The Rector Rectified, Treatise · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Containing ſome brief practical Ʋſe of the whole; with ſeaſonable Counſel to Parents, &c.
1. FRom hence I infer that thoſe who have only been ſprinkled or rantized, who are baptized afterwards when they believe, are not rebaptized, as you affirm; nor do they renounce their Baptiſm, though they do renounce the Practice and humane Tradition of Sprinkling.
2. All you pious Parents, bleſs God for Chriſt and the Goſpel, and for all thoſe Priviledges he hath beſtowed upon you; and be ſure make God's Word your Rule, and tremble to do any thing in his Worſhip, without lawful Authority from him, I mean Precept or Example from his Word; and do not adventure to baptize, much leſs to rantize your Children, whatever Mr. Burkit or any Man on Earth ſays, unleſs you can find it written in your Bibles; God hath not commanded you to bring them into a Baptiſmal Covenant, not made any Promiſe of Bleſſing to aſſiſt them to perform it: If you do ſo, conſider what I have ſaid in this Treatiſe about that deviſed and unwarrantable Covenant by which you may heap up Guilt upon your ſelves, and lay ſuch a Load and Burden on your Children, that you are not aware of, and frighten them with the Thoughts of Perjury, &c. ſufficient to drive them into Deſpair, when indeed God never will charge them with Perjury, ſince he never commanded them to enter into any ſuch Covenant.
Can any Body think when your Children are grown up, and they by Light received from God's Word, ſhould be convinced they were never baptized at all, and ſo renounce their Infants Rantiſm, that they thereby become guilty of Perjury, and muſt be damned? Do not theſe Men teach ſuch a kind of Doctrine as that is?
2dly. Train up your Children in the Fear of God, and ſet them a good Example, and pray for them, and over them, and give them good Inſtruction, or godly Counſel and Admonitions; but dread to ſprinkle them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoſt, becauſe 'tis not done by his Authority nor Appointment. Know 'tis not in the Power of Man by any external Rite to make your Children Members of Chriſt, or viſible Members of his Body. Baptiſm is not Bread for Infants, but for Chriſt's newborn Babes; not for your Children as ſuch, but ſuch who are the Children of God, who are born of his Spirit.
3dly. Don't deceive your poor Children, and make them believe they are in a good Condition, by reaſon they are the Seed of believing Parents, and baptized (as theſe Men call it) and ſo look out for no further Work of Grace nor Regeneration▪ but think they by that pretended Baptiſm were made Chriſtians, even Children of God, Members of Chriſt, and Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven, when in Truth 'tis no ſuch thing.
Nor have you any Cauſe to doubt but that your Infants who die (though not baptized) are happy, as it appears from what we have ſaid. Neither be ye ſo ignorant to believe Baptiſm can ſave your Infants or the Adult either! nor let poor Children cry out againſt their ungodly Parents, as Mr. Burkit intimates they may do in pag. 62. Take a Taſte of his ſtrange Doctrine, thus he ſays. Before your Children are born, (1.) Make ſure, as much as in you lieth, that they may be born within the Covenant, and under the Promiſe, by your being in Covenant with God your ſelves; See that the Lord be your God, … God in Covenant with you, and then you may comfortably hope he will be the God of your Seed in their Generations.
Anſw. This is a way to bring poor Souls into Covenant, that God ſpeaks nothing of in his Word. You may be in Covenant, and your Children never in it whilſt they live, nay die out of the Covenant, as doubtleſs many godly People… Children do. Nor hath God made ſuch a Covenant with every Chriſtian Man and their Seed, as he made with Abraham, who was the Father of all that Believe; but ſo are not you, nor I, though we are in Covenant with God, and walk in Abraham's ſteps.
Thoſe who are in the Election of Grace of your Seed, never fear, God will intereſt in his due time with all Covenant-Bleſſings and Privileges; but if any of them are not comprehended in that Election of Grace, they being born of your Loins, will not, cannot bring them into Covenant with God.
Your Buſineſs and your Childrens too, is to make your (and their) Election ſure, by ſpecial and effectual Calling.
'Tis not the firſt Birth, but the Second, that brings either you or your Children into the Goſpel▪Covenant, that God may be your God, and their God.
But mark Mr. Burkit's next words, p. 62.
O! were but Infants capable of Knowledg, how much would they dread being born of wicked Parents? Make it your Endeavour, before your Children are born, to ſanctify your Children; this is done by Prayer, &c.
