Of Baptism, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. In which are contained ſeverall queries and conſiderations, raiſed from the premiſſes, declaring what little ground there will appeare from their owne principles and conceſsions to conclude for Infant Baptiſme.
THeſe things thus ſuppoſed, I make theſe doubts about the baptizing of the infants of beleevers.
Firſt I would aſke whether all infants of beleevers have neceſſarily and aſſuredly thoſe habits, which muſt of neceſſity be concluded, ſince it is their perſonall qualificatiō for Baptiſme, and therefore you muſt have good grounds to judge that they have it, one as well as another. Firſt of all Peter Martyr ſayes, that, I vvill be the God of thee, and of thy ſeede, is not an univerſall promiſe, but hath place onelyonly in the predeſtinate; and therefore upon 1. Cor. 7.14. elſe vvere your children uncleane, but novv are they holy, he ſaith, Promiſsio non eſt generalis de omni ſemine, ſed tantum de illo in quo rectè conſentit electio, alioquin poſteritas Iſraelis, & Eſau fuerunt ex Abraham. And therefore affirmes, that the children of the ſaints are borne holy, vvhen they are predeſtinate; and this agreeth with reaſon, for if you make that holynes, as before, the infuſion of gratious habits, yee muſt ſuppoſe election without which ſuch gratious habits are never infuſed, unleſſe to make good this opinion, you will allow falling from grace, which I am ſure our ſelves, and thoſe we deſire to ſatisfy, will not do.
This being ſaid, I would aſke upon what ground the Saints can ſuppoſe all their children to be elected, or why they ſhould deny any infants baptiſme, ſince experience tells us, that the children of many unbeleevers (if we will judge by the fruites and effects, which is the ſureſt judgement) are elected, and many children of beleevers reprobated; eſpecially now ſince the ſluce is taken up, & the Goſpel preached to every creature under heaven.
Againe conſider how cold a ground this is for infants baptiſme, your children are holy by being borne of you, that is, regenerated, and ſo qualified for ordinances, if at leaſt they be elected, and I ſeale to them their holynes & the kingdome of heaven, if they be elected; as if a King ſhould ſay, I confirme this towne to you and yours, if at leaſt it hath pleaſed me, or ſhall pleaſe me, to give it you.
But if you ſay, wee have reaſon to hope well of them, according to that, elſe vvere your children unholy, but novv are they holy, for ſo ſaith Peter Martyr upon that place, Bene ſperantes quod ut ſunt ſecundum carnem ſemen ſanctorum, ita etiam ſunt electionis divinae participes, & Spiritum Sanctum, & gratiam Chriſti habeant; Hoping vvell, that as they are according to the fleſh, the ſeed of the Saints, ſo they are alſo partakers of Divine election, and have the Holy Spirit, and the grace of Chriſt.
I anſwer, that if you will hope of them, you neede diſpaire of none, eſpecially where the ſound of the Goſpel is, and it is but ſtretching the line of your hope and charity a little farther, and you may baptize all.
Secondly it is not a hope you muſt goe upon for the giving of ordinances, holy ſeales, but a judgement. Paul called the ſaints poſitvely faithfull and elect, and ſaid it vvas meete for him to judge and thinke ſo of them all; and when we come to admit members, if they give but onelyonly ground of hopes, wee let them ſtay for their owne profit, and the diſcharge of our duty, till they can give us ground of a judgement.
Thirdly the Apoſtle ſayes poſitively they are holy, and therefore what ever holynes it is, it is no longer the ſubject of your hopes, but your judgement; yee ought to judge them ſo, & to aſſure your ſelves they are ſo.
If therefore by a generall conſent the infuſion of holy habits depends upon election, we muſt conſider upon what election depends, before wee can make up a judgement; for the infuſion of habits, if that depends upon the holynes of the parents, you ſay ſome thing, but ſurely every honeſt heart will graunt, that as holy parents themſelves, are both loved & elected for Chriſts ſake, ſo God loves and elects their infant children, not for their ſakes, but both them and their children for Chriſt alone: and to make God conſider (as the object of childrens election) the faith of their parents, is worſe then the opinion of the Arminians, who make faith & workes foreſeene the object of every particular mans electiō; ſo as if election muſt precede the infuſion of holy habites, which muſt qualify for infant baptiſme; & experience ſhewes ordinarily (by the rules which Chriſt hath left us to judge by, the fruites and effects) that the children of godly parents proove not ever holy, and that the election of God for the child, depends not upon the holynes or faith of the parent, but upon his owne free grace in Chriſt: Then the judgement will ſeeme to riſe up very coldly and lamely for the Baptiſme of infants of holy parēts, which muſt, as themſelves confeſſe, be firſt qualified with the infuſion of holy habits.
