Infant Baptism of Christs Appointment, Title page – To the reader
Infant Baptiſm OF CHRIST'S Appointment, OR A Diſcovery of Infants Intereſt in the Covenant with Abraham, ſhewing who are the Spiritual Seed and who the fleſhly Seed.
TOGETHER, With the Improvement of Covenant Intereſt by Parents and Children.
By S. P. Miniſter of the Goſpel.
Mark. 10. 14. Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not.
LONDON, Printed for Edward Giles, Bookſeller in Norwich, near the Market▪place. 1687.
THE PREFACE TO THE READER.
I Am ſenſible, that many Books have been already written by others on this Subject of Infant-baptiſm, and it was formerly far from my thoughts to make an addition; but the irregularity of one, who left his Goſpel ſtation without previous declaring any ſuch intention to me, (with what enſued) occaſioned my freſh ſearch into the controverſy, and my drawing up the enſuing Sheets, wherein ſome Scriptures are cleared further than ever they were formerly to me. The Importunity of ſome friends of the ſame mind with my ſelf, together with the miſrepreſenting of me by ſome others of the contrary perſwaſion, have prevailed with me to let them be publiſhed.
I am the more encouraged ſeeing the Primitive Churches or Elders, did often aſſert controverted Truths, even when they had a Common Enemy the Pagans, and after the Arians againſt them. If the Lord may bleſs this ſhort Tract, ſo far as any who are wavering may be eſtabliſhed, and thoſe which have been otherwiſe minded may be convinced, I have my deſign. It is the clearing of truth that I aim at, and not the reviving or continuing, much leſs the increaſing of differences.
I think they are moſt guilty hereof, who will hold Communion with no other Churches, but thoſe who are of their own perſwaſion in point of Baptiſm; if I may obtain their Conviction that ſuch rigidneſs is ungrounded, this will then conduce to peace; and I have given ſuch Scripture grounds for my judgment, as I hope will prevail further with thoſe which will read without prejudice. I can hold Communion with thoſe that differ from me about Infant Baptiſm, provided they live peaceably otherways, and be of a Goſpel converſation.
If any ſhall reply to this with virulency and paſſion: I ſhall ſpread it before the Lord and ſay, the Lord rebuke thee; but if they do it with the Spirit of meekneſs, and with ſuch Scripture evidence as I be convinced, that the ſubſtance of what I have here written is Errour, I do hereby promiſe, the Lord permitting to retract it, if I may be permitted to Print it: So as if I be ſilent Reader, thou mayeſt know I find no cogent Scripture light for my Conviction.
I account Infants Covenant intereſt to be the grand argument for their Baptiſm, and ſo have inſiſted on the proof of it.
That evaſion, that Infants of believing Gentiles are not the Seed of Abraham, that will not hold; For, if the Infants of believing Jews be, then undeniably the Infants of believing Gentiles are ſo.
And run it up to the Primitive Goſpel times after the death of Chriſt, the Infants of believing Jews were the Seed of Abraham, unleſs any can prove that they were cut off by a repeal or otherwiſe, and ſo that they were damnified by their Parents believing.
Yea ſome Jews did believe on Chriſt before his Death, and how could their Infant Seed then be cut off! the Covenant with Abraham was undoubtedly then in force after the Parents believing, and ſo their Infant Seed in it ſtill with their Parents after their believing.
Indeed it cannot be proved, that the Covenant with Abraham, was abrogated by the Death of Chriſt, though the Law in ſome reſpect was.
Nor can it be proved, that the Jews or their Seed were broken off, by a Repeal of that Covenant with Abraham, or any otherways then by their own degeneracy and poſitive unbelief, Rom. 11. 20. becauſe of unbelief they were broken off, and this I think not at the Death of Chriſt, but ſome time after, Act. 13. 46. and thus by degeneracy and rejecting the Covenant (as now ſo) in preceeding Ages from the days of Abraham, Parents and Children might be cut off from Covenant intereſt, witneſs Iſhmael and Eſau, &c. whilſt yet Infants Covenant intereſt ſtill continued where the Parents did not ſo degenerate. And ſeeing the Infant Seed of the Jews remained in Covenant in Goſpel times, till their Parents were broken off, and eſpecially the Seed of believing Jews; hence the Infant Seed of believing Gentiles are the Seed of Abraham; for there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles in Goſpel times.
So that Abrahams Covenant being ſtill in force, unleſs any can prove a repeal of it, as to that part which concerneth Infants they ſay nothing convincing, and Infants muſt be in it ſtill.
And obſerve, this ſeemeth to be the ſpecial reaſon, why there is no expreſs particular command in the new Teſtament for the Baptizing of Infants, as of Believers; becauſe there was no need of a new grant of what they had a right to ever ſince the days of Abraham, the ſign being entailed to the Covenant Intereſt.
The work therefore was, to command the Parents to Repent and Believe on the Meſſiah already come, as the way to continue their own intereſt in the Covenant, upon which their Infant Seed had their Covenant Intereſt continued alſo, and conſequently their right to Baptiſm the firſt Sign of it; for Baptiſm is not barely by vertue of a Command, but with relation to the Covenant as a ſign thereof. And let it be obſerved, if Circumciſion had ſtill continued as the token of the Covenant and Infants to paſs under it, yet the Meſſiah being come, the Preaching muſt have been (Repent and Believe and be Circumciſed) as now it is (Repent and Believe and be Baptized,) yet no Jews would rationally have underſtood that in Goſpel times, their Infants had been excluded from Circumciſion, without a Repeal of their Antient Covenant priviledge, which we find not with reference to Baptiſm.
The two principal Objections of thoſe called Baptiſts are, the one the want of a Divine Command expreſly for Infant Baptiſm, which I have here enervated; the other is concerning the two Seeds of Abraham, his natural or fleſhly Seed, and his Spiritual Seed, of which ſee in the Diſcourſe it ſelf. It is the degenerate, adult natural Seed of Abraham, or others claiming Intereſt even in ſpecial bleſſings by fleſhly deſcent, that is the Carnal Seed rejected; but that it is the Infant Seed is wholly without proof. Indeed if all the Infant Seed had been excluded, I doubt not but it would have been upon record, as an Objection and Stumbling block in the way of the captious Jews againſt Chriſt, and the diſpenſation of the Goſpel, that the Covenant with Abraham was violated as well as the Law of Moſes.
Weigh all in the ballance of the Sanctuary without prejudice, and the Lord give one heart and one way, and give thee underſtanding in all things. So prayeth he who is.
Thine in Goſpel bonds. S. P. March. 29. 1687.