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fcripture rule, and complying with their tradition, in fprinkling infants, I then added, "May it not be justly feared, that deifts obferving men, who profefs a facred regard to the fcriptures, and yet nevertheless contradicting them in fo plain a cafe as the pofitive inftitution of baptilm, may thereby be tempted to think fuch men only pretend to believe the fcriptures, but in their hearts do not believe them? Or if they do in reality believe them to be of divine authority, and yet deviate from one of the plaineft precepts thereof, it is not to be supposed that those, who are in doubt of that authority, can ever be prevailed upon by fuch perfons to receive and acknowledge them as a guide to eternal happiness; but, on the contrary, may by this means be confirmed in their infidelity. Proteftants therefore should well confider, that by their practice of infant-fprinkling they weaken the force of all their arguments against deifm." And I now find my apprehenfions were but too juft. For, they are fo ftrongly pushed upon this point by a late writer, not only fufpected of deism, but publicly charged with being an Infidel, the most wily enemy of the Chriftian religion, that the members of our two Universities, thofe renowned feminaries of literature, and fome eminent minifters amongst the diffenting Pædobaptifts, in their feveral defences of Christianity against what he advanced, have all in effect been compeled to give up infant-baptifm, if indeed they have any fuch thing amongst them, afferting unanimously as follows: That it is no where expressly revealed in the New Teftament, the forms and modes of worship, the manner of adminiftring the facraments, the definitions and decrees relating to doctrines, as far as they are human appointments, do not belong to our confideration, with original Christianity only is our prefent concern. 4 The reafon of the infants themselves is no way concerned in it. They have no reason, nor are they therefore capable of religion. 5 An abfurdity which the chriftian religion, or the rational believers of it, have nothing further to do with.... than to difown and difavow, as..... a heap of abfurdities, gathered. . . . from fome modern formulas of religious doctrines, or the modern practice of fome religious focieties, which are for the most part full of them, and falfly charged upon Chriftianity.

2 Mr.Moles's Grounds, &c: p. 54 3 Cambridge Letter, P. 5. 4 Oxford Reply, p. 7. 5 Mr. Moles's Grounds, p. 56.

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anity. But I am very confident, the feripture, by which the merits of this caufe are to be tried, teaches nothing of this kind. Nor from any thing we could have met with there, could we ever have thought of it. But as to those who hold fuch opinions, and make use of fuch forms, let them anfwer for them. Such things do not appear to me to be according to the pleafure and ordinance of God himself in this point. ...The New Testament itself is a stranger to any fuch fentiments, or practices; and therefore Chriftianity is not, in the leaft, affected by this objection. Thefe are fome of their own expreffions concerning infant baptifm, in answer to what this wily Infidel faid upon the fubject; whose words Mr. Benfon in his Dialogue has thus introduced, p. 94.

But there is an objection, p. 9. which is repeated, p. 69. and which it will require all your fkill to refolve,' viz. "Can a man be baptized into a rational religion? "Or, where is reafon concerned, when babes accept "the terms of falvation by deputy, and are intitled to "all the privileges of the moft extenfive faith by ano

ther's act? By the baptifmal ceremony, they com66 mence true believers at once, and are made heirs of heaven, by the faith of their bondfmen, while as yet they have not the least share or symptom of understanding themselves; and, they cannot well give a rational "affent by proxy. Yet fuch is the pleafure and ordinance of God himfelf in this point. And p. 69. he inquires, can any thing be more natural, upon hearing of a_rational faith, than to interrogate, with the greateft fimplicity, after our church-catechifm; why, then, are infants baptized; when by reafon of their tender age, "they cannot poffibly pretend to know any thing of the "matter? For they article without knowing it, to be"lieve they know not what: and this act, which is pro

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perly no act at all, is received as fomething to all in"tents and purposes compleat in itfelf, and comprifing the "whole fum and extent of a juft perfuafion. Their

living longer, to be capable to be informed what it is they have promised to believe, may poffibly endanger, "but cannot add to, the terms of their contracted happinefs. The merits of the moft finished conviction are already theirs by imputation. Their claim to heaven. "ftands

6 Dr. Doddridge's Third Letter, p. 55. 57. 7 Mr. Benson's Dialogue, p. 96, 97.

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"ftands already allowed. And millions are accordingly, "we know, actually faved upon the ftrength of the mere ceremony, without ever having had the capacity of exerting one fingle thought upon that, or any other "fubject. So far are they all the while of knowing any "thing why, that they do not fo much as know what "they believe; or indeed, that they do believe any thing << at all."Now, is not this a moft formidable argument against a rational faith; in as much as they have allowed it impoffible to believe without ideas, or understanding; and confequently impoffible to give a rational affent by 'proxy.'

