Infant Baptism Asserted and Vindicated, Part 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Wherein the Author endeavours to ſhew the Nullity, and utter inſignificancy of Infant-Baptiſm.
THus he proceeds — That it is no-way ſafe for any to reſt contented with that Baptiſm, which they received in their Infancy, may appear, becauſe ſuch their Baptiſm is a meer Nullity. How doth he make this out?
Why thus:
Becauſe, ſaith he, as the right matter, ſo the true Form is wanting; for the External Form, as before is ſhewed is not Sprinkling, or pouring a little Water upon the Head or Face, but a Dipping the whole Perſon under Water, and raiſing him up again, to figure out Death, Burial, and Reſurrection, as before: if then Matter and Form be wanting which is ſo eſſential to its Being, it muſt needs be a Nullity.
Although enough hath been ſaid already to confute this in the 6th Chap. of the firſt Part of our Book, to prove Infants of Believers fit Matter for the Church, and conſequently Subjects of Baptiſm, beſides what hath been ſaid in the 4th Chap. Part 2. concerning the Ceremony of Baptiſm: yet being willing to give the Author full meaſure, preſſed down and running over; We ſhall ſay ſomething more to evince the weakneſs of his Aſſertion in this Chapter.
Firſt 'tis obſervable, that he who hath undertaken to write a Treatiſe of Baptiſm, [mark well], ſhould miſtake both the Matter and Form of it; for certainly he is out in both.
1. Firſt for the Matter of Baptiſm, all Divines hold it is Water, meer, pure Water without mixture. Take the Judgment of two very eminent Divines: The firſt is the Learned Zanchy, Tom. 1. Lib. 1. pag. 404. Materia Externa Baptiſmi eſt Aqua, Interna, Sanguis & Spiritus, Chriſti; The External Matter of Baptiſm is Water; the Internal, the Blood and Spirit of Chriſt: The other is Bucan, Profeſſor of Divinity in Academia Lauſanenſi: He in his Theological Inſtitutions or Common places, anſwereth ſeveral Queſtions concerning Baptiſm, & this is the 18th, Quae eſt Materia Baptiſmi? What is the Matter of Baptiſm? To which he gives this anſwer; it is two-fold, Externa & Interna, External and Internal; the External is, Aqua pura, munda & naturalis ſine diſcrimine, ſimplex, vulgaris, non prius peculiaribus Conſecrata, non mixta, non Oleum, &c. That is, it is pure, clean, ſimple, common Water without mixture of Oyl, Spittle, and ſuch kind of things as the Papiſts add to it: de Baptiſmo, locus 47. p. 616. The Materia Interna, the Internal Matter of Baptiſm, is Sanguis & Spiritus Jeſu Chriſti, the Blood & Spirit of Jeſus Chriſt; de Bapt. loc 47. Queſt. 22.
2. For the Form of Baptiſm they agree in this, that it is thoſe Words of Inſtitution, I Baptize thee in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt. So ſaith Zanchy in the aforementioned place, and he brings the Words of the Apoſtle for both Matter and Form, Epheſ. 5.26. That he might Sanctify and cleanſe it by the Waſhing of Water through the Word; citing that famous ſpeech of Auſtin, Accedit verbum ad Elementum & fit Sacramentum; The word joyned to the Element [(i.e.) the Word of Inſtitution] makes the Sacrament. So Bucan Queſt. 22. Quae eſt igitur forma Baptiſmi [ſcil. Externa?] what is therefore the External Form of Baptiſm? Anſ. The rehearſing the words of Inſtitution, by a Miniſter of the Word of God, viz. I Baptize thee in the Name of the Father, &c. which he cals aſperſio aquae, and then Intern… Baptiſmi Forma eſt Interna illa actio, quae Jeſu Chriſti ipſius per Spiritum Sanctum agentis propria eſt; The Internal Form is that Internal action of Chriſt working by his Spirit, &c. Take notice, Reader, what a pittiful miſtake it is in the Author to call Dipping the Form of Baptiſm, for if that were it, then any man may Baptize himſelf, and every Boy that baths, and dives under Water may be ſaid to be Baptized: But one would think he were conſcious to himſelf of a wilful miſtake, by the Objection he frames for us.
