Paidobaptismos orthobaptismos: or, The baptism of infants vindicated by scriptures and reasons. Humbly offered in order to a composure of differences at this juncture of time. By Nath. Taylor, M.A.

ARGUMENT VI. Those who are Members of Christs Church ought to be Baptized. But Children are Members of Christs Church. Therefore Children ought to be Baptized.

THIS Argument hath no small force in it, as will appear by considering each Proposition distinctly.

[Major.] Those who are Members of Christs Church ought to be Baptized, as appears,

1. Because this is the usual way of Solemn Admission into Christs Church, * 1.1 and the Apostles usually Practised thus, Admini∣string Baptism upon their receiving any in∣to the Church of Christ.

2. If Baptism be not Administred at the Admission of Persons into Christs Church, then must it be done after, or not at all: The last is not true, Christs Ordinance ought not to be neglected; and there is no Instance or Precept in Scripture what time after a Persons Conversion, and becoming a Church-Member, it should be done: Therefore it must be done as the Apostles Practised it at the Receiving any into the Church of Christ.

3. Our Adversaries, the Anabaptists, acknowledge none Members of a Visible Church of Christ but those who are Bap∣tized, and Baptize (as they call it) those whom they receive as Church-members, at their first Admission, whence directly follows from their own Practice, that those who are Church-members ought to be Baptized.

4. Christs Church is to be Purified with the washing of Water by the Word: * 1.2 If then Children are of his Church, they ought to be Baptized.

[Minor.] And that Children are Members of Christs Church appears (as to their Mem∣bership of his Invisible Church, from our Adversaries granting them Eternal Life, and all Priviledges belonging to such Mem∣bers) and that they are also Members of Christs Visible Church, will appear thus:

1. The Children of the Jews were with their Parents Church-members under the Law, * 1.3 which Law is not yet Repealed by Christ.

2. The Children of the Converted Jews lost not their Priviledges, but still remained Church-members, for Christ did not in∣fringe, but rather enlarge the Priviledges of his People. And St. Peter seems to use this as a great motive to induce the Jews to close with Christ, * 1.4 that though they had

Crucified the Lord of Life, their Promised and Expected Messiah, yet they Repenting and being Baptized, might be saved, and might find Mercy for themselves and their Seed also; for the Covenant and Promise is still to You and to your Seed.

3. The Gentiles are through Christ ad∣mitted to equal Priviledges with the Jews; * 1.5 the Children of Parents who did not be∣lieve, were Excluded, therefore the Chil∣dren of Parents believing, were received.

4. The Jews shall with their Children be recalled into a state of Church-mem∣bership at their Conversion, * 1.6 therefore doubtless the Children of Believing and Converted Gentiles are Church-members.

5. Children are either Members of the Visible Church of Christ, or else are visibly of Satans Kingdom. There is no Medium between these two, all appertain either to Christ or Satan. Now, let them and us consider how dismal a Doctrine theirs is, which makes all the Children of the World of the Visible Kingdom of Satan, and so denies us any good grounds for the hope of their Salvation. And how strangely their Thoughts are linked together in granting Children all the Priviledges of Church-members, as Pardon of sin, and Eternal Life, and so esteem them of Christs Invisible Church, and yet Excommunicate

them out of his Visible Church; * 1.7 and to countenance this, they calumniate Scrip∣ture, and say, the Old Testament-way of bringing of Children into the Church is cast out; and that Children are not mentioned as received in the New Testament, about which the Author Cited spends some leaves, which Calumny may easily be wiped off, and his leaves blown away, as to the force of their Arguments against us; for it can never be proved that Children are in any place by Christ rejected and excluded the Covenant, Discipleship, and Church-membership; and it is fully proved, and must be granted they were in the Cove∣nant, were Disciples and Church-members before Christ. But if by the Old Testa∣ment-way of bringing in Children into the Church being cast out They mean not to infringe the Priviledge of Children, the Subject of this Argument, but to shew the way of their Admission into the Church to be altered, * 1.8 we grant it, it being formerly done by Circumcision, and now by Bap∣tism. As for the several Leaves premised, the sum of all of them is to prove that in the Churches at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, &c. to which the Apostles wrote, there was no mention of Children: Therefore he ga∣thers Children not to be Church-members, and to have no Right to Baptism. The

force of which Arguing may be rendred invalid two ways,

1. By shewing Reasons why Childrens Baptism and Church-membership are not mentioned in the New Testament, which I shall do in due time.

2. By distinguishing between the Church then and now. Then it was in Gather∣ing, and now Gathered: Then only the Heads of Families, Masters, Parents, and other Adult Converts are written to, and taken Notice of to be Baptized, * 1.9 and to be accounted Church-members; but yet we find whole Families Baptized, and several Saints greeted with the Church of God in such an House, which may as reasonably inser the Children and Servants of such Families to have been Baptized, and to have been reckoned Church-members, and we may as reasonably believe there were Children in some of their Houses and Fa∣milies who were Baptized, as they can confidently deny it. So that I see not what force those many words in several Leaves have against our esteeming Infants Church-members; and if that be granted, we have proved the Rationality of their being Bap∣tized.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Acts 2.37, 38,
• * 1.2

  Ephes. 5.26.
• * 1.3

  Baxter's Infant Church-Memb. p. 26. Deut. 31.11, 12.
• * 1.4

  Acts 2.37, 38, 39.
• * 1.5

  Rom. 11.11, 15, 25. Eaxter, p. 20.
• * 1.6

  Rom. 11.25, 26, 27.
• * 1.7

  Art. 11. of their Princi∣ples. Gran∣tam's Works, l. 2. p. 67. c. 5.
• * 1.8

  Gran∣tam's Christians Primi∣tive, &c. l. 2. p. 2. cap. 2. sect. 2. p. 6. to 17.
• * 1.9

  Acts 16.15, 31. 1 Cor. 1.18. 2 Tim. 4 19. Rom. 16.11, 15. 1 Cor. 16 19. 1 Thes. 4.15.