tion from a general corruption, where fuch an adminiftrator cannot be had, it may be done; nor is it effèntial to the ordinance that there should be fuch an adminiftrator, or otherwife it could never have been introduced into the world at all at firft; the first administrator must be an unbaptized perfon, as John the Baptift was. According to this man's train of reafoning, there never was, nor could be any valid baptifin in the world; for John, the first administrator, being an unbaptized perfon, the whole fucceffion of churches from that time to this day muft remain unbaptized. It will be faid, that he had a commiffion from heaven to begin this new ordinance; and a like one should be shewn for the restoration of it. To which I answer, that there being a plain direction for the adminiftration of this ordinance, in the Word, there was no need of a new commiffion to restore it from a general corruption; it was enough for any person, sensible of the corruption, to attempt a reformation, and to administer it in the right way, who was fatisfied of his call from God to preach the gospel, and adminifter ordinances, according to the word. I fhall close this chapter with the words of Zanchy, a Proteftant Divine, and a Pædobaptift, and a man of as great learning and judgment, as any among the first reformers: "It is a fifth question, he says, propofed by Auguftin, contra Parmen. 1. 2. c. 13. col. 42. but not folved, whether he that never was baptized may baptize an"other; and of this question he says, that is, Austin, nothing is to be affirmed "without the authority of a council. Nevertheless, Thomas (Aquinas) takes "upon him to determine it, from an answer of Pope Nicholas, to the inquiries "of the Dutch, as it is had in Decr. de Confec. dift. 4. can. 22." where we thus read; "You fay, by a certain Jew, whether a chriftian or a heathen, you know "not, (that is, whether baptized or unbaptized) many were baptized in your "country, and you defire to know what is to be done in this cafe; truly if

they are baptized in the name of the holy Trinity, or only in the name of "Chrift, they ought not to be baptized again." And Thomas confirms the fame, by a faying of Ifidore, which likewife is produced in the fame distinction, can. 21. where he says, "that the Spirit of Chrift minifters the grace of baptifm, though he be a heathen that baptizes. Wherefore, fays Thomas, if "there should be two perfons not yet baptized, who believe in Christ, and "they have no lawful administrator by whom they may be baptized, one may, " without fin, be baptized by the other; the neceffity of death obliging to it. "All this, adds Zanchy, proceeds from hence, that they thought water-baptism "abfolutely neceffary; but what cannot be determined by the word of God, "we should not dare to determine. But, fays he, I will propose a question, which, I think, may be easily answered; fuppofing á Turk in a country "where

Quinta quæftio proponitur ab Auguftino, &c. Explicat. Epift. ad Ephes. c. 5. p. 225.

"where he could not easily come at chriftian churches; he, by reading the "New Testament, is favoured with the knowledge of Christ, and with faith; "he teaches his family, and converts that to Chrift, and fo others likewife; "the question is, whether he may baptize them whom he has converted to "Chrift, though he himself never was baptized with water-baptifm? I do not "doubt but he may; and, on the other hand, take care that he himfelf be baptized, by another of them that were converted by him; the reafon is, "because he is a minifter of the Word, extraordinarily raised up by Chrift; fo "that fuch a minifter may, with them, by the confent of the church, appoint "a collegue, and take care that he be baptized by him." The reason which Zanchy gives, will, I think, hold good in the cafe of the first Antipædobaptists in England.

66

С НА Р. III.

Of the Antiquity of Infant - Baptism; when first debated; and concerning the Waldenfes.

THE

HE minifter, in this dialogue, in order to stagger his neighbour about the principle of adult-baptifm, he had efpoufed, fuggefts to him, that infantbaptifm did univerfally obtain in the church, even from the apoftles times; that undoubted evidence may be had from the antient fathers, that it constantly obtained in the truly primitive church; and that it cannot be pretended that this practice was called in queftion, or made matter of debate in the church, till the madmen of Munfter fet themselves against it; and affirms, that the antient Waldenfes being in the conftant practice of adult-baptifm, is a mere imagination, a chimerical one, and to be rejected as a groundless figment, p. 7, 9.

