Anti-Paedobaptism Part 3, Section 90
SECT. LXXXX. The arguments to prove Infant Baptism an innovation Exam. pag. 9. are made good against Mr. Marshal, and Dr. Homes.
WHereas Mr. M. had said in his Sermon pag. 3 that it is manifest out of most of the Records that wee have of …iquity, both in the Greek and Latin Church, that the Christian Church hath been in possession of the priviledge of baptising the infants of believers for the space of 1500. years and upwards; I said in my Examen p. 9. But it is wonder to mee that if it were so manifest as you speak, you should finde nothing in Eusebius for it, nor in Ignatius. nor in Clemens Alexandrinus, nor in Athanasius, nor in Epiphanius, that I mention not oth…rs
To this Mr. M. or his f…iend replies, that I add three arguments to shew that Infant Baptism was not known in the Greek Church, but therein he abuseth me, for I add…d them not to that end, but to shew that it was not so manifest as Mr. M. said, that it was not universally known.
To my mention of the silence of Eusebius, &c. he saith. 1. The question was not started then, as the Fathers spake not clearly of the traduction of original sin, before it was denied by the Pelagians. 2 That it is enough to him that none of the …uthors named by me spake against it.
Answ 1. The question of the Hieracites was raised in Epip…anius his time, which did lead to speak of infants Baptism, and ye… Epiphanius allegeth not in…ants Baptism against them, though it had been for his purpose. 2. Sure Eusebius that writes the Ec…lesiastical story, and such as wrote the history of the Church, had occasion to mention it is …hey do the B…ptism of persons of age, he use of the Lo…ds Supper, the meetings of Christians, the orders of the Church, the ordinations o… Bishops and other things and would it i… were so man…f…st as Mr. M. said it was. …3. It may be they spake not against it▪ because there was …o question about it. Bu… it is l…kely there was no question about it, because there was in the first ages no practise of it, or very obscure. For as soon as it began, Tertullian put in some exc…ptions against it and after him Nazianzen. 4. If the Fathers afore Po…gius arose, did not speak clearly of original sin, then it is likely the pa…ages in Origen on Levit. Rom. Luk. were nor his, sith they speak clearly of the traduction of original sin and that speech of V…ssius Hist Pel. l▪ 2 …art … th 6. p. 153. is right; For who can at this day discern what passages were the brats of Origen or his paraphrasts?
Hee adds. 1. If any thing were brought out of Ignatius, you would tell mee, that you did not know Ignatius when you see him.
Answ. 1. Though Ignatius Epistles be very doubtfull, yet I incline to think some of them to be his which we have, and that genuine passages may be discerned from spurious. 2. If any p…ssage, though spurious, were to be found in him for infant Baptism, Paedobaptists would not stick to produce it, who make no conscience to allege the words falsly ascribed to Justin Martyr in the book of questions and answers to the Orthodox, and stick not to maintain the allegation of it, as his, th…ugh it mention Origen, whom Dr. Homes imagins Justin Martyr might hear of, though he died by his confession anno 169. and Origen wa… not born till about 156. as the passages in his Animado ▪ on my Exercit. p 111, 112, 127. compared do shew. Besides the allegation of the Book of Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, as Dionysius the Areopogites, the questions ad …ntiochum, as Athana…us his shew, that neither this Authour nor other Pae…obaptists are ashamed to allege bastard writings, which say any thing for infant Baptism.
Concerning Clemens Alexandrinus he tels me Defence p. 19. You desire to know what Clemens Alexandrinus saith (which is not true) why sure he had none but gre…t infants to be his Schollers (I conceive he means p…ofessed Pagan infidels, But I t…ink this not true, sith in his writings he directs Christians, and opposeth heretiques) if you (who pretend to bee acquainted familiarly (which is very false) with the secrets of antiquity) be acquainted with him you'l know what I mean: He desired (as it is likely more Greek Fathers who were converted from Paganism did) to set forth religion in such a way, as might move other Pagans to come and confess the Christian saith, that so they might bee added to the Church by Baptism, in such a way as was proper to the baptising of grown men. Which is true, and confirms my presumption that when he speaks of Baptism, as he doth lib. 1. paedag. c 6. and elsewhere, he would have mentioned infant Baptism and its benefit to the same end, if it had been in his time in use, as Mr. M. in his sermon said.
