1 their healing and amendment, as need fhall require; though with respect to public rebuke, admonition, and excommunication, children in their minority are not subject to church-difcipline, only to fuch as is by way of fpiritual watch and private rebuke. The original Independents, by the covenant feed, who have a right to church-membership and baptifm, thought only the feed of immediate parents in church-covenant are meant, and not of progenitors. Mr Cotton fays", "Infants cannot claim right unto baptifm, but in the right of one "of their parents or both; where neither of the parents can claim right to the "Lord's-fupper, there their infants cannot claim right to baptifm;" though he afterwards fays", "it may be confidered, whether the children may not be baptized, where either the grandfather or grandmother * have made profeffion "of their faith and repentance before the church, and are still living to under"take for the chriftian education of the child; or if thefe fail, what hinders "but that if the parents will refign their infant to be educated in the house of "any godly member of the church, the child may be lawfully baptized in the " right of its houfhold governor." But Mr Hooker, as he afferts, that children as children have no right to baptifm, fo it belongs not to any predeceffors, either nearer or farther off removed from the next parents to give right of this privilege to their children; by which predeceffors, he fays, he includes and comprehends all befides the next parent; grandfather, great grandfather, &c. So the minifters and meffengers of the congregational churches that met at the Savoy declare; "that not only thofe that do actually profefs faith in, and "obedience unto Chrift, but alfo the infants of one or both believing parents "are to be baptized, and thofe only." And the commiffioners for the review of the Common Prayer, in the beginning of the reign of king Charles the second; those of the Prefbyterian perfuafion moved, on the behalf of others, that “there "being divers learned, pious, and peaceable minifters, who not only judge it "unlawful to baptize children whofe parents both of them are Atheists, Infi dels, Heretics, or Unbaptized; but alfo fuch whofe parents are excommuni"cate perfons, fornicators, or otherwife notorious and fcandalous finners; we "defire, fay they, they may not be inforced to baptize the children of fuch, "until they have made open profeffion of their repentance before baptism*:” but now I do not understand, that the prefent generation of Diffenters of this denomination, adhere to the principles and practices of their predeceffors, at leaft Boston-difputation, p. 14. Cambridge Platform of church government, p. 18. "Cotton's Way of the churches, p. 81. - Ibid. p. 115. * Of this fee Epift. Calvin. Ep. Farella, p. 175. & Salden. Otia, Theolog. Exercitat. 7. fect. 21, P. 544. Survey of church-discipline, part 3. p. 13, 2 Declaration of the Faith and Order, &c. c. 29. p. 48. least very few of them; but admit to baptism, not only the children of members of their churches, but of those who are not members, only hearers, or that apply to them for the baptifm of their infants, whether gracious or graceless perfons and were only the first fort admitted, children of members, what are they? No better than others, born in fin, born of the flesh, carnal and corrupt, are of the world, notwithstanding their birth of religious persons, until they are called out of it by the effectual grace of God; and as they grow up, appear to be of the world as others, and have their converfation according to the course of it; and many of them are dissolute in their lives, and scandalous in their conversations: and yet I do not understand, that any notice is taken of them in a church-way; as to be admonifhed, cenfured, and excommunicated; but they retain their membership, into which they were taken in their infancy, and continue in it to the day of their death: and if this is not uniting and keeping the world and church together, I know not what is. Moreover all the arguments that are made ufe of to prove the church of Chrift under the gospel-difpenfation to be congregational, and against a national church, are all deftroyed by the baptifm and membership of infants. It is faid in favour of the one, and against the other, that the members of a visible church are faints by calling, fuch as in charitable difcretion may be accounted fo'; but are infants who are admitted to membership and baptized, fuch? The holinefs pleaded for as belonging to them, is only a federal holinefs, and that is merely chimerical: are they called to be faints, or faints by effectual calling? Can they, in charitable difcretion, or in rational charity, be thought to be truly and really holy, or faints, as the churches of the New Teftament are said to be? And if they cannot in a judgment of charity, be accounted real faints, and yet are