gument that he is credulous and weak, that fhall be determined by fo weak a probation, in a matter of fo great concernment;" and yet it is by this that many are determined in this affair: and not only Popish writers, as Bellarmine and others, make it to be an apoftolical tradition unwritten; but fome Protestant Pædobaptifts fhew a good-will to place Infant-baptifm among the unwritten fayings and traditions of Chrift or his apoftles, and fatisfy themselves therewith. Mr Fuller fays, "We do freely confefs that there is neither express precept nor precedent in the New Teftament for the baptizing of infants;" yet obferves, that St John faith, chap. xxi. 25. And there are also many other things, which Jefus did, which are not written; "among which, for ought appears to "the contrary, the baptizing of thefe infants (thofe whom Chrift took in his "arms and bleffed) might be one of them." In like manner, Mr Walker argues, "It doth not follow, our Saviour gave no precept for the baptizing of "infants, because no fuch precept is particularly expreffed in the fcripture; "for our Saviour spoke many things to his difciples concerning the kingdom "of God, both before his paffion, and also after his refurrection, which are "not written in the fcriptures; and who can fay, but that among those many unwritten fayings of his, there might be an exprefs precept for Infant-bap"tifm?" And Mr Leigh, one of the difputants in the Portsmouth-difputation', fuggefts, that though Infant-baptifm is not to be found in the writings of the apostle Paul extant in the fcriptures, yet it might be in fome writings of his which are loft, and not now extant; all which is plainly giving up Infant-baptifm as contained in the facred writings, and placing it upon unwritten, apoftolical tradition, and that too, conjectural and uncertain. Now Infant-baptifm, with all the ceremonies attending it, for which alfo apoftolical tradition is pleaded, makes a very confiderable figure in Popith pageantry; which, according to pretended apoftolical tradition, is performed in a very pompous manner; as, by confecration of the water, ufing fponfors, who answer to the interrogatories, and make the renunciation in the name of the infant; exorcifins, exfufflations, croffings, the use of falt, fpittle, and oil. Before the party is baptized, the water is confecrated in a very folemn manner; the priest makes an exorcism firft; three times, he exfufflates or breathes into the water, in the figure of a cross, faying, "I adjure thee, O creature of water;" and here he divides the water after the manner of a crofs, and makes three or four croffings; he takes a horn of oil, and pours it three times upon the water in the likeness of a crofs, and makes a prayer that the font may be fanctified, and the eternal Trinity be prefent; faying, "Defcend from heaven and fanctify * Modeft Plea, p. 268. i Infants Advocate, p. 71, 150. "this "this water, and give grace and virtue, that he who is baptized according to "the command of thy Christ, may be crucified, and die, and be buried, and "rife again with him." The fponfors or fureties, inftead of the child, and in its name, recite the creed and the Lord's-prayer, make the renunciation of the devil and all his works, and answer to questions put in the name of the child : the form, according to the Roman order, is this; "The name of the infant being called, the prefbyter muft fay, "Doft thou renounce Satan? Anfwer, "I do renounce; and all his works? Anfw. I do renounce; and all his pomps? "Anfw. I do renounce: three times these questions are put, and three times "the fureties answer." The interrogations are sometimes faid to be made by a priest, sometimes by a prefbyter, and fometimes by an exorcift, who was one or the other, and to which the following queftion alfo was added: "Doft thou "believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, &c? "Anfw. I believe." Children to be baptized are first exfufflated or breathed and blown upon, and exorcifed, that the wicked fpirit might be driven from them, that they might be delivered from the powers of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of Chrift: the Roman order is, "Let him (the minifter, priest, deacon, or exorcift) "blow into the face of the perfon to be baptized, "three times, faying, Go out, thou unclean fpirit, and give place to the holy "Ghoft, the Comforter." The form, according to St Gregory, is, "I exorcife "thee, O unclean spirit, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of "the holy Ghost, that thou go out and depart from this fervant of God." Salt alfo is put into the mouth of the infant, after it is bleffed and exorcifed, as a token of its being feafoned with the falt of wisdom; and that it might be preferved from the corruption and ill favour of fin: the priest first bleffes the falt after this manner: "I exorcife thee, O creature of falt; and then being