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t/x/Vx,^ u^ c*^ tfi^ 
 
 DISCOURSES, 
 
 ON THE MODE AND SUBJECTS 
 
 OF 
 
 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 AX ATTEMPT TO SHEW THAT POURING OR SPRINKLING IS A 
 SCRIPTURAL MODE; AND THE INFANTS OF BELIEVERS 
 ARE PROPER SUBJECTS OF THE BAPTISM INSTI- 
 TUTED BY CHRIST : 
 
 ■WITH AN 
 
 EXAMINATION OF VARIOUS OBJECTIONS. 
 
 PARTICULARLY THOSE CONTAINED IN A COURSE OF 
 ANONYMOUS LETTERS TO 
 
 BISHOP HOADLY. 
 
 By JOSEPH .^lATHROP, d. d. 
 
 "Pastor of the first Church in Westspringfield- 
 
 FIFTH EDITION, 
 
 REVISED, CORRECTED, AND MUCH ENLARGED. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 PUBLISHED BY ISAIAH THOMAS, JuN. 
 
 NO. G MARLBORO'-STREET. 
 
 Samuel Avery, Printer. 
 1811. 
 
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO WIT : 
 
 Be it remembered, That on the tweiitysixth day of February, 
 in the thirtyfifth year of the Independence of the United States 
 of America, Isaiah Thomas, Jun. of the said district, has de- 
 posited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he 
 claims as proprietor, in the \,ords following, to wit : Discourses, 
 on the mode and subjects of Christian Baptism. Or an attempt 
 to shew that pouring or sprinkling is a scriptural mode ; and the 
 infants of believers are proper subjects of the baptism instituted 
 by Christ : With an examination of various objections. Partic- 
 ularly those contained in a course of anonymous letters to Bish- 
 op Hoadly. By Joseph Lathrop, d. d. Pjistor of the tirst 
 Church in Westspringfield. Fifth edition revised corrected and 
 much enlarged. 
 
 In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, 
 iivtitied, **Anact for the encouragement of learning, by secur- 
 ing the copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and 
 proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned j'* 
 and also to an act, intitled, ** An act, supplementary to an act, 
 intitled. An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing 
 the copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and propri- 
 etors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned; and 
 cxtendmg the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving 
 and etching historical and other prints." 
 
 WiLLIAns S. Shaw, Clerk of the district 
 of Massachusetts. 
 
PREFA 
 
 
 V 
 
 THE following Discourses on Baptism, 
 which, some years since, were published in sub- 
 stance, are now republished with some correc- 
 tions, and considerable additions. The ne^ 
 cessity of this republication is perhaps super^ 
 ceded by many excellent treatises, which, with' 
 in a few yearSy have appeared on the same 
 subject. This was an objection in the author^s 
 mind, against giving these Discourses a new 
 edition. This objection, however, has been 
 overruled, not merely by the urgency of re- 
 quests, but also by an inclination, near the 
 close of his life, to add his testimony to that 
 of his brethren, in favour of a usage, which^ 
 on careful and repeated examination, he is 
 fully convinced is agreeable to divine institu- 
 tion, and important to the continuance of the 
 church of Christ, 
 
 We believe our antipedo baptist brethren to 
 he in an errour. We consider their errour as 
 
4? PREFACE. 
 
 more dangerous^ because they make an aHop-^ 
 tion of it ail indispensable term of christian 
 communion. To justify this, they must not 
 only believe for themselves, that immersion at 
 adult age, is the only baptism instituted by 
 Christ, and practised by the Apostles, which 
 we suppose they do believe ; but must also prove 
 that this is too plain and obvious to be doubt" 
 ed by any honest man ; consequently, that all 
 who have ever approved and practised infant 
 baptism and sprinkling in baptism, have been 
 wicked meri at hearty and that all churches 
 founded on the plan of such baptism, have 
 been, and still are disowned of God, The 
 latter they will not affirm, nor even suspect ; 
 and therefore they cannot justify their close 
 communion ; for the gospel most expressly 
 forbids us to despise and reject those whom 
 God has received. It is therefore wished they 
 might, and hoped they will assume more can^ 
 dour. 
 
 Now as we condemn the rigidness of our 
 baptist brethren in this point, let us be careful 
 not to imitate it. If we refuse communion 
 with a minister, a private brother, or churchy 
 mi account of some supposed difference in sen* 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 timent or usage, when the difference may not 
 he fundamental, or token no regular process 
 has been instituted for the amendment, trial 
 or conviction of the suspected party ; why are 
 we not guilty of the same severity and rigor, 
 which we condemn in the baptists / Let us eX' 
 ercise the same candour, which we require in 
 others. 
 
 It is also to be wished, that the practice of 
 our churches might silence one particular ob' 
 jection, which the baptists make against our 
 baptizing children. 
 
 They tell us ^ ' Vou baptize your children, 
 and yet treat them no otherwise than you 
 would real heathen children. You sav, 
 they are within God^s covenant, and conse- 
 quently members of his church, and yet your 
 churches exercise no watch and discipline 
 over them, even after their age renders them 
 capable subjects/ 
 
 So far as this objection is founded in fact, 
 if ought to be removed. Our children receive 
 baptism, the *i at of the covenant, on the ground 
 of God^s promise to believers, 'I will be a 
 God u^ you ; n I to your seed.' If they are 
 icithm God^s covenant^ they are within the 
 1* 
 
U FREFACK. 
 
 churchy for this is founded on the covenant, 
 Tkeij ought then to be treated as under ths^ 
 watch ^ and subject to the discipline of the 
 church, as soon as they arrive to competent age. 
 If they have a standing in the churchy why 
 should they not enjoy the privileges of it, when 
 their age and understanding allow I If they 
 prove themselves unworthy of this relation, let 
 them be excluded from it, not in an arbitrary 
 manner, but by regular discipline. 
 
 It is asked, * Will not our churches, act- 
 ing on this principle, soon become corrupt V 
 It is thought, they will not ; but become more 
 pure. Our churches are corrupted, not by 
 admitting persons, against whom no accusal 
 tion can be sustained, but by neglecting those 
 who are admitted. 
 
 We all wish for the purify of the churches. 
 But how shall this be promoted / Not merely 
 by arguin^^ in favour of the baptisiU of our 
 children, but also by adding in favour of their 
 religious education. This is primarily the 
 duty of parents. But in this duty let the 
 church cooperate with them, and strengthen 
 their hands. Thus our houses will become 
 
PREFACE. 7 
 
 churches. Thus ' our sons will be as plants 
 grown up in their youth, and our daugh- 
 ters as corner stones polished after the si- 
 militude of a palace/ Thus ' Gr)d's work 
 will appear to his servants and his glory to 
 their children ; the beauty of the Lord vvill 
 be tjpon them, and he will establish the 
 work of their hands/ 
 
 WestspriDgfield, January l, 1811. — 
 
DISCOURSE^ !^-^:^ J 
 
 ON 
 
 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 Spbesians iv. 5. — One Baptism, 
 
 TO persuade the Ephesians to keep the 
 unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, the 
 Apostle urges this, among other arguments, 
 that they had received 07ie Baptism, If this 
 one Baptism was designed to be a bond of 
 peace and unity among christians, how un- 
 happy it is, that it should become an occa- 
 sion of division and separation 1 Some will 
 say, * It is not one baptism, but different bap- 
 tisms that cause division^/ It is true, bap- 
 tism is administered in different modes^ and 
 to different subjects ; but still, I hope, it will 
 appear to be one baptism ; and if so, then 
 this difference is no just rt^ason for disuuiun. 
 
10 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 You are sensible, my brethren, that I have 
 not been wont to bring controversies into 
 the pulpit. 1 have purposely avoided the 
 controversy concerning baptism in years past, 
 and should have done so still, had it not 
 been lately revived among you — It is not 
 any prejudice against our brethren, who dif- 
 fer from us, but a regard to your present cir- 
 cumstances, and to thedesireof many among 
 you, that now induces me to enter upon it ; 
 and I hope to handle it in such a manner, 
 as, at least, not to offend, if 1 should not 
 convince. I shall not call in question the 
 validity of the baptism of our brethren : I 
 only aim to vindicate our own. And surely 
 wh(*n we are charged with having essential- 
 ly changed a divine institution — when we 
 are' represented as being in an unbaptized 
 state — when we are treated as unfit for 
 christian communion, we have a right to 
 plead in our defence. 
 
 There is a late, pamphlet which many of 
 you have read, written by way of Letters to 
 Bishop Hoadly^ the author of which labours 
 to disprove the validity both of sprinkling, 
 and of infant baptism^ and treats them both 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 11 
 
 with great contempt. I shall pay particu- 
 lar attention to this piece, and take notice 
 of every thing that is material in it. 
 
 The questions before us are two; wheth- 
 er sprinkling is a scriptural mode ; and 
 whether infants are proper subjects of bap- 
 tism ? These questions have no necessary 
 connexion with each other. But as the 
 validity of our baptism is denied on account 
 of the modem which it was administered, 
 as well as of the age at which we received 
 it, 1 shall distinctly consider both questions ; 
 and shall begin with the former, 
 
 PART I. 
 
 WE w\\\ first inquire, What is the true 
 scriptural mcde of Baptism ? 
 
 There are two ways, in which this ordi- 
 nance is administered ; one is immersion^ or 
 plunging the whole body into water : The 
 other is affusion^ which is pouring or sprink- 
 ling water upon the body. We do not de- 
 ny the validity of immersion ; we only de- 
 ny the necessity of it : But our brethren (at 
 
19 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM^ 
 
 least many of them) deny the validity of a/*- 
 fusion, and represent it as no baptism, to 
 whomsoever administered. It is therefore 
 of some importance that we inquire, wheth- 
 er there be not such evidence, that affusion 
 is a scriptural mode, as may justify our use 
 of ft, and satisfy those who have received 
 baptism in this manner. 
 
 I shall first examine the import of the 
 Greek word used for baptism — then consi- 
 der the uses of baptism and the allusions of 
 scripture to these uses — next inquire, what 
 vv^as the apostolic practice — and lastly take 
 some notice of the usage of the church after 
 the apostolic age. 
 
 I. We will examine the import of the 
 word baptizo, which is the usualy if not the 
 ohIi/ word by which the writers of the New 
 Testament express the Christian ordinance 
 of baptism. 
 
 It is ao^reed, that the word baptizoy signi- 
 fies to Wash by the application of water : 
 But then, hew the water is to be applied, 
 whether by plunging the subject into water, 
 or by pouring or sprinkling water upon the 
 subject, is the question. This will best be 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 13 
 
 determined by considering, how the word 
 is used upon common occasions. 
 
 The author of the Letters to Bishop 
 Hoadlif tells us, ' That the writers of the 
 New Testament borrowed their phrases from 
 the Greek translation of the Old Testament, 
 called the Septuagint,^ He refers us to this 
 for the sense of the words, which they have 
 used for baptism. He allows that ' bapfizo 
 is the offspring of Lapto;^ and consequently 
 may be taken in the same sense. Zealous 
 as he is for immersion, he is constrained to 
 acknowledge, that ^ bapto is never used in 
 the Septuagint for the rite of washing a per- 
 son's whole body :' But on the contrary, is 
 sometimes used for wetting the body by 
 sprinkling; as in Dan. iv. 33, and v. 21, 
 where Nebuchadnezzar's body is said to be 
 wel with the dew of heaven. Now he says, 
 * We all know, that a person is wet with 
 dew, not by immersion into it, but by its 
 distillation in gentle drops ; we are sprink- 
 led with it.' And \f bapto is never used for 
 plunging the whole body, but sometimes for 
 sprinkling^ it, probably ^>«;?/2^o, ' its offspring,' 
 is generally used in the same sense. Ac- 
 2 
 
H CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 cordingly this author concedes that ' the 
 word baptizo^ is never hut once used, in those 
 very numerous places of the Old Testament, 
 where bathing the person is commanded/ 
 The one instance he mentions is in 2 Kings 
 V. 14, where Naaman is said to have dipped 
 (or baptized) himself seven times in Jordan, 
 for the cure of his leprosy. 
 
 But this one instance is not a just excep- 
 tion from the general concession. Naa- 
 man's leprosy was locaL He says, ' I 
 thought surely, he (the prophet) will strike 
 his hand over the placed or the part affect- 
 ed. This was the part to be washed. And 
 the manner of washing that part was pour^ 
 ing or sprinkling water upon it. The law 
 prescribed, that the leper should be sprink- 
 led seven times. The prophet says, Wash 
 seven times. If the prophet had respect to 
 the law, as it appears he had by his requir- 
 ing the Syrian leper to wash seven times, then 
 by washing he meant sprinkling, or partial 
 affusion. This example therefore proves, 
 that the word baplizo signifies not Xo plunge, 
 but to simnkle. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. lo 
 
 There is then, in all the Old Testament, 
 no instance of the word bapto or baptizo used 
 for itnmersion, hut examples of both used for 
 sprinkling. 
 
 Let us now consult the New Testament. 
 There we shall find clear and direct evi- 
 dence, that the word baptizo^ signifies to 
 pour or sprinkle. 
 
 It is said, in the beginning of the 7th Chap, 
 of Mark, That the Pharisees^ when they saw 
 some of the disciples eat bread with dejiled 
 (that is to sai/y with unwashenj hands, found 
 fault ; for the Pharisees and all the Jews, ex^ 
 cept they wash iheir hands oft, eat not. And 
 when they come from the market, excejH they 
 wash, (ean me baptizontai, except they are 
 baptized] they eat not. What in the former 
 clause, is called washing the hands, is here 
 called being baptized. The usual manner of 
 washing hands among the Jews, we learn 
 from 2 Kings iii 11, where it is said, Eli- 
 sha poured water on the hands of Elijah. 
 Here then you see, persons are said to be 
 baptized, when only a part of the body is 
 washed by the pouring on of water. It is 
 added, Many other things there are^ which 
 
J6 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 tliey have received to hold^ as the washings 
 {baptismous, baptism^^) of brazen vessels and 
 tables, or beds, i. e. the seats on which they 
 used to recline at meals, which were so Jarge, 
 that they could be washed only by pouring 
 water on them. 
 
 It is said, Luke xi. 37. A certain Phari- 
 see asked Jesus to dine with him. And he 
 went in and sat down to meat. And when the 
 Pharisee saw it, he marvelled, that he had not 
 first washed before dinner : Not washed his 
 wholebody, but only his hands, according to 
 the Jewish custom mentioned in the before 
 cited passage in Mark, And this is express- 
 ed by the same word which is used for bap-^ 
 tizing. He marvelled that he had not been 
 baptized (ebaptisthe) before dinner. 
 
 The Jetvs, by divine appointment, observ- 
 ed divers kinds of purificatious, the greater 
 part of which wer^ sprinklings. And these 
 are expressly called baptisms. The Apostle^ 
 in the 9th chap, of Heb. 10th verse, speak- 
 ing of the Jewish ritual, says, It stood only in 
 meats and drinks and divers washings, fdia- 
 phorois haptismois, divers baptisms.) By 
 these divers baptisms, he plainly means the 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 17 
 
 various ceremonies oi sprinkling ; for so he 
 explains them in the following verses. The 
 blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of 
 art heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth 
 to the purft/ing of the flesh. Moses took the 
 blood of calves and goats with water — and 
 sprinkled the book and all the people. He 
 sprinkled likewise with blood both the taber- 
 nacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And 
 almost all things are, by the law, purged with 
 blood, i. e. with the sprinkling of blood. 
 Now as the Apostle speaks of divers bap- 
 tisms, and then immediately illustrates them 
 by divers sprinklings, and mentions no oth- 
 er purifications, but sprinklings, as instan- 
 ces of these divers baptisms, it is evident, 
 that, if the sacred writer understood Greek, 
 sprinkling is baptism. 
 
 And since the word, wherever it is used 
 in scripture for any thing besides the chris- 
 tian ordinance, plainly signifies pouring or 
 sprinkling, we must naturally suppose, it is 
 used in the same sense, when it is applied 
 to the christian ordinance. This conclusion 
 may have the more weight, because it is 
 
 o * 
 
14 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 deduced from the concessions of a critical 
 writer on the other side of the question. 
 
 There is another Greek word, Louo^ sup- 
 posed to be sometimes used for baptism, im 
 which the author of the letters lays more 
 weight: For this, he tells us, is almost the 
 constant word of the Septuagint, in those 
 very numerous places where bathing, or 
 washing the whole body is commanded. 
 
 The word louo is indeed frequently used 
 for washing the body ; but not always for 
 washing the whole body. Christ says to 
 Peter, ' he that is washed,' O leloumenosy 
 * needeth not save to wash his feet^ but is 
 clean every whit.^ Here the person is said 
 to be leloumenos^ washed, when only \\'\sfeet 
 are washed by a towel wet with water from 
 a bason. If therefore louo were the onli^ 
 word used for baptism, we could not thence 
 infer, that the whole body must be bathed in 
 the ordinance, for we find this very word 
 used to express a /?ar/2«/ washing; but it 
 should be observed, that this word is very 
 seldom^ if ever used for baptism. The au- 
 thor of the letters has cited about sixtt/ pas- 
 sages in the New Testament, as speaking of 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 19 
 
 baptism. Among all these, there are but 
 four where tUis word is used. It is not cer- 
 tain that baptism is the thing intended in 
 these ; bur if it is, yet no argument can be 
 drawn from them in favour of immersion ; 
 but perhaps the contrary. Let us consider 
 them. 
 
 One is in Heb. x. 23. Let us draw near 
 having our hody washed^ (leloumenoi soma^ 
 being washed in the body) with pure water. 
 Now a person is washed in his body, though 
 water be only poured on a part of it. Thus 
 when the woman poured ointment on 
 Christ's head^ she is said to have anointed 
 his bodtf. And this washing is, in the pre- 
 ceding clause, expressed by sprinkling.-'^ 
 Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil 
 conscience y and our body washed with pure 
 water. 
 
 Another passage is in Titus iii. 5, He hath 
 saved us (dialoutrou) by the washing of re- 
 generation^ and renewing of the Holy Ghosty 
 which he hath shed, or poured on us. Now 
 if baptism is here intended by the washing 
 of regeneration, this text affords a plain ar- 
 gumt;nt for affusion or pouring in baptism. 
 
30 eHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 For thi^ washincj denotes rhe reneuins^ of the 
 Hi'li^ Ghost^ which is poured on us; and 
 thereton, that there may be some resem- 
 blance between the sign and the thing sig- 
 nified, baptism should be performed by 
 pouring. The phrase of the pouring of the 
 spirit is an allusion to the pouring of water 
 in baptism. 
 
 A third passage is in Eph. v. 26. That 
 he might sanctify it (the church) having 
 cleansed it with the washing of water by the 
 word. Now if baptism be here intended by 
 washing, then the church is said to be sanc- 
 tified and cleansed by the baptismal wash- 
 ing: But how this washing,' is performed, 
 whether by sprinkling or plunging, is still 
 the question. The Apostle says,* sprink- 
 ling — sanctijieth to the purifying of the flesh. 
 If then we will allow rhe Apostle to inier^ 
 pret his own phrases, it \i sprinkling that 
 sanctifies and cleanses the flesh, and conse- 
 quently is the washing intended, when the 
 church is said to be sanctified and cleansed 
 by the washing of water. In the 5 1 si Psalm, 
 2d verse, the Psalmist prays, Wash me tho- 
 
 * peb. ix, 13. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. Si 
 
 roughly from min^ iniquitt/ and cleanse me 
 from sin. He adds verse 7» Purge me, (ia 
 the Greek it is sprinkle me) and 1 shall he 
 cleansed. What in the 2d ver. is called 
 washing thoroughly, is in the 7th ver. called 
 sprinkling ; and the latter is said to cleanse, 
 as well as the former. The other passage is 
 in I Cor. vl. 11. But ye are washed, but ye 
 are sanctified, &c. This is so nearly paral- 
 lel to the former, that the same remarks are 
 applicable fo both, and therefore nothing 
 further needs to be added. — It appears, I 
 think, that the word which our author chief- 
 ly depends on to prove immersion entirely 
 fails him, and finally determines in favour of 
 affusion. 
 
 This now is the result of our inquiry. 
 Tlie word haptizo, is iiever used in all the 
 Old Testament, where bathing the body is 
 commanded. It is often used in the New 
 Testament for sprinkling or pouring. This 
 is the usual, if not the only word for bap- 
 tism. It is used to be sure, in nearly sixty 
 passages. The word louo, is sometimes 
 used for bathing the body, but never certaiti-- 
 ly used for baptism. There are but four pas- 
 
S9 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 sages, where it is pretended to be so used ; 
 and even here it is plainly synonymous 
 \y \ih pourijig or sprinklings as it is also on 
 other occasions. 
 
 it is indeed very remarkable, that the 
 writers of the New Testament, when they 
 speak of the christian ordinance of baptism, 
 have generally (if not always) avoided that 
 word, which in the Septuagint is sometimes 
 used for bathing the body ; and chosen a 
 word of a more general signification ; and if 
 they have ever used the former, ihey have 
 joined with it spy inkling or pouring, as if it 
 were on purpose to teach us, that plunging 
 the whole body is a ceremony not required 
 under the gospel. 
 
 If. 1 apprehend we may obtain some sat- 
 isfaction in the point before us, if we attend 
 to those passages of scripture, in which the 
 uses of baptism are manifestly alluded to. 
 
