Otl wbofe accounts Infants bal>e right to '13aptijitl. the child. 3· No Scripture Commillion can be lhewcd for fuch a power. Where harh God fa id All thlt any patticul.u Church will lt'ccive, H1J.ll have right to baptifin ? 4· By what act mull' the Church give thi.s right? If by ba~iiz.ing him ; the qu:fiion is of his ant_ecc:dem ~igfu?. Jf by wiUi;,g that he be bapttzed, 1. If they w1ll that one be bapt1zed that hath no t1ght eo tr, rhc1r wiU is fin– ful, and therefore unfit to give: him righr. 2- And the bapri1ing Minillc:r h:uh more power tl~n a thoufand or ten thoofand private men, eo judge who is to be baptized. 5· Elfc a Church might f.wc . all Heathens children that they can but baptize, and fo lcvdl lntidcls and Ct11ifiians feed. 6.lt is not the Church in general, but lomc one pcrfon, that rnufi educate the child : Thc:refore the Church cannor fo much as pmrnife for its cducuion; The Church hath nothing to do widl thofe that u e wit~ou~ : but only with her own; And Heathens children are not her own, uor expufed to ha occupauon. · I V. I believe not that it is the Vniverfal Church that giveth the Infant title to baptifin : f o< I· He that giveth title to the Covenant and baptilm, doth it as a performer o:f the Mor:;lCondition tJ– that title. But God hath no whc:re made the Churches faith, to be the condition of blpiifm or fal– vation, either to lntidcls or their feed. 2· Bccaufe the Univcrf1l Church is a body that cannot 1x: confultcd with to give their Vote and Confent: Nor have they any Deputies to do it by. For there is no Univerf.tl Vifible Governour: And if you will pretend every Priefi to be commiffioned ro att and judge in the na01e of the Univerfal Church, you will wam proof, and thats before confuted. 3· If all have right that the Univcrfal Church otfereth up to God, or any MiniHer or Bilhop becoun(– c:d ~:i D.pury or Agent to that end, it is in the power of that Minifler (as is faid) to Icvell all, and to b~ptiZt.. and fave all; which is contrary to the Word ofGod. V. I believe that God-fathers as fuch, being no Atiopters or Proprietors, are not the performers of the: condition .of falvation for the Infant, nor give him right to be baptized. 1. Brcaure he is not cheir O.vn, and therefore their will or aCt cannot go for his: Becaufc there is no Word of God for it that ' ll lhall be baptized or favcd that any Chrillians will be Sponfors for. Gods Church bltffings be not tted eo fuch inventions, that were not in being when C?ods Laws were made. Where •here is nopromife or word, there is no {t~itb. 3• No Sp.onfors are (o much as lawful (as is fhcwed before) who arc not Owners, or their Dtpu•iu, or mecr {tconcla!y fobfirvimt partieJ, who fuppofe the prin– cip•l Covenanting party. 4• And as to the Infants falvauon, the Sponlors may ( too oft) be igno– rant Infidels and Hypocrites themfelvcs, that have no true faith for themfclvcs; and therefore not _enough to fave another. 5· And it were !!range if God lhould make no promife to a wicked Parent for his onm child, and yet !l10uld promife to fave by baptifm all that fome wicked and hypocrite God-fathmwill offer him. 6. And that thus the letd ofHratben1 and Chrijlians 010uld be levelled and yet an ignorant bold undertaker to carry away the priviledge of faving perfons from the~ h01h. All this is but mens unproved imaginatiom. He!hat never COQ'lllfandeth God-fathers; but JOrbidduh the V{Hrpiltg forr, and only aDowetb humane prudence to ufc the L:Jn-fHl fort, did never put the fouls of all children, ChriOians and Heathens into 'heir hands, '(no more lhan imo the hands of the Priefi that b•p<izeth them.) V 1. I do not find that remote ancrjlm that are dwl , Q1 that are not the proprittm of the chil– dren, arc the performers of the Condition by which they have right to baptilin or falvation. 1 • Be– caufe God hath put that power and work in the hands of others, even the Paremr) which they can ... nor nullifie. 2. Becaufe the promifc of mercy to thoufands is on fuppofition rhat the fuccdfors make -no intercilion. 3· El((: the threatnings to the feed of the wicked would fignifie nothing, nor would any in the world be excluded from right, but all be levelled; BecaufC Noah was the common t'ilher of m•nkind : And if you lay it on dead Ancellors, you have no rule where to !lop till you . come to Noab. V11. 1conclude thmfore that it is, cltarly the Immtdiate Partnll, (both or one) and .probably any true domeflick Owmr of the Child, who h•rh the power to Choofi or Rt[uji for him; and fo to enter him into Covenant with God, and fo by Confcnt to perform the Condition of his Right. for I. Abundance of promife• are madeto the ·laithlul and their feed, of which I have fpoke at large ill my Boo!< of Infant B>pti[m. And befides the punilhment of Adam1tin, there is fcarce a Puent infa– ll'lous fer tin in Scrip[ure, but his pofi:erity fallcth under the puni{hment, as for a fecondary Original fin or guilt. As the caft of·Cain, Cbam, the Sodomites, the Amalekites, the Jews, Achan, Gebez.i, &c. thew. And 1 Cor. 7• 14· it is cxprefly faid,. Elfl wereyour chUdren uncltaJI, but now art they holy( of the fenfe of which 1have fpoke as aforecitcd ). . · ObjeCt. Bttt ifOwnerJ may {trve, one m~y buy multitudes, "nda King or Lord of flavu, wbofi Own the people 11re, may caufe tbem aUto be baptized tznd ~ved. Anfw. I· Remember that I fay, that the Chrifiian P.ucnts Right is clear, but I take the other as more da1k: For it is principally grounded onAbraham and the Jfraelites circumcifing their children born to them in the houfe or bought wich money: And how far the parity of reafon here will reath is bard to know. All that I fay is, that I will not deny it, becaufe favores funt ampliar.di. 2 . If fuch a Ptince be an hypocrite, and not a fincete Chrifiian him(elf, his faith or confenc cannot fave others, tharcannot f~ve himfelf. ;. It is fuch a propriety as is c;onjunct with a Divine Conceffio¥ only that givcth this power ofConf,nting for an lnfaot: Now we find cltar pmf of Gods Con<tllion to
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