Object. But 'tis ſaid, there was the right words of Baptiſm, it was done in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy-Spirit.
Anſwer.
So there was, ſaith he, in Baptizing Bells, Churches.
But doth he take this for a ſufficient Anſwer? Are Bells Subjectum capax, a Subject capable of a Sacrament?Quia in ipſo initio Regenerationis, cujus ſigilium eſt Baptiſmus, homo ſe habet merè paſſive; undè etiam homines vel Circumcindendi vel Baptizandi nulla actio Externa requiritur — ſed tantum receptio paſſ…a… Infantes igitur ſunt capaces hujus Sacramenti reſpectu praecipui ejus uſus at que Adulti. Children were heretofore, and ſo they are ſtill, as Dr. Ames in his Medulla Theologiae Lib. 1. c. 11. p. 186. Baptiſm, ſaith he, comes in the room of Circumciſion, Col. 2.11, 12. and belongs as much to Children of Believers, as Circumciſion did formerly; for at our firſt Regeneration, ſaith he, of which Baptiſm is a Seal, Man is meerly paſſive. As it was in Circumciſion ſo is it in Baptiſm, he is not Active, but Paſſive; and therefore Infants in reſpect of its chief uſe (of being a Seal) are as capable of the Sacrament of Baptiſm as the Adult.
Now though this may ſuffice, yet having promiſed to be liberal; We will ſuppoſe Dipping to be of uſe in the Apoſtles days, yet it will not follow that it is eſſential to the Sacrament of Baptiſm, ſo that in the want of it, Baptiſm is a Nullity. For the clearing of which we muſt know:
1. That in every Ordinance there are ſome things eſſential, which failing, the very being of the Ordinance is deſtroyed. 2. Some things requiſite becauſe enjoyned, but yet not eſſential; but only needful to the compleat and well-being of an Ordinance. 3. Some things meerly indifferent, as being the determination of ſome Circumſtances (left undetermined in the Inſtitution of it) As in the Lords Supper, the hour when, the kinds of Bread and Wine, the poſture, and number of the Partakers, either ſitting or ſtanding or the like. So in Baptiſm, whether the Perſon be Baptized by day or by night, in Rivers or Pools, or Veſſels (ſo he be able to bear it), whether the Water paſs on all his Body or ſome parts, & the reſt unwaſhed. And ſo for this of Dipping, it comes under the nature of an indifferent Circumſtance, although ſome place Superſtitiouſly ſuch neceſſity in it. I ſay it may be accounted an indifferent Circumſtance; ſo that Baptiſm in other things right, is true Sacramental Baptiſm, whether done by way of Sprinkling or Dipping, which is thus proved.
1. That which equally repreſents the grace ſignified, is of indifferent uſe, but the Baptiſm either by Dipping or Sprinkling, doth equally repreſent the grace ſignified.
The firſt Propoſition is clear; for in a Sacrament are but two things neceſſary, viz. (1) The matter or Element. (2) The uſe for repreſentation of the Grace. The Minor, or Aſſumption is evident, by conſidering the Grace of Baptiſm, which is principally two-fold, viz. Firſt our putting on of Chriſt, our Ʋnion to, and Communion with him, in which reſpect we are ſaid to put him on therein, and to be Baptized into him, Gal. 3.27. into his death, Rom. 6.3. that is, by Baptiſm we are Sacramentally enrighted into him and his death, and the fruits of it, in which reſpects we are in the ſame place v. 4. ſaid to be buried with him by Baptiſm into death. Now this putting on of Chriſt is as fully ſignified, by putting on of water on us, as by putting us into water. Application of Water to the Perſon, either in one way or other is a Sign of our Union to him: and ſo of our putting him on, our burying and riſing with him, and Communion with him, in all the effects of his death, which flow from the Union.