But ſecondly, I would know of theſe men, why for the making good of their infant Baptiſme, they ſhould determine God, ordinarily to an extraordinary way of working & converting (which is the infuſion of gratious habits in that age) for faith in the ordinary way comes by hearing; but this way of being borne Chriſtians, that is, charged and qualified with holy habits, is not by hearing, but by an immediate revelation, and in a way ſo extraordinary and ſtrange to us, that though we find cauſe to aſſent that it is ſometimes done, yet how it is done is a mighty miſtery, & altogether unknowne to us.
And if you object that though this may be extraordinarie to men of age, yet it is a way of converting, ordinary to children, who are not capable of the other way.
Anſw. I am ſure that all men of age were children once, and wee find by the effect it is not ordinary to ſuch, for wee find them ſo farre from being borne againe, though borne of Chriſtian parents and baptized, that a great part of their life is often ſpēt in an unregenerate eſtate, and their converſion prooves very viſible & evident to themſelves and others, ſo as it appeares not to be the ordinary way of converſion, but at the beſt the extraordinary and particular way to ſuch infants, as fall under election, and come not to that uſe of reaſon and underſtanding by which they might receive faith, by hearing: now certainly an extraordinary way of working, muſt never proove to be the ground or qualification of an ordinary adminiſtration. But then thirdly, I would aſke why this holines, that is, this faith and converſion in infants, being wrought (if it be at all) in a hidden ſecret and inviſible way, we ſhould ſeale it and confirme it to them, and conveigh alſo more of the ſame, by a ſenſible & intelligible ordinance; That it is ſo, wee are forc't to reaſon our ſelves into it, becauſe no uncleane thing ſhall enter into the kingdome of heaven, and therefore how it can be cleanſed, and ſanctified, though wee know it not, yet wee ſuppoſe it is, if it be ſaved: Now it ſeemes ſtrange that that faith which we know not how to goe about to worke, or to beginne, yet we know how to ſeale, and how to confirme; we uſe to ſay thinges are preſerved and nouriſht as they are made, the way ſuppoſed to convert, is immediately from God, the way uſed to ſeale and confirme, this is mediate by an ordinance; the way of converſion is inviſible, myſticall, ſecret; the way to ſeale it is evident, viſible and teaching; for the Sacraments conveigh to us, more concionis, after the manner of a ſermon. Now the underſtanding cannot be moved, but by underſtanding, nor the eye but by ſeeing, nor the eare but by hearing; to ſay therefore that faith is ſealed, or faith is increaſed, by an outward teaching ordināce, which ſhall neither ſtryke our ſence nor our underſtanding, is very hard to receive; a man muſt have his underſtanding & his eares paved to heare ſuch a ſaying, and muſt of neceſſity have accuſtomed himſelf to diſgeſt many incongruites and contradictions, before hee can beare ſo notable and viſible an one.
Fourthly I would aſke what needeth this leaping over hedges, what needs all this hoſt; why cannot this child ſuppoſed to be elected, and converted in a ſecret inviſible way (for without that you will not pretend to baptize him) reſt quietly in that ſtate, in the armes of God, who onelyonly can, and onelyonly hath adminiſtred unto him, till hee ſhall come in a due ſeaſon, and to his beſt advantage, to have that ſealed to him, which ſhall be diſcovered to be in him; how long doe thoſe who are of age and are qualified for them, ſtay often without Sacraments, becauſe they would miſſe nothing of the order, either for want of a church ſtate, or a lawfull miniſter? Wee all know aſſuredly our children have reaſon, becauſe the rationall ſoule is the forme of a man, (I would we could be as aſſured of their grace) and wee all pretend ſo much love to them, as to improove this principle, and inſtruct them timely in things for their good, for the uſe of this life and a better, and yet we ſhould account him a fond father that would lye lowing in his childrens eares, and looſe his ſweete words before the time of the uſe of reaſon come; I beſeech you cōſider whether it be not the ſame thing: If therefore we could be aſſured, that all childrē had that grace ſo timouſly infuſed, which wee can ſcarce hope for, yet how much better were it for the ordinance ſake, which ſeemes otherwayes to be profaned (as much as if you ſhould preach a ſermon to a child) and for my childs ſake, to ſtay till hee underſtand what hee doth, and what he receives, that that ordinance which ought to be adminiſtred but once, and is of ſo great an uſe and influence, may be received to his beſt advantage, whilſt in the interim, hee is in the hands of God fit, and expoſed to receive the preſervation of his ſpirituall being in the ſame way, in which it was wrought, and by thoſe unalterable bonds of election, & converſion, ſafe enough till he ſhal be capable of ſetting his ſeale and receiving Gods viſibly, to that, which in a ſecret and unknowne way was wrought in him.