Are all Infants bapti;<Jd and d;ing before aUual [in undoubtedly fawd? Q!efl:. 35· Is it certai>; by the Wo~d of God t/,at all Infants Bapti;<Jd, and cly, i>!!: before aEfua! fill are undoubtedly f awd ? Or TVh,;t J>ifauts m.ty 1ve Jay fo of? A,nf'tP· I. I• WE m~fi difiinguifl1 betwe~~ certaintY objrtii~e and {ubjdiive, .or pl.~inlyer, fhc Since the Reahty or Truth of the Tmnf!.., and the certam apprehcnfiolt of H. wrinngof this; 2 , And this certainty of ppprebenjiun, fometime fignilic:th only the Truth of. char apprchenfion, when ther~· is corn: a man indeed is not_ Qeceived, or more ufil3._lly that c/earnrfl of apprehc;JJfion JOyned with 7.'ruth, which i~~:h~:o~"r;~; fully quieteth the mmd and cxcludcth doubtmg. · . . lnf;~.r.t Ba3. we muft difiinguiiliof Infants a_s B1pcifcd LawfuOy upo~ j1df title, or ~ltl.~wfit~)' witbo:tt title. prifmby 4 • And alfo of 1itle before Gsd, wh1ch makerh a Law[ul claJm and Recrpuon at hH bar ; , and Titlr l\1r:]<fcp!J before the Church, which maketh only the Adminiftration lawful before God, and the Reception lawf:tl ~:~~~lfr'h1; only in forO -ecclefie or externo.. . . . Grou:1ds of S· The word Baptifm figm~cth cuher the rxternal part only, confiihng m the word! and outward my p~efent aaion or rhc Internal CovenantJng of the heart alfo. So!ut1om a~e 6- 'And that internal Covenant is ei[her fin.cere which givcth rig~t t,O the benefits of Gods Covenant, ~d:ab'y dear: or only partial, referved, and un[o:md, Cuch as JS common to hypocntes•. Concluf. 1· God hath bten pleafed to fpeak fo li1tle in Scripture of the cafe of Infants, that modeft men will ufe the words [ Certain(yand Vntkubtedry J about their cafe, with very great Caution. And many great Divines have maintained that their very Baptifm it [elf, cannot be [ Certainly and undoubt– edly J proved by the Word of God, but.by Tradition: Though I have endeavoured to prove the contrary in a fpecial Trcatife on that point. . , >· N o man ea~ tell what is objef.live(y certain or revealed in Gods Word, who bath not fubjef.live ctr· tainty or k,.nowledge of it. ,, 3· A mans apprchenfion may be True, when it is but ;i wavering opinion, with the grcatcfi doubt... fulne.fs. Therefore we do not ufually by aCertain apprehenfion, mean only il True apprehenfion, but a clea1' and quieting one. · · 4 • It is poffible to baptize Infants ~nlawfuUy, or without ••~ Right, fo that their Rccepti4!t. and b.p– tizing {hall be a great ji1t, as IS the nufapplymg of other Ordmances. For mfiance; one m Ame-rica where there is neither Chttrch to receive them, nor Chriilian Parents nor Sponfors, may take up the Indians Children and Baptize them againfi the Parents wills; Or if the Parents confcnt to have their Children outwardly B1ptizcd, and not themfelves, as not knowing what Baptizing rncaneth, or defire ~t only for amward advantages to their Children. Or if they offer them to be Baptized only in open derifion and fcorn of Chrifi ; fuch Children have no Right to be received. And many other infiances nccrer may be given. · . . . 5· it's pollible the pcrfon may have no Authority at all from Chriil who doth Baptize them. And Cbrijlr part in Recrptionof the perfon, and CoDationand Inve~iture in his benchts, mufi be done by his CommiJiion,or clfe how can we fay that Chrijf doth it ? But open Infidels, Women, Children, madmen, (corners, may do it that have none of his Cornmiffion. 6. That aU Inf,.mts baptiz ed without tit~e or right by miC-application, and fo ~ying, are not undoubttdl} faved, nor any word of Gad d9th ccrtamly fay fo, we have teafon to belteve on thefe following grounds. I· llecaufc we can find no fuch Text, nor could ever prevail with them thatfo~.y fo, to fhew us fuch an afccrtaining Word of God. · 2• Bccauf< eifegrofs fi• would certainly be the way 10 falvatioH. for fuch mif-application of Ba– ptifm, by the d<manderi at lea!!, would certainly be grofs fin, as well as miC-applying the Lords Supper. 3· Becaufc it is clean contrary to the tenour ofthe new Covenant which promifcth Calvation to none but penitent Believers and their fled : What God may do for others unkno~n to us, we haVe nothing to do with : But h)s Covmant bath made no other promife that I can fiqd ; And we are certain of nO mans falvation by B•ptifm, to whom God never m>de a promife of it. If !iy the Children of the faithful, be meant not only their Natural feed, but the Adopted or bought alfo of which they are true Proprietors, yet that is norhing to all others. · 4· To.add toGods words, Efpecially to his very Promife or Covenant, is fo terrible a prefumpti• on, as we dare not be guilty of. , 5· Becaufe this tyeth Grace or falvation fo to the outward wafhing of the body or op111 opetatum as– is contrary to the nAture of Gods Ordinances, and to the tenour of Scripture, and the judgement of the Protefiant Divines. . · 6. Becaufe this would make a !lunge difparity between the two Sacraments of the fame Covenant Qf Grace,: When a man Reccivcth the Lords Supper upwoithilf (in fcorn, in drunkennefs, or impcni– tency ) much more without any right ( as Infidels,) he doth eat and drink damnation or judgement to himfelf; and maketh his ~n greater : Therefore he that .gets a Child Baptized u'nwotthily and without rig\lt,·doth not therefore jnfaJlibJy prOCUIC his faJvation,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=