Veneer on Article XXVII: Of Baptism

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The Exposition.

A P T I S M among the lacred Writers signifies any Washing, whether it be by Dipping or Sprinkling ; in which

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ftred, it points out to us, significantly enough, the Grace which is conferred by this Sacranaent. For as the Filth of the Body is washed away with Water^ fo the Pollution of the Soul is done

S f 4 away

Jn EiDofition on the

i^y-Nw^

Art, xx^/li. away by Remif!ion of Sins ; and as in Dipping ^’^ ‘tis intimcfted that we are buried, and rife again

with Chriil, fo in Sprinkling, ‘tis hinted, that we are de.d and born again. For as the immcr- fmg or dipping the Body of the Baptized, re- prcfents the Burial of a dead Corpse under Ground, fo also the fprinkling or pouring Water upon the Party, anfvver.s to the covering or throwing Earth upon a Perfbn fo dead. And as a Death unto Sin is thus figured by either of these Ceremonies, and the Poflures we are in when they are performed on us j fo likewise a Life, or Rifmg again unto Righteoufneis, is as significantly by the Removal or Absence of the one, as v/ell as by the Removal or Abience of the other. Hs Carved us faith St. Paul ‘fit. iii. 5. hythe Wajloin ofRegeneraticn and Renewing of the Holy Ghost. ” We descend into the ’ Water, faith Barnahas fall of Sins and ” Filth, and ascend out of it full of Fruits or ’ Benefits, having Fear in our Hearts, and ’ dope towards the Lord in the Spirit. ” *

“As many as are persuaded, faith Justin ’ Martyr and do believe that those Things ’ which are taught and declared by us are true, ’ and promise to lead Lives agreeable thereto, c -== — are by us brought to the Water, and ’ receive the Means of Regeneration, as we have done before them. ” f

They that are rightly baptized, that is, they that receive it in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghofl, together

Ep’ijl, r. Ti. ApL I. c. j^.

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For by one Spitit are we all baptized into one Body J I Cor. xii. 13. To them the Promiles of the Forgiveneis of Sin are visibly signed and sealed ; and therefore, the Author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews exhorts them to draw near to God with a true Hearty in full Ajjurance of Faith halving their Hearts sprinkled from an evil Con science and their Bodies wajJoed with pure Water Heh. X. 32. J lift in Martyr says §, that we receive in, or by Water, the RemifHon of all our past Sins. And Theophilus ofAntioch ipeaks of Mens receiving R.epentance and Remiffion of Sins by Water, and the Laver or Regeneration, even as r any as come unto it in Truth, and e born again, and receive the BleiHng of God .

The Promises of our Adoption to be the Sons of God by thc Holy Ghost, are likewise signed

and feaied - then: ; Gal. iii. 26, 27. For ye are all the Childrer. / aod by Faith in Chnft Jesus. For as many of you os have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. By Baptifin. Faith is con- firmed, and Grace increased by Virtue of Prayer unto God. Thus we f;e, At’tsW. 41, 42. with how ardent a Zeal the New Converts behaved themselves after they had been baptized, con- tinuing ftedfftly in the Apostles Dorine &c. ’ This washing, faith Justin Martyr is called a ” Light, by which ‘tis intimated, that the ” Minds of such as understand these Things ’ are inlightened. ” 4

• Ad Autol. lib, i. ^. igp,

■^ Apt, I. (, 80.

That

6.50 Jin Exposition on the

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Infant Baptifin I f our Saviour hath declared that none but

lawful. baptized Perfbns can enter into the Kingdom

of God ; and if he hath declared that young

Children are capable of entring, it follows, that

he intended they ihould be baptized.

But our Saviour hath declared, that none but baptized Persons are capable of entring into the Kingdom of God, yohn iii. 5. Jftis anfweredy Verily verily I fay unto thee Except a Man he torn of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. And that young Children are capable of entring, Mark x. 14. Suffer the little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of fucb is the Kingdom of God. Therefore he intended they should be baptized.

