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Writers of your rank, fays he, 3 should have stronger apprehenfions of mifchief, from the folly and fury which naturally attend ignorance, bigotry, and prefumed infpiration, than from the fpirit and temper of the rationalist. To preferve a fenfe of religion among mankind, is furely, in fome degree, necellary to the peace and welfare of fociety. And if we believe the fupreme Being hath interpofed in this affair, it becometh us to fuppofe, he hath done it in a WISE AND WORTHY MANNER. In all the conftructions we make of his declared will and pleafure, with regard to our faith and practice, NOTHING EVIDENTLY DISHONOURABLE IS TO BE ALLOWED. Reflections of this kind have engaged good and wife men to afcribe righteoufnefs to their maker, and to endeavour to bring a good report on PURE AND UNDEFILED RELI

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You afk, p. 9. "Can a man be baptized into a rational "religion" By commenting on the form of baptifm in our church, you endeavour to establish the negative; which you conclude with yet fuch is the pleafure and ordinance of God himself in this point.' But fuch pleafure and ordinance of God refpecting infant-baptism, is fully and clearly difowned by our young Gentleman, in these words. All this is faid, as if the whole of your

account was expressly revealed in the New Teftament.' And then he proceeds giving up their church establishments, and 39 articles alfo, as favouring too much of human appointments, and thereby deviating from original Chriftianity, when he adds, The forms and modes of worship, the manner of adminiftring the facraments, and definitions and decrees relating to doctrines, as far as they are human appointments, do not belong to our • confideration.' What! not to the confideration of those who own and practile them in bar of the pure truths and appointments of Chrift? I fhould rather have thought, that they were under the highest obligation to confider

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In the next page he affirms, God hath only required what is fhort, plain, and evidently connected with ⚫ our duty.' And here he fays, with original Chriftianity only is our prefent concern.' Thus he hath wifely evaded the objection, becaufe perhaps he might find that the principles, and practice of his church in this particu

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lar are indefenfible; and for the fame reafon, acknow ledging the infuperable difficulties thereby brought upon our holy religion, he prudently avoids giving any answer to another objection, by faying, p. 9, 10. We have al

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ready obferved, that all our prefent concern is with pure and fimple Chriftianity; and not to account for difficulties added by religious eftablishments. You are 6 not therefore to expect any remarks on the article concerning good works done before faith, &c. But to your queftion, fays our Gentleman, P. 5. was there ever in the world a religion which deferved the name of rational? Have there not been, in many religions, feveral things very fitting and reafonable, tho' attended with many and fhocking abfurdities? Hath not the Christian religion as fair and just a pretence as any other to be deemed rational?' It is no pretence to fay the Christian religion is rational. It is really fo in itself, and ought not to be compared with others; for tho' under the church of England, and fome other eftablishments, it may be attended, if I may not be allowed to fay, with many and fhocking abfurdities, I think, I may with many things indefenfible, inconfiftent with reafon, and primitive Chriftianity. Yet, by his own confeffion, this cannot be true of pure and fimple Christianity, which itfelf hath no difficulties to account for, and fuch things being only added thereto by human appointments, we have, according to Mr. Mole, nothing further to do, but to difown and difavow them; as we very well may, what our young Gentleman adds, as follows: Where is the abfurdity of the relations and friends of infants dedicating them to the fervice of God, and engaging to bring them up in the fear and reverence of their maker, and in all the virtues and duties which become us as focial beings?' For is it not this very practice of fprinkling infants in the name of the Lord, on which this Infidel's objection is founded? And are not thefe words of his juftly applicable to them?

It is impoffible, furely, when we confider to whom we muft afcribe them, that any fuch abfurd fchemes can any longer be fuppofed, that we can ever imagine, that the great author and finisher of our faith fhould have 'contrived us an irrational one, to be afterwards fuperfeded, or even confirmed by a rational one.' Which is the well-known appointment, and practice of our estaD 2 blifhed

