fane and carnal men: Now Infants being carnal, as born of flesh, want Regeneration, that they may become fpiritual, John 3 35. and enter into the Kingdom of God; and because they are by corrupted nature imperfect, therefore they ought to be admitted to the ordinary means by God appointed to make them perfect.

The Apoftle biddeth us, Draw near with a true heart, in Object.10. full affurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil confcience, and our bodies wafhed with pure water, Hebr.10.22. Which feeing Infants cannot for prefent do, the washing of their bodies with the pure water of Baptifm belongeth to others who can have a good confcience, not to them.

We anfwer, The Apoftle there fheweth, what we who are baptized, and of age ought to do, and with what confidence, not who ought to be baptized; and fo it nothing concerneth Infants till they come of age.

Baptifm which faveth us, is with the teftimony of a good Object.11. confcience: This Infants cannot have who have no know- 1 Pet.3.21. ledge; Therefore Infants ought not to receive that Ba

prifm which cannot save them.

We answer, 1. The Apostle speaks not there of the fubject of Baptism, but of the fruits and effects thereof in those who are of ripe years; the fruits which indeed Elect Infants, if living, fhall here reap in due time; and into which they are for prefent fealed: Now the outward Administration of the fign of the Covenant (concerning which our prefent question is) is one thing, and the inward effect thereof another: As it is alfo in the Word preached, the Admini- Matth. 13. Atration must be indifferently to all, Mark 16. 15. whether fony, thorny, highway, or good ground, Gods Seedf-men mult diligently fow; the fruit and efficacy will be to Believers only, Hebr. 4. 2. but that no meer man can forefee.

2. What Illumination Infants have by the fecret working and influence of Gods holy Spirit,belongeth to Gods fecret councel, and therefore not to our inquest.

3. Sanctification, more then Ecclefiaftical, in order of

time doth not always precede the Seal and Sacrament thereof, as may be proved from Infant Circumcifion, but by the Sacrament which implanteth us into Chrift, and which is therefore the washing of Regeneration and Renovation, the feeds of Faith, Sanctity, and good confcience, are fowed in us, which by a powerful and fecret working of the Holy Ghoft, fheweth it felf in due feafon; without which work of the Spirit, the Gofpel most powerfully preached,and Sacraments duly adminiftred to the moft knowing men and women, could bring forth no better effects, then a favour of death, unto death and condemnation Seeing then the effect to Sanctification and Salvation is neither in the Minister, Caufa formalis nature of the Water, and Washing therewith, but in the Sacramentum Ordinance of God; nor in the capacity or ability of the in ipfius verb moit prudent fons of men, but in the fole working of Gods comprehenfa, gracious Spirit, why should any reft in opere operato, the c. Beza fum. work it felf done? or deny it to any within the Church, dot. de re fa. needing Regenerations that they may be faved?

eft ordinatio Dei

erain.q.3.

Nallum tamen eft hic opus peratum,fed omnis efficacia venit à spiritu,&c. Dr. Andr. Rivet, Citbol.Orthod. To. 2.q.1.

Object. 12. Non Baptifmus utilis abfq; prædicatione faltem inftitutionis.Dr

Chrift joyneth thefe two together, Teach and Baptize; and, Believe, Repent, and be Baptized: But Infants are not capable of Faith and Repentance; Therefore they ought not, as fuch, to be Baptized.i

Andr. Rivet.q. We answer, Here is an Ignoratio Elenchi in the mistake s.Detrahe ver of the Question; which is not, Whether that teaching ought bum, & quid eft to be divided from Baptifm, which we affirmnot: but the aqua nifi aqua? accedit verbum contrary; perfons of years ought firft to be taught to bead elementum leve and repent, and then to be baptized: But our quefit Sacra- tion is not concerning the Baptifm of Adults, or perfons ca mentuum,--- pable of these things for the prefent, but of Infants; here unde tfta tanta again the question is mistaken, and therefore fuch difputes crpus tangat are fallacious. It is true, the water without the Word can 6or abluat, ni make no Sacrament, nor give any facramental effect;/therefaciente verbo, fore neither young nor old may be baptized, where the non quia dicitur fed quia creditur Gofpel is not firft preached and received For Baptifm is Aug. 10. in a feal of the Gospel but believing Parents have been caught,

virtus aqua, ut

1 ban.treat. I.

received

received the Gofpel, and been fealed into Gods Covenant; therefore they ought to prefent their children to Baptifm, who are joynt Covenanters with them. Again, Baptifm is adminiftred with the words of inftitution by Christ appointed; take away the Word, and what is the Water but ordinary water? The Word is added to the element, and makes the Sacrament Whence is this fo great vertue of the Water, that it but toucheth the body, and cleanseth the heart, but by the Word; not because it is spoken, but because it is believed. Moreover, though God taught Abraham concerning the Sacrament of Circumcifion, and fo he was circumcifed and all his Males, yet he circumcifed Isaac at eight days old; & fo long before that word of faith could be preached to Ifaac, he received the fame Sacrament and Seal of the fame Righteoufnefs of faith in Chrift, in whom believing we alfo are faved. Men of ripe years were first inftructed concerning the inftitution, end and ufe of Circumcifion, and then received the Seal; but Infants (as fuch, not capable of inftruction) firit received the Seal of Faith; and if they lived to years, then they were taught, yet the Word and the Seal were not parted in either: So is it in InfantBaptifm now.