‘T I s easy to foresee the Objedions that will be raised against this Argument, and therefore I think fit to add, that I am far from fending all unbaptized Persons to Hell, but that the Question is about covenanted Mercies, and covenanted Privileges. Where the Qualifica- tions neceifary for the obtaining of thele cannot be had, I have as great Confidence in the Good- ness of God as any Man. And left the ordinary Reader fnould think those Words of our Saviour before-mentioned QExcept a Man he born &c.) to contain an Objedlion against what I am en- deavouring to prove, I add, that the Words in the Original arc, ‘Eai’ /m 77? ymQIi’, c. that is, except a Person he born., &c. o that they take in both Sexes, and all Ages. Secondly, I prove

that

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that the Baptizing of young Ghildren is mbft Art. xxvU- agreeable to Ghrift’s Institution, ffxjm Mai. \Jy\J xxviii. 19. where all Nations are commanded to le baptized. It will be anfweftd hat our Saviour faith in thi3 f ext Gd ye therefore and teach all -Nations baptizing them : I reply therefofe. That the Greek Word, which is here rendered ach ought to have been rendered Disciple and then the Words would have run thus; Go ye therefore and Disciple all Nations, A Disciple is a Scholar, which a Child may be before he begins to learn any thing.

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I H A V E also looked into several Places of the New Testament and where I find the Word each made ufe of in the Senie which the Anahaptifts would have this Word bear, 1 find the Verb A/c/iV;cy, or fome Word or other derived from it in the Original *’.

The Sum of this Argument is, That if all Nations are commanded to be baptized, it fol- lows, that Infants ac well as grown Peribns are included within this Command.

Thirdly, I prove the Point we are upon from I Cor. vii. 14. For the unhelien)i?2g Husband is fan^ified by the JVife^ and the unbelieving

• See I Tim, ii. 7. ch. iv. ver. 11. ch. iii. ver. 2. x Tim,

a Ifife

6^1 Jn Exposition on the

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I N order to explain as much of this Text as is ablblutely necelTary for our present Purpose, let us oblerve the Ufe of the Word which is here rendered Unclean in another Place of Scripture. We read, Acis x. that St. Peter in his Vision refufeth to eat any thing Common or Unclean ; where it seems by the Sequel, that Unclean Men are those which are not visible Members of the Church, and therefore must not be allowed the Privileges of it. For God reforming his Error, bids him call nothing, that is, no Man, Common or Unclean, whom he had cleanfed or fandtified, that is, whom he had reputed fit to partake of the Privileges of Preaching and Baptifin.

B Y Analogy with which Place, and Ufe of the Word Unclean, it is most reasonable that theie Words [_Now are they holy’] should signify _Now are your Children thought fit to he Parta- kers of the Privileges of the Church] that is, being capable of no other, ofbeing admitted to Baptiim, which the Children of Heathens are not.

In the last Place, let me desire. That the Testimony of the antient Fathers may have as much Weight in this Argument, as the j^na* baptifts must give it, whenever they attempt to prove the Scriptures to be written at the Times when we fuppofe they were, and by the Perfbns who are believed to have been the Writers of them. After this Request, which I am sure is no unreasonable one, let me observe to them, that Ineneus tells us ^y that Christ came to

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fave

Tbirty-Nine Articles. ($55

iave us all by himself, all that are born Art. XXvii.

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young Children, and Boys, and Young

and Old. And that I have, under the Nmtb

Article^ taken Notice of these Words of

St. Cyprian^ in his 64th Epiftle j […] If

’^ Remiffion of Sins be given to the greatest of

’^ Sinners, and those that grievoufly offend God,

’^ if they afterwards believe, and if no Perlbn

” be kept back from Bapcilm and the Grace of

*^ God 5 by how much more ought not an In-

*^ fant to be restrained or kept back from these

’• Benefits, v/hich being but newly born, hath

’^ committed no Sin, ^r.” f

There is one Objedion against Infant-Bap- tifm which I had like to have forgotten, and which I must by no means negle(ft. Our Saviour hath said, Markyv’i, 16. He that helieveth and is baptized Jloall he fanned. From whence our Adversaries argue, that Infants can’t be capable of Baptism, because not capable of believing. My Answer is. That the Words which imme- diately follow, ‘But he that bellevetb not

Jhall he damned^ ihew plainly, that our Saviour is speaking only of grown Persons, who were capable of hearing the Word of God, and be- lieving or disbelieving ; because Infants, as I have (hewn before, are declared, chap. x. capable of Salvation. This Text therefore, only proves that grown Perlbns (hould not be baptized, if they do not believe the Gospel j but it no more excludes Infants from Baptism,

