A47591:1234
Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient…Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient…
Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the ancient Britons [sic] being an answer to a book, intituled [sic] Children's baptism from Heaven, published in the Welsh tongue by Mr. James Owen / by Benjamin Keach.Light broke forth in Wales, expelling darkness, or, The Englishman's love to the antient Britains [sic] being an answer to a book, iutituled [sic] Children's baptism from Heaven, published in the Welsh tongue by Mr. James Owen / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by William Marshall, 1696
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. The Obligation and Vow that lies upon baptized persons according to the Scripture, is not that they seek after Regeneration, no, for it necessarily supposeth that they had that before baptized; but it doth bind or oblige them to persevere in Holiness, that as they have been buried in Baptism, as persons dead to sin, so they should walk in newness of life, Rom. 6. 3, 4. Now you would have your Baptism to oblige your baptized Children to become dead to sin, they were not it appears dead when buried with Christ in Baptism, but you bury them alive, (if you baptized them.) To show them they must die, Sir, God never ordained Baptism to such an end, or to oblige persons thus to do, see Rom. 6. 3. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Col. 1. 12, 13.
2. The Obligation and Vow that lies upon baptized persons according to the Scripture, is not that they seek after Regeneration, no, for it necessarily supposeth that they had that before baptized; but it doth bind or oblige them to persevere in Holiness, that as they have been buried in Baptism, as persons dead to sin, so they should walk in newness of life, Rom. 6. 3, 4. Now you would have your Baptism to oblige your baptized Children to become dead to sin, they were not it appears dead when buried with Christ in Baptism, but you bury them alive, (if you baptized them.) To shew them they must die, Sir, God never ordained Baptism to such an end, or to oblige persons thus to do, see Rom. 6. 3. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Col. 1. 12, 13.
3. The Church of England saith, That the Child which they baptize is thereby (that is in Baptism) regenerated, and made a Child of God, a Member of Christ, and an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven. And what you say implies as much; for it must needs be thus, if when the Parents believe and are regenerated and saved, the Child partakes of the same privilege, then the Child believed and was regenerated, and saved also. Now if this be so, what advantage can Ministers have from the Consideration of Infants Baptism to press Regeneration, or the Performance of Repentance upon them when they come to age, above what we have to press these great Duties upon our Children, when grown up that never were baptized? What need is there to press that on the Consciences of your Children when they come to age, which they had wrought in them when they were in their Infancy? No, your Work is rather to press them as Saints and renewed Persons, to live holy Lives, and improve those Divine Habits which they received when their Parents believed, or those inspired Habits that were planted in their Souls, when in Infancy they were baptized and regenerated.