it is manifeft that the Difpenfation of Baptifm, the feal of the Gofpel, and Covenant of God in Chrift, went along in charge with preaching of the fame, and was committed to Matth.28.19, the Apoftles, and all Minifters their Succeffors, and fo woe will be to them if they baptize not (where Chrift intended the feal of his Grace) as furely as if they preach not the Gofpel.

30.

20.They are to be held as Heathens and Fublicans, who refuse to hear and obey the Church of Chrift: But fuch are Anabaptifts; nor is it any excufe, but an aggravation of their fin to befpatter the Church with impious calumnies: It had been and ever was, as easie for all forts of hereticks in and fince Chrift and the Apoftles time,and in the pureft ages of the primitive Church,to have faid for a pretended defence of their errour and contumacy,you are not the true Church; but in fpight of Satan andithe powers of hel, we are through the mercy of God,a member of the true Churchof Chrift, & therefore their schifm & contempt is the more condemnable. 21. Those to whom the things fignified belong, unto them belong alfo the figns and feals thereof,except in cafe of fome apparent condition making an evident exception(as want of ability to examine themselves, barreth Infants from the holy Eucharift) But the thing fignified by Baptifm belongs to Infants, and there is no apparent condition making any evident exception to bar them from it; therefore Baptifm belongeth to them. The things fignified by Baptifm,are, that we are thereby received into Gods favour, for the blood of Chrift fhed for us, to binde us to a fincere obedience to faith,and endeavour to newnefs of life; Gods promife of grace and mercy in Chrift,marking us for fheep of his pafture; our puting on Chrift,regeneration,wafhing from our fins,juftification & falvation by Chrift; these things belong to all the elect, whereof Infants of Believers are a very confiderable part: And these things are held forth in Baptifm as things fignified in the fign by God appointed to all receivers facramentally, and toan external communion, of which lambs afwel assheep, Infants afwel as the aged are capable: Therefore Baptism belongeth to Infants of Chriftian Parents.

22. To whom the Covenant in force runneth in the fame tenour in the new Teftament as in the old, to fuch perfons the application of the Initiatory feal of the new Teftament ought to be adminiftred, as well as was the Initiatory feal of N.Homes pag.9. the old: But the Covenant in force runs in the fame tenour, &c. therefore the Initiatory feal of the Covenant ought now. to be adminiftred to fuch perfons as the Initiatory feal of the Covenant was adminiftred to in the old: The tenor of the Covenant was to Parents and their children upon condition that they should be fealed according to the promife,that God would be their God, who would obferve the Laws and corditions thereof the fame is still for fubftance in force,though the feals are changed: So that as Infants were circumcised, fo ought they now to be baptized: and except this be allowed to our Infants as well as to our selves believing in Christ, we are not (as the Apostle affirms, Col. 2.10.) Compleat in him--In whom we are circumcifed with the Circumcifion made without bands---Buried with him in Baptism,&c. Nor are we and our children fo fealed into our implantation into the death of Christ,that we may(in the ordinary way)thereby be affured, that as he put off the infirm affections of the natural body, fo we put off the body of fin fpiritually.See Rom. 6.3, &c.

23. Such perfons as were typically baptized unto Mofes, Dr. Featly are capable of the real and true baptifm under the Gofpel child bapt.jufti. of Chrift: For in the main the argument holds from the fied, pag.45.46.. type to the truth,though poflibly not in every circumstance: But children as well as perfons of years were baptized in the cloud, and in the red-fea unto Mofes, I Cor. 10. 2. and their washing with rain from the cloud, prefigur'd our washing in Baptifm, and by the Spirit; therefore children of covenanted perfons are capable of the true and real Baptifm under the Gospel of Chrift.

24. Where there is a command for a thing never remand- Hen. Ainsworth ed or countermanded, there that thing is ftill in force: But to the Anabapt there is a command for the figning of Infants of Believers Gen.17.7.9. with the fign of Gods Covenant with their Parents and

them, never yet remanded or countermanded; Therefore

the

Gen 17.7.

nam non accipit,

the figning of Believers children with the fign of Gods Covenant, which is Baptifm, is ftill in force.

24. That which dependeth not on any age, or act of man, but on the meer inftitution and gracious promife of God, as its ground, may not be denyed by man to any comprehended under the general term of All Nations, in refpect of any age, or defects thereof, as want of understanding, and the acts thereof in faith, repentance, &c. in Infants: But Baptifm depended not on any age or act of man as its ground, but on the meer inftitution and gracious promife of God therefore tought not by anyman be denied infants,in refpect of their prefent defect or want of understanding,or the acts. thereof in faith, repentance, &c.they being comprehended in

