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

ALITH. But tell me plainlier I pray you, how Christ who so much hateth sensible signs, hath put so great necessity of salvation in this washing. For it seemeth to derogate from Gods liberality and power, that God cannot by all his merit and passion intercede to save an Infant or an adult believer, unless he be Baptized by an old Woman or some other viant, commonly an Infidel: so also, when the Infant of believers is brought to the Church, that (☞) according to Christs Rule he may be Baptized, and for want of water or other requisites, the peoples pious intention continuing, he is dead in the mean time naturally by the will of God, it seemeth hard to define that such an Infant is damned; specially when neither the Infant nor the people have sinned that he should so be damned: Where then is the merciful liberality of Christ-God if such a child of believers shall be damned for that which is not in their power? when God, according to the common Principles of Theology, is proner to reward men than to damn them, and specially when the merit and passion of Christ have so far stretched out their tents?

ALITH. But tell me plainlier I pray you, how Christ who so much hateth sensible signes, hath put so great necessity of salvation in this washing. For it seemeth to derogate from Gods liberality and power, that God cannot by all his merit and passion intercede to save an Infant or an adult beliver, unless he be Baptized by an old Woman or some other viant, commonly an Infidel: so also, when the Infant of believers is brought to the Church, that (☞) according to Christs Rule he may be Baptized, and for want of water or other requisites, the peoples pious intention continuing, he is dead in the mean time naturally by the will of God, it seemeth hard to define that such an Infant is damned; specially when neither the Infant nor the people have sinned that he should so be damned: Where then is the merciful li•erality of Christ-God if such a child of believers shall be damned for that which is not in their power? when God, according to the common Principles of Theologie, is proner to reward men than to damn them, and specially when the merit and passion of Christ have so far stretched out their tents?