The Plea of the Children of Believing Parents, Section 7
SECT. VII.
THen my Author proceeds to the manner of Baptiſing, and tells us what foreign ſignifies; quotes Biſhop Taylor, Doctor Hammond, and many that ſay it ſignifies Immerſion; and who is ſo ignorant, that knows not this? but is my Author ſo knowing, that he can prove it ſignifies only Immerſion, or dowzing a perſon over head and cars? did Biſhop Taylor, and Doctor Hammond Baptiſe ſo, and only ſo? let him enquire. Why did not my Author prove that the word ſignifies only ſo, in Heb. 9.10. 1 Cor. 10.2. [ſomething you would ſay to this, but 'tis pittyful] Mark 7.4. Luke 11.38. the Phariſee marvelled that Chriſt foreign had not firſt Baptiſed before Dinner; How the Jews uſe to waſh hands, you may gueſs, by 2 Kings 3.11. when Eliſha waited on Elijah; He powred water on the hands of Elijah, did not Elijah then Baptiſe, or waſh his hands? was not the Baſon and Ewer, and the little Ciſterns with Water, common in England, and in ſome places ſtill to this day? and do we not waſh by letting of Water run upon our hands, or powring upon them.
That the Holy Ghoſt is ſignified you tell us; and threetimes Baptiſing with the Holy Ghost, is expreſſed by powering of the Holy Ghoſt.
What our Authors have ſaid about their practice in hotter Countries, where Baptiſm was firſt Inſtituted, you know; there they did commonly waſh, you were bound by the Law to waſh. 2 Sam. 11.….4. with Levit. 15.19. and 18, 19. So Pharaoh's Daughter. Exod. 2.5. but in our cold Climates, this is not ſo common.
However, to me it ſeems ſtrange, that there ſhould be ſo much ſtreſs put upon Baptiſm, and ſo much upon the manner of Baptiſing, as the Anabaptiſts lay, and yet the Holy Page hath not Recorded how it ſhould be performed. To Baptiſe an Infant, I could do as Mr. Chancy did in New-England, and as of old they did in England; as an Antient Gentleman, of good quality in Suffolk told me, He remembred the practice, by a good token, One Infant was ſo fowled with its green Excrement, when it came to be Dipped, [a handſome ſight in a Congregation, when we are about Holy Things] that he could not forget it; but how to Baptiſe an Adult perſon, and heavy Body, I cannot tell. If they go into the Water, into the Element, they Baptiſe themſelves ſo far as their body is in the Water; The Baptiſt doth not Dip that part.
As for their Clothes, I hope they do not go in with them, to Baptiſe, or Waſh them. certainly there ought to be an immediate Aplication of the Sign, [the Water] to the Body; that our Baptiſm hath a reference to the Ezek. 16.4. I ſee ſeveral Men conclude, and have ſhown us how this Cuſtom of Waſhing new born Babes was derived almoſt to all Nations, but neither then, nor now do our Women put on a Shirt, or any thing upon the Infant, and then waſh it, but they apply the Water immediately to the Body; I am ſure it ſhould be ſo in Baptiſm. Voſſius gives us large Teſtimonies out of Antient Writers, how that Men, Women, and Children, in thoſe Countries, were all Baptiſed. [De Baptis. p. 350.] [I wonder the Anabaptiſts ſhould be ſo angry with Mr. Baxter] becauſe he ſaith they Baptiſe naked, the Women only had a little covering before them, (yea they had a Myſtery in the pulling off their Clothes, to ſhew their pulling off the Old Man, ſome where I have read,) after their Dipping, they were Annointed. When a tumult aroſe in the City about Chryſolſtom, how the Women that were about Baptiſing, ran away naked; with other things there we may read.
Certainly God's Inſtitutions are ſuch, that we may Celebrate them at Noon-day, before all Men, let them be Spectators; and if this muſt be the way, let them Baptiſe for me, and Annoint too if they pleaſe.
So that Modeſty and Life, be preſerved, I am of Cyrian's, and Auſtin's mind in this Point, who left it indifferent, ſo you do not abſolutely tye us up to one, and deny all Baptiſm by Dipping. [Cypr. 249. Auſt. 10.3. p. 207.]
Other Divines have anſwered this more fully, and therefore I break off.
