The Infants Advocate of Circumcision and Baptism, Chapter 12 – Chapter 13
CHAP. XII. The fourth Reaſon drawn from ſome degrees of Faith, conferred on little Infants.
THe Fourth Reaſon out of Scripture is thus formed; They that have ſome degree of Faith, may and ought to be Baptized; But Infants have ſome degree of faith;
Therefore they may and ought to be Baptized.
The Major is the very ſame with the words of the Scripture: The Eunuch aſkt of Philip, Acts 8. 36. See here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized? Philip anſwered, if thou believest with all thy heart thou mayeſt.
Al the difficulty is in the proof of the Minor; For our Adverſaries wil ſay, if the Infant could rejoyne with the Eunuch in the ſame place, I believe that Jeſus Christ is the Son of God, then the [now moſt zealous] oppoſers would be the moſt earneſt advancers of their Baptiſm.
For the proof then of Infants faith, let us bring another Reaſon, but ſtill out of Scripture.
Without faith it is impoſſible to pleaſe God, Heb. 11. 6.
But Infants pleaſe God;
Therefore they have Faith.
Herein the Minor alone is dubitable, and may manifeſtly be evinced. All men I know are ready to pretend that they pleaſe God; And Hypocrites themſelves moſt (odious unto him) as forward as any to claim this priviledge to themſelves. To put this therefore out of queſtion, it matters not what men ſay, but what God ſays herein: We appeal to him (who beſt knows his own mind) and he hath judged this caſe already, That Infants pleaſe him.
Say not if ſo ſmal then, were they inſenſible of any benefit by the bleſſing? not conceiving the meaning of our Saviour therein.
This appears by Chriſts carriage towards the little children brought unto him in the Goſpel; Concerning whoſe years be this premiſed, that though we have not the Register books of their ſeveral ages, yet we may conclude (at leaſt ſome of) them no bigger then Babes. Firſt, becauſe called foreign by S. Mark 10. and judiciouſly rendred by our Tranſlators, verſe 13. young children, verſe 14. little children; The diminution in the Original word, being equally appliable either to their age or ſtature. The ſame are termed by S. Luke 18. 15. foreign, and tranſlated Infants, alwayes uſed in Scripture for ſuch as ſuck on their mothers breaſt. Secondly, they are ſaid to be brought by their parents, as unable to bring themſelves. Thirdly, Chriſt took them up in his arms, as not big enough to kneel down and be bleſſed, which otherwiſe was the poſture of ſtriplings upon the ſame occaſion.
That theſe little children pleaſed Chriſt, is proved by his expreſſions (the beſt interpreters of love or hatred in that heart which could not diſſemble) concerning them, Mark 10. 14. Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of ſuch is the kingdom of God. Of Such, that is not only of thoſe who are like unto theſe, (in which ſenſe our Saviour might as ſignificatively have ſaid the ſame of Doves or Lambs, that the kingdom of heaven conſiſts of ſuch who are like unto them) but of theſe, and alſo of thoſe who imitate them in their innocential qualities. Such make ſtrange interpretation of the words, who exclude the Original, and only admit the Copy; let in ſuch as are like to children, and ſhut out children themſelves from the kingdom of heaven.
Secondly, The complacency Chriſt took in theſe little children appears by his actions unto them, verſ. 16. he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and bleſſed them; See wee ſuch Infants were in a bleſſible condition.
Here we diſtinguiſh between childrens being ſenſible of the meaning, and their being capable of the benefit, by a bleſſing. Probably ſome of the ſmalleſt children here preſented unto Chriſt, underſtood not our Saviours language, nor the meaning of his geſtures, until their parents afterwards interpreted the ſame unto them as they grew up in years. And yet ſuch Infants might effectually partake of the vigour, and vertue of Chriſts benediction. Thus as many though by natural defect they never had, or by ſickneſſe have loſt their Taſte, and by their pallat cannot diſtinguiſh betixt ſweet, bitter, ſharp, ſowre, &c. (and conſequently take no pleaſure or delight in what they eat or drink) yet by the receiving thereof, may have their hunger and thirſt ſatisfied, and their ſtrength daily increaſed; So theſe Infants purely paſſive in our Saviours Arms, brought thither without their knowledge, and blest there above their underſtanding, did nevertheleſs (ſome of them no doubt) really participate of the ſpiritual comfort which the emphatical bleſſing of Chriſt impreſſed upon them.
CHAP. XIII. The Fift Reaſon drawn from the Malady of Original Corruption.
THe Fift Reaſon out of Scripture may thus be contrived; They who are ſubject to the malady of ſin, ought to partake of the remedy againſt it; But Infants are ſubject to the malady of ſin; therfore they ought to partake of baptiſm the remedy againſt it. For the proof of the major or firſt part thereof, I appeal amongſt Chriſtians, only to the married; amongſt the married, only to the parents of children. Theſe cannot deny it, but that againſt their wills, as the unhappy inſtruments, they have derived corruption to their infants, as conveyed in the ſame charter of their being unto them.
If any ſhould be ſo ſenſleſs as to deny Infants infected with Original Corruption, the contrary will be ſadly demonſtrated by thoſe ſeveral diſeaſes, and death it ſelf, to which they are ſubject, before they have or can commit actual ſin. All will confeſſe no ſuffering can follow but where ſin hath gone before, and that Infants deeply ſhare in ſufferings, daily experience approveth. Some of them whileſt they lie in the Cradle, how lie they on the rack? Such ſighes, ſuch ſobs, ſuch gripes, ſuch groans, ſuch convulſions, ſuch diſtortions, enough almoſt to kill the hearts of the beholders, relating unto them, if all pitty be not dead in them before: Nor can all the rending of the fathers hair, abate the aching of the childs head, nor all the rain of the mothers tears, allay the wind in the babes body. Quid teneri infantes in te committere tantum? quid pueri potuere. But theſe little Lambs wherein have they offended? Their hands did never hurt others, which could not help themſelves: Their tongues did never lie, ſwear, &c. which cannot ſpeak; Their feet were never ſwift to ſhed bloud which cannot go. All theſe miſeries, and death at laſt, fals often, on Infants uncapable of actual ſin, becauſe of the corruption of their nature wherein they were born and conceived.
Seeing therefore Infants are ſubject to the malady of ſin, what a cruelty were it for parents to leave them in this pittiful caſe neglecting the remedy for the ſame? By the Levitical Law, Exod. 21. 33. If a man ſhall open a pit, and not cover it, he was to pay the owner for the loſſe of thoſe his cattel which fell into it: Parents having opened a pit of original corruption by the ſinfulneſſe of their nature, if they labour not to cover it again, as much as in them lies, by uſing the ordinance God hath appointed for the ſame, ſhall not the ſouls of their children, if finally falling into that pit, be heavily required at their hands? Yea, ſhall man be careleſſe and cruel, where God hath been ſo kind and careful in his inſtituting of Baptiſm? Rom. 6. 3. That we may be Baptized into Jeſus Chriſt his death, as it followeth verſ. 6. that the body of ſin may be deſtroyed, To conclude, Infants having the body of ſin as well as adult perſons, and Baptiſm being appointed for the deſtruction thereof, ſuch parents are wanting to their own duty, undervalue Gods ordinance, and are cruel to the ſouls of the fleſh of their body that deny Baptiſm unto Infants.