deed hath restrained the grace of baptifm to the infants of believers; and the English directory fays; That fuch children by baptifm are folemnly received into the bofom of the vifible church,.... That they are Chriftians, and federally holy before baptifm, and therefore are they baptized. Innocent infants they are; but holy Chriftians is an epithet, which no fuch infants deserve. But tho' they do esteem them fo, yet the kirk requires the parent and one godfather to engage for the child; for the order of baptifm used by them is as follows, ...

The infant which is to be baptized, fhall be brought to church on the day appointed, to common prayer and preaching, accompanied with the father and godfather. So that after the fermon, the child being prefented to the minifter, he demandeth this queftion.'

Do you prefent this child to be baptized, earnestly defiring that he may be ingrafted in the mystical body of Jefus Chrift? The answer is, Yea, we require the fame.' Then follows a long difcourfe, in which the minister fays, Our infants appertain to him [God] by covenant, and therefore ought not to be defrauded of those holy figns and badges, whereby his children are known from infidels and pagans.' Here I beg leave to ask what fpecial marks this diftinguishing badge leaves upon a newborn infant, by which it may be known from an Infidel's child that never was fprinkled? I am apt to think the wifeft minifter would be wholly at a lofs to tell the one from the other in two minutes time, if both were of an age, and dreffed alike. Nor would he be able to tell, whether any other child was ever sprinkled or not, if he was to view it ever fo long, and with the utmost care and attention. But when men are fo zealously determined to establish their own human traditions upon the ruin of Chrift's folemn inftitution, they have not a due regard to his truth, or they durft never have afferted what follows: Neither is it requifite, that all thofe that receive this facrament, have the ufe of understanding and faith.' If they meant here the fprinkling, or wathing the infant's face, as their own human inftitution only, I fhould agree with them; but if they mean, that those things are not needful, or requifite to baptifm, as inftituted by Christ, a greater reproach cannot be caft upon it; nor any thing faid more contrary to truth. For does not the commiffion fay, He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved. Mark xvi. 16. Did not Philip infift upon the eunuch's believing

with all his heart, as a neceffary requifite for his being baptized? Acts viii. Do the fcriptures any where speak of one foul baptized, who was deftitute of understanding and faith? Or, do they give the leaft hint, that fuch may be received to that facred ordinance? If not, how durft they affert fuch things? Is it not directly contrary to the fcripture, which affures us, that without faith it is impoffible to pleafe God; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him. Heb. xi. 6. See also vi. 1, 2. And moreover St. Peter affures us, that even where the external part of baptifm is rightly administered, it will avail nothing, if it be not accompanied with the answer of a good confcience in the perfon baptized, 1 Peter iii. 21.

Our established church knew the truth of this much better, than the kirk of Scotland appears to have done; and was fo fully convinced hereof, that she has honeftly, and faithfully told us, that repentance, whereby fin is for faken; and faith, whereby the promises of God made over in that facrament are stedfaftly believed, are required of perfons to be baptized. And for this reafon it was to be fure, that he hath obliged the sponsors to do it for infants, chufing rather to load herself with a grofs abfurdity, than to deny fo plain a truth, as the kirk of Scotland has done : which must therefore, in the fight of God, be guilty of a much greater evil in performing her human ceremonies; at which her minifters proceed and tell the people, that Without injury they [infants] cannot be debarred from the common fign of God's children. And yet is not this outward action of fuch neceffity, that the lack thereof fhould be hurtful to their falvation, if that, • prevented by death, they may not conveniently be prefented to the church.' And the directory drawn up by the affembly of divines, and established by an ordinance of parliament, Jan. 3, 1644, fays, That outward baptism is

not fo neceffary, that thro' the want thereof the infant is in danger of damnation, or the parents guilty, if they do "not contemn or neglect the ordinance of Chrift, when and where it may be had:' which however ftrongly implies that where this is fo neglected, that the children die without it, it may be hurtful to their falvation, and put them in danger of damnation, notwithstanding their being holy Chriftians. And this indeed hath very often been afferted by fome minifters, as if an innocent babe could be damned for the parents neglect. Such are the abfurd, unwor

thy

thy notions which they entertain of God the most righteous, moft wife, and beft of beings.

6

6

After this the minifter proceeds and tells them, All that is meant and fignified by [ baptifm] the fcripture calleth our regeneration, which ftandeth chiefly in these two points, in mortification, that is to say, a refifting of the rebellious lufts of the flesh, and in newness of life, whereby we continually ftrive to walk in that purenefs and perfection, wherewith we are clad in baptifm.' But the affembly's directory fays, That 'infants are Chriftians, and federally holy before baptism, and therefore are they baptized.' The contrariety of these things is manifeft enough. For if infants are holy Chriftians before baptifm, what is the pureness and perfection, wherewith they are clad in baptism; or of what benefit can it be to them, fince by the kirk's own confeffion, if the parents are not negligent, the child may be faved without this imaginary pureness and perfection? But what proof can be given, that an infant receives the leaft benefit by their unfcriptural ceremonies, either in body, or in mind? If an Infidel's child, which was never fprinkled, and which by their own principles ought not to be baptized, was placed under the fame education, is it not as likely to make as good a man, and as devout a Chriftian? And would it not be much more likely to yield a perfonal obedience, from a principle of confcience, to that holy ordinance, which our Lord requires, that every believer in him fhould obferve, on condition of being efteemed his friend and difciple? John viii. 31. and xv. 10-15. In this view therefore, their infants are much more likely to be injured, than benefitted, by their fuperftitious practice, in teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, Mark vii. 7, 13. founded in wild enthufiafm, quite deftitute of good fenfe, and all rational evidence. But it feems any jargon of words will pafs with high esteem, and please fome people, if the name of the church, or the affembly of divines be tacked to them.

