The Character of the Beast, Debate 2 · Richard Clifton 11
Mr, Rich. Clifton.
The next reaſon is this.
2, Bicauſe Chriſt commaunded to make Diſciples by teaching them & then to baptiſe them, Matth. 28.19. Iohn. 4.1. But infants can not by Doctryne become Chriſts Diſciples. And ſo can not by the rule of Chriſt bee baptized.
Anſwere.
1. The Apoſtles were indeed commaunded to make Diſciples, & to cal vntounto the Faith & fellowship of the Goſpel, not onelyonly the Iewes, but the Gentils through out the world, Mat. 28, 19. & gave them power to preach the Goſpel, which before had been preached to Abraham, Gal. 3.8. & to baptiſe al that did receive it: & thus we graunt that faith muſt go before baptiſme, in al ſuch as are to be made Diſciples, & brought into the covenant of God: So went Faith before circumciſion, Abraham firſt beleeved, & after was circumciſed, & likewiſe muſt al they which with Abrahā enter into Gods covenant, firſt beleeve & then be baptized as the Evnuch, Act. 8.37. Lydia. Act. 16.13. & the Keper of the priſon, Act. 16.33. But when ſuch have received the Faith, then are their infants & howshold capable alſo of baptiſme as Abrahams Family was of circumciſion, he beleeving the promiſes, Gen. 17. & therfor it is written, that when God opened the hart of Lydia, that she did atend to the VVord that Paul preached, & beleeved, not only the her ſelfe, but al her howshold were baptized, & yet is ther no mention of the Faith of any of them, ſave of Lydias onelyonly. & ſo the Kep beleeving al his received baptiſme, & this is proportionable to the example of Abraham, whoſe Faith we find ſufficient to intereſt al his ſeed in the covenant, & make them capable of the ſeale.
2. Secondly, Chriſt taketh the ſame courſe (in giving out this commiſſion to his Diſciples, Mat. 28.19.) in bringing the Gentils into Gods covenant, that the L. tooke with Abraham, for making his covenant with him, that he should be the Father of many nations, &c. He did not firſt commaund him to be circumciſed, but preached to him the goſpel or covenant. Gen. 17.1-8. & he beleev…ng was circumciſed & his howshold So here is a commaundement, firſt, for the publishing of the Goſpel to them that were not in Chriſt, & then for baptiſing ſuch as beleeved with theire Familyes, for that is included in this Commaundement, els had not the Apoſtle baptized the Familyes of Lydia, & of the Kep. as before hath been: noted.
1. Thirdly, if children shalbe excluded from baptiſme bicauſe they cannot be made Diſciples by teaching, & ſo beleeve, then by as good reaſon may they be excluded from ſalvation, for he that ſaith, he that beleeveth & is baptized, shalbe ſaved, ſaith alſo, he that beleeveth not shalbe damned, Mar. 16.16. if therfor want of faith be ſufficient to exclude infants from baptiſme: then likewiſe the want of Fayth is ſufficient to exclude them from Salvation, for if the former be held to be the meaning of Chriſt, then muſt the latter alſo bee graunted, a thought whereof is to bee abhord.
Laſtly, general rules muſt bee taken with theire ſence & meaning. It is a generall rule given by the Apoſtle: 2. Theſſ. 3.19. That if any would not worke hee shousd not eate: yet if any should gather from hence that the impotent & infants should not eate, bicauſe they doe not worke, this were to offer violence, & to wreſt the Apoſtles doctryne: So Chriſt giving a general rule for the making of Diſciples, & baptiſing them, now to deprive the infants of beleeving parents of baptiſme, bicauſe they cannot receive inſtruction, which is intended onelyonly of them that bee capable thereof & vnconverted, is to diminishe the commaundement of Chriſt, even like as hee that should ſay, infants cannot beleeve, & therfor cannot be ſaved.
Againe, that can never be the true meaning of a Scripture whē it is expounded ſo as it contradicteth other Scriptures, or any ſound concluſion gathered out of the Scriptures, as this expoſition of the Anabaptiſts vppon this place of Mat. 28.19. doth, as my formet reaſons for the baptiſing of infants, doe playnly manifeſt.