 1. One use of it is to represent the sanc- 
 tifying influence of the spirit. Christians 
 are said to be born of water mid of the spirit; 
 and to be saved bt/ the washing of regeneration 
 and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Peter says to 
 the convicted Jews^ Be baptized and ye shall 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 23 
 
 receive the gift of the Holy Ghost * The influ- 
 ence oi' the Spirit represented in baptism, is 
 often expressed by pouring and sprinkling ; 
 as in the before cited passages to Titus, and 
 to the Hebrews, The refieiving of the Holy 
 Ghost, which he hath poured on us. Having 
 the heart sprinkled yVom an evil conscience, 
 T\\'\^ pouring out of the Spirit is called, be- 
 ing baptized with it. That promise, Ye shall 
 be baptized with the Holy Ghost, is said to 
 have been fulfilled when Christ shed or 
 pouredforih the Spirit. -j* 
 
 2. Baptism represents the forgiveness of 
 sins. Hence these directions. Be baptized 
 for the remission of sins — Be baptized and 
 loash away thy sins,X Our sins are washed 
 away in Christ's blood. The blood of Christ 
 cleanseth from all sin. He hath washed us 
 from our sins in his own blond. ^ And this 
 application of Christ's blood is expressed by 
 sprinkling . Ye are come — to Jesus the medi- 
 ator of the new covenant and to the blood of 
 sprinkling. Elect according to tlie foreknow-^ 
 
 * Acts ii. 38. t Acts i. 5. and ii. 33. 
 
 % Acts ii. 33. and xxii. iQ. § l John i. 7. and Rev. i. 5. 
 
94i €HRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 ledge of God, through sanctijication of the 
 spirit u7Uo — sprinkli ng of the blood of Christ,* 
 
 3. Baptism with dean water may denote 
 the nimjjlicitt/ of the gospel dispensation. 
 
 The writer of the letters says, ' There 
 does not appear in all the five books of Mo- 
 ses, any rite of sprinkling meer water, but it 
 was water mixed with blood, ashes, &c/ 
 The Mosaic institution was of a mixed na- 
 ture : it consisted both of mora/ and ceremo- 
 nial precepts. And the rites of purification 
 were of a piece with the dispensation itself; 
 for they were performed by water mixed 
 with other ingredients. But the gospel dis- 
 pensation is pure and simple, charged with 
 few external rites, and these plain and easy. 
 Thus Ezek. xxxvi. 2*5. God, foretelling the 
 happiness of his people in the Gospel times, 
 says, Then will I sprinkle clean water upon 
 you and ye shall he clean. ' This expres- 
 sion,' says the author before mentioned, ' al- 
 ludes to some watery purification in the law 
 of Moses, ^ But he says, ' There was no 
 ceremony of unmixed water.' He thinks, 
 * it alludes to the water of separation.' And 
 
 * Heb. xii. 24. l Pet. i. 2. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 25 
 
 yet he says, ' This was a composition of va- 
 rious ingredients/ 
 
 The meaning of the passage then must be 
 this. In the latter times 1 will give you a 
 pure and spiritual dispensation, not burden- 
 ed with such rites and ceremonies as the 
 present. The simple nature and spiritual 
 design of it shall be represented by the great 
 rite of initiation, which shall be the spriiik* 
 ling of pure water, and not the application 
 of such mixtures and compositions as are 
 now in use. 
 
 Observe here : Sprinkling is said to cleanse 
 the person, /w/// sprinkle clean water upon 
 you and ye shall be clean, and from ?A\ your 
 Jilthiness will I cleanse you. So washing Pe- 
 ter's feet only, was washing him, Peter 
 says, Thou shall never wash iny feet. Jesus 
 replies. If 1 wash thee not^ thou hast no part 
 in me. When he requested that his hands 
 and head might be washed too, Christ an- 
 swered, He that is washed^ need not save to 
 wash his feet, but is clean every whit.* 
 
 It has been said, ' A minister may as well 
 wash the hands or feet, as sprinkle the face 
 
 * John xiii. 8, 9, 10. r. 
 
26 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 of a person, in the name of the Trinity, and 
 call it baptism/ I am far from asserting, 
 that the validity of baptism depends upon 
 the part to which the water is applied. — 
 There is however an obvious propriety in 
 applying it to the head. This is the princi" 
 pal part of the body. It is the part which 
 is usually uncovered; and the water doubt- 
 less should be applied to the person^ rather 
 than to his clothes. The ceremony o{ bene- 
 diction was performed by laying the hands 
 on the head. Unction was performed by 
 pouring o\\ on the head^ which was called 
 anointing the body. The Holy Ghost was 
 communicated by the imposition of the 
 Apostles hands: And they who had the 
 Spirit thus communicated to them, were 
 said to be baptized with it ; which makes it 
 highly probable that baptism, the token of 
 this communication, was performed by put- 
 ting water on the heads of the persons bap- 
 tized. Accordingly, the Apostle to the He- 
 brews speaks of the doctrine of Baptisms and 
 laying on of hands, ''^ 
 
 * Chap.vi. 2. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 27 
 
 4. The Apostle, in 1 Cor. 10, speaking* 
 of the Jews who came out of Egypt^ says, 
 They were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud 
 and in the sea. The Apostle here undoubt- 
 edly alludes to christian baptism, and there- 
 fore we may suppose there was some resem- 
 blance between baptism unto Christ, and 
 that ancient baptism unto Moses. — Now how 
 were they baptized in the cloud and sea ? 
 Surely not by being plunged all over in wa- 
 ter ; for they went over on dry land ; but only 
 by being sprinkled with some sprays of the 
 sea, and drops from the cloud. This appears 
 to me the most natural sense of the expres- 
 sion. The author of the letters indeed ridi- 
 cules such an interpretation, and says, ' Here 
 is an allusion to the custom of immersion^ 
 the Israelites^ being covered by the cloud 
 over^ and by the water on each side of them/ 
 But I think he has not mended the matter ; 
 for though the waters surrounded them, yet 
 (as he would have it understood) not even 
 a spray touched them, nor a drop fell on 
 them ; for then they w^ould have been sprink- 
 led. It was a </rj/ baptism : A baptism with- 
 out water. Jonah might as well have been 
 
28 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 said, to be baptized in allusion to immersion, 
 when he went down into the sides of the 
 ship, and there lay, while a storm hung 
 over him. 
 
 5. Baptism signifies our obligation to re- 
 nounce sin and put on the character of 
 Christ. 
 
 The Apostle says, Rom. vi. 4. We are 
 buried with Christ by baptism into his death. 
 And Col. ii. 12. Buried with him in Bap' 
 tism. The plain meaning is ; by baptism 
 we are bound to die to sin, and walk in new- 
 ness of life, in conformity to the death and 
 resurrection of Christ. Our brethren im- 
 agine, these two passages afford a strong ar- 
 gument for immersion. They tell us, ' The 
 phrase of being buried with Christ in Baptism^ 
 alludes to the manner of baptism, which 
 was a burial in the water ; for if there were 
 nothing like a burial, the phrase would be 
 very improper. But as well might they say, 
 "^ The mode of baptism must resemble his 
 crucifixion; for in the same passage the 
 Apostle says, We are baptized into his death, 
 planted together in the likei»ess of his death-* 
 our old man is crucified loilh him. Bui 1 am 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 29 
 
 willins: their ari^ument should have its full 
 weight ; tor it" they think immersion can be 
 proved from these two passages, where our 
 conformity to Christ is expressed by our 
 being buried with him in baptism, they must 
 to be consistent with themselves, allow that 
 sprinkling can be more clearly proved from 
 those numerous passages, where our justifi- 
 cation through Christ^s l)lood is expressed by 
 the sprinkling of his blood ; and our sanctifi- 
 cation is expressed by the sprinkling of clean 
 water — by the heart's being sprinkled — by 
 the spirits b*'ing poured on us, &c. The con- 
 clusion then from this arg^ument will be, 
 that both modes were admitted by the Apos- 
 tles — both are valid and agreeable to the in- 
 stitution. Let us no longer contend. This 
 argument bids so fair to reconcile our breth- 
 ren to our practice, that 1 could willingly 
 leave them in full possession of it. — 1 wish 
 it good success. — But if it be attended to, 
 I am afraid, it will appear to have little 
 "weight. 
 
 How was Christ buried ? Not as the dead 
 are usually buried amons: us, but as rich 
 men were among the Jews, in an. apartment 
 3* 
 
^ CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 cut out in the side of a rock. Such tombs 
 were called sepulchres on high;* because 
 they were made above grouud. Lazarus^ 
 grave was ot this sort ; and he was laid in it 
 in such a position, that upon his revival, 
 ?ie came for th^ while he was bound hand and 
 foot; but he could not walk, till he was 
 loosed. ' Loose him and let him go/j* 
 Plunging then no more resembles Christ^s 
 entombment than sprinkling does. If there 
 were any circumsttnces in his burial, which 
 baptism can resemble, it must be his em^ 
 halmmenl. — -It is said, Aicodemus brought a 
 viixture of myrrh and aloes, and wound the 
 body of Jesus in linen clothes with the spicesy 
 as the manner of the Jews is to bury.% And 
 after this, the women prepared spices and 
 ointments and came to anoint his body. The 
 expression of being buried with Christ m 
 baptism, may allude to his body's being an- 
 ointed with aromatic ointments at the time 
 of his burial ; and this was done by pouiing 
 and rubbing them on the body. Accord- 
 inufly when the woman poured the precious 
 ointment on Christ's head, he says. In tftat 
 
 ^ Isa. Tcxil. 16. t j'ohn xi. 44. t Jo^^n xix. 40 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. ^1 
 
 ihe poured if on my hodij^ ^he^did' it to my 
 burial. She ?\v come to anoint my body to the 
 burying,^ Observe ; her [)ouri«4< it only o^ 
 his liedd^ he calls pourint^ it on his body ; as 
 on another occasion, a woman's dropping 
 her tears on his feet, he calls washing iiis 
 feet ; and washing F^tei'^ feet was washing 
 htm. Now in allusion to this manner of 
 anointing, christians are said, to be anointed 
 with the spirit, and to have an unction from 
 the Holy One^ which teacheth them of ail 
 thi?igs,'\ What is elsewhere called the pour^ 
 ing of the spirit on them; and being baptized 
 with the spirit ;. is here expressed by the 
 anointing of the spirit, in allusion to the 
 manner of anointing by pouring oil on the 
 head. 
 
 III. It is time that we proceed to InjqAiire, 
 in what manner baptism was administered 
 in the times of our Saviour and his Apostles. 
 
 Our brethren, and particularly the gentle- 
 man before meniinncd, think it very mani- 
 fest, that immetaion was the mode practise 
 ed in those times, because the persons bap- 
 tised are, in one or two instances, said to 
 
 * Mat. xxvi. 7. t ^ Cor. i. si. and l Johu ii. 20, 27* 
 
P$ CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 go itito, and c(>nie out of the water; because 
 souje were baptized in a river ; and because 
 places abounding wjth water were chosen 
 for baptizuig. 
 
 But let us not be carried away by the 
 , nieer sound ot" words without examining 
 their sense. 
 
 It is said, Mat. iii. 16. Jesus being bap» 
 tized came up out ot tke water. The Greek 
 phrase {apo udatos) properly signifies, from 
 the water; and tiierefore implies no more 
 than that he went down to it; which he 
 might properly be said to do in whatever 
 mode he was baptized. And as all natural 
 coUei tions of water are in low places, so the 
 motion to and /rom them, must be descend^ 
 ing and ascending, which is sufficient to ac- 
 count for the expression, he went up from 
 the water. 
 
 As Christ was without srn, his baptism 
 could not be in token of repentance and for- 
 giveness ; and,^ as he came to. John after all 
 the people were baptized, it, could not be for 
 an example of baptism to them ; but it was 
 evidently his public consecration to the min- 
 istry, on which he was now entering. He 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 35 
 
 chose this ceremony of consecration, in con- 
 formity to the law of God, which had insti- 
 tuted a similar form for the separation of the 
 higii priest to his office. And therefore he 
 says, Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righ^ 
 ieousness. 
 
 The priests under the law, were to enter 
 on the public service of God at the age of 
 thirty years; Christ, when he began to be about 
 thirty years of age, was baptized. They 
 were consecrated to their office hy washing 
 with water, and by anointing with oil » He 
 was publicly inaugurated into his ministry, 
 by baptism and the unction of the Holy Ghost, 
 God says to Moses, Aaron and his sons shalt 
 thou bring to the door of the tabernacle, and 
 shalt wash them with water ; — and thou shalt 
 pour the anointing oil on his head. Thou 
 shalt make a laver of brass and put water there* 
 in ; for Aaron and his sons shall wash their 
 hands and their feet therein. And Moses 
 brought Aaron and his nons and washed theni 
 with water, and he poured the anvmting oil on 
 Aaron's head, and anointe/t hi^ io ^unetify 
 hiin.'*^ Til us also were the Levites cleans- 
 
 ♦ £x,xxix.4. Ch. XXX. J9, &c. Lev. viii. 6^1 12. Num. viii. 7» 
 
34< CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 ed. God says to Moses, Take the Leviles 
 from among the children of Israel^ and cleanse 
 them. And thus shalt thou do unto them to 
 cleanse them. Sprinkle the water of puri- 
 fying upon them. 
 
 The priests were washed, not by the im- 
 mersion of their bodies into a fountain, but 
 by the application of water to their hands and 
 feet from a laver ; they were anointed by oil 
 poured on their heads ; thus they were pub- 
 licly instated in their office. Christ was 
 baptized at Jordan ; after his baptism he was 
 anointed with the Holy Ghost, which visi- 
 bly descended upon him; and then he was 
 declared from heaven to be the Son of God, 
 and the people were commanded to hear 
 Ji'iflii Alluding to the manner in which the 
 priests were consecrated, the prophet, in the 
 person of Christ, says, The spirit of the Lord 
 is upon me, because he hath anointed me to 
 preach the gospel * Peter, speaking of the 
 word which God sent to Israel by Christ, 
 say^, That wo*d ye know^ which began from 
 Galilee y after the baptism ivhich John preach^ 
 
 * Isai. Ixi. 1. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 35 
 
 ed^ how God anointed Jesua of Nazareth with 
 ih e Holy Gliost^ and with power. 
 
 Now as in the account given by the Evan- 
 gelists concerning Christ's baptism, there is 
 nothing which necessarily imports an im- 
 mersion ; as his baptism was in compliance 
 with the instituted usage of consecrating 
 the ancient priests, and as there is no men- 
 tion of their total immersion, but express 
 mention of their par^zW washing ; we may, 
 with great probability, conclude, that his 
 baptism was by the application of water to 
 apart of his body.* 
 
 But though he had been washed by im- 
 mersion, this would no otherwise be an ar- 
 gument for immersion now, than as an in- 
 stance of the use of ihe word baptize^ because 
 his baptism was a different thing from that 
 which he afterwards instituted. — And as it 
 appears highly probable, that his baptism was 
 3. partial washing, it was an example in fa- 
 vour of our opinion, that baptism does not 
 signify a total immersion ; but may properly 
 
 * The laver in uh^cb the priests were washed, as a portable 
 ▼essel of brass, standing en a single foot, and not of sutHcient 
 capacity for the immersioa of a human body. 
 
36 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 be performed by pouring or sprinkling water 
 on a part of the body. 
 
 As^aiii, Acts viii. 38. The?/ (Philip and 
 the Eunuch) went down both info the water, 
 and he baptized him, and they came up out of 
 the water, — This passage is thought to favor 
 immersion : But it no more proves that the 
 Eunuch was covered with water, than that 
 Philip was; for one is said to go into the 
 water, as much as the other. They might 
 be said to go into the water, if they only 
 stept into the edge of it. The words do not 
 necessarily imply even so much as that ; for 
 tlie particles rendered into and out of, very 
 often signify no more than to and from; as 
 where Christ bids Peter, go to the sea and 
 cast his hook — and where the Queen of the 
 South is said to come from the utmost parts 
 of the earth. Now no man supposes that 
 PetGT plunged himself into the sea ; or that 
 the Queen of the South crept out from un- 
 der ground ; and yet the Greek particles here 
 rendered to and from are the same, which 
 in the case of the Eunuch are rendered into 
 and out of All therefore that we can con- 
 clude from this passage is, that they went 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM* 37 
 
 down from the chariot to the water, there 
 Philip baptized him, and then they return- 
 ed : But in what manner he baptized him, 
 we can no more learn from this passage, than 
 from any other in the bible. But if the ac- 
 counts of ancient and modern writers are 
 true, he could baptize liim only hy pouring 
 or sprinkling water on him ; for they say, 
 that in the place here mentioned, nothing 
 more than a small spring can be found. 
 
 Here is no argument for immersion. Let 
 us now see if there be not a conclusive ar- 
 gument for sprinkling. 
 
 Philip heard the Eunuch read a part of 
 the 53d chap, of Isaiah ; ' and beginning at 
 that scripture, he preached to him Jesus.' 
 Among the things which, from that scrip- 
 ture, he preached concerning Jesus was the 
 admission of the Gentiles into the christian 
 church by baptism. For as soon as they 
 came to water, the Eunuch said, ' See, here 
 is water, what doth hinder me to be baptiz- 
 ed V If Philip had not taught him, that bap- 
 tism was a rite of admission into Christ's 
 church, how should he think of asking this 
 question ? But where did Philip find any 
 
38 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM, 
 
 thing relative to baptism, in the period of 
 prophesy, which was now open before him, 
 from which he was preaching ? — It was in 
 the last verse of the preceding chapter, 
 "which is immediately connected with this, 
 and which is quoted by St. Paul, and ex- 
 pressly applied to Christ. The words are 
 these ; ' Behold, my servant shall deal pru- 
 dently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and 
 be very high. He shall sprijskle many 
 nations,' &c. 
 
 These words evidently relate to the con- 
 version of the Gentiles, and they plainly 
 teach us, that the Gentile converts were to 
 be sprinkled, Philip certainly baptized this 
 subject in the manner pointed out in the 
 passage from which he proved to him the 
 necessity of his being baptized. 
 
 These two passaQ:es, in their connexion, 
 are sufficient to decide the whole controver- 
 sy concerning the mode of baptism. 
 
 It is said, Mark i. 5. They were baptized 
 of Jahn in the river of Jordan, Hence some 
 have concluded that they were plunged in 
 the river. But this is a /orc^rf conclusion. 
 Christ says to the blind man, whose eyes he 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 39 
 
 had anointed with clay, Go wash in the pool 
 of Si loam * Here the phrase of washing in 
 the pool ^ intends no more than washing his 
 ei/es with the water of the pool. And with 
 equal propriety John's hearers may be said 
 to be baptized in Jordan, if only some of the 
 water of the river was poured on ihe'iv faces. 
 We read John iii. 23, that John baptized 
 in Enon because there was much water there. 
 It is asked, ' Why should he chuse a place 
 abounding with water to baptize in, if he did 
 not baptize by immersion ]' I answer, these 
 words (polla udataj rendered much water^ 
 properly signify many waters, and may be 
 understood of various rivulets or springs, 
 vvhicli, travellers say, are the only waters 
 there to be found, and not any large collec- 
 tions convenient for immersion. If John 
 baptized only by affusion, a considerable 
 quantity of water would be necessary to 
 baptize such multitudes, as went out to him 
 from Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the 
 region round about Jordan, — Yea, though 
 ever so few of them had been baptized, there 
 was good reason why he should chuse a 
 
 * John ix, 7. 
 
40 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM, 
 
 place to preach in, that was well suppHed 
 with water; for the multitudes that attend- 
 ed on his preaching, in the wilderness, at a 
 distance from their homes, would need much 
 water for their refreshment. It is by no 
 means supposeable, that suck numbers could, 
 here in the desart, be provided with change 
 of apparel proper for immersion ; and sure- 
 ly, in such a numerous and mixed assembly, 
 they were not baptized naked. The circum- 
 stances of the case therefore lead us to sup* 
 pose, they were baptized by affusion,'* 
 
 We read, Acts ii. O^ three thousand bap- 
 tized, in only part of a day^ at the feast of 
 pentecost. It cannot rationally be thought, 
 that these were plunged. There does not 
 seem to have been time for it ; nor is it like- 
 ly they had change of raiment, as they came 
 to the feast without any expectation of such 
 an occasion ; nor is it probable, they could 
 be accommodated there with any conven- 
 ient place for immersion. If there were 
 baths sufficient for the purpose in the tem- 
 
 * * John did not always baptize at Enon or Jordan. He be- 
 gan to baptize in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where we read of wo 
 river.* 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 41 
 
 pie, yet it is very incredible, that the priests 
 and orficers of the temple should be willing 
 to accofnniodate the apostles with them, m 
 order to initiate these converts into a reli- 
 gion, which they were endeavouring by all 
 means to suppress. 
 
 When we read of whole families baptized 
 in their houses, particularly of the Jailor 
 and his family baptized at home, and at mid- 
 night too, in the same hour in which he be- 
 lieved, we cannot think, that a sufficiency 
 of water, and other conveniences for a decent 
 immersion, could be procured on so sudden 
 an occasion. 
 
 When Cornelius and his friends received 
 the gospel, Peter asks, not whether any man 
 could hinder them from going to a fountain 
 or river ; but whetlter any man could forbid 
 water ^ i. e. hinder water from being^ provid- 
 ed, that they should not be baptized ^* 
 
 Paul seems to have been baptized in the 
 house o^ Judas. There Ananias found him,, 
 delivered his message to him, and laid his 
 bauds on him : And he received sight for th'^ 
 with and arose and was baptized. -^^ 
 
 * Acts X. 47. t Acts i:^. la. 
 
 4* 
 
lig CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 It is worthy to be remarked, that though 
 we read of baptism's in various places, yet 
 we have no account of any person's going 
 from the place where he was, in order to be 
 baptized in a fountain or river. They who 
 were baptized in streams and natural collec- 
 ilions of water, are such as were found abroad, 
 either in the wilderness, or on the road, 
 when they first discovered their desire to be 
 baptized. 
 
 In the accounts of baptisms recorded in 
 scripture, several important circumstances 
 •are passed in silence which must be neces- 
 sarily connected with immersion ; such as 
 fremoving from one place to another for a 
 sufficiency of water, plunging the body 
 wholly into the water, changing the apparel 
 after coming out of the water. Such cir- 
 cumstances would doubtless^ on some occa- 
 sion or othery have been mentioned, as they 
 must necessarily have taken place, if total 
 immersion had been the invariable and in- 
 dispensable mode of baptism. The total si- 
 lence of scripture concerning these and simi- 
 lar circumstances, to say the least, renders 
 it very improbable, that such a mode was 
 practised at all,. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 4S 
 
 IV. It now remains, that we consider, 
 what was the usage of the primitive church, 
 upon which our brethren lay great weight 
 in this controversy. 
 
