Vindication of Baptizing Believers Infants, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
THe Argument from Act. 2.38, 39. may be thus formed:Exercitat. §. 4. The Argument from Act. 2.38, 39. for Infant-baptiſme examined. To whom the promiſe is made, they may be baptized; but to the Infants of Believers the promiſe is made; therefore they may be baptized.
The Minor is proved from the words of verſ. 39. for the promiſe is made to you and to your children.
That an anſwer may be fitted to this Argument:
1. It is to be obſerved, that the promiſe made, is the ſending of Jeſus Chriſt, and bleſſing by him, as it is expounded, Act. 3.25, 26. Act. 13.32, 33. Rom. 15.8, 9.
2. That the Text ſaith, the promiſe was made to them he ſpake to, and their children; then to them that are afar off, who, whether they be Gentiles, who are ſaid to be afar off, Epheſ. 2.12. or Jewes in future ages and generations, as Beza thinks, are limited by the wordes cloſing the verſe, as many as the Lord our God ſhall call; which limitation plainly enough ſhewes the promiſe to appertain to them not ſimply as Iewes, but as called of God, which is more expreſſely affirmed, Act. 3.26. To you, God having raiſed up his Son Ieſus, ſent him to bleſſe you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquity: or, as Beza, Every one of you turning your ſelves from your iniquities: therefore the promiſe here is not ſaid to be made but with condition of calling, and faith, which may be confirmed aboundantly from Rom. 4.13, 14.16. Gal. 3.9.14.22.
3. That Peter, verſ. 38. doth exhort to repentance and Baptiſme together; and in the firſt place perſwades to Repentance, then Baptiſme; which ſhewes Repentance to be in order before Baptiſme.
4. That mention is made of the promiſe not as of it ſelfe, yeilding right to Baptiſme, without Repentance, but as a motive inciting together to Repentance and Baptiſme.
With the 1. Obſervation of Maſter T. in this Anſwer we cloſe,Animadver. that the promiſe meant here, is that which was made to Abraham, hinted Gen. 12. Enlarged and confirmed, Gen. 17. Illuſtrated, Gen. 22. According to Act. 3, 25.26. Act. 13.32, 33. Rom. 15.8, 9. provided that Mr. T. take the 26. Verſe of Act. 33. duly according to the Expoſition of the 25. Verſe. The 26. v. is, VntoUnto you firſt God having raiſed up his Sonne Ieſus Christ, ſent him to bleſſe you, in turning away every one of you from his Iniquities. The due genuine ſence of which words according to Verſe 25. is this: Theſe to whom the Apoſtle ſpeaks were children of the Covenant which God made with their Fathers, ſaying unto Abraham, And in thy ſeed ſhall all kinreds of the Earth be bleſſed. According to Gen. 12.3. Gen. 17.7. Gen. 22.18. which Texts do write it as cleerly as the ſun beames.
1. That the adminiſtration of the firſt ſeal of outward confirmation of this Covenant was given to all the naturall ſeed at leaſt of beleeving Abrahams family, and ſo downward, Act. 3.25. and Gen. 17.7, 9, &c. keeping within the Church, and not caſt out for miſdemeanours. Therefore the ſame administration of the 1 Seal in the New Teſtament to all the naturall ſeed of beleeving Gentile parents, is held forth by vertue of this text, Act. 3.25. It comes down to all the kindred of the elect, which could not be in Circumciſion which is aboliſhed in the New Teſtament but in ſome thing analogicall; ergo in Baptiſme.
2. That the efficacy of this Covenant with Abraham is to his ſeed in turning them away every one from their iniquities. Act. 3.26. According to Gen. 12.3. Gen. 17.22. Gen. 22.18. That in Abraham, that is in his ſeed, namely be bleſſed, even to them his Covenant ſhould be eſtabliſhed. And ſo by a juſt analogie, Baptiſme adminiſtred to the ſeed of believers ſhould be effectuall, where Chriſt ſhould come in effectually to turne them from their ſinnes, whether afore, or at, or after Baptiſme, as he ſhall think fit.