Anſw.: 1. This is enough to ſet Children againſt their ungodly Parents, nay, to … them in their Hearts. Alas, the Children of wicked Parents▪ I ſee not but they may be i… as good a Condition as the Children of Believers▪ for doubtleſs God will not deſtroy poor children for the F…t and Sins of their Parents. … by your begetting them, (though gracious) you cannot live them, ſo you by begetting them, (though wicked) cannot damn or deſtroy them.
Perkins on Gal. 3. p. 264.There is no reaſon (ſaith Mr. Perkins) that the wickedneſs of the Parents ſhould prejudice the Child, in things pertaining to Eternal Life.
2. But if it be a… you ſay, that when you are in Covenant, your Children are in Covenant, doubtleſs they are in a ſafe Condition; and Baptiſm to them is … cannot bring them into the Covenant beca… they were in it be…e, and therefore … enough.
3. But may not th… Doctrine pu… … juſt Rebuke …on Unbelievers, or Ungodly Perſons, for once attempting to Marry; and beget Children, that are in ſuch a ſad Condition, by reaſon their Pare…s were not …n Covenant w… God! Ought …, nay, may they lawfully M…rry, this being conſidered, and ſuch drea…ul … following? …ſider how far doth th… Covenant▪ Bleſſing ex…end▪ If my Grand▪father in Cov…nt, …ho my Fathe… … b… very wic…ed and ungodly Perſons, am I not ſtill in Coven…t, and are not my Children i… Covenant too? Nay, if … was by my Great-Grandfather, will not that do, as well as if my mo… … Father was▪ in Covenant with God?
Sir, The Oppoſers of Pedo-…ptiſm do not creep out of Darkneſs and …, as you ſcandalouſly affirm; but God hath graciouſly brought us out of the Darkneſs you are in, and hath given us (bleſſed be his Name) the Knowledg and Light of his Word, and what his Goodwill and Pleaſure is in this Matter, and mercifully vouchsafed to us a gracious Freedom and Liberty to worſhip him …cording to our Light and Conſciences, which …ou ſeem troubled at▪ and we are not aſhamed to ſhew our Heads on the Houſe-top; nor do we ſcandalouſly dip our deluded Proſelytes, as you with Envy and Prejudice enough ſay, but do at Noon-day, to the Honour of God, a… in juſtification of his Wiſdom and Holy Inſtitution▪ Baptize or Dip ſuch who believe and are diſcipled by the Word; which is a joyful Spectacle, no doubt, to the Holy Angels, and all enlightned good Men, who ſee this reproached and contemned Ordinance in its Primitive Purity.
And as touching your Reflections,Burkit's Reflections on Mr. Tredwell, anſwered. in p. 66. on …y Faithful and worthy Brother Mr. Tredwell, whom you pretend to pity, as one miſled by prejudice of Education, undertaking an Office to get Bread; and as if he was no ways qualified to preach the Goſpel, becauſe he underſtands not the Original Tongues.
I anſwer; On my Knowledg, he had a good and warrantable Call to go and preach the Goſpel where he is; and was ſent down alſo, as being approved as one able to teach, to the Profit and Edification of the People. And truly you, and thoſe of your Brethren, have the leaſt reaſon of any Men to talk as you do, about Preaching for Bread, for that will not ſerve your turn, you muſt have Fat Benefices. God hath ordained, that they that preach the Goſpel, ſhould live of the Goſpel; and the Workman is worthy of his Meat; and would you not have him have Bread to eat? I doubt not, 'tis the Honour of God, and the bringing of Souls to Chriſt, my Brother Tredwill … a…; and had you no more for Preaching than he has, you might be the more juſtified in ſomething (I am informed) you have done, or are about to do. And as for the Knowledg of the Tongues, I hope you do not make that an Eſſential Qualification of a true Miniſter; I am ſure God's Word doth it not▪ the Spirit's …aching is above all H…ane Learning.
And now, Sir, by this time I hope you will ſee more cauſe of bluſhing (than he hath) at your Attempt, and raſh Cenſuring and Condemning, and in a bad manner reproaching of Chriſt's … Ordinance, and Sacred Inſtitution, and his poor and deſpiſed People, who wiſh you and all Men well, and did not, nor do intend any Evil againſt you, nor had troubled our ſelves with you, had not you begun with us. The Lord give you Repentance to the acknowledgment of the Truth, and grant more Love and Charity one to another; For who art thou that judgeſt … ther Man's Servant?