 The author ofthe letters says, 'The whole 
 christian church, for 1300 years successively 
 from the time of the Apostles, understood 
 by baptism, immersion, and so practised ; 
 Sprinkling being o?ilf/ permitted on extraordir^ 
 nary occasions/ This argument he often re- 
 peats, and depends much upon, as do most 
 of the advocates for immersion ; for they 
 reckon, that the early practice of the church 
 in this matter may shew, what was the 
 practice of the Apostles, because it is not 
 likely the apostolic practice would be early 
 and generally disused. 
 
 The truth is, the manner of baptizing 
 among the ancients was looked upon cir- 
 cumstantial, and no way essential to the va- 
 lidity of the ordinance. In the times near 
 the Apostles, immersion was much practis- 
 ed, but never asserted to be necessary : Far 
 from this ; sprinkling was expressly allowed, 
 and frequently used, especially in cases of 
 infirmity, haste, or want of water or other 
 
4* CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 conveniences. This the author himself 
 concedes, that from the Apostles times for 
 1300 years, 'sprinkling was permitted on 
 extraonlinary occasions.^ Cyprian (v\ho 
 wrote within about 150 years of the Apos- 
 tles) speaking of sprinkliui^, says, 'In the 
 sacrament of salvation (i. e. haptism) whea 
 necessity compels, the shortest ways of trans- 
 acting divine matters, do, by God's grace, 
 confer the whole benefit.' And it may not 
 be impertinent to observe, that the ancients, 
 who practised immersion, did usually, after 
 the body had been plunged, apply water to 
 the face. So far therefore as the practice of 
 the ancients is of weight, it proves all that 
 we contend for. We do not say, immersion 
 is unlawful, or a meer nullity : We say, it is 
 not necessary, but affusion is sufficient and 
 agreeable to the divine word. And so said 
 the ancient church. ^ 
 
 1 hope what has been offered is sufficient 
 to justify the mode of baptism admitted in 
 our churches, and to satisfy all, who have 
 received baptism in this mode, that they 
 have no need to seek immersion. The 
 question concerning the mode is really of 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. AfS 
 
 small importance in itself, and nothing but 
 the controversy about it has made it other- 
 wise. It' our baptism is treated as a nullity, 
 it is of importance tosatisfy our minds : And 
 if any have been thrown into doubts, I hope 
 the consideration of w^hat has been said, will 
 give them satisfaction. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 DISCOURSE II. 
 
 I COME now to the second part of my 
 design, which is to vindicate the right of In- 
 fants to baptism. 
 
 The method in which I shall proceed is 
 as follows. I shall first consider the usual 
 objections against infant baptism. — Next 
 produce our arguments in vindication of 
 it." Then briefly touch upon the reasonable- 
 ness and usefulness of it. — After which I 
 shall give a short view of the practice of the 
 church soon after the Apostles. — And then 
 by way of conclusion shall shew the absur- 
 
46 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 dity of separations in churches on account 
 of differences respecting baptism. The un- 
 warrantableness of rebaptization, &c. 
 
 I. 1 will distinctly consider all the mate- 
 rial objections of our brethren against infant 
 baptism, as I collect them from their writ- 
 ers, and particularly from the author of the 
 letters before mentioned. 
 
 1. It is said, ' Christ has fully and plain- 
 ly declared his mind about baptism; and 
 because he has not commanded the baptism 
 of infants, he has s'wixx^Wy forbidden it/ 
 
 Now though it should be allowed, that 
 there is no express command, yet if we can 
 find a virtual^ consequential command for it, 
 that, I trust, will be a sufficient warrant : 
 Otherwise what warrant shall we have to 
 admit females to the Lord's supper ? To ob- 
 serve the first day of the week as holy ? To 
 maintain public worship? T/i€5t and many 
 other things, are no where enjoined, in so 
 many words^ but yet can clearly be shewn to 
 be agreeable to the will of God. What 
 command have our brethren to justify their 
 practice] Where is the passage which tells 
 us, that baptism must be coufiued to the 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 47 
 
 adults ; and infants, though formerly admit- 
 ted to the seal of the C(wenant, must now 
 be admitted no more? They can find no- 
 thing of this sort. But, I trust it will appear, 
 that there is what may properly he called a 
 command for our practice. If that passage 
 in Isaiah^ Lo, I have set thee for a light to 
 the Gentiles^ was a command to the Apostles, 
 to go and preach to the Gentiles, as it is 
 said to be;* then the direction given to Abra- 
 ham our Father, to aifix the token of the 
 covenant to his infant seed ; the comnWssion 
 given to the Apostles to disciple all nations 
 baptizing them ; and the exhortation of Pe- 
 ter^ Be baptized — for the jiromise is to you 
 and your children^ are commands to admit 
 infants to baptism ; as we shall endeavour 
 to shew hereafter. 
 
 2. It is objected, ' that in all the history 
 of the New Testament there is no example 
 of infant baptism ; but the baptislns we have 
 an account of, are the baptisms of professed 
 believers.' 
 
 Bat if there is no express mention of in- 
 fant baptism, yet we cannot hence conclude, 
 
 * Act. xiii. 46. 
 
4# OHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 it was never practised ; any more than we 
 can conclude, that some whole churches 
 were formed without any baptism at all, be- 
 cause it is no where said, they were baptiz- 
 ed. If a plain direct example be insisted 
 upon, o.jr brethren must certainly give up 
 their notion of baptism ; for they can find no 
 ex imple in their favour, whatever we can ; 
 as wiil be evident, if we only consider what 
 is the question between us. It is not, 
 whether adult proselytes should be baptiz- 
 ed ? But whether the infants of professed 
 believers should be baptized? There are, it 
 is true, instances enough of the baptism of 
 adults, who had been converted from Juda^ 
 ism ov Paganism : But fhese are nothing to 
 the point ; for we allow baptism to all adult 
 believers, who have not been baptized in in- 
 fancy. And the Apostles' baptizing ^z/rA is 
 no argument, that thei/ did not baptize ew- 
 fants, any more than our missionaries' bap- 
 tizing adults among the natives, is an argu- 
 ment^ that the// do not baptize infants. The 
 question is merely this ; are the infants of 
 baptized believers to be admitted to baptism ? 
 Or to be rejected ] If you say ihey must be 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 49 
 
 rejected and suffered to grow up before they 
 are baptized ; 1 ask, where is your example ? 
 Did the Apostles refuse to baptize such ? Or 
 among the adults whom they baptized, do 
 you find any that were born oi christian par- 
 ents? The history of the Acts contains a 
 period of above thirty years, and the New 
 Testament, a much longer period. There 
 was time enough for two or three generations 
 of infants to grow up to adult age. We have 
 all along accounts of baptism. But it is re- 
 markable, that in all this time, there is no 
 intimation, that any one of the children of 
 the early believers was baptized after he grew 
 up; or thai any one of those adults whom 
 the Apostles baptized, was born of believing 
 parents. It is plain then, there is not one 
 example, whi€h in the leasts favours the 
 opinion of our brethren, which is this, lliat 
 the children of believers must he left to grow up 
 before they are baptized. They ask, 'Is it 
 not a little strange, that we no where find 
 children mentioned, if it were the Apostles^ 
 custom to baptize them with their parents V 
 And I ask ; is it not very strange, that we 
 no where find the children of believers bap- 
 6 
 
60 CHRIS^TIAX BAPTISM. 
 
 lized after they grew up, if it was the Apos- 
 tles' custom to leave them unbaptized till 
 they grow up? There is no example of this 
 kind. But, we think, we have examples, 
 and just such examples in favour of our 
 practice, as we should have, upon supposi- 
 tion, the Apostles did baptize children with 
 their parents. 
 
 Let us suppose infants were baptized : 
 And what account should we have of it? 
 Would the history tell us, such an infant by 
 name of such an age, and such an one of 
 such an age, was baptized? No: This mi- 
 nuteness could not be expected concerning 
 infants, who are seldom known, by their 
 names or ages, out of the families, to which 
 they belong. All we could expect to be 
 told is this ; such a man was baptized and 
 Lis family — such a woman and her houshold. 
 And this we are told ; Stephanas^ household, 
 Lydia and her household, the Jailor and all 
 his were baptized ; which are plain exam- 
 ples of families baptized upon the faith of 
 their respective heads ; as 1 shall shew more 
 fully hereafter. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 51 
 
 3. It is argued, ' that faith and repentance 
 are the conditions of baptism ; infants are 
 not capable of these, and therefore not capa- 
 ble of baptism/ 
 
 But as well might our brethren say, ' Faith 
 and repentance are conditions of salvation, 
 and therefore infants, being incapable of 
 these, cannot be saved.' It is expressly said, 
 He that believeth not shall be damned. It is 
 no where said, he that beheveth not, or re- 
 penteth not, shall not be baptized. Faith 
 and repentance are required on several par- 
 ticular occasions^ when baptism was to be 
 administered to adult persons; but we find 
 no general rule given to exclude from bap- 
 tism such as are incapable of faith and re- 
 pentance. Our brethren will not exclude 
 infants from salvation, upon the authority of 
 those texts, which make faith the condition 
 of it; and surely, if they will be consist- 
 ent with themselves, they cannot exclude 
 them from baptism, upon the authority of 
 those texts, which make faith the condition 
 of that; especially since these texts plainly 
 respect adult proselytes. That such must 
 profess their faith we allow. But the apos- 
 
52 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 tolic practice shews, that upon their protes- 
 sion, not only thet/^ but their households also 
 should be baptized; as under the ancient 
 dispensation, when a Gentile became a pros- 
 elyte, not only he himself, but all his male 
 children were circumcised. 
 
 The instances in which faith or repentance 
 is enjoined previously to baptism, are only 
 when adult persons inquired what was ne- 
 cessary for themselves. The question was 
 not concerning the qualification for baptism 
 in general ; but what was requisite in their 
 0W71 case. ' What shall we do ?' — ' What 
 hinders me to be baptized V The Apostles 
 answer the question, as it respected those 
 who proposed it. Repent ye and be haptiz^ 
 ed — if thou helievest^ thou mayst he baptized. 
 These directions only prove, that a profes- 
 sion of faith and repentance is necessary to 
 the baptism of adults^ which none deny ; 
 but, in no degree affect the right of infants. 
 
 Faith was as much required under the 
 Old Testament in order to circumcision, as 
 it is under the new in order to baptism ; but 
 still infants were circumcised. The Gen- 
 tile proselyte was not admitted to this rite, 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 6$ 
 
 till he professed his faith in the God of Is- 
 rael ; neither was the adult Jew. During 
 th« fortv years that circumcision was inter- 
 mitted in the wilderness, a new generation 
 came on the stage. These were circumcis- 
 ed soon after they passed over Jordan.* But 
 previouslytothis, they had solemnly avouch- 
 ed the Lord to be their God. Now because 
 faith was a prerequisite to the circumcision 
 of adults, shall we conclude that no infants 
 were circumcised ? This would be contrary 
 to known fact. But this conclusion would 
 be as just as the other, which determines 
 against the baptism of infants, because a 
 profession of faith was required in prose- 
 lytes. The truth is, all arguments drawn 
 from special and particular cases, are imper- 
 tinent to an inquiry concerning a general 
 rule of practice. 
 
 The author of the letters lays particular 
 weight upon that passage, 1 Pet. iii. 91. 
 The likejigure whereunfo, even baptism^ doth 
 now save us^ not the putting away the Jilth of 
 the fleshy but the answer of a good conscience 
 towards Gud. ' Here,' he says, * such a con- 
 
 * Josh. 5, 
 
J4 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 dition of baptism is required, as infants are 
 not capable of. The filth of their tlesh nn\y 
 be put away : But how shall they ansvvei the 
 good conscience?' But it should be observ- 
 ed, that the answer of a good conscience 
 is- made the condition of sal ration : Not of 
 baptism. He might therefore rather have 
 said, such a condition ot salvation is requir- 
 ed as infants are not capable of. T/tis is a 
 condition of salvation and baptism too in 
 adults, but of neither in infants, who are not 
 yet moral agents. The Apostle says, Cir^ 
 cumcision is that of the heart ; but surely he 
 did not mean that Jews were incapable of the 
 fleshly circumcision, until they were capa- 
 ble of professing the circumcision of the 
 heart. Baptism, which is externally the 
 putting away the filth of the fiesh^ signifies 
 our obligation to answer a good conscience 
 toward God, This obligation immediately 
 takes place with respect to all, who are mo- 
 ral agents, and with respect to infants, when 
 they become such. Here is then no argu- 
 ment against the baptism of infants. 
 
 Let us see if there be not a plain argu- 
 ment/or it. The Apostle is here speaking 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 66 
 
 of the preservation of Noah and his fan^ily 
 in the flnod by means of the ark. The 
 Apostle to the Hebrews says, Bi/ faiih^ No- 
 ah ^ prepared an ark lo the saving oj his house. 
 It was by Noah^s faith, that his family was 
 brought into the ark, and preserved in the 
 flood. The like Jig ure whereunlo^ even bap^ 
 tism, doth now save us. Where is the like- 
 ness ? Plainly here. As Noah by faith pre- 
 pared an ark, by which his house was sav- 
 ed ; so the faith of the christian parent brings 
 his family within the privileges of the cove- 
 nant. Salvation came to Zaccheus* house, 
 in C!^nsequence of his believing. They en- 
 joyed some special privileges on account of 
 his faith. 
 
 4. We read, Acts viij. 5, that when the Sa* 
 maritans' believed Philip, preaching the things 
 concerning the kingdom of God^ they were 
 baptized both men and women. Upon this 
 our author observes, ' The history is so par- 
 ticular as to mention both men and women, 
 but there stops. — Had the sacred historian 
 been a little more explicit and said, nien, 
 women and children y if the fact were really 
 
SS CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 so; it would have prevented much doubt 
 and controversy/ 
 
 In answer to this, it is sufficient to say ; 
 as the seal of the covenant under t'onner dis- 
 pensations had been affixed onh/ lo males, 
 so there vras good reason, why the historian 
 should be so particular, as to mention both 
 men and womeiv, i. e. males and females, (for 
 these terms are in scripture applied to per- 
 sons of all ages) that it might appear, that 
 the covenant-seal was, for the future, to be 
 affixed lo persons of both sexes. But as the 
 seal had ali&ay^ been applied to children^ 
 there was no occasion for his being so ex- 
 plicit, as to say, men, women and children, if 
 the fact were really so; for children^* right 
 to the covenant token had not then been 
 made a question); and' they who knew the 
 immemorial and* universal usage of admit- 
 ting Jewish i n tan tn by c ire u m c isi o n , and the 
 infants of GenHie proselytes by baptism, did 
 rtot need to be in&tructed, that infants were 
 entitled' to baptism under the christian dis- 
 pensation. They must naturally suppose 
 -itj unless expressly told the contrary. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 57 
 
 6. It is urged by soine, ' that Jesus Christ, 
 who came to be our example, was baptized 
 at adult age, and that we ought to imitate 
 him herein/ 
 
 But his example is no more an argument 
 aojainst infant baptism, than against all bap- 
 tism under the age of thirty years ; for this 
 was his age, when he was l)aptized, though 
 he was certainly capable of understanding 
 the nature of baptism before he was twelve. 
 Do our brethren think, that all are bound, 
 in imitation of Christ, to live, unbaptized, 
 twenty years after they arrive to the age of 
 understanding ? 
 
 The objection before us is founded in the 
 supposition, that the baptism wliich Christ 
 received, was the same, in its nature and 
 design, with that which he himself after- 
 wards appointed. If it was a different thing, 
 no argument can be drawn from it in the 
 present question. If it was the same, then 
 it at once removes the principal objection 
 against the baptism of infants, taken from 
 their incapacity for faitli and repentance. 
 For Jesus was as incapable of faith in a me- 
 
58 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 diator and repentance of sin, as infants are; 
 though from a different cause. 
 
 But, as I have before shewn, Christ^s bap- 
 tism was his public inauguration into his 
 ministry, and therefore is impertinently ad- 
 duced to disprove the baptism of infants. 
 When we are asked, why Christ was not 
 baptized in his infancy, it is sufficient to an- 
 swer, because he did not take on him his 
 public mAiistry in his infancy. To argue, 
 that because Christ was publicly consecrat- 
 ed to his priesthood at the age of thirty 
 years, therefore none should be given to God 
 by baptism in their childhood, is an incon- 
 clusive way of reasoning. 
 
 Let it, however be observed, that though 
 be was not baptized in infancy, yet he was 
 dedicated to God, by such rites as were then 
 in use. He vvas circumcised on the eighth 
 day ; and on the fortieth day he was brought 
 by his parents into the temple, and there 
 presented to God, according to the law, 
 •which required, that every first born male 
 should be holy to the Lord. This example 
 shews, that parents ought publicly to dedi- 
 cate their children to God in his appointed 
 
6HRISTIAN BAPTISM. 69 
 
 way ; and, since baptism is now the appoint- 
 ed ceremony of dedication, it shews, that 
 they should present their children to him 
 in baptism.* 
 
 * If it could be proved, which certainly it never can, that 
 John baptized only adults, yet no argument could hence be de- 
 duced against the right of infants to baptism under the gospel 
 dispensation -, for the baptism which John administered, was not 
 properly christian baptism. 
 
 Though before Christ's time, baptism was in use among the 
 Jews, yet it was not made the only initiating seal of the covenant^ 
 until after his resurrection. 
 
 John was sent to preach the baptism of repentance for the re- 
 mission of sins, and thus to prepare men for that new dispensa- 
 tion of God's kingdom, which w^s not yet come, but was then 
 at hand. — Christ instituted his baptism after this dispensation 
 was come. John'sHbaptism materially differed from this. The 
 baptism, which Christ instituted was, in the name of the Father, 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. John did not baptize in the 
 name of the Holt/ Gho^t j for some who had received his baptism, 
 confessed that then/ had not so much as heard, whether there tvere any 
 Holy Ghost He did not baptize in the name of the Son, or ia 
 the faith, that Jesus ivai the Christ ; but tvith the baptism of repen^^ 
 anccy saying to the people, that they should believe oh him who should 
 come after him ; that is, on Jesus Christ. Nor did he baptize into 
 Christ's death, for this event had not then taken place. Had John 
 taught that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, and baptized the 
 people in his name, and into this faith, they would not have7;2U5- 
 ed in their hearts, whether John tuere the Christ ; nor have asked 
 hiru. Why baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ ? Nor would 
 Jesus have cautioned his disciples, to tell no man, that he was the 
 Christ, till xfter his resurrection. John's baptism was designed to 
 prepare men for the faith in Christ, when he should be made 
 iHAsufest to Israel. 
 
60 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 6. The incapacity of children for the ends 
 of baptism, or for any benefit from it, is of- 
 ten urged as an argument against their be- 
 ing baptized. 
 
 Bat what is decisive in the case is, that some who had receiv- 
 ed John's baptism, were afiencards baptized in the name of *he 
 Lord Jesus. 
 
 Among the many thousands from all Judea and Jerusalem, to 
 whom Peter preached on the day of penlecost, it cannot be 
 doubted, that there were multitudes, who had been baptized by 
 John ; for there went out to him all the land oy Judea and they ofje- 
 Tusalemy and all the region round about Jordan^ and were baptized of 
 him. And yet Peter says to them, without distinction, Repent 
 and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jtsns Christ. 
 
 An insjance still more plain we have in ihe beginning of the 
 19th ch of Acts. Paul finding at Ephesns twelve disciples, said 
 to them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed ! And 
 they said to him, We hare not so much as heard whether there be 
 any Holy Ghost. — And he said to them, Unto what then were ye 
 baptized? And they said, Un o John's baptism. Then said Paul, 
 John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto ihe 
 people, that they should believe on himy who should come after him, 
 that is, on Jesus Christ. PFhen they heard this, they were baptis- 
 ed in the name of ihe Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands 
 on them, the Holy Ghost came upon them, ^c. 
 
 When they heard this, they loere baptized in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus The meaning cannot be, that when the people heard 
 John they were by him baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus ; be- 
 cause then it will follow, tliat Paul laid his liands on all the peo- 
 ple whom John baptized ; for they, who are here said to be bap- 
 tized, are evidently the persons on whom Paul laid his hands. 
 But the sense must be, that when tliese t\yelve disciples who 
 had been baptized by Jolin, now heard Paul, they were baptized 
 by him. It follows then that John's bsptism, being neither in 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 6l 
 
 But really the question is, whether there 
 be any divine warrant for their baptism ? If 
 there is, it becomes us to practise according- 
 ly, and not to arraign the wisdom of God, 
 That there are some rational ends to be an- 
 swered by infant baptism, and that it is a 
 gracious and beneficial institution, 1 trust, 
 will appear under another head, where this 
 objection will receive a full answer. In the 
 mean time it may suffice to observe, that 
 infants are now as capable of the ends of 
 baptism, as they were anciently of the ends 
 of circumcision. They may be brought in- 
 to covenant with God — may have privileges 
 made over to them — may receive the seal 
 and token of privileges — may be laid under 
 obligations to obey the gospel, as tlie Jewish 
 infants by circumcision became debtors to 
 obey the law — and may become subjects of 
 that justification throus^h Christ's blood, 
 that renovation of the Spirit, and title to 
 
 the name of Christ, nor of the Holy Ghost, was different f»ora 
 that which Christ instituted; and no arguments can be drawn 
 from the former, to determine the mode, or s»il>jects of the lat- 
 ter ; nor can the repetition of christian baptism be justified from 
 this example of Paul. 
 
6'2 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 eternal life, which are signified and repre- 
 sented in baptism. 
 
 1 have now given you a view of all the 
 material arguments, which are brought to 
 disprove infant baptism. And what has been 
 said in answer to them is, I think, sufficient 
 toshevv, that they have no real weight. The 
 way is now prepared to bring forward our 
 arguments in vindication of this point, which 
 was the second thing proposed. 
 
