fully proved and must be granted they were in the Covenant were Disciples and Church-members before Christ But if by the Old Testament-way of bringing in Children into the Church being cast out They mean not to infringe the Priviledge of Children the Subject of this Argument but to shew the way of their Admission
all which Benefits even of Heaven its self Children are capable 3. That the Baptized might be amongst Men owned and reputed as Christians and Members of Christs Church and this also Children are capable of whom it seems hard to account as Heathens when they are the Children of Christians ARGUMENT XIII Whom the Church of Christ hath ever received to Baptism may still be Baptized But the Church of Christ hath ever received Children to Baptism Therefore Children may be Baptized AS for the Church of God among the Jews it is evident that they received Children to Circumcision to which Baptism succeeds Nor hath the Church of Christ since its Institution ever denyed Children Baptism as will appear 1. In that for many hundreds of Years the Question was not moved Walkers Modest Plea p. 219. to 254. Walkers Doct. of Baptism p. 118. nor the Point doubted of as to its Lawfulness And indeed there was little Reason for such a doubt considering that Children were Circumcised under the Law and so admitted into Covenant who were equally uncapable of that as our Children are now of Baptism nor was that Covenant Repealed of Children any where excluded it or our Priviledges by Christ infringed but rather enlarged 2. Harmony of Confession The Reformed Churches who have espoused Christs Doctrine most purely have unanimously Practised it as their several Confessions attest And in our Nation in our Saxon King Ina's time Walkers Doctrine of Baptism p. 126. about 692 Year of Christ a Child was to be Baptized within Thirty days under pain of the Forfeiture of Thirty shillings 3. In the series of Scriptures History and the Practice of the Church what concerneth the Baptizing of Believers and Sinners Confessing their sins hath respect to those Adult Persons Converted from Judaism or Gentilism when the Church was first Constituting And in all Ages those who were brought up unbaptized through their Parents or others Negligence or contempt of the Ordinance Order for Baptism of those of Riper Years or are Converted to Christianity have given account of their Faith and still do in the Practice of our Church before they are Baptized But after a Church is Constituted and Persons Converted those thus in a Constituted Church had their Children ever esteemed capable of being admitted to Baptism 4. The deferring of Baptism amongst the Ancients was not from their Questioning the Lawfulness of Infant Baptism Walkers Modest Plea in Preface but from several Opinions they had about the Efficacy of Baptism as to the Pardon of Sins by it and the danger of sinning after it So that these Opinions whereof some might be erroneous cannot take away what was justly and Lawfully Practised by Gods People before Christ Walker's Modest Plea p. 219. to 254. and even from the * Philpot the Martyr Fox Acts v. 3. 607 608 609 at large Apostles time since Christ Therefore not only from Scripture and Reason but from good Antiquity Children are Lawfully Baptized This Argument drawn from Antiquity and the Practice of the Church of Christ for so many Centuries so universally by all true Christian Churches by Reformed as well as Popish Though it hath not so great force with the Vulgar who are incapable of the Rational deduction of its Lawfulness from this Practice yet to the Judicious Christian it prevails much the Practice being no ways opposite to but agreeing with Scripture easily deduced from it the receiving of the Practice by the Apostles implies its Practice in Christians and from Him and Them hath it been received and retained in the Church to our days and will be while Christ hath a Church upon Earth ARGUMENT XIV That Doctrine which introduceth many unchristian Consequences is erroneous But the Doctrine of the Anti-pedobaptists introduceth many unchristian Consequences Therefore the Doctrine of the Anti-pedobaptists is erroneous Major THE Major Proposition must be undeniably true For that Doctrine that introduceth many or any unchristian Consequences must needs err from the Rule of Christianity Minor The Doctrine of the Anti-pedobaptists whereby they deny Baptism to Infants introduceth many unchristian Consequences as appears 1. It opposeth the whole current of Scripture nullifies many Scripture Promises and Priviledges and destroys the Covenant of Grace as the premised Pages manifest 2. It reduceth the World into Gentilism or Heathemsm again and makes Christs Church always gathering never gathered always instituting and never established 3. It excludes Children the Covenant of Grace and its Seals denies their Fellowship or Membership with Christ and his Church they owning no visible Church of Christ on Earth but their own Synagogues and esteem all us who are not of their way as Persons who are not visible Members of Christ whence we may easily guess their Charity and hopes of our Salvation 4. It introduceth genuinely a despair of Salvation of our Children for we cannot have any good grounds for the hopes of Salvation of those whom we think not to belong to the Covenant of Grace so as to be uncapable of its Seal out of the Church so as to be unfit for Baptism out of the way to Salvation so as to be no Disciples of Christ nor Believers which implies our esteeming them as Unbelievers whose end is eternal Misery And though they will not say so of our Children yet I am sure some of their Teachers have said so of themselves that we are no visible Members of Christs Church nor are in a visible way to Salvation 5. This Doctrine is injurious to Christ and renders him a kind of Impostor who hereby is made not a Mediator of a better Covenant than that with the Jews before him And while he Promiseth to admit the Gentiles to equal Priviledges through him to what the Jews had before him makes both the Jews and our Priviledges less by the excluding the Children of us and of all Converted Jews the Covenant and debarring them the Seal of it Baptism when as the Jews before their Conversion had their Children reckoned in the Covenant and received to its Seal Circumcision 6. It equals the Children of Christians with the Children of Turks and Heathens and then sure this Doctrine must be Erroneous The Form and Subject of Baptism being hitherto considered and the Christianity and Rationality of Infant Baptism declared together with the Anabaptists corruption in respect of the Form and the absurd Consequences of their Doctrine as to the subject of Baptism being detected I proceed to consider The Mode of Baptizing laid down by our Saviour Third Part of Text. and expressed in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Baptizing them whence the Anabaptists Plead solely for dipping and account that no Baptism which is not so performed And our Church admits indifferently of either dipping or sprinkling I shall therefore shew 1. The Indifferency and Lawfulness of each Mode in Baptism 2. The unreasonableness of that Absolute necessity of that dipping the Anabaptists have espoused 3. The Reasonableness of