A Forerunner to a Large Review of the Dispute Concerning Infant Baptism, Treatise · Section 20
SECT. XX. Many learned men (with the Oxford Convocation) of former and later times take Infant-baptisme onelyonly for an unwritten tradition.
MR. B. proceeds to answer my Antidote, termes it a Corrective for a circumforaneous Antidote: but the Antidote will appear to be good if taken, notwithstanding his disgraceful term of Corrective without vertue. Page 299. He prints two passages of Dr. Whitakers for the late Oxford Convocation to reade, and referres to the like in Davenant. But whatever Doctor Whitaker thought, yet that the Antients did take Baptism of Infants to have been an Apostolical tradition unwritten seemes to me, from that which is said in my Examen part. I. sect. 5. not avoided by Mr. Ms Defence. In the Council of Basil in the oration of the Cardinal of Ragusi it is asserted, Item nusquam legitur in canone Scripturae S. quod parvulus recenter baptizatus, qui nec corde credit ad justitiam, nec ore confitetur ad falutem, inter fideles & crudentes computetur. Et nihilominus Ecclesia it a determinavit et statuit, &c. And, in principip hujus Sacramenti baptizabantur solum illi qui per se sciebant fidem interroganti respondere. To which purpose Walafridus Strabo many hundred years before, and Vives about that time, whose words are alleged in my Exercitation, the title page and sect 17. Erasmus resp. Archiep. Hispal. ad artic. object. 61. Sunt et alia innumera quae prisci non ausi sunt definire, sed suspensae pronunciatione venerabantur, quod genus est an parvuliessent baptizandi. And commonly the learnedst Papists do instance in Infant-baptism as an unwritten tradition in force; and whereas it is objected that Bellarm. and others do bring Scripture for it, Becan. manual. lib. 1. c. 2. sect. 24. answers, aliqua possunt probariex Scriptura quando constat de vero & legitimo Scripture sensu. So he saith it is concerning Infan-baptism, which is proved from John 3. 5. but that the sense whereby to prove it is onelyonly manifest by tradition. Which is confirmed in the Canon law and Schoolmen, an Infants-baptism was not reckoned perfect, till the Bishop laid on hands, which act was called Confirmation, to wit, of the imperfect Baptism in infancy. Molinaeus in his Vates l. 2. c. 7. cites the canon dist. 5. de. consecratione, as determining that without the Sacrament of Confirmation no man is a full Christian. Can. omnes, et Can. ut jejuni. Thomas 3. parte summae, q. 72. art. 9. dicit hoc sacramentum esse perfection…m Baptismi: innuens Baptismum esse imperfectum nisi accesserit Confirmatio. Lumb. l. 4. sent. dist. 7. A. omnes fideles per manus impositionem Episcoporum post Baptismum accipere debent in Confirmatione Spiritum sanctum ut pleni Christiani inveniantur. Bellarm. tom. 3. de sacr. confirm. c. 12. confirmatio est complementum & perfectio baptismi. Lib. 2. de effec. Sacram. c. 8. est Confirmatio quaedam perfectio & consummatio Baptismi. Jewel Defence of the Apolog. page 218. allegeth it as Caistans tenet, that an Infant, for that he wanteth instruction in faith, therefore hath not perfect Baptism. Consonant hereto is the conceit of the common people, that they have not their full Christen dome all they be Bishopped. But that it may appear even learned Protestants speak near the same, I will cite some of their speeches; Among which I will forbear to recite the speeches of the Lord Brook and Mr. Daniel Rogers alleged by me in my Exercit. sect. 18. and cleered in my Apology from Mr. Rogers. his latter glosse, nor the opinion of Mr. Bedford, who judged with the Romanists, that the Scripture gives us proof onelyonly of the reasonableness of Infant-baptisme, as I gather by Mr. Bs. I answer to him page 305. Dr. Field of the Church, fourth book chap. 20. The fourth kind of inadition is the continued practise of such things as are neither contained in the Scripture expressely, nor the examples of such practise expressely there delivered, though the grounds, reasons, and causes of the necessity of such practise be there contained, and the benefit or good that followeth it. Of this sort is the Baptism of Infants, which is therefore named a tradition, because it is not expressely delivered in Scripture that the Apostles did baptize Infants, nor any expresse precept there found that they should so do. Yet is not this so received by bare and naked tradition, but that we find the Scripture to deliver unto us the grounds of it. Doctor, Prideaux fasci. Controv. Theol. loc. 4. sect. 3. q. 2. Paedobaptism rests on no other Divine right then Episcopacy. Doctor Jeremy Taylor in his Liberty of prophesying sect. 18. num. 34. after he had ventilated the point on both sides saies, there is much more truth then evidence on our sides, meaning Paedobaptists. To all which I will adde the words of Theophilus Philakyriaco Loucardiensis, that is Mr. Young, as I am informed, an eminent man in the late Assembly, and Mr. Marshals friend that holp him in the first part of his Defence, in his Dies Dominica lib. 1. c. 10. page 54. where he confesseth ingenuously thus. Anabaptistas Paedobaptismo oblainantes apertis testimoniis ferire non possumus, vesaniam his teles comprimimus, 1. ex parallelo praecepto de Circumci sione. 2. ex praxi Apostalica: quae quum aliquanda fit obscurior, consuetudinem totius Ecclesiae à primaevis & historicis temporibus adjicimus: juae; licet praefractos Anaboptistas non movebunt; apud prudentes, morigeros, & aejuos renum aestimatores valebunt. So that according to him, the main weight lies on the custome of the Church, which is falsely imagined to have been from the Apostles, as in some measure is proved in my Examen part of the first, not yet shaken by Mr. Ms. friend with all his insight Antiquity. From which I inferre, that the Antients and learned afore Zuinglius did account Infant-baptism to have been an unwritten tradition, having reason from Scripture, not evident of it self, but to be received for the determination of the Church, and that because it was not fully perfect, therefore Confirmation was added, which was retained in the English Liturgy as necessarily previous to the Lords Supper; nor do many of the best learned Protestants speak much otherwise out of the heat of dispute against Anabaptists. They are farre from Mr. Bs. audaciousnesse to assert it as having plain Scripture proof for it. The very hesitant resolution of the most learned and considerate is enough to represse his vain attempt, and to awaken those that depend on his proofes, and rest on their Infant-sprinkling, and neglect the practise of being baptized after profession of faith, being so expressely enjoyned in Scripture as a prime important duty for their salvation.