 11. We will here take a distinct view of 
 the principal arguments in defence of the 
 right of believer's infants to baptism, and en- 
 deavour to estabhsh them against the cavils 
 of our opponents, and particularly the au- 
 thor of the letters before mentioned. 
 
 1. Our first argument shall be taken from 
 the Abrahcnnic coveu?iY)t, together with the 
 Apostle's explanation of it. 
 
 In the 17th chap, of Gen. we find, that 
 God made a covenant with Abraham and 
 his seed, into which his infants were express- 
 ly taken, together with himself, by the same 
 rite and token. This covenant compre- 
 hended not only his natural seed, but the 
 stranger who was'not of his seed. It was a 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 65 
 
 spiritual coven^int. The capital promise of 
 it was, I will be a God to thee and thy seed 
 after thee, — This was the same covenant, 
 which now subsists, and which we are now 
 under in this gospel age, as the Apostle ex- 
 pressly teaches us, in the 4th chap, to Rom. 
 and 3d chap, to Gal. where he argues from 
 the covenant with Abraham, to shew the 
 nature and extent of the gospel covenant. 
 He testifies, that all believers under the gos- 
 pel, whether Jews or Gentiles, are the spirit- 
 ual seed o^ Abraham, and consequently heirs 
 of the promise made to him — that the cove- 
 nant made with Abraham was confirmed of 
 God^n Christ — tliat the law which was giv- 
 en afterwards did not disannul the covenant, 
 or vacate the {)romise — that the gospel was 
 preached to Abraham^ in that promise of the 
 covenant with him, In thee shall all nativris 
 be blessed — that the blessing of Abraham is 
 come upon the Gentiles through Christ — 
 that the promise made to Abraham is sure 
 to all the seed, not only to that which is of 
 the law, but to that also which is of the 
 faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 
 as it is written, //^aye made thee a father of 
 
64 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM, 
 
 many nations — that they who are of faith 
 are the children o\' Abraham^ and to Abraham 
 and his seed were the promises made — and 
 much more to the same purpose. 
 
 Now if we are the seed of Abraham^ for 
 whom the covenant with him was establish- 
 ed, and are still under the selfsame cove- 
 nant, then the same privileges that were 
 herein granted to him, belong to us. One 
 grant of that covenant was, that infants 
 should be received with their parents by the 
 same sign and seal ; and therefore we, as the 
 seed of Abraham^ may claim this privilege 
 for owr infants. Yea, God not only allow- 
 ed, but commanded^ that the appointed to- 
 ken of the covenant should be affixed to ev- 
 ery male child who was not under eight 
 days old. Here then is a plain command 
 given to Abraham our father, and conse- 
 quently to us his children, to apply the to- 
 ken of this very covenant, which we are 
 now under, to our infant seed. The only 
 question is, whether there be now any token 
 of the covenant ? Had circumcisipn been 
 continued, none could doubt but infants 
 were still subjects of it by virtue of the com- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 65 
 
 mind given to Abraham, unless they would 
 expunge the 4th chap, to Rom. and 3d to 
 Gil. Circum-ision has ceased. But has 
 Christ appointed any token of the gospel 
 covenant ? Baptism is certainly such. This 
 then !s to be applied to the same subjects 
 as that vvas. if there was an express com- 
 m ind to affix the covenant seal to infants in 
 Abraham's lime, and the covenant still re- 
 m lins ; then the covenant seal, whatever it 
 is, ought to be affixed to infants now, unless 
 the command has been repealed. The change 
 of the seal makes no change of the subject. 
 There must be a command to warrant our 
 rejecting the old subject, as well as to justi- 
 fy our dropping the old seal, li our breth- 
 ren ask, why we have discontinued circum- 
 cision, and now make use of baptism ? We 
 answer, Christ has so commanded. Let 
 them produce as good authority for affixing 
 this new seal of the same covenant to believ- 
 ers only, and not to their children, and we 
 will comply with them. We demand of 
 them to shew us some plain, positive order 
 of Christ to deny the seal of the covenant 
 to those subjects, to \^ hom it was first or- 
 6* 
 
66 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 dered to be applied. Until such order ap- 
 pears, vye boldly affirm, that the old com- 
 raaiid remains, and to act in disobedience to 
 it, is presumption. 
 
 To evade the force of this ars^ument, our 
 brethren assert, that ' the christian church 
 is an institution entirely new ; a structure 
 erected on a new foundation, distinct from, 
 
 and unconnected with the foundation of the 
 
 ' - ... ' ' 
 
 patriarchal and Jewish church ;' for they 
 easily see, that if the christian church is the 
 ancient church, continued under the same 
 covenant which was made in ancient times, 
 then the admission of children with their 
 parents into this church, will stand secure 
 on the foot of the former institution. It 
 may not therefore be improper to pursue 
 our present argument a little farther. 
 
 The foundation of the ancient church is, 
 the discovery of GocTs mercy to fallen men 
 through a redeemer. This discovery was 
 first made to Adam in the sentence on the 
 tempter; and afterward more fully to Abra- 
 ham in the promise already mentioned. This 
 G')d expressly calls his everlasting covenant. 
 This is always considered by Moses and the 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 6j 
 
 prophets, as the ground <»n which the faith 
 and hope ot" the Jewish church rested. Mo- 
 ses says,* Ye stand all of you before the 
 Lord, your wives and iitlle ones, that thou 
 shpuldst enter into covenant with iiim, that 
 he naay be a God tj tliee^ a^ he hath sworn to 
 Abraltam, The prophet Ji-remiah,-}* fore- 
 telling the gospel dispensation, describes it 
 by an allusion to the covenant with Abra- 
 ham, which he distinguishes from the cove- 
 nant of peculiarity made with the Jews at 
 Sinai, when they came out of Egypt. The 
 apostle to the HebrewsJ applies the proph- 
 et's description to the gospel state. The 
 old covenant, which, he says, was decayed 
 and ready to vanish, is not the covenant with 
 Abraham ; for this he calls the covenant 
 which God would make in the latter days, 
 or would explicitly renew in the gospel 
 time, promising, / will be their God; but the 
 old covenant, which was to vanish away, no 
 niore to be renewed, is the ceremonial cove- 
 nant, or that which Gnd made with the 
 Jews, when he brought them out of Egypt, 
 
 • Deut. xxix, t Chap. xxxi. 31. X Chap. viii. 
 
68 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 When the prophets foretei the call of the 
 Geniiles, they speak oftheni as joining thetn- 
 selves to the church then subsisting. In 
 the 49th chap, of Isaiah, God comforts Sion, 
 the Jewish church, in her desponden<^^'y, 
 with a promise that he uill never forsake 
 her, but her walls shall be continually before 
 him. ' Lift up thine eyes round about,^says 
 her God, ' and behold ! all these gather 
 themselves together, and come unto thee. 
 The children, which thou shalt -have after 
 thou hast lost the other, shall say, the place 
 is too strait for me. — Then shalt thou say, 
 Who hath begotten me these, seeing 1 have 
 lost my other children ? Thus saith the Lord, 
 Behold, 1 will lift up my hand to the Gen- 
 tiles — and they shall bring thy sons, in their 
 arms, and thy daui^hters shall be carried on 
 their shoulders.' — The children of these' 
 Gentile proselytes are called the sons and 
 daus^hters of the church. They are brought 
 in the arms of their parents to the church 
 ' to be nursed at her side.' — No words can 
 more plainly describe the admission of Gen- 
 tile proselytes into the very church which 
 was then in being, and the solemn dedica- 
 
CHinSTIAN BAPTISM. 69 
 
 tion of their children, as members of the 
 church with them. Similar represeniations 
 are frequent in the prophetic writings. 
 
 The words of our Saviour, in lOlh chap, 
 of John, are full to our purpose. 'Other 
 sheep i have which are not oi'fhis fold ; them 
 also I must bring.^ 1 must bring them into 
 this fold, the Jewish church ; for what other 
 fold was there then existing? 'And diey 
 shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one 
 fold and one shepherd/ 
 
 The apostle Peter,* exhorting the Jev^s 
 to repentance, points them to the Saviour, 
 whom the prophets foretold, and says, ' Ye 
 are the children of the prophets, and of the 
 covenant, which God made with our fathers, 
 saying, Jn thy seed shall all the families of 
 the earth be blessed; unto you first God hath 
 raised up his son, and sent him to bless you.^ 
 
 Paul, in the epistle to the Ephesians, 
 treats explicitly on this subject. He says, 
 ' Ye were once afar off, viithout Christ, ali- 
 ens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and 
 strangers from the covenants of promise. 
 But now in Christ ye are made nigh. Christ 
 
 * Actsr. 
 
70 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 is our peace, who hath made both one ;' i. e. 
 hath united both Jews and Gentiles. Now 
 therefore ye are ' no more strangers and for- 
 eigners, hut fellow citizens ivil h the saints^ and 
 of the household of God ; and are built on the 
 foundation of the apostles and prophets, Je- 
 sus Christ himself being the chief corner 
 stone/ The prophets and apostles laid the 
 same foundation. The prophets foretold a 
 Saviour to come ; the apostles preaiched this 
 Saviour already come. The predictions of 
 the former, and the doctrines of the latter 
 are the same foundation, the corner stone 
 of which is Christ himself. The apostle 
 adds, ' Ye have heard of the dispensation of 
 the grace of God, that the Ge'ntiles should 
 be fellow heirs^ and of the same body and 
 partakers of his promise in Christ by the 
 gospel.^ 
 
 The Jews, who were baptized on the day 
 of pentecost, believed that Jesus was Lnrd 
 and Christ, <m evidence derived fnun the 
 prophets; and were admitted to baptism on 
 the toot oi the promise made to x[\e\Tfather&. 
 The same pro!i)is(, v, hich was the lounda- 
 tion of tiie ancjehl church, and of which cir- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 71 
 
 cumcision was the seal, is alleged by the 
 apostle, as a reason for the baptism of these 
 Christian Jews and thtir children, and as 
 many as God should call iVoni anu.ng the 
 Gentiles. Thechis-ian church here stands 
 on the old toundaiion ; and to this church 
 were added those who afterwards were bap- 
 tized. 
 
 in the 1 1th chap, to the Romans, the apos- 
 tle expressly declares, that the Gentile be- 
 lievers are grafted into tlie same olive tree, 
 from which some of the Jews, the natural 
 branches, were broken off by unbelief. ' If 
 some of the branches, were broken off, and 
 th<^u, being a wild olive, wert gratted in 
 among them,^ the branches that remained, 
 ' and with them parlakest of the root and 
 fatness of the olive tree, boast not against 
 the branches; for thou bearest not the root, 
 but the root thee. They were broken oif 
 by unbelief, and thou standest the faith. ^ It 
 is the same root, which beareth the natural, 
 and the ingrafted branches. Some of the 
 natural branches were broken off — not all. — 
 The believing Jews continued still in the 
 same old stock, in which they had before 
 
7^' GHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 stood, and in which believing Gentiles were 
 ingrafted. The Gentiles were not inserted 
 into a new stock, a tree lately grown up ; nor 
 were believing Jews lopt oti' ironi the old 
 tree to be inserted with Gentiles into a new 
 one ; but the former remained in the old 
 stock, and the latter were grafted in among 
 them, to partake with them of the root and 
 fatness of the same oiire^ which had former- 
 ly nourished them. And it is observable, 
 that those Jews, who immediately and rea- 
 dily submitted to the gt)spel5 on its being 
 proposed to ihem, seem not generally, if in 
 any instance, to have received christian bap- 
 tism. Heathens and Samaritans, vvho were 
 not of the church of God, and those Jews, 
 who by obstinate unbelief, and open oppo- 
 sition to the gospel, had broken themselves 
 off from the church, were on their professed 
 repentance, baptized. The other continued 
 in God's covenant and church. This thought 
 we shall have occasion to resume hereafter. 
 When the unbelieving Jews, shall, in the 
 latter days, turn to the Lord, they shall be 
 grafted again — into what ? — Another tree I 
 No; into TiiEiR own olive tree; for thecov- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 73 
 
 enant which God made with their fathers, 
 is the same, which he will make with them 
 in the latter davs, when he shall take away 
 their sins. 
 
 We have now an obvious answer to a 
 question, which our brethren often put to 
 us. ' If the children of believers are subjects 
 of the covenant seal under the gospel, as 
 they were under former dispensations, why 
 have we not some direct, positive institu- 
 tion, which might have prevented all con^ 
 troversy ?' 
 
 The fact is, the gospel found the children 
 of God's people already in covenant by vir- 
 tue of the ancient institution ; and a new 
 institution of that, which had been plainly 
 instituted befjre, and was not then so much 
 as questioned, would have been superfluous; 
 not to say, absurd. The gospel has made 
 it as plain as language can m.ike any thing, 
 that the ancient covenant with Abraham is 
 still continued ; and if children were, by di- 
 vine command, to receive the seal of ihe 
 €ovenanyormerly, they are to receive it still, 
 unless the command is somewhere in the 
 gospel expressly revoked. We need no new 
 7 
 
74f CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 institution to warrant our applying the seal 
 to them ; but we evidently need a new in- 
 stitution to justify our excluding ihem 
 from it. 
 
 Infant baptism stands on the same ground 
 as the christian sabbath. If it be asked, why 
 the gopsel has not, in so many words, insti- 
 tuted a weekly sabbath, the answer is, it 
 found a weekly sabbath already instituted; 
 and a formal institution of that, which had 
 been instituted before, was wholly unne- 
 cessary. The apostles took the sabbath as 
 they found it, only observing a different day, 
 after Christ's resurrection, in memory of 
 that glorious event. So they continued the 
 ancient usage of applying the seal of God's 
 covenant to children, as well as parents ; 
 only they changed the external form of the 
 seal, substituting baptism for circumcision. 
 The ancient institution unrevoked, if we 
 had nothing more, would be sutficient to 
 justify the application of the seal to infants. 
 But we have still farther warrant. 
 
 Let us view the argument in another light. 
 
 2. Circumcision was of old, by divine com- 
 mand, applied to infants : And if baptism 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 15 
 
 stands now in the place of circumcision, then 
 this is also to be applied to the same sub- 
 jects. The consequence is plain and unde- 
 niable. The only question is, Whether bap- 
 tism does now stand in the place of circum- 
 cision ? This is the point to be proved. 
 
 That' circumcision was the seal of the 
 covenant with Abraham^ and was, by divine 
 appointment, administered to infants, is well 
 known- — that the Abrahamic covenant still 
 subsists, and is the same as the Gospel cov- 
 ^enant, the Apostle plainly teaches — that 
 baptism is now the appointed token of the 
 gospel covenant, none will deny: The con- 
 sequence is obvious ; baptism now stands 
 in the place of circumcision, for it is the seal 
 of that very covenant, of which circumcision 
 was the seal formerly. 
 
 Again. The Apostle says, Rom. iv. II. 
 Abraham received the sign of circumcision^ a 
 seal of the righteousness of faith. It is plain 
 from this passage, that circumcision was a 
 sign of spiritual blessings, the blessings of 
 the covenant of grace : And not (as some 
 absurdly pretend) meerly a sign of wordly 
 privileges, such as aright to the land of Ca- 
 
76 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 naan, a numerous issue, &c. There were, 
 it is true, temporal blessings promised to 
 Abraham and his seed. But to argue from 
 hence, that the covenant with him was a 
 meer temporal covenant, and that circumci- 
 sion was only a seal of it a.^ such, is as ab- 
 surd, as it would be to say, the gospel is a 
 meer worldly institution, because it has the 
 promise of the life that now is, and of that 
 which is to come. The Apostle, in this 
 passage, represents circumcision in quite a 
 different light, as especially and eminently 
 a seal oi" spiritual blessings. — That baptism 
 is such, all allow : And therefore it comes 
 in the room of circumcision, and stands in 
 the place in which that once stood. 
 
 Farther : These two rites, though different 
 in their outward form, are the same in their 
 spiritual use and significancy. Circumci- 
 sion signified our native corruption : So does 
 baptism. Circumcision pointed out the 
 necessity of inward purity and spiritual ren- 
 ovation : So does baptism. That represent- 
 ed our justification by the blood of Christ : 
 So does this. That was a ceremony of ad- 
 mission into God's church : So is this. That 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 77 
 
 denoted men's relation to God and obliga- 
 tion to obey his law. This also denotes our 
 relation to Christ and obligation to obey his 
 gospel. 
 
 Bjt the Apostle puts this matter out of 
 all doubt, when he calls baptism the circam^ 
 cision of Christ, and urjres christians bein^ 
 baptized^ as a reason why they need not be 
 circumcised. 
 
 He says, Col. ii. 11, 12. Ye are complete 
 % him, (in Christ) in whom ye also are cir^ 
 cumcised with the circumcision made without 
 hands, in putting off* the body of the sins of 
 ttte flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried 
 with him in baptism. The Apostle here calls 
 baptism, the circumcision of Christ, or the 
 christian circumcision. But he calls it by 
 this name without any propriety, unless it 
 stands in the place of circumcision. 
 
 The author, whom 1 have several times 
 mentioned, labours much to evade the force 
 of this passao^e. He says, by the circumci' 
 sion of Christ, is meant, '' the spiritual cW'- 
 curncision,' or renovation of the heart, in 
 d'srin!"tion from 'the /z'/fera/ circumcision.^ 
 Bui this cannot be the meaning of the phrase : 
 7* 
 
78 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 F(^r the inward spiritual circumcision is 
 mentioned in the prreceding branch of the 
 sentence, under the name of the circumcision 
 made icithoiit hands. And it' we take both 
 phrases to sii^nify the same; then we shall 
 make the words to run thus. Ye are circum' 
 cised with the spiritual circumcision, in being 
 circumcised by the spiritual circumcision. 
 Such an unmeaning repetition never dropt 
 from the Apostle. 
 
 The writer says, ' That to guard the Co- 
 lossians against the danger of being seduced 
 to the observance of circumcision, the Apos- 
 tle tells them, They had received i\\e spirit- 
 ual circumcision — md therefore the literal 
 circumcision was not necessary.^ But hov^r 
 did this spiritual circumcision or internal 
 renovation prove, that the literal circumci- 
 sion was not necessary? Circumcision used 
 to be necessary for good men : Why not 
 now ? According to this interpretation, ex- 
 ternal ordinances are not needful for true 
 christians, but only for sinners. Those 
 among the Colossians, who were not sure 
 they had received the .s/?2V2VMa/ circumcision, 
 could not apply this argument; and there^ 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 79 
 
 fore, according to our author, must still ob- 
 serve the literal circumcision. Besides ; the 
 same argument would prove, that they need 
 not be baptized ; for if they had received the 
 spiritual washing of sanctification, what oc- 
 casion was there for the literal washing of 
 baptism? And yet, according to him, none 
 must be baptized, but actual believers ; so 
 that, if we admit his construction of the pas- 
 sage, we must disallow of all baptism. 
 
 Our author says, ' In the Apostles days, 
 the christians converted from Judaism were 
 zealous to incorporate circumcision with 
 Christianity. --D-) the Apostles instruct them, 
 that they need not be so tenacious of one 
 rile^ since another is appointed in its stead I 
 Such an observation would have been much 
 to the purpose — hut nothing can be found 
 of it in their reasonings to dissuade chris- 
 tians from circumcision.^ 
 
 But the gentleman is under a great mis- 
 take. The Jewish converts were zealous to • 
 incorporate, not meerly circumcision, but 
 the whole ceremonial law, with Christianity, 
 They contended for circumcision as a rite 
 binding to the observance of the whole lavv^ 
 
80 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 without which, they imagined, Christianity 
 would be incomplete. From ttiis notion 
 Paul labored to reclaim them, and to secure 
 others. He did not oppose circumcision 
 simply : M he had, he would not have cir- 
 cumcised Timothy^ nor have approved infant 
 circumcision among the Jewish believers ; 
 but he opposed it in the sense above men- 
 tioned, as binding men to keep the ceremo- 
 nial law m order lo acceptance with God. 
 Though he had, upon prudential reas<>ns, 
 circumcised Timothy^ yet he oave no place 
 to those who would compel Titus to be cir- 
 cumcised, that they might bring him and 
 others into bondage to the law. Now what 
 argument d(Xfs he use to dissuade the Co- 
 lossian believers from circumcision and the 
 observance of the law ? It is this : They had 
 received baptism, the christian circumcision, 
 and were now bound to obey the gospel, 
 "which, being a complete institution, had 
 ^superseded the law. Thus he reasons with 
 th<Hn in the place before referred to. Be^ 
 ware l^st am/ man spoil you through philoso- 
 phtf and vain deceit, after the rudiments of the 
 world and not afttr Christ — for ye are com* 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 81 
 
 plete in him, and so need not add the ritual 
 law to his gospel ; in uhotn ye are circmncis^ 
 ed — with the circumcision of Christy or chris- 
 tian circumcision, being buried with him in 
 baptism. — Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ 
 from the rudiments of the world ; if by baptism 
 into his death ye are freed from the rites of 
 the Mosaic dispensation, why., as though liv^ 
 ing in the world., or under that dispensation, 
 are ye subject to ordinances ? You see, that 
 the Apostle urges their baptism into Christ, 
 as a jeason why they should not be subject 
 to circumcision and the rites of the ceremo- 
 nial law, for which the Jews contended. 
 He uses the very argument to dissuade them 
 from circumcision, which this author says, he 
 would use, if baptism came in its place : And 
 therefore, by his own concession, baptism 
 does come in its place. And if so, then it 
 is undeniably to be administered to the same 
 subjects, even the infants of believing par- 
 ents. 
 
 We are told,* that some of the believing 
 Jews at Jerusalem were much displeased, 
 when they heard that Paul taught iini Jews, 
 
 * Acts xxi. 21. 
 
8:9 CH!RISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 who were among the Gentiles^ that they 
 ought not to circumcise their children. W ou Id 
 it have satisfied such zealous contenders for 
 infant circumcision, to have told them, bap- 
 tism now came in the place of that ancient 
 ceremony, but yet must not be applied to 
 their children ? This would but have pro- 
 voked them the more. Had it not been the 
 usage of the Apostles to admit children with 
 their parents into covenant by the same rite, 
 certainly the Jews, among other objections 
 against the gospel, would have urged this, 
 that it excluded their children from cove- 
 nant privileges. They were apt enough to 
 make objections, and since we find none of 
 this sort, we may conclude, there was no 
 room for any. 
 