1

Thofe Infants whom Chrift blessed, and of whom he pro- Object.13. nounced, Theirs, or,Of fuch is the Kingdom of heaven; were fuch as were fit to be taught for fo the word tasdia alfo fignifieth: And Chrift in the perfons of children, bleffeth thofe that were fuch in humility and innocency, not in age.

We anfwer, 'Tis true, that in their perfons Chrift comΤῶν γὰρ mended humility and innocency; and alfo fhewed their inte- Tolvsly reft in the Kingdom of heaven, faying, of fuch is the King-ot, Mark 10. ἡ βασιλεία το dom of Heaven; that is, of fuch perfons, and of perfons of 14fuch quality; for he propofeth Infants for a patern: Now Tostov isiv as they are called dia, which fometimes fignifieth a Son Car or Servant of years; yet not always, as ufe of eva, Mat. that word thews, Matth. 2.13,14,20. Luke 2.21, &c. fo are Beépas Infans, the fame called son, Luke 18.15 which without contro-farus recens verfie properly fignifieth Infants lately born; as Luke 2. editus, Hen. Ste

R 2

12.

19.14.

12, 16. Acts 7.19. 1 Pet.2.2. new born babes; and fometimes children in the womb; as Luke 1.41,44. that which 'Ex Beé×¢ μ; is said,2Tim.3.15.&тo ßgéquṛ---: From a childe thou hast knowu απήτω, ἐξ ὀνύ Tw, the holy Scriptures,is as much as theGreeks proverbially faid, χων καθιερ Snow, &c. Gr. it on yv; and the Latines, à teneris unguiculis, from thy Nazianz. orat. tender years; that is, fo foon as it was poflible for thee to learn: fo Pfal. 58.3. The wicked are eftranged,

40.

from the womb, they go aftray 10 ab utero, as foon as they are born peaking lyes: So Pfal. 22. 9. Thou didst make me Super uberama- hope, when I was upon my mothers breasts; tris mea, Mon, that is, very foon, very yong. The Syriac, 2 Tim. 3. 15. tanab infantia tranflateth and Bgeous, from a childe (from thy tender years, fo foon as it was poffible for thee to learn) by a word inPent in differently fignifying Infancy, Childhood, or Youth; but et quod à pueri. that Luke 18. 15. the fame render by the word which figni17a tua Trem. fieth Infants, 1 Tim.2.15. Acts 7.19. 1 Pet.2.2. and Mark 1710.16. it is faid that Christ took them up in his arms, put his

Val. Shidler

7 Syr. eft.

שרה

hands upon them, and blessed them which fheweth, that they were little portable children; had they been of mans growth, though never fo humble or innocent, they would have been too heavy to have been carried in the arms. Laftly, there can be no rational doubt, but that he blessed Infants, properly fo called, who took on him Infancy to fave them: Nor may we think that they are less then blessed of Christ, who are faved by his blood, as Infants are.

That which God Commandeth not in fome express precept concerning his worship, is not any better then mans invention, Will-worship, and may not be done: But InfantBaptifm is no where in Scripture commanded in any exprefs Precept; Therefore it is no better then mans invention, Will-worship, and may not be done.

We anfwer, 1. By demanding, quanta eft major Propofitio? if it be univerfal, the sense running thus, All that is Will-worship,which is not commanded in some express Precept; it is evidently falfe: For there is no exprefs Precept for many things left arbitrary, and falling under the Rule of Decency and Order, which yet are not Will-worship.

Next we fay, That the fubftance and Inftitution of Gods

Worship,

worship, must have an exprefs precept for it, or it will fall under the notion of Will-worship; but in the circumftar.ces and accidents it is not alwayes fo; for example, had not Chrift fomewhere commanded to baptize, it had been Wilworship for any man to have inftituted that Sacrament: but though Chrift fay nowhere baptize children at feven dayes, fix months, seven years; or though he fay nowhere Baptize women; yet neither of thefe are Will-worship, because the fubftance and inftitution of Baptifm is grounded on his exprefs command; age and fexe are aceidents. Laftly, If the major propofition be particular, the rule is well known, Of meer particulars nothing is con- cularibus nihil Ex puris parti. cluded. fequitur.

2. There was an exprefs command for the fealing of Abrahams fons in their generations, in their infancie, Gen. 17. 7. &c. and Believers are exprefly the fons or children of Abraham, Gal.3.7. that is, his fpiritual feed, who have no lefs priviledge in things belonging to falvation, then his carnal feed. And the Apostles who were Jews and brought up amongst them, who were fealed in their infancie, did not (that we read of) fo much as ask Chrift any question what they were to do with Infants: and Chrift giving them no prohibition concerning them, he did thereby fufficiently intimate, that he having not repealed the law of fealing Infants into his covenant, would have them proceed according to the Analogie of the firft feal of his covenant. The greater doubt might poffibly have been concerning baptizing of females, who were not formerly fealed, the doubt concerning the Gentiles fealing, being removed by an exprefs precept, Baptize all Nations, Mat.28.19.

Mat.28.1).

Mark. 16. 15,

16.

3 On this very ground on which Anabaptifts deny In- Euthym.in Mat. fant-baptifm, the old Sadduces denyed the refurrection of 22. the dead, because they found it not exprefly written in the books of Mofes, which only, they received. See what hath been answered to the Pleader near the end.

4 Although we read not in terminis, and fo many words and fyllables in holy Scripture, Baptize Infants, yet we read it in most firm and evident confequence, if we but hold

thefe