Concerning Athanas…us he speaks thus, What say you to that passage in Athanasius? Where he is shewing how wee are buried with Christ in …aptism, and rise again; he sayes the dipping of the infant quite under water thrice, and raising of it up again, doth signifie the death of Christ and his resurrection upon the third day, Athan. dicta & interpretatio script. q 94. is not that testimony plain?
Answ. It is: But wh…se is it? Is not that Book one of those suppositi…ious writing in the 2d. tome of Athanasius works, of which Scultetus Medul patrum part. 2. l. 1 c. 42. saith, qu dam nullo judicio videntur con cripta quae se satis produn? Among which also are the quaestions to Antiochus, out of which Mr. M. or …is friend pag. 20, 21. cite two testimonies, on… out of quaest 2▪ and another quaest▪ 114 and saith, the wo…ds are safe and sound buil… on a …os…el ground, owned by all the reformed Churches ▪ which make infants of believers baptised to enter into the Kingdome of heaven, excluding the unbaptized, which hitherto hath b…n termed Popery. Nor is hee excused …rom abusing Readers with these bastard writings, by saying, the words following may be erroneous, and yet written by Athanasiu… ▪ when the words following are part of the answer, which is erroneous, and they are so connex that they must bee the same Authors. As for the words, How do you prove what you allege out of Tertullian and Gregory Nazianzen, and tha… I make this a plea for my self▪ that my allegations may gain a favourable construction, that my proofs taken out of antiquity do as strongly prove the point in hand, as proofs are usually taken in such matters, no whit excuseth him, sith my proofs are from writings not suspected, his are from treatises judged by many of each tide to he supposititious, mine from passages not excepted against, as his are, and therefore my wondering ceaseth not: and the silence of these, together with Epiphanius his not urging infant Baptism against Hieracites; yeeld a strong presump…ion of the rarity of infant Baptism then, though from thence the non usage bee not syllogistically concluded. And for the words hee brings out of Epiphanius, hee might call Baptism the great Circumcision, yet reject infan… Baptism (though I said not he did, but that it's like… it was not so manifest as Mr. M. said) as he might call Pre…byters Priests, and Deacons Levites, and yet not tye Presbytery or Deaconship to a tribe, and the age in which each sort ministred in the Temple of the Jews. I add, that the words cited out of the supposed Athanasius prove dipping under water then the usual way of Baptism.
What Dr. Homes brings Animadv. on my Exercit. pag. 143. out of Clemens Alexandrinus Strom. l. 3. pag 461. serves not his turn, but is rather against him, for it mentions onelyonly one Baptism of Believers. And the same may be s…id of what he brings out of Epiphanius his 2d. Book …om. 2. contra haeres. 30. pag. 52. In which hee makes the perfect Circumcision not to be onelyonly of men in the time of their imbecility, but of men and women, all the people of Christians indeed, which omits if not excludes infants.
2ly. saith Mr. M or his friend, def. pag. 21. you reason from the continuance of the questions put to persons when they were to be baptized, and answered by them: which I think because we must conceive children were not able to return an answer to them, thereby you would infer they were not baptized· But I answer, when the Gospel was fi…st declared into the world, such as being of age were first taught were then baptized, Acts 2.41. & Acts 8.13, 37. After that time such as were taught are said to be catechized: for foreign. the Catechism leads men to faith, saith Clemens Alexandrinus Paedag. When such were prepared and made fit to bee baptized, certain questions were propounded to them concerning their faith in Christ, their resolution to forsake the Devil, &c. which are related by many of the Ancients: when those of age afterwards brought their children to baptism, these questions were likewise out to them (though of themselves they were not able to make answer to them) but how warrantably, I will not go about to prove; yet that they were used at infants Bap…ism▪ as well as at the Baptism of such as were at age, it appears by Balsamon in Can. 6. Conc. Neocaesar. Aug. Ep. ad Januarium, &c. To all which questions at childrens bap…ism, such as un…ertook their education made answer on their b…half. Therefore you cannot by these questions infer that children were not baptized, seeing these Authors certifie that questions were put to them, and also tell us who answered for them.