 That infants, under the patriarchal and 
 Mosaic dispensations, were admitted into 
 covenant by a particular token, is certain. 
 It is evident, this was considered as a privi- 
 lege. It is allowed, that the gospel confers 
 greater privileges than former dispensations : 
 But if children are now shut out of cove- 
 nant, then the gospel, instead of enlara^ing, 
 has in this respect, diminished our privileges. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 83 
 
 But says our author, ' The infldllibility of 
 the Roman church may be proved in the 
 sp.me manner; as thus: The people of God 
 under the Old Testament enjoyed the bene- 
 fit of intahibilty. The high priest had the 
 Urim and rhummim, by which the mind of 
 God was known, &c. ; consequently there 
 must be infallibility in the christian church; 
 otherwise the less perfect disjjensation of 
 Moses will have a great privilege beyond the 
 christian.^ 
 
 The truth is, The christian dispensation 
 has this privilege far beyond the Mosaic, 
 The additional revelation of the gos[)el dis- 
 covers the mind of God as infallibly, and far 
 more fully and extensively than ever it was 
 discovered by Urim and Thummim. — Such 
 occasional discoveries now are not needed, 
 since we have a complete^ standing revelation. 
 
 The author of the letters tells us, that 
 circumcision, ' that Old Testament rite, was 
 a useless^ burthensome, injurious ceremony, 
 and treated as such by the Apostles/ And 
 hence he concludes, baptism cannot come 
 in i_ts room to be administered to infants, as 
 that was. But where do the Apostles treat 
 
94 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 
 
 circumcision in this manner? The reremo- 
 nial law indeed is considered as a voke of 
 bondage; as burthensome^ not injurious^ for 
 it would ill become the teachers of religion 
 to represent God as injuring his people by 
 his institutions: But circumcision^ consider- 
 ed as a token of the covenant, is treated as 
 a great privilege.* What advantage hath the 
 Jew ? And what profit is there of circumci' 
 sio7i / Much evert/ way. It was a great pri- 
 vilege for the children. of Jews to have God 
 for their God, in such a sense as he was 
 not the God o^ heathen children ; to be born 
 to the enjoy pent of the oracles and ordi- 
 nances of God ; and to be under the care of 
 parents, who were solemnly bound to bring 
 them up in the knowledge and service of 
 the God oi Israel. And if the profit of cir- 
 cumcision was much every way^ then the loss 
 by its abolition is much every icay, unless 
 there be something appointed in its room. 
 
 It is often said, 'Circumcision was appli- 
 ed only to males: Baptism is designed for 
 both sexes, therefore they are not parallel 
 
 * Rom. iii. i. 
 
€HRIS«IAN BAPTISM. 85 
 
 ordinances, nor can we argue from the one 
 to the other/ 
 
 But it is certain, they are parallel in their 
 main design, as initiating seals of the same 
 covenant. And females were admitted into 
 covenant, as well as males, though no visi- 
 ble token was appointed for them. Every 
 Jirst born male was to be publicly presented 
 to God in token of the obligation of the 
 whole family to be holy to him ; for if the 
 first fruits be holy, so is the lump. So the 
 parent's dedicating his males to God by cir- 
 cumcision, was a token that all his children 
 belonged to God. Accordingly God equal- 
 ly claims an interest in children of both sex- 
 €s, by virtue of the covenant relation of their 
 parents. God says to the Jewish church, 
 Ezek. xvi. 7. -^ entered into covenant with 
 thee, and thou becamest mine. And then he 
 complains, ver. 20. Thou hast taken thy sons 
 €ind thtj daughters, ichich thou hast born un- 
 to ME, and these thou hast sacrificed. Thou 
 hast slain my children. So Deut. xxix. 
 10. Ve stand this day before the Lord — all 
 the men of Israel^ your little ones, and your 
 wives, that thou shouldst enter into covenant^ 
 8 
 
86 .. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 that he may he unto thee a God — as he hath 
 sicor?i to Abraham. They were all admitted 
 into covenant, though the males only receiv- 
 ed the visible token. But under the gospel 
 there is no distinction of male and female, 
 but all are one in Christ, the visible seal be- 
 ing affixed to one as well as the other. In 
 this respect the gospel dispensation is more 
 large and free than the former, that it makes 
 no distinction of nation or sex. And shall 
 we think it was intended to be contracted 
 in another respect, by cashiering a// children^ 
 who are more than half of mankind ? 
 
 The author before mentioned tells us, 
 that ' children were admitted to the passo- 
 ver ; and hence we may infer their right to 
 the Lord^s supper ; as v^^ell as from their 
 circumcision infer their right to baptism.^ 
 
 It seems probable, that persons of all ages 
 partook of the^r5^ passover mentioned Exod. 
 12, which was in some respects singular, 
 and different from succeeding passovers. 
 But it appears from Luke ii. 49, that it was 
 not the custom of the feast ^ for parents to 
 bring their children to it, until they were 
 about twelve years old; at which age, they 
 
CHRIS:|IAN BAPTISM. 87 
 
 might be able to inquire of their parents, 
 What mean ye by this service ! And at this 
 age, no doubt, many are capable of under- 
 standing the nature and end of the Lord's 
 supper.* 
 
 But if infants had been usually admitted 
 to the passover, it would not in the least 
 weaken our argument from circumcision ; 
 for the passover was not a seal of tlie Aura" 
 
 * ' Children at the age of 12 years, were brought by their par- 
 ents to the tenaple : And from that time they began to eat of the 
 passover and other sicrifices. Hyicanus in Josephus, B. 12. 
 Chap. iv. says, 1 he Jewish law forbids the son to eat of the sac- 
 rifices, before he has come to the temple, and there himself pre- 
 sented an offering to God.' (Pol. Synop. in Exod xii. 25. 
 
 The law prescribed, that when the Jews oere come into the 
 land, which God would give them, all their males should appear 
 before him every year at the passover, in the place which he 
 appointed. But it is added. They shall not appear before me empty y 
 but every one according to the gift of his hand. (Deut, xvi. 16, and 
 alibi, vide. Marg.) 
 
 The male, or men children, who were to appear before God,, 
 in their appointed place, to eat of the passover, were only such 
 as could bring a gift in their hand; or present an offering for 
 themselves. This probably is the law to which Hyrcanus al- 
 ludes. Bp. Patrick, who was very learned in the Jewish laws and 
 customs, says, * When children were twelve years old, their par- 
 ents were bound to bring them to the temple, at the passover, 
 where, seeing what wasjtlone in this festival, they would be led 
 to inquire, what mean ye by this service ?' (Comment in Ex- 
 od. xii.) 
 
88 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM- 
 
 haniic covenant, (it being appointed more 
 than 400 years after that covenant was made) 
 but one of the Mosaic rites. Now the ritual 
 law is superseded by the gospel ; but the 
 Abrahamic covenant remains. The Lord^s 
 supper is a commemorative sign, intended 
 to shew forth Christ^s death and bring him 
 to our remembrance. But baptism is a tok- 
 en of admission to the visible privileges of 
 God^s people ; and therefore infants are ca- 
 pable otthis, though not of the other* 
 
 As the end of the passover was to perpetuate the memory of 
 the deliverance from Egypt, and as the express reasons why chil- 
 dren were to attend it in the appointed place, was that they 
 might be instructed in that wonderful deliverance, parents could 
 not view themselves as bound to bring their children to the so- 
 lemnity, before they were capable of inquiring and understand- 
 ing what was meant by it. Luke tells us, chap, ii 42, that the 
 parents of Jesus went up every year to Jerusalem at the feast of 
 the passover ; and when he was 12 years old, they went up q/ier 
 the custom of the feast. Their going after the custom «/* thefecistf 
 doubtless intends their taking their son with them, who was now 
 12 years old ; for it appears that he accompanied them ; and this 
 is the first time we hear of his going to the festival. It may al- 
 so be observed, that the males only were required to appear be- 
 fore God at the passover; and none can imagine, that infants 
 and suckling? were taken from their mother''s arms to be carried 
 to, and detained at the temple, during the continuance of so 
 lung a solemnity. 
 
€HRISTIAN BAPTISM. 8^ 
 
 Some perhaps will ask, How could bap- 
 tism come in place of circumcision, when 
 it appears to have been in use betore circum- 
 cision, ceased] Let me ask another ques- 
 tion, How could Solomon reign in the place 
 of David as his successor, when he began to 
 reign before David u as dead? There is no 
 more difficulty in one question, than in the 
 other. Though baptism was in use, yet it 
 was not mdde the peculiar initiating seal of 
 the g<»spel covenant until after Christ^s re- 
 surrection. 
 
 It has been inquired, ' If baptism suc- 
 ceeds circumcision, why w^ere those baptiz- 
 ed, who had already been circumcised V 
 We answer, 
 
 1. We think it has been proved, that both 
 these ordinances were instituted as seals of 
 the same gracious covenant ; and therefore 
 the right of infants to baf)tism will not at 
 all depend on the solution of this question. 
 
 2. It is evident from the 15th and 21st 
 chapters of Acts, that infant circurneision 
 was practised, with apostolic approbation^ 
 by the Jewish believers in the christianchuxch 
 m Jerusalem, and in other churclies, by tiie 
 
90 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 Jews who were members of them. For 
 though the apostles and elders agreed, that 
 infant circumcision ought not to be requir- 
 ed of Gentile believers ; yet they allowed 
 and approved it among the Jewish converts, 
 who, having been accustomed to it, and 
 knowing it to have been a usage from the 
 time of Abraham, could not at once, be per- 
 suaded to relinquish it for another rite. 
 
 That infant circumcision was not now re- 
 garded by the apostles merely as a ceremony 
 of the Mosaic law, is manifest ; because, in 
 this view, as we have before shewn, they ut- 
 terly disallowed it, and strenuously opposed 
 those who contended for it. They must 
 therefore have regarded it, as that ' seal of 
 the righteousness of faith,* which was ap- 
 pointed to Abraham, and continued under 
 the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations. 
 In the christian church, it for a time held 
 the same place among the Jewish^ as baptism 
 held among the Gentile believers. Hence 
 it follows, that the seal of the covenant was 
 applied to the infants of believers, in the 
 time, and with the approbation of the apos- 
 tles, and that baptism succeeded in the place 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 91 
 
 of circumcision ; as a seal of the same cove- 
 nant. 
 
 It is no objection to this argument, that 
 the apostles, in some instances^ complied with 
 Jewish customs, for these compliances were 
 only occasional : But the observance of in- 
 fant circumcision among believing Jews was 
 general and constant for a course of years, 
 probably for 30 years together, and this un- 
 der the eye, and with the advice of ail the 
 apostles. 
 
 They recommended to the Gentile believ- 
 ers a charitable and pacific condesceniion 
 to their Jewish brethren in matters, which 
 interfered not with the institutions or doc- 
 trines of the gospel ; particularly, in an ab- 
 stinence from offensive meats, and in the 
 observance of favourite days. But they nev- 
 er required or advised the Gentiles to con- 
 form to the Jews in the observance of the 
 Abrahamic rite of infant circumcision, 
 though this was a rite, of which the Jew ish 
 christians were as tenacious as of any other. 
 The reason is obvious : The Gentile believ- 
 ers observed another rite instituted in its 
 place, aamely, infant baptism. 
 
9p CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 If under the chrisiiau dispensation, infant 
 circumcision had been, in itself, wrong, it 
 would not have been allowed to the Jewish' 
 believers. If it had been, under present cir- 
 cumstances, an indijf'erent ceremony, like 
 abstinence from meals, shaving the head, 
 and purification in the temple, it would, tor 
 peace sake, have been recommended to the 
 Gentile believers. But as another ordinance 
 was by them used in its place, there would 
 have been an impropriety in their adopting 
 this, and therefore it was not required of 
 them. 
 
 3. It is an undeniable fact, that circum" 
 eised believers were frequently , if not gener^ 
 ally, received to fellowship, in the christian 
 church, without baptism ; for all churches had 
 felh^wship with the church in Jerusalem ; 
 and Jewish and Gentile believers had com- 
 munion in thesamechiirches. That Christ's 
 first disciples were baptized, we have no evi- 
 dence. Thit the twelve partook of the first 
 supper, before christian baptism was so much 
 as instituted, is undeniable ; for it is evident 
 frnu Acts xix. .5, and the author of the let- 
 ters himself concedes, that John's baptism 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 93 
 
 was not christian baptism. Now if circum- 
 cision was, in the case of the disciples, suf- 
 ficient for their admission to the great gos- 
 pel ordinance of the supper, then certainly 
 it was a seal of the gospel covenant ; and 
 therefore the baptism of believers, already 
 circumcised, was a matter not of universal 
 necessity, but only of particular expedience. 
 It seems to have taken place chiefly in the 
 case of the Jews, who after Christ^s resur- 
 rection, had for a time openly opposed the 
 gospel, and the superior evidence which 
 then attended it. Now, 
 
 4. There was a manifest propriety in bap- 
 tizing some who had been circumcised, al- 
 though baptism and circumcision are sup- 
 posed to be seals of the same covenant. 
 
 The long expected Messiah had now ap- 
 peared ; a clearer dispensation of the cove- 
 nant of grace, attended with larger promises 
 and more liberal privileges, was now intro- 
 duced ; the way was opened for the admis- 
 sion of all nations into the church of God ;^ 
 and baptism was instituted to be a seal of 
 the covenant, and a badge of distinction be- 
 tween the church and the unbelieving worldv 
 
94 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 Though circumcision had been, and still 
 might be a mark of discrimination between 
 the worshippers of the true God and idola- 
 trous heathens, yet, after the institution of 
 baptism, the former rite would not so clear- 
 ly discriminate between christians and un- 
 believers in general ; for unbelieving Jews 
 would still use circumcision. It was there- 
 fore proper, that the circumcised Jew, when: 
 he embraced the gospel, if he had before 
 openly opposed it, should submit to bap- 
 tism, to testify his belief that Jesus of Naz- 
 areth, whom he had rejected,^ was the pro- 
 mised Messiah ; that the doctrine preached 
 by the apostles, in his name, was divine; 
 and that the ancient distinction of Jew and 
 Gentile, male and female, was abolished, 
 and all were to become one in Christ. Had 
 none of the believing Jews been baptizedy 
 there might have remained too great an ap- 
 pearance of a distinction between them and 
 Gentile believers; a distinction which, after 
 all, many of the Jewish christians were 
 strongly inclined to preserve, and which the 
 apostles were no less solicitous toextinajuish. 
 It was Chribl's design, that his church should 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 96 
 
 be, and appear to be one ; that, while it was 
 distinguished from the world, it should har- 
 monize with itself, and keep a unity of spir- 
 it in the bond of peace. 
 
 Suppose a prince, who had appointed a 
 particular uniform for his soldiers, should 
 think proper, on the introduction of a new 
 discipline, and the acquisition of new sub- 
 jects, to appoint for these another uniform ; 
 might wp not expect, that he would allow, 
 and in case of a rebellion raised on this oc- 
 casion, would require many of his former 
 subjects to adopt the same, that there might 
 be no distinction kept up between old sub- 
 jects and new ; but all might become one 
 harmonious body] And would any man, in 
 this case, imagine that the new livery came 
 not in the place of the old ? Or that the one 
 had not been, as the other was now, a badge 
 and token of allegiance ? — No more can we, 
 on this ground, pretend, that baptism suc- 
 ceeds not in the place of circumcision. 
 
 It will perhaps be asked ; ' Why then 
 ought not baptism to be administered on the 
 eighth day according to the law of circumci- 
 sion ?' 
 
Ste CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 We answer: It was not essential to the 
 validity of circumrision, that it should be 
 administered on the eighth day. It was not 
 to be delayed beyond that day without oc- 
 casion ; nor ought we, wjthout occasion, to 
 delay baptism. But where circumstances 
 admitted not so early an application of the 
 seal, the delay was not faulty then, nor 
 would it be now. Circumcision, indeed, 
 might not be performed earlier than the 
 eighth day ; but for this delay there were 
 particular reasons, not applicable to baptism. 
 One reason might be the tenderness of the 
 infant, an 1 the weakness of the mother, 
 which WDuld render au immediate operation 
 of this kind dangerous to both. But the 
 princjjjal reason was the legal impurity of 
 the m-'ther and the consequent impurity of 
 the child for the first seven days. This rea- 
 son is expressly assigned in the divine law ;* 
 If a woman have born a man child^ she shall 
 he unclean seven day^i — and on the eighth day 
 he shall tte circumcised. But as the legal 
 im|>urities have ceased under the gospel, 
 
 s 
 ♦ Levit. xii. l, «. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 97 
 
 there is no such reason for the delay of bap- 
 tism. 
 
 Thus, I think, it undeniably appears, that 
 baptism stands in the place of circumcision, 
 and that the arguments to the contrary, are 
 futile and impertinent. And if it stands in 
 the same place, it is certainly to be applied 
 to the same subjects, the infants of God^s 
 people. — 1 proceed to another argument. 
 
 DISCOURSE III. 
 
 3. THE right of infants to baptism may 
 be clearly inferred from the words of our 
 Saviour, Mark x. 14, compared with those, 
 John iii. 5'. Suffer little children to come to 
 me—for of such is the kingdom of God. — And, 
 Except a man (ean me tis, except any one) 
 be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot 
 enter into the kingdom of God. 
 
 By the kingdom of God must be under- 
 stood either the Church, God's visible kino-- 
 
 o 
 
 dom on earth ; or Heaven, his invisible king- 
 9 
 
98 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 dom above. Into the former we are admit- 
 ted by baptism, which is the sign of that 
 spiritual renovation, by which we are pre- 
 pared for the latter. These little children 
 are called itifants; they were brought to 
 Christ ; were taken up in his arms ; doubtless 
 therefore they were under the age of discre- 
 tion. They who brought them were believ- 
 ers; otherwise they would not have sought 
 a blessing from Christ for them. The phrase 
 being born of icatery signifies being baptized : 
 So the author of the letters understands it, 
 and numbers it among the passages that 
 speak of baptism.* 
 
 Now if, by the kingdom of God, we un- 
 derstand the church, then here is an express 
 declaration, that infants belong to the church, 
 are Christ's disciples, and visible members 
 of his body : And consequently have a right 
 
 * The author of the letters says, * Christian haptism was not 
 yet instituted.' This doubtless is true ; but John preached, say- 
 ing, The kingdom of God is at hand ; and he baptized with the 
 baptism of repentance to prepare the people for this kingdom. 
 It was, therefore very seasonable, for Christ now to instruct ^ico- 
 demusy that baptism, or being born of toaler^ was soon to be the 
 rite of admission into his kingdom. Bu4 whether we understand 
 the phrase, of •utward baptism^ or inward sanctification, our ar- 
 gument from it will be equaliy conclusive. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 99 
 
 to baptism, the only instituted sign of ad- 
 mission into this kingdom. Except any one 
 be born of icatei\ he cannot enter into this 
 kinodom. Hence the christian church is 
 said to be cleansed by the ivashing of water * 
 If by the kingdom of God, we understand 
 the invisible kingdom above, then here is a 
 plain declaration, that infants belong to that, 
 and consequently may be born of the spirit; 
 for except one be born of the spirit^ he cannot 
 enter into that kingdom, which flesh and 
 blood do not inherit. And if they may be born 
 of the spirit, doubtless they may be born of 
 tcater, or baptized. As the church is the 
 gate of heaven, so baptisn> is. the sign of re- 
 generation. And if they may be admitted 
 into heaven by regeneration, they may be 
 admitted into the church by baptism. If the 
 things signified belong to them, the sign and 
 token must be supposed to belong to them. 
 The Apostle Peter'\ plainly teaches us, that 
 they, to whom the promise of the spirit per- 
 tains, have a right to baptism, the sign of 
 the promise. In whatever sense therefore 
 we understand the kingdom of God, the con- 
 
 * Epb. V. 26. t Acts ii. 38. 
 
100 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 elusion is the same, that infants are subjects 
 of baptism. 
 
 It cannot reasonably be said, that the 
 words — of such — intend only persons of a 
 childlike disposition : For then how would 
 this be a reason why little children should 
 be brought to Christ, and why he should be 
 displeased with his disciples for endeavour- 
 ing to hinder them ? This makes our Lord's 
 argument run thus. Suffer infants to be 
 brought to me, for my kingdom consisteth 
 only of adult persons resembling children in 
 their disposition. He elsewhere makes 
 Lambs and Doves emblems of a christian 
 temper; and according to this interpretation, 
 he might as well have said. Suffer Lambs 
 and Doves to come to me, for of such is the 
 kingdom of God ; i. e. it consists of persons, 
 of a lamblike and dovelikc temper. 
 
 Well, 'but the christian rite of baptism 
 was not given to these children ; they were 
 brought to Christ for his blessing and pray- 
 ers, accompanied with imposition of hands.^ 
 True; biit our Saviour declares, that such, 
 i. e. the infants of believers, belong to this 
 kingdom, into which none are admitted, but 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM* lOl 
 
 by he'ino^ born of water ; so that here is a plain 
 declaration, that infants were to be intro- 
 duced into his church by baptism. And by 
 taking them into his arms, praying^ for them, 
 and blessing them, he shewed that such are 
 capable subjects of the intluence and bles- 
 sing of the Spirit, which are the things rep- 
 resented in baptism. He did not pour wa- 
 ter on them ; but he performed a ceremony 
 quite as sacred and solemn, and thus shew- 
 ed, that infants are meet subjects of that ex- 
 ternal rite, which denotes the conveyance of 
 spiritual blessings ; and such a rite is the 
 ordinance of baptism. 
 
 4. The baptismal commission, Mat.xxviii. 
 19, gives a plain warrant for admitting in- 
 fants to baptism. It runs thus. Go^ and 
 teach all nations, baptizing them in the name 
 of the Father, Son and Holt/ Ghost, teaching 
 them to observe, &c. 
 
