yet not in the covenant of grace, and to whom it was never fealed, as Simon Magus, and others; and, on the other hand, a perfon may be in the covenant of grace, and it may be fealed to him, and he may be comfortably affured of his interest in it, though, as yet, not baptized in water. The author of the dialogue before me fays, p. 16. that it is allowed on all hands, that baptifm is a token or seal of the covenant of grace; but it is a popular clamour, a vulgar mistake, that either that or the Lord's-Supper are feals of the covenant of grace. The blood of Chrift is the feal, and the only feal of it, by which its promifes and bleffings are ratified and confirmed; and the holy Spirit is the only earneft pledge, feal, and fealer of the faints, until the day of redemption'. And fo all that fine piece of wit of our author, about the red and white feal, is fpoiled and loft, p. 17. Upon the whole, we may fee what fufficient feripture inftitution for infantbaptifm is to be found in the covenant made with Abraham; fince the spiritual part of that covenant did not concern his natural feed, as fuch, but his fpiritual feed, and fo not infants, but adult perfons, whether among Jews or Gentiles, that walked in the fteps of his faith; and feeing there is not one word of baptifm in it, and much lefs of infant-baptifm; nor was circumcifion a feal of it, nor does baptifm fucceed that, or is a feal of the covenant of grace: Hence also, it will appear, what little reason there is for that clamorous outcry, so often made, and is by our author, of leffening and abridging the privileges of infants under the gospel difpenfation, and of depriving them of what they formerly had; or for an harangue upon the valuable bleffing, and great and glorious privilege they had, of having the covenant of grace fealed unto them by circumcifion; or for that demand, how, why, and when, children were cut off from this privilege? or for such a representation, this being the cafe, that the gofpel is a lefs glorious difpenfation, with refpect to infants, than the former was, p. 19, 20, 22, 30. Seeing the covenant of grace was never fealed to infants by circumcifion; nor was that bloody and painful rite accounted. a rich and glorious privilege; far from it; efpecially as it bound them over to keep the whole law, it was a yoke of bondage, an infupportable one: and it is a rich mercy, and glorious privilege of the gofpel, that the Jews and their children are delivered from it; and that Gentiles and their children are not obliged to it: And as for the demand, how, why, and when, children were cut off from it, it is easily answered, that this was done by the death of Christ, and at the time of it, when all ceremonies were abolished; and that for this reafon, because of the weakness, unprofitablenefs, and burdenfomeness of that, and them: And as for the gofpel-difpenfation, that is the more glorious, for infants being left out of its church-ftate; that is to fay, for its being not national VOL. II. and PP Heb. xiii. 20. compared with Dan. ix. 7. Ephes. i. 13, 14. and iv. 30. and carnal, as before, but congregational and spiritual; for its confifting, not of infants without understanding, but of rational and spiritual men, of believers in Christ, and profeffors of his name; and these not in a single and small country, as Judea, but in all parts of the world, as it has been, at one time or another, and it will be in the latter day: And as for infants themselves, their cafe is as good, and their privileges as many and better, than under the legal difpenfation; their falvation is not at all affected by the abrogation of circumcifion, or through want of baptifm to fucceed it. As the former did not feal the covenant to them, and could not fave them, fo neither could the latter, were it administered to them: To which may be added, that being born of christian. parents, and having a chriftian education, and the advantage of hearing the gofpel, as they grow up, and this not in one country, but many, muft exceed, all the privileges the Jewish children had under the former difpenfation. С НА Р. V. A confideration of the feveral texts of fcripture produced in favour of Infant-Baptifm. ΤΕ HE n inifter in the dialogue before me, being preffed by his neighbour to declare what were the numerous texts of fcripture he referred to, as proving the continuance of childrens privileges under the gospel-difpenfation, meaning particularly baptifm, mentions the following. 