More proofs of infants church-membership and consequently their right to baptism, or, A second…

Reply. Reader, to Mr. T.'s anger at these ten Questions I must say, 1. That the dolefulness of the Churches case constrained me in grief of heart to deal plainly with him.

2. But it was in a private letter, extorted by his importunity, and published to the world by himself and not by me; who confess that this plainness was too great for me to have used to him publicly: But secret admonition disparageth him not to others. It hath now been by himself about nineteen years divulged to the world, and I did not so much as trouble his patience by a word of answer, and little thought ever to do it: But Major Danvers his loud invitation hath drawn me to give them this Farewell.

2. But it was in a private letter, extorted by his importunity, and published to the world by himself and not by me; who confess that this plainness was too great for me to have used to him publickly: But secret admonition disparageth him not to others. It hath now been by himself about nineteen years divulged to the world, and I did not so much as trouble his patience by a word of answer, and little thought ever to do it: But Major Danvers his loud invitation hath drawn me to give them this Farewell.

THE Reader must here take notice that I am not here called to prove Infants Church-membership out of the New Testament, but to show out of the Old that they were visible Church-members before by a Grant or Covenant, which Christ hath not repealed. The rest (out of the New-Testament) I have done long ago in my Treatise of Infant Church-membership and Baptism, which Mr. T. is so much displeased at. And indeed I think that the proofs are plain, though many objections may be difficult to be answered, ⟨p. 160⟩especially by those who have not throughly considered the case. When I set together Christs own Infant membership, and his kind reception of Infants, and his chiding those that would have kept them off, and his offers of taking in all the Jewish Nation into his Church, and that they were broken off by unbelief, and consequently the seed of Believers not broken off from the Church universal, and that whole households are oft said to be baptized, and that Paul pronounceth Believers children holy, and that Christ expressly,