 Some will say, ' Infants ?ixe not expressly 
 mentioned here.^ True ; neither are Adults, 
 Bjt Christ uses the word, nations^ which is 
 a collective term, and must naturally be un- 
 derstood as including both. And had he 
 intended to teach his Apostles, that persons 
 -9* 
 
102 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 of every age must he admitted to baptism, 
 he could not have chosen any single word 
 to express it better. Baptize all nations. 
 The christian church is called a nation., a 
 people., because it consists of persons of eve- 
 ry age.* ^ 
 
 But it is objected ; * Teaching is required 
 previous to baptism, which infants are not 
 capable of.^ 
 
 Here let it be observed, that the word 
 Matheteusate., rendered teach^ is not tlie same 
 which is commonly used for teaching., but of 
 a more general signification. The proper 
 import of it is, to proselyte o^ make disciples. 
 The commission then is this. Go, disciple 
 all nations., baptizing them — teaching them to 
 observe all things, &c. Here are two words 
 in the commission rendered Teaching, The 
 latter, c^w/ascow/es, signifies to indoctrinate; 
 the other is more general, and signifies to 
 make disciples, which may be done by intro- 
 duction into a school in order to future 
 teaching. 
 
 Now if we can shew, that infants are ever 
 considered as disciples as belonging to 
 
 * 1 Pet, ii. 9. 
 
CHRISTFAN^ BAPTISM. 103 
 
 Chrlat^ then it will appear that they come 
 wiihin the commission, Disciple all nations, 
 baptizing them. We are told, Mat. xviii. 5> 
 That Jesus having set a little child before 
 hi m, said, JVhasoever shall receive cnesuch lit- 
 tle child in my name receivtth me. To re- 
 ceive one in Chrisfs name, is to receive him 
 as being Christ'* s disciple and as belonging to 
 him. So the phrase is explained, Mark ix. 
 4 1 . Whosoever shall give you a cup of water 
 in my name, because ye belons; to Christ, 
 And Mat. x. 42. Whosoever shall give to one 
 of these little ones a cup of neater only in the 
 name of a disciple, shall not lose his reward. 
 It is plain here that infants, who are to be 
 received in Christ^ s name may be his disciples 
 2ind belong to him, to his church and king- 
 dom. Accordingly they who contended, 
 that persons under the gospel ouoht to be 
 circumcised after the manner of Moses,, are 
 said to tempt God to put a yoke on the necks 
 of the disciples. Acts x v. 10. Infants were 
 to be circumcised after the manner of Aloi- 
 ses, and therefore are comprehended among 
 the disciples, on whom the yoke would be 
 laid. The commission then must respect 
 
104 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 infants as well as others. The apostles had 
 before been instructed to receive not only 
 adults, but also little children in Christ's 
 name, and as his disciples. Now a particu- 
 lar rite is appointed, hy which they should 
 receive or disciple them in his name. Dis- 
 ciple all nations, baptizing them in the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, dfc. 
 
 But the author of the letters says, ' The 
 disciples of Christ, during his ministry on 
 earth, as well as the disciples of John, were 
 well acquainted with the institution of bap- 
 tism, for they baptized great multitudes ; but 
 they administered a baptism in which infants 
 had no part. When therefore our Lord in- 
 stituted his sacrament of baptism, if infants 
 were to be received into it, it cannot be 
 doubted but he declared this ; otherwise 
 men, who had been used to exclude infants, 
 would not think of them as coming within 
 this fresh commission/ 
 
 He expressly allows, that the Apostles 
 would be determined very much by former 
 usages, in judging whether infants came 
 within this, commission. Whether the dis- 
 ciples of John and of Christ had been wont 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. \05 
 
 to baptize infcints, it is not expressly said. 
 And therefore to judge how the Apostles 
 ^vould understand their comujission, we 
 must go farther back than to Jolin^s minis- 
 try. These Apostles were t/(ttt?A\ They had 
 been educated in the Jewish religion. They 
 knew, that from the days of Abraham^ and 
 all along through the Mosaic dispensation, 
 infants bad been taken into covenant with 
 their parents by the same initiating rite. — 
 They knew, this had ever been esteemed a 
 great privilege ; and they would naturally 
 suppose, the privilege was still to continue, 
 as the Abrahamic covenant was yet in force. 
 They knew it had been the constant imme- 
 morial practice of the Jewish church, to re- 
 ceive Gentile proselytes and their infant chil- 
 dren with them by baptism. This the an- 
 cient Jewish writers testify. Baptism, we 
 know, was no new thing in John's time. 
 The Jews appear to have been well acquaint- 
 ed with it. They don^t ask him. What 
 meanest thou by this new ceremony } But 
 why baptizest thou^ if thou art not the Christy 
 nor Elias^ nor that Prophet.^ Their question 
 implies, that the Prophets had been wont to 
 
106 CHRISTIAN BAPIISM. 
 
 baptize, and they expected Christ and Elia$ 
 would do the same. John probably took up 
 baptism, as he found it practised in the Jew- 
 ish church, where it had been constantly 
 administered to the infants of Gentile prose- 
 lytes. And it is not only without proof, 
 but against probability, that this author as- 
 serts, ' Infants had no part in JoAn's baptism/ 
 Farther, these Apostles had been taught to 
 look upon infants as belotiging to Christ, and 
 to treat them as his disciples. They had 
 heard Christ pronounce them subjects of 
 bis kingdom, and give directions, that they 
 should be brought to him. They had been 
 reprimanded for attempting to hinder infants 
 from being brought. They knew, that Christ 
 came not to lessen the privileges of the 
 church, (of which the admission of infants 
 was one) but to enlarge them ; and that hap- 
 iism was now the rite of admission into it. 
 Under these circumstances, how must they 
 understand their commission ? Certainly, 
 upon this author's principles, they must 
 suppose it to include infants; for he allows, 
 they would understand it according to for- 
 mer usage. We may then retort his argu- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 107 
 
 ment. When Christ instituted his sacra- 
 ment of baptism, if infants were not to be 
 received to it, it cannot be doubted, but he 
 sufficiently declared this ; otherwise men, 
 who had always been used to see infants ad- 
 mitted into the church of God by the same 
 token with their parents, would consider 
 them as coming within this fresh commis- 
 sion, 6ro, disciple all nations, baptizing them. 
 
 Besides, When they saw the doors of the 
 church now enlarged to admit new subjects, 
 even all nations, they would not imagine, 
 that the subjects, who had ever been admit- 
 ted, were in future to be excluded. The 
 commission therefore must be understood as 
 a virtual command to baptize infants. 
 
 6, Children's right to baptism is very 
 clearly taught, in those words o^ Peter to the 
 awakened Jews^ Acts ii. 38. Repent and be 
 baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus 
 Christy for the remission of sins , and ye shall 
 receive the g ift of the Holy Ghost, for the pro^ 
 mise is to you and to your children. He does 
 not say, The promise is to you, and icill be 
 to your children when they become believ- 
 ers ; but it is to both^ to you and the chil- 
 
108 I CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 dren which you now have : And to all them 
 that are ajar off^ as many us the Lord our 
 God shall cail^ i. e. wherever QA seiKJs the 
 gospel to call the Gentiles^ it carries this 
 promise, which is in like manner to them 
 and their children. The promise being made 
 to them^ is urged as a reason why they should 
 be baptized. And the same reason holds 
 for the baptism of all to whom the promise 
 belongs, and consequently f(jr the baptism 
 of their children^ for the promise is to them. 
 Be baptized — -for the promise is to you and to 
 your children. The reason assigned for bap- 
 tism is such as equally takes place with re- 
 spect to both. It the parents interest in the 
 promise is a reason why he should be bap- 
 tized, his children's interest in it, is just as 
 good a reason, why they should be baptized. 
 To suppose this promise is a just ground for 
 the baptism of believers^ but not for the bap- 
 tism oi their children, is to make the apostle 
 talk thus absurdly and incoherently. The 
 promise is to you, therefore be ye baptized — 
 and the same promise is equally to your 
 children, yet they must not be baptized. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 109 
 
 Weli, but our brethren say, ' You and 
 your children is nothing more than you and 
 your posterity/ or your children when they 
 become adult. 
 
 But a little attention will convince us, this 
 cannot be the meaning. This is contrary to 
 the natural construction of the words — The 
 promise is — to your children; not shall he to 
 them, when they become believers. The 
 people, to whom these words were spoken, 
 were Jews and Proseli/tes, who had always 
 been used to see infants comprehended with 
 their parents in covenant transactions, and 
 therefore would naturally suppose, their in- 
 fants to be intended. To suppose, that by 
 your children, the Apostle meant only their 
 adult descendants, is to make him speak 
 nonsense; for then he must be understood 
 thus, ' The promise is to you and your chil- 
 dren, but not as your children, or as being 
 related to you, any more than if they were 
 children of Pagans; but if they should live 
 to adult aije, should be called by the gospel, 
 and should believe, then the promise will be 
 to them, as it is now to you/ 
 
 10 
 
110 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 Now why are children joined with their 
 parents, as joint partakers of the same pro- 
 mise, if they derive no benefit from this re- 
 lation, but are to stand upon precisely the 
 same footing with the children of heathens 
 2ind iri/ide Is / Farther; it should be remem- 
 bered, that the great promise of the Abra- 
 hamic covenant, which probably is here re- 
 ferred to, and called by way of eminence,' 
 THE PROMISE, viz. / Will be a God to you 
 and your seed; this promise, 1 say, did cer- 
 tainly belong to the infant children of Abra^ 
 ham^ and of his spiritual seed ; and the seal 
 of this promise was expressly ordered to be 
 applied to such. But our brethren general- 
 ly say, ' The promise here intended is the 
 promise of the spirit, contained in the fore- 
 going words, Ye shall receive the gift of the 
 Holy Ghost.^ Be it so. If then it appears 
 that the promise of the Spirit is in fact made, 
 not only to believers, but also to their chil- 
 dren, even to infants; the reason will hold, 
 why they should be baptized. It is express- 
 ly promised, Isaiah xliv. 3. I ivill pour my 
 Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon 
 thine offspring; 'i,e,thy little ones, as the fol- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. HI 
 
 lowing words shew; and they (tbiiie off- 
 spring) shall SPRING UP as among the grass 
 and as willows by the water courses. They 
 shall grow up under the influences of my 
 Spirit and blessings of my covenant, as grass 
 under the kindly smiles of heaven, and as 
 willows by the fertile banks of rivers. 
 
 There can be no doubt with any one who 
 believes the scriptures, but the divine Spir- 
 it often has great influence in forming the 
 mind into a preparation for virtue and use- 
 fulness, even in its infant state. John was 
 filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's 
 womb. Isaiah was called and formed from 
 the womb. Jeremiah was sanctified from 
 the womb. Samuel grew up before the 
 Lord. I question not but all, who are born 
 and educated under the gospel covenant, 
 have, even in early childhood, some gentle 
 excitations to virtue from the Spirit of grace, 
 as a fruit of this promise to believers and 
 their children. Now since the promise of 
 the Spirit does in fact belong to little chil- 
 dren, baptism, the sign of the promise, be- 
 longs to them also. Let them be baptized — 
 for the promise is to them, Note here ; their 
 
112 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 receiving the Spirit was not ^condition, hut 
 a consequence of their baptism. Be baptized 
 and ye ^hM receive, &c. So upon the Sa- 
 mariians mentioned, Acts viii. the Spirit was 
 poured out after they were baptized : So that 
 children are to be baptized upon this gener- 
 al promise, even before they can, by a holy 
 life, give evidence of their having actually 
 received the Spirit. That in the gospel age, 
 as well as in former dispensations, children 
 should be received into covenant together 
 with, and upon the faith of their parents, is 
 plainly foretold, Isaiah Ixv. 22. Thet/ are the 
 seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their off^ 
 spring with them. And chap. xlix. 18, 22. 
 They (the Gentiles) shall gather themselves 
 together^ arid come to thee — And they shall 
 bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daiigh' 
 ters shall be carried on their shoulders. 
 
 6. The accounts we have of some whole 
 iamiiies being baptized, upon the faith of 
 ^their respective heads, afford an argument 
 of considerable weight, that the Apostles 
 understood their commission as extending 
 to infants, and jpractised accordingly. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 113 
 
 If infants were baptized, it is by no means 
 probable, we should be informed of their 
 names or ages ; we could expect only to be 
 told in general, ihat such [lersons were bap- 
 tized and their families : And so much we 
 are told. Paul baptized the household of 
 Stephanas^ 1 Cor. i. 1 6. Lydia^ when the 
 Lord opened her heart to receive the word, 
 was baptized and her houselinld^ Acts xvi. 15. 
 The Jayloi\ upon his believing, was baptiz- 
 ed, he and all his, verse 33, 
 
 This Lydia was of the city of Thyatira ; 
 but she now dwelt at Philippi; here she had 
 a house, in which she lodged the Apostles 
 for some time, and she had a household with 
 her. Whether they were children or ser* 
 vants, or both, and what their exact a^j^es 
 were, it is not said, nor is it material. The 
 story represents them as baptized upon her 
 faith; and this is all that is to the pur})ose. 
 It will be suggested perhaps, that they miaht 
 be baptized upon their own faith. But the 
 story gives no intimation of any one's be- 
 lievins:, but Lydia. Take the account as 
 L*ike has left it, and they were baptized up- 
 on her being judged faithful to the Lord. 
 10* 
 
114 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM, 
 
 The story of the Jaylor is to the same 
 purpose. He inquired of the apostles, what 
 must 1 do to be saved I They say, Believe on 
 the Lord and thou shalt he saved and thine 
 house. In the same sense, salvation is said 
 to come to the house of Zaccheus, because 
 he was a son of Abraham, i. e. a believer. 
 So such as are added to the church are call- 
 ed, The saved. There were doubtless some 
 present on this occasion besides the Jaylorh 
 family; and some of his family might be 
 adults; and therefore it is said, They spake 
 the icord to him, and to all that were in his 
 house. It is added, he was baptized, he and 
 all his straitway. It is not said, all that were 
 in his house were baptized ; but he and all 
 his, i. e. such as were at his disposal — un- 
 der his government — subject to his com- 
 mand. These were properly his. No men- 
 tion is yet made of any one^s believing, but 
 the Jaylor himself. But do not the next 
 words, He rejoiced believing in God with all 
 his house, import, that ail his family believ- 
 ed as well as he ? I think not. The Greek 
 words egalliasato panoiki pepisteukos to theo 
 Bre literally rendered thus. He rejoiced in ail 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 115 
 
 his house, having hdieved God, The idea 
 conveyed is tins : Arter he had believed God, 
 he rejoiced and gave thanks in the presence, 
 and in behalf of his whole family. 
 
 Now as it had been the ancient universal 
 practice, to receive infants with their parents 
 into the church of God, they who should 
 read these accounts of households baptized, 
 would naturally conclude, that infants (if 
 tliere were such) were baptized as well as 
 others, if a missionary sent from this coun- 
 try, where infant baptism is generally prac- 
 tised, to gospelize the heathen, should write 
 back an account of his success ; and therein 
 should say, he had baptized so many hun- 
 dreds, and amongst the rest, such a noted per- 
 son and his household — such an one and all 
 his; who would doubt, but there weres«»me 
 children, under the age of discretion, whooi 
 he meant to include? But if an antipcedo- 
 baptist missionary should publish an account 
 of the households he had baptized, he would 
 naturally except infants, to prevent mistakes. 
 
 7. The right of intants to baptism, is far- 
 ther confirmed by several particular passa«« 
 ges of scripture. 
 
116 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 It may be inferred from those words of the 
 Apostle, Rom. xi 16, \7 ^ If the root be holy ^ 
 so are the branches. And if some if the 
 branches (ihf Jev\>) be broken off, and thou 
 (a Gent ill) being a wild olive, wtrt grafted in 
 amoug' them, an ft with them partakest of the 
 root and fatness of the olive tree, boast not, 6fc, 
 
 The olive tree is the church of God, built 
 on the covenant made with Abraham, Of 
 this tree the Jaws were the natural ; I he GeU' 
 tiles, the ingrajted branches. The root and 
 fatness of the tree, are the privileges and 
 blessings of the covenant. It was one pri- 
 vilege of the covenant, that children should 
 be admitted into the church with their par- 
 ents and consecrated to GoJ as his children. 
 Therefore if the Gentiles are grafted into the 
 same stock, from which some of t'le Jews are 
 broken off, and loith them who remain, par- 
 take of the root and fatness, they certainly 
 partake of this privilege of having their chil- 
 dren grafted with them. Accordingly the 
 Gentiles are declared to be fellow heirs with 
 the Jews — to be of the same body — to be 
 joint partakers of the promise. God prom- 
 ised, that he would be a God to Abraham 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 117 
 
 and his seed. And is he a God of the Jews 
 only ? And not of the Gentiles ? Doubtless 
 of the Gentiles also. God appointed a tok- 
 en of this promise to be apphed to Ahra^ 
 hani^s infants, and to the infants of his seed : 
 And if we stand in the same place as his 
 natural seed, and are partakers with them 
 of the same privileges, then the token of the 
 promise is to be applied to our infants. 
 
 To this passage we may add that remark- 
 akle one, in 1 Cor. vii. 14. The unbelieving 
 husband is sanctijitd hij the vcife^ and the un* 
 believing wife is sanctified by the husband; else 
 were your children unclean^ but now are they 
 holy. It is plain here, that the children of 
 believers are, in some sense or other, holy, 
 or saints, by virtue of their parents faith. 
 They are distinguished from the children of 
 unbelievers, who are called unclean, in the 
 same manner as christians are distinguished 
 from heathens. Now what is this infant ho- 
 liness, which results from the parent's faith 1 
 ' It cannot be legitimacy, as some pretend ; 
 for surely the Apostle did n(>t mean to has-^ 
 iardize all children born of heathen parents. 
 It cannot be real, inherent holiness ; for in 
 
118 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 this sense, they are born, not of blood, nor of 
 the will of man, but of God. it can then be 
 no other, than relative or covenant holiness. 
 The children of believers are holy, as all the 
 people of Israel were holy, by a special cov- 
 enant relation to God. The christian church ' 
 is called a holy nation and peculiar people, 
 in the same sense. They are holy, as all 
 the first born under the law are holy, by a 
 solemn dedication to God in his temple. 
 In allusion to the dedication of the first born 
 infants, the christian church is called, 77ie 
 church of first born persons. They are holy, 
 as being God's children, born to him of his 
 own covenant people. Now if they are in 
 this sense holy, by what rite or ceremony 
 are they declared so, but by the washing of 
 baptism ] The church is cleansed by the wash- 
 ing of water. If they are holy as being God'^s 
 children, and within his covenant, they are 
 certainly enliiled to the mark of his children 
 and the token of his covenant, which is bap- 
 tism. 
 
 The inanner in which the author of the 
 letters endeavours to evade these passages, 
 shews that he fell hi iHself embarrassed with 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 119 
 
 them. I am ' very willing, says he, that 
 children should be as holy as the most be- 
 nevolent person can wish them. 1 have no 
 inclination to lay a stain upon that innocent 
 age. — But here is not a word about their 
 baptism.^ The gentleman doubtless knew 
 how we argue from these texts to prove in- 
 fant baptism. Why has he not shewn, that 
 they must, or may be taken in some other 
 sense ? Why has he not told us, how the 
 branches are holy by the holiness of the 
 root ; how children are holy by their parents 
 faith, in some other sense than as being en- 
 titled to the privileges and seal of the cove- 
 nant \ How the Gentiles can be partakers of 
 the same promise, and of the same root and 
 fatness with Abraham's natural seed, and 
 yet not be admitted to the same privileges? 
 The truth is, the argument from these texts 
 is unanswerable.* 
 
 * To evade the ar&^iiinent from this passage, some have said 
 * The same holiness, which is ascribed to the children of the be- 
 liever is also ascribed to the unbelieving partner^ who is said to be 
 sanctified^ as well as the offspring said to be holy. Why then is 
 not the unbelieving husband, or wife, a member of the church 
 by virtue of the faith of the correlate, as well as the children, by 
 'Virtue of the faith of the parent > 
 
120 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 Again. The Apostle, in the 4th chap, to 
 Gal. tells us, that Isaac was born after the 
 Spirit^ and born by promise. By this he il- 
 lustrates the gospel covenant ; and says, As 
 
 In answer to this I would observe : Infants, under the Old 
 Testament, had ever been received as members of God's church. 
 But when the Jews, in the time of Ezra, had, contrary to an ex- 
 press law, married strange wives, by whom children were born 
 to them, it was ordered that these children, with their heathen 
 parents, should be put away, as unclean j and the men, who re- 
 fused to put away their strange wives, were themselves to be 
 separated from the congregation. 
 
 In the Corinthian church, a doubt had arisen whether a be- 
 liever might continue with an unbelieving correlate. This 
 question the apostle answers in the affirmative. For though he 
 advises christians to marry only in the Lord, yet a marriage, 
 contracted when both the parties were unbelievers, is not dis- 
 solved by the subsequent faith of one of them. But it might 
 farther be inquired, whether children born of parents, of whom 
 one was a heathen, ought not to be exciujled from the church 
 with the unclean or heathen parent, as had been determined in 
 the time of Ezra? To this the apostle answers in the negative. 
 If a brother have a wife who believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell 
 tvith hirriy let him not put her away, and so of the wife who hath an 
 unbelieving husband. For the unbelieving husband isy or hath 
 been, sanctified by the wife ; or rather, sanctified i'n, or to the wife \ 
 and the unbelieving wife hath been sanctified in, or to the hunband. 
 The unbelieving is sanctified in respect of, and in relation to the 
 believing party, so that the latter has a lawful use and enjoyment 
 of the former ; (for as the apostle says else-i here, to the purCj all 
 things are pure \ and every creature of God is good, for it is sanctified 
 by the word of God and prayer. J— Else were your children unclean. 
 If the unbelieving partner were not sanctified to the use of the 
 
C^HRISTIAN BAPTISM. 121 
 
 Isaac was, so are we the children of the proni" 
 ise, i. e. we are born children of the promise, 
 as being born of covenanted parents. Ac- 
 cordingly the Apostle to the Hebrews speaks 
 
 « 
 
 believer, both the parents must be rejected from the church, the 
 former as a heathen and unclean, the latter as criminally living 
 in cohabitation with a heathen ; as, in the time of Ezra, those 
 who refused to put away the strange wives, whom they had un- 
 lawfully taken, were to be separated from the congregation. 
 Consequently the children would be unclean, because both the 
 parents would be so. But since the unbeliever is sanctified in 
 relation to the believer, the children are holt/y and so to be ac- 
 counted members of the church. 
 