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than

654 -^^ Exposition en the

Art. XXVII than what St. Fatil faith, Ko?n. ii. 28, 29-

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eumcifing their Children when eight Days old

His Words are these. For he is not a Jew which

is one QUtwardly ; neither is that Circmncifion which is outward in the Flejh : But he is a Jew who is one inwardly ; and Circumcision is that of the Hearty in the Spirit^ and not in the Letter^ whefe Praise is not of Men^ hut of God,

Upon the Whole, I cannot but offer two Things more to the Reader’s most serious Con- fideration, which, whenever I think of them, never fail of having a very great Influence upon me in relation to this Controversy. i. The First is, That throughout the long Disputes with Felagius and Celeftius and their Followers who were Men of Note before the Year 400 about Original Sin, the Lawfulnefs or NeceOity of Infant-Baptism were never called in Question though the setting it aside would have been of the lait Importance to the Pelagian Heresy ; and though both Pelagius and Celeftius were Men of much greater Learning, Subtlety, and Penetration, than any that have appeared in Favour of the Anahaptifts : Nay, they are fo far from denying either, that when St. Juguftine mentions it as a Prad,ice of the whole Church from the ApoftlesTime ; they do not deny it, but own it, as the Reader may iee at large, in the 19th Chapter of Dr. IVall’s History of Infavit Baptism Parti. Only they said. That in the Cafe of an Infant, Baptism is not forForgiveneis of Sin (though they were afterwards driven frojn this Hold) but to procure the Child an En- trance into the Kingdom of Heaven. For they held That an Infant dying unbaptized, fhallbc raised again, and live eternally in a Middle State,

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without Punishment, as having no Sin , but not Art. xxvir. enjoying the Kingdom of Heaven, as being ^yy^^ not baptized into Christ. But that a baptized Infant shall go into the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. The Second Thing I have to offer, is contained in the Great, Learned, and Judicious Bishop Sanderfons Preface to his Sermons, Se. 23. ’ The Reverend Archbilhop Whit gift ” and the Learned Hooker Men of great Judg- ’ ment, and Famous in their Times, did Jong ” fmce foresee, and accordingly declared their ” Fear, that if ever Puritamfm (hould prevail ’ among us, it would ibon draw in Anabaptifm * after it. At this Cariwright and the other Advocates for the Difiiplinarian Inter efl in * those Days, seemed to take great Offence, as ’ if those Fears were rather pretended, to derive ’ an Odium upon them, than that there was ” otherwise any jufl Cause for the fame; pro- ’ testing ever their utter Dislike of Anabaptifm, ” and how free they were from the lead Thought ” of introducing it. But this was only their ’ own Mistake, or rather Jealousy -, for those * godly Men were neither fo unadvifed, nor Co ’ uncharitable, as to become Judges of other ’ Mens Thoughts or Intentions, beyond what ” their Adions spoke them. They only con* ’ fidered, as prudent Men, that Anabaptifm ’ had its Rife from the fame Principles the ” Puritans held ; and its Growth from the fame ’ Course they took, together with the natural Tendency of thole Principles and Pradices towards it ; especially of that one Principle, as it was by them mifunderflood, that the Scripture was Adcequata agendorum regula fo i as nothing might be la-jjftilly done without ex- ’ prefs Warranty either from fome Command

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6*) 6 An Exposition on the

A21T. XXVII. ” or Example therein contained. The Clu€ -”\J ’ whereof, if followed on as far as it would lead, ’ would certainly in Time carry them as far as ’ the Anahaptifts were then gone. But that it ’ was no vain Fear, the unhappy Event hath ’ proved, and justified them, fmce what they ’ feared is now come to pass, and that in a very ” high Degree : Yet did not they lee the Thread drawn out to that Length as we have ” fcen it (the Name oi takers Seekers &c. not having been then heard of in the World) but how much farther it will reach, none can * fay 5 for no Man yet ever faw the Bottom of ’ the Clue.” Then he goes on to fiiew how pro- bable it is, from the great Scandal and Advan- tages given to Papifts by our Confufions, that Popery will over-run all at last , intimating, thrt while (6 many several Parties of Proteltants are flill crumbling into Fadions and Fractions, biting, and ready to devour one another, a vigilant Adversary, that is intent upon all Ad- vantages and Opportunities, may, when he fpieth his Time, overmafter them with much Eafc and little Refiftance.

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Notes

• Ibhl. c. 80.