I. This writer intimates, that the practice of infant-baptifm univerfally and conftantly obtained in the truly primitive church. The truly primitive church is the church in the times of Chrift and his apoftles: The first chriftian church was that at Jerufalem, which confifted of fuch as were made the difciples of Christ, and baptized; first made difciples by Chrift, and then baptized by his apostles; for Jesus himself baptized none, only they baptized by his order. This church afterwards greatly increased; three thousand perfons, who were pricked to the heart under Peter's miniftry, repented of their fins, and joyfully received the good news of pardon and falvation by Chrift, were baptized, and added to it; these were adult perfons; nor do we read of any one infant being baptized, while this truly primitive church fubfifted. The next chriftian church was that

MM 2

at

a

John iv. 1, 2. Acts i. 15.

at Samaria; for that there was a church there, is evident from Asix. 31. This feems to have been founded by the miniftry of Philip; the original members of it were men and women baptized by Philip, upon a profeffion of their faith in the things preached by him, concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jefus Chrift; nor is there the leaft intimation given that infant-baptism at all obtained in this church. Another truly primitive chriftian church, was the church at Philippi; the foundation of which was laid in the two families of Lydia and the Gaoler, and which furnish out no proof of infant-baptism obtaining here, as we shall see hereafter; for Lydia's houfhold are called brethren, whom the apostles vifited and comforted; and the Gaoler's houfhold were fuch as were capable of hearing the word, and who believed in Chrift, and rejoiced in God as well as he . So that it does not appear that infant-baptism obtained in this church. The next chriftian church we read of, and which was a truly primitive one, is the church at Corinth, and confifted of perfons who, hearing the apostle Paul preach the gofpel, believed in Chrift, whom he preached, and were baptized but there is no mention made of any infant being baptized, either now or hereafter, in this truly primitive church state. Thefe are all the truly primitive churches of whofe baptifm we have any account in the Aus of the apostles, excepting Cornelius, and his family and friends, who very probably founded a church at Cæfarea; and the twelve disciples at Ephefus, who very likely joined to the church there, and who are both inftances of adult-baptifm. Let it be made appear, if it can, that any one infant was ever baptized in any of the above truly primitive churches, or in any other, during the apoftolic age, either at Antioch or Theffalonica, at Rome, or at Coloffe, or any other primitive church of those times. But though this cannot be made out from the writings of the New Testament, we are told,

II. That undoubted evidence may be had from the antient fathers, that infant-baptifm conftantly obtained in the truly primitive church. Let us a little inquire into this matter:

1. The chriftian writers of the first century, befides the evangelifts and apoftles, are Barnabas, Hermas, Clemens Romanus, Ignatius and Polycarp. As to the two first of these, Barnabas and Hermas, the learned Mr Stennett has cited some paffages out of them; and after him Mr David Rees; for which reason, I forbear transcribing them; which are manifeft proofs of adult-baptism, and that as performed by immerfion; they represent the perfons baptized, the one as hoping in the cross of Chrift, the other as having heard the word, and being

willing to be baptized in the name of the Lord; and both as going down into the water, and coming up out of it. Clemens Romanus wrote an epiftle to the Corinthians, still extant; but there is not a syllable in it about infant-baptism. Ignatius wrote epiftles to feveral churches, as well as to particular perfons; but makes no mention of the practice of infant-baptifm in any of them: what he fays of baptifm, favours adult-baptifm; fince he speaks of it as attended with faith, love and patience: "Let your baptifm, fays he, remain as armour; faith as an "helmet, love as a fpear, and patience as whole armour." Polycarp wrote an epiftle to the Philippians, which is yet in being; but there is not one word in it about infant-baptifm. So that it is fo far from being true, that there is undoubted evidence from the antient fathers, that this practice universally and con-ftantly obtained in the truly primitive church, that there is no evidence at all that it did obtain, in any respect, in the first century, or apoftolic age; and which is the only period in which the truly primitive church of Chrift can be faid to fubfift. There is indeed a work called The conftitutions of the apostles, and fometimes the conftitutions of Clemens, becaufe he is faid to be the compiler of them; and another book of Ecclefiaftical Hierarchy, afcribed to Dionyfius the Areopagite, out of which, paffages have been cited in favour of infant-baptism; but these are manifeftly of later date than they pretend to, and were never written by the perfons whofe names they bear, and are condemned as fpurious by learned men, and are given up as fuch by Dr Wall, in his Hiftory of Infant-Baptifm'.

