More Proofs of Infants Church Membership and Right to Baptism, Postscript – Description
Poſtſcript.
§. 1. SInce the writing of this, I have peruſed Smaragdus, Peter Abbas Cluniacenſis, and Bernard, which were not before at hand. And I ſhall give you a true account of their teſtimonies.
I. As for Smaragdus, I never before read him, but on this occaſion getting his expoſition on the Epiſtles and Goſpels I find that there is a great agreement indeed among Mr. Danvers witneſſes, that in his citations he is ſtill like himſelf.
§. 2. Smaragdus on 1 Pet. 2. in oct. Paſch. fol. 87. ſaith, [Sinite parvulos venire ad me, talium enim eſt regnum coelorum: Hanc enim ſanctam, puram & innocentem infantiam, per baptiſmi gratiam caſta mater gignit Eccleſia] That is [ſuffer little children to come to me, for of ſuch is the Kingdom of God; For this holy pure and innocent Infancie, the Church their chaſt Mother doth by the grace of Baptiſm beget.]
§. 3. And on Mar. 16. in Aſcenſ. fol. 101. [Cum autem dicatur, Qui vero non crediderit condemnabitur, quid hic dicimus de parvulis, qui per aetatem adhuc credere non valent? Nam de majoribus nulla quaeſtio eſt: In Eccleſia ergo ſalvatoris per alios parvuli credunt, ſicut ex aliis ea quae illis in baptiſmo remittuntur peccata traxerunt.] That is, [He that believeth and is Baptized ſhall be ſaved, &c. But when it is ſaid, But he that believeth not ſhall be condemned, what ſay we here to little ones who by their age are not yet able to believe? For of the elder there is no queſtion. Therefore in the Church of our Saviour, little ones believe by others, as from others they have drawn thoſe ſins which in Baptiſm are forgiven to them.
§. 4. And in ſab. Pentecoſt. in Act. 19. fol. 103, 104. having at large opened how Catechumens were inſtructed before Baptiſm, and deſcribed approvedly their Ceremonies, of croſſing, breathing on them, exorcizing, ſalt, the Creed to be recited and underſtood, he addeth, [Quia ergo Parvuli, necdum ratione utentes, haec minime capere poſſunt, oportet ut cum ad imtelligibilem aetatem pervenerint, doceantur & fidei ſacramenta & confeſſionis myſteria, ut veraciter credant, & diligenti cura cuſtodiant confeſſionem ſuam. Plane diximus; quia quamvis illi necdum loqui poſſunt, pro illis & confitentur & loquuntur qui eos de lavacro fontia ſuſcipiunt. Nec immerito: dignum eſt ut qui aliorum peccatis obnoxii ſunt, aliorum etiam confeſſione, per miniſterium baptiſmatis, remiſſionem originalium percipiant peccatorum.] That is [But ſeeing little ones that have not yet the uſe of reaſon, cannot receive theſe things, it is meet that when they come to age of underſtanding they be taught both the Sacraments of faith and the myſtery of confeſſion, that they may truly believe, and by diligent care may keep their confeſſion: And not undeſervedly: It is meet (or worthy) that they who are obnoxious to (or by) others ſins, by others confeſſion alſo ſhould by the myſtery of Baptiſm, receive the pardon of original ſins.]
§. 5. Yet it's true that this ſame Author doth oft call for confeſſion from the adult, and perſwade men not to truſt to meer outward baptizing, as may be ſeen on 1 Cor. 9. fol. 30. &c. But he could reconcile this to Infant-Baptiſm, though Mr. D. cannot. See him further fol. 85. c. in Math. 28. and fol. 85. in 1 Pet. 3. & fol. 84. & fol. 19. in Iſa. 60.
§. 6. II. As to Pet. Cluniacenſis (another Abbot near the ſame time, and contemporary with Bernard) he is the moſt plauſible of all Mr. D.'s witneſſes, as againſt two men, Pet. Bruis, and Henry: But, 1. Fol. 1. Epiſt, 1. he writeth Twenty years after Peters ſowing his doctrine. 2. And though Henry lived in his time, yet fol. 2. he ſaith, [Sed quia eum ita ſentire vel praedicare, nondum mihi plene fides facta eſt, differo reſponſionem quouſque & horum quae dicuntur indubitatam habeant certitudinem] that is, (having called Henry the heir of Peters wickedneſs, who rather changed than mended his Devilliſh doctrine) But becauſe I have not yet teſtimony fully credible (or am not ſure) that he ſo thinketh, and preacheth, I delay my anſwer till I can have undoubted certainty of the things reported]. By which it is plain that he knew neither of them, but went by that ſame, which commonly then ſlandered them.
§. 7. 3. And in his firſt Propoſal fol. 7. (of Hoffmeiſters Edit.) he reciteth the words ſuppoſed to be theirs, in which they deny as much the Salvation as the Baptiſm of all Infants. Ex his domini verbis Mar. 16. aperte monſtrant, nullum niſi crediderit, & baptizatus fuerit, hoc eſt, niſi Chriſtianam fidem habuerit & baptiſmum perceperit, poſſe ſalvari: Nam non alterum horum, ſed utrumque pariter ſalvat: Ʋnde Infantes, licet à vobis baptizentur, quia tamen credere, obſtante aetate, non poſſunt, nequaquam ſalvantur.] So that it is the ſalvation of any Infants that they principally here deny; accounting Baptiſm needful to ſalvation.