blessed, "it is put into the mouth of the infant, saying, Receive the falt of wisdom "unto life everlasting." The nofe and ears of infants at their baptism are touched with fpittle by the priest, that they may receive the favour of the knowledge of God, and their ears be opened to hear the commands of God; and formerly spittle was put upon the eyes and upon the tongue, though it feems now disused as to thofe parts; and yet no longer than the birth of king James the first, it seems to have been in ufe; fince at his baptifm his mother fent word to the archbishop to forbear the ufe of the spittle, faying, "She would not have "a pocky priest to spit in her child's mouth;" for it feems the queen knew that the archbishop, who was Hamilton, Archbishop of St Andrews, then had the venereal disease ". And fo in the times of the martyrs in queen Mary's days; 3 U 2 Abstract of the Hiflory of Popery, part 1. p. 114. n Vid. Rivet. Animadv. in Grot. Annotat, in Caffander. Confultat. p. 72. for for Robert Smith the martyr, being asked by Bonner, in what point do we diffent from the word of God? meaning as to baptifm; he anfwered; « First, "in hallowing your water, in conjuring of the fame, in baptizing children "with anointing and fpitting in their mouths, mingled with falt; and many "other lewd ceremonies, of which not one point is able to be proved in God's "word." All which he calls a mingle-mangle. Chryfm, or anointing both before and after baptifm, is another ceremony ufed at it; the parts anointed are the breast and shoulders; the breaft, that no remains of the latent enemy may refide in the party baptized; and the shoulders, that he may be fortified and strengthened to do good works, to the glory of God: this anointing is made in the form of a crofs; the oil is put on the breast and beneath the fhoulders, making a crofs with the thumb; on making the cross on the shoulders, the priest fays, "Flee, thou unclean fpirit, give honour to the living and true "God;" and when he makes it on the breaft, he fays, "Go out, thou unclean fpirit, give place to the holy Ghoft:" the form used in doing it is, "I anoint thee with the oil of falvation, that thou mayeft have life everlafting." The next ceremony is that of figning the infant with the fign of the crofs: this is made in feveral parts of the body, efpecially on the forehead, to fignify that the party baptized fhould not be afhamed of the cross of Chrift, and not be afraid of the enemy, Satan, but manfully fight against him. After baptifm, in ancient times, honey and milk, or wine and milk, were given to the baptized, though now disused; and infants were admitted to the Lord's-supper ; which continued fome hundreds of years in the Latin church, and still does in the Greek church. Now for the proof of the use of these various ceremonies, the reader may confult Jofepb. Vicecomes, a learned Papift, as Dr Wall calls him, in his treatise de antiquis baptismi ritibus ac ceremoniis, where and by whom they are largely treated of, and the proofs of them given. All which are rehearsed and condemned by the ancient Waldenfes in a treatife of theirs, written in the year 1120. It may be asked, to what purpofe is this account given of the ceremonies used by Papists in the administration of baptifm to infants by them, fince they are not used by Proteftant Pædobaptifts? I anfwer, it is to fhew what I propofed, namely, what a figure Infant-baptifm, with these attending ceremonies, makes in Popery, and may with propriety be called a part of it; befides, though all these ceremonies are not used, yet fome of them are used in some Proteftant Predobaptist churches, as fureties, the interrogations made to them, and their answers in the name of the infants; the renunciation of the devil and all his works, and figning with the fign of the crofs and fince these and the others, • Fox's Acts and Monuments, vol. 3. p. 400. See Morland's Hiftory of the chuches of Piedmont, p. 173. others, all of them claim apoftolic authority, and most, if not all of them, have as good and as early a claim to it as Infant-baptifm itfelf; thofe who admit that upon this foot, ought to admit these ceremonies alfo. See a treatise of mine, called The Argument from Apoftolic tradition in favour of Infant-baptifm confidered. Most of the above ceremonies are mentioned by Bafil, who lived in the fourth century, and as then in ufe; and which were had from apoftolic tradition, as faid, and not from the fcriptures; and, fays he, "Because this “is first and most common, I will mention it in the first place, as that we fign "with the fign of the cross;-Who has taught this in fcripture?We confecrate "the water of baptifm and the oil of unction, as well as him who receives baptifm; from what fcriptures? Is it not from private and fecret tradition? "Moreover the anointing with oil, what paffage in fcripture teaches this? Now "a man is thrice immerfed, from