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

Reader, I have been the larger in transcribing and translating the words of Wycliffe, because an Author is not so well understood by a line or two dismembered from the rest, as by whole discourses: and so that his sense may be past all controversy: Here it is visible that Wycliffe was so far from denying Infant-Baptism, that 1. He expressly asserteth it, 2. He never so much as noteth it for any controversy, nor maketh any doubt or question about it. 3. Yea he taketh it to be bold presumption for any to take upon them to ⟨p. 363⟩know, whether an Infant that dyeth unavoidably unbaptized be saved or not, but only saith God can do it if he will, and he can damn him. 4. And to those that say that the Parents are not in the fault, nor the people, seeing they intended his Baptism, he saith, that many things come to pass for past sins of Parents, and people, and therefore that cannot be concluded; and nothing after the first grace cometh to pass unmerited. 5. And he concludeth that those of them that are damned for original sin, are punished with pain of loss and sense, but unequally, having unequal original sins. 6. But Baptism he asserteth doth put away all sin in the rightly Baptized. 7. And that when Infants are rightly Baptized with water, they are Baptized with the third Baptism having Baptismal grace. 8. That it is according to Christs rule that Infants be brought to the Church to be Baptized.

Reader, I have been the larger in transcribing and translating the words of Wickliffe, because an Author is not so well understood by a line or two dismembred from the rest, as by whole discourses: and so that his sense may be past all controversie: Here it is visible that Wickliff was so far from denying Infant-Baptism, that 1. He expresly asserteth it, 2. He never so much as noteth it for any controversie, nor maketh any doubt or question about it. 3. Yea he taketh it to be bold presumption for any to take upon them to ⟨p. 363⟩know, whether an Infant that dyeth unavoidably unbaptized be saved or not, but only saith God can do it if he will, and he can damn him. 4. And to those that say that the Parents are not in the fault, nor the people, seeing they intended his Baptism, he saith, that many things come to pass for past sins of Parents, and people, and therefore that cannot be concluded; and nothing after the first grace cometh to pass unmerited. 5. And he concludeth that those of them that are damned for original sin, are punished with pain of loss and sense, but unequally, having unequal original sins. 6. But Baptism he asserteth doth put away all sin in the rightly Baptized. 7. And that when Infants are rightly Baptized with water, they are Baptized with the third Baptism having Baptismal grace. 8. That it is according to Christs rule that Infants be brought to the Church to be Baptized.