But it is Objected, that Sprinkling doth not repreſent our burying with him, as Dipping doth. Anſ. It is a fancy to imagine that every Metaphorical ☞ expreſſion uſed in Scripture ſignifying our Communion with Chriſt, ſhould be punctually expreſſed in the Sacrament; for the expreſſions are various, putting him on, burying with him, Sprinkling with his Blood: one ſign cannot repreſent our Communion with him in all theſe Metaphors. A partaking a Communion with Chriſt, and his death is the Sacramental Grace intended by thoſe various expreſſions, & that being repreſented, as well by Sprinkling as Dipping, it follows that water in either way of application, is Sacramental. 2dly, Our waſhing or cleanſing from Sin by the Blood of Chriſt, this is the principal effect of Chriſt's death repreſented, and Sealed in the Sacrament, which is equally ſet out by Sprinkling as by dipping. Firſt in aſmuch as waſhing may be done by both, and indeed it is the application of Water under the formality of Waſhing, not either of Dipping or Sprinkling, which is the ☜ Sacramental uſe of it; ſo that were Waſhing with Water, though neither by Dipping nor Sprinkling, yet it were a Sacrament as well as either: for the Sacramental conſideration in the uſe, is the Waſhing. 2.Numb. 19.18. Heb. 9.13. Under the Law the Sacramental cleanſing was done by Sprinkling in ſome caſes, and by Dipping in other; and the purifying by Chriſt's Blood equally repreſented by both. 3. The Blood of Chriſt in reſpect of this purifying and waſhing virtue and uſe of it, is called the Blood of Sprinkling, Heb. 12.24. and the Sprinkling of his Blood, 1. Pet. 1.2. All which are abundant proof, that the Grace of the Sacrament is as well, and as fully repreſented in the uſe of Water by Sprinkling, as by Dipping.
2dly. Thoſe Ʋſes of Water which are equally included in the Scripture-acceptation of the Word under the word Baptizing, are of equal and indifferent uſe; but both theſe, Dipping and Sprinkling are ſo: ergo.
The Major propoſition is undoubted: the Aſſumption is confirmed from Texts of Scripture, where the Word is uſed to ſignify Waſhing, by Sprinking, as Mar. 10.38. where is a waſhing by Blood, which could not be by Dipping, but by Aſperſion. 1 Cor. 10.2. Is a Baptiſm by Sprinkling, but not by dipping. So Mark. 7.48. Heb. 9.10, where all the Ceremonial Waſhings under the Law are called Baptiſms; now we know ſome of them were done by Sprinkling, and ſome by Dipping.
3. That which in all the examples and inſtances of Baptiſm, we find not reſtrained or defined, that is in this Sacrament of indifferent and arbitrary Ʋſe; But this manner of Baptizing in Scripture-examples and practice, we do not find reſtrained, or defined either to Dipping or Sprinkling.
We read of many Baptized, but no-where ſpecified by which of theſe ways; whereby we may gather that the H. Ghoſt hath no intent ☜ to bind, and determine our Practice to this or that; for ſeeing the word he uſeth, is indifferent for both, he would have left us ſome light either from precept, or example which way he would have Sacramental. This Aſſumption is confirm'd by this, that no-where is it expreſſed, that it was done by Dipping: yea in ſome, it is more than probable that it was not, viz. Act. 2.41. there being in one day 3000 Baptized; which might well be done by Sprinkling but not by Dipping. So Act. 10.47. there be many Baptized at a time and place when there could not be accommodation of water and other conveniences for total Dipping. Yea Peters phraſe, can any Man forbid Water? imports a bringing in of Water to the place for the uſe which might well be done for Sprinkling, but not for Dipping. Alſo Act. 16.33. There is a Man & all his Family ſtraight-way Baptized in a Priſon, and in the night, at which time and place Water for Dipping ſo many could not be had, but eaſily for Sprinkling.