1st, The paffage in As ii. 39. For the promife is unto you, and to your chil dren, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God fhall call. This fcripture is often made ufe of by our author, and feems to be his dernier refort on all occafions, and the fheet-anchor of the cause he is pleading for. The promise spoken of, he fays, undoubtedly, was the covenant made with Abraham; and was urged as a reafon with the Jews, why they and their children ought to be baptized; and as a reafon with the Gentiles, why they and their children, when called into a church-ftate, fhould be alfo baptized, p. 11, 12. He makes use of it, to prove that this promise gives a claim to baptism, and that an intereft in it gives a right unto it, p. 15, 16, 18, 29, 30. 1. It is easy to observe the contradictions, that such are guilty of, that plead for infant-baptifm, from the covenant or promife made with Abraham, as this writer is. One while, he tells us, that perfons are by baptifm brought into the covenant of grace; and what a dreadful thing it is to renounce baptifm in infancy; whereby the covenant is vacated, and the relation to the glorious God dif owned, owned, they were brought into by baptism, p. 4. And yet here we are told, that interest in this promise gives a right and claim to baptifm; but how can it give a previous right and claim to baptifm, when it is by baptifm, according to this writer, that perfons are brought into this covenant ? 2. The promise here observed, be it what it will, is not taken notice of, as what gives a claim and right to baptifm, but as an encouraging motive to perfons pricked in the heart, and in diftrefs, both to repent, and be baptized for the remiffion of fins, and as giving them hope of receiving the holy Ghost, fince fuch a promife was made; wherefore repentance and baptifm were urged, in order to the enjoyment of the promife; and, confequently, can be undertood of no other than adult perfons, who were capable of repentance, and of a voluntary subjection to the ordinance of baptism. 3. The children, here spoken of, do not defign infants, but the pofterity of the Jews, and fuch, who might be called children, though grown up: And nothing is more common in fcripture, than the use of the phrafe in this fenfe; and, unless it be so understood in many places, strange interpretations must be given of them: wherefore the argument, from hence, for Pædobaptism, is given up by fome learned men, as Dr Hammond, and others, as inconclufive; but fome men, wherever they meet with the word children, it immediately runs in their heads, that infants must be meant. 4. The promise, be it what it will, is reftrained to as many as the Lord our God fball call, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, as well as to repenting and baptizing perfons; and therefore can furnish out no argument for infant-baptifm, but must be understood of adult perfons, capable of being called with an holy calling, of profeffing repentance, and of defiring baptism upon it; and of doing this, that their faith might be led to the blood of Chrift, for the remiffion of fin. 5. It feems clear from the context, that not the covenant made with Abraham, but either the promise of the Meffiah, and falvation by him, the great promise made in the Old Teftament to the Jews, and their pofterity; or the particular promise of remiffion of fins, a branch of the new covenant made with the house of Ifrael, and mentioned in the preceding verse, and which was calculated for comfort, and pertinently taken notice of; or of the pouring out of the holy Ghost, which is last mentioned: And indeed all may be included in this promife, and used as a means to comfort them under their diftrefs, and as an argument to encourage them to do the things they are preffed to in the foregoing verfe. PP 2 2dly, ■ See Exod. i. 8, 12. and iii. 23. and xii. 26, 27, 28, 35, 40, 50, and xiv. 8, 10, 22, 29. Jer. 1. 4. and a multitude of other places. 2dly, To the former is added another scripture in Matthew xix. 14. Suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Upon which, it is afked, how, and which way, fhould we bring our little children to Chrift, but in the way of his ordinances? If they belong to the kingdom of heaven, they must have a right to the privileges of that kingdom, p. 20. To which I answer, 1. Thefe dittle children do not appear to be new-born babes; the words ufed by the evangelifts do not always fignify fuch, but are fometimes ufed of fuch as are capable of going alone, yea, of receiving inftructions, of understanding the fcriptures, and of one of twelve years of age". Nor is it probable that children juft born, or within the month, fhould be had abroad. Moreover, thefe were fuch as Chrift called unto him, and were capable of coming to him of themselves, as thefe words fuppofe; nor does their being brought unto him, or his taking them in his arms, contradict this; fince the fame things are faid of fuch as could walk of themselves ". 