Answ. 'Tis true I cannot, nor did I ever intend to prove that children were not baptized in the third age, but the putting the questions to infants to answer, shews that at first none were baptized but such as could answer to them: and sith this was but a ridiculous thing, which this Author will not go about to prove to have been done warrantably, to put questions to infants to answer, doubtless it came not from the Apostles or Apostolical men, who would never have appointed so frivolous a thing▪ but as this Author doth very honestly confess, they baptized such as were taught and catechized, and as he well notes out of Clemens Alexandrinus, Catechism leads men to faith, and that to Baptism. And this undeniably proves, as Ludovicus Vives truly gathered, tom. in August de civit. Dei c. 27. l 1. tom. 5. that at first none was baptized till he could ask for it and answer to the questions, which custome he saith he hath heard continued in some Cities of …taly. It is likely those of the Greeks about Cal…bria… ▪ and so far as I can yet by search discern, this continued the first and second Age, to baptize onelyonly persons of age. In the third Age, infant Baptism with many other corruptions began, and then to keep a mimical shew of the old manner of a…swering the qu…stions, some made answer in the infants name; which being after objected to Augustin, he answers Epist. 23. that the answerer did not speak falsly, when he said the infant did believe, because he had the Sacrament of faith: which was indeed no answer, sith the answer was made afore the Sacrament, and the Sacrament could not make him a believer who was not. Now this answer was not to engage them to undertake their education, as this Autho… seems to imply, but to assert they did believe afore they were baptized, it being originally the right use of that rite, to baptize none but those who were first believers, till the supersti…ious conceit of an infants perishi…g without Baptism first brought it in, as necessary in case of apparent danger of imminent death, and no otherwise; as those many reliques of Antiquity in the speeches of Tertullian, Nazianzen, and others shew; besi…es the narrations of baptizing he catechized at solemn times, and the not baptizing of children of believers till they came to age, the inten… of b…ptizing Austin when in you…h he was sick, but putting it off when recovered. But after his time, the necessity of it being so vehemently pressed by him, and urged against Pelagians, infant Baptism in process of time quite swallowed up true baptism, and that which this Author here ingenuo…sly confesseth was the primitive use, is now cried down as i… it were an innovation and an heresie. So monstrously hath the ignorance and intemperate speeches of Fathers, School-men and others, and the violence and mistakes of Luther, Calvin, and others, perverted the doctrine of Baptism, and oppressed those that have sought to reform it, though if there were no more to be said for them then what here this Author, whether Mr. Marshal or Dr. Young confesseth, it were enough to sati…fi… men that were willing to be satisfied, that infant Baptism was not at fi…st when the Gospel went first abroad into the world, and yet th…n doubtless Believers had infants; but that afterwards men brought their children to Baptism, when …orrupt opinions of its necessity and the giving grace by i… were …eceived, and to al…ay the extream bit…er and unreasonable heat of spirit, which is in the clamarous Paedobaptists of our days. But I go on.
Mr. M. or his friend tels mee, Thirdly▪ you conceive because many children born of Christian Parents were not baptised when they were young, therefore it was not their custome to Baptise infants. For the making good hereof, you bring forth instances of Constantin… the Great, Greg▪ Nazianzen, and Chrysostom. Afore he speaks of these instances, hee sets down some known reasons, some imagined, why some deferred among the Ancients their own Baptism; and he thinks they might upon the like reasons defer their childrens.
