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moderate now: tho' time was, when they would not rantize a child, whofe father or mother, or both, were not in their communion; because in fuch a cafe they thought the infant could not have faith. But I know a certain minifter of theirs, who hath boasted that he was very charitable towards little infants, because he would not refufe to baptize a child; if there was in it but the faith of the great grandfather, or if the great grandfather of it was but a believer, as he chofe to exprefs himself to two ministers of our perfuafion, who have diverted themfelves enough with the folly of it. How all these things are confiftent with a child's being regenerated, and clad with pureness and perfection in baptifm, and having a perfect faith wrought in its mind at once; or what proof can be given, that there is the least truth in any of thefe wild fancies, is beyond my ability to conceive; and I think the doctor had too much reafon to add, I muft therefore conclude, that you meant nothing more than to expofe this practice, as you elfewhere expofe perfecution, by intimating that it cannot be defended, unless your doctrine were to be granted; whence you are fure, every thinking man, who yields to this part of your argument, will conclude, that it cannot be defended at all.'

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Such expreffions as thefe, as well as the following paffage, might have been becomingly applied and made use of by one of our perfuafion; but neither this, nor the following paffage can appear with a very good grace from the doctor, or any of his party, where he fays, There

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are many other particulars in your letter, about which I fhall have no controverfy with you at all, but shall willingly leave thofe deities to plead, whofe altars you have caft down. The imputation of the faith of fureties to the baptized infant; the neceffary connection between the administration of that rite, and the communication of fome extraordinary influences of the fpirit:' [to which I may justly add the whole of that unfcriptural practice]

I confefs you have rallied with a juft feverity. And I am particularly pleafed with the serious air with which the raillery on these heads is carried, even to the defence of fire and faggot in the cause of religion; from which I prefume, Sir, you apprehend yourself to be in no danger.' But to return:

On the other hand, fays the doctor, It seems fufficient for me here to have fhewn, that your notion is not ⚫ connected

Second Letter, p. 51.

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connected with Chriftianity, even allowing infant-bap tifm to be a part of it.' And on this hand, it seems fufficient for me to have fhewn, as, I think, I have clearly enough done in my fupplement, to which I refer my readers; where they will find from a view of all the paffages of fcripture, which relate to Chrift's own inftitution, that infant-baptifm is a mere human invention, no way connected with Christianity; and that none, who ftrictly adhere to scripture, as the rule of truth, can ever allow it to be a part of it. And I join moft heartily with the doctor in that fervent with, with which he concludes his anfwer to this objection; May the time at length come, when a zeal for the honour of the gospel fhall more effectually engage all its minifters, to adhere to the purity both of its doctrines and inftitutions, and not to overload it with thofe additions of their own, which furnish its adverfaries with matter of triumph! In the mean time, may thofe adverfaries [and all Pædobaptifts of every denomination] confider, that they are anfwerable to God for the impartiality, with which they enquire into the contents of Chriftianity, and that they are to take their notions of it from the New Testament alone! which if you, Sir, had been pleased to have done, you would never have mentioned this argument; nor from any thing you could have met with there, could you ever have thought of it.'

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Since therefore the fcripture is fo great a ftranger to infant-baptifm, that thofe, who take their notions of Chriftianity from the New Teftament alone, could never have thought of it, nor would ever have mentioned fuch arguments about it; why does not Dr. Doddridge, who is fo much eiteemed amongst the independent Pædobaptifts, and with whom he has fo great an influence, in his zeal for the honour of the gofpel, imploy his parts and abilities, and exert the utmost of his endeavours, more effectually to engage all his fellow minifters, and their refpective congregations, more ftrictly to adhere to the purity both of its dotrines and inftitutions; and not to overload it with those additims of their own, which furnish its adverfaries with matter of triumph?

Having thus gone through his whole anfwer to this objection, I fhall take my leave of him with recommending a few more paffages of his, which, if duly attended to, may be very ufeful to promote thofe great and defirable

ends.

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Reasonably we may defire, that God would awaken our minds to diligence in fearching after truth; that he 'would prefent the evidence of it before us in a clear and convincing light; that he would guard our hearts from thofe corrupt prejudices which might obftruct its en'trance into them; and that he would remind us, from time to time, of thofe great religious truths which we do believe, with fuch fpirit and energy, that our temof life may, in a suitable manner, be influenced by the realizing perfuafion. In fuch a prayer, methinks, every virtuous Deift muft join; as I firmly believe, that would men heartily join in it, and act accordingly, they would foon ceafe to be deifts in the negative fenfe of the word. And in proportion to the degree in which we fee evident reafon to believe the truth of Chriftianity, we may reasonably pray, that God, by the influences of his holy fpirit on our minds, would give us more comprehenfive views of its evidence, and would imprefs a more lively fenfe of its great principles on our hearts; that our faith may not be a cold affent, but powerful in the production of its genuine fruits.'