All Nations

The minor appears in S. Peters anfwer to his hearers prickt in heart, Repent and be baptized every one of you for the remiffrom of fins; For the P20 mile is unto you and unto your children, &c, He faith not, Be baptized, for ye have repented, ye are of age, and a good understanding,bur, Be baptized, &c. for the Promile is to you and to your children, though they Deus ut perfo cannot yet actually believe, repent, underftand, &c. yet they fic nec atatem, have Gods promile for the ground of their fealing,on whofe Cypri.ad Fid. grace and ordinance the whole power and vertue of the faEp.59. crament dependeth: But his grace and Ordinance depend not Bafting de bapt on any excellency, ability or act of man; therefore the Apoftle fetched not the reafon of his Exhortation from their age or repentance, but from the promife and mercy of God calling them who were far of

infant,

26. For conclufion, I take up this congeriem of arguments out of the learned Urfinns. That opinion is pernicious which robs poor Infants of their right, which obfcureth the grace and mercy of God (who would that Infants of Believers fhould from the womb be reckoned members of hisChurch) which derogates from the grace offered in the new Covenant, making it lefs then that in the old; which weakneth the comfort of the Church and faithful Parents; which denyeth Infants that feal which fhould differ them from the children of Jews and Pagans; which contradicteth the Apoftles rea

fon

fon(Can any man forbid water, that these should not be bapti ptized,which have received the holy Ghoft afwell as we?)which keepeth Infants(as much as man can) from Chrift he exprefly faying, Suffer little children to come unto me, which without a Covenant they cannot do fpiritually, nor without the external feal facramentally: Now fuch is the opinion of Anam baptifts, denying Chriftians Infants Baptifmn.

CHAP. IV.

Anabaptifts Arguments concerning the necessity of Dipping over head and ears in Baptism, examined and answered.

TH

Genef.26.15.

He envious Philiftims will still be casting earth into Ifaacs wells of livings waters, to ftop them up: Satan envying man,these waters of life in the Laver of Regeneration, eftfoon cafteth in fcruples to obftruct and make void the holy ordinances of God to deluded fouls,by causing them to renounce their Baptifm(and Christ whom they facramentally had put on therein) by taking on them another Baptifm under a vain pretence, that they were not fufceptive of Baptifm in their infancy,nor lawfully baptized,neither at allcru- A. R. van. of ly,if happily they were not dipped under water; for they fay, child.bap p.8. the inftitution of Christ requireth that the whole man be dipped all over in water: fo that the Anabaptifts now hold, that dipping the whole body into water is effential to baptifm,& Acts 15.1. fo neceffary, that except they are fo dipt, they are not duly avadaand truly baptized according to the inftitution of Chrift. ofTe To Tev, Since the infancy of the Gospel, Satan hath not ceafed to c. trouble the Church concerning baptifm: Some of the Jews Epiphan. hares. would have circumcifion joyned with baptifm; the Archon-erà d'E TO ABtici condemned baptifm with a curfe:the Novatians deferred Tev xén it to the laft, because they understood not the power of this vadaling- k ordinance of God to cleanse the whole life,but thought that de πεπωκότα ib. there was no mercy for him who finned after baptifm: LibeEpiphan.Chari. rius the Monk, as alfo Fidus, would have childrens Baptifm hæref.39.n.1. tyed to the eighth day; Anabaptifts not only deny believers Cyprian.Ep. 59.

Z 4

children

40.n.1. Archon.

children Baptifm, as the Pelagians and Donatifts did of old; but affirm, That dipping the whole body under water is fo neceffary, that without it, none are truly baptized (as hath been faid) So the fubtil enemy ftill affaileth Baptism in....... one part or another,that we may not unaptly apply that to him & his factors,which Tertullian once faid concerning the Qui enim fcitil- moft impious Perfecutor Nero, He that knows him well,may poteft, non nifi understand,that nothing but some great (or fingular)good thing grande aliquod is condemned by Nero: And indeed we ought more highly to bonum à Nero- elteem Gods favor in fealing us into his Covenant of grace, ne damnatum, and more seriously and carefully endeavour to answer thereTertul. A pol. to in newness and fanctity of living, by how much more the c. 15. enemy rageth against it. The Protestant Church holdeth, that the word and the element make the Sacrament; and that neither fprinkling is fimply neceffary, nor wathing or dipping unlawful;but that according to the convenience of times, places and perfons, either sprinkling, washing or dipping in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft,is the true form of Baptifm;and that,cateris paribus,either of these three applications of the water have the fame effect,and may as convenience serves, indifferently be used being fit to fig nifie the application of the benefit of Chrifts blood for the remiflion of fin, and cleanfing therefrom. But our Antagonifts fay;

Object. 1.

We are buried with Chriftby baptism into his death that like as Chrift was raifed up from the dead, even fo we also should walk in newness of life, Rom. 6.4. But Chrift in his burial was covered, that he might thence rife out of the earth;thercfore in Baptifm we must be covered, and as it were buried under water, that we may rife again as Chrift did We anfwer, 1. Similitudes run not on four feet;types, figns oportet,quod non and fimilitudes are not to be extended beyond the fcope and undiquaq; ex- meaning of the Speaker(as might be fhewed in almoft innuempla ad omne propofitum ap merable instances) left not only abfurdities, but horrid blaffantur rebus ad phemies should be thence inferred. The Ark in the Deluge quas affumun

Scive autem?

kr. fed ut plurimum in magis propriis ac principalioribus partibus. Euthym.in Matth 22. Non portet parabolas ad verbum interpretari. ib. in Matth. 24. poft Chryfoftom. Parabolica ita oraclanda funt quafi fignificantia folum ea que neceffaria funt.Euthym in Matth.24.

was