admitted members of churches; why not others, of whom it cannot be charitably thought that they are real faints? Besides, it is faid by the Independents, "that members of gofpel-churches are faints by calling, vifibly mani "fefting and evidencing by their profeffion and walk their obedience to that "call; who are further known to each other by their confefsion of faith wrought "in them by the power of God; and do willingly confent to walk together, according to the appointment of Chrift, giving up themselves to the Lord "and to one another by the will of God, in profeffed fubjection to the ordi"nances of the gospel :" now are infants fuch? Do they manifeft and evidence by a profeffion and walk their obedience to a divine call? And if they do not, and yet are admitted members, why not others, who give no more evidence than they do? Do they make a confeffion of faith wrought in them? Does it appear 66 Cotton's Way of the churches, &c. p. 56. Cambridge-Platform, c. 3. P. 3. appear that they have fuch a faith? and in a confeffion made, and fo made as to be known by fellow-members? and if not, and yet received and owned as members, why not others that make no more confession of faith than they do. Do infants confent to walk with the church of Chrift, and give up themselves to the Lord and one another, and profess to be subject to the ordinances of the gofpel? and if they do not, as most certainly they do not, and yet are members, why may not others be alfo members on the fame footing? Is it objected to a national church, that perfons of the worst of characters are members of it; and by this means the church is filled with men very difreputable and fcandalous in their lives? and is not this true of infants admitted members in their infancy, who when grown up are very wicked and immoral, and yet their membership continues? and why not then national churches be admitted of, notwithstanding the above objection? So that upon the whole, I think, I have good reason to say, “that "there cannot be a full feparation of the one from the other, that is, of the "church from the world, nor a thorough reformation in religion, until it (Infant-baptifm) is wholly removed." III. In the faid Preface, I exprefs my firm belief of the entire ceffation of Infant-baptifm, in time to come: my words are," though it (Infant-baptifm) "has fo long and largely obtained (as it has from the fourth century till now, "and over the greater part who have fince bore the chriftian name) and still "does obtain; I believe with a firm and unfhaken faith, that the time is haften 66 ing on, when Infant-baptifm will be no more practifed in the world." I mean in the fpiritual reign of Chrift; for in his perfonal reign there will be no ordinances, nor the adminiftration of them; and this is explained by what I farther fay, "when churches will be formed on the fame plan they were in the times of "the apostles; when gofpel-doctrine and difcipline will be reftored to their primitive purity and luftre; when the ordinances of baptifm and the Lord's fupper will be administered as they were firft delivered; all which will "be accomplished, when "the Lord fhall be king over all the earth, and "there fhall be one Lord and his name one;" that is, when there fhall be one Lord, one faith, and one baptifm, acknowledged by all chriftians; and they will be all of one mind with refpect to the doctrines and ordinances of the gospel. And as it becomes every man to give a reafon of the faith and hope he has concerning divine things, with meeknefs and fear; the reafons of my firm belief, that Infant-baptifm will be no more practifed in the latter day, and spiritual reign of Chrift, are fome of them fuggefted in the above paragraph, and others may be added, as, First, Because churches in the time referred to will be formed on the plan churches were in the time of the apoftles; that this will be the cafe, fee the prophecies prophecies in Ifai. i. 25, 26. Jer. xxx. 18, 20. Rev. xi. 19. Now the apoftolic churches confifted only of baptized believers, or of fuch who were baptized upon profeffion of their faith; the members of the first chriftian church, which was at Jerufalem, were firft baptized upon their converfion, and then added to it; the next chriftian church, at Samaria, confifted of men and women baptized on believing the gofpel preached by Philip; and the church at Corinth, of fuch who hearing, believed and were baptized; and on the fame plan were formed the churches at Rome, Philippi, Coloffe, and others; nor is there one fingle inftance of Infant-baptifm and of Infant-church-membership in them; wherefore if churches in the latter day will be on the fame plan, then Infantbaptifm will be no more practifed. Secondly, Because then the ordinances of the gospel will be administered, as they were first delivered, clear of all present corruption and fuperftition; this is what is meant by the