Infants born of believing Parents are to be baptized.

Reaſons.I. THE Covenant of Grace, which God made with Abram and his ſeed, is everlasting (Gen. 17.1.) And ex­tendeth to all believers, and to their children (Act. 2.39. ) hence, where­as the children of unbelievers are unclean, the chil­dren of believers are holy (1 Cor. 7.14. ) (i. ) ſet apart from thoſe others, and taken into Covenant with God, and belonging to the Church of Chriſt.

But being within the Covenant and the Church, they have right to the Seal, and Ordinance of Ba­ptiſm. Ergo, They are to be baptized.

II. In the 18^•h of Matthew, Chriſt ſpeaking of little children, tels us;

That the Son of man is come to ſave what is loſt, v. 11. That it is not the will of God that one of theſe little ones ſhould periſh, verſ. 14.

But God preordaining to the end, preordaineth to the means alſo.

And we are ſaved by the means of Baptiſm, Tit. 3.5. compared with Act. 22.16. Erge, Little chil­dren who are to be ſaved, are to be baptized.

4III. In the 19^th of Matthew, They brought little children, or Infants (Luk. 18.15. ) to Christ, that he ſhould put his hands upon them, and pray: And the Diſciples rebuked them.

But Jeſus ſaid, Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto me; for of ſuch is the kingdom of heaven, v. 13, 14.

But except they be born again of water and of the Spi­rit (i. unleſſe they be baptized) they cannot enter into the kingdom of God, Joh. 3.5. Ergo, That they may enter into the kingdom of heaven, they muſt be baptized.

IV. In the 28^th of Matthew, Chriſt gives an uni­verſal Commiſſion to his Apoſtles.

Go, and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the holy Ghoſt. Teaching them to obſerve al things, whatſoever I have commanded you: And loe I am with you to the end of the world, ver. 19, 20.

The Apoſtles were to baptize all Nations, Ergo, Children; eſpecially upon ſuppoſition of the premiſes.

That they are within the Covenant of grace; and that Baptiſm is the Seal of the Covenant.

That they are of the Church of Christ, and that Ba­ptiſm is a Priviledge of the Church.

That they are to be ſaved; And that we are ſaved by Baptiſm, in via ordinaria.

That they belong to the kingdom of heaven, and that Baptiſm is the entrance thereto.

And as Chriſt commanded his Diſciples, ſo doth he us, to ſuffer little children to come unto him; gi­ving us in charge to obſerve whatſoever he commanded5 them; And loe he it with us in his Ordinances to the end of the world. And as when they brought little children unto him, he took them into his arms, laid his hands upon them, and bleſſed them (Mar. 10.16. ) ſo doth he now at Baptiſm: for, It is he that ba­ptizeth with the holy Ghost, Joh. 1.33.

V. The Apoſtles baptized whole families, Lydi­abs and the Jaylers, Act. 16.15.33. Ergo, Their children; eſpecially upon ſuppoſition of the premiſes.

VI. Since Chriſt time there was never any Church which did not teach the baptizing of Infants and practiſe it. And the Apoſtle himſelf argues from the Authority and cuſtom of the Church, upon ano­ther occaſion, 1 Cor. 11.16.

Beſides from the doctrine and practice of the Church in this caſe, do we beſt underſtand the do­ctrine and practice of Chriſt and his Apoſtles, and the ſenſe of that Commiſſion, given them for bapti­zing all Nations, &c. The Church being the Pillar of Truth, 1 Tim. 3.15. (i. ) the Church holding out Gods Truths, as a Pillar doth the Kings Proclamation, to be read and underſtood by us.

VII. For many hundred years the Catholique Church hath conſiſted almoſt onely of thoſe that were baptized in their Infancy, Ergo, The Baptiſme of Infants muſt be maintained, or the Catholique Church for many hundred years hath failed, and ſo art Article of our faith will be overthrown.

VIII. Under the Law, Infants were circumciſed; Ergo, Under the Goſpel are they to be baptized: Ba­ptiſm ſucceeding circumciſion, 2 Cor. 11.12.

And that Baptiſm was appointed to be the Sa­crament4〈1 page duplicate〉5〈1 page duplicate〉6of Initiation in the Church of Chriſt, as Circumciſion was in the Church of the Jews, appears by the Commiſſion, Teach al Nations baptizing them, &c. And by the practiſe of the Apostles thorowout the whole Book of Acts, where we find that new converts were ever initiated, and incorporated into the Church by Baptiſm.