2. It is not known whofe children thefe were, whether the children of thofe that brought them, or of others; and whether their parents were believers in Chrift, or not, or whether their parents were baptized or unbaptized; and if they were unbelievers and unbaptized perfons, the Pedobaptifts themselves will not allow that their children ought to be baptized. 3. Certain it is, that they were not brought to Christ, to be baptized by him; for the ends for which they were brought are mentioned; Matthew fays, they brought them unto him, that be fould put his hands on them, and pray; that is, for them, and bless them; as was ufual with the Jews to do": and it was common with them to bring their children to venerable perfons, men of note for religion and piety, to have their bleffing and their prayers; and fuch an one the perfons that brought thefe children might take Chrift to be, though they might not know him to be the Meffiah. Mark and Luke fay, they were brought to him, that he would touch them; as he fometimes used to do, when he healed perfons of difeafes; and probably fome of thefe children, if not all of them, were diseased, and were brought to be cured; otherwife it is not easy to conceive what they should be touched by him for; however, they were not brought to be baptized: If the perfons that brought them had their baptifm in view, they would not have brought them to Chrift, but to his difciples; feeing not he but they baptized the perfons fit for it; they might have feen the difciples adminifter that ordinance, but not Chrift; and from hence it is certain, that they were not baptized by Chrift, fince he never baptized any. Matt. xviii. 2. 2 Tim. iii. 15. Mark v. 39, 42. Mark x. 13. Luke xviii. 15. x Luke xviii. 16. z See Gen. xlix. 14-16. 4. This 4. This paffage concludes against Pædobaptism, and not for it; for it seems, by this, that it had never been the practice of the Jews, nor of John the Baptift, nor of Christ and his difciples, to baptize infants; for had this been then in ufe, the apostles would scarcely have rebuked and forbid those that brought these children, fince they might have concluded they brought them to be baptized; but knowing of no fuch ufage, that ever obtained in that nation, neither among thofe that did or did not believe in Chrift, they forbad them; and Christ's entire filence about the baptifin of infants at this time, when he had fuch an opportunity of fpeaking of it to his difciples, had it been his will, has no favourable af pect on fuch a practice. 5. This writer's reasoning upon the paffage, is befide the purpose for which he produces it; if he brings it to prove any thing refpecting baptifm, it must be to prove that infants were brought to Chrift, in order to be baptized by him, and not to him in the way of his ordinance, or in the way of baptifm: the reafon our Lord gives why they should be fuffered to come to him, for of such is the kingdom of heaven, is to be understood of fuch as were comparable to little children, for modefty, meeknefs, and humility, and for freedom from rancour malice, ambition, and pride. And fo the Syriac verfion is, who are as thefe; and the Perfic verfion, which is rather a paraphrafe, fhewing the fense, who have been bumble as thefe little children; and fuch are the proper fubjects of a gospel church-ftate, fometimes called the kingdom of heaven, and shall inherit eternal happiness. If the words are to be literally understood of infants, and of their belonging to the kingdom of heaven, interpreted of the kingdom of grace, or of the gospel church-ftate, according to this author's reafoning, they will prove too much, and more than he cares for; namely, that belonging to that kingdom, they have a right to the privileges of it, even to all of them, to the Lord's fupper, as well as to baptifm; but the kingdom of glory feems to be defigned: And we are not unwilling to admit the literal fenfe, for the eternal falvation and happiness of infants dying in infancy, is not denied by us; and, according to this fenfe, our Lord's reafoning is ftrong, that seeing he thought fit to fave the fouls of infants, and introduce them into the kingdom of heaven, why should they be forbid being brought to him, to be touched by him, and healed of their bodily diseases? The argument is from the greater to the leffer; but furnifhes out nothing in favour of Pædobaptifm. 3dly, The next text mentioned is Matt. xviii. 6. But whofo fhall offend one of theje little ones which believe in me, it were better for him, that a mill-ftone were banged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the fea. Upon which it is obferved, that the little one referred to was in an infant ftate, as ap See Matt. xviii. 2. pears |