Answ. 1. That they did defer their childrens Baptism confirms my opinion, that it was not ordinary in the Greek Church to baptize infants. 2. That if they did defer it upon the reasons imagined by him, then they thought it not necessary to be done in infancy, as Paedobaptists do now, chiefly Mr. Baxter, plain Script. proof part. 2. ch 8 who will have infants baptised immediately, as soon as ever they are disciples; which by his grounds is at the first instant of their birth, or afore. 3. That very reason why some deferred Baptism to old age to wit the doing away sin, was indeed the very reason of their baptizing infants And Nazianzens confutation, telling some that all times were fit for Baptism, seeing no time was free from death, shews how ill Mr M. chose that passage to put in the Title page of his Book, unles… he would have Readers to baptize upon that opinion, as if thereby they could work out their salvation. 4. All this discourse about the various reason of mens deferring their own Baptism, is quite besides the point about parents deferring their infants Baptism, which not to have been upon any of those imagined reasons, but because they thought it not necessary, nor did practise it but in case of apparent danger of imminent death to the infant, will appear by weighing his answer to my instances. …o that of Constantines being not baptized in infancy, though Helena his mother were a Christian it is said; 1. That it appears not that Constantines parents were in his infancy become Christians. 2. Himself was also an unbeliever many years. To which I reply though it be not apparent that Constantius or Helena were Christians in the infancy of Christians, yet those Historians that do conceive they were, and yet it being agreed he was not then baptized, o…acitely yeeld▪ that it was not unusual for the children of Believers to be unbaptized till they came to age.
Dr. Homes tels me That I have ill urged Constantin a Latin, for an instance that Baptism of infants was not ordinary in the Greek church ▪ But I think otherwise since Constantin lived and died in the Greek Church, and therefore fitly mentione… among them.
The next mentioned by me is Gregory Nazianzen, the son of a Christian Bishop, and brought up long by him, was not baptized till hee came to be a youth. To this saith Mr. M or his friend How do you prove he was the son of a Christian Bishop▪ His father was once in the Hyp…istarian errour, whether he were converted before Gregory was bo…ni… is not exprest. When hee was young he was b…ed at A…ens under heathens, to which it's not likely his father would send him if a Christian, and why he was not baptised as soon as he was converted to Christianity I conjecture the reason was that he might the better prepare himself to receive baptism.
Answ. I did little imagin that this Author would have so far gratified the Papists, as to joyn with Baronius and other Romanists, by shifts to avoid the evidence of this instance, which Protestants urge to prove Bishops to have then married and begot children after marriage. To his question, I prove him to have been a Bishop by the same words of Gregory Nazianzen himself in the verse of his life; by which Chamier paustrat. Cath. tom. 3. l. 16. c. 13. §. 41. Dr. Hall honour of the married Clergy 2d. Book Sect. 8. and others, prove Gregory Nazianzen to have been begotten of his Father being a Bishop, where he brings in his Father speaking to perswade him to help him in his charge, in these words, as Dr. Hall turns them into English out of Greek, The years of thy age are not so many as of my Priesthood Which how to free from Baronius his devices of an byperbole, and the inconsistency with the other passages of his fathers Baptism, and his study at Athens, and seeing Julian there, the Reader may see in Chamier ubi suprà at large. Where and in Dr. Hall he may find, that his mother was also a pious Christian when hee was born, and that she begged him of God. And the Century Writers of Magd. say cent. 4 c. 10. She was born of pious and holy progenitours. And though he travailed abroad, suppose at 12. years of age, yet was he long brought up by his parents, especially in that time in which he was to have been baptized, if the Baptism of infants had been then ordinary: yet was hee not baptized (as this Author confesseth) till he was of age, after he returned to his Father, who it is not likely did send him to be trained up under infidels, however hee might light on their acquaintance and hear them. As for the reason of deferring his baptism, it is in vain to enquire into another cause, then that which Gregory Nazianzen himself in his 40th. Oration of holy Baptism gives, when hee adviseth to baptize infants in case of apparent danger of imminent death, but out of that case to defer it. And this appears to have been the genuine reason, and the practise accordingly in that (as Gregorius Presbyter relates in his life) when sailing to Athens a storm arose, so that his life was in apparent danger, he was afraid of dying unbaptised, and resolved to be baptised. The other reason assigned by Mr M or his friend, is frivolous; for though the better to prepare himself to receive baptism, might be the reason of his deferring it so long as he did when he came to age, yet it could not be a reason of his parents deferring it, or of his in infancy. So that notwithstanding these vain shifts of this Author, wherein he joyns with the Papists, who use the like devices to avoin this testimony urged by Protestants to prove the marriage of Bishops then, and is refuted by them, yet this one instance is an evident proof, that in the Greek Church baptism of infants was not ordinary in the fourth Century, but used perhaps extraordinarily in case of apparent danger of imminent death.