Here a Queſtion falls in, which I never did ſo much as think of, till now I ſay Mr. Mode, That Water in Baptiſm, he ſaith, hath no reſpect to the blood of Chriſt; that it doth concur in the Myſtery by way of efficacy and merit, he grants, but not as the thing there figured, for that is the Spirit? This may help as to the manner of Baptiſing.
I thought both Spirit and Blood, he denies the latter, and ſaith the Church of England doth ſo alſo, as he thinks.
The Queſtion is new to me, I ſhall hardly propound my thoughts.
1. If cleanſing of the Soul from Sin be the thing Baptiſm holds out, then, what doth primacily, properly, and effectually cleanſe, is there ſignifyed, but the Antecedent is true: Cleanſing is as much given to the Blood of Chriſt, as to the Spirit. 1 Joh. 1.7. Apoc. 1.5. Hebr. 9.14.22. Almoſt all things were purged by Blood.
2ly, We read three times, Mark 1.4. Luke 3.3. Acts 2.38. that Remiſſion of Sins is ſignifyed and Sealed in Baptiſm; but how can this be, if there is no reſpect to his Blood in Baptiſm? Without Blood there is no Remiſſion, Heb. 9.22. Why is it called Baptiſm for remiſſion of ſins?
3ly, Why are we ſaid in Baptiſm to have Communion with Chriſt in his Death, and buryed with him in Baptiſm? Rom. 6.3. It ſhould rather be ſaid buryed with the Spirit, if the Spirit only be ſignifyed. Doth not the Death of Chriſt comprehend in it, the effuſion of his Blood?
4ly, It is certain, that in the Types of the Old Teſtament, by Water the blood of Chriſt was ſignifyed. Numb. 19.9. The Water is ſaid to be a Purification for Sin. In the Hebrew it's a Sin, the word often uſed for a Sin Offering, the Dutch render it, It is an Expiation. Have not that Fountain, Zech. 13.1. ſet open a reſpect to the blood of Jeſus? all the Interpreters I ſee, reſpect both his Blood and Spirit: Why not then ſo in Baptiſm.
5ly, As we are filthy, are we not as guilty? Is there nothing in the Ordinance to reſpect our guilt? then it were ſad, yea, guilt being upon us, can God give out the bleſſing of Regeneration to us, till in order his juſtice be firſt ſatisfied? though Regeneration and Pardon are ſimul tempore?
To ſay it concurrs by way of efficacy and merit, ſo it doth in any Ordinance to make it effectual. But Remiſſion of Sins being in a ſpecial manner ſealed up in this Ordinance, which is only by Chriſts Blood, methinks the Element ſhould have a reſpect to his Blood.
The utter Abolition of Sin, both guilt and power is given to the Blood of Chriſt alone: but taking away guilt, is not given to the Spirit.
6ly, Out of the ſide of our Bleſſed Lord when he was pierced, came Blood and Water. Joh. 19.34. There is our Pardon, and Sanctification: If both theſe be ſignified in our Baptiſm, why is not that Blood and Water of his ſignifyed in this Water in Baptiſm?
Hence Alcinus's Baptiſm was ſignified in the paſſion of Chriſt, by the Water and Blood which came from his ſide; Several Verſes he hath upon it. [Cent. 6. p. 112.]
In That Tract which go under Cyprian's Name. Baptizabantur in nube, & mari Hebraei, & jam Spiritu ſancto & ſanguine Chriſti, mundatur a peccatis populus Dei. [De Reſur. Chri.]
Hence Ambroſe ſpeaking of Baptiſm— Ideoq que legiſti, quod tres Teſtes in Baptiſmate unum ſunt, aqua, ſanguis; & ſpiritusqui ſi unum horum detrahas, non ſtat Baptiſmatis Sacramentum: quid enim eſt aqua ſine cruce Chriſti? [Deris qui c. 4.]
Hence Luther, Baptizari nihil aliud eſt quum reſeo illo, & precioſo ſanguine Chriſti, lanari, & mundari.
Res ſignificata in Baptiſmo eſt ſanguis Chriſti. Walaeu. to. 1. p. 84. I could produce more Authors.