And, according to the known, manifest and ordinary courſe of divine Diſpenſation, the grace of the Covenant is first applied, and the Promiſes of God in Chriſt, touching Remiſſion of ſins, Adoption, &c. are first ſigned and ſealed to us, in Baptiſm: And ſo Baptiſm is ſaid to be the Instrument of our Regeneration or new-birth, and the neceſſary previous means of our ſalvation, according to the ordinary courſe of divine di­ſpenſation. And accordingly muſt we underſtand thoſe afore-cited places, Joh. 3.5. Tit. 3.5.

The Summe of all the fore going ReaſonsThe Summe of all is this:

Infants born of beleeving Parents, are within the Covenant of grace, and Church of Chriſt: And Chriſt tels us, That he came to ſave them; and that the kingdom of heaven belongs to them; and when they were brought unto him, he laid his hands up­on them, and bleſſed them; and commanded his Diſ­ciples to ſuffer them to come unto him; and when he gave them their Commiſſion for baptizing all Nations, he gave them and us, in charge the obſer­ving of whatſoever he had commanded them: And the Apoſtles baptized whole Families, and the uni­verſal Church of Chriſt hath taught the baptizing of Infants, and practiſed it: And the Catholique Church for many hundred years hath conſiſted al­moſt7 wholly of thoſe that were baptized in their In­fancy, Ergo, Such Infants are to be baptized.

Object.And as they were circumciſed under the Law, ſo are they to be baptized under the Goſpel, The Covenant being everlaſting, and the ſame in ſubſtance, though of different administrations in the Old Teſtament and the new. Circumciſion is the ſeal of the righteouſneſſe of faith, Rom. 4.11. And ſo is Baptiſm, that ſucceeded it; and as the Apoſtle ſaies, That Abraham beleeved, and was circum­ciſed: ſo ſaid Philip to the Eunuch, If thou beleeveſt (with al thine heart) thou maiſt be baptized, Act. 8.37. And accor­dingly our Saviour, He that beleeveth and is baptized ſhal be ſaved, Mar. 16.16. But Infants cannot believe, Ergo, They may not be baptized. Sol.

That place in the Romans concerns the perſonall Cir­cumciſion of Abraham who was 99 years old, when he was circumciſed (Gen. 17.24. ) and who firſt beleeved the Promiſe, and then had it ſealed unto him by cir­cumciſion: And if any that are grown, and of years ſhall be converted (as the Eunuch was) they muſt firſt teſtifie their competent underſtanding of Chriſtianity, and profeſſe their faith in Chriſt, and in the Promiſes made to us by God in Chriſt, and their earneſt deſire to be ſtrengthned in that faith, and then have thoſe Promiſes ſealed to them in Baptiſm: And of ſuch must we understand our Saviour Christ, Mat. 16.16. But as Iſaac, Abrams ſon was circumciſed the 8^th day, Gen. 21.4. So the ſons and daughters of beleeving Parents may be bap­tized in their Infancy, by Reaſon of the generall Pro­miſe of God (Gen. 17.7. ) and of the ſpecial both Com­mand and Promiſe of Chriſt, Mat. 28.20.

Beſides, their being born in the boſom of the Church,8 is instead of an outward profeſſion of the Goſpel: and•heir Parents deſiring them to be baptized is instead of their own deſire of Baptiſm. And hereto are Parents graciouſly invited by our Saviour himſelf, in the afore­ſaid places, Mat. 9. Mar. 10. Luk. 18.

Nor is actuall Faith or belief of abſolute neceſſity ei­ther to Baptiſm or to ſalvation, but in thoſe only who are capable of Inſtruction out of the Word, Faith com­ing by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, Ro. 10.17. It is the application of Chriſts Righteouſnes that both juſtifieth and ſaveth us abſolutely, and not our actuall apprehending of it: and God doth ſupply the defect of belief and apprehenſion in Infants by his Spirit, apply­ing to them the bloud of Chriſt, in the juſtifying and ſanctifying power (whereof alſo they are capable as well as thoſe that are in years) and ſo ſaving and glori­fying them.

And hence is it that Chriſt himſelf reckons Infants amongst beleevers, Mat. 18.6.

Who ſo ſhall offend one of theſe little ones which beleeve in me, it were better for him that a milſtone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drown'd in the depth of the Sea.

Now they believe, non actu, ſed effectu, not having the act of faith, but the effect thereof; Union with Chriſt Imputation of his Righteouſnes, Juſtification, Sanctifi­cation, Adoption, by the ſpecial operation of the holy Ghoſt.

And Infants being thus capable of the grace, why are they not alſo of the ſeal, of the Covenant.

And who can forbid water, that they ſhould not be ba­ptized? Act. 10.47.