whence is it derived or directed? Alfo the reft "of what is done in baptifm, as to renounce Satan and his angels, from what scripture have we it? Is not this from private and secret tradition?" And fo Austin fpeaks of exorcifms and exfufflations used in baptifm, as of ancient tradition, and of univerfal use in the church. Now whoever receives Infantbaptifin on the foot of apoftolic tradition, ought to receive thofe alfo, fince they ftand upon as good a foundation as that does. The Papifts attribute the rise of several of the above ceremonies to their Popes, as fponfors, chryfms, exorcifms, &c. though perhaps they were not quite fo early as they imagine, yet very early they were; and Infant-baptifm itself, though two or three doctors of the, church had afferted and efpoufed it, yet it was not determined in any council until the Milevitan council in 418, or thereabouts, a provincial of Africa, in which was a canon made for Pædobaptifm, and never till then: So fays bifhop Taylor', with whom Grotius agrees', who calls it the council of Carthage; and who fays in the councils no earlier mention is made of Infant-baptifm than in that council; the canons of which were fent to pope Innocent the firft", and confirmed by him: And Auftin, who must. write his book against the Donatifts before this time, though he fays", the church always held it (Infant-baptifm) and that it is moft rightly believed to be delivered by apoftolic tradition; yet obferves, that it was not inftituted, or determined and fettled in or by councils; that is, as yet it was not, though it afterwards was in the above council confirmed by the faid pope; in which councili De Spiritu San&to, c. 27. De Peccat. Orig. 1. 2. c. 40. & de nupt. & concup. 1. 1. c. 20. & l. 2. c. 18. • Liberty of Prophefying, p. 320, 321. u Vid. Centuriat. Magdeburg. cent. 5. c. 9. p. 468, 473. Epift. Auguft. Ep: 92, 93. De Baptifmo contra Donatift. 1. 4. c. 24. council Auflin himself prefided, and in which is this canon, "Alfo it is our plea"fure, that whoever denies that new-born infants are to be baptized, let him "be anathema," and which is the first council that established Infant-baptifm, and anathematized thofe that denied it; fo that it may justly be called a part of popery befides baptifm by immerfion, which continued 1300 years in the Latin church, excepting in the case of the Clinicks, and still does in the Greek church, was first changed into fprinkling by the Papifts; which is not an indifferent thing, whether performed with much or a little water, as is ufually confidered; but is of the very effence of baptifm, is that itself, and without which it is not baptism; it being, as Sir John Floyer says *, “No circumstance, "but the very act of baptizing," who obferves, "that afperfion, or sprinkling, was brought into the church by the popish schoolmen; and our dif"fenters, adds he, had it from them; the fchoolmen employed their thoughts "how to find out reafons for the alteration to sprinkling, and brought it into use "in the twelfth century:" and it must be observed, to the honour of the church of England, that they have not established sprinkling in baptifm to this day; only have permitted pouring in case it is certified the child is weakly and not able to bear dipping; otherwise, by the Rubric, the priest is ordered to dip the child warily: iprinkling received only a Prefbyterian fanction in the times of the civil war, by the Affembly of Divines; where it was carried for sprinkling against dipping by one vote only, by 25 against 24, and then established by an ordinance of parliament 1644: and that this change has its rife from the authority of the Pope, Dr Wall himself acknowledges, and that the sprinkling of infants is from popery. "All the nations of chriftians, fays he, that do now, "or formerly did, fubmit to the authority of the bishop of Rome, do ordinarily baptize their infants by pouring or sprinkling; and though the English "received not this custom till after the decay of Popery, yet they have fince "received it from fuch neighbour-nations as had began it in the times of the pope's power; but all other chriftians in the world, who never owned the pope's ufurped power, do, and ever did, dip their infants in their ordinary "ufe;" fo that Infant-baptifm, both with refpect to fubject and mode, may with great propriety be called a part and branch of popery. 66 66 But it is not only a part of popery, and fo ferves to strengthen it, as a part does the whole; but it is a pillar of it, what ferves greatly to fupport it; and which furnishes the Papifts with one of the strongest arguments against the Protestants in favour of their traditions; on which, as we have seen, the effentials of popery are founded, and of the authority of the church to alter the rites of di * Effay to restore Dipping, &c. p. 44. Hiftory of Infant-baptifm, part 2. p. 477. y Ibid. p. 58. Ibid. p. 12, 32. vine |