To Mr T. his 2. particular of Act. 2.39. For the promiſe is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord your God shall call: We ſay with learned Camerarius, Sunt foreign haec; this is a ſhort defective kinde of expreſſion, wherein by brevity of ſpeech ſomething is left out, to be ſupplyed by the reader; So that the whole verſe is to be read thus.
For the*Free] foreign promiſiio vel pollicitatio. Neque enim deſunt qui i… ter polliceri & promittere hoc diſcrimen ſtatuunt quafi illud de eo quod ultro promittas, iſtud vero de mutua ſtipulatione dicatur. Bezae. Pollicemur ſponte, promittimus rogati. Popm. Friſ. de diff. verb. Great] Polliceri eſt res magnas promittere; promittere eſt res quaſlibet parvas, &c. Popm. Friſ. de diff. verb. Nihil tibi ego tum de meis opibus pollicebar ſed horum erga me benevolentiam promittebam, Cic. pro planc. And Budeus ſaith foreign ſignifies the free promiſe of God. And the Article foreign and the compoſition with foreign (which increaſeth the ſignification) ſignifies ſome eminent great promiſe is intimated. FREE GREAT promiſe is [made] to you [Iewes *Neer or preſent] For a far off and preſent or neer are here oppoſed. Ludovicus De Dicu.neer and preſent and your children you now have] and to them that are afar off [distant in *Diſtant] far off in place or affection. It is not ſo likely that farre off ſhould ſignifie generations of Jews to come, as Mr T. intimates out of Beza: And Camerarius hath a conſiderable note to this: Afar off will be underſtood not onelyonly of place, but in mind and judgement; viz. as others, ſo Gentiles. And it is ſo ſaid after v. 40. Save your ſelves from this untoward generation: For the future generations of Gentiles muſt not be excluded. And the word children doth intimate ſucceſſion of generations of Jews, that it ſhall be to their childrens children, if their Parents beleeve; as it ſhall now be to their children preſent, if they the preſent parents beleeve. Beza his reaſon (ſaith De Dieu) that a far off ſhould ſignifie future generations of Jews, not Gentiles; afar off in place or affection, becauſe Peter here ſpeaking, knew not the calling of the Gentiles till Act. 10. cannot hold good; becauſe an extraordinary inſpired Apoſtle, and acquainted with the Prophets, that are full of the calling of the Gentiles, could not be ignorant of the thing; onelyonly he perceived not the time to be ſo neer till Act. 10. Therefore ſaith De Dieu, I do not unwillingly aſſent to the great learned men, who referre the words foreign (thoſe a far off) to the Gentiles, remote from the Covenant of grace, but in time to be brought neer. Nor am I againſt it, that foreign, that is, to them that are VNTOUNTO afar off, and foreign, that is, to thoſe afar off, ſhould be all one. For its plain, that foreign the praepoſition, ſignifying unto is often ſuper-redundant: as foreign, ſuddenly: foreign, the morrow: foreign, yet: foreign, once: foreign, three times. And ſo Chryſoſtome takes them to be all one, oppoſing foreign to foreign. For the word (diſtant) Old Lat. Eraſmus, de Dieu, and Camerar ſupply it.place or affection, Iewes or Gentiles] whoſoever they be that the Lord ſhall call [*In place or affection.] For foreign in its proper nature rather ſignifies diſtance of place, then of time. And is moſt oft uſed for diſtance in place and affection; ſo out of Bud. Toſſ. Const. we omit many inſtances that might be given, but to cut ſhort this Marginall Note. to, or unto him *Call to, or unto him] So De Dieu, according to the Greek foreign quoſcunque advocaverit domin…. * To juſtifie this ſupply of the laſt clauſe, And to their children, we have many inſtances, John 7 39. The holy Ghoſt was not yet (ſo the Greek) we ſupply the word given; So 1 John 2.23. We ſupply all this (which is not in the uſuall Greek Coppies.) But he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father alſo. And many ſuch inſtances may be given (but for haſte) which you your ſelves may obſerve by the ſeverall different letters in your Bibles.and to their children.]