§. 8. And fol. 8. He addeth their next charge that fama vulgavit, fame reported, that they wholly believed not Chriſt, Prophets, or Apoſtles, the Old or New Teſtament. Sed quia fallaci rumorum monſtro non facile aſſenſum praebere debeo (maxime cum quidam vos totum divinum Canonem abjeciſſe affirment, alii quaedam ex ipſo vos ſuſcepiſſe contendant) culpare vos de incertis nolo]: Where he fully confeſſeth that he knew them not, but went by fame, and that he ſuſpected himſelf this fame to be falſe, calling it a Monſter, and proving it contrary to it ſelf, and profeſſing that he ought not to believe it: But yet leſt it ſhould be true, he goeth on to prove the truth of the Scriptures, as he doth Infants ſalvation and Baptiſm.
§. 9. Now I leave it to the Reader, among many uncertainties, which of theſe he will believe moſt probable: 1. That all the parties were ſlandered: 2. Or that Peter and Henry were ſlandered by occaſion of the mixed Manichees, or by the vulgar lying levity or Popiſh malice. 3. Or whether Peter and Henry were guilty as ſome now, though the reſt were not. 4. Or whether they and the Albigenſes and Waldenſes, really denyed all Infants ſalvation and Baptiſm (their very pretended words being cited.) 5. Or whether they were ſlandered as to Infant-ſalvation, and not as to their Baptiſm. 6. Or whether all this roſe not from their denying the ſalvation of the children of all the wicked, as ex opere operato, by the Baptiſm of the Prieſt, and their refuſing to bring their own children to be Baptized by ſuch Prieſts, and their telling the wicked at age, that their Infant-Baptiſm would not ſave them. Believe which of theſe you find moſt cauſe.
§. 10. III. As for Bernard, 1. Though a holy man, yet his conceit that Papal unity was neceſſary, and that the Diſſenters cauſed confuſion, tranſported him with ſuch prejudice againſt them, as we have now againſt the vileſt Sects. 2. He was acquainted with Cluniacenſis and might believe him. 3. He took things on truſt as he did. 4. He chargeth even the ſecret hereticks that he writes againſt, as holding it unlawful to ſwear, and yet lawful to forſwear, rather than reveal their caſe: Serm. 65. 5. And that in ſecret they are reported to commit filthy wickedneſs, not to be named. 6. That he heareth that ſome of them reject Pauls writings, and the Old Teſtament. 7. That they lived ſcandalouſly with Women: and he talketh as if it were impoſſible for men and women to dwell together, and yet to be chaſt. 8. Yet ſheweth that he moſt uncharitably ſuſpected them, ſaying, [Si fidem interroges, nihil Chriſtianius; ſi converſationem, nihil irreprehenſibilius; & quae loquitur, factis probat: Videas hominem in teſtimonium ſuae fidei frequentare Eccleſiam, honorare preſbyteros, offerre munus ſuum, confeſſionem facere, ſacramentis communicare (and did they deny Infant-Baptiſm then?) Quid fidelius? Jam quod ad vitam moreſque ſpectat, neminem concutit, neminem circumvenit, neminem ſupergreditur, pallent ora jejuniis, panem non comedit otioſus; operatur manibus quibus vitam ſuſtentat: Ʋbi jam Vulpos?] And what's the proof againſt them, [Vinearum demolitio teſtatur vulpem: Mulieres relictis viris, & viri diſmiſſis uxoribus, ad iſtos ſe conferunt: clerici & ſacerdotes populis Eccleſiiſque relictis intonſi & barbati apud eos, inde textores & textrices plerumque inventi ſunt. Annon gravis demolitio iſta? Annon opera vulpium haec?] And the way he appoints for their purgation is to put women out of their houſes. 9. Serm. 66. he chargeth them for being againſt Marriage, yea that they took filthineſs to be only in having Wives. 10. And with forbidding to Marry, they joyned abſtaining from meats: and ſo holding deviliſh doctrine: But that ſome allowed Marriage only to Virgins, but not ſecond Marriages: That they abhorred Milk, and all that was made of it, and all that was procreated by generation, and that (de inſania Manichaei.) That they held themſelves only to be the Church, and derided them that Baptized Infants: (yet he himſelf writes largely Ep. ad Hug. de Sancto Victore, for the ſalvation of perſons that have faith, and die unbaptized through neceſſity; alledging Ambroſe, Auſtin, Cyprian; And concludeth Infants ſaved by others faith, as they were guilty by others ſin.) 11. In Epiſt. ad Hildefonſum he ſaith, of Henry by name, that he was an Apoſtate, that made a trade of preaching, to live by in neceſſity, and what money he could get of ſimple people and women more than found him food, he ſpent in playing at dice, or other more filthy uſes: that after his daies applauſe by the people he was found at night with whores: that he thus left every where ſuch a ſtink behind him, that he could come but once to a place, naming many Cities.
Now let the Reader judge if Bernard be to be believed what a man this was: If not, what his teſtimony is worth.
AS I am writing this, the Hawkers are crying under my window, Mr. Baxters Arguments for Believers, &c. The men that cite Authors at this rate, cite me againſt my ſelf, with the like confidence: Becauſe I have proved in my Treat. of Confirmation, the neceſſity of perſonal Profeſſion in the Adult: And he that will think that ſuch dealing as this doth need an anſwer, and that if the Adult muſt make an intelligent profeſſion, Infants muſt not be Baptized, let him be ignorant; for I have not time to ſatisfie him.
FINIS.
Infant Baptiſm Aſſerted and Vindicated by Scripture and Antiquity, in Anſwer to Mr. Henry Danvers, with a full detection of his Miſrepreſentation of Divers Councils and Authors both Ancient and Modern, &c. By O. Wills: Sold by Jo. Robinſon at the Golden Lyon in St. Paul's Church-yard.
End of the text · Richard Baxter, More Proofs of Infants Church Membership and Right to Baptism (1675)