Baptizandos effe parvulos nemo dubitet; quando nec illi hinc dubitant, qui ex parte aliquâ contradicunt.

Augustin. de Verb. ap. Serm. 14.

LONDON:

Printed for J. WAUGH at the Turk's-Head in Lombard

Street. MDCCLIII.

2.4

PÆDO-BAPTISM:

OR, A

DEFENCE

OF

INFANT-BAPTISM, &c.

SECTION I

A general View of the Argument.

W

HEN God gave to Abraham the Covenant of Circumcifion [a], this religious Rite was adminiftred, upon the ground of his own faith [b], to all the males, i. e.

all the capable members of his family, from eight

B 2

eight days old and upwards, according to their feveral and refpective ages [c]: Abraham himfelf being ninety years old and nine when he was circumcifed, Ishmael, his fon, thirteen years old, &c [d]. But, for the future, the appointed time of Circumcifion, in ordinary, was the eighth day from the birth; excepting the cafe of new Profelytes, e. g. the Sechemites [e], and others, whofe families were circumcised together, as Abraham's had been [ƒ]. In like manner, when the Covenant of Baptifm [g] was given to the Chriftian Church, it seems very natural to fuppofe, that this facred rite alfo was adminiftred to perfons of every age both old and young. For, Chriftian baptifm came in the room of Circumcifion, fo as to fuperfede it []; and we find, at the beginning of the Gospel Difpenfation, whole households baptized together [i], as Abraham's household had been circumcifed together. (though there is no exprefs mention of any young children being then admitted to the ordinance, in the one cafe more than in the other.) But, it is analogous to think, that the ufual time of adminftring baptifm, afterwards, (excepting here again the Cafe of new Profelytes) was in the ftate of Infancy. Becaufe,

[c] Gen. xvii. 23. [d] Gen. xvii. 24, 25.

[e] Gen. xxxiv. 24. [f] Gen. xvii. 23. [g] 1 Pet. iii. 21. [b] By chriftian baptifm I mean baptifin, as adminiftred in the chriftian church, commencing after the death of Christ, whereby circumcifion &c, was vacated.

[] Acts xvi. 15, 33. I Cor. i. 16.

Because, there is no particular direction in the Gospel to defer baptifm ordinarily even to the eighth day from the birth, and much less beyond it, and left of all to riper years; and therefore it might well be judged lawful and expedient before. However, in this light the matter hath always appeared to me, and I believe to most other men.

Nevertheless, as the facred Hiftory often fpeaks of adult baptifm (which, as every one must perceive, was a thing unavoidable at the first inftitution of chriftian baptifm, even fuppofing, not only that children alfo were to be baptized, but that baptifm, as a standing ordinance in the chriftian church, like circumcifion in the Jewish church, was chiefly defigned for children) I fay, because the facred writings of the new Teftament make frequent mention of adult baptifm, without exprefsly naming the baptization of children; this hath lead fome perfons to conclude, that none, but the adult were, or ought to be baptized. Now, this, I imagine, is to turn an accidental circumftance into a standing rule, as the defcendants of Ishmael did, who circumcifed not their children before the 13th year of their age, becaufe Ishmael himself happened to be fo old, when he was circumcifed, at the time of the firft inftitution of the rite of circumcifion [k]. And, if the Ihmaelites

[] Jofeph. J. antiq. lib. i.