as the christian baptism aspersion and sprinkling; does in no degree consist in the particular manner of using and applying water; and that it is as real baptism, according to the institution of Christ, when performed in different modes. And they seem to be rigid beyond any scripture warrant, and in a degree superstitious, who insist that all shall be baptized by plunging; and reject all those to whom water has not been applied in this particular mode, as not baptized. This is doubtless making that essential to this ordinance, which the scripture has not made so, and rejecting those from christian communion, and the privileges of the visible church, whom Christ receives. If they who have adopted this mode of baptism, by plunging, did not make it a term of communion, and exclude all, as not baptized, who have not had water applied to them in this particular way, and not visible christians, the dispute and contention would be at an end; and they who think and practise differently might hold communion with each other, and be members of the same churches; though baptized in different modes. 3. The proper subjects of baptism, if adult, are those who by profession, and in appearance, are believers in Christ, and true friends to him. None but they who are really such, do in heart "put on Christ," and approve of the covenant of grace, and the way of salvation by him, and devote themselves to his honour and service, which all who come to baptism, profess to do, and by this transaction are admitted into the church, as the servants of Christ, and are visibly interested in the blessings of the covenant of grace, and are considered as among the number of the saved, and are thus distinguished from all others, as saints, or holy persons. They must therefore be really holy, in order to put on this visibility and profession of it, with propriety and truth, which they do in baptism: For if they be not really such, they are utterly unqualified in the sight of God, to be admitted to baptism, as it is, on their part, only a piece of hypocrisy.-Therefore none are to be admitted to this ordinance, but those who in the view of the church appear to be true friends to Christ, or believers in him, and really holy, and are justly considered ap by them as such, who can judge only by outward pearance, and cannot certainly know what is in the heart. That none but such, who are thus visibly, and in the charitable judgment of the church, and of those who administer this ordinance, believers in Christ, and really holy, are the proper subjects of this ordinance, and to be admitted to baptism, is abundantly evident from scripture, as well as from the nature of the transaction, and the reason of things. The apostles, when they first began to administer christian baptism, and form a church, baptized none but such who "gladly received the word."* When the Eunuch desired to be baptised, Philip said, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest."+ This implies that he was not qualified for baptism, or a fit subject of that ordinance, unless he were a true believer in Christ; and that he could not baptize him, unless he professed and appeared to be such a believer. Hence all who were baptised, and formed into churches, were considered and addressed by the apostles, in their letters to them, as saints or holy persons, believers in Christ, and friends to him; as those who were saved, and heirs of eternal life: or, which is the same, as real christians: Of which every one must be sensible, who reads the Acts of the Apostles, and their Epistles. INFANT BAPTISM. WHETHER infants, the children of visible believers, and members of the visible church, who have been now described, are the proper subjects of baptism, is an important question, upon which professing christians are greatly divided; and which has been the subject of much dispute in the three last centuries. It is not thought proper, or that it will answer any good end, to enter here very particularly into this dispute, upon which so much has been written on both sides. It will be sufficient briefly to state the chief arguments for the baptism of such children; and the ground, and import of this ordinance, when applied to them. Acts . 41. + Acts viii. 37. ARGUMENTS FOR INFANT BAPTISM. I. THE arguments may be exhibited under the following particulars. 1. It is observed from the scripture, that God, in his dealings with men, in his constitutions and conduct, and covenants with them, does connect children with their parents, and considers the former as included in the latter; so that the children take their moral character, and visible relation to God, and derive good or evil, a blessing, or the contrary, from their parents, according to their character and conduct. When God first made man, he considered the children of Adam as included in him, and they were included in the covenant made with him; so that they were to be blessed or not, according to the conduct of their parent; and his moral character and conduct was to determine and fix theirs. Though there were some things peculiar in this constitution, especially as it was more general and comprehensive, taking in all the natural descendants from Adam, to the end of the world; yet thus much is to be gathered from it, viz. That children may be included in the covenant which is made with their parents, so as to take their moral character from them, and derive good or evil, according to the moral conduct of their parents, and that God has actually done this, in a perspicuous and most striking instance, in which he may be considered, perhaps, as setting a pattern and example of his conduct with mankind, in his public, covenant transactions with them ; and that in all such covenants children are to be considered as included with their parents. When God made a covenant with Noah, after the flood, his children and seed were included. And God's covenant with Abraham was with him, and his seed after him. And his children and posterity had favour and blessings in consequence of this covenant, and out of respect to it. "He remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant. And he brought forth his people with joy; and his chosen with gladness. But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend."* And God saved the children and posterity of David from evil, and shewed them special favours, for his sake, and out of respect to the covenant made with him.† From these instances it appears, that God has in fact entered into covenant with parents, in which their children or seed were included in such a sense and degree, that he has shewed favour to them, out of respect to such covenants, and to the parents with whom the covenant was made. When God entered into covenant with the children of Israel, on the plains of Moab, their children, even their little ones, or infants, are expressly included in the covenant. They are said to enter into covenant with their parents. Therefore infants and children did enter into covenant with their parents, as included with them, in the solemn transaction. Agreeable to this, God says, " I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Here, on the one hand, God says, he brings evil on the children and posterity of wicked parents, as the consequence of their iniquity. It hence is evident, that the moral character of the children of wicked parents is, by divine constitution, affected, formed, and fixed by, or in consequence of the parents' iniquity, who are enemies to him: For God has declared, that the child who does not imitate his father in his iniquity, shall not suffer for his father's wickedness. The words cited from the second commandment are not repeated or contradicted by this passage in Ezekiel, as some have suggested, but are explained; and hereby we learn, that visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children does not intend punishing the children for the iniquity of their fathers, whatever be the moral character and conduct of the children, and though they abhor and renounce their father's iniquity, and fear and love God. But their moral character is supposed to be like Psal cv. 42, 43. Isai. xli. 8. See also Gen. v. 4, 1 Kings xi. 12, 13, 32, 34, 36. 2 Chron. xxi. 7. Deut. xxix. 10, 11, 12. §Exodus xx. 5, 6. 5, 24. Exod. vi. 5. Isaiah xxxvii. 35. Ezekiel xviii. 1-20 blessings to their children, which is the mercy promised and shown to the parents who love God and keep his commandments, in opposition to the judgment and evil threatened to disobedient parents. As their impiety and disobedience is in judgment visited on their children, in the manner above explained; so, on the contrary, the piety and obedience of them, who love God, and keep his commandments, is in mercy visited upon their children, transmitting a good moral character to them, and all those blessings which are implied in this; and thus, as the Psalmist declares, "The generation of the upright shall be blessed : His seed shall be mighty upon the earth."* All that is to be inferred from this passage, at present, (though farther use may be made of it before this subject is finished) and from those mentioned before, under this particular, is, that God, in his transactions and covenanting with men, does include children with their parents, and they are so connected together, that chil dren derive their moral character, at least in many instances, from their parents: And God, in entering into covenant with parents, extends the promises and blessings of his covenant to their child en; which are suspended on the character and conduct of their parents, on their fulfilling the covenant, on their part, or not. presumed this is undeniably certain, from the passages of scripture which have been here cited. It is but As this has in fact been the way of God's dealing with mankind, and this is declared to be his method of conduct, and the tenor of his covenanting with his people, in the second command; not as a temporary, a perpetual rule of his proceeding and covenanting with man; and this appears rational and natural; no reason can be suggested, why it should not take place under the gospel, to as great a degree, if not greater, in God's covenanting with christians; but this gives good reason to conclude, with great certainty, that this is the way in which God deals with christians, and christian churches universally; and that his covenant with them includes their children also. Psalm cxii. 2. |