There is the less need of insisting on the instance of Chrysostome his birth of Christian parents▪ and educated and baptised at age by Miletius, sith that of Nazianzen … pregnant. 'Tis true I did allege it as Grotius … saying, whom I found counted for a learned man by Spanheimius and many others, and I might well make use of him, as Protestants sometimes do of Papists that are corrupt in point of antiquity. If Dr. Young were the Author of the first part of Mr. Ms. Defence, and of the Latin Book of the Lords day, published in the year 1639. under the name of Theophilus P…ylokyriaces Loncardiensis, hee himself cites Baronius for the Lords day in the very title page of his Book. What Grotius was in his life and studies, I leave for those who knew him to judge; his books though in many things corrupt, I might be allowed to make use of, as of other learned men with judgement. In this thing I did think I might the more securely take his word, because in the same place Annot. in Matth. c. …9.14. hee declared hee was for infant Baptism; nor do I think it was without some reason which he affirmed, though my time and Library yeeld mee not the advantage of making search into this thing. It is enough that it is supposed by learned men probable, which would not bee if it were not then ordinary, that the children of Christian parents were baptized after they had themselves been believers. Which i… plain by the resolution of the Synod of Neocaesar…a, elder then the first Nicene, which determined; That a woman with child might be baptized, because the Baptism reached not to the fruit of her womb, because in the confession made in Baptism, each ones free choise is shewed. For if in the confession in Baptism each ones free choise is shewed, then infants were not ordinarily baptized, who could shew no free choise in confession.
How this is vindicated from the shifts of Mr. M or his friend, may be seen in my Apology sect. 16. p. 87, 88. which I think needless to repeat. And for Grotius his saying, tha… in every age many of the Greeks unto this day, keep the custome of deferring the Baptism of little ones, till they could themselves make a confession of their saith, may be true, if either those in Italy mentioned by Ludov. Vives Comment in Aug. l. 1. de civit. Dei, c. 27. were Greeks, as it is likely in Calabria, where are Greek Churches as I remember Brerewood shews in his Enquiries of Religion, or the Georgians children, or the Christians children of Cholcos we…e Greeks; o… whom Heylin in his Geography in the description of Armenia, out of Brerewood, Alexand. Rosse in his Censure of Religio Medici, &c say▪ they are not baptized till they be 8. years old. Nor need the Anabaptists yet to blush, for all Mr. Ms. or his friends, or Dr Homes, or Dr. Hammonds, or Mr. Craggs allegations, in saying that the An…ients, especially the Greek Church, rejected the baptism of infants for many hundred years. For there is no evidence produced for infant Baptism in the Greek Church till Nazianzens time, who flourished saith Dr. Hammond about the year of Christ 370. and died in the year 389. which is above 300. years, and hee disswades it except in case of apparent danger of imminent death, and saith some are kep… from Baptism by reason of infancy, and as Mr. M p. 24. of his Defence saith, all times were fit for Baptism, seeing no time was free from death, intimates Baptism not fit for some time, except in that case, which may be gathered to have been the onelyonly reason of infant Baptism, from what is s…id before of the story of hi… own baptism; and therefore I doubt not to conclude▪ that infant Baptism was not so ancient in the Greek Church as i… by Mr. M. and others pretended, and as now it is taught by him and others, is a late innovation.