4 Chriftianity not founded on Argument, p. 10, 11.

blished church. Their infants commence Chriftians and church-members, when they have not the exercife of understanding, and are entirely ignorant of what is done; and this unwarrantable act of their fponfors is afterwards fuppofed to be fuperfeded, and confirmed by the infants. themselves, when they come to years of understanding. For when they come to be confirmed by the bishops, then the fponfors are fuppofed to be difcharged from all the obligations, which they, I can hardly fay, folemnly entered into. But at the very time, when they laid themfelves under those engagements, if they had at all confidered, they must have been affured, that it was impoffible to make them good; and that fuch promifes, in ftrictness of fpeech, never were fulfilled by any one infant, for whom they were made, if it lived to years of maturity. But as our young Gentleman expreffes himfelf, Is it indeed doing honour to God, to fuppofe we become ac ceptable to him, by renouncing our moft diftinguishing excellency in the most exalted and excellent affair of religion? Is this the peculiar glory of the gospel revela6 tion, that it teacheth us to cultivate warm affections and blind zeal; to have a fteady and ftrong faith, but not to prefume to inquire why or what we believe? [or promife.] By children, ideots, and ignorant pagans, when they can once pronounce the words, creeds may be repeated. Now, tho' they cannot connect fenfe with their words, do they commence believers, by having • an unaccountable liking and affection for thefe founds?" But thus accomplished, perfons receive Confirmation, and then are accounted rational Chriftians, and thereby intitled to the holy communion, tho' they may afterwards live in all manner of wickedness; for under fome certain circumftances, what pious minifter durft refufe it them; but they are not permitted to approach the Lord's table before confirmation, notwithstanding their baptifm, and the vows of their fureties for them. First, That they should renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanity of this world, and all the finful lufts of the flesh. Secondly, That they should believe all the articles of the chriftian faith. And Thirdly, That they should keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the fame all the days of their lives. In the miniftration of the public baptifm of infants, the minifter addreffes the fureties thus ;

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Doft thou in the name of this child renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all the covetous defires of the fame, and the carnal defires of the flesh, fo that thou wilt not follow, nor be led by them?

Anfwer. I renounce them all.

Minifter. Doft thou believe in God the Father al'mighty, maker, &c.

Anfwer. All this I ftedfaftly believe.

Minifter. Wilt thou be baptized in this faith?
Anfwer. That is my defire.

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Minifter. Wilt thou then obediently keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the fame all the days of thy life?

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Anfwer. I will.

Propofitions, fays our Gentleman, of an indiffer<ent nature, and in which the welfare of mankind, neither here nor hereafter, is in any degree concerned, • we are not bound to apprehend and believe. But when the cafe is quite different, attention and application are proper and neceffary. [For] the truth of the gofpel [Inftitutions] is a very material point in queftion.' But with how little ferioufnefs, piety and devotion, and with what grofs ignorance, this established order of the church of England, for making infants Chriftians and church-members, is frequently accompanied, Dr. Wall freely acknowledges in thefe very words, where he also prefers adult-baptifm before it.

7 The folemnity of the circumftances in the adminiftration of baptifm, (as alfo of the other facrament) does very powerfully ftrike and affect the mind of any devout Chriftian that fees it administered. The baptifm of an infant cannot have all the folemnity which that • of an adult perfon may have. The previous fafting and prayer, the penitent confeffion, the zeal and humility, and deep affection of the receiver may be vifible there; which cannot be in the cafe of an infant. But for that very reason we ought not to deprive the administration ⚫ of this facrament to infants of any folemnity of which it is capable.

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The immerfion of the perfon (whether infant or 'adult) in the posture of one that is buried and raised up ' again,

Page 37. 7 Defence of his Hiftory, &c. p. 404, to 410.

again, is much more folemn, and expreffes the defign of the facrament, and the mystery of the fpiritual washing much better, than pouring a fmall quantity of water on the face. And that pouring of water is • much better than fprinkling, or dropping a drop ❝ of water on it. If it be done in the church in, or at the font, and the congregation do join in the prayers there used; it is much more folemn than in a bed-chamber, out of a bason, or pipkin, a tea-cup, or a punchbowl, and a bed-chamber is perhaps not quite fo fcandal⚫ous as a kitchen or ftable; to which things look as if they ⚫ would bring it at last.

Thefe he calls innovations and alterations for the worse, the vilipendiums of the holy facrament shewn and used in the baptizing of infants.'

And after he has enumerated many of the ill confequences and abufes that attend it, and which he calls abfurd and ridiculous, he adds; The profanation and indignity in general on this facrament, on occafion of this house-baptism, is so notorious, that I do appeal to the experience and confcience of all that use it, if they themselves be not fcandalized at the indecent circum • ftances that do almost always attend it. All the regard is commonly given to the preparations for eating and drinking; very little to the facrament. Very few of the company join in the prayers; but only in the feafting and carnal jollity, which is too often carried on to fuch excefs, as is more likely to bring a curse than a bleffing upon the whole undertaking. This is commonly yet worse when it is in an ale-house, or other lewd houfe. Thofe, who in fuch cafes are chofen for godfathers and godmothers, are generally perfons ignorant of the terms of the baptifmal covenant themfelves; and when they fhould make answer in the name of the child to the holy interrogatories, they neither mind the • fubftance of the thing afked, nor do know what answer is fit to make; but do only in a ridiculous manner give a bow, a curtesy, or a nod; and that often not without apparent figns of mockery; and they frequently fhew a very vain, irreverent, and wanton behaviour before, ⚫ and in, and after the facred adminiftration. Is not this enough to turn the ftomach of any ferious Chriftian that is prefent? And if they reflect with themselves, and think; Is this the way that I was baptized in? to ⚫ occafion perhaps their falling into the error we are speaking of, and refolving to be baptized again? Can a mi

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