That He who is King in Zion may reign in the hearts and regulate the worship of all his profeffing people; that the Spirit of wisdom, of holiness, and of peace, may dwell in all the churches of Chrift; and that the fame divine Agent may dired the reader's inquiries after truth, engage his affections in the performance of duty, and enable him to "walk in all the command. ments and ordinances of the Lord blameless ;" is the fincere defire and fervent prayer of his willing fervant in the gospel of Chrift, GOODMAN'S FIELDS, 2 A. BOOTH. AN Apology for the Baptifts. SECTION I. The Baptifts not chargeable with laying an unwarrantable Strefs on the Ordinance of Baptifm. M ANY reflections are caft on the Baptifts, and various charges are laid against them; reflections and charges of fuch a kind, as greatly impeach the truth of their doctrinal principles, and the candour of their Chriftian temper. They are frequently reprefented by their Pædobaptift brethren, as uncharitably rigid, as incorrigible bigots to a favourite opinion, and as putting bap aifm in the place of our Lord's. atoning blood and the fandlifying agency of the divine Spirit.--To give them epithets and load them with charges of this kind, the generality of their opponents agree; whether they be members of our National Eslablifhment, or in the number of Protestant Diffenters. But why fuch unfriendly furmifes and bold accufations? What is there in our principles or conduct that lays a foundation for fuch hard fuf.picions and fuch feverity of cenfure? As to making baptifm a fubftitute for the atonement of Jefus Chrift, and the fanctifying agency of the Holy Spir it, it is manifefly contrary to our avowed fenti * ments; fo contrary, that all the world, one would have thought, muft agree to acquit us of fuch a charge. For it is too notorious to admit a plea of ignorance in any of our opponents, that we confider no one as a proper subject of that institution, who does not profefs repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift; who does not, in other words, appear to be in a state of falvation. Nay, fo far from making baptism a faving ordinance, we do not, we cannot confider any one as a proper fubject of it, who looks upon it in that light. Yet were an imputation of this kind as just and pertinent, as it is groundless and ungenerous; did we really ascribe a regenerating efficacy and faving effects to that facred appointment; we should hardly forbear concluding, that these complaints and charges came with an ill grace from our brethren of the Establishment; efpecially from the clergy, who have folemnly declared their affent and confent to all that is contained in the book of Common Prayer. For they, immediately after baptizing an infant, address firft the people, and then the omniscient God, in the following remarkable words: Seeing, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is REGENERATE and grafted into the body of Christ's church, let us give thanks to Almighty God for these benefits-We yield thee hearty thanks, moft merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to REGENERATE this infant with thy Holy Spirit, to receive him for THINE OWN CHILD I fpeak of the Particular Baptifts. How far any of thofe who are called General Baptifts, may have given occafion for fuch imputations, I neither take upon me to affirm nor deny. by adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy church. Thus the clergy moft folemnly profefs to believe, when they administer baptifm to infants. And, when giving catechetical instructions to children, they inculcate on their tender minds the fame things, as truths and facts of great importance. For thus they interrogate each young catechumen, and thus they teach him to answer. Who gave you this name? My Godfathers and Godmothers in my baptifm, wHEREIN I WAS MADE a member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven. How many facraments hath Christ ordained in his church? Two only, as GENERALLY NECESSARY TO SALVATION, that is to fay, baptifm and the fupper of the Lord. What is the inward and fpiritual grace? (i. e. of baptifm.) A death unto fin, and a new birth unto righteoufnefs; for, being by nature born in fin, and the children of wrath, we are HEREBY MADE the children of grace.'* Thus children are See the Office for Public Baptifm of Infants, and the Catechifm. Whether the doctrine here advanced be confiftent with the fentiments of Proteftant Pædobaptifts in general, or calculated to inftruct the ignorant and edify believers, I muft leave the reader to judge. I will take the liberty, however, of fubjoining a quotation from the celebrated Withius, and another from the no lefs excellent Dr. Owen, relating to this point. The former thus expreffes himfelf:-Communio cum Chrifto et corpore ipfius myftico in electis infantibus baptifmum antecedere videtur; faltem judicio charitatis. Pædobaptifmo enim UTI FUNDAMENTUM fubftruitur. Hoc quippe argumento paffim pugnatur ab orthodoxis: ad quos pertinet fœdus gratiæ, et communio Chrifti, atque ecclefiæ, et quorum eft regnum cœlorum, eos oportet baptizari. Atqui hæc omnia infantibus clectis, et foederatis competunt.Bodius Romanæ ecclefiæ doctores in graviffimo errore verfari autumat, quum ftatuunt baptis taught by the parish minifter; and in the firm perfuafion of these things they are confirmed by the bifhop. For, immediately before he lays upon them his epifcopal hand, he recognizes, in a folemn addrefs to God, the great bleffings fuppofed to be conferred and received by them at the time of their baptifm. Thus he prays: Almighty and ever living God, who haft vouchfafed to REGENERATE THESE THY SERVANTS by water and the Holy Ghoft, and haft given unto them FORGIVENESS OF ALL THEIR SINS.'--And, after impofition of hands; 'We make our humble fupplications unto thee [the divine Majefty] for these thy fervants, upon whom (after the example of thy holy apostles) we have now laid our hands, to CERTIFY THEM (by this fign) OF THY FAVOUR AND GRACIOUS GOODNESS TOWARDS THEM.' Once more; As the church of England fuggefts a painful doubt, relating to the final happiness of fuch infants as die without baptifm; fo the abfolely forbids her Burial Service to be read over any who die unbaptized; placing them, in this refpect, on a level with thofe that die under a fentence of excommunication for the most zandos, priufquam hoc fignaculo obfignentur; Chrifti membra non effe, ad ejus corpus et communionem non pertinere, fed tum demum e poteftate diaboli liberari, inque Chrifti familiam tranfire. Mifcel. Sac. Tom. II. Exercit. xix. S 21-The latter thus:-Neque fanè dogma pernitiofius, aut quod peccatorum animis præfentius venenum propinaret, facilè excogitaret ipfe mendaciorum pater. Dùm enim miferi homines mortui peccatis fibi adblandiuntur quod in baptifino renati fuerint, atque in utramque aurem otiosè dormiant; neceffitatem abfolutam et indifpenfabilem fpiritualis totius hominis renovationis fúfque déque habentes, ftatum fuum milerrimum agnofcere, et ad gratium Chrifti vivificantem confu. gere negligunt atque ita pernitiofiffima fecuritate fopii, eternùm pereunt. Theologoum. 1. vi. c v p. 477, 478. |