.101tiánb, IV. Ï PP END' :X 8; `folemnly enter him into Covenant withvme? what can he fay ? The Precept Promife and long Pra&ice were plain ; was the Repeal alfo plain ? Yes ; ifit be e a Repeal for Chrift to take fuch Children into his Arms, and Nee them, and tell ` us of fuch is his Kingdom, and to be offended with thofe that would have kept them from him; and to command that all Difciples be Baptized. He knew well enough when he infiitutedBaptifm, and exercifed it firft upon theadult, that the ` Jewr did fo too with their Profelites : And Ergo, when he did in that no more than they did that yet admitted the Infants of Church-Members, his baptizing the Adult could no more fignify his Denial of Infants tò be baptized, than the :few: ` baptizing the Adult could fignify it, who at that time baptized Infants alto : nor e could the Difciples interpret Chriflfs Do&nine and Will tobe contrary to rheyew,, when hisPra&ice was no more than theirs': And when he never uttered a Sylla- ' ble to intimate aRepeal of that great Mercy and Duty of entring Infantsfolemnly ' into,the Covenant which by God's Appointment had continued fo long. And '. the Covenant was, I will be iby Gord and rbaù fbalt be my People. But all"this falls a in betides my firfiintent, and therefore I rather expe& your Pardon than your re- gard of it at the prefent ; though time 'may thew you Light in that which now 'ms Darknefs. z. But if our Infant Baptifm wereirregular, howwill you prove it a Nullity ? `never byany found Argument ; every Irregularity is not a Nullity. Whether you Make the Word as fignifying Fedrsr Sacramentale, a Sacramental Covenant (as ` Scripture commonly doth, more notably intending the Covenant than the out- ' werd A&) or SacramentamFuderale a Federal Sacrament or A&ion, (moil notably fignifying the Sign or Ad) it's all one to our purpofe, for Infants are capable of ` both the Covenant, and the outward Sign, and of all that is effential to Baptifm. ` That they are capable of being entred into Covenant, r. Nature tells us, we ` commonly enter them under Princes as their Súbje&s, and into private Contrads ' with Landlords for Pof eflions. 2. The ancient Law, Promife and Pra6tice of t the Church before Chrift tells us, for then it was a&ually done by God's Com- a mand. And that they are capable of the,outward Sign is undeniable. Prove it a ' Nullity ifyou can, though it were a Sin. ;. But if both weregranted, theSin andNullity, I come now to give you my Reafons why it warrants you not to deny Communion with the Churches that ' were thus Baptized in Infancy. And r. I befeech you note that Baptifm is as neceffary, ifnot much more, to the Admiflion of Men into the univerfal vifitrlá Church asfuch, or into a particular Church : Ergo, IfMen may be admitted info the univerfal vifible Church without adult Baptifm, then he may be. admitted into ` a particularChurch without is : But yet here grant that,he may be a Member of ' the univerfal Church without it : Ergo, Baptifm is indeed appointed to beour re. gular entrance by way of Sacramental Covenant and Inveftiture into the Church Univerfal,and not into a particular Churchneceffarily,though it may be intoboth, yet it is but indire&ly into the particular Church. TheEunuch, and all that were baptized, tint in any place by the Apoftles, were baptized only into the Church univerfal , and afterward felled in Order under Paltors in particular Churches. `Baptifm, as fuch, as it was called our Chriftening, dòth only lift Men under Chrift as Chriftians, and if it do any moreas to the thing in Queftion, it is acci- ' dentally, and not always, norneceffarily : We are not (dire&ly fore) baptized to bur Paftors, and fo not to that Particular Church, nothing then is more plain ` in Scripture than that Baptifm was appointedfor our Entrance upon our State of Difciples in general : And Ergo, if a Man may bea vifible Difciple without ir, where it feemeth molt neceffary, thenmuch more may he be admitted into a ` particular Church afterward without it, when at leali it is no more neceffary, and ` indeed much lefs, and not at all, five only as univerfal Church - Member, this is pre-requifite to particular. The Minifters of Chrift Baptized coon without ask- ' ing the Confesse of any particular Church. z. They that are under both a Pre- ' cep: making the ufe of initituted Ordinances theirDuty, and a Promife of Ac- ' ceptance in the Performance, muff perform thefe Duties with belief of their Ac- ' ceptance : But fuch are thefe that you account unbaptized: Ergo, That they are ' under a Command is plain. All the Precepts for Chriftian Communion, and not ' forfaking the affembling offour felves and obeyingthofe that rule over us, &c. are made to the wholevifible Church, that bath Opportunity for fuch Communion, you will not thinkthat our Sin (as you take it) can except us from an Obligation to Duty. But all the Queftion is, whether Inch Duty will be accepted if per- `farmed bythe unbaptized (as you now%uppofe them) and this you grant, profef- L z fing
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