 Tlie unbeliever is here said to be sanctified, not in relation to 
 God, but only in relation to his, or her yokefellow. But the 
 children are said to be holi/y in opposition to the unclean, or to 
 heathens. A person's being sanctified in a particular respect, or 
 for a certain purpose, as the unbeliever is here said to be saucti- 
 fied only in relation to the husband, or the wife, does not de- 
 nominate him a holy one, which is, ia scripture, the appropriate 
 title of those \»bo belong to the church Therefore, though chil* 
 dren are members of the church, as descended from, and under 
 the care and government of a believing parent, yet a heathen be- 
 comes not a member of the church by marriage with a believer. 
 The words of the Apostle can convey no such idea. For he calls 
 <:hildren holif in opposition to the unclean', but he expressly de- 
 fines and limits the sense, in which the unbeliever is sanctified. 
 It is merely in respect of, and iu relation to the believing cor- 
 relate. 
 
 The sense which we have given of the phrase, sanctified by, or 
 to the wife, is approved by critical expositors, particularly by 
 Whitby, who says, it is the sense given by the Greek interpreters ', 
 and it is certainly agreeable to the phrase in the original. The 
 
 u 
 
 / 
 
12S CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 of the privileges of the covenant, as being 
 the birth right of christians, and cautions 
 them, that they do not profanely sell Y/teeV 
 birth right, as Esau did his. 
 
 And it is wortby to be noted, that the 
 sanie titles, by which christians are distin- 
 guished from heathens^ are expressly applied 
 to the children of converted parents. Are 
 christians called saints? So are their chil- 
 dren.* Are they called disciples? So are 
 their children. f Do they belong to God's 
 kingdom? So do their children. J Are they 
 called believers? So christian families, which 
 were supported by a common stock, in which 
 infants were included, are called the multi- 
 tude of them that believe.^ And Christ 
 speaks of those little ones which believe in 
 
 jApostle cannot intend, that the unbeliever '\s converted to the faith 
 by the believer; for this sanctification is something which has 
 already taken place, while the subject was an unbeliever. The 
 Conversion of the unbeliever b> the influence of the believing 
 correlate, the Apostle afterward mentions, as an additional rea- 
 son for cohabitation ; but he speaks of it as a change which hope- 
 fully mayy not as what already hasj or certainly will take place. 
 What knowest thoUy O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband 1 
 And how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife ? 
 * 1 Cor. vii. 14. t Acts XV. lo. J Mark x. 14. 
 
 ^ Acts iv. 32. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 123 
 
 /«'m.* Are christians called the children of 
 God! So are the infants of professors, j* They 
 that belong to the church are called tlie sav^ 
 ed; so salvation comes to the house of the 
 believer.J Who, that considers how these 
 titles are promiscuously given to adult chris- 
 tians and their children, can doubt, but that 
 children are brought into covenant with 
 their parents in the gospel time, as they 
 used to be before, and consequently are sub- 
 jects of baptism, the only initiating seal ? 
 
 8. I shall add to the preceding arguments 
 one more, taken from 1 Cor. x. 2. The 
 Apostle here, speaking of the t7ei£J5 who came 
 out of Egypt^ says. They icere all baptized 
 unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 
 
 That this passage alludes to christian bap- 
 tism, our brethren, particularly the author 
 of the letters, allow. The Apostle plainly 
 considers their baptism into Moses 2is typical 
 of our baptism into Christ; for he adds. They 
 did all drink of the same spiritual drink ; for 
 they drank of the rock^ which followed them^ 
 and, that rock is Christ or a type of Christ. — 
 All these things happened to them for exam,' 
 
 * Mat. xviii. 6. f £zek. xvi. 91. \ Luke xix. 9. 
 
194 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 ples^ or types, and are written for our admo* 
 nition. The Jewish writers say, ' The peo- 
 ple were baptized in the desart and admitted 
 into covenant with God before the law was 
 given/ Now if the Apostle has any respect 
 to christian baptism, as it is plain he has, 
 here is an undeniable proof of the right of 
 infants to baptism. For he says. They all, 
 the ichole congregation, of which in/ants then 
 m their parents arms, were a great part, they 
 all were baptized into Moses, All were under 
 the cloud. All passed through the sea, &c. 
 He repeats the universal term all because it 
 is emphatical here. Now if this baptism 
 Into Moses, was a type and written for our 
 admonition, it typically admonishes us, that 
 ■we all should be baptized into Christ, not 
 believers only, but their children also. 
 
 As the whole congregation were baptized 
 and admitted into covenant at the sea, when 
 Moses took the command of them, so this 
 covenant was again renewed with all, both 
 men, women and little ones, ]u^i before he 
 left them. Deut. xxix. 10. Ye stand, all 
 of you before the Lord your God, your elders, 
 yaur little ones, your wives, that thoushould' 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 125 
 
 est enter into covenant with the Lord, that he 
 may establish thee for a people unto himself^ 
 and may be unto thee a God, as he hath sworn 
 to thy Father, to Abraham, &c. This cove- 
 nant witli Abraham, which is so exjDressly 
 renewed wiih little ones, is descended to us 
 and our children. 
 
 1 shall now briefly recapitulate the argu- 
 ments that have been offered, and present 
 them in one view. 
 
 The covenant, which God made witli 
 Abraham and his seed, expressly included 
 infants ; and the seal thereof was, by God^s 
 command, applied to them. We, believing 
 Gentiles, are the seed for whom the cove- 
 nant with Abraham was made ; and there- 
 fore our infants as well as his, are entitled 
 to the privileges of the covenant, and sub- 
 jects of the seal of it, by virtue of the ori- 
 ginal grant to Abraham, in as much as that 
 grant has never been recalled. This cove- 
 nant was renewed at the red sea — and again 
 in the plains of Moab, and still infants are 
 expressly includtd — All along under the 
 Old Testament, children are comprehended 
 wiih parents in ail covenant transactions be- 
 11 * 
 
1^6 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 tween God and his people, and the token 
 of the covenant is still applied to them. The 
 Prophets often foretell, that the case would 
 be the same in the gospel time ; that Christ 
 should gather the lambs with his arms — that 
 God would pour his Spirit upon the offspring 
 of his people, who should be the seed of the 
 blessed of the Lord, and their offspring tvith 
 them. In the Jewish church, it was a cus- 
 tom, long before our Saviour's appearance, 
 to receive Gentile proselytes with their chil- 
 dren, by baptism as well as circumcision. 
 Christ also himself took infants into his arms 
 and blessed them, and directed that they 
 should be brought to him, because of such 
 was his kingdom, that kingdom, into which 
 persons were to be admitted by being born 
 of water. He ordered his Apostles to re- 
 ceive them in his name, and treat them as 
 his disciples. When he gave the baptismal 
 commission, he expressed it in such univer- 
 sal terms, as must naturally include infants f 
 And the Apostles, knowing what had been 
 the constant usage concerning infants, and 
 how Christ had ever treated them, must un- 
 derstand the commission as extending to 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 1§7 
 
 such. Accord ino'ly, soon after, when they 
 invited the convicted Jeivs to baptism, they 
 placed their right to it upon the foot of a 
 promise, which equally belonged to them 
 and their children. When they baptized the 
 head of any family in his own house, they 
 baptized liis family with him. They con- 
 stantly taught, that the covenant with Abra^ 
 ham, of which circumcision was the seal, is 
 the same which we are now under, and that 
 the blessings of it are come upon us GeU' 
 tiles — that the Gentiles are grafted into the 
 same stock, from which the Jews were brok- 
 en off — that children are holy by virtue of 
 their parents faith — that baptism is the chris- 
 tian circumcision, and therefore they who 
 are baptized into Christ, are freed from the 
 literal circumcision, and all other ancient 
 rites — that circumcision, as a seal of the 
 Abrahamic covenant, was a great privilege ; 
 but the gospel dispensation confers greater.— 
 They illustrate the gospel covenant by an- 
 cient examples of covenant transactions, in 
 which infants were included ; by the case of 
 haac, who was born after the promise, by 
 Noah's ark, in which his whole family were 
 
128 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 saved in consequence of his faith, the like 
 figure wheieuntt* even baptism now saves 
 us ; and hy the baptism of the whole congre- 
 gation, inJanis and ail, at the red sea, which 
 was a lype, and written for our admonition. 
 When we consider these things, we think 
 the evidence abundantly clear, that the in- 
 fants of believers are eptitied to baptism. 
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 HAVING laid before you the arguments 
 by which the right of infants to baptism is 
 vindicated, 1 shall now as I proposed, 
 
 111. Shew you the rational ends and mo- 
 ral uses of infant baptism. 
 
 If baptism be a divine institution for the 
 infants of believers, it ought to be applied to 
 them, whether we can see the uses of it or 
 not : But still it may give us some satisfac- 
 tion to understand what good ends it can 
 answer. 
 
 We are often asked, * What good can bap- 
 tism do to infanls!^ It might suffice to re- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 129 
 
 ply, As much good as circumcision could 
 do to them formerly ; or as much as the pub- 
 lic presentation of first born infants to God 
 could do tkem. The apostle says, The pro- 
 fit of circumcision^ (which was usually ad- 
 ministered lo infants) was much every way. 
 The profit oi^ infant baptism may be as much. 
 Particularly, 
 
 1. It is evident, that God treats nifants 
 as sinners for ^c?am's transgression. In con- 
 sequence of his apostacy, thei/ suffer a sad 
 variety of pains and diseases, which often 
 issue in early death. And from that bias 
 and inclination to evil, which they soon dis- 
 cover, there is reason to suppose, they are 
 infected with some moral disorder, which 
 needs to be removed in order to their en- 
 trance into the world of glory. By one mariy 
 says the Apostle, sin entered into the world y 
 and death by sin, and so death passes upon all 
 men, for that all have- sinned. — By one man'^s 
 offence, judgment came upon all to condemn 
 nation, — In Adam all die, — By his offence 
 many are made sinners. In this language, 
 he speaks in the 5th chap, to the Romans. 
 
130 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM, 
 
 Now the gospel assures us, that Christ 
 has obtained redemption from the condem- 
 nation of sin, and that in this redemption, all 
 who believe, are unfailingly interested. But 
 we see, that a very great part of the human 
 race are cut off in infancy, while they are 
 incapable of actual faith. VFhat becomes of 
 them! Is any provision made for their salva- 
 tion ? Or mw^i they perish and be lost for- 
 ever? This is a natural inquiry. Now to 
 comfort our minds concerning smcA, God has 
 seen fit to assure us, that they may become 
 partakers of redemption by Christ, and be 
 made heirs of the kingdom above, notwith- 
 gtaPjdiug their incapacity for an actual com- 
 pliance with those terms which are propos- 
 ed to the adult. And to confirm our faith 
 and hope in his promise, he has appointed, 
 that they shall be received with their be- 
 lieving parents into his visible kingdom, the 
 church, and have the seal of his covenant 
 affixed to them. 
 
 The great promise of the covenant is, that 
 G;)d will be a God to believers and their 
 seed. This promise is often explained in 
 scripture to import the happiness of the life 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 131 
 
 to come. And God's appointing the seal of 
 this pronoise to be applied to our infant seed, 
 is a most comfortable ground of our faith 
 and hope, that if they should be removed by 
 an early death, they will be transplanted in- 
 to that happy clime, where they will spring 
 up in everlasting life.* 
 
 * The children of believing parents may be said to be hoT7i in 
 covenant^ as they are born under that promise of the covenant, / 
 icill he a God to thee and to thy seed. Accordingly God calls them 
 HIS children, born to him. To those who die in infancy, this 
 promise may be understood as importing a resurrection to eter- 
 nal life. As the Apostle argues concerning the patriarchs, 
 (Heb. xi.) so we may reason concerning these; since they enjoy 
 no distinguishing favour iu this world, there must be some good 
 reserved for them in another; else the promise fails. Therefore 
 God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for 
 them a city. To those who arrive to moral agency, the promise 
 may import, not only the enjoyment of the external means of 
 religion, but the attendant influences of the divine spirit. The 
 Apostle tells us, that among the rainy advantages of circumci- 
 sion, this is one of the chief, that to them are committed the oracles 
 of God. (Rom iii. l) And God expressly promises to Jacob his 
 servant, and to Israel whom he has chosen, / loill pour my spirit 
 on thy seedy and my bles.iing ott 4hine q^^pringy and they shall spring 
 up as among the grass^ and as willows by the watercourses. (Isai xliv. 
 3.) Their interest in this promise, as the children of God's ser- 
 Tants, is one ground of their admission to baptism, the token of 
 God's faithfulness, and of their obligation to serve him. But 
 then it is by baptism, that they are declared to be within the 
 church, and entitled to the visible privileges of it. Persons may 
 be virtually in covenant by their own^ or their parents faith 3 but 
 
13g CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 God is said to have established his cove- 
 nant with the cattle and the fowls, when he 
 engaged no more to drown the earth with a 
 flood ; and as a token of this covenant, he 
 appointed his bow in the cloud. And sure- 
 ly he may, in as just and rational a sense, 
 establish the covenant of grace with infants, 
 engaging to pour his spirit and blessing upon 
 them, and appointing the seal of this cove- 
 nant to be affixed to them, in token of his 
 faithfulness to fulfil his gracious promise. 
 
 2. The parent, by dedicating his children 
 to God in baptism, solemnly binds himself 
 to give them a religious and christian edu- 
 cation, and to use his influence, that they 
 shall keep the way of the Lord, and not put 
 themselves out of that covenant, into which 
 
 they are not visibly and professedli/ in covenant, or in the church, 
 till they have passed under the appointed ceremony. When we 
 speak of persons being admitted into the church by baptism, wc 
 mean not, that this conveys the right of admission ; for it pre- 
 sctpposes the rights and the qualification or relation, in which the 
 right, by divine institution, is founded ; but that it declares the 
 right, and thus introduces to visible privileges. God says, * The 
 uncircumcised man child shall be cut off from among his people, 
 he hath broken my covenant.' He was previously in covenant, 
 else he could not be said to break it by his uncircumcision. So 
 also the unbaptized person is to be cut off) or excluded from the 
 jirivileges of the christian church. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 133 
 
 they have been thus visibly introduced. 
 Now if it is any privilege for children to have 
 a religious education, it is a privilege that 
 such an education should be secured to them ; 
 and consequently a privilege that the parent, 
 by this public transaction, should covenant 
 and engage to bring them up in the nurture 
 and admonition of the Lord, 
 
 It may be asked perhaps. How a parent 
 can covenant for his children ? But the an- 
 swer is obvious. He can covenant for him.' 
 self to discharge such and such duties to 
 them, and can commend them to God, in 
 hope of the divine blessing upon his pious 
 endeavours. In this sense may every reli- 
 gious parent, as Joshua did, covenant for his 
 house, As for me and my house we icill serve 
 the Lord, 
 
 3. As the parent, who dedicates his chil- 
 dren, should consider himself bound by his 
 own act to educate them religiously; so chil- 
 dren thus dedicated, when they come to the 
 age of reflection, should realize, that, having 
 been given to God, they are not their own^ 
 but his; and are bound to live, not to Mem- 
 selves^ but to him whose they are ; and that 
 12 
 
134f CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 a wicked, irreligious life is a practical renun- 
 ciation of their baptism, and disavowal of 
 their relation to the God of their Fathers. 
 
 If the Jewish parent, by circumcising his 
 children, bound them to own and serve the 
 God o^ Israel — If the vow of Samson'' s par- 
 ents bound him to be a Nazarite forever — If 
 Hannah^ s vow bound Samuel to attend up- 
 on God in the sanctuary; as well may the 
 act of the christian parent, in bringing his 
 children to baptism bind them to serve the 
 God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 The religious parent may urge his children 
 to a godly life by this argument, that he has 
 given them to God. Thus the mother of 
 kingZemw6'/^expostulates with him.* What 
 tny son / And what the son of my womb ? And 
 ivhat the son of mt/ vows? And this argu- 
 ment will have weight with children of an 
 ingenuous temper. Thus the Psalmist rea- 
 sons with himself.*!* J icill walk brfore the 
 Lord, I will call on his name. I will pay 
 my vows in the presence of his people. O Lord, 
 truly I am thy servant, 1 am thy servant, the 
 son of thy handmaid, 1 pass on, 
 
 * Prov. xxxi. 2. t P»al. xi. 6, 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 136 
 
 IV. To consider the practice of the chris- 
 tian church with respect to infants immedi- 
 ately after the Apostolic age. 
 
 The author of the letters says, ' It is of 
 small importance to christians to know what 
 the many writers upon this subject, since 
 the time of the Evangelists and Apostles, 
 have affirmed/ But vet to know what thev" 
 have affirmed concerning the mode of bap- 
 tism, he thinks to be of no small importance. 
 
 He asserts, upon their authority, that the 
 church for 1300 years practised immersion; 
 ^ though indeed he allows, that sprinkling was 
 practised too in extraordinary cases. Up- 
 on the same authority it may be asserted, 
 that the church, for many hundreds of years, 
 practised infant baptism; and not a single 
 person, much less a church, can be produc- 
 ed which denied the lawfulness of it. And 
 the practice of the church is as good an evi- 
 dence in favour oiinfant baptism, as it would 
 have been in favour of immersion, in case 
 that alone had been practised. — This gentle- 
 man himself (perhaps inadvertently) allows 
 the early, constant, universal practice of ad- 
 mitting infants to baptism. For he adopts 
 
136 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 this passage from Dr. Wall, ' All christians 
 in the world, who never owned the Pope^s 
 authority, do now, and ever did, dip their 
 mfants in the ordinary use/ (Not univer- 
 sally, but ordinarily dipt them.) If they dipt 
 infants, they baptized them. This practice 
 is of much more weight to prove infants are 
 the subjects^ than to prove dipping is the 
 mode of baptism; because dipping was but 
 the ordinary use, whereas infant baptism, for 
 aught that appears, was the universal prac- 
 'tice of the ancient church, except in cases 
 of proselytism. 
 
 We do not pretend to rest the proof of in- 
 fants right to baptism, upon the practice of 
 the church, but upon the authority of scrip- 
 ture. However, if it appears that the church, 
 so6n after the apostles, did admit them, and 
 there is no account of any church that re- 
 jected them, or any person who denied the 
 lawfulness of the practice, or pretended, that 
 it was an innovation, this will be an argu- 
 ment of considerable weight, that it was de- 
 rived from the apostles : For the early chris- 
 tians, they who lived in the ages next after 
 the apostles, must have known, what their 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 137 
 
 practice was in such a matter as this, which 
 was of a most public nature, and concerned 
 the very being of the church. What the 
 usage of the church was, in the earliest times 
 after the Apostles, we can learn only from 
 the ancient writers, who are here produced, 
 not as examples^ but only as historians^ or 
 witnesses to a plain matter of fact. 
 
 Justin Martyr^ who wrote about 40 years 
 after the apostolic age, says, ' We have not 
 received the carnal, but the spiritual circum- 
 cision by baptism — and it is enjr)ined to all 
 persons to receive it in the same way.' Here 
 he plainly con>>iders baptism as succeeding 
 in the place of circumcision, and conse- 
 quently as being designed, for infants as that 
 was; which opinion he could not easily 
 have fallen into, if the Apostles had univer- 
 sally, both in doctrine and practice, rejected 
 infants. In one of his apologies for the 
 christians, he says, ' Several persons among 
 u*^, of 60 and 70 years old, who were made 
 disciples to Christ from their childhood^ do 
 continue uncorrupt.' Made disciples. He 
 uses the same word which is used in the 
 commission ; Disciple all nations^ baptizing 
 12* 
 
138 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 them. If they were made disciples^ they 
 were doubtless baptized. 
 
 Irenceus, who wrote about 67 years after 
 the Apostles, and was born it is said, before 
 the death of St. John, and was acquainted 
 with Polycarp, who was Jo/m's disciple, says 
 concerning Christ, ' He came to save all 
 persons by himself, who by him are regene- 
 rated (i. e. baptized) unto God, infants, lit- 
 tle ones, youths and elderly persons.* That 
 IrerKBus used the word regenerated to signify 
 baptized, is plain from hjs own words, where 
 he says, ' When Christ gave his disciples 
 the command of regenerating unto God, he 
 said. Go and teach ail nations, baptizing 
 them, &c.* 
 
 Tertuliian, who flourished about 100 years 
 after the Apostles, gives a plain testimony, 
 that the church admitted infants to baptism 
 in his time. It is true he advises to delai/i 
 their baptism ; not because it was unlawful, 
 for he allows of it in cases of necessity ; not 
 merely upon the foot of their infancy, for he 
 advises also, that unmarried persons be kept 
 from this ordinance, until they either marry 
 or are confirmed iu continence ; but because 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 13? 
 
 the Sponsors were often brought into a snare ; 
 and because, he ima^int:^d, sins committed 
 after baptism were next to unpardonable^ 
 But his advising to delay it, supposes it to 
 have been the practice ; for otherwise there 
 would have been no room for the advice. 
 He does not speak of it as an innovation^ 
 which certainly he would have done, had it 
 begun to be practised in his time. His 
 words rather imply the contrary. His speak- 
 ing of Sponsors, who engaged for the educa- 
 tion of the infants that were baptized, shews 
 that there had been such a custom. And 
 his asking, why that innocent age made such 
 haste to baptism, supposes that infants had 
 usually been baptized soon after their birth. 
 So that he fully enough witnesses to the 
 fact, that it had been the practice of the 
 church to baptize infants. And his advice, 
 to delay their baptism till they were grown 
 up and married, was one of those odd and 
 singular notions, for which this Father was 
 very remarkable. 
 