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3 For I can think of nothing fo rational, as diligently to • examine the credentials of any thing offered us as a meffage from God, and then humbly to fubmit to it without cavilling and difputing, when we are fatisfied that it wears the ftamp of his authority.' 4 We are therefore humbly and quietly to fit down, as it 6 were, at the feet of the divine teacher; and though feveral plaufible objections may arife in our minds, and many things taught may be inconfiftent with our pre'conceived prejudices, and with what through their influence we should have expected, we are to fuffer those prejudices to be over-ruled by fo high an authority, and to acquiefce in this, that the Lord hath faid it: And this is as really our duty, when he is speaking to us by his Meffengers, as it was theirs when he was speaking immediately to them.'

5 I am fenfible, Sir, the grand objection against all thefe reasonings [in the light I have placed them] is taken, from the appearance of a virtuous and amiable difpofition in fome who difbelieve the [neceffity of obeying this inftitution of the] gofpel, and from the poffibility that a < wrong

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2 Third Letter, p. 53. 3 Ibid p. 46. Third Letter, p. 45

5 Second Letter, p. 42.

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wrong affociation of ideas in others, leading them to conclude thofe things to be contained in the christian revelation, which do not indeed belong to it, may engage fome to reject the whole from the apparent abfurdity. which they fee in thefe fpurious, tho' folemn, additions to it; as for inftance, in thofe vaft tracts of land, in which tranfubftantiation and image-worthip [and I may alfo add infant-fprinkling] are reprefented, not merely as confiftent with Chriftianity, but as in a manner elfential to it, by thofe who are its established teachers, and may therefore be prefumed beft to understand it.' 6 But this ignorance of the particular manner [how and to whom baptifm is to be applied] does not, as one would imagine fome apprehended, leave men at liberty. to affert, at random, whatever they pleafe about it. We may reasonably conclude, that it is not the stated office of the divine fpirit to reveal new doctrines, which the fcripture does not teach; for if it were, God would undoubtedly, as when he formerly added to prior revelations given to his church, furnish the perfons to whom fuch difcoveries were made, with proper credentials to authorise their report: and if this cannot be proved, it ought not to be afferted. Nor can we imagine it his office, to reveal, by an immediate fuggeftion, the doctrines already delivered in fcripture, to thofe who may. have daily opportunities of learning them from thence.' Nay, I apprehend, it must follow from thefe principles, that the very fuppofition of a revelation in general implies, on the one hand, fufficiency of evidence to < every candid enquirer; and on the other, certain divine difpleasure against the rejecters of it.' &c.‹ And [therefore] I fhall remit you to a repeated perufal of that folid and ufeful [book, The Holy Bible] with only this one • further question; "Whether you do not think there is "fuch a thing in the human heart, as the counter-part of "the character you deride, an impious propenfity to the "negative, a foliciting the diffent of our own minds, "and an endeavouring to promote our own unbelief?" If you think, the will has no remote influence upon the understanding as to its enquiry into truth, and that corrupt affections never lead a man into error, from which (had his heart been more upright,) he might eafily have

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6 Third Letter, p. 20. 7 Second Letter, p. 36. 8 Third

Letter, p. 59.

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been preserved, you contradict not only yourself, but the common fenfe and experience of mankind; and introduce an univerfal fatality, that worst of monsters, which will fwallow up virtue and religion together, and leave the mind an eafy prey to every error, and to every vice, which will owe its cheap victory to the air of irrefiftibility, with which it makes its appearance.'

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SECT. VI.

Remarks on Dr. Leland's Letters.

HO' I had intirely finished my defign in thefe remarks fometime, before I had the pleasure of reading Dr. Leland's two letters, in anfwer to Christianity not founded on Argument; yet I thought myself obliged to join him with his brethren, that I might make good my title of Remarks on the feveral Anfwers, &c. because those words may be thought to include the doctor's letters, as well as others. For brevity fake, I fhall omit many extracts, which might be urged with fome force; and confine myfelf chiefly to the reply, which he makes to his author's objection concerning infant-baptism, avoiding, as much as poffible, to repeat what I have already urged in answer to Mr. Mole.

In the fummary account, which the doctor gives of this writer's Pamphlet, are thefe words. 9 He represents a rational faith, that is, as he himself explains it, an aflent to revealed truths founded upon the conviction of the understanding, as a falfe and unwarrantable notion. And therefore fets himself to prove, that in the gospel no appeal to the understanding was ever • made or intended. He talks as if infants were capable of faith, before they are capable of exerting one act of reafon; and that the infant's belief anfwers as effectually all the demands of the gofpel, as that of the first proficient, and highest graduate in divinity. And as he explains the first beginning of truth to be without reafon, or any ufe of the understanding, fo he reprefents the perfeverance in the faith required in the gofpel, to

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9 First Letter, p. 9.

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