So that it is not plain, much leſſe plain enough (as Mr T. affirmes with much confidence) that the words, as many as the Lord our God ſhall call are a limitation ſhewing the promiſe to appertain to them ſimply, not as Iewes, but as called of God. For the intent of the place is, that the promiſe runnes to beleeving Jewes and their children, as it did to beleeving Abraham and his children, in the outward promulgation, adminiſtration and ſigning. But made effectuall when (as in that Act. 3.26. Mr T. quotes) God ſo bleſſeth the children as to turne them from their iniquities. And ſo juſt to deſcend down to beleiving Gentile parents (the ſeed of Abraham Rom. 4. Gal. 3.) and their naturall borne children. But the maine thing expected (I ſuppoſe) is to prove that to the ſentence, unto them afar off whom the Lord ſhall call, muſt be ſupplyed this ſentence, and to their children. For this, beſides all that we have ſaid in the margent, we give theſe reaſons.
1. The former part of the verſe runnes ſo, the promiſe is to you and your children: therefore the latter part muſt run ſo too, to wit to all that are afar off that ſhall be called and to their children: For it were a ſtrange thing if whiles the Lord is preſſing the ſame promiſe, as belonging to them that are neer and a far off, Jews and Gentiles, which God firſt made to beleeving Abraham and his naturall ſeed under the promiſe, Gen. 17. and preſſing it ſo to be taken and applyed here, Act. 2. that the Lord ſhould mean two different wayes, as that it ſhould belong formerly to beleeving Abraham and his naturall children under the promiſe; but now to him, and onelyonly his children effectually called: Or that it now belongs to Abrahams beleeving Iewiſh ſeed, and their naturall ſeed or children under the promiſe, and not to beleeving Gentiles (the ſeed of Abraham, Rom. 4. Gal. 3.) and to their naturall children under the promiſe, I am the God of thee and of thy ſeed.
2. If the ſentence as many as the Lord our God shall call, be a limitation of the whole verſe, and ſo to ſignifie that the promiſe no wayes belongs to children of beleeving Iewes or Gentiles, till thoſe children be effectually called, let any rational man give a ſufficient reaſon why the Apoſtle mentions children: the ſentence being full and clearer without that word, if that had been the Apoſtles meaning.
3. The Apoſtle names the promiſe to the parents in relation to them before calling; as being the children of beleeving Abraham afar off: why then may it not ſome how much more relate to their children, when they the next parents are called?
4. The Apoſtle doth endeavour to comfort the parents that they and their children ſhould be in as good a condition, by Baptiſme, though they had crucified Chriſt, as they were by Circumciſion before they had crucified him. But by Circumciſion, the promiſe and the firſt outward ſigne ranne to them and their children: ergo ſo ſhould it now, or elſe the Apoſtle had beaten them off with an offence, and not drawn them on with an encouragement.
Thoſe places Mr T. quotes out of Rom. 4.13, 14, 16. Gal. 3.9. 14.22. and his aſſertion upon them they concern the parents to be ſigned upon their beleeving, with the firſt Seal, thereby inſtating their children, whiles children, to the ſame; lying under the favour of one and the ſame promiſe with the parents: I am the God of thee and of thy ſeed.
To the 3. particular of Mr T. his anſwer to Act. 2. wee ſay that though order of naming things in Scripture be a very uncertain argument to prove the order of nature of things: yet we grant the thing it ſelfe to be true for parents, not for their Infants which Mr. T. here doth not prove.
To the 4, particular we ſay that the reaſon of that is becauſe it is ſpoken to them of ripe yeares, pricked at their hearts. But elſe the promiſe it ſelfe, I am the God of thee and of thy ſeed, or the promiſe is to thee and thy children (according to Gen. 17.) is ſufficient to give right to them repenting and being baptized, to conveigh Baptiſme to their children.
We conclude therefore,
1 That M. T. hath not rightly limited the Minor, nor juſtly denyed it unlimited.
2. That he hath not rightly anſwered to the Major.
To his firſt reaſon that the Text is not expreſly of infants, but of children indefinitely: We anſwer, it is meant according to the places where it is quoted. Gen. 17. Gen. 22. But thoſe places, by ſeed and children, underſtand as well thoſe but 8 dayes old, as others. To his 2 reaſon that the text ſpeakes not of the children of Gentiles at all, we have anſwered afore in the full reading of the text to be extended to the children of them that are called, though formerly afar off.