6

But the minifter proceeds faying, Finally, to the intent that we may be affured, that you the father and the furety confent to the performance hereof, declare here before God and the face of his congregation the fum of that faith, wherein you believe, and will inftruct this child.'

Then the father, or in his abfence, the Godfather, 'fhall rehearse the articles of his faith: [the apofiles creed] < which

which done the minifter explaineth the fame;' which explanation is too long, and unneceffary to be tranfcribed here, but after that is done, then followeth a fhort prayer, and after that, the Lord's prayer; and when they have prayed in this fort, the minifter requireth the child's name, which known, he faith,

N. I baptize thee in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. And as he fpeaketh these words, he taketh water in his hand, and layeth it upon the child's forehead, which done, he giveth thanks :' the form of which I need not tranfcribe.

And yet, notwithstanding the human inventions here recited, it is, under the head of facraments, affirmed by publick authority; whereby this order of baptifm was further commanded there to be practifed in the faid kirk, Anno 1641, that,

To Chrift Jefus his holy gofpel truly preached, of neceffity it is, that his holy facraments be annexed, and truly miniftered, as feals and vifible confirmations of the fpiritual promifes contained in the word; and they be two, to wit, baptifm, and the holy fupper of the Lord Jefus, which are then rightly miniftered, ... when farther to them is nothing added, from them nothing diminished, and in their practice nothing changed befides the inftitution of the Lord Jefus, and practice of his holy apoftles.

And albeit the order of Geneva, which now is ufed in fome of our churches, is fufficient to inftruct the diligent reader how that both thefe facraments may be rightly miniftered, yet for an uniformity to be kept, we have thought good to add this as fuperabundant.

In baptifm we acknowledge nothing to be ufed except the element of water only (that the word and declaration of the promifes ought to precede we have said before) wherefore whofoever prefumeth in baptifm to ufe oyl, falt, wax, fpittle, conjuration and croffing,' [and I may alfo add, any other human inventions whatsoever, even fprinkling or washing of the face, or of godfathers, &c. above-mentioned accufeth the perfect inftitution of Chrift Jefus, of imperfection. For it was void of all fuch inventions devifed by men, and fuch as would prefume to alter Chrift's perfect ordinance, you ought fevercly to punifh.'

With this fevere cenfure, which may juftly be applied to her own practice, fhe breaths the true fpirit of perfecu

tion.

tion. And perfuant to an order of affembly, her minifters oblige the parent and furety folemnly to promife, that if the child live, they will teach and inftruct it, in both the affemblies catechifms: by which an early bias is thrown upon the mind, in favour of falfe principles, and very corrupt doctrines, fuch as are even contrary to the firft principles of natural religion, as well as to the facred fcriptures, in their juft confequences very hurtful to men, and utterly inconfiftent with the moral perfections of God. For they reprefent him, as the real and cruel author of all fin, as if he had by an eternal immutable decree unchangeably fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pafs; and without any forefight of faith, or the leaft regard to good works performed by men, or to their perfeverance in either of them, or any other thing in the

I

crea

N. B. The affembly's confeffion of faith, from whence they compofed their catechifm, on the article of God's decrees, fays, God from all eternity did by the most wife and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pafs: &c. ... . By the decree of God for the manifeftation of his glory, fome men and angels are predefti⚫nated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death.

These angels and men thus predeftinated, and fore-ordained, are particularly and unchangeably defigned, and their number is fo certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or • diminished."

If these articles are true, nothing can be more inconfiftent, than for those zealous Chriftians, who profefs fted fastly to believe them, to anathematize their brethren, who disbelieve many of them; and openly to declare, as they are too ready to do, that we cannot possibly be faved, that we must neceffarily be damned: As a minifter fometime ago was pleased to fay of me, only because I differed from his fentiments about fome points of faith. My reply was to this effect; that he did not underftand his own principles, for if God decreed and fore-ordained every thing, or whatsoever comes to pass; he then decreed me to believe, as I do, and likewise fore-ordained me to own and profefs that belief. And if the number of his elect were so particular, fo certain and definite, that none of them could poffibly fail of falvation, it was impoffible for my belief, or difbelief of any article to alter God's decree; and therefore for any thing he could tell, even upon his own principles, I might be one of God's dear children, whilft here, notwithstanding my prefent belief, and may, by his grace, be for ever happy in the enjoyment of him hereafter,