temple of God being opened in heaven, on the founding of the seventh trumpet, Rev. xi. 19. and xv. 5. which respects the restoration of worship, discipline, doctrines and ordinances, to the free use of them, and to their original purity; when, as the ordinance of the Lord's-fupper will be administered clear of all corruptions and ceremonies introduced by Papists and retained by Proteftants; fo likewife the ordinance of baptifm, both with respect to fubject and mode; which, as it was firft delivered, was only administered to perfons profeffing faith and repentance, and that by immersion only; and if this will be univerfally administered in the latter day, as in the firft ages of christianity, Infant-fprinkling will be practifed no more. Thirdly, Because Chrift will then be king over all the earth in a spiritual sense; one Lord, whofe commands will be obeyed with great precifion and exactness, according to his will revealed in his word; and as baptifm is one of his commands he has prescribed, as he is and will be acknowledged the one Lord and head of the church, and not the pope, who will no more be fubmitted to; fo there will be one baptism, which will be administered to one fort of subjects only, as he has directed, and in one manner only, by immerfion, of which his baptism is an example; and therefore I believe that Infant-sprinkling will be no more in use. Fourthly, At this fame time the name of Chrift will be one, that is, his religion; which will be the fame it was at firft inftituted by him. Now it is various, as it is profeffed and practifed by different perfons that bear his name; but in the, latter day, it will be one and the fame, in all its branches, as embraced; profeffed, and exercised, by all that are called chriftians; and as baptifm is one, part of it, this will be practifed in an uniform manner, or by all alike, that fhall name the name of Chrift; for fince Christ's name, or the christian religion, in all its parts, will be the fame in all the profeffors of it; I therefore firmly believe, that baptism will be practised alike by all, according to the primitive inftitution; and confequently, that Infant-baptism will be no more: for, Fifthly, As at this time, the watchmen will fee eye to eye, Ifai. lii. 8. the ministers of the gospel will be of one mind, both with respect to the doctrines and duties of chriftianity; will alike preach the one, and practise the other; fo the people under their miniftrations will be all agreed, and receive the truths of the gofpel in the love of them, and submit to the precepts and inftitutions of it, without any difference among themselves, and without any variation from the word of God; and among the rest, the ordinance of baptism, about which there will be no longer ftrife; but all will agree that the proper subjects of it are believers, and the right mode of it immerfion; and fo Infant-fprinkling will be no more contended for; faints in this, as in other things, will ferve the Lord with one confent, Zeph. iii. 9. Sixthly, Another reafon why I firmly believe Infant-baptifm will hereafter be no more practifed, is, because antichrift will be entirely confumed with the spirit or breath of Chrift's mouth, and with the brightness of his coming, z Thefs. ii. 8. that is, with the pure and powerful preaching of his word, at his coming to take to himself-his power, and reign spiritually in the churches, in a more glorious manner; when all antichriftian doctrines and practices will be entirely abolifhed and ceafe, even the whole body of antichriftian worship; not a limb of antichrift shall remain, but all shall be confumed. Now as I believe, and it has been fhewn, that Infant-baptifm is a part and pillar of Popery, a limb of antichrist, a branch of superstition and will-worship, introduced by the man of fin, when he fhall be destroyed, this fhall be deftroyed with him and be no more. Seventhly, Though the notion of Infant-baptifm has been embraced and practifed by many good and godly men in feveral ages; yet it is part of the wood, hay, and stubble, laid by them upon the foundation; is one of those works of theirs, the bright day of the gofpel fhall declare to be a falfhood; and which the fire of the word will try, burn up, and confume, though they themselves fhall be faved; and therefore being utterly confumed, fhall no more appear in the world: for, Eighthly, When the angel fhall defcend from heaven with great power, and the earth be lightened with his glory, which will be at the fall of Babylon and ruin of Antichrift, Rev. xviii. 1, 2. fuch will be the blaze of light then given, that all antichriftian darkness fhall be removed, and all works of darkness will be made manifest and caft off, among which Infant-baptifm is one; and then the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, Ifai. xi. 9. even of the knowledge of the word, ways, worship, truths, and ordinances of God, |