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This objection is not formed against the private opinions and practice of particular Chriftians only, but against the judgment and established ordinances of feveral Churches; whofe moft learned divines profefs to believe and practife infant-baptism, as a right appointed for admitting children members of the church of Chrift; and thefe children, when they are grown up, are many of them taught to believe, that they were thereby made members of Chrift, the children of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaThis ceremony, as it has been fo eagerly and fo zealoufly contended for, by almoft the whole chriftian world. for feveral ages, fo from hence alone our modern Infidels, who are not over careful in their examinations of fcripture, to diftinguish and find out, which opinions and practices amongst Christians are really taught there, and which only pretended to be fo, may be willing to believe and take for granted, that. these things are indeed what Chrift himself taught, and what the fcriptures set forth, as many weak Chriftians do to this day. And from thence apprehending a confiderable advantage given them againft Christianity, they have here laid faft hold of it. And therefore I hope thofe Chriftians, who give them fuch a handle against themfelves, will now confider it, and aci fuitably to what the nature of this attack requires and demands from them. For as Mr. Benfon obferves,

8 Such repeated attacks upon rational Chriftianity muft of course lead rational believers to a more careful and exact inquiry into the nature and evidences of their faith; which cannot fail of ending to the advantage of truth and virtue. It is poffible that, upon examination, it may be found that Chriftians have mixed fome of their ⚫ own private fentiments with the pure doctrine of Christ. • And,

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Preface to bis Dialogue, p. 5.

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* And, as fuch things cannot be defended, they had much better part with them, [and infant-baptifm in particular, as his answer to this objection fhews] than give up rati⚫onal Chriftianity, or load it with those difficulties, which afford the moft plaufible objections against it; tho' in reality they do not belong to it. Such authors as this (whatever be their defign) will, perhaps in the issue, help us to get rid of fuch difficulties and incumbrances, which is, doubtlefs, a very defirable thing.'

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Befides, as Mr. Mole very juftly obferves, when treating of Chriftian education; 9 Reviewing the grounds of our knowledge and conduct, fo far from mifbecoming us, will be what we shall be difpofed to by fuch an edu⚫cation, and what we are not only allowed at any one particular time, but obliged to do often, over and over again, as long as we live. How far impofture and human impofition might fuffer by their votaries taking fuch a liberty, is eafily feen; and why thofe, who are for fupporting them, fhould be apprehenfive and fearful from it: but chriftian faith and virtue muft take • firmer hold of the minds of men, and flourish more in their lives by it.'

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These great and good effects mentioned by Mr. Benfon and Mr. Mole, feem alfo to be most earnestly defired by Dr. Doddridge in these words, I would hope, the at⚫tacks made on common Chriftianity, are in fome mea• fure leading us to this: and I earnestly pray, that infinite wisdom may over-rule that evil, to the production of fo great a good.' For as he elsewhere adds, It is thus that meat often comes out of the eater, and sweetnefs out of the fierce; and the fubtile are taken in their • own craftiness. The groffnefs of fuch vifible and palpable fnares engages prudent people to avoid the path in which they lie, and fo fecures them from others of a ⚫ finer contexture, and a more dangerous form.'

With these views therefore, and for this end only, agreeable to Mr. Barker's advice in his introductory Sermon to the Lectures preached against Popery at SaltersHall, I have taken upon me to publifh these remarks; and if they may in the leaft contribute to fo neceffary, and defirable a reformation, I fhall greatly rejoice, little regarding

9 Grounds, &c. p. 75, 76. Third Letter, p. 44.
etter, p. 32.

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garding what angry perfons bigotted to human forms and corrupt traditions may fay, or think of them.

Had the practice of our Pædobaptift brethren been ridiculed after the manner of this objection by one of the Baptift perfuafion, they might perhaps have been greatly difpleased, and returned very different anfwers to us. But coming from an Infidel, it appears fo juft, and of fo much weight, that our brethren feem greatly alarmed by it and in order to defend Chriftianity, they have, in effect, given up infant-baptism, as an human appointment only, and as fuch entirely indefenfible by fcripture and antiquity. Hereby they have manifefted a true love and regard for the religion of Jefus, above their own forms and traditions, fo long joined with it, and practised as a part of it. A good step this towards that reformation, which hath been fo long wanted, as the moft certain way to prevent fuch objections, and the most likely means of uniting all Chriftians; but is now become abfolutely neceflary for their own vindication, to fecure themfelves from the charge of inconfiftency, or being felf-condemned in carrying on a folemn farce, doing that in the name of the Lord, which they own, the Lord hath not commanded them; knowledged abfurdity no where expressly revealed in the New Teftament, which is also faid to be fo much a franger to any fuch fentiments or practices, that the rational believers of Christianity have nothing further to do with, but to difown and difavow them. And this appears fo clearly in their feveral anfwers to this objection, that I fhall give them my readers at large, adding thereto fome few remarks. And as our famous Univerfities claim precedency, I will begin firft with theirs.

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SECT. I.

Remarks on the Cambridge Letter.

an ac

HE Cambridge young gentleman introduces his anfwer to the objection above, with the following remarkable paragraph. And if what is therein contained, had been strictly attended to by all, who have affumed the chriftian name, I am perfuaded there would have been no room for answering fuch objections. Ꭰ

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