Of Baptism, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. In which is conſidered the time and ranke that Baptiſme is to hold in the order of Ordinances.
THere are but two thinges, which I ſhall farther conſider, upon this ſubject, the one is the time & order of Baptiſme, the other is the Miniſter of Baptiſme.
That there is an order in all the worſhip of the New Teſtament, no man will deny that hath learn't with Paul, to joy in beholding the order and faith of the Saints, Col. 2.5. and none will acknowledge this more then they, who deny themſelves of ſome very conſiderable ordinances, for want of comeing to them in the right order, as the Lords ſupper for wāt of church fellowſhip: Every thing is ſeaſonable and bewtifull in its time, out of which it is diſorderly and evill, to find the order & time of Baptiſme, will I conceive be the eaſieſt thing in all this inquiry, whether you conſider Scripture rule, Scripture example, or example of the primitive Church, and indeed of all that ever was, or the reaſon of the thing.
For Scripture rule ye have, Teach all nations, and baptize them, Mat. 28.19. make diſciples and baptize. Marke 16.16. Hee that beleeveth and is baptized, ſhall be ſaved: You ſee here the ranke of Baptiſme immediately after teaching, after beleeving, it holds the firſt place of ordinances properly Chriſtian; ye may ſee it againe in the rule in Peters preaching, Repent and be baptized, Acts 2.38. which was inſtantly put in practiſe, which is our ſecond head of proofe, namely Scripture example, for they that gladly received his vvord, vvere preſently baptized, to the number of three thouſand, ver. 41. after which they continued constantly in the liturgicall vvorkes of the Apostles doctrine, and breaking bread, & in prayer, ver. 42. In the example of the Eunuch you have the ſame, aſſoone as ever Ieſus was preached, and hee diſcovered water, vvhat hinders me, ſaith he, to he baptized? nothing, ſaith Philip, if thou haſt faith, ſo he was inſtantly baptized, Acts 8.38. The like ye have of Cornelius, who upon the firſt preaching of Chriſt, before the aſſembly was diſſolved, was baptized he and his, Acts 10.48. The like you have of the Iaylor Act. 16. to whom at midnight (being aſtoniſhed by a miraculous action) the vvord vvas preacht, and to all in his houſe, and he and all his beleeving, vvere forthvvith all of them baptized. Here was no loſſe of time, and for the order, it was after faith, and before any other adminiſtration; more examples might be brought of this kind, out of which that duplicate page duplicate page which I conclude is, the order and time of Baptiſme, namely the next ordinance to beleeving, not but that I would have fit time allowed for the tryall of faith, wherein to be ſure the Apoſtles were not negligent of their duty.
For the primitive times wee can have no better inſtances then what we heare of the Catechuminy, who were excluded not onelyonly from the Euchariſt, but from the very ſight thereof; and therefore after the word, Sancta Sanctis, they went out, not becauſe they were without faith, for there were two ſorts, audientes, & competentes, or electi, the firſt were beginners, which heard ſermons, & had a deſire to Chriſt, the other were ſuch as deſired Baptiſme, and had given up their names for it, as Auſtin mentions in libro de cura pro mortui cap. 12. and others alſo.
Now theſe were ſuppoſed to have faith, and wayted onelyonly a fit time for the adminiſtration of Baptiſme, during which time they were farre enough from being admitted to the Lords Supper, though beleevers judged, but on the other ſide, aſſoone as ever they were baptized, they had Baptiſme, confirmation, or laying on of hands, and the Lords Supper on the ſame day.
And of this the Fathers give a reaſon. In all reſpects the order of the mystery is kept, that first by remiſsion of ſinnes a medicine be prepared for their vvounds, and then the nouriſhment of the heavenly table be added. Ambroſe &c. And as this was obſerved ſtrickly to the catechuminy, ſo every body will grant me that to infant Baptiſme, this order is ſurely maintayned.
If you paſſe from precept & example of all times to reaſon, there you will find that what ever makes for the not repeating of Baptiſme in the ordinary uſe of it, makes alſo for this as fully or more that it ſhould be the firſt.
For firſt, if it be not to be repeated, becauſe this is the ſeale of initiation, regeneration, and incorporatiō, then by the ſame reaſon this muſt be firſt, as initiation, admiſſion, incorporation, and regeneration, are the firſt internall acts in us, & upon us, by which we are made Chriſtians.
Secondly if the ſignification and uſe of Baptiſme be for ever, and of conſtant & perpetuall uſe, then this ordinance is to lye as the bottome ſtone in the building of ordinances, which is to have a durable and conſtant influence into the whole edifice.
Or thirdly if this be not to be repeated, becauſe neither in precept nor example you find it ſo, then muſt this be the firſt, becauſe in precept & example you find it ſo, and never otherwiſe, or if the ends of Baptiſme on our parts (not to mention further thoſe on Chriſts) be, that there ſhould be a formall externall contract paſt with God, by which wee are viſibly handfaſted in this myſticall marriage, or ſecondly to diſtinguiſh our ſelves by this badge and charracter of our profeſſiō from the evill world, which we renounce with all its works, then certainly this peece is to be firſt adminiſtred before we goe further, and the Sacrament of our ſpirituall life and birth, is to be given before that of our nouriſhment and growth: In a word Baptiſme hath bene called of old, & not without reaſon, Sacramentorum janua; and is for all theſe conſiderations, which are as many as can concurre to any one thing, to keep that name & nature ſtill, which is to be the firſt and primitive Sacrament, in which a converted perſon, man or woman, is to communicate. Now thē if the timeing and order of inſtituted worſhip be any thing, as it is of great moment, a great part of it lying in nothing elſe, but the right and orderly adminiſtration of ceremonies, and if the Scripture rule and example be any thing, which is all we have to ſhew for any practiſe, then Baptiſme is to be the firſt Sacrament after beleeving.
Beſides the reaſon of the thing, that which makes it unlawfull to baptize before teaching is, becauſe the Scripture hath rankt it otherwiſe, that ſayes, teach and baptize, not baptize and teach, as the Papiſts and others doe; the ſame reaſon will hold for the giving it its preference in time to any other ordinance, becauſe it is rankt immediately after teaching, & before any other thing, againe you have the fulleſt concurrence of all example & reaſon alſo, for the timeing and ranking of this ordinance, as for any thing can be thought.
To what hath bene ſaid in this laſte point, I ſhall onelyonly ad by way of caution, with which I conclude it, that when I give Baptiſme the firſt place in the ranke of ordinances, after beleeving, I intend not ſuch expreſſions to the prejudice of church-fellowſhip, which I conceave is properly the ſtate for inſtituted ordinances, and the ſubject of them, as will more fully appeare by what will be ſayd in the following chapter.