2. The chriftian writers of the fecond century, which are extant, are Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Theophilus of Antioch, Tatian, Minutius Felix, Irenæus, and Clemens of Alexandria; and of all these writers, there is not one that fays any thing of infant-baptism; there is but one pretended to, and that is Irenæus, and but a fingle paffage out of him; and that depends upon a single word, the fignification of which is doubtful at beft; and befides the paffage is only a translation of Irenæus, and not expreffed in his own original words; and the chap-ter, from whence it is taken, is by fome learned men judged to be fpurious; fince it advances a notion inconfiftent with that ancient writer, and notoriously contrary to the books of the evangelists, making Chrift to live to be fifty years old, yea, to live to a fenior age: The paffage, produced in favour of infantbaptifm, is this; fpeaking of Chrift, he fays", "Sanctifying every age, by "that likeness it had to him; for he came to fave all by himself; all, I fay,. qui per eum renafcuntur in Deum," who by him are born again unto God;" in“fants, and little ones, and children, and young men, and old men; therefore "hee

66

Ignatii Epift. ad Polycarp. p. 14. Ed. Voff. m Irenæus adv. Hæref. 1. 2. c. 39. p. 191.

Part I. c. 23.

" he went through every age, and became an infant, to infants fanctifying in"fants; and to little ones a little one, fanctifying thofe of that age; and like"wife became an example of piety, righteousness, and subjection:" Now, the question is about the word renafcuntur, whether it is to be rendered born again, which is the literal sense of the word, or baptized; the true fenfe of Irenæus feems to be this, that Chrift came to fave all that are regenerated by his grace and fpirit; and none but they, according to his own words, John iii. 3, 5. and that by affuming human nature, and paffing through the feveral stages of life, he has fanctified it, and fet an example to men of every age. And this now is all the evidence, the undoubted evidence of infant-baptifm, from the fathers of the first two centuries; it would be easy to produce paffages out of the above writers, in favour of believers-baptifm; I fhall only cite one out of the first of them; the account, that Justin Martyr gave to the emperor Antoninus Pius of the chriftians of his day; though it has been cited by Mr Stennett and Mr Rees, I fhall choose to transcribe it; because, as Dr Wall fays", it is the most antient account of the way of baptizing next the fcripture. "And now, fays Justin, "we will declare after what manner, when we were renewed by Christ, we de"voted ourselves unto God; left, omitting this, we should feem to act a bad 66 part in this declaration. As many, as are perfuaded, and believe the things, "taught and faid by us, to be true, and promise to live according to them, "are instructed to pray, and to afk, fafting, the forgiveness of their past fins "of God, we praying and fafting together with them. After that, they are "brought by us where water is, and they are regenerated in the fame way " of regeneration, as we have been regenerated; for they are then washed in "water, in the name of the Father and Lord God of all, and of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, and of the holy Spirit." There is a work, which bears the name of Justin, called Answers to the orthodox, concerning fome neceffary questions; to which we are sometimes referred for a proof of infant-baptifm; but the book is fpurious, and none of Justin's, as many learned men have observed; and as Dr Wall allows; and is thought not to have been written before the fifth century. So ftands the evidence for infant-baptifm, from the ancient fathers of the first two centuries.

3. As to the third century, it will be allowed, that it was fpoken of in it; though as soon as it was mentioned, it was opposed; and the very first man that mentions it, speaks against it; namely, Tertullian. The truth of the matter is, that infant-baptifm was moved for in the third century; got footing and estabJifhment in the fourth and fifth; and fo prevailed until the time of the reformation: Though, throughout these feveral centuries, there were teftimonies bore

n Hiftory of Infant-Baptifm, part I. c. z.

• Ov Tegπov de avednxaper eautys, &c. Juftin. Apolog. II. p. 93, 94. Ed. Paris.

to