 Origen, who was contemporary with 7Vr- 
 tullian, expressly declares infant baptism to 
 have been the constant usage of the church 
 
140 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 from the Apostles. He says, ' The bap- 
 tism of the church is given tor the forju^ive- 
 ness of sins: But why are infants, by the 
 usage of the church, baptized, it there is no- 
 thing in ih^'in tnat needs forgiveness?' 
 
 Further he says, ' Infants are baptized for 
 the remission of sins; for none is Iree from 
 pollution, though his lite be but the length 
 of one day upon t-arih. And it is for that 
 reason, because by baptism the pollutirm of 
 our birlh is taken away, that infants are bap- 
 tized.' 
 
 Again he observes, ' The church had from 
 the Apostles an order to give baptism to in- 
 fants ; for they, to whom the divine myste- 
 ries were committed, knew that there was 
 in all persons the natural pollution of sin, 
 which must be done away by water and the 
 Spirit/ 
 
 Now as Origen, in these passages, argues 
 from infant baptism to prove original sin, 
 we may conclude, it was an uncontroverted 
 usage of the church ; for otherwise he could 
 not, with propriety, have used it as an ar- 
 gument to establish another point. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 141 
 
 ^ Cyprian^ who wrote about 150 years after 
 the Apostles, gives a fuller testimony to this 
 fact. In this time a question was started 
 by one Fidus^ (not whether infants might 
 be baptized, but) whether baptism ought 
 not to be given them on the eighth day, ac- 
 cording to the law of circumcision ? This 
 question was proposed to a council of 66 
 Bishops convened at Carthage, who unani- 
 mously resolved, that the baptism of infants 
 ought not to be deferred to the eighth day, 
 but might be given them at any time before. 
 And a large letter to this purpose, contain- 
 ing the reasons of the resolve, was written 
 and signed by Cyprian, in the name of the 
 council. 
 
 Now in this assembly of Ministers, doubt- 
 less there were some 60 or 70 years old, who 
 could remember within less than 100 years 
 of the Apostles. And therefore, if infant 
 baptism had been a usage lately introduced, 
 some or all of them must have known it. — 
 And if so, it is very strange that not one of 
 them intimated any scruple about it. Whe- 
 ther infants should be baptized, seems not 
 to have been at all a question, but only 
 
142 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 whether their baptism needed to be deferred .^ 
 to the 8ih day, which, without hesitancy, 
 was determined in the negative: 
 
 A little more than 100 years after this 
 time, Greg or ij Nazianztn taught, ' that in- 
 fants should be baptized to consecrate them 
 to Christ in their infancy/ Ambrose, ' that 
 the baptism of infants had been the practice 
 of the Apostles and of the church till that 
 time/ Cri/sostom, ' that baptism had no de- 
 terminate time, as circumcision had, but 
 one in the beginning of life, or one in the 
 middle of it, or one in old age might receive 
 it/ 
 
 But not to multiply citations ; I shall add 
 but one more, Austin, about 300 years after 
 the Apostles, had a controversy with Fela- 
 gius about original sin ; and to prove it, he 
 frequently urges infant baptism, demanding, 
 Why infants are baptized for the remission 
 of sins, if they have none ? Pelagius though 
 greatly puzzled with the argument, yet ne- 
 ver pretends, that infant baptism was an 
 unscriptural innovation^ or a partial usage in 
 the church ; which, had it been true, a man 
 of his very extensive acquaintance with the 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 143 
 
 world, must have known ; and had he knr)\vn 
 it, he doubtless would have said it wiien he 
 found himself embarrassed with the argu- 
 ment. But far from iniiaiating any such 
 thing, when somecharged upon him the de- 
 nial of infant baptism, as a consequence of 
 his opinion, he disavows the consequence, 
 and complains, that he had been slanderously 
 represented as denying baptism to infants. 
 He asks, ' Who can be so impious as to hin- 
 der infants from being baptized and born 
 again in Chiist ?' And citing those words, 
 Except one be born of water find the spirit, he 
 cannot enter into the kingdom of God, he says, 
 ' V\^ho can be so imj)ious as to refuse to an 
 infant, of whatever age, the common re- 
 demption o( mankind]^ And many other 
 expressions he uses, which plainly suppose, 
 that infant baptism had been practised uni- 
 versally, and time out of mind. 
 
 And troai this time till the year 1522, (as 
 Dr. fVally upon a most careful inquiry, as- 
 sures us) there is not so much as a man to 
 be found, who has spokea against, or even 
 pleaded for the delay of the baptism of in- 
 fants, except a small number In France, in 
 
144 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 the 12th century, who denied the possibih- 
 ty of their salvation, and consequently their 
 right to baptism. But this sect soon disap- 
 peared. 
 
 Now if all the first churches were every 
 where establish*-d by the Apostles, upon the 
 plan only of adult baptism, and children 
 were every where left unbapiized, how could 
 infant baptism begin so early, and spread so 
 extensively as it seems to have done ? How 
 could such a speedy and total alteration take 
 place in a matter of such public notice and 
 great importance, and yet no noise be made 
 about it; no opposition raised against il ? 
 Such a thing would be absurd to imagine. 
 The early and universal usage of the church 
 is then an argument of very considerable 
 weight, that infant baptism was an apostolic 
 practice. 
 
 To invalidate this argument our brethren 
 allege, that many corruptions were early ad- 
 mitted into the christian church under pre- 
 tence of Apostolic traditions, and prevailed 
 without opposition ; such as Infants Com' 
 manion,, Exorcism^ Trine Immersion, Unc^ 
 tion after baptism^ Sec, But supposing these 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 145 
 
 had prevailed as early and universally, as we 
 find infant baptism to have done (which tru- 
 ly was not the case) yet there is this mighty 
 difference. These were but circumstantial 
 errors, which did not destroy the being of 
 the church, or nullify men^s Christianity, 
 and therefore it is no wonder, that we have 
 no account of any warm controversy about 
 them. But infant baptism^ in the opinion 
 of our brethren, does, so far as it prevails, 
 unchurch the church of Christ : For they 
 look upon those, who have received no oth- 
 er baptism, as being unbaptized, and unfit 
 for christian communion. Now if the first 
 christians had viewed it in this light, would 
 they have sat silent, when they saw it get 
 footing, and prevail? Would not some, alarm- 
 ed at the dangerous innovation, have born 
 their testimony against it ? Would there not 
 have been some churches, which preserved 
 the primitive usage, and renounced com- 
 munion with such as had so essentially de- 
 parted trom it ? The different sects of chris- 
 tians were often inflamed against each other 
 by smaller diflPerences. It is therefore ut- 
 terly unaccountable, that there should be n6 
 13 
 
146 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 dispute, whea this supposed fundamental 
 innovation was introduced, nor the least re- 
 mains of any controversy about it, until 
 within these two or three centuries. 
 
 There were indeed some great corruptions 
 introduced into the church, which in time 
 considerably prevailed, such as Image wor- 
 ship, Transubstanliation, &c. But these ne- 
 ver prevailed so universally, so early, nor so 
 ivithout oppositioji, as we have seen infant 
 baptism must have done. A great part of 
 the christian church has a/?tY?y5 rejected them 
 and protested against them. Many Synods 
 and councils have publicly condemned them. 
 And in the times when, and places where 
 they most prevailed, it was by the protec- 
 tion and support of civil and military pow- 
 er; which cannot be pretended in the case 
 of infant baptism. 
 
 It is time that we draw to a conclusion. 
 I have only to lay before you a ^e\\ deduc- 
 tions from what has been offered. 
 
 It has, I think, been proved, that our bap- 
 tism is one with that of our brethren, and 
 that we have neither changed the baptisfn 
 instituted by Christ into another rite, nor 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 147 
 
 introduced a new set o^ subjects. And there- 
 fore, 
 
 1. I beg leave seriously to inquire. Whe- 
 ther our brethren have any just occasion to 
 withdraw themselves from our communion ? 
 Surely the candid among them will acknow- 
 ledge, that our opinion is n )t so wholly 
 without foundation, but that it may consist 
 with an honest and good heart. And can it 
 be for the interest of Christianity, which we 
 on both sides profess to regard, that we should 
 renounce fellowship with each other on ac- 
 count of this difference! We are willing 
 they should commune with us, and yet en- 
 joy the liberty of acting agreeably to their 
 own principles. Though we wish they 
 might think with us, yet we would by no 
 means constrain them to bring their infants 
 to baptism contrary to their consciences. 
 And, I apprehend, few ministers would 
 scruple to administer baptism by immersion 
 to any suitably qualified, who choose so to 
 receive it. For though they think affusion 
 warranted by scripture, yet they are far from 
 denying the validity of immersion. Since 
 therefore our brethren may enjoy their own 
 
148 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 principles with us, what occasion can they 
 have to separate from us ? 
 
 Perhaps some will say, We cannot com- 
 mune with you, because, in our opinion, you 
 are unbaptized ; nor can we receive baptism 
 from your ministers, because they have re- 
 ceived no other than infant baptism, which 
 is a nullity: And since they have not been 
 regularly baptized themselves, they cannot 
 administer valid baptism to others. 
 
 It were to be wished, that persons of such 
 Barrow sentiments would reailZc tuG Conse- 
 quence. Infant baptism was undoubtedly 
 the universal practice of the christian church 
 for many hundreds of years together. His- 
 tory does not inform us, when it first began 
 to be practised; but we have particular ac- 
 counts when it wa&.first opposed. And if 
 it be a nullity, there is not, nor can be 
 again, any regular baptism in the world ; for 
 there is not the least ground to pretend to a 
 succession of adult baptisms. If we trace 
 adult baptisms back, we must come to the 
 time when they were administered by those 
 who were baptized in infancy, and who, up- 
 on the principles above mentioned, could 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 149 
 
 not administer valid baptism. Our brethren 
 therefore, by nullifying our baptism, nullify 
 their own; and by unchurching w^, unchurch 
 themselves. Yea, upon these principles, 
 there were no authorized ministers, nor reg- 
 ular churches, nor baptized christians, for 
 many centuries together, nor are there novv, 
 nor ever will be again, without a new com- 
 mission from heaven. How then has Christ 
 fulfilled his promises, that he will be with 
 his ministers always to the end of the world, 
 and that the gates of hell shall not prevail 
 against his church ? We may rest assured, 
 that these promises have not been forgotten, 
 and consequently, that baptism did not cease, 
 nor the church fail, when infant baptism be- 
 came so much the general practice, that a 
 succession of adult baptisms was no where 
 preserved. Our brethren then must allow, 
 that baptism, as administered in our church- 
 es, is valid, and conseq uently, that the above 
 mentioned plea, for declining communion 
 with us, is of no weight. 
 
 And indeed many among them, though 
 they think infant baptism, especially whea 
 performed by sprinkling, not regular, yet do 
 13* 
 
1:50 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 SO far allow the validity of it, that they scru- 
 ple not to hold communion with us. Some 
 baptist churches in England are founded 
 on this caiholic plan. The church, of which 
 the late celebrated Dr. Foster was minister, 
 received to her communion such as were 
 baptized in infancy, without requirino^ them 
 to be rebaptized. The famous Mr. Whiston^ 
 was admitted to the communion of this 
 church, after leaving; the church oi England^ 
 without rebaptization, which he never would 
 submit to; for though he pronounced bap- 
 tism in infancy, and by sprinkling to be 
 wrong, yet he declared it to be ' so far real 
 baptism, that it ought not to be repeated.'* 
 Were our brethren all (as indeed many of 
 them are) of the same generous sentiments, 
 we should hardly need to be known as dif- 
 ferent sects ; to be sure there would be no 
 occasion for dividing communions upon our 
 different opinions. 
 
 With those of less generous sentiments, 
 1 beg leave seriously to expostulate. That 
 you have the same right as we have, to 
 judge what are the divine institutions, and 
 
 * Clark's Pefencc, page 34. 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 151 
 
 to practice accordinsjly, none will deny. But 
 to differ in sentiment and practice, is one 
 thing ; to renounce communion on account 
 of this difference is another. To justify this 
 step, it is not sufficient to prove, that you 
 may be in the right : It is necessary to prove^ 
 that we must he fundamentally in the wrong. 
 You suppose us to be in an errour. But is 
 this errour, in your opinion, so manifest, and 
 so gross, that none who embrace it can be 
 honest christians ? — Can you demonstrate, 
 that the seal of the covenant of grace was 
 never appointed for the children of believers; 
 or, if such an appointment was once made, 
 it has since been revoked ? That baptism a/- 
 ways signifies immersion^ and that this mode 
 was invariably used by the Apostles ? That 
 the age and manner of admission into the 
 church, in use among you, is so essential, 
 that the least deviation nullifies our Christi- 
 anity ? — Will you pretend, that there are no 
 real christians in our churches } That the 
 word and ordinances administered in them, 
 have never been blessed to men^s conversion 
 and salvation? That there was nothing of 
 the power of godliness, in and after the time 
 
lo^ CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 of reformation ? No true religion among our 
 fathers, and in the churches founded by 
 them ? That there have been no revivals of 
 piety in these churches since they were 
 planted ] That God has never owned them 
 by providential protections, or by the t ffu- 
 aions of his spirit? Has there never been 
 any real godliness, but what was confined to 
 your denomination ; and none at aH in that 
 long period, when your sect did not exist ? 
 These things, 1 know, you will not pretend. 
 Nay, 1 will inquire farther; do not many of 
 you date your own conversion at a time 
 when you were in sentiment and in com- 
 munion with our churches? Did not God 
 bestow this great mercy upon you, while 
 you attended on the ministration of his word 
 and ordinances among us? This, 1 know, 
 some of you profess. You believe then, 
 that God has owned, and still owns these as 
 his churches : And will you disown them ? 
 Will you reject that which God receives ? 
 If you think it most convenient to worship 
 and commune ordinarily with those of your 
 own sentiments ; yet why need y(^u renounce 
 fellowship with us ? Are you doing God ser- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 163 
 
 Vice, when you cause divisions and offences 
 in his churches, contrary to the doctrine of 
 peace and unity, that we have received ? 
 Let us not, my brethren, rend the body of 
 Christ by our divisions ; but with united 
 zeal build up his kingdom in the world. 
 
 2. The preceding discourses teach us the 
 iinwarrantableness of rebaptization. It is 
 agreed on both sides that baptism is not to 
 be repeated. It' then our baptism is valid, 
 a repetition of it is contrary to the will of 
 God. In the baptism of an infant there is 
 the application of water in the name of the 
 Trinity, as well as in the baptism of an adult. 
 If this baptism be not valid, it is onli/ be- 
 cause the subject had not faith, and did not 
 actually consent to the baptismal obligations. 
 Now if the baptism of an infant is a nullity 
 for want of these qualifications, the want of 
 them will equally nullify an adult baptism ; 
 but yet, I presume, none of our brethren 
 will carry the matter to this length. Let 
 us put a case (and such a one as doubtless 
 sometimes happens.) An adult person 
 makes a profession of faith and obedience, 
 and is baptized* It soon appears from the 
 
154. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 wickedness of his life and the corruptness 
 of his principles, that he had no faith in any 
 rational sense, and never consented to the 
 baptismal obligations, but was influenced 
 only by carnal views. The man afterward 
 comes to repentance, confesses his hypocri- 
 sy in this affair, and owns he had no reli- 
 gious views in the whole transaction. He 
 now gives satisfactory proofs, that he is be- 
 come a real penitent and believer. Ought 
 this person to be rebaptized! Every one will 
 say, no ; because he has been baptized, and 
 his baptism will save him, as he has now the 
 answer of a good conscience toward God, 
 When Simon the sorcerer, who had been 
 baptized by Philip, discovered the vile hy- 
 pocrisy of his heart, P^/er directs him to re- 
 pent, that his sin might be forgiven ; but 
 says nothing of his being baptized again : 
 Whereas he says to the unbaptized Jetvs, 
 Eepent, and be baptized for the remission of 
 sins. I5ut there is just the same reason, 
 why this hi/pocrite should be baptized again 
 upon his repentance, as why the infant 
 should ; because he no more had faith be- 
 fore baptism, and no more consented to any 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 15j 
 
 religious obligation, when he was baptized, 
 than an infant. If a profession of repentance 
 is all that is necessary to our receiving this 
 baptized hypocrite, a profession of faith and 
 obedience, at adult age, is all that is neces- 
 sary to our receiving one baptized in child- 
 hood. So that rebaptization is unwarranta- 
 ble and sinful even upon the principles of 
 our brethren themselves ; and much more 
 upon supposition of infants right to baptism, 
 which, I think, has been abundantly prov- 
 ed. Further, 
 
 3. If children are the proper subjects of 
 baptism, then it is the indispensable duty of 
 parents to present them to God in this ordi- 
 nance, and there must be an inexcusable 
 neglect in those parents, who, though con- 
 vinced of their children's right to baptism, 
 delay to procure it for them. 
 
 Some will say perhaps, ' Though we dis- 
 pute not their rigid to it, yet it appears to 
 us to be a matter of very little consequence.' 
 
 But certainly it is a matter o^ great con- 
 sequence, that you compl}^ with a divine 
 institution. He that breaks the least com- 
 
i56 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 Jnand shall be called least in the kingdom of 
 
 heaven. 
 
 Perhaps you will say, ' We can^t suppose 
 
 the happiness of our children at all depends 
 
 upon their baptism, since itis a thing out of 
 their power/ Be it so: Yet if it be a duty 
 incumbent on you to bring them to baptism, 
 7/our happiness may depend on your com- 
 pliance with this as well as any olher duty. 
 But how are you sure that their welfare no 
 way depends upon it ? Their welfare much 
 depends on their being religiously educated— 
 their education will chiefly lie with you — 
 by their baptism you engage to give them a 
 religious education — and if your bringing 
 yourselves under public solemn obligations, 
 will be any motive with you to educate 
 them religiously, then their welfare, in some 
 degree, depends on their baptism. You will 
 say, ' You can do your duty as well without 
 such a promise as with it.^ With equal 
 reason might you say, you can live a reli- 
 gious life without ever making a profession 
 of religion, as well as if you did. But God 
 has required you to make a profession, be- 
 cause this will be a proper motive and in- 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 1;57 
 
 ducement to you to live a religious life ; it 
 is a suitable means of strengthening your 
 obligations and keeping them in your re- 
 membrance. And your dedi'^ating your 
 children to God in baptism is founded on the 
 same reason. It is a promise which you 
 take on yourselves, and a means of remind* 
 ingyou of your obligations, to educate thenGi 
 religiously. And this will be an argument, 
 which you may use to good advantage in 
 your addresses to them. 
 
 With respect to unbaptized infants, we 
 may be assured, God will do them no wrong. 
 But if he has made their baptism a condi- 
 tion of the bestowment of some undeserved 
 favours, who can say, this is unjust ? It 
 would be presumption to assert, that all who 
 die unbaptized are lost. God^s tender mer- 
 cies are over all his works. But the promise 
 is to believers, and their children. And 
 should we suppose, that the baptized infants 
 of believers have some advantages above 
 other infants in another state, this could not 
 be called absurd: For it is certainly a part 
 of the scheme of God^s moral government, 
 that some should be benefited by the piety 
 
1^8 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 of Others. All intercession is founded in 
 this principle. You doubtless sometimes 
 pray for your infant children. If you see 
 them in danger of death, you pray, not only 
 that their lives may be spared, but alsv that 
 their souls might be saved. But why do 
 you pray for them if you imagine no good 
 can redound to them from your faith and 
 piety ? How often did Christ exercise his 
 healing mercy toward the sick on account 
 of the faith of others ? How often did he 
 grant cures to children upon the earnest pe- 
 titions of their parents? It would then be 
 extremely rash to conclude, your infants 
 cannot be benefited by your dedicating them 
 to God. Those believers, who brought in- 
 fants to our Saviour, that he should bless 
 them and pray for them, entertained another 
 sentiment. They thought the good of these 
 children, in some measure, depended on 
 their bringing them to Christ. And Christ 
 commended their piety, and directed others 
 to do likewise. 
 
 Some perhaps will say, ' We believe that 
 infants are subjects of baptism, but we qnes- , 
 tion our own right to give them up to (Jod 
 
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 159 
 
 therein.^ But if you question your own 
 right, it must be, because you question 
 whether you have any religion. And can 
 you be contented so ? 
 
 Whatever the difficulty is, which lies in 
 your way, it should be your immediate con- 
 cern to remove it. Is it not your intention 
 to live a life of religion ? Is it not your de- 
 sire that your children should grow up be- 
 fore the Lud ? Is it not your resolution to 
 bring them up for him ? If it is, then say so, 
 by a public dedication of yourselves and 
 your children to God. If it is not, then 
 tremble at the thought of your own impiety 
 and carelessness. If you have no good pur- 
 poses and desires, you cannot consistently 
 profess any ; if you have good desires and 
 purposes, strengthen and confirm them by 
 bringing yourselves under explicit obliga- 
 tions to act agreeably to them. 
 
 Finally, Let such as have dedicated their 
 children to God, act under a sense of the 
 vows that are upon them. 
 
 If your children are removed by an early 
 death, quietly submit to the will of that 
 sovereign Lord, whose property you have 
 
160 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 
 
 acknowledged them to be, and entertain no 
 anxious thoughts about the manner in which 
 he has disposed of them. When you gave 
 them to him in baptism, you professed your 
 faith in his mercy toward them. If you 
 cannot tru^t him to dispose of them, why 
 did you dedicate them to him? If you can, 
 why are you anxious about them now since 
 he has taken them into his own hands ? 
 
 If your children live, then bring them up 
 in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 
 If your worldly circumstances make it ne- 
 cessary that you should commit them to the 
 care of others, see that you put them into 
 families where you have reason to think they 
 will be religiously educated. If you keep 
 them under your own immediate care, train 
 them up in the way in which they should 
 go; and commend them to God, and to the 
 word of his grace, which is able to build 
 them up, and to give them an inheritance 
 among the Saints. 
 
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