The Application of the Blood of Chriſt, and the renewing of the Spirit, without both which our State cannot be happy, I think may both be ſignified, and theſe either by Dipping, or powering of Water: The ſprinkling of the Blood of Jeſus [ſet out of old by the Ceremonial ſprinkling] is a famous Sentence in the Goſpel. Heb. 12.24. and 1 Pet. 1.2. ſo the powering out of the Spirit, Tit. 3.5, 6. Ezek. 36.25. Iſa. 52.15. Joel 2.28, 29. Prov. 1.23.
The Aboliſhing of Sin, is the end of all; [Lord what a do is here before we can be delivered from the miſery we have brought ourſelves into! what an Evil is Sin!] now this is not ſet down one way, but ſeveral waies in Scripture, ſometimes by mortification, or the Death of Sin. Dipping ſets out that, Buried with Chriſt, ſometimes by cleanſing, and by purging. Heb. 9.14. 1 Jo. 1.9. Apoc. 1.5. But the grave do not repreſent that, we do not uſe to purge, and cleanſe, by Burying, but this we do by powring Water upon our Hands, upon Rooms, Tables, &c. we can cleanſe that way, purge me with Hyſſop. Pſal. 51.7. How was that? Levit. 14.6, 7. Numb. 19.18. not by Dipping.
Whither then you Dip, or pour Water. Here is, 1. The ſame Sign, or Element. 2ly, Here is the ſame thing ſignified, the Spirit, and Blood of Chriſt. 3ly. The ſame end aimed at, the taking away, or purgeing of Sin; nor did I ever contend with any Man about Dipping, but to deny all Baptiſm, unleſs by Dipping, and ſo ſet up Rebaptiſing, and to adminiſter Baptiſm only to Adult perſons, excluding all the Children of Believing Parents; This I could never yield to.
To conclude, though I was moved to publiſh my Notes by ſome Friends, yet had I not received this Challenge, (for ſo I may call it) by this Letter, I think I ſhould never have done it, becauſe I knew Men far more able than my ſelf, had done more ſervice, than I could do in the Controverſie.
I wiſh the Anabaptiſts, before they had Condemned, and wrote againſt Infant-baptiſm, had well ſtudyed, and well improved their Parental, and Infant-baptiſmal Covenant, followed God cloſe for the benefits, and waited, though they found temptations, and did not meet with all they would, and reproved others for neglecting, and vigorouſly ſtirred up people to the ſerious improvement of them; Then had they done good ſervice to Chriſt and his Church: Whereas by the courſe they have taken, they have increaſed our Diviſions, (a thing deeply to be lamented) which I ſhall never live to ſee healed.
I ſhall only deſire the Anabaptiſts to give me anſwer to theſe two Queſtions, clearly from Scripture.
Queſt. 1. Since God was ſo Gracious to make a Covenant with Abraham and his Seed, and it did then conſiſt with his Wiſdom, to Conſtitute his Church of Parents and Children, while the Parents did believe in the Meſſiah to come, why may it not conſiſt with his Grace to continue that Covenant, and with his Wiſdom, still to Conſtitute his Goſpel-Church of Parents and Children, the Jews now believing in Chriſt come?
If God hath plainly declared his pleaſure to the contrary, tell us where, and we are ſatisfied: but you muſt produce other Scriptures then you have done yet.
Queſt. 2. If God hath repealed his Covenant, with the Believing Jews Seed, turned their Children out of the Church, and deny them Baptiſm, though the Jews truly Believe in Chriſt come, what hath God left in the room of theſe, that carry any ſhew of his Bleſſing, or good Will towards their Children, during their Infant State?
As to their Internall and Eternal State, the Infants were in as good a State then, as now? Chriſt is Yeſterday, to Day, and the ſame for ever, the Lamb ſlain for the Foundation of the World. Apoc. 13.8. But as to their viſible State, how come they to be in the ſame condition, that we Gentiles, and our Children were in. Epheſ. 2.12. Before Chriſt came, and we believed in him?
I ſtate the Queſtion, concerning the Jews Believing in Chriſt come. As for the Believing Gentiles, I ſhall let them alone, till I ſee how you prove the caſting out of the Seed of the Believing Jews.
FINIS.
End of the text · Giles